The Brat Board

Necessity is the mother of invention.  Lost remotes invented the brat board.  This nifty little red-neck gadget came from the dear, frustrated hubby upon finding that once again, not a single remote was to be found. After digging through and under couches, and even in other rooms he located then and then in a bad frenzy, went outside with the remotes.  Nobody knew what to expect when they came in..perhaps he tossed them into the burn pile.

But low and behold, he returned...with a piece of wood covered in duct tape and the 3 remotes zip-tied to it.  See the little whole toward the bottom?  For a brief period of time, there was a long rope tied to the brat board which was then tied to the leg of the couch.  So you couldn't run off with the brat board, you see.

Since them we've become accustomed to asking 'hey, where's the brat board?' rather than, 'hey, where are the remotes?'

Got any redneck inventions running around your house!

HURRY HURRY HURRY!!!!!

Boy ever since about 2nd week in July I have been busy like I've never been busy before.  My work responsibilities at work DOUBLED. Literally doubled.  I was in charge of 7 people now I am up to 20.  Nice round number, that 20 is.  I have done more juggling in the last 6 weeks and am holding down the fort at work very well.  School has also started and with it comes homework and PE clothes, lunches and more scheduled tasks.

My blog has suffered.  I had sleepless nights dreaming up the image of this blog and it just hasn't met it's intended purpose...yet.  I will not lose hope as time fixes all things.

I just need to breathe, relax and be kind to myself.  Failure does not exist with this but gaps in posts do.  Cooking for my family is rarely a failure so if the menu planning sides, then it does.  I need an adjustment period with all major changes and this is it.  I've not run in weeks.  WEEKS! I miss it.  I am tired and sluggish and just blah.  That too will fix itself. One goal I have is to purchase, at some point, a treadmill so I can exercise after the kids go to bed.  Typically that goes against my policy but the weight isn't going to lose itself, right!?

So patience is something I need....to give to myself. Everyone else seems plenty patient except for me.  Shame on Karen for that! 

So here's to me, juggling all the balls and occasionaly dropping some but picking them back up and tossing them into the air once more.

Hats off to all juggling mothers out there and here's to a successful, busy but do-able fall season.

*CLINK*

Uncle Woody

I bought a cactus several years named Uncle Woody. I did not name him though I kind of wish I had because it's a goofy little name.  When I claimed Uncle Woody for my own, his 'former' mother game me a picture of him where he bloomed 4 great big pink flowers.  The last time he bloomed was in 1997.  Yikes.  UW is 34 years old..only slightly younger than me.



Every spring he goes out and stays in the shady, warm outside until early October where he's brought in to weather the winter months. 

Well I'll be darned if he didn't bloom!!!!!!!  It's been 15 years and the little scoot pulled it off!! We gathered as a family almost like a new born entered the world. He's just a prickly old catcus but I just love him. His age and his unique features make me proud to sound completely nuts and call him family.

School is Now in Session!!!

Oh school time is back. I am glad for the structure and the ‘something to do’ my kids were badly needing toward the end of summer but BOY DO I MISS MY KIDS.  They run off to school and start learning stuff and I have to drag answers out of them to keeppace with them as they learn and grow.  L Times like this I wish I could quit my job, move to the country and homeschool!!  Meredith actually asked me if I could do that.  With a sad voice I said ‘no baby..gotta pay them crazybills!’

Here they are, grade 6 and grade 4

** On a side note, I wish I had not left when I did.  Little girl's hair looks like she rolled out of bed and said 'I'm ready!!!!**  Ugh...

I did have an opportunity to meet their teachers and they are WONDERFUL!! No anxiety in that department at all.  I’m sure as the year creeps on by you will hear more about school related activities and antics.  In fact, I have a wonderfulmorsel to share with you now!!! First day of school everyone wakes up in a wonderful mood all well slept due to mother nature finally turning off the furnace and bring withit cooler, fall-like overnights.  I walk into the kitchen as a SOCK FIGHT just cleared up between my hubby, the initiator and Jackson. Now you don’t know this but sock fights are only reserved for timeswhen Jackson can get really wound up and take what time he needs to unwind..which is a while.

Why my dear, dear, sweet hubby did this I’ll never understand.  So as a result, I’m hollering and a BIG GLASS of water gets dumped UNDER the microwave.  Feeling defeated I decide the hubby can help with the water clean-up duty asI exit from the now mounting tension in the room. I refill my coffee and retreat to the bathroom.  The door is shut which is weird so I open it...INTO MEREDITH’s FOREHEAD dropping my cup of coffee on to the floor. 

