Husbands and Rings

Four of my five daughters have been blessed with wonderful husbands.  The fifth daughter is not in the market for a husband.  She is only 17 and it will be over my dead body that she becomes engaged!  The choice in husbands is as diverse as their engagement rings.

Engagement rings can be sentimental.  My oldest daughter wears my mother's ring as her engagement ring.  It is simple and modest.  It doesn't even fit the right finger, but to size it would remove the engraving on the inside.  It means so much to her, and so does he.

Another daughter was very excited about the possibilities her engagement ring could be!  Shopping together with her husband they scoured jewelry stores.  Jonathan's Fine Jewelers.  Jared's.  Tiffany's.  The skies the limit and she has a beautiful ring that she adores.  And she adores him too.

The third daughter to get married is an artist.  I'm sure you understand that it was virtually impossible for her husband to find the right look she was going for.  Together they shopped and found a timeless vintage piece. In combination with a diamond from his mother, it is perfect.  And her husband is the perfect match for her too.

And the fourth, always so laid back, easy going, and happy with just about anything, did not have much to say in the choice of her engagement ring.  I know they talked about it, and maybe shopped a little, but in the end, her husband did the choosing.  The ring is all she could have wanted.  And so is he.

This is a sponsored post for Jonathan’s Fine Jewelers, however, all the points and views are my own.

The Agreement

My best friend's sister has a rather large family.  She and her husband made an agreement when they go married about how they were going to choose names for their children.  He would be the one to choose the boys names and she would choose the girls.  They started their family, and you guessed it, boys and boys and more boys!

He decided to name all of their boys after mythology.  They have a Ulysses, Ares, Theosopholis, and Zeus, and others I can't remember.  I'm sure I am not spelling these correctly, but I abolutely love it!  She abided by her agreement and their family of mythology sons continues to grow.  Now some think she was crazy to stand by and keep this going, but they are the most beautiful family.

And think when they are older!  There is an err of confidence going to Hercules Tire Sales.  Or listening to a sports analyst named Zeus.  And wouldn't you want to do business with Ulysses?  And how about having an Ares, the Greek God of War, in your platoon?

I love this family.  And if it makes you feel any better, they did have twin girls.  Karyn and Taryn I believe.

This is a sponsored post for Hercules Tire Sales, however, all the points and views are my own.

The Pitch For Miles!

I played softball for many many years when I was younger.  I have so many great memories of this time in my life.  I started in 4th grade and played through high school and loved every minute of it.

Of course there were those times where you had a bad game, or we got pounded, but still, I was with great friends and we endured together.  My favorite memories are those games where we came from behind and ended up winning.  And my most humorous memories occurred when we were so far a head of the other team that our coach let us play different positions.

On one such game, we finished another inning of going through our batting order... twice.  This poor team couldn't get us out any other way unless we "popped out".  We knew it was time for the crazy switching of positions when we went to the field.

I played short stop and my best friend played third base.  She wanted to play catcher and so we thought it would be fun if I pitched to her.  The warm up before each inning?  This one was epic.  We had our shortest player on first base, our rather solid catcher barely making it out to right field, and I was warming up my pitching arm.  I was so concentrated on trying to get it across the plate, my catcher was very concerned that I was just lobbing a perfect home run pitch.  I could throw very hard... over hand.  It was this underhand pitching that was messing me up.  She kept yelling, "pitch harder"!  I send another strike across the plate and she would just yell "pitch harder"!  By the third time I was ready to just send a missile at her!  I did a windmill style softball pitch and nearly threw my arm out of the socket!  And the pitch was hard!  Very hard!  It flew right passed the batters head, over my "catcher", over the back stop, and so far into the parking lot that the ump just got another ball.  This pitch went for miles!

This is a sponsored post for Pitch Harder, however, all the points and views are my own.

Hardly Ever A Problem

These days, it seems like no matter where you work, or what you do, you need computer skills.  Like it or not, we have become increasingly more dependent on computers.  I must admit that there are days where I'd like to throw the whole thing out the window, but for the most part, I work online without much trouble.  Why?  Dedicated Servers.

When I talk to friends and family working on their computers and they are experiencing problems, I can honestly say, I usually am not.  My company has a dedicated server, which means I am not working online with the rest of the world.  I am only working with my fellow employees.  Our server is not shared with anyone else and gives us higher performance.

