Men and assembly instructions. An oxymoron if ever there was one.
The men at my house assemble things in true Tim Taylor fashion. Lay out the parts and go to work, instructions are unnecessary and used only as a last resort.
Extra parts? Aaahh who needs them?
We got a new trampoline yesterday the old one was 7 or 8 years old and if Toby hadn’t welded it several times would long since have gone to the trash. My 19yos laid it out and was going to assemble it, but it went together differently than the old one and there were a bunch of screws he didn’t know where they went. Solution, let’s consult the directions ...... but wait, I hear “This sucks, it doesn’t have any pictures. ” hmmm appears that even when we consult directions we don’t want to actually read them, we simply want to look at the pictures. LOL, it was time for me to leave for work and apparently they figured it out because the trampoline was assembled and in use when I called the use later in the evening.
Is it the Y chromosome that inhibits the ability to admit that one needs directions to assemble something or heaven forbid that they need to ask directions of someone because they are lost?
Monday, June 26, 2006
Saturday, June 24, 2006
The Game
The game was girl's slow-pitch softball 5A/6A East against 5A/6A West All State. Our Katie was one of the pitchers for 5A/6A West and pitched five of the nine innings. The game started at 3:00 and it was hot. So hot Katie's MeMa couldn't stay for the game, so hot that at the end of the game my clothes were soaked and everyone got sunburned but ......
The final score was 10-6 our favor.
The West girls shut the other team out after the 2nd inning. It was a really good game and since these girls had never played together as a team and didn't get an opportunity to practice or even warm up together they played an awesome game.
The final score was 10-6 our favor.
The West girls shut the other team out after the 2nd inning. It was a really good game and since these girls had never played together as a team and didn't get an opportunity to practice or even warm up together they played an awesome game.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
dark days
It’s a dark day and I hate those.
I have at least one a month and I know it is hormone related but it sucks big time to feel like this.
Much of the day will be spent in tears. I don’t want to be with family, friends, or communicate with online friends. Friends? Hmmm I wonder if I actually even have anyone that I can really call a friend. Lots of acquaintances but how many would really consider me a friend? I want to be liked by people but feel as if I’m a neurotic, attention seeking, know-it-all that people don’t really like.
My kids hate me; I’m a horrible mom, a mediocre wife. I’m fat and can’t seem to make the long terms changes need to lose weight and keep it off.
On days like today I feel as my family would really be better off if I just went away and didn’t come back. I want to sit and eat chocolate and drink Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper, hibernate in my room and bury myself in a good book that will take me away from my life.
I do things that are supposed to help; exercise at least 3 days a week and many weeks 4 or 5 days, use a natural progesterone supplement, take essential fatty acids these things have helped reduce the number of bad days but nothing seems to really help completely.
I have at least one a month and I know it is hormone related but it sucks big time to feel like this.
Much of the day will be spent in tears. I don’t want to be with family, friends, or communicate with online friends. Friends? Hmmm I wonder if I actually even have anyone that I can really call a friend. Lots of acquaintances but how many would really consider me a friend? I want to be liked by people but feel as if I’m a neurotic, attention seeking, know-it-all that people don’t really like.
My kids hate me; I’m a horrible mom, a mediocre wife. I’m fat and can’t seem to make the long terms changes need to lose weight and keep it off.
On days like today I feel as my family would really be better off if I just went away and didn’t come back. I want to sit and eat chocolate and drink Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper, hibernate in my room and bury myself in a good book that will take me away from my life.
I do things that are supposed to help; exercise at least 3 days a week and many weeks 4 or 5 days, use a natural progesterone supplement, take essential fatty acids these things have helped reduce the number of bad days but nothing seems to really help completely.
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Dogs and Gardens
Okay those two subjects really have nothing to do with each other except I'm going to rant about both.
I love dogs I really do. We have a four year old Sheltie, a two year old part Alaskan Malamute, and then we have my oldest son’s two chocolate Labs. One is six years old and the other still just a puppy at about 18months.
I love the son too, at least most of the time.
However with the tremendous heat we’ve had this spring ........ we kinda skipped spring actually and went straight to summer..... having so many dogs in the house everyday is getting to be a chore. You may ask why I have them in the house, I ask myself that too, but the truth is for some reason the flies just will not leave their ears alone. If we leave them outside in the heat of the day then the flies chew their ears until they are covered in sores.
Back to my rant.....
I’m sweeping the floor everyday, and despite making the kids comb the dogs outside at least once a day I still get enough hair off the floor to cover a small dog. And it is Not my Sheltie’s hair; it is the short haired dog’s hair that is all over the place.
