Tidbits

First, the Big News.

My Baby Boy went Pee-Pee on the Potty today. And last Friday. I don't think he quite gets what he is doing yet. For a while he has been sitting on the Potty and flushing the toilet. That's his favorite part. Flushing the toilet. If you're an Environmentalist, you best not come to my house...it wouldn't be pretty. Anyhow, today Baby James did real Potty. And then reached behind himself and flushed.


And now the rest.

Hooray for Summer TV. I forgot all about Rescue Me, The 4400, and The Dead Zone. I now have something to look forward to at night. Phew!

Speaing of Summer TV, I have to admit something. I am a total MTV sellout. I am a sucker for Laguna Beach. Can't say I have watched it religiously. In fact, the number of episodes I've missed far outweigh the number I've watched. But when I do catch it, I am amazed at how quickly I get sucked in. I want to be one of them. Don't ask me why, but when I watch the show it's like I'm 18 again, wishing to be pretty and popular and just eating up every bit of the baby-mama-drama of adolesence. And now, guess what's on my Tivo. The Hills. Help!!

I LOOOOOVVVVE Kathy Griffin. I hope My Life onthe D-List is a Summer Show. I caught her stand up "Allegedly" on Bravo today. I could watch her act over and over and it's funny every time. Yet another person I'd love to be like. God, I love her sarcasm.


I still hate Contractors. The ones that Art wants to hire came to our house THREE HOURS late for their apointment today. Literally 3 hours. They were supposed to show at 2:30 and they showed at 5:30. Now if Art had had to be into work tonight (luckily he didn't because he has to go to NY tomorrow instead), then he would have had to wait up for them if he wanted to talk to them.
Seriously, what gives people the right to think they can do crap like that? Why is okay for contractors to be so rude? Are we just supposed to believe that they are that busy, and bow down to this treatment? Honestly, I would have given them a piece of my mind, "You won't like me when I'm angry" Cimy-Hulk Style. But Art really wants them to do the bathroom, so I had to play nice. Grrrr.... I'll tel you what. When it's me home alone with them all day and they start acting like this during my job, they're not gonna like me too much.


And last but Oh-So-Not-Least, I just want everyone to know that my husband redeemed himself today, and I didn't even have to ask for it! He came home from the store with Ben & Jerry's, unsolicited. So I take back the ranting I did yesterday. He knows how to make me happy. He even knows my favorite kind. New York Super Fudge Chunk. BIGGGG UPPPS TOOO ARRRRRTTTT!

Wah, Wah, Wahhhh...

Lately I've been feeling this great Anti-Climaticnicity to my life. With the exception of the trip to VA, all the important events lately have just passed by...Mother's Day, My Birthday, My Big Hair (no pun intended) Appointment, Memorial Day...all just another day that no one even noticed.

On Mother's Day, I have to admit, it was so disappointing that I cried. My husband did give it a small effort, at least. He came home from overnight duty that morning with a card from him, a card from Baby James, and a bag of Peanut M&M (my favorite, so that was nice!). But that was followed by him going to Home Depot, working on the Bathroom Project, playing his online game , and ME making dinner, all while I took care of James. Needless to say, it wasn't much of an "Honor thy Mother" kind of day...and the kicker was when my Mom told me not to come visit her. Apparently she didn't feel the need to see me; she had other things to do...

My Birthday. Another sad sad day. I turned the big 29, which I feel is a remarkable moment in my life. A no-turning-back kind of birthday. This is my last year to be a youthful 20-something. And it was commemorated by my long drive back to CT form VA. Ok, so the night before, my S-I-L DID put candles in a cake and they sang to me. So there was that. At least SOMEONE thought of me! Ok, so did my Brother and his (Oh-So-Awesome!!) Girlfriend. They gave me a card and gifts (for Mother's Day AND my Birthday) before we left for VA. However, I really don't remember anything from my parents. I guess I shouldn't be acting as if I was looking for gifts; that's not the point, because Lord knows I am not the best at getting gifts to their recipients at the appropriate time. Take for instance, my In-Laws, who haven't yet received their B-Day cards or Gifts, and one was the same B-Day as mine; the other on the 27th. I did call, though, and tell them it was coming!! Anyways, it's not about the not getting anything; it's about the people closest to you not recognizing a date that you think is particularly important. Like when your husband doesn't get you a card. Or anything. Just makes me think that next year, when it's the real 3-0-oh-oh-uh-oh, that there will be nothing either.

Now, in my husband's defense he did arrange for me to be able to go get my hair permed on Friday. But when I got home, he didn't even notice!! Can you believe that? He literally told me that he didn't even notice!! And on Sunday when I went up to visit with my parents, they didn't notice either. Or maybe they did. And it's that bad. I mean, I don't think it is, it's exactly what I wanted, but maybe they don't like it.

