Maranda Under Stress

Overwhelmed

2009-08-06T14:29:00.000-07:00

Seems some things have changed since my last post. Wrong diagnoses for, oh, 9 years. Wrong meds for, oh, 7 years. He really still has no desire to do much of anything fun. Well, that hasn't changed. He turned 12 in July. But that isn't the worst part. Can't really talk about that now. I only have my hunches and no proof yet. Hopefully soon I'll be back. And maybe one of these days, I'll find my sense of humor again.

A Long Summer Ahead

2009-06-04T14:13:00.000-07:00

HELP... PLEASE... If anyone bothers to read this, I could use some suggestions. Really.

It's the end of the school year. Last day was today. Monday is report card pickup day. A whole hour left of school.

Elderspawn got home at 3:30 and I'm already getting the ol' I'm bored mom. And, no matter what I suggest, things I plan for the summer nothing is any good to him. I even suggested he attend some camps this summer. Instead, he prefers to argue with me and carry on about how bored he is.

Any suggestions for a near 12 year old boy who expresses very little to no interest in hobbies, sports, music or any type of fun or recreational activities whatsoever? The only thing he cares about are his video games.

Oh, I forgot to mention that he has ADHD, TS, and BPD NOS. It's very difficult to get him to do much of anything and I could really use some ideas on what would be good for him to do this summer.

His interests? Video games and BB guns. HELP!!

A Beautiful Day For A Park

2009-06-03T15:09:00.000-07:00

Field trip day. We hopped the school buses at the school and headed to the train station in Harvard today.

The big train ride:

All of the kids thought it was really cool to ride on the top level of the big
Metra Train! They rode the train all the way from Harvard to Crystal Lake. About a 20 minute ride. And they all sat still and in their seats!

They met the buses at the train station in Crystal Lake and reloaded all 4 Kindergarten classes and headed to the Veterans Acre Park. We spent the whole day at the park. Most of the time the kids played on the playground epuiptment. After lunch we took a nice leisurely stroll around the pond, crossed the bridges, up the hills, around the curving bends and landed on the boat launch. Then, they played on the playground some more before it was time to play some games.

The boat launch:

Before they could play games though, all the kids had to roll down the big steep hill to get to the area where the games were at.

That big, steep hill:
I was about half way down when I snapped the pic so it was bigger than it looks!

First they played duck duck goose, then they played with a really big parachute and last they got to play with bubbles. Then we took a nice leisurely stroll back up that big steep hill so the kids could play on the playground even more!

When it was time to leave, youngerspawn asked me if I could take him to a park when we got home! It simply amazes me how much energy one little six year old has in him! That little boy played hard!

All in all it was a nice, leisurely day at the park for us adults. We got to sit around chit chatting most of the time while the kids played together.

It was also very successful day I might add. No fights broke out, no broken bones occurred, no blood spurted out anywhere, no eyeballs popped out of their sockets, not one single kid took a header into the pond and we returned with as many kids as we left with!

And all the kids had a blast together!

A beautiful day indeed!

Youngerspawn And Upcoming Field Trip

2009-05-15T22:58:00.000-07:00

In a couple of weeks, youngerspawn gets to ride on a train and go to a park to play and have activites for his fieldtrip. This time I get to chaperone and plan on going with him. They didn't take any chaperone's on Elderspawn's fieldtrip. Bummer. I really would have liked to gone to Medeival Times again. It's been years since the first time I was there.

Hopefully it won't rain the day of the fieldtrip. YS is really looking forward to riding on a train for the first time!

*Crossing fingers*

Elderspawn And His Fieldtrip

2009-05-15T22:45:00.000-07:00

ES and all of the other 6th graders from his school got to go on a fieldtrip to Medieval Times.

This morning I had told him about the show that they put on there such as jousting on horseback, sword fighting, etc.

Now, having gone to many reinactments with his dad, I figured this would be something he would really enjoy.

Yeah, not so much. Seems that they no longer include a beverage with the meal that was $21.00, a reduced rate because they had a fundraiser for this trip. You have to pay for the drinks seperately. Mom didn't know this, didn't send money with him and he ended up having to drink a bottle of water instead.

The announcer was way too loud for his taste. He said he was screaming over the microphone. But you have to be loud for everyone in the audience to hear you, right?

As for the show, well it wasn't "educational" enough for him. I had told him this morning that it was just a show and it was for fun.

Welp, so much for Medeival Times and Elderspawn! Next.

Updates On The Spawn

2009-05-15T22:22:00.000-07:00

Youngerspawn ended up getting glasses. Seems he's far sighted, has astigmatism and his right eye is turning inward. His distance vision is 20/100 in his right eye and 20/200 in his left. Worse than I had thought. He got his glasses with transitioning lenses however they aren't dark enough for him when he goes outside so I have to take him back in and have more tinting put in them and have them readjusted because he says they hurt the back of his ear.

Both spawn visited the dentist today and that was even worse news. You see neither one of them takes the best care of their teeth and rarely bother to brush them even though mom hounds them to do it at least twice a day (I'm really anal about nice, clean, teeth).

Youngerspawn, who still has all baby teeth, has 3 cavities on the left side and has to have them filled. Why, I don't know, but they're going to fill his baby teeth.

Elderspawn, who has many permanent teeth, has 4 cavities, 2 on each side, all in permanent teeth. One is so bad it's down to the nerve and he may have to have a root canal. Bad news - insurance doesn't cover root canals. They only cover exams, cleanings, fillings and extractions.

Lovely, just freakin' lovely. I really don't want to have to have it yanked out. It's one of his back teeth. He needs them.

Oh, and Elderspawn still has one of the cavity filled baby teeth that hasn't fallen out yet. That may have to be yanked out as well.

I just hope the whole ordeal of having to have shots of novacaine, teeth drilled out, filled, extractions or a possible root canal will teach the two of them to take better care of their teeth. Neither one of them believe me when I tell them that their teeth are going to rot out of their jaws if they don't brush them regularly.

Why won't kids listen to their parents!!??!!

My New Motto

2009-05-08T20:25:00.000-07:00

Beauty Tip Of The Day. I like it alot.

"All life is beautiful.
All humans are beautiful.
Only behavior makes one ugly."
Jeffrey C. Keene II

Wide Awake

2009-05-08T20:14:00.000-07:00

Ever since the flickering of that flaslight, in my eyes, in the middle of the night, during a really bad thunderstorm, followed by a roaring KABOOM echoeing through the room, and ending in loud meniacal laughter I seem to be petrified of thunderstorms.

Hmm...

Yet, I still wonder why???

Losin' Love

2009-05-08T19:58:00.000-07:00

Roses, what have I done to lose you as a follower? Please tell me. I have very few to begin with and it bothers me to see you leave and not know why.

Idiots Around Me

2009-05-08T18:58:00.000-07:00

Remember what I said in my last post about putting up and shutting up about some people I could live without in my neighborhood? Forget what I said about that!

Why you may ask? Well, some stupid friggen idiot lets her 3 or 4 year old little girl run out in front of moving vechicles.

My mom and I were heading back from the store across the street when this little girl ran right in front of my mom's car from behind a car parked on the road. My mom saw her in the nick of time to slam the brakes and have the little girl about 6 inches or less from her front bumper. The girl froze in her tracks, threw her arms in the air, closed her eyes and let out a scream.

The mother's reaction? She just stood there and never bothered to say a single word to her. The neighbor, who this little girl was coming from, again, just stood there and said nothing.

Well, we got to my place, I got out of the car, walked into the middle of the road and screamed at the time of my lungs that they need to watch their kids better than what they do otherwise they'll get smashed! Needless to say, I sure did get the attention of the four boys across the street from me who were playing basketball at the time. They stopped dead in their tracks while staring at me and were so quiet you could hear a pin drop. It worked on them! I'm sure everyone in that mobile home park heard me and stopped dead in their tracks, except that mother.

