AlyCat's Claws

Weird!

2011-12-30T14:26:00.000-08:00

Check out this Orca attacking a shark. Haha and no it's not a virus, but it is pretty interesting.

"Spring" cleaning

2011-12-28T15:21:00.000-08:00

Well, here it is, December 28th. Christmas has come and gone (rather quickly as usual) for another year. We've yet to take down our lights and Christmas tree, but that will be happening within the next few days.
Why did I title this "Spring" cleaning? because looking around this house, after having had my son home for a week and a few days, as well as my husband home for a few days, we've all been lazy laz lazy! the place is a mess. It isn't spring yet, but we need to get this place in tip top shape (not to mention start getting to bed earlier at night) for when school starts back up again. We may have to rent a rug dr because we can't afford a cleaning service like carpet cleaning holly springs nc. Our carpet isn't horrible but after having the tree up for three or four weeks it's time for it to come out, and it's been shedding on the rug. Vaccuuming only does so much.

Time to find a place for everything and put everything in it's place. We've been here for two months and just about two weeks now and have celebrated three holidays here so far. I guess that's what happens when you move in mid October haha. We still haven't found a place for everything in this small house. It's got an upstairs and yet it's still smaller than our other house. We will have to invest in shelves!

Chalene Johnson's "PUSH"

2011-12-26T10:18:00.000-08:00

So I got this book for Christmas.

I've read the first chapter or two in the book (I'm skimming through it before I REALLY REALLY start. If i'm going to do it, i'm going to do it correctly) and it seems like what Chalene helps you do, is zero in on your REAL goals and priorities. She says that sometimes even though it seems like your main goal might be to lose 100lbs and get fit and healthy, it's the SMALLER goals that are the ones that are actually going to GET you to that point. It makes sense, because i've always thought that it's the smaller goal habits (eat healthier with the family, try new healthy foods with the family, workout with the family, etc) that will actually GET me to the bigger picture.

I know that Chalene is big on daily to do lists and I think those will be helpful in the new year to actually get it all done. If I set times up for myself, I can figure it out. This is a little embarassing but i'm a stay at home mom and I don't work outside the home and I STILL have a hard time finding the balance between working out, eating healthy, keeping the entire house spotlessly clean, helping with homework and cooking. There are people that do all that PLUS work outside the home so I need to find a way that I can make it work.

Body Pump

2011-12-22T22:44:00.001-08:00

The above looks interesting. I still think that we'll probably do P90X though instead. Excuse me getting WAY ahead of myself though. FIRST, I need to start, continue, and FINISH Turbo Fire!! I also have Chalene Extreme as well I could be doing.

Christmas Song Favs

2011-12-22T22:39:00.000-08:00

Jingle Cats

2011-12-22T19:46:00.001-08:00

I remember these darn cats (and dogs) from years ago when we'd listen to weird Christmas music (Like Twisted Christmas and Elmo And Patsy).

American Horror Story

2011-12-22T13:32:00.000-08:00

Last night was the season finale of American Horror on FX. Man oh man did my husband and I love that show. I'm not quite sure how I feel about the finale or the episode right before it, but one things for sure, it gets you thinking. I'm wondering what season two is going to be like. I can't imagine how they are going to do it. Will the current family still be in the next season or will it be a whole new family? Will they not even GO that route and do a whole different house? Will it be about Constance and Michael or, like I said, will they totally abandon that storyline and start a new one all together? (As in a new story every season). I'm sure we'll have to wait a super long time to get a season 2. It kind of sucks lol

Speaking of Groceries..

2011-12-21T22:01:00.000-08:00

When posting my last entry, i'm reminded of how funny life is. I've both worked in retail at a small clothing/department store and various grocery stores over the years as well as obviously been a customer at various places. Having worked holidays and snow storm warning crowds as well as summer time rush all with low staff I tend to be a lot more patient than my husband is when it comes to waiting in large lines or behind someone with a thousand coupons or someone that waits to write a check until the cashier tells them the amount (as in writing the ENTIRE thing out, not just the amount).

He always asks "Why are there only two lanes open when there are so many people shopping??" Remembering how it was when I worked, my reply is normally "They probably either had someone call in sick, several people called in sick or someone is on a break..legally, they have to take a break or they get in trouble. It sounds silly but it's the truth".

It always brings me back to my days as a grocery bagger. Now I was an older bagger at 20. Not the oldest, as there were people there in their 30s 40s and 50s as baggers but most people think of baggers as either young teens are older folks who are retired and just want something to occupy their down time. For me, it was simply the fact that I am to shy and nervous to be a cashier. Simple as that. I didn't particularly always enjoy bagging or working the bottle room (I HATED working the bottle room..people bringing in sticky bottles, not understanding we had to scan each one into the computer system for inventory purposes and getting mad at me..having to put very heavy barrels full of crushed glass onto a dolly and carrying it out back and then replacing that barrel with an emtpy one behind the glass crusher ugh) but I enjoyed keeping busy and keeping moving. I didn't mind cleaning the toilets (unless someone did something disgusting like do you know what in a urinal or leave dirty underwear on the floor) or collecting carts (we called them wagons) and I didn't mind dealing with people for the most part. Sometimes though, people were just jerks.

When I was younger, it bothered me when the customer would aknowledge the cashier but never so much as say hello to me or speak to me unless they thought I was doing something wrong. As an adult, with a seven year old and an impatient husband as a shopping companion (lol) I understand that most of these people were not TRYING to be rude, they were just frazzled and wanted to get the heck out of there as fast as possible.

The big one that I learned was that grocery stores like to hire a LOT of highschool kids. Not all are bad of course but many don't take it seriously and many many call in sick constantly, which means we are short on people and those of us who show up for work to do our JOBS are punished by angry customers giving US the evil eye because we're backed up and no other lanes are open..guess what? it was because no one else was there to work haha. People would growl at me "Why don't YOU get on a register and open up a new lane?" I wanted to say "Then who would bag your groceries? YOU? I doubt you could be bothered" but of course i'd never do that. And that leads me into something else..customer service.

