Breaking Up Isn't Hard To Do

Dear Blog,

Although I think about you all the time, it's been about five months since I've visited you.  I've been so busy.  I know you can't really relate, seeing as how your visit count has never really been all that high.  But this blog was never about you, was it?  It was all about me.

So, as I was saying, I've been busy.  Do you remember I was pregnant with kiddie #4?  Well, I had labor pains with that baby for almost my entire third trimester.  Oh man, was that scary.  Eventually I did deliver that baby (a girl, to my utter shock!) and only a week early.  She was huge, 8 pounds 11 ounces.  That's huge for me, especially since my first kid was only 5 pounds 13 ounces.  Well anyway, thankfully I didn't almost die (like another lady in labor that day) but I sure had some damage which kept me, well, really injured for a while.  The baby had a stay in the NICU because she had some complications, too.

The best part of all that is we now have a precious, sweet little girl.  I'm almost completely healed, and for all this time my dear husband has been home helping with the kids and causing a ruckus.  He's just gone back to work, and we'll see how long he lasts.  :)

When little one (still haven't thought of a blog name for her yet.... not sure I'll need to, but we'll get to that) was about 2 weeks old we decided to move, and move we did.  It was the first time in our marriage that we moved and boy, was it painful in so many ways. But we've moved and have a temporary landing spot for now, with most of our stuff in storage.  [ED. NOTE: When you have most of your stuff in storage, don't watch Storage Wars with your kids.  They'll freak out that someone's going to sneak in and sell your stuff while you aren't paying on your unit.]

My husband wants to quit his job.  He's getting older, and I think police work just doesn't feel like his life dream.  He doesn't feel like he's making a difference in his life.  I think there are other reasons for that besides his job, but let's not digress now.  I want him to be happy, but I also want him to be paying the bills if he wants me to continue to be the primary educator in our little homeschooling family.  I was hoping his little break from work after the baby would give him some clarity on what he wants to do.  Instead, he took care of me and the kids and moved and took a three week vacation.  Not too exciting, and definitely no clarity there.

So, dear blog, it's been harder for me to get by to visit you. I guess I also don't need you as much any more.  I don't have so much angst over my husband's job, which I would ruminate on and think about via this outlet.  Although I wouldn't know what it would be like to be married to not-a-cop any more, I've finally realized I'd still have the same husband.  Sure, maybe he wouldn't have permission to carry off duty any more like he does 24/7 now (he'd be permanently off duty!), he'd still have the same personality and heightened awareness of life.  So if I'm not back too often, please don't take it personally.  It's me, not you.

Love,
Handcuffed Heart

Courage

Found this floating around the internet recently ~ and oh, my, did it speak to my heart. Even if you aren't a believer in the Big Guy Upstairs, I think we can all agree that courage is a necessary ingredient in a life as a significant other to a police officer.

Dear God,
Give me COURAGE, for perhaps I lack it more than anything else.
I need COURAGE as I witness my husband's departure for duty each day.
I need COURAGE as I see him put on his uniform because I know the abuse that perhaps he will be subjected to before he returns from his tour of duty.
I need COURAGE in dealing with the children when he is working long hours during demonstrations or on an investigation.
I need COURAGE when tensions buildup on the job and pressures at home to mount and life becomes almost too much to bear.
I need COURAGE to stand firm and not to succumb to the urge to run away from problems.
Help me to have the strength to be a COURAGEOUS and Valiant Woman, when I learn from the media that a "police officer's been hurt."
The next time I waver or grow faint-hearted, Help me, O Divine Master, to be COURAGEOUS.
And, having found the source of strength in You, Help me to reach out to others, who may be just as scared as I.

Amen

Prayer given at the DC Police Wives Installation Dinner, on June 15, 1973, by Reverend R. Joseph Dooley.

Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful for an awesome OB/GYN who listens to my baby's racing heartbeat (a perfect 140) and says "That is one of the best sounds in the world."

I'm thankful for good health insurance.

