Guess what? I finally figured how to post to my blog from my touch! Isn't it nice of the realtor next door to my mom's dr to provide us wireless access? That's a big deal in my Podunk town... LOL

So, we are drowning in snow. Well not drowning yet... That will come this weekend when the warmer weather and rain come to melt the metric but load of snow ( and yes, I understand that one foot isn't that much. But my husbands deployed, remember? And we don't normally get much snow any way.) I shoveled my drive this morning, after I was sure the snow was done falling. Why is the person that never shovels snow the one that always chooses the snow shovel? Even when he's stateside, I end up shoveling because he gets called out. Is anyone else overwhelmingly ready for spring, or us it just me?

We "updated" on's room this weekend.
More about that coming up, when I can upload the pics. Back to my games:)

Questions I have...

I'm at the grocery store yesterday, buying our groceries (surprise!) and I notice that my cart has a ton of frozen veggies in it and not so much fresh. Not because fresh isn't available. It's just a little more expensive, and with only three mouths to feed, and a very busy schedule over the next couple of weeks, frozen seems to be the best bet. But it made me think of the question that bug me a lot. To be healthy, you're supposed to eat a lot of fresh veggies. They give you the most nutrients and are better tasting. But if they have to truck those fruits and veggies in, even just from a neighboring state an hour or so away, then you're not being "green" or supporting your local economy. We have a few farmstands around us, and the produce stinks and is expensive. I want to do my part for the environment, but I also have never had disposable income to just throw around. The store I use does try to use local (meaning within a couple of hours from our area), family farms to suppy it's produce. So, what's the right answer here?

I also get angry when people compare gas prices here with gas prices in Europe. Most of the cities in Europe were built well before cars, and the roads can not support the type of cars we drive here. It's well good and fine to tell me to drive a smaller car...which child should I make sit on the roof then? And walk? Let's see, I live with a couple of miles of a couple of stores, but we have to cross two extremely busy roads to get to them. And there are no sidewalks or crosswalks. My children go to school 3 miles from my house, and again there are no sidewalks along the busy road. Also, Europe has a much better public transportation system. Can you really see us trying to build such a transportation system out in the wheat fields of Kansas? In larger cities, mass transit should be an option, but unfortunately, the money is not always available to make that so. My city has bus service, but it doesn't run on Sunday...it was a big deal when Saturday service started a year or so ago. And it's not very user friendly. We are mid size city with quite a few small towns surrounding it. If you have to drive into the city to catch the bus, you might as well drive to your destination.

Whew, I'm glad I got that off my chest. Night!

Things that bug me.

I know...a list.  Yuck.  Too bad. 

1. I wanted to write a post about Monster's first/second Martial Arts Class, but my camera is downstairs and I'm not.  It will have to wait until tomorrow.

2. That when my husband calls, I have so much to tell him, but all of it seems too trivial...or it's a surprise (we bought Christmas and birthday gifts today.)

3.  That they build all of the necessary stages and such for the Inaugaration from scratch.  All that lumber, all that money.  What a waste.

4. That it will cost the Obama's more than I make in a year to send their children to the private school in Washington.  I get that Public Schools probably can't handle the publicity.  But seriously...almost $60,000 a year for these girls to go to school.  Most colleges aren't even that expensive.

There's a lot more, but these are the most recent ones. 

This is why I don't watch television very often

Somehow I landed on VH1 this evening, and the show Rock of Love Charm School.  It really is like watching a train wreck.  I can't stop.  And I'm glad that I know better.  After that, it was the Pick Up Aritist.  Okay, that show is just plain stupid.  I'm not even continuing past the 15 minute mark.  They have names for al these pick up moves, so they can sit and talk in code.  They try to make it sound so important and it sounds so stupid instead.

Seriously, what is up with all the lame reality television nowadays?  Is there a lack of creative screenwriters now?  What happened to good ol videos?  Remember Pop Up Video?  Behind the Music?  Shows that you actually sort of cared about watching as a brain suck?  No more. 

Another frustrating day

This whole weekend has felt frustrating with my kids. I know that they need more sleep than they have gotten in the lst few days, and I'm trying to plan some early bedtimes over the next few nights. But the level of frustration was just too much tonight, and I spoke in that bad mommy tone for a short while. And I can sit here and justify it to myself. And I know it happens. But even as I was doing it, I was feeling like a heel. And I wanted to stop, but I couldn't get that 10 minutes I needed, as we were in the car. Once we were home, and they had time to romp in their rooms without me hearing them, I was in a little better frame of mind.

This sole caregiver thing is tough. I don't say single parent, as I am least blessed to still have the second income to help cover expenses. And I have wonderful family and friends that want to spend time with my kids, that want to help. But I've had a lot on my plate the last couple of weeks, and I feel like my kids have had a little too much time with those family members. They need me. And so, knowing I had to go to work today, I made plans for them to come with me, and watch a movie in the conference room on the wall. They enjoyed it, and they were pretty good. I'm hoping that this will be something they remember, and that this evening's outburst will be shortly forgotten.

It isn't just being the main care giver for the kids, but all the things that entails. I am the only one capable of taking out the trash, cooking dinner, helping Monster with his shower, washing, drying clothes. PB can help fold, and they both help put theirs away and help unload the dishwasher. It just gets tiring and time-consuming sometimes. I really would love for someone else to figure out what's for dinner for a few nights.

