My editor has recently told me that I haven't spent enough time blogging. My editor, however, has not had to do 47 loads of laundry, help a friend in crisis, deliver and pick up an extra child from school across town, volunteer at two schools, ferry the kids around, go shopping because I have no shorts or capris for this band trip, oh yeah, and pack for said trip!!!
I'll let everyone know about the trip when I get back. I can't do it first thing Monday though because I have to go to the endodontist and have my root canal redone. Yippee.
"Now, Mr. Editor, if you don't mind, I need to go finish packing."
Thursday, April 29, 2004
Tuesday, April 20, 2004
I was a bad mom
I was a bad mom today. I had the audacity to wake up and be sick. I never knew you could get a stomach bug from blogging. At least I didn't cut my finger off.
I'm doing better now, although my stomach has some unhappy moments. The reason this made me a bad mom was I was suppose to go with Mayhem #2 for her band competition. It's held at a little amusement park, so the kids get to perform and ride rides. (Not at the same time.) She was crying when she left this morning. Part of it was because she didn't get as much money as she thought she needed to ride rides. And the other reason was, "Mom, now I wouldn't have anyone to hang out with."
I learned a long time ago that I had to be my kids' buddy. We've never turned them loose in the neighborhood. Mostly because there were no kids their ages that lived nearby. And because I was never comfortable letting them out of my sight. Too many nuts out there.
My kids are not the popular kids. They make good grades and follow the rules. How nerdy can you get? Mayhem #2 has a few girls she hangs out with at school, when they're not hurting each others feelings. But these friends aren't in her band so they didn't go on today's trip. I'm sure she had a good day. I'm sure I'll hear about it either way.
What can I say? Mr. Mayhem and I are fuddy-duddies. (Is that how you spell that? I've never seen it written out.) We were born 20 years too late for the lifestyle we would like to live in. You know what I mean. Everyone in the neighborhood knew everyone, and everyone' values were similar. The kids played up and down the street until they got hollered home for dinner. You could sit on your front porch and relax in the evening.
I'm feeling very old.
I'm doing better now, although my stomach has some unhappy moments. The reason this made me a bad mom was I was suppose to go with Mayhem #2 for her band competition. It's held at a little amusement park, so the kids get to perform and ride rides. (Not at the same time.) She was crying when she left this morning. Part of it was because she didn't get as much money as she thought she needed to ride rides. And the other reason was, "Mom, now I wouldn't have anyone to hang out with."
I learned a long time ago that I had to be my kids' buddy. We've never turned them loose in the neighborhood. Mostly because there were no kids their ages that lived nearby. And because I was never comfortable letting them out of my sight. Too many nuts out there.
My kids are not the popular kids. They make good grades and follow the rules. How nerdy can you get? Mayhem #2 has a few girls she hangs out with at school, when they're not hurting each others feelings. But these friends aren't in her band so they didn't go on today's trip. I'm sure she had a good day. I'm sure I'll hear about it either way.
What can I say? Mr. Mayhem and I are fuddy-duddies. (Is that how you spell that? I've never seen it written out.) We were born 20 years too late for the lifestyle we would like to live in. You know what I mean. Everyone in the neighborhood knew everyone, and everyone' values were similar. The kids played up and down the street until they got hollered home for dinner. You could sit on your front porch and relax in the evening.
I'm feeling very old.
Friday, April 16, 2004
What store?
Do you remember when your kids were little? Quite a few of you only have to look down to remember. I remember when riding the escalator was a carnival ride and the glass elevator was too scary.
When we would go to the mall, we always went in at one of the department stores. After cruising around in there for a while, Mr. Mayhem or I would say, “Let’s go out to the mall.” Somehow, Mayhem # 1 translated that phrase into, “Let’s go to the out mall.” We still go to the “out mall.”
