Shop 'Til I Drop

As many of us mothers know, we are primarily the ones to do the shopping. My husband and I have had this discussion many times and I have to admit—I will never send him to the store to do the shopping for our home. Majority of men just don’t have the knack to bargain shop. However, he will come along; he loves to see me in action!

A few days ago, my husband and I discussed having to do some much needed grocery and other stuff shopping. So, we made plans to make our quest for today. When I have to do a major shop, we travel one hour away to Super Walmart & Sam’s Club in Delaware. Our trip to DE can take a total of six hours from the time we leave home until we return. Whew!

After I took Kyle to his job interview, I went back home and worked until 3:00. The four of us loaded in our van and headed east to Delaware. We lists in tow, we made our first stop at Staples. We picked up some school supplies for the Princess. We traveled a little further to Super Walmart. I don’t think I need to describe this adventure. Every time I shop, I try to guesstimate how much I’ve spent but I always get it wrong. Nearly three hundred dollars later and I still wasn’t finished.

On we went to our final stop—Sam’s Club. Since we are a family of four, shopping at a warehouse club saves us a lot of money on certain items. Before we left for Delaware, I received a confirmation that my order was ready for pick-up. Sam’s Club as this super feature called “Click-n-Pull”---select your items online, place your order and it’s ready in 24 hours. One hundred and fifty dollars later, I was truly ready to call it a day.

These occasional shopping trips to Delaware can sometimes be fun (if you don’t think about the money you’ve spent). All four of us were tapped out physically and most importantly financially. But at the end of the day, my venture was a money saving one.

What shopping ventures have you had lately?

Job Inteview - Not Quite There...Yet

Kyle had been invited to come to a second job interview. Friday night he asked me to take him at 9 am this morning. Feeling anxious for him, but not showing it, I happily agreed to take him in town to his interview.

So, away we chugged—me, Kyle and…The Princess to take Kyle to his job interview. The Princess and I patiently waited in the car while he took care of business. When he got back in the van he said he has to come back again on Tuesday the 2nd.

“For what now?”, I said. I was pretty sure he would have a day and time of when he would be starting the job. Boy, was I wrong.

“To provide identification documents”, Kyle said. “I have to bring my ID, birth certificate and social security card”.

Then I said, “Is this an offer of employment”. Kyle shrugged his shoulders and said, “I have no idea”.

Ok, we’ll see how this plays out. I will take him back on Tuesday, Sept 2 after I get off of work. I’m anxious to see what happens then. Wish us luck!

First Day of School

So much for Wordless Wednesday! Since it was the Princess' FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL, I had to tell you about it.

The Princess woke earlier than usual this morning, excited to start her first day of “big school”. The previous night we picked out the outfit she would wear the first day along with all the necessary accessories, i.e. undies, socks, belt.

After the normal morning routine, we traveled to daycare as this is where she will get on and off the bus. Since this day was extremely special, hubby and I waited at the end of daycare’s driveway until the bus arrived. When the bus stopped I thought for sure The Princess was gonna do an about face and run in the opposite direction. But she was perfectly behaved and approached her growing up like a big girl. She climbed the steps on the bus, with help from dad, like a pro. The bus driver even allowed us to get a photo op once she got to the top of the stairs.

I have included a slideshow of pictures from the first day for your perusal. ENJOY!

My First Comments

I've been blogging for nearly a month and received my first couple of comments. I know that it can take months for a blogger to generate feedback from their blog. I'm still a newbie and will be for months to come.

Many thanks to Ann H for recognizing a newcomer and welcoming me into the world of blogging. Ann found me on Mom Bloggers Club. Special thanks go to my best friend from high school Petula W. She and I have been friends for years.

Again, many thanks to the both of you and I’m sure we will be communicating for months to come.

We're Almost There

Whew! The first day of Pre-K is almost here. Everyday The Princess has asked if she will be going to “big school” today. If you recall, earlier in the week I mentioned that we were scheduled for a conference with her teacher today. I might add, that our first time being at the school went well. My husband and I both took the day off from work to attend the meeting. We were both so exited, we couldn't stand it!

