Today B3 turns twelve!
We’re starting “her” day at Dunkin’ Donuts and then she’s off to school. She’s also talked her softball coach into having practice at his house, so she and her teammates can swim afterwards.
I worked on stuff for the day job until 10 pm last night. Not Happy. I’ll post more later, but right now, I’ve got to get moving.
Have a wonderful day everyone.
Despite the crappy weather (3 days of off-and-on rain), it was a relatively good holiday weekend. I finished HP and HBP this weekend, so now I’m already for the movie!
Hubby and I took B3 and B4 to a party Sunday, while B2 spent the night with a friend. I knew ICE HOUSE had more alcohol that regular beer, but that didn’t stop me from drinking about four of them. Today it is back on the diet!
I didn’t send the kids to school yesterday and B1 got back from the beach around 5:45 pm – just in time for dinner.
He was a little more tan and in bad need of a haircut. I’m normally not one to complain about hair (I leave that for hubby), but when B1’s hair grows out, it gets super-curly. That’s why he always wears it short. B4 on the other hand, would let it grow down to his waist, if there wasn’t a school rule prohibiting such “mops” on boys. I usually don’t cut his hair unless I get a note from school. The whining is just unbearable and when he was a baby, he’d clear out the local barber shop when I’d take him. That resulted in his first “buzz” cut when he was about three-years-old.
B3 gets her new softball bat today and is so excited. It’s the little things, I suppose. The end-cap came off of her old one, so it got trashed. She was “growing” out of it anyway so I suppose the timing was good. I could only find the bat she really wanted used on EBAY for $500.00 – NOT HAPPENING. So she ended up with the “brand new” version of the same bat style for $300.00. Who would buy a freakin’ used bat for $500.00? They rarely last longer than three years anyway.
I didn’ t do any of the planned revisions on my WIP. Hubby left this morning for Atlanta, so I figured I’d have every evening all week to get it done. We’re supposed to have the same crappy weather until Friday, so it’s not like there will be much else going on.
And I must ask, am I the only one who finds the new song by the Black-Eyed Peas annoying as hell? I know, I know . . . where is the love, right?
My humble thanks goes out to all of those brave individuals who fought and sometimes died so I could have the freedom to live how I chose.
May we never take these freedoms for granted, may we always stand up to tyranny and may we champion oppressed people, both domestic and foreign.
God bless our soldiers, our veterans and all of those who’ve sacrified.
The weather has been horrible for this holiday weekend – raining off and on all day long. Actually, the kids had school today to make up for a snow day, but I didn’t send mine. It’s a holiday darn it.
Today it’s all about cleaning up after a busy Saturday and Sunday. Hubby finally got the grill fixed, so I’ll marinade some chicken for dinner. I also have to get a website uploaded and I plan to work on my WIP.
I hope everyone has a great day.
New Project 2 is the first work I’ve done in 1st person and after reviewing a few pages last night, I’ve found I’ve used “I” way too much. Now, I cleaned up my tense issue early on, but when I write, I overuse “I”. Heck, see what I mean. Thank heaven for the “find” feature in word.
I must be the only one who found THE ALCHEMIST to be a painful read. It was a good story but the writers use of “telling” and not “showing” took away from the tale. It was almost as if I was reading the script from a narrative on King David on the History Channel. Documentary boring. But I suppose that’s why there are so many different kinds of books available.
It’s been so long since I read HP and the HBP, that I need to re-read it to get ready for the movie. I saw the movie preview on television and hubby asked, “what happens in this one?” Heck I couldn’t remember.
Either the day job is calming down or I have a bad case of the Idontgiveadamns. It is a long weekend and the pool is open. B1 is going to the beach with a friend, B2 is going to Carowinds tomorrow with a friend, B3 is spending tonight with a friend and B4 will probably have a few friends over. But as for me, the laundry is caught up, the house is clean and the lawn is hubby’s job.
Have a great Memorial Day holiday everyone.
