My gripe about April

I am sure everyone is excited about it being April and that classes are over in May, which means just little over a month until we are done with this semester and summer break begins!! I, too, am ecstatic about this information! Summer is my all time favorite month and even though I work, I will have Tuesdays and Thursdays to do what I want! Woo hoo! But April is usually rainy and the weather is weird! This year, is especially true and shows a great example of why. Ever hear the saying, “April showers bring May flowers.” I think somewhere in that saying, it needs to have something about the old weather! One day the weather is around high 70s and hot. Then the next day it is low 50s rainy, and chilly! This weather is teasing me and putting me in a weird mood.

Last year I would have been starting track. I hated it, but it was the one sport I succeeded the most in. however, considering I hate the cold, wet weather it was even more horrible! Wearing those skimpy little shorts and beater I often froze at track meets and at practice!  Thank goodness that chapter in my life is over because I do not miss it at all! As you can see I am a big ol’ baby when it comes to being cold. My parents often tell me I have some sort of disease because if it isn’t 75 degrees then I have a blanket around me!

Back to April, I guess this is not anything new for this month, but is it just me or is it really colder than normal? Last week, I believe Thursday, it was SNOWING while I was at MSSU! I only remember one time when it was snowing in April and that was my freshman year in high school at track practice. (Imagine that!) The grass that has finally started to pop up front the ground is getting a rude awakening from this cold weather because, like I said, one day it is perfect weather and I am in shorts and a t-shirt, then the next day I’m about to freeze my bottom off! Poor, poor grass I tell ya! Also, I cannot decide when I need to put away my winter clothing, and I don’t always go home on the weekend, and it is hard to pack for a weekend when the weather is go crazy! It is also a royal pain to keep all my clothes instead of packing what I do not need away for the following year!

I will be ready when it is hot daily and I can finally put away my winter clothing! J

I also hope everyone had a fun April Fools day and a good week back in classes, even though it was a yucky half of a week!

aPRiL fOoLs!!!

Everyone needs to be ready for today! Put your hard cap on and do not jump! It is April first, and you know what that means! APRIL FOOLS DAY! There are many pranks to be played on others today but here is a little history on why today has to do with fooling others. Well, in the 16^th century, this is the day France would celebrate the beginning of the New Year. Pope Gregory changed the calendar in 1562 to the one we use today. So pretty much that is how it all started. There isn’t much to it, but how much involved could a day with pranks be?  I figured there would be something silly or crazy, but nope, it is just sort of thrown in there for a day that everyone can play pranks on others.

There are many jokes to be played on this fun little holiday. My little brothers teacher said she was going to put food coloring in their milk cartons. Hopefully little Kenny does not flip out! I remember when he drake soured milk; he washed his mouth out for a good 5 minutes.  Here are some that I have heard and some that have been played for years.

I heard on the radio, to purchase a jelly filled doughnut, get a straw, stick the straw into the doughnut and suck out the fillings. Then, get a bottle of catsup and squirt it into the straw and fill up the doughnut with it! Whoever takes a big ol’ bite out of that is going to freak out!

If your parents go out on April First, before they come home, get some plastic wrap (has to be clear) and stretch the plastic wrap all around the frame of the door, when they come home, they will run right into it!! It is defiantly something to see! At my house, by brothers tied clear fishing string to the front porch pillars and one evening I was in a hurry and ran right into it! Needless to say I hit the ground hard, got up and let my siblings know that I would do something way worse to them if they decided to pull that prank on me again. The boys never did it to me again, imagine that! Hahaha

There are also “gifts” you can purchase and give them to someone! I just recently figured that one out. If you know someone who smokes, there is an exploding cigarette pack. For an older person that smokes tobacco out of a pipe there is a pipe that will shock him or her when he or she goes to smoke it.

Just seeing the shocking surprise look on others faces is enough to make me giggle! Sometimes they know what is going to happen, but they forget it seems like, and all of a sudden they have that look on their face, screech, and jump backwards! It is all for fun and young children all the way up to adults all love this small holiday!