In the out mall, and everywhere else, there are tons of stores. Jordana mentioned the “car store” in a blog not too long ago. Ours was called the “car place” because we were there to get the car fixed not buy one. This is also back when we had a Ford. Need I say more?
Of course there were the usual “grocery store”, “shoe store”, “drug store”. I always got tickled with the “hair cut store.” One day, we’re driving around an area with lots of places to shop and eat. One of the girls pipes up from the back seat. “Look, it’s the donut store.” Mr. Mayhem and I are looking around for a Dunkin’ Donuts or Shipley’s Donuts. This is way before Krispy Kreme. Imagine my horror when I figure out that what has prompted this innocent statement are the o’s in the Hooters sign we just drove by!
This has been an inside joke for Mr. Mayhem and me for quite a while. We finally let the kids in on the joke recently. They had no idea what we meant by the “donut store,” or that they started it. Maybe we can blackmail them with it later?
When we would go to the mall, we always went in at one of the department stores. After cruising around in there for a while, Mr. Mayhem or I would say, “Let’s go out to the mall.” Somehow, Mayhem # 1 translated that phrase into, “Let’s go to the out mall.” We still go to the “out mall.”
In the out mall, and everywhere else, there are tons of stores. Jordana mentioned the “car store” in a blog not too long ago. Ours was called the “car place” because we were there to get the car fixed not buy one. This is also back when we had a Ford. Need I say more?
Of course there were the usual “grocery store”, “shoe store”, “drug store”. I always got tickled with the “hair cut store.” One day, we’re driving around an area with lots of places to shop and eat. One of the girls pipes up from the back seat. “Look, it’s the donut store.” Mr. Mayhem and I are looking around for a Dunkin’ Donuts or Shipley’s Donuts. This is way before Krispy Kreme. Imagine my horror when I figure out that what has prompted this innocent statement are the o’s in the Hooters sign we just drove by!
This has been an inside joke for Mr. Mayhem and me for quite a while. We finally let the kids in on the joke recently. They had no idea what we meant by the “donut store,” or that they started it. Maybe we can blackmail them with it later?
Thursday, April 15, 2004
Is it a sign?
Finally, here's the college road trip story. Several weeks ago I called and set up an appointment to have a tour of Angelo State University. I asked them to send me a map because I'd never been there. I never received the information, so the day before the trip I'm trying to find out how to get there from their website. With a little help from Mr. Mayhem and the atlas, I felt pretty confident that I could find San Angelo. I didn't know where to go on campus, however, so we printed off a campus map from their website. After looking at it, I was hoping that Mayhem # 1 could read it because it was way too small for me to read. (That's a whole other medical issue I need to get taken care of soon.)
Off we go at 8:00 am. The girls do homework for about the first hour and a half, and after that the gameboys come out. The bluebonnets were out in full force. (That's the state flower and they've seeded the side of the highways with them. Sometimes they're so thick it looks like water shimmering on the side of the road.) We made it to Abilene by about 10:45. Mayhem # 1 helps navigate me onto the correct state highway to go south to nowhere.
We're now on a two-lane road and still going 70mph. There's a sign that says we have 85 miles to go. It sure didn't look that far on the map in the atlas. Now that we're on a smaller road, the scenery is closer. Of course there are the usual cows and horses, but now come the buffalo, sheep, and goats. I never knew there were so many goats in Texas. One was so pregnant I said it looked like it had swallowed a 2x4 sideways. There was lots of cactus too. The girls commented on how different it made things look compared with the other grasses and bushes.
We had to go over some mountains and I think it was the Davis mountains. I know they don't compare to some of yall's mountains, but it was a change of scenery. As we started the upward trek, I spotted an 18 wheeler with a large tank of some kind. You know the "Wide Load" kind. I thought great, "Now I'm stuck and this will take forever." Luckily there were passing lanes so we blew him away. I noticed at the next uphill grade that there was a little car behind me and he acted like he wanted to pass me. I told him to come on when we got to the passing lane, but he didn't have the umpf to catch me. He became known as "Hampster Man". We teased him (without his knowledge of course) until he passed us on the downhill side.
