What I Like To Do..

1.  I like to read the Missed Connections on Craigslist. I always feel so much better about myself as a person.

2. Snuggle a cat:

  Or 2:

3. Read a book that isn't just heinous. 

4. Snuggle a kid or 2:

4.  Have a delicious meal (preferably cooked):

5. Take a nap in a big fluffy bed. But I don't HAVE on of those.. So a nap on a surface that's softer that a pallet of boulders.. 

See I'm not overly complicated in what I like and enjoy.. rather simplistic actually.

Cleaning the House

I hate cleaning. I really hate it. I hate clutter more. I abhor it. I can honestly say that no one will EVER accuse me of being a hoarder. I chunk things in the garbage and in bags to donate at high speed. Over the last 2 weeks I have taught the kids the true joy of decluttering. There WAS a a small amount of bribery involved and it was built upon the previous lesson of "if you get rid of stuff, there will be rewards" and "if you donate stuff, it goes to people who have none". And they are FINALLY old enough to get these 2 lessons. Between their 2 rooms and just their toy bins in the front part of the house 15 bags of misc. "stuff" including trash, broken toys, toys for giving to younger friends, and donations were removed from the house. Not like little sacks, but BIG giant trash bags full o stuff.

This makes me happy for 2 reasons. 1. T1's meds are working well. Which is the best reason EVER. She's able to let things go and not obsess about them. She was able to sort her favorite items and figure out which were her favorite ones and which one she can let go. She is giving her others to her friend that is younger. THIS has been a MASSIVE past issue and is indicative of her progress. A HUGE, HUGE sign that she is doing better than ever on her current treatment. Her OCD is being well managed - not gone. It will never be "gone", but she is able to manage it, her feelings, and let things go.

 2. Our house is no longer a pack rats nest of useless crap.  15 GIANT TRASH BAGS of junk. Just THEIR junk. *Shudder*.. Now they can actually FIND the things they want to play with, get to their stuff now, and they are LOVING that. 

In return for giving up such an enormous amount of stuff, they each got to pick out a new toy. I figured that was rather sporting. They spend HOURS and hours and hours. Literally. Over the course of the cleaning event, they (and I because really they are 5 and 6 they aren't going to stay on task for longer than 10 minutes at a time) spent probably 6 or 7 hours total sorting and cleaning.  They don't earn an allowance yet (we have an odd marble system that we use) so they each got to pick out a new toy.  T1 got a new "Big" Lalalaoopsy and T2 got the Green Lantern Lair by Imaginex.  They are oddly thrilled to trade the 15 bags for their 1 toy each and so am I.

Mothers Day

Mothers Day was yesterday. For the first time since I've had kids I don't have a bitter, sour, angry feeling the day after. C tried REALLY hard to actually create a pleasant day and actually DO something for Mothers Day that would indicate he cares.

He helped the kids make cards.

He brought me coffee first thing in the am after having camped-in with the kids. I was also woken up to a riveting rendition of "Shake Shake Shake Your Hiney" compliments of T2.

He made reservations to the Melting Pot for an early dinner - which took planning and forethought because we were taking the kids and early is better than later for that - mood wise.

He gave the kids baths.

He had asked what I wanted a few weeks back in regards to a gift and I drew a blank at the time, but still got me one. And a super cool one at that. It's a memory card for my camera that automatically sends the pictures to my computer right after I take them so I don't have to take them, connect the cord, push 3 buttons, and transfer them. It just - does it. I didn't even know they MADE those. But how cool is that??


Then..

He set the thing up. Because I certainly didn't know how and nothing is worse than having something and having no idea how to use it and not being able to use if forever.

So.. Thank you Smoopy Pie. I know it was hard for you to do, but I very much appreciate it.

And mother dear of my own, I wasn't ignoring you. But C was going to lots and lots of effort.  And I DO have something for you, it got put in my room and 1 & 2 just didn't give it to you.

Irritation..