There is also the added benefit of security.  We have a tech person who manages our server completely.  He adds security patches, designed to fix problems, improving the usability and performance.  I love our tech person.  When I have any kind of problem, I just give him a call, and he usually knows there's a problem before I even get to him.  Another fabulous thing about dedicated servers.  We all work together, and like I said before, hardly ever a problem.

This is a sponsored post for Hivelocity, however, all the points and viewsare my own.

Obedience

I think everybody's been there.  It's that moment when you think you have the skills to be your own tow truck service.  Sure Towing San Jose is not that expensive, and certainly worth the peace of mind... but the thoughts still come.  "Oh yeah... I've got a rope."  "If I come up slowly behind you, I could push you with my car!"  "It's only a few miles to the house."  It was the second one that I got caught up in.

I'm cheap.  I didn't want to pay for a tow truck to take my daughters car around the corner and up a few blocks.  I decided I would drive my car and push her in hers.  I gave her exact instructions... extremely detailed instructions.  Do not use the gas.  Do not use the brake.  Just coast.  Let me judge the speed as to how I will connect the two vehicles, my front end to her back end, and I would simply push her home.

There were a couple of times that I pushed her kind of fast and she got away from me, but obediently, and just as I had instructed, she did nothing.  I gauged the speed and then pushed some more.  It was working beautifully.  Then we were turning into the driveway and my driveway is slanted upward quite a bit.  I gave her a running push and then braked at the bottom of the driveway.  Her car ALMOST made it to the garage.  It started to roll back... picking up speed... and I thought surely she would brake... but no... I had told her explicitly to never brake.  And never brake she did... as she crashed into the front of my car.

I wish all of my kids would listen as carefully and obey like her.

This is a sponsored post for D & M Towing and Transport, however, all the points and views are my own.

You're Going To Break That

Kids have this insatiable desire to touch things... over and over and over... and over... again.  It simply a boredom issue but never the less it certainly does get annoying... particularly when you know their constant messing with something will result in it getting broke... but they can't see this except when it happens right before their eyes.  A light switch for example.  It has to be turned on and off.  On and off.  ON and OFF until the light bulb blows and then they are amazed.  Other things they can't see that it is there constant wear and tear that resulted in the breakage.

A car has multiple opportunities for this type of breakage.  The radio buttons have to be pushed at a rate of 12 times per minute.  You know... the always checking to see if there is a better song we might be missing.  The window has to go up and down.  Up and down.  UP and DOWN.  But the latest breakage was the console thingy between the two front seats where you store CD's, etc...

It has a latch... that when resting your arm on the console... you can pop the console open and shut... with the touch of your fingers.  It makes me crazy.  I tell them over and over and over... and over... again.  And last week I was driving by myself and the console floated up on it's own.  It won't stay shut.  The little latch has been bent to wear it doesn't catch and now it won't stay shut.

I'm telling you that auto repair columbus new exactly what the problem was... "your kids play with it right?"  "Did you tell them that they were going to break it?"

Yeah.  I did.

This is a sponsored post for A-1 Streamline, however, all the points and views are my own.

Tricks

One of my daughter's friends spends a lot of time at our house.  She's like part of the family.  One day as I was explaining to her that in order to get a picture on our TV, she would have to tape the cable on the back at a very specific angle.  I demonstrated and it worked perfectly... but her reply makes me laugh to this day:  "I love your house! Everything in it has a special trick to it!"

And indeed it's true.  My iPod works if you jiggle the earphone cord.  The window will stay open with a wooden dowel placed to hold it up.  Produce has to be kept in the outside fridge because it will freeze in the one in the house.  And this is just a tiny bit of the "tricks".  And if we're to call them "tricks" then our cars are amazing magicians!

We buy used cars.  My family has always bought used cars.  From Boulder used cars, to San Diego used cars, to Rhode Island used cars... it just doesn't make sense to buy something new that will depreciate in value over night.

You must carry water with you when you drive the van because you have to fill the radiator every 1/2 hour.  The blue car has to be entered from the passenger side only.  The window in the Jeep had to be taped in the up position.  The tiny red car will over heat if you don't leave the heater on ... all... the... time.  Even in the summer.

We live a magical life don't we?

This is a sponsored post for Valley Dodge Chrysler, however, all the points and views are my own.

Means of Transportation

Automobiles have greatly improved our ease of travel throughout the years, although, they have certainly gotten more complicated as well.

I mean really.  On a horse and buggy, just how many parts are there that could possibly fail?  And we could go back further when it was just the horse and we have even fewer mechanic parts that could cause us trouble.  And you certainly didn't see horse repair shops, or horse mechanics, or horse body work.  And how often did two horses wreck into each other?

