Sweet release

Since I no longer work in a in office, you'd think that I wouldn't need this...however....
It still gives me great satisfaction.
Go ahead, you try it.
Whack your boss.

I'm still a girl, you know.

Thanks for all the input, Bloggers...
Blaine has decided NOT to join Job's. On her own. Not for the reasons that I was concerned about, but for a whole new set of issues.....

Blaine learned that she is allowed to go to functions if invited by a member....thats cool. But, you cannot attend meetings unless you ARE A MEMBER. Her words to me....."How am I supposed to know if I want to be a member? Am I supposed to take their word for it?
Did you know they have to wear dresses to meetings? How stupid. What does wearing a dress have to do with anything? I'm still a girl, you know."

I must be doing something right....*beaming*

Hoppy Easter

Hoppy Easter!!go here. Play this.

The Devil Made Me Do It

I find myself in the midst of a dilemma....

My daughter, Blaine, was asked by her best friend to join Job's Daughters.

I told Blaine that it is absolutely OUT OF THE QUESTION. Job's Daughters is a faith based organization for girls. I am an atheist.

The invitation is attractive to Blaine on many levels. And although she understands my refusal, it upsets her. This organization occupies a considerable amount of her friend's time, thus leaving less time for her friendship with Blaine. Blaine sees joining as an oppurtunity to spend more time with said friend. Her friend makes it all the more appealing by going on and on about Jobie's this and Jobie's that, etc...etc...making it sound very fun.

Said friend has taken it to heart that my refusal to let Blaine join is a personal blow against her and is very hurt. Blaine is crushed. The two of them now see me as a horrible person, who doesn't understand...I am unfair and cruel.

I know this is hard for both of them to digest, but I am adamant. I will not let Blaine be a hypocrite. Am I making my daughter suffer for my disbelief? Or am I doing the right thing?

Idle hands....

I couldn't have said it better myself!

Happy Spring

What a week! I must apologize for my lack of blogging....
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Getting back from camp was a relief...
I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I never knew I could grow so attached to a group of kids. I LIKED them before the trip. Now I ADORE them. Yes, there were some problem kids that I wanted to beat during the trip...but with a loving hand.

I certainly have a new appreciation for Blaine since camp....I didn't realize just how well behaved, kind and strong she really is. Until we were with kids who couldn't function without strict direction, I thought all kids her age were independence junkies....but they aren't. It was wonderful to see them blossom over the week, to learn to trust themselves, and to see some emerge as leaders...It was even more gratifying to see Blaine in her true light...She simply amazes me. I couldn't be prouder.

It was a wonderful experience, I'd do it again without hesitation.
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I was saddened upon my return to Bloggsville, to find some of you had gone away...*snif*
Knifey, your food for thought was always delicious.
MooCow, because of you, I have a newfound appreciation for Peeps and their ability to bring nations together.
You both will be missed!
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My musical library is FINALLY caught up......22,851 files later....DAMN! And still growing...
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The beginning of Spring was a trip! It rained and rained....then the wind blew and blew.....40MPH gusts! Our power was out for a day and a half. The neighbor lost a tree. Missed her house by about 2FT. The sound was awesome! About 3:30-4AM, we awoke to hear this weird creaking and popping, like styrofoam when you unpack a stereo,then.....SNAP!! BAM! Then just the wind. Very creepy.
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Blaine got a haircut. Sounds like no big deal. But it was. Blaine's hair is very long, resting on the top of her butt when she's standing. We only cut about 4 inches, cleaning it up, getting the ends tidy. It was HER idea. Thats why I was dumbstruck when sitting in the styling chair, she had tears welling up and rolling down her cheeks. She said her hair was one of the "cool" things about her, now it wasn't anymore...After reassurance from me that she was still very cool, she calmed down and asked if she could dye it BLUE. "Just joking, Mom, relax!" (little does she know...I probably would let her do it if she really wanted to!)
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My parents are taking off on a trip this week and won't be here for Easter. Blaine is a little bummed, because we usually spend Easter at thier house. They have the BEST yard for egg hunting. I think we may go to a friend's house. They just moved, and now have a pretty good chunk of property, perfect for hiding eggs. She may be almost 11, but she still loves to hunt for eggs with the little kids.

