The Day Is Ending Like it Began...

Sigh...is it tomorrow yet? I found out today that I was supposed to have some "re-orientation" (isn't that an oxymoron?), completed by TODAY for work at the local hospital. My manager said it would be fine for me to come in, it would just take a short time online. I was also informed that I needed a PPD...(TB test). No prob, right? WRONG! As I was on my way into the hospital, I called employee health to see if I could stop in for said PPD. I got some uptight, crabby, biiaaatch of a "nurse" on a power trip that refused to stick me! She couldn't give me any other reason except to say "We only do PPDs on Fridays". This is the kicker...I can only access my online "re-orientation" after, and only after, I have had my PPD. Did I mention that today is/was the deadline?! So, a quick call to my manager...who is now also a bit miffed at the employee health worker and an even quicker turn around to head back home to the chaos of Prime Factors, Disney Princesses, and Auschwitz, (my oldest daughter is studying the Holocaust).

I've just now finished cleaning up dinner, there's two more loads of laundry to fold and I still need a shower...sigh.

HEY!!!!

This morning after my usual run of dropping off the kids, etc., I returned to the house and noticed the yellow ribbon that has been wired to my mailbox, since January, is no longer there...

Isn't tampering with someones mailbox a federal offense? Am I allowed to set a booby trap for next time? C'mon!

As the Wheel Turns...Pottery Class

I think I mentioned previously that I have been taking a pottery class. Tomorrow is the last one of the session...glazing. I really enjoyed it...I have even been contemplating how I could put a pottery wheel in my living room and multi-task it as an end table with a foot pedal Lazy Susan. Since that won't fly with the soon to be returning Marine, even with me in nothing but faded overalls and the Righteous Brothers piped through the house. (Unless I could figure out a way for it simultaneously spew out Yankee stats and a cold beer). I signed up for a second class starting mid-October.

Yes, it is another "beginners class" and no, I don't think of it as being "left back", even if it was the instructor's "suggestion". Hopefully I'll come out of the next class with more than a couple of lopsided bowls and a wonky milk pitcher.

You Be the Judge...

One Thing Every Woman Should Know How to Do...

How to make a Windsor Knot...I just finished Skype-ing Paul. It took 5 or 6 tries, and at one point I thought my husband was going to hang himself from the shoelace he was demonstrating with, but I now know how to tie a tie. I could always straighten one, make the dimple in the knot, and pick one out, but I never knew how to tie one...until 10minutes ago.

Why do I need to know this? Because my 11 year old needs to wear a tie for school tomorrow...and he has a beautiful, silk, Hickey Freeman hanging in his closet.

Typical...

Yesterday, painters were supposed to come to the house and remove some very dated wallpaper and start painting. When they didn't show up on time, I called to see if they were still planning on working. I spoke to one of the 2 brothers. He told me that he couldn't come, their dad died...but would tomorrow be OK or would it mess me up? I replied, "Oh, my gosh...I'm so sorry for your loss. What time could you be here?"

Maggot Prevention 101...

Grosser than Gross...

We lasted 9 months and a couple of weeks. My absolute WORST fear was realized...yesterday. I'm getting creeped out just thinking about it right now. MAGGOTS IN THE OUTSIDE TRASH CAN!

My son, Paul, is in charge of the trash. He brings it out nightly, brings it to the curb the night before pick up and returns the pails to their proper place after the trash has been collected. So, yesterday in a cleaning frenzy, I decided to clean out the garage. I created a couple of boxes of trash waiting to be put into the newly emptied cans once Paul came home from school, to finish his chore. I told him what needed to be done...and, like the good kid he is, he did it. About an hour later I went to throw one more thing out. I opened the lid and was greeted by MANY wiggly, white grains of rice. AHHHHH!

I reached for the bug spray and saturated the can, inside and out. No dice, they were now just wet, wiggly grains of rice. I then reached for the more powerful wasp killer spray...still alive and wiggling. What the heck...are they mutant or something?

I finally decided to get Paul, the virtual man of the house, and direct him as to what needed to be done. We both went outside armed with rubber gloves (that are now discarded), a gallon of bleach, a high power hose and my churning stomach. We...he, gingerly removed the boxes of trash and set them in the sun. We then turned on the hose, rinsed out the can, and poured in the ENTIRE gallon of bleach. When we dumped it out, in an inconspicuous area of the yard, about 15 giant earthworms surfaced and began to dance as well! This was like a scene out of the virtual horror movie in my head! (It was all I could do to not run down the street screaming with my arms flailing about).

