On Nancy's Mind....

Killings

2010-09-03T08:35:00.001-07:00

I really liked this story......

Title

2010-09-03T08:34:00.001-07:00

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Babies growing up

2010-07-06T12:22:00.000-07:00

What's on my mind this week is that little annoying growing up thing my kids keep doing. Yeah, I know, better than the alternative, but I do wish I could slow things down a bit. B just keeps growing out of clothes and is pretty independent now. And Ana asked me this week if she could start shaving. Yikes! I noticed her wearing leggings instead of shorts more this summer...well...that's why. She also lost her very last baby tooth last night. Yikes again! And she wants contacts. Did I say "Yikes!" yet?

Anyway, the shaving conversation is funny because every woman I know says that she wanted to shave long before her mother let her. And most of us stole our mom's razor and did it anyway. So I always swore that I would allow my daughter to shave whenever she wanted...I just didn't think it would be when she was 10. (Of course, since the memory is the first thing to go, I honestly cannot remember when I started shaving. That all seems a bit fuzzy to me now.)

Well, in response to all of this, I decided briefly last week that the thing to do was to have another baby. That lasted all of a day before my husband told me I was absolutely insane to think of having another kid now (turning 40 in a couple months and have long since given away all the baby gear). And then another friend aptly pointed out that a new baby would eventually grow up too. Thanks, guys. Last month, it was the doctors telling me I'm getting old. Now my best friends. Love you too. Mean it.

So, now I just need to embrace the idea of my daughter "blossoming" as they used to say. I have no idea how to teach someone how to shave. As we mentioned, I snuck and figured it out on my own. I certainly didn't have these kinds of experiences with my mom. Are you kidding? Supposedly you really grow only when forced out of your comfort zone. Well, I'm uncomfortable, so I guess I'm growing (or growing old, one or the other.)

Not a stellar week...

2010-02-18T14:08:00.000-08:00

It hasn't been a great week for me in terms of exercise (well, actually two weeks). Last week was full of long meetings and even worse headaches. This week all my extra time has been consumed with mom being in the hospital, checking on her stuff, visiting her while shuffling kids around, etc. Needless to say, the treadmill time is the first thing to go when things get crazy.

Before that I had done a pretty regular 2 weeks of jogging/walking every other day for at least 2.5 miles. I was determined to be a good girl this week, but honestly, when I don't get home at night until after 9:00, all I want to do is just sit down....or go to bed.

Anyhow, my goal tonight is to get my ENG 232 blogs graded. I also want to work on the garage some this weekend, but I'll find some treadmill time somehow. Definitely Saturday if not Friday.

The good news is that I stepped on the scale this morning and had lost 5 lbs. I had weighed last week after the two weeks of exercise and lost nothing. So maybe today was a fluke. I have certainly been going out to eat less, and I've been consciously trying to avoid chips and cheese covered dishes (my absolute fave!). Maybe that has done some little bit of good. Wish me luck that it's really gone and not just a fluke from being dehydrated. ;-)

Love/Hate Relationship with the Treadmill

2010-02-02T19:38:00.000-08:00

We all have that, right? I mean, I like having the treadmill. I like not having to go out in the cold, ice, and snow--or more normally around here, the dreadful heat of summer--but who really likes using their treadmill? I should consider myself lucky to have it, I know. At any rate, I have been using my treadmill again lately, see previous postings, only I don't have it set up the way I want it yet. It's in my unfinished basement, no TV, no real heat, nothing to do but stare at the stud walls. I do have a radio, but that's it. I guess that's an incentive to hurry up and get the exercise over with.

Okay, so here's my accountability report for last week. I was doing well using the treadmill every other day all last week: I began on Sunday and worked out on Tuesday and Thursday as well. Then, with the snow over the weekend, I slacked off a bit. I kept thinking the sledding down and climbing back up the hill would count as exercise, but there wasn't nearly enough of that. However, I was back at it tonight.

I generally do 45-50 minutes, about 2.5 miles walking and jogging. Am I making progress towards my goal? I think so. Running isn't as hard each time. The first day on the treadmill was okay. I ran in 1-2 minute stretches and arguably tried to do too much too soon. The second day on the treadmill I was extremely sore, but I quickly found myself in a pattern of running one minute, walking two. I liked the rhythm and the ability to push it then recover. The entire time was painful, and the soreness continued for a couple days afterwards, but there was no injury, just sore muscles. On day three, I warmed up extra slowly and remembered to stretch. (Well, I always remember to stretch; I just don't always do it. I know that's bad...I get that.) That time I also kept up my rhythm of running one minute and walking two (after the warm up and stretching, of course). That day was easier and less painful, with no real soreness afterwards.

Today, I started out in my run one, walk two pattern, but then I lengthened it to run one and a half minutes, walk two and a half minutes. I was a little tired, I think partly because I skipped a day over the weekend, but I felt good afterwards.

While you may argue that every other day isn't enough, and I understand that from a weight loss stance, I think it is enough for training to run a 5K. It's been years since I've run any distance, and if I'm going to stick with it, the training has to be manageable. My ideal goal is to run on the treadmill about every other day and do some walking on the days in between. I will say, however, that I cannot JUST walk on the treadmill. I get on it, and I want to get it over with. (Did I mention I hate the treadmill?) So after just a few minutes, I'm jogging. I've tried walking only, and unless I'm injured, I can't do it. I think when the weather improves, I'll be more apt to get my walking in. I like walking around campus when it's pretty, and I have three days a week when Ana's in dance that I can walk...I just don't generally want to do that in the cold and dark.

