I'm a dangerous mom.

So my favorite family member that is not related to me, gave me & my boys the most wonderful book the last time I was in SA.  50 Dangerous Things (you should let your children do).  We've had so much fun doing little things that the book says are dangerous.  The kids even spent a little time doing blogposts themselves about their latest adventure.

Being extra adventurous this week, I cleaned out the hall closet and found an old printer that refused to print any more.  So we chose to have a little fun doing #34 Deconstructing an appliance.  My mom and Margie have bought some small ones for when we get back to SA, but this was good practice.  At first they just wanted to get it in pieces until I sat down with them and talked about learning how they are put together and what goes where and why.  The next time we do this we should learn so much more.

So far we've licked a 9-volt battery, driven a car, spent an hour blindfolded, and learn the art of swordplay.  Hmm, maybe we should whittle next - but hopefully with pa-pa in charge.

Over the Counter Meds, Paranoia & untapped energy.

I'm sure I've mentioned on more than one occassion - medicine/drugs are not my friend. Especially decongestants. Well, with stuffed or blocked everything I just plain can't function without a decongestant. So I chose the one that does me the least amount of damage.

SURPRISE. I'm slightly paranoid. I said it, I also have boundless amounts of energy, am talking about 90 miles a minute. Unfortunately I have no one to talk to so its all in my head. I'm not sure that's a good thing, but I can't help it. I've decided to use it to clean. I don't think I've ever accomplished so much that didn't need to be done or doesn't show. Cleaned out and organized the pantry. I somehow managed to empty the dishwasher while my eggs were in the pan and I didn't burn them - SEE?!?! Laundry, car, paperwork, trash. I would deserve a reward if I was not sick, but sick, I deserve the Congressional Medal of Cleaning and if there is not one, they should make one, just for me.

Dear President Obama: The unemployed or SAHM of the world need a special award for their tireless work and no salary.....

AAAAAAAAHHHHH! The linen closet is calling.

Maybe its a TOOMAH...

I think something is wrong with me. SERIOUSLY WRONG. I'm feeling lovey-dovey. Yes you heard me right. I want to hug people and talk to people. I actually wrote that I loved my husband on Facebook. How pathetic is that? I do love him despite his addiction to video games and horror flicks - both of which I could totally do without. Oh and his propensity to burp at the dinner table - sometime even burp a sentence. Yes, he communicates through burps, well sometimes.

I am sarcastic and strange. Creatively obnoxious and well just plain different. I AM NOT LOVEY-DOVEY. Although I am a hopeless romantic. Didn't see that coming did you?

Except for this break so far today, I am cleaning - I think I even hear birds chirping. You'd think I was in a disney movie, except there is no way I would look as good as Amy Adams in curtains or get birds, squirrels and cockroaches to help me clean. Wouldn't that be nice? I might even go grocery shopping on a Saturday. Just because.

Okay, maybe not.

I have volunteered to make school packets next week. Am thinking about cleaning out a closet oh, and I'm going to paint my bedroom. What the heck is wrong with me? SOMEONE BRING BACK DIJEA.

So I'm about to be made fun of

I've given up trying to get anything else accomplished this weekend.  Did I manage to do what I said?  A big giant NO would be the answer, but I did accomplish a lot, mostly avoiding the one thing I needed to do.  I washed 4 loads of clothes on Friday night.  I washed 6 loads on Saturday and another 4 today.  I don't live in a very big house so how the 4 of us could generate that much laundry is well, discusting.  But I did wash our sheets and the kids sheets, comforters and that included the matress pads.  I also managed two 30 gallon trash bags of trash and a 30 gallon bag to donate.

Ethan had a soccer game on Saturday and we had a Halloween party on Saturday night.  The kids had a ball.  I also spent probably 2 hours running errands.  Check out the Zombies:

On Sunday I got up and made the kids pancakes.  Then got them ready to go visit their Bubbie with their Aunt.  While we were waiting for Aunt Anjie to pick them up, I got adventurous and trimmed the trees in the front yard.   Can you believe that?  I also went to the grocery store and later this afternoon to Target for toilet paper and cat food.  I'm exhausted and plan to do nothing more than dinner tonight.  