Now, if it were my kid, I'd be screaming bloody murder him to stop because a car is coming and he's about to become road kill. But then again, I've taught my kids how NOT to play in traffic cuz the chicken never wins cuz the moving vechicle outweighs him and can outrun him no matter what.

My Perspective-Through My Eyes

2009-05-08T18:10:00.000-07:00

To Graumagus: No password protection needed here. I'm an open book.

When I started this blog, it was supposed to be a fun outlet to me. Random crap that popped in my mind at any given time was posted. Most of it was pretty stupid stuff, I admit it, because I was so exhausted and stressed out all the time it's all my mind could come up with. That's why I chose to delete it when I restarted my blog.

Now, my posts are sporadic and I could careless if I post or not. Only when I really need to say something or something strikes my fancy or when I can find the time to sit down and write do I post. Being a single mom takes up most of time time nowadays anyways.

A quarter of the stress in my life is gone. Another quarter will be gone when things are finalized finally. Yeah, I've actually put a little weight back on. I badly needed it and I need more.

Another quarter has to do with the boys' medical problems worsening, having to get them taken care of and dealing with my cut in hours as well. Many people are getting their hours cut nowadays. It sucks big time.

The other quarter, well, I'll just have to deal with it. That won't go away for a long, long time. I won't get into that part right now. I may post about it. I may not. We'll see how things go from here on out.

To be perfectly honest with ya'll, I've never been more content and happy to be in my own home than I have been in years. I enjoy being home for a change. Of course a mobile home isn't some people's idea of a home, but, it's home to me. But there are a few people around here I could live without but you can get that anywhere you live. You just shut up and put up I guess.

Yeah, I've actually put a little weight back on. I badly needed it and I need more. I was down to 105 pounds and a measily size 4 jeans. I looked sick and gaunt. I'm starting to look better at 117 pounds. I'd like to be around 125 pounds again. I felt and looked healthy then. I'm slowly getting there and hope to be back there soon!

Laugh For The Day

2009-05-06T17:04:00.000-07:00

Seems my ex wants to start up a blog war about our impending divorce. Hell, I didn't even know that his blog was back up and he's starting a war with me!?! The least he could have done was invite me to join his war. I'd be happy join if that's the way he prefers things to be. I've bit my tongue for WAY too long and could stand to get few things off my chest as well.

Does he really have to bring my family into this? How about his family? Does he really want to go there? I'll go there if he wishes!

Honestly, all his blog looks like to me is one big porn site!

Bwahahahaha!!

Updates

2009-03-13T16:16:00.000-07:00

My house:

The smell has returned to normal and the crapper's working fine.

My son's grades:

He's managing to pull them up a bit. He still has a bit to go though.

My friend:

Well, she's doing the best she can. A cyst burst and caused the stroke, an infection and nerve damage. Plus she has a second cyst as well. But she's still managing to work though. But, no driving yet.

Things are a bit better in the house of Maranda.

Bummin' And Stinkin'

2009-03-06T21:27:00.000-08:00

Where I'm at and where I've been I really couldn't tell ya. I'm wiped out. It all started a couple weeks ago when my best friend called and told me she just got out of the ER after suffering a stroke and if I'd be able to give two of her four kids a ride to school in the mornings because they have no way of getting there otherwise. Of course I said yes. Two days ago she called to tell me that her MRI results showed that she either has a cyst or a tumor and it's crushing part of her brain, she can no longer drive or work and she has to go to a brain surgeon. That doctor might be able to get her in two weeks from now. Today she calls and tells me she's had two bloody noses and she never has bloody noses. Her mom, dad, brother and a niece or nephew have all passed away from different forms of cancer at young ages. Her sister is currently battling breast cancer. She's only 36 years old and a mom of 4. If you believe, please say a few prayers for her. She really needs them right now.

Needless to say, tonight's the first night I've been on the net for a couple of weeks. I'm wiped and hungry as I speak. A midnight snack sounds good. Mmm...

Now for my problems:

Today.... I had to take my car into the fixemup shop cuz something ain't right in the front end and the steering's goin' to hell. Sumthin's bangin' and poppin' and it's ridin' like a grain truck.

And Then....As soon as I get home and open my front door I'm greeted my the pungent aroma of shit. Yeah, you read that right. Shit. SHIT!!! Sent the boyz to grandma and grandpa's while I sat in my aromatic house and waited for the fixemup guy to come over and fix my crapper catcher. Seems the septic pipe under my trailer came apart and was leaking all underneath. It just needed to be glued back together. Probably from the weather. Whew! I'm glad it was him and not me under there. EWW! That's what I'm paying him for. Right? And the worst part was if I wanted to go anywhere I had to walk there cuz my car's in the fixemup shop too! Calgon, take me away!!!!

My 11 year old is pulling straight F's in school cuz he either doesn't get the homework home or just won't do it. So now his teachers are keeping him in from recess and after school to try and pull his butt out of it so he can pass the 6th grade. Needless to say he's lost all of his electronics in the house for the remainder of the school year. And possibly this summer if he has to attend summer school. Oh, hell, maybe forever. He's not arguing with his games anymore anyways.

My 6 year old has decided to start throwing major temper tantrums lately and stomping his feet. Ya know. Needless to say, he gets alot of timeouts. Then tonight he was trying to hook a dvd player up to his TV and knocked the damned TV on the floor. I doubt it works anymore.

I need a vacation. Alone. By myself. Yeah, sounds good to me. Or maybe just nice weather so the kids can get outside and blow the stink off of them.

Hey, on a brighter note....my house got a really good airing out and a that can of air freshener I sprayed all over my house helped. Thank goodness it was 60 and sunny today. And, I finally got my new ultra plush, pillowtop mattress and box spring set, after a 3 week delay. Ahh...a new bed. Now, where did I put that damn step stool so I can get in the damn thing!?! Hmm...

I'm still waiting on my new couch and recliner though. It'll be a month by the time I finally get the damn things. Oh, BTW, I bought some new furniture with my tax return money. Yeah, TV stand, coffee table and 3 end tables for my living room too. And they all match:) The couch and the recliner do too:)

Geez, it's after midnight. I'm tired. I'm heading to bed. Night night. Been a rough couple of weeks.

Poppity Pop Pop

2009-01-29T16:49:00.000-08:00

If I ever got married again this would be my dream gown. LOL! Made from balloons. I'd have to beware of all sharp pointy objects. Oh, I couldn't sit down either. I'd think it'd be a tad hot and sweaty too. Tee hee hee.

Old People And Me

2009-01-28T15:49:00.000-08:00

They're attracted to me like flies to stink. Swear to gawd.

At the store I've been asked about hemorroid creams, told about bowel problems, asked where things are located at, etc, etc. Like I know or really want to know.

But today, oh, today really takes the cake for me.

I'm driving down the road when all of a sudden this huge boat of a car starts to turn in front of me from where it was parked. In a split second decision I find myself in the oncoming lane of traffic to avoid t-boning him.

He keeps on coming at me. I swerve more. His front end swipes my passenger side and keeps going. Finally realizing what just happened, he backs up and returns to his original starting point so I pull into a parking spot on the side of the road I originally started from.

This little old man gets out of his car, walks up to me by my car and says I don't know how that happened, I didn't even see you there. I don't see any damage to my car. While standing there assessing the damage to my car I ask him for his insurance info. "Eh, you have to speak up. I'm hard of hearing."

Now, when things get to the point that you can't see. You can't hear. You should NOT be driving let alone a huge boat of a car.

At least his memory's intact though. He remembered he has insurance.

Girl Time

2009-01-26T14:06:00.000-08:00

Okay ladies time for some girl talk.

I feel like I've been drug through the mud girlfriends. I feel this way once a month and it's been for the past few years.

I go to a client's house and her son informs me that I look terrible like I haven't slept for a week.

