Good Tidings

Well this month has just flown by.  I anticipated being consumed by life from Thanksgiving on.  But, I did not anticipate not having a free moment to put my thoughts on paper.  There have been many ups and many downs over the last thirty or so days.  The fear and unrest over the Ferguson shooting has come and gone…at least as far as my household is concerned.  Thanksgiving was nice and I mean that with the entire lameness of that word.  I got up early, did the 5K, baked cinnamon rolls, watched the parade and went to my parents.  There we ate and left and the kids spent the rest of the weekend with their dad.

 

Speaking of their dad.  He got engaged.  The weeks following the engagement (which happened on a beach in Florida from my understanding) were some dark days for me.  Although I’m entirely grateful to not be married to him anymore, I couldn’t help but let the negative self-talk take over my life for a while.  On the outside, it looks like he has created the  life I wanted when we were together.  From the outside, it looks like he has got it all together and I’m still struggling to put my life back together.  On the outside, it looks like he is living the dream.  But that’s all on the outside.  I teeter back and forth between feeling bad for the soon to be new wife and relieved that the kids have some sense of normalcy through her.  Although, I do question her sanity considering all of the facts.  But, I was once that girl, too.  The one that hung on his every word, believed every promise and dreamed of the life we would create together.  Unfortunately for me and for her, all of it is a lie.  My world came crashing down around me the day I realized I had been deceived.; lied to for years upon years.  The truth still comes out in strange places and is always a reminder of exactly why I’m in a better place now.  It is frustrating that to the outside world he appears to be a great man when the reality is that he is devoid of the most basic human quality…love.  I’ve been asked several times over the past few years if I miss the feeling of being loved.  The truth is, I’ve never known that feeling from a man.  I know what love feels like because of my children and my family.  That feeling is amazing and not something I ever had in my marriage.  My answer is always the same, I can’t miss something I never had.  It’s hard not to get down, especially at this time of year.  I try to find peace in knowing that every day I become a better person through my choices.  And no matter what my life or his life might look like to the outside world, I know I am living in an honest, God-like way. 

 

The last few weeks have been non-stop for me at work.  With the year end in sight, there was much work to be done.  I wrote, designed and printed an employee handbook for time entry.  It’s a magnificent piece that will not receive it’s justified accolades so I’m going to toot my own horn instead.  No one will really understand how much blood, sweat and tears went into creating this. But I loved every minute of it.  No one will probably understand that either.

 

Grace came out of her first high school exam week seemingly scar less.  She kept screaming at us that SHE WAS NOT STRESSED ABOUT EXAMS!!!!!! But clearly she was stressed about exams.  Grace has never been a great test taker and although I feel like she prepared pretty well for this set of exams, her scores were much lower than we both anticipated.  Final grades aren’t out yet, but it looks like she will end her first semester with roughly a 3.2 GPA.  I was really hoping she’d pull off a 3.5, but I’m really proud of her effort and commitment to school.  Her transformation over the last few months has been astonishing.  She is a fantastic young lady and continues to make good choices as she is faced with new situations. 

 

Eva’s disposition has perked up in the last few weeks.  The counseling sessions seem to be helpful and she doesn’t appear to be as wrought with anxiety as she was last month.  We talked a bit last night and decided to continue with the counseling in the new year. 

 

Alex is back to playing basketball and being a 10 year old boy.  A few months back, we discussed the truth of Santa Claus and Alex has been really good with the transition into the Christmas holiday.  Although he wants me to tell him everything I have bought, I’m holding out to maintain the magic of the day.

 

For the first year, Layla seems to have a sense of what Santa Claus is.  I’m looking forward to Christmas morning and some extended time off with my babies. 

 

As the year draws to a close, I have some goals in mind for the new year.  It’s a great time for me to reflect on how far we’ve come this year and take the steps to make the next year even better.  And since it’s doubtful that I will be back here before the year ends, I want to end today’s ramblings with a great big Merry Christmas and Thank You!  May God continue to guide me, comfort me and counsel me on this journey.

