So I decided to get a part time night job just so I can get away and be around other people. I love my family, don't get me wrong, but I also need to do something not related to my family. I won't be posting as often (as you can tell) because my kids no longer take naps and I also have to be to work by 3 or 4 pm.

So it doesn't really leave me a lot of time to do this since I also have to clean before my sitter gets here and all that fun jazz.

I work as a waitress in a locally owned pizza five or so nights a week and really like it. Of course I'm still very nervous because I haven't worked in five years and I'm nervous and I think it shows. Oh well I guess right? I did start last week and everyone is really cool and nice about it too.

"N" did turn 4 years old last week. He got some really cool toys and he loves them. I also gave him the Leap Frog Word Whammer today. I bought it a few years ago but he was to young for it. He actually locked himself in his room for an hour playing with it. It's totally one of the best toys invented!

I need to finish getting ready, my sitter will be here in just under 30 minutes. Have a good day!

So it's been three day's since I posted last. It's been crazy, I had interviews (so I can have time away from the house), "N" turned 4 years old yesterday, and everything that could have gone wrong, did go wrong.

I had this great plan to make and decorate a Lighting McQueen cake. Everything turned out except the color red and black. I swear that they use adobe photoshop in the photo and that's how they get it to look so nice. I spend three hours making three batches of homemade icing and trying to make 6 colors. It's getting to be 4 pm and I still haven't gotten it right. So I broke down and bought a cake. Luckily I did save when I could of the icing and I'm going to try it again this weekend. The cake should still be good.

Then I won't even go into what my pediatrician's office put me through for "N's" 4 year well visit.

I have an interview today and I'm getting excited. I'm only doing it because I can get away from the house a few hours a day and get paid for it. I'm going to be working nights so I won't have to put the kids in daycare.

Found out that my mother in law bought her plane ticket for the combo party next month out here for the kids. "N's" totally excited. He's bummed because he doesn't know if grandpa is going to come out.

If you have any tips on how to make a deep red for icing, please let me know. It's greatly appreciated!

When "N" was born I didn't need the "Smile Saver" thing from Sears because he was alone in pictures. I'm just frustrated with the whole thing now because I don't understand how they think they can charge $10 a person when it really shouldn't. I know, they are in it to make money. But still that's total bunk!

If you are a new parent and have these coupons that say "No Sitting Fee", beware because the first person is free and $9.99 for each person after the first. If I could afford to have my own studio and take professional pictures I wouldn't charge a sitting fee.

I also have a complaint about Sears portrait studio. Four years ago when "N" was born, Sears Portrait was pretty cool because you could use competitor coupons there. Now I have to buy 7 sheets and $13 or whatever they charge per sheet THEN I get the $3.99 a sheet. That is total junk too.

So now I go to JCPenney and now I remember why I don't like them either. They only have two studios and you end up waiting 45 minutes past your appointment time. But they have the best deals on pictures ($3.99 a sheet). Also, Penney's is putting in digital cameras within the next few weeks.

So there is my grip today about having to spend unnecessary money just to get awesome pictures of your kids.

One thing on a different subject. For those of you who shop at Super Walmart, to do the price matching you HAVE to bring in the competitors ads to get the sale price.

Yesterday I went back into my regular stylist to finish up my hair. I dyed my hair back in November and just really don't want to spend another $110 to have it done again. Don't get me wrong, we pick out an awesome color and highlight but it's just not something I want to spend money on.

Well after cutting so much of my hair off I realized how much my hair had grown out since November. Luckily I didn't do some crazy color so that way as it grows out it's not as noticeable. So now my hair has grown almost two inches but when I use a flat iron (before I cut it) I could see the dull roots. My stylist tells me that she can put this clear coat on my hair and I won't really have to color my hair anymore.

I never realized until yesterday how pretty my natural hair color is. I also found out that "O" and I do have the exact same hair color. The best part is this process was only $15 at my salon and it's better for your hair the coloring it.

So I figure that I can spent the extra $15 dollars to touch it up, only takes an extra 20 minutes and I look great. Talk to your hairstylist if you are tired of sitting there for a good two hours or so and also tired of the expense.

