Committed...

As in I should be committed, or I am committed...

I, and my family, are looking at a few MAJOR upcoming changes in life. First- we are currently in the licensing process to be able to foster adopt a child or two. (We never intended for Jackson to be an only child, and he has been begging for siblings for a few years now.) We have our home study this coming Thursday. YAY! It's scary and exhilarating all at the same time, just like a roller coaster, which is exactly how people keep describing this process. Don't ask what kind of child we want, we don't know ourselves. Just someone older than 5 that will be a fit for our family, and someone who we will be a good fit for. (Even Jackson no longer cares if he gets a brother or a sister, he just wants a sibling.)
We have been speaking to him extensively about it, explaining to him that these kids don't come from the same situation he did, and they may be sad, or angry, and they may even take it out on him sometimes. We've been preparing him to not take it personally, and to come cry to US when/if it happens. (Hopefully we will learn a better strategy to cope with this before it actually happens.)

The other major change? Sadly, this is the truly scary one for me...I am giving up cigarettes for Lent. I have a plan, and one that I will hopefully stick with. This plan involves lots of water, vaping, and plenty of yoga. (Yes, I bought DDP Yoga...hopefully the DVDs will be here before Wednesday so I can get going with all of this at the same time!!!)Please, pray hard for me that this all works. Giving up smoking scares the daylights out of me. I've been smoking since I was in my early teens, and I'm 44 now. That's a LOOOOOOONG time to be slowly killing yourself. That's a long time to allow an addiction to run your life. I'm hoping that having a plan will help me this time. (This will be the 12th time I've quit.) I'm also hoping that the yoga DVDs will help me get rid of some of this excess weight.

Hopefully you'll read more of me here in the coming weeks. Blogging about the misery of giving up cigarettes is part of my plan. That along with giving any suffering I will have up to God as penance for my sins, and to let Him do his will.

In the meantime, thanks for reading! If you have any ideas for Lenten meals, please feel free to share. One can only eat so much tuna casserole and mac n cheese. LOL. (No one else eats fish, which makes it doubly fun to cook on meatless days!)

I said BRRRRRR! It's COLD in here...

OK, so maybe cold is a relative term. I know some of you are dealing with below zero temps and nasty stuff falling from the sky, don't judge. I'm the girl that was born and raised in places like Hawaii, Southern California, Southern Arizona. Want to know how to handle life at 105 in July? I'm your girl! In fact, I LOVE the heat. Want to know how to whine and moan about it being 38 in southern Texas? I'm your girl! I would seriously FAIL at being a northerner. In fact, I once spent two winters in Dallas. YOWZA! That did me in on winter for like, the rest of my life.
On a similar note: It's time to teach the ENTIRE family about fireplace safety. In a bout of not being able to sleep last night, I got out of bed at 2am to grab a drink of water. The family room was FILLED with smoke. The fireplace flu had been closed while embers were still burning. How it is the smoke alarm hadn't gone off yet, I don't know. So, here I am trying to close the flu in the dark, running to open the doors in my pjs while it was 27 outside. Yeah, felt great I tell ya. Brrrr! I need to learn to wear socks. (It may indeed help with that whole aversion to winter thing I have going the last few years. HA!)
Another stupid weather thing...there's been a steady drizzle all morning. It's cold. I have an 8 year old. He spent a lot of time this morning staring out the window wishing it would get just a little bit colder and snow. (Frankly, I'm with him. If it's going to be cold and miserable, give us something to make it FUN!) This is also what I love about being a homeschooling mom. I had Jack take his Math test, then we had a lesson about the weather. Not the kind of lesson where it FEELS like school, but the kind of lesson where we go "Hey! Let's Google and see what we can learn about sleet, snow, and other types of winter weather." It was also the kind of lesson where I got to turn it into a Cub Scout belt loop opportunity. Two birds, one stone. I also relearned about grapple. Grapple? Yes, there really is something called grapple that falls from the sky. It's basically soft hail, or snow pellets. If you've ever had Dippin' Dots, then you know exactly what it looks like, but without all the fun colors. (The only reason I know this is because we didn't snow last year. Nope. We got GRAPPLE! Then we got ice. NOT COOL. lol)
I also want anyone out there to fess up...who else has Christmas still up? In our defense, 90% of it is down now. (Happened yesterday.) However, I still have the wreaths on the fireplace and the front door, and my deco mesh garland around my front door. It's so darned cute I don't WANT to take them down. However, my HOA may have something else to say about that. I do plan on running to Hobby Lobby here in a bit, maybe it'll be time to make something cute for Valentine's Day, or better yet, Mardi Gras. (Because I can get away with leaving the Mardi Gras wreath up a few days after VD. WOOT!)
Laissez les bon temps rouler y'all. Stay warm. It's time for this wimp to bundle up and go to the store. (They're predicting ice tonight. Yay. That means go grab the milk and bread we need NOW, because crazy people around here will panic and stock up on groceries as if we'll be frozen in for days or weeks on end.)

