Saturday, December 30, 2006

I'm slacking I know...

It's official! I'd give it about another week before my jeans don't fit anymore.

Every year we go to my aunt's, who feels the need to bake Christmas cookies for the entire month of December, and then pawn them off on her unsuspecting family.

Ok, maybe we've come to suspect it. Man they were good. An entire sweater box FULL of cookies. Chocolate chip, oatmeal, peanut butter, sausage cookies, and the traditional Christmas cutouts that my children went WAY overboard with the sprinkles on!

Mmmm...I guess I'm putting losing 10 pounds on the resolution list again this year.

Friday, December 22, 2006

Fa la la la la...

For those of you that don't know me, and most of you don't! I have2 children. An eight year old that lives with his dad after a grueling court battle a few years ago. (I'm still waiting for a nice construction accident) FOR THE RECORD I DO NOT WANT HIM HURT...there that should save me from him saying I'm speaking bad of him.

And I have a six year old who's dad pays child support, but has never shown the slightest interest in seeing his son. It hasn't come up too much, but with Tyler just starting school this year it's beginning to become apparent to him that his family isn't the same as others.

Well, they both had Christmas concerts this year. My oldest goes to a school in Milwaukee which shall remain nameless, my youngest going to the school up here where we live, in the middle of the boonies, where people actually care about the children.

My youngest's concert was last week, filled with traditional songs, and skits from How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Alvin and the Chipmunks, and other classics. It was adorable and a miracle of teaching ingenuity that kept the children quiet and within their respective classes until it was over so that they would be handled and no one would get lost in the shuffle.

Fast forward to my oldest's concert, which was this morning at his school. Now, I realize there is a HUGE difference between the schools, but come on.

We walk in to the too-small gymnasium, with 3 rows of about 10 chairs for 60 parents. Granted, they always bring out a few more chairs, but there is a shortage of chairs EVERY year.

The kids sit on the floor in front of the parents, facing the stage. Their teachers sit along the side of them. I'm assuming this is supposed to be to keep them in-line, although I have yet to see that.

The theme this year was, Holiday Songs You Haven't Heard Before. Hmmm....as a parent, I would kind of like to see my child learn something that someone else has even HEARD of. Not only were these songs that no one's heard of, I don't think that the majority were actual songs. I fully believe that the music teacher threw some lyrics together that mentioned either Hanuka (sorry, I know I spelled that wrong) or Kwanzaa. None of them mentioned Christmas at all, and 2 of them were in Spanish.

I understand that Christmas is not the only holiday. I fully support learning about new cultures and races and religions. But to exclude Christmas to promote other holidays just because of the student ratio. I don't think so.

I'm in the middle of expressing myself to the principal, with another letter to the music teacher, and am considering the hour long drive to get there every month on a day I'm not supposed to be, just to join the PTA at his school to make sure that future programs are not this one-sided.

Signed,

One angry mom wondering exactly WHAT her son is learning.

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Whiny me

Ok, I'm having a rotten year.

This last year was filled with me finally finding a job in March, only to be unable to work in May when I found out I had kidney stones (yet again), and had to go in for surgery. Darn Mountain Dew! I love it, but my body doesn't process all the sugars in it. Guess I'll need to switch to coffee.

Then, in June, my live-in boyfriend (whose income was the only income in the house)fell at work and was fired so the company could try to fight workers compensation. We FINALLY got them to start paying at the end of July, but by then we were so far behind in bills and rent that we decided to move in with my parents till I could find a job and we could pay back the people we've had to borrow from and pay down the bills we owe.

I still haven't been able to find work, and living with my parents, however generous it is for them to let us stay here, is less than ideal.

Then last week, just before my boyfriend was supposed to go for surgery through workers comp. they decide that he's not injured (YEAH right!) and that they aren't paying. So now we have to find another way to get his surgery paid for, plus pay for painkillers, or wait for 9 months to a year before his lawyer can get a court date.

Then, about an hour ago, I found that our phone is disconnected. His workers comp. was paying for the phone bill, so I guess they are going to be off for awhile, as I can't even afford to go to the laundrymat, much less pay $80 for the phones to get turned back on.

Sorry this is so whiny, I'm just ready for this year to be over. Hopefully next year will be better. The only thing that hasn't happened this year is that he and I are still together. If that is the only bad thing that happens next year I will be fine.

Holidays...Grrrr!

Is it over? Is it done? No? Damn!

Don't get me wrong, I love the holidays. I do. But only if I can stay in my house and not leave from Thanksgiving till...oh...how about the 3rd of January?

Going to the grocery store at this point is a chore. There are so many people getting all the trimmings for their holiday parties, Christmas gatherings, and other functions. I can't even get milk without it turning into an hour long task.

I do have to say, it's quite hilarious to see my children blocking the aisle so I can get what I need. I think they are finally tired of being pushed out of the way by carts, people and their families plowing us over to get what they need while we stand there with cart tracks over our feet.

Unfortunately, I did not finish my Christmas shopping before Thanksgiving. One good thing about that is that the Super-Walmart open 24-hours 20 minutes from our house. I have resorted to shopping for Christmas gifts while most other people are asleep in their beds. While others are dreaming of sugarplums and cart tracks on people's feet, I am perusing the almost empty aisles of Walmart, enjoying walking without people blocking where I'm trying to go, or snipping the back of my shoes with their carts.

I love to shop, but for the next few weeks I think I'll stay curled up with a good book instead, and enjoy Christmas lights, and baking cookies, and shoes that haven't been soiled with cart tracks.

Saturday, December 16, 2006

Writing in a full house

I'm sitting down to write this morning, at 5am, with enough motivation to keep me at it for once, when I hear the sound of my eldest climbing down from his bunk bed.

And then waking up my youngest. UGHH!

I set them up with breakfast when it became apparent that they weren't going to go back to bed. As I sat in the living room (they had effectively kicked me out of the kitchen), I get 30 questions about what I'm doing.

This is how the conversation went:

"I'm writing Trev."

"What are you writing?"

"I'm working on my book. Now shush and finish eating your breakfast."

Now my youngest chirps in.

"What's your book about momma?"

"It's too hard to explain to you hunny, you won't understand. Now finish eating."

By the time I get back to writing, the thoughts that I had on my recent chapter have completely slipped out of my brain.

The rest of the day has been spent with our Christmas tradition of going shopping for the kids to pick out their ornament for this year, and finishing up the Christmas shopping.

Maybe once they've taken their baths and have gone to sleep, will I again get a chance to write.
That is, if I can keep the man of the house from following me around like a lost puppy. Everytime I try to write while he's bored, he asks me so many questions I start throwing capped pens at him! Maybe since I did that yesterday to him while he was watching the basketball game, and then reminded him that he does that to me when I'm trying to concentrate, he will leave me be for at least an hour.