Michigan

The Automotive Industry. Need I say more?

We've already been cut back to four day work weeks. Then I found out today we will likely be closed the whole first week of February (this after being closed two weeks in December) and we are all taking a pay cut as of February 1st. Yea things are looking good. Can you hear the sarcasm? Sorry if I'm a little down lately. Jupiter is self employed and we rely on my income to pay 99% of everything. I'm not in the best mood right now. I guess I better start saving up now for that pay cut next month. Ugh.

Let's Think Outside Ourselves, People

It's Christmas. Look around. See that person that needs help. The elderly widow across the street that needs her driveway shoveled. The single mom with a small child. The lonely college student that can't make it home for Christmas. See what you can do for someone else today.

My girlfriend confided in me this morning. She told me that in her 20 years of raising her children (she has a 20 yr old daughter and a 4 yr old son) that NO ONE has ever offered to take either child out to buy her a Christmas present. Not that she wants or needs a Christmas present. But children should be able to do that for their mother. Don't you think? So this year, let's not just assume that someone else is doing it. Let's do it ourselves. K?

What Makes You YOU?

What Makes Me ME?

1. I am not very patient

2. I like to know what' going on. I'm a planner

3. My husband is not. We fight about it constantly.

4. When I find a pair of pant I like, I will wear them until the last piece of thread falls off them.

5. My children are my life

6. My children drive me absolutely batty

7. I LOVE homemade hot cocoa. It's the best stuff on earth.

8. I am a baby when my throat hurts.

9. I require a nap almost every day. It may be only 20 min. But I need it.

10. I would walk through fire for my family and my friends. You mess with them, you mess with me.

11. My favorite season is Christmas.

12. I like being outdoors much more now than I ever did as a kid.

13. I can lose myself in a book and am sad when it's over. It's like my best friend just left.

14. I love animals. Especially horses. But I've never owned a horse.

15. Italian food is the best. Pasta is my comfort food.

16. I love to cry at movies/books/ t.v. commercials

17. Coffee is a drug to me. And I am addicted.

18. I hate being cooped up in the house for too long

19. I'm a very social loner. lol

20. I love my make-up

Grasping

Why is it that Christmastime doesn't seem nearly as magical now as it did when we were kids? I'm very excited for Christmas morning, but I'm more excited about the days leading up to Christmas. I want my boys to learn about what I feel Christmas is really about. I want them learn to enjoy the season, the shopping and giving to others, and I want them to feel peace. Do you think that's too much for a 4-yr old and a 1-yr old to grasp? Probably. 'Cuz I feel like I'm grasping at straws here. Mercury and I curl up on the couch with hot cocoa almost every night and watch a Christmas special on t.v. I love the time with just him. This is my favorite time of year. I just hope I can teach them to love it for the same reasons I do.

They Should Warn You

Who is 'They' exactly? I'm not sure. But someone should warn you. Those baby dolls they give out in health class that cry, they just don't cut it. 'They' need to make a doll that will run away from you and hide while you're shopping at Walmart. And make the doll able to hide so well that you have to get employees to help you find your child and call a Code Adam. Then laugh and think it's funny that they ran away once you have them back and are crying and trying to teach them a lesson.



'They' need to make a doll that will (when you think you're finally cool and have got the kids under control 'cuz the oldest one is now on a leash in Walmart) grab a bottle of dish soap while your back is turned and down it like a bottle then scream, gag and foam at the mouth. This causing all the other shoppers to stare at you like you've committed some heinous crime while you quickly pay for your groceries and high tail it outta there only to sit in the parking lot on the phone with poison control.



Then...'They' need to make a doll that will poop through its diaper and clothes not only when you're on your way out the door to school (see yesterday) but also (repeatedly) at three in the morning so you have to change p.j's and bedding and do a load of laundry in the middle of the night.



Then you need to go to work the next day smelling of said poop even though you've scrubbed and showered many times.



After all this, if you can handle it, you may be ready to try parenthood.

Poop

Literally.

I have never seen so much poop or seen it spread over an entire human being, like the way I saw today.

