I thought I would have more downtime than this, but I guess that was a fantasy.
My house is mostly packed up. Today my mother is coming over to help pack up the pantry. I need to empty my fridge and freezer but I can't until my husband moves the spare fridge out into the garage and I can moved the stuff into it. Saturday night is going to be a nightmare, I just know it. At least I can sleep on the plane.
Hubby had another tooth extracted this week. That wasn't too bad except they found a dark spot under his tongue and decided to biopsy it. The dentist does't think it is anything, but he wants to be cautious. However, having surgery under the tongue is pretty painful and husband isn't feeling so hot. He should be okay by Sunday.
I finally found out this week that my kids got into their school. I'm very relieved. I won't know which classes until I get back, but I'm not too concerned. I like all but one of the primary teachers and that teacher doesn't teach either of my kids' grades. Thing is very excited to be going to school.
And because it is August, it means soccer season has begun. Both girls are playing. Thing loves it. Diva, I'm not so sure about. She is quite competitive, so soccer has a different meaning for her.
I was hoping to get around and visit the blogs, but I don't think its going to happen until I get back. Maybe I will have a chance while I'm on vacation. Hope everyone is doing okay. I'll be back first week of September but I'm not sure how soon I'll be back on line.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Friday, August 17, 2007
Crazy, Crazy, Crazy
Things have kind of exploded around here. I'm leaving for Hawaii a week from Sunday so I need to start packing. Not really a big deal. If I forget something, there is a Wal-Mart and a Costco not too far from where I'm staying and the condo we are going to has a washer and dryer. Still, it is a pain in the butt since I pack for everyone.
This wouldn't be a big deal except the contractor doing my kitchen came over on Tuesday and finalized the plans. He wants to start at the end of the month. They will start the demo the week we are gone. So my kitchen has to be packed up. But wait, there's more. The remodel is going through my entire first floor and they are replacing all the flooring, so all the furniture in my family room and dining room has to be out too. We are expanding the pantry and so my walk-in pantry has to be emptied as well. Well, at least boxes of Rice-a-Roni are easy to pack.
I've already got part of the kitchen emptied. I've thrown away as much stuff as I've packed. Today is going to be ugly because I'm going to go through the little containers. Personally, I'd like to pitch the lot, but I do need to keep some of them. Then it is on to the pots and pans. Once I get those done the rest will be pretty easy. I hope.
Anyway, I may be even more scarce for the next month. We expect the remodel will be done at the end of September but life is going to be pretty chaotic during the month. I'm not looking forward to it, however I'm ecstatic at the thought of a new kitchen.
This wouldn't be a big deal except the contractor doing my kitchen came over on Tuesday and finalized the plans. He wants to start at the end of the month. They will start the demo the week we are gone. So my kitchen has to be packed up. But wait, there's more. The remodel is going through my entire first floor and they are replacing all the flooring, so all the furniture in my family room and dining room has to be out too. We are expanding the pantry and so my walk-in pantry has to be emptied as well. Well, at least boxes of Rice-a-Roni are easy to pack.
I've already got part of the kitchen emptied. I've thrown away as much stuff as I've packed. Today is going to be ugly because I'm going to go through the little containers. Personally, I'd like to pitch the lot, but I do need to keep some of them. Then it is on to the pots and pans. Once I get those done the rest will be pretty easy. I hope.
Anyway, I may be even more scarce for the next month. We expect the remodel will be done at the end of September but life is going to be pretty chaotic during the month. I'm not looking forward to it, however I'm ecstatic at the thought of a new kitchen.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Things Get Complicated
One of the biggest stresses I've had this summer has to do with the fall.
We have open enrollment in our school district. It means we can enroll our children in a school other than our home school...as long as there is room. We have to apply for an intradistrict transfer every year and so far it hasn't been a problem.
This year is different.
