Thanksgiving

This is what I am thankful for...my loving family. :)

My Brother Did It

While I was at work yesterday, one of my children decided to take a black Sharpie marker to our couch. According to my husband, this is what took place:

Brody: Daddy, something happened.

Mike: What happened, Brody?

Brody: I will show you. (Brody then lead Mike into the living room)

Mike: (Looking around the living room, sees black streaks of a marker on our couch) Who did this, Brody?

Brody: Byron did it.

Mike: Where is the marker?

Brody: Up here. (Pointing to the top of our entertainment center, obviously out of Byron’s reach)

Mike: Let me see your hands.

Brody: (Shows Mike his hands which are streaked with black Sharpie marker) I told you Byron did it.

Mike: I am sorry Brody, but I find that hard to believe. Are you telling me the truth?

Brody: My brother did it.

Playing Cars

Brody is currently attending community preschool and special education preschool. The reason behind his attendance at special education is due to his delayed speech development. Brody has made excellent progress the past year and only continues to amaze us. I remember at this time last year, Brody didn't say more than three words. Now...I cannot even begin to estimate the amount of words in his vocabulary. His grammar still needs work, but we are getting there. It has been a journey.

One of the blessings to the special education preschool sessions is Brody's informational notebook. This notebook contains all updates on his progress...strictly for his special education sessions, which are Tuesdays and Thursdays. I write notes to his "team" about what we work on during the week, and I also convey my concerns about his progress and learning opportunities.

Recently, when I asked Brody what he did on his community preschool day, which was Monday, he told me that he "played cars." When I asked him if that was all he did, he said, yes. I was dumbfounded. Why would I have him go if all he is doing is playing cars? I already had misgivings about the structure and teachers of the community preschool classes, but this only exemplified it further.

I have sent a note to the special education "team" about my fears concerning the community preschool. If Brody is just "playing cars" at school on those days, he would be better off being at home and having Mike work with him on his shapes, grammar, letters and colors. I already feel enough angst as it is and I don't want to have to worry about these issues even further. I really hope it isn't just "playing cars." I really do.

The Worst That Could Happen

My two sons have had H1N1 for two weeks. It is almost over, but the road has been very long in dealing with their illnesses. My husband and I have been unscathed by the virus. I was told by my sons’ pediatrician that the likelihood of anyone born before 1976 contracting the virus is slim. This is due to the fact that there was a strain of the H1N1 virus in the 70s, which most people born before that year were exposed to. They cannot publish this information in any medical reports or convey it to the public due to the lack of conclusive studies. I mean, who would want to be subjected to the virus just for the sake of completing an experiment to verify the existence of truth? Not me; been there and have done that.

Mike is still angst-ridden over his lack of employment. He had a job for three days, but then when they checked his background…they realized that his records had a mark from 1993 and there was no way he could keep working. Really? 1993? Okay…that means that anything I did when I was 20 should follow me for the rest of my life. Interesting. I don’t even want to think of the person I was when I was on the cusp of 21; drinking illegally in bars, carousing… Let’s not talk about that.

Although all of these things bother me, I am fortunate that I have a wonderful husband who still thinks I am the sexiest woman in the world and loves me more than the first day we met, which was five years ago last weekend. I am loved by two adorable “little men” who call me to tell me about their day, or dial the phone just to hear my voice. The completion of my day comes when I am able to hold their tow-headed and auburn heads close to mine and listen to their fluttering breath as I read them a story. If everything else equates to being the worst that can be then I have nothing to complain about.

Where Does The Time Go?

A few nights ago I was channel surfing with my husband and he came across a movie on HBO called “Loser”. I really don’t remember who was in it, but I think both of the main actors in it were from “American Pie”. It was at the end of the movie and a song came on that I immediately remembered from college. It was called “Someone to Dance With”. I am not sure why I remembered it, but for some reason I was able to sing along with the lyrics. I made Mike use the “Info” button on our remote and saw that it was made in the year 2000. 2000! This meant that the film was made in 1999. 10 years ago! What?! I had no idea where the time had went since I had probably last heard the song.

