Single Mom's Insanity

Really??

2012-01-19T09:00:00.004-06:00

Conversation at work.

Me: Where do you suppose pimentos come from?

Co-worker: The red things in olives?

Me: Yeah

Co-worker: Don't they just grow in the olive?

Me: No.

Co-worker: Are you sure?

Me: Yeah.

Co-worker: Well, I don't know then.

Wow. Thank God for Google. Turns out it's a sweet pepper in case you're wondering.

Another lesson learned

2012-01-11T08:39:00.001-06:00

So the kids are fighting while we're getting ready for church. I just can't take it anymore, yell at them and go into my room to get ready. I shut the a little harder than I need to, but I just can't stand the bickering. I realize the shirt I want to wear is in the dryer downstairs. Now I'm really aggravated. Walk over to the door, turn the handle and pull. And pull again. And again. Begin to shake door violently when I realize I am now trapped in my room. I yell for the girls, but no one can hear me because Shannon is blow drying her hair.

I begin to pound on the door until they hear me. They come to the door, I explain the situation, and apparently they think I am incompetent and cannot open a door because then they try it. And shocker, it still doesn't open. I have them go get a butter knife and slide it under the door. I try to get the knife in I can push back the latch while pulling and the door will pop open. In theory. Doesn't work.

I tell the girls to get the man that lives next door. Then I grab some clothes cause it suddenly occurs to me that I'm standing there half naked. The girls come back and tell me he can't help, he's in the shower. Great. I'm going have to call 911 to come get me out of my bedroom cause I'm an idiot. Well, there's no way I'm going to do that. I do have some pride.

So I stop and think for a minute and figure if it won't work pulling, maybe if I PUSH while trying to wedge the knife in, I'll be able to get it in far enough to pop whatever is stuck loose. And it actually works! Turns out it is part of the latch assembly. The tube that slides into the door, holding the latch, somehow broke free and slide out just a little bit. None of my doors have striker plates, so it's kind of surprising it's never happened before.

I can tell you one thing. I'm not closing that door again.

Craziness

2012-01-06T12:04:00.000-06:00

So apparently Shannon did get a part in the Wizard of Oz, which is one of the reasons I haven't even remotely thought about posting. We figured out that on any given day, I cross the river in our town 10-12 times. Because of course the girls can't have practice at the same time. No, why make it easy?

The girls actually gave me a shock at Christmas. One of my friends took them out shopping for me. I had given them $60.00 figuring that would be enough to get something. Well, my friend told them she wanted them to give me a Christmas I would always remember. So she had them think of all the things they tought I would like. Shannon was so excited because, as she said, Grandma and Uncle Max always get her something they want her to have, not what she really wants. Then she told her about how I always give my brother a list (at his request) and then he never gives me anything that is on it, which always aggravates me. Because don't ask me if you don't really want to know. So they shopped, came back to the office and locked themselves in the lunchroom and wrapped everything.

When we got home, I noticed there seemed to be more packages than they should have been able to buy with the amount of money. I asked about it and the girls said that I shouldn't be asking questions that close to Christmas (I hate when they use my own words against me!).

Christmas came, and my stocking was also filled with my favorites shocolates. We started opening presents, with the girls handing me the ones they wanted me to open. First was the CD I had asked for, then the movie. The third gift was a hard cover book I wanted. Mentally totally all this up, I knew we were already well over the money I had given them, and there were still a few more. The next package was a movie that I had seen and commented that I would really love to have and the one after that was a box of chocolates that I love but would never buy for myself. Then there was a cookbook I purchased for someone else and had said that someday I would have to buy that for myself. I was so very impressed that they had noticed and remembered.

But there was still one rather large package left. When I opened it, I started to cry. It was this perfume that I used to wear back when money wasn't really a worry. It alone cost more than the money I had given them. And Emma says, "You always look at that when we are out shopping, smile and put it back. We just really wanted you to have it." I commented that it was just too much, and the girls just kept saying that my friend wanted me to have a great Christmas, that I deserved a great Christmas.

The next workday, I told my friend what she had done was just far too much, and she said, "it was a pleasure. I'm just happy to be in a position to do that for you. You really deserve it." Then she told me about Shannon's comment about my mom and brother. She continued "I have to tell you about your girls. They were so happy and excited and so grateful to be able to do this. They kept saying, 'you shouldn't do this. Thank you so much' and when we stopped to buy the candy and I told them to pick something out for themselves, Shannon said 'you don't need to do this' and when I told her it was ok, she smiled and said thank you. Emma just kept saying thank you and running back and forth, saying she just couldn't decide."

By this time I was bawling and she was tearing up a little as well. I went home that day and thanked the girls. When they asked why, I said, "for hearing me when everyone else was deaf and seeing me when Ithought I was invisible. You have given me the best Christmas possible, and not because of the gifts. Because of you. You really listened when I said gifts should be about the person being given the gifts, not about the person giving the gifts. And because you are gracious, loving and kind girls".

And Shannon responded, "Oh, so if this is the best Christmas ever, from now on will Christmas suck?"

And the world keeps on turning.....

2011-10-29T23:43:00.001-05:00

Wow, what a Fall we've had. Shannon was in a community theatre production of Snow White, my boss died, Shannon actually failed at something, we took part in the local haunted house contest with our neighbor and won!!! Now Emma has a part in a local theatre production.

Shannon attended a volleyball clinic and did really well, then tried out for the team. Unfortunately during tryouts the pressure got to her and she totally flamed out. But I think it was good for her because everything has always come so easily for her. Then she got the part in Snow White, so it was all good in the end.

My boss had been battling lung cancer for some time, but had been lying to us about how sick he really was. We figured it out when he started calling us at home one night because he couldn't understand why we weren't at work and why it was so dark out. We couldn't make him understand it was 11:00 pm, not am. Then he called his kids and told them no one was at the office because we all went fishing without him. It was very sad. He was gone within a month, leaving behind a huge mess. He hadn't let us tell anyone he was sick, left no provisions for the company, so we had some very upset customers and very few answers. His son and daughter decided to keep the business running through the end of the year and then reevaulate. But they are no involved at all. We're just trying to keep our heads above water.

Emma and Shannon both auditioned for The Wizard of Oz, and Emma was chosen, but no call for Shannon. I'm holding out hope, but it looks pretty doubtful.

There has a been alot of excitment in our area tho. There have been three movies filming in the area!

I'm just kind of hoping things will quiet down for awhile, but I doubt it!!!

Shhh! It's a secret!

2011-08-19T12:05:00.002-05:00

We are currently babysitting a guinea pig. Now, I really don't like them, they kind of creep me out with their little legs and giant heads. So you can imagine how I felt about this. The girls both begged me to let them watch Eddie and it was only for two days, so, OK. Well, now it's been a week. Eddie is finally going home, and you know what? I think I will miss him. We don't really have much extra space so his cage is at the bottom of the stairs. Every morning when he hears me coming down the stairs he runs over and makes these odd little noises. So I sit and pet him. He is just the funniest little creature. He actually has won me over.

Just don't tell my kids.

It's amazing

2011-08-18T09:11:00.003-05:00

how quickly time flies. And, the longer you "think" about writing but don't actually do it, the harder it is to do. One would think that there would be much more to say, but instead, it just ends up a jumbled mess in my brain.

This summer has been all about the kids, well, mostly about the kids. Which is how it should be. Emma had her first Mean Girl encounter, lost a friend over it, but handled it so well. She took a cooking class, had a blast. She also played softball this year, had a great time and made some new friends. AND she topped it off by cutting 8 inches off her hair!

Shannon has been continuing that oh so wonderful journey between tween and teen. She also played softball (with tears), got a part in a community play production (more tears), tried out for volleyball (made the "C" team - LOTS of tears) and generally gave me a giant summer long headache. She went to several different day camps - one for show choir, one for basketball and one for volleyball (no tears!!). BUT, she also cared for her sister all summer and made a few half hearted attempts at cleaning the house.

My boss is dying slowly and painfully from lung cancer, something I wouldn't wish on anyone, so the employees are running the show (or, more likely, the patients are running the asylum) and trying to downplay it to our customers.

That, and a few trips to the pool and water parks (I'll write more about that later) and movies pretty much sums up our summer.

I'm going to TRY and get back into the writing groove again, but I make no promises. That's if anyone's reading. So if you are reading, hope you had a wonderful summer and stop back on by!!

A parental victory (athough a small one)

2011-01-15T19:44:00.002-06:00

Shannon had her first dance last night. I'm sorry, "a social", not a dance. We went shopping for a dress, which she NEVER wears, which resulted in her crying in the dressing room saying she was never shopping again. Apparently all the other girls were talking about the dresses they were wearing, and she couldn't find even one that looked right on her, at least to her. We talked and I explained that it was more important for her to be comfortable than wearing some dress that she felt awkward in. And I told her we could put together a really cute funky outfit by just changing up some stuff she had and maybe adding some accessories.

We decided we could work with a really cute blouse she had, bought her a new jacket and necklace and went home to put it together. Then she couldn't find the blouse. After searching for nearly 20 minutes I finally found it buried in a pile in her room. The inevitable question followed: would I let her wear makeup? I thought about it and told her as long as I could do it, she could.

We put her all together and I've never seen her look so happy. She practically glowed. And guess what? No other girls were wearing dresses and everyone loved her outfit. When she got home I thought she would never calm down. But about a half hour later, she was practically dead on her feet.

And I FINALLY got some bonus parent points.

