May has always been a happy child and she's even happier now she can reach to more places. Her reaching to more places is becoming much more watching and a handful of trouble for the rest of us. It's good though that she's exploring her surroundings more.

If she isn't climbing in the living room chair, she's shaking the gate that separates her from the kitchen and the dining room. Or if she isn't trying to bother the cat, she banging her green wooden alligator on the table. Hehe. She's a very busy little 16 month old. May loves walk around in circles too.

May is also starting to put words together too. When Rex walks through the door, she says, "Hi, Dad," or when I walk down the stairs she'll say "Hi, Mom." She knows the number two now. We're trying to teach her shapes and colors. I'm not sure what her favorite color is yet but I have a feeling it might be green. I'm saying this because of wooden alligator I mentioned earlier. The board she gets the alligator from has different animals of various colors and she plays with the alligator the most now. Before it was the yellow giraffe. It might be because the alligator and giraffe are long too and more narrow.

I'll be heading to Howard next week to put the final edits to my thesis together and handing in the required documents to the graduate school for graduation next month. I know I'm really cutting it close. Not living in Maryland has made it very hard to get the documents in as well as not having the means to go down there. My program is actually helping me get back to the school at least for next week, by providing a hotel room and reimbursement.

We may be going to Allentown tomorrow to check out the area around there. Rex is still pushing through, getting up early and working out there. He said it's cold in the place he works and we got him a sweater to wear not too long ago. He's still in a 6 month probationary period before we can get benefits. He is getting experience though, he said the machine he uses can't stop for more than a few minutes. It's a very large factory he works at. I've been taking a different approach to my job searching. I've actually downloaded a lot of job seeker e-books for the Kindle for free. (I've been downloading so many e-books for the Kindle, using the Kindle app on my phone recently.) There's a program called the Jersey Job club, that my mom referred me too. I'm going to go to a workshop session for that next week and they have other job workshop development workshops for the rest of the month as well. In the meantime though, I'll be keeping my eye on May. For most of my writing of this entry she's been quietly watching Tinkerbell on Netflix but not I see she's walking around holding her sippy cup filled with one hand and a bib in her mouth. Oh joy :-)

I wanted to share a new beverage I recently discovered. It's Premium Peony White Tea. From my previous entries you'll know I'm taking steps to become more healthy and I've started drinking more tea.

I researched some of the benefits of white tea and found much about them from The White Tea Guide. Here are just a few of those benefits:

White Tea Antioxidants
Antioxidants are nutrients that protect the body from damage by free radicals. Free radicals are nasty things that go around wreaking havoc on your body, damaging DNA and accelerating aging. Antioxidants scoop them up and neutralize them. White tea is loaded with these protective nutrients.

Cancer Prevention

White tea may have profound power against cancer-causing cells and against many different types of cancer, such as colon, prostate, and stomach cancers. Flavonoids, a class of antioxidants, inhibit the growth of cancer cells and prevent the development of new ones. In some cases, white tea has been found to work as well as prescription drugs, but without the side effects.

Lower Blood Pressure

Studies show that white tea can thin the blood and improve artery function. It helps lower high blood pressure and maintain a healthy one. By promoting strong and healthy blood vessels, white tea guards against the ravages of stroke.

Lower Cholesterol

Catechins, another group of antioxidants, have been found to reduce cholesterol, and white tea is teeming with them. Cholesterol is a special type of fat and is necessary for health. There is good cholesterol and bad cholesterol, and white tea increases the good while decreasing the bad. This helps prevent hardening of the arteries and blockage of blood flow.

Heart Protection

By thinning the blood, lowering blood pressure, and reducing cholesterol, white tea protects the heart and the entire circulatory system. Researchers have also discovered that people who drink 2 or more cups of tea a day are almost 50% less likely to die after suffering a heart attack. White tea is truly a remarkable heart tonic.

Stronger Bones

Studies have found that people who drank tea regularly had greater bone density and strength than non-drinkers. White tea may also have beneficial effects for sufferers of arthritis and osteoporosis.

Antibacterial & Antiviral

White tea is a natural killer of bacteria and viruses. The antioxidants so abundant in white tea tone the entire immune system, providing protection against a variety of invaders and a wide range of diseases. Its helps guard against the common cold and flu, and can ease the symptoms of HIV.

Healthy Teeth and Gums

White tea contains small amounts of fluoride and other nutrients which keeps the teeth strong and healthy. It also kills the bacteria which causes plaque, tooth decay, and bad breath.

Healthy Skin

Free radicals from staying out in the sun too long, stress, and a poor diet can damage the skin and cause it to prematurely age. By scavenging these free radicals, white tea protects the skin and helps to reverse some of the damage. Drinking white tea promotes healthy and radiant skin.