When we arrived at the school, The Princess in her true fashion, hid behind me when any of the teachers or administrators spoke to her. Although The Princess can REALLY show herself at home, this is not the case out in public. She is extremely shy when it comes to meeting new faces or being in a new environment. While we were waiting, she met another little girl, Cianni, that will be attending Pre-K as well. We found out later that Cianni will not be in The Princess' class.

Anyway, after being greeted at the front office, we made our way to her classroom. Her teacher, Ms Davis, greeted us with a warm welcome and invited us to take a tour of the classroom. The Princess even got the opportunity to sit in her assigned seat. HOW EXCITING! Ms. Davis went over what the students will be doing in the class. The Princess had the chance to see her cubby and while we talked with Ms. Davis, she prepared us a meal in the play kitchen. How sweet of her.

To make a long story short, we are all looking forward to The Princess starting "Big School". I will be sure to let you know how the first day went. Please be sure to share your first day of school adventures, fiascos, break-downs, etc.

Love Those Cell Phones

The other day I received a joke email from a friend of mine. Usually I don't open them, just delete. But the title of this one kept my attention, so I decided to open it.

Here's the entire joke...I think you will enjoy it.


Traveling down the interstate and needing to use the restroom, I stop at a rest area and head to the restroom.


I was barely sitting down when I heard a voice from the other stall saying:
'Hi, how are you?'


I'm not the type to start a conversation in the restroom and I don't know what got into me, but I answered, somewhat embarrassed,


'Doin' just fine!'


And the other person says:


'So what are you up to?'


What kind of question is that? At that point, I'm thinking this is too bizarre so I say:


'Uhhh, I'm like you, just traveling!'


At this point I am just trying to get out as fast as I can when I hear another question.


'Can I come over?'


Ok, this question is just too weird for me but I figured I could just be polite and end the conversation. I tell them


'No. I'm a little busy right now!!!'

Then I hear the person say nervously...


'Listen, I'll have to call you back. There's an idiot in the other stall who keeps answering all my questions.’


Cell phones, don't you just love them.

Job Hunting Update

In one of last week’s post, Job Hunting Day, I reported that Kyle was doing some serious job hunting. I’m happy to report that Kyle has had a few businesses call him back for an interview. Although Kyle hasn’t had a job offer, the fact that he’s had a couple of interviews is a great accomplishment.

I have to say there’s nothing more rewarding than seeing your semi-adult child really get somewhere with his job hunting efforts. His hard work has really paid off and I’m proud of him.

So, please stay tuned and I’ll let you know when he gets an offer.

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Pre-K Conference

I failed to mention in last week’s post, We’re Going to School, that the school would be calling to us to schedule a conference. Being the anxious parent that I am, I could hardly wait to find out what this conference is all about. The waiting got the best of me and rather than wait for the school to contact me to schedule a conference, I decided to be proactive and gave them a call.

I called the school and spoke with the coordinator of the early childhood development center. I scheduled an appointment for this upcoming Tuesday. During my conversation with the Coordinator, she explained that the conference will be an opportunity for us and The Princess to meet her teacher and to go over other school related things. WOO HOO!! We’re on our way to our first day of school.

When I got home from work I told my husband about the conference. He immediately said, “I’m going too”. I originally thought he was going to opt out of the conference but be there to see The Princess on the first day of school--boy was I wrong.

So stay tuned for what’s to come. I’ll be sure to share our experience after the conference.

Knowing 'Rock Obama

This isn’t a post about politics by any means and my intention is not to favor any particular candidate. The Princess said something really cute and I wanted to share.

My husband and I were watching the news when a story came on about the Presidential election. To be more specific, the story was about who the candidates are going to select as their Vice President. When out of the blue The Princess says, “I know ‘Rock Obama”. My natural come back was, “how do you know ‘Rock Obama”. She replied she didn’t know.

