A Blog - because I'm grumpy'ish today

Good morning.  Well.  Not really, but it is proper protocol to say "good morning," so I did.  I'm feeling a bit moody today and a bit tired which is a bad combination for me!  I just felt the need to blog complain about nothing really.  Just some of those little irritations of day to day stuff.

I hate it when people blow their horn at you, for stupid reasons.  If you are sitting at a green light, not playing attention, I see it...if you are sitting at a stop sign, like we were last night, and are trying to pull out onto the busy road, don't blow  your horn at the person in front of you - just because YOU think they should go...when that person feels that it is safe to pull onto the by-pass, they will.  Also, don't blow your horn at someone going through a parking lot, just because they aren't zooming through it like a raving lunatic.  I witnessed some poor elderly couple driving through the mall parking lot the other day, a nice slow speed for a parking lot I thought.  Obviously, the person behind them did not agree and proceeded to ride their bumper, periodically blowing the horn at them. Really???  Get a grip morons.   The elderly couple finally pulled off into a parking place, let the horn blowing morons go on past, and then pulled back out.  I felt so bad for them.  

Dog peeing is annoying too.  I worked my chubby butt off last week, cleaning the carpets and the couches with the carpet cleaner.  Ahh - so proud!  I let Cosmo, my beloved first child, out to pee this morning, which he did, then proceeded to run into the house, wagging his tail like he was a good boy...next, however, he  left me a nice, moist, surprise on the clean carpet.  Sigh.  I love my fuzzy boy, but he tries my patience at times!!!

Coughing sucks.  

Sinus pressure, and sinus headaches, suck.

Ear troubles suck.

People fussing about it being too early to listen to Christmas music  (Brad) are wearing me out too.  I don't see how it is ever too early to sing songs that celebrate the birth of Jesus.  If it were up to me, I would sing Christmas songs year-round!  Now, don't get me wrong, there are some annoying Christmas songs, and I seriously get wore out with them.

I see no point in wind gusts.  They just blow trash in your yard and make your hair look worse than it already is.  

Low tire pressure is getting on my nerves too.  After having put air in my tire twice (girl power!), I check the tire this morning and sure enough, it is LOW again.  I guess I will venture out into the 4,000 mph wind gust and put some more air in it.  Maybe one day my hubby will get up and take it to the tire fixin' place and see what's wrong with it.  I don't see any visible nails or anything else.  

I guess that concludes my gripe fest this morning.  Tomorrow, I might write about things that make me smile instead of things that make me want to punch someone.  Thanks for letting me vent.  We all need an outlet sometimes!

Weekly Update...(is it *really* a weekly update if I just started it this week?)

Good Tuesday evening to all you fine folks.  I say this, even though I thought that yesterday  was Tuesday.  I ran in the bedroom, told Brad I'd be back in 5 minutes after I fed the dogs, rushed downstairs and done what needed doing, dashed back up the stairs and plopped on the bed.  A couple minutes passed and I was like, "Um, why aren't we watching Anarchy?"  Brad looked at me strangely and said, "Because it's Monday."  Yep.  That was a good answer.

I thought I might try to start doing a weekly update of the life and times of Erin and the Johnston's.  Writing all the chaos down sometimes makes it seem not *too* crazy!  

First things first...the hubby had some tests done last week and everything come back OK - THANK YOU LORD!!!  Best case scenario.  Such a relief when you go from bad thoughts to knowing it is all OK.  

Now let's get into the nitty gritty of things...

After I picked the girls up at Orff, we went out to paint pumpkins.  That's when I noticed Margo had some wet looking spot on her lower neck area.  I thought she'd gotten into some motor oil or something.  After scrubbing her with Dawn dish washing liquid and her trying to bite my hand off, I left her alone, and later saw that she'd apparently had an abscess that busted and it was oozing out yellow (and terribly stinky) gunk.  Ugh.  

Cosmo had the runs today.  Yep.  After Leah just gave him a bath yesterday, he repays her by soiling her bedroom carpet.  Don't worry, I got it all cleaned up and hopefully whatever caused that doesn't come back again!

