So many things have been going on in the past few months. I don't have time for a long entry right now, but I really need to get everything off my chest and out of my head.

1. Will is now five. He's in Kindergarten and growing up so fast. His teacher actually wanted to skip him to First grade, because his reading and math skills are well above the average kindergartener. He's reading and comprehending on a 2nd-3rd grade level, and his math skills are 1st-2nd grade. He is telling time and writing in cursive. Yes, cursive. I know, right?? Kid's a freakin' genius, I tell ya.

2. We found out that all the problems Mama (Pam) has been dealing with were the result of a stroke she suffered last year. It has knocked us for a loop, and she's adjusting, but it's still difficult. It's gonna be a long process, and there's a chance she might not ever restore her short-term memory to 100%. But we're learning to deal with it, and she's doing better.

3. Nanny was diagnosed with cancer. My 27-year cancer surviving grandmother was diagnosed with cancer. Talk about a kick in the balls. It surprised everyone, because she never gets sick. Ever. Even her doctor said she is completely healthy, except for the cancer. Luckily within a week of being diagnosed, she had surgery to remove most of it. There are still a few spots where it has spread, but they can't do anything about that until after her chemo treatments, and those are scheduled to being the first of next year. Of course I'm freaking out, because it's my Nanny. And her father and sister both died from colon cancer. But unlike them, Nanny is healthy and stubborn as hell.

4. I went shopping with mom for my birthday and Christmas presents, and it was awesome! I loved it because we haven't been able to spend much time together lately, and also because I got to pick out my gifts. I got some awesome new tops and a couple cute dresses.

5. Hubby and I got to go out for dinner on our anniversary. It was a nice, albeit short excursion. But I loved that for once, we actually got to do something ON our anniversary, not days after.

6. Thanksgiving has been nuts this year. Because Nanny's been a bit weak, mom and I decided to tackle cooking the big dinner. It was insane, but we had a good time. Then we had to rush to the Barnett dinner. Everyone was there, except for Jess (who is still in Kyrgyzstan). We did our Christmas gift exchange, and I got awesome pillows.....even though I stole them from Mama, lol. Then we headed to Winchester on Friday for leftovers, and had another great time. We got to see some family we hadn't seen in years, and are looking forward to Chinese Christmas this year!!

7. I got most of the house cleaned by Sunday, and even got my tree up! It still isn't decorated, and there are boxes of decorations everywhere, but the holiday season is officially here! I just hope to get the house decorated so I can focus on work and making everyone's gifts.

There are a million more things, but those are the most prominent. I promise to fill you guys in on all the details...later. Now I'm off to be SuperMom and get the sick kiddos in bed.

I spotted this on the way to the bus stop this morning!

I've been working on completing a few projects lately, and I've made some progress. I'm not going to divulge too much though, for fear of jinxing everything.

( Update after the break... )

That is all for now. I'm hoping to start writing more frequently, since there's going to be quite a few changes taking place. I promise, you'll hear more from me soon!

I haven't had much time to update lately, so I've got a lot to talk about.

( The last few weeks..... )
Since then, I've been trying to get back into the swing of things here. It's still hit-or-miss, but I'm trying. There's a few other things I want to talk about, but it'll have to wait for another post. This one has taken me a few hours already. I just don't have the motivation for writing like I used to.

 

I've not been inspired to write much lately, but the Hubster says I need to update my blog, so here goes.

Places/things I've been/done:

• W graduated preschool. He is officially a Kindergartener - which makes me kinda sad. :(
• Half the damn family has been sick with a stomach flu or some shit.
• I got to babysit Chunky Munky, a.k.a. Camden!!
• Had a blast at the Derby with Alex, Landon, & Hubs. I took a ton of pictures, too.
• I made two pretty fabulous Mother's Day gifts for Mom & Nanny this year.
• Hubby got to go with Punkin on a school field trip. We went to the zoo & had a wonderful time!
• Had another major health scare in the family, but it turned out ok. (Things definitely travel in threes.)
• There are at least three adorably fat baby Robins in a nest right outside our front door.
• I have not planned anything for Wen's bachelorette party, and it's less than a month away.
• I am glad Wen's getting married, but I want it over already! All the planning and preparing is taking a huge chunk of my summer from me. :(
• My web design skills are improving nicely.
• I'm house-hunting, even though I know we won't be able to buy anything anytime soon. It just infuriates me that we're at this point in our lives and still don't have a house of our own. Especially when there are two wonderful ones here in town that would be perfect for us.
• We still have a horrible babysitter situation, which sucks. Hubs & I figured it out that the last time we had an entire night to ourselves without the kids was May of 2008. How shitty is that??

