Mother's Day

Today was Mother's Day. I spent mine with the monsters & my Hunna. It was a quiet day. We didn't do anything special. There was some fighting amongst the monsters. Killian gave me extra hugs. Declan asked what he could do to help me all day & Maggie read to me. It was a nice day.

It does seem that the week to follow will bring more drama for the reality show I now live in "The Real Housewives of AH" & let me tell you that the OC, NY & NJ have nothing on this cast. This is the "Bible Belt" version wherein the majority of the cast claim to be Great Christians while lying, cheating, gossiping and bullying yet they all head to mass every week:) It is quite an adventure. I think I will start sharing the cast & story lines with all of you. It is wild & so unbelievable! I'll have to give some thought to this:)

Back to the gym tomorrow! My foot is feeling better. I'm happy about that.

Iʻm a Nobody...

I think Emily Dickinson said it best in her poem "Iʻm a nobody, who are you?" I am a NOBODY to most of the worldʻs 7B people and thatʻs okay with me! The only people I want to be a "somebody" to are the ones that call me Mom, wife, daughter, sister, aunt or friend. "Friend" that is a tricky one. For this post I will use this definition: A person whom one knows, likes, and trusts. To be called a friend one should possess ALL three of these qualities, not just 1 or 2 BUT ALL 3! And when a "friend" possess all three of those qualities are they someone worthy & willing to have me as a somebody in their life. Still there are others that I am a "nobody" to that claim to know who I am and what I feel. People that have built an entire persona for a "nobody" in their world. How does that happen? Why does it happen? Do people have a need to generate a "somebody" for their own security? Do they do it for greed? fame? self-worth? I donʻt think I understand why some people need a "somebody" that isnʻt real, that they have created. A "somebody" that they seem determine to build-up just for the chance to tear them down and watch them crumble. For a "nobody" here and there, they want so much to be a "somebody" that they will compromise themselves & those in their life to be a "somebody" until one day they wake up a realize they have NOBODY! Not this "nobody" I have my somebodies and plan to keep them & myself happily in our bog:)

And It's Sunday

Sunday Night after an extend weekend with some or all of my family always leaves me dreading Monday Morning. When the weekends are just quick, busy, action-packed 2 day deals, I look forward to Monday Morning when I will have the house quiet & a little time to breathe. After long weekends I find that we have just gotten into a groove then BAM everyone leaves me! Don't get me wrong, I have plenty to do around here tomorrow. Piles of books to read, research to pull, presentations to put together and that's just for MY school, I didnʻt even touch on the housework or hours of volunteer opportunities calling my name:) So yeah, I have a full plate with plenty to keep me busy while they are all gone, but I will miss them. Then I will pick the monsters up from school & they will be tired & cranky and the husband will get home after 7 and be grouchy and I will have to try REALLY hard to remember that I missed them when they left me that morning:)

House Cleaning, Politics & Whatever

Yes, I know, I know my promises to "blog everyday" have again not been kept. I try but I find myself afraid that I might offend someone or lose a friend over a post, Iʻm done with that now. I am done worrying about people liking me for my opinions. If you donʻt want to know what I think, donʻt read my blog. I donʻt pretend to be "right" all the time or ever for that matter. I just want a place to have MY opinion at the moment I write it. That could change in an hour, a day or never, there is just no way to know:) Today I "cleaned out" my facebook friend-list, I like to do that. Kept my "forever" friends, my family & the very few newbies I enjoy and trust (and that list is SHORT:) Life is filled with too many bite-your-tounge moments that FB should NOT have to be one of them. So for me it will no longer be. For me fb will be a safe place with good friends. Where I can bitch about my bad day or an annoying note from my kidʻs teacher and not worry that I am going to offend or said "teacher" will find out. ʻCuz yeah, those things have happened to me:) And ya know what else, I am did NOT vote for President Obama 4 yrs ago and I am not going to in November either. Iʻm just NOT a Democrat. I am not saying NEVER but alot would have to change for me to move to that extreme. Iʻm not happy with ALL that the Republican Party stands, but I know I am NOT a Democrat. What I do think is that the past 4 years has brought a greater divide among Americans in race, wealth and education than we had seen in some time and I will not support the man I believe is responsible for that divide, President Obama. Who will I vote for? I donʻt know yet, but I will let you know when I know! Because unlike some folks, I believe if someone is worth your vote they are also worth you standing TALL & saying so. But what the hell do I know, not much thatʻs for sure. Thatʻs why I have only this small, free space to give my opinion on:)

Yes, I know!

I know that I keep promising to "blog" everyday and then I donʻt. I have no excuse, I just SUCK! Mostly the lack of blogging is because I have not been on my computer much (I mostly use my iPad or iPhone) and itʻs not as easy to blog on them. I mean I can & do sometimes, but it is just not AS easy. Of course now it has been weeks since blogging so Iʻm just gonna throw everything out there with little rhythm or reason to it.

Transitioning with the monsters right now. Trying to move them (and my house) from "baby" mess all the time into organized home that guest can come into. It seems that I am starting this too late though. My kids seem to think that trash can be placed anywhere in the house & that a magic fair follows behind them to tidy-up. The "magic fair" has decided on new chores...housework chores! Cleaning bedrooms, a bathroom & using a vacuum. And trust me, this leaves me plenty to still do. Need to through that in since my mother thinks I will do nothing & just make those poor babies do all the work. This from the woman that used to make me (and my brother & sister) come home from school everyday and clean the house!!! WHATEVER!!! These monsters need to start gaining some respect for what it takes to up-keep the house.