Well, no, sir since you asked asked today is the first day of my period. I'm tired, drug out, bloated, cramping and I'm bleeding like a stuffed pig. Thanks for asking though.

Later on a girlfriend of mine stops by and tells me the same damn thing. I look like shit. Gee, thanks. She then informs me that I should have some surgery to scrape my uterus lining to stop my periods. Is that safe? Is that healthy? She's nuts.

My question to you ladies is this:

Do you think I should see a gyne after not having seen one in 6 years? Oh, I'm kinda crabby too and I've got the diarrahea! Ugh!

Supermom, Ahoy!

2009-01-22T19:05:00.000-08:00

The beginning - 6:15 - beep, beep, beep bam hit the snooze
Next thing I know - beep, beep, beep - peer out the window and what do I see? Sunlight. Uh oh, hit the snooze one too many times. It's now 7:15. First bus arrives in 15 minutes.

Can she do it? Why yes, yes, of course she can. She's supermom!
And it goes a little something like this:

"Oh, shit, I overslept. (running around like a chicken with its head cut off) ES, YS get up now, we gotta make those buses. We've got 15 minutes."

YS comes staggering out, mom throws clothes on him, wets down and brushes hair, whips the coat, boots, hat, mittens and backpack on, hands him a breakfast bar, gives him a hug and a kiss and sends him out the door in 10 minutes flat.

All the while ES has joined the fun by passing out cold on the living room floor. "Not gonna make it mom."

Oh, if supermom can do it once she can do it again. And she did. 10 minutes later ES is headed on his way with a breakfast bar and a can of orange pop in tow. Ummm, sugar, one of the 4 basic food groups!

Now she starts the race to get to work on time. Teeth, hair, deo, clothes, shoes, coat, purse, keys. Hmm...what's she forgetting? Oh, yeah a can of coca cola. Yeah, two of the 4 basic food groups. Sugar and caffeine. By now, she needs it. Forget the breakfast bar. And she's out the door in nothing flat arriving at work one minute early.

Man, am I good or what!?!

Such Is My Life

2009-01-22T18:49:00.000-08:00

As soon as youngerspawn walks through the door off comes the backpack, boots, coat, hat, mittens, shirt, pants, socks, underwear and then we don a fresh pair. Backwards as to give himself a wedgie.

Once elderspawn arrives home, he starts jamming to the tunes lounging around in his undies and youngerspawn is jiggling and wiggling about giving himself an atomic wedgie at this point. His undies are still on backwards.

What is with the male species and not wearing clothes?

The Male Species

2009-01-22T18:08:00.000-08:00

Males are absolutely amazing creatures no matter how young or old they be.

Tantalizing
Captivating
Mystifying
Intriguing

Yet...they can be so duh at times.

The age old question that burns though my mind is why do they insist in answering the door in their undies? Really?

Pssst, I have a secret

2009-01-11T21:39:00.000-08:00

Want to know what it is?

Sigh...

2009-01-11T21:15:00.000-08:00

Today wasn't much different than any other Sunday. Get up, fix breakfast, clean house, fix lunch, do laundry, fix supper, get homework done, get baths. Go to a monthly leader's meeting for scouts. Wait to use my computer because ES had to feed his Neopets and play his games.

Until...

I come home from my meeting. As soon as I walk through the door I hear:

YS: MAMA! ES STUCK MY HEAD IN THE TOILET!
ES: DID NOT! YOU STUCK IT IN THERE YOURSELF!
My mom: KNOCK IT OFF! grumble, grumble.
ES: I need to get on the computer!
ES: I need food!
ME: *shakes head* At least my toilets are clean.

Just Sayin'

2009-01-10T16:29:00.000-08:00

MySpace drools
Blogger rules

Another Email

2009-01-10T15:15:00.000-08:00

I must be in a really odd mood today. This really cracked me up:

A beautiful woman went to the gynecologist. The doctor took one look at the woman and all his professionalism flew out the window. He immediately told her to get undressed.

After she disrobed the doctor began to stroke her thigh. While doing so he asked her, 'Do you know what I am doing?'

'Yes,' she replied, 'You are checking for abrasions or dermatological abnormalities.'

'That's right,' said the doctor. He then began to fondle her breasts. 'Do you know what I am doing now?' he asked.

'Yes,' she said, 'You are checking for lumps which might indicate Breast cancer.'

'Correct,' replied the shady doctor. Finally, he mounted his patient and started having sexual intercourse with her. He asked, 'Do you know what I am doing now?'

'Yes,' she said, 'You're getting herpes which is why I came here in the first place.'

Cute Email

2009-01-10T15:01:00.000-08:00

Powdering Your Nose

A little boy and girl are playing in a sandbox. The little boy has to go to take a pee but he was told by his mother to always be polite and don't talk about private matters in public.
At first he holds it in for a little while because he does not know what to say to the little girl to excuse himself. Then he remembers what his Mom had said at the restaurant to excuse herself from the table. So he turns to the little girl and says,'Will you excuse me?
I have to go powder my nose'. And saying that he leaps out of the sandbox and runs to the washroom.

When he comes back the little girl looks up at him and asks, 'Did you powder your nose?'

'Yes,' says the little boy, stepping back into the sandbox.

'Well, then,' says the little girl, 'you'd better close your purse because your lipstick is hanging out.'

Don't be stingy on the smiles. Pass them on.

Careful what you say

2009-01-09T14:47:00.000-08:00

Our after school conversations go something like this...

My 6 year old starts hopping up and down while grabbing himself:

YS: "Mama I have a cramp in my weiner"
ME: "rubbing it will make it feel better"
*I did NOT just say that to my kid*
He runs to the bathroom holding his weiner
*Oh no, I did NOT just say that to my kid*
he returns butt ass neked
*I really did NOT say that to my kid*
YS: "Nevermind mama, I just hadta pee"
*huge sigh of relief*
ME: "glad to hear it kid."
ooohhh, I said that to my kid.

My prepubescent, preteen 11 year old

ME to ES: how was school
ES: "met a hottie on the activity bus home"
ME: "oh, who is she?"
ES: "dunno"
ME: "she doesn't have a name?"
ES: "dunno, but she's a hottie and she's in high school"
ME: "of course she's a hottie cuz she's in high school"
ES: "just cuz you're in high school doesn't make you a hottie mom"
ME: "she's too old for you"
ES: "but, I'm single mom"
ME: *blink*

Where Have I Been?

2009-01-09T14:29:00.000-08:00

On a roller coaster ride from hell.

Past year:

Computer: fried
Car: dies
House: bye bye
Hubby: no more

Since September:

I'm livin' large in a 3 bedroom mobile home
New computer - with dialup internet
New job - needing a better one
New car - trashed by the boyz

Today:

I had to send a lady to the ER today. Possible TIA.

My mom informs me that her CT Scan showed she has polyps and a tumor the size of a golf ball. Her gyne doesn't think it's cancer yet he wants me to come with to her next app to meet and speak with me about it.

I didn't know anything about a CT Scan and if it's nothing major why am I being involved? Something's up.

So, girlfriend, there I've been and here I am.

New Beginnings

2009-01-07T20:15:00.000-08:00

A new blog.

A new me.

The best is yet to come.

Stay tuned....

Gone For A Bit

2007-09-17T08:49:00.000-07:00

No job right now, no internet right now. Be back soon, I hope.

Oh Wait.....

2007-09-08T17:50:00.000-07:00

...I found a silver lining in my dark cloud. While at the store today, I ran into one of the moms from my scout pack. While standing chatting with her I peered into her cart and what do I see? 4, count them, 4 boxes of NIX. Yup. Seems she found head lice on her youngest child, who is 3, today. Seems she may have gotten it from some other kids in the neighborhood.

I feel sorry for her. She has 3 kids. What a nightmare. At least I don't have THAT to contend with! Yet.

I Need To Update........