December 7

So I just realized I never posted this. OOPS!

On December 7th, 2014, Troy and I decided to take Jackson over to Fredericksburg, TX to see the National Museum of the Pacific War. You see, Jackson is OBSESSED with WWII Naval Battles. OBSESSED. As in he spends more time watching videos of the Pacific battles most days than he does playing Minecraft. (Those of you with Minecraft addicts will understand the enormity of this. LOL)

ANYWAY, what a FABULOUS museum. It took us all day to get through it. The price of admission is for two days, and next time we go back, we will plan on that second day. I learned more in the 8 hours we were there than I learned in high school AND college history classes. (Which mainly focus on the European side of the war.) It is well worth going to see it. They have the main museum, a small one dedicated to Admiral Chester Nimitz, who was born in Fredericksburg, and then, THIS was the cool part, the Pacific Combat Zone. They have a set up like an aircraft carrier hanger deck, then a real life PT boat, then another area where they simulate a Pacific landing several times a year. It is complete with tanks and everything else boys of all ages would love. (We very much plan on taking Jackson back for at least one of these reenactments.)

MY favorite part of the day was the Pearl Harbor remembrance ceremony. It was beautiful. They invite Pearl Harbor survivors to come every year. Sadly, there was only one left for the year. We had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Jim Hardwick. What a WONDERFUL man. It kills me that we didn't think to ask for his address, as Jackson said after the fact, that he'd sure like to send a thank you letter and a Christmas card to him. HOW SWEET IS MY SON?!?!?! They could have easily spent hours together. It was such a heart warming thing to see, Jackson actively listening to his story, and asking questions about that horrible day. It's been a while since I've seen him so engaged with someone. This, in my opinion, is one of the BEST ways to learn about history, and sadly the men who fought these battles will soon all be gone. Jack is VERY good about spotting people with different service caps on though, and is quick to run up to them and thank them for their service. (He does to anyone in uniform, I LOVE IT! We get PLENTY of opportunities to do so in the San Antonio area.) One of these days I would like to take him to the VFW hall and allow him to talk to the guys that hang out there. They ALWAYS have great stories, and I know Jack would learn plenty about the wars and how they were fought. (Although hopefully without too much gore, because he is still an 8 year old child.)

Anyway, if you're within a reasonable drive time to Fredericksburg someday, I HIGHLY suggest you go see one of the best kept secrets in Texas.

So We ALL know I am not good about keeping up with this blog...

However, It's only been a month, RIGHT? LOL. We're still on Christmas break from homeschool, so there's not a lot in that respect to talk about other than THIS:

Jackson heard me talking about Latin Mass and how I'd love to go someday, but I would have VERY LITTLE clue as to what was being said. He had a REALLY COOL suggestion. "Why don't we learn to speak Latin Mama?" This was right after I published my previous post. He was on me for a few weeks. Well, I posted on Facebook about it, hoping one of my talented linguistic friends would chime in. My very dear cousin Danny, who's a MASTER of languages and a devout Catholic indeed spoke up and was a great help to me. I ended up ordering a Latin curriculum through Seton, as he was not the only one who suggested we learn the ecclesiatical pronunciation of the language. YAY!!! So both Jackson and I will soon be learning Latin. Who knew? Too bad my old Russian courses won't help me a bit in it. HA!

Troy and I have also made the decision to finally start pursuing adoption through DFPS here in Texas. It's a bit of a scary step, but one we feel is right for our little family. Besides, Jackson is always asking when are we going to buy him a baby brother. He's at the point now where he'll even take a sister. (No, don't sweat, we don't want a BABY, just someone close in age to Jackson, but a little younger.) To make matters even more interesting, at least to us, is this saint name generator. I said a quick, meaningful prayer before choosing our family saint for the year. St. Clotilde is who popped up. Divine providence was at work here, as she is the patron saint of...drum roll please...adopted children and parenthood. We will be learning about her all throughout 2015. (Don't be surprised if I talk about her here, as we are striving to be better Catholics and getting our rear ends to mass more than 5 or 6 times a year.)

