Summer Gripes...

The last day of school is the 20th. This leaves us just 6 days until the children of the Valley run amock in every corner, hill, dale and road.

This post is about all the things that I don't like about children being out of school for the summer....(by children, I mean in general, not mine, that post will have to wait, it's too long)

The kids up the road will get honked at, I guarentee it. The other day, on the way out, I drove up the road to find three little boys riding their bikes in the road. No biggie, it's a rural road, and where else do you ride a bike? Well, I slowed down even further (speed limit is 20), and waited for them to get off the road to let me pass. Two of them did, the other looked at me, and proceeded to ride in circles in the middle of the road. He finally moved, and I wen ton my fuming way....after I told my kids that if I ever caught them acting stupid like that in the road I'd do all sorts of un-lovely things...top of the list would be taking bikes away.

They all swore, and I admitted they are all very well-behaved when it comes to giving vehicles their space to pass. They all get OFF the road and STOP until the vehicle is past. Hurray! I taught them something right!

On the other hand, they aren't getting themselves ready for school.

The other thing I'm not ready to handle during the summer....the loads of kids coming into the store buying all the candy and engery drinks (OMG, parents do you know your kids are getting energy drinks at the age of 10?), and paying with all their hard-earned (or found) change.

Okay that shouldn't be as bad for me this year, since I'm at the grocery store, and not the gas station like last year. Hopefully.

But the change doesn't bug me as much as the energy drinks does. Seriously, does an average 10 to 15 year old NEED energy drinks? I don't think so! I've even had parents in my checkout, actually buying cases of these things for their kids! Makes me really want to refuse to let them get the darn things. Am I allowed to do that? Can I seriously ask the customer if they are buying the drinks for themselves (also not a great choice of beverage for an adult), or the kids? Can I follow them home and make sure they aren't allowing Jr. to drink mass quanities of sugar, caffiene and "herbs" so they can stay up all night and keep everyone who has to work in the morning awake?

Living here it isnt' quite so bad. But when we used to live "in town", there would be children up and in the road, or near-by yards playing loudly until all hours of the night. There was even one family that apparently let their children just pass out whenever they felt like it, since the kids were routinly awake at 2 am.

My children will be awoken no later than 8 am during the summer (if they aren't already up), and will be sent to bed no later than 10 pm-but most likely closer to 8:30 or 9:00. A slight change in the schedule, to allow for more playing in the wonderful Alaska Sun.

How does your summertime schedule differ from your school-time schedule? I'll share ours in the next post! Until then....the countdown is on!

Rants and Raves

Okay, maybe a bit more rants than that of raves today, but we'll see what comes to pass....

I offically HATE my printer. Not only is the ink expensive enough that you have to take a second mortgage out to afford it, it does not print if one of those ink containers is out of ink. It will not do anything. It's an "all in one" that doesn't do a thing if there's no ink. I can't even scan, which takes no ink at all.

I also offically hate mornings like this. I woke the kids up just a little bit late this morning, and told them to hurry a little, and was met by Shorty flopping on the floor in a fit of tears, saying that it was all Princess's fault. Um, no, it's Mama's fault, dear, now get your butt dressed. She progressed from this colapsed state into the screaming and crying state through the morning.

Which, as you can imagine, drives everyone in the house up the wall. Monkey is now in a bad mood, and Princess it in her room pouting because I told her (for the millionth time) that she CAN NOT wear the same shirt two days in a row. OMG, she just came upstairs wrapped in a blanket. Wearng the same shirt, but without pants. Breathe, Mama, breathe......

They have to be out of the house in 7 minutes.....and Yuppers, I'm sitting here blogging it instead of dressing my NINE year old daughter. She'll just have to figure it out and get yelled at, cause I told her 40 minutes ago that she had to change.

