This is that time between Christmas and New Year's where you are trying to fill the time. I am thankful that it is so warm outside. The senior chief and youngest son are building a gun rack for his "rifle". He knows it's a bb gun, but in his mind, it's a rifle and he's Davy Crockett. I'm good with that, you know.
I was thinking the other day, and it's hard not to when you're feeding them..they ..the kids...always come home again, if you did it right, I think.
Enter the WAY back machine. Way back 10 years or so ago, there was this young rebellious kid whom I adopted. He went out in the world and the world wasn't nice. He didn't have the skills..period.
Ok, out of the way back machine to the present. Me and the senior chief were sitting in the garage and he comments...So, you just went and adopted him ALL over again, didn't you? Well, yes and no. I adopted him 10 years ago...adopted ones stay adopted and they know it.
They keep coming back because they keep getting the truth. And I'm still hard on all of them.
This one brought a girl and a small child. My new buddy, even. Hell, I didn't adopt the parents as much as the kid. He's a very cool kid...I'll post a video soon as I figure out how.
So, buddy boy and his girl have been having some pretty rough fights. Not cool fights by their accounting of things. So, the other day I have them in the kitchen and I said to her...YOU..have anger issues...and buddy boy is all...hahaha...and then I turned to him and I said..YOU ..have control issues. REAL control issues...
And he hung his head. Because I was right. And understand, buddy boy completely misrepresented stuff...made it all her fault kind of deal...
And I kicked him out of my kitchen.
The senior chief, for all his grousing..did offer an opinion or two and you know, I think they got something from it.
Buddy boy said that our house is the only place where he feels able to just be himself. A lot of people say that...
He really is a good sport about me adopting people.
Oh and I cleaned out my drawer and found 500 bullets...I mean, pellets for my gun. Woo HOO!
Monday, December 29, 2008
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Meditation
Meditation is cool. I meditate a lot. I think most mothers do, honestly. You learn to breath when you're trying not to choke the shit out of any given one of them at any given time.
Sometimes, meditation isn't enough, though. Sometimes, you just want to shoot something. Hey, it's true. We ALL feel that way, at times.
So, the senior chief, being the smart man that he is...fixed it so I could do just that. He hooked me up with a really sweet air pistol..pellet gun type. AWESOME! Hey, you gotta start somewhere, right?
And besides, it's been 20 years since I handled a gun. Better to start small and work your way up is what I was thinking. He did listen...(can I get a hell yeah from the ladies?)
So, now when these people aggravate me, I can carry my little pellet gun down to the range, and plink at some cans. I have every intention of getting really good with that thing..since I can shoot anytime I want.
Apparently, I did well enough yesterday because he's already looking at upgrading me to an adult sized round. (hehe) However, I love my little air pistol..because I can shoot it anytime I want and believe me, if I pop someone in the nuts with one of those pellets, they are going down.
What matters the most is the ability to be accurate. What better way to practice accuracy without having to drive god knows where to a shooting range..etc.
And believe me, after putting a few good sized holes in a few cans yesterday, I had my chi MUCH quicker than contorting in some meditation position and trying to breath and say..ohm..or what the hell ever. Besides, I'm getting ready to lay my garden while the soil is moist and we have a warm day..and by the time I get my garden in, those rabbits are mine.
So, I guess you could say I found a new form of meditation.
Sometimes, meditation isn't enough, though. Sometimes, you just want to shoot something. Hey, it's true. We ALL feel that way, at times.
So, the senior chief, being the smart man that he is...fixed it so I could do just that. He hooked me up with a really sweet air pistol..pellet gun type. AWESOME! Hey, you gotta start somewhere, right?
And besides, it's been 20 years since I handled a gun. Better to start small and work your way up is what I was thinking. He did listen...(can I get a hell yeah from the ladies?)
So, now when these people aggravate me, I can carry my little pellet gun down to the range, and plink at some cans. I have every intention of getting really good with that thing..since I can shoot anytime I want.
Apparently, I did well enough yesterday because he's already looking at upgrading me to an adult sized round. (hehe) However, I love my little air pistol..because I can shoot it anytime I want and believe me, if I pop someone in the nuts with one of those pellets, they are going down.
What matters the most is the ability to be accurate. What better way to practice accuracy without having to drive god knows where to a shooting range..etc.
And believe me, after putting a few good sized holes in a few cans yesterday, I had my chi MUCH quicker than contorting in some meditation position and trying to breath and say..ohm..or what the hell ever. Besides, I'm getting ready to lay my garden while the soil is moist and we have a warm day..and by the time I get my garden in, those rabbits are mine.
So, I guess you could say I found a new form of meditation.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Euphoria
I love that feeling. That's the one we go for every Christmas. That search for the ultimate high that only comes from giving the perfect gift and putting a smile on the face of all you love.
It's what comes from a full house, a riotous good time with no drama, good food and a nap just to do it all over again.
Holidays and any kind of gathering around here is tumultuous and active. We have game playing going on, pool playing going on, music in the background and just to make it perfect, a little voice saying..."I WUB Batman"...
On nice days, like yesterday, there is football playing in the front yard and everyone playing with their favorite toy.
I did a couple of gag gifts this year, just to make it livelier. The little dude got a six pack of empty beer cans...we did add the bb's so when he shook it, it sounded REALLY cool. He toted that damn package around all day yesterday. He did not want to lose his targets.
For the eldest, we went and got him a phone. He's not had one in a while...and then, we called all his friends so that they would call it so his package kept ringing under the tree. He was totally thrilled. Which was really good, since he and his girl broke up. There was a secondary, um...undercurrent celebration going on with that news. He's lined up with dates for the next month, I do believe. This one, he is a study of...Talk to your kids, they'll listen. It's true.
Let me just tell y'all the final straw..in my mind. Ok, the boy works for us, right? I know how hard he works ...and the senior chief. When they get home, all they have to do is crack a beer, really. They get some time to take a shower..get their chi..have some wind down time.
Well, one day, the senior chief took the eldest home and the eldest was gonna take a shower and get to work on his van, that was broke at the time. When he got home, first of all, there were several bags of dirty diapers strewn EVERYWHERE ..inside and out...
He gets out of the truck and she commences to just going all trailer trash bitch on his ass about how HIS dog had done this and she wasn't cleaning it up...and blah, blah, blah. No thought of HER baby crawling around in that mess. Just ugh.
She's a lesson in how to not keep a man around very long, that's for sure. So, I'm glad. I hated to see him let himself be treated that way and I'm glad he's done with that because he surely has done a lot for her and the baby all this time. A baby the senior chief swears that she only got paid twenty dollars or so to have.
So, it was nice to have the drama or potential drama gone from the holiday scene and overall, it was a nice quiet...HAPPY day.
I didn't do so good on the feast part. We stay up late on Christmas Eve just hanging out and making Santa come. Yeah, nobody in our house believes in Santa anymore, but we still all pretend. It's more fun that way.
So, we stayed up until 3 am..and then got up around 7 with the younger kids. They are good sports, too. They do let us sleep til 7 now..even though they are up at 5. Santa leaves some presents set up and ready to play with for just that, though.
They think of new, inventive ways to wake us up every year. This year, I helped them out. I left my phone downstairs with the alarm on it and so when it kept going off, they just brought it upstairs and put it in the bathroom so it would echo. It worked and I laughed.
And now, I'm off to clean the mess and do a little cooking.
It's what comes from a full house, a riotous good time with no drama, good food and a nap just to do it all over again.
Holidays and any kind of gathering around here is tumultuous and active. We have game playing going on, pool playing going on, music in the background and just to make it perfect, a little voice saying..."I WUB Batman"...
On nice days, like yesterday, there is football playing in the front yard and everyone playing with their favorite toy.
I did a couple of gag gifts this year, just to make it livelier. The little dude got a six pack of empty beer cans...we did add the bb's so when he shook it, it sounded REALLY cool. He toted that damn package around all day yesterday. He did not want to lose his targets.
For the eldest, we went and got him a phone. He's not had one in a while...and then, we called all his friends so that they would call it so his package kept ringing under the tree. He was totally thrilled. Which was really good, since he and his girl broke up. There was a secondary, um...undercurrent celebration going on with that news. He's lined up with dates for the next month, I do believe. This one, he is a study of...Talk to your kids, they'll listen. It's true.
Let me just tell y'all the final straw..in my mind. Ok, the boy works for us, right? I know how hard he works ...and the senior chief. When they get home, all they have to do is crack a beer, really. They get some time to take a shower..get their chi..have some wind down time.
Well, one day, the senior chief took the eldest home and the eldest was gonna take a shower and get to work on his van, that was broke at the time. When he got home, first of all, there were several bags of dirty diapers strewn EVERYWHERE ..inside and out...
He gets out of the truck and she commences to just going all trailer trash bitch on his ass about how HIS dog had done this and she wasn't cleaning it up...and blah, blah, blah. No thought of HER baby crawling around in that mess. Just ugh.
She's a lesson in how to not keep a man around very long, that's for sure. So, I'm glad. I hated to see him let himself be treated that way and I'm glad he's done with that because he surely has done a lot for her and the baby all this time. A baby the senior chief swears that she only got paid twenty dollars or so to have.
So, it was nice to have the drama or potential drama gone from the holiday scene and overall, it was a nice quiet...HAPPY day.
I didn't do so good on the feast part. We stay up late on Christmas Eve just hanging out and making Santa come. Yeah, nobody in our house believes in Santa anymore, but we still all pretend. It's more fun that way.
So, we stayed up until 3 am..and then got up around 7 with the younger kids. They are good sports, too. They do let us sleep til 7 now..even though they are up at 5. Santa leaves some presents set up and ready to play with for just that, though.
They think of new, inventive ways to wake us up every year. This year, I helped them out. I left my phone downstairs with the alarm on it and so when it kept going off, they just brought it upstairs and put it in the bathroom so it would echo. It worked and I laughed.
And now, I'm off to clean the mess and do a little cooking.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Would Ya Write a Blog Post or Something, Woman?
The senior chief just kicked me OUT of the garage though.. boo. hoo. He wants to wrap presents for me..so he said, ..Jeez, would you go write a blog post or something, woman?
