Ten on Tuesday

1.  Jason told them to walk the dogs until he said to stop.  No other instructions.  Lazy? Yes.  Inventive? Yes.

2.  My New York babies are all gone and I miss them already.  We had such a good time.  I let the house stuff go so I could enjoy holding Lolly.  Does it matter that my garage is full of junk that I need to unpack? Nope.  I think I lived in the Birdhouse for over a year before I hung a single picture.  We were living in the moment.  I think I only had to be reminded to do this one time when I started to stress.  Holding Lolly is so much more fun than organizing platters that I got as a wedding present and have never used in 14 years.

3.  My parents were in Spain the entire time Betsy was here (actually until today).  They didn't overlap even a day.  Betsy and I learned that we can do things without my Mom.  I'm not kidding.  I am just now learning to make major decisions without my Mom's approval.  I never trusted my own style or taste (I still don't in the clothing department) so this new house is new ground for me.  Instead of asking for my Mom's approval I am asking for her opinion.  Does that make sense?  I don't need her to like it, for me to like it.  My Mom is a great decorator and I still appreciate her help, but I like that I am coming to a place that I can trust my own instincts.  And if I make a mistake, it's my mistake.  Live and learn.

4.  One thing that did not happen while my Mom was gone was Easter lunch.  I took Betsy and crew to the airport Saturday morning, had Jason's Dad's birthday lunch, his brother and family over after swinging by a nephew's baseball game, took Emory to a doctor friend at 8:30pm after she slid in to her bed and busted her head open, and then went to Wal-Mart (made me feel better that it was packed with other last minute people) and Kohl's at 10:30pm to fill Easter baskets (is that a run on sentence?). I was tired. Cooking was out of the question.  My Mom is the glue that holds my extended family together so in her absence nothing was planned.  No glue, no Easter lunch.  So we went to the Waffle House after church and it was good.

5.  I don't take my kids to the doctor.  Something has to be falling off for me to go to the emergency room. Jay dropped an iron, that was on, on his foot when he was barely walking.  We ran cold water on it.  Scar on his foot, no big deal. (He also has the Dylan McKay eyebrow surfing scar but he got it when he fell out of the bed.) When Emory was barely walking, Jay pulled her off the bed by her feet and she hit her head on the floor.  Her eyes rolled back for a second.  I am pretty sure she had a concussion.  After a minute, she could walk and talk so we decided she was fine.  Saturday night the kids were running in the hall.  We told them to get in their beds.  They were still running in the hall.  Emory was running in socks.  And that resulted in a crash and a busted head.  She was screaming until she saw the blood.  Then she was horror movie screaming.  When I cleaned it up, I knew that too much flesh was showing.  Even for me.  Before heading off to the doc-in-the-box on Easter Eve, I made a call, which resulted in another call, which resulted in a house call.  A nice doctor husband of one of my friends glued her right up.  It was the best thing that had happened to me all day.  Thank you super nice doctor and your awesome wife!  (She really liked the attention she got for her busted head.)

6.  So Facebook is back on.  I can't say that I totally gave it up but I gave up about 90% of it.  I didn't read the feed or randomly look at people's pages for hours.  It was good for me.  I did pray for Jay.  I also learned that I really like Facebook.  I like the movie, the MS NBC special about it, and the actual website.  No shame.

7.  Live and let live.  Sounds simple right? But what if you don't like how other people are living their lives?  What if you think they are making bad decisions?  What if I think I can fix it and them?  Live and let live.  Everyone has their own journey in life and if they make mistakes, they can learn from them.  I have learned tons from my mistakes.  Live and let live.

8.  This makes me so happy. 

9.  Jay has smiled a lot lately.  He did 2 hours worth of homework (sitting right beside me) and managed to keep a pretty good attitude.  I have managed to remain calm with him (for the most part) and talk him through situations that are overwhelming him.  It's been good with Jay.  Now Emory and Packy are another story.  Why is it that when one kid has a good week the other two have to show out?  No rest for a Mom trying her best.  Can you feel me?

10.  The Birdhouse will no longer be mine as of this Saturday.  All that's left there now are some Goodwill boxes, random items I have yet to box, and a basketball goal.  It looks sad.  On the other hand, the new house has life.  Lots of loud, crazy life.

Ten on Tuesday

1.  We are in the house.  Yea!  We have spent 4 nights (we only had one layover night at my mom's and that is pretty good for us) here and it just keeps getting better.  It is starting to feel like home.  The problem now is all of the stuff we still have at the old house.  We have a ton of non-essential items to move and lots to clean.  Next Friday is the day we hand over the keys.  Good bye old house!