We Need A Little Christmas

History in the Making

As I sit here at work during the aftermath of the Grand Jury decision, I am stricken with grief, sadness and bewilderment.  It is surreal to go through the motions, to treat this day like any other or to even begin to comprehend the magnitude of the effects on our nation. 

Civil Rights movements have altered the course of our nation.  It is chilling to be at the epicenter.

Five miles to the north, there is a war. 

Schools are closed.  Businesses have been looted and burned to the ground.  Law enforcement has been ridiculed and threatened.  Fear is omnipotent.

The devil is at work.

 In Jesus’ name, free us from the evil doer.

Keep Calm and Bake Pie

Last weekend was the annual Girl Scout Pie Event.  This is mine and Eva’s second year participating and I’m still not sure what the actual purpose is.  It costs me $30 for tickets that in theory I’m supposed to sell.  But, let’s be honest, who do I know that is going to attend?!?  If we don’t sell the tickets, we will have to pay the $30 fee for camp in February.  The fundraiser is to support the camping trip.  Cool.  But I’m spending the $30 either way….so….

 

The domesticated goddess who is Eva absolutely LOVES this event.  The past two years the weekend has fallen on her dad’s weekend.  Which means she gets to spend pretty much the entire weekend with me and without her brother and sisters.  It’s a pretty nice mom and Eva time.  And she seems to enjoy the female gender roles of fifty years ago.

 

On Friday night, we picked up some Mickey D’s and went to the test kitchen for the Girl Scout group bake.  We were once again instructed on how to make the pie crust.  I was once again dumbfounded by the lack of domestic ability in the other mothers.  At least their daughter might know how to make a proper pie in the future. 

 

Eva and I knocked out a total of 4 pies in less than an hour.  We should probably enter a speed baking contest.

 

Saturday afternoon, we cranked up some tunes, donned our aprons and got to baking.

 

 

She is seriously the cutest little baker!

I didn’t realize that I didn’t have enough shortening to make more than 2 pies, so I ended up going to the grocery store for the third time that day.  Also, I bought a steak.  Because…mmmm…..steak!

Eva did not want to go to the store.  It was snowing and cold.  She said she’d be okay staying home and letting me go.  Gee…thanks.

When I got back, she was cozied up in front of the fireplace watching, you guessed it, Gilmore Girls.  We are addicts.

I got the next set of pie crust ready.  She peeled herself away long enough to roll out the dough and pinch the ends. 

Once all of the pie crust was rolled out and in the oven, I got to work on the fillings.  Eva got to work on the 17^th episode of season 3.

We decided to go the custard/pudding route this year.  Mainly because I suck at baking.  I perused the selection of pudding I had on the shelf and came up with four different fillings:

 

Classic Chocolate Mousse

Mint Chocolate

White Chocolate Swirl

White Chocolate Caramel.

 

I also made a pecan pie because that is a sure fire hit with the old people at Church.  But I digress.

 

After the fillings were prepared, I set up a sample tasting for Eva.

 

 

 

She was able to rate each filling and thus decide which pie would go to the judges.

 

 

Gilmore Girls had nothing on eating pudding pie fillings.

The White Chocolate Caramel received a solid 8 from Eva.  The others were in close contention ranging from a 6.5 to 7.5.  Numbers don’t lie, so Eva entered the White Chocolate Caramel into the competition.

The event was, well, uneventful.  We sold all of our pies within the first 10 minutes of our shift.  Those specialty pies are a HUGE success!  For the record, the Pecan Pie was the first to go.  Old people love it!

Eva didn’t win the competition, but she did make and sell the most pies.  And we had a few elderly ladies ask us about our recipes for both the White Chocolate Caramel and the Pecan Pie.

This is a job well done in my book….and that’s all that really matters.

