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I Can’t Pick Up After You Forever

Published December 9, 2013 by Angela

5:45 am-

15 y.o.: Mom, where’s my “To Kill A Mockingbird Book?”

Me: In your bag

15 y.o.: No, it isn’t

Me: Well the last time I saw it, it was halfway under the sofa because it fell out of your book bag that you dropped in the middle of the living room floor for everyone to trip over.

15 y.o.: I can’t find it

Me: Well, I would move the sofa out. Your sister hung up your book bag for me and I told her to put your book in it.

No Luck…. I didn’t tell her I have a copy of it in the bookshelf in the basement.

I can’t get mad at her messiness, because I know I was the exact same way. But it seems like every day I am playing Sherlock Holmes, looking for school books, homework, socks, and toys.

Toys. Toys I don’t even remember them having and certainly didn’t play with 🙂 Toys they try to describe to me and I do not understand. I know for a fact 2 of the three have brand new school clothes floating around this house somewhere, still with the tags on and never worn! Because I ask them where it is and they don’t know.

What I should do is find the stuff myself and wrap it up as Christmas gifts 🙂

When did I become so old? LOL

I completely understand why my Dad went through my bedroom every month while I was growing up, with a garbage bag, and threw out everything on the floor. The only difference between he and I though, is that he would never replace something he threw away because of my messiness. (Yes, I have thrown stuff out, only to buy it again, and I am fully ashamed to say that!)

Nothing in the world is truer than this!

Nothing in the world is truer than this!

As I complain (sarcastically) I am very lucky to have 3 awesome girls still at home (4 awesome girls, one being a Junior in college). They do very well when asked to do something for me, but I swear to goodness I will never, ever know how after a pair of socks are worn once, its mate is never-to-be-seen again!

Do you have any special tricks to get your kids to be organized?

When Did We Become So Mean?

Published December 8, 2013 by Angela

Since I have been up for hours (it is currently 5:45am) as is normal for me on weekends that I don’t work, I figured I would watch “The Sound of Music” which was shown live Thursday on NBC. Did I want to watch it? Not particularly. But the aftermath that went on from this live version really had me wondering “How bad could it really be?” So I had to see for myself.

I am not an actress; I have never been, or wanted to be. I have never been in a school play, a production of any kind, and the most I got in front of a crowd was for band concerts, one invisible kid in a crowd of kids. So I am not going to make any comments of what I feel the quality of the acting that happened during this LIVE performance was. And I will not write the names here of the previous actresses whom acted in the original movie version with Julie Andrews, as the various children in the movie. They do not deserve mention, and should wholly be ashamed of themselves.

What I would like to know, is exactly how many takes each one of their scenes took, because every single time they made a mistake, someone said “Cut!” and they got to go back and fix it. Time after time. After time. How would they have done live? Probably not so hot. But they would not have gotten bullied while they were continuing to act live on a stage knowing the whole world was waiting for them to fail. Hoping for them to fail.

“How dare you try to play a role Julie Andrews played!” “Almost painful to watch!” Really? Painful? What is painful is reading comments from a couple has-beens who are sitting behind an electronic device giving criticism on a role they never had to perform. I agree with Carrie Underwood that these critics need Jesus. Boy do they ever. They need a lot more than that. Would putting them on the other side of the fence make them understand? Not likely. Most bullies do not ever believe they have done anything wrong. Not all, but a lot.

Am I a fan of Carrie Underwood’s? No, I am not. I think she has an amazing voice (I can’t carry a tune in a bucket!) but I do not like country music. I am familiar with some of her songs; they are catchy and good, but I haven’t heard a song yet that has me going to the store to buy her CD. But that doesn’t mean I wish her to fail.

As a parent of a child who suffered through 3 years of terrible bullying before finally telling me the whole truth of what was happening to her, to what I went through for 3 years fighting with a young girl every single day to go to school; being threatened with court, jail, and fines; to having a homeschooler who is calm, content, and successful, I have to say, this display of public bullying really, REALLY pisses me off. (I just had to erase what I typed after that because it was not what Jesus would say, and I will not allow someone to turn ME into a bully too!)

I understand we live in a world of instant information, and I still can’t say that I think this is a great thing. When I was growing up, I could go home, not answer the phone, did not have a computer or cell phone going off non-stop, and could have peace and quiet. Now our children can be harassed 24 hours a day, and it is a very difficult thing to stop.

We can all be better people, and make better examples for others. We can each make a positive difference, if we choose to. Or we can be part of the problem.

