ok...so i want this

Radian80 is the convertible car seat for rear-facing children 5 -33 lbs and forward-facing children up to 80 lbs with the integral 5-point harness. It features a high strength alloy frame and 5 harness slot positions that are all reinforced for forward facing use. A unique detachable base simplifies rear-facing installations. Seat bottom pops-down to provide a forward-facing recline option. 4-layer padding provides extra comfort and support.
Includes full body support for infants that converts into height-adjustable head cushions for older kids. Includes padded shoulder strap that attaches directly to the seat for easy carrying. Features SafeStop, to reduce harness load on a child in an accident. It's also the only car seat in the world that folds to just 7" thick. Available in Manhattan and SuperCool

.

and i now have this

http://www.divacup.com/

just thought you'd like to know LOL ;)

harping on money...AGAIN!

why is money the bain of my existance...i've started feeling stress over the impending "take over" of the house...utilities are going to be btwn $400 and $500 a month projected, then whatever rent will be, we'll have a car payment and car insurance will increase, then the school loans increase by about $200 next year so we'll go from $800/month to $1000/month on those and then of course all the other expensese that we have...we want to put aj into preschool next year and if i can get her into the one i want it will be like $60/month...which is actually REALLY good compared to all the others i've looked at but it's fairly tough to get a kid in there if you've not already had one enrolled w/ her, she only takes like 8 kids a year...i'm seriously rediculously stressed about all of it...which i know is stuipd but money really has a way of just twisting me into some crazy knots!

i know it's stupid to get worked up over money the way i do, alas i have yet to figure out a way to not do it...i can't help but think about money and how it's all going to work out...thankfully we've been so blessed that it has all worked out, things haven't always been pretty but it's always worked out thanks to a loving HF

now if rich gets his upgrade either just before or just after his 2nd year roll over we'll be "ok" but i'll admit i REALLY REALLY wanted to be paying quite a bit extra twds his school loans so we can get rid of those loans sooner than later...if i was able to apply $2k extra a month to them beyond their normal payment we could be done with them in like 6 years...how awesome would that be!

i wanna strike i tells ya

for a whole day i'd just love to go and be somewhere else enjoying whatever i decided to do...not having to worry about the kids, the house, what to make for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snacks, or any of the other things i have to do daily...

totally just a dream and it will never happen i'm sure, but how how nice it would be to have a day just to get away and do nothing but what i want to do...

of course we all know i'd miss my cute family and probably call a billion times checking in on them so it would all be pointless right LOL

well crappola!

the one time i don't ask rich if he has his badge and he forgets it...if i'd only done it he wouldn't have been late and mil wouldn't have had to drive me to his work place to give it to him...ARG!

day 1

well, i started the power tone class today and let me tell ya it's gonna be brutal and i'd sure better be powerful and toned when the class is done LOL

starting stats

wt: 149.8

waist: 31"

hips 40.5"

arms unflexed: 12.0"

arms flexed: 12.5" (how pitiful is that LOL)

thighs: 24.5"

chest: 38" (under bust line 30")

i don't really expect much wt loss, i'm more going for changes in measurments as to my wt...however, i do expect some change as fat loss and then muscle gain...it will be interesting to see how all of this turns out

oh i am also doing the 40-30-30 diet plan, more so it's not really a diet as just me eating more balanced meals in the right portions LOL

for all of your general amusment i'll add a few pics LOL

CURSES

my kids are not even over being sick from a nasty cold and now aj's also throwing up...ARG!!!

transmission and dentist

today we (aj, rich, and me) went to the dentist...aj did awesome for her 1st time and i'm happy to report that out of all 3 mouths none of us had any cavities!!! YAY for that

as far as the car goes, it's back from the transmission shop and they say it's just fine (needs the fluid changed, which i knew, but other than that just fine) so we decided not to sell...which i'll honestly admit i have mixed emotions about, i really would like to move on in the car world, BUT we own this car so no car payments so i guess it is the better choice for us at the moment...we can use the money we would've been paying on a car payment and start saving for when we will need to buy a car for sure (june) and maybe we'll get lucky enough that we'll have enough of a down payment that we won't owe much, of course it would be AWESOME if we could save enough btwn now and then (and tax return money we hope to be getting) and just buy it straight out...that would be nice...any who...that's todays skinny

car update...because ya know you wanna know ;)

well, the aamco ppl said that since the cv axel needed to be replaced that that could actually be the source of the shimmy and such and that they recommended to get that fixed first and then if a shimmy and such still existed that then to bring it back and have them give it a gander...i know 100% for sure that the fluid needs to be flushed and replaced so i'm hoping that the cv axel is our problem and that fluids is all i'll need to be doing w/ the car...then of course rich and i have to decide if we're going to sell or keep...probably keep as that is more logical money wise...that way we only have to buy 1 car this year instead of 2

i did post the car on craigslist just to see if we'd get any interested and lo and behold w/in a few hrs i had an email asking for a test drive, it was going to be for tomorrow but since the car is at the mechanics, we want to go to the temple, and andrew is coming for diner tomorrow just doesn't work for us...i moved it to monday...granted if we decide to keep the car we'll need to cancel that

potentially good news!!!

the tranny guys said that the vibration/shimmy/shake shake could be the cv that needs to be replaced (i hit a curb recently) and to get that fixed before we go blaming the tranny...so i'm getting that repaired tonight/tomorrow morning and then depending what happens with that rich and i will need to decide if we still want to sell or not...decisions decisions

have i told you all how much i hate money?!