As mad as I would feel at times, or as much as an irate customer might hurt my feelings, I always tried to not show it. That, unfortunatly, is just part of the job. The customer is NOT always right, but you have to at least PRETEND that they are. Another thing..if I was having a bad day in my personal life outside of work, i'd shut it off the minute I clocked in. I'd put on a happy face and treat every customer with a smile. So when _I_ am the customer and I get a rude cashier or clerk I just want to smack them. So I've had both bad customers as a retail worker and bad retail workers as a customer lol

Grocery Gadgets

2011-12-21T21:48:00.000-08:00

Sometimes when I am home visiting, I stop by some of the older grocery stores in the town I lived in before I got married. They have a certain charm to them, what with their small town appeal, cashiers who have worked there for many years that know who you are and who your grandparents were, fresh produce, etc. I don't want to say that they need a major overhaul or anything but sometimes when i'm in there the old old registers they have tend to stick. They should probably at least retire the old ones and get a newRetail System. New registers with computer monitors and good scanners. It would move things along a little faster I think. I suppose some people don't mind the wait though and choose going to the smaller stores over the bigger store up the street because it's less crowded and more personable.

Great Gifts

2011-12-21T21:37:00.000-08:00

When it comes to personalized gifts for my parents and in laws, I always tend to go for the photo gifts. You can't go wrong with them. You don't have to get cheezy with it, you can get a very decent personalized photo gift at a great price and grandma will love it. My dad has always enjoyed the coffee mugs with my son's picture on them.

Mom and dad, at least mine, always say to not get them ANYTHING or not spend a lot for them at Christmas time. When it comes to giving a personalized gift it can be inexpensive and something they will actually ENJOY at the same time.

Christmas Movies

2011-12-19T09:44:00.000-08:00

Here is a list that i've watched so far this year :

A Muppet Family Christmas
A Muppet Christmas Carol
Mickey's Christmas Carol
Christmas Eve On Sesame Street
Frosty The Snowman
Rudolph And Frosty's Christmas in July
Garfield's Christmas
Raggedy Anne and Andy Christmas
Pee Wee's Christmas
Rudolph
Christmas Vacation
Max And Ruby's Christmas(my son made me watch it with him)
Emmit Otter's Jugband Christmas
For Better Or For Worse The Christmas Angel
Scrooged
House Of Mouse Snowed in
Mickey's Once Apon A Christmas
The Christmas Toy
There are probably a few more but there are also some we still want to watch

How does time get away so fast?

2011-12-19T09:40:00.000-08:00

How is it, that someone that has so many thoughts in their hands when they lay down to sleep that it takes them forever to actually shot them off and sleep, someone who LOVES to write, has such a hard time sitting down and putting the thoughts down on my blog? I always say i'm going to record daily and get things moving along, but then life just seems to get in the way!

Here it is, Dec 19th, and my last entry was a few days after Thanksgiving?? That is SAD! sad my friend haha. Also, I am tired of how many years i've had this blog, and yet i've yet to actually ACHEIVE my goals?! THAT is SUPER sad!!

It would seem that I think about things to much. Think to much and do to little. Not enough action. To much talk. I skip from program to program thinking one is better than the other and the fact is, eat healthy (lean meats, good fats, good grains, fruits, veggies, small portions of treats) and move more than you put in. I always seem to come back to Weightwatchers, no matter how much I try and leave it behind. I think it's because this is the program that's easiest for me to keep track. It's not that it's more effective than anything else, it's just the best way that I know how to track.

I am currently back on the wagon again and started back up Turbo Fire. I am trying to keep up with my blog on team beach body as well. Anyway, it seems the years pass by whether you follow a plan and stay on track or not. My son is now 7 and I barely have any pictures of myself with him because i've been fat the entire time. THAT is the saddest thing of all.

A Muppet Family Christmas

2011-11-28T14:19:00.001-08:00

We started watching Christmas movies yesterday, to get in the spirit. The above is one of my favorites. A Muppet Family Christmas. It's pretty obscure, just like one of my other favorites, Emmit Otter's Jugband Christmas. They are not played on tv anymore, and family Christmas is no longer on dvd, unless you pay a ridiculous price on Amazon or ebay from someone that is selling a copy.

Christmas

2011-11-28T14:16:00.000-08:00

I brought out the Christmas decorations this afternoon. Hey, I waited until at least after Thanksgiving! We're going through the lights and the ornaments right now. We won't be getting our tree until this weekend or next. Hopefully this coming weekend though. As far as gifts go, there are many that we'd LOVE to buy for each other, such as a nook tablet or aniphone 3g, but shhh! we'll have to just wait and see ;) Now that we're back in the good old USA, we have so many more options for thinks we can buy.

Med Carts

2011-11-19T19:41:00.000-08:00

Ever wonder where hospitals get their supplies? There are actual stores (even online) that sell items that every hospital/clinic needs, such as a med cart or cabinets and accessories. It's not something you often think about, but obviously the hospitals need items such as cabinets, med carts, charts, sani-wipe holders, mini trash cans, etc to keep everything running smoothly. It isn't until you run out of an item or an item is broken that you really realize how important that item is.

Christmas is coming

2011-11-16T19:33:00.000-08:00

The goose is getting fat, won't you please put a penny in the old man's hat ;)

Ok, it's actually a bit more than a month away, but now that i'm in a place where it actually gets CHILLY and maybe even snows (I hope I hope I hope!!) and it's surrounded by pine trees, it really puts me in the proper Christmas mood :) We've gotten a few ornaments and decorations as well as a bunch of shopping done for the holiday already :)

Eyelashes

2011-11-16T19:30:00.000-08:00

I was not blessed with cute, petite feet. Nor was I blessed with a cute and petite figure (haha). However, the one thing I was blessed with was long eyelashes. I never realized that was a feature that was so saught after. There have been a pleather of eyelash growth products on the markets recently, as well as commercials with celebrities who endorse the growth products. I think it's pretty interesting because if I wanted longer lashes I would much rather grow my own than try and glue on those fake ones.

Chilly

2011-11-12T08:55:00.001-08:00

It's not freezing so far here in Washington but it's for sure been chilly. I personally enjoy this type of weather but even I, who grew up in Maine for 23 years hasn't actually lived and experienced this type of weather since 2003, so it's taking a bit to get used to it again after having lived in Guam for 4 years where it was hot and humid and 90 nearly daily.

