Alive, just crazy busy!

This week last week was been extremely hectic!

Kade had his first full week of Catholic school and survived! I'm please to announce that he LOVES his new school. He's a bit iffy about Mass still, but it's a learning process. I'm so proud of him because his is actually his first time ever in a church.

Saturday, we all piled into the family minivan and headed down to the local Dodge dealership to pick out a truck for Hubs. Prior to the visit, I'd be in talks with one of the sales guy who SWORE he had exactly what we were looking for and in the price that we wanted.

Yeah, right... -sigh-

We went and the first thing we're told is that they do not have what we're looking for...

BUT

they do have a bunch of other trucks that are a heck of a lot more expensive!

Puh-lease.

I was so mad! I told the salesman he was insane and I did NOT appreciate being lied to for an entire week.

We walked out. :)

So, this next week we're going truck shopping AGAIN so we'll see how that goes...

ZNZ anyone?

Sorry I've been gone for a while but I just got reintroduced to Zip Nada Zilch (ZNZ).

ZNZ is a referral site that pays you to test out products and services in your home for a trial period. I started doing this back in 2010 when I first decided to be a stay at home mom. Over the past 2 years, life sorta creeped up on me and I got away from it.

Now I'm back.

On a good day, I can average about $60 in payouts. It's not millions rich but it is a great way to help pay for the extra goodies that I buy the kiddos. I feel like I'm kinda doing my part and still doing the whole mommy thing. :)

If anyone is interested in ZNZ or just has questions in general, please let me know and I'd be happy to answer them.

Creepy cable guys

I'm done opening the door to strange workmen that I do not know.

Tonight, I had an Insight guy come to our house wanting to know if we intended to pay our final bill and if I wanted to give him a post dated check or our bank account numbers.

Yeah, lemme think about it...

No.

Why would I give any account information out to a guy that just has an Insight badge with no other credentials? Do I look stupid?

We weren't late. We weren't holding equipment. There's an Insight building less than a mile from my house. Why did we get singled out from the creepy guy?

Our service has been transferred for almost 2 weeks now.

I called their customer service and gave the 'supervisor' a tidbit of what I thought. She was actually pretty understanding and agreed with me. Our bill was paid over the phone by an actual Insight rep.

Creepy man... I hope you stay away and find other people to bother.

Oh yeah, get a shirt that fits. Your muscles do NOT look more defined by wearing a shirt tailored for a 12 year old.

The Tegelers go Catholic!

Today was Kade's 2nd day of Catholic school... so far, so good.

I am loving the small class sizes and the close knit community in the school. Kade's 6th grade class only has a total of 22 kids. Total 6th grade class, seriously...

Hubs has been Catholic since birth and even attended Catholic schools up until high school. He has felt a calling back to the church since 2010 but we've been lazy and just not made the effort. Since enrolling Kade at St Joe, we've decided we're going to do this for our family and reclaim our relationship with God.

I have never stepped foot in a Catholic church. I was born and raised Methodist but I'm willing to convert for the comfort of the family. I think the Catholic and Methodist religion are similar enough that I can accept the minor adjustments that will need to be made.

If any of my Catholic buddies would like to chime in, please do so! I look forward to your comments and stories!!!

Car shopping is so similar to shoe shopping!

Since hubs has taken a better route and we have more income rolling in, we've re-evaluated our budget and decided now would be the right time to take on a car truck payment. Hubs has been wanting a truck since our Saturn Vue was totaled in 2010 but we decided to go the van route and he's been secretly pining away for one since.

We've just started the whole looking process and frankly, it's a lot like shoe shopping. There are so many to try on with hundreds of little and different features. They come in various colors and you always have to try them on before you buy.

Hubs is a redneck man. God love him. :)

Here are 3 trucks that he's considering right now... Enjoy!

Big truck #1 is HUGE! It has a 6" lift kit and I swear that metal foot thingie comes up to my waist. Hopefully I will never have to drive or put the kids in this!!

Truck #2 isn't quite as big but please note the camo down the bottom. Yeah, he likes the camo. He's also already planning on a 4" lift.

 

Truck #3 My favorite! It looks sturdy, not too high, and there's no sign of a redneck driving it. :) I'm sure if he gets this one, he'll end up redneckin' it up a bit.

Overall, I'd like to say that I want him to get the truck that will make him happy but in the same time, I want it to be safe for me and the kids. I also do not want to run and jump to get in the damn thing!

If you're interested in a new or used vehicle, you might want check this site that helps you find your cars value. I found out that my van is still worth over $6k should I want to trade it in. Woohoo!!

Too bad if I traded in, I'd just end up with another minivan.

Why do I get sick every summer??

So it's time for my week long summer sickness.

I hate it.

Every.single.year. since I've been little, I've always gotten a really bad cold during the hottest time of the year. Of course, these colds never last like a day or two, they always manage to stick around for a week or sometimes two. It's insane. I hate it.

Nick's at work, I have a mountain of appointments this week, and I'm feeling like leftover spuds. I don't even want to get off this couch!

This was supposed to be my 'transform the dining room into a play room for the girls' week. So far I've managed to move the table into the kitchen and that's about it. I have no motivation. I consider everyone lucky that I even managed the dishes this morning. I just feel off.

So yeah, back to lie down. Send me feel good vibes please!

Getting ready for Back to School

I'm not even in school and I find it exhausting! This week has been crazy insane.

How they look is how my brain feels right now!

Kade's school implemented a new dress code and I've been searching like crazy for khaki flat front shorts and solid polos. I'm hoping the new Nikes he just got are going to be alright because honestly, my kid just can't rock the loafer look. He's way too cool for that!

And what's up with all these school supplies??? He's in 6th grade, not college! Why does a 6th grader need such sophisticated contraptions? When I was a kid, I need a simple calculator, pencils, notebooks, folders, and a backpack. Yeah, Kade needs a graphing calculator (hello $150 that he's going to lose halfway through the year) and about 35 gallons of Purell.

Whatever happened to eating dirt??? :)

I read yesterday that the average price for a child going back to school is almost $900! $900 for 9 months of schooling? Wow! That's doesn't include our $5000 tuition either. Cheese and rice guys!!

I was so excited when I received my email from Penneys stating that they're offering FREE haircuts to kids from grades K - 6th. Yes, we will be there at 2pm on August 9th to see Julia!

Sidenote: Our trip to the zoo a couple days ago took a sad turn. The 60 year old hippo was euthanized on Wednesday. She was just too old and was able to get around at all. I'm glad we were able to see her one last time.

Back to track, this year we're making Kade pick one or two after school activities. We want him to be more involved and not such a homebody. Hopefully this will help to break him out of his shell.

What after school actives do you guys recommend for kids that are 11? Just curious!

If you made it through all this random, Congratulations!!! I'd bake you a cake by my oven isn't working properly!