The title has nothing to do with the post...school/work has been cancelled once again due to a blizzard.

It must always happen this way. As soon as I don't write anything good in my blog for over a week, someone goes and points people right on over here. And that, my dears, is where the panic starts to set in.

So, to those of you that are new here...instead of using this post to decide how witty and entertaining I am, read a few of my more classic posts. Go ahead. Just play around in my archives for a bit. You know you want to. Everyone is looking for a way to waste time. Especially when the boss isn't looking or you are like me and just want a glimpse into other people's everyday lives. My archives are entertaining...well, I think they are. I mean there was that time I ranted about the color of the tampon applicator. Oh, and that time I told you about my sister starting her period. Are all of my posts about a woman's "monthly gift"? Holy cow! I hope not. Oh, here's one about the cops coming to get us. Okay so maybe they're not that entertaining. Maybe you should just skip the archives. How about you just read my 100 Things About Me List? Oh, um. Maybe that isn't a good idea either. I might come across as a tad bit insane and most definitely quirky and if you don't like quirky, you won't like me.

Why do I care if you like me? Aren't we all spouting off at the mouth that we should be ourselves and it doesn't matter if people like us or not? Well, grrrrr. I care. I mean, I like it when you internet peoples read what I have to write (or rant) about because I feel like it connects us. Yep. A connection right out of thin air.

So, I am now pretty sure that I am rambling and even more sure that you are hating me more and more each and every second that you continue to read. You new peoples anyway.

Those of you that have been here awhile...thanks for liking me. :) Even when I ramble. And suck.

And for those of you that read Michelle's post...I did win a prize once. An orginal drawing done by her called "Take it Easy, Girlfriend". It's going on my new office wall (when we get it finished!) because it is just brilliant! And leave her a comment, okay? She's pretty cool. And her Mommy Blogger Monday's have given me some good reads in the past, so stay tuned for next week's installment.

For those of you who are sitting at your computer saying, "It's Monday. How do I make this day more manageable?", I have a tip for you.

Do not under any circumstances watch this movie...

The original movie came out in 1987 and included the action stylings of the Corey's (you know, Corey Feldman and Corey Haim. Remember those hotties?). That was a great movie. The sequel? Not so much. Not even a little bit. In fact, the only good part about it was the return of the original song that made the first movie so eerie. And I have to tell you, as if you didn't already know...Corey Feldman's career as an actor is official dead. Talk about overacting! Holy cripes! The original Edgar Frog didn't deliver this time. Hubby said that he hadn't seen a movie that cheesy in a very long time. Bad, people, just plain bad.

So if you are looking for a way to relax on this Monday, renting this movie is definitely not it. You can, however, picture me sitting in this cold house with a raging blizzard out my door and the kids whining about being bored (they've only been up for an hour and a half!!!) hungry and shivering while typing out a blog post for you. The look around you and say to yourself "This Monday is more manageable because I am not in the midst of a blizzard!" And if you are in the midst of a blizzard like me...I wish you could have gotten snowed in here! I could use some adult conversation. :)

Are you there, J... *enter sound of crickets here*

Where the hell have you been, young lady?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. Absent. For over a week. Gone. Disappeared. Not a single word written to let you know where I was or how I was doing. Nothingness. *sigh*

My excuse?

Oh. Um, I was busy. Am busy. Still. Not a moment of rest for this beyond tired soul. *sigh*

But, its Friday! Holy shit, I have never been more happy to see a Friday come in my entire life. :) I am ready for the weekend baby. Bring. It. On.

Ready for the run-down? Take a deep breath. You may need it. Cuz I have pictures. Yep. Pictures. Yippee for you.

THURSDAY, MARCH 19TH...Shopping for Materials.

Wood, insulation, $350 on the Menards Credit Card, super late when we got home, ruts in the soft grass from driving on it. Ugh!

FRIDAY, MARCH 20TH...Night out with My Girls.

Several text/pix messages about what I should wear (because I guess I am a girl and can't make that decision on my own), two Strawberry Daquiris and a Sex on the Beach down the gullet, two games of darts and $5.00 lost, ice in places it shouldn't be. Fun!

