Treasure Trooper!!!

Ok I just had to post this real quick. A friend of mine told me about this site and how you go in and register for free and then sign up for a few offers and get paid for it.
At first I was hesitant, I REALLY don't trust places like this. But I thought, you know with the kids birthdays this month and all the other expenses we have, any extra income helps right?

Well I signed up and within the first day I had already made $20. I signed up for a few offers, a lot of them free and some real cheap like $1 for a 30 day trial. I did that and then went ahead and cancelled my offers before the trials ran out. I just sat back and thought, BLEH, not going to get paid.

Well I open up my email today and see this:
From: TreasureTrooper Com To: bourlandcs@msn.com
Subject: You've Been Paid!

I quickly go over to my paypal account and low and behold. This is what I got.



$45.25. Not bad for one afternoon of filling out surveys and doing some free offers LOL

So anyway, just wanted to share that with everyone, since I thought it was real neat. Let's call it my paycheck for being a SAHM????? LOL

If you want to know more about it, go here!!!!!

I'm going birthday shopping for Jasmine :) See ya all tomorrow :)

LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL!!!

I feel like a boat out at sea, during a huge thunderstorm and trying desperately to find that lighthouse. This morning Jasmine went back to school, and she was feeling normal again after almost a week of this stomach thing that's going around. She was feeling a little better last night so I thought I finally was seeing the end of this bug.

I think Nicholas is getting it though, it's now been 2 nights since we've had much sleep at all. He tosses and turns all night long. Last night he came snuggling up to me in bed and I figured "well, he's probably getting sick so maybe some mommy love will help".
This child spent the whole night whining and moaning, kicking his legs and rubbing my arms. Yeah, rubbing MY arms, like I was the one feeling sick. How sweet is that?!?!?! Made me feel all the more worse for not being able to help him. Nothing worse than seeing your child sick and knowing that nothing you do can take that ill feeling away.

This morning something weird but wonderful happened. I got all the kids in the car, my two and Scottie, Veronica's son, and left the house to take them to school. I started heading towards the main road and then did something I NEVER do. I turned into the neighborhood just down the street and said to the kids "You know, we still got time so let's go the long way". See, the kids like talking and laughing in the car on the way to school and always complain that we get there too fast.

So anyway, I turn the car around and start heading back towards my housing area. As I get closer I see a figure of a dog standing near the road, and I'm thinking "boy, that looks an awful lot like our dog Sam". I slow down and keep driving and as I get near him, I realize IT IS. He somehow got out through the back fence and is now waiting to pounce on some kids walking to school. Now I KNOW he wouldn't hurt them, but Sam is an Australian Shepherd and he's big, so just running towards the kids is enough to scare them.
Now remember, we live on base and having pets run around is a BIG NO NO. We can get in serious trouble for that, especially if they attack or hurt someone.
So I quickly pull into the nearest neighborhood, open my window and proceed to yell out "HEY SAM, GET YOUR BUTT BACK IN THE HOUSE". LOL
I turned into my own housing area and while I was driving I asked the kids to keep calling him so he would follow the car.....so now we're driving down the road with a dog on my tail and the kids inside going "SAMMMMMMMMMMM" at the top of their lungs LOL

I managed to get Sam back in the house and Curt went out back to fix the part of the fence he go out through.

So now here I am at home and I'm dumbfounded and can't believe what happened. Not because of the dog, it's not the first time he's tried to run away....although if I had good owners that fed me and loved me I would also want out of here. NOT!!!!
I'm confused because I've NEVER done that before, if I know I have time I just instantly go the longer way, and if I don't, I just go towards the main road which is faster. I could just pass it off to coincidence that I was driving down the road at the time, or I could call it for what it is. YET another example that God is with me all the time. It's funny because the closer I get to him, the more these incidents seem to happen which is good, because it keeps me motivated to continue on this path to a closer relationship with him. So I just thought I would share that with all of you!!!

I'll be cleaning the house today, I don't like waiting until the weekend to do it because then it's THAT much harder to get it done. But these past few days I admit that I haven't done much housework, I honestly haven't felt up to it, and with 2 kids sick I don't seem to have time for anything other than meeting all of their demands.