I'm thankful for little baby feet stomping on my bladder.

What are you thankful for this week?

Thankful... but I need some help

I was inspired by Katie over at My Daily Bread Crumbs to get back into my habit of posting my Thankful Thursday musings. It was a good habit for me to be in, to actually practice mindful thankfulness and be willing to look for the good in my life regularly.

Anyway Thankful Thursday came and went this week. oops.

This week I was thankful for our car. It is comfy, it works, and I never worry about it. It's reliable and wonderful, and unfortunately too small to cart around four kids. We bought the smallest car seats we could find (Sunshine Kids, now officially Diono) so we could fit three across in the back seat. They fit. Barely. So I'll be happy to move up to a larger car (I guess?) but I sure will miss this car. I am so thankful it has been so good to us all these years.

I'm also thankful for my husband's job. But he's gone back to graveyards and I'm forgetting how to make it all work. Including myself going to bed at a regular, normal time. :) So I'm asking for help -- what are your tips and tricks for making graves work in your family?

Well Hello There, 2012!

Happy New Year.  I guess I have to say that, although considering I'm still stuck in November 2011 as evidenced by the fact that it has been about six weeks since I last posted.... well, I'm in a bit of a quandary as to how to welcome 2012. 

We have had a glorious holiday season.  DH had much of December off, and we spent more time than I can remember in recent memory laughing, giggling, and having a wonderful time.  But all good things must come to an end.  School and work start up again next week and already the stress and "police mentality" is creeping back in.  While I'm so grateful for the wonderful, wonderful time we have had together, I'm also battling the "What if's..?" in hard-core style. 

It doesn't help that we're starting the new year with a bang -- literally -- in the law enforcement community.  I follow a variety of law enforcement related facebook pages, and after reading about the three deaths across the country on this first day of the year, I ran across this status update from Wives Behind The Badge: "We're following the story in Washington and will post the official notification when it is available. Sending prayers to all involved."

That made me so mad.  Are you freaking kidding me?  I'm so tired of "following the story" of the crazies in the world that think it's open season on our law enforcement officers.  Mostly, I think it's that I don't want to be part of the next story y'all are following.  So when DH comes home all angry and burned out and treating us like we are suspects on the verge of running and in need of incarceration, I'm very inclined to encourage him to go get that job at Starbucks.  I sure would work less at not worrying. And maybe we would all be -- albeit poorer -- a lot happier.

Spring Thaw

Life is swirling at an unbelievable rate these days, and I cannot keep up. 

I thought that with this shift rotation everything would be "great."  Husband is working a modified day schedule (starting in the late morning) and I thought it was close enough to the type of schedule that "regular" people work that it would be great for our family.  In a way, it has been great.  But there are other things, like interpersonal stuff, in our marriage that I thought would be helped by this schedule too. 

Is it no surprise they aren't? 

People say that with kids, it's not about (fancy) "quality" time but quantity.  I guess I thought our marriage would benefit from time together at the "right" time of day (i.e. when I am awake and husband is home and not working).  :)  I don't think it's worked out like that.  It's almost been worse, like there is the expectation that it would be better but it's not so therefore it's worse.  So maybe it's no surprise that I haven't posted for over a month.  School and life has been kicking my butt and I've been so discouraged.  (And I've gotten addicted to Words With Friends.  Oops)

So now, of course, I'm posting because I have good news.  Because I cannot stand to be the bearer of bad news, Debbie Downer.  We're on vacation!  Forever!  Just kidding.  It's not forever but it feels like it.  :)  I'm realizing that I do actually like this person I married (just in case I had forgotten.... which I somewhat had, let's be honest) and I don't remember laughing as much as we have been.  Along with lots of other things, that's the thing that will stand out the most about this spring thaw: the laughing. 

I've said it for a while and this vacation is proving it.  We don't have any big plans to go anywhere, and I think that's good.  Everyone needs to chill out and "thaw" once in a while and for those in law enforcement it's even more important.  I'm thankful, so very thankful, for this thaw and praying for some great progress in so many areas of our marriage and family. 

