Mother of the Year

Yep, that’s me. Allow me to set the scene…

Sunday night, close to midnight. Vampire movie playing in the background. R rated, of course. Isaiah and I had been playing Go Fish for what felt like forever. As we wrap up yet another game, I announce a change. I’m tired of Go Fish, I say. Hey, both of you can count to 21, we’re playing blackjack.

Then, to make it interesting, I let them place bets with their allowance money. I’ll have you know that I was the dealer, so I didn’t take anyone’s money.

Today is my Tattoo Debut at work. The first time I wear a short sleeve shirt and wait to see what happens. Although, last week one of the partners noticed some ink poking out the bottom of my sleeve and asked about it. When I said that I usually keep them covered, she told me that’s silly, I don’t have to hide them. Ooohkay, so now I’m not. Let the fun begin.

Time Flies

Whoa, so apparently I've forgotten I have this bloggy thing here. It's not the only thing I've forgotten lately. There have been many important things which have fallen through the swiss cheese like holes in my brain in the last month or two. But you know what I never forget? First Friday, because I have priorities, people. School assignments may fall off the list of things in my consciousness, but girl's night, never.

Speaking of school, I'm officially a senior! Of course, being A Woman of a Certain Age, it strikes me as almost necessary to note that is senior as in, rule the school, not as in 55+ and gets a discount at Denny's. Two more classes down, and what feels like a million to go, but I'm on my way.

So what have I been doing for the past month that I've neglected my dear blog? Let's see.... finished (mostly) the kitchen remodel from hell. In fact, just last night we put up some more cabinets, and it turns out, that's harder than it sounds. OR I'm an idiot. Whatever. Wrote some crazy long smarty pants paper about education and did some lab assignments (including the dissection of a fetal pig) which I will never, ever, ever think about again as long as I live. Spent time hanging with my boys, who are still the smartest, most charming and handsome boys I've ever known. Inherited my department at work, world's fastest pseudo promotion because everyone else quit. Yep, I think that sums it up.

The Joys of Raising Boys

This morning, while I was doing my usual morning rush thing, Isaiah asked me where the paper bags are kept. As I told him, I asked why. He said, "I'm going to make my lunch. I don't want you to make it. I don't want you to have so many chores."

And so he did. He made himself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, wrote his name on his brown bag, and packed it.

Afterwards, he gave me a kiss and asked if that helped me.

Not only did that help me, it made my day. That was the sweetest thing anyone's done for me lately!

Observation

Today, I walked into a classroom for the first time NOT as a student. That sentence isn't winning any awards for structure, but you know what I mean. My educational foundations class requires me to spend 10 hours observing a classroom, and another 10 doing service for the teacher. Lucky for me, the teacher I'm with is awesome. And thank god for that, because otherwise she'd have flipped out and killed these juvenile delinquents.

The school is old, and the students are crazy, and I didn't have any coffee. But I loved it. All of the teachers I met were open and willing to talk. The kids ranged from curious, oblivious, to outright hostile. These kids are about 12 years old, and I saw hickeys and at least one tattoo. WTF!? I graded papers and made up a spreadhseet for the teacher to use for one of the million thing that teachers must document each day. And one girl who was polite, funny and scary smart. She's going places, that one. Now, more than ever, I can't wait to get through school and start teaching.

Worst moment - when a kid stared at my ear piercing and asked if it hurt.

Best moment - the first time one of the kids called me Miss Martinez :)

Never Ignore the Warnings

When I cheerfully told people we were having out kitchen remodeled, my fellow homeowners warned me that it would take twice as long as scheduled, and make me twice as crazy as I already am.
But did I listen?! No. Here's one side of the kitchen, the night before demo began. See the horrid almond colored tile? The cheap cabinets that were falling apart?



And here's how it looks now.



It's an improvement, in my eyes. But of course, there's electrical and plumbing work to be done, and the stove delivery has been delayed, and now Hubs wants to rip the floor out while we're at it.

Is this twitch I've developed a normal reaction to this kind of stress? Of course, it was our decision to do this, and I'm excited, and I will love it when it's done. But right now, the house is a mess, I can't find anything that was previously in the kitchen - except the fridge, which is in the dining room, and the microwave, which is stationed in the living room for the time being. If I kill someone, will you guys pool together some money for my defense attorney?

A Week Full of Mondays

That's exactly what this week feels like, every day is Monday.
This morning's fun:
Isaiah upset that he didn't want to go to school, he didn't feel well, he was tired, etc. I bribed him with a honey bun and a dollar. Don't judge me. It worked. However, the delay made me 10 minutes late for a departmental meeting thingie. Damn.
Wore a great pair of boots to work. Halfway through the day, the heel on one broke. My only spare shoes were open toe heels, which were fab in the rain, lemmetellya.
Then mother nature decided she hated me more than usual, and ramped Aunt Flo up to 10, and made damn sure I was out of feminine products.

And just when you sink into woe-is-me, someone calls and tells you of a homeless woman she talked to today, and wants to help. Well, at least it takes the focus off my day!

So Happy That I.....

Last night I told Isaiah that there was to be no school today. After a moment of silence, he decided not to question this unexpected gift. He threw his little arms up and yelled "Yeaaah!" and yelled it so hard that he farted. To him, this was just further evidence that he was, indeed, excited.

To me, it was just another reason why raising boys is so very strange.