Look, I'm a nurse, I have no trouble cleaning up the barf of strangers, watching an open hip replacement, assisting in a c-section, etc. But maggots...no way. That's where I draw the line. They no longer exist in my trash can, and they better never return!

My New Toy...

A few weeks ago I purchased the best thing in the world! A source of wonderment and bliss...I'm not sure where it's been all of my life, but I found it now baby...The Shark Steam Mop...the greatest mop EVER! (I know what you're thinking...what the heck is wrong with this girl...it's a mop.) IT DISINFECTS FLOORS...at least until someone steps on the spot you just mopped. Remember, 4 kids, 2 dogs, and a "no shoes in the house" rule that no one follows.

Now, if I could just get someone else to do the mopping.

First Soccer Game...Ever!

I'm in Love...with a German!

For the last several weeks I've been researching and shopping for a "new" car for Paul. He'll be returning in a matter of WEEKS! We sold his old car last winter before he left for Iraq, and I don't like to share!

After much deliberation, we ruled out a German make. They're expensive to repair,buy American, blah, blah, blah. I had narrowed our choices down to a 2007 Jeep Compass and a 2006 Ford Fusion. I went today to drive them both. The Compass was first on our list, Paul has a "thing" for Jeep. It was a 5 speed manual transmission, 4x4 and the only nice thing about it was the power windows. It felt very cramped, the 4 cylinder engine was nothing to brag about and it had an odor...yuck. The Fusion was a bit nicer, an amazing difference in the engine...this was a V-6. There were more amenities, but it had 50,000 miles on it and frankly, it felt like my grandpa's car.

As I was about to leave the dealership, the salesman said he had another vehicle in our price range. A BMW 325i. Yes, it's a bit older, a 2002. But...it had only 34,000 miles, it's loaded, and it handled like nothing I've ever driven before. I was seduced immediately...those pesky Europeans...I tried to play hard to get! I negotiated, haggled, (I went home and did some more research), and got the price where I wanted it. I'm leaving to pick it up in a few minutes!

Seriously?

Is sentence diagramming really a necessary life skill...or do English teachers want kids to learn it so they could torture parents? I mean seriously, when was the last time you were going about your day and thought to yourself, "gee, if only I had diagrammed the sentences in last week's People magazine, I would have understood it better"...hmmmmm.

I expect answers from the many educators in my life.

Happy Birthday to My Other Mom!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Oh...and FYI...Paul McCartney is OLDER!

Today...

Crossfit "Michael"...check.

License plates renewed...check.

4 Bathrooms cleaned, all floors mopped...check.

Toys picked up...check.

Books read and little kids played with...check.

Bills payed...check.

Toys picked up...check.

Kids picked up...check.

Homework and studying supervised and corrected...check.

Toys picked up...check.

Dinner (Homemade roast chicken, asparagus, potatoes, and tossed salad)...check.

Soccer snack schedules created and printed...check.

Toys picked up...check.

Soccer practice...check.

Toys picked up...check.

Shower...finally.

Big glass of wine...happening right now.

My Cool Cuz...

This is my cousin, Ron Ferrante's band...he wrote the lyrics, plays lead guitar and sings the vocals...click the link, hear the song.

http://www.myspace.com/infraredaudioband

Ron lives in Charlotte, NC, and with his band, Infrared Audio, he will be performing throughout the Charlotte area in the upcoming months. Check him out if you happen to be in the Charlotte vicinity!

Last Oil Change...for a While!

Woo-Hoo! This morning I took our vehicle for an oil change and tire rotation...with Charlotte. You can already see where this is going. She and I for some quality mommy and me time. The others were at school. It is Monday, shouldn't be too crowded at the local tire and oil place near the house, most MEN take care of this stuff themselves or on a Saturday.

I called first, because I'm just not the "waitin' kind of gal", to see if they were very busy. I was told they were pretty quiet and it would be a good time for me to come on in. I wanted to get in and get out...an hour tops, right?

WRONG! When I arrived, there were 4 people in line in front of me...all wanting the same thing! I completely forgot for a moment that I live in the land of the retired. Older gentlemen think like women...I'll just go Monday morning and beat the crowds.

