Where I said...what?

I rarely ever look at my site referrals. How people get onto this site. But I did look at it today...since I changed things up with it being mid-year and all.

But WHY are people coming here via gambling sites? Poker? Huh? Why would someone link to ME on one of those sites? It's strange. Totally strange. [shaking head]

Do you ever look at your referral links? Do you find that folks are going to your site via UNUSUAL places? Kind of freaks me out. It's weird. It is.

Any of you gambling people reading this? Why would you come to my site via a gambling site? I'm curious....

Family health update

I mentioned earlier this month about the fact that the Hubs' aunt (Aunt C) was diagnosed with cancer.

Aunt C wasn't comfortable with the doctor that initially diagnosed her condition. She went in to get a second opinion. Her sister (Aunt B) and her niece (HH - the Hubs' cousin) went with her. Turns out this second doctor provided much more information and reassurance to the Aunt C.

In the surgery performed earlier this month, they removed a 3cm tumor. Further testing found that Aunt C has Triple-Negative Breast Cancer. She is going to go through a 12-week course of chemo treatment. She'll go through 5 to 7 weeks of radiation about a week or so after the chemo treatments are complete.

Of course, there were a lot of questions. Aunt C has a bipolar disorder. She went through episodes several years ago. It's something that no one has discussed in ages because the disorder is under control. The effects or possible reoccurrence of her mental state due to the cancer treatment. THAT is the question that the first physician skirted past. But this second doctor actually addressed it. HH is in healthcare, so she was able to understand the answers provided. HH was also able to ask the "next" questions once initial answers were provided. It was SO good that HH was there for the appointment.

[sigh]

I know that my MIL is extremely worried about her sister. Her younger sister. I'm comforted by the fact that Aunt C has so much family all around her. She lives with the Hubs' grandpa. And there are a lot of siblings and their families that live within an hour's driving time. It's good that there's a bunch of support around.

It's just difficult when you know the difficult situation something is facing. A health issue. There is nothing we can do from here. We just have to hope and pray that the cancer was caught in enough time so that the treatments will eliminate the cancer. You know? We can only hope. That everything works out.

Plip-plop-plip

There is nothing more unsettling than a sudden raging afternoon thunderstorm.

Our tree in the front yard looked like it was dancing in the wind. Branches were being tossed around to and fro. I was SO glad that the Hubs finally had trimmed that puppy up each weekend. A lot less heavy on the one side of the tree. Our tree had been growing lopsided for a while there. About 2 months ago, I asked the Hubs to trim up the heavy side. Just 3 weeks ago he started trimming gradually. He'd been just trimming the low hanging branches. I finally had to TELL him what to cut off. Anyway, I'm glad he finally got to it. Because we didn't loose our tree this afternoon.

But that storm BLEW in suddenly around 3pm. I watched our tree dancing and left the Hubs a message about how I was glad he'd trimmed it up. I went and got some water and played a little with the Bear. Then I sat back down in the office, which is the front room to the left of our front door. Our living/dining area is to the right of our front door. Anyway, I sat back down with a glass of water and was logging back in when...

Drip-drop-drip-drop...

Yes. It was raining outside. But the sound of the drips? THAT sound was coming from [gulp] INSIDE!

I looked at the window in the office and dag-nabbit! There was water on the window sill. I opened up the shutters all the way and looked up. Water drops at the top of the window. HOLY GUACAMOLE! Our window was leaking. And the wind was blowing right onto that window. Which meant the rain was driving right into that window. Which meant....

I RAN FOR TOWELS!!!

I came back and threw a towel on the sill. I then went back and grabbed a barstool and brought it into the office. I had to stand on the barstool to reach to top of the window. The water was coming in right at the top seam. Where they caulk the window? Right THERE! So I stood there with my arms up holding a towel. I didn't want the water to drip down. I wanted to catch it so that the water was contained.

I was freaking out people. Because the storm was still raging. And it was time to leave to pick up the Princess from the Y. What to do? What to do? I grabbed my phone and called the Hubs to tell him what was up. But he didn't pick up his work phone. I mean, I asked him this morning if he was in meetings today and he said no. So where the heck was he? I stood there holding the towel stewing in anger at the Hubs unavailability.

What to do? What to do? I grabbed my cell and scrolled and found the number of the development's long-term customer service coordinator (LTCSC).

Me: Hi LTCSC. I've got a problem.
LTCSC: What's up?
Me: I have the 2-story and we've got a leak in the front room. The office that can be a bedroom?
LTCSC: A leak? Where is it?
Me: It's coming from the top of the window. At the seam?
LTCSC: Okay. I can't do anything about it now. I'll come by tomorrow.
Me: Tomorrow?
LTCSC: Is 11 okay for you?
Me: Yes. That'll be fine. Um...what do you think I should do about it now?
LTCSC: Just put some towels down. Um...I'll see you tomorrow.
Me: Okay. Well, just to let you know...I work from home. So if you can come by earlier that's would be okay.
LTCSC: Okay. See you tomorrow.

Great solution. Put some towels down. Oy! We happen to have hardwood floors in this particular room, so I don't want any water getting down past the sill. If that current little leak (which is a big leak to me) doesn't get fixed pretty quick, it'll be a lot more costly repair. What a headache!

