I Got Me a Job

Well, it finally happened. I got me a job. Officially. Filled out the tax paperwork and everything. It's kinda funny how it happened. I was driving past this place Friday (the 26th)and there was a sign out front that said "Now Taking Applications". (It's like, literally, two minutes from the apartment) I figured what the hell, stop in and fill one out real quick. Had my first interview and the gal said, "you'll probably hear from me Monday". I thought, "and I'll hold my breath til then."

See here for explanation of this cynicism.

Lo, and behold while I was at the gym this morning, she called! When I got home, Hubby said, "Hey! They called! They want you to call them back." WOO-HOO! Sure enough, she wanted to do a second interview! Holy Crap. So I go down there and she says, "Let's skip the BS, I know I want to hire you. Here, fill out the paperwork and welcome to the team."

Right on.

So, kiddies, yours truly is now a Checkers employee. Yessiree, I am officially a burger-flipper-in-training. I get the cool hat and apron and everything. Smokin'! Man, I'll never get the kids to leave me alone, now. I am going to smell like a french fry. I'll be like the Pied Piper, with a trail of kids following me. "Hey, do you smell that? Mmm, french fries...."

All joking aside, I am immensely relieved to have gotten something finally. It may not be my first choice, but hey, they called when no one else did and we need the dough. So....

Welcome to Checkers! May I take your order?

Workin' Out....

...and whining about it later!

Well, Hubby and I have finally taken the plunge and joined the local gym. Yay!!! We've been saying for a long while (and several pounds) that we both need to start doing something about our weight and health, seeing as we both want to be here for our boys in the future. So, we went yesterday to sign up and today was my first workout.

Wanna see my muscles? *Rrrrr* There. I flexed for you. What? You couldn't see them? Oh, that's because they're hiding under all the flubber. And they have curled up in tears at the strain I inflicted on them today. You would be proud. Remember weight training? I swear, I heard Coach Gibbs shouting about Lizardheads and taking it on in.... I dunno. Anyhoo, you would be proud cuz I did upper, lower AND cardio. They have wicked cool weight machines at this place. My only problem is I did my workout in reverse. I did upper, then lower and then cardio. By the time I climbed limply onto the elliptical machine, my legs were screaming, "Bitch, you CRAZY!" So, cardio was cut depressingly short by an uncooperative bod. So, tomorrow, I will do cardio first and then weights. If I can get out of bed, that is...

My ass hurts.
My back hurts. (this may be also from actually falling out yesterday. Way crazy dizzy spell, and next thing I know, THWAP! Right on my ass on the linoleum. Scared the crap out of me AND Hubby.)
My quads hurt.

Ooh, but it's a good hurt.

Also in breaking news, my darling, loving, thoughtful, kick-ass Hubby bought me an MP3 player for motivation to work out!!!! I am so excited! I got the software loaded and got it charged, now I just need him to show me how to do the ripping thing for the music. I am not too techno savvy, so I will need help figuring it out. Woo-hoo!

We took Mouth and Booga to the apartment complexes Halloween party tonight, which was kinda fun and kinda lame. The haunted house would have been cool had I not turned into a total horror wuss while preggers with Mouth. I walked through by myself VERY close to a lady that had her kids with her (the monsters didn't jump out and scare to keep the kids *and me* from freaking) and couldn't wait to get out. Man, what the hell?! I used to LOVE this stuff! I can't watch scary movies (the scariest thing I can handle is SAW III) or hear a chainsaw without cowering like a three year old! (and some three year olds might look at me and say, "Grow up, Lady.") Luckily, they didn't have a chainsaw, (I might have wet myself) but they did have a power drill. Gave me chills, but no loss of bladder control. Anyway, Mouth got to have some cheesy poofs and brownies (what a combo!) and then we went on a hayride.

The hayride consisted of a pickup hauling a flat trailer with bails of hay on it. Not bad, really. It was cold, but hey, it is October in Michigan. So far, pretty good. Mouth and Booga were diggin' it. Now, throw in a handful of OBNOXIOUS fifth graders (yes, fifth graders) and it becomes the hayride from Hell. I swear, had I been that rude and obnoxious when I was that age, I would not be writing now, I would be worm food. Well, maybe not, but I would have needed extensive dental work at least. Bridges, caps, full plates, I dunno. Anyway, these were the mouthiest and loudest kids I have ever seen! it made my skin crawl at the thought of my boys turning into that. Nope, no way. Not happening. I felt for they guys that were in charge of the ride cuz you could tell they wanted to tell the kids to take a flying leap, but had to hold their tongue.

