randoms....

~  I had an interesting week.  Something bad that happened that really upset me one day turned into a blessing.  (sorry for the vagueness but there are somethings that I can't put on this public of a blog).  Without saying whom or what... Let's say that something happened that really shook me up.  I was only looking at the negative aspects of the situation and feeling pretty sorry for myself when I decided to get off my stagnating tail and do something.  And the something turned into a few somethings and then I got more accomplished than I had even planned on.  And then when I talked about it with some of my friends, they were so supportive.  The support I received was unbelievable not only from them but from my boys (who are usually undemonstrative monsters) and I even got hugs over it from 2 of them.  


~  I was able to take the set back and turn it into a positive.  I took the time that I normally spent doing the activity that I can't do anymore and I've spent that time productively.  I've played catch up with all the people that I neglect shamefully over the summer.  Other mom's I'm friends with with smaller kids that don't have a lot of time to chit chat.  My bio-mom who took a 3 week vacation.  


~  I went out to lunch with Little Man yesterday.  We took some time to actually talk and had a really nice time.  Then when LM went to his girlfriends last night, I took B and got a few pieces of pizza (little store in town started selling pizza this week and you can get 1/2 a large pizza for $5) and he and I did some catching up.  


~  I deep cleaned back in the back bedrooms.  Moved stuff.  Dusted everything down.  Sorted thru things - threw things out.  


Basically, I decided that I wasn't going to let the negative rule my life.  There are two types of people in the world - those who see the glass as 1/2 full and those who see it as 1/2 empty.  I have my moments when I see it as 1/2 empty.   I try to move past that though.  I took a financial hit this week.  It's "only" $50 in income.  But $50 is a big deal in my life.  So again.  I had 2 choices.  Sit around and whine about it or buckle down and make do.  Can't change it- have to make do with the circumstances.  So then you have 2 choices, whine about the circumstances or put a smile on your face and have fun.  I tend to crack sarcastic jokes and move on.  Because when all is said and done- I'm still breathing.  I have my kids.  And I have some wonderful friends.  Including one that I can count on for midnight phone calls *cough cough Minnie cough cough*  to cheer me up.  


~  Went to the first home football game of the season tonight.  We didn't do so hot.  They looked a bit rough around the edges.  Of course, we were playing out of our class (we're 1A and they're 3 A) so that makes a little difference.  We hung with them for the first 1/2 but then they got us in the 2nd half.  The boys played well though and I got a chance to get out a bit, walk around, and chat with yet more friends.  You know, for as anti-social as I am - It sure has hit me this week how many friends I really do have.  


Keep smiling y'all and have a great weekend!

Halloween 2010 .... Wow

     Happy Halloween all!  Well, Elmer got to go trick-or-treating with his mama.  I'm not sure how things are going to turn out there.  I do know that there is no way that Ice Cube is just going to let her push him out of Elmer's life.  IC has been that boys primary care giver his whole life and this immature, childish crap she's pulling is definitely hurting him.  IC is the one who got up with him.  While I was staying with them for fair- there were 3 different nights that she didn't even bother to come home.  She was out with her dad.  Including a trip to the "bank" at midnight.  A trip where she didn't come back home till 2:43 AM.  But, I'm not going to dwell on her tonight.  I'm still hoping that she'll stop using the baby to hurt IC and do what's best.  


    In other news, IC has a job!  I got him down here.  Took him to replace his license (that Ruth lost when she lost his wallet which also had his ss card and almost $300 in it).  He had an interview for a management position the day after he applied and got hired.  He is also interviewing for a night managers position at another company.  I told him that if he works 16 hours a day that won't leave him much time for anything else but he is determined to get back to where he was before he got with Ruth.  When he was 15 he bought his first truck  (Ruth totaled that vehicle one night when she borrowed it).  By the time he was 17, he had 2 trucks and a decent wardrobe that he had paid for everything in except for birthday/Christmas gifts.  3 years later, Ruth has a closet full of clothes and IC owns 3 pair of jeans and all those have holes in them.  He owes 2 different banks.  And doesn't own a car at all (she totaled one and he traded in his other truck to buy her a new car).  We're making lists of his debts and he intends to work as much as he can (when Elmer isn't here) and pay off everything he owes to get his credit back on track.  Then he's going to go buy himself a new car/truck.  Working both jobs, he should be able to pay off what he owes and fix his credit within a few months.  