On Tuesday evening, Mike and I went to a preschool meeting for our oldest son, Brody. When we entered the room, I immediately felt a pang of anxiety. All of the parents who were in the room looked substantially younger than Mike and I. This really bothered me. Am I really an old parent? Mike is 36 and I will be in December. I swear, none of the parents in the room were older than 30 (aside from Mike and I). It was the oddest feeling I had had in quite some time. I never thought that I would be a person who would let my age affect me in such a way, but it did.
Age…is it truly just a number? I have friends who have children in high school. I also have friends who are just becoming parents for the first time on the cusp of 40. My uncle just adopted an infant child (his second) at the age of 43. I used to think that being 30 was old when I was 16. Now that I am 35, am I ancient? I truly wonder; where does all the time go? It definitely stands still for no one.

Better with Time

I have been so incredibly busy these past weeks. I have found that I have had little or no time for myself. Work has been crazy, but it appears I might be finally getting myself out of the weeds.

My husband found out at the end of last month that his reconsideration for his unemployment was denied---again. This was the last opportunity he had to win his case, aside from us potentially hiring a lawyer for $2,500 (yeah, right) to TRY to win it without a guarantee of doing so. This was a blow to us considering I am now responsible for providing for four people on my pittance of a salary, which won’t increase for three years thanks to our disgrace of a governor. I digress.

Mike is really bummed about not being able to find a job. I am sure it is affecting him more than he is leading me to believe, and I do not blame him. I tell him that this is the way of the world right now and we are in the midst of the worst economy we have had in decades. He smiles and tells me that he knows, but I can see in his eyes that it is bothering him that he is not contributing to our household income. I also know he is upset that he cannot work on his hobby of restoring his 1988 Lincoln Towncar either, because of the money situation. It crushes me that I cannot allow him to do something that he likes to do because we simply cannot afford it.

My children have thoroughly enjoyed having my husband at home with them. My oldest, Brody, often asks why he no longer goes to “Lisa’s house” (our previous childcare provider) and I tell him that it is because Daddy is now staying home with him. Brody smiles at this. My youngest, Byron, follows my husband everywhere. He is a doppelganger for my husband at his age. The fact that my children dote on my husband makes me feel more at ease.

At times I admit that I am a bit jealous over the amount of time my husband had to spend with our children. I see my children three hours a day during the week. I am not exaggerating, although I wish I was. They have grown so much over the last few months that it makes my heart hurt. Next week we are going on vacation for almost a week and I hope that by spending that amount of time with him that I will feel less pained. This is how it needs to be right now and I can only hope that it will become easier to deal with over time.

Three of the Many Things I Have Learned Since Becoming A Mother

1) Coupons are the best.
I learned this right away after I gave birth to my son, Brody. I immediately signed up on-line for every possible baby orientated website I could find. The coupons were amazing; for everything from diapers to formula to toys.

I love coupons to the point in which I will go to three or four different stores if an item is on sale at that store and I can use a coupon. I get a huge rush from it as if it were a drug. What makes it even better is that Cub, Rainbow and Target list the percentage of total savings at the end of their store receipts. When I see, “Today your total savings was 33%”, I flip!

2) You are not just a mother to your child; you are a mother to all children.
On Saturday, my stepsister Laurel and I were at the corner of Robert St., and Thompson Ave. in West St. Paul. I saw a woman, who I thought was the mother of two children seated beside her on the bus stop bench, repeatedly hit one of the children in the arm with her fist. I was totally flabbergasted. I rolled-down my window and told her that her behavior was totally inappropriate. I screamed, “Why don’t you pick on someone your own size!” To which she replied, “Mind your own business you beeotch.” I couldn’t believe it. I wasn’t about to let this woman continue to abuse these poor, innocent children in front of me. I immediately called 911 and told them what was happening. I drove up to Butler Ave., and turned around back down Robert St., to make sure I could see what she was still doing to the children. I felt much more at ease when I saw the West St. Paul police car speed down Robert and pull into a parking lot right next to the sidewalk in which she was walking with the children. The police officer called me shortly thereafter and told me the woman was their grandmother and that he was talking to the kids about what had happened. I gave him my contact information for the report. I truly hope it worked out in the children’s favor.

