Merry Christmas, where's my floor?

I can't find it. I find battery wrappers, little bits of cookie crumbs, smushed bows, discarded instructions, balls of tissue paper, empty candy wrappers, shredded parts of wrapping paper, discarded remains of a helicopter box, clothing boxes, racecar track, various sizes of cars, mini air hockey game, coloring books, colored pencils, various Spiderman gadgets, miscellaneous board games ........ but no floor. It'll be next Christmas before I can clear a path to my tree to put away ornaments and store the tree!!!

I was given many lovely bath scents, scented body lotions, colognes, scented candles and bath soaps. Each one smelling more beautiful than the last. But now I wonder, do I need to get stronger deodorant? Are they trying to send me a subtle message? Do I stink???

Mom & Dad gave me a new drug for my children. You can buy this at Wal-Mart among other places, usually on sale if you watch for them. No Rx needed. It's called "DVD/VCR combo". It's a miracle drug. It instantly stops fights the minute you plug it in & turn it on. It's easy to hook-up, one push of a button and it's turned on. I love it.

Only one problem - it's just like the Rx with the childproof cap that only a kid can get off...... I got it hooked up, no problem, got the DVD in it and when I looked at my TV screen, I froze. What the heck is that? The 10 year old alien, exasperated, took the remote from my frozen hand and said, "Push this one Mom" then handed it back to me with a sigh and a shake of his head. Where the hell did he learn to work one of these?? We've never had one! Don't laugh at me, I'm the one person on the block that COULD set the clock on the last VCR we had. What's wrong with me that I can't figure out this thing? I'm officially a dork in my kids eyes.......... I have reached a new height (or a new low?) in parenthood.

Thank You All....

I just wanted to thank all of you for your kind words and prayers for my family and I as we go through this holiday season, this year without Grandma B. It really meant so much to me. I pray you are all blessed ten times over the way I have been blessed by your kindness.

My son put the whole thing in perspective Christmas Eve....... "Hey Mom! I just realized something................ Great-Granny B gets to spend Christmas with Jesus! She gets to be with him on his birthday!!! " (silence) Then whispered in a low voice filled with awe....... "That is SO cool!"

Out of the mouth of babes. Merry Christmas everyone.

Smack The Penguin

Smack The Penguin Click on the Yeti once to start & again to smack 'em. The ASPCA is going to start investigating me soon.........

Goofy stuff

Poke the Penguin

Singing Horses click once to start, once to stop

By the way, I really really love penguins but that first one is too much fun.

I need a life.

Answers for Inquiring Minds......

Well, you asked - so here it is!

Burfica:
1. My favorite candy bar is a snickers (can't get screwed? Have a snickers, it's got nuts and it really satisfies - thank you George Carlin), favorite sweet is a Waldorf Astoria cake (sin on a plate!)

2. My favorite religious Christmas song is Silent Night, and a fun Christmas song I like is "I Want A Hippo for Christmas" (recorded in 1953)

3. My favorite animal in the whole world would be a cat because they're just like women (even the males). They're beautiful, spend a lot of time primping, they are self-sufficient for the most part, can be high maintenance if they want to be (but really aren't), loved to be pampered and last but not least, they're brilliant and rarely, if ever, wrong. ;)

Gama:
1. This Christmas I will be spending the holidays with my parents at their home (about 5 miles from where I live). The boys and I will spend Christmas Eve quietly with a friend and her son eating oyster stew and watching Christmas movies. Christmas Day the family will gather at Mom & Dad's for the day with about 12 people in attendance. My sister, her new husband and step-kids will be absent (They'll be in Costa Rica).

2. My favorite color is pink, second is blue.

3. My favorite day of the week is Saturday (I get to sleep in and go to church too).

Alekx:
#1) Is binge eating chocolate considered an extreme sport?

#2) My dream career...hmmmmm..... own a preschool/daycare. I like to be bossy hehehe.

#3) Vibrators or ticklers...... ah, what's a tickler?

Preschool Christmas Party

We had a great time with the kids at the school Christmas party. One little girl's mom sells "Tastefully Simple" (gourmet goodies) and we had a great big bag filled with wonderful things! Many children brought us tins with cookies and tons of home-made Christmas cards (the most special gifts). Of course, they all brought us tons of love.

(o.k. enough of the cute color thing, it's too much of a pain!)

One little boy in particular was rather clingy with me today & he usually isn't (at least not with me). He told me he thought Miss Colleen needed extra hugs - who was I to turn him down??? :)

After shoving them full of cookies & juice, playing games, singing songs, opening presents and making magic reindeer food (looks suspiciously like dry oatmeal & glitter) - we sent the parents on their way, got the children semi-calm to eat some healthy food for lunch and put them down for a nap. A very good day indeed.

This One's for You Gigantor!

Had a better day today, not missing Grandma so much, thinking about getting the last-minute shopping done Thursday (off work Th & Fri!! yippee!) since I couldn't do it last weekend (see previous post....)

I'm driving North on IL Route 2 on my way home from work, visions of credit card bills & Spiderman stuff dancing in my head, munching on an open tin of cashews when, out of nowhere - another Northern Illinois native commits suicide with the help of my 1992 Buick. Sh*t - I lost the other headlight.

**My car still wasn't fixed from the last time I hit one of those damn things.
**The county police are ready to call the game warden on me!
**Dad is pissed that he had to pay for a hunting permit to get deer & I didn't.

My co-workers are never gonna believe this.

The shock wore off

The shock of my grandmothers' death wore off tonight. I finally was able to just sit down and cry. To just say outloud to no one that I missed her and loved her. I feel much better even though I'm in a bit of a funk still........ it's going to be a different kind of Christmas this year.

Long Weekend

We left Saturday morning about 11:00. Dad & Mom drove the boys and I down to southern Illinois with them. There were so many family members already staying with aunts, uncles & cousins that Mom & Dad stayed with my other grandma and got the boys and I a hotel room in town.

The family wake was at 4:30, it was difficult for all of us. We went over to my aunt & uncles for a bite to eat, visited for an hour or so with my grandma at her home, then Dad took us back out to the hotel so the boys could kill a bit of energy in the pool playing.

It had been four hours in the car for them, another hour at the funeral home and then another couple of hours cooped up in the house with family. They were good but ready to blow. The swim did them good, a treat out of the vending machine and a soda, then cable t.v. cartoons to relax. We were asleep by 10 pm.

Sunday we slept in (7:30 am), had breakfast at the hotel and got ready for the funeral. It was back over to my aunts to have a quick bite of lunch and then get to the funeral home my 12:30 pm. We shook hands with a sea of people. It was wonderful to see that my grandmother had touched so many other lives the way she had touched mine.

The service was beautiful. A celebration of her life, not mourning our loss - we celebrated her going to her eternal home in heaven with the Lord.

My 10 year old son tucked his favorite watch and an "I love you" note in the casket with his great-grandma. My younger son, age 7, had a lot of questions about death.

Why was she cold? What happens to the blood when you die? How come she doesn't feel real Mommy? (HE chose to touch her hand after asking if it was alright.)

She's cold because the part of her that made her warm to hug went to heaven to be with Jesus. Your body needs the blood when it's alive, when you go to heaven, you don't need your body anymore so you don't need the blood. (He didn't ask where it went and I didn't offer.) She doesn't feel real anymore for the same reason she doesn't feel warm - the loving, warm part of her that we liked to hug went to heaven to be with Jesus. Not the best answers but he's 7, he doesn't need biological facts that would scare the crap out of him. It's confusing enough to deal with death for the first time.

The service at the cemetery was brief due to the -15 wind chill. We all held up fairly well most of the day. Mom broke down in the car before we left. She didn't want to put her mother into the cold frozen ground.

The ride home was quiet. I'm still in a little bit of shock, unable to cry too many tears.

Grandma had a great life, she witnessed the invention of so many things. She experienced the depths of poverty and hardship, she experienced the good life. She touched thousands of people along the way. She will be missed.

Going Home.....

Grandma B had another massive stroke last night. Mom got the call about 10 pm. She's gone home to be with the Lord.

I saw this on another blog I read frequently and although I haven't made any recommendations or asked any questions of her yet, I thought I'd go ahead & post it here. I don't really expect any responses but I thought it would be fun to do and see if anyone leaves a comment on this one.

