Kiddo, Little Bit & Baby Nalla

Kiddo has had a pretty good week...so far. I have yet to hear what his day was like today, but according to him, he's gotten "none checks" for his behavior this week. This is a very, very good thing. Looks like we might just have figured out the trick to convincing him that good behavior, especially at school and when out in public, is vital. Especially if he wants to stay alive! (JOKE! That was a JOKE!)

Little Bit is doing well, too. She LOVES her school and talks constantly about this friend or that friend. She's such a sweet and loving little thing. On Sunday, NM came by with a bag of clothes for Little Bit that had been NM's daughter's. You know, the whole "don't-fit-my-child-anymore-so-pass-them-to-someone-who-needs-them" thing... I LOVE hand-me-downs for my kids. I mean that. And when we're done with them, unless the person who gave them to us needs them back, we pass them along to someone else who needs them. Pay it forward! Anyway - she and I were going through the cute and colorful girl clothes from NM and Little Bit kept hugging everything and proclaiming, "I love it so much! It's so pretty!" or "Oooohhh! Thank you! It's my favorite shirt ever!" And so on. She was so enthusiastic, it was almost funny...in a sweet and endearing way.

My kids are the greatest! They make me laugh daily. And there's nothing better than coming home to "MOMMY'S HOME!" and great big hugs and kisses. Baby Nalla - the dog - had surgery on Monday. Sunday Hubby noticed that her right ear looked kind of strange. For a dog who's ears normally stick straight up, to have one flopping over was strange. He touched it and then made me touch it, too! It was all puffy and felt like someone had pumped the ear flap full of air; like a balloon. It was awful! I squealed and jumped away, knowing I'd have nightmares. But poor Baby Nalla! It turns out, after a visit to the vet on Monday, that it was an Aural Hematoma, which required surgery to relieve the swelling and prevent infection. For a dog who is already dealing with a hyper-allergic reaction to flea bites (an ongoing, and might-I-say, supremely irritating battle) and doesn't have any hair from the waist down and is already suffering, to have to send her back to the "hospital" for surgery was just more than I could bear. I worried and worried about her all day Monday, hoping that she'd come through the surgery OK. She's an old dog, and and I was worried she might have issues with the anesthesia.

Anyway - she's home now, and she's pathetic. The enormous E-Collar, to prevent her from scratching at her ear is ridiculously funny, but necessary. We're supposed to keep it on her for 14 days post-surgery, until we go back to have the stitches removed. She's going to have a quilted looking, puckered ear from now on, from all the stitching they had to do. She's on 2 antibiotics, a pain killer (how, pray tell, do you tell if a dog is in pain?), and a bazillion other things. She HATES the collar. She shakes and shakes - but how do you tell a dog that 1) shaking isn't going to help either get the collar off OR help her hear and 2) that the more she shakes, the more irritating it's going to be? She's funny, though - trying to get around the house without bumping into stuff and getting stuck. We'd take it off of her while she was trying to eat, except for the fact that we'd NEVER get it back on her. Do you know how complicated those things are? Anyway - say a few prayers for our puppy dog. She's in seriously bad shape and in need of some lovin'.

TTFN
JMS

Quick Update

I'm feeling kind of burned out right now. There's SO much to do and I barely have time to breathe anymore much less write in my beloved blog regularly. Oh, it's so neglected. I feel like such a bad mommy. Quick Update - before I have to run again...

• Kiddo is learning to read. His teacher sent home a pack of little flash cards with "sight" words on them. ("a" "can" "the" "to" "like" "I") She made them herself and there are only 6 right now, but she's supposed to add a couple each week throughout the year. I'm supposed to quiz him every night on the words to make sure he's got them - and he's does, most definitely, have them. Kiddo and I also made little posters of the words and stuck them to his wall so he can see them every day. We'll add more when the teacher adds more.
• Little Bit is potty training and doing very well. She's got a bit of a head-cold right now, but otherwise doing fine.
• Hubby and I just celebrated or 9th Wedding Anniversary on September 16th. He sent me flowers at work, the sweet man.
• We're in the market for another car...again. My Toyota is being crotchety so we're looking to replace it. No real rush, but I'll feel much better when we make a decision.

That's really about it right now. Hope everybody is well!