Berry beautiful gift ideas

2011-11-12T08:51:00.000-08:00

It's funny how many of us try and try again, year after year to get our Christmas shopping done early. Some of us succeed, but others of us, like myself, had good intentions and even made a LIST of what to get but things came up (lack of funds, like of time, etc)and here we are, not shopping super early but still enough time to get something. If you DO happen to not have a lot of time left to purchase gifts or you are just not sure what someone would like, I suggeston a whim gift ideas, like some chocolate covered berries or pretzels and Mrs Fields cookie baskets. You can hardly ever go wrong with a gourmet food gift. Hand dipped cherries and candy bar caramel apples sound super yummy.

Military Coins

2011-11-01T12:50:00.000-07:00

If your a coin collecter (my son isn't quite a collector yet but his dad lets him have extra Military coins that he gets and he likes to keep them hidden)you can find a nice selection of coins for events or evenmilitary challenge coins on the coins for anything website. They look nice and are very inexpensive. Check them out!

kicks

2011-11-01T12:45:00.000-07:00

This is so funny, but i've been hearing this particular song on the radio a LOT lately. I couldn't for the life of me understand what they were saying but it sounded so catchy that I loved it. Then I actually read the lyrics and was like...whaaaaaat?? LOL

Boot Dryers

2011-11-01T12:41:00.000-07:00

I found a product that i've never heard of before, but it's one of those products you never knew you needed until you saw it. My sneakers and boots keep getting wet and when this happens, it's hard to dry them. I've tried the dryer and it makes them shrink, i've tried outside and it doesn't dry them fast enough, it makes them smell horrible. So the product i'm talking about, isboot dryers. A simple product where you place the boots or shoes onto the poles and the device heats and drys them. I think that is a simple and effective product that anyone could use during the winter or spring months.

American Horror Story

2011-11-01T12:37:00.000-07:00

My husband got me into a new show recently. I can't remember what channel it's on but it's called "American Horror Story". It's REALLY weird. Another one we're addicted to right now is AMC's "Dead Walking". I actually prefer it to many of the other Zombie movies. I'll be sad when the seasons are over. There are very few actual GOOD shows on tv right now.

Horses

2011-11-01T12:32:00.000-07:00

I have to say that i'm really enjoying being somewhere where we can celebrate the smells of fall. We went to the grocery store the other day and I could smell the wood chips they laid down. It's strange to think that a smell like sawdust could make you feel happy. Since we've been here we've seen so many farms with beautiful horses. When we visited Seattle this past weekend they had many high end stores that sold expensiveequestrian boots. Lots of cute horse stuff!

Gifts

2011-10-28T11:14:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's that time of year again. Birthdays, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentines Day , etc, etc. It's that time of year when everything seems to happen at once, one right after the other. If your looking for a personalized birthday gift for your husband or father for example, you canfind him something special on the Personal Creations website. Photo gifts are always a great option. You can always find something pretty unique

Washington State

2011-10-28T11:10:00.000-07:00

Well, we finally made it to Washington :) I love it here so far. My son started his first day of school today and I was so proud of him for not crying and being a big boy and getting on the school bus today. The weather out here is a little chilly, but not to chilly for me! I'm loving seeing the fall leaves.

Power Steering

2011-10-28T11:06:00.000-07:00

Now that we've made it to Washington state, i'm seeing all the mountains and forests and trails in the area and loving the cooler weather here. Sure, they had tons of outdoor stuff in Guam, but here in Washington during the fall, this is my kind of weather. I can totally see usingpolaris ranger power steering out on a cleared trail or on one of the motor sports areas out here. I love my fall weather!

Two And A Half Men

2011-09-20T17:06:00.000-07:00

So i've never really sat and watched this show often. Sometimes when I was at the gym i'd catch a few episodes on the tv set attached to a treadmill or ellipticol trainer. It seemed pretty funny. Now that Charlie is gone, I wanted to see how Ashton would do. I watched the season premier last night and the jury is still out on that one LOL it was funny, but it also was an odd episode because there was also supposed to be a twinge of sadness mixed in with all the jokes. I'll have to keep watching to see how it goes.

Online dating

2011-09-20T17:02:00.000-07:00

Have you tried free dating online at Zyngle.com? It can be hard to meet people. Especially these days. The internet has become the increasingly popular way to do it. If done the safe way, (meeting someone in a public place and not sending that person your address on the first date) it can be a great way to meet someone. There might be people in your imediate area that are looking for people just like you, and you don't even know it. Give it a try!

Long time no blog

2011-09-20T16:56:00.000-07:00

holy moly things are crazy. We just had our packout (when the movers come to pack up your stuff) last week and sent our truck out. We are using Boonie furniture (loaner furniture)until we check out of housing. We have three weeks left on Guam. We kept our computer, a small tv and some clothes and dishes to be packed out in an express pack out a few days before we leave here, because we cannot afford to stay in a hotel for three weeks at a time LOL but needed tv and internet to keep us entertained. I can't believe it's finally time to leave the island. I've been wanting to leave since about 8 months after we got here, and now we're approaching the four year mark and it's scary to think of leaving. This is our first move with a child in school and a pet. Normally all we had to worry about was finding housing and that was that. My son was a baby so we didn't need to worry about schools or anything like that. Now he's in second grade and we have to take him out of the school he's been at for three years and take him to a new school where he doesn't know anyone or his way around. It's a really scary thought for me. NOT looking forward to that part of moving in the least. I AM looking forward to seeing family again and getting back to the "real world" as people like to call it. Things move so slow around here, i'm afraid if we stay any longer we'll completely forget what it's like to live anywhere else.

Playgrounds

2011-08-11T01:14:00.000-07:00

If you look around the schools and even in McDonalds or other restraunts that normally might have commercial playground equipment, you'll notice it looks quite different than when many of us were younger. I remember we had a playground made entirely of wood and gravel and metal when I was younger. There are probably not many that have that these days. Much of the equipment is made of hard plastic these days. However, there are some pretty need designs of monkey bars and metal playground peices. They have gotten pretty creative with them over the years.

FaceTime

2011-08-11T01:10:00.000-07:00

Face Time is a pretty neat thing. We've never had skype but hear it's pretty similar. You can use facetime on the newest generation of ipod touch's and ipads. I'd suggest holding it a bit far from your face so that your face doesn't look gigantic in the view finder hahaha. My husband will face time me from the bowling alley at lunch sometimes because there is free wi-fi there.