How about you?  How do you thaw out from life on a regular basis?

Say it with me now: "I love my life"

Yes, blog friends, say it with me now: "I love my life.  I love my life.  I love my life."

Maybe if I say it enough, type it enough, see it in print.... I'll believe it.  I'll get to that in a minute.  But first, the "No Spend November" update, as BunnyO was asking about in the comments.  It's been.... OK.  I guess I really should have called it "No Frivolous Spend November" because I'm certainly still spending money but it's more on things that are not frivolous and necessary.  So considering I'd want to call it that, I guess it's more just a major cutting back than not spending.  Again, I'm pleased with my efforts to MINDFULLY spend money instead of  seeing something and tossing it in my cart because I can.  I definitely have had days where I haven't spent anything.  I've been trying to be more creative with what's in my pantry, and making do with what I have instead of automatically running to the store to buy something.  It's been good.  But I sure have a long way to go.

Now, I realize that there hasn't been a lot of police activity here lately.  I'm really worn out about caring about all that stuff.  I realized last night that I've shrugged off the label of "police officer" and "police wife" and am focusing more on the crap that is the fallout of the job that my husband has and the shift that takes him way from our home.  The bumper sticker that goes something like this came to mind: "If you aren't outraged, you aren't paying attention."  That's how I feel about The Job right now.  I'm not paying attention.  Just getting through the day.  So, I'm not outraged.  I can't remember the last time I asked about what happened on shift.  I don't care any more.  If he has some interesting case or some crazy thing that happened I'm happy to listen and ask questions, but otherwise.... whatever.

I think this stems from being stretched pretty thin with schooling, three small kids, illnesses, and my own work that needs to get done.  We were recently together with some relatives and, as all well-behaved adults do, traded a few jabs about our lives.  I can't exactly remember how it started, but of course I'm sure that the HUSBAND did started it.  (yeah right)  lol.  Anyway eventually it degraded to something like this:

me: "Ok, go on home, I'll send the kids with you and I'll stay here"
DH: "Alrighty, good luck getting home then!"
me: "Who said I wanted to go home? It sure would be nice to have a little break!"
DH: [open-mouthed incredulity and death stare]
me: "I know it's really hard on you to be working so much but it's hard for me too"
DH: "At least you work with people you love.  I work with people I can't stand and they aggravate me to no end."
me: "I won't argue that point."

It made it clearer to me that, as I have always suspected, he thinks I have some cushy, easy job sitting around in a bed of roses with all my responsibilities at home.  So last night after the kids were in bed, I said "See ya, I'm going to Target."  He wanted to go instead.  He said "You always get to go and do fun things like that with the kids."  uh, EXCUSE ME??!?  I never get to go out at 9:30 at night while you are at work.  I rarely get to go anywhere BY MYSELF.  I rarely get a quick trip to where ever I want, taking the time I want, to look at whatever I want.  Excuse me?!?!?  I tried to get him to see that taking three kids all over town to do errands is not fun.  One errand, maybe, but your whole life??  He tried to argue with me.  "But I had so much fun with them at the grocery store tonight!"  Yeah, when you are at the store with no real purpose or need to get a huge list of things done, I could see how that is fun.

Me: "Was it fun when Dallas started screaming?"
DH: "Well no.... but after he got picked up he was ok!"
Me: "And then did you go through the checkout line and pay for the groceries while you were carrying him?"
DH: "Well, no, but I didn't even try" [because *I* was paying and caring for the two older kids]
Me: "I would be happy to let you take all three kids to the store and...."
DH: "Nevermind, nevermind, just go, get out of here, go to Target." [wah, wah, wah]

So it's pretty clear to me that the husband has a romanticized idea of what my life is like.  He swears he doesn't, and usually he is pretty good truly understanding.  But.... right now, I think he's hating his job so much that his vision is clouded.  I recommend getting a new job.  We'll see if he ever gets motivation to do that.

What's the definition of "NO" exactly?

