Not making this my new year's resolution

So last year I decided to keep track of all my survey rewards and all my fun freebies. I think I did almost 100% on documenting my rewards for my surveys but with the move to Meade I totally fell off the bandwagon as far as recording my freebies. I think it's because I leave my laptop upstairs and forgot to log in. So I hope to do that this year but I thought maybe I would put my freebies in on this blog. We will see if that happens.

I have also done great with getting rid of e-mails from some companies that I had gotten on a mailing list of or even some of my surveys. I discovered I had WAY. Too. Many. For the last week I have been able to go to bed and have no new emails which is a first in a very long time so I think I am on track with that. Now I just have to refigure into what to do with that time. And there was a LOT of time on the computer. I am hoping to read more books this year. Attempt a new workout program. Which I did ten minutes of today and the only good that came out of it was a HUGE appetite. So that part wasn't helpful. In all actuality I'm not sure how much more free time I will receive as we just purchased a house. Kind of made for a crazy Christmas break trying to plan all of that, thinking we had lost the house and then getting told we had it and needed to hurry and secure a loan and want to close on Feb 14th. Kjell really liked the house, I really liked not having any debt but we had both said if the right house came along and it was priced where we thought it should be we would go forth. (I should have known Kjell could find something so quickly so I could have saved a bit more for a down payment but that is in the past now!) After he refell down the stairs yesterday we are all ready to get out of this house! lol not really but the stair are scary.

So today I've been working on getting all of our paper work in. We found a 30 year loan that is locked in on an interest rate for the first seven years and then it can change so it's a fairly low rate, but I plan to have the house paid off in seven years. Yes Kjell and I and the kids are entering into a seven year spending freeze. Not really but close enough. I was very excited with the loan I found until I started reading reviews today and there were a LOT of complaints but mostly about people trying to refinance. Our rate is low and I have no interest in having the loan long enough to refinance so I hope this all works out..I just pray that God gets us through this. Everything else happened so smoothly I'd appreciate this going smoothly as well!

The kids are growing up so fast. Kiah is going to learn to read this semester at school she is totally ready and has been making attempts already at home. We still do our four preschool papers a couple times a week at home we are supposed to do them everyday but life is too busy for that! Justus and Kiah fight like cats and dogs, Kiah is a great tattler too. I saw her the other day throw Justus to the ground and then he hit her in retaliation and he told on her. I have to be very careful and very patient with these two. I am reading a good book on raising children biblically I don't remember what it is called and it is upstairs and if I walk up the stairs I risk waking up Justus. I am also reading a book called Money, Possessions and Eternity. By Alcorn. Another very good book. I should have had this book read through before the house purchase and allowed Kjell to read it but it's too late for that now! :)

Justus is finally starting to talk more. This morning he asked me where daddy was because it's his first day back to school. Justus also tries to get on the bus with Kiah so he can go to school and even kisses me goodbye. Next year will be hard when Kiah is gone all day.

Karis is working on teeth and thinking she is big enough to sit up but her body hasn't allowed her to yet. It will be very soon. She is the smiliest child I have ever seen. She just makes everyone around her happy. She rarely cries and is content to sit in her swing (and actually perfers it to almost everything else ) during the day.

No you didn't get a Christmas card from me, but yes you should have. My pictures got "lost in the mail" The company gave me my money back but of course I got a great deal on them so they are out nothing today I asked them to resend the pictures we will see if it happens.

Oh and for today's freebies. I got a Kids' Pork Cookbook from the national pork board, and a tour wrap for my gold clubs, because I have golf clubs (nope) anyways that was from golf digest. Plus I cashed out one of my surveys and received 20 dollars in my pay pal account.

SOOOOO HAPPY

well I am offically done with checking in on two survey spots. FINALLY. getting 20 + emails a day from one company and 15+ from the other was way too much and I just could never get caught up. I ended up cashing out with a $10 check coming and a $25 walmart gift card. But SOOO not worth me spending all my time on the computer. I will keep recieving the emails until my prizes get here and then I am totally deleting out of them for good it feels refreshing to see new ones come and just send them straight to the trash. Will more sites follow? I don't know yet a couple of weeks to see if this works is what I plan to do first!! SOOO excited though

the sites you may ask? Surveyspot.com and rewardport yes you get money but it takes way too much effort

