I Don't Wanna Be the Mama!

Have you ever had those days where you just want to be YOU? Where if a little person calls you "mom" you think to yourself, 'Is he talking to ME!?'"

Today was one of those days. I don't think I slept very well....so when the alarm went off, I wanted SO badly to ignore it! Unfortunately, Cam ALSO heard the alarm, and came in and immediately began chattering away about some weird thing.

Then Baby J came, and he's been feeling clingy and sick....GEE, just what I want!

Both boys ended up yelling, screaming, fighting, and just being obnoxious. When Cam was being defiant, screaming "NO!" at me at the top of his lungs, and baby J was in the playpen screaming just to be held, I just felt like walking away from it all. Don't get me wrong, I DO love my son, I DO love babysitting, but there are days when I just want to go back to a time when I wasn't a mom. When the only person I had to worry about was ME.
Am I being selfish?? I guess looking back, I am, but I just need a break every once in a while! Some days I just don't wanna be the mama!

Another Good Reason to Buckle Up

A few days ago, Steve drove my parents' exchange student around in our van. Apparently, Cam had to constantly remind Jay, the exchange student, to buckle up. After he reminded him he'd buckle up. I was telling Cameron how impressed I was that he helped Jay buckle up, and he said, "Yeah, because Jesus said to buckle up."

My Happy Day

I had such a wonderful birthday! I was happy from morning to night! :)

Steve asked me whether I wanted to go out for breakfast or lunch....since he had to get a chest x-ray anyway, I figured lunch would be fine.

I went to Cam's school for the first time in a month, and had SUCH a good time. Those kids are so fun!

Then we went to my parents' house after school to see if we could get a free babysitter. Of course, they did! :)

We did a few errands before deciding on Applebees. I used to LOVE the place, now?? Not so much! (I'm spoiled I guess!) We tried to eat lunch quickly, but the waitress was slow on service, and was never around.

We then rushed to Steve's doctor's appointment where we found out the man had like 4 different bugs that caused his pneumonia. The antibiotics killed 3 of them, but one was being stubborn. So the doctor gave us a prescription for another antibiotic (not covered by the study) and we were off to the bank....to make sure we'd have funds to cover the meds we'd have to buy.

We then went to Walmart where we dropped off the prescriptions and did some "shopping." We didn't buy much, but did look at birthday cakes...hoping to buy a cheap one, but the "cheap" ones are those itty bitty round ones that are like $3! Not enough to share with anyone else! So we decided NOT to get one...and it's a good thing!
When we went to pay for Steve's prescriptions, the lady ringing us up said, "Oh, icky!" We asked her HOW icky?? She said that the two prescriptions (he also has stuffed up sinuses) were $115!! WHOA! That IS icky! And that was also AFTER his insurance picked up about half! (Good thing we HAVE it!) But we decided that he DID need it, and we DO want him healthy, so we decided to make some sacrifices! (Some of our money for Steve's birthday night went toward it...but we're STILL planning on celebrating his 30th in a BIG way...the SAME way...we'll just have to come up with some other money!)

Then we went to my parents' house, and Steve offered to take my parents' exchange student to our house so he could borrow some movies. While they were off, taking Cameron with them, my mom decided that it was a PERFECT time to go shopping for my birthday gift from her. Every year she replenishes my wardrobe! LOVE it! So we were off to the store. I tried on so many outfits, but ended up with 5 pants/capris and 5 shirts! I'm so happy! :) My favorite new shirt is one I NEVER thought I'd like: a leopard print shirt! It's SO cute on me!! WOO HOO!

Then we went back to my parents' house where my mom determined that she didn't want to cook, and offered to take us out for my birthday dinner! Where did I want to go??? TEXAS ROADHOUSE!! We laughed and had a BLAST!

Then I borrowed Night at the Museum from my parents, came home where Steve and Cameron slept while I watched the movie. While I was watching the movie we got a call from Steve's mom. I ended up talking with her for an hour and a half! She and I have gotten so close...it's NICE! If you had asked me when I got married if I'd have that kind of relationship with my mother-in-law ever, I'd have laughed in your face! I'm so glad that people change! :)

Today I was reflecting on what a happy birthday I'd had, and then my doorbell rang...my bestest friend had sent me a half dozen peach roses! THEY ARE GORGEOUS!! She wrote me a lovely note that made me smile!

All in all...I had a wonderful birthday. I don't know if it could ever get better than spending time with my loved ones and just being happy!

Free-for-all Wednesday??

I'm thinking about changing Free-For-All Friday to today, just for this week! My day off switched this week, so I'm free for most of the day!

SO if you have a question for me, and anything goes...feel free to ask. I may or may not answer you, but knowing me...I'll find an answer...even if I have to make it up!

Birthday Answers!

CareBearMommy said...
If you blink on average of once every two seconds, let's say for 14 hours a day (gotta keep 8 hrs for sleep), then how many times will you have blinked once midnight hits on your 28th birthday?

