My Ramblings

To Buy or Lease?

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car

Need a new car? What do you do?  I faced the dilemma of needing a new car earlier this month. My old car served us well for many years but now we needed to fix it or get a new one. My old care was stalling when we stopped, so I brought it to our mechanic and we found the car had an oil leak, a transmission problem, and various other problems. We had to decide if it was worth it to pour more money into this car or use the money to put down on a car. We had a few things to consider. Do we look at used car lots, buy a car or lease one? 

I didn’t want to buy a used car. In the past, I had bad experiences with used cars, so I didn’t want to buy a used one.  When you buy a used car, most times you are just trading your car’s problems for someone else’s. The car needed to be reliable and safe. I knew I didn’t want a used car. 

My next question was whether to lease or buy. To answer this question, I had to weigh the pros and cons of each and decide what I can afford. First, when you buy a new car, your payments will be higher than that of a lease.  My insurance will be high both whether I lease or buy so I didn’t need to worry about that right now. Either way, I will have to pay for full coverage. When you buy a car, you can drive as many miles as you want. There is no mileage penalty. When your payments are over, you own the car. It is yours, not so when you lease a car. You can make any upgrades you want. When you lease a car, you can’t change anything. What you see if what you get. When you buy a car, any wear and tear on the car are yours. No one will charge you for these scratches, dents, and stains. 

Thinking of leasing a car? Sure the payments are lower, but when your lease is up, you don’t have a car. The car is not yours; it belongs to the dealership. You could lease a new car every 3 years. Drive a new car every 3 years.  Your car is under warranty for the entire length of your lease, so the dealership will cover anything that goes wrong with the car. You must pay for the maintenance of the car, the oil changes, brakes, and tires. So what do we do? Buy a car or lease one?

I wound up leasing a car as it was 200 dollars less a month to lease than to buy. I paid extra for scratch protection on the car. It is a sealant that goes on the outside and inside of the car. It could cover most scratches and stains. My plan is to drive a new car every 2 to 3 years. So far the car is amazing and since I had full coverage for my old car, my insurance didn’t go up all that much. Before buying or leasing a car, weigh the pros and cons of each and make the best-educated decision you can. 

Harper

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Introducing the newest member to our family! We adopted Harper about a week ago! She has a lot of energy and keeps us on our toes but we love her!

harper

Contest I Won!

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Well, I din’t get first place but I did place.   Check out the stories on Wattpad.

https://www.wattpad.com/user/NancieAnn

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Homemade

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Homemade (recipes at the bottom of the Blog)

There are a few times in my life when I had to cut back financially. One of these times was after I had my first son Vance. Money was tight, and I needed to save.  I noticed one of my friends using a web-site called “Frugal Girls”. I looked into it and found many ways to save. Some of them sounded crazy, but I tried them.

I wanted to share things I tried and tell others how they turned out. Sometimes it saves you money to make these items, but do they work as well as store-bought items? Is it worth the time to make them?

I finished making homemade Laundry Soap.  It was so easy and if it works, it will save me about 20 dollars each time I make it.  One container of laundry soap could cost up to 20 dollars and I made the same amount for like a dollar.

 I also made homemade fabric softener.  All I needed was a container and vinegar.  Just finished a load of laundry with it and the clothes feel so soft.  If you use Suave Conditioner and store brand vinegar, it only cost like 3 dollars for a gallon.  

I made homemade wipes.  I wasn’t sure about these, but they seem to be working. I took old t-shirts, cut them up, and then put them in a mixture of baby oil, baby shampoo, and water.  You wash them and then reuse them. The t-shirts are softer than regular baby wipes and I use less of them because they absorb more. The wipes also smell wonderful, better than the ones I was using before.

I made homemade leave in conditioner.  It is so easy.  Just take your spray bottle, put a little conditioner in to it (whatever smell you like) and a little water, and shake it up. I tried it this morning, and it works great.  I didn’t even need regular conditioner just the spray. I saved money because you only need a little conditioner for the entire bottle. I used Suave Strawberry Conditioner.  The entire bottle of conditioner cost like a dollar.  It could last me all year, and my hair feels great!

 

Update

The laundry soap is great but a pain to make. The clean up is the problem. It makes a complete mess out of your kitchen. It also makes great presents for teachers. Get a mason jar and out the mix into it, tie a bow on top and you have a homemade present for teachers and who ever else you need to give a little present to.

 

The fabric softener work well, but I noticed after a while the clothes smelled funny. I didn’t know if it was the laundry soap of the softener at first. I stopped using the softened and now only use the laundry detergent. The smell is gone.

 

The homemade wipes worked wonderful at first but my son developed a rash from them. They are still work and save money but test them on your child’s skin first.

 

homemade leave in conditioner this is the best. I use it all the time with my daughter. I will never buy detangling spray again. Just a little conditioner and your all set.