Window Shopping

2010-12-23T09:23:00.004-06:00

The girls and I went shopping (or looking) on Tuesday. What a great time! We did eat at the Walnut Room (screw it - what's paying one more bill a little late?) and we got to go see Santa. At Fields (Macy's - ick) to see Santa you have to wind through this workshop with things to keep the kids busy so you don't realize how long you've been waiting, so there is very little whining. So they got to see Santa, and on the way out, Emma looks at me and says, "That must have been a helper Santa." When I asked her why, she replied, "Did you see that wig?"

Here is the spectacular tree in the Walnut Room.

Have some Christmas Whine

2010-12-19T21:19:00.002-06:00

I love the holidays. I really do. But I'm so angry and frustrated I wish it was January. I try to give my children a good Christmas. And I think I manage to. I don't do it alone. My mom and brother always help.

Presents are really just a small part. Emma is huge on tradition, so we have many. We always build gingerbread houses, pick someone off the angel tree at church to give presents to, ring bells for Salvation Army (which, btw, we have discovered that if you sing carols people give more and if you attempt the 12 days of Christmas people give even more). We open one present on Christmas Eve and they pretend to be surprised every year when they turn out to be pjs.

For them to get presents for me gets a little tricky. I usually can find a friend to take them shopping, or my brother.

Now, this really shouldn't be an issue for my ex, because he's remarried and they could very easily handle it. But I found out today that they never take the girls shopping for Christmas, so the girls don't have presents to give them. The girls never told me because they know money is tight. But it obviously bothers them, so today I took them out to buy presents. To make matters worse, it turns out they don't even buy presents for the girls. All the presents they get come from their stepmother's parents. Now money shouldn't be an issue, because they make at least three times, maybe four times what I do. They have three cars, one of which cost more than I make in two years.

Now, maybe this is selfish, but having to spend this extra money means that I can no longer do the one thing that I wanted for Christmas. I just wanted to take the girls into the city to look at the Macys (Marshall Fields) windows and then to lunch at the famous Walnut Room by the tree. And I know it is really stupid to let it bother me, we're still going to be able to go and look at the windows, we just will have to skip the lunch.

And I do understand how lucky we are, so I guess I should just shut up, get over it and move on. Hopefully at least I'm setting a good example by doing this and not complaining (in front of the girls anyway).

more middle schooler headaches

2010-12-01T20:53:00.002-06:00

The middle school Shannon goes to has a myriad of activities after school. Primarily on Tuesdays and Thursdays. So on those days there is a late bus to take kids home. But it doesn't take them home, it drops at the grade schools. So the theory is they can be dropped off there and then walk home. The only problem is it leaves the school at 4:30 and in the winter it is getting dark by then.

So Shannon was auditioning for something and I couldn't get there quite in time to pick her up, so we decided she would take the late bus and I would pick her up from the grade school. She asked me to pick her up at a different grade school from the one she attended, one that is actually a little closer to our house.

I went to the school and was talking on the phone while I was parked, waiting. After a minute or two, I started to wonder where the bus was. So I hung up and started to dial her number when she called me. I answered and she says, "mommy, I tried to walk home and now I'm lost." which of course made my heart sink. I should point out that we live in a very safe area, but there had just been two armed robberies in the area and in one of them someone got hurt. So I immediately started the car and asked her where she was, all the while praying that she's one a street I know. But she said, "I don't know. There's no street sign close by." Now, I have a rough idea where she is, because where the school is, there really is only one direction she can go in. I told her to walk toward the closest corner and read the sign to me, and I took a guess and started down a street. I told her what street I was on and she said she was on the same street but she couldn't see me. Probably because it was totally dark by then. I told her the name of the cross street I was approaching and she said that was where she was. I finally see her, pulled over and she got in. And I read her the riot act, asking her what she was thinking, etc. And she started crying and said she just wanted to see if she could find her way. Which I explained was an incredibly stupid thing to do AT NIGHT.

Later, she had church club and we picked up her friend. Her mom said, "You're not going to believe what my daughter did. She was supposed to call me from the school to pick her up, but she walked home alone in the dark!" Of course she was smart enough to get dropped of at the grade school she went to, so she knew the way home.

Yeesh.

Oh, and they caught the robbers.

Changes

2010-09-22T08:45:00.002-05:00

Once upon a time there was a beautiful girl, kind and considerate to all she met.

Then she turned 11 and went to middle school.

Sigh.

'Nuff said.

To my Good Friend

2010-09-16T08:45:00.002-05:00

I miss you. You know where I am if you want to talk.

And the beat goes on....

2010-09-11T20:51:00.002-05:00

So, I had my visit to the cardiologist, where he basically said that if the palpitations were bothering alot (as in making me faint) he could put me on medication (which I really don't want unless necessary) but it was nothing dangerous. I could expect the palpitations to go away and then peak from time to time.

Then they did an echo, where I managed to annoy the guy so thoroughly with my questions every time he switched to a new view that he started saying "I suppose you want to know what that is too?" every time. Waiting for those results, but it looks like I'm fine.

So I guess you can say that I dance to the beat of a different drummer!

Adventures in Cleaning

2010-08-17T21:32:00.003-05:00

I have emerged victorious in the battle to reclaim my dining room! After tackling the huge pile of paper, I have discovered a beautiful table underneath. I have cleaned out cabinets and drawers in the kitchen, baskets and shelves in the living room, pulled out all the furniture and dusted baseboards, vaccuumed crevices and scrubbed spots out of the carpet. Two large bags of trash, another (and a box) for donation. You know that cabinet you have you never go into? You know, the one that has all those weird vases and dishes that you don't know what to do with. Well, I went into mine, and found a bottle of white grape juice from when I moved in (3 years ago). Ewww. It was brown. Why was it there? I have no idea. I don't keep food in there.

Among other things I found when cleaning? A piece of mail from last December.

How come I never find a forgotten stash of money?

Complete lack of organization

2010-08-11T11:33:00.002-05:00

The girls are going off to the State Fair with their father and stepmother tonight. I'm kind of excited about it because, wow, do I need to clean. Not the scrub it down kind of clean. The purge kind of clean. I have so much paper laying around the house that it might even be a fire hazard. And I can't find anything! I haven't even gone through all the papers the girls brought home at the end of the last school year! So those are my big plans.

If I don't update soon, call the paramedics, a big pile of paper fell over and buried me!!!

Better Now

2010-08-06T11:22:00.002-05:00

So I wore the crazy heart monitor for about a week, decided that I needed to work on this myself and did some research. I just had a feeling that somehow my stomach issues and palpitations were connected. I called the doc's office (I think I make them crazy, I know, hard to believe) and started asking all these questions. I also talked to them about the killer heartburn I was having. So they prescribed a medication for the heartburn. They got the transmissions for the heart palpitations. I have premature ventriculation, which apparently is annoying, but that's it. However, they were a little concerned about how quickly it came on and got worse, so they want me to see a cardiologist.

I took one of the heartburn pills and noticed that the palpitations weren't quite as bad. So the next time they started, I took a couple of Tums right away. And the palpitations went away within minutes. So needless to say I was back on the phone with the doc's office asking if there was any way the heartburn could be causing it. And they said yes!! But they still want me to follow up with the cardiologist.

So Yea! I'm feeling much better.

This is just craziness

2010-08-02T15:03:00.003-05:00

So, a few months ago I started having these heart palpitations. Not bad or often, so I didn't really worry about it.

Then about three weeks ago, I woke up with terrible heartburn. Terrible. And nothing helped. So I eventually called my doctor to get something stronger. But she wasn't in so I ended up seeing her associate. He is convinced I am having a heart attack, even giving me an EKG. Which of course, came out fine. Then he proceeds to tell me this story about a man who came in with the same symptoms, had a normal EKG and refused to go to the hospital for further testing.

Then he went home and died.

Needless to say, I went to the hospital where they took blood, gave me another EKG, did a chest x-ray, and gave me an ultrasound of my gallbladder and liver. Big surprise, everything was FINE. And no palpitations. Until I left.

I had a check up scheduled for last week, so when i went to see my doctor, I mentioned the palpitations (which were getting stronger and more frequent) and it actually happened WHILE I WAS THERE!!! So the nurse grabbed my wrist and felt it. I have never been so happy to be validated in my whole life.

They decided it was probably my Thyroid, took more blood and check that. Nope.

Now they have me on this 30 day heart event monitor. Basically I have this little box attached to leads which are attached to my body. When I feel the palpitations coming on, I push a button and it records it. And if the event is strong enough the machine will start taping it by itself. Then I call it in and transmit the data over the phone.

The first day I had it, the thing was going off so frequently I couldn't keep up with it. Then the next day it was much better. The day after, not so much. Back and forth.

My mother emails me today and says she has been diagnosed with Hyperparathyroidism, and oddly, I have almost all the symptoms. One of which is heart palpitations. So now I have a call into my doc about that. I na way that would be nice, cause it's easily fixable.

But I guess we'll see.

A fun new hobby

2010-06-27T20:40:00.002-05:00

Well, most everyone knows my exhusband is not one of my favorite people. Duh. Otherwise we would still be married. Well, the town we live in, like most of the towns near here, have alot of free concerts in the summer. And they happen to fall on the night the kids have dinner with their Dad. They run about 2 hours, which is about an hour later than his visitation time. Because some of the girls' friends go, they never like to leave. So I usually go with a neighbor, kind of sit separate and after they leave the girls come and sit with me. But last week, my neighbor wasn't able to go. So I took a book and thought I would just sit and read. But I got there at the same time as the ex and his wife, so I ended up sitting really close to them. And then his wife (who is very nice) started talking with me, so I had to move over to hear her. Awkward. And she proceeds to show me these pictures of her parents and then she show me pictures from the wedding, which was weird. And then out of the blue she says that she saw this picture of him when I was still married to him and she really liked his hair then much better than now. And I agreed, saying that I didn't really like his hair now. Noticing how uncomfortable this was making my ex, I then proceeded to tell her how one of my co-workers had mentioned that he looked like Piers Morgan (and he really does). And he's trying to laugh it off, but his pinched smile makes the resemblance even stronger. So now were on a roll. And the conversation moves onto how he's a total gagnet. It's amazing. Gay men seem to fawn all over him. And she's noticed it as well!

