Just had to Post Something...

***The flu has hit the Hines household... Kurt is a snotty, fevery, achy mess. The kids have been home as well but not sure how bad they are. We had over 100+ kids out of the school today due to this outbreak. I have been living on my Bath and Body Anti bacterial sanitizer! Love the stuff!

***Fall has turned into winter and back to spring all in one week. Sunday we had SNOW. Last week freezing cold rain, and today was a balmy 64. I hear it will be almost 70 tomorrow. I hope Friday night is mild for the last home game of the season.

***Kurt's team is doing well. They lost by a field goal last week:( I so hope they win the last game! That would be so sweet to win their first and last game... Good vibes!

***Called to re-up my XM Radio... When did people in Kentucky forget to speak English? I called for some info and could believe the accent. When the guy started talking about Wal-Mart I almost died. I thought of the website you all should look at: www.peopleofwalmart.com
Needless to say, I told the guy I would check out the XM website for more info.


***Abby finished field hockey this past week.


Halee broke up with Jon, then realized it was not what she really wanted. SO, they are back together. I think it was a total of 12 hours... Brock has started getting ready for wrestling by working out. Sophia has been figuring out who are her true friends at school and who is going to get kicked to the curb. Girl drama. I told her make friends with the boys they don't care about if she is talking to so-n-so, or what she is wearing.(well for now).

***I am going on call at the VA hospital for a bit. Need to get my head on straight and stop spreading my self to thin... Well I would like to be thin physically:) That's a whole other issue. I think I will stop there for tonight.

Biggest Loser...

I had such a great weekend! I had four days off to kick around. Thursday I took off with Brock and Sohpia to the Cape. Stopped at TACO BELL... I dropped them off in W Barnstable at my aunts home and continued to my BFF house in Chatham. I feel like I am a giddy school girl when we are together! I get totally recharged with her. She also is my sounding board and knows my crazy ways of how I am tough on myself and she snaps me right out of it. We had "bunch" at Larry's...
Off to pick up the kids, when I get there pizza is being served... Then dinner was chicken, rice, and salad. On the way back up to NH we stopped at Mc Donalds to pee, oh and to grab a McFlurry, and Iced coffee.
Saturday morning I head off to proctor SAT's. Must grab a LG iced coffee XX, but with milk. After that I went home to pick up the kids to go to the BHS football game (Kurt is head coach), I stop to grab a bite. LG steak and cheese w extra pickles... Are you seeing a problem yet? Oh just wait...
After the game, we head home and Kurt's parents are up. I am not going to cook cause I have nothing to whip up. I order a LG pizza, 2 Greek salads, 3 lg steak and cheese. After picking up this ardery harding crap, I stop at the grocery store for whoopie pies, ice cream, and a cake. Ya, a cake that should be for someones birthday that you should ask the bakery to write something on it. Nope not me I just get the blank cake with 2" of frosting. My heart is hurting just typing this.

Sunday I am up and out early to head to Acton to meet up with HS friends. Stop at DD to get, yup I am sure you know already... Lg iced coffee XX, but with milk. Does your heart hurt yet.
We all meet up and walk the Acton Famers Market, which is great. Lunch time... I have a quiche. Not bad, but not great. I say goodbye to my friends and head to my parents house. I sit with them and talk, my dad offers me dinner... TC LANDO's. I order a Apollo pizza, it is a white pizza w spinach, shrooms, onions, and some other yumminess. I did split it w my mom, but more freak'n carbs...

Monday morning. I did hit DD's and you all know what I get. I think I was in a food coma. I cant even remember much from Monday. Oh wait, I made turkey meatballs in sauce in the crockpot.

So all of this had made me take a look at my eating and lack of working out. SO, I am changing my ways. I am going to make "ME" a priority. I am going to work out and not feel guilty the kids are at home. They probably like me away a bit longer so I don't ask them to clean up or do homework. I am going to keep a food journal of sorts. I would like to be my goal weight by Feb 2010.

Go ME!!!

Dr. Jekyll or Mrs. Hyde?

So I was diagnosed with adult A.D.D. a few years back... I know SHOCKING, but true. I figured I had lived with it this long and hadn't taken meds all would just keep moving along like it always had. I thought back to my youth and came to the conclusion that the reason I was a bit of a mess in HS and college was because of my A.D.D. Back then society did not label everything like it does now and how if you have this(A.D.D.) you get a free ticket to so much! I read a lot about what to do for A.D.D. and what meds might help. I figured I would try them out. I went to the doctor and she gave me "STRATTERA". She said it would also help with my anxiety and crowd issues. Great! This was going to be a miracle in a bottle! Finally! Down the hatch they went. Oh boy, when was I going to feel like the perfect mom, wife, daughter, friend? One week, one month?

Needless to say, after about a month I wanted to take out my family and lock myself away. I had a hard time just getting through the day. It would take so much for me to be pleasant to people when they would come in to the Main Office. Then the smallest thing at home would set me off. I felt like I was Bi-Polar. My kids and Kurt would just look at me frightened. Kurt said to me "you are NOT the person I married". I was so upset that I freaked out my family and that this was not the super pill I thought it was going to be.
I have stopped taking them and waiting for it to get out of my system, which will take up to three weeks. I will just have to stop and think a bit more, filter my thoughts, and remember to write things down so I don't get totally overwhelmed. Oh, if I am telling you a story, it might take me a bit longer and even longer if there are distractions...

