Behind the times...

Holy wow, it's been a long time since I posted.  I think that's because I have been so busy and my life has been full of nonsense.  Hmmmm, how about a summary:

1.  Football is finally over!!!!  Don't worry, we have found plenty of ways to occupy that free time.
2.  Some lady crashed into my car while I was trying to leave the pharmacy with my antibiotics because I was sick.  2 days before Thanksgiving.  It was awesome.  I can pretty much guarantee that after taking almost 2 weeks to accept liability, the guy handling the claim through her insurance company does not wish to speak to me EVER again!
3.  Thanks to #2 (hahaha) I am having to attend 3 chiropractor sessions per week to get my neck back to not freaking out.
4.  My family really pulled together to help make Thanksgiving yummy, delicious, and a good time.
5.  My oldest son especially deserves an award!  He was so wonderful!  Gave his little brother a bath for me, and while he was playing in the bath he cleaned the rest of the bathroom!  He is growing up so fast!
6.  The car is mostly fixed.  There are some paint issues that the shop assures me they can fix quickly when I come by to bring the check for the deductible that the insurance company sent to me "by accident."
7.  The tenant issue.....AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!  They decided they were going to tell us off every time they spoke to us.  My husband handled all of the court proceedings and got a judgement to be able to evict them forcefully.  I am so thankful he handled that because, quite frankly, I try to avoid the legal system.  I can never break the law.  Traffic court totally stresses me out.  Anyway, my husband agreed that if they would just go, we wouldn't go after them for the back rent.  Apparently they took that as a reason to celebrate and party it up, because at 5am this Saturday morning I was wakened by a terrible smell, and discovered that they were smoking weed down there, which came through the vent system and filled my entire house!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  No, not joking.  These a$$holes have not paid rent, but can buy drugs??!!??!!?!?!?!?!  LIVID.  So we went down and banged on the door, and truly, she started telling us off again!  WTH?  How is this possible???  We are kicking them out at Christmas and to give them a break.  Ummm, we have been paying for you to live for free.  And you have been nothing but jerk faces and now you're doing drugs in my HOUSE????????  After totally losing her marbles she said "you know what?  We're leaving tonight!"  Ha!  My wish come true!  Not only are they leaving, but they threw themselves out!  Yippeeeeeeee!  I would celebrate, but truly I am still extremely sleep deprived, and I feel like crap.
8.  Life still goes on......even if you haven't had any sleep.  So yeah, we still packed 30lbs of fun into a 5lb weekend.  Mall, church, play practice, Chuck E Cheese, shopping, showing the apartment, and the list goes on and on.....
9.  Christmas.  Now this is my very favorite time of the year!!!!!  The decorations, the cookies, the food, the celebrating, the gathering with family, and most of all - the wonder and excitement of my children!!!  Each thing seems magical, and every year it's new because they are each experiencing things at a different level.  I love everything about it!  So while all of the other craziness in my life is happening, I try to pause each day and give thanks to God for all of my blessings and for his gift to us all; his son Jesus.

Still mad....

Today finds me still mad.  Very mad.

The worst part is, we have totally been working with these people.  Now I feel like trying to help them is coming back and biting us in the backside.  How do I not become jaded about helping others in any way like this in the future????  I have tried praying on this, and I guess maybe it's too soon to find some peace about it.  A big part of me wants to start a legal process, but I still feel like that's not the best way to go about it.  I guess I just need some time to cool off.

So, so, SOOOO MAD!!!!!!!

I am so freakin hot right now I can barely even form coherent thoughts.  &$*%?^*$%^)#@$*%&Y)!!!

We have a small apartment that we rent out.  Very basic.  Advertised as such.  No kitchen even.  Not a surprise; it was advertised that way, shown that way, and leased that way.  Now that the tenants are having a bad time, it is now unreasonable for us to expect them to pay the amount they agreed upon in the lease, because, well, they can't afford it, and we ask too much for what they are getting.

Basically, it is now our fault that they both work at fast food restaurants, have car problems, one of them went to jail, and the list goes on and on.  BUT........she did talk to her lawyer and knows that they have rights.  Are you effing kidding me???????????  You don't have money for rent, but you have a lawyer????  Ohhhhhhhhhhh, that's right, I am paying for that.  Folks, I am dumbfounded.