Each elementary school in the district is different. They are structured differently and have different philosophies when it comes to education. My kids go to the earthy-crunchy granola eatin' school as I like to say. It is multi-age, meaning the classes are blended with grades. All upper grades are 4-5-6 classes while the primary grades are blended in different combinations. It is very family oriented and parent participation is encouraged. As important as academics are, the school focuses on arts and music as well as social awareness. Anyway, it is unique in the area and my kids are doing really well there.
Apparently, everyone else in town wants there kids there as well and the school has been flooded with intradistrict transfers. They cannot grant all of them and are now cutting kids. My son is safe, he will be in 6th grade and they are not overrun. The problem is at the primary level. I think Thing will be okay for kindergarten but the hardest hit grade is the third grade which is Diva's grade. Yes, after going from kindergarten through second at the same school AND having two siblings at the school, she could get kicked out. And, to make it more stressful, the minute I submitted my intradistrict transfer, I gave up my spot in my home school. My home school is actually across town from me (my part of the city was incorporated long after the boundaries were drawn so they just threw us in) and so she'd have to go to a totally different school and there are only two open. Neither one is acceptable: there are reasons they aren't full.
Now I saw the writing on the walls plus I got inside info last spring, so I made sure I volunteered for tons of stuff. We've contributed financially to the school over the last 6 years we've been there. I'm hoping its enough to tip the scale in my daughter's favor. But here it is August 10th and school starts Sept. 5th and we still don't know. So what will I do if we don't get into the school? Well, there are a couple of private schools around, neither of them are really that great. But one dark option comes to mind. Something so black it is the Thing That Can't Be Named. I'll say it once but just once, I fear the backlash such a thing could do to me. Homeschool.
We have open enrollment in our school district. It means we can enroll our children in a school other than our home school...as long as there is room. We have to apply for an intradistrict transfer every year and so far it hasn't been a problem.
This year is different.
Each elementary school in the district is different. They are structured differently and have different philosophies when it comes to education. My kids go to the earthy-crunchy granola eatin' school as I like to say. It is multi-age, meaning the classes are blended with grades. All upper grades are 4-5-6 classes while the primary grades are blended in different combinations. It is very family oriented and parent participation is encouraged. As important as academics are, the school focuses on arts and music as well as social awareness. Anyway, it is unique in the area and my kids are doing really well there.
Apparently, everyone else in town wants there kids there as well and the school has been flooded with intradistrict transfers. They cannot grant all of them and are now cutting kids. My son is safe, he will be in 6th grade and they are not overrun. The problem is at the primary level. I think Thing will be okay for kindergarten but the hardest hit grade is the third grade which is Diva's grade. Yes, after going from kindergarten through second at the same school AND having two siblings at the school, she could get kicked out. And, to make it more stressful, the minute I submitted my intradistrict transfer, I gave up my spot in my home school. My home school is actually across town from me (my part of the city was incorporated long after the boundaries were drawn so they just threw us in) and so she'd have to go to a totally different school and there are only two open. Neither one is acceptable: there are reasons they aren't full.
Now I saw the writing on the walls plus I got inside info last spring, so I made sure I volunteered for tons of stuff. We've contributed financially to the school over the last 6 years we've been there. I'm hoping its enough to tip the scale in my daughter's favor. But here it is August 10th and school starts Sept. 5th and we still don't know. So what will I do if we don't get into the school? Well, there are a couple of private schools around, neither of them are really that great. But one dark option comes to mind. Something so black it is the Thing That Can't Be Named. I'll say it once but just once, I fear the backlash such a thing could do to me. Homeschool.
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
It's like having a fly trapped in your ear canal
Everyone has been posting pictures of their kitties lately so I thought I would post this. I took this from my dining room window. I didn't dare get any closer since this kitty is a bobcat. I'm not sure where it was headed. I'm hoping he didn't set up home base in my side yard. Isn't he cute?Anyway, last night I had a series of epiphanies about my WIP while I was doing dishes. I had my iPod on and a series of songs came on that triggered ideas about my characters and some world building issues I was having. I finished the dishes and sat down at my laptop to write. But hubby had the t.v. on to an Angel's game and the annoying sound of the babbling idiot announcers ruined my concentration so I moved to the office and worked on the desktop. I just got my WIP opened and had written two sentences when Thing (aka Voldemort) comes in and wouldn't stop talking. Any creative flow I had immediately evaporated.