By now he's really squirming, and then his wife says, I think we should go shopping some time. And I add that maybe we should go to lunch. And I thought he was going to keel over dead! A great new pastime for me!

Then is wife emailed me wanting to know if I would go (with the girls) to a minor league baseball game! It's weird and uncomfortable, but the torture of him makes it kind of fun!

still sick

2010-05-21T10:26:00.002-05:00

After three trips to the doctor, six different meds. Still not much of a voice, still talk anyway. But most of the other symptoms are gone. Just cough and no voice.

Ick.

Stupid viruses!

2010-04-29T10:28:00.002-05:00

Last week I caught some sort of stomach virus. Totally wiped me out. Lasted a full week. And as the symptoms were easing and I was almost free yesterday, I woke up with a slight sore throat. Ahh allergies. Or so I thought. By noon, I had completely lost my voice. Which you would think would make me stop talking. But no. I kept right on going with people just looking really puzzled cause they can't understand what I'm saying. Then last night I began coughing and this morning I have a head so stuffed up I feel like it might explode just like the aliens in Mars Attacks.

The kicker of this is that my boss is ungoing chemo so he can't be around anyone who's sick so he can't even come to the office. Which, actually I guess is a plus.

Tonight is the first night I don't have anything planned, or should I say, there's nowhere I have to chauffuer the girls too, so I hoping I can sleep it off and be miraculously fine by tomorrow morning.

Wish me luck!

More animal tales (tails)

2010-04-20T08:18:00.004-05:00

OK, so last fall (October, I think), Shannon brought home two fish from school. A platy and a guppie. We went out, brought a 6 gallon tank and all the necessary accessories. Then we put in a couple more fish. And the original platy died along with one of the new platys. We now have one platy and one guppy. Always the one guppie. Then in February, as we're leaving for school, the girls start screaming about babies. I assumed they meant baby bunnies outside. Well, you know what happens when you assume.

We had a tank full of baby guppies, which I found quite confusing since there one only one guppy this whole time. What is the gestation period for guppies? Anyway, I grabbed a large measuring cup and a net and scooped out the platy and adult guppy, gave them some food, stuck a plant in the measuring cup and went to work. While I was there, I did some checking and found out that I need something called a floating grassmat for them to hide in so they won't get eaten. Now the adults can go back in the tank. But I still don't understand how it is she gave birth.

One of my friends came to the rescue and explained that guppies only need to do the big nasty once, and then can store sperm and impregnate themselves later. Repeatedly apparently, because the original group of babies numbered 8, of which 6 survived, and now we have 15. And there is a major difference in their size.

Now I'm left with the choice of finding homes for these guppies or getting a bigger tank. Or both if she keeps giving birth.

Animal tales

2010-04-01T11:18:00.002-05:00

My kids are with their Dad this week, so I'm getting to enjoy alot of quiet time. Really, only the first 24 hours is nice. But what is nice is that I can sleep a full 45 minutes later and still get to work early! Except today.

The weather has been so nice, I opened up all the windows this morning while I was getting ready. I sat on the couch to watch a little of the news, when I hear this muttering outside. It seriously sounded like someone having an argument with themselves or imitating someone under their breath. Being that it is quite early, I went to the deck and look out. Just in time to see two little ducks waddle past my door. Muttering to each other.

I ran to the kitchen, grabbed a piece of bread to give them and ran to the front door where I promptly terrified them so badly so took off flying. Oops.

So I stood there a minute, and movement in my neighbor's yard caught my eye. It was three little bunnies chasing each other around a bush. Even though I'm sure it was some sort of territorial dispute, it looked just like they were playing tag. Around and around until one of them smartened up and turned around. The bunny and his friend both jumped and ended up high fiveing each other in the air. Then the third bunny apparently had enough and ran over to my yard to hang out for awhile. And while it was a fun way to start the day, I find it hard to believe that my boss would be amused if I told him I was late because of the bunnies and duckies in my yard.

If I'm this stupid, perhaps I shouldn't be allowed to drive

2010-03-21T20:12:00.002-05:00

When I was growing up, my father was in the military police. Then he was Provost Marshall. I point this out because it goes a long ways toward explaining my breaking the law paranoia.

Last week I was talking with a woman at work and she mentioned that her license was expiring this year and how she hated having to renew it. I agreed and said that mine was due to expire this year as well. I was pretty lucky tho, I hadn't had to go the the driver's facility for 8 years because I had received at geed driver's sticker that extended my license for 4 years.

That evening, I was paying some bills and pulled out my license just to confirm that it did in fact expire this year. The date on the front of the license said 2005. Hmmmm. I flipped over the license and looked at the sticker. Uh oh. Four years from 2005 is not 2010. I instantly panic, because I have been driving on an expired license for 4 months. And you know now that I know, I am going to be sending out some vibe that says "pull me over, I'm driving illegally". Getting to the facility while they're open tho, can be kind of difficult. The girls' schedules don't make it any easier. I pop online to find out exactly how much trouble I am in and what I need to do, and the Secretary of State's website is of absolutely no help - thank you very much for that, but I do find out that the office that is not too far from where my kids have to go that evening is open til 7:00. One catch, I don't really know the area that well and the timing will be very tight.

Then I start to what if. What if I have to take a test? What if I fail? I won't have a license. How will I get home? Ahhhh!

I drop off the girls and speed (not really, I'm too paranoid) toward the town the facility is in. Weirdly, there are two towns right next to each other, they have the same name, just one has a directional designation, like north, south, east, west. And I have to go through one town to get to the other. I see the sign for the street I need, I turn and go about two blocks down and suddenly it's residential. What? So I start calling around, trying to find someone home to look up where I am. And the first person I can find is a friend in Georgia. For directions in Illinois. She looks it up for me, and yes, I am in the WRONG TOWN. Now time is even tighter.

She gets me going the right direction, points out that I have to pass the local mental health facility and everyone knows where that is - it's huge. I finally get there, it's about 6:40. I park and run in, explain that I'm an idiot, and literally 7 minutes later am back in my car driving legally. With the WORST picture possible.

Now I'm going to sign up for a remedial math course...

Vindication

2010-03-15T21:23:00.002-05:00

Got a call from the Principal today. After watching every recess, lunch and stalking my daughter around the school, they found "there was no inappropriate behavior".

Well, duh.

March in Chicago (area)

2010-03-13T22:00:00.003-06:00

Well, today was the St. Paddy's day parade, 45 degrees and raining. Not a hard rain, just really heavy misting with strong breezes. And not the city parade, but our town parade. Which by suburban standards is usually pretty big. We had to be there, both the girls were walking with their Girl Scout troops. But in this weather, who would be insane enough to go and watch by choice? ALOT of people. Line up was 45 minutes before the parade started and people were already waiting.

People are nuts.

Where to start..

2010-03-08T21:12:00.002-06:00

I took a step back for awhile (obviously) and discovered it's really hard to come back.

I've recently run into a situation that I don't know how to handle. My kids used to go to a woman's house before school because I start work fairly early in the day. We'll just call her M. M's kids were friends of my kids, one is the same age as Shannon (A) and the other is one year older than Emma (C). Shannon and A are in the same class, and when Shannon did better than A on something, A would get really upset, and when she would do better than Shannon, she took great pleasure in rubbing Shannon's face in it. And when Shannon had some sort of major accomplishment, the mom, M, would call me with some behavioral issue with Shannon. But stupidly, I just blew it off.

Then, Shannon had an article chosen and published in the local paper. And the next day, M sent me a series of text messages (13) that upset me beyond words. They talked about how there were these rumors circulating about Shannon that I'm not going to go into, but then she went on to say that S (with another girl) had insulted and demeaned her daughter C until she cried. Now, I don't want to sound like one of those parents that is clueless about their kid, but there is no way Shannon would do that. None at all. Then she starts saying that Emma is afraid of Shannon. Also not true. So I'm receiving these texts over and over and getting more and more upset and I kept texting her back, please call me. And I'm at work. She replies that she is in the doctor's waiting room and she can't talk and in fact is being called into the exam room. And she says she will call me after.

Awhile later I get this text saying she's home, but she doesn't feel well and won't be available when I get off work. Convenient.

So, I talked to the girls and mulled over what I was going to do over the weekend (Monday was a holiday). I decided to text her in return, mostely because I was so unbelievably angry at her I didn't think actually talking to her was a good idea. So I texted her and said I was very upset over the way she chose to handle it and as such, the girls would no longer be coming to her house in the morning. And thanked her for her help in the past. And that was it. Then she made the mistake of calling me. She claimed that other mothers knew about the rumors, but chose to not be involved. When I pointed out that I had made several phone calls and no one I had talked to had heard these rumors, she said it was because they didn't want to get involved and she was doing me a favor. I then told her I had talked to a number of people that were there when Shannon supposedly demeaned her younger daughter and no one knew anything about that, she said it was because no one was paying attention.

So I told her off and called the school and talked to the principal. And that was it. Or so I thought. There was a fundraiser/performance for the school that alot of the kids are involved in, including mine and A and C. So M was there, I was there, but I stayed as far away from her as possible. But I wasn't going to let her ruin my time or the girls.

Then, a few days later I get a phone call from the police. Yep. And they want to meet with me. So I go. Apparently M went to the police department and told them that I was harrassing her (even thought I had not spoken with her for more than 2 weeks), is bullying her daughter by following her around the playground. And here's the real kicker - supposedly at the fundraiser I blocked her daughter from going up the stairs. Hundreds of people standing around, I have to help my kids change clothes several times, and I take the time to block a small child from going up a 5 foot wide staircase. Really?