Ok. I finally have my Chi. Got my perspective. All are living, although, I do have to round up a lump of coal just to make a point. He still gets presents, but a lump of coal for good measure.
Had a garage ass chewing with the latest ..wreckee.. he was duly chastised, and I do believe after the senior chief and I ..both.. simultaneously...(think boot camp, people) chewed his ass...he got the point. NOBODY likes it when both the senior chief and I are chewing their ass.
Usually, we try to do the good cop, bad cop routine, but some offenses call for the dual ass chewing. Yeah, nobody really likes to be ...called... into the garage. An invitation to the garage is different. That's an invitation. When one of us says...Get your ass to the garage, right now...that's a different sort of invitation and one not so welcome. An invitation is ...Hey, let's go into the garage where we can talk about this uninterrupted.
And, no, nobody gets their ass whooped in the garage. Chewed out...and treated like the adult you want to be..you betcha...
That's another thing though..we got it from the Navy and it works. You always...PRAISE in public, chew ass in private. Unless you were my eldest, and he just ran with a pack every time and made it clear that whatever I said could be said in front of them, and those kids backed me up..so that was cool. It depends upon what I had to say to him. If I thought more than one of them could benefit, I said it for the benefit of the group...and named names. Those whom I was speaking to knew who I was speaking to. That's a lot easier than criticizing their friends.
I feel like a bit of a hypocrite..being resentful of someone else doing something for my kid when I talk about all the kids that hang out around here. However, I am not a hypocrite, because I do not make decisions for the kids that the parents are having to pay for or that the parents would disapprove of. These kids do not pull the wool over my eyes, and those that treated my house as anything other than a safe haven...say, like a party house...they are gone and not welcome anymore. They don't get to just run willy nilly over here..there are rules. And, only those that understand that and obey can come over. And let any of them drive my car...oh not only no, but hell no. One time, I made a decision....and I didn't make it, I merely enforced what the kid told me his mother wanted. He was bi-polar and suicidal. She had called the ambulance to have someone take care of that and he ran away. He ran away to my house and I took him to the hospital. She gives my eldest good advice, too, bless her.
So, many garage sessions through the holidays. My next to favorite time of year, but each year is special. Not having to send them to the ex straight off helps considerably. The youngsters are all excited and it's a pretty damn happy place to be, right now. I have pictures of the light show to put up soon..I love lots of lights. There's really not more I could want right now...I have lots of loved ones...what more is there really.
To all my special bloggy friends...I hope you have a very Merry Christmas, and a Very Happy Hanukkah, and a Very Happy Holiday Season, in general. May the Lord bless you with health, wealth, and prosperity. The senior chief just invited me back to the garage..hehe.
Ok. I finally have my Chi. Got my perspective. All are living, although, I do have to round up a lump of coal just to make a point. He still gets presents, but a lump of coal for good measure.
Had a garage ass chewing with the latest ..wreckee.. he was duly chastised, and I do believe after the senior chief and I ..both.. simultaneously...(think boot camp, people) chewed his ass...he got the point. NOBODY likes it when both the senior chief and I are chewing their ass.
Usually, we try to do the good cop, bad cop routine, but some offenses call for the dual ass chewing. Yeah, nobody really likes to be ...called... into the garage. An invitation to the garage is different. That's an invitation. When one of us says...Get your ass to the garage, right now...that's a different sort of invitation and one not so welcome. An invitation is ...Hey, let's go into the garage where we can talk about this uninterrupted.
And, no, nobody gets their ass whooped in the garage. Chewed out...and treated like the adult you want to be..you betcha...
That's another thing though..we got it from the Navy and it works. You always...PRAISE in public, chew ass in private. Unless you were my eldest, and he just ran with a pack every time and made it clear that whatever I said could be said in front of them, and those kids backed me up..so that was cool. It depends upon what I had to say to him. If I thought more than one of them could benefit, I said it for the benefit of the group...and named names. Those whom I was speaking to knew who I was speaking to. That's a lot easier than criticizing their friends.
I feel like a bit of a hypocrite..being resentful of someone else doing something for my kid when I talk about all the kids that hang out around here. However, I am not a hypocrite, because I do not make decisions for the kids that the parents are having to pay for or that the parents would disapprove of. These kids do not pull the wool over my eyes, and those that treated my house as anything other than a safe haven...say, like a party house...they are gone and not welcome anymore. They don't get to just run willy nilly over here..there are rules. And, only those that understand that and obey can come over. And let any of them drive my car...oh not only no, but hell no. One time, I made a decision....and I didn't make it, I merely enforced what the kid told me his mother wanted. He was bi-polar and suicidal. She had called the ambulance to have someone take care of that and he ran away. He ran away to my house and I took him to the hospital. She gives my eldest good advice, too, bless her.
So, many garage sessions through the holidays. My next to favorite time of year, but each year is special. Not having to send them to the ex straight off helps considerably. The youngsters are all excited and it's a pretty damn happy place to be, right now. I have pictures of the light show to put up soon..I love lots of lights. There's really not more I could want right now...I have lots of loved ones...what more is there really.
To all my special bloggy friends...I hope you have a very Merry Christmas, and a Very Happy Hanukkah, and a Very Happy Holiday Season, in general. May the Lord bless you with health, wealth, and prosperity. The senior chief just invited me back to the garage..hehe.
Monday, December 22, 2008
More Driving Saga
I am telling you when it comes to driving men lose their ever loving minds. I have one a little slow getting his driver's license here. There's a reason for that.
He is 18. Last summer he wrecked the golf cart, for crying out loud. HOW do you wreck a golf cart?
But he did. It had to be towed home, even. Ugh.
So, he thinks he needs his driver's license. Never mind that he has no money with which to pay for gas or insurance let alone buy a car, but he sure thinks he needs a driver's license.
We have been giving him driving lessons. Hell I paid a buttload of money for professional lessons even, right? However, I don't feel he's ready for his license yet.
We worked out a deal with him to take the trash out and get some time there. When he can drive 2 miles to the dump without scaring the shit out of the senior chief, then we'll talk. I ain't getting behind the wheel with him until then.
So, it wasn't happening fast enough for him so he decides to ask one of his people at church to give him lessons...which dude buddy was happy to do. Which pisses me off right there.
THEN, while he is presuming to know better about my child's ability than me...my son wrecked his car.
Now understand I think the guy is a consummate idiot in the first place...for having his children in the car with an inexperienced driver and ESPECIALLY in this particular area with the roads all tore up and changing from day to day.
Ok, so lets sum this up. We have and unlicensed (he does have a permit), uninsured driver..with me so far..who had an at fault accident. Glory Hallelujah..I do love the Christmas presents they come up with for me.
What was he thinking? HE wanted some driving experience. Well, he got it didn't he. No thought at all to the consequences for ANYBODY and with the blessing of an adult who is supposed to know better.
Oh, and lets not forget the pressure to attend their particular church..it's the LEAST I could do since my son just wrecked his car right? Wrong.
He is under ORDERS that he will never drive that car again. I don't care what the dude says...I have a REAL problem with other people parenting my children. A REAL problem.
Shoot...it's early beer thirty today..that's for sure.
He is 18. Last summer he wrecked the golf cart, for crying out loud. HOW do you wreck a golf cart?
But he did. It had to be towed home, even. Ugh.
So, he thinks he needs his driver's license. Never mind that he has no money with which to pay for gas or insurance let alone buy a car, but he sure thinks he needs a driver's license.
We have been giving him driving lessons. Hell I paid a buttload of money for professional lessons even, right? However, I don't feel he's ready for his license yet.
We worked out a deal with him to take the trash out and get some time there. When he can drive 2 miles to the dump without scaring the shit out of the senior chief, then we'll talk. I ain't getting behind the wheel with him until then.
So, it wasn't happening fast enough for him so he decides to ask one of his people at church to give him lessons...which dude buddy was happy to do. Which pisses me off right there.
THEN, while he is presuming to know better about my child's ability than me...my son wrecked his car.
Now understand I think the guy is a consummate idiot in the first place...for having his children in the car with an inexperienced driver and ESPECIALLY in this particular area with the roads all tore up and changing from day to day.
Ok, so lets sum this up. We have and unlicensed (he does have a permit), uninsured driver..with me so far..who had an at fault accident. Glory Hallelujah..I do love the Christmas presents they come up with for me.
What was he thinking? HE wanted some driving experience. Well, he got it didn't he. No thought at all to the consequences for ANYBODY and with the blessing of an adult who is supposed to know better.
Oh, and lets not forget the pressure to attend their particular church..it's the LEAST I could do since my son just wrecked his car right? Wrong.
He is under ORDERS that he will never drive that car again. I don't care what the dude says...I have a REAL problem with other people parenting my children. A REAL problem.
Shoot...it's early beer thirty today..that's for sure.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
And Another Thing
Here it is..colder than a witches tit. The senior chief is out fixing stuff. I'm a little slow, but I do catch on...
Just as SOON as I find clothes warm enough to help...you know, practice what I preach...a whole POSSE of men shows up..each more qualified than I to be the helper...so once again, I am shoved out of the way.
I just told the senior chief...I was ready and prepared...
He knows. I love him for that.
Just as SOON as I find clothes warm enough to help...you know, practice what I preach...a whole POSSE of men shows up..each more qualified than I to be the helper...so once again, I am shoved out of the way.
I just told the senior chief...I was ready and prepared...
He knows. I love him for that.
One Thousand and Eight
This is how many posts I have written..counting this one. Wow. That's a whole book of nothing. Just a side note, there.
The reason I am writing this post right now is I have a question.
The question is.... What the FUCK happens to men when they get behind a wheel of a car? I mean, SERIOUSLY..they lose their ever-freaking minds.
Now you guys...just shut the hell up for a minute...unless you want to answer the question..WTF?...otherwise...hush up now.
You ladies know EXACTLY what I'm talking about..and momma, if you're reading, you are included in this. I did ride with my Daddy a few times. (grin)
Anyway..holy crap..I have had to deal with the whole male ego/driving thing just WAY too much this week. I swear to God, I will never ride with ANY of them again.
First of all, there is the whole ...if any TWO are going out..any of the ones...20 years or older MUST drive. I can only assume that they have SOME kind of pride and being driven around my your momma at 20 is just a bit hard to swallow. Or something. Whatever.