1) First recommend to me:
A) a movie
B) a book
C) a musical artist/album/song

2) Ask me any three questions you want, anything at all.

3) Go to your blog (if you have one), copy and paste this and allow everyone to ask you anything.

Massive Stroke

Grandma B suffered a massive stroke last night. She's basically in a coma and we're waiting for her passing. I can't believe she came through the surgery so well only to have this happen. The doctors don't think she'll make it through the night.

Grandma

My Grandma B, who will be 96 years young next month fell and broke her hip. Her surgery was Friday and she came through it well. We're concerned about her blood pressure and the risk of a fatal stroke though. Until 2 years ago, she lived in her own home and was still driving! We moved her into an assisted living facility because of blood pressure regulation problems. Her health did not require regular medical attention in a nursing home until about 7 months ago. Serious problems started when she broke her hip.

The Christmas pageant

My preschool class had their Christmas program (along with the rest of the daycare) at the church today. I was thrilled to see almost 4oo people show up! The church was packed - standing room only. The children looked so adorable in their Christmas-best. Little girls in frilly dresses, velvet, and little red bows in their hair. Little boys with dress pants, sweaters and ties. It was all way too cute.

My class sang "Silent Night" (which I also taught them the sign language for) and they sang "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer". We put big red pom-pons on popsicle sticks so they could have a "red nose" when they sang the song. Corny I know, but you only had to hear the giggles of the parents know they loved it.

The afternoon was topped of by over half of the attendees gathering in the basement for cookies, cake and punch. I enjoyed getting to talk to some of the parents in a less formal atmosphere than usual and meeting some of the parents I hadn't met before. (Usually Mom OR Dad is the pick-up and drop-of person & we never get to meet the other one.)

All in all, a wonderful day.

Laptops = Birthcontrol???

Researchers at Stonybrook announced they had completed a study about males who used laptop computers. This was not your gaming, surfing kinda study. This study had to do with male sperm and laptop computers. According to the study, if you use your laptop on top of your lap, you're killing your sperm (if your a man that is). The heat generated by the laptop is disintegrating the little guys. To be less than delicate, you're not even shooting blanks. You're not shooting anything.

So, forget the expensive, painful surgery guys, just get a good laptop and surf away!

Sick & Bored

I've been home sick the last two days with tonsilitis, sinus infection and larengitis....... but no strep!

whoopie.

I am soooooooooooo bored.......... I've played my Pharaoh game through two levels, updated this blog, I even washed dishes & cleaned the cat box!

I want to go back to my crappy job and let small children wipe icky stuff on me again. I need human contact....... and I think I'm starting to cramp my cat's style being home all day.

Removal of Nasal Blockages

Listening to the older alien tell the younger alien proper removal techniques of the gumball lodged up his nose is too funny. Well, it's funny for me since I have no social life.........

"You gotta plug the other side of your nose and blow like your shooting boogers out - that will make it come out.........

(sounds coming from room, icky ones)

NO, blow HARDER! HARDER!

(silence)

You're not trying and I'm not going to pick it out for you, go see Mommy.

(silence) HEY! Don't pick it up and eat it now, it's got boogers on it!

MOOOOMMMMM! He's eating it!"

Where did my life go soooooo wrong?

Gumballs are NOT noseplugs

Where are the sweet little darlings I gave birth to? They've been replaced with aliens. The younger of the two aliens impersonating my children (age 7) shoved a gumball up his nose. Why?

Another One Bites the Dust

Well, it's Monday and we had another kid get sent home, this time with Impentigo (spelling?). It's a strain of the strep virus. That brings our grand total to seven kids. (And my throat is getting worse........ this does not bode well for me.)

Strep is Rampent in My Classroom

We sent two more kids home today with strep........ some have called in over the last few days and our total is up to six children sick with strep....... we were disinfecting the room today. My throat has been sore & I've got larengitis...... I hope I'm not getting sick too.

The Lone Ranger

Looks like that huge mouse was alone....... still don't have another one in the traps I set yet and the cat food isn't dissappearing at an alaming rate anymore. Thank heavens.

Sick Ward

We sent a little girl home today because she wasn't feeling well.... turns out she had strep throat and was breathing all over us all morning...... great now I'm gonna get it.

More snow

Weather man said we'd have light flurries with NO accumulation. Well Einstein, it took me 10 minutes to clean 3" of no accumulation off my car. It took me 50 minutes to make a 30 minute drive because the no accumulation hadn't been plowed off the roads and no accumulation was coming down so hard I couldn't see 3 car lengths in front of me. I think it would be time for the weatherman to quit his day job. I wouldn't recommend the psychic hotline as a replacement career either.

Trapping Wild Beasts

I wake at the crack of dawn to see my two kids staring at the closed desk drawer. They keep saying they can hear the mouse in there messing around. I tell them no, if it's in there, it's in the trap and it's dead.

To prove my superior intelligence, I open the drawer. There's the trap, upside down with a HUGE mouse caught in it's grips. I reach in to pick it up (careful not to touch the diseased beast) and as my hand gets almost to the trap, the mouse moves, I scream, the kids scream.

Hell of a way to start my day. So what do I do? I go downstairs and get the bigger of the two lesbians to come get the still squirming carcass out of my house for me.

I'm such a weenie.

The Great White Hunter

I went out today after work and bought the most expensive trapping equipment I could find. Four mouse traps for $1 at the Super $1 Store. Ha! I'm ready.

I baited the trap with the hairy beasts' favorite (or so I'm told) food, peanut butter. I set the trap. I carefully put it in the drawer where the pound of cat food was once stored by the creature. I start to shut the drawer and SNAP - dammit, it went off. Open drawer, reset trap, shut drawer more carefully, go to bed.

I am the great white hunter!

Blogs Of Note

Ever wonder how some of the stupidest blogs get listed on "Blogs of Note"? About half of them are pure stupidity. One recently was a listing of names that someone thought sounded "funny". I read them, not funny. As I update my blog, I go in and read other recently updated blogs. There are so many good ones out there. Some are funny, some serious, but lots of good ones.

Cat Food & Sofa Fluff

If you read back a couple of months, one of our hamsters was MIA for a week or so. We found it's hiding place in the sofa a couple of weeks back (long after it died and was buried).

Our cat has been going through food like there is no tomorrow and I can't figure out why she's so darn hungry all of the time. She's gone through about a pound of cat food in twice the time it normally takes her to eat it.

Tonight I open up my bottom desk drawer of my old wooden desk to pull out a little used floppy disc. That's when I saw it. The pound of missing cat food. At first I thought it's where the hamster made his cozy little home for a week then it dawned on me - the missing cat food. Holly hasn't been eating it, someone/something has been storing it for her!! Huston, we have a mouse. YUCK! I don't want mouse poopie in my desk!!!!!

PIzza & A Movie

It has become tradition that when my sister comes up to visit, the boys and I go out for pizza and a movie with her. The kids get to pick the movie. Did we see Polar Express? No. Did we see The Incredibles? No. Christmas With the Kranks? Nope. What epic masterpiece did we spend our hard-earned money on?? Spongebob Squarepants. That's right folks, I spent 90 minutes viewing a brainless yellow sponge.

My advice, have a couple of drinks before you go see the movie, it's less painful that way. Also, if you happen to be a pink, male, starfish with very little brain, here's a tip: fishnet stockings and spike-heeled biker-chick boots don't scream macho if you know what I mean.

Thanksgiving Day

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I got to see my sister for the first time in months and the boys loved visiting with Great-Granny. My niece announced her pregnancy (much to Great-Granny's surprise!). We had a great time. It was wonderful.

Let It Snow!!

Thanksgiving eve is here and we've already got 2" of snow on the ground. It's beautiful!

Chasing Wild Turkeys

Tip of the Day - Don't chase wild turkeys in wet grass.

What's for lunch?

My favorite little girl in my class has asthma and needs breathing treatments twice daily at school I got everything set up for her and was ready to leave her in the hands of my teaching assistant so she could take her nebulizer treatment & then lie down for nap. I had a long morning and was ready for my lunch break.

I tell her good-bye & I'll see her after nap. As I turn to walk away, C.B. reaches up and takes my hand. I look down at her and she's starting to cry. So, my special little sweetie sits on my lap, takes her meds and holds my hand the whole time while her head is resting on my shoulder.

