Phone interview

I need help.

I have a phone interview on Friday. This is the first phone interview that I have ever had. Not only that, but it's the first interview that I have had in over 6 years. I'm undoubtedly nervous.

If you have ever given an interview over the phone or recently had an interview what are some questions that you thought stuck out the most?

I would like to try and prepare myself for this, so I don't ramble and make myself look like a fool.

Holy crap where did January go?

Since we have been in the house for almost a month now it's hard to believe that we are already at the end of January. Seriously like where did this month go? Maybe along with my paycheck to warmer climates. Le sigh.

I guess I'm going to take a few minutes out of today and reflect how the first month of 2014 started off. It wasn't bad, just cold.

New insurance kicked in on January 1. Not a fan of this new plan. My co-pay for therapy is now $89. I gag a little every time that I see that. I've been told it will get better, but wow that number hurts.

Shortly after we moved in we were hit with the first round of a polar vortex. I'm sure everyone is tired of me endlessly complaining about how cold it is. I with it were acceptable to be wrapped up like this while I'm at work.

 The first week or two have been scrubbing and cleaning and cleaning and scrubbing and hell you get the point. It seems like no matter how much we clean right now, there is always going to be SOMETHING else that we come across that needs to be fixed. Like yesterday our valve intakes on the washer has a leak, add that to the to-do list of the already growing list of things that we have to do.

Bathroom floor before 

Bathroom floor after

The kids have told me that I'm an embarrassment sometimes in the morning when we wait for the bus. I don't see why. I only jam and car dance when a really really really awesome song comes on and well that just happens to be right around the time that their bus pulls up. I think my new name should be STOP! Because that's what I hear as they jump out and sprint to the bus. 

 We adopted our first dog as a family. Duke was an interesting character. He was a pretty dog, and as I have said before he was super smart. Shed hair like crazy. We are still cleaning hair up from the week that he spent at our house. I know that there will be a forever home in his near future. A home where he can run and won't get in trouble for laying his head on the kitchen table while we eat dinner.

Mums and I had mum/daughter date night and watched Sister Act. Holy moley that show was absolutely HILARIOUS! I have never laughed so hard in my life. My stomach hurt from laughing through the entire show. If you haven't seen it and it's in a town near you, it's a definite MUST. Take my word on it. 

 Last weekend we started the painting process for the house. We started on the kids room. As you can see they had the green room which had a duck border on the top. Not really all that girly. Dustin and I spent the weekend taking border down, patching holes, sanding, painting, all in one weekend. Shoooo my shoulders were screaming. But the end result was a win in the kids book. They absolutely love their room and the vinyl stickers that I got. I just need to find the perfect curtains for their room and they will have one heck of a girls space. 

The second round of the polar vortex must have shrunken my brain capacity. Last week I went out and purchased my first pair of skinny jeans. I'm late getting on the train I know, but let me tell you.....sometimes big girls dont need to be flaunting their curves in skinny jeans. These actually fit me fairly well and I didn't feel like I was a stuffed sausage, so I guess it's a win in my book. 

This past weekend after we week of having the house really quiet, I convinced Dustin to go to the Kentucky Humane Society with me. Work has been super crappy on days, I thought that some puppy kisses would be the trick to brighten my spirits. The day after we took Duke back there was a rescue of 43 dogs from a puppy mill a couple of hours away. That also meant that the space in the KHS was becoming limited so it was important that the current residents find homes. 

On Jan. 24th we went, JUST TO LOOK, and she stole our hearts. There was a toss up between her and another sweet girl Alex. However, Maddie's calm disposition and sweet personality was just what we wanted. She seems to be settling in her new home just fine and I am looking forward to building our bond with all of the family. 

 Yesterday there was a nice break from the cold weather and it actually got up to 53. HEAT WAVE!!!! The kids went out to my parents so they could get some sled time in. You know they have hills out in the country and all. So Dustin and I packed up our third child and heading over the river and through the woods, too mimi's house. It was a lovely afternoon with my family.

So here we are. January 27, 2014. It's back to being bitter cold. This month has gone by so quickly I dont know what to expect with February. I guess I'll head out and get some more stuff and things done since it's a slow day here at work.

Meet maddie Mae

Polar vortex 2.0

I HATE WINTER
I LOATHE WINTER

The news stations have been counting down to the first day of spring......54 days and counting. I seriously hope that spring decides to come early and not dilly dally until middle of April.

The kids this week have either A) been out of school for crappy road conditions or B) on a two hour delay because of this lovely weather that we are having.

Plus we woke up to MORE snow this morning; I'm not a fan. Not at all. I'm not cut out for cold temps. I'm not cut out for snow. I just need to move to the tropics, open up a tiki hut and sell coconuts for a living.