Where's a chainsaw wielding maniac when you need one? (oops, I gotta pee...)

Long Lost Friend and New Yarn

I am so excited right now. I was finally able to track down the most important person in my high school life. (Oh my gawrsh, I sound like some psycho stalker! Oooh, maybe I am....) My bestest friend (she will be called Carrie, and she will probably roll her eyes and snicker at the reference that only she will understand) and I lost contact mainly through fault that is mine own; that would be laziness regarding emails and IM's and self inflicted isolation due to depression and all sorts of toxic feelings. It kills me that I let our friendship peter off like that when she is one of the most important people to me. Okay, enough mush. We had the best time together in HS (at least I did) in the small burg that was Deming, New Mexico, a.k.a. the Armpit of the Earth. (I hated it) We wrote many, many stories and poems, and ate lots of Salsa Rio Doritos and drank gallons of Mountain Dew. (in case you haven't noticed, I have a memory like an elephant about details like that, however, I cannot tell you what I ate for lunch today or yesterday...) Bleah, enough blabbering on. She's awesome, I've missed her, and I hope to keep our friendship on track this time, LOL.

BTW, her blog is here.

Okay, now I ask, how cool is this: I got in the mail today, a skein of Vickie Howell's Love yarn! I am in love! It's a gorgeous silvery grey and super silky soft. Now I have to figure out what the heck to do with it! The gremlin in my head is shrieking "HOARD IT!!!!! KEEPS IT! TAKES IT OUT AND FONDLE IT ONCE IN A WHILE, BUT KEEPS IT!!!!" Yes the gremlin in my head sounds a bit like Gollum. Go figure.

Shut Up and Knit

I love that phrase. Hubby said it jokingly to me this afternoon as we were watching a movie and I said something that was my usual smart-assedness. Didn't even blink or twitch, just out with, "Shut up and knit." snickersnort Hee hee, love it! I think I shall re-name my blog that. SHUT UP AD KNIT. Has a ring, don'tcha think?

Do you have a relative that you love dearly, but at the same time wish you could slap the ever-loving shit out of? I do. She shall be henceforth referred to as.... uh....hmm. Well, Mom, I guess. Ha! You don't know her and can't tell her what I'm about to rant about! HaHA! No really, I do adore my mom. She's the kindest person I have ever met, but is still kinda stuck in the 50's. Old school values (nothing wrong with that) and VERY old school beliefs. That, I have been battling against my whole life. Take for instance, I called her to tell her of Mouth's results (See here) and she was like "Okay, but really, don't turn this into a thing where you make excuses for him and his behavior. he still needs discipline." DUH! And then, "You know when we were in AZ (she stayed with us for 6 months after Booga was born to help) and he was acting out with the screaming and hitting and kicking, I never saw any discipline that did anything to him. What he really needed was a good ol' ass swatting. Forget this time out crap."

Okay. (deep breath, Beth) Please please please, I don't care who you are, don't tell me how to raise my frickin' kids! I am doing the best that I can with a sometimes difficult child without resorting to beatings! Gimme a friggin' break. Mouth can be hard to discipline because he has no currency. Meaning, spankings don't work. Time out doesn't work. No TV doesn't work. Going to bed early doesn't work. When I say doesn't work, I mean there is no change in the offending behavior. He's back at it first chance he gets or if something triggers it. *sigh* I love my son and yes, there are times when I lose my temper and want to explode, but I do not and will not EVER beat my child into submission. Now, please don't take this as I'm saying my mother beat us. NO WAY, NO HOW, SHE DID NOT! I think it was one or two spankings in our life TOTAL . And that was three swats on the tush with a bare hand. That was all it took. We shaped up and didn't do it again. Mouth isn't wired that way. He's different. I just don't think she gets that.

I know she means well, but really. Come on, educate yourself and try to be understanding before you pass judgement on how I'm raising my sons.


P.S. Stew-boy, I have a pattern for your jaunty tam o' whatever. *ominous chuckle* What color do you want?

