Month: September 2020

Last night was one of those night’s you will never forget! The 2020 Presidential Debate took over the night. I was dead-set on watching. While I haven’t been the most politically involved before, I made it a goal to fix that. The future lives of me and my family depend on it! Sh*t show, train wreck, “whose is bigger” competition, disgrace…however you describe it, it’s all accurate. Neither…party…won!

As I reflect on last night’s shenanigans, all I could think about was the stereotypical way a lot of men view women, especially women in positions of power. Women are too emotional. Women can’t control said emotions. Women can’t take the pressure that a typically male-driven role brings. Blah…blah…BLAH! Let’s peel away the topics that were supposed to be addressed last night. At the end of the day, this was the most emotional, can’t take the pressure debates I have ever seen! Each party’s pride showed up last night. And to those who still believe that women can’t take the pressure when placed in positions of authority, go kick rocks with no shoes on! This proves that we are ALL emotional beings and when faced with challenges, we have the potential to either A) buckle under pressure and therefore go into attack-mode or B) let our emotions take over and stoop to the other person’s level.

I simply cannot be proud about last night’s display and neither of our candidates should be. One should just be shame and the other needs to vow to never let someone get under their skin so much so that they lose sight of the big picture. If it were up to me, neither candidate would have the privilege of being anyone’s candidate…not even for Student Council Class President. If I had the time, I would research if there is any clause in the Constitution that allows parties to be disqualified and new parties nominated…maybe just as simple as the VP candidates take over and name new VPs in their place. For me, K. Harris / M. Obama has a nice ring to it!

Now…GO VOTE! It’s not only your God-given right, it’s the very thing you CAN control that will lay the framework for your future and the future of your kids! #LEGGO

During our cleaning day yesterday, I told Thing 2 to hang up her tops. I trusted her. I gave her the benefit of the doubt because I am tired of being a helicopter mom.

Today, I go in her closet and find this…

TECHNICALLY, she did what was asked of her! However, she knew full well the goal was to put her shirts where they belong in the closet. My OCD cannot take it! #SheGotJokes And just so you understand how my OCD works, her shirts are color-coded AND they all face the same way while on the hanger. As you can see, her goal is to get the shirt on the hanger…by any means necessary. #IJustCant #ShuttingTheDoor #AboutToGoRockBackAndForthInHorror

Soooo, cleaning days are hard! They are hard on the kids because well…they’re kids and they don’t see the mess they create as their responsibility to clean. It’s hard for me because I have to spend more time keeping the girls on task than I do actually cleaning!

The result of cleaning day…I have scrubbed more toilets than I’d care to ever do again anytime soon, I am not the friends of Thing 1 and Thing 2, and I realized I miss my cleaning professional sooooooo much! #JustWaitUntilCOVIDIsOver #JustWait

At the end of the day, the girls and I had a conversation about why it takes them ten years to clean, but 2 seconds to mess it up. They shared the stress they feel on cleaning days because I ask them to put things in their home and not just shift the mess to another location. #ImagineThat I asked the girls for some solutions. See, you can complain all day, but if you can’t propose a solution then we have nothing to discuss. Their response, they’d rather trade jobs. They will clean the bathrooms and I will tidy up their rooms and the bonus room…with the disclaimer that they still have to pick up behind themselves. Sidebar, I already told the hubby they were going to get a lesson in appreciation and I was going to make them responsible for the bathrooms. So, it’s good to see we are on the same page.

This is going to get interesting! I know my girls and I know that big one is much like me. We turn our noses up at all things gross. She is going to scrub that toilet one…maybe two times and be asking for her old job back! That little one, though, she actually may enjoy it because she has 4 main areas of focus: toilet, tub, sink, and floor. Once those are tended to she can go on about her day while her sister is sitting there staring at the toilet like it’s going to clean itself. These kids may want to live together as adults because they are truly the yin to each other’s yang!

More to come…

Welp, the chocolate hazelnut icebox cake was a success!

