WW: Trapped {Linky}

Random Tid Bits

1. Isaak cracks me up. He said, “Mom it looks like your necklace that was Great Grandma’s is a bunch of cherry tomatoes. I just want to gobble them all up.”






2. I remember I was so excited to get the boys umbrellas at Hatley. I think one of them I won. It's the best quality kid's umbrella I've ever seen!
   
   

   

   I'm not promoting this. It's just the same umbrella Mica has. It's out of stock. I got the image here.

   In fact it still works very well! They aren't cheap, but they won't break like others do.
   
   Mica texted me, "We might soon want to go out and buy a bigger umbrella. - It did look a little funny watching him walk away to the bus stop with a kid’s umbrella ☂. He’s way taller than me now! I noticed the site is for ages 12 and under. Mica's almost 14! I personally like a good rain jacket, so much more than umbrellas! 
   
   
3. Travis' parents moved back to Missouri. This is their 3rd time living there I think. My sister in law's ex was staying at the house, and totally trashed it. He took all major appliance with him. Ya annoying! I don't care for people that thrive on revenge.


4. I had a student that was moving out of her Step Dad's house. She said, "I'm not leaving it looking nice. None of us like him." She was mad that he didn't let her stay there rent free, and he didn't pay for all her college. Her Mom passed away last year. Not everyone's parents help them get through college, rent free no less. He did help her for awhile. It's sad she felt she needed to trash the place.


5. I texted Mica a picture of this...




Saying, "This is what I'm making for dinner tonight."

Oh he believed me. He went to Travis to show him a picture. Travis told him I was messing with him. He then said, "At least we know she's in a good mood. When she's goofy like that it means she's happy.

Disclaimer: This post may include link(s) where I have gotten paid for.

Random Tid Bits

1. It sucks that my nephew Emerson (age 7) has 5 or so seizures a day. :(
   
   I couldn't help, but to laugh when my sister told me my nephew Edison (age 4 almost 5) fakes seizures to get attention. Even my sister found it funny at first.


2. It's so rainy in the midwest today. I'm prewriting, so it's actually Wednesday. Expect that food prices may go up. Some farmers are having floods. We had 5" of snow, then 5" more, and now 5" of rain is supposed to happen. Between that was more rain and snow, but too hard to measure.
   
   Many people don't really think much of Iowa and Nebraska, but it's where much of your food sources come from. 


3. I don't seek out watching The Bachelor. If anything I'm against the idea of it. Dating multiple people at once is a bad idea. Sometimes the TV is on, it comes on, and it sucks me in. The latest guy Colton - let's just say that I respected him for being a virgin. I disrespected the host for bringing it up multiple times like he was an alien for it. Some people do choose to wait, and that's ok. I'm sure many people that have waited don't talk about it. Therefore it's not of the norm. 


4.  I was really excited to of gotten both of my children in the most popular camp with their cousin Elijah. It will be Mica's last year to be in it. Evan - the cousin that's Mica's age is a year ahead of him in school, so he's already booted out.


5. My Dad got me this book The Most Effective Natural Cures on Earth, hoping it would help with my allergies:







The book is interesting. Some stuff I do, and would be willing to try. I'm not anti natural healing.

I don't believe in good feng shui in your house. Ok, so the placement of furniture matters slightly. Don't put a TV where you are going to get lots of glares. Don't put something solid in front of an air vent. Does correct placement bring positive vibes? I don't think so.

Sure essential oils are great smelling, and can be excellent to add to cleaners. Do they cure everything? They may cure some things, but not everything. 

Crystals, rocks, gem stones, pink himalayan salt lamps all look cool, but in my mind they don't bring you positive energy, or zap out sickness.

All the sudden Isaak found the book above. He thinks he can cure anyone of anything. 

Isaak: "Mom I feel like I had bad breath the other day. I think I need an Oregano Oil pill." Travis and I both rolled our eyes at one another. Yes it may work, but he's believing it all! 

Isaak: "Mom I scraped my knee. I need to put tea tree oil on it." Travis thought I told him to do that. I put a little on a cotton ball, and patted it on his knee. Maybe it will help.

Random Tid Bits

1. It's been raining in Omaha, Nebraska for days! There's possible snow in the forecast. No thanks! I want summer back again. 





2. We met with Mr. Principal in regards to Isaak. Isaak's no longer going to take kids to the bathroom. He was one of 3 boys selected to do so. Most of the kids in class were picking Isaak, when they had to go. He was missing out on lessons at school. Then he was ultra emotional at home. He didn't get how to do his homework. His teacher didn't want to take the whole class on breaks because of the time lost in their school work. My thoughts were - her time lost. The other way - his time lost.
   