2.  What is the first thing a man buys when he gets a new house? A new television, of course.  So we got ours.  I met Jason at Best Buy and he showed me the one he liked.  He also introduced me to the Direct TV guy that had him sold on Direct TV.  He told me about all of the great channels, the DVR, the free upgrades, and how it was going to be cheaper than Cox.  But what about the satellite?  He assured us that it was small and that no one would really notice it. Factor in the Best Buy gift card that you get when you sign up for Direct TV and buy a TV on the same day and we were signing up.  Later that night, at exactly 2:30am, I woke up in a cold sweat.  What if the people in our new neighborhood hate our giant satellite?  What if it is against a covenant and we didn't know it and now we are locked in to a 2 year contract? Did I sell out just because I really want a DVR?  After an hour, I went back to sleep.  The day the technician arrived to install the satellite I was at peace and ready to enjoy my DVR.  He walked around the house and came back and said "it won't work".  What do you mean it won't work? He said we have way too many tall trees and that unless he puts it in the middle of the front yard, it won't work.  So off he went.  And although I was irritated with the salesman, because he sold us (and really lied about some stuff), I breathed a sigh of relief because I would not have a satellite attached to my new house.  (Disclaimer: I, in no way, have anything against Direct TV or satellites on houses.)  Thank you God.

3.  Jason did go to Cox and get a DVR.  We are in business.  I like TV and I am not afraid to say it out loud.  Sorry. (Jason really wanted to get the Palladia channel or else I don't know if he would have gone to the Cox office.)

 

4. I have never known Emory to be a baby person but she is in love with Baby Lolly.  She wants to hold her every chance she can and if someone else has her, Emory is right up in their face.  The sweet thing is that Lolly loves her too.  She smiles and "talks" to her. 

5. Moving is crazy.  Having my sister here with all 3 of her kids is crazy.  My mom not being here to help is crazy.  These are a couple of quotes from my mouth this week:

   Jason, you have to come to Papa Johns and pay for the pizza.  I think I threw my wallet away at the Atlanta airport.  (I found it.)

   Mom, did you know the truck doesn't have break lights?  Packy and I are pulled over, pray for a warning.  (I did get a warning and a police escort to my house to make sure I parked it until the lights were fixed. Packy was worried I was going to jail.  I often threaten the kids that if they don't behave in the car or sit correctly, I will go to jail.  He was very quiet and still.)

6.  See Emory's picture?  That is how I see her 95% of the time these days.  She can't do anything without a cartwheel first.  I talk to her fanny all of the time.  It drives me crazy most of the time. 

7.  I know children get spring fever but is it OK if I have it?  I am over school.  I don't want to do homework.  I certainly don't want to do projects.  I am ready for sleeping in and beach time.  Come on summer!

8.  We had our pastor bless our house tonight. He read this:

Psalm 121

1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—

where does my help come from?

2 My help comes from the LORD,

the Maker of heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot slip—

he who watches over you will not slumber;

4 indeed, he who watches over Israel

will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The LORD watches over you—

the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

6 the sun will not harm you by day,

nor the moon by night.

7 The LORD will keep you from all harm—

he will watch over your life;

8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going

both now and forevermore.