I am not a hazelnut kinda gal, but I have to admit, this was good! The best part of it all was spending time with my girls…well, the one that wanted to help anyway! They are so creative and willing to try most things. While quarantine is hard, it is likely a time I will cherish most because of the time spent with my unit. #LoveMeSomeThem

Today was a good day! Here’s why…

Me: Thing 2, why did you put the egg in the water?
Thing 2: The recipe called for egg wash!
#Yes #YesItDid #LiteralQueen

See, it doesn’t matter how bad of a day I could be having, it is moments like these that give me just enough comedic relief that it doesn’t even matter. These girls are true life givers!

A little backstory: The kids enjoy finding new recipes on the Alexa. Today’s recipe was a baked brie macaroni and cheese. Both girls fell in love (this doesn’t happen often), therefore, I headed to InstaCart to get the ingredients. I guess we are doing this!

Then, a month or so ago, Thing 2 found a recipe for a chocolate hazelnut icebox cake. This is super odd. The little one isn’t a huge fan of chocolate and certainly not a fan of hazelnut. I bought the mascarpone cheese and chocolate graham crackers a couple of weeks ago, may as well make it a new recipe night, right?

Thing 1 and Thing 2 were off to a great start helping. Then, in true Thing 2 fashion, she headed over to the couch to partake in anything, except helping. After a lot of hard work with Thing 1, dinner was a success! We will have to wait for tomorrow to try the dessert. Turns out, it needs a minimum of 6 hours of fridge time. Guess Friday Treat Day will be extra special!

Today, I had to wake up these minions…AGAIN! I don’t get it! THREE alarms were going off this morning and NO ONE was moving!

Begrudgingly, I went and got them jokers up. The big one was eyes open, laying in bed. Really? She got a, “wake your butt up.” That little one, though…that little one…she didn’t even flinch. She was still deep into last night’s dream! This kid can sleep through Armageddon. #SheGetsThatGoodGood

As I worked to wake that little one, I noticed her bunk bed wrap was cut to shreds and her stuffed pony got a new hair cut. Her response about why she did it, “I don’t know.” Her response about where the scissors went, “I don’t know!” Now, there are two strikes here. One, that child has been warned about using scissors in bed. And two, she has been talked to about destroying things (e.g. her sister’s porcelain pony magically lost 2 ears).

At this point, I am beyond livid! I had to walk away on this one. See, my head is not level in moments like this so I needed someone to talk me off a ledge. I woke up her daddy for this!

#WoooooooooSaaaaaaaaa

Today was all about mom. She had 2 appointments: a pre-op appointment with her doctor and a Neuro Psych appointment that lasted over 4 hours.

The pre-op appointment was rough. Emotions are still so raw and new. The second the doctor asked how she was doing, reality set in and there was a weight in the room. We know what is ahead, but it doesn’t make it any easier when you have to talk about it…and today was all about talking about it. After many tears, an EKG, and bloodwork…appointment one was complete! Oh, let me not forget…I see the same doctor as my mom. My physical is scheduled for next week. Do you think that stopped my doctor from asking me if I got my flu shot? NO! I walked away needing a lollipop and it wasn’t even my appointment. #LoveDocAndHateDocAllInOne

The Neuropsychiatrist appointment was more for my mom than me. I was there mainly to fill in any blanks my mom couldn’t remember. I got asked some general questions about my mom and then I was shown the door about 45 minutes later. At 3p I get a text from my mom saying, “I am not doing good.” I responded, unsure if she was out or on a break…nothing. At 530p I called…nothing. Paranoia started to set in, then I finally got a call back just after 6p. I can hear it in my mom’s voice, she was deflated. She was not prepared for all of the questions and rounds of tests she would have to endure. I felt so bad, but knew it was all a part of checking her brain power before and after surgery. A necessary evil, if you will. Now, we wait.

I would be remissed if I didn’t mention who was caring for the minions while I was away. The “Principal” had to tend to the school today. Let’s just say, that little one put forth ZERO effort. AND…ANNNNNDDD…she was LATE FOR MATH! HOWWWWWWWWWWWW??? She failed to do several items during her independent time so she and I had to finish it all after school was over. She had the nerve to be mad! #NoBooSomeOfThisIsOnYou Needless to say, the “Principal” was suspended too. He needs to work on his side-eye with that little one. She will claim done in a minute and be kickin’ it like she just paid rent! Meanwhile, the house is on fire from a candle she lit. #MyPoorChild

Well, that was my day! How was yours?

