Friday, January 15, 2010

Pump You Up

I hate to admit this, but I succumbed to an infomercially thing about exercise videos. Today was the big day. I FINALLY received my dvds.

The reason I succumbed, besides its January and I am feeling a bit advantaged after Christmas, was because my kids are really into working out. And we live in Ohio. Suddenly my kids are keeping track of sit-ups and push-ups. They have charts. They are a little obsessive. I figured I would do this exercise thing if I did it with my kids and they kept me accountable.

Tonight we did our first tape together. And we all breathed HARD. I am psyched.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Two Things...

First, I am a Glee-geek. A Gleek. Is anyone else out there (besides my sister) totally infatuated with this crazy new show? And now my sister reminded me that the second half of the season doesn't start back up 'til April. Oi.

It is basically a teeny-bopper soap opera. Singing of awesome songs, drama, high school sex, drugs and rock and roll. I am so Gleeky that I own both cds and have the first 9 episodes. Which brings up a funny Christmas story. My sister, brother and law and neice were visiting over the holidays and the collective kids and adults voted to go and buy the Glee DVD and have a marathon rather than go to a movie in the theater.

So we are having a Glee marathon and my sister realizes that there is sometimes questionable material in the show. Rather than be embarrassed that our kids are watching and fast forward, Laura and David fast forwarded the questionable parts to save face with my parents. At one point Laura hid in the kitchen eating area around the corner from our parents because she couldn't face them.

Secondly. I gave my first Masterworks presentation at Bubba's school yesterday. I gave a one hour presentation on the artist Archimboldo. And I rocked it. I LOVED it. Can't wait to do more!

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Dear Mom and Dad,

I love you very much. You are wonderful parents and have always showered blessings upon me and my family. You raised me to believe in God, respect my country and it's government, value family and make time for my family.

I understand that it will be hard to view me as an adult at times because I am still your daughter, but I am 40 years old and have lived on my own for over half of my life. I have run a house, am raising two children and have been with the same man for 20 years this fall.

This all being said...

Please do not come into my home to live with me and my family and complain about my choices. I am very fortunate to have a wonderful loving husband with a great job. His great job is located in Ohio. It is cold in Ohio int he winter and hot in Ohio in the summer. You can choose to come to visit us here in Ohio, but if you do come in December and January please do not act shocked that it is cold and there is snow. Come prepared. Wear something other than t-shirts and footie socks and loafers in my house and do not complain how cold you are all the time and sit by a space heater. Bring a decent coat and wear it. Do not take your dog out to pee and A. leave my door wide open and 2. wear something more than the sweater you threw on to go outside.

Please do not alter my home in anyway while I am at work. Ask before you open a can of paint, stain or pick up a drill. This is our home and I am very particular about it.

Please do not ask me what you should do with something then disregard my opinion. If you ask me whether you should put the chili in the oven or on the stove to heat and I respond with stove, don't put it in my oven after obviously hearing me.

Please do not bring your dog into my home. And please do not act shocked and repeatedly ask out loud which dog could have peed on the carpet in my dining room when we all know it was your dog and watched the dog do it. Please do not lock her in the guest bedroom and let her dig her way out the door by scratching the hell out of it. Please do not allow your dog to sit under the dinner table while we are eating and feed her from the table.

Please do not give me advice and lecture me on home-keeping while we are shopping. I do know that I can buy a larger tray of hamburger and break it into smaller bags and freeze the meat to save money.

And Mom, please do not go into the guest room and pout when you do not get your way.

I know that I am not perfect. I know that I am still recovering from you latest visit, but please understand when I ask you not to come for 6 weeks when you decide it is time for another visit. I know it is important to you to see and interact with your grandchildren, but 6 weeks is just too long. Please understand when I ask you never to bring your dog again. My life would be easier without your dog in my home. I would be happy to heed my own advice and leave my dog in Ohio anytime we travel to visit you in the future.

Thank you.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Friend

Don't you just L*O*V*E it when one of your friends that you haven't spoken to in months calls you to tell you just how much she misses you?

I do! Thank you!

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Worse

I'm trying to understand what lesson I am supposed to be learning. I am daily being barraged with exercises in patience and selflessness as well as greed.

Today when I arrived home form work there was more plaster work being done in my guest room. It seems that my father did not heed my advice and use an "On Command" type product to hang the cushions he and my mother want to use as headboards. He used an industrial adhesive velcro. When the cushions were to heavy to use as headboards they tore the paint and paper off the wall at the head of each bed. Not only is my wallboard ruined, but my father has patched the wallboard as well as tried to match my custom paint with no success.

As I am realizing what is happening in the guest room I find that my garage side door has been open all day and not only is my garage freezing cold, but oddly enough so is my house. While I am watching my father comes into the house, leaving the door to the garage open and uses the bathroom whilst all my heat leaves out the open door.

Then I begin to understand that not only has he poorly patched my walls without my consent, he is constructing some sort of plywood frame that he in turn takes huge screws and screws them into my walls. He did NOT ask me about this. He has not asked me about any of this. Yes, this is the room they sleep in, but while they are gone during the year I do rearrange things and use the room for other purposes. Not only this but it is my guest room. When guests sleep here I may not want to use a bench cushion as a headboard.

I am so flabbergasted and angry that I focus all my attention on my son and play video games all afternoon as a way to avoid my parents.

At dinner my mothers dog then proceeds to dig a hole in the already ruined door to gain escape from the room she is being locked in.

By the time David got home tonight (late) I was LIVID. We go upstairs and I explain the situation telling him I refuse to speak to my parents at this point because if I do I feel that not only will I explode and say things I will regret, I will tell them never to visit again and certainly that their dog is never to come to my house again. EVER. Did I mention their dog attacked my dog in her own home and ripped her eyelid open and Chloe had emergency stitches and a cone of shame?

I have 3 more days. David understands how mad I am at this point. He is supportive and agrees that I am in no condition to speak to my parents except cordially. He knows me too well and agrees the relationship will suffer if I start.

I swear I am going to be jinxed and am going to be stuck at home with a snow day this week. Let me tell you, if this happens...I will be sick in bed all day.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Relations

My awesome friend Jennifer has been going thru some things lately. She lost a friend to cancer and is/has been really struggling with the grief and depression. The crappy thing is that in hindsight, I could see it coming. Over the last few weeks I have noticed a tone in her blogging. And you know what? I didn't do a dang thing about it. I didn't even send her a sympathy card!

Around 9.3 years ago we were the closest of close. I had a 3 year old and a newborn. I struggled with a bunch of crap after Bubba was born and a few months after he was born Jennifer told me she saw me struggling with depression and didn't know what to do. In hindsight, both of us realized it was postpartum and I snapped out of it on my own. Jennifer had always been my life line and helped pull me up by my bootstraps.

So look around at your friends. See if you notice anything different about them. Are the struggling? Reach out and see what is going on in their life!

My relationships and relations? My parents have been living at my house since Thanksgiving. My wonderful sister and her husband visited for a week after Christmas with their youngest (16!). We all drove down to my brother's house in Knoxville for a few days.

My parents. I'm going crazy and I my life is upside down. My utility bills are almost tripled, there are holes in my walls, my kitchen table has crazy black marks on it where my Dad touched it up, there are crazy things everywhere in my house. My husband is the one who keeps reminding me that this could be one of the last times they can visit, and talks me out of the confrontational psycho screaming I ache to start up with them.

My family. My husband made the comment that the 4 of us (our immediate family) never had a Christmas or a Christmas break together this year. We had Mom and Dad with us.

I am tired. I am thinking horrible thoughts. I am a horrible daughter.