my travel karma is back

I have bad travel karma.  It is usually just about air travel.  But since I have mostly eliminated that from my life, it has decided to affect other methods of vacation travel.

Ladybug and I went off to my parents' for the weekend.  At the end of the weekend I will return home but Ladybug will stay for the weekend.  I am very anxious about this.  Five whole days without her????  I think I will miss her.

We had planned to leave right after work -- about 4:30 pm.  However, at 1:45 pm I received a call from her camp.  She was sick.  She needed to go home.  I was not completely caught off guard.  Actually, I was not at all caught off guard.  On Tuesday I had taken her to the doctor because I knew she was getting sick.  He agreed but didn't want to medicate her.  On Thursday I called and said it was getting worse and I really wanted to medicate her.  The doctor was out for the day.  On Friday he called in the prescription for me and I picked it up at lunch.  So when the phone call came 45 minutes later, I was prepared.

I picked her, strapped on her bike, went back to the pharmacy to pay (because they let me leave with the medication even though I had forgotten to bring my insurance card and just asked that I come back later to show proof of insurance and pay), got gas and drinks and started the drive.  By Michelle's (my GPS) calculations I should have arrived at about 6pm.  Not too bad.

However, about 2 hours into the drive we ran into an accident.  A logging truck (empty) and a car had a disagreement.  They moved off to the side of the road and we could have passed.  But the car in the front of the line refused to drive by the accident.  For 22 minutes.  So we all waited.  For 22 minutes.  Until a rescue worker finally told the driver that they had to pass the accident.

Late by 22 minutes isn't bad.

Then when we were about 30 minutes from my parents house, Ladybug announced she had to go to the bathroom.  And she meant right then.  She could not hold it 30 minutes.  She wasn't even sure she could hold it one minute.  As I frantically looked for an option we (AGAIN) talked about the idea that she has to give me some warning time.  But I finally found a gas station and we rushed into the store.  I asked for the bathroom.

Sorry, no public restrooms.

She is about to pee her pants.  No public restrooms.  She pointed me in the direction of the nearest one -- 2 miles down the street.  So we got back in the car -- with tears streaming down Ladybug face and drove the 2 miles.

We found a bathroom -- a one stall bathroom.  But she made it.  And apparently her stomach was bothering her too.  So as she sat on the potty -- for 10 minutes -- I began to realize that I had been headed to the bathroom (at 1:45 pm) when I had gotten the call that she was sick.  I never made it to the bathroom.  So now several hours later I really had to go.  But she was on it.  I coaxed her off and used the potty.  And then she got right back on -- for another 10 minutes.  The 20 minute bathroom break when we were 30 minutes from our destination.

Back in car and driving.

When we were 10 miles from the house we got detoured.  The bridge over the highway was out.  The detour was clearly marked.  And easy to follow.  But my parents live in the middle of nowhere (their town has about 600 people in it) so a detour isn't like just going a block out of the way.  It was going 10 minutes out of the way.  On streets that likely have not been worked on in over 20 years.  But the detoured was clearly marked.  And Michelle guided me -- well except for the part where she told me to take a left and cross over a farmer's field to get to the next road (I didn't listen to her at that point).

We arrived -- 50 minutes late.

Mean Mama

the thought process of a 7 year old

Ladybug: Mama, I need a new bike.

I know this.  Hers is too small.  And she can handle a larger bike.

Mama: Ladybug, where is your other library book?
Ladybug: What? (with that guilty-innocent look)
Mama: You are suppose to have 10 books. I only count 9.  Where is the 9th book?
Ladybug: Oh well... I let one of the kids at camp look at it and she lost it.
Mama:  You need to get it back.
Ladybug: Mama, my bike needs to be bigger than the one I have now.

A little later...

Mama: Ladybug, what happened to this? (holding a fake faberge egg music box)
Ladybug: What?  (again with that guilty-innocent look)
Mama:  Two of the dancers have been ripped out.  What happened?
Ladybug:  I don't know.
Mama: Well it wasn't like this a few weeks ago.
Ladybug:  I didn't mean to break it.
Mama:  You need to take care of your things or you won't be getting new things.
Ladybug: Can my new bike be purple?  I like purple.