But then again, we should be grateful.  We have comforts such as air conditioning when it's too hot and heat when it's too cold.  You certainly didn't have these luxuries riding across the country on a horse.  Even the buggy did not provide much temperature assistance.

Road trips are epic.  Every person out there has a great road trip story.  There is just something about everyone being contained in a car, driving for hours and hours, and creating all kind of ways to either entertain, or keep the driver awake.  And look at all the jobs cars have created.  There are mechanics north and south from Auto Repair Bismark to Auto Repair Austin.and from coast to coast.  So take that road trip and you know your means of transportation will have somewhere to go when it acts up.

This is a sponsored post for Carter’s Transmission, however, all the points and views are my own.

Point A to Point B

When looking for a car, all I care about is getting from Point A to Point B.  Basically, I see colors and shapes.  My Dad and my brother on the other hand, see make, model, year, accessories, upgrades, and countless other things that I am completely blind to.  When my brother exclaims "just look at that Camero" I have positively no idea what I am looking at.  And if it wasn't for my having grown up with him and knowing of his obsession with cars, I wouldn't even realize a "Camero" was a car!  And when he calls to tell me he saw a beautiful Volvo West Palm Beach, I know where West Palm Beach is, but a V o l v o?

My breakdown of the intricacies of cars is categories.  Cars.  Vans.  Trucks.   Recently, I felt I could add the SUV category.  Other than that... they are all the same.  Cars bring the most confusion.  Honda, Toyota, Volkswagon, Buick, Chevy, Ford... I couldn't tell you which was which if my life depended on it.

I borrowed the car from work to drive to another office.  I stopped to pick up something at WalMart and when I walked back out to the parking lot... I HAD POSITIVELY NO IDEA WHAT I WAS DRIVING!  Truly... I could not remember the color.  I told you.  Point A to Point B.  This is my level of interest in cars.  I made a mistake in calling my co workers to ask them what the car looked like.  My dilemma has brought jokes and laughter for some four years now, so truly they should all thank me.  Every single person in that office said "it's a two thousand and blah blah, white,  Chevy blah blah".  No help whatsoever.  There were just too many cars for me to walk up to each one and try and read the little metal piece they stick to the car that says the brand.  Finally, someone said, "look at the key fob".  The what?  And yes... I walked up and down each aisle of cars pushing the "key fob" until a white car started honking and blinking.

And you know what?  If you parked the car in my drive way, I wouldn't know whose car it was.  Point A to Point B folks.

This is a sponsored post for Foreign Affairs Auto, however, all the points
and views are my own.

Mattress NYC

One of my incredibly adorable granddaughters lives in NYC.  She was born there which makes her a true New Yorker... a distinction that her parents will have to wait a few more years for.  But my granddaughter is the life and energy of New York.  Central Park is her play ground with the carousel being her absolute favorite ride.  She rides the subway a midst such wonderful cultural diversity and smiles, flirts and sometimes stares into the souls of her fellow passengers.  She visits museums.  I think she has played at every park with a water fountain, or water pad.

And she knows the food.  Ice cream from the Big Gay Ice Cream truck or a cupcake from Magnolias... the girl knows she is surrounded by yummy goodness.  I sometimes wonder if she has any idea that the rest of the world is not so lucky when it comes to great eats.

But when she can't go out, her home is a rather small playground.  It's an apartment.  A nice and fairly large apartment by New York standards.... but never the less an apartment.  And this is where her parents have become creative.  The couch... the bed... become trampolines.  Yes... she's a kid... and she needs to jump and play.  The mattress is also the foundation for pillow houses that her parents build for the sole purpose to kick down.  Mattress NYC is where all the Disney princess come to play.  It is where all the stuffed characters of Sesame Street come to sing.  The mattress is where forts are built.  And Mattress NYC is where lazy days of reading every book she owns is the past time.  Sometimes Mattress NYC is better than Central Park which is really saying something.

This is a sponsored post for Jen’s Beds, however, all the points and views are my own.

Things To Ask

If you reach a point in your life where you need to file for bankruptcy, it's important to do it right.  Save yourself a headache and regret by getting a bankruptcy attorney.  From Oregon to north carolina bankruptcy attorney is the most important part of filing.  How do you find the best attorney?  Ask questions.

How much of your practice is devoted to bankruptcy?  You want an attorney who does this day in and day out.  There are far too many details to leave it to someone who does the "occasional" bankruptcy.  How can you contact the attorney?  Obviously you want an attorney you can get a hold of.

