So I guess its time for a new month. Sorry I have been MIA. I had the winterjam on Friday. It over all went well we ended up with 12,000 plus people almost 4000 more than last year. I had 88 volunteers on my list but only 60 some showed up. Not as bad as the mere 20 last year but still not completely what we needed. I ended up running around half way thru trying to find ushers. I had to call my dad who is the airport manager to find one of the artists bags...lol. Then I had to take volunteers from the one artists (Red) booth and to do ushering so I had to fill in at intermission to sell their stuff. Proud to say my telemarketing/selling skills came in handy. They had a deal if you bought a shirt you got the new cd for 5 bucks so I was ALLLLL over that one!!! Sold alot!! Then I had to go down to the money room and help them count offering which I made record time!!! I am a night person so that was my time of night. I forgot my pedometer to track my steps but was very sore the next day! Next year I will be skinny and not so self conscience. (I just felt and looked fat so I wore my light black jacket the whole time to cover some rolls) It was fun and a great experience especially since this year I knew what I was doing!! BUT GLAD its over for the year cause its soo much work with everything else I have to do.

Everyone here seems to be doing well..in the middle of an ice storm!!! Thats about it!! Working on storing coupons and starting a stock pile. We are going to clean out our basement Thursday and get shelving and organize the food I have and get rid of what I don't use. I don't use some because I don't remember I have it. So I want to organize it all downstairs then get these box tote things at the dollar store and put together a week worth of meals. Like each box will have ingredients for a meal and then keep that upstairs so its easier and more prepared.
Then I am going to buy the calendar from motivatedmom.com. It has random things you can do daily and weekly to cut down on time and cover everything!

Ok gotta go!!
Have a good week!

I am a horrible person I'm skipping agility with my bored border collie to wander around the house eating random things and lay on the couch watching stupid sitcoms. I don't even intend on working out or working my dog. He's so bored and I have no good reason to stay home. I just don't feel like doing anything

awww aunty I know what you mean...I dont want to even go do fun things...just stay home and do NOTHING...I hate it...I hate feeling this way....sigh...I was just telling someone I dream of getting my house work done at night then getting up at 7 in the morning and doing the boys school then going out with the kids to the mall, kids place, or a gym and then coming home and having supper ready on time and doing crafts with the kids, then a consistent bathtime routine....BUT THOSE ARE DREAMS I cant seem to make happen.
I want help but the drugs I have tried dont work right or they have nasty side affects on me that its not worth it...OK well I have to hurry and get ready to take six kids to a dentist appt for the 2 foster kids...I have them all ready just have to get myself ready and of COURSE TOM moved in this week!!! CURSE YOU TOM!!

I'm sorry I've been so horribly MIA! The thing is I have been reading daily but I either have nothing to say or I'm too tired to say it.

Aunty Jam, I read your post at lunch and I hate to say it but I was soo envious. I wanted to be home on the couch watching crappy tv. That sounded so good to me at that point. I usually eat at my desk and log onto here to catch up. I don't sign in from there though because I'm afraid it will be tracked and I like having this place as a secret. I hope you feel better soon and are able to get up and do what you need to. Everybody needs a blah day like today once and while. I know it's different when you just can't force yourself up though. I know what you mean about entertaining the dogs too. My poor girls are in serious need of my attention but at least they aren't like yours with that much energy. I always tell df that we just need sleepy lazy dogs. That's our speed.

Mom, I dream of this elusive clean house as well. I grew up in a clean house and I constantly feel guilty that mine doesn't look that way. I'm not sure how to fix it with my schedule. Of course I've been a lot less busy in the past and still had a messy house. A cleaning schedule would be great but I haven't ever gotten myself to follow one.

Clean? What is this wondrous sounding word you all speak of? I've never heard, nor experienced such a thing in my entire life!

thanks for the Feb. thread, mom and congrats on the festival, you really were flying around! Love the idea of getting your food/pantry organized. I find cans of stuff that expired 2 years ago, so one knows its really old.

Aunty Jam, sorry you felt so blah. Hope is right, we all need those days, if only to get them out of our system.

Hi Hope and Summershine and everyone else!

(I also grew up in a clean and organized home, I miss it)

Nothing new here, 'cept my knee is better and I can exercise again without pain, that's a plus. DAILY I try to motivate myself to eat better...I have the best body under this fat, I tell ya but I cover it with too many calories.

I think I found the solution to my motorcycle dilemna, I found out there are hundreds of leftover brand new bikes (my make and model) all over the country..and you can have bikes shipped..that may be the deal I go.