So the officer advises me that I need to contact the school and inform them of the bullying allegations for Shannon's protection. I did so, which was beyond awkward, and now Shannon is living in a fishbowl at school. And every day I walk around feeling like I'm going to throw up because I feel so awful for her and honestly, I'm a little afraid for her. I should also point out, that I am not delusional, I have talked to teachers that know her and many other adults, and none of them can believe it.

And Shannon's reaction? While she's upset, she says she feels sorry for them, that it is so sad that they are so unhappy they have to hurt others to make them feel more important. And she's 11.

I really hate that my child is more evolved than me.

These boots are made for walking....and walking...and walking

2009-09-21T13:06:00.005-05:00

Friday Emma had a field trip. It was was walking trip, from the school to the library, library to a park, park to a statue, then back to the school. Approximately a 6 mile walk. We left the school without incident, walking to the library. The teacher's cell phone rang when we were about 2 blocks from the library, and the principle tells us we have to return. The school is going into a "soft lockdown".

I should mention that on the way over to the school, I had heard over the radio that this man who had escaped police custody the night before was on the loose and had stolen a car. Schools in the northwest suburbs had locked down. But that was still pretty far from us.

Anyway, we get almost all the way back to the school and the teacher's phone started ringing. She answers it, talks for a minute, then looks at us and says "I don't know how to tell you this, but it's over. If you're up for it, we can go back. " We all look at each other and shrug. So back we go.

Of course, now we're running about 45 minuted behind, so we're walking really fast. But we made it to everything. Then on the way back, we went a different way which left us no choice but to climb this REALLLLLLY steep hill right near the end. And by this time all the kids are whining and complaining. But as soon as the teacher yells, "Kids, run up the hill! We'll meet you at the playground" the kids start screaming and running up this hill. About half way up they starts slowing down and by the end they're pratically crawling. We adults are still at the bottom, just gazing up. Then we climb. About two thirds up, I look at this woman next to me and say, "I feel like a contestant on the biggest loser". Which gave us all a laugh. And the energy to keep going.

Turns out the escapee was heading our direction and in fact was stopped in a town pretty close to us.

It was a lot of fun, learned alot about the native americans in this area and boy, did I sleep well that night!

Picture this

2009-08-21T22:28:00.002-05:00

In the news: A couple of people are walking near the Chicago River when they see an alligator sunning itself on a rock. Yep, that's right. An alligator. Initial estimates had it at anywhere from 2-4 feet, but once caught, it looked more like 12".

My favorite explanation?

It was one of those mythical sewer 'gators that escaped.

Wow, good customer service for a change

2009-08-18T14:22:00.000-05:00

So, I had some phone trouble a few weeks ago. The lines were so static filled I couldn’t hear anything. My internet kept going in and out. I called the phone company, they came out and of course, it turns out to be an interior problem so I will have to pay for the repair. As I am signing yet more of my life away, the repair guy tells me to call after I receive my bill and they will spread the payments out over three months. I get my bill and call them fully expecting a hassle. I explain to the person on the other end of the line, he looks at my account, not only spreads out the payments, but knocks off 2 weeks of internet charges for my inconvenience. Without me even asking.

Seriously, how cool is that?

Gotta love your neighbors

2009-08-04T12:38:00.000-05:00

My house overlooks a playround/park area. 99% of the time I love it. The other 1% usually involves swearing teenagers after curfew on the basketball court. But I like being able to keep an eye on my kids when they’re outside without really having to work at it.

There is this girl that I have been watching for awhile now – we’ll call her Ellen. Ellen is a bully, plain and simple. I see her picking on the other kids, pushing them, screaming at them, calling them names, etc. For some reason she targeted Shannon one day, calling her names and teasing her. Shannon came in very hurt, but didn’t want me to handle it. The kicker is, Shannon doesn’t even know her. They don’t even go to the same school. But Ellen lives next to one of Shannon’s friends.

Anyway, from that point on, I noticed Shannon steering clear of her at all costs, even going around the block to avoid her. So I sat her down and had a little talk about how she’s giving Ellen all this power, blah blah blah and wouldn’t she just let me talk to her mom. And Shannon said no, it would just make it worse, she could deal with it on her own. Ok, fine.

The other day Shannon came in and said that Ellen just threw a rock at Emma’s head. And not a small one. Fortunately, she missed. I threw down the dishtowel and headed for the door telling her I had had enough.

Shannon stopped me, saying she wanted to go talk to Ellen’s mom. I agreed and said I would come with her. And again, she said no. She wanted to handle it. I told her I thought it was a bad idea, but she could try. And off they went.

After a few minutes, I decided I couldn’t not go. So I started over there. A woman comes storming past me, screaming at the top of her lungs, “You f*ing threw a rock at a little girl?!?” And I just closed my eyes and thought “crap”. I saw Shannon walking towards me with Emma, her friend and her friend’s mom Daisy. Then I see the parent of another girl, “Lizzy” walking over. Lizzy is also at the park playing with Ellen. I see her face go from happy to confused to angry in about a millisecond. Double crap.

I turn around and walk over to the playground, listening to this lunatic scream at Ellen. “I am getting so sick and tired of being called over to the playground all the time!” “I find it hard to believe that it is always Ellen’s fault!” (Mind you, I have never had a parent come and complain about my kids). She then starts to yell at Lizzy, who starts crying and I say, “Wait. Shannon did Lizzy throw rocks at you?” Shannon, now crying, shook her head no. And this crazy woman starts screaming about how now the story has changed and my daughter’s a liar and her daughter never does anything. And I lost it. Taking a deep breath, I calmly (on the outside anyway) said that I had observed her teasing and picking on numerous children, my own included, and she starts yelling at me for confronting her at the playground instead of coming to her door. By this time Lizzy was sobbing and her mom had taken her home. I tried to explain that I actually was on the way to her house when I saw her on the playground, but she had already turned her anger back on her daughter, telling her that if she didn’t go straight home and stay there she would spank her right there in the playground in front of everyone. Then she stormed off.

I stood there kind of dazed, trying to figure out exactly what had just happened. And why Lizzy got sucked into the middle of it. Turns out my child didn’t go to Ellen’s mom. She went to Daisy, told her what happened and had her go talk with Ellen’s mom. And When Daisy asked her who Ellen was with, she said “Lizzy” and she assumed Lizzy had been throwing rocks as well. So, Shannon and I had a little conversation about how it would have perhaps been wiser to not involve Daisy, just to have let me handle it. And Shannon is crying hysterically because now she thinks Lizzy will hate her. I thought it best to just let everything cool down, and the next evening I went over and talked with Lizzy’s mom. She said Lizzy had been crying all evening because she was afraid Shannon thought she was throwing rocks at her. So that all was smoothed over. And the girls are at their Dad’s for a few days now, so hopefully everything will have blown over by the time they get back.

But wouldn’t you know? I looked outside last night and saw Ellen and Lizzy throwing apples at one of the neighbor’s pools.

Yet another update (no disturbing dental stories!)

2009-07-22T14:33:00.000-05:00

Summer continues to speed by at our house. And no, I’m not complaining about the cooler weather. I LOVE IT!!!!!

Shannon’s softball team finished up in second place for the season, with her salvaging a couple of games right at the end, so apparently she’s quite the talent. Or so the coaches keep telling me. Which, of course, immediately switches on my “sportsmom” switch, which is dangerously similar to my “stagemom” switch, and I instantly start thinking about trying to get her into a traveling team, etc. When I bring it up to Shannon, she just looks at me and says, “no”. Fine. Spoil my fun.

The saga of my tooth continues, but suffice it to say, it’s icky enough I’m not even going to share.

I started filling out my new planner (I’ve discovered that planners that run August – July work much better for me), and wouldn’t you know it, every festival, etc that I want to take the girls to they are scheduled to be with their father. And I can’t really justify switching any more weekends with him because I just asked him to basically give up the month of October so the girls could be a part of this Haunted House contest thingy with one of our neighbors. It runs the last three weeks of the month. No answer yet, but he’s been pretty good this summer about changes, so I’m really hoping he’ll do it.

I’ve discovered a new author. In the summer I really enjoy reading mindless fun books like Sophie Kinsella, Sue Grafton and Lauren Weisberger write. And I just found out that Madeleine Wickham is in fact the same person as Sophie Kinsella! Yippee!

And, I got a new neighbor! I’m so excited! She’s a single mom, about my age, has a 14 year old son, a 10 year old son (who my daughter has a crush on-can’t say I blame her, he’s adorable) and a 4 year old daughter. Plus, she’s as chatty as I am!

And, for those of you that have known me awhile, it’s time for the Margarita party this weekend! Woo hoo! The Fairie Queen does a great party with more flavors of margaritas than you can imagine.

So, pretty much, other than the whole oral surgeon thing, this summer rocks!

My new best friend (insert sarcasm here)

2009-07-07T20:57:00.001-05:00

Major ick warning.

Went back to the oral surgeon to have this bone, or as I like to call it, my little shark tooth, removed. First the surgeon tries to pull it out. Doesn't come out. So then he says they will have to file it down. I expect a giant emery board or something, but I really can't see anything. He says "I don't want you to be startled at this loud noise." Ok, must be a sander-type thingy. Imagine my shock at the unbelievably loud snap. I must have jumped a foot. He was using some sort of bone cutting thing.

A short time later I was shark tooth free. And someday my mouth will not hurt anymore.

And no matter how cute the surgeon is, I really don't want to see him again. Ever.

