Monday, October 17, 2005
Something that hurts worse than drug-less childbirth
I finally found it....not that I was really searching for it---something that hurts worse than natural, drug-free childbirth. It is called a gallbladder attack. Yep, I can personally confirm that it definitely hurts, there is much pain involved, and it isn't fun. I have been enlightened! I guess I am blessed with life experiences. I hate to be one of those people to say that I have been there and done that--but I am starting to become a little annoying as I get older and have more "learning" experiences.
Josh started his own blogspot this month. It is sports related and I am thrilled he has done it considering he is a rambunctious 16 year old that I NEVER thought would take interest in writing! Perhaps there is a sports-writing career in his future- you never know! His site is www.sportsdogrus.blogspot.com.
My friend Kelly is PREGNANT!!!! I am so happy for her. She is a person that was born to be a mom. She is one of the most maternal people I have ever met. Congratulations Kelly and Mike!!!!!!
That is the latest from here.....Oh, forgot to mention, Gabby had Kidney stone surgery and has one more coming up in a week. Cross your fingers for us!
Josh started his own blogspot this month. It is sports related and I am thrilled he has done it considering he is a rambunctious 16 year old that I NEVER thought would take interest in writing! Perhaps there is a sports-writing career in his future- you never know! His site is www.sportsdogrus.blogspot.com.
My friend Kelly is PREGNANT!!!! I am so happy for her. She is a person that was born to be a mom. She is one of the most maternal people I have ever met. Congratulations Kelly and Mike!!!!!!
That is the latest from here.....Oh, forgot to mention, Gabby had Kidney stone surgery and has one more coming up in a week. Cross your fingers for us!
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
Who Eats Tomato Soup Off The Floor?
Things were crazy busy yesterday, not unlike every other day that passes, but this day was different. Filled with opportunities to make money....but everything had to happen NOW....before 5pm! In the midst of me making phone calls, typing proposals and sending off emails.....I hear my husband say to the children, "yep, your mom will be leaving to get groceries any time now.....".
Realizing my entire family was starving for dinner, and my husband had to leave for work in two hours.....I became overloaded. I think I even muttered the "f" word aloud for all to hear. I do remember telling him that dinner would NOT be served tonight and I was too busy to even consider getting groceries. He took the hint (rare occassion, marked the day on my calendar later that evening) and took the children grocery shopping with him. He only spent $100 bucks and came home with 15 minutes to spare. (ie: he needed me to put away groceries, cook dinner and have it complete in 15 minutes while he showered).....At the same moment, I receive an email that I lost on one of my proposals...so I freak out....actually stomping my feet and feeling like I am 5...swearing I will never ever ever send a proposal to that vendor ever again....Gabby is in the fridge, putting away groceries as I have obviously lost all touch with reality, when my huge, immense labor intensive filled pot of home-made, hours and hours of stewing tomatoes, perfecting the seasoning, spaghetti sauce comes tumbling from the second story shelf and lands promptly on the linoleum floor. Lets talk about switching paradigms. My kitchen looked like the bloodbath I was envisioning in my head when I was insane with anger after losing on my proposal. It felt comfortable for a brief second....then reality hit. WHO WILL CLEAN IT UP? Naturally, the roles have reversed. Gabby is now insane with rage...."WHO put that pot on top of this tiny plastic bowl????" (Jenna did)...I took the blame and found myself on the floor, scooping up cold, wet tomato sauce including all the little tomatillos that I cut into quarters......how sad is that? All of it went to the garbage....all of the hard work, love and seasoning I put into my creation (Yes, I am allowed to be emotionally attached as I never cook.....). I was comforted in a small way when Luna (my loving cat) came on the scene and tasted the floor. She didn't stick around to do any more tasting...but at least someone tasted my creation.
After all of the mess was cleaned, won-ton soup was made and Gabby was out the door...I called Mary. We talked about how work is supposed to be fun. That is my next goal. To transform all of "this" into fun.
