Its very easy to say you are stressed out, but I think it really hit me what stress was when I was in class last week. Apparently stress causes your body to go into a flight-fight mode and if you do not have an outlet for this stress, you can cause serious problems with your immune system. There are also symptoms of becoming stressed like headaches, upset stomachs, hyper tension. Its no wonder so many working parents can acheive all that they do.

As some of you know, I have been having the worst luck with my truck. And finally, it gave out on me. Ms. Joy told me to check out a place called Auto Showcase on Tennessee Street. I went and fell in love with about half of the cars there. But luckily, they had geared me towards something that is more sensible with good mileage and thankfully a low car note. And check this out; he let me drive the car for the whole day. Now this may seem normal to some of you, but I have never experienced this. I am used to the car salesman driving in the backseat and guiding you up and down the street. So for the first time, I truly felt like someone with GOOD credit. Thank You so much for all of your help. I love my car and I have something reliable to get my son and me around.

For the last couple of weeks I've been stressed out, over worked (If you are reading this Ms. Washington, I love my job. LOL), and trying to stay awake. On top of that, I feel as if I'm being questioned about my level of commitment to this contest. I would like to point out that I have a non traditional job with non traditional hours. It is not a lack of commitment, but a lack of time.There is only one of me and if I succeed or fail ,it is on me. I would love to work 8-5 pick up my son and do activites that others do. But I am 23, and any other 23 year old, I am making 23 year old mistakes. I am a college student; a parent; a youth counselor; a friend; a daughter; a contestant; a sister; a caregiver; and anything that involves the responsibilities that us women have to deal with. I did have a talk with Karen and I appreciate that she took out the time to let me know that everything we do makes us stronger. And instead of being tired at the end of the day and worrying about what I haven't been able to accomplish, I should be proud of what I was able to accomplish. So I am making a commitment. Not to everyone else, but to myself. I am willing to do what it takes to succeed in life and make sure that me and my son are taken care of. So if htat means, I have to make more sacrifices, than so be it. But this isn't an over night change, so for those who believe that I am not committed to them, give me time adn will do my best.

This weekend really sucked for me. Once again, I shell out money to fix my car, and once again it is acting up on me. To top that off, I just found out that the $200 tune up I just got done on it, cost about $39.99 everywhere else. Why is it that mechanics think it is alright ot cheat women? There needs to be some type of awareness of whether or not they would want someone to treat their wives or daughters like that. So now i'm stuck with $200 less in my account, a broke down truck, and a homemade pan of baked beans that I will have to eat for atleat a week. I NEED A NEW CAR !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

I really thought I had my car fixed with the oil change. But it is still acting up. The problem is that everyone gives their opinion on what is wrong with my car, and while those remedies aren't that expensive individually, but to do them all will put a dent in my pocket. A coworker told me to go online and see if their were any recalls on my Jeep, and I found one for a fuel pump and another for brakes. I call the Jeep dealership and give them my VIN and they tell me I don't have a recall. When I ask if they can see what is wrong with my car, they tell me it is $90 just to diagnose it. Are they serious? I hope there is a better solution.

Can you believe that i was yelled at by the super lube man? Ok he didnt really yell at me, but he did sternly advise me that you cannot drive a truck for a year without changing your oil. Listen, i don't know stuff like that. That is a mans job. Apparently he stated that my oil was so bad, it had turned to sludge. I know i should know better than that, but seriously, the oil light never came on. Hopefully i didnt do any damage to my engine, because i definitly cannot afford another car. If anyone has a cheap car i can buy on the side just in case, please let me know.

I am not that proud of myself to admit that this whole "diet" thing hasn't been working. I have eliminated my obsession for M&M's and have made a new one for orange sodas. But guess what? It paid off. I just happen to look at the bottle I was drinking and noticed it was running a contest for free gas for life. So I rounded up at least 3 bottles that I had from the last two days and went online to put in the codes. And what do you know, I won a $50 gas card! If I was a gambling person, I would try for more, but I know chancves of winning the free gas for life are slim. So instead, I am focusing on finding something else to be obssessed about. Hopefully this time it will be something healthier (please be good!), but definitly healthier.

Lil Kenny has gone "bye-bye" for the summer. I have mixed emotions about this. For starters, the ride back was peaceful. There was no yelling about having to go to the bathroom, no yeling to have something to eat, and no one fighting with me over the radio station. But then again, there is no one to argue with, no one to make me smile when they say "mommy, luh you". Not to mention I miss having to figure out what song he is singing to me. The good news is that now I can fully concentrate on this summer program without having to run and pick someone up from school. Another bonus is not having such a high food bill. I have never seen a three year old who has to have a grown man's plate of food.

I have officially become the coupon lady. You know her, the one who wades through Sunday’s paper to see what types of coupons the Democrat has graced her with. I have become the lady who has a pair of scissors at hand, ready to cut out the deals and plan each meal out. Let’s not even mention how I am the woman holding up the line with my envelope filled with coupons in disarray while reminding the checkout lady that the coupon might not be for that store but that there sign outside says the honor the competitions sales. But you know what. I’m not embarrassed anymore. If anything, shopping is like going to war. You are trying to make sure you beat the store before it beats you. Moral of the story is not to judge people for their actions; for years that coupon lady has been saving a bundle while the stores have been making a killing off of me.

Earlier today I had to summon all my strength to go to the dentist. I pretended I was strong and wasn't worried about the pain I would endure when the dentist opened my mouth. First of all, I showed up 15 minutes early and filled out all the necessary paperwork. Then they made me wait an excruciating amount of time (mind you the place was empty) for them to take me back to take X-Rays. Then they have me laying back staring into the bright lights. Once the doctor came in, he prodded all 36? Teeth of mine with a metal pick. "Khandis, you have 4 cavities, one on each Wisdom tooth. I can fill 2 of them on the bottom but the top will have to be pulled”. You would think that would hurt. But nooooooooooooo. My bill was $380 to fill the bottom teeth, $350 for one set of cleaning and another $200 for more cleaning. Let’s also consider that they want me to buy a $175 electric toothbrush. But I have insurance. They proceeded to tell me that my insurance doesn’t kick in for 6 more months!!! Are they kidding? Then she had the nerve to ask me when I was setting my next appointment. Just so you know, I m waiting those six months, I might not have any teeth left, but I’m waiting.