I finally started spotting, which means I am due to start soon, which means we can start the clomid soon and hopefully the IUI and with any luck maybe soon be expecting!! If it works the first time, Matthew can expect a little brother or sister as an early birthday present! And I would get another great early birthday gift, just like the one I got in ’05! 
The odds are low, only about 20%, but one can hope, right??
Bobby has always wanted to take a cruise, I just want a vacation at a decent price. I have heard from many people that cruises are a lot of fun, so I am sure someday I will give in and take a cruise. In order to save money, I have found this nifty little website that offers discount to many different cruise lines such as Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian Cruises, and Royal Caribbean Cruises. Not only can you get discounts, but Direct Line Cruises also offers perks like free travel insurance. The website was extremely user friendly, responded very fast with my search parameters and showed multiple dates, rooms, ships, cruise lines, destination ports, as well as a page listing a ton of promotions.
They also have free brochures, a large section of resources and information, and a 1-800 number. I also like that they offer cancellation protection at no extra cost, because you never know when something will come up. Make sure you read the policy because canceling because you changed your mind is not a covered expense. 
School let out for the summer yesterday, and today is my last day watching Baby A. I am excited, for purely selfish reasons…. I get to sleep!! Of course if this morning was anything like this summer will be, Isis may not let me sleep in, she was up at 5am wanting to go out. ::roll eyes::
This year was a great year for Austin who made honor roll all but one quarter, and even then he was close. He made president’s honor roll and even got a certificate from the white house. In order to make this honor, you have to have a 3.5 GPA all year long. This quarter he made Gold honor roll, wherein the other quarters he made silver, so he did not get the Golden Eagle award, but I am still immensely proud. Austin will be in middle school (6th grade) next year.
Christopher’s grades…. well he did not fail anything, however he could have done a LOT better. He had a lot of Cs, some Bs and As. I do wish he had tried harder just to feel the pride of being honored in an assembly for his grades. To be fair, this was Christopher’s first year with letter grades, a tough (great) teacher, and Christopher still has a TON of maturing to do. Christopher will go into the fourth grade next year at the same school.
Overall I am satisfied on how the children did, next year is another year and another opportunity for a fresh start.
There is a new program available from PayPerPost, called PayPerPost Direct which is a really neat addition for anyone interested in paid blogging. First, I will explain PPP and paid blogging; if you are a blogger with interesting material and have a blog older than 90 days old and you update it regularly you can sign up for PayPerPost to review websites, services, products, etc on your blog to receive compensation ranging between $4 and up per post. Unlike other blog advertising companies which tell you what to write about, PPP gives you the freedom to chose what content you want to put in your blog.
Now PayPerPost offers a new program called PayPerPost Direct. Basically, PPP Direct is a program you can install in your blogs to allow advertisers to directly approach you to offer you an opportunity to write about in your blog. This allows Posties and Advertisers to directly hash out a deal and set their own terms without involvement from PayPerPost.
Other pay for blog websites, such as ReviewMe, can charge as much as 50-100% markup, which is CRAZY! Why should I do all the work while someone else makes just as much as I do for being the middle man? With PayPerPost Direct you truly are your own boss! Now I don’t mind the 35% markup from PayPerPost, they do have a staff to pay, they do send me Tax Returns, and they do secure more advertisers than any other paid blogging website I have seen, however, the more money I can keep in my pocket the better… which is where PayPerPost Direct comes into play.
PayPerPost Direct will still offer marketing, they will still offer the security of me not having to put my email address out there and wait for advertisers to connect to me, they still make it super easy for me to get opportunities and for advertisers to find me. It is important that you claim the money you make to the IRS, and PayPerPost does that by sending you the forms you need for tax purposes, however even with PayPerPost Direct they will continue to track your earnings and send them out to you in your end of the year tax statement. Seems like a WIN-WIN situation to me!
Me: Heather, thirty-something mama to five wild kiddos. With such a broad age range, I can easily be nursing a baby while helping with Algebra homework. If I ever get spare time, I enjoy technology, knitting, reading, and just hanging out with my kiddos.
Bobby, my best friend and partner in crime for all of my adult life. Ex soldier, turned computer geek, he's traveled the world and then some. Truly an awesome husband, and dad, even when he is almost 7,000 miles away.
Christopher - 13. My professor, he always has a fact ready for any situation. Christopher loves math and science and is especially interested in the weather. Christopher loves to get lost between the pages of a good book.
Matthew - 6. My silly little jester. Matthew can make anyone laugh with the hilarious things he says and does. We are easily amused with his "Matthewisms", even as a baby his timing was impeccable.
Sophia - 3. The princess. With 4 brothers, it is easy to see why Sophie is such a diva, but behind all her drama, she is genuinely the sweetest kid I know. She is quick with a hug or an "I love you" and touches everyone she meets with kind words and a smile that lights up a room.
Liam, born 12/28/10. The n00b. Our 5th and final. Lovingly nicknamed "Mr. Grabbyhands", and about 300 other nicknames. Liam is easy going, laid back, cuddly, and sweet.