the noise in the ceiling... among other things

I’m irritated. My Internet is down and I don’t like that. Not only can I not mess around online at work (bad girl, I know), but I can’t check my email, which I NEED to do for my job! Frustrating. The ‘net goes down around here all the time – but just on my computer. It’s usually only a couple of hours, but nobody knows why it does that and nobody seems particularly interested in fixing it. So, I’m bored. Not just because of the things I shouldn’t be doing but can’t, but because I need to be able to get to email to get a logo I need for a job, and can’t. So what do I do? Well I open Word, of course, and type a blog entry.

It sounds like there is something crawling around in the ceiling above my head – L swears it’s just the wind when someone leaves the door open – and every time it happens I swear the ceiling is going to fall down on me. If there is some kind of animal up there (we’ve had a bird once), I swear it’s going to totally freak me out. Ugh – animals belong outside!

****************************************

I read something in the paper the other day that bothered me. If I could get online, I’d get the exact quote, but since I can’t I’m going to have to go by memory. The story was about a boy who supposedly flipped off the transportation director after getting off his badly delayed school bus. Now the bus wasn’t delayed because of anything this particular boy did. It was delayed because another student was acting up. The bus driver called the transportation director who said he’d be right there and not to move the bus. FOURTY MINUTES LATER – he showed up and the bus got moving again. First of all, as a parent I’d be very upset if they kept my child on a bus that long for what doesn’t seem like a very good reason. That just seems irresponsible to me. I would expect my child home around the correct time every day and I would not expect the bus driver to make him late because of another child. But that’s not the point.

When the boy in question got off the bus, the transportation director, who was tailing the bus, said the boy flipped him off. The bus driver didn’t see it, the other boy who got off at that stop didn’t see it… nobody saw the boy do this except the transportation director. And so the boy got in trouble.

I think that’s wrong, but that’s not what bothered me. Later in the article, the superintendent was quoted saying something to the effect of the school being responsible for children door-to-door… meaning they are responsible for their conduct and safety until they reach home. This is a good policy. Or, it would be if the school actually followed it. Which they don’t, obviously except when it suits them.

When my son was attacked on the way home from school, I was told that between school and home is a gray area and the school would do nothing. Along with their false zero-tolerance policy, this door-to-door policy seems to be suitable only to the school’s needs. I find it absolutely ridiculous that they would use this “rule” to punish a child, with no credible witnesses, for something as innocuous as a finger, and ignore it in the case of two children attacking one child – with witnesses. The further my son goes in this school district, the more I wish we had choices. If there were somewhere else I could send him, I would seriously consider it. I just find it difficult to have faith in a school system that looks out for it’s own interests more than the safety of the kids. I simply do not understand why it’s more punishable for a child to * maybe * have flipped off an adult, than it is for two children to attack another.

I guess it’s okay to beat the tar out of each other… just don’t do it in front of the transportation director.

Okay, this sucks

I’m about to prove what a big dork I am. I’ve got a raging addiction. To Diet Pepsi.

Yes, you read that right. I’m addicted to Diet Pepsi. Of all things.

I know there are much worse things, like, oh… say, heroin, but this sucks. It’s been going on for years… literally years. But it’s just gotten out of hand and it’s time to stop. It’s giving me stomach problems, I take it everywhere with me, it’s the only thing I drink, it is definitely my constant companion. And it’s gotten expensive as hell.

So it’s just got to stop.

But it’s soooooo not easy. I know I have to wean myself from the caffeine, but even so I woke up with a nasty caffeine headache this morning. I’ve had enough today to kill that, but I can feel the headache lingering around the edges. I’m going to have to have more in a little while to take it back down again, I know that. And I want to drink it. Oh how I’d love to have some! But I don’t want it. For every reason I just listed, I don’t want it. I actually feel a lot better when I just drink water, so I’d kind of prefer to just be able to put the damn pop away and drink water. But it’s just not going to happen that way. I can’t live with a headache for days, and nobody around me deserves to live with how nasty I’d get. Trust me on this one.

So, for the next week or so, I’m probably going to be back and forth between “I’ve got to just get over this” and “gotta have it!” It’s not going to be easy for me and wow what a stupid thing to get hooked on. I swear there are things in it that are at least as addictive, if not more so, than the caffeine.

Anyone ever been thru this? Are there tricks I don’t know about? I actually did a google search on it yesterday and it seems to be a pretty common addiction, but nobody has any neat tricks to stop. All I’ve found is that there will be headaches and stuff for a while and boo-hoo, you’ll get over it. Not so helpful.

Ah well. Encouragement is always appreciated. Or just feel free to make fun of me. Laughter is good for the soul and all that, so it’s got to be good for overcoming the dumbest addiction on the planet. Right?

Amazing.

Want to see something really inspiring? Go here.

Ahhhhhhh.............

I did something today that I haven't done in a loooooooooooooong time.

No, not that. Get your mind out of the gutter, perv.

I actually went to see a movie - a CURRENT movie - a movie that wasn't animated and didn't have any talking animals in it!

Thank God for my sister, who watched the boys for a couple of hours! I took myself out and saw Music and Lyrics, with Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant, and it was so cute! Of course I love Drew and Hugh (and Lewie...anyone else think of Donald Duck's nephews when they hear that?) so that was a major selling point, but in the beginning they show this cheesy 80's style video of the band Hugh's character was in, in the 80's. It was hysterical! The whole movie was just so damn cute.

But it wasn't just the movie, it was the opportunity to get out of the house without the boys to go somewhere other than work. It was the choice to do something for myself that I've been needing to do for some time and just hadn't. I forget sometimes that I need to do these things for me, in my largely failing quest to be all things to all people. I know for anyone who knows me that's probably hard to believe, but some days, weeks, months, that's how I feel. And it's impossible to be all things to all people, so maybe every now and again I need to focus on just doing something for myself. That $20 I spent today couldn't have gone to a better cause... my own sanity. And the frozen caramel coffee I bought afterwords didn't hurt either! I feel much more relaxed and just human now than I have in a long time. It would be really, really good for me to remember sometimes that I need to take care of me too, and that just because it's Saturday doesn't mean the breakfast dishes can't wait a little while longer.

Of course those dishes are still there and I do need to do a few things around here, but I'll get to it. It just felt like it was high time I did that thing for me that I needed to do, and I need to remember to do it more often. I told my sister I should do this once a month and she said she'd watch the boys if I did. I don't know that it'll actually happen that way, but it's nice to have the option.

Now if only I had a giant bathtub and some great smelling bubblebath, I'd be all set.

Where'd she go?

I know, I was doing so well on the posting thing and then all of a sudden... nothin'. In my defense, things have been busy at work and I haven't been feeling well. Stress-related, I'm sure. And just when I think I've got it all worked out something else hits, but I'm not going to think about that right now.

I've been reading on some other blogs that other people have been feeling a bit down, overwhelmed, in-a-rut and all that stuff too. I'm thinking now that it's the time of year. We're all so over winter and the cold and gray, it's time for sunshine and warm temps and not having to struggle the little guys into layer upon layer before leaving the house. If, in fact, we leave at all. Anyone who knows me knows I'm always cold anyway, so it's no surprise that high summer is my favorite time of year. Give me a 90 degree day and I'm a happy girl!

It's time to think spring! No - better - think SUMMER!

• Swimming
• bike riding
• trips to the park
• Cedar Point!!
• going to the zoo
• hanging out in the backyard
• sitting on the front porch, watching traffic
• driving with windows down, radio up
• finding shapes in white, fluffy clouds
• getting some color on my butt-white legs
• just getting outside in any way at all!

All of that sounds soooo good! If I've missed anything, please comment and let me know!

Late Valentines and a friend

Okay so Valentines day was a few days ago, but due to the massive amounts of snow we had, I didn't have the boys' gifts. Well, I had Jaben's, but Kyan's was being given to me by my boss's awesome mom. On Monday, she told me she had a teddy bear she needed to get rid of (she works at a hospital and sometimes they have to clear out their gift shop) and wondered if Kyan would like it. I wasn't about to turn down a free teddy! She's given me stuffed toys for the boys before and they're very nice toys - way beyond what I would normally buy for them myself - so I knew it would be nice. She did say it was big... but I guess I didn't understand exactly what she meant by big!

So yesterday at work, my boss went to pick it up when she went to get the mail, and when she came back she was giggling... and holding this enormous 3' tall, very round light brown bear! I had no idea Big Bear was that big - but oh how cute he is! Big Bear spent the day in my spare chair, and every time we looked at him, we laughed. I couldn't help myself from patting him on the head every time I walked past. He's just the cutest, funniest thing!

When I picked the boys up yesterday they got their gifts (finally, although I don't think Jaben was impressed with his vapor-bubble gun), and I'm feeling much better about not having anything really good for them on Valentines Day.

I wanted to get a record of just how big Big Bear is, so I got pictures this morning. Everyone, I would like to introduce our newest addition... Big Bear!



This is Jaben with Big Bear... this one gives some idea of just how large Big Bear is.



Kyan with Big Bear... notice how Big Bear is bigger than Kyan! But we love him!



Sometimes I am absolutely blown away by the cool things people do for us. And even tho Big Bear was something that had to be given away anyway, I love that she thought of us! As you can see, both boys just love our new friend, Big Bear!

We had a little snow here...

We had a little bit of snow here, yesterday and last night. And this morning. I believe it's stopped now, but earlier while it was still coming down, I went out with Jaben to get a few pictures I thought I'd share.

Our swing set... notice how the baby swing is pretty much gone under the snow! It's knee-high on Jaben here...

The top of my shed, as seen thru the window. I know the roof is under there somewhere...

My neighbors' barn... that's a trash can there, showing a little perspective on the height of that particular drift...

The front of my mom's car.... that one cracks me up! That's gonna be fun to uncover...

The snow behind our cars. Check out the next picture to see just how deep that actually is...

I had Jaben get in there so you could see how deep it is. He's about 4'7" and it's thigh high on him. We're going to be digging for a while!