One of the most irritating thing in the world is when you say something repeatedly and NO ONE bothers to hear you. They may be able to recite what you say, but aren't HEARING you and listening to what you say. I have to admit I very rarely say things just for the grins and giggles of it. The purpose may not be clear at the time, but there usually IS one. Like a month and a half ago I asked C to call the house cleaning people we had a Groupon for. Did he? Of course not. Why would he need to? We don't need the service until THIS week - for right before Mattie's birthday. It can wait. This conversation went ON and ON and ON until a week or so ago until he tried to get a hold of them and couldn't. Then suddenly it was MY problem again. *I* needed to take care of it again and complain that these people were "evil" and whatnot. Turns out they finally get back to C. Their "next available service is LATE MAY. Yeah. Kinda what I figured. That may have been the reason I was bringing it up so darn much. And You may think "Why didn't you just call them yourself?" The promise of "Don't worry about it, I'm doing it today." Was made EVERY TIME. Had - even once- I don't have the time to get to it, can you just take care of it - been said,  I would have. I even offered several times, and was yelled at for. SOOOOO Now I am stuck with a broken foot, a dirty house, a cake to make, friends coming over, and am pissed.. 

Mondays are EVILLLLL

Well mostly because they are Mondays.. But..I'm torn whether is was good or bad. I went to the orthopedic doctor and the re x-rayed my foot. The good news: It's had a good amount of healing. The bad news: It's not even close to being 100% healed. It's about 60% there. The original break is about 75% healed, BUT I have to go and be REALLY special and he found 2 places that he didn't see until they began to heal that are broken as well. Soooo in actuality I have 2 bone chips and the original break in that 5th metatarsal. I'm in a walking boot instead of a full cast. We're trying to think of a good name for the boot because WOW it's huge. And we need to get some gems or something to decorate it because it's damned ugly. I'll be in Bootsy for at least a month but depending on how the healing goes on the original break and chippy 1 & 2 - it could be up to 6 months. Sooo I'm super NOT thrilled at that.

In other news (because I'm a total squirrel like that) I've passed my medical transcription testing and I can go and get a job and do that - even from home part time - which is something I've been working on for the last full year. When I started we had not planned on homeschooling either kid and I had slated to finish in 6 months. I'm disappointed it took so long, but plans changed and I needed to take care of the needs of T1 and 2 - but this should allow some flexibility too.  This is  the test I retook to get a higher score on. I DID get a higher score and graduated with Honors now. YAY me..

And for a completely different subject.. The Boy's birthday is in less that a week. The baby is going to be 5. It's rather tragic really. He's getting SO big age, size, maturity - well.. Except when he starts acting like a loon. I'm gonna have to make him his own post later with a photo progression.. That will amuse me..

12 Days Of April...

On the 12th Day of April my true loves gave to meeeeee:


12. Flinching Banchee Screams

11. Sawing Saws

10. Suite Life On Decks

9. Wet Towels

8. Empty Cups

7. Hours of panic attacks

6. Time outs

5. Meals prepared

4. Piles of Vomit

3. Clogged and over flowing toliets

2. Snuggly huggly bunny naughty kids

annnnnd

1. reaaalllllly long day..

Music..

Behold the power of music. T1 is doing a listening therapy for OT and they just changed the CD from one she REALLY liked to one she REALLY doesn't. She had done fantastically on the previous one. Her mood was great. She was sleeping well. She was cooperating with the schooling. She had a decrease in fits. Since the switch in CD's there have been increase in fits, defiance, stubbornness in school, whiny "I don't want to's", not sleeping, fighting with brother, and a whole host of other displeasing side effects. From Music. ALL from listening to music 20-30 minutes twice a day. It's special music but it's IS just music in it's basic form. How messed up is that?  The therapist has suggested that *IF* we can just manage to muddle through right now and not strangle our precious little darling, then we MAY have found some kind of frequencies that are setting off some kind of changes and we will eventually see POSITIVE changes. Oy. One can hope..

And now. I must go remove a fussy, pouting, fit having child from the hallway and deposit said child back into their room.