Can You Believe

Can you believe it's July already! It just seems like the kids are barely getting out of school and now for some they're getting ready to go back! Just where has the time gone? I know for me it's because I'm working offline again and still getting use to the long hours, but what about the rest of the world? Seriously, where has the time gone?


Joy Smith also known as The Insane Writer, is the author of the Sci-Fi novel, The Generation. You can email her at silent_beautie@yahoo.com She can also be found on Twitter @theinsanewriter and you visit her official website at www.theinsanewriter.com.WomenFreebies.com - Enter to Win Royal Secret II Perfume

Where's the Pool

Everyone has been asking where our pool is since most of our friends and family knows we own one. We have it. It's just in the garage and I have yet to drag the bulky thing out to use it because the hubby keeps saying no.

And it's not because it's in need of any major parts like pool pumps. All our pool simply needs is a filter and we can be playing in water for the rest of the summer. But it's going to take a great deal of convincing to get the hubby to budge and even if I did go out and purchase a filter for the water, chances are he's still going to say no because he simply feels like it.

Summer Clothing

My 12 year old wants to be either a treasure hunter or an archeologist when he grows up. I think that's awesome. So, over the weekend we hit up a few yards sales so he could find a few treasures to get him started. I also needed to hit sales because all of the kiddos needed clothing.

When my 12 and 7 year old came down I thought they had a week's worth of clothing, but learned differently. So I went ahead and bought them some more summer things. My step-daughter who is almost 9 has apparently hit a growth spurt. She went from just recently wearing size 10's and 12's to wearing 14's and 16's. And then I found a few winter things my step-son who is 7, could use. Plus, I found t-shirts for the hubby, so everyone is set!

Summer Dreams

One of the first things my husband and I talked about was updating our backyard. Of course now that the economy has hit home, those summer dreams of patio chairs and a table have been put on hold. There's also talk of a fire pit and Jacuzzi which would definitely be nice! Well, maybe some day when things get better. Who knows. Until then there is always a little thing called window shopping!

Walking the Dog

Not a lot of people know this, but we have a dog. She's actually my husband's dog and she's a very good watch dog. Any time someone walks down the alley or is near the house she lets us know. Yet she's kind to the family and those she knows are not doing any harm. She's a mixed breed which everyone says is the best.

One of the biggest problems we have is finding time to do much of anything like walking the dog. As a matter of fact it was one of the things I pointed out to my husband. So this summer when the weather gets nice, I think I'll buy some dog supplies like a harness and leash so that the kids and I can take her for a walk. I think it will be fun for all of us and especially nice for the dog! I just hope by then our finances will be a little better so we can do things like that!

Seeing an Old Friend

I've been thinking long and hard about a vacation. Maybe not right now, but this coming spring or summer would be nice. So that first thing I did today was put a little extra back in saving. Part of it will go for a new vehicle and part of it will go for a vacation.

What I would really love to do is visit my old friend from grade school who lives in las vegas nevada. And while we're there we could enjoy a nice hotel and some time at a spa. It would be great to get a way from reality for a a week or so! I also have an aunt and cousin who live on the way there, so instead of flying, we could always drive there! I guess what I need to do is set a goal for the vacation! Now if I can just get the hubby to save some vacation time! lol

Whimsical Hammock Chairs and Extra Income

Eventually if we ever have extra income to fix up this house, I'd like to get some backyard stuff for the summer. Maybe a hammock chair to sit in and enjoy while the kids play out in the sandbox and pool. Now those whimsical chairs you see with Gardenfun.com are cute as heck, but a bit girlish for any guy or couple. I think they would be awesome for a little girl's playhouse or anyone who likes the fairy flowers theme stuff. What do you think?

Free Chore Charts!

I'm a big fan of the Blog, Simple Kind of Life. Not only is Colleen funny, but she's even more insane than I am at times!!! Well, I'll sheepishly admit, it's been a few weeks since I've been able to drop by her blog. And today I was excited to find her post about Chore Charts from chorecharts.com.

For a while now, I've been looking for some great free chore charts and low and behold, I found them through Simple Kind of Life! Thank you Colleen!!!

I love chorecharts.com's ninja chore chart. I think will print that one out and the kitty chart. Summer can be soo much fun!!!

Summertime Fun

When summer rolls around, you can bet we'll be outdoors camping. It's one of our favorite things to do in the summer months. Since most of our camping gear has been around for a while, I suspect we'll be updating it for new stuff this year. I know we could definitely use some new sleeping bags and I noticed that shop4campinggear.com carries a decent selection of those. Reasonable prices too.

Their sleeping bags start as low as $23.49. How cool is that? If you're an outdoors lover as much as we are, you should definitely check them out.