Sunday, September 28, 2008

What's that I hear?

OH yeah, silence. Why? Because my parents aren't back yet from their trip up north to my gma's house and they have Makenneh with them. Then, my boys (Jeremy and Sebastian) fell asleep while watching a movie together in our bedroom. I am quite close to being home alone! It has been ever so long since this has happened. I usually have at least one person with me. I know it won't last long but it's nice while it is happening. I read my chapter for class tomorrow and now I am spending time on here, without interruption. And I don't have to feel guilty because the kitchen is clean, laundry mostly done and chili is still simmering on the stove. I feel all domestic. LOL.

Jeremy and I had a great weekend with the little guy. He was so well behaved over the weekend and we had fun together. He also is completely potty trained now. For a couple weeks, he did all his peeing on the potty but no poop. He was saving that for his undies. So, we got it all together and he is doing ALL of his business on the big potty. YEah, the big potty, not even the potty chair. So, i can convert that back to a step stool for them to use at the sink. (it is multi-functional).

Makenneh's first fundraiser is due tomorrow. She earned a few prizes, chintzy as they are. But, to young kids, it's still exciting.

Well my sister just called and she her hubby are on their way over. (See, told ya it wouldn't last long, lol).

Have a great week!

Monday, September 22, 2008

Just another Manic Monday

Today has been one of those days. I got home from school and both kids were just being horrible. Makenneh more so. Her mouth is out of control. She got grounded last night for her mouthiness and today continued the trend. When she would ease up, Sebastian would start in with whining or something equally irritating. I was meanwhile trying to read my chapter in Child Welfare and do my take home quiz. It took me about four hours to read one chapter and answer 3 questions. That should shine some light on the number of interruptions I had to deal with. Then, it all came to head a little bit ago. I was in here googling AA meetings in my area because I have to attend one for my Substance Abuse class and write a paper, that is due on Thursday. While searching for meeting locations and times, I hear the kids outside carrying on. Then I hear Sebastian start crying. I didn't think much of it because well, they have been going on like this all day. Then, I hear Makenneh hollering for me. I fly up and run out the door. I am literally 5 steps from the front door. As I open it, she is telling me Sebastian is hurt and bleeding and there he is, bleeding. She threw a chair and it hit him in the head. He refused to get in the shower to let me wash him, so I had to get a wash cloth and do it. The cut is minimal but like any cut to the head area, they bleed. I was able to wash the blood off his arms, hands, legs, etc but can't get it out of his hair without a shower. HE refuses so for now, he is running around with blood in his white hair. Lovely. I called Jeremy almost in tears because I am at my wits end. I don't want to see anymore blood spurting from any parts of the body for a while. I have had my share, thank you.

I have a test on Wednesday in my Social Work with the Aging class. It's open book/open notes, so that's a plus. The state of mind im in right now isn't conducive to productive studying. I've read all the chapters - 5 of them are included on this test and I have taken all the class notes, so I should be fine.

well, hours have passed since I started this blog...but had to get kids to bed and then call my sister to see if she could print my homework that is due Wednesday. I emailed it to her to have her print. What a pain. I so hope I am getting enough back from financial aid to get either my car running and a computer or a different car and a computer. either way, I need wheels and a computer. This isn't going to work all semester long.

My dad finally got called back to work today. They want him to go back tomorrow. He was a little frustrated with the lack of notice. He was in the midst of a home project when they called this afternoon so he had to wrap that up. Then, it allows no time to readjust. He has been off for a month. And the other dilemma is I now have no wheels to get to my day class on mon and wed. Nor do I have wheels for my jury duty that starts next Thursday. They did get the title to that other car and got it all legal but the brakes are very bad so can't drive it too far. I may have to until I get my money from financial aid. It just seems to be one thing after another. I guess I am supposed to have my money 3 weeks from the date of record for the college, which was the 15th. That would mean I still have 2 weeks to wait. I don't know how well it is going to work out. but better to know I have some money coming than not to have any coming. Oh well.