2007-09-08T17:27:00.000-07:00

.....but I just feel blah right now. Youngerspawn went to school the following week. Then - a week after the camp out, he started running a fever - for 3 days straight. He got the chest congestion and runny nose. Then on Monday, Labor Day, his nose bled. A lot. Finally, off to the doc we went only to be told he had Impetigo with a localized staph infection in his sinuses. And an upper respiratory infection. UGH! Poor baby. But to my misunderstanding, I had thought Impetigo was a skin infection causing a rash. Silly me. Not so with the localized type. I'm pretty sure that from camping out in the damp and cold his defenses were down and when he went to school someone was sick and he got it that way. He's on antibiotics now and slowly getting better, but the antibiotics are making his tummy feel icky and he's still not eating a whole lot.

Elderspawn got some of the chest congestion as well but he fights it off a whole lot easier. He never ran the fevers either. I lucked out and didn't get sick but there were a few others who did that were out there that weekend. This just teaches us not to go camping in the cool, wet weather, eh!?!

Elderspawn's loving school, he has a few new crushes this year already, and has had a ton of homework almost every night thus far. At least I've learned my son isn't gay :)

I finally heard from the bus company I had applied at. Seems all the full time positions are filled and they're only offering 20 hours a week IF they don't get the positions filled in beforehand. Needless to say, I turned them down. Oh well, I'll keep on hitting different places. I'll see if I can come up with something better than what I have now.

Sorry folks, that's all I've got in me right now. Maybe I'll be better writing later.

What A Catch

2007-08-26T16:02:00.000-07:00

What a blast the spawn and I had this weekend. From pitching our newly bought tent, to camping in the cool damp rain, to tying knots, fishing, hiking a good 5 miles, to tearing down our newly bought tent soaking wet! We had fun!

Youngerspawn was out there Friday afternoon, all night Friday night and all day Saturday until about 5 p.m. Then my dad called and asked if he wanted to come over and spend the night with them. He fished, played hard, got all muddy and soaking wet but never tired out. He decided to spend the night with my mom and dad Saturday night. Everyone in the pack knows him as and calls him pigpen. And everyone kept an eye on him. We've had over 12 inches of rain just in the month of August this year and our rivers are over flowing. And we were camping out right on the river's edge.

Elderspawn and I went with our Webelos group. We completed achievements, earned belt loops, built a council campfire and had a blast together.

A council fire. A little lopsided, but boy did it burn good and hot for making S'mores over Saturday night.

The most fun and excitement came when one of the members from our pack, who is an Eagle Scout himself, yells for us all to come over. Then he proceeds to show us his catch of the day. A snapping turtle. The boys thought it was really cool. They learned were taught not to get near one though, as they have very long necks and very strong jaws and can crush your bones should one get a hold of you.

Sorry it's head turned out so blurry but that sucker was in action! That's the hand of the Eagle Scout holding onto it's tail. The only area you can hold onto one where they can't get a hold of you!

Welp, I've got a ton of laundry to do. At least the gear's all cleaned up and put away! TTFN!

But Mom's Not Ready

2007-08-22T17:54:00.000-07:00

It's already here. It's that time again. School. The spawn go back tomorrow. Shit. I'm not ready. Normally it's the parents who are ready to shove the kids out the door. Not me. Normally the kids don't want to go back yet. Not my spawn. They were ready a month ago. Hell, that's all they've talked about for the past two weeks. School. Yippee!

I've been scrambling the past month trying to get everything both spawn needs for school. Registration fees (which went up $22.00 each this year), school physicals (one's in Pre-K the other's in 5th), clothes (pants needing hemming), undies, socks, shoes, school supplies, getting their bus schedules - youngerspawn's is screwed up as they have him in Kindergarten and going all day when he's in Pre-K going in the mornings only. Fuck. It is getting too expensive to send my kids to school anymore. Of course both of them outgrew all of their school clothes from last year so we had to start from scratch this year.

I had one hell of a time finding gym shoes for Elderspawn. 4 different stores. He wears a size 5 and the shoes can't be black soled. And he can't tie shoes. Yeah right. Try to find something that will fit that bill and not be a shoe that has to be tied. He's 10 and isn't able to tie shoes because of his medical issues. We ended up with a pair with black soles that are non-marking and they slip on and off. They'll just have to deal with it. He ended up with a pair that ties to wear to school. Grau will have to help him with them in the mornings.

Tomorrow I'm going to have to take the day off of work and go up to Elderspawn's school to set up his lunch account and get him settled in. It's supposed to be raining even more all night long and I'm not letting him stand out in the rain with a backpack stuffed full and a bag with his gym shoes in it. Then I have to take Youngerspawn to his school to meet with his teacher on the first day of school. We have to bring in all his school supplies tomorrow too. He then will start on Friday. I also have to fix his bus schedule with his school as they were the ones who screwed it up in the first place.

Oh, and this weekend (starting Friday after school through Sunday morning) is our annual Cub Scout Pack Campout. Yeah. The weekend right after school starts. Shit. Now I'm scrambling to try and get everything put together for that shindig. Thanks a lot guys. We couldn't have done it earlier this month, huh!?!

I think I've managed to get everything they need to start off with. If not, it looks like yet another trip to the store for me.

Laughing Out Loud

2007-08-14T14:17:00.000-07:00

Okay, I finally did it. I went and applied for a bus driving position today. Now, some people think I'm out of my ever loving mind putting up with screaming banshees on a school bus and disgruntled parents all day long but I beg to differ. If I can deal with what I do on a daily basis I can do this, piece of cake. Not to mention the fact that I have selective hearing. I can tune out a whole bus load of screaming banshees especially because when I'm in a crowd I don't hear one single person speaking if more than one are speaking at a time. Yeah, maybe I have cracked that much.

Basic requirements for the position:

1. Ability to be able to sit for up to 5 hours a day: I have no problems warming a seat with my ass. I'd welcome it for a change.

2. Must be able to lift 35-40 pounds in and out of a bus seat if you drive a special education bus - 35-40 lbs. only!?! Holy shit!!!! Not sure if I can manage that light of an amount. **sarcasm**

3. Must be able to maneuver and adjust a wheelchair and a ramp: Hell, If I had to, I could heave one on and off a bus, no problem. Know how many I've had to heave in and out of people's car trunks? I've even put them together and repaired them. Now, I've never had to use a wheelchair ramp before but I've helped get people on and off of them and have seen them used.

4. Must be able to get from the front of the bus to the emergency door in the back in a timely fashion: Ever see me run on a STAT call!?! I can move when I have to.

5. Must be able to push, pull or drag people up to 200 pounds: This would be rough but I've had to do mock evacuations and fire drills before and I can do it if I have to.

6. Must be able to climb up and down stairs, 3 at a time, on a school bus: For some people this would be very difficult but luckily I don't have any issues doing this.

7. Must be able to push the accelerator on a school bus: I'm sure it's quite different than in a car but once I get used to it I sure hope that bus has cruise control. LOL!

8. Must be able to set and release a parking brake repeatedly: Yeah, I can do it just fine, but it probably starts taking a toll on the elbow and shoulder. I do believe that it's a hand brake on a bus.

9. Must be able to push a clutch: Funny, it never said anything about being able to drive a manual transmission though. You've got to know how to shift gears correctly so you don't strip out that transmission. Most of the buses are now automatics and some even come with a/c.

10. Would you work overtime if asked: Um, working for an employer where 40 hours a week is taboo, yeah you bet I'd take some of that. But I'm not getting it all dumped on me.

Other than having a clean background check, a clean driving record, you're not an alcoholic, a drug addict or a sex offender these are what are required of you to do this job.

What had me laughing so hard, and yes I was laughing as I filling out the application, were some of the above top 10 requirements. Having been a C.N.A. for the past 13 years, this pales in comparison.

The best part is they do all of the classroom and driving training for one to obtain their CDL license. They even pay you $8.00 an hour while you're in the training classes (40 hours). It's not much, but it's better than having to do it for nothing. And they reimburse most of the cost for the CDL license as well.