Work rant.....Every morning,us cashiers have to sign out a counterfit pen from the Cash Audit lady. And in turn we have to return and sign in the pen when our shift is over. I've been signing the paper upside-down every day, because well....because I'm lazy for the most part. But because I dont' see why I should have to take an extra minute to turn it around to sign the right way and turn it back around, when there's customers waiting. ANYWHO....yesterday the Cash Audit Troll was saying my name(I should think of a name for myself) as I was signing. I finished and turned aroung. She told me to turn the paper around and sign the right way. I just looked at her with a blank stare. When my shift was over, I signed upside-down.

Today I'll be signing the right way, but under the name "Samantha Stevens".

Ummm....raves? I love Vanilla-Nut coffee creamer!

This and that - cause I can't think of a catchy title

Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS) is when your nerve and artery gets pinched in between your colar bone and your first rib. (That's WAY layman's terms, I'm in no way professional about explaining things like that) And that's apparently what's wrong with my arm.

How to correct? Push, pull, prod, stretch and strengthen. And a whole lotta painfull crap. And even more of getting "yelled" at to stand and sit up straighter. Fun stuff...where's Mom when I need her...and when the Hell did I start NOT standing and sitting up straight? Seriously, I really thought that my posture was good...if not great, it was at least Okay. Not so. I could stand in for the Hunchback of Notradame when sitting....

Okay, it's not that bad.

The therapy hurts though.

Having TOS explains at least one thing, though. All those times when I went to the Doc for various things and they asked if I've always had low blood pressure....well yeah, if you take the readings in my right arm, I do...the damn artery is pinched!

In other news...Old Man Winter is giving us a reminder that he hates us. Snow every night and sun in the day. My sis-in-law went off the road this morning...and so I sit waiting for her and have a moment to blog. Mixed blessing? Heh heh. She's okay, btw, but going off the road is freaky and basically makes you feel like a dumb-ass. LOL

One a completely strange and off the wall note...why are fingers hairy?

My Fav. Spud recipe...

Crazy Hip Blog Mama's is outta dinner ideas and are desprately asking for recipes using potatoes. So, for everyone's taste buds delight, I give you....

"Food involving potatoes"
(everything is 'food', kids ask "What's for dinner?", I say FOOD)

3 T veg oil (i use safflower)
1 bag frozen diced potatoes with onions and peppers (potatoes o'brian)
1/2 tsp dried oregano or basil
1/2 tsp pepper
2 Cups (or a small bag) broccoli flowerets
1 pound smoked sausage, cut into bite-sized pieces
1-2 cups (to taste) Cheddar Cheese

~Heat oil in 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add potatoes, oregano and pepper. Cover and cook awhile, stirring so it doesn't burn, until potatoes are done. 8 to 10 minutes (If useing frozen broccoli add this too)

~Stir in broccoli (if fresh); add sausage. Cover and cook until sausage is hot (again, stir so it doesn't burn)

~Cover with cheese and heat until cheese is melty...just the way kids like it.

If you do the cheese just right, kids will barely notice that there's green stuff in it. Even makes husbands happy!

cook time: about 20 minutes
Makes 6 servings

It's not even 9 O'Clock!

6:15 am...Captain beating up the alarm clock
7:00 am...waking unwakeable children
7:05 am...fighting with pre-teen 9 year old to eat
7:15 am....hair and make up
7:30 am....instructing children to hurry up and get ready
7:35 am....telling pre-teen 9 year old that she may not wear the same shirt two days in a row
7:45 am....Telling 9 year old that she MUST change her clothes
7:50 am....pondering working while on my pain killers.....decided agaisnt
8:00 am...Yelling at uber-slow 6 year old to find her stuff
8:05 am....remembering that I washed her coat, and that's why she's not ready
8:10 am....remembering that I need to make lunches
8:20 am....running out the door to stop pre-teen 9 year old from riding her brand new bike to the bus stop....where it most certainly will get stolen
8:25 am...taking dog out
8:30 am....washing the doggie doo off my shoe that I didn't see on the ground cause the darn dog was being a stupid-ass and freaking out
8:40 am....wishing I could go back to bed

To Wanda!