Anyway, that's it for my update. Not much to report, but I didn't want anyone to think I'd given up so soon. I am still afraid to step on the scales. I might do that next week, maybe.

Progress, or lack thereof...

2010-01-24T21:04:00.000-08:00

Well, here's the progress (or lack thereof) so far on my running goal:

Friday--Had a sinus headache, came home and lay down for a while. Woke up headache free but just in time to go help my niece with some cleaning of her new house before she moved.

Saturday--Lazy as heck. Did nothing, and I mean nothing, all day except drive to get gas in the car. Uggh. I did resist the temptation to grab a burger on the way home. Yay me.

Sunday--Still pretty lazy. Most of the day consisted of church, grocery store, facebook, and football. I do realize, however, that I will not make any progress on my goal if I never start, so at about 10:20, I got my lazy butt downstairs to set up the treadmill. Yep, set up the treadmill. We've been in the house for over a year, and it hasn't even been plugged in. So, I moved it across the basement, plugged it in, wiped about 2 years of dust off of it, and gingerly started it up. Then I let it proceed to kick my butt for about 45 minutes.

Luckily, everything seems to work just fine on the treadmill except one little annoying part of one digit on the display. So when I burn 100 calories, half the 1 doesn't show. Likewise, luckily, everything on me seems to work okay as well, all except those lungs. So when I burn 100 calories, I'm coughing as my lungs beg for an inhaler (which, of course, I don't think to take with me downstairs).

All in all I think I did pretty well. My sensible plan was to just walk for a week or so and slowly get into jogging. The idiotic reality was that I walked for a quarter mile or so and decided to see how far I could jog right away. I'm pleased that I didn't have a heart attack (yet), and I was able to jog a couple minutes at a time. If I can stick with it, say 3-4 times a week, I have no doubt I'll be jogging a 5K by September.

Okay, now, off to take some preemptive ibuprofen and go to bed.

Losing Weight....

2010-01-21T15:22:00.000-08:00

...that's what's on my mind. I've been trying to get remotivated in the last few months, ever since the state decided that overweight people need to be punished and pay more for their health insurance. I'm pretty heavy for my frame, so in order to meet their requirements, I need to lose about 80 lbs. Now, in the past, before the kids, I had gotten motivated with exercise and decent eating habits and lost about 70+ lbs. That was before going to work at Caldwell. That place is bad for the waistline.

Anyway, 80 lbs. Sheesh. I basically have gained back everything I lost before, plus a couple pounds. Back then, I was a part time instructor, teaching morning and nights, but I had the luxury of several hours free during the day. Hours free with no kids. I would walk at L-R, the Y, around school, even at home. During a three year period, me and the hubby wore out a ski machine and a treadmill...completely wore them out. Then we bought a house...I got a full time job...we had a baby...etc. Excuses, I know.

Honestly, though, I was burnt out on exercising. I had been jogging something like 3-5 miles a day, 4-5 days a week, for about three years, yet I never got to my goal. My runner friends all said I needed to step it up some to burn more calories, but I just didn't see how. I don't want to say I've lost all hope now, but if I was doing so well back then and never got to my goal, I'm not sure how to go about it now.

I do know, however, that I need to do something, not only because of the insurance, but because the hubby has gained back all the weight he lost, and we have one "above average" child and one downright chubby child. I have been trying to focus on veggies more and walking some, more eating at home and less eating out. I've been thinking for more than a year now that I would try the 10,000 steps a day plan, but I'll get there like two days out of a week and then back to my normal of 3500 steps a day. I also need to get back to the treadmill, the replacement one we bought a few years back and haven't used nearly enough. The one downstairs, in the basement, so sad and all alone.

Hubs just turned 40 yesterday; I'll get there later this year, and I'm already taking it badly. I need to set a goal to reach by the time I'm 40. I have several months. What should it be? I could set a weight loss goal, but I've never been good with that. Better I think to set an exercise goal and let the weight loss happen on its own. A 5K? I used to do those often. I never got to my goal pace either, but I did do them, and I could jog the whole thing. I know a lot of skinny people that can't run 3.1 miles. Maybe that's it...doing a 5K again. The Race for the Cure is in October, but that's after the birthday. That's what I'm going to do, I think. Look for a fall race and enter. I've got several months to plan and train to get back into shape enough to run a 5K. That would be great too because I try to encourage my daughter to run, but she doesn't think moms can run. Ha!

Okay, there it is...that's my goal. I'm posting it on the Internet for everyone (although only like 2 people ever read this) to see. A 5K by September. Definitely!

My Facebook Addiction

2010-01-06T20:42:00.000-08:00

I think Facebook has led to the demise of my blogging career which (let's face it) has never really gotten off the ground. I post status updates on FB frequently, but I never get around to the more in-depth blogging that I want to do on this site. But I still like the idea of blogging; it just seems a luxury in a life without a lot of spare time.

