Procrastination... It's Making Me Wait!

Why is it that when you have a million things you need to do ...
You spend your time doing all those little things that are just busy work?

Yep, that is what I have been doing all morning.
Little tasks that needed done, but not emergently or anything.

Instead of writing
or doing dishes
or laundry
or getting all the tax documentation together...

I updated my Google calendar.
I took care of some bills... did you know that auto payments scheduled for the 30th of the month reschedule themselves for the 29th if there is no 30th?

Now you do... You are Welcome!

I finally got the sweater I knitted steam blocked.
And then I worked on the pleated skirt I'm crocheting until I ran out of yarn...
Now I have to add running to the store for more yarn to my list of things to do... yay?

And I watched, and subsequently deleted, about half the junk I had DVR'd the last few weeks.
And then I went through the pile of junk mail...
and found the Emissions Notice for the truck that is due...last Friday?
oops!

Then I updated my status on FaceBook and tweeted some links for my other blog (Color Me Thin)
and checked the tweets from TeenBoy's AP History teacher to make sure I know what his homework really is...

And I listened to SmartGirl's lungs to ascertain whether she is actually, really and truly dying...
not to worry it seems to be a sinus thing, not a lung thing.

I took a shower and actually did my hair.
I cleaned out my makeup basket and made note of the Covergirl  Outlast lipcolor numbers that I simply adore and seem to have run out of. They go under yarn on my new mental shopping list.

Placed my Melaleuca order ... almost out of the hair spray that keeps my hair from frizzing and the facial cleanser that gets rid of my wrinkles and fine lines...not to mention some nice moisturizing body wash... and all made to be environmentally friendly...

Yes, I have spent the morning doing busy work and now...

I'm ready for a nap.
Quick before BratChild and SIX get home from school and I have to take them to pick up a pair of LAX goggles for her and some socks for him.
And Outlast.
And yarn.

Or I could do the dishes or the laundry or...

Or I could just sit on the couch and look at TV...

Yeah... that sounds good.

Procrastination... the name of the game for today.

The Life and Times of.... BusyMom!

BusyMom here...


Yeah, I know it's always me and I'm always Here.


But sometimes, okay, a lot of times...


I wish I could be somewhere else.


Like...
When I come in from a long night at work to find TeenBoy asleep in the dark on the sofa instead of on the school bus I just passed coming up our street.


When I come down in the morning only to find half-eaten bowls of cereal and cups of hot chocolate on the computer desk and breakfast room table, milk and cereal splashed everywhere, covered in ants who believe they have found The Promised Land and quickly sent out word to family and friends... all one million of them! 


When I get in my van and am hit with the noxious fumes from the dirty cleats and sweaty t-shirts and shorts and Under Armor soccer and football gear someone, Not Me most likely, has shoved under the back seat.


When I walk into the living room only to discover I am standing in yet another puddle left by StupidDog for me to find... usually the day after I steam cleaned the carpet, of course.


When I look at my day planner and calendar and try to sync them only to realize the computer program just won't let me be in 4 places at the same time... Silly computer! Doesn't it understand that I am BusyMom- a Super Hero in my own eyes?


I have been known to think derogatory thoughts about women who walk away from their children, their maternal obligations, to live lives unencumbered.
And yet...
Sometimes...
Just Sometimes....


I think that maybe I can understand the need to just be somewhere else...


And then the kids come home from school...


And SIX gives me a hug and a smile and that daggone dimple in his chin and the twinkle in his baby blues just gets to me...


BratChild hands me an order form for her soccer uniform sweats and I am so proud of her starting position on the High School soccer team I could cry...


ManChild drops by to spend a few hours before going to work... something we don't get to do now that he has moved out and is making his own way in the world like a real ADULT...


When GoodMom calls just to tell me BabyG smiled or FancyPants is finally interested in potty training...


When SmartGirl has a day off and goes to TeenBoy's football game with me and I see her cheering for him and the pride that shines through for her not so little brother... 


The same pride and love that all of my children show for one another... on occasion and not usually in public


I cannot imagine being anywhere else, living any other life, having any other family...


So...
BusyMom here...


And Here is where I'll stay.

It's Great to Be...

Today was a busy day. 

And tomorrow?

It promises to be even busier than today.

Why? 

Why do I do this summer after summer, football and soccer season after football and soccer season?

Oh, you have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?

Then I envy you.

No, I ENVY you...