It also isnʻt helping that all three of the monsters have decided that they are no longer "little kids" but instead "young people". For my children this includes such things as "mood swings" "sharing opinions" and the biggest "NO LONGER ORDERING FROM THE KIDʻS MENU"!!!! Killing me I tell you! I could do the baby years, this is making me feel like I am continually being pounded by waves and cannot make it to the shore!

I am finally, SLOWLY, getting back to the gym after surgery at the end of January. I hope I can make it every-other-day this week & then maybe more after Spring Break. Just as the monsters get out of school for summer I should be back up to 5 times a week for an hour and a half. And then they will fight with me about having to go into the kidsRoom for three months:)

Tomorrow will take me back to the doctor to adjust my meds. Things are NOT working right now. Not that me blogging at 345am didnʻt give it away!LMAO!

My Spring Semester for school starts today and I really need to be focused for the next 10 weeks before the monsters get out for the Summer & I have NO time for school:) I have almost completed my Masters program & I am getting excited about it. I just hope I can find some work when Iʻm done. Those Student Loans are NOT going to pay themselves.

Iʻd like to talk politics but there are just no positives I can see, so Iʻll just go with the "donʻt ask, donʻt tell) policy. I will not vote for President Obama but Gov. Romney does nothing for me. Maybe there will be a horse that jumps in at the end. How exciting that would be.

All Around Annoyed.

This morning I waited at the doctorʻs office for over an hour before I was brought back. then it too another 45 mins to see the doctor. That annoys me.

What has also set me ablaze this morning is the inability people have to recognize others opinions. I hear so much talk about "free speech" yet when your opinion is not the "popular" one or the PC one or the majorityʻs people demonize you, call for apologies and ask for laws to be changed to ban your opinion.

Because someone is seemingly ignorant to the majority does not mean that they are no longer entitled to free speech.

Because someone is insensitive does not mean that they are not entitled to free speech.

Because someone thinks differently than you do, does NOT mean then are not entitled to free speech.

Does it suck when people use derogatory terms towards someone you care about? Sure it does, but that is not harassment nor is it bullying. And it should not be illegal. And people should not be persecuted for their opinions. Is that NOT what Free Speech is about?

If an author writes a book on a subject you do not like or find offensive; donʻt buy the book.

If a politician is on the other-side of abortion than you; donʻt vote for them.

If an actor is on the opposing side of same-sex marriage; donʻt watch their movies.

What you should do however is let them have their opinion. Simply saying you disagree with that opinion is enough! Because just like you, the people on the other-side-of-the-coin are entitled to safely express their opinions!

And people- SUCK IT UP! Stop whining and crying about the little stuff because people stop listening. We are turning into a Nation that "Cries Wolf" ALL DAY LONG!!! Focus on the big picture.

Maybe Not EVERYDAY...

Okay, I am not having much luck with the EVERYDAY blogging but I am trying to get better:) Some days I donʻt blog because I cannot seem to find the time and other days it is because I find it difficult to find anything night to say so I say nothing at all. Today I donʻt have much nice to say but I do feel like I would like to get it out.

I have lived a few places throughout my life. As a child I went from NJ to VA to SC back to NJ then to NY and back to NJ where I stayed from the age of about 5 until I was 18. So the best years of my childhood were spent in NJ, mostly in Belmar, with a great group of friends that will forever be a "family" to me. At 18 I moved to FL then back to NJ then it was off to Washington,DC @ 20. Since then I have lived in at a few different addresses in DC then with kids came the move out to the VA suburbs. My last move was 7 years ago making this by far the longest I have been at the same place since NJ. The experience here has been VERY different from the one I had in NJ and not in a positive way.

As I mentioned, Belmar, New Jersey will always be "home" to me. Sure, the town has changed and going back I could never find what was once there. Most of the families that had been there for generations are gone. The kids I grew up with have like me moved out of town or out of the state for work or never came home after college. Their parents have retired out of state or have passed away. Nevertheless, that is still home, they are still "home". They are the folks you run into and you can pick up a conversation right where you left it 20 years ago. They are the people the "get" your sarcasm in print:) The people that are always there to love & support you.

Now I have been here in VA, in my neighborhood, in my house for 7yrs, about half the time I spent in NJ. And at this point, 7 yrs into it I donʻt think I have made any of the connections I had in NJ. In 7 years I have been part of more "cliques" or clubs or groups of "friends" then I could imagine existed. It is not just this way for me but also for my kids & husband. It is soooooo strange. I wonder how the people here sit at the same pool with one another ALL summer but never talk. Kids the same age & often in the same class at school donʻt play together...Hell, they donʻt even say HELLO! Imagine with me if you will sitting on 8th Ave beach with our mothers and just walking by without at least saying hello, with our parents just ignoring one another. Itʻs just CRAZY! Itʻs sad.

I love my NJ Family. I want to love a VA family. Hell I would be happy not to have a revolving door of "friends" based on what you can "do" for them. Why is the common group of being parents of children the same age & living in the same neighborhood no longer enough to be polite to one another?

I hope that others of you have had better experiences wherever you are living now.