And you thought YOU had a bad day...

Oct. 24, 2009

Last week I was going to do another "poor, pitiful me" post about how I've been sick (just a sinus infection as it turns out, not the dreaded swine flu), about how tired I am, how busy work's been, how much I really HATE shopping at Walmart, and the ordeal of dealing with their pharmacy, waahhh, waahhh, waahhh... I started to write it all up Tuesday night, but fortunately for all of you, I couldn't muster the energy to even sit down at the computer.

Then Wednesday afternoon, my hubby called me at work, which he NEVER does during the day. My guard immediately came up, because I knew whatever it was, it couldn't be good.



Him: "Hi."
Me: "Hi...? What's going on?"
Him (very upset): "I just burned a car up."
Me: "What???!!!"



So, long story short, he was out test-driving a car he was working on, when all of a sudden he heard a small "whooshing" sound and saw a little smoke from under the hood. He pulled over to investigate and went to open the hood. As soon as he pulled the latch under the hood, he heard a gigantic "WHOOSH" and jumped back as flames shot out.

He has a nasty habit of not taking his cell phone with him, because when he's working on cars it just gets in the way, so he had no way to call anyone for help. It was on a fairly busy road, but nobody would stop to help for the longest time. Finally a policeman stopped, but he didn't have an extinguisher with him but at least put in a call for the fire department. In the meantime, a passing motorist who had a small extinguisher stopped, but by that time it was too out-0f-control, and so didn't do anything other than empty his tank.



Poor Tom had to call the person whose car he was working on (who's also a friend) to let him know what had happened. Because they're friends, they tend to give each other a lot of "crap," as guys often do. So Tom's telling him what happened, and the friend thinks he's joking. As he gives more and more details, his friend finally says "This isn't funny..."



Anyway, the car is a total loss, and my poor husband had the mother of bad days. On the other hand, at least it won't be making that funny noise any more.




For more pictures of the actual fire, see the following fire department blog: http://bcfdhotspot.blogspot.com/2009/10/car-fire-hwy-89.html

Oh, to be like my mom... :)

October 10, 2009

Braden has been on a kick here lately wherein he tries to push my buttons by "acting" like a sexist pig. If I didn't know what a good-hearted kid he really is, it would probably be enough to make me run him over with my car.

A typical conversation with him goes a little something like this:


ME: Braden, I need you to...

BRADEN: Don't talk to me, WOMAN.

ME: Braden! Hush up and...

BRADEN: Are you still talking?!

ME: Grrr....


Or he'll ask me if I want to hear a funny joke.


BRADEN: Why'd the woman cross the road?

ME: Why? (Even though I should know better than to encourage him)

BRADEN: What's she doing out of the kitchen?!


He has at least a dozen of those.


Anyway, earlier today, we were going through the typical routine, and I told him that I was going to thump on him if he didn't knock it off.

He responded that I couldn't do it, even with his broken leg.

So I pulled out the big guns, invoking my mother's name:


ME: Would you say that to Grandma Kathy?

BRADEN (in a totally serious manner): Mom, I'm a smart-aleck; not stupid!!


At least he's learned where to draw the line :)

Before I Forget...

The school year is rapidly zipping along and, as was inevitable, I'm not nearly as organized as I was hoping to be.

One thing I have been able to do, however, is get myself up earlier so that I am not in such a mad dash to get to work on time. This year I have also been getting Savannah up earlier so that she can get herself ready in time to catch the school bus, something she rarely did last year as Tom usually gave her a ride on his way to work. While this was something she loved, it was not always convenient for him, so we made the decision that this year she'd be back on the bus. Because she's getting up so much earlier, she has time to kill before she heads out of the house, so she usually spends her time playing WebKinz or Facebook on the computer.

A couple of weeks ago, Tom relayed a conversation the two of them shared.

He had done his usual stagger out of bed to get ready for work. As he was heading off to the shower, he noticed Savannah playing some little game on the computer. As soon as she saw him she got a very serious look on her face and said:

"It would be a GREAT help to me if you could find my other shoe..."

Well, hello Princess, but don't you think you should shut down the games and find your own *#$& shoe?!!!

I see the teenage years looming, and it's not a pretty sight!

Needless to say, he declined to help and she ended up wearing her too-tight pair from last year. And me? I found them not 5-feet away when I got home from work.

:)

What we do for fun on Friday nights... :(

Sept. 12, 2009

Last Friday night, I sent the boys and a friend off to their high school football game. Evan is playing mostly for the JV this year, but he also gets to dress down and hold a spot on the sidelines for varsity. Braden and their friend Vince took a football with them so that they could throw the ball around, because heaven knows you don't actually go to the games to WATCH, you go to see and be seen by all the others not watching. (I am so glad I'm no longer a teenager, because I really don't get this. I didn't then, and I'm no closer to getting it now!)

Anyway, being Labor Day weekend and all, our family had plans to leave Saturday morning for the last camping trip of the season, so Tom, Savannah, and I stayed home to pack up and get everything ready. Around 8:00 p.m., Braden called and asked if I would run into town to give them money so they could eat (because I AM an endless money pit in their minds!). Being the good mommy that I am, I told him no, that they could eat when they got home.