You must be one of those lucky families whose kids don't play sports or join clubs or have friends who all seem to live across town...

I SO want to be that family...

I think...

Or not...

Never mind...

You can keep your life...

and I'll keep mine...

Shhhh...

Don't tell the kids but I think I would go mad with the inactivity of those other families lives so...

Back to being BusyMom to TheBusyFamily...

Ahhh... It's GREAT to be back! 

The Grand Tour... yeah, it's about culture

There is a reason that in the old days girl children were sent off to finishing schools when they were about 12 and only returned home long enough to try on the trousseau before the wedding took place and she was whisked away to spend the rest of her life nagging some poor unsuspecting guy to death.

If not for this quaint little custom I firmly believe that the human species would have died off long, long ago.
There are 2 reasons for this...

1)     if the girls had remained at home throughout the teen years... and please remember that beating children was still very much legal... well, I doubt many girls would have made it to the age of marrying off. Which is sad as they only had to make it to 14!

2)     by sending girls to live in all-girl boarding schools where they had no contact with guys of any age, but most especially anyone they would actually be interested in hanging out with, made them so starved for attention from any guy that they were much more amenable to an arranged marriage.

Of course, now that teen aged girls are totally horrendous beings, and beating them into submission is not an option, Swiss finishing schools are no longer in fashion. And let's face it, even if they were who on earth could afford to send their whiny, bratty, spoiled little angel to one anyway? Other than the obscenely rich and famous that is?

And then there is the Grand Tour. This is something that those of good breeding and culture did every year or so beginning around the turn of the century and on into the late 1920's...The Great Depression and all that.

Bribery is what the Grand Tour was. Honest to goodness basic bribery. I mean what girl doesn't want to go to Paris and Milan to buy their clothes? Who wouldn't be thrilled with the thought of meeting a rich and handsome guy with an accent who would sweep them off their feet?
Yep, sure wish that kind of thing was still done, or at least affordable enough to come back in style.

But no, instead we get to ground our children. We deprive them of their possessions until they earn them back with good behavior. Like a PlayStation or Xbox 360 or iPod can even come close to the bargaining power of a trip across Europe.

And the sad part is that this generation of bratty, spoiled teens has no idea what they are missing...
guess it's cuz they aint got no breeding or culture.

The Importance of being...Present?

I am going to be a Grandma.
Well, technically I am already a grandma...
so actually I should say I am going to be a grandma... again.


GoodMom, my oldest child, is expecting a bouncing baby boy in August.


We are so happy.
We are so excited.
We are so not looking forward to it.


Not that we aren't anxiously awaiting the new baby's arrival.
We are.
But I am not.

My mother in law planned a special surprise trip for HeMan Hubby's birthday.
In July.
Except that the trip will over lap into August...


There is a very real possibility that we will be away when the new baby comes.

Ok, not the end of the world... except...

I was away when FancyPants was born.
Yes, it again was a family trip with HeMan Hubby's family.
And it was planned so that we were away 2 weeks before FancyPants was due...


However no one told FancyPants she had to wait for her due date and she was born while I was on the Alabama coast... 18 hours away.


I am hoping that the new baby, despite being a boy as we all know they do not tend to listen well, will pay attention to his Grammy and wait until his due date to arrive.


When I will be in the same state.

When I will be able to hop in the car and dash to GoodMom's side.


When I will be able to see my lovely daughter hold her new baby for the first time.




But then, he is a boy ...
so I won't be getting my hopes up...


Much.

Inside Looking Out

I read a book today.




There were presents to wrap, dishes to wash, dinner to cook, floors to clean, pies and cookies to bake...
did I mention there were presents, for the kids, that had to be wrapped before they got home from school?

Yeah, I was just gonna read for a bit with my morning coffee.
In the book, the boy has Aspergers Syndrome.
Like TeenBoy... only different.

I kept reading until lunch time when I suddenly found myself sitting, staring at the page.

Eyes burning, throat raw, sore from the tears I was swallowing.

No -I think to myself- TeenBoy is much milder, he doesn't do all those things like in the kid in the book
Yes- he does I whisper back... wiggling fingers, endless pacing, needing to stand in class or get out into the hall for a while, reading a book to be able to focus on the teacher's lecture, the holes in the wall, the closet door, the bedroom window, growing his bangs out to use them as his screen from eye contact, difficulty making friends.

