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Musings from my mind |
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** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** I'd kept a paper journal for years, so I thought I'd try this out and see how it works. I must say, I'm rather liking it!! Here's some background stuff. I'm in my 40's, doing the single mom thing with a 10 yo son. My son has ADHD, ODD and was also diagnosed with high functioning autism. He can be a challenge, but he can also be pure joy. This is my safe place. I come here to vent my frustrations, celebrate my victories, share a recipe or two and make new friends. I like it here. I hope you do too. Thanks for stopping by, Curls |
| I'm home with Joe today. He's got sinus stuff going on. Headache, sinus pain and pressure, allergic cough. This sounds like a commercial. Anywho, got some meds for him, that may make him drowsy, so I'm keeping him home. We've got a lot of smoke in the area from wildfires, so I know that's contributing. Since I have nothing really of substance to say, no huge axes to grind, or stuff to bitch about, I thought I'd copy and paste something that I got in an email. If you agree, please feel free to copy it and email it to your buds. Urine test "Like a lot of folks in this state I have a job. I work, they pay me. I pay my taxes and the government distributes my taxes as it sees fit. In order to get that paycheck, I am required to pass a random urine test, with which I have no problem. What I do have a problem with is the distribution of my taxes to people who don't have to pass a urine test. Shouldn't one have to pass a urine test to get a welfare check because I have to pass one to earn it for them?? Please understand, I have no problem with helping people get back on their feet. I do on the other hand have a problem with helping someone sitting on their ass. Could you imagine how much money the state would save if people had to pass a urine test to get a public assistance check????? Please pass this along if you agree or simply Delete if you don't. Hope you all will pass it along, though. Something has to change in this country and soon!!!!! " My quote for today is: If you keep doing what you've always done, you'll keep betting what you've always got. Thanks for coming by, Curls |
| A man goes to a psychiatrist. The doctor says, "You're crazy" The man says, "I want a second opinion!" "Okay, you're ugly too!" It's just another manic Monday I wish it was Sunday 'Cause that's my funday My I don't have to runday It's just another manic Monday Happy Monday everyone! |
I'm so glad that we're starting to get some rain here. Hoping to get more. I spent some good quality time with Joe today. He beat me soundly at chess, and I returned the favor with Yahtzee. I love doing things like that with him. He's such a cool kid. He's got a pretty fantastic mom, too!  My quote for today is: True friends are always there when you need them!! Thanks for stopping by, Curls |
| I spoke with the Dean (aka chief disciplinarian). As soon as I mentioned this kid's name, there was a major groan, an eye roll and a hand put on the forehead. Judging by the reaction, it was quite obvious that there have been several incidents with this boy. It is well known that this kid is a jerk, and from what I understood of the conversation, the parental units don't seem to care. The Dean stated that what happened would indeed be considered bullying, and that the incident would be documented, and Sebastian and his parental unit will be contacted and put on notice that further behaviors of this sort will not be tolerated. I was also informed that the Dean has the authority to suspend students for bullying. Good to know. The Dean will also speak to Joe to let him know that the incident is being documented and reassure him of the importance of reporting such incidents, and that this behavior is not acceptable, whether done by him or to him. In case some view what happened differently than I do, please let me say that I do understand the "boys will be boys" mentality, and that some may see situations like this as a rite of passage. I respectfully disagree, while acknowledging my personal bias at the same time. Whether it's my child or someone elses, I just do not see this as acceptable behavior. I believe that we teach others how to treat us. If this is not addressed now, it sends the message that it's ok to treat others poorly, and worse yet, it sends a message to my son that he can't count on me to be his advocate. I will NOT send that message. I'd rather over react on the side of caution than have my child feel that I don't care about what happens to him. If I'm wrong, then so be it. Remember, it's not about the stoopid quarter, it's about treating others with courtesy and respect and not as lower life forms. I see this kid as a potential "Cho", and will do whatever I can to make sure that my son doesn't perceive school as a hostile environment due to this brat's behavior. Hopefully this will all blow over now. Thanks for coming by, Curls ps. pray for this boy and his parental units. I'm scared for his future. |
