Breaking the Sound Barrier

I love my husband dearly but seriously he makes it hard sometimes with...his snoring! I have never heard anything like it in my life. It can be heard behind closed doors. It can be heard in lower levels of the house. It's soooo soooo loud. I had to resort to wearing ear plugs way early on since the beginning of our courtship. Often times I resented that...why should I have to go to extremes just to get some sleep?! I know it is not his fault and he isn't trying to annoy me, irritate me, bother me but I have suggested he seek medical treatment for it. I suspect he also has Sleep Apnea, which he refuses to consider, and I won't push but I don't think a simple visit to an ENT specialist could hurt. He still has his tonsils and adenoids and I KNOW that could be a huge source of the problem. I nagged pushed enough that he PROMISED to make an appointment after our wedding. Well, we are under two months 'til our 1st anniversary and he still hasn't done anything about it. I continue to wear the ear plugs and they work 99% of the time but there are times when I wake up in the middle of the night and despite the plugs, I can't get back to sleep cuz I can still hear him.

Right now I am sick and in the middle of the night, when the meds wear off, I am awake coughing my head off and then try to get back to sleep and cannot due to the full steam locomotive in bed with me. Last night was BAD! I poked, I prodded, I pushed, I yelled out his name...NOTHING! Barely a movement on his part. So first I tried a brand new set of ear plugs (yes, I wear a pair more than once...afterall, they've only been in MY ears). That helped but alas...I could STILL hear him. So, then I had to put a pillow over my head! Totally the best thing for me when I am sick and cannot breathe! So this was my sound barrier and, I tell you, I could still hear a hint of snoring...he was breaking my sound barrier! I think by then exhaustion prevailed and I was out but I cannot take another night like that. The cough syrup with codeine may fix that tonight but that won't last forever. I think I am gonna have to put my foot down (either that or in his mouth) and insist he see a doctor. Something has GOT to give and I really hate to see him riding the couch!

It's Like I'm Expecting...Again...

I had a little outpatient surgery last week that, for all intents and purposes, has gone horribly wrong. First I developed a raging urinary tract infection and also got violently ill from the pain meds. I ended up in the ER on iv fluids and anti-nausea meds. Horrible! The pain meds still make me sick but they are a MUST so I've resorted to taking half tabs along with the anti-nausea med. I'm taking antibiotics for the UTI. I am essentially on bed rest...so long as I lay on my side only.

WOW! You are probably wondering what I had done?! Many people have asked and only those close to me know. It's more than just a little embarrassing! Ok it was hemmorrhoid surgery - a hemmorrhoidectomy. THERE - I SAID IT! I developed a couple when I was pregnant with my last child - which is PERFECTLY NORMAL during pregnancy. Not that there's anything wrong with having hemmorrhoids! (bad Seinfeld reference) But even though I am a long-term relationship kinda girl - 6 years was long enough for these guys to be hanging around! So, I made the decision to have them removed. Buh bye, adios, hasta la vista, sayonara, catch ya on the flip side - whatever!

Well, now I am recovering and trying to do so gracefully but it's very hard. I mean the pain is beyond belief. Neither the doctor's office nor the hospital properly prepared me for the aftermath. No one told me that the recovery time at home - away from work - would be a minimum of two weeks. They didn't send me home with the proper supplies to care for the surgical site. At one point, I had to use my son's leftover Pull Ups as make shift padding. That was an experience - felt like...well, it felt like a diaper. Glimpse into future! =(

Like I said, I am on the mend. The only thing I still have to look forward to is the first post-surgery bowel movement! Insert "oohs and ouches and OMG's" here! At 4 am this morning it struck me that waiting for this momentous occassion was like I was expecting all over again. First there is the waddle when I walk. Of course there is fear of the unknown and also, every little rumble in my tummy, immediately I'm like, "oh - I think it's time". Well, let me tell you - I've gone into false labor twice today and all the signs are there. There is the pelvic pressure, the back labor, the Lamaze breathing, the screaming at the doctors and the begging for it to be over. The actual delivery hasn't happened yet - YAY me! There is no doubt about it though - through blood, sweat and tears this too shall pass (no pun intended).