Ask them if they think you are a good candidate for bankruptcy.  Will it benefit you?  At the very least they should be able to explain the difference between a Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy and which one would be best in your situation.

How much is the attorney's fee?  An attorney should always give you a written fee agreement.  I know when filing for bankruptcy, the person filing is already in financial trouble and most likely does not have the money to pay a lawyer.  Keep in mind that the old adage "you get what you pay for" was probably invented to describe attorney fees.

This is a sponsored post for John T Orcutt, however, all the points and views are my own.

Vacation Prep!

Every vacation has what I like to call the "Prep Period"... things you have to do or take care of prior to departure.  Obviously... depending on the destination... this "prepping" varies greatly.

Acquiring and packing all kinds of gear is the majority of your prep for a camping or outdoors type vacation.  Gathering good books, comfortable clothes, and researching sites to see would be the prep for staying at one of  Marthas Vineyard hotels.  The prep for a Disney World vacation is fraught with amazingly diverse areas of "prepping".

Just take a few moments to search the internet and you will soon see that your prep will cover a wide array of areas.

With a destination such as Disney, searching for places to see, things to do, could take weeks, months, years!  You just have to cut it off somewhere and decide how much time you really have to comb the internet without losing your job.  What you will wear is important, but what you will wear on your feet is incredibly important.  The internet will tell you that you will walk an average of six miles a day when vacationing in Disney World.  This brings me to the all important prep... physical prep.

I have been walking four miles every other day and all ready I have a blister on the bottom of my foot.  This tells me that my prep could not have been more important.  I am hoping this blister will turn in to a tough hard callous that will get me through.  And why am I only walking every other day?   Well I figure half the time we will cool ourselves off at the pool and what kind of prep do I need for that?  Oh yes... sunscreen!

This is a sponsored post for Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce, however, all the points and views are my own.

Calculations

When you have a lot of kids, you start to do calculations.  I was never great at math.  I never really cared how fast the train was going, uphill, with a 500 pound load, in the wind, blah blah blah.  But one day, I wondered out loud "I wonder how many diapers I've changed in my life?"

All of my kids were potty trained after they were two years old.  Probably more like two and half, maybe three.  But for the sake of looking at the best case scenario, we will say two.  A kid averages about eight changes per day when newborn, and then up to maybe four when they are a toddler.  We'll average five per day to make it easy.  Remember?  I'm not good with math.  365 Days x 2 Years = 730 Days.  730 Days x 5 Diapers Per Day = 3650.  Now, this is where it gets good.  3650 x 7 Kids = 25,550!  OVER TWENTY FIVE THOUSAND DIAPERS!  I"m just calculating how many I've changed... what about the cost!  Aaaah.

And when the kitchen required a faucet repair, I thought that was weird.  Right?  I'ts not like we're swinging from a rope from the kitchen faucet!  And then my cute little guy ran in with a water balloon and I told him he would have to fill it up in the bathroom because the plumber was fixing the faucet.  Then the light bulb came on... and several calculations later... we came up with every time I go grocery shopping in the summer, I had bought a 100 pack of water balloons for the kids.  I shop once a week.  15 weeks of summer and that's 1500 water balloons!  1500 times a tiny little person... too short for the faucet... pulled him/herself up... by the faucet... hanging on... again by the faucet... while filling it up in a span of 3 months.

Calculations are costly.

This is a sponsored post for Rotorooter, however, all the points and views are my own.

The Man Loves Cars

My Dad's love for cars is significant.  Really.  You have no idea.  And it encompasses more than just the excitement of purchasing a new car.  It can be purchasing a used car.  It includes the care and maintenance of the car as well.

If my Mom makes an idle remark about how she likes the look of a car seen while they are watching television... she will have a new one by morning.  If my brother mentions he is looking at a particular type of car... my Dad will be in the dealership same day just so they can compare notes.  My brother lives in Michigan and my Dad in Las Vegas.  If we are out an about on a drive, and there is a car of interest?  It's all over.  And of course, the longer the drive, the more possibilities that we will be detained to look at a car.

You can only imagine the number of cars "of interest" when we made a family road trip from San Diego to Rhode Island.  Looking at the map and calculating what seems like a reasonable route would never lead you to believe that during this trip we spent a significant amount of time in a Milwaukee car dealership.  Yeah... look at a map.  Amazing right?  The man loves cars.

This is a sponsored post for John Paul’s Buick, however, all the points
and views are my own.

