U2MOM's Xanga

Two More Days!!!!!

Wed, 19 Jul 2006 23:23:51 GMT

I leave for vacation on Friday morning. My family and I are going away for almost three weeks.!!!! We haven't had a vacation in about 4 years and we are really excited. I have cleaned most of the house, and have run approximately 10,000 errands! We have begun packing and I am feeling good about the preparations. Hopefully I will tie up loose ends tomorrow and we'll be off on Friday!

So, here's the plan:

We leave Friday morning and drive to NC. We will stay overnight in Mayberry! Really. The town is actually Mt. Airy but it's where the Andy Griffith show was based. I can't wait! I've already been checking it out online and there's all kinds of touristy/kichy stuff to see and do dealing with the Andy Griffith show. It was one of my favorite shows as a child. Whoo hoo! (I know, I'm revealing just how much of a nerd I really am.)

On Saturday we drive to the NC coast! We will then stay at the beach for 3 nights.

On Tuesday we drive across SC to GA to my brother's house where we will stay for 3 nights. My kids will get to see Nana and get spoiled rotten. Can't wait!

Then on Friday, we head to the Promised Land (heh)- Athens, GA!!!! We'll stay at hubby's family's house and get to visit friends and his family for about a week.

On the following Thursday, I get to go on a 3 night trip with my dear friend beyoncnay and another gal pal to celebrate beyoncnay's 40th birthday!!! Yay! Yeah, that's right-
3 desperate housewives on vacation- it should be quite interesting. Beyoncnay and I plan on blogging from the beach to keep y'all up to speed.

I'll try to blog as much as possible. There may be some time where I'm not around, but don't worry! I will be back.

Hope you are having a great summer!

Adios!

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Since I'll be away for a while I thought I'd leave you with one more funny, toddler boy story.

My three year old son and I had to take the cat to the vet this week. We sat in the waiting room for about 15 minutes. While we were sitting, there must have been about 10 large dogs that came and went. My son sat there pointing and laughing. "Hey, look Mommy. Dat dawg have penis! Dat dawg have penis too! Look. Look."
It went on and on like that for the entire waiting time! I wanted to crawl under the chairs.

See y'all later!

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Wed, 12 Jul 2006 22:43:53 GMT

Why can't I leave Target without spending at least $100 !?!?!???

I'm in the midst of preparing for our vacation and I'm getting a little overwhelmed by all of the minute details that must be addressed before we can leave. Arghhhh! I'm beginning to question the value of a vacation.

Is all of the preparation and packing and unpacking and clean up worth it? Please, someone, remind me that it is worth it! It is worth it, right?

Damn you Target store, luring me with your wares!

Sunday, July 09, 2006

Sun, 09 Jul 2006 17:51:12 GMT

12 Days Until VACATION!

(Not that I'm counting; just thought you'd want to know)

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

Wed, 05 Jul 2006 21:30:32 GMT

Here are some highlights and lowlights of my long weekend. See if you can figure out which is which:

Going to the Pittsburgh Regatta and seeing the frisbee dog show as well as the boats on the river

Wrestling with a squirmy, screechy 3 year old on the packed commuter train back from the city

Going to see "Cars" at the movies with my family

Cooking out with some friends on the 4th

Leaving the movies by myself because above-mentioned 3 yr. old spilled an entire, FULL drink into my lap and purse

Getting 4 INCHES cut off of my hair and having a super cute new hairdo

Sleeping in- two days in a row

Being woken up by my 8 yr. old because she somehow detected the presence of a spider in her room at 4 a.m.

Finding an old college roommate online and catching up on the phone for 4 hours (Hi Leigh!)

I Can Never Go Home

Thu, 29 Jun 2006 14:24:57 GMT

My mom has been so crabby and snippy every time I talk to her lately!!! I think it may have to do with her selling her house.................

My mom just sold the house I grew up in as a child. She is a widow and is having a hard time keeping up with a big house. It was on the market for a few months and she got a great offer and decided to take it. She's all moved out and the new people are moved in.

It's weird to think of other people living in my house. My parents bought the house when I was 3 months old, so that means that my mom lived there for 35 years! That's completely unheard of these days in our nomadic culture.

