I was so busy turning into to my mother

I might have missed the traits of my father that I seem to have picked up too. The whole travel at Christmas thing I am not a fan I want it to all be at my house. Growing up we NEVER went anywhere for Christmas it was always at home anyone & everyone was welcome but my father was not going anywhere for the holiday. I think that tradition started the first year my folks were married and there were issues about whose family they spent the holiday with. Now don't get me wrong I love my family & I hate not to be with them in CT for the holiday but quite frankly I was fussy about driving less than 5 miles to go to MIL's house for Christmas dinner.
We were suppose to go to CT for the holidays this year but did not not due to lack of vacation time and then David's illness would have thrown a wrench into all plans and the blizzard would have really thrown a wrench into things so our not going happened to have worked out. Don't' get me wrong I would have really rather been with my family but I can tell you the travel would have had me grumbling!

cloak of invisibility

I am considering buying a special hat or sweater or shirt that while I am wearing it would indicate leave me alone, don't ask me any questions, tell me about your video games, ask me to fetch you anything, tell me about some car I have no interest in, offer to do a chore you are not quite up to just yet, I do not want a hug I do not want to hear about your day I don't want to talk about mine and sorry Oscar I do not want to pet you right this second. Sometimes I just need quiet and to be still and to have a thought every once in awhile that is just about me. I promise not to wear it often but when I am at the end of my rope watch for it.

but of course we have to toss in a little bit of crazy

MIL has been a rock throughout all of David's medical problems pretty amazing when you stop and think that he is her baby (and quite honestly her favorite but don't tell the others). So completely awesome I could not do it without her, that being said I get a phone call maybe the day after we brought David home from the hospital and there is a woman at church she knows who couldn't walk without a cane had all sorts of problems and when she stopped taking all her medications she got better walks fine now and maybe we should tell the doctor about that when David goes back to see him....
*sigh* yeah I'll get right on that

well I could have done that

the kiddo's latest & greatest when asked to take out the trash he will take the lid off and pack it down then declare there is still plenty of room for more garbage....

pity party for one

I am trying very hard to be the strong one, the positive attitude, one day at a time, baby steps blah blah one so indulge me in a little whine fest this morning if you will
-David's pain issues kicked into overdrive the weekend of my birthday postponing my birthday dinner at a restaurant I love and only get to umm usually once a year for my birthday
-we postponed to the following weekend the one we spent in the ER after the first of 2 ambulance rides last week
-I have been to zero holiday parties and/or gatherings I haven't even been to a festive lunch. It sucks one of the things I enjoy about the season is seeing and spending time with folks I don't get to see on a regular basis
-Our annual New Years Eve Party will not be happening this year...see above that part about not being able to spend time with friends
-my tree is up but without ornaments. I guess I should be grateful it is a prelit tree or it might not even have lights
-family tradition of each picking out a special ornament each Christmas has not happened
-plans for Christmas dinner involved going out to eat so no one had to cook...that is not an option
-Christmas cards are sitting on the dining room table maybe I'll get them done and out on Christmas Day
-Christmas shopping...the only one getting gifts at this point is Connor everyone else in the family will have to wait
-no holiday concerts or driving around looking at Christmas lights as planned
-I have not watched any Christmas movies or specials yet luckily a few are sitting in my DVR
-our second annual ATL holiday trip to shop, eat and just spend time together did not happen
-my Christmas cheer level is at an all time low....a damn shame as this is normally my favorite holiday and time of the year
so whine whine whine bitch bitch bitch poor me
at least David is home from the hospital and improving, not as fast as I would like but improving. I will find joy and love in the fact the three of us will be together and at home on Christmas day

now the dog is limping

in the midst of the whirlwind medical problems that landed David in the hospital I woke up Friday morning to a sick little boy...ok already he is not so little but he is only 10 and he's my little boy. The first indication that something was wrong.."mommy I can't eat breakfast" this kid never refuses food so I knew something was wrong he then proceeded to tell me that he didn't feel well all night but didn't want to bother me because I needed my rest. That statement had me crying in my coffee..it was short lived and I was cleaning puke of the bedroom carpet in no time. It was thankfully a fast moving tummy bug and he was much improved by Friday evening and completely better on Saturday. David came home from the hospital Saturday and while not all better or heeled making steps in the right direction..I hope. Woke up Sunday morning and poor Oscar was limping.....see I told you they are all trying to drive me crazy

In Case Emergency

everyone is familiar with listing a contact as ICE in your cell phone but here a a few helpful hints that you might not have considered or maybe you have it's just stuff that came up for me this week
-if you are on any regular medications write them down on an index card with exact dosage. It's easy to hand to an EMT worker or a nurse in the ER, also include any allergies you may have.
-if a loved one is in the hospital you may consider packing an emergency bag in your car clothes, deodorant a toothbrush, ibuprofen if you are prone to headaches or are sleeping on a chair next to someones hospital bed..those things are not built for comfort.
As luck would have it I found myself bunking in David's hospital room due to an icy conditions Wednesday evening. They gave me lovely little grey booties for my feet and a baggie with toothpaste & a toothbrush oh a comb too. It would have been nice to have had some pj pants to slip on & be comfy in.
-if you are dealing with hospital time and or frequent doctor visits throw a book in your car or your ipod or ipad something to keep you amused and occupied. I forgot a book but that was remedied but a quick visit to the gift shop.
-if you are taking someone to the ER a quick bag thrown together for them might be a good idea if they are admitted it saves a trip back home

but it's valet parking!!!

as we were waiting for the car to be brought around at the hospital C tried to wrap his head around the idea of valet parking...
"you mean you just give them the keys to your car AND the car? just seems like a bad idea to me"

not a fan of the in sickness part of those vows

I need a really good hug
I need someone next to me a night to rub my head and lull me into sleep
I even need him to be back snoring next to me waking me up
I miss my husband and want him better soon

it's a lot to ask of a 10 year old

I have to go to school and work today and as luck would have it C has a snow day so I have been instructing him on some basic care taking methods for his father, just for today, just for a little while. MIL will be over later so I am not entrusting hubby care entirely on the boy but it did strike me that I can't ask this of the kid in any real capacity..it's not fair on his 10 year old self. Looking at the calendar Christmas break is fast upon us and I want to keep C as occupied as humanly possible during that time. Yesterday we were blessed with enough snow to sled and a great new neighbor who fed & kept a general eye out on C. Today I am going to call his old daycare and see if there are any spots open over the holiday break so he can spend his days with his pals there and I am going to take up some friends on their offers of how can we help as well to keep the kiddo busy, happy & distracted.