"The Hubby" has been asking me to stay up with him a little later than usual these last few nights. The company he works for is integrating the buyout company's stuff and getting rid of the old one. So I've been helping him with test links and fun stuff.

Last night I went and chopped six inches of my hair off. I think it's because of using the baking soda once a week. Don't use it. So I cut it and trying to decide if it was a good idea.

Well two of my girlfriends are pregnant. Congratulations. One is due either June or July and the other one is due in October.

It's been unseasonably warm here and luckily Monday we are supposed to drop back down into the 70's just before "N's" birthday. Speaking of which I am making him a Lightning McQueen cake for his birthday. The kids will be having two birthday parties since one is in March and the other is in May and the grandparents may be coming out in April for a combo party.

Other than that it's been pretty much the same.

I have used Classmates for quite a few years now and for a little while I actually paid to use their service. I don't like Classmates because they charge you for everything whereas Myspace you can do everything for free.

I have a lot of complaints about Myspace too. They aren't perfect either, I mean a lot of the time they are down or someone put a virus on peoples computers or something. But I guess you can't complain when you can find your friends for free right?

So here's what I think. Myspace is ok but people say it's too mainstream now that us old fogies are on it. Classmates served it's purpose until  Myspace came around and I'm surprised that Classmates is even still around. I guess give them a few more months to a year and they may not be. People will catch on that you actually keep in touch more with Myspace than Classmates.

Since I have been on Myspace I have found more of my old friends than Classmates. So if you're looking to catch up with old friends, I can guarantee you that 9 out of 10 times that they most likely are on Myspace.

Pros for Myspace:

• Free.
• More people are on it.
• Keep more in touch and updated.
• You can personalize your pages.

Cons for Myspace

• Down a lot.
• When someone posts a bulletin, you can't just delete it.
• Way to many advertisements, yeah I know it's owned buy some movie company (MGM, Fox, or something).

Pros for Classmates:

• I don't know of any.

Cons for Classmates:

• Have to pay to do anything unless it's on your page.
• I just don't like it.

I'm not all for Myspace but I do feel bad for them when frivolous lawsuits are filed against them. Like when parents filed a lawsuit against Myspace because they weren't paying attention to what their daughter was doing on the internet and was assaulted by some guy. When it comes to lawsuits like that I'm all for Myspace winning those. It's this thing I talk about a lot and it's called Personal Responsibility.

Let me know if any of you use either one of these services and what your take is on them.

Today was yet another nice and warm day. It's about 85 degrees and sunny. We ended up spending most of the day inside because we went grocery shopping this morning and now I'm fighting the kids on naps.

I know my kids and they still need their naps. If they don't take one then they will either fall asleep around dinner time OR be cranky all night. Either way it's just a lot of bunk.

So, I'm also one of those people who can't stay motivated for to long. I go to the gym like I should but since I don't get into it, I don't feel or see any changes. I think I might have to break down and get a trainer so that way I'm forcing myself to to and I will have someone else to work out with.

I know that I don't post much about raising kids. If there are things you would like me to post about, please either send me an email or leave a comment and I will be glad to look at it.

As for kids, today I was finally able to take the kids back to the gym. The best part was that today was Fit Kids there for kids ages 3-6. I watched "N" and he was having a blast playing and having loads of fun.

I admit that I do have problems with my kids and I'm not the greatest mom. If you say you are then you are totally in denial. Anyway, it's been tough on me lately because "The Hubby" has been working about 20 a day, 7 days a week. I'm not kidding either. He does work from home which is nice but it's not.

So since I deal with the kids a lot of the time I just start to get short with them. but I have noticed that "O" is learning to use sentences and also cool things like her alphabets, numbers, body parts, and articles of clothing.

I also signed "N" up for a four week reading and phonics course and Glendale Community College in June. He's so into books that this course will also help me teach him how to read better and we will also be given a workbook to help get us by until he's in 1st grade.

Well, if you have any suggestions for me, please contact me. Thanks!

Last night I went to my first spin class. Holy man!!! I hurt so bad today from the seat. I don't remember my old 10 speed ever hurting that much. I'm not going to do it again for a little while because I need to find some padded shorts and a gel seat cover.

