As an alcoholic I sometimes have "alcohol" thoughts. Just passing thoughts about having a drink, or sometimes if I'm feeling restless, irritable or discontent I ruminate about how "just one" would take the edge off. Of course I've never had "just one" in my entire life, so who am I kidding. Fortunately, not myself.
Last night I'm driving to work and a thought passed on through about how refreshing a gin and tonic would taste. That thought almost immediately progressed to how good a pitcher would taste. Followed by how nice it would be to just tie one on and not have to deal with the feelings of irritability, restlessness and discontent that I have been dealing with recently.
Life on life's terms hasn't been easy lately. I'm tired, physically and mentally. I know that while getting drunk sounds like a great way to take a break from reality, it's really a fools dream. Opening that door is a ticket to hell and the path back out is littered with those who don't survive.
I don't want to go back there, I can't. So I start making phone calls. Reaching out to my AA friends is my first line of defense when my disease gets a step up on me. So I start dialing. I get someone on the phone and one of the first questions she asks me is, "Is it possible that I ingested something recently that could have triggered the allergy?" You know what, now that you mention it I had a cold last week and took some cold medicine I've never taken before. I took it for a few days and then realized that I was getting excited waiting for the next dose to be due. Normally I don't take anything without looking at the ingredients. It's just too risky. But I didn't at the time. When I realized that I was thinking about the next dose I knew something wasn't right and read the ingredients. There it was, the second ingredient, alcohol. Crap! No more of that medicine. So I thought about it for a day or two then forgot about it, end of story? Apparently not. Alcoholism (and food addiction, for that matter) is cunning, baffling and powerful, a week later and the power boost my disease got by me ingesting alcohol is still affecting me.
Last night I came the closest I have ever come to picking up a drink since I've been in recovery. The important part is I didn't, but that doesn't mean that I won't face this challenge again.
Showing posts with label random musings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label random musings. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
One Year Later ( well almost )
I can't believe it's been almost a year since I've posted.
Last night I couldn't sleep. What used to be a normal occurrence, rarely occurs today. So since I did most of my writing late at night, while the world slumbered around me, it stands to reason that not much happens in my blogger world anymore.
But last night sleep eluded me. So much has happened in my world in the last year. So many changes, none of them recorded for posterity (probably a good thing in some cases). But last night I read back over some of my older posts and enjoyed some fond memories. I started thinking about how much pleasure I got out of this time sucker blog. Inflicting my random thoughts and irritations on my faithful readers, sharing some good times and some not so good.
Blogging about why I'm not blogging is stupid and a waste of everyones time so I'm moving on.
Here's just a quick update in the cast of characters who live in my world (man that sounds arrogant).
Rusty's Mom: Still a homeschooling mom, dog loving, EMT, vet tech. 110 lbs lighter food addict, recovering alcoholic (yeah, you read that right). It took me decades to admit it, but I've given up the fight. My addictions don't define me anymore, but I'm still trying to figure out who the real Rusty's Mom is, my journey continues.
The Engineer: Still the same old Type A, perfectionist. Without food to hide behind, some of his quirks irritate the hell out of me now, but hey, like I said it's all a journey.
The Scientist: Still scary smart. 13 years old and is studying for her college entrance exams. But still the consummate teenager. Oh boy, what blog fodder she has been.
The Vet: Social butterfly. Walks around all day with a cell phone in her hand, texting. Does anyone under the age of 21 actually talk on a phone?
Baseball Boy: Finally decided that learning to read might not be such a bad idea after all. Once he put his mind to it, wow Mom that was easy, what was all the fuss about. He hasn't played baseball in a few years but wants to again this spring. But he still loves the game so his name remains the same.
Mickey/Malka: A little older, a little wiser but still curled up sleeping next to each other on the couch.
Daisy: Hasn't cost me anymore large sums of money but it's only a matter of time since she decided that she wanted to be an indoor/outdoor cat. Makes me nervous every time she slips out the door.
Additional cast of characters: Chickens, snakes, fish and a bunny.
I don't have time for this, but it sure was fun. Figures.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Honey I'm Home....
Did you miss me? I sure missed you guys. It may be hard for some of you to believe but I have been without a laptop for all this time. I had limited access to a PC off and on but nothing steady. I've had to weed through literally hundreds of emails in the last few days. I also learned a few things over these last few months...
1) I can live without email. In fact, I enjoyed not being a slave to the call of the ping.
2) Blogging rocks but it is a time sucker.
3) I missed my forums, instant access to information and I had a lot of overdue books at the library.
4) When you're saving your money for something you thought was so important and other things happen (a hole in our roof, 6 new tires on two cars in one week, and a car accident that totaled The Engineer's car) you realize what really is a priority in your life.
Some good blogging fodder has passed but I'm sure I'll get you caught up in the next few weeks but in the mean time let me give you a quick update..
My new laptop is Window's based. As much as I would of loved a MAC I just couldn't afford one. I'm happy just to be back to the 21st Century.
Speaking of 21st Century, I still don't have an I-Pod or a Kindle but I'd love one. They're next on my list.
I'm working full time again. With prices rising almost daily and The Engineer not getting a raise last year and not expected to get one for another two it was just getting too tight for comfort.
I had to give up volunteering at the vet's office. I hope to go back when the kids are a little older.
I did get a new cell phone with a QWERTY (did I spell that right?) keyboard. Texting has slowly crept into my life as a result.
OA update: I celebrated 10 months of abstinence on March 3rd and I've lost 76 lbs.
We've added additional critters....details to follow.
I survived another season as a Cookie Mom.
The Scientist, The Vet and Baseball Boy (who doesn't play baseball anymore) are growing like weeds.
Anyway folks, that's enough for now....time to get dinner started.
1) I can live without email. In fact, I enjoyed not being a slave to the call of the ping.
2) Blogging rocks but it is a time sucker.
3) I missed my forums, instant access to information and I had a lot of overdue books at the library.
4) When you're saving your money for something you thought was so important and other things happen (a hole in our roof, 6 new tires on two cars in one week, and a car accident that totaled The Engineer's car) you realize what really is a priority in your life.
Some good blogging fodder has passed but I'm sure I'll get you caught up in the next few weeks but in the mean time let me give you a quick update..
My new laptop is Window's based. As much as I would of loved a MAC I just couldn't afford one. I'm happy just to be back to the 21st Century.
Speaking of 21st Century, I still don't have an I-Pod or a Kindle but I'd love one. They're next on my list.
I'm working full time again. With prices rising almost daily and The Engineer not getting a raise last year and not expected to get one for another two it was just getting too tight for comfort.
I had to give up volunteering at the vet's office. I hope to go back when the kids are a little older.
I did get a new cell phone with a QWERTY (did I spell that right?) keyboard. Texting has slowly crept into my life as a result.