so I've been purging

So I have been running around like a chicken with my head cut off since we have moved to Meade. I'm not sure what it is, the extra child, the super large house, more laundry, having more distractions in town i.e. a TON of family, my intense new Bible study, or my best guess a combination of all the above but I can't get caught up. When I started this chapter of my life as a stay at home mom I started doing online surveys to make a bit of extra money. I would devote about an hour a day to the cause and every once in awhile I'd make some money. It got to where I'd make about 300-400 dollars a year with some good other good things thrown in there some rewards or gift cards plus getting to try products out and I was hooked. So over the years I've started added more and more survey companies. Oh yeah and I should say I discovered google reader and several sites where they would post ways to get freebies, by just entering some mailing and general information about myself. All this was good, but all of this took time. But the reward (money, free stuff) was so thrilling and fun (I admit I do enjoy money, I like months where we out +s are much more than our -s and I felt like I was adding to this. But there is such a thing as too much of a good thing.Well this last year I think I just got too much of a good thing. I would find myself not able to get online for a day or two and end up 300 to 400 emails behind. So I started being on my computer (and will admit right now I still am on it too much) WAY TOO much. So I felt convicted to spend less time on the computer. It was a hard decision to make as for the last several months I've been making about 200 bucks a month in "cash and prizes" but at what cost? So that I'm too busy to spend time with my kiddos, that I don't do things I see as more important, spending time with Kjell (sad thing is we are both addicted to our computers) spending more time with the kids, writing in their journals, reading books or reading a magazine. So a couple weeks ago I just said I'm done no not even close to all done but I have decided to drop two companies I do surveys with. I didn't go cold turkey I waited until I could cash out of them and so far I've only been able to cash out of one. I had 500 unread e-mails and when I went to delete the new ones from them I had 57 the other company I can cash out of at 7500 points and I am waiting, right now I'm at 7413 so not very far off. I get roughly 20 emails a day from them. I also deleted one of my google reader things I subscribed to, I never got anything out of that one that one of the other freebie sites didn't talk about so I felt ok.

Do I think I will ever quit all my surveys? No. Will there still be a couple days where I'm online more than an hour? Yes, but that's ok I do consider this a part time job but when it becomes my life it's too much. I want to be able to take a day off and be able to get caught up. What have I done with my "free time" (which still isn't much because i just deleted the one company yesterday and I have a few days left before the other one will be to 7500) I've been praying, it might not be anywhere near what my great grandma used to do, she was a true prayer warrior and I have a long way to go yet but when I found out a friend's parent got cancer, a friend had heart surgery, several of my friends not living their lives for God instead of being too busy to do anything I pray. Such a powerful tool I have to use. Oh yeah and I can't forget praying for my kids and my husband.

We will see if I delete more but I feel so much relief just from these three "small" things I dropped see I had time to update my blog which I haven't done in forever and I feel that is important :0) I will keep you updated on if I delete more. I want my surveys to be a fun thing to do not a chore.

Oh yes today my little boy turns two. I can't believe how big/little he is! Justus and Karis both got dedicated in church today and I also have a new book to read, I don't remember what it is called but it shows us how to parent using scripture can't wait to start that book.

for my audience of not many

Good grief so I have totally let blogging slide. That's not really true but I think my priorities have changed slightly. Since the last time I wrote we have had a baby (July 23rd 2010 at 7 47 in the morning she weighed in at 8 lbs 2 oz ) we named her Karis (sounds like Paris) LouAnn (my mom's middle name and Kjell's mom's middle name) A week after that we moved to Meade to a house we thought was smaller than our last one but soon realized it is larger just hard to find places to store things in (ie no unfinished basement to just send castoffs into) Kjell started a new job, he is now an English teacher not a Social Studies teacher (don't tell him that though). Kiah started a new school as a peer model for an at risk class and now goes to school Monday through Friday from 12:10 to 3:10 and gets to ride the school bus. She LOVES it mommy still misses her old preschool and the fact that they could have Jesus time and I liked all the kids in her class. With being in an atrisk class Kiah is around students whose parents lead slightly different lifestyles from ours so she is seeing more of the world than I would like my little four year old to see but I pray not only can she be a school peer model but a spiritual peer model.

Kjell and I started helping with the Trek program here just like we had in Atwood only instead of like 5 total girls we have about 35 each week. We aren't in charge and I am super glad for that. It has been fun the two weeks so far. Our house also sold, and once again we got to see the hand of God and his perfect timing in our life.

