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...

The Adventures of Jack- Aqua Boy

My child is a fish- this is something I am quickly learning. He LOVES the water. I think maybe it has something to do with his obsession with Nemo. He would spend every waking moment in that pool if we allowed him to. Sounds great, except that I would occasionally like to get out to potty and eat from time to time myself. This little poop will hurry out of the pool, QUICKLY pose himself on the high edge where the waterfall goes into the pool, and JUMP! Does he care if no one is there to catch him? He used to, not anymore. He will gladly let go of us to try to swim across the pool. (Which would not be so bad, except the little poop sinks like a rock.) His FAVORITE thing to do in the pool is go underwater and "call Nemo." The only way I can describe it this: Stick your head underwater and shriek in your best nearly four year old voice. Welcome to calling Nemo. (By the way, this is done OUT of the water too. Thank GOD for Excedrin...just saying.)

Can I Really Keep Up?

I keep saying I need to keep up with my blog. BAD KRISTEY...BAD!!! Oh well, life happens to the best of us. Between having to work, go to school full time, be a wife, be a mom...ACK! (Or should I blame the true culprit...Facebook? HA HA HA!!!)

So I did lose my job. YAY! Which made me decide to FINALLY try to get into nursing school to become an RN. YAY!!! I find out in a MONTH if I get to go or not. (FINGERS CROSSED THAT I DO!)

I also made another jump... I do need to make some income, but anything part time in Tucson wouldn't pay for daycare for the Jackster. I decided to go on ahead and sell AVON!!! I figure I've been using it long enough, I can sell it. I am excited about this opportunity, I get to be my own boss, set my own goals, and answer to NO ONE except myself!!! If you'd like to shop, just click on my link: www.youravon.com/kkelley3694

Anyway, it's late and I need to get some shut eye. For some reason, I thought it would be fun to have everyone over tomorrow for a Memorial Day BBQ. And while I am on the subject of Memorial Day, please take a moment or two to remember what this day is REALLY all about.