#TimeToWineDown

Sooooooooo, at breakfast the hubby casually brought up last nights shenanigans. He calmly explained to Thing 2 why it is not a good idea to ever participate in #AssGate…EVER! He reminded her about what is appropriate and what is not. He also let her know that kind of behavior won‘t be tolerated. Kudos to you, Sir! I just added my two cents, though. I let her know that this goes BOTH WAYS. As much as I will not survive another #AssGate, I also want her to know that she shouldn’t be on the receiving end of anything inappropriate too. I let her know to come to us if she ever receives anything she knows is inappropriate, no matter where it comes from. We are all on the same page and no one had to change their address! Yes…that was still on the table! Told ya I would still be sitting in my pissed-off-ness!

I sent a message to my old neighbors apologizing about #AssGate. In true awesome neighbor fashion, I get a reply that “nudity is natural.” Now, I had to make sure they knew it was an undied booty I was referring to, but that reaction alone took the sting out of having to admit what happened on my watch. I felt less like I failed as a parent in that moment.

Now, I had to have a conversation with Nana. She took allllll of the fun out of it! She was apologetic before I could even lay it on thick about how I would be six feet under had I showed my ass, literally or figuratively, to anyone! She has a lot on her plate as is, so I had to make sure she knew all was forgiven. I might have gotten a few more apologies after that still.

What I learned, my kids will continue to make some poor decisions. If I have raised them right, though, they will learn from them, not live with regret, and realize that every new day gives them a chance to do it better the next time around. Guess I have to heed my own advice there too!

#AssGate2020 #Can’tBelieveItWasMyKidButHereWeAre

Tonight I did my routine device check. The little one was upgraded with her very own iCloud account. That means, I need to make sure she is messaging responsibly. She has the tendency to be impulsive, so I have to make sure she isn’t blowing up anyone’s text messages or FaceTime. Not even two minutes into my search and smoke is coming out of every facial crevice I have. The hubby has THE LOOK! You know, the look where you can tell he’s trying to revisit his week to make sure my reaction wasn’t a response to anything he did. I couldn’t talk, I just showed him the iPad. He put his head down. He knew what I knew…someone was about to need a new address!

Because I know you’re dying to know what I saw, it was a picture of my child’s ass (drawz on), but ass nonetheless! First order of business, who owns these numbers. I figured they weren’t random, but because her device was newly setup there were no names, just numbers. When I came to my senses, I noticed the first number was Nana. Shfew! Wait…she knew and didn’t tell me??? #Noted It took some comparing with her sister’s iPad and I noticed the only other victim of #AssGate was our old neighbor’s child. #Mortified

I was ready to get my child out of bed and have a talk with her about the inappropriateness of said texts. Her tail wasn’t sleep anyway, why not? Well, her FATHER (when he is the momentary opposition, yes, he gets reassigned to father) urged me to cool off first and discuss in the morning. Did he not realize the magnitude of the situation??? #Men He and I had a discussion about how my knee-jerk reaction may sit with a child who is impulsive by nature, but also new to the messaging game. FINE! I went one further, I told him he can lead this conversation and I will follow so that I don’t let my pissed-off-ness shine through. I know myself, this heat ain’t going away with sleep! Him, of ALL people, should know that!

Until tomorrow…

My BFF / sister recognized I was struggling emotionally lately. And because she knows I didn’t want to admit I was sinking (because I try to be strong regardless) she acted. She sent me a love and care package. It’s one of those packages you get in the mail that makes you feel like it’s Christmas when you open it. It was a box full of God. One of my Godly gifts was the book, Awaken, by Priscilla Shirer. This book has refocused me at a time when I thought all hope was lost.

I say all of that to give a backstory. Today’s lesson in the book was on forgiveness. This is one of those things where it’s easy to utter the words “I forgive you,” but hard to forget the act that warranted the forgiveness in the first place. I struggled with this for years. While today, I’m better at it, it’s still a work in progress. Today’s lesson reminded me of the costs associated with choosing not to forgive. I no longer want to go back to that life! See for yourself…