Many have asked and now breaking down and telling it all

Before I start I am only posting because people want to know what is going on. I never put out this much information and this is very hard for me to do. I am not asking for help but if you would like to help you can message me on ways to help I have options set up.
Many have asked what has been going on with me and I have been very vague about what is going on. Well now I am going to tell it all. In 2011 I got hurt at my job that I had at that time. The employer refused to give me the work comp number to file a claim and took all the information down in the general area where it was. I had to go through months of physical therapy, tests, scans and so much more. All in the end is that right then the damage was not enough to do anything and that I would have chronic pain for the rest of my life. So I was on light work for a while. Well my job cut me down in hours and then what topped it one night was that she told me because I get state medical and food stamps (which was not a whole lot each month). That I would never get a raise unless I got completely off the county and no help at all. Then she cut me down to one day a week and did everything against the law making me serve rotten food and everything. I could no longer work for them so I picked up my last paycheck and filed paperwork with my state. That didn't go very far. Well I was left with a trek that I never knew that I would be on. After that there was many times I still had to be mom. What did that mean I was crawling around my house just trying to clean and many time laying for hours crying in pain. I couldn't do anything with it. during this time I had three young children and my ex was taking me to court 3-5 times a month. That was taking my family down each time and cost so much money each time that we went. Finally I got it to the point that court ended and my kids father went away. He wasn't really there anyway. We also for my special needs children had to change therapists and was a longer drive and costing us more money. In 2012 my back finally started to calm down with a number of treatments but then found out that the disks in my back were slowly going away. This lead to not only chronic pain but degenerative disk disease. When I heard that my heart sank and knew what was coming because I have seen over the years what it has done to my father. Later that year at my husband job note we are about 2 years into owning our home and other plants in the area began shipping jobs over seas. When he said that his job had opened a plant overseas my heart sank because I had seen it happen to others. We kept going along. That year my ex signed his rights off to my children so that my husband could adopt them. Right after we got the papers from my ex that my husband came home and said that it was official that his plant was closing and some jobs were going over seas and some were going 2 hours away. He had the option to go down there for work but the roads were always bad that way so driving 2 hours one was was not a option. We talked about what we could do and just kept moving forward. This was a great job and my husband had just gotten to the 10 year mark with this job. He did stay to the very end with the job and right before Christmas he no longer had a job. During this time because we had not gone forward with the adoption that my ex brought us back to court again and again. Taking more money and time from our family. We finally made it clear about the job ending and would do it as soon as my husband got a new job. After Christmas break I was going crazy and sent the kids back to school at this time they were going to a different town for school because they were not getting help in the local school. During this time of going almost a month without a job that it was very hard and had to rob Peter to pay Paul kind of situation. My husband got very sad during this time and took a lot on my part to get him back up and wanting to get going. We set out getting job applications in and well he had a call not a great job but at that point any job was better then anything. Bills were mounting and there was no way to pay. I was still unable to really work because of my back. The pain was also beginning to take a silent toll on my heart. I had so many test and appointments. Right after the husband started at the new job it was going great he was working 60 hours a week and we were getting out of debt and things were beginning to look up. I then got the diagnosis of Thyroid nodules and had to do more testing. They thought it might be cancer and was watching me. Then I also got the diagnosis that I have to be watched for cervical cancer. This lead to more invasive testing and long hours. Finally they gave me a diagnosis that I didn't have cancer but that every three months that I would need to be watched. We were back to normal and was still taking my children to therapy and life was good for a short time. After my husband was done with the temp agency and he got hired on normally then the bad happened. Child support wrongly reported and got our refunds taken away, messed up my husband credit and so much more. This was a big blow to us. Then began that I had more Dr. visits and farther away. This took a toll on the money we had. Then my husbands hours were cut down to barely 40 hours and we couldn't guarantee. The Dr.'s still wanted me to see them, still had to take my children to therapy and we still had to fix our house. Got back to robbing Peter to pay Paul which was not fun and only got worse. 