Birthdays

Today I turn 36.....gross!
I am getting to a point where I have to remind myself of how old I am, because I dont feel like I am on my way to 40. Growing up is weird! One day I am taking pictures of a "butt" with my sister-in-law's phone, the next day I am writing out the check for the mortgage. Your 30's are a strange time in your life....Stilll grasping on to your adolescence, yet needing to mature and be responsible. I see a house that has been TP'd...part of me giggles, part of me quickly estimates how long it will take to clean up! Although it feels weird, I love that part of myself! I dont want to grow up...completly. The best part is that I have a partner in crime... my husband can be just as immature as I am. We took pictures of "butts" together!

My husband asked me what I wanted for my birthday....but I couldn't come up with anything. When I think about what I want, I must first think about what I need. But I have everything I need. I have a beautiful home, a nice car, 2 wonderful kids and a husband that treats me like a princess! (princesses are under 40) SO, what else could I possibly need?
He is the best birthday present!!!
Maybe we can go TP-ing?

I learned how to blow

I meant blow glass...perverts!

My adorable hubby gave me the most wonderful Mother's Day present....he bought me glass blowing lessons! How cool is that!

It was a 2 day class in New Caney, which is just north of BFE... (bum f#%! egypt) But the hour drive was way worth it!

I learned how to melt glass, sculpt glass, spin glass and blow glass. What an amazing feeling of accomplishment!

I have a new found appreciation for the work that goes into a seemingly simple looking vase. It is hard work and definitely NOT for the WIMPY. First of all, it is REALLY hot! Imagine Kate Capshaw in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" when she is dangling in the fiery pit, just inches away from molten hot lava!

That is what it felt like getting a gather on my puntie. (putting melted glass on my stick thingy)

You also have to be able to walk and chew gum..pat your head and rub your tummy...constantly rotate your puntie to keep the glass centered while you blow ( twirl the stick thingy so the blob of glass doesn't fall off one side).

But I think the biggest obstacle was the difference of creative opinion between me and the instructor. He was very traditional, a bowl needed to look like a bowl! I, on the other hand, prefer the more abstract and free form designs. I wanted the glass to guide me ... he needs to guide the glass. We really came to a disagreement during my final piece! I wanted to make a "bowl" but I wanted it to be very artistic...he wanted just a bowl. So...he is helping me with a difficult maneuver and my piece fell off the stick thingy as it was coming out of the fire! It hit the ground, but didn't break. Since it was still soft, it flattened out and got misshaped where it hit the equipment. I started shrieking, "Get It! Get It!" and he just stood there! He told me it was trash now. WHAT! Now its really cool! Now it has character, now it has a story! SO, I had to beg him to pick it up and save it! So he did... but he still wasn't happy. He told me he was going to make me a bowl that was good! He didn't want people seeing my piece and thinking that it was representative of what he did. Whatever! I love my piece!! and I am sure that everyone that knows me will love it too!

Slow News Day

Michael Jackson Swears Off Women!

This was the headline I saw when logged in to my internet provider.
Is This really news? Come on people!!!
Michael Jackson swears off children, or Michael Jackson swears off plastic surgery....These would be news.
Just the fact that at least two women have seen him naked is enough to make me vom. It is amazing what some people do for money. Or should I say "who" people do for money.

I need to go read Shakespeare or something to replenish the brain cells I just lost.

my favs!!!

To Quote Julie Andrews..,"These are a few of my favorite things..."

1) Candy.....twizzlers
2) chocolate....raisinettes
3) movie.... Jaws
4) person.... My hubby
5) car... anything convertible
6) color...pink
7) tv show... hell's kitchen
8) restaurant... The Inn at Dos Brisas
9) fast food.... McDonalds
10) soda...jones soda Cream Soda
11) wine.... Carpineto Chianti Classico
12) drink... Mojito
13) sitcom...the office
14) beach.... 7 mile beach in Negril
15) city...Venice
16) v-cay....Italy
17) picnic spot...city park...New Orleans
18) actor... Steve Carrell
19) actress... Michelle Pfiffer
20) comedian... Lewis Black
21) hottie... Brad Pitt
22) band... Daughtry
23) Idol... David Cook
24) Chef... Tom Collichio
25) Accent... Scottish or Irish (sometimes I can't tell the difference)
26) meat... Filet
27) Veg.... grilled asparagus
28) dessert... creme brulee
29) pasta... Fettucini Alfredo
30) fruit... watermelon
31) football team... Saints
32) baseball team... Cy-Falls Eagles ( my son's)
33) shoe... satin zebra striped stiletto
34) past time...watching tv
35) coffee... hazlenut latte from Starbucks
36) ice cream... Chunky Monkey
37) beer... Abita Amber
38) chip... pringles
39) seafood... lobster
40) sushi... scorpian roll
41) chinese food... pepper steak
42) sandwhich... roast beef po-boy from R&O's
43) hamburger... Lee's
44) song... Gravity from John Mayer
45) concert... Tina Turner
46) show... Cirque de Soleil..."Ka"
47) tv cop... Munch from Law and Order: SVU
48) tv doctor... Dr. Gregory House
49) pet... kitten
50) night out... dinner


WARNING:
These may change without notice.......

change is good!