I will be on a quest for a natural way to take care of my "condition", but until then... Hey did you hear about our new kittens, oh and that I love my car, I miss Halee, what time is Kurt's game this week, I am at work till 10:00, do the kids have lunch money? You get what I mean:)

SORRY KURT, ABBY, BROCK, and FIFI FOR MY CRAZINESS, THIS IS MY PUBLIC APOLOGY!!!

Stars were Aligned...

Football starts early in our house, well I am not sure it ever stops, but Aug 13th was the beginning of Kurt's football season. Double session, coaches meetings, weightlifting, scouting Pop Warner, computer work, e mails, and the list goes on. Summer decided to arrive during double session, the 3 H's, hazy, hot , and humid! I would go and watch these young men sweat it out and occasionally lose their lunch.. This is the first year the school has had seniors and were playing with a full squad. So much work and time has been put in to getting things up and running.

Last night was the first game of the 2009/2010 season. All the papers and stats were predicting that the other team would win 46-7. That got Kurt FIRED UP! The last 2 practices he would come home all pumped up about how well the boys were "jelling" and really getting it.

Game night...

I have never seen so many people at a high school football game. Living on the East Coast it is not part of our culture like it is down south. If I were a transplant from the south last night I would of felt right at home! Over 3000 people showed up to our school. Parking was a nightmare but it was all worth it. The feeling in the stands and on the field was electrifying! I usually can't watch the games in the stands because of the comments people say about the coaching decisions. Most people do not make the connection that Kurt and I are married. I figured I needed to just suck it up and sit in the stands. I had so much fun! It was a beautiful fall night, full moon, band playing, cheerleaders doing their thing and the smell of the grill from the concession stand. I arrived a bit later and the score was 7 - 6 just before half, we were in the lead... I have been down this road before and just held my breath.

Play after play we marched it down the field, some mistakes along the way but all in all things were in our favor... Um, is this a dream? We got another TD... What is going on? I was floored. Everyone is watching the players reaction, I am watching Kurt. Now Kurt has this thing with BIG LEAGUE CHEW, I think he put the whole package in his mouth before the game. You can see him chomping on his gum feverishly. His jaw gets a mega work out. I watch him interact with the refs holding my breath when they have made a call that is controversial. It is almost more fun watching him then the game itself. A few times during the game I saw the head set he wears come flying off and then he quickly heads in the refs direction. Kurt being Kurt, just puts his hand on the shoulder of the ref and has a chat... Not sure what is said, but I get a bit nervous.

Time is ticking down, back and forth, it is our ball again. What? Another TD and we make the field goal. Seriously, this could not be written any better for us! The clock is counting down and the crowd is in awe! This was not supposed to happen. Sophia turns to me and says; "I guess that visualization thing dad does really works..."

Final score 20-6!!!

I just sat in the stands as the crowd dispersed. I had happy tears welling up inside. I am not sure many of you know the hard work and time it takes to be a coach, a football coach. I sat there watching the young men celebrate and Kurt talk to the team. The cameras were flashing all around and the press already hit the field. It was about a half hour before I could get to Kurt.
I was so proud of him, his coaching staff, and the boys. What a feeling!

I look forward to many more nights sitting in the stands with the crowds and hope that the stars are aligned with us again.

***Pictures coming soon or go to www.bedfordphotos.com
Click on the sport section.

http://www.allysonrandlephotography.com/

Check out Ally's website!!!
Super Cute!
She can even make your family look like they have it all together!

My Head is Spinning!!!

So my summer is OVER:( I am back to work and it is the hottest week of the summer. I think about the beach all day and wish I enjoyed my summer more and didn't take it for granted!

There is so much to do before school opens in a week. I have a monster list of what needs to be done and keep hopping from one thing to another and I cant focus! Parents have no clue how much school secretary's do, and if they did they might be a bit kinder and understanding of the undertaking that it is so they can stay informed and their kids are taken care of!

When you get the packets in the mail of all that information of your child's class, medical forms, permission slips, lunch crap, and all the other paper work REMEMBER someone (like me) has taken the time to copy and stuff those envelopes. Oh, the paper cuts and dry hands one gets is redunkulas! We have over 1200 student at BHS and I feel like I have killed the Rain Forest single handedly...

I am glad I have a job and a lot will be changing at BHS, but just needed to vent or I may have just snapped tomorrow.

Lesson for next week, "Learn to say NO" . That might be a tough one...

A New Chapter for the Hines

We have been super busy this summer with kids at camps, Halee and I in Cali, Kurt doing the training every morning with the football players, and life in general. As we get closer to school starting we are moving into a new stage for all of the Hines Crew. Halee flies out on the 21st to begin school on Sept 2nd. She will have so many new experiences good and bad that will have her grow. Room mates, classes, friends, job, homesickness, and money issues will all be challenges at one point or another. This is the time when one find out how to be comfortable with themselves and not have to rely on others.
Abby is off to HS. This is going to be a MAJOR step for her. I wish Halee would have been in the HS another year to guide and direct her, but now Ms. Abbster will have to learn some challenging things on her own. I just hope that she remains a leader in the right direction! High school can suck if you make some wrong choices! Trust me on that!!!
Brock will be heading into 7th grade which is on the other side of the middle school so he and Sophia will be separated. I know the two of them would never admit it, but I know they watch out for each other. I will be such a growing time for all four kids and hope I can support them the best I know how!
As for Kurt and I we too have a lot of changes this school year. Kurt will finally have a football team with seniors! Since the school opened 2 years ago with only Freshman/Sophomores the time has now come for all four grades to be housed at BHS. Not saying the players will be big by any means, he still has to work on the players size issue... Also he has a new Athletic Director to report to that is very by the book and I hope supports the football program, and understands the challenges Kurt faces with such a new squad.
I am heading back to work in a week and have to face a new boss. I am not sure of his personality and if he can understand mine... There is SO much to do to get BHS up and running correctly. I cant sleep some nights freaking out about all the little stuff that people/parents just dont realize. Sometimes I wonder if it is worth it, $11.80 an hour is worth being this crazy and stressed! Sometimes I wounder if I went out into the real world and did what do I would be paid a heck of a lot more! But I love my vacations and the time with my family so I will suck it up and medicate.
Oh ya, I just bought a non-mom car today, a 2010 Toyota Camry XLE, red and is loaded with everything. A new chapter indeed, now I have a car payment after 4 years of not having one...