I like that white seems to have more antioxidants than green tea. I'm drinking two cups of the tea a day. Once in the morning and once at night. I don't any sugar or honey too the tea and I think it tastes good just the way it is. It's is definitely staying a part of my routine!

To find out more about white tea, check out White Tea and It's Health Benefits on About.com.

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post.

I caved and decided to try out Citrus Lane for one more month. If you aren't familiar with Citrus Lane check out their How It Works page. I paid $29 for this box. For this month's box, like last month's, we were able to select one item in the box. Each month the company gives you the option to add more items to your box as well. I didn't add any additional items. The selection for this month was a variety of Singalong Books and CD Sets from Barefoot Books. I was happy, May loves songs and the selection they had available seemed very nice. I found the songs on Youtube and selected A Hole In The Bottom Of The Sea. I couldn't help but think of when Stewie sung on Family Guy. Hehe.

Here's what I received in my box:

Hole In the Bottom Of The Sea from Barefoot Books

This is actually a decent size paper-back book. I liked that there was a CD included and the notes to play the tune. The illustration of the characters in the book were nice as well. I already started sing the song to May and she liked looking at the characters. She's still a little too young to understand them but it'll be fun to sing along too especially when she gets older.

The rest of the box:

Snack Bowls from Green Eats

This was a nice set of snack bowls. There was 4 included. They look like the perfect size for snacking. I like that they are made from 100% recycled material and are BPA free. The color I received was orange.

Lemon Verbena Dish Soap from Mrs. Meyers Clean Day

I haven't heard of this dish soap but I was excited to try it. I like washing the dishes :-) The size was pretty good to get a sample of how the soap was. I found it hard to get the liquid out and that when I squeezed it on my sponge, it didn't really lather. I didn't smell the lemon either. I like that the ingredients are 97% derived though.

Race Car from Green Toys

I thought this was such a nice toy. I love that the car itself is BPA free. It's a nice size and very detailed. May absolutely loved it and was pushing the car around the room. It's fabulous!

Greeting Card Offer from Treat

I've heard of Shutterfly before and Treat is a branch of Shutterfly. The offer is good for one free card. I went to the website and like how easy the cards look to make. I think I'll be using this offer for May's great-grandmother for Mother's Day.

Overall, I was very pleased with this month's Citrus Lane. I feel that the products are well worth the price of the box. Though I really do like this subscription, financially we are not able to continue. We hope to pick the subscription up though in the near future, perhaps even pay the 3 or 6 month value. I'll keep my eye open for discounts on maybe Groupon or Living Social. Like I said, this box is well worth the price!

Disclaimer: I purchased this box with my own money and was not monetarily compensated for this review. Opinions are honest and are completely my own.

I did it!! I successful defending my thesis entitled "The Economic Value Of Air Quality Forecasting." I defended my thesis at the Howard University campus in Beltsville, MD. I left early this morning around 6:30 am, the time of my defense was 1:00 PM. I wasn't completely done with my presentation before I left and thought I would have some time to put the finishing touches on it, after I got there.

Rex had to work so I brought May with me, and dropped her off around 9:30 am, with her aunts and uncles and cousins. It's been a while since we've seen them and they were missing May. I met with my adviser at Howard University in DC not too long after that and we discussed some of my research and the presentation. My adviser thought it was best to put the finishing touches at Beltsville so we drove to Beltsville. I was nervous, but I knew it had to be done. This was one of the last steps towards getting my Masters and I thought I really just need to graduate and get this over with.

I edited my thesis up to the last minute which my adviser said was fine with what I had to present, though I feel I could have added a bit more. I saw a couple of my former classmates who came to support me. I started off pretty good, there were some parts where I lost my train of thought. I feel confident though in the pep talk my adviser gave me before my presentation and the work that I know of what I have been doing. I finished my presentation in about 30 minutes. It was short but much of the information that I uncovered was presented in my defense.

I got many questions from my peers. I was able to answer some of them, my adviser helped me answer a couple others. Then it was time for my peers to leave and my committee who had been there for my presentation as well. Their questions were more intense. I found it harder to answer their questions but I did my best with the knowledge I had attained throughout my research. That question and answer section seemed to go on for about 20 minutes. Lastly I was asked to leave and then the decision of whether I passed was discussed. That took pretty long. I talked with a few of my classmates who assured me I had done well. I was just happy to get the thesis defense over with. It had taken me at least 2 years to complete the research and gather all that information into a paper. I am so thankful for the support of my family and my husband as well as the help I received from my adviser.