Conduct Unbecoming - Part 2

I wrote last year about some unbecoming conduct (see part 1 here) that I witnessed at a freshman basketball game. This year I'm writing about conduct that actually unbecoming doesn't even cover it. Immoral, reprehensible, vicious, disgusting, sick, depraved, sleazy, wretched are all words that would work (thanks thesauraus.com). This again happened at a local basketball game (ironically the same school from my first post was involved) and although *disclaimer* I was not there personally, I have been told about it by more than one source. So, there was a particular player on the TEAM A whose mother died tragically a few years back. When this player was shooting free throws the student section for TEAM B starting chanting "WHERE'S YOUR MOTHER?!!" (up and down tempo like...WHERE'S your MOTHer?!!)

Can you fucking believe that?! How low? How disgraceful and disgusting?! My boys told me about it a couple weeks after it happened and I was so outraged that I wanted to contact the principal at that school myself! I certainly hope something was done about it but how do you know? I mean I can understand that the staff on hand at that moment probably had no idea what the meaning was behind it but I'm sure word spread like wildfire throughout the rest of the game and evening. That is just so completely morally reprehensible it makes me sick! And it doesn't even matter how someone died - if you have any sense of decency what-so-ever you don't go there...EVER!!! Like I said, I hope something was done about it and, yes, perhaps a whole school shouldn't be condemned for the actions of some but still this was a very public display by their student body. Again, it goes way beyond conduct unbecoming.

How Involved Should You Be in Your Kids' Relationships?

Recently I wondered if it makes me a little stalker-ish if I text my son's girlfriend to see if everything is ok with her and/or with them? I mean I was legitimately worried about them - both. My husband had commented that said son was sulking and not conversing with him and when said son came upstairs he looked upset (which according to him I always think he looks that way). I spent 5 minutes begging him to tell me what's wrong and he kept saying, "nothing". Then I saw his girlfriend had put the sad face :( emoticon on her Facebook status (again...stalker-ish maybe??) and I got even more worried! So, what's an over protective worried mom to do? I immediately texted the girlfriend to see if everything was ok. It took her a while to respond but she did say everything was fine just a little drama. I left it at that but I felt like a real idiot that I even went there and I did apologize to her. But like I said, I was worried about them. They like each other so much and are so cute together that I worry what they'd go through if they ever broke up. I know realistically high school sweethearts don't stay together forever. And if they do break up - one of them will have a legitimate reason but I don't want anyone to hurt either. So, did I cross a line? How involved should you be in your kids' relationships?

Conduct Unbecoming

I felt compelled to write this after what I saw at a middle school basketball game this morning.

I think the visiting cheerleaders have a lot to learn about sportsmanship and courtside conduct. Following almost every cheer from the home cheerleaders, the visiting girls poked fun of and laughed at the other girls. I realize that middle school and early high school girls can be catty, it's in their nature, but these girls are supposed to be representing spirit and leadership for their school. Their behavior was very unbecoming and, especially coming into another school, it did not represent their school well.

The home cheerleaders, on the other hand, should be proud of how they handled themselves and represented their school. I watched both ways and never once saw the those girls point, snicker, or laugh. Freshman year being their first year as a cheerleaders, many of them can be nervous, shy,or even intimidated. The "home" girls behaved maturely, respectfully, and with pride for their school. They, their parents, the athlete's parents and the school should be very proud of them.

The visiting cheerleaders may have been louder but also their actions on the sidelines spoke volumes.

And I Trust These People to Care for My Child...

By the time I finally got my child picked up from day care today I was so mad I was in tears and almost shaking.

First of all, we are at a new day care this year. Our school district received a grant from the state to offer free pre-school to 240 - 4 year olds and the district's Early Childhood Center (ECC) provides what they call "wrap around" care to those pre-schoolers before and after preschool. This same Early Childhood Center also offers before and after school care to K - 6 graders as well. There are four elementary schools on campus, each of which has this before and after care but it's the first year in each building for the pre-school "wrap around" care...or so I understand.

