Peek A Hoo

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Dad's Life

This one is for all the Dads out there!  It may not be Father's Day, but we just want you to know that you are never unappreciated or unnoticed!!  Enjoy!





**Thanks to Karen at Mommy Needs blog for sharing!  I love it!**

Saturday, June 26, 2010

When Mom is overwhelmed, Dad brings down the hammer!!

First, a little background.
Bug is my 11 year old son who has been diagnosed with ADHD, an array of anxiety issues, and depression by "The all knowing whom we call "doctors, therapists, and psychologists"; and also a few diagnoses from "The all knowing whom is called MOM" such as "diarrhea of the mouth," smart ass syndrome, and "its my way or the highway-itis."

School is out for summer.  Yay.  Can you hear the excitement in my voice?  It has officially been 1 week since he has been irritating me (i mean...home...whoops).  "Mom, I'm bored ~ Mom, I'm hungry ~ Mom, will you play Scrabble with me ~ Mom, can I play in the hose ~ Mom, why don't we have any better movies ~ Mom, can I have my own phone ~ Mom, why did God give me sisters ~ Mom ~ Mom ~ Mom ~ Mom ~ Mom.........................."  Seriously, ZIP IT kid!!  I love ya....but ZIP IT!  (Yes, mother, I now understand why you despised the end of the school year and couldn't be happier when September rolled back around!)

So, to get to the point....(thanks if you are still reading ~ you must be as bored as my son)...
Yesterday, Bug decided to wake up in a pissed off at the world mood and took it out on yours truly.  As several of you know, I recently had some minor surgery done and haven't been running at 100% just yet, so I had been asking Bug for some extra help with things around the house.  (Bad Mom!  Bad!)  Well, he decided that as of yesterday, I was no longer in need of his help.  In fact, he told me that I wasn't "disabled anymore" and that he felt that I could function on my own perfectly.  This was news to me!  Next he asked me if I was happy in this house.  ???? "Yes, Bug, I am perfectly happy here!  Why would you ask that?"  "Well, because you used to be a happy, caring, loving, FUN Mom in our old house, but since we moved here you aren't anymore!  You are a boring, mean, grumpy Mom now."  Wow...can someone pick my heart up off the floor and revive it for me??

As Bug is like this from time to time, I can typically roll with the punches and let those comments slide off my back.  But sometimes I am taken aback and just really hurt.  This was one of those times.

I told him to eat his breakfast and I went about my daily routines.  But, damn, I was upset.  It makes me question myself and my abilities as a parent.  Eventually, after multiple rude comments and snide remarks, I had had enough.  I told him that he had lost the privilege of going swimming with a friend that evening.  That got his attention.  This devastated him and he started with the instant tears and ran to his room.  Hey, I'm apparently already not a fun mom, so this shouldn't have come as any surprise, right?!  For the rest of the afternoon, I dealt with the begging "PLEEEAASSSEEEE Mom!  What can I do to make it up so I can still go swimming?!?!" crap.  He would bring on the tears at times and even flop himself onto the furniture in dramatic ways.  I held firm though.  Which is actually not my strong suit...I typically cave pretty quickly.  The evening came and Flyboy finally came home.  Shew!  He had a llllooooonnnnggggg talk with Bug about his behavior, his lack of respect, his "the world owes me" attitude.  They came to a reasonable disciplinary action and Bug was told that he could not come out of his room until he was ready to apologize to me.

And THIS is the biggest thing for me...not ONCE in the whole process of begging me to let him go swimming with his friend did he apologize for what he said or how he acted.  Not once.  He did not shed one tear because he was upset that he hurt me.  It was all because he wasn't getting what he wanted.  And that is what makes the hurt that much deeper for me.

Oh, his discipline?  You KNOW you are dying to hear what it was!!
#1.  Apologize to mom and MEAN IT.
#2.  No TV until he earns it back by showing respect for others.
#3.  Since he apparently has NO CLUE what Mom does every single day to take care of the family and the house, he will be "walking in Mom's shoes" for the next 5 days.  Every single morning there will be a list of chores that have to be done...chores that I would typically do...and he has to have them all done by bedtime.
Here is a sample of today's chores:  empty dishwasher, clean deck (table & chairs included), clean litter pans, feed/water cats, water the plants (morning and evening), clean living room & playroom & his bedroom, vacuum entire downstairs areas, carry in the groceries from the car, take out all the trashes in the house and put fresh bags in them .
He was told that he could sleep until noon if that is what he wanted to do, but that all chores would be done by his bedtime or they would be added to the following day's list.  This morning, his alarm went off at 8AM ~ he emerged from his room at about 8:45 and started working at 9AM.  It is currently 3:30PM and he just finished his list for the day.