I think that I should go to bed before I say something even more inappropriate than anything I've already put down.  Except that I'm still too pissed to sleep.  Woosah.  Goosfrabba.  I feel pretty????

The weekend is almost here!

Woohoo!  That means that I will get to see my husband, other than when he comes to bed in the middle of the night!  It also means the end of the regular football season.  Once we get the schedule for playoffs and such, or as the team mom called it, the "preseason," we will know just how close to the end we are.

I think I am actually looking forward to my quiet time tonight.  I am going to get some grocery shopping done, and try to get my house a little in order.  And then I guess I will settle in again with a nice glass of wine and enjoy some quality Duck Dynasty time.  Maybe tonight I will use a plastic cup just to make it feel more authentic!  =D

It is only 2 weeks until Thanksgiving!!!  Where has the time gone?  After that, Christmas will be here in no time.  Sometimes it seems like time just slips through my hands.

Marriage is Sacred

I saw a comment on facebook a couple of days ago, and it has really been under my skin since then.  It was on a post about some famous unwed couple expecting a baby, or they just had a baby, or they want to have a baby, or who cares.  Anyway, people were voicing their congratulations or nastiness.  Mostly the nastiness was about them not being married, and someone commented about the divorce rate and people not wanting to put the work into their marriages these days, which led to a response that "marriage should not be work."

What??????????

Everything worth having is worth working for.  Absolutely you have to work on your marriage.  All relationships require a commitment of some sort.  A relationship can't survive without compromise and compassion.  I would think that a lot of the people that get divorced would describe at least part of the reason for the divorce to be that one or both of them put their relationship on autopilot.  While I agree that some of the aspects don't always feel like work, that doesn't diminish their importance.  Even down to details such as telling your spouse that you love them are things that are important.  It would be easy to stop under the premise that the other person already knows.  That might be true, but very little effort is required to remind them every day.  So, while I know that the daily grind can sure take it's toll on things, I sure hope my husband knows how much he is loved!  I will always try to go the extra mile to make sure our relationship stays strong, because I absolutely want it to last until forever!

As for the person that thinks marriage shouldn't be work, I wish you the greatest of luck in either finding a partner that your theory works with, or a swift divorce proceeding.

Incognito Mosquito

Sorry I have been in hiding recently!  What with the hurricane, and the politics, I have been hiding my head in  my pillowcase.  Now that the election is over, for better or worse, I think it's safe to come out.  AND, that means no more terrible political commercials!!!!  Woohoo!!!

As a note, I am praying hard for our friends to the north.  There are still so many doing without because of the storm, and they're faced with snow tonight.

An Hour I Will Never Get Back

My newest shameful admission is called "Duck Dynasty."  I just can't help myself!!!  I just can't.  It's not normal.  I will never recover the amount of time I spend watching it.  But it's just so dang funny.  And now I have taken to DVRing the new ones.  Crikey.  The worst part is, I know how bad this is.  And I just. don't. care.  Bah!  I made my husband suffer through an episode this past weekend after we went to a party and I had had a couple of drinks.  Pretty much I laughed like an idiot, and he questioned my sanity, ahahaha!!  Hey, at least we are both entertained.  Mission accomplished!

That guy (my husband) really made my day today when he stopped by my work unexpectedly, and even delivered a cd I had been wanting.  He is so SWEET!!!  I heart him <3

Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!

Blast you, elementary school germs!!!!  I have pink eye again!  The good news is that I have plenty of drops to cure it, but STILL.  My eye is all goopy, and I want nothing more than to rub it, but that is a terrible idea and then it hurts and I am going to spread it to the other eye and then I won't be able to see anything and did I mention that I HATE PINK EYE???????????

In other ridiculous news, for some reason my husband and I decided to purchase gutters for our home.  I am taking back that order because I feel like we picked the wrong time to commit to an outrageous amount of moola.  I sort of understand the necessity, except my house growing up didn't have gutters, and I don't recall that being an issue.  My husband said, well maybe you don't remember having the gutters.  No, I am quite certain that if there had been gutters, my brother and I would have had to clean them.  We did not have the "oh it's too dangerous for kids" world we have now.  We used to jump out of the hayloft for fun.  We would climb to the top of the barn to see who could go the highest.  And we even had to help re-shingle the roof, so I am sure the gutters wouldn't have been seen as too risky.  I wonder who decided that they are necessary.  I mean, they're nice to have so you don't walk through the sheet of water coming off the roof.  But really, what makes them REQUIRED?