I get her laid down for nap, put away her nebulizer equipment & look up at the clock. Just enough time to grab a sanck bar from the kitchen and clock back in. It was the best lunch break I've had in a long time.

So, what did you do for lunch?

Quick Updates

1. Sister got married to her boyfriend about a month ago in Costa Rica (his country of birth & for now, residency)

2. Niece, married 09.04.04 is now pregnant with child #2, congrats sweetie!

3. Decided to quit my job and go back to college full time starting January of 2005.

4. Mom had rotator cuff surgery and is recovering nicely.

5. The older son's report card came home 11.05.04 and he was in the "F" free zone this time.

6. Got an estimate on the deer remodel on my car, could be a total loss. :(

7. New brother-in-law may be bringing at least one of his children to the States with him when he arrives (hopefully) later this month.

8. Had a lunch date - it was awful. Won't go out with him again. Nothing like having him want to discuss sex over a FIRST date and at lunch no less....... it was terrible, horrible, gave me the creeps.

9. Made a new friend, a Lane Bryant model - she's not overweight for her height either, it's weird she models for big women's clothing. Either way, she's beautiful inside and out and I'm happy to have her as a new friend.

10. Still haven't heard from the police or DCFS regarding the abuse my children suffered at the hands of my ex-husband. Phone calls are not returned by either agency.

11. I have a hundred things to do to try to get stuff together so I can get back to college and I can't seem to get organized.

12. I spend entirely too much time playing Pharaoh and writing in this blog.

13. Dad would've liked to gotten the deer I hit with his shotgun instead. That way we could've eaten it.

Bubbles Returns Home

After serving out her sentence in the school-age classroom of the day care where I work, she has returned home. Reformed, no longer a killer in my children's eyes.

What actually happened is that she wasn't being taken care of by the teacher in the room or the children so I lied to her & told her my kids wanted the hamster back because they missed it so much. She let me take it home again.

Upon returning home, Bubbles was welcomed with open arms by both boys and is happily nesting back in her cage again.

Deer Hunting

I think if I hear one more joke about deer hunting from my co-workers, I'm gonna scream! Either they make a huge joke of it or gape in horror at the sight of my car (still road-worthy although missing most of the front bumper & grill). I still feel I am blessed. God saved me from a hundred things that could've gone wrong to cause me further injury.

I think I must be in mild shock still. It is funny to note that in talking with a co-worker about the accident, I was most ticked-off at the fact that the deer had the nerve to remove one of my two deer whistles with it's dead body. $3000 worth of damage to a car that is probably not even worth that much & I'm whining about $15 in deer whistles that don't even work in the first place? Guess you had to be there to see the humor in it.

Go GOP!!

I prayed that God would guide voters this election year more than He ever has before. My prayers were answered.

Most of the young girls I work with (many claiming to be Christians) are horrified that Bush won. I do NOT understand how you can claim to be a Christian and still vote for a Democrat. Maybe one day I will understand but as for now, I do not.

The mock election held in my son's 5th grade class put Bush as the winner before 3pm yesterday. Wise children. My son was very excited to be able to take a peek inside the voting booth (a REAL voting booth!!!) when I went to vote last night. The men and women running the show there were pleased to see someone so young have such an interest in the whole process.


The kids then waited in the car with my father who drove me there (after hitting the deer, I was left with only one headlight on my car & the rest of the bumper, lights & all are strewn all over the highway). As you leave, those who vote know, you get a little "I Voted" sticker to wear. As it was late & the polls were close to closing, she gave me a couple of stickers for "those darling future voters" I had waiting outside for me. The kids thought it was great!

Two Deer in the headlights....

... but I only hit one.

I did it. After living my entire adult life (and most of my childhood) in Northern Illinois, I finally polished off one of the natives with my 1992 Buick.

It's rutting season, for those who don't have hunters in the family, the deer are mating this time of year and have more hormones running through them than a bunch of high school kids on prom night. This also means they are all over the place and you will frequently spy them (hopefully) at the side of the roads.

Not tonight. I hit that sucker and WHAM! Bambi was dead. I was very lucky. The larger of the two (both were does) escaped which means I only hit an average sized doe. I saw them in time to slow down so the impact wasn't as great but I'm gonna be sore tomorrow for sure.

Thank you God for looking out for me tonight. There are a hundred things that could've happened to make this accident deadly for me, but, it wasn't. My car is pretty badly damaged and as old as it is will probably be totaled, true. I am alive, I walked away. My children weren't in the car when it happened. People were nearby to help me out right away.

The best news of all - I still got to the polls in time to vote for George W. Bush!

God is GOOD. Thank you for keeping me in one piece. Thank you for keeping my children out of the whole thing.

Happy Halloween!!

Also, happy birthday Mom! The kids and I had a beautiful day outside, they got to play outside most of the day with friends and then I took them trick-or-treating with the little girl across the street. The three of them had a wonderful time and they all remembered to say their "thank-you's" before they left each home. I was very proud of all of them.

We took a quick trip over to see my parents and wish my mom a happy b-day. She's recovering from rotator cuff (sp?) surgery she had last Tuesday. She seems to be doing alright but she's going to be off work for about 6 - 8 weeks.

Halloween Parties & a Parade

Today was the Halloween party for my preschool class, we sugared them up played some games, sugared them up some more, had some lunch & as they were going down for naps, I made my getaway!

I took a half day off of work today to go see the Halloween parade my younger son's elementary school. I arrived home in time to catch a quick nap before I had to take off for the school. It was so much fun for the kids!

All the children, Pre-K to 2nd grade, paraded around the school grounds with parents standing on both sides of them waving and cheering as children they knew proudly marched past wearing their costumes. One of the teachers even dressed up as Ace Freely from Kiss!!! He looked pretty good in the costume too (wonder if he does that on the weekend for his wife???)

I was really wonderful to be able to sneak out of work and do something so small that meant so much to my son. The boys were both thrilled that I also was home earlier to spend more time with them.

French Fries

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Wild Animal Trainer

My job title has been officially changed. I am no longer a preschool teacher, I am a wild animal trainer.

In the blink of an eye, three of the boys in my room went from being "normal" four year old boys to a brawling ball of teeth and fists. Child #1 hit child #2 in the eye. Child #3 was bitten by child #1 in the chest. I put them all three in time out and as I was assessing injuries, the mother of child #2 (eye injury) walked in to drop off something that was forgotten at home. I hate when that happens.

TGIF! And a payday to boot. I need a nice relaxing weekend after today.

The Killer is GONE!

Well, one of the teachers at the preschool where I teach, took the "evil killing machine" AKA: Bubbles. The kids at school love her. My kids are thrilled she's gone for good. I couldn't care less.

Flushing Toilets & Washing Machines

Well, they've gone from flushing the toilet continuously to running the washing machine at 6 am everyday. Either way, it pulls all the water pressure out so I've got a trickle of water to shower in. If they keep this up, I'm going to make them miserable doing it.

They enjoy staying up half the night. I'll start getting up at 5 am every day if I have to - they'll have to get up after only a couple of hours sleep everyday to pull their childish crap with the shower on me. Eventually they'll get tired of it. Besides, getting up an hour earlier in the morning will allow me to get some stuff done around home before work.

The Lesbians Strike Again!

Well, I knew it. They're at it already. The lesbian that is the "man" in the relationship is the one causing the problems. She's bi-polar, an alcoholic, and has drug problems. Her mental state is bad enough, she's collecting disability from the state. So, the state of Illinois is supporting her drug & alcohol addictions. My tax money at work.

Anyway, she started of with waiting until I got into the shower this morning and then after I was about half done with my shower, she continuously flushed their toilet downstairs so I had zero water pressure to rinse off all the soap with. Jerk.

I then went out to my car - she strikes again. This is a very small town. I leave my car unlocked at night. Not anymore. They got into my car, emptied the backpack I carry my teaching supplies in all over the front seat of the car, twisted the rear view mirror until it almost came off and turned my sons' car seat upside down in the back seat. How childish can you be?

I'll be locking my car from now on. Jerks.

Throwing Marbles

Son #2 thought it was a good idea to launch glass marbles at son #1. This is not a good idea when son #1 is standing in front of the window. Glass marbles will put a 2" hole through a cold, cheap, glass window. Not a good thing at this time of year in Northern Illinois.