In the book the author explains having Aspergers in a way that really made sense...
Imagine you are on one side of a plastic membrane and the world is on the other. Sometimes you can hear and see what is going on but just not enough to understand and you can't ever break through the barrier- always trapped inside with no way out and no way to make anyone hear you.

I finished the book today.
I only meant to read a bit when the kids left for school, something to enjoy my morning coffee by.
I ate my lunch and skipped dinner with it.

Then I closed the cover and went to bed wondering if I am as good a mother as the one in the book
Then I realize I want to be like a fictional character ...

But it could be worse I think to myself...
I could want to be like Martha Stewart... again.


The book?--- House Rules by Jodi Picoult

Been There Done That ...So Don't Want To Go There Again!

The kids always open up in the car. 

When there is no where to run, to hide,  THAT is when they choose to drop little nuggets of their lives on me without warning.

SmartGirl needed candy canes. 

Somehow she, BratChild and I ended at the grocery store.

Yes, on the 3rd shopping day left before Christmas I was at a store. 

That I had to drive to.

On the roads.

With all the last minute shoppers gone crazy.

And then, she did it. BratChild just came out with a doozie.

"My friend at school is pregnant."

SmartGirl says- maybe you shouldn't be her friend.

I think the same thing, for just a split second, then my head kicks in and I say something like...

it's going to be hard for her...

I know how lame was I?

But in my defense I was appalled that I even thought for a nanosecond that BratChild should stop being her friend.

Her friend at school?

She is me 30 years ago.

I was the 8th grade girl scared and worried and not sure what was going to happen.

I was the one whose friends stopped calling.

Stopped sitting with her at lunch.

Stopped hanging out at the locker between classes.

The one who was alone.

Pointed at.

Laughed at.

Then ignored.

I told BratChild to tell her friend I was her age when I had GoodMom.

I told her that if she ever wanted to talk I would.

Her mom laughed when she told her. She thought it was a joke. 

Then she screamed and ran out of the house to get some air.

Then she came in, sat down and hugged her. 

Told her they would figure it all out together.

It was different for me. Very different.

I think she'll be okay.

She has BratChild for her friend and that makes her really lucky.

And BratChild? 

She has me... been there -done that- wish K wasn't going to go through it too...

She knows she can tell me anything, anything at all and I'll be there 
for whoever needs me

Wii Party Gets the Party started Right!

A month or so ago I received an email from someone who said someone had given my name as a person with a family who might enjoy having a party with pizza and the New Wii Party game.

Well, I checked into it and someone really did say that stuff about my family and they were right about it so...

I answered the questions about our Wii system.
Yes- we do indeed have one.
Yes- we do have controllers... 2. I have been holding out for Christmas hoping to get 2 new motion plus ones
Yes- my family enjoys both pizza and parties
Yes- we would be thrilled to try this game and have some pizza
Yes- I would definitely let them know how it went... and I might even blog about it...

Guess you can tell I decided to blog about it, right?

So yes, we did get the Wii Party Pizza Party kit in the mail. It actually arrived a day early and SURPRISE! In the box was a 25.00 Gift Card to Dominoes Pizza and the Wii Party game AND a Motion Plus Controller.... and it's PINK!

Wii Motion Plus in Pink available HERE!

Yeah, I hate pink, but the kids can tell which one is MINE now which is nice.

Did I mention there was a box with a big pink bow on it and some Mii Masks in there too?
No, the kids weren't crazy about the masks, but everything else, You Betcha!

We decided to wait until Thanksgiving break to have the party.
There were 7 kids in attendance and 2 adults,
Or 5 kids and 4 adults, it depends on who you ask.

There was a variety of games to play. Some were long- an hour or more.
Others were 30 minutes.
Then there were the quickie games.

Our group played a couple of the 30 minute games then opted for the shorter games.

First came the challenge where a series of games would be played and the first player to win 5 of the challenge games won. This took some time with 4 players. The challenges were random.
Some were more fun than others.
Some were easier to understand than others.

But this led to the kids exploring the mini-game options and going on to play about 10 of these.

L liked the water games. There were only a few but he liked those the best. He's 3 and his mother helped him when needed. Okay she helped him a lot!

E liked the racing ones. The spaceships. The racing through sheep. Ski jump racing. Anything that looked like a race he wanted to play. He's 9. He could work the controller all by himself. Except when it was a steering wheel. That was a bit awkward. It was a steering wheel a lot. But that's okay because he finally got the hang of it, mostly.

