Notes in the Morning

One thing "they" don't tell you when you have kids is that you will never sleep the same again. Ever.
And, I don't just mean when they are babies. That's kind of a no brainer. New baby=no sleep.
But, toddlers have bad dreams, 10 yr. old girls have various, random maladies that necessitates middle of the night curing (usually Neosporin), and teenagers bring entire issues of their own.

And don't even get me started on the animals. Needing to go out. Needing to sleep on your face. Needing to run in a squeaky wheel that leads to nowhere. Needing to fill the entire bedroom with the most horrible aroma imaginable.

Needless to say, I haven't slept decent in 14 years. And, I love sleep. If I have to choose between chocolate or sleep, sleep wins. Hands down.
Lately, with my work hours, I'm lucky if Im in bed by midnight. Then, getting up early to get the boys off to school, doing school with the other two, then back to work, it's leaving me constantly craving a nap.

But, my 8 yr. old? He never sleeps. Okay, that's not ENTIRELY true. But, he's the last one to go to sleep and is up at dawn most mornings. School or not. And, amazingly, he is rarely tired. He goes 100 miles an hour all day,every day. He is like Hammy from "Over the Hedge" when he drinks the energy drink.

Most mornings, I get up to find him dressed and building with Legos. (Now, my 6 yr. old I have to LITERALLY, physically drag from bed, kicking and screaming. Never boring mornings here, I tell ya.)

Recently, the stars aligned and for whatever reason, there was a night when NOONE had to get up the next morning.

I begged Jarrett to please, please sleep in or at the very least, not wake us up!
"But, Mom, I am hungry when I get up"
"Well, eat a banana or any other quiet food."

Later, that night, after everyone was tucked in, I had the most brilliant plan. It was genius, I tell you.

I left a note where Jarrett was sure to see it upon getting up in the morning.
"Jarrett, there is a bowl of cereal on the table. There is a cup of milk in the fridge. Pour the milk into the cereal and eat! I love you!"

It solved everything. He could get up and not be hungry and I knew he would love "making" his own breakfast. And, I could sleep! See? Genius, right?

6:30 the next morning, I awake to Jarrett poking me on the nose. He leans close and says "Mom! Thanks for the note!!"

Totally missed the point, Hammy.

Oh well. Guess I can sleep......when the kids move out???

Indecent Proposal

There is an unwritten, unspoken rule that says a man can reach a certain age and us woman will find it adorable when they flirt with us. And our husbands will find it harmless.

A 60 yr. old man saying "Hi, beautiful." seems inappropriate but, add 20 yrs to that and it's considered "spunky".

At my place of employment, we not only have "old" people but we also have a few men and women that aren't that old and are only living there because they can no longer take care of themselves fully. Such as stroke and vehicle accident sufferers.
One lady is actually younger than my parents. Her 16 yr. old son comes by and visits after school or basketball practice.
Another man suffered a stroke and he is not much past 50. He has flirted and I do find it creepy and it makes me uncomfortable. To the point that I make sure I don't stand too close to him lest he touch me.

But, then there is another man, in his 80s, that calls all us girls "Babe" and has made comments that would make a sailor blush.

Then, then there is "Cowboy". An 85+ man that travels around on a motorized wheelchair. He wears a cowboy hat, always, with cowboy boots and if he's not smoking a cigar, he at least has one in his mouth. When I pass him in the hall, he always greets me with " Hi young-un." or "Whoo-wee! Looking pretty today!". Totally classy, right?

One evening, before dinner, another aide and I were in the dining room when Cowboy comes up and poured himself a cup of coffee. Now, this other aide is 19, super skinny. She also has a nose ring and burgundy hair. To these old people, she is preposterous in her appearance.

Cowboy turns to me and says "Hiya pretty lady."
Me: Hi! (blush, giggle)
Cowboy: You know, back in my room, I have a marriage license. It has 4 spaces on it for wives and I still have room for two more. What do you say?"
Me: Well, I say sure thing except for I'm already married.
Cowboy: Do you think he'd mind if I stole you from him?
Me: Probably not so much. But, I also have four kids. They'd have to come, too.
Cowboy: Four!! I don't know 'bout that. **turns to other aide** Hiya pretty lady. I got a marriage license....

So, in less than a minute, I was proposed to and then dumped.

And, it was adorable.

Ack With a Thousand Exclamation Points

April? How did we get here already? And, not even the teensiest part of April, but, the first week is almost crossed off. Time truly does fly when you're...

I'm not sure how to finish that above sentence, really.

Having fun? Certainly we've been having our fair share of that. Road trips where the kids argued and Jeven constantly tried to tell a knock-knock joke. When I finally had had enough and blew a gasket and yelled for everyone to hush up, it was silent for approximately 12 seconds. Then, a quiet voice from the back of the van, "Mom? Knock-knock?"

Busy? Duh. Certainly we've been busy beyond "normal". School. Church. Work. My brother and his family were here for Spring Break and I managed a few days off and we spent some time with them. (That should probably go in the "fun" category). My brother has found a woman that truly makes him happy and it was a pleasure to be around her and her kids. If you knew anything about my brother's past, you would perhaps appreciate that fact a little more.
But, being busy with everyday stuff definitely makes time fly by.

I've missed blogging and connecting with people here. I have gotten so excited to get an email that says " so and so has left a new comment on your post" only to be angry when it turned out to be from some stupid anonymous spammer.

I am hoping that I can get back to regular posting soon. My husband went back to work (yay!!) this week so I will be cutting back my hours (yay!! yay!!) giving me just oodles of free time (eye roll) to blog.

At least before Christmas rolls around. I hope.