Well, I’m sure you can imagine, my husband and I totally lost it. We looked at each other in total amazement. First, it was cute the way she pronounced his name and second, the fact that she knew him as if she met him yesterday.

Has your child(ren) said something really cute or funny that totally threw you off guard? Please share your stories.

Is This Rocket Science?

Whew! I’m having more trouble than I thought! I’m having a brain freeze when it comes to redesigning my blog. I’m usually a computer savvy person but now I’m not so sure. I’ve been spending days and hours trying to come to a final result that I’m satisfied with—but no luck.

Sticking my hands in the HTML portion of my template has just got me baffled. I’ve been to several websites to get some ideas to spark my creative senses to no avail. There are soooo many options I don’t know where to begin.

Can anyone help me? Is there someone out there that can give me a push? Are there any creative minds out there?

Wordless Wednesday

our Supermodel

6 Layers

I was checking out my friend's blog today, It’s a woman’s world!, and came across this meme I think you will enjoy.

*START*

RULES:
1. Add your blog(s) to the list. Feel free to add all your other blogs. It’s okay if you only post these questions in one blog as long as you answer them.
2. Get back to Me {YEN} and I’ll add your blog(s) to the master’s list HERE! Note that you are not ALLOWED to change the link.
3. Copy from Start to End.
4. Tag as many friends online as you know. But you don’t need to be tagged in order to join.
5. Copy this Participants' List:Me and Mine Creative in Me For the LOVE of Food Little Peanut Pea in a Pod It’s Where the HEART Is Around the World SugarMagnolias I Am Mommy All About The Memories Enchanted Play Just My Scrap Whats Up Simply Me Kitchen Deelite A Mothers Horizon In Depth A Life in Bloom Because Life is a Blessing Digiscraptology Joys iN life Life is What we Make it Photo Blog Dancing in Midlife Tune The Callalily Space Juliana's Site Mom Knows Everything Rantings of a Woman It's a woman's world! A Family Affair YOUR BLOG(S) HERE

LAYER ONE:

Name: Tina F
Birth date: April 5
Birthplace: Maryland
Current Location: Maryland
Eye Color: Brown
Hair Color: Black
Righty or Lefty: Lefty

LAYER TWO:

Your heritage: African American
The shoes you wore today: sandals
Your weakness: sex
Your fears: losing a loved one or close family member
Your perfect pizza: pepperoni
Goal you’d like to achieve in life: being financially sound

LAYER THREE:

Your most overused phrase on AIM: don’t have one
Your first waking thoughts: another day at the office
Your best physical feature: eyes
Your most missed memory: spending more time with my father

LAYER FOUR:

Pepsi or Coke: definitely Coke

McDonald’s or Burger King: McDonalds
Single or group dates: both

Adidas or Nike: Nike
Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea: Nestea
Chocolate or vanilla: Chocolate
Cappuccino or coffee: neither

LAYER FIVE:

A famous person, dead or alive, would you interview: Barack
Movie can you watch and say the lines along with the actors: I’m not that good!
Name two of your passions in life: family and traveling
Least favorite time of day: mid-day

LAYER SIX:

Use hairspray or gel: hairspray
Your favorite meal: can’t really say

Color inside your head when you close your eyes: blue
Listen to classical music: sometimes
Ever said LOL in real life without thinking about it: no

*END*

Job Hunting Day

When Kyle returned home in April, one of his probation provisions was to get a J-O-B. Immediately, he started doing lawn care with a relative of my husband's. He quickly made some cash but the job was short lived. He worked for about a month and that was that. Two to three months later, I think he's finally felt the fire under his butt to really get out there and do some job hunting.

Today, he traveled to the town limits with me and I dropped him off at the strip mall. He made cold appearances to various businesses and establishments. In his venture, I believe he collected 10-15 applications and filled out some in-house. WAY TO GO KYLE! I knew you could do it.

So, stay tuned and I'll let you know the results of his job hunting efforts.