The Great Hair Crisis of 2014

I took Friday off work to have a surgical consult regarding the two cysts on my head.  I was under the impression that this procedure would be done in the office that day.  I was a little nervous but kept telling myself it wouldn’t be a big deal.  The surgeon examined the cysts and walked me through the procedure.  Again, I was thinking no big deal.  I had the whole day on Friday and through the weekend to recover if necessary so let’s get these things removed.

He then walked me down the hallway to what I thought would be more of a procedure room.  Instead, I was sitting in front of his assistant looking at the calendar for an appointment.  I said whenever was fine and took the first available for the following Thursday morning.

On the drive home, I was a little irritated that I had the whole day off and still had to schedule an appointment for another day that I didn’t have off.  Also, then I would need to return to work after the procedure. 

I read through the information before pulling into my sister’s driveway for a short visit.  The operation was scheduled in the surgery center.  There were pre-surgery requirements.  I would need to fast and arrive an hour early.  There were descriptions of stitches which would need another appointment to be removed and a mention of shaving hair off my head.

This was not sounding like a no big deal procedure any more.  This sounds like a real surgery.  There is no way I’m doing this in the morning and returning to work.  I will need at least a day to recover and a full weekend to fix my hair if there is some shaving involved.

And at that point, I decided this was not going to happen. 

Instead, I got a few inches chopped off my hair and colored it.  I decided that some read highlights would be a great idea for the fall and winter months, which in my head looked so classy.

In reality, I now have pink hair!

I couldn’t really decide how Rainbow Brite it looked until I got ready for Church Sunday morning.  It was completely unacceptable and embarrassing.  We ended up missing Mass altogether because I was still putting out my hair emergency. After another box of hair color, it looked slightly better but still punk rocker pink.

I’m hopeful that several washes and another color treatment next week will bring my hair back to normal.  I need normal before Thanksgiving!

Until then, it’s buns, pony tails and high hopes of nobody saying anything about it!

I cancelled my surgery appointment this morning, but now I’m wondering if the head shaving thing was really the right way to go.

What a disaster!

Honored

Yesterday was Veteran’s Day.  I didn’t really think much about it except noticing the banks and post offices were closed and the one million instagrams, tweets and status updates in regards to celebrating those that served.  My spirits have been a little low recently and it was hard for me to really consider the sacrifices and impact these men and women have had on our lives.  It’s not that I don’t appreciate it or don’t think they deserve to be honored, it just couldn’t get myself to a point that I felt like doing so.

That is until I got this text message from my dad.

 

 

I was driving to Incarnate from work and checked my phone at a red light.  I instantly started crying. 

Holy Trinity was celebrating our Veteran’s with a Mass and donut breakfast.  They do this every year and every year Alex asked for his great grandpa to go.  He had been asking my dad for several weeks now to bring his great grandpa.  His class was hosting the mass and breakfast and the rule was you had to have a Veteran there to get breakfast.  I’m pretty sure he was in it for the donuts!

Last weekend, though, he was talking to me about how much he wanted great grandpa to be there.  I was surprised by his sincerity in his request, although he totally wanted the donuts.  He teared up when he began to say that he didn’t know how much longer great grandpa might be around and he wanted to make sure he knew who he was.  He wanted great grandpa to come to his school and eat a special breakfast with him and tell him about what life was like when he was younger.

Of course this made me cry, too.

The kids visited great grandpa on Halloween.  He seemed confused and didn’t know who they were.  He thought Grace was me and he couldn’t recall the other kids’ names.  I tried to reassure them that it probably had more to do with them being dressed in costumes and me not being there. That made it harder for him to grasp a frame of reference.

Alex and Eva delightfully reported that he seemed completely with it yesterday.  He knew who they were and their names.  Eva did say he asked them several times what grade they were in, but that was only because he was making a joke out of it.  Something to the effect that if she was in third grade and Alex was in fifth grade then he must be in fourth grade because he was sitting between them.  She said he kept joking about never getting out of fourth grade and how he must be the oldest fourth grader ever!  Eva went on to say, “you know, mom, he’s pretty funny!”  She is right!  He has always been funny.