I think that Lily has peed on the green mushy chair AGAIN.  Why can't she just pee in the floor like most bad dogs do???

Sometimes I feel like the animals run my life - just sayin!

We have made it through Leah's two tests Monday & Tuesday.  Lots of studying and don't know how she did yet.  She said the Math test was hard and the Science test was harder than she thought it would be.  I can't really fuss at her if she didn't do well, I know that she studied and she knew everything on her study guide.  Having to go through school as a parent is a lot more stressful than going through it as a child, I think!

Halloween is almost here!  I'm excited but sad at the same time.  After Halloween, I usually start dragging out the Christmas stuff, but honestly, I'm just not ready for Christmas to come yet!

I broke my finger nail trying to use it as a screwdriver on Leah's glasses today.

I have eaten about 45.2 fruit slices - and NOT the good healthy fruit - this is the sugar crystal coated gummy candy I'm talking about.  Ooops.  I sure wish I had will power.  

My hamstring and sciatic nerve are giving me fits today.  I blame it on the lumpy pillow top pad thingy that Brad bought over the weekend while he was in Lexington.

I have a hundred loads of laundry that I need to do.

I painted a pumpkin for Lily & Cosmo with their names on them.  I am going to try to get some pictures of them tomorrow!!!

That's about all I can think of right now...It has been a stressful week so far with waiting for Brad's test results and all the studying for Leah's tests, but we have survived the worst of it I think!  Now, I'm gonna unbutton my britches and let this belly breathe while I kick back with my bottle of water and pack of Smarties and watch Sons of Anarchy because today IS Tuesday.  I'm sure of it this time.

Happy week everybody!

Some random useless information

Sometimes I have random thoughts - well - a lot of times I have random thoughts and thought I'd share them with you all.  I'm just nice like that.

RANDOM & USELESS INFORMATION ABOUT ERIN

1)  Mashed potatoes might be one of my most favorite foods, ever

2)  I have never had my eye browns waxed.  Don't judge.  I'm not girly.  And I'm fairly sure it would hurt

3)  I might have a slight OCD problem with constantly having to do something with my hands.  If I drive, I play with my hair with one hand, if I sit, I play with my fingernails.   If I stand, I usually have my hands clasped together in front of me, or play with my fingernails.   If I'm outside, anywhere near grass, trees, bushes, I have to pluck off a piece and either tie it in knots or tear it into pieces.  The same applies with hay.

4)  I realized, on the hayride over the weekend that BOTH of my kids had to be picking hay, like me, the entire time we were on it

5)  I can not drink plain pop (or soda for you fancy folks).  Well, I guess technically, I "can" drink it.  I just don't like it

6)  I love the smell of Sharpies, rubber cement, spray paint, and gas.  It is a good thing I have a strong will where that stuff is concerned cause I really do like the way it smells!

7)  The one area that I do NOT have a strong will is around candy.  I am a candy junkie.  Cookies too.  And cake.  And ice cream, if it is a good kind...well,  you get the point

8)  This one might amaze some of ya'll - but I am very shy and don't really say  much sometimes.  I always feel like anything I have to say is silly or doesn't matter or make sense or isn't important

9)  While we are discussing my weaknesses, I am always thinking that somebody is mad at me or I have done something to someone to make them not like me.  If you are reading this, I have probably thought you were mad at me or didn't like me at some point in our lives

10)  I hate my sinuses

11)  I really don't like to clean much...but my hubby loves things to be clean...you can imagine the chaos that creates!

12)  The one thing that I really enjoy in life is trying to bring a smile to people's faces or make them laugh...even when I don't feel like it

13)  I have a hard time saying NO to people but I think that I am slightly improving in this area, either that or nobody has really asked anything of me that I have wanted to say no to!

14)  I might be a "slight" hypochondriac and worry over everything.  If my eye twitches, I'll research it to death.  If my side has a pain, I think the end is near.  I got to the point that I was driving myself crazy with analyzing every little twitch or pain in my body, so I am trying to do better...