2013 during Christmas got really bad because he wasn't even making 40 hours a week and had to take vacation and even unpaid time off because there was no work. This happened a number of times throughout the time he has been working there. I had tried to do things to bring money into the home because I was so limited on what I could do because of my health and my children's issues. Finally in 2014 there was something that happened at my kids school that my daughter got threatened to be killed by another student. When the school couldn't ensure my daughter's safety while she was there and dealing with hours meetings after school at least once if not twice a week took too much of a toll on my body. On Halloween 2014 we went out but it was a short night because I didn't feel good and wanted to go home. That night my head was hurting so bad and my heart was hurting I went in. When I got there my heart rate was 153/132 it was scary. The er Dr. chalked it up to my chronic pain and sent me home with pain medications. The days to follow I got very worse and finally got in to see my regular Dr. I was told I was hypertensive and when I went in they said that I was lucky that I didn't have a stroke. I was put on medication and had to watch my heart. After that I couldn't take the stress with the school and decided that homeschooling would be the best option for everyone. We finally got my treatment levels at a good spot and then my main Dr. had to have surgery and has yet to cone back. It has not been easy because now I have to bring new Dr.s up to speed on everything and is hard when you only have a little bit of time on top of getting medication updated and so much more. My care has gone down hill so bad. It has been just one thing after another. Basically to this point my care has gone down hill so bad that I might have to drive farther to get to Dr.s that might be able to help. This all cost money which right now with it all building we have no money to pay bills. We have tried to fix the leaking roof ourselves and to date nothing has worked. It has been so hard to get anything done. We applied for help and we make a couple hundred too much. Not only that now my only vehicle that would make it far enough that I need over $500 worth of work. I have tried selling stuff off we own and now even though against Dr.s wishes I have to go and get a job. Praying that I don't have a episode with my heart or my back. It hurts so bad to talk about this and mostly only share with very close friends. Many of my and husband family don't know what is going on. My health has gotten a lot worse but now my husband might have to have shoulder surgery due to getting hurt at work the other day. He will only get 1/3 of his pay which means there will basically be no income coming into the home. I have tried other options to get ssdi and get help but no one wants to help until it is too late. With my special needs children security is very important and they are even having anxiety issues that is making life harder. We have cut down everything that we can and selling off and doing everything we can. Some family has been nice to help us out but that can only go so far. Talking helps and right now I am working on building my affiliate marketing but that pay is always a month behind. I am grateful for everyone that has already ordered and hoping to get more shares and helping more to get great gifts for the holidays. I am just trying to make it through birthdays and holidays with a smile but even the other day when I went food shopping I started crying on the way home with now that we are to the point of picking and choosing what bills we pay and don't pay. Hoping that we get some kind of help to get the roof and water damage that started this year and hoping my van gets fixed so that I can even get to a job. It has been very stressful lately and I spend many night crying. It has also caused a lot of stress between everyone in the family. I am praying that this all will soon be over and we can get back on track but even this holiday season that we will not be able to even get presents let alone if I can't get my van fixed to even get to family events or to my job.
Many want to know how they can help us during this hard time. There are some options I have below
come follow my other blog and also post the same items on my fan page and groups whichever works best for you. Sharing and getting my fan page and blog out there helps get me in front of more people. My affiliate links only give me like 6% on any purchase when it ships on average but still every little bit counts at this point. I am doing all I can to bring every deal I can. There are also really great freebies that I post too.
http://dealsandstealsjust4u.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1802327869981436/
https://www.facebook.com/dealsandstealsjust4u/

