Home Sweet Home . . . buying?!

Over the weekend, Scott and I went house hunting. We looked at around 20 houses in 1 1/2 days and found a house that could work. At more than one point I was so frustrated that I could have sat down and cried right there on the sidewalk. It is very difficult looking for a place to live in a community you know nothing about.

Several of the homes were in questionable areas, the ones that were in good areas were too expensive or needed way to much work. On Sunday, I went home to my cute kiddos feeling frustrated and overwhelmed. On Monday, I didn't feel much better, but I couldn't stop thinking about the one house. That night, I emailed the realtor and asked to look at it again. She called my the next day and told me that three more homes came on the market for us to look at.

Today, the kids and I drove and hour and a half (Charlie screamed almost the entire way) to meet up with Scott and look at four houses. This search was just as disappointing as the first. Then we spent some more time in the little yellow house.

At this house the kids felt right at home and I could picture where all of our stuff would go. Minus our table. I've had our table since college. I paid $50.00 for it, and have gotten my moneys worth out of it. Now, is the time for a table I actually like. The house is small, but not much smaller than the one I grew up in. The yard is fenced and landscaped. There is an awesome, heated garage! We put in our offer and it was accepted. Hopefully all will go smoothly from here and we will have a happy home of our own. It only took almost four years!

Moving How to

Moving is never easy and rarely fun . . . until the move is complete and you are enjoying some cheap pizza and an adult beverage with the awesome friends and family who came to help out. Until the end of the move, it pretty much sucks. I wish I could put a Pollyanna spin on it for you, but I just can't.

I had said in my original moving post, that I would post the best way to organize a move . . . here it is.

Organizing and Packing

1. Find a place to live in your new city/town.
2. Give your current landlord 30 days notice or list your house to be sold and reserve a moving truck.
3. Schedule a walk through with the current landlord to finalize your contract with them.
4. Call you local grocery store and ask them for free boxes. Or call a moving company and buy   boxes.
      A. I recommend Uhaul because they will buy back any unused packing supplies.
5. Pick a room to start in (start as early as possible).
6. Make 3 piles. One to pack, one to donate, one to throw out.
7. Pack items you will not need until you get to your new location.
      A. Daily items and cooking items need to be packed last. Reserve a box for this.
8. Continue packing in one room till it is completely packed. Clean each room as you go.
9. Label each box with the room name and what is in the box.
10. Disassemble any furniture that you do not have to use. Put the screws in a baggie, label it.
11. On Moving Day, put all the daily needed items in a box (don't forget the toilet paper) and take      apart any large pieces of furniture. Finish cleaning.
12. Load the truck as if playing Tetris. This will prevent items from falling.
13. Complete the walk through with the landlord and sign any paperwork. Make sure you leave your new address, so they can mail you your deposit.
14. Get on the road to you new place!

At the New Place
Be sure to take charge. All the boxes will be labeled, so the helpers can place them in the appropriate rooms, but the furniture will need to be placed in the correct spots. Make sure to arrange the furniture when all the helpers are there, so you don't have to do it alone(why do the heavy lifting if you don't have to).

Bills and Personals

1. File a change of address with the post office 1 week before the Moving Day.
2. Call all the utility companies and cancel your service, or transfer to new address one week before  you leave.
3. Don't forget to contact your magazine subscriptions.

If you follow this guide, your move should go off without a hitch, but not without aches and pains. Remember, if you move out of your current city for work related reasons, keep your receipts because you can claim the expenses on your taxes.

FYI- If you move around like we do, and there is a place to keep the boxes break them down and keep them for next time.
Happy Moving Day!

Hunger Games . . . Just Read It

I am a huge fan of this series! I read all three books when I was pregnant(almost 2 years ago). When I began the first book, I had no idea how quickly it would suck me in. I read it in a week. Honestly, I could not put it down. Those who know me, know I don't like to read. I know, I know those are dirty words coming out of a teacher's mouth, but they are honest.
When I really like a book, I tell everyone I know. Most of my family and friends read Harry Potter because I harassed them until they did. The Hunger Games was a harder sell. Non of my close friends started reading it till about a two weeks ago. Oh well, I love talking about it. I shush my children when the characters are being interviewed, and I would be in line to watch it at midnight tonight, but I don't have a sitter.
If you get a chance to see it, please post and tell me what you thought about the movie. If you've only read the books post about them too. I love to see what everyone thinks.
Happy Hunger Games.

     Just in case, you haven't read or heard anything about this awesome book; here is a short summary.
     The book takes place in a future time period in North America.  The 50 states no longer exist and the country is split up into 12 districts all which are repressed and controlled by the mighty Capitol. The main character, Katniss, is a 16 year old girl who volunteers as a tribute in the Hunger Games. This is all I will tell you. I don't want to spoil anything.