GPS

2011-08-06T03:54:00.000-07:00

I never realized how many devices have GPS in them. From the normal car GPS to watches, cell phones, cameras, etc. You cango online to buy garmin nuvi gps at the source. I had heard they have heart rate monitor watches that have GPS systems in them that help you map out a run and can tell you exactly how far you've walked or run. I had never heard of them being in cameras until recently though. I guess it's so you can map where the location of your photograph came from, which is useful if you want to put it in google earth.

Uncle

2011-08-06T03:51:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago my parents went up to visit my uncle. I haven't seen him in years. Then again, being in Guam, I haven't seen my PARENTS in years either. Anyway, they went to help my uncle clean his pool and get a new filter in and replace thehot tub spa cover on his hottub. I remember when we were younger we would go swimming in his pool during November and then jump into the hottub immediately after. It was a bit of a nutty thing to do. It get very chilly that time of year in Maine.

Big updates

2011-08-06T03:45:00.000-07:00

So I haven't written in awhile. There have been LOTS of things going on. Lots of stress. We, as I said before, got our orders to Washington. The last few weeks we've been trying to get our affairs in order. Drs/dentist appointments, vet appointments, cleaning, getting in contact with movers and all that stuff. We're scheduled to get out of here approximately Oct 15th. I'm excited but at this point i'm more nervous than excited. I'm nervous to take that very long flight out of here.

Branson

2011-07-13T19:16:00.000-07:00

My brother in law lives in Missouri. We've talked about, when my husband retires, possibly relocating to Texas or Missouri. When looking intoBranson real estate, we saw tons of beautiful pictures of the area. It's close enough to Texas that it wouldn't be to far away to visit my husband's other family, and we could still drive to California to visit Disneyland and all the other fun stuff to do there. It's for sure something to think about. I think it's neat, because the last time we went to Missouri, they had all kinds of Route 66 memorabilia all over the place.

Binoculars

2011-07-13T18:57:00.000-07:00

I remember as a kid always been fascinated by bushnell binoculars. During the summer i'd lie out on our front lawn in a lawn chair, reading a book. Whenever I heard an airplane overhead or saw a chemtrail, i'd pull out my binoculars and take a peak through them to see if I could see the airplane really good. I also loved standing on my front porch and looking through them and being able to see the ocean through them. My son really wants his own pair, so i'm thinking next Christmas we'll be getting him some.

Day 7 of Turbo Fiyah

2011-07-13T18:52:00.001-07:00

Wow, so today marks an entire 7 days of doing Turbo Fire. Today is the core workout. I think it's, from what i've seen on youtube of it (wanted to preview all the workouts on youtube before I bought it, so if i'm remembering correctly from way back then anyway) a lot of standing ab work with the resistance bands. Luckily I have a pair of resistance bands from way back when because I didn't buy the deluxe version of Turbo Fire. Though I wish I had! So anyway, i'm impressed ive made it an entire week. My goal for next week is to keep trucking a long with it but to make sure I make better food choices. I've been counting calories this past week but some of my choices could have been better.

It's Electric!

2011-07-11T21:28:00.000-07:00

Until just recently, I had no idea that outdoor electric grills exchisted, honestly. I knew small propane ones did and small charcoal ones, but had never seen electric ones. These things look awesome! I honestly hate lighting charcoal ones and the propane ones make me super nervous. I've have to look a little more deeply into an electric grill. I also think those electric fire places really look nice in people's homes.

Ordering Flowers

2011-07-11T21:23:00.000-07:00

One thing that I have never done in my life, is order someone flowers. I'm not sure why, as it's normally a fast and simple order process to do so. Once I get back to the US i'm going to attempt to send my mom some flowers. Or a nice gift basket as most flower places have some sort of gift basket options as well or stuffed animals and balloons to go with the flowers. It's always nice to receive something like that that you were not expecting.

Day 5 of Turbo Fire

2011-07-11T21:21:00.001-07:00

This past Friday I started Turbo Fire. I decided it was silly to try and do Turbo AND Chalean extreme at once when you haven't even completed ONE of the programs fully yet. So I am sticking with Turbo until I complete it and then moving on. I'm on day 5 today and am sore. It's not an easy workout, but so far this is the longest i've attempted at it. In the past i'd do two days worth and then stop. I want to complete it this time and see what results I can get.

Save the day

2011-07-02T17:28:00.000-07:00

Something we used to do every now and then over the years, is payday advance. We haven't done it in a few years, simply because the Military discourages it's members to do so because a few sailors ruined it for everyone else and were not being responsible. A payday loan is just that, a loan and some members did not pay back what they owed. If you use the payday loan in emergency circumstances and pay them back promptly, when you get paid, it's a great service. It's not a service to use to get money to go gamble and then think you can get away with not paying them back. If used properly, it's a great tool. There is nothing wrong with borrowing the money to get groceries or buy something you want either, as long as you realize you need to pay the money back. Payday loans can save the day!

Engineers

2011-07-02T17:20:00.000-07:00

Oh to be an engineer. I know plenty of them but have no clue what they are talking about. They work on ships, submarines, firetrucks, etc. Frombraided metal hose talk to quality assurance, ball bearings and all of that stuff. It always sounds like a blood, sweat and tears high pressure job. In some circumstances the wrong piece or a piece not being tightened tight enough could mean disaster.

Youtube

2011-07-02T17:10:00.001-07:00

I've been watching various things on youtube lately that got me addicted. I watched my first episode of Jem on the hub and decided that I didn't want to wait to see the rest on a weekly basis per one episode, so I looked it up on youtube and there it was, every episode. I had seen it as a kid in the 80s but didn't remember details. Well even now it was a really good, albeit cheesy show. I did mini marathons nightly and after 9 days had watched all 60 something episodes. That was a bummer, I was sad it was over so fast.

Cameras

2011-07-02T17:00:00.000-07:00

This is pretty interesting. I was looking into some different types of digital cameras and came acrossed theExilim EX-H20G with Hybrid GPS. Did you read that? GPS. This camera has GPS in it. How neat! It's to allow you to be able to tag pictures accurately for location. In addition to that, it also lets you take panoramic or regular shots. I have a Canon Xti SLR myself but this one really makes me want a smaller camera like this in addition to that one. I really really like the idea of being able to take panoramic shots!!

Long time no bloggin!

2011-07-02T16:48:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile! I've been so busy and then our keyboard (a wireless one) died on us and we had to wait to get a new one. Travis is now a second grader in the fall and turned 7. I have three months and two weeks to go before we leave here. How nutty is that? I can't wait!! but we do have a lot to do before then so i'll have to ;) 4th of July is coming up soon but as usual, no fireworks on base.