October

October is crazy!  My calendar is full of football, and parties, and church activities, and more football, and now home improvement appointments.

My husband and I are trying to plan the birth of our new kitchen.  We went to a home show this weekend, so now we are having different companies come out and give us estimates for the work.  I am excited about this because it means we are that much closer.  I am also nervous though.  It's a big project and a big deal and there are a lot of moving pieces.  PLUS, that means that all of these people are going to come see all of the ridiculous nonsense that lives in my kitchen presently.  Seriously, I should start cleaning NOW.

This is on top of the project we are just starting, which is finishing the finishing of our basement.  It's got the dreaded wood paneling now, so there is new drywall to be done, and then new carpet to be installed.  It's a big project, on top of the other things we have going on.  BUT...when the Lowe's promotions come, you take advantage of them!

Ah yes, and we have the election.  I can't WAIT for November when I can go more than 5 minutes without hearing a commercial talking about how terrible the other guy is.  Truthfully, I think they're both terrible.  It would be much more helpful if they could clarify the things that they would want to see happen in the next few years instead of bickering and pointing fingers.  I am strongly leaning towards a write in vote for Big Bird.  I think he could have it under control.  Besides, a VP named Snuffleupagus would be amazing!!!

Ho Hum

This has been kind of a ho hum kind of day.  Nothing terribly exciting happening.  It's not overly busy.  Nothing to keep my mind occupied or even give me good things to ponder.  I do have a super duper crick in my neck that I would love to see my chiropractor about, but they're not answering the phone!!!  Apparently we have reached the age/size where it is no longer a good idea to have my youngest sit on my shoulders.  Lesson learned, thanks.

It is very fall out now, and I am enjoying it a lot!  I just love the leaves changing colors, and the smell of the crisp air.  I haven't made a pie yet, so I feel one coming on.  I can't decide if I should stick to regular apple or go with apple-pear.  YUM!

Turducken

As I was perusing the weekly specials of the grocery, one caught my eye:  TURDUCKEN, which is a deal at $69.99 for an average ten pound whatever-that-is.  My first thought on this was WTF???  According to the fine folks at Wikipedia, turducken is a de-boned chicken stuffed inside a de-boned duck stuffed inside a de-boned turkey.  There are so many questions I have about this!!!  Who in the world is removing all of these bones??????  In my head I have a vision of the Edgar suit from Men In Black.  It's just not normal.  And if you can get past that, my next question would be - WHO thought that would be a good idea?  And who would eat it??  It doesn't sound delicious at all.  There are even pictures if you feel so inclined to look it up.  Bleck.  Last year I decided to do an herb butter on the Thanksgiving turkey.  I fought and fought to get the stupid butter under the skin because that is apparently what you are supposed to do.  I called that poor thing names.  I beat on it.  I assaulted my turkey.  All of that to put an eighth of a cup of butter inside of the turkey.  Who in the hell is going to stuff two other CREATURES in a turkey??  Even if you could prove it would be delicious, I say no way.

One Proud Momma

My oldest son has been really wanting a kickball.  Yesterday we bought one.  Today it went over the fence into the abyss.  Story of my life.

He was sad about it, so after my husband and youngest son went to bed I decided we should go look for it.  Oh, don't let me forget the part about being in our pajamas.  So, monkey pajamas and all I trekked through the swampy three foot tall brush looking for the ball.  I did not find his, but instead found a yellow ball that he said belonged to the school.  I tossed it out and kept looking.  We didn't have any luck though.  After I stepped ankle deep in the swampy goo, I decided that we looked enough for tonight.  We walked back up the hill, and he promptly went and threw the ball back into the playground.  The whole time I waited and waited, figuring it was coming, but he never once suggested he keep the ball we found.

I am just so proud!  I mean, what kid doesn't want to keep a ball to replace his own?!?!  When I mentioned it to him, he seemed surprised.  He said "why would I want to keep the school's ball?"  Man, that was the best $7 I ever lost!