OA update: I celebrated 10 months of abstinence on March 3rd and I've lost 76 lbs.
We've added additional critters....details to follow.
I survived another season as a Cookie Mom.
The Scientist, The Vet and Baseball Boy (who doesn't play baseball anymore) are growing like weeds.
Anyway folks, that's enough for now....time to get dinner started.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Pa Motor Vehicle Code: Chapter 33 Subchapter B 3325
§ 3325. Duty of driver on approach of emergency vehicle.
I remember reading this (which was copied directly from PA Title 75 (that's the vehicle code folks)) when I took my written test to get my permit many moons ago. You would be surprised at how many people just do not know what to do when they see or hear an emergency vehicle approaching. Some people pull to the left, some try to out run you, some pull to the right but don't stop. That seems like it might work just fine, unless I need to make a right turn. Some times people just panic and slam on their brakes and stop in the middle of the roadway. They're my favorites.
Pull to the right and stop. Six words. Of course, lawyers and legislators expanded that to an entire paragraph but that sums it up.
I have no idea what the other 49 states have written in their vehicle codes. But probably without fail it would amount to pull to the right and stop. It's so simple it's hard to believe.
Well it does help if your music isn't turned up so loud you can't hear the sirens blaring. Or that you're so engrossed in your phone conversation that you don't notice the flashing red lights. But I'll save that rant for another post.
Hope this public service announcement clears up any confusion on what to do if you see or hear an emergency vehicle approaching.
(a) General rule.--Upon the immediate approach of an emergency vehicle making use of an audible signal and visual signals meeting the requirements and standards set forth in regulations adopted by the department, the driver of every other vehicle shall yield the right-of-way and shall immediately drive to a position parallel to, and as close as possible to, the right-hand edge or curb of the roadway clear of any intersection and shall stop and remain in that position until the emergency vehicle has passed, except when otherwise directed by a police officer or an appropriately attired person authorized to direct, control or regulate traffic. On one-way roadways a driver may comply by driving to the edge or curb which is nearest to the lane in which he is traveling.
I remember reading this (which was copied directly from PA Title 75 (that's the vehicle code folks)) when I took my written test to get my permit many moons ago. You would be surprised at how many people just do not know what to do when they see or hear an emergency vehicle approaching. Some people pull to the left, some try to out run you, some pull to the right but don't stop. That seems like it might work just fine, unless I need to make a right turn. Some times people just panic and slam on their brakes and stop in the middle of the roadway. They're my favorites.
Pull to the right and stop. Six words. Of course, lawyers and legislators expanded that to an entire paragraph but that sums it up.
I have no idea what the other 49 states have written in their vehicle codes. But probably without fail it would amount to pull to the right and stop. It's so simple it's hard to believe.
Well it does help if your music isn't turned up so loud you can't hear the sirens blaring. Or that you're so engrossed in your phone conversation that you don't notice the flashing red lights. But I'll save that rant for another post.
Hope this public service announcement clears up any confusion on what to do if you see or hear an emergency vehicle approaching.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Comic Sans - Love it or Hate it ?
I admit it, I love comic sans. I'm going to make a bumper sticker that says just that. Oh, wait a minute, I forgot, I don't do bumper stickers. Okay, how about a magnet. "Don't hate me because I heart Comic Sans."
I know it is vilified by font elitists everywhere. I don't care. Now, of course, I know it doesn't belong in certain places, resumes and business letters come to mind. But if I want to type all my personal email in comic sans I'm going to and if you don't like it there's this key with "delete" written on it that I'm sure is fully functional on your keyboard.
Tough crap...font elitists, grammar police and food snobs everywhere can pound sand for all I care. I'm continuing to hold my head high as I sprinkle Jane's Crazy Mixed Up Salt on my food, use run on sentences, dangle my participles and send emails using comic sans.
Woe, you ask, how the heck did the grammar police and food snobs get sucked into my rant on font elitists. It just popped into my head so I let it run right out my fingers. It's why I have a blog in the first place. Have a great day!
I know it is vilified by font elitists everywhere. I don't care. Now, of course, I know it doesn't belong in certain places, resumes and business letters come to mind. But if I want to type all my personal email in comic sans I'm going to and if you don't like it there's this key with "delete" written on it that I'm sure is fully functional on your keyboard.
Tough crap...font elitists, grammar police and food snobs everywhere can pound sand for all I care. I'm continuing to hold my head high as I sprinkle Jane's Crazy Mixed Up Salt on my food, use run on sentences, dangle my participles and send emails using comic sans.
Woe, you ask, how the heck did the grammar police and food snobs get sucked into my rant on font elitists. It just popped into my head so I let it run right out my fingers. It's why I have a blog in the first place. Have a great day!
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Felicity
Today I rushed three tired kids out of bed and dragged them to an OA meeting. Before we left I made them take showers and eat breakfast. That's because after the meeting we were invited to a fellows house for lunch and a swim. And since my kids are typical they are not concerned with body odor or dirty fingernails. I on the other hand prefer not to smell them and I'm sure I am not the only adult who feels that way. I got the usual complaints: "I'm just going to swim anyway, I just took a shower (yeah, three days ago), nobody cares what I smell like (that's what you think) and many other combinations there of.
After the meeting we pile in the car and off we go. On the way, there is the usual chorus of complaints involving hunger and distance travelled. All of which I ignored like a pro.
We are the first to arrive. Which I found odd since we were the last to leave the meeting but what the heck it gives my kids first shot at the food that was kindly laid out for our dining pleasure. I brought my food but her fruit looked much nicer than mine so I ate that instead. A delicious combination of strawberries, blackberries and blueberries. But, once again I digress.
Anyway, getting slowly closer to the actual point.....
I had a really nice time. I ate my food and just relaxed and enjoyed the conversation. The kids swam and played with the other kids. The daughter of the host had just returned from a trip to Israel and spent over an hour with my girls showing them pictures and sharing stories of her adventure. After a few hours we packed up and headed home.
Here it comes folks, the moment you've been waiting for: The actual point of this....
On the way home this very strange sensation came over me. At first I didn't recognize it. After a few minutes I realized what I was feeling was just plain, simple joy. Nothing more, nothing less. A pleasant afternoon with friends and fellows. The sounds of kids playing. An abstinent meal. This is the direction that my life is heading. The feeling didn't last long. The continuing banter of the kids erupted into a debate over who poked who first and swept the feeling away but it was there, if only for a short time.
Another layer peeled away today. A ray of sunshine made it through, if only for a brief time. One day at a time. Today was a beautiful day.
After the meeting we pile in the car and off we go. On the way, there is the usual chorus of complaints involving hunger and distance travelled. All of which I ignored like a pro.