15)  I love me some bluegrass and bluegrass/gospel music

16)  I miss clogging SOOOO much but my poor knees just don't like it anymore...maybe I should research that knee problem???!!!  LOL

17)  I miss my friends that I don't talk to much anymore...hummm, wonder what I did to make them not talk to me anymore???  (Are seeing what I mean!?!)

18)  I love my animals - so don't mess with them.  I have two dogs, if you don't want them to bark when you come in, or jump on you, then don't come to my house...they live here, you don't.  

19)  I haven't eaten a bowl of cereal in a month or so, I'm not sure why, I just haven't

20)  I love FALL and thankfully Fall is here...pumpkins, mums, Halloween, scarecrows...it's all good!

21)  When people find out I am a stay-at-home mom, I immediately feel my defenses rise, because I think that they assume I'm stupid and can't do anything else.  Not true.  I choose to be a stay-at-home mom because I want to be and because it works for me and Brad

22)  I have learned that you can never tell what a person is going through just by looking at them.  You never know what a person is dealing with.  

23)  I like to stick notes in Brad's lunch box, or the kids, sometimes...I know if somebody made my lunch, it would make me smile to get a note

24)  I like to name my cars...My first car was Otis the Oldsmobile (it was a hand-me-down from Mama).  My next car (that I WORKED *gasp* for and bought) was Sally the Sunbird (I loved her...she was black and had a sunroof.)  Then we had Isabella the Impala.  She was so roomy and red.  She got sick while we were in TN and was doomed.  That's when I got Grayson the Galant which is my current car.  It's OK but not my favorite.

25)  I have terribly bad hair

That's all I got for you...I know, I know...It is probably the most exciting thing you have read in a very long time!!!   

My Old Man...he's pretty fuzzy

My old man, that's Cosmo I'm talking about, not the "hubby," is a great man!  At a whopping 12 years old, he still makes me smile every day.  At 12 years old, however, he is also making me sad because I know that our years together are limited.  I have heard of Shih-tzus living 15, 16, or 17 years, but even that only gives me 3, 4, or 5 more years with my favorite fuzzy guy.

Cosmo has been my best friend ever since we got him.  He was my first baby and, boy, have I treated him like one!  I taught him tricks when he was younger - sit, shake, lay, roll over, and high five.  These days, if I tell him to do something, he usually just falls over on his side and looks at me like, "This is all you're gonna get."  

Cosmo was there when we brought Leah home from the hospital, perched in the window of our little apartment in Berea, wagging his tail.  My mom was there with him and kept telling him that we were going to bring him a baby.  When we got there, he climbed right up on the car seat and sniffed his new "baby," and must have approved because he became Leah's "guardian."  He would lay beside her while she napped. If she cried and I didn't get to her fast enough, he'd come looking for me.  When she wasn't feeling well, he would lay beside of her.  When she would grab his ears as she got older and yank, he'd try really hard not to bite, but would snarl his lip up and look at me angrily.  

My Cosmo has been there for me through many rough times.  He was there with me when I had my first miscarriage.  He lay on the couch with me as I cried.  He was there for me when I had my 2nd miscarriage and let me pet him and talk to him and cry.  He was there for me as I mourned the loss of my beloved Granny.   He has been there for me through the happy times, like when we brought Logan home from the hospital and when we moved to our current home.  He has gone through many birthday parties with us and never stops begging the party-goers for food!

I say, with confidence, that Cosmo is definitely a Mama's boy!  We know each other pretty well...in his old age, he's gotten pretty stubborn and very set in his ways.  He is losing his hearing and I have to talk very loud or get really close to his ear when I talk to him.  We sort of have our own language though, as crazy as that sounds...He knows when I point that he is supposed to go, he knows when I clap my hands or pat my legs that we are going out.  I also know his little perks such as when he sits on the floor and shifts from foot to foot and whines that he needs to go out.  If he wants a drink, trust me, you'll know it!  It never ceases to amaze me that he knows what time he eats and he gets incredibly hyper when it is his supper time. You could practically set your clock by him!  