We had planned to go to Colby for my 6 week (only we went at 5 since six would have been Labor day) appointment so I could finish all my bills out with one doctor and get cleared so maybe I can get some insurance now that I'm not pregnant. As we were on our way our realitor called and said she had an offer on our house. Now that just doesn't happen houses in atwood tend to sit, and sit and sit. Some of the house we looked at three years ago just recently came off the market we were hoping and praying for maybe a years worth of waiting at best. The offer was a lot lower than we wanted but after some haggling we got it sold at a very resonable price for everyone involved. So since we were on the way there we got to sign all the preliminary paper work that weekend sleep in our house one last time (and shed A LOT of tears we did so much to that house !) We will probably close by the end of this week. So the house is already being lived in by their stuff we only had it on the market one month that we didn't actually live in it. So very amazing. God is so good!

Three kids is a HUGE difference to me than two kids. I have felt like I just can't get everything done. But I did go from cleaning 7 rooms in the old house to 12 so that makes some difference. I just feel like I can never get everything done. As we speak I have 223 new messages in my google reader and about 500 e-mails. I haven't written in my blog in forever I guess I just don't get on line as much as I had been I just spend more time with the kids and what will really matter when it's all said and done is them. I'm just glad one of the biggest messes in my life (my email and google reader) is something no one else can tell how cluttered it is.

We have found a new play group and gone to that once, it meets every other week and there were a TON of people there last time. We really enjoy our church already and now with living in Meade and Kjell working in Minneola we are adjusting to trying to be involved in two communities. Oh and probably where a lot of our time is going. My parents live here it has been so nice to have that I think we we didn't Kjell and I would both think we had two very horrible children. It's sad to say but Kiah and Justus bring out the worst in each other. several times we have taken one of them with us along with Karis and gone somewhere. And they act great but when you put those two together oh my they sure do love to fight! I'm also probably going to get fat living in Meade. The first weekend we were here my mom and dad took me to an orchard and made me pick 100 pounds of peaches. just kidding we all picked! They were the best peaches I have ever had you could eat them while you picked. Mom and I made about 24 peach pie fillings to freeze and several cobblers and crisps Kjell thought we were going to be cooking every night we lived here! Mom also likes to give us her cast off desserts so she doesn't eat them all.... so then I eat them all ... lol.

I could write for about an hour more but I forgot to mention I am also doing a Bible study on the book of Hebrews and that's exactly what it is IN Depth study I feel like I'm taking a master's college class. I also worked out for the first time today since before Karis was born... I miss that feeling I used to get from being done and feeling good.. and then going in to the kitchen to grab a cookie..... so for my audience of maybe two... hope you enjoyed :)

Time line

Here is our next few weeks
Tomorrow Going away coffee for me 9:30 -11:00
Friday Kiah goes to Bible School
Saturday Kjell's championship swim meet in Lexington NE (no I will not be going)
July 23rd Baby is BORN
July 24th Kjell takes the test to see if he will be certified to teach his new subject ENGLISH... has to drive to Hays the day after baby is born... no pressure
Aug 2nd Moving day
Aug 9th Kjell starts his new job

naw we aren't busy or stressed.............................

quiet house

I'm not sure what I expected when Kjell told me he planned to go to Topeka right before the baby came. He wanted to take Kiah but I said he had to take both kids. (Kiah is the very enjoyable one who can self entertain.) Justus is still at the age where he needs to be watched A LOT and follows me while I'm cleaning and undoes the work. So I made a list of what needed to be done (besides hosting a basement sale on Saturday) and already my list is finished, my email is caught up no small feat for me because I average 45 a day with my surveys and freebies stuff. I got all the boxes packed I said I needed to, I've watched WAY too much tv and I scrapbooked 14 pages. I'm so glad they are coming home on Tuesday. Any longer and I think I would go crazy. It's been nice to get some things done but I miss them! It's funny Justus and Kiah sound the same on the phone. I know them apart though because Kiah uses words and Justus doesn't but their voices sound the same. Tomorrow I have a coffee with a group I joined when we first moved here. They are doing it as a going away for me which I think is really nice. As long as I don't forget about it, I've had to remind myself four times I have plans in the morning. Oh and I've even wrote in the kids' journals if I didn't have kids and I didn't have a job..... wow I would be bored out of my MIND..... I guess the good thing is I still have the little one karate chopping my ribs to remind me I'm not alone :)

I honestly say every time I have a long pause I'm going to write better. But I never do. Honestly I wonder at times what I would do if I did have a "real job" outside of the home because it's hard to keep up with everything all the time just staying home.

