Update

Well, Todd has an "interview" for the job in Tallahassee. I put in quotes b/c it is not your average job interview. The owner of the business wants Todd to come and work with him for a week. At the end of the week, he will evaluate whether or not Todd is a good fit for the company and position. He says either way he will pay Todd for the week. It is unorthodox for sure but better than him offering Todd the job after a traditional interview and then finding out it is not a good fit (after we move all the way up there).

The whole thing is rather stressful, as I am sure you can imagine. It will hard on me to be "single" parent for a whole week...dropping Kate at school, going to work, picking her up, and then the whole evening routine alone. After all that I am usually exhausted but will still have school work to do. Plus weird for Todd sleeping alone in a hotel all week, wondering if he will get the job or maybe if he even wants the job.

Moving has pros and cons. Too many to list tonight - will cross that bridge if and when we come to it. The thought of getting out of the Tampa Bay (overcrowded) area is appealing but would definitely miss all the friends I've made here. Hate to pull Kate out mid-school year too - she just loves her teachers and friends. It is tough - love the people (mostly) but hate the area - too much stuff and too damn hot. We are really looking for a simpler life.

Other stuff - I am feeling much better and Kate is still well too. We are using a sticker chart to attempt to control her behavior at bath/bedtime. It is showing some success. Have a lot of school work between now and Sunday night - plus my crazy two weeks of the month start at work on Monday.

Oh Boy

Well life is crazy as usual. Up and down and all around! Our weekend away was fabulous but I started getting sick on Friday before we left. By the time we came home Sunday mid-day, I was feeling awful. Of course then I had to deal with my mom. She was ok but when you don't feel good and she just won't stop talking...ugh! We took Kate to the mall for new shoes. Grandma got her two pairs of shoes and 3 pairs of shorts. She also got us a new DVD player as ours died the day she got here. She went home yesterday.

I was feeling bad still yesterday so I worked from home - some. Kate and I had an appt with Doc Holly. I came home with 3 new herbs and a new formula of herbs for Kate. Kate has been well for about a week now and we are trying to keep her that way. I've been taking herbs like crazy since yesterday afternoon and I am feeling much better now. Some good sleep tonight and I hope to be good to go tomorrow.

Todd is still job hunting. No word on the last two jobs he applied for. We are probably going to put the house on the market soon and hope for a decent short-sell.

This week I need to get our taxes going and have a mid-term due for my tax class.

Kate, Todd, and me

Been busy as heck - actually went to my weekly Mary Kay meeting last night. It had been a month since I went to a meeting. I was really glad I went - I always leave feeling happy and positive. I am still selling product every week - I actually contributed $110 to our anniversary fund. We are going away this weekend, back to the B & B we went to for our 1st anniversary. My mom arrives tomorrow and she is going to stay with Kate Friday night thru Sunday afternoon so we can get away. It is very exciting - adult time!! Figure it might be our last hurrah before we go broke. He,he,he

Kate's health has improved. She has slept straight thru the night the last two nights in a row - very happy! No waking up coughing, or needing to pee, or "I got cold in bed." The other night when she was still rather congested and having trouble getting to sleep, she tells "Mommy, that is a very nice purple shirt you are wearing today." The kid cracks me up!

She got in big trouble yesterday with Daddy. An incident started over her socks at A Play Patch, an indoor play place near our house. When she wouldn't cooperate, Todd said "we're leaving." She freaked out and started hitting him, in the face, no less. For this offense she lost all 3 of her favorite ponies until Wed. Her teachers at school tell us how well-behaved and wonderful she is. I don't understand why Todd and I can't get the same manners at home.

Todd applied to two jobs yesterday - one in Tampa and one in Tallahassee. Tallahassee is about a five hour drive from here. We checked it out online - it looks like a nice place to live. The weather is not quite as hot since it is north FL plus it is right near a huge national park, which Todd likes.

Things are looking up for me too, at my job. Been having some issues with my officemate. Turns out my boss is more aware than I thought and plans on addressing it this week. I am also due for my 90 day review this week - not sure if I get a raise or not. It would be nice but I am not counting on it.

Frustrated!

Kate is sick again!!! I could just shoot myself. We have her on the herbal remedy plus a probiotic to help get her defenses up again. The last cold seemed to not last as long and last week she was definitely better. Now this morning it was runny nose and tonight a fever of 101. I feel like the worst mother in the world. What have I done to my child that she is so sick all the time? It is just not right. I love my job but I feel maybe preschool is what is causing all this. We are tossing around the idea of taking her out of school while Todd is not working. It would save us $612 per month plus maybe she would get better. One child in her class, Ty, has a permanent runny nose. I feel she just doesn't have a chance to ever really get better.

My mother, of course, wants to know what is wrong that Kate is sick all the time. She constantly reminds me how I was never sick as a child. Of course, she stayed home with me until I was seven and I didn't go to school until age 4 in Kindergarten but still. What is going on that today's children are so sick all the time? Something is not right.

Maybe Kate feels all the stress in our house from the lack of funds/Todd without a job. I really try to put on a happy face but Todd is very moody these days and constantly worried about what is going to happen to us. I understand, in a way, but worrying about the future doesn't help you solve today's problems.

Todd has been job hunting like crazy. He is working every contact he has and applying to jobs all over the country. Of course, that would be its own problem. We have negative equity in the house so we would have to short-sell, if we could sell at all. Even if we skip our mortgage payment, I don't make enough to cover all the other bills and expenses.

I just don't know what to do. I feel helpless - I can't make my child better and I can't find my husband a job.

What's going on?

Every night I think about posting but every night I am tired and more importantly tired of the computer. I wonder what people did for communication before the Internet. Computers have been available to me my entire adult life. I live my whole life on a computer. I do my banking, talk to friends and relatives, go to school, and do my job - all online. I love the convenience but sometimes curse the electric "handcuffs". And, believe it or not, I am seriously considering getting a Blackberry b/c apparently I need to be even more connected than I am now. :)

I spent a good part of yesterday on the computer, compiling all our data for our taxes. I have expenses to categorize and we have our info in two places b/c we switched checking software mid-year - Yuck! I have downloads of credit cards and spreadsheets galore.

Different topic - we went shoe shopping for Kate yesterday. This last week it became apparent she really needed new shoes b/c her old ones were too small. Big moment - we have moved to the other side of Stride Rite b/c she now needs a size 9 shoe! Holy Cow! I couldn't believe it. We have a pair of 7 1/2 shoes that we bought in August and now she needs a 9. Of course we measured her the other day and she is now 38" and 32 lbs and mostly wearing a 4T. When Grandma visits in 2 weeks, we are going to have her buy another pair of shoes for Kate. Plus by next month Kate will need summer sandals too.

Spring semester is in full swing - so far, so good. Turned in our 1st group assignment tonight.

See Doc Holly again tomorrow - will post another health update in a few days.

Oh, and, my 20th high school reunion is this year. Just got an email regarding what we prefer for dates, etc. Plan to go - should be in Cincy in the fall.