Project 365

I am starting a new blog called Life in A Snapshot. Beginning tomorrow, I will be taking a picture a day to serve as a way to remember my year and help understand what is important in my life. Time moves incredibly fast and this will be an amazing way to document my travels and accomplishments, recall what I did, who I met and what I learned.  Feel free to join me over on my new blog http://a-day-in-a-snapshot.blogspot.com/
I will still continue to do this blog as my new blog will be only pictures. I hope to see you there.

F Is For Fire Truck Bed

I found a fire truck bed for Ryker at the consignment shop. It was one of his birthday presents. I paid for it with money I made on Ebay. I wrote an earlier post about this bed that you can read here. (sorry its late and I'm too lazy to repost it.)

linking to Jenny Matlock

Happy Birthday Ryker

Today my Little Man turns 2. Time sure goes quickly. 

E Is For Ebay

I sell on Ebay so it would make sense for me to write about Ebay for the letter E, right? I started selling last summer but didn't open a store until January of this year. It has been a roller coaster of ups and downs. Some weeks I get really good sales and some weeks not so much. Some days I wonder why didn't I do this sooner and some days I wonder why am I doing this at all.

Overall it has been a pretty good experience. My feedback is 100% and as of right now there is only one neutral. I have only got one negative and Ebay removed that. (The buyer threatened to leave negative if I did not partially refund her for an item she felt was not new) I do not like Ebays feedback system. It is a 5 star system in 4 categories: item as described, communication, shipping time and shipping and handling charges. You do not want to get too many 1's or 2's as this can cause you to lose your Top Rated Seller status and possibly your ability to sell on Ebay. Your business is basically in the hands of your buyers and at the mercy of the Ebay giants. Even if you have the worse buyer in the world, you can no longer give them negative feedback. and don't even think about leaving them a false positive (saying something negative about the experience but giving them a positive dot) as Ebay will remove it.

If you are interested in selling on Ebay, there is a great group of sellers willing to help you out and answer your questions. You can find them on proboards here

To visit my store, click here
To read about my Ebay experiences, click here

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Saturday Centus 16

At age 16, I knew everything and I let everyone know. Now my son knows everything.

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Boredom

What's a bored kid to do on a rainy/snowy day? Why tape my cell phone to the ceiling of course.

D Is For Dog

I am not a dog person. (I'm not a cat person either but that is another story) Unfortunately, my husband is, so we he adopted a German Shepherd named Garret. Garret was in training in SC to be a police dog but failed. Yup, our dog is a police academy drop out.

I have a love/hate relationship with Garret. When we were younger, all our big dogs lived outside. Even in the cold winter months, they were not allowed in the house. Garret, however, is not an outside dog. My husband's choice, not mine. Therefore he sheds alot. You could make another dog with all the hair he sheds. We don't have a big living room but it takes me 30 minutes to vacuum each day. Some days I can vacuum up to three times. If he would just lay down in one spot, it wouldn't be so bad but he has to lay down on every square inch of carpeting we have. All this hair and dander makes me sneeze.

Garret is a good watch dog but at night he drives me crazy. He lays at the top of the stairs, and if I go anywhere near them, he barks and growls. What's up with that?

guarding what? I don't know.

He usually doesn't beg but the other day, he stole a piece of Ryker's toast right out of Ryker's hand. Trust me, this dog is not starving.

Ryker fed the dog

Garret suffers from separation anxiety. He is attached to my son, William, and when he is gone, Garret paces the house waiting his return. When William does come home, Garret will not leave his side. Garret is truely man's best friend.

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Ryker, A Three Dollar Shirt and Strokes of Goodwill

Have you been watching Two Broke Girls on CBS? On Monday, they reaired Strokes of Goodwill. In this episode, Max introduces Caroline to the art of thrift store shopping. Max finds a Strokes t-shirt she adores and gets into an argument with a crazy Puerto Rican woman. This almost happened to me yesterday.

I was looking through the children's racks at Goodwill and came across a long sleeved Lightning McQueen t-shirt. Before I could take it down, I hear a woman say excuse me. Can I get pass? Apparently my cart was blocking the aisle. As she is coming toward me, I push my cart forward, she passes and stops right at the t-shirt I was just looking at. I wanted to scream hey I was going to get that but like Max says in the show "You know the rule: Turn your back on the rack, you’re under attack." She takes it down and I am secretly shouting, put it back. Put it back. It's mine. She looks at it and returns it to the rack. I snatch it and put it in my cart. Best three dollars I've spent at Goodwill.