Neptune must have some kinda stomach bug. Cuz that was the most poop ever. Up his back out his pants through two shirts and up his belly. And of course just as I'm getting ready to walk us all out the door to get Mercury to school. And on a day we're getting blasted with lake effect snow so I need to give myself extra time to get to the school. Love Lake Michigan in the summer when we can be at the beach. In the winter? Not so much. Seriously in all my years of babysitting and raising two kids I've seen some blow outs. But this made them all look like small potatoes. Ick. I may never eat again after seeing that. All I can say was atleast we weren't in the car when it happened. Ohh it would have been bad trying to clean that outta a car seat. Here's hoping for a much less poopy day the rest of today.

Bad Bad Bacon

OMG that's all I can come up with that could have caused such a nasty reaction. I was fine all day yesterday. FINE! Finally before bed I decided to warm up three pieces of leftover bacon. About five minutes after eating it my tummy starting feeling a little...strange. Then Neptune woke up an hour later. I was in the middle of changing his diaper and had to tell Jupiter to take over as I bolted to the bathroom and proceeded to empty my guts into the toilet. Good thing I scrubbed it while the kids were bathing last night. I hate staring into a dirty toilet. And yes, I was thinking that the whole time I was ridding myself of the bacon. Then of course Neptune does not want to go back to bed. But I played the sick card, slept on the couch and made Jupiter take care of him. I horrible, huh? I did end up with Mercury sleeping on the couch with me at some point during the night. Then this morning, I'm fine. I'm glad it didn't last longer than that. But how strange. Needless to say I will be throwing all that leftover bacon away when I get home today. And then..Jupiter as the nerve to ask me if I'm pregnant. Uhhh he had the Big V months ago and I'm in medically induced menopause. So no, I'm not pregnant. Then he says, "I'd appreciate it if you and the guys you sleep with would use a condom. I've already got two, I'm not raising another one." Are all men like this? Ugh. Like just 'cuz I barf I gotta be knocked up. Men sure are special creatures. That's for sure.

It's Monday

And we have snow. The first snow of the season that's stayed on the ground. We had snow just over a week ago that melted as it hit the ground. But it is actually white on the ground now. I guess Christmas is coming if I'm ready or not, huh?

We had an alright weekend. Mercury was a bit of a brat yesterday. O.k. he was a huge brat. He pushed Neptune down their grandparents staircase and Neptune has a big gash on his forehead. Why is it I always have to take him to daycare on Monday looking like I beat the tar outta him over the weekend? Ugh.

Go check out this website. A blogger I recently found and happen to adore has opened her own store. So do me a favor and go check this out. You'll be glad you did!
http://www.lilyjdesigns.com/

God Knew

This is the best thing I've hear and it came from my father yesterday. I'm just gonna leave you with this thought for the day.

Keep in mind this was said yesterday

God did not 'wake-up' this morning and say, "wow I didn't see this one coming"

Nothing is a suprise to Him.

I am tired, I am crabby...

I WANT TO SLEEP!

What has happened? Is there a full moon coming up that I'm not aware of? Neptune has decided sleep is for the birds. Therefore, mommy doesn't sleep either. Seriously could someone pass me some tooth picks to prop my eyelids open with? ARGH! Not a good feeling when you have to deal with numbers and other peoples problems all day long every day. Just shoot me now.

You're Gonna Miss This

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vG9XfJxMY8A

I woke up with this stuck in my head today. I'm having a really hard time with Jupiter lately. I just don't understand him. Maybe it's a man thing. I've basically had to club him, and drug him to get him to agree to help me take the boys Trick or Treating tonight. Mercury is in this horrible phase where he just takes off at any given moment and Neptune will not hold my hand. So no way can I take both boys myself this year. And Jupiter has not gone ONCE. He's fighting me the whole way. And I just don't understand. He hardly spends any time with the boys. Yes they can be annoying. They don't listen, they fight, they break things, they talk back, but they are kids. I don't understand how he can not miss these things he's not doing with them. Maybe it's because I'm female, I don't know. But as trying as the boys can be and as much as they annoy me to no end some days, I can not imagine missing out on their lives. This in my mind is the best part of my life. This is what I've always wanted to do. How can he not enjoy it? I don't get it. But I know one thing. I'm gonna miss it. I already miss they babyness. I miss it I miss it I MISS IT! But I will not miss out on these things that are so important to my kids. I will be there for them and at least I will have the memories.