Let me tell you that the storm lasted for almost an hour. So there I was holding freaking towels up against the top of the window. I actually called the Hubs 3 times before he picked up. When I finally got a hold of him? He didn't even know that I'd called and left messages several times already. He was oblivious. So when I spewed out the situation he got all confused.

Hubs: Now, what did I agree to do?
Me: You need to pick up the Princess from the Y. NOW. Because I don't want to leave the window. I don't know if it's going to rain again or not.

Needless to say. He was a bit grouchy when he got home. But...HELLO....I was the one holding towels up against the window for an hour. I'm the one who was stressed out and dealing with the WATER. COMING. IN. THE. HOUSE.

[sigh]

So tomorrow I'll be chatting in person with the LTCSC about the leak. I'm going to point out to him some other minor wall issues that have come up since we moved in. A couple popped nails. Some corner seams coming up. Minor. Very minor in comparison to water coming into the house.

And how has your day been?

Possible...potential...maybe...we'll see...

Y'all know that the Hubs and I are hoping to find jobs in the city where I grew up.

We've both been sending out our resumes to places. I send mine out. He sends his out. I know how much time I am investing in this effort. I have no idea how much time the Hubs is putting in. I am really getting stressed about it. The timing thing, you know? With summer vacation and the 2008-2009 school year. Yes. Timing is everything.

On Tuesday night, I got a call. But I was getting the kids ready for bed, so I let the phone ring. After the kids were tucked away in their beds, I dialed into voicemail. It was a call from San Jose. Huh? The voicemail said that I'd applied for an opening in San Jose. Huh? Yeah. So I had to call the gal back and let her know that it was a mistake. That I didn't realize the position was actually in San Jose. She totally understood. But it was a positive because she was interested in me. What she wanted to know was how long it would take me to move out there in the event that I was presented with an offer. So that's how I'm going to view it. SOMEONE wanted me! Too bad the job was more than a few hundred miles away from where I actually want to be.

But on Wednesday, I had a phone interview with another company. It was with the HR manager, but I felt it went well. I was positive and in good spirits. I smiled as I spoke to her. I do believe that people can "hear" when you're in a positive mood. And that smiling on my end helps convey the feeling. You know? But we only spoke for about 25 minutes and I felt good afterward. I let her know that I'd be in town and available to speak in person on Thursday. So...hopefully I'll hear from her about arranging a time to see them next week. [crossing fingers]

I'll continue sending out my resume. And I did ask the Hubs if I could send his out for him. You know what? Before I send his out? I'm going to modify the look of it. It's too stale for me. Doesn't catch my eye. And he definitely IS a catch. Folks just can't tell from how his resume reads. I'm just going to add some polish to it. Spiff it up. We'll see if I get any 'catches' with my version. And yes. I did ask his permission. He is well aware that I am going to make it prettier.

Now would you change your spouses' resume? Would they mind?

Are y'all out yet?

I've been catching up on reading blogsites this week and realize that some parents are JUST having to deal with summer vacation. JUST NOW?

Goodness! I've been dealing with summer vacation for at least a month now. A MONTH! We've already sent the kids away to my ILs for a week. We've already gone for a visit to see my family. We'll be heading out to see them again next week. This is my daughter's 3rd week at Y camp. My son is finishing up another session of swim lessons. Yes. A month goes by really quickly.

But it's already almost July 4th, so I was very surprised to read that some parents are just now dealing with their kids being home. Have you now been hearing..."I'm bored. What can I do?" That phrase is something that totally grates my soul. Grrr....My daughter says that at least once a weekend.

Alas, we have to move forward and onward. The kids need things to do. And my daughter? She does well with "assignments". The assignments she enjoys the most are 'homework' type of things. Math problems. Reading comprehension stuff. So I loaded up on workbooks from Barnes & Noble before school ended. And she's done well with them. The Bear is happy to just dress up in different costumes each day and play scenarios for that character.

Next week both kids will be home. But since it's a short week, we'll only have 2.5 days alone. We're leaving early on July 2nd for the drive out to see my family. I've already figured out that we'll have "school" work each morning. Hit the library. Go to the movies (use our 'free admittance' vouchers). Do some art. Then we'll have a few days with my family again! Woohoo!

But the week after our visit? I'll have the both kids for five full days. ARGH! I didn't sign the Princess up for Y camp because I thought we were staying with my family thru that Monday. But alas, the Hubs has some important meeting that meeting. What to do? What to do? I just found out this morning that the swim school has a "power week" of classes. Ta-da! That takes about 2 hours out of our day. Because we have to get ready and then drive out there and then there's one class and then the other class and then driving home. Ha! Hopefully this will curb any "I'm bored" statements. [crossing fingers]

Now how many camps or activities do you have your kids signed up for this summer?

She was all smiles

This afternoon we picked up the Princess from the Y a little later than we have been.

Why? Because she wanted to go swimming this week.

When I initially signed her up for Y camp this year, I asked the Princess about what we she wanted to do. What she did NOT want to do was swim.

Princess: Mommy? I don't want to swim. Could you just pick me up when we get back to the Y?

Okey-dokey. So that's what I did. I filled in the paperwork that she didn't want to swim.

But last week? When it was 114 degrees? She changed her mind.