Summer 2009

Where to begin... I will start backwards and go from there...

Today Halee's boyfriend of 10 months (which is an eternity to HS kids) leaves today for the Army. Not sure how Halee is going to handle this whole experience but we are all supporting her and Jon in what ever direction they choose. We had Halee's Grad/Going away party on Saturday. It went well. Reality is setting in on her leaving for college.

Halee and I just got back from Cali. We had to go to her parent/student orientation so she could sign up for classes. We did get to see the dorm she is living in and it is a bit far from her classes and right in the center of all the athletic areas... ( https://sunspot.sdsu.edu/map/display.cgi?scaleFrom=medium&zoom=low&zoomX=829&zoomY=1500 ) University Towers...

We all know how much Hal loves sports and working out:) Halee has decided to go Undeclared so she can figure out what she wants to do. She is leaning towards something in the Health Care industry. Oh, she did get a job too. She will be working at a melanoma center... I-Tan... She will be making pretty much what I will be per hour and looking bronze while doing it.

We had a great time in Southern Cal. We hit the beaches, malls, and highways. Mind you the driving out there is freak'n re-dunk-u-las!!! I dont understand going from 80 MPH to 0 and there is no accident or reason for it. Don't even think of leaving yourself room for safety cause some D-bag will just slide in and cause you to break hard. Also I am not sure some of the drivers there realize that the left lane is for high speed and passing is on the left. People would go by us like we were going 20 MPH but we were going 80 to keep up... After the week there I did get a hang of it.

While Halee and I were gone Kurt had his Relentless Training Football Camp that was a great success! Brock got to attend this camp as well. I realized that Kurt can live w/o me, I came home and the house was clean, not just picked up but CLEAN. The laundry had also been done and put away. Not sure I can compete with that.

Brock leaves tomorrow for Acadia National Park in Maine for a 3 day bike trip... I hope he makes it.

He has been going with friends up to Lake Winnipesaukee boating and four wheel'n.

Abby got to go with friends to a resort for a week down on the Cape and then she came home and was off with friends in Hampton for a week. She has been very busy, but that is coming to an end with try-out for field hockey starting Aug 17th.

Sophia has been staying close to home, shocking I know, but she is a home body and loves it.She has been watching a lot of the Food Network and has been doing food art... Yes, that is strawberries in the shape of an elephant from Horton Hears a Who...

We have gone to Ogunquit quite a bit this summer and look to have a few more trips up before school starts.

Highlights/Lows

• Got a kitten from shelter
• Put kitten down after $500 of vet bills and 72 hrs due to liver issues
• Our other cat disappeared after bring kitten home...
• Rain for 28 days in June, 18 in July, but Aug looks good:) Just in time for football double sessions...
• My garden is growing tall but not producing due to all the rain.
• Had my 20th reunion, so glad I went!
• Start back to work Aug 17th kids come Aug 26th...

Hope your summer has been going great as well!!!

What to "DO"?

As most of you know I am a chameleon when it comes to my hair. I am always doing new things with it like color, or cuts. This stems back to my HS days with my best friend Karen. After school we would get bored and we would do things to my hair. We did do a few piercings but the pain was to much so stuck with the hair stuff. Now that I am older I think I do it because it is easier for an instant change than weight loss. So the dilemma ... I have an appointment on Tuesday for a real hair color... Not just a box dye job ($10), a real, I am going to pay big bucks hair change... I have been about every color and every style. I currently have dark hair highlighted by gray, yes gray. I didn't realize how gray I was when I was blond. So I have been going through magazines looking for the perfect color and style. I am so worried that they will make me "porno" blond, which I am sure Kurt would love but I have to be somewhat mature...
So I am off to keep looking for that great color and style but I think they will have to cut a lot of my hair due to the "fire hazard" it has become. So as my 20th HS reunion approaches I will have a new look or will I? I might bail...

Summer Begins...

Due to the massive ice storms the East Coast endured this past winter we are finally out of school (June 23rd). Now we are dealing with RAIN. June has seen only 3 days of sun. From what the forecasters are saying the jet stream has changed and we are getting Seattle's weather. I really don't know how people living in Washington state can do it. I am ready to freak out! I have a hard time getting up in the morning and when I do I am back in bed by11:00 am. I pray to God that July has something fabulous in store.