BTW... HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR DOUBLE BUBBLE, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

Carrie:

I guess I deserve that!! After what I did to you on YOUR birthday! LOL

I totally am NO math whiz...so I googled it! (You can find ANYTHING on Google!) And according to this website, in a 16 hour day (which is closer to what I actually do...I'm a total night owl, and then I wake up bright and early...) 15360 blinks. Ha...take that you MATH whiz!! :P

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Elena said...
What is your favorite kind of candy?

p.s. Happy Day to you!!!

Elena:

Cadbury Cream Eggs...love 'em...can only get them ONE time a year! :(

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One Scrappy Gal said...
Happy birthday!! Eat lots of cake!!

My question is... what do you think will happen in the last Harry Potter book?

(if you don't read the Harry Potter books... skip that question and tell me why, if Bo and Luke were just two good old boys, why were they always getting in trouble with the law?)

Scrappy:

I think Harry AND You Know Who will end up dying....both of them. I think it's not something that I WANT to happen, but if they're to ever get rid of You Know Who, then it's gotta be done.

And LOL about Bo and Luke! That's a good question!! Maybe they were pushing their limits!

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txmommy said...
Happy Birthday!

what is the best thing about being married? what surprised you the most (good or bad) once you actaully were married?

txmommy:

The best thing about being married is not being single! (If that makes ANY sense!)

The biggest surprised for me was how hard having a good marriage is. You can't just live together and expect everything to be hunky-dory! It takes work...from BOTH partners!

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Millie said...
What would we do, baby, without us?

(chiming in with another TV theme song)

Are you allergic to anything, and if so, what?

Millie:

LOVED Family Ties!!

I'm allergic to a few things...and they're really WEIRD!! So, for Millie, and everyone else's entertainment: Things You Didn't Know People Could Be Allergic To!

I'm allergic to an antibotic called Augmentin. It makes me sick to my stomach, and is just nasty tasting anyway!

And for the really weird one: I'm allergic to adhesives! Bandaids give me a major rash, and even the sensitive skin ones make me break out! If I'm bleeding severely I'll wear a bandaid just enough to stop the bleeding, but then it's off!

When I had my C-section I had to have staples because steri-strips are ADHESIVE!! And after I got the staples removed, I was seeing my doctor's partner....IDIOT....anyway, he told me I wasn't fully healed. He then put STERI-STRIPS on me!! I told him as he was putting them on that I was allergic, but he said, "Oh, they won't be on very long..." He was right, I took them off the next day...and lived with a major rash for the next week! IDIOT!! >:P

Finding Happiness

How many posts can I do in ONE day!? LOL

I almost forgot my most exciting new update! I got a new haircut. I told the hairdresser to do whatever she thought would look good on me, something easy to fix, and cute. And I couldn't be happier!

Before:

Now, happy me:

She even waxed my Bert eyebrows! She's a miracle worker!

I don't know whether it was PMS, whining kids, unpaid bills, school things weighing on me, but now?! I'm HAPPY as can be!! No more worries! It's amazing what a simple haircut will do!

Milestone...Sarcasm

Cameron has a "new" trick! Lately I've just noticed the boy has found his sarcastic streak...hmmmm...wonder WHERE he gets THAT from!! :)

When I take him places, I will open the sliding door on the van, and then close it for him. (He isn't quite strong enough to do it himself.) And when I'm done with his door, I'll walk around the van to MY door. He waits to buckle up until he can hold down my lock! He laughs HYSTERICALLY when he does this!

Where did this funny boy come from!?

(My little brother DID say, that if he didn't get looks from me, at least he got my personality!)

My Photo DNA

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Found this at Froggy's blog! Thought it would be fun! :)

Smelly

I'm dying from smell overdose!!

Today I walked into the church building and was hit in the face with the smell of sweaty bodies, BO, and bad breath!! Sitting through my meetings about did me in!

And when I was outside, it was a little muggy, but the smell is what got to me. I was smelling some pretty STINKY flowers! (And there aren't any flowers by my door....at ALL!) Pyew!!

Is there something you can do about overwhelming smells?! :)

Psssssst....

Today is my friend, Carrie's birthday...go over to her blog and wish her a happy birthday! :)

Dreaming and Fuming

I had the STRANGEST dream last night. Let me share it with you:

I was doing errands with Steve, and he had to go to work for something. We stopped, and he came out with a leggy, blonde chick who was HOT! Anyway, he told me that the two of them had things to do, so he drove to the mall. He left me and Cameron in the car while he and the blonde met up with some other people from work (another guy and his girlfriend.) So he expected me to wait in the van with Cam while he was "dating" this other girl. I was FURIOUS! He even went to the movies with her, and was putting his arm around her....being cuddly. He ended up taking me and Cameron home so he could spend more time with that OTHER lady.

I was so mad, I made him sit down with me (still in my dream) and talk about what had happened. As we were getting to the heart of the problem kids (yes, suddenly in my dream we had THREE kids) were banging things together, making loud noises, playing with noisy toys, and singing at the top of their lungs. I had finally gotten him to admit something WASN'T right (earlier, he saw NO problems with him hanging out with this other girl...) and I felt a lump on my backside.