ok, so this past wknd we were going to go up and help some friends move into their 1st house, we got about 20 miles up the road and the car started acting like it had a flat tire...sooooo we pull over, no flat tire but car is still acting WAY funny

so along comes tuesday when our mechanic is back from his holiday and he checks it for us...passenger side cv axel needs replacing (no surprise there, i hit a curb admittably) but it's the tranny! which doesn't completely explain it all, but that is NOT a cheap repair...

i've got an appointment tomorrow morn w/ a tranny specialist place to have it looked at and dx and get a price quote on repair from them (for free thankfully!)

guy on the phone said some tranny things can cost as little as a couple hundred all the way up to the rebuilds so here's hopin' that our's falls in the couple hundred category!

i did go out car shopping today though, let's just say that was a joke...i hate how dealers now won't ask you what you'd like to pay over all but how much you'd like to pay a month and then they try and sell you a car way out of your price range w/ a 6 yr or more loan on it for the price you said...let's just say i'm not doing that again...just going to tell them i'd like to see what they have on their lot that might work for us and then go from there...actually we'll probably go private party when we get around to buying a car...you almost ALWAYS get a better deal that way...the only dealers i like are saturn...and that is it...oh saturn how i do i love thee let me count the ways

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY!

so my oldest turned 3 today, she's such a big girl now...and she's in love w/ the jump rope her cousin got her and all the other cool presents that she was given so generously by others. i can't believe i've been a mom for 3 yrs!!!

i must be crazy

that is all there is to it...i'm planning (at least for the moment) to take a t/th power tone class that meets at 6 freaking am!!! i'm insane, that's all there is to it seriously...but i NEED to do this, i NEED to get my flabby body into a semblence of shape, not that it's HORRIBLE but it's definately not a pretty thing to behold in a swim suit and i just bought a super cute one so i want to look "cute" in it LOL

wish me luck!

survival of the fittest

well, we survived!!!

aj's 3rd b-day kid party was today and while it was a bit of mahem (what do you expect w/ 12 kids in that age span right?) it went really well!

no blood, only screaming came from bully babies (read riley LOL), lots of cupcakes, lots of cream, and lots of fun

i'm tired and i hurt

if i'm getting sick i'm really going to be ticked off...seriously...i've got muscles that hurt, but not my whole body, more like i did someting weird and my muscles are not making me pay for my stupidity, and then i'm exhausted today...i get done "working" in 20 min and if i have my way i'm off to beddy bye for sure...the only thing that could slow me down from that is #2, who i think i hear now, but unless she really gets worked up or wakes up #1 i'm not going to get her...i NEED her to just start sleeping through the night dang it...she's 16 months old for crying out loud!!!

i needed this today

http://bananabuddy.imeem.com/music/Gz5Vg6PF/stand_in_the_rain/

i'd like to take this opportunity to welcome

miss grace elaine carlsruh into the world

born yesterday evening at a whopping 6 lb 11 oz

i'm secretly in love with...

overstock.com and smartbargains.com

ok, so not so secretly...i tell practically everyone that i meet what great deals i've gotten there latey...from overstock i got a 95% white feather 5% goose down comforter for $21 and some change after taxes (free shipping baby) and it should be here sometime today (i'm giddy w/ excitement) and then from smartbargains i got two reversible duvet sham sets for $59 and some change (i had a 15% discount which covered the cost of shipping and 5 cents LOL) i got a blue one and a lenin colored one...rich and i have never had any nice bedding so this is seriously way too cool and exciting...now i fear i will have to buy us new pillows though because our are trashed...but those, i'll get a wally world LOL

the wo's of money

ok, so rich has btwn $75k and $80k in private school loans...which basically means with those we are totally at the mercy of "the man" when it comes to interest rates because they're variable one currently is at 8.05%, another 8.72%, and the ugliest of them all is 11.7%

can you believe that 11.7%...needless to say that's the loan that we pay extra on each month, that is also the one that i cashed out my ira from before we were married and applied it to that loan...i called the irs question line and they said it qualified as a school expense reason to cash it out...hopefully they weren't lying to me and we won't get screwed on it because that would really suck when it comes to tax time...we need every penny back then that we can get...

i checked into a private school loan consolidation and all we qualified for was like $58K and the fixed loan rate was higher than we're paying now on the 2 lower interest loans...oh how i despise school loans...they're sure great when you need them to pay for school, but a real beast when you need to pay them back LOL

Gobble Gobble Gobble

translation

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

demos..

ok, so while i LOVE doing demos for work for multiple reasons

way easy

get paid total hrly wage no matter what

don't have to deal with tricksters

etc

i am SOOOOO glad that my 3 days of tradeshow demo are done! i worked one 10 and two 8 hr days...i am so greatful for them because now we'll be able to afford to get the car fixed and hopefully still have money leftover to get the kids the stuff we want to for CHRISTmas (we really want to get/make aj a play kitchen and get her not all the fixin's but some cook ware and dishes to go w/ it...i saw some at walmart (cookware that is) that were metal and totally cute, should've bought them because i'm sure they'll be gone by time i get back to buy them LOL) of course mommy and daddy will more than likely be giving her the fixin's and santa clause will probably be the giver of the kitchen...still no idea what to get riley, she'll probably just be getting some clothes and books since she'll be playing w/ aj in all of aj's receivings for her b-day and CHRISTmas...next year will really be the trick though...we'll actually have 2 old enough to really get into it...i know it's not the reason for the season, but i'm so excited to play santa clause...so is rich...we're both so excited almost like we were little kids LOL