Now about the garden. I posted to the friends on one of my loops how last week some evil green worms/caterpillars ate every single leaf off my broccoli plants practically overnight. Well this weekend we had thunderstorms which brought some much needed rain but also brought some very high winds .........
The winds destroyed my squash plants.
My green beans are only doing so so and while my pepper plants do have several buds on them I’m not going to get my hopes up. Last year I actually got ONE pepper off each of my plants.
Next year I’m only planting flowers, because the Marigolds are the only things I planted that seem to be thriving.
I love dogs I really do. We have a four year old Sheltie, a two year old part Alaskan Malamute, and then we have my oldest son’s two chocolate Labs. One is six years old and the other still just a puppy at about 18months.
I love the son too, at least most of the time.
However with the tremendous heat we’ve had this spring ........ we kinda skipped spring actually and went straight to summer..... having so many dogs in the house everyday is getting to be a chore. You may ask why I have them in the house, I ask myself that too, but the truth is for some reason the flies just will not leave their ears alone. If we leave them outside in the heat of the day then the flies chew their ears until they are covered in sores.
Back to my rant.....
I’m sweeping the floor everyday, and despite making the kids comb the dogs outside at least once a day I still get enough hair off the floor to cover a small dog. And it is Not my Sheltie’s hair; it is the short haired dog’s hair that is all over the place.
Now about the garden. I posted to the friends on one of my loops how last week some evil green worms/caterpillars ate every single leaf off my broccoli plants practically overnight. Well this weekend we had thunderstorms which brought some much needed rain but also brought some very high winds .........
The winds destroyed my squash plants.
My green beans are only doing so so and while my pepper plants do have several buds on them I’m not going to get my hopes up. Last year I actually got ONE pepper off each of my plants.
Next year I’m only planting flowers, because the Marigolds are the only things I planted that seem to be thriving.
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Is it stamped on my forehead?
Today at the gym the gentleman on the Stepmill next to mine asked me if we homeschooled. I assured him we did, and he informed me that he subbed at the local high schools. He then went on to talk about how awful it was at the schools and that despite complaints to administration they are hesitant to make changes which is a whole other topic.
He is not the first at the gym to ask me that question and okay I can see if we are there during normal school hours, which we sometimes are, that would be a clue. But it is summertime. We are also the only family that I see come in together, but surely there are other families that do things together. And just to clarify not all of go together; usually it is just the youngest two, the DH and me although sometime the 19yo will go with us.
Several times the DH and I have been complimented on our older children [21, 19, 15]. How mature, polite, what good workers etc. I always wonder if they are talking about the same children that live in my house or if pod people take them over when they are away from home. The youngest [12] doesn’t do too many things yet without a parental close by. He is to me a quintessential youngest child in that he is not near as mature or responsible at this age as the others were, and still needs firm supervision. I just wonder if we really appear that different or if it is stamped on our foreheads “WE HOMESCHOOL.”
What would cause you to look at a family and think they homeschool?
Oh and btw, my side of the conversation was somewhat monosyllabic. Like I can talk when I’m on that torture machine? I’m up to a whole six minutes at level 4 – 46 steps per minute, but talking is not really an option when I finish.
He is not the first at the gym to ask me that question and okay I can see if we are there during normal school hours, which we sometimes are, that would be a clue. But it is summertime. We are also the only family that I see come in together, but surely there are other families that do things together. And just to clarify not all of go together; usually it is just the youngest two, the DH and me although sometime the 19yo will go with us.
Several times the DH and I have been complimented on our older children [21, 19, 15]. How mature, polite, what good workers etc. I always wonder if they are talking about the same children that live in my house or if pod people take them over when they are away from home. The youngest [12] doesn’t do too many things yet without a parental close by. He is to me a quintessential youngest child in that he is not near as mature or responsible at this age as the others were, and still needs firm supervision. I just wonder if we really appear that different or if it is stamped on our foreheads “WE HOMESCHOOL.”
What would cause you to look at a family and think they homeschool?
Oh and btw, my side of the conversation was somewhat monosyllabic. Like I can talk when I’m on that torture machine? I’m up to a whole six minutes at level 4 – 46 steps per minute, but talking is not really an option when I finish.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Girls's Day Out
Today was girls’ day out around here.
My mom, my daughter-to-be and I went to lunch and a movie.
For lunch we went to Olive Garden ......uuuuummmmm I really love their salad and breadsticks. I also tried something new today from the Garden Menu, the Chicken Giardino. It was really good.