I'll never forget when Blaine was 3, we went to my sister's place for Easter. Racoons had eaten the eggs as they cooled on the back porch, so we only had 2 dozen left for hiding....for 6 kids. We followed the kids around and stole eggs from their baskets and rehid them OVER and OVER again....Each kid, in theory, found at least 18 eggs! It was hilarious! I just told Blaine this story for the first time yesterday. She remembers it as being one of the best times of her life....now with a funny story.
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Happy Spring Everyone!

What the hell was I thinking?

Back from camp....and SO sore. Never walked, hiked or sang so much before. Need a few more days to readjust my bod to real life and a real sleeping schedule....5:30am DOES NOT WORK FOR ME!

I'll be back soon!

Who Ya Gonna Call?

Tonight we pack for Fifth Grade Science Camp. I say "we" because I'm a last minute chaperone. PTA called last night, someone had fallen ill. I was going to spend four days alone with Hubs, but duty calls. Besides, he needs to fix his truck...no more excuses.

Islandwood is a wonderful school in the woods, on Bainbridge Island, WA. It should be a blast for both of us. I hope I get a good group of kids. Blaine, as a rule, can't be in my group....which is JUST FINE with her!

We will be back home on Friday....
Until then....

HALF WAY

I think I'm around the half-way point of ripping, organizing and cataloging my music files...This was only supposed to take an afternoon or two.....HA! It has turned into the monkey on my back, leeching precious moments from family and friends. They all think I'm obsessing....But I'm not. I'M NOT, I'M NOT, I'M NOT!!

This is important. Really.

My hub's said the piles of CDs need to hear the same "Fuck You" as the pile of scrapbooking supplies, but I just can't do it. See, I never LOVED scrapbooking. Its just what all the "together" and "with it" moms were doing. But music is something I couldn't live without. I'm passionate about it.

Besides, since I started this, I've rediscovered some of the best stuff. Nothing better than finding treasure. Three words: Mother Love Bone. They were "the Seattle Sound". They were Pearl Jam BEFORE Pearl Jam, ONLY BETTER! I'm SO glad I found this! Then, of course, theres a tragic story about a boy and a needle....

Anyway, I continue to sift, remember, and say to myself, "What the hell is THIS?"

MUSIC FILES: 17,836 so far

Bitter Medicine

We went to the dermatologist yesterday. My daughter, Blaine, has some weird, dry, leathery patches on her knuckles that we wanted the doc to look at.

At the office, Doc told us that "knuckle pads" were quite common and usually nothing to worry about. He said that sometimes they are an indicator of diabetes, and he wanted to get glocose levels just to rule it out.

We proceeded to the lab for testing, all smiles and giggles....
We were joking that she had knuckle pads because she was was part monkey...Everything was fine UNTIL...

When they called her name, the tech commented....."You aren't SCARED, are you?! What a thing to say! Suddenly, she had something to worry about....

Now consumed by worry, she sat in the chair and proceeded to get more and more frantic...tears streaming down her face....she refused to put out her arm.

The tech then made another smart assed remark about doing it "the easy way or the hard way".....yeah, like that will help....

Blaine's refusal, at this point, is adamant. Shes not doing it. The tech reached out, took her wrist and gave a slight tug....Blaine screamed bloody murder and recoiled to a fetal position, frightening two small children, making them cry... the whole lab now, shrieking in terror.

A blood draw is now COMPLETELY out of the question...

We ended up having her pee in a "hat" and dipping urine to test glucose...lets hope its negative, so that we don't have to draw blood for a retest. I might have to give her a Valium if that happens.

All of this drama is a result of a HORRIBLE emergency room visit four years ago (Blaine was hit in the face with a baseball bat swung by a teenager who didn't see her) The ER doc had the WORST bedside manner and treated her terribly. He did not tell her what he was doing or that it might hurt, did nothing to calm her, and then berated her for flinching....

It absolutely breaks my heart that my child now has an unreasonable fear of everything medical, just because so called medical professionals couldn't be just that.