A Little Worn

I plan on selling my home in less than a year and although it seems sad to leave our tiny little home which is often packed to capacity with children, spouses, and grandchildren, it also causes me to worry.  We have lived here for over 17 years and there are countless memories in these walls.  And there was a lot of living.  Hard, 7 children under the age of 10, living.  This is no house to be sold in a Los Angeles Real Estate market.

There are definite stains, and worn areas of the carpet.  The carpet is darker walking into the front door, walking into each bedroom, and walking down the halls.  Wow... I wonder if it would even be possible to calculate how many little feet ran those routes?  Our doors are worn.  Really worn.  There is not a single door without a scratch, dent, or hole.  I'm talking w o r n.  But in all of this, the walls have taken the greatest beating.

There is the hole downstairs from two little boys playing soccer.  The hallway provided the best game and I must admit, I happily participated on many occasion.  Two players, one standing on either end of the hall, kicked the ball back and forth, trying to get it passed the other.  When they were 10 and under, no problem.  But as my boys grew older, their strength grew exponentially, and a kick heard around the world, screamed passed the opponent and through the wall!   The boys carefully moved our bookcase to a strategically new location, and I didn't know about it for years. Unless the purchaser of our new home wants the bookcase, we're going to have to fix that.

The garage is a unique structure with a storage room, and heated workroom located behind it.  Again, 7 children under the age of 10 and that meant multiple teenage drivers at one time.  I'm not sure why every single one of them felt there car was so enormous that they had to park half of it in the rooms behind the garage.  Maybe we could advertise as a 4 car garage?

This is a sponsored post for the Partners Trust, however, all the points and views are my own.

A Military Life

My Dad is a colonel in the Marine Corp.  He is probably the most patriotic man I know.  He loves the military and he has served our country faithfully.  Growing up, he frequently pushed the option of my brother and I going into the military.  I know my Dad had high hopes one of us would go to the Naval Academy and follow in his footsteps.  Neither one of us felt the desire and I know my Dad was somewhat disappointed.  Oh, he loves us both tremendously and has always been proud of us and supports us in anything and everything we do, but I know he could have vicariously continued his military career through us.  And then I had two sons.

When they were in elementary school my Dad sent them military fatigues.  I'm talking hat, shirt, jacket, pants, belts with the hooks for ammo, boots, the works.  In fact, one of my favorite pictures of the boys is the two of them, in their fatigues, standing at attention, and saluting.  Hard to believe that those cute little boys are now 19 and 20 years old.  Both would make excellent candidates for military service.

They have played sports.  Lots of sports.  They know how to be drilled.  Soccer dribbling skills, football practice drills, weight lifting, and tests of endurance have been part of their lives for at least 10 years.  Both of my sons know discipline and hard work.

They are smart.  They have goals.  And they are driven.  I'm not saying they are perfect, but they have the potential to be anything they want to be.  My oldest recently told me that he wants to do something meaningful with his life.  He wants to make a difference.

Grandpa may have a candidate for the military after all.

This is a sponsored post for Total Coach, however, all the points and views are my own.

It Felt Good

There's nothing like when your kids are in elementary school and the projects and events that encompasses those years.  The 100 day, where you child is to bring 100 of anything!  Fruit Loops on a string, stick pretzels, stickers, anything.  I love my youngest daughters idea:  100 pictures of herself all glued to a poster board.  (This was not my only indicator that she was comfortable with her appearance.)  Of all the fun activities, my favorite was always the Kindergarten Talent Show.

In kindergarten the talents are extremely amusing.  Sure there are some who are already taking piano.  There are also sports.  My children did a variety of things.  One showed her coloring and art skills with several noteworthy pictures.  She is an artist to this day with a drawing displayed at The Huntsman Cancer Hospital. My son brought continued pride to our family.  He stood on his head.  He was freakishly good at this talent.  He really could just bend over and pop his feet up over his head and stay there for as long as he wanted.  Sure the girl before him played some classical music piece, but my son was on his head!  It makes me smile to this day and I couldn't love him more.

Honestly, when I though of this I tried to stand on my head.  Granted, I'm 51, but I though this was fairly simple and not too physically demanding.  I was wrong.  It hurts!  The overwhelming weight of my body was too much for my gigantic head!  But I could see how if my head wouldn't hurt, this would feel good.  If I had the assistance of an inversion table, this would feel good to my body.  And maybe this is what it was all about with my son.  He was comfortable.  It felt good to be on his head.

 This is a sponsored post for Healthy Back, however, all the points and views are my own.

