I Cannot Stand a Thief!

Published July 8, 2014 by Angela

I have been dealing with, for several years, having a child who cannot seem to leave things alone that do not belong to her. Now, I need to be clear on the fact that she is not going into a store or any type of business and stealing things. But she seems to think it is okay to takes things that belong to her sisters or myself.

I keep my bedroom door locked at all times, even when I am home but downstairs. What she seems to think, is that if it is in the house, she has permission to use or take it.

Case in point: there are certain foods that I need to eat due to a pre-existing medical condition that these foods keep in check without me having to take prescription medication. This food needs to stay in the refrigerator, and she will not stay out of it. It is not like there is no other food in the house and she is starving, it is the fact that she is asked to leave it alone that seems to be why she cannot leave it alone. I have contemplated on more than one occasion of getting a dorm size fridge and putting it in my bedroom.

Energy drinks? Yes, they are not good for you, but that is my adult decision to make of if I choose to drink them or not. I work 3rd shift, so I choose to drink them. I generally do not leave these in the fridge, but when I do, she drinks them. Even though she has an adverse reaction to caffeine.

So before you tell me I am a bad parent, and I should not put energy drinks in my fridge, at what point should I reasonably expect my 12 year old daughter to stop taking things that do not belong to her?

I tend to take the foods I need at work, to work, at the beginning of the week, but unfortunately, I have a thief at work as well.

Have you had a child that seemed to not be concerned with what is right and what is wrong? How did you resolve it?

Throwing Good Money After Bad…

Published July 7, 2014 by Angela

Computer Funny Picture…is likely what I will be doing if I invest one more penny into my laptop.

Ehhh, “Just replace the whole hard drive” I said.

Needless to say, so I am going to say it anyhow, it has been over a week, and I still cannot get my laptop working correctly. I had to buy Microsoft Office again (luckily I get a good deal through my employer). Then I had to buy some more Microsoft software because it will no longer read my SD cards. So after $40.00 and another4 hours yesterday of it updating 9 drivers, I get to see very shortly if it will now read an SD card.

I despise electronics, I despise their little error boxes, their misguided instructions, their loopholes that require 4 college degrees to figure out, but mostly I despise feeling like I have been outsmarted by a machine.

I really have no one to blame, because I stopped keeping up an the latest and greatest tech trends quite a while ago, when I used to be very, very good and all things tech.

I have a feeling my lack of sleep will equal lack of patience and I should probably just go straight to bed, and try the SD card after I get my day’s worth of sleep. Or I will likely be so mad, while being sooo tired, that I will be chucking my laptop into the trash.

I Must Have Needed That

Published July 1, 2014 by Angela

12 hours of sleep straight, only waking up when my kitty thought he needed some attention, has me feeling much better now than I have for the past 4 days. Being a 3rd shift worker and having 9 days off from work is not something I generally look forward to. I rarely have (or willingly take) more than a couple days off in a row. When I am off, I try to maintain my sleep schedule by staying up all night, and sleeping during the day.

A girl’s day yesterday with my 4 daughter’s pretty much pushed me to the limit. I did not feel good eating lunch at Red Robin, I slept through the movie Maleficent, and the several hour mall shopping spree had me at my wit’s end. I kept explaining to them that I just physically did not feel good (they know being off my schedule literally makes me ill), and had to keep apologizing for my lack of patience. I could slowly feel myself turning into one of those parents that make me cringe when I see how they talk to or treat their children. I did not get quite to that point, but I certainly was on my way.

So after all of that sleep, and 4 full days still off from work, I already know I am going to fall asleep for a couple hours, waking up at 2am, wide awake and starving, and be up until about 8am when I am so exhausted I have to go back to bed. I am glad that I do not have anything scheduled or planned that I can’t do around my odd-ball schedule, but I feel like I am missing out on time with my girls; even though we are all physically sitting in the same room right now (minus one), and one is on their laptop, one is on their phone, one is watching television, and I am waiting for a cake to cool so I can frost it.

I also am looking at a whole lot of stuff sitting around that I need to get sorted and taken care of, and have no motivation for that either. So I think I am going to call it a day, eat a piece of cake, and start reading “The Silkworm”, J. K. Rowling’s second book in the Cormoran Strike series (written under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith).

What are your plans as we get closer to the Fourth of July?

When Your Electronics Go Whacked…

Published June 27, 2014 by Angela

…I struggled through my last two weeks of my class with a laptop that apparently downloaded who-knows-what with some software that I was told I needed for homework. It is what it is, and I am hoping it is only a short visit at the repair shop. So until then, I am going to be catching up on chores, getting ready to enjoy my week off for the upcoming holiday!

Waking up To Silence…

Published June 17, 2014 by Angela

…there is nothing better. There are no words. I cannot recall the last time that I actually had the house to myself. With my oldest daughter (FINALLY) home after 6 weeks in South Africa, she has a week off from work to get back on the United States schedule 🙂

So she picked up her 3 younger sisters, took them to the beach for the day, to both of her Grandma’s houses, McDonald’s, and peace and quiet for Mom.

They are walking in the door right now, and the silence is no more.

But it was amazing having a couple of hours of no talking, no television, to fighting, and no asking me for anything.

Thanks Jess, you are the best! And can we do this again tomorrow?