also if you just want to help like I said every dollar counts to helping and through paypal you can send payments as a friend and there is no fees charges my paypal email is
annfries85@gmail.com

Otherwise if you don't want to do any of those option there is also mailing which is below
Fries Family
PO Box 740
Gaylord, MN 55334

Thank you all and if you have any questions or want to keep yup with what is going on I am always available to chat on Facebook or you can email me at annfries85@gmail.com

Praying that everything will work out and that God is good all the time. He has shown us many times even during hard times that there is still good in the world and he has always helped us just at the right time.

That time of year again and how to make it work for you.

We are at that time of year again when most jobs begin slowing down, clearing out stock and getting ready for the end of the year taxes. What does that mean for most people. Well business clear out inventory which can help in finding great deals. On the other side like our little family and my health issues this is not good. Our funds get to the point that we are lucky to even have a house at the end of each month. Some go and sell stuff which that is what I am doing right now taking pictures and selling everything that I can in the house. Great deals and steals for any that are looking for any. The other option is even though with my health I am trying to find jobs close to home and online work. There are many call centers this time of year that do at home and need people. I am crossing my fingers that I get one of the jobs but for some I can't tell them all the work that I have been doing as the admin of a group and blogging and finding deals. Even though I am more then qualified and know most stores programs inside and out. I had to word it different and really hoping that it helps. Make sure that you have a resume made up at least something on it when applying to online jobs. I have seen some make gofundme pages and that is fine but they do take a lot of fees off the top. The bigger the amount you need well you know how that works. The easiest way that you can help is send them money as a friend on paypal. There is also facebook and other social media to give money but I really would not want to give my information over with hackers all the time. Beyond everything it has been hard and can cause fights and more that you don't need on top of it all. I really hate going to the doctor because I know that once I begin again here and well then it will be months of doctor visits and with a my van not working right, bad tires and not even having the gas to drive my van to the next town it is sad. I know that God provides what we need but now has cut my husbands hours down to 40 hours if that a week and sadly after being in our home for over 6 years we might have to say good bye to it. I am praying that something comes through but with my health I don't see that happening. It is so sad to know that you wish you could do something and can't. Some are friends on facebook and have seen my posts and have asked how they can help us with all of this and if you feel it in your heart to help us get through all of this right now i do have paypal and you can send it to me at annfries85@gmail.com. I hate asking for money and if you would like to get some great deals I have created a facebook sale group https://www.facebook.com/groups/199246207138771/ that you can join and see what I have for sale. There is education, clothing and so much more. I will be updating all the time and over the next few days post as many items as I can. I just wanted to share with you all and will be bringing all kinds of deals also. I have been working hard and will be bringing it all to you very soon. Also there are adds for amazon, target and will be bringing walmart deals here soon. I may create a new page just for posts of all the deals and steals that are out there. Each order for the deals that I post I get a very small amount but it does also help our family. I am one that don't want to take money I really want to give something one way or another to each and everyone I can that helps our family. It means so much to me. Have a great evening and I will be back tomorrow with all the great information that I am getting set up. 

I will do all the deal hunting for you.

I was thinking on posting all the deals and steals that I find here but didn't want to fill everyone's google+ with everything I find. So what I have done is made a public group of all the shopping deals that I find. Make sure to come check out deals and steals https://www.facebook.com/groups/1802327869981436/

ROIT=Return on invested time

If you read my last post getting everything organized this is the next step. Most people have their calendar packed every day of the week. I used to be that way and some weeks it happens. If you have this every week it can spread you too thin and then you are not good for anyone or yourself. Now look at everything and if it is not giving you financial, mentally, or physically some kind of reward it needs to go.  Financial we will start with that. Most blogs and posts you do should be bringing in some kind of money. There are many ways to do that and with a little research you can find what works for you. Some like direct sale, some like affiliate marketing, some just post for brands and get free product. Whatever that looks for you will be different from the next person. The next part is mentally this is a big one and if it doesn't make you feel good. So if you dread doing this part. Get rid of it. Life is short and why should you be unhappy. Most just suck it up and do it but that is not me. Don't do that to yourself because when you get grumpy everyone around you knows it also and then everyone is not mentally in a good place. This can also begin the breakdown of a family. The last one is physical. This means doctor appointments you have to do that even though it is not fun. What I mean by this and when I explain it there will be either you have the friend or even yourself that does this. Sticking you kids in 3 different sports at the same time. Yes straight out kids are overweight these days but that is more of needed to have better food choices (begins at home) and just need at little as 30 mins of exercise a day and will see a huge difference in your child. Have your child(ren) choose one sport to play and even with different aged children in your family it can still be hard but more manageable then having 3 kids each in 3 different sports. Parents sometimes over do it. It is still not okay even if you have one child. Take your kids to the park for 30 mins while you work on your phone (depending on age of the child). My children are old enough that they can play and I don't have to worry about them walking off but still not old enough to go to the park by themselves. I just bring my computer or notebook and turn my phone into a personal hotspot. They get their exercise and I get my work done. Looking at a new way to get the same results is better then running everyone down. Since I live in a colder climate that going outside in fall and winter is not a option sometimes. You can get a wii most pawn shops have for like $30 then get just dance for the wii there are so many out there and so much fun for the family. They also for those that like zumba there are games. With dancing you are getting a great workout and having fun. Plus you didn't have to go to the gym or to sports to get just as good of a workout if not better. There are so many options out there so that you don't have to be on the road for hours a day getting run down. What works for my family might not work for yours but these are options. If you google you can find hours of fun for free up to the whatever you decided to spend. If as a homeschooler you are looking for options there are indoor play places and indoor play parks all over the country that are great options to get all kinds of kids together. Cleaning up your schedule will give you more time to focus on your home and relationships with your significant other and your children. We have worked on different ideas and the kids love family game night which we try to do every Friday. The kids like making fun of us adults by playing Brain Quest Smart Game (aff) which is on sale right now for $15.10 (reg $24.99) and they have fun when even us adults sometimes can't get the right answer. There are many other brain board games out there that can be so much fun for a family. Taking down some the amount that is done might take a family meeting and will be well worth it in the end. So time to go review what needs to go and ways to change what you are doing now to be positive in your life. If you need any other ideas please comment and can help find you ways to make things better for you. Have a great day all. 