Spring Break was a grand ol' time!

Howdy everyone! Hope you all had a wonderful Spring Break! I know I sure did! As you know I and my rather large family went to Disney World in Florida. We drove the 21 hours there and the 21 hours back with only stopping to get gas in our vehicles. We arrived at our destination at 2:00 AM on Saturday morning and got some sleep before our adventures began.

Later on that morning, around 9:00 we all woke up and got ready for a long day at Downtown Disney, for those of you that don’t know, Downtown Disney is a gigantic place with little shops everywhere, and there was a large arcade for everyone to go in and it had four levels. I, personally, was not fond of the arcade; it is not my cup of tea, but I was pretty neat! We walked around all day and seen some amazing things. Each character had his or her own store.  After a long morning and a hectic afternoon, the little ones were starting to get a bit hungry, so we decided to head back to the resort, clean up , and head back to Downtown Disney to grab a bite to eat. That right there was a huge mistake. There were twice the amount of people there and the restaurant we wanted to dine at had a two hour wait, so we bit that idea in the butt and we to Planet Hollywood. There, only a 30 minute wait, was very cool. The inside was filled with all sorts of different things! Everywhere you looked there was something out of the ordinary. We ordered our food, which was rather expensive for what we got, ate, and headed to our new “home” to rest for the next day’s excitement.

Day two was amazing, probably my favorite one all! We went the Magic Kingdom! That is where the Princess’s live and all of the Disney characters! My little sister, Kaitlyn, was able to see Tinkerbell. Courtney was able to see Bell, Kathleen seen Bell, and I was able to see Jasmine! It was a day filled with fun and excitement! There were rides everywhere and they all were able to get some autographs from many of the characters. My little brother, Kenny Paul, seen Buzz and we were trying to make our way over to see Woody and his gang and it was close to 6:00PM, well we arrived to where he was and found out that he wouldn’t be back until tomorrow and with the tickets we bought we could only go there once. It was heart retching to see little Kenny in tears, he cried for a good two hours. Every time he would think about Wood, his hero, he would break down. So my mom did something that didn’t even cross my mind. She and Kenny walked about a mile to where the main desk was, asked if maybe Woody could sign Kenny book. The kind lady at the desk told her she would do her best to get him there after the fireworks display. That was good enough for Kenny, for now. By the time that all went down it was time for the parade. It was magnificent! All the characters were on floats that lit up in the night sky. It was very magical! Then, after that was the fireworks show, I am not joking when I say it was the most beautiful one I have ever seen! The colors filled the sky above the castle. Beautiful is the only way to explain it. After that was over, we went back to the front desk, to find that Woody didn’t make it, BUT, he was able to sign a personal picture with him and Buzz, that said, “ To Kenny Paul From Woody. Kenny also received a Big horse that Jessie road and Jessie got him a toy of her. Kenny was in high heaven! He was so happy and gave the lady a hug, that right there made tears come to my eyes! Thank goodness Kenny was able to see his hero!

The next day, our last day, we went to Typhoon Lagoon, a water park! It was awesome, to say the least. There is a ten foot wave at one section that came and knocked you on your butt! The whole experience there was truly amazing!

The next day we packed up, went to the beach and headed home. It was a great Spring Break, the best I have ever had, and I spent it with my family! The ride home was extremely long and tiring, but the little ones were very good. I think the older boys were a bigger pain than the four year old!! Hahaha!

I believe every child should get the opportunity to go to Disney World!