I grabbed Meredith and hugged on her and then Jackson joined in and I apologized for such a rough start to what started out to be a wonderful day.  Then I clean up the coffee, get ready, refill the coffee and end up at work 15 minutespast my start time.  Ah…..my Charlie Brown moment (GOOD GRIEF) hit like a cannon to the head (or the door to Meredith’s!)  In the end, they all had a wonderful day.  Full of excitement and wonder at the new grade that sits in front of them.  I’ll make surefrom now on, I am outa the house before the awake and avoid the train wreck I created that day!

Summer Camp Take 2

Jackson left me shortly after Meredith got home.  I learned a lot more about my kids during their ABSENCE then I anticipated.  Come to find out, here are 2 truths surfaced:

Jackson is not a slob
Meredith is

That girl child of mine will leave a trail of JUNK strewn about the house and then either claim she didn’t do it or that she’s too tired to clean up after her brother.  Well when he’s gone, he didn’t make the mess. I felt horrible for Jackson. Know howmany time outs and scolding’s he got for a mess? He lovingly went right along, not arguing or complaining and picked up stuff he KNEW was not his mess!  I feel like a heel. My sweet boy.  With ADHD and a touch of Asperger’s Syndrome, that child has enough tocontend with.  I feel horrible.

I miss his even more.  His absence was probably felt more than Meredith’s because Jackson is a much bigger presence.  He walks heavier, he talks more and louder and he’s impossible to keep full!! He eats a LOT of food the growing boy.

I had less anxiety with his absence than I did Meredith’s.  I am attributing that too the fact that he’s a boy and PERCEIVED as stronger, more independent.  Weird.  The kid I stew the most over ends up being the more (perceived) resilient one. 

Needless to say I was so excited to get them back in my arms and in my house.  That smile was so weary and happy and spent when I got him back.  It was like Christmas 2 times in one week.  They each want to go back next year and are still talking abouttheir summer camp experience.
Happy Tuesday
Karen

Summer Camp, Take 1

Well the kids are at summer camp this week. Not at the time THANKGOODNESS. It’s an intro week that’s 3 days, 2 nights so it’s not too long but gives the kiddos a chance to see what it’s all about.  I love my kids to PIECES but joke about getting them outof the house for the week.  Let me tell you the first night of Meredith’s absence WAS FELT. I was nervous and sad and excited and restless. I didn’t sleep. If I got 2 hours I was doing good. The next day I was shot. I was so tired I couldn’t even feel the anxietyalthough her lack of presence was not without notice. 

I’ve been accused of not living in the moment..worrying and borrowing trouble from the future. Well this situation was not without its share of that too!! As is custom for Karen I found myself sympathizing with parents who love their kids out to college,marry them off, heaven forbid lose them from this world.

Yeah I warned you..true to Karen. 

How do parents cope! I have Jackson leaving tomorrow for his ½ week at camp and wonder if I have the fortitude to do this all over again.  The worry, the wonder.  I can’t wait to get little girl back in my arms and my line of vision. To see her and knowthat everything went okay.  Once again my kids teach me. 

More to come on my journey of weird self-discovery and here are some pictures.  Pray for me!?  I need strength and calm and peace. I need to let go and not control. I need to allow things to happen as they will and relinquish control.  Thank you!

Fall/Winter Reads

I have a darker side I am almost afraid to admit.  I am gearing up to figure out what books I am going to hunker down and read this fall and winter.  I like the themed reading because I get to overdose on something wonderful.  A few years back I read TheWitching Hour  by Anne Rice. I LOVED IT! I wish I had drawn a map but I loved it nevertheless. 

I have a thing for witches, vampires and werewolves.  It’s weird, I know.  But I am going to indulge.

I am done with my classics for the summer but if you are curious, here you go!!! 

Now the list for Fall/Winter (I have more time, so I get to read more books):

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne CollinsThe Hunger Games
Catching Fire
Mockingjay
Shades of Gray Trilogy, by E. L. James.  Okay I can’t NOW KNOW what these are about! It’s killing me to not be in the know.  So forgive me in advance.
Fifty Shades of Grey
Fifty Shades Darker
Fifty Shades Freed
Anne Rice
The Witching Hour
Lasher
Taltos

As you can see, I’ve already jumpstarted!  Yeah!!!

I am also currently reading Catching Fire which I LOVE!!!!  When the Hunger Games movies comes out to DVD I am gonna be WAITING for the movie store uptown to open so I can get in there and see it!! I am also listening to JanetEvanovich’s new Wicked Set.  This series features Lizzy Tucker and the cutie pie Diesel and it’s a super natural sorta thing too which goes along with and perhaps started my craving for the weird and wild.  I have read Wicked Appetite and amnow listening to Wicked Business. Wonder if she’ll make a 3rd one.  I’ve not seen evidence either way online so I’ll keep my fingers crossed. 

What are your plans for books this fall/winter!?  Share with me your stories of these books or others.