On top of all this, I'm frustrated again tonight with Bug's situation. Her mom can't afford to buy her a coat apparently. The child told me that the area they are in isn't as prosperous as ours (I really don't understand why this child thinks we live in the lap of luxury...seriously) and they are having some job issues right now, so they are looking into getting her a coat. This woman has barely contributed to the cost of raising this child for the last 8 years, and now she wants us to continue to pay for everything while she gets to make all the choices. And I feel stuck. I hate to know that the child is walking to and from school in the cold without a coat. No child should ever have to do that. But it pisses me off that it's just assumed that we will cough up the needed funds. So on that note, I'm off to push aside my anger and irritation, and see if I can cram this coat into one of those flat rate boxes. Wish me luck.

Vacation flash backs

I owe you vacation stories. I'm working on it, I swear. I have several, and they're fading, so I will get them up soon.

Tonight, We're just going to enjoy being home. Today was our staff meeting at work, which is a cookout that I'm in charge of. It's a well oiled machine now, but dang it's a lot of work. I'm tired.

Yes, I'm still alive

Sorry for the sudden run of posting. My bestest friend came to visit me for the first time in 5 years, so the posts were all started last week and I kept forgetting to actually come post them. They'll be coming up.

Work is crazy. This is a crazy time of year, as our fiscal year ends June 30th, and that's what my job entails...budgets. On top of that, since 2 weeks ago, today was only my second day in the office. I was off with my Hubby during his eye surgery, and then off to visit with my Picasso. Soooo...I'm swamped. And my personal to do list is a mile and a half long. Thank goodness it's almost summer.

Off to post more...:)

What a weekend

As you can see from the previous posts, it was a busy weekend here in langville. However, what I didn't mention is that fact that I was sick all weekend. I went to bed at a relatively early time Friday night, even before my teenager was home. I spent Saturday in various stages of hot and cold, and spent our adult time Saturday night napping on our friends couch with fever and chills. The last two posts were written on the appropriate days, and then saved as draft for review before posting. You would thank me if you could have read some of the rambling.

Apparently, I'm on the mend. Not so fevery, just tired. Its going to be a busy week, and my hubby is gone, so hopefully one more good night of sleep will make me all better.

Reality, Schmality

I'm not a big fan of Reality television. I generally have a hard time watching people make total and complete fools of themselves. Honestly, I have a hard enough time dealing with people and their "issues" in real life. I don't find it entertaining to sit and watch people destroy their life, and the constant rambling drives me crazy. Sometimes, there's one that is a train wreck and I just have to keep watching (generally it's because there isn't anything else on.) Tonight, I'm riveted to the show "Moment of Truth." It's one of those train wreck shows.

When the choice is between a relatively large sum of money and your relationship with your family members, your marriage, your job, I have to wonder if that sum of money is worth it. And apparently this person feels that either her marriage can withstand this onslaught, or that the money is more important. I'm watching this woman emotionally wound her husband for $100,000. I'm not sure that any amount of money is worth causing that amount of pain and discomfort to any of my family members, but especially not to my husband or children. And someday, her children will see this episode and she will have to explain this to them. And while the high of $100,000 will get them through for a while, someday that money will be gone, and they will have to live with the fall out of that time. I'm just happy that she was smart to not gamble any further, and to be responsible with the money she did earn.

I really do think that reality TV brings out the worst in people. People may go into their participation saying they're doing it for the right reasons, but somehow, that all goes out the window in the "heat of the moment." I'm not saying all reality TV shows are bad. Some do great things for people (The Biggest Loser comes to mind), and some are truly just mindless entertainment (American Idol). Some don't even seem so much like Reality TV as much as scripted soap operas after awhile (the majority of the shows on VH1 or MTV).

So when my kids ask if we can watch Food Network, I sigh a little in relief.

rainy days

I'm so sick of winter. I know that I can't complain...the little bit of winter weather we've actually had was always short lived, and it's been relatively warm. But I'm just not a winter person. And the lack of warmth and sunshine are starting to take their toll on me. I'm so tired, so distracted, not really into anything. And I know the weather is at the heart of this. Hopefully those stupid groundhogs were wrong and spring will be here soon.

I'm craving daylight past 6 pm. I want time to go out and play, or just sit on my nice back deck. I hate wearing coats...I want to pull out my spring clothes.

Okay, I'll quit whining...maybe it will be sunny today.

Gather round children...

For I am going to post twice in three days. Scary, I know.

It's finally fall here. Crisp air, warm sweaters...oh wait, it's still a sauna in my office, so I have to dress for fall, with summer underneath. How hard is it really to regulate the temperature in an office building. Really, just one part...the rest of the building is comfortable. I guess I can say I really do work in the bowels of hell.

Went to Joann Fabrics today to buy some fall decorations for a game night I have this week. I looked at the calendar today, and it tells me we are still in the first week of November. Thanksgiving is several weeks away, Christmas almost 2 months away. Guess what! Very little in the way of Thanksgiving stuff still out. Christmas is there. Wal-Mart has tried to declare the Friday after Halloween the new Black Friday. Uhm, there's a few flaws in that thinking. Number one, I have the day after Thanksgiving off with pay...I don't have the Friday after Halloween off unless I use a vacation day. Secondly, I am a strong believer in taking our Holidays back. I don't want to start decorating for Christmas before Thanksgiving. I love fall, and Thanksgiving is when I get to decorate for it. I'm hoping that people don't encourage this early Christmas spirit too much...I really am tired of being tired of Christmas before it even gets here.

What do you think?