Friday, August 31, 2012

friday

Been trying to write a Friday five minute purge all day.  Like, the whole point is to only spend five minutes writing, and I can't seem to get five minutes to sit down and focus here for even a minute!

It's the beginning of a nice long weekend.  Alex the birthday boy took the day off (absolutely shocking), so we kind of have a good four days to do stuff, anything really.  It would have been a great week for camping actually, my camper is all serviced and ready to roll, just don't exactly have a vehicle that can pull it with anymore.  Hm.  So that means we either need to trade it in for a driving camper (wooHOO!  I'm in!), trade my momivan in for like, a vehicle with a hitch (this will do), or just get a hitch put on the van.   I guess the most logical option would be to get a hitch put on the van.  Darn it. 

So anyway, we're going to my mom's camp in Cooperstown.  It's supposed to be a gorgeous weekend, which will be great for boating and water stuff.  The kids love that.  Megan went early with Mom this morning, and we'll go tomorrow.  At least one of my sisters will be there too, so it should be a good, fun, relaxing time. 

Thursday the kids start their new school year!  They are actually looking forward to it, so that's good.  We're finally pretty much finished with back to school shopping stuff, thank Cod - just need a few little things and some haircuts.  So there you have it.  Five minutes are up.

Happy Friday guys!  Hope you all have a nice holiday weekend.   

Thursday, August 30, 2012

stupid facebook people

My facebook is usually pretty tame.  I don't really keep up with people who are too into drama and stuff because I just don't have it in me to surround myself with that kind of negative shit on purpose.  I mean, I do have control over my facebook page.  Which ultimately means that I have control over what comes up in my feed, and what I choose to be around in the virtual world.  I firmly believe in the whole, if-you-don't-like-it-turn-the-channel kind of thing.  Which you can apply to facebook posts and stuff of course.



So I have this facebook "friend," who in all honesty isn't a friend.  We went to the same high school and would have graduated together, but we weren't friends really.  I guess I barely knew her.  Honestly, she may have been someone who came in a little later in the game, like 6th or 7th grade.  I have no real memory of her outside of high school.  Being from a small community though, you pretty much knew everyone in your graduating class by name.  I suppose at some point along the way, I accepted a friend request, because you know, I don't want to seem rude or anything.  Besides, what's the harm?

Man, I am thisclose to deleting this girl.  On an almost daily basis, she posts negative, ranty stuff - most often about politics, but also about her health issues and other woe-is-me random crap.  I get that it's her facebook and she can post what she wants.  I also get that she has every right to feel how she feels about politics and her health issues, etc.  But lately, I am just so offended by what I read!   I want to smack her through the computer and just say, do you hear how you sound?!  It still shocks me sometimes how ignorant some people still are. 

And really?  Facebook is the forum for this kind of thing?  Does she honestly believe her nasty, unpleasant updates are going to change someone's personal views on politics?  

It seems like she is such a miserable person, she feels almost fulfilled when her rant makes someone else uncomfortable or miserable.  Responding to one of her rants would definitely cause some drama.  She is always itching for a confrontation, seems to thrive on it actually, so I would not give her the satisfaction of responding to her stupid, racist, intolerable ramblings.  To add insult, 99% of her rants are filled with spelling and grammatical errors that make her look minimally educated as well as ignorant!

I decided that I am not deleting her til after the presidential election, which is one of the bigger things she's all fired up about.  Is it mean that I want to see her lose her shit if the election doesn't go down as she wants it to?  She may just spontaneously combust.  It's like watching a train wreck.

On the plus side, facebook does a great job of reminding you exactly why you never really got to know someone more than just saying what up as you passed each other in the halls of high school.


Wednesday, August 29, 2012

blahblahblah



Feels like summer is winding down.  The beginning of the summer flew by, and this last week or two seems to being dragging.

I thought that I'd have no trouble blogging while the kids were around, but man.  It's been hard!  The minute I sit down and focus on the computer, they look at me like I am ignoring them.  I pretty much have just the briefest amount of time during the day to sit down and just chill without distraction, and it usually doesn't lend me enough time to coherently form a post that might be more than boring old, lame old drivel.

Not that I wasn't posting boring old lame old drivel before, just, I think this must be boring-er and lamer. 

So, I'm sorry.  I've written a ton of fairly decent and interesting half-posts and mini-posts and posts of just a sentence or two.  Maybe when things settle down and these little punks of mine get back to school, I'll expand on some of those and post them.

So the countdown is officially on.   They go back to school a week from tomorrow and I'm excited looking forward to the blissful quiet thinking I'll get back into the routine of school days pretty much right away.