 

Homemade Laundry soap

 

What you need

 

  • 1/2 Cup: Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda {not Baking Soda}
  • 1/2 Cup: Borax  
  • 1/3 Bar of Fels-Naptha Soap {you could also use Ivory soap, but if using Ivory… use the whole bar}
  • Bucket {2 gallon size or larger}
  • Empty laundry detergent containers or bucket with a lid to store detergent.

 

What You’ll Do:

Grate 1/3 bar of Fels-Naptha Soap over a large pot or saucepan…

  • Add 6 cups of Water.
  • Heat over medium-high until soap dissolves and melts.
  • Add Washing Soda & Borax and stir until dissolved.
  • Remove from heat and set aside.
  • Pour 4 cups Hot Water into a bucket and then add Soap Mixture.
  • Stir and then add 1 Gallon + 6 Cups of additional water.  Stir.

 

Transfer to a bucket with a lid, or pour into empty laundry detergent containers.

Set aside, and let it sit overnight, or up to 24 hours, to thicken and gel up.

 

Homemade fabric softener

(I tried it and loved it.  I will put more conditioner in next time to make it smell better.)

 

What You’ll Need:

6 cups HOT water

3 cups white vinegar

2 cups Suave Refreshing Waterfall Conditioner {or other favorite scent}

 

What You’ll Do:

  • Mix conditioner & hot water well, until conditioner is dissolved completely.
  • Add the vinegar and mix well.
  • Store in a large container {empty fabric softener container, empty large vinegar bottle, etc}
  • Pour into a downy ball… or the fabric softener spot in your laundry machine… then wash!

 

Homemade Wipes

 

  • 2 1/2 cup Water
  • 2 tsp Baby Shampoo or Baby Bath
  • 1 tsp Baby Oil
  • 1/2 Roll Paper Towels (Bounty) I used scraps of old T-shirts.

 

Directions

Take old t-shirts.  I had just gone through our closet and took out anything that was fading, ripped, or didn’t fit anymore.  Cut them into pieces. Mix water, shampoo and baby oil in a container. Put the scraps into the mixture and let them soak.  I would wring the out and then put them into the baby wipe container. Be sure to make extra so. While you are cleaning one load of wipes, you can use the others.  I made an entire box full of scrapes. Keep a laundry basket one with a lid next to your changing area. I would wash these wipes by themselves in your washing machine.

 

Detangler

 

  • Any conditioner and a spray bottle. Just add about ¼ cup of condition and the rest water.

 

 

 

Parents of Special Education Kids

/ Nancy Ann Creed / Leave a comment

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Parents of Special Education Kids Need to know! Don’t take bull shit from anyone!

This is for all parents of special education children. You must fight for their rights.

You are the only voice they have.

Zelda was diagnosed with Autism at 2 years.

We weathered through early childhood intervention. She had speech therapy,

physical therapy and occupational therapy. I felt very comfortable with the early intervention team

but when we transferred over to the school teams, everything was a challenge. You had to fight for

everything.

This is one example of the IEP process I had issues with.


May 7, 2013 at 9:46pm

We had Zelda’s IEP today.  Zelda is in the 3-year-old preschool disabled classroom.

I have a problem with the IEP process. During an IEP meeting, parents are given a copy of the

IEP. They are expected to read over it there and agree to it there.

The problem was that now she has reached those goals and there were now new goals. The issue

for me is that I didn’t have access to those new goals until the meeting. I am very pleased and proud

of Zelda for making her goals but I wish I knew what they were before the meeting.

I felt this way through most of the meeting but my shock came when they talked about where

they wanted to place Zelda for next year.  When Zelda started school in October, they talked about

putting in the inclusion 3-year-old room in December, then it was the end of the year.  Then it was

to let her transition in the summer program. Then she would go there the following year.  Now they

say they want her to go to the preschool disabled 4-year-old class.   I mean did I miss something.

I was dumbfounded.  I mean if I knew this what they were planning I could have been better equipped

to asked questions.  Zelda made all of her goals, but we are not moving her to her least restrictive

environmentor to what I thought was her least restrictive environment.

I know have so many questions and it frustrates me because I had the entire IEP team there this

morning and was given new information and no time to process it.  Now I have questions.

I would like to see is a copy of a working copy of IEP’s given out to parents possible a week or

more before the IEP meeting.   I know people would say this creates more work for teachers,

but I don’t care. I am a teacher and if parents wanted more involvement I would be happy to help

them in anyway. If all parties knew what was in the IEP before the meeting, we could have more

intelligent questions. So that both home and school were on the same page.

 

It’s not just this school district.  From what I can see all school districts do the same thing.

I have been told that  the school has 7 to 10 days after the IEP meeting the parents to get

a copy of the IEP. Wouldn’t it have been much better if 7 to 10 days before parents received a

working copy?  I mean there are parents who care and want to work with the school.   We are not

the enemy. If we both wants what is best for our children, they we should both be on the same page.