I understand that with anything new there is going to be growing pains so I tried to be patient when on the 1st day of school the young staff members at our building (View) had ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA that there would be pre-schoolers coming to their site or that they would be expected to offer care to those arriving before 7:00 am. I also tried to be patient when at the beginning of the 2nd and 3rd weeks of school, there were no sign in sheets ready for those arriving before 7:00 am Monday morn. We also have to sign our child(ren) up for breakfast everyday or they do not get breakfast. You cannot simply say "my child will be eating breakfast every day", you have to circle Y or N on this piece of paper at the end of each day for the next day or, again, your child does not get breakfast. I tried to be patient when this sign up sheet was also not available at the beginning of weeks 2 and 3 and I had to leave hoping my child would indeed get fed. I tried to be patient when they sent home sheets detailing "SPIRIT WEEK" and how each day will be something like Hat Day, or Pajama Day, etc only to find out that the elementaries were not to participate in these days. I tried to be patient as the young staff members scowl at me each morning as I cheerfully say "good morning" . They don't respond, they don't flinch, they are like robot zombies staring at you trying to kill you with lasers coming out of their eyes!

I'm a very patient woman as you can tell! But today...today...had me so riled I could rip their zombie heads off and shit down their sorry necks! Today was an inservice day and the ECC was offering all-day care to preschoolers as well as their before/after school age kids. I still have to work when there are inservice days so I signed Jace up. I arrived at our building (View) at the normal time of 6:45 am only to be greeted in the hall by a school staff member asking if I was bring a ECC kid, to which I responded, "yes". She said, "yeah another mother already brought her child too and there isn't any staff here". TEACHER SAY WHAT?! Long story short...she had called someone and she was sure there should be staff there and would call around and she was waiting for a callback. About that time in walks the a-hole who inspired my FB post this morning..."cannot stand arrogant, ignorant people"...he proceeds to spew his wretched condesation that a letter was sent home that all-day care today would be at the main building (Crest). I said, "oh, I didn't get that"...and then he went there...he said, "yeah, you need to check by the sign out sheets each day because there will be letters and notes for parents to take home". OH NO HE DIDN'T!! I said, "yeah, I'm telling you there was no letter because I was not the only parent to bring my child to this location today!" FUCKING SNOTTY ASS SNIVELING LITTLE WEASEL!!! He offered to take Jace over to Crest but I said I would drive him.

We get to the Crest cafeteria and they had no sign up sheet for us. So, if all-day care was supposed to have been at this building, they also were unprepared. They had us sign in on blank papers. Another mother arrived bringing her kids over from yet another building (Ridge), so this confirms that, no, parents weren't told all-day care would be at Crest.

I noticed like 3 signs on the table that said ECC Kids would be going to the movies and that no money would be needed for this. "Phew" , I commented to the staff member close by and she said, "yeah, I don't think the pre-schoolers are going - just the school age kids". I said, "oh well it's confusing because my child attends ECC and it says ECC kids". Apparently pre-school "wrap around" kids have cooties and aren't allowed to do the same things the school age kids can do. I'm telling you this childcare (and I use the term "care" loosly) facility really knows how to make you feel like you are NOT welcome AT ALL and that you are a huge waste of their time.

So, I leave Jace as he was heading off to either do Play-Doh or Hot Wheels...no harm, no foul...I go about my work day and head back to get him at a little after 4 pm. This is when the earth apparently opened up and swallowed my child, never to be heard from again. I go to the Crest cafeteria where I had left my child some 9 hrs earlier and I can't find the blank sheet they had us sign them in on. A staffer asked me who I was looking for, I told her my son's name and nothing...no recollection of my child whatsoever. She asked me which building and I said, "View pre-schooler". She responded, "oh all pre-schoolers are in the wrap around room, do you know where that it?" ME: ahhh, considering my child doesn't attend this school, that would be a big, fat "NO!!". So, I was sent up the stairs and down to the very end of the hall, as far as you can go. And so I did. I get to that room and no Jace there either. That staffer again asked me who I was looking for and she said those kids were at View. By this point I was fuming! I was like...