MO' MONEY !!

Although this blog isn't about my days at work, I feel the need to share this exciting story. But before I get to the exciting part; I have to reveal what I do for a living. The subject matter behind my profession may become a blog in itself as there's a lot to discuss.

I've worked for the state government since 1999. Since that time, I have worked as an Enforcement Specialist with the Department of Human Resources—a child support agent. My job is to enforce court ordered child support.

I have been working a particular case where the child turned 18 in June. By this time, the father owed $34,972.52 all of which is owed to the mother. To top it all off, this same father owed equally as much to another mother in another county within the State.

One day I received a call from the other county stating the father wanted to pay his arrears IN FULL to the tune of $74,467.35 (this amount encompasses both cases). I immediately thought this promise was a crock of you know what. Apparently, the father inherited a considerable amount of money as a result of the death of a family member and since he had the means, wanted to pay his obligations in full. I have no idea how much he received in total; for the purpose of my job, that's irrelevant. My main concern is that mom receive the money she been waiting years to receive.

This is a happy ending that I'm proud to report as these types of stories don't happen often. Lovers and haters of the child support issue, give me your thoughts. What would you do with $34,900 or say $74,000?

What's In A Name

I’m sure you’ve noticed the unique name of my URL—“Rochfish”. By now you’re probably wondering what the heck is a rochfish.

I came up with the name a few years ago after my husband and I were married. I wanted a unique name to use as an email address. I didn’t want to use my first or last names; I wanted a name that represented our entire family and not just me. So I came up with ROCHFISH which is pronounced rockfish. The spelling is unique because it’s a combination of my maiden name which is “ROCHester” and my married name “FISHer”.

So, there you are.

Beautifying My Blog

Since I decided to giving blogging another shot, I’m having a difficult time deciding how I want it to look. The templates that Blogger offers are a great help but they aren’t what really represents me or what I will be blogging. I have been surfing the ‘net for a few weeks in search of something really POPS. Wish me luck while I’m in search for something a little more eye-catching. So stay tuned and see what I come up with.

If you have any blog design tips, please share.

The Mystery Tooth Ache

The three of us (me, Kyle and the Princess) paid a visit to the dentist today. For the past week, Kyle had been experiencing some pain in his molar and wanted to get it checked out. First, allow me to mention that while he was in the juvenile program, he was seen by a dentist. Kyle tells me that the dentist told him he had a cavity---in this same tooth. Kyle’s statement caught me off guard because I’m wondering why this dentist didn’t fill the tooth. Is this normal? Or, was the dentist doing the right thing by allowing Kyle to have it taken care of by his family dentist? I don’t know!

Anyway, off and on, this tooth continued to bother him. I contacted our dentist’s office earlier this week and luckily was able to get an appointment for today. We arrived at the dentist office, filled out the normal paperwork and got out insurance information squared away. After waiting for a few, The Princess and I trekked behind Kyle to the exam room. The dental assistant took x-rays and performed an oral exam. After her review, she mentions that she sees no cavity and summons the dentist. In walks a very tall, thin man. He politely introduces himself and proceeds to review the x-ray and performs another oral exam.

Dentist: “What tooth are you having problems with?”

Kyle: “The one in the back next to my wisdom tooth area” (wisdom tooth already gone)

Dentist: “Does it hurt when I do this…?” (dentist pokes the tooth with an instrument)

Kyle: “No.”

silence for a few seconds

Dentist: “I don’t see anything wrong with your tooth.” He looks at the x-ray again.

Kyle: “I was told I had a cavity in that tooth.”

Dentist: “By whom.”

Kyle: “By a dentist across the bridge.”

Dentist: “You don’t have any cavities. As a matter of fact, your teeth are perfect.”

That was it! Both Kyle and I were stunned and elated at the same time. We couldn’t believe it and off we went. Truly the oddest thing I had ever encountered. I didn’t question the dentist and went with his assessment 100%.

