New Morning, A New Day

I need a fucking break. I've been at home, since the day we got to Colorado, every single day while my husband goes to work (it's a retail/photography gig, but at least he gets to leave the house!). I love my daughter, I really do, but I need a break. On his days off, he lets me sleep in, but that doesn't cut it as I get up with them anyway. On his days off from work, it seems as though he expects me to do what I do every single day while he's at work. He's not keeping me from working; from those previous journals I've made about job searching, you would know I'm constantly looking for work and setting up interviews earlier in the morning so he can have the car for work. So, he's not being an asshole about me not working; in fact, we both know that I have to work. But, I need a fucking break. I have found wonderful programs on Sprout, Noggin and Discovery Kids that Bella is interested in and can learn from. The only three things I don't let he

There really hasn't been a change. It's once or twice a day, sometimes before her bath time. I wanted to wean her from her bottle, but it seems it'll have to wait until we have our own place. That way, if she starts screaming for it, we can let her and not worry about waking up Grampa Grumpy.

Well, we're still living with my parents. There's an up to our downs; a friend of ours (married couple; she performed our wedding three years ago) wants to rent their house to us. Thing is, they need a couple of months to find another place. I offered to help out by finding some possibilities for them. I'm still looking for work. Four interviews with four staffing services and two interviews with two companies. I did have a job for about 24 hours but had to turn it down. It was too far of a drive (just under an hour), and not paying what I need to get bills paid, gas for the car and childcare. Speaking of, I haven't been able to make a car payment since August 27 and I can't ask for a deferment unless: the payment is at least one day late and I'm working (since it's my loan). The loan payment per month is $310.25; I've been doing half payments every two weeks of $155.13; I changed this amount to an even $156 but I had to stop that today. With Pa

She woke up this morning soaked; then again, she had two milk bottles last night so it's not surprising. Once Daddy sat her on the potty, she went! She's eating apples & cinnamon oatmeal with cranberry/pomegranate juice (watered down a little) for breakfast. About half an hour after she's done, I'm taking her back to the potty. So far so good, I guess. =)

I took her into the bathroom with me first thing this morning. Her diaper was loaded with pee, but we did end up giving her about three milk bottles last night. We go in, strip her bottoms and sit her on her potty. I'm sitting across from her doing my own business. I squint my ear toward her potty and she's peeing in the potty again!! This is great!! I made a big deal about it but not very loud; hubby was still sleeping. I'll take her in there every couple of hours or when she says, "Eww." Normally when she says that, it's too late, but I'd rather put her on it anyway. She should pee in the potty again after her nap. =) Eventually, it'll happen more often. She'll wear diapers at night until we change her crib to a toddler bed. Then it's a whole new ball game.

We went out and bought Bella her potty chair and a package of Easy Ups (Pampers). I didn't want to use Easy Ups, but I honestly don't know what else to try. These seem to help her realize that she's made an "eww" right after she did it. Once she does, I'm taking her to her potty and having her sit on it. We have the wipes right there, so when she's "done" on the potty, she can wipe. Sometimes, she'll want to sit on the big potty and we've done this and without the blue piece on the toilet seat. I like it so far. It'll definitely take some time and consistency, but I think we can have her potty trained by the time she's 2 years old.. maybe a little bit past. Hopefully by New Year's she'll be completely potty trained. Every time she does something good (like telling me "eww" or "potty", I make a big deal out of it. Once she goes in the potty, I'm going to make a big deal about it. It's ve

I'm curious if anyone has this car seat. My mother will be purchasing it for my daughter (for her car, not ours) and I'm wondering what you all think of it. It's rated pretty well by Babies R Us customers, but I'd also like to know how YOU ALL like it (if you have it). This would be the LAST car seat we'd ever have to buy (except for a travel system). I eventually want one of these for my own vehicle. The current seat won't last her as long as this one will. I'm really big on reading reviews of products and the one negative review I read [on the first page; BRU site) was that it doesn't work well with newborns. I thought, "Umm.. if you read the weight requirements, the minimum weight is 20 pounds ." Product Description The Graco Nautilus 3 in 1 Carseat converts from 5-pt harness to High-back Booster for children 30-100 lbs and Backless Booster for children 40-100 lbs. It features a steel reinforced frame that provides strength an

Not only am I looking for admin (hell, entry level) positions, but minimum wage/retail as well. Maybe I can land a spot at the Hot Topic in SW Plaza and I can dye my hair again. At this point, we've been here two weeks and I'm still not working. Pat just got a job, but it's part time. At least it's work. If anyone knows of ANYWHERE hiring (I will NOT work fast food nor will I wait tables again), please let me know. If your place of business is hiring let me know and could I ask you to put in a good word for me? I really appreciate everything. (KEEP IN MIND FORMATTING LOST IN COPY/PASTE) Objective A challenging position as an administrative assistant at a growth-oriented firm, which will allow me to both further utilize my skills and acquire new abilities in the Administrative support field. Skills - Typing: 70wpm - Strong analytical and organizational skills - Excellent interpersonal skills, phone manner, and office etiquette - Software: Proficie