My landlord is gonna love me.........

KIssing frogs.......

I now know why I haven't found Mr. Right. The average woman kisses 79 men before she gets married. Well, I added up the guys I've dated and therefore, kissed. I added a few to make it a nice round number. I doubled it. I added a few more that I wished I'd kissed/dated, and still came up with less than half of the number of men I needed to kiss before getting married. That explains why I'm divorced. I didn't kiss enough frogs - I just married one. Darn! Now I've got to go back to kissing frogs...... oh, well, only 44 more frogs to kiss..........

Boys have cooties & smell funny

Just wondering, which one is nastier:

A) Wearing the same pair of underwear for 2 weeks.
B) Wearing clean underwear everyday and leaving the dirty ones stuffed under your bed for the entire 2 weeks.

In my opinion, it's equal. My son however, thinks it's funny. Little boys have cooties and smell funny......... now I know why.

Of all the things I've lost......

.... Appliance-wise that is....... I miss my microwave the most. I can suffer through without a coffee maker, I've lived without a pizza oven, had to do without a toaster for awhile before. However, I didn't realize how much I use my microwave until now. I can't make any popcorn. I have to actually PLAN meals & lay the meat out to thaw in the fridge 2 days ahead of time. I have to cook my rice on the stove - I can't throw it in the microwave & go do other things. Now I have to stand & stir it so it cooks evenly & doesn't stick to the pan. This stinks! Oh, well - I guess I could always put it on my Christmas list right under "cabana boy"........... I probably won't get one of those from Santa either, darn!

The Funeral

Because of finances, I couldn't attend my Great-Uncle Randall's funeral yesterday. It was in Southern Illinois and I just couldn't afford the gas to drive all the way down there in my old gas-eater car, not at $2.09/gallon.

However, there was a funeral I did attend, an unplanned one. We buried Cuddles under a special tree in my parents yard this afternoon. Grandma helped dig the hole and the boys placed Cuddles in her little cardboard box into the hole. We covered her over, said a prayer and marked the grave with a stick. Next Spring the boys will be planting a special flower garden around the tree for her.

Bubbles, on the other hand, is being given away. The children are so angry with her that they don't even want her in the house anymore. A friend of my niece is going to come pick her up on Wednesday (hopefully) and then we will be hamster-less again. I don't know if the boys are ready to replace their beloved Cuddles yet or not. We'll see.

Bubbles is a murderer

It was a crappy way to wake up this morning - son #1 screaming that Cuddles (hamster #1 & also the escape artist) had been killed by Bubbles (hamster #2). I came into the kitchen to find poor little Cuddles dead and more blood in her fur than I imagined could be in that little body. I wanted to cry, it was awful! The kids were horrified that one animal could do that to another one. They still put human emotions into their pets minds and hearts. Therefore, Bubbles is a heartless, cruel, murderer in their eyes.

Bubbles is the hamster that no one can even touch because she's so easily scared. Cuddles, now deceased, was the favorite hamster that they always played with, the one they got "hamster kisses" from. For those not savvy about hamsters, kisses would be when their little noses wiggle and make their whiskers tickle your cheek.

We all crawled into my bed and there the boys cried their little hearts out for almost an hour. Finally they got up and went to play with Legos but they're pretty angry at the remaining hamspter and want to do it bodily harm for killing their favorite little fuzzy friend.

Now what to do? They want to get rid of Bubbles, I don't blame them. Then there's the impending funeral for the recently departed Cuddles. Why me? Why me?

1st the VCR, now the microwave!

Well, crap again. First the VCR craps out on me and eats a couple of tapes from the video store now I try to cook up a late night snack for myself and the stupid microwave starts to glow inside & then starts smoking!! Now I'm without my favorite cooking tool. Poop.

Do hamsters swim?

My kids were on their way to give the hamster a bath in the tub when I stopped them. She hadn't had a bath in the 3 weeks or so that we'd had her so they decided she stunk & needed a bath. I talked them out of it (thankfully!). But, the whole thing made me wonder, do hamsters swim???

Uncle Randall

Rest in peace Uncle Randall, you will be missed by all. I love you.

Stupid VCR

Well, I got the rented tape out of the VCR but it's still broken & I can't get it to work. After taking the case off the machine to get the tape out, I thought I might see something stuck in there that I could mess with and fix but, honestly, there's not a lot to the inside of the stinkin' thing. Oh, well, at least the rented tape is out and has been returned to the video store.

Things are looking up, kinda, maybe, who knows?

It's been quiet the last couple of days at work. I'm still finding it difficult to handle some of the petty garbage that seems to spew out of this place. What is helping is my cold is finally waning and the meds the doctor has me on force me to bed by 9 pm every night so I've been getting more sleep. The fact that I'm getting more sleep has helped improved my outlook on things, not so tired & stressed feeling all the time. I have my moments though.

Finances are still a big mess and I keep praying for a better job offer to come along however, the new day care that was opening in a nearby town turned me down. I really wanted the Assistant Director position, I think I'm just burned out on teaching. More accurately, I'm burned out on dealing with immature co-workers. They're all so young and know EVERYTHING (they think) it makes work difficult most days. Anyway, I couldn't get out of work to go to a second interview for the job so, obviously, they hired someone else.

Already getting sleepy - what a boring post tonight.

All is quiet

All is quiet in the house right now. The kids are in bed, asleep. The cat is happily munching on my favorite plant, the hampsters are all snuggled down waiting for the lights to go out so they can play. I've got a million things running through my mind and I'm too tired to put any of them down here. So, I'm off to bed. Hopefully to sleep. This new medicine is supposed to make you drowsy but then one of the side effects listed is possible sleeplessness - HUH? Which is it? Sleep or not? So far I notice it making me sleepy about an hour after I take it but then I wake up 6 hours later and am wide awake. Ah, well....... it's off to bed for now.

It's over, finally!

I am sooooooo thankful this weekend is done! It was dangerous to even venture out of your own yard this weekend. My car almost got hit 3 different times by people dodging around slower cars. While crossing the road, my kids and I almost got hit by a woman pulling away from a stop sign while digging (and looking) in her glove box. The streets have been parked full of cars on both sides for 6 blocks in every direction from the town square making it nearly impossible for two cars to pass one another on the narrow little streets of our town. However, it's finally done, it's over for another year.

I am disappointed that the kids and I couldn't do more. As it was, I took money I couldn't really afford to spend and went to the festival with them. I was broke and shouldn't have done it but we really needed some family fun. We haven't been able to afford to do anything as a family in months.

Of course the kids had to have something to bring home. What do they pick??? A marshmallow shooter. Yes, they actually make these things. It consists of pieces of PVC pipe and a few elbow joints connected together to make a blow-gun with miniature marshmallows for ammo. You get the shooter and a zip-loc baggie with about 2 dozen marshmallows for $5.00 - I can't believe I let them talk me into spending my hard earned cash on PVC pipe and marshmallows. However, the fun they've had with the silly things has been well worth the cost, and ammo is cheap and readily available at any supermarket. They will definitely get $5 worth of fun out of them. They're happy so I'm happy.

I'd better not get awakened to a marshmallow pelting.........

Population has doubled, maybe tripled

This weekend is the annual fall festival in my little town of 4100 people and the population explodes on these two days. It's a lot of fun and a local castle has a medieval fair too...... lots of good food and fun for the kids, tons of fall crafty stuff. Another festival designed to suck money out of the pockets of the people attending the festivities. But it's good, clean family fun so I guess we'll go. Actually, we can't really avoid it - there's stuff everywhere!

Check this out!

I did it! Cool!!! Me, the html-challenged person that I am, figured out how to add a link on my sidebar! And I did it all by myself .......... and you're sitting there saying, "So what's the big deal?" Maybe for you, it's not, for me, well I got to use the colors I wanted for my blog & still got to add the links column I wanted so - NAH! It's still a big deal for me. Now excuse me while I bask in the glory of overcoming one more small (very small) thing.

Depression.......

Well, I've finally had to admit it, I am really depressed. Not just "feeling blue", but the kind of depression they give you medication for. The stress of being a single parent, the financial strain of being unemployed for almost six months without unemployment benefits, my ex-inlaws harassing us almost weekly, a new job that doesn't pay my bills (& I don't like it anyway), my Grandmother is dying slowly, it's all too much to handle when you add the fact that my ex-husband has sexually abused my children and the police aren't doing squat about it. The garbage of the last two years has taken it's toll. I was such a mess I had to leave work early on Wednesday and ticked-off everyone I work with.