I had lost motivation, especially last semester when I was so close to defending the thesis in November but in my quest to find jobs in my field not going so well, my stipend running out and having to do temp jobs, as well as losing my aunt who was like a second mother to me, I decided to put it on hold and try to get into something that seemed more promising. Of course when I first started graduate school, it seemed a higher degree would be more marketable in today's society. Though that is true for some, the job market is hard and more experience is required for many positions, not just the degree. Nonetheless, persistence might pay off and at 3:00 pm, I was called back in to find out persistence did pay off. I had successfully defended my thesis for my Masters.

I am now closer than ever towards obtain my Masters. I need to complete my edits and submit the documents to graduate school at Howard. I hope to have that all in next week and then I should receiving my degree next month!

We've been working to maintain our cost of living and getting out of my parents house these past months, though I decided today to leave my job at the nursing home. I really did not want to quit, I know we need the money but emotionally and physically I was not there. At the job we were always short. I was actually the only person who had stayed in that position since 6 months ago, though now that I'm gone, they haven't had anyone stay since then.

I talked it over with Rex and my parents and they said it would be best for me to leave. They could see that it was taking a toll on me. The work I was doing there was not like it was 10 years ago when I was working at a nursing home and the pace just seemed so fast. I was mad at myself that I could not keep up, I really felt out of place many times that I was there. Some of my co-workers remembered that they had to crawl before they could walk and assured me I was doing well, but it was the late nights and some of the others, who seemed upset with me that I could not keep up, that lead me to leave. The pay was little as well.

I was hoping to secure another position before I left, but emotionally I was drained. The job was affecting my health too. I had not gotten my period the whole month I was there. I took two pregnancy tests which came back negative. I still have haven't gotten my period. I was seriously stressing so much about that job.

I definitely don't want to make a habit of quitting. My thesis I wanted to just do away with so many times, but I know I must keep going with that. I'm thankful Rex still has his job. He goes an hour away to Allentown. It's far but it pays pretty well. The moral is that we must do what we can to make a living but if it is affecting our health we really have to think about it. Rex did have to leave the two jobs when he was experiencing his symptoms with anxiety attacks. He has been doing better managing his symptoms. I know this another bump in the road. For now we have to take May out of daycare until we can get some more money. It was hard leaving her there, especially the first day. We might try for something less expensive too.

I am also thankful to still have the job at middle school where I create articles on the data collected from the students. It generates some income. I'm also doing little things here and there like taking surveys. I know we'll find something we both really enjoy doing. It might take a while. For now we'll keep searching and realize that the road to something greater might come with some costs.

This article on the signs it's time to leave your job helped me see things clearer too.

May will be turning 16 months this Sunday and she getting the hang of walking more each day. She's still wants to crawl but she is standing up more.She's also growing out fast of the clothes we bought her previously. Earlier today Rex and I went to Once Upon A Child, an inexpensive consignment store for children, to look for onesies. I had went through her clothes for her, that I had brought from Maryland back in December and realized we needed more onesies.

When we first got inside the store, May went right were the shoes were. We had on sandals for her, it was bright and sunny and warm. The sandals we had where black though and I didn't think they really matched her pretty blue dress her grandmother got her, so I looked through the shoes and found a nice pair of white sandals with a flower on them. I got them in a size 5 as that's May's shoe size now but I'm sure within a month or two, she'll be out of these shoes too.

We made our way to where the clothing section was and to wear the onesies were. The onesies were all together and though they coordinated by color, they are not coordinated by size. Unfortunately I was not able to find a onesie for May. Many were 0 to 3 months or 3 to 6 months. We were actually looking for more onesies as well because 3 of her onesies along with 3 full outfits went to the daycare for accidents and such. We decided to shop elsewhere for the onesies and as I was at the checkout, I saw Rex take May outside. I thought he was just going to wait for me outside with May but then he came back in holding May and said we should get a motorbike outside. I was thinking "She barely uses her walker. Really some power wheels?"

The cashier asked if I wanted to discuss the purchase with my husband. It was $25 for the Batman Power Wheels. I thought the price wasn't bad as much of the new purchases of the product are often $50+. I also thought if we really needed such a mobile device. He already had her on the Power Wheels when I looked outside and I decided to purchase the product. I made sure to ask him if the Power Wheels worked before the purchase and he assured me that it did. We then took the Power Wheels to the car and I could see how happy he was. I was a little uneasy. I heard about accidents with those devices in the past. We got back home and I thought my dad would share with my feeling of being uneasy, when he saw it. Nope! He was all for the Power Wheels.