In the meantime, I ate my dinner and was just heading back out to help with the trailer when my brain registered the fact that there was a sheriff's vehicle in the driveway. I'm a little slow on the uptake, so I sat and stared puzzling at it for a few seconds trying to imagine how one of the kids could have gotten in trouble when I'd just talked to them 30 minutes prior! About that time, the little neurons inside my head reconnected, and I noticed that Tom and the deputy were shouldering an obviously-injured Braden up the steps to the house.

We got him inside, I took one look at his ankle, and we carried him back outside to my car for the 25 minute ride to the hospital emergency room - a very long trip for him as he tried to breathe through the pain. Turns out that he had been tackled a good one while he had the ball, and broke the lower tibia in his left leg (the weight-bearing bone). We have always taught our kids that if they are going to do something, they should do it right, so Braden has taken this to heart even with injuries: not only was the leg broken, but it broke right in the growth plate. Fantastic... :(

As we waited for them to call in an orthopedic specialist, the ER doctor asked Bray if he was still interested in growing. Braden, ever the comedian, informed him "I've been thinking of a future career as a pirate..." They knocked him out, reset it, put him in a splint, and we were on our way, drugs in hand.

Poor kid never did get to eat because by the time we got out of there (12:30), he was too tired and in pain to deal with it. The next day, I mentioned that if I had just gone and brought them the money, this probably wouldn't have happened... Braden's response: "It ALL comes back on you!" There goes my mother-of-the-year award, yet again!

Anyway, he got his permanent cast on Thursday and is getting to be quite the pro at getting around on crutches or, when he's tired of that, he just scoots around on his butt! Tom reminded him the other night that "mom is not your personal slave," as I went to get him a drink of water. Really?! I thought I was the personal slave of them ALL. And here's a thought: if he obviously can't get something for himself, why doesn't someone else step forward (*cough*cough*anyone!) and get it for him... Grrr!

But I digress. There was no point in all of us missing the camping trip, so Tom and Savannah and 1 dog went off to have fun while I stayed home and played nurse-maid to Braden and fun-sucker to Evan, who used it as an excuse to stay home and be within cell phone range of his girlfriend.

Anyhoo, here are some pictures... It's going to be a long 8 weeks.

I'm pretty sure it's not supposed to have that funny lump on the front...

Waiting to go to x-ray. And waiting... and waiting... and...

This picture horrifies me! This was on Thursday, right before getting the permanent cast on. The doctor assures me that this is normal. It just shows me what a trooper Braden has been. I don't think I would handle it near as well.

The Writing on the Wall

There was a very joyous occasion at our house recently, one that I know many parents share in: School is BACK IN SESSION!!! Can I hear a big Whoop-Whoop?!!!!

I have vowed that this year is going to be different than all the previous years - namely, that THIS year will be the one where things run smoothly. You know: kids' chores will be done by the time I get home from work so that I can get dinner going sometime before midnight, homework will be done sooner rather than the now-familiar panic attack that usually hits around 11:15 P.M., kids will be IN bed by 9:30 (okay, 10:00 at the latest), and evening school events will not send the entire schedule into Titanic mode for two weeks after the event.

"Organization is key!" I said in my self-induced, euphorically organized dream-state. In preparation for this totally-awesome year that I'm so sure that we're going to have, I bought one of those large dry-erase boards that stick to your refrigerator. I bought the four-pack of colored markers with dreams of color-coding for each child, a neatly gridded day-by-day calendar smartly charted out for each one with chores, homework, and events right at hand. I'll never double-book or **cough cough ** forget a child for hours on end (see here) again.

Anyway, I bought the beautiful white board and colored markers, attached it to the fridge, drew my first week's worth of boxes for each child and went to bed, happy in the knowledge that I was WELL on my way to the goal. School was a few weeks away at that point, so I'd have plenty of time to iron out the wrinkles and get my "system" all worked out.

The next day, after coming home from work, I glanced lovingly at the board on my way in from work. Only now there were no longer clearly-defined boxes, but boxes with smudged lines. "Someone" had taken their finger and systematically erased small portions of each and every box, so now it looked more like a line of ants marching around each day.

"Oh well," I thought to myself. "I can deal with that."

The next day I came home to find new changes. This time the lines were back in totality, except now there were little men drawn on, some climbing staircases into the box above, poking their heads into their siblings box to see what was going on, some shooting bullets at their chore listing. I really wish I'd gotten a picture before it was erased, because it really was quite the work of art, in an ultra-modern, ADHDish sort-of way.

Day 3 brought a total erasing of all my carefully drawn quadrants and was replaced with a full-color rendition of the Utah Jazz basketball logo. While beautifully done, it really wasn't quite what I had in mind when I purchased the board.

Last Thursday school finally started, so I was excited to put it to actual use. I drew a big star around the date and gleefuly proclaimed"1st day of school!" That evening, I came home to see something now written on Friday in small letters: "Braden drops out of school."

