I want a do over

OK, to say that this past week was bad would be a slight understatement.

In the past 5 days I had a sick child, missed two days of work, my laptop screen died, my period was late (due to stress Mom), I have spent the entire weekend planted on my couch studying, except for the 30 minutes I spent vomiting on Saturday (seems we've passed a virus through the house) and the few hours that I actually went to bed and slept, an old high school friend that found me through FB has a soon to be ex wife who is convinced we were having an affair (they live in Hawaii....I'd have to be pretty desparate) and now says she might sue me for interferring with a marriage. Ok, so that brief moment actually made me laugh. LOL I haven't seen this guy in 20 years and it seems in 8 emails we are suddenly having a hot, torrid affair. Oh the joys of insecurities. Hers, not mine!

So, that was pretty much my week in a nut shell and I'd really like a do over!! I'm tired, I'm stressed and I have some overachiever issues about passing this class. Super nice guy is out of town for the next 4 weeks which is good in some ways but definitely puts a damper on things. Singleness seems to be my destiny. Or perhaps there is some hunky fireman dying to raise someone elses four children just waiting on me to finish nursing school. A girl can dream, can't she? Sheesh

I've promised my kids to shut off this computer and watch a movie tonight and that is what I'm going to do. No more studying, no more blogging.....I just hope I don't fall asleep on them. Here's to a fabulous week!

Raising Albert Einstein MacGyver

My two babies who are 9 and 2.11 are in constant competition for the baby spot. Sydney is three times Paddy's size and yet daily he beats the crap out of her. The picture below pretty much sums up their relationship.
(Yes, that is Paddy beating his sister and NO I did not take the picture....their big sister did!)

The sad thing is we are such a cruel and unusual family that we all find great entertainment in this love/hate relationship the two of them share. (Syd even finds herself unable to stop laughing about it) They are both control freaks (God only knows where they get that from) but little man is STRONG WILLED and Syd is a bit of a pushover so she will always lay down and die in the end. I'm to the point now where I just sit back and laugh if I'm not in the same room. Of course, if I'm in the same room I try with all my might to maintain a straight face and discipline Paddy for being so mean and scold Syd for not taking a stronger stand for herself. After all, he is 2.11 and she is 10. I do believe she could take him if she tried. He verbally assaults her as well. Y'all have heard how verbally eloquent he is for one so young. Nothing gets past him. But what kills me is he is really a sweet child. He is loving and affectionate and kindhearted and adores his other big sister...there is just something about Syd that rubs him the wrong way.


Like right now, as I'm typing they are both downstairs. I hear everything that is going on but technically I am working (I am, really, I just took a moment to vent and blog) and I tell them I am not going to referee when I'm working. She is crying like a baby....I mean you would think that some giant man has broken into our house and is just beating the mess out of her. Its just Paddy. He is bossing her around and telling her what he wants to watch on TV and she is crying because she is sick of watching "his shows". Well, if you were obeying your mother and not watching TV right now this wouldn't even be an argument. I'm hearing screams of "Don't thay (say) that word, Thydney" (yes, Paddy has a lisp) "I want to watch Fireman Tham (sam)" "Change it now, Thydney" and now that he has gotten his way "Tank you Thydney". Now Sydney is threatening to tell on Paddy....OMG...I'm about to cry I'm laughing so hard..."Peease don't tell Sissy, I'll be nice." What a manipulator. (OK, I heard you all screaming, "Get off your lazy arse and go parent!!!!!" I did and now I'm back.)

He has a birthday coming up very soon and the big topic of discussion is "Who is coming to Paddy's party?" So far, his dad, myself, his "Bubba" and "Gunny"(which is his stuffed bear). Lets see.... the shark and the snake (no idea) and some friends from school. But you can bet your bloomers he has told Sydney one million times, "You can't come to my berfday". Of course, he has told me that a few times also. I swear he gets it from his dad's gene pool because none of the other children acted like this when they were his age. He crawled out of his crib before he could walk, I had to special order 48" gates in order to keep him from flipping head first down the stairs. That took about two weeks for him to learn to scale. He learned to unlock the deadbolt when he was about 26 months old. Figured out how to get past the child locks on the kitchen cabinets around the same time.....this was of course after he learned how to open the gate that I put up blocking him from entering the kitchen at all. Oh yeah....and did I mention he now knows how to unbuckle his car seat harness???? On the bright side.....he did potty train early because he was excited about climbing up on a stool and standing up to pee....the thrill of having permission to climb on something was all the motivation he required.

So, if anyone has any experience parenting a strong willed, verbally astute, extremely intelligent three year old with the ingenuity of MacGyver who kicked his big sister out of her baby status ........I welcome any words of wisdom you may wish to bestow upon me.

Padraigisms

My conversation with Paddy on the way home today:

Padraig: Why didn't you pick me up on the bike today?

Me: Because it was 105 degrees outside.

Padraig: Oh, I wanna go to Starbucks.

Me: No, its too hot outside, we need to go home.

Padraig: Its not hot at Starbucks.