I'm teaching American Lit again online this semester, and I have those students blog about the works they read, so here I am at the beginning of another semester updating my blog. I'm more inclined to update the blog when I'm teaching this class because I'm already logging into blogger a couple days a week. We'll see how long it lasts this time.

The Art Fair Update

2009-04-08T17:38:00.000-07:00

I really never think anyone reads the junk that I write here, and so usually I'm just writing to get stuff out of my head. But apparently some of you actually want to know what happened with the Art Fair, or the Extortion Exhibit, as Jean put it. See below if you haven't read about the Art Fair yet.

Well, in all honesty, I was too chicken to show my face at the Art Fair after I'd complained so much about it. I wrote the principal once, and he responded with some answers the art teacher had given him. That led to my last rant, and I sent him another email. He graciously responded to that as well, saying that he was sorry that my concerns hadn't been resolved. Then we got a note home from the art teacher saying that she was mistaken. That sending in the RSVP didn't obligate you to purchase anything, and that if you RSVP'd, then your kids' work would be framed, and you could choose to purchase it or not. Okay, that sounded more reasonable. So basically one of the parts that irritated me so much was just her misunderstanding the way it was supposed to work. Not that it alleviated my concerns about basically being pressured into buying my kids' work, but at least they weren't trying to rope me into something unaware.

Then, of course, in true school fashion, the principal's monthly newsletter came out, and in it was printed the old info, the part about RSVP = purchase. By this point, I figured I was too tired of the whole mess to care. Neither kid seemed concerned with going, so we decided it was best to skip it. (Yes, I chickened out!)

So, on the night of the art fair, Anna had dance, and one of her dance friends goes to school with her, so I laughed out loud when Misty showed up at dance and said she'd just spent $60 on her kids' artwork at the art fair. I think she thought I was crazy. She's not on Facebook and hasn't read or heard my rants. So then I had to explain the whole email war...and she just looked at me like, why get so worked up about it? LOL.

So, I have not gotten the kids' artwork back yet, but I'm not hopeful. Just this past Friday, they brought home the Art-by-Me pictures they did for the fall art fundraiser. I figure at this rate I should get these latest pictures by, oh, September, maybe?

I'm sure the Art Fair was a huge success. The school got about $6 for every frame they sold, so I know they made $12. If they sold 20 frames, they made $120. It's just too much money to ask parents to spend for their own kids' work. I can go to Walmart or AC Moore and get a frame for around $6. Maybe if and when they bring home the artwork, we'll go and do just that.

Art Fundraiser, round two

2009-03-14T07:11:00.000-07:00

Speaking of hurting my children's feelings, if you read my earlier posts, you know I was concerned about this assinine Art Fair the kids' school is holding, the one where you can purchase your own kids' artwork back for $30. Well, I wrote the principal with my concerns and he eventually wrote me back. The art teacher had answered most of my questions, but she still thinks it's a wonderful program, and she doesn't consider it a fundraiser. How she gets that, I don't know. If you sell something and the school gets part of the proceeds, then it's a freaking fundraiser, but anyway...

So yesterday, we get a reminder on the event, and now I'm even madder. Whereas on the first form we got, you could RSVP to attend (and that's all the form said, "RSVP if you plan to attend"), on this reminder form, there is some additional information on the back. Most notably, if you RSVP, then you agree to purchase the artwork. Really? And you tell me that after I send in the RSVP? So now if you don't agree to purchase the artwork in advance, you must basically send the art teacher a note saying to take back your RSVP. And if you aren't going to purchase your child's artwork, you are more than welcome to attend the event and see all the other kids' work hanging nicely on the walls, but you will find your kid's work stuck in a folder somewhere, not on display. Don't you know there isn't enough space to display everyone's work?

This is the biggest load of hogwash I've ever heard. They really don't believe it's a fundraiser? They really expect us to believe that there isn't enough wall space in the whole school on which to display everyone's work? WTH!!! How stupid do these people think we are?

I wrote the principal back with all of the above, again, stated in a much nicer fashion. But come on! I basically told him I'd have to rescind my RSVP because I didn't plan to agree to purchase anything without seeing it first (my son is basically telling me that his is bad and not worth the money). And I wasn't going to attend so that my kids could see some people's artwork on the wall and theirs not on display. What kind of sicko disappointment of an evening would that be? I ended my email with how I want to be as supportive of my children's school as possible, but I also expect the school to be supportive of my children, and this is not happening in this case.

What I didn't say, and I hope he reads between the lines, is that this is a public school. This is not the place to be having an event merely for the kids from a higher socioeconomic status. If the rich kids (or rich mommies) want to have a rich kids art fair, then they can join or create a private club for that. A public school is supposed to be supportive of all children. (Maybe the rich mommies will figure that out when their hubbies lose their jobs too, or when the hubbies trade them in for a younger model. I know...that was catty...sorry.)

Ugggh! I am so ready for the new school to open. Unfortunately, I think most of the rich kids are headed there too. I keep hearing wonderful things about the principal of the new school, though. I hope he has enough sense to veto crap like this. Coming from a very much disadvantaged school right now, surely he has some sense!