BratChild looked on with distain. She's 13 so... but she did not leave the room and she even slipped up a few times and cheered for L. I think if her friends had been able to come she would have been more into it. Or if I wasn't anywhere in the universe. I did say she's 13.

TeenBoy was into it. After a slow start that is. He expected it to be 'Baby Games' and was pleasantly surprised at the skill level and the fun that was had with every game. Even the 'baby game' that L actually won.  TeenBoy said yeah, he would definitely play again and he was sincere.

SIX, with a broken hand, was the most reluctant to play, and/or like the Wii Party. The best part for him was the pizza, or so he said. Until the games began. Even with one hand in a brace and fingers he couldn't really manipulate well, he was able to steer a car, jump hurdles, dodge sheep and race a spaceship through the sky. He even won several times. And he was cheering and having a great time in almost no time at all.

SmartGirl and ManBoy watched and commented and gave advice. They both thought the games looked fun, some more so than others. They also said they would rather play with people at their own skill level or age than with the little kids like L and E since it would give them the option to play one of the longer games like the board game or trivia.  But they agreed it was fun to play all ages together for a family fun nite.

Honestly, all of the kids, and the adult-like people too, had a good time. Pizza and soda to start off was perfect. Got everyone into a fun and games mood while we got the games set up. They all had fun and they each won several games along the way.

The general consensus was that they all had fun and will play again.
Except me, I won't play again, I will finally get to play, and use my very own PINK controller with the  motion plus.
I can hardly wait.

We've got a challenge for New Year's Eve with some out of town friends...
And Team BusyFamily plays to win!
And eat pizza .

A day in the Life of BusyMom...

We went to Pennsylvania yesterday, my sister-in-law and I.
We left when I got home from work, she drove.
We went for the Christmas Gift and Craft Fair in Harrisburg.

This is the second year that we've done this.
This year her sister met us there and we spent the day browsing, shopping and having a good time.

I had to get some new links in a bracelet I got there last year.
The vendor wasn't there, but I found another one who, after I bought a replacement bracelet, decided they could add a few links to the original after all.
Now I have 2. I guess I'll give SmartGirl the new one too.

I got some glue. Really, serious glue- " The Last Glue You'll Ever Need" glue.
Really, that's what the guy called it and if it fixes the shoes the dog chewed then I will be sold on it for life.
I'll let you know how it goes.

I got a hanging planter.
It's made of copper wire and stained glass with a bud vase suspended in the center..
I'm going to put it in the kitchen window.
I'll let you know if that works too.

I got some shirts for the guys... I think they'll get a kick out of them.
Their ego's definitely will!

We ran out of time. The place is huge and I would have loved to spend more time but...

Back to real life.
The life of BusyMom.

I got home in time to get SIX and HeMan Hubby into the car and out the door to SIX's football banquet.
He got a trophy for his team being a finalist in the Division Championship....
The game his hand got shattered in.

Then he got another trophy.
MVP for Defense.
For making his presence known in that game, and every game of the season..
The coach said, " No matter what the score was the other team ALWAYS knew we were on the field with (SIX) taking them down"
Every one clapped. Everyone cheered. The defensive coach grabbed SIX in a bear hug and said...
"I asked you to give your all and you always did, offense, defense, special teams... you even gave up your hand, but you never gave up the points... You are THE MAN ! You are an awesome kid"

I worry that I make too many mistakes with the kids.
I worry that I'm not doing my job.
I worry that they will not become the wonderful people that I know they are...

Then someone else steps in, or several someones.
They teach my children, they praise my children, they make my kids feel good about themselves and...

I know that HeMan Hubby and I are not doing this alone.
It takes a Village to raise a child is what I've heard.

But I think that maybe what it really takes
 is a Football Team...

Thanksgiving 2010 Part 3- the finale

Black Friday... long lines, stampedes of people, waiting for an eternity in the dark, cold hours of the morning...

Yeah, that's what I thought too... Until they came up with the Midnite Madness sales!
Stores open at 12:00 AM ...these sales were made for Night Shift workers like me!

It's become a tradition for my girls and I to travel over the Bay to the outlet mall for a night of shopping, bonding and serious people watching... topped with a greasy breakfast at Denny's.
BratChild has been talking about it for weeks... her second year being a part of Girls Nite Out.


Except this year we went to the mall near our house. Which has outlets for stores like Timberland and J.Crew and BASS... and a lot of regular stores.

