A Summary of Sorts

This past week was our week with the kids. There are a lot of things we try to do when they are here to make them feel like they are 'home' for the week. Things that they can rely on and things they can roll their deep brown eyes at. After all, split custody is great in so many ways, but it makes it difficult for the children to have a place to call 'home'. I often hear them telling their friends that they are at their mother's house or their father's house. They don't visit either parent, they live one week with Dad and one week with Mom.

The "switch" time is Fridays after school. The amount of "stuff" my step children travel back and forth with is voluminous so one parent has to get to the other parent's house with a truck sometime on Friday and transport the "stuff". It's not like they need all of the "stuff", well that's not all true, Pookie (13) needs her "stuff", The Boy (11) just likes to have his "stuff" at home, at each home. And if it makes him feel more comfortable then its worth the schlep.

Friday night is when Pookie has a sleepover with her girlfriend(s). The Boy and his dad hang out. I stay out of everyone's way, schlepping humans and "stuff" if necessary. I usually make pot roast since it is Pookie's favorite.

This past Friday morning, before work, I was getting the pot roast ready for the crock pot and noticed that after I opened the box of Lipton's Onion Soup Mix there was only one envelope inside the box instead of two. The recipe calls for two envelopes, but I find that I get too gassy if I use both. And being gassy is just not lady like. After all, I have an image to uphold in this household; gassy stepmother is not that image.

I took the empty box with me to work and on my lunch break I emailed Lipton to let them know about the missing envelope. In yesterday's mail I received two free coupons for Lipton's Onion Soup Mix together with a nice letter from Chris Greene, Consumer Services Representative for Unilever and other valuable coupons for items that I use.

I can't help but feel a bit like a Proverbs 31 woman.

Monday nights are family night. We may have a family meeting first to discuss any concerns, rules or issues, then we play Catch Phrase.

Catch Phrase is an electronic game similar to the TV show Password. It is so much fun because we usually wind up laughing so much that our sides hurt.

This past Monday my husband had to give a clue to The Boy and all he had to say was, "Theresa does this all the time". Without skipping a beat The Boy answered correctly, "Clean".

What? I hadn't realized that that is their opinion of what I do all the time. I guess that is a better image than when I digest too much Lipton Soup Mix.

Pookie and I spend alone time during the week. We do a lot of talking about our lives. I was telling her how much I miss going out for ice cream, something we just don't do when it's constantly -10 degrees like it's been these past few weeks.

She suggested that we go (air quote) grocery (air quote) shopping one night after dinner....and when we get back without (air quote) groceries (air quote) we will just tell Dad that we ate them.

Hmmmm, I knew exactly what she meant.

Dairy Queen is quite a hike, but a girl has to do what a girl has to do and (air quote) grocery (air quote) shopping is what we just had to do. At dinner the next night Pookie asked me in front of her dad if we needed to go (air quote) grocery (air quote) shopping. I said , "yes, of course we need to go (air quote) grocery (air quote) shopping, I was going to go to the gym tonight, but I'm pretty sure that (air quote) grocery (air quote) shopping is much more important. Let's get ready to go."

"Hey, what's with all the air quotes?", my husband asked.

Nothing gets by that hunk of a man.

We went and had a good time. I love ice cream too much.

As time goes by things get more and more into a routine with the kids and our marriage. And that's a good thing. I love my life, I love my kids and how they are growing and I love my step children.

We are jelling as a family.

"Strength and dignity are her clothing, And she smiles at the future."

coffee time

Dear Coffee Drinker next in line,

You don't know me, and that's most likely a good thing. I only started drinking coffee last month when I turned 50; before that I only drank Pepsi in the morning. I figured it was finally time to grow up and join the coffee drinking masses.

I find that the coffee at 7-11 is pretty good especially with the International Delight French Vanilla creamer that sits on the coffee counter, so I treat myself to a cup of coffee there every so often.

Since I am a new coffee drinker and all, and since I am a spaz of ginormous proportions, I didn't realize that the top of the French Vanilla creamer isn't supposed to be removed. Unfortunately it wouldn't fit back correctly, so I just left it sitting precariously on top of the container.

I am so sorry that you probably didn't notice that it wasn't on there tight while you poured it into your coffee. Whatever the repercussions of my stupidity caused you - I am truly sorry. I know I should have alerted the coffee clerk, but alas, I was too embarrassed at my inexperience at coffee counter etiquette.

Again, sorry.

As they all say at 7-11, "Have a good one."

Very truly yours,

Yew Nork Babe

It's too Early for This

This is what I saw when I opened my email at 6am this morning:




Have you ever notice that when you start spending a lot of time with someone you start looking and acting like them?

Well, it's been 6 months since we got married and it's so true, they are starting to look and act like me.

Do you see why I'm sooooo stressed lately?????

Clearly they are out to drive me insane.

No Time for a Title

Oh my poor neglected blog.

If I could just give you one brief glimpse of my past week I know you'd all faint from exhaustion, or boredom, so I'll spare you, except to say it was really that tiring because trying to fit in working two part-time jobs without a break in between, keeping up with the house work, cooking and grocery shopping, being a newlywed and a step-mother to a child with behavioral issues (which for the first time in 3 years we had to deal with an issue directly relating to my supervision of him - and after much tweenage angst there was a positive break-through), and fitting in my wonderful Christmas present - a year membership to the gym, I had a melt down.

I guess I should have seen it coming.

Sometimes it is difficult for me to let go of trying to be a perfectionist in all I do. So I'm working on it. And I'm letting my family help because I don't have to do everything myself.

So that's where I've been.

Now I have to run.

I hope you have a wonderful 3-day weekend.....and be blessed.

Yo

The most important thing I learned today:

It's not a good idea to eat three helpings of the shepard's pie your husband made for dinner and then go directly to yoga class.

Nuff' said.

What Me Worry?

My mind is in a fog right now, more so than usual. My husband and I have been having trouble sleeping lately but last night we probably only got 3 hours of sleep. We discussed our worries at length between 12am and 4am. And we talked about our blessings.

Right now he is at work and I am home trying to keep calm while my step-son runs around the house bouncing off the walls until his medicine kicks in. He is very, very loud and being a pain to his sister.

Thankfully, my step-daughter is being a great help.

One thing that her and I do a lot together lately is watch tv shows. It seems that every show we watch mentions prom. Not "the" prom, just prom. When did "the" disappear and why wasn't I informed? I hear, "Bobby is taking me to prom" and "Tonight is prom, what am I going to wear?"

I never went to my prom, instead I went to Sunshine Acres, a Christian camp in upstate New York and worked as an assistant cook. I missed my graduation ceremony too.

I never realized how by making that decision my life would change, nor did I realize how important going to your prom was. I may not have experienced what normal teenagers do and have the wonderful memories and photographs to laugh at 30 years later, but that summer I learned how to prepare food, how to cook and, more importantly, how much God loves me.

He is my Father and I have to remember that He can carry my worries on His shoulders if I give them to Him. And I think that's what I'm just going to do today.