Hurting my kids' feelings

2009-03-12T19:17:00.000-07:00

I think anyone with children can relate to this, or heck, anyone with a heart can probably relate. Something happened tonight which really hurt my daughter's feelings. I won't go into elaborate details, but basically some very immature grown up made a stupid power play that affects her and a lot of other girls. Really what they've done is pull the rug out from under her. I know that sounds cryptic, but I can't give too many details, and the details aren't the point of this posting anyway.

The point of the post is how upset I am that someone has acted so callously in regards to my child. She took the news as to be expected, pretty disappointed, but I think I took it worse. The fact that I had to be the one to pass this along nearly made me cry. I can handle a lot of stress, and I do it pretty well, but my children can always make me cry. I guess I'm supposed to be like that as a mom.

Usually my kids make fun of my "sensitive" nature. My son went through a Christmas movie phase where we watched Frosty the Snowman hundreds of times when he was around 2 or 3. He never really noticed that I cry every time Frosty melts until my mom mentioned that I used to always cry. Then I had to admit that I still cry every time, and that's all it took to become the family joke. "Hey mom, Frosty's getting ready to melt; are you gonna cry this time, too?" Last month my generally undisciplined son had a great streak at school. His assistant teacher wrote him a special note about how wonderful he had been. I cried as I read it, so then when he handed me his folder to sign, he said, "Are you gonna cry all over that, too?" And yes, I did.

So today was difficult. I would do anything to spare my child this disappointment, and I really hate that there is nothing I can do about this. This is almost as frustrating as B's last year of preschool, when there was a revolving door of teachers; he had 6 teachers in that one year. When he'd get close to one and then she would leave, I never knew what to do, and I felt trapped in the situation. Well, I'm trapped once again in a situation that's less than ideal for my child, and I really just want to cry. I won't, but considering punching someone isn't really legal either, I don't know what to do.

Pimping out my Kids

2009-03-04T07:21:00.000-08:00

The other day I got this note from my kids' elementary school:

"You are invited to attend your child's Art Gallery Event!

Dear Parents:

Our students have been working hard on a special art project that will be displayed at our KidsArt Fair on.....(date and time).

It's a big day for our school--don't miss the opportunity to share in the joy of creative expression with your child. You may purchase your child's framed artwork for $29.95 (plus tax). Our school receives 20% of all frame sales to support art education. There is no charge to visit the gallery--bring the whole family!"

What? (or WTH??? is more like it) Let me get this straight. So I can attend this wonderful art gallery, at no charge, and then buy my own kids' artwork. So I have to pay $30 to buy my kids' work? Exactly how is that legal?

Let me tell you, I'm all in favor of supporting art education and music education, etc. But I'm not going to do it by allowing the school to sell my kids' artwork for a profit. And I have two kids, so now I'm roped into spending $60 because who can really go see their kids' artwork and not want to buy it? And you can't buy one without the other. What happens if I don't want to buy my kids' work? Can someone else buy it? Can I buy some other kids' work? What if my kids' artwork stinks? What if I like little Katie's flowers better than the ones my kid did? Can I buy Katie's work and pretend it's my kids'? You see where I'm going with this...

Also, let's add this fundraiser to the one that the art classes already did in the fall. Back then they had the kids draw pictures and then sent them off to the Art by Me folks to make into magnets, tshirts, notebooks, totebags, etc. Then they sent home the magnet of the kids' artwork and basically strong armed me into buying it. I tried to get out cheap by just buying the magnet and one cheap little thing for each kid, but I still spent around $30-$40 on that fundraiser. What this tells me is that my kids aren't getting much in the way of art education at school, unless of course the driving principle is that to be an artist you have to sell everything, even to your own family. Seems to me my kids have spent the better part of this past year in art class learning how to shakedown their parents with cuteness.

I guess I'm going to email the art teacher and the principal to ask a few questions...namely, if I don't purchase the frame, can I still have my kids' artwork back? For the Art by Me stuff, I never got the artwork back, so the only way to get a copy of my kids' work was to buy it.

Why can't schools ever catch on to the fact that we parents really, really, really hate these danged fundraisers? If they would ask me to send in a $10 check to cover art supplies, I'd be more than happy to do so. Instead they ask us to spend $30, for which they only get 20%, or $6. This is fundraising at its most insane.

Wow

2009-02-11T20:20:00.000-08:00

Wow! I've got my students doing blogs this semester for ENG 232, and I didn't realize until I was setting myself up to follow each of their blogs that I haven't posted anything since Jan. 1. I guess all my free time ended when I went back to work after Christmas break. Hmmm, and I have a lot of venting I could be doing here...to think you all are missing out! LOL.

I'll get back to it very soon, I promise.

Uncertain Times

2009-01-01T13:31:00.000-08:00

There's no better time than right after moving into a new house to worry about a job loss, eh? Right after I posted the "Stuff" blog, well, a few days, we went and bought a new TV. Right after that, Philip got his hours slashed at work. Great timing on our part.

He's really needed to find a new job for years but hasn't really wanted to put the effort into not just finding the job, but working his way up somewhere again. I can understand that in a way, although if it were me, the no raise for 4 years would have prompted me to get off my butt a little sooner. Now he's working in retail at a time when the forecasts for retailers (and everything else in the global economy) is all gloom and doom. I just read a report on CNN today expecting thousands of stores to go out of business in the first half of 2009. Yippee!