But not a lot of deep discounts like they have over the Bay.

Or as many people to watch... and laugh about ( seriously? shopping in PJs and bedroom slippers in the rain with your newborn and a 2 year old at the OUT DOOR MALL!!!)

Or as much bonding... with only a 10 minute drive the trip is over before it starts.

But there was The Skanky, I mean Hunky Santa... a stripper Santa... I mean really...Ick!
And the promise of Chocolate Chip Pancakes at IHop!

HeMan Hubby took the midnite WallyWorld watch to make sure we got the deal of the century... we relieved him by 2:30am.... that's how much Madness was not going on over at the Mall...

Well, except for that one little thing.... where I slipped off the curb and my foot slid in my shoe-
the shoe that BratChild wore earlier and walked on the sides of her feet in and stretched all to hell so they're too wide for my feet now.... so I cracked my knee on the curb and scraped my palms and twisted my ankle...
And the paramedics came running, full speed, to my rescue.
I felt sorry for them.
They had just moved the ambulance from one side of the mall doorway to the other and back again... probably from boredom.
I'm pretty sure one had just said how boring the night was and Jinxed me!

After hanging out at WallyWorld for 2.5 hours with visions of Skanky Santa dancing in our heads...
and BratChild psyched for some IHop... that wasn't open!???

Yes, I managed to find a Denny's and thanks to the NEW MENU which now includes Chocolate Chip Pancakes... she got her Black Friday Breakfast.

But it was just... not the same.
Not fun.
Not what she was looking forward to all month long.

Sometimes it's not about the shopping and the savings.
Sometimes it's about the things that are priceless....
A night spent with daughters, sisters, Mom...
A tradition that just isn't the same when it's really just about the shopping...

A tradition we will be doing the right way.... OUR WAY
Next year!

Time to find the Christmas decorations... Thanksgiving 2010 2 1/2

Oh - I almost forgot... as  I sit here with my knee on a pillow thanking GOD that we had green beans instead of the Frozen Peas for T-giving dinner...( you'll find out why in Part 3)

the boys- the ones with only one good hand each... the ones I asked to ask HeMan Hubby where he put the Xmas tree... go walking up the stairs with a step ladder... as I call out to them to NOT GO INTO THE ATTIC... yeah yeah we got it they say...

Then THUMP! CRASH! WHAM! 

Yeppers, drywall and insulation and one TeenBoy falling thru the ceiling...

Can this HOLIDAY be over yet?

I used to feel sorry for kids left at boarding school for the holidays...

Now?

I sort of envy their parents!

PS

HeMan Hubby came to the rescue.

He pulled some drywall that was just chilling in the basement and got the hole covered.

The really cool part is that he made TeenBoy help him... to atone for his stubbornness

But that's not the cool part, the really cool part is that I could hear HeMan Hubby explaining how to measure the area and how to cut the drywall and put it up so the seams would be hidden once taped and mudded and the stucco pattern to match the rest of the ceiling was done.

And TeenBoy? He listened and asked questions and actually learned a thing or two...

While spending some time hanging with his Dad doing some Guy Stuff...

I guess sometimes things really do happen for a reason...

Writer's Workshop: Like Ace of base.... I Saw the Sign

Welcome to another offering from the writing prompts at Mama Kat's


Todays prompt is : 


5.) Describe a moment when you saw someone hit their breaking     
      point.





She seemed calm, normal actually, at first,  as I watched from across the room.


Then, an eerie light began to glimmer, just beyond her pupils, as if from some other place behind her eyes, an almost manic look.


Her mouth turned down with sadness, her brow furrowed with anger and then her coloring got, well, blotchy.
Her face, her chest and down her arms grew cold, then hot,  then prickled with goosebumps as she balled up her fists.


It was then, right then, as she slowly slid to the floor, that she surrendered to her anger, the sense of inadequacy, and cried...


" I give up. That's. It.  I'm. Done"


She sighed, her body going limp, her eyes filling with tears, her head drooping as she leaned against the mirror, slowly breathing in, then out... as I realized that I was the only one in the room.

Assume Nothing...

When WE see our children growing taller, WE assume they are growing up, naturally.

But WE are so very wrong in this assumption and as WE all know, to ASSUME is to make an ASS out of U and ME...

So, no assuming allowed.

