Julie's Journal

Okay, who’s got an extra dollar bill to spare in their paypal account? How about turning that extra buck into a digital camera, and have a blast doing it?

There is a new site called BalloonRun.com where you can buy a balloon for $1.00, then they will attach a card to it, release it in the air, and see which one goes the farthest.

Each balloon holds a card with a distinct ID. When the balloon is found, the finder is directed to enter the ID into the website to redeem a free Balloon Run for themselves.

The balloon that travels the furthest will win a Kodak 7.1 Megapixel EasyShare C743 Digital Camera. You can also track the balloon on their site!

So go buy a balloon. I bought two.

[tags]BalloonRun.com, buy a balloon[/tags]

I have to wonder sometimes if Justin is just being a normal teenager, or if there is something deeper going on inside of him. He is not taking this summer school thing as seriously as I would like him to, and it’s as if he doesn’t care if he fails and has to repeat 7th grade. I am |this| close to letting him fail, just so he can learn from his mistakes.

But then I get to wondering if he is suffering from some type of depression. Our family life is really good, and we’re pretty normal, and happy I think. I know his bio father’s “situation” upsets him, and maybe he is more upset about it than I think he is. I know how much he loves to skate and his skateboarding really makes him happy, and maybe there is something to these teen sports burnout treatment programs that are out there now, like the one offered by Dr. Morse.

Not only are they for coaches and their team, but I think us parents could use the guidance that they offer as well. Stress in teenagers can come from so many things such as peers, sports, and school. Now if I can just get a handle on it, things would be so much smoother in our house.

[tags]teens, stress, teenagers, teen sports[/tags]

Oh oh, I forgot to tell you what JR did last night. I had to make a trip out to pick him up at 10PM last night when he got off work. He knew I wasn’t feeling all that great yesterday, (which today, I am perfectly fine again??) and when my mornings start at 6AM, I’m usually in bed almost asleep at that time.

Anyway…I am sitting there waiting for him in the parking lot, and he comes out with two pints of cookie dough ice cream that he had bought for him and I. He said, “Thanks for picking me up so late. Will ice cream make you feel better?” OMG! I almost cried. He is so thoughtful.

So we got home and sat on the couch, ate our ice cream, and watched a show. Great mommy moment right there, and a good reminder that Justin (my 13 yr old) will not be a moody grouch who hates me forever.

[tags]teens, teenagers[/tags]

My kitchen light is in need of replacing badly. Not only for the fact that it is old and out of date, but someone, who shall remain nameless, was shooting his air soft gun in the house when I wasn’t home, and broke the glass cover. Not only does it look bad, but the constant glare of a stark naked light bulb adds up to bad lighting.

Some of the companies I have seen that I like are the kichler lighting and the minka lavery lighting lines. They are classic, and just the right type of lighting I would want in my kitchen. Although anything is better than just a bulb hanging from the ceiling.

[tags]kitchen lighting, light fixtures, lighting[/tags]

JR’s job is going great, and he likes it a lot. Every night when I pick him up, he’s showing me the handfuls of dollar bills he has shoved in his pocket. I never realized that being a courtesy clerk at a grocery store was so lucrative. Maybe I’m just a cheap bitch, but I have never once tipped the guy who bagged my groceries, or shown me where to find the Velveeta Cheese. (Why is that stuff so hard to find?)

Our main industry here in Las Vegas is customer service, obviously, and when you’re at the casinos you are constantly tipping people, but when did this spill out into the suburban grocery stores? Is this just a Vegas thing?

Is this a common practice everywhere? Do you tip the kid who helps you find fake cheese?

[tags]grocery stores, tipping[/tags]