The Attitude

O is getting a serious attitude.

Unfortunately for him, he is feeling like he is entitled to do whatever he wants to do whenever he wants to do it when he is at home. Finishing homework after school becomes a debate: "I'll do it later." He says. "You'll do it now so we can relax later." I say. And he must continue to debate the topic until I want to scream. This attitude has poured over into other areas. The other night he kept arguing with me about wanting to eat his dinner in front of the tv after I had already let him play Wii for 2 hours. Sometimes we eat in front of the tv. Most of the time we don't. He was insistent that he get to eat in front of the tv that evening. I finally had enough of it, took away his remaining dinner (he was pretty much done anyway) and sent him to bed because of his argumentative attitude. It was 7:15 pm.

C arrived home not 30 minutes later, heard what had transpired and went up to have a chat with him. He was dead asleep. When I teased him about it the next morning, he said, "Didn't you hear me when you said I had to go to bed last night? I told you 'good because I'm tired anyway'." That didn't really start the day off well.

Last semester I had arranged to have him go to a friend's house after school on Fridays when I was doing my observation in the clinic. It was just one semester. 15 weeks. That semester is over. However, he insists that he still must go to his friend's house every Friday. Every Friday morning there is a debate about it. Every Friday after school there is a debate about it. He also gets off of the bus every night announcing that one of his friends will be coming over to play. I keep telling him that no one comes over to play until I've discussed it with one of their parents. This is followed by statements like, "That's not fair!" "You never let me do anything." And so on.

C is getting the same attitude when he is home alone with the kids. We are both done with it. He had a discussion with O last night about gratitude. He believes O is sort of getting the idea but we really need to drive it home. So, this weekend will be a confirmation of the "you never let me do anything" statement. Besides the already planned activity of racing his Pinewood Derby car for Cub Scouts on Saturday morning, he will not be playing with friends, playing Wii nor will he be eating in front of the tv.

I really hope we all live through the weekend.

A quiet rainy morning at home for me. Do I catch up on DVR programs or study in peace? Hmmmm..... Tough decision. Or I could always clean the house. NOT!

People who insist on driving in the left lane on the hwy and refuse to move over to let others pass need to be smacked hard up side the head.

Is it Monday? I washed my face with conditioner in the shower.

Great Facebook quotes this week

" You cannot teach a person anything; you can only help them find it within themselves." -Galileo

"I make mistakes, I am out of control at times and hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure don't deserve me at my best." -Marilyn Monroe

Whatever you give a woman, she will make greater: Give her sperm, she will make a baby; give her a house, she will give you a home; give her groceries, she will give you a meal; give her a smile, she will give you her heart. She multiplies and enlarges what she is given. So if you give her any crap, be ready to receive a ton of shit. -Unknown

Freaking child care place we've used for 5 years suddenly has a $40 "membership fee" & raised the 20 hour package price from $85 to $110 overnight!! Grrrrr....

Absolutely gorgeous here today! Got the windows open, bedding hanging out in the sunshine...ahhhhhhh :)

Ghosts from family photos past

Just for fun, here are our family photos from Dec 2006:

And Dec. 2005

I loved my hair long in the 2006 photos but it began to thin and fall out not long after that photo--damn hormones! My hair was really curly when I was pregnant with each kid and for months afterwards. Strange what your body does huh?! And where is C's gray hair??!!!!

Obviously, the kids have changed a lot.

Happy New Year!

We've been lax at getting holiday cards out for the past 2 years. Just wanted to touch base with everyone to let you know we are still alive here! We LOVE getting your cards, photos and updates. Each of you is in our thoughts often. We wouldn't be who and where we are today without all of your influence in our lives so thank you!

O is enjoying 2nd grade this year. He plays baseball in the fall and spring and is at the machine pitch level now. He loves it, does a great job and is fun to watch. He also started Cub Scouts this year and is enjoying all of those activities. He loves watching most any sport on tv, anything Star Wars, playing with his friends and playing Wii.

M started pre-K this fall and seems to enjoy it. She is a girly-girl and always has to wear a dress. She is in her second year of dance classes where she is continuing to learn ballet and now tap. She is such an entertainer and is a joy to watch. She is going to try her hand at t-ball this spring. She loves drawing pictures, dancing, singing and playing Wii.

C is forever busy at work dealing with various aspects of the exercise equipment on the International Space Station. Some days are long and stressful with a schedule full of meetings with co-workers, managers and international partners. Somehow he manages to keep it together and does great work. He enjoys doing all kinds of activities with the family and playing Wii.

