and I rant...

Time for Mama Kat's Writers Workshop

1.) Time for your tangent…what is your latest complaint?

My biggest complaint…for today, is that my in-laws use our private bathroom. We have a small house. Ok, that I get. But what I don’t get is: why do they insist on walking through our bedroom to use the master bathroom every time they need to use the facilities? We have a perfectly good and accessible guest bathroom. I just don’t get it. It frustrates me beyond any comprehension.

The guest bathroom is not dirty, admittedly it does house the cat box, but I always make sure it’s clean for our guests to feel comfortable. So I ask my wonderful husband, “WHY do your parents insist on walking through our bedroom to use our bathroom?” He has no response, and then I get angry because he’s not responding, to which he answers, “well it is weird, but I don’t have an answer for you, why don't you ask them? " UGH!!!! My wonderful husband told me I should ask them…ME!? WHY would I ask, they’re his freakin’ parents! Apparently he’s ok with them walking through our space.

His response probably is more aggravating than the fact that his parents feel the need to walk through my bedroom, to get to the bathroom. Inevitably, they wind up seeing my private stash of porn(People magazines) by the toilet and bra’s hanging all over. It’s not like it’s a once in a while thing, they come over a few times a week to watch our son. While they watch him, I often wonder to myself, did I remember to put away the hanging bras? or pick up the undies on the floor? is there a plastic bag lining the garbage can? and oh, CRAP I forgot to make the bed! Maybe if I left the bedroom and bathroom all nastified then they’d stop walking through MY personal space. I already took the Kleenex out our private bathroom, maybe it’s time to take it out of the living room too.

...and that is my rant for today.

Cold Goo and a lake full of Jell-O

Yesterday was my last ultrasound before this baby is born. The nurse did the initial ultrasound, when she finished and left me with 2 things: a 3D image of my baby on the TV screen(which was interesting for all of 45 seconds), and she left me with cold goo on my exposed belly for fifteen minutes before the doctor came to see me. It was awful! I kept wondering, am I supposed to be sitting here? Maybe she was done and since everything is ok, the doctor isn't coming...should I wipe this off? Was I supposed to get up and get dressed? What is taking so long, she did say he would be coming right? I am going to feel really dumb when they come in 20 minutes later and tell me I was done, and I could have gone home. Finally he came, ah relief.

Why does my Mother-in-Law laugh at things that aren't funny? Like when my son has too much food in his mouth and it poses a choking hazard, she thinks its funny. My wonderful husband thinks its nervous laughter, but I find it immensely annoying, and I wish she would stop.

My son is finally starting to say please, I am not sure he knows why he's saying it, but at least he's started.

My wonderful husband asked me the other day if I remember waking him up in the middle of the night to ask why there was a rabbit on his hip. I told him I don't remember waking up in the middle of the night and asking why there was a rabbit on his hip. But I do remember my dream from that night: me swimming in a lake full of Jell-O.

Notes of Love

Notes of Love

Notes like these are exchanged between my husband and I everyday. I leave one the keyboard at night for him to find first thing in the morning, and he in turn leaves me a note to find when I get up after he leaves. It's the first thing I think about, and look for in the morning. I'll be posting them as often as I can, because they make me feel wonderful, and its better than any morning coffee!

7th photo of 2009

This was the 7th photo in my photo album of January 2009, so I can only assume that it's the 7th photo I took. Mama Kat's Writers Workshop would have me write a poem about this photo, but I don't do poems. Instead, I am just going to write a letter to my son, he was 7 months old in this photo. For the last 19 months he's been my only child, and in less than a month he'll no longer be an only, and I have a few sappy things I'd like to say.