If you only knew how long it actually takes me to write my daily entries everyday, you would be amazed.
It usually goes something like this.

Sit at the computer, open up blogger.
*Mommy can I have some milk please?*
Get up, get Nicholas a cup of milk.
Sit back down and hit 'Create', type the title and.................
*Can I get a cookie please?*
Get up and fetch cookie for kid.
Sit down yet again and type the first paragraph, hear screams behind me, turn real fast to see Lola the Pug stealing the cookie from the kid.
Get up again and tell the dog NO, take the cookie away and trash it, give the kid a hug and fetch another cookie.
Sit back down and type a bit more, phone rings "Yes do you have a chip on your windshield?"
HUH?!?!?! No but I have a toddler running around and not as much money as I wish I did, you wanna fix THAT for me????
Hang up the phone and go back to blogger....type a bit more.
Mommy I wanna watch Dora....put Dora on tv or the DVD movie. No, No, I want to watch Diego.
Remove Dora and grab the Diego DVD, about to put it in. NO NO, I don't want Diego, I want Blue's Clues.
Proceed to barter and negotiate with 3 year old for the next hour about what exactly it IS he wants, which he doesn't seem to know either.
Couple of hours later, I remember that I have the blog entry just sitting there waiting patiently for me. Go back and type real fast, blah blah blah, incoherent posts and that's it.
Next day we just rinse and repeat!!!!

Now doesn't that sound like fun???? LOL
I have to tell you there are days that I honestly don't know how I get through them. The minute I step out of bed I'm already tired from being up all night, I'm in no mood for whiny kids and silly fights over who gets to sit on which spot of the couch, or who gets their lunch first, and God forbid I give Jasmine the blue towel, because RED is her favorite color....get it right mom!!!

So to those out there who have kids and know exactly what I'm talking about, I send you patience and understanding and energy vibes and here's hoping you have a whine/mess/fighting/crying free day.
To those who don't yet have kids, one day you too will be able to understand the frustration and the lack of sleep..........OH THE LACK OF SLEEP......but never doubt that it's the best job on earth and don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise, because the joys far outweigh the bad moments.

And that is IT for me, I'm tired, exhausted is more like it, nothing like a couple of days with sick kids to put you through the wringer. So I'm going to finish off my cup of coffee, which is now cold, BLEH, and then I'm going to sweep and mop and do dishes and laundry and make beds and all that other OH SO FUN stuff LOL
See ya tomorrow :)

Arggghhhhhhhhhh..................

This morning I had Jasmine all dressed and ready for school when I see her zip past me like a flying bullet. I chase after her and find her in the bathroom SICK AGAIN!!! :(
I don't know what it is about this bug that's going around, it's got everyone sick around here. What's the worst? I think I'm getting it!!! Walked around all day yesterday feeling like I was going to throw up, but never did. Today I'm not any better!!!
BUT nothing some coffee and Motrin won't fix.....I say Motrin cause that's the military's choice of medicine for anything from sore throat, to headache, to cold, to post partum delivery. LOL

I've uploaded all the Birthday photos HERE, so if you want to take a look that's where they'll be :)

I want to start this morning by wishing my brother Paul, a Happy Birthday!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAUL!!!

Hope you have a wonderful day and that you get everything you ever wished for. Wish we were there to celebrate with you, but we will be in thought.
Love you!!!!
Enjoy your week at the Kruger National Park...........boy am I jealous LOL

So today I'm going to be hanging out at home with the kids, watching over Jasmine and hoping Nicholas doesn't get this sick. He was feeling a little restless last night and told me his tummy hurt a bit, and since that's how Jasmine started, I am a little worried.

Easter is quickly approaching and I'm hoping now that the kids are older, that they will start watching "Jesus of Nazareth". I remember growing up, I used to LOVE easter mainly because I knew this movie would be playing and I could yet again enjoy it.
I think my favorite version is with Olivia Hussey as Mary, probably because that's the one I am most familiar with.