and more on that illness thing

most of the right now angst for me surrounding David's illness is we don't know what is wrong and I am scared. I am not a particular fan of the unknown. After a long Saturday we called an ambulance to bring him to the ER to hopefully get some relief. Which we did some relief not a cure and a CT scan & blood work showed nothing. While grateful for that there is a small part that wished they found XYZ and we can do ABC to fix him however they sent him home. Yesterday was rough again but less so than Saturday. Perhaps now insurance will grant the MRI they were questioning clearly something is wrong with the man and I want him fixed dammit. Have I mentioned Christmas is less than 2 weeks away? We have a tree up with lights but no ornaments, my card were ordered just this weekend, have everything ready to do some baking it just has not happened, Christmas gifts well I am going to shop online for C today everyone else will just have to wait this year. I am hanging on by a thread trying to focus on just getting through each individual day.

way to boost my spirits

David is in poor health right now and it has been a trying time quickly for us....I was in tears talking to my mother last night and in her attempts to buoy my spirits she commented on the line of strong women I come from " yourgreat grandmother, well your grandmother wasn't so strong, a strong mother.."
wait a minute what if it skips a generation then I'm screwed too like my grandmother bwahahaa actually the laugh did cheer me up somewhat. Sleep helped a whole pile more.

wait a minute I mean me...

the Jiffy corn bread on the very bottom shelf at Kroger is poor planning at best. Oh it's all well and good when the product is stocked but try shopping for it around the holidays. Invariably it sells well and folks buy the boxes out from the front and you have to dig to get the boxes stocked back further in the shelves or you could assume they are out of stock and shop elsewhere. Luckily I only had to bend down and my arm was just long enough to grab a couple of boxes instead of getting on the dirty floor just for corn bread. I was just annoyed enough to run by customer service and suggest they fix the problem because "you might have an older customer that cannot get the corn bread" and I walked off considering the fact that I'm an older customer not interested in sitting on the floor to shop

not allergic I just don't like the stuff

peanut butter that is...bleech can not stand the stuff. Of course the rest of the household loves peanut butter even the dog loves peanut butter-it's the only way I can get him to take medicine-I will break down annually and have a pb & j sandwich or pb & apple butter and so I hit that annual mark and had a pb & strawberry jelly sandwich, it was good I'll even go out on a limb and say I enjoyed it & it was great. A week later I found myself with no options for lunch and thought what the hell the last pb & j was so good I'll bring one again...bleeech had my annual sandwich and the second try was gross, so I know to wait about a year before trying again

HAPPY TURKEY DAY!

dreaded grocery store visit

I know better and I considered grocery shopping for Thursday this past weekend but it just did not work out because life in general has been crazed to put it mildly lately. So I made my list checked it twice, checked it a third time; I've grocery shopped the night before Thanksgiving before it's not for the feint of heart. So I braved the Kroger last night it was pretty busy but I managed I got what I needed or so I thought.....yes I have to go back this evening

the day after Thanksgiving rule

I am considering breaking my mother's golden rule you know the one about Christmas not beginning until the day after Thanksgiving...Yup I believe my tree is gonna get put up this very weekend, mere days prior to turkey day...shhhh don't tell her.
however I will respect the no Christmas music till next Friday, but next Friday all bets are off it's all Christmas all day

when I win the lottery

I plan on hiring a some full-time help over and above normal cook, housekeeper etc etc...

1. full time masseuse so I can have a massage every day
2. manicurist so I can have nails & toes touched up whenever
3. someone to throw my sheets in the dryer & make my bed up just before I go to sleep each night because I love warm clean sheets

that pretty much covers it....and don't confuse the issue by telling me I'll never win because I never buy tickets

oh yeah I want a steam room too so when I get the inevitable cold I have a room where I can sit and breathe for a little bit

not exactly the party animals we once were

Halloween party on Saturday night and the quick realization that we did not have plans in place for the kid. Hubs said no problem he would ask niece#2 and quite frankly I scoffed okay maybe I just laughed
21 year old niece?
the Saturday before Halloween?
surely to God she had plans to go out but was amazed she was available till I heard the terms.....she has plans to go out at 11...and of course that's fine for us to home by 11...after a party..what's next the early bird special?

shopping without a net

or worse a shopping list...
In an effort to be more budget minded I generally do not go into a grocery store without a very specific list of what we need, even if it's just for milk & bread. This seem to have helped cut down on my wandering up & down aisle buying things we really do not need and spending $50 on a shopping trip that should have run $10. Yesterday evening I was out & about and knew I needed specific groceries for tonight's dinner so I stopped and brazenly decided what the hell I can accomplish the weekly shop and be done with it all. I did very well planning meals in my head and making sure I bought only what we needed. I was oh so proud of myself until this morning when I realized that I was lacking 3 items necessary for today's menu. Today's menu you know the only reason I had gone shopping in the first place.

quit beeping at me already

I am so tired of the cars beeping when I lock them, when I unlock them, when I open the trunk...
KNOCK IT OFF
I pressed the button I know I unlocked, locked or opened the trunk that was my intention

seems only fitting this week

hurricane well me

does this kid ever get full?

David happened to get kiddo duty the other evening picked C up after cross country, grabbed him dinner & took him home. As I sat down to homework around 7 or so C bopped into the kitchen looking for a snack of some sort because "well I didn't have dinner" the meal a meat & two side was served to him around 4:30.....clearly much to early to have been actual dinner

84

that's how many days till Christmas....

you know there is running involved right?

imagine my surprise last week when C brings home the permission slip to join the cross country team. His father is always after him to hustle on the ball field, the basketball court, the boy can run he just takes his time, perfect when you are hitting a home run but... I was concerned and gave him several outs before buying running shoes this weekend after the running shoes I told him he was committed and he had to run whether he wanted to or not at that point and in a related note do you know how expensive running shoes are? I did not and was surprised we didn't want to buy him crap shoes but we were certainly not going high end for his first pair. Flas forward picked him up this afternnon after the first practice & he loved it and the shoes were "awesome to run in". Who knew? I should know better than to sell my son short on anything!