So... that's my tour of the snowfall here in northcentral Ohio! You've got to love the weather here. A little over a month ago it was 65 out, and now there's so much snow we can't even get out of the driveway! Fortunately, it's supposed to be better the rest of the week so we should all be back to work/school tomorrow. Wish us luck digging out!

More energy for Uma

I posted before about Erik's friend Uma and what she's going thru. I just wanted to take a moment to ask you to check back in at Erik's blog, read the updates and maybe send some energy of your own out to Uma. Looks like she's fighting the good fight but could still use all the positive she can get.

We should all have a friend as loving as Erik. I'm just sayin'.

No court for you!

Or rather, ME. They settled it in pre-trial! I'm so glad I don't have to go to court tomorrow!!! That bothered me way more than the police banging on the door looking for me. The prosecutor called me back about 4 or so yesterday afternoon to let me know and I was a very happy girl! Told him it was the best news I'd heard all day.

As for the frigid temps around here, looks like we're havin a heat wave. Or not. It is back up to double digits - barely – but at least the kids had school today. There was a 2 hr delay, but after driving to work (sliding to work?) I completely understand that. It was sliiiiiiick out there! I’ve really got to get those back tires replaced. And get Jaben in to the dentist.

** sigh **

So much for having some money in the account.

Oh and speaking of accounts? CapitalOne sucks. I paid the damn card off and it still showed a balance due. So I called them and “oh gee we don’t know, please hold.”

**Cue 20 mins of awful hold music**

Apparently they didn’t get it in the system for this month, what’s left will go on the account next month and they’re considering it an overpayment and I won’t owe a payment next month. Uh-huh, sure. And when I don’t make a payment next month are you going to charge me the ridiculous $35 late fee? Credit cards are the devil, I don’t know why I bother having one.

Only for emergencies, right? It just burns my ass that they can make a mistake like that with MY account, my money, and I can’t charge them a $35 “you screwed up” fee. Seems like that’d be reasonable, doesn’t it?

I’m really only irritated because I just got off the phone with them and I’m sure it’ll pass. It’s just that this seems like a bit of a pain in the butt for a 19% interest rate. Anyone know where I can find a better rate?

Ah well, live and learn. I’ll probably keep taking it because sometimes a credit card is a necessary evil. I don’t have to like it and guess what? I don’t really have to use it! Only for emergencies, right?

Right.

You've been served!

SO…. Last night after dinner, my mother and I were talking at the table when there was a pounding at the door. I run to open it (both boys at my heels) and there’s a police officer standing there. He says, “Rebecca ****?”

“Um… yes?”

He hands me a paper and says, “You’ve been served.”

*choke *

So yeah, I was served a subpoena last night to be in court THIS THURSDAY at 8:30am, I think a good hour from home, to be a witness for the prosecution against a guy I have no idea who he is. I FINALLY got ahold of the prosecutor and he said it was in reference to the “skirmish” at Jaben’s football game back in October. He said he wasn’t surprised I didn’t know who the guy was or what it was about, BUT he’d seen my name on the police report and knew I’d talked to the police, so he called me in.

This is incredibly inconvenient, especially for something that really isn’t any of my concern. Once the coach involved apologized to my child, I let it go. It’s not worth a day off work to me, and it’s not worth the inconvenience or messing up my schedule. There is a chance, according to the prosecutor, that it will be resolved at the pretrial this afternoon (let’s hope!) and he’ll call me and let me know. I gave him both numbers and I guess I just hope for the best. I seriously doubt I can be of any help anyway.

Besides that, if I have to go I’ll have to leave too early to get Jaben off to school and Kyan to the babysitters, so my mom had offered to take the morning off work and get them going for me. Which is amazing of her. Except school got called off again today due to the cold and my aunt, who was going to take Jaben for the day again called to say she has the virus that’s going around and couldn’t take him so mom took 1/2 day off work today to stay with Jaben. (Geez, run-on sentence much?) This is after taking 1/2 a day this past Friday to stay home with a sick Kyan.

My poor mom. I don’t know what we’d do without her. She’s going to be a candidate for sainthood after this, I swear.

But anyway, I guess we’ll see at some point later today if I’m going to court on Thursday. I will admit (grudgingly) that it was kind of cool being served. It was just like on tv… and c’mon, that IS kinda cool!

Brrrrrr!

Oh it’s cold!! It’s so very, very cold! School for today was called off last night because of crappy temps. It was –20something when I left for work this morning. That’s COLD. Tomorrow isn’t going to be much better. High of 7 today, maybe 10 tomorrow?

Today
8° F
Precip: 20%
Sunshine and clouds mixed. Very cold. Wind chills may approach -20F. High 8F. Winds W at 15 to 25 mph.

Tomorrow
11° F
Precip: 20%
Partly to mostly cloudy. Very cold. Wind chills approaching -15F. High 11F. Winds WSW at 15 to 25 mph.

Yeah, that’s ridiculous. Someone from somewhere warm please send some heat our way. I am so ready for spring – and oh yeah, bring on SUMMER!!!

Quick update on Kyan… he’s doing tons better now! He did have some diarrhea Saturday, but he was eating and drinking okay. Yesterday (Sunday) he finally had a solid one! I know, gross, but it was a big deal, trust me. So I think he’s okay now. It was touchy for a while since he’s so little and they get dehydrated so easily when they’re that sick. But thank God, he’s doing okay now.

For me, I need book suggestions!!! I’ve been reading humorous, light “chick lit” lately and I need more ideas! I just haven’t been in the mood to read anything heavy or depressing, or anything I have to think about. I need ideas for good, light, funny books. I’ve read all the Shopaholic books as well as the Devil Wears Prada, but that’s the type of book I’m looking for. Any suggestions for books along those lines would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

Have a great week!

Love chain

Anyone have any prayers, good karma, or healing vibes to spare? They are in great demand today, if you do. My little guy is still sick. Today was day 7 of this virus he can't seem to kick and I'm getting pretty worried. He hasn't kept any food in him, really, in a week. He's seen the doctor, I called again today and I get the same answer... keep him hydrated with water and gatorade but it's a virus and it'll pass. But see, it's not passing. It's been 24-48 hrs with most everyone else and Kyan is heading into day 8. He's already gone seven days so far with basically no nutrition. He's lost 2 lbs that I know of. Doesn't sound like much except he's only just turned 2 and he was underweight to begin with. Nothing stays down, or in and I'm out of ideas. He thew up jello, rice, chicken broth, toast... you name it, we've tried it. He's crying for milk - his little body is craving it. I just don't know what to do for him anymore. If you've got ideas, please comment, we could use all the ideas we could get.

The other, more serious, can be read about here: my year of new things: Urp. Erik, I hope you don't mind, but I figured if I could put more prayers and more good thoughts out into the universe then I should do that. Just please, add Uma to your prayers and thoughts so that she is able to make her recovery and get back to her life and those she loves.

Thanks guys.

The plague has hit!

Okay, not really. But it sure feels like it!!

We had a great time in Nashville, despite the fact that Jill didn’t win the Showdown. We were very disappointed that she didn’t win, but it was so cool watching and participating in the filming. We got to see more of Nashville than you’d think, considering we were only there for 2 days. Actually, it wasn’t even 2 days. It was a VERY long drive (8hrs both ways) but it was good to have some time with Jaben. He loves staying in hotels, and he got to have the continental breakfast for the first time, which he really enjoyed. He got to make his own waffle! LOL! And as we were heading back to our room to pack he said, “Mom? Did you pay for that??” I had to giggle… I guess when I told him about the hotel breakfast, I neglected to tell him it was included!!

I’ll have to get some of our pictures scanned. Many, MANY are of Jaben’s thumb (forgot the digital, bought a disposable) but a couple came out nice.

Anyway, the plague. Yeah, we’ve got it. This awful flu bug/virus thing that’s been going on has hit with a vengeance!! When we got home Friday evening, Kyan had just thrown up all over the living room – and on Grandma! He was sick all Saturday and Sunday. Monday he seemed a lot better, but when he got home from the babysitters, Grandma let him have some milk and he threw up again. Ew.

By the time I got home from work Monday, I felt kind of nauseous too, and as the evening went on it got worse and worse. I was up most of the night that night. ‘Nuff said. So Kyan and I stayed home Tuesday and vegged. We did go see the doctor since Kyan threw up everything I managed to get him to eat – again – and I was getting worried. I already knew there was nothing that could be done, but at least the Dr. is aware of how sick he is. He’s lost weight, and he doesn’t have much to lose! We’re going to give him a couple more days and if he’s not doing better I have to call back. I think he’ll be better… he ate last night. Apparently it all came out in his diaper, but he tried.

As for me, I’ll live. The Dr. gave me an anti-nausea pill, but it just knocked me out. I’ll get thru the rest of this without it. That’s why I say “apparently” everything Ky ate came back out… I passed out around 7 and staggered to my bed around 11… that’s all I remember. Grandma (God bless Grandma!!) took care of him and Jaben and cleaned him up. I HAD to come to work today, and surprisingly don’t feel * too * bad. My stomach is making some funky noises and the muscle aches persist, but I can’t complain. Especially since my poor baby has been fighting this for so long!

Hopefully we’ll all be back to 100% by the weekend. I’m going to need to borrow a carpet cleaner tho. I mean seriously… a vomiting 2-yr old does * nothing * for the floors!!

Let the kids do it!

Last night Jaben's Cub Scout troop had a cake auction to raise money. I thought it was a great idea! The boys were supposed to make as much of the cake as they could themselves - from mixing and baking to frosting. They were to come up with the concept and design themselves and DO IT. They had prizes in different categories and I know Jaben was really excited about that idea.

Being the kind of mom that I am, we followed the rules. All I did was watch to make sure it didn't burn or overbake, and take it from the oven. That's it. He did a fooball theme, and I thought it looked pretty good for a cake made by a 10-yr old. I don't get home from work early enough to take him, so my mom dropped him and his cake off, and Kyan and I got there about halfway thru the auction.