Princess: Mommy? Do you think I can go swimming next week?
Me: You sure babe?
Princess: Yes. I'd like to.
Me: Okay. I'll find out from someone about changing that for you.

This morning I cornered one of the older (more knowledgeable) counselors and got it all fixed up. So this afternoon? Like I mentioned, the Bear and I drove out a little later to get the Princess. When we got to the pool area, I wasn't sure where to look. The big pool? The little pool? I searched and searched. And then I saw her. She was on the deep part of the more shallow pool. She looked up and saw me a couple seconds after I saw her. And her face broke out in a HUGE grin. Then she swam over to the shallow side of the pool. She did the doggy-paddle, but she got across fine.

She was SO happy! She actually got a green bracelet. Each Monday, the campers have a "swim" test before everyone gets into the pool. And each campers gets a color-coded bracelet based upon their swim level. Last year, the Princess had a red bracelet. That mean she had to stay in the little pool. Now with the green? She's allowed to go into either pool. It's a HUGE deal. HUGE! She was even allowed to use the big slide. So my Princess? She is going to 'swim' the rest of this week.

I think she realizes now why I got her into swim lessons in February. Some might think I was crazy when I mentioned it MONTHS ago. But now my Princess sees the results. She's more comfortable in the water. She's now got skills. And I'm THRILLED that she is having a good time.

The sound that warms my heart

I already mentioned that I brought the kiddos to see Kung Fu Panda the other day.

It was SO much fun!

We went to the theater right after we picked up the Princess. The 4pm show. And what was great? There were only about 10 people in the theater with us. TEN. PEOPLE. Yes. It was very empty, but it was good. Why?

Oh my goodness. When there was a chase scene or fight scene? The Bear was kicking his feet in excitement. AND the two were laughing up a storm. Those genuine excited BELLY laughs? It was fantastic. Such glee in their laughter. Since there were so few people in the theater, I let the kids laugh as much as they wanted. It was too cute.

Unfortunately, right when the bad character was making his way back into the main city....the lights in the theater came on. Yes. The front lights went on with the film running and no sound. Then about a minute later, the movie went out and the emergency lights went on. Okay.... It turns out that the electricity went out in the building. The electricity was soon fixed and all but they couldn't rewind the film. So we missed a good 3 minutes.

The kids didn't care. But me? I wanted some sort of apology or fix. And what did I get? I got 3 vouchers to return to the theater to watch a movie for free. FREE!

I think I'll be taking the kids out to see WALL-E when it comes out. And I'll take them to an early show as well. Oh yeah! The Princess doesn't attend YMCA camp that week of July 4th. I'll take the kids then. Woohoo!

But don't you just LOVE when your kids do that full belly laugh? When was the last time you heard it?

Running things solo

I've been pretty silent the last couple of weeks, eh?

Last week, the kids and I went to visit my folks. Wednesday thru Saturday.

This week, the Hubs was gone on a business trip. Wednesday to late Friday night (after the kids were in bed).

It's just that having to run the whole sha-bang without the Hubs takes a toll on me. [sigh] It's not only a physical kind of thing. It's also an emotional drain. I have to get the kids up and ready for the day. I've got to keep the sanity level in the house and not let them get too wild. I've got to fix breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I've got to get them showered and into bed. All alone. And as a solo parent, I had to stay patient. And holding my temper is what really drained me. [sigh]

I know there are ladies and gentlemen out there that parent all by themselves. But me? I'm not used to running the house by myself. The Hubs and I pretty much try to spread the responsibilities out evenly between us. He takes charge of one kid and I take charge of the other. So there's a lot more to do when he's gone. I'm sure if he was gone for a long time (which I pray to will never-ever happen) that I'd get used to the routine of doing things solo. But I'm used to him sharing the load. You know?

I did have a talk with the kids the morning the Hubs left in the darkness of VERY early morning. I asked the kidlings to "help" me when the Hubs is gone. And they both certainly do try. As much as a 5- and 7-year-old can help.

To reward the kids? I took them to see Kung Fu Panda and then out to Cold Stone. Movie and then ice cream? Woohoo! It was a win-win situation. And they felt good about contributing to the success of our threesome time together. Of course, the two did argue. It's hard NOT to argue at their age. But the bickering was a lot less it seemed.

Once I had the kids in bed, I still had things to do. More clean-up. More organization work. Me being tired meant that I spent less time on the computer. Therefore, I couldn't post. And I couldn't read what has been up with YOU all! I've missed ya! But I'll get out in the blogosphere catching up and commenting tonight/tomorrow. So watch out! Here I come!

Riding on out to the west side

Like I mentioned before, this was my first long trip in ages. Even the Princess knows this. When I told her that she, the Bear, and I were going to see my folks….she made the comment, “Really? You’ve NEVER done that drive before.” Yes. She knows that I’m normally a passenger. But this time? I was the only adult on the drive. Me. Only Me.

You all know that the Hubs does all our drives. He is the one who drives my car when we’re out as a family on the weekends. He is the one who drives his car when we’re out on a date. He is OUR driver. I normally just drive the kids to and fro to appointments and activities. Short drives.

But let me say that I LOVE the fact that my vehicle has cruise control. I actually called the Hubs when I reached Interstate 8. I waited until then because there’s normally a bunch of folks on Interstate 10.