Abby left yesterday for camp for a week. She is living in tents and I am sure she is a muddy, stinky, and bug bitten mess already. We left it up to her if she wanted to go. At the last minute she decided she would go and make the best of it. I am thinking she is re-thinking her decision. Abby will also be going to lacrosse camp at SNHU for a week, then off to Hampton Beach for a week w friends. Brockton has been off at wrestling camp up in Concord. Not sure what he thinks of it yet. I pick him up each day and he is sweaty, stinky, wiped out. The middle of July Brock will be going to football camp, and then in Aug he will be biking Acadia National Park for 4 days. Sophia has been kick'n it at home and at friends houses. She will be doing volleyball camp later in the summer. Halee is working this summer and then we are off to Cali for student/parent orientation for a week. Halee is planning on leaving around Aug 18th for college.
Kurt has been doing the strength and conditioning training every morning at BHS from 8am till 10 am. Mid-July he will be running his first football training camp for this area. I am just going with the flow and driving kids around and keeping the house running.


Each day I get my horoscope text to me, today I really thought about it... Not like other days....
" What is your main objective? Happiness? Wealth? Peace? Evaluate where you are going..."
I realize that all I want is to remain happy and that my family comes first! I would rather be poor and happy, then wealthy and unhappy! So I am going to enjoy my family this summer and make due with the limited funds we have and enjoy each day!

Blessing in Disguise...

So there I am all snuggly on the couch after a crazy day at Bedford High School. I am enjoying something on the TV and eating something even better. Halee and her boyfriend Jon come home and Jon plops down on the other couch and Halee just is standing telling me about Jon's first experience at an all you can eat buffet. As she is telling me this fabulous story... I see her look out the front window with a look of horror! Holy %$#@! (mind you she is not prone to swear, well in front of me anyways) She is screaming, " My car is rolling down the driveway"!!! Come again? Did she really just say that? I have NEVER seen Halee move so fast in all my life! She flew down the stairs and out the front door. Jon is shocked, but jumps up and tries to catch the car. REALLY? Great effort on his part! By the time I realize what is happening I hear Halee screaming. I am thinking, oh my gosh did someone get killed, hit , hurt? Nope... Her Jetta rolled down our 250 foot hill of a driveway crossed the road, hit a stone wall and ended up hanging in some trees. Shocking!!! It was something from out of the movies. As many of you may know I don't handle these situations very well. I think my kids were shocked when I dropped the F bomb every other word. They just stared at me. Halee's boyfriend looked shocked as well.
As we all calmed down, Halee called the police and GEICO. The police arrived and he was shocked no one was injured, but did say he has not seen something like that before. An hour later the tow truck arrived and the big scrappy guy laughed when he exited his truck. He said the noise that the car would make being pulled out would be ugly... Um, he was right.
I was freaking out because Halee was going to sell her car($1500) before leaving for school in California. She doesnt even have the deductible of $500. OMG what is she going to do?
The next day we went to go get a rental car... Ya, Halee is driving a sweet Mazda 6, my car that I want to actually buy, and I am driving my stinky mini van with no radio or air conditioning... Something is not right.
I just got off the phone with the insurance adjuster, the car is TOTALED! OK how much is it worth... She paid $4500 for it 2 years ago... They said Geico will give her $4089 for it... She has her loan to pay off and her deductible, but she walks with $2800. What a blessing! She now has some money to use at school and to get her started in Cali. The down side for me is we have to share a car for 2 months. Oh well, I will take it for the blessing that no one got hurt and Halee is ahead of the game for a bit.
Did I ever think that this would turn out in such a positive way? Obviously not seeing my kids think I have a truck drivers mouth. I need to learn to have more faith!

It's not a party if the cops dont come...

Abby turned 14 years old in February. A tough time to have a birthday party outside without having one of your extremities get frost bite and fall off. So we said we would have a party in May when the weather was warmer. Well it is May. I had ordered invitations in April. I order from a company called Vista Print and the minimum you can order is 100. So I ordered 100. So when Abby got to the invitations she thought they could all be handed out. I did grab 25 of them to make sure they did not get dispersed. Off she went to school and passed them out to 75 kids.


At this point the party date seems far off and I am excited for her. I am doing my list of things we will need. Well, life takes over and I forget that the party is in a few days... Now I am freaking out about food, music, firewood for the bonfire, and sound system. I have a hard time falling asleep wondering where, when , how. Wednesday night I meet Sherri R. to pick up her SWEET sound system (remember this for later on in the blog...). Friday I have to take a half day at work to get all the drinks, and food at BJ's. Typical me, I buy more then we probably need. I bolt home from picking up the things and get everything ready. I did pick up the kids and some friends that helped make the signs, mow the lawn, clean bathrooms, and just make my set up much easier!

So everything is ready to go and the kids start flowing in. Kurt and I stood at the driveway introducing ourselves to the parents and Abby introduces us to her friends. Some of the parents comments were wishing us good luck, letting us know they were at home if we needed help, and some just asked us "why are you doing this". So with that vote of confidence I was a even more nervous!
Typical girl/boy party, girls are on the deck and guys are playing football. This went on for about an hour. Kids trickled in for a total of 65. It would of been more but it is the long weekend so that was a blessing:) Halee was the DJ for the night and did a great job. The place was rocking and all the kids were dancing, well if you call what they do dancing... It was so loud and the bass was totally bump'n.