Right, so, I'm at the beginning of "No Spend November" which is, truthfully, going quite horribly.  I gave you a run-down on Day 1, so let me follow up with the last few days.

Day 2: Give me a medal.  Didn't spend a penny!
Day 3: #FAIL
Day 4: Epic #FAIL

To put it in perspective, on Day 3 I did my little trick of returning some stuff ($9.33) and then buying some more stuff ($5.56), with the idea that "net" I saved some money because I spent less than I returned.  I seriously think that's cheating, but it makes me feel better that I'm kind of sort of still a little bit following along.

But that's NOT the point!!  Day 4, fresh off my mild disappointments of Day 3, I realized that my NSN is not at all about not spending money, it's about my attitude behind my spending.  I made that point before, right?  That I want to be GRATEFUL for the things I do have and not spend a bunch of money on things I just "want." 

Now, I'm totally NOT going to go blame it all on my mom (although in most of life she thinks you can always blame everything on your parents) but, I grew up in a house where retail therapy was one of the five food groups.  Seriously.  Fridays were shopping days.  I learned my best math at some big fancy department stores on their "Take an extra 40% off" days.  To this day, although my husband is generally much better at figuring math problems in his head than I am, I will beat him every time when it comes to calculating a percentage off of a product, and what the final cost will be.  I tell you this to help you understand that when I say I use shopping (and, um, food, which we can talk about another time) instead of dealing with my emotions, well, you can see how it's not that far off, and, given my upbringing it makes total sense.  Of course you would do that!

But when I really stop to think about it, I don't like it that way.  I want to go buy something because I need it.  Ok, maybe once in a while I'll just buy something for the sheer pleasure of "wanting it" and then getting it, but otherwise I really only want to buy things because they add value to my life.  And more often than not, I'm realizing that I'm engaging in retail therapy because I'm anxious, worried, concerned, or unhappy about something else that is going on in my life.  Shopping is fun! It makes you feel good! You deserve it! You're worth it! Whether or not all the ads encouraging you to buy, buy, buy make it sound like this, those statements are things our culture subliminally tells us every day.  If we stop long enough to think about what it is we are doing, we'd be shocked.  That's why I love the bumper sticker that goes something like this: "If you aren't enraged you aren't paying attention."

Don't get me wrong, I'm not living in a house that would qualify for a Hoarders episode (yet) and I'm not wracking up thousands of dollars of debt with my purchases.  But I am definitely guilty of saying "Oh, I have a big difficult long day ahead of me, I'm going to treat myself by going out and buying a cup of coffee."  Or visiting the local bakery. Or allowing myself to ________ (fill in the blank).  Instead of actually recognizing that "Ok, this is going to be hard, I have to deal with it" I stuff my face (or my shopping bag) with something and then let the situation just happen.  I should probably just let it happen without the baggage of all the other stuff.

Which is where No Spend November comes in.  I realize that I'm not always that grateful for what I do have, and what I can do.  By trying to NOT spend, I'm recognizing my weaknesses for certain items, times of day, and events in my life where I turn to something else to really satisfy me.  And all this material stuff?  Well, you can't take it with you.  And it doesn't satisfy long term.  It actually creates lots of headache (and heartache, too).

So, I'm back on the trail of gratefulness today.  I'm hoping not to spend any $$, but if I do, I will know why and how and be better for it.  I hope.

What are you grateful for today?  Are you demonstrating it, or just saying it?

Oops, I am crazy

Well, Day One of No Spend November went pretty poorly.  Oops!  Of course ~ part of the problem could be that I actually went to Costco.  Doh!  Automatic FAIL.

I bought gas -- total necessity.  Once inside, I spent $70.... on
$10 -- birthday present
$28 -- groceries
$18 -- lightbulbs
$12 -- kleenex
And the rest was tax...??  I hate it when that happens.  I guess I should get out my receipt so I can know exactly where the money went.  **OH, I just remembered kleenex.  Added to the list.