T is in her 3rd year of grad school studying Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. Hopefully (fingers crossed!) she will have graduated, passed her board exams and started treating patients by Summer 2012. She spends much of her time just trying to keep her head above water between the house, family, school and work. She still has a thriving part-time massage practice and always has a full schedule. She enjoys relaxing with the family and playing Wii.

We hope 2010 brings much health, happiness and love to each of you!

Lunch with my boy at school. Gotta get these times together now before he is embarrassed to be seen with me.

My dear, sweet family who I love tons is all off of work and school today. I have classes tonight. I can't get anything done.

Handwarmer Mug

I bought this awesome mug at Craig's cousin's store in Belmont, NY last summer. I absolutely love it! I tote it around with me to school and I bought it for that purpose because I love having hot tea during class and I was worried that the handle would break off of the normal mugs I own from traveling back and forth to school. I get so many comments and questions about this handwarmer mug that I finally thought to look up their website so I could pass along the info. They are beautiful and practical! They are made in Oregon by Clay In Motion pottery.

Toyota Center does not change their concession prices based on the event.....obviously.

Ready for Houston Aeros Hockey vs the Ice Hogs!

Walking in to the frozen food aisle and having the lights turn on in the cases makes me giggle for some reason.

Oh wait! I have my Wyoming sweatshirt and hat on. I'm just channeling home!

Dang! Didn't wear a jacket to the bus stop to pick up O. Not freezing yet but certainly uncomfortable with no jacket and the wind.

Reminder to me: baby steps

I woke up this morning feeling very negative and disappointed in myself. You see, my semester officially begins today but my classes this semester are on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday so I have one more day. But I had had big plans to get some things accomplished around the house during my break. The major project was to sort, purge and organize the kids' toys. They are taking over the house and the kids don't seem to know how to clean them up or where to put them. I was able to spend one afternoon before Christmas going through some things in the play room but I didn't get very far. It is a HUGE undertaking and one that I think will be most productive when the kids aren't here to protest when I dredge up toys they haven't played with for a year.

So, waking up and realizing that my break is coming to an end with so much left to accomplish, I was feeling like a failure. Again. Can't keep up. Why do I do this to myself? Then I remembered last year I vowed to take the Fly Lady's advice and take baby steps. With so much to do, it is easy to feel overwhelmed. When I feel overwhelmed I give up because I feel like I'll never get it done so why even try to begin? But, the Fly Lady suggests setting a timer for 15 mins every day and work on one project. After several days/weeks/months (depending on the size of the project), it will be completed. Then you move on to the next project. Break it down into manageable size and take it on in small chunks. It makes so much sense so why can't I do it? I need to just work on new habits. I have to be ok with sorting through one small box of toys each day for 15 mins then setting it aside until the next day. It will get done quicker that way than if I wait until I have more time to complete it in one sitting.

So, that is my major goal for 2010: baby steps, baby steps, baby steps.

Biggest Loser night!

Beware

I often hesitate to post because I think that what I have to say isn't that interesting. Or that posting every little thing that comes to my mind is beyond narcissistic. However, I LOVE reading what my friends are doing through blogs, Twitter and Facebook. It makes me feel like I'm part of their lives more even though we are separated by time and/or area. Also, I tend to close myself off from others while, at the same time, I long for some connection or companionship throughout the day.

So, with all of these things combined, I figure I'll post more mundane thoughts, happenings and comments. Hope you all can take it!

Dog just woke me up barfing on our bed. Damn rawhide bone anyway. Quilt is is the washer. I'm so annoyed at the sleep disruption I can't go back to sleep.

Vacation is over. Time to cut my fingernails for work. That is usually the last sign of reality returning for me!

Finally on the ground in Houston!

Hello San Diego! You are looking beautiful this evening! Ok, gotta go now!

M likes to practice the crash positions shown on the emergency card. She knows where to find her life vest. What a little flyer she is!

Wheels down in Tucson.

Almost time for wheels up. Ugh. I have a headache. Sounds like we bounce through Tucon before hitting San Diego.

Explaining to the kids that our time on the planes will be longer. O says, "cuz we have to go to Canada." I said, " close, its actually California."

@spasmunkey: thanks. On the adventurous side, we'll be traveling to San Diego before we head back to Houston today!

Since our flight is boarding and we are still in line to check bags, I think it is safe to say we will miss our flight. It is going to be a long day.

Bye-bye Cheyenne! Catch ya next trip.

A very happy New Year to all! Much love and happiness in 2010!