I guess my husband gets to make fun of me.

Work for today and the weekend

Life is a whirlwind of change is it not? I find that day to day I always have something else to stress and worry about. Nothing is ever easy and from day to day something different always pops up to make my day just a little bit harder. Waiting till Monday to get any idea of when the second back surgery on The Husband is driving me insane. Probably him too, but this is about me not him.

I am looking for “inspirational” stories to read at the opening of the next PTA Board. (Yes, I am now in the “in-crowd” of the PTA Board. I feel special and accepted and well, basically all my insecurities are gone.) Anyway, I’m reading all this uplifting, I mean gut wrenching stories that are tugging at strings in my heart and feeling completely over-emotional. If I stay in this mode I will probably start to cry when I pick the children up just because they once lived in my body and are a gift from God.

Then I will get home and see the reality of the mess they have created. I’m then going to become an evil and mean mother insisting those children that 20 minutes ago were a gift of God are in fact spawn of the Devil, because no angels would keep their room like that.

I have promised myself that if I do nothing else this weekend I will clean up all the paperwork stacking in various parts of the house up. Yes honey, I just put it in writing so that means I have to do it or risk having you either make fun of me for all of eternity.

I want to take the new camera lens out this weekend as well, but will only do it if I can get all the other things on my to do list done. Wish me luck!

Hey politicians, Want my vote? Then fix this...

I am yet again disappointed in our public school system.  Maybe I'm jumping the gun (I doubt it) but they don't seem to be eager to help my poor little Hunter.  We went back to the eye doctor today and Hunter's left eye has lost more vision and he is now a -8.0 in his left eye.  His right stayed steady at -6.75.  UGH.  The doctor says he might be dyslexic as well, but when I called the school counselor to talk to her as she suggested after this follow up, to only be pushed off yet again.  "We don't test until after 1st grade."  

OK, so my doctor says he needs to be tested as soon as possible, yet they say the won't test him for another 18 months.  Are you sure you are educators?  I mean have you heard of early intervention?  I have put my best people on the job.  A more passionate advocate I couldn't find.  She's not in my town, but has been an honorary member of our family for a long time.  She'll find out the questions I am lost on and point me in the right direction.  

I am also working on some other avenues and Unstable, I might have to borrow LMSKP, but I will hold off until I get my bearings on this.  We have a referral to Scottish Rite, I will get on that even if the school district decides to lower itself and test my kid.   

How frustrating is that?

I'm still looking for a cup of coffee

Well, its been a heck of a day at my house.  The alarm - disgusting thing that it is went off at 6:45, I've been a zombie ever since.  I am never going to be lucid for the first day of school.  We had a eye doctor's appointment for both boys.  It was really disappointing for me.  I'm not sure if I've blogged about it before, but my little one is legally blind.  Do you have glasses?  Do you know your prescription?  Mine is -1.0  its about 20/80.  Hunter's is -7.5.  His vision in his left eye is worse than his right eye and since his last visit has gotten worse.  We have a new prescription and have to go back in 2 months.  Its not what I ever wished for my babies, but he never complains.  He misses that fast moving bird or squirrel in the tree, but never complains.

I never did get my coffee, so you can imagine how unresponsive I've been today.  I was incredibly embarrassed when my stomach growled in the doctors office like I haven't eaten in 10 days.  I wanted to bury my head in the sand!  UGH.  

I got home - and discovered that the electrician did not restore power to my garage.  Normally I wouldn't care, but I had, had being the operative word here, a deep freeze.  A deep freeze full of very expensive beef, fish & chicken.  Well, I guess I'm a little lighter on the protein for a while.  No sense in filling it up if 1) I don't have power or 2) I don't have a kitchen.  We had been grilling though.  That's a big four letter word out of my mouth. 

But the good news is they are making headway on the big renovation - feel free to check out the new pictures.  Its quiet a transformation so far and I will have more shots to put up tomorrow as they are finishing the cabinets today.  WOOT!!