   I went through his teacher first. She just said, "I can't take him off that. He's one of the few boys in the class I trust." I didn't just walk in to the Principal's office, and blame the teacher. I said, "Isaak's plate is too full. He signed up for Safety Patrol (which is every day), Student Council (which meets once a month), Chorus (misses class for), Show Choir (before school once a week), Strings (misses class for), Soccer, and Basketball (which are both after school). Little man was overwhelmed.
   
   Other topics we went over: Kid's forming "Cool Clubs" that Mr. Principal was unaware of, and the class talking a lot and missing recess - I mentioned they could run the track instead to at least get some activity. Isaak's teacher also said to Isaak, "Why did you say all that to your Mom?!" in regards to my email. Isaak felt like crying, and bawled at home. I said, "Kids should talk to their parents! I'm happy my 10 year old son talks to me!" Mr. Principal agreed. 


3. I felt good about how things went. Then yesterday Isaak said, "Mom did you know teachers have favorites? I'm one of my teacher's favorites. She told me so." (insert inner eye roll, and why in the heck is she telling the kids this?) I covered quickly by saying, "Isaak favorites change. Somedays I like you better than Mica and visa versa. I love you both. It's just that one child may be easier to get along with on a particular day." He said, "Do you have favorites with your students?" I said, "I have students that are challenging sometimes. I've had students ask if they were my favorite? Then I said to them, 'You are, along with the other 30 students in the class.' That seems to satisfy them." I want Isaak to like his teacher. I have to say that she rubs me the wrong way. She's fake happy it seems. She smiles with a frown face. I've never seen anyone do that before. Her mouth is frowned down, but her cheeks and eyes are uplifted. 


4. Travis' boss lady keeps giving him things. A foam pumpkin to decorate, so I decorated it up like an owl for him. I didn't take a picture. Next came a wooden leaf. I did take photos of that for a future post. She's given him candles, cozy socks that are very girl like and Isaak wanted, and Keurig pods. For one Travis hates flavored coffee, for another we don't have a Keurig machine. I open them up, and dump them in our legit coffee pot to use them. Do you like plain coffee or flavored coffee? Do you have a Keurig machine?





5.  Mica's in a thing called Quiz Bowl. It's like Jeopardy, except you don't answer with a question. He has a group against other groups from other schools. We had no idea that it would be so time consuming when he signed up. It's every Tuesday after school, and 2 Saturdays a month from 8:30 to 1:30 or longer. I was feeling less than thrilled about this once I found all that out. Then I thought about it...I'll have one less child on those days. That's not all that bad. Possibly I'll go to get him one day before he calls me to take a few pictures. 

@nomadfootwear is the Place to Get Boots!

A few months ago I was excited to win boots from Nomad Footwear. I haven't have rain boots, since I was a kid. I was so excited to win!

Right when I got them I put them on because it was raining outside. I was thinking about saving them for my husband to give them to me. I just couldn't resist wearing them. Aren't they cute?!

I had a few struggles on my end when I won: 

What size do I get? My feet have grown after I had kids. I never thought that would happen. I wear special arch supports, so my shoes are a bit bigger than they need to be. I was happy that they fit just fine! 

What color should I get? I was torn between Kelly B Wine (Red) or Kelly B Black. What's one to do when they are torn between what to get? I asked them to send me one of those two. Whatever they had in stock the most. I would have been happy with whatever I got. Black does go with more, but I do have lots of grey, black, and wine colored shirts, and a coat for each of those colors. Black it is. :)

Now I have rain boots for the first time in years! 

Do you have rain boots? What color would you pick on this page? 

Join up with Nomad Footwear on facebook and twitter, so you can have the same opportunity to win some boots on their next giveaway like I did. 

Disclaimer: Nomad Footwear did not ask me to write this post. I'm writing this because I love the Kelly B boots they sent me.

Multifunctional Outdoor Rain Poncho

I think it's great to have a poncho around. We have rain coats, but they just don't cover you as much as a poncho does.

Mica just got a Multifunctional Outdoor Rain Poncho https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071F6DJ6F made by: Winis to review. 

Uses:

• Hiking
• Camping
• Walking
• Picnicing
• Fishing
• Cycling 
• At the Bus Stop

Since Mica takes the bus now it's good to have something to wear in the rain.