I work with a bunch of 20-somethings that have never experienced anything in life. Their lives revolve around doing the least amount of work possible to get their paychecks so they can go out and party with their live-in boyfriends on Friday night and shopping with their friends on Saturday. I shouldn't say they all live with their boyfriends, half of them still live at home with Mommy & Daddy, attend college part-time & work part-time. However, you get the idea. They don't have any idea what life is all about.

To top if all off, the director asked me today about justifying paying three teachers in our classroom of 18 children. We have three very distinct groups of children almost equally divided. One group of children is advanced, one group is above average, and one group is seriously lacking in basic skills. We usually divide them up and work with them in these groups on basic skills (writing their names, etc.) I told her I really felt that we needed all three teachers to offer the children the best we could offer them. I am the ONLY full time teacher in the room so I don't seriously think that my job is on the line but I'm concerned. So even though I really dislike this job, I'm out there looking for a new job & toying with the idea of going back to college full-time myself, I'm still concerned that I will be squeezed out for someone younger with fewer "issues". I want to leave on my terms.

When will I know something???

It's been about a week since I've talked with the police and child services. No one has contacted me again. I've left messages.......... no response. I've called over 20 different places trying to get counseling for my children & myself for this whole mess. How many have returned my call? Three. I can't believe it, three. What's the problem?

I now know that the reason messed-up people stay messed up is because the system is against them. You always hear the comments "there's help out there if you really want it............blah, blah, blah........" and my reply is bologna! I have been trying for a week and a half to find someone, anyone who will counsel my family........ all to no avail. And as for the discounted services for those of us who qualify........ they don't exist. You are told they do exist but the counselors aren't trained very well and the turnover rate is more like a revolving door.......... Then there's the waiting list......... my kids need help yesterday!!!

At least there is our church support group, the people there are at least a comfort to us. Thank God for them.

Another lesson from my children....

It's been awhile since I've posted any of the "Lessons of Motherhood" also know as "How children give parents grey hair". So, here's another one!

A ball point pen will fit down the throat of a six year old child far enough to puncture a tonsil.

I don't know which child thought this was a good idea first but they eventually both agreed to try it.

What next?

Now the VCR is busted. Yes, I'm the last person left on the planet that doesn't own a DVD player. (What do I know? I never thought CD's would replace records!)

Of course is it an old movie of ours stuck in there? Heck NO! It's a rental from the video store that is gonna cost me an arm and a leg to replace. I wonder if I can get the VCR pried open & still get the tape out in one piece? We'll see I guess.........

Mommy!!!! The hampster!!!!!!!!!

I no sooner publish the last post than Cuddlles (MIA since Tues night) is still missing and I hear the scream from my 7-year-old (prone to telling fairy tales) that the hairy little beast has run under the sofa.

So, son #1 grabs a glass from the kitchen while I heft the sofa away from the wall only to find enough candy wrappers and paper scraps to fill a 30 gallon garbage bag. No hampster to be seen, then again, it could be hiding under all the rubbish under there and in fact, may have started her own little community including a general store (there's enough crap back there to feed a small hampster army!).

After moving the sofa out a little more, there she is! I managed to scoop her up in the glass & deposit her back into the cage with her new roomie, Bubbles. They are instant enemies. Great. A few minutes of hissing and posturing on both their parts and they seem to be ready to accept that they now share a home, like it or not.

Now I have two hairy little poopers to clean up after.

Life in my jammies..........

I'm still sick. I've coughed so much my chest hurts to breathe. My sinuses feel like they're plugged with half-dry cement. My kids are fighting. Cuddles is still missing. The cat is hiding because the kids are yelling too much. I've spent the last three days in my old t-shirt and jammie pants. It's a beautiful day outside and I feel like poop.

Geez .... Here we go again........

The crap with the police, been sick, boss is pissed because I've missed a couple of days over all this, kids have been sick, Cuddles makes a jail-break............. I'm tired. I worked the last two days while running a fever of 101 degrees. I feel horrible.

My son did get his Native American dwelling project done on time, he made a reed house with a little help from Mom (on the hot glue gun, I have the burns to prove it). Last night he's all excited about the project being handed in today. We get up this morning, I shower, dress & when I come out to make breakfast..... There he is sitting on the floor next to the hampster cage (still empty) with this forlorn look on his face. I wanted to cry.

So.... I pick the kids up from the sitters after work to find he's gotten his instrument from school, a trumpet, and is already able to toot out a few notes. However, he's still missing Cuddles. So, what the heck do I do? Drive 45 minutes to the nearest decent pet store to purchase Bubbles for the boys. Where do they get these names?

Cuddles is MIA..........

Great, I'm taking a shower, hear my son scream "Cuddles is missing!!!" In case you missed the previous post, Cuddles would be the new hamster (aka the evil killing machine). The cage door didn't get latched tight & she made a jail break under the cover of darkness. The kids saw her behind the garbage can but before I could get out of the shower & dressed, they lost her into a crack under the cupboard. I hope Holly (the cat) doesn't find her before we do.......... that could get ugly.

Forensic Investigators & Child Services

Well, this just gets uglier by the minute. I had to pull my children out of school today to take them back to the town (an hour away) where we used to live to talk with the forensic investigators about the abuse. An investigator from Child Protective Services was supposed to be there to see it but didn't show up. Figures.

Thankfully the center where the kids go for this is made especially for them and they were very friendly to the boys. The kids were quite comfortable. I was fine until the detective that is handling the case came out to speak with me. He took me back in a room, shut the door and basically told me the kids had been abused, no doubt about it. However, if their abuser doesn't admit to it (like that's gonna happen!!!) when the police speak to him, no arrest will be made. The detective agrees that they were abused but told me ".... it wasn't bad enough yet." WHAT??? What do you mean it wasn't bad enough? Are you telling me that in the great state of Illinois that you can allow a certain amount abuse because it's not bad enough? I'm in shock. The detective said if we can find another victim, it would help........ but they're not going to bother the families of the other seven children I listed as possible victims. It might make the accused - get this one - "look bad". Are you kidding me? What planet are we living on?

So basically, if the accused will admit to the abuse he inflicted upon my children or will reveal the names of other victims.......... we're good to go. I can't believe this.

Police Report

The police report has been filed against the person who harmed my children. It was awful having to recount to the police the things my children told me. There was no place to sit down so for over an hour, while I made the report, I had to stand there......... I felt like I could collapse at any moment from the stress of it all. I'm not one to easily faint but I was close to an emotional and physical collapse the entire time. Did the officer care? I doubt it. Was I offered a moment to collect myself? Of course not. Was I given any sympathy for what I was going through? You've got to be kidding! No support services were offered, nothing other than "ok, well let you know when/if we need to talk with you or the children further." That's it. No words of encouragement or support.


Why would I think I would get anything less than a cold stare from law enforcement officials when I didn't get any support of any kind from my family. They think I should just leave it alone, get counseling for the children and myself and leave the individual responsible for this horrible mess alone. I should just "leave it be and get on with life". I was actually told by a family member that I need to "get over it". My child tells me that they've been abused and I'm supposed to just ignore it? I don't think so.

There's Hell to pay

As a preschool teacher, I've had to report child abuse of the worst kind (sexual abuse), neglect, etc. several times. It's never easy but it is my duty and I am not only bound morally to do so but legally as well. As difficult as it is to make a report, talk with authorities and pray they get child to a safer environment, it's infinitely more difficult when it hits closer to home and it's your own child that someone else has abused. Should anyone read this........ please pray that my child's abuser comes to justice. I know that if the abuser doesn't come to justice in this life..... there's always the next life. The abuser had better repent or pay the price. There will be a special place in hell for you (you know who you are and so does God).

An evil killing machine lives in my kitchen......

We come home from work/school today, tired and hungry, it's 7 pm and no one has even started homework or dinner. I drop my bags, head in to change & pin up my hair. When I come out, my son (age 10) states we have "an evil killing machine" on our kitchen table. AKA: Cuddles the hampster.