F.T.A., Last Day, I Promise

2007-08-12T15:51:00.000-07:00

5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Let's get ready to crash, slam, boom Demolition Derby time at the fair. Youngerspawn and I headed out after the 3rd qualification heat but Graumagus and Elderspawn made it through the last one. They didn't stay for the grand finale heat or the two consolation heats because ES got hit in the face with a huge mud ball and decided they saw enough.

The blue car over against the wall is representing another local Cub Scout Pack. I thought that was cool and our pack needs to do this next year.

This car got slammed so hard from behind that it was sent up and over the huge cement block, knocking it over into the fence. The front end slammed the fence pretty hard finally coming to a stop as you see it in the pic. I would not want to have been one of the people standing on the other side of that fence.

This is a 1951 Farmall Model M tractor that my grandfather used on his farm. I remember driving this thing around the farm when I was a kid. It looks like hell but it still runs and it even still has a tin can on top of the smoke stack. He sold it since he's no longer able to do most of the farm work himself but I was able to find it amongst a bagillion other antique tractors out there and get a pic of it.

All in all is was a very hot and tiring yet fun week for me. The kids had a blast and for some reason not one single person irritated me at all. Usually I find at least one person who is so rude I just want to ram them over with Youngerspawn's stroller. I must just be getting more mellow as I get older.

And the spawn never once wanted to play games or go on rides today. The only ride to be had out there was one pony ride for YS. Heck, they never enough started squabbling out there today. I think they finally got faired out!

Driving Bus And Me

2007-08-11T16:56:00.000-07:00

Today I headed over to the Belvidere DMV office. Normally this office isn't overcrowded. Well, not so today. When I got there they were on # 46 and I was # 65. Seems all the teenyboppers who must have just finished their driver's education classes were there trying to obtain their very first driver's licenses. Obviously, they weren't taught to read in school because none of them had all of the required paperwork they needed to do it. One right after another they were turned away, heads hung low, to come back when they had the proper paperwork. They had all been given lists of what they needed to bring with them but obviously weren't instructed properly on how to read them.

Anywho, I went there to obtain my bus certificate. I have to have one before I can apply for a school bus driving position. 40 minutes later my number was finally called. When I approached the lady behind the counter I simply stated that I would like to get my bus certificate. A simple glazed and dazed look was all I got in response. This woman, who works for the DMV, had no friggen clue what I was talking about. It was as if I was speaking a foreign language she didn't understand.

When she was finally able to speak I get: "What are you here for again." Again, I repeated myself then told her I needed it in order to apply for a job. This time, I also told her who I was applying for and that I needed 2 forms instead of just the 1. Again the same exact glazed and dazed look I got the first time. Luckily, the man standing next to her heard me the second time and knew exactly what I was talking about and what I needed.

After she examined my driver's license and got everything punched into the computer she sent me over to yet a second line to have the forms printed out and I pay the $12.00 fee there.

I get over there and the man behind the counter asks me if she examined my driver's license and if the certificates were for work or for court. Ummmm, work. Nope, no traffic infractions. No DUI's. See! Look at my driving record. All it says is "end of report." Nothing there.

Well, now this means I can go and apply on Monday. If I get hired then I'll have to head over to the Rockford DMV, which I prefer to call the clusterfuck, to take the written and driving tests to obtain my CDL. Plus, there's an additional written test to take for a bus driver CDL. It's either there or in DeKalb. I'll take Rockford since I don't know anything about DeKalb. And I'm nervous because I don't fair well with written tests. This should prove to be interesting, to say the least.

Again, wish me good luck! I'm gonna need it!

Fair Time, Already, Yet Another Day

2007-08-11T15:54:00.000-07:00

My mom and I decided to head back out to the fair for a bit today. We weren't out there as long today though. We go every year on Saturday for the delicious grilled bbq chicken dinner they have. ES, my mom and I all got 1/2 chicken with coleslaw, and a dinner roll. I had a baked potato with mine and ES and my mom had french fries. The $7.00 cost of the meal also includes a drink with it and they provide as many condiments as you desire. My mom and I shared our meals with YS as he doesn't eat a whole lot in one sitting. He's more of a muncher. They gave us an extra plate, plasticware and a dinner roll for him. I already had a drink for him. ES sure did some damage to his dinner. He ate all the chicken, coleslaw and half of his fries. I ate his dinner roll and all of my dinner. I sure know how to put away the food!

Pigpen Youngerspawn living up to his nickname. After I took this pic, what remained of that chocolate ice cream cone ended up all over his shirt, shorts and shoes. I said "welp, looks like we have to leave now." In response I get "nope mama, you brought me extra clothes, 'member!?!" This is actually pretty mild though. He wasn't given the nickname of pigpen lightly. He attracts filth. He's all boy! And he's all mine.

Pigpen 2 Elderspawn with the remnants of his chocolate ice cream on his chin. He managed to keep his clothes fairly clean today. A couple of grass stains is all. Today was the first day his sinuses were pretty cleared up. Must have been allergies. Thank goodness. He was all for game playing today as mom didn't have enough money for rides too.

Ponies Youngerspawn taking a leisurely pony ride all by himself. This was the first year he was able to hang on and stay in the saddle without me walking beside him. Elderspawn is past the weight restriction now to ride them. Sniff, sniff. My babies are growing up. I remember the pony rides from when I was a kid. I couldn't get enough pony rides!

Fair Time, Already Part Deux

2007-08-09T17:32:00.000-07:00

Today is Thursday, a dawn of a new day. When ES woke up this morning, his head and sinuses still plugged up, but not feeling warm. Again, it's also running down his upper lip and into his mouth, which must be open in order to breathe. I again blasted them open with the nasal spray and told him he should see a doc today. It could be 1. horrible allergies with the mold count being through the roof right now from the storms. But one usually doesn't run a fever with allergies. But if it is then the doc could give him better allergy medication than what he's been taking to help him feel better. 2. A sinus infection, which he would then need antibiotics to get over it. 3. Or just a plain miserable summer cold. This, unfortunately, must run its course.

Well, this is the response I get: "But mom, I feel fine." "I really want to go back out to the fair for kid's day so I can ride rides." "Please, mom, I'll be good out there."

Oh, geez, play the ole sappy I'll be good trick with me, would ya huh!?!

Well, geesh, of course it worked on me. The only response I could mutter was: "Are you sure you feel alright?" Knowing full well by looking at his eyes he really didn't. He had the black under his eyes from his sinuses being so plugged up.

Needless to say, we got out there about 1:30 this afternoon. We walked around for awhile, sat in the tent for awhile, YS and I ate while ES refused anything to eat at all. NOT my spawn again!

Around 3 ish YS is getting antsy to ride rides. My aunt gave us 12 leftover ride tickets she had and we headed out, this time it was just me and the spawn.

Well, ES and YS went on a bigger ride together then ES went on a ride by himself that YS is too little to go on. As soon as ES walks through the exit gate he tells me that he's done with rides. I KNEW IT. He's feeling like shit again.

Later on, after YS rode all the rides he wanted to ride and the spawn played a few games, we decided to head back to our tent for a rest. It was around 4:45 by now and the reduced rides end at 5:00 anyway. ES decided he was finally hungry and ordered some nachos and cheese. He ate half of it and said he was full. This is my kid who normally can put away 3 hotdogs on buns in one sitting and still want more. This kid eats me out of house and home :) Oh, so, NOT my spawn.

YS got an order of nachos and cheese as well only eating half of them and I got myself an elephant ear with cherry pie filling on top of it. Delicious!

We left the fair around 5:15 and after a potty break we arrived at the car about 5:30. I turned around in the car and told ES that the immediate care clinic is open until 9 or 10 tonight and I can still take him.

