Jack Attack!!!

Shame on Me...

2011-11-04T22:32:00.001-07:00

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

2010-12-31T22:09:00.000-07:00

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...

2010-11-05T23:06:00.000-07:00

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.

2010-10-26T18:15:00.000-07:00

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...

2010-08-13T00:28:00.000-07:00

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...

2010-07-29T08:46:00.000-07:00

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?

2010-07-27T18:14:00.000-07:00

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?

2010-06-12T03:24:00.001-07:00

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

2010-06-10T00:52:00.002-07:00

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!

2010-06-05T01:24:00.003-07:00

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

2010-06-01T02:53:00.004-07:00

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?

2010-05-30T23:06:00.002-07:00

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.

Yeah, I Haven't Been Updating at ALL...

2009-10-02T21:43:00.002-07:00

Who the hell has time? I am a mom, a wife, I work full time and I go to school. Add to that the little time I do take to exercise and play Mafia Wars on Facebook and really- I SHOULDN'T have time! lol.

One of these days I will get my shit together and organize my time better. (Funny, one of the first class I took at school was about prioritizing and time management. OOPS. You'd NEVER know I got a perfect A in it. HA HA HA!!!)

Ode to Feeling Good About Yourself

2009-05-11T23:12:00.003-07:00

I so cannot believe I am going to be one of those people who preach exercise, but alas, I am going to do it. I finally got inspired by the people on the Biggest Loser. (I mean for real, if they can do it why can't I????)
Look, I am morbidly obese and finally decided I am going to take charge of my life and do more about it than pay it lip service. Granted, I've only been working out a week now, but I am losing weight and better yet, I FEEL GOOD!!! Yes, my muscles get a little sore, but holy cow y'all- mentally I am GOOD for the first time in YEARS. I've set my goal that when the weather cools here in Tucson I am going to RUN a 5k. Not walk, but RUN it. I WILL DO THIS! I CAN DO THIS! You can too!!!

Yeah I've Been Bad...

2009-03-15T20:49:00.002-07:00

about posting in my blog...and? lol. I'm a busy girl nowdays. I am quickly learning that being a mom while working full-time and going to school is NOT conducive to having much free time. Heck, I haven't scrapped since JANUARY! (Unheard of for me.)

So Troy is STILL furloughed. Hopefully when the new railway safety rules go into effect he'll be called back and STAY there. I'm so sick of having to depend on the damned mechanic's pay he makes now. Oh well, at least my job pays decently and after we pay for daycare my pay covers most of our mortgage. (Sad huh? MOST of...DAMNED RAILROAD!) Enough bitching about that though.

Jack may have eczema. I'm making Troy take him to the Dr. tomorrow because his little forearm is THAT BAD. Poor little guy. Then to make things more fun, he decided to paint his bedroom door, the carpet and himself with poop when he woke up for his nap. UGH!!!!!!! One of these years I WILL get a picture of it so that in 10 years I can start exacting my revenge on the little shit monster.

YAY JOB!!!

2009-02-13T16:44:00.002-07:00

So I FINALLY found a job. It may be a day and a dollar short to be able to save my family's personal economy, but I AM WORKING AGAIN!!! YAY!!! Yes, I have a little mommy guilt, I'd be lying if I didn't say I did. However, it stems more from also having to do classwork than the working. I feel like a regular person again rather than a pawn to the whims of a two year old. lol. Seriously, HOW do stay-at-home moms do this? Or is it a little easier once they get older? Oh hell, let's face it, I am not patient enough to do the job.

What am I doing you ask? My technical job title is Integrated Service Specialist. I schedule for durable medical equipment and other services for workman's comp. claims. This is experience is going to do WONDERS for me when I finally have my degree. Plus, get this, it's a place that treats you like you're an actual professional rather than someone who has to have her hand held all the time. I LOVE IT so far. (It's only been a week, but my last job I knew within HOURS that I would dislike it. I was not wrong. lol)

Since my parents have Jack for the night...I am going to think of something fun and special to do with my whacky husband tonight. (Or I could use all my scrapbooking crap and make him a Valentine's Day card!)

FUN!!!

2009-02-04T19:12:00.002-07:00

Yeah, so I'm a little challenged when it comes to web page layouts. Fine- a LOT challenged. I found a site today though that allows you to use all sorts of different backgrounds. WOOT! This is going to be FUN! (And a big ass time waster. lol)

I had another bit of fun today. I start a new job on Monday and realized while I was hanging laundry up yesterday that I have TWO, count them, TWO outfits that are anything near "business casual." D'OH! So I had my mom come over today and I got to go shopping ALONE.

