What a week….

Image by programwitch via Flickr

So it wasn’t bad enough that the twinkies came down with a case of the crankies and runny noses, but they also decided on a full on nap strike, complete with the “we are getting up in the middle of the night for no good reason” routine.  We had to postpone D’s first speech therapy session and one of his special instruction sessions.

Then…

Our lovely water company announces that they will be shutting off the water between 7 pm and 3 am to work on the water main.  So, I hurry to get a shower only to have the hubby run upstairs to tell me to hurry because there was a fire at his plant (he works in a Hazardous Materials processing facility) and that he had to go back to work.  This is on top of the fact that he has been working 12+ hours a day covering for one of his guys on vacation.

Then…

While in the basement, changing loads of the never ending laundry, I hear a dripping sound.  Upon further investigation, I see out water heater leaking from the top.  So, I shut off all the water to the house AGAIN!  Hubby comes home, turns just the hot water off so at least we can flush the toilets and brush our teeth.  I proceed to order a new hot water heater from Sears.com (which I have NEVER had a positive experience with…..ever…..something ALWAYS get screwed up….I don’t know how they are still in business) and pay almost $400 extra for the installation that was to happen yesterday.  So after 4 or 5 calls to Sears, a plumbing contractor shows up at 4 pm and informs me that we have several things out of code and it is going to cost another $200 to fix before he can even install the water heater……so now we are at $1100…..

but…

we have hot water again.

Oh, and on Wednesday, we went to the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit for D’s planning meeting.  I wish someone would have told me that D did not have to be there and that the hubby really didn’t need to be there and this was just a meeting to set up D’s evaluation in OCTOBER!   Yeah.  Not such a happy Mommy.  He turns 3 on October 16th and the evaluation is the 26th of October….then it will take them a few weeks to determine his specific therapies.  This is going to be a frigging circus….I can tell already.  Oh and of course, they put a big push on signing up for Medical Assistance (No thank you!).  I have heard HORROR stories about being on Medical Assistance and then not being able to see the doctors you really need to see, because they have opted out of providing care for MA…….due to the crappy reimbursement they would receive.

Oh….

And I had a crazy headache for 6 days in a row…..due to my TMJ.  So in the midst of all of this, I drove and hour to my dentist’s office where he made me a new appliance so I won’t grind my teeth at night…..(yeah….no stress here!)

So far…this month has pretty much sucked.

Except for when M told me she loved me over the phone.

I melted.

O Coffee, My Coffee! ICLW day #5

Image via Wikipedia

So, it is date night….we are going out for Mexican food tonight.  Mom is coming over to watch the Twinkies.  It has been a while since we had a date night, so I am kind of looking forward to this one.  Some times, I think we all need to just separate Mommy and Daddy from the kids, so that Mommy and Daddy don’t get lost.  What do you do to make sure that you and yours stay connected?  I am always looking for ideas…..

And just because I am such a huge coffee buff….A very good friend of mine in the Great White North wrote this adaptation of Walt Whitman‘s O Captain! My Captain! For me this morning as an ode to that dark beverage that I so love.  Not really what I was planning on writing about on Day 5 of ICLW…but what the hay!

O coffee my coffee! your grateful drip is done,
The pot has weathered every drop, the prize we sought is won,
The mug is near, the water was clear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady pour, the kettle grim and daring;
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of brown,
Where on the counter my head lies,
Fallen sleepy and worn down.

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Flights and Fargo and Fires, Oh My!

  So the last couple of weeks have been interesting to say the least. I don’t even know where to begin.

 On May 3^rd, we had great tickets to the Phillies. Yes, we were there to see the kid get tasered. He jumped on to the field about 20 feet from our seats. It was actually pretty funny to see the chubby, and very obviously overweight Philadelphia cop get frustrated when he couldn’t keep up with the 17 year old. That kid had some of the best running we have seen in Philadelphia and personally, I think he should show up for an Eagles mini-camp because God knows, the team has NO running game without Brian Westbrook. It was an adventure getting to and from the game. We took the Septa R5 regional rail to Fernrock station and jumped on the Broad Street subway. No big deal. We made the mistake of taking the local instead of the express but it really didn’t bother me. On the way back, we made the same mistake. We left the game a little early and jumped on the first subway that got to the station, mostly because the station was about 95 degrees and very crowded. The car filled up and again, it was the local. Well, about halfway back, someone, some IDIOT decided to light a pack of matches on fire. So all of a sudden, we could smell smoke. And it was that sick sulfer smell. And there was no ventilation but one small window that was cracked open. It eventually dissipated but it was quite unnerving and I was glad to be sitting with the NBC (nuclear, biological and chemical warfare instructor) guy. We had to sit at Fernrock for 45 minutes waiting for our train back home and finally arrived home after midnight. It was a great game and I got to take lots of pictures of Jayson Werth…..that made it all worth while…..