Maybe the law needs to be changed.

ZELDA’S IEP

To prepare for this meeting, I read over her past IEP and her progress reports.

I wanted to be knowledgeable of what they expected of her and what services she was receiving.

I came with questions I wanted to ask at the meeting based on the goals and objectives set forth

in her original IEP. I felt prepared. There were objectives that Zelda was not making based on

her progress report and I had questions prepared based on that report.






Something for parents to remember:

You do not have to agree to the IEP at that meeting. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO SIGN IT.

The school will make it sound like you do but you do not have to.  Think about any business,

would you sign a document you received before you had time to read it and understand it? No

you wouldn’t. So why would you do this with your child’s education?

You can request a copy of the IEP ahead of time. I am a teacher. This is not a difficult request.

UPDATE ON ZELDA

Going from the 3 year old who couldn’t talk to the girl in second grade whose biggest problem is

taking in class brings tears to my eyes. She is an amazing child and has come so far. I can’t wait

to see where life takes her.

Van’s Ear and Medical Advice 😕

/ Nancy Ann Creed / Leave a comment

Image result for modern medicine versus natural treatment

I just want to add a disclaimer. I am not 100 percent for one or the other. I use essential oils, I try to eat healthy; but I also take medicine. I think it’s important to research everything yourself. No one person can tell you what to do. There are many people out there pushing one way or the other and I strongly disagree with pushing someone into something and shaming them into something.

My son Van had many ear infections when he was a baby. Due to this he had a lot of fluid in his middle ear that was interfering with his ability to hear. This also lead to a delay in his speech and his overall learning. He had surgery to put tubes in his ear, so the fluid could come out the tubes and Van could hear.

Van’s ears

I am not a medicine for everything type of person but I am also not the holistic girl either. I believe in a balance. I know some won’t agree but what you do with your body and your family is your business. So I take my kids to a chiropractor and I go as well. Don’t really know if it helps with anything else then my back feeling good. My chiropractor tells not give my kids vaccinations and to cancel Van’s surgery for his ears. He says that if Van gets adjusted three times a week, he won’t have any fluid in his ears. Well great! Let me just tell my son that you may not may not hear for however long it takes for the Chiropractor to clear your ears. Furthermore, let me get my advice from someone who calls himself a doctor but never went to medical school.

Oh and somehow get you to the chiropractor three times a week! That’s a laugh! And when they say that Zelda has autism because of her vaccinations I cringe. They don’t know what causes autism! But hey there are five kids in Devin’s family who are on the spectrum! Yet people still say its vaccinations! I am not saying I have the answers but let’s play would you, rather. Would I rather have Zelda the way she is or Zelda who has or has had mumps, rubella, or many of the other things we vaccinate for. So let me take medical advice from the doctor who never went to medical school. Furthermore, what kind of person tells a mother with an autistic child that you gave her autism.

I feel sometimes you need to take medicine and sometimes you don’t. I am tired of the pressure of this chiropractor’s office. It is as if he is trying to make me feel bad for choosing medicine.

These blogs are rather old, but I have updated them. Vance had his surgery. He couldn’t hear anything beforehand and not he hears wonderfully. He doesn’t like loud noises but I think that’s natural from someone couldn’t really hear for a long time.
Yes, Zelda has Autism. When she was four years old, she hardly spoke and now her biggest issue in school is talking too much. Though I will save how wonderful she is for another post.

Want to read more https://www.wattpad.com/story/146049158-wendysculy

Interesting

/ Nancy Ann Creed / Leave a comment

Learn how to make your own call-to-action button to promote your projects, products, and services.

via How to Create a Custom Button to Promote Your Books, Your Shop, and More — Discover

I give up on Sleep

/ Nancy Ann Creed / Leave a comment

I give up on sleep!

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A note to all new mommies out there. This phase will not last long. Treasure it while you can. Treasure those times cuddling while your baby eats. Treasure this special time with them, for soon they will sleep all night and so will you; but you will miss your cuddling time.

I give up on sleep.  I have tried and failed.  My son Van is up every two hours to eat.  He sleeps a lot during the day, which is frustrating because his sister is up all day.  This makes for one tired mommy. I was breastfeeding until a few days ago. During this time, I walked through life like a zombie.  In dire need of caffeine, I switched to baby formula instead of breastfeeding. I would have switched to formula soon anyway, because I won’t be able to breastfeed while at work, but this is a little earlier than I planned on.  I feel bad, because I know that breast milk is the best for the baby, but I was exhausted.

I know people who have gone back to work right after having a baby and I can’t figure out how they do it. I couldn’t keep my eyes open. The long nights for breastfeeding took a toll on me.  My husband told me that most people do not have C-section and I should not compare myself to others.   He said, “They inflicted a mortal wound on you, and then they stitched you up and gave you a baby to take care of.  So you are healing and breastfeeding.”