Well, my head is still spinning from my crappy day and crazy night. I am going to get off here before I ramble more nonsense. I have some loose ends to tie up for school and then I am going to bed. Ok, i will probably read blogs and unwind a bit too!

PS...Sebastian finally let me wash the blood out of his hair awhile ago. I couldn't let him go to bed like that. I figured if i just ignored it for a bit, he would cooperate. Lucky me, it worked.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

I'm still here

Julie brought it to my attention that it's been awhile since I've posted. Yes, it has. For no particular reason, other than everyday life happening. One day last week, Makenneh was at her friend's house playing and comes home, holding a wad of paper towel to her head, blood running down her arm, crying. I run to her, ask her what happened and she said she was under Cassie's table and it happened. I was upset that they left her to walk home, bleeding from her head, by herself. I get her in the house, try to clean it up so i can see the damage. Every time the towel is pulled away, the blood starts pouring out. My mom freaks out in the sight of any danger and my dad had just left to run to town. Jeremy wasn't yet home from work. I had to be strong because I didn't want to upset Makenneh any more than she already was. I got a washcloth wet and began to try to wash away the blood to see the wound. In the meantime, I'm asking Makenneh what happened. I guess they were playing hide and seek and she crawled under the table. She hit her head on something and voila! My mom went over to check but saw no nails or sharp things under there, so i have no idea. Once I got the bleeding to stop, I saw that the wound wasn't nearly as bad as the bleeding may have implied. It was a small cut right in her hairline on the left side. I cleaned it all up and asked her how she felt. The bleeding stopped, her eyes dialated properly and she was ready to go play some more! I convinced her to relax on the couch for a bit while I cleaned up the bathroom. In the midst of this, before I had had a chance to see the wound, Cassie comes over and says how she has to get the blood cleaned before her mom gets home because she will be mad and blame it all on Cassie. Wow, i was livid. Here my kid is, bleeding from the head and everyone is concerned about blood on carpet of a rental unit. I wanted to puke, cry and scream at once. After I got to the wound and saw that it wasn't a gaping hole or anything and had Makenneh cleaned up, I told Cassie that my dad attends church with her landlord and will explain to him that the blood on his carpet is Makenneh's and I am sure the landlord will have no real problem with it. I am sure his first question would be whether or not Makenneh was ok. My assumption is, her mom must be quite the "meanie" about things because why else is this 11 yr old more worried about mom seeing blood on the carpet than the safety of the person whose blood it is? She kept saying it over and over, too, as if she were really worried bout it. I don't know. Anyway, Makenneh is well, has a small boo boo that her hair hides and all is well.

Then, Friday night I was able to spend the evening in the ER because Jeremy got a fish hook in his finger. I almost passed out while in the room while the doctor was getting it out. I have never reacted like that before. I mean, I watched his vasectomy without a flinch. But, here I was, pouring sweat, chilled, sick to my stomach, shaking legs, ready to pass out. They gave him an antibiotic but nothing for pain. It tends to throb and hurt at times, but for the most part, he is doing fine. It's gross because they have to poke the hook through the other side to clip off the barbs, then pull the hook back out. Ugh, so gross! So those are the exciting*but not fun* events of my week.

On a brighter note: Sebastian is potty trained. He has been all week plus without diapers. At first, I was using diapers at night still, but JEremy had forgotten to put one on one night and he remained clean and dry, so he doesn't even get them at night! I am so done with diapers. He still has occassional accidents, but I just never thought we would get this far! Whew! No more diapers for me!

My brother officially proposed to his girlfriend last night. It was sweet. They already have a baby together and already knew they were going to get married, but he got the ring and made the proposal last night while they were in Frankenmuth, enjoying an evening out together! Their wedding is set for August 29, 2009. So many weddings

Well, my dear hubby is over my shoulder, patiently anticipating the use of the internet (just one more min, honey)....so I am gonna get off here and take a little rest!