We are the first to arrive. Which I found odd since we were the last to leave the meeting but what the heck it gives my kids first shot at the food that was kindly laid out for our dining pleasure. I brought my food but her fruit looked much nicer than mine so I ate that instead. A delicious combination of strawberries, blackberries and blueberries. But, once again I digress.
Anyway, getting slowly closer to the actual point.....
I had a really nice time. I ate my food and just relaxed and enjoyed the conversation. The kids swam and played with the other kids. The daughter of the host had just returned from a trip to Israel and spent over an hour with my girls showing them pictures and sharing stories of her adventure. After a few hours we packed up and headed home.
Here it comes folks, the moment you've been waiting for: The actual point of this....
On the way home this very strange sensation came over me. At first I didn't recognize it. After a few minutes I realized what I was feeling was just plain, simple joy. Nothing more, nothing less. A pleasant afternoon with friends and fellows. The sounds of kids playing. An abstinent meal. This is the direction that my life is heading. The feeling didn't last long. The continuing banter of the kids erupted into a debate over who poked who first and swept the feeling away but it was there, if only for a short time.
Another layer peeled away today. A ray of sunshine made it through, if only for a brief time. One day at a time. Today was a beautiful day.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Page Update
You may or may not have noticed the Live Feed widget I had added to the page. At first I thought it would be fun to see where everyone was coming from. It was, but (there is always a but) then I started to wonder if it would bother people to have it there. It was starting to make me feel weird because I came up on it too. Because I post pictures of my kids and dogs (the most often stolen breed, I might add) I don't want our names or town posted, yet there it was for everyone to see.
So it's down and it's going to stay down. All the lurkers will be anonymous again. I don't have anything running in the background so you can all surf around without me knowing. I hope I didn't scare anyone off.
So it's down and it's going to stay down. All the lurkers will be anonymous again. I don't have anything running in the background so you can all surf around without me knowing. I hope I didn't scare anyone off.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
Randomness
We had a few weeks of beautiful warm spring weather. The other day a thunderstorm rolled through and dropped the temperature and it's been chilly ever since. I want my warm days back. I want to open my windows again and put my jacket back in the closet. Yes, I'd like some cheese with my whine.
Houdini escaped again! The little brat slipped under the fence in an area we are repairing after all the lawn damage from pool installation. Fortunately The Engineer was in the yard working and saw her visiting the neighbor across the street. I'm getting a complex.
Nibbles is old. Most guinea pigs owned by kids live to be about two. People who are really into cavies report they live from five to seven years. Nibbles is six. He lived the first year and a half of his life being ignored by a kid who wanted him then didn't. The kids parents took care of him until they got tired of it and then he came to live with us. When we got him he had an eye and sinus infection. He had cedar litter in his cage his whole life. Cedar litter is very bad for guinea pigs. We treated the infection but his eye and nose often have a discharge that are left over from the long term infection. If you have a guinea pig, please don't use cedar litter. Anyway, he's been losing weight and slowing down for a few months now. The vet thinks it's kidney failure. A change in diet slowed it down but there is no turning back once the kidneys start to go. The last few days he just hasn't been himself. His eye and nose are worse than ever and he is hardly eating. I got him kale, which is his favorite veggie, and he hardly touched it. So tonight it's back to the vet. She thinks he's coming to the end. She gave me some medicine to help his appetite and make him comfortable. It's just a matter of time. Say a little prayer for the Nibinator.
The son of a blogger I've read for a few years died last week. I've never met her but she's pretty open on her blog about herself and her family. I can't imagine out living one of my children. I feel weird because I don't know them at all yet I can't stop thinking about them and feeling bad for them. I'm not cold hearted but lets face it I've dealt with my share of death over the years and it doesn't usually weigh on me.
We added three chickens to our family today. The Scientist is doing a study for 4H and needed three chickens of the same breed and age in the prime of their laying years. Of course, it figures, our chickens don't fit that bill so we had to buy three chickens. Who knew it would be so difficult to find someone willing to sell three chickens of the same age and breed. Man, it took her over a month and countless phone calls by The Scientist to finally find them. In fact, it was her mentor at 4H who asked a favor of a friend to help her out. So right now three chickens are living in cages in my garage. After a few days they should be settled in enough to start her study. I'm sure you'll be hearing more about this in the future. Three chickens living in your garage has got to provide some good future blog fodder.
I got my fourth stripe in karate last week. That means that in the next few weeks I'll be taking my belt test. Finally.
I'm still sore from the seminar last weekend. I'm getting old.
Two of our chickens chased Mickey across the yard again today. They do not appreciate when he plays chicken bowling (picture a group of eight chickens standing around pecking the ground and doing what ever it is chickens do and Mickey runs through them and makes them all run off squawking). He got away unscathed this time, he wasn't so lucky last time.
The Scientist said to me today. "You're a pretty good mom. We're good kids and we're happy, I guess that means you're doing a good job raising us." I wanted to put that in writing so the next time she has a melt down and slams her bedroom door screaming she hates me I can refer back to it.
I met this guy who lost over a hundred pounds. Being overweight myself and nosy I asked him how he did it. He said he joined Overeaters Anonymous. So after putting it off for a couple of weeks I checked out their website. They had this little test. Answer these ten questions to see if you're addicted to food. I answered 7 out of 10 yes. So I figured, see I only agreed with seven out of ten, that's not too bad. Then I read the results part. It said, "If you answer yes to three or more you have a problem with food addiction." Damn....
Houdini escaped again! The little brat slipped under the fence in an area we are repairing after all the lawn damage from pool installation. Fortunately The Engineer was in the yard working and saw her visiting the neighbor across the street. I'm getting a complex.
Nibbles is old. Most guinea pigs owned by kids live to be about two. People who are really into cavies report they live from five to seven years. Nibbles is six. He lived the first year and a half of his life being ignored by a kid who wanted him then didn't. The kids parents took care of him until they got tired of it and then he came to live with us. When we got him he had an eye and sinus infection. He had cedar litter in his cage his whole life. Cedar litter is very bad for guinea pigs. We treated the infection but his eye and nose often have a discharge that are left over from the long term infection. If you have a guinea pig, please don't use cedar litter. Anyway, he's been losing weight and slowing down for a few months now. The vet thinks it's kidney failure. A change in diet slowed it down but there is no turning back once the kidneys start to go. The last few days he just hasn't been himself. His eye and nose are worse than ever and he is hardly eating. I got him kale, which is his favorite veggie, and he hardly touched it. So tonight it's back to the vet. She thinks he's coming to the end. She gave me some medicine to help his appetite and make him comfortable. It's just a matter of time. Say a little prayer for the Nibinator.
The son of a blogger I've read for a few years died last week. I've never met her but she's pretty open on her blog about herself and her family. I can't imagine out living one of my children. I feel weird because I don't know them at all yet I can't stop thinking about them and feeling bad for them. I'm not cold hearted but lets face it I've dealt with my share of death over the years and it doesn't usually weigh on me.