Bag:

I have a love/hate relationship with the bag that the poncho fits in. It's tiny, so it doesn't take up a lot of space (love). It's good the poncho comes with a bag, so other things don't get wet (love).

I dislike how hard it is to get in the bag (hate). Even I had trouble getting the poncho in the bag. I can't see Mica being able to fit it in there. We started out folding it all nice to put it in - flag style. That didn't work at all! I started shoving it in, and it was still difficult.

Picnic Time:

I never thought to put a poncho on the ground all flat like to use it as a picnic blanket. It's not thick like a picnic blanket, but cool that it could in fact be used this way.

Colors:

• Orange (like we got to review)
• Blue

I do like orange because it's bright to see in the dark. Blue is fun as well. I didn't really get a choice. Orange was the color we got. Being the Color Theory teacher that I am I would suggest they offer more colors to pick from.

Hood:

It pulls tight with the toggle cord.

Cost:

$16.99 on Amazon Prime.

What would you use the poncho for?

Disclaimer: I received this poncho to review in exchange for writing this post. Winis did influence my review.

Random Tid Bits

1. It's been rainy late at night and early in the morning for a few nights and mornings lately. I take these photos when I just hit a stop light that just turned red through my windshield, or while I'm getting gas.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   It tends to clear up quickly, for a sunny day. I was asthma free, since the spring. Now I'm feeling it again. I'm trying to stay on top of it with my daily inhaler that I wasn't taking when I didn't need it. No real attacks, just a heavy chest. 


2. We went out to eat last night. That's not something we do often. Travis said, "So the boys and I got new clothes, but you didn't get any." I said, "Well we have a choice...1) We could take the boys home, and leave them there. 2) We could take them with us, since we're 1/2 the way to Kohl's. We took them with us. They weren't bad, but giggly and talkative. Travis was getting so annoyed. I've been there. I was actually glad they were happy, and not complaining the whole time.


3. A sale's clerk and I really cracked up when Mica said, ""Dang woman! You look good." I thought, Maybe it's good I have these boys with me if he keeps talking like that! I tried on a bright pink shirt. Mica said, "Wow you look like a pretty, pink flamingo." The sale's clerk laughed again!


4. A thing came up in the news that said kids shouldn't have cell phones until they are 14 or 15. I voiced my opinion. I think it depends on the kid, and situation that kid is in. If a kid is dropped off by their parent everyday to school, and they have a landline then they don't need a cell phone. The bus system last year didn't do so well, Mica has to walk 4 blocks to the stop in a city, so I felt like it was needed. We found an app to track him. We also don't have a landline, so again it's important to have one. It's good for him to be able to look things up for school.
   
   Our kids have never had a game system, so they aren't glued to having screen time. We've taken Mica's charging station, and moved it to the kitchen. Then he isn't playing apps or texting his friend at night.
   
   On the news report - facebook thread there were some people that jumped in saying, "They shouldn't have a phone until they can pay the bill." I just think it depends on the situation your family is in. What are your thoughts?


5. I have a student in first year that has an A- in one of her classes (not mine), and she was panicking. She's going to have to get over that. That's part of the struggle here. They all come from high schools where they all got A's in their art classes. They all can't get A's. 

WW: Hail Damage {Linky}

I just got done getting an upcycled nose: Deviated Septum fixed and Polyps removed. Then it happened! Lots of baseball sized hail! The biggest I've ever seen!

Boy were we hit! Our newish Subaru Outback has about $6,500 worth of damage. Our old Honda Civic has about $3,500 worth of damage. 

Rings of broken glass on the windshield:

The inspector finally gave up on counting the dings on our vehicles. :( I know it's a little hard to see with all the reflections.

My husband checked out the roof, and said it looked fine. I said, "We need to have an inspector out anyhow." We need a new roof, and all new gutters.

Thank goodness for insurance, but it still is expensive with all my medical stuff on top of it. 

What's the worst damage you've ever experienced?

Random Tid Bits

1. Earlier it was like spring - in the 70s, last night there was a winter thunderstorm, and now it's snowing. The wind is supposed to get bad. 

Below are pictures of the rain outside my car's windows. No worries, I was stopped at a long light. I don't text, or photography anything, while I drive.








2. Because of the weather - elementary, middle and high schools were called off today. Travis was annoyed because when the boys are home on his days off he gets little done.
   
   I told him to have it be a learning experience for the boys. Mica's close to the age where he can babysit. Why not have him practice like it's the real deal? Mica can't interrupt Dad unless it's an emergency. He'll be downstairs working.