I was very, very disappointed by what I saw. Easily half of these cakes were NOT made by children. There was a dirt cake made in a flowerpot, one made to look like a banana split, and another that looked like a real hamburger and fries! *I* couldn't make a cake that looked that good, I don't believe for a second that a boy 11 and under made those cakes. Not only is that *not fair* to the kids who actually made their own cakes and followed the rules, but what did they learn from this? The ones whose parents made their cakes learned that it's okay to be dishonest as long as you win. And the ones who did it on their own learned that following the rules doesn't get you anywhere. Of course the parent-made cakes won in all categories.

Since this was Cub Scouts (all about honesty and building the leaders of tomorrow, y'know) I kind of expected someone to say something. I would have expected the cakes obviously made by children to win - on principle if nothing else. But -- since the super-cakes brought in huge amounts (I actually saw a cake sell for $75 last night!) I guess they thought it was worth it in the end.

I'm pretty disgusted tho. My kid was one who followed the rules, did a damn good job on his cake, and got screwed over by dishonest, overly-involved parents. Nice lesson.

*******************************************************

We're leaving at 6am tomorrow to drive to Nashville to watch Jill James (hopefully) win the Colgate Country Showdown. Will be absent for a few days (not that this is unusual for me), please send safe trip vibes and prayers that all will go well!

January 22, 2005, 2:05 am….

That’s when you came into the world. You’d already been a huge part of our lives before then, from the moment the test told us you existed, through all of the morning sickness, the first time your big brother saw your little foot kicking Mommy’s tummy, you were there. You were real.

And now you’ve been with us – here – for 2 whole years! It’s amazing how fast that went by! And what an awesome little boy you are!! Headstrong, so sure of yourself – making sure you get your fair share of everything… you refuse to settle for second. You require tons of attention, but it’s only because you love us. I love hearing you call your big brother’s name, “Day-bin… Day-bin!!” when you want him to watch you do something. You love to wash your hair and have him come in to see you do it. You want to play all his games with him, to be included. In your eyes, the worst thing ever is to be treated like the “little brother” when you want to be one of the “big kids.” You give the best hugs and kisses, always adding and extra “rrrrugh” when you hug so we know you’ve hugged your hardest!! You still give open-mouth baby kisses, and sweet, slobbery zerberts… but I love them! One day soon you’ll stop and give regular dry kisses and I know I will miss those baby smoochies. I hope you wait a while for that.

What a beautiful little boy you are! Big brown eyes, sweet smile and dimples to die for! One day you’ll get so tired of hearing old ladies (and young ones!) everywhere we go exclaiming “Oh look at those dimples!!” and giggling. Even at 2 you’re an accomplished lady killer! You already know the power that sweet smile of yours holds, and you’re beginning to figure out how to use it.

Every day you’re learning and growing. One day you’ll count to 10, skipping 6, 7 & 8, and the next day all the numbers will be there. You’re talking so well now too! You remember to use full sentences some of the time, and even if Mommy is the only one who can understand them I still know you can do it. You’re learning new words every day, doing more things, and showing who you are and what a wonderful, strong, smart little guy you are. I can’t wait to know all about who you are – because so far I think you’re a pretty great kid and I just know you’ve got more secrets hidden you haven’t shown me yet.

Happy Second Birthday, Kyan! Mommy loves you so much and I am so glad you’re my little boy!

In ten and a half years of being a mom…

I have never had to clean poop out of the bathtub.

Until last night.

Ew.

I did it! I did it!!

Aren't you so proud of me?? I finally updated the blogroll! I was also considering a template change because I'm deathly sick of the pink... but that can wait. I want to look into that custom template thing first. Anyway, take the time to peruse the new blogroll! There are some new links, as well as some old ones that have been removed, one blog had a name change, so that has been updated... well, just go look. They're all good, I promise! And if any of the links don't work, gimme a holler. Hopefully the ones I added without asking are okay... if someone wants their blog removed, as always just let me know.

On the home front, it's official that Kyan is a clumsy as the rest of us. In the past 2 days he has run full speed into a doorframe and gave himself a bloody nose (that was fun, lemme tell ya) and this morning he was pouting (I’ve no idea why – he’s 2) and bumped his own head into the wall.

* sigh *

I’d really hoped the clumsy gene would take longer to kick in, but obviously I’m going to have to keep a close eye on doppy boy #2. Let’s see… Jaben held out until he was 4 to break his first bone… any bets on how far Kyan will make it?

POOPY ON THE POTTY!!

YES!!!! Kyan went poopy on the potty for the first time this morning!!! We were watching tv while Jaben was packing his stuff up for school and he said, "Mommy, poopy." So I checked him and he hadn't gone so I asked him if he had to go and he said he did...

So, I put him on and a few minutes later -- HE WENT!! I am soooooooooo proud of him!! He's been "ready" for a while and loves to sit on his potty, but he hadn't gone but once when he peed. YAY FOR KYAN!!! Pleeeease let this be the beginning of the end of diapers!

*dances* Poopy on the pot-tay! Poopy on the pot-tay!

Bloggy de-lurking week!!!!!

It's all over the place, y'know. You've seen it. It's bloggy de-lurking week!! I know you come by, I just don't know who ya are! So... leave a comment and come out of lurkerdom!!!

Hodgepodge

I’ve got all this stuff to talk about today! One thing I have to just say outright… Kyan has gotten so damn cute lately! I’ve got to post pics soon… Looks just like Jaben at that age!

Oh, also, haven’t updated the blogroll yet – I’m lazy like that. But I will. Some links are outdated and some blogs are no longer updated so I will try to get to that this weekend. Thank you to the two who responded. Apparently nobody else loves me.

There’s a lot I want to write about but I’m not sure how far I’ll get. First, I’m sure you’ve heard about this thing with schools sending home BMI reports to parents. If not, clink here.

Now, I have 2 feelings on this. One… it’s good that the schools are taking an interest in the health of the kids. Obesity in this country is outrageous and we definitely need to do something about it. But the stronger feeling is more one of WTH??? What do they think this will do to self esteem and self image? Kids with a bit of pudge may well take this too seriously and develop eating disorders, kids already tease each other – we ALL know kids are cruel – so why give them more ammunition? And what about the schools responsibility? My son doesn’t even have PE class right now. They only get that one quarter of the year, and recess is only part of lunch… so they get pretty much no exercise throughout the day. And the lunch menu? Yikes. This is Jabe’s schools lunch menu for this week:


Monday: Chicken Nuggets, French Fries, Apricots, Bread N Butter, Milk

Tuesday: Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, Pears, Peas, Bread Stick, Milk

Wednesday: Hot Dog, Baked Beans, Pears, Snicker Doodle Cookie, Milk

Thursday: French Toast, Syrup, Sausage Patty, Hash Brown Potato,
Applesauce cup, Milk

Friday: Pizza, Corn, Fruit Cocktail, Chocolate Cake, Milk

I copied this right off their website, so I know this is what’s being served. I hope other schools are doing better, but with a lunch menu like this, almost no recess, no PE classes 3/4 of the year our schools at least have little to no room to be sending out BMI notices to parents. They haven’t, and I would certainly hope they wouldn’t. We don’t eat all that healthfully at our home, but we certainly eat better than that. I’m afraid this kind of menu is the norm at US schools… which, along with the decrease in recess and PE definitely contributes to the increase in childhood obesity. I don’t know how to fix it, but I do know that sending BMI reports home with kids isn’t the answer.

Moving on, can I just say that Angelina Jolee is a moron? Clink here to see why I’d say that. I mean really, what kind of mother says that kind of thing about her own child?? I never really liked her to begin with – she’s shown herself to be dumb as a box of rocks, her work with impoverished children notwithstanding, she just bugs the hell out of me. I hope to God that little girl never reads what her mother said about her. That’s just wrong on so many levels.

Last… did you see that king George will be addressing the nation tonight? Something about sending more troops to Iraq? Who elected this guy anyway?? Posting this will probably get me on some kind of list, but I don’t really care… the guy is a dangerous moron and I really can’t wait until he’s out of office. I beg you, Democrats, please, please nominate someone with brains, compassion and understanding of the American people next time around!! We need someone who will take steps to fix this mess! A big job to take on, sure, but imagine… anyone who can begin the daunting task of reversing little Georgie’s 8 yrs in office could potentially come out looking like one of the greatest Presidents in history! I think I’ll probably watch him on TV tonight… if for no other reason than to try to figure out what the hell. Agree with me, disagree… it’s only one person’s opinion. Of course if you check his approval rating you might find that I fall within the majority, but still… just my opinion.

Ooh! Found a cute one on my computer….. enjoy!

A poem

Last night, Jaben and I were sitting in the living room (Kyan was in bed like a good little boy - yay Ky!). Jabe was messing around in his sketchbook and I thought he was drawing. He stood in front of the chair I was in and asked me if I wanted to hear the poem he just wrote, so of course I said sure. I loved this poem! It's pretty cute and not too bad for a 10-yr old, but the ending made me laugh out loud. It might not be as cute without Jaben reading it (you've got to hear the inflection in his voice), but here it is, posted with permission...

Lunch
By Jaben

Sometimes school lunches are good
but sometimes it's gross
like uncooked bread with uncooked cheese inside.
And chili with rock beans in it.
Also, the corn dogs have real weiner dogs in it!
Lastly, the hot dog buns are made of wood.
So four days each month I pack for lunch!

I know, I know, it's not genious. But tell me that's not cute!!

2 things, real quick

I'm hoping to update my ridiculously out-dated blogroll real soon, so if you read regularly and have a blog, and would like your blog to be included, please comment and let me know and I'll put you on! I do ask, however, that you add me to your blogroll as well. Thanx!!

