Taking It Easy

Today has just been very laid back day for Mya and I . We went to the store this morning so I could buy memory cards for my digital camera but, other then that, we have just been hanging out here at home. Both of our sleeping schedules have been pretty messed up lately, so we took a long map this afternoon. Sometimes it's nice just to not have to do anything.

Black Friday Craziness

It snowed today! Not much, and not enough to actually stick, but I saw it coming down this morning when my sisters and I left to go shopping. It was so cold!

We ended up leaving the house at 3am. Originally we were going to go to Meijer to wait for their sale, but then we noticed that Walmart seemed to have better deals, so we decided to go there instead. There were 2 things that I was hoping to get- a VMotion game system (which was on sale for only $30) and the Littlest Pet Shop Get Better Center (which was on sale for $9).

It wasn't very crowded when we got there. We made our way over to where they had a VMotion and the VSmile Pocket System (both of my sisters wanted one of those). We were the first ones there for that so we were standing right in front of them. I was on one side of the isle and they were on the other.

Unlike at Meijer, where they let you put the stuff in your cart as early as midnight and just walk around the store til the sale starts, at Walmart you weren't allowed to shop or put anything in the cart before 5am. So we waited and just sat around talking to some of the people that had gotten in line behind us. Of course there HAD to be people that didn't listen or care and started pushing their way through and putting things in the cart- then acting all mad when they were told to put it back and get in line.

By 4:45am the store was full of people. There really were not enough workers for the large crowd that they had, and I was starting to think that maybe my spot right in front of the row of the toys might not be the best place to be standing...not that there was really any way to get out of line, even if I had wanted to.

At 5:00 they announced the sale and, sure enough, people got completely out of control and I ended up getting pinned against the boxes as people reached over me to get to what they wanted. It was crazy! Some of them seriously were acting like wild animals, grabbing and shoving and running and knocking people to the side to get through the lines.

While I am glad I was able to get the 2 things that I wanted which, by the way, were at opposite ends of the store-so obviously they had more than enough things stocked for everyone and therefore was no reason for people to freak out the way they did-I think next time I will just go to Meijer were things are not so chaotic.

So, I am almost done with my Christmas shopping. I still have to buy some cigars online for my Dad. There is a certain brand that he wants that I couldn't find in the store. I am also making a scrapbook for my mom of pictures throughout the year of Mya and the family. I might actually get everything done early this year!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving! Today has been a great day. My day started at about 7:30 this morning when Mya came in and woke me up. It was probably good that I got up earlier than I had planned because I was able to get the house cleaned and get ready early. My mom came over to watch Mya for a little while so I could run over to Meijer to take advantage of their Thanksgiving Day sale. The weather was cold an rainy today. It was actually supposed to snow but it hasn't yet.

Everyone came over for dinner around 2:30. I was excited because I actually got a chance to use my new Capresso coffee maker. I personally am not a coffee drinker, so the only time I really get a chance to use it is when I have company. Dinner was great and it was nice just sitting around with the whole family, talking and watching the kids play.

Everyone left around 8:00. It is now about 9:45 and Mya has already been in bed for about a half an hour. She never took a nap today so she was exhausted. I need to go to beed soon myself so I can get up early to hit some of the Black Friday sales!

Not So Neighborly??

How many of you out there have, or have ever had, a neighbor that just drives you crazy??

As I have mentioned many times before, I live in a very small town. One of the nice things about living in a small community is getting the chance to really get to know your neighbors. I think, in some ways, it has always made me feel safer. Because of this I have always gone out of my way to be friendly- at least just by saying Hello or making small talk if I see one of my neighbors outside.

When my newest neighbor first moved in next door, I was very polite and cordial. I realized early on that he was someone that liked to talk...and talk, and talk and talk. While it could be slightly annoying if I was in a big hurry, I really didn't think it was a big deal. I knew he was out of work and lived alone so I thought maybe he just didn't have a lot of people around to talk to and really felt bad for him.

After a few months I noticed that he seemed to magically appear outside (usually right in my driveway...which is literally just a few steps from his) every time I pulled up or whenever I went outside to get the mail.

I continued to listen to him tell me all about his life, which usually included MANY details that I really did not need to know. Seriously, I could have lived the rest of my life happily without knowing all about this mans recent colon cleanse and kidney stones. That's a little TMI, if you ask me!