I would like to sincerely wish you all a Happy New Year and MERRY CHRISTMAS! Yes, it is STILL Christmas. The Christmas season does not end until the Epiphany, which is traditionally January 6th. (12 Days of Christmas.) Many parishes celebrate the Christmas season until the Presentation of the Lord, which is 40 days AFTER December 25th, which happens to be February 2nd. (Some end it a few days earlier than the Epiphany, which is January 4th, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.) Admit it, you're learning more about Catholicism than you wanted to today, didn't you? :) That's OK. It's FUN to learn new things! Trust me, I'm addicted to schooling, which is probably my favorite thing about being a homeschooling mother.


If you would like to use the Saint Generator yourself, head over to Jennifer Fulweiler's blog ConversionDiary.com and use it! She has a great site. (For some reason the link is not posting....)

Wow...

So check THIS out. I had completely forgotten I had a blog! How about that? Oops. Lots of changes in the almost 3 years since I last updated this thing. 

1. I am a nurse now! Yay! I survived nursing school!!! Someone thought I was qualified to medically treat people. Funny enough, I HATED being a hospital nurse. I am now an RN that oversees the healthcare needs of individuals with mental and intellectual disabilities. Yup, call me Nurse Ratched. (BEST.NURSE.EVER! I'm just glad I don't have to wear that hat. HA!) 

2. TEXAS! We've been trying to figure out to get back here for over a decade. YAY! We now live in a great little city, with great people, and LOTS to do. If you're bored here, it's your own danged fault. 

3. Homeschool. Yes. Really. I became one of THOSE parents. Don't worry, it's a recent thing, so we're not to weird, YET. I have to say I love it so far though. Jackson has been struggling with Math since schools here incorporated Common Core standards. I know what you're going to say, "Texas doesn't USE CCSS!" Technically, you are correct. However, it is used here, they just call it by a different name to fool us. HA! I sent my boy to a Catholic school hoping it would be better. It kind of was, except there's this Math thing AGAIN. It got a little better, but at the beginning of the year, my third grader was struggling HARD with trying to add how his teacher wanted him to do it. NO DEVIATIONS ALLOWED. I talked to her, many times. She talked to me, MANY times. No go. Plus, she didn't hide too well that she had NO appreciation for "Jake." (Come on, I get it, 23 kids in the class, but after 6 weeks you really don't know his name???) After a lot of prayer and discussion with the husband, I pulled Jack (aka Jake) out of school. I made a VERY clear point to let the principal, the school committee, and our parish priest know EXACTLY why I took him out. The people at the school, for the most part, are absolutely terrific. Wouldn't change them for the world. The cirriculum stinks. I'm thinking maybe I ought to contact the Archdiocese of San Antonio and tell them to stop it with the crummy lessons and go back to good old fashioned Catholic education. 

Here is an interesting tidbit about homeschooling Jack. I have my happy kid back. He is now excelling at Math. Hmmm...imagine that. We took some time and figured out what works with his little brain, found something (actually a few things), and RAN like hell with it. He will still gladly whine about having to do Math, but I also let him have FUN with it, so he doesn't whine too long. Before you ask, yeah no, I'm not totally doing it on my own. Anyone who really knows me will vouch for the fact that I am not with it enough to do that whole unschooling thing that is quite popular among the homeschool crowd. After some research, I decided on using Seton Catholic Homeschool. I still get to be his teacher, but everything is all laid out for me in a nice binder with lots of nice books to go with it. YAY! (If you're wanting a good Catholic education for your child(ren) THIS IS THE WAY TO GO!!! Everything is filled with lessons about the church. EVERYTHING. (Meaning if you want a secular education, don't bother. We obviously didn't want that.) 

So Jack is also involved with Cub Scouts, which by default means that *I* am involved with Cub Scouts. (Note to self: NEVER, EVER volunteer to do the popcorn fundraiser again. NEVER. DO YOUR HEAR ME? NEVER!!! Meaning I will probably do it again next year if our summer fundraiser doesn't do well enough.) It has been a TON of fun so far. He is currently a Bear, and they are doing so much fun stuff. This really makes me look forward to his Webelo years, and his Boy Scout years to follow when they REALLY get to go do a lot of cool outdoorsy type stuff. So that is it in a nutshell for now. 

Hopefully I'll be better at this blogging thing and figure out how to make it look more professional, and even update it on a regular basis. 

In the meantime, I will leave you with this. If your child is like mine, and LOOOOVES some Minecraft, and you happen to have the PC version (seriously, GET THE PC/MAC VERSION!) go check out http://whenyouriseup.com. It's geared toward homeschoolers, but it's a completely safe environment for your children to play with others on. Heavily moderated by other parents. Plus, there are classes you can purchase that they actually LEARN something while playing their favorite game! Check it out!!! (Totally unbiased opinion here, I get NOTHING for referring you to them.) FYI, they are having a free Advent lesson going on now, which is a great way to get your kid started with it. 