Great grandpa is now 88 years old.  He’s loved, married and buried two wives.  He’s raised four children and has buried one.  He has lived through the great depression, the cold war, served in the Navy in World War II and has lost all but one of his siblings.  He loves his kids, grandkids and great grandkids.  He is awe inspiring, funny, kind and above all heroic.  He is the patriarch of our family and because of him, we have learned to put God first and to love and honor our country and family.

I am so glad my kids got this special day with him and even more honored that they will have this memory to cherish.

In the Gray

I have to say I’ve done very little the last few days.  Sadly, I still just can’t shake this funk.  I’ve worked late a few days, went a Girl Scout meeting, parent teacher conferences, soccer games, concession stand shift and watched TV.  The kids pestered me enough with their OMG CAN WE GET OUT OF THE HOUSE PLEEEAASSEEEE!!!!! cry by Saturday afternoon that I finally broke down.  I took them to a movie at the dollar show and bought a large popcorn and soda to share.  I did this mainly to pacify them but also a movie requires zero energy or conversation.  The popcorn and soda served as lunch because I just couldn’t muster the time or thought process that goes into preparing a meal.  We went to Applebee’s for dinner following the movie for one simple reason.  I didn’t want to cook, think about cooking or talk about cooking.  I spent way too much money and have a huge amount of anxiety over that.  One meal out was the amount of one child’s entire Christmas budget.  And I want to go on vacation.  Why did I do this?  Of course the kids praised me as the best mom ever because seriously a movie at an actual theater and a dinner at an actual restaurant.  Five stars, mom. For real.

If only they knew the real reason behind this outing.  I would have been fine (actually better than fine) staying home with a $5 pizza and Netflix and not talking.

I am not depressed. 

I’m in a gray area. 

 

The weather is getting colder.  It’s just so blah right now.  It’s too early to plan for vacation.  It’s too early budget wise to shop for Christmas.  It’s too early to decorate the house and get in the Christmas spirit.  But the activities and beauty of the fall have come to an end.  Soccer is over.  Day trips and picnics are over.  The luster of autumn has come to an end. 

I’ve purchased a few items for Christmas because I got a ridiculously good deal on them.  I know of a few other items I want to buy, but I’m holding out hope that the Black Friday sales will bring those into an acceptable price range.

The next few days at work may be tough.  I’m in a slump and I’d rather punch someone in the face than communicate. 

I’m off on Friday for a surgical appointment.  The girl scout pie event is the main thing on my calendar for the weekend.  I get paid on Thursday so YAY! But that money has already been allocated with nothing left for fun.

I need to get out of my head, but I only want to stay in my head.  It’s a tough racket.

I need my spirits lifted ASAP!

Under the Weather

The first season change illness embarked on our household over the weekend.  And since the kids were with their I was the lucky recipient of said illness.  It started on Thursday night.  My throat was on fire, it was hard to swallow and I could feel the congestion building up.  I drank the rest of the fireball/turkey piss in hopes of fighting off the virus.  To no avail, I woke up Friday morning feeling like I had been hit by a freight train.

I tried to stick it out at work, since I was already scheduled to leave early.  But, I just couldn’t.  So at 10:30 am I called it quits.  I went home and slept for a few hours, made some soup, took a shower and geared up for Halloween night.

Saturday morning, we all slept in.  The kids and I watched movies and cuddled on the couch for a good portion of the morning then ventured out to two soccer games.  Both Alex and Eva lost, but it wasn’t as freezing cold as it was the day before.   For that, I am grateful.

Once I got back from the games, a little nap was in order.  I was still feeling pretty crappy but I had powered through.  Now, I couldn’t wait to rest.

I’m not very good at napping.  Typically I’ll get a 20 minute power nap that seriously changes my life.  Sometimes, I’ll try to sleep for a full hour.  Saturday, I slept for three and a half hours!  Straight!  No waking up. No tossing and turning.  It was daylight when I laid down and it was dark when I woke up.