Organization to get your life back in order

Well I am sure you are here because your life is so crazy between work, sports, blog and maybe event if you home school like us. There are so many different ways to do it all. I am going to share with you some of the items I use to keep it all straight lately even with the craziness. The biggest one for our home school is the planner. I searched for hours at big box stores for a planner that didn't have pre-written words and that I could do myself. After hours of looking and downloading and so much more on systems that didn't work for our home school I found this wonderful planner Blue Sky Today's Teacher "Dots" Create Your Own Cover Academic Year 16/17 Weekly/Monthly 8.5 x 11 Planner (aff link) I love this one there are blank spots and enough that I filled in as follows Math, Reading, Writing, Language Arts/Reading Comp, Social studies, Science, Art/Music, Health/Phy Ed and electives (only with electives because I have a children moving into high school grades next year and preparing this year). In this book I have a record or everything completed for the year in the planner part, sources used, paperwork slots were I keep test scores and reporting forms. Also for each child I have enough space to make notes for each child. I have three and just put their initial and what they need to complete for the day. When they get their work done I use a highlighter to mark what they have done (only because I got sick of going back through the hand in bin after the first 2 weeks going back through everything to make sure they have it done.) For reading and writing I just write K, N, E and then highlight when I have seen what they did because with daily writing prompts I have the same subject but my youngest child only has to write 3 good sentence but my older children have to write more. Laying it out what works for your family but this has been the best way that I have found to get the school part under control. Now for personal planners there are also so many out there and have seen them. Personally I use a dollar store planner from Dollar Tree. They have for $1 and they have some cute hard cover ones. Soft cover seem to always get bent in my purse. Make sure to get one as there is many kinds. Most to make for sure that each day has a large area to write and the hard cover ones they just came out with have very large areas for writing. First I schedule in Dr. appointments (which there is always so many), events (family kinds), work hours (if you work outside or inside the home and if you have a blog/fan page to plan out a basic idea of what your are going to talk about. There are many printable pages to plan out longer and more detailed of what you plan for your posts. Then after all of that I plan out my direct sales business Usborne Books and More with Ann  which to keep invitations, parties, and business calls straight is so much easier. Then if I might be sitting somewhere with down time that I can see all my other tasks that need to be done for that day and begin working on each task. I have to be very type A personality on this part because I have fibro and brain fog is a big problem. The only way I sadly remember to do somethings to make sure I have them wrote down. The next thing that I use in my house to keep my family tied together knowing what is going on it 9 piece Chalkboard calendar set (aff link) this calendar set is great because you don't waist paper with a pull off one and all it takes is a wet rag to clean it all off. I use a little glass cleaner to get off the lighter colors but that is all with chalk markers the lighter ones seem harder to get off all chalkboards. When putting it up take is slow like putting up wallpaper making sure there are no bubbles but if you do don't worry you can take it off and reapply it on the area a number of times. I used a squeegee that we use for our shower walls and in no time I had it up and ready to go. With all paper style ones many don't state but take a piece of regular chalk and rub it all over it to prep the surface then take a dry towel and wipe it down. This fills in any pours in the chalkboard paper and will make it a lot easier for the marker to come back off. Make sure to do this once a month for the first couple of months and then after that you will not have to do it and will all come off when you clean it each month. I had slipped a few months ago after a lot happened and now getting back in. These may not work for everyone but it is a great start for anyone that has no idea where to go right now and need something. I am really hoping that with bringing this part to you will be very helpful as it has for me. Let me know in the comments if you need anything else or have any questions. Have a great day and happy planning and getting organized again. 

