Do you live in any of the following cities or general area - or know a blogger (preferably someone with kids) who does?
- Cincinnati
- Portland/Seattle/Pacific Northwest
- Dallas
- Kansas City
- Grand Rapids/Flint/Saginaw/Detroit
- Sandusky
- Williamsburg
Thanks!
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Who do you know?
Need some help here, my dear e-friends:
Do you live in any of the following cities or general area - or know a blogger (preferably someone with kids) who does?
Do you live in any of the following cities or general area - or know a blogger (preferably someone with kids) who does?
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Gone With the (Pumpkin) Wind
It's a bit windy here in St. Louis.
Case in point:
As Pumpkin and G were leaving school this evening, hubby had to manually shut the daycare door as a gust of wind nearly took it off the hinges. At the same time, Pumpkin kept getting further and further away from him . . . closer and closer to the parking lot.
"Pumpkin, stop! Come back here," G called. "Seriously, Pumpkin, stop and come here. Stop!"
"I can't stop, daddy! Save me!" Pumpkin called as he nearly blew across the parking lot.
Case in point:
As Pumpkin and G were leaving school this evening, hubby had to manually shut the daycare door as a gust of wind nearly took it off the hinges. At the same time, Pumpkin kept getting further and further away from him . . . closer and closer to the parking lot.
"Pumpkin, stop! Come back here," G called. "Seriously, Pumpkin, stop and come here. Stop!"
"I can't stop, daddy! Save me!" Pumpkin called as he nearly blew across the parking lot.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
On the Road Again...
Another week, another business trip. This time I'm in Ohio visiting two different properties owned/operated by a h0tel client. Only four more weeks of this!
You know, I'm pretty satisfied, sitting here, on a comfy king-sized bed with SIX pillows (which I'll have all to myself tonight - hello, sleeping at an angle!), fire crackling in the fireplace (it's electric, but I'll take it), and next to a HUGE two person Jaccuzi tub.
Pros of business trips:
- I don't have to cut up someone's food, fill a glass of milk, clean up spilled ketchup, or listen to someone saying "I don't wike it!" and pushing the plate away. Oh yeah, I also get to eat a hot meal because I'm not handling any of the above.
- I can consume adult beverages without concern over who will drive Pumpkin to the hospital if there's an emergency. Seriously, the reason I rarely drink anymore is because I'm concerned that something will happen and I won't be able to get my child to the emergency room.
- It's two hours past Pumpkin's bedtime and he's.still.awake. Totally refusing to go to sleep.
- I can fucking curse without worrying about who the hell will hear me. Dammit!
- ESPN is not on this TV. No sports. No problem!
Cons of business trips:
- Who else can I convince to wear matching outfits? Case in point:
Our holiday photo. G swears we'll never wear the sweaters at the same time again. Whatever!
Tell me, am I the only one who (sometimes, somewhat) enjoys a little time away?
Friday, January 18, 2008
My Favorite Thing in the World
There is nothing better than that feeling I get when Pumpkin sees me for the first time after I've been away for a few days. Nothing.
Poor little guy has no idea that I'll be gone all next week in Ohio, but damn! I'm already looking forward to seeing his smiling face when I get home!
Poor little guy has no idea that I'll be gone all next week in Ohio, but damn! I'm already looking forward to seeing his smiling face when I get home!
Monday, January 14, 2008
Probably the Worst Location for a Business Trip
I'm in the process of visiting all the properties owned by a new client. Last week was Dallas; tomorrow I leave for the Poconos; next week Cleveland and Mason, Ohio. Travel goes on through early March.
Tonight I told Pumpkin where I was going and asked him to repeat it. "Pick-a-nose," he answered proudly.
Yep, lucky me, tomorrow I go to Pick-a-nose, Pennsylvania. Jealous?
Tonight I told Pumpkin where I was going and asked him to repeat it. "Pick-a-nose," he answered proudly.
Yep, lucky me, tomorrow I go to Pick-a-nose, Pennsylvania. Jealous?
Friday, January 11, 2008
Potpourri Part II: My Sister
Part I here.
(This is where my diatribe starts. If you’re not in the mood to “hear” me rant, stop reading now.)
My younger sister, Julie, is a selfish, immature, self-centered bitch.
Over the last two years, she tricked my parents into paying for her divorce, ruined the house my parents bought for her and her daughter (carpet had to be replaced, the walls patched and repainted, and three months worth of rotting garbage had to be removed from her back porch), and defaulted on two loans my parents co-signed for. She also stole a month’s worth of pain medication that my dad needed – and couldn’t get refilled for 30 days because the meds were narcotics. She refused to come home for the family Thanksgiving or Christmas.
My sister is incapable of lasting friendships. She’ll have a close group of friends for about two years, then they’ll start to catch on to her lies and the friendship ends. It’s strange how fast my sister moves on – she’ll dump everything about the friends and move onto another group. For example, when she moved near my parents, met a group of nice church-going women and Julie became very religious. After about 18 months, the churchy women began to question some of the stories she told them about her life and her past. Instead of coming clean on her lies, she suddenly stopped going to church, quit her job (she worked for one of the church ladies), and moved.