Happy Father’s Day…

Published June 16, 2014 by Angela

…to me!

Yes, I am serious. I told my girls they should be getting me something for Father’s Day, since I have been both Mother and Father for the past 8 years. They must have thought I was joking. I was not joking.

Just to let you know, before anyone thinks I am disrespecting any Single or divorced dads, I am not. My ex does not come to see his children. Ever. He does not buy them birthday gifts. He does not call them on their birthdays. Or Christmas. Easter? Never. He actually saw them 2 Easters ago when I was going out of state for a week. I told him 3 months ahead of time that he would have to get them their Easter stuff. And I kept reminding him. Again, and again. And again.

When I picked them up, after Easter was over, (yes, I had to drop them off and pick them up), they let me know they got nothing for Easter. What did he tell them? The house was too crowded with them there so the Easter bunny did not have room to leave their Easter baskets.

Let me be clear on the fact that 2 of these girls are long past believing in the Easter bunny. So what could they have possibly thought, and worse yet, how horrible could that have made them feel?

So yes, I am the Father to them.

And on that note, I am wishing my father a wonderful day; I tried calling several times and he was either gone or the phone was busy (he does not live near me).

And I wish all of the Fathers out there who are really truly fathers a wonderful day as well. It is not easy being a parent. Whether you are the mother, or the father.

It certainly is not easy having to be both 😦

When You Are Not Happy With Where You Are At In Your Life…

Published June 14, 2014 by Angela

…it is up to you to change it. No one can do it for you. Change can be scary, no matter how old you get and how much life experience you have. You need to do what is going to make you happy. Others may get hurt along the way. If you are making the choices you need to make to live a happy life, the ones who truly love you will not be upset with your decisions.

Sometimes it is nice to get advice and support from others, instead of being the one to give advice and support. Even the strongest people on the outside have a weak spot on the inside.

As another of my girls moves into the “teenage” years (Happy 13th Birthday Erin Elizabeth!), I am really starting to examine where I want my life to go, where I want to end up, and what I need to do to get there.

Sometimes behind every strong woman is no one to give them the support and encouragement they want and need. Feeling like you are really, truly alone of this journey called life can be painful for even the strongest of people.

Little Sleep Today, and Lots of Errands

Published June 12, 2014 by Angela

Today I am going to do the one thing I try to not do with my kids…

…bribe them with something to get them to do what I ask them to.

Oh, who am I kidding? I do this ALL the time! 

I have to get up early to get 16 year old to dentist appointment (that was cancelled on Monday after I had adjusted my sleep and work schedule, of course) and then I have to do homework, take care of the animals, and be at a friends house by 8pm.

So, I am leaving them a note that if they clean the house (to MY standards, not theirs) I will buy them dinner tonight.

1) I will not likely have time to cook

2) There is really nothing in the house to make a decent meal with

3) I am 99% sure my house will be cleaned, when I get up, to my standards

And that, my friends, makes me a happy Mom. I see Subway in my very near future 🙂

Time For Plan #2…

Published June 12, 2014 by Angela

…as soon as I figure out what that is. I have begun to bargain with my girls that if they want to go places and do things, they need to earn it.

Apparently not a single one of them has an issue with spending their entire Summer in the house.

So, hopefully while I am working tonight, I will get a brilliant idea to end all ideas, and they will start participating in being a self-sustaining member of this family!

Do you have a method that works during the summer months? Let me know, I could desperately use all the ideas I can get ahold of. They are very determined girls!

What Say We Try This Again Tomorrow…

Published June 11, 2014 by Angela

… and this time, you do things the right way?

Monday seemed to go much smoother than today did with school being over. I pretty much had the house cleaned Monday morning before I went to bed, so my girls really did not have to do a lot to keep it clean when I got up.

Now, there are a lot of little things that tend to irk me, but I have gotten much better at not getting worked up “over the little stuff“. But one thing that I absolutely do NOT like, is having people in my house, while I am sleeping, and I don’t know about it. If you ask me first, more often than not I will say “O.K.” But to wake up at 3pm to house guests? Not happy.

Now, I live in a house full of girls. Well, except for the 2 boy cats and the boy rabbit. But they don’t mind. So, I will not hesitate to get up, trudge downstairs in my pajamas, and get a cup of coffee.

Coming downstairs in my pajamas, to find my 16 year olds’ boyfriend sitting on my couch, not cool. Not cool at all. I am not talking about Victoria Secret inappropriate sleepwear, but either way, my legs showing, and no bra on, is not appropriate for house guests. So, I had to turn around, go back up to my room, and get dressed. So I could get a cup of coffee.

I had to get dressed. In order to get a cup of coffee. In my own house. Really? Really. 😦

The house was a mess, and nothing was done. The first thing my 16 year old says to me: “I thought you weren’t getting up until 4?”

Yeah, like me sleeping an hour longer would have allowed for the house to be cleaned.

So, I got ready for my day, cooked dinner for my girls and said house guest, filled the dishwasher, had company for an hour, did homework, and now I am waiting to go to work.

I am also waiting to see how long it is going to take my 16 year old to tell me her boyfriend needs a ride home. Because she is going to. (That is something else that really, really irks me), having to take said uninvited house guests home.

And how was your day?