We added three chickens to our family today. The Scientist is doing a study for 4H and needed three chickens of the same breed and age in the prime of their laying years. Of course, it figures, our chickens don't fit that bill so we had to buy three chickens. Who knew it would be so difficult to find someone willing to sell three chickens of the same age and breed. Man, it took her over a month and countless phone calls by The Scientist to finally find them. In fact, it was her mentor at 4H who asked a favor of a friend to help her out. So right now three chickens are living in cages in my garage. After a few days they should be settled in enough to start her study. I'm sure you'll be hearing more about this in the future. Three chickens living in your garage has got to provide some good future blog fodder.
I got my fourth stripe in karate last week. That means that in the next few weeks I'll be taking my belt test. Finally.
I'm still sore from the seminar last weekend. I'm getting old.
Two of our chickens chased Mickey across the yard again today. They do not appreciate when he plays chicken bowling (picture a group of eight chickens standing around pecking the ground and doing what ever it is chickens do and Mickey runs through them and makes them all run off squawking). He got away unscathed this time, he wasn't so lucky last time.
The Scientist said to me today. "You're a pretty good mom. We're good kids and we're happy, I guess that means you're doing a good job raising us." I wanted to put that in writing so the next time she has a melt down and slams her bedroom door screaming she hates me I can refer back to it.
I met this guy who lost over a hundred pounds. Being overweight myself and nosy I asked him how he did it. He said he joined Overeaters Anonymous. So after putting it off for a couple of weeks I checked out their website. They had this little test. Answer these ten questions to see if you're addicted to food. I answered 7 out of 10 yes. So I figured, see I only agreed with seven out of ten, that's not too bad. Then I read the results part. It said, "If you answer yes to three or more you have a problem with food addiction." Damn....
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Why do I do this to myself?
What you ask? Let see there are so many things that I seem to do over and over. Procrastinate, over schedule myself, volunteer myself to help someone (when I can barely keep up with my own obligations), digress, open mouth insert foot, not checking the calender and give up sleep in an effort to do it all, just to name a few.
Any and all of these things contribute to the over whelming stress I feel sometimes. So what sent me over the edge this time?
We had a karate seminar this weekend. Friday night and all day Saturday. We had been looking forward to it for months. Does it ever fail that several other things were going on this weekend that we wanted to do. We had to turn them down. We were bummed but there was no way we weren't going to this seminar.
Late last week Baseball Boys' religious school teacher sends out an email saying they will be studying Shavuot this Sunday and they will have a little party to go along with it and could every one send in something. Fruit, vegi's, milk, paper plates, the list was pretty typical. Also on the list was a cake shaped like the Ten Commandment Tablets or a Torah. Shavuot celebrates Moses bringing of the Ten Commandments down from Mt. Sinai. So I have this crazy busy weekend with the seminar. It starts Friday from 5PM to 11PM and resumes on Saturday from 9AM to 5PM. Some pretty great stuff was covered. It was mentally and physically exhausting. So you would think that since I had so much going on I would pick something like the paper plates or milk to bring in. Stuff I usually have around the house so I wouldn't even have to make an extra stop somewhere to get it. Oh and I forgot to mention I still have to work Saturday night. I'm going in a few hours late but it's an all-nighter. In case you haven't figured it out yet I said I'd bring the cake. Why would I do that? I don't have time to bake a cake and make it look like the Ten Commandment Tablets or the Torah. I usually cook/bake from scratch. It's healthier, cheaper and it tastes better, a great combination. So anyway, come Thursday night I panic when I realize I have to make this cake for 8 AM Sunday morning.
So Friday we spend the whole day at a science program at a local library (it wasn't worth the time or money, it sucked). On the way home I stop at a local grocery store to pick up cake mix and fake frosting. I just can't deal with anything more than that. Guess what? I left my purse at home and have no way to pay for it. So I just went home dejected and frustrated with myself.
We get home and get ready for the seminar. Afterward, everyone is invited by our karate instructors to a local Italian Restaurant for a spaghetti dinner. By the time we get home it's almost midnight and we are beat. Up early on Saturday and back to the karate studio. I have one hour after I drop off The Engineer and the kids to get my hiney to a grocery store and redo my trip from the day before only this time with money.
We're at the studio all day. As soon as it's over I rush home. Instead of taking an hour nap and a shower before I go to work like a sensible person would do, I bake two 13"x9" cakes, one chocolate and one butter cake. I wash my face, brush my teeth, brush my hair and pull it up into a pony tail, swallow three ibuprofen, throw my uniform on and I'm out the door.
'
While driving to work I pray to the EMS gods for a peaceful night. My prayers are answered and my partner makes sure I am up and functioning when we log off at 6AM. On the way home I stop and get some chocolate liquorice and a bag of M&M's for back up in case I can't get the liquorice to form Hebrew letters.
I'm feeling good. I have one hour to frost and decorate this cake. I take my two cakes and set them next to each other and cut the tops to give each one an arch. I frost away and use the liquorice to outline the two tablets. I slice the liquorice in half lengthwise (they were pretty thick pieces) and cut them up to make the first six letters of the Hebrew alef-bet. We laid out the sections to form the letters. It was fun even if The Engineer was standing next to me the whole time watching the clock.
I ran over my time limit by 10 minutes, of course. Maybe one day I'll finish something on time. Today is not that day. Off they go to religious school. I sit down on the sofa and immediately fall asleep.
Baseball Boy comes home with an empty cake plate and a dirty knife. The cake was a hit. The kids loved the letters and apparently the cake itself passed muster too. There was only a small piece left and one of the kids took it home.
So at least it was a success. Wonder what I'll do to myself next?
Any and all of these things contribute to the over whelming stress I feel sometimes. So what sent me over the edge this time?
We had a karate seminar this weekend. Friday night and all day Saturday. We had been looking forward to it for months. Does it ever fail that several other things were going on this weekend that we wanted to do. We had to turn them down. We were bummed but there was no way we weren't going to this seminar.
Late last week Baseball Boys' religious school teacher sends out an email saying they will be studying Shavuot this Sunday and they will have a little party to go along with it and could every one send in something. Fruit, vegi's, milk, paper plates, the list was pretty typical. Also on the list was a cake shaped like the Ten Commandment Tablets or a Torah. Shavuot celebrates Moses bringing of the Ten Commandments down from Mt. Sinai. So I have this crazy busy weekend with the seminar. It starts Friday from 5PM to 11PM and resumes on Saturday from 9AM to 5PM. Some pretty great stuff was covered. It was mentally and physically exhausting. So you would think that since I had so much going on I would pick something like the paper plates or milk to bring in. Stuff I usually have around the house so I wouldn't even have to make an extra stop somewhere to get it. Oh and I forgot to mention I still have to work Saturday night. I'm going in a few hours late but it's an all-nighter. In case you haven't figured it out yet I said I'd bring the cake. Why would I do that? I don't have time to bake a cake and make it look like the Ten Commandment Tablets or the Torah. I usually cook/bake from scratch. It's healthier, cheaper and it tastes better, a great combination. So anyway, come Thursday night I panic when I realize I have to make this cake for 8 AM Sunday morning.