GOD BLESS!!!

PS- in case you're wondering, because I know you are, my 8 year old boy still loves and adores Nemo. Please pray for me when Finding Dory is released.

Meow...

Kittens, kittens everywhere. Kittens, kittens in my hair. My parents had a pregnant cat adopt them. UGH. Now there are kittens ALL OVER the house. I know you're jealous. LOL. (Yeah, did I mention the lease was up on our rental, so I am living with the parents until school is done? I didn't? Yeah, well, now you know the source of 99% of my HELL.) So...anyone want a kitten? They really are ADORABLE!

Life as a Railroad Widow...

So my darling husband is still on borrow-out to San Antonio. I LOVE the city and cannot wait to visit him next week. The money has been BEYOND fantastic. (And I do mean BEYOND!) However, I often question the sanity of the decision. Yes, Jack and I will be relocating to Texas once I finish my RN degree in August, but in the meantime I am a single mom. We get our four days a month with the hubby and that's about it. EEEEEEK! My son misses his daddy, I miss the man I married, and I miss having someone to help save my sanity!!! Nursing school is hard enough on its own, much less as a mom who's doing it on her own. Thank GOD for my parents, or I very well would be in serious trouble. As for school- one final left for this semester then I am off for a whole WEEK!!! YAY!!! After that, 16 weeks and I have a degree that says I am eligible to sit for the NCLEX-RN exam. YAY ME!!! (On a side note: who DOESN'T know 50 people in nursing school right now? Kinda scary to think there are that many of us competing for new grad jobs. YIKES!) Before closing- thank you Union Pacific for the paycheck and the benefits, but could you maybe think about giving these guys more than four days a month to spend at home? (Even FIVE days would be a blessing, long enough to get reaquainted, and long enough to realize that you really do have your OWN routine and he's just screwing it all up!!! HA HA HA!!!)

Bite You Back Brownies...

Wish I had a picture of them to put here. Maybe once I bake them I'll add one to this post. In the meantime, I had to share this recipe my friend Heather Pavao posted. To say that it sounds WONDERFUL is a gross understatement. Happy baking!!! Bite You Back Brownies • 1 cup softened unsalted butter • 1 cup light brown sugar • 1/2 cup white sugar • 3 chipotles in adobo sauce, lightly rinsed • 2 eggs • 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour • 1 cup cocoa powder • 1 teaspoon baking soda Cream butter and sugars until fluffy. Puree eggs and chipotles in blender, then mix on medium speed with the eggs and sugar mix until well combined. Slowly mix in flour, cocoa powder and baking soda on low speed until just combined and no dry ingredients are showing. Put into greased 9 inch round glass dish (or brownie pan) and bake in 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes, just until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool if you can, and enjoy! *Tip - if the mix is too thick to spread evenly in pan since it's very sticky and thick, run COLD water over one of your hands, shake but don't dry your hand, and pat the mixture flat in pan, rewetting your hand as needed* PS...if anyone knows the actual author of this recipe, please let me know so I can give him/her credit!!!

ARG!!!!!

That particular ARG!!!! was meant to be heard in that Charlie Brown voice when he yells in frustration. Why? Well, I shall tell you. I have MANY, MANY, MANY liberal friends. However, I am not of their political belief(s). We share many other things in common and we love one another for THOSE qualities. Not everything in life is about who you voted for in the last election. That being said... I have (had) one friend in particular who could turn ANYTHING I say into a political argument and take the opportunity to tell me what a bunch of schmucks (putting it nicely) conservatives are. It could be anything from scrapbooking, to volunteering for a few hours for Meals on Wheels, to who colors your hair or what color underwear you have on. Didn't matter- she consistently belittled me regarding my politics. ENOUGH! People, PLEASE! If you are SO unhappy with your own life, please seek help. Anger has a way of festering and turning us into ugly individuals, and eventually that ugly spews into other facets of your life. It will cause you to lose friends. I have known this woman since we were Freshmen in college. When she finally decided to pledge my sorority, I took her under my wing and was her "Mom." I tried to go out of my way for her back then. I have since tried to be friendly with her since we were able to reconnect. UNCLE. I give. You win. After tonight, I probably won't be sad about this. However tonight, my 18-22 year old self is going to mourn the loss of a friendship. As for my other liberal friends, and you know who you are, don't fret. Unfortunately for you, I still adore each and every one of you. <3

SSDD...(You know...Same Shiitake, Different Day)