Yesterday, when the man come to fix our heat, he rang the doorbell...this was something that would always send Cosmo into a barking frenzy of excitement.  However, yesterday, Cosmo never even heard the doorbell - he just kept sleeping.  My guy is getting old...but he's still got a lot of life left in  him.  

I wonder what the future will hold for him...I hope that the rest of his years are good ones for him...Either way, I promise him that I will be there for him - through the good times and the bad - just like he has been for me!  

The Sentimental Soup Label

When I was a little girl, my Granny was always saving soup labels to send in for school.  At any given time, there might be a stack of them in the napkin holder, or in a basket, in her kitchen.  I can picture her, in my mind, with her favorite pair of scissors (and we knew better than to miss with her favorite scissors!), going down the seam in the label and pulling it off.  

When my Granny passed away, there was still a very large collection of soup labels at her house.  Even though Jason & I were out of school, she still continued to save her soup labels.  I remember taking them from her home and putting them in a collection box at Berea Walmart.  It was one of those bittersweet moments because I knew she'd be happy that they were going to a school, but also sad because I knew this was the last time that I'd ever be donating labels that SHE had saved.

Now that my kids are in school, I am slightly obsessed with saving box tops and soup labels.  I nearly have a fit of rage if I see that Brad has tossed something in the trash that had a box top that wasn't clipped.  I buy name brand instead of generic, just because I can get the box tops.  I buy Campbell's brand SpaghettiO's instead of the popular Chef Boyarde because Campbell's has labels for education. 

This morning, in the shower of all places, I started thinking about soup labels and my Granny's faithfulness in saving them, even when she didn't have to.  My Granny - as I have said so many times before - was an awesome person!  It's no wonder that I love to clip the box tops and soup labels...it's a sentimental thing for me, as well as a great way to help out the kid's school.  This is one of the many traditions my Granny had that I really hope to carry on.

So before you toss your next box top or soup labels for education in the trash, think of me, and think of my Granny, and know that sometimes, something as simple as a soup label can have a deeper meaning!!!

One Month Later...a School Story

We are officially a month into school and we have survived, although there have been moments that have made me question survival.  The first night that Leah and Logan both had homework was a disaster.  Not just a disaster but a disaster with a capital T!  It took us over four hours to finish both their homework.  Leah had homework in every subject but one...Logan didn't have a lot of homework, but what he did have was hard for him because he had never done it before.  This blog is a story of our first month into school and some of the highs and lows along the journey...enjoy

LEAH

Leah is in the 5th grade now and the 5th grade is proving to be a difficult grade.  There has been SOOO much work and so many tests.  Within two weeks, no joke, I think they've had more tests than she did the entire 4th grade year (with the exception of their weekly spelling test).  I really do feel like I am going through school again...I'm just hoping "this time around" that I can retain the continents, what latitude and longitude are, and what the cuticle on a plant is for.  The thing that is really troubling me, though, is MATH.  What has happened to simply adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing?  I distinctly remember the MAD MINUTE tests that Mrs Cox used to give us in school.  We learned our multiplication and daggone it, we knew how to use it.  It seems that Math has just gotten blown way out of proportion with all of these "fancy-smancy" ways of doing things.   Go back to the basics!!!  Everyday Math is what Leah is supposed to be learning, but in my everyday life, I have never needed to know the prime factors of something...or whether a number is composite.  The EVERYDAY MATH that I use might involve fractions when I am cooking in the kitchen, addition, subtraction, multiplying for sure, and division...I need to know how to use a tape measure and ruler, but I don't need to know how many factors the ruler has.  

Leah is a smart girl, but sometimes always seems to lack the responsibility and motivation to carry through with something.  Overall, though, she's doing pretty good.  She makes me proud even when I don't show it.    My hope for this school year, for her, is that she can learn to be more responsible for herself and her school work and take pride in it.  Next year, she'll begin the middle school journey!!!  I'm planning on trying to enjoy this last year of grade school with her because she is truly growing up in a hurry!