After lunch we went to the $1 movies ...... yeah we’re the last of the big spenders, especially since today was 50¢ Tuesday. We saw Failure to Launch and it was great. We laughed and laughed. I’ve been a fan of Matthew McConaughey since I saw him in A Time to Kill the movie based on the John Grisham novel. The southern voice, the hair, *sigh* what’s not to like?
Anyway we all had a great time and that was the point, right?
Oh! I almost forgot on Thursday evening I get to go wedding dress shopping with Katie and her mom. I hope all goes well. Only having the four boys, well five if you count the DH, I've kinda got out of the girly shopping mind set. The last time I took a girl shopping was eight years ago for my niece's 14th birthday. It was torturous to say the least.
My mom, my daughter-to-be and I went to lunch and a movie.
For lunch we went to Olive Garden ......uuuuummmmm I really love their salad and breadsticks. I also tried something new today from the Garden Menu, the Chicken Giardino. It was really good.
After lunch we went to the $1 movies ...... yeah we’re the last of the big spenders, especially since today was 50¢ Tuesday. We saw Failure to Launch and it was great. We laughed and laughed. I’ve been a fan of Matthew McConaughey since I saw him in A Time to Kill the movie based on the John Grisham novel. The southern voice, the hair, *sigh* what’s not to like?
Anyway we all had a great time and that was the point, right?
Oh! I almost forgot on Thursday evening I get to go wedding dress shopping with Katie and her mom. I hope all goes well. Only having the four boys, well five if you count the DH, I've kinda got out of the girly shopping mind set. The last time I took a girl shopping was eight years ago for my niece's 14th birthday. It was torturous to say the least.
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Where do Fat Women Exercise?
We signed up at a health club this last week and I’m already discouraged.
First of all even though I have been riding my stationary bike at home and using my Gazelle a couple of times a week I obviously have not been putting enough effort into it.
10 minutes on an elliptical machine and I’m breathing like a fish out of water. Last Thursday I spent 15 minutes on a recumbent bike and my legs hurt so bad on Friday I could hardly get out of bed.
I guess I really do need to go the gym cause I’m in far worse shape than I thought.
Which leads me to my second discouragement; so far I am the only fat person I have seen at the gym. Well fat female person, I have seen a couple of hefty guys but not any women or girls who look as if they hit the plus size department for clothes. I mean surely there are other heavy women that go to the gym. Most of the females I have seen while not stick thin are certainly not fat, heavy, or even very plump.
Sigh! I feel very inadequate at the gym and only hope if I keep going I will feel better about myself, improve my fitness level, and shed at least a few of these extra pounds.
I really need to start back to Weight Watchers too, but there are only so many hours in the day and I’m already stretched to the limit, maybe when school is out for the summer I can sign up for a few months and see what kind of results I have.
First of all even though I have been riding my stationary bike at home and using my Gazelle a couple of times a week I obviously have not been putting enough effort into it.
10 minutes on an elliptical machine and I’m breathing like a fish out of water. Last Thursday I spent 15 minutes on a recumbent bike and my legs hurt so bad on Friday I could hardly get out of bed.
I guess I really do need to go the gym cause I’m in far worse shape than I thought.
Which leads me to my second discouragement; so far I am the only fat person I have seen at the gym. Well fat female person, I have seen a couple of hefty guys but not any women or girls who look as if they hit the plus size department for clothes. I mean surely there are other heavy women that go to the gym. Most of the females I have seen while not stick thin are certainly not fat, heavy, or even very plump.
Sigh! I feel very inadequate at the gym and only hope if I keep going I will feel better about myself, improve my fitness level, and shed at least a few of these extra pounds.
I really need to start back to Weight Watchers too, but there are only so many hours in the day and I’m already stretched to the limit, maybe when school is out for the summer I can sign up for a few months and see what kind of results I have.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Play Along
Got this from Angie W's blog. I haven't posted for a few days and thought this was fun.
Current Clothing: Blue Jeans and long sleeve red t-shirt with denim collar and cuffs.
Current Hair: Usual curly mess with black head band holding it away from my face. Also roots are showing, made an appointment today to have it touched up. Gotta color that gray.
Current Mood: Tired, dreading tomorrow cause it’s the start of my workweek.
Current Refreshment: Bottle of water
Current Annoyance: BIL!!!!!!
Current Avoidance: Laundry, school work that needs graded
Current Smell: None
Current Thing You Ought to be Doing: Laundry, grading, oh and maybe I should be thinking about what’s for dinner
Current Thing or Things on Your Wall: In this room ... calendar, clock, really cool painting of setting sun over mountains –we picked this picture up in a market in San Antonio, the artist painted it with cans of spray paint and it is awesome, also needle point pic with the Preamble to the Constitution on it, and my cork board with lots of stuff on it.