Happy Birthday Robbie

14 years ago, my third terror son was born. Happy birthday Robbie.

C Is For Counting Your Blessings

When you have a child with special needs, it's easy to fall into the why me pity train. Why was my child born with this? Why me? Why us? Sometimes you get so swept up in the why mes that you forget to count your blessings.

C Is For Counting Your Blessings

Robbie may be different but he is happy. I have a husband who loves me. I have children who love me. I even have a dog who loves me. I am able to stay home with my last child. Although we may not be rich, the bills are paid (sometimes late) we have food on the table and a nice warm house to live in. I thank God everyday for the blessings he has bestowed on us. And on days when the why mes over consume me, I read this essay by Emily Kingsley and remember that Robbie is happy.

WELCOME TO HOLLAND
By Emily Perl Kingsley

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

linking to Jenny Matlock

New Shoes

My new shoes... If I can get Ryker to stop wearing them

B Is For Beginnings

Bill and Me 1995

I like to hear about how people met their spouse. I thought I would share our story for Alphabe-Thursday.

B Is For Beginnings.

I met Bill in the summer of 1994. I had recently divorced Ben's dad and was living with my sister in a duplex off of 6th street. My sister was at work when her friend, Yvonne, dropped by. Bill was with her and she introduced us. I had seen Bill before. He worked at a factory I had quit a few months earlier. He seemed like a nice guy but I wasn't in the mood for a relationship. Later that day, Yvonne called and asked if I wanted to go to the bar with her, her boyfriend and Bill. Sure, I thought, one drink couldn't hurt. One drink turned into several and we ended up staying at the bar until closing time.

The next day, Bill stopped by and he had one of those cheesy, plastic roses you can buy from the gas station. I thought that was sweet. and the rest, as they say, is history.

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A Is For Annoyed

For the past few days, I have been annoyed by everything and anything. It started on Monday when I went to Goodwill and could not find anything for resale. Nothing, nada. Not in the whole store. I did find an Elvis Teddy Bear that sings "Won't you be my teddy bear" in Elvis's voice that I thought would be a good seller. If only I had a phone with Internet, I could have looked it up and seen these do not sell.

Tuesday, I was annoyed because my favorite thrift store opened in a new location and instead of the cheap prices I had grown accustomed to, it was overpriced. Sure the store was nice, clean and organized but I would rather dig through boxes of dusty stuff to get a bargain than pay $45 for a used set of plates. I didn't even bother checking out the other items.

Last night I was beyond annoyed and into the pissed area. First it started with a message from a buyer who had bought 4 glass goblets. She asked that I pack them securely in bubble wrap so they arrive safely and not broken. Oh Really??? I was just going to throw them in a poly mailer and hope for the best.

Then the stupid cable company was having problems with their audio, so I could not watch Survivor. They did manage to fix it the last 10 minutes of the show. The music they played during the show was so annoying, I could have thrown my soda at the tv.

Last, but not least, was this morning. Robbie had a follow up doctor's visit and was diagnosed with over active bladder syndrome. She prescribed some medicine and, of course, Walgreens did not have it available. Then I realized that Ryker must have thrown out Robbies insurance card when he was playing in my purse on Monday at the store. So I had to call and got the automated voice asking for the member's id number. Ummm, Yeah, about that. I LOST the dang card so how the heck am I suppose to know the number? I finally got a real person who then took all my information and then proceeded to tell me that I could not request a card because I was not Robbie's payee. (He is on SSI) I had to hand the phone over to my husband and he had to repeat all the information.

I also got a package this afternoon, a clock I won from Ebay. Instead of wrapping it, they just threw it in a box along with some crumpled newspaper. Talk about not caring. And then the clock mechanism was not tight so I had to put that back on. So far it is working but I'm still annoyed.

and to top it all off, my hubby just pocket called me. How annoying is that????

linking to Jenny Matlock

The Straw That Broke The Camel's Back

We went out to breakfast this morning and Bill ran into someone he knew. The man asked Bill "Is that your daughter?" refering to my SON, Ryker. "He's a boy" I politely responded. After we ate we went to Walmart and I bought hair clippers. It was time to cut Ryker's hair. I feel sad about cutting off all his curls but it had to be done.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Robbie got his hair cut too.