Life has ups and downs

We all know that life has some bad ups and downs. Well I am no different. My life has been so crazy. I have had issues with my father we almost lost him a few times but he is a fighter and keep going. On top of that hubby is now on the hunt for a new job. Change is always no fun and lately it has been very tight for us. Between everything I have not had much time to get past what is needed to get through the day. Well now that things have gotten a lot better I am back and ready to bring you what I have learned from my troubles. I will be posting over the next couple weeks how to help your family from what we had to go through. I don't wish for what we have been going through on anyone and if I can help you to stay out of where I have been it would make my day. Make sure to stay tuned to my posts and sign up for notifications to stay up to date with all the current posts. Also with Christmas coming I will be bringing you also the best gifts I have found that will help your children since everything that we bring into our home is educational but fun. Have a great rest of your Monday and will be back with everything I can for you.

How was your mother day?

Now that Mother's Day has come and gone. Being a mother without a mother on this day was kind of hard. I know my mom would not want me to be sad and to enjoy that I am a mom. My middle child decided that she wanted to go to grandma and grandpas which was fine because for the last 3 days before I had a extra child. Not a problem because once you get past 3 it is all just insanity. My oldest and youngest stayed home. The last few days was crazy because Saturday my sister had prom so had to go to grand March. She decided to walk with her best friend which was so great. They both looked so pretty in theirs dresses and going to prom with a friend you are not tied to one person. While sitting and waiting for it to start a couple of boys and a girl sat behind my little sister and myself. I usually don't pay attention but when I hear my maiden name comes out of anyone mouth it usually is either followed by something good or something that people mouths should not say. Well they had to open their mouth and say something that I would have loved to turn around and smack the hell out of them. I didn't because I know that a high power and karma will take care of those snots. I continued and enjoyed watching all the couple and many of them I knew and seeing them all grown up made me want to cry. While I was gone my oldest and youngest handmade special Mother's Day cards. (I love them better then store bought anyway). I got to sleep in Sunday morning which was so great as I have been running on nothing the last few weeks. The only reason I woke up because I smelled good cooking. Jeremy has made me steak, hash browns, eggs, and bacon. I couldn't eat it all I was so full. Then he told me to go outside and he got two tomatoe plants (because he froze out the ones I had been growing) and the flowers I had seen but didn't get the other day. He took his last little bit that he saves to get a sandwich or snack for work. What a sweetie. He has also been working hard on my raised garden bed and got that all done for me yesterday. My brother also came and did some work on our roof. When I was on my way to get my middle child I thought about going to my moms grave and lost it. I have learned I don't have to go to where her body is because her spirit is no longer there. I know she finds ways to let us all know that she is still around. Weather it be a song that comes on the radio at just the right time, a smell that reminds me of her or something that happens that I know would be her it give me a smile. She was a strong, wonderful, loving woman and if I can be just half of what she was it would be a blessing. With everything it was a great day. Now it is back to the grind today. We have been working on reading and math. It has been raining and so that has not been good for my health today and have noticed. I have dishes to be done and laundry but it has been more fun today to cuddle and have hugs. Hearing my kids reading and being creative. It reminds me of a Martha Washington quote basically saying house might be a mess but I have happy creative kids. That is more important. It will all get done by the end of the day like always but these are days that I will never get again with my children at this age. So even if it is icky outside you always have warmth inside. Hope you all had a great Mother's Day and even though I cried for missing my mother yesterday I know she would be happy with the loving and kind mother I have become. I want to note that now there are advertisements on my blog and if there is every one that is not appropriate please let me know. I am new to all of it and believe I have it set to see stuff that would be relevant and save you all moeny and would never want adult content to be shown.