Whoever said change is bad, never got 12 inches of hair cut off!! WOW...does it feel great! It helps that I am donating it to "Locks of Love"...but I am much more shallow than that. There is a definite high to be had when you make a drastic change. You feel brave and adventurous! I love to see the look on peoples faces...and the "you look great!" comments dont suck!
Every now and then, you need to kick start your passion. Whether it is cutting your hair, painting a room red, quitting your job to follow your dream....it doesn't matter. Do something that scares you a little bit...when you do...its amazing!

This high will last for a while....I wonder what I'll do next?

The dark side

I feel I am being lured over to the dark side....A.D.D. medication. I have been fighting a losing battle to help my son. Not able to hold him back (yet) to a more age appropriate grade, (he is a year younger) I have been preparing for plan "B". I was afraid that medication would always be in the future...every professional I talked to went straight to it. But I thought I could manuver around it, I thought I could beat it, I thought....I don't know what I thought!

SO, we went to his doctor and talked about medication...we settled on Addaral EX...one pill a day and he will magically be better!..yeah, right.

We started him on a Saturday so we could watch for any side effects. Now, you must know that my son had been present during my discussion with the doctor of the side effects that are possible, So of course he developed all of them as soon as he had taken the pill...except for sudden death...he couldn't pull that one off. We finally convinced him that he did not have every side effect, and he soon forgot about the medication and went about his normal day.

He did become extremely chatty and even had a slight facial tick, for about a day.

Monday morning, I wrote the teacher a note letting her know that he had started this new med and asked her to let me know if she noticed any changes. Well I didn't expect a note back the first day...but there was one, letting me know that he had completed all but 1 assignment. This from a child who doesn't finish anything!

I have to admit that I had mixed feelings...part of me didn't want it to work. I didn't want to "give in" but I also don't want my son to suffer....if the medication helps him..?.?.?

I am not proud of this outcome...We are still fighting to keep him in 3rd grade where he belongs, but if that doesn't happen, at least I have plan "B"

i am flawed!!

I have many flaws...I am lazy, I watch brainless reality tv, I spend too much money....but my worst flaw is my inability to disguise my feelings. If I don't like you...you are well aware that I don't like you!
Case in point... new girl at work! Hate her!
She started driving me insane on her very first day, while I was training her. I was sitting on a chair before the restaurant opened, talking to some coworkers, when she walked up and SAT ON MY LAP! Unless you are an oiled up hunk of man-candy being compensated for being on my lap....you dont belong on my lap! She is also all up in the kool-ade...which is not my favorite attribute in a person. If I wanted you to know what I was talking about, you would hear your name at the begining of the sentence! The final straw was when this 20 year old beotch asked me if I ever got to see The Doors in concert! BITCH, Jim Morrson died a year before I was born!

Sometimes I feel bad because I am not nice to her, but then she does something new to annoy me....and no more guilt.
Well, I guess what you will learn from this is that if I seem to like you, then I do!!!!

I can see you doing the math!

I am 35...

My son is turning 15 this week...

I have been married for 10 years...

I know, the numbers don't add up.
But, add up to what?
Why is everyone so concerned with the numbers?

My backstory is not picture perfect....But I think that it is a sort of fairy tale....

Once upon a time, a pretty little princess was born to a wonderful mother and a doting father. They lived in a great big house in the land of Chalmette and they were very happy. But, someone was jealous of the happy family, so they cast a spell on the new mother. She drifted off to sleep, and never woke up again. They father was very sad, and he found it very hard to raise a baby girl by himself. The baby girl's grandparents thought that she would be better off with them in Florida, but the father would not let his little girl go. He won the battle, but it cost him all of his wealth. He and the baby were forced to move from the big house, to a small one just big enough for 2.
As the baby girl grew, she and her father moved from place to place...never staying in one spot for more than 1 or 2 years. There were also plenty of "new" mothers around trying to help the father raise his little girl, but none could replace the one she lost.
As a young lady, she met a man who she cared for, but she soon found out that he did not care for her. She became pregnant and he vowed never to see her again and never to lay eyes on the child. She was very sad, but she was also very strong. She had been through many hard times before, and she would get through this.
She gave birth to the most beautiful baby boy with magical blue eyes. He could melt even the coldest hearts with one blink of his eyes. He was adored by everyone who met him, and he and his mother lived by themselves for 2 years.
One day, the young lady met a charming young man who she instantly adored. They were able to talk for hours, they made each other laugh, and the minute they said good night, they would immediatly be counting the time until they talked again. He made her feel more special then she had ever felt before. He truly cared for her and her son, so much that he married her and took her son as his own. He lifted them up on his horse, and carried them away to a life filled with love and happiness.
And they all lived happily ever after.