3. We kind of banned Mica from the library, while the Spelling Bee and Read to Succeed were going on. He had a lot on his plate during that time, and we didn't want to add reading books to that already full plate.
   
   He got super excited to go to the library once again. I've never experienced a kid that loves books as much as Mica does. We've been there twice in two weeks. He picked up a stack of small books, and two really long books.
   
   One book is called, What is Woodstock?
   
   

   

   Source

   Kind of an odd book for a kid, but it is a children's book. Mica, "So Mom what was Woodstock like when you went there?" I said, "Mica I wasn't even born when Woodstock was in existence. The first real one anyhow. It was about 10 years before I was born. Even if I was around when it happened I wouldn't have gone. There was a lot of people walking around naked, doing drugs. It's not really my thing." His eyes were all wide, "Really? People were naked?" I said, "Yep." The next day he asked Travis, "How was Woodstock when you went Dad?" Travis said, "I wasn't even born yet." Travis is only a year older than I am. If I was too young for it, how would Travis be old enough for it?


4. Isaak is a maker. He made this outfit for his stuffed dog some time ago. I don't think I've posted it. He made it with paper, and staples. Not the most comfortable outfit ;), but super creative.





5. I registered Isaak for a spring basket ball, and Mica for soccer. Mica's never played a ball sport, but he claims that he loves playing soccer at recess. We're giving it a go. Isaak continues to love basketball, so he's staying on. I looked at my online receipt and it had both of them registered for soccer. On the phone I went to fix that mess up. 

Did you get into sports when you were a kid?

What's something random in your week?

Random Tid Bits

1. Even as my kids age they still crack me up. Mica thought it was great to go down the escalator like this:




There were people behind him laughing. I had to hurry up and take the photo before he got off. The kids certainly get their goofiness from me, and I got it from my Dad.


2. You may have remembered me bitching complaining frustrated with all my boy's skin issues over time. It seems like I call their doctor for skin issues more than anything else. It's usually unrelated things too. Anyhow Mica got a toenail infection at camp in July. I was told by doctors that there is nothing out there to treat toenail infections for kids. I was told by others that it would take over 3 years to get rid of it; if it would go away.
   
   I tried Henna (in India they use that to treat infections as well as an art on the skin). It turned his toe brown.
   
   He soaked his foot in yellow mouthwash (used to be used as a sterilizer in the hospital), and non distilled apple cider vinegar. A 50/50 mix. He did this for 20 minutes a day.
   
   He applied a mix of coconut oil, tea tree oil, lavender, and lemongrass oil once a day.
   
   He applied Vics Vapor Rub once a day.
   
   I had to try and get him to keep his shoes and socks off when he was at home as much as possible. I did miss my errand boy. He used to fetch things for me, and take trash out. I'm happy to note that his toenail is growing in normal! I'm keeping up with the treatment until it's all grown out. We had a little debate about that. Travis and Mica felt we could stop treatment. I felt we should continue until his toenail is all back to normal, since fungus toenails can spread. I let the doctor make the call on that. He agreed with me. He even said what I was saying, "What does it hurt?" It's just time really.


3. Lately I've been taking photos that don't really fit into 1 single post. Here's a photo of it raining. I love to capture it slamming against my windshield. Of course I was at a stop light. I would never text, take photos, or be on my phone while I'm driving.





4. The boys liked getting in this Telsa ModelS75D when we were shopping in the Plaza in Kansas City, MO. I have to admit the color is sweet! There was a white model that had side doors that flew open like the Delorean in The Back to the Future. I wonder how that would work in a garage? 





5. Last, but not least this shadow looks like Batman. I see it every time I walk around the building at work.

What's random in your life?

Rainy!

I really don't mind the rain. Well I do mind that my office ceiling leaks, and it's been "fixed" about 15 times. We've had rain the last 6 days, and it's still raining.

Our airport received 5.25 inches by 5 pm yesterday, breaking the previous record for this date of 1.97 inches set in 1977. It was also the sixth highest daily rainfall of all time in Omaha. The most ever recorded was the 6.46 inches that fell on August 7, 1999.

We're not having flooding problems, but others are. Not too far from us in Council Bluffs, some Iowa schools had to close because it's a flood plain.

Car after car is getting stuck in the muck.

Approximately seven inches of rain fell in Council Bluffs overnight. Streets were filled with water Wednesday, parking lots along were swamped. Some tree limbs were down and they took power lines with them. 

Where I live in Omaha it's just been raining and raining. On Tuesday hail came with the rain.