Realizing my entire family was starving for dinner, and my husband had to leave for work in two hours.....I became overloaded. I think I even muttered the "f" word aloud for all to hear. I do remember telling him that dinner would NOT be served tonight and I was too busy to even consider getting groceries. He took the hint (rare occassion, marked the day on my calendar later that evening) and took the children grocery shopping with him. He only spent $100 bucks and came home with 15 minutes to spare. (ie: he needed me to put away groceries, cook dinner and have it complete in 15 minutes while he showered).....At the same moment, I receive an email that I lost on one of my proposals...so I freak out....actually stomping my feet and feeling like I am 5...swearing I will never ever ever send a proposal to that vendor ever again....Gabby is in the fridge, putting away groceries as I have obviously lost all touch with reality, when my huge, immense labor intensive filled pot of home-made, hours and hours of stewing tomatoes, perfecting the seasoning, spaghetti sauce comes tumbling from the second story shelf and lands promptly on the linoleum floor. Lets talk about switching paradigms. My kitchen looked like the bloodbath I was envisioning in my head when I was insane with anger after losing on my proposal. It felt comfortable for a brief second....then reality hit. WHO WILL CLEAN IT UP? Naturally, the roles have reversed. Gabby is now insane with rage...."WHO put that pot on top of this tiny plastic bowl????" (Jenna did)...I took the blame and found myself on the floor, scooping up cold, wet tomato sauce including all the little tomatillos that I cut into quarters......how sad is that? All of it went to the garbage....all of the hard work, love and seasoning I put into my creation (Yes, I am allowed to be emotionally attached as I never cook.....). I was comforted in a small way when Luna (my loving cat) came on the scene and tasted the floor. She didn't stick around to do any more tasting...but at least someone tasted my creation.
After all of the mess was cleaned, won-ton soup was made and Gabby was out the door...I called Mary. We talked about how work is supposed to be fun. That is my next goal. To transform all of "this" into fun.
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
First Middleschool Dance
First Dance....not exactly how I envisioned it! First off, the dance is on a Tuesday, afterschool, and in jeans and a t-shirt? Alright, it is middleschool, but a dance??? Whatever happened to the months of anticipation, the ugly dress your mother buys for you and insists you look "adorable", the ribbon in your hair (that makes you look more like a 5 year-old than a pre-teen). When I was in middleschool, or, as we called it back in the old days, Junior High (I like that much better), these dances were what first boyfriends were all about. If a guy asked you to the dance, he was automatically your boyfriend (if only for one day), heck, if a guy asked you TO DANCE ----a slow dance....(and he was cute) he was automatically your boyfriend---never mind the 17 other chicks he had been dancing with all night!!! Those memories are fun and embarrassing all wrapped together. Anyway, I digress....
Jennas first dance was as she says "really fun"!!! I am not sure I believe her though. No one asked her to dance, and she says the music was so loud,it blew her ears out. When I asked what was so good about it----her reply? They had really good snacks and also slushies that you could buy in different flavors! THAT is fun!!!
Jennas first dance was as she says "really fun"!!! I am not sure I believe her though. No one asked her to dance, and she says the music was so loud,it blew her ears out. When I asked what was so good about it----her reply? They had really good snacks and also slushies that you could buy in different flavors! THAT is fun!!!
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Sunday, September 11, 2005
Carpe Diem!
This is the hardest goal for me. Always looking forward or backward, but never enjoying the here and now. I need to find a way to do this. The moments are slipping away!
See more progress on: live in the moment
Monday, September 05, 2005
Dancing Paul
Sunday, September 04, 2005
THE STONES in concert!
Wednesday night was great fun at Comerica Park in DETROIT! The Stones are amazing STILL!!!! Keith Richards had a solo, the stage was a LARGEST EVER! 4 stories tall, it looked the a building front. Tickets to sit "backstage" in the levels of the stage were $400. The stage moved into "the round" and the guys were amazing...full of energy. They entered in a Navigator Limo, which dropped them off at the stage. There were fireworks and pyro to boot! Great effects, great show! What fun we had! This is my first night out in years....and it was fabulous!! Thanks Gabby!!! xoxoxo
Saturday, September 03, 2005
Monday, August 29, 2005
First Day of School!!!
What a morning we have had today!!!
Everything that could have gone wrong, did....the morning included, missing the bus (although we were at the bus stop 25 minutes early) tears, running mascara, confusion, forgotten items such as Oboe and planner and immaturity, drama, headaches up the ying-yang! I need a nap!
The good news is, she made it to school, thanks to me! She isn't sure how to get to her locker from where I had to drop her off so I can't wait to hear how that went and she has a gym teacher (first hour) that thrives on dramatic, wimpy, little girls. (The gym teacher is an old friend of mine who used to brag about how she picked on these kids) JENNA will be eaten alive! I would be afraid of this teacher!
We are also watching Hurricane Katrina this morning. I have been up since 4:30am tracking it. My step-son lives in Mississippi and we are worried that they will get hit or flooded. CRAZY!
