Why?

I am sorta, kinda, keep-my-fingers-crossed getting better. So much better I went ahead and took my kids to a birthday party on Saturday. I drove an hour and twenty minutes each way when I really didn't want to and stood outside in a park for two hours shivering deep within my bones, but we went and the kids were happy.

For my trouble, we've all been exposed to strep throat.

Seriously.

I stood for fifteen minutes talking with a friend while my kids were within breathing distance of hers. As she went to walk away from me, she stopped another friend to say she was going home to bed because she didn't feel too well and had a fever all day.

Really?

WTH?

Did she not get the common courtesy memo about fever=stay home?

This morning she announced to Facebook that she has strep throat. And so do her kids.

Yippee!

I can semi-sorta maybe see why people go to work sick. I've been on the short end of the sick day spectrum once upon a time, but why go to a birthday party around tons of babies, kids, and elderly people that really doesn't require your presence?

At Adam's party last week I offered cake to a classmate who had been dropped off at the door who then told me he didn't think he could eat any since he'd been vomiting all night long. That was after he's spent two hours in the confined bouncy house with nineteen other children.

I heard a mother telling another that her kid had a fever that morning, but thankfully, was all better after she'd given her some ibuprofen.

Are people REALLY this stupid? Or thoughtless? Or so bored they can't just stay home?

I really, really hope we don't get strep throat. Jacob has perfect attendance so far and while it's not that big a deal, I'd hate to think going to a party disqualified him from probably the only award he'd get at the end of the year. I also need to go to work tomorrow. If I don't go, I don't get paid. But if we're sick, we won't go.

And THAT'S what everyone else should do.

And....

I am sick.

Who didn't see that coming?

I went to work anyway this morning since I don't have a fever and my fine motor skills have developed so that I can blow my nose AND cover my coughs and sneezes.

Three year olds...not so much.

The same parent who TWICE last week was told, HEY! YOUR KID IS SICK!, had to be called first thing after her sweetie sneezed green snot all over the kid in front of him. She showed up five minutes before pick-up time.

Three other parents had to be called for the same thing and THEY also waited until pick-up time to show up.

WTH?

And I wonder why their children do not follow any instructions I give them.

I mean, you get a call that your child is sick and you wait three hours to go and get him? Who does that? I could understand if they were working parents or maybe even had another child at home with them but to the best of my knowledge, they are home alone all morning. Must be nice. Damn, I was called a few months ago just to be informed that Jacob had a bellyache most likely due to his new meds and I left a full Target cart to rush up there. He is almost TEN fricking years old. These kids are THREE!

Grrr.....this is starting to really piss me off.

6

Happy Birthday my sweet Addy!



You are loved by ALL of us.

PSA

If your preschooler is sick, please do not send them to school.

They will not miss something crucial. We are not studying for the SATs.

We color. We sing. We eat snacks. Oh, sure, we learn letters and numbers, but we'll be on the same letter tomorrow and I promise it won't matter much if they miss one day of fingerpainting it.

When you send your child to school with dripping green snot and are told not to bring them back until it's clear, we're serious. It's kinda mean to make your kid sit in the office for three hours because you don't believe he's really sick. Come feel his forehead, you might change your mind.

When you send your child to school sick, you make the rest of us sick also. If I get sick, my kids get sick, and I know you didn't know it was my kid's birthday this weekend, but it is and now, most likely, we'll be sick for it. What if I have to cancel my kid's party? What am I going to say to him? I know you didn't think of that before you sent your feverish kid to school, but it's possible and that will really suck for us.

When you send your child to school sick, he coughs on his friends, holds our hands with snotty fingers, and sneezes all over our toys. We had to throw things away today such as cotton and q-tips that couldn't be washed. We'll have to replace them. THAT is why your tuition goes up.

Please keep your child home when he is sick. When we point out the day before that, hey, he's getting sick, what we really mean, is, hey, don't come tomorrow. Learn it. Remember it. It won't hurt your child to miss three hours of fun time. It will also not hurt you to miss three hours of your fun time.

Please be considerate of your child's teacher and his classmates.

WTH?

Please tell me the kindergarten "room mom"** did not just send an evite to the entire class inviting them all to her son's birthday party at the SAME. EXACT. TIME. as Adam's party.