    Now, I'm going to brag on these kids.  They did something today that made me so very proud of them.  B's girlfriend, Toni and her mom moved today.  Toni's mom was married and she and the step-dad ended it.  And as in the way of all split-ups.  It was a fairly ugly situation.  Mom is fairly torn up and so is Toni.  And today was the day that they had to get their stuff from the house.  I have to give credit to these kids.  Toni said that the could use another truck.  I called Jim, and he came right over.  No questions asked.  Little Man gave him $15 for gas because Toni's mom has no money (she got paid Friday and gave step-dad her check and well... we all know how that goes).  B, LM, IC, Jim and Kate all went over there and busted tail.  Toni's older brother and one of his friends were there with a 2nd truck too.  These kids asked no questions - were kind and helpful to the mom - gave her hugs when she would start crying - and worked their tails off all for nothing more than a thank you.  Not one complaint. Not one smart mouth comment.  Just 5 hours of helping this woman out who none of them but B had ever met before.  I brought them back here after they were done and fed them.  God bless their little monster hearts - I am so very proud of all of them.  And I told them all too.  


    I had a kid mouth me last night at the bonfire.  Can y'all believe that?  A kid actually talked back and argued with ME.  They never argue with me.  I've never had a problem with these kids before.  Does anyone want to guess how far that got him?  He didn't get 3 words out of his mouth talking mean to me when Jim (who was standing closest at the time) snatched the front of his shirt and told him that he better "never disrespect my mama again"  and mouthy brat teenager tried to say something about what I had said to him and Jim told him that "it didn't matter what I said - it was my house and he needed to show some respect".  Then the rotten kid actually got stupid and mouthed me again over Colby's truck.  He thought he was going to drive Colby's truck out of my yard last night and cussed at me when I told him no.  He didn't care much for the results of that little idiocy.  For one - he didn't get Colby's truck keys.  I had them and I sure as he** wasn't giving them to his punk tail.  And for 2 - I banned him from here.  Period.  I told LM that if he still wanted to hang around with the kid - then he could pull up in the driveway long enough for LM to leave but that he was not allowed to hang out here anymore nor was he allowed to be here for any more bonfires.  I warned the kid that he would be banned from coming here if he mouthed me again and he told me that he "didn't give a f&*#".  I bet he will come next weekend when he thinks he's coming over and I tell him to leave.  Well, not to mention, once LM and IC heard from the other kids there how this particular kid was talking to me - it would be in his best interests to not be around my boys for a bit.  They're most unhappy with him.  My kids might talk smack to me and they're not always the most respectful to me but let someone else be rude to me and they get unreasonable.  They make no sense sometimes, but they're mine and well.... gotta love 'em.  ; )


   Well, hope y'all have a great Halloween!  

American Idol Night! (2)

So, tonight is American Idol night. My boys love this show as much as I do. Little Man had to work tonight and he has requested that I not start the show until he comes home. Do you know how hard that request is to follow? I have several friends that are as nutty about the show as I am *hey Kou!* I gave the boys till 9 to be here (another hour and a half to wait darn it) and then I'm starting it with them or without them.

Today was so beautiful. I got so very much accomplished. The boys did really well with their school work today. Little Man is moving along well. He's looking at a couple of different colleges. I love the fact that he no longer wants to move away from here.

Well, off here to shower and try to sidetrack myself some more before I turn the channel and start watching AI without the kids.

Oh and Sunday's games and visitors. Really well. I think we're going out for dinner sometime this weekend. And he was a really good sport when I laughed at the Cowboys getting their tails kicked across the field. But for those who blamed the loss on Romo~ I have news for you. As I stated before the game- the offensive line for Dallas is horrible. They didn't protect Romo at all. It was like: "Here~ take our QB and beat him up a bit" as they stood aside. And Brett Farve? Well, he did his thing just as I predicted. And did anyone see his "Pants on the ground" little bit in the locker room. That was hilarious! And my Colts? Well, they whipped tail! So, they play the Jets this week. And then, hopefully, on to the Superbowl.

So, Minnie? Are you a Jets fan? Or do you go for the other New York team? The one with that other Manning brother on it. What's his name? Eli? ; ) Personally, I like Eli. So, will this be another rivalry like my Sox vs your over-paid, egotistical Yankees? (yeah yeah, I know they won the World Series. They're still over-paid).

Oh and Minnie- your idea for a get-together? I'm in! Sounds great! Dee? Sharon? What about y'all?

Sunday blessings

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thanks

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Thank you so very much!

I received a very nice envelope in the mail today. Someone sent me some target gift cards. There was no return address. No note. Just a blank sheet of paper and 3 gift cards to target taped to a 2nd sheet of paper inside the envelope. One target gift card to each fold of the paper.