Ok, well I think that about wraps it up.

I haven't been this disappointed and upset in a long time. Hubster had a tooth extraction today, and the standard rule is that you aren't supposed to smoke for 48 hrs, preferably at least a week. I know smoking is considered an addiction/habit and is difficult to quit. But what is it about cigarettes/nicotine that makes him want to prolong the healing process?? Every website I've read (with him, btw) has clearly stated that it can take longer for the mouth to heal and that it can cause dry socket.

To me, it seems like common sense - "Should I.....A) Stop smoking for the recommended time so that my pain will be minimal?.....or.....B) Continue smoking like I normally would, and deal with the pain that I am inevitably causing myself?

Um, let's think about this.....pain, or no pain? I'm going to be intelligent and say NO FUCKING PAIN every damn time. Why does he think I'm controlling him just because I'm trying to get him to follow the doctor's orders? (And yes, he actually said that to me.) I have given up trying to persuade him to quit smoking. He promised Z that on January 1st, 2005 he would stop. After getting through a day and a half without any cigarettes, he caved. Oh, and instead of sticking with the plan, he thought, "Screw it. I've already failed." 

 Around Christmas, I started getting sick - I'm talking "allergic reaction" sick. I narrowed it down to the smell of cigarette smoke. I explained this to Hubs, and things were ok. He stopped smoking around me, and I noticed things - little things, like how my clothes smelled like laundry detergent instead of smoke. It was refreshing, and allowed us both to be happy, because he could continue with his habit, and I could still breathe. Well, somewhere along the way, he reverted back to smoking in the house, around me and the kids all the time.

I don't expect him to quit completely, because he's proven that when it comes to smoking, he has absolutely no willpower whatsoever. I don't even expect him to wait the minimum 48 hours. The last time he had oral surgery, he barely made it half a day. Now, after six hours, he's already had three cigarettes. I tried not to cry or bitch, but it just hurts too damn much. Why should I be the one to care more about his personal health than he does? Oh I don't know, maybe because I love him? For fuck's sake, just do something else - anything. Eat a piece of candy (that could potentially start another bad habit, but it'd be better than smoking), play a video game, just do SOMETHING other than smoke.

Sorry for the rant. He is being pissy, which in turn, is causing me to be bitchy as hell. I really don't give a shit what he does anymore, it just pisses me off that he has such little compassion for my feelings.

I know I haven't updated in a while, but there's been a lot going on lately.

 

 

( Here's a recap of the past month. )

Goal #89: Do something special for Hubby once a month (make him something, cook his favorite meal, etc.)  (1/33)

I did it! During a convo with Alykat, I had the idea to make the Hubster a bed pocket to keep his army of remotes in check. So I excitedly searched for bed pocket images on google, and found a few inspiring ones. Only when I decided to measure the bed, did it dawn on me...our bed sits directly on the floor - therefore, the pocket won't hang like it's supposed to. *DUH*

Not one to back down from a challenge, I came up with this idea.  We had this little table that he uses as a nightstand, so I thought, "Aha!" 

                                              

                                              


I think I might add one big pocket to the left side, just to counter-balance the weight of the massive remotes. (Eventually I will add more details, so that it looks less bumblebee-ish and more Egyptian, lol.)

Okay, so yesterday was my first day of working on my goals list. Despite not getting much accomplished, I feel like I made a pretty good start! Now, if I can just stick with it, everything will be great. I didn't get to post my first entry last night because I was kinda stressed out, but I did #8 (practice one stress-relieving technique every day) and felt much better!

I ate toast and sausage for breakfast (instead of pop-tarts), I folded and put away the laundry when it was finished (as opposed to piling it in the corner, and just digging through it whenever I needed something), did dishes, made italian food for dinner, and put away all the presents from underneath the tree. AND I started my first book! I know it might not seem like much to anyone else, but it is a HUGE improvement over what I would normally do.

So in a wrap-up:

Yesterday
#2: make better eating choices
#8: practice one stress-relieving technique every day
#13: read at least 10 books (started 1/1o)
#45: put away laundry as soon as it's done
#46: keep the kitchen cleaner
#66: cook one ethnic meal a week

Today, so far
#68: get ready (incl. hair & make-up) every single weekday
#78: write in my journal every day

Here's to starting off with a bang....let's just hope it continues!