The moral of the story is -- don't go to Costco if it's No Spend November.  lol.  I did skip buying lunch out today when I wanted to try a new restaurant near the park where we were today.  I also skipped putting some splurge items in my cart at Costco.  I guess that's progress!?!? 

As I was walking down the aisles at Costco, I was exercising gratefulness that I could even think about putting all these things which were totally NON essentials into my basket. 

I also pulled out some stuff I bought at Target at 50% off the day after Halloween, and decided to return that.  So.... does that mean I get to spend the money I get on the return?  Hmmm.... Should I follow the spirit of the month or run full speed legalistically ahead?  :)  We shall see.

And we'll see what tomorrow holds! Hopefully, more gratefulness.

How are you grateful today?

No Spend November

I think I'm crazy, but I'm going to demonstrate that I am thankful for what I have this November by not spending money on MORE stuff.  I'm going to try to eat through some of our stockpile.  I'm going to use up some of the gift cards we have laying around.  I'm going to wear (and organize?!?!) the clothes I have instead of buying that "cute" something for the event I'm going to.  (Even if it is just a pair of cute socks.)

You know what I'm talking about.

Some of my friends are only using Facebook this month to post one thing every day they are grateful for.  I decided I'm not going to just say I'm thankful, I'm going to demonstrate it.  At least I hope so.  How are you going to demonstrate that you are thankful?  Words can be powerful, but actions speak even louder than words. 

How will you demonstrate your thankfulness today?

It made my day...

This week we were on an "I'm-going-to-go-crazy-if-I-don't-get-out-of-here-quick" walk, when we happened to walk by the local fire station with all it's apparatus out in full glory in the driveway.  I say "full glory" because if you are a six-year-old, a four-year-old, or a 17-month-old, the angels  begin singing when you spot this sort of sight on a run-of-the-mill walk.  The engine had it's cab up in the air and they were testing the lights and sirens; similarly the ambulance was out of the bay and getting inspected.  My kids were in awe.  We were really content just to watch them go through their paces, and were about to walk on when one of the firefighters came over and said these blessed words: "Do you want to look inside the fire engine?"

My kids were in awe.  This guy was awesome.  He got down on the kids' level and explained stuff.  He let them hold a nozzle for the hose.  He lifted them into the cab of the engine.  He was patient, and kind, and I almost wanted to kiss him for how he was treating my kids like adults, but sharing with them in a way they would understand.  To clarify: I almost wanted to kiss him but I'm married so I don't do that sort of thing, and he kept calling me m'am.  Never kiss a man who calls you m'am.  And, as my husband repeatedly points out: No PDAs (public displays of affection) in uniform.

So instead, this young firefighter (who really prefers the paramedic part of his job, FYI) has earned my undying respect and my wishful thinking that I could bake a batch of cookies for him and his station-mates, and have them actually eat them and not throw them away for fear of food poisoning.

Remember how I said he was patient and kind?  It really showed when my son commented "I've been inside of a paramedic before!" and the helpful medic, well.... he was a little speechless.  It was cute.  And what a great opportunity to discuss the difference between a paramedic and an ambulance!  :)

Thank you, Mr. Firefighter Medic.  From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

One thought

Today I had a mild panic attack when I realized I didn't know if my mom had thrown away a special set of my dad's shirts.

I mentioned my dad in my last post, so maybe he's just been on my mind lately.  Actually, I know he has been.  Yesterday I got really angry when I thought about him missing my life.  Wha.....??!  I mean, that feels so out of left field I can't even say the entire word "what."  I'm not angry at him, it's not like it was his fault.  I'm not angry at God, either.  Just.... angry.  Then sad.  Then confused about why it matters at this point.  When would it be "ok" for your parent to die?  If you are 45 years old and your dad was 65 or 70, is that "ok"?  Is that "fair"?  No anger required?  Or...?  I'm really at a loss.  I can't imagine anyone ever dying and my being OK with it.  This is a mind game at this point but it's an interesting idea. 