Summertime and the livin' is hectic

2009-07-02T11:08:00.002-05:00

Haven’t been around much, and even when I have been, I really haven’t felt like writing anything. Not for lack of stories. Always have those. It just seems to take more brain power than I have left late at night.

But here’s my summer in a nutshell:

Got a HUGE new patio, unfortunately the patio guys dug a larger hole than the patio, so I now have a moat (which would be nice if I was a princess living in a castle, but I’m not and I don’t). In the process of putting in the new patio, they apparently dug up and killed a mole. How would I know this, you ask? After all, I work all day. BECAUSE THEY LEFT IT FOR ME, along with their lunch discards!!!! Nice.

Got a new roof. They somehow broke my grill. Also left lunch clean up for me. They also got caught stealing from my neighbor, which was nice.

Got my kitchen rewired for the new dishwasher and built in microwave. They only left dirt and wires.

We also have new lighting outside and a new cctv security system. I have to wonder, where is all this money coming from? Not that I’m complaining, just curious.

In between cleaning up the messes left by workmen, I am busy shuttling Shannon to softball games or practice. She loves it and is pretty good. Everyone else on her team has been playing for 3-4 years and she’s easily as good or better than most of her team. Apparently she’s a natural when it comes to pitching, so she pitches pretty often. It doesn’t surprise me. She doesn’t believe in failure. Period.

My children have also suddenly forgotten how to pick up after themselves. They will eat something, drop the wrapper wherever they happen to be and walk away. What is that about? I have told them if they don’t knock it off, I will make them eat in the kitchen, standing over the garbage.

I had a tooth break, it wasn’t salvageable, so I had it pulled by this oral surgeon who was so unbelievably good looking I almost forgot the pain. But because it’s me and nothing can ever go smoothly, my sinus cavity was perforated in the process, so now that has to heal. And I have to go back next week because I now have a jagged piece of bone sticking out. Sorry. TMI. Emma was a wonderful caretaker for me. If she doesn’t become a vet she should be a doctor or nurse, cause she is a natural.

Emma also taught one of her friends (a year older than her) to ride a bike. It gave her such a sense of accomplishment, it was great.

So, that, along with three (I know, I’m an idiot) sunburns and lots of time at the pool sums up the summer so far.

Hope everyone's summer is great!!!

It's a good thing she's cute

2009-05-26T21:57:00.002-05:00

At work, 4:00 pm. Phone rings.

"Maria! phone. I think it's one of you kids."

Well, that's never good.

Hello?

"Mom? I forgot to tell you. I have a recital tonight."

"What?"

"It's at 7:00"

"Tonight?"

"I'm sorry! I forgot to tell you!"

"What time do you have to be there?"

"I don't know, a little before"

"Was there perhaps a note you forgot to show me?"

"Mayyyyyybeeeee."

"Shannon, do you have any idea how mad I am right now?"

"Sorry! Oh yeah, we have to go buy cookies too."

Of course we do.

We haven't heard from the local wildlife in awhile...

2009-05-24T22:26:00.002-05:00

I got a new patio this week. There was nothing wrong with the old one, but someone on the board thought it would be a good way to spend our money. Don't get me wrong, the new patio is beautiful. It's three times bigger than the old one. Big everything always has to be a saga.

We got a letter several weeks ago, saying they were going to be redoing all the patios, and that we would receive notice before so we could have everything cleaned off. So imagine my joy when I came home last Tuesday to a note that said they would be starting by us THE DAY BEFORE and that as soon as I saw it marked I had to clean it off. The thing that makes it irritating is that I didn't get home until 8:30 that night and still had forms I needed to fill out for the school. I looked outside and my yard wasn't marked, but the sidewalk had been marked by the utility company. It just gave me a bad feeling, so out I went, moving furniture, grill, bikes, etc. into the grass.

My neighbor told me not to worry, since they hadn't marked anything. But I'm really glad I didn't listen to them. At 7:15 the next morning I look outside and see them removing my old deck and digging up my yard. My neighbors who had not moved anything just about had a stroke.

When I came home, I started to go into the house and a note falls out. It says any writing or footprints, etc found on the patio will result in the unit owner being fined the cost of replacing the slab. With a sick feeling I realized Miss Emma had just run around back, I yelled at her and ran over, getting there just before she carved her name for posterity.

Then I looked around and my yard is covered with trash. Mostly drink containers. Then as I walk over to the deck I notice something gray and furry on the ground. The workers had killed a mole and left it there! Hello, I have children! Fortunately, my neighbor took care of it while I was cleaning up the yard.

Upon closer inspection, I noticed something in the far corner of the new patio. So I went inside and looked through the patio doors. One corner of my new concrete patio is covered with squirrel prints. And the way they wove around, it must have been drunk. But of course they would find my patio. None of the neighbors, just mine. It seems fitting.

I hope they don't try to charge me for this, no matter how hard I try, I can't control the local wildlife. And believe me, I have tried.

Now this is something you don't see very often.

2009-05-24T22:20:00.002-05:00

Driving through town today, I saw a man walking down the street with a backpack on, strumming a guitar and singing.

Not something you see this far from the city...

Roughing it

2009-05-18T14:54:00.001-05:00

I just got back from camping with Shannon and her Girl Scout troop. We were at a Girl Scout camp just far enough away but not too far. Being the avid camper (not) that I am, we had absolutely no camping gear whatsoever. We went and bought chairs, a sleeping bag for me, two pads for underneath the sleeping bags and a plethora of other things. It was like we were moving.

At least we were going to be in a cabin, which seemed preferable to a tent. And you know what? I think I would rather have been in a tent. The ground is definitely softer than that tile floor was. I think I might have gotten a little over 2 hours of sleep. 16 giggling/arguing girls does not make for much sleep. And what does it say about the water when we all preferred the smell of fire smoke and deodorant failure to the smell of the water in the showers?

This camp is really big. It's owned by the girl scouts and in the summer they have this big program where you can stay there for several days ($$$$). But there is a pool, dining hall, pond for canoeing, outdoor stage, etc. They even have those permanent old wooden frame tents with the wood floors. This is in a different section that is closed this time of year but when we were walking around we ran across it and it was like walking onto the set of Friday the 13th. CREEPY!

The girls also ran across a dead possum, a couple of baby birds that fell out of their nest and get this, A really large set of hawk feet and legs - all the way up to the where they attach together - hanging from a tree branch.

Had some good conversation with the Barbie moms, I kind of think I misjudged most of them. Spent some really nice time with Shannon that I think we both desperately needed.

We had great weather and great food (ever had walking tacos?), so other then the fact I only got 2 hours of sleep and it took two washings to get the smoke smell out of our clothes, it was a great time.

Reality Check

2009-05-06T08:37:00.001-05:00

I drove past a funeral home yesterday and was startled at how busy it was. The parking lot was full, as were the surrounding business lots, the side streets and even the driveway. It was so chaotic traffic was disrupted on the main road I was driving on. There was a line of people more than two blocks long waiting patiently to be allowed in. Who was this for? I assumed some local dignitary or bar owner or something.

When I got into work this morning, I grabbed yesterday’s paper and looked. It was a 14 year old boy who had lost his long battle with cancer. And I started crying for the family of this boy I had never met. He was obviously so loved by so very many people and had touched so many in his brief life. In a few short days, it will be Mother’s Day, and no matter how blessed she feels to have had him in her life, that days is going to be empty.

There was a line in a movie once, “When you lose a spouse, you’re widowed. When you lose your parents, you’re an orphan. But they don’t have a name for you when you lose a child”. It’s too horrible to think about.

This Sunday, I’ll be hugging my kids a little harder, thanking God a lot more fervently, and praying for this mom and all the others that no longer have a child to hold.

a haunting at work

2009-04-29T12:29:00.004-05:00

I'm sitting at my desk, working on my computer. Now, the first thing you should know is that I am the only one with a computer. Actually, I have 4, but that's an entirely different story.

Anyway, doing my work, minding my own business when suddenly my mouse pointer starts to move around my screen. I grab the mouse and move it back. And it then moves around some more, opening Word Pad. Then letters slowly begin appearing on the screen....

I
need

I need what? To take over my body? To drain me of my blood? What? (Yes, we have already established my tendencies to overreact)

I need to access a database. I'll let you know when I'm done. J

Oh.

J is our programmer who lives in another state.

It was better when it was a goblin.

Deep sigh of relief

2009-04-28T12:23:00.002-05:00

Well, the police officer talked with my ex-mother in law. Apparently she started screaming at him about what a bad, evil person I am, etc. and he very calmly explained to her that if she felt she had been treated unjustly, she needed to follow proper channels, like the court system. At this point she started mumbling and backed down. He explained that she cannot call me again or they will issue a warrant for her arrest.

The officer called me to give me an overview, he was very nice, but it kind of cracked me up when he said, "If she shows up at your door, don't even open it, just call us."

Well, duh.

It's nice to not feel ill everytime the phone rings.....

And the fun continues.........

2009-04-24T11:05:00.004-05:00

I can't wait until tomorrow when the officer finally calls her. Four more calls Friday, none yesterday, one so far today. My answering machine is actually full! And only with messages from her. It seems like she's escalating. She is now calling my ex and his wife as well - but still targeting me. As obtuse as he is, he's starting to worry. I contacted the schools and the daycare, because she had mentioned both in her rants. The school I'm not worried about since it's kept locked down and you have to be buzzed through the office. Afterschool care is going to make sure they have an adult with the girls at all times.

She's never threatened me with taking the girls, but she did say something about it to my ex. This is so surreal, I'm really having a hard time wrapping my head around it. And while I'm not very confrontational, she brings it out of me.