Golf

2011-05-25T16:20:00.001-07:00

My husband has become obsessed with Golf since we've lived here in Guam. He loves it so much. I'd love to get him golfing equipment for father's day or his birthday, but honestly, I wouldn't even know where to start. I DID see something pretty neat though. I'll have to see if it's something he could even use before I buy it. It's a garmin hand held gps watch. It LOOKS pretty neat anyway. It says that it's waterproof and records shot distances.

Annoying commercials

2011-05-25T16:17:00.000-07:00

I think if I see or hear a "We are farmers, bum ba bum bum bum bum bum" commercial one more time i'll scream. Between that, Progressive's Flo, that Glade lady and the goofy Gecko, there is some weird crap on tv. Nothing like sitting there watching tv with your husband when a commercial about people having to wear used cathetors comes on. Let's not forget the people that can now poop at regular intervals because of...activiaaaaaaaaaa :)

You just never know

2011-05-25T16:12:00.000-07:00

So I have made posts in the past about life insurance , and car insurance because you just never ever know for sure what is going to happen. This morning my husband went to start our car and the key literally broke off in the ignition. I'm not even sure how that HAPPENS, but it happened. Now obviously this isn't an issue that life or car insurance covers or could help, but the point is, again, you just never know when something mildly annoying to devastating to your finances will happen. We are not sure yet what the process is for getting a new key but we are hoping it doesn't break the bank and is just a mild headache instead of a migraine.

It's always best to be prepared. A lesson we have learned lately is that we need to cut out certain habits we have, such as stopping by the mini-mart on our Navy base to get diet sodas or baked chips. These little things add up. If we cut them out, we'd have extra money here and there to put into our savings so that we would HAVE extra money in case stupid things like getting a flat tire or having your key break off in the ignition happens. In addition to this, we've always learned that we need to lock our doors. We've become acustomed to leaving them unlocked, thinking we're safe. Lately there has been a whole slew of break ins on base and valuables stolen.

So in conclusion..always be prepared! Have insurance (life, health, car, etc), save for a rainy day, and always lock your doors!

Girly Girl

2011-05-24T04:00:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I seriously wish I was a girly girl. I can't seem to get myself to NOT dress frumpily (losing weight would help) and to make an effort at putting on make-up. I honestly wouldn't really know where to start. There are so manybeauty products on the market. I'd have to test them out or go and read reviews on the products. I watch make-up and hair tutorials sometimes on youtube to try and prepare myself for this sort of thing. There is a saying that if you don't love yourself and take care of yourself, who else will? it's a good point. Why wait until you get to goal weight to treat yourself better?

Zumba

2011-05-24T03:53:00.001-07:00

I went back to Zumba today after having not been in a week. Man did it kick my butt. I DID however have enough energy later in the day to listen to the zumba songs again on youtube and try and remember the steps i've learned to get a good workout in. I think I succeeded as I was dripping in sweat! Now the object of the game is to keep this up and to keep my eating in check!

sdfsd

2011-05-22T01:11:00.000-07:00

sfsdfsdfsdf

Traveling

2011-05-22T00:24:00.000-07:00

It's getting to be that time of year when people load up their rv's and head out on the open road to explore the country. It's important that your well aware of your breakdown service when getting ready for these trips. No one wants to breakdown in the middle of nowhere and not know what their options are. If you do not currently even HAVE breakdown service, now is the time to get it. It's like not having insurance, you just never know when your going to need it, so it's better to be safe than sorry.

I tend to over complicate just about everything..

2011-05-22T00:10:00.000-07:00

Including weightloss. Instead of focusing on the fact that if you burn more/eat less you will lose weight, I start to worry about carbs and proteins and trying to cut entire things out of my diet. I KNOW that I can still eat the foods I love, in moderation, (while eating fruits, veggies, lean proteins and healthy oils and lots and lots of water and exercise) as i've done it twice before..and yet, here I sit, a yoyo of up and down because I always, always allow myself to get sucked into what is working for others but doesn't work for me. I need a kick in the pants!

Acne Treatment

2011-05-14T01:34:00.000-07:00

I've posted in the past about how I've never really had an issue with acne before. Never even in highschool. I figured with how obese I was growing up that was my one saving grace, I had perfectly clear skin. Now I get random pimples. Probably because my diet is not the best at the moment. My husband tends to get back acne. We are checking out pronexin reviews online to see if maybe that will work for one of us.

Ping Pong

2011-05-14T01:25:00.000-07:00

Hopefully when we move out of this place we will be in awesome housing with a big roomy garage. We've always wanted a garage where you could haveping pong tables or a pool table or a card playing table. We just haven't had the perfect housing yet to be able to do such a thing. We are really looking forward to possibly being able to go to San Diego and have really great housing.

Sneakers

2011-05-14T01:19:00.001-07:00

We I found some great Nike shoes at the NEX on sale for 20% off today. In MY size! Size 11 wide. That is a pretty amazing feat. I am going to start the couch to 5k program over again over on my gyms outdoor track. I may have to start close to the beginning again but i'm wanting to get back into it. All I need is my music and a stop watch.

Chocolate Delicacy

2011-05-14T00:18:00.000-07:00

Oh how I wish I lived somewhere where I could receive one of thecarmel apples Shari's Berries gifts. They look So good. I don't think they ship to Guam, and even if they did, i'm sure the chocolate goodness would melt by the time it got here. However, you I CAN Send them to relatives who live in the US. There are some really yummy looking things like peanutbutter chocolate covered berries, cupcakes, cheesecakes, chocolate covered brownie pops, etc. Shari's Berries website makes me drool!

Car Insurance

2011-05-13T23:49:00.000-07:00

We recently updated our car insurance policy. It was about to expire. Sometimes, as goofy as it sounds, people tend to think it's ok to not have insurance because they don't think anything bad could ever happen to them. Unfortunately that is the time that something WILL happen to you, when you least expect it. Some people say they can't afford insurance, but I guess the real question is, can you afford to pay to have someone else's car fixed or your own, if you get in an accident?