Me: It’s me.
Hubs: Hey, what’s up?
Me: How do you turn on the cruise control?
Hubs:You at the speed you basically want to be at?
Me: Yes.
Hubs: Then hit the ON button. See how it feels then use the plus or minus button to get to where you want to be.
Me: Okay.

People? Cruise control just about saved my life! I don’t think I could have handled that six hour drive without cruise control. Seriously. My foot would have fallen off. Having that break for my foot and my leg to be in THAT position? To be able to sit with my legs in a comfy position? It was totally awesome. All I had to think about was keeping the car in my lane – as the 8 is relatively a straight shot into California. I didn’t have to think about keeping my foot steady on the pedal for more than 6 hours.

In the open sections, I kept the cruise control on set at 75 mph. And it was all good. No need to think about being stopped by police cars. Out there in the open, they pretty much concentrate on folks doing more than 5 mph over the speed limit. What did pretty much immediately was figure out how to "Cancel" and "Resume" the cruise control so that I could pass vehicles. I wanted to be able practice what I would do before I had to actually DO it. It was easy. YEAH!

The kids were pretty wonderful on the trip out. Ate their snacks. Drank their water. Played their handheld games. Watched their DVDs. They really were low-maintenance. All I had to do was change out their DVDs. And the DVD in my car? It’s SO easy to change out even when I’m driving. I just kept all the extra DVDs in the front passenger seat. I was able to eject and load a DVD in less than 30 seconds. EASY! Thankfully, my car came with a DVD remote so the Princess was able to start/stop the movies as needed.

Of course, when we stopped for gas around 1pm we also got out to get some lunch AND stretch out. I bought kids meals for both the kids and a sandwich for myself. Wouldn’t you know it? The kids barely ate their meals. ARGH! But they were in pleasant moods so I let it go. Just as long as they both stayed hydrated and happy…that’s all I wanted.

The second half of the drive out was pretty easy. I was a little nervous about having to pass slower vehicles on the two lane highway. Thankfully my car has good pickup speed and I was able to pass cars with no trouble. What I found interesting was how close some folks drove to the car in front of them. There was one grey Accord that followed a little too close to the white van in front of him. Whenever the van moved, the Accord followed. Too close. But that’s my own opinion. The Accord didn’t do any of the leading at all. He was just following. I was able to pass this dynamic duo at one point as the white van didn’t move into the left lane as it approached a slower moving vehicle on the right.

We arrived at my folks’ house around 4:30pm – only 6 ½ hours after we left. I made good time for a first-time driver, eh? We ended up going out to dinner with Lil Sis, Shorty, and my folks. YUM!

Riding on out to the west side

Like I mentioned before, this was my first long trip in ages. Even the Princess knows this. When I told her that she, the Bear, and I were going to see my folks….she made the comment, “Really? You’ve NEVER done that drive before.” Yes. She knows that I’m normally a passenger. But this time? I was the only adult on the drive. Me. Only Me.

You all know that the Hubs does all our drives. He is the one who drives my car when we’re out as a family on the weekends. He is the one who drives his car when we’re out on a date. He is OUR driver. I normally just drive the kids to and fro to appointments and activities. Short drives.

But let me say that I LOVE the fact that my vehicle has cruise control. I actually called the Hubs when I reached Interstate 8. I waited until then because there’s normally a bunch of folks on Interstate 10.

Me: It’s me.
Hubs: Hey, what’s up?
Me: How do you turn on the cruise control?
Hubs: You at the speed you basically want to be at?
Me: Yes.
Hubs: Then hit the ON button. See how it feels then use the plus or minus button to get to where you want to be.
Me: Okay.

People? Cruise control just about saved my life! I don’t think I could have handled that six hour drive without cruise control. Seriously. My foot would have fallen off. Having that break for my foot and my leg to be in THAT position? To be able to sit with my legs in a comfy position? It was totally awesome. All I had to think about was keeping the car in my lane – as the 8 is relatively a straight shot into California. I didn’t have to think about keeping my foot steady on the pedal for more than 6 hours.

In the open sections, I kept the cruise control on set at 75 mph. And it was all good. No need to think about being stopped by police cars. Out there in the open, they pretty much concentrate on folks doing more than 5 mph over the speed limit. What did pretty much immediately was figure out how to "Cancel" and "Resume" the cruise control so that I could pass vehicles. I wanted to be able practice what I would do before I had to actually DO it. It was easy. YEAH!

The kids were pretty wonderful on the trip out. Ate their snacks. Drank their water. Played their handheld games. Watched their DVDs. They really were low-maintenance. All I had to do was change out their DVDs. And the DVD in my car? It’s SO easy to change out even when I’m driving. I just kept all the extra DVDs in the front passenger seat. I was able to eject and load a DVD in less than 30 seconds. EASY! Thankfully, my car came with a DVD remote so the Princess was able to start/stop the movies as needed.

Of course, when we stopped for gas around 1pm we also got out to get some lunch AND stretch out. I bought kids meals for both the kids and a sandwich for myself. Wouldn’t you know it? The kids barely ate their meals. ARGH! But they were in pleasant moods so I let it go. Just as long as they both stayed hydrated and happy…that’s all I wanted.