Mouth's Appointment Results

For those of you that don't know our family, our eldest son, Mouth, has had some issues with some delays in development, I guess you could say. When he was screened for preschool in AZ, he was placed in special ed. due to a significant speech delay (he was tongue tied at birth), some motor delays and social delays. He is doing much better, but has had some large problems with tolerance to frustration and "behavioral issues". His school in AZ mentioned possible Aspberger's Syndrome, which is on the Autism Scale. So, when we moved up here, we took him to the BRAINS Institute and had him screened. We found out today, he does not appear to have Aspberger's, but instead has Dyspraxia, which is a Sensory Processing Disorder. Now, I don't know exactly what that means, as I have to further educate myself about it (thank God for the Internet), but from what I gathered at our meeting, he has problems telling his body what to do or how to do things. For instance, his room is a disaster (which it often is, and so was mine when I was a kid) and I tell him to clean it up. He starts to and then gets upset, stating "I can't." I used to get angry and say,"Well, if you made the mess then surely you can clean it up." Well, today, I found out he really can't. It's too much stimuli (visually and conceptually) for him to handle and he shuts down. I will need to go in and sit with him and say,"Okay, pick up the puzzles and put them in their boxes. Now stack the boxes on the shelf. Gather up these guys and put them in their box. Put the costumes in the tote" and so on. One or two step instructions are key. And praise and thumbs up are HUGELY important.

It's scary because I don't know a lot about it yet, but I know that with our diligence as parents, Hubby and I will be able to give Mouth the help and encouragement he's going to need.

Okay, on a lighter note, I am still working on those socks for my sister. I've turned the heel and have started shaping the gusset on the second of the pair and can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel. Woo-hoo! Then I need to get crackin' on the dishcloths I promised Mom for Christmas. I just realized tonight that I have, like, a dozen skeins or so of various colored dishcloth yarn (100% cotton) in my stash. Holy shee-it. That's a lot of friggin' dishcloths.

And I hate doing dishes.

It's been a while, eh?

Well, I have returneth. It's rather funny when I think that I *tsk* and roll my eyes when my fave bloggers haven't written in like four days, and here I am, four days since my last entry. snickersnort Shame on me.

Well, there is a very good reason for the lapse in writing. I was actually trying to keep myself from melting into a panic-stricken, snot running, eyes streaming, puddle of bleah (or puddle of Beth) after going on line to look at medical sites about some symptoms I'd been having for quite sometime and have finally gotten too painful literally and figuratively (as in ass). I won't bore you or gross you out with the details, but in short, every symptom I have brings up.... dum da da DUM.... Breast Cancer. So, I thusly freaked and called the GP that Hubby has seen, fully expecting to get the "We'll see you in six to eight weeks" spiel, but no, they had to further panic me and tell me to come in the next day. Huh?!? Argh! *gulp* *whimper* Well, long story short, I went in, he doesn't believe it to be cancerous (he mentioned perhaps still wanting to do a breast ultrasound... maybe it's pregnant? woo hoo! Hubby will love that. Little baby breasteses running around) and is sending me to a dermatologist who may or may not want to do surgery. So, in a nutshell, that's been my week so far.

On a lighter note, Vickie Howell mentioned my blog on her site! How cool is that? Well, okay, so it's typo'd, but I left the correct address in her comment thingy. Anyway, I still think it's pretty damn cool.

Also, another reason I've been MIA is I got my invite to Ravelry and promptly got sucked in. LOVE IT!! Can't... seem....to...resist......gotta go! Peace, love, and chicken grease.

Long talks and the introduction of Mouth and Booga

Well, adoring fans, I have returned from my little runaway kinda weekend, and I could use another weekend to recover from the first one. Five-ish hours in a car down to Illinois for a giant pain in the butt, BS, legal matter just plain sucks buttermilk. (Add to that, a 2 1/2 hour round trip to collect my mom to watch Mouth and Booga. Bleah.)

Spending a little quality alone time with Hubby was faboo, as we got to have an actual conversation without being interrupted by a loud "I'm hungry" or "Booga is chewing on his toy!" (the latter in a tone clearly implying that this is in fact something that could very well end the world as we know it.)