He sat down on the couch just a few minutes ago and I asked him how his day went.  He said "I think I need a nap!"  HAHAHAHAHA! 

Thursday, June 24, 2010

I wanna talk about ME!!

OK, so this is seriously going to be a post about : Me and what I LIKE, what I THINK, what I ENJOY!  So, stop now if you don't have any interest!!
While you are reading, listen to this....its so fucking amazing the way pop and rap can mix in this combination song by Owl City and Yung Joc!



THIS.....ROCKS!!!  I like tattoos (I have 2) and piercings (I have 4, used to have 5) and weird hair-dos and other things that are somewhat "out there!"  Oh, and I LOVE Owls too!



















But, at the same time, I have a twisted passion for fashion -- especially for my children!  I can be happy walking around in a pair of jean and a tank top or hoodie sweatshirt 99% of the time (but I MUST have heels on...boots with heels, sandals with heels, anything with heels), but my kids are a different story.  I love to shop GAP, Matilda Jane, Eden's Bouquet, Naartjie, Mini Boden, Hanna Andersson, Lemon Loves Lime......oh the list could go on and on! 


I don't think that I need to talk too much about my love for wine...you all have heard it before!
This is currently one of my faves though:





















And the grapes that it is made from in Sicily.....













































Of course, with the love of wine comes the love of good cheese!

Taleggio Cheese is so super yummy!  If you like a cheese with a bit of a "meat" to it and a smooth, creamy texture, then this is a MUST TRY for you!!




























Had enough ANGIE for one day?  I imagine so!  So, I will stop here...but in the future, I will be sure to add a few more tidbits about myself just because sometimes....I WANNA TALK ABOUT ME!!




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Tuesday, June 22, 2010

When the pain wins...

OK, so the majority of us had had kids (& or surgery) in our lifetime.  I am not a "delicate" person by any means, so "take it easy" TO ME is not exactly what most people consider "taking it easy."  I still vacuum.  I still dust.  I still corall the dog.
So, today (day 6 after surgery), I thought nothing of walking down the stairs on my back deck to talk with a neighbor was no big deal.  Anid it wouldn't have been, had I not "missed" a step and had to catch myself from falling.  (When did I get so fucking clumsy anyhow??)  Of course I felt like I ripped a body part off!  So, with tears in my eyes (fanning them away as I walked towards the neighbor so she wouldn't see, because super hero Moms don't cry, right?!), I walked over to have a converstation with her.  Thankfully it was quick and to the point, but DAMN I was hurting...it felt like an eternity.
Once I was carefully back upstairs, safe in my house, I held my pained parts and pleaded with the wine bottle to grow legs and walk to me.  Well, once that was apparently NOT going to happen, I got up and poured my own wine.  I went to my home Pharmacy (no, not a medicine cabinet at this point) and took a Vicadin, a Valuim, and Celebrex. 
Can I just say......
I. LOVE. MY. MEDS.
 Currently, I am on glass #2 of wine and I am feeling so so much less pain right now.  But don't even THINK of fucking touching me!  I might bite your extremity off!




Monday, June 21, 2010

When Ice Cream Goes Wrong

"I'm a loser baby...."  So,  I have been so bad at blogging this week!  (Why am I telling you this?  YOU already know it!)