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One thing I’ve needed to do for a while is send out an apology. I can’t imagine the person for whom it’s intended will ever see it, but I feel it’s necessary. I had a “secret” blog before I started this one. Not secret in that NOBODY knew about it, but secret in that nobody I knew IRL knew about it. And don’t bother looking, you won’t find it. But anyway, there was a post on there in which I said some pretty nasty things about a woman who hangs on a message board I used to post at. I don’t go there anymore for my own reasons, which have nothing to do with this particular person, but I know that she does. Anyway, I basically called her a train wreck and not any kind of person to look up to or idolize. And I wasn’t nice about it, or apologetic and it was absolutely uncalled for and unnecessary and I have no excuses for it. But the thing is, I was wrong. Not only for saying it (or even thinking it, for that matter), but just generally wrong about her. She hasn’t had the easiest time lately, having endured unimaginable personal tragedy and not only come through it, but seems to be doing amazing. That’s inspirational. That’s something to look up to, that’s strength of character and shows who she really is. Maybe she’s made choices in her life that I don’t necessarily agree with, but it’s not my life, my choices, or my place to judge. I prefer to think I’m a better person than someone who would be so judgmental, but I’m not, any more than anyone else is. What I said was mean and nasty and I am genuinely sorry for it. And (not that she’ll ever see this, but that’s not the point) I hope that the person I’m referring to knows how amazing she’s been, and how strong during the past months. And if by some odd chance of internet connections, she sees this, I’d like her to know that I really do feel awful about what I said and that I hope she can accept this as an apology.

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Mmkay, that's about it. Don't forget to let me know if you'd like to be included in the upcoming new and improved blogroll!

2006 in review

More reflections. Fun, hey? I just read this on Tina's blog and thought I'd borrow it.

What did you do in 2006 that you’ve never done before?
Performed in a musical with my son

Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions and will you make more for next year?
I sort of kept one, blew the other to bits and of course I will make more for next year! I'm a work-in-progress... gotta keep pushing, moving, and trying to grow!

Did anyone close to you give birth? Not this year
Not this year... 2005 was the year of the baby around here!

Did anyone close to you die?
Nope!!!!

What countries did you visit?
None

What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006?
More money, more patience...

What date from 2006 will remain etched in your memory and why?
June - flood week. It was insane around here!

What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Wait! I was supposed to achieve something?!?

What was your biggest failure?
Not handling my finances as well as I would've liked and not losing any weight

Did you suffer illness or injury?
Not this year, thank God! Even got the thyroid mess reading as normal! Yahoo!

What was the best thing you bought?
I don't really buy a whole lot... not for me, anyway.

Where did most of your money go?
bills and boys!

What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Kyan's first birthday! Jaben's birthday camping trip, Christmas

What scripture is a theme of 2006?
Matthew 7:12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

God has always given His people guidance on how they should treat one another. We tend to be selfish, unless trained otherwise. But God wants us to be considerate of others. He said that we should treat others they way we would like to be treated. How do you like to be treated? With respect, listened to, not interrupted, loved, share things with, treated fairly, honest with, follow through on promises. If we like these things from others, it is only natural that others would like us to treat them the same. (also known as the Golden Rule!)

Happier or sadder?
I think I might be a bit happier. Good for me!

Thinner or fatter?
probably about the same, although the jeans I have on now were tight when I bought them in '05 and are quite loose now... but not enough lost to be visible.

Richer or poorer?
oh, the same. *sigh*

What do you wish you’d done more of?
exercise!

What do you wish you’d done less of?
eating, impulse spending


How did you spend Christmas?
Christmas Eve was the whole family at my aunt's house, then Christmas Day was me and the boys, my mom, my sister and her gf - opened gifts and just lazed around

Did you fall in love in 2006?
only more with my children

What was your favorite TV show?
I kind of like that new one, The Class

What was the best book you read?
I read so much it's hard to choose! I'm late to the game but I'm really into the Harry Potter books right now

What was your greatest musical discovery of 2006?
I don't think my taste changed much this past year... maybe getting into Fallout Boy, but that's the same type of music I've always liked

What did you want and get?
a new tv

What did you want and not get?
oh... I think I'll skip this one. It'd mostly be involving things about Jaben and I'd prefer to keep some things to myself. :-)

What was your favorite film this year?
Pirates of the Carribean

What did you do on your birthday?
I went to work!

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
losing weight, handling my money better, things going better for Jaben in regards to school

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006?
my personal fashion concept? lol... that makes it sound like I think about it! I love jeans, t-shirts, sweatshirts, sweaters... if it's comfortable and fits and I'm WARM enough (I'm always, always cold!) then it's all good

What kept you sane?
who said I was sane?

which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I don't really get into celebrities

What political issue stirred you the most?
I get mad about the gay marriage thing. I mean seriously... why not?? You can't dictate who YOU love, so what give you the right to dictate who someone else loves? Just pass it already and let people be HAPPY, for goodness sake!

Who did you miss?
Hm... nobody, really. Some of my family moved nearby this year and so we get to see them all the time!

Who was the best new person you met?
Jaben's drama teacher, Jill. LOVE HER! She's so fun!

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006.
don't sweat the small stuff. Okay, I knew that already. Um... Hm... okay, how about "some people are just nuts and it's best to just ignore them and make fun of them in private!" Does that count?? ;-)

Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
Such a heart that will lead you to deceiving
All the pain held in your
Hands are shaking cold
Your hands are mine to hold

Speak to me, when all you got to keep is strong
Move along, move along like I know you do
And even when your hope is gone
Move along, move along just to make it through
All American Rejects

The year in review

I've seen this on several blogs so I thought I'd try it myself. I can't start with January cuz I didn't start this blog until April, so it's 3/4 of the year in review. Anyway, whatcha do is take the first line of the first post of each month -- voila! Year in review...

April - The big one is watching cartoons (on a sunny Saturday afternoon! What is wrong with this child - or rather his mother who LETS him watch cartoons on a sunny Saturday afternoon!) and the little one is napping, after passing out over a nutritious lunch of Krispy Kreme.

May - Talented, smart, and friendly... you're also one of the sanest people around.

June - Mom jeans. We’ve all heard of them. But what exactly are “mom jeans?” I asked this same question on my message board today and am waiting (sort of) patiently to see what kind of responses I get. So…. What do you consider to be “mom jeans” and if you’re a mom, do you own any?

July - wouldn’t have thought an 18-mo old would be in the “why” stage yet, but somehow Kyan has caught on that he can keep Mommy’s attention and keep Mommy talking by saying “why?” after everything I say.

August - Okay so I tried typing a post earlier and my fabu mac froze up and of course I hadn’t saved anything yet so POOF! Gone.

September - Have I mentioned I love my Dr?

October - Yesterday my boys and I got to see the hottest show this season – among the toddler set! We were lucky enough to go see the Doodlebops Live!

November - What?? An American who doesn't post a "what I'm thankful for" post on Thanksgiving??

December - Okay, I will post play pictures. Eventually. Gots other stuff on my mind right now.

Y'know, once I started doing this, I thought it'd be more fun to post the subject line of the first post of each month. Maybe next year...

Merry Christmas and hey - if you're going out on NYE, don't drink and drive - call a friend or a cab! If you live near me, call me - I'll come getcha!

Vingettes (sorta)

Okay, I will post play pictures. Eventually. Gots other stuff on my mind right now.

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On the ADD front... I didn't mention yet but I heard from the school psychologist. What a bitch. Yes, that's right, I said it. B-i-t-c-h. Apparently I am the dumbest mother to walk the face of the earth (but you knew that, right?), his teachers have told her there are no problems with him (say WHAT??), and the school system doesn't DO ADD testing so she has no idea where I got my information. Um... maybe from EVERYFREAKINBODY I'VE SPOKEN TO?!? So yeah whatever. To tell the truth, I'm pretty sick of being dicked around by an uncaring school system that only cares about numbers. He's not flunking out? Then he's fine. They beat the tar out of him but didn't hospitalize him? Oh, then it's a grey area. God these people are idiots. Death threats to other kids at the middle school but it's okay to hit other kids at the intermediate school... um, yeah.

So we went to see his Dr and we're going to start treatment anyway. We'll know in a couple of weeks how it's going. I'm not going to tell his teachers anything and in a couple of weeks if he's not having any bad side effects, I'm going to send out new evaluations to the teachers to see if there's been any difference/improvement. We figure it'll be an interesting experiment. But like I told the Dr, at this point I don't really care about the school, I don't care in the least what they say or do - my concern and responsibility is to MY SON and they can BITE ME if they're not interested in cooperating and oh, maybe making sure the kids they're responsible for are getting the best - as they deserve. I will make sure my son gets the best care, the best treatment, whatever it is that he needs. And if they have problems with him? Well, guess that's they're problem, isn't it?

*********************************

Kyan choked tonight. He's FINE, don't worry. But he doesn't chew very well and I gave him something that he should be fine with but either put too much in his mouth or didn't chew well enough or something and seriously choked. He got it up himself and I got him to spit the rest out and gave him something else to eat, but he scared me so badly that I'm not going to be able to give him anything that even remotely needs to really be chewed for quite a while.

*********************************

Jeep sucks. You heard me, Jeep sucks. I am NOT happy with my Liberty and if I could sell it and pay off my loan and get something else, I would. 2 recalls in the not-quite-2-yrs I've had it, repairs, etc. I know some of this is due to a crappy dealership (who I won't be buying from EVER again) but I won't be buying another Jeep and I would advise anyone to ignore the "Jeep rocks" hype and think HARD before purchasing one.

*********************************

Cookie exchange tonight. Actually in about 1/2 an hour and I probably should be getting Kyan ready. We'll be bringing home something like 20 dozen cookies. Yikes. We've decided to make a cookie tray and give it to Jaben's friend's family. I'm sure they'll be very happy to get it and with 3 growing boys will get thru them pretty quickly.

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And last, but not least, Happy Holiday of your choice! Merry Christmas!

Supastar... Part II

Jaben's play was yesterday and even tho I haven't uploaded the pics yet (I will later) I had to post because...