Be a friend, not the enemy.

I want to be part of the solution. Who’s with me?

I hope I made the Right Decision!

Published December 3, 2013 by Angela

Ordering my next set of textbooks to start on my next college degree came with mixed emotions.

I am excited to begin working on my Master’s Degree, and sad that I will lose the little bit of free time I had. I am excited to be learning new things again, and worried I will get stressed out.

So here’s to taking it one class at a time, and before I know it, I will be finished like I was with the last 2 degrees.

My kids think I’ve lost my mind; I think they may be right 🙂 Here’s to never-ending education!

 

 

I have to be honest, it is a pet peeve of mine :-)

I have to be honest, it is a pet peeve of mine 🙂

I Thought This Would Be More Fun

Published November 27, 2013 by Angela

Having 8 full days off from work after working 19 straight, what could be better? I have plenty of time to spend with my girls, do some extra cleaning, organize, get out the Christmas decorations, read what I want, and watch mindless television, which is something I no longer take for granted 🙂

What is really going on? OK, I am watching mindless television, but I am also not sleeping, my stomach is very angry with me, along with the rest of my body for messing with its schedule, and this in turn has made me less than pleasant. Everything I attempt to do seems to be bound for failure before I even get started, and my patience is being tested. I laugh at myself because I always ask God to give me more patience, which means God is going to give me situations to test my patience. If I would quit asking for more patience, maybe I wouldn’t be tested and things would go more smoothly for me 🙂

So although I am grateful for my time off to get caught up on things, I would really rather be working my 3rd shift schedule, sleeping when my body has been sleeping for the past year and a half, eating at 2am instead of noon (and feeling sick because of it), and being in a better mood. It is currently 3:15 am and I have been awake for a couple hours, doing laundry and cleaning 🙂

Today I get to make 2 pumpkin pies, and some mint-chocolate brownies. I am super-excited for Thanksgiving tomorrow, and just hope that I can feel top-notch and as awake as everyone else when normally I should be sleeping.

I guess the best thing is, everyone takes a nap after Thanksgiving dinner, right?

I really truly am grateful for all I have been blessed with, and am thankful to have a warm house to be awake in, with plenty of food for my girls and myself, our health, a wonderful job, and a strong faith. God has been good to me, and nothing can change the feeling that gives me in my heart! More on that tomorrow!

 

 

 

Even when all those feelings are Happy feelings!

Even when all those feelings are Happy feelings!

I Am Feeling Driven To Make A Difference

Published November 26, 2013 by Angela

I don’t necessarily think it is strictly this time of year, as I have been feeling this pull for quite some time now. It seems as I begin, FINALLY, to get my life in order, I feel compelled to help others who are in need. But where to start? I have always felt a special draw to those who are homeless, and it seems to be worse than ever in my area.

Is there something I can do, beyond giving money to someone on a corner (no, I do not do that), donating food and blankets to local pantries, or volunteering at a shelter? I know all of these things help, but I am feeling like it isn’t enough, or especially that it is not what I am supposed to be doing.

There is something else, something I should be doing, some skill I have that I am not realizing that can make a difference, even if only for one person.

It seems like the more I pray, the more I feel content with where I am personally with my life, the more unrest I feel about everything around me. What am I missing that I should be doing? I feel like there is a big flashing sign over my head that I forgot to look at, telling me what to do.

Do I wait for God to show me what I can feel but not yet see? Do I jump in and do something until I figure out what the right thing is? How do I begin to make a difference when I’m not sure where to start? 

I know no matter what I do, I need to do it now, because every second, and every gesture, does help and can and will make a difference, for someone, me included!

You Ate WHAT For Lunch?

Published November 21, 2013 by Angela

I can understand the cheeseburger that Erin fried up, even the scrambled eggs she had (hopefully for breakfast), but I cannot fathom what she did with the rest of ALL of my eggs that she hard-boiled. I am talking about an 18 pack of eggs. Let’s say she was really hungry (she is a growing 12-year-old) she could reasonably eat 3-4 scrambled eggs. I mean, we all know eggs shrink by ½ once they are scrambled, right? But what she did with the other 14 eggs that she says she hard-boiled is beyond me. She does not like egg-salad, or the egg yolks in boiled eggs, but she will eat deviled eggs. Yes, it makes no sense. But it is what it is.

I was actually more concerned that she possibly did eat an extraordinary amount of eggs, and was looking at her sideways all of last night for any excessive flushing of the face, or nausea, or anything else that would indicate she was having a protein/cholesterol overload.