My sister has created her own reality, her own world. She’ll tell stories about her/our childhood which simply aren’t true. She’ll confuse things I did as a kid but swear it was really her. She’s told people that my parents were abusive and that she was denied basic necessities as a child. She’s made up stories about being bulimic (she’s not). She’s told these lies so many times that I think she honestly believes them. She seems to get a thrill out of the sympathy these stories garner from others who don’t know our family or my sister.
My sister has a daughter who’s almost 13 years old. The stories she’s heard about me and my dad have affected the relationship we have with the girl. My niece has asked me about the abuse my sister suffered as a child. It hurts to hear her think that my parents were abusive, when in fact, my sister and I had a beautiful and very privileged childhood.
When Pumpkin was born, I told G that I didn’t trust my sister to be left alone with him. I told him that my sister lived in a warped reality, that she’s probably in need of counseling, and she’s confused about what’s real and what’s not. He didn’t believe me, until he spent several hours with her right after she moved near my parents. One night, and he agreed that Pumpkin shouldn’t be around her. Honestly, I truly feel she would hurt him.
At this point, my relationship with my sister is effectively over. I called tonight to ask if she could help my parents this week since I’m traveling for work (not to mention that I live three states away from them and she’s a mere 10 minutes from the hospital that my mom’s in) and she doesn’t work Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday. Her response: “What do you mean by help? I’m busy.”
UPDATE: This post was originally written on Wednesday, when I learned about my dad’s ankle. Since then, Julie did pick my mom up at the hospital. Mom’s staying at Julie’s apartment tonight, and tomorrow my dad will be discharged from the hospital. Julie’s too busy to take them home or makes sure they have everything they need tomorrow, so G, Pumpkin and I will be getting up super early tomorrow to drive the five hours to my parents’ house.
(This is where my diatribe starts. If you’re not in the mood to “hear” me rant, stop reading now.)
My younger sister, Julie, is a selfish, immature, self-centered bitch.
Over the last two years, she tricked my parents into paying for her divorce, ruined the house my parents bought for her and her daughter (carpet had to be replaced, the walls patched and repainted, and three months worth of rotting garbage had to be removed from her back porch), and defaulted on two loans my parents co-signed for. She also stole a month’s worth of pain medication that my dad needed – and couldn’t get refilled for 30 days because the meds were narcotics. She refused to come home for the family Thanksgiving or Christmas.
My sister is incapable of lasting friendships. She’ll have a close group of friends for about two years, then they’ll start to catch on to her lies and the friendship ends. It’s strange how fast my sister moves on – she’ll dump everything about the friends and move onto another group. For example, when she moved near my parents, met a group of nice church-going women and Julie became very religious. After about 18 months, the churchy women began to question some of the stories she told them about her life and her past. Instead of coming clean on her lies, she suddenly stopped going to church, quit her job (she worked for one of the church ladies), and moved.
My sister has created her own reality, her own world. She’ll tell stories about her/our childhood which simply aren’t true. She’ll confuse things I did as a kid but swear it was really her. She’s told people that my parents were abusive and that she was denied basic necessities as a child. She’s made up stories about being bulimic (she’s not). She’s told these lies so many times that I think she honestly believes them. She seems to get a thrill out of the sympathy these stories garner from others who don’t know our family or my sister.
My sister has a daughter who’s almost 13 years old. The stories she’s heard about me and my dad have affected the relationship we have with the girl. My niece has asked me about the abuse my sister suffered as a child. It hurts to hear her think that my parents were abusive, when in fact, my sister and I had a beautiful and very privileged childhood.
When Pumpkin was born, I told G that I didn’t trust my sister to be left alone with him. I told him that my sister lived in a warped reality, that she’s probably in need of counseling, and she’s confused about what’s real and what’s not. He didn’t believe me, until he spent several hours with her right after she moved near my parents. One night, and he agreed that Pumpkin shouldn’t be around her. Honestly, I truly feel she would hurt him.
At this point, my relationship with my sister is effectively over. I called tonight to ask if she could help my parents this week since I’m traveling for work (not to mention that I live three states away from them and she’s a mere 10 minutes from the hospital that my mom’s in) and she doesn’t work Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday. Her response: “What do you mean by help? I’m busy.”
UPDATE: This post was originally written on Wednesday, when I learned about my dad’s ankle. Since then, Julie did pick my mom up at the hospital. Mom’s staying at Julie’s apartment tonight, and tomorrow my dad will be discharged from the hospital. Julie’s too busy to take them home or makes sure they have everything they need tomorrow, so G, Pumpkin and I will be getting up super early tomorrow to drive the five hours to my parents’ house.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Alex, I'll take Potpourri for $400, please
Part one:
Blog topics have been running through my head for weeks, no, months. At first, I was protesting blog month by NOT posting. I read all my regular blogs (and loved that they had the commitment to post every. single. day.), but I knew I couldn’t compete with the daily postings, so I didn’t even try. Then the holidays and multiple family get togethers, work commitments, blah, blah, blah.
I’d craft witty blog entries in my head while driving home from work, grocery shopping, getting a hair cut, and Christmas shopping. Trust me, those entries were good – award winning even.