sometimes you do get a do-over

a do over of sorts it is costing me money, time, blood, sweat & tears so not exactly a do-over per se and it's not a fun do over at that...yup Anatomy & Physiology I taking it over again this fall. My ego still smarts a bit from last fall I passed but with less than flying colors so I find myself having to suffer through it again. I'm not making excuses (ok yes I am) the professor sucked I don't care how long he has been there or what his position & title are he was horrible and coupled with a difficult class requiring memorizing & spitting back information (not my strong suit) I was destined for not quite failure (I passed did I mention that?). Imagine how thrilled I was this week to see myself dumped into a class with the same professor luckily with a few clicks of the mouse I was able to enroll in the lecture taught by teacher I had this spring for A&P II. Of course looking at her curriculum I am already overwhelmed with how much work she assigns and classes have not even started yet. I am however hopeful that with all of this assigned work maybe I'll learn something this time around and get a much higher grade. A wee bit pissed off that they switched lab manuals this year to one of those customized books a flippin' scam in my opinion but whatever, lab is going to suck regardless the whole looking at the cadaver thing gets old real quick, old & nauseating that is.....Although while screwed out of $$$ by the change in lab manual the curriculum down to the lab reports remains the same....you know the very same completed lab reports still on my flash drive

grocery shopping on a Saturday afternoon

kinda makes me hate children...not my own he was at home...all the rest of the children in the world...and not even all of them just the ones at Kroger this afternoon

that was short lived

Parent night last night, went in got the highlights of this year found out C is in a pilot program where the 5th graders are in more of a middle school situation with 4 teachers instead of just the one. Did not really find out any more about the program last night but I am going to look more into to it today. I however got some basic info and checked son's binder when I got home to find lo & behold he did not do his social studies homework the prior evening.....and so it starts?! Oh hell to the NO! hopefully the fear of God (or rather mom & dad) got through to him last night and he understands homework is not optional *big sigh*

excuse me while I am "THAT" parent for a moment

very extremely proud looking over C's TCAP scores to see he was really smart/super amazing smart level okay maybe it was just advanced...except math which was merely proficient (my mother & aunt will be disappointed he may not be the math geek they were hoping for) My point being waaay proud of my baby. Evidently his teacher told him that if they still had the TAG (talented & gifted) program at his school he would have been in that. The problem now of course is keeping him interested, engaged & finishing his school work in class so he can live up to these lofty scores..not always the easiest task we have found out through the years *sigh* because quite frankly standardized testing doesn't mean squat at the end of the day

adventures in homework

"how was your day mommy, my day was terrible I have 3 pages of homework"
-well I'm sorry what was so terrible about it?
"the homework"
ba-dump-bump
thanks we'll be here all week try the veal

back to the routine of things

summer break is over and we are back to schedules and having to be at certain places at certain times and it only gets more regimented when my classes start back in three weeks..I already miss summer vacation

you have got to work on the sneaky

for once not a post about my son who is the least sneakiest person I have ever met no no this time his 16 year old cousin Z. Yesterday we were sitting around in a post cookout sort of food induced coma when Z popped out of his room cell phone in hand, recently spritzed with cologne smelling of what I suppose a French whorehouse of some kind might smell like announcing that he needed to go out to a car wash and wash his car....
MIL pointed out that she had a water hose & a vacuum cleaner & he could head out to the driveway and handle it all at home and while he was at it he could wash her car as well. Somehow it turned out that maybe the car was not so dirty after all

my poor gullible child

"well J says that Mrs B does not have a classroom in the intermediate school they ran out of room and my classroom will be in the middle school this year"
hmmmm and the school would tell J all about this but not you or your parents.....
at least he's cute

update: oh good grief wouldn't you know it.....evidently last year her classroom was indeed in the middle school.....I give up

yup he's growing up

on our back to school clothes shopping jaunt this weekend I was politely asked to not accompany C into the changing room. Weirdness but he is growing up not to mention he is shopping in the men's department these days so it would be more than a little odd to go into the changing rooms at this point. C does however need to work on the whole coming out in new clothes so I can see how well they fit etc... and I either need a geek phone or more stores need to offer wifi to keep me amused while I wait out side the changing rooms oh and some chairs or a bench might be nice while you're at it folks

tax-free weekend rolls around again

I'm looking to continue my annual rant and once again complain that my son's school does not have class lists posted yet...those will go up next Thursday and the whole tax-free thing well that ends Sunday at midnight. The school did hand out a what they call a supply list & of course it is the most basic and generic list of all lists as it is each and every year. I have gotten pretty good at guessing what the teachers are going to ask for but invariably I do miss a few items and will wind up shopping again for school supplies next weekend. I just do not understand why well first of all why they can't post the information online and secondly why they can't get it to us before tax-free weekend?!

let the countdown begin

13 days till the first day of school and C is trying to cram in as much fun, sleep & video gaming he can....

well then I just don't want to be right

if air conditioning is wrong

cinematic adventures

I love going to the movies! I have many fond memories of seeing just about everything that came out way back when (okay maybe not everything but I did go to the movies quite often) Childbirth, of course, seriously curtailed movie going experiences which really sucked but there was the DVD player and movies on cable. As C got older we were limited to strictly kid flicks but now heading into the tween years regular type non R-rated flicks have returned to our cinema excursions...however the price of movies geesh $37 last night for 4 of us, nephew Z came along and no way we could disguise his 16 year old self as a kid...that was 37 dollars without refreshments I might add I made the boys purchase their own. I will say the Despicable Me was worth every penny it was really a good movie and an enjoyable way to spend our Tuesday evening

it's all about the bacon

C has recently voiced his interest in visiting other countries specifically Canada for the Canadian bacon of course. And no matter how many times I tell him Canadian bacon is readily available stateside he still wants to go to Canada. For the bacon.

pug wrangling

poor poor Oscar our stinky, not too very bright, hard of hearing, skin problem afflicted pug is now going to blind... The skin issues, ear issue & now the whole blind thing are evidently autoimmune related and there is nothing to really do about any of it, however the vet did prescribe eye drops several times a day to prevent corneal weirdness and let me tell you Oscar just looooves getting eye drops hence the pug wrangling

time to pass the torch?

C has begun to learn the fine art of grilling

let's see how many blog posts I can leave unfinished

have 3 in draft right right now...

does Hallmark have a card for that too?

welcome to menopause..I believe I had my first hot flash this morning. Little disturbing and I will say I am not a huge fan of this especially in the middle of summer maybe we could hold off on more of those till winter...

and an hour later I am still double checking symptoms because it would seem a heart attack has similar symptoms (no I don't really think it is a heart attack but still little freaky)

menopause crikey I mean I knew it was looming out there and it's not like we were planning on another kid or anything but wow still odd

Happy Father's Day

I always wish we lived closer to my parents but more so on holidays

so PC I don't even know what it means

there were some nice gents out in front of wally world the other morning taking donations for the intellectually disabled...my first very non-PC thoughts wandering to some folks I know that are socially retarded but I don't think that would exactly qualify them for funding

what is in a name??