Happy Halloween

I was going to take Ryker trick or treating. Honestly, I was. But then he slept until 4:30 and was a bear when he woke up. I had to get supper ready and well, frankly, I didn't feel like dragging him out in the cold to get candy from the handful of neighbors who were passing it out. So we stayed home. He's not quite two. He doesn't understand the concept of Halloween and he isn't allowed to eat candy. (Unless his dad sneaks it to him and then he is bouncing off the walls) I figure he has plenty of trick or treating ahead of him. I just wish I hadn't wasted the money on the costume. He sure is cute in it though.

My Thrifting Buddy

Lately Ryker has not wanted to go thrifting with me. He screams in the cart and throws things out. Yesterday was no exception. My sister took me to Goodwill and Ryker wanted nothing to do with it. Then I took out my camera. The sure fire way to get Ryker to stop throwing a tantrum is to take his picture. Guess he is too embarrased by his outbursts, that he doesn't want his behavior caught on a picture.

Z Is For ZZZZZZzzzz

page from What shall We Do With the Boo-Hoo Baby

I am a night owl. I find it difficult to fall asleep before 11 p.m. Don't even try to talk to me before 9 a.m. unless you want your head chewed off. Unfortunately, everyone that lives with me is a rooster, up at the crack of dawn. It is very hard to live with roosters. They are so noisy! Doors slamming, silverware banging, feet stomping. What is wrong with these people? Even on weekends, they are up before the sun. And they are always in a good mood. What is a night owl to do?

Excuse me while I take a nap...

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Y Is For Yellow Train

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Saturday Centus: The Number You Have Reached...

After months of battling cancer, she lay in a hospital bed surrounded by family. It was time to say goodby. She took her last breath. Silence filled the room. She was gone...

It's hard to let someone go. After her death, he called her every day to hear her voice. " Hi. Leave me a message." He knew in his heart she would never contact him yet he continued to call.

A month had passed and he dialed her number like he had done before.  Instead of her cheery voice, he heard "the number you have reached is no longer in service." He realized he needed to let her go.

linking to Jenny Matlock

Ryker's Broken Phone

Ryker with the phone Robbie broke

There are some days when I really don't like Robert. I guess I should rephrase that. I really don't like what Robert does. He likes to break things even if those things don't belong to him. He knows its wrong but continues to do so. He broke my Nintendo DS after I let him play with it. He broke DH's old lap top even though nothing was wrong with it and he loves to break phones.

Today he broke the play phone I bought for Ryker. So what if it was a cheap toy I found at Goodwill. Ryker got it today. He only played with it for a few hours before Robert decided to break it. It didn't even belong to Robert. And you know what makes me more mad is that Robert isn't sorry for breaking it. Now Ryker is crying trying to put it back together. It isn't fair and I wish Robbie would stop breaking things. He knows better.

Ryker trying to fix it

X Is For X ray

In the past 5 years I have had about 4 x rays taken. Two of them were dental x rays. (Can you tell I don't go to the dentist as often as I should) The other two were for my back and foot.

Back in 2007, I lifted a child up the wrong way at the childcare I was working at and pulled something in my back. To make matters worse, it was winter time and I slipped on some black ice at my house. After 3 days in pain, I went to my family doctor. He ordered some x rays. The technician forgot to ask me about any piercings and my belly ring ruined the first set of x rays. So I had to get them redone. Luckily they showed nothing and I was prescribed muscle relaxers and pain medicine and sent on my merry way.

The next time I got an x ray taken was the summer of 2008. I was jumping on a trampoline and attempted to do a flip. I landed wrong on my ankle and heard a sickening crack. I couldn't walk. I thought for sure I broke my ankle. I iced it and went to the doctor two days later. Again nothing was broken but no medication this time.

Now when picking up a child, I make sure to lift with my knees and no more back flips on the trampoline.

Linking up to Jenny Matlock

Saturday Centus: Are You Seriously Ordering Another Martini?