So, Bella, my husband and myself had a visit with the La Petite Academy I want to send Bella to. I liked what I saw online and I liked the facility itself. We met with the director and the lead teacher for the Two's Room. If Bella goes full time, five days a week, she'll be the only girl on most days. I'll tell you what though.. as soon as we walked in from the Two's playground, all the boys in the room looked straight up at Bella; she was sitting on Daddy's shoulders. Overall, we really liked it. Thing is, it's $220/week for full time, five days a week. She said she'd work with us on payments and we explained our current situation. She was very friendly and willing to give us a break. I'm not working yet. I'm having a helluva time finding work (over qualified maybe? not enough education?) and we find out tomorrow if my husband got this job at a photo gallery/portrait studio. We won't really need childcare until I find work. The direct

Any words from #77 on (in other words, those in color) have been said/learned after coming to Denver. =) 1. Daddy 2. Dada 3. Mama 4. Mommy 5. Nana 6. broder (brother) 7. Jeffy 8. pasta 9. pizza 10. blankie 11. bottle 12. baby 13. hot 14. cold 15. boobies 16. butt 17. bum 18. nose 19. eyes 20. brow 21. nigh-nigh 22. bach (bath) 23. hi 24. bye 25. angel 26. toys 27. cookie (which is an unsalted saltine cracker) 28. ready 29. go 30. outside 31. yeah 32. rainbow 33. pretty 34. happy 35. ugly 36. eww 37. owie 38. pee 39. peas 40. cheese 41. juice 42. shoes 43. milk 44. water 45. doggy 46. mine 47. no 48. uh-huh 49. again 50. uhm (up) 51. all done 52. a bite 53. whee 54. eat 55. shit (she rarely says this but she does say it; she will learn when it's okay and not okay to say it) 56. bitch (read the above parentheses) 57. Bella 58. Belladonna 59. uh-oh 60. safe 61. ta-da 62. one 63. two 64. three 65. leaf 66. laces 67. wa

How simple (or complicated) of a process is this? I filed Worker's Compensation earlier this year (for a shelf falling on both big toes) so now I can't do it onlne!! I'm now on hold.. going on ten minutes. Hopefully I'll get through to SOMEONE before COB today. By the way, for those who want to get together this week, call me before stopping by. I'm still trying to get through this stupid college algebra course. Has to be completed on August 31. What fun.

Now that we're here, I've been searching for work online. I'm going through Monster, Career Builder and HotJobs. I'm even going back to the temp agency I used after I got out of the Navy. I have an appointment set up for September 2. I need work appropriate pants for it and I had to toss the two pair I had. The cuffs were so worn and ragged, no one will want to look at me. My profile for AppleOne is completed. If I get the pants I need prior to the appointment, I will see about rescheduling for an earlier date. I'm afraid now that I won't be able to complete my classes and am tempted to just drop out. I hav way too much going on right now and I'm stressing too much to worry about school. I may have to re-enroll later. I'll pay them back what I still owe them. I honestly don't think I'll be able to complete my math unless I have someone on the phone to help me while I'm doing the chapter tests. I have way too much on my plate right

We've finally reached Colorado. Don't know how often I'll actually be online.

So, I'm thinking she's definitely getting ready. She's starting to let me know when her diaper has a poopie in it and sometimes when she's peed. Since we've started packing the house up, there's some extra space in the living room for her to play in. There are blankets and toys over there and it seems to be her favorite place in the house. When she knows she needs a new butt, she'll head over in the direction and lay down for me to change her butt. Sometimes, she'll carry the box of wipes or her diaper over there. When finished, we say, "all done!" and she gets up to go back to playing. Sometimes, but not every time, she'll wake up dry from her nap. Many times this is due to me changing her right before her nap. I would love to start potty-training her now, but I can't. We leave for Denver in just over 12 days. It would confuse her too much. In other news, she can say the following: 1. daddy 2. dada 3. mama 4. mommy 5.