And yet a little later:

Mama:  Ladybug!  (exasperated) 
Ladybug: Yes, Mama?
Mama: What happened to this? (holding a hula hoop with all kinds of dents and bends in it)
Ladybug: Nothing?
Mama: It is broken.
Ladybug:  I know.
Mama:  And now it needs to be thrown away.  You won't be getting any new things if you can't take care of the things you have already.
Ladybug:  Can we go to a store and get my new bike?

And even a little later:

Mama: Ladybug, get in here!  (trying to control the anger)
Ladybug: Yes, Mama?
Mama:  What did you do with my toothbrush? (it was not where I left it so I know she moved it)
Ladybug: Nothing! (not hiding the guilt at all)
Mama: It was not where I left it.  It was moved.  So you did something with it.  What did you do with it?
Ladybug:  Well, there was a bug so I used your toothbrush to kill it.
Mama: Now I need to get a new toothbrush.
Ladybug: When we go to the store to get your new toothbrush can we also look for my...
Mama: Don't even mention the bike to me right now!

Mean Mama

I don't like A/C

Seriously.  I know it is an odd thing to hate.  But I do.  I never used A/C before I moved south.  I had fans... I didn't need A/C.  I didn't even have A/C in my car.

So when I moved here I didn't even ask about A/C.  I didn't need it.  I could buy fans.

And then a heat wave hit my little town.  Last night it was 90 degrees.  And I had not bought fans yet.  So last night was a hard night.  She couldn't sleep... so I couldn't sleep.  At 1am I got up and put her in a cold shower.  She slept after that.

So today I went out and bought fans tonight.  One for her room.  One for my room.  And before I put her in bed I put one in her room.

Which wasn't all that easy.

I wanted to put it in the window.  She has 2 windows.  So I looked for the plug near her window.  There was none.  As it turned out there was only one plug in her room.  Yep, I live in an old house.  Only one plug?  So I went on a hunt for an extension cord ... because the plug is on the other side of the room as her windows.  I found 2 power surges.  I plugged one into the wall and the other into the first and the fan into the 3rd.  Hope that is safe.

I had the fan in one window but the cords couldn't stretch that far.  So I moved the fan into the other window.  While I was moving it, Ladybug closed the first window.  WHY?  It is hot.  We need the breeze.  So I abandoned the fan and went to open the window and adjust the shade.  While I was doing that, Ladybug went to investigate the fan.  Messed it up.  Had to readjust it all.  Then plugging it in required moving the bed and then crawling under it. 

And when everything was arranged and plugged in... nothing happened.  No movement.  It didn't work.  I banged everything around and said a few swear words and then it worked.  Ladybug is sleeping with a fan in her face.

And I am drenched in sweat.

Mean Mama

universal remote

I am not incapable in most areas.  But sometimes I just can't figure it out.

I bought a second TV a few weeks ago.  At a yard sale.  From my landlord.  It is about 20 years old.  But it works. 

My landlord couldn't find the remote so he casually says, "You can buy a universal remote."

I know this is true.  But I have never had a universal remote.  And I want a remote because this TV is going in my bedroom.

So I bought one last weekend.  I read the instructions.  I read it again.  I tried to program it.  It didn't work.  I tried again.  It still didn't work.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result. 

I did it a 3rd and 4th time.  It still doesn't work.

I am feeling a little crazy.

Mean Mama

Juicey Juice

A little while ago a friend of mine decided to do this juicing thing.I thought she was crazy.  Okay -- truth be told I thought she was a little crazy before this.  And she admits that she is crazy by the blog name she picked.

She decided to try to convince me I should to do it too.  She started by asking me to watch this movie.  It was interesting.  I bought a lot of what he was saying.  It made since to me.  But the thought of juicing turned my stomach.  It wasn't just looking at the juice.  I have a history with juicing.

Just after I graduated from college I had a great roommate.  She was a little flakey.  She was very crunchy.  And she had a heart of gold.  She has a new boyfriend.  That I didn't like.  At all.  But I decided to try to like him.  I mean she was fantastic and she liked him so maybe I just didn't see all the good things she saw.  One day we both headed over to his house to hang out.  So we are hanging in his living room and I keep hearing a noise.  And it is driving me a little nuts.  But neither of them notice it.  So I decide to follow the noise.  It sounded like plastic wrap being crinkled.  I followed it into the kitchen.  I listened.  I finally found it.  It was coming from his juice machine.  So he opened it.  This is the juice machine he used every day.  And on the inside he found about a million maggots (bugs seem to be a theme in my life).  He used the juicer daily but he didn't clean it daily.  I left the apartment and never went back.  It did not improve my opinion of him.  It never improved -- even though she moved him into our apartment later that summer.