Follow me to REAL life: Steve had gotten home from his graveyard shift, and was trying to wake me up. He was kissing me and saying, "Wake up..." I REFUSED!! I was SO mad at the man, I didn't want to give into his pleas!

I know it's weird to have SUCH strong emotions from a dream, but I did. It took me a good 10 minutes to realize it WAS a dream, and that he didn't do anything wrong. In that time I had told him about my dream, and he just laughed! HE LAUGHED!!

Since then, I've forgiven him for the dream...it really wasn't his fault, but waking me up at 7:30 on my day off?? That's unforgivable!

Free-For-All Friday And DACC Update

It's time for Free-For-All Friday!

If you want to ask me a question -- and anything goes -- here's your chance. You can ask about whatever you wish, no holds barred. I'll either answer honestly, or I'll tell you that I won't answer. (But with me...I'll probably answer you!)

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And as a QUICK update, more things are coming out about DACC...he will have to ride the bus to school (which, honestly, takes us maybe 2 minutes to walk there from home...if we dawdle!) This DACC program is also funded by Medicaid...which means, MORE FUN PAPERWORK! *dripping with sarcasm* And his new speech therapist sounds like she'll be fun to work with!

But my mom told me that her friend, who used to teach Special Ed, told her to make sure we do periodic checks on what they do in that program! Pop in unannounced...Apparently it's not all good!

Answers

CareBearMommy said...
OOH! Paperwork! How exciting! I bet you were just dancing in your seat as you typed this!

1st question for F-F-A-F: Out of curiosity, why will Cam have to ride the bus such a short distance? That is a bit odd.

2nd question: Other than yourself, how many people do you know whose second toe is longer than their "big toe"?

Carrie:

I have a question for you first....why aren't you "Carrie" instead of CareBearMommy? Having problems with Blogger??

1. It's a requirement for any student enrolled in special ed in this school district to ride the bus. Don't know any more than that...

2. My Gramma Sue has a long second toe too! I'm NOT alone in the world! :) (This reminds me of Shallow Hal...where they discuss how disgusting a long second toe is....I was offended...)

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Anne/kq said...
Zits: pop or ignore, or something else entirely?

And as for the bus, can you get an exemption?

Anne/kq:

I pop zits. Probably the reason I have scars all over my face....I sometimes wish I could pop zits that Steve has...but he's disgusted by it! *sigh*

I don't know what I can do about the bus thing. But I really am not too concerned with it...Gives me more reason to be lazy in the mornings! :)

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Elena said...
What are some of your pet peeves?

Elena:

My Life Monday covered this a while back. BUT...I have remembered some that I forgot:

I HATE it when my sheets come untucked while I'm sleeping. It's really weird, I have to make my bed BEFORE I can go to bed.

People who pass in the right lane and then hurry over to the left just to move up in a long line...(Happened to me yesterday...and it was my UNCLE!)

And apologizing over and over for something that really didn't mean anything. If you apologize THAT much, do you really mean it!?

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One Scrappy Gal said...
If it's One for the money, Two for the show, Three to get her ready and go cat go...where does the cat go?

Also... has Calgon ever taken you away?

Scrappy:

Have I told you lately, that I love you!? :)

For your first question, the cat goes up a tree. Haven't you seen those cartoons where the cat gets stuck up the tree?? And then a nice fireman will come by, just on a whim, and still wearing his fire-fighter clothes. He'll pull out his trusty ladder, climb up the tree, and save the cat!

Calgon has NEVER taken me away....should I feel jipped??

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Thoroughly Mormon Millie said...
Why 15 minutes? Why not 10 or 20?

Millie:

It's just like the story of the 3 little bears, one's too big, one's too small and then the last one is JUST right! ;)