I’ll keep you posted if we have to make a trip back to the dentist for the same thing. But as far as I’m concerned…the mystery of the aching tooth continues.

We're Going to School

After a couple of months of waiting, we received news that The Princess has been accepted to Pre-Kindergarten at Garnett Elementary School. We have been waiting, literally, three months for this decision.

The school system makes you jump through hoops to enroll your child in Pre-K. I don't recall it being this complicated when I enrolled my 18 year-old over 13 years ago. But here’s the low-down on what we had to do…

Before filling out the ten or more pages of registration forms, I had read and was informed that Pre-K children were selected by a “lottery”---children from disadvantaged homes, low income families and children who had not been in a pre-school environment would get selected first. Therefore, I didn’t bother to enroll her at the time. After many co-workers and friends suggested I try, I gave it a shot! In early June, I filled out the forms, mailed them to the school in my district and waited for a response.

Early July came with no response so I called the school and was told to “wait until early August”. I called the first week of August and that’s when the things started to move a bit quicker (school would be starting in 3 weeks). I had to provide family income information AND The Princess had to go through a screening test earlier this week. With all the requirements, you would think she was entering college but we complied and on we went.

Well, the rest is history. The phone call that she was accepted came only three days after the screening test. So, wish us luck and I will be sure to write of our experience on the FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL and be sure to share your first day of school stories.

Family Beach Fun

The Princess had the time of her life at the beach! The 4 of us (me, hubby, Kyle and The Princess) traveled to Breezy Point Beach in Calvert County, Maryland the weekend of August 2^nd. We were invited by Cory & Mara to celebrate their one year anniversary along with Mara’s family and my hubby’s ex in-laws.

We were made the 2 hour trip from our house to the beach. We finally arrived, should I say, umm…3 ½ hours later. We got a bit discombobulated by Mapquest’s directions but we finally found our way and arrived without injury.

The day was gorgeous—warm but without the humidity. We all enjoyed ourselves the rest of the afternoon/evening, stuffing our faces with the traditional cookout food, laughing, chatting, and listening to the old school jams.

For those of you that are in to family summer gatherings, you know what I’m talking about. I’d like to hear from you. Tell me your family beach fun stories.

How Do I Cope??

How do I cope with the fact that our 4 year-old daughter still sleeps in the bed with us? When my 18 year-old was a little tyke, I didn’t have this predicament. He went from bassinet, to crib, to a twin bed without difficulty.

You know, I think I have figured out whom or what is at fault…MY HUSBAND. Since The Princess was born he has coddled, swooned over, held and spoiled her like nothing I’ve ever seen. I realize that fathers and daughters have a special bond but this relationship is almost sickening. As a newborn, daddy took her to bed every night at 9 pm but rather than lay her in the bassinet, he allows her to sleep in the bed next to him or I would find her lying on his chest—both sound asleep. It’s the cutest thing you ever want to see, but, it has lasting effects. Ok, I know what you’re thinking; ‘that’s dangerous’. And, yes, that was a discussion at the time.

As The Princess grew, this practice became the norm and worse. I warned him, my sisters warned him, everyone WARNED him to break the cycle NOW but he wouldn’t listen. That was his “booboo” and he was going to do as he wanted.

We purchased a crib that never got used—she was afraid of being closed in. We then purchased a toddler bed so that she would feel comfortable getting in/out herself—that didn’t work either.

Ok, so what next you ask... Years later, we haven’t made much progress. This is what came next; we took the mattress off the toddler bed and placed it on the floor at the foot of our bed—we call it the “make-shift bed”. This idea is working 50% of the time. At bedtime, The Princess will fall asleep in our bed then we move her to the “make-shift bed”. However, throughout the night she finds her way back to our bed, planting her little body right in the middle.

The hubby is now complaining about The Princess sleeping in the bed with us. I tell him to shut up because he’s the one that created the problem. I go through phases of wanting her out of the bed NOW to not giving a hoot. Hopefully one day The Princess will grow out of this phase in her life and begin to sleep alone. What do you think? Can someone tell me, how do I cope? Better yet, how do we get her out of our bed?