Then... Dundundun... The police show up at 9:30. I see them coming up the driveway and I bolt out to them before Kurt sees. I talk first saying" we have till 10 pm and they are all 8th graders, so no problem, right." That is the law here you have till 10pm. He just looked at me and said 6 people complained about the noise. What? We live way out in the woods, classic... I also remember we have a bonfire burning in the back yard and I failed to get a permit so I am panicing hoping that tis cop stays put in his car or I could have a $300 fine. I gave him all my info and did inform him of a HS party that they might be interested in if they are looking to bust some kids. I turn and see Kurt walking towards us, I quickly say "we are all set". Kurt has a history with cops and he is not to fond of cocky police, which this guys was. Lucky they start pulling away as he is almost at the car, fheww .

Off they went and we headed back to the kids. I have to complement Abby and her choice of friends, they were all well behaved and personable! Kurt and I had a great time getting to know these kids and see them interact. No drama, no issues at all. I would do another party for her someday, well maybe before they all drive. I am glad we did all of this, it restores my feeling of middle school kids that they can be fun and not all of them are punks.

*** One parent that came to pick up her son said she could hear the music who lives about 3/4 of a mile up the road. Great sound system!!! Thanks Sherri! ***

What was I thinking? 10.2 miles...

So Kurt and I are huge fans of the Biggest Loser on NBC. We would sit on our comfy couch eating a vast array of snacks while watching these HUGE people work out and watch what they would eat. We would comment on their size and heath issues and just be shocked at the amount of weight they could lose in a week. Well, one of the last episodes the final 4 contestants had to do a marathon, walk, run, crawl, whatever but had to finish 26.2 miles. In my head I am like that is crazy, some of the contestants were still a bit heavy, but finished. As I am shoveling strawberry short cake w/ extra whipped cream into my mouth Kurt turns to me and says, "we could do that"... I just looked at him and gave him the look. He said, "how about next Saturday we walk to Bedford High School?" I just said"ya, sure, whatever... " Never did I think we would really want to do it.
OK, so today was "that" Saturday... He rolled over and said, " you ready?" OMG we are really going to do this. Mind you that I do not work out regularly and could stand to lose 30 lbs. I think to myself , I could bail and then feel guilty and possibly emotionally eat, or just suck it up and go.
We drove both cars to BHS and left one. We went home and started the journey. As you all know we live in NH, yes hilly and bumpy NH. Off we went, in my car I figured out mileage, so each few miles I would think about how FAR we had to go. We had to walk out on main roads, which I think most people in the area knew who we were and what the heck we were doing.

Every now and then I would attempt jogging... UGLY! At mile 7 I realized I could do this. One thing though, my hands looked like a catchers mitt and my fingers looked like bratwurst... I had a hard time bending my fingers and my ring looked like it could pop off. I am going to Google later what that all means... So onward, we drive this route everyday and NEVER did I ever think I would be walking it. We head down Nashua Rd and I see my mini van, I have never been more happy to see that sweet ride! We made it in 2 hours and 20 min. I think that is pretty good for no training! Kurt and I stretched for a bit and hopped in the car to head home. I had to be at work at 2 and here it is 1:15. We got home and I go to get out of the car and realize my body is not moving they way it usually does. My hips felt like they were going to pop out and my poor feeties, can you say blisters? So here I am at the VA Hospital working feeling my legs cramp, and my arss twitch.
I am proud of myself for completing this and not bailing out. I did bring my cell phone with me just in case I had to call for help:)
What are you up to next weekend?

Overwhelmed? Take a look at your Blessings...

Overwhelmed? Some days I just want to crawl back into my bed and hide out and snuggle up with all my pillows. Facing that day is hard sometimes for me. I wonder sometimes if I make a difference in people's lives or am I just a burden to others. Sometimes I feel that I am just doing the same things everyday and racing around like a "crazy" person. Sometimes I have a hard time remembering what I did that morning or if I did pick up the kids at school. Do you ever feel like you are losing it? Oh, and to make a simple decision is like brain surgery some days.
Full time mom, Full time job, part time night job... Do you ever feel like you just give and give and the return is less than what you give out? When I am at work I always have to be on my A game and it becomes very draining, mostly when you have nutty high school parents enabling their children, or veterans that are on their last bit of emotion and are calling in to let you know they want to end their lives.

This past weekend I got away to Chatham. This is a place that I feel that I am at my comfort zone. I have so many memories of summers with my family and most of my ancestors settled Cape Cod so I feel like I belong there. I spent the weekend just going over things that matter most and I came to the conclusion it IS my family and close friends. ( not all Facebook "friends")

Stressing out about money, what I can not give my kids to help them keep up with everyone, or having to have the perfect body needs to be put aside. I need to slow down and realize the blessings in my life, and the small and simple things. So I started a quick list of all the blessings and realized I could go on for awhile.

1. Healthy family
2. Happy family that I enjoy spending time with
3. Eternal understanding
4. Jobs
5. House
   
6. Cars
7. Parents that are still somewhat healthy
8. Education for my kids
9. Ability to serve others
10. Great marriage/communication
    

Take some time today to look at the blessings in your lives. Even if it was as simple as missing hitting that car that was not looking, or simply smiling at a stranger.
Hopefully this will help me and you feel less overwhelmed with life, if we just slow down and see my blessings.

Family is all we have... Really?

From the eternal perspective of things I understand God's plan about families... I do have some questions that I am not sure I will ever get the answer to in this life.

1. Did we pick our parents/siblings/children or was in a "crap shoot"?
2. How can you have siblings from the same parents and be so dramatically different?
3. Why do family members dance around the "pink elephant" in the middle of the room when family is all we have, shouldn't we support and help each other without getting all bent out of shape?
   