It's been a good summer... we've done a lot.  We've spent a lot of time in the water!  The weather has been amazing this summer here in upstate NY, and my kids love to swim.  Well, the little girls anyway. I pretty much have to drag little Alex into the pool.  He'll get in the ocean and surf or paddle board or jump waves, but he wont ever just splash around in the pool.  That's so weird.  He's a weirdo.  Kara's not a fan of swimming either.  She got to a certain age and she was worried about messing up her hair.  She's a funny kid.

I am such a slacker mom!  I have barely done any back to school shopping, and usually by this point, I am 100% finished.  So today I have to freaking waste a gorgeous day shopping.  Damn it.  Hopefully I can get in and out without too much time lost.  I have to have a plan of action.

Happy Wednesday guys!

Friday, August 24, 2012

friday five

It's a little after noon, a good time for a five minute purge I guess.

The cleaning lady was here yesterday and damn, how is it that it already it looks messy-ish?  My kids don't start school for two more weeks, and I am looking forward to not feeling like I am picking up the same area 27 times a day.  Every single day, my son Alex will get a cup out, get himself some water, then leave the glass on some surface in the kitchen/great room area.  Then he gets annoyed when, in the process of moving around during the day, I put the cup in the sink or dishwasher.  I'm thinking he believes that we should leave the cup in a random spot for the entire day so that he can refill it as needed.

But I don't like random cups around all day.  Is that weird?  Maybe it's me.  It's probably weird. ::sigh::

You know what else is weird?  I hate having to say "my son" or "my husband" Alex when I am talking about them on my blog.  I know that I need to differentiate, but it's annoying.  When I talk about my son Alex to friends or at home, I call him Little Alex.  Except the problem is, he's big now.  He's taller than his Dad and taller than me.  Everyone used to call him baby Alex. Aw.

Sometimes I wish I could go back for just one day, with my kids being little babies or toddlers.  I think during the moments when you have a few little kids, life seems hectic and busy and rushed and stressy, and you tend to get through the days more than just enjoy them.  I wish I could have a day to just sit there and watch them discovering things and making their way, and enjoy them.

Good thing time's up, because I may or may not need to go get a tissue.  What?  It's just dust.  I have a little dust in my eye...

Thursday, August 23, 2012

so we got this puppy

It's been a long time.

More than seven years I think, since we last had a dog.  I guess I finally caved and ended up bringing one home.  It wasn't a decision made lightly though, that's for sure.  My son and husband both have allergies and asthma, so I needed to find a breed of dog that would not irritate either of them.

Also, I like my nice, neat, unchewed house and furniture.  I like that my house doesn't smell like a dog.  I like that I can spontaneously go off somewhere without worrying that a dog is home alone all day.  I like that I don't have to dodge dog crap when I am kicking the soccer ball in the yard with the kids.  (OK, haha.  That was a joke.  I don't really kick the soccer ball in the yard with the kids.  I watch them kick the soccer ball in the yard with each other.  Like any other normal mom does.)

Anyway, all of those things were things that made me wary to go down that road again.  Things are pretty controlled around here, and throw a puppy in the mix and there could be chaos.  Right?

Me and chaos, guys?  Me and chaos do not mix well.  I have learned over time that I really need a relaxed brain and some really effective meds to make it through the day without losing my shit.

So I found a breed that claims to be good for families with allergy sufferers, and then I started searching around for puppies.  It was kind of a fluke that I found this particular puppy, because she was listed on craigslist, and apparently you're not supposed to list pets.  She was exactly was I was looking for, so I pulled the trigger and went and got her.

And guess what?  She did not cry once in her crate.  I was mentally prepared to have to suffer through a few nights with a puppy crying, and she slept like an angel dog.  In fact, she didn't make a peep til I went in and got her out!  She's had exactly two accidents in the house since Sunday, and she's only 10 weeks old!  She's calm and chill and cute and sporadically energetic.  I think she's going to really fit in with our family.

The first night, my son had a mild allergic reaction, so I'm hoping it'll be OK if he takes his medicine regularly and washes up after he plays with her.  Then I think my husband had a sympathy allergic reaction because he said he felt itchy after Alex got all stuffed up and irritated.  

My kids are well aware that this is a trial, because I can't keep a pet if it makes life miserable for the guys.  Hopefully we'll be OK and it's looking good, but if it gets bad, the plan is that Kara will get her, and everyone is fine with that.

So far, besides the fact that the puppy thinks I am her mom, bites my toes and is kind of up my ass constantly, it's been great.  She follows me where ever I go and lays right on my feet.  She seems really smart, and I am looking forward to training her.