Sunday paper had an article about women keeping their maiden name which is something I wanted to do originally way back when 14 years ago. I like my maiden name not too many people floating around with it I was also kinda use to it and all. My one mention of not taking David's surname was not well received and I dropped it ultimately not so important to me and having a kid it is easier all having the same last name...in this day and age of blended families I am not sure why I find that important but I do. Yet I still find myself looking around for my MIL when when I am called Mrs So & So

birthday traditions

we follow the typical ones birthday boy gets to choose dinner and I cooked a special breakfast. Basic stuff but the one tradition I started when C turned 1 and quite frankly it may not even interest him but it interests me so good enough for me. I am each year saving a copy of our local paper on his birthday. I have always loved history and old magazines & newspapers and I thought this was a simple yet really neat thing he could look back on someday. Of course I missed the day of his birth and quite frankly I think I may have missed last year but I need to double check that. I remembered this year it's a Sunday paper..it will be missing it's coupons

in the blink of an eye

Happy Birthday C

my Monday in the waiting room

how old is too old for a Chuck E party?

C had a few parties at the Chuckster's back in the day and of course we made it to an email list at some point so we get special offers & coupons from time to time, almost always around the birthday wanting us to book a party. C is going to be 10 this year and his last party with the big rat was 5 years ago so my question is when is it exactly they stop offering to book a party for him....when he is 30?

Meatfest 2010

our annual ode to all things meat was yesterday and we served up ribs, chicken, hotdogs, hamburgers, chicken & bbq pork to around 35 peoples ranging from a mere 11 weeks old to 40 somethingish. Tons of food and delish beer from Heinzelmannchen Brewery in NC and good time was had by one and all...well I had fun I hope everyone else did too. A sign of the times would be the party clearing out before 9 now that we are all grown up with kids that have bedtimes the parties do not go in the wee hours of the night like they use to although Pete did fire the grill up again around 9 for one more round of burgers & hotdogs. We know some really great people that I wish we saw more regularly and most definitely more than once a year!

beer run

Pete and I sojourned to NC today to fetch a keg of beer for Sunday's Meatfest festivities. I was reluctant to give up a good portion of party prep time but it turned out to be productive trip as in the course of our travels came across a bakery thrift store to buy buns & chips then we hit Sams on the way home then with one rather quick trip to the grocery the party was properly supplied. It was a beautiful day which made the trip very enjoyable we are already talking of heading over with David & C and making a day of it later in the summer. All that is left is cleaning the diaster that is my house..hope no one brings their white glove we might fail that test....

when reality creeps into your dreams

generally speaking not a fan because it is usually not the fun stuff that pops up in my dreams nope instead it is almost always the things that happen to be weighing on my mind well for instance last night 2 separate but equal problems in my life got wrapped up in a nice little package of angst with a bow on top for me to wake up with on this Monday morning which I happen also not particularly be a fan of

GPS

wonderful for road trips especially in larger cities that we are unfamiliar with and yet I am very much my mother's daughter carrying my atlas with me on any and all road trips we take

whirlwind weekend in the Windy City

Happy Mother's Day!

my sweetest mothers day memory would be from a good 4 years before I became a mother, in our first year of marriage my sweet goofy husband gave me my first mothers day gift because some day I would be somebody's mommmy someday.
So far so good this year I have managed to sleep away most of the morning and will be headed out in a bit to spend the rest of the day with my own mom and the rest of the family.

road tripping

OMG I still detest long car rides and am dreading the one just days away..ugh trapped like a sardine for hour and hours upon end...loathe!!! I am on the flip side really looking forward to seeing most of my family this weekend and grateful my mother will have her kids & grandkids with her on mother's day this year!

a modern day O. Henry tale

well not really my tale has nothing about gift giving and certainly not selflessness in any way shape or form, it is however my second post in less than 2 days about shoes which must mean something but what I am not quite sure. I discovered Marti & Liz yesterday; it's been there for ages apparently so I am not exactly Magellan here but they have an eclectic mix of affordable shoes and you can read about the store here. I found a few pairs I would have loved to purchase but could really not justify this week so I mostly window shopped so to speak and just as I had decided to head out a pair of Coach sandals that I must have walked past several times jumped out at me my size and everything, and they fit and they were only $39.99! A bargain I tell 'ya! Of course that meant I spent my pedicure money on a pair of sandals that I can't wear till I get a pedicure.....

kids & cell phones

have been very much against this idea for quite some time in spite of countless pleas from my almost 10 year old..he has no real need for one or does he???? if his goofy father would answer his cell this morning I might not be rethinking my position.

cinderella?

used to be I wore a size 9 shoe always a size 9 I could walk into any shoe store pick a pair size 9 and buy them without bothering to try them on..I could get shoes as a gift because the buyer could buy me a size 9 and they would fit but then. The only downside to the situation was I could not squeeze my size 9s into my Imelda Marcos like mother's size 8 1/2 shoe collection. C'est la Vie. And then many moons ago pregnancy happened and I was no longer a size 9 shoe, my feet seemed to balloon over night and like so many things anatomically my feet were not quite the same after childbirth. Shoe shopping became excruciating because now depending on the cut of the shoe sometimes I am a 9 1/2 and sometimes a 10 the occasional size 9 will still fit but cute shoes are increasing difficult to find in those larger and half sizes! And forget shopping online I have to try on every pair of shoe I buy and I have a feeling online would involve way to many returns and too much hassle for my tastes. So I am left drooling over petite sized adorable shoes and in search of the holy grail in larger sized shoes..maybe I need to befriend a drag queen and find out where they shop

summer camp

about time for my annual whine about not ever going to summer camp.....and I ALWAYS wanted to go to summer camp. Summers were always fun, I grew up back in the days that you got on your bike and were gone maybe till lunch or even dinner running around with friends. For many years we would go to the beach several times a week, we took little day trips with my mother & grandmother, lunches, trips to book stores and the standard 1 week family vacation in Vt. excruciatingly very normal, very Mayberry but alas no camp for me..no one I knew went to camp either so I have no idea why I fixated on this...or why I still am for that matter but there it is and I am sure I'll complain same place similar time next year as arrangements are made for C and his summer. He will be attending the same daycare/summer camp he has been for the past 4 years with a week in CT to see my folks and 2 weeks of basketball camp (week 2 courtesy of MIL) of course C came with a flyer a 4-H sleep away camp that he was salivating over and I have come across various and sundry week long camps that I think he would get a kick out of...oh okay some of them I want to go to too! The camp he goes to will credit 1 week a summer but they do not have a revolving door policy and C will not be headed to 4-H camp-this summer anyway next summer due to age restrictions will be the last at his current daycare and in 2 years I will be scrambling around trying to find a variety of week long camps with full day hours to keep him occupied as well as foisting him on various and sundry relatives for a week here or there

how does one accidentally run?