So, on that note, I can say that I am also a lousy parent this week...I TRIED to be nice and make the kids happy....really, I did.  Flyboy and I decided that we would take the kids out for ice cream on Sunday (Father's Day) and then to see "Toy Story 3" at the IMAX theater.  Fun, right?!?  Well, it was...for the most part
We went to this new little ice cream place in our local town and thought it was for the best of the store and the other patrons that we eat outside with our crew.  (Have I shown you ice cream pictures of these monsters?  No?  Ah, well it is now on my "to do" list...which is about a trillion miles long.  So, in other words, you may or may NOT ever see them...but I will try!)
I sat all of the monsters down in their seats at a round table just outside the outdoor "order" window.  We made the rounds of who wanted what and then went back around because everyone changed their mind when they heard something else "better" from another sibling.  OK, got it...vanilla with sprinkles for Gidget, vanilla with M&Ms for Bug, and a Blueberry Water Ice with sprinkles and a cherry for Cricket.  (Nevermind the full size Banana Split that I ordered for me....)
The ice cream gal starts handing out the orders one at a time (because of course she is the ONLY one working, sigh).  Bug gets his...good to go.  Gidget gets hers...good to go.  Cricket gets hers...good to go.  (Aaahhhhh....Mama's turn!  Bring on that Banana Split -- and extra whipped cream with cherries on top please!) 
All of the sudden there arose such a clatter!  I spun around on my heel to see what was the matter!?!  Flyboy yells "Son of a bitch!" and that's when I realize that Gidget has face planted backwards out of her chair onto the concrete.  (Damn, put a hold on that banana split.) 
We both ran over and she of course has busted not only her top lip, but the bottom lip too.  I ran her into the bathroom and washed her face off and gave her the good ol' Mama look-over.  She indeed had two bloody lips and had scraped her poor little button nose as well.  Now, as you can imagine, being a 2 year old, Gidget was done crying by now and was much more interested in getting back to that ice cream that we left melting in the sun.  So, in the end, she finished her ice cream (and I got mine to go).
Now every once in awhile when I am washing her little face off, she reminds me..."Mommy, don't wash my owie on my nose that I got when I ate my ice cream!" 

Thursday, June 17, 2010

More thoughts from bed...

So, as I am sitting here today, alone...in the peace and quiet...in my bed...I am thinking about how wonderful it would be to sit out on my back deck with Flyboy tonight and enjoy the evening air.  Then the next thing that comes to my mind is having a glass of wine.  Hmmm...I wonder.  Is it OK to have wine along with Valium and/or Vicodin?  So, being the resourceful person that I am, I start doing my research online.  There are several blogs about it, but not exactly the type of "yay or nay" that I am looking for, so I keep digging.  WikiAnswers is pretty reliable, right?  Sure.  Well, it says it is indeed OK to have a glass or two of wine with these meds, but not to go overboard and to definitely NOT drive as it can make you very sleepy. 

OK - the family has arrived back and it is no longer peaceful and quiet here in the house.  It is quite the opposite as a matter of fact.  LOL  Which is all good...but it makes me POSITIVE that Mama needs a glass of wine tonight...and sooner than later.  Fuck.  Gidget is a total grump and is pissy at everyone.  Cricket is whining about picking up her toys and doing what she is told to do.  Bug is hiding in his room.  Flyboy has lost his mind with the kids and their absolute disgusting habits (food bits here and there, garbage left on the floor, and sippy cups hidden behind every piece of furniture that we own).  Yes, this is definitely one Mama that will be enjoying at least one glass of wine tonight.  It may not be a peaceful evening on the back deck in the evening air, but it will be one filled with very little pain (or none if I can help it) and an endless glass of wine.  Cheers!

Thoughts from Bed

So...it is day 1 after my surgery.  Those of you that know (including my BFFs and family) are aware of what I am talking about!  I am sitting here, comfy and cozy in my bed with my iPhone and Laptop so that I can in some small way stay connected to what is happening outside of my bedroom and house.

Ding! Ding!  Round #1

Flyboy got up this morning and had to "herd the cats" as he calls rounding up our children and getting them through the morning routines.  It was loud, mainly because Gidget was dying to crawl into bed with me this morning and that was simply not going to happen.  So, the screaming 2 year old fit began early this morning but was quickly resolved as she realized that she was NOT going to get her way and that FlyBoy was far more persistent at keeping her sat in the "time out" chair than she was to keep screaming.  Eventually, after the screaming subsided, I could hear the breakfast "orders" start rolling in.  (Did you know that Flyboy and I ran a diner on the side...right here in our kitchen?)  Once the food was on the table and everyone was eating, things seemed to be going rather smoothly.  Bug was being decent this morning, Cricket and Gidget were happily filling their tummies.  Before I knew it, they were headed out the door for school...ahhh.


!!! Round #1 goes to FLYBOY!  WooHoo!

Monday, June 14, 2010

NOT ME Monday!


"Not Me" Mondays are brought to you by : MckMama

This is NOT my first "Not Me" Monday, in case you are wondering....

So, this weekend, I have to admit that I did NOT go into New York City and I did NOT see "Wicked" on Broadway!  I did NOT have a ton of fun and I do NOT wish I could hang out in NYC every weekend now!  And I certainly am NOT having secret thoughts of seeing "Wicked" again!!