And as they are kids, albeit bigger, broader, hungrier kids, they're not telling us what they are thinking or doing or thinking about doing now, or in the ever-looming future.

How then do WE know when our children HAVE grown up?

When WE get that phone call... the voice on the other end is filled with wonder, elated and breathy come the words...

Mom? You know, YOU were right!

And there, right there in that moment the GROWN UP has arrived...

Let's just hope WE have our hearing aide in for that call!

Resolutions Revisited

It's been a while since I made my New Year's NOT Resolutions.

Umm, like 8 1/2 months?

And it's been nearly that long since I have thought about them. Well, I think about them often, I just don't look into myself to see if I am actually achieving any of these non-resolution goals.

Today I think it is time I did.

1) I wanted to get healthy, regardless of weight-loss or non-weight-loss, I wanted to eat better and exercise.

Well- I am dong both. Yay Me! I walk several miles several days a week. I have been swimming in my backyard pool- need to do more of that before it's too cold! And I have been eating better. More fruits and veggies, less Ben &Jerry's and chips.

2) I wanted to be a better mom.
Okay- so that is not going as planned. My children have not suddenly started to WANT to be around me, but then they don't run screaming from the room as soon as I enter either so... that's a good thing, right?

3) I wanted to feel better about myself and where I (and my family) am headed- financially, emotionally, and physically.
To that end we are working on home improvements that we are hopeful will help us to get our house sold sooner- rather than later- once we put it back on the market... after football and soccer season is over, of course. ( part of the being a good mom thing there... kids need to finish the season with their friends... it may be their last in Maryland! )

4) and not really the final, but for today it is... I wanted a better relationship with HeMan Hubby.
I think we are doing better than we have in a very long time. He still works entirely too much. And I still spend entirely too many hours doing things with/for/because of the kids and helping friends in need...but the time we spend together has been full of playful banter, warmth and happiness. He even spent an entire week on vacation with the kids and I and DID NOT work... I think we are connecting more than when the kids were little... maybe because they aren't little anymore?

Whatever the reason, or the facilitators, life is good in our home. And our relationship is solid, and a true partnership.

I hope that our children see this and seek to find something similar in their own relationships as they grow.

Then my ultimate goal will have been reached...

to raise productive members of society... who live anywhere but with me!

Out of the Loop... and other things people say

Have you ever noticed how the things people say change with each generation?

Each one wants to be unique, and in an attempt to be unique they repeat what the generations before have done.

They make up new slang words, they listen to outrageous music, they dress a little oddly... okay, a lot oddly in many cases.

These they do to be original.

And in so doing, they are anything but.

They are predictable.
They become a whole generation of funny looking, funny talking weirdos with weirdo music.

Just like every single generation that has gone before.

The kids in the 1920's?
They wore fox skin coats, straw hats and listened to racey ragtime music.

The 1930's?
Well heck yeah! Prohibition, Flappers, Speak Easy's... the kid's were partying and placing bets and smoking and drinking... everything THEIR parents warned against.

The 1950's?
Have you seen Rebel Without a Cause? Okay then, Grease?
Hot Rods, smoking, drinking, scandalous pants on girls, boys wearing t-shirts instead of dress shirts and Heaven Forbid! No Hats!

Do I even have to mention the Flower Children of the 1960's?
Free Love, Drugs, The Rolling Stones, Woodstock, Communes...

Hip, Cool, Neat, Rad, Gnarly, Hot, Bad, Awesome... these all mean something is GOOD.

And all have been used, and re-used, since the 1920's...

Wowsers!
Mayhaps each 'NEW' generation isn't as original as it thinks it is?

The only real problem I have with this show of originality in the NOW generation is...

The language.

Do we really need to say the F-word every other second?
Is it really necessary to say S--t to every thing?

I admit, I need to clean up my language... but I do say things like Wowsers! and Holy Cow! and JiminyChirstmas! and Shoot-shucks-darn!

So frequently in fact, that many people at the ball fields say they can always find me on the sidelines, they just follow my expletives!

I like all music- pop, rock, rap, jazz, country, classical, big band... well- no Screamo please... but the language of cuss words, slandering womanhood, raping, pillaging... is not a show of how original this generation is, but rather, how ignorant and illiterate they are...

Definitely NOT the way I would want the world to see me and my fellow Generation Nows.

Perhaps the rap groups and the gang bangers will mature and stop cussing, killing and bragging about it...

Or perhaps, they will all die out and the well-read, literate individuals will be able to step in...