Understand, I am a VERY good sport about this. My one thousand and whatever posts attest to that. The guys even admit that I am a very good sport about it...however...
So, as an example, me and the twenty year old were out the other day...and we were experiencing a break down. We weren't broke down yet. He was driving. So, I wanted to drive home...for diagnostic purposes. The senior chief counts on this before embarking on any repair venture. My daddy taught me well. Seriously, I can point you in the general direction...and damn near nail it every time. You see, I use ALL my senses...to make some analysis. I didn't think HE broke it...but I got this big ol' fucking ATTITUDE because I wanted to drive it home. He was pissed at me for twenty freaking minutes we were in a store ... me, him and the clerk and him pretending like he didn't know me. All over driving. Yeah, that shit kind of pisses me off, a little. Only a little though, and I'll get to that. They can think what they want...I do have a set of keys to EVERY vehicle in the stable and I'll drive whenever I want. This was illustrated when he finally got over his snit and handed over the SPARE keys. I informed him that I had my own set, and he duly hung his head.
It's the BATTLES, women...and men, cuz I know you're still reading.
The senior chief was on the phone the other day while we were at the store. Business does not stop just because someone catches us out. We had to stand in the parking lot for ...ever.... before he would acknowledge that I could drive us home. 2.5 freaking miles. A phone call we had been WAITING on no less...
And then, there was the ride yesterday with the eldest. Seven wrecks eldest...in this rickety assed old van..swaying from side to side, him driving it like it's a Camaro, firstly and then the absolute FAITH he had in his brakes. Holy CRAP, I am stomping on my brakes on the passenger side and he BARELY stops an INCH from the car in front. And not to mention...no freaking even thought of ...space maintenance. You know, when you are driving faster than the car in front of you, regulating your speed so that you are far enough behind to account for sudden stops. Oh, hell no..this kid...not lift until an INCH off the bumper and then try to PUSH them along and make THEM drive the speed he wanted to.
Oh, and my daddy taught me a few other things about driving cars...like ..power shifting....and then he'd say..."If I EVER catch you doing that, I'll kick your ass." Wish he would have just showed me how to do it...I get the concept, but I sure coulda used that info a few different times in my life..like the last time I had a clutch failure. Anyhoo...so we got some clutch problems on the iroc and I tell the senior chief...stay off the clutch. I been driving it, and yeah, she's a bitch but she does like a certain rpm range...no...he redlines it EVERY shift. The engine's gonna blow and I'm gonna kick his ass.
I'm pretty easy though...I say...FINE..you all want to drive me around...be my escort..feel important ..have that male ego stroked. FINE. Wait 'til I finish my beer and we'll be on our way.
However, those guys are out there in the freezing cold fixing that shit. Not happily..necessarily...but they ARE doing it. And I appreciate the fuck out of that ..really. I honestly do not want to be out in the freezing cold fixing a ding dang vehicle....so I get that. My issue is with the attitude.
This is one of those battles I'm choosing I guess. I WILL have my VERY own car..at my disposal whenever I want it and nobody is gonna drive my ass anywhere. And, I am perfectly willing to do the work on it to get there. I told the senior chief that. As a fucking matter of fact, that's how it's gonna be. I'm fixing my own damn car...wrench turning that is....I do need the senior chief's knowledge, which he is MORE than willing to provide...but my car..will be my own. And that means, if I have to get out in this cold assed weather and do whatever to make that happen, I sure as hell will. And, then, argument over. Real work, real actions...that kind of kills any argument any time. Simple really.
And, my political message is to not bitch for change unless you're willing to execute change your own damn self. Me..I say ...bring it. I can handle anything life hands at me. I will adapt, change, bitch...SURVIVE.
The reason I am writing this post right now is I have a question.
The question is.... What the FUCK happens to men when they get behind a wheel of a car? I mean, SERIOUSLY..they lose their ever-freaking minds.
Now you guys...just shut the hell up for a minute...unless you want to answer the question..WTF?...otherwise...hush up now.
You ladies know EXACTLY what I'm talking about..and momma, if you're reading, you are included in this. I did ride with my Daddy a few times. (grin)
Anyway..holy crap..I have had to deal with the whole male ego/driving thing just WAY too much this week. I swear to God, I will never ride with ANY of them again.
First of all, there is the whole ...if any TWO are going out..any of the ones...20 years or older MUST drive. I can only assume that they have SOME kind of pride and being driven around my your momma at 20 is just a bit hard to swallow. Or something. Whatever.
Understand, I am a VERY good sport about this. My one thousand and whatever posts attest to that. The guys even admit that I am a very good sport about it...however...
So, as an example, me and the twenty year old were out the other day...and we were experiencing a break down. We weren't broke down yet. He was driving. So, I wanted to drive home...for diagnostic purposes. The senior chief counts on this before embarking on any repair venture. My daddy taught me well. Seriously, I can point you in the general direction...and damn near nail it every time. You see, I use ALL my senses...to make some analysis. I didn't think HE broke it...but I got this big ol' fucking ATTITUDE because I wanted to drive it home. He was pissed at me for twenty freaking minutes we were in a store ... me, him and the clerk and him pretending like he didn't know me. All over driving. Yeah, that shit kind of pisses me off, a little. Only a little though, and I'll get to that. They can think what they want...I do have a set of keys to EVERY vehicle in the stable and I'll drive whenever I want. This was illustrated when he finally got over his snit and handed over the SPARE keys. I informed him that I had my own set, and he duly hung his head.
It's the BATTLES, women...and men, cuz I know you're still reading.
The senior chief was on the phone the other day while we were at the store. Business does not stop just because someone catches us out. We had to stand in the parking lot for ...ever.... before he would acknowledge that I could drive us home. 2.5 freaking miles. A phone call we had been WAITING on no less...
And then, there was the ride yesterday with the eldest. Seven wrecks eldest...in this rickety assed old van..swaying from side to side, him driving it like it's a Camaro, firstly and then the absolute FAITH he had in his brakes. Holy CRAP, I am stomping on my brakes on the passenger side and he BARELY stops an INCH from the car in front. And not to mention...no freaking even thought of ...space maintenance. You know, when you are driving faster than the car in front of you, regulating your speed so that you are far enough behind to account for sudden stops. Oh, hell no..this kid...not lift until an INCH off the bumper and then try to PUSH them along and make THEM drive the speed he wanted to.
Oh, and my daddy taught me a few other things about driving cars...like ..power shifting....and then he'd say..."If I EVER catch you doing that, I'll kick your ass." Wish he would have just showed me how to do it...I get the concept, but I sure coulda used that info a few different times in my life..like the last time I had a clutch failure. Anyhoo...so we got some clutch problems on the iroc and I tell the senior chief...stay off the clutch. I been driving it, and yeah, she's a bitch but she does like a certain rpm range...no...he redlines it EVERY shift. The engine's gonna blow and I'm gonna kick his ass.
I'm pretty easy though...I say...FINE..you all want to drive me around...be my escort..feel important ..have that male ego stroked. FINE. Wait 'til I finish my beer and we'll be on our way.
However, those guys are out there in the freezing cold fixing that shit. Not happily..necessarily...but they ARE doing it. And I appreciate the fuck out of that ..really. I honestly do not want to be out in the freezing cold fixing a ding dang vehicle....so I get that. My issue is with the attitude.
This is one of those battles I'm choosing I guess. I WILL have my VERY own car..at my disposal whenever I want it and nobody is gonna drive my ass anywhere. And, I am perfectly willing to do the work on it to get there. I told the senior chief that. As a fucking matter of fact, that's how it's gonna be. I'm fixing my own damn car...wrench turning that is....I do need the senior chief's knowledge, which he is MORE than willing to provide...but my car..will be my own. And that means, if I have to get out in this cold assed weather and do whatever to make that happen, I sure as hell will. And, then, argument over. Real work, real actions...that kind of kills any argument any time. Simple really.
And, my political message is to not bitch for change unless you're willing to execute change your own damn self. Me..I say ...bring it. I can handle anything life hands at me. I will adapt, change, bitch...SURVIVE.
Ready For The Holidays?
If you are...well good for you..ya ass. Every fucking year I tell myself that I'm going to be...prepared. Apparently, every year I lie to myself.
Some of the adult kids swear to God that we do it this way because we don't want them snooping and ruining the surprise. Ok fine. I let them believe that.
It's really because I am disorganized. And then there is always, always, something expensive that breaks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I've come to plan for that anyway.
I am serious..from the very first Thanksgiving we lived here. That year it was the ding dang hot water heater, and then blah, blah, blah code...over $1000 dollars later, we show up at the in-laws stinky and hungry. That was a fun visit.
I thank God that this year's crises was much less expensive. I can finish up at least sooner than I ever have before. Each year brings me closer to achieving that goal of being...organized. It's a process.
Everything is a process when you think of it. The secret is figuring out the particular process to achieving what you want.
Which brings me to my sort of point. Blame. Self-blame..blaming others...a total waste of time. There comes a point in each and every person's life where they have to just ...get over it already. Take a look around at ..what is.. and deal with it. It's as simple as picking up the overflowing trash can. Does it really matter how the trash can got overflowing..or that the trash needs to be taken out? Whatever the particular analogy is...it really doesn't matter HOW it got that way..what matters the most is the solution in which to fix it. Or, if it's FUBAR, well, then it is.
The only reason..and I do mean only...reason you would go back and look at how it got that way...is to figure out how to fix it. And, if you can't glean any hints from the past, then just skip ahead and think outside the box.
Too many folks get caught up in the whole blame game on a personal level, let alone a political level.
I'd like to see all the bullshit just stop. We are broke as a country..it really doesn't matter anymore how it got that way, we just need to be focused on the fix.
Some of the adult kids swear to God that we do it this way because we don't want them snooping and ruining the surprise. Ok fine. I let them believe that.
It's really because I am disorganized. And then there is always, always, something expensive that breaks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I've come to plan for that anyway.
I am serious..from the very first Thanksgiving we lived here. That year it was the ding dang hot water heater, and then blah, blah, blah code...over $1000 dollars later, we show up at the in-laws stinky and hungry. That was a fun visit.