Okay, the company I work for decided it would be a great idea to integrate another division into the one I work for. Needless to say, as a cost savings measure, they refuse to integrate any additional people.
Everyone wants everyone done NOW and EFFICIENTLY and ERROR-FREE, but few actually step up and help. It’s up to a few dedicated employees (like me) to make sure all aspects of this integration run as smoothly as possible, while trying not to be bitter about it. Nevermind that no one is getting a raise this year due to the unstable economy. Unstable economy, my ass. Our sales are on track. And to make things worse, it seems that every employee who has a teenager got said teenager a job there, except for me, even though I inquired as to summer employment for B1 back in February. There are a few other issues too. Bitter? HELL YES I’M BITTER!
My part-time job has turned into 50+ hours per week and though I’d like to say I’m shocked at the recent developments, I’m not a bit surprised because I’ve worked in the corporate world for way too long.
For the past month this damn job as been running my life. I’m on the freakin’ computer until at least 7 pm and I haven’t written a word in two weeks. IT STOPS NOW.
Well, to be honest, it ended earlier today. In a meeting I found out that all the work I did one Saturday and part of a Monday has to be re-done because “they” decided that the process wouldn’t work the way “they” initially said it would. Without one word, I gathered my shit and left the meeting. Needless to say, the company is getting a temporary employee out of the warehouse to cancel what I did and re-key it the way “they” want it. How’s that for a start?
And we deserve it! In honor of all the teachers who helped to make Mother’s Day a little more special for moms, here is the poem B4 (boy- age 10) penned for me.
Mommy Poem
My mom is so cool She also really rules She’s really, really funny And as cute as a bunnyShe’s also so smart And she’s all in my heart She’s does stuff with generosity And she always loves me
She’s really awesome Like a cute little possum She’s really nice And she doesn’t have lice.
I think I’ve been so bombarded with the word “balance” that the meaning has been diluted. “We should eat a balanced diet”, “To be happy, one must find an acceptable balance between work and family”, “balance of power”, “balance the books”, ”credit card balances”, or “FOX NEWS – Fair and balanced”. Okay that last one was a stretch, but the point was made.
I need more balance in my life. When the kids were younger, they depended on me for so much. Now, they can dress themselves, have decent hygiene and can even fix themselves something to eat if they get hungry enough.
So, I’ve devised a loose plan with certain things I need to do and want to do. Not, what I want or need to accomplish, but what I want or need to do.
Like, I need to get at least six hours of sleep or I’m a bitch, I need to exercise at least an hour per weekday, I need to count every freakin’ calorie that goes into my mouth or I’ll gain back all the weight I recently lost and I need to go to work.
On certain days, I need to take one of the Bs to a practice and sometimes my weekends are booked with softball tournaments. I need to keep food in the house and the laundry kept up. I need to make certain all of the Bs have what they need and I need to make sure they’re doing what they’re supposed to when they are supposed to – homework, chores, etc.
When I did write, I normally carved out an afternoon and wrote. I ignored everything around me and just wrote. Yes, I got huge chunks in and no, it wasn’t bad. But then I’d just not write for two or three day or sometimes weeks. But then, I realized that just because my kid was at sports practice, didn’t mean I had to watch every minute of it.
Even better, as they got older they could walk from the parking lot to practice all by themselves and even carry all of their crap. I could stay in my truck and write. And now, one of them can actually drive himself everywhere and sometimes even pick up the other Bs from after school.
Now is the time to get in balance. For example, today I need to do a few loads of laundry, I might make dinner (or not) and I want to put some more potting soil in all of my houseplants. I also need to get at least one hour of writing in. ROH. I want to spend a couple of hours on my deck getting rid of this pasty-white skin. That’s it. Nothing unattainable. And, I’ve already got the plants done and one load of laundry in the washer. I woke up at 6 am and couldn’t go back to sleep.
