it's my fault (but really it's not)

I'm just so chatty today. I can't help it if it was an overly-situational kinda day. We picked up my car. I asked about temporary tags. The sales guy said they don't do inspections (as is, no warranty, no inspections = way cheap car) so I would have to take it to get inspected in the morning then come back to the dealer for a temp tag or just go get the license plates. Great! Easy-peasy, right? Ummm, not so much. It is against the law to drive a car with no plates or temp tags. And, of course, on my way home who should appear right next to me? If you answered anything besides police officer, you're wrong. I was already preparing to pull over before he even turned on his lights. He was super nice and wrote everything down for me. At first he was going to have me leave the car there and have Shawn pick me up but after going through all of my paperwork he was just as confused as I was as to how the dealership works. So, long story a bit longer, after calling in my driver's license and talking to the hubby on the phone (he and I were both quick to say we would just park the car and have it towed to get inspected so MAJOR brownie points earned) he let me go with a warning and a tip that old still valid plates on the car would keep me from being pulled over while I got it inspected (wink, wink). So tomorrow our Caliber becomes a Spectra (our Spectra becomes a Caliber?) until it's passed inspection.

speaking of long weeks

I have just recently discovered the awesomeness of the blog. But there is one that I check every single day. This little girl has stolen my heart- and not just mine. I know it's her parents actually writing but I can just hear her voice in my head. Or the voice she will have one day- hopefully. Please follow Avery's story with me. She has a lot to say and she's quite good at getting her message across.

http://www.averycan.blogspot.com/

Sweet girl, I hope you get to cross off every single item on your Bucket List!

♫♫ it's finally friday ♫♫

I made it through another week- and it was a loooong one. So, so busy and exactly 0 of that was from doctor visits/NF2 stuff.  I like that kind of busy. :) This week was the beginning of the end of the school year- three weeks left and things are about to get CRAZY. Choir stuff, band stuff, awards stuff (b/c my boys are smarticle!), 5th grade graduation stuff, last day of school stuff. Which all would have been a major bitch but I'm picking up my car tonight! Weeeee! Oh, but I have to be home by 9 pm because not only is a new episode of Supernatural on but it's guest starring Felicia Day who I have a huge girl crush on right now. Maybe you haven't realized it yet but I am a huge GEEK- I love Sci-Fi/Fantasy stuff. Felicia Day is on Eureka and The Guild (with Wil Wheaton, swoon). The only way it could be any better is if she were to guest star on Doctor Who- I think I would just pass out from geek excitement overload. 

you didn't know?

(its a little dirty)

Vroom, vroom! I'm getting a car! It's a 2006 Kia Spectre and I liiiiike it. :) This is my first time buying a used car since I was in college and I was way out of the loop on how it works. Part of that might be because I bought it from a dealer's wholesale lot (as is, no warranty) rather than the main lot. Don't worry I got it all checked out by a mechanic before I said yes. It does need a litttle work- wear and tear stuff, mostly. Brakes, tires, fluids flushed. But no MAJOR issues. Anyway, the paperwork was filled out today but then it has to be sent to the main dealer location to get all filed, etc so I'm picking it up tomorrow. Yesterday after the inspection my mom, who was my ride, just went home instead of going back to the lot with me. The sales guy said "How are you getting home then?" to which I stupidly said "Ummm, driving myself in THIS car?" Yeah, nope. Because I didn't know.