SATURDAY, MARCH 21ST...Remodeling Galore!

Lady K. came over, we emptied out the rooms completely and then framed out two outside walls, one inside wall and a closet. Hard Work!

SUNDAY, MARCH 22ND...Yell Until You Are Hoarse!

More small remodeling touch-ups, Birthday BBQ with the neighbors, rush to pick up Miss Insanity's daughter, rush to Girl Scout Cookie Booth location, stand in sun and yell until hoarse, send sick child home, finish up sales and pack up booth. 201 boxes of cookies sold in three hours. Whew!

MONDAY, MARCH 23RD...Thanks for Spreading It!

Miss Insanity informs me that all three of her children have Strep throat, school canceled due to impending bad weather, daycare closed due to infection, called in "can't come" to work, stay home with sore throat and laziness. Yuck!

TUESDAY, MARCH 24TH...Impending Doom Hits Hard!

Blizzard shuts down the entire area, interstate closed, stores closed, high winds and no visibility, people unable to open their doors, let dogs out to pee and they walk right over fence via the 6 foot drifts and run away, vehicles under massive amounts of wet snow. Stuck!

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25TH...Escaped! But to what end?

We get out of the house, Hubby goes back to work, my office still snowed in, school still canceled, Teensy has bad sore throat again-take her to doctor, get prescriptions for her and me for Strep Throat, run Hubby back and forth to work because his car is still in 5 foot of snow, take Bubba to dentist appointment for a filling. Expensive Day!

THURSDAY, MARCH 26TH...Back in the Saddle!

Work until 2:30, rush to Cookie Cupboard to stock up on GS cookies for next cookie booth--they don't have them all, rush to grocery store to buy potluck item (Hummus and Pita Chips), go shopping at Kohl's...spend $200 and enjoy the retail therapy, rush to GS Leader meeting and Training Essentials Course (no one eats my Hummus), choke down Diet Coke since there wasn't anything else, head back home in snow and ice, call mom to check on kids--Hubby still at Town Hall meeting, pick up kids, unload 30+ cases of cookies, tuck kids in, wait for Hubby, rejoice over FREE membership to Community Center, wash new clothes, go to bed. Exhausting!

And that, people, leads me to today. Today, I am still trying to get caught up from three days out of the office, the car was dug out (causing some nasty back aches) just to find out that it was hydro-locked and thusly broken and needing to be towed and fixed, my living room is full of cases of GS cookies that need to be sorted into each girl and readied for tonight's Cookie Booth (which happens to conflict directly with a family Birthday Party), and the town is still covered in snowdrifts so high you can't see over them and narrow passageways that make driving difficult. *sigh*

Thank goodness it's Friday! I need a bit of a break, I think. And not one filled with bored, sick children and snow packed porches. A break that includes a few minutes to sit down and breathe in something other than the smell of cardboard and GS cookies.

St. Patty's Day fun for ye lads and lasses...

Okay, so that title sucks. And it's probably not even Irish speak. What the hell...it's not like I am Irish (as witnessed by the below quiz scores) so I shouldn't know these things anyway, right?

In the spirit of the day, I played around with some Irish fun and games this morning. Check out the list of things I did to waste my time!

~~I took a Blogthings Quiz to find out my Irish Name.

Your Irish Name Is: Fidelma O'Shea

~~I took An All Things Irish Quiz (and failed miserably!).

You got 1 out of 10 right!

~~I found out some interesting facts about St. Patrick's Day.

Did you know there are 4 places in the US named Shamrock and 9 places called Dublin?
Did you know that 41.5 billion pounds of beef and 2.6 billion pounds of cabbage were sold in 2007?
Did you know that over 100 St. Patrick's Day parades take place in the US?

~~I learned some new jokes.

Q. Why should you never iron a four leaf clover?
A. Because you don't want to press your luck!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q. What kind of music does a leprechaun band play!
A. Shamrock 'n Roll.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q. What do you get if you cross poison ivy with a four-leaf clover?
A. A rash of good luck!

~~I found out that I should give an Irish gift to Lady K.

