Category Archives: Random

All, Random

Lost Without My Fitbit

Leave a comment

Happy Saturday! I’ve been so swamped with my daughter’s schooling and some new online tasks that I recently found. I’ll be sharing this soon, as they have already paid me. Since I had this new income, and cashed out on a few apps, I decided it was time to make a decent purchase for myself. Of course, using the Amazon gift cards that I’ve earned.

My Fitbit Ionic stopped working properly almost two months ago. It wasn’t tracking things like it should and not showing the right time. I did everything I could to fix it, but eventually it stopped charging altogether. I researched new ones, and spent even longer trying to justify spending the money in my head.

I really missed my Fitbit. I never looked at the actual watch, but I’m a dork for the slew of information it captures and the stats. I feel lost without it. I also want to start using the other features like Spotify and FitPay. I finally broke down and purchased the Fitbit Charge 4.

It arrived today, and of course I immediately dropped it when I removed it from the box. It seems to be okay. I was able to set it up quickly and easily. My smart scale is connected, and I’m ready to try to lose some weight again. I was doing great until a few months back. It may be new medications or stress, but it needs to stop.

Add me to your Fitbit friends to help motivate me to get moving.

Thanks for visiting!

All, Random

New Pet Rat Babies

Leave a comment

Nora, Dollie, & Suzy

Hello and Happy Sunday!

Just recently, I mentioned getting some pet rats for Scarlet. I wasn’t too sure about this at first, but I did a whole bunch of research on them. Apparently they are like low maintenance dogs. Very loyal and loving. I know, I know. They are still rats, and a lot of people just can’t get past that. Including my fiance. He helped build the cage and fix the water bottle, while he reminded me they are rodents that people pay to get rid of. Oh, the things he puts up with.

I wasn’t happy with my calls to the pet stores. Then I found out ratteries existed. I looked into this and found one nearby. We watched their adoption video to pick out our favorite ones. Scarlet named hers right away, Nora and Dollie. We had to wait a week for them to socialize some more and go through temperament tests. Unfortunately, one failed and Scarlet had to pic another one.

Friday finally came and my car still wasn’t driving properly. But, I was determined to pick up up our new rat babies. It needed a good test drive anyway. So off we went, driving about 20 mph or so for a good portion of the ride. At some point, my car actually felt like it was starting to go faster. A lot faster. It’s so very weird. Maybe it just needed that extended drive?

When we arrived, we immediately fell in love with the rats we chose. They are 6 and 8 weeks old, and have really great temperaments. We have been bonding with them over the last few days. We also introduced Bashy to them a few times, and they all did great. I finally named mine Suzy. It took me until today to decide, but it seems to fit her best.

Scarlet has been doing really well with the rats. No problems with her allergies or asthma. Her vocal and physical tics have actually decreased a little bit. She said she feels more calm around them. I’m hoping they will help her with school too. She has been slightly on edge since school has started back up. She gets extremely overwhelmed, her tics massively increase, and she eventually shuts down. I do everything I can to prevent it from getting to that point, but it can be difficult. We shall see this week.

Thanks for visiting and taking the time to read my rat story.

All, Financial, Random, Updates

Happy Saturday

Leave a comment

Hello and happy Saturday!

I meant to write more, but things have been extremely busy here. We are still trying to figure out what’s wrong with my car (since June). It may be resolved, but I have to do a longer test drive. We are also dealing with the aftermath of some severe flooding we had in our basement. Nearly everything was destroyed. Then we have preparation for school to start on Monday. My daughter will be in a new program through her online school. I’m slightly nervous. She’s much more excited for tomorrow. We will be watching a live stream of baby rats that she wants to adopt. In addition to all this and more, I’ve done some research and have been testing out some new sites to make extra money.

Thanks for visiting! Stay tuned to find out what sites I will be adding.

All, Random

Photo Feedback

Leave a comment

This morning, I was filled with the obsession to find a new site to post my pictures. Somewhere that others can give unbiased feedback. The only thing I really came across was 500px. I forgot that I already signed up several years ago, but never used it. I’m locked out, so I created a new account: LadySkullshine1.

Normally I will share some pictures and random memes on Instagram and sometimes Facebook. On rare occasions I will post personal pics that I’m really proud of, moments I’ve captured, things I just want to share with others. I appreciate everyone’s likes and comments, more than they will ever know. I just wish I knew what they truly thought. I enjoy learning how to do things better and progressing. I’m not fully convinced 500px is what I was looking for, but it’s a start.

In the meantime, here are a few of my favorite flower pictures that I recently took. Some are from my porch, my birthday, and flowers I got my daughter. Check them out and let me know what you think. You can also follow me on Instagram.

Thank you for visiting my site and reading my blog!
– Jessie

All, Random

What’s In A Name? Anxiety

Leave a comment

I posted earlier today about changes I just made to my site. I mentioned my OCD being a factor. I actually wrote more about it, along with other issues, but I decided to separate the posts.

I would post a lot more, but my anxiety takes control and throws me for a loop. Every single time.

One of the issues that I face constantly is really silly. I have a lot of trouble just naming a post. I do it at the very end and it will literally delay things from being published. I really want something that will capture what I am saying, and will grab someone’s attention.

It’s not just the act of naming the post, it’s what transpires from there.

As I try to find the right words, my anxiety takes over. None of the words seem to fit properly. Then, I wonder if anyone even reads the title and what I have to say, or really cares to begin with. I begin to second guess myself altogether. By then, I’ve already read my post repeatedly. I constantly check for errors, better words, rearrange, and delete things. But, I do it again. Except this time, I determine if it’s even worth posting.