3) Make time for your husband or significant other.
I have found that I treasure the alone time that I have with my husband more now that I ever did before. Even though we spend more of our alone time talking about both of our boys, it is fun to spend the quiet time together. I have found that I love my husband more with each day that passes. I have much more respect for him as a man and father to my 2.5 and 3.5 year old boys than ever. I was truly impressed with Mike’s ability to take care of the boys for 9 days on his own. I am not quite sure I could have done it…but he did. I know it was trying for him as I have noted before in my previous post, but he did it, and that was what was most important. He deserves my time, just as much as my younger boys do. :)

Coming Home

Last night my husband and babies came home. Yes, I realize that Brody and Byron are far from being in the infant stage, but to me they will always be my babies. I cannot tell you how elated I was when they walked into the door. Brody was more nonchalant than Byron. Brody said hi to me and then proceeded to start playing with his toys. Byron, on the other hand, screamed and ran to me with open arms. He didn't want me to put him down. When Brody saw Byron's reaction to me, he then ran at me with full-force; almost knocking me over. I then saw Mike come in the door, and I lost it. I starting crying...worse than when I had first come home last Monday to an empty house. I had my family again and I felt complete.

The whole experience of being by myself for a week was really surreal. I realized how much I have changed as a person since marrying Mike, and having Brody and Byron. When I was married to my first husband, I was alone...constantly. I think that one of the main reasons behind the failure of my first marriage was that I was alone too much. I tried to find solace in places and things that were not good for my overall well-being. I know that I am truly blessed now, and that is all that matters. My family is home.

The Power of Prayer

When I was growing up, I spent a lot of time at my Grandma and Grandpa H's house. It was great during the summer time, especially towards the end of August because they lived right across the street from the Minnesota State Fair grounds. I cannot tell you how many times throughout the years my cousins and I would make the cross over Como to the grounds. We had many, many fun times and I cherish the memories I have from those days.

I spent many nights at my grandparents' house and one of the things that my Grandma taught us over those summer nights was prayer. She taught my cousins and I "The Lord's Prayer" and the "23rd Psalm". By the time I was six, I could recite each from memory. On Saturday nights my cousin Judy and I would have our baths, watch "The Love Boat" and "Fantasy Island", and then recite our prayers. When we would say "Now I Lay Me", at the end we would be sure to include every one of our family members, teachers, friends and anyone else we could think of--even our pets! :)

About three weeks ago, Mike, Brody, Byron and I stopped by the cemetery where both of my grandparents are buried. It was the first time I had been there since having both of my children. Mike and the boys stayed in the car as I made the walk across the grass to where both of their headstones were. I kneeled down and recited both prayers. Before I knew it, I felt my cheeks damp with tears. In looking back at the car I realized that goodness and mercy were going to be following me throughout the days of my life.

The power of prayer had a different meaning than when I was younger; it was more powerful than I ever thought it would be.

This and That

I took the photo that is now under "Rx for My Soul". I think it is beautiful.


I talked to Mike yesterday afternoon and it was bitersweet for me. I was so happy to talk to him, and he deflated my sails. He immediately started in about how overwhelmed he was with having to take care of our children non-stop while being up there and how he just couldn't handle it. I told him that if I could have had the shoe on the other foot that I would have loved to have been up there and have him at home. The whole conversation was very negative. I couldn't understand why he was taking this one opportunity to talk to me and use it to go off on how awful everything was. At the end of our conversation he told me he was sorry that he made it sound worse than what it was...he was just overwhelmed on how much work it took to raise our children. I smiled at that, but it still made me upset.

Yesterday I decided that I needed to put together some things for Mike's brother and sister to bring with them to the cabins for the kids. Since my family will not be home until next Wednesday, I thought it would be a good thing. I took a photo of myself making a "kissing" face with our digital camera and placed a note inside the case of the camera. In the note I said that I thought the way he addressed what was going on up at the cabins during our phone call was wrong. I also told him that if I could be at the cabins with him I would be. I am sure it is not as bad as he is making it sound. Actually, I am positive.

