Happy? New Year!

This year has been off to a bit of a bumpy start.  Car troubles, money troubles (that's every year), kid troubles and household issues.  Shew!  My Husbands car has had a plethora of problems lately, sucking up a lot of any extra cash, and then some!  While working on his vehicle, my van decides that heat is no longer an option for us.  We've tried several fixes and no luck so far.  I really don't want to go to a mechanic, but it looks like that's what we'll have to do.  This actually wouldn't have been too big of a deal because the weather here was pretty mild but of course the day after the heat quits, the temps drop and we get our first snowfall (thanks Mother Nature!).  This is also when the kid issues kick in. . see school was out for Christmas break, they go back for one or two days and boom,snow!  So there goes a few more days out of school and stuck with me at home.  So, here we are now with one vehicle providing adequate heat (the vehicle Husband must drive to work) and 3 kids stuck home with a cranky Mom who has no money to order a pizza or movie because of said vehicle troubles.  Can't get any better than that right? I know it could be worse, trust me, I count my blessings.  I am allowed to vent and complain though and this has been pretty rough. 

Over the weekend, the oven decides it too feels it has provided enough service for our family and quit working.  Now, this can be good. . (sorry dear Husband, I can't cook dinner tonight, the oven isn't working, remember?)  but it's mostly bad.  There is really no extra fundage for take-out and I don't typically keep microwave friendly foods around, not too many stove-top items either so now we're in a pickle to get this oven mess squared away as well.

Ugh!  So, now that I've vented about that mess, let's move on, shall we?  Have I mentioned before that my oldest child is obsessed and I do mean obsessed with Star Wars?  It's getting kind of ridiculous and my Husband loves it.  I know nothing about Star Wars, never really watched the movies and can't keep up with all the characters names and events.  Luckily, my Husband is all nerd and knows all this information and he can translate for me.  It has gotten to the point though that my son, who is convinced he is a Jedi, has begun to sign his schoolwork with his name then Jedi.  His teacher doesn't seem to mind it, but I'm not sure if I should ask him not to do that or just let it go.  He also has a lot of demands when it comes to his clothing.  He's dressing himself in layers and gloves and extra, unnecessary apparel to look more like a Jedi.  (insert motherly, annoyed eye roll here)  I can deal with this for the most part. . 'you want to look like a dork, go for it son!'  but last night just came to a head.  He had a total, level 10 meltdown because his cape was missing. (yes, he wears a cape 98% of the time)  This meltdown lasted a good 45 minutes before he wore himself out and just went to sleep.  If it has become this important and causing such an issue for him to be a "Jedi" maybe we need to re-evaluate this Star Wars thing.  (A little disclaimer, my child has Autism and though this makes handling these situations a little tricky, I do my best to treat him no different than I do his siblings and handle each situation in as much the same manner as possible.)

Aside from all the other issues with Star Wars and my son, I REALLY can't take hearing that theme music any longer. . there are no words for how I feel when I hear it come on for the millionth time.  Any one else dealing with an obsessed kiddo?  I'm hoping this phase passes very soon!

In the mean time. .  I'm hoping to do a little revamping on my blog here.  I want to change decor around a little so excuse any mess and please, keep stopping by!

Ho-Hum Holidays!

I don't know about everyone else, but I am sooooooooo glad all the Holidays are over! I some what enjoy putting up my puny decorations, but my OCD sets in and I can't get the ornaments just right or the ribbon even and it just usually makes me grumpy.  Then all the shopping, not just shopping for gifts, but shopping in general.  I don't care where you go during the month of December, it's going to be busy, busy!  I think next year I am going to buy groceries for the entire month of December in one shot that way I won't have to leave the house!  On top of all that, we always go over board with gifts for the kids and it's stupid, they're spoiled, yet we do it every year!  So, with all of this lingering bah-humbugness I have, I've decided next year we're doing a destination Christmas!  A nice hotel suite, swimming pool and various attractions and that will be the Christmas present for the family.  Anyone else ever tried this?  Any tips or suggestions?  I think it'll be swell.  Perhaps we can take a mini tree with a single gift for each child.  I suppose I can't ruin the whole Santa Claus thing for them just yet, but this massive pile of gifts and expense has got to take a year off!  Besides, I think we should just enjoy being together and savoring experiences as a family.  Fast forward to next Christmas and as I read this post, I'll weep uncontrollably at the good intentions I had, HA!  I at least have a year to plan it all out, we'll see. . . . .