ME: "WHEN DID THEY MOVE THEM OVER THE VIEW?"
GIRL: "ummm, they are always over there, have you checked there?"
ME: "NO!!! I DROPPED MY CHILD OFF HERE AT CREST THIS MORNING, I EXPECT TO PICK MY CHILD UP AT CREST!!"

She sent me to the office where I found ABSOLUTELY NO OFFICE PERSONNEL around. Everyone had gone home for the day. I shang-hi-ed a girl cleaning in the infant room and said, "excuse me, I am looking for my child!" . By this point, I am so frantic that when I was trying to regurgitate the whole story again, I sounded like a 911-caller! She called the director who again said the View kids were at View and they asked again if I had checked at View. I'm pretty sure I was channeling Linda Blair at that point and as my head spun around and I turned green, I once again said, "NO!!! I DROPPED MY CHILD OFF HERE AT CREST THIS MORNING, I EXPECT TO PICK MY CHILD UP AT CREST!!"

So, then the lady on the other end of the phone decided she really didn't know where they were and that this girl should call her sister, who one can only assume either also works at ECC or the Psychic Friends Network...I'm not sure which. This caller said they had told me the wrong room and that they were in one of three rooms at the end of the such and such hallway. Kinda like "Let's Make a Deal"..."you can have what's behind Door #3, which may or may not be your child, or I'll give you this sterling silver booger platter" .

So, I head to those rooms and get lost along the way. I was all turned around and my stomach was twisted in knots so finally I laid down in the fetal position and cried to some staffers in the hall, "CAN SOMEONE TELL ME WHERE MY CHILD IS??!!"

I got the same run around..."I think they are at View"... "when did they go to View"..."I dropped my child off here this morning"..."Have you checked View?"...it was like it was their standard script and I was seriously ready to strangle someone! Everyone kept insisting there were at View and had been all day, I kept insisting that no they hadn't because there was no staff at View that morning and that I had even been scolded for bringing him to View when there allegedly was a letter sent home saying to bring them to Crest!

Finally, I drive over to View and this is when everything sets in...I had been tearing up and trying to hold it together but I started crying. I was so FRICKIN' PISSED!!! They were at View and I started in on the girl there wanting to know when they had been brought over to View and why I hadn't been notified. She didn't know anything about it, about anything that had taken place, the kids were at View since she had come to work and was shocked to hear there hadn't been any staff onsite that morning, that it was her understanding that preschoolers would be at their regular buildings. Completely reiterating what I had been saying all along that there was no notice to send them to Crest. She apologized over and over and said she would talk to the director herself to try to get me some answers. I said, "oh I will be calling her myself in the morning!".

CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS SHIT??!! I mean I can totally understand if they had some staffing issues and worked them out but someone should have notified me that they had moved my child back over to View!!! I mean it's a phone call and the very least they could do for their screw up...especially when they tried me make me out to be the bad parent for coming to View in the first place that morning.

I am still so upset by the whole thing and wondering, "seriously?!...and I trust these people to care for my child?!"

Our Day in Pictures (by Mommy & Jace))

Since there ended up being a little sun this afternoon...

...Jace and I decided to go outside and play...

...here Jace is playing some baseball...

...and here I am cheering him on while enjoying some of the green beer I missed out on yesterday...

...then we decided to follow a rainbow...

...but as can see we did not find a pot of gold...or anymore green beer!

...all and all...a pretty good afternoon!

May I See Your IUD Please?

I tell you nothing will strike fear in the heart of a girl still in her "prime", if you will, faster than the doctor saying during an exam that they think your IUD has become dislodged!!!

Uhhhh, say whaaatt??!!!

...and that they need to do an ultrasound to make sure it's still in place.

Wholly EPT Batman, that was a close one!