Have a great week!

Friday, September 12, 2008

Holy Gas Prices

STick me with a fork, Im done. Gas was around 3.85/gallon this morning. By afternoon, it was jumping to 4.95, with talks that in surrounding cities it was already reaching 6.00 and 7.00 per gallon. Are you kidding me?! I don't want to go out tomorrow and see that high of gas prices. It's insane. The gas stations all have long lines, backing traffic up and it's just a crazy thing out there. People trying to top off their gas tanks before the huge hike in gas prices. Unbelievable it is. But, it does help to prove a sort of point, i suppose. If we speak from a political view point. Many people think the president has much control over gas prices. If this were so, does any realistic being think that a president would allow them soar sooo entirely high this close to election? Even if he can't be reelected, he is going to want a republican to take his seat. Therefore, if he had control, he would certainly keep it from jumping this damn high this close to the election. So, I think that theory is now blown out of the water. At least to some degree, if we think about it this logically. It would hurt the republican party to allow this when the election is so close. Just think about that for a moment.

Enough politics. Let's talk weather because well, my life is THAT pathetic and well, the weather is peculiar as of late. We are looking at rain all weekend and it already started today. I saw on Julie Q's blog that it is due to Ike. Great, we get the residual effects of Ike. She had mentioned that we may experience winds up to 40 mph. Yikes. To think that the effects of the hurricane can reach us all the way up here. It's amazing how it all works. I was hoping for better weather this weekend though. I even got a burn permit so we could have a bonfire. but, the forecast doesn't seem to allow for any of that.

Tomorrow is Jeremy's birthday. I bought him some steaks and I am making Chocolate Upside Cake. it is sooo yummy! But, i realized tonight that I forgot the darn chocolate chips so I will have to run out tomorrow and get those. Here I thought I could avoid the store tomorrow. Oh well. ha, i have hershey bars, I may just decide to break those up and use them instead. I am over this going to the store all the time. It gets tiring. Especially when you haven't money to shop around and pick up things that tickle your fancy. Takes all the fun right out of it. Hah! Hopefully tomorrow isn't as humid as today. I don't want to do the whole oven thing if so. It was so hazy today. The temp didn't get too high, but the air was so thick you could nearly slice it with a knife. You could certainly see it.

i was going to put more money on my cell phone (I was supposed to do it the beginning of hte month but i didn't have the money) and I am getting frustrated. Walmart only cells Top-up cards (the ones I use for my Virgin phone) in $30 incriments. WEll, I need like 34.00. I didn't want to buy 60.00 worth of cards today bc we just don't have the extra money right now. i thought I could put the 30 on and then use my debit card for the few extra dollars. I got the site and realized that they only let you pay in 10.00 increments. Grrrr...striking out all over here. I haven't gone to the bank in forever (jeremy gets paid cash) so I have like no money in there. So, now I have to wait til monday when I can go to bank, deposit money, so I can use my debit card to put 10.00 on there. No winning. At least I will have it in time for the school week. It is awfully dark on campus at night. I was a bit upset about that. The main campus isn't in the best of areas and they have had problems there before. Yet, the damn place is poorly lit and classes are letting out at 9pm. And because of crappy parking, you must walk all across the campus to get from class to car. I think I shall invest in some pepper spray. Funny how it never bothered when i went when I was younger. I dind't think twice. Now, I stepped out of the building and was like, "Whoa! This isn't even cool." I mentioned something to one of the girls walking out with me and she said her friend was attacked on that campus about 8 or 9 yrs ago. I usually don't worry about that kinda stuff too much. I mean, i am alert while walking, I am paying attention to my surroundings and always on the lookout. But, i usually don't fret about it. Mom says I dare to go where Angels fear to tread. She says that because I will drive through the hood if need be. I don't freak out and have a melt down. I keep my chin up, eyes open and go about my business. It just shocks me that the college is putting all this money into freaking landscaping and huge speed bumps that about take your oil pan off and yet, they can't get some better/brighter lighting. Makes no sense to me. They put in new speed bumps last weekend. I got to school on monday, go over the speed bump at the normal speed (under 25mph) and bottomed out...of course, as i reached the next one, i noticed that all these bumps have scrapings of paint on them....so obviously everyone was doing the same thing. I slowed to a complete stop and rolled over teh rest of them. I can't afford to have an oil pan or muffler ripped off by a damn speed bump. But lo and behold, those things we cut down yesterday when i got there. I knew they were too high. Sure they had a lot of complaints.