TTFN JMS

Kiddo and Divine Intervention

OK - so it's been A LONG time since I posted anything of significance. I'm making no guarantees that this post will be significant...so proceed with caution. If you know me, this post could go either way - be a long rambling nothing about everything or a short snippet of something about something...whatever that "something" may be. Confused yet? LOL! **** Kiddo is still playing soccer and loving every second of it. He had a substitute coach last night who told me, "[Kiddo] is a real go-getter; he does a great job!" He's the smallest one on the team and everyone seems shocked when they find out that he's 5 1/2. "He's so small!" they exclaim. It really pisses me off. Yes - he is a little on the small side, but I know he's growing because he cannot wear the pants he wore just last winter! 2 inches of his ankle stick out the bottom and he looks goofy! I know he's growing because he's as tall now as our friend's almost-4-year-old daughter. Of course, she is quite tall for her age - but he's definitely caught up to her height. I measured (visually) on Sunday when we all had lunch together after church. There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with him aside from being a little bit on the short side. And you know what? My little brother was a bit on the short side, too - and now he's 6' 2"!!! I have always been rail thin (until I got a secretarial job, got married, and had a couple-a-kids, that is) but Kiddo is a carbon-copy of me at that age. He looks like his daddy - but he's A LOT like me. So why does it tick me off so much when people who don't know us from Adam comment on how small he is? Because who cares how small he is!!! He's extremely smart, his vocabulary surpasses many high-schooler's these days, and he can run, jump and play with the best of them. These people should not have the power to anger me so badly - but they do. I want to whip around to face them and say, "Yeah? So what? He may be a bit on the small side, but I'll bet he could out think your child! You know - you have absolutely NO idea why he is the way he is and I'd also bet you have no idea how RUDE it is to comment on other's children. Oh yeah, and by the way - stop feeding your child junk food! She's too fat!" Ok - I've vented. That is directed to no one in particular, honestly - but those are some things I would so very much like to say to the next parent who comments on my son's smallness. Go ahead. I dare you! **** On another subject - I really, really like my new job! I heard a report on the radio the other day about the 15 million folks who are unemployed right now, some of whom have been unemployed since late last year, and I am considering myself extremely lucky, extremely blessed, to have not only found a job in about 3.5 weeks (how awesome is that?), but a job I like a lot. I was talking to someone the other day who credited me for that, saying that my skills and abilities must really have shone true in my interview. I will not take credit for it. Ok, maybe just a tiny bit - but really I credit God for this. I believe with all my heart that my finding this particular job, when I did, and as quickly as I did, was nothing less that Divine Intervention. I also believe - now that I'm passed being shocked and upset and angry - that losing my previous job was all part of His plan. The basic time line, as I understand it is something like this:

• I lost my job on July 15th
• I started looking in earnest the same day, not willing to sit back and wait - I needed to DO something and, after all, God helps those who help themselves.
• A day later (according to very reliable sources) the Office Manager at the company I now work for was let go for multiple reasons, not the least of which being the fact that she had whittled her days down to 2 a week and this is definitely not a 2-day-a-week job!
• The day after that, a friend at church emailed me and asked me to send her my resume stating that her husband wanted to give it to a friend. That friend turned out to be my new boss.
• So about 3 weeks after emailing my resume to this friend, I get a call from my new boss asking me to come in for an interview.
• I interviewed on a Wednesday and was called on Friday with a job offer.

Divine?

Absolutely!

What do you think?

TTFN JMS

Soccer

Did I tell you about Kiddo's first soccer practice on Monday? No? Well then...let the venting begin, shall we? **** To begin at the beginning, Kiddo had his first soccer practice this past Monday. He really had forgotten about it and I didn't say anything to him because I knew that if I did, he'd be too excited to eat a decent dinner. But, I suppose I need to start even before that... We signed him up nearly a month ago and were told then that we would be informed as to when and where our first practice would be and who our coach was. Tick...tick...tick. Nothing. So the day of the first practice comes (and I only knew the date because I picked up a flyer when I signed Kiddo up that had the meeting schedule for the AYSO figureheads) and still no word from them about where we needed to be and when. Finally, around 4PM when I was leaving work, I decided to try to call them...again. And as I was nearing home I got a call back from someone who apologized profusely that we had not been contacted, but stated that we were not the only family who was dealing with this lack of knowledge. She told me to be at one of the local elementary schools at 6PM and that the children were not required to wear their uniform, but that the cleats and shin-guards were vital. (Duh!) So we do our part and show up on time, with gear in tow and water out the wazoo... And we wait around, greeting the other moms and dads and kids we know and trying to find the coach. Guess what? The coach we were assigned to never showed up! Thankfully, one of the other coaches kindly offered to absorb the kids on our team who otherwise would not have been able to play. Kiddo had a great time, and never knew that anything was amiss. He kind of got a hint that we might have to go home and not play if the coach didn't show, but then the other coach took him under her wing and let him play with her. Crisis averted. I did, however, make another call to the woman I'd called earlier that day and voiced my intense displeasure (as kindly as I possibly could, because it was not her fault the coach didn't show) and requested that she please call me back as soon as possible. She called back just after 8PM and said again how sorry she was but that they were trying to track down the no-show coach and figure out what happened. Apparently all the AYSO big-wigs had meetings upon meetings that afternoon after they were alerted (by my call) to the fact that the coach was MIA. So later we find out that this coach had been called away on business last minute. What? It was so last minute that he couldn't make ONE phone call to let the AYSO know that he wouldn't be there so they could make other arrangements? Guess not. What have we learned from all this? 1) We know that our coach is a flake (maybe) 2) Our practices are every Monday at 6PM all the way across town 3) Kiddo is going to have an absolute BLAST playing soccer 4) Whatever hassles there may be, Kiddo having a blast playing soccer is the most important thing. After all, that's the whole point, isn't it? TTFN JMS