One of these years I WILL find the time to keep up with my blog. You know, how a vast majority of us fully intend to, but never seem to follow through on. OK- so it's not only the TIME, but I feel like I am living the movie Groundhog Day right now. You know the one- where each day is the same as the one before. COMPLETELY predictable and slightly insane. (At least HE learned to avoid the insurance salesman. LOL) I am still chugging along with nursing school- 5 weeks left of this semester, then one semester left. COME ON AUGUST 17TH!!! (It's my last day of school. WOOHOO!!!) I have discovered something about myself- after having a few days on a psych unit for my clinical rotations...OMG! I LOVE IT!!!! I am now torn between three options, all of which require a master's degree at a minimum. What are these options? Well, I'll tell you. I'd can see myself as a pediatric nurse practitioner, a mental health practitioner, or a midwife. (REALLY have to think heavy on the midwife part- I'd be 44 when I get that degree. Do I REALLY want to be on call all hours of the night to deliver babies? Maybe I do...wish I could get more experience on an L&D unit to help rule it out or make it more of a cloudy issue.) Jackson is excelling in school. He ADORES it! He is getting tested sometime next month to get into the GEM program. (Feels good knowing at least ONE member of my family has a lot of brains. LOL) Otherwise- his life is fairly simple. School is Hell for me right now, so I am playing the part of Bad Mommy and not enrolling him in ANY sports or extracurricular activities. Poor thing, he really does need SOMETHING. If it's not too late, I will find him something to do over the Summer months to keep the boredom at bay. (Otherwise he will drive my poor parents INSANE.) Thinking of my parents... Now don't be a hater, but I get to move in with them next week. HEY! I said don't be a hater. Our lease is up and it's the best option for Jackson and I. It's only until school is over, then we're...YAY! MOVING TO TEXAS!!! Troy and I had a few long talks and decided we'd both be better off moving our little family to San Antonio. 1. He can hold a job with the railroad there. 2. *I* will have an easier time finding a job as a nurse out there. 3. The schools are WAY better, especially the district we plan on living in. 4. FOOTBALL. (Nuff said there.) So...you're now caught up on my oh-so-exciting life. Hope y'all are doing well with yours!

Shame on Me...

So it occurred to me today that I have this random blog that I WAS making an effort to keep up with. Alas, life has gotten in the way and I COMPLETELY forgot about it. OOPS. There's not a whole lot to say anyway. School is kicking my ass inside out, but I am STILL going. YAY!!! (And holy WOW...am I really going to be an RN this time next year???) My husband is still working for the UP. (Union Pacific for those not in the know.) He's in Texas though, because San Antonio is desperately short on people and well, they pay EXTREMELY well to keep these guys (and gal) from their families. Luckily, they will pay to send him home for a few days once a month. (Plus, I have the added bonus of getting to go "home" to Texas for a week over Thanksgiving. WOOHOO!) He's also put in for a transfer to Fort Worth. If he gets it, we will be supremely happy, as it means we can live somewhere that will allow us to have a life. (Sorry Tucson, but last time I left I swore I'd NEVER live in here again. Technically I don't, but I am still in Pima County, and that's bad enough!!!) It will also mean I get to be near to some dear friends whom I love and adore, and Jack will also be able to get to know Troy's side of the family better. Plus, let's face it, education in Arizona isn't exactly top notch. Texas isn't a MILLION times better, but it is. Speaking of Jack...this has been a BIG year for my mini-me. He started Kindergarten!!! It was a rough start to the year, but all has settled down now, and his teacher, who doubted whether or not he could even PASS Kindy at the very beginning of the year has started a push to get him into advanced classes next year. EXCITING! I knew he was smart, and I knew he could show it in those moments he could sit and FOCUS. YAY JACKSON!!! He also played his very first season of football. Before you freak out...it was FLAG football. No way in HELL would I allow my five year old to play tackle football. (However HE cannot WAIT until he's old enough to be able to "run and knock people down.") I did have weight loss surgery in August. I had the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy done. It has been AMAZING. Hopefully by this time next year I will be the hot, skinny wife/mom Amazon lady rather than the "HOLY SHIT...you married THAT?" lol. (If you're in Tucson and want this done, I HIGHLY recommend Dr. Patrick Chiasson. He's WONDERFUL!!!) What the hell else has happened this year? Oh yeah...lost our house thanks to the railroad laying the husband off for the better part of three years. Oh well...less stress now that it's all behind us. (Plus HELLO...an appliance breaks and I just pick up the phone to get them to come fix it. VERY nice option!) Other than that...this year has been quite uneventful. (At least as far as I can remember.) School, Jack's school, Troy out of town, more school and more homework, then throw in clinical hours. Oh...and trying to spend time with my adorable son. (My awesome parents keep him during the week for me, and DAMN it's amazing to me how much I MISS the little booger, even though I still spend a couple hours a night over there with him.) Well...I'm about out of words. Peace out y'all! Bear Down and HOOK 'EM HORNS!!!