books, books, books

My goal of 75 books read this year may seem like a long shot, especially since I'm just starting. Hmmm, let's see... from now until Dec 31st is a little over 8 months. So that's just a bit less than 10 books a month. Phbttt, easy-peasy. I have 3 books on reserve waiting for me at the library right now. Unless something drastic happens I bet I have them all read by the end of the week. When you are stuck at home without a  car and everything is too far away to walk to, you either clean a lot (yeah, right!), watch tv a lot (well, sometimes) or read a lot. I guess I could nap a lot but I'm trying to kick that habit. The withdrawal is murder but I think I can do it! No, I KNOW I can do. An occasional nap I have no issues with but all day, every day and the term nap no longer really covers it. But, I wandered off track here....
Books- I love to read with a passion. But I am not a book snob, in fact I'm like the opposite of a book snob, a book... ummm is there an opposite for snob? Let me go look. Well, the closest I came for an antonym for snob is... anti-snob. So, I guess I'm a book anti-snob. Which means the books I read are definitely not high brow. I like popular fiction, to put it vaguely- sci-fy, fantasy, suspense/thriller, romance, young adult, whatever. My one criterion for the books I read: I must be able to get lost in them. If I'm aware of the words on the page as I read then it's no good. When I get into a really juicy book I stop seeing each word, each sentence and just flow along with the story. It takes me out of the world I'm in, just for awhile.
I could have said my only criterion is if I just can't put it down. But there have actually been books that took me away but that I had no problem setting down when it was time for dinner, or bed, or getting the kids off to school. I'm always aware in the back of my  mind that there is a great story waiting for me to get back to but I have no problem doing whatever else needs to be done in the "real world" first. Maybe those are actually better- less like an addiction, more like a hobby.

so i totally suck at this blogging thing

I guess I should be actually blogging if I'm going to have a blog, yeah? So, what am I supposed to write about anyway? I guess I could tell you about my week.... it's soooo exciting (rolling eyes).

Monday- Eureka is back! I so love this show. And I'm so sad this is the final season. If you have SyFy (and you're a total geek) check it out, it's awesome!And thanks to Eureka (and The Guild- another geek must watch) I've found Wil Wheaton again and I'm so crushing. Weird to have a grown up crush on an actor I had a tweeny crush on over 20 years ago. (Damn- 20 YEARS!!! WTF?! When did I grow up?!)

Tuesday- nothin'

Wednesday- nothin'

Thursday- guess LOL

Friday- the kids were supposed to go to their mom's this weekend but she had to work (cough cough ahem). So to lift their moods we decided to go out to dinner. We only "go out" about once a month. (McDonalds and pizza delivery totally do not count). We hit The Pasta House b/c it's close and I had a coupon. I had the cannelloni and it was so. freakin. good. Plus our waitress was totally awesome. So 20% pre-coupon total tip for her. Because we are good tippers. And our kids will be too. We are training them. On our way out I noticed this little nail place down the strip called Diva Nails and Spa. Even though they were closed the guy closing up let me come in and make an appointment for the next day. Earning points already! Got home in time to catch an all new episode of Supernatural. Wow- what the heck did I miss this season by choosing Merlin on Friday nights?! Definitely gonna get this season on DVD.

Saturday- went to Diva to get my nails filled- and fixed! The last place I went totally butchered them. :( My nail tech was the guy who let me in the night before. He was very cool about the whole deaf thing and he did a GREAT job. Very thorough but careful- and fast! Another 20% tip there. Like I said, we're good tippers. Then home to take the kids up to the Rec Plex for swimming with some friends. The Rec Plex is a local recreational complex (ohhh that's where the name comes from. kidding. kidding!), kind of like the YMCA. It was exhausting and I didn't even swim! Home for a nap, then pizza for dinner b/c the two friends were sleeping over. That was the plan anyway. Then my oldest lost his cool and punched one of his friends! S-cubed got sent to bed and the friend decided to go home a bit later. I totally don't blame him. (My husband somehow blamed ME for the fight though! "Don't you even know what the f*ck is going on out there?!" Ummm, hello, no I don't b/c I'm not "out there" (I was in another room) and I'm DEAF. Duh. Besidees he should have used that time to come referee instead of IMing me on a computer I wasn't even on. So, there!