Back To The Land Of The Living

I.AM.BACK!



I had pnemonia last week. Came outta nowhere and hit me like a ton of bricks. I've never had pnemonia, and I hope to never have it again.



I'm not quite sure how my kids survived except their wonderful daycare kept them late a few days and then brought them home. I think I would die without that woman!



Then Tuesday Mercury had his pumpkin patch field trip with the preschool. That was fun. So I'm trying furiously to catch up here at work. I was out a week, back for a day, gone a day, and now I am back. Ugh. Talk about a mess. But here are a few pics from the week/end for you to check out until I can get my head outta my butt and back on this planet.

This is Mercury and Neptune after decorating for Halloween.

This is the first time I let Neptune have cotton candy. He wasn't sure he liked it at first. Then...he became a huge sticky mess!

Here is the first day I was starting to feel better. I took the kids out and Mercury was having fun with some batting practice.

And this is Mercury and I at the pumpkin patch on Tuesday. Notice how we have the same stupid smile?

Thursday Three

1. Today is my brothers b-day. He is 25. He needs a woman. A steady woman.

2. I really don't like tacos all that much. So why am I making them for dinner tonight?

3. I procrastinate. I have something I really need to do. And I've been putting it off for over a week. I really need to get it done.

A Woman on a Mission

That is what I am. I've had it. I can not take anymore. I've decided not to fight it, because I will not win. So I'm going to go with it. I'm going to make it my new mission.

Mercury has started declaring all things I make, "YUCK". And will not eat them. In fact sometime I should try to get a picture of his face while he's throwing his whole little "what are you making me eat, woman? POISON?" tantrum.

So my new mission instead of fighting him is to give in. But let me make myself clear. I refuse to make two meals. One for me and one for my kids. It will not happen. Once they quit with baby food, they eat what I eat. So can I make something that not only will they eat, but I can enjoy and keep it somewhat healthy? We'll find out. I'm going to dedicate one post a week to something we're trying that I deem kid-friendly. In fact it's gonna be so kid-friendly I'm gonna make Mercury help me cook it. Yep, this is my new mission in life. There are all sorts of food blogs out there. But we need one with kid food. So here it is. Friday I will try my first kid-friendly meal, so you're not gonna get a play by play until Monday. But that's o.k.

The Daily Grind

Neptune went to the dr today. Just asthma again. Back to five days of Prednisone, Albuterol every four hours and Pulmicort. I knew this time would come. I really did. But I was hoping I was wrong.

I hope Mercury had a better day at school today. He didn't seem to do well last week. I don't know what happened. He loved school last year, and did great in his programs over the summer. Oh well. Maybe he just needs time to adjust?

I'm trying to think of things I can do to make this more interesting. I need to get back to my photos. I think I'll add some meal planning on one day and maybe Thursday Threes or something like that. Or maybe I'll just lose my mind. That may be easier! I'll do my meal planning on Friday as I do my grocery shopping on Saturday. I'm no cook. That's for darn sure and Jupiter will attest to that! But I'm trying. I probably try to hard. See, I'm having a hot flash just thinking about it. I am also no house keeper. I used to be. My roommates would make fun of me because I was forever cleaning. But then...I had kids. It seems pointless now.

So here's what I'll do
Monday - weekend review

Tuesday - what I hope to accomplish this week

Thursday - Threes (something I find interesting or you may not know about me

Friday - meal planning

yea o.k. we'll see how this goes. LOL

IKE

Why is it that I am fascinated with natural disaster? I can't get enough of the reporters covering IKE. But the one thing I can't stand? Those people that refuse to evacuate when a mandatory evacuation has been issued. There was one man on the news that actually said he wasn't leaving 'cuz he didn't want to deal with the traffic. WHAT? Now when he dies or is homeless for months, who's fault is it going to be? Not his, I'm sure.