Dear Son,
The last 19 months have flown by faster than I could have ever imagined. I've spent every day of your life with you. In a few weeks you are going to have to share us. Your daddy and I have tried our best to prepare you for this, but I know your life will never be the same. It makes me really sad at times, because I know that we've had the best time of our lives together. You have brought me more joy than I could have ever imagined. In a few weeks you will become a big brother, and I know that you will be the best big brother ever! You will love and care for your little sister, and you will protect her with all your strength and heart, because that is who you are by nature.
I've loved being your mommy and I consider myself the luckiest person alive to have been able to experience you day in and day out. You have taught me patience, love, and more laughter than I imagined possible. Even though it won't be just the three of us anymore, I want you to know that you will not be any less loved. It might be hard at first, but the funny part is you won't remember any of it! I wish I could slow down the next few weeks, but I can only cherish these last few days of just the two of us at breakfast, and lunch, reading books to you, playing dance party, putting puzzles together, coloring, tickling you and your laughter. The laughter isn't going away, it's only going to get louder!
I love you Handsome Boy!!
Love,
mommy

This is my son, on the 7th day of 2010

Not my first Random thought...

But it's the first time I've blogged about them.

My cat peed in the bathtub last night. I cursed and swore at her up and down, then I threw her outside in 3 degrees to spend the night in the snow. THAT'S how I felt about THAT! I woke up this morning and my husband left me a note: "Jinx peed in the tub again this morning. I whacked her and threw her outside. Caught her in the act"

GREAT!!

I googled "why does my cat pee in the tub?" looks like it could be a UTI, taking her to the vet tomorrow. For now I'm on tub watch.

Should I feel bad that I plop my kid on the sofa to watch Little Bear while I type out random thoughts? He's way into the TV, more than I should let him...but sometimes I need a minute, or 30.

Been trying to envision where I want this whole blog thing to go. Not sure I have a vision yet, just know that I like getting things "out" there that my family(my husbands) doesn't get to see. They wouldn't get it. They don't entirely "get" the family blog yet. I guess they're not much for the techy baby book idea. Hey, I have a hard copy baby book too. I just like the interactive bloggy world.

Trying to find a color to paint our laundry room has proven to be much more difficult than I thought. All the other colors in our house were no-brainers, but for some reason they make 1,434 different shades of yellow, and I really don't want my laundry too look like the McDonalds golden arches. Why did we buy a fixer-uper again? I just have to keep telling myself, it's the last room.

Ah, well Little Bear is over and I have about 43 seconds until the little guy comes to find me in the office. 4,3,2,1...and there he is!

Be Nice

So about a week before Christmas my husband and I arranged for his parents to watch our 18 month old so we could go to our local chamber of commerce holiday mixer, and do some Christmas shopping at Wal-Mart(our shopping options are limited here in our rural NY town of 2,000).

It was the first time we had planned to do something together in a LONG time. I was looking forward to this night for weeks! Now I have a tendency to put high expectations on things I look forward to, and when things don’t go as planned, my. world. has. ended. The night didn’t go as planned. The mixer was a bust, they held it on the third floor of a 100 year old building with one freight elevator and no heat in the building. We got to Wal-Mart, only to find my husband lost the list, HE LOST THE LIST! My feet were killing me(being 8 months pregnant will do that). And to end the night was, Nick, our cashier at Wal-Mart. A smartass who thought it would be funny to tell jokes about my attitude in front of me, to my husband, and then call me out on a look I gave him. He also challenged me and asked me if we “needed to talk about this” UGH! The nerve! Well, my night ended with me and tears and black streaks of mascara running down my face on the way home.

So here’s my letter to Nick:


Dear Nick,

You’re not funny and should be nicer to pregnant women.

Sincerely,

The Pregnant Lady who didn't deserve being badgered by you, and could care less about your existence, so next time just shut your mouth when you bag my freakin' groceries.

This has been a part of Mama Kat's writer's workshop.

Some friends

HONK!!!! HONK!!!

“What the hell?” I shout as I look in my rear-view mirror and see this guy waving at me. Straining to see if I recognize him, I decide to ignore him, turn up the music, and sing:

“Say my name, say my name If no one is around you, say "baby I love you" If you ain't runnin' game Say my name, say my name”

I am heading north up the 405 in heavy traffic on my way to my friend Crystal, and her fiance Tom’s apartment, for dinner. Almost to my exit in Costa Mesa I feel a sudden jerk of the wheel.