MY BOY STOLE THE SHOW!!! LOL!

I don't sound like a proud mama at all, do I? As I'm sure most of you know, he played one of the Cratchit kids, Kris Cratchit, which is a pretty big part, but not huge. He did VERY well at this part, and he actually played that part on Saturday night as well for a child who was sick. He's very good at it... especially the part where the Cratchits are visiting Tiny Kim's grave during the Ghost of Christmas Future scene... he held his head down, put his hat over his heart and generally looked heartbroken. Very, very sad scene. Very well played by all the kids, actually.

BUT -- it was his scene as Bob Marley that killed!! You all know A Christmas Carol... you hear the scary, ghostly voice in the dark saying "Scroooooogeee.... Scroooooooge....." and then Jacob Marley appears to tell Scrooge of the ghosts who will be coming to visit him. However, in this version, after the disembodied voice says "Scroooooge...." the music turns to rasta music and out walks (or jives, really) Jaben wearing tie dye and a dreadlock wig! The crowd went NUTS!!

Scrooge: "Marley? Is that you?"
Bob: Yeah mon, it's me Marley!
Scrooge: Jacob Marley?
Bob: No mon, BOB Marley! Jam with me brudda!

Cue music for the Banana Boat song, Scrooge and Bob dance while Bob sings...

Now Jaben and Brandon (the INCREDIBLY talented boy playing Scrooge) play off each other very well, and the crowd response was so HUGE that they fed off that like you had to see to believe - thru all rehearsals and practice at home I have NEVER seen Jaben get SO into that part or do it SO WELL as he did yesterday. He was SO FUNNY and he did SO GOOD!!!! The audience were all laughing so hard -- I can't tell you how proud I am of him!

So they finish the song/dance to tons of applause and Jacob Marley comes out...

Jacob: Bob, what are you doing here? You're in the wrong play!
Bob: (smacks forehead) Oh mon... isn't this Rent?
Jacob: No, that's playing down the street at the (local theatre)
Bob: Ohhhhhh... sorry, mon, sorry...

Bob leaves the stage to the Banana Boat song, dancing and singing all the way off....

The other 2 boys had to WAIT for the crowd to stop laughing and applauding to continue the scene! I tell you - Jaben ROCKS!!!

And I must say, not only is Brandon (Scrooge) very talented, most of the kids who were in our cast are amazing. Really good at what they do - so it's GREAT and wonderful and so good for Jaben not only to do this, but hold his own and SHINE in a group of such talented kids. He'd had a really bad day at school on Friday (long story) and his self esteem really needed this - badly.

So now we want Jill to win this contest she's in, to get her dream - we really do. But boy we sure don't want to lose her as a drama teacher. This is the BEST thing Jaben has ever done... it's so good for him and his self-image issues. He's GOOD at it, he gets the applause he so badly needs, and is recognized for being really good at something. It's wonderful.

Oh... and Jaben's mom? Yeah, not only did she NOT throw up (haha) but she actually got INTO it and had fun too! I forgot what it's like to be on stage. AND I did hit the note I was worried about during my solo. Thank God. I was standing right next to Jill and there was only one other one line solo between hers and mine and boy is it INTIMIDATING to hear her sing like she does (she IS a professional!!) and then to have to take that same mic and sing out too. But I did it! Yay for me!

I've really got to get the pictures uploaded and see what came out. I took a bunch backstage beforehand, and had someone take some from the audience, during, so we should have a few that came out well. I hope. And I will post for all the world to see how amazing my son is! Betcha can't wait, huh???

So -- it's over. Wow, I hope he gets to do Beauty and the Beast.... but then I also hope Jill wins. Tough call....

Fun at the gas station

So we locked the baby in the car…

Um, yeah. No, that’s not a typo. We locked the baby in the car. On Tuesday. At the gas station.

I am so proud.

In retrospect, it’s funny, but at the time – not so much.

See, I’d had a bad day to begin with. The whole day was one thing after another, very busy – crazy, actually. And when I got home I was hit with 2 shots of bad news and my mood was not so hot. But, we had to go to the Cub Scout Christmas party, so we loaded into the car and ran to get gas on the way.

And that’s when it happened. That’s when we locked the baby in the car.

I pulled up to the pumps and, leaving the keys dangling in the ignition, commented to Jaben as I got out that it was so cold that the window washer liquid was frozen. Then I went to the back part of the car and started pumping the gas, not thinking a thing about it. Jaben knows he needs to stay in the car with Kyan if we’re getting gas when it’s dark out because Ky freaks if he doesn’t. He’s 22 mos old and he doesn’t like to be strapped into a car seat, in a dark car, alone at night. Makes sense.

But Jabe wanted to see the frozen windshield fluid, so he got out and ran around the car to peek. At this point I was mildly irritated (Kyan was screeching “Day-Bin! Day-Bin!” from his seat) because I really didn’t want him getting out, but I figured it would only be for a minute. So, Jaben looked at the frozen stuff and exclaimed, “Wow! It’s really cold! I want Kyan to see this!” and proceeded to try to pull open the car door.

* click *

NOT the sound I wanted to hear… my stomach hit my shoes and I said, “Jaben, did you lock the car??”

“Um, no… I’ll go try my door.”

* click *


“Oh you’re so kidding me.”

By this time the tank was full, so I grabbed my receipt and started trying doors. All locked. Keys in ignition, baby in the back – strapped into his seat.

Greeeeeaaaat.

Fortunately, it wasn’t 90 degrees out in August, I’d had the heat running before I shut off the car, so Kyan was probably more comfortable than we were. Now I just needed someone to go get the spare key. So, out came the cell phone and we called Aunt Keli. I have never been so impatient for someone to pick up the phone in my life. Ever.

Nothin’ like locking your almost-2-yr-old in the car, in December, in Ohio.

After I talked to Kel, who said she’d come, she called back and said my mom was on the way and would bring the key. So all we had to do was keep Kyan calm until she got there. And keep me from killing Jaben. Keeping Kyan calm seemed much more do-able at this point.

So, we stood at the windows and talked to him, made funny faces, etc, until Grandma arrived..

Tap, tap, tap… “Kyyyy-Kyyyyyyy… hi baby!! Mommy will get you in a minute!! Are you in the car? Is it warm?”

“Day-Ben! Mommy! I tuck!”

“Jaben – talk to him!!”

“Kyyyyan! Lookit me!” (makes faces in the glass)

“Momma – I TUCK!!”

“Oh baby, grandma’s coming…. We’ll get you out in just a minute. Mommy promises.”

Yeah, a good ten minutes of this. Add it to your list of “fun things to do at a gas station on a Tuesday night in December.”

When Grandma arrived (smirking, as I would’ve been doing myself), I unlocked the doors and hugged my poor, brave, surprisingly calm baby.

The whole drama lasted probably 15 minutes from the time Jaben jumped out of the car to the time my mom arrived, but believe me, it seemed MUCH longer. I keep catching myself giggling now tho… I am now one of those moms with a “when we locked the kid in the car” stories…

So – if anyone is still reading this infrequently updated blog… tell me your “When I locked the kid(s) in the car story. Then we can all share the “Mother of the year” award!

A little slow on the uptake

Yeah, I might be a little slow to post this but I just have to.

Did you NOT know that Britney Spears is a skank? I mean seriously, did she surprise you? Yeah, me either. It really was only a matter of time before she self-destructed and oh boy is she skipping towards kaboom now! What kind of MOTHER shows her cootchie to the world? We all know it wasn't an accident (I almost typed assident but thought that'd be over-the-top....... but maybe not), so what was she trying to prove? That she's nasty? Got it. That she doesn't care what people think? Got that too.

But hey, listen up, Brit -- you can lose your children for certain kinds of behavior and if you want to keep them with you, hug them when the urge hits, watch them grow, give them the fairytale childhood your kind of money can provide -- then grow the fuck up and act like their MOTHER. You can no longer behave like Paris Hilton's bitch... you have babies depending on you and you ought to be ashamed of yourself. Imagine how you'd feel if that were your mother.......... that's how your boys are going to feel one day. Straighten up girl -- it's not about you anymore.

'Nuff said.

Okay, moving on. I heard all about the Clay Aiken/Kelley Rippa thing (yeah yeah, yesterdays news... bear with me) where he put his hand over her mouth. And? First of all, have y'all seen the picture of her doing just that to Regis? Okay then, Rippa needs to get over herself. And Rosie O'Donnell going off like it was a gay thing? Pul-eeze. It's not all about gays, it had nothing whatsoever to do with whether or not Aiken is gay (and who cares anyway? it's HIS business)... Rosie (who I used to love, BTW) needs to learn when to keep her mouth shut.

*shakes head* But that's not why I started talking about this. I read on a message board one woman calling Clay putting his hand over Kelley's mouth abuse. Read that again. He put his hand over her mouth and it was abuse. Let that sink in a bit. Now, did you see the clip? Think about that clip and think about the word abuse. Was that abuse? Not by a long shot, people. It probably wasn't the most polite or hygenic thing he could've done (but as we've all seen, I'm sure, Kelley is guilty of the same thing) but it most certainly was not abusive. Abuse hurts someone... mentally, physically, and likely both. A guest host on a stupid morning talk show making a rude, inappropriate mistake is NOT abuse. Statements like that - his hand over her mouth was abuse - are one of the reasons so many people do not take real abuse seriously. How can you, in good conscience, compare that to the experience of someone who is hit, someone whose character, intelligence, whose very sense of self is wiped out every day by the words of someone who is supposed to love them? Is that even remotely comprable to the bruises on a child's face? To the broken bones of a mother (or father) who takes it themselves to spare their children? To.................

Well, there are a million sad, scary, sickening examples. But one thing is certain. What Clay Aiken did is in no way abuse. It was kind of gross, it was inappropriate, it was definitely rude. But abusive? That kind of comparison keeps true abuse from being recognized and the person who said it should spend a little time at an abused women's and children's shelter to learn the truth. She should be ashamed of herself.