Yesterday I had a major assignment due. The students were on panic mode because it was raining. How could they possibly get it done on time when they have to spray their projects outside? We opened up a door in the school garage for them to use. I still had a low number of students that turned the project in. I think everyone is just off from the weather.

It feels like it's spring, but it's fall.

What has the weather been like where you live? 

Rain, Rain Go Away

Last week my nephew Emerson has tons of tests done. It turns out the little man has a Tethered Spinal Cord. He need surgery on that. There's a few other things that he has, that they have to watch out for.

I spent a few hours on the phone helping my Dad with Photoshop. Had I not ran errands all day, I would have stopped what I was doing, and just drove there to help him. He claims he knows the program so well, and doesn't use its main feature - layers. Shaking my head! At least he tries. His images look wonderful, but he was saving everything as jpgs, instead of psd Photoshop files. That can reduce quality after saving images over time. While I was trying to help him, he kept saying, "Maybe I just shouldn't do this. It's too much work..." Being all down on himself. Anyhow my brain hurt after that conversation. A short while later he wanted to know how to attach an image over email. He has a different email then me, he has a PC and I have a MAC, so all this stuff is hard to explain.

I tried multi-tasking when I was on the phone with my Dad, and dropped a jar of jam on the floor. Busted glass + jam = a big mess! Travis my wonder husband is great at cleaning up after my clumsiness!

A short while later I got a text from my Mom that my Grandpa is in the hospital with a UTI. He's ready to go home today, but his memory isn't its self. I don't know if the infection is what's messing with him, the fact that he's in a different place, or he is really loosing it. He's old - upper 80s and has a weak heart. Up until this point he's been sharp as a tack. My Mom and Aunts want him to stay in the hospital 1 more day, but I don't know if insurance will let him do that.

Isaak was off all weekend. He felt warm, but didn't have a fever. He wouldn't eat much. Rain set in all weekend, and people were going sinus crazy. I can't tell if he has a cold, or allergies. Yesterday he wouldn't drink his water. I said, "Come on just drink your water, so I can put your glass in to run the dishwasher! Do something Isaak!" He said, "Mom I am doing something! I'm thinking. That's doing something. That's doing a lot actually." This morning I sent him to school. Maybe I'm a bad mom for that. If he has just allergies then why stay home? I told him if he feels worse to have the nurse call me.
 
My nephew Edison has a fever of 103! He has a doctor's appointment later today. I would say that Isaak has what Edison has, but we haven't been around my sister's family since Easter.

The weather outside - rain - gloom is about how I felt.

On the up side, so this whole post doesn't seem gloomy my husband sold a sculpture. It's only a $500 one, but a sale is a sale. I'm the one that told him to spend the extra time putting that nice base on it.

Source

Wiper Blade Installation Video Review + Giveaway

Confession: 

We've never put on our own windshield wipers before. There's a place in town that puts them on for us.

I got wipers to review from EZwipers.com and they are super easy to order and install!  

You just go to EZwipers.com, write in your car make and model, and they take care of the work of figuring out what wipers you need for you.

Ordering from EZwipers.com lets busy people skip the step of heading to the big box store or auto parts store and using one of those awkward electronic catalogs, or waiting in line for help from an employee.   

How to Install EZwipers:

As you can see it only took a matter of minutes to install new wind shield wipers. I got a chance to use them, and they worked like a charm.
 
I love that I didn't have to think about what number on the packaging to buy. EZwipers did the work for me. 
 
The blades were paper on one side, and encased in plastic on the other. The paper side was easy to peel up to remove the blades.

We most certainly needed new wind shield wipers!

EZwipers.com offer windshield wiper blades online for cars and trucks. The fastest way to order the right wiper.
Super easy ordering process, we connect with you the right wiper in seconds. EZwipers.com carries wiper blades major brands like Anco and RainX wipers. Unlike many wiper companies they have a vast selection of rear wiper blades! EZwipers.com carries Winter Wipers too! 
 
They have free shipping and returns in the US.
 
Win it!

I got Anco Series 31 Wipers for Review, and that's what one of my reviews will win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

This week has been grey and rainy. Blah! 

I was longing for snow. Some snow is on its way. We'll see.

I hardly drive at night. I don't like to. I just don't see the same way I do in the day time. I had to take the boys across town to their ju-jitsu at a different Y. I almost got in an accident. A car in front of me was going at a good speed, then slowed down fast. Thankfully I didn't run into them. Ekkk! 

At a spot light I captured the photos below:

They look almost like impressionist paintings. Rain can be pretty I guess.