Emptiness

I have never felt so empty in my life. I have not seen, or talked to my husband or children since Monday morning at 8:31 a.m. when I left Buyck, Minnesota. I don't think I would feel as bad if I could at least talk to them, but that is not an option. Buyck is almost on the Canadian border and there are no cell phone towers, or signals at all. I miss them...more than I ever thought I would.

The moment I walked into my house on Monday morning, I immediately felt empty. I thought that being alone would be a good time to get the house cleaned, carpets shampooed, etc. So far, I have watched four movies, read one and a half books, three loads of laundry, washed a sink of dishes, cleaned the kiddie pool and cleaned the kitchen floor. What took me two days to complete without my family would normally take two weeks if they were home. Am I bitter about that? Absolutely not. I would rather have them here with me than complete domestic chores.

The one saving grace I have right now is work. I never thought I would admit that, but it is at least keeping me busy. I hope they are having a wonderful time. My emptiness will pass soon, but it is getting through it that is most trying for me.

King of the Lode

Can you see the two small boys in this photo? :) I just love how much fun they had at "Mineland" in Virginia, Minnesota.

A Midsummer Night's Dream

The crickets were softly chirping as I was dreaming of my husband having his own body shop. I was dreaming about a 1964 Chevy Impala convertible driving through the doors of his shop when I suddenly had a large weight on my arm. I wasn't sure if I was still dreaming or not, but I realized I was no longer dreaming when I felt a small head in the nook of my arm:
Me: Brody, what are you doing?
(No response)
Me: Brody, it is 12:15 in the morning (which meant nothing to him). Did you have a bad dream? Come on, it is time to go back to your bed.
Brody: No, Mommy. I am thirsty.
Me: (nugding Mike out of sleep) Mike, Brody is awake and thirsty.
Mike: Hmmm....
Me: Mike, I need your help in getting Brody to go back to bed.
Mike: No response.
Brody: (louder) I am thirsty!
Me: Mike? (louder) MIKE!
Mike: What? (irritated)
Me: I am exhausted, can you please help me in getting Brody back to bed?
Mike: Yeah....(off to sleep again)
Me: Brody, go back to your bed and wait for Mommy to come back upstairs. Please be quiet and try not to wake up Byron.
Brody: Okay.
(I walk downstairs and find a sippy cup and fill it with milk. I walk back up the stairs and walk into Brody and Byron's bedroom).
Me: Brody...here is your milk.
(No response...Brody has fallen back to sleep).

It's Just a Job

Two for the Road

I just love this photo that Mike took two weeks ago! :) I still don't know how both of them fit inside this Little Tykes truck, but they did! :)

Not for the Weak of Stomach

I don't have a very strong stomach when it comes to smelling and handling the two fore mentioned things. It is okay when I am taking care of my own bodily functions, but when it comes to others, there is a reason why I never pursued a health care career.

Yesterday I came home to Brody vomiting all over the floor. I mean literally vomiting on the floor. My husband was chasing him around with a Glad plastic reusable container (not any more) and telling my son he needed to stop running around and sit down with the Glad container. When we finally got him to sit, we were able to take his temperature and it was over 100. I gave him some Tylenol and held him on my lap. He was lethargic, at best, and kept telling me how thirsty he was. I gave him small sips of Pedialite which resulted in his release of all I gave to him.

We were finally able to get Brody to sleep at 10 p.m. At 11:45 p.m., he was crying at his door telling us that he had pooped. Well...it wasn't just a normal bowel movement for him. When my husband opened the door to his bedroom, I immediately was hit with the sharp, sickening smell of very bad diarrhea. All I will say is that Brody's lower half of his body was completely covered. My husband tried to remove his clothing and in doing so, a spray of the disgust flew up and fell all over the carpet and bedroom door.

I was trying very hard not to lose what I had in my stomach. My husband picked Brody up and immediately started the bathtub. This meant that I was left to take care of the filth. I will not go into the details, but I will say that it was a milestone for me. I never thought I would be able to stomach what I did. I guess I was wrong! :)

Predestination or Chance?

