not in the snow, with cubs scouts & even better with M & little one!
unfortunately B's school got all stupid & instead of getting out of class at 4, he was there until 7 then when he got home we still have to throw all our camping stuff in the back of the truck, go pick up another CS family that had issues, then pick up some drive thru dinner & drive ~2 hours to the middle of the desert.
thankfully we gave a friend our tent, so at least that was setup but it was 10 or 11pm when we finally got to our spot. we unloaded the necessities, were told to keep food in the vehicle bc there were desert rats out there, then we hit the hay. i was exhausted at work before all this, add the wind noise & attack of the rabid desert rats & i did not sleep all night no matter how tired i was.
the next morning kiddos were up at sunrise squealing & screeching & making all kinds of horrible sounds, happy sounds, but awful to someone who was now feeling rather zombish. we had some sort of breakfast that included a cup of sausage links & bagels [no cream cheese, see roughing it!]. i wandered over & found M's campsite with her own private potty! we had to share; with a lot of people, it was a hike from the campsite & it was stinky!
in the afternoon we took a hike into the nothingness & found an oasis; it was beautiful & surprising to find.
the boys had activities & after dinner B & I went to hang w/M for the evening. we had a bit to drink & talked, but we were all exhausted & thought it was at least 10pm only to discover it was like 7:30, talk about lightweights. getting up so early plus the sun going down so quickly really messed up our clocks
before we left camp we asked Z if he wanted to come with us but he wanted to stay with the kids. when we returned, he said he didn't know where we were....bc we often just disappear like that. they were playing around the campfire then the kid got all kinds of attitude & we had to go have a talk in the tent. i'm sure he was just all kinds of tired, but really tired mommy wasn't having it.
the next morning we had breakfast & a nice little prayer ceremony, then it was time to pack it up. we headed back over to visit M & little one for a bit before we got on the road. on our way home we missed our turn & ended up driving through julian.
being i started the trip exhausted, then didn't sleep one night, i was out of it for an entire week. the princess needs a bed & warmth & no rats...
oh, i forgot to mention that someone did have a rat enter their tent in the night!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 9, 2012
the birthday that wasn't
during christmas break i had mentioned to Z that Grammie's birthday was coming up. i had agonized over what to do, how to handle the situation, but yet i still wanted him to express birthday wishes to her. so on one of trips to target he asked if he could pick out a birthday card for her. the card he chose had some dinosaurs on the front & inside is said:
HEY REMEMBER US?
i about fell over in the aisle laughing so hard. Z didn't understand & i needed to explain to him that although i thought the card was HILARIOUS, Grammie wouldn't like it, that really it would hurt her feelings [no matter how true it was], so he picked out a normal happy birthday card.
also during the break & before the actual birthday Z wrote a letter to Grammie. he talked about how he missed her & how he would like to go spend the weekend with her & then he asked why she wasn't talking to us.
yeah......it gets better
it was part of a cub scout assignment & he wanted to really mail it to her.
...[no words]
there wasn't really anything i could say, so he addressed it & mail it off.
the letter was mailed before the birthday card & i waited on pins & needles for the call that i knew was inevitable. she called one day when i wasn't feeling well & was sleeping. when i called her back she said she was calling to speak with Z about the letter he wrote her. although she didn't say the words, it was obvious she didn't want to speak with me.
i really, really don't get how she still wanted to continue this. i told her we needed to talk about things. it took some effort but then she finally let it out that she was mad about 4th of july weekend, that S "took priority" but she refused to admit the real reason was she that she was upset that Z didn't want to go spend the weekend with her.
then she went on to say that she was hurt bc i didn't go over on my birthday. um, remember the call i got? welcoming right? she said she wanted me to know she was mad at me...well, gee, isn't that the BEST way to wish someone a happy birthday & invite them over for cake????
so i don't know that we really got anywhere but we did talk & then i let her talk with Z. oh, i did tell her that Z wouldn't be going to stay with her until we worked things out [including B] & that she needed to ask us before asking him over. that's mainly bc she doesn't take our schedule, his cub scout activities or when he's on restriction into any consideration & we have to drop off & pick up on her schedule.
she talked with Z for a bit & when he brought me the phone he was saying "ok, i'll check with my mom if i can go stay with you next weekend".....so what, 12 seconds later she's doing it again?
her birthday was a few days later. i called her & wished her a happy birthday & we talked for a few minutes, then i let Z talk with her.