Oh my! Three posts in one day! I'm going to jamb the blogosphere.

Right now, I'm sitting in a room that's torn up. I've removed all the things on the walls, and taken everything out of the bookcase, and moved said bookcase (found 50 cents too), and now it's down to moving the computer desk away from the wall.

I'm really debating just un-hooking the computer for a lil bit and re-enacting a scene from Fried Green Tomatoes on the desk. TO WANDA!!!! 'Course, then I don't have a clue what we'd put the computer on....but I seriously hate this desk.

Okay, okay...why is the "family room all torn up? Because after 10 months of having the stuff, I'm finally doing the Venitian plaster on the walls! I've got 2/3rds of it done, and I can't go any further due to the desk being in the way.

Right now it looks like I've let some kindergarteners with mud loose in the room. But I'm told that it will look awesome when totally finished. I'll post pics when I'm done! :)

In which I spend 15 minutes on the toilet

No, not like that. Waiting for someone to bring me toilet paper. Oh but it's not as easy as that.

M.M. was using the giant bundle of T.P. as a seat. Shorty went to get it for me, and he proceeded to knock her down (spilling her popcorn-I don't know why she was holding it and getting me t.p. The fight that follows is nothing short of ear-splitting and was probably heard three roads over.

Topping their screaming, I can be heard from upstairs, saying I just need a little, please!

It seriously took 15 minutes to get some toilet paper.

Moral of the day...Check before you go........

Does Hannah Montana wear fast shoes?

Wow, actually two consecutive posts!

Well, this is due to the fact that my sitter has the flu...so she cannot babysit and I cannot goto work. Loads of time on my hands, and lots more time spent with my brood to make funny posts. Also more time to clean and make up blog posts while doing so...

Monster Monkey said just a few moments ago. "Mama, when I was just a kid (holds up 4 fingers), I wasn't so fast." I agree and chuckle; when he was just a kid was only about a month ago. A month must feel like almost an eternity to a five year old.

And he is fast. If he gets more than a 3-second head-start on me I can't catch him. Whichs reminds me of our little outing last Sunday to the dreaded Shoe Store. This special store is famous for it's supposedly low prices, and there's probably one of these great places right in your neighborhood! They are everywhere.

We went, me and all four urchins...who were actually looking more like the angels I keep telling them they've tied up in the basement and replaced with themselves-more like demon-spawn. Unlike anything I could have dreamed I'd give birth to....

Um...where was I? Oh, shoe store! So we went, and we looked, and we tried on. I went looking solely (haha) for dress shoes for the girls, since wearing pretty church dresses and snow boots is just blah. Yeah, Mama, Hannah Montana wouldn't wear snow boots with this dress, I mean come on. We did find nice dress shoes for the girls, and although I told him NO even before we left the truck, M.M. found shoes.

Now, he doesn't pick out shoes by what's on them, nor by the price (yikes), but by how fast they are. He tried out a pair with Power Rangers on them...said they were super fast (and yes he RAN around the store wearing them). I vetoed the Power Rangers right off the bat. I told him to look again. He found Croc knock-offs. They weren't fast at all, and the right one flew off while running and almost hit the store lady in the rear....who then adimently asked me if I needed any assistance in finding what I wanted. I politely told her No, we are just trying out shoes. M.M. tried out some more shoes with the help of Bone Head, while the girls and I finished up finding dress shoes. THREE pairs for Princess Pout and one for Shorty. I then paid all attention to MM and his shoe quest.

I located a pair of fast-looking shoes that were sporting the "sale" sign (Only $12.99), and asked that he try them out. He didn't like them at first, until I reminded him that he didn't try them out. I told him to run around. He looked like I'd just handed him a $50 in a candy store and zoomed out of the isle. After a couple laps around the store he skidded back into the isle I was waiting in, and said "These are the fasterest shoes I've ever runned in!" SOLD!