I will never go back into my childhood home..........ever. I had no idea that the last time I was there, was the last time I'd be in it. I keep thinking of all of the memories for me that are contained within the walls of that house:

birthday parties, Christmases, baseball games in the backyard, sleep overs, sibling fights, homework, catching lightning bugs, learning to ride a bike, roller skating in the garage while listening to music on my 8 track radio!, family reunions, backyard barbecues, telling my parents that we were pregnant, finding out that my dad was dying, seeing my dad die, watching my children play with my old toys, watching my mom become a grandmother, etc.

Even though it's kind of sad to think that my "home base" no longer exists, I can't even imagine what it must be like for my mom. She was basically a kid herself when she moved into that house. It was where she learned how to be a mom and manage a household. It was where she became a grown-up, where she raised her "chicks" and pushed them out of the nest. It was also the place where she nursed her ailing husband and observed his slow demise as cancer consumed him. It's the house she returned to- empty- after my dad passed away at the hospice center.

I just can't imagine what she must be going through. This is a huge change for her. I guess it may explain why she's been so snippy when we talk.

I guess I'll just have to deal with it until she gets settled again. Oh, well.

Things Are Brighter

Mon, 26 Jun 2006 19:52:28 GMT

After a horrible Friday with my daughter, my weekend actually turned out to be quite peaceful and relaxing. Because of Emma's extremely disrespectful behavior on Friday, my husband banished her to her room where she was only allowed to read or write for all of Saturday. She completely accepted her punishment and was quite enjoyable for the rest of the weekend. I couldn't believe it!

We grilled fish and steaks on George's new grill and just "putzed" around the house for most of the weekend. George took the kids to the matinee at the dollar movie to see Ice Age 2 after church on Sunday, which gave me several hours alone in my house! Whoo! Hoo! I so enjoy those rare moments when I am actually alone in my own home!

I did manage to avoid a potentially embarrassing accident at church on Sunday. "Aunt Flo" came a little early and I was unprepared!!! I couldn't find anything at church, so I had to go home to get some "supplies". Luckily, my house is only a few minutes away and I made it home just in time! I got back to church right as the sermon was beginning and as I sat down with George, he leaned over and said, "I totally knew you were about to start."!!!
What exactly does that mean?

In the end it turned out to be a good weekend.

Thanks to all of you for your kind words and encouragement on my last post!

An Emotional Rant

Fri, 23 Jun 2006 21:20:20 GMT

I write this with tears in my eyes and an enormous lump in my throat. I've come to the conclusion that I must be a terrible mom. It's my 8 year old daughter.....

From her birth she is what you would call a "strong-willed child". Other adjectives to describe her would be spirited or stubborn or passionate. In her early months of life our evenings were filled with endless hours of crying. We were told she had colic.

Fast forward to her toddler years.... The temper tantrums and biting began. We were told she was going through the terrible twos.

On to preschool...... Every little interaction and transition would cause a nuclear meltdown. We were told it would fade out as she matured.

Now we are in the early elementary years and I'm continuing to fight the same battles. They look different now that she is older but the essence is still the same.

At this point I am truly convinced that either she is:
A) possessed by Satan or B) I'm a terrible mom. So far there has been no head spinning or green projectile vomit, so I am forced to go with the later conclusion.

I could fill books with stories of her stubborness, temper tantrums, crying fits, meltdowns, and strong will. My close friends back home have witnessed some of these dramatics and know that I am not exaggerating.

I have read sooooo many books and sought much advice about her strong personality. I have yet to find a solution. As a former educator and owner of two degrees in education, you would think that I would have figured out a successful strategy for dealing with her, but alas I have not!

I have done everything: time outs, loss of privileges, spanking, ignoring the behavior, motivational charts with stickers and prizes, extreme structure, no structure, spending more time with her, hugging and cuddling her more, yelling, playing with her, praying for her and with her, acknowledging only the positive behavior, lavishing on praise when appropriate, etc, etc. You name it, I've done it! I can not point to one strategy or technique and say, "Yeah, that worked".

At school she is a complete angel. I have never had one bad report from school (except when she bit someone in her 2 yr. old preschool class.) Since kindergarten she has always been a teacher's dream. She obeys, follows the rules, sits still, does her activities to completion and interacts well with all of the other kids. She saves all the bad stuff for home. (lucky us)

I am so tired of feeling like a complete failure with her. I am so tired of all the anxiety and misery she often brings to our house. Everything is an argument or debate.
The whining, the crying.... I am at my wit's end. I just can't think of another strategy to try with her. I'm just done! (I know I'm sounding a little dramatic, but it's how I'm feeling at this moment as I listen to her cry herself to sleep and mumble about how we love her brother more, and we're so mean for making her clean her room- blah, blah, blah.)