We put May on the Power Wheels and she actually inched the device towards the kitchen. She really didn't have a problem pressing the button. She inched when Rex turned her around then drove into a chair. The back wheels were spinning. She was smiling though and we laughed. We later tested the Power Wheels outside and May had fun driving around the backyard. She even stopped at times and bent over to touch to buttercups. I know we'll have to get her a helmet and some elbow and knee pads. That will keep her much more safe while on the Power Wheels. She looks like she enjoys being on the Power Wheels and now that it's getting warmer out, we'll be out much more.

Oh consignment shops, you never know what you'll find.

May with her new toy inside the house.

Testing outside.

Having fun!

It's been a while since I posted an entry on my 30 Things series. I kind of forgot it...Nonetheless, here's another installment as part of that series.

2. Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears.

Fear 1: Spiders
Ok, I think this is a common fear among many people. I really do not care for spiders. Big one make me jump, scream and tingly and little ones even make me tingly. I definitely avoid the area where the creature is and if I do kill one, I hit it at least 5 times to make sure it's dead. Oh I don't like picking them up either. I reach down slowly and walk quickly to the trash can. My fear of them comes from the way the move. It's so creepy. I also have a fear one with pop out of the trashcan after I killed it. I don't bother spiders outside like on a leaf or something like that. That is there natural habit. They can do what they do, and I'll do what I do. I especially try to avoid a spiderwebs if I'm outside.

Fear 2: House Fires
This fear came became a fear when I was younger. There was a home in the back of my parent's house that caught fire and I'll never forget that night. I remember hearing people taking outside and hearing firetrucks. I looked out one window of my parents home that night, and saw nothing. I looked out the window on the other side and saw a big burning house, cars were parked on our lawn and people were just standing and watching. The home was engulfed and the fire was so strong the firefighters were telling people to get back and you could feel the heat. I remember when the roof collapsed, the embers were floating towards my parents house and I really thought that the house would catch on fire too. There was nothing left of the house after it was extinguished. Fires are so devastating. My fear is of the fire and not being able to get out.

Fear 3: Guns
I do not like guns. I have many friends that own guns, my father and grandfather have guns, but me I will not hold or own a gun. There's been so many shootings of innocent lives, one of the first I heard of was Columbine. Recently in movie theaters, malls, and elementary schools, it seems when in the gun gets into the wrong hands, there is a tragedy. I have never come in contact with a gun. I hope more control can be put on guns, to make it a safer place for everyone.

Though these are my fears, they do not limit me towards achieving my goals, they allow me to be more cautious.

We might be in for some big changes these next few weeks. Rex is doing well at his job though it's an hour from my parents place. We are really thinking about moving out that way. He has to be at work at 5 am. and basically leave from the house around 3:30 am. The time he leaves is not set. He can't go home until everyone is done. It looks like the time might be 3 pm but it could be even longer than that and he might not get home until much later. He's working in Allentown, PA.

May did well for her first day at daycare, her caregivers said. She even took a nap while she was there! When I dropped her off today she was upset. I know she is in good hands at the daycare though, they are so reassuring. It's such a nice daycare center too. Yesterday, I stayed home with her, I had off. She was so active. She is getting more and more active each day. The makeshift barriers we have around the house are no match for her any more. She's smart enough to open latches and climb over chairs. We're thinking of getting a gate now.

There's a lot of different routes we can take though. Rex's job does pay more and is full-time with benefits in the following months. My job varies from part-time to full-time, with no benefits. We always seem to be short and one person pretty much has to do two to three jobs on top of their own. The CNAs are either being fired or quitting which makes it harder to get the meals out on time. I've been there for over a month now and only once I can home around 8 pm. That's when my shift is supposed to end for the night shift. Every other time I seem to get off more around 8:30 and beyond, the latest was 9:09. It's hard for Rex and my parents because we are still trying to get May to go to sleep around 8 and most of the time, she doesn't go to sleep until I come home. The day shift is a little bit more better and there's more hours with that shift as well.

We are really discussing our next steps. I've been looking for jobs around Allentown and Rex is waiting to here back from a job around were my parents are. We know we definitely want to move out of my parents house. Though May is a daycare, we still can enroll her another daycare where we are more going to stay. We've been trying to get back on our feet since we had to move out back in December and though it's a bit a way, we might be headed towards that way. Rex has the more stable job and we both agreed that whoever gets the more stable job, we'll go there. We both know that the job I'm at won't been even a year. There is so much more than 10 years ago. For Rex to keep the job, we should move closer. I commuted one summer semester an 1 hour from my home in South Jersey to my school in North Jersey and it was a lot.

Next week I also hope to defend my thesis as well. That has been a bag of mixed emotions but one thing I definitely want to do is finish what I started. One thing I've learned along the way is that you may head down one road but there might be a curve. The curve might be smooth but in many times its rough. You may be weak and weary after the curve but just keep moving forward. Eventually there will be a brighter day.