I don't know what to do you guys.... I'm so depressed and stressed and anxious and agitated. Step D wanted to go out for something to eat so I checked the bank online... we had a whole freaking $2.13. I almost puked when I saw that, it was like I got punched in the gut. I don't get paid for another freaking week, I'm almost out of meds for both my depression and my autoimmune chronic hive problem. I don't have much hair but I think I may pull it all out anyway. I've gone back to doing all my twitchy things, you know, those things the rational part of your brain knows is stupid but the other part does to cope. I won't go into detail, suffice to say they are stupid. I'm actually out of one type of fish food and it would be the only damned type those stupid things eat. It's not their fault, it's just their diet, it's what they eat. See, there I go being stupid again. Step D wants help with her grad ring... that's only fair, what about the pictures and the dress..... We can't give her anything. Her dad doesn't work and spends all his days playing trucks with his friends... he never cleans the house. Every time I bring up the house or the ultimatium I'm "throwing THAT in his face" apparentaly. I have to weigh in tomorrow morning and I've been sitting around stuffing myself for the past 3 days. I'm supposed to be a mentor for this stupid weight loss group... WHY did I sign up for that??? How stupid was taht???? Put a depressed bi-polar OCD in a position like that??? Granted I was very happy when I signed up for it... I should of known. Things are about to be cut off and I can't stop crying. I can't think of anything else to sell except for my jimmy (which we've discovered has a cracked oil pan, yippie) and I refuse to give up my independence. I'm seriously wondering if I can convince my husband to sell his pool cues. He played semi-pro for a time, I know they're worth money but on the other hand quite often they make us money. Nice hey... he suppliments our income by gambling, it's a good thing he's good at it. I just can't see a way out of this... we keep going round and round and round. Nothing we do gets us anywhere. Oh and heres the kicker, so far I've been told we don't qualify for anythign because I make to much and he is psychially capable to work but isn't. We'd basically have to be begging for bus change and eating pb on crusts before we could get anything. Any ideas guys? Because I'm about done here.

Oh Aunty Jam I don't have any suggestions, just alot of love and sympanthy for you!!

sorry to hear your in trouble aunt jam fngers crossed things get better for you xxxx

Oh Aunty Jam I am so sorry and I so wish I had some useful suggestions for you. The only thing I can see is your hubby has to get working or find something to help. This isn't all your problem its his responsibility as well but sadly, I have no idea how you can motivate him. My heart goes out to you and I really wish I had something useful.

Thanks... just knowing you guys are out there and you understand helps

Hey, have not been active here for some time. I hope everyone is having a good evening/day/morning. I am have a veeeeeeeeery hard time losing weight due to my buddy, Seroquel. Seroquel works great for me and I am losing about 1 or 2 lbs a month. My dose will be lowered in the near future and I am hoping that the losing continues and maybe gets better!!

Aunty Jam, I'm not sure I have anything useful to say either. I think maybe it is time to sell the pool sticks. If he is that good of a player, he should be able to use a house stick and still beat most people. It is HIS daughter after all that needs help right now. Her dad needs to step up. I have some family who is also unwilling to work. It makes me so angry I can barely be around them the few times of year that I am. I think of them everytime I go to work when I don't want to, when I'd rather call out or just sit on the couch. I know you've thought about leaving in the past. Is this possbile? Would you want to? These people can be very hard to change.

Speaking of money, I've done so much better budgeting myself in the past couple of months. I know where every nickel goes and exactly what I can spend a month. It has really helped me not to blow money, even on others. I take out my allotted money for the week and that is all I spend. I really want to get out of debt. I just hope I don't pass out from working so much trying to reach my goal. Take tomorrow for example. It's superbowl sunday and there is a sign up at work to bring snacks. Before I was budgeting I would have gone all out. Made a couple huge dishes to feed the whole store and not thought twice, all the while not many other's would show up with anything. This time I debated taking anything but settled on something small, just enough for my department and spent around $12. It's still thoughtful but not $50 or $60. I tried to consider my upcoming foot dr bills and my recent trip on friday to get my thyroid checked. I also unfortunately have to get a wisdom tooth cut out. I'm not sure what that will cost so I need to be careful.

Are any of you watching the superbowl? I have just in recent years started watching football. I can't believe I'm saying that.

aunty jam-I know that feeling we have had our ups and downs with money. I really have to learn to budget more. The dividing things into the envelopes that they need to go really helped. Even if you divide what you have left between two weeks. We were always running out with almost a week to go. So I decided to put 100 back or whatever I could for the next week. It did help...I am still not great at budgeting for the bills and everything. But sometimes bills can wait a week or two but you have to have money to make it that week!! i know its hard when someone it not working and theres not much...I hope things get better!