HEY REMEMBER US?
i about fell over in the aisle laughing so hard. Z didn't understand & i needed to explain to him that although i thought the card was HILARIOUS, Grammie wouldn't like it, that really it would hurt her feelings [no matter how true it was], so he picked out a normal happy birthday card.
also during the break & before the actual birthday Z wrote a letter to Grammie. he talked about how he missed her & how he would like to go spend the weekend with her & then he asked why she wasn't talking to us.
yeah......it gets better
it was part of a cub scout assignment & he wanted to really mail it to her.
...[no words]
there wasn't really anything i could say, so he addressed it & mail it off.
the letter was mailed before the birthday card & i waited on pins & needles for the call that i knew was inevitable. she called one day when i wasn't feeling well & was sleeping. when i called her back she said she was calling to speak with Z about the letter he wrote her. although she didn't say the words, it was obvious she didn't want to speak with me.
i really, really don't get how she still wanted to continue this. i told her we needed to talk about things. it took some effort but then she finally let it out that she was mad about 4th of july weekend, that S "took priority" but she refused to admit the real reason was she that she was upset that Z didn't want to go spend the weekend with her.
then she went on to say that she was hurt bc i didn't go over on my birthday. um, remember the call i got? welcoming right? she said she wanted me to know she was mad at me...well, gee, isn't that the BEST way to wish someone a happy birthday & invite them over for cake????
so i don't know that we really got anywhere but we did talk & then i let her talk with Z. oh, i did tell her that Z wouldn't be going to stay with her until we worked things out [including B] & that she needed to ask us before asking him over. that's mainly bc she doesn't take our schedule, his cub scout activities or when he's on restriction into any consideration & we have to drop off & pick up on her schedule.
she talked with Z for a bit & when he brought me the phone he was saying "ok, i'll check with my mom if i can go stay with you next weekend".....so what, 12 seconds later she's doing it again?
her birthday was a few days later. i called her & wished her a happy birthday & we talked for a few minutes, then i let Z talk with her.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
holiday break
so i'm new working in a school environment thing, so i didn't know i was going to get the week between christmas & new year off. when i figured it out, we tried to plan to go somewhere but it was too late, too expensive to reserve anything during that time.
B & Z went up to ghetto house for a couple of days when i was still working. well, not the house itself, but up to visit R. during the week off Z & I were sick with a cold; we tried taking it easy thinking that would nip it in the bud. Z did eventually get better, i didn't. i also didn't make it to the budz annual christmas party, which was such a bummer.
for new years we went to our neighbor's condo in oceanside. i really, (ok, REALLY) was thinking of backing out, but decided i needed to quite being such a stick in the mud & do SOMETHING. i was glad i went, that we went. we went to the condo's game room & not that there was much, but there was a foozeball table (i'm the worst foozeball player in the world, weakest wrists ever!) & a pool table (yeah, i suck at that too).
Z had a good time playing foozeball though as he was better than me & you know that's all that matters. pool was really fun though, i probably haven't played (more than a game or two at least) since B & I met. however, i used to play often with the guys from work & some other friends. funny thing is B also used to play quite a bit before we met as well. Z hadn't played & he got in a few good shots & at one point B said i broke a few laws of physics when i got 2 balls in with 1 shot. i think i broke more than that....
so now we need a full size pool table ;-p
when we came home S was here waiting for us; we stayed up & rang in the west coast new year. i don't remember what we did the rest of the weekend. oh, i know at some point we worked in the yard & we built L-dog a fab house.
i need to blog more, i can't remember shit.
B & Z went up to ghetto house for a couple of days when i was still working. well, not the house itself, but up to visit R. during the week off Z & I were sick with a cold; we tried taking it easy thinking that would nip it in the bud. Z did eventually get better, i didn't. i also didn't make it to the budz annual christmas party, which was such a bummer.
for new years we went to our neighbor's condo in oceanside. i really, (ok, REALLY) was thinking of backing out, but decided i needed to quite being such a stick in the mud & do SOMETHING. i was glad i went, that we went. we went to the condo's game room & not that there was much, but there was a foozeball table (i'm the worst foozeball player in the world, weakest wrists ever!) & a pool table (yeah, i suck at that too).