If there's anyone left, that is.

The story of Me... Me the Nurse, and Me the Mom

The other day I started a series of posts, about why I started posting in the first place.

I decided today I would explain a little bit about why I am a nurse, or perhaps, how I got to be one would be more accurate.

When I was 14 I had a baby girl. The baby girl grew up to be my daughter- GoodMom.

She was born in the early hours on the morning after she was due, after just 5 hours of labor.

She weighed in at 9 pounds 3 ounces.

Because I was so young, and she was so big, special attention was paid to us in those first pre-dawn hours.

Then I was moved into a private room. She stayed with me, her bassinette at my bedside.

I fed her, changed her, held her and snuggled with her until I was too tired to hold her anymore, and she was sound asleep, wrapped up like a cocoon.

After putting her into the bassinette, I discovered the head of the bead would not go down. There was a hand crank at the foot of the bed, so I climbed out of the covers and tried to crank it down. It only creaked and groaned at me. I had developed a fever- thus the private room- and was not to be out of bed or up on my feet for very long because... well, no one actually ever told me why.

So, here I was in the middle of the night, tired, cold and wearing nothing but a hospital gown with my backside hanging out ...
when I heard footsteps in the hall, and as they got closer I could hear whispered voices. They stopped just outside my door. I was embarassed because I broke the bed, and feeling really weak and tired. I was about to call out for some help when I heard what the nurses were saying.

They were saying awful things about me. About me having a baby so young. About the kind of person I must be. About how I would never be able to take care of a child properly. About how I should be ashamed of myself and the mess I had made for my family.

Quietly, I crept back into the bed. Or should I say climbed as by now the bed was at it's highest setting and the head of the bed was at a 90 degree angle. I had broken the bed, and I did not want to cause the nurses any problems so...

The night nurse came in a little while later and asked what I had done to the bed. I told her I liked it that way, it was more comfortable. She shook her head and said something about me breaking the bed, being trouble...

I slept in that bed, with the mattress set at nearly 3 feet off the ground, sitting completely upright, with one hand through the railing, laid gently against my little girl's cheek so I could make sure she was breathing. So I could take care of her the way a mom should.

A year later I had the opportunity to be accepted into the Nursing school program at the local Vo-Tech. I would take the community college nursing course for half a day though my sophomore, junior and senior years of high school- if I got in.
Part of the process was an interview with the instructors. One of them asked me why I wanted to be a nurse. They knew I had a child, and like so many other teachers and instructors, they did not see past that to the person I was inside.

So, I told them the story of the night my daughter was born and how I broke the bed.
And how that nurse with her mean attitude, and judgements of me, had made me feel sad, alone and worthless. And that if I could prevent one person from feeling the way that nurse had made me feel, then I would have done something worth doing. I wanted to be a nurse because I wanted to help others get better and feel better.

I got into the program. I took high school classes half days and nursing classes half days for 3 years. I took advanced classes in high school and kept my grades up. I took college level classes like microbiology, anatomy and physiology, psychology and pharmacology and kept my grades up.

I worked several part time jobs to help my boyfriend support our daughter. I did homework late at night while she slept. I played soccer. I was in the band. I was inducted into the National Honor Society.
I worked hard to prove everyone wrong about what kind of person I was. What kind of mother I would be. What kind of person I would become.

And that is why, 26 years ago- June 8, 1984- I graduated from Nursing school, one day before I graduated from high school with honors as a National Honor Society member, and as a student in the top 5% of my class- I was ranked 14 in a class of 431. My grade point average included my college level nursing classes and my high school classes... it was 3.84.

I think I did a good job. I think I proved to everyone I could do it. But mostly, I proved to myself that I only needed to do what I needed to do for me, and my children. In the end, the only one that I had to make proud of me, was me.

And that is why I am a nurse who works nights and takes care of sick kids.

Bet you thought I was going to add a little something to make you laugh here, right?
Well, just picture me on my hands and knees trying to fix the crank on that hospital bed- I did say I was wearing a hosptial gown, right?
The kind with nothing to keep them closed in the back?
Yep- hiney in the air and head under the bed... thank god the nurse didn't walk in then!

Friday Foto Feature...

Seeing the World thru the eyes of BratChild...





Friends come in all shapes and sizes...





Be a Friend ...

Give Your Support...




Show You Care

To Write Love On Her Arms-

Life Is Like A Box Of Chocolates...