Tears of Frustration

I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed, and figure if I spill my life story here then I'll feel better!
I've started going out for training with my new job, and it's great...except my trainer (who is seriously AWESOME) is calling me CONSTANTLY! If you know me, I'm NOT a phone person...at all! She wants me to be free to do appointments all the time, and that's just not me. Maybe I've gotten into this TOO fast, but I'm feeling overwhelmed there! (Not that I don't love the program, but just feeling a bit like I'm being pulled in a few directions at once!)
Then I had SUCH a good week with my scouts last Wednesday, and this week?? Well, we're back to them disobeying, running, screaming, fighting...blah! We are going to implement a new reward/discipline system NEXT month...I really hope it works!
Then today I had a meeting with Cameron's school about what our plans for next year will be with the kid. The meeting was scheduled for 8:00 am, meaning, I had to get Baby J here early, Cam and I BOTH ready to go, and hope that Steve was home from work, so I could drive down the street to school with BOTH boys in the snow and rain. (Yeah, the weather was kinda wet today!)
The meeting was SET to start at 8, but do you think they could get everyone there??? *muttering under breath* The meeting FINALLY started 20 minutes after it was supposed to, and we started discussing my sweet boy.
The first person was his teacher...who LOVES him and has worked REALLY hard with the kid all year long. She showed us his scores from the beginning of the year to just last week. The kid has seriously slipped in where he was compared to the rest of the class. The things they're studying are just too hard for the kid, so instead of getting like a 76% on his tests, he's getting a 43%! She said that he DOES do better work when his in-class aide is there, but he's starting to depend on her TOO much.
Then they asked the resource team what was going on with him in their room, and they mentioned that he's easily frustrated, and is showing signs that he's just not getting it.
Then they asked ME what he's doing at home. INSTANT tears! (I'm just SO emotional when it comes to my boy....almost TOO emotional.) I told them that he tries hard to help out and be a good friend. Then I told them that when I ask him to work on some of his homework, instead of telling me that he doesn't know what it is, he gets frustrated and cries. If you push him too far on something challenging, the kid shuts down. He's just easily frustrated. It's almost like he's afraid to admit that he doesn't know something. Like he just can't find it in his heart to say the words, "I don't know."
Then we reviewed his score from the testing they did at the beginning of the year...the one where he was labeled mentally retarded. (They actually have a different term, but for the life of me, I can't think of it.) Anyway, I'm actually grateful for this term now...because of the results he got, he's now qualified for many services he otherwise wouldn't be able to do. Because of this label, Cam will definitely get the aides and classes that he needs to learn at his OWN rate.
Because of all of these findings with the boy, the whole group came to the conclusion that he'll fare better in the DACC program instead of a regular first grade class. DACC (Developmentally Accurate Curriculum) has children from Kindergarten to 3rd grade in a setting where they will each get a specialized plan where they can learn the same things the other kids their age are learning, but at a slower rate. We figured he'll do even better if he's in DACC than he'll do just thrown into a regular class with an aide. Honestly, this is the LAST thing I thought I would agree to, but after seeing how he's not following or even getting some of the concepts, I think it's best.
I guess I'm just having a hard time admitting (to myself) that Cameron ISN'T like other kids. That he can't just go on to first grade, and learn like other kids. That my son is in the "special" class. I know, I shouldn't judge...I shouldn't put unreasonable expectations on my child...every child is different....he'll learn at his OWN rate....but it's HARD for me to admit it. My one big concern with him being in this program (which only has a maximum of 12 kids in at a time) is his social development. Will he be able to play with other kids his age, interacting with them like he does now? Will they tease him? Will he get the social time that he needs to grow in THAT area? The teacher who is in charge of DACC assured me that not only do the kids do intense learning in her classroom, but they do have inclusion times where they are with the "normal" first graders.
I KNOW in my heart that THIS is what he needs, but I'm just feeling a bit drained by it all. Steve and I fought SO hard to keep him from going to this type of program, but it seemed that it wasn't enough. And once I told the group at the meeting that what they suggested sounded like it was what we needed to do, they ALL told me that I'm such a good mom. (HUH!?) They told me that they'd like to clone me for other kids who have parents who don't care. I just broke down even MORE.
Not only is he going to start integrating into the DACC program now (like starting NOW they'll be taking him in there for a half hour a day...) but they're also adding in-school Speech therapy to the long list of things he needs. He'll also be doing summer school....sort of a requirement for being in DACC...and he'll be in a class without his little friends. He's constantly asking me NOW who will play with him, or who will be his friend that day...and now....It's all just breaking my heart. I know, I shouldn't be feeling this way.
And then I'm babysitting a lot more than I had expected. When I have Baby J, I really can't do much...I'm not helping in Cam's class anymore (which doesn't ease my guilt over being a lousy teacher to the kid...) and I'm stuck home with a cranky, clingy, whiny boy. And because his mom just started a new job, they sent her first paycheck to her in the mail...and she didn't get it until today!! We are late on MANY bills...checks bouncing like rubber balls...and I'm still doing the best I can! (She IS going to be able to pay us tomorrow though....YAY!)
With all of my crazy other things, my house has become ground zero. Laundry piles are EVERYWHERE, toys are scattered all over my upstairs, my bed is coming undone when I sleep on it, I haven't done dishes all week, and my vacuuming has stopped. Feeling lousy, just isn't a solution when you have a messy house.
Well, that's it...that's my frustrations....I hope I can handle things better. I just hope....

My Many Jobs

I'm a babysitting machine. Still watching Baby J 4 full days a week, and I'm completely exhausted by the end of EVERY day! Luckily, he's still a good kid, but some days....
On top of this, I'm also starting up a new part-time job. That whole financial planning thing I started last Tuesday was a whirl-wind of getting us so that we can start up with the company too. I'm pretty excited. This company is HUGE, and very well established! :)

Then, I've got my scout training that happened on Saturday. It wouldn't have been SO bad, if it hadn't lasted SEVEN hours! I did pick up some SUPER good advice! And I'm excited to implement it! (Total help with discipline!)

I've actually missed some birthdays, so I HAVE to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to two of my brothers. (One turned 25 today, and the other turned 18 last week.) These brothers are like good friends now...it's about time I have that relationship with them!