B2 and B3 are in northern Virginia for my nephew’s, N6, First Communion. Of course they had to have new outfits and take off a half day of school. They’ll miss Monday also, but it is quality time with Grandma. So I’m the only girl in the house this weekend.
Today, hubby is playing golf, B1 had better be driving around and gathering applications for employment and B4 will probably play some golf too. Me, well, I’ll just be doing my “balancing” thing.
Have a wonderful MOTHER’S DAY everyone!
Here’s my nephew’s blog. He’s been diagnosed with cancer and has been graciously keeping everyone informed. Please keep him in your thoughts as he is only seventeen-years-old.
There is also a new writers blog that I’m linking here. It’s The Potted Pen, written by Lara who also authors Ramblings of a Suburban Soccer Mom.
I’ll post more later. I have to look presentable for the day job!
Sorry, I couldn’t think of a title. I know it’s actually May 3, but I’ve been busy and before I forget, the Spring Issue of THE SCRUFFY DOG REVIEW is out.
I figured it was time to give the blog a new look. I really liked this design out of the template choices on WordPress so here it is, mucked up with all of my stuff. I also deleted the word meters. They didn’t work anymore anyway.
I also updated my bookshelf with all of the books I’ve read so far this year. It’s a mix. I don’t stick to one genre very well. Lately I’ve been on a Young Adult kick. If you’re into urban fantasy, I highly recommend Melissa Marr’s work. Her latest, FRAGILE ETERNITY is now in book stores.
Unfortunately, I have to wait until it comes out in paperback because I purchased the paperback of her first two. Just a word of caution. This is Young Adult, but really not for tweens, in my opinion. I’m probably just a prude though.
Another book that I loved was Carrie Ryan’s FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH, which is appropriate for tweens. Of course with all the TWILIGHT rage, I had to read the books ahead of B2 (age 14) and B3 (age 11). B2 isn’t a reader and didn’t even get through the first book, however she did want the book on tape. I told her to quit being lazy and read the damn book.
However B3, loved the series and is an “E” freak (she even has a bookmark with the character’s picture from the movie). She was the one that I’d hoped would get bored with it or just be intimidated by the size of the last book. She didn’t and while I didn’t think the last book was appropriate reading material for her, I didn’t stop her.
I’m also making headway on my own writing. Since I’ve almost stopped watching television, except for Lost and The Biggest Loser, I’ve had alot more time to write. And I DVR those, so I don’t lose fifteen minutes of my life to commercials. I also get up an hour early to work out every morning, so I don’t have to take time in the evenings. It’s working pretty well so far.
I have a new technique for getting writing time. I require one hour of my time every day for my WIP. REQUIRE ONE HOUR. Sometimes I write new stuff, sometimes I edit what I’ve written previously and sometimes, I just sit and look at for an hour, with my mind a complete blank. But, it is only after I spend my hour do I let myself enjoy reading. Yeah, I suppose it is like holding myself hostage, but it is working.
I had a MRI on Friday. I never knew I was claustrophobic until they put me in that damn machine. HOLY FREAKIN’ COW. I was squeezing the little “panic thingy” before they even got me all the way in. WHAT A WIMP. I asked them if there was any other way to get the pictures they needed to which they replied, “we can sedate you to where you won’t really care, but you’ll have to have someone drive you here and drive you home.”
Oh gosh the dilemma. I really couldn’t ask hubby to take off an afternoon because I was a stinking scaredy cat. But I just couldn’t go in there again. Then one of the technicians said, “well, we could put you backwards.” Believe it or not, as long as I could see out a window it was tolerable – loud and long, but tolerable.
A little while ago, I mentioned to B1, who was lying in his bed watching television, that he should get dressed and go get some job applications. He looked at me as though I was speaking Latin. He did back up into a neighbor’s fence earlier this week, but only one rail was damaged and hubby fixed it for $40.00. If that’s all the damage he’ll do (and I hope it is), we’ve gotten off pretty lucky. Somehow I don’t think it is though. Teenagers!