Okay, sorry about the rant. Sometimes these things just gotta come out.

On a more upbeat note, things are going well with our play, a lot of ads sold for the program and I have a lot of work ahead of me to get it ready to copy by Tuesday. But it'll get done, no problem. To those who know us IRL, it's Dec 17 at 2pm - don't forget!! Jaben is going to be AWESOME!! Can't wait!

Oh it's so un-American!

What?? An American who doesn't post a "what I'm thankful for" post on Thanksgiving??

Yeah, yeah, I know. It's almost a requirement of being an American blogger, but I just didn't want to. I haven't blogged in a good week, I haven't posted to my board in a week (again ladies, I'm sorry), I don't think I've even answered emails. I've kind of been cyber-hybernating. Cybernating? Heh... that's kind of cute, actually. I just haven't felt up to it. Too many things stressing me out, too much to complain about and honestly, who wants to hear it?

Not me, that's for sure.

Don't get me wrong, I AM thankful. I've got a million blessings -- 2 beautiful, healthy boys, a loving, supportive family, warm home, my car, my job, far too much food on the table and friends who e-Bay for me because even tho I think e-Bay is the devil I can still use it as long as it's not me who's bidding. But sometimes you've just got to take a break, take stock of why you're doing what you're doing. I work because I love my job and I need to support my kids. If I didn't love my job and had enough money so that I didn't have to work, would I? Probably. I can't see myself doing the whole SAHM thing. Ugh -- so not for me. In a dreamworld or for a week, maybe. But forever? I just couldn't. It's not in me.

I am afraid tho that I might have that opportunity forced on me sometime soon, and that stresses me out more than anything. It's no secret that the company I work for isn't exactly financially stable. I'm not sure why, I don't know much about the incoming and outgoing cash flow, but I do know that we've been hanging on by a thread for a while, and from the small things I've heard lately I wonder if I will be looking for a new job in the new year. It's scary. Graphic designers aren't in high demand around here (too many people have photoshop and think that makes them a designer -- sorry guys, it doesn't), and I need a certain level of income to get by. It's not a high level by any means... but it's still necessary.

Not only do I love my job, but the perks would be very difficult to duplicate elsewhere. My boss is awesome. She doesn't realize just how great she is, but she is. I work 4-day weeks... who's going to let me do that? I can talk to principals and teachers and even my mother on the phone when and if I need to without raising eyebrows. That probably wouldn't go over too well anywhere else. So very many reasons to be grateful for where I am. And yet, I don't know how much longer I will have it.

Scary.

So yeah, much, much stress. Not just work, but this week it's been weighing on my mind quite heavily.

I am thankful... more than I can say. But sometimes I just wish for simpler... and maybe a shower without someone banging on the door screaming "Mooommmmmyyyyyyyy!!!!"

Needles to say…

Yeah, I saw that somewhere earlier today and it made me giggle so I had to share.

Okay, so the school is going to let the little punk get away with beating on my kid. Apparently so are the police. Not happy. When they finally spoke to the police, the mother told them that Jaben had hit them first – even tho nobody saw it – and chasing him up the road, knocking him down and kicking him and beating him was all in self defense. And the police in this amazing town seem to be stupid enough to believe it. And the school? Remember that zero tolerance policy? Um, yeah, that’s just for looks, I guess.

Interesting tho, turns out this isn’t the first time the police have been called on these children. A couple of months ago, they were throwing rocks at some other kids (little kids) who live up the street. Their mother came out and told the kids to leave, and they told her to fuck off. For real. So she said if they didn’t leave, she was going to call the police. They told her to fuck off again and that they could do what they wanted. So she called the police and they went to talk to the parents. Once the police left, the dad went down to this woman’s house and screamed at her that his kids could do whatever the fuck they wanted and she couldn’t stop them.

Yeah, they’re nuts.

Legal action (backed by at least 4 families on our street) pending. Not that the cop ever called me back – but that’s fine, I can get the police report without his help, and we’ll be getting a lawyer. Several families on the block would LOVE to take legal action against these nuts. Not sure what we can accomplish this way, but if the police won’t protect our children from these delinquents and their oh-so-proud parents, then we’ll do it ourselves.

Oh, and I AM enrolling Jaben in a martial arts class too. He’s excited – he’s wanted to do it for a while. Now I just have to find him a good school. And the hitting ban has been lifted. If he’s hit, he’s to hit back and make sure to inflict damage. Remember – we TRIED to do things the right way, but look where that gets ya. So… if he has to fight, then fight he will.

And they DAMN WELL better not try to suspend him.

It never ends, does it?

I haven't posted about my nut-job neighbors before, but now I have to. They are a couple with 2 kids. The children belong to the mother, they are one year apart and have 2 different fathers. Not judging, just stating. The guy is the stepfather -- I think. I don't even know if they're actually married.

Anyway, they rent the house next door. We were actually happy when they moved in because the kids are close to Jaben's age -- the boy is 11 and the girl, I think, is 10. They're both in Jabe's grade at school. Unfortunately, they've been nothing but trouble since the day they moved in. They have broken my swing set, the boy has taken one of KYAN'S toys (remember he's 11) and took it into his house. When I went to get it, the mother verbally attacked me. I mean really - an 11 yr old taking a baby's toys is OKAY with her? Explains a lot. Every time Jaben walks out the door they scream "fag" at him... nice kids, huh? The boy sits in the tree in his backyard when Jaben is outside and yells obscenities at him. All this is absolutely bad enough, but recently it has become physically violent.

Last week, the boy shoved Jaben into the bushes and hit him enough to leave bruises up his side. Not a lot I could do about it... no witnesses and like I said, the mom is nuts. And the step dad? Like, 6'4" and scary with a temper. NOT the kind of parents you approach. They probably taught him to act like this. The girl has verbally attacked Jaben at school, but no teachers saw it so she got away with it.

It all ends today.

Today, they jumped Jaben on the way home from school. The two of them together pushed him down, and while the girl kicked him, the boy walloped him with his backpack. Jaben got up and ran away, but they chased him and did it again. Normally there wouldn't be a whole lot I could do because it'd be their word against his. Except today someone saw them! THANK GOD! Justin's (Jabe's friend) grandmother was watching out the window for the boys to come home and saw the whole thing!!! She called me to tell me what she'd seen, and said she was absolutely willing to talk to the principal as well as the police!! Finally - an adult witness!!!

So, rather than go to my parent/teacher conference, we went to see the principal. Seems like they take a pretty tough line on this -- zero tolerance policy in the schools (we'll see HOW zero), and he encouraged me to go see the police. I told him that was our next stop. He wanted the name of the officer we talked to when we were finished because, he said, the police and the school work together on these things. Good to know.

Next stop -- the police station.

Now, let me be the first to say, I really didn't want it to come to this, and if there was any other way to protect my child and just make it stop, I'd have done it. But there wasn't, and there isn't. And now I have a witness to prove what they've been doing to him. So, we talked to an officer. I gave him the grandmother's name and phone number and told him she said she would tell them what she saw, so while Jaben was writing out his statement, he went and called her and she and Justin came right down. She told the officer what she saw and gave him a written statement as well.

He said they'd go talk to the neighbors and get their side (which I expected) and then come Monday, they'd talk to the school and everything would be submitted to the prosecutors office thru juvenile court. Fortunately it shouldn't be too rough since we've got a credible adult witness and it wouldn't be just the kids' words against each other. I don't know what happens to the kids, what the punishment is, but I really wish it was that they had to move out of the neighborhood, because I'm afraid at this point that's all that would work.

So, while Jaben's okay, things are ugly and I'm afraid that once the neighbors find out that we've pressed charges against their little darlings, it's going to get uglier. I have no shame for telling the officer that I'm afraid of the step father. For that matter, the mother could take me, easy. I'm not a fighter and I haven't raised my kids to be either. That's just not the way we do things. I hope they just accept what their kids have done and deal with it, but there's always a chance, knowing how they are, that they'll somehow blame US.

NOT the way to start the weekend.

Happy (belated) Halloween!

So trick or treat was last night. My guys were a cute little green dragon and a scary, bloody insane clown. Guess which kid was which? LOL! The dragon was in NO mood for it last night tho so I got no good pics of him. I have one from the Cub party last week so at least that's something. The little dragon and I went for about 1/2 hr, then the big, scary clown and my sister went for the next hour while we went home (he screamed the WHOLE WAY) and handed out candy. Ky kept getting into the candy bucket and every time he did I'd tell him he had to say "trick or treat!" He fell for it for a while and then would give me this "look" and just fall back on his usual "peas?"

Jaben and Keli had a great time together tho. I swear Kel is just an overgrown kid! And we've got enough candy to last for months!!!

On a less-than-fun note, it seems that this ADD thing is one step forward and 2 steps back. I got a detention notice from Jaben's teacher. Generally, when they forget supplies they lose 5 pts. But according to the detention slip, she says losing 5 pts doesn't seem to phase him so she's giving him detention.

My first thought upon reading this was "Huh?" That makes absolutely no sense to me. I can't see how sitting thru detention will help him remember his stuff. So, I may have put my foot in it, but I signed the slip and sent a note along with it saying that I'm not sure detention for this is productive for my son, and I think other strategies need to be implemented. I told her I thought I needed to speak to the counselor again and see what can be done since testing thru the school hasn't begun yet and the Dr doesn't want to treat until we get him set at school. I just don't think detention is the answer.

So I called the school, and the counselor isn't in today but they said they'd call him at the school he's at today and have him call me. There's just got to be something we can do to get Jabe thru until we can get the darn testing done!! This kid went thru this in 3rd grade and it got to the point where he was begging to be home schooled... I can see this year heading in the same direction and I absolutely refuse to allow it to happen again. So, something different has to be done. He's a good boy, very sensitive and all this over-the-top "discipline" BS is doing is scaring him and making him feel bad about himself -- exactly the opposite of what I, at least, want to accomplish.