And I get to spend tonight with Steve! I can't tell you how much I HATE graveyard shifts! (I just wonder if I got too used to having the bed to myself...)

Hypothetical Question...

What do YOU do when your husband makes a liar out of you?? Just curious...

Free-For-All Friday

It's time for Free-For-All Friday!
If you want to ask me a question -- and anything goes -- here's your chance. You can ask about whatever you wish, no holds barred. I'll either answer honestly, or I'll tell you that I won't answer. (But with me...I'll probably answer you!)

Answering You

One Scrappy Gal said...
Do you think that if Kenickie had been the one to drive Greased Lightning on Thunder Road instead, that they would have won?

Scrappy:

The strange thing about me is that I DO wonder about things like that with movies! I think in my mind, "If these kids had taken a left turn here, their lives would have been better." And continuing the thought even more...I sometimes hope that they WILL take that left turn!

But, if Kenickie (glad you knew how to spell his name, I would have NEVER guessed!) had raced, NO, the race would have been different. He didn't have the (to steal a phrase) "stones" to do what Danny did. Kenickie was NOT meant to be the hero of that movie, so I don't think he would have.

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FrogLegs said...
Would you rather go a week wearing the same clothes but being able to shower. Or, go a week without showering, but be able to change your clothes.

Froggy:

*waving arm crazily* HI LADY!!

Anyway, to get to your question, since I've done it, and survived....I would rather go a week without showering but be able to change my clothes. I mean, I can barely stand my smelly undies when I wake up in the mornings now...clean clothes help...even a little! :)

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Thoroughly Mormon Millie said...
"A hickey from Kenickie is like a Hallmawk cawd. When you care enough to send the very best."

Are you like me? Don't you hate going VTing sometimes?

Millie:

You do the BEST impressions! :)

I detest Visiting Teaching. Does this make me a bad person?? I guess my rotten attitude comes from my relationship with the people I'm paired with. In the past I've had great experiences, but lately...my partner has kids that literally drive me insane, and every lady they give me moves away. Right now, my beat consists of one VERY inactive, annoying, rude lady. GO ME! :( I know I should have a better attitude, try to love this lady and my partner, but it's SO hard! And taking Cameron with my is my only option most days....UGH! I don't want to do it...

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Carrie said...
So, What's got you so burnt out (referring to the lovely picture of the matches)?

Carrie:

I just LOVED the phrase that went with it. If you didn't look at the labels for the match picture...do it....I explained why I'm feeling burned out there!!

(If you're too lazy, it's because I have PMS...I'm just running a million directions at once....I'm just exhausted! I feel like anytime I make a comment it's a negative one. I'm just feeling a bit toxic right now. So if you're around me, you'd better watch out...I'm likely to get us ALL burned!)

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nikko said...
Paper or plastic?

Nikko:

Plastic. (Cameron, however, loves paper!)

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txmommy said...
under or over TP?

and more importantly do you have a good tip for keeping diapers on a girl who insists on taking them off?

txmommy:

Actually, as long as it's on the roll, I really don't care. I USED to care, but even now, I can't really remember what I used to like! I do know that the one time my mom was here, and HAD to potty, she got upset because the tp was under..."It MUST be over," she said!

As for the streaking baby...sorry...no help here! If she's taking them off does that mean she's ready for potty training?? (One can ONLY hope!)

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Anne/kq said...
So, I'm a little late, but I'll ask anyway and hope that it shall be answered.

I have a UTI right now (on top of my cramps.) Ever had one? If so, what did you do to get more comfy while you were treating it (I'm taking cranberry, but hot baths seem to be the only things that help, comfort-wise, and I'm aware that three baths a day isn't really good for my UT health-- or my skin, for that matter.)

Also, do you have In-N-Out there? Ever had it? Heard of it?

Anne/kq:

Happily, I can say I've never had a UTI. So I have no advice. Sorry.

And we DON'T have an In-N-Out...but I have heard of them...and seen them, but only when I was in California.

Watch Out For Me!

Found this, thanks to my little brothers! (Thanks guys!) Feel like it applies to my attitude lately, enjoy!

Scout Wednesday

I was talking with one of my friends last night, and she mentioned how much she enjoys laughing at my scout days!! So just for you! :)

Yes, it was scouts again. And I was in charge....again! BUT, this time, I had a MUCH better time! I think it's because I went into it with DIFFERENT attitude. I had talked with the Primary President today and told her my frustrations and concerns. She told me that if my concern was "controlling" the boys, forget it!! She had tried once, and it didn't work. She even said that this other lady, the BEST in our stake, couldn't control them. I felt better!!

But with everything I had going on today, I think I fared well! (Steve had a meeting at work early this morning, we had a meeting with our financial lady, picking up Cameron from school....) Then scout time came. I packed up both Cameron and Baby J early, and set off for the church. I planned a few activities, but constantly MOVING activities.