Wow...when did my life get to the point where I'm excited to go somewhere without my "mantourage"?

And before anyone asks me...

I STILL LOVE MY CARDINALS! I was proud of my boys this Sunday. I wish they could have won, but they played a great game and had good sportsmanship. (Cannot say the same of the Steelers.)

Cake, yummy, delicious CAKE...

2009-01-27T23:07:00.003-07:00

So I'm FINALLY putting my cake decorating lessons to GOOD use and I'm making my first cake to take into public. It's going to be a Cardinals Superbowl theme. (Part of it is baking as I type this.) Oh Lord just PLEASE let it at least taste good. lol.

I'd also like to know why it is that there isn't anywhere half way decent in Tucson to buy decorating supplies. Michael's is ALWAYS out of what I want, unless I want to drive across town for it. There's another place I found that's SUPPOSED to be a cake decorating supply store. Right, and I'm Collette Peters. (Google her if you don't know who she is.) If I ever need cheap plastic doo-dads for a cake or cupcakes, I know EXACTLY where to go, otherwise it's overpriced crap that Michael's carried anyway. I guess when I need something I'll be looking to a friendly internet retail shop. (Shopping in Tucson for anything just plain sucks anyway, unless you WANT overpriced crap.)

Oh! I also made my first BIG word faux pas with Jack today. I was driving down the street when someone in a TINY little car pulled right out in front of my 3/4 ton Suburban, causing me to slam on my brakes and spill iced tea all over the front of my ONE unstained white t-shirt, cause me to yell one of the easiest four letter words for a toddler to replicate. Let's just say within thirty seconds I was repeating "no honey...SHOE." It worked this time. WHEW!

Homework STILL sucks..

2009-01-25T21:24:00.002-07:00

I decided to get off my duff and go back to college. YAY ME! I am discovering that homework still sucks. I am having to take the most b.s. class EVER, although I will admit I've learned a few things from it. What sucks about it is the fact that I am supposed to write two three paragraphs describing a challenge I am facing in regards to going back to school and how I can use creative problem solving to overcome the challenge. Um....the only challenge I face is WRITING THIS PAPER. lol. Would saying I have to use financial aid be a legitimate challenge since we don't have the funds to pay for it outright? UGH.

Ah hell, I could just be honest and use my poor writing and grammar skills for my challenge. HA HA HA!

Hope for Change...

2009-01-20T11:08:00.003-07:00

I hope that the Democrats change their tune and don't do all they're planning to do. I hope that in six months from now, much less four years from now, I still have the right to own a firearm AND ammunition for it. I hope that this country doesn't go to Hell in a hand basket. I hope that Socialism doesn't overrun what little Capitalism this great country has left. Don't get me wrong, I am excited we finally have a person of color in office, just not THIS one. Obama being the POTUS with the Democrats in charge of the legislative branch scares the shit out of me. I hope I have some change left in my pocket when all is said and done...

Sleep...whatever happened to a good night's sleep?

2009-01-13T10:29:00.002-07:00

So my mom had her knee replaced last week. Her and my Dad live so far out in BFE that the home health people won't drive out there for physical therapy three times a week. I let her stay here. Not such a big deal except that we put Jack's bed in the office so my mom can have her own room, which means Jack gets the toddler bed again. He is NOT happy about this. He's been getting up several times a night, to the point where when he does his 0100 wake up we just let him come sleep with us. Who in their right minds WILLINGLY sleeps with children? Both Troy and I get kicked in various places all night long by the monkey boy who does acrobatics in his sleep. Then to top it off, last night Troy decided not to fight it and took Jack straight to bed in our room. This meant that when I went to bed a few hours later there was NO ROOM! (Yeah, sorry, no way in HELL am I going to wake up a two year old to move him. NO WAY NO HOW!!!) Remind me next time to just gently move him so I can crawl in. Sleeping and getting kicked in the head has GOT to be more restful than sleeping on the fart noodling couch for a night. UGH.

Is it nap time yet?

Finding Nemo, Cars, Mickey Mouse and the World According to a Two Year Old.

2009-01-09T14:20:00.004-07:00

So I spoke too early about Nemo. DAMMIT ALL TO HELL! Oh well, I suppose there could be worse things in life than having to watch all aforementioned titles five HUNDRED times a day. (Although I feel like suggesting this to the Marines to use on the prisoners in Gitmo.)