His "conversations" have now progressed to him simply spending an hour at a time complaining to me about all of the other neighbors- telling me why he can't stand them and why he is considering suing them all, for a variety of different reasons. I am at the point now where I find myself practically running to the mailbox with my head down and driving into my garage and shutting the door before I even get out of my car, just to avoid him. I have, one more than one occasion, had even had the urge to tell him that the time he spends complaining to me may be better spent looking for a job (which he told me he has not been doing) or maybe actually mowing his lawn or raking some of the leaves hundreds of leaves that have been blowing into my yard.

Does that make me a terrible neighbor???

Stressful Store Experience

I was able to finally make it to the store. As I predicted, the parking lot was nearly full and the lines at the checkout were crazy. After I found everything I needed, Mya and I got in line. Mya is normally very good in the store- possibly because she knows that she needs to be so that mommy will let her ride the horse before we leave- but tonight she was really tired and a bit cranky because she has had a canker sore for the past few days that has been bothering her. We were finally almost to the front of the line when we actually had to change lines because the barcode scanner wasn't working correctly. It took us nearly an hour to get out of the store and, needless to say, it was a very stressful shopping trip.

Off To The Store

So, the kids have all finally gone home-with the exception of my niece, but her dad should be here to pick her up later. I still haven't gotten any cleaning done. I was going to start on it after they left but now my best friend and her kids are coming over for one last visit before they leave tomorrow and I know that if I put all the toys away now, the kids are just going to get them all out again. It's probably better for me to wait until after Mya has gone to bed tonight. Right now we are off for a quick trip to the store. I need to pick up the ingredients for my pasta salad, a tablecloth and some Christmas party invitations. I better get going because I'm sure the store is going to be crazy busy!

Taking A Break

There is finally a few minutes of silence in the house. All of the kids are sleeping and I am taking a break. I am only going to be able to sit here for a few minutes though. My brother-in-law is going to be dropping my niece off in a few minutes while he goes for his employee screening. If all goes well, he should be able to start substitute teaching within 2 weeks. I am keeping my fingers crossed because I remember all too well how it is to be without a job.

An Unexpected Guest

Today is going to be a busy day. I have a million things to do before everyone comes over tomorrow. I can't really get started on the cleaning until the daycare kids leave so right now, while they are sleeping, I am checking the internet to see if there are any other good Black Friday deals that I might have missed.

This morning I got an unexpected phone call from my cousin, telling me that she will be able to make it to Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow. She is an Oklahoma criminal defense attorney and is always very busy, so I really don't get to see her that often. In fact, I haven't seen her since right after Mya was born back in 2006!

Reconnecting With Friends

I am so tired! I really should be sleeping right now, but Mya just went to bed and I was looking at some acne treatment reviews for my niece. The past week has flown by, but it has been a lot of fun. My best friend is in town until Friday, so it has been great hanging out with her and her kids. On Saturday She and I, plus another friend of ours from school, went out for dinner and drinks and spent hours just talking about everything that has been going on in our lives. It was nice to be able to reconnect and at the same time get a night out away from the kids. That definitely doesn't happen very often!

Love The Holidays

The next month and half are going to be very busy around here and I am looking forward to every minute of it. Usually I am one of those people that waits til the last minute to do her Christmas shopping but this year I am happy to say that I have started early and already have half of my shopping done. This year my sisters and I decided that, instead of exchanging gifts with each other we are going to buy gifts for one of our friends family instead. She is a single mom that has been on social security disability for about a year now. She has 4 young kids and we are so excited that we will be able to help them celebrate Christmas.

Another thing that I am looking forward to- my best friend, her 2 kids and her sister are coming up from Florida on Wednesday. They are going to be in for a shock when they get here, it has been sooo cold! They will be staying for Thanksgiving and Mya is going to so excited to see her little friends again.

I am planning to shop on Black Friday again this year, but I am only going to Meijer which, in this small town, is never really even crowded. I remember last year we got there about an hour early (4am) thinking it was going to be full of people. We went in and got everything in our carts and actually had to stand around and wait til the sale started at 5am. There were about 4 or 5 others that had done the same, and we were out of there and back home by 5:30!