WARNING: If you read this journal, you may become angry or upset, and want to debate it out until you're blue in the face. You may not agree with what I have to say and vice versa. If you're easily offended, then don't read any further. Something got me thinking (I know, it was the reply I made to the "Tolerance" post). I wanted to list the things I wish of our society, culture and the world in general (world peace, man!). Now, ya'll said we've got our "big girl panties on" so I'm not apologizing for offending anyone. -I'd love for everyone to know how to read and read something without being told to (a book or newspaper). Mark Twain said something that makes me nod my head: " Those who don't read have no advantage over those who can't. " -I'd love for everyone to have the good education they're entitled to. Along these same lines, I'd love it if teachers were actually paid what they're worth, a

I just wanted to clarify that this is how I'm planning to potty-train my daughter. I haven't started yet. Thank you for the encouragement!! I'm really hoping this works. When I start to potty-train my daughter (she's almost 2), I'm planning on setting up "times" to go. Right after she wakes up, we go to the potty and sit for a few minutes. About 30-60 minutes after breakfast and juice, we go again. Before nap time (after lunch), we go again. After nap time, go sit on the potty again. Two hours after nap time is over, do it again. After dinner, we visit the potty again. Once more before bed time. I'm betting it looks easier than it really is. This is what I'm hoping to accomplish, anyway. I don't want to use a potty chair or training pants/pull-ups, as I feel it hinders the potty-training process. Big girl panties and the vinyl panties that go on over the cloth panties. I don't really want to use a potty chair because most kids [I

Please feel free to comment, as well as quote to talk about your favorites!! 1. The Breakfast Club 2. Fast Times at Ridgemont High 3. Dazed and Confused 4. Rebel Without a Cause 5. Heathers 6. American Graffiti 7. Clueless 8. Boyz N the Hood 9. Election 10. Ferris Bueller's Day Off 11. Say Anything 12. Mean Girls 13. High School 14. Donnie Darko 15. Carrie 16. Lucas 17. Peggy Sue Got Married 18. Rock 'n' Roll High School 19. The Last Picture Show 20. Dead Poets Society -as featured in ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY issue #739

A letter from a 3rd grade teacher sent home to pagan parents by Ld Obyron Irondrake Dear Mr. and Mrs. Thomas, I write this letter in concern of your daughter, Aradia Moon. Please don't take this the wrong way, however, although she is a straight A student and a very bright child, she has some strange habits that I feel we should address. Every morning before class, she insists on walking around the classroom with her pencil held in the air. She says she is "drawing down the moon." I told her Art Class is in an hour and to please refrain from then to do any drawing. And speaking of Art Class, whenever she draws a night sky, she insists on drawing little circles around all the stars and people dancing on the ground. And that brings up dancing, I had to stop her twice for taking off her clothes during a game of Ring Around the Rosey! By the way, what does the term "skyclad" mean? Aradia has no problem with making friends. I always find her sitting outside during re

A song about rape awareness. Rape victims need to know that it's not their fault. www.RAINN.org You're not alone. Unlock the Silence. These are lyrics from a song called "Every 6 Minutes" from the movie Prey for Rock and Roll (starring Gina Gershon and Lori Petty). One of the characters (Sally) is raped by the boyfriend (Nick) of another character (Tracy). Gina Gershon's character (Jacki, a struggling musician) is a tattoo artist. She finds him, gets him strapped into a chair and tattoos "RAPIST" on his forehead. She and the victim's brother ("Animal") then dump him on the sidewalk in a bad part of town. The women (Jacki, Tracy, Sally and Faith [Petty] are in a band called Clam Dandy. Every 6 minutes Someone says "no" Every 6 minutes She gets ignored It's not what you're wearing Its not where you've been The fact that they think so Tells you somethin' bout sin Every 6 minutes A woman cries Because every 6

Though I don't pray to the God of Abraham, I do pray. This is for the troops, Sailors, Marines and all others overseas and away from their families. The photo that gets me is the child accepting the flag for his parent. Let us pray... Prayer chain for our Military.... Don't break it! Please send this on after a short prayer. Prayer for our soldiers Don't break it! Prayer: 'Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. Amen.' Prayer Request: When you receive this, please stop for a moment and say a prayer for our troops around the world. There is nothing attached. Just send this to people in your address book. Do not let it stop with you. Of all the gifts you could give a Marine, Soldier, Sailor, Airman, & others deployed in harms way, prayer is the very best one. BLESS YOU FOR PASSING IT ON!

Give them that old-time religion — ancient religion — and then watch an exploding population of modern pagans give it contemporary twists Their numbers roughly double about every 18 months in the United States, Canada and Europe, according to the Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. Neopaganism, whether a careful reconstruction of ancient practice or a completely modern interpretation of ancient lore, is now among the country's fastest-growing religions. People, especially teens, are rejecting what they see as the "autocracy, paternalism, sexism, homophobia and insensitivity to the environment" of some more traditional religions, the Canadian group concludes. Denverite Jesse Walter describes himself as a recovering Irish Catholic, conservative Republican and Army reservist. He is also a druid who follows one of the most difficult traditions of his religion — taking his livelihood for at least a year and a day from a grove of trees. Walter, 33, who became a druid at