I've realized that has been my main problem this summer. While I have more time to write, my focus is shot since I have this constant swarm of flies flitting about my head. If it isn't one thing, its another. The kids are either fighting or whining or begging for something. In Thing's case, she sees me sit down and focus on something not related to her and unleashes a torrent of verbal diarrhea that makes my ears bleed. This has been the worse summer for this kind of behavior. Combined with my own internal struggles with writing, this has really hampered me.
I've noticed I've been reading a lot. I contstantly have a book going. Reading has replaced writing since they both focus my mind in the same way (BTW, while I'm writing this, two of the kids have been talking non-stop to me although they can clearly see I'm doing something else). But I can hide with a book although lately that too has been impossible. Maybe it is a sign of age or perhaps having three active kids, but focus is a lot harder to maintain or even find.
Last summer I wrote a ton and I'm not sure what the difference is this year. Some of it is the ego-blow of my last book, but I generally recover quickly. I'm hoping this fall helps once I have all three (pardon me while I savor the words) in school.
Monday, August 06, 2007
Moaning Meme
Toni tagged me with this last week and it has taken me this long to finish it, I kept changing the answers.
4 things that should go into Room 101 and be removed from the face of the earth:
1. Processed Cheese Food
2. Hunger
3. People who gain pleasure or satisfaction from abusing women, children and/or animals.
4. Rap music that degrades women and promotes violence.
3 things people do that make you want to shake them violently:
1. Let their kids ride bikes/skateboards/scooters, etc. without a helmet.
2. Decide stories about drunken starlets are front page news.
3. Spend all their time with a cell phone attached to their ear.
2 things you find yourself moaning about:
1. My weight.
2. My kids.
1 thing the above answers tell you about yourself:
I'm an intolerant mom with a bizarre prejudice against Cheese Whiz.
I tag Melissa, Lory, Chrys
RULES
Link to the original meme at freelancecynic.com so people know what it’s all about!
Be as honest as possible, This is about letting people get to know the real you!
Try not to insult anyone - unless they really deserve it or are very, very ugly!
Post these rules at the end of every meme!
4 things that should go into Room 101 and be removed from the face of the earth:
1. Processed Cheese Food
2. Hunger
3. People who gain pleasure or satisfaction from abusing women, children and/or animals.
4. Rap music that degrades women and promotes violence.
3 things people do that make you want to shake them violently:
1. Let their kids ride bikes/skateboards/scooters, etc. without a helmet.
2. Decide stories about drunken starlets are front page news.
3. Spend all their time with a cell phone attached to their ear.
2 things you find yourself moaning about:
1. My weight.
2. My kids.
1 thing the above answers tell you about yourself:
I'm an intolerant mom with a bizarre prejudice against Cheese Whiz.
I tag Melissa, Lory, Chrys
RULES
Link to the original meme at freelancecynic.com so people know what it’s all about!
Be as honest as possible, This is about letting people get to know the real you!
Try not to insult anyone - unless they really deserve it or are very, very ugly!
Post these rules at the end of every meme!
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Summertime Blues
I'm ready for summer to end. Yeah, I know, I got a ways to go but for the most part, I'm ready for change.
My first problem is obvious. The kids are home. They fight, they're slobs and they're bored. Drives me crazy. I feel bad for them on one level because when I was a kid, my street was filled with kids around my age and we all played together. They don't have that advantage. There aren't that many kids around and those that are generally aren't home. Still, there is plenty to do and my two girls are of an age that they can play together and heaven knows there are enough toys although that number has been shrinking.
Second problem arises from the first. It is impossible to keep up with the housework. My sink is filled with dishes all the time. I could run my dishwasher twice a day. During the school year, my kids eat something quick for breakfast and they eat lunch at school. With summer, they are eating at home. And they eat all the time. Healthy stuff but all seeming to require dishes. They leave their stuff around and won't pick up after themselves. This has led to multiple meltdowns on my part. I've also been picking up their toys and putting them away in a place they can't get to. There is more laundry and the bathrooms get a lot more use.