You Should Give a Bar Maiden

All in all, it was great fun filling my brain with even more inane facts and fun about a holiday that I assume is only about wearing green (which I am!) so as not to get pinched (which I won't!) and drinking green Irish Whiskey!

But do you know what my favorite thing about this day is? That I just got this as a souvenir from Lady K's trip to Vegas! Now I can carry my luck around on my phone!

What is ailing you on this Monday? I can cure it!

It is once again Monday. I have officially been working my new hours for a week and I am loving being home with my kids.


But, of course, it is Monday and they are always the worst day of the week. So how about another tip to Make Monday a bit more Manageable? Yeah. Well, check out this doozy.


The Real Miracle Food is...


Bananas!


Bananas contain three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy. Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes. But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.


So, what ails you today?


Are you depressed? According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.


Is it that time of the month? Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.


Doctor just told you that you are anemic? High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.


Is your blood pressure running high? This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.


Have a big test today and need some Brain Power? 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school ( England ) were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.


Having a little trouble going? High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.


Have a big birthday party last night for your BFF and had a bit too much to drink? One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.


Heart burning from last nights spicy burrito dinner? Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.


Pregnant and puking every morning? Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.


Got bit by what had to be the very first mosquito of the season? Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.


Have a huge presentation and your nerves are getting the best of you? Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system. Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and chips. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.


Stressed out so bad by the economy that you have developed an ulcer? The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.


Hot flashes? Many other cultures see bananas as a "cooling" fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.


Upset about the changes of the season and have Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.


Trying to quit smoking because it is a nasty habit? Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.


Stressed out by the "Drama Llama"? Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.

Want to reduce the risk of having a Stroke? According to research in The New England Journal of Medicine, eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!


Been playing in the pond withthos froggies and are covered in warts? Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!

Scuffed up your shoe on the way to see a new client and need a quick shine on our shoes? Take the inside of the banana skin, and rub directly on the shoe...polish with dry cloth and the shine will be brought back to life.

When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around.

So what is my point?

As my Hubby would sing in the style of Weird Al Yankovic...

"Have a banana,
have a whole bunch.
It doesn't matter,
what you have for lunch.
Just Eat It!"

He’s Creeping Back in…

Hubby says it started when this guy asked to be my friend on Face Book. 

I guess, he wasn’t just any guy.  Technically, he’s my uncle.  Although, no one really acknowledges that fact.

I know I don’t. 

Well, until now, I guess. 

I have a very extended family.  My mom has been married 4 times now and there are five of us kids.  Hubby’s parents were only married to each other but there are six kids in that family.  So counting the siblings and their spouses alone there are 19 of us.  I have numerous step-siblings as well from my mom’s recent marriage(some of whom I have never actually met).  I also had a step-brother from one of mom’s previous marriages but I haven’t seen nor spoken with him in more years than I can count.

What does all of that have to do with my uncle?  All of the above is on only one side of my family.  My mom’s.  No one on my Dad’s side is accounted for. 

I haven’t had any sort of contact with my father since I was between 9-12 years old.  Why can’t I pin-point it closer than an age range?  Because I don’t remember.  My childhood memories are so repressed that I am unable to remember specifics, just ranges. 

As the story goes, he was given a choice…go to jail or sign over parental rights to me and my little sister.  He chose the latter of the two.  And I haven’t talked to him since.  He pretty much disappeared from my life and he took his family with him.  All of the uncles, aunts, and cousins…no contact at all.  It’s like I don’t exist on their radar.  I do have contact with my Grandpa…because he tried.  He kept track and he stayed in touch all these years.  He cared. 

I could go on and on about growing up without my real father.  About how I felt abandoned and unloved and how it has tainted my every relationship…

But that’s not what this post is about. 

Hubby said it started when the uncle asked to be my friend on Face Book.  He said it as he held me at six o’clock this morning.  He said it in response to my obviously upset demeanor.  The shaking (although that  may have only been on the inside), the trembling voice, the sleep deprived eyes.

I had another dream last night.  Yes, another. 

My father has been standing at the edge of my dreams for a week now.  Never showing his face.  Never coming near me.  And yet still making me afraid. 

Do I have something to be afraid of?  My adult mind would say no, not really.  My inner child though, would not agree. 