Part of me thinks that slashing his hours is better than losing his job totally, and this is supposed to be temporary. But the realistic part of me says that if things haven't improved by March, then he could still lose his job....only by then our savings is wiped out.

But for now I'm looking on the bright side. He'll be home a little more to get some of the new house stuff accomplished. He still has a job. And his store might even do better than most considering it's a discount retailer...people will shop there when they are tightening their budgets. And lord knows our budget needs some tightening anyway. We waste a lot of money that we could be saving. This will be a good lesson for us (hopefully in the short term) with long term benefits.

The Need for New "Stuff"

2008-12-04T20:24:00.000-08:00

Isn't it funny how you get a bigger place to store all the stuff that had outgrown the old house, but then you find you need more stuff for the new house? I have seen people who buy or build new houses and then go into much more debt buying all new furniture and decor. My contractor even told us a story of how one couple stiffed him out of the last $17k they owed him cause they got the money and spent it on furniture and decorating instead of paying him. Well, now I finally understand the urge.

Not that we haven't paid off our contractor, because we have...or at least most of it till he finishes the rest of the punch list items. But there's nothing like a new house to show you just how old and ratty that sofa is...you know...the one that seems like you just bought it yesterday, but when you start counting you realize it's over 10 years old. Or what about the console TV that you bought second hand back in 1986 (yes '86!) that won't really work with the satellite you have now? Let's not even talk about the totally cool granite countertops with no barstools or the 2.5 acre yard with the continually breaking push mower! When the grass finally does grow, it's gonna get interesting!

Anyway, I do now totally understand the need/want/desires/whatever. I know when people come over I will be continually apologizing for my lack of new stuff, but with the economy the way it is, I'm a little nervous about the house payment itself, much less the idea of going into debt further for "stuff." Now that I've been living here a month, I have a long list of things we need to buy: a new TV and stand, a desk and office chair for me, a bed and new dresser for our room, barstools, clocks, other wall decor, the patio and basement pads, towel and toilet paper holders, lawn tractor, just to name a few. But I am very happy to be here and very happy to have come in pretty much on budget. The other stuff can wait if needed. In fact, to be honest, I've had no time for shopping and when I have had time, I've not found the things I wanted.

A friend at work told me last week that now that I have the house I can take the rest of my life to decorate it, and she's right. That is, providing it doesn't take the rest of my life to push mow the yard.

Things...

2008-10-15T17:58:00.000-07:00

We have been still working on B's discipline lately, along with trying to get the house finished up. I have not had a chance to pack much from the apartment, but then again, there isn't much that I unpacked. I am taking a day off work tomorrow to do some of that, and also to just try to catch my breath after a whirlwind couple of weeks before the whirlwind weekend.

Braxton has still had some red days lately, but as he said the other day, "At least my folder's colorful!"

Going to watch the last presidential debate now. The last one almost put me to sleep, so if it isn't a good debate, it will at least cure some of my insomnia!

Lately...

2008-10-03T14:57:00.001-07:00

Lately, I've been working hard on keeping the house blog updated, so I haven't been spending as much time here. But after the house is done, I really need to think about what I'll do with this blog. I guess it can still remain just a place for my random musings.

Philip suggested that I use it as a way to update my friends on my son's discipline status at school, which has kind of become a running joke (or it would be if it weren't so darn sad). You see, he gets in trouble daily, but instead of the same old talking, talking, talking, he has found all new and creative ways to break the rules. Last month, in addition to talking in line, talking in class, talking in the hallways, etc., he also got in trouble for all of the following reasons: swinging around the poles, not paying attention in class, playing in the bathrooms, climbing the walls in the bathroom (twice), chasing another student around, picking up another student, and peeking into the girls' bathroom. I might have missed one or two, but I think that pretty much covers September. Who knows what October will bring? Today he was in trouble for lying to the teacher about having to go to the bathroom and playing instead.

We have had several meltdowns this week because of the "no TV if you're bad at school" rule. We've had that rule for the last month, but this week Ironman came out, and we bought it. So here it sets, unopened, just waiting for Braxton to have a green day at school to be able to watch it. He knows the deal, but somehow that just doesn't help him control those impulses at school.

All that said, he is generally a good kid...very smart and incredibly funny. Most of what he does is to be funny, and often it is. I think his teacher likes him, too, which is definitely needed to be able to deal with him, but when he's dealing with 23 kindergarteners, I know he has no time for B's general horsing around.

So, in between house postings, I'll keep you updated on B's school behavior. Hopefully, one day I'll have more important things to ramble on and on about! :-)

Discipline & My Son

2008-09-14T06:41:00.000-07:00

I hate to admit defeat, and I'm not quite there yet, but I just don't know what else I can do with my son to make him listen. Here it is, approx. 9:30 on a Sunday morning, and I've already had to spank him. There is just nothing that he respects...spanking, talking, time out, losing privileges, nothing! He will purposely defy me and laugh until I get the belt and start walking towards him, and then he screams to the top of his lungs...bloody murder. Who knows what the neighbors think here in this apartment???

Those of you who know me have heard the stories, and they aren't exaggerated, I'll assure you of that. I've never really thought I couldn't handle it, but the last few weeks of being in this apartment and his getting into trouble at school and seeming irreverant about it have made me wonder. He is difficult and strong willed, and I really don't think he's ADD or ADHD. I'm just at a loss for what to do.

