Florida

mommy card

How much trouble can my kids get in to? I really and truly just want to give the mommy card back. The following is a smidgen of a pity party, so either close the window or just bare with me.

I realize kids are just going to be kids. I realize that kids push their limits. I realize that kids are just kids.

What I don't understand is why I cannot seem to make a difference. Why can't I get her to quit lying? Why can't I get him to make better choices? Why can't I get either of them to just not do the stupid stuff? Why can't i find a punishment to make an impact?

I am exhausted. Nothing I do seems to make a difference. So I ask other parents what they do when their kids screw up...apparently my kids are the only two that make retarded decisions.

So for right now, in this moment, i quit. i can't do this job, i can't teach them how to be good people and how to make good decisions. so i turn my mommy card back in.

tomorrow...maybe i'll try again

Someone's at the door...

That is the text message I received from The Boy this morning. GREAT, JUST FREAKIN GREAT.

Let me back up a little for you.

We have scary neighbors living next door to us as of 5 months ago or so. I mean scary, like gotta be drug dealers or something scary. At first The Man told me I was paranoid, but suffice it to say I am now not the only one who thinks so. Our quiet little couldesac of 6 houses now is even quieter because no one lets their kids play out front and I think all the stay at home moms are now watching out their windows 24/7.

While we were out of town last week, one of the neighbors called the police due to the loud noises and high traffic late late at night. The scary neighbors left before the police arrived, maybe have a police scanner, and things got quieter at night. Now the high traffic and random people are showing up in the evenings.

Sidenote: If you know me, you know that i tend to worry a lot and have a very overactive imagination. But I really don't think that is the case here and neither do the neighbors we have spoken to.

The Man and I decide that with the increased traffic we need to talk to the kids and re-enforce the rules of staying home during the day by themselves and staying safe.
1. Don't answer the door for any reason - even if you know the person
2. Don't tell people on the phone that we aren't home. Tell them we are in the bathroom and we will call them back.
3. Do NOT go outside for any reason, front or back yard
4. Only call 911 if there is a TRUE emergency


So after lots of questions, The Boy getting a little freaked out and The Girl really not understanding the severity of the situation we send them on their way after promises to comply and promises that 911 will ONLY be called in the case of an emergency.


Fast forward to this morning...

I get to work at 8:15
I get a text message from the boy at 8:30 that says "someone is at the door"
WTH

I call The Boy and tell him not to answer the door and go to the window to see if he can see who is out there. In my mind I'm thinking several things:

1. How in the heck is this happening after we just had this conversation last night?
2. Why do I have to work so far away?
3. Who is out there?

He tells me it's a police car...HUH? What?? What do you mean a police car? OH GOD why do i have to work so far away.

I tell him I'm going to call the neighbors to have them go check it out and he is NOT to answer the door. He says, "um mom...I think The Girl may have called 911..." "well, she said she tried to call 811, but might have hit 911".

She gets on the phone and I ask her not so calmly why she would do that..."I was trying to call 811" Really??? I ask her why in the world she would do that. Tell her she has NO idea how much trouble she is in and to go upstairs to her room and I'll talk to her in a little bit.

In the meantime I have called the neighbors and he is out their talking to the police officer and "apparently" they received call from our house... Yeah, just freakin' great. So he gets on the phone to talk to me and I don't even really give him a chance to talk I just immediately start rambling "yeah, I am so sorry we just had a LONG conversation about the scary neighbors on the other side of us and told them that if they had an emergency they were to call 911 but only if it was an emergency and apparently she decided that maybe she needed to practice and again i really am sorry..."

and no, there was no punctuation in the rambling either...i'm not sure i ever took a breath.

He still wanted to talk to the kids to make sure they were ok so i told him I would call The Boy and let him know to go answer the door.

The police officer talks to the kids, not near as harsh as he should have been, and then he leaves. I tell The Boy to have The Girl call me from the home phone. I jumped all over her and then The Man called and got all over her too. She knows she is in LOTS of trouble now.

UGH- why is it so hard to understand that ONLY IN AN EMERGENCY really means just that.

Wonder how long before CPS shows up?

OH, and this was all over and done with before 9:00 am

Gentlemen

True gentlemen are hard to come by...unless you live in Texas. I think that is one of my favorite things about living here. I love that men hold doors for me, say thank you, call me mam, and are just in general very kind.

However, if you (a man) are the last one to walk into a crowded elevator with your rolling briefcase and we are all getting off on the main floor, please do not just stand in the middle of the open doors and hold them open for the women who are standing at the BACK of the elevator. We can't get out with you in the way. I really appreciate that you are trying to let the ladies go first, but for the love of all things good, please get out of the way! Thank you though.

