Tristan 6.5 MOs

Proposition 8 Must Read

Head on over the the "soapbox" on my blog roll. Her latest post is a must read.

Walmart Rampage

A few weeks back I wrote about my shopping experience at Wal-Mart and that I would never return. However before I go any further into my story a little BACK story may be helpful. I have always been a Wal-Mart hater from the get go. I saw a documentary about how Wal-Mart was forcing small business owners out of business here in America and having them take such profit losses on their goods to remain a Wal-Mart partner, or have the items shipped overseas to be made in China. Combine that with the infestation of a Wal-Mart on every corner, in every city regardless of the outcry and protestors, I decided years ago Wal-Mart would never get my business. (let alone about the terrible story of the women who was badly injured and Wal-Mart suing HER for the settlement)
I started to date a guy while I was single that was a Wal-Mart LOVER, we would get in arguments over the store, and how he loved how cheap things were and after all it’s a buyer’s market, he went where he could save the most money. I argued that it didn’t matter that you were saving a few bucks if you were contributing to the bottom line of an organization that was EVIL! Well during the time we hung out we did in fact shop on occasion at Wal-Mart. There was no denying the cheap goods that Wal-mart provides and I could overlook the general populous that shopped there because I went there only on occasion.
However when Jonathan and I started to see the real increase to our grocery bill and we were trying to cut out any and all unnecessary expenses, we decided to switch to Wal-Mart for our food shopping. I planned my monthly meals, did my weekly shopping lists and it was a chore that we set out each Saturday to do…brave Wal-Mart. We did see a significant savings in our grocery bills between 20-30 dollars each week, but with that savings came a downside. I could not overlook week after week the people who shop there. Every week we would navigate down aisles where it felt like we were in battle. Hoards of people and carts were going every which way. The amount of people in the aisles were staggering, we were constantly having to stop, let people go by, ask to get by others, see children badly in need of a bath running around without shoes, dirty, trashy, families talking too loud, complaining about this and that…produce that was limited or reduced to very few items. We continued to shop week after week for about 2 months and we left Wal-Mart exhausted, and cranky. Well for me the last straw was that I decided to run to Wal-Mart without the family and get some needed items. I was there on a Sunday morning hoping to miss the majority of folks, and get some better produce. I arrive at the produce section and what do I see? A family with dirty children running around TOUCHING all the food and as they touch the food, swarms of fruit flies are hovering. I was disgusted! See- I love to cook. If I had more time I would try and plan gourmet meals for us to enjoy during the week. As it is, I feel like I do my best to provide a sit down meal for the family as often as possible. I really enjoy baking. My meal preparation and planning is calming to me. I feel good about providing this to my family. I work full time but I never want my kids to feel that we didn’t have dinner together as often as possible. I have the staple meals that I can make without thinking but when I plan on doing something special the shopping is PART of this process. To wander around a store and look and smell the imported cheese section/ olive bar/ and artesian breads is a good thing. I see other patrons browse the organic section, see clean children, and to go to a produce section that is brimming with fresh goods that look like perfection, is the kind of food shopping that I enjoy. I want to be excited about the food that I will be cooking, and know that I didn’t just step into a war zone and battle my way out of a store. I want to know my checkers and baggers, see local sellers and unique items as I leisurely go up and down aisles in a store. I’ve decided my savings doesn’t outweigh the shopping experience at Wal-Mart and as such will no longer be giving them my business. Hello Harmons! Hello Fred Meyer(now smiths)! You have your old customer back and I will never leave again.

(Im putting in here a disclaimer...as a commentor mentioned, there are some decent Walmarts out there. However for me---- what it represents is what makes me not want to shop there. see video....just watch the first minute)

Elijiahs kind words

Khory was out of town for almost 2 weeks...which meant I had Elijiah all to myself during that time and I LOVED every minute of it. Khory came back on saturday and so he spent saturday night with Khory, but I went and picked him up sunday for church as it was the primary program. I arrived several minutes early. Heres how it went.

Elijiah- Mom you are early!
me- Yes sorry forgot what time I was supposed to be here, so I didnt want to be late.
Elijiah-Thats okay, Ive been missing you! Its been a WHOLE day!
Me- Yeah a whole day! Well Ive been missing you too!
Elijiah- That warms my heart mom, really warms it.....

I almost started to cry right then and there. Here is my almost 6 yr old son telling me that when hes away from me even for a day he misses me. I know this time is flying by. Soon enough he will be happy to not spend so much time with me...but for now I relish every second I can get.

ARE YOU EXCITED ABOUT TWILIGHT?!

Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!
*****
You are thoughtful and care very deeply for your family. A loving home is of great
importance to you and you always try to make people feel welcome. Although you have a great capacity to love, you also have a great capacity to hurt, so at times you can be sensitive. You're firm when you need to be, but people trust your judgment and appreciate the kind way you always handle things.
******
FUNNY!!!Who would have thought I would be Esme....?!

Elijiahs Kindergarten report card

click to enlarge...

Wild Ride of Nursing School- NOT!

Im just getting around to blogging about this. I had a good cry a week ago about it, and I figured Im in a better mental state to write about it now. I posted something similar about a year ago when I got my acceptance letter in September 07. Jonathan and I discussed options and we decided that we would put the house on the market, hopefully sell quickly(as the housing situation wasnt as bad then as now) and perhaps I would either quit my job at Disney, or see if I could reduce my hours, and go to school. So that was the original motivating factor in putting the house up for sale. Several months went by and I contacted the school as me starting in January wasnt going to happen...for one thing being pregnant and starting a program was suicide, and another we still had the house. I was able to defer for a year, and I was thrilled. I felt that for sure by then the house would sell, the baby would be older and I could juggle. With each passing month that the house didnt sell, Jonathan and I would have the conversation about what we should do. We discussed keeping the house(not a favorite thought), not going back to school and perhaps we should still try to sell, but buy something more for our long term plan(bigger house). I went back and forth on - giving up my dream of being a nurse one that I had since I was 12, to Im an adult, with a family now, its not the right time to go further in debt, only to make about 1/2 of what I am making now etc. Ultimately the decision has been made purely by default. I have no idea what I would have chosen to do should the house have sold. The responsible me would say nope, weve got two kids, we want another one, we need to focus on them. The other part of me feels like a piece of me is dying- for all the hard work and sacrifice to have this option and seeing it go down the drain. What a bummer. As many of you know I got my BS degree at the time due to the wait for nursing. However when I was pregnant with Elijiah I went back to school to take all the nursing pre-reqs and then was placed on the wait list for FIVE years. 5 people! Ive worked in a job that is not professionally exciting to me, for the dream and hope of doing something that is meaningful, provides me more time to be with my kids etc etc. Now faced with the idea that the job I do everyday is possibly the same job Ill do for the next 30 years is unbelievably depressing. When I "officially" declined this next semesters start to the program, she let me know that if I were to change my mind or want to re-apply the wait is about 3 years now. The only thought that came to my head-- "oh goody". I dont think Ill put myself through all of this again, but who knows maybe when im 50 Ill think about it.