I was a little disappointed that I slept my afternoon/evening away, but I was still feeling pretty bad.  I got up, made something to eat and laid back down on the couch.  I watch several episodes of Gilmore Girls that night and went back to bed.

Sunday was a little better, but I still couldn’t find the motivation to do ANYTHING.  I did finally grocery shop.  But that was it.

I had already taken Monday off work, so I figured I’d save all the laundry for then.  Grace was also off on Monday and Eva ended up coming home with a headache (not surprising).  I had a conference call I had to make and a doctor appointment scheduled for the afternoon, so the whole day ended up being tense.  I don’t do well when things are hanging over my head.

Now it’s back to work.  I can’t quite get out of the funk.  Some of it is probably this virus hanging around. The other part….seasonal depression.  I don’t know.  I just don’t want to clean, cook, or do any other motherly thing right now.  I just want to be in my own head, do my own thing and watch my own shows.  It sounds awful, but I don’t want to communicate with anyone…especially people who need things from me.

The kids are back with Chris tomorrow, Alex goes hunting on Thursday, work deadlines have been moved up a day, so there’s still a lot going on.  I just kind of want to check out of all of it.  It sure would be nice to just call in sick to life for a while.

All Hallow's Eve

Preparations for Halloween night were a little bit of a clusterf*** this year.  I always, always, always do the costumes for the kids.  And I almost always, always, always have a well coordinated theme for their costumes.

This year, though, Halloween was on a Friday and a Friday on the kids' weekend with their dad.  Since he is scheduled to take them trick or treating, I thought maybe it would be best for him just to run the whole holiday.  The kids are getting older and I wasn't sure how much they really even cared about my carefully crafted Halloween costume extravaganza.  I knew for sure that Grace wasn't going to participate. 

When I talked to the kids about Halloween back in September, they were okay with letting their dad take the lead.  They had talked to him about costumes and plans for the night on several different occassions and it seemed that they had things worked out to some degree.

I wasn't even a little bit sad about not stressing over the perfectly coordinated costumes.  I just couldn't seem to get into the Halloween spirit, so I let it go.

The kids spent the weekend of October 16th through 19th with Chris.  I was under the impression that they would be buying their costumes that weekend.  Alex and Eva had already said that they were going to the Halloween store to make a decision on costumes.  When they came home that Sunday, Alex said they were going to be zombies.  They hadn't bought anything for costumes, but did make a decision.

I wasn't exactly sure how the whole zombie thing was going to fly with Layla.  She's still terrified whenever anyone puts a mask on.  Not to mention, how Alex and Eva were going to do zombie make-up for their school parties.  But, I let this go too.

The following week the kids were with Chris on Wednesday and Thursday.  Being the last days he had them before Halloween weekend, the kids and I were certain he would purchase and/or acquire then necessary items for the Halloween costumes.  When they came home on Friday afternoon...one week before Halloween...and were not any closer to having costumes, I had a little bit of trouble letting it go. 

We were headed down to the Cape/Jackson area that weekend, so I did what I sometimes do best....obsess over it on the drive.

By the time the weekend was up, I had a pretty good contingency plan in place.  I emailed Chris to get a timeline for the holiday. 

His response was odd.  To sum it up, he said he thought the kids would be with me that night.  He'd be happy to keep them all weekend, but didn't think that was the plan nor made arrangements.  He also thought it was weird that the kids were talking to him about costumes.

He was telling the kids one thing and me a completely different thing.  And he really didn't think that we'd discuss the two different versions?!?  Not letting it go anymore.

I upgraded my contingency plan to THE PLAN, told him I'd take care of all of it, the kids would be staying with me and pulled off a pretty great themed holiday.  Oh and thanked God for my mother, who without, this would not have been possible.

From the pages of a storybook, I present:

Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf

 

From Pumpkinland

Happy Halloween!

 

 

Sweet Slumber

Guess who’s sleeping!?!  Well, not right this minute, but at night.  All night!  The melatonin has worked.  I think it’s a miracle.  Layla is so much happier and so less cranky now that’s she gotten a good amount of sleep.  It took some time, but it’s working!  I feel like I should knock on wood.