Another thing about two year olds- NO PATIENCE. It's a theme I've noticed in Jack lately, and a theme I've noticed amongst other moms of two year olds I know. To them time means nothing at all and EVERYTHING is at the utmost importance. Doesn't matter if it's Mickey Mouse, a cup of frozen blueberries or devising a way to get an interplanetary star ship to actually travel at the speed of light- they want it NOW NOW NOW. (Come to think of it, this sounds like a boss I used to have and a good chunk of the passengers I used to deal with while working for US Airways.)

And now for something different. I HAVE to rant about this for a second...

I do not have myself fooled into believing that I am a scholarly writer. I do, however, like to believe I have a semi-decent grasp of the English Language. As I mentioned before I started back to college. All of my classes are online, so I get to see what my classmates write rather than hear them speaking. After reading through about twenty answers on our blackboard page, all I could think was "You have GOT to be kidding me!" Seriously, how illiterate IS this country getting? Has spell check really ruined us that much? Do school systems no longer teach elementary grammar?

Adventures with Llama Boy and Potty Training

2009-01-08T09:48:00.002-07:00

Jack officially has his super hero identity. Llama Boy. I truly hope for his sake he doesn't become Llama Man. He's got his mother's penchant for pushing buttons lately, and he's learned that EVERYONE finds spitting to be rather rude. He's also aware that it royally pisses me off. Yes ladies and gentleman, my son spits at you when he gets angry. It's annoying as I'll get out.

Jack is also now FINALLY starting to lose interest in Finding Nemo. Seriously, I really do think it's a cute movie, but would rather not to have to watch it 3 or 4 times a day. This has been going on for about 2 months now. Prior to this it was Cars. Jack ha a Disney/Pixar fixation. Anyway, Jack has now decided that the dvd du jour is a Huggie's Potty Training Secrets dvd they sent me in the mail. (I love how I get random crap like that in mail.) I wouldn't mind him watching it if he LEARNED anything from it, he just likes to watch it for the other little kids in it.

Recipes to be Tried...

2009-01-07T17:17:00.003-07:00

Because I don't feel like opening Word right now! HA HA HA.

Chicken Pot Pie
Box of refidgerated pie crusts.
2 cups pre cooked chicken/turkey
1/2 cup milk
Can of Cream of mushroom or Chciken soup
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2teaspoon pepper
1 bag frozen mixed veggies
Bake for 45 minutes @375

Thanks Rachel!

Bowtie pasta mixed in with pesto and extra parmigiano cheese. Then in a pan with EVOO I sauteed onions, garlic, mushrooms and apple/chardonnay chix sausages(got them from Target). Steam a little broccoli and add it all together. YUMMY!
That one gets credited to Amber.

Brooke's Baked Kale Chips
1 bunch of kale, stems off and torn into bite sized pieces
4 tbs olive oil
1 tbs Vinegar (she used cider, I used Tarragon)
a shake of salt free lemon pepper
a dash of salt
Preheat oven to 350*. Wash and shake dry Kale. Prepare as mentioned above. Toss kale in a bowl with the olive oil, vinegar, and seasonings and turn out onto greased baking sheet.
Bake for about 20 mins.
Watch them carefully, as I think mine only took maybe 10 mins.
(Thank you to Brooke and thank you to Kim for posting this in her blog so I could find it again!)

Is it obvious I want to get into meal planning? YAY!

Tucsonans LOVE their junk.

2009-01-07T16:36:00.003-07:00

I've been searching for a decent used treadmill for a while now. Craigslist has been a bust as well as the newspaper classifieds. Seriously, someone actually thinks that because their nonworking treadmill says Nordictrack on it means they should still sell it for eight hundred dollars. What the HELL? This is just par for the course for the people in this city.

Of course, this also goes the other way. If you have a garage sale and have a gently used baby swing that cost $120.00 brand new marked for thirty, they offer you ten bucks. Sorry, I'll donate it and take the tax write off for a higher amount than that.

I totally understand wanting to make a buck or two and wanting to get a good deal, just be REALISTIC about it people!!!

YAY SCHOOL!!!!