C has been having severe allergy related issues this spring, much like last spring but worse complete with an asthma type attack, low Oxygen level etc etc...He went to the doctor on Tuesday had a breathing treatment was prescribed a few things fine okay he is improving. The nurse practitioner had also sent along a note excusing him from recess & gym for the remainder of this week which I told him included afternoon outdoors play at daycare. He was none too thrilled because what fun is it sitting down with a book when you can be up and playing with your friends, he even asked me to pick him up early because he couldn't play. I just got a phone call from him from school which to start with I shudder to see the school on caller id but luckily it was just C letting me know he "accidentally ran" but felt just fine and could he play at daycare? So beware of accidental running it can happen anywhere...

last meal

a few years ago I seem to remember the last meal nonsense was the trendy thing of the moment and while I have no plans (hopefully) for a last meal anytime soon I would have to pick leftovers.....yes leftover chicken parmesan may be my favorite dish of all times why on earth is l;eftover Italian food so damn good?

a watched pot never boils

and a phone doesn't ring when you are awaiting news either

sibling rivalry

sounds so negative what about sibling one upmanship for our purposes this morning...my husband and his brother they have it except it is mostly in reverse with David who is the younger brother doing things first and JJ his older brother following. Generally speaking it is extremely innocuous usually it is about a new food, a movie or a new band and of course local restaurants. The latest would be our excursion to the Brasserie last weekend for brunch which as luck would have it had my MIL calling this morning offering to take the family over there this morning for brunch and I am guessing it is BIL who put the bug in her ear but however it shook out hell it works for me!!!!

never wake a sleeping child

parenting 101 right? except sometimes the mommy gene overrides all sanity and logic and one finds oneself waking the baby in an effort to confirm the baby is still breathing....I am curious clearly C is not a baby so when does this overwhelming an idiotic compulsion stop???? I just woke my almost 10 year old "baby" to make sure he was still breathing because he does not normally sleep until almost 8 on the weekends

my new method to deal with stress

climbing into bed and putting my head under the covers.....the theory needs a little work but it'll do for a weary Friday evening

it wasn't really all that ironic

the rain on our wedding day that is I've always heard it was good luck!
14 years later and I am still deeply in love with my dear husband David even those times when I want to smother him with a pillow to make him stop snoring

best laid plans

big dinner plans on Saturday were thwarted by the popularity of the tiny tiny restaurant, even with reservations we were looking at about a half hour wait at best near as we could tell. Plus tables were jammed in to fit as many folks as possible and the noise level did not really lend itself to a quiet dinner for two as it was going on 8 o'clock we opted out for the evening winding up with Captain D's to go and an evening at home. Disappointing but we would have been more disappointed spending a sizable chunk of money on a dinning experience we would not enjoy....although I am quite sure the food would have been great so we may try again at a later date with an earlier reservation time perhaps. Regrouping included plans for brunch at one of our favorite restaurants the Northshore Brasserie, we love the brasserie and have been numerous times for dinner & lunch but never brunch because well we do not go to brunch often enough for my liking. But brunch it was & brunch there was stupendous! a little pricey but not really when you consider the quality, quantity & variety of food being served and I might add I have not even mentioned the whole kids under 12 eating for free....so we have another 2 years where C could eat free!

from the is it really necessary files

those stick figure bumper stickers with your family....do we really need to know you have 2.3 kids, a dog,a cat, 3 fish and a bunny?

Happy Bunny Day!

-church was of course SRO and that was the early mass I can't imagine how packed the later masses will be
-people drive like idiots in the church parking lot you'd think otherwise but you'd be wrong
-families dressing matchy matchy creep me out
-not an Easter hat or bonnet in sight this morning..
-I do not get worked up about wardrobe for church no one is going to hell for wearing jeans on a Sunday but to the little chickie in that strapless number this is not a night club wear a shrug or a sweater or something next time
-started working on dinner the carrot cake cupcakes smell way to delish hope they make it till dinner
-have eggs boiled but somehow not dyed yet...
-Easter Bunny still way creepy but he does have the very best candy
-peeps are only meant to be eaten at Easter it should be law

oxymoron of the day

fast food...rarely fast and sometimes not food at least not anything easily recognizable

Easter...really???

how is it Easter already....wasn't it just Christmas??? I need to stop by the grocery store on the way home to pick up eggs we somehow missed out last year on that since we were road tripping and wouldn't you know C still expects the "bunny" to deliver something and I might add Easter bunny still creepy as hell but he does have the very best candy

name, rank & serial number

growing up the biggies were learning your phone number & address, I still remember my first phone number HA1-6..something, something, something okay maybe I don't exactly remember I'm old give me a break. These days kids have to learn the above and cell phone numbers, more than likely several cell phone numbers. And it struck me yesterday as C passed our email address to someone that it is some pretty handy info for kids to learn as well.

spring break

this time for the kiddo and nope not doing anything this year either...there has been talk of a Disney trip for next spring break but of course we were suppose to go this summer right after school let out, that got changed to Thanksgiving at some point and currently I guess it has been dropped altogether for now with hopes for next March. I suppose the only way we will get it done is if I just book it and make a down payment forcing us to actually pay for the trip. Not much going this week hubs & I have work, I have school, although labs were cancelled this week giving me this evening off, C had his sleepover, is spending some time with MIL, has gone to daycare a couple of days and is spending the day with David on Friday doing guy stuff I suppose. Unfortunately I don't have any vacation to spare and take a day off with him this year which bothers me but it cannot be helped. We have some Mommy/C time booked for Saturday starting out at the ihop for breakfast which I am looking forward to

dear US Government

-first off huge waste of money sending me a letter telling me you are sending me a census form then sending me a census form
-it probably even came on a Saturday for all I know, yes please drop Saturday delivery of mail it'll save tons of money and most of us can wait till Monday to get our junk mail
-kudos on the "count" of gays & lesbians; families do indeed come in all forms!
-they come in all colors too.....my son is multi-racial, hell for that matter most of the south has American-Indian blood of some sort in their background, anywho no box to denote any variations on that

the sleepover

-sleepover is a complete and utter oxymoron the boys got maybe 3 hours of sleep last night
-I did not get a whole hell of a lot more
-we need a bigger house preferably one that has a common area far away from our bedroom
-of course that lends itself to a whole host of other problems
-these kids can eat
-they are loud
-any pangs I may have about just having 1 child can easily be cured with a sleepover
-I have enjoyed the hell out of all the laughter & frivolity in the past 16 or so hours

is okra a food group?