9.  Today, I have been sober 2 years.  So grateful.  So thankful.  So happy to be living this life.

10.  Today, I have been married 14 years.  So grateful. So thankful.  So in love.



Ten on Tuesday

1.  Moving day is Thursday!  This means the movers will come and take our washer/dryer, refrigerators, and china cabinet.  We have already moved the beds and are sleeping on mattresses on the floor.  This is very exciting and very stressful.  Jason has basically made painting and moving his after work job for weeks.  This means I have been a single mom.  I have great respect for single moms because I am about to lose my mind.  This is the fourth time we have moved in our almost 14 years of marriage.  Each time we have more stuff and more kids.  I forgot how hard it is to cook when you are moving.  I am typing this at my mom's house and she is cooking dinner.  All of the kids are playing in the back of the truck in the driveway (Jay is watching SpongeBob).  I am tired.
2.  The toys in my house are shaking in their boots. They get fearful when all of the kids go to Tybee but they are really feeling the heat now.  If they don't have some kind of function or emotional significance they don't stand a chance of making it to the new house.  I am by no means a minimalist but I recognize that my family has way too much stuff and stuff suffocates me.  So if you haven't been used in a few months, you are expired, or I registered for you at Belk's in 1996, you are probably going into the Goodwill pile that is growing behind the couch.
3.  Last week I had metal on metal grinding resulting in a new rotor and new brake pads, I lost my phone (and you know I don't have an upgrade until the end of the summer), and Jason had his debit card number lifted from someone in Athens.  Stop. Breathe. Keep moving.  These are just life annoyances, not tragedies.
4.  I went to Atlanta on Saturday to continue my credenza search.  After looking at a great store in Decatur and another in Virginia Highlands and coming up empty handed I went back to the first store I went to a month ago.  The first credenza that I really liked was still there (I already knew it would be because I obsessively looked at it online) and after staring at it for about 10 minutes the lady asked me if I was OK.  I told her that I was not OK.  She gave me the old "let me see what i can do" and after a 15% discount she loaded the credenza up and put it in my car.  I am so relieved that the search is over.  If you come over to my house and see the credenza and wonder to yourself how I could put so much effort into it, just bite your tongue or fake it.  I love it.
5.  After my big credenza purchase, I went to IKEA.  IKEA on Saturday is crazy busy.  I had a list so I wasn't totally lost but this place is big.  I made the mistake of being hungry when I got there and went straight to the cafeteria.  Big mistake.  Swedish meatballs, mac and cheese, and chocolate mousse cake sounded so good.  And don't let me forget the Mountain Dew.  (Mountain Dew?  I haven't had one of those in a couple of years but I needed a soda and all they carry is Pepsi products.  I hate Pepsi and all of their products.)  So I woofed down the food eating a bite of each item (including the cake) and drinking some Dew each round until I knew it not the best move.  I don't really like shopping.  It makes me anxious.  Driving around Atlanta by myself also makes me anxious.  Anxious, adrenaline rush, and Swedish meatballs are a bad mix.  I survived but I was in pain.
6.  The other reason I was in Atlanta was to pick up mom and Josie.  She is here and she is having so much fun playing with the big kids.   Only one recorded injury.  She learned quickly that my people fight back.
 7.  I am totally out of my routine but I am doing the best I can.  I need spiritual, physical, and emotional feeding every day and since I haven't had it in a few weeks I am hanging on by a thread.  (Really, i am close to bat s&*% crazy but I am trying really hard to keep it together.)
8.  I happy that TLC's line up has Extreme Hoarding following Extreme Couponing.  There really is a fine line separating these two groups of people.  The couponers are super organized but still a tad on the crazy side when it comes to stuff.  I don't want so many groceries that I have to keep them in my closet with my clothes.  I also don't want to spend 5 hours at the grocery store and come home with 62 bottles of mustard.  It would take me a lifetime to eat that much and mustard is my favorite condiment. A great deal is great but these people spend way too much time planning how to get some free shampoo.  I'd rather just buy it. 

9.  I am trying really hard to not have "new house, new life" expectations.  In my head, our new house means I will be super organized, our kids will be super neat, and everyone will get along.  Ha!  The problem with that scenario is that we are taking US with us to the new house.  Us are the problem.  So, I can appreciate a fresh start, some serious spring cleaning, but I know that a new location is not a magic solution to all of our struggles.
10.  Along those lines, I have decided that my kids would fight over a piece of dog poop.  The sibling rivalry ramps up when a cousin is around,  She played with her longer than me.  She sat by her last time.  This is in addition to our usual fighting over who looked at me too long, who laughed when anything happened, who went in my room, and on and on and on.  And then there are the games.  Whoever touches ________ first wins is the game that makes me want to run down the road waving a surrender flag while crying and screaming.  I have totally banned the copying game because that can send me into a rage.  My people know if they copy, they are asking for it.  The school sent home some helpful hints last week to deal with sibling rivalry.  Thanks.  Here is another situation that I have to realize is a process.  One day they will love each other.  One day they will want to hang out together.  One day they will appreciate that God put together the family He wanted just for them.  Won't they?

Ten on Tuesday

If I wrote this yesterday or even early this morning it would have been so different.