I know spinning is good for you but how long until your private area just goes numb from doing it? It hurts so bad to sit today. It was fun but I wasn't able to do the jumping (from seated to standing on the bike) because of how uncomfortable it was.

Last night was also my first night back at the gym in about a week. I'm feeling that too. So to recap what I did last night, I did an hour of power yoga, my 30 minute resistance training and about 45 minutes of spinning. I was a wuss from the spinning and left a few minutes early.

Having "O" sick was nice because I had already burned myself out at the gym. I know I said I would take it slow but when I saw how many yoga classes they had I couldn't stop myself. So I also burned out from all of that and today I'm extremely tired and a little tight.

I did rent a new yoga DVD called Power Yoga Total Body with Rodney Yee. I haven't done it yet but, because of how I feel today, I might just have to.

If there are any of you out there that do spinning classes, please give me some tips.

I took a few days off to do some soul searching. And today I'm still doing it.  Maybe I've hit my mid life crisis in my mid 20's I don't know. My goal with the sites I run is to help educate people with both sides of things. I want to make a difference in the world so that we can all live better and happier.

I've been getting a little more agitated about the way our government is run. Don't worry, I'm not going to post anything on politics.

Don't you ever wish that people would just open their eyes to the obvious? In the way of parenting. Last night, I was listening to a talk radio station and this guys called up and said, "Dr., in your new book do you have any chapters on how to make your fat kid lose weight?" The guys comes back and says, "It's called lowering your child's calorie consumption." Come to find out this girl is only nine years old and she's 15-20 pounds overweight.

Can you believe this? How do you let your child just eat and eat and not expect her to gain weight? I'm sure that the parents don't eat much better. But it's just called common sense. Maybe as we get older we start to lack that and responsibility for things. You are responsible to raise your children in a healthy home. If you let your kid eat all the time on junk food, that's NOT a healthy home.

You need to have a routine. Kids thrive on that. Also, get active with your kids. Take them to the park and just take a ball to kick around or go through a city program and join a sport with your kids. I'm enrolling "N" in a beginners soccer thing through the City of Peoria and I get to play with him. How cool is that?

Don't be afraid to stand up to your kid. They need that. It may hurt you now but if you don't then that's what will hurt them later. If your kid won't eat, fine it won't kill them to go a day without food. If they are being total jerks, start grounding them or taking away privileges.

There have been a great many things that have happened to my family as a whole. My brother was diagnosed with colon cancer in October 2006 (which is what my mom died of). Before that I had miscarried. And then a few days before Christmas, we found out that "The Hubby's" cousin had died.

Up until recently we didn't really know what happened to her. She was going to college, in her early 20's and had a good head on her shoulders. At first it was believed that she had died from natural causes (possibly the heart). We found out (within the last few weeks) that she had been murdered in her dorm room.

I feel bad because I really don't think I ever met her. I also feel bad because we aren't there to help the family out. The police did find the guy who killed her and the trial (or arraignment) has been postponed until mid March.

Because of her death, the college she was attending is now being investigated for the way they handled the situation. You know it's bad when one of the main guys at the college is on leave. You'd think for the gobs of money you spend to educate your child in a state university, that the students should be safe in their dorm rooms.

I hope that you get the word out and maybe help change the way that students and security are done at the dorms and universities. I know that I can't protect my kids all the time, but I'll be damned sure that if I'm spending my hard earned money to go to your college, my kids are going to be safe!

"O" does have an ear infection now. I took her in today after how she was acting last night and that's what they said. She's been having a runny nose but I just thought it was because I've been taking her to a gym a lot. Since she's had the runny nose I haven't been taking them out and they both have been getting saline flushes.

"The Hubby" came back last night from being gone since Friday night. Today has just been a bad day. We're all in a foul mood and no one can stand to be around the other right now. It happens you know.

I won't be talking about any politics today or anything. I did see that now it's been confirmed that Ibuprofen is the best pain killers for kids that have broken bones or anything like that, when you have an injury that needs to be seen in the ER for kids between the ages of 6-17 years old.

Also be on the lookout for kids Cold Remedies. It's scary to me because now my kids are going to have to tough out the cold without any help from the over the counter medicines. If you have any questions, feel free to contact your pediatrician.