Third problem is just me. I can't seem to light enough of a fire under myself to change. In my mind, I know what I need to do, but I've felt so listless, I can't seem to operate. I had great plans for the summer, but they aren't coming to any fruition. My motivation to get things done has fallen off the chart.
Most of it is a chain reaction. I really thought my kitchen would be done this summer. I've had my new kitchen appliances sitting in my family room since March. It is a big enough stack to block a window. On top of that, I have a massive dresser my SIL insists she wants but hasn't arranged to pick up yet. It gives my house a sense of disorder. My kitchen is difficult to keep clean and its so ugly I have no desire to clean it. The disorder in my house is affecting my writing. I've actually been writing and while its good, its not what I like to write. So back to the drawing board.
Sounds like I need a vacation, right? And yes, I'm going at the end of this month which just makes it all the worse. Remember how miserable the ninth month of pregnancy is? It is the month most filled with anticipation but it is also the most uncomfortable. You're huge, you're slow and it doesn't matter what you eat, it sours on you. That's how I feel right now. In less than four weeks I'll be relaxing under palm trees at the beach but for now everything seems too much. Its more of a viewpoint issue.
It hasn't all been bad. Hubby and I got back into dance class. I found two swimsuits that fit and look cute. I've read some great books and "Hell's Kitchen" has been on. And while I'm frusterated with my writing, I'm aware that it is a bump in the road rather than an obstacle and I feel like I can get over it if I put my mind to it.
How about you? Has summer been what you thought it would be?
My first problem is obvious. The kids are home. They fight, they're slobs and they're bored. Drives me crazy. I feel bad for them on one level because when I was a kid, my street was filled with kids around my age and we all played together. They don't have that advantage. There aren't that many kids around and those that are generally aren't home. Still, there is plenty to do and my two girls are of an age that they can play together and heaven knows there are enough toys although that number has been shrinking.
Second problem arises from the first. It is impossible to keep up with the housework. My sink is filled with dishes all the time. I could run my dishwasher twice a day. During the school year, my kids eat something quick for breakfast and they eat lunch at school. With summer, they are eating at home. And they eat all the time. Healthy stuff but all seeming to require dishes. They leave their stuff around and won't pick up after themselves. This has led to multiple meltdowns on my part. I've also been picking up their toys and putting them away in a place they can't get to. There is more laundry and the bathrooms get a lot more use.
Third problem is just me. I can't seem to light enough of a fire under myself to change. In my mind, I know what I need to do, but I've felt so listless, I can't seem to operate. I had great plans for the summer, but they aren't coming to any fruition. My motivation to get things done has fallen off the chart.
Most of it is a chain reaction. I really thought my kitchen would be done this summer. I've had my new kitchen appliances sitting in my family room since March. It is a big enough stack to block a window. On top of that, I have a massive dresser my SIL insists she wants but hasn't arranged to pick up yet. It gives my house a sense of disorder. My kitchen is difficult to keep clean and its so ugly I have no desire to clean it. The disorder in my house is affecting my writing. I've actually been writing and while its good, its not what I like to write. So back to the drawing board.
Sounds like I need a vacation, right? And yes, I'm going at the end of this month which just makes it all the worse. Remember how miserable the ninth month of pregnancy is? It is the month most filled with anticipation but it is also the most uncomfortable. You're huge, you're slow and it doesn't matter what you eat, it sours on you. That's how I feel right now. In less than four weeks I'll be relaxing under palm trees at the beach but for now everything seems too much. Its more of a viewpoint issue.
It hasn't all been bad. Hubby and I got back into dance class. I found two swimsuits that fit and look cute. I've read some great books and "Hell's Kitchen" has been on. And while I'm frusterated with my writing, I'm aware that it is a bump in the road rather than an obstacle and I feel like I can get over it if I put my mind to it.
How about you? Has summer been what you thought it would be?
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