i want

When we have extra money I want to see if we can buy Nintendo Wii. By the reviews I read from people who have it, it seems to be good for people like me who wants to be active without getting out of the house. It might be good for the little man too when he gets older so he can use up most of his energy playing interactive games. I know it is expensive especially since I plan to get Wii accessories too. But as long as we will not tear it up and it will serve its purpose then it should be worth the price paid. I still have to convince the husband though since I do want a treadmill and it should come first. Boy, I do choose expensive items, lol. I may need to start making a list of things I want for the holidays. Maybe Santa will not be too broke and will surprise me with all the items on my list :)

holidays are coming

The holidays are almost here. The stepdaughter is already planning on what we will do this Halloween for the kids which means I have to start looking for a costume for the little man so he will not be out of place when they go trick or treating. And then there is Thanksgiving which I am sure she will also host. Am I a bad stepmom or what? Lol. Well, she has a bigger place and she knows what to fix to make everybody happy so we will let her play the hostess. To be honest I do not like cleaning up after that is why I am more than happy to act as guest. Anyway, after these two occasions comes Christmas. This is a bit tricky since we not only have to send christmas photo cards to relatives here but also to relatives in PI. That is plenty of cards and imagine the expenses we have to incur. But we think it is worth it. We love to extend our greetings to every family member and to let them know we are thinking of them during the holidays even if we can't be with them. We do not know where to spend Christmas yet though. Last year we spent part of it here and the rest in Orlando. Maybe this time we will spend it at home.

invitation

The husband made me sign up for triple A months ago when I kept on getting mails from them. He said it is to our advantage if I sign up so I did. I added his name to my application and we both have our cards days later. We have used their service when one of the cars broke down due to a faulty transmission. It had to be towed more than thirty miles away and we did not pay a penny. I was hesitant when I sent in the forms but after that incident I was more than happy I agreed with his decision. Anyway, the company is now sending me application forms for affordable term life insurance which they offer for their members. I thought about signing up but this is something he is against even before. I don't know his reasons because he will not tell me straight but I know it is not because of the premium. Anyway, we are happy with our membership which is important to us but I think that will be it as far as insurance is concerned.

sick

The whole crew is sick with the cold. The husband said it is the flu although I hope it is not. The little man got it first, passed it on to his father, then they both hand it down to me. I don't know how the little boy dealt with it because I do feel pain on my joints right now and I feel so cold. The husband still has the sniffles and claims his throat is parched. We need to go have our flu shots when we feel better. But we have to make sure we are well and ready when we do so as not to get sick after the shot is administered. I can't believe we will get sick this early but we did. I hope this is not a sign of what the winter will be like for us health-wise.

i look bad

I went to the DMV today to renew my beginner permit. It went fine and the people who served me were nice and accommodating. I got my permit right away and was shocked at how I looked on the card. My face is wide and more like squared. Gone are the soft angles. I look like an older person. Way older than my age. Now I know why the husband said I lost the look of innocence. I must admit I do look like I am harassed and stressed. I don't know if it is because I gained weight or because I am older. All I know is right now I feel like going on a vacation. It feels like the monotonous routine is aging me. And maybe I should find some weight loss pills while at it so I will come back more relaxed and a size smaller. I have to do something before it gets too late and I look worse than I do now. Perhaps it is time for a makeover?

blessing or a problem?

My son is a picky eater. It is so bad that he starves himself when I give him food he does not like. He does not ask for milk either since he knows I will not give it to him unless he eats. It is crazy because his father tells me his son needs to eat because he is skinny. It is true, he is skinny and is all legs. But what can I do? I have tried everything I know but nothing works. Some older moms told me it is normal, that he will outgrow this phase. But when? I sure hope they are right. I want him to grow up healthy. Although there is one thing I don't have to worry about him if he keeps on doing this even when he is older, and that is not having to get him into a diet to lose weight. Thinking I don't have to buy him an appetite suppressant does make this problem sound better. Unlike when I was a kid where my parents helped me lost weight because a lot of people made fun of me being so fat. Maybe this will turn out fine in the long run. I hope.

