2013 Week #1

I cant say I was awake to bring in the New Year... because I was sound asleep!!  LOL  Stacy stayed up with the kids... even tho he had to work bright and early in the morning.  He is quite the trooper!!

I have our goals up and so far we are doing a pretty good job of keeping up with them!  (Knock on wood)

I am really glad I cracked down with the budget issues we have been having!  I have even gone as far as putting our monthly "allowances" and the "family entertainment month in labeled envelopes.  Once the money is gone... it is gone for the month!  This seems to have made spending a real reality for the kids!!  I even have the kids keeping track of what we spend as we put things in the cart at the grocery store... we take along a calculator!!  THIS was a real eye opening experience for the kids!! 
I am glad that we switched to this way... it has really made EVERYONE aware of what we spend!!  It is always so easy to just whip out our check card and buy... not anymore!  :-)

Another real positive with our goals is the no more bought "quick" snacks!  I am making ALL of our snacks now!  Sooo much healthier!!  Granola bars taste so much better when I make them... and sooooo much less expensive to actually make!  I even found a recipe for "pop tarts"... havent tried it yet.  I have never really bought pop tarts for my kids... they are so unhealthy!
Another HUGE bonus to making all of the kids snacking foods--- NOTHING ARTIFICIAL!!  ;-)

I am down 3lbs since our Christmas vacation! 
My only real problem is dealing with all the Fibro pain am having right now.  This knee issue is really throwing everything off for me... so exercising isnt real easy.  My surgery day is fast approaching... and even tho I am REALLY unsure of going through with it... I am hoping it helps.

I have also set an unwritten goal of working with the rest of our dogs more. 
Gunner usually gets most of my attention... as far as training.  I am starting to focus more on the others. 
Nanuq and Sakari have a real barking issue... and I am about sick of hearing it!  I started focusing on Nanuq this weekend... and have already decreased his barking by a ton!!  Sakari will be next!
Sprocket and Gunner are both working on "tricks"!!  I have them both doing "spins" for treats... and Gunner is really picking up on that. No hand signals necessary for him anymore!  He is so damn smart!  I think next weekend I will start "duck and cover" with him!  He still wont go anywhere near the agility equipment!  Sprocket is my star agility dog!!  He LOVES to run through the tunnel.. and is pretty good at "jumping" too.

The kids are close to the end of the 2nd marking period!!  They are both ahead on all of their lessons... so that will be nice when I have my surgery! 
Next week, Stacy is taking them snow tubing!  I obviously cant do it... but I am sure those 3 will have fun! 

Tomorrow is Courtney's IEP meeting... should be interesting!  I finally got OVR to push her eligibility through... now to push them to get her enrollment for HGA started!

Josh and I are having a failure to see things eye to eye.  I found out last week that he has been lying to me, even more than I already knew.  And I am about sick of that shit!
I also think he needs to get his ass in gear and get a full time job and a place of his  own.  He is really starting to remind me of my mother!!!  BUT, my grandparents are allowing it.  He will be another person completely screwed if/when something happens to my grandfather.  I guess he and my mother will both have to learn the hard way. 
I have completely stepped out of the Josh shit now as well.  We are done paying his storage.  It has been a year now... and he is still in the exact same position as he was.  No effort at all to better his situation.  It is time to spare myself the money and heart ache. 
He and Ashley broke up... and I cant say I much blame her, if all she told me is true. 

Well, that is the going ons around here for the first week of 2013.
Time for me to cut up granola bars... and get dinner started.