Crazy Friday...

Today has started out being a crazy morning..I have 8 kiddos who all decided to have a water fight outside with puddle water..and then complained about being cold..So it took awhile to change 7 kiddos out of wet clothes and into new one.. I am also dealing with trying to get my medical records, having my fertility Dr. write a letter for me for the grant as well as realizing that I do NOT have my birth certificate and neither do my parents.. So I just filled out that for to request 2 certified copies.. I also have a 24 page application to fill out as well as copy all of our tax returns for the past couple years.. It is a bunch of work but will be totally worth it if we are chosen for the $10,000 grant.. if we are we find out in Sept. and then we will have to go to DC on Nov. 5 for the banquette and then we will receive our check Jan. 1, 2012.. I really really hope I am chosen.

About our vacation back east... I am so sad.. I do not know if we will be able to go now.. United raised the amount of miles you need and we do not have enough.. we did have friends and family that were willing to gift us miles only to find out you only can accept 15,000 a year as a gift transfer total.. and it will cost $15.00 per 1000 miles! are you kidding me with that.. that is over $200.00 for that I could almost buy a ticket on SouthWest.. So now I am looking to see what it would cost us to pay for SouthWest tickets but then we have to figure out the rental car.. aahhhh why oh why is it so expensive to travel? I really really want to go and show James where I am from.. and I want to see my Philly friends..I will have to try and figure it all out.. heck.. it might be cheaper for us to go on vacation in Mexico.. ha ha.. All I know is I really want a vacation..Our honeymoon was the last time James and I were on a weeks vacation and I think we both need it..

I hope everyone.. has a great weekend.. James and I are actually staying home.. Which is unheard of for us..

8 min. Abs....

So my best friend Lauren and I have decided that everyday during nap time we will do 8 min abs video.. We talk to each other during every nap time anyway so we will keep each other motivated..it is very possible that we will actually do it while on the phone.. Some might say that is weird but we have watched entire episodes of shows together on the phone...

I am also proud to announce that in once week I have lost 2 inches in my waist, 1 inch in my hips, and .5 inch in my thighs...I love the fast results of this diet..

I have got to get these abs as flat as possible before my vacation this summer to NY, NJ & Philly.. I am so excited about it.. I am now in the process of seeing if there is a train from NYC to HB, NJ and the rent a car from there...We plan on going to see Jersey Boys while in NYC which will be James first Broadway show..Having something this big to look forward to makes sticking to the diet so much easier..

It is so random each morning to see who cries when they are dropped off. There are only 2 boys that some times do.. it is funny they are hysterical and as soon as their parent is out of sight they stop crying and play.. So when I saw this next comic I knew I had to post it..

The Lazy Song..

So today has started out with 5 of the cutiest boys in  the world dancing around to Bruno Mars "The Lazy Song".. it is so cute.. I have them on video but I do not know how to post it on Facebook.. It is another rainy day here in good ole Casper, WY.. which is odd for Wyoming but I am not going to complain, rain equals less money I have to spend on water for my sprinkler system..

I have all 8 kiddos today which will be a fun day of dancing, play doe, and maybe painting.. all depends on how well they behave..This is my last week with 3 of the kiddos since they are teachers kids.. which totally stresses me out.. oh and one of my full time (year round) this is his last week for 2 weeks because they are going on vacation.. I stress because it is not like I run a daycare for fun.. I actually need the money to pay bills...It is funny that some people who I have addressed my concern to said "oh you will be fine".. I explain to them I will be cutting my weekly salary by more  than a half.. and I have actually had someone say.. "oh well you don't need all that money for bills right? you put some in savings".. HA HA.. I wish I could put most in savings. but no, I actually use the money I make from my job to pay bills.. But I am sure everything will work itself out....

As for the diet..I am doing well, I am proud of myself for not weighing myself everyday like I did last week.. I am past the starvation period.. and soon the inches will be falling off.. I measure myself on Thursday since that is the day I did last week....

One more thing to touch on since I have not mentioned it since my big fat negative..What is going on with my infertility.. well, right now I am fighting with the Hospital in Ft. Collins, my Dr. and my insurance company.. Back before we did this past round of injectables my Dr. wanted to run a series of tests to see if we could find a reason for my miscarriages I had said to him in his office I would only do them if they were considered LOSS and he said oh yes they are.. Of course they coded it infertility testing in which my insurance company refuses to pay.. I have called multiple times now.. The Dr. office said they sent the hospital new codes to be submitted to my insurance and the hospital says they never received it.. so now I have to call all the time and check to make sure this is getting done because there is no way I am paying the $2500.00 lab bill...
I am also still waiting to get our check for our meds from months ago and Dr. visit from our Flex account.. because right now until I get that check we have technically paid each bill twice (once from James paycheck to our Flex account and then us paying out of pocket)...

