Unpaid overtime

I love my job, I enjoy getting out of the house, being social and working in a great store that sells amazing things.  Its no secret that its also my haven to get away from life at home for 15 hours a week!  Some days, though I have to wonder if its worth it!

I've also confessed that I am not a good housekeeper either, but after being away from the house all day, the last thing I want to do when I get home is clean up after everyone that has been home!

Sure, no one can attend to my children's needs like me, or anticipate the messes that may come, but there are a few people ( specifically the one wearing a matching ring on his left hand) that should be aware that if you can't walk through our living room/ bedroom, maybe someone should pick it up.  I just forget that that someone is ....me.

If I worked full time, my children would most likely be at a child care facility and no one would be home all day to make messes, or if I had someone here at my house I would expect them to do some minimal cleaning up after one Poonado. Instead, I am on double time.  Taking care of all the things I do in a full day at home, in just a few short hours before bed.  Yup, I am pooped! 

Fashionista

As a child I always had a unique sense of style (i can feel my mother biting her tongue!).  I can remember planning a whole outfit around a pair of silver penny loafers that were two sizes to big, so i had to stuff the toes with tissues.  I wore them to school with a long black skirt and red and black shirt.  This was just one of the odd things I would put together.  I guess you could say I wasn't one to worry about what the other kids were wearing.  I figured out early that I could get more variety of clothes with my money if i shopped at local stores as opposed to one pair of name brand jeans.  I don't recall anyone making fun of me, I guess if they did, I never let it get under my skin. 

This trait has certainly been passed down to my nine year old!  This morning when he was helping me get Mr. off to the bus he had put on my brown and pink snow boots.  They are high boots, with fur lining.  I didn't think anything of it since he often wears my shoes out to put the dogs out or get the mail because he can't find his own. (another trait he got from me!)

When he came in the door this afternoon I asked how his day was and he pointed to his feet and said."AWESOME!".

There on his feet were my winter boots that he went to the bus stop with and realized to late that he had them on.  We had a good laugh and he told me that when he got to school he just walked into the classroom and announced "everyone look at my boots, get it over with".

I just love this kid!  

Them is fighting words

I don't consider myself a violent person.  I have never been in a fight my entire life.  There was a close call in high school, over some guy I suppose, but I just talked a good talk and walked quickly away (all while secretly pooping my pants) After school, I've lived a very low radar kind of life.  Its not that I am afraid of conflict, I just don't see the point in letting another person get me so upset that I would risk injury to myself in the process. Even bar-tending I had some run ins with some inebriated customers, but luckily I had the upper hand, cut them off and my other customers would kindly escort them out the door. (Don't piss of the bartender or nobody gets drinks!)

So why is there that one person who really gets my dander up?  Why? because I love him and its the closest to home.  So when I am really mad, I have violent fantasies, not necessarily to cause bodily harm but to express my anger creatively.  Here are a few of those fantasies:

Spraying fowl words on his bucket truck

Moving the entire bed outside

Selling off his guns

 

Egging his truck

Duct Taping the toilet seats

The ultimate revenge is best shown here, from one of the best movies!!

Don't lie, you know you all have thought about it!

Gentle reminders...

Today I ran into an old friend as I was heading out the door of work.  She is just one of those people that you can feel the love radiating from her. When she hugs me, I feel warm and just want to stay there, like its a safe place.  After just a few minutes with her I feel good and refreshed, but it did remind me that I truly need to get back into some serious "me" time.  Some mediation, my oils, Qi Gong, and possibly finally getting back up the meditation center in Glen Spey. 

I feel depleted, spiritually. With our hurried society, family and work demands its very easy to slip back into old habits.  So a little taste of sunshine both from mother earth, and an gentle soul was what I needed.