Very Very Very early on Wednesday, May 5^th, we left the house for the airport for our trip to Fargo. We parked off site at Fast-Track which used to be avistar. I used to park all the time at avistar way back in the olden days when I was a road warrior training medical practice management software. That seems like a lifetime ago….oh wait….it was.

We waited in line to go through security at TSA. Poor D got patted down despite wearing his US Army jacket. (Incidentally, I got patted down at security at the airport in Fargo….) We had some breakfast and had an uneventful flight to Chicago. We left Chicago and had an uneventful flight to Fargo. There were 10 of u on the plane, so everyone got their own row….it was nice to be able to spread out.

When we did arrive in Fargo, the wind and rain nearly blew us away. Holy cow…when it is windy in Fargo….it doesn’t mess around. We got our rental car (the blue Ford Focus….aka Barbie Car). We headed out to West Acres mall to hit up Taco Johns and take care of my little Potato Ole addiction. We had to wait to check in at the Candlewood Suites but West Acres Mall is a pretty nice mall and I can always entertain myself in a mall.

We finally checked in, and napped. That night, we hooked up with my sister-in-law, N and played Bingo. Yes, she broke my bingo cherry. I had NEVER played bingo as an adult. And I was only one number away from winning $1300…I can see how people get addicted. Then N and I proceeded to drag D all over town to bars he had previously refused to ever set foot in….The Empire, The Broadway, Rooters (where we met the oddest little man in a silver suit) and then to Slammers. It was a long, long night. Did anyone hear my liver calling for help?

Thursday, D and I drove out to Jamestown, ND to see the world’s largest buffalo. He was a boy, so I guess we also got to see the largest testicles in the world. It was a bonus. My mother couldn’t believe that I posted pictures on facebook of me standing under the “boy parts”….hey…I gotta be me, right?

More to come after nap time……I’m still a mommy first and a blogger second……

CONTINUING……

So, we had a great time in Fargo.  For some strange reason, they kept calling me Rock Star.  Did anyone hear my liver screaming for help?  On Saturday, we headed to Walcott ND….the world’s smallest town…and met up with D’s step dad, brother R, Cousin J and K and her hubby and son.  Also D’s brother’s son and his little boy were there.  It was a great time.  That is where I got the North Dakota Sink Salad recipe.  Let’s just say I made some……ummmm….and now it is all gone.  The stuff is like CRACK.  I also got to see my sister in law, D, and her daughter B, and sweet 9 day old baby boy.  How stange it felt to hold a little tiny baby again.  It made my uterus hurt!

No….we are not doing this again.   Thought about it for a hot minute…..and Nope……we are done with the baby making business…….I am too old for this crap…..

So, we come home.  All I want to do is sleep and cook.  We ate out CONSTANTLY when we were in Fargo.  I put on 10 lbs……no kidding.  Who needs to hit the gym?  This girl!

It was great to have the kids home.  I really did miss them, but I know that they had a great time at Grandma and Grandpa camp.

Oh….and on this past Thursday, my parent’s had a fire.  The contractor messed up.  Started their house on fire.  Proceeded to put most of the fir out himself. And I think that I broke the land speed record between mom and dad’s house and here.  I was ready to kill me a Russian contractor……

So Mom and Dad get a new roof.  And a night at the luxurious local hotel courtesy of the Red Cross….who wants to be reimbursed by the insurance company.  Really?  And you call yourself a NON-PROFIT….. Guess who will never see a dime of my money or a drop of my blood?

Yeah.

Oh….

And Grandma has leukemia.

Oh…..

So there is really not too much going on around here.  Well, the Flyers are winnning……but miracles never cease.

Movin’ On Up

 

It is OFFICIAL!!! I have my interview this Saturday. I am back on the road to being a productive member of society. Not that being a stay at home mother is not, it is just that I think that I am ready. I am in the top 150 out of 1000 applicants. I am thumping my chest, even though it may be premature……

Spring kind of stopped “springing” around here and now we aren’t even hitting 70 degrees. I sure hope that the sweet peppers and poblano peppers make it.

The kids are doing great. Melissa is a parrot. I actually got her to say “Phillies” yesterday (during their home opener). I was thrilled. She also saw a “hepalopter”. We live very close to Merck Pharmaceuticals, and they always have helicopters flying in and out. I guess being an executive for a pharmaceutical company excuses you from having to sit in traffic like everyone else……..

Daniel is very physical. He runs everywhere. I was noticing that he is losing his chub…..he is definitely taller, but he is still solid. He is one strong kid, let me tell you. Melissa is tall, wearing a 3T just so the jeans are long enough, but skinny and leggy…..we are in for it when she is a teenager….long legs, blue eyes, and well, the “rack” is a hereditary condition…….oh boy……

My Grandmother (who is 95) has been moved from the hospital to a rehabilitation facility adjacent to the hospital. Her mental condition is really going down hill quite fast. It is sad. I have so many unresolved issues as far as my Grandmother goes. I am guessing that they will never be resolved and will fade away, like all things do in time. I feel bad for my dad, but he feels that he lost his mother a long time ago and that this is just the shell of who she used to be.

making a decision

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

to exclude “negative” influences in my life (both in real life and online…i.e.facebook)

If I want to be stabbed in the back, I will mount a knife to a door and back into it myself.  I certainly don’t need so-called “friends” lining up to do it.