So to my blog friend that sent this to me. All I can say is: Thank you from the bottom of my heart. You have touched me in so many ways. The blogs you write. How positive you are. The way you love your step-kids. The laugh I get when I read your blog.

I started reading blogs to find step-moms who cared. Step-moms who didn't want to "get rid of" the kids of their partners. I wanted to make sure that my outlook on life didn't go bitter. Thanks to you and other women like you, I have managed to keep a good outlook with the ex and the alienation the kids suffered at the hands of his significant others. Y'all help me keep my sanity. Y'all help me keep my sense of humor. You pick me up when I'm down and kick my tail when I'm wrong. I appreciate the honesty that I've found here in my blog friends and the fact that y'all have given me a place to be honest. Good or bad. Right or wrong. No matter how many mistakes I've made. Y'all pick me up and set me straight.

And all I can say to you is Thank you. Thank you for the gift. Thank you for being here for me. Thank you for reading. Thanks to all of you who didn't run screaming for the hills when I started writing. Thanks for coming back. Thanks for the support. Thanks for proving me right that the more love a child has - the better off they are. And to the wonderful lady who sent me the envelope of love- thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Y'all rock!

Award Day

My thanks to both Sharon at "you're not my real mom" and Georgina at "dads second whatever" for the award above. I'm supposed to write about 5 personal obsessions and then pass it on.

So....

I hope you enjoy finding these blogs and reading their posts. If they're password protected, email for a password. It's well worth the trouble.

1. In this house, I'm the momma

2. Kweenmama's Kastle

3. Adventures of a Wicked Stepmother

4. Their Wicked Stepmother

5. Chronicles of the Never Mom

Now on to my 5 obsessions. If I only have 5. I might have 10 or 240. I try not to think about being obsessed with anything. ;)

1. My kids - I am obsessed with my children. Making sure that they're ok and that they don't suffer from the choices that either I or SD have made. Someone asked me why I haven't dated and the answer to that would be my kids. I have never felt that I had the right to take anything away from my kids - time, attention, money, whatever. And I always felt that there wasn't enough of me to go around for them as it was without trying to take the time that it involves to work on a relationship with anyone new. Personal preference folks, please don't bite my head off over this one.

2. Baseball - I admit it. I love the game. I love to watch my boys play. I love to watch other kids play. I love watching the pro's play and it really doesn't matter what team although my favorite teams are the Rangers and the Red Sox. I love the stats, the numbers, the players. I suffer thru withdrawal when the season ends and follow the moves the teams make with free agent signings and watching the paper for articles regularly.

3. Reading - I read anything and everything. Books, blogs, the news, cereal boxes. I love to read. My favorite author is Anne McCaffrey (although her dragon rider series is now being written by her son, Todd) and have been reading the dragon rider series since I was 12. And yes, they are still coming out with new books. I got the newest ones from Vix for Christmas last year.

4. Snow globes - I collect snow globes and have them from every place that we have vacationed as well as ones that friends and family have gotten me while they travel. I try to get the mini ones but will grab one of the larger ones in a heart beat if they don't have the mini's. I have most of the mini Disney collection and grabbed more when we (Vix, Cal, and I) took the kids to Disney a few years ago. I have them from every place to Kansas (Hurricane - 14U World series) to Hawaii (friend on vacation a few years ago). I found them in Jamaica, Cozumel, and Grand Cayman when I took the boys on a cruise several years ago too. I have 2 hanging shelves above m tv and a whole cabinet with snow globes in it.

5. Pictures- My house is wall to wall pictures. Pictures from our trips to Disney, the cruise, and Yellowstone. Pictures of my kids. Baseball pictures from my kids playing. Pictures of friends and family. And now pictures of Little Bit. I am rearranging to get the family pictures up that we had done earlier this month. I love pictures.

There are my 5 obsessions. The biggest of the million I imagine I have that is. I hope y'all enjoy reading the blogs of my friends....

Monday notes

Good Monday morning! We're settling in nicely here. The boys still aren't thrilled with being here, but they're not actively complaining as much either. They're finding alternative means of entertainment. And we're going back to old town to stay with Cal and Vix for several days next week so they're happy about that. Actually, Little Man will probably stay for a week or so. They're talking about doing a labor induction with Ruth on the 13th of next month. We should hear something else when she goes to the Dr. this week. If so, I'll be going to Austin for that. B will most likely come with me and Little Man wants to stay and hang with his friends for his birthday. He'll be 17 next month. I might leave him there for a week or so. I'm not really sure. He wants to stay with Tom and I'm just not into that idea. Tom uses Little Man. The day before we left, Tom and his gf stopped by. They didn't come to say good bye. They didn't come to visit with Little Man. They wanted Little Man to go do something for him. Well, at that point and time, we were knee deep in loading the truck to leave. Little Man told them that he was busy at that point. They didn't offer to help. They didn't stay and chat. They didn't bother to say good bye. They just left. And Little Man commented on it at the time.