My husband can help me feed Van a little but, it is still me feeding him most of the time. I don’t mind. It is my time with him and I treasure that.  Having my husband just take one feeding is letting me sleep a good 4 hours which was better than what I was getting before.

At least I can have coffee now!  My daughter has also been mommy needy.  I felt bad because I couldn’t give her all the attention she needed.  I know that she has to get used to it, but today I was feeding Van and Zelda was screaming.  She was just screaming for attention, but it made mommy very sad.

How am I going to do this when I go back to work?  I don’t have the option to stay home.  I know there is a great debate between mothers who stay home and mothers who work.  Some of my friends are stay at home moms and have told me to just cut back on what we spend and I could stay home too.  Well, I’m sure if they looked at my finances they would see that was impossible. I carry the family health insurance, and we need the money.  I have decided not to go back to my part-time job. I haven’t told them yet. By not working there, it will give me some extra time with the kids.

Okay well it is five in the morning and the baby is up.  Time for mommy to make coffee.

 

Remember, this time does not last long. You might feel like your entire life will be nothing more diapers and bottles; but it won’t be. Treasure this time. 

Zelda’s Mini-Me

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I was so excited when Sesame Street created “Julia” the first Muppet with Autism.  My daughter Zelda is 8 years old now and was diagnosed when she was about 2 years old.  Zelda is thrilled to have her very own Muppet. She says she’s a “mini-me”.

Role Play

/ Nancy Ann Creed / Leave a comment

I love writing and have gotten many story ideas and inspiration from role play. I have several groups on Facebook and have made some amazing friends there. Check them out if you like.

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https://www.facebook.com/groups/OUATSUPERHERO/
Welcome to ONCE UPON A SUPERHERO. We are a multi-fandom role-play group. DC Comics, Marvel Comics and One Upon a Time

Thanos learns that the only way for him to repair the flaw in the universe would be to destroy the universe and re-construct it. He is finally driven to mindless rage by the attempt of the cosmic powers to usurp his reign, and decides in one fateful, final moment to absorb the entirety of the universe back into himself, so that none might ever again threaten his reign. Thanos is thus able to use the Heart’s power to absorb the cosmic beings into himself—and, in doing so, he absorbs the entire multiverse.
The cosmic hero Adam Warlock, who was outside space-time continuum when Thanos absorbed the universe, appears to Thanos and explains to him what had transpired. Adam convinces Thanos to sacrifice himself to restore the universe. Lady Death herself, whom Thanos has long been in love with, also managed to escape. Lady Death caresses Thanos’s cheek, kisses him for deciding to sacrifice himself, and disappears into the now empty void of space, leaving Thanos awe-struck. Thanos’s whereabouts are unknown at this time.
By doing this Thanos unintentionally created a void which pulled all planes of existence into one. All are now part of the same universe.
Now the fun begins, where does it leave the rest of the worlds. How do we live/work/play/love and defend this new World this Elseworld.

WFRP-FI

https://www.facebook.com/groups/Fantasyrpg/

Ever play Dungeons and Dragons? Well this isnt exactly that but its close. D&D is meant for table top Role Play but this is as close as we can get on Facebook. Play your favorite race/class, and join in the fight to save the Kindgom, or fight for your own glory. The choice is yours.
Although the framework is a lot like Dungeons and Dragons this is still a role play. We will not be using character sheets of dice. We will plot in chats and create stories and write in threads.
The Kingdom of Rèisean Aonaichte (which is Gaelic for United Races) is in turmoil. The king has died many years ago and the heirs to his throne are missing or presumed dead. The people live in fear as roving bands of orcs and bandits rule the countryside. Will you fight to save your village? Fight to take the throne? What do you want gold? Glory?

The Gifted - Marvel Mutant RP

https://www.facebook.com/groups/Thegiftedroleplay/

July 17th 2017.
During a Mutant/Human piece rally Charles Xavier’s power flares out of control, killing hundreds and injuring a thousand or more.
Three months later Senator Kelly is killed when his plane explodes mid flight. He was on his way to Washington DC to discuss laws to protect humans from the “mutant menace” as he called it.
His assasination pushs throough what became Called the Kelly bill. Rendering all mutants to second class citizens and for them to be registered and segregated from baseline humans.
The year is now 2050. Mutants have segregated to the Island of New York, and are heavly policed.
Sentinel Services runs a program called the Hound program that uses mutants as Hunters and police against thier own kind as well as robotic killing machines dubbed Sentinels. All mutants are tattooed with a M over thier left eye once registered and moved to New York.
Any mutant found is immediately arrested and processed. There is a rumor of free mutants working outside of New York to better the lives and regain the freedom of the mutant people… Called the mutant underground…