Like one of the calls - she was ranting and raving about what a bad person I was, how I'm white trash and she was born in this really affluent suburb, and I nearly picked up just so I could point out that I could trace back to two presidents as well as the british royal family (although in a very convolluted way) in my family tree while she could claim an uncle who worked for the mob. Just to push her buttons. But thankfully I listened to my not stupid side and didn't. Then she called me something so obscure I had never even heard it before and had to look it up. It's a slur that questions one's enthic background as well as insinuating infidelity. Why she thinks that would bother me, I don't know.

Did I mention I can't wait for Monday?

Why can't you divorce your inlaws when you divorce your spouse?

2009-04-23T11:30:00.000-05:00

Most everyone knows the circumstances of my divorce. I don’t really like talking about it, but I don’t hide it either. Anyway, when I first got engaged to my now ex, he used to tell these crazy stories about his mom. Drunken, violent stories (yes I know, the nut didn’t fall far from the tree). I didn’t really believe him, because the woman I saw drank too much, but was as nice as can be. But not long after we got married, she would call us, over and over, calling my ex names and ranting and raving. Sometimes she would call as many as 20 times in a night. Then nothing for weeks. It was crazy and always directed at her son.

Then we got divorced and I had no contact with her for some time. The girls would see her occasionally when they visited with their father, but that was it. But after he got remarried, she started calling me, asking to see the girls, saying she didn’t want anything to do with her son (a feeling I share). OK. I wanted them to be able to see her. So she came over around the holidays to see the girls. Then she wanted them (just them) to go out with her. No. And they didn’t want to. Turns out my ex will no longer have anything to do with her.

Around this time, the crazy phone calls started up again, only this time they were directed at me. About what an awful person I am, how she knows I’m crazy (Me?), etc, etc. So I talked with the girls and it turns out they don’t want to see her. They were doing it for ME.

Well, that makes the decision easy. The next round of calls, I tell her she can’t see the girls anymore. Period. And she goes off the deep end. And calls. And calls. And calls. She starts leaving messages on the answering machine that a vaguely threatening, extremely profane. Now, anyone who has children knows, the first thing the kids do when they get home is run over and push the answering machine. And they would hear this. I finally tell her if she doesn’t stop calling, I will call the police and have her arrested. And the calls stop. For months. Then around holidays she would call a few times, leave nasty messages and then poof! Stop.

Until recently. Around Easter she started calling. She stopped few a few days, then started back up. Only this time it’s different. Last night she started threatening me directly. Fortunately, the girls were not home. On my way to pick them up, I called the police to inquire as to my options. They offered to send over an officer. I then called my ex for his opinion. He said to do whatever I felt was necessary (wow).

When the officer arrived, I sent the girls out to play and explained the situation to him. I played the two messages I still had on the answering machine and he stood there shaking his head and smiling. As the second message plays, it gets interrupted by a new call. From her. The officer instructs me not to pick it up. And she starts her ranting and raving. And this time it’s even worse. Then she calls again. And again. By this time the officer is no longer smiling. He says that ordinarily he would pick up the phone and talk to her, but she’s so drunk he thinks it would just make things worse, and because she drinks all the time, it wouldn’t do any good to call her and warn her off. He writes down all the times from my caller ID, takes some notes about what she said, then looks at me and says there are two ways to go. 1) I can change my phone number and keep it unlisted, which seems very unfair to me, because of all the people I would have to remember to call with my new number, or 2) he can issue a warrant for her arrest and she would have to be processed, post bond, etc. I don’t want to do that either. So I tell him I will think about it and let him know. He leaves and I call my ex again, because frankly, whatever I do will directly affect him, as his mom will then re-direct her anger at him. And believe it or not, I wouldn’t wish that even on him. By the end of the conversation, I have decided to ask the officer to call her either at work or at home as soon as she gets off work to give her a verbal warning and if she persists after that, I will proceed with the warrant. So that’s what he’s going to do. The only problem is he’s in training today and isn’t sure if he can get to a phone and then he’s off until Monday. But, I’ve been dealing with this for so long, what’s a few more days?

A brief (at least for me) update

2009-04-01T21:40:00.002-05:00

I have sat down at my computer at least a dozen times in the last two weeks to write, just staring at the screen. Not because I didn't have anything to say, but because I've been so overwhelmed and tired I didn't even know where to start. So here is a brief summary of the events of late.

My boss, T, quit. T's stepdad owns half of the business (in addition to several other businesses), and T was being groomed to eventually take over. But D, the other owner (who is the active partner) runs the business extraordinarily poorly and refuses to retire. He's 76, lives with his 101 year old mother, is very forgetful, rarely showers, keeps all documentation at his house, would come into the office at 4:00 pm to work (which I liked because that meant I really didn't have to deal with him), etc. But worst of all, he won't give up ordering supplies, but he can't ever remember to order them. And not office supplies, the supplies we need to do what we do.

After too many years it became to much for T to handle. And he took a job in another state (except for college, he's never lived anywhere else) and he left. Which meant we had no buffer between us and D. But it was a really good decision for T.

Then D makes the decision that he's not going to replace T, so the rest of use have to pick up the slack (which is kind of difficult when there are only 4 employees left to cover), but what are you going to do? Even a crappy job is better than no job.

Then D gets really sick with some virus and his mom passes away. So he's a mess, of course. Not even able to make the necessary arrangements. Needless to say, we start running out of everything. And literally can't work.

Then, two days later, T calls (he's been checking in alot, apparently letting go is harder than he thought). But he's not checking in. His stepfather died. Which may or may not mean T has to move back to take over the businesses, I don't know. It was just awful, he and his stepdad were so very close.

The next day Shannon got her tonsils and adnoids out. They were HUGE. The doctor took a picture for her (which I will spare you) and they measure 1 1/2 inches! So she is in alot of pain and not sleeping well, but she can BREATHE!

D's mom's funeral was today, so we closed the office long enough to go and pay our respects. 101 - just think of all she saw, all she experienced.

And lastly, let's not forget me waking up in the middle of the night to find Emma standing at the foot of my bed fully dressed. When I asked her why, she started crying and said she didn't know. Apparently she was asleep.

Well, that's what's up here. Sorry it's so blunt and short, but I desperately need some sleep.

I just can't seem to get that "L" off my forehead

2009-03-10T10:17:00.004-05:00

Sorry - I know I haven't been a very good blogger lately. We just had this domino effect with this virus in our house. Why is it the same virus that lays a kid up for 3-4 days lays me up for 5-6 or even 10? So not fair. But we are now healthy (more or less).

Poor Shannon. She got sick and came home early on Friday. For her to leave school she has to be really sick. The bad part (other than just being sick and miserable) was that she had this incredibly busy weekend planned. And it was all once a year kind of stuff.

First up was this district wide stringed instrument festival thing that Shannon was waited two years to be a part of. So I drugged her up sent her to bed for a nap, when she woke up her fever was down almost completely, so we went. And we watched her slowly get more and more pale. When we finally got home, her fever was back up so more medicine and off to bed.

Saturday she woke up and her fever was almost gone, so we decided to go to the school's pancake breakfast. Then it was off to watch a dance competition with the girl scouts. After that, it was across the street to a restaurant for pizza (which is supposed to be haunted, but that is an entirely different story). Now, I should point out that is was raining off and on all day and the temperature is in the low 40s. After lunch she begged me to walk in the parade. And even sic'd the other girl scouts on me! So I relented and told her we would walk as long as it it wasn't raining. And of course it didn't start raining until we were about 1/3 through the route. You've never seen such a quick parade. We practically ran. By the end Shannon was crying, saying her feet and hands were freezing (which they were). Back home, we took her temp and it was...

wait for it....

104!

So, lots of tylenol and ibuprofen for Shannon

and....

Yes, another parent of the year award for me!!!!

Survived 9 tweens, only to be felled by the common cold

2009-02-19T14:30:00.006-06:00

Shannon's b-day party was a blast. We transformed the house into a tiki hut! It looked pretty cool, if I do say so myself. It even impressed the Barbie moms!

We also got some great pics of everyone posing as surfer dudes:

Even the cake turned out pretty well.

Now, I have a horrible cold, and I'm going to bed.

Valentine's Swap!

2009-02-14T12:04:00.003-06:00

My swap partner was Angie, who I really didn't know before this. I have never done this before, so I was a little nervous. I am so glad I had her! Now I'm getting to know a really nice person and received some really wonderful gifts.

She sent me a photo album (which I desperately need), beautiful windchimes (which I love), coffee (yum!), two wonderful scented candles, and best of all, a candy making kit to do with my kids! How thoughtful is Angie to remember my kids?

The whole thing was topped off with a Texas scarf (and ironically, I was born in Texas and have nothing from there).

This truly is the best Valentine's Day I've had in a long time. Thanks Angie! Thanks Becca!

Bang head against wall, repeat as needed

2009-02-12T12:51:00.000-06:00

Ahh, it’s that time once again. Time to put together the pages for the yearbook. I’m doing the 4th grade pictures this year. Why, you might ask, would I put myself through this again this year? Because apparently, I’M AN IDIOT!!!

I got two weeks warning that the pages are due, and so far, only two class moms have responded to me. So, I’m thinking it’s going to be just as aggravating as last year and post luau this weekend I’m going to have to hunt them all down. The kicker is that two of the moms I haven’t heard from are/were Brownie Leaders for my kids. They know me – wouldn’t you think they would contact me?

But at least I get to keep the cool collage software…

Pre party panic

2009-02-11T11:31:00.002-06:00

Or PPP as I like to call it, has set in. I have so much to do and 90% of it can't be done until the last minute. I am baking at least part of the cake tonight, cleaning the bathroom, etc and then tomorrow night doing the floors and finishing the baking portion. I've decided to take 1/2 of the day off from work on Friday to finish the cake, go to the store and start taking down pictures, etc.