Another Day, More Laundry

I am not exactly in the blogging mode.  I have a ton of stuff to do, but absolutely no desire to accomplish any of it.  I will manage to get the laundry done, but seriously how in the heck to 4 people generate as much laundry as we do?  I realize we went swimming twice yesterday.  I realize that it is hot and you sweat and want to shower and change clothes, but goodness gracious (what a vintage term) I've done 3 loads of towels since yesterday.  

I spent yesterday morning at my sister-in-law's house with the kids, as well as a cousin of my husband's and their kids.  5 kids in a pool.  The kids had a great time, I had an awesome lunch and I enjoyed the company of two wonderful women. We took off to the dentist for that 6 month check-up which for some reason took 5 times as long as it should have.  Hunter had to have a filling, which we went and took care of today.  I took the kids swimming at the J while my husband worked out and although I had a good day, I got nothing accomplished.

We spent 2 hours out of the house this morning at the dentist and as I got an hour of good reading time, I am even farther behind on the housework.  I do have MNO (Mom's Night Out) tonight.  So I get another day of good company.  I can't wait to see which one of us talks before she thinks and gets the laugh of the night.  Last time it was me, so I will probably be spared that tonight.  

Oh BTW, I am at 75% on Lego Indiana Jones.  YA BABY!

Unwanted excitement.

Yesterday afternoon the sun came out and trying to lure the children outside, I laid down on the trampoline with my book and my phone (I was expecting a phone call.).  All three cats came up and joined me.  Mason came home and the kids came out to inform me that they were going to go with our next door neighbor and walk her dogs in 15 minutes.  All is well, right - WRONG.  

About 10 minutes later I hear a huge crash next door.  My first instinct is to scream "Is everything OK?"  But my heart said run, which is what I did.  You know those lovely nets that are suppose to keep kids from hurting themselves - they do not make it easy for you to get off in a hurry.  By the time I had exited the prison that was the trampoline, I got to the backdoor in time to hear a blood curtling scream.  I was thru the house and out the front door faster than you can say "whoa" and almost at Cici's door when out she comes holding a very bloody Hunter.  He had shattered her sliding glass door with his head.

Mason & I took the screaming child inside and tried to clean him up, but as I wiped his head the towel came back with bits of glass and not having decent vision decided the only course of action was the ER.  I was halfway there when the doctors service finally answered the phone.  The pre-authorized the visit - for insurance purposes - and I was in the ER a noticably calmer child because we had been doing breathing exercises in the car.  Am I inventive or what?  I filled out the paperwork and without even getting comfortable in the waiting room chair - if that's even possible - we were called in.  

The triage nurse was very good with Hunter and said he had the lowest pulse of any child he had seen with any injury - see breathing exercises work, I'm not a total loon.  After a quick once over we were back in the waiting room.  This time I was just getting back into a chair when we were once again called.  Is this ER the best or what?  After a PA, a doctor, a nurse and two X-Ray tech and X-Ray's we were told he was the luckiest child in the world.  NO STITCHES.  My son broke a glass door and shattered it and he required no stitches.  We were home in under 2 hours.  I LOVE MEDICAL CITY ER!  

My husband has ordered me to remove the sliding glass door in our house.  I am awaiting a call back as we speak.  

If you want to see the picture of him after he was cleaned up click here.

I NEED COFFEE!!!!!!!

This morning there was nothing but cereal & oatmeal for breakfast.  I'm not a huge fan of oatmeal so I opted for the cereal and for some reason, cold cereal & coffee just don't mix.  I kept meaning to make some later in the morning, but I went for a walk and I didn't want the coffee to "kick-in" if you know what I mean in the middle of my walk. So I waited.  Then I went to the store and by the time I got home it was lunch time.  I feel like a Zombie.  I even had a coke with lunch to I could get some caffeine into my system, didn't work

Lesson Learned:  Dijea does not work well without her morning coffee.

NO KIDS TODAY!