Ah, who is Booga? Well, Booga is our 11-month old boy who can put the food away like nobodies business. And he chews on EVERYTHING. This kid has been teething since 2 months of age (I shit you not) and still has not popped a tooth yet. Unbelievable. It doesn't hinder his eating, that's for sure. He eats anything put in front of him. Pizza, pasta, smoked sausage, chicken, potatoes, pineapple, lint, food off the floor, his brother, paper... the list goes on and on.

Mouth is our five year old boy who has earned the name Mouth by using his. Constantly. Never-endingly. I thought I had a mouth for sass when I was a kid. Sheah. He puts me to shame. He's always got to have the last word (as do I, so this can go on for a while), talks back constantly, has taken to cursing, (the phrase that makes me wince, because I am supposed to be a Christian and it slips past my lips too often, is "G** D*** it!" Ack!!!! Bad Momma!!!!!!!). The big problem? It's been said at school. (Hanging my head in shame. Not ashamed of him, but of myself. He heard it from me, and kids will repeat what they hear at home.) And he has no currency. This meaning, we can take away T.V. No effect. Toys? Nope. Play time outside? Nyet. Books? Nuh-uh. A swat on the butt? We receive a dirty look and a guilty conscience, but no behavior change. *sigh* Now don't get me wrong, Mouth is by no means a beast. I adore him because he is the most loving, compassionate little boy I have ever met. (I may be biased, but I speak the truth) If one of us doesn't feel well, he's the first there with hugs and kisses. I laid on the floor to nap one Sunday afternoon while Hubby watched football, and Mouth got up out of his comfy chair, pulled a blanket out of its cubby, and covered me with it most quietly and tenderly. Made me sniffle with Momma-pride. He ADORES his little brother and even though he can get a little jealous, he is always watching out for Booga. We recently found out Booga has an allergy to eggs (I think the huge hives covering him were the first clue) and Mouth was worried sick the entire time Booga had the hives. He couldn't really put in words that he was worried, but his actions spoke volumes. He took VERY good care of Lil' Bro.

Anyway.... what was I talking about originally? Oh, conversation. I've missed it. It's so nice to talk to another adult and not have to include cartoon character names or speak in a sing-song. I have caught myself doing it anyway, much to Hubby's amusement. I actually said "Night-night, Baby" one evening when he was working nights. (He goes to bed at 7 or so in the evening, so I always go in and say goodnight.) I didn't just SAY it, I sang it in the Momma voice. It sounded like, "Ny-Niiiight, Bay-bee. " *sigh*

We actually talked after we turned out the lights for, like and hour and a half. It was awesome. It really felt like we reconnected. I didn't realize how much I missed Hubby! He hasn't gone away, but it's like, "Hey! Remember me? I'm your wife. Yeah, I know, I've been MIA a bit. You know, raising kids kinda puts Hubbies on that back burner, unfortunately. How've you been? Great! Yeah, we should definitely do this again! How's three years from now?"

Anyhoo, I should get some sleep, so later y'all!

P.S. Stewby-- DPNs are double pointed needles used for knitting round things, like socks, hats, gloves, etc. They come in various materials, like bamboo, aluminum, and plastic. I suppose you could eat them, bit I wouldn't want to be your gastroenterologist. Eek.

Job Hunting

Okay, so a part-time evening job is needed for some extra dough. So, that means filling out applications at various places that I wouldn't feel like skewering myself through the eye with a size four DPN after a shift. Hmmm. That would leave.... uh.... favorite craft store (HL), BIG well-known grocery store here in MI, and that store that has everything and everyone wears red.

So I filled out and dropped off an app at HL like a month ago. Uh, hullo? No call. Grr. You'd think that with my addiction to all things crafty and actual KNOWLEDGE of said things, they'd be jumping up and down to have someone like me. Nope. Apparently, they'd rather hire teenagers that look at you like you've got a second head when asked about the location of blocking pins. Fine. Scratch that one.