Sunday- that's today. Slept in. Updated my blog. Going to visit the seester and her munchkins later. Groceries. Dinner. Bed. So exciting. LOL

That's my life. Pretty dull, huh? Actually this was a slow week. Just wait until next week- end of the school year here we come! (Whether we're ready or not!)

the reason for the season

Phew, we made it. Taxes were submitted last night! I don't know why we always wait until the last minute, we generally get refunds each year. We try not to get too big a refund though because why would we want to give Uncle Sam an interest free loan? But this year I'm glad we are getting more than a couple bucks back because Momma needs a car! It doesnt have to be a nice one, we aren't even buying new (because that's just ridiculous), it just has to start when I turn on the ignition, go when I hit the gas and stop when I hit the brakes.  Since I'm deaf it doesn't even need a radio.This is St. Louis though, so A/C would be nice but it's not a deal breaker. But if it smells funky, that's definitely a deal-breaker!

rainy days

It's finally Saturday and it's raining. :) I love, love, love rainy weekend days. You can sleep in, lounge around in your pj's until noon, be lazy instead of being productive, and not feel guilty about it. I do most of the house cleaning (cough cough) during the week, so weekends are generally for bigger projects. But when it's raining it's like Mother Nature is saying "You deserve a day off." And who am I to disagree with Mother Nature? That's not to say we don't do anything. We do, we just take our time at it. Today we are heading out to join the Rec-Plex (gonna get in shape, even if it kills me!), then to Target to ramble around, then home to start on the taxes. Yes, start. Rainy weekernds aren't the only time we're lazy. So, stuff gets done, it just doesn't happen in a rush. (By the way, it's almost noon here and yes, I'm in my pajamas.)

surely i was never this tweeny

Today the chore list says "clean your room and vacuum carpet". Very straightforward and to the point. But it is never that simple here in tween-verse. I told my oldest that since he had been watching tv for 2 hours he needed to give his brother the remote and start cleaning his room. His brother decided to not take his turn and just start on his chores (b/c he actually can hear me when I talk). I then was forced to spend 15 minutes trying to lipread (yes, I'm deaf, you didn't know?) S-cubed's argument that I did NOT tell him he had to clean his room, just stop watching tv. Back and forth, back and forth. When finally I said "It doesn't matter if you heard me, the end result is the same, you are just wasting your own free time." Well, that shut him up pretty quick! He's still working on his room though. Yes, I check the closet and behind the bed and under the desk. That's nothing new. Are we sure this one is as smart as his tests say he is?

alright, i'm awake already...

I am a night person. It's SO much easier for me to stay up late than to get up early, even at my advanced age of 35. That said, in order to get my kids off to school on time, bathed, dressed, fed and with lunchboxes in hand, I must get up at the appalling hour of 6 am. Even the sun doesn't wake up that early most of the year! I made it through all of the years so far by focusing on a single thought "When they get a little older they can get themselve's ready!'. Oh, if only that were true. Pudding is NOT a breakfast food. Cereal is NOT a lunch food. (Unless you bring milk money and a bowl.) And yes, your breath stinks even if you can't smell it.

food- love it or hate it, you still gotta eat it

I have a love/hate relationship with food. I love to eat it, I hate the way it just sticks to my thighs. And stomach. And pretty much everywhere. I've decided I need to do something about it. Not a diet; a plan. My first step is not exactly changing the food I eat (except the really bad foods I already know I overindulge in, like cake and cheese) but just tracking what I eat every day. Everything I eat every day. The first couple days didn't seem so bad. Varierty of foods, spread throughout the day with no overly humongous portions. The scale didn't go down but I was feeling pretty proud of myself. Then I woke up this morning. Today was a definite hollow day. (No, I didn't still that from The Hunger Games, I stole it from my granny about  20 years ago.) I tried to eat sensibly, with small portions and healthy foods (donuts are healthy, right?) but my list just kept getting longer and longer. At first I thought "No way I'm getting on that scale in the morning!" but now I think I will. It could be motivation for next time I have a hollow day. To drink a gallon of water and then get the frack out of the house before I clean out the pantry.

fine, fine, fine...i'll start a blog

I'm jumping on the bandwagon. This is normal for me, to lag several years behind the beginning of a trend. If I'm comfortable where I'm at I see no reason to change anything. I fully expect that I will be the only one to ever read these words and I'm perfectly fine with that. This is for me, after all. I really feel that I need a place to get all of my random thoughts, emotions, frustrations out of my head- it's way too crowded in there- but I really don't like to write. I mean physically write. My hand cramps up. My fingers start jerking spasmatically. My handwritting gets first smaller, then larger, then totally illegible. So, this is a win-win for me; a dumping ground without the pain.