The first thing we did, was review the rules. They did well there, but then they decided that they needed drinks and about 4 of them disappeared!! I threatened them saying that if they didn't obey the rules, they couldn't have their "special" treat. They asked if it was edible, and I told them it was, they INSTANTLY came back and sat still! MIRACLE OF MIRACLES!!

After reviewing the rules, I sent them off to the gym. I had an obstacle course set up there and made them do a relay race where they had to wear an apron and two oven mitts, weave their way around chairs and under a chalkboard, and unwrap some smarties. IT WAS HARD!! (I laughed at them trying SO hard to open their candy! Not very nice, am I?) Once they finished, I told them I had ANOTHER game for them.

I had set up a treasure hunt. I made clues and hid things ALL over the building. I read them the first clue, and they were OFF! At each spot, I made them do something before they could go on. Like I made them do sit-ups, push-ups, a game, whatever I could think of. At the end, they had gathered up all the things they needed to decorate some sugar cookies. THEY LOVED IT! (And apparently me too!) We asked the twins, who are 11, if they wanted to move up to the 11 Year Old Scouts (yes, that's what they're REALLY called...someone was feeling SUPER creative when they came up with THAT name!) The one that was there, the other had a doctor appointment, said if we did cool activities like THIS, he'd rather stay where he was! *DOH!* Defeating my own purpose!! Shooting myself in the foot!! (Not what I had wanted!)

Well, the boys made a mess, then I asked them to help me clean, and second miracle...they DID!! Willingly, even!!

Then I cleaned up and went home, hoping to find my cousin waiting for her son, but she wasn't there. I started to worry. Steve and I had a few meetings that we needed to get to, but while still stuck with Baby J, we couldn't go to them. So I sent Steve to drop Cameron off at my mom's house (the one meeting was an adult only meeting...bore little kids to DEATH!) while I waited at home for Caytee. About 5:30, she called. That was when we were supposed to go to our first meeting! The lady called, and we rescheduled, then we hurried off to the OTHER meeting. That meeting was so GOOD! So much good information! And as an added bonus, we met up with some of our good friends who moved from the Ward. LOVE it when THAT happens!

Then we had to hurry out of there, because Steve has to be to work for a graveyard shift tonight, so we picked up Cameron, and went STRAIGHT home.

Today was good, but exhausting.

Oh, and as a quick side note: I FINALLY got my stinkin' contacts!! The first day I had them on I commented to a friend that my eyebrows were FREAKIN' huge!! She asked me if I was channeling my inner muppet...I think I am.

ME=Bert from Sesame Street!

Did you ever notice that Ernie doesn't HAVE eyebrows?? Guess Bert got enough for BOTH of them! :)

Behind the Times

I'm so behind now, that it's pretty pathetic!!

Steve has been off work for a while, and I'm quite enjoying having him around...if you know what I mean?! ;)

Then I went to see Steve's play with Cameron this weekend, and laughed!

Then found out that the "hot" looking bad guy is really gay! (What a waste of cuteness!!)

I changed my mind about going to our ward for church on Sunday after my little sister begged! (Well, she didn't "beg" so much as she just decided it would be better if we went to my parents' ward!)

Then I have been babysitting a very clingy baby!

And now, I'm trying to catch up.

I do love you all, but I'm just overwhelmed right now!

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One funny story, I was outside with Cameron at my mom's house. He wanted me to lower the basketball hoop for him to play. (It's SUPER hard to get back up once it's down...) I told him that I didn't want to put it back up by myself, and that it was probably a bad idea since if we left it down Grandpa would run into it with his truck.

Cam looked at me and asked, "Which grandpa?"

(Mind you, the boy has 5 grandpas!)

I asked him which one he THOUGHT I was talking about. And he answered, "Grandpa Frei?"(pronounced "free.")

I said, "Well, he could run into it too...."

Then in as serious a face as I've ever seen he asked, "What about Grandma Four?"

Free-For-All Friday

It's time for Free-For-All Friday!

If you want to ask me a question -- and anything goes -- here's your chance. You can ask about whatever you wish, no holds barred. I'll either answer honestly, or I'll tell you that I won't answer. (But with me...I'll probably answer you!)

Answering Your Ponderings

Carrie said...
Movie trivia time. What movie, and what character?

"Who's driving this flying umbrella?"

Carrie:

BRAT!! I don't know all movie quotes!! Darn you......BUT I do LOVE IMDB!!

So, thanks to searching there, it was from Robin Hood (the animated Disney one!) and Little John said it. Did you realize that movie came out in 1973?? Wow! Thank you, IMDB!

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Elena said...
Where is your favorite place to go on vacation?

Elena:

I LOVE going camping in Island Park. Is it much of a vacation? Not really, but I love being in my tent. Lounging around, maybe reading a good book, and hearing the rain patter on my tent. It's so relaxing, and Cam totally can play outside! What a concept!!

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Cat said...
Whatcha doin for Easter?