I thank God that this year's crises was much less expensive. I can finish up at least sooner than I ever have before. Each year brings me closer to achieving that goal of being...organized. It's a process.
Everything is a process when you think of it. The secret is figuring out the particular process to achieving what you want.
Which brings me to my sort of point. Blame. Self-blame..blaming others...a total waste of time. There comes a point in each and every person's life where they have to just ...get over it already. Take a look around at ..what is.. and deal with it. It's as simple as picking up the overflowing trash can. Does it really matter how the trash can got overflowing..or that the trash needs to be taken out? Whatever the particular analogy is...it really doesn't matter HOW it got that way..what matters the most is the solution in which to fix it. Or, if it's FUBAR, well, then it is.
The only reason..and I do mean only...reason you would go back and look at how it got that way...is to figure out how to fix it. And, if you can't glean any hints from the past, then just skip ahead and think outside the box.
Too many folks get caught up in the whole blame game on a personal level, let alone a political level.
I'd like to see all the bullshit just stop. We are broke as a country..it really doesn't matter anymore how it got that way, we just need to be focused on the fix.
Friday, December 19, 2008
I Can Cope With Anything....
As long as there is food in the house. My natural reaction when I am stressed is to cook something. So, to say that we are having a mini-feast tonight would well, honestly, be misleading according to the prior statement.
However, having a mini-feast we are. We are having one in celebration of the college kid making the Dean's List. 5 A's ..One B. Hell yeah! Seriously...the boy took a course load. Calculus.. A. English..B. Psychology..A Political Science..A Theater Appreciation..A. So ..steaks it is.
He gets him a big ol' T-bone. That's why I love having boys...their needs are much simpler than women's. A big ol' T-bone, and the boy feels appreciated. Some kids would ask for a car or something. Ya know what I mean.
I want my kids to feel like I am proud of them, but I don't pay them for doing what they should be doing. But, acknowledge when they do what they are supposed to be doing...with excellence even..you bet your sweet ass SOMETHING special is going to be done. Maybe Santa will bring him a cool tool to help get the job done better.
You get what you put in it...eh?
So, I went out to get him a shit hot gift today and ...the damn blazer broke. Radiator and water pump. I am so damn grateful I got people for that...that's why I go into cook mode. I can't fix the car, but I can make sure those that do fix the car for me...get a hell of a meal. Hell, everybody gets some beef tonight, baby.
The holidays are stressful. That's why we women cook. This woman drinks a few beers too...just because of the extra kid stuff....or the side job, if you will.
The garage discussion recently was ...WHY haven't I got off my ass, gone to college and gotten my psychology degree...it's a lucrative paycheck.
Ya wanna know why? Because there is not enough money in the WORLD to make me hear those ...awful secrets like I get enough of anyway.
Picture this...my latest counseling session..dude buddy confesses to me that his girl gets drunk once...just as an example..and is hitting on a 350 pound woman ALL night..telling her that she wants to suck her titties...
Oh good GOD...my EARS. For the LIFE of me I cannot unhear that...haha..and now you cannot unread it...my point being...I would hear worse every single day were I to pursue that as a career. I think I'd have to charge by the level of dysfunction or something and then you can never know...
Yeah, I'm good at it...but, UGH. I'd be just as good as a bean counter..really. And there's ALWAYS gonna be beans to count..just sayin'. And numbers...they don't tell you stuff...not like that anyway. Numbers can tell their own horror stories, don't get me wrong. Just do a study of the DOW over the last month...however...y'all do get my point.
So, when I get a case of the TMI's (too much information)..I run for the kitchen. My kitchen is big enough for...one. Two if I'm feeling generous...and because I produce the highest quality food on the lowest budget...it's MY kitchen...and so my retreat.
I can cope with ANYTHING if there's food in the house.
However, having a mini-feast we are. We are having one in celebration of the college kid making the Dean's List. 5 A's ..One B. Hell yeah! Seriously...the boy took a course load. Calculus.. A. English..B. Psychology..A Political Science..A Theater Appreciation..A. So ..steaks it is.
He gets him a big ol' T-bone. That's why I love having boys...their needs are much simpler than women's. A big ol' T-bone, and the boy feels appreciated. Some kids would ask for a car or something. Ya know what I mean.
I want my kids to feel like I am proud of them, but I don't pay them for doing what they should be doing. But, acknowledge when they do what they are supposed to be doing...with excellence even..you bet your sweet ass SOMETHING special is going to be done. Maybe Santa will bring him a cool tool to help get the job done better.
You get what you put in it...eh?
So, I went out to get him a shit hot gift today and ...the damn blazer broke. Radiator and water pump. I am so damn grateful I got people for that...that's why I go into cook mode. I can't fix the car, but I can make sure those that do fix the car for me...get a hell of a meal. Hell, everybody gets some beef tonight, baby.
The holidays are stressful. That's why we women cook. This woman drinks a few beers too...just because of the extra kid stuff....or the side job, if you will.
The garage discussion recently was ...WHY haven't I got off my ass, gone to college and gotten my psychology degree...it's a lucrative paycheck.
Ya wanna know why? Because there is not enough money in the WORLD to make me hear those ...awful secrets like I get enough of anyway.
Picture this...my latest counseling session..dude buddy confesses to me that his girl gets drunk once...just as an example..and is hitting on a 350 pound woman ALL night..telling her that she wants to suck her titties...
Oh good GOD...my EARS. For the LIFE of me I cannot unhear that...haha..and now you cannot unread it...my point being...I would hear worse every single day were I to pursue that as a career. I think I'd have to charge by the level of dysfunction or something and then you can never know...
Yeah, I'm good at it...but, UGH. I'd be just as good as a bean counter..really. And there's ALWAYS gonna be beans to count..just sayin'. And numbers...they don't tell you stuff...not like that anyway. Numbers can tell their own horror stories, don't get me wrong. Just do a study of the DOW over the last month...however...y'all do get my point.
So, when I get a case of the TMI's (too much information)..I run for the kitchen. My kitchen is big enough for...one. Two if I'm feeling generous...and because I produce the highest quality food on the lowest budget...it's MY kitchen...and so my retreat.
I can cope with ANYTHING if there's food in the house.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Sad Mommy
There is just way too much sadness in this world today. It's hard to stay cheerful when everyone around you is anxious, worried, and generally just not doing well.
Brings out the best in people, doesn't it? I was sitting here..dumb, fat and happy and the doorbell rings. It's one of the young people. His eye is all black, he's got bruises all over his neck...his girlfriend got drunk and beat him. Again.
It's just not talked about very much but there are a LOT of guys like this one out there. I'm gonna hook him up with some Alanon to start...and some good practical advice.
But, it sucks..you know?
Brings out the best in people, doesn't it? I was sitting here..dumb, fat and happy and the doorbell rings. It's one of the young people. His eye is all black, he's got bruises all over his neck...his girlfriend got drunk and beat him. Again.
It's just not talked about very much but there are a LOT of guys like this one out there. I'm gonna hook him up with some Alanon to start...and some good practical advice.
But, it sucks..you know?
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Yuletide Here At Last
So, we took the little tween out and let him pick the tree out. He's got the youngest child syndrome a bit lately. All his siblings are getting to do new and exciting things, he feels left behind, so picking out the tree was a big deal for him. He picked a mighty fine tree, too.
He also got to feel a little superior to his fellow students on Friday. He and the sister were sick all week and that's a whole other post by itself. Anyway, "they"..being some kind of establishment has established a reading schedule fo two books per month for kids in the fifth grade. That is so stupid, in my opinion. I can see why they do it, but people read at their own rate and this puts emphasis on speed reading instead of reading for retention. The 2 books a month that they are supposed to read are worth 1/2 a point a piece. The books he chose to read were worth 17 points a piece. He got 35 points in one day. However, because he hasn't been reading 2 stupid books way below his reading level, his grades have reflected that he's behind in reading. So it took him 2 months to read the sixth Harry Potter book? That was a tough book. He had a dictionary by his side and read it. I loved his reaction at the end.
My daughter has her own book interests..and she hasn't been having any part of that Twilight business..none whatsoever....until yesterday. Her friend sent her home with a copy..a well read copy, I might add, and she said she'd read it now. She still likes Hannah Montana. Music is her love. She doesn't care what her friends think, she's gonna like who she likes without shame. I'm really proud of that. So, they did this experiment or something at school where the teacher gave them all a couple of those rubber bracelets. These had some friendship message on them. They were tasked to pick a friend or two to give them to and write about who they gave them to and why they picked the particular people they picked. What she didn't know is that it was a writing contest and she placed 10th and got an award. Hell yeah. I really, really, really love the middle school. They do a real good job over there with that age group. They are very challenged and very in touch with technology. The Principle is one of my favorite people too. And, my baby daughter went to her first dance yesterday. I asked her if she danced and she did ...then I asked her if she danced with any of the boys and she said ..no..it was just her and her friends.
Remember that age? I happened to come along for the eldest's very first boy-girl party and they were at opposite ends of the pool and refused to even look at each other. The senior chief swears I saved that party. All I did was call a huddle with the girls and we started throwing water bombs at the boys and game on. Shrieking and laughing to be heard for miles.
My college boy has only one more day of exams left and it looks like it's the Dean's list for him. That kid has busted his ASS...and is just so ...happy. It's very cool. He got an A in calculus, for crying out loud. We haven't seen much of him lately ...I check on him when he's sleeping. I am extremely proud of him.
So proud that though I killed his job, which he is still thanking me for...the senior chief worked a deal for him to do the kitchen at night for a sum of money. It's win-win. The cool part...he thinks he's doing it for half the money. I threw out an offer and he took it. The senior chief thinks I went a little low, and he's gonna just hook me up so I don't have to worry about that deal. The boy has several job prospects lined up on campus, too...so he'll be just fine. He's the kid that doubled his money selling beads to drunks at Talladega. He's got a good entrepreneurial spirit, too.
Today..today is a good day to be the mom.