somehow or another I made it 30 odd years or so before being introduced to the goodness that is fried okra..somehow?! oh wait yeah I am a northerner I don't think I had even heard of it growing up..but I love the stuff now and just recently I discovered that at the Walmart there is a deli area a deli area that sells hot food stuffs including yup you guessed it fried okra and yes yes indeed I did stop and get some after class this morning

not worth the hassle or the mess

I am sure but I do love the smell coming from the neighbor's fireplace

that looming teenage mouth

C was trying to convince me of something and I reminded him that I was once 9 as well and he wasn't exactly inventing the wheel here..he did not even skip a beat and pointed out that neither had I...touche my boy touche

bio-hazard or just another 5th period Biology class?

back in the olden days like say um early 80's we did blood typing in biology class..hell we probably even shared lancets at the time for all I can remember flash forward many years and many infectious diseases later now it is a bio-hazard lab at the college level with no nonsense no drawing any one's blood but your own no more fun & games at all..

the innerweb is an amazing thing

as I had some news about my niece in Chicago from my brother Afghanistan before I heard about it from SIL in Chicago it strikes me how frickin cool communication has become. Big thanks to google chat for being awesome and Al Gore for inventing the innerweb

here is where I complain about grocery shopping again

or rather the baggers if you are going to pay these pimply faced teens to bag groceries why don't you teach them how to do it properly?
-I bring my own bags from home to be utilized there is no prize if there are bags leftover
-in plainer English do not cram so many groceries into each bag so that they are so heavy I cannot lift them
-unless of course you are planning to come to my house and carry them into my kitchen for me
-canned goods should go with canned goods, cold items with cold, meat with other meats
-this boils down to try and pack similar items together
-thank for asking no I do not want my milk in a bag
-I did however want the bread in a bag...wth?
-and the rectangular detergent that has no handles whatsoever yes that put in a bag I brought plenty of them in fact there were indeed leftover bags
-and little checkout person my years in retail began before you were born I think so friendly advice idle chit chat stick to idle chit chat I do not need details of your life I have a dozen things running through my head your sleep issues not a concern I have my own thank you very much.

and finally dear grocery store I bring my own bags take a page out of Target's book and give me a 5 cent credit per bag or hell charge to use the plastic bags each time they shop, if folks were spending money on them they might not end up as litter

the weekly grocery shop

growing up traditionally grocery shopping was done Saturdays mornings directly after we ate breakfast at a local diner. As an adult my weekly grocery shopping excursions tend to vary according to how crazy my schedule is but for the most part I had been going on Sunday afternoons which is okay except when Sunday is your only day off during the week so I tried shopping Saturday afternoons which would be fine but EVERYONE shops on a Saturday afternoon so you know that really does not work so well for me. My default day currently has been Monday afternoons after work not a great day & time but doable with my current schedule which makes it a winner...however this morning after I dropped C at school around 7:30ish I stopped in to pick up something for lunch and found the grocery store near empty! near empty!!! Which got me thinking why not shop first thing in the morning? The only draw back being of course C won't be available to help carry groceries in from the car....that is until school lets out for summer.

might have to unfriend her

have a friend from college that I reconnected with on facebook and she rarely updates her status except apparently for now while she is on an annual 3 week holiday in Aruba! Who in the hell has 3 weeks of vacation and can afford to spend them in Aruba?!! not me dammit I may very well de-friend her this week

no no I ate a LOT of BBQ

when I was pregnant that is and if when C was was born they told me his blood type was mesquite I would not have be surprised in the least. That is why I find it all too cute when asked what David could bring C for lunch at school today the final decision was ribs.

sucks to have only had a boy

this time of year I tend to regret not having a little girl to have bought adorable Easter dresses for not that C doesn't look dapper in a suit & tie but come on are these dresses not frickin adorable?

student loans

loan

Function: noun

1 a : money lent at interest b : something lent usually for the borrower's temporary use
2 a : the grant of temporary use b : the temporary duty of a person transferred to another job for a limited time
there you go thanks to merriam-webster. I know of several people (and I suspect I will know of a few more before tax season is over) that were surprised this year to find the federal government kept their tax returns and applied them towards unpaid student loans. Now I am far from perfect I too defaulted on my student loans however at this point in time they have been paid in full for many years now. And I will grant you it does suck to have money you thought was coming your way to be snatched out from under you but they are loans and if you don't pay them back there are repercussions that was what all the paperwork you signed said I'm guessing I don't think I read it either a the time. And I think it a bit hypocritical to run around screaming about big government taking money did you not take theirs? or did the y force the student loan upon you?

woo hoo on spring break!

that's right as of 10:30 this morning oh wait I am still married, still have a kid and a dog and a house that seems to self generate dirty laundry & dishes, still have the full time job...well crap spring break is not as much fun as it use to be now is it?

whose feelings are you hurting?

I discovered early on in our marriage that while in the midst of a disagreement David would tend to sleep as far away from me a possible to the extent that I wondered if he might fall on the floor in the middle of the night. I will admit to taking a little bit of liberty and trying to spread myself out as much as possible to see if if would in fact fall out of bed..it never happened in spite of my efforts. Of course nowadays we have a spare room where he camps out to sulk leaving me with the queen sized bed.....a very comfy queen sized bed all to myself

dug myself into a fairly large hole

just been miserable and down on lots of things in my life right now...without any good cause..and it is wearing thin on me and I am sure on the folks around me too but I can't seem to shake the negativity. I just don't know how to dig myself out while everything & everyone just kinda annoys the hell out of me lately...bleeech

Monday.....

why is it some Mondays are more Mondayier than others?

how about you pay me & I won't beat 'ya

came across a parent today that suggested paying their kid to do their homework...I am guessing they are at wits end fighting the homework fight but rewarding a kid for something they are suppose to be doing?! um hell to the NO. I cannot even fathom...start taking stuff away or grounding or take away the extra curricular stuff but paying a kid to learn no wonder kids are more and more entitled. Guess I'll just continue to be mean mommy

do I look that old?