Yea, first day in way too long I don't have children at home.  Thank goodness school is back in session.  I took advantage of it and worked out.  I am now really sore because I haven't done it in a while.  

I have a teacher conference this afternoon - I called it she didn't.  Mr. Big Shot is getting some orthodontics done and will have a slight speech problem for a while, so I thought I would attack it head on.  His birthday is coming up soon too and I have no idea what to do for him.  I was going to take him to see the Foo Fighters, but I think his uncle gave the tix away.  :(

I'm in a happy glowy mood today as well, because my husband loves me.  I know that he loves me everyday, he just spent a little extra time with me last night.  Its always nice to be appreciated.  

Change in Plans

So I'll be spending the night at home instead of watching the STARS game live and in person and in a Suite - yes, a suite.  My oldest child, E, has explosive diarrhea - his words not mine - and we won't be going.  Mason might be with his brother or a friend of his, but not us.  We will be watching something stupid on TV -

WAIT!  NO, we will be playing Lego Star Wars: TCS.  Yes, my night is looking up.

Jeeez, another day lost to nothing.

What a mess my life has become! I can't seem to get anything accomplished. I thought I would have the day to go to Sam's and the grocery store and get the laundry done. Boy, do I need to do laundry! Instead I get a call from a mom who needs a nebulizer. I am glad to drop it by, because I am fully aware of all the fear you get when your child starts to wheeze. OK, 15 minutes out of my day is not a big deal. Then I realize that I haven't taken the money to the office for the December birthdays. Oops! When I get to the house to drop off the nebulizer, I am reminded that we have a birthday party at 1:30 - oops again no gift, now I gotta go to Target and that wasn't on my list either.

So I drop off the birthday money and on the way to Target, Hunter informs me of his hunger pains, so we get the gift and we are headed home to feed his hungry stomach. Its now 12:30 and with the party in an hour, I have no hope of Sam's or the grocery store. I did get a load of clothes in the washer, but that isn't even going to put a dent in the laundry. The party will be over just in time to go pick up the other child and the husband will be home by the time we get home.

Well, another day of no accomplishments and a night of staying up late to get it all done. I hate the holidays!

I'm so discombobulated!

Sometimes I feel like I live in a crazy insane asylum and that what I'm doing is just my wild imagination of drugs that the doctors have me on. That said, my week has been a little insane. I've been overwhelmed, can't get anything accomplished before three additional items get put on my to-do list.

Had to replace tires on the SUV; laundry is a never-ending chore; I can't seem to get the front flower bed winterized. I did get the Halloween decorations out in the front yard; however, they look pretty pitiful. The cats are systematically destroying the house. (My husband blames it on me, but I swear its the cats!)

I gave up red wine to lower my calorie intake thinking that would maybe help me reduce the waistline. That remains to be seen, however that is probably an entry unto itself. It's October and it won't get cold enough for the grass to stop growing, so its time to mow again. Do I really need to go on?

At least I didn't give up chocolate. I have to go, its time for tonight's bag.

Move over Wolfgang Puck - Dijea's here.

OK so on my birthday my fabulous co-workers got me a gift certificate to Central Market and today I spent it. I bought beautiful 1 1/2 inch filets, fresh herbs, mushrooms, green beans, other stuff, a couple of bottles of red wine, made from organic grapes, and an angel food cake and tons of strawberries, black berries & raspberries for dessert.

I took those beautiful $35/lb filets and slathered them with a paste I made from fresh organic chives, fresh garlic and olive oil and I let that sit under plastic wrap for about 30 minutes. When you grill them they get a nice blackened herb crust that is oh so good. I made garlic mashed potatoes and fresh green beans. I also marinated some mushrooms in red wine and sauteed them for the steak. I poured myself a glass of wine and we set down to eat.

YUM! It was almost orgasmic. It seems that lately I really don't enjoy cooking because it seems that I am no longer creative enough to make something different. But today I felt inspired and it was absolutely worth every extra calorie I ate. I highly recommend you to do that soon.

My mind will slowly turn to mush this season.