The Weekend Recap

Little Bit had a rough afternoon on Friday. The copious amounts of fruit she ate that morning at breakfast didn't agree with her, and while riding around in the car with me and Kiddo (of course, it would have to be in the car) everything came back up. YUM! We were already almost home when it happened so she sat quietly (I couldn't believe it) until I could clean her up once we reached home. Inside, she got a bath and the car seat got a preliminary scrubbing but not a full-out wash because I knew I'd have to use the seat again before Hubby got home and there wasn't time to run it through the washing machine and let it dry. She didn't have a fever and was otherwise acting fine, so I thought, "One-time thing... Probably something didn't agree with her," although I was monitoring her closely. About an hour or so later, we got back in the car to take Kiddo to church. She did it AGAIN! Twice! I had to call Hubby to come rescue us so Kiddo could get to where he was going and I could go back home and give Little Bit ANOTHER bath! We weren't going anywhere at this point so I just put her in her Jammies and we snuggled in my bed and watched WonderPets. (A friend said that the WonderPets have great healing power!) She fell asleep early and slept all night. Saturday, she was completely herself and ate like she'd been starved for 3 days! She never had a fever, she just felt kind of yucky. It's amazing how needy they are when they don't feel well, and how blasted independent they are when they feel fine! Sunday was church and then later in the day, dinner with friends we hadn't seen in about 6 years! Their two kids, our two, and the son of two more friends all had a great time. 5 kids ranging from 2 years to 5 years and 7 adults. It was chaotic, but a very nice evening. It was after 8PM by the time we got home! I couldn't believe we'd stayed so long. Hope everyone's weekend was as wonderful as mine. (Oh, except for the puking! That was sarcasm!) TTFN JMS

More work stuff

It's somewhat quiet here today. Don't get me wrong, I'm still crazy busy - but less-so than the rest of the week. Hubby and Little Bit came to the office this morning after they dropped off Kiddo at Kindergarten. They brought me a clock that belonged to CD before he died. It's silver and glass and looks great in my office. It's nice to have a clock that reflects an accurate time! :) They got to meet 2 of my bosses and one of them, the President of the company, disappeared in to his office and reappeared seconds later with a big zippy bag full of balloon animal balloons! He asked Little Bit what color she wanted (of course, she chose pink...she's such a princess!) and then -ZIP!- there was suddenly a pretty little balloon french poodle! So cool! She was very excited about her new "toy" and it was a fantastic first impression. Then Hubby and the Operations Manager spent a little time talking about me (all good...thank you very much!) and then everybody went back to work or, in Hubby and Little Bit's case, whatever they were doing before they came to see me. Anyway - I'm beginning to make myself at home at the office. I'm getting everyone's names down quite well, have mostly figured out the QuickBooks software and am gearing up for a 2nd round of Payroll on Monday. Feelin' good. I've got a picture of Kiddo and Little Bit on my desktop (the computer screen, that is) and another one of them on one of the shelves. I've swept, dusted, cleaned and organized. All this on top of the regular work they've had me doing. So I guess that's it for now. I feel very blessed right now. TTFN JMS

Deets on new job!

Ok - so you want details, eh? **** I got this job because a friend from church gave my resume to a friend of his. His friend called me, requested an interview, and the rest is history. I half wonder if they weren't afraid of losing me to another company because after my 2.5 hour interview on a Wednesday, one of the 3 folks I interviewed with said, "You can expect to hear from us in a week or two..." I heard from them on Friday. You cannot imagine my excitement and relief when I answered the phone to hear my new boss say, "When can you start?" Anyway - I am the Office Manager and my duties include things like Accounts Payable & Receivable, Payroll, and general office support. So far, I'm learning...and it's A LOT of information to take in...but I really like it and think that after a couple of weeks of this, I'll be just fine. It feels strange to be responsible for other's paychecks, but since I do have some familiarity with the process, it's just a question of learning THIS way. I really like everyone I work with and for and...this shocks me for some reason...I have my own office! Granted, it's kind of a walk through to the reception area where the office supplies and the fax machine are...but I don't care. I've got a HUGE window and there's a little bitty Hummingbird that comes to visit me each morning. He flies up to the window and looks at himself in the reflection of the glass. Then, once he's satisfied he's still beautiful, he flies away. I see him a few more times during the day because there are two lovely blooming crepe myrtle trees on either side of my window that he visits. I made a comment to one of my new bosses that I was going to get a shepherd's hook and a hummingbird feeder and put it right outside my window. His response? "Whatever you want to do!" Well, OK then. Anyway - I'm very busy, which is good. I'm trying to readjust myself to working hours. I've spent too much time over the last few weeks staying up late and sleeping in. Now I'm up and gone by the crack of dawn again. It's amazing how just a few short weeks (it was less than 1 month that I was unemployed. 3.5 weeks until I got a call saying, "Hey - why don't you come work for us?") can really mess with your inner clock/schedule. So that's it for now. I'll write more again soon! Hope all is well out there in blog-land! TTFN JMS

NEW JOB!!!