Trying to See the Positive

As 2010 winds down, literally only a couple hours left of the year, I am trying to find the positive in such a crap ass year. I really only know of a few people who could truly say they had a GOOD year. So, in an attempt to not end this awful year on a negative note, I will list what was positive:

1. Troy. My husband, as much as is a typical PITA male, lol, has been a light and a source of strength for me this year. On this, our 14th anniversary, I can truly say I made the right choice in my life as far as my choice of spouses go.

2. Jackson. He really is a wonderful child, and a blessing in every way. I look forward to the new ways he's going to grow and the discoveries he'll make in 2011.

3. My Family. My parents have been a terrific support system for me, as has my sister Lisa. I would NOT have been able to be successful in school without them.

4. Nursing School. It will be a continual source of stress, but it is GOOD stress, and I am thankful I was able to get in, and even more thankful I made it through my first semester!!!

5. Friends. They are there for me to share my joys and share in my defeats. I thank each and every one of them for that. (OK, so most of them don't read my blog, but I still appreciate them!)

When I sat down to write this, I had a nice list in my head. OOPS. Hey, I was able to find five things off the cuff to be able to list. That in and of itself is a positive!

Happy new year my friends. 2010 can kiss my ass, I welcome 2011 with welcome arms!

Oops! One more positive...
2010 brought back legalized fireworks in Arizona...so along with welcome arms, I will bring in 2011 with PYROTECHNICS!!! WOOHOO!!!

Nothing Clever to Say Today...

Another week of school down, another week of anxiety out of the way. I will say I have learned to respect single moms a lot more than I did before. With Troy being back on the railroad, I am left to do a lot of the parenting on my own. UGH!!! There are not enough hours in the day during the week and weekends fly by TOO fast.

I FINALLY feel better about my Med Math class. Our instructor actually decided to TEACH us this week, and it was obvious he was having fun with it, which meant we did too. WOOT! It is finally clear and obvious what it is this class has to do with being a Registered Nurse. YIPPEE!!!

I took Jack to go vote with me on Tuesday. With God and you as my witness, I WILL raise a faithful voter. I am still flabbergasted that only 48% of the voters showed up to cast their vote and have a voice in the political process. I heard too many people in my school complain about the fact that our Medical Marijuana law isn't looking like it is going to pass. I HAD to ask them why it is they didn't vote. WELL over 1,200,000 people cast their votes in AZ and this prop. is failing by about 3,000 votes. WOW! Just think of what would have happened if all the people who didn't vote got off their duffs and did so. One of my classmates ALMOST had a valid reason-she felt she was too ill informed to be able to go vote on everything except this measure. I told her she could have left everything else on the ballot blank and voted for that measure. (Am I one of the few who know things like this?)And before anyone says anything...Yes, I am a registered Republican and YES- I want pot legalized. Legalize it, regulate it, and tax the daylights out of it. I still won't smoke it, and neither will millions of other people who have no desire to do so. I just happen lean Libertarian, which means I want the Gov't out of our lives as much as possible. :D

Peace out...I hope everyone has a good weekend. :D

PS- sorry about any typos. The laptop is having psychotic episodes and I don't feel like running spell check. HA HA HA

Nursing School Has Eaten My Life...or How NOT to Have a Life for Two Years.

I love school, really I do. However, I HAVE NO LIFE NOW! I expected that it would suck up about 75% of my free time- I knew it would. I DIDN'T know that it would eat about 95% of it. I had every intention of coming here every week and documenting my exciting journey to become a nurse, along with the harrowing (de)feat of being a wife and mom while doing this. (Who IS that strange man sleeping in my bed?) At least I am learning some fascinating things about how to take care of people now. I can officially proclaim to the world that I know JUST enough to make me REALLY, REALLY dangerous. HA HA HA!!!

On the flip side of things: Jack has truly started to blossom since he has been back in daycare full time. He LOVES it and is starting to learn how to pay attention. His cognitive abilities are finally catching up to his physical abilities. It struck me at some point this weekend that he is actually learning sight words!!! (He also somehow managed to pick up how to spell corn and peas...how random.) He has had a few behaviorial issues, but that is due to the fact that Daddy is FINALLY back with the railroad and is working A LOT. Jack's a 1000% Daddy's boy, and boy does he let me know it, especially when Troy is gone for work.