But for the rest of you sane people in Galveston who have evacuated, my prayers are with you. My prayers are with those of you that haven't evacuated also, but I don't think that was the smartest move you could have made.

Hand Foot and Mouth Disease

I hope, I seriously hope that whoever is reading this, your kids have never had and will never get this virus. Mercury had it back when he was two and I forgot how horrible it is. It is so hard as a mom to watch your child want to eat, take a bite of food and scream in pain. Then refuse to try again. Yes, this is what Neptune has. But he also had another complication from the virus that most kids don't get. He is 'bleeding under his skin'. So I can not even give him Motrin 'cuz it'll make the bleeding worse. Don't get me wrong, we can use Tylenol. I'm just a huge Motrin fan when kids are this sick.

Anyway if you are unfortunate enough to have to deal with this here are my tips. I'm an expert you know, I've now dealt with this twice. Yea, whatever Venus. Think what you like.

1. POPSICLES. Spend a mini-fortune on Popsicles and give them to the child on demand. And don't go for the sugar free. Really if they're not eating, let the kids have some sugar.

2. YOGURT. Both of my kids tolerated this well while sick. We've been doing some pudding, but for some reason, the yogurt is going over better.

3. AMERICAN CHEESE. Seriously. I learned this one last night by accident. Neptune snagged some out of Mercury's lunchable. It's soft enough he can handle it. And he can't even handle a banana right now. So that's saying something. Plus it's got some substance to it so at least I feel like he's eating a little something.

4. BENADRYL. Now I do feel a little nag of mommy guilt over this one. But omg I can not handle being up every time Neptune rolls over in bed (the pressure on his mouth from his pillow wakes him). So yes, I drugged him with some Benadryl last night and I got 5 glorious hours of sleep.

And you can take or leave this last one

5. RAIN COAT. The drooling that these kids do while they have this is insane. Please be prepared for the drooling!

Here we go again!

Why does it seem the only time I get back here is when Neptune is sick? Oh wait...Neptune is always sick. So yes, we are back off to the doctor again today. I swear I should just send my money straight to the bank to pay for his boat or whatever it is that he has. At least this doctor seems to be a good guy.

We have having a horrible time with Mercury right now. He is terrified of the dark and of ware wolves of all things. He wont even go to the bathroom unless I go and turn the light on for him first. At the first hint of the sun setting he starts flipping out 'cuz it's getting dark. I was not prepared for this part of mommyhood!

Other than that, things have been going well. Jupiter took on a new account and is doing really well at work. So that is very exciting!

Endometriosis

Well, I have a diagnosis. Now to find out what it means. I know what endometriosis is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endometriosis. But what does it mean for me exactly? I've been driving myself crazy trying to google this and read that. I guess I'll just have to wait until Friday when I see the dr again to know for sure. But you can bet I will be blogging about this whole journey.

Bored

I figured I'm come screw around on here today. I've really got nothing intellegent to say. But some would argue I never have anything intellegent to say. So what's the difference, right?

Mercury started his summer sports program last night. He played soccer last fall and loved it. Last night, not so much. They were in the gym. Why? It's beyond me. It was over 70 degrees out and gorgeous, but they had the kids in the gym. Mercury decided not to leave my side. He claims he doesn't like playing soccer inside. Whatever. Neptune? He also doesn't like Mercury playing soccer inside because he can't get off my lap without being in the way. So he decided to scream half the time. And lucky me, it echos so well in the gym! Teaches them to stick those poor kids inside! lol. Other than that, I got the feeling my kids were abducted by aliens yesterday. They were GOOD for me. They were horrid at daycare, but hey, as long as they're good for me, I don't care! It was a very refreshing change. I'm really hoping the trend keeps up today.

I really wish I had some cute pics to share, but I really don't think that anyone wants to see Mercury sitting in a chair at soccer, so I'll spare you. Instead I think I'm gonna screw around and add things here to this site. I haven't gotten around to that yet. So maybe I'll amuse myself that way.