*HELLO Spring Break*

Man! It’s only two days till Spring Break and I am pumped!!! Actually, for me it is only one day because my last day of class is Thursday. After that all I have is a blog to write for this class and I am stress free, well, for a week that is!!My family and I are going to Florida and this is really our first big trip ever. Mom has always wanted to take us, but someone was always too little. Well, this year Kaitlyn is not tall enough but she doesn’t seem to mind considering we are going to Disney Land and she will get to see Mickey Mouse and Pooh Bear! I too am excited, that might sound childish, but I believe going to Disney Land is something every child should get the opportunity to do.  My two younger sisters, Kathleen and Courtney, were packed and ready to go on Monday! I am a little far behind and I have not even started!! I don’t even know where to begin! We are leaving early Friday morning and will get there Saturday sometime. Or we might leave Thursday night and get there sometime Friday. Either way it is going to be a looong and very packed ride. I just hope the younger children do alright sitting for that long. We will stop I am sure, but give me a break, I am certain that just a gas and bathroom stop won’t do for their energized young bodies and their sickness of being in a car, with a seatbelt over their chest.  Since we all cannot fit in just one of our vehicles (mom drives a suburban that holds 8 and there are ten of us) we are renting a very nice van that holds 12 and has a TV built in! Heck, we actually probably need a small school bus so we can all be comfortable and have enough room for all of our luggage! We are packing sandwiches for the ride up there to save money and time, which is a great idea, except on Friday for the reason that we are Catholic and cannot eat meat. Yeah, yeah, yeah there are PB&Js but ewwwww, I hate peanut butter, and so does half our family. I suppose we will just have to eat tuna out of those pouches. Fine by me though, I love tuna!

While we are in Florida we are also going to go to the beach!! I absolutely love the beach and think it is the most beautiful landscape to look at. My favorite thing to do when we get there is look out in the ocean and only see water and the sunset. It is the most relaxing thing there is.

We will be in Florida for four days, and those four days are going to be great! We will head home on Tuesday and arrive home on Wednesday! I am most defiantly dreading the ride home.

I  hope everyone has a great and safe Spring Break!!  J

little sisters :)

Ever girl has done this at one point in time. Babysitting; yes… watching one, two, sometimes three children for a night. It’s usually pretty good money and the kids usually behave fairly well for mom and dad being out of the house. Today, I am watching my baby sister. She is four and because she is the youngest she thinks she is the boss. I went and picked her up from preschool at eleven and told her gets to hang with big sis today. Like any little sister, she was excited.

She loves to go to the gym with me, so for our lunch break that’s where we headed. When I run she likes to walk next to me, when I squat, she gets the little two pounders and squats with me (it’s pretty cute). I even think she works up a sweat! After only about an hour it was getting time to start to head back to the office, and I had some work to finish up on. She usually behaves and occupies herself, but so far, not so good… I figured she was hungry so I asked her what she wanted, that was a mistake, of course, she wanted chicken nuggets; but we are Catholic and it’s Lent now, so that means no meat on Fridays. Finally, after a long talk she went with fish sticks.

When she was finally done, she decided to do the laundry, but dumped a whole bottle of hand soap in the washer. I had no idea this was going on and when I went back there to turn it on I seen her playing with my cat, Sophie. I turned on the washer and went back up front. About 30 minutes later I hear Kaitlyn, “Why is there bubbles coming out of the thing Jess.” I was not a happy camper. I really couldn’t get angry with her, she was only trying to help…I think. So I calmly explained why we use detergent instead of soap. After we worked together and got that mess cleaned up, she decided she wanted to color. Well, no biggy, I gave her the crayolas. Mistake number 1:  I didn’t give her any paper. Mistake number 2: I totally forgot that there was some permeate colored markers in the box… big woops on my part. Good thing mom buys those eraser things that remove everything off of the walls, floor, and the benches.

I’m usually a very observant person and pay plenty of attention to what she’s doing. I guess my afternoon I just have too much on my plate. And now, she’s trying to help me write this blog, so instead of typing this in about 7 minutes, it’s taken me about 30 minutes. Little ones are so fun. J  Guess she can help me clean the run outside and she can play with her bran spankin new princess bouncy ball that cost me $5.00. Having a little 4 year old to watch all the time reminds me why I don’t want any little ones any time soon. Lol ,even though she’s a cute and tries to help me with the chores. hahaha