I have spent my life with terrifying thoughts in the back of my mind about being stolen.  As a child, I was scared he would pop out from behind the bushes and take me.  Now, I am scared the the prey will be my children.  Every story of a pedophile, every story of abduction, every time my kids are outside playing with their friends, the thought lays in the recesses of my mind, never far from reach.  The thought that he will take them…and along with them, the life and happiness that I have built without his help, without his guidance, without his love. 

He has always haunted me.  Like a ghost that isn’t dead.  A ghost that can actually cause me harm.  But I have always been able to compartmentalize him.  Shove him into a little box and down so deep in my head that he can’t hurt me. 

But now, he’s creeping back in and haunting my dreams. 

The adult me wants to reach out.  I have a step-mom and more step-siblings that have never laid eyes on.  I have a whole extended family that lives within hours of me that I wouldn’t even know if I saw them on the street.  With today’s technology, I could stay at a  safe distance but have contact with almost anyone I want to have contact with.  My step-mom has Face Book. 

But the child in me awakens early in the morning shaken and scared because he once again crept into a place where he wasn’t wanted.  Unannounced.  The child in me knows that he has stolen so many years and moments of happiness from my life and by invading my dreams he continues to be a thief in the night. 

Trying to reach out to a family that was taken from me may have opened the door to a demon resurgence.  More armor may be necessary.  

Do you live in the clouds or in outer space?

As part of their grief counseling, the kids have been keeping journals.  They occasionally write their feelings and thoughts, draw pictures or write letters directly to Grandma.  Reading Bubba's journal tears my heart out of my chest in a slow ripping motion.  The last entry I saw was a drawing of everyone gathered at the cemetery with the caption "I wish she didn't die" written above it.  It almost killed me to read it. 

Since the counseling is focusing on an outlet for their emotions, I decided that for her birthday, we would all write letters on helium filled latex balloons and let them float up to heaven for her to read. 

I have this vision in my head of her sitting in the clouds (like a Care Bear, as my daughter pointed out) just looking down on the world below.  She is on a porch swing with Grandma F. on one side and Aunt JoAnn on the other and the three of them are smiling and catching up with each other on all of the things that were missed.  They are gossiping about us that are still on this Earth with a tear in their eye and a smile on their face.  They are watching over us. 

My vision continues with mom reaching out to grab the balloons, one-by-one, as they float by.  She reads them carefully, cries at the pain they represent and then smiles because she knows we will be okay.  We will rise above the pain and sorrow and will go on to live the lives she wanted for us. 

I think she lives in the clouds. 

Teensy thinks she lives in the clouds, too, because she is a dreamer like me. 

Bubba thinks she lives in outer space.  He's not as much of a dreamer.  More logical than the rest of us. 

I've never asked Dear Hubby where he thinks she is.  Seems to me that he doesn't think like the rest of us.  Heaven is not really a place to him, more of a state of mind, I suppose.  I will have to ask him. 

Each of us got something different out of it.  Each of us went about it in a different way.  The kids wrote their messages on their balloons in more of a art activity way.  Teensy's was covered in pictures and hearts and questions.  Bubba's was done quickly and messily and contained very little.  Hubby wasn't sure how to go about it but got in the groove after a few minutes and let out some of the emotions he's been holding in.  Me.  Well, I am a wordy individual.  I used every inch of my balloon to tell her things that I miss, things that I never said to her and things that we are doing right now that I want her to know.  Things that I needed to voice and haven't been able to for various reasons.

All in all, it was a great idea.  And I hope they reached her in Heaven. 

 

March 11, 2009

This wish for you, Mother,

is straight from the heart.

With more special meaning

than words can impart.

May OUR day hold pleasures

that you're fondest of.

And remembering each day

you're thought of with Love.

Happy Birthday!

I cannot speak for the rest, but I can speak for myself. Today is a day to celebrate you, just as it always has been. It will still remain special in my heart as the day you were brought into this world. We will gather tonight as a family (for the first time since Christmas) and enjoy the presence of those you helped to create, in the togetherness of family. We will come together just as we would if you were still sitting beside us at the table. With heavy hearts and free-flowing tears, we honor you on this, the anniversary of the day you were born. We miss you. I miss you.