She did NOT schedule her party the SAME. EXACT. TIME. three days after receiving MY kid's invitation.

It is on like donkey kong.

How do I keep finding these people?


**Because although she calls herself "room mom" she really isn't since she doesn't organize anything, I DO. Well, apparently she can organize an effing birthday party. At the SAME. EXACT. TIME as mine.

WTH?

Stuff

1. What curse word do you use the most?

I have to pick a favorite? I think maybe I should have added swear less to my list of resolutions. I work in profanity the way artists might work in oils or clay. It is my true medium.

2. Do you own an iPod?

Yes. And when it's charged up I love it.

3. Do you still remember the first person you kissed?

Who forgets those things? Although I would much rather to like to forget it.

4. Would you rather take the picture or be in the picture?

I would love to be in some pictures so my kids will remember what I looked like, but no one else in this house will ever use the camera.

5. Has anyone ever called you lazy?

Yes. Under his breath usually.

6. Has anyone told you a secret this week?
Hmmmm.....I don't think so.

7. What is the first thing you notice about someone to whom are attracted?

I have three children who tag along with me EVERYWHERE. All I notice is them. If I didn't they might break stuff.

8. To what are you looking forward?

Our next scrapbook weekend if we can ever find a time that works for everyone.

9. Do you own any band t-shirts?

I just found the Rick Springfield concert tee I got from a friend who went to his show in 1982. LOVE IT! I also have a Brad Paisley one with his autograph on it. I just wish I hadn't gotten rid of the cool Journey one I had 25 years ago.

10. When is the last time you slept on the floor?

Last year when the little kids had a pukey virus for two days.

11. What did you do last night?

Made grilled cheeses, cleaned the kitchen, did two loads of laundry, bathed the children, finished the homework, watched The Middle, spent an hour attempting to get all children to bed and then finally gave up, let them sleep on my bedroom floor and went to bed myself.

12. Do you get along better with the same sex or the opposite sex?

The opposite. Almost all of my friends in college were guys. They were easier to get along with. I don't do girly drama well. Which is ironic since I have lots of girly drama now.

13. Who was the last person to make you mad?

Jacob who decided not to brush his hair, brush his teeth, put his shirt on the right way or wear socks to school today. He makes me mad most every morning.

14. To whom would you want to be tied for 24 hours?

Does an extra soft king size bed with 1000 thread count sheets count?

15. T or F: All’s fair in love and war?

No. Just because I want to say no.

16. What’s something you’ve always wanted?

I got it. A daughter. And I don't want to hear from people who think I don't love my sons.

17. Do you enjoy spending time with your mother?

My mother is my favorite person. I would move back in with her if she'd let me.

18. Do you want a bright yellow ‘06 Mustang?

And where would I put all these kids?

19. Where is/are your best friend(s)?

West Virginia, Louisiana, In the neighborhood across the street

20. Would you rather swim in the ocean or a lake?

Neither. That's why pools were invented.

My New Years Resolutions

Okie-dokie then...

1. I will learn my children's love language and use it. Often.

2. I will lower our grocery bill fifty bucks a month. Once I started working I got a little lazy and the last three months were well over what I typically spend. If I can drop fifty bucks that will take me to about $275. My hope is to keep shaving as the year goes on so I can get it back under $250.

3. Which also leads me to....more home-cooked meals. That little bit of extra cash and the close proximity to the new James Coney Island and Freebirds made me quite lazy. And thirty pounds heavier.

4. I say it every year, but I am going to really try to eat and serve more vegetables and less carbohydrates and sugars. There just aren't many veggies I like so it's hard to get excited about cooking them. I am going to do TWO meatless meals a week this year. Hopefully that will help our health and our finances.

5. I will take the little children on a fun outing every Friday afternoon. Adam only has a half year of half day school left. We will enjoy it.

6. I will take each child on a solo outing for at least an hour at least once a month. I haven't quite figured out how I'll swing that since there are no other adults around during their waking hours, but I feel this is important, especially for Jacob so I have to figure out a way.

7. I haven't done it yet, but I will be updating the children's chore charts and our reward system. We will continue using the tickets for positive behavior and my goal is to be much more consistent with it.

8. I will wake up a half hour earlier (oy, this will be the hardest one) so we aren't rushing out the door on work days. Non-work days....I will continue to drive them at the last minute in my pajamas.