2009-01-06T14:22:00.003-07:00

So I finally decided to get off my rear end and finish my degree. WOOT! I feel like Nemo when he's jumping on his dad yelling "FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!" This enthusiasm had BETTER darned well last more than a few days this time. I'm sick of the dead end, useless jobs here in Tucson. If you want to do ANYTHING here you need that bachelor's degree. Sadly, here in Tucson it doesn't guarantee you a job that pays more than twelve dollars an hour. It's like this city says "Welcome to Tucson- now go away."

My ultimate goal is to finish this degree in Health Care Administration then go to the U of A here to get an accelerated BSN. Depending on how the economy is by the time I finish my HCA degree, I may talk my husband into moving back to Texas and doing my BSN there. Tucson just isn't a very family friendly city to raise children in. (Sorry, the city wants to be, but it just isn't.)

I have also decided, for my BIG New Year's Resolution to organize this house. I am sick of clutter, and three people living in a 1200 square foot house does not equal a lot of room. Especially when one of these said people is a two year old who believes the entire house is his to turn into a playroom. This will teach me to listen to my mother when it comes to home buying advice. She told us to not get a house with a family room and a formal living room as the living room would never be used. I'm now thinking that at least with the formal living space I could have an area we could block off from the monster and have company in. (I know...HA HA HA HA!!! Nice thought there.) In any case, it could be an area to turn into a playroom. Either that or I wish we had bought a four bedroom home. Oh well...lesson learned for next time we go house hunting. (Although I have a feeling my then Jack will be old enough where we'll need a media room or something awful like that.) Anyway, back to my organization plan...if you have any tips to give me to get my life organized, feel free to pass them along!!!

It's been WAY too long!!!

2008-08-31T09:15:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted here in a LONG time. I kep forgetting it's here! lol.

Update on Jack:

He is now a little over 38" tall. I think we have a big boy on our hands here. He also currently weighs in at 32.4lbs. (He hopped on my digital scale last night after his bath so we know this for sure. lol) Like I said- BIG boy. We're apt to call him Tank a lot of days.

Jack is growing like a weed and FINALLY starting to talk more. (At least something other than "CARcar.") We've been working on his ABC's and 123's, although he still has yet to point at the letter of any alphabet and say it. Oh well, he's only two so I know it'll come someday soon. I'm in no hurry to make him grow up on me any faster than he is.

That is it on the Jack front for now. More to come later!!!

No Babies Were Harmed in the Cutting of Hair

2007-07-30T17:22:00.000-07:00

Jack's first haircut! THANK YOU AUNT LISA!

Jack's First Birthday!

2007-07-10T21:45:00.000-07:00

One year ago today I was fortunate enough to have this sweet face enter my life. He was born at 148pm and this was taken at 148pm a year later. What a difference a year makes huh?

The happy look of a satisfied young toddler with birthday cake!

Backyard in the tub!

This has been OUR favortie toy that he got for his birthday. It's a T-Rex that moves and roars at you. Jack mostly likes it, unless it's too close to him then Jack takes a hike! HA HA HA! (Note the thing has a Little People character in its mouth...Mommy was playing it too!)
Thanks for the fun toy Auntie Lisa!!!

Keep Your Eye Out!

2007-06-30T22:02:00.000-07:00

Pictures and all sorts of fun from Jack coming SOON!

Mean Mommy!

2007-05-19T09:09:00.001-07:00

Who DOES this to their kid??? I do! HA HA HA HA!!!!!!! OK, it was acutally Earl, my beloved brother-in-law. That's his Aunt Lisa who's hands you see in the picture. You gotta LOVE it. Jack obviously did not, but hey, it'll be a good blackmail shot someday. It'll hopefully be a good way to keep a teenaged boy in line. (Insert eveil laugh here.)

Moving sucks. Trying to close on a house and sign mortgage papers suck. Love the house though and since it won't happen again for several years I am going to try to deal with it.

BAD Blogger...BAD BAD BAD!!!

2007-05-15T21:39:00.000-07:00

I admit it, I need to update here more. I forget I even have one of these things!

So my little man is now hamming it up for the camera. It's about time! He's cute as I'll get out but it gets old having the same open mouthed expression on camera. HA HA HA!!!! Now maybe I can prove to the world he has a personality of SOME sort. Jack also wants me to send a shout out to his favorite girl...HI ELLA!