I am NOT currently enjoying my first glass of wine for the evening...and it is NOT only 4:10pm!

I have NOT completely left my children to their own devices today and did NOT choose to ignore the whining and complaints of boredom while I played with my camera and posted FLICKR photos!

I do NOT think that Bug was faking at school today when the nurse called and said he needed to come home sick.

I am NOT planning a super simple meal for the kids tonight while FlyBoy and I get to have Caprese and wine!

Oh, and for those that may be wondering...
Putting my kids to bed early is NOT my favorite discipline threat of all time!!  Because I definitely DO NOT benefit from the extra peace and quiet in the house at the end of the day!!

P.S.  Coming home sick from school does NOT constitute going to bed early!  (Hee! Hee!)

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Some NEVER grow up!

It is thought that blood stream can't go to both brain and penis in a man.
So we can assume that blood deprivation is the cause of man immaturity...

With a baby that is due in less than a month and a fiance that has already put up with more than I ever would, I can confidently say that my brother is a jackass and is acting like an unruly teenager when he flips his vehicle over because he was drinking and driving.  The ONLY good things that I can think of is that he wasn't killed and that his fiance and unborn child were not in the car with him.
To my brother:  GROW UP!!

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Sunday, June 6, 2010

When coffee is just a dream in the distance...

Ah.  Its a typical Sunday morning...Flyboy had to go into work this morning (which isn't typical of Sundays, but is always a possibility) but made coffee for me & the kids got up early because we didn't have to.  I rolled out of bed at 7am after being pestered for 20 minutes by the girls, which inevitably woke up the dog triggering her to whine to be let outside to do her morning business as well.  So, I get out of bed and shuffle into the kitchen.  The smell of freshly brewed coffee is such a comforting smell in the early morning.  Mmmmmm.  My comfort is brought to a halt by "Mom!  Mom!  Can we have breakfast?"  Sigh.  Of course you can!!  Do I ever starve you??  LOL
Looking longingly over towards the coffee pot, I quickly offer fresh strawberries and milk which I knew would be a hit, hence foregoing the endless debate of what they should choose from the cupboards.  Sweet!  Two little girls happiliy eating breakfast!  Score 1 for mom!
Back to that coffee....mmmm!  I pull a cup from my cabinet (one of my girly cups that I know no one else ever uses) and set it on the counter.  Again....my coffee thoughts are brought to a halt..."BARK!"  Oh, yeah, puppy needs to pee.  Okay Okay ~ that is important, otherwise I will be cleaning up a puddle off the floor.  So, out the door and off the deck she goes.  Whew, made it!
I go over and add a scoop of sugar to my cup & pour the steaming black liquid in on top.  God, it smells good!  I can feel a smile coming to my lips as I think of my yummy, warm coffee that I will soon be tasting.  SSccrrreeeeccchhhh!
Ah, yes, the boys.  WHY ARE THE BOYS AWAKE AT THIS HOUR!?!  Normally, they will sleep until noon if I let them.  (I say BOYS because Bug had a friend sleepover last night.)  "MOM!  We can't sleep because of the noise you guys are making!  And, by the way, the cat puked all over the floor downstairs."  Sigh.  "Alright, since you are both up here, let me give you your morning medications and then you can have strawberries for breakfast too."  So, I walk across the kitchen to the med cabinet and hand out the appropriate meds to them.  "Can I have a drink too?"  Uh, yeah, because obviously your 11 year old arms are broken or mysteriously not working, let me get that for you.  "Yes, of course you can!"
"Mommy!  Can I watch the dinosaur movie in my room?" asks Cricket.  "And Mommy, can I watch Dora 'down steps' too" asks Gidget.  (Down steps = downstairs in 2 year old language)  Dang.  "Um, sure!  Let me get you both set up."  One more glance over my shoulder at the no longer steaming cup of half made coffee....I'll be back for you!!  Ok, movies are set up.  COFFEE!!  Two stairs before I reach the kitchen, "Mommy!  I poopy!You have GOT to be kidding!!  Quickly, I grab a fresh diaper and wipes, do a lightening fast diaper change.
FINALLY, I make it back to the kitchen and that cup of coffee!!  Damn it!  It's cold.  Well, we all know that microwaved coffee is not nearly as good as a fresh cup...and dang it THAT'S what I want!!  So, the first cup is dumped down the drain.  Sniffle.  Again, I add a scoop of sugar to my girly cup.  I pour another cup of steaming coffee in on top of the sugar.  Mmmmmm!  I am smiling as I pull the half & half out of the fridge.  I mix in the perfect amount and put it back in the fridge.  Grabbing my cup, I quickly pull it to my lips and close my eyes as that first sip is always the BEST!!  This is heaven!!  Sscccrrrreeeeccchhhhhh!  "Mom!  I told you there is cat puke down here!  Can you please come clean it up before we step in it!?!?Fuck.  (yes, seriously)  "Alright, I'm coming."  Since, again, I realize that your arms don't work and you have no way to pick up the mess on your own.  I get downstairs to find not one, but 4 places that the cat has vomitted all over.  So gross...why do we have these disgusting creatures anyway?  What ever made me a "cat person"?? 
Fifteen minutes later, I am back in the kitchen with that luke warm cup of coffee that I have had one sip from.  It is now 2 1/2 hours since I rolled out of bed.  I have made 2 cups of coffee and had a total of 1 sip.  My cup is again, barely drinking temperature and the kids are calling.  I give up.  I gulp down the cup I have in my hands and call it good.  Maybe tomorrow I will have coffee.