"Hi Honey. Sorry I'm late."

"That's ok. I ordered without you."

"What are you drinking?"

"An appletini."

"How many of those did you have?"

"This is my second."

"Hey bartender. Can I get a Miller? So how was your day?"

"Exhausting. I did the laundry, washed the dishes, cleaned the house, listed stuff on EBay. Fought with Ryker to get him to take a nap. Thank god the sitter showed up when she did."

"That rough, huh?"

"Yes. Bartender another please."

"Are you seriously ordering another martini?"

"You got a problem with that?"

"Nope. Guess I'm the designated driver then? Hey bartender. Change that to a coke please."

linking to Jenny Matlock

W Is For Words...

Ryker's words to be exact. I've been a little concerned with Ryker's lack of vocabulary. For the most part, he understands what you tell him such as go get your ball. But he doesn't say much. The doctor said if I still had some concerns, she would refer him to The Birth to Three program. Robbie was involved with this program in S.C. so I am familiar with it. I said I would wait and see how much he is talking when he turns two. This is just my list of words Ryker can say. He says a lot of unrecognizable words but here are the ones I understand:

* mama
* dada
* hi
* bye bye
* get out (usually directed at the dog)
* bob bob (this is spongebob)
* yucky
* no
* done
* my mom
* thank you
* yum
* empty
* doggie
* my jews (my juice)
* eeeeee (eat)
* dirty
* up
* sit (sounds like shit though)

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Giveaway

I am having a giveaway on my other blog. You could win some Starbucks goodies. Is it pathetic that I have to bribe people to read my blog or just good marketing stragedy? Check it out here

Saturday Centus: In The Autumn

(sung to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star)

Pumpkins Pumpkins on the vine
Telling you it's autumn time
When they are orange Don't you know
Jack o lanterns here we go
Pumpkins Pumpkins say goodbye
In the Autumn pumpkin pie

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Bed Rail For Ryker

In my last blog, it was suggested by a reader to try a bed rail to keep Ryker in bed. (Sorry I forgot who you are) Today I found one at the thrift store.

It is in very nice shape. Unfortunately, it was meant for a twin or bigger and does not fit Ryker's day bed.

I thought I would just make do but Ryker proved me otherwise. He climbs over the rail which is still dangerous. So down it went and now I am selling it on Craigs List. They retail for over $40 and on Amazon, they were out of stock. It would be nice if I could sell this fast but that is never my luck. In the meantime, I have been sitting in Ryker's room until he falls asleep. I can't wait until this stage is over. Who doesn't like to sleep?????

V Is For Very Long Day

Recently Ryker has been climbing out of his crib. I was hoping he would be able to stay in it until he was at least two but that was not the case. In order for him not to get hurt, DH converted his crib to a day bed.

The first day, Ryker did not take a nap until 3:00 Normally his naptime is 1:00-3:00. He slept until almost 5. As a result he did not go to sleep that night until 11. His bedtime is normally 8:30 He shares a room with Robbie and would not stay in his bed. I must have put him back in that bed 15 times. I finally gave up and rocked him to sleep.

Yesterday was day 2 of the big boy bed and no nap at all. He was so overtired, every little thing set him off. I tried laying him down at 7 with no luck. By 8:30 he had fallen asleep on the floor of his bedroom and when Robbie went to bed, he woke Ryker up. I tried nursing Ryker and rocking him and he went to sleep at 10 p.m.

Today we had an appointment and I woke him up at 7:30 Talk about a grouch! Around 10 a.m. he was getting fussy so I nursed him and he fell asleep. Right now it is 12:30 and I hear him playing in his room. I'm not sure how tonight is going to be. Anyone with suggestions on how to keep him in his bed?

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Saturday Centus: Mother May I

"Mom. Can I go to the mall?"

"You can if you are able," I replied. I swear when will my child learn the difference between can and may? It seems I have to repeat it often.

"Did you just roll your eyes?"

"No." Long pause. "Mother, May I go to the mall"?

"You better go ask your dad."

"Hey dad," I heard William talking to his father in the other room. "Can I go to the mall?"

I rolled my eyes. Apparently,  proper grammer is not high on the list for a 16 year old boy but going to the mall is.

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