Corny...I know...and to tell you the truth, I couldnt stop thinking about Shrek the whole time I was writing...But I do feel like I have lived a sort of fairy tale life.

So do the math all you want...as my son says.."its not about how you start, its about how you finish!"

judge ye not....

I just recieved an email from a friend that really upset me. This friend, who I know because our kids went to Catholic school together, sent me this email to "warn" me that kids in some highschools were trying to coordinate a "day of silence" to raise awareness about homosexuality and the constant hate and harassment that these children go through daily. If you are a "child of God", wouldnt you want to stop the hate? I believe in God...I believe in, "treat others as yourself", I believe that God made all men in his own image...So why would I not think that a homosexual HUMAN BEING would not be included in that?
Gay people do not choose to be gay, anymore than I chose to be female. They choose whether to live an open lifestyle, or whether to hide. Why do they have to choose that? Because narrow minded, bible thumping, stone throwing bigots make them out to be evil.
Bigotry is the same, whether it is race biased, gender biased, age biased....God's message is love..."Love thy neighbor" ...not "Love thy neighbor, only if they believe and act exactly like you think they should!"

big ego or just cheap?

I cant stand to pay money for something I can do myself! I say this as I wait for my d.i.y. dye job to dry. Am I cheap, or do I just think I can do it better? I think it is 75% ego. I love the satisfaction of knowing (and bragging) that "I did it myself!" I cut my kids' hair, I dye my own hair, I paint my own paintings, do my own floral arrangements, sew my own curtains, make my own homecoming mums (my N.O. peeps wont understand this one)....I first see it as a challenge! Anyone who has ever been shopping with me can testify to the fact that I always say.."I can do that!" and then try it.

The other 25% is definitly that I am cheap. Why pay $50-$80 to get my hair colored when I can do it for $13.99??? Why pay a tailor to hem pants, when I can do it for free? Most people pay for the time that they save....well I have way more time than money.

I always said I wanted to be rich enough to hire people to do things for me...however, there is very little satisfaction in that. Aren't you more impressed if someone did it themselves, than if they hired someone to do it for them?

Maybe its insecurity or maybe it is ego....but I love the feeling I get when someone compliments one of my d.i.y. creations...I do know that it is validation!

is this a milestone?

As a parent, you treasure the milestones your children reach...their first step, their first word, the first day of school, their first crush, their first porn site??????/
Yes it is true, my 14yr old has stumbled upon cyber-porn! The problem is that he keeps on stumbling, even though he knows that we know! Is it some compulsion or just curiosity? When we were his age, you really had to work hard to even get your hands on a faded, wrinkled picture of a playboy centerfold. But now, a few key strokes and you are open to a world of amateur and professional movies from around the globe....for free. (No, I am not telling you the website) I know the curiosity is innocent, but the things that our children are finding are far from it! We put a parental block on the computer, and then he couldnt even get on his own "myspace" page. The only answer is constant supervision and letting them know that the images the are seeing are not real relationships and not real love. You need to interject morality, every chance you get to battle the onslought of the easy-access porn.
Be strong!!!!

blog virgin

Well, I am jumping in with both feet! I am now a blogger. This is an incredible sense of freedom! I can write whatever I want...cool!
Today I am going to a child therapist with my 8 year old son! I am not one who prescribes to the belief that a complete stranger has more insight into my child than I do, but I do know when I need advice. My son is in third grade, but wont be 9 until August 29th. Being the youngest in his class had never been a problem before, but the older he gets, the more apparent his age difference is. He has been struggling in school since the middle of 2nd grade, so we had him tested to see if he was developing any learning disabilities. His tests concluded that he was extremely bright, but he did suffer from mild ADD. The doctor also told us that he was above average for his age, BUT below average for his grade. SO here comes the dilemma, do we keep him back?
Every thing we read and everyone we talk to say YES! But did you know that in Texas, you cannot CHOOSE to keep your child back!!! Even with letters of recommendation from his teachers, counselors, principal, doctor....the new school that we are moving him to will not retain him unless he fails the year. Try to explain to an 8 year old that we need to try to fail!
I feel so defeated...I am just trying to make up for the mistake I made by starting him in school too early.