So, then, last week I went to a job fair at above mentioned grocer and did the app and got an interview on the spot. Cool. Seemed promising as the woman I spoke to (Gracious Lady K) wanted to do an immediate second interview, but alas, it was too late and there was on one available to do one. "We'll call you probably tomorrow to set up another interview." Woo-hoo!!!! Hopes up, crossed fingers..... no call. I call them. Get run around as who to talk to about app status (i.e., "talk to Bobbie-Sue tomorrow." Call for Bobbie-Sue. "She's not here." "Okay, when would be a good time to reach her?" "Next week. Vacation." ARGH!!!!) and then keep calling until I get someone real. He says (and I really want to give his name and tear him up one side and down the other, but I will refrain) "Great! Yes, I can do an interview Monday at 12:30." I agree and ask Hubby if he can come home for lunch to watch the boys on that day. He agrees, and I cross fingers and pray and light candles and do good luck dances and wear thirty rabbits feet until Monday. I get dressed up ( I shaved my legs and put on make-up dammit!!) and go in only to have the customer service gal call him and look at me like I'm crazy. "Are you sure you have an interview?" I nod. She relays my nod and hangs up. I stand there for ten minutes in shoes that are killing my feet, trying to look patient and relaxed when what I really want to do is sit down with a steaming cup of Starbucks and flip the customer service lady off as I sip. Then she comes up to me and says "Uh, he says he has no idea who you are, he did NOT speak you or set up this appt. and he can't find your app. Go fill out another one and speak to Gracious Lady K." Say WHAT!? Okay, did I just get sucked into "let's see if we can drive Beth insane world"? But I just nod and smile saying, okay, sure. Anyway, I talk to Gracious Lady K and she agrees to look for my app and give me a call. No call. So we have to pick up a few things tonight for dinner, and decide to go to that store. Lo, and behold, another job fair is going on. So I trek my big ol' butt back there to the corporate fairgrounds and wait to speak to someone. And wait. And wait. I see Gracious Lady K and make eye contact and smile.

I get tired of waiting (there are two tired kids and a hungry Hubby waiting for me) and grab the first Shirt that walks by. IT"S HIM!!!! The deny-I-spoke-to-you-to-try-and-make-you-think-you're-surely-losing-your-mind guy! I really wanna kick him in his balding pointed head, but just smile and say my name and ask if I can check the status of my app. He says "sure, let me take your number and I'll check and call you." Hiccup. I tell ya, I never needed a bottle of Boones Farm Strawberry Hill as bad as I did right at that moment. So, needless to say I get to play my favorite game of all, The Waiting Game. Yay.

*yawn* Well kiddies, it's time for me to hit the sack cuz I have to go get my mom in the AM to watch the boys for us Thurs and Fri. So, for all of my millions of readers out there, try not to weep as I miss a few days of posting. I shall return!

My very first blog entry

Hey there! This is my first attempt at blogging, and I am seriously wondering if there's even anyone out there who would want to read about lil' ol' me!

Hmmm... me. Well, I am a stay at home mom to two crazy boys; ages five and a half and eleven months. I am happily married to a gem of a guy (seven years!!! Yay, us!), and when I say gem, I mean it! Who else would put up with my schizophrenic hobby habits? I mean, I started out crocheting, then stamping, sewing, scrapbooking, cross-stitching, scrapping again, cross-stitching again, crocheting again, throw some quilting in there, and then add knitting. Ah, knitting! I started out on dishcloths, then scarves, and now socks. Hee hee! I love me some socks! And I am a self admitted yarn pig, yarn ho, whatever ya wanna call it. If there's sock yarn to be had, I'm gonna get it. Somehow. Come hell or high water, I WILL get it, heh. Poor Hubby. Had he only known of my expensive habits, he might not have wed this addict of all things crafty.

I have started on my fifth pair of socks; these being knit for my sister. The yarn is Tofutsies (LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!!!!) and I'm doing it on 2.5 mm bamboo DPN's. Now I gotta tell ya, I am NOT loving the needles. They are way too bendy and have become warped in my hot little hands, causing me much sighing, wrinkling of the nose, cursing under breath, and thoughts of chucking them out the window. *sigh* Other than that, I am loving the way they are turning out. The colorway is a pretty variety of rose and pink shades (don't have the label in front of me, too lazy to get it) and I really dig how it's striping up. I might have to get me a ball of the same and then we'll, like, totally match! Heh.

Once I figure out how, I will try and post pics of said socks.

Well, my hands are getting snarky as this is the most I've typed in say, years, so I will close now. Hmmm. Wonder if anyone will read this...........