This summer is totally flying by and in less than two weeks we will have another child my ribs couldn't be more ready with all of the pain I have been in the last few months. I finally (yesterday) broke down and started taking Hydrocodin again. It's supposed to help the pain and it did yesterday but today I took two and it didn't even touch the pain. I remember that after Justus was born yeah I had a huge long gash out of my lower stomach but there was INSTANT relief from my ribs. I tell you what as soon as the uterus gets big enough to touch that spot it's like a constant burn.

In about three weeks we are moving. It's been pretty bittersweet. We can't help but laugh when we find ourselves in tears over leaving this house. When we got here we were in TEARS and wanted to run after our friends and go back to Spring Hill. The house was horrible I still look at the "before" pictures and want to throw up. It was just an awfully maintained never updated house. But we put so much sweat, work, ideas, dreams, and even some money to make it what it is today. It's ours and it's almost like we are losing a part of us by having to leave it behind. But with the Atwood market we can probably visit it for at least three more years because it will still be on the market. lol! I will miss my porch and Justus's room the most. His room is my favorite room in the house because it was all my dream the colors and the stripes. I just love it. I feel bad for Kjell too because he put so many hours into the yard. And it's finally getting where he wanted it, and we can't see the fruits of our labor.

I am alone for the weekend not sure if that deserves a happy face or a sad face. Some minutes I'm glad for the silence others I miss the kids and Kjell so much. I do have a VERY long to do list with scrapbooking being my break. Seeing as Justus is yet to be born in photographs I have a long way to go! I had a garage sale today and tomorrow after church I will work on getting Kiah's room more packed. Today I worked on the bathroom a bit and realized I will never in my lifetime have to buy shampoo again. Too many sales on Sauve over the years has us with about 10 free bottles of that stuff and then I get so many free samples. Good grief I didn't know I had so much!

Speaking of free samples last month was a very good month I'll mention my tops because it would take me all night to mention all the goodies. I keep getting gerber formula coupons because they think I have an 11 month old (?? tried to fix it online but it wouldn't let me) so I sell them on ebay so I had some of those and sold them for 10 bucks so that was nice, a secret deodorant, those always seem to come in spurts but I love when I get them because it's really at least a months worth of free deodorant! I got a gillette power razor that Kjell is TOTALLY jealous of he told me it looks like a boy's razor that is just because he wants to use it. That one took me forever to get because I kept misreading the form and barely got it figured out in time to get one! I got another small bottle of pantene shampoo and conditioner. I think that makes five of those now. Not sure why they keep coming! a Ritz Crackerfulls sample oh my goodness those are YUMMY. They will be on the list of things to buy (see free samples really do make people buy things, for me not often but sometimes they do) Oh yeah totally forgot (which is why I type these all up now. I won another houseparty last month and got a gazillion things for my frebreeze party here's what I got 1 Febreze apron, 1 pack of napkins, 2 febreze room sprays, 5 flameless luminaire starter kits, 8 set and refresh starter kits (Hawaiian aloha), 8 set and refresh starter kits (linen & sky), 10 scented reed diffusers, 18 luminaire refills, 20 Sandra lee entertaining tip cards, 180 set and refresh coupons (house party.com) some of these products are 15 bucks in the store I think the whole pack was worth 300-400 dollars. Now I didn't keep all that I had several friends over for a party and then gave some to my mom and mom in law as well. Crystal light samples came too three of them. I can't wait to try them I need to. add to that small stuff and A LOT of magazines and you have my month

As for surveys last month was awesome for that too I made $103 dollars last month. It was a good month and I am really happy with pineconeresearch now. You have to apply to them during "open registration" but you get about one survey a week and you get 3 dollars then sometimes if they think you fit what they are surveying about you may get a sample to test in the mail and then do a follow up survey for another 3 dollars. It's not very many surveys but it's an automatic 3 bucks in my paypal account which I enjoy.

Please pray for us as we face the road ahead I see baby and moving in our future but I also have a husband who has to take (and pass) a test to be certified in a new subject the DAY after the baby is born and get lesson plans done for a totally new subject. It is going to be quite the adjustment for the whole family. I still don't see how people who don't have Jesus in their lives can handle any kind of situation like this. If I didn't have Jesus I'd be freaking out big time right now... I love the peace he can give me