Mom time

All posts in the Mom time category

Silence is Golden…

Published December 27, 2014 by Angela

…and I am still enjoying it. Waking up in the morning, drinking coffee in bed, reading books, and watching mindless Netflix. Napping in the afternoon, not having to cook food, take someone somewhere, go anywhere unless if I choose to, and making being lazy an art form.

I am missing my girls, and truly hoping, and praying several times a day, that they are enjoying themselves, and are okay. I am not going to pretend it is easy having them away for so long, but I am making sure I use up every moment to do the little things I do not ordinarily get to enjoy. Meaning, doing a whole bunch of nothing.

I have to do the Scripture readings at my church’s early service tomorrow, I have a dinner date with my boyfriend and oldest daughter tomorrow or Monday, and a visit to a friend’s house on Monday afternoon. Other than that, I have absolutely nothing I have to do, and no where I need to be, before I return to work on Monday, January 5th.

I am most definitely going to use this time to get myself in a great place feeling rested, relaxed, and recharged. I hope you are able to get some type of personal break as well, and get recharged and ready for the new year. I have BIG things planned for myself and my girls for 2015, and I cannot wait to share that with all of you!

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Why Don’t I Feel Guilty About This?

Published December 26, 2014 by Angela

Spending my Christmas evening alone. No girls fighting. No asking for dinner. No arguing over who gets to choose what is watched on television.

Nope. I do not feel guilty. I love my girls to the end of the world, but when you are a single parent, and they only see the other parent one time a year; on Christmas: Yeah, you kind of work up to it.

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Wait for it. Plan for it. Expect it. And cheer your behind off when it actually happens! (Which is not always the case).

So I am taking my nekkid kitty to bed, putting on some Hobbit movie that I have seen 76 times, but still not enough, and enjoying the “Silent Night” that I truly know and believe my Gracious Lord Jesus knew I needed.

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No, I am not joking or mocking religion. Do you pray? Pray enough for something, and He will truly deliver it to you!

Merry Christmas to each and every one of you! What a beautiful day!

What In The World Is Wrong With Us?

Published December 24, 2014 by Angela

All of us…I have heard nothing for the past several weeks except death, violence, protests, shootings, killings, vengeance, and hate.

How can anyone be in the Christmas spirit when they cannot even turn on the news or radio without having to hear about another person shot, another person killing the innocent, another person fighting the system? What system exactly has caused all of this violence? Possibly the system of we as Americans, and as a Country, that can no longer stand together and support those we voted into office. Instead of supporting those in charge, we now feel it is our right, duty, and obligation to tear down, embarrass, harass, and humiliate anyone and everyone who does not agree with our own personal thoughts and beliefs.

As my most favorite President said, “A House divided against itself cannot stand.” No other President may have ever spoken wiser words. I am sure Mr. Abraham Lincoln is hanging his head in sorrow today.

Casting Crowns Lyrics

And that, my Friends, is the end of my ranting. My girls and myself are going to have a wonderful Christmas, and focus on everything we have been blessed with. If that means listening to Christmas Music on CD’s and watching movies on DVD’s, so be it. I for one am tuning out the rest of the world until December 26th. If something happens before then that I should be aware of, I am sure I will be made aware of it.

May each and every one of you have a wonderful, Blessed Christmas full of Peace and Joy!

The First Day Of Winter In West Michigan!

Published December 21, 2014 by Angela

I was certainly expecting some snow by the first day of Winter in West Michigan, considering right after Halloween we had a week of horrible storms, several inches of snow, and enough Blizzards that schools and businesses were closed.

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So I was up early, as usual, and since I have not been out lately to get any pictures, I figured it would be a good day to go see what I could find.

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It was freezing cold out, literally at 32 degrees F, and I am pretty sure I destroyed one of my favorite pairs of shoes when I was looking through the lens, and not at the water, and the waves nearly knocked me off my feet when they came roaring in well above my ankles.

Pier Marquette Park, Muskegon,  Michigan

Pier Marquette Park, Muskegon, Michigan

I will definitely be wearing the rain boots the next time I venture out this Winter. Once the snow is significant enough, the roads down at the lake are all closed and I will not be able to get anywhere near it. There are definitely both ups, and downs, about living less than 10 minutes from Lake Michigan.

The water is colder than you could even imagine!

The water is colder than you could even imagine!

Hoping your Sunday is warm, and full of Blessings and Happiness! I plan on doing not a whole lot more than reading 🙂

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Do you Elf on a Shelf?

Published December 3, 2014 by Angela

Or maybe Reindeer on the Roof? Do you have a Snowman in a Snowglobe? (Okay, I don’t think such a thing exists, yet). But I think you get my point.

Elf on a Shelf

Now just to avoid myself getting a bunch of negative comments about my Bah-Humbug Christmas attitude, I really do like the idea and premise of the Elf on the Shelf. If I had more energy, I probably would have done this with my own girls when it first came out. But I knew that the Elf would have stayed in the same exact spot, because I would forget to move it, and then how do I explain that?