4. Why is it ok for mothers to say comments that no one else would, or want too, and get away with it? (I am guilty of this too)
5. Do you ever look at your own parents and wonder, how, why, what? Are they truely happy or were they ever happy?
   

Like I stated before, God has a plan... But family is all we have, like it or not...

Working at the VA

So here it is Saturday afternoon and I am working at the VA Hospital in Manchester, NH. I have been doing this job for almost three years. Today it is usually busy. Today we have a big group of young Army guys that are here to have their final physicals before shipping out to Afghanistan and Iraq. I am watching them go up and down the halls and can see them on the security cameras. They seem full of excitement and ready to go serve our country. I wonder why they are here on a Saturday and not on the week days when we have all the other people come in that have been shot up and suffering from PTSD( post traumatic stress disorder). I see more and more young people come into this building with missing limbs for therapy, others for injuries suffered on duty, and many for PTSD. Many times working here I get suicide calls that shake me to the core. I hear the desperation in their voices and listen to the stories that are incredible. Do these young people realize what they are going into? Do they realize the life time of memories they will carry with them or how it will effect their families? Being a daughter of a Vietnam Veteran I know first hand about the many issues that combat has and that effects not only my dad but all of us in the family.
I know that we need these young men and women to protect our country but just wish the US did more to protect and support them when they come home and all through their lives. So much does not surface till years down the road and sometimes it is to late for them to get help.
When you see a service man or woman just say THANK YOU or even a smile for what they are sacrificing for you and me.

Why Being Less Protective Is Better for Your Kids

http://www.redbookmag.com/kids-family/advice/protective-of-your-kids

AMEN to this! All these years of being tougher on my kids and having friends/family comment on it can now read it an learn! Cut the cord ladies, you know who you are... Let your kids fall and pick themselves up. Stop running to pick up their messes. You now need to go take care of you and let go a bit! Maybe I should post this on Bedford High Schools website...

ENJOY!

Birthday Guilt

April 2oth is Sophia's birthday. That is where it stops. I have been asking her to give me a list of party ideas, and kids names so I can get the invites out.
Last night I went up to my room to find a note taped to my door that read, " Mom, I don't want a party and I don't want to stress you out or have to have you worry about how much it will cost."
This was one of the lowest feeling, "THE BAD MOM AWARD" goes to me:(
I know I have been totally stressed with work(2 jobs), setting up football camp for Kurt this summer, Halee and prom & college, Abby with lacrosse and me being the lacrosse rep for the girls at the middle school, and Brock with his friends. Sophia some how felt like she was getting lost in the shuffle.
I have made three different invitations for different ideas I came up with, but she is just not into it. Sophia told me she would just rather have a gift card for the amount of money we would of spent to shop with. I am thinking this was part of her master plan.

GUILT WORKS WONDERS.

Prom Season

Prom dress shopping with your daughters is a right of passage, right? WELL, have you seen some of the dresses out there today. Um, when did prom become a night at a strip club? The other issue I have is I payed $400. for my wedding dress, why are the dresses my girls gravitate towards are $350 and over? REALLY? This is one night for about 4 hours. That is about $100 an hour.

Halee, Abby, and I headed to Concord, yes the captital of NH. As we are driving through the "city" Abby is freaking out saying she feel like she is in NYC... Halee and I just shook our head and chalked that up to another "Abby" comment. I guess I have to get Abby out into the world a bit more, maybe to another big city like " Manchester". We finally found the store we wanted. After Halee tried on like 25 dresses we narrowed the field down. We took pics of the labels and sizes and headed home to EBAY. The dresses she had tried on for $350- $500 were running about $150 on Ebay. This is where Halee bought her dress last year and then resold it a few days later for more that what she had bought it for. Halee was considering even buying the same one from last year to wear again because she loved it so much, but has retracted that idea.
While we were at the store Abby wanted to try dresses on too. WARNING to all of you with sibling that are very competitive of each other... Halee was getting upset because Abby has bigger boobs and fills out the dresses correctly, Halee is tall and thin and needs some tailoring done for proper fitting. If I was on the outside of the curtain I would think that these girls were killing each other with the comments and the slapping of skin, and the occasional "you suck" comments. I was sweating dressing these two girls. I am glad Sophia didn't come because It would of been complete mayhem!
So Halee is still searching for "the" dress. I am done for this year dress shopping. I will hop on line and help but no more stores, or dressing rooms!
My next shopping adventure will be for swim suits, another horrific adventure for the Hines Girls...

Time is FLYING by...

Life is speeding by me at light speed! Here I am at the VA Hospital working, but on line checking out prom dresses for Halee's Senior Prom in May. I am also looking for scholarships and Financial aid info for her college that she will be attending in Aug.
Abby is a social butterfly, and is rarely home on the weekends and is starting lacrosse in a few weeks so that means many practices, games, and camps. Glad she has a cell phone because that has been our way of communication for the past few days, weeks, months. I had to ask her to stop texting and call so I could hear her voice.
I just signed Brock-man up for wrestling camp this summer up in Concord. The day after that starts he is off to the lake with his friend Andy for a lot of the summer to enjoy wake boarding, 4 wheeling, and boating.
Sophia, she is my home body, but I know that this might be the summer she is off and running. I am looking for a volleyball camp to send her to because I know she will have the height to play due to the huge puppy paw like feet she is sporting.
Kurt is SO busy I am not sure he has time to poop, wait he does, that must be where he does a lot of football studying:) Kurt is trying to get a football camp together for the summer, he is personal training 3 people a week, going to meetings for football, redoing his play book, and teaching in the midst of all of it. Not sure how he doesn't snap.
I am just plugging along trying to keep it all together. Working a full time job and trying to be a good mother and wife is very tough! I had work off today and it was such a treat to go food shopping with out tons of people like on Saturdays or in the evenings.
I guess I just have to sit back at look at the blessings in my life and realize all that I have and enjoy the moments. Our kids will be gone out of the house in 9 years, what then? Somedays I want to strangle some of my blessings (kids) but all in all it makes up for some great memories that I can hold on to when they are gone.