Night one: fell asleep around 9:30pm.  Woke up at 2am.  Didn’t want to go back to sleep. After about 15 minutes, she was asleep again.

Night two: no melatonin .  Stayed at my sister’s.  Had a “magic” blanket.  Went to sleep around 10pm and slept through the night.

Night three: fell asleep around 10pm.  Woke up at midnight.  Went right back to sleep.

Night four: fell asleep around 9:30pm.  Slept through the night.

Night five:  fell asleep around 9pm.  Slept through the night

Night six: fell asleep around 8:30pm.  Woke up at 11:30pm.  Went to the bathroom and then right back to sleep.

Six nights of sleeping!  I’m so happy!

She spends tonight at her dads and tomorrow night back with me.  I think I’m going to give it the whole weekend without the melatonin and see how she does.  I don’t want to be giving her a sleep aid every night, but the girl needed to rest.  We all needed her to rest.

Here’s to hoping for many more sleep filled nights.

Crazy Possibility

I think I might have lost my mind.  On my drive to work this morning, all I could think about was Disney World.  I have absolutely no idea why.

Two years ago around this time, I began thinking about taking the kids on a real vacation.  It had been almost four months since I asked Chris to leave and two months into my new job.  I crunched the numbers and worked out a budget to be able to afford a family vacation the next August.  It would take 7 months of saving, but I thought we could do it.  With a lot of diligence and sacrifice, we went to Gulf Shores for our first family vacation.

Not long after we returned from the beach, the kids asked if we could go to Disney World on our next vacation.  I really didn’t know when or how we’d ever be able to take a vacation again.  With the looming high school tuition expense, vacation seemed like a pipe dream…much less Disney World.

But today, I couldn’t get Disney out of my head.

I did some research and with tickets being close to $100 a person per day, there is no way we are going to be able to do the Disney vacation I had always thought about.  However, we really loved the beach!  So, what if I could find a place on the beach about an hour from Disney.  We could do a day trip into Disney World and spend the other few days on the beach.  Now this was sounding much more possible.

After a day’s worth of researching, I located a place in Cape Canaveral, FL that looks perfect for our needs.  Plus, it’s only $100 a night. 

I crunched some numbers again beginning the vacation budget in January (I still have to pay for Christmas).  I factored in the almost $600 a month tuition payment for the 2015-2016 school year and noted that all of my tax return money would need to go towards tuition.  That means, we would need to save roughly $300 a month to go on this vacation.  I think we can do it.  Now, of course, it will be difficult!  We will have to stick to a strict budget.  We cannot spend anything over budget and me must commit to putting that $300 away every month.  Barring any unforeseen expenses (car repair, medical expenses, etc) and deciding not to purchase a house, this vacation may actually happen.

I’m actually sick to my stomach over it.  Stressed beyond belief.  Worried that I should be spending this money elsewhere.  But determined to let the worries, stress and sickness be my motivation.  I want nothing more than to create memories to last a life time with my kids.  Florida and Disney may be the destination we are locking in on, but it’s the journey and sacrifices and planning and commitment to get there that are the true memories and lessons for all of us.

Like I said, I might have lost my mind!

 

Sleepless in St. Louis

About that girl that won’t sleep…here’s an update. 

Plan of Action:

Make Alex and Eva mad by turning off the TV:  CHECK. 

Not allow Layla  to watch anything, including her beloved Strawberry Shortcake for the entire night: CHECK

Have her help me make dinner:  CHECK

Send her outside to play: CHECK

Give her a bath:  CHECK

Take her with me to Alex’s soccer practice:  CHECK

Go for a walk:  CHECK

Make her warm milk with honey and cinnamon and call it coffee:  CHECK

Read her a story while she is snuggled into bed: CHECK

By 10pm, she will be asleep:  HA HA HA HA HA!

By 11pm, she will be asleep:  LMAO!

By 12am, she will be asleep:  SERIOUSLY NOT HAPPENING!