With all of these days off and delays my vacation time is slowly eating away. I'm very particular about how much time I keep in my vacation bank. This week has taken around 3 days out of that. Granted I still have over a week of time, its not to the point where I'm comfortable having it at this point in the year.

C'mon mother nature, work with me here.

Monday we had to return Duke back to the Humane Society because we was aggressive and snapped at T. Not hard enough to break skin, but it was enough to scare us. He was a BIG dog and with having so many kids running around, we didn't want to take the liability of having him snap again if they were playing with his rope or he was chewing on his bone and decided to take a lunge at someone. He was a German Shepherd and lab mix, so he had a lot of protective instincts.

I admit it really upset me that we had to take him back. But I have to think of my kids first. We've been looking at a new fur baby and we have a couple of prospective pups that we are going back to look at today. Who knows I may have some news to share later this afternoon. I just hope this one works out for us if we do find one.

Weekend warriors

The painting has begun. Thankfully the weather is freezing again and we have a really good excuse to stay inside.

That's why they call it puppy love.

You all should know by now that my life is less than normal in the sense that there is never a quiet moment in my life.

 We've moved into our home and are now settling in quite nicely, if I do say so myself. The kiddos are making friends with the neighborhood kids and our "nosey" neighbors aren't as nosey as we thought they were. More like friendly observers to make sure the riff raff stays away. I can handle that.

Last week we made an addition to our family. No I'm not expecting, but we did adopt. A PUPPY!  Well...he's not so much a puppy.

We met him the week before Christmas and it was instant love with everyone in our family. He was big and excited and ever so sweet. When we stopped to see him we were still in the apartment so there was absolutely no way we could have taken him home with us THAT day, but I made a deal with him right before we left. I leaned over to his kennel and said, "if you act like a jackass for the next two weeks, I will promise you that you will have your forever home with us."

Guess what that dingbat did.....

He was an idiot. He learned how to turn doorknobs and get out of his kennel.

But the day arrived. We call it his "gotcha" day. Who is this guy?

Let me introduce you to Duke.

He's a 1 1/2 year old German Shepard/Yellow Lab mix. He's such a sweet boy and is super smart.

The day that we brought him home we took him to the backyard and he sprinted laps for a good 15 minutes without stopping.

He greets everyone with kisses and hugs everyday and loves to have his butt scratched. Every morning he will jump into my bed and curl up at my feet until it's time to get up and get the kids ready.

I can't wait until it's warmer so that we can really get out and get long walks in.

Hibernation

I may not move from my blanket and chair until the end of March. It is whopping -1 right now. The kids think they are invincible and don't want to wear the proper coat, scarf, mittens, hat, etc. Now if you'll excuse me I have more hibernation to tend to. 

Polar vortex....

It's cold. A high of 0 and wind chill of -25 does not suite me very well. 

I'm doing my happy dance that we moved when we did. While it was busy for the past 48 hours, I am so excited to say that our house is now a quaint little home. 

The weather Saturday was decent for a move. Sunny with a high in the mid 40's. Yesterday was rainy and reached the low 50's. Here is the break down of my weekend: 

Friday: 

therapy to talk about the pent up anxiety that I have had. 

Grab something for lunch and have a picnic in an empty living room. 

Go on a cleaning spree. Wall washing included. 

My mom offered to keep the kids overnight and part of the day Saturday so we could get things done quicker. 

Dustin and I couldn't sleep Friday night. We were both awake around 530 and started getting stuff together by 6. We had family and friends helping us all day and by 730 that night we were able to sit down and relax with some pizza. 

I will try and get some more pictures taken but after I get some more clutter cleaned up. Trying to get all of the boxes and bags emptied out. 

Future......unknown

Happy new year! 

That sounds/feels so weird to say. But as with each new year rolls new chapters to be written. New stories to be told. New memories to be made. 

My family and I had a fairly uneventful night. Unless you want to count Tracey running into the wall face first an event. Don't worry folks she's fine. It was just one of the most hilarious things I have seen in a LONG time. 

We spent this morning getting more things prepped for Saturday. My walls are officially nekked. My normal decor is now boxes. But that means we are one more days closer to a new beginning. We are going to be able to have a home that is uniquely ours. We will be able to add color and vibrancy to these walls. 

The kids room is completely disassembled and not much else is needing to be done. I can't wait for them to have the freedom to make their room their own special zone. 

I really hope that 2014 is a continuation of 2013. A lot of friends had rough moments last year, I wish them peace and happiness. 

I see a lot of people who make posts on social media about their New Year resolution, I haven't made one of those in years. I do know that I want to continue to work on being the best mom that I can be for my girls. That I continue to bring love to my fiancé. That my family and friends all know that I am greatful for everything that they do. 

I'm off of here for a few days while I get the rest of our old life packed up and prepped for our new life. 

Until next time!!!