Z had a good time playing foozeball though as he was better than me & you know that's all that matters. pool was really fun though, i probably haven't played (more than a game or two at least) since B & I met. however, i used to play often with the guys from work & some other friends. funny thing is B also used to play quite a bit before we met as well. Z hadn't played & he got in a few good shots & at one point B said i broke a few laws of physics when i got 2 balls in with 1 shot. i think i broke more than that....
so now we need a full size pool table ;-p
when we came home S was here waiting for us; we stayed up & rang in the west coast new year. i don't remember what we did the rest of the weekend. oh, i know at some point we worked in the yard & we built L-dog a fab house.
i need to blog more, i can't remember shit.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
christmas 2011
well, let's just get it out in the open - Z got a card & that's all we heard from her.
we had a nice christmas though. for days before Z would get up & ask "is it christmas today?" the night before we let him open one present - the wooden marble run, he played with it for hours. on the morning of, when i finally could tell the boy yes, his response was ok, then he went to use the bathroom.
he opened his presents & he was so happy he received so many of the items he'd asked for. no, he didn't write a letter to santa, but he did write a list (with prices) from a toys r us ad. he got the zombie lab that makes gross candy things, the pogo stick (which is quite fun & even more difficult), a rock growing kit, a game with hand racquets where you catch & throw a ball & i don't remember the rest.
we spent the day playing his games & trying out the pogo stick (& more importantly not going through the sliding glass door). then in the evening we were about to head over to neighbor J's when the meltdown happened.
it may be from all the recent talk, but it came out - this was the worst christmas ever. yeh....bc he only got 7 presents was his argument.
& bc we're horrible parents we offered to return 1 of his presents & buy him a bunch of little cars instead. then he went on to ask how much money was spent on the presents. like that really matters, but at this point in time, to him, it did.
so in addition to the presents we explained to him that we also just got his glasses (yeah, the boy got his first pair of specs) & when he was told how much $ was spent on those he seemed happy.
next year he will get a sack filled with many pieces of coal.
so once enough christmas tears were shed, we finally went to visit some friends. there were a gang of kids & they had a good time running & playing. i hope the boy remembers that part of christmas. we had fun visiting with other adults.
we had a nice christmas though. for days before Z would get up & ask "is it christmas today?" the night before we let him open one present - the wooden marble run, he played with it for hours. on the morning of, when i finally could tell the boy yes, his response was ok, then he went to use the bathroom.
he opened his presents & he was so happy he received so many of the items he'd asked for. no, he didn't write a letter to santa, but he did write a list (with prices) from a toys r us ad. he got the zombie lab that makes gross candy things, the pogo stick (which is quite fun & even more difficult), a rock growing kit, a game with hand racquets where you catch & throw a ball & i don't remember the rest.
we spent the day playing his games & trying out the pogo stick (& more importantly not going through the sliding glass door). then in the evening we were about to head over to neighbor J's when the meltdown happened.
it may be from all the recent talk, but it came out - this was the worst christmas ever. yeh....bc he only got 7 presents was his argument.
& bc we're horrible parents we offered to return 1 of his presents & buy him a bunch of little cars instead. then he went on to ask how much money was spent on the presents. like that really matters, but at this point in time, to him, it did.
so in addition to the presents we explained to him that we also just got his glasses (yeah, the boy got his first pair of specs) & when he was told how much $ was spent on those he seemed happy.
next year he will get a sack filled with many pieces of coal.
so once enough christmas tears were shed, we finally went to visit some friends. there were a gang of kids & they had a good time running & playing. i hope the boy remembers that part of christmas. we had fun visiting with other adults.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
the work
do you have any idea how great it's been to not be looking for a job?
to not search all the job boards & stalk all the company websites & more importantly not live on shoestring budget?
granted i'm not making much, but it is an income & it's great to have one again.
so the other day, out of the blue, one of my co-workers asks me if i'd like to come work at her husband's office.
run the place.
twice the pay.
seriously.
gah...
oh, one more thing, fridays off, yeah 4 day work week!
where was this job last year?
i thought about it, went back & forth, talked with B about it... but i think i'm happy where i'm at, for now at least. i need training wheels, after 2 years of not working i've really lost my touch. plus i don't have a commute & my boss doesn't think anything of it
probably though, the biggest thing is that my boss isn't an ass. it's funny, a few people have said a few things about him, but honestly after working for old boss, this guy is easy.