Organizational Skills

I wish I was organized.
I wish I was organized.
I wish I was organized.

Dang.  I guess saying it 3 times in a row and clicking your heels together doesn't work like it does in the movies.  Maybe I need to get some ruby slippers.  I think my sister has some red heels....do you think hooker heels diminish the effect??

In general my world seems to always be surrounded by chaos.  I can't help but think that if I were more organized it wouldn't be such a whirlwind always.  For instance, this morning I had to drive back to my house because my wallet was in a grocery bag.  I ran in the store to get cheese last night, and only grabbed my wallet, and then my phone rang as I was walking out, so I put the wallet in the bag so I could answer the phone.  I don't even know which lesson I should take from this.  #1 Take my whole purse next time.  #2 Don't take my phone.  #3 Return the call once all other items are put away.  #4 Next time don't forget the dang cheese.

Either way, I spend far too much time thinking about my lack of organization at times when it doesn't matter, and none when I have the time to do anything about it, so I guess I am doomed.  BUT....I am caught up on the fall shows, so all is right in the world =)

Walk Like A.....Pigeon???

This morning I had a whole line of thought about how weird it must be to walk like a pigeon.  I mean, the way that head moves....can you imagine?  It seems like it would be impossible to walk and chew gum at the same time.  You would choke for sure!  I don't even think you could even have a conversation!

I think I have really gone around the bend.  I am going to blame it one hundred percent on the sinus meds!  Anyway, after reading this, I am sure my husband is going to have me committed, so it might be a while until my next post =D

Lollygaggers

We hear all the time about the crackdown on aggressive drivers.  What nobody talks about is the Lollygaggers.  These are the folks that have alllllll the time in the world.  They think that whatever speed they choose should be the acceptable rate of travel, and they will do everything in their power to make sure everyone else participates.  Known behaviors include:  putting in the left lane, riding with their foot on the brake pedal (even during acceleration), stopping at the beginning of a merge lane, and my personal favorite - blocking the left lane.

The blocking is what I consider the worst.  They will get right next to the back bumper of the slowest moving car in existence, and then take 27 miles to pass them.  Of course, while that's going on, traffic is backing up for miles, and everyone else is turning into the dreaded aggressive driver.  At least with aggressive drivers you can get out of their way.  Lollygaggers can't even get out of their OWN way!!!!!

There should be special penalties for these folks.  Something along the lines of a giant fist coming out of the car behind them and flattening them into a pancake sounds reasonable =)

It's the little things.....

I have got to be the most boring person in the world.  Truly.  Because it takes very little to make me crack up like an idiot.

Today's example is about smileys.  You know, the little happy, sad, winky faces you can add to a conversation.  Well, I have been introduced to a program with a huge variety of different smileys, so now I can say it as I see it.  So far, I have found uses for a vomiting smiley, a bouncy happy smiley, a smiley bashing his computer with a club, a smiley demanding to be fed........you get the idea.  But today, my friends, I had occasion to, in the most friendly and humorous way possible, flip someone off.  Yep, it's even called "flipping the finger."  For the full effect, it does it alternating with both hands!  This is AMAZING!

Yeah.  I really need to get out more.

Friday Pep Talk

What's that, you say?  Who needs a pep talk on a Friday???

I agree.

Yet, here I am, trying to convince myself that I can make it through the day without:
a) Sleeping on my desk
b) Crying like an imbecile
c) Threatening to go on a murderous rampage

I am sure there are other options, but presently those are the most likely.  So, I am going to tell myself that regardless of how long this week has been, how much my sinuses feel like they are going to make my head explode, or how emotional I feel, I CAN MAKE IT THROUGH THE DAY!!!

The Lesser of Two Evils

My husband and I are currently facing a biiiiiiiiiiig decision, and I can't help but feel trapped.  There is no good, ideal choice.  There is a side of awesome to each choice, and also a side of absolute sucky.  How in the world can one make a decision based on which is less sucky?  About anything?  I mean, if you wanted to go out to dinner, and both of the choices were poo, wouldn't you stay home and eat left-overs??  I am just so nervous because after all the crazy shenanigans in our lives, we are at a great place in our relationship, with our family, with our whole life, and I am so worried that this is going to put everything back in a tailspin.