25 Things about Me and my Crew

So this is all over Facebook so I though I would throw it up on my Blog just FYI... If you even care:)

1. Halee is what brought our family together
2. Our favorite place is Ogunquit Beach
3. Kurt and I love to go tanning
4. I would rather spend time with my family then go out to parties or events
5. Kurt crashed my roommates car on our 2nd date and I ended up in the hospital for a week, nothing happed to him...
6. I have a metal plate and screws in my collar bone thanks to Kurt:)
7. I only like spring skiing now
8. I hope to have my dream car someday, Convertible Saab
9. Kurt has picked up his painting again and is doing canvas
10. Sophia likes to play charades and is good at it. Drama is her thing.
11. Abby is a great soccer and Lacrosse player
12. Brock has been wrestling for 2 years and wants to do it through HS along w/ football
13. Kurt waxes the girls eyebrows... Mine too sometimes
14. Abby, Sophia, and Kurt love sushi...
    
15. I dye my hair new colors every few months... Shocking...
16. I shop on-line and fill up my "carts" but never actually buy anything, just fun, wishful thinking
17. Love shoes and perfume
18. Kurt and I have our own duvets and don't have sides of the beds. Who ever get in first picks.
    
19. Halee diet consist of pasta, nachos, and sauces and remains a size 6...
20. I enjoy working on cars and reading instruction manuals
21. Kurt goes through $40 of razors a month... Again, Shocking...(5 blade, really?)
22. I hope my job is dramatically different next year!
23. I have many friends, but 3 best friends. Facebook does not really show my true friends...
24. Halee WILL be going to SDSU in the fall and we will do everything we can to get her there.
25. My family is everything to me and will do all I can to make there life a good one. Even if I do have to pay for counseling...
    

Credit Card Fraud... It wont happen to me, right? WRONG...

On Valentines morning I get up to get ready for my arss kicking at the gym with Kurt. I check my e mail before I go and see I have 5 e-mails from Paypal (on line banking). I am racking my brain about what have I bought off Ebay or any on line shopping. Quick answer... NOTHING. Someone is shopping, and it is not me. I start to panic. I see that they are racking up about $700 of charges to Autotrader.com. I quickly go to there account to find out what the website is and what they charge for. Advertisements for auto sales. I am looking to buy a cars soon, but this is not my typical website.

I have been put through the ringer on all of this. Here it is day 3 and the money has now been pulled from my bank account and has caused all my other transactions to bounce... Hefty fees mind you. I am in contact with my bank, Paypal, Autotrader, and Goffstown Police. This is like a full time job. Now I have to go change my bank account that most of my life is linked into. I just never thought thins would happen to me. I am now thinking of being all about the cash. All cash all the time. If I dont have the money with me I dont need it. Sounds good now, but lets see what happens when I get to that once in a life time sale:)

I saw this on a few blogs, very interesting...

Here is what you do.

Just go to Google and type in your first name followed by the word needs.

Google will provide the rest.

Jillian needs...

Jillian's needs to do something besides her all alone, unrelenting mourning. ... Jillian needs to know who the woman is that graced her deceased fiancé's... WHAT?

Well, the verdict is in - Jillian needs her tonsils and adenoids out... DONE and tubes 3 times

Jillian's needs to know that her mind has not caught up with the rest of the country ...Wait, I am SO much further then most...

Needs to discover businesspeople? Found enough on FaceBook

I will pour out my spirit, Jill Hines .... Set your options to suit your needs; I am trying

There is not need to go anywhere else for your landscaping needs. Call Jill Hines. DON'T I already have enough to do at our home:)

I also found a website off Google that is a bit scary. www.usa-people-search.com
put in your name or anyone that you might be looking for and it will come up with all the places you/others have lived, other names you or they might be known as, and anyone of your or their family members. I guess nothing is private any more.

Can you tell I am at the VA tonight, yup it is slow...

Do you Belive in Three's?

