I'm Not MIA

Unless MIA stand for Moving an Insane Amount of stuff - it doesn't?  Ok, then I'm not MIA.

I don't think I've told you the story of my parents' business getting kicked out of their building and I don't really have time to tell you the whole, very long story right now, but what it boils down to is the landlord (who also happens to be the former owner of the shop my parents now own) is a son of a bitch and a criminal and he filed bankruptcy and the building was repo'd.

To make a long story short, my dad got 3 days notice to get out which, after a few convo's with the attorneys, turned in to 10 days which turned in to 30 days.  Our time is up on the 15th and we finally have a new place and are moving.  So we all are pitching in to get it done so we don't have to hire really expensive movers for anything but the heavy equipment.

Packing a place that has been there over 20 years and is full of crap is soooooo much fun.  I'll check in when I can and return some of those comments soon.
 
Hope your holiday season is going well. 

Blonde Moments

No, I am not referring to myself.  I am talking about my oldest son.  My 10 year old darling boy.  I don't care if his hair is turning brown, he is still having major blonde moments lately and I am about ready to ring his neck over it all.

It all started when his teacher called me Wednesday to tell me that she needed me to send his report card back.  (OK, actually it all started when he started to school 5 years ago - he has lost at least one jacket every year, a few lunchboxes and countless other things.  At least in elementary school his teacher kept up with his school supplies!  Anyway, back to my point...)  Well you see, I gave him his report card on Tuesday morning to put in his backpack.

Soooo, when he got home I made him go through his binder.  When I saw the mess in his binder, I nearly blew my top.  Not only were there 40 billion papers just stuck in there, wrinkled, turned every which way - there was NOT ONE pencil, pen, or colored pencil in his zippered bag.  His ruler was missing.  The 3 hole punch that snaps in his notebook was gone.  He had no scissors.  Mind you, I have replaced pens, pencils, colored pencils and the ruler not once, but twice already this year because he has lost them. (Thanks so much BTW to his Uncle Brad for all those organizational skills he passed down to his nephew! )

As I am steaming about all of this, I also realize that his laminated hall passes for study hall and science club are missing.  He has already had 2 science club passes this year because he lost one of them.  I lectured him when he lost the first one about making sure it went back into his notebook as soon as he used it but apparently whatever I said went in one ear and out the other.  I told him if he lost it again, he was out of science club because there was no sense in going to school early if he couldn't get inside the building. 
After all of this mess, I went on a hunt in his room and we found:  Report card, colored pencils, 4 pencils, 4 red pens, a blue pen, a black pen, a highlighter (that I hadn't even realized was missing) and his scissors.  Later we located the hole punch and the study hall pass.  So basically all he was missing was the science club pass.  I told him he could have one more chance if he could get another pass on Thursday.

I picked him up a little late on Thursday because Danger Boy had Chess Club and got out at the same time The Pleaser gets out of school.  The first thing I asked him was if he took care of getting his science club pass.  He was so proud that he had.  We got almost home (which is quite a drive) and he realizes he doesn't have the pass. I asked him where he put it when the teacher gave it to him and he says "I laid it on the ground under my lunchbox while I was waiting for you to pick me up and I guess I forgot to pick it back up when you drove up."   I totally lost my cool.  I asked him why he didn't put it in his binder or backpack like we had talked about?  I asked him why he didn't treat that pass like gold?  I was in total disbelief that he could do something so ditsy again!!

So he cried and begged for another chance.  I told him there was no way he was going to school early today.  I told him no more chances.  So now I am the mean old bitch.  I hate being the mean old bitch but GOOD GRIEF!

Please tell me he will grow out of this....

A Hair-Raising Day

OK, this is going to be a long story so grab some popcorn, relax, sit back and listen, er I mean read.
Ever since we got back