I'm hoping that I can instill in my kids the love for God and the scriptures and the REAL reason behind certain holidays. Won't be easy having to compete with the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus, but I'm sure we can do it.
It just seems that nowadays everything is about material things. It's all about how many presents you get and WHAT you get, and not enough about family and being together or even the reason for the celebration, know what I mean???
It's a tough world and one that is becoming increasingly hard to protect my kids from. You teach them one thing at home and then send them off to school and friends during the day, where they are being bombarded with a totally different outlook and view on things. It's a constant battle isn't it???

I was reading Shannon's post this morning and I instantly thought of those Nooma DVD's I mentioned before. The ones by Rob Bell? My favorite is called Rain, and I urge you all to go see the preview for it. I have the DVD at home and I watch it MANY MANY times. It just shows me and again reminds me that God is there for us, at all times. When we think that he is not or that he's deserted us, it's just the opposite.
How God can just stand by and watch us suffer. Where is God when it really hurts? Maybe God is actually closer to us than we think. It's during these hard times that God takes the chance to show us how much he really loves us. All we have to do is listen, and I know I know, it's not easy. When we're faced with a tragedy or a problem, we get so caught up in it that we forget everything else around, but it's always so easy to point the finger at God and say that HE is to blame, how could HE have allowed this? Shouldn't we be pointing the fingers at ourselves and asking how could WE have strayed from him? Why is it ok to reach out to the Lord and to thank him and rejoice when something good happens, but when it's something bad, to turn our backs on him? Think about it, because I for one am tired of doing it. If I can take the good then I can take the bad in life. Because HE is always with me!!!!

But moving on, I've got to make this one short because I'm constantly following poor Jasmine to the bathroom. So I'm off to do what it is that mom's do best, give lots of TLC to the sick child and smile through the piles of laundry that keep getting soiled. If any of you need me you will find me either at the bathroom, near the washer and dryer or somewhere in between both, really!!!

By the way, I suggest you clean your monitors with some Lysol after reading this post. I don't want anyone getting sick and then blaming it on me and the family germs. Go ahead, wipe it down and I will see you all later :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NICHOLAS!!!

Today is our baby boy's birthday!!! Baby no more though, for he is turning 3 years old. Wow how time just flies by.

About 3 and half years ago I was at one of my lowest and hardest points in my life. I had just gone through 2 miscarriages and didn't think I would ever be able to conceive again. Then I found out I was pregnant again and it was a bitter-sweet feeling. I was ecstatic that I was pregnant but terrified that something would go wrong again.
It was a high risk pregnancy, I had to have my blood drawn EVERY week to make sure the HCG levels were still going up. I had tons of ultrasounds, but yet I still had bleeding and contractions throughout the whole pregnancy and let's not even mention morning sickness, mine was more like 24 hour sickness that lasted until my 7th month of pregnancy.

I remember being 28 weeks pregnant and going into preterm labor. Spent the night at the hospital trying to stop the contractions and then was pretty much put on bed rest. What was worse was that this happened on a friday night, and Curt was leaving for a TDY that saturday morning at 6am. Try being on bed rest with a 3 year old to take care of, not easy.....BUT DOABLE!!! :)

So Nicholas, Happy Birthday baby, I want to thank you for being so strong and for hanging in there with me. For all the ups and downs, the laughs and the tears and those times where I thought for sure I was going to loose you. I remember when he was born we all laughed because he had the longest umbilical cord, and it was wrapped all around his body. Guess it was his way of saying "I'm hanging in here and NOT going anywhere!"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NICHOLAS!!!
Mommy, Daddy and Jasmine love you more than you will ever know. Thank you for making our lives so perfect.

What a Night!!!!

When Jasmine went to bed last night she was burning up and complained that her nose felt congested. I figured that she's getting another cold!!! After giving her some medicine, I put her to bed. Because both kids weren't feeling too good, they wanted to sleep in bed with me, and since hubby works weird hours and stays up all night and sleeps during the day, it worked out fine.

She falls asleep but is whining and moaning. At 1am I am awakened by her jumping up in bed and throwing up. ALL OVER MY BED!!! I start yelling for Curt to come and help me and run her to the bathroom. So now it's 1:30am and we are changing out the sheets on the bed, she managed to miss my comforter all together. YAY!!!
Back to sleep but within an hour she's up getting sick again. Seems that she's caught whatever is going around here, a lot of people with this cold/stomach bug. Of course for Jasmine it means not going to school.....and even though she can't afford to miss anymore days, what can I do????
I can't send her to school running a fever and throwing up every hour!!!!
So she's home for the day and laying on the couch.