OK, sad to say that after five minutes of writing, I need to get back to the homework... My new mantra is "I WILL pass Med Math, I WILL pass Med Math, I WILL pass Med Math." Hey- something similar worked for Dorothy to get back to Kansas, it can work for ME!

Beauty School Drop Out...

Or more aptly titled...My four year old was kicked out of Catholic school after two days...what has YOUR kid done? lol.

OK, not really LOL. Apparently Jack had QUITE the day today. (Wait, it's after midnight now, so he had quite the day yesterday.) He was swinging around his Nemo blankie, accidentally hitting other kids. He kept removing his shoes and refusing to put them back on. He would NOT sit still no matter what the teachers did...so after two days his frazzled looking teacher sent me to the principal's office for a nice, LOOOONG talk. Come to find out, these days it is common to hold off your kid an extra year before school if they were born close to the cut-off age for school. Jack was the youngest in class by a little more than two FULL months, which is HUGE at this age. Heck, a couple of the kids are a full YEAR older than he is. That explains everything. Since I really do want him to attend this school, and also because I do not disagree with her assessment, we are pulling Jack back into daycare for one more year then continuing on next year.

The good news out of this little experiment is this: Registration day is in February. People start lining up at MIDNIGHT to register their children for school here. I don't have to worry about that. He's automatically in for next year. YAY! Truth be told, I am a little relieved. He gets to be a "baby" for one more year, get a little more mature so he can learn. I feel as if we'll be setting him up for academic success rather than feeling as if he is always behind or struggling to keep up. Plus (and this is where the LOL comes into play) he'll be a year older than the other kids when it comes time to play football in school. WOOT!

Rants...

OK, not rantS...just a rant. Why is it a Dr's office will charge you $25.00 for not showing up or a late cancellation, yet they have NO problem calling YOU as you pull into THEIR parking lot and cancel the appointment? Another favorite of mine...you're a good girl and you show up five minutes EARLY for your appointment, and an hour later, there you sit in all your glory, IN THE WAITING ROOM. Really? Last time that happened to me, I told them I would start billing the Dr. at $25.00 per hour, as that is what I was losing by not being at work at the time, plus a little extra for my aggrivation. I was taken back ASAP after that. Too bad I still waited 45 minutes after that. (Too bad they still have yet to address the invoice I sent them for my time, although in my Dr's defense he told them to refund my co-pay. LOL)
So today I get up, throw some food and milk down Jack's gullet, manage to get myself dressed and hair combed AND get us out the door at a reasonable time. Yes, I was speeding to get to the appt on time as tardiness is a trait that really pisses me off. As I am pulling into the fart noodling parking lot my phone rings. Alas, it is the Dr's office. So and so called in today and I have to be rescheduled. Yay. Where's MY $25.00 for a late cancellation, ESPECIALLY since this visit was going to be out of pocket as we lost our insurance on July 1st? (And why on EARTH are pediatric well checks $100.00 anyway? That's a rant for a different day...)

Seriously- is school starting soon?

I have had it. I really do not know how so many women can be so happy about being a stay at home mom. It has its good points, it really does, but for crying out loud- HOW OFTEN DO I NEED TO HEAR MOM, MOMMY, MAMA, MAAAMAAA, MOM, MOMMY, MOM, HEY MOM, MOOOOOOOM, MAAAAAMMMMMMY IN ONE DAY? It used to not bother me, but my adorable four year old has taken to saying EVERYTHING in a whiny, Caillou sounding voice lately. My nerves cannot take it. It makes me understand why it is that hamsters and rabbits eat their young.
August 11, 2010...the bus will pick him up at 7:35am. I CANNOT WAIT! As soon as the bus leaves, I am taking myself out for a celebratory breakfast, ALONE, in a QUIET setting, where they serve food that grown ups like. (Really, an entire summer of scrambled eggs, frozen waffles, and cereal has done me in.)
Two weeks, and 13 hours from now I will have a NICE quiet home for a few hours a day again. Yup...two weeks and thriteen hours....

GOOD Anti-Perspirant for under $2.00- Are They SERIOUS?

I mean really, how good can an $1.25 deoderant be- ESPECIALLY when it is also supposed to slow hair growth? Heck, the slowing hair growth alone is worth giving it a shot, right? HOLY COW! I love it! The product is AVON Skin So Soft Fresh and Smooth Hair Minimizing Anti-Perspirant Deoderant. I am not one of those girls who "glisten." No ma'am- I sweat like a hooker heading into the confessional- VERY BADLY. I have to say that this cheap deoderant works better than the $5.00 "little black dress friendly" stuff that I was using. (Which, btw, left marks on my dark clothes AND left me smelling like a locker room by the end of the day.)
So, if you're in the market for something more affordable in these tight times, I would wholeheartedly suggest the Skin So Soft deoderant/Anti-persperants. If you use the code FSANY upon checkout, you will get FREE shipping right to your front door!