Like the one about Ethan telling Elmo to “bite me.”
Or how he wouldn’t open his gifts on Christmas morning until I opened the gift he made for me in school.
Or how for the first time EVER, I got along with the in-laws. (And scored decent Christmas presents – gone are the days of used toothbrushes and candles without wicks. Seriously.)
Fun times.
But this week? Man, it’s only Tuesday and I can’t wait for this week to end. I’m on a plane now and close to tears.
(OK, actually when this posts, I’ll be in Dallas, alone, in my hotel – for work. Please, dear God, do not let my client want to meet for drinks or Dairy Queen ice cream or a briefing meeting or any other nonsense. I just want to check into the hotel and crawl into bed. Hell, my meetings tomorrow start at 7 a.m.)
On Sunday, I learned that my cousin’s three week old baby died – of mysterious causes which are being investigated. An autopsy was performed today, and the little baby girl will be buried on Thursday. I want to be there for my family, but I fear I couldn’t handle the funeral of a tiny, innocent baby. Especially with the cloud of suspicion hanging over the baby daddy. It’s sad to pray for there to have been an undiagnosed birth defect (quite possible consider the parents were using drugs before, during, and immediately following conception). However, given the circumstances, I fear the worst, and that makes me really sad.
Today, my mom had her left knee replaced. She had the right one done last summer, and the recovery is brutal. She was particularly close to the baby's family and had the pleasure of “meeting” the baby two week ago. It’s tearing her up that she can’t be there for her family, but she’ll be in the hospital all week then rehab several times a week for months.
Then, I learned that my dad broke his ankle – a clean break effectively separating his foot from his leg. Since his second stroke a few years ago, he’s had difficulty maintaining his blood pressure when he stands, causing him to black out and pass out. That’s what happened last night. He’ll need surgery to pin his bones into place while it heals. Of course, he discharged himself from the hospital and rejected any pain meds until he drove home to take care of his dogs (since my mom’s in the hospital and there’s no one around to take care of them – they live in the boonies). He’s on his way back to the hospital now, where he’ll be admitted and a decision about surgery will be made tomorrow.
My sister, who lives in the city where my parents will both be in hospitals this week, is “too busy” to help. Julie is a selfish, immature, self-centered bitch. To find out why I feel so strongly about Julie, tune in later...
Blog topics have been running through my head for weeks, no, months. At first, I was protesting blog month by NOT posting. I read all my regular blogs (and loved that they had the commitment to post every. single. day.), but I knew I couldn’t compete with the daily postings, so I didn’t even try. Then the holidays and multiple family get togethers, work commitments, blah, blah, blah.
I’d craft witty blog entries in my head while driving home from work, grocery shopping, getting a hair cut, and Christmas shopping. Trust me, those entries were good – award winning even.
Like the one about Ethan telling Elmo to “bite me.”
Or how he wouldn’t open his gifts on Christmas morning until I opened the gift he made for me in school.
Or how for the first time EVER, I got along with the in-laws. (And scored decent Christmas presents – gone are the days of used toothbrushes and candles without wicks. Seriously.)
Fun times.
But this week? Man, it’s only Tuesday and I can’t wait for this week to end. I’m on a plane now and close to tears.
(OK, actually when this posts, I’ll be in Dallas, alone, in my hotel – for work. Please, dear God, do not let my client want to meet for drinks or Dairy Queen ice cream or a briefing meeting or any other nonsense. I just want to check into the hotel and crawl into bed. Hell, my meetings tomorrow start at 7 a.m.)
On Sunday, I learned that my cousin’s three week old baby died – of mysterious causes which are being investigated. An autopsy was performed today, and the little baby girl will be buried on Thursday. I want to be there for my family, but I fear I couldn’t handle the funeral of a tiny, innocent baby. Especially with the cloud of suspicion hanging over the baby daddy. It’s sad to pray for there to have been an undiagnosed birth defect (quite possible consider the parents were using drugs before, during, and immediately following conception). However, given the circumstances, I fear the worst, and that makes me really sad.
Today, my mom had her left knee replaced. She had the right one done last summer, and the recovery is brutal. She was particularly close to the baby's family and had the pleasure of “meeting” the baby two week ago. It’s tearing her up that she can’t be there for her family, but she’ll be in the hospital all week then rehab several times a week for months.
Then, I learned that my dad broke his ankle – a clean break effectively separating his foot from his leg. Since his second stroke a few years ago, he’s had difficulty maintaining his blood pressure when he stands, causing him to black out and pass out. That’s what happened last night. He’ll need surgery to pin his bones into place while it heals. Of course, he discharged himself from the hospital and rejected any pain meds until he drove home to take care of his dogs (since my mom’s in the hospital and there’s no one around to take care of them – they live in the boonies). He’s on his way back to the hospital now, where he’ll be admitted and a decision about surgery will be made tomorrow.
My sister, who lives in the city where my parents will both be in hospitals this week, is “too busy” to help. Julie is a selfish, immature, self-centered bitch. To find out why I feel so strongly about Julie, tune in later...
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