My brother and Sara picked a date for their wedding. August 22, 2009. I have to email the church to reserve the date. I need to do that now, so I don't forget. Next year is gonna be another busy one for me. Jeremy's cousin is getting married in May, in Vegas, having a reception in June and a shower in probably march or april. My sister is due May 1st, so a shower in march or april. My nephew graduates in June, so an open house in June for him. My brother gets married in August and a shower in june or july. Then my cousin gets married in December, so a shower in october or november. Crazy. Those are just the events I already know about. Heaven knows I will get more open house invites at least. And at least one more shower or something to attend. Wow.

Well, i am going to get off here and finish up things so i can get to bed...have a great weekend. I may not be around much, as usual on the weekends.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Just a tad tired?!

Between early mornings for Makenneh going to school, me starting school and then the added fatigue of my "monthly", I am just beat. Proof: this afternoon I was so tired i couldn't stay up another moment. I thought I would ay down on the couch for a bit and just rest. I fell dead asleep and didn't wake until I was having a dream that I was getting ready to leave for class and realized I had a bunch of homework to do. That woke me up. I looked at the clock and had to shake my head and clear the fog to see again. It was 530pm and I had to be to class at 6pm. I normally leave at 5ish to be sure i get there on time, btwn construction, detours, parking and walking to class. I had to change into my jeans (bc i had pj pants on) and I flew out the door. I didn't have time to do anything else. It was such a horrid feeling. The kids were outside playing so I didn't get to kiss them good bye, I hadn't made dinner, nothing. Of course, living with my parents meant that I was able to nap in the first place and I knew that between Jeremy and my parents, the kids would be fed but it was still rough. And of course, it's a rough start to a class. I was a couple mins late to class, no big deal. But, as I took my seat in the group I work with for our project, I realized that we were having a quiz and that I hadn't read chapters 1 & 2. Ugh!!!! Not enough time to read, so i just hit the summaries and hoped for the best. Well, as it turns out, the teacher let us take the quizes in our groups, so btwn the reading I was able to do in those few mins and working in the group, I only missed 2. Whew! Thank God tomorrow is Friday!

My sister had her ultrasound today and everything looks great. She is Due May 1st. Well, take your pick. The doc said April 3oth based on the first day of her last period. U/S said May 1st. LOL. I'm guessing anytime in there, huh?! They were able to hear the heartbeat and of course, that was a relief. I am sure that my sister will be able to relax now and really enjoy the rest of her pregnancy. For the most part. She was so worried after having had the cramps and discharge. Although, both issues have been explained and the doc had even said the early ultrasound wouldn't be necessary. she wanted it anyway for peace of mind. Now she has it. It will be the last peace of mind she will ever have now! hahahahahahhahahaaa. Makenneh keeps saying that Aunt Carrie has one boy and one girl in her belly. I think that's too cute. Of course, they only saw one in there today, so I don't think that will be an issue.

