Thanksgiving

Image by BarelyFitz via Flickr

It's Thanksgiving and we're full up on turkey and mashed potatoes. Some had pumpkin pie, but since I don't care for pumpkin pie I had none.

Instead of being thankful today though I'm annoyed. I'm annoyed with the F up and my back that leaves me short on money on a holiday weekend, short on gas because I have no money and rummaging though my son's piggy bank for change for the car.

Instead of being thankful I just wish at this point it was Saturday already so we could hang out with friends and play Rock Band and eat deep fried turkey.

It doesn't help that I woke up with a headache stabbing through my right eye. That Gabe was rather cranky today, but at least when he napped it was a good long nap.

The evening plans include a whole lot of nothing. I'm trying to not be annoyed for no reason for the rest of the evening but when you start the day in a funk it's hard to get yourself out of it in a snap too.

So even though it's Thanksgiving and I should be thankful for all the truly wonderful things I DO have I'm spending it annoyed. I'll be thankful tomorrow.

When you think of something write it down...

Otherwise you end up like me. I'm laying in bed last night and I thought something really funny and thought "hey you should blog that in the morning". Of course this morning I have NO idea what it was.

It did make me think of something else funny though. My mom got this clock awhile back for $40 at some consignment store. It's got a nice ticking sound to it, and you have to remember to wind it. It says it's a 31 day clock but really ya gotta wind it every two weeks. What's funny about this particular clock is that it's supposed to ring once for the half hour and then on the hour for the time it is. Well it doesn't quite work that way. It dings correctly once on any half hour but the hour marks are a dice roll. It does ding between 11 and 4 properly but the other hours are a crap shoot.

Mike and I were laying in bed a couple nights ago talking and we were talking about the clock. I said well at least it hasn't dinged 13 yet since we think that might be the third sign of the apocalypse. Of course suddenly the clock starts dinging and we're obsessed with counting the chimes now. I swear that it dinged 13 just that once. I haven't heard it before and I haven't heard it do that since.

So we have this quirky clock, and we could probably have it taken in and fixed but I kind of like the fact that you're never sure what time it will really ding. So I think we'll keep our quirky clock just the way it is. Not everything has to be perfect to be enjoyable.

When flour and child collide

You all know that when they are quiet you're in trouble right? Well yesterday it was a doozy of one.

Yes he's wearing shorts, no it's not that warm here, he picked them out himself.

Now I have to say that it was pretty funny. I've heard this story about how I baby powdered my bedroom TWICE as a child so having my son flour the kitchen while I was in the next room was rather amusing.

So Mike grabs the shop vac and starts vacuuming. I strip the kid down and get him in the tub. Gabe used to hate the tub but now he thinks it's fun. That is unless we have to wash his hair.

Of course with that amount of flour he did need his hair washed. I have to hold him down and do it while the conversation goes like this:

Me: Honey it's okay it's just water

Gabe: No momma, no no no OWWWWWWW

Me: Gabe it doesn't hurt it's just water

Gabe: OWWWW NO NO NO NO (insert cringing down here as well)

Me: well silly if you hadn't put flour in your hair we wouldn't have to wash it again

Gabe: Flour? Hair? (giggling)

Me: Okay gotta rinse

Gabe: No momma no no no no no hair, no wet!

Me: Okay all done

Gabe: no more momma

I have no idea why he hates it. I don't even have to have soap for him to yell. I admit most of the time I just wipe it down with a damp cloth he hates it so much. I don't have any idea how to fix it either. I feel horrible because he really does seem TERRIFIED of the water on his head. It's not in his eyes even. I can get the back of his head wet and he screams like that. Anyone with ideas that can help him?

Other than the hair washing/screaming the afternoon was pretty funny though and I was amused because kids will be kids.

Thoughts to live by....

"Today, if you become frightened, instead become inspired."

"Don't think about HOW you are going to do this, think about WHY you are going to do this"

‘I used to think it was a terrible thing that life was so unfair. Then I thought, 'what if life *were* fair, and all of the terrible things that happen to us came because we really deserved them?' Now I take great comfort in the general unfairness and hostility of the universe.’
- Marcus Cole, from Babylon 5 (1994-1998)

These quotes have been rambling around for me. The first one from last night's Grey's Anatomy, the second from someone when I was worried about how I was going to juggle things for school and the third about life in general.