| Dammit, I'm pissed again. I don't like being po'd. I went to pick up Joe at afterschool today. He'd found a quarter, and was going to keep it. Then one of the other kids told him it belonged to him. I instructed Joe to give it to the boy. The boy took it, and then said it really wasn't his. The afterschool director told him to give it to Joe, because Joe found it. While Joe was walking towards the boy, another boy took it and threw it across the room! I asked the director if I could speak to the boy who threw the quarter. She said I could. I asked him what his name was. He said his name was Neil. The other kids said, no, that wasn't his name. His name was Sebastian. I asked him who his teacher was. He named a teacher. The other kids said, no, that wasn't his teacher. The director told me who his teacher was. I asked him why he was being a bully. He said he wasn't being a bully, he just wanted to throw it. I asked him if he was this rude and disrespectful to all adults, and he said he was. I told him that his parents would be contacted about his bullying and that I would not accept him bullying my child. He shrugged his shoulders. I told him that if he didn't learn to be respectful and polite to adults now, he'd have to learn it in jail. He said, "yes, that's where I'm going, jail." I am so angry at this boy's behavior. I don't want to pass judgement on his parents because I haven't met them. It would be easy to make assumptions about them, but I'm chosing to take the high road. Joe has enough working against him with his ADHD, ODD, OCD and autism. He gets in trouble enough on his own. He doesn't need some bully antagonizing him. I plan on speaking with the principal in the morning about this. I am so not pleased right now. I talked to Joe about how angry I was that this boy would be so blatantly rude to him, and that it was especially wrong for him to be so disrespectful to a parent. I told Joe that if he can learn anything from this situation, it would be how NOT to speak to an adult. I also told him that I'm first in line to correct him when he's wrong, but I'll also be first in line to defend him when he's right. Due to his medical conditions, Joe does a lot of things that creates problems for him. He makes wrong choices often, because of the way he's wired, and requires more supervision than most, and a lot more patience. This time, he was doing the right thing and was bullied for it. I will NOT accept that. I thought this would be a good educational tool to use, so I asked him what he thought would happen if he ever spoke to an adult that way. He said that would be really bad, and that he wouldn't be able to find enough ice packs for his butt. You got that right, dude!!! So, tomorrow, I'll find out what kind of anti-bully policy the school has. The most I can do is put the school on notice that this boy is a problem. I'm thinking that if he didn't think twice about being so blatantly rude and disrespectful by lying to me, that this isn't a new behavior. As angry as I am at that boy, my mother's heart is concerned for his parents. Do they know? Do they care? Are the frustrated, trying everything thing they can, and feel like they are a failure because it's not working? What is his home life like? Does he have a healthy, nurturing environment, or is it filled with malice, dissention and bitterness? I have no answers, but God does. I'd like to ask all who believe in the power of prayer to please pray for this boy and his parents. Thanks to all who helped me when I came unhugged yesterday. It's such a blessing to call you my friends. Curls |
| Warning: Instead of being rational and logical, I'm going to be emotional and girly for a little bit. Please indulge me. I'm having a moment. I had a moderate panic attack this evening. I'm still shaking a bit. It all ended up ok, and I'm very thankful for that, but it's still left me quite shaken. Maybe if I write it out, some of the remaining adrenalin will be released to the universe and I'll be able to relax finally. Last night, Joe said something about me picking him up today after school because his dad had a meeting. I don't trust Joe with messages, so I emailed his dad today. I told him if he needed me to pick up Joe I could, but needed him to confirm it. I also requested that in the future, that he please contact me directly by phone or email and not rely on Joe for messages. He responded that he doesn't rely on Joe for messages, because he knows that doesn't work. But he didn't say if I needed to pick up Joe or not. So I didn't. 7pm comes and goes. No Joseph. 7:15, no Joe. 7:30, I call, get his voicemail. 7:40 he shows up. By that time, I'm panicked, and shaking. Now, most people wouldn't think anything of being "a little" late, and if it were anyone but Joe, I'd probably agree as well. But to me, that wait was an eternity, especially with the uncertainty of if he was gonna pick up Joe at school. I kept rationalizing it, saying that if he hadn't picked up Joe, the police would have contacted me by now. It worried me more that they hadn't. Then I started getting really afraid. I was afraid he'd taken Joe and skipped out of state, all over the almighty dollar. I was so afraid I'd never see him again. My imagination just went totally whack, and I couldn't stop it. If I tell The Donkey what it does to me when he's late, he'll only use that weakness against me, and do it more often just because he'll know how it spins me up. Logic would say, no harm, no foul. Joe's home and safe now, so I should just move on. I can't go from full panic to calm that quickly. I'm just not made that way. I don't like it when my anxiety gets all worked up. I don't like that I can't just wait patiently without my overactive imagination making me nuts. I really don't like this trait. I don't like admitting I have it, and I don't like the power it has over me. While it serves me well in writing creatively, it also torments me at times. This is one of those times, and it seems there's not a damn thing I can do about it but take a pill and hope it calms me. I know this sounds horribly pathetic, and I'm sorry for that. I'll take all the e-hugs, mojo, prayers, good vibes ya'll want to send my way. Send me a joke or something funny to laugh this off and get back to being my usual goofy self, ok? Thanks for coming by, Curls |
| Happy May Day everyone!!! Does anyone celebrate May Day anymore? |