But, why mom, I feel fine is the response I keep on getting. This kid could have one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel before he'd admit to feeling sick enough to go to the doctor. I think I'm just going to have to hog tie and tar and feather that child and force him to go. Again he's all plugged up and starting to feel warm again. He really doesn't like doctors. He thinks they're all going to stick that swab in his throat for a strep culture.

Worst thing is, because ES wasn't his normal self, I didn't get any pics from the fair this year. I didn't feel like bothering with the camera. And this year he was too tall to ride the smaller rides with his brother, the ones he was willing to ride because he really felt that shitty........

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that this morning YS woke up really early, snuck downstairs, got a hold of my salt water taffy and damn near devoured a full pound of the sticky stuff. And he never got sick on it. Explains why he didn't eat a whole lot at the fair.....

Fair Time, Already

2007-08-09T16:58:00.000-07:00

This week is the annual Boone County Fair. As you can see by the pic on the website, our fair is huge. It's the second largest in Illinois only smaller than the Illinois State Fair itself.

Of course it is the big hurrah for the spawn to go to. It's pretty much the last biggest thing we do during the summer, except we'll be camping out in a couple of weeks with the scouts, before school starts back up.

Yesterday and today were both kid's days where the rides are reduced. Yeah, at our fair each ticket costs $1.50 and some of the rides take 5 tickets each to ride on for a total cost of $7.50 a pop. This is why we go on kid's days only when it only takes one ticket per ride.

Yesterday, we got out there around 1:00, an hour after the rides started up. The spawn were all gung ho to get going on those rides, but alas mom simply told them "not until I have our old time photo taken of us first. I want you boys clean!" We got through that and headed out to the midway. I bought 10 tickets for $15.00 for rides figuring if I needed more I could always get more later. Good thing I only got 10 of them cuz Elderspawn decided to start feeling icky and only rode 1 ride, went through the crazy fun house then proceeded to hand me the rest of his tickets while telling me to give them to Youngerspawn. THIS IS NOT MY SPAWN!!!! He would NEVER share his tickets with his brother.

After I managed to burn through the remainder of the ride tickets and the spawn played a handful of games, we headed off to get a bite to eat. Corndogs for me, YS and my mom and hotdogs for ES. Then we all decided we all needed some creme puffs. I think they keep making them things bigger every year! YS had problems eating all of his, so I got to finish his off as well. Delicious.

We walked around a bit, YS, my mom and I had some roasted ears of bi-color corn but not ES he refused his favorite vegetable, especially on the cob, bought some candied mixed nuts for Graumagus, some salt water taffy for me and decided to call it a night. It was around 6:30 at this time and ES just wanted to go home at this point. Again, this is NOT my spawn!

As we were leaving, YS decided that some ice cream would hit the spot. Again NOT being my spawn, ES refused his favorite chocolate ice cream. I finally convinced him to get some but in a bowl and not a cone, less to eat that way, and he did and enjoyed it.

By the time we got home, ES's sinuses and head were so plugged up he wasn't getting airflow through his nose whatsoever. And the mucus was dripping down his upper lip and into his open mouth. I had to blast them open with some really strong nasal spray. Later on he started feeling warm so I had to add some Tylenol to the mix.

I decided to call off work and take him to the doc today. Well.......

Power Outage

2007-08-07T15:14:00.000-07:00

It's around 1:30 a.m. and I'm suddenly awakened by very sharp and rapid lightening. The thunder is a very low, growling roar. All of a sudden there's one loud clap of thunder then returns to the previous.

At 2:05 a.m. Grau returns home from work to discover our power is out. Then he proceeds to tell me about the weather.

About 5:40 my phone starts ringing off the hook. "This is work with a courtesy call. Are you able to get out of your garage?" I say, "No problem, considering I don't have a garage" after stumbling in the pitch darkness of my home to get to my phone, hurting myself. "Well, you be really careful coming in this morning. If we don't see you by 6:30 a.m. we're sending out a search party. Rockford's had well over 8 inches of rain so far." I say, "This is a good theory and all, but if it's that bad out who are you going to be sending out my way!?!" "Not to mention the fact there's a total of 6 nursing staff employees on duty on 3rd shift, two nurses and 4 aides." Who would they spare and who'd be crazy enough to do such a thing!?! Nah, I'd be floating along my merry little way, down the road, in my minivan. Thanks for the setiment but I tend think they were just calling to make sure that I was awake and coming in to relieve them.

Right before I head out the door, Grau confirms the conditions in Rockford and tells me to be really careful driving to work. I know he's just looking out for me but...

Honestly, I didn't take too much stock in the warnings because Rockford was hit hard and bad and usually we don't get anything as near as severe as they do. That, and I really didn't want to scare myself more while concentrating on driving. Thank goodness I was correct in my assumptions. I took it slower than usual in case of flooding, but the road was just wet and not really slick.

The rainfall out here barely left standing water in the ditches although we took quite a pounding ourselves. I guess we're lacking in rainfall because it was soaking into the ground pretty well. I've been told at least one family lost their house and both of their vehicles to flooding in Rockford. There were also reports of vehicles floating down the roadways due to the flooding. And now they're concerned that the dam at Aldeen Park in Rockford won't hold much longer and will flood the area. Yeah, Rockford got hit much harder I'd say.

Anyways, I had to turn my bright lights on to pull into the parking lot at work. There are barricades all over the place due to massive road construction, the barricades nearly block off the driveway to my work, and both sides of the road have huge drop offs that have all been dug out that are a tad rough to hit. Then I quickly realize it's darker than pitch out there, the lights in the parking lot aren't on and I can hear the backup generators running outside.

Shit.....we have no power in a nursing home. The backup generator doesn't put any lights on in the rooms, the dining room, the kitchen (but the oven works), very few lights work in the hallways, few work at the nurses station, no hot water because the water heaters are electric, there's no a/c, the stench permeating throughout the building is enough to gag a maggot, and we can't flush the toilets due to lowered water pressure. Yeah, and the previous shift helped out quite well: "We made sure all the windows and curtains were shut to try and keep it cool." Well, us day walkers couldn't handle the stench anymore and cranked open the windows. We did get some airflow at least and we didn't toss our cookies. But it sure was muggy in there and we're all cooling ourselves with cold washcloths throughout the morning.

The power had gone out about 2 a.m. and we were without power until 9 a.m. 7 hours, well after the sun has risen and things are starting heat up outside. Hot and humid, floors are sticky and slippery and the place stinks to high heaven without proper air circulation. I had to dress folks in the dark, wash them with lukewarm water, I couldn't see to shave the men folk and hoped the were dressed, clean, and upright in one piece. Everything turned out o.k. so maybe I do my best work in the dark, lol!

A most beautiful start to my day......

On the up side, the dietary manager pulled out some 12 packs of pop from our pop machine supply for all of us (since we couldn't get any out of the machine) and brought everyone in creme filled long johns for us all to feast on this morning. Yum...

Wish Me Good Luck!

2007-08-02T13:24:00.000-07:00

I'm ready for a change in careers. It's been a long time coming but I'm really hoping things will pan out for me.

Tomorrow I'm headed to apply for a new line of work. A school bus driver is what I'm trying to get. They start drivers out between $15.00 to $17.00 an hour and you can work as much as you like. I'm sure I'll have to be fingerprinted, background checked and tested for drugs but I have nothing to hide and don't do that shit. Not to mention the fact I have a perfect driving record and I'm sure I can handle getting a CDL license. Heck, I learned how to drive on a stick shift tractor, pulling a kicker baler out in the fields on the farm. I think I can manage to learn to drive an automatic bus on the road. And, it's not like we live in a big city either so I don't have to worry about that kind of traffic to deal with.

Yeah, I think I could put up with screaming banshee kids and all the other bullshit that goes along with it for that kind of cash flow. It sure has to be better than being a professional punching bag, putting up with delusional family members and making $5.00 less an hour than their highest starting wages for such an honor. (Dripping in heavy sarcasm).

