It's been awhile

Wow, I was just reading the post from before my last post. I've been working as a Corrections Officer for 19 mos now.. the thought that I was only going to be on the night shift for 6 months. BAH HA HA HA Still there and no chance of moving. However, I LOVE my job! I've already made up for the cut I took and more. Life is good.
Chris is still in the Culinary Arts program, he's scheduled to graduate Dec. 2012. So excited about that!
I've been getting into more cost saving things. Funny I decide to after we start making more money LOL. I've been couponing, and just recently started some DIY household products. Today I made laundry soap for the first time. It was SO easy and safe for your HE machines. It smells SOOOO good too. I've totally jumped on that Pinterest bandwagon to get these ideas!
Check it out:
http://www.diynatural.com/simple-easy-fast-effective-jabs-homemade-laundry-detergent/

I also made these with my kids for their Oma's birthday. My boys painted theirs. Total cost $2.98! Everything else we had in the house!
http://www.bystephanielynn.com/2010/11/salt-dough-hand-print-ornament-by.html

A new me

As you all know since I started working at the prison life has been great. I love my job and after being there a year now I'm ready for a challenge. I have decided to try out for CERT (Correctional Emergency Response Team). They're the people that wear the helmets and use the shields to go in on inmates when they are acting up. I try out September 6th. The biggest challenge of the try out is being able to run 2 miles in 20 minutes. Well for this fat girl that's more than just a challenge. So since June I've started wogging (jogging and then walking). I've now lost 6lbs and am able to run 1/2 a mile without stopping to walk. I can do 1.5 miles in 20 minutes which isn't bad considering where I'm at. Before it took me 14 minutes to do 1 mile. I've also recently quit smoking.. like in the past 3 days. After reading another friends blog I'm thinking about signing up for a 5K..... I'm the smallest I've been in 6 years (which isn't very small LOL) but I'm a work in progress and ready for a new healthy me!

Hi.... it's me

Sorry it's been so long but hell, when you work a job that you love and your family life is perfectly NORMAL.. it leaves much to be desired for blog fodder.
I'm doing the correctional officer thing! Even though I work third shift and get Tuesday Wednesday as my weekend I abso-friggin-loutley love it! I wouldn't go back to the corporate world for anything!
Baby daddy is doing great in culinary arts school. Zaber started developmental kindergarten this year. It was tough at first but now he's in the groove! Mr. Butts has no desire to potty train. Not any different then his brothers!

With every season turn turn turn

So spring has sprung and it feels more like August here in Iowa. I'm not gonna bitch too much we didn't get much of a summer last year and winter was HELL. There are quite a few changes in my life. #1 being I have left the insurance field to join the Criminal Justice field. Starting June 4th I will become a Corrections Officer. There was about a 20% cut in pay, but my mom always said "sometimes you have to take a step back to make two steps forward". This will be an adjustment, I will have to work nights for awhile, but luckily my husband is a stay at home dad and we'll be able to work through it. It should only be for 6 months. BD has been accepted full time into the Culinary Arts program at our local community college. He should have his degree in the next couple of years. Financially I would love for him to go back to work but he'll get some shitty job that he'll hate and we'll suffer for the rest of our lives. This way we only suffer financially for a couple years and then we should be doing good afterwards. It's just frustrating being the breadwinner. I think BD feels he has to show his "dominance" by controlling everything else around him since he doesn't contribute financially. This is really starting to get on my nerves and the people around him. We'll get through this bump in the road but until then I often catch myself daydreaming of when it was just me and Skywalker and I didn't have to answer to anyone. But, I was miserable then too. Oh well. I know we'll get through this. It's just stressful right now.

A little miracle named Cale

I have always been one to try to volunteer as much as possible for things I believe in. One of these things is the Heartwalk here in Iowa. The reason I got involved with this is because my friend and co-worker Anna had a little boy by the name of Cale. She had a fine pregnancy and was shocked when she had her c-section and found out that Cale's valves for his heart were transposed. Within a week after being born little Cale had open heart surgery. So this June i am walking and raising money to support more research for all people effected by heart problems. I'm proud to say that Cale is now a happy healthy almost 1 year old. You can read about his story on his caring bridge site http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/calejones.
So if it moves you please feel free to donate to help continue the fight for babies and people who need the help. You can Follow This Link to donate.
Thanks so much!

Today is the day...

Today I interview for the job I have been working towards for a year now. At 1:45 (CST) I will begin the Corrections Officer interview at the women's prison that is just 10 minutes away from my house.
A year ago I took the exams at the prison and passed and now a year later I have the interview. This comes at such an important time. My current job is relocating in June and will add another 20-30 minutes on my daily commute. I have gained a new supervisor who I have come to realize is one shady mo fo so I want out of here REALLY bad.
This is the first step in what I want to be my new career. I've been going to school for Criminal Justice for the past year. I have been dreaming of becoming a CO for such a long time. This is my chance... TODAY.... I'm not really nervous.... I just want this SO bad.....

Crazy lady

Most of you know that Skywalkers dad was heavily involved in drugs and as a result hanged himself at the age of 22. He did this act in the garage of a neighbor with whom he would use for drugs and a place to crash. She's like 60'sh and really weird. She's insane... she's done a lot drugs in the past (and I think present) and she's mentally handicapped or something. I don't like this woman at all she changed her story around the incidents that occured up to Travis' death.
This weekend Skywalker went to his Uncle's house (Travis' brother) I picked him up yesterday and we went to get ice cream. On the way home we drove by the cemetary that Travis is buried in. Skywalker says "Hi Dad" when we drive by. So he said "Hi Dad" and then says "Mom did you kow that 'Crazy Lady' see's spirits and my dad comes to visit her. She talks to him because she loved him like a son." I was instantly pissed. I said "Skywalker 'Crazy Lady' is CRAZY and she LIES. I said she is lying to you" I said "You know your dad and she doesn't need to be telling you lies like that. So the next time she says anything like that to you you tell her that your mom said she's a liar and she's not supposed to talk to you about your dad. If she does you tell her that I'm going to punch her in the face" Skywalker in his infinate wisdom said "OK Mom, I'll tell her the first part but the last part is inappropriate."

Seriously what the fuck is this idiot thinking?!?! Poor Skywalker has enough issues, and on top of that his dad commits suicide and then he's got some crazy bitch saying 'oh your dad talks to me' I'm sure Skywalker is thinking "why doesn't he talk to me?" I am constantly telling him how much his dad loved him and that it was the drugs that made him want to die.

Seriously I'm so pissed off right now.

I did talk to Skywalker's Aunt and told her what happened as she was not in the room or was his Uncle when this happened. She is pissed and is going to tell the crazy lady to not talk about Travis to Skywalker.