Monday Morning Tip...to brighten your otherwise Manic (and snowy!) Monday...

It's the first day of my new schedule at work. My new laptop is with my genius computer guy getting a great anti-virus and some new programs. The weather is crappy wintery snow. I have done almost everything on my work to-do list and am anxious to start my home to-do list as soon as I get there. It's definitely a Manic Monday! And what is better on a Monday than something to brighten your day? Nothing! That's what. So, without further ado, I give you my Make Monday Manageable Tip...

You know how you go into the grocery store and you need to buy a loaf of bread but you want to get the freshest of the fresh? So what do you do? You squeeze them for softness, right? Well this tip will keep you from squeezing loaves for good.

Did you know that bread is delevered fresh to the store five days a week? Breads are made on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday and there is a way you can tell on which day it was made! I got a tip in my e-mail one day that included this fact...

EACH DAY HAS A DIFFERENT COLOR TWIST TIE!

OMG! Really? No more squeezy squeeze? I could get the freshest bread just by remembering twist tie colors? No way!

I was, of course, rather skeptical about this fact, so I put it in a safe folder in my e-mail to come back to later. The next day, I was in the grocery store to buy my daily doughnut (apologies to my fat thighs for my bad habit of getting five more winks thus allowing no time for a real breakfast) and I saw the bread man stocking shelves. I walked right past him. Then I stopped dead in my tracks, turned around and politely asked him if he could answer a question for me. He, being the wonderful guy he is, obliged. And what I found out was...

EACH DAY DOES HAVE A DIFFERENT COLOR TWIST TIE!

I did find out, however, that the colors that were in my original e-mail were not in the correct order according to my bread guy. So I urge you, to find the bread guy/gal at your most frequent bread buying haunt and ask for the colors they use. You will get the freshest bread and therefore it will last longer before drying out! Yippee! no more stale-before-it's-gone purchases!

In my grocery store, it goes like this...

Monday=Green
Tuesday=Red
Thursday=White
Friday=Blue
Saturday=Yellow

So, if I am in the store on a Saturday to buy bread, I would buy the one with the yellow twist tie to get the freshest. I would NOT want one with a green twistie because it would be almost a week old already! This also works on buns with the little plastic clippie things. They are also color-coordinated to days!

In conclusion, search out that bread person and get your own local color code. It will Make your Monday Manageable!

Ever told your child, 'We'll do it tomorrow.' And in your haste, not see his sorrow?

I quit my job yesterday.

Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round or listened to the rain lapping on the ground? Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight or gazed at the sun into the fading night?
Do you run through each day on the fly?  
When you ask 'How are you?'  Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred chores running through your head?  
Ever told your child, 'We'll do it tomorrow.' And in your haste, not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch?  Let a good friendship die?  
Just call to say 'Hi?
When you worry and hurry through your day, it is like an unopened gift....Thrown away.....
Life is not a race Take it slower.  
Hear the music before the song is over.

I quit my job yesterday. 

My son looked up at me from his place on the kitchen floor one night last week and said, "Do you have to go to work every day this summer?"

My heart broke.  I love my kids and they are growing up way to fast right before my eyes.  I run myself ragged every day of the week with no time to just stop and appreciate the little people that they are right this moment. 

Like most people, I work full-time (8:30 to 5:00 Monday thru Friday).  My kids get picked up from school by a daycare provider and spend the next couple of hours playing with their friends, watching movies, or playing video games.  I pick them up, take them home and the routine starts.  Do homework at the counter while I start dinner, eat dinner, get ready for bed, tuck the kids in, work on laundry or dishes, and then spend a little bit of down time watching tv with Hubby until I fall asleep on the couch.  Get up and go to bed around 11pm.  Repeat the next day. 

While this schedule works for most people and for a lot it has to work, it's not working for me.  Or for my family.  Much of that time spent with my kids is time that I am grouchy because I have spent my entire day doing very little and then feel bombarded by the messy house and the loud children.  It's not a good situation and it no longer works for us. 