LOGAN

Logan's start to school has been quite an entertaining adventure.  What Leah's year has been in stress has been balanced out in laughs by Logan's year, so far.  BELIEVE IT OR NOT, he has been able to get in the treasure box every week to get a prize for being good.  I, personally, find it hard to believe, because I know what a little rascal he truly is.   

Logan has adjusted a lot better than I thought he would, considering that he'd never been away from me.  Don't get me wrong, every morning we still go through the same ole' questions of 1)  Why do I "HAS" to go to school  2)  The reason I hate school is because of centers...Centers are dumb  3)  I hope we don't have PE

Logan is learning his letters and doing really well as far as I can tell.  I can give him letters and he will sound them out and tell me the word.  Simple words like pop, hog, log,...but I'm super proud of him.  He still can't buckle his seat belt, but we are working on it.  He still doesn't wipe his own butt, but will in time, I know...I am much more easy going with Logan than I was with Leah, just because I know that if he can't do everything that the other kids can do, it will be OK and he will do it in HIS own time.  

I'm sure that his teacher wonders about us though.  From sending in a box of Hamburger Helper in his "H" letter sound box to him putting his favorite food was SpaghettiO's on his "All About Me" poster.  She probably thinks that we are the most redneck family ever!  

One of the things that has been a "highlight" of Logan's first month of school is that he gave away one of his books from the book order!  The funny thing is that it is the book that we'd ordered for Leah - a dinosaur book.  Oh dear me.  We still haven't got that book back, and I don't think that we ever will...sigh.  At least he was willing to share with other kids, right?!!!  

MOM

I am adjusting pretty well to having two kids in school, I think.  Logan only goes 1/2 a day and that isn't really a lot of time to accomplish much but I am enjoying it.  I have been home with the kids for 10 years...I was ready for a few hours of alone time!   Things are hectic at times, and I get frazzled over Leah's school work, but overall, I think I am doing OK.  My house is not any cleaner than it was before, I'm not fixing anything fancier for supper than I did before, and I sure as heck haven't started exercising like I had planned to, but that's alright.  We are all three on a new adventure...Leah with the rigors of 5th grade, Logan starting Kindergarten, and Mom adjusting to having time to do nothing!  

So far, we are doing well...one month down, how many more to go???  I don't even know...just taking one day at a time and trying to enjoy the journey!!!

School Starts Tomorrow

Oh my goodness...I knew it was coming, I thought I was prepared, but I am having a really hard time knowing that tomorrow, SCHOOL STARTS!   Leah will be a big 5th grader and Logan will be going to school for the very first time, as a Kindergartener!  REALLY???!!!  How's this happen?!

I have been washing clothes for them to wear tomorrow, and only, "almost," had a slight breakdown at the sight of Logan's little shirts and shorts.  I have also been trying to prepare him for what to do and not do at school.  I told him to make sure he used good manners.  As he looked at me, expressionless, I asked him if he knew what good manners were...he replied, "Don't say people are weird and don't spit on people."  Yep.  I told him that was right but to also make sure to say please, thank you, and no thank you.  I also had to tell him that he could not talk about his "privates" at school since this is one of his favorite things to laugh about.  Another thing I had to tell him was that if he drew any pictures of the family, that he could NOT put boobs on us.  Yes, these are things that I have to tell my child because I know how his little brain works!

Please say a prayer for us tonight...tomorrow is going to be tougher than I had thought and I just want to cry when I think about him starting school.  And I want to cry thinking about this being Leah's last year of grade school.  My babies are growing up, whether I'm ready for it, or not!

Kindergarten...

Oh my.  I knew it was coming.  I can't believe it is here.  ONE WEEK until Kindergarten for my little Logan!  I am so sad.  I am so excited.  I think I'm ready for this.  I think I'm gonna cry.  So many mixed emotions about him going to school, already!  I am not even joking when I say that it feels like he was just a couple years old, and now, he's FIVE!?!  

People say that time flies, but until it happens to you, you can't possibly realize the truth in it!  