I guess my only hope is that once school becomes more routine and we get moved for the last time into our house, he should settle down. If not, I'm calling Super Nanny.

Biltmore's Flower Carpet

2008-09-01T19:47:00.000-07:00

We went to Biltmore Estate over the Labor Day weekend to see the flower carpet display, and it was truly incredible. It's amazing what you can do with 144,000 plants. It was very beautiful.

I think my favorite part about Biltmore, even more so than the winery, is the walled garden. The house is just too awful big and excessive, but the garden just doesn't seem that out of reach to me. My grandmother used to have a flower garden with a rock wall and brick-lined paths through the beds. She used to have lots of rose bushes and a cement fish pond in the center. I remember sometimes people would stop at her house and ask if they could see the flower garden, which she was always more than happy to show off. Basically what she had was a (very much so) scaled-down version of the Biltmore formal gardens. I really loved that.

My landscaping tendencies in the past have been to buy the plant and then figure out where to dig the hole. However, I think I would like to do something more formal with my new blank slate of a yard, something more like my grandmother had with her rose garden. I hope my husband doesn't read this anytime soon; I'll have to break this news to him very gently as he's my hole digger! LOL.

My problem is that I have absolutely no eye for design. I really don't know how to get started laying out a formal garden. I have looked at some landscape design software, but the good stuff is fairly expensive, and most of it gets marginal reviews at best. I'll have to ponder this for a while and maybe get out my pencils and paper and see what I can draw up. If you have any suggestions for me, let me know. I'm really anxious to plant something, but I also really want to plan this out carefully. Unfortunately, I didn't inherit much of my grandmother's artistic talent, so I'll need all the help I can get. Wish me luck!

Once you go club, you'll never go back!

2008-08-23T21:49:00.000-07:00

That's how I feel after attending the Panthers game tonight. We lucked into some tickets at the last minute, and they were club seats. The club level, aside from just being good seats, has a whole array of amenities that "regular" ticket holders cannot access, like sushi in the little markets, access to game side restaurants, plenty of available seating in the air conditioning, and just plenty of people being nice to you and offering to help in any way. Wow!

While much of that stuff we didn't use, just walking through the carpeted and much less-crowded hallways instead of being herded like cattle through the concrete walkways was enough to make it worthwhile. Oh, and the extra 2 inches in the chairs was a comfy surprise. Throw in clean restrooms and free parking, and you've got a convert! Not that I could have afforded these seats on my own. These were $150 seats, times 4. Yeah, wow again.

We have attended once in the lower section (the excitement of that was quelled by the 20 degree weather that night), but since then, the only tix we've been able to buy have been in the upper section, usually as close to the back of the stadium as possible. One time we sat in the next to the last row, and paid well over $100 for the privilege, to be sure. The last time we did that, we realized that it just wasn't worth the expense to sit that far removed from the field. Why pay that much when you have a much better view on TV? So we haven't been back in the last couple of years.

Of course, sitting in the club section, you also get a sneak peek into the luxury suites. That's my next goal, finding someone to invite me to a fully catered luxury suite with the comfy leather arm chairs with an awesome view of the field. That'll never probably happen, but I just won't be going back to the nosebleed section; that's for sure. LOL!

Apartment Living at its Finest?

2008-08-10T09:25:00.001-07:00

We moved into The Legends apartment complex which bills itself as "luxury apartment living." Well, somehow, I don't quite feel like I'm living in the lap of luxury. Maybe it's all the boxes that I'm refusing to unpack that are stacked up everywhere. But it could also be the dated cabinets and rustic stove and dishwasher. Or, perhaps it could be the nice family upstairs who seems to be constantly doing laundry and their kids who like to run laps around 11 p.m. at night. And let's not even think about how much I'm paying to live here. That's probably my real issue. I really do wonder who chooses to live here and pay this amount versus buying a house. My house was like $500 cheaper than this apartment.

It also could be that I have stuff strewn all over the county. We have our tools at one person's house, outdoor stuff at mom's, indoor stuff in storage, and even stuff stored in the new basement. Philip was wondering the other day how and where all this crap will go in the new house. LOL.

Okay, enough rambling for now. Off to lunch and Target to look for Tug a backpack. (That's his new thing. I got to calling him B, and he informed me that he already had a nickname, Tug, and I should use that.)

We finally closed!

2008-08-10T09:12:00.000-07:00

I was reading my last posting and had commented that we were hopefully on track to close on the 30th. Well....we didn't close on the 30th. We didn't close the next Wednesday either. We finally signed the papers on August 8, yes, 10 days late.

I think I mentioned earlier that the buyers were getting some kind of grant to help with their downpayment, or a 100% loan, or something of the sort. So their loan was held up with whatever governmental agency that was. Everyone seemed shocked that in this mortgage and foreclosure crisis, a governmental agency would take extra time. It was as if I was the only one who expected this. Those of you who know me and heard the stories first hand, remember the last minute septic inspection and the water test? Those results weren't in until the Friday before closing. Who in their right mind thought that any government agency could process a loan in two days? Anyway, it's finally over and that chapter of my saga is over. Wahoo!