I've mentioned before that both of my kids are in grief counseling at school, however, did I mention that Bubba has been getting bullied?  Terribly?  To the point of constant headaches from his head being hit against the ground and crying because the playground monitors didn't believe he was not to blame and punished him instead.  The grief counseling isn't moving along very well for Bubba.  The bullying has been dealt with but still torments my little guy.  Teensy...she's holding everything inside and will one day explode into a fit of crying so large she will flood the town. 

My kids need me.  They need to be raised by me with my ideals in their heads.  With my lessons and my love and my understanding to get them through their days.  That is my role as a parent.  So that is what I must do. 

I quit my job yesterday.  Even with an unstable economy, I chose to take care of my family first.  I chose to live a little lighter and spend dramatically less so that my kids have me to take care of them. 

But they wouldn't let me go.  My employers bent over backward to work something out so that we all can be happy in the long run.  Today, we work out the final details and those will look something like this...

I will work from 8:30 to 2:30 from now until the kids get out of school so that I can be there to pick them up and we can go home and have homework done and dinner made before daddy gets home and we can all enjoy family dinners again that are eaten early enough to spend a little time cuddling on the couch or playing a game. 

This summer, I will work about 10-15 hours a week.  I will come in each day for a couple of hours and my kids will come with me.  They will watch a movie in the back office or play out in the yard and then we will enjoy the summer days together.

Next Fall, I will go back to the 8:30 to 2:30 hours.

My house will be cleaned and organized finally.  We will be able to enjoy family picnics on Daddy's lunch breaks and summertime BBQs on weeknights.  The kids will get to play with their friends.  I will be able to work on an exercise plan, take my dogs for walks and get back to the things I liked doing before I came back to work...like hang with my BFF.

And I will be making only a little less than when I was paying someone else to raise my kids for me. 

I never wanted to be a stay-at-home-mom...until I started working full time and realized that I was missing a lot.  And now I am really excited to still be able to provide a little extra money for my family while still being the caretaker, teacher, and mommy to my babies. 

I quit my job yesterday...and it worked out to my advantage.  :)

Today's lesson is brought to you from the dictionary of a child...

"You, Teensy, are A-door-ee-bul!  Do you know what that means?"

"Yep.  It means you put a friend in a bowl and cook it like chicken."

 

And this is the point in which we all completely die laughing.  :)

Apologies on my tardiness, my dear...

A while ago, I asked CelticBuffy to interview me and I went ahead and answered one of the questions in her interview and then very promptly shoved the rest of them to the bottom of my inbox.  Well, I have unearthed them, answered them and am now posting them!  Whoo hoo! 

(Sorry it took sooooo long, my dear!!!)

What reality TV show would you like to be a participant on?  I am actually dying to be on a game show which is kind of a reality show, right?  Kinda?  Not really.  Well, anyway, I want to be a contestant on "Don't Forget the Lyrics" because I think that I could do really well.  What's stopping me?  I don't live anywhere near where the show is filmed, I have to send in a video of myself as an audition tape, and I just can't figure out who I would choose for my backups!!!  I would lose just about every reality show there is. 

• Survivor, please leave the island for being a wimp. 
• Real World, too old, application in trash can. 
• Amazing Race, not enough experience with travel (and too much crying), you are the last one to make it. 

Yeah.  I would just suck. 

If you could go back back and relive someone else's life, the way they lived,  whose life would it be?  Really, I would choose to go back and live the life of one of my friends so that I could better understand they lives they have lived and the pain they have felt so that I could be a better friend to them and be more understanding of the place from whence they came. 

Tell us one of your guilty pleasures.  Oh.  Do I have to?  All right.  I DVR teeny-booper tv shows and movies constantly and religiously watch them all the time!  Gossip Girl, Secret Life of an American Teenager, 10 Things I Hate About You, She's All That, Princess Diaries...the list is endless!  I didn't live a teenage-hood life like any of those shows/movies depicts and it fascinates me the type of relationships and dramas that they formed.  Hubby hates my dramatic shows and that is what turns them into a guilty pleasure for me.  I watch them when I am alone and can concentrate really hard on what's going on. 