Zumba

2011-05-13T23:43:00.000-07:00

I ran into the Zumba instructor today at the navy exchange. It was a little akward/embarassing for me because I haven't been doing very well the last two months. I've barely gone to Zumba and have gained back close to 15lbs of the 24 I had lost. It really sucks. However, she told me to just come back to Zumba, it will make me happy again. I think I might take her up on it. I've just been so out of it lately. I need to get some hapyness back on LOL.

baby clothes

2011-05-13T15:48:00.000-07:00

I have a friend that recently left Guam and is due to have a baby in August. I was checking outbaby clothes online that you can personalize. It would be a great gift for her. She was supposed to move after we did, but decided she wanted to go home and have her baby around family while her husband is away. You can add pictures or phrases to personalized baby clothes so you can make them funny or sentimental.

Having one of those days.

2011-05-12T04:36:00.000-07:00

I'm having one of those days where you just sit and ask yourself are there any weight loss pills that work ? Is there a jar of motivation somewhere I can twist open to get myself back on track?. Indeed. Back in March I had lost 24lbs since January. I was on a ROLL. I was less bloated, clothes fit better, people noticed, etc. Fast forward a few weeks when PTS started messing with my husbands job and we were worried we wouldn't still be part of the Military, and I got stressed. Big time. What did I do? I didn't work it out by exercising and fighting back against my cravings. Oh no. Not that. I ate. I ate and ate until we get to today, where I am up 15 pounds of that 24 I had lost. My husband's PTS was finally approved, and yet i'm still stressing out because we leave in October and don't know where we are going yet. I'm desperately trying to get back on track. I know that I want to leave here in October as close to 200lbs as possible. I am currently 251.

T-Ball

2011-05-11T18:22:00.000-07:00

So far T-ball has been pretty goofy. There are too many kids and not enough coachs. Travis doesn't seem to DISLIKE it but he'd like it more if they were able to have a system where each kid got to hit the ball more than once and they were actually running around the bases and playing real t-ball. This has been somewhat of a clinic and not a regular t-ball atmosphere.

Hackers

2011-05-11T18:19:00.000-07:00

There has been a lot of cases of electronic pickpocketing going on lately. Out here in Guam there have been people who's bank accounts have been hacked into and literally drained of all funds. It's devastating to see these things happen. Apparently people were able to hack into our local phone/internet system's website and see people's bank accounts that they used for automatic account payment. It's a very good idea to make sure that all your connections are secure and that your password is so secretive that barely YOU can remember it. Be leery of who/what you give your information to.

Military Wives

2011-05-11T18:13:00.000-07:00

I think it's great that you can acomplish getting a bsn online. As Military wives we travel all over the country and even the WORLD, so we can't always stay put in one spot long enough to earn a degree or even attend face to face classes if there are none available or we can't make it due to lack of time. Online classes are perfect. I know a number of women who are using this opportunity to better themselves and feel more independent.

Turbo Fire

2011-05-11T18:11:00.000-07:00

So I am determined to conquer this workout LOL. Turbo Fire is SO fast. SOOOO fast. In all honesty, I probably could have stuck normal Turbo Jam out longer before purchasing Turbo Fire, but i'm determined to be able to eventually do the choreography correctly and at least almost as fast LOL. Monday i'm going to be doing Fire 30 and Burn circuit 1 from Chalean Extreme.

Business Tools

2011-05-05T16:03:00.000-07:00

If your looking to run a home business or small business, it's important that you have all the organizational tools you'll need, such as scanner software , tax software, etc. Your going to want to keep all of your documents together in an organized fashion. Running your own business is not an easy task, but it can be a very rewarding experience.

Extreme Couponing

2011-05-05T15:58:00.000-07:00

Has anyone ever seen this show? It's fascinating! At first, before I watched it, I was totally thinking to myself "My god..to have to be that cashier or the people in line BEHIND them, would be hell on earth if you've got places to be, appointments, etc". However, when I watched it, I realized like most reality shows, obviously the stores knew ahead of time these people were coming, and there was hardly, if ANYONE in line behind them. People were just standing around in awe of them, and honestly, despite the fact that i'm thinking "What do you need 50 things of mustard for if your husband doesn't even LIKE mustard?!" I was in awe as well. an over 1200 dollar grocery bill dropped down to like 103 bucks, wtf?! it's amazing.

Horses

2011-05-03T16:25:00.000-07:00

I wish that I had been more interested in horses when I was younger. I mean sure, who DIDN'T want a pony when they were growing up? However I wasn't interested enough that i'd want to clean the stalls and do all the hard work, so I never got one. I DO, however regret that I never took riding lessons. I don't know anything about english horse tack, whips, barebridal or any of that stuff. I had a cousin who raised horses and used to compete in shows. Every weekend we would drive over to her stables and feed the horses apples.

Hardcore Pawn

2011-05-03T16:21:00.000-07:00

That's right, Pawn. Having watched one of the other Pawn Shop shows, Pawn Stars, I was surprised at how gritty this show was. It's not as goofy as Pawn Stars, it's more trashy. I'm sure there is a vast element of fakeness to it, just as the other show has it's "I know a guy, who's an expert in _____, i'll get him down here right away". Still, it's entertaining.

Mother's Day

2011-05-02T21:00:00.000-07:00

Yet another Mother's day out in Guam. It normally falls around the time of year we're broke. I've seen commercials on tv about Mother's Day Flowers in Salt Lake City and the great flowers with proflowers. I can't remember when the last time was that I received or bought flowers. There are a number of great bouquet options and chocolate and stuffed animal packages that you can order with flower companies these days. Hint hint!

Guam 2

2011-05-01T19:06:00.000-07:00

Out here in Guam I got used to wearing womens sandals and crocs pretty fast. Even when wearing sneakers I was tempted to go barefoot but that really, really ruins a sneaker and makes it smelly pretty fast. Especially if you only own one pair of sneakers. It will be strange to leave here and possibly end up somewhere where the only time you wear sandals is if your going somewhere on vacation.

Guam

2011-05-01T19:03:00.001-07:00

Man, you know..when you've been stuck on an island for four years and you suddenly see recent pictures of your family, it can be a very odd thing. Back a few months ago I saw a recent picture of my dad, and I couldn't believe how gray/white he was now. Last time I saw him he still had dirty blonde hair with whisps of gray. Now he was nearly fully gray. It was a little hard to take because it made me realize all that can happen in four years time. It's crazy.