I have been going out with a super nice guy for a few months now. He has never been married and has no children of his own and he hasn't met my children yet. He travels quite a bit with his job and he is currently out of the country. Well last night we were on a video call and Paddy came in and started talking to him. (What a non threatening way to meet the kids. LOL) In the progression of this extremely entertaining conversation super nice guy says to Paddy, "Hey man, have you had a bath?" and Paddy nonchalantly responds, "No, its not Wednesday."



And one of my favorite Paraigisms: We were snuggling on the couch one day and he leans his head on my shoulder and looks up into my eyes and says, "You're a good woman, Mom. And you can cook."

Happy Monday.

Summer B

What a day. I took a final exam today and finished up one of my favorite classes in the nursing program to date. In celebration, some of my fellow students and I went to lunch and had a few drinks or three or four and then had to return to school to take one more exam. I must pat myself on the back. It seems that taking these computerized national exams with a little buzz works very well for me. I scored far above the national average and made THE highest score on campus. (Yay me! And yay Mojitos and Margaritas!)

I cannot believe I am about to begin my second to the last class in nursing school! I never thought I would say this but wow, its gone by quickly. This is going to be a lightning quick semester. Only seven weeks. We start full throttle. I'll have the dreaded "Dosage Calculation" test the first week. For those of you who don't know what that is......well, its a crazy tactic nursing school uses to make us nervous, frantic and self-doubting. You have to make a 95 to pass this test. (Which is a good thing considering the fact that nurses do deal with meds that could potentially kill someone if administered at an incorrect dosage!!!!) but I digress.....if you don't pass this test, well, then you're out of the program. So, you see why our level of stress would be so high?!?!? (and thus in need of alcoholic beverages after a final exam) The funny thing is that once you're an RN and you're on the floor you get to use calculators, other RN's to verify your math and drug guide books to make sure you're dosing correctly. Hmmm....again, see why I think it is just some crazy tactic used to scare us to death?!?! Anyway....I'm rambling. After dosage calc test we will then begin having one exam a week, two days a week of 11 hour clinical days and one 8 hour day of class. I also still have my regular job, my old lady sitting job and my four kids. Thank God its only 7 weeks. Seven weeks......I've had migraines last longer than that! I've stayed in bad relationships longer than that. Heck, I've been pregnant four times and that's way longer than 7 weeks.......I can do anything for 7 weeks.

A tribute to dad

I have very mixed emotions about this day. I lost my dad 7 years ago to cancer and I'm very sad to not have him with us for this special day. My dad was a Marine for many years, decided he was too old for that and after years in the civilian world joined the FANG as a weekend warrior and returned to active duty after forced into retirement at his civilian job. (Wow! I just covered 36 years in ONE very long run on sentence!!!) We all think our dad is the best whether he really is or not but mine really was! His men thought so and the outpouring of praise and respect he received during his lifetime, his battle with cancer and his eventual loss to it were truly amazing. In honor of my daddy and his absence this Father's Day I thought I would share a poem with you all that one of his men, Greg wrote for his retirement dinner.

"Hail to the Chief"

We're all here tonight, not to say goodbye,
But to pay tribute to Chief Sanders, one hell of a guy,
A stranger to no one, a good friend to many,
I thought of bad things to say, but there just aren't any.

A long and prosperous career that lasted many years,
Tonight we honor you and give you three cheers.

He started in the Marines, a young fighting man.
Learning to storm the beaches and crawl through the sand.
I'm sure the Marines were excited, but didn't know what was in store,
the day he showed up as a member of the Corp.

He completed his training, preparations no more,
When one day he found himself on a planed headed for war.
The jungles of Vietnam called a young Marine named Jim.
If you needed a partner in a foxhole, you would surely want him.

After many courageous battles, in one terrible fight,
His comrades beside him faced a terrible sight.
A day we all fear, every solder thinks of it,
Charlie got lucky, Sanders was hit.

With prayer he would recover, with no pity of fret,
For this sacrifice, Chief, your nation is in debt.

Now as he grew older, gained wisdom and knowledge,
From the school of hard knocks, not university or college.
He got out of the Corp and set a new course.
We are glad that he joined the Horse.

He's a great leader, the best I've ever seen,
Some day he's too hard, some say he's too mean.
He puts his people first, you know the kind.
No matter the danger, he won't leave you behind.
Looking out for his troops, that's his number one task,
But do what's expected, or he'll be on your ass.

All seriousness aside, now lets talk about,
The good times we had, the times we went out.
We've been many places, some far and some near,
Worked hard, saw some sights and shared a few beers.
Deployments around the world, emergencies in state,
Air bases in country, Aviano, and this year Kuwait.

Your legacy will be strong, and a few things may change,
But without you Chief, things won't be the same.
You're so special to us, we don't want you to go
We know you can't stay forever, or we would make it so.

So this day is special, a memory no doubt.
For no one will forget the day Chief Sanders got out.