What book and movie can you read/watch over and over and never tire of reading/seeing?  Movies would have to be the Rush Hour movies, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and 10 Things I Hate About You.  Books are a bit harder.  I read and keep a lot of books but once I read it, I am not likely to read it again. 

When is it considered TMI?

My Dear Hubby calls me every day at lunchtime.  Yeah, I know, it's sweet.  Well, I think it's sweet until I really start to analyze and remember all of the arguing we had over him getting a cell phone to begin with.  His "I'll never, ever carry it" attitude.  His snide comments about "even more money" going out the window on a monthly basis.  His "I won't even know how to use it" antics.  Grrr!  Now he gets twice as many calls and three times more text messages than I do!  Damn men!  Man.  Whatever.  But then I start to think about all the texts he sends me just to say hi or he misses me or he loves me.  And I think about the calls at lunchtime and then I get all mushy brained and romantic feeling because I have this husband that actually cares.  *sigh* 

Oh, I am pretty sure that isn't the point of this post. 

So, let me get to the point.  Or at least edge my way a bit closer. 

Today, Dear Hubby called just like always.  He's heading to the bank to make a deposit before he rushes home to grab a bite to eat and heads back to work. 

I bombard him with news on Little Sis.  They've made it to Italy.  Their luggage didn't arrive with them.  They have no change of clothes.  Her husband had to sign in on post (Army) to get them a hotel room and they made him actually go to work.  Yes!  On the same day they arrived!  Hotel has windows that won't close or she can't figure out how to close and a heater that she must keep baby away from.

He tells me about the kids' dentist appointments this morning.  Both got a cleaning.  Both got a Flouride treatment (the cheap one and not the expensive last-longer one).  Teensy saw the dentist...has a few cavities but teeth look good.  Bubba needs to brush better.  Bubba has a follow-up appointment to take care of a filling (I tell him).  Teensy will need another appointment but I will need to call and schedule it. 

All in all, a normal conversation for a lunch hour (well, minus the occasional bitching about a passive aggressive nuisance that shall remain nameless!).  And it is all wrapped up with "I love you" and "I may be home late" and click. 

I go out to bring in the mail. 

I come back in to realize my phone is vibrating on my desk.  I answer.  It's the Hubby.

"Talked to brother 2 the other day.  Cemetery plots by Mom and Dad's are set to go up in price and they are almost out of spaces to buy.  Family bought a bunch.  Brother 2 and wife, brother 1 and wife, sister...all got some.  Will hold some for us.  Do you want a cemetery plot, my dear?"  (Okay, so I paraphrased that a little bit but you get the point.)

Visualize this...I am standing in front of a bulletin board pulling tacks and Hubby asks me if I, a 28 year old, relatively healthy woman, would like to choose where I want to spend my dead days.  I am pretty sure that after my jaw hit the floor, I stuck a tack in my eye.  Blood spurted onto the bulletin board and I now have to remake all of the flyers on the computer using only the one eye that is not now covered in a pirate patch.

You're right.  *sigh*  I didn't.  What I did do was gasp in horror and try to squelch the rising panic attack at the thought that I will someday...eventually and hopefully when I am extremely old and fragile...die and at that time my family will need to know what to do with my body.  I. CAN'T. THINK. ABOUT. THAT. RIGHT. NOW!  *breathe in, breathe out*

I calmly and rationally tell Dear Hubby that I cannot and will not make such a decision today and that if he is certain that is where he wants to be buried then he should feel free to go ahead and purchase himself a plot.  *breathe in, breathe out*

Crises averted.  For today. 

I then, in retaliation for making me face my own mortality today, call him back to tell him about what happened on The Bachelor last night (even though we never watch that show and have only seen the few minutes where he told Melissa he didn't want her) and end the conversation with...

"And OMG!  Little Sis got her period today and bled all over the only pants she has with her!  What?  Why is that relevant?  Because she got her period at the same time that I did...on the other side of the world!  Isn't that neat?"

Do you think that was too much information?

Those f*ckers with their expensive sh*t and their spoiled no-good brats...

I had one of those complete a-ha moments yesterday in which I fully realized that I hold within me a prejudice.  Yes, internet, a prejudice.  I felt deep inside a complete hatred for another human being (and their spawn) based solely on...