And today was Memorial Day. Another long boring day at home. We were supposed to BBQ at my parents' house Sunday but Art had to come home to sleep for his new work schedule (another depressing part to my life - Art is now on Midnight Shift). So, not only did I miss out on going to see my friends because Art was home, we also had to nix plans for the Parents' BBQ because he had to sleep. I suppose that I could have come up to MA myself but I kinda felt like since it was the first weekend (and last one for a while) that I had to spend totally with Art, that I should do that. So here it is, Monday night at 8:00. James had a miserable day. I'm just waiting for him to finish his lollipop (I am so not above bribery for a few minutes of peace on a day like today...) so that I can ship him off to bed and have a Margarita. Another what should have been special day gone ka-put.

It's days like this that I miss my old life. The pre-marriage, pre-children life. Where I could have found a million things to do, all of them equally as fun as the next, on a long weekend. When Memorial day weekend meant that Summer was coming, and I had months of freedom ahead of me, all to myself. Now it's just a bunch of hot, boring days spent trying to keep James happy. Oh, but it's worth it to see him happy. Like when he played in his pool today. All smiles. Too cute, and not worth giving up for anything, not in a million years. If all my special days turn into duds from now till forever, I'd still be happy just having made James smile during the day.

So I guess the moral is that when you become a Mom (i.e. get old), people forget about you. You forget about you. And it's okay, as long as your baby is happy.

Contractors Can Take Their Hammers And...

So, I have an issue with Contractors. Particularly Home Construction Contractors. I can't say I've dealt with Contractors in the Business World. Although I suspect they are the same way.

Here's the thing. We want to get our downstairs bathroom redone. The job would consist of walling off the door, putting the shower on that wall where the sink was, moving the sink where the shower was, and add a door to the opposite wall that it was on (so that the entrance is in the Kitchen). Oh, and then of course the cosmetics after. Not really a hard job. My husband did basically the same thing upstairs with the help of some family in mostly 3 weeks, at night and on the weekends. So you figure a Contractor could blow it out in like a week, two tops. They wouldn't have nearly as many Mulligans as my husband. Trust me, it's not humanly possible (I love you Hun!).

But only ONE contractor has come to the house. Another kept canceling, then told my husband it would cost twice what the other Contractor quoted us. He made another appointment the other night but we had to switch it (he has cancelled on us 3 times already so we didn't feel too bad). He was supposed to come tonight at 7. It's 8 now, and he never even called. As far as I can tell, that's par for the course with Contractors. They think their kaka don't stink or something. Like it's okay to go around screwing up people's schedules because the job isn't worth enough money. And you know he'd be one of those guys who would come one day and install a light switch, and then not come for a week. It would be like pulling teeth to come get him to finish the job. Why do contractors do that? Why do they take on 6 jobs at a time and then screw everyone by only working on their job once a week? What gives them the right to do that to people? I'd just rather struggle through doing it all myself, and spend 1/4 of what it would cost me to hire an arse like that, even if it took me a year. At least the guys that actually did come to the house gave us a decent estimate and seem nice. We'll see about them...

Thanks Doc!

This will be short and sweet, because I have lots to do before we leave this morning. Heading to VA for my Niece's First Communion. Should be fun; if the rain lets up there's supposed to be a trip to King's Dominion in there too...sans kidlets!!!

But the reason I have to post today is to extend a great thanks to whoever invented Doctors. James has been absolutely miserable for two weeks. So miserable that I knew it was more than the Terrible Two's or Teething. But what was it??? We were giving him Motrin for his slight fever & general warmth, and for any pain he might be in (in case it was teething), but that didn't help. He stopped sleeping through the night. He would get up in the morning (at 5;45 instead of his normal 7:30) after tossing and turning in our bed all night, only to insist on spending the morning in my lap. I'm talking ALL morning, like at least two hours. He was no longer interested in watching Blues Clues; the magical trance it induced no longer worked. When James doesn't want to watch Blues Clues, you know something is wrong. Because normally, no matter what you are watching, he brings you the remote, flashes his hands like Steve and says "Booos Coooos". Heh.

S o I took him to the doctor. Two weeks ago, I took him when we thought he had an ear infection. He didn't; it was teething. But if you knew how tolerant the kid was of his pain, you would have brought him in too. He had a Double Ear Infection and Pneumonia and we hardly knew it was there, we thought it was teething, until he reached a fever of 104 that wouldn't go away with Motrin. He just played like normal, pulling on his ears only during his bah-bah. SO, you can see how two weeks of a miserably sick James would make me worried. He just ISN'T like that when he's sick.