Now, myself, I'm the type of parent that knows that I taught my kids right from wrong and I'm there when they want me or need me. But with some of this stuff - I don't even want to be involved. B is friends with a little boy that he's played ball with since they were 5. Great kid. Nice parents. The dad coached B's team for years. But the mom is right up in every bit of the kids business. He gets in a fight with another kid- mom is on the phone calling the other kids mom. And none of it is ever her child's fault. None. Of. It. Just ask her. That poor child is the most over-scheduled child I've ever seen. The poor kid never has time to just ... be a kid.

Yesterday they showed up and started putting my ramp together. The owner, Wayne, was very apologetic. I think it's a great case of him covering his tail. He did take a walk thru the house. He did agree that a lot of the damage could have been avoided. He's supposedly sending a drywall man out here next week to fix it all. My ramp is usable. The steps still aren't attached to it yet but that's ok. He's going to have to put some lag bolts in it instead of screws though because it's not holding together right. His guy that took the ramp apart tore it up. He's done an admirable job putting it back together but screws aren't going to cut it. Not with the weight of the chairs.

So, moving 190 miles from one town to another hasn't stopped the influx of extra kids. We ran back to old town yesterday and picked up a couple of young ladies. These girls are friends of Little Man. The one young lady has been friends with him since they were 6. She keeps telling me that she's moving in with us as soon as she convinces her parents. I'm thinking that she's never going to get away with that but in the meantime, I'm sure we'll see a bit of her. We took a short walk thru the woods last night. The girls loved it. Stopped at Vix's house while I was in town and got all my freezer stuff from her freezer. We also dropped off a box of Ice Cube's clothes so that I didn't have that extra stuff to deal with when we go down for the 4th. I am going to try to get all of my boys together for pictures while we are in town. Either with a photographer we know or in for professional portraits. With or without the girls. We're leaving Weds to go back thru the weekend. Ice Cube and Ruth are coming in from Austin too. I can't wait!

I'm sure this will be the last time I see Ice Cube and Ruth before the baby comes. They have talked about doing a labor induction on her around the 13th. We'll know more on Weds when she goes back to the Dr. Well, I'm going to close off here before another storm rolls thru. The satellite internet goes out faster than satellite tv when storms come.

adventures in vacation

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Long week

Well, it was a long week here.  I didn't think it would take me this long to recover from surgery!  It seems I get going - get a little bit done- and then run out of energy.  I've fallen asleep around 5 every night.  I might get back up after that when the kids wake me up wanting fed or something like clean clothes- but I've fallen out.  Mind you now- I'm the one that usually runs on about 5 hours sleep a night.  I usually hit the bed about 2 and get back up at 7.  So then, Donna called me on Tuesday as I'm driving B to physical therapy in hysterics.  That girl gets hysterical over everything.  She's leaving Hurricane and we "need to get over there NOW".  She wants Ice Cube to drop everything and run over there immediately.  Well, Ice Cube's at work.  You know - the job idea- the thing that gets you a paycheck?  But, he's supposed to leave work and drive over to their house right then because she said so.  Well, I drug Vix out of bed and asked her to please go over there and check on things because Donna was hysterical and I couldn't get ahold of Hurricane at all.  Long story short- Hurricane is at the apartment by himself now.  Donna is on the lease for the next 3 months but won't chip in a dime towards the rent.  At the end of the lease, I imagine Hurricane will move back in with Vix and Cal and he is talking about going back to school.  He is heart broken.  Donna way over-stepped with both me and Vix at this point.  She was rude and out of line.  I told her to quit calling me in hysterics and not to text B and put him in the middle of it and she told Hurricane I said "she was never welcome here again and she wasn't allowed to talk to Little Man or B ever again".  Nothing like distorting the truth a bit.   Dang kids!

Well, B has one of his friends from his old team spending the night tonight so I suppose I had better get off here and clean this house.  His friend lives in a very nice house and they have a cleaning lady come in every week.  I mean a very. nice. house.  On the lake with an upstairs wrap around balcony and in -ground pool with people who come and do the yard nice house.  They drive a car that costs more than my house did.  And no, I'm not joking.  So, Off to kill the dust bunnies and make sure the kids bathroom is clean at least.  Don't ask me why I waste my time- do you think a 13 year old will even notice?