Archive for June, 2009
The Perfect Motherhood Storm
Posted by: | CommentsDid you see the title? It’s no coincidence that Perfect Motherhood Storm has the same initials as Pre Menstrual Syndrome. My poor kids. They got the wrath of evil Mom this weekend. Now, I can’t say they were TOTALLY innocent. But I had a few not-so-stellar mom moments. Nothing crazy, nothing immoral or illegal. Just lots of yelling and a couple of time outs. So, here’s how the perfect storm set itself up:
It all started Thursday night. Thursday, Friday and Saturday I fell back into my old sleeping habits. You know, fall asleep with the kids around nine or nine thirty, wake up about midnight or 12:30 completely energetic, stay awake until about three in the morning and then head back to bed. Three nights in a row this happened. This sleeping pattern makes me crabby for a couple of reasons. One, obviously, is the lack of solid sleep. The other is that I never really get my ‘me’ time. I mean, I get it in the middle of the night, but I’m so crabby because I feel asleep that I don’t really get to enjoy it.
Next was the PMS. It started on Saturday night. I noticed that I was snippy, my patience was about nil. Then I was cool mom and let them have ice cream twice in one night. Talk about mood swings.
The third (and final) set up for the perfect storm? No break. You know from reading this that I love, love, love my chickies. Sundays I usually get a little bit of a break, though. Tony is usually off, and he’ll entertain the girls for an hour or two just so I can relax. Or work. But working without having to worry about the kids IS relaxing. Well, this Sunday Tony had to go to the restaurant. We had a big charity bike run happening, and he really DID have to be there. But the sleep deprived mother with PMS? She didn’t get that break, and it showed.
It wasn’t pretty.
There were threats. There was that one fleeting moment (yes, fleeting and brief!) in Costco when I was ready to just hand them over to any woman who looked like they would be a good mom. In retrospect, it probably WASN’T a good idea to take them to Costco on a busy Sunday in the middle of the ‘Perfect Storm.’ But you know, sometimes when you’re in the middle of that stuff, you just don’t think straight.
I’m sure many moms have been through this before. And whether you admit to it or not, just know that we’re all in the same boat. And we all get cranky.
All is better today 
I’m in a good mood, my children aren’t living some place else, and we’re having family day today. Oh, and I got to watch another episode of True Blood last night. Which followed the book a little better, and that made me happy.
Have a great Monday!
More Nature? I Think So!
Posted by: | CommentsFirst off, this post is brought to you by my screwed up sleeping schedule. Third day in a row. Do you want some quiet time, but also want to drag all day? Follow this easy schedule: Fall asleep at 9:00 with a child, then wake up feeling totally refreshed at midnight or 12:30. Stay awake, thoroughly enjoying your quiet time until about 3:00 am. Head back to bed and wait for the kids to wake you up around 7:00. (I really hope you heard the sarcasm in that!)
Anyway, back to the subject at hand. Tonight (or yesterday, depending on how you look at it) I took the kids down to the Panhandle Trail, which is near my house. It’s part of the whole rails to trails thing. Chloe has recently started riding a bike with training wheels, so I packed up their bikes and helmets. My original plan was to get some exercise in by walking, but that didn’t pan out (HA! Panhandle train…pan out…I crack myself up). They enjoyed it, but it didn’t last for all that long. They DID really enjoy checking out the water, the fish, and the dragon flies. Now, I know that I’ve recently told you about the zoo in my backyard. I think I may entice another living thing to join our zoo.
Instead of channel surfing when I’m awake in the middle of the night, I check all my regular websites on my laptop. Doing this sometimes often leads me off on little surfing tangents. So, I started reading about hummingbirds. I had no idea that they start migrating back to the United States in July. My brother in law has had a feeder in his back yard for a while, and they’re really very amazing to watch. So, I’m thinking let’s get a glass hummingbird feeder for the kids. Actually, I’ll just say it’s for the kids, but it’s really for me. Just like the bunnies are really mine. You can buy food for the hummingbirds, but you can also just whip it up yourself. It’s just a cup of sugar mixed with four cups of water. Now, I’ll have to play around and see which works better. But, since I cut all that sugar out of my diet, I have all this extra sugar that I’m not putting in my coffee and tea.
Who knows…my next business adventure may be charging admission into my zoo.
Kiddie Brain Candy
Posted by: | CommentsYou know, we really do a lot outside in the summer. But we (read: the kids) do still watch television. This usually happens for an hour in the morning, depending on the day, it could be an hour or so in the afternoon, and then they watch a television show before bed.