So enjoy your retirement, may it be peaceful, long and full of joy.
Good luck, best wishes from "The Lake City Boys".
Show all

Because I said so

Ok, my 2.11 year old is laying in bed with me. MY BED!! He wants to eat watermelon. I said no. He wants to watch TV. I said no. I told him, "You need to lay down and go to sleep, its nine o clock!" he says, "You're mean." "I'm mean? Why?" I kid you not he says to me, "Because I said so."

You can't make this stuff up.

Just like any other day

Today I woke up tired, just like any other day.

Today, I studied, just like any other day.

Today, I worked, just like any other day.

Today, I battled with the kids, just like any other day.

Today, I felt guilty, just like any other day.

Today, I felt alone, just like any other day.

Today, I worried about how I was going to pay all the bills, just like any other day.

Today, I cooked three meals for four kids, just like any other day.

Today, I raised my voice at least four times, just like any other day.

Today, I refereed fights, just like any other day.

Today, I wondered if all this hard work is worth it, just like any other day.

Today, I dreaded dishing out discipline, just like any other day.

Today, I cried because I missed my dad, just like any other day.

Today, I regrouped, just like any other day.

Today, I laughed as I watched my girls being silly, just like any other day.

Today, I said, it is worth it, just like any other day.

Today, I smiled when I saw my older boy "fathering" my younger boy, just like any other day.

Today, I said, get over yourself, just like any other day.

Tomorrow, I'll get up and do it all again, just like any other day.

Post Office and Pockets

A few months ago Paddy and I had a cute little incident I failed to share. We were out running errands and made a stop at the post office. We mailed our package and went back out to get in the car. I threw my purse in and got him all buckled up in his car seat and realized I couldn't find my keys. I'm digging in my purse and through the piles of "kids stuff" in my car..... no keys. Paddy pipes up, "what ya doin mommy?" to which I reply, "looking for my keys son." He says, "I dot yo keys". I, of course, ask "where are they", " I dunno". I ignore him and the searching resumes. This goes on for a few minutes until this man comes out from the post office asking if he could help. Then he just stands there looking at me like I'm an idiot. He then asks me if its okay if he looks in Paddy's pocket. At this point I didn't care where he looked. "Look away moron", was what I was thinking. Well, what I didn't know was that while we were inside this man noticed that I dropped some change and he saw Paddy pick it up and put it in his pocket. Sure enough.......the man looks over the car at me jingling my keys and smiling. The little monster had them in his pocket. He squeals out in laughter and in his two year old language says...."I dot yo tees, momma! Dey in my potit".

This leads me to another pocket story......I'm learning to empty his pockets before I wash his pants...God only knows what I'm going to pull out one day. Last Sunday we went to Mom's for dinner or just to hang out (don't remember). I got home that night and was putting a load of clothes on to wash and reached in to Paddy's pocket and found two quarters, a dime and a $20 bill. I called mom and Barry and said, are you missing anything.....they laughed and Barry went and checked his office. Sure enough, the money he had in his office was scattered on the floor a sign that hurricane Paddy had blown through and helped himself to a little prize. The next morning Tyler asked Paddy if he took Granddaddy's money and Paddy giggled and said, "uh-huh, wots of it".

Moral of the story....if Paddy comes to visit make sure you make him empty his pockets before leaving. :)

Kids say the darndest things

"Mom, life could be so much worse. You could have eighteen kids, no arms and a lazy eye." Tyler, 13....on encouraging words for mom.

"Well, actually, Mom, I would like to speak to my dad." Paddy, 2.10...given two choices and speaking to his dad was not one of them.

"You drive me crazy, Mom." Paddy, 2.10...feelings about not being able to go to Starbucks and get mini scones and "cow juice".

"Don't be sad, get Glad!" Lyndsey when she was 4 and found me crying while doing dishes
(Perhaps she watched a bit too much TV back then)


Trust me...there are so many more where those came from. These just happened to be ones that I reflected on today and laughed.

Signs that summer is here......

84 degrees at 7:00AM

Mosquitoes the size of humming birds

Thunderstorms every day at 3

Raining on one side of the road and not the other (I swear it happens)

Kids sleeping 'til 12

Tan lines

Electricity bills of astronomical proportions

Sore throat from yelling at the kids for running in and out of the house

Cereal for dinner more nights of the week than I care to admit

A little introduction

I am a single mom of four kids. "And you consider yourself sane?" you ask. Yes...more or less. I have a teenager, two pre-teens and a toddler. For those of you who don't think God has a sense of humor....just follow my blog. I started nursing school in May of 2006 and find it hard to believe that I will be graduating in 183 days!! I work full-time and I try to maintain something that slightly resembles a social life. I'm finding that harder and harder given the fact that, well, I'm slammed and all my girlfriends are getting married left and right. Its funny how once a girl gets hooked up with a man her girlfriends are no longer a priority. That's a blog for another day.

I've been divorced for ten years so yes, you math geniuses that means my "toddler" is not from my marriage. He is from a different relationship and again....that's a blog for another day. I have two boys, two girls and I'm really impressed with how well they are all dealing with the challenges of being raised by a single mom who is committed to so many other things. They will fill this blog with tears and laughter of that, I am quite sure.

So, strap on your seat belts and see if you can keep up and remain Sane and Single.