10 Signs its time to Wean your child

1. while nursing she reaches across to the other breast and proceeds to "tune in Tokyo"
2. breastfeeding support groups cancel your membership 
3. teeth 
4. after finishing nursing she smacks her lips and says "mmm good" 
5. while out to eat, she orders "nursey" for her appetizer
6. the last thing you want is someone else touching you... anywhere...
7. your boobs are exposed so often, neighbors are giving you tips 
8. she has figured out how to unstrap your nursing bra faster than your husband. 
9. the glitter on your nipples is from her cherry lip gloss
10. while nursing her at your desk, she is checking her face book page

The mean mommy game

This is what I call all the "un fun" things parents have to do for the greater good of the child.  Like, no cookies before breakfast, making them clean up after themselves, chore nazi, etc.  So when the pint size queen in our house is unhappy, everyone is unhappy.  She is now 19 months old and I have been slowly trying to ween her off of breast feeding.  We have gotten it down to twice a day, first thing in the morning, and then at night, but she is just to darn stubborn!  She has no idea how to fall back asleep on her own and this has been a battle we have had in my house for months now.  I feel that it is just getting worse the older she gets.  I have visions of a five year old still getting up in the middle of the night and wanting to crawl into bed with us. 

I like my bed...I hate to share, I only share with the hubby because i think it was somewhere in our marriage vows! 

I like my sleep even more.  Its been four years or so since I've had consecutive nights sleep.  and people wonder why I am delusional and moody!

There are so many theories out there on how to sleep train your child.  I've read the books, I can give advice to other parents, but somehow this one is giving me a run for my money.  We get it good for a few nights then something inevitably screws it up and we have to start back at square one!

So, I'm looking for invites for the week to run and hide at.... any takers?

Trading down

Yes, I did it, I traded out my mommy mobile to a college junker.


This is what I traded:
Leather heated seats  for  stained cushions , manual adjustments
Power windows with child proof locks for roll ups
Sun roof for sun spots
Hard drive CD Disk player  for AM/FM cassette player
Locking key mechanism for two keys with blue duct tape on them.
Oil changes needed every 3,000 miles for possible front end repairs needed.

But its paid for, its 1/3 of the insurance cost and by September it will have paid for itself.

All I kept thinking was a Dr. Phil mantra "get what you can pay for".  So this is it....

Its a cool blue though right? Matches sweet with my dancing bears and my peace sign stickers. :O) so what if its from the year I graduated high school (now I am feeling really old!)






 

Just had to share this....

A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule.

A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk.

A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist.

Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the top musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written,with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.

Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats average $100.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station

was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty?

Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?

Magic Cards

Yesterday I stopped at Rite Aid to get a few things for this horrible cold that is taking over my body.  At the counter they had a display of Easter candy and my all time weakness are those little Cadbury eggs. I just can't help myself when they come out!  The sign above them said, buy 1 get 1 free, so of course this gave me permission to indulge. (In my head of course!) As I checked out the clerk asked me, "do you have your savings card?".  I had to stop and think, and knew that this was one of the few stores that I actually did not have a savings card for. The eggs were only at that price for card members so she wanted to know if I still wanted them.  Of course this was a trick, they were already on the counter, they were already part of my 3 o'clock coffee plan for later, so "yes, I will still take them", I replied.  She gave me a card member form and suggested I fill it out because they have a lot of savings only with the card. I put it in my bag and am now staring at it on my table.

I'm a little annoyed!  I must admit.  I have tons of savings cards that I have to use on a weekly basis.  There are several for the grocery stores, one for the office supply store, the baby toy store, the cosmetic store, the pet supply store and a few others I'm not quite sure why I have.  I literally carry a small purse just for the discount cards!  This is ridiculous!  Obviously I shop at these places, why do I have to carry a "special savings card"  just to prove that I am worthy of their discounts? I understand that its marketing, and gives them the ability to save money (the stores that it) for us schmucks who still buy the Cadbury eggs at the usual price instead of the "savings card" price just because we forgot or don't have the magic card! I think I am  going to boycott the whole card thing.  My purse weighs ten pounds just from the mandatory things I have to carry that getting rid of these cards would lighten my load... a little.... unfortunately, my wallet will be lighter too.....

Photo Challenge Day 30

*Day 30*: A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day.

Only because I'm in LOVE with her husband!!