He stuck his hand in the cage and tried to pick up the hampster from a sound sleep (NOT advisable) and it bit the tar out of him. Maybe next time he'll listen to Mommy and wait until the hampster is awake before picking the thing up and scaring the crap out of it........ On second thought, I doubt it.

Praying Mantis

I should've been born a praying mantis.......... do you know what the female does right after mating? You're already online - go look it up. Being blown-off on your birthday doesn't really make the opposite sex very appealing anymore.

Crap

Sunday lunch has gone from bad to worse............ I didn't think that was possible. Mom just called and wants us to meet them at the Old Country Buffet (Yuck) at 11:00 am because they switch over to lunch at 11:30 and that way Dad can get the breakfast crap he wants (that's been sitting in the warmer since 6 am). How did my life get so screwed up? And when did it get so damn boring that I'm having birthday brunch at an old farts buffet instead of a candlelit dinner with Mr. Wonderful? Oh, wait........ forgot that Mr. Wonderful is already taken. The story of my life. Now you see why I titled it "crap".

My butt is stuck!!!!!!!

This is the scream I heard from my kids' bedroom just now. I go in the room to find my son is stuck in the ladder to the bunk beds - All I can do is laugh & think of the original Winnie the Pooh show when Pooh eats too much honey and gets stuck trying to get out of Rabbit's house through a hole which he is now too small to exit. So..... he must stay there until he just gets thin.

My son.......he's fine and is still stuck. He's laughing and yelling............... his brother (age 7) thinks using a screwdriver and a pair of pliers, he can manage to free his older sibling. This is too funny! What am I doing? Trying not to pee my pants because I'm laughing so hard!

September 11 - What I was doing.........

Remember all those who died trying to save the lives of others, on September 11th and everyday.

Sitting at the receptionist desk of the nursing home where I worked, the phonecalls hadn't started to roll in yet for the day (usually about150 - 200 calls per hour all day long was the average). My mom worked in administration at the same place.

She came into work about 10 minutes after I did and said "A plane crashed into one of the World Trade Center towers, Dad just called me & told me. They don't know what happened......... they're afraid a lot of people are going to be lost in this accident." She no more than finished that sentence when a call came through........ it was Dad. The other plane had hit the second tower and flames were everywhere, "Tell Mom it's not an accident - someone did this on purpose."

From that point on, radios were being pulled from every corner & every available TV was tuned into CNN or some local news channel. The horror didn't stop with just those two acts as we all now know. Many of my co-workers had family in Chicago (aboutr 2 hrs East of us) and since no one knew if any other big cities were to be targeted, everyone paniced. They shut down the entire LOOP in Chicago, or at least tried. One woman couldn't contact her daughter (soon to be married) in Chicago.......... trouble with the local phone company prevented a call from going to her home phone (not associated with the terriost attacks we later found out) and no ones cell numbers seemed to be working for some reason they never understood. It was noon the following day Sept. 12th before she heard from her daughter...... she was fine of course, Chicago was not a target.

September 12th............. a young nurse just returing from her very short honeymoon a week prior to the attacks brought in the film from her honeymoon out East............ it was chilling. She and her new husband were on the deck of the ferry boat going out to Ellis Island to see Lady Liberty ........ smiling as the wind blew their hair into a fury. Standing majestically in the background......... the World Trade Center towers.

I recently found pictures of a trip I took to the great city of New York when I was about 16 years old. My sister are standing on the deck of the ferry boat with a friend smiling that silly smile two kids from the midwest have when they think they're taking a big city like NY by storm. Again, in the background stand the towers. My 10 year old son asks, "Mommy, what are those two big buildings in the background?" I answer him and his face becomes very solomn. He is old enough to understand the devestation it caused.

My birthday being Sept. 12th, I still went out for dinner with my family the next night to celebrate. Many called me cold and heartless for not caring about those injured and dead in the mess out East. I saw it a different way........ their purpose was to make America cower, hide, and stop us dead in our tracks. I was not going to let an international group of bullies stop my life. Period.

That's where I was.

I have no life.......

Here it is........ Friday night again. Again I sit here on this stupid pc because the rest of the world has a social life & I don't. It sucks. What's on tap for the rest of this hoppin' birthday weekend for me? Jack squat. Nothin'. Nada. Zero. Zilch.

My parents wanted to take the boys and me out for lunch this Sunday to celebrate - I said great! I wrongly assumed I would get to pick where we ate since it is my birthday we are celebrating. Too late, I'd already agreed & Mom announced we'd be eating at Old Country Buffet. Whoopie. I'm so excited I could just s**t.

So now I get to stand in line with 250 people of the 55 & over crowd to serve myself a plate of poorly warmed food poisoning. I HATE buffet's - I end up with food poisoning every darn time. Mom knows it. Dad knows it. Heck - my kids know it!! So, I either cancel plans with them & piss them off OR I go eat with them, get sick, tell them why I'm sick & piss them off for not telling them (for only the 4,863rd time) that I get food poisoning from every buffet I eat at. It's a lose/lose situation. The alternative is to go, not eat anything except hot soup (usually safe but not always) and piss them off for not eating a "real meal" after they paid for it.

Then there's the problem of sitting with them and actually having a conversation. My parents are the "Children should be seen & not heard" kind of people. When we were children and went out to eat, adults had conversation, the children were to shut up and eat. Period. I refuse to do that to my kids. Yes, they need to allow the adults to converse however, if they have something they would like to talk about, I think it affords a great opportunity for them to practice their social skills and I'll discuss things with them like I normally would at a family dinner at home. My parents can't stand it. They look like they're gonna explode most of the meal.

And there's the problem of my children's manners............... they don't have manners good enough to dine with the Queen Mother therefore, they eat like animals. They cover their mouths to cough. They chew with their mouths closed. They say "please" and "thank you". What the heck more do you want out of two kids under the age of 10?

By the time this meal is done I'll be ready for a semi-load of Haggen-Daas, chocolate of course.

Be A Star!

Yes folks, now you too can have your own star on the Hollywood walk of fame!

Boobs, Boobs, Boobs.............who cares?????

O.K. - I know, another post today........ like I have nothing better to do........... Oh, wait, that's right - I don't have anything better to do! I have no life, work & kids..........And here I thought I was going to be scarcastic!

So what about the boobs thing? I am sooooooooo sick of the girls at work (can't call them women when I'm old enough to have given birth to most of them!) sitting around talking about boobs when we're outside supervising the kids play time. They're all so proud of their big boobs well ladies -

****NEWSFLASH****......... Dateline Illinois........... This just in........... It has been reported by doctors and dieters alike.......... when you get big boobs from getting fat....... you will loose the boobs when you loose the weight.......... and now we return you to the blog already in progress.

I hate to quote my kids but.......... DUH! You complain you had a small chest when you were thin but now that you're heftin' around an extra 50lbs you've got huge hooters.......... and you think you're gonna look great when you lose all that weight with big boobs. It ain't happenin' girls! The fat goes, the boobs go with it. Welcome to the real world - you want those babies back for your sweetie you're gonna have to go silicone or get fat again. I know - been there, done that. Welcome to the real world kiddies.

Prision Pete

As I updated my blog, I came across this blog. It was very interesting and I think it gives tremendous insight into a world that many of us (hopefully) will never know. I do believe this to be on the level, not someone's creative writing published via the great WWW (invented by Al Gore you know!).

No News...... Good or Bad?

Well, I should've heard by now about the job interview ......... alas, nothing. It sucks. I had a rotten day (won't go into details) and was hoping to hear that I got the job, but nothing. I still think that going back to college may be the ticket for me.......... I may have mentioned it before in my blog and maybe not. And who cares if I did or not, because there's only a couple of friends that read this thing anyway.......

I yelled at God today..........

Yes, I did it, I yelled at God today. I was without a job for over five months and all I asked for was a job that would pay the bills and support my family so we didn't have to scrape every penny together just to pay rent each month. I thought I got that when I got my new job last July. WRONG! Gas prices stayed high, price of the babysitter went up, there's a freeze on pay increases at work until after then end of the fiscal year (in April!!) so I don't get my pay increase at my 60 day review. I was angry that I was working my self to death and still couldn't even pay my bills so I got mad and yelled at God. He heard me.