Fast forward to yesterday, M.M. is getting ready for a quick trip to the store down the road, and he brings me one of his brand-new shoes. The stupid velcro strip on the top is ripped out of it's stitching! WHAT?!?!?!?!!? He'd tried to pull it tight and it just snapped.

I'm ticked. These shoes are going back today. I don't care if they are the fastest shoes ever made for a size 11 kids. I refuse to pay any ammount of money (okay maybe 25 cents) for shoes that fall apart after 4 days of minimal wear! ARUGH!

Difficult Procedures

Do you know how difficult it can be to do anything in a normal and not totally strange fashion when you cannot fully use the hand that you regularly use?

After my trip to the doctor yesterday, I now have a wrist/hand brace that I must wear. This contraption keeps my wrist from moving. And as I said, this makes it difficult to do many things.

From typing this to dressing. Doing dishes (without getting it wet) and brushing my daughters' hair. Even bathroom procedures leave me a little perplexed, sitting on the "Great white round one", trying to figure out how to accomplish things left-handed.

My rationalism tells me that I will get used to the immobility with time. My other half is screaming at me to just rip the thing off and toss it in a deep, dark hole. And it hasn't even been 24 hours yet.

But does the hand/wrist feel any better with the impediments placed upon it? Um...wrist yes, slightly, hand no. I think it's taking even more effort to move fingers to compensate for the wrist not moving. Time will tell, I suppose. Meanwhile, I just may become ambidextrous by force.

****Warning for future posts****

My favorite time of year is rapidly making it's way here! In most other parts of the country this time of year is called Spring. Here we call it "Break Up"...cause the ice is breaking up. It's when all the lovely Springy things happen and it's when I start getting all mushy and poetic and garden-crazed. So look for (or watch out for) upcoming posts including me waxing poetic about green things and critter babies and updates on what is growing in my guest-room-turned garden starting room.

Blogger wish: Why don't we have underline and strike-out?
Blogger rant: I can't make the labels thing say JUST spring...it's inserting BREAK all on it's own. grrrrr

Don't forget the coffee in the dryer

Hurray! Spring Break is over! I'll just do a quick happy dance here, feel free to join in.

I did not, nor did Captain, take Spring Break off of work. Captain could not as his boss did, and I did not because, well...because I didn't remember it was Spring Break until the Sunday before....when the kids informed me that they shouldn't have to goto bed at the normal time because they didn't have to goto school the next day. How's that for a run-on sentence? I should fix it....naw....don't think I will.

I'm sitting here, drinking blah regular creamer coffee cause i ran outta the good stuff. It sucks. My jeans are also still half wet. In the seams and waist. I do have time to redry them...I should or I'll freeze...okay they're back in the dryer.

Also ticked this a.m. cause when I pulled one of my fav tops out of the dyer (I forgot to throw clothes in dryer last night), it's missing its zipper! It's one of those cropped (shorter) hoody, mirco fleece things. I like it alot for work. Still looks great under the awful vest I have to wear, and keeps me warm(ish) while at my register right in front of the doors.

It's also St. Paddy's Day. No, I'm not Irish...not even a bit (that I know of), but I love this "holiday" anyways. Not really into the parades or parties or anything like that, but I think that's why I like it. You can celebrate this day without doing much. Or you can go all out. I used to make sure I was wearing green...this year I'm getting pinched cause I'm wearing pink. I once had a pair of really cute Shamrock earrings...they're lost...either grew legs or got lost in a move...or one of my sisters "borrowed" them. I think the latter is the most probable.

Do I think we'll get crazy Irish revelers in the store today? Hmm...50/50 chance. I'll bet we get at least one person that is all decked out for the Greenest day of the year. Probably will be an older lady, buying organic soy milk, bananas (cause how can you not at 75 cents a pound), some various Easter swag and $80 worth of vitamins.

Now I've got totally dry pants, a touch of green (the logo on my eww vest), and still drinking yuck coffee. Yup, it'll be an alright day...I hope!