So Friday we spend the whole day at a science program at a local library (it wasn't worth the time or money, it sucked). On the way home I stop at a local grocery store to pick up cake mix and fake frosting. I just can't deal with anything more than that. Guess what? I left my purse at home and have no way to pay for it. So I just went home dejected and frustrated with myself.
We get home and get ready for the seminar. Afterward, everyone is invited by our karate instructors to a local Italian Restaurant for a spaghetti dinner. By the time we get home it's almost midnight and we are beat. Up early on Saturday and back to the karate studio. I have one hour after I drop off The Engineer and the kids to get my hiney to a grocery store and redo my trip from the day before only this time with money.
We're at the studio all day. As soon as it's over I rush home. Instead of taking an hour nap and a shower before I go to work like a sensible person would do, I bake two 13"x9" cakes, one chocolate and one butter cake. I wash my face, brush my teeth, brush my hair and pull it up into a pony tail, swallow three ibuprofen, throw my uniform on and I'm out the door.
'
While driving to work I pray to the EMS gods for a peaceful night. My prayers are answered and my partner makes sure I am up and functioning when we log off at 6AM. On the way home I stop and get some chocolate liquorice and a bag of M&M's for back up in case I can't get the liquorice to form Hebrew letters.
I'm feeling good. I have one hour to frost and decorate this cake. I take my two cakes and set them next to each other and cut the tops to give each one an arch. I frost away and use the liquorice to outline the two tablets. I slice the liquorice in half lengthwise (they were pretty thick pieces) and cut them up to make the first six letters of the Hebrew alef-bet. We laid out the sections to form the letters. It was fun even if The Engineer was standing next to me the whole time watching the clock.
I ran over my time limit by 10 minutes, of course. Maybe one day I'll finish something on time. Today is not that day. Off they go to religious school. I sit down on the sofa and immediately fall asleep.
Baseball Boy comes home with an empty cake plate and a dirty knife. The cake was a hit. The kids loved the letters and apparently the cake itself passed muster too. There was only a small piece left and one of the kids took it home.
So at least it was a success. Wonder what I'll do to myself next?
Friday, April 16, 2010
One step closer....
The concrete guy finished the work around the pool today. All the fill dirt has been spread around and rough graded and as soon as we get a stretch of dry weather top soil will follow. We have an order in for sod to go directly around the pool and we'll seed the rest.
May 1st is the big day. The day The Engineer has waited for 21 years to come. The pool installers will be returning to clean it up and fire up the works.
The water will be cold but that's not going to stop him or the kids from jumping in. I'll be watching from the sidelines. I love to swim but I'll give it a little more time to warm up, thank you.
For me the final step will be teaching a couple of blocks of muscle how to swim. I don't care if they go in the pool or not but Mickey and Malka are going to need to know how to swim and climb out if they fall in.
I'm not worried about the kids they are all good swimmers but the dogs, now that keeps me up at night. If they don't catch on quick I'll have to invest in life jackets for them until they get the hang of it.
When I was a kid my cousin had a big in ground pool with a diving board. They taught their dog how to jump off the board and catch balls mid-air. Malka isn't going to go for that, she's above that type of silliness. But oh Mickey boy....that is right up that crazy boys alley.
I can't wait.
May 1st is the big day. The day The Engineer has waited for 21 years to come. The pool installers will be returning to clean it up and fire up the works.
The water will be cold but that's not going to stop him or the kids from jumping in. I'll be watching from the sidelines. I love to swim but I'll give it a little more time to warm up, thank you.
For me the final step will be teaching a couple of blocks of muscle how to swim. I don't care if they go in the pool or not but Mickey and Malka are going to need to know how to swim and climb out if they fall in.
I'm not worried about the kids they are all good swimmers but the dogs, now that keeps me up at night. If they don't catch on quick I'll have to invest in life jackets for them until they get the hang of it.
When I was a kid my cousin had a big in ground pool with a diving board. They taught their dog how to jump off the board and catch balls mid-air. Malka isn't going to go for that, she's above that type of silliness. But oh Mickey boy....that is right up that crazy boys alley.
I can't wait.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Passion vs. Competition
I read this post today on The Pioneer Woman. Go read it or you will have no idea what the heck I'm talking about. It's titled "Giovanni".
Thanks for coming back. It's easy to get sucked into her blog and never come out again.
Passion is a very strong feeling or a great love or enthusiasm, but you knew that already.
Competition is all about winning or being the best, but you knew that too.
Giovanni is passionate about soccer. His passion has an entire town excited about the sport. I'm sure he's competitive, passionate people usually are to a certain degree. But their competition is usually with themselves, to be the best they can be at what they love.
I believe that passion inspires people. Competition causes animosity, someone has to win, ergo, someone has to lose. In this day and age people rarely learn from losing. They get angry or they make excuses as to why they lost.
When someone is passionate about something it's about sharing it with others, not winning or losing.
You'll notice that Giovanni yells while coaching. But amazingly it inspires the girls to play harder. It doesn't upset them or make them feel bad. It's all about the passion. If he was just worried about winning or losing it their reactions would be different. Kids all over town wouldn't be signing up to play soccer. They wouldn't be focused on what he's saying or giving it their all.
Often I have people tell me you have to be competitive to get any where in this society today. I disagree. For one thing, I'm not competitive and I'm quite happy where I'm at in my life. But even more, competition is all about beating the next person to where you want to be. I don't think you need to do that to be successful. You need to be passionate about what you are doing. How many of you are passionate about anything in your life? If you're passionate you get where you want to go without having to drag others down to do it. And the rewards are so much sweeter. It brings you joy and it isn't a burden.
This doesn't just apply to individuals, it applies to society as a whole. Americans slid from being passionate to competitive. By crossing that line it has changed from the needs of the many outweighing the needs of the few to every man for himself.
There have been flashes of passion showing up here and there recently and I'm hoping that other people are infected and start to inspire others.
When you find what you are passionate about you're life becomes full. Passion gives you purpose. So I want my kids to find something that they are passionate about. When they do their life will open up in front of them.
Thanks for coming back. It's easy to get sucked into her blog and never come out again.
Passion is a very strong feeling or a great love or enthusiasm, but you knew that already.
Competition is all about winning or being the best, but you knew that too.