I hope everyone had a great New Years.  I was asleep by 10:30 and I believe my Hubs was asleep shortly after midnight.  The kids crashed around 9.  Basically, it was a typical night for us.  I've never been a big New Years person, I dunno why.  Just always seemed silly to me, partying so much for a calendar technicality.  I suppose I could be all dramatic and think of the possibilities of a "fresh start"  or "clean slate" for the new year, but I'm too much of a pessimist to go for all that.  For those who are, more power to ya!

When thinking about these Holidays, perhaps my attitude towards them stems from the fact that my birthday is the day after Christmas.  Yes, my name is Carol and I was born the day after Christmas, Thanks Mom!  Having a birthday in the midst of all that Christmas craziness has always sucked.  I've had 1 birthday party my entire life and it was in June.  I can't remember how it all came about, but I have a few pictures of me and friends all together in the summer having a birthday party.  My actual birthday always gets swept under the rug.  My poor Husband has tried every year, unsuccessfully, that we've been together to make my birthday special.  I've given up on it, I just don't get a birthday and that's okay.  I've finally got myself used to the combined presents and brush off of any potential birthday celebration anywhere near my actual date of birth.

After all this complaint though, I can say I enjoyed Christmas overall through the eyes of my children and if nothing else, this picture made it all worth while!

Chicken and Dumplings-1 Carol-0

Can I cook?  Well, yes.  I think so.  But there are a few recipes that no matter how many times I try them, I just can't get it to come out right.  For instance, Fudge.  I've worked my butt off trying to make Christmas Fudge for all of our friends and family.  I've made at least 10 batches, each one not turning out in same in way.  What the hell?  I have no idea what went wrong during each batch, all I know is, I'm done trying.  Sorry folks, if you want Fudge this year, you'll have to hit up another house.  Most recent recipe to bomb?  Chicken and Dumplings.  I wanted something warm, homemade and yummy for dinner last night so I decide to whip out an old favorite.  I did everything right, all was well, dropped in the dumplings, simmer and when I returned to check on my yummy goodness. .  well, it looked more like something that my dog would hack up.  Again, What the hell?  Poor Husband, I had told him earlier in the day my plans for our dinner so when he came into the ktichen and peered into the pot, he just couldn't hide his disappointment.  He ate one bowl, and I could tell he was choking it down. . (I appreciate the effort babe, we've been married almost 10 years though, so you are way past the stage of choking down my awful cooking!)  I should've asked Santa for some cooking lessons this year!

Hello Again!

I realize I have been absent from this blog more than I've been here.  I went through a bit of a funk and there were days I didn't want to think about my life and things going on in it, let alone write about it.  I've been thinking about it everyday, trying to work myself up into writing about anything, something. .  but sitting on the couch in my pj's eating chocolate was more amusing to me and so, I apologize for the neglect.

I plan to be more present in my blogging as time goes.  My goal for the coming new year is to post at least twice a month!  I don't want to put too much pressure on myself here, Ha!  I have lots of thoughts and opinions that need expressing in a positive outlet so I think it'll be good for me to get in a routine.  I LOVE reading so many other blogs and I can only hope that eventually, some will enjoy reading mine as well.

For now though, we're all doing well.  Gearing up for the big Christmas holiday and all the mess and stress that comes with it!  I'll leave you with a 'note' I posted recently to my facebook page, just a tiny rant. .  I suppose a preview of sorts of the things I might end up posting here once I FINALLY commit myself to doing it.  Much props to those who blog frequently and provide reading enjoyment for myself and others!

