i feel pithy

I would love to share some more photos of our northern adventure, but my head is not working. 

I felt perfectly fine when I woke up.

I felt really fine after my coffee date with my friend, Ceesa.

I felt so fine I came home, loaded the kids up in the car for a trip to Trader Joe's.

Somewhere between the chocolate covered blueberries and the peanut butter filled pretzel nuggets my head started to hurt.

I wanted to go home to get out of the blasted heat and humidity, but I had promised my three lovely kiddos a quick side-trip to Lemon Tree. 

Halfway through my Hawaiian Pineapple (topped with granola) I began day-dreaming of frogs.

Specifically, the act of pithing a frog

Really?  Did you just click on that link and think you would find a YouTube video of a person pithing a frog?  Wow.  You must think I am cRaZy.  But, if you DID click on the link . . . . . wasn't it funny?!

Why was I thinking about such a strange thing?

I visualized the needle going into MY head and relieving the enormous pressure that had suddenly vice-gripped my skull.

Yeah, good times.

So I had to settle for coming home, laying down for a bit and hoping the Tylenol would relieve some of the pressure.

No go.

And THAT is why I will not be sharing vacation photos today.

Maybe tomorrow?

the process

Let me start off this rant with saying the process sucks.

What process, you ask?

The frickin' frackin' stupidy-stup-stupid process of attaining test strips for Ellie.

The process should be easy.

The process should be simple.

The Dr. prescribes 8-10 finger pokes a day.  The insurance company approves 8-10 test strips a day.  Simple math.  Easy Peasy.  So why isn't it?

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Instead, I am left pulling my hair out in frustration because the mail order pharmacy just mailed out HALF of what we need.

What's the problem, you ask? 

I don't frickin' know!!!!!!

Apparently, in order for us to have in our hands a 90 day supply of test strips (which would equal 900 if we test 10 times a day) we must:

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Jump through hoops . . . . .

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Walk over hot coals with our bare feet . . . . .

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Bend over Backwards. . . . .

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And kiss someone's ass

All I want is to poke holes in Ellie's finger's and make her bleed AS MANY TIMES A DAY as I want to.

Is that too much to ask????????

it's a major award

Quick . . . the quote in the title came from the 2nd best movie ever made (behind Princess Bride, of course)

2,754 points go to the winner of the correct answer.

Now, on to the award!

1. Thank the person who gave me this award

Heather is where it started (for me) and Joanne who finally motivated me to get my butt in gear.

 

2. Share 7 things about myself

 

  - I have chin hair. Yep. Hair on my chinny-chin-chin. No worries, I just pluck 'em out when they stick out far enough to notice. Some are black and some are white but every single one of them is wiry. Why is that?  I used to be embarrassed about it but life is too short to worry about chin hair, don't you think?

 

 - When I was young I was once laid down in the driveway and pretended to be hurt or dead just to see if someone would stop their car and ask if I was okay. No one did.

- I am 4'11-and-3/4". Yes, that 3/4 matters!!!!!!! I love being short, though. Except when I am in a crowd. Then I get scared and claustrophobic because I can't see my way out.

 - My majors in college: pre-med, physical therapy, exercise science and geology. Degrees = 0. School of life = more than I can count.

 - I like smart people. I should be intimidated by them, but I am not. I love to listen to geniuses work through a theory or question. Their body language and facial expressions and vocal inflections are all fascinating to me. They seem to go to another place, unreachable to me, and I am honored to be witness something beyond my understanding.

- I used to think if I could have anything, I would want solitude. Now I crave community, even if it drives me nuts sometimes. Being alone and in your own thoughts for too long is the definition of crazy.

 - I always knew Ellie, my 8yo daughter who has T1 diabetes, was going to be a challenge. I just figured it would manifest in the form of a policemen at the door with Ellie standing sheepishly behind him. Now I am relieved it is just diabetes and I don't have to worry about teenage angst. Right? Right.

3. Pass the award on to 12 bloggers you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic

I think Reyna is the only one who hasn't done this yet ;)

Hahahahahahaha . . .  Okay. If you haven't done one yet, considered yourself nominated!!!!!

So, what does your husband do for a living?

I always struggle to answer this question. He is a Geologist by education and works in the Environmental/Engineering/Consulting business. I think. I mean he leaves in the morning and comes back home at night and every two weeks he brings home some bacon. Dave is not defined by his work, so I try not to define it either. Some days, however, he provides me with the perfect answer to "what do you do all day"?

:: phone ringing at 10am ::

Dave: "He babe; just called tell you where I am driving to right now."

Me: wiping sleep out of my eyes because my God, who calls this early?!
"Are you driving to the nudie bar?"

Dave: "Ah, no. So I am about to leave the office when I walk by the front desk and see the message light on the phone is blinking."

Me: "So why didn't your secretary answer the phone? Oh, yeah. You don't have a secretary."

Dave: "Do you want to hear the story? Okay. So there was a message from some guy who saw our company name on some old oil drum barrels. The ^%$)(* contractors were supposed to dispose of them after we did our testing. They obviously didn't. This guy goes on to say he thinks he sees a dead body hanging out of one of the barrels. So, I am headed out to the job site to take a look."

Me: "WTF? Call the police! Do not go out there by yourself. Are you nuts? Geez, babe .... what are you thinking? A dead body? What if this is a trap?"