Last night while the kids were laying next to me in bed, I caught a movie on tv, well actually more like 3 movies part of the same story.
It was "Love Comes Softly", "Love's Enduring Promise" and "Love's Long Journey". I'm not one to watch movies more than once, and I had already seen these at least twice, but I ended up watching them again. I love Janette Oke and her stories are so heart warming!!!

You all know that lately I've been on the search for a closer relationship with God. It's not easy, I'm sure you agree, but it's well worth the effort and work.
I'll be the first to admit that at times being so overwhelmed and so busy with our hectic lives, God takes the back burner, which in turn just creates MORE havoc around me. There are those days that you feel that you are being tempted over and over again but it's not surprising because it just seems to me that everyone has become so obsessed with materialistic things that they forget what is really important.
The reason I mentioned this is because my SIL Hayley, sent me this today and I thought I would share it. It's for all the kids who grew up in the 60's, 70's and 80's. Boy would I love for things to be back the way they were.

• We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, or latches on doors or cabinets and it was fine to play with pans.
• When we rode our bikes, we wore no helmets, just flip-flops and fluorescent 'spokey dokey's' on our wheels.
• As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or airbags - riding in the passenger seat was a treat.
• We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle and it tasted the same.
• We ate chips, bread and butter pudding and drank fizzy juice with sugar in it, but we were never overweight because we were always outside playing.
• We shared one drink with four friends, from one bottle or can and no-one actually died from this.
• We would spend hours building go-carts out of scraps and then went top speed down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into stinging nettles a few times, we learned to solve the problem.
• We would leave home in the morning and could play all day, as long as we were back before it got dark. No one was able to reach us and no one minded.
• We did not have Play stations or X-Boxes, no video games at all. No 99 channels on TV, no videotape movies, no surround sound, no mobile phones, no personal computers, no DVDs, no Internet chat rooms.
• We had friends - we went outside and found them.
• We played elastics and rounders, and sometimes that ball really hurt!
• We fell out of trees, got cut, and broke bones but there were no law suits.
• We had full on fist fights but no prosecution followed from other parents.
• We played chap-the-door-run-away and were actually afraid of the owners catching us.
• We walked to friends' homes.
• We also, believe it or not, WALKED to school; we didn't rely on mummy or daddy to drive us to school, which was just round the corner.
• We made up games with sticks and tennis balls.
• We rode bikes in packs of 7 and wore our coats by only the hood.
• The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke a law was unheard of...They actually sided with the law.
• This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers and problem solvers and inventors, ever. The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.
• We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all.
• And you're one of them. Congratulations!

Now doesn't that make you wish you were still a kid? So what are some of your favorite memories from your childhood and the way things were back then?

I think for me there were a few, but I remember playing outside with the neighborhood kids until 10pm when it finally started getting dark in the summer. We would be called in for dinner and then go back out and play and the next morning it started all over again. We went on picnics, we played hide and seek, we played go cart races, we played hopscotch. We enjoyed life and it was fun being a kid. I didn't have soccer practice, dancing, piano lessons, basketball, softball etc etc. I was just a KID, doing what kids did best, ENJOYING LIFE!!!!

It may be hard for me to pass that on to my own children, but I will try my best. Kids nowadays are spoiled, and I know because I'm guilty of the same. Again it goes back to materialistic things. Kids have been taught that they NEED to have all the latest fashions, latest toys, best looking bikes. You know what, we were 4 kids growing up, me and my 3 brothers and we never had a bike, and neither did a lot of the kids in the neighborhood. So what did we do???
Believe it or not, the few kids who DID have bikes, shared it will all of us and we all took turns riding them, and it was fine, we weren't mocked or bullied. How things have changed???

So I leave you this morning with a trip back to the 80's with A-Ha "Take on Me".
And here is a question....What will you do to make sure that your kids enjoy their childhood, and what kind of things from your own days as a child do you still incorporate into their lives? Traditions, games, that special dinner, tell me what you are doing to share your childhood with them.