...their massive Hummer and enclosed Harley Davidson trailer!

Okay.  I will come clean.  The hatred for them didn't begin that way.  It only intensified when I witnessed that they were sporting expensive matching snowsuits and were loading up their way-too-large, perfectly running  snowmobiles into an expensive enclosed trailer to be hauled away by an even more expensive new Hummer. 

It could have something to do with the fact that we were sitting on our homemade flat trailer in our mismatched, whatever we could find snow gear (including my son whose snow boots were left at the school and therefore had donned three pairs of socks, plastic bags, and holey sneakers on his feet) waiting for Dear Hubby who was doing one last hard run to get his machine running in a manner he was comfortable with so that we could load my old snowmobile into the truck we borrowed. 

It could.  But it doesn't really. 

My hatred actually stemmed from an event several minutes prior that involved the life of my precious child becoming endangered at the hands of an absurdly stupid stranger. 

I should tell you that Dear Hubby has been riding ATV's in one form or another for most of his life.  He learned to ride a dirt bike at the age of 6 and was racing shortly thereafter.  He knows the trails in this neck of the woods rather well.  He knows the trail-etiquette (and even taught me some as I had never been riding on a trail before yesterday!) and the ins and outs of how to behave and be safe. 

As this is the case, we happened to be enjoying some family fun time in the snow this past weekend.  After several hours on the actual trails, we headed back to the vehicle and ate some snacky/lunchy stuff and took the kids and their sleds to a big hill.  Once we tired of driving up and down that hill to shuttle the kids back and forth we decided to try a different kind of fun. 

We happened to be parked by a large open field.  Large enough that there was plenty of room for lots of snowmobiles to cruise through without incident and as it was around 2 o'clock and most everyone was out on one trail or another, the field was empty.  So we sat each kid atop a small snow tube which we had roped approx. 15-20 feet behind the our snowmobiles (Teensy behind mine and Bubba with Hubby).  Knowing the limits of our smallish children and being extremely cautious of each other, the swinging radius of the tubes, fellow snowmobilers and other potential hazards (like rocks and phone poles), we set out on the edge of the field to have a little fun.

I must say it was quite entertaining to see that huge smile on my daughter's face through the large white helmet she wore.  She was having a blast even with a few spills where the tube swung too far out and she crashed over. 

I had just replaced her on the tube after one of said spills and began the slow take-off once again when I noticed another snowmobile out of the corner of my eye.  I did a wide turn to swing Teensy out a bit and looked again in the direction of the snowmobile just to find out that it was coming right for us.  And not just right at us but at an excessive speed. 

Let me remind you that there was a HUGE field all around us.  We were taking up a small corner with our family fun time and yet this snowmobiler found it necessary to come racing not through but INTO our area.  The area in which even if I had stopped, the tube containing my little Teensy could have slid out into the path of the oncoming snowmobile.  I was immediately terrified for my daughter and there was nothing that I could do. 

Thankfully, the person missed my daughter.  And by person I mean very young girl (like around 10-12) on a machine way too big and way too powerful for her by any persons standards that was never taught the basics of safety on said machine. 

I flagged down my husband and insisted that I wasn't going to put the kids in jeopardy again and therefore if that kid were to head our way again, we would be done...her stupidity and lack of common sense ruining our family fun.

Only as were were returning to our parked vehicle did I notice the girl again.  In a pink snowsuit to match the pink snowmobile with her parents and other siblings presumably.  The were loading up their belongings and heading on their way...

...and it took everything in my being to not scream and shout at the parents for being so irresponsible and for not paying attention to the actions of their daughter on a deadly machine. 

And that, ladies and gentleman, is why I harbor hatred and prejudice for people who are irresponsible and lack the common sense it takes to be a deserving human being.  Those Hummer driving, HD hauling, snowmobile riding, child spoiling, less-than-humans PISS. ME. OFF!

End of rant <here>.  Thanks. 

Oh, and we had a lot of fun this weekend!  Wish I had pics for you but my cameras batteries were dead and none of the rechargeable ones were charged!