9. If it isn't raining or below freezing, I will walk the 1.3 miles around the beautiful wildlife refuge in our neighborhood. We pay for that might as well use it. The kids and I both could get more sunshine and exercise.

10. I will blog once a week. This used to be my excuse for not updating the baby books, but now the baby books AND the blog are quite empty.

11. I will update the baby books.

12. I will limit my time on Facebook and all my addictions. I did better last year but I could still do better. Half hour after work, fifteen minutes during afternoon snack, and anything else after all kids are in bed. Okay. Maybe this one will be the hardest. That Treasure Isle isn't going to dig itself.

And I will stop here because I don't want thirteen.

*spit on floor and throw the salt over my shoulder*

You Gotta Love People

I was going to type up my New Year's Resolutions this afternoon, but I just had the strangest phone call and thought I'd share that instead.

Okay. A little back story...

I have fourteen three (some now four) year old students. Most of them are only or first born children so this is their parents first school experience with their child. Many of them STILL walk their baby right inside the classroom even though they are strongly encouraged to use our right-at-the-curb-stay-in-your-jammies drop-off which was probably the deciding factor to me when deciding on a preschool for Adam. I mean, I don't understand why some of these people are showering AND applying make-up just to walk their kid twenty feet into the door. But, whatever.

Point being....some of these parents just bend the rules for themselves DAILY and also have some pretty lofty expectations as to what their three year old should be doing at this stage in the game, which I will tell you outright in case you didn't already know, it isn't reading at a first grade level. It's okay though. When I see Kid Two in a couple years I know they'll have figured it out by then. I did.

So anyway...

I am used to having to talk some parents back from the edge regarding academics and social skills, when I got a note this morning that M's mom wanted me to call her ASAP I figured she had a concern about her inability to write her entire eight letter name or the new bad word another child learned from her Papaw over Christmas break. Seriously...I just knew it was the bad word.

No.

As I brace for a conversation I can understand, she begins telling me she'd like me to fire my room mom because she didn't want her around her child.

Seems her child who hasn't spoken twenty words to, well, anybody, that I can tell all year, looked up at her mama at the Christmas party and told her, and I quote, "Mommy, did you just see that lady press her b++bies into Daddy's face? Why did she do that, Mommy?

And I must add here that Room Mom MAY have had some work done, OR she is extremely lucky.

And it might have happened that Room Mom did not inform phone call mom about the class book exchange although I was standing right there putting her child in her car when she actually DID walk to her window and write all the information down AT HER REQUEST. She was also upset that Room Mom did not include her in the mass emails even though she never returned the slip I sent home four times asking to release her personal info.

And they showed up for the Christmas program the following night because that room mom who never included her, apparently told her it was THAT night just to be mean to her child because she didn't want them there. Never mind that every single newsletter sent home each month since September stated in bold red letters the real day and time of the event.

Now, you should also know that this is the same woman who, along with her husband, had to be removed from the church building because their four-letter word argument had escalated to the point that everyone in that section of the building could hear.

Were they fighting over the b++bies? We may never know.

My mouth is still agape.

I mean, really?

I think I was able to smooth things over. She did stop yelling after a while, but Lawrd almighty, I am askeered for the Valentine Party.

I don't get paid enough for this kind of ridiculousness.

My boss owes me hazard pay for this one.

Happy 2011!

I stole this from Fran. I no longer have original thoughts.

1. What did you do in 2010 that you'd never done before?

Drove Interstate 10 alone from Houston to Lake Charles during rush hour traffic.
Left my kids with a babysitter for two hours to see a movie.
Had a biopsy.
Became a room mom.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don't even remember last year's resolutions. I will make more this year and will post them. Eventually.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My good friend Meg had a baby boy in April. Her third. She is very tired.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Thank goodness, no. But a high school friend died of cancer in August and I am thankful to Facebook that we were reconnected through them before that. With FB I'm sure I'd have never "spoken" to her again or even known about her illness/death.

5. What countries did you visit?

USA

6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?

I'd like my husband to come home from work before 10 pm and actually help out with the child-rearing this year. I really do feel like I did it all myself in 2010.

7. What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

August 21, when Adam started kindergarten. September 1 when I started my job with actual kids there. Who knew three year olds could throw chairs? Each of the kid's birthdays.