What a week for the Hines Crew...
For a few days I couldn't understand how I was warm for a few hours then so cold. I know I have oil in the tank cause I had just gotten raked over the coals for an emergency delivery on a Sunday. $100 extra on top of the cost. Then a call from our renters answered the hot and cold mystery... Our oil burner was failing. I had to take a day off and wait for the over priced oil burner fixer guy to come and charge us $24. for parts and $200 for labor. Are you kidding me? I swear he was just kick'n it in the boiler room going through my "food supply" and taking notes. Needless to say we are warm.
Next, Dallas our 14 year old Chocolate lab had to be put down. She was the BEST dog anyone could ask for. She never left our yard, walked our kids to the bus stop and then watch them get on the bus and walk back up the driveway, she go stomped on but the kids for years and was a huge part of our family. Things started to go bad last year when her back legs would give out. Picture a keg on legs and that was her. She was well loved... Much like me:) Pizza was her favorite, also like me. Dally would be standing up and the next thing you know she would be a starfish on the floor because her hip would give out. 75 lbs is tough to be picking up. She would fall down the stairs and I know she would be embarrassed by her sweet look she would give. The thing that sucks the most is that she was totally with it, her eyes, hearing, and her mind, the day we gave her eternal life....
Finally, Superbowl Sunday, family, food, and fun, right? Nope. Ice Dams, urrg. We had water coming into our house and the rental property. Remember we live in NH, A.K.A The Arctic, it is dark and late and wicked icy out. Kurt and I headed out to take care of the issue. Mind you Kurt is at the top of the ladder, I am holding it at the bottom and he is chipping off chunks the size of a small child. Finally, after getting pelted I smarten up and went to go get Brocks snowboarding helmet, and goggles. Quite a picture. The other problem is that my back and arms are exposed and getting beat down, thought again comes to mind, golf umbrella. Now I am at the bottom of the ladder trying to hold it steady and hold my umbrella and trying not to cry during all of this. After about an hour and a half we decide Kurt would stay home on Monday and finish up. It took Kurt six hours on the roof to clear both sides. I have never seen so Kurt depressed about winter. He asked me to start looking at homes in California or South of Virgina. Sophia just kept walking around reciting the commercial about depression hurting everyone... He is back to "Mr. Optimist" now, but yikes I was worried, I had to be on my A game and that does not happen often. In talking to a lot of people, this winter has been tough one.
Three trying things for us in a short time, so I am looking for the bright light now...
So I am off to go tanning so I don't snap and take my family out this week. (Just looked out the window and it is freaken snowing...REALLY?)

Power Grades (Internet Grading System)

So now a days you can check your children's grades via the internet. Double edged sword I feel. (SO glad they did not have this when I was in high school!)
So while at work yesterday I wanted to find out how my perfect children were doing in their studies. After I logged on I was a bit taken back on two of my cheribs. Seems like Abby was testing the waters. She has taken a hiatus from doing homework and not passing in assignments. REALLY? How would we not know?


The fact is we know now. When I got home from work the house was clean, kitty litter was done, and she was powering through about 20 pages of works she was making up. I had asked her why and her reply was... "I don't know". When I pressed more she had zero emotion about it. AHHH that is so irritating to me but she knows that. When I talked to Kurt about it he kinda snickered and said that was him when he was young. So I guess it is true what they say about "payback".
So this week my laundry, and both bathrooms will be cleaned by my non-emotional slacker.
***Side note... the other child who was a slacker (Brock) will be doing kitchen, vacuuming, and whatever else we see fit:)

My pick is California

So Halee got accepted to another school. As you can see in California. Yup, just beyond ASU so this is further than the moon... I would rather have her in Cali because we have family there. So if she gets into trouble someone can bail her out. Not that she would ever get into trouble... So now we have 4 more schools we are waiting on. She applied to UNLV and I am praying that they deny her. I think I might e mail the application department and request that.
No, I am not controlling just watch Reno 911 and used to watch Las Vegas and see how it is... If she wants to go that route it is either us pay for school or implants. Thinking about it, implants are cheaper than 4 years of college... Just a thought.

Really? We have a child going to college next year?

What the freak? College is upon us next year, not even a year, 6 months... Is it to late to start a college fund? I always put off doing that for the kids because college seemed so far off. I wake up sweating and freaking out on how we are going to do this, but we will find a way.



Halee just got her first acceptance letter to Arizona State University. Yes, ASU in Tempe AZ. I think it is like 3000 miles away. Isn't the moon that far too? Oh well I will have to cut the cord in July when she leaves. I will have to take photos of that procedure. I will also be getting a laptop so we can SKYPE when she is homesick... She WILL get home sick, right?
Abby has already mapped out Halee's room and how she will be designing it. I think Abby will be out of her room she shares with Sophia for about 3 days before she misses having "Fifi" around. Place your bets on that one.


So, as we wait for the 5 other college letters, we will just have to start looking on Southwest for cheap flight to AZ. Halee is waiting to hear back from two schools in San Diego, UNLV, and Univ of South Carolina. I am not to up on the UNLV, I just hope Halee has the self-confidence and self esteem because her roommate could be a stripper or a call girl. I watch 20/20, I know:) Just kidding...

2009 First Injury...

So I was at work last night at the VA hospital and got a call from Kurt... He had told me he had gone to Home Depot with my dad to get some wood to fix our stairs. As he was putting the cart away he was running back to the truck and closed his eyes for a moment due to the whipping winds and bitter cold and slammed into the 8 foot 2x12 wood sticking out of the back of the truck with his face. He said he had not been hit like that since many of his fights in college. I wanted to laugh but when I saw his face I felt bad:( He thinks it looks cool.

I Didn't Want to do This...

O.K. I really didn't want to do this Blogging thing but I have been on a few friends Blogs and thought I could do this in my "spare" time... Not really, but I am going to give it a shot.
A lot of time when Kurt and I go out with friends they ask us about how life is and how the kids are and they think our family is very funny and some of the situations we run into. Also with Halee going off to college in the fall this will be a good way for her to see that we are surviving without her. It will be tough but we will trudge through.
This will also be a good way for me to become a better speller and better writer. I have wanted to know how this Blogging thing works anyways. I create and maintain a our website and Bedford HS website so this can't be that hard.
Hope this is all that it is cracked up to be. Maybe it will be like FaceBook... That is my addiction!