Predestination. I am a thorough believer in it. I think that all things happen for a reason and that it is all part of a larger plan already conceived and waiting for us to live it out. I met my husband totally by chance...or should I say, predestination. :) I found out I was pregnant with my youngest son when I my oldest son was four months old, which was totally unplanned. Would I have had either of these things occur in any other way? No. I would not.

I must admit that I have had things happen in my life over the last three years that have made me ask, "Why is this happening?". I have realized that these things have happened for a reason and that it is all part of a larger plan. Although my life is difficult at times, I know the difficulties will not last an eternity.

A Momentus School Year

Today is the last day of preschool for Brody until next fall. This morning I reread all of the entries that I made in his notebook for school. This was the method of communicating with his teachers on his speech therapy. I am truly amazed by his progress over the past eight months. For instance, last summer Brody could verbalize about 15 words. Now, he has a vocabulary that I cannot even begin to measure...it has grown so much! :) I teared up when I wrote my final entry in his notebook this morning. I cannot believe that my child who once couldn't even ask for a drink of juice now tells me what his favorite kind of juice is! My husband and I are truly amazed by his progress. Next year he will no longer be in the special education setting preschool, he will be in a more challenging class that will meet four days a week instead of three. My husband and I no longer need to speak for Brody, he can speak for himself!

An Odd Accident

I have decided to change the name of my blog. The reason being is that I am not too much into ranting and raving these days. I find that the time I am able to spend on my blog writing about the things that are on my mind, or what is currently going on in my life is truly a prescription for my soul.

Yesterday afternoon my husband, children and I witnessed a car accident on 35S at the Dodd Road exit. A SUV had rolled over several times and landed in the ditch. My husband immediately pulled our car over to the shoulder and I got out of the car. Two other vehicles, one behind us and one in front of us, also pulled over. The woman who was in the car behind us was an off-duty ENT and and older man was in the car ahead of us. It had appeared that the driver of the SUV, a woman, had either been reading or making a cell phone call. She was not concerned about her well-being; just a package of papers in a tan envelope. I thought this was odd behavior considering this person had just been in a car accident. After we made sure she was well enough to get out of her vehicle, the ENT took over and we left. As we were driving away, I wondered about the mystery surrounding the envelope. What were the papers? Why was she so distracted? What truly caused her to roll her vehicle on a sunny, dry day? Whatever the reason was for the accident, I hope this person will be okay.

Determinations, Decisions and Divorce

My husband received the determination from the Dept. of Employment and Economic Development on his unemployment claim and the statement given on their website was "ineligible indefiantely". What? Doesn't that sound a bit harsh? I thought it was. We do not know what this means, but it does not sound very good. We will have to wait to see what the actual paperwork states when it arrives in the mail.

For the last month I have been been harboring feelings of sadness over my husband's loss of employment. I have tried to keep my feelings at bay, but I am too transparent...evidently. People have been commenting around me that I am not my usual self (not quite sure what that means). I sometimes just want to scream, "I'm falling apart, okay? Just let me cry." I pray every night for more strength to get through this. I just feel like things have been in a downward spiral and I want to control it. The decision I have made is that I need to stop. I need to stop crying and letting all of the pressure of what has been going on control me in a negative manner. All that is happening is for a reason, and it is nothing that I have control over. It is all part of a greater plan, no matter what is happening, and I need to embrace it instead of trying to fight it. Decision made.

Someone very close to me told me today that she and her husband are getting a divorce. Since I myself am a divorced person, I know what it is like to have feelings of unworthiness and depression. She told me the "spark just died" and that it was like living with a roommate. The similarities to my experience were quite the same. The only difference between her experience and mine is that she has a child. I have no idea how hard that would be, nor did I try to tell her I knew what she was feeling because I didn't want it to come across as being patronizing. My heart, thoughts and prayers go out to my dear, M. I know she will need them.

In Memoriam

For the first time in a very long time my husband and I went to Buffalo Wild Wings in West St. Paul this past weekend. I was told by one of the bar patrons that two people who used to frequent BW3s when I did had passed away. I was in shock. I thought I would share brief thoughts about both men who were always chipper and had such positive attitudes: Lango and Jams.