Tomorrow my mom has a funeral to go to. One of her cousins passed away. She is about my mom's age (don't think she is over 50). She had a clot on/in/near her lungs, so they had placed a mesh thing around it to prevent more clots and then there was another clot, so she had an upcoming appointment at UofM hospital. Well, she began to have severe pain and such, so she went in to their ER and was being transported to Cardiac Care for the clot when they lost her pulse. They did everything they could to bring her back, but she was gone. She has a minor child and husband that she leaves behind. It's rather sad. It just goes to show that when our time on Earth is done, it is done. On that same note, the "words from the pastor" section of the weekly pamphlet at church had a bit about living like you were dying. It was very eye opening to read. It read something like this: I have a life-threatening ailment and am dying. and goes on to talk about how we are all inflicted with this ailment. We are all dying. Puts things into perspective. I think we often forget that little piece. We say the things we would do if we knew were dying, yet, we already know we are dying and we still don't do these things. We put it off until tomorrow, with the thought that tomorrow never comes. (which tomorrow does come. We just call it something else. We call it TODAY!). And speaking of death- me, my sister and my mom all went to get our rings inspected and cleaned. Mom's ring has to be sent in because one of the diamonds are loose. The lady told her that she really needs to get it soldered because that's what is causing the damage. AS the two rings (engagement/wedding) knock back and forth on each other, the one diamond is constantly being hit by the other ring....thus loosing it. If it were soldered together, that wouldn't happen. Well, mom didn't want her ring soldered because she had the thought that unsoldered, each of us girls could have a piece. Now, that isn't going to work and she was all worried about who would get her ring when she dies and how could she keep it fair. Sis and I told her we would bury it with her. NO she said. Today, she brought it up again and kinda talked herself through a solution. She said she would like me to have the ring because it is a nice set and my sister already has a nice set. Mine is just a solitaire and band (which I am completely happy with-it's what I chose). I told her it doesn't matter to me. SHe then said that she has her mom's rings too. So, I said well how about you give that to Carrie because I already have one of my gma's rings. And while this ring didn't cost as much as the wedding set, it is an expensive piece (and one i am always complimented on). That way, sis gets one of gma's rings, too. I really don't care, because my thoughts on this stuff is this: material possessions do not bring your loved one back. They don't make or erase the memories of the heart. They just don't matter. The bonds of life, of living, aren't dependant upon the material things. I cherish the ring that was my gma's and it is my prized possession (honestly, probably the nicest thing I own), but it doesn't change the memories I have of my grandma. Those memories exist with or without the ring. So, yeah, don't know how I got off on that subject, but now it's out there. And during a car ride, we were able to settle the dilemma.

Mom went and bought a nice, fancy camera today. she has wanted one for a long time and didn't want to just settle, so she has been researching cameras and learning things about them to make the best decision. She finally bought one today. It's quite a fancy contraption and I had to tease her about what she planned on photographing with this fancy thing. I had to give her a hard time out of fun. She has had her face burried in the "digital SLR book for dummies" almost all day. That came in the camera bundle she bought. Along with a printer (not that we needed another of those), an additional lens and then a starter kit that included a carry bag, extra battery and uv protection lens. My goodness, I didn't realize taking pictures could be so involved. Point and shoot, please. Although, i am a bit excited to have her take pics of the kids and see how well they turn out.

Well, I am sure this post has become lengthy enough and i need to finish my rounds on here and get to bed. 630am comes too darn early for this girl!

Tuesday, September 09, 2008

Grandparents' Day

Today is Grandparents' Day at Makenneh's school. The gparents get to visit with the kids at school and have a lunch together. Makenneh is so excited. We've been having issues with her in the morning. She just doesn't like to get up that early. She tells me that she isn't going to school or riding the bus because she doesn't want to get up so early. Last Friday was a true testament to her disdain for mornings. Jeremy was home (they often don't work on Friday). I had gone in to wake her and she was quite tired so I told her she could sleep for a few more mins. I sent Jeremy in to wake her after about 10 mins and she tells him, "YOU RUINED MY BIG SLEEP!!!!" She was so mad! We had to fight back the laughter. She was a bit resistant at first to the whole morning routine, but I told her if she was good and got ready, she could have ice cream when she got home. Bribery will get you everywhere. That coupled with my gentleness and constant encouragement changed her mood. I hope that as she gets more used to the early mornings, it will go smoother for her. She told me that she liked getting up like she did for Miss Laura's class (last year's headstart). Of course she did. She didn't have to be up til 10am. I can't blame her...mom doesn't like mornings much either. But, I told her that and that mom still has to get up early every morning. Sometimes we have to do things we don't like doing. Such is life.