1.  I went to meet a painter at 9:30 this morning.  He didn't get there until after 11:15.  I had already left after timing his last "be there in 10 minutes" and not being there.  I was almost home when Jason called and said he was there.  I was angry.  Betsy was going to The View today and I really wanted to watch it.  I let the painter in (without the tongue lashing I had told Jason I was going to give him) and when I got back in the car my phone was blowing up.  I saw your sister on TV with Whoopi.  What? I missed it.  I told her I wanted her to do that (an audience member always introduces the next guest) but had no idea that she was actually going to get to.  Beyond anger is what I felt.  I did some crying and some screaming (actual screaming) in my car.  I knew that I was going to see it, but the live moment was gone and I missed it.  So here it is and I am over it.  With painters, you get what you pay for and I am super cheap. (Press the triangle to play.)

2.  Speaking of my car, it is a rolling trash can. I don't care that it is old, but every time I clean it out, it is full of trash the next day.  I do care that my driver's side window does not roll down.  I am so ghetto in the Chick-fil-A and Starbucks drive-thru.  Drive in, hang out the door.  The Chick-fil-A people get irritated because they can't hear me when I am asking for ketchup thru the crack in my door. I can't be the only person whose window won't roll down in Macon, right? The thing is, it won't work for a while and then I get a Christmas miracle, and it's fine.  Seeing as how I hate to spend money on things like car windows, you can catch me rollin' ghetto at a drive-thru near you.  (This also explains why I don't roll down my window to talk to you if we are in a parking lot.)

3.  Someone who just started reading my blog said that they used to think I was "laid back" until they read this.  They said they had no idea how I stressed over stuff.  I would hate for anyone to think that I am constantly stressed out.  I promise I'm not.  I have never sweat the small stuff and still don't.  I do stress over my children and sometimes situations are just stressful.  There is a difference in stress and worry.  There is a misconception about being laid back.  Even the most laid back people have to deal with life.  I was once so laid back that it turned into not caring, and then to emotionally numb (chemically laid back=rehab).  Now I deal with each situation and part of dealing with them is this blog.  I didn't exactly intend for it to become this but it is working for me.  Writing things down removes the power they have over me.  I can deal with a stressful situation, share it with you, and move on.

4.  By the way, people always talk about how laid back Jason is.  Jason also has to deal with real life and is not as laid back as he appears.

5.  I hate loose paper but I always surround myself with notebooks.  If I don't write it down, it's gone. Currently I have a grocery list, Netflix list, Ikea list, stuff for Tony (our awesome handyman) list, everything I want to buy for the house list, a notebook for journaling, a notebook for taking notes at church, and a daily to-do list.  Can you tell why I blog a Ten on Tuesday? I think in list form. (I won't even start with my pen obsession.  If you have a good one and I am around, keep it close.  Just ask my Dad.) 

6.  Love HGTV especially Sarah's House and Secrets from a Stylist.  Hate Design on a Dime.

     Love Moon Sand (except for the sand everywhere).  Hate play-doh.

     Love So You Think You Can Dance.  Hate Dancing With the Stars (which is odd because I love stars.)

7. My local Benjamin Moore guy and I have gotten quite close these past few weeks.  I like to visit him about every other day.  I never buy enough white and you would not believe how many different greys there are (blue, green. brown....I often leave the store cross-eyed).  One day last week I grabbed another gallon of my favorite white and somehow knocked over another can.  I heard Benji yell "Did you bust it?" just as I looked down at the giant white puddle of paint at my feet.  Embarrassed does not even cover it.  I wasn't the only customer in the store and I got tons of reassurance that "it happens" but OMG.   What a mess!  Let me just say that Benji is awesome and I love Warno-Cam. 

8.  When I was little my mom left me in the car (remind me to tell you about my run in with a policeman when I left Jay and Emory in the car) while she went into Warno-Cam.  The guy who was mixing the paint asked who was driving the Audi that was rolling into the middle of Ingleside Avenue.  It was me playing in my mom's car.  I have a long history with Warno-Cam and would never go to another paint store.  Loyalty is one of my strong points. 

 9. My kids love to play in my parent's red truck.  We have had it at our house (since we started the never ending moving process) and they love to get in the back and pretend.  Yesterday Jay wanted to play warship with Packy in the back.  Emory wanted to play too and agreed to be the cook.  I wanted to take pictures.  What ended up happening is that I ruined Jay's game.  Emory decided not to be a cook but a model in the war.  Jay could not take a model being in the war.  He was so frustrated.  See the pictures below. Notice the salute?  Remember she was a war model.

10.  Betsy usually proof-reads this for me but she is so busy with her agent that I am going to have to publish without her approval. 

The Cabbage Patch kid will be here for a couple of weeks so watch out for her.  Like for  real....watch out.