My mom took a while but after he died, but she did get rid of my dad's clothes in a pretty healthy and timely manner.  She saved a laundry basket full of shirts that were so "him."  It was always business casual for him, more or less.  He had plenty of suits (which he did wear more than "occasionally"), but there are plenty of shirts that I would take one look at and they would scream DAD to me.  You know the ones.  My husband has a bunch of shirts like that.  Whether they like it or not, the men in my life have a signature style.  No, I didn't say they are stylish, just have a signature style.  :)

So I realized I need some of those shirts.  I need to do something with them.  I called up my mom and she really didn't have time to talk, but I asked if she still had the shirts and she said "Yup, they are in my husband's closet."  (Talk about weird, but hey! It works for him and I'm grateful.)  One of the best things was that my mom made my garter-to-keep for my wedding out of material from one of those shirts.  I'm really glad I have that.  It made me cry when I opened it at my bridal shower and I think everyone there was a bit surprised by such a strong reaction to a garter.  There's always a story, though, isn't there?

Anyhow.... that's that.  Pondering lots of things these days.  What's going on in your neck of the woods?

legacy

Mrs. Fuzz introduced me to NieNie at NieNieDialogues.  The short version of the story is that this woman and her husband were in a plane crash, and they both survived.  NieNie, however, had burns over 80% of her body.  She was in a coma for three months and now continues to face reconstructive surgery.

While she was in a coma and recovering, someone started updating her blog (which she had started back in 2005) with their "favorite" posts of hers.  People would write in and talk about how impacted they were by her writing and the things she said, and they would pick a favorite post.  They'd mention why and then the original post was reposted.

These "looks back" are amazing.  It made me think about my life.  If something like that happened, would anyone be so inspired by my blog posts and want to have them be reposted?  Would I handle my situation with such grace?  I'm not looking for a huge money-making, inspiring blog, but I am looking for a REAL life.

It made me wonder, what kind of legacy am I leaving?  Will my kids remember how I yelled at them too much, and didn't say "I love you" enough?  Will they remember that I never let them stop to smell the flowers or collect bugs on our walks because I was more concerned with burning more calories on a faster paced walk?  The list is long.  And while we are all doing our best with what we have on a given day, I know that sometimes I could simply make a different choice and life would be that much sweeter.  It might cost me some calorie-burning or a few extra minutes before leaving the house, but in the long run, I will be building the kind of legacy I will be proud of.  Let's see if I can do it.

Happiness 101

Mrs. Fuzz has gifted me with the Happiness 101 Award that is making the rounds these days.  Thanks, Mrs. Fuzz!  Here are 101 things that make me happy.  JUST KIDDING.  I'm only sharing 10 things.

1. A quiet, hot, long MORNING shower (if you've been reading this very long you probably already know this one!)
2. A hot beverage ritual ~ walking to my favorite local shop for something hot or taking the time to prepare it at home in a certain way... anything works.  They all make me happy!
3. A clean house (no wonder I'm unhappy these days)
4. A new location of my favorite local grocery store opening three blocks from my house NEXT WEEK!!
5. A good deal.  Actually, a GREAT deal.  
6. My children (usually)
7. Any kind of discovery; like a fun bakery, a neat treat, a great deal, an unusual spider web, a unique collection of things.  In this way, I was made to be a mom.  I can marvel over the smallest things and take joy in them along with my kids.  My husband is, well, not so much like this.  :)  That's why I'm the mom and he isn't.
8. Baking.  Well actually, eating the things I baked.  But baking.  NOT cooking.
9. Books.  Books, books, books.  Can hardly climb into bed for all the books littering the floor on my side.  Can I get a shout out for your local library and paperbackswap?!?!!?
10. My bed.  Oh, my dear, dear, sweet bed.  There's nothing like it.

I want to hear from YOU ~ what makes YOU happy these days??  Share in the comments or give us your 10 on your own Happiness 101 post.  

And you just *thought* you were having a bad day!

I received this via spam email from a friend today.  Annoyingly spamalicious but so true, how could I not share it with you?