***update from later in the day***

I did hear back from the counselor and he agrees with me that detention for forgetting something is counter-productive in Jaben's case and said that he will speak with the teacher when he's at the school tomorrow to see what they can come up with, strategy-wise. He also said that he will talk to Jaben to see how he's doing, where he feels he needs help and maybe to give him suggestions on how to make things work a little better for him.

He is giving the ADD testing over to the other counselor tho, and that kinda sux. Because I feel comfortable with him, but the other counselor is at the school more, so he feels she should handle it. I understand, even if I’m not thrilled. I LIKE him, he “gets it.” Gosh, before I hung up he commented on how my involvement and support goes a long way toward helping Jaben – and that just blew me away! I’m not used to getting that from the schools.

I should hear soon about the first meeting with the teachers and psychologist. I’m not excited about that part… not knowing what to expect and so much negativity over the years has made me leery. But if we can get thru that first step, maybe we can get my boy some much-needed help and treatment this year before we end up with a repeat of 3rd grade.

Just for the record… ADD can bite me.

Doodlebops Live!

Yesterday my boys and I got to see the hottest show this season – among the toddler set! We were lucky enough to go see the Doodlebops Live!



They played in Cleveland yesterday and the boys and I were lucky enough to catch the 4:00 show. Our seats weren’t as good as I’d have liked, but we could see really well, and weren’t in the nosebleed section so we definitely can’t complain.

I haven’t seen many kids’ shows live, Blues Clues and Sesame Street when Jaben was little, so I don’t have much experience with these shows, but as far as I’m concerned, Doodlebops is totally worth the money! The show begins with Busdriver Bob coming on the stage for a “pre-show party” where they show other cartoon show commercials (think Handy Manny and Little Einsteins – Kyan screamed and giggled when they showed his beloved ‘Nine-nines) and pumped up the crowd. I knew beforehand that it was the REAL Doodlebops, but I’m pretty sure that was NOT Busdriver Bob. Unless he had a cold. And 15 extra lbs. Bob is Ky’s favorite, but being 1–3/4 I don’t think he noticed.

After Bob was finished, DeeDee, Rooney and Moe came on and it was so much like the tv show! Moe did his usual hiding trick, and in between songs they played and visited all the familiar places. We saw the Doodlebops clubhouse, the recording studio, and they even had a strange little version of the Doodlebops bus! That was pretty funny, actually!

At one point when DeeDee was singing, she brought some little kids on the stage – which in itself is sweet and cute, but before she went back to her seat one little girl ran over and gave DeeDee a hug and said something to her. DeeDee replied, right into her mike, “Ohhh… thank you! You’re very pretty too!” and giggled. It was absolutely the sweetest moment of the show.

All in all, it was such a great time! I love it when things go well and the boys and I are able to have a good time together. I wasn’t sure how Kyan would do (he threw a gigantic fit before we left and in trying to get him out the door I forgot my camera!!) but he loved it! He clapped and cheered and danced on my lap the whole time – it was great! And Jaben… lol… I never would’ve thought that at 10 he could be so into a kids’ show – let alone a concert! But he was great! He enjoyed every second of it! My mom sent some money to buy each boy a souvenir, and Jaben chose this weird rubber “Moe hair” thing to wear on his head – and he wore it the whole time. He loves Moe – and I really wish I’d had my camera because it was soooo funny to see him wearing it!! When I left this morning one of our pumpkins was wearing the “Moe wig.”

I really should get a picture of that!!

The only downer about the show was souvenirs. They were ridiculously expensive!! I’m sorry - $15 for a program of a KIDS SHOW?? Um… no, sorry, not gonna happen. And the little blinking, twirling light-up things? $25. I kid you not -- $25 for one of those little suckers. I wanted to get the boys one SO BAD, but that would’ve been $50 and it ain’t possible. Even if it was possible, it ain’t likely. Imagine the profit margin on those things!!!! Over 75% per unit, easily. I paid enough for the tickets, as long as my boys got something to take home (and $15 for a Moe wig is insane enough – Ky got a more reasonably priced $8 ‘Bops sippy cup) there’s no way I was paying that much for that stuff.

So that kinda sucked.

But for a few hours with your kids, and a fun time dancing, shouting and singing, the Doodlebops Live! is definitely worth the price of admission!! Just be prepared to say NO! to a few overpriced souvenirs that your kids (and possibly YOU) are gonna want.

I wanna go again!!!!!!

I kinda suck at this sometimes

Sorry, sometimes I get involved in life and the blog doesn’t get updated. For a week. Um, yeah. I’m not sure I’m very good at this. I’m sure I’d do a much better job if there was a way to make money at it… heh… but apparently there isn’t. At least not for me. Cuz I’m not very good at it. Unless you want to send donations. Um…. yeah, that’s it.

I had a meeting with Jabe’s school principal this week. On Friday, actually. The story is that on Weds Jabe cheated on a test a little. I say a little cuz he didn’t have a cheat sheet, didn’t write the answers on the bottom of his shoes, or have an earpiece with a kid in the tree outside the window feeding him the answers. What he did was when they were grading the tests – their own tests – he changed one of his answers. Not that that’s right to do, and yes, it’s cheating, but seriously, who hasn’t?? I was a * good * kid and I did it.

They gave him detention. Great, fine, well deserved. He got in trouble at home. Great, fine, well deserved.

He got taken to the principal’s office on Thurs where all 3 of his teachers and the principal sat around him to talk to him about it.

I don’t know about y’all, but that one seems like a bit of overkill to me. Not to mention that it scared the crap out of a basically good, if troubled kid. But, being who I am, I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt. Not, for a second, was I ever going to believe that bringing a child to the principal’s office and basically surrounding him with all the adults in charge of his day to confront him on an admittedly small cheat, is ever going to be okay with me. But, I needed to hear their side of the story. Especially after the meltdown he had over his homework that night – the details of which I am not at liberty to share, at his request.

On Friday, I had planned to call Principal, but instead found that Jaben was missing a notebook he needed and since I was bringing the notebook to him anyway, decided to drop in on Principal and have a chat. I told Principal I knew about what happened and I do agree that Jabe’s actions warranted detention and a trip to the Principal, but I wasn’t sure of the point of having all the teachers there and sitting around him like that, so, could he please tell me his side of the story?

The school’s take on this, from the mouth of Principal himself, is that they decided to bring Jaben in, with all the teachers, to show him that they were a team, working for his benefit, and that they were all supporting him. They talked about his grades from all his classes – which are all good, btw – and told him he didn’t need to cheat like that. Rah rah rah?

While this may very well be a case of right idea, executed badly, I’m not sure I forgive them. I can’t imagine thinking about this and coming to the conclusion that a meeting of this nature wouldn’t be absolutely terrifying to a 10-yr old boy. And based on Principal’s lack of eye contact, I can only conclude that he knew he was scaring my boy. I mean really, the other kids went to their 3rd period class, and Jaben was told to stay with the teacher. She then took him to the principal’s office where he and Jaben’s other 2 teachers were waiting. And this was * not * meant to scare this child?

There was something I didn’t like about Principal to begin with, and picking on a child with Jaben’s issues just makes me think he’s a bully. He might act like a great guy, and when I walked out of that meeting I couldn’t quite put my finger on what was off about him, but I think I’ve figured it out… he strikes me as an overgrown bully. Course I may be a bit sensitive because this is my child who is now afraid of his principal and teachers, but seriously, how is this * not* scary?

Ugh. Just ugh.

On the bright side, the last football game of the season was yesterday (we froze AND lost… good times), Cub Scouts will be starting on Tuesday, and the boys are officially moved into the room they are now sharing (even if Ky isn’t sleeping there yet). Thankfully we shouldn’t be as busy now, but I think I’d better reserve the right to have life get in the way of blogging about life every now and again.

PEE!!!!

Just thought I'd announce that Kyan went pee-pee on the potty tonight!!!! I'm so excited! He'd been sitting on it but not really doing much, but tonight he did it!! YAY KYAN!!!

Let the games begin!

Saturday morning

I read a lot of blogs. The ones on the sidebar are the ones I read the most, but occasionally, when I have time, I skim the blogrolls of other blogs or follow links to read new things. Today I found myself directed to Her Bad Mother. I've read her a bit, but not often. No reason for that, she's interesting and well written, but that's not the point. I mention her because of this post. Go read it, I'll wait.

All done? Excellent.

Right now, my 10-yr old is playing video games. My 1-1/2 yr old is crying. This is not an unusual situation in my house. The crying, that is. Kyan cries more than any child I've ever known. Not only does he cry a lot, but he doesn't sleep well. He cries in his sleep, he thrashes, he moans. He is firmly in the grip of toddler temper tantrums, he fights diaper changes to the point where I've started using pull-ups some of the time so I don't have to fight him into a clean diaper -- I can wiggle him into pull-ups much easier... while he's standing, and I don't get kicked. Oh and it's probably topping out at I'd guess 40 degrees outside right now and he just handed me his pajama top. And then screamed at me to put it on. And then screamed when I tried to. Spirited? You betcha. Ask whoever the person was at the Chinese restaurant we went to last night how spirited he is. I'm sure 1/2 (at least) his food ended up on the floor. And that was with me catching most of it. Does he know that's not okay? I like to think so, but who knows? He's one.

I can be very blase about this right now. It's morning, I actually slept some last night, I've got a million and one things to do today and am putting it off even tho I'm trying like hell to be cool about how much I can actually accomplish today. Clean house? No problem. Jaben needs a new winter coat because Mother Nature decided fall was expendable this year? Got it covered. Need Halloween costumes for both boys? Not to worry. And the Halloween decorations, play lines, cookies that are begging to be baked, switched bedrooms desperately needing organized and laundry needing to be done so nobody has to go nekkid in this frigid Ohio weather? Got it, got it, and got it. No problem.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME????

Motherhood is HARD. It just is. And the more kids and people you add into the mix, the harder it gets. I have nothing but the utmost respect for moms of many. I do not know how they do it. Single moms of 3 or more? Saints.