I'm gainfully employed!!! YAY! Big sigh of relief. So now that I'm working and back to a semi-regular schedule, maybe I can start posting regularly again! More later, OK? TTFN JMS

Thing 1, Thing 2, Roth IRA & 401(k)

Thing 1: Forgive me if my typing and/or spelling is atrocious...I whacked my right pinkie finger into the door jamb running for the phone a little while ago and, while I don't think it's broken, it sure hurts like the dickens! One frozen bag of peas and a good taping to the ring finger seems to have lessened the heat a bit...but it sure makes for lousy typing. Of course, I'm terribly particular so I will most likely correct any error I see even if it takes me the rest of the night. Thing 2: I was running for the phone because I am awaiting a call to confirm an interview on Monday!!! I'm very excited about this interview (thanks JB) and really hope this pans out. The woman I spoke to was VERY nice, if that was any indication. This is for a local company that does a lot of environmental clean up work with DOE...so I'm THRILLED! Just say a prayer or 2 for me and think about me at 1:30PM this coming Monday. Other than that, not much else to report. Unless you consider opening a Roth IRA with my 401(k) funds newsworthy... TTFN JMS

Dreary and unproductive day. Am I allowed one every now and then?

It's a dreary, rainy day and I've been a lazy bum today. I don't really feel well and I'm just tired. I really have been working so hard on finding a job that I forgot to rest. Sleeping, well...I've done quite a lot of sleeping; resting, on the other hand, I have not done. I limited myself to email inquiries and web searches today, rather than dressing up and hitting the pavement. I cancelled that interview at the insurance agency that I was supposed to have tomorrow. After doing some more research and speaking with my Brother-in-Law, it seems that I may have stumbled across something that wasn't all it was cracked up to be, after all. The web was crawling with folks who have had bad experiences with this particular company, either with their sales tactics or their hiring practices. I was not getting the warm-fuzzies from them and, after having a conversation with my BIL today, I decided that it would not be a bad idea to cancel that particular interview. Not only that, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it was for aggressive sales training and it was all the way downtown - which really is just too far away. I got a phone call today from one of the places that I walked into off the street. A company that is here in town and is quite large. The woman I spoke to was very nice and explained 2 positions to me thoroughly and then told me that both the positions paid around $10.00/hr. I've said this before and I'll say it again: While I'm willing to take a cut, I'm not willing to cut it that far. So she kindly offered to hang on to my resume for another 6 months (I hope it does not take me that long to find a job!) and if anything comes up, she said she'd give me another call. A friend emailed me a job they found online and said, "Found something that sounded 'you'" - and so it was. I immediately applied for this particular position and I am going to keep my fingers crossed because it is nearly identical to the position I just left! And, it's here in town, which would be super-ideal. But I am also going to try really hard not to get too excited. If I do, I'll just be too let down when nothing comes of it. So I guess that's it for today. The kids are doing well. They're finishing a quickly thrown together dinner of chicken fingers and corn and peaches (not all mixed together; God forbid anything touch!) and then I think we'll pile in my bed and watch a movie. TTFN JMS

What's goin' on?

I got The Letter from the Unemployment Office today. Yay! I do get benefits. Minimal; less than 1/2 of what I was making working full-time; but benefits none-the-less. And very welcome those benefits are. It will at least pay the mortgage. I had a good interview with the temp agency this morning. The woman I spoke with was very sweet, extremely professional, very thorough and I got a much better "vibe" from her than I did from the other place. The position she wanted to discuss with me was an Executive Assistant position, but it did not offer benefits - which is a must-have; a need rather than a want. Hubby, Kiddo, Little Bit and I went canoeing this afternoon for about an hour - in the bright, hot sun. But it was lovely. I did not bring my camera for fear that it would get wet, but we saw a couple deer hanging out by the water's edge and/or in among the trees, some fish, a turtle or two, and a couple dudes in a sweet-looking motor boat out trying to drown some worms. The kids were overheated, Hubby and I were sweaty and also quite warm, so we hit Sonic for a quick bite and something cold to drink. Now the kids are in bed. Well...Little Bit is sound asleep but Kiddo is quietly coloring in an over-sized Diego coloring book in his room. Hubby is out having some quiet/alone time running errands. I've had a shower and feel human again. Oh - and about 20 minutes ago I got a phone call from an insurance company downtown (really - downtown, like more than 30 miles away) and they want to see me on Wednesday morning at 9AM to interview for....well, I'm not really sure what for. But they found my resume on Monster.com (I'm beginning to LOVE Monster.com) and thought I seemed promising. I've done some preliminary research on this company and it seems legit - so I don't think I'm walking into anything I shouldn't be. So wish me luck with that, too! The phone calls, letters, emails and benefits are starting to come in. "They" were right about it taking 2 weeks for anything to really start happening. I think all the prayers, hard work and persistence are starting to pay off. Say some more, will ya? TTFN JMS

Third Eye...Blind?