I am in the process of filling out an application for an infertility grant.. the application is 27 pages long I need to request all my medical records get letters and our tax returns gathered.. but it is worth it.. if we are chosen Jan. 1, 2012 we will get a check for $10,000.00 for infertility..Other than that we will be waiting until our next tax return to try again..  People constantly ask us why we don't just get a loan and do it.. well, here is our thought.. If you do not have cash for something you should wait until you do.. in this day and age to many people get into trouble with loans and credit cards and more and more young people are having to file bankruptcy.. Here is another reason.. Yes, we could get a loan and it would then take us a year to pay it off.. to what, get another loan? how is that any different that what we are currently doing? we are trying once a year with CASH from our tax return.. I guess the difference is I do not have a required monthly payment nor am I paying interest..
I also think I need to revamp my "Top 11 things NOT to say to someone dealing with Infertility" blog.. I would add..
DO NOT EVER SAY:

"If you wanted it bad enough you would get a loan and/or do what you had to do"

 .. all I have to say about that is shame on anyone who has said that to me or about anyone dealing with this... to even insinuate that I do not want it bad enough is an insult in itself.. but also, you do not know my detailed financial situation or financial plan in life.. running out and getting a loan may be a way some people live but we do not. It is just insane to ever make a remark about how bad someone wants something.. Regardless of what is going on in someones life, whether is be infertility, sickness, bankruptcy, etc.. never assume someone does not "want it" bad enough just because they do not do what you may do in that situation..

Okay, I am off my soap box for today..

Just another Tuesday...

Today is just another day.. I am watching 4 little boys and don't really have much planned.. It has been raining here.. which I love, the storms remind me of NJ.. Thunder, lightening, and pouring rain that last about 30 min..The only downside to the flash flood type rain is it is washing away our seed on our grass.. our front yard is on a hill and I am not happy that our expensive seed is being washed away..
Now that I have been on my diet for a week I am going to start working out with weights and doing ab exercises.. I can not start doing vigorous cardio yet since my calorie and carb consumption is so low.. but I might as well tone and build muscles...

There is nothing permanent except change.

Until next time....

Down 5lbs the first week....

So it has been a week since I went back on the Ideal Protein diet and I am proud to say I lost 5lbs.. now if I could only stick with 5 a week I would be done in 3 more weeks! I do need to try and eat the right amount of veggies and then I might lose 5 a week.. I tend to forget to eat my veggies.. ha ha..

Well, since we are all here.. the rapture did not occur.. ha ha.. now I guess we can live our life's until the next prediction which is October.. and that day will just be yet another excuse to have a party..

So this weekend James and I planted our flower garden and seeded our front yard.. now lets hope that the seed takes.. I actually really do enjoy gardening.. now if only we had the money to do our vegetable garden this year.. but that is a big project.. but I think I will week that area and put hanging plants for this year so at least it looks nice.. The rest of the weekend James and I had a great time not having plans.. we would get in the truck and decide what to do next.. if was fun NOT having an agenda..

We had to raise the flower bed and plant.. Now it looks nice

So now we start another week on the diet.. James is out of town for the entire week in ND which is hard but I guess I am used to it.. This weekend is Memorial Day Weekend and I think this is the first year that we do not have any plans.. and I actually am fine with it.. We will continue to work around the house and maybe go to the lake for a day.. our weakness will be going to a BBQ or something because enjoying a cocktail and eating delicious fattening food is our weakness..but I have will power and a goal in a time frame..

and if dieting does not work for me (which I know it will) I could live by this quote

"If you want to look young and thin, hang around old fat people."

I need to get our yard work done before the end of the world...

So I guess the end of the world is suppose to be tonight!? We shall see.. ha ha.. I find it all a bunch of crazy talk..Haven't people been saying that for hundreds of years? As for our big plans for our "last" day on Earth.. we are going to seed our front yard and plant flowers...As for what we are doing this evening when the world doesn't end... humm who knows.. we both are pretty chill now that we are on the diet.. Last night was fun.. After James birthday dinner my sister and brother-in-law come over and the 4 of us played Settlers of Catan.. which is a really fun game.

As for the diet this week has been hard.. it has tested all sorts of will power.. but like I had stated before.. this is the only thing I CAN CONTROL.. but man has there been times where I think.. who cares I do not need to control anything.. But I have learned a lesson.. and that is I really can not weigh myself everyday.. Only once a week.. because when I see the weight go down then up and back down it get discouraging..

I hope you all enjoy your last day on earth.. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA.... and I will blog tomorrow.. since we will still all be here..

Happy Birthday to my Husband!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAMES...

32 years ago the love of my life was born.. He is currently on his way home from Grand Junction, CO.. He should hopefully make it back in time to go out to dinner.. I think we are going to try a local restaurant that offers an Ideal Protein meal.. Then perhaps a movie.. and our weekend plans consist of seeding our front yard.. Yes, I know it is going to continue to rain for the next 7 days so we might be out there in our rain gear... but we need to get it done and all the rain will help the seed..

This is the perfect comic for James birthday since we are back on a diet.. ha ha...
For those of you who do not know what our yard looks like.. it is hideous.. The house we bought was a foreclosure and was vacant for awhile and according to neighbors they never took care of it anyway.. We are hoping some of the grass comes back and that the seed will take.. James and I hate that our yard looks the way it does..We also need to go and buy 2 new trees.. they had two small trees in the front but of-course they are both dead..