The first quote reminds me that when we're scared we often become paralyzed by the fear instead of being inspired to find a way around the fear. Sometimes we just need to DO and not think so much.

The second one reminds me that sometimes the how sucks and it's hard but the why is the important part. The why is for me, for my family for my life. I know WHY I'm doing this and I have to keep that in mind each and every day that I feel stuck.

The third reminds me that sometimes things just happen and no one is to blame and nothing is fair.

So I vow to be inspired and remember the why in life even when things are tough and know that sometimes it's hard and that you just have to push through it.

This too shall pass, yet another of my thoughts to live by.

Life in a nutshell

Things get busy and then I forget to write down the important things. The ones I really want to keep in my mind forever seem to happen when you least expect it.

We've had a lot of rain lately and Gabe misses the shiny (sun). So he told me that he was going to wake up shiny for the last two days. It was super cute.

We've had friends come over and we've actually been out and about too.

Yesterday I spent about a day and a half on hold with MATC getting my application straightened out. Seems they didn't get the whole maiden name/married name thing combined and my transcripts didn't get paired with my application correctly. We did get it straightened out and I should be getting a letter to take the accuplacer testing in the mail SOON. Hopefully I can take it on a Thursday so my mom can watch Gabe. I've looked at some of the practice tests and I really hope I don't have to write a 300-600 word "paper". That is just a pain in the ass if you ask me. Otherwise Mike is going to have to help me brush up on the math stuff ahead of time too since math is my worst subject.

Then I need to set up an appointment to see the daycare facilities, figure out car rides for Gabe and I to school and back. Set up appointments with the financial aide office too I think since I have no idea how this stuff really works either. It's getting a little overwhelming but I'm trying to not panic and push through it. I can do this!!

This weekend we had an issue with our bank acct from a store that over charged me for an item I bought one of, they charged me for SEVEN. So now I'm waiting on their refund to go back into my bank acct since missing over a hundred dollars for us is super tough :(

Phew I think that's it lately though I feel like I'm missing something. I wish I had more time to just sit and think sometimes.

I'm really doing it

I'm going to school. I have applied to MATC to start their RN program. It's only a 2 year program which will probably take me 3 since I need some pre-reqs before starting the official program.

I've applied to the school online, stopped in at my high school to get my transcripts, filled out my FAFSA info. So now I'm in the waiting portion. I'm a little scared but mostly I'm excited. I'm thrilled that I know what I'm doing and there is a specific amount of time for that to happen in.

My EFC from FAFSA is zero so I should get the full amount for the Pell Grant and after that I'll hope for scholarships, grants, and loans to do the rest. I'll need to pay for school (and supplies, books etc), Gabe will hopefully be in on campus daycare so that will be an expense, and then if I can have enough money to "make" the $400 a month I make working I'll quit working. I don't want to over extend myself going to school full time for the first time in 10 years and I do want to be able to see my family occasionally (funny how I love them right?)

I have to say it was odd to be inside Nicolet as the current seniors will be graduating the same time as I have been out of high school TEN years. Where the heck does the time go? I did get to run into my former guidance counselor Mr. Artero who was glad to see me. I saw another teacher too who isn't there anymore but happened to be stopping in too. I could have done without seeing him though.

I need people's positive thoughts and any advice or help they have on how to get money for school. Wish me luck!!!

OCTOBER?!!?!!

Yes I needed explination points AND question marks there. I simply can not believe it's October already. I've been a horrible mommy and taken hardly any pictures of Gabe lately. We do have a pumpkin carving party tomorrow though so I'll have new ones then.

On to other things. We got a new furnace today, YAY! It's now nice and toasty warm in the house and so quiet I can't even tell it's on.

Gabe has been in a phase where he's decided to lock himself in the bathroom. This wouldn't be so bad because I can pop the lock from the outside but he opens a drawer behind the door so I still can't open it. We've got new child locks for the drawers so he can't do this anymore because it makes mom VERY unhappy. While putting him in time out for this today he decides to yell at me "mommy go away!" Now this is the kid that doesn't say very many three words sentences so I have to say instead of being hurt by it I had to turn around and giggle because at least it's a three word sentence. He said it with SUCH inflection and the hand wave too.

I know one day I'll look back and think about this time fondly (LOL maybe) but I know in the end this stubborn kid will be labelled persistent and that will be a good thing, right?