Friday, June 4, 2010

We had a meeting yesterday with Bug's "Child Study Team" in order to determine his placement needs for school next year.  These meetings include his current teacher, his case manager/psychologist, another "sit in" teacher, and parents.  Basically, we discussed how Bug has progressed through the year and what we all felt comfortable with doing for next year.  

Bug's grades have been Outstanding!  We couldn't ask for more!  Mostly straight A's with an occasional B here or there.  But, what we have to keep in mind is that Bug is succeeding in a discipline focused class where he has tons of individual attention to help him figure things out and to help him stay on task as he progresses thru the day.

On the discipline side, Bug is doing OK.  He has fewer outbursts in class and tends to have less anxiety related issues as well.  He still has his share of dirty looks, muttering under his breath, and snide comments though.    He doesn't have a lot of confidence in himself with some subjects and would rather give up than to push through it.  

So, at the end of the meeting, we decided that next year (6th grade) Bug will be in 2 "main stream" classes (Social Studies & Science), will have the rest of his subjects in the "resource room" which has less students and a couple of teachers for more personal attention, and will continue to stay in the "discipline focused" class that he is in now for "homeroom."  This was he is branching out a little, but IF he is having a really tough day, he can talk to his homeroom teacher and spend the day in there if need be.  

I am comfortable with this decision.  I think that Bug could really benefit from moving a step closer to being in a "typical" school setting.  But, on the flip side, I am nervous for him.  He is my baby and I don't want to push him too hard and then watch him fail.  He is doing so well right now and has built up his self confidence in his ability to make it through a school day.  I am praying that this move next year doesn't result in a step or two backwards.  But, we won't know if we don't try......

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

A Tale of Mommy Diapers

I hate PMS.  Seriously despise it.  I see it as completely unfair that we women have to deal with the discomforts, moodiness, and absolutely "disgustingness" of it every month...for the majority of our lives.  (Though it does give me the "right" to be a total bitch for a few days of the month!)

As a mom of young children, I am rarely granted privacy -- even in the bathroom.  I'm not shy anymore.  Shoot, I don't even bother to close the door most of the time anymore.  I would much rather have a conversation with my girls while I use the bathroom than listen to them scream at the door while I try to relieve myself.  It's a compromise. 

Well, during that lovely, monthly visitor, I find myself having to explain what the "white thing" I am placing in my panties is.  OK.  That is when I came up with "Mommy Diapers."

"Mommy Diapers" is a term that I have come up for those wonderful Maxi Pads that those of us are required to wear since Tampons are no longer an option after childbirth (at least not for me).  Blah.

My girls are well aware that mommy has to wear "mommy diapers" from time to time and even want to be helpful and bring them to me at odd times...like as I sit here blogging...wondering if I need one.  LMAO - No, please go put it back.
I can deal.  But what never fails to get me is the very loud "Mommy, do you need a 'Mommy Diaper'?" when we are in a public restroom.  Mortifying.  I love it when we come out of the stall to see a line of ladies (who are waiting their turn for the stall) looking at me and smiling.  The only thing that I can think of is how red my cheeks must be and how envious I am that THEY are standing there WITHOUT children in tow to embarrass them.

Man.  I wish I had of come up with a better term for Maxi Pads.  (Thankfully I didn't come up with iPad though!)