It wasn't just me

You know how I complained that no one was home to take my call yesterday.  Not even my Mom, seriously what is up with that?  Anyway, I have started to get the I am sorry phone calls from folks who read the post and what not.  Well, apparently, some of you were also having your buttockes (I know, it isn't a word, but say it, buttockes, fun huh?) kicked as well.

A story from MJ.

MJ:  "Sorry I didn't call you back, I was busy."

S:  "I know, everyone was.  It was a massive cosmic period of hyper-activity."

MJ:  "Well, the universe was on my buttocks as well."

S:  "Oh, the universe gets around, I would have thought it was pretty busy screwing up my day."

MJ:  "Yeah, still found time to swing by here.... so let me tell you what happened.  I invited one of T's friends over to play.  Asked the mom to come too, we would have lunch, etc.  She calls me that morning and says her husband would like to come along."

S:  "Her husband?"

MJ:  "Yeah, her husband.  I know weird.  Anyway, so I grab another pizza from the freezer, and then it hits me like a ton of bricks.... the house smells.  Some one had a poop."

S:  "They didn't flush... yeah, yeah, you flush life goes on."

MJ:  "So you would think.  I flushed, and it didn't exactly go down, and now we have the stench of the dead in my house.  You realize I can't smell skunk and I could smell this."

S:  giggling, "You could have the husband fix it..."

MJ:  "I need a snake, and I can't find it and so I have my bathroom filled with cleaner and scented candles and I can still smell it.  I cleaned downstairs, but then had to quick do the upstairs in case anyone needed to pee.  When they walked in my house smelled like raw sewage.  Did I mention the kids were having a melt down?  I think I might have burned the pizza too, but who remembers.  I am not totally sure if my hair was combed when I met this woman for the first time.  So yeah, the universe swung by here to."

S: laughing so hard I was crying, "I think I might have pee'd a little."

Yesterday

Yesterday was a tough day.  I generally believe that circumstances are just that, circumstances.  I generally do not think that the things that happen to me are personal.  But, yesterday, it was pretty hard not to think the universe was gunning for me.  It was all such stupid stuff, but I ended up fighting all day long.  I hate it when you fight all day long.

It all started with a phone call from the school. Mac has run up a 20 dollar tab in the cafeteria.  Which is surprising to me, as we have free lunches due to our financial situation.  Apparently, there is additional things available for purchase, who knew.  Mac was stunned by it all, and it wasn't really his fault, because last year this didn't happen.  I felt bad for him, but I also had to fight with the school because they are letting this kid, with a zero balance run up this tab??  I mean, it is October, you might have mentioned this in say, September??  Someone was asleep at the switch.

Then, Bob's car needed another $300 trip to the mechanic.  Which of course leaves us with a recommended repair list totaling about $2,500.  Do they think we are made of money.  Also, there was a coupon, that the guy forgot to take off the bill.  I now have to fight with them about adjusting that.

Then, Bob and I got into a fight about money.

Then, I drove across town and there was a whole situation at lunch, where some kid stole our chips.  It caused a big ruckus, and was very uncomfortable.  Then I drove home.

Then, I drove across town and the Dr. gives me a whole lecture about opening my heart to my kids more.  Basically, she shoulded on me.  I am having a hard time holding it all together, I do not need someone telling me what I should do.  Then I drove home.

Then, there was a whole uprising on ravelry, because there was Fake Fair Isle yarn in a swap bag I put together.  I mean, heated with mean words being thrown around and what not.  I didn't adequately research the yarns I received and play bad cop and send them back.  OMG!

Then, I felt like I really didn't have any support, because no one I called when I was at the edge of reason was home.  Seriously, everyone was gone, not just one person, the whole lot of pre-programmed numbers.  MIA.  I needed to talk to someone who was sane and they were all gone.  Perhaps the universe was smacking them too, I don't know, but call me k?


Then, I drove across town and I saw my friend M.  She was a smallish gift from the universe.  I felt much better.  Yeah M!  Then I drove home, a little happier.

Then, I got home and I was assaulted by the yarn situation...

Mini Vacations

When my kids were small, and I was still buckling 2 kids into their seats, I would purposefully buckle the one on the passenger side last.  It was like a mini-vacation to walk from the passenger side of the car, around to the drivers seat.  I would walk slow, and relish the quiet that this brief activity provided.  How sick is that, that I would look forward to the 60 seconds I was out of the car and the kids were in the car?  But even more sick, is now that all the kids can buckle themselves, I miss it.