We got word today that there's a chance we could close on our house on Thursday evening or Friday. YIPPEEE!!!!! If that happens we'll have our keys on Monday and I can get some painting done before we move in. VERY BIG thing for me. (Not that I have anything against blah beige, but come ON! lol) Jack is trying to decide between an undersea look or pirates for his room. I told him I didn't care either way but he has three days to decide so I can buy paint and be ready to paint. In the meantime...does anyone have any suggestions for kitchen colors? It also houses my dining room...ugh. Maybe I'll go boring white and paint a wall a good navy blue. Should be different huh? We'll see. This color crap is hard now that I can do something other than repaint a wall WHITE! lol. YAY! NO MORE RENTING!

Now for the other big news! Jack and I were playing today and he was cruising the couch. He was doing that scream that happy babies are want to do, lifted his arms in the air, screeched again and took a step towards me!!!! YAY!!!!!! My little boogar is growing up on me!

Prayers WORK!!!

2007-04-13T17:09:00.000-07:00

I am back from Phoenix AGAIN. I am officially a stay at home mom again for now. YAY!!! I really missed not being home with my stinker. And now for the really, really good news...

ALL of Dad's pathology reports came back NEGATIVE!!! YAY!!!! The surgery went well too. YAY!!!!

BAD Mommy

2007-04-08T20:46:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am a bad mommy. I was sitting here last night, about 1am, when it hit me...I FORGOT AN EASTER BASKET!!!! Thank GOD my sister got him one to play with. YAY Auntie!!!! I guess with new crappy job I ought to be glad I finally had the time to go see the Easter Bunny with him yesterday. CUTE CUTE CUTE picture!!! (And if y'all are LUCKY, I may even scan it and post a picture!!!!)

I guess I am also feeling like a bad mommy because I am not able to spend as much time with my darling son anymore. I leave in the morning when he's been up an hour, drop him off at the sitter's, get home and he's ready to go to bed an hour after we get here. I *MISS* him. As soon as this darned student loan is close to being paid off I am OUTTA there. I got really lucky and have an AWESOME sitter who actually loves him, but I am jelaous that she's the one who'll more than likely get to see his first steps, hear his first words...y'all know what I mean.

My dad is also going in for a resectioning of his colon tomorrow afternoon. He had a colonoscopy a few weeks ago and they discovered cancer. I wish I could say what I wanted to here. I do ask for your prayers- both for his physical and mental health. He is depressed, and I can understand that- but it seems like he doesn't really want to fight this. My mom is understandable freaked out about the what-ifs of it all, my sister is too. I feel like I have to be the strong one so I haven't even let myself get to the point where I *CAN* cry at all about this. I have the need to be the strong one, plus I feel like I need to know what to worry about. Will he need chemo? Chemo AND radiation? Is it terminal? Too many unanswered questions at this point and we won't have the answers until tomorrow or Tuesday. (Then my whole state of mind may be another thing entirely.) All we do know is that the Dr's believe they caught this thing early- which is good. If they did then I am not going to worry, just horsewhip my father until he too believes this isn't a guaranteed death sentence.

St. Patty's Day aftermath

2007-03-18T16:11:00.000-07:00

(The Three Stooges here...Daddy, Jack and my dad)

So I went to my sister's house yesterday for a couple Guinness and some corned beef and cabbage. OMG! He got his first taste of corned beef (can you say EW? lol. He hated that...) and also got some yummy steamed carrots. (I also caught my sister allowing a tiny sip of her beer...she got it for that. grrr...)

Jack also spent last week at grandma and grandpa's for his almost last appt. for surgery. YAY!!! He has ONE more appt. for something tiny to be done in office and we're officially DONE. YAAAAAAY! No more drives to Phoenix for this. He did come back spoiled ROTTEN, and I do mean ROTTEN. UGH. The baby I sent down there was able to fall asleep and play on his own for a little while each day. He now has to be rocked to sleep for his naps and his solo play time was cut in half. So much for housework getting done this weekend.

Jack has also finally figured out how to crawl and sit up on his own. He is also now pulling to standing on anything he can grab hold of. YIKES!!!!!! All those power cords we thought we had well hidden? lol. Babies are GOOD at this stuff I tell you!!!

Introducing...

2007-03-10T10:12:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I was talked into this. My life is so exciting I need a blog! lol.

Yes, I have a new job. I miss being a stay at home mommy. I'm in training right now, and it's kind of like sending a 747 pilot to learn how to fly a Cessna. I know what I'm doing and I am SOOOOO BORED. UGH. Not only is it boring, but there are a few people who make this class so aggravating that I would rather get teeth pulled without novicaine. ARG!!!!!!

PS...This is for Elizabeth....we're NOT imaginary! HA HA HA!!!! (boobs!)