The second half of the drive out was pretty easy. I was a little nervous about having to pass slower vehicles on the two lane highway. Thankfully my car has good pickup speed and I was able to pass cars with no trouble. What I found interesting was how close some folks drove to the car in front of them. There was one grey Accord that followed a little too close to the white van in front of him. Whenever the van moved, the Accord followed. Too close. But that’s my own opinion. The Accord didn’t do any of the leading at all. He was just following. I was able to pass this dynamic duo at one point as the white van didn’t move into the left lane as it approached a slower moving vehicle on the right.

We arrived at my folks’ house around 4:30pm – only 6 ½ hours after we left. I made good time for a first-time driver, eh? We ended up going out to dinner with Lil Sis, Shorty, and my folks. YUM!

Onward to the next level?

My sister's 3 kids are involved in a private track and field team. The private team allows all 3 kids to be involved in ONE activity all together. This is a BIG deal. I mean, they are 8, 10, and 14. They go to the same practices. They go to the same track meets.

This last weekend, the kids had a regular track meet. But it wasn't really a regular one. It was the meet where the team would determine which members would qualify to go to the next level. And WHAT is the next level? To go to the Junior Olympics. Big deal, eh? Members with a 4th place or higher finish would qualify to attend the Junior Olympics.

My 8-year-old nephew got an 8th place finish in the 100M, 10th place in the 200M and 6th place in the long jump.

My 9-year-old niece ended with an 7th place in the 100M and 6th place in the long jump.

My 14-year-old nephew got a 6th place in the 100M, a 2nd place in the javelin, and first place in the long jump and shot put.

YES!

My oldest nephew qualified for THREE EVENTS!

I am so excited for him. He is seriously a natural athlete. AND he's a nice young man. Right now he's attending a leadership conference. It's one of those "by invitation only" conferences too. An athlete. A nice guy. A good leader. AND he's smart too! He got all straight A's once more. Whew....tires me out just thinking what he'll become when he grows up.

Look out world! My nephew is going to make a HUGe impace in this world!

Road trip!

It's 7:30am right now.

The kids and I will be heading out on our roadtrip in about 2 hours.

I've already got the car packed. All I need to throw in is the small cooler, a couple pillows, water bottles, and my purse. [woo-woo!]

But first? We have to head to the Bear's swim lessons at 8:30. This session started on Monday and I don't want to miss out on any classes. Last session, the Prin missed 2 classes due to her surgery. The Bear missed one. I mean, the kids progress so much with each lesson!

Why'd I pack the car already if we're going to head to the swim lesson first? Because it's only going to get hotter in another 2 hours. And I don't want to be SWEATING as I start the drive. Yes. There is this thing called air conditioning, but why be all sweaty and tired right when I get into my car? Hmmm?

The kids are excited about our little adventure. I'm a little nervous. But it'll be good. A trip alone with the kiddos. We can go as leisurely as I want to go. I won't have to feel like I'm dragging the Hubs around. He's kind of quiet when we're with my family. So when we make last minute decisions for this trip? I'm going to be the only decision-maker. A-HA!

Wish me luck! I'll be back online this Sunday when I get back home.

And the countdown begins...

In less than 24 hours I'll be on the road with my children. On the open straight road. If you've had a road-trip from Arizona to Southern California, you KNOW what I'm talking about. Interstate 8.

Since it's a pretty straight drive into Southern California, it can get pretty boring. As a passenger, I often fall asleep at some point or another. But I will be driving tomorrow. I'll be the ONLY driver! ARGH!

The kids and I went to the video store this morning so that they could each select a DVD to bring for the trip. I made a trip to the bank to get some dinero. On the road, I like to travel wish cold, hard cash. This way I stick to my budget. If I use my debit card? I can easily run amuck. SO. EASY.

I've got the kids clothes all packed. I haven't done a thing for myself. I've got two interviews scheduled for Thursday. I've printed out resumes and references. I've got my 2 forms of identification. I think I've got paperwork all set. I've still got to get an outfit together. Actually I'm thinking of taking two outfits. One for my definite interviews on Thursday. Another outfit for possible interviews I'll have on Friday. For my for-sure interviews, I think I'm opting for my black slacks and a french blue cotton long-sleeve shirt with white pearls. Classic. Simple. Fits the image of my profession.

[sigh]

I think the laundry is now done. I've got stuff that I want to bring in the bunch there. Gotta run for now. LOTS to do!

The Knucklehead reigns supreme once more

Last Saturday (May 30) we had our block party. Fun. A blast.

Turns out that my Neighbor Across The Street (NATS) only showed up for a short time. That Friday, the day before the extravaganza, we found out that NATS had been dealing with the stomach flu. Okay. Fine. But NATS wife said that due to his illness that she'd been having to do triple duty at home. She had to take care of the kids once she got home from her 50-hour a week job. Then she had to take of NATS Mom, who is convalescing at their house with her broken leg.

About 3 weeks ago NATS flew out to California to bring his Mom to the house. She lived alone and all the kids lived far away. With a broken leg and her advanced age she needed assistance. And NATS volunteered his home. What's crucial here? Is that she is advanced in her years and tends to need to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Yes she does. So during the workweek NATS had been waking and helping his Mom to the bathroom.