House selling update

2008-07-23T21:58:00.000-07:00

We're still charging full steam ahead as if everything is on track to close on the sale of the house next Wednesday. I think we're still waiting for the full results of the water tests, but we should have that in a day or so.

We have, thankfully, found a place to live in the interim. So as you can imagine, I'm living in a sea of boxes. I've packed so much already, but I still feel as if there is just too much more to do. I also am pretty sure we don't have enough moving help, but we will certainly have truck power. We will have three pickups and one trailer, along with a moving truck. Goodness knows that should help. Wish us luck! Will post again as soon as I have some free time.

The Buying/Selling Game

2008-07-16T05:21:00.000-07:00

I've always hated buying a car. Just the whole process of game playing makes me feel dirty. Well, apparently buying/selling a house is about as nasty, just much more protracted. In selling our house we've tried to price it appropriately, knowing that it needs some little things done here and there. And we've been as honest as possible about the issues and what we will or won't fix. And I think our agent has done the same and been pretty straightforward. However, the buyers' agent apparently likes the game playing. Every little thing is potentially a "deal breaker" as she tries to bluff us into stuff. And she's not on the top of her game, apparently, as evidenced by the number of calls we have gotten needing to check this, or inspect that, or get one more thing for their lender. We're way past the deadline now for repair requests, but we're still having inspections and water tests done.

I guess she's finding, though, that with no place to live lined up yet, we're ready to call her bluff. If they walk away now, they stand to lose well over $1000 in inspections and appraisals, and we won't have to hurry and find a place to live. A "deal breaker" might be welcome right now.

Soon to be homeless???

2008-07-13T13:35:00.000-07:00

I've been too busy to post much lately because we sold the house as soon as it went on the market. Then we were in stand-still mode while we waited for the buyers to get the appraisal and inspections done. Now it looks like we're in the home stretch to be out by July 30....only the new house won't be ready for another 4-8 weeks. So now what do I do?

I've tried asking about extended stay rates at local hotels, but they are outrageous--more than my soon to be new mortgage payment! And I've only found one place that will rent to me for less than 7-9 months. So that may be what we have to do. We don't really have family we can barge in on for over a month. I jokingly say I should rent or buy an rv, but that might not be a bad option right now. If it weren't for the constant storms we've been having lately, that might work out well. LOL

If anyone knows of an empty house needing an occupant for 4-8 weeks, let me know.

Letter from the President!

2008-06-02T22:47:00.000-07:00

Okay, so several months back, Anna decided she wanted to write to the President and tell him how much she liked him. Seeing as how this is the President I love to hate, I had a hard time with that, but like any good Mommy, I encouraged her anyway. So she drew President Bush a couple really nice pictures and sent him a note telling him how difficult it must be to be President with all the hard decisions he had to make and, by the way, when would there be a woman president. (You go, girl! She's my baby!)

So since then, I've had to often explain to her just how much mail the President gets and how he probably will answer her letter, but it might take a good while. So, finally, Saturday, the wait was over. We go check the mail to find a nice little package from the White House. Anna was sooooooo excited. She read her letter grinning from ear to ear. And while her letter didn't tackle the woman president question, it did reference making tough decisions, so it actually seems to be a good fit for what is most likely a form letter.

But here's the kicker: with the letter came a lovely 8x10 of President Bush and a nice 8x10 of the White House dog, Barney. Anna wants to frame them all. Now I can handle framing the letter and the photo of Barney, but a framed photo of President Bush cannot reside upon my walls. I'll have to figure a way out of this. Any suggestions? I'm thinking of finding a tri-fold frame where I can just fold Bush shut when I don't want to see him. LOL! But isn't Barney just adorable?

I know, I know, that's really mean. I'm sure I'll let her frame him if that's what she wants. Again, I let her write to him after all. I just can't wait till we have President Obama or President Clinton (although a woman president is looking more and more unlikely) so we can write again and get a better letter! Ha!

Too Busy

2008-06-02T22:25:00.001-07:00

Well, obviously, I've been too busy lately to post much here. I have barely managed to keep the house blog up to date. Remember the days of posting a new pic of nothing every day? Well, that's over, partly because gas costs $4 a gallon and partly because every waking moment and some sleeping ones are spent getting this house in shape to sell. And of course, we're pushing that to the last possible moment. I might be in real trouble if it doesn't sell quickly.

Anyway, since that last pic was posted, Philip shaved off all his hair, and we have not had any sort of family time since. The kids have gotten to go swimming a lot lately, only cause we're terribly busy pressure washing and painting the pool fence. They have been really good with little attention from us. I feel bad to keep harping on them for things, but it's only for a limited time, right?

Anyway, we've still got a long list of house projects to accomplish, but only about a week left to do them. This house will go on the market within two weeks either all gussey'd up or as is....I don't care at this point. I know one thing for sure: when July 8 rolls around (hopefully when we're headed to the beach), we will be more than ready for a vacation.

This week is hell week too, difficult for finishing those two hundred house projects still left to do. I painted around hair appointments today. Tuesday we have a ball game AND the Girl Scout end of year picnic (at the same time, of course). Wednesday I guess I'm painting all evening. Thursday is B's preschool graduation. And Friday we have a wedding to attend. Whew! Then Philip works late on Saturday, so it's another day of painting or yard work by myself with the kiddos.