My mini vacations are over.  We all know, I can not poop or pee by myself.  I can not shower by myself.  I am not allowed to get dressed alone.  Nor, am I to be trusted to walk to the mailbox without an under-aged chaperon.  As I go through out my day, sure there are periods of time when no one is bugging me, but the reality is that there are no more mini vacations.  When the kids were buckled into the car seats, they were safe and sound, so I could mentally disconnect from them for a minute.  I couldn't hear them whine and fight, so I had some time to recenter myself.

I am happy that time has passed and my kids are getting older and all that jazz.  But, I still find it hard to take a breathe and find my center so that I can continue to be the one that keeps everything moving forward.  Because, everyone depends on me... that is a lot of pressure, and sometimes I need a mini-vacation.

Just off the Needles

This is too cute not to share.  Hannah thinks it is for her friend Rachael who's mommy is having twins.  But it isn't it is for Hannah.  She wanted to take a picture with Poppy, the name of one of her imaginary friends AND the doll pattern, in her matching dress so she could remember her.  So hard not to tell her the truth, but I was strong. 

She will be surprised on her birthday! When she gets her doll. 

All this birthday stuff has got me thinking about presents, but that will be another post for another day!

Radom thoughts

1. Random is a lot like Radon, I wonder if random is the 2nd leading cause of anything?
2. Toy Story in 3D, so excited
3. Six kids signed up
4. Now I have to teach them to knit...  
5. I wonder how this is going to work out.
6. Don't write checks your ass can't cancel
7. In other words, do what you say, say what you mean
8. Mean people suck
9. SCORE
10. Why does it look like it is raining when it is not? 
11. Sometime I might do an entire blog post of just quotes from the kids
12. "Smell my butt," says Sam.  "I don't like butt," says Hannah
13. See it would be kinda funny
14. Knitting might not make everything better...
    

Mac's Teacher

I think I am in love with Mac's teacher.  Seriously.  I wasn't so sure about him in the beginning.  I thought, he might not be the best fit for Mac.  So wrong.  Completely, 100% wrong, heck I was 500% wrong.  I was the picture of wrong.  Look up wrong in the dictionary, you saw a picture of me.  I might knit something for this man.

Mac came home yesterday and told me that one of the kids told him the project he was doing was crappy.  Now, this would not usually be something I would even care about, let alone tell the teacher about.  This year, I decided, I would be super-hyper involved.  I was already teetering on strong like for this teacher, and though I would have a go at it.  Sent him an email.  Well, his response says it all.

Thanks.  I am passionate about these sort of issues.  I am sort of a
perfectionist in building a positive environment for everyone. I hate
the thought of someone being mistreated or having negative thoughts
about coming to school and wondering what someone is going to say to
them.  I take that personally when someone interferes with what I am
trying to do in that area for my students.

There is more about how he talked to the kids involved, and how they won't be doing it again.  He had me at positive environment.   I love this guy.  He brought me to tears.  No one in the last 5 years of Mac being in school has ever, ever stood up for him.  They have always blamed him and punished him.  Mac's first advocate.  Seriously, I am in love.  Watch out Mr. Teacher, I am planting a big on right on ya!  THANK YOU.

Theme Song

Because everyone needs a theme song.  You know a song that plays during the opening credits of your life.  Since our life is like a bad reality show, we change our theme song from time to time.  I can't really remember at this moment what some of the others have been.  Right now, and for the past year, ours has been Going' Through Hell, by Rodney Atkins.  Not one to usually pick a country song, but this one seems to be so appropriate.  It is true to where we are, but not hopeless.  Beside, if you played our life backwards, I'd get my house back, Bob would get his job back, etc, so I feel like I am living in a country song.  So, here are the lyrics:

Well you know those times
When you feel like there's a sign there on your back
Says I don't mind if ya kick me
Seems like everybody has
Things go from bad to worse
You'd think they can't get worse than that
And then they do

You step off the straight and narrow
And you don't know where you are
Use the needle of your compass
To sew up your broken heart
Ask directions from a genie
In a bottle of Jim Beam
And she lies to you
That's when you learn the truth

If you're going through hell
Keep on going, don't slow down
If you're scared, don't show it
You might get out
Before the devil even knows you're there

Well I been deep down in that darkness
I been down to my last match
Felt a hundred different demons
Breathing fire down my back
And I knew that if I stumbled
I'd fall right into the trap that they were laying, yeah

But the good news
Is there's angels everywhere out on the street
Holding out a hand to pull you back up on your feet
The one's that you've been draggin' for so long
You're on your knees
You might as well be praying
Guess what I'm saying

If your going through hell
Keep on going, don't slow down
If you're scared don't show it
You might get out
Before the devil even knows you're there