Then Saturday I can put up the "walls" for the tiki hut, do touch up dusting and vacuuming and decorate (Have I mentioned Auntie Di Rocks? She gave me a TON of Hawaiian decorations) before the screaming tweens show up.

Then Sunday I get to take it all back down. Seem a little anticlimactic. Maybe we'll just have to live in a tiki hut for awhile...... fruity drinks with umbrellas anyone?

I scream, you scream, we all scream for.........

2009-02-06T14:42:00.002-06:00

Shannon is having trouble sleeping. She has, in fact, had trouble for quite some time. She can't breathe. We went to the doctor who said she thought it might be allergies that were causing the trouble and put her on medication. It didn't really get any better, in fact got worse, so much so that Shannon was having to sleep propped up. And she snored so loudly I could literally hear her at the other end of the house on the other floor. Then one night when I couldn't sleep, I happened to be walking past her room when she just stopped breathing. Then she coughed and choked and woke up (sort of) and went back to sleep.

Needless to say I was on the phone with the doctor the next day. She suggested I record her snoring and then bring her in. So I did. And when the doctor looked into her throat she said, "Wow, you have the biggest tonsils I have ever seen!"

We were promptly referred to an ENT who she says is conservative with treatment, someone she would take her own kids to.

Today we went to see him, asks me a couple of questions, looks into her throat and says "Yeah those are pretty big. I think this a pretty straight forward case. She really needs to have them removed. Her adnoids are probably also really enlarged which is why she can't breathe and has trouble talking (she sounds like she has a cold all the time) so we should remove those as well." Then he looks at Shannon and says, "You'll be able to talk alot easier".

Shannon looks at me and says,"I wish I cold have the surgery today."

But first we need to see an audiologist to check her hearing, because she also has fluid behind her eardrum and he wants to make sure it's not an issue, which I don't think it is, because the only time she doesn't hear me is when she doesn't want to.

But mostly I think she's excited about the prospect of ice cream.

At least it makes no difference to them

2009-02-04T08:13:00.002-06:00

Walking by the room where the girls were playing and dividing up the Littlest pet shop animals:

Emma: This one should be a boy.

Shannon: No, it's a girl!

Emma: But we have don't have enough boys!

Shannon: It doesn't matter.

Emma: Yeah, they can just be gay.

I love that it was no big deal to them!

Miscellaneous grumblings

2009-02-02T15:10:00.000-06:00

Well, I began working on the “Hawaiian” cake. Actually, I just started working on the palm trees. First attempt was less than successful. I used pretzel rods for the trunks and royal icing to make the palm fronds. Looked OK but shattered when I looked at them. Alright, I touched them, but just barely. So I have moved on to making them with fondant. If that doesn’t work, I’m screwed. Thanks to Auntie Di, I have everything I need for the party, from blow up palm trees to coconut bras and everything in between! So, thanks Auntie Di – you rock!

Then there’s work – so bad I’m not even going to talk about it. Except to say I hate my boss. No, I don’t really hate him. He quit and left us all (well all 7 of us) to deal with the owner who is a total a**. He’s 74 years old and he lives with his mother, who’s 102 and sweet as can be. He’s too cheap to hire help, so he leaves her unattended (and she really can’t be) saying she has one of those alert bracelets so she’ll be fine. He’s rude and demeaning, mostly to our boss. He was our buffer. I imagine why he stayed as long as he did, but he’s only been gone two days and already we’re all ready to quit. BUT, oddly, he does let me leave whenever I need to, let’s me bring in my kids when I have to. When it comes to family, he never complains. So we all stay, because we either have kids or health issues or family with health issues. I guess I shouldn’t complain, because few places would be that understanding. But then he’s just so mean! He’s condescending and demeaning, and just mean. He actually stuck his tongue out at an employee that complained to him about something. His standard response is always “oh well” when you try to talk to him about anything.

So really, deep down I really am happy for my boss. After everything he’s put up with, he really deserves it. I guess I’m just jealous because he has options I don’t have right now. I need the flexibility here. So I guess I should stop complaining. Sucky tho it may be, at least I still have a job.

It's once again time for me to lose my mind

2009-01-22T10:31:00.003-06:00

Shannon's b-day is coming up and this time around she wants a Hawaiian themed slumber party. So, in my grand tradition of attempting cakes that are way beyond my skill level, I am going to make a tropical waterfall cake.

How, you may ask.

My answer? I dunno.

Actually I do have some ideas rattling around in my head. Just not sure how to make them work. So, it will either be a total disaster or really great.

No pressure.

AHHHHHHHHHH!

A little cold, even for me

2009-01-15T20:57:00.002-06:00

It was -18 when I went to work today, -40 with the windchill. It was so cold my car actually screamed when I started it.

But not to worry, a heat wave is on the way. They're saying we'll hit 11 tomorrow! Get out the bathing suits!

What a sneaky child

2009-01-13T09:42:00.002-06:00

Last Sunday after Church we went downstairs for Sunday School. How it is that they let me teach Sunday School is a great mystery. Anyway, Emma tells me she forgot something and asks if she can run back upstairs. I say yes and away she goes. 10 minutes later she is still not back, so I go looking for her. I find her in the coffee hour, selling girl scout cookies to all the adults! The problem with this is she is doing it so she gets the sales and not her sister. Smart and sneaky, if I wasn't so mad at her I would almost have to admire her...

Note to self

2009-01-12T22:21:00.001-06:00

Leaving a Diet Coke in the freezer for 9 hours is a very, very bad idea.

Amending previous post

2009-01-05T09:59:00.002-06:00

My "heartless" daughter came into my room at 4:00 am this morning crying about Marley. Talk about a delayed reaction.

If Flicka was bad, why would I take her to Marley

2009-01-04T22:22:00.002-06:00

Remember when we watched Flicka and Emma ran crying hysterically from the room and I had to drag her back so she could see Flicka was OK? Well, apparently I didn't learn very well.

I took the girls to see Marley & Me. I had read the book, so I prepped Emma and Shannon about the sad part (spoiler - don't read the rest of this paragraph if you haven't seen it, want to see it and don't want me to spoil it). But even I got caught off guard. When they put Marley into the car to take him to the vet at the end, it was so much like when I took my Rott to be put down, it just snapped me back to that time. And I started crying. Shannon kept looking at me and asking if I was OK and trying to make me laugh. Didn't work. Every time I gathered myself together, something else would trigger my tears again. I kept glancing over at Emma and she seemed to be doing OK, right up until they buried him. And she started crying. Sobbing.

That of course was enough to pull me out of it, and I put her on my lap and tried to make her feel better. Shannon just kept looking at us like we were crazy. Walking out, Emma is still crying, I'm still struggling to pull myself together and I look at Shannon and said, "How did you become so heartless living in this family?" and smiled and gave her a big hug. And she just shrugged and laughed.

But poor Emma. She was still crying an hour after we got home. I know I said it before, but NO MORE ANIMAL MOVIES!!!

Welcome to the New Year

2009-01-04T07:21:00.002-06:00

Or as I like to think, just get everything bad over right away so you can go on to enjoy the rest of the year.

The new year was ushered in by a migraine, which was pleasant. So the bottle of chocolate wine I was going to share with my neighbor is still in the fridge. Then the girls come home from their dads (finally) with clothes that are covered with tomato sauce. They then proceed to tell me they think their Dad is drinking again (so very bad) and that his wife is pregnant (from fertility treatments).

I'm having some problem with that. First, what if she has multiples? He couldn't handle one at a time.

Second, and I know this is stupid, he's remarried and having kids and I've been on exactly one date since the divorce. And it wasn't even a real date. Now largely this is self imposed but being rational doesn't help.

and Third, how will this affect the girls? I'm really worried about the drinking. They can't be around him if he's drinking. I unfortunately think it's time for a visit to the lawyer.

Can someone please explain this to me?

2008-12-28T22:08:00.003-06:00

Let me preface this by saying I completely support fathers rights. To a point. Case in point: My ex only wants the kids because they're "his". Whenever he has them, he takes them to his incredibly dirty and cluttered house and he completely ignores them. He rarely actually interacts with them and never holds them or shows them any love. So of course they don't want to go. And I have to force them. Then I get phone calls like I got tonight with them crying, begging me to come home. And I have to say no? And expect them to say for an entire week.

I don't know what to do, my ex won't send them home early, and them getting upset just makes him angry, which makes them more upset, and so on.

Anyone have any ideas?

If you don't like the weather, just wait an hour

2008-12-28T15:06:00.006-06:00

Friday: 17 degrees

Saturday: 60 degrees

Sunday: 32 degrees

Makes choosing clothing a little difficult...

The Best Christmas Ever

2008-12-26T20:28:00.002-06:00

After opening the two beautiful handmade ornaments, reading the poems and cards my kids made, Shannon came and sat next to me.

"Mom, was this your best Christmas ever?" she asked.

"I think maybe it was" I replied, "why?"

"Because that was my wish when we broke the wishbone at Thanksgiving, that you would have the best Christmas ever" she said.

Trying to not cry, I grabbed her, hugged her and said, "There couldn't have possibly been a better Christmas".

How lucky am I?

Baby, it's cold inside!?!

2008-12-22T21:53:00.002-06:00

It was a balmy -5 when I got up this morning. I don't know what the windchill was, but the wind was definitely waaay down from yesterday. Anyway, I turn the heat down at night, only to 65, but that drops the temp in my bedroom down to about 61. But then it goes back up about 1/2 hour before I get up. At least that's the theory. I got up this morning, it still seemed cold, but I've been known to override the timer and forget to reset it.