I hope that he's ready...I have worked with him for awhile on his letters and things.  He is really good at patterns.  He loves to play games on the computer.  He seems to be smart.  I worry about the other things.  The small things that I haven't let him do just because it was 1) either more convenient for me to do 2) I just didn't realize that he would be 5 so soon and need to know how to do these things on his own.  He doesn't fasten his own seat beat - if I remember correctly, Leah didn't know how to fasten hers in Kindergarten either though.  He probably doesn't know how to put his own jacket on, I have always done that because if he needed his jacket on, it meant we were leaving, which usually means we are in a hurry!  He is currently wearing his shorts backward, etc.  He isn't the best at writing his letters and he isn't very good at using scissors.  Have I babied Logan?  AB-SO-FREAKIN-LUTELY!  He was my baby that I didn't think I'd ever have...2 years of heartache and then a bouncing baby boy to spoil rotten?  You better believe I have babied him!  LOL!

I watch him play with his toys and on his DS with such amazement.  I'm sure all parents do this - I do with Leah too.  How did "I" get to be so lucky as to be his Mommy?!  I might fuss about the kids driving me crazy, but daggone it, those kids are the thing that keeps me going!  I am blessed beyond I ever deserved to be!

Kindergarten.  What a huge milestone.  I'm excited for him.  I think he's going to do OK.  And, I think I'm gonna do OK too.   

Here's to my baby boy starting school next week!  

I salute DESTIN, FL

We ventured to Destin, Florida on vacation and had a great time.  Here are some of the things that I learned while on vacation...

1.  While on the dolphin boat tour, I did not get sea sick.  This was very much a relief as, one day, I want to be a part of the Sea Shepherd's which is an anti-whaling group featured in the show "Whale Wars."  However, this probably won't happen since it is in Antarctica, but a girl can dream...   

2.  Although Leah is growing up, she is still unable to eat a giant stack of pancakes from iHop.  She gave it a good try, and then we accidentally left our to-go box at the restaurant...

3.  I can wear shorts that don't go all the way to my knees or mid-calf, and SURVIVE!!!

4.  Brad is as big of a kid as the actual kids when he's in the ocean!

5.  Lily May is getting pretty good at this vacation thing, other than her great escape and run while we were in TN for the night.  She was a perfect little Pug while we were in Destin!

6.  I think that I might like wearing a sundress!  I felt like a girl!  Woo hoo!  Now if I could just learn to sit like one :)

7.  My Logan has NO FEAR of the water

8.  ESPN radio is the devil...plain and simple...I have no picture for this because it was just that bad!

9.  No matter how much sunscreen I slap on Brad's back, he always ends up burned!

10.  I could get REAL used to Brad entertaining the kids while I sit with my feet propped up and read!

11.  GOD has given us an amazing beautiful world to enjoy!

12.  Logan likes to have his shirt unbuttoned so he can show off his "chest hair!"  

13.  I am a pretty awesome sand castle builder...well, I have awesome intentions!

14.  My kids like to have their picture taken with Charlie the bird :)

15.  It's really hot when you play putt-putt golf, no matter how early you go...but for four of us to play golf, that early in the day, was a grand total of SEVEN DOLLARS!!!  Well worth the sweat ;)

16.  We really like to say Whataburger

17.  I have a pretty fantastic family!!!

18.  Just because a random, nice lady offers to take your picture on the beach, with your back to her, doesn't mean she's going to run away with your camera!

19.  I take a lot of self photos of me and Brad

20.  And finally...I learned that the Johnston's are pretty awesome while on vacation!  We might have our moments, but overall, we have a great time together!!!  We are obsessed with Animal Planet shows.  We like to eat.  We like to be goofy.  We like to laugh.  We like to sleep (well, me and Brad like to sleep).  The kids like to stay in the pool all day long.  The Johnston's had a great vacation!!!  

I salute you DESTIN, FLORIDA for your sandy white beaches, your pretty clear water (except for the seaweed), your lack of shark sightings while we were there, for your nice little Marina area that I loved, and for your souvenir t-shirts that I bought.  I salute you for your cleanliness and your dolphins swimming in the water while we were on our boat tour.  Thank you DESTIN!