By 1am she will be asleep:  LOSING MY MIND!

 By 1:30am, wrestle her down and pin her to my bed until she finally falls asleep:  CHECK

 If that plan does not work, I am calling the pediatrician:  CONSULTED FACEBOOK…same thing, right?!?

I will most likely call the pediatrician next week, but melatonin supplements came highly recommended via my secret group on Facebook.  The 1mg melt-a-ways are under 5 dollars at Walgreens.  I’m going to need some wine tonight anyway, so I picking them up won’t be a problem.

The kids are with their dad tonight and tomorrow, so hopefully she won’t sleep for him at all either.  Just kidding! The girl is exhausted and she really needs a few good night’s sleep.  I know I do and plan to take advantage of the shut eye while they are gone. I might even take some of the melatonin to combat the copious amounts of caffeine I’ve consumed today.  Then I’ll have it ready for Layla on Friday night and keep my fingers crossed that it works.  I really just need to reset her sleep cycle so she can learn to go to sleep on her own.

Wish me luck!

 

I will allow music to be played, but no shows or movies.  Layla will not allow Layla  to watch anything, including her beloved Strawberry Shortcake for the entire night.  I will have her help me make dinner and give her a bath and then at 7:30pm I will take her with me to Alex’s soccer game.  While Alex is practicing, Layla and I will go for a walk.  At 9:30pm when we are back from practice, I will make her warm milk with honey and cinnamon and call it coffee.  She will sip that and I will read her a story while she is snuggled into bed.  By 10pm, she will be asleep.  If that plan does not work, I am calling the pediatrician. 

Insomniac in a Sleepy Little Town

In my last several posts, I may have mentioned my slight obsession with the Gilmore Girls.  I’m an addict.  Eva and I love it.  Alex has also started watching it.  Grace doesn’t want to get on board, but the cute bad boy that showed up in season 2 might make her change her mind.

So yesterday, in Gilmore Girl fashion, Grace and I stopped for coffee after work/school.  Since there is not a Starbucks on our route from school to get Layla, we opted for QT.  I was slightly appalled in the price increase at the fancy Quick Trip’s for a latte.  I used to be able to get a small coffee with flavored cream for roughly a buck.  I made it myself exactly the way that I liked it and could count out change to pay for it.  At the fancy new Quick Trip I had to order on a touch screen, wait for a worker to make it per the generic instructions and pay $2.79.  And it wasn’t even good.  But, I got my coffee and a lesson.

Later that evening, Eva and I decided to take a walk.  It was a nice fall night and keeping with my Gilmore Girl theme, thought we’d walk through the main street of our little town.  Now it’s nowhere as quaint as the fictional town of Stars Hallow, CT, but it served the purpose.  I took my coffee with me and we chatted as we walked the street.  It was nice to be up close to the area I grew up in and drive through regularly.  We noticed spooky Halloween decorations and a few little shops we didn’t know were there.  Since it was dark by that time, we passed on resting at a gazebo under the clock tower, but made note to visit during the day.

Alex locked us out of the house while we were gone.  Layla was throwing a fit when we left so Alex decided to punish us while we were gone.  We sat out on the front porch for a little while before Grace decided to let us in.  Alex had fallen asleep and Grace didn’t really want to get up to unlock the door.  Layla was still wide awake.

And speaking of wide awake, Layla finally went to sleep at 5:15 THIS MORNING!  I do not know what is wrong with this girl.  I did some research today and have a half concocted plan to get her to sleep.  The main part of this plan is to avoid all electronics tonight.  Once we get home this afternoon, I’m going to make Alex and Eva mad by turning off the TV.  I will allow music to be played, but no shows or movies.  Layla will not be allowed to watch anything, including her beloved Strawberry Shortcake for the entire night.  I will have her help me make dinner and give her a bath and then at 7:30pm I will take her with me to Alex’s soccer game.  While Alex is practicing, Layla and I will go for a walk.  At 9:30pm when we are back from practice, I will make her warm milk with honey and cinnamon and call it coffee.  She will sip that and I will read her a story while she is snuggled into bed.  By 10pm, she will be asleep.  If that plan does not work, I am calling the pediatrician. 