So I have “blocked” negative influences and I feel better about it.  Several of them know about my blog and if they decide that it is still any of their business to read this, that is on them.  If they are that desperate for rumor fodder….I will just pray for them.  I live in a small town and there is no real practical way to escape from all the small town “bitty hens”.

Sorry, I did not intend for this post to come across as being so negative…..

I must be in one of my moods……

If it is FREE it is for ME

and maybe it is for you…..  stop by  here and claim your own brand new stainless steel pizza cutter………..

Sorry, we eat a LOT of pizza in this house…..this is a freebie I will actually use!!!

Oh and you can also pick up some “cover your butt” software here ….

Pictures from the kids' party…

Image by Spatial Mongrel via Flickr

So it is Monday again.  Finally, after 4 days of rain and wind, we have some sunshine.  I also have my house back.  The hubby had been off work since Thursday….and honestly, was starting to bug the crap out of me.  I know that he can’t help “ordering me around” and “instructing me on how to care for the children”…it’s the 24 years of army in him.  But sheesh….what does he think I do all day?

We are getting more and more interested in the potty….we are also increasing our vocabulary by leaps and bounds.  That means they can say poop…and crack up laughing hysterically.

Melissa loves to dance.  Daniel loves to spin and get dizzy and fall down.  It’s a real show around here some days.

I know that my challenges have just really begun…I mean the “terrible twos” challenge.  I am still not sure how I am going to deal with it….I guess I just have to take it one day at a time.  That is, if I can keep my brain from melting from Sesame Street and Barney overload.  Elmo is a demi god in this house…..It is Elmo on demand all day….

 My Philadelphia Phillies kicked some L.A. Dodger hiney last night….of course, I was too tired to actually watch it.  I did get to see my boy, Jayson Werth hit his dinger……so that made up for an otherwise crappy day.  I don’t even want to talk about the Philadelphia Eagles performance against the Raiders.

But I am alive.   All plans for going back to school are on hold.  I am treading water even with my parents being so close by.  Just maintaining the house, the laundry, the kids, the dogs, the shopping….well…..it’s enough for me.  What was I thinking considering taking a part time job?

And we got our new shed….about 6 weeks ago, my mother drove into our shed and totalled it.  So, her auto insurance covered a new shed.  It was delivered on Thursday.  Now, the hubby should have his little man cave to keep all his tools and crap in.

But that is my life….very boring, very routine-driven.  Very tiring, but some days, very rewarding.

Refusal

Image by Natalia Gustafson via Flickr

Today I feel strong.

I refuse to be in a funk.

I have the day planned out, and despite the forecast of yet more rain and storms, I have every intention of doing what I need to do today.

I just made waffles(that was a disaster…but that is another story for another blog post), got the kids up, folded laundry, got myself dressed, made me a big ol’ pot of cinnamon swirl coffeeand am doing a quick post before I (wrestle the kids to the ground and try to) dress them.

We are off to Super Wally Mart….you know, the kind with the grocery store in it……then it is off to Mom and Dad‘s to drop everything off.  Then back home, hopefully for naps.  Then when the hubby gets home, I plan on going over to the gym to workout.

And to top it off….I have a song stuck in my head…..

Remember Pretty Woman……..and the song “King of Wishful Thinking” (ok…it may be the dumbest video ever made), but the line that keeps sticking is:

I refuse to give in to my blues
That’s not how it’s going to be

And I deny the tears in my eyes
I don’t want to let you see.. no

Darn music from 1990 whatever the heck year it was….it was a long time ago……

So there is light at the end of the tunnel.  The kids are even sort of, somewhat, kind of, behaving a little bit this morning.  There have been no tears….yet.

POST # 400!

 

Wahoo!  Can you believe it? 400 posts!  Who would have thunk it? And I am putting on my brave face!

Let’s see….I promised pictures…so….

 

Also, we are getting our kitchen cupboards refaced.  And we are getting a corial countertop and sink.  So, I will basically be getting a brand new kitchen in the next 30 days.  We are working with Kitchen Magic.

 

Our cupboards will look something like this

 

Our countertops will look like this

and our knobs will look like this....

 So I guess I should be happy!  It’s a lot more than we were planning on spending, andit means that we will NOT be going to Dublin this fall, but it needed to be done.  The old stuff is so 1970’s.  I am just trying to look at it as an investment.

My son, the night owl, is finally awake.  He woke up at Midnight andstayed up until 3 am.  It was not a great night around here.