I even went so far as to make sure that I have 3 solid and good references ready to go as well. I got them today. They're all co-workers so they would be able to give a solid statement about my work and my personality. More references will be available upon request. I have more people to ask if they'd be willing to give me a reference or not.

Yeah, I'm ready for a change. Can you tell!?!

Deep Thoughts Of The Day

2007-08-02T13:12:00.000-07:00

What do you call a man with no arms or legs behind a ski boat....Skip.
What do you call a man with no arms or legs hanging on a wall....Art.
What do you call a man with no arms or legs in the water....Bob.
What do you call a man with no arms or legs laying on your floor....Matt.
What do you call a woman with one leg....Eileen.
What do you call an oriental woman with one leg....Irene.
How do you order Chinese food correctly...."I'd like an order of Shrimp Flied Lice and a fuck." Translation: Shrimp Fried Rice and a fork :)

Spirit Animals

2007-07-20T14:36:00.000-07:00

Your Score: The Bat

Here's your results! Your spirit animal has a Nobility ranking of 9 out of 18.

Your spirit animal is the bat. They are remakable creatures that guide themselves through the night using sonar. They are a fairly common spirit animal, but are neither exceptional nor despisable in regards to nobility. Being nocturnal, they have not really "seen the light", and there is much they are still unaware of, but they have their own special way of navigating the world, which though unconventional, works just fine.

***Wondering how this animal was chosen for you? These questions were carefully thought out to see how important you hold certain virtues such as: humanism, self-knowledge, rationalism, the love of freedom and other somewhat Hellenic ideals. Some of the questions were very subtle. Your score was then matched with an animal of corresponding nobility. However, you shouldn't think this was a right/wrong sort of test, but more of an idealistic values test. It's ok to not hold these values, you'll just get an animal spirit of lower stature if you do!***

Link: The What is Your Spirit Animal Test written by FindingEros on OkCupid, home of the The Dating Persona Test

H/T to Mrs. Who and VW Bug.

Smooth And Creamy

2007-07-15T16:44:00.000-07:00

Maranda Rites --

[adjective]:

Similar to butter in texture and appearance

'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

H/T to Wes

On A Brighter Note

2007-07-15T16:18:00.000-07:00

Elderspawn, my mom, and I went to see Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix today.

I'm not going to review it. I don't want to spoil it for those that want to see it that haven't yet.

Great movie, like all of the Harry Potter movies have been. This one has alot more plot to it than the previous movies and if you're like me and have a hard time understanding different accents, you really have to pay attention to what they're saying.

Way too much popcorn, pop, and milk duds. A good time was had by all!

Our next movie of choice to take both spawn to: Underdog!

Medicare And The Elderly

2007-07-15T15:51:00.000-07:00

I don't understand it at all. The man that I take care of in his home hasn't been able to eat very well because his bottom teeth have been hurting him. He can't go to a dentist to have them extracted and get a denture made because Medicare doesn't cover dental care and he can't afford it. WTF? Why not? Oral health is very important to a person's overall health. The infection from a severely abscessed tooth can travel straight to a person's heart potentially killing them. Because of the of dental care he only weighs 114 pounds right now because he can't eat and he's weak and frail.

I even looked up the dental coverage in his Medicare book and it's listed under the huge DOES NOT COVER list.

Guess what? He fell last night and broke his hip. You can break your hip in 3 different spots and his broke in the worst possible spot it can break, at the bottom of the ball joint. Now he has to have complete hip replacement surgery, if he survives the surgery.

Now, had he been able to have proper dental care, he would have been able to eat better, he wouldn't have been so weak, he wouldn't have lost so much weight and maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't be in the position he is in now. Stuck in a hospital bed, with an IV running in his arm, an oxygen tube stuck in his nose, awaiting major surgery.

My theory is that it would have cost the government a whole lot less for this man to have the proper dental care he needed in the first place as opposed to having a $50,000.00 hip put in him. Not to mention the cost of the doctors, hospital, rehabilitation and/or possible LTC placement which he may end up requiring. Not to mention all the pain and suffering he has to endure. It's an extremely high price to pay because Medicare won't cover dental expenses.

The cost and pain endured from a few teeth extractions and a bottom denture pale in comparison to a broken hip.

Just Say No!

2007-07-15T15:13:00.000-07:00

Today, my mom bought a bag of the new limited edition Elvis Presley Banana Creme Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Being a big fan of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and liking bananas, I decided to give them a whirl. Well, as soon as I bit into it and the chocolate, banana and peanut butter mixed it almost became a hurl all over the inside of her car.

Blech! Bad news. A combination that should have never come to be. Just say no to them. Save yourselves.

A Couple More Pics From Today

2007-07-14T14:34:00.000-07:00

Youngerspawn "playing" volleyball. He caught it, threw it over the net and kicked it under the net instead, but that was our version of volleyball. We used a badminton net instead of a regular volleyball net and the poles for it were made out of PVC pipe so it could be lowered.

Elderspawn out on the volleyball field. He looks so thrilled to be doing this. He really doesn't like any sports to speak of.

Pics From Today

2007-07-14T14:12:00.000-07:00

Youngerspawn listening to the instructions on how to steer and stop his Cubmobile, but his helmet kept falling off the back of his head. Proper protection at it's finest! At least the cars came equipped with working seat belts!

I got in on the action for one race. They needed another person so I decided to race my own boy.

Elderspawn getting ready to head down the ramp in his Cubmobile.

This is where Elderspawn used his legs to stop, popped a wheelie and got all banged and bruised up.

Back of Elderspawn's calf. You really can't see the bruising below the scrape in this pic because of the flash but it's pretty. I'm more worried about the ankle on his other leg. It's a bit swollen right now, but he says it doesn't hurt and he's walking fine on it.

**Edit** I haven't figured out how that boy didn't break a bone. This morning both legs have huge, dark black bruises on the backs of them. The only thing I can figure out is that he must have gotten his dad's strong bones.

What A Day....

2007-07-14T14:00:00.000-07:00

....this has been. First, the spawn and I had to get up early, bathe, dress, pack the van and head out to Wal-Mart by 8 a.m. to pick up 20 gallons of drinking water, 4 bags of 22 lb. ice, 3 containers of lemonade mix and a sub sandwich totaling 24 feet in length in 8 - 3 feet sections. Oh, but, on the way there I had to do a lot of slamming of the brakes as to not hit the idiots in front of me constantly slamming on their brakes. Thus the results was the ruining of my jello and fruit salad. I ended up having to break down and buy some Macaroni Salad while I was at Wal-Mart so I had a dish to pass out there.

When I pull up to unload the van a few other scout's parents came out to help. Well, lo and behold when one of them opened up the tail of the van 5 of those 3 foot sections toppled out onto the ground. Thank goodness they were all on cardboard and wrapped up in plastic bags.

We managed to get it all unloaded, the sandwiches put back together, the totes of stuff unloaded and set out.

Then I headed out to see how the activity set up were coming along. We had:

Cubmobile Races: Ramps, cars and helmets all set up and ready to go.

Volleyball Net: In the process of being set up.

Relay Races: Person running bringing the stuff for it and running it: nowhere to be found, yet. I had brought ropes for 3-legged races and sacks for potato sack races so I pulled them out and had them ready to go.

Shortly after she does arrive, another one of the parents comes up to me to inform me that youngerspawn peed in his pants and asked if I had brought extra clothes. NOPE! He hasn't wet himself for a long time so I figured he'd be fine. Guess I was wrong.

Luckily, the person running the relay races had extra clothes in her van that fit him.