“Oh crap!”

Cars are zipping past me as my Grand Am starts slowing down. I check my mirrors and see an opportunity to make my way to the right shoulder. The right rear side of my car starts making a loud thumping sound. Flat Tire.

Coming to a halt on the right shoulder, I start trying to figure out; what do I do now? Then it hits me, Crystal’s fiance owns a small rental car company, surely he can come help me with the flat, and I am less than a mile from their apartment.

I pull out my cell phone and dial their number….ring, ring….

Crystal: “hello”
Me: “Hey, I just had a flat tire on the 405, do you think Tom can come help me with it?”

Crystal: “Oh, no…uh, I dunno. Let me ask”
Cars whiz past as she places her hand over the receiver, in muffled tones she asks Tom what he wants to do, I can’t make out his answer.

Crystal: “Tom says just have it towed somewhere”
Me: “but I don’t have AAA, or any money, can’t he come and change the tire, I am right at the exit to your house”

Crystal: “he said it would just be easier to tow it so you can take it to Sears and get a new tire”

Me: “I don’t even know who to call to have it towed though!”

Crystal: “Tom can give you a number of a tow company they use for the rental cars, let me call you back and I’ll get you the number”

Crystal hangs up the phone and I burst into tears. Why is this happening to me!? I hate California, I can’t rely on anyone here. Then I look in my rear view mirror and see a white Honda Civic pull up behind me, one of those lowered ones with tinted windows and a rear spoiler. A Hispanic man exits, he’s short with big tattooed arms, he walks over to my passenger window and motions for me to roll it down, I comply.

Him: “Hey, you got a flat tire"

I answer, but try not to make eye-contact.

Me: “yea, I know”

Him: “well, do you have someone coming to help you? Like AAA?”
Me: “My friend is calling a tow truck for me”

Him: “do you have a spare? ‘Cause if you do then I can change it for you”

I look at him, trying to decide if it’s a good idea or not to trust this man with changing my tire and basically my life on the side of the freeway. He seemed to have good intentions…do I trust him? I’ve heard a lot of stories of people getting roadside assistance from a passerby that robbed them….oh what to do!?

Me:“Uh, sure-ok”

I pop the trunk and he heads to the back and starts going to work on the tire. About ten minutes later he comes to the window and says, "You're all done, you're good to go"

Me: “Thank You, I really appreciate that”

He starts to walk away, and I call out to him “Hey, what’s your name?”
“Angel” he answers.

I sit back in my seat and watch him get back into his white car, he cautiously enters back into traffic and drives away. Wow, I thought…I just met my guardian angel.

My cell phone rings, it flashes Crystal’s phone number, I answer:

Me: “hello?”
Crystal: “hey, Tom found the number, he said get the car towed to Sears. We'll save some dinner for you”
Me: “Thanks but I don’t need the number, I am already on my way to your house, I’ll explain when I get there”

A complete stranger, my Angel, came and helped me that day. My “friends” didn’t want to be inconvenienced. That was ten years ago, at the time I was 21 and living in California, I had no family to call on, and I had relied on my “friends” for everything. Some friends they turned out to be.

This has been a part of Mama Kat's Writers Workshop Also this week she's helping host an online auction for some great causes, check out the auctions and place a few bids!!

Merry SITSmas!!!!

Time to celebrate SITSmas!!! This year my little elf below would like to wish you all a Merry SITSmas!

Baby Girl wishes you all a Merry SITSmas!!!

P.S. Check out the giveaway below!! Could make a great Christmas present for someone you know!

Giveaway for the Fisherman in your life!

I am blogging about this because the company in question, Summit to Stream Adventures, is near and dear to my heart...OK, so I own it with my husband, and we could really use some blogger and twitter followers. So if you want to enter a fun giveaway, (think Christmas gift here), then go vote for your Catch of the Year!