So, I think I have convinced my poor 5 year old son that I actually, in fact, really and truly do have an extra eye in the back of my head. When we're driving in the car and I discipline him for something that I see him do (in the rear-view mirror, of course) he's absolutely amazed. He cannot, for the life of him, figure out how I could have possibly seen what he was doing without turning around to look at him. The concept of mirrors has not really taken hold yet. I mean, he knows what a mirror does - reflects an image of himself back at him - but he doesn't yet understand that I can see him, too. He actually asked me today, "Hey, Mom? Can I see your extra eye?" And when I looked at him funny, he said, "You know, the one at the back of your head?" I almost fell out of my chair for laughing so hard. See, I've been known to say things, while we're driving around, like, "I can't see what you're doing back there because my extra eye is covered by my ponytail today," or "I'm going to be able to see you better now that my hair is shorter in back!" One of these days, I'm just going to have to 'fess up and tell him that there really isn't an extra eye in the back of my head. But for now, I'm having entirely too much fun with this. Oh - and the reason I decided to write about this today is because we were listening to a classic rock station and the song "Crazy on You" by Heart came on. I could see Kiddo going absolutely NUTS in the back seat (through my rear-view mirror) and realized he was trying to play the air guitar! I said, "Buddy - do you want to learn to play the guitar like that?" Kiddo: "Yep. I want to be a rock star, Mom!" 'Nuff said. TTFN JMS

Wow! Three Posts in One Week?

I've got Little Bit in my bed while I type. She's gotten into the habit of getting out of bed, tip-toeing to her door, opening it as quietly as possible and then standing in the hallway waiting for someone to notice her. She does this repeatedly, every night, and it's starting to get old. I've said, "You get back to bed!" in my harshest Mommy voice possible, but that just sends her skidding toward bed in a mad rush of tears and I really hate it. So now she's hanging out in my room with me while I play on the computer waiting to watch tonight's episode of Numb3rs on CBS. I've got a lot to do this weekend, not the least of which is try to get my bedroom and the bathroom clean, but I also am down to only 4 cards on My Etsy Site and really need to buckle down to make a few more. I've also been commissioned to make a birthday card for Pearl's (almost) 1 year old nephew. And, I need to make another Heart of the Dragonfly card for MDB, who (and I'm not sure of the story here, folks) managed to lose one of the three she just bought from me! (??) And I have 2 new house warming cards to do. All those are not sell-able...just send-able. That's OK by me...but it also means I've got a lot of work ahead of me. YAY! An excuse to craft. Wait! Who needs an excuse? Anyway - I'm having trouble keeping off all that weight I lost. I need to get back to eating my yogurt or oatmeal in the mornings, my grapefruit in the afternoons and then having a sensible dinner. Also, exercise would be beneficial - but I refuse to go to a gym and the weather has just been so darn hot that it's nearly impossible to do anything outside. I HATE...repeat HATE...the heat; especially if it's humid, too. SO I guess that's about it for Friday. I think I did good this week, didn't I? I managed three posts in a 7-day period. That's more than I have done in quite a while. Have a lovely weekend. Think of me tomorrow as I'm slaving away over the house and my projects! Say a little prayer for me, will ya? TTFN JMS

The Next Great American Novel (or, what's been up with Jen)

Ah...my poor blog is suffering.

 

I know I've mentioned this before, but it's beginning to really bug me.  I mean, this blog has been a near daily part of my life for about five years now (if you can believe it).  It was the first thing I did when I came in to work each morning (before my shift started, of course) and now...?  Now, I don't know.  Do I just not "need" it anymore?  That cannot be the case because I constantly think of things that I want to blog about.  Does it just not mean as much to me anymore?  Maybe, but I'm not sure that's it either.

 

My honest opinion is that I have just been so busy I haven't had much time to take care of it the way I used to.  I work full-time and am constantly busy at the office.  When I'm home (and when I haven't been sucked into a game of Bejeweled Blitz on Facebook...ugh) I'm taking care of the kids and doing laundry and doing dishes and...and...and...  It is a never-ending cycle.  I'm down to posting to my blog maybe once or twice a week, as opposed to once or twice a day.  I feel like a bad mother who is neglecting one of her children!  Ok, Ok...so that's a bad analogy because I would never neglect my actual children and a blog is not a child...but I think you get the picture.

 

For example, last night after I got home from work, I did dishes, figured out dinner, did laundry, did more dishes, did more laundry; I was still folding laundry at nearly midnight!  I'm tired today, but I feel alright. 

 

Cleaning up Kiddo's and Little Bit's rooms has inspired me to do a deep cleaning of the entire house.  I thought my project last night was going to be the bathroom, but instead I did other things.  Still, I was productive, which is a good thing because I could just as easily (and maybe even more easily) have plunked my butt down on the sofa and done absolutely nothing.

