I don’t consider myself one of those hard-core environmentalist type people.  But, I do my part.  I recycle almost everything I can (cardboard, cans, bottles, plastics), I buy cards made on recycled paper as often as I can find one I like on that material, etc.  So, like I said, I do my part, but I don’t go around preaching it to everyone I know.

Though, I am going to comment on it here today…

These companies out there that are “making a difference” and “going green” are full of crap.  Not that the one I am talking about today has actually said those in any advertisements, but pretty much all of the big ones out there do say that in some form or they will have all the Hippie freaks knocking down their doors.

Today I’m speaking about receipts.  Receipts that are five miles long.  Then, the additional coupons that print next to the receipts.  Receipts that have logo’s on them that are over an inch tall.  Receipts that want you to call into an automated system to learn if you won $5000.  (Let me save you the time, no one ever wins those)…..  WASTEFUL receipts.

Adam and I went to pick up a couple of things this weekend.  We needed new air filters for the a/c unit, so we stopped into Lowe’s.  We bought ONE pack of air filters.  The receipt for this ONE item we got???  OVER 14 inches!!!  It was actually one tick mark before the 1/4 mark point.  It was a 16 mark measuring tape and I really can’t figure out what that would be…  So, if you know how to read a measuring tape, let me know.  But, yeah…  14 and one tick mark before a quarter inches long!  WHY?  Why does Lowe’s have to print an almost 14 1/4 inch receipt for ONE item????  We also went to Walgreens.  We bought four things at Walgreens.  That receipt is 12 and one tick before 3/4.  Much better than Lowe’s considering it is shorter AND we got three more items there.  I guess Walgreens needs a big “Bravo!” for saving our environment in such a way.

So, to conclude…  I’m not an environmental nut, I love to recycle and American stores need to stop printing receipts that are 4 miles long.

Rant concluded!

So…  I can’t upgrade the picture gallery plugin that I use on my website.  That is why the last post just had them plopped up there.  I really like the slideshow way that they do it though.  I have a bunch of pictures that I want to upload, but without the slideshow it will tkae up way too much space.  For now, I posted them all on Facebook.  So, I invite you all to rush on over to Facebook and check them out!!

The kids survived camp this week and loved every minute of it.  They did experiments with air, dry ice, electricity, rockets, slime & crystals.  I am sure I forgot a few things there.  Every day they came home with something they made at camp.  The teacher’s names were Professor Butterfly and Dr. Awesome.  So, clearly it was a cool camp.

Thursday we brought McDonald’s up when we picked them up and we played in the adjacent park for a while.  I had a lot of stale bread and buns so we fed the ducks and turtles too.  There were lots of baby turtles and four baby ducks.  Of course, I forgot the camera!

We took them yesterday to edfaHawaiian Falls and we all had a blast!  It is a great family park that really caters to kids and them having fun.  It is a little smaller than the big water parks but still didn’t have to wait in long lines.

The unfortunate thing came at the beginning (and carried over to the end and beyond).  We ran out of sunscreen.  I got everyone else sprayed down, but didn’t get all of my arms and back.  I am a LOBSTER today!  Well, more like a spotted lobster, because we tried to get more out of the bottle and it just spit out at me.  You can see the lovely saddest excuse for sunscreen application ever pictures here:

In other news, Adam’s job is going great.  Granted, he worked from home all last week which was a treat.  He will be back to going to the office early and staying late for the next month to month and a half, at least.  Once they get the new product launched, we hope to go back to “regular” hours.

The kids are with their mom this week, then we only have the month of August before we go back to every other weekend.  We have loved having them here so much!!  It has been great for all of us to spend so much time together.  August will be clothes shopping (Taylor’s least favorite thing to do).  We already did supplies, so we are all good there!  They start school on the 24th.

So, until then……

We had a fun filled time this weekend.  Saturday we went to lunch with Adam’s parents and then headed over to the Allen USA Celebration.  We got there much later than we wanted to, but it was a nice time.  We had gotten the kids unlimited passes to the kid’s zone.  We only got to see about 5 bounce houses.  Then, we let the kids play in the water.  They loved that.  We didn’t have the girls wear their bathing suits under their clothes, but they loved getting out there anyway and getting wet.  I think it kept them cooler the rest of the night anyway!  We then went to get goodies to eat.  The girls picked Dippin Dots, of course!  I think they would eat those every day, if they were allowed to!  Adam and I got a funnel cake.  Nothing is better than fair food!!  We got settled in and watched Smash Mouth.  It was an ok concert.  Adam didn’t think the singer did good, but it was fine by me!  I’m not the picky music “connoisseur” as he is!

The absolute best part of the night was the fireworks show.  I love fireworks.  I would watch every 4th of July show out there, if I could!  But, I really have to say that this was one of the best shows I have ever seen.  They did it correagraphed to music, which is “normal” these days, but this was really well done.  It was amazing…

Laura was sitting close to me and she got a little scared as soon as the first two big booms happened.  I told her that the stuff floating down was Tinkerbell’s fairy dust.  She loved that and once she saw the purple ones, she was happy as a clam!

Laura spent the night with the kids and had a ball playing with Aaliyah.

Sunday we went to Babe’s Chicken House for Caleb’s 2nd birthday.  That is always fun and yummy.  We rounded out the weekend by going grocery shopping at Super Target.  Nothing better than that, right?

In other news, we got the girls new bedding.  I will take a picture and post it soon.  They loved it!!

This month is always busy.  Well, it used to be back in the day.  This is busy birthday month in the Anello family.  Thank goodness there is only one Presley birthday in June!  With my parents passed, we are down two, but it also makes June bittersweet for me.  I miss my parents so much.  There are so many things I wish I could share with my mom.

Anyway, it is my neice, nephew and brother’s birthdays.  And, Adam’s nephew.  I think they all had a great birthday.

It is also my new future nephew-in-law’s birthday.  That’s right, one of my nieces, Kristi got engaged this month!!!  We are so excited for them.  Now we have to plan another trip to Minnesota!!

So, besides birthdays, we celebrated Father’s Day this month.  The girls bought Adam geeky t-shirts, which he actually picked out.  It made it much easier that way.

We have decided that after the kids go back to school I will for sure start looking for a job.  I really like staying home, but we want to get some of our bills knocked out.  Hopefully, when we get some of them taken care of I can convince Adam to let me quit again!  LOL

Today was a weird day.  Farrah Fawcett passed away.  Not surprising, really.  She had cancer for two years.  I was never a huge Charlie’s Angels fan, but she seemed nice enough.  Then, the shocker of all, Michael Jackson died.  Suddenly.  I don’t know why, but this really “freaked” me out.  “Freaked” isn’t the right word, but the only one I can think of right now.  I was so taken aback.  Not that I was a huge MJ fan or had all his albums or anything, it was just so unexpected.  Even though he was a freak, I think deep inside, he was still a scared little boy that didn’t really get to live a normal childhood and had to act out once he got the money to do so.  I wish them both peace in their restings.

It is funny…  I remember when my dad passed I was telling my mom that he was having a martini and playing cards.  Probably went to go check out Elvis or someone like that.  She chuckled.  Not that my dad liked MJ’s music…  He was more into elevator music, but I would think that he and mom are looking him up after he gets checked in at the pearly gates.  Such an innovator.  He did so much for music.  He will be missed.

Not much else going on…  Adam’s grandfather is having some health issues so Adam and I had some “serious” type conversions tonight.  We are going to Allen’s Fourth of July celebration, Allen USA Saturday.  Got the kids all access wrist bands to the kid’s zone.  Hopefully we won’t melt in the heat!!!