Lango, or Pat as his friends would call him, would always be at the fourth bar stool in from the right at BW3s. He was very intelligent and was always willing to share his knowledge of vast subjects with anyone who cared to listen. He spent most of his free time in the Cayman Islands, and loved to offer up his residence in the islands to anyone who wanted a "real vacation". I knew Pat because I would always go to BW3s to play trivia every Friday afternoon (when I would come home from St. Cloud State on the weekend). Pat passed away on May 22 from brain cancer.

Jams, or James, would usually be seated next to Pat, or close to him. He always spoke very fondly of the love of his life, Theresa. He was, however, a tremendous flirt. The name I always used in playing trivia with him was "Smoke" and when I would win, he would say, "Ah, there she goes again...Smoke gets in your eyes." He made me laugh and always had a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. James passed away in April due to complications from diabetes.

As Tennyson wrote:
I sometimes hold it half a sin
To put in words the grief I feel;
For words, like Nature, half reveal
And half conceal the Soul within.

A Full-Night's Sleep

I am in pursuit of a full-night's sleep. If there is anything that I could have right now, that would be it. This whole week I have not had the chance to sleep through the whole night. Here is a run-down of this week's events that have kept me from sleeping:

1) Sunday - Brody didn't want to go to bed because, "It is still light out." Bedtime for Brody: 10:30 p.m.--with coughing from allergies starting at 1:00 a.m.
2) Monday - Brody wet the bed and tried to change his Huggies Pull-Up on his own and couldn't find one and began yelling for me at 1:30 a.m. After I changed all of the bedding he went back to bed, but I couldn't.
3) Tuesday - I tried to go to bed at 8:00 p.m., but Byron wanted to snuggle with me. Who am I to turn that down? The snuggling, however, turned into Byron repeatedly touching my eyelids to wake me up. Bedtime for Byron: 11:00 p.m.
4) Thursday - American Idol finale and I finally went to bed at 10:00 p.m. Byron started coughing at 12:18 a.m. and kept coughing every hour on the hour until 4:18 a.m. when I went downstairs and slept on the couch.

Granted, I shouldn't have stayed up to watch Idol last night, but I wanted to be sure I saw Adam lose to Kris. :) Perhaps this Saturday night when my children are at my in-laws' house overnight I will finally get my full-night's sleep. :)

Brody and Byron

I just came across this photo again. It was one of 27 that I took for our Christmas photo...and I am not over exaggerating... :) I love my boys!

American Idol: Winner or Loser?

Okay, I have to admit that I was completely and totally SHOCKED when Ryan Seacrest said Kris was in the top two. As soon as I heard that, I knew that Adam was going to be in the top two...acutally, I didn't even wait to hear it from Mr. Seacrest. I turned the TV off. I was very disappointed that he had lost, but did he? I remember when Chris Daughtry was voted off and everyone was in utter shock. Look what happened to him! He wound up becoming a multi-platinum selling artist. Another Idol "loser" was Jennifer Hudson; she was voted off quite some time before the final five that season and she became an Academy Award-winning actress. Some people who have won American Idol have kind of fallen off the radar...Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino and Taylor Hicks.

On a side note, as my husband and I were watching Idol last night we were subjected to the awful lyrics of Jordin Sparks' new song, "Battlefield". My husband...without pause...came up with his own lyrics...
I am a bodyman
I am a bodyman
I use my Bondo
I use my Bondo
You need your car fixed, I got it covered
I use my Bondo
Along with his singing, he also had a little interpretive dance that went along with it. Who knows...if they ever open up the age range on Idol....:)

Surreal or Cereal?

My husband is still waiting to find out if he is able to receive unemployment benefits or not. I look on the Minnesota Dept. of Unemployment every day (at least three times or more). There is not an estimated date as to when his case will be complete, even though they NOW have both sets of documentation on the matter. I know that patience is a virtue, but in this case, I have none.