overheard someone mention their age as being 48 and my first thought was oh my God is that all you are? I seriously would have pegged that person as maybe 10 years older..of course my next thought was OMG how old to people think I am??? I am well aware I am no longer a spring chicken and the only reason I am getting carded for booze is because they card everybody or maybe they are looking for a bigger tip by trying to butter me up..but do I look 42? because I am not just quite 43 yet I have a few months left 'ya know?

you lost me at shower cap

Bless his heart David must have been watching another infomercial because lo and behold a new line of hair products arrived on my doorstep yesterday afternoon. I am perfectly content with my current hair care regime basically I buy what is on sale or what I have a coupon for and well if it is both I am sure to put in the the shopping cart, but nice gesture on hubs part I will try the new stuff. I looked at the literature they threw in the box as filler and #1 on their list of suggestions is to each night wet my hair and put in the shampoo or conditioner or whatever it is then put on a shower cap and sleep in the shower cap.....really have you lost your ever lovin' mind? I don't think so guess I will not experience the optimum effects of this stuff

okay already I admit it I want a damn iphone!

as my friends warned me the ipod touch is just a gateway gadget and they were right! While I love the touch I am at the mercy of wifi capabilities.....which makes me wonder why the whole world isn't wifi yet?! bastards..anywho wanting an iphone but we are not switching phone carriers which leads me to wonder if when our contract is up at the end of the year can I convince David that I absolutely need and hafta have whatever geek phone of the moment that sprint is offering knowing all to well that I don't absolutely hafta have one I just really really really want one

do we have a gnome?

or has someone broken into my house to steal all of our spatulas as well as the flat sheet from a set of relatively new sheets?
Somebody better fess up soon!

vacation

still desperate for one don't know when or if one will happen anytime soon....which bites let me tell 'ya! We have a couple of weekendy type excursions planned and hopefully home to see my folks this summer but that's all we got and even all that is not set in stone as of yet :(
whine whine whine

another tale from the my son is a weirdo files

Fat Tuesday I was going to do something special and change up the menu to make pancakes & sausage for dinner, had to make an extra stop at the store on the way to pick up kiddo, got stuck in horrible/ridiculous there is no reason for this traffic but finally got to the boy and got home, get settled about to cook when C asks me about dinner I tell him the pancake plan and his response is a crest fallen face and " but I thought you were making the chicken masala dinner"...weirdo kid doesn't want the pancakes but is all about the curry chicken and it was good but I kinda had my heart set on pancakes.

when is is you are officially a grown-up?

obviously I am an adult at 42 but I still have trouble with the concept of being a grown-up....My SIL made reference of herself as Mrs (insert her surname here) and my first thought was what does my mother have to do with this conversation? Of course similarly any time anyone calls me Mrs (insert my surname here) I immediately think no no you are looking for my MIL. When I was a kid my parents always seemed to have everything under control yet most days I feel like I am flying by the seat of my pants so when is the magic moment that I get to sit at the grown-ups table?

I am grateful for my job

truly I am I swear:
I am grateful to get a paycheck every two weeks.
I am grateful for an employer that lets me work sometime unconventional hours so that I can be in school or I can fetch my child when he is early dismissed from his school. They are also okay with the infrequent times I have to bring him along to hang out for a shift.
That being said one of the few perks at getting stuck working on Saturdays was the fact that absolutely no one else was in the offices working, just me except somewhere along the way the owners have started working on Saturdays disturbing my peace and quiet and it makes me very cranky very cranky indeed!

the "common" cold

bah and humbug they can put an artificial heart into someones chest but they have not come up with a cure for a cold yet? Never mind wear red for the cure day wear yellowish green (in honor of mucus) for the cure!

Knox county school system lost their minds today

flurries....flurries that were not sticking to anything got the kids out of school 3 hours early! And I might add it's not even flurrying now..but it brings me back to the snow day conundrum the weather was not bad enough today to warrant anything he could have safely gone to daycare which would have been easier on everyone (that should read me) but this sort of protocol is not something that can be changed on a whim. So what to do what to do??? In case of real snow I would like to know that he will picked up and taken straight home so I suppose protocol will have to stay as it is currently even though it is an inconvenience when the school system has lost it's ever-loving mind.

did you know Valentine's day was upon us?

me & the hubs don't really "do" Valentines day because it is a made up holiday if he can't manage to buy me flowers on some random day in ohh August then we have a problem but but did purchase some overpriced roses on February 14 because the holidays Gods told him to please I'd be annoyed. Anyway the kid still has a party at school on Friday so we stopped to pick up valentines for his classmates, settling again on the football themed valentines as the others were deemed just "too babyish". I told him to grab something for his teacher whom we suspect he has a little crush on....he picked a rather large $12 box of candy and since David & I have a $10 limit on each other i was not about to spend more on C's teacher!

I need a check for $30

-for what?
-oh for the library fine
-$30?? that sounds like a lost book what did you lose?
-um nothing there is a penny a day fine for overdue books
-you have a book 3000 days overdue? maybe you should recheck that with the librarian

later that same day
-oh I was wrong my fine was only $1.20 I must have misheard
....yeah yeah you must have

February 4

eaten out of house & home

Most evenings I cook with leftovers in mind except now I have to factor in C's appetite, never mind the leftovers some nights you are lucky to get a first portion and God help me he has not even hit puberty yet! and then there is the nights we occasionally have teenage cousin Z.....for those nights I have considered just putting a trough up in the kitchen and letting them go to town

re: soul food

we can scratch neck bones and gravy off my list..they tasted fine but getting spinous process in my mouth well grossed me out to no end. Silly I know because I will happily gnaw on a rib, leg, thigh even a cheek but the vertebral column umm no. David needs to just have his momma make this for him I am not even gonna attempt it.

the wine snobs will cringe

but I have been known to purchase my wine based solely on how silly the name is

isn't that a bitch

I dreamt that my hip was hurting and sadly enough it was reality and not so much a dream

it's beginning to look like an episode of Hoarders in here

don't get me wrong I have always been a clutter queen and I come by it honestly have you met my mother or grandmother for that matter? That said my house is generally fairly clean except lately even I am starting to get scheevd out by the amount of crap piling up around us. And yes I am busy with work, school and well life however this is gonna stop I am going to do a little bit each and every day or maybe just a lot bit each weekend. One room at a time is my new motto!

going to sit back and enjoy the argument

going on in my living room with the teenager & BIL about attending a Lil Wayne concert...hahhhahaha yup gonna laugh now because I am sure in a mere short amount of time it'll be our son that is the teenager wanting to do something ridiculous with his friends.....
hahhahahaha

yup I still loathe you

those names & faces from the "olden days" of high school and younger in fact...thanks FB there are people I forgot for a reason, not many but a select one or two okay maybe three that I never liked then and continue to not like

weekend what weekend??