There are a lot of things irritating me lately (those who know me are not shocked by this, ha!). One thing that has just really bothered me for a while now is the Special Needs Adoption Program. . well, NOT the program itself, but their website. First, a disclaimer, I am not putting any of my children up for adoption or adopting a child. I just happened upon this site when searching for information. There is a link provided on the site where one can view photos and a quick bio of a special needs child who is available for adoption. Now, go back and read that last sentence again, please. Sound familiar? It reminds me a lot of the animal shelters and petfinder websites. It kind of sickens me. Is there a site like this for non-special needs children who are available for adoption? Not to my knowledge. Why is it acceptable for a special needs child to be advertised in the same manner as a dog,cat or other animal but apparently not so for a child is not special needs?! I understand these children, all children need a good, loving, stable home. But, is this really the way to go about it? I just can't stand the idea of someone looking through the list of these children and "picking" one in the same manner some people select their new pet. Yuck.

I'm still here!!

I've been trying to get back here to the blog world for what seems like forever now!  I didn't realize just how long it had been until I logged in today. . shew!  The end of summer just took it's toll on me and I was super busy with the kiddos and back to school activities for everyone in this house.  The boys started school the first of August and my classes started back a few weeks after them.  Husband hasn't had any break from school, went all summer long and is in the last stretch, thank goodness!  So, I apologize for my absence and you now have my excuse, I hope you accept it and I promise to never do it again! (at least not anytime soon!).

The boys have been doing well with school and seem to be enoying it. . at least once they're awake and in the building.  While at home and getting dressed and ready for the bus, it's non-stop "I hate school."  "I just went to school yesterday, Do I have to go again?!"  I follow up with their teachers though and have got nothing but great reports. .  while I'm glad they behave and are happy when at school, I'd kinda like some of that goodness at home too, especially at 6 a.m. while I'm wrestling with them to get dressed.

Lily and I have enjoyed the quiet time at home minus the stinky boys. .  what little bit I've had anyway.  I've been swamped with my own homework (great idea waiting until after you have children to go to college).  I've also been busy volunteering at the school and applying for jobs.  I can't take this being broke thing anymore so I've decided I need to do something about it, we'll see how it goes. . . .

I forgot to mention some of the more interesting parts of my absence.  First, a HUGE plumbing problem.  I don't know what happened exactly or how it was fixed, but there were a few days that I noticed the drains weren't working so well and the toliet was needing an extra flush.  I alerted the Husband and he acted like I was insane and imagining these events and ignored me. .  (next time, I'll just alert the proper professional)  Eventually this turned into the sink not draining at all and the toliet would not flush or would fill up and take forever to drain, this then turned into sewage. .  yes, sewage, backing up into the BATHTUB!  At this point, I packed up the kids and went to a friends house and left Husband to see what I was trying to tell him.

While staying at this friends house (plumbers take a ridiculous amount of time to do their work) my youngest son decides he needs some extra TLC and goes into full blown Asthma attack. (Ok, so I realize he didn't do this on purpose and he's fine and it certainly wasn't a laughing matter at the time. .  looking back, if I don't joke about it, I'll cry about it.)  Off we went to the ER ,after his various meds weren't working.  Super low oxygen levels and 6 hours later, he was admitted into the hospital.  Dr's weren't so happy with his levels and he had to be placed on oxygen for several hours until he could maintain.  At this point, we're homeless and hospitalized and 2 of my 3 children are with our friends. .  friends I might add are relatively new friends and though this obviously shows what great friends they are. .  that's a lot to ask of them.  We were in the hospital for a couple days and Sam is fine, just needed the extra boost of medicine the Dr's could provide and a sample of that terrible hospital food, before returning to the friends house. 

Luckily the day we were released was the same day plumbing was fixed and we could return to our home. . . pack up the stuff, grab the kids, load the van, key in ignition. . . nothing. .  hmm. . key in ignition. . . NOTHING!  At this point, I couldn't contain myself and I screamed words that I didn't know that I knew at the sky, at the van, at the kids, at the dog. . not proud of myself, but after the hell I'd been through I just couldn't take much more.  The van battery was dead. .  great timing!  After some effort we were able to get home and settle back in.  The van has a brand new battery, so far the plumbing is back to normal and Sam has been doing well. . .