He also got to feel a little superior to his fellow students on Friday. He and the sister were sick all week and that's a whole other post by itself. Anyway, "they"..being some kind of establishment has established a reading schedule fo two books per month for kids in the fifth grade. That is so stupid, in my opinion. I can see why they do it, but people read at their own rate and this puts emphasis on speed reading instead of reading for retention. The 2 books a month that they are supposed to read are worth 1/2 a point a piece. The books he chose to read were worth 17 points a piece. He got 35 points in one day. However, because he hasn't been reading 2 stupid books way below his reading level, his grades have reflected that he's behind in reading. So it took him 2 months to read the sixth Harry Potter book? That was a tough book. He had a dictionary by his side and read it. I loved his reaction at the end.
My daughter has her own book interests..and she hasn't been having any part of that Twilight business..none whatsoever....until yesterday. Her friend sent her home with a copy..a well read copy, I might add, and she said she'd read it now. She still likes Hannah Montana. Music is her love. She doesn't care what her friends think, she's gonna like who she likes without shame. I'm really proud of that. So, they did this experiment or something at school where the teacher gave them all a couple of those rubber bracelets. These had some friendship message on them. They were tasked to pick a friend or two to give them to and write about who they gave them to and why they picked the particular people they picked. What she didn't know is that it was a writing contest and she placed 10th and got an award. Hell yeah. I really, really, really love the middle school. They do a real good job over there with that age group. They are very challenged and very in touch with technology. The Principle is one of my favorite people too. And, my baby daughter went to her first dance yesterday. I asked her if she danced and she did ...then I asked her if she danced with any of the boys and she said ..no..it was just her and her friends.
Remember that age? I happened to come along for the eldest's very first boy-girl party and they were at opposite ends of the pool and refused to even look at each other. The senior chief swears I saved that party. All I did was call a huddle with the girls and we started throwing water bombs at the boys and game on. Shrieking and laughing to be heard for miles.
My college boy has only one more day of exams left and it looks like it's the Dean's list for him. That kid has busted his ASS...and is just so ...happy. It's very cool. He got an A in calculus, for crying out loud. We haven't seen much of him lately ...I check on him when he's sleeping. I am extremely proud of him.
So proud that though I killed his job, which he is still thanking me for...the senior chief worked a deal for him to do the kitchen at night for a sum of money. It's win-win. The cool part...he thinks he's doing it for half the money. I threw out an offer and he took it. The senior chief thinks I went a little low, and he's gonna just hook me up so I don't have to worry about that deal. The boy has several job prospects lined up on campus, too...so he'll be just fine. He's the kid that doubled his money selling beads to drunks at Talladega. He's got a good entrepreneurial spirit, too.
Today..today is a good day to be the mom.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Reality
It's been awhile since I've done a car post. The Big 3..have really got me to thinking.
First of all, understand what kind of consumer I am. I used to not care about power so much, when I was a young single parent. It was all about economy then. So, the Ford Escort was the perfect car of choice. Bare bones, mind you. Standard transmission has always been a requirement of mine. I like to actually ..you know..drive a car. When it was time to replace that one, I had more stuff, as usually happens when you have kids. Again, I went with the Fords...my daddy was a Ford guy and got me a little Ford Ranger. Now this Ranger..all of them are, I think, in that though there were only 4 cylinders..there were 8 spark plugs. Maximum fuel efficiency and that little truck could boogie on down the road. I have a whole other story about that. Then, I got a stupid mini van. It sucked. At that point, I realized...the average consumer traded their vehicles every 3 years. We now had disposable vehicles.
And, not only were these vehicles disposable, they cost half as much as my house. I KNOW how long it's going to take to pay off my house....so it only goes to reason to put yourself into debt THAT MUCH for something that's only going to last...3 years. Lunacy, I said.
So, when the lease ran out on the stupid mini-van, we got our first Camaro. Now understand, I am still the same kind of shopper. I mean, for outward appearances, it would appear to be a mid-life crisis. Not so. I can haul groceries for 8 for 2 weeks in it...easily and it gets excellent gas mileage. They all do. They all get 30+ mpg at 80 mph. They are only turning 2500 rpm at that point. And this is fully loaded with people and stuff. Can't hardly see out of the back window loaded.
So, here we are. 60,000 dollars for a brand spanking new vehicle that is a gas hog, to boot or if it's not a gas hog, then it's got no power whatsoever.
OR..a used vehicle of the 90's era...for 4000 dollars and another 1500 dollars in upgrades to really make it sweet...and these are not the only vehicles you can get like that for that price and performance. So, even if you aren't a mechanic and you have to factor in another 2 grand to have them install parts..you still have a damn near new vehicle for what are we up to now? 7500 dollars. And fun to drive...hell the hell yes.
Why should I spend that much more to sacrifice something that I've already got? It makes absolutely no sense to me whatsoever. Never has. These are STOCK cars. You can get stock parts pretty damn cheap.
Here's the dealio. My cash...has ALWAYS been precious. I consider a car an investment of sorts...I know they depreciate, but when you spend say 20,000 dollars on a vehicle that you can drive the bumpers off of and make a living with, that's an investment. I don't want a car that is going to quit and break in 3 years. If I'm going to spend my hard earned cash on a brand spanking new vehicle, I better be driving it in 10-15 years. And that isn't the product that's being put out there in today's market. It's all shit. I refuse to buy shit.
And this isn't just about the Big 3. It's the consumer base they were trying to satisfy...let's just call them the Jones'. The Jones'..were pretty damn stupid in my humble opinion.
So, now, while a whole bunch of people are getting their shit repossessed and I can sit back and enjoy my shit...worry free. There is that teeny part of me that is sitting back and pointing and laughing. I know it's not nice, but dayum...a little math goes a long way and greed...one of the seven deadly sins. It will catch up to you.
And you know what else...even more today do I give a rat's ass what people think of me. When I'm the only one around with a roof over my head, it's funny how all of a sudden you're a rock star and all, isn't it?
First of all, understand what kind of consumer I am. I used to not care about power so much, when I was a young single parent. It was all about economy then. So, the Ford Escort was the perfect car of choice. Bare bones, mind you. Standard transmission has always been a requirement of mine. I like to actually ..you know..drive a car. When it was time to replace that one, I had more stuff, as usually happens when you have kids. Again, I went with the Fords...my daddy was a Ford guy and got me a little Ford Ranger. Now this Ranger..all of them are, I think, in that though there were only 4 cylinders..there were 8 spark plugs. Maximum fuel efficiency and that little truck could boogie on down the road. I have a whole other story about that. Then, I got a stupid mini van. It sucked. At that point, I realized...the average consumer traded their vehicles every 3 years. We now had disposable vehicles.
And, not only were these vehicles disposable, they cost half as much as my house. I KNOW how long it's going to take to pay off my house....so it only goes to reason to put yourself into debt THAT MUCH for something that's only going to last...3 years. Lunacy, I said.
So, when the lease ran out on the stupid mini-van, we got our first Camaro. Now understand, I am still the same kind of shopper. I mean, for outward appearances, it would appear to be a mid-life crisis. Not so. I can haul groceries for 8 for 2 weeks in it...easily and it gets excellent gas mileage. They all do. They all get 30+ mpg at 80 mph. They are only turning 2500 rpm at that point. And this is fully loaded with people and stuff. Can't hardly see out of the back window loaded.
So, here we are. 60,000 dollars for a brand spanking new vehicle that is a gas hog, to boot or if it's not a gas hog, then it's got no power whatsoever.
OR..a used vehicle of the 90's era...for 4000 dollars and another 1500 dollars in upgrades to really make it sweet...and these are not the only vehicles you can get like that for that price and performance. So, even if you aren't a mechanic and you have to factor in another 2 grand to have them install parts..you still have a damn near new vehicle for what are we up to now? 7500 dollars. And fun to drive...hell the hell yes.
Why should I spend that much more to sacrifice something that I've already got? It makes absolutely no sense to me whatsoever. Never has. These are STOCK cars. You can get stock parts pretty damn cheap.
Here's the dealio. My cash...has ALWAYS been precious. I consider a car an investment of sorts...I know they depreciate, but when you spend say 20,000 dollars on a vehicle that you can drive the bumpers off of and make a living with, that's an investment. I don't want a car that is going to quit and break in 3 years. If I'm going to spend my hard earned cash on a brand spanking new vehicle, I better be driving it in 10-15 years. And that isn't the product that's being put out there in today's market. It's all shit. I refuse to buy shit.
And this isn't just about the Big 3. It's the consumer base they were trying to satisfy...let's just call them the Jones'. The Jones'..were pretty damn stupid in my humble opinion.
So, now, while a whole bunch of people are getting their shit repossessed and I can sit back and enjoy my shit...worry free. There is that teeny part of me that is sitting back and pointing and laughing. I know it's not nice, but dayum...a little math goes a long way and greed...one of the seven deadly sins. It will catch up to you.
And you know what else...even more today do I give a rat's ass what people think of me. When I'm the only one around with a roof over my head, it's funny how all of a sudden you're a rock star and all, isn't it?
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
I Wuz Gonna Right A Post Today....
But, then I got high...
Then, life got in the way...
So..youse guys are left with an empty page...sort of.
Be back when shit is sorted out...with some funny assed stories..fo'sho'.
Then, life got in the way...
So..youse guys are left with an empty page...sort of.
Be back when shit is sorted out...with some funny assed stories..fo'sho'.
Monday, December 08, 2008
Happy Monday!
Ah yes, I had two sick kids home today and not only is one of them sick, but she inherited my bitch gene, too. She is pissed OFF....at ME...oh well. She's pissed because she has a Christmas concert for chorus tonight and I won't let her go. She's all dressed and everything after both her father and I told her no. She's been sick all weekend, running a fever and couldn't go to school today.
Her teacher, however, is responsible and he and I may have a conversation. She says the concerts are twenty percent of her grade and her teacher said somebody had to be dead in order for them to be excused. I am hoping that he just...said...that....
She is on the honor roll and has been since kindergarten. For her to be penalized for being sick...is not right, in my humble opinion. I, however, am not too worried about it. I have dealt with things like this before...and I usually prevail.
So, today was fun. It started around 3am. That's what time we had to get up to open the office this morning. Hey, the early bird does get the worm.
Service..customer service in general is the wave of the future. The way this economy is shaping up, you bet your sweet ass, if I go into a store to spend my hard earned money, there better damn well be someone up my ass kissing it. My time is precious, too, and I want some damn service. I want to know that my money is going towards a worthwhile product, and ya know what else I want...I want someone to stand there and make me feel better when I have that panic attack for big items. You better be able to answer any technical questions I have and you better be able to load it up in my vehicle for me, and yes, I'll tip.