8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Landing a job without an application or an interview just having the director like me and think I'm a good mom. I still get a chuckle about that. If she only knew....


9. What was your biggest failure?
The whole took-Jacob-to-doofus-psychiatrist-and-switched-his-meds thing. I am still pissed at myself about it. And I better never run into that guy. Ever.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Geez. We've been sick the past two weeks. Eleven day virus my ass.


11. What was the best thing you bought?

My Crocs sandals and the eight 75 cent Christmas dresses I bought at the resale shop in January last year. Guess where I'm going today?

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Elizabeth potty-trained herself in a week, Adam learned to read, Jacob went from getting fifteen demerits in a week to about three after switching to yet another medication we like much better.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Those same bitchy school mamas. I still don't get how grown women could find pleasure in slandering children. Their bully children disgust me as well. I was also pretty upset just watching the dynamics of the school and some of the teachers and the administration getting a good inside look since I work there now. I will post about that more later.

14. Where did most of your money go?

School tuition and taxes and in 2011 my entire paycheck will go to pay our huge increase in health care premiums. Thank you Mr. Obama.


15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Our Woodlands vacation until we got there. My Christmas bonus. Every Tuesday there was a new Glee on. The WVU game we went to in October.

16. What song will always remind you of 2010?

"Part of your World" from Little Mermaid. Nothing like hearing Elizabeth sing that all day long.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder?
b) thinner or fatter?
c) richer or poorer?

a...about the same.
b....FATTER! I've gained 30 pounds since last year.
c....poorer! More taxes, higher health care premiums, more medications we can't afford. Thank you again Mr. Obama.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

I wish I'd kept up with the Friday home-schooling and our Monday afternoon outings. I think I'm going to try fix that in 2011.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Yell at my kids (mainly Jacob) in the mornings.

20. How did you spend Christmas?

With a temperature with my kids, husband, and parents and then most of the day I slept while the kids enjoyed their new goodies.

21. Did you fall in love in 2010?

I fell in love with my 14 preschool students. I adore them. It makes getting up and going so early worth it. I love my job.

22. What was your favorite TV program?

Glee, 30 Rock, The Office (although who else thinks it's really slow this year?), Mike and Molly, The Middle

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

Now, we shouldn't say hate....but I really hate dealing with Jacob's bullies. I know they are children, but I don't get a warm fuzzy when I see them.

24. What was the best book you read?

I am currently reading The Five Love Languages of Children and hope it helps some. I love me some Kindle. I have fifty books downloaded and ready for the new year. I read a lot of Jodi Picoult last year and I loved them all.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

I got really excited when I downloaded Learning to Fly by Pink Floyd onto my IPod. Does that count?

26. What did you want and get?

A kindle.
A semi-sorta maybe resolution in the bully situation. We'll see how that pans out.
A tube of Crabtree and Evelyn hand lotion


27. What did you want and not get?

Some friends for Jacob. The ability for him to fit in with his peers.

28. What was your favorite film of this year?

Toy Story 3

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I was 42 on my birthday. I took my dog to the vet and had chicken wings at BW3. Woo-hoo!

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

If my husband would've spent some more time with us and actually attempted to enjoy us. It's hard living with an unhappy person. My hope for him in 2011 is that he realizes that although he works hard to give all his money away, that it isn't his whole life.


31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?

Minimalist...no make-up, no fancy duds, sandals every day.

32. What kept you sane?

I think the new job, although time-consuming and tiring, has helped me have a greater perspective on my children's behavior.

And Frontierville. And Treasure Isle.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

I was sad when Elizabeth Edwards passed, but that was it. I didn't really fancy her.

34. What political issue stirred you the most?

I don't do politics, but after seeing how much we have to pay so our next-door neighbors can get free health care, that pissed me off a little.

35. Who did you miss?

My friends in West Virginia

36. Who was the best new person you met?

My boss. I knew her before as a parent at the school, but in this new capacity I realize she will be a huge blessing in my life. I can learn a lot from her. She adores my children and is so accomodating to our needs at work with them.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010.

You are in control of your own happiness. Do not rely on others to make you happy.

Be frugal and save as much money as you can. You never know when the rug is going to be pulled out from under you.


38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

"Don't stop believing...hold on to that feeling..."