What to do, what to do......

Box Tops for Education

My kids' schools participate in a program where you collect the little stamp-looking "Box Tops" off of food packages.  The schools use them to purchase supplies; each is worth 10 cents.  The schools send home papers to attach the Box Tops to, 10 at a time.  We have been collecting them all summer.  Tonight, it was I who received the education.  After discovering I have collected almost enough to fill a whole sheet from one product alone - butter, I have now been educated on why I am a fat kid.  Somehow I don't think that was what they were going for...... =(

Keeping up with the Joneses

What is it about people that make them feel like it is necessary to one-up people?  I have been thinking about this a lot, and I can't comprehend this mindset, I guess because I don't have it.  If one of my friends were to purchase a mansion on a hill, I would truly be happy for them.  Truth be told, I don't want a mansion on a hill; somebody has to clean that monster, and I just don't wanna.  But if I did, I still wouldn't feel the need to out-do them just to say I had something.  It's just silly to me!  Didn't you work hard for whatever you have now???  Can you never just appreciate where you are and be proud of yourself for getting there?  At some point, aren't you worried that someone is going to call you out on being a copycat and tell you they don't want to play with you on the playground??

Patience is a Virtue

At least that's what I've been told.  I wouldn't know.  I don't have but a speck, and I doubt that would be enough to make me virtuous.

Today was super busy.  I love being busy!!!!  It makes the time pass and I feel like I am accomplishing things.  It also makes me very intolerant of stupidity, and quite frankly, there has been plenty.  Our biggest supplier is now requiring some crazy super long questionnaire to be completed for new customers, including the rush order I was trying to get pushed through.  Basically the higher ups come up with policies that they will never have to use, and then implement them, and no one tells us.  So yeah, this new policy would have maybe been easier to comply with if they had TOLD US.  Crikey.

Then there is football.  Now, I don't know how many of you have kids that have played football, but it is all-consuming.  Don't get me wrong - it is great for the kids, and a lot of fun, but there is a lot of time that goes into it, even from just a parental role.  Usually, the teams have a "team mom" that handles organizing the snack schedules, getting information out, handling any questions or concerns that parents have, and anything else that might come up.  I have been just such a mom for baseball, so I understand the job and the demands.  However, nobody forces you to do it.  It is a VOLUNTEER position.  I feel like if you take it on, you need to be prepared for the job.  I find myself incredibly frustrated this year.  I approached this person after I saw the head information person talking to her to ask some questions I had, and she actually said when one of the other moms corrected her on something that she hadn't been paying attention.  WHAT?!?!  Isn't that your job?  Aren't you specifically responsible for getting the information and passing it along?  Why in the world would you NOT be paying attention.  I am trying to gather my strength and grow my patience.  I don't see this going well.  The good news is that the season hasn't even started yet.

Way to teach your kids sportsmanship

Man, I am fired up!!!!  Saw today that one of the football teams in our county has a new tee shirt for sale.  It basically shows a muscular guy in their uniform holding one of the other team's players by the ankle, and they are surrounded by tombstones with all of the other county teams on the tombstones.  Now, I understand that healthy competition is good.  And football is a competitive sport.  Still, there are right ways to go about it, and we, as parents, are still responsible for teaching sportsmanship.  This is still a GAME.  It's parks and rec, with the youngest kids being 4 and the oldest kids being 15.  I can't see how this is an appropriate thing to wear to a peewee football game!!!  What are they thinking???

The link below is to their website where they have a picture of the design posted:

2012 Fighting Warriors T-Shirts

Violent tendencies

So I might have just told my husband that I was going to chop his arm off if he stuck his fork into the bowl of cantaloupe I was melon balling.  It could have happened.  The thing is, the cantaloupe wasn't really what made me angry.  He antagonized my oldest son while he was doing his homework.  He laid back on the bed playing fricken baseball on his phone.  He came out to model his new shoes that were delivered today.  He came back to antagonize again.  All of this was done while Iiiiii was packing lunches (including his), helping with the homework, loading the dishwasher, and cleaning the kitchen.  No offer to help.  Oh no.  He couldn't even just pipe down.  He had to push push push me over the edge.  And dammit, now he's mad at me because I was nasty to him "for no reason."  Some days I just can't win.