We're baaaaack

Well we made it back from Florida. It was an eventful trip and really not too relazing. BUT we had a good time and lots of good memories were made. Here are the highlights of the trip:



1. The Girl got a stomach virus the day we got to the beach that lasted for 3 days.

2. I got in the ocean...without the full wetsuit Woot Woot!

3. The Boy LOVES to boogie board

4. Surf camp did not happen due to the stomach virus

5. Vacationing with the WHOLE family...well, it was an experience (that might not be repeated)

6. The Dolphin Cruise was great, such neat animals

7. I was a good girl and made sure we all used sunscreen, yes even me. A week at the beach and I did not burn, not even one time.

8. The Man is a cleaning machine when forced with the option of cleaning or sitting in a living cram packed with his family.

9. A week was not near long enough, I was so sad to leave the amazing water and sand.

10. I am already looking forward to going back next year with just us and the kids...maybe we should try CA next year???



I will upload some pictures tonight. We got the BIG family picture, of grandparents, cousins, aunts & uncles. I think I got the picture I wanted of our family to go over our fireplace... what do you think? I can't quite decide if i like it or not... It doesn't look this blurry in the original format. click on it and see if it does when you make it bigger.

I am...

Super Woooomannn, yes I am...yes she is.....

Alicia Keys - you know me well

I Heart Faces - giveaway

I Heart Faces is an amazing site for photographers. They have a lot of really good resources...as well as some great give aways. Today, Kodak has partnered with them to give away a new Kodak ESP-9 All-In-One Printer...head over there and enter.

Wednesday funny

Because today is Wednesday...and I only have 2 1/2 more days of work left before we head to the beach...I thought I would share a funny funny post from one of my favorites. Vodka Mom shared this list of what her kindergartners are NOT allowed to do now that they are in "big kid" school. She absolutely cracks me up and I love to check in on her to see what her life throws in her path.

Things we are not allowed to do now that we are in "big kid" school:

* We don’t give free massages during read-aloud.
* We don’t tickle other people.
* We don’t put our hands in our pants or anyone else’s pants.
* We don’t walk on the tables.
* We do not poop in our pants, cause that’s digustin’.
* We do not use potty words because they’re not propriate (We don’t even say pooh-pooh and we only say “p” when we are talking about the letter.)
* We do not walk backwards.
* We don’t get married in kindergarten.
* We do not punch each other in the head because your eyeball might pop out and bleed and that would be digusting.
* We do not pick our noses in school, only at home.


What REALLY cracks me up is that these things still apply to The Boy who will be going into 7th grade this year. Maybe I should post this in his room...

One of those moments

have you ever had one of THOSE moments? One of those moments when you know that He is watching out for you? One of those moments that had it been any other day...it wouldn't have turned out so well?

Today...was one of those moments. As I watched the vehicle fall off the bridge directly in front of my car, and new that I had time to stop...time to not hit him, time to not get hit from behind, and time to just sit and breathe.

thank you, thank you for watching over me, thank you for keeping me safe, thank you for allowing me to get home safely to this crazy wonderful family.

OY

What a day!

Heaven

I remember as a little girl wondering what Heaven was like. I have read what it tells me in the Bible, but in my minds eye...I see something different. I remember watching the movie Ghost and wondering if that was what it was like to die.

OK, wait. I swear this is not a morbid post.

Anyway, I wondered if I would be able to "know" I was in Heaven...like I "know" I am sitting here at my desk typing. Would it feel like this? Would I be aware that I was no longer with my family and friends and that I was walking down streets of gold?

Does any of this make sense?

Then several years ago I watched the movie What Dreams May Come with Robin Williams. That was it! That is what I want my Heaven to look like. From time to time this movie comes back into my mind and I picture how peaceful his Heaven was. How beautiful it was. The scenes where he is on the steps and there are angels and people floating around and kids playing...it is so amazing to me. That is what I hope Heaven is like. I love that he is aware of his surroundings, just as he was when he was alive.

What is your heaven like?

summer day

Beautiful summer day, waiting on friends to get here, fruit salsa chilling, cape cod in my hand, kids getting along in the pool, The Man trying to make new grill work, music cranking in the background...couldn't be a better day.

Beach in exactly two weeks.

Step Ladder

I have struggled with the pictures that people are laying down in the grass and are shot from above...I need a step ladder. I am too short to get the right perspective. Hmmm gonna have to add that to my list.

my words

Several years ago someone told me that I was cynical. I didn't really know what it meant at the time, but it surely wasn't a good thing. Today I see it very clearly, and I'm not still not sure it's a good thing. I think of myself as a very brutally honest person. Don't ask me my opinion if you don't want to know what I REALLY think. My intention is to never hurt anyone, but if you ask me, you can be certain that you will get how I really feel about it.