Rocawear

2011-05-01T18:58:00.000-07:00

I've been stuck in Guam for years now, so I haven't seen Rocawear in quite some time. Back in 2001 I dated a guy who wore a lot of rocawear and Fubu. I remember rocawear being very comfortable. It was and obviously is a very popular brand of clothing. I remember lots of kids in my sisters class in highschool wearing rocawear.

Heatlh Plans

2011-05-01T18:50:00.000-07:00

If there is one thing I know, it's that not having a health plan or insurance really bites the big one. That is always the time that you get injured or have dental issues or get very ill. These days companies really try to provide decently priced healthcare. BCBS NC offers different plans that you can compare and choose between.

T-Ball

2011-05-01T18:42:00.000-07:00

So Soccer season has ended, and we've moved on to T-ball. T-ball so far has been pretty goofy compared to the organization of Soccer, but that's ok. We actually like it that way. There is very little pressure involved and the kids can just run around and give it their best with no over zealous parents screaming at their kids and making them feel bad. We only have about three more weeks of T-ball left, as it's a very, very short season. It's really more of a clinic than anything. It's something to do though. Something to do.

Online Marketing

2011-05-01T18:29:00.000-07:00

When it comes to running a home business through a website, you have to be really smart about it. You have to do your research and find a hosting service that will help you reach your target consumer. There is a website called Website Breakthrough that gives reviews on hosting sites such as hostgator and let's you know how smoothly and effectively these websites run.

Hot Tub

2011-05-01T18:21:00.000-07:00

Last night my husband and I were watching the Travel Channel. We were enthralled with a show about grand yachts. These yachts were incredible. They were more like mini mansions with bejeweled hot tub covers than actual boats. Some of them we're bigger than most people's actual homes. Of course, they were ridiculously expensive. I wouldn't be surprised if some of these yacht owner's made lots of money just chartering people out and using their boats as floating hotel rooms. Brilliant idea.

Wondering Wondering Wondering

2011-05-01T18:12:00.000-07:00

Now that my husband's PTS has finally been approved, we're really wondering when our orders will pop up. We only have a small window of time before we become "needs of the navy" which means we'll be stuck wherever they decide to send us and we won't even get a choice in the matter. Maybe overall we technicly DON'T get a say in the matter but having the options to choose from at least makes us THINK we do, haha.

Today is a bit of a sad day. It's Travis's friend Benjamin's last day of school. Thursday he and his family will be flying out to San Diego. I've become pretty good friends with Benjamin's mother, since I met her last year at Kindergarden graduation. Everyone leaving makes me realize it's almost OUR turn.

Allergies

2011-04-24T16:54:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I wonder if my son's hacking and coughing out here is due to allergies. My husband had such bad allergies when he was younger that he had to see anaustin allergist and he had to get shots quite frequently. He is still deathly allergic to fire ants but his other allergies are not as bad. I'm lucky that i've never had to deal with any sort of allergies myself, just sensitive skin. I can't use certain harsh products (such as certain types of facial cleansers) or I will get a rash.

Just waiting

2011-04-24T16:51:00.001-07:00

So as of right now, we WILL be leaving Guam in Oct. STILL not sure where exactly we are going yet. Just waiting and waiting as usual to hear something. We tried calling about orders two weeks ago but got shot down, as there is NOTHING open right now. Hopefully we have better luck in a week.

On the road again

2011-04-03T18:38:00.000-07:00

Is it time to get back to the good old USA yet? Is it time to hook up the good old curt trailer hitch and go on a road trip enjoying what my OWN country has to offer? Ah, not quite yet, but possibly within the next 8 months! I'd like to visit Disneyland, Lego Land, Sea World, the Alamo, Tombstone, all those places all over again like we did right before we flew out here to Guam. I can't believe we have been out here for so long at this point. I'm ready to go, but I DO need about 6 months to prepare for getting out of here! It will be very strange to leave though. This is the first place Travis will have a vivid memory of. Pre-k to the start of Second Grade. He potty trained out here, and he's leaving at 7 years old LOL. He's excited to explore new places and visit family though. We're ready to hitch up that trailer!

Cough

2011-04-03T18:33:00.000-07:00

Travis has had that nasty cough again the past few weeks. It really sucks. He's so fleghmy and gross. Poor kid. Nothing works for it, and the drs just say it's a viral cold. We have to wait it out. Meanwhile there is only so often we can keep him out of school, you know? I understand no one wants a coughing kid around their kids so I try and keep him home as much as I can but when your going on a week and a half out of school it's getting to be obsessive over just a cough.

Columbus

2011-03-29T15:51:00.000-07:00

Being in the Military (or at least having a husband that is active duty) you meet a variety of different people from any different places. One of of neighbors is from Ohio. Her husband is getting out of the Navy and they are both moving back home to Ohio where they met. They are currently both looking intocolumbus jobs that might be available. It's exciting, but at the same time it scares me if that becomes us. There is an excitement to leaving, especially if you are seperating from the Military, but there is also an uncertainty. That, my friends, I am NOT ready for yet!

Hoarders

2011-03-29T15:49:00.000-07:00

There is just something about that show Hoarders that really makes me feel like a neat freak. Let me just say that by nature, I am NOT a neat freak. My house can get pretty messy and I fully admit that at times I can let it go to long from lazyness. However, even _I_ can only stand so many dishes in the sink and if I can't walk through a room than it's game over, time to get to some deep cleaning. I can barely stand the smell of ONE litter box for our ONE cat if it's not scooped out regularly, I don't know how people can stand to have 20 cats and not clean out their litterboxes. Gross!

Mother's Day

2011-03-29T15:41:00.000-07:00

Ok, I KNOW I just posted about how it's going to be Travis's birthday soon, but then I remembered that even BEFORE that, it's going to be Mother's Day. I have to be honest, i've been searching for mothers day present ideas because being out here in Guam for the past three plus years I have not been very good at sending my mother presents or cards. She knows I love her, and I wish her a Happy Mother's Day, but I am never able to give her anything. I'd like to try and do that this year. There are some really cute personalized items that you can have sent. I am also always looking at picture frames and photo gifts. You can't go wrong with those!

7 years old

2011-03-29T15:31:00.000-07:00

My son will be turning 7 years old in May. I can't believe it. I'm currently trying to think of what to get him for his birthday. He wants his party at Chuck E Cheese so that in itself will be kind of pricey and we might possibly be moving over the summer or early fall so we may not want to accumulate a lot of big items. It should be interesting to come up with something.