Oh, did I mention that my cat decided to pee in the box of Gatorade?  So yeah, I had to hand wash those and get rid of the box and clean the floor too.  Stupid cat.

Crazy Weekends and Crazier Kids

Man, do I have some crazy weekends.....

I mean, I'm sure most people say that, but really by the time it's back to work time on Monday, I normally feel like I need a drink and a nap....before 9am.  Not that I don't (usually) enjoy the craziness, but sometimes I feel like a whole week has passed in those two short days, and it's hard to keep up.  Then on the drive in to work I go over things in my mind, and I am amazed that we fit everything in there.

School started for us last week.  Oh, the back to school mayhem.  Our youngest started Kindergarten.  He is..........spirited.  He also has a hard time with change, and groups of people stress him out.  And up until the Friday before, he was still taking naps at daycare everyday.  Well, that is a thing of the past, friends, and we are not coping well.  His stress and over-tiredness has manifested into total meltdowns, complete with screaming at the top of his lungs, throwing things, hitting, kicking, slamming doors, you name it.  Now, I know this is just a phase.  I understand that it won't last for long.  And that does not help one little itty bitty bit when he is coming unglued.  You can spank him, send him to time out, hell, we even sat on him Saturday, and it doesn't stop it at all.  It just has to run its course until he quiets enough so you can whisper to him.  But of course, on Saturday, by the time that happened at my oldest son's football game, everybody in the whole park was looking at us.  I am sure that they thought my kid was out of  control, and I was the worst mother in the world.  To which I say: "=P (complete with sound effects and spittle); you have a turn."  The crazy thing is, once you get him calmed down, he is fine.  Like nothing ever happened.  Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.  Then I think - if he is this trying at 5, what will 15 be like.  I. Am. Doomed.

Soap Therapy

I have a soap addiction.

There, I said it.  And I am in total distress because I don't have any soap that I like. I am totally out at home, which has forced me to use dish soap to wash my hands.  The one I brought in to work that the kids picked is terrible.  The problem is so bad that today my husband offered to pick some up while he is at the mall, and I had to tell him no because I have too many requirements.  I need anti-bacterial for the kitchen and the moisturizing for work and I can't sniff the new scents if he gets it and under NO circumstances is foam soap allowed.  I mean, he can't possibly want to be responsible for picking one that I don't like, right?  That sort of thing would probably make him never offer to do anything nice for me again!

After thinking about it, I am concerned about my own mental health.  This sort of thing can't be normal!  It is just soap, right?

Even worse is that I am infecting others with this disease.  My youngest son was distraught when his "cimmanen" soap was discontinued.  So much so that my mom found some on eBay, because there is apparently an underground soap market.  Who could have possibly known??  And today I came to work after a couple of days off, and told my co-worker that I don't like the new soap, to which she responded "yeah it's not good."  Is there some sort of penalty for willfully spreading a soap fetish?

Where to start?

Wow.  I have been pondering starting a blog for a while, and now that I'm here, I find myself almost nervous.  What to say?  Where to start?  What kind of information should I share??  SO...I am going to relax, stretch my fingers, and go where my ponderings take me.

A little about me:  I have a husband and two sons that my world revolves around.  My husband is a professional truck driver.  My older son is 9, and the younger is 5.  I am the administrative manager at a small sales office, which I enjoy very much.  I enjoy cooking and baking.  Because I enjoy cooking and baking, I try to squeeze in some exercise classes when I can.  I am sure that I will speak plenty about those whenever I find time to attend.  I am late to EVERYTHING (not joking).  I am part of a relatively large family - the oldest of 4 children, and 2 stepbrothers, and my husband is also the oldest of 4 children, plus 2 stepsisters.

I have a long commute, which gives me a lot of time to ponder.  My co-worker/homie encouraged me to start this blog as a way to share some of the ridiculous nonsense that happens in my life, as well as the totally random things that pop into my head during all that alone time.  My husband thinks that I am nutsy-cuckoo because he says that nobody thinks about the random things I do, and also finds my use of the word 'ponder' to be humorous.  I basically just need an outlet for all of these awesome thoughts.

For now, it is really quite late, and there are a ton of things going on tomorrow, so I am off to bed.  'Til next time =)