Well, didn't mean to whine here. I'll try to avoid that in the future. I meant to talk about Anna's letter from the President, but that will have to wait for tomorrow.

Biltmore was lovely, and life has been a blur ever since...

2008-05-08T21:32:00.001-07:00

Wow, sorry for the delay in posting, but after the fun day at Biltmore, I haven't stopped moving since. It's been ball games/practices, dance, doctors and dentist appointments every day. Add to that an incredible stack of grading and meeting with endless real estate agents, and you can only imagine the insanity!

The house is coming along well, finally. The framing has begun. Check out the progress on my house blog (see the links). But because of that, we have kicked the packing and repairing into full swing. I'm a little disappointed at what all of the real estate agents have had to say so far about the value of our house. Don't get me wrong; we will make money, but so far they all have pretty much valued the house below tax value. Can you say housing slump? I heard somewhere the other day that values have doubled in the last 10 years....well, we've had our house for 10 years, and we're only looking at about a 35-36% increase.

Oh well, the excitement of building the new house will probably mitigate most of the disappointment. I am kicking myself for not adding that second bathroom way back when. Whoever buys my house will be getting one hell of a deal if you ask me. It's in a nice, quiet neighborhood with plenty of trees, over an acre of land, well landscaped, with two porches and a deck overlooking an inground pool. There's also a finished den downstairs with gas logs, plumbing for the second bathroom, two paved driveways, a detached two-car garage and separate shed. And many of the fixtures, etc., have been updated. The roof is not too old, and the heat pump, well pump, etc., are all relatively new. All that for under $130K? I'm sure I'll love the new house, but looking at that list reminds me that there's a lot here to miss.

Biltmore in the Springtime

2008-04-19T18:08:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I haven't really gotten to that grading yet. I posted another house update on my house blog, and then I thought that I wanted to come back here and post about Biltmore. See how that procrastination is in full swing?

Anyway, when we went to Biltmore Estate a couple weeks back, we upgraded our passes, and I really, really, really want to see the tulips blooming in the gardens. We also spent way too much time in the house last time being herded through like cattle and not nearly enough time on the grounds and the winery. We never got down to the lake or to the farm last time.

So, I talked Philip into going again tomorrow. This time we're skipping the house and starting with the gardens. I want to see the tulips and maybe walk down to the lake this time. I also want to get to the winery in time to let the kids do the grape stomp at 2:00 and see the culinary demonstration at 3:00. We'll pack a picnic again and eat our PB&Js on the grounds somewhere. That was fun last time (and saved us a ton of money). Now if I can only keep from spending $50 in the wine shop again.....

Too Much To Do

2008-04-19T17:41:00.000-07:00

I always feel this way near semester's end...too much to do and too little time. How will I ever get all these papers graded? Why did I assign so much? Why do I insist upon giving essay tests?

However, in addition to my normal end of semester crunch, Braxton is now playing baseball, which occupies about 2-3 evenings a week; we are building a house; and we should be trying to pack up everything we own so this house is more presentable to sell. In addition to that, I need to have a yard sale to get rid of mucho crap, and I need to be interviewing real estate agents because our house should already be on the market. OMG!!!

As usual, when I get into this shape, what do I do??? I procrastinate. I find any and everything possible to avoid grading, cleaning, packing, etc. So I have spent much of today online but not grading. Heck, I've even washed dishes three times today to avoid grading. And now I'm finding that blogging is another really good procrastination tool.

Okay, I'm done now. I'm really going to get off here and grade something. I just wanted to post an update since I haven't in over a week. Oh yeah, and Mac seems to be doing well after this last surgery; he had the last pain pill the other day and his last antibiotic today. He's supposed to get his stitches out Monday or Tuesday....I'm thinking about taking the cone off his head tonight or tomorrow. I'm sure he's healed enough. He's better enough to get into some kind of trouble outside the other day and get his back scratched up. WTH?

Okay, now I'm really done. Seriously this time. I'm going to grade. For real. Here I go...

Mackie Doodle

2008-04-13T20:33:00.000-07:00

Mac is doing pretty well after his surgery. We brought him home on Friday, and I could tell he felt miserable. I also think the time in solitary confinement at the vet's just kills him. He had somehow bruised his eye so that the white part is all bloodied, and he has a scab on his nose as well. And I'm guessing all that is from the cage he was in? Who knows? The vet seems to think he bruised his eye while waking up from the anesthesia, but it is getting better.

He looks so pitiful with his e-collar on, but I don't want him scratching or licking his stitches. He's also getting better about walking around with it. He doesn't run into as many things this time around. But it sure hurts when he runs into me!

We still have him on the special food, and he now has a supplement to take to help his body flush out the calcium. Medicine time is fun with the supplement, eye drops, antibiotic, and pain pills...lol. I'm also changing him over to bottled water in case our mineral-rich well water has something to do with the problem. It makes sense that it would, and bottled water is cheaper and easier on him than these repeated surgeries! Wish us luck!

Various thought and ramblings

2008-04-08T20:23:00.000-07:00

I decided while writing my house blog that I really wanted a place to vent---er, comment about all types of other things going on in my life, besides just the construction. So here it is. This is a scary thought, the inner workings of my mind unleashed on the world. Can you handle it?