Cat:

We're staying in town this year. (Like we normally do!) And the Easter Bunny WILL make his appearance (I called him to invite him back!) And we'll munch on candy. On Easter I like to follow with a tradition my mom had, I'll make a nice breakfast. I don't want my boys to just gorge on chocolate and jelly beans....

Then after church we're going to my mom's house for Easter dinner...later than everyone else, but we'll still have it. Usually, I'm required by my brothers to make my famous Jello-pretzel salad, but this year, I won't have a way to get it to them before they eat...so I think I'm exempt this year. Otherwise, I'll boil me a few eggs, and make one of MY personal favorite treats: Deviled Eggs! Then we'll just go home, and maybe try to watch either the Lamb of God, or Finding Faith in Christ. Just to remind ourselves of the reason we celebrate Easter!

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One Scrappy Gal said...
Why did they drive the Chevy to the levee, if the levee was dry?

Scrappy:

I'm not quite sure exactly what a levee is. (Don't they have a ton of them in New Orleans??) Anyway, I guess they drove the Chevy to the levee, BECAUSE the levee was dry. There was WAY more room to park if you take away all that extra water! ;)

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Lisa M. said...
Good Q Scrappy gal-

I wanna know what you ordered for breakfast, with Mel & J-

*giggle*

Lisa:

I ordered a Denver Omelet. Now to me and "omelet" means whipped eggs with cheese and something else. At THIS place, you had to order the cheese SEPARATE! Wha!? Yeah, so I ordered a Denver omelet WITH cheese, and 3 buttermilk pancakes! (Smothered the pancakes with strawberry syrup! YUM!)

Meeting New/Old Friends

Meeting friends is SUCH fun!!

I feel really weird when I tell my family that I've got this friend, and well, we've never actually met face-to-face, we met online! *GASP* But now I'm at least ONE more friend closer to having more real-live friends!

I got to meet Miss Froglegs in person today!! I was THRILLED! She had called me last night, and left me this fun, bubbly message, and I was just squealing, "She's called!! SHE'S CALLED!!" Well, we ended up meeting this morning for breakfast. We had a ball! (Well, all except for her kiddo...he was bummed that he couldn't play football anymore.) It was like we had known one another forever (which, if you consider reading someone's inner-most thoughts daily for a year being "forever"...it has been!)

Then the pictures!! Come on...you've just gotta!! So, for your viewing enjoyment...US!

So we didn't QUITE hit it off right away....*mumbling* DELETE!!

Uh...she wants to eat me?

No, overall, it was fun! Like meeting a long lost sister!! Love ya!

Chaos

Scouts.
The bane of my life right now. UGH!
Today was my first time doing the activity all by myself. ALL BY MYSELF! (Yes, the other leader was there, but she had nothing to really do besides wrangling the boys for me while I tried to conduct.)
It was hard!! SO hard! (Yes, I'm whining....sue me!)
This month's theme is Cub Cafe, which means food. A good topic for me, normally. I planned to have multiple activities in case we finished early, and we DID EVERY STINKIN' ACTIVITY! EVERY ONE!!
First I planned for the boys to help me make some "rules of the den." I sat down with a Sharpie in hand, card stock, and asked them what they thought the rules should be. They gave us some REALLY good rules, so I wrote them down...I think we ended up having 5: Obey the leaders. Respect the building. Respect others (aka no hitting, name calling, or swearing.) No running unless we're playing a game. No interrupting. We wrote them down, and then I asked them what we should do if someone breaks a rule...CHAOS ensued!!
Boys started yelling, fighting, and interrupting like CRAZY! One boy suggested that we take the rule breaker and duct tape him to the basketball hoop in the gym. *BUZZ* Wrong answer. Another suggested that the offending boy get sent upstairs for a "time out." UH....*BUZZ* Wrong again.
I suggested that maybe instead of punishing the offenders that we reward the ones who obey the rules. This was cause for MORE chaos! "Unlimited candy!" "A Ferrari!" "Can we go home yet!?"
After that I figured we'd come up with some consequences by next week, and I proceeded with my game.
The first game was a guessing game. I had taken food stuff, put them in bags, and wanted the boys to identify the food by sound and touch. In paper bags, all the food sounded the same! But when I had them feel the food...they all cheated!! CHEATERS!! Some pulled the food out and looked, others threw the food around...and one boy, who has a twin brother, put flour IN his brother's hair! More chaos!
Then I pulled out some fancy-dancy dice I had created, and the boys were to roll the dice to make a full, and complete meal (rolling either: meats, grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy, or fats.) If either dice came up with "fats," their turn was up, and the dice needed to be passed on. I didn't think that the boys would CHUCK the dice all over the room. More chaos!
Finally, I made the boys put their chairs in a circle, and we played a shortened version of "I've never." The boy in the middle of the circle, who didn't have a chair to sit on, had to say a food he'd eaten, and anyone else who had also eaten the food had to get up and switch seats. I didn't count on the boys fighting for being "it!" They REFUSED to sit! (Thanks for following your rules, boys!) Finally, it was the end of the hour (yes, it's only an hour long, but one LONG hour!) So I told them about doing a good deed a day, and sent them on their screaming way.