| You ever have a day when there's just nothing to blog about? I had one yesterday. Sure, I could have said something witty and meaningless, just so I don't get that email that says "update your blog" but don't we have enough meaningless drivel already? I'd rather save my blogging for when I have something meaningful to say. How do ya'll feel about this? Agree, disagree? Lemme know. Curls |
| This was emailed to me by a friend. It was so funny I had to share it. No, I didn't verify this on Snopes.com. Even if this really didn't happen, it's still funny. Enjoy..... Potty Talk A 3-year-old tells all from his mother's restroom stall. By Shannon Popkin My little guy, Cade, is quite a talker. He loves to communicate and does it quite well. He talks to people constantly, whether we're in the library, the grocery store or at a drive-thru window. People often comment on how clearly he speaks for a just-turned-3-year-old. And you never have to ask him to turn up the volume. It's always fully cranked. There've been several embarrassing times that I've wished the meaning of his words would have been masked by a not-so-audible voice, but never have I wished this more than last week at Costco. Halfway, through our shopping trip, nature called, so I took Cade with me into the restroom. If you'd been one of the ladies in the restroom that evening, this is what you would have heard coming from the second to the last stall: "Mommy, are you gonna go potty? Oh! Why are you putting toiwet paper on the potty, Mommy? Oh! You gonna sit down on DA toiwet paper now? Mommy, what are you doing? Mommy, are you gonna go stinkies on the potty?" At this point I started mentally counting how many women had been in the bathroom when I walked in. Several stalls were full ? 4? 5? Maybe we could wait until they all left before I had to make my debut out of this stall and reveal my identity. Cade continued, "Mommy, you ARE going stinkies aren't you? Oh, dats a good girl, Mommy! Are you gonna get some candy for going stinkies on the potty? Let me see doze stinkies, Mommy! Oh ? Mommy! I'm trying to see in dere. Oh! I see dem. Dat is a very good girl, Mommy. You are gonna get some candy!" I heard a few faint chuckles coming from the stalls on either side of me. Where is a screaming newborn when you need her? Good grief. This was really getting embarrassing. I was definitely waiting a long time before exiting. Trying to divert him, I said, "Why don't you look in Mommy's purse and see if you can find some candy. We'll both have some!" "No, I'm trying to see doze more stinkies. Oh! Mommy!" He started to gag at this point. "Uh oh, Mommy. I fink I'm gonna frow up. Mommy, doze stinkies are making me frow up!! Dat is so gross!!" As the gags became louder, so did the chuckles outside my stall. I quickly flushed the toilet in hopes of changing the subject. I began to reason with myself: OK. There are four other toilets. If I count four flushes, I can be reasonably assured that those who overheard this embarrassing monologue will be long gone. "Mommy! Would you get off the potty, now? I want you to be done going stinkies! Get up! Get up!" He grunted as he tried to pull me off. Now I could hear all-out laughter. I bent down to count the feet outside my door. "Oh, are you wooking under dere, Mommy? You wooking under DA door? What were you wooking at, Mommy? You wooking at the wady's feet?" More laughter. I stood inside the locked door and tried to assess the situation. "Mommy, it's time to wash our hands, now. We have to go out now, Mommy."He started pounding on the door. "Mommy, don't you want to wash your hands? I want to go out!!" I saw that my "wait 'em out" plan was unraveling. As I sheepishly opened the door, and found an open sink, I thought, Where's the fine print on the 'motherhood contract' where I signed away every bit of my privacy? But as my little herald gave me a big, cheeky grin while he rubbed bubbly soap between his chubby little hands, I thought, I'd sign it all away again, just to be known as Mommy to this little fellow. Shannon Popkin is a freelance writer and mother of three. She lives with her family in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she no longer uses public restrooms. |
| I got called into the "Big Boss's" office today. This rarely happens, so when it does, it really gets the heart racing. Especially when you hear, "close the door and have a seat." I was thinking "oh s***!" He hands me a form and asks me to sign it. It was a request for Superior Performance Recognition!!!! I was pleasantly surprised. I'm not sure if this is for a paper award, plaque, etc or a merit increase. I'm just happy that my work has been officially recognized by my supervisors. A merit increase would be a huge blessing. I took the brunt of the leave without pay I had to take from my surgery and Joe's flu on last month's paycheck, but I'm getting the remainder of the hit on this month, about $500 short. So I've had to do the "who can I not pay" scramble again this month. I can't not pay the bills this month that I didn't pay last month, so I've got to not pay something else. sigh I really hate worrying about money. I wish I could be rich instead of beautiful, but I got what I got and I'll get through it. I've certainly been through much worse, and I'll get through this. There are those that have it much worser than I do so I remember to be thankful for what I have. There are people who would LOVE to have hot dogs and hamburger helper over and over again, and would never complain a bit, so I'm not going to either. Instead, I'll bow my head and give thanks that I have a meal, and a roof over my head, and an education, and health and a job, and a vehicle, and clean clothes to wear, and health insurance, and shoes, and a bed to sleep in, and............ok, you get the idea. My quote today is: Everyone has something to be thankful for, sometimes they just forget to look. Thanks for stopping by, Curls |
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