Giovanni is passionate about soccer. His passion has an entire town excited about the sport. I'm sure he's competitive, passionate people usually are to a certain degree. But their competition is usually with themselves, to be the best they can be at what they love.
I believe that passion inspires people. Competition causes animosity, someone has to win, ergo, someone has to lose. In this day and age people rarely learn from losing. They get angry or they make excuses as to why they lost.
When someone is passionate about something it's about sharing it with others, not winning or losing.
You'll notice that Giovanni yells while coaching. But amazingly it inspires the girls to play harder. It doesn't upset them or make them feel bad. It's all about the passion. If he was just worried about winning or losing it their reactions would be different. Kids all over town wouldn't be signing up to play soccer. They wouldn't be focused on what he's saying or giving it their all.
Often I have people tell me you have to be competitive to get any where in this society today. I disagree. For one thing, I'm not competitive and I'm quite happy where I'm at in my life. But even more, competition is all about beating the next person to where you want to be. I don't think you need to do that to be successful. You need to be passionate about what you are doing. How many of you are passionate about anything in your life? If you're passionate you get where you want to go without having to drag others down to do it. And the rewards are so much sweeter. It brings you joy and it isn't a burden.
This doesn't just apply to individuals, it applies to society as a whole. Americans slid from being passionate to competitive. By crossing that line it has changed from the needs of the many outweighing the needs of the few to every man for himself.
There have been flashes of passion showing up here and there recently and I'm hoping that other people are infected and start to inspire others.
When you find what you are passionate about you're life becomes full. Passion gives you purpose. So I want my kids to find something that they are passionate about. When they do their life will open up in front of them.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Who knew that in a country with oceans on both sides that finding fish caught or raised in the USA would be so difficult
I have this recipe for Talapia Scampi. It is yummy. The best part is everyone in the family likes it so there is no bitching and complaining at dinner when I make it. In fact, there is never even a flake left over no matter how much I make. I don't make it often because fish is expensive and the whole house smells like fish for a couple of days after I make it. I don't like that. But now and then the need to enjoy it overcomes my thin wallet and my adversion to lingering cooked fish smells.
I made up our two week menu and my shopping list to go with it. There were cheers all around when they saw Talapia Scampi on the menu for this week.
I didn't have the heart to tell everyone when I got home that there wasn't a domestic talapia fish to be found in the area. I'd even settle for North American Talapia. Farm raised in China was all I could find. The phrase "farm raised in China" just scares me. This was also on the label: Contains additives to preserve and enhance color. I think I actually shivered right there in the seafood section.
There has to be a seafood store somewhere around here. One that sells fish that aren't chemically enhanced. One that sells fish that may have actually swam in an ocean at some point. Not just flash frozen after spending its pitiful existence in a filthy tank. I don't have a problem eating fish that are grown in a fish farm. It's probably the only thing that's going to save our oceans from overfishing. But China isn't exactly known for it's enviromentally healthy ways. I'm sure they aren't too concerned with the enviroment of a farmed fish.
No doubt the groan of another disappointment will be heard if I can't locate a real seafood store in the next few days.
I made up our two week menu and my shopping list to go with it. There were cheers all around when they saw Talapia Scampi on the menu for this week.
I didn't have the heart to tell everyone when I got home that there wasn't a domestic talapia fish to be found in the area. I'd even settle for North American Talapia. Farm raised in China was all I could find. The phrase "farm raised in China" just scares me. This was also on the label: Contains additives to preserve and enhance color. I think I actually shivered right there in the seafood section.
There has to be a seafood store somewhere around here. One that sells fish that aren't chemically enhanced. One that sells fish that may have actually swam in an ocean at some point. Not just flash frozen after spending its pitiful existence in a filthy tank. I don't have a problem eating fish that are grown in a fish farm. It's probably the only thing that's going to save our oceans from overfishing. But China isn't exactly known for it's enviromentally healthy ways. I'm sure they aren't too concerned with the enviroment of a farmed fish.
No doubt the groan of another disappointment will be heard if I can't locate a real seafood store in the next few days.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Under the snow
After a string of warm days our wonderland of white has melted away. Leaving in it's place a muddy wasteland.
Many treasures were found once the snow was gone. My husband's knitted hat, my gloves, an egg cleverly hidden by our chickens, a couple of baseballs and a softball. Several of our snowstorms were nor-easters so there are plenty of small tree limbs and branches scattered about too.
Our yard went from a white beautiful wonderland to a cluttered wreck.
But by far the most abundant item out there is piles and piles of dog poop. There is no scooping of poop during snowy times. As they go it is often quickly buried by another layer of snow. Or the warm mass sinks down into the layers.
Our three month reprieve from yard work is over. Break out the rakes, rototiller, shovels, lawn and leaf bags and the pooper scooper, of course. We're also going to need some weed and feed to help repair this pathetic excuse for a lawn.
It's going to be a lot of work this year because of the added repair needed from the pool installation but we have a great yard and I can't wait to enjoy it and share it with our friends.
Many treasures were found once the snow was gone. My husband's knitted hat, my gloves, an egg cleverly hidden by our chickens, a couple of baseballs and a softball. Several of our snowstorms were nor-easters so there are plenty of small tree limbs and branches scattered about too.
Our yard went from a white beautiful wonderland to a cluttered wreck.
But by far the most abundant item out there is piles and piles of dog poop. There is no scooping of poop during snowy times. As they go it is often quickly buried by another layer of snow. Or the warm mass sinks down into the layers.
Our three month reprieve from yard work is over. Break out the rakes, rototiller, shovels, lawn and leaf bags and the pooper scooper, of course. We're also going to need some weed and feed to help repair this pathetic excuse for a lawn.
It's going to be a lot of work this year because of the added repair needed from the pool installation but we have a great yard and I can't wait to enjoy it and share it with our friends.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Just needed some cheering up.....
Dance to the music!
Oh, to be young again....
Mickey is plum tuckered out.
A beautiful girl enjoys a beautiful park.
Summer will soon be here.
Don't run me over.
Oops, busted in the mud.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Cool Endings in Vancouver
The Olympics are coming to a close tonight. Right now we are watching the closing ceremonies. We are all so tired that it's going to take another week to catch up on sleep. These games started out with sadness and maybe because of that they seem to be ending in triumph. From making fun of themselves while relighting the indoor cauldron to their wonderful celebration of a terrific men's hockey finals, and I don't even like hockey. Canada wins their first gold at a home game, then goes on to win a bunch more. Since snowboarding, moguls and other x-game type sports have joined the Olympics camaraderie between the athletes have reached new levels. Instead of the rivalry and political games from the past (remember the US vs USSR men's hockey finals in 1980?) we have hugs and high fives between the medal winners.
After my disappointment in the Beijing games two summers ago I found these games to be quite refreshing.