Dave: "Oh, don't worry. I'll just go out there and have a quick look around. It was probably a crank call, anyway. The guy didn't leave a name or number to call back. I'm sure just a couple of punks were messing around in the area and wanted to play a prank joke."

Me: "Well, alright. But I really don't think you should be going by yourself. Do you P-R-O-M-I-S-E to call the police if anything looks fishy? Oh, and call me back AS SOON as you know something. Love you, Bye"

:: 4 hours later, phone rings::

Me: coughing the bon bons up and swallowing quick so I can answer the phone
"Hi! Why did you wait so long to call me back?"

Dave: "Call you back.......why?"

Me: "Um, the dead body?!"

Dave: "Oh, that. I drove out there and poked around a bit, but I didn't see anything. There may have been a dead body there somewhere, but not anywhere obvious."

Me: "So, that's it?"

Dave: "Yep. Off to another job site to see some guy and tell him to do some stuff. Love you, Bye"

All in a days work.

generation gap

The phrase "generation gap" is defined in Wikipedia as: a popular term used to describe differences between people of a younger generation and their elders, especially between a child and his or her parent's generation. The term first became popularized in Western countries during the 1960's and described the cultural differences between the young and their parents.

Today, as I played the phrase over in my head, I realized I had come to an understanding of the phrase; not unlike like a young child showing her understanding by applying it and using it in her world. I 'get' it, in other words.

My father-in-law Bill graciously gave his time and money to lend a hand in finishing off a basement room so Madison could have her own bedroom space. There is a 4.5 year difference between Madison and our second child, Ellie, and they have shared a room since Ellie was born. Last winter Mads started complaining about not having enough privacy, so we moved her to the basement knowing we would finish off the space ....... eventually. Life got in the way and the seasons morphed quicker than we wanted. The grandparents were concerned about Mads' room not being done, so Bill set a date and announced he was coming over to get the job started.

I love my father-in-law. He is witty, kind, intelligent and giving. The two of us can banter back and forth with verbal slams indefinitely, or until someone else in the room tells us to stop the behavior before it gets out of hand. Bill is happy by nature and often whistles or sings a little ditty just so everyone around him knows just how joyous he feels. Even when not everyone feels so much joy. Especially when not everyone wants to share his bounty. Irritating at the most and funny at the least.

This week has been a tough one with my girls being gone and Dave working longer than usual hours. You would think I would appreciate Bill's company and he would ask me to work joyfully next to him.

:: Enter Generation Gap ::

Bill is from an era where a thick line divides what is seen as woman's work and what is seen as a man's job. Now, he is not overtly direct about this. He chooses to utilize the 'passive aggressive' path to get across his thoughts.

Example 1: I mowed the lawn
Bill: Why did you mow the lawn? It wasn't even long! You could have waited for Dave to do it later.

Example 2: He asked for a fan
Me: Yes, we have a fan. It's in the garage and I'll go and grab it in just a sec.
Bill: No! No, no. I can get it.
Me: But it is up in the rafters and I know right where it is. Let me get it.
Bill: No! I said I'd go and get it. You could get hurt, let me get it.

Example 3: Dirty Windows
Bill: Boy, those sliding glass doors sure are dirty. No wonder the kitchen is so dark!

I know, I know. These actions and statements do not mean anything. It is who he is and I am a product of another generation. I see something, figure out how to do it and take on the challenge. If I am being lazy, I will bat my eyelashes and ask Dave to do it for me. Bill is not used to women in this role. No offense meant, no offense taken.

On Monday the behavior was cute. By Tuesday it was irritating, but still tolerable. Today? I want to wring his neck.

Maybe if I was raised in a generation where the family consisted of extended family and family once removed. Everyone was welcome and our business belonged to everyone. I appreciate the closeness and the tremendous bonds it must form between family members, but I am not used to it so I am not comfortable with it. This is my home, my work, my sanctuary and I tend to get a little pissy when I don't feel like I can be myself in my own home.

That all said, I will miss Bill when he goes back home. Who couldn't love a man who holds his grand babies like this?!

email to hubby at work

In order for my children to remain unharmed by a crazy lady, I email my husband at work just so I can ‘vent’ a little bit, take a breath and then get back to mothering my children without thinking bad thoughts about them. This morning, only day 2 of summer vacation, I needed to vent: (some parts of the message removed to protect my deepest, darkest secrets)

It’s the second day of summer vacation and only the first(!) email I am sending you! Do I get a prize if I keep it under 10 for the duration of the endless weeks?

Sorry about my attitude this morning. I am trying really hard to not wake up thinking about the lack of money and not letting it run my thoughts for the day.

B and E are playing marvelously, but M is already moping around. “Playing school just wasn’t as fun as I thought it would be”, (read…..B and E won’t listen to everything I tell them to do). She then wanted a friend over, but I explained I didn’t want her complaining about B and E playing downstairs and being loud. She sighed, Then she wanted to go to the movie UP, and I had to say no. Then she wanted a movie and candy day at home. No. I suggested several options and then explained to her that is causes my pain to know she is unhappy and waiting for all of these ‘exciting’ things to happen.

I just want to enjoy this simple time home with the kids! I know I can make it happen if only M would play along with me. Maybe we should try and arrange for her to go to your folks, somewhere.

I need to shake it off and refocus. Another day to get through, with a smile on my face and contentment in my heart. That’s all I want! Oh, and I am convinced tomorrow the expense money WILL be in. Optimism works for me.

Talk to you soon, baby,
love – me

breathe. smile. repeat