Day Fifteen - February 15, 2010

Today was quite the busy day and a lot was accomplished. Even though today was supposed to be a day off from school but they had to go to make up for a snow day, both girls woke up in good moods and did a good job getting ready. The little one didn't like the thought of today's lunch at school so we packed PB&J, chips, twinkies, juice and a fortune cookie! The twinkies were actually those little 100 calorie packs and just the right size for her - of course the teenager would have to eat several packs to get a taste though! The fortune cookie was left over from last night's stop at the chinese restaurant and she thought that was a nice touch when she came home from school - she even saved the fortune to share with me!!

Our morning routine continues to work well for all of us and we have it pretty well down pat. We did make a couple of changes today though - the little one really wants to help more and be more independent so we took a container, poured some milk in it (enough for one bowl of cereal and maybe two cups of milk), moved some things around in the refrigerator so she could easily reach it. We also moved the lemonade and a gatorade bottle down lower for her. I'm leaving a bowl and plate on the counter for her so we'll see how that goes starting tomorrow morning. She wants to make her own breakfast - its not like she's cooking omelets or baking bread - she's talking about pouring a bowl of cereal or making a couple of toaster waffles for herself.

After the girls left for school, I went over the grocery list and got the coupons ready. A load of darks in the washer then dryer, a quick workout and shower - also had a chance to talk with my wife for a few minutes on her way to the chowhall and class - all sounds good there. Our time to be able to speak to each other daily is fleeting and this time next month she will be in a place where we'll rarely be able to talk with her.

Wal-Mart wasn't very busy this morning and I was able to get my list filled without much problem. I also spent a few minutes in the women's section looking for a dress or skirt for the oldest daughter. It is so hard to find her dresses that she'll wear and are appropriate for church. Some of that stuff they are selling for girls her age is downright awful - the stuff that is semi-respectable is of such poor quality it wouldn't be worth taking home even if we did like it. I was able to find a white sweater and a black skirt with white polka dots on it though. Maybe soon they'll have some nice spring/summer dresses coming out. I also picked up a pair of jeans for the youngest daughter. My main reason for grocery shopping was filling out the weekly menu, ensuring we had all we needed and I wanted to stock up on a few items. As it appears I'm closer to going back to work, I'll have to be really good about being organized and not running out of things. We also have a plan as it relates to certain items like tooth brushes, shower items, air filters for the house and all that type stuff - on the first day of the month I'm going to change out all the tooth brushes, change the household filters, and give the dog her heartworm and flea stuff. That'll keep us going pretty good for those items. I also have reminders programmed into my e-mail account to remind me of certain items at certain times such as bills due, normal maintenance and all that - the less I have to commit to memory, the better. With the coupons, I wound up saving $26.10 in coupons today!

Weather was pretty today - we started out at 24 degrees but was up to 49 by 11am. It did rain some this afternoon but nothing like our weather people forecasted. Yesterday I had started on my "homework" assignment for my interview Thursday morning - it had to be mailed in to the board president by the end of the day Tuesday. I finished it today with the help of a few friends, wrapped it up in a pdf and sent it to her a day early - she replied cheerfully with a thank you! I spent an hour working on "how to lace and tie a shoe" and it looks pretty good. I'll fine tune it tomorrow and practice a few times - that interview is Wednesday morning.

Supper was good - we had burritos, refried beans and pears. Everyone enjoyed it. I do have one complaint though - while those flat, ceramic stove tops look really neat, they are one serious pain in the bottom to keep clean - every little drip or dribble that hits the hot burner area turns a dark black instantly and you get this dark steam build up around the burner as well - I'm beginning to think the stove top makers are in cohoots with the guys that make the cleaning products to increase their sales as well!

After we got the dishwasher loaded and started, we drove over to the church to clean up from the weekend's festivities - that took the three of us less than 30 minutes to clear the ceiling, pop the balloons and pick up any mess. I'm pretty sure our dog has an issue with church or being on church property - everytime I take her over there she goes absolutely nuts for some reason. I'll probably just start leaving her home for now on, it just isn't worth the aggravation.

I did pick up some ice cream at the store today - those M&M Cookie ice cream sandwiches are a big hit around here! We always have at least two types of ice cream in the house but the easier and more convenient you make a treat, the greater the chance they'll disappear quicker! The girls ran downstairs around 8:30 to have theirs tonight. I'm not much of an evening snacker - my danger time is early afternoon to snack and for the past 15 days now I've been too busy to go hunting for a snack so that is a positive!!

The girls devotion tonight was "Me First" and referenced Luke 14:7-11 - it talked about not exalting yourself. We all agreed we really need to teach the dog this lesson, she absolutely has to be first in everything and will flat run you over to get up the stairs or out the door! My devotion tonight was "Am I My Brother's Keeper?" and it referenced Romans 14:7 - it was one of those painful messages where Chambers tries to get us to realize we are responsible for the souls of others.

I got an early start today, waking around 4:15 am so I'm wrapping up Day Fifteen - through groggy eyes, here's looking forward to Day Sixteen!!!