Everyday Mom

I love Sunshine Rewards!  Now, I know that most of my readers already feel the same way, but just in case there are some of you who don’t even know about Sunshine Rewards, I thought I’d take a few minutes to let you in on the scoop.  Do you shop online?  Do you have time to share your thoughts about products and services with select advertisers?  Are you looking for some special offers to take advantage of?  Perhaps you need a public forum where you can meet new friends.  Maybe you just need a fun place to hang out and play games.  Well, Sunshine Rewards has all of that and more. 

It is an online rewards program that allows me to earn some extra money doing some of the same things I do everyday anyway.  If you shop online, you definitely need to check it out.  Sunshine offers anywhere from 1% to 20% cash back on hundreds of merchants including some major retailers like Kohl’s, Target, Sears, Best Buy, Kmart, and more.    It almost seems crazy to me that people would shop online and not use Sunshine Rewards to earn cash back.  While you’re there, you should check out the daily survey opportunities.  Some members earn up to $1.50 or more per day helping advertisers better understand the marketplace.  These surveys generally take 10-20 minutes to complete and can be done while you have your morning coffee.  I don’t know about you, but I love to give my opinion.  Getting paid is just an added bonus.

Okay, I know some might be thinking, “What’s the catch?”  There isn’t one.  Sunshine Rewards is the best rewards site on the internet today.  It is family owned and operated with attention to not only top notch customer service but also cutting edge technology.  Sushine offers the best deals and coupons and constantly adds new merchants to ensure I have the best selection.  If you need to save for a vacation (especially Disney) or just need to put away a few dollars for a rainy day, you should check out Sunshine Rewards.  You can get an account for free, and in fact, you will earn your first $2.00 just for signing up.  The site is clean.  Your information is safe, and you’ll be treated like family.  Come on, what have you got to lose?  Come join us at www.sunshinerewards.com.  We’re waiting for you.  Don’t forget to sign up for the forum.  There’s lots of help there, and of course, it’s where we have all the fun!

I am so excited to have good news to share with you about my father.  As many of my readers already know, he is undergoing treatment for Stage IV colon cancer.  That basically means that the cancer started in his colon and has moved to other locations near that area.  He has about 6 spots on his liver.  His lungs, however, are clear and have been the entire time he has undergone treatment.  It’s been a pretty rough road so far with hospital stays, IV feeding, chemo sickness, colostomy issues, and the list goes on.  However, this week has been a great week.  I’ve talked to my dad no less than three times because he called to give me good news. 

The first call made me cry because it started with, “Hi baby, I called just because I needed to hear your voice.”  That was so sweet.  He’s been so weak that he’s had no choice but to slow his life way down.  He spends a lot of time in the front porch swing.  I’m sure it has allowed him time to think through his life and begin to enjoy things you just don’t have time to consider, like the sound of someone’s voice.  Have you ever thought about that?  Are you so busy that you don’t take time to remember someone’s look, or smell, or sound.  It’s probably silly, but I understood him when he said he just needed to hear it.

 We talked about a lot of things, but we focused most of our conversation on his Social Security Disability claim.  He had completed his application process, and was waiting for his interview to be scheduled.  He was optimistic that everything would work out.  He’s doing okay financially right now, but is aware that assistance will be needed soon.   Hearing him say he felt good and ready to move through the process was good news.

His second call was to tell me that much to his surprise, just two days after his interview, he had been approved for SSD.  He applied on July 24th and will get his first check some time in late August.  That is unbelieveable.  Many people, in fact, most people wait up to six months to get approved for SSD.  Now, I know that his case seems really pretty clear with little to dispute, but we never dreamed it would go that fast.  That was good news.  His monthly check will be enough for him to live on for a long time.  He won’t be rich, of course.  He may even be poor, but he was so thrilled to know that he would be self sufficient.  It’s hard for a workin’ man to lean on others. 

The final call, which came just yesterday, was the best.  He had a doctor’s appointment that included the review of his recent scan results.  It seems the cancer is shrinking just a bit!  This is very good news.  Now, I am not getting my hopes up, but I do feel better knowing that each time the cancer shrinks or slows down, Daddy gets more time with us and us with him.  He may even get a long break between this treatment regimin and the next.  He was so happy to give me that news.  His voice was full of optimism and anticipation.  He can finish chemo, get to feeling better, and do whatever he wants for a while.  He can go fishing everyday or come to our house to visit for a few days.  He can go on a trip or just hang out at home. 

