Mid-Week Stuff

Pin It *My heart just aches as I watch the news coverage of the aftermath of the tornado in Oklahoma. I find myself not even able to write about it because there are just no words. We have friends and family who live very near the path of destruction and many hours were spent frantically trying to reach everyone and account for everyone's safety. Luckily they are all safe and were not in the direct path of the tornado.

*We are no closer to a decision about what to do about school for Ty next year yet. I guess we are just in a holding pattern until after the hearing next week. A close friend has suggested an attorney for the hearing but quite honestly, that's not in our budget right now. I'm heavily leaning towards pulling him out of the public school, homeschooling him for the remaining 2 years of middle school, and then trying to enroll him in a charter school for high school.

*Because of the issues with the middle school this year we are also re-evaluating whether or not we want to send the rest of our kids to this school. I'm examining our options and looking into a charter school for Maia that begins with 5th grade. If she gets into the school then it's an automatic enrollment for the rest of the kids as they age up through school.

*I am about ready to embark on a remodel/room re-arrange. Heaven help me. Right now Ty has his own room and Zoey has her own nursery. Maia and Mase share a room but most nights Mase ends up in his sleeping bag on our floor. We are trying to prepare him for Kindergarten and get him on a better sleeping schedule. So Maia will be moving into Zoey's room and Zoey will be sharing a room with Mase. Zoey is an excellent sleeper and she can take over the bottom bunk of Mase's bunkbed, therefore allowing me to get rid of the crib/toddler bed. It's going to be a lot of work and I'm not sure how it's going to go with pairing up Mase and Zoey. But Maia is almost 9 and needs her own space.

*I have a ton of pictures saved to do a recap of our fun weekend but have not had the time to get them edited. Hopefully tomorrow I'll get it posted. We had a fab weekend. Cam and my parents came down for the weekend, we cooked out at my sister's house, and we got to go to the Nascar All-Star race. It was awesome! And my favorite driver won- Jimmie Johnson's the man. If you're not a JJ fan, don't tell me. I don't want to know. I'm also a Kasey Kahne fan, so don't say bad stuff about him either. Haha!

*I think I'll be making the big switch over to wordpress soon. It's time. I just have to find the time to get it done. Hopefully by the end of summer, we'll see.

*We are about to have new neighbors on both sides of us and I'm excited. Both houses are in foreclosure and have been empty for 13 months and 2 years. That's insane. I met the lady who is hoping to move into one of these houses and she was fabulous. I would be so lucky to have her as a neighbor. The houses both need a lot of work and they are pulling our property value down!

*Speaking of property value, Matt and I spent part of the weekend cutting down bushes, trimming trees and doing some landscaping work in our front yard. The difference is amazing! Our house looks bigger and cleaner now. I need to get some mulch and plant some new bushes and we'll be all set. It feels good to get some work done.

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Choosing A New Path

Pin It We find ourselves at a crossroads right now with Ty, our 12 year old. He has been having a really difficult time in the past few months. I find myself struggling with writing about it because he is older now and deserves privacy while we deal with some of his issues. But I also could use some support and guidance from parents who have been there before me. It's a fine line and one not easily walked.

Ty is in the middle of serving his 4th suspension of the school year. A 10 day suspension for fighting. Again. He doesn't care. He shrugs his shoulders, mutters under his breath about stupid kids and stupid school, and tries to shut himself in his room to avoid answering for his behavior. He maintains that nothing is ever his fault, it's other people causing the problems. Which I know is not entirely true. No matter how much I love my son I know full well that he shares the blame most of the time. I've had more conversations with teachers this year than I have in his previous 6 years of school. They are at a loss. I can't help them because I'm at a loss.

I've started the process of getting him into a specialized counseling center, one that deals specifically with kids who have been adopted from foster care and have a history of prenatal drug/alcohol exposure as well as mental health issues in their birth family. I'm hoping that this will be a step in the right direction. He was seeing a therapist who really was not helpful. She focused more on strict limits and consequences when I really would like to delve into whether or not this is an issue stemming from prenatal exposure or his birth family's complicated mental health history. I am all for strict limits and consequences when appropriate but I also think getting to the root of what is causing the behavior is important.