People, when you get really good customer service, nothing says thank you like a couple of bucks.
THAT is spreading the wealth. GM, Ford, and Chrysler....they are going under because they didn't spread the wealth. In a company it's called profit sharing. Those who do the work...should get paid well. As far as I am concerned if there is a CEO out there making 8 million dollars a year, then his employees should be set for life too. THAT is the real spreading of the wealth.
But, greedy corporate executives...need to go away. I think they should turn those companies right over to the employees.
In the military, the way to motivate people to work harder and longer...was liberty. Time off. Got paid the same..so extra days off was always good.
In the civilian world...it's money..pure and simple. So, when employees see a direct result in their paycheck for their hard work, they work harder and longer. They feel appreciated, and job well done is good.
I have in my business model a paid vacation for all of us, providing we meet the minimum. That's pretty damn good for the first year in business, I don't care who you are. My kid...he didn't give me any shit, so he got a raise. I fired the asshole whose integrity, work ethics and business practices were in question. There can be no question whatsoever of your integrity when you are doing business in this day and age. There just can't. There never really could, but business practices in general tend to lean towards the shady side. It's hard to stay in business and have the ethics me and the senior chief do...or...it was. Now, I don't think it's so hard. Thanks to the Big 3 for that. THAT actually made my life oh so much easier.
Look, this stuff..will work itself out. Get you some guns and bullets for when shit goes all NO when we're attacked again and so you can hunt your meat. Grow you a big ol' vegetable garden and hunker down. However, people..do not give up the faith. We are Americans. We will prevail. Have faith.
Her teacher, however, is responsible and he and I may have a conversation. She says the concerts are twenty percent of her grade and her teacher said somebody had to be dead in order for them to be excused. I am hoping that he just...said...that....
She is on the honor roll and has been since kindergarten. For her to be penalized for being sick...is not right, in my humble opinion. I, however, am not too worried about it. I have dealt with things like this before...and I usually prevail.
So, today was fun. It started around 3am. That's what time we had to get up to open the office this morning. Hey, the early bird does get the worm.
Service..customer service in general is the wave of the future. The way this economy is shaping up, you bet your sweet ass, if I go into a store to spend my hard earned money, there better damn well be someone up my ass kissing it. My time is precious, too, and I want some damn service. I want to know that my money is going towards a worthwhile product, and ya know what else I want...I want someone to stand there and make me feel better when I have that panic attack for big items. You better be able to answer any technical questions I have and you better be able to load it up in my vehicle for me, and yes, I'll tip.
People, when you get really good customer service, nothing says thank you like a couple of bucks.
THAT is spreading the wealth. GM, Ford, and Chrysler....they are going under because they didn't spread the wealth. In a company it's called profit sharing. Those who do the work...should get paid well. As far as I am concerned if there is a CEO out there making 8 million dollars a year, then his employees should be set for life too. THAT is the real spreading of the wealth.
But, greedy corporate executives...need to go away. I think they should turn those companies right over to the employees.
In the military, the way to motivate people to work harder and longer...was liberty. Time off. Got paid the same..so extra days off was always good.
In the civilian world...it's money..pure and simple. So, when employees see a direct result in their paycheck for their hard work, they work harder and longer. They feel appreciated, and job well done is good.
I have in my business model a paid vacation for all of us, providing we meet the minimum. That's pretty damn good for the first year in business, I don't care who you are. My kid...he didn't give me any shit, so he got a raise. I fired the asshole whose integrity, work ethics and business practices were in question. There can be no question whatsoever of your integrity when you are doing business in this day and age. There just can't. There never really could, but business practices in general tend to lean towards the shady side. It's hard to stay in business and have the ethics me and the senior chief do...or...it was. Now, I don't think it's so hard. Thanks to the Big 3 for that. THAT actually made my life oh so much easier.
Look, this stuff..will work itself out. Get you some guns and bullets for when shit goes all NO when we're attacked again and so you can hunt your meat. Grow you a big ol' vegetable garden and hunker down. However, people..do not give up the faith. We are Americans. We will prevail. Have faith.
Friday, December 05, 2008
Sucker...
Yeah, I'm just going to have that tattooed right on my forehead. Might as well.
I am the proud owner of ANOTHER dog. Crapola. Well, at least the first one has a companion now. That ought to make life a little easier.
The eldest came over to build a doghouse yesterday afternoon. He and the senior chief built a hell of a doghouse. Somehow, after a couple of beers and hearing the latest situation in the personal life of the eldest, I found myself telling him to just bring the damn dog here, we'll look after her while he gets things sorted out.
Sometimes, opportunities present themselves in very strange ways..call it divine intervention, if you will, and this is one such scenario. I'm glad that we could talk about it so that he didn't feel like he had to live like a refugee, as the song goes. Now, we have a real opportunity to make some real progress.
I'd like to say more, but I haven't finished analyzing it yet..however, I believe that certain things happening in a certain order...are signs..cosmic hints. I just know how to recognize them sometimes. I have a wierd kind of way of looking at things.
Let me tell you, though. This economy thing is hitting the young families starting out...the very hardest. Some of them have spent the last 6 years or so struggling to get on their feet, and were right there at the brink and the rug just got RIPPED out from under them. I'm seeing a LOT of it.
The garage has been a sort of meeting place for these people and there's wheeling and dealing and bartering and whatnot going on. There's people looking for roommates, so they hash out the details in the garage..those selling cars, or car parts, those looking for cars and car parts...things like that...tools are borrowed and plans are hatched. They're gonna survive and I'm proud of them for thinking outside the box and not just automatically assuming they can live with respective parents. They're a good group.
And I get a new dog out of the deal..yippee. Not. But, it was the least I could do. Really. He had taken care of everything else but the dog was worrying him. And, he's my employee as well, so I need his head clear and free on the job when he and his dad are working. It's dangerous work they do, it really is, and you have to always be aware of your surroundings. Bad shit can happen is a millisecond if you aren't careful and paying attention.
So, hell, the dog that lived here already is happy and I did say to him...NO MORE DOGS. He hung his head and said "Yes, ma'am". And inside, I secretly thanked God it's dogs and not kids.
I am the proud owner of ANOTHER dog. Crapola. Well, at least the first one has a companion now. That ought to make life a little easier.
The eldest came over to build a doghouse yesterday afternoon. He and the senior chief built a hell of a doghouse. Somehow, after a couple of beers and hearing the latest situation in the personal life of the eldest, I found myself telling him to just bring the damn dog here, we'll look after her while he gets things sorted out.
Sometimes, opportunities present themselves in very strange ways..call it divine intervention, if you will, and this is one such scenario. I'm glad that we could talk about it so that he didn't feel like he had to live like a refugee, as the song goes. Now, we have a real opportunity to make some real progress.
I'd like to say more, but I haven't finished analyzing it yet..however, I believe that certain things happening in a certain order...are signs..cosmic hints. I just know how to recognize them sometimes. I have a wierd kind of way of looking at things.
Let me tell you, though. This economy thing is hitting the young families starting out...the very hardest. Some of them have spent the last 6 years or so struggling to get on their feet, and were right there at the brink and the rug just got RIPPED out from under them. I'm seeing a LOT of it.
The garage has been a sort of meeting place for these people and there's wheeling and dealing and bartering and whatnot going on. There's people looking for roommates, so they hash out the details in the garage..those selling cars, or car parts, those looking for cars and car parts...things like that...tools are borrowed and plans are hatched. They're gonna survive and I'm proud of them for thinking outside the box and not just automatically assuming they can live with respective parents. They're a good group.
And I get a new dog out of the deal..yippee. Not. But, it was the least I could do. Really. He had taken care of everything else but the dog was worrying him. And, he's my employee as well, so I need his head clear and free on the job when he and his dad are working. It's dangerous work they do, it really is, and you have to always be aware of your surroundings. Bad shit can happen is a millisecond if you aren't careful and paying attention.
So, hell, the dog that lived here already is happy and I did say to him...NO MORE DOGS. He hung his head and said "Yes, ma'am". And inside, I secretly thanked God it's dogs and not kids.
Thursday, December 04, 2008
Have You Ever....
Have you ever lost something that was really, really important to you for a multitude of reasons? Something you got that you didn't even know you needed, let alone..wanted...but once you had it you realized how much it meant to you...on a multitude of levels?
Yeah. Me either.
And, I'm just not a very good liar, either. Someone gave me something recently, and I lost it on voting day. I have been absolutely SICK...since. Really. Sick.
And then, in a miracle of another moment...a totally unrelated moment...it becomes unlost....this usually happens right after you order the replacement. (grin)
Yeah. Me either.
And, I'm just not a very good liar, either. Someone gave me something recently, and I lost it on voting day. I have been absolutely SICK...since. Really. Sick.
And then, in a miracle of another moment...a totally unrelated moment...it becomes unlost....this usually happens right after you order the replacement. (grin)
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Oh Yeah...
I went out and voted in the runoff yesterday. Glad to see my man won. It's always fun voting with the kids. One of mine told me he was too tired. I assured him that he wasn't...and smart kid that he is..he agreed.
We always go to the local high school to vote. At the high school is a very old man that drives around the parking lot in a golf cart making sure the kids are being good and whatnot. He was ALL in a tizz yesterday because apparently, the seniors have assigned parking and people kept parking in their parking spots. Poor guy was just all upset. He must really love those seniors. He and the guy that had the ...no campaigning for 150 feet... Yeah, I thought they were going to go to it for a second.
Me and the senior chief stood around talking for a minute to them both, making them feel better..it's what we do...(grin).
Whew. That was a close call. Too much power for one party would really, really be a bad thing. Glad I got out and cast that vote, just in case. I see he won by a fairly large margin, but still.
Finally, we can stop hearing the ads.
We always go to the local high school to vote. At the high school is a very old man that drives around the parking lot in a golf cart making sure the kids are being good and whatnot. He was ALL in a tizz yesterday because apparently, the seniors have assigned parking and people kept parking in their parking spots. Poor guy was just all upset. He must really love those seniors. He and the guy that had the ...no campaigning for 150 feet... Yeah, I thought they were going to go to it for a second.