The doc checked him out. He asked what his symptoms were, and kind of gave me the "you're a crazy mom" feeling when I told him my baby just wasn't being himself. HE wasn't sleeping, he wasn't eating, he wasn't watching Blues Clues, he was sitting in my lap all day, etc... The doc was like "Yeah. Well does he have any PHYSICAL symptoms...fever, runny nose...?" Right. Duh! So I told him he did have a runny nose and was having sneezing fits and that morning he had finished breakfast and was playing and started to gag for no reason, like he was going to be sick. Guess what James has. Just guess.















Ok. You don't have to guess. James has allergies. The doctor gave him Claritin. I gave it to him when he got home; he took a 3 hour nap (instead of his 1.5 hour nap he had been doing for 2 weeks) And when he woke up, he played like the Old James. He ran around, he colored, he laughed. He never cried, until he got hungry. Then he ate!!! He even had juice in his Bah-Bah. An amazing accomplishment if you know James. He used to take one sip and if it wasn't milk, he'd look at you, laugh, and drop the bottle. I decided it's time to force the juice issue, because he just drinks too much milk. I heard that too much milk can make you congested, and I'm sure if you have allergies it can't be too good. And besides, he shouldn't drink only milk come summer time. He should be hydrated better than that.

This morning James woke up a happy baby after sleeping in his bed all night. When I came in his room, he grabbed his diaper and said "Poop". Something he had stopped doing in the past two weeks (using his words). I changed him, he got his Bah-Bah and gave him a Breakfast Bar and he is NORMAL! Yay!

Thank you Doc! I heart you 4-eva!!

Finale Frenzy

When I was a kid, I loved summer. We all did, right? No school, no bedtime, no worries. Even in college I loved summer because it meant being able to go back to my "other" life. The one where I wasn't studying to become a professional and my days (and nights) were filled with Extra-Large DD Iced Coffees extra-extra, various Gas Stations, and Multiple Concerts.

Now I am (almost) all growed-up. I can't even fathom drinking an Iced Coffee extra-extra; I have moved onto Iced Lattes, with skim milk and a Splenda. I look at all the concerts I want to go to and can't believe they are asking $75 for a nose bleed seat; a price I wouldn't have thought twice about "in the old days". The other day had to be the most depressing when I found the Jimmy Buffett concert at Mohegan Sun. Tickets go for $251, $176, & $91. There isn't even a lawn! What good is it?!?! Ever since college I have been desperately trying to get tix to a JB concert. It's a little heart-breaking to find out the price. *Sigh*

So my point is, all the things that made summer what it is have lost their shine in my OLD age. Yes, yes, I am officially approaching OLD AGE. This year is the big 29. My last year in my 20's. I think I need to throw my self a big party, Margarita Friday Style. I'll wait till this silly rain stops and then I can have a nice Porch Party. Now THAT will be like the old days. Heh.

Anyways, I haven't even gotten to the point, the reason for the title. When I was younger, it never occurred to me that when summer came, the tv season vanished. Granted, now there are Summer Series (like "Rescue Me", I hope!) But all the Good Stuff will be gone for months. And some of it forever! My Favorite Show of all time is in it's Final Season; one episode to go. I don't think I can handle it. When "Charmed" goes off the air, it might just be the end of my marriage. I mean, what else will my husband and I have to talk about? We might actually have to spend real quality time with each other. Yikes!

I am so sad that Charmed is over. It's almost pathetic how sad it makes me. Even the end of Sex in the City didn't make me this sad. Maybe I need to lighten the tv load a bit, you think? Come back to the real world for a bit?

WWND

I have to say, having a Blog has been so very therapeutic on so many levels. First, it has allowed me to keep a journal again, which was something I always had when younger, up until about the time I graduated college. Second, it has lead to a lot of positive feedback from people whose opinions matter to me. I like that; it's not something I was looking for when I started blogging. I just wanted to rant freely. But it's nice to hear words of encouragement. So, thanks, to all of you encouragers of mine out there! :)