But with the stomach flu? He was just TOO weak to wake up and help his Mom. Who did that leave? NATS wife. The wife who already worked a 50-hour job with a 1.5 hour commute. So last week she had to get up and help her MIL to the bathroom in the middle of the night. This may be the reason I saw NATS wife drink at least 3 HUGE glasses of white wine at the block party. She needed to blow off some steam.

I guess taking care of her MIL and her husband and her kids were taking a toll. She did tell me that one night after her kids were in bed that she had to go to the grocery store because there was nothing at the house. That NATS was too weak to go to the store. Goodness!

Is it just me or is NATS a wimpy guy? Fine. You have the stomach flu. I had the stomach flu a couple months ago. The one that lasted about a week? Yes. It was horrible I felt nauseous every single day. I was lucky to be able to have one meal a day. But I still continued taking care of the house and the kids. Like who else was going to do it? The Hubs? He works outside our house. He didn't need to deal with a whole host of issues when he'd come home each day. A couple nights he did prepare dinner but that's it. I'd just fix something and then not eat. Simple.

On Saturday (June 6), my neighbor J who had been deployed for several months finally came home. When I was chatting with J and P I found out that NATS had another incident. Another one? Yes. I guess P got a harried call from NATS on Friday.

NATS: Hi P. Are you busy right now?
P: No. What's up?
NATS: I was hoping you could drive me over to Urgent Care.**
P: Sure. I'll be over in a minute.

Turns out that NATS dropped a brick on his foot. A brick? Yes. He's having a pool put into his backyard and there's tile and all that being laid this coming week. I guess he was cleaning up the area in the backyard and dropped a brick on his foot. P said it left a big gash and broke NATS big toe. Yes. He broke his big toe. I know what you're thinking. Knucklehead. And you'd be right. He IS a knucklehead.

And now? I'm sure that NATS wife is again pulling triple duty. As I'm sure he's hobbling around with his injured foot. AHHH!!!! I can't wait to see how NATS wife is doing this next weekend. I wonder how much wine she'll consume?



**The Urgent Care is less than half a mile from our house. So it's not a big deal to have to get over there.

The Boys are Back in Town

We had an early dinner last night. It happens on Saturdays. So we decided to take a walk through the neighborhood.

Our walk? It was MUCH shorter than expected as the kids took their scooters. And the Bear? He isn't the best at it. I ended up having to ride his scooter back up the street. The Princess was tickled pink that I was riding the Bear's scooter. That just influenced her to "beat" me by whizzing quickly on the sidewalk. It always seems to be a race with her. But I enjoyed it and so did she.

Since our walk ended early, we stayed out in the front of the house. The Hubs trimmed a couple of the bushes. The Bear threw rocks in the ditch beside our house. The Princess and I took seedling pods off our trees -- these eventually fall off and make a huge mess under the tree.

As we work in the front yard, we look up as each car drives by. We smile and wave to the folks we know. We just do a quick wave to those we don't know personally. It's the courteous thing to do in our neighborhood. Well...last night I glanced and saw one of our neighbors that I do know drive up the street. I stopped what I was doing and turned to wave and saw my gal-pal P neighbor and HIM!

Saw who? I saw the man-of-the-house. My gal-pal's husband - J!!!!

[doing the happy dance]

J has been in the Middle East since February. He's in the National Guard. This was his 3rd deployment in the 3 years that we've lived in our neighborhood. THIRD. DEPLOYMENT. He's been deploying pretty regularly since all the hub-bub in the Middle East. He's a helicopter pilot and his services are greatly needed. This deployment is his last. He is now taking on a non-deployable instructor position.

J and P are the nicest people. They were actually the FIRST neighbors we officially met. We were checking on the house as it was being built and THEY were doing the same thing. We all happened to converge in the sales office at the same time with questions. That was when we met and found that we'd be neighbors. They live in the cul-de-sac that we had originally wanted to live in. The cul-de-sac that only has homes on one side of it. And they? Live at the end of the Q-tip portion it. Anyway, we have the same basic floorplan so we chatted about what options we selected. It was nice. After we spoke with the sales office we went to our homes to check on the status. What was funny is P knocked on the door of our place to see inside. She saw our cabinets and our stair railings and then....our fireplace. She noticed that the gas shut-off was no in the front.

P: Wait. Where is your gas shut-off valve?
Me: Oh. We asked them to put it on the side instead of the front. We didn't want it sticking out through the tiles in the front.
P: And they moved it?
Me: Yes.
P: Okay. We didn't know we could do that...I'm going to have to send J in here.
Me: Okay. Cool.

Well, J came in and saw the valve was sticking out of the side rather than the front of the fireplace. He was all up in arms. He couldn't believe that this wasn't an option that the salespeople provided. Needless to say, they had the builder move THEIR fireplace valve to the side. I mean, they have FOUR boys. The possibility of that valve getting bumped if it was sticking out the front? Quite high. Bumping it while it's on the side? MUCH slimmer possibility.

So that was our first interaction with J and P. It was actually P who got the block party organized last week. She's the one who got the jump castle and the water balloons.

Yesterday, I saw that J was in the van with the rest of his family. I walked into the cul-de-sac because I HAD to say hi. The kids rode their scooters over. Another one of the cul-de-sac neighbors was out with her 1.5 year old. So we all gathered to welcome J home.