-C has a basketball game in the morning
-I have to work 5-6 hours tomorrow
-homework and lots of it needs to be accomplished
-grocery shopping
-laundry
-a little house de-clutter really needs to happen
-we have current plans that involve foot ball watching most of Sunday at a friend's house
and I am not even going to begin to discuss my Christmas tree which yes is still up

no I don't want fries with that

-I do not want to try the hot chocolate
-I do not want a second sandwich for a dollar
-I do not want to donate a dollar to diabetes research
-or earthquake relief
-or any other charity of the week
-I do not want to save 10% and open a charge card
-I do not want to join your email list I am already on your email list
I am spending money at your establishment can't that just be enough for now?

what do you want to be when you grow up?

a simple enough question..maybe not when you are 42 but it was simple once

yes I am irrational when I am sleepy

because I am taking David's snoring, coughing and general tendency to thwart my quest of a good night of sleep personally and I am annoyed with him...It's gonna be a day to heavily caffeinate and get over myself

hulu rocks

okay so late to that club I suppose..I have heard about it but never really had cause to go to the site or watch anything but as I screwed up my DVR this past week and was sorely disappointed to find only 1 minute of a show taped so I drug out the computer and went hulu-ing and yay good to know it's available in a pinch

funny how that works out

why is it so many "good" Christians are the most close-minded and judgemental people you could ever come across?

kitchen appliances I don't need for $200 Alex....

but I really really want one

and thus is starts

it in fact started last week
"well I think for my birthday..."
"maybe we could for my birthday..."
"who know I have a birthday coming up..."
yes yes up do in JUNE shut up aboutcha' damn birthday already kid

guess I figured wrong

I thought everyone bought enough groceries to last the ice age earlier in the week...um no evidently not beacuse the store was an absolute nuthouse this afternoon it took me twice as long to take care of my weekly shop which got me cranky, talk to myself cranky and you would think people would get out of the way of a cranky lady muttering under her breath but again no it just made them move slower and/or stand in one spot blocking access to the rest of the aisle

yes I watch too much tv

so shoot me I also read a lot too but I like to unwind watching trashy tv made entirely easier with he invention of the DVR thank you um well whomever invented that. here are a few of my favorites in no particular order:

-NCIS yes I know it has been on for quite some time I just started watching it
-Burn Notice yay about to start up again
-Top Chef-
-Deadliest Catch
-Project Runway
-Bourdain No Reservations new season starts Monday!!!
-Closer-Law & Order Criminal Intenet
-Men of A Certain Age
-Ugly Betty-
-Greys Anatomy & Private Practice
-In Plain Sight
-The Good Wife
-pretty much any of the Real Housewives series on Bravo except maybe the OC the original has never really held my interest
-Rescue Me
I watch other stuff too but these keep my DVR pretty full!

snow day

yeah not really for us growned ups but the kiddos are out of school. I would love a snow day comfy & cozy in my pjs but David & I will fall back to our snow routes and go to work together 'cause you know what icy roads I don't like 'em never have even when I lived in the land of real snow-yes I am a snarky northerner when it comes to snow and you know what the only difference is "they" clean the streets all of them an generally really well so you aren't trapped in your house. Luckily C will get dropped over at MIL for snow day at her house which I am sure will entail lots of video game playing. I guess we should get this show on the road!

early dismissal conundrum

calling for snow this afternoon so what do we do with C should the schools close early?
Last year I let him take the daycare van as he does every day I went to daycare and waited close to 2 hours for my son to arrive they have 3 schools to pick up from and each and every school was evidently utter & complete chaos. And while the roads never got too too bad the road to daycare and the hill it is on was not good I was none too amused and I was already not amused by having to wait for 2 hours for my kid to arrive. So I signed the sheet that he would be picked up by a parent or grandparent, now if it is snowing I know the grandparent who is local would not venture out to pick him up so I will be keeping a close eye on the weather and school information and hopefully just hopefully the weather will hold & the snow will start later this afternoon like 4 or maybe 5pm would be really great

and the 12:45 update
not a single damn flake and the schools are closing exactly 1 hour early which means as worked out previously with C this morning I will pick him up from school!!!!! UGH!!!!!! As there is no inclement weather picking him up at daycare would have been easier but I said any early dismissal and I would pick him up so the million dollar question is when do I leave work? and how horrible will the horrendous pick up line be exactly?

the things my husband does to drive me crazy

or crazier as the case may or may not be...
He has decided to go dairy free not completely nutso I suppose however a pain since he informed me after I had planned the weekly menu and finished grocery shopping.

odds have it that

the dumb ass driver in front of you is on a cell phone!
3 out of 3 times thanks to my really unscientific sampling on the way to work this morning

life without people

interesting enough the first time I watched but a series? really?!?
Do they ever explain exactly where all the people go? There does not appear to be any corpses or anything hanging about are all the people abducted by space aliens? Inquiring minds wanna know.

holiday recap

they were good end of story..okay they were also busy and as usual I was far from prepared, overwhelmed and they are over already but as usual I also enjoyed them. I was disappointed to not be able to spend the holiday with my folks in CT but honestly Christmas is hard to get away. Now if we could get them to travel once in awhile it would be great but I am not holding my breath. Hopefully next year works out and we can trek up to CT to be with them, not always easy when you work in retail and have a kid and are in school etc etc you get the point I am busy. Already I am swearing I am going to be more organized next year but I think I say that every year don't I?? pretty sure I do & maybe one of these years I actually will be. Again not holding my breath I know me. New Years Eve was good we hosted our annual event with friends I had fun and hope everyone else did too. I was able to work in some new recipes for munchables which I always enjoy doing. Regardless of what is going on next year I hope to have a few vacation days saved up so I could take a day or two off to enjoy family and friends a little more and maybe just maybe not seem so rushed again working in retail..easier said than done. I do think David and I are going to add in the trip to Atlanta each year to celebrate my birthday, do some Christmas shopping and just spend some time together sans kiddo I am already looking forward to that too.

merry happy new year!

life just keeps trucking on and once again I am hopeful for a happy, healthy and maybe hopefully a prosperous new year! oh and yeah I still don't buy into the resolution thing exactly there is quite a bit about myself & my life I would like to improve it the upcoming year