 

I did, however, watch the series premiere of Warehouse 13 on SyFy (does anyone know why they changed it from SiFi to SyFy, btw?) which was a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to watching more episodes.  I hope it isn't like Moonlight, which I also loved, that only ran one season and then got cut.  Of course, while I was watching this, I would jump up to fold laundry during the commercials and during the show I sorted out some great vintage buttons my cousin in Michigan sent to me.  (I can't wait to use some of them; they're awesome!)

 

And on top of this, I've been fielding doctor's appointments for the kids, trying to find an apartment or condo for SM so she can move here from Greenville, SC, helping out within the church where I can, and doing a million other things.  Just a typical full-time working mother with a husband, a house, and responsibilities, I suppose.

 

Sometimes I wonder, "Will it ever end?"  Sometimes I'm so tired I can barely function - but I think I may have found a solution to some of that exhaustion.  My doctor and I discussed my medications at length this last time I was there and I have now taken myself off of all my anti-depressant meds.  They didn't seem to really be doing any good.  I had also been taking a medication for ADD and that didn't really seem to help my frazzled brain any, either.  So after a good cry and a hug from my sweet doctor (who I do love; she's absolutely wonderful!) she said, "I want you to try something for me."

 

Me: "Sure.  What's up?"

 

Doc: "I have a patient who has been going through very similar issues with her emotions and in her life.  She was given a book called The Mood Cure and after reading it and beginning to follow the program, she says she feels better than she ever has in her entire life and is nearly off all her mood meds."

 

Me: "So...um...you want me to read a book?"

 

Doc: "Yep.  The Mood Cure.  I don't know the author's name, but I know you can get it at Books-a-Million, because that's where I got my copy!"

 

Me: "Tell me more about it.  How can a book help me with my moods?"

 

Doc: "Well, I haven't read it yet.  I brought it on vacation with me to read, but I wound up reading a couple trashy romance novels instead!  But my patient tells me this woman (the author) talks about four different types of mood issues: The Black Cloud, The Blahs and a couple others I can't remember right now.  Each "mood" is discussed in full and then the author (who is a doctor, herself) talks about which amino acids and supplements might alleviate some of the symptoms of those moods.  I want you to read it and see if anything hits home, OK?"

 

Me: "Um...OK."

 

So I got the book and read the introduction and the first chapter on The Black Cloud and within 10 pages I thought, "OMG!  This book, this chapter, was written about me!  This is me!  Everything this woman, the author, talks about is exactly how I feel.  Exactly.  Every single point she made felt like it was directed at me!  I'm working on chapter 2 right now, about The Blahs, but after chapter 1 I went out and got a multi-vitamin/multi-mineral supplement (which I take once a day) and a serotonin-inducing supplement called 5-HTP, which I have been taking twice a day.  I already feel like a new person.  I'm calmer.  My slight OCD seems to have been put on the back burner.  I'm more productive.  I'm less tired during the day and I sleep better at night.  It's absolutely amazing.  I've been doing this for about a week and a half now and if it continues like this, I might be all better!

 

My doctor also took blood for lab work.  The labs came back and everything looks just fine, except I have a severe Vitamin D deficiency.  She wrote me a prescription (which I need to fill) and told me after the prescription was gone that I would need to take a certain Vitamin D supplement (she told me which one, but I don't remember right now) to maintain it.  I don't have the paperwork in front of me right now, but a normal Vitamin D level is something between 30 and 100.  Mine was 21.3.  Whatever that means.  I trust my doctor and so I will also fill this Vitamin D prescription.  Hopeful that will just be the icing on the cake, however, because this 5-HTP and multi-vitamin I'm already taking have me feeling like a brand new person.  I'm really amazed.

 

Well, now that I've written the next Great American Novel, I'll sign off.  Also, check out My Etsy Site sometime.  I've put up a few new things since the last time I posted on my blog (I think) and I'm running a Buy-One/Get-One special on my greeting cards during the month of July!  Just make sure you ready the Shop Announcement (all those words at the top, before you get to the listed items) for more details!

 

TTFN
JMS

Jen's "Catch 'em up" post...

It's a list...and it's long...so read what interests you and ignore the rest!  My days are all confused so I don't know what day I did any of this stuff!  That's what happens when I get a long weekend!