FACEBOOK

Let’s face it; Facebook has taken over many lives. People all over the world have a Facebook account. Why? Well, people can reconnect with friends from school and see what they are doing these days. However, is this network a good thing to have?  High School students all over have Facebooks and they all like to post what they are doing and pictures of what they were doing. Facebook can get anyone in trouble.  I deleted my Facebook in the middle of my senior year, why? Well for the simple reason that many of my friends were getting called to the office about pictures they had posted. Just deleting my account doesn’t mean anything at all accept that I don’t have one anymore. My friends could have Facebook and post pictures of me on there and I could STILL get in trouble. Just because I deleted my account doesn’t mean that I can’t reactivate it and all of my pictures be back on there. No matter how safe YOU are on Facebook does not mean that your friends are just as safe. People are losing their jobs because of Facebook and some companies now, look at their employees Facebooks to see what they do. Even in job interviews, the interviewer will look and see if he or she has a Facebook.  And don’t forget about predators online. So is Facebook worth all this trouble?

There are some great points to why you should delete your account. And if the possibility of losing your job isn’t good enough, here are some other reasons why you should delete it.

1.       Even your data is shared with applications when you think it isn’t.

2.       It isn’t technically completely enough to be trusted.

3.       FACEBOOK CAN BE A BULLY!!

4.       Facebook makes it difficult to TRULY DELETE your account. ( if I wanted to reactivate my account all I have to do is type in my email address and my password and BAM it’s all back. All of my old comments, my pictures, and all my private messages.)

There are many more points also to add to this see, 10 REASONS TO DELETE YOUR FACEBOOK.

There are also reasons why Facebook is good, thought. When I first got facebook I hadn’t seen my half brother is years. Well, I searched his name and finally I was able to find his account. We still talk, just not on facebook. So, there are times when Facebook can reconnect family members and old friends. Since everyone has facebook, people can post events on there and when and where they will be at and everyone will be able to see the event this is because it is the top social network there is.  If you are just staying in contact with old friends and that is the ONLY thing you do, then Facebook is a great place to stay connected with them.

If you are like me and many others, then go ahead and delete that sucker! It can get you in a world of trouble…eventually. Here is a site where it will show you how to delete your facebook FOR GOOD!

http://www.wikihow.com/Permanently-Delete-a-Facebook-Account

What being over weight can cause

Today, it is very easy to gain weight, fast food restaurants can play a major role in the way we look like today. Sure I like the occasional Braum’s hamburger, but eating out every once in a while is very different than eating out every day for lunch. Staying in shape is a big deal to me. I was a High school athlete and was involved in volleyball, basketball, track, and softball. I was, and still am, very competitive. I never had to worry about my weight and I ate what I wanted to, and when I wanted to. I was active, and I could burn it all off in two or so hours. Well, that sure isn’t the case now. I have to watch what I eat, and I don’t eat when I want. Sure, I still stay plenty active, but I don’t always have time for spending two or more hours at the gym. My father’s side of the family has a problem with weight control, and that really stinks, they all have their own problems and some of them are caused because they are overweight.

High blood pressure is a condition in which the force of blood against artery walls is to strong. Over time high blood pressure can damage the heart, arteries, and even the kidneys. It is also one of the affects of being obese. It’s proven that the more weight a person gains the higher his or her blood pressure. Just losing ten pounds can make a difference. I understand that some people, who are not overweight, have high blood pressure.  This is just to show that everyone is built differently and staying fit can help a person’s chances of not having high blood pressure.

Diabetes can be another factor in being obese, especially Type 2 diabetes. Most that have Type 2 diabetes are overweight and are not usually very active. On my dad’s side of the family my uncle was just diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. The doctors told him that he needed to get his weight under control in order to try and get his diabetes under control. I wish I lived near him so I could help him. I really think that if he had someone to help him go through this that he would really try and lose the weight.

There are many more diseases that being obese can lead to, and America is known for our obesity. Just going to get your car washed can burn 18 calories. I think a huge part of being obese is laziness because I will eat a juicy, greasy hamburger, but afterwards I hit the gym, or run. On WebMD there is an interactive tool that will show a person just about how many calories it takes to do something. I think everyone should look at this. It is pretty amazing that with our technology today that we can see how many calories it takes just to walk a dog or wax your car.