Now I feel compelled to say that my daughter is not a total demon child. On the opposite side of the coin is a very sensitive and caring child. When she says she loves you, she means it. She's not the type to snow you with empty words. When she feels something, it is 100%.

While we were watching the Hurricane Katrina coverage last year she would often burst into tears at what she saw. At night she would pray for those people as well as the multitude of others weighing on her heart. When someone is injured, she is truly concerned and empathetic. She has a genuine tenderness in her that I don't think I've seen in many kids her age. It is in those moments that I see hope, possibility, and a light.......

Sometimes I think overcoming her extreme behavior is not necessarily the goal. It's merely a means to another end. Maybe it's God's way of keeping me humble before him; of keeping me close to him, because in the end I am not in control- God is. I can only do so much and then I must turn it over to God. I must trust that there is a purpose for this and that God can use all things to work for his glory.

    Ok, I'm feeling better now.   I have calmed down. The tears are gone and my heartbeat has slowed down.

Thanks for letting me spew my guts.

Sooooo Tired and Completely Weirded Out!

Sat, 17 Jun 2006 23:10:31 GMT

I feel like I've been run over by a Mack truck. I haven't been this tired in a long time. I just finished cleaning up after my 3 yr. old's birthday party. It turned out great. The weather was beautiful- warm and sunny. We had three families over to celebrate. I put out a bunch of games- horse shoes, ring toss, batting tee, sand/water table, and wading pool. The kids had fun. We ate pizza and just hung out. It was very laid back and not structured at all. The party itself was relaxing, but the preparations and house cleaning and set up and clean up have left me completely tuckered out.

One really odd thing happened yesterday. My husband and I went out on a date. While we were driving to the restaurant, we were stopped at a very busy intersection. I noticed an old man at the corner looking like he was waiting to cross the street- no big deal. He looked like the stereotypical Grandpa- plaid shirt, khaki pants, short silver hair, etc. Anyway, as we were passing through the interesection I noticed that he was standing in a very strange way and kind of leaning against the telephone pole. As we made the turn and passed by him, I realized he was PEEING!!! Not only that, but I actually SAW his penis.

Aahhhhh! I've seen a geriatric penis!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hope y'all are having a great weekend.

Happy Father's Day!

Coffee

Tue, 13 Jun 2006 23:46:09 GMT

I have a confession to make....... I don't drink coffee. I think I'm the last person on this earth that doesn't drink coffee. I don't know how it happened, but I've never acquired a taste for coffee. It really hasn't been a big deal, but as I've begun to age I've noticed that I am much more sluggish in the morning. I exercise, I get good sleep and still I'm starting to have a hard time "gettin' goin" in the morning. Sometimes I feel as if I don't really wake up until about 3:00 p.m.! I don't drink lots of sodas or tea either. At this point in my life, I can honestly say that caffeine is not one of my vices. (Believe me, I have other vices, but caffeine is not one of them.)

So.... this is my quandary: Should I try to acquire a taste for coffee and start a new habit that I don't have or would I be better off never starting? I must admit it, I find it interesting to watch "coffee addicts" (my mom and my in-laws) when they visit our home. It takes them like 3 cups of coffee to start moving. I don't know if I really want to be tied to something like that -especially the crankiness the precedes the coffee consumption. BUT I have got to figure out a way to WAKE up! Any thoughts or ideas?

Penises

Thu, 08 Jun 2006 13:41:31 GMT

*EDIT*: Check out the photo below given to me by momofjenmatt!!

What is it about boys and their penises? I am in the process of potty training my 3 year old boy and what an interesting adventure it has been. I'm witnessing things I never did with my 8 year old daughter. Now that the diaper is off, my son has complete access to his boy parts. His hands are CONSTANTLY in his pants. It's like he's afraid he'll lose it or something. Is it just because he's never really gotten to "know" his penis since it's been under wraps in his diaper for the first three years of his life? I just don't get it. So, there you have it, that's what's been on my mind today.

*SPECIAL THANKS TO momofjenmatt for finding this photo for me! :)