Me and the senior chief stood around talking for a minute to them both, making them feel better..it's what we do...(grin).
Whew. That was a close call. Too much power for one party would really, really be a bad thing. Glad I got out and cast that vote, just in case. I see he won by a fairly large margin, but still.
Finally, we can stop hearing the ads.
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Alice's Restaurant
You know, I think us that have that as a tradition need to get together and form some kind of group, eh? I've found many more across the internet this particular Thanksgiving, believe it or not.
Anyway, he paints a pretty good picture of Alice in the song, and that's how I've always kind of done things...except for the half a ton of garbage part. The eating a Thanksgiving dinner that can't be beat, part and the chewing Obie out on the side and whatnot part.
This Thanksgiving nearly turned out like that. Not in so many terms, but the day before Thanksgiving, our adopted young couple came up and she was all upset, and they are a young couple making some dumb mistakes, but they've made enough that they are pretty humble. Anyway, they wanted to borrow a couple of bucks to pay the probation officer so that she could stay out of jail. The senior chief just opened up his wallet...my JAW hit the floor. Man, he doesn't like me getting all involved in the kids' business and whatnot..but this particular one is like a prodigal child returned and back in the day, he was the only one I would have considered letting move in. He said he'd have it back by Monday and off they went and they came back and the next day we had a Thanksgiving dinner that couldn't be beat...and..
We played Alice's Restaurant for these kids. My eldest son was over with his woman (insert eye roll) and she had never heard it before either. That girl...just ...let me roll my eyes at all the drama that comes to the table with her. I wish my son would just give it UP already. But, enter this other young couple and he started talking trash about the gal and that brought out the protectiveness in my eldest and sigh...three steps back. I sat and explained the rules and the roles they were supposed to take...or more importantly, the role I wasn't going to take and how I planned on dealing with things and you can sit there and tell me to get all in his business and boss him around all you want, but I'm not going to do it. I'm going to let him be a man and figure out a way out of this mess on his own. I'll pipe up with an objective observation every now and then, but I will not do a surprise visit to his house to see what's up or any of that. If he's a man, he will tell me what's going on and the fact that he hasn't tells me a lot as well. Obviously, he's not proud of his actions or role or whatever..or he's got a plan. No clue. He knows he can come here, and he's here every day. He also knows that he can talk about it.
I explained to the dude that all of y'all are adults now and not a damn one of them would like it if I treated them like they were babies and doing that stuff sends a message that you think they are incompetent...which they are..at this point, but hey, life's a pretty good teacher. You just gotta be able to make sure they got the lesson when it's all done. You say, Yep, that mistake was kinda costly..feed 'em good..give them a little sympathy for their pain, all the while making sure they know what to do differently to avoid that pain the next time. Hey..first lesson...pain is a part of life.
So, here we are, sitting in the garage with the mid twenties set...listening to Alice's Restaurant...counseling these people, really...why do they all want to visit with me ON Thanksgiving day? I swear these people had my time plotted out as to who I was going to visit with when and not a ONE of them took into account how the food was going to cook itself. I told them all..good plan...wrong day, eh? They were bummed, but managed to hit me up one by one in the kitchen and garage anyway.
There was some wedding planning going on, too. I think I volunteered to cook for the young couple's wedding when they get their stuff together enough to get married. Pretty cool, huh?
My college son is taking a government class right now so the election and process have been very fascinating for him. He's very enthusiastic about it. He chose that to be his subject to talk to me about on Thanksgiving. That was cool. Another conversation I had with one of them was how you knew you were an alcoholic or not. Another, what to do when your person you love just embarrasses you...what do to when the power company comes and gets your meter. OY! Do I LOOK like Wikipedia? My responses...Don't drink, get over it, it's gonna cost you. Now get out of my kitchen so I can cook..or start peeling something.
We had one that comes over that really, really, likes to cook, so I shot the shit with him for a long time while we were making stuff in the kitchen. That was fun as hell!
Then, Saturday rolls around and the young couple was back with the money they borrowed. THAT was cool. Earlier than they said they'd pay it back. Hell yeah! They all felt better hearing Alice's Restaurant and talking with us older folks.
What's the funniest of all..they don't all get along with ...each other. None of the adopted kids likes the other ones very much, believe it or not. They all like us, and act like they are ours by acting all jealous of the others...it is so funny. They all like my oldest son, too...but each other..not so much. None of them like his woman, she doesn't like any of them...the young couple doesn't like the bi-polar kid, and so on and so forth. They see the senior chief and I as the Rock of Gibraltar and now, having heard the song, they can kind of understand the simple rules a little better.
They come and use my washer and dryer, too. Some come to use the senior chief's tools and get advice on how to fix their cars. Sometimes it becomes a networking center where they swap skills and news about where the jobs are. This economy is hitting that age set really hard. I'm rather glad to provide most of what they need...except babysitting. I do not do the babysitting thing for very long. And, it depends on the kid. The young couple's kid is my special buddy, but I still won't tie myself to a 4 year old all day. In a pinch, sure...
However, this young lady that my son has been dating is fixing to get kicked out of the crowd. She manipulated me to take her baby yesterday and it backfired, but I didn't appreciate the utter presumptuousness of her. Especially, check this...one day when the senior chief and my son got home from a hard day's labor and were looking at another 8 hours of work fixing his truck, he is greeted by two trashbags full of dirty diapers...here comes the good part...that his dog had torn into and strewn every place..and I do mean everywhere..
So, he gets home from work, and she commences to bitching him out and making HIM clean up the mess...Oh, lordy, I'm glad I wasn't there, I would have had to kick her ass right then. I do not know why the boy puts up with it. I might need to chime in again with that. I'm hoping that he'll just see how his dad gets treated and figure it out on his own. I think he is, because he gets the senior chief to stop at the corner store and gets a couple of tallboys and sits with us for a while after work, now. He usually doesn't go until after supper a lot of days. He hangs with the younger kids a lot too and spends time tossing the football and playing video games with them. My daughter is always giving him shit for not moving back home. I have to be the neutral observer and then my words carry more weight.
However, having her around sure makes everybody that knows her appreciate me more..I mean, seriously. Heh heh.
Anyway, really, that song...Alice's Restaurant...it modeled who I wanted to be, in a way. I always wanted to be Alice...except for the half a ton of garbage part.
Anyway, he paints a pretty good picture of Alice in the song, and that's how I've always kind of done things...except for the half a ton of garbage part. The eating a Thanksgiving dinner that can't be beat, part and the chewing Obie out on the side and whatnot part.
This Thanksgiving nearly turned out like that. Not in so many terms, but the day before Thanksgiving, our adopted young couple came up and she was all upset, and they are a young couple making some dumb mistakes, but they've made enough that they are pretty humble. Anyway, they wanted to borrow a couple of bucks to pay the probation officer so that she could stay out of jail. The senior chief just opened up his wallet...my JAW hit the floor. Man, he doesn't like me getting all involved in the kids' business and whatnot..but this particular one is like a prodigal child returned and back in the day, he was the only one I would have considered letting move in. He said he'd have it back by Monday and off they went and they came back and the next day we had a Thanksgiving dinner that couldn't be beat...and..
We played Alice's Restaurant for these kids. My eldest son was over with his woman (insert eye roll) and she had never heard it before either. That girl...just ...let me roll my eyes at all the drama that comes to the table with her. I wish my son would just give it UP already. But, enter this other young couple and he started talking trash about the gal and that brought out the protectiveness in my eldest and sigh...three steps back. I sat and explained the rules and the roles they were supposed to take...or more importantly, the role I wasn't going to take and how I planned on dealing with things and you can sit there and tell me to get all in his business and boss him around all you want, but I'm not going to do it. I'm going to let him be a man and figure out a way out of this mess on his own. I'll pipe up with an objective observation every now and then, but I will not do a surprise visit to his house to see what's up or any of that. If he's a man, he will tell me what's going on and the fact that he hasn't tells me a lot as well. Obviously, he's not proud of his actions or role or whatever..or he's got a plan. No clue. He knows he can come here, and he's here every day. He also knows that he can talk about it.
I explained to the dude that all of y'all are adults now and not a damn one of them would like it if I treated them like they were babies and doing that stuff sends a message that you think they are incompetent...which they are..at this point, but hey, life's a pretty good teacher. You just gotta be able to make sure they got the lesson when it's all done. You say, Yep, that mistake was kinda costly..feed 'em good..give them a little sympathy for their pain, all the while making sure they know what to do differently to avoid that pain the next time. Hey..first lesson...pain is a part of life.
So, here we are, sitting in the garage with the mid twenties set...listening to Alice's Restaurant...counseling these people, really...why do they all want to visit with me ON Thanksgiving day? I swear these people had my time plotted out as to who I was going to visit with when and not a ONE of them took into account how the food was going to cook itself. I told them all..good plan...wrong day, eh? They were bummed, but managed to hit me up one by one in the kitchen and garage anyway.
There was some wedding planning going on, too. I think I volunteered to cook for the young couple's wedding when they get their stuff together enough to get married. Pretty cool, huh?
My college son is taking a government class right now so the election and process have been very fascinating for him. He's very enthusiastic about it. He chose that to be his subject to talk to me about on Thanksgiving. That was cool. Another conversation I had with one of them was how you knew you were an alcoholic or not. Another, what to do when your person you love just embarrasses you...what do to when the power company comes and gets your meter. OY! Do I LOOK like Wikipedia? My responses...Don't drink, get over it, it's gonna cost you. Now get out of my kitchen so I can cook..or start peeling something.
We had one that comes over that really, really, likes to cook, so I shot the shit with him for a long time while we were making stuff in the kitchen. That was fun as hell!
Then, Saturday rolls around and the young couple was back with the money they borrowed. THAT was cool. Earlier than they said they'd pay it back. Hell yeah! They all felt better hearing Alice's Restaurant and talking with us older folks.
What's the funniest of all..they don't all get along with ...each other. None of the adopted kids likes the other ones very much, believe it or not. They all like us, and act like they are ours by acting all jealous of the others...it is so funny. They all like my oldest son, too...but each other..not so much. None of them like his woman, she doesn't like any of them...the young couple doesn't like the bi-polar kid, and so on and so forth. They see the senior chief and I as the Rock of Gibraltar and now, having heard the song, they can kind of understand the simple rules a little better.