Tonight, as I waited for dinner to cook, I readied myself to redo the calendar for the coming week. Only someone had beaten me to it, and there was already something scheduled for Monday. I knew this calendar would catch on! However, upon closer look, I found the following message:

"Braden unwillingly gets forced back into school. Ha-Ha."

It may not be entirely fulfilling the purpose to which I had hoped, but it has been quite the entertainment, and at least he's getting some creative writing practice in!

P.S. Savannah didn't finish the kitchen until after 7:00 p.m. tonight, and dinner wasn't served until 9:45 p.m. Insert deep sigh... The year's still young, right?

Aug. 23, 2009

Just for fun: 25 Random Things About Me

I was recently playing on Facebook, trying to figure out how to post a new "note" in response to one that I'd been tagged on, when I ran across something I'd responded to last year. Since I'm really, really trying to post more on this here blog, I decided I'd run this one, just for fun.

25 random things about me...Share Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

Drum roll, please:

1. All of my favorite restaurants end up going out of business. Not quite sure why.

2. I have worked at Utah State for almost 10 years, the longest I have ever worked anywhere.

3. My favorite job was working as an administrative assistant at a mental health clinic. Interesting doesn’t even begin to describe it! Some days I feel like I still work there ;-)

4. I’m a frustrated wanna-be English teacher: I earn extra money by editing theses and dissertations in my “spare” time. I love my red pen! And yes, I know I’m a nerd.
5. My first “real” job was recovering piano keys, a skill I was taught by my grandpa, a piano tuner. Each job took countless hours and covered my hands with blisters, but boy did they look pretty when they were done! Sadly, I probably only earned the equivalent of $1.50 an hour for my labors.

6. I got married one year after high school and later divorced after 4 years and 2 boys.

7. My husband and I got engaged on our first “real” date and both of us later admitted that we asked ourselves “what did I just say?” immediately after. We have been married 14 years this July and still going strong, although we do have our ups and downs like any couple.

8. We have 5 kids between us: His 2 boys, my 2 boys, and FINALLY a girl together. She’s now 10 and totally has him wrapped around her finger.

9. I love road trips, either alone or with my husband. No kids allowed at this point! I lovingly refer to them as the “fun-suckers,” at least when we’re in the car. They call me "Momster." We're a loving family, but a bigger bunch of smart-alecks you've never seen!

10. I’m a sucker for historical sites and drive my hubby nuts because I want to stop at every one. Over the years he’s finally gotten to like them too, but he still won’t stop for all of them.

11. Another favorite thing to do is attend estate auctions. A few years ago I got a collectable music box for $25 that I later found for sale on the internet for $750. AND I haven't sold it because I really love it.

12. In the last 3 years I have been close to death twice.

13. I am the world’s most patient mother. I must be, because my mom would NEVER have put up with the “stuff” my 16-year old dishes out!

14. I collect rocks, Christmas villages, and salt and pepper shakers.

15. I am a sophomore in college (almost a junior!) but I only take 1-2 classes a year, so I will probably be 50 by the time I finally graduate.

16. I figure time is passing by whether I take the classes or not, so I might as well get ahead while I can.

17. I took hunter’s education last year for the first time in my life, AND I did better on the target shooting than either of my boys’ when they took it! But I won’t go hunting because I know I’d cry if I ever shot and killed anything.

18. My aunt and I went on a vacation to Mexico City when I was 16 where I got my tennis shoes polished, drank Pepsi out of a sandwich baggie, and was almost bitten by a donkey near the Aztec pyramids. My mom cried as she watched us board the plane.

19. After 5 years of having very short hair, I am trying to grow it out long again. Each day I have to give myself a pep talk to not make an appointment, THAT DAY, to get it cut short again so that I won’t continue to look like I’m homeless.

20. I must have a boring life, because I’m finding it extremely hard to come up with 25 facts.

21. I went snow-skiing for the very first time this last year, even though I’ve lived in Utah for the last 22 years. And I'd sworn I would never try it.

22. I love to read, anything from non-fiction, adventure, romance, history, etc. Pretty much anything but horror.

23. I believe that the power of forgiveness is both one of my best and worst traits.

24. The Oregon Coast is my favorite place on earth, followed closely by Glacier National Park.

25. After only ever having white walls in any of my houses, this last year I’ve gone crazy and painted *gasp* color in almost every room. And I have plans for the others…


Pretty darned exciting, aren't I? And it's a Friday night and this is what I am doing for fun. Watch out world - you've got a wild one on hand!

August 14, 2009

Enterprising Young Thing...

This past week, Savannah got bored and decided to do the typical lemonade stand to make some money. The only problem was that we didn't have any lemonade or kool-aid, so she decided to sell cups of tap-water.

Braden, home supervising her at the time, gave her his blunt opinion of the idea.

"Savannah, that's a stupid idea. Everybody has their own tap-water. You might as well sell rocks!"

So that's what she did: an hour later she called to let me know she'd earned about a dollar selling gravel she'd scooped out of the driveway.

This girl will go far!