Finding the Honest

If it wasn't for the expense, it would be funny when your car is in need of service.  I know positively nothing about cars.  I categorize them as car, van, or truck and this is as complex as it gets.  When something is wrong with my car, I'm sure the auto shop has great conversations about my explanations.

"It makes a clicking noise, like when you put a card in the spokes of your bicycle tire."  "It sounds like something is grating, like when you sharpen a popsicle stick on the cement to make it a sort of spear."  "There's a little red light blinking on the dashboard in the shape of a helicopter."

Thank goodness I have an auto mechanic I trust explicitly.  Honestly, I do.  He could tell me "the wing wacker disengaged from the dilly womp and is now putting pressure on your fling dacker and it's going to cost $5000" and I'd say "Oh dear." and write the man a check!

From what I understand this is almost never the case.  But I beg to argue that it is like any other business.  There are good and bad.  People who are honest and dishonest.  And from Auto Service Columbus to auto service in California, literally, all across the nation there is a little of both and you just need to find the honest.

This is a sponsored post for Dipietro Tyre Centre, however, all the points and views are my own.

The Way to Go!

Europe has always been a dream of mine.  I have had a motto of "Europe by 50" for over 30 years now.  I realize I am 51, but I have convinced myself that I meant "Europe in my 50's".  This works for me.  I dream of eating my way through Europe.  I want to just soak in the ambiance and "hang out" with Italians eating bread, pasta, and canolis.  Being in Europe sounds heavenly, but I will admit the getting there concerns me.

I fly to New York often to see my daughter, son in law, and granddaughter.  If I fly direct, it is a four to five hour flight and I go crazy!  It is cramped.  I want to stretch out not only my legs, but my back.  Sleep is impossible.  If I am not on an aisle, I feel guilty as I constantly disturb those next to me in order to use the bathroom and walk a little.  How am I going to get there?

I'm guessing from New York to Italy is going to take somewhere from 9 to 10 hours!  That's more than twice what it will take me to get to New York!  I've contemplated slipping myself a "mickey" but what would I do if there was a problem and we had to land and switch plans?  Would someone be kind enough to carry me so I could continue my journey?  My solution is an easy one.  Well, easy if I become independently wealthy.  A private jet.  Yes.  This would work.  Perhaps it's not too crazy expensive?

There are Private jet charter services.  Just think of it.  All alone.  You can eat whatever you want.  Drink as much water as you want and no worries about how many times you need to visit the restroom!

I am saving for my trip to Europe, so I might as well include a private jet, right?

This is a sponsored post for Clear Jet, however, all the points and views are my own.

The Meal Strategy

My boys are home for the summer working their tales off to save enough money for another year of college. And when I say working their tales off, I mean it!  My older son is working for a landscape company mowing grass, edging yards, clipping and trimming bushes, pulling weeds, and even uprooting trees when necessary.  The labor is hard, and it is in the sun, the heat of the day, from 6:00 in the morning to 6:00 at night, sweating his way to another year of school.  My younger son is also doing manual labor.  He is working in a steel plant lifting heavy steel ties to a hook where it is lowered into acid, raised up again, where my son removes it and puts on the next hook, and so on.  He requires helmet, goggles, gloves, steel toed boots, and a shield of some sort that covers his ankles.  They receive continuous safety training.  He comes home filthy, sweaty, and exhausted.  I failed to mention his hours are 3:00 in the morning to 3:00 in the afternoon sometimes.  To say they both come home hungry would not come close.

When it's just my daughter and I, our meal plans consist of a nice big salad with salmon, or egg whites with spinach and a fruit salad.  With the boys, it is more than a meal plan.  It is a strategic and calculating procedure to make sure I can keep up with their hunger.

Dinners are chicken pot pie, salad, fruit, rolls, and a gallon of whole milk.  Another favorite is meatloaf, with potatoes, green beans, jello, rolls, and a gallon of milk.  This may not seem like an overly large meal, but you must know, this is only the "dinner".  Of course there is always dessert to follow, but then there is the "post" dinner which consists of the left overs from previous meals, but suffice it say, it is as large or larger than the first dinner.

Packing a lunch for a twelve hour shift is no simple matter either.  Two sandwiches, Naan with hummus, yogurt, cheese and crackers, a Clif Bar, a large fruit salad, fruit leather, cookies, an apple or nectarine, and the only reason there isn't more is because it won't fit in their lunch box!

This is a sponsored post for Xango, however, all the points and views are my own.