They come and use my washer and dryer, too. Some come to use the senior chief's tools and get advice on how to fix their cars. Sometimes it becomes a networking center where they swap skills and news about where the jobs are. This economy is hitting that age set really hard. I'm rather glad to provide most of what they need...except babysitting. I do not do the babysitting thing for very long. And, it depends on the kid. The young couple's kid is my special buddy, but I still won't tie myself to a 4 year old all day. In a pinch, sure...
However, this young lady that my son has been dating is fixing to get kicked out of the crowd. She manipulated me to take her baby yesterday and it backfired, but I didn't appreciate the utter presumptuousness of her. Especially, check this...one day when the senior chief and my son got home from a hard day's labor and were looking at another 8 hours of work fixing his truck, he is greeted by two trashbags full of dirty diapers...here comes the good part...that his dog had torn into and strewn every place..and I do mean everywhere..
So, he gets home from work, and she commences to bitching him out and making HIM clean up the mess...Oh, lordy, I'm glad I wasn't there, I would have had to kick her ass right then. I do not know why the boy puts up with it. I might need to chime in again with that. I'm hoping that he'll just see how his dad gets treated and figure it out on his own. I think he is, because he gets the senior chief to stop at the corner store and gets a couple of tallboys and sits with us for a while after work, now. He usually doesn't go until after supper a lot of days. He hangs with the younger kids a lot too and spends time tossing the football and playing video games with them. My daughter is always giving him shit for not moving back home. I have to be the neutral observer and then my words carry more weight.
However, having her around sure makes everybody that knows her appreciate me more..I mean, seriously. Heh heh.
Anyway, really, that song...Alice's Restaurant...it modeled who I wanted to be, in a way. I always wanted to be Alice...except for the half a ton of garbage part.
Still Eating....
Yeah, I made a lot of food this year. I have a couple of recipes that I use for leftovers that take the leftovers and turn them into a completely new dish. Hell yeah! I had to freeze the rest of the turkey, so that when they are craving it the most, I will pull it out and make their favorite turkey salad.
I made a big ol' pot of beans with the ham. They raved about that last night. Tonight, something faster...and probably processed, as much as I hate it. That is so we can have chili tomorrow. And, hopefully, baked beans.
I like the cooking part. It's the fighting with the kids to clean up their incessant messes in the living room that drive me up the walls.
The senior chief came in last night after working on a sump pump half the day...ick. He does some pretty icky jobs, bless his heart. Anyway, he comes in and there are papers, book bags, homework in various stages...all strewn about the living room, as it is every day. Not to mention the candy wrappers that are either flattened out and stuck in a crevice of the chair arm, or balled up in little balls and stashed in the corner of the couch. Popped popcorn kernels spread from the dining room through out the rest of the living area. Soda cans, and water bottles..none of which are completely empty litter every single horizontal surface that exists. Not to mention the numerous pairs of shoes, drawings, crayons, markers, army men, little cars, hair bows, jewlery...and we only have a bare minimum because they haven't stooped to throwing it all on the floor, just yet. Not in the living room anyway, their bedrooms are a completely different story.
Now, it usually takes me all of half an hour to get this all straight in the morning...and I've been pretty damn bitchy about how it gets that way starting at 3pm. But, kids...they have the attention spans of gnats. All they hear is blah, blah, blah. So, us moms..we just say it a little louder. That's how I do it, anyway. I start out reasonable...but if they just give me the stupid routine, I do know how to get them moving in a hurry. I'm not really mad, I'm too damn tired to be mad....but I do know how to get them moving. I just go all drill instructor on them, and they hustle, hustle, hustle.
Last night, the senior chief got them. And you know what he says....he cracks me up. He's yelling at them, and he says, "I wonder why your mom is just a crabby old biddy all the time, and now I know why." I was in another room, just pretending like nothing is going on. Men like to operate that way..hehe. They'll say stuff to the kids, you just gotta shut up and go somewhere long enough for them to.
I swear I was laughing my ass off, though. That was a hell of a way to put it, and I guess it's true in a way. I spend my days being the damn maid and these people just come home and make a mess until bedtime. By bedtime, all my work that I did for the day is undone, and that's why I like this blog. It serves, in a way, as a form of having something to show for my work.
They forgot who was talking to them and did the "I'm stupid, you are speaking alien.." ..look. The tween age isn't so much fun, really, but it's a pivotal time. A time to teach them that life doesn't come free. They develop all these ...wants... at this age. And wants are great, but hey, you are not going to lay around on the couch all damn day, making one mess after another...we didn't even get into the board games they like to play...and then getting all sad because we don't have time to do anything ...fun. YOU were having fun. And now...you're not. You played when it was work time, so now you have to work. Not a problem, really. It's all a matter of attitude. You want, I want..you do, I do. They have to want it bad enough to WORK for it..and this is the age that they can learn that. My little dude saved up enough money to get an X-box360. Yes, he did. He saved every bit of birthday, christmas, allowance...for a very long time. But, he still needs to not trash the living room, eh? Ah, a mother's work is never done.
So, hopefully, we'll get on a roll with all the good food I'm planning. They want to decorate, too. So, they gotta clean a little before getting to do the fun stuff. They did really well with the Halloween decorations this year. Geez, you know, in another couple of years, they will be practically adults, and then they will be. Time sure flies.
I made a big ol' pot of beans with the ham. They raved about that last night. Tonight, something faster...and probably processed, as much as I hate it. That is so we can have chili tomorrow. And, hopefully, baked beans.
I like the cooking part. It's the fighting with the kids to clean up their incessant messes in the living room that drive me up the walls.
The senior chief came in last night after working on a sump pump half the day...ick. He does some pretty icky jobs, bless his heart. Anyway, he comes in and there are papers, book bags, homework in various stages...all strewn about the living room, as it is every day. Not to mention the candy wrappers that are either flattened out and stuck in a crevice of the chair arm, or balled up in little balls and stashed in the corner of the couch. Popped popcorn kernels spread from the dining room through out the rest of the living area. Soda cans, and water bottles..none of which are completely empty litter every single horizontal surface that exists. Not to mention the numerous pairs of shoes, drawings, crayons, markers, army men, little cars, hair bows, jewlery...and we only have a bare minimum because they haven't stooped to throwing it all on the floor, just yet. Not in the living room anyway, their bedrooms are a completely different story.
Now, it usually takes me all of half an hour to get this all straight in the morning...and I've been pretty damn bitchy about how it gets that way starting at 3pm. But, kids...they have the attention spans of gnats. All they hear is blah, blah, blah. So, us moms..we just say it a little louder. That's how I do it, anyway. I start out reasonable...but if they just give me the stupid routine, I do know how to get them moving in a hurry. I'm not really mad, I'm too damn tired to be mad....but I do know how to get them moving. I just go all drill instructor on them, and they hustle, hustle, hustle.
Last night, the senior chief got them. And you know what he says....he cracks me up. He's yelling at them, and he says, "I wonder why your mom is just a crabby old biddy all the time, and now I know why." I was in another room, just pretending like nothing is going on. Men like to operate that way..hehe. They'll say stuff to the kids, you just gotta shut up and go somewhere long enough for them to.
I swear I was laughing my ass off, though. That was a hell of a way to put it, and I guess it's true in a way. I spend my days being the damn maid and these people just come home and make a mess until bedtime. By bedtime, all my work that I did for the day is undone, and that's why I like this blog. It serves, in a way, as a form of having something to show for my work.
They forgot who was talking to them and did the "I'm stupid, you are speaking alien.." ..look. The tween age isn't so much fun, really, but it's a pivotal time. A time to teach them that life doesn't come free. They develop all these ...wants... at this age. And wants are great, but hey, you are not going to lay around on the couch all damn day, making one mess after another...we didn't even get into the board games they like to play...and then getting all sad because we don't have time to do anything ...fun. YOU were having fun. And now...you're not. You played when it was work time, so now you have to work. Not a problem, really. It's all a matter of attitude. You want, I want..you do, I do. They have to want it bad enough to WORK for it..and this is the age that they can learn that. My little dude saved up enough money to get an X-box360. Yes, he did. He saved every bit of birthday, christmas, allowance...for a very long time. But, he still needs to not trash the living room, eh? Ah, a mother's work is never done.
So, hopefully, we'll get on a roll with all the good food I'm planning. They want to decorate, too. So, they gotta clean a little before getting to do the fun stuff. They did really well with the Halloween decorations this year. Geez, you know, in another couple of years, they will be practically adults, and then they will be. Time sure flies.
Monday, December 01, 2008
Not.My.Problem.
My phone rings today, as I knew it would. On the other end was a woman, as I knew it would be. She has her grandchild..and is looking for her daughter.
Her daughter told me yesterday that her mother would be coming this way to drop the baby off with her and I guess she planned to meet her mother here to make the exchange. We're already right into the realms of presumptuousness.
I have no idea where the girl is..none of these people belong to me in any remote way. So, the momma isn't around to take the baby and HER momma has HER momma with her and they can't keep the baby.
Not. My. Problem.
Not my baby, not my kid, not my problem. My doors are locked and I am enjoying the first day that I've had alone in my house in a long time. My doors are locked and no babies allowed.
I got my beer, I got my hot buttered rum, I got my music and I took care of all of my kids and then some. I DESERVE a day. Tomorrow will be hectic.
Call me a bitch if ya want, but ...hear me. Not. My. Problem.
Her daughter told me yesterday that her mother would be coming this way to drop the baby off with her and I guess she planned to meet her mother here to make the exchange. We're already right into the realms of presumptuousness.
I have no idea where the girl is..none of these people belong to me in any remote way. So, the momma isn't around to take the baby and HER momma has HER momma with her and they can't keep the baby.
Not. My. Problem.
Not my baby, not my kid, not my problem. My doors are locked and I am enjoying the first day that I've had alone in my house in a long time. My doors are locked and no babies allowed.
I got my beer, I got my hot buttered rum, I got my music and I took care of all of my kids and then some. I DESERVE a day. Tomorrow will be hectic.
Call me a bitch if ya want, but ...hear me. Not. My. Problem.
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