I keep rereading my blog from a few years ago when this happened last...I am trying to get myself back into the mindset of how awful the experience was then in comparsion to now, but I cannot. I feel selfish and want some type of answer. I know this is not what I should be feeling, but I cannot help it. I am praying for strength to keep myself from freaking out over the purchase of Nutrigrain bars versus the Roundy's brand of cereal bar. Isn't this petty and insane? I know it is, but I guess I will just have to be silent in my issues of $.25 cents verus $.79 cents.

Monday, Monday

I have never liked Mondays. I never wake up in the morning on a Monday and say, "Yes! It is Monday and I get to go to work!" No. You will never hear that from me. I am the least motivated for the week on Monday. I never seem to get enough sleep on Sunday before having to get up for work. I think I am getting my point across. Tuesday, I am really looking forward to your presence. This Monday has been long enough already! :)

Eight Years

This weekend it will be eight years that have passed since I graduated from college at St. Cloud State. So much has happened in eight years:
1) I have had two marriages
2) I have had four pregnancies
3) I have had two children
4) I have had five jobs
5) I have owned seven vehicles
6) I have moved five times
7) I have had four cell phones
Most importantly....
8) I have had zero regrets

An All Time High

Last night as I was waiting for "American Idol" to come on and see Adam go home (yeah, right...only in my dreams), my husband was cruising through our basic cable channels looking for something to watch. He came across a James Bond film that I have never seen before: Octopussy. Octopussy? What the??? I have never heard of this film for some reason. I asked Mike if it was a joke, and he said no. I guess it was made in the early 80s. Immediately the perverted part of me asked, "What? Does the main female character in this film have eight v-jay-jays?" I mean, seriously...

This was not the highlight of my last 24 hours, however. Today when Brody came off the school bus from preschool, I looked into his Cars backpack and saw that he had made me a present. The present was inside an envelope made out of yellow construction paper. I first pulled out a card that had a foam yellow and green flower on the front of it that he had made. I opened the card and inside it read:
Thank you, Mom for making me grow. - Love, Brody
I lost it. Right then and there with the Cars backpack in hand I started outright bawling...uncontrollably at that. Brody looked at me and said, "Don't cry Momma. It's going to be okay." That made me cry more and I explained to him that I wasn't crying because I was sad, I was crying because I was so happy over his gift. He looked confused as any three-year-old boy would look and waited for me to stop. I will not discuss what the actual gift was inside because I might start crying again. Let's just say that it had to do with small hand prints and a deeply moving poem. Yes, we are definitely on an all-time high (I can say I pulled this post title from the obnoxious song from the Octopussy soundtrack...thanks Rita Coolidge).

Job Lost; Job Found

Last Friday I received a phone call that I have received several times; it was my husband calling to tell me that he had lost his job. Although I must admit that hearing this news made my head immediately pound with blood and I felt my breath quicken, I wasn't upset. I wasn't upset because I realized that it just isn't in the cards for my husband to be employed at this point in our lives. How can I be mad over that? I cannot.

All things happen in life for a reason. I know many people I have met over the years have taken offense to my belief in this, but it is one of my core beliefs and I am unwilling to negate on it. Is it awful that I need to tighten down even further on an already non-existent budget? Yes, but things could always be far worse than what they are. I am not looking for worse, but I know it exists.

My husband may have lost his job OUTSIDE the home, but he has found an even better position inside our home. :)

The Write Stuff

I went to the Bloomington Arts Center over the weekend for the center's 6th annual book fair. It included a lot of hopeful writers who were looking to publish or write the next best-seller. Some of these folks were so desperate that they clung to each word that came out of a supposed marketing guru's mouth. I was asked to attend the guru's seminar on promotion and e-marketing, but it was lackluster at best. She didn't have anything to share that I didn't already know. I am glad that the "desperados" at least received something out of it.

It would be comical if there would be a contest for writers that would mimic "American Idol" and it could be called "American Writer". People would come for tryouts and bring their tattered copies of manuscripts for judges to read. I am not quite sure who the panel of judges would be, but it would have to have a variety like Stephen King, Danielle Steel and J.D. Salinger (perhaps it would be enough to draw him out of a reclusive life).