looking

We are starting to look for houses and apartments online. We do it this way so we can weed out prospects according to rent and location. It does help knowing ahead where a prospective unit is located and what the price range is to help us make a sound decision. The husband printed out tons of for rent ads from Craigslist. Some have nice deals while most have ridiculous terms and asking price. We even visited one house which was supposed to be on an ideal location only to discover that the place was overgrown with weeds and in an unlivable condition. I don't know why anybody even tried to publish it. It was a real estate company too. Anyway, we are taking our time. We believe that somehow something will come up which is really meant for us. Hopefully it will be within our means too.

in need of a new AC unit

The air conditioner in the duplex we live in right now is no good. It keeps on running and instead of the unit being cooler it gets warmer and the temperature keeps on rising. No wonder our electric bill for a two bedroom place is over two hundred dollars. Would you believe we pay more on electric during summer than on winter? We bought air conditioner filters thinking it might help but nothing happened. The stepdaughter's husband who works on heating and air said the current air conditioner the duplex uses is not working and should be replaced. We requested the landlady last year and until now it has not been replaced yet. There had been a few men came here to check the attic and the electric box in preparation for a new unit but I don't think it will happen quick enough. Besides it is almost Fall, it will start cooling off and what use do we have for an AC anymore? I am hoping the plan to move will happen so we don't have to worry about problems like this anymore. Next time we will check the new place thoroughly before signing any contract so as not to encounter any similar problems in the future.

sent

We brought the balikbayan box to the Filipino store yesterday. We were told it will leave port later this month and should be in Leyte after 45-60 days. Hopefully it will get there before Christmas. The husband and I are relieved because we do not have to worry about stuffing it full anymore. I bought things as I find them in stores, mostly on clearance. I enjoyed buying kids' clothes most because there were plenty of nice clothes on discount. This year's box is a lot lighter than the previous boxes we sent because it contained mainly clothes and toys. The husband ran out of ideas and I can't think of any but the basic needs so that was what we bought for everybody. Now we will start counting the days and hoping the box will get to its destination in one piece and on time.

an embarrassing situation

I went out a few minutes ago to lock the car since the husband parked it near the road instead of in the carport. I don't know the reasoning behind it so I just decided to lock it since he is already asleep. I could have moved it but I am not good at parking yet so I don't wanna take that chance. Anyway, I was ready to go in when a man and a boy called my attention. They are our neighbor. The kid explained that there is something going on at school and they need to raise money. Right away I thought I would help. What is a few dollars if it will help make a lot of kids happy. In fact I chose what I wanted from the pamphlet thinking all I had to do was order and the goods will be delivered before I pay. Well, it did not work that way. I was told I had to pay upfront. Sad thing is I do not have cash. I am broke! I told them if they could come back tomorrow I could give them the money and the kid said no he can't do that. I am embarrassed that they had to spend time talking and showing me a pamphlet while we were being eaten with mosquitoes only to be turned down. They probably thought I was just saying it so I don't have to spend money. The thing is I really am broke. No cash. Okay, I do have $1 bill in my wallet. Sad, eh? We did not withdraw money today and I know for a fact the husband is broke as well. This is a lesson learned, next time I should ask and not speculate so as to save myself from embarrassment. And too, to always have cash no matter how little in handy.

health is wealth

The husband decided to start eating healthy about a week ago. We started by buying a steamer and a crock pot so we could cook more vegetables instead of eating fast-food. He complained that vegetables are more expensive than meat though. And we found out it is less filling. An hour after a meal we are both hungry and wanting for more. Our main enemy right now is ourselves and it is not easy. But we want to loose weight so we have to tough it out. He said we could incorporate colon cleansing product like tea but I want to make this work first. We can always vary our diet when we are used to it. We do cheat though so I don't know if this will really work. Exercise for him is not an option but I can do exercises only I am too lazy to even think about it. He encouraged me to do my exercise this morning and I told him I can't because of the little man. I know I have to. Maybe tomorrow if I don't feel tired.

bills to pay

Just when I was thinking about saving money so I can buy a few pairs of prescription eyeglasses, I had to spend money on bills. I don't really have to since the husband does not want me to use what little I earn to be spent on anybody but myself but I want to help him. Besides the bills were for my credit cards anyway so it is my responsibility right? I went ahead and paid my credit card bill today without telling him. I know he will understand although I know he will also tell me to save my money so we can use it when we really have to. I will keep saving more and hope I will get to where I will have enough to not only pay some bills but also send some to my parents in case they need it.