Sometimes, all of this just leads to another post in the drafts folder.

When I do finally hit the publish button, my anxiety and panic takes on a whole other level. I think about who will see it and what people will think of me. Will they judge me? I get embarrassed that I said something stupid, didn’t make sense, or made mistakes.

I also think about the fact that I have followers from all different stages of my life. I am not at all who I was before, or before that. But did they even really know me when the knew me? Probably not. I wonder if I’m judged by a characteristic that I had at that time, but I’ve grown since then. Do they know that?

Does their past judgement affect their current views of what I have to say now, as a very different person.

I know all of this is in my head and a lot of it is trivial. I’m my biggest critic and constantly push myself. I want to do more, but then I feel like it doesn’t matter. I distance myself until I find my inspiration to return.

Sometimes it just helps to know that I’m really helping someone.

All, Random

Happy For Online School

Leave a comment

I am really glad that my girls convinced me to let them do online school so many years ago. Especially with how everything is right now. Honestly, I was already partially on board from the start. I just needed to make sure it was right for them. They are both extremely intelligent (like all moms say), but they really are brilliant.

I let my oldest Haley try it first and she excelled. It worked out perfect for her. Scarlet started shortly after Haley, because she is younger and has special needs. She was going through a lot in general, already having trouble in school, and also being bullied at the time. Scarlet was always the one to stand up for anyone being bullied and stood her ground. Now, no one stuck up for her, and even her best friend was nasty to her. She had been missing a lot of school. They put her on a 504 Program to help get her through the rest of the year. I then had her start online school through our district, but we moved and had to start again at another cyber school. Eventually, I found an one that anyone can attend, no matter where they live.

The new online school has been great working with us. She now has an Individualized Education Plan and gets one hour of school counselling every week via Zoom. Scarlet hates the camera, so they let her turn it off. Physical and online school has been a major struggle for her. She doesn’t understand something, then quickly gets overwhelmed, and her tics get a lot worse. Once that gets to a certain point, she shuts down and nothing gets done. I had to find ways to prevent that, but also make sure she is still submitting her work.

Scarlet is definitely doing a lot better now in Summer School. I monitor all of her assignments and make a new list for her daily. It shows how many assignments are in each subject and her current grade. I am learning the lessons with her so that I can teach her in other ways that she understands. We just have to get through another week this summer. She will then be in a new program where she will enter seventh grade in the fall, then graduate eighth grade in the spring. Some subjects are grouped together so it’s not as much work. For example, Science and Math are one lesson.

All of this sounds like a lot. I understand that online school is not for everyone, and not everyone is able to do it. It’s especially tough in case of special needs. There’s pros and cons either way. Honestly, when I compare it to sending her to a physical school, I’d take online any day. I just have to work harder to make sure Scarlet is managing things better. Who is better to do that than Mom?

All, Random

Invisible? Anxiety Driven Rant

1 Comment

Sometimes I feel completely invisible. Not heard or seen. I’m not referring to anyone or thing in particular causing it. It’s just a sad feeling in general that comes over me at times. Then I battle through all the emotions that come with it.

Most times, my anxiety takes control and forces me to want to hide. While other times, I feel like I’m jumping up and down screaming look at me! look at me! (like Mr. Meseeks from Rick & Morty)

I hate it. It interferes with so many things. Like, how do I go from one moment of hiding from the world, then the very next moment I feel ignored and get upset. I just want to go one day with zero anxiety, panic attacks, depression, and all those wonderful mental battles. It would definitely help my other health issues as well. But no matter how much I work on my mindset and make it seem like I have it all under control on the outside, I’m a train wreck on the inside.

All, Random

Alexa Is Growing On Me

Leave a comment

A while back, I posted “Alexa. Was I Just Paranoid?”. I had explained that originally, I wasn’t on board with the Alexas, Siri, and all that. I love technology, but I just didn’t feel comfortable with it. I finally came to the realization that if I’m going to be paranoid, then I might as well get rid of all of our technology. I won’t do that. So, I managed to find a great deal and we bought two Echo dots. That was a few months ago.

The Echos have definitely been very handy. I ask Alexa to set timers for me every time I cook. My fiance often asks his Echo to tell him jokes. She’ll let us know when our Amazon packages are arriving and remind us to feed the puppy. We failed to set up the Roku, but I’ll try again when I can focus on it. We also use them as an intercom system in our home. Not to mention, all the googling she’s done for us.

Recently, I have been really interested in the smart bulbs. I just didn’t quite understand exactly how they worked. I did some research, then ordered a set which arrived today. I set them up, connected the Echo, and I love them. There are so many colors and you can cycle through them. The reading light setting is really bright. I’m so glad that I ordered these bulbs. I even got them free! I’m testing the bulbs and providing a report to the merchant.

I have no regrets buying the Echo Dots and now we have beautiful lighting in our home with ease of control. Have I said how much I love technology?

All, Random

Today Is My Birthday!

Leave a comment

Happy 45th birthday to me! 45?! And still sparkly!!

It really was an awesome day! It started with a birthday text from my Haley, chocolate chip cookies with Scarlet, flowers from my mom, randomly found notes and home made cards from my Scarlet and my fiance Sully.

I appreciate all the experiences throughout my life so far, good and bad. I’ve made a lot of mistakes and learned a lot. No matter where life takes me, my greatest achievement ever will always be my babygirls. I’m beyond proud and grateful, and would be lost without them!