But after that, I kept losing track of her and where she was setting up the relay races. All the while I'm trying to split the kids into 3 different age groups and get things started during which The Cubmaster kept saying to me, "Maranda, what are we doing, what are we doing" all the while I AM SPEAKING. I turned to him and simply stated that I had just said what we were doing had he been listening. Then he tells me not to let my anger show. Don't talk over me and I won't get pissed off, umkay? And, that wasn't anger rearing it's ugly head simply my irritation at you! Then, one of the adult volunteers comes up to me whining (yes, actually whining) about how she wanted to help out with the food and not the volleyball. Now, we had a planning meeting for this activity, which she didn't attend. I sent out numerous emails to which she never responded. And there's a wonderful invention called the telephone. Learn to use it. You don't say anything to me, I put the volunteers where they're needed. I don't wanna hear it.

After this, the day progressed fairly well. That is until it was Elderspawn's group's turn at the Cubmobile races. I missed his first race and asked him to race again so I could get a picture of him. He agreed and lo and behold when he got to the end of the racing area he put his feet down to stop himself instead of using the brake on the car. He managed to get both feet down, bent underneath, and stuck. Even the back wheel of the car was up in the air. He managed to run right over his own legs. He got some nice scrapes and bruises out of that one and where he scraped up his ankle it was a bit swollen but luckily no broken bones that I know of. Figures, only my kids would cause a raucous.

Chow time came, and it wasn't set up in the most convenient of ways. The plasticware and napkins were all sitting on top of coolers instead of sitting on the tables so many people missed where they were at and had to come back for them. And the desserts weren't on the food tables. Heck, they hadn't even been opened. I remedied that one in a hurry. Then we had to make up more lemonade, so of course I had to get the water and mix to make it up and more ice to pour into it to get it cold. Of course, everyone kept on pulling me here there and everywhere so I really never got to eat.

Then, we had popcorn sale prizes to hand out to everyone. Luckily that only took a few minutes to do but I had to get all the kids from the playground out in the park so they could get their prizes. And we were behind schedule.

Then, clean up time came. We had over 9 feet of sub sandwich left to divide up, tablecloths to rip off, tables to scrub down, garbage to pick up and a ton of stuff to load up and haul out, etc., etc., etc. I had to cut out early. Sorry guys. We had the subs packed up and divided up, tablecloths off, most things loaded back up, tables scrubbed and garbage picked up when I left. Needless to say though, I had to put the hammer to the floor getting home and I was still 5 minutes late getting there. Grau really had to punch it to get to work on time.

And it's only 4 p.m. right now

We did have a good 80 to 90 people in attendance today. We did have beautiful weather considering we were supposed to have had isolated thunderstorms this morning. I guess I should be happy about that.

Life Cut Short

2007-07-11T17:24:00.000-07:00

Horror. Pain. Agony. Beyond your worst nightmares. An airplane crashing down into your home. A 10 year old left alive and burnt over 80% to 90% of his body. His 4 year old sister perished in the fire. His parents were seriously injured. A neighbor and her 6 month old son, whose house also was landed on and caught fire, perished. As well as the two people in the airplane. It happened in Florida.

Tragic.

The tears fall down my cheeks just thinking about those poor children. Knowing that I have a 10 year old and a 4 year old myself. Thinking about something like this happening to them. Fire, scares me to death.

Is everyone out there in blogland who is from Florida o.k.?

Funny For The Day

2007-07-11T15:47:00.000-07:00

OMG! This joke had me laughing so hard I almost peed my pants! I had to share:

A middle-aged businessman took a young woman half his age as his wife. The fantasy of having a young woman in his bed soon became a nightmare when he found that he could not last long enough to satisfy his young bride.

His wife, as understanding as she was exciting, told him that all was well even if he was quick to get out of the saddle.

Determined to satisfy this sweet young thing, the man visited the doctor to get some advice.

"Doctor, I can't seem to hold back for very long when I make love to my young wife and I can't satisfy her. What can I do?"

The doctor smiled, patted him on the shoulder, and said in a professional manner, "Try a bit of self-stimulation before having intercourse with your wife and you'll find that you'll last longer and ultimately satisfy her."

"Okay, Doctor. If you think that will help."

Later that afternoon, his young bride called him at work to let him know that she would be attacking him at the front door when he arrived home.

"Be prepared, my darling. I'm going to ravish you," she cooed over the phone.

Undaunted, the man decided to follow the doctor's advice. But where? In the office? The Xerox room? What if someone walked in on him?

He got in his truck and began the journey home. Soon he decided he would find a spot on the road to pull over, climb underneath the truck and pretend to be inspecting the rear axle, and do the deed there.

A moment later, he pulled over, crawled beneath the truck, closed his eyes tightly, fantasized about his young wife, and began his "therapy".

A few minutes later, just as he was about to complete his therapy session, he felt someone tugging on his pants leg. Keeping his eyes tightly shut to avoid ruining the fantasy he was enjoying, he said, "Yes?"

"Sir, I'm with the Police Department. Could you tell me what you are doing, please?" said the officer.

"Yes, officer, I'm inspecting my truck's rear axle," he replied confidently.

"Well, why don't you check the brakes while you're down there. Your truck rolled down the hill a few minutes ago."

Hot Surnames

2007-07-11T13:26:00.000-07:00

It seems a fellow blogger needs a little help. Chlorinejenny of I Don't Play Well With Others put up a post about wanting to take a pole dancing class "to get in touch with your inner sexpot" and needs our help coming up with a good surname to use.

What she needs is a hot, sexy, and erotic surname to use not just your run of the mill kind of surname.

Now, gentlemen and some ladies too for that matter, I know you've all been to strip clubs. At least those of you guys who are on the straight and narrow path. And I'm sure you can come up with a name or two for CJ to use.

Heck, the only names I can come up with are:

Glitter Pasties, Glowing Flaming Pasties, Cherry Pop, Cotton Candy, and Wanderlust.

Pretty pathetic on my part. These are only parts of names I can remember from the Surprise Party I attended last Fall. And before you ask, yes I had fun and that's all I'm going to say to that one!

Maranda's Birth

2006-01-28T16:59:00.001-08:00

The day I met Contagion will be forever burnt into my brain. We met at a picnic almost 15 years ago. Contagion was a very different person back then as opposed to who he is today. A bonnet hat tip to Ktreva for a fine job well done for taming his wild ways.

The picnic was fun until Contagion decided that it would be a great idea to start a food fight with me. It wasn't just any food though, it was raw, bloody ground beef he started chucking at me. He was supposed to be making hamburger patties out of the ground beef. Then he decided it to be a good idea to chase me with a 3 pronged meat tenderizer! Can you say Scarey!! This wasn't a good first impression to make on someone.

Contagion at this time was still in high school, about to graduate and enter into college. He was going for a law degree, which he did successfully obtain, and was very much into his plans. He often times would joke around "reading me my rights". He also always called me Maranda. Well this was my name for the next two years or so. It never bothered me that he didn't call me by my real name, but I wondered why he did so. Finally, curiousity got the best of me, not sure if I really wanted to know though, I asked him why he called me Maranda. Honestly, he thought it was my real name so that's why he called me that. He hasn't called me that since.

When it came time for me to name my blog, I thought back to this and this is how my blog name and screen name came to life.

Thanks Contagion for giving me my new name!

First Sucky Post

2006-01-28T14:47:00.000-08:00

Here I Am

I hereby officially declare Maranda Under Stress up, operational and open for blogging business. My non-existant banner hopefully will be taken care of sooner rather than later. It's lack thereof is too boring for my taste :)

Where I hail from: Illinois - born and raised. Dang, I really need to get out more.
Spouse - Graumagus of the infamous Frizzen Sparks. 15 years and counting - tick, tick, tick :) (lol).
Offspring - 2 boys - Elderspawn (ES), 8 and Youngerspawn (YS), 3. Much more to follow about them.
Siblings - None. I'm a spoiled rotten only child.
Heritage - Swedish/Irish.
Career - CNA - Certifiable Nutty Asswiper - technically known as Certified Nurse's Assistant.

This is the basics about me. More to follow as things pop into my brain.