• Happy 4th of July!
• I spent 2 days cleaning the kids rooms.  Little Bit's room took about 4 hours, Kiddo's room took an entire day.  Not even kidding.  I've been at him for about 4 months to clean his room, and no amount of threatening seemed to get through to him, so finally I just did it myself.  He whined about "losing" his toys, but though I did go through everything I found and filled one small box of stuff for my yard sale, I didn't really throw anything away.  I went through some of Little Bit's stuff, too...so they're even now.  I even went so far as to move all the furniture around so I could scrub the hardwood floors!  My next top-to-bottom project?  The bathroom.  After that, our room.  Then, the living/dining room.  I think I'll just let the kitchen rot, because by then I'm not sure I'll have anything left in me!
• We went to Dollywood one of those days.  It was the first time I'd ever been there!  Can you believe it?  I will have been here (don't fall over, now) 10 years in August and this was the first time I've been do Dollywood!  It was lots of fun.  The weather was perfect.  Sunny but not too hot and there was a lovely breeze.  We took a train ride, waited in a couple of very long lines, ate some great kettle korn (yum!), watched a string band show at the Back Porch Theater (Little Bit LOVED that) and drove some really neat little itty-bitty 50's automobiles.  Kiddo and Hubby's car was red, Little Bit's and my car was pale blue.  They had a great time!  We arrived at around 10AM and didn't leave until 4PM; it was a great day.
• Saturday - I know it was Saturday because it was the 4th - we went to a neighborhood pool party.  I wasn't going to go, and initially did not go; but hubby called me shortly after they arrived and said, "You really should think about coming."  So I went.  The kids had a great time and were absolutely exhausted by the time we left.  Little Bit fell asleep in the car (it's a 5 minute ride home) and woke up enough to let me get her out of her wet bathing suit and swim diaper and into something dry and then fell asleep again and slept for nearly 3 hours!  After she woke up, we all went over to Our Favorite Mechanic's house for a BBQ!  (I had the absolute best BBQ grilled chicken I've ever tasted!)  We did some kid-friendly fireworks (as much as fireworks can be considered kid-friendly) and later, after it started to get dark, the adults set off some adult-friendly (ha!) fireworks until one went astray and smacked into the side of Our Favorite Mechanic's house!  Mrs. Mechanic said, "OK guys, that's it.  Fireworks are over now!  Pack 'em up!"  I don't blame her.  It was 10 PM by the time we got home and tucked the kids into bed.
• I skipped church on Sunday.  (Can you believe it?  Me, skipping church?)  I spent the ENTIRE DAY cleaning Kiddo's room.  Of course, since I've already mentioned that I won't go into detail.
• Now it's Monday again.  My Favorite Receptionist (although she's really only receptionist by title - she actually does WAY more than answer phones and greet people) is sick today so I am covering the front desk.  It's OK, though, because my boss is out today, still on vacation.  He went on a cruise to Mexico! 

Oh - and one more thing!  I guess now that the cat's out of the bag I can feel free to talk about this.  (No, I'm not pregnant - get your head right!)  Many of you know that I work for Brink's Home Security.  Last year, Brink's broke off from their parent company, Brink's, Inc. to become an independent, publicly traded company, Brink's Home Security Holdings, Inc.  Part of our break off agreement was the knowledge that Brink's Home Security would have to rebrand; change our name.  As of Tuesday last week, Brink's Home Security is now Broadview Security.  It's a very exciting time for us and we hope that all of our existing Brink's Home Security customers will be just as pleased, if not more pleased, with Broadview Security.  Keep your eyes open for the commercials regarding the new name to hit the airwaves (TV and Radio) today, July 6th. 

 

TTFN
JMS

More New Cards on Etsy!

Ok - so I got a little crazy with the cheez whiz last night...  before I knew it it was 11:30PM and I knew if I didn't got to bed right then and there I would be awake and crafting all night!  (Wait...that might have been fun!  Who needs sleep anyway?) These three cards are the result of my hard-won efforts!

 

Did it snap me outta my funk?  I don't know yet.  ...but I sure am pleased with these newest additions to My Etsy Site!

Heart of the Dragonfly: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=27004575

 

Go Green: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=27005029

 

Orange Blossom: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=27005221

 

TTFN
JMS

Sigh...again.

Ok - so maybe it's not really a funk...

 

Maybe I'm just focused on other things right now.

 

But my poor blog is most definitely suffering.  And I suffer when my blog suffers.  The poor little thing.  It desperately needs someone (ahem...me) to breathe some life back into it.  But I just can't do it right now.

 

For starters:

 

1) I'm working on collecting all the C-R-A-P in my house and separating it as follows: FreeCycle, Recycle, Throw, Keep, Yard Sale...and not necessarily in that order.  So far I've managed to uncover the area rug in my living room (ugh...I need a super high powered jet pack vacuum cleaner to get all the dog hair, pieces of cracker, crushed cheerios and whatever else off of it, though) and have also located many many single socks that must have grown legs and scooched (is that a word?) themselves under said couch. 

 

2) I'm working on getting all that C-R-A-P together for a yard sale, but a) I haven't decided on a date for said sale yet, and b) I really need an extra storage building in our back yard to get all said C-R-A-P outta the house.  Did you know that one of those PODS (Portable On Demand Storage) units is like $200 a month?  You gotta be kidding me!  My goal is to get it all out of the house BEFORE the sale, but to do that I'll need to have extra outside storage.  I'm still trying to work out the particulars of that dilemma.

 

3) Kiddo is spending another week (well, 4 days) in VBS at another local church.  He's enjoying it; he's got friends there, too.  Little Bit is too young, so she's been spending time with me.