After an hour of playing, "Let's Try Our Hardest to Call China on Mom's Cell Phone", Charlotte and I decided to walk to the front...where our car was on a lift without tires...and I'm guessing no oil. I inquired how much more time it would take and was told by the invoice printer lady that she would find out. Thirty minutes later a greasy dude came out of the garage and said my tags were expired...IN JULY and my inspection sticker expired IN AUGUST. (I thought he was going to pull out the hand cuffs and book me and Charlotte downtown right then...(this is a little bit of PTSD from an "incident" that happened years earlier with the preschool carpool, a certain minivan, a husband gallivanting in Japan and an EXPIRED power of attorney...I didn't mention the fact the said preschoolers didn't understand the difference between "pulled over" and "arrested"). For a split second I thought I wouldn't be able to get my keys back from this guy until I could prove that I actually do have a current Power of Attorney that says I can do whatever I want to this car and that I can read despite this summer's vehicle transgressions...one more thing, I was afraid I was going to get yelled at for being 250 miles overdue on the oil change/tire deal work...(don't tell the desert dweller, he'll be upset.) Whew.

As it turned out, greasy guy changed the oil, rotated the tires and inspected the car. (He never said a thing about being late for it.) I still have to renew the tags...tomorrow. Hope the Dukes of Hazard don't catch up with me! All I can say is that the next oil change/tire rotation will be done by the man of the house...BTW, was he not home in July?

The Week from Hell...

Seriously, the scream below would have felt great if were an actual scream. This past week has left me exhausted and drained. Don't get me wrong, I'm not looking for a pity party. I'm the one that caused most of the exhaustion. I chose to sign them up for activities. I believe they should be involved in something other than studying. So, they get to pick one activity a piece, except for Charlotte...too young.

Abbie is involved in ballet, she's been for many years and is now at the point where the commitment is very time consuming. She'll be performing as the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz at Mumfest 2009, in New Bern next month. The rehearsal schedule is intense and we've been back and forth to the studio almost everyday this week.

Paul is playing soccer and practices are twice a week with a game on the weekend. It just so happened that Parents Night at school was on the same night as one of the practices and it left us going back and forth to school, to the soccer field and home several times in one day...not to mention that Parents Night took twice as long. There was a middle and lower school presentation and I had to make the rounds to all of the teachers for both kids. I admit, I missed a couple of the teachers in the enrichment areas (art, PE, music).

Drew will also start soccer practice this week...Lord help us. He has been walking around the house in his shin guards (that go up to his knees) and trying to sneak his cleats on in the house...House Rule #347..."All cleats (baseball, soccer, softball, golf, etc.) go NO further than the garage, even if they are brand new."

I also worked on Friday night and was on the road (watch out, sleep deprived driver) all day Saturday with soccer, dance rehearsal, and a birthday party that ended at 10 PM...ugh, teens!

So, the one thing I did neglect last week was me. I'm fighting a cold, (I think I'm winning), and I had to sacrifice the one thing that I recently started doing for myself...taking a beginning pottery class. (It was on the same night as soccer practice and that pesky Parents Night. I have to say, concentrating on nothing but a hunk of mud that spins on a wheel is amazing! I recommend it to anyone that has the opportunity. Hopefully I'll make it to class this week.

AHHHHH!

There, I feel better.

Denial Ain't a River in Egypt...

I'm NOT getting a cold, I'm NOT getting a cold, I'm Not getting a cold!

Never Forget.

As a kid of native Brooklyn-ites, I was raised in northern New Jersey, but considered myself more of a New Yorker than a Jersey Girl. We lived about 15 minutes outside of Manhattan and went to "The City" frequently. The Manhattan Skyline was never far from sight and I'll keep it in my heart always.

Just a Hint...

Next week my two favorite gals are celebrating their birthdays! They are three years and 1 day apart. So...I'm hoping their very snazzy sugar daddies read my blog.

I'm also hinting to my own sugar daddy...my birthday is next month...and you've been away a long, long time.

I'm Exhausted...

I'm not quite sure why. Yes, it was a very busy and emotional weekend, but I've slept! I think I'm just done with this deployment. I keep joking with Paul saying that when he finally arrives home, I'm checking into a hotel...by myself. I think I just need a couple of days (and nights) of sleep, lounging around and more sleep.

OK...I'm off for another morning of "torture", I mean Crossfit.