I left work early to get my son's band book picked up at the school so we could still make it to our church group tonight on time. As we're driving to church (an hour away) I hear my cell phone beeping at me. I thought the battery was going low again so I picked it up to plug the phone in so it could charge and realized I had a voice mail message. So, I call. A school district I had interviewed with two times over the summer called me and I have an interview set up for 8:00 a.m. tomorrow. I'd have benefits, better pay, shorter drive, kids will be at the babysitters less after school and that means I pay her less ........ soooooooo.......... all around it's a better deal. I doubt anyone will read this but if you do........ please say a quick prayer for me around 8:00 a.m. tomorrow morning (central time that is! hehehe)

What the????????

Slogan generator? This is too much..........

Love?

ok......posted my short & not so sweet rantings about the cost of my kids stuff for school & was crusing through the recently updated blogs & found this one: Another soul looking for love.......... guess I'm not alone in this quest. Where are all the decent men? Plently of perverts and money grubbers, low life bums and sweet-talkers that turn nasty once they have you in their grips........... where are the nice guys? I don't want a truckload of them, just one.......is that asking too much???? And speaking of asking too much........ is it too much to ask for a job that at least pays the bills after working your butt off for 60+ hrs a week ( only getting paid for 40 of them of course!)? Why is it the most precious resources we have is our children and those who get paid to teach them and care for them get paid less than 17 year old a night-shift manager at McDonald's?? Just a bit jaded I guess............. my life has been a bit rough lately and my faith has been a little shaky of late. No support from friends and family hasnt' helped much.... sometimes wonder why I bother with any of it.

Back to school.......

Aaahhhhhhh........... back to school, FINALLY! The kids are back to school and the district is sucking money out of my pocket faster than I can earn it! Band instrument rental, music books, field trips (already!!), schoolastic book orders, school pictures, and the list goes on. Oh, by the way, their first day back was August 25th - I can't believe all the stuff you've got to pay for after you fork out the several hundren bucks for school supplies & clothes! Then multiply that by two kids - where's Mr. Rich & available when you need him????

Happy August!

Well, I thought I'd be colorful with the text today (you're thinking Whoopie! Who cares?).

Summer is winding down and the kids are getting geared up for school. New school supplies and gym shoes. I can't believe my son (age 10) is wearing a mens size 10 shoe! He's over 5' tall already. The doctor said at his physical that he'll probably top out at about 6'6" to 6'9"! At this rate I don't think the kids gonna stop growing.

Last February one of our two local elementary schools burned to the ground when a fire started. Workmen were trying to heat up some pipes with a blowtorch and started the wood shingle roof on fire. Thankfully, all students and staff were able to evacuate the building safely. Almost every personal item that was in the school was lost however, thanks to the staff and the local firefighters, every person in the school was safe.

In the aftermath, the community realized that the children had lost every book, shoe, backpack and coat in the fire. Donations flooded into the school. Thanks to the community pouring in donations of school supplies, my children only needed half of the school supplies they needed last year. The rest of the items they need are being supplied from the surplus of donated items.

God bless all those who assisted our children in their time of great need.

Until we meet again..........

First Day - WOW!

It was a great first day.  It was also a very interesting day.  Gotta love 3-year-olds!  Susie went to the bathroom and then decided to play in the toilet water before flushing.  This is not exactly what we mean when we write "water-play" on the lesson plans.   Can we all say "eewwwww"?  Then Billy decided to conduct a little research while washing his hands.  He wanted to see how long it would take him to wash out all the liquid soap from inside the bottle.  However, he only managed to fill the bottle up to the top and dump it once before I cut funding to the science lab.   
 
The kids were great and the staff is really nice.  It's a very relaxed environment and very flexible - which means less stress!  I'm all about less stress.........LOL  We'll see what day two brings.  
 
Until next time..........

New Job

Well, the new job starts tomorrow!  I'm excited, went for the less drive/less stress/less pay job.  Decided the amout of money the high stress/long drive job was offering didn't equal out to the amount of stress & garbage I'd have to deal with.  Ah, well, it's off to bed for an early start tomorrow.

God's Holy Word - my opinion & I'm entitled to it

I have written this post, and removed it.  Rewritten, deleted, added, edited, and reposted, only to remove it again.   I haven't done this once, but 3 or 4 times.  Sounds silly doesn't it?  Not that anyone is reading this blog anyway but I kept doing this so as not to hurt a particular persons feelings.  I decided that if this individual is entitled to their opinion (and is posting it for the world at large to see), then I, too, should feel free to do the same.
 
My question to this person was simple:  How do you contend with the contradictions between being openly gay and stating that you are a Christian.  I do not hate homosexuals, I only feel that they struggle with a very difficult sin.  I do not feel it is my job to "convert" them to become heterosexuals.  What I do believe God has called me to do is to share the love and sacrifice of Jesus Christ our Lord with as many people as I can.  If God thinks an individual needs improved upon, he'll do it himself.  He is perfect, I am not, nor have I ever claimed to be.  This person has said some ugly thing about me, assuming things about me that simply are not true, for example: 
 
**I was attacked by being told that because I am divorced, I could not possibly be a Christian because God is against divorce.  However, I counter this with Matthew 5:32 which clearly states that adultery committed by your spouse is grounds for divorce in God's eyes. 

**I was being accused of being a bigot as is evident in this line posted on the offending persons blog.  ".... bigots who feel the love of God is not for everyone. "  I KNOW the love of God is for EVERYONE!  That's what makes it go glorious!  I never stated otherwise and to be accused of this is beyond my understanding. 
 
**I was accused of calling this person a sinner - to quote my children "duh!" We're all sinners saved only by Christ shedding his blood on the cross for our sins.  I really thought this was pretty common knowledge in Christian circles, apparently I was mistaken.  Also, in God's eyes, all sin is equal and I also stated that.  So why accuse me of thinking I'm better than you just because I struggle with different sins than you do? 
  
** I am not "misguided", nor am I "be(ing) hateful and vicious" just because my opinion differs from yours.  You wish me to be open minded to the fact that you may be right about homosexuality being acceptable in God's eyes.  You, however, are very close-minded to the fact that I may be right and it is a sin.   
 
The site this person directed me to, "if I was open-mined" enough to read it, is blasphemy.   It twists God's Holy Word to justify homosexuality as being acceptable in God's eyes.   

In Genesis Ch. 19, there is the story of Sodom and Gomorrah.  It was destroyed by God because of the sinfulness there.   The homosexual behavior was against God's word and the people of these towns refused to repent and follow God.  They were punished.
 
The particular page I linked to is basically stating that Paul was preaching that the law up to that point is no longer in effect.  To quote the site { "What Paul says as clearly as he can," according to an evangelical Bible scholar, "is that the Law … has been eclipsed by the revelation of God in Jesus Christ and must now be seen as obsolescent." }   Basically they are stating that God had changed his mind on homosexuality.  At first God thought it was wrong, then he changed his mind and decided it was o.k.  WHAT????!!!   God is perfect, he is NEVER wrong.  So, what this site is saying is that God decided he was wrong and changed his mind.  I refuse to believe that God has ever made a mistake. 
 
If it is this persons belief that God was wrong on sexual orientation, then I pose this question to you:  Do you think God may be wrong about murder?  Divorce just because we feel like it?  Theft?  Adultery?  Where does it end?   The facts are this:  The Bible is the Holy inspired Word of God.  God is perfect. 
I'm done and will step down from my soap-box now.  Thank you for allowing me to vent.
 
Until we meet again.........

Lessons of Motherhood #1

Flush-ability of Tampons: The label on the box of Tampax brand tampons does say "flushable". However, this does not mean the entire box of 40 can be flushed at one time.

The Roto-Rooter man thinks it's funny to hear a 5-year-old child explain, ".... but Mommy, you taught me to read and I was just reading the box........"

Isn't home schooling wonderful? I'm so proud to say my son, at 5 could read the box of feminine hygiene products enough to cause us a $250 sewer cleaning bill right at Christmas.

Fireflies or Lightening Bugs?

Doesn't matter what you call them...... when they hit your windshield at 55 MPH, the splattered insect remains continue to glow for a few seconds. Gross thought for the day isn't it?? My two boys however, thought this was the single coolest thing they'd seen all day. Kids, gotta love 'em.

Until we meet again........

Now What?