J was scheduled to be home on Thursday. On Thursday morning, I saw P and she said he was delayed and would be home on Friday. So when I welcomed him home he told me that he'd only been home for four hours. WTF? So his homecoming was delayed yet another day. But he was home! YEAH! All four boys were all smiles telling me about seeing the big plane that held the helos.

We're all so happy that J is home. He's made it through all of his deployments. He's safely home. Now P can take a breather. She's held it together through all the deployments. With four boys there are a LOT of activities. LOTS!

For those of you wondering why we didn't schedule the block party for J's return? Three weeks ago, we had no inkling that J would be coming home. We wanted the boys to have something to look forward to. I know about delayed returns as the Hubs was in the Navy. We wanted the boys to have something FUN to do. And it was good fun. I thought it was important that J and P to have their own welcome home party as a family. After being gone, I wanted them to have their family time. You know?

We can now have another summer party as a welcome home. Another party? Who's up for that?

Another friendly tiff

My daughter had a playdate this afternoon. It's one of our neighborhood girls. The girl who had her late birthday party last week.

The girls played nicely together. There was a bit of destruction. My daughter's closet door is off the bottom track. Apparently, my son pushed the girl and she landed on the closet door. My son does not normally push his sister, so this was an unusual event. The girl left our refrigerator door open after she grabbed a yogurt for a snack. It was WIDE open. Then there was the going home. Neither girl seemed happy. The Princess didn't want to want her friend back to her house, which I thought was odd. So...I KNEW that something had happened.When I got back home I found the answer to the tension. Apparently, this girl said "Your house is boring!"

My daughter started crying softly into my chest. She felt horrible. She didn't know what to say or do. She was all befuddled with mixed up emotions. All the Princess wanted to do was spend time with her friend and have fun. How hard is that?

I just couldn't believe that girl was so rude. That she would say that to my daughter's face. That she would be so insensitive. She's played at our house more than a dozen times. But it's the age I guess. When girls test their words and see how hurtful they can be. This incident? BREAKS the bonds between the girls pretty severely.

My daughter and I agree that this girl is NOT going to be invited to our house for a LONG time. Nope. I'm not going to have her over. No way. No how. She can invite the Prin over to her house. She made my daughter feel bad. And she was rude. And destructive.

Have YOU not allowed one of your children's friends over? Why? What happened?

Marketing myself [ugh]

I hate interviews. I seriously do. I hate talking about myself. Talking about what I can do. I'm very uncomfortable with the entire process.

What's funny is that I was a recruiter for a small period of time. I enjoyed it. I REALLY enjoyed talking to the people who sent in resumes. I think that due to my being uncomfortable with the process from my own personal perspective allowed me conscious about how I came across to folks. I felt it was my duty to help them feel at ease. And they did. We'd chat and chat. I really got to know them. Because they were relaxed, I was able to ask questions and they'd answer without being guarded. It was great.

But now? It's my turn to have to talk about myself. It's the ONLY way I can get a new job though. I can't just blink my eyes and have a new position. I'm no genie. I have to work for it. I have to get myself OUT there. I have to get people to want me. Uh? Do YOU want me? Ha!

I can do this.
I can do that.
My accomplishments at this job were....

So I'm going out next week to the city I grew up. I spent a couple hours today sending out my resume to places and stating in my cover letter that I'd be in-town next Thursday and Friday. IF anyone was interested in speaking with me. I said right on my cover letter that I'm looking for a job PRIOR to my official move into the area. That means I ain't moving until I've been signed up for a job.

AND since the Hubs has to work his current office job, I have to take the kids with me. I'm going to drive almost 400 miles with the kids (it'll be an 800 mile round-trip). A drive I've never done before. The Hubs ALWAYS does the drive. I'm a bit nervous about it. I have to do a mountain climb. I'm thoroughly dreading the entire experience, but I have to do it. I have to because I want a new job in the city I grew up in.

It seems that companies aren't even considering people who aren't local. I'm not asking these companies to pay for my relocation either. The Hubs and I will pay for the move. We just need new jobs. [sigh]

But can you believe that I'll be going through two experiences that I dread? Interviewing and driving over 100 miles in one sitting.

Good times with my little guy

I surprised my little boy with another outing to the movies. Yes! Another movie date with Mommy!

He didn't know we were going to the movies and kind of law-le-gaggled when I told him we were going out on errands. But he perked up BIG time when we rolled into the theater parking lot.

Our local theater has free movies at 10am every weekday this summer. Yes. FREE. Every weekday. Monday. Tuesday. Wednesday. Thursday. Friday!!!! Each week has a different movie. Woohoo! Actually, the movie is free for the kids. It costs $1.00 for each adult. Pretty good deal, eh?

This week's movie is 101 Dalmatians - the one with Glenn Close. I'd never seen it. The Bear hadn't either. When the Princess was little we rented the video and she didn't like it. Glenn Close scared her. So the Princess never finished watching the movie. She'll be seeing the movie tomorrow though. The Y Campers will be bussed over to the theater to watch the movie.

And since the Princess was scheduled to watch the movie tomorrow? I decided to bring the Bear today. This way they'll BOTH have seen it.

The Bear and I shared a lemonade and some popcorn. It was fun.

The only issue? The adults who can't seem to figure out WHEN they need to REMOVE their children from the theater. There was a lady who kept her crying child (about 3 years old) in the movie. The kid cried for at least 15 minutes. And the lady was in the row in front of us...but to the right about 5 seat away. But the kid was LOUD.