Thursday Weigh In

So I weighed in last Thursday with a good 2 lb. weight loss! Yeah me! Here it comes . . . but then the kids and I went to spend the weekend with my two best friends. This is great for the soul but terrible for the diet. Since last Thursday, I am back to the drawing board. Shame on me! This set back will not discourage my efforts. I am back at it in the morning. Remember  . . . you didn't put it on over night, so it won't come off over night.

On the Road Again

The call finally came . . . WE ARE MOVING! I have explained in other posts and my bio that we have been moved a lot due to my husband's job. Finally, Tuesday afternoon the official call finally came, and my awesome husband has been promoted! This is what we have been working towards for the past three years. Finally, we get to buy a house! I couldn't be more excited. Misses is very excited too. She can't wait to have her own room and a dog. I'm not to crazy about the dog part, but we promised before the move to our current location.

So for three years we have moved four times and Misses has lived in four homes. It was so bad that one time I got lost and had to turn around in the parking lot of an apartment complex. Misses looks around and in her tiny two year old voice said, "Oh no! We are moving again."

With all these moves and doing them with children but without movers, you might say I am a bit of an expert. Oh did I mention my husband got the call Monday afternoon and has to report to the new job on Wednesday morning? Yes, that is how fast this company moves, so I will be left as a single parent to coordinate the move and keep daily life going at a status quo. So I will post again on how to organize a move when you are doing it yourself. This time around we get movers! I will post after the move on how to organize that kind of move.

Weight Loss Challange

Bubba will be a year old next month. During my pregnancy, I put on a whopping 45lbs. I know it was not the best choice to eat 2 1/2 Whoppers in one day, but hey I had been very active and diet "gun ho" for almost two years. So I figured this pregnancy was my ticket to eat, and I sure ate . . . A LOT! 

On the day of delivery I weighed in at 200lbs. Bubba was kind of big, so I instantly lost 20lbs after delivery. I was super happy about that, but I haven't done too much to take of the other 25lbs till now.

Last Thursday, I made a serious decision to start my healthy eating up again. Unfortunately, my kiddos have been ill, so I wasn't able to make it to the gym too. I had lost over 35lbs and kept it off after Misses was a year old, so I know what to do, I just have to get off my butt and do it!

Here's my plan for the next 3 months.
      1. On the days I workout, I will eat 1400 calories including a protein shake.
      2. On the days I am unable to workout, I will eat no less than 1200 calories.
         

Workout plan
      1. Cardio for 30 minutes
      2. weight machines for 15 minutes
      3. On nice weather days walks with the kids.

If you want join me on a weight loss, getting healthy journey. We can hold each other accountable. I mean, I've heard that a  group effert can make for better results.

My weigh in days will be Thurday of each week . . . Check back to monitor progess.

Revive Celery

Celery is a pretty inexpensive and low calorie veggie to have on hand, that is why I buy it a lot. The problem is, I often forget that I have it. When I remember, it is all rubbery and limp. So one day I thought, maybe this would perk back up if I put it in water. To my surprise, it did! After being put in a container with water the celery was crunchy and yummy once more. So I decided to share this miraculous finding with all of you. I know many already know this, but silly discoveries like this is what my blog is about. So feel free to chuckle at my excitement, and because until I told a friend about this, I really thought I had done something special. She kindly let me know that lots of people use this trick.

Cut the tops and the end of your celery.

Cut the celery to the length you want. We eat them as a snack, so we like them small.
Those 2 bowls you see in the picture were to small for all the celery. Oops. Haha.

Put the celery in a bowl (big enough) cover the celery with water and lid. Place in refridgerator.

So there you have it. A very simple way to revive or store celery for a very long time, and keep it fresh and yummy. I have been told this works for carrots too. 



Eye Surgery Update

FINALLY, we made it to surgery. Today Misses had Bilateral Strabismus Surgery at the Children's Hospital. She was so great and our experience at the hospital couldn't have been better. We were told to be there at 9 a.m. We were checked in and on our way to the surgical floor within 10 minutes. Once we arrived on the surgical floor, we were taken back right away. We got her all ready and maybe waited 30 minutes, which Misses was good with because they had the Disney Channel on T.V. When they took her back, she rode in a wagon chattering the entire way. We waited in the waiting room, which was very comfortable. When she woke up, she was scared and upset, but we were able to calm her quickly. After that we were moved to another post-op room where they fed her cookies and water till her heart was content. She would not open her eyes because she said, "Everything is squiggly." Then they brought her all kinds of cool stuff to take home! We love SWAG! She slept all the way home. Once home, she opened her eyes and was seeing double. It was kind of funny, she kept asking why there were two of things. By 5 p.m. she was up playing and chattering up a storm. Her eyes look painful, but she said they didn't hurt. We are thankful it is over, but all in all a great experience.

Misses loving the warm blankets before surgery.