1. I enjoy counseling with people to help them see a different perspective.

2. I totally love my family even though they drive me crazy sometimes

3. I am disappointed in myself because I am afraid to start new projects for fear of not completing them

4. I really do enjoy crafts. I was very crafty in my earlier life i.e. drawing, crotcheting, gardening, etc.

5. Children are awesome little humans that need a lot of direction with tender love and care...and a smigdeon of discipline :)

6. Pets are awesome too because they are so loyal and can make us feel good

7. I want to thank KT for sending me my first blogger's award!

Here's my first time....

1. I look forward to Linda and Her Twaddle blog because of her light hearted honesty about the family and her world.

2. KT's Sassy Blog is filled with energy and exploration that should we should never let end in our lives.

3. I can really, really relate to Fat, Frumpy and Fifty. I go through many of the same phases in my life. Learning to embrace them.

4. I find A Working Mother's Chatter to be so calm and sweet as she adores being a mother to her toddler son with a new little one on the way.

5. I admire Elvie Studio for all her creativity and enthusiasm for life

My Oldest Son

My son has finally realized the error of his ways...lol. He seems to be ready to straighten up and fly right now. However, there is a trail of errors to be corrected as well.

Almost a year ago, his dad and I agreed to send him to live with his dad. I have done the primary raising of the kids. Dad has a tendency to have very high expectations. However, what he is trying to implement is good but it would be better if dad would "teach" our son rather than bark at him.

My son once said, "Mom, I'm too old to be a kid and too young to be grown man. It's like I'm in the middle." I explained to him, "This is the time where you let your parents 'teach' you various elements of life as they occur." i.e. paying bills, car repairs, buy groceries, etc. Most of the time, I feel, young adults need to go through new experiences step by step with guidance from their parents. To just "tell" them what to do and expect them to do it, can be confusing and overwhelming.

At this point, I think this is my son's delima with his dad. So, what my son does is calls me and I give him directions on what his dad is telling him to do. Then I call dad and get more details. Eventually, it all works out. I usually end up getting everyone on the same page.

So, ladies, divorced or married, it seems our job is to make sense of confusion in the family. If you are divorced and have children, you are still connected to that mate through those children. It is very important to be able to communicate and interact at a minimum basis for the sake of the kids. I feel my ex and I have achieved this very well.

No offense to the husbands, but the wives tend to be the "brains" behind the family....lol!

Hello Blog World

Hello Blog World Friends,

I'm still hanging in there. Thank you for your responses and support. I've finally got the packet in for the modification. There are a few more things I need to get to them. They are small things that make a big difference.

I think I will be able to pay the mortgage this month. It just kills me not to pay any bill, let alone the mortgage! The bills are all up to date and current. I did manage to get my Chase Mastercard interest rate dropped from 19.99% to 6.0%. That was a major task, but it's done.

I've been getting calls for the daycare, but for some reason, the parents don't follow through with thier appointments. I have lowered my rates, but I can't afford to lower them anymore. I can only say that those were not the children for me for whatever reason. I must remain patient and hopeful.

Yes, I have been looking at other employment options. Not many available. What little is available would be at a much lower pay rate. When you consider travel costs, wardrobe, etc., a lower pay rate is not an option. I'm still looking at other employment possibilities.

My grandson is doing very well. He is trying to walk now, taking as many as 5 or 6 steps. He has gotten quite long and tall. His father has been more active in his life. Says he is trying to get himself together. Has a job and is renting a room with a roommate.

I have become so spoiled from the help I've been getting from my sons in taking care of my grandson. Since school has been out, they have been awesome in helping out around the house and helping with the baby. I paid my youngest son $25 week to look after the baby during day care hours. This has made a tremendous difference in my ability to focus and get things done. I'm even more rested at the end of the day. It has really woked out well.

Keep the prayers and the happy thoughts coming...:)

The Past Few Days

I haven't had much energy or time to blog lately. My brain is so full of trying to find ways to make my finances work. I don't want to continue complaining. Sometimes, I don't want to hear myself talk anymore...lol.

I did speak with a few people this week. One was the nutritionist for the day care. She said is it not uncommon for parents to not need childcare during the summer. Parents literally take their kids out of day care and use the older siblings to babysit. This way they save money. I haven't had any children taken out of the day care. I am just not receiving new ones. She said the economy is such that many providers are actually closing their day cares because of this. No kids, no money. She said, things usually pick up once school starts again. The kids go back to school around August 12th. I would think I should begin to get calls, at least, a week before school begins. We will see.

The other person I spoke with was in regards to modifying my mortgage. I did get all the paperwork done. He said I can put down half the money to get started, which I have. I was thinking of doing a Short Sale to give up the house, but he suggested I wait, at least, until the modification was complete.

I've been exhausted lately. I'm still trying to muddle through. I had late nighters last night and I will have them tonight as well. I plan to call the agent for the modification today. I want to schedule a time to meet and review the steps. I need to do this as soon as possible.

The Answer

Lately, I've had this tremendous pain in my back and all my methods are not working. I think I finally figured it out! :) My daughter bought me some flowers in appreciation for looking after my grandson. They are absolutly beautiful. However, I think I am allergic to them. There are some purple daisy flowers, that look very much like these here, with some other beautiful flowers mixed in, along with a type of fern.

What makes me think this is, yesterday, the pain was so bad I couldn't take a deep breath to cough. This made me think the pain might be respiratory related. Immediately, I thought about the flowers. So, I put them outside last night.

When I got up this morning, well before anyone gets up or the day care kids arrive, I opened the windows and turned on the ceiling fans to flush the air out of the house. Hopefully, this will make a difference.

Much Better

I literally find myself holding my shoulders up. What is that about? I am not hurting anymore. It's a wonder what a hot spa bath can do for some muscle pain...lol!

All I can say is that I feel sooooo much better. I think I hold my shoulders as a stress response. I might consider doing a spa bath every night if that is what it takes to stop the pain.

Besides, it gives me time to myself and to relax, absolutely refreshing :)

The Plan

I ran my plan to my daughter about the boys being paid $20/week to look after my grandson while they were out of school. She thought it was a good idea, but she can't afford it right now. So, I plan to do it.

We started yesterday. It was wonderful! My son is super at taking care of him. It was sooo nice not to have to keep getting up chasing a 9 month old...lol! I did not realize just how much he requires! I guess I am getting pretty old. LOL!

I really think it would be different if he went home at night and came back in the morning like a normal daycare child. However, being that it is my own grandson, and I have him pretty much 24/7, it really is a lot of work. I get pretty overwhelmed. Because it is my grandson, I go on auto pilot in taking care of him. This catches up to me in time.

I'm quite excited about this new plan. When I paid my son, he was very happy and immediately started making plans for his new found cash flow!...lol! I was able to take a nice long, hot spa bath last night. My neck, back and shoulders feel much better today. Just think, a few more days of this, I will be back to my good old self!!

Maybe the daycare won't be such a bad thing after all....:)