Happy Monday everyone!!!
Everything that could have gone wrong, did....the morning included, missing the bus (although we were at the bus stop 25 minutes early) tears, running mascara, confusion, forgotten items such as Oboe and planner and immaturity, drama, headaches up the ying-yang! I need a nap!
The good news is, she made it to school, thanks to me! She isn't sure how to get to her locker from where I had to drop her off so I can't wait to hear how that went and she has a gym teacher (first hour) that thrives on dramatic, wimpy, little girls. (The gym teacher is an old friend of mine who used to brag about how she picked on these kids) JENNA will be eaten alive! I would be afraid of this teacher!
We are also watching Hurricane Katrina this morning. I have been up since 4:30am tracking it. My step-son lives in Mississippi and we are worried that they will get hit or flooded. CRAZY!
Happy Monday everyone!!!
Saturday, August 27, 2005
Has It REALLY been 20 years???
CLASS REUNION!!!
Panic! Run!
I have submitted this photo to Classmates.com for fun.....I am excited and dreading it at the same time. So why would I go you might ask??? There are many friends I would LOVE to see again and how can you grow old and say "I missed my 20 year class reunion"??? VERY cool stuff! Everyone is going back to school on Monday, seems much to early, we didn't finish our vacationing/camping yet!!!
More to come..........
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Vacation?
Hello everyone! I am back! Never really went anywhere just been neglecting of my blogger obligations!
After our first camping adventure, you would think that would have been our last....but NO....we kept going back for more....adding to the formula each time...bicycles, hiking, swimming, a camper....complicating the event and adding to my "to-do list" each trip. The kids never enjoyed it. We tried different parks, different activities, and eventually did the "add-a-friend" for each child (we had 7 kids at one point). It became tiresome and nothing that resembled fun or relaxation. (let's remember, that is what vacations are all about)....we went camping almost every weekend this summer and I feel like I have been hit by a Mack truck!
During one of the trips, our family pet, Luna, escaped from our home and went MIA for two days....she ended up returning home with some battle scars that we didn't see (she is a black long-haired) that ended us in the pet hospital with hundreds of dollars in vet bills....she is still recovering....so much for the "free kitten" eh?
Josh and Jess leave this Thursday for New Mexico to start the school year. It has been a wild and crazy summer. Parenting a 16 year old versus a two year old is quite a dramatic paradigm shift!
This is starting to look a lot like an "update" but it has been so long....I have lost my creative juices. I will have to tend to my blog spot more often!!!!
Happy Summer!
After our first camping adventure, you would think that would have been our last....but NO....we kept going back for more....adding to the formula each time...bicycles, hiking, swimming, a camper....complicating the event and adding to my "to-do list" each trip. The kids never enjoyed it. We tried different parks, different activities, and eventually did the "add-a-friend" for each child (we had 7 kids at one point). It became tiresome and nothing that resembled fun or relaxation. (let's remember, that is what vacations are all about)....we went camping almost every weekend this summer and I feel like I have been hit by a Mack truck!
During one of the trips, our family pet, Luna, escaped from our home and went MIA for two days....she ended up returning home with some battle scars that we didn't see (she is a black long-haired) that ended us in the pet hospital with hundreds of dollars in vet bills....she is still recovering....so much for the "free kitten" eh?
Josh and Jess leave this Thursday for New Mexico to start the school year. It has been a wild and crazy summer. Parenting a 16 year old versus a two year old is quite a dramatic paradigm shift!
This is starting to look a lot like an "update" but it has been so long....I have lost my creative juices. I will have to tend to my blog spot more often!!!!
Happy Summer!
Monday, June 27, 2005
Bears in dem dar woods!
Camping was very interesting. Sleeping against the hard earth on an incline is definitely challenging and uncomfortable! The first night, I raced to the campsite from work and we had the most awesome site! We were surrounded in an alcove of trees...it was perfect. The mosquitoes created havoc with the happy campers, but they disappeared when the temperature dropped....