Or like a basket full of dirty laundry.

You know that basket holds all of the clothes you wore that week.
Shirts, pants, socks...
yes, pairs of socks have gone into that basket...

But as surely as you know you put 2 socks in, you know, without a doubt, 1 will be left, lonely and bereft, in the bottom of the basket.

You can take every precaution to prevent it...

Rolling pairs of dirty socks into balls, safety pinning them in pairs, tying them together...

And still, you KNOW that a sock, or two, will be missing when the laundry is folded and put away.

So, as much as life is filled with lovely surprises, like the raspberry jelly in what looked like a coconut(YUCK)cream chocolate...

It is filled, despite our very best efforts, with lost socks.

And disappointments.
And regrets.
And missed opportunities.

The trick is to turn the lone socks of life into a positive experience.

Like pinning the mate-less loners to sweats and trick-or-treating as The Sock Monster, like SIX did several years ago.

Or wearing mismatched socks every day to show your own sense of style, like BratChild.

Sure, you can stick with the safety of ONLY wearing one color and style of sock so every one exactly matches the others...

But then, where would the fun be in that?

Go on, take a bite of that unknown chocolate... it might turn out to be your favorite!

Then try throwing caution to the wind and head outside wearing one blue and one green sock...

You just might be surprised at how much fun it is to be a little different...

And you just might find life's little problems don't have to be problems after all!

Another day in the life of the BusyBusy Family...did the Fat Lady sing yet???

MASONIC CHIP PROGRAM


It's been a busy weekend for the BusyBusy Family, and it's not over yet!

Yesterday was the funeral for GoodMom's father in law.

He died on Memorial Day, after mowing the lawn.
It was unexpected... and sudden.
Awful, but good, too, in a way.
In that is was quick and not painful I mean...

We had prior commitments and as I so often find myself, I was jockeying kids from one place to another becasue, when you say you will do something, YOU DO IT!

We managed to get them all done, and the kids, although whiney about it at first, actually had a good time.

After the funeral I had to take BratChild and SIX to meet up with TeenBoy at a local festival where he was helping the Masons with their CHIP program.

What IS CHIP you ask?

Very good question, and something every parent needs to know about.

CHIP stands for Child Id Program, and is a nationwide program that takes information from parents/guardians of children of all ages AND puts it into a file that can be read by any law enforcement agency in the country.

Personal data, fingerprints, photos and a video ( for voice recognition and mannerisms) are done right there on a single computer, in minutes, with the end result a packet containing a CD with all the data on it, printed ID form with photo ID sections that can be laminated to carry in a wallet, and a DNA swab.
Once home you swab your child's inner cheek, then return it to it's wrapper and place in the packet envelope.
The packet can then be stored in a cool, dry place- readily accessible for vacations or if, God Forbid, and I so seriously mean that, it is needed in a hurry.

The coolest part about this is that in an emergency you just hand the CD to a law enforcement officer and they can slide it into the computer in their official vehicle and press a button and VOILA' ...

Amber Alert is out NATIONWIDE in seconds... WOWSERS!

Is that not cool, or what?

The other MOST AWESOME part is that this service is FREE.

The program software and hardware is provided by the State Police and is compatible with the 2 programs used nationwide.

Masonic Lodges all over the country have purchased these units and provide this service to anyone FREE OF CHARGE...

The Masons are a community service organization, after all, and the welfare of children is their priority.

Mason's sponsor children's hospitals, cancer centers and research, MS research, eye and hearing clinics...

and so much more...

Do you have a school or community event coming up that NEEDS this service there???

Just contact your local Masonic Lodge and ask about the CHIP program.
They'll be happy to help and you won't meet a nicer group of men who really care about their community....

Because community means family and the Mason's are all about Family...

The only problem I found is...
That in all the hectic-ness of the day I FORGOT to get my own kids done!

Next time I will...

Really, I WILL!

Friday Foto Feature...better late than never!

Photography by BratChild

A girl's best friend?


Reflections...


A Girl's Best Friend... Really!



Please take the time to check out the link below to To Write Love On Her Arms... an organization both BratChild and I whole-heartedly support!

It's THE right thing to do!

To Write Love on Her Arms is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide.


The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that each year approximately one million people die from suicide, which represents a global mortality rate of 16 people per 100,000 or one death every 40 seconds. It is predicted that by 2020 the rate of death will increase to one every 20 seconds.