And I really do not need to stress about where in the world I am going to put it each night. I do not have the patience to pose him in my cupboards, playing in the sugar bowl, or hiding in the cat food dish. Why in the world would I just create another mess that I am going to have to clean up?

So for those of you who do this with your children, I hope you have great fun and come up with new ideas on where your Elf is going to be each night.

As for me, I will get to see all of my friends and family’s Elf pictures as it makes its way to a new destination each night 🙂 Whether this is a good thing, or a bad thing, I will leave that up to you to decide 🙂

On a side note, why in the world couldn’t I think of something this clever? I would be set for life 🙂

Getting back To Work…

Published December 1, 2014 by Angela

…felt very nice! I have been trying to keep myself in a positive mood, but this freezing cold, no sunshine Michigan weather is really unbearable. I really do not know if it is the dreary weather, or true-full-fledged-100% depression that is smacking me upside the face without ceasing.

I really can’t figure it out. What was going on last year at this time that I was so happy about, that is not going on this year? Everything feels the same. It all looks the same. I feel like I have less going on this year than I did last December, but maybe I am wrong. Since my spirits were unbelievably on the ‘up’ side, maybe I was more busy last year, but I just didn’t notice.

I balanced my checkbook this afternoon when I got home from work. I will worry about the -$360.00 tomorrow. (I have the money in there, but I divide my check on a weekly basis per how much each bill needs for a 4 week month. This is necessary when living on one income with no child support). I have some utilities with a credit this month, so I will juggle the money around tomorrow to get out of the red 🙂

My homeschooler fell asleep this afternoon, so she is nowhere near where she should be for today’s assignments. Which means after I clean the kitchen from dinner, her and I get to spend the rest of our (MY) night doing homework.

My goal for December is to find a way to enjoy it. To get to Church as much as physically possible. To lose about 15 of the 30 lbs I stress-ate for the last 3 months. And to NOT drink. Sad to say, after doing so well for so long, I already know that will be tougher than everything else put together.

What is supposed to be the ‘most wonderful time of the year’, can really suck sometimes. And I know it is not that way just for me. So many have a difficult time during the Christmas season. Who thought up that shit-assed saying anyhow? Most wonderful time of the year…..

As November Comes To A Close…

Published November 30, 2014 by Angela

…I cannot help but question the means and manner I am likely to wish my December away as well; in a hurry for this Christmas season to just be done already, and a new year to begin. I am unsure what is different this year, compared to last year when I thoroughly enjoyed the entire Thanksgiving and Christmas season. I am sure there were days when I was not in the best of moods, but this complete blanket of the blues that I cannot get out from under is really wearing on me.

Some things I know that are not helping; the non-stop bickering of my children. Case in point; this is exactly what I have been listening to for the past hour: Erin and Cassidy are bickering over the most ridiculous crap that I would honestly just like to knock their noggins together and see if it brings some sense to them. Erin is yelling at Cassidy because she is playing Mario, and Erin does not want to listen to the music from the video game. She is also fighting with Cassidy because she is listening to music via headphones (that Erin cannot hear) and whenever Erin does 2 things at once, Cassidy yells at her.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? What in the hokey hell is wrong with these two? Erin is pissed because Cassidy always gets her way, and is telling Cassidy she is an idiot. Cassidy is telling Erin she always gets her way, and to stop acting like a brat. I just let them both know if I hear one more word out of either of them, they will both go upstairs, to the bedroom they share, and they can stay in there for the entire day and fight it out amongst themselves.

So anyhow, back to me and this depression that has taken hold of me. There have been some life changes going on with me, and I am not quite sure how they could possibly be playing a role in me feeling as terrible as I do.

I got a new position at work that I signed a posting for. It took me off from third shift, and back to first shift. Definitely a bonus, but it involved a significant pay cut. I have also had several unexpected expenses come up, such as having my car go to the shop twice in two months. I also doubled my car payment and insurance prior to this pay cut, and have had to dig into my savings account much more than I ever wanted to. I have had other expenses happen as well, and to say I am stressing about Christmas gifts is truly an understatement. And no matter how many times I told my girls I took a pay cut, they do not seem to care one way or the other; it is non-stop “I want, I want, I want…”

My year + of sobriety hit the curb for a couple of weeks, but I am back on track. The 30+ lbs I initially lost when I quit drinking has slowly found its way back to me. I can admit that yes, I did get too thin, and needed to put about 10 lbs back on. Well, I indeed managed that. Along with another 20 lbs from stress eating that now has me not only depressed, but now feeling very unhealthy and uncomfortable.