I didn't mention it earlier but I love to compare cauldrons and Vancouver's will go down as one of my favorites.
When it malfunctioned during the opening ceremonies it bothered me, first the death of an athlete, then the malfunction. I was left with a feeling that these Olympics would have a black cloud over them. Then the death of an athlete's mother seem to seal it. But Canada should be proud of themselves. Their optimism and grace made these games one of the best in a long time.
Neil Young: Sugar Mountain... Good Bye!
Edited to add 3/1/2010: I thought that was the end but it wasn't, proving once again what a loser I can be. To Be or Not To Be a Loser, that is the question. Sorry about that. Anyway, turns out NBC is the loser. Did you get a look at how they cut the end off just to go to some stupid reality show premiere? Oh and if I wanted to see the rest I had to come back at 11:30. Are you kidding me? After 14 days of sleep deprivation I'm not going to sit through some stupid reality show, you lost me and what little respect I had left for NBC. Jerks.
After my disappointment in the Beijing games two summers ago I found these games to be quite refreshing.
I didn't mention it earlier but I love to compare cauldrons and Vancouver's will go down as one of my favorites.
When it malfunctioned during the opening ceremonies it bothered me, first the death of an athlete, then the malfunction. I was left with a feeling that these Olympics would have a black cloud over them. Then the death of an athlete's mother seem to seal it. But Canada should be proud of themselves. Their optimism and grace made these games one of the best in a long time.
Neil Young: Sugar Mountain... Good Bye!
Edited to add 3/1/2010: I thought that was the end but it wasn't, proving once again what a loser I can be. To Be or Not To Be a Loser, that is the question. Sorry about that. Anyway, turns out NBC is the loser. Did you get a look at how they cut the end off just to go to some stupid reality show premiere? Oh and if I wanted to see the rest I had to come back at 11:30. Are you kidding me? After 14 days of sleep deprivation I'm not going to sit through some stupid reality show, you lost me and what little respect I had left for NBC. Jerks.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Overscheduled
In the last two weeks I have not had a minute to myself. Hours of sleep have been given up just to provide you, faithful readers with entertainment and a look into my twisted view of things.
Cookie Mom duties are coming to a close and it's been a time sucker that's for sure. I'll deny it if anyone asks but it was kinda fun, most of the time. Mainly because the other half of this cookie team made it that way. Getting some blog fodder out of it helped too.
I'm getting ready to test for my last stripe before a belt test in karate and I have not had a moment to practice. At this rate I'll be 50 before I get there. The Engineer makes time to practice, so why can't I you ask? Well, let us see how things go. As an example: Monday night I go to work and The Engineer is home playing Mr. Mom. On the way home from work I grocery shop and I arrive home at about 10PM to find Mr. Mom sitting on the sofa "resting" after spending the last two hours practicing his karate. All three kids dive into the groceries looking for anything quick to eat because what do you know, Mr. Mom hadn't made dinner yet. Yep, he got that workout in but dinner just had to wait. So I made dinner, fed the troops and sent them off to bed. Mr. Mom told me how tired he was, took a shower and went to bed. Mom's are just not wired to be able to blow off feeding the kids just to get in a workout. After some rewiring that night Mr. Mom may rethink his decision next Monday when I go to work.
Schoolwork, theater class, reading club, library trips, boys book club, cookie duties, cookie booths, gym day, play dates, religious school, hamantashen dough for The Vet's class, flour exploded all over the kitchen from hamantashen dough, an extra run to the grocery store because we didn't have enough vanilla for said hamantashen dough, work, karate, violin lessons, piano lesson, guitar lessons, grocery shopping, and for some reason everyone who has ever known me has called me on the phone this week. Tired yet?
Why do men call their wives on the phone and ask them to make a phone call?
We are supposed to get hit with another major snowstorm over the next few days. I can't wait! I might actually get to stay home and do some laundry. Baseball Boy hasn't had socks for a week.
Cookie Mom duties are coming to a close and it's been a time sucker that's for sure. I'll deny it if anyone asks but it was kinda fun, most of the time. Mainly because the other half of this cookie team made it that way. Getting some blog fodder out of it helped too.
I'm getting ready to test for my last stripe before a belt test in karate and I have not had a moment to practice. At this rate I'll be 50 before I get there. The Engineer makes time to practice, so why can't I you ask? Well, let us see how things go. As an example: Monday night I go to work and The Engineer is home playing Mr. Mom. On the way home from work I grocery shop and I arrive home at about 10PM to find Mr. Mom sitting on the sofa "resting" after spending the last two hours practicing his karate. All three kids dive into the groceries looking for anything quick to eat because what do you know, Mr. Mom hadn't made dinner yet. Yep, he got that workout in but dinner just had to wait. So I made dinner, fed the troops and sent them off to bed. Mr. Mom told me how tired he was, took a shower and went to bed. Mom's are just not wired to be able to blow off feeding the kids just to get in a workout. After some rewiring that night Mr. Mom may rethink his decision next Monday when I go to work.
Schoolwork, theater class, reading club, library trips, boys book club, cookie duties, cookie booths, gym day, play dates, religious school, hamantashen dough for The Vet's class, flour exploded all over the kitchen from hamantashen dough, an extra run to the grocery store because we didn't have enough vanilla for said hamantashen dough, work, karate, violin lessons, piano lesson, guitar lessons, grocery shopping, and for some reason everyone who has ever known me has called me on the phone this week. Tired yet?
Why do men call their wives on the phone and ask them to make a phone call?
We are supposed to get hit with another major snowstorm over the next few days. I can't wait! I might actually get to stay home and do some laundry. Baseball Boy hasn't had socks for a week.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Tragedy at Vancouver
This morning a Georgia luger was killed during a practice run. When I first heard about it all I heard was a luger was killed. My heart skipped a beat. The Engineers partner at work has a cousin who is an Olympic luger. He is very close to his cousin, in fact I hear they talk several times a week no matter where in the world he is at the time. If it turned out to be his cousin I can't imagine the devastation he would experience. You see one year ago this month his 8 year old son died in a tragic accident. He is no longer the man I knew before then. This would be a final blow to a man who is barely hanging on.
So even though I am saddened by the loss of a young man who was reaching the peak of hopes, dreams and goals he worked his whole life for, I am equally relieved that he wasn't a young American luger.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the Georgia luger, his team mates and especially his family.
Edited to add 2/14/2010: Last night my Olympic obsessed family stayed up until midnight watching the games. The watched the luger's closely for our only personal link (and a very loose one at that) to the Olympics. It was half way though that they realized that he isn't a luger he does skeleton. It changes nothing I wrote above but it does make me feel like I have a big "L" on my forehead.
So even though I am saddened by the loss of a young man who was reaching the peak of hopes, dreams and goals he worked his whole life for, I am equally relieved that he wasn't a young American luger.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the Georgia luger, his team mates and especially his family.
