Slackerism and Wacky Weather

So I already skipped a day in my one blog a day. We'll blame my tendencies toward slackerism for that one. Yep, I'm a slacker. I blame the school system. School was always easy for me (I have a pretty unique learning style by the way, if I hear something, I generally learn it, which allowed me to work on the crossword during lecture rather than taking notes), so I never built up good study habits. This can be a problem in real life, because it's pretty easy for me to just get by.



Now, onto Wacky Weather. Arizona has two seasons, hot and not hot. The hot is sometimes interrupted with the monsoon. Lots of wind, some rain, lots of lightening. It can be fun. Right now, on the East side of the Valley, there's a pretty wicked storm going on. On the West side, not so much. The lightening isn't so fun anymore though. My Dad had the brilliant idea to tell my kids this summer that lightening can kill you. Now, they have mini panic attacks, even during heat lightening storms. My father told them that lightening will kill you by cooking you, and your brains fall out of your head. Thanks Dad. The lesson learned? Guys will make thoughtless parenting decisions even as grandparents. A Mom or a grandmother would never tell a child that lightening will cook you and make your brains fall out of your head (even if it is true), but a guy would totally do that, in a heartbeat.

Define Irony

The definition of irony- the guy who co-authored the book "100 Things to Do Before You Die" died at the young age of 47, when he fell down at home and hit his head.

I guess if any guy knew how to live each day as if it was his last, it would be him.

My Car is a POS

The thought of the day is that my car is a total POS, and I can't afford to buy a new one, so I'm stuck with it. The A/C is dying. It makes funny rattles. The clutch and or transmission is starting to go, and it smells funny. Admittedly, the funny smell isn't so much a mechanical defect as it is a result of my being a slob. But, the other issues are mechanical. Plus, it's Frank's turn to pick a new car, so I know we'll be getting a Ford Ranger or other small truck. Something totally useless, as we have three kids who will never be able to fit into a small truck. ARGH!

No More Babies

The thought of the day is that while part of me would love to have another kid, a larger part of me is really glad that I'll never have to live through the infant stage again.

Gingerbread

My first revelation is that gingerbread is good anytime of the year. Gingerbread, it's not just for Christmas time, it's for anytime.

The kids were bugging me all day to make cookies. I thought I had sugar cookie mix (don't start, I know it's super easy to make from scratch), but I didn't. Instead, I had two bags of peanut butter cookie mix that expired in 2006- they were pitched into the trash- and eight bags of gingerbread mix. I'm not sure why I had eight bags of gingerbread, but suffice to say, that's what was in the pantry, and why we made gingerbread cookies today, in August, when it was 100+ degrees outside.

Today I Turn 30

Today I turn 30. For some reason, this has become a source of stress for me. Maybe it's because it's really the end of extended adolescence. The beginning of real adulthood. This shouldn't be an issue for me. I've been financially independent (well mostly) for ten years. I've been married for eight years. I have a five year old, and two more besides that.

So, in honor of this momentous occasion, and inspired by my friend Sandy, I have decided to spend the year discovering new things. Now, unlike Sandy, I won't be attempting to try a new thing everyday, but I will attempt to be more introspective. I have set a goal for myself that I will blog daily, and try to find one thing each day that is a new to me concept or way of looking at something. Tonight, at the end of the day, I will be posting my first entry into the year of introspection. I'm not promising any huge breakthroughs or earth shattering ideas, but who knows? We all might learn something from this year.

Bring Back the Ford Escort

I'm interested in the SmartCar, but I have the burden of three kids. So, I've started to look at alternatives such as the Fit and Yaris.

During the late 1990's and early 2000's my Dad and I both drove Ford Escorts. Bare bones, manual transmission Escorts. And, even back then, in these very non-technological cars, we averaged 35 miles to the gallon. On some memorable long highway trips (Boston to Orlando, Boston to Baltimore) we got almost 40 miles to the gallon. Why not bring back the tried and true cars that ran well? My Dad's Ford ran for 11 years, and had over 200K on it before my brother ran it into a marsh. And, we're not car people who know how to fix things, so it wasn't like we provided extraordinary life support for these cars.

A Day In The Life Of A Quasi-Single Mom

Quasi-Single Mom- A Mom who pretty much single parents even though I have a husband. He's just never home. It's OK sometimes, because the house runs like I want it to run, with very few interuptions, but it gets lonely.

Today was a normal day. The older two were up by 7:00 AM. They don't even bother us in the mornings now. They just get up, go downstairs and watch Disney. Adeline, the oldest of the three, usually gets the drinks (she's quite skilled at pouring and correctly assembling sippy cups). I did yell this morning, because the TV was too loud, but other than that, it was good. Avery didn't start hollering until 8:00, so I actually got to sleep in (pathetic what passes for sleeping in when there are kids in the house). She hasn't started walking yet, or attempting to climb out of the crib, but it's only a matter of time. If the pattern holds true, I'll have her in a bed by the time shes a year and a half.

At some point around 9:30, Frank got up and went to work.

Around 10:30, Avery was ready for a nap. This meant the older two could go swimming. The swim was cut short though when they decided to throw rocks into my pool. They were promptly pulled from the pool and told to stay outside until they were dried off. Apparently, my sprinkler system is screwed up, because they came inside 45 minutes later and covered with grass and dirt from the sprinklers. Where was I this whole time? Hiding in my room, attempting to nap. Hey, we have fences, they're fine out back alone.

At 2:00, we made the weekly run to Walmart. I have to say, Walmart is evil. I really don't like it, but it's too cheap to bypass. Avery is still on formula, even though she's over a year, because of skin issues. This means that I'm still running to the store every two weeks or so to stockpile soy formula.

When we got home, Avery turned into evil child, and attacked her sisters over and over again. Anaya was the main target, since Adeline usually has the piece of mind to get up and out of reach. Avery likes to pull hair. Today was lots of hair pulling and head smacking, all the while yelling "Stop!" as she pulled. I used to think that Anaya was the devil incarnate, but Avery may be taking that title.

The final reprieve came at 8:00, when they finally went to bed. I settled on the couch to watch TV, capping off a pretty normal day in my life. It's after 11:00, and my husband still isn't home. I single parented all day.