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: "I am blind, please help." There were only a few coins in the hat. 



A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.

Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon, the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?"



The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way." I wrote: "Today is a beautiful day, but I cannot see it."

Both signs told people that the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people that they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?




Now, the thing my friend passed along had this preachy "moral of the story" thing at the end.  While it was all true, I think more valuable would be YOUR interpretation of how you need to reframe your thinking about something in your life.  I know I sure need to do that!!

Have a great weekend, folks.

Thankful Thursday (no whining!)

I had another whiny, poor me post half written and then I decided -- y'all don't want to hear about that! Neither do I, in fact. I realized that today is THURSDAY! Yes, people, that's right! Thankful Thursday. :)

Today I am thankful that...

• I was able to get antibiotics for Dallas and he is not allergic to them (found out he has an ear infection yesterday while at his well baby checkup!)
• I stocked up at the grocery store yesterday
• Today is a new day
• Husband has a job
• John Piper reminded me that the desert may come before the oasis and it may last a long time (in the case of Joseph, 12 years!)
• Nearly free tickets to the aquarium
• I got my Southland fix last night
• We have an awesome pediatrician
• My friend is pregnant with #3
• The punky skateboarders who were skating where we live didn't attack me yesterday
• Not much "excitement" for DH back to work last night :) Makes ME happy and him unhappy but that's ok!
  

That's all for now. Go forth and be thankful!

It's Thankful Thursday again!

Our cottage school is off for the week, and DH was actually able to get the week off from work as well. Score! We have been laying around in our PJs until waaay too late in the day and wiping snotty noses on three kids. Boo!

The good news is that we are getting away for some true R&R for a few days and that will feel blissful.

I'm still praying that my lacking list gets shorter and my not-lacking list gets longer, but for now I'm thankful that...

• We've all been enjoying the Olympics at our house (even though the media coverage is terrible)
• We're getting out of here for a few days
• I found cheap boots for Charlotte
• I did six loads of laundry at my Aunt's house for free last weekend
• We have a new computer
• DH got the "check engine" light checked on my car
• We ate some of my favorite sausages for dinner
• We have hot water
• Email friends
  

I'm really struggling with Dallas right now which is stressing me and the husband. Generally not a pretty picture right now but hopefully some day soon he will make it on to my Thankful Thursday list. :)

I just sit around and eat bonbons all day...

In addition to sitting around and eating bonbons all day (yes I've trained the three kidlets to care for themselves, and the baby even changes his own diaper!), I surf the web.

Tonight I was on Cafe Press. I typed in "police" in the search box, and here for your reading pleasure are some of my favorite slogans, in no particular order:

• BDRT: Baby Daddy Removal Team
• It Became My Problem When You Called 911
• God Made Police Officers so Firemen Would Have Heroes (I'm not commenting, just saying I think it's funny, 'k?)
• crooks+drunks+dummies+dumbasses=job security (ha ha ha)
  

For the younger set:

• resisting a rest ** THIS ONE would have been purchased in two seconds if I had found it a few months ago -- Dallas was NOT SLEEPING for those of you who recall my complaining.

Ok, well, that's enough of that entertainment. I'm happy to report, that if you have been around long enough, you know I've been longing for a new toaster oven. I'm sad to report that no, I did not get the one I'd been salivating over (with the $225 price tag) but I did get the next best thing (I hope) at Costco today ~ their Cuisinart Toaster/Convection Oven is on coupon right now... at $80 I couldn't pass it up! I'm so excited!!

And THAT, people, is this week's THANKFUL THURSDAY (on Friday).... Thankful for humor and thankful for my new toaster oven! :) Have a great weekend.

Thankful Thursday on Friday

1. I'm thankful that my children and I were kept safe from the crazy man running around last weekend. He was *SO* crazy but not in a steer clear kind of way. He was crazy in the "Oh no I've already started a conversation with you and now I realize you are out of your mind and I'm terrified for my life" kind of way.