Current IM person You’re Talking to: None, I don’t really IM people very often.
Current Jewelry: Wedding ring on left hand, Amethyst ring Toby bought me for Christmas about five years ago on the right hand ring finger, simple gold chain …. All jewelry I wear everyday.
Current Book: A Darker Crimson by Carolyn Jewel. So far so good, but I haven’t had much time to read this week.
Now you play along!
Current Clothing: Blue Jeans and long sleeve red t-shirt with denim collar and cuffs.
Current Hair: Usual curly mess with black head band holding it away from my face. Also roots are showing, made an appointment today to have it touched up. Gotta color that gray.
Current Mood: Tired, dreading tomorrow cause it’s the start of my workweek.
Current Refreshment: Bottle of water
Current Annoyance: BIL!!!!!!
Current Avoidance: Laundry, school work that needs graded
Current Smell: None
Current Thing You Ought to be Doing: Laundry, grading, oh and maybe I should be thinking about what’s for dinner
Current Thing or Things on Your Wall: In this room ... calendar, clock, really cool painting of setting sun over mountains –we picked this picture up in a market in San Antonio, the artist painted it with cans of spray paint and it is awesome, also needle point pic with the Preamble to the Constitution on it, and my cork board with lots of stuff on it.
Current IM person You’re Talking to: None, I don’t really IM people very often.
Current Jewelry: Wedding ring on left hand, Amethyst ring Toby bought me for Christmas about five years ago on the right hand ring finger, simple gold chain …. All jewelry I wear everyday.
Current Book: A Darker Crimson by Carolyn Jewel. So far so good, but I haven’t had much time to read this week.
Now you play along!
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
What a Way to End My Day
What a way to end my birthday!
The 19yos, who should know better, was swing a pole around in the bedroom. I know, I know, but don’t ask me, I’m just a clueless female. Anyway, he managed to hit the 15yos, right across the nose.
Yep, you guessed it! Blood and gore was the result!
So I wrapped up my birthday playing Dr. Mom. After cleaning and disinfecting the area, I found one cut and one pretty deep scratch. They took forever to quit bleeding, but I made the executive decision that no stitches were required and steri-stripped the cut.
Oh, the glamorous life of the mother of four boys, oh uh better make that five, can’t forget to include the Dh *bg*
The 19yos, who should know better, was swing a pole around in the bedroom. I know, I know, but don’t ask me, I’m just a clueless female. Anyway, he managed to hit the 15yos, right across the nose.
Yep, you guessed it! Blood and gore was the result!
So I wrapped up my birthday playing Dr. Mom. After cleaning and disinfecting the area, I found one cut and one pretty deep scratch. They took forever to quit bleeding, but I made the executive decision that no stitches were required and steri-stripped the cut.
Oh, the glamorous life of the mother of four boys, oh uh better make that five, can’t forget to include the Dh *bg*
Well it’s official! I’m going to be a MIL.
My oldest son asked his girlfriend to marry him yesterday and gave her a beautiful ring. I guess like father like son since my Dh gave me a ring on Valentine’s Day too, 24 years ago.
They didn’t set a date yet, but I’m thinking it will most likely be sometime this summer.
She has to graduate from high school and they need to find a place to live. My son still lives at home and as much as I love his girlfriend they are not living with us. We already have six people sharing one bathroom, and I really don’t think it would handle seven.
I’m very happy for them but it kinda makes me feel old. Before I know it I’ll be a grandma. Of course my Mom was already a grandma twice over by the time she was my age.
Oh and Happy Birthday to Me! Yes today is my birthday!
My oldest son asked his girlfriend to marry him yesterday and gave her a beautiful ring. I guess like father like son since my Dh gave me a ring on Valentine’s Day too, 24 years ago.
They didn’t set a date yet, but I’m thinking it will most likely be sometime this summer.
She has to graduate from high school and they need to find a place to live. My son still lives at home and as much as I love his girlfriend they are not living with us. We already have six people sharing one bathroom, and I really don’t think it would handle seven.
I’m very happy for them but it kinda makes me feel old. Before I know it I’ll be a grandma. Of course my Mom was already a grandma twice over by the time she was my age.
Oh and Happy Birthday to Me! Yes today is my birthday!
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Why?
Why I am doing this? Good question! It seems to be the thing to do these day although how faithful I'll be is an even bigger question. I must have at least a dozen journals around the house that were started with good intentions but written in only a few times or very sporadically and then abandoned. hhmmmm how do I get this thing to start a new paragraph. I can see this is going to be a learning experience.
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