So the idea of juicing sort of freaked me out.  But after researching and reading I finally decided to give it a try. Which meant I had to buy a juicer.  Which turned out to be a bit of challenge given where I live.  But while visiting with a friend (2 hours away) I dropped by Target and bought a juicer.  I brought it home and started experimenting.  The experimenting lasted about 3 days.  And then the juicer broke.  I couldn't just return it -- because the closest Target is 2 hours away.  And I wanted one now!

So I found that I could a juicer at Sears.  And there is a Sears in my town -- nothing else, but there is Sears.  So I popped out of the office one lunch and went to Sears.  And that is when I discovered that the Sears in my town is so small it could fit in my bedroom -- and that is not an exaggeration.  No juicer.  So I got back online and looked again.  I found a store about 20 minutes from me.  So after work I collected Ladybug and went to the store.  We got there at about 5:20 pm -- only to discover that they close at 5pm.  No juicer.  So I stopped by Walmart -- they must have juicers too.  They did.  The one that broke.  I don't want the same one that broke in 2 days.  I want a different one. 

A few weeks went by and then I went away for the weekend -- to a different state.  I went shopping.  I went to Target.  I went to Bed and Bath.  I called every store I could think of.  I finally found 1 in a local mall.  I mean 1 -- they had one left.  I asked them to hold it for me and I drove 45 minutes to get my juicer.

Now after a couple of weeks of juicing (not only juicing but juicing every day), I have found 2 recipes that I really enjoy... even if they look gross.

In the mornings I have: 2 apples, 2 oranges, 1/8 pineapple, 2-3 carrots, and 1 banana (bananas are blended -- not juiced)

In the afternoons and evenings I have: kale, ginger, 1/4 lime, 2 granny smith apples, 2-3 stalks of celery, 1/2 cucumber, 1/8 pineapple, and 1 banana.

I think I might like this juicing thing.  But I make sure to clean the machine after every use.

Mean Mama

drinking problem

Ladybug seems to have a drinking problem.  I know she seems a little young but listen to the situation.

She was relaxing on the living room floor tonight... after a hard day of playing at camp.  She was laying down watching a little nick.  She has recently gotten into lemonade.  She asks for it all the time.  I guess it could be worse -- she could be asking for soda. 

So there she is laying on her back.  Relaxed.  With a drink.  And she decides to take a drink.  But she doesn't sit up first.

So she spills lemonade all over her face.

She sat up rather quickly at that point.  She looked at me shocked.  Like it never occurred to her that it would dump all over her.

But she has done this before.  With the same results.  So she should have known.

Mean Mama

done with First grade

Do you remember back in September...when I got that note from the teacher... when I was told my child was at risk for failing first grade.  All because she didn't know how to read.  Which I disputed because I knew she knew how to read.  But I relented.  She joined Title I.  And then the teacher tried to figure out what to do because Ladybug was so far ahead of all the other kids in the class.

Well first grade in done.  And Ladybug didn't fail.  She will be going into the second grade in the fall.

I got her "report card" the other day in the mail.  I use the quotes around the words report card because it is not like a report card that I ever remember.  Schools don't use grades for kids this young anymore.  Getting an A, B, C, D or F could damage them.  We don't need them (or their parents) to be competitive at such a young age.  So they don't get a letter grade.  They get a number grade instead.

What?

Letters are damaging but numbers are okay?

Apparently so.  So kids now get a 1, 2, 3, or 4 to show their progress.  I don't get it... I just don't fight it.

So Ladybug got all 4's (which is good -- the higher the number the better) except in one class.  She got 4's in art and music and PE and library and computers.  She got a 4 in reading.  She got a 2 in math. 

Guess they put her in the wrong Title I class.

Mean Mama

My landlord

When I was apartment hunting for my current place, my landlord was on the other side of the country.  Literally.  So I rented from her live in boyfriend.  He kept telling me that he was communicating with her.

I never talked to her.  I never emailed her.  Everything went through the boyfriend.

That was the first week of April.

I moved in on April 25th.  Still didn't meet the landlord.  She wasn't back yet. 

Over the last month I was beginning to wonder if she was real.  Then I ran into her best friend at the library.  She must exist.