Thank G for DVR's because without them I could not watch TV and pay any attention to my two lovely children. (Did I Say lovely? What was I thinking?)

Over the past few days I have watched a little, still have a little to review but I will say this -enjoyed Private Practice. I like Addison's character & the people that surround her on the show. Its a little more mature than Grey's Anatomy & I find that refreshing.

I'm going to love Dirty Sexy Money: 1) because I LOVE Peter Krause, 2) The reverend is going to make the show, 3) and I'm going to love the whole Baldwin brother playing a character in love/lust with a tranny hooker. I'm looking forward to that one.

Grey's Anatomy was good, but my least favorite person on the show is Meredith. She's sooo screwed up and I hate women who are "wounded". Men can be wounded, we as women want to fix that - or make them feel better, but I don't like to watch weak women. I'm a little sad for Callie & George. It's not like I didn't expect it to happen, but boy did Izzie go from missing Denny to in love with George fast. I wish Denny didn't die, there is a man who I'd like to see every week.

I've been working in the Garden!

All morning long, I have been working in my little, but very productive garden. Its about 15 feet long & 2 or 3 feet wide. This summer it provided me with potatoes, squash & okra. This fall & maybe some winter (its not always freezing here in Texas) it will keep me in lettuce, spinach and broccoli. I can here the yippees from here about the broccoli.

I have incorporated 1 1/2 bags of organic compost into the garden for nutrients and to replace some of the soil that has disappeared over the last year and after one more good turning, I will put the seeds into the ground. There is nothing more satisfying than a job well done. It also helps me eat a little healthier and maybe it will help me lose a few pounds if I eat all this salad. Ya baby.

My cholesterol is 189!

Well, I'm sure the world needed a health update. 6 of my 7 vials of blood have been tested and apparently I'm a hypochondriac or I have fibromyalgia. Although I do have one thyroid test that is still pending. But the good news - my cholesterol is 189, yes I have gone from 237 to 189. I've never been that low before (and 100 points below my husband-is that scary or what!)

So while I am basking in my fabulous cholesterol, I guess I just played too much tennis when I was younger and I have sport-joint syndrome or something.

I also got a ticket dismissed today so that is another in the plus column. Maybe I should buy a lottery ticket? Couldn't hurt could it? Now if it would just stop raining.

CHEERS! To the inventor of Happy Hour!

We are having yet another day of rain, my children are already complaining about what's for dinner and I'm only defrosting the meat. I've got cramps, no energy and I'm going to the doctor tomorrow for the test results of the 7 vials of red stuff they took out of me, and I'm feeling very much like a hypochondriac today. (I'm still hoping for that vitamin deficiency.)

I do have happy-hour with "The Girls" this evening though. It will give me a chance to rant about anything, and of course I will return the favor and listen to their rants. "The Cheerleader", that's Charlene, will do her best to boost the moral of each and every one of us. We can gossip about stuff and get away from the daily grind of life and I can escape the screaming monsters I live with for an hour or so. Then I will miss the monsters, the chaos and the husband and will have to run home so I have something else to share the next time.

This superhero needs a name!

Amazingly enough, I actually got 12 loads of laundry done yesterday. Can you believe that? I can't. I feel like I might actually be the laundry superhero - Laundry Mom? No. Super Laundress? Maybe. If anyone has any suggestions, I would love to hear them.

My hubby is gone for the day. He's working until 10 ish in a very busy County Hospital emergency room. I always stay up late for the gory stories. Some I'd rather not hear about, some are actually funny. Others are just disturbing. But it is fun to get the scoop on a "Breaking News" report before the newscasters actually know what's going on.

I've worked out, cooked a big lunch before Mr. Hubby went to work and I'm looking forward to a nice relaxing afternoon. I've got a new book and its calling my name. Its LEAN MEAN THIRTEEN and should be good for a few belly laughs. If you've never read Janet Evanovich - you should check out her first one ONE FOR THE MONEY. Once I started I was hooked. I should be finished with the book by tomorrow and I'll write a quick review.