Edited to add 2/14/2010: Last night my Olympic obsessed family stayed up until midnight watching the games. The watched the luger's closely for our only personal link (and a very loose one at that) to the Olympics. It was half way though that they realized that he isn't a luger he does skeleton. It changes nothing I wrote above but it does make me feel like I have a big "L" on my forehead.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow!!
Total snow fall at our house is 20 inches. It's laying on top of the 10 inches we got last weekend. Fortunately snow packs down or we wouldn't be able to get out the door.
We've been loving the snow. The dogs and chickens, not so much. The Engineer busted his hiney today even with a snow blower clearing the walkways and driveway. While the kids were busy digging the chicken coop out. The chickens refuse to leave the coop and walk on the snow, babies or should I say "chickens". That doesn't translate well to type, forgive me.
I need to pick up more Girl Scout cookies and the restock warehouse has been closed for two days. I hope its open tomorrow or we are going to have a cookie crisis in this troop.
Tonight I saw a group of about ten teenagers having a giant snowball fight. It was fun to watch them having such a good time. The best part was when I pulled up next to them and parked they didn't turn on my car and pelt it with snow balls. Slight restoration of my faith in teenagers.
This is our first big snowfall since we moved here and I can tell you that the road crew isn't as into getting the roads as clean and dry as where we used to live. It looks beautiful but two days after the bulk of the snow fell the roads are still snow covered.
Poor Mickey was so cold this morning he went to the potty about 1 foot from the front door. Malka is much more adventurous; she hopped like a bunny to get to her favorite spot by a tree to potty.
Why is it when it snows and the public schools are closed everyone feels the need, no more than feels the need, they are drawn to the question like a bug to a light, compelled to ask if my kids get a snow day? Not usually. Why should they? We homeschool, we aren't stuck inside for hours on end doing school work. We spend about 2-3 hours a day on school work then we have the rest of the day to do what we want, including all the fun (and not so fun) things that a good snow fall brings. Besides if we are going to take a whole day off and blow it doing nothing even remotely school related it's going to be in the spring when the sprouting buds and warm breezes are calling to us. So if you don't ask me if we take snow days I won't ask you if you take spring fever days. Cause sometimes we do both :-)
Here's a few pictures:
Sweaters don't keep you very warm once they are snow encrusted. This is on the covered porch. Malka is licking her lips getting off all the yummy snow. Mickey is praying to the door gods that they will soon open the door and release him from his pergatory.
Good thing we didn't have to drive anywhere right away. Did I mention that the wind blows across the driveway and most of the snow has blown off of it?
That blue line is the top edge of our pool.
This is the back door. It's two steps up to the back door, they are buried. That little red triangle next to the house is the top edge of the basement bilco doors.
We've been loving the snow. The dogs and chickens, not so much. The Engineer busted his hiney today even with a snow blower clearing the walkways and driveway. While the kids were busy digging the chicken coop out. The chickens refuse to leave the coop and walk on the snow, babies or should I say "chickens". That doesn't translate well to type, forgive me.
I need to pick up more Girl Scout cookies and the restock warehouse has been closed for two days. I hope its open tomorrow or we are going to have a cookie crisis in this troop.
Tonight I saw a group of about ten teenagers having a giant snowball fight. It was fun to watch them having such a good time. The best part was when I pulled up next to them and parked they didn't turn on my car and pelt it with snow balls. Slight restoration of my faith in teenagers.
This is our first big snowfall since we moved here and I can tell you that the road crew isn't as into getting the roads as clean and dry as where we used to live. It looks beautiful but two days after the bulk of the snow fell the roads are still snow covered.
Poor Mickey was so cold this morning he went to the potty about 1 foot from the front door. Malka is much more adventurous; she hopped like a bunny to get to her favorite spot by a tree to potty.
Why is it when it snows and the public schools are closed everyone feels the need, no more than feels the need, they are drawn to the question like a bug to a light, compelled to ask if my kids get a snow day? Not usually. Why should they? We homeschool, we aren't stuck inside for hours on end doing school work. We spend about 2-3 hours a day on school work then we have the rest of the day to do what we want, including all the fun (and not so fun) things that a good snow fall brings. Besides if we are going to take a whole day off and blow it doing nothing even remotely school related it's going to be in the spring when the sprouting buds and warm breezes are calling to us. So if you don't ask me if we take snow days I won't ask you if you take spring fever days. Cause sometimes we do both :-)
Here's a few pictures:
Sweaters don't keep you very warm once they are snow encrusted. This is on the covered porch. Malka is licking her lips getting off all the yummy snow. Mickey is praying to the door gods that they will soon open the door and release him from his pergatory.
Good thing we didn't have to drive anywhere right away. Did I mention that the wind blows across the driveway and most of the snow has blown off of it?
That blue line is the top edge of our pool.
This is the back door. It's two steps up to the back door, they are buried. That little red triangle next to the house is the top edge of the basement bilco doors.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Nobody's fault but my own..
Last night I left my cell phone at the vet's office. I've done it before and it's not a big deal because I don't live and die by my cell phone. Really, only people who need it to earn a living should be able to say that.
If you remember I am more of an old fashioned girl so this normally isn't a problem. Normally, now that's an interesting word. Since nothing is normal anymore.
Since I've been cookie mom I've added a whole list of new phone numbers to my cell phone. None of which I put in my good old fashioned phone book. Now today I am supposed to have a phone conference (doesn't that sound official, don't be impressed) with the other cookie mom about our next reorder, an important one since we are winding down cookie sales. Only one problem, we only have each other's cell phone numbers and we both have unlisted home numbers. The girls also have a chocolate party (Happy Valentines Day!) they are going to this afternoon and I don't have the phone number for the home they will be at anywhere but in my cell phone. Yep, you're right it's at the house of one of the girlscouts.
So I'm going to head to the vet's office to get my phone and when I come home I'm going to write all the new numbers in my good old fashioned phone book.
If you remember I am more of an old fashioned girl so this normally isn't a problem. Normally, now that's an interesting word. Since nothing is normal anymore.
Since I've been cookie mom I've added a whole list of new phone numbers to my cell phone. None of which I put in my good old fashioned phone book. Now today I am supposed to have a phone conference (doesn't that sound official, don't be impressed) with the other cookie mom about our next reorder, an important one since we are winding down cookie sales. Only one problem, we only have each other's cell phone numbers and we both have unlisted home numbers. The girls also have a chocolate party (Happy Valentines Day!) they are going to this afternoon and I don't have the phone number for the home they will be at anywhere but in my cell phone. Yep, you're right it's at the house of one of the girlscouts.
So I'm going to head to the vet's office to get my phone and when I come home I'm going to write all the new numbers in my good old fashioned phone book.
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