I am on week 2 of classes. They are going fine. It's so much more fun when all your classes are specialized for the field you are entering. I have a computer class and a lab that I have to take for general ed requirements, but other than that, the gen eds are done. It's mostly social work from here on out.

As for Sebastian, it doesn't look like he is going to school this year. The coordinator hasn't gotten back with me and he still isn't potty trained, so I am not pushing it either. I just don't know about that boy. He is so content to sit in soaking wet diapers. Not a bother to him at all. I switched to store brand diapers, hoping that the wetness would get to him more (vs. the better brands that wick moisture away so they feel dry). It doesn't matter, all that happens is he sits in his diaper until it is literally leaking out and soaking whatever he sits on.

I cannot wait for my student loan and the leftover money from my grant. I should be getting it in early October. I can get my car fixed and back on the road and I can put some money in savings and feel that much closer to getting our own place. I just have to remind myself that this will all be over sooner or later and I will be able to look back at it and laugh. But, darn if I am not sure I have the patience for waiting that long. I want things "fixed" now. And Jeremy's job will be winding down soon because they don't work through the winter. He is a "temp" employee with the company so he won't get unemployment. So, he has to start looking for something which will mean I will have to take him to and fro. It's overwhelming to think about at times. But, until we can get all that crap from his past cleared up, this is the way it will be. You take the good, you take the bad....

Well, I guess I am done here for now. Just needed some release of thoughts! Have a great day!

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

Back to school for me!

Last night was my first class....Intro to Social Work. Today I had Social work with the Aged. Tonight I have Child Welfare and tomorrow night I have Intro to Substance Abuse. So far, so good. Today's teacher...Mrs. Lawson, is a stickler on cell phones. They are to be turned OFF (not even vibrate bc that makes noise still) and if you feel it's important enough to take a call during class, pick your stuff and walk out and keep walking. Do not come back into the class that day. IF you forget any of your things while you go to take a call, you have to wait until class is OVER to pick them up. WOW. I understand that a lot of people lack cell phone etiquette and they can be quite disruptive. Your bff calling during class doesn't require you to answer right away. SHe can assuredly wait until your 1.5 hr class is over. I get all that. I get that it is disruptive to have ppl coming in and out of the classroom taking calls. BUt, I have two small children; one of which started Kindy this year. IF for some reason, God forbid, the school or sitter needs to reach me, I am taking the call. NOw, suppose the school calls to tell me that Makenneh got sick at school. I would then call someone else to go get her..someone who lives closer and could get to her before me. I would then go back to class, because the class is only a total of 1.5 hrs, so as long as it's not a dire emergency (throwing up can be handled by gma or auntie), it could wait. SHe would be in the care of a loving family member, getting rest and all that she needs. But, with this teacher's policy, I would have to leave class for hte day and take an absence. Grrrr! I pride myself with my excellent attendance. B ut, this chick makes us "clock in and out" of class so if to add up absences. Leave 5 mins early, come in 20 mins late, etc will add up to an absence. I know why she is doing it. Some people have no respect. But, still, damn it why do the rest of us have to be punished. We are all adults, with the few exceptions of dually enrolled seniors.
End of rant.

Other than that, it's going well. I am a bit tired....the early mornings, go go go. Add to that my cousins (one or another) have been stopping by and staying rather late, keeping me up. I have been too nice and haven't said anything, but no more. I am getting too old (as the AARP app proves) and cannot hang out all night, even if it is just sitting at my kitchen table playing rummy. LOL. I am tired. Need my beauty rest.

Well, I shall get off here and get dinner started. Jeremy will be home soon and I will be leaving in about an hour or so for my next class. Enjoy your evenings! I am sure I will!