We also find ourselves in the position of not being sure where Ty will go to school next year. We have a hearing with the district superintendent next week and he will ultimately make that decision. There is a good chance that he will assign Ty to an alternative military style school across town. We have to provide our own transportation to and from that school. It's almost an hour drive in traffic. Not to mention I have some concerns about sending him to an alternative school with kids who have similar issues. I feel like it would just surround him with poor influences.

I'm looking into homeschooling him for the next 2 years but I'm unsure. Is that the right path? Will I be able make sure he is learning everything he needs to re-enter public high school? I don't want him to fall behind and I don't want to have to battle with him every single day about doing his school work. Everything is up in the air right now and I hate that.

One on hand, getting him away from the "friends" he has at school right now would be beneficial. His grades have slipped into the unacceptable range and he does not seem to care. He back talks teachers, he argues with teachers, he interrupts class on a regular basis...maybe he'd get a better education right now doing an online program at home.

Have you been in a similar situation? Any advice or suggestions are welcome at this point.

The Characters I Love

Pin It I am a huge fan of television. I probably watch way too much. Ok, I definitely watch too much but I can't help myself.  I have so many favorite characters that it's hard to narrow them down for today's Monday Listicle prompt.

Top 10 Favorite Television Characters

1. Dean Winchester played by Jensen Ackles on Supernatural. I think this is my favorite show. I love it. The writing is so good and the storyline just sucks you right in. Plus Jensen Ackles is hot. So there's that too.

2. Molly Flynn played by Melissa McCarthy on Mike & Molly. I adore this show. I laugh the entire time I watch it and any show that can make me laugh so hard that I snort wine out my nose is a show I will watch forever.

3. Max Black played by Kat Dennings on 2 Broke Girls. This character is so inappropriate that I can't help but love her. You know how much I love my inappropriate humor.

4. Penelope Garcia played by Kirsten Vangsness on Criminal Minds. I just love her style and her banter with Morgan (Shemar Moore). She's just fun.

5. Claire Dunphy played by Julie Bowen on Modern Family. I love her. I totally get her.

6. Charlie Matheson played by Tracy Spiridakos on Revolution. She's a bad ass. I like that.

7. Jane Rizzoli played by Angie Harmon on Rizzoli & Isles. Seriously, another bad ass. I love Jane. I want to be Jane.

8. Frankie Heck played by Patricia Heaton on The Middle. I laugh a lot while watching this show because half the time I feel like I'm living her life.

9. Damon Salvatore played by Ian Somerhalder on the Vampire Diaries. He's hot, he's a bad ass, and he's so much better than Edward. Plus, he doesn't sparkle.

10. Daryl Dixon played by Norman Reedus on The Walking Dead. Clearly I have a thing for bad asses. And it doesn't get much more bad ass than Daryl Dixon with his motorcycle and crossbow. Hello.

And these are just the shows that are on currently. I could give you a whole list of favorite characters from past shows that I love. Sophia from Golden Girls, Debra from Everybody Loves Raymond, Roseanne from Roseanne....the list goes on and on.

Who are your favorite characters?

Sharing my list with Monday Listicles.

Scenes From A Playground

Pin It The weather 'round these parts has been unpredictable at best for the past month or so. One day it's pushing 90 degrees and the next day it's 60 degrees and raining. I mean, seriously? Get it together, Mother Nature. Get it together. Normally by mid-May we are in the high 80's, low 90's just about every day with bright sunny skies. We spend at least half the day outside with the sole intent of wearing out the children so they sleep earlier and longer. No lie.

So this week it seems that Mother Nature has finally gotten her act together and given us a string of beautiful days in the mid-to-high 80's. That means playground time! We are lucky enough to live just down the street from our neighborhood's playground & pool area. It's great because we don't have to pack everyone up and drive down to the amenities, we can just walk. I pity the moms on the other side of the 'hood who have to load everyone in the car to get to the playground and pool. I'd probably lose my keys at the park.

So yesterday after our weekly run to The Wal*Mart we took a stroll down to the playground to run off some excess energy. I love watching Mase and Zoey interact. They are so funny together. Here are a few scenes from yesterday that made me giggle.

Step 1: Stick a toddler on top of a slide.

Step 2: Tell her to go. Watch her face become mutinous and stubborn as she says NO.

Step 3: Big brother comes over to offer some encouragement.

Step 4: Toddler stubbornly refuses to move.