I'm not going to make it! I thought I could, but it's SO much harder than I thought! I keep trying to remind myself that the Lord KNOWS me, and knows what I can do...I just need to have a little more faith in myself. (New mantra: "I think I can... I think I can....")

Pulling the Santa Card

Do you ever threaten your kids?? I mean, when they're acting SUPER crumby, and ornery?? I admit that I do this CONSTANTLY!

Today, Cameron was literally pitching a fit...throwing things, yelling, screaming, hitting me...yeah, a WONDERFUL day to be a mama. So I swatted his bottom and sent him to time-out. I've been really frustrated with the boy lately, he's been screaming and carrying on like a mad man. Anyway, while he was screaming and throwing things, he banged his glasses into the wall and skewed them so badly that they didn't fit on his head anymore. I was FURIOUS! I attempted to rebend the frames, then I tried to think of a way to get the kid to stop being such a brat. (I don't want baby J to pick up his bad habits...)

The phone was sitting beside me, so I picked it up and began to randomly press numbers, doing my best to make lots of beeping noises, and praying that someone didn't try to call me while I was being a bit evil. As soon as I punched in the numbers I pressed end. Then I held the phone up to my ear, and waited like it was ringing on the other end. (Yes, I'm a mean mommy!) Cam was instantly silent. I asked to speak to the Easter Bunny. Then I proceeded to "tell" the Easter Bunny how ornery and nasty Cam was and that we no longer wanted him to visit our house for Easter. I "hung up" and Cam was looking at me with HUGE tears in his eyes. I then told Cam that if he calmed down, I'd call the Easter Bunny back and ask him to come back. It didn't work! He was back to his fits.

Then I pulled out the BIG guns!! I "called" Santa! The kid was mortified!! I started my conversation by asking how Santa was, then I asked him if he wanted to know what had been going on at my house. But Santa knew....he ALWAYS knows! I said good-bye, and hung up. Cam was much more contrite after I had called the BIG guy! But does it count if you have to pull the Santa card on your child in April!?

Weekend Blabber

Quite a weekend! I made a fast trip to Utah with my family to see my cousin's wedding, then I stayed in town the rest of the time, watching General Conference, trying to see my little sister for a few minutes, and trying to catch up on my sleep!
I did post Free-for-all Friday, but no one seemed to have a question...until I read the comments today! :) I was feeling a little un-loved!

Millie asked me what my favorite thing about my hubby was, and I figured I'd share it now! My favorite thing about my husband is his sense of humor. There are days when I don't really feel like having it around all the time, but I still love him for it. He can say something that just makes me laugh and laugh. Not only that, but the man GETS me! Not only in my depressions, my mumbles, but also in my own humor. There aren't many people I know who actually GET me, so I love that he does!

I think I'm skipping out on MLM for a while. I've got a lot going on in my life...maybe one day I'll catch up!

Babysitting is back up and going. I get to watch baby J everyday this week, and next week too! His mom is training at the credit union, and will be crazy busy! We can definitely tell that it's been a while since baby J was here...he cried non-stop for an hour. Poor kid...he misses his mama! I found a way to make him like me again, though! I fed the boy little pieces of animal cookies! He's now my friend again! :)

I'm so excited for this weekend! Easter is way fun! But I get to meet one of my friends! LOL I'm so excited! Maybe I should email the lady! That WOULD be a good thing! And my sister and her husband are supposed to come back up here for another visit this weekend...maybe I'll see them this time! (LOVE YA, SHELL!)

Easter brings to mind my favorite candy of ALL time: Cadbury Cream Eggs! YUMMY! And I've been SUPER good this year...I haven't had ANY! (Shopping this week should fix that though!) There's just something about having candy that makes me happy!

I've also been talking with one of my really good friends. I met her at her mom's house on Thursday night, and we talked from 6:00 pm until 3:30 am!! It's definitely been awhile!! I really miss that girl! She needs to move back here! ;) We just talked about anything and everything. She's one of the few people in this world who knows absolutely EVERYTHING about me! Love her!! Miss her!!

I loved Conference this weekend! (Well, what I caught of it anyway!) It always seems like the topics they pick are especially pertinent in my life at THAT moment! It seemed like almost everyone talked about forgiveness! The other one that hit me between the eyes was Elder Oaks' talk about divorce. I LOVED it!! It always proves to me that the Lord knows what we need to hear, and sends us His messages through his prophets!

Crazy weather is back! We've had a lot of windstorms and rain/snow storms move through this area. I'm being pretty stubborn, and I refuse to turn the heat back on. (Maybe that's why my fingers are always freezing!)

I hope to do more with this week than I did last week, but with me being in charge of scouts this month, I don't know how I'll handle it! I'm so scared, but I'm sure the boys really won't remember much of it!

Oh, and one more thing...I WAS going to play a super-fun trick on Steve for April Fools' day, but I got lazy...plus, I realized it's way more fun to cuddle and make-out with the man instead of driving him crazy! :)