The Bug now likes her Ladybug costume. She wants me to help her put it on and take it off continually. She hands it to me, puts her arm out, slides it on, wants me to help her put the hood up, giggles, grabs at the hood, desperatly tries to rip it off, puts in on the floor, giggles, picks it back up and starts the process all over again. That's my girl..............

I am having an issue with the mother of one of Whatever's classmates. She keeps calling to get homework that her daughter has missed. She asks details that I just don't know because...IT'S NOT MY HOMEWORK!!! She wants to know what Whatever thought of the handout and if Whatever understood the packet. It is almost as if she is doing this homework for her kid. She called last night and left a message in a panic over some stuff. Now I do keep up online of Whatever's grades and I can tell if she has missed anything. As far as I am concerned, I did 7th grade, no need to do it again. Whatever is responsible for her work, if she messes up or misses something, she needs to suffer the consequences. I spent some time with both mother and daughter for a project 2 years ago. We met at the library and I left Whatever and the friend in the kids section with their materials and went to do my own thing (the mother had to run an errand). I didn't go far but let them do it themselves. I went to check on them and this mother was sitting there typing their paper!!! Not just what they had wrote, but adding her own ideas too. What good is this for your kid? This girl is 13 and acts like she is 5.

Oh well.....it's raing here, has been for two days. I want to curl up and snuggle in the bed with my Bug. Guess I will get some work done instead.

In the bag...........

The Bug getting a ride from

The Saint in an LL Bean bag.

This too shall pass....

My new mantra.
Whatever won't be a middle schooler forever, she will grow up. Man, she is going to take us for a ride until that happens! No details necessary, she is just wearing us out! She would much rather risk punishment than ask permission. The teen years are going to be hell.
This too shall pass..........
To top an already bad week off, my cat peed in the bed this morning. Right by The Bug's head! I spent the morning chasing her down and rubbing her nose in it. She is old and moody and when she gets mad she gets even. The Bug thought all of the hubub was pretty darn funny and Whatever was just happy my anger was not directed at her for once. I broke my broom, trying to get her out form under the bed.
This too shall pass.........
I answer phones at my work and lately we have had a plethora of hang up calls. I drives me nuts. I hate answering phones anyway but to rush to pick it up and have no one there, well that might just be what puts me in the home. Why do I answer phones for a living when I absolutely hate the sound of a ringing phone?? Money.
This too shall pass..........
Alright, whine session over, the phones are ringing..........................

So Whatever has a dress code at her school. Naturally she is trying to push it at all times. I have to inspect her every morning. Flashback to the second day of school this year. She is wearing her school clothes and on top of them she has one of her summer tops. Now why would there be a dress code if the kids were allowed to just put what they really wanted to wear on top of everything?!?! She told me it got cold in school, that is why she has to wear this light weight short sleeved shirt on top of her collared shirt. Makes sense to me! I told her to take it off. So today she tries to pull the same trick with the same clothes and the same excuse!! I told her no. She says to me "but you told me I could wear it when it got cold out and it is FREEZING this morning." Huh? I have to sit for a minute and try to figure out if it was crack or heroine that I was smoking when I told her that. Then I realized that I probaby said that it was way too hot to layer clothes like that when we originally had this discussion on the second day of school. In 12 year oldese, that translates to "give it another shot when it gets colder, see if she notices".

I just want to know when I became "That Mom". The one that is constantly nagging her kid to clean her room, checking her backpack for contraband or notes from school that "forget" to make their way into my hands, confiscating makeup, the one that awlways has to say NO. I want to be a cool Mom sometimes. I have told her that if she gets good grades, she can dye her hair, peirce her nose, whatever. She gets ok grades but not good enough to warrant all that!
Oh well, it is more important that we both survive the tween years than that she likes me.

Bead For Life

I am very excited! I belong to a Mom's Group at my church (Unitarian Universalist Church of Lexington). We are participating in a Craft Fair next month and have to decided (because of my suggestion!) to set up a table with stuff from Bead For Life (www.beadforlife.org). I have been wanting to have a reason to work with them for a long time now. I just love the idea of this group. They are woman in Uganda that make beads from recycled paper and sell them. They use to proceeds to help themselves get out of poverty and to help each other. They have been able to educate their children, set up savings accounts, and build houses for themselves. I am so happy! If you are in Lexington, KY on November 17 or 18 stop by the church on Clays Mill Rd.

Whatever is grounded from a field trip. I feel horribly bad about it but she has got to learn a lesson. The only way she ever seems to learn lessons is the hard way. She keeps losing and forgetting to bring home paperwork from school. Her midterms, permission slips, PTA communications. She is so blase about it. She has got to learn. I hate that she misses out on the fun stuff, though.

The Bug still hates her costume! I think she is going to have PTSD from me showing it to her!
She does however, like "Nanas" She wants to eat them all the time. You can't even say the word or pass them at the grocery without her having a fit for one.

Halloween

So I got this great idea to have Bug be a ladybug for Halloween. I got all excited. I found a really cute ladybug vest with furry, polka dotted wings and antennae on the hood. I had all these plans to make a red tutu with black polka dots, it was going to be so cute!! I had visions of her running around with her wings flapping and tutu twirling. I get home and get it out to show her. She looks at it, shrieks, turns away and keeps shaking her head like she is trying to shake the image out of her brain. Is a 13 month old supposed to have that strong of an opinion??? So everyone keeps telling me to just leave it laying around the house and she will get used to it. I really don't think so. She looked at it this morning and shook her head and shrieked again. Luckily I got it from a consigment store and am not out too much money. I figure if she keeps hating it, I will just slip it on the toilet since that is her newest source of fascination, opening the lid and slamming it down, splashing her little hands in it, trying to flush it. That will keep her away! Of course, I have to think about potty training. I don't want a toddler that is scared of the toilet when I need her to do businees in it!!!
So now I have to rethink Halloween!

God, I am fat!

The Bug has an official lovey and here they are together! A monkey named Bubbie. She named him herself. I had an imaginary firend when I was little, a purple monky that sat on my shoulder named Saulie Aundrew. No clue where the name came from. I might google it just to see what comes up. He was a good friend to me! My friend growing up had two imaginary friends they were twins named Boy and Girl. I remember one time all of us going to the store with my mother. As we get started on the way home my friend starts crying because we left Boy and Girl behind. He goes into hysterics. My mother looks back and says "they better be waiting out front when we go back". She pulls to the front of the store, throws the door open and yells, "get your butts in the car right now Boy and Girl!".
No telling what the people standing out front thought!


So I see some pictures of myself my brother took while he was in for a quick visit. I have let myself go! I need to lose weight, get my hair cut, and generally take better care of myself. Of course, he posts them on his web site! I am so embarrassed! I am the most unphotogenic person in the world even when I am made up. Diet starts today.


Poor Bug has a cough. She does not seem slowed down by it so I am not overly concerned but I am going to call the doctor. She has had it for a week now and The Saint is concerned. He is funny. He inspects her on a regular basis, much like he would a new car. He pick s her up and looks her over from head to toe. Checks every little scratch, and there are quite a few at any given time. The cough is driving him nuts. Why he can't call the doctor, I have no idea. Why can't men do that? Is it a short in their wiring?