If reading that doesn't simply exhaust you . . well you have no soul. .  I'm kidding. .  but really, no soul. . .

There is no winning with me today. . .

I'll admit it, I'm in a pissy mood!  First, I want to acknowledge that my life could be worse and that there are others who do have it worse than I.  However, I am allowed to feel pissy and grumpy on occasion without feeling guilty because I do have it better than some.

The weather here has been unrelenting.  The heat is just ridiculous, it's so hot out that it never even really cools down at night.  I wake up at 6 am and going outside then, the humidity just takes your breath away!  Needless to say, we've been running the AC non-stop and fans around the house to help keep it cool.  We live in a brick house and with no shading directly in the front, around 2 pm it's like living in a brick oven.  So, I'm uncomfortable with the heat AND paranoid about the electric bill.

I'm cranky too because I haven't been sleeping well.  Heat of course doesn't make for a restful sleep, but our children like to wake periodically through the night so that we are never given a break from them!  Seriously, I'm really starting to think this is part of an elaborate plan to take us out.  Generally for the kids, bed time is around 8 pm.  They're usually asleep by 9 and it's guaranteed one will wake up for something by 10, 11 if we're lucky.  Sam will wake up itching due to his eczema or Carter will wake because of Autism's notorious effects on sleep habits and then of course Lily will wake if she hears anything going on.  Once everyone is settled and back to sleep, Husband and I try to catch a few z's.  I wake up on and off through out the night in various positions because one at a time each child has made their way into our bed.  We've been working on this problem for almost 2 years now and have made NO progress at all.  We're about to start taking more drastic measures though, because I can't take it anymore.  I need sleep and I need comfortable sleep without being kicked in the face or waking up with a butt in my face.  Let's hope it works out because I don't want to be grumpy all the time anymore!

Hot weather, lack of sleep and (drum roll please) Hillbilly gawkers!  Yes, Hillbilly Gawkers.  Around here it's perfectly normal to  be stared at, no matter what you're doing or where you're doing it.  I don't mean just stared at either, absolute blatant, mouth wide open staring, that's what I'm talking about.  There is a large population of people around here who put their lawn chairs or park their vehicles up on the town square to just sit and stare at people driving through.  (I'm dead serious)  So. . when I go out in town, I'm quite used to being gawked at, because that's just what everyone does. . but, when I take my children to the grocery store with me, it turns into a whole other story.  .  I think my status on Facebook sums it all up for me:

Just wanted to say that I am on the verge of a breakdown. . so, be warned. The next person who grumbles, stares, makes a comment, laughs or even looks at me funny while I'm shopping with my child-who has Autism-and is having a meltdown, trust me. . you will feel my wrath and you'll regret it. Thank you.

Yes, I'm in a pissy mood and I'm allowed to be. .  let's hope tomorrow is better!

Amish Adventures!

There are some days that I really dislike living in this area and I hope that one day we'll  be moving to an area we are more suited to.  One thing I will miss terribly though, the local Amish and Mennonite community.



I enjoy driving out to the 'country' and buying fresh produce from their little markets and lemme tell ya they have the BEST tomatoes and peaches and cream corn.  My summer time favorite, country fried corn!  They charge a fair price and it's nice to know I'm not supporting a controlling corporation!  They also sell some of their amazing crafts, handmade furniture, soaps and toys.  Fresh herbs, pasta, canned sauces, jellies and honey.  I know I'm starting to sound like an advertisement, but it's just really neat to me.

One thing I won't miss. . getting behind one of their buggies on the road!  With these narrow country roads, it's kind of dangerous sometimes. . .

The little girls all playing outside of the general store



These last two pictures are a couple of the rugs in the craft store, made from plastic shopping bags, I posted these just for you Tammie

My little advertisement is done now. . . I'm off to enjoy another sweltering summer day with the kiddos. . Stay cool everybody!