Step 5: Big Brother gives Toddler a shove down the slide. Chaos ensues.

So that was funny but not as funny as the following scene that took place a few minutes later. Matt high fived Mase when he heard this story.

Mase has been trying to work up the nerve to slide down the fireman's pole on the playground for about a year now. He is not a fan of heights, just like his mom. Finally he did it. He slid all the way down.

Of course, what do you think happens then? Zoey decides that she wants to play on the pole too. But she wants to climb up the pole.

Mase took one look at her on that pole and promptly put a stop to it. He told her that "poles are no place for girls". I snorted my drink up my nose when I heard him. I know he didn't realize exactly what he was saying but damn, it was funny. Matt wholeheartedly approved. Zoey's face when he told her to get off the pole was hysterically funny.

I guess we don't have to worry about Zoey when she gets older. Mase will keep her in line. Ha!

The kids had a blast. I got a ton of great pictures in the hour that we were there.

We had a great time and both kids took long naps when we got home. There will be many more playground trips in the near future if it means afternoon naps.

Shock & Awe In Real Life

Pin It I've had a few shock & awe moments in the last week. More shock but a little awe too. Someone asked me the other day how I found things to write about. As I told her- I don't have to find things, things find me. Seriously. I just have to watch those things happen. Truth.

*Driving down a main highway last week on the way to Mase's speech therapy I happened to be driving behind a lady who must think of herself as the world's best multitasker. She was texting on her phone- old school style not hands free- while applying lipstick and eating a cream cheese covered bagel. I'm not sure if this was more shock or awe. I get flustered trying to deal with my kids in the backseat while I'm driving. I'd hate to see what else she can do while driving.

*Going through the car rider line at Maia's school produced some interesting results the other day. A man stopped in front of my van to let his kid out. He was driving a super nice BMW, wearing a suit, and looked very banker-ish. I can say that because I'm married to one such banker-ish man. His kid opened the back door and empty beer bottles rolled out onto the ground. Not just one or two either- more like 8-10. The car rider nazi lady- she takes her stop sign duty very seriously- had to help him gather them up. I'm going to hope that he's collecting recycling...or has an alcoholic friend who borrows his car....

*While driving down the interstate at a speedy 85 mph the other day I got stuck beside a dude working on his laptop. Not kidding. We're cruising down one of the most congested interstates in our city and this dude is typing away with one hand. I had to do a double take. Then I tried to get away from him but I was boxed in. He was not paying attention and started drifting over enough that we ended up 4 wide in a 3 lane corner. I was not impressed, as evidenced by the one finger wave and sign language he received when he finally looked up. The fact that he was close enough to my van to read my lips was a shock....to him.

*While grocery shopping at The Wal*Mart last week I saw someone who totally should be featured on People of Wal*Mart. No kidding. I wanted so badly to snap a picture of him but he was holding a cane and I wasn't in the mood to be chased by a man wearing a skirt short enough to show off his junk. The fact that he had boobs bigger than mine did not stop him from wearing a see through spandex belly shirt to compliment his mini skirt and 6 inch heels. I came home and immediately sent the following text to Matt: If we hit the lotto I am never stepping foot in Wal*Mart again.

*The bug man came to do our quarterly killing of all things creepy and crawly around our house recently. As he was spraying on our back deck I noticed him stop and look up. All of a sudden he reached his long stick up towards the tree and a snake fell onto the deck. A snake. In the tree. Over my deck. It was just a black snake but let me assure you that does not make me feel any better. Do you understand what would happen if that snake happened to fall on the deck while I was out there? I think I have to move. Immediately.

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Things That Made Me Laugh

Pin It I've spent countless hours on Pinterest this school year while waiting for kids at speech therapy or sports practice or the library. It's what I do. I always gravitate towards the humor section and then find myself trying not to laugh out loud in public. I get stared at a lot. I'm okay with this. Then I come home and show Matt all the funny things I re-pinned. He often shakes is head and pats me on the arm in pity. Men.

Today I thought I'd share a few of the gems that I've pinned in the past few months on my Just for Giggles board. These are the ones that make me laugh no matter how many times I've seen them.



















































I know, I know. I should probably be medicated. But have no fear- it's almost summer vacation which in my world means wine slushies, frozen margaritas, and a pool with multiple lifeguards on duty. Embrace the crazy, people. Embrace it.