I like good news!  I hope that’s how his life ends.  You know, on a high note, happy, joyful, and ready to go.  I was really starting to feel so sad that he might have to spend his remaining time here on Earth weak and sick and defeated.  He still has cancer, cancer that will kill him, but if he can just get the upperhand for a little while and live life to the fullest just one last time, I’ll be happy.  He’ll be satisfied.  If anyone ever says, “I have good news and bad news.  Which do you want first?”  Take the bad news first–the good news will leave you feeling better.

Oh the memories!  I sit here all teared up as my children read some books from their early childhood.  My youngest just cleaned her room and brought done some things that she is just “too old” for now.  Included in the stack were three Sandra Boynton board books.  They were clearly favorites as the corners are worn and some of the pages are bent.  After I made a big deal about how special the books were to me because we loved to read them so much when they were little, both of the kids took turns reading them aloud.  I just sat here and smiled and cried. 

Oh My, Oh My, Oh Dinosaurs! was the first book that my son “read by himself”.  You know, the reading that’s done by memory because he’d heard it read so many times that he had it memorized.  The other two are Barnyard Dance and One, Two, Three.  We had tons of the Sandra Boyton books and loved all of them.  She is a wonderful children’s book author that mixes a little bit of learning with a lot of silly.  My children grew up on her books.  It’s so sad to me right now that they are now “too old” to enjoy them.  I will save them in a box with other special things I’ve gathered and get them out one day to share with my grandchildren.  I can’t wait to read them again and hear the giggles from little voices reading along.

If you have small children and enjoy reading, you should seek out some Sandra Boynton books.  You will enjor reading them as much as your kids enjoy hearing them read.  Make it fun–memories are the best!! 

I’m sad this morning because I just realized that our last megaticket concert is almost here.  On Saturday, we will see Toby Keith with Montgomery Gentry at the Verizon Wireless Music Center in Noblesville, Indiana.  It will be the last of 5 shows for this summer.  Last year for my birthday, my husband purchased us the WFMS Megaticket.  In 2007 the summer concert series offered four shows.  We had a wonderful time and loved the nights out together.  We were pleseantly surprised early in 2008 when we received notification that previous megaticket holders would get the first opportunity to purchase megatickets for this summer’s lineup.  We had such a good time last year that we purchased again this year.  WFMS and Live Nation added a fifth show this year making the package even sweeter.  We’ve seen Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts w/Taylor Swift, Brooks and Dunn, and look forward to Toby Keith on August 2nd.  All of our tickets were in the pavilion and allowed us to sit in the same seats for each show.  We have had a blast!  I’m looking forward to our last concert.  I’ll be ready to hear who’s coming next year!  If you like country music and live in central Indiana, you should consider buying the WFMS Megaticket.  It is a great value for a concert filled summer.

Well it just doesn’t seem possible, but my husband and I are coming up on our 17th wedding anniversary.  On July 27th we will celebrate our marriage and another year together.  I know that 17 isn’t one of those major years to remember like the 15th or 20th or 25th, but it does seem like a big deal to me.  We’ve talked for years about celebrating our 20th with a private vacation on an exotic island somewhere.  Doesn’t that sound wonderful?  I want it to be wonderful which means I really need to start saving and preparing.  Therefore, 17 is a big year, because I only have 3 years to prepare for the 20th, LOL! 

We take turns planning something special every year.  He has the even years, and I get the odd.  So, this year was mine to plan.  That makes the 18th and 20th his.  The 18th I’m not worried about, he’s done a spectacular job in the past.  We usually go out to a nice dinner and then spend the night in a nice hotel.  Last year he made sure that there were chocolate covered strawberries and flowers when we got to our room.  The 20th, however, makes me nervous.  It’s going to take a lot of thought–another reason that I need to get started.  Oh, I know that I should trust him and maybe I will, but this year reminds me that it’s coming fast.  It’s so exciting.  Just writing about it makes me want to go research romantic locations!

 This year was my year to plan.  He has no clue that anything is up.  In fact, he thinks that our weekend is too busy to do anything special.  I keep the family calendar, so I arranged it such that it looks like there is something going on everyday.  I’m so sneaky.  I’ve planned a night away for us on Friday.  I am going to pick him up at work.  We have reservations at the Brown County Inn in Nashville, Indiana.  We are going to enjoy a quiet dinner together and head back to our room for the evening.  On Saturday, we’ll enjoy the little village of Nashville.  We may even go horseback riding.  It’s not much, but it will give us a chance to enjoy the 17th in a special way. 

 I hope all of  you do something special on your wedding anniversary.  It really is a very special day.  It’s the day your whole family was born.  It should be the biggest celebration of the year.  Now, I’m off to think about the 20th.  Oh, I really can’t wait.  Maybe we’ll go to Hawaii.