Twink Twink & Boo Boo

Ok, I'm sure you're saying..."what the heck is a twink, twink and a boo boo?" These are nicknames we came up with for The Princess. My husband and I have a handful of nicknames we use and The Princess knows exactly who we're referring.

One day, we were peacefully watching some tv when The Princess sits on the sofa beside me and says in my ear, "Mommy, I'm your twink twink". I immediately lost it and busted out in laughter. She proceed to where my husband was sitting and says in his ear, "Daddy, I'm your boo boo". We both didn't know how to contain ourselves.

Tell me the cutest or funniest nicknames you have for your children and how they've reacted to them.

Belated Father's Day

Since I had not been blogging for the past few months, I missed posting on Father's Day.

Every year on Father’s Day, a local community close to our home sponsors a Father’s Day picnic at a park. For the past 5 years, the four of us (me, hubby, Kyle & The Princess) have attended spending time with family, friends and acquaintances. This year’s Father’s Day was extra special to my husband—his son, Cory, and wife Mara spent the day with us. Cory & Mara live in the DC/Maryland corridor.

The day was spent talking, laughing and catching up. We don’t see each other much but my husband tries to talk to Cory at least once a week. Since we knew they were coming, I decided to bring my camera along for some family photo opps and we love to see The Princess’ face light up when we tell her Cory is coming for a visit. So….throughout the day, Mara and I took candid & posed pics of the 3 (Cory, hubby, The Princess) together. At the end of the day, fun was had by all!

Days later, I received copies of pictures from Mara & Cory’s camera. One of them has been added to this post. So, let me know how your Father’s Day was celebrated.

Daddy's Loyal One

Yesterday morning while running errands with my husband and the Princess, we stopped to get donuts and coffee. My husband decides to wait in the car and The Princess and I make our way to the store. While waiting in line, The Princess notices the reloadable gift cards on the counter. Any card she notices like this is considered a “credit card”, so she proceeds to pick up one and places it in her fashionable purse.

After collecting our donuts and cups of Joe, The Princess and I made our way back to the car. She climbed in the car and says to my husband, her dad, “Daddy, I got you some credit card”. She then opened her purse and pulled out the reloadable card she picked up in the store. My husband (the sap that he is), smiles and says to The Princess, “thank you baby girl, you think about Daddy all the time”. I was in awe because, well…she never offered me the card AND she ALWAYS does something for her daddy. I, of course, looked at my husband as I always do when situations like this occur. He said nothing, just smiled. I then said to my husband, “your daughter is extremely loyal to you” and he responded “that’s my little girl”. Has your child done anything cute and unexpected today?

I'm Back!!

I've returned! Sorry, for such a huge gap in time. I barely got started before I stopped posting. It's been a number of months since I last posted. Since I'm a newcomer to blogging, it's taken me some time to learn the ins and outs. Also, I've been contemplating whether or not this is something I want to partake as a hobby. I've decided to give it a shot!

I hope you will stay tuned for some interesting and hopefully fun/funny posts. Stay tuned!!

About A Family Affair

My name is Tina Fisher and I created this blog to chronicle the daily life of my family, whether it’s my household or extended family.

I’ve been married 7 (almost 8) years to my husband Pete. Together we have three children. Cory, 27, is Pete’s son from his first marriage. Cory is married to a wonderful woman and her name is Mara. Next there’s Kyle, 18 who’s my son from a previous relationship. And then there’s Nyah who’s 4—she’s the product of our marriage. My husband and I both work full-time outside of the home. I have worked for public service for the past nine years while my husband works in private industry. I'm a lover of contemporary jazz, R&B and soul music.

My aim is to create a social network to meet other moms, dads, etc. and to create a blog that’s fun. So, I hope you stay tuned into my posts ever how often you wish. Please be sure to make comments. I’ve added a comment link at the end of every post for you to leave your thoughts, questions, or any concerns.