2. I'm thankful that DH wasn't too busy to "babysit" me while I waited for the local fuzz to come by for the burglary attempt. I'm assuming it was crazy guy (see #1 above) but who knows.

3. I'm thankful that whoever the criminal was (see #2 above).... s/he didn't steal anything.

4. I'm thankful for Mrs. Fuzz over at A Police Wife. She always has interesting things to say and today she shared a photo of a fun bag I would love to own (but am too cheap to buy).


5. I'm thankful for the "maturity" I displayed in the first week of DH on swing shift. (Don't everyone laugh at once.) I decided to just go with the flow and let a natural schedule emerge that we can tweak later. This is progress for the control freak, people!

And now I'm proud to say I have done ALL the dishes, cleaned ALL the counter tops (the visible parts of it anyway!), and I'm going to bed. Happy weekend, everyone!

a REAL 'thankful thursday'

Yes, REAL in that I'm REALLY posting on a Thursday!

First, I cannot BELIEVE it is already October. My life is passing me by as I sit on the side of the road in a sleep-deprived stupor. sigh.

I'm thankful that there was no fire in our building last night. Curious? Read on.

Around 6:30 PM last night the fire alarm went off. And it wasn't stopping. After thinking "gee I really should have a better renter's insurance policy" I peeked outside and, seeing nothing suspicious, carefully opened the door. I did a quick sweep of the three residential levels and saw nothing interesting. No pulled fire alarms, no smoke. My next thought was that the gas dryer in the laundry room had gone haywire (they recently replaced it with a new OLD -- yes, older than we had before !!!! -- gas dryer) and we had a raging fire in the laundry room. That would not be good. Anyway, nope, no smoke, no heat, and peeking in the window, no apparent fire in the laundry room. EXCEPT for the **pulled fire alarm handle** !!!! ugh!!! Nice. Don't you people have anything better to do than to maliciously pull the fire alarm?? Oh, I forgot, with the crappy economy you are jobless and trying to find ways to occupy your time.

Now I'm getting a little hazy on the order of events here but at some point I went into the bedroom and said to DH "Hey, dude, wake up! Do you know how to turn off the fire alarm?" (Come on, cops have to be good for *something*!) Negative. Note that by now the alarm had been going off for several minutes, and he is still sleeping. "Oh, that's ours? Call the fire department." [snore] I quickly Google the FD non emergency number (by this time I'm 99.99999% sure there is no fire), and call in the alarm. Sigh. Of course the dispatcher wants to know who pulled it (not me) and if I smell smoke or see a fire (nope).

Interesting factoid about our living situation: Our bedroom window faces the home where our affectionately named "crazy lady" neighbor lives. She drives an old, loud convertible and she likes to listen to loud (although generally decent) music in her convertible. She likes to warm up said loud convertible while listening to her loud music and talking -- at the only level she knows -- LOUD. While DH is trying to sleep during the day, this is a recipe for disaster. But evidently she's a good neighbor. While I was checking out the fire situation she had moseyed over to see what was going on, and how soon the cars in the garage would catch fire and then burn up her house. So nice. In fact, she had a nice little chat with Austin and Charlotte. Sooo nice.

So the alarm continues to scream while Austin, Charlotte, Dallas and I are waiting out front for the FD. (Because you know, no one "responsible" lives here and will give the FD access where they need it.) They sent two large ladder trucks (trucks? engines? happy medic would not be proud) and as they pull up I see several of them leaning out the window and assessing the building. (Yes, guys, honestly, no fire here.)

So they all hop out, swarm the building, I give them the keys they need for the access they need and eventually, after the 1950s era alarm is silenced, all is well. They agree with me that there is no fire and the alarm was maliciously pulled. Lovely.

So all's well that ends well. (I guess?) The funniest part of the whole thing was at the end, when one FF from each truck brought over a few hats for the kids, one older and one hot younger.... at which point the older one (who'd beaten him by a few seconds) says to the younger "Hey, rookie, too slow! Glad there's no fire!"