Cigars

2011-03-29T15:29:00.000-07:00

My husband quit smoking nearly a year ago. He does however have Backwoods cigars. Not often at all, but every now and again he will smoke one. Cigars for sure have a unique smell. Quite different than cigarettes. I was worried it would trigger him to want to smoke cigarettes again but so far he has had no cravings to do such a thing. He only smokes cigars on special occasions, so he enjoys them during that time.

Things you didn't need to know 20 years ago

2011-03-28T16:08:00.000-07:00

Or at least I didn't. Twenty years ago I was ten years old. My life consisted of 4th grade homework, New Kids On The Block and playing with Barbies. Back then I didn't have to worry about knowing what the heck Medicare part D plans are, or who the right person to do my taxes was. The biggest worry was avoiding that one bully in the hallway (which back then was a big worry). I didn't have to worry about being able to afford good health insurance or car insurance. Oh, what we wouldn't all give to have the worries of a ten year old again, minus our current worries and responsibilities. Medicare, tax returns, credit card debt, lay offs, all words not in our vocabulary back then.

Movies outside

2011-03-28T15:59:00.000-07:00

Since the movie theatre has been renovated the past few months, they have been showing movies outside every weekend. It's kind of like going to a drive in. They project the movies into the side of a building and give away free popcorn. We all sit in the field with blankets or chairs and bring our own drinks and candy. It's really neat. The ONLY thing that kind of sucks is that they are mostly movies that have been out on dvd for awhile, so we've seen them. I like to bring those fold out chairs up to the field. They have drink holders.

Vacation

2011-03-28T15:52:00.000-07:00

With all the stress that is going on right now with my husband's job, i'd really like to just dive into an Outer Banks vacation and forget all my troubles. Get far away from Guam (Yes, others may want to escape TO here as it's tropical, but remember, vacationing and living somewhere is different.) and get back to the USA and lie on one of our own beaches. They have some beautiful outer banks rentals that balcony's and decks and beautiful swimming pools.

Freddie Highmore

2011-03-28T15:48:00.000-07:00

I was watching Arthur and The Invisibles with my son Travis last night. It prompted me to see if this Freddie Highmore kid had anymore movies coming out lately. I was shocked to see that Freddie is now about 19 years old. I was like...how can that be?! that little boy in Charlie and the chocolate factory he is 19? then I realized that it's been a few years now since that movie came out. Six to be exact. It's amazing how time flies when you don't even realize it. It's flying when you wish it would go faster, you just don't realize it.

Frustration

2011-03-28T15:40:00.000-07:00

You know what is frustrating? The fact that I've never had a problem with Acne on my face. Ok, that in itself doesn't sound like a problem, does it? It sounds like a blessing. It sounds like i'm bragging. What I mean, is that while i've never had an acne problem on my FACE, i'm starting to be in need of a body acne treatment. Back acne and random acne in other places is a big pain. You can't always see it, but you can feel it, and wearing a tank top or a bathing suit and knowing it's there is causing me to be even more self concious about my body. I never thought i'd have an issue with acne, and have always said that was the one area I didn't have to worry about. I guess no one is safe. So I am looking at the current body washes and treatments.

Big Love

2011-03-28T15:35:00.000-07:00

So I was catching up with the current Season of Big Love last weekend. I won't give away any spoilers, but I realized by the last 5 minutes of the show that, holy crap, i'm not watching the SEASON finale, i'm watching the SERIES finale. It was quite depressing. Not just that there will be no new episodes of Big Love ever, but the way it ended. I didn't dwell on it as sadly as I did LOST, but it was still quite the tug at your heart strings ending. While i'm sad that it's over, I really don't think there was much more that they could do with the show. It seemed to have run it's course. I have to say that I was said that there was no Adam Beach and Casino scenes this season. Even though I feel last season was kind of a jump the shark season and the casino storyline was just kind of weird, I enjoyed the scenes between Adam Beach's charactor and Barb.

Tv

2011-03-23T20:40:00.000-07:00

I was watching an episode of the Jersey Shore the other day and it occured to me that I didn't see any telivision or television stands in the house. I completly forgot that on these reality shows that are not allowed to watch tv because they have to interact with each other. It explains why they are always leaving the house, they can't use the internet or watch tv. No wonder they get bored and fight and drink all the time. I have to wonder if the end up watching themselves later on because they seem to repeat the same behavior every season.

Biggest loser

2011-03-23T20:36:00.000-07:00

So i've skipped the past two weigh ins but have lost 23 pounds since January. I'm thrilled with that progress. I'm having a hard past two weeks though. There is much stress going on over here right now, much stress. I'm trying to get through it all.

Babies

2011-02-26T23:16:00.000-08:00

Babies, babies, babies everywhere! It seems like (it's probably because i'm in a big military community.) everyone is always expecting or trying to be expecting. It's been over 7 years since I was expecting. Sometimes I get the baby blues and wish we were trying to have another one, but at this point I need to reach a healthy weight first. So at this point, this isn't a topic I know much about, but there is a great website that explainshow to produce more breast milk for those that are currently struggling. I miss looking at ultrasound pictures and reading all the pregnancy books.

Stray cat

2011-02-26T23:10:00.000-08:00

I'm so happy right now. There has been a stray cat that has been living in the neighborhood in and out of our garages for a few weeks now. It is SO friendly but very hungry and skinny and it had been in a fight and I wasn't sure if I should touch it in case it was sick. So we've been leaving food and water out for it. Well someone told my husband this morning that someone came to check on the cat and it was microchipped and they found the owners! It had been missing for FOUR months! so it's at the vet getting checked out and will be home to it's family soon.

Acne

2011-02-25T16:09:00.000-08:00

My friend's husband has been dealing with some painful back acne for quite some time now. He is looking into acne treatment creams because the stuff he has been using just isn't helping him. To be an adult and be still dealing with this kind of problem has to be extremely frustrating. You've left your teenage years long ago, and now your still dealing with some of those same issues you had when you were younger.

Working out

2011-02-25T03:40:00.000-08:00

Now that i've been on a roll for over a month now with eating healthy and working out, I need to work on getting my vitamins in. I currently do not take any, and know that I should. I'm positive that my eating is not perfect and that I could use more of the good stuff. They say that it's very important to take a multi-vitamin everyday. I need to start researching which kinds to take.