Our latest indulgence? Wipeout on ABC. They really look forward to watching it every Wednesday (it’s on at 8:00). It’s a big obstacle course. A difficult obstacle course. With lots of mud and foam, and tons of falls. Just watching it makes you flinch and say ‘ow.’ Then, there are the big balls. Yup, they repeatedly say big balls. This is a part of the obstacle course that looks like this:
I have never seen anybody make it all the way across. Granted, I haven’t watched every show, but they really get pummelled on this obstacle!
So, anyway, the kids love watching other people fall. You know, just like when they’re infants and they see somebody trip and fall. They get a kick out of it!
If you have kids my age, you probably have your ‘go to’ shows, also. We have some other shows that give mom a little bit of quiet time. They change pretty frequently. Right now, we’re on a SpongeBob kick. Classic. Then there are a couple of other shows that are not quite as well known.
First, there’s Phineas and Ferb. I think this show is hysterical! It’s about two boys on summer vacation and their adventures. They are always building or doing something crazy, and their older sister Candace is always trying to get them in trouble. It’s from Disney, and it’s a good watch.
The other show (which is actually pretty good) is Johnny Test. Really, the general story follows Phineas and Ferb a bit, except the show focuses on the younger brother (and his dog) who has two older sisters who are scientists. The older sisters are the ones always creating crazy stuff. And, Johnny Test’s hair is really cool. It’s on Cartoon Network.
So, relax. Let the kids watch some trash. Just even it out with some stuff to keep their brains sharp for the summer, and all will be good.
Hmmm…Maybe I Can
Posted by: | CommentsIf you looked at the title, you’re probably thinking ‘What?’ Well, let me get into this a bit. I decided (about a year or so ago) that I want to make a living online. A real living. It’s been slow going at first, but I’ve definitely put some extra cash in my pocket. I know that if I fill my head with enough knowledge (mostly technical gunk) that someday I can run my business from some little island. I don’t want to have to see any of my customers. I want my toes to be in the sand and the laptop, well, on my lap. It’s hard to have the time to really dedicate to my online businesses right now because I’m hangin’ with those little chickies. But I figured I had some time to get it started, and when they both got to school, I could really put my nose to the grindstone.
I’m seeing lots of opportunities with regards to affiliating and e-commerce, but I’m just lackin’ in the skilz. I don’t have the time to actually go to school and learn a bunch of programming stuff. I also don’t have the cash to do it. I’ve recently checked out this site about Elearning. It’s exactly what I’ve been looking for! It’s inexpensive and has all the classes I would want to take. Because I don’t really want (or need) a degree, I can go and learn all the stuff I WANT to learn, and not have to take all those extra ‘filler’ classes.
If I get through a class or two (or three, or four), I should be able to set up a website exactly the way I want. I think I could squeeze one class in while the kids are in summer rec (maybe), but definitely in the fall. Chloe will be in preschool three days a week.
Someday, someday I’ll be on that tropical island. Tony can have his little tiki bar, and I’ll have the laptop. I’ll get there. Now as for the rock hard abs that I want? Well, that may be a little more difficult. But I’m daring to dream
Screw The Judicial System
Posted by: | CommentsWell, here I am. Sitting in downtown Pittsburgh on my lunch break. From jury duty. I’m not too happy about it. Now, I really should look at this with a little silver lining around it. It’s a day without the kids. I can (sort of) work on the lap top. I can read.
Screw the silver lining.
I’m in a cantankerous mood. I’m trapped. My ass hurts from sitting on it all day. I can’t get any internet connection in the courthouse. I have a wedgie. I’ve had one cigarette since 8:15 this morning (Although that’s about to change. As soon as I’m done writing to you dear people, I’m smoking!). Poor Tony is at home with the kids, and he has to work until 4:00 in the morning. I’m just having a big ol’ rant. (Oh, if you like rants, check out Angie over at Ranting In Pittsburgh. She’s awesome) Even though I’m the beacon of positive thinking (ha! Did you hear the sarcasm?), I’m indulging in my crabbiness. Today, I throw everything to the wind. I’m gonna smoke. I might put some sugar in my coffee. I’m eating coconut cream pie for dinner. I’m gonna let the kids watch tv all night tonight (btw – they LOVE the show ‘Wipeout’ on ABC. It’s on tonight.).
I feel better just complaining to you. Thanks for listening. I’ll be your regular old ray of sunshine tomorrow…or at least that’s the plan