So I've been thinking about this Group I'm involved in. I just keep wavering between letting them have their Power-Struggle Fest and going back to my peaceful life as a SAHM (who can find her own things to do when her husband is away) and staying to stick it through and show that I am good enough. I keep thinking of one person that I've always aspired to be like, since I started teaching. I don't know if she knows, but I always hoped to grow into a woman like her, and have her charm and skills and accomplishments. I mean, besides my mom, she's the woman I would say I admire the most professionally. Anyways, I'm not trying to be gushy. I just think now I can kind of relate to a situation I remember her being in when I was teaching with her. Someone wanted her position as President of the Union and they started coming to the meetings and really undermining her by reading rules out loud and telling her that the Board wasn't following them and turning people against her behind her back and all that nasty stuff that really parallels what I see going on with the Group I am in. But this lady I speak of really held her ground and let people know she was still in charge and that she had done a lot of good for everyone. She fought clean, and stuck it out to the end even though she was voted out by a minimal margin. I mean, think Bush vs. Kerry. But she didn't quit just because there was resistance, just letting the other person have their way. She stuck to the position because she wanted it too and believed in it. I can just imagine that I feel a lot like she might have, minus the feeling of being betrayed by people I had known nearly all my life. That part, I don't feel, and I can't imagine how she pulled through it. But she did. She's amazing.

Anyways, thinking back to that situation has given me a new mantra. I might feel uncomfortable fighting against someone who wants to have her way without compromise. I might have been told by my co-co-chair that she wants to nominate this lady and not me come election time. But if it comes down to a vote between me and this other lady, I will hold my ground. I will stick to the position I feel passionately about until the vote comes in. Because my new mantra is "WWND?" and that is what N. would do.

Ignorance is Bliss...

mmmm...Blisss...Ice Cream...Soooo yummy...

That's what I need right now. Ice Cream. Comfort Food. I know, "What about that Family Fatty Challenge???", you say. Well, I'm still in it. But that doesn't make me forget that Ice Cream banishes so many evil feelings. Funny, how when you start to think about the food you put in your body, and really pay attention to how you feel when you want certain things, that you realize completely what Comfort Food is. And I am ok with Comfort Food. I am ok with Celebration Food. I am ok with Food for Fun. I am ok with food.

I am not ok with people. People make me want to eat more food. People make me want to do a lot of things that I shouldn't. Like drink LOTS. And be a quitter. I think that's my destined role in life. To be a quitter. Let's see; in the past two years I have quit a job, quit a career, tried and quit a crafting profession, and now I will quit the Wives Club. My husband tells me I'm just trying to find my niche. Somehow, I think it's more like I am trying to find people I can stand to be around. I mean, except for the Crafting thing, which was probably just a bad idea to start with, everything else I've quit has been because I just don't fit. I don't fit the right profile to be a teacher. I love it, and it breaks my heart to think that I can't be a good enough one, but really, I'm not dynamic enough for it. That's also why I had such a hard time at my last school. Trying to fit into that Team was like trying to fit into my skinny clothes. I was trying to be something I am not ready to be, and perhaps never will be. That's how I feel about the Wives Group now.

Sure, I could give you the blow-by-blow but let's not. Let's just say that I was told to be more assertive and when I tried, I still got ignored. Other people still talked over me and ran the show. Which is fine, in the sense that if that's the way they want to be, then let them. I was doing the Wives Group as a way to get more things going on for the boat, to make more things happen. But if no one wants to hear what I have to say, then I'll just do my own thing. I have a lot of friends that aren't Navy. My family is a short drive away. I don't need to lean on these people for support. And I pity the people who do, if they are people like me, I mean. People who have great ideas and want to help but get trampled on by people who don't know their place, and who think they run the show. I just don't have time for crap like that. I don't need constant approval from people; my family and friends approve of me unconditionally, no matter what rank my husband is, or how much pull I have. And, honestly, I give big props to my husband for not saying "I told you so." Because he could have.

Any suggestions on how you tactfully back out of a leadership position, but still let them know how angry you are at the way you've been treated without sounding petty and causing repurcussions that could come back to haunt your husband when his bosses find out what you said?

Well, I did have this whole post about people and Yard Sales and how I can't stand the way people always offer half of whatever your tags say. As if you are really Nieman Marcus in disguise, and trying to rip people off by selling a Bird Cage with a Travel Case and Toys for $10. Or an Armchair and Ottoman for $50.

But then I went and clicked the wrong button and it vanished. So forget it. People are cheap and I was so floored this weekend watching them at the Yard Sale.

Anyways, let's move onto the answers to the Affirmations Quotes. BTW, you're all a bunch of lazy MoFo's. All you had to do was type the lyric in Google. I'm sure it would have given you the song and Artist. God, you're as bad as my students used to be...you don't want to do the work, you just want to know the answers! I shouldn't post them, just to teach you all a lesson and make you suffer.

But I won't.

The songs are...

1. "I'm Beautiful" by Bette Midler
2. "How 'Bout You" by Eric Church
3. "Boondocks" by Little Big Town
4. "Call Me Al" by Paul Simon
5. "Nobody Gonna Tell Me What To Do" by Van Zant


So there you have it. Too bad you didn't win. Any of you.