My a-hole sisters and brothers-in-law call me the dog whisperer, so I am going to show them.  I am teaching this dog 52 commands.  They don't know who they are messing with.  They'll be so jealous when I tell my dog to go get me my book, and while she's at it, turn on the light.  They'll be shocked at her smartness.  I'll definitely keep you posted on the 52 commands, but anyway, here's little Maizie:




Tuesday, August 21, 2012

the way we celebrated

I mentioned my sister Ali's 40th birthday a bit ago, but I didn't tell you about the away we celebrated.

Turning 40 years old is kind of milestone-ish, right?   Ty (my BIL) likes throwing parties for Ali, and he'd been trying to plan a get-together for like, a year.  The initial plan was to go away to Western NY for a few days and visit some wineries.  Mainly because Ali is a wino.  But also because a get-away is a fun way to celebrate, and why not surround yourself with alcohol for good measure?

Ty held on to the winery idea til about a month or two ago, when Alex and I got back from visiting this resort just a little bit North of NYC, the Mohonk Mountain House.  We hadn't been there in a few years, and had almost forgotten how amazing it is there.  So we started on Ty to switch it up and bring Ali there instead. It didn't take much to convince him, because he'd been there before and he knew how much she'd like it.

So he threw the idea out there to my sisters and parents, and hoped for the best.  We all of course made reservations right away (except my one sister who had just started a new job).  Ali had no idea because Ty wanted it to be a surprise.

The last time Alex and I were there, we got upgraded to, no joke, the best room(s) in the entire massive place.  Alex did some legal work for the resort a bit ago and the manager happened to notice our reservation, so she set us up in this insane room.  It was a two story room, kind of like the top two floors of a turret - I opened the doors in the bedroom facing the mountains and felt a little bit like Rapunzel.  Such a great place.  The TV rose out of this cabinet by remote control, and the drapes were remote control too.  The master bathroom was bigger than a standard bedroom - just crazy.



The top two floors of that circle?  Yep, my room.

up to the bedroom
Anyway, it was very cool.  We were thinking we may never be able to get a room that would measure up to the luxury of the last time.  

I thought if maybe Alex slyly dropped by the manager's office, we may get another shot in the rich people room, but he wasn't going for it.  Darn it.

Don't you worry, it was still awesome in steerage with the other animals.  We had a great room, we were situated close to my sisters and parents, so that was nice and convenient.  We had amazing meals and I think I gained a few pounds because you know, I love food and I have no self control.  I'm not even sure how that happened with all of the hiking, sailing, wading, paddle boating, Pacman and Galaga competing that we did.  Sheesh.

So anyway, we all met up on this massive porch overlooking the lake, slyly walking past Ali and Ty while randomly chatting, and all of a sudden Ali whipped around and saw us, so surprised.  She is a little crybaby, so she had a tear in her eye because she was so happy that we all came along to hang for a few days and celebrate with her.

We had a ton of fun - the time went by way too fast, which it always seems to do when you are enjoying yourself.  I had to get an overnight babysitter because everyone that I would normally use to watch my kids while I was away was with with me!  I was a little nervous, but it went great.  I love my babysitter.  Also, my kids are just so much bigger and less needy now, it's just a little easier to leave them knowing that they can handle it.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

so, um... hey there.

So I took a break.

It all started with my sadmadgrr mood a few weeks back.  That crappy mood where I questioned everything; life, love, the universe, God, bacon... you know.  Those kind of things.  And blogging.  Blogging too.  Because besides feeling generally sadmad, I was in a "what the hell is the point of blogging anyway," mood.


Sometimes we get like that, right?  Right guys?  Oh, wait.  Maybe that's just me.


                                                                                                       our steps to the beach....
So anyway, I guess I'm over it.  Wahoo!  I'm back!  Large and in charge!  Or maybe just large because WTF guys, I just got home from a lengthy family vacation where I stuffed my face with food and Oreos and egg sandwiches and the only exercise I got was carrying a little bag of Lime Cactus' to the beach everyday (What?  Don't judge.  It's 5 o'clock somewhere!), and I gained a whopping three pounds.  THREE. EFFING. POUNDS.   

Srsly?

Did you see what I did there?  I'm so cool.  I know textese.  Though I am pretty sure I've never used that particular mini-statement in a text, but whatever.

So yeah, gaining three pounds sucks ass.  But those three pounds represent two weeks of good, happy family vacation time, so I can't get all crazy about it.  Besides, since we've been home, I've lost two of those three sucky pounds, so I'm all good.  I got this.

Anyway, I just wanted to like, say hey.  And if you're still here, hanging by this blog and reading my mindless chatter, thanks.  You guys are the best. 

See you tomorrow!