granted i'm not making much, but it is an income & it's great to have one again.
so the other day, out of the blue, one of my co-workers asks me if i'd like to come work at her husband's office.
run the place.
twice the pay.
seriously.
gah...
oh, one more thing, fridays off, yeah 4 day work week!
where was this job last year?
i thought about it, went back & forth, talked with B about it... but i think i'm happy where i'm at, for now at least. i need training wheels, after 2 years of not working i've really lost my touch. plus i don't have a commute & my boss doesn't think anything of it
probably though, the biggest thing is that my boss isn't an ass. it's funny, a few people have said a few things about him, but honestly after working for old boss, this guy is easy.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Thanksgiving 2011
no, my mom & i are still not speaking.....just thought i should clear that up. i went back & forth, part of me felt i should call her, but last time that didn't really solve the problem [obviously bc she's doing it again] so i decided, that i will let her call.
she started the game, she can end it.
i know bad.
she sent Z a card for halloween & another one for thanksgiving. so i know she didn't have any plans of coming over. funny thing is, all this time i haven't been missing her, i've actually been thinking about how she failed me as a parent. how i was robbed of being a child & forced to be an adult bc she didn't know what to do with me. how she annihilated my sense of self worth & would put me down.
um, that's not where i was going with this so let's move on please....
lalala, so yes, thanksgiving was not what we had expected. B's family plans got thrown out the window & i'm not even going to get into that one....at one point we were seriously considering going back to the desert for the holiday to spend with B's bff R & the family of redheads who were also kind & considerate enough to invite us over as well.
thank you lord, we have friends, bc the family stuff ain't working.
B's bff R, girlfriend & momma came to town bringing desserts. we prepped turkey, stuffing & spinach dip, then all of us headed over to the neighbors who prepared side dishes. guess what? you know why she didn't have family over? bc she's having family issues too! we all had our little part which ended up a feast & nobody was overwhelmed, it was a really good feeling.
this year's thanksgiving was all about friends, the people who hang out with you bc they like you not bc they have to.
she started the game, she can end it.
i know bad.
she sent Z a card for halloween & another one for thanksgiving. so i know she didn't have any plans of coming over. funny thing is, all this time i haven't been missing her, i've actually been thinking about how she failed me as a parent. how i was robbed of being a child & forced to be an adult bc she didn't know what to do with me. how she annihilated my sense of self worth & would put me down.
um, that's not where i was going with this so let's move on please....
lalala, so yes, thanksgiving was not what we had expected. B's family plans got thrown out the window & i'm not even going to get into that one....at one point we were seriously considering going back to the desert for the holiday to spend with B's bff R & the family of redheads who were also kind & considerate enough to invite us over as well.
thank you lord, we have friends, bc the family stuff ain't working.
B's bff R, girlfriend & momma came to town bringing desserts. we prepped turkey, stuffing & spinach dip, then all of us headed over to the neighbors who prepared side dishes. guess what? you know why she didn't have family over? bc she's having family issues too! we all had our little part which ended up a feast & nobody was overwhelmed, it was a really good feeling.
this year's thanksgiving was all about friends, the people who hang out with you bc they like you not bc they have to.
Friday, November 18, 2011
turkey nightmares
so i'm getting into my groove at work [translates to i'm discovering my mistakes], so that's good, i guess. funny that boss doesn't say anything to me though, just lets me mess things up. oh well, i actually learn best that way & possibly, what's really scary, is that he knows that.
now that i'm a real employee, i'm on probation.....for a year....so much for feeling all comfy.
i already had to turn in my first self evaluation. it was fun.
when boss sent it over to me he actually told me "don't be too hard on yourself".