 

4) Hubby's 1990 Volvo 240 Wagon (remember, I used to call it the Beast) runs and drives better than my 1993 Toyota Corolla.  I LOVE my Corolla...but after driving the Wagon for the last 2 days, I think I might change my mind.  Especiall because the Corolla is IN THE SHOP...AGAIN.  Downside to driving the Wagon?  It is without air conditioning.  Ha!  We've got 3 cars: 2 with working Air, 2 with working Heat and neither are the same car.  Wagon = No Air / Taurus = No Heat.  Hey, we've got Winter and Summer vehicles!  See...there really IS a bright side to everything!

 

5) I've got ideas for cards and stuff running around in my head like toddlers chasing each other for a coveted toy.  Problem?  When the H-E-double-hockey-sticks am I going to find time to do all the stuff I want to do?

 

6) I want a REAL craft room.  No, strike that.  I want my Sister-in-Laws adorable craft room from the house she just moved out of!  That's not possible, is it?  I mean, unless I want to buy her house and move to Kingsport...which isn't gonna happen.

 

7) I got my hair chopped off.  10 inches of it...gone to the floor-gods-of-the-salon.  LOVE IT!  It's the first time in ages that I've actually had a style and it's off my neck now, which - as hubby pointed out - is back-asswards from what I normally do.  I cut it off in the Winter and grow it out during the Summer.  My reasoning?  I can pull it back into a pony tail in the summer time and it's nice and long (covering neck and ears) in the Winter.  I guess I'm learning to sleep at night instead of during the day.  (All parents out there will understand that analogy.)

 

8) It's 4 months until I visit Florida.  St. Augustine.  My wonderful and fantastic little sister whom I haven't seen in 9 YEARS!!!  I want time to fly.  Do you think it could really grow wings?  Just for little ol' me?

 

TTFN
JMS

Sigh...

It's a funk.

 

That's all it is.

 

I hope.

 

TTFN
JMS

It's a Dog's Life

VBS.  Vacation Bible School.  It is over.  I had a blast!

 

I don't remember if I mentioned this or not, but I got to be "Cooper" - the 6 foot tall doggie mascot - a couple of nights.  That was a blast in and of itself.  Hardly anyone knew it was me (adults, mostly - the kids had no idea) and it was so wonderful to suddenly feel a little body hurl itself against my legs and give me a hug!  The kids adored Cooper!  Last night, some of the girls even "fed" Cooper some freshly-made doggie biscuits!  (I had to clean the snout out after I took the costume off!)  I jumped around, made a fool of myself, danced (terribly) on stage during music time, stood out at the street with some of the Youth, waving at cars and jumping around like a goofball, to advertise the free car wash we did last night, and just generally had a good time.  I think I may have missed my calling!

 

I have already forewarned the girls in the picture that this would be posted on my blog, so they should expect to see it today!  I know there's really no way to prove it was me behind the mask, but I promise you I'm in there...somewhere.

 

All-in-all, I think this year's VBS was a huge success.  We had 70 kids!!!  I'm exhausted.  I've gained back all the weight I lost eating all the yummy food that Jeanetta and her crew prepared.  I know that Kiddo and Little Bit had a wonderful time.  I will most definitely be helping next year.  It's a week of lots of work and very little rest, but it was totally worth every second!

 

Another thing that was a blessing to me was the fact that I had a chance to get to know some of the other folks who come to our church that I don't normally get a chance to talk to.  There are such wonderful people there!

 

Such a great time.  Such fantastic kids.  Such excellent planning by Debbie and Diane (both pictured with Cooper).  Such superb help by the Youth and everyone who assisted in all the various capacities.  I'm definitely blessed; and so was VBS this year.  I guess all our prayers were answered!

 

TTFN
JMS

Outta the Mouths of Babes

As you know, I'm deeply involved with Vacation Bible School at church this year.  There are three activities that the three teams rotate through each night: Bible Story, Games & Crafts.

 

Last night, when Kiddo was sitting in the Bible story getting "learned", up comes this really big storm; thunder, lightning, rain - the works.  One great big clap of thunder sounded and without skipping a beat Kiddo says, "Holy Crap!" right in the middle of his Bible lesson!  (I was not there to witness this, but I got it from several very reliable sources!)

 

We don't talk like that round him, so I'd really love to know where he picked it up, and why he thought it was appropriate to come out with that DURING A BIBLE LESSON no less...?

 

***

 

Yesterday before VBS, he looked at me as I was helping him get his belt on and he said very seriously, "You need to lose some weight, Mom!"  He was grinning like it was something funny and good that he'd just said to me.  I didn't react, but I said, "[Kiddo], that was very rude.  I hope you realize you really shouldn't say things like that to people, right?  You might hurt their feelings like you just hurt mine."

 

He immediately burst into tears and said, "I'm sorry, Mom.  But it's true, isn't it?"

 

Well yes, it is true - I do need to lose some weight - but I still don't want to hear about it from my five year old!

 

TTFN
JMS