I am tired. So very tired, all of the time. I am doing all of the housework, and yes, I have tried just leaving things until my girls can no longer stand it and they start helping. Other than their bedrooms and laundry, all of their other messes infringe on my living areas as well, and therefore my comfort levels. They will literally not empty the kitchen garbage, even if they throw something in there and it falls out on the floor because it is already overfilled. It does not bother them to live in a messy house. It absolutely drives me bonkers.

The only motivation I have as of late is to stay in my bedroom with my cat, my books, and Netflix to pass the time.

I certainly hope that the extra vitamins I bought yesterday, along with my Prozac and Xanax, bring about a quick change to my terrible sadness. I hate feeling like this, and really did not expect the long Michigan winter that began on Halloween to effect me so negatively this year, since it did not last year.

I am now more than ever relying on my faith,and making an effort to bury myself in reading the bible daily, and watching anything and everything that is inspirational and reminds me of how truly lucky and blessed I am, even if I am momentarily blue.

Please let it be momentarily!

…and my 16 year old just asked when I was going to cook dinner…….WTH. I am not eating it, I am dieting. The thought for her to cook it would never cross her mind, or any of the other girls’ for that matter.

Choosing To Not Respond…

Published November 29, 2014 by Angela

…to things that instigate the crap out of me is a lot tougher than others make it look. Not replying to those “baiting” social network posts is sometimes a chore in and of itself. I can honestly say, if I were still drinking, I would have a lot fewer ‘friends’ on my social networking accounts. Because I would be saying exactly what I thought. Regretting it the next day, for sure, or whenever it was that I sobered up 🙂

There is a lot to be said for turning the other cheek. Even if it means allowing someone to do the proverbial ‘strike me in the other cheek’. I much prefer my life like this. Sober, Faithful to my religion, and tolerating of those who irritate me. Not very Christ-like, I am sure, but it is a work in progress.

I am a work in progress!

One day at a time is the way I choose to live, because I have no control over the day before or the day after today. I’ve learned (for the most part) to stop wasting my ‘today’ time on things out of my control.

I Guessed That Spot On – I Am Ready To Go Back To Work!

Published November 26, 2014 by Angela

Stressed Mom 1I will honestly say that I woke up this morning angry at the world. I am tired, and all of my girls were up before I even opened my bedroom door to come downstairs. Normally I am lucky enough to get an hour or two of alone time before they start making their way downstairs. Why they insist on fighting like cats-and-dogs is beyond me, but I have had enough of it; and no, it is not even noon 😦

Stressed Mom 2So, after I spend what is likely to be hours at our local Secretary of State office so my 16 year old can get her license, there is one of two things that is going to happen. Either they are all going to bed until their attitudes change, or I am going to bed until their attitudes change. Because yeah, if they change their attitudes, I might not feel like such a bitch today.

Just being honest; I really see no point of lying on a blog. What would be the point of the blog if I did? On the up side, the only thing I need to do in preparation for Thanksgiving dinner is cook some rolls 🙂

I promise tomorrow I will be thankful for the blessings in my life. Today is not a national holiday, so I am opting to use my freedom of expression and let the bitch in me be free!

As a note, I have never, am not currently, and will never be the Mom that can stay home with her children. I love them with every fiber in my being, but my girls and I all realized that there is such as thing as too much togetherness for us.

As Thanksgiving Nears…

Published November 23, 2014 by Angela

…I could not even begin to list all of the things in my life that I am thankful for!

Yes; I complain about my girls on here. All the time. Hence the name, Parenthood and Other Horror Stories 🙂

But, no matter how much they push me to my limits, I would not trade one second of it. Each of my girls has brought me joy beyond compare in their own individual ways. I have been blessed being able to watch them as they grow into responsible, smart, beautiful young women and girls.

I am fortunate to have a job that allows me to provide for my girls and keep a nice home with food and all the comforts that can be so easy to take advantage of when it is just there for you every day. I may complain some days about having to go to work, but I can also guarantee you, that with a full 7 days off yet for Thanksgiving, I will be more than ready to go back to work the beginning of December!

I am grateful that even though I have chronic health conditions that can never be cured, they can be managed and I can live a normal life in spite of them. So many times I want to complain about the Doctor visits, and the cost of insurance, but without it, things would be so much worse. Being able to take my daughter to the emergency room for an asthma attack without giving it a second thought it not something that everyone is able to do. So many do not have healthcare of any sort, and each visit has to be planned and saved for ahead of time.

(No, I am not making this a political post about the state of our Country, our healthcare system, welfare, etc. So please do not do so either.)

I am thankful for my faith, that has gotten me through things I could never have dealt with on my own. Knowing that no matter what else happens in my life, I will always have my faith to rely on, and get me through the tough times, gives me the strength I need to try new things, and push myself into situations I may not be 100% comfortable with. No matter what I may say or do, there will always be One who loves me in spite of all of it.

I hope you have many, many things to be thankful for as well, as we begin the week coming up to Thanksgiving!