Then, just before bed, things got crazy. All the girls were in the big tent sleeping and I was sitting with the guys by the fire....I heard a rustling in the brush, then breaking twigs/branches then GROWLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL.....Gabby made a motion that I thought meant "take cover" (I later realized he was getting a weapon, just in case) so I literally dove into the big tent, broke a nail and was hyper-ventillating while telling the girls nothing was going on but don't open the window! I was trying to figure out how I was going to protect my girls with only a thin layer of nylon between me and the "creature" that I mistakenly identified as a bear.....It ended up being a few raccoons fighting, then trying to get their paws on our garbage. When I came from the big tent in the morning, Gabby took my arm and told me he owed me an apology...that he had proof it was a bear and he was sorry he made fun of me. He lead me to our van and showed me the tiny paw prints of the raccoon and thought it was funny for some reason....But I have never heard a growl like that before! It was so scary! The next night, the raccoons invaded BIG TIME. (this is after I told Gabby to make sure he took the garbage to the ranger station) He ended up taking it to the ranger station at about 2am after we were awoken by a group that invaded the site, got up on the top of my van (where we placed the garbage) and were dining on baked potatoes. Gabby had to become aggressive with the big raccoon in order to get him off the van....it was very interesting!! We had so much fun, we might go back again this week!!!!
Then, just before bed, things got crazy. All the girls were in the big tent sleeping and I was sitting with the guys by the fire....I heard a rustling in the brush, then breaking twigs/branches then GROWLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL.....Gabby made a motion that I thought meant "take cover" (I later realized he was getting a weapon, just in case) so I literally dove into the big tent, broke a nail and was hyper-ventillating while telling the girls nothing was going on but don't open the window! I was trying to figure out how I was going to protect my girls with only a thin layer of nylon between me and the "creature" that I mistakenly identified as a bear.....It ended up being a few raccoons fighting, then trying to get their paws on our garbage. When I came from the big tent in the morning, Gabby took my arm and told me he owed me an apology...that he had proof it was a bear and he was sorry he made fun of me. He lead me to our van and showed me the tiny paw prints of the raccoon and thought it was funny for some reason....But I have never heard a growl like that before! It was so scary! The next night, the raccoons invaded BIG TIME. (this is after I told Gabby to make sure he took the garbage to the ranger station) He ended up taking it to the ranger station at about 2am after we were awoken by a group that invaded the site, got up on the top of my van (where we placed the garbage) and were dining on baked potatoes. Gabby had to become aggressive with the big raccoon in order to get him off the van....it was very interesting!! We had so much fun, we might go back again this week!!!!
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Teenage Insanity
How do you harness the energy of a hyper-active 16-year-old and infuse it into his two siblings that must possess resting heart rates that mock near-death? Perhaps force him into finding a job, while lighting the house on fire to make the other two actually move from the sofa? Not certain that I am prepared to sacrifice my home just yet, but this past week, I have experienced anger and frustration that makes me understand the mind of a violent, child-abuser! Being the non-violent, vegetarian-type, child abuse and violent acts of destruction are out of the question for me, but I need to find alternate avenues for these children that sit on both extremes of the energy/attitude scale. Sending them all to a military-type camp is extremely attractive to me, but I am sure the cost would blow us out of the water, so I have taken on the near-insane project of taking the entire family camping! (this includes my 2.5-year-old that probably won't sleep the entire time we are gone)
I am the girl who is lost without my blowdryer and makeup. I am the girl who hasn't been camping since I was caught drinking beer with strangers/boys on a canoe trip when I was 14 or 15 years old. This should be interesting to say the very least. I am sure that my fantasy visions of the children running through the woods, playing in the playground and having loads of fun while I lounge in my favorite lounger, are merely pipedreams. How will they survive sans PS2 or TV or the Pistons Game??? Not certain yet. I veto-ed the "lets bring the TV and DVD Player" idea, and made myself VERY unpopular among the natives, but I did "OK" a small camping radio, and we can listen to the game on that, just like in the olden days!!! What fun!!!
The Pistons have given us all hope that the impossible is actually possible, so I am going to ride on some of their awesome energy and courage and do this crazy camping thing! GO PISTONS!!!!
I am the girl who is lost without my blowdryer and makeup. I am the girl who hasn't been camping since I was caught drinking beer with strangers/boys on a canoe trip when I was 14 or 15 years old. This should be interesting to say the very least. I am sure that my fantasy visions of the children running through the woods, playing in the playground and having loads of fun while I lounge in my favorite lounger, are merely pipedreams. How will they survive sans PS2 or TV or the Pistons Game??? Not certain yet. I veto-ed the "lets bring the TV and DVD Player" idea, and made myself VERY unpopular among the natives, but I did "OK" a small camping radio, and we can listen to the game on that, just like in the olden days!!! What fun!!!
The Pistons have given us all hope that the impossible is actually possible, so I am going to ride on some of their awesome energy and courage and do this crazy camping thing! GO PISTONS!!!!
Saturday, June 11, 2005
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