The Weekend of a Single Mom

Well, my weekend went just about how I expected it to.  Friday night, I went out with some friends to celebrate Mark’s birthday.  It wasn’t near as much fun as I thought it would be.  I mean, I didn’t have a bad time, but it wasn’t really all that exciting either.  I did however make him a kick ass birthday present.

A long, long time ago, Mark invented a drink.  It’s half Wild Turkey and half Hot Damn.  He named it Turkey Piss.  For years, whenever he bought us girls shots, he often got Turkey Piss.  We all thought we would die and it was always at a heightened level of drunkenness before we’d comply and take his shot.  It didn’t taste awful but it packed a punch.  A few years ago, this new drink, Fireball, was introduced to the market.  Florida Georgia Line and a couple other country artists speak of it specifically in a few of their lyrics.  It is wildly popular now.  But,  Fireball is Turkey Piss.  It’s the same thing (although the Turkey Piss is much stronger).  Mark hates it that people now order Fireball since he was the original mastermind behind this drink.  So for his birthday, I thought he should have a commemorative bottle of the original. 

 

I got home at a respectable hour on Friday night (or Saturday morning).  I slept well  and was up by 8am, made breakfast and took a nap.  By 11am, my legs were cramping up ridiculously and I was one spasm away from requesting muscle relaxers from my doctor.  I fought through the pain and started downing a bunch of water.  It seemed to help some, but I had a total of five muscle spasms that day.  I decided I really was going to make it a lazy day.  I spent a good couple hours on the couch watching Gilmore Girls.

Alex had a soccer game at 3 that afternoon.  He lost.  They played a few teammates short and really held their own.  But in the end, they just didn’t have the stamina to be victorious.  I decided some retail therapy was in order after his game.  It was a pretty afternoon and I didn’t mind making the extra drive out to Chesterfield to visit my favorite thrift store.  I bought three pairs of jeans, four shirts and five books for about $60.  After my shopping spree, I picked up some pumpkin scented candles and wine.  Then went to the grocery store for a  steak and baked potato.

As much as I would have liked to have a date to take me out to share a bottle of wine over a steak dinner, I was quite happy with my own little date night alone.  I lite candles and  placed them all around the house. I took a long hot bubble bath; listening to music and reading a book.  I enjoyed my delicious meal while binge watching Netflix.  I also drank an entire bottle of wine.  So by the time I was ready to turn off Gilmore Girls and watch a movie, I was already falling asleep. 
 

Sunday morning, I got up early, cleaned the house and started some laundry.  I picked the kids up for Church and learned their dad had not been with them the majority of the weekend.  But more or that another day.  After mass, I cooked up some steak and eggs and washed it down with a beer. 

 

My sister had sent over the 3T fall clothes for Layla, so I cleaned out her dresser and reloaded it with an entirely new wardrobe.  Eva is in desparate need for a wardrobe overhaul as well, but I ran out of time.  Before I knew it, I was headed off to my concession shift.  The concession shift went by fast and because there were enough workers, I got to watch all of Eva’s game.  She won.

I finished up the weekend with a trip to the grocery store.  Note to self…do not grovery shop on a Sunday evening.  The shelves were picked over and there were many items on my list that I wasn’t able to get.  Since the kids are back with Chris on Wednesday and Thursday night and we are out of town on Saturday, I think I should be able to make do with what I was able to get.   I got the groceries put away and finished up the laundry just as the kids were getting home….fifteen minutes early.  Not that I am complaining, I’d prefer for them to be with me at all times. But after sending Grace and Alex to friends' houses and Eva and Layla to his mom's house all weeknd, he really brought them home early!?!  It doesn’t make sense, but nothing he does ever makes sense.

We finished off our weekend with a home cooked meal, a Halloween movie and, of course, more Gilmore Girls.