What is even more scary, is that she did not eat all of these eggs, and they are still in my house, somewhere, and I will likely discover them a day past their “beyond ripe and smelling” expiration date.

So today, I am making her a PB & J sandwich, putting some chips in a bag, and apple and a yogurt, a couple small pieces of chocolate, and hoping she finds it sufficient and doesn’t decide to cook the turkey in my freezer for a snack between lunch and dinner.

I’m not kidding folks, I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried 🙂

Day 14 Done, So Exhausted! Peanut Butter Fudge Will Pick Me Up!

Published November 17, 2013 by Angela

5 more days to go and I get a day off after working what will be 19 days. What possessed me to think I needed to do some baking yesterday is way beyond my comprehension. Luckily, at least one of the recipes turned out!

I was really thinking I was too tired to even attempt to make this as I was on day 13 straight out of 19 that I have to work before I get a day off. And even though I was probably correct, I made it anyways. And it turned out wonderful. (And we also are not going to discuss the other recipe I thought I could get made that did not turn out so well).

I don’t know why it is that whenever I am in a hurry, the whole entire world around me and everyone in it slows down. To. A. Crawl. Due to my tiredness (yep, that’s it) I failed to check and make sure I had enough powdered sugar to make a double batch before I began melting the peanut butter and butter together. Oh well, I will quick run up to the pharmacy on the corner and get a bag of powdered sugar.

Pouring rain, traffic crawling, and I get out of my car in the parking lot and am walking behind a person who is 105 years old, with a walker. That I can’t get around. Now don’t get me wrong, I absolutely adore the elderly, and think they can teach us so much and love to listen to their stories. But I was tired, and that extra-large Monster I drank didn’t seem to be working. So 10 minutes later when I get into the store and a point where I can make a quick cut to the right, I spend a ridiculous amount of time staring at the food aisle which very obviously has NO powdered sugar.

And I stare some more. Looking behind other food items for that bag of powdered sugar that I just know they have. Contemplating where is the next nearest place I can go.

So back in the car, and off to the dollar store. A girl can hope, right? Nope. They have every type of sugar and fake sugar you can imagine, except powdered sugar. So I am left with no choice, knowing my peanut butter/butter melted mixture is waiting on me.

 

I go a few doors down to my least favorite grocery store. Walk in, grab the sugar, check myself out, and am literally back in my car in less than 5 minutes. Hmmm, why didn’t I do that in the 1st place? That’s right, because that store is always soooo slow.

 

So batch #1 is peanut butter with white chocolate chips, and batch #2 is peanut butter with chunks of Mr. Goodbars mixed in for good measure. Nothing beats chocolate and peanut butter together.

Peanut Butter & Mr. Goodbar Fudge. YUM!

Peanut Butter & Mr. Goodbar Fudge. YUM!

To get the recipe, continue reading here… Read the rest of this entry →

Those Three Beautiful Words

Published November 14, 2013 by Angela

After a good night’s sleep, or in my case less than stellar sleep, I always hear the same thing from any one of my girls, generally all 3 by the time they all see me. Yep, you could set a clock by it.

“What’s for dinner?”  (I should clarify I am a shift worker, sleeping during the day while my kids are in school, or homeschooling, getting up as everyone is getting home for the day). So as I am rubbing sleep out of my eyes, wishing my 20-second Keurig coffee pot could brew even faster, they want to know what’s for dinner. Not “How’d you sleep?” or “I love you”.

So as I am waking up, and getting ready for my day, knowing I couldn’t eat a bite of anything I am cooking them, they want to know what is for dinner, and how fast can I get it cooked? We have slowly adjusted to this type of schedule, but I do wish I could eat the dinner I make for my family with them. Instead, I am eating a yogurt and piece of fruit, or a bowl of Honey-Nut Cheerios (YUM!) while they are eating tacos, or spaghetti, or any other meal I would love to share with them.

The problem gets worse as even though I am eating my dinner at 2am in the morning, my body knows it is 2am, and that I really shouldn’t be eating a meal at that time of day. So I tend to eat a lot of soups, or anything else that doesn’t bother my “it’s-2am-you-should-be-sleeping” stomach.

I tried to have a normal schedule on the weekends I don’t work, my body doesn’t appreciate that either. I can only hope that this situation I volunteered myself into is not going to be a long-term situation, and I can eventually feel like a normal person who has a normal schedule and normal eating habits.

Are you a shift worker? If so, how do you adjust to it?