Bear: That baby is not being quiet Mom.
Me: I know Buddy.
Bear: Why is the Mommy not helping it?
Me: I don't know.

He was concerned about the kid. I just wanted that lady to carry the kid out so the rest of us could watch the movie! [sigh] But I didn't complain because it didn't cost us much to watch it.

Parenting in Synch [updated]

You all have been there. When one parent says one thing and the other parent says another to a child. When a kid tries to play one parent against the other.

Oh the HEADACHE!

This morning, the Princess was tired. T-I-R-E-D!

Hubs: Princess. Princess, if you don't get ready then you won't go to Y camp!

The Princess got up. The Princess got ready. I thought all was fine. But she had some issues with tying her shoelaces. It just wasn't going well. She couldn't get it tight.

A MELTDOWN occurred.

She got out of the car. I ended up giving her a little "love" tap on her behind.

Princess: I'm telling!
Me: Okay. Go ahead. Who you going to tell?
Princess: I'm telling DADDY!
Me: Oh, you are?
Princess: YES!
Me: Okay. You go ahead and do that tonight when Daddy comes home.
Princess: BUT...Daddy said that if I don't get ready then I won't go to Y camp!
Me: Well, you look ready to me.
Princess: I'm NOT! I don't want to go! I want to stay home!

Oh yeah. It was a pretty scene this morning. It's now 12:50pm and the Princess is not home. She's at Y camp. She was pouty and had red eyes from her crying outburst. But she went. Reluctantly.

I'm sure once I was gone that she cheered up. I've seen these outbursts before. She's just tired. I know her too well. She always has fun once I'm out of the picture. She does. She got to ride a horse yesterday. On Monday, they did the rock-climbing wall. It's a good time up at the camp.

And she is NOT staying home with me all summer. She's going to Y camp every other week. She's been home enough with me full time for me to know her limits. She can go just a couple days before she's houdning me every hour.

Princess: MOM? WHAT can I DO NOW? I'm BORED!

Yes. That's exactly what she says to me. She's got art stuff. She's got books. She's got workbooks. But she's bored. Yeah....she is NOT staying home ALL summer. Nope. Not happening.

So once I got home from dropping her off? I called the Hubs and relayed the incident to him. I told him what NOT to say. This way we're both working together on the same path to get the day going. We need to work together...not apart. [sigh]



*********updated*****************

It's now 4:30pm. I've got lasagna in the oven for dinner. Rolls are ready for warming once the Hubs gets home.

The kids? They are upstairs playing.

The Princess? She was fine and dandy when we picked her up at the Y an hour ago. She ran up to me when she saw me near the pool. She ran up and gave me a BIG hug. Once she released me, she gave me a big smile and started to tell me about her day.

Once we were in the car on the way home, she apologized for her behavior earlier today.

She's a good girl. She is. My Princess.

Another health issue to face

Here's an email that MIL sent to the Hubs yesterday:

Daughter already knows but Aunt C has breast cancer, it was confirmed today.

Please pray really hard for she and Grandpa as they were referred to the oncologist for surgery and radiation and chemotherapy I think.

Here's an update that the Hubs received at lunch today:

She saw the oncologist (female doctor) and the doctor believes it’s a Stage II Insitu carcinoma which is confined to the nodules/lobes where it started. The surgeon (male doctor) is the same one who did the biopsy. The doctor advised that after the surgery they will do a review and decide the next step, probably chemotherapy (hair loss) but the news is encouraging for now.

So the Hubs aunt has cancer and will have surgery scheduled ASAP to remove the effected nodes. Thankfully, the cancer hasn't spread beyond the nodes so the surgery should be able to take care of a lot. Then the chemo will get anything else.

This is one of the Hub's aunts that I adore. She's the one that takes care of the Hub's grandpa. She also took care of his grandma before she passed two years ago. Now she's sick. Makes me sad.

Keeping busy

The kids had a fun time up with my ILs.

We have had a bunch of activities since they've been home.

Saturday, we had a neighborhood block party. We had a great turn-out. Everyone had a fun time. The kids loved the jumpcastle, the basketball hoop game, the water balloons, and the hula hoops. All of us adults got acquainted. We hung out until dark. I mean DARK. I could barely see the kids. I must have been out there about 5 hours -- including setup time. Whew!

Sunday was spent at a neighbor's birthday party. The young lady turned 8 years old. It was a swim party with all girls! The Princess and I spent all afternoon there. This was the neighbor who had her 3rd child about a month ago. The baby was born on her oldest daughter's birthday. Yes. Two of her kids are now sharing a birthday. So this young gal was having her party a month late. But she didn't care. She had a party! A SWIM PARTY!

I'm still tuckered out. I've been busy with work -- yesterday and today. I've also been trying to balance my time with the Bear. [sigh] And the Princess has been busy at the Y Day Camp.

On the job-front there's nothing going on. I did get a call yesterday but it was from a recruiter who wanted me to get back into the recruiting field. [ugh] What I didn't like about recruiting is that it was mainly commission-based AND I spent a lot of time on it. I need a steady income. I don't want to have a job that'll pull me away on weekends and nights. I know. I'm picky. But I'm still sending my info out. I'm trying!