My Not Quite Epic Fail

OK, it really is an epic fail. I read back over my OLD blog posts. OOPS. I never did run that 5k, Troy was laid off from the railroad AGAIN, so I had to quit the gym. Along with several other things going on, I let taking care of ME go to the back burner. I did do rather well at home for a few months, but like a lot of other people, my WII Fit is gathering dust now, as is my Biggest Loser game I bought to go with it. As my father likes to say "Dumb ass." (Yes, my father LOVED "That 70's Show, mainly because of Red, who my dad likes to think of as himself. HA HA HA! Nice try Dad.)

Anyway, here it is, I WILL GET BACK ONTO THIS! My main problem is watching what I put into my mouth. I had that friggin Lap Band put it and I am totally eating around it like, well, like a dumb ass. I let too many excuses get in my way when it comes to getting off my rear end and EXERCISING. Heck, I'm usually up around 5am, definitely not too hot in Tucson at that time of day to go take a walk. Heck, I could even wait for Jack to wake up, shove an egg and some milk down his gullet and go take a walk then. It's warm at 8am, but not scorching yet. The downfall to this? I have to cook. UGH. I need to make it my mission over the next few days to print out some of the great sounding recipes to cook. Low fat, high protein and they seem like they'd be interesting to cook. (Really, I LOVE cooking- which is why I dislike just broiling a chicken breast, BORING.) I also need to find out exactly what is a "healthy" fat and what isn't. (OK, I KNOW what isn't, but what IS?)

More importantly, I need to figure out how to modify what we like to eat so that I can incorporate a healthier recipe for it. HELLO??? I was raised by two Texans, you KNOW I love chicken and dumplings and all sorts of fried crap that I shouldn't put within 10 feet of my hips. (Is BBQ low fat? Probably not...sigh...)

OK, off to find a healthy chicken and dumplings recipe, then get into bed. By the way, did you know that part of a healthy weight loss plan includes getting enough sleep? I can handle that!

Help! I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up!

OK, so maybe that's a tad bit overkill, not to mention overused. (Overused if you're a child of the 80's anyway.) However, I am stuck in school Hell. I am taking the world's most boring class, Accounting Basics for Health Care Professionals. It should be easy, but since I have NO DESIRE to do anything with this class, I am borderline tanking it. (OK, low B, but seriously, for me, that is borderline tanking it!)I also started Anatomy and Physiology this week. This is a class that is normally a 16 week class designed to kick your butt while learning about our human bodies. I have to do it in ten weeks. WTF was I thinking? Today is day 5 of the class and we are on chapter 2. Monday we begin chapter three. I know it doesn't sound like a lot, but it really is. I am a flashcard FREAK when it comes to studying terms and definitions, I have 61 off of chapter one itself. YIKES! Let's add to it that I start Psychology in two weeks too. Was this REALLY the best decision?
As any stay-at-home mom will tell you, doing this is a full-time job. My husband is gone 12 hours a day, and I go to school online. Online school, piece of cake right? NOT. I cannot watch my lectures while my child is awake or he is at the keyboard doing God knows what to it. I often end up having to listen to the lecture from the beginning again. I also have 4-10 page papers due EVERY. SINGLE. WEEK. Again, something that is extremely difficult to do when you have a four year old and you don't want Nick Jr or Sprout babysitting him all day long. Sure, they teach good lessons to your kids. Jack just asked me the other day for "sports candy" after watching some weird show called Lazytown. (Imagine that, call vegetables and fruit sports candy and suddenly he WANTS them. GENIUS in my book!!!)
So, after all of this- I can honestly say I am stuck in school Hell. I get Jack down to bed at 8pm, have a brief conversation with my darling husband and start trying to get him to bed at 9pm. (Why is he so much harder to get to crawl into bed anyway? UGH) He finally goes at 10pm. (Seriously, he talks more than any other Southerner I've ever known. That says a LOT. I love my Texas boy, but WHEW!) This means I can finally study in EARNEST at 10pm. Thanks to this intensive class, I have to spend a good 4-5 hours a day reading, writing, looking at flashcards and doing research. There HAS to be an easier way.
Oh well, at least I can have my son help me with my Avon business. He was VERY nice at helping me arrange my first delivery so I can package the items up for my customers. WOOHOO! Four year olds are quite adapt at arranging things according to color and size. Now if only he could read to help me figure out which lipstick is which...