SEE? he knows me, i don't need anyone to tell me what a f-up i am....my mother taught me well dammit!
so far the hardest thing for me to do was thanksgiving. really, one wouldn't think so, but for me, it was. first i had to figure out where to get the turkeys from & that's actually more difficult than i expected. we don't have ovens, so i needed a hot, cooked turkey & really, not an easy task....well, factor in that it needs to be cheap too & that we were feeding between 40-50 people.
i finally found a place, but then i had to wait for boss to tell me it was ok to order & i needed $$ to pay for it & that was the part that was killing me. yes, i know he was busy with important things, but dang, i honestly was having nightmares about the thankgiving potluck & no flipping turkey & my ass was fired. part of that was bc in prep for the potluck i don't know how many of the guys told me "that's not how blahblah predecessor did it" so in the end i would just tell them i wasn't her.....
we got turkeys ordered & i felt the weight lifted from my shoulders, it was great.
then i realized i had to decorate, which is so not my forte.
i went out to the room, pulled out the previous years decorations & ended up with a headache. i went back to the office & pitifully asked a coworker to help me & she was awesome! she moved the tables around so people could sit across from each other & put tablecloths up so they looked like drapes & all kinds of cute little things. every once in awhile she would ask me "what do you think about this?" & i was at a loss.....yeah, i failed decorating in chick school.
the potluck went well, i could hardly eat though. afterwards we cleaned it all up & i was so relieved it was all over.....then later i realized christmas is next.....let the ham nightmares begin.
now that i'm a real employee, i'm on probation.....for a year....so much for feeling all comfy.
i already had to turn in my first self evaluation. it was fun.
when boss sent it over to me he actually told me "don't be too hard on yourself".
SEE? he knows me, i don't need anyone to tell me what a f-up i am....my mother taught me well dammit!
so far the hardest thing for me to do was thanksgiving. really, one wouldn't think so, but for me, it was. first i had to figure out where to get the turkeys from & that's actually more difficult than i expected. we don't have ovens, so i needed a hot, cooked turkey & really, not an easy task....well, factor in that it needs to be cheap too & that we were feeding between 40-50 people.
i finally found a place, but then i had to wait for boss to tell me it was ok to order & i needed $$ to pay for it & that was the part that was killing me. yes, i know he was busy with important things, but dang, i honestly was having nightmares about the thankgiving potluck & no flipping turkey & my ass was fired. part of that was bc in prep for the potluck i don't know how many of the guys told me "that's not how blahblah predecessor did it" so in the end i would just tell them i wasn't her.....
we got turkeys ordered & i felt the weight lifted from my shoulders, it was great.
then i realized i had to decorate, which is so not my forte.
i went out to the room, pulled out the previous years decorations & ended up with a headache. i went back to the office & pitifully asked a coworker to help me & she was awesome! she moved the tables around so people could sit across from each other & put tablecloths up so they looked like drapes & all kinds of cute little things. every once in awhile she would ask me "what do you think about this?" & i was at a loss.....yeah, i failed decorating in chick school.
the potluck went well, i could hardly eat though. afterwards we cleaned it all up & i was so relieved it was all over.....then later i realized christmas is next.....let the ham nightmares begin.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
house of good news
[part of that is bc we just aren't going to talk about the bad, stupid stuff]
today we got Z's report card, which is also 1st parent teacher conference of the year. i met his teacher at the beginning of the year for back to school night & B's been in to speak with her to check up on the boy, but other than that we haven't had much interaction.
overall on his report card, she said Z was a very bright child, for math he performs at grade level & could probably do better if he chose to. his reading & language wasn't quite as strong, but she said it wasn't anything to really be concerned about, that boys seem to have more trouble writing & reading. then for for life skills, he got all 'S's [satisfactory] with only 'N's [needs improvement] in observes classroom rules & demonstrates self control.
which, you know, could be SO much worse....
she also let us know she read some of his reports from last year, but she thinks he's grown up & is learning how to behave more appropriately.
i think this year's teacher is a much better fit for Z.
& now, we know what other parents feel like, this is how it's supposed to be.
good job kiddo!
today we got Z's report card, which is also 1st parent teacher conference of the year. i met his teacher at the beginning of the year for back to school night & B's been in to speak with her to check up on the boy, but other than that we haven't had much interaction.
overall on his report card, she said Z was a very bright child, for math he performs at grade level & could probably do better if he chose to. his reading & language wasn't quite as strong, but she said it wasn't anything to really be concerned about, that boys seem to have more trouble writing & reading. then for for life skills, he got all 'S's [satisfactory] with only 'N's [needs improvement] in observes classroom rules & demonstrates self control.
which, you know, could be SO much worse....
she also let us know she read some of his reports from last year, but she thinks he's grown up & is learning how to behave more appropriately.
i think this year's teacher is a much better fit for Z.
& now, we know what other parents feel like, this is how it's supposed to be.
good job kiddo!
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