Months without employment, searching the far corners of the universe for employment......well, maybe not that drastic.... LOL However, after searching for a really long time, I now have two wonderful job offers and there are two more places that are seriously considering me for hire next month! The two that have offered me positions are equally good jobs but the pay reflects the travel time and stress level....... I'm thinking I may go for the less pay/less stress. After all, who needs more stress? Does anyone actively seek out a job that will make them insane? I should hope not. Ah, well, the only solution is to pray about it and see what happens.

Until we meet again.....

I got it!!!! And more

Wednesdays interview turned into today's job! Finally, I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever work again. However, it's only part time for now. Oh, well, better than temp work. No sooner had I hung up from that phone call than I got another call for an even better position (further from home though) and have an interview set with them for Monday afternoon. When it rains, it pours. Thank the Lord it's pouring down on me!! Thanks for answered prayers.

I caved....they got one, ugh!

Where's my migraine medicine? This music repeating for hours on end is making me insane.

OK - I did it. I swore I never would but, alas, the masses have proven victorious and I have lost the battle....... but the war isn't over yet.

What's the big deal you say? What earth shattering event happened? Something so amazing it boggles the minds of all those who know me. I bought a video game for my children. A Playstation 2? No, never! A Game Cube? Ha! No again. An X-Box? Once again, you silly fool, the answer is no. What did I finally break down and buy? What amazing piece of technology have I purchased to heighten the enjoyment of my children and shape their future with? An old Sega Genesis and four games for $5 at a garage sale.

Yeah, I know anyone reading this right now is laughing their butt off. Go ahead, get it out of your system............ feel better now?

My children have tons of videos but are very limited to the amount of time they are allowed to sit and become video zombies in front of the television. My feeling is that video games encourage children to sit mindlessly in front of the boob-tube and become lazy. If it's nice enough to be outside, I want my children out being active. If it's crummy out and they can't play outside, I prefer them to be reading, playing Monopoly (or any other game that requires brain waves to function), pull out their art supplies and create a masterpiece........ anything but veg in front of the idiot box (a.k.a. television). My children are in heaven playing their Sonic games.

My children are unaware that the thing will probably pull in a enough cash off of eBay to feed a third world country for a week. My intent was to sell the thing on eBay for a profit to someone hung up on old video game systems. Guess again. My kids have been sitting here for an hour now (it's 2:00 PM) figuring out the games & how they work without the aid of an instruction booklet or dear ole' Mom's help. Oh, well, it's a rainy, cold, nasty day outside and they're stuck inside for the afternoon. I guess one afternoon of being zombied-out can't warp their minds too badly. Besides, they're actually helping one another learn the games instead of fighting over what toy belongs to whom.

Just for the record, we were the first kids on the block to have a Pong game that could be switched between 1 & 2 paddles and you could also make the "ball" (which consisted of a square spot on the screen) regular size or small size if you were really good. We were the envy of the neighborhood. Not that anyone out there is going to actually be reading this blog but, for those of you still unable to get a clear picture of what a Pong game was compared to today's video game systems........you may want to dust off those old books at the library, you know they ones transcribed from cave drawings......... you may find some info in them. ; )

Forbidden Love.....

They were together in the house.

Just the two of them.

It was a cold, dark, stormy night. The storm had come quickly and each time the thunder boomed he watched her jump.

She looked across the room and admired his strong appearance...and wished that he would take her in his arms, comfort her and protect her from the storm.

She wanted that...more than anything. Suddenly, with a pop, the power went out... She screamed...

He raced to the sofa where she was cowering.

He didn't hesitate to pull her into his arms. He knew this was a forbidden union and expected her to pull back. He was surprised when she didn't resist but instead clung to him.

The storm raged on...as did their growing passion. And there came a moment when each knew that they had to be together.

They knew it was wrong...

Their families would never understand... So consumed were they in their passion that they heard no opening of doors...just the faint click of a camera......

Jumpin on the rotten garage roof

From time to time my children do something that totally blows my mind. I wonder, "How did they even think to try something like that?" Then I realize, I don't want to know how they came up with some of the ideas they have. It's safer to remain ignorant to their thinking process....... it's safer this way, trust me.

A popular email that's been forwarded to me several times is supposedly from a mother of such a child(ren). It appears as if she hails from the Houston, TX area. I don't know if the list of creative things her child has done is real or if it is the wonderful imagination of someone. Either way, it inspired me to compose a list of some of the amazing things my children have done to the house, pets, one another, and to my nerves/sanity. I've decided to share these things from time to time with anyone who cares to read this blog (which I doubt anyone will). If deemed necessary, an explanation of the "lesson" will be included.

So, the first lesson I've chosen to share is this one:

It requires more than 100 lbs (combined weight) of small children jumping on a semi-rotten garage roof to make it cave in.

Explanation: My now-ex-husband was checking out the rotten roof of our garage to determine damages and the possible need to have a new roof put on. In his infinite brilliance he left the ladder up against the side of the garage. The children were outside playing for less than 2 minutes alone while I ran back inside to grab the cordless phone. When I came back out, my little angels (ages 3 & 6)were missing. I was frantic! After what seemed an eternity circling the house and checking all their hiding places in our yard, I finally hear a blood-chilling scream of "Moooooommmmmmyyyyyy" come from my youngest child. I look in the direction of the scream to see him on the roof jumping up and down screaming with his brother because they can't figure out how to get down from their lofty perch.

I now know where some of my mother's grey hair came from......my older sister & her cr*p.

Yesterday at the pool.....

The kids had a great time at the pool yesterday afternoon splashing around and diving for pennies. While we were there, a reporter came around from the local paper and was snapping pictures of the kids and taking names. He took special interest in the fact it was my son's birthday and took some extra pictures of him and his brother. So, I guess I need to check out this weekend's edition of the paper to see if the kids pictures show up. The children would get a real kick out of it to see their pictures in the newspaper.

My son also got to take treats to his church group last night and they all sang "Happy Birthday" to him - he loved the attention! The leaders at that group are amazing! The staff members that are men are wonderful role models for both the children.

Until we meet again......

Another Interview

Here I go again.......... Another interview. I quit my job last March because there was too much garbage to deal with, the least of which is my paycheck was late at least once a month (not a day late, 2 - 3 weeks late sometimes). I even had a paycheck bounce. That was the last straw, my now ex-boss got irate when I informed him he would be paying all the bank fees associated with his bounced check. He didn't think he should have to pay the $45 the bank charged me. Two weeks later, I quit, just walked out.

Thus started my long journey to become gainfully employed again. I have now been without a full time job for four months, thank heaven for my temp job that keeps food on the table while we've lived off what little savings I've managed to acquire. However, that is now gone too. The job market around here is almost non-existent.

A friend of mine keeps trying to convince me to move in toward Chicago (he lives in the suburbs). I've only lived in a large town once in my life and it was miserable for me, it was too big and too dirty for me. I know I'll have more opportunities there but the stress of the traffic, all the people, etc....... I just don't know. I like living in a small town with all the inconveniences of not having major shopping malls nearby & such. I enjoy the quiet, knowing your neighbors, being able to still allow your kids to take off to the candy store uptown without too much worry. It's peaceful. I've had too much stress and worry in my life, I like things simple, quiet and peaceful.

Well, now I'm totally off the subject of this post, my interview. You'll quickly see if you read this very often that I ramble, get off the subject, etc. You'll also come to know the events that brought me to where I am today.

O.K. - Interview: 2:00 pm in another small town about 20 minutes from where I live. The boyhood home of former President Ronald Reagan (may he rest in peace), Dixon, IL. This job application that was put in during a day when I was doing "cold calls" and it's a big surprise that they even called back. So, the fact that a cold call is resulting in my resume and application being pulled from an existing pile is a good sign (I hope).

Until later.....

Hello and Welcome!

Welcome to my blog!

This will be a personal journal updated at random intervals. You'll get a look at the ups and downs of a divorced mom raising her two children alone, our trials and successes, some of the fun of having kids and the amazing things they think up and in general, random ramblings. There may be an occasional bad poem posted....LOL I dabble with poetry here and there but usually don't allow anyone to read it due to the fact it's not that great. Anyway let me know your thoughts on things.

I'd like to start off with announcing it's my son's birthday today! Happy 10th Birthday TJ! I love you very much! XXXOOO

To celebrate, we're off to the pool to take a dip and cool off for the afternoon.

Until we meet again.......