Parents are finally starting to make their voices heard about the HPV mandate. I just don't understand why they have to mandate something that has been out on the market for nine months. That's right, just nine months. I don't know how much testing was done except it's been said that something like 11,000 girls between 11-26 years old have been in the study. I don't see how 11,000 people can make the mandate right yet. It's up to you to decide and make your feelings known to your politicians.

"N" and "O" are both out of commission for a little while. I guess I have been taking them to the gym too much lately and now they are a little sick. Until "The Hubby" comes home from Calif, we are just going to hang out around the house.

I'm not one of those moms who when their kids are sick, still take them out. We pretty much just lounged around the house today and just chilled. I think they enjoyed it. I got a little bored but I guess it's better than the kids getting a little sicker.

I saw that the Gov. Tim Kaine (Va.) is now getting the Gardasil (HPV vaccine) passed. What is possessing people to make that decision for me the parent. If you live in Texas or Virginia, I would really start petitioning the Governors to mind their own business. This is really getting old!

Another sad story I found today. Baby found in pickle jar. I have never used a safe haven or anything so I don't know if it's really as easy as they say it is, but if you're pregnant and don't want the baby, PLEASE give it a chance to have a happy home.

I hope that when they find this person that they throw the book at her/him. Safe havens are there for a reason. There shouldn't be so many innocent babies killed like that when there are so many good people on adoption waiting lists.

I hope that these people are not able to sleep or live a normal life (hopefully do it without bringing more children into the world). That baby would have been around a year old now. That really disgusts me.

If you are someone who has used the Safe Haven in one of the 45 states, please tell us if it's as simple as they say it it. I really want to help educate kids and adults alike so no child has to die unnecessarily. I would rather have you use a condom if you decide to have sex. If you're to young to care for a baby, then you probably shouldn't be having sex!

Last night we took the kids to the park down the street and took over the tennis courts. We don't really get to make it to play racquetball like we want to. So we had both tennis courts to ourselves and gave the kids each a tennis ball and a kick ball.

I think "N" had more fun because he was our ball getter person. It's good quality active time to spend with the kids I think. We were able to play, the kids we playing with each other and then we were all able to do it all together.

I suggest that when the weather permits, you need something to do outside, go find a tennis court, and then let your kids take one court and you take the other (if no one else is around) and just let them play whatever and you and your spouse/friend can play. It was a little windy last night but it was really fun and the kids slept really good last night and since "O" was playing with leaves and stuff they had nice relaxing baths.

Try it with the kids and see how they do. I think they will have fun just doing their own thing and you doing yours. When it's time then you can all do it together. For them it's the time spent together that means the most, even if it is just getting the balls.

You know what I don't like about blogs? Having to come up with a name for every single one of them. After a while you just come up with dumb ones only because you don't know what else to call them.

Do you ever think that there is a point when you just run out of things to write about? I do and I'm struggling to write something everyday. I feel bad because sometimes it just feels like you just repeat yourself, kind of like ER for the past few years. No I don't watch ER (or TV) but it's been on for ten years or so.

So, what do you guys think about how the Presidential Race is going so far? I know it's way early but I think you need to start reading up on it so you can see how all the candidates are maturing (or in one case NOT maturing).  I just wish there was a real candidate that actually stood for something and wasn't so wishy washy. Remember, whoever we vote for will be the President for the next four years which can either make or break you financially or in other ways.

Ok off that tirade. So I'm changing my life and trying to make the best of living 2,000 miles from our friends and family. If you are like me then you need to listen to this. I don't care if you can afford it or not but I think if you need help, join a gym. You have to be careful with where you go but join one. Find one that has a good kid care area and find out the youngest they will take kids but do it.

It helps you because you become healthy. You meet new people who are also there for the same reason. The kids get to play with other kids and adults (the care givers). You get time away from the kids. I take my kids a few times a day and they really like it. I was surprised at how well "O" did considering she hated the last time she went to a gym.

Try it and if you don't know how your kids will react, see if they will let you sit with the kids before you sign them in just to see how they do. My gym did that and "O" pushed me out ten minutes after we went in. Now as soon as we walk into the play room she's saying bye to me.