I took my shower, and when I got out I thought I was going to turn into an ice cube. So I pulled on my robe and ran down to the thermostat. And it's reading 61. Which means it's about 57 upstairs. I hit the run program button and the little system on light comes on. But the furnace doesn't turn on. Uh oh.

So I push the button repeatedly (cause everyone knows that if it doesn't work the first time, surely the second, third or fourth time will fix it). Then I go over to the furnace closet, open it and stare at it. Yep, it's still there.

I check the breaker box, flip the breaker, cause really that's about the only technical skill I have. Then I stare at the furnace some more, willing it to awaken. After a couple of minutes, I look at the directions for resetting the pilot light. And step by step, I do it. But still the beast will not wake up.

I sigh, grab the phone and call the maintenance line and wait for the return call. This complicates my day greatly. I have a babysitter coming to watch the girls. I explain to her that there will be people coming to work on the furnace, that it is cold and tell her that it's ok if she wants to cancel. But she comes anyway because she's the babysitter sent from heaven and not only bakes gingerbread men to both distract the girls and keep them warm, but deals with all the workers (there were four separate people that came over) and calls me regularly to update me. And she's only 16!

So I needed a new thermostat and they put in a new one that doesn't have a timer and is significantly smaller so my wall needs repair and painting, but at least I have heat!

Of course, now that I have heat, in the next 24 hours we're supposed to go up more than 30 degrees...

Can see it now :Honest Officer, I wasn't drinking...

2008-12-22T21:46:00.002-06:00

...I was looking for eagles!

I spent several hours sitting in forest preserves and driving around looking for eagles Saturday. No luck. However, in the process nearly took out another car, a fence, a tree and a snowbank.

Perhaps birdwatching and driving not a good mix?

I think I must have awakened in North Dakota

2008-12-21T14:29:00.002-06:00

Wow, -35 with the windchill. That will separate the men from the boys. And blizzard conditions. But the best part is, even though the news is telling us to stay home, EVERYONE is out and about. In fact I just got home. But I also have a Jeep.

The good news is that the sun is shining. Of course you can't really see it when the wind picks up, but at least it's there!

And for some reason I keep hearing "Mr. Heat Miser" in my head....Not exactly your average Christmas carol....

Now, this is cool!

2008-12-19T21:56:00.002-06:00

Look at what was spotted less than a mile from my house! They disappeared from here a long time ago and only began reappearing in the last few years (but not in this town). One of my brother's friends took it. I had heard there was one spotted in a town near here and I have been watching for them, but now I think I might go down there tomorrow to see if they're still hanging around.

Walking in a winter wonderland (or sliding)

2008-12-18T21:18:00.002-06:00

The snow outside my window is sparkling like diamonds. We're expecting nearly a foot more tonight. They keep pushing back the time the storm will hit. I figure any storm that makes it snow on Vegas has got to be bad. Which almost certainly will result in a snow day. They define a snow day as a day that is too dangerous for kids to travel too and from school. And what's the first thing kids do with a snow day? My kids can't decide whether to build a snow fort first or go sledding.

Me, I vote for the sledding.

The same lesson over and over and over and over....

2008-12-16T10:15:00.003-06:00

Christmas. That wonderful time of year when you worry about making sure your kids get gifts just as good as their friends. I know what you're saying - no, that's not what it's all about. But any parent who has seen the look of disappointment on their child's face when you couldn't get them what they truely wanted or had to explain why Santa brings all the good gifts to the really wealthy kids knows exactly what I mean. Plus there's the whole stupid competition with the Ex thing. And yes, I know that's stupid. Even more so if you knew my Ex (atory about him next time).

This year I knew it would be tight, but I had planned it out carefully. Grandma had gotten us a Wii, which was one the list (big surprise there - and in case you can't tell, my eyes are rolling). I would be able to get one of the expensive items on their list (Wii fit) and then a few of the less expensive things.

I had it planned out perfectly. Perfectly. Except for one thing. I failed to plan for my car breaking down and having to spend $300.00 on it. And I didn't expect to get hit with a $30.00 mandatory (and by mandatory, I mean strong arm like the mafia) contribution to by boss' gift. I managed to pull out of the office grab bag (which has a limit of $25.00). See, only one other person here is self supporting and her kids are grown and gone. Everyone else works to "make things easier" for their families. Oh yeah. Then there was the ATM withdrawal that I ADDED instead of subtracting. Which puts me roughly $400.00 in the whole.

So now my kids wonder why I'm rationing the milk.

And the worst part? I have no one to blame but myself.....

Oops

2008-12-13T20:03:00.003-06:00

So my kids are with their Dad this weekend. I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to finish up most of the wrapping, get the stocking stuffers organized, etc. But I was also in need of some relaxation. Relaxation won out, at least at first. I lit some candles, put on a movie and wrapped up in a cuddly throw I have. Then suddenly it was an hour later. I fell asleep. Got up and ran around to check the candles, being very thankful I didn't burn the house down. Now it was time for work. I went up to my bedroom, pulled out a couple of presents, brought them down and went back up for the wrapping paper. I dug it out of my closet (my bedroom is home for everything unloved, unwanted and without home, stumbling over presents, etc, when suddenly the smoke alarm goes off. Which is not a big surprise since the shower occasionally sets it off. I grab the stepstool (see? has no other home, so it's in my room) and climb up and push the silence button. Which causes a blinding light to suddenly shine in my eyes like the inquisition and a much louder, piercing alarm starts sounding. Which of course makes me jump back in response. Which wouldn't be a problem except I'm on a step ladder. Amazingly I don't fall, and after righting myself I push the silince button again and this time it works.

But strangely, I still hear a smoke alarm coming from downstairs. Wow, I didn't even know that one worked! But the real question is why is it working? It has never gone off since I've lived there. It's just outside of the kitchen and I have burned plenty of things. So I run down stairs and I smell this awful smell, like melting plastic. Now I'm a little concerned that my house might actually be on fire. I don't see any smoke tho. And the smoke alarm has gone off. Then I see this small tealight lamp I had lit and it looks a little odd. When I pick it up I realize why. The tealight is completely melted. Not just the candle, but the entire thing, even the container. It has dripped all down the side and has hardened. And I can't get it off. No matter how hard I try.

The thing is, I never burn candles when the kids are around because I'm always afraid they will knock them over or get burned. Apparently they are the ones I need to worry about.

Hmmmmm

2008-12-12T22:06:00.002-06:00

Thanks Jean! Wow, now I am depressed..... : )

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are an Ingrid!

You are an Ingrid -- "I am unique"

Ingrids have sensitive feelings and are warm and perceptive.

How to Get Along with Me

* Give me plenty of compliments. They mean a lot to me.
* Be a supportive friend or partner. Help me to learn to love and value myself.
* Respect me for my special gifts of intuition and vision.
* Though I don't always want to be cheered up when I'm feeling melancholy, I sometimes like to have someone lighten me up a little.
* Don't tell me I'm too sensitive or that I'm overreacting!

What I Like About Being an Ingrid

* my ability to find meaning in life and to experience feeling at a deep level
* my ability to establish warm connections with people
* admiring what is noble, truthful, and beautiful in life
* my creativity, intuition, and sense of humor
* being unique and being seen as unique by others
* having aesthetic sensibilities
* being able to easily pick up the feelings of people around me

What's Hard About Being an Ingrid

* experiencing dark moods of emptiness and despair
* feelings of self-hatred and shame; believing I don't deserve to be loved
* feeling guilty when I disappoint people
* feeling hurt or attacked when someone misundertands me
* expecting too much from myself and life
* fearing being abandoned
* obsessing over resentments
* longing for what I don't have

Ingrids as Children Often

* have active imaginations: play creatively alone or organize playmates in original games
* are very sensitive
* feel that they don't fit in
* believe they are missing something that other people have
* attach themselves to idealized teachers, heroes, artists, etc.
* become antiauthoritarian or rebellious when criticized or not understood
* feel lonely or abandoned (perhaps as a result of a death or their parents' divorce)

Ingrids as Parents

* help their children become who they really are
* support their children's creativity and originality
* are good at helping their children get in touch with their feelings
* are sometimes overly critical or overly protective
* are usually very good with children if not too self-absorbed

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at

Mom, Is he the Real One? Is he?

2008-12-08T12:14:00.002-06:00

"I think he is" Emma says excitedly. I try to look through the sea of people, but all I can catch is a small glimpse of red.

"I don't know hon. I can't see him".

"It is him!" Shannon squeals, "You can just tell! It's not one of his helpers."

Finally we get to the front of the line and I can see him. The Man in the Red Suit. And wow, he does look like the real thing. The girls run over with their lists, both so nervous they can barely contain themselves. He takes a look at Emma's letter in which she explained to him that she has had a hard time behaving because she misses her cat too much, and he says, "I remember your cat. He was a really great cat. Of course you miss him." And then he talks to them for a few minutes, gives Emma a hug and they get their picture taken.

"It is, Mom! That is the real Santa!" Shannon exclaimed, running over.

"You know, I think you might be right."

Change can be good, right?

2008-12-06T20:25:00.000-06:00

Well, like several of my friends, I'm am migrating over from another site that has changed a little too much for me. It's turning into something that I just am not. So here I am!

But onward to other things.

Last night I took the girls to the Daddy Daughter Dance. So it was me and 100 Dads. There were a couple of moms there serving food, but I was the only one actually attending. At first I was a little uncomfortable, but then a mom told me something that made me feel so much better. She said her father died when she was a young child and she never got to go to any of the Daddy Daughter events because her mother wouldn't dream of going. And then it occurred to me - not only should I not be uncomfortable, but I should feel priviledged to be there. No other mom was. How cool was that? So we ate fattening food and danced the night away. By the time we left I could barely walk. Maybe next time I should wear sensible shoes.....