I am also a fixer. I NEED to fix things. If you come to me with a problem, I will immediately start brainstorming with you to see how we can best fix this problem. I don't want to sit around and wallow in it with you, because...well...that isn't going to change the situation.

These two things combined have gotten me into trouble over the last year. If you know me, you know that what I say may come out harsh...but you should also know that I would never ever say something to hurt you.

My best friend in the whole wide world just wrote to me yesterday to tell me that some things that I had said the last time we were together really hurt her. I can't say that she shouldn't be hurt, because those are her feelings. What I am frustrated by is that she didn't say anything to me for 6 months about it. Now the damage might be beyond repair.

I am not perfect, I have never claimed to be. I surely am not the only person who says things that come across as hurtful. I know plenty of people have hurt my feelings with their words.

But I don't play games. If I am upset with you over something you said, I know that I have two choices. 1. I can be mad/sad or whatever and confront you about it. Ask why you said what you said and try to understand. OR 2. I can be hurt, know that you have things going on in your life and you possibly didn't mean it the way I perceived it.

I have forgiven people over and over again for words that have hurt me. I continue to try to build on friendships that are long lasting...even though they may not value me in the same way. I do not have enough friends...and I sure don't have any that I can just throw away. Really, can you ever have too many friends. Each person in my life is there for a reason. We may not always be in the same place on our "road" but I still think that every person in my life has contributed to who I am and the person that I continue to grow into.

I think that I expect too much out of people. I expect things...relationships...to be a two way road. Give and Take. I expect that if I listen to your problems and be there for you...you will in turn do that for me. However, I have found that when I am ready to talk to someone...my voice can't be heard. I love being the person that people feel as though they can talk to. And honestly, I probably won't talk about my problems too often...I hate to cry and be vulnerable and I hate to complain. But sometimes, I really just need someone to stop and ask me how I am doing... and really want to hear the answer. Sometimes I need someone to help me brainstorm on the best solution.

I also want those that call themselves friends to be grown up about situations. If I say something that comes across as harsh...or not nice...dammit, I want you to ask me about it. If you know me, you know I would not intentionally hurt your feelings. The more likely situation is that what I was thinking at the time just didn't come out right. Give me the chance to explain what my thoughts were behind the words.

Believe in our friendship enough to know that I love you and I would never want the friendship to suffer...because of what I have said.

I am sorry and I am heartbroken that I have caused someone else to hurt.

New camera

Well...I think i'm going to start saving for a new camera. I was going to save for a new lens, but I think I need to upgrade to a camera that is not so basic. ugh...that's a lot to save up for.

Fun in the sun

Florida is only three weeks away...just making sure we are going to be ready. :)

What a weekend

I seriously have so much to do and get done, and just didn't have the time for it this weekend either. This weekend was one heck of a weekend.

The Boy finished his baseball season, their team took second place. Woo Hoo!! I am really proud of him. He really doesn't have a passion for it, but he stuck with it. He thinks he wants to play again next year, but we will see. He had his band concert last week and let me tell you...he ROCKED the trombone. He got a 1 on his solo contest and a 1 in their band competition. He loves it. He has finished the school year a little lazy with his grades, but overall, he had a GREAT year.

The Girl finished her soccer season and her softball season this weekend as well. Her softball team took second place and her soccer team took 1st. She still constantly amazes me at how little she has to work at sports. She finished the school year with straight A's. She is so tickled with herself. Yesterday was her end of season soccer party, and truth be told...it was a little sad. The team is breaking up and The Girl has decided that she will stop playing soccer and focus on softball and cheer.

It is sad, because I love to watch both of my kids play soccer. It is what they know, what they are passionate about, what they are great at. But they are spreading their wings and looking at other opportunities.

Last week was full of so much drama, that I am praying for a quiet, peaceful week this week.

Summer vacation is only three short weeks away. My goal is to walk 2-4 miles every day between now and the day we leave. I got in a swim suit yesterday...ugh it was gross. Thank goodness I had a tankini and didn't have to show all my glory to everyone. Surely, if I walk everyday and cut out all the carbs...well not all of them, because I don't do good on the Atkins diet, but let's just say the breads and the potatoes, surely i can loose some of the weight needed. I would really just like for my stupid thighs to not touch when i walk. Maybe i'll add in some stairs at work during the day. Oh, i'll just google what the best way is. Gotta love the almighty google.