But she didn't come back. 

And then the landlord proxy told me that she was coming back.  Even gave a specific date.  So I waited to meet her.

The day came and went.  I didn't see her.  Did she return?  The landlord proxy said she did.  Why is this so odd?  Because I live in a house.  That has been split in 2 apartments.  I live in the back apartment.  The landlord and the landlord proxy live int he front apartment.  How hard would it be to miss seeing her? 

She has been home for 2 weeks now.  I have yet to meet her. 

I began to wonder if she were dead.  Or a myth. Or ...

But she wrote me a note today.  She may actually exist.

Mean Mama

internet addiction

I think it is important for me to state that I have an internet addiction.

I have denied it. Because I see addiction as a weakness.  I don't want to be addicted to anything.  And yet at the same time I have always feared that I have an addicted personality. 

Today I decided to clean my study.  I can not say that I cleaned it.  But I started.  There is just a ton more to do still.  But in the middle of it I decided to move my wireless router about 2 inches on my desk.  I moved it.  I did not unplug it.  I just shifted it.  And yet my internet was gone.

Gone!

I tried unplugging it.  I turned it off.  I hooked the internet directly into my computer (not wireless).

That worked. That means it was not my internet that was the problem.  The problem had to be the wireless router.  I had that paperwork somewhere.  I think.  But it is on the floor of my study.  In a huge pile. 

I tried Ladybug's computer.  No wireless.  It is not the computer.  It is the router.

I feel my blood pressure going up.  I feel my agitation going up.  I feel my patient going down.  I start panicking about all those things I can't get to (and likely wouldn't even if I had internet).

I want my internet!

But I go shopping instead.  Not a great trip.  I am cranky.  And worried.  Because I don't have my internet?

Yep it is an addiction.

Luckily when I got home from grocery shopping I tried a few things.  I pushed a few buttons.  Because the pile of crap on the floor can wait.  The internet can not.

Whatever I pushed worked.  It came back.  And I am happy.

I have my drug.

Mean Mama

Professional Training Participant

I am still fairly new at my job and so my boss is sending me to a lot of trainings.  This week I went to a 2 day training on Monday and Tuesday.  I went to a 2 day training on Wednesday and Thursday.  I went to a 1 day training on Friday.  Almost like being back in school.  Luckily I liked all the topics.

But I noticed that every training seems to have the same people in them.  I mean they are different people with different names and different faces but the same personalities and roles.  It gets frustrating. 

1. There is always the person who thinks that they must contribute the experience, knowledge or opinion to every point the trainer makes.  Their arm flies up many times during the training.  And because they know everything they start lecturing the other trainers.  They are on par with the actual trainer.

2.  There is the person who is there for continuing education.  They know it already.  No need to learn.  Or even pay attention.  So they are on their computer or iphone or ipad the whole time.  And if called out on this, they feel no shame.

3.  There is the person who has a question they must ask, no matter how obscure, at every point the trainer makes.  "It is important under these circumstances that your consult an attorney." "But what if the walls are blue?  Do I still need to talk to a lawyer?"

4.  There is the hidden plant.  Not really of course.  But they manage to say a couple of things through the training that endears them to the trainers.  And the trainers continually go back to them throughout the training.

5.  There is the doubter.  The one that you have hope has learned something throughout the training.  And in the end they either deny that the trainer knows anything or says something that makes you realize that they have not learned anything during this time.

I can make it through 1 day with these people.  I can ignore them and take in the information.  However, by day 2 of a training with the same people I have had it.  And so have others.  We begin exchanging glances across the room at each other.  We roll our eyes at each other.

There is a fine line between trainee participation and taking over the training.

Mean Mama

Ladybug update

Sometimes when things are going really bad, I avoid the topic.  I don't want to tell you how terrible things are with Ladybug.  I don't want to tell you about the fights and bad behaviors and tantrums.

Luckily I don't have to.  None of that is happening.  Her transition to our new home has been fantastic.  She started school on April 30th.  Tomorrow is the last day before summer vacation starts.  About 6 weeks of school in this school.  And not 1 note home about bad behaviors.  NOT 1!  It is a miracle.  In her last school she could not make it a full week in her old school.

She is happy.  She is trying.  She is making friends. 

Now if only I could get her to stop falling out of bed.

Mean Mama

My morning commute

This is what I have been driving through every day this week.

Mean Mama