Phones!

Well, I was all ready to come into this century with a new fangled web enhanced phone.  I had actually narrowed it down to a choice between the I Phone and one of the new Android phones.  I have spent the last week or so researching the phones and plans to see what would work best for my budget and wants.

Last night, I got to play with one of the Droid phones and decided I love it.  Since I hadn't been able to actually hold one of the I Phones it was great to feel how it .. felt in my hands.

So, I come home and try to just upgrade my current phone with T Mobile and get the phone of my dreams.  Wait a minute.  It is going to be HOW MUCH to upgrade?  I can get the phone as a new customer for only 80.00; but if I upgrade I have to pay full price of...499.99??

Seriously?  I have been a customer of T mobile for over 6 years!  Even with problems I have remained loyal, when my phone stopped working after only 6 months, I remained loyal...even though they told me the phone wasn't under warranty! When they charged me twice for the same phone (and took me over 4 months to get it straightened out) I remained loyal.

So for my loyalty...they charge me over 4 times what a new customer would be charged!  It is making the I Phone look better and better.

And, for that whole number portability thing...it only applies if you change companies.  If you stay with the same company, you can't keep your number if you just start a whole new account!  GRRRRR!

OK...I still have 3 weeks before my contract is up...and I can wait until then to make the decision...but seriously!



Nini

It is clean! And there is a FLOOR!

Miss B is somewhat of a hoarder.  We have had a real time of it getting her to keep a fire code violation free bedroom.  I came up with a new plan and some strategies from Mr D's therapist.

For Christmas, we were going to redo her room.  She got to chooses the colors, fabrics, everything except the furniture (which is barely a year old and she chose that)

For the past 2 weeks we have been painting her room.  I used to paint a room that size in less than a day, but I have discovered my neck is not as happy painting as it used to be.  I have been working around the junk and the stuff and well, the garbage as I went from wall to wall to paint.

Yesterday, we bit the bullet, finished up the painting (except for some touch ups that will happen today after church services), and started tackling her room.  An hour later, her room was semi-clean.  The only left was her closet.  So, we made a deal...if she got her closet finished before dinner was ready, I would fix them hot chocolate to drink...

I'm not sure how hot chocolate was such a big motivator, but it was.  It took her less than 45 minutes to find her closet floor, and to get it VACUUMED!!  A total of 4 garbage bags came out.

She is now allowed one plastic bin to keep all her treasures in.  Nothing more.  If it doesn't fit in her treasure box, then it goes out.  If she wants to keep more, then something in there has to go out.  We have been working up to the treasure box for the past month, and she really seems to have taken to the idea.    I am really surprised at how well it has worked!

Now, in February I will have the floor guy come in and put down her new hardwood floors. I already have the bedspread and shams, and have the pattern to make her some really cool pillows.  We are going looking at fabric for curtains today or tomorrow.

I think it is really coming together.

And most importantly, she is super uber proud of herself for doing it.

Nini

School...or the lack thereof!

Just got a call that services were cancelled for tonight.  Seems the back roads are still pretty treacherous and slick.  So we were discussing the possibility that school will also be cancelled for tomorrow.

Which brings up the possibility that we won't get back to school until next week.  Monday is a holiday, so we could conceivably not go back until next Tuesday.

The last day the kids were in school was December 17...for only a half day.  It may be January 18 before they get back!  A whole MONTH out for Christmas break!  If that had happened when I was a kid I would have thought I had died and gone to heaven!

The snow is only pretty for so long.  Playing in the ice and cold is only fun for so long.  Staying in the house with a crabby Mom can only be an adventure for so long.  I believe it is time to say "So long" to the 'vacation' and "Glad to see you " to the new school year!

Please!


Nini

Bring on the milk and bread!

Officially, the totals of ice are up and snow is down.  Not sure if that is good or bad, but we are starting to plan for it.  After church services today, we will make a short shopping trip to get some much needed items like ...well, milk and bread!

For generations, people here in the south stock up for disasters by purchasing milk and bread.  I have always done my part by getting a new loaf of bread and a gallon of milk, but have never quite understood the 'why'.  I mean, what can you really do with milk and bread?  It isn't going to get your electricity back on any sooner, it won't keep you warmer, it won't even  make a good meal!

But, somehow, it makes us all think we are prepared for what weather might come our way.  Hurricane, Blizzard, Tornadoes, or even Floods.  It doesn't matter what gets thrown our way, we can survive if only we have milk and bread.

I am seriously thinking this may have been our problem during the civil war.  We stocked up on milk and bread when Sherman started knocking on our back door instead of bullets.

Nini

Snow?

I chose to live in the Atlanta area for a reason.  A big part of that was the weather.  Sure, winter gets cold, but it only lasts a few weeks at best, and we get snow ....maybe once a year.

This year I was pleasantly surprised to have a White Christmas.  According to the record books, it is the first one in over 150 years.

But when ...for the second time in two weeks that dreaded "S" word is in the forecast...that is a bit too much!

The weather forecast is changing every few minutes.  The latest one has us getting between a tenth of an inch to a quarter of an inch of ice...followed by SIX inches of SNOW between Sunday night and Monday night.  Seriously?  We had 58 degrees today.

I am seriously hoping that this is just an exaggeration on the part of the weather people.  I really NEED the roads to be clear on Tuesday morning!  The kids are supposed to be going back to school on that morning!  I need my break!

While I ponder that, I'll go gather up all the supplies needed for an extended period without power.  And...of course, for us in Atlanta, that includes milk and bread!

New Years

So, here it is...finally...the first Monday of the New Year.  Normally the day kids go back to school, but because  our school district is trying to save money, we don't go back until the 11th.

Been thinking and rethinking my 'resolutions' for the new year.  They really aren't something that is totally written down...and they generally get started and stopped and then restarted through out the year.  Of course, for me and our family, one of those is to loose weight.  Since I am the gate keeper for the kids this should be a little easier than normal.  I mean, I can't very well cheat when I won't let the kids cheat...

Now, on to the money one.  I am seriously rethinking the whole Disney vacation thing.  I know I can make it work, but it will be really tight.  I really need a new stove.  I really want to go to Disney.

Need vs want.

A new stove will be more energy efficient (people that know my stove will say "Duh!").  It will save me money in the long run, it will be more fun to cook on day after day (hmmm maybe keeping me on the diet!), and would just look a lot nicer than the one I have!

A trip to Disney will be a LOT of fun....for one week!

The new stove will cost less than half that of a trip to Disney...meaning I could almost get the matching refrigerator for the same price...but I don't NEED a new refrigerator.


Sometimes it is really hard to be the adult around here...

Yup...I am planning another Disney adventure!

Although, it is a bit difficult when you don't know the dates!  LOL

I am waiting on the school system to give us a calendar for next year.  will be be on the 180 day schedule or the 160 day schedule?

I'm pretty sure it will be during the Fall break which is generally in October, but the exact week changes quite often.

Since I won't be making customs this trip (boo) I will have more time to plan the t shirts I will be making!  And of course, since it will be for only 5 or 6 days, it will be even more challenging to find the perfect restaurants for each night.  We will only be getting the 4 day park hopper passes available on the military salute, so adding more days is completely out of the question.

...of course, if we end up going before September, we could save about 30 bucks a night....that is how much extra the dining plan will be for a 'Disney Adult' as opposed to a 'Disney Child'.  Each member of the family gets to choose one restaurant, and then we will vote on the remaining one or two.


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Of course, we are still planning a family vacation to Branson in May/June....I so hope my money goes a bit farther than I think it will!  LOLOL



Nini