A spirited child - just one - can make you feel like the worst mom alive. I have a lot of days when I can't imagine how I'm going to get thru this, how I'm going to do it, what I did wrong that he can't tolerate a diaper change or won't eat a thing for me even tho I know his little tummy is growling. I've wondered - a lot - what I was thinking, raising 2 boys by myself. I know I didn't make the decision to have them by myself, but it's worked out that I'm raising them. Family help is invaluable and I don't know what I'd do without them. I couldn't. Plain and simple. My mother is amazing and we'd be lost without her. We tell her, but I don't think she really realizes how much we appreciate all she does.

And to do it 100%, completely on my own? That would be a nightmare.

Everyone gets overwhelmed with it sometimes. You gotta. It's the nature of the job. If you don't fumble or get frustrated sometimes then you're not really all that involved. You can't be perfect when your emotions are involved, and I can't think of anything more emotional than being a mom. It's hard, it sux, it's sleep deprivation and the entire world of these little people resting on your shoulders, it's oh-God-what-am-I-doing confusing, awful, puke-soaked, wouldn't change it for the world, morning hugs and bedtime kisses, amazing, rewarding and wonderful all at the same time.

And especially now, with 2 - one who's spirited and the other who has ADD - the hardest thing I've ever done.

But I love my boys with all my heart and soul and I would never, ever change anything that brought them to me for anything ever.

So Her Bad Mother... you're not alone. Sometimes we're all bad mothers. Sometimes we're all lost and wondering if anyone else feels this way or if we really just suck. We do suck. We're the best sucky moms there are. And your daughter is going to be amazing - even more amazing - as she grows. And you're the luckiest woman in the world because you get to watch the whole thing.

I promise you, from one bad mother to another, it gets better and it is worth every second.

Updates updates everywhere!

First – regarding the football incident. My sister went to practice with Jabe last night to see how things were handled and she said they did a great job – they actually impressed her. The head of the league separated Jaben’s team from the other boys and talked to them about how that kind of behavior is not acceptable, they don’t approve, etc – the coach and the parents involved all got suspended! Granted the season is almost over, but still. The coach involved apologized to the boys too! I wanted that, but didn’t expect it so it’s great that he did that. One of the boys whose parents (turns out it was his GRANDPARENTS) were involved had to quit the team – his parents didn’t want anything further to do with it. I feel 2 ways about that… on one hand, I don’t blame them, it wasn’t even me and I was very upset and still cannot respect the coach, apology or no. On the other hand… the boy doesn’t get to play. The adults in his life can’t behave decently so he has to pay for it? That stinks. That really stinks.

So. There’s that.

I should've posted this yesterday, but didn't get a chance - too much going on. I heard from Jaben’s doctor Monday and he thinks Jabe definitely has ADD! I know, weird cause for celebration, but I feel like we’re finally getting somewhere – like okay, now we can do something to make things easier for him. We have another appt with the doc on the 27th and will discuss strategy then, and the possibility of medication. I’m not sure about the medication… not that I’m personally so much opposed, but neither of us need to be hearing about how bad it is and how it’s a cop-out and what it does to kids, etc etc etc. I don’t need to hear that and I don’t want to. If he goes on meds it’ll be a low dose anyway – and I trust our Dr. If I didn’t, we wouldn’t still see him. Gee, I’m not defensive or anything, am I? ;-)

So anyway, they said to call the school and get the ball rolling to set up testing for him thru them. I did that Tuesday morning – talked to the counselor (who happens to be a friend of the Dr! bonus!) and he said he’d start things moving as soon as we hung up the phone. So yay! As far as I’m concerned, the sooner we can get this done, the better. Whatever will help my boy.


And so now have a letter from the doctor formally requesting testing for Jaben from the school! I didn’t have that when I talked to the counselor yesterday, so I emailed him today to let him know and that I can make sure he gets a copy if he would like. I think he should have one – we’ll see when I hear back. I don’t know what’s going to go on with testing, etc, but we’ll find out as we go along. I ventured over to an ADD/ADHD message board and got some good responses from people whose kids have used meds. Most were positive, even tho pretty much all of them needed a lot of adjustments before they found the right thing. I’m sure it’s like that with a lot of meds tho. I know meds are what Jaben wants… I think he figures he can take a pill and be able to concentrate just like everyone else. I’m not sure it’s so simple, but I’m willing to look at our options. I still think some kind of therapy would be useful even tho I keep hearing it does little for inattentive-type ADD. It can’t hurt to at least look into it. He has been informed, involved and had a say in every step of this process, and will continue to have a say since this is his mind and his life we’re talking about. He’s a very, very bright boy (even as his biased mom I know this to be true) and out of respect for that, and how hard he’s been trying, I owe it to him to let him have a say in how he’s treated. That’s not to say he’ll have the final say, but we’ll talk about it and decide together.

So. There’s that.

Oh and one little thing that’s not really an update but has me sitting in shock today… one of my favorite customers (one of our biggest accounts!!) came by today to tell us he’s been fired!! He’s been with them for 15 yrs and he’s really made it what it is. We’re not sure right now if we’ll be able to hang onto the account… we’ll see. I just can’t believe they fired him – and if we lose this account because of that we might be in big trouble. So yikes!!

Think good thoughts on that one. I think we’ll probably keep the account… but you never know. Whether we do or not, we’re going to miss our friend.

You think it only happens somewhere else....

I'm going to copy/paste this from elsewhere on the internet because it's just too tiring to re-type. This is just insane and I can't believe I witnessed it with my own eyes...

There we were, after the game - Jaben played more in this game than he had all season and I was so proud of him! The coach's wife had ordered pizza for the boys so we're all over at this park while the boys ate. Suddenly, this woman is screaming in the coach's face! I mean like, the f-word and all! Next thing I know, there's other parents getting involved, the coach's wife - like 5-6 people in this shouting-shoving match! F-word this and F-word that - IN FRONT OF THE BOYS!! I have never seen anything like this in my life - not at a kid's football game! I saw the COACH put his hands around a father's throat!! I mean seriously. You hear about this stuff and see it on tv, but you NEVER expect to see it happen right there in front of you at your kid's game.

Luckily, as soon as it started, Jabe took off for the car (my smart boy) and I did see other parents herding kids to their cars and telling them to roll the windows up, but there were boys just standing there watching! I'm like oh no you're not! I walked over to a group of them and told them to walk away - they do NOT need to see this. OMG you guys, just OMG. This is my kid's coach. I rely on coaches etc to be good role models for my boys since they don't have that in their daily lives - this is BEYOND unacceptable!!!

All the way home we were going "OMG! OMG! OMG!" and of course had to talk to Jaben about it. I can't respect this guy, how do I ask him to? What I told him was that he should not respect that behavior (he said he knew that) but he DID have to respect that man's position as his coach. IF he's still the coach. I would prefer he was relieved of his position, personally. You don't DO that in front of kids!!!!!

So when I got home I called the "head" coach - the guy who runs the league. (Un)Fortunately for me, I was the lucky first parent to call. All he'd heard was from one of the parent's involved, calling him from the police station (yay) to say there was an emergency and he didn't know what it was. So I told him what happened and everything I just said here. I also told him I think someone needs to separate his team from the other boys on Tues and talk to them about it - this cannot be swept under the rug. And he assured me that he would talk to the boys personally. I don't know if the coach will still be coach. He (understandably) told me he had to hear everyone's sides, but I can't see a single scenario where this wouldn't be addressed with these kids, or where this guy will still be coaching. I just can't get over it!! You hear about it but you NEVER think you'll see it at your own kid's game... ever! Completely unbelievable!!!

Okay - then after I wrote that...

OMG! I just got off the phone with the police dept of the city this happened in! The head coach gave them my name and wanted a statement!!! This is INSANE! I only called the head coach to make sure this was taken care of and now the officer is putting my name in the police report! This is just nuts. Nuts. Insane!!

What did I say about not liking this whole football thing? I can't believe any of this... just cannot believe it. And I don't know what's going to happen at practice on Tuesday, but I'm thinking of asking my sister to try to go with him so I know what goes on. Very strange, very surreal, never thought it'd happen here.

Wow - sorry!

I haven't updated in a whole week and didn't even realize! Sorry Kimberly - I saw your comment and that's what made me check my dates! Crazy how things get busy and everything gets away from you!

As it is, I owe a logo to a friend of mine, which is only about 1/2 finished (I know, I know, don't hate me!) but with things being as crazy as they have been I haven't had a chance to get it completely done! Hoping next week things are back to being more simple. Busy at work, busy at home, family from out of state moving here, football, still haven't got boy scouts straightened out, and now Kyan is about ready to potty train! YIKES!

I've been trying to put off the potty training thing, actually. But I don't think I can wait much longer. He's just ready. He's showing all the signs, I think he really wants to do it and I guess I've just got to get on board with him and help him figure it all out. I'm not totally sure how to do this since Jaben basically trained himself (and yay for Jaben!) but I guess it's time to figure it all out. Wish us luck!!!

As for Jaben, he's been doing better lately. I haven't gotten any nasty-grams from teachers lately, so that's good news. Y'know, no news is good news. They sent the evaluations home with him on Tuesday and I got them all faxed back to the Drs office. We were having trouble with our fax machine so I hope they went! Would it be obnoxious of me to call on Monday and make sure they got them? I did read them tho. Not sure if I was supposed to, but I did. And it sure does look, to my uneducated self, like he's definitely a candidate for inattentive ADD. So I'm pretty sure we'll go thru with the testing. We go see the Dr again on 10/27 so I'll know more then. I still need to call the mental health place (I hate the idea of taking him there!!) the Dr recommended to see if they do the testing, but I'll do that next week. One good thing, by the time he sees the Dr again, football will have ended and he'll have more free time to devote to his life. And that is very important!!!

Game today - ugh! But at least it's a home game so no long traveling!