We made it to San Angelo and negotiated our way to campus by noon. The tour is at 1:30. We still don't know what building to go to or which parking lot to park in safely. Things are not well marked. We decide to go back down the road to eat lunch because a) we're starving and b) our bums are numb. Over lunch at KFC, we figure out from the campus map which two buildings are administration buildings and decide to try to park near them.
We get back to campus a little before 1:00 and turn into the first parking lot to hunt for a parking spot and right in front we find a "Visitor" parking spot. Yeah!!! High fives all around! We go in the building, but it's the wrong building. We leave the car where it is in the very correct "Visitor" spot and walk next door. The admissions office had no reservation for us for the tour. They kept asking if I had called and I kept telling them yes. Luckily it was just a group tour so it wasn't a big deal. I was beginning to get bad vibes. We had prayed for wisdom before we left the house. I thought, "Ok, what am I suppose to be getting from this?"
The tour was ok. We had a good time, and the tour guide gave lots of good information. We didn't get to speak with anyone in the art department so that was disappointing, but we didn't know that we could've set up an appointment with a professor in advance. (That was probably in the packet of info we should've gotten after we made the appointment.) We didn't like the fact that most of the dorms were coed. The new building was basically like apartments. It wasn't separated by floors or wings. I'm sorry, but my barely 18 year old does not need to deal with the idiot boys right next door.
We finished the tour, filled out the evaluation, picked up a housing packet to look for the one all-girl dorm, and headed to the car. On the windshield is a $15 parking ticket!!! We're visitors! We parked in the "Visitor " spot! What more do you want? We headed back to the admissions office to get this taken care of. They say, "This has never happened before." They call the campus police and find out that they sometimes ticket those cars because the students will take they're parking placards off their rearview mirrors and pretend to be visitors. The tour guide and another girl admitted that they had done that before. They apologized and we headed to the car again, saying to ourselves that we hope there's not another ticket by the time we get there.
It's about 3:30 and I told the girls to finish their homework and we'd grab something to eat when we got back to Abilene. We get back on the road and then I start hitting all these little towns where I have to keep slowing down. That clues me in that I'm not on the same road because there was only one small town coming down. I don't know where I missed the turn off, but we figured out that we knew where we were and that we could get home from there.
I started noticing that the wildlife was changing. I pointed out several antelope. Then they noticed the llamas. The zebras finally convinced us that it was some type of nature preserve. After grabbing dinner at Sonic (nowhere near Abilene), I took another road to get back to the main interstate because going through the little towns was going to take forever. We finally rolled into the driveway at 8:00pm. Our bums were numb again.
About the school? I don't know. With all the things that went wrong, should I take that as a sign?
Off we go at 8:00 am. The girls do homework for about the first hour and a half, and after that the gameboys come out. The bluebonnets were out in full force. (That's the state flower and they've seeded the side of the highways with them. Sometimes they're so thick it looks like water shimmering on the side of the road.) We made it to Abilene by about 10:45. Mayhem # 1 helps navigate me onto the correct state highway to go south to nowhere.
We're now on a two-lane road and still going 70mph. There's a sign that says we have 85 miles to go. It sure didn't look that far on the map in the atlas. Now that we're on a smaller road, the scenery is closer. Of course there are the usual cows and horses, but now come the buffalo, sheep, and goats. I never knew there were so many goats in Texas. One was so pregnant I said it looked like it had swallowed a 2x4 sideways. There was lots of cactus too. The girls commented on how different it made things look compared with the other grasses and bushes.
We had to go over some mountains and I think it was the Davis mountains. I know they don't compare to some of yall's mountains, but it was a change of scenery. As we started the upward trek, I spotted an 18 wheeler with a large tank of some kind. You know the "Wide Load" kind. I thought great, "Now I'm stuck and this will take forever." Luckily there were passing lanes so we blew him away. I noticed at the next uphill grade that there was a little car behind me and he acted like he wanted to pass me. I told him to come on when we got to the passing lane, but he didn't have the umpf to catch me. He became known as "Hampster Man". We teased him (without his knowledge of course) until he passed us on the downhill side.
We made it to San Angelo and negotiated our way to campus by noon. The tour is at 1:30. We still don't know what building to go to or which parking lot to park in safely. Things are not well marked. We decide to go back down the road to eat lunch because a) we're starving and b) our bums are numb. Over lunch at KFC, we figure out from the campus map which two buildings are administration buildings and decide to try to park near them.
We get back to campus a little before 1:00 and turn into the first parking lot to hunt for a parking spot and right in front we find a "Visitor" parking spot. Yeah!!! High fives all around! We go in the building, but it's the wrong building. We leave the car where it is in the very correct "Visitor" spot and walk next door. The admissions office had no reservation for us for the tour. They kept asking if I had called and I kept telling them yes. Luckily it was just a group tour so it wasn't a big deal. I was beginning to get bad vibes. We had prayed for wisdom before we left the house. I thought, "Ok, what am I suppose to be getting from this?"
The tour was ok. We had a good time, and the tour guide gave lots of good information. We didn't get to speak with anyone in the art department so that was disappointing, but we didn't know that we could've set up an appointment with a professor in advance. (That was probably in the packet of info we should've gotten after we made the appointment.) We didn't like the fact that most of the dorms were coed. The new building was basically like apartments. It wasn't separated by floors or wings. I'm sorry, but my barely 18 year old does not need to deal with the idiot boys right next door.
We finished the tour, filled out the evaluation, picked up a housing packet to look for the one all-girl dorm, and headed to the car. On the windshield is a $15 parking ticket!!! We're visitors! We parked in the "Visitor " spot! What more do you want? We headed back to the admissions office to get this taken care of. They say, "This has never happened before." They call the campus police and find out that they sometimes ticket those cars because the students will take they're parking placards off their rearview mirrors and pretend to be visitors. The tour guide and another girl admitted that they had done that before. They apologized and we headed to the car again, saying to ourselves that we hope there's not another ticket by the time we get there.
It's about 3:30 and I told the girls to finish their homework and we'd grab something to eat when we got back to Abilene. We get back on the road and then I start hitting all these little towns where I have to keep slowing down. That clues me in that I'm not on the same road because there was only one small town coming down. I don't know where I missed the turn off, but we figured out that we knew where we were and that we could get home from there.
I started noticing that the wildlife was changing. I pointed out several antelope. Then they noticed the llamas. The zebras finally convinced us that it was some type of nature preserve. After grabbing dinner at Sonic (nowhere near Abilene), I took another road to get back to the main interstate because going through the little towns was going to take forever. We finally rolled into the driveway at 8:00pm. Our bums were numb again.
About the school? I don't know. With all the things that went wrong, should I take that as a sign?
Wednesday, April 14, 2004
Tomorrow, tomorrow...
Once again life has gotten in the way of blogging. How rude. I'll get to my story tomorrow.
Road kill
I promised Terry I'd cover his road kill deficiency. The girls and I went out to San Angelo, TX Monday to check out a college for Mayhem # 1. To get there you go west to Abilene and take a left to nowhere. Most of the dead were skunks and raccoons. There were a couple of coyotes too. But whoever got the deer must have had major damage to their vehicle because it wasn't a small one. I'll tell you about the rest of the trip later today. I couldn't yesterday because I was waiting for the doctor's office to call me back. A few weeks ago they took me off my blood pressure meds to see if the weight loss took care of the problem. It didn't. Believe me.
Thursday, April 08, 2004
I did it!
After the endodontist this morning, I went dress shopping. And I actually bought one! It doesn't look very Eastery. It looks very Hawaiian. It's teal with red hibiscus. I don't have to buy white shoes for it because I have some tan stretchy ones that will work.
Of course the problem is that the high for Sunday is suppose to be 57. That means I have to wear my frumpy sweater so I won't freeze to death. This always happens on Easter.
I'm taking the girls shopping tomorrow, and if they will cooperate, I'll look for a more Eastery dress for me. Oooo... I might buy me two dresses.
Of course the problem is that the high for Sunday is suppose to be 57. That means I have to wear my frumpy sweater so I won't freeze to death. This always happens on Easter.
I'm taking the girls shopping tomorrow, and if they will cooperate, I'll look for a more Eastery dress for me. Oooo... I might buy me two dresses.
I hate the dentist
A little over a year ago, I had a root canal and crown done on a back molar. Apparently, the root canal didn't work right because it's hurt ever since. My dentist told me to go see an endodontist and get it redone. I've been putting it off because a) I don't deal well with major dental work; b) it hasn't hurt too bad if I don't chew on that side; and c) money.
Well, it now hurts too bad to ignore. They squeezed me in this morning to diagnos the problem. They told me to take lots of Advil regularly, and if that wasn't enough add the darvoset. If it starts swelling, take the anti-biotic. They'll fix it on May 3.
Well, it now hurts too bad to ignore. They squeezed me in this morning to diagnos the problem. They told me to take lots of Advil regularly, and if that wasn't enough add the darvoset. If it starts swelling, take the anti-biotic. They'll fix it on May 3.
Monday, April 05, 2004
Another culinary delight
One day last week I made steak. Actually, Mr. Mayhem made it because that was the day I was doing my Rocky imitation...swollen eyes from the allergic reaction to new medication. For some reason I kept wanting to sing "The Boxer". And remember, I know the words.
Anyway, back to dinner. The steak was tough because it wasn't the best cut of meat. (It wasn't Mr. Mayhem's fault.) I've been avoiding it all weekend because I have a tooth that I need to have the root canal redone. I finally decided I could cut up the meat and make chili out of it. I started working on it and decided that was going to take forever, so I got out the blender. Of course when I told the girls this they didn't know what to think because they've only seen the blender used for liquid things. Actually, the blender did a nice job of shredding the meat.
I must admit that I use a kit from the store when I make chili. Mostly because that's the only kind Mayhem # 2 will eat. I didn't think I had alot more meat than usual, but it was a different texture so I had to modify things a little. I added the tomato sauce like usual and both kits. (I usually make a double batch.) Things were still pretty dry so I added a can of chopped tomatoes. Hmmm...and some water and that did the trick. I let it simmer for about an hour. I didn't put in the extra hot peppers. Once again, Mayhem #2 doesn't like spicy things.
The girls and I sat down to eat with our chili and cheese, and before too long we're all sniffing and guzzling whatever we're drinking. We decided our sinuses would be clear for the rest of the week. Mayhem #1 added sour cream to her second bowl to cut the burn. I added a little to the bottom of my first bowl just to finish it. Mayhem #2 has an extra bonus. She has the left over Irish soda bread from her school project so she's eating that with her chili. She eats very slowly most of the time and her food gets cold. I offered to reheat her chili, and she said, "No Mom. Really. It's hot enough." She finished the chili. And the bread, which she told me she couldn't finish tonight.
I can't wait till Mr. Mayhem gets home tomorrow. He loves it when his eye lids sweat!
Anyway, back to dinner. The steak was tough because it wasn't the best cut of meat. (It wasn't Mr. Mayhem's fault.) I've been avoiding it all weekend because I have a tooth that I need to have the root canal redone. I finally decided I could cut up the meat and make chili out of it. I started working on it and decided that was going to take forever, so I got out the blender. Of course when I told the girls this they didn't know what to think because they've only seen the blender used for liquid things. Actually, the blender did a nice job of shredding the meat.
I must admit that I use a kit from the store when I make chili. Mostly because that's the only kind Mayhem # 2 will eat. I didn't think I had alot more meat than usual, but it was a different texture so I had to modify things a little. I added the tomato sauce like usual and both kits. (I usually make a double batch.) Things were still pretty dry so I added a can of chopped tomatoes. Hmmm...and some water and that did the trick. I let it simmer for about an hour. I didn't put in the extra hot peppers. Once again, Mayhem #2 doesn't like spicy things.
The girls and I sat down to eat with our chili and cheese, and before too long we're all sniffing and guzzling whatever we're drinking. We decided our sinuses would be clear for the rest of the week. Mayhem #1 added sour cream to her second bowl to cut the burn. I added a little to the bottom of my first bowl just to finish it. Mayhem #2 has an extra bonus. She has the left over Irish soda bread from her school project so she's eating that with her chili. She eats very slowly most of the time and her food gets cold. I offered to reheat her chili, and she said, "No Mom. Really. It's hot enough." She finished the chili. And the bread, which she told me she couldn't finish tonight.
I can't wait till Mr. Mayhem gets home tomorrow. He loves it when his eye lids sweat!
Sunday, April 04, 2004
That wonderful time of the year
Here I am trying to think coherently at this nutty hour thanks to daylight savings time. It's not like we don't have electricity and can't burn the candles frivolously. Oh, wait a minute. I forgot. Mayhem # 1 doesn't know how to work the light switch, so, yes she does burn the candles. I'll be right back. I have to get her up so she can drain the hot water heater. Thank goodness it's gas. My editor suggested I try paragraphs so here goes.
Ladies, have you dusted off those white shoes yet? Unfortunately, I'm going to have to go shopping. You see, I'm 30 pounds smaller than I was this time last year. Even my shoes are too big. I like being smaller, but I have such a hard time shopping for myself. Mostly because I hate spending money on me. The girls and I went out last night, but didn't find anything for Mayhem # 2. She's sort of into junior sizes, but the styles...EEEEK. And the styles aren't much better for adults. I didn't look for me because all day long the girls had been fighting with each other. I decided to take them home and put them to bed. Yeah, you can do that with teenagers too.
I really need Mr. Mayhem to go shopping with me. I'll try something on and he asks, "Do you like it?"
"Yeah. Do you like it?"
"It looks nice. Let's get it."
"Well, I don't know. Maybe we can find one that's not so expensive."
"Gimme that." And off he goes to pay for it. That's the kind of help I need. When he buys more than one, I just about have a heart attack. (Not because he's cheap, but because there are so many dollar signs.) Wish me luck. I'm probably on my own this time. Of course I could make something, in all my spare time. Oh wait a minute. In all the years I've been sewing, I never have made anything for me. It's so sad.
Ladies, have you dusted off those white shoes yet? Unfortunately, I'm going to have to go shopping. You see, I'm 30 pounds smaller than I was this time last year. Even my shoes are too big. I like being smaller, but I have such a hard time shopping for myself. Mostly because I hate spending money on me. The girls and I went out last night, but didn't find anything for Mayhem # 2. She's sort of into junior sizes, but the styles...EEEEK. And the styles aren't much better for adults. I didn't look for me because all day long the girls had been fighting with each other. I decided to take them home and put them to bed. Yeah, you can do that with teenagers too.
I really need Mr. Mayhem to go shopping with me. I'll try something on and he asks, "Do you like it?"
"Yeah. Do you like it?"
"It looks nice. Let's get it."
"Well, I don't know. Maybe we can find one that's not so expensive."
"Gimme that." And off he goes to pay for it. That's the kind of help I need. When he buys more than one, I just about have a heart attack. (Not because he's cheap, but because there are so many dollar signs.) Wish me luck. I'm probably on my own this time. Of course I could make something, in all my spare time. Oh wait a minute. In all the years I've been sewing, I never have made anything for me. It's so sad.
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