Money Saving Tip #15- Make your own Water Park

I set up a mini-water park in the backyard. It is convenient, since 1/2 of the week we are stuck at the house without a car. The other reason it works out for us is because we live 15 miles from the nearest pool. When you consider gas & admission, it is so much cheaper to swim at home!!! Please, we don't have to fight the crowd!!

Around 1PM or 2PM is when we get in. I turn the air up, and we go outside for an hour in the cool water. By the time we come back into the house, the house feels cooler, even though we are using LESS air conditioning. I am hot natured, so I keep the house at 74 or 75 degrees. When we go outside to the pool, I turn the air up to 78 degrees and don't turn it back down until later in the day (so I can sleep through the night).

As you can see, the girls LOVE the mini-water park, and they are becoming more confident in the water.

Jaden's "friend"

I took Jaden with me to a co-op seminar. The seminar was 3 hours long, so I brought a spiral notebook for each of us and pens. The seminar wasn't all that it could be, but that is another story. There were 2 classes, and in between each class, we had a small break. During the break, this boy came up to Jaden and started teasing her. This went on for the whole break. Jaden didn't seem disturbed by it, so I just left them alone.
Once it was time for the next class to start we sat back down in our seats. It was then that I noticed the boy and his family were sitting behind us (so he was probably back there watching Jaden the whole time)... Jaden & the boy (who I later learned is named Aaron) reached over the chairs to whisper quietly to each other. Then, Jaden took her spiral notebook over to where he was sitting so that they could both draw quietly. They were having fun talking and drawing (Aaron's sister joined in the fun, too). At the end of the class, Jaden came up to me with her notebook and said,"Mommy, someone's is playing a trick on us!" She pointed to a heart that Aaron had drawn with his and her name inside. When he saw her show me the spiral, he was embarrassed and angry. I wasn't upset, but it did take me by surprise.
I remember having a best friend when I was in kindergarten, and we walked home together. My best friend at that time was a boy, so I know it is not so unusual. Jaden just gives everyone an equal opportunity to be her friend. It is actually very sweet.
Too bad she may never see Aaron again. His family is not part of the co-op, and they live in a city about 20 miles away. I am not sure if they will make it to any future activities. I guess Aaron's heart will be broken! LOL!!!

Paci Pumpkins

Well, it looks like the paci pumpkis are doing well. I wasn't sure if they would grow well of not... Today, I noticed a big yellow blume and several other bulbs ready to bloom. I've never grown pumpkins before, so I am not sure what to expect. I am thinking that each blume will become a pumpkin. If so, we will have several of them to put in the front yard when the season changes to Fall.

Still no word on my missing money

I still do not know when I will see the money that was missing from my pay check. I sent off the discrepancies to my supervisor, but she does not have any information for me. In fact, she doesn't even respond to my calls!! So, that's great... Now, I have to go into work tomorrow for this place... I sure do not have the energy to bust my behind for them!!! Do I have to go in? :0(

Having fun at the beach

It has been so warm outside (when it;s not storming). We have been getting in the pool to cool down. This is not just a pool in our backyard... This is the beach!! Before going outside, I gathered up our beach towels, some snacks, juice dricks in a bucket filled with ice, and magazines. Then, we pretended like we were far from home on a sandy beach. Very exciting :0)

Pay Check Woes

Commission-based jobs can be hard to live off of. I do know this, but I still had hope for my job with Our365. My hopes fizzled out today.
This is what happened. Every day I work, I set goals for myself on how much I think I can do in sales. A few weeks ago, I decided to shoot for a record $1000 in sales in one day. I walked out that day with sales of $982!! (the usual sales for a photographer at the hospital is any where from nothing to about $400, so that was a big feat). After that day, I just knew I could do the same the next day. The next day, I hit $650 in sales, but since it was a holiday, I, also, got hourly pay (so it came out to the same amount I had made the day before).
At this point, I was pumped, and excited to get my first BIG check. So, imagine my surprise when instead of getting a bigger check than normal, I got the same kind of check I always get!!! I was shorted over $500 on my check!!!
Of course, the check is not right, and it will have to be corrected by pay roll, but who knows how long that will take!!!
They have been asking me to pick up extra days, but I don't want to do that until I know I will get paid for them!!
It should make me feel better to know that I wasn't the only one whose check they messed up. The other 3 girls that work at my hospital were shorted, too. It doesn't make me feel better, though... I feel bad for all of us!!!

Playground Fun

An Impromptu Meeting of Cousins

We met up with Uncle Bryan, Aunt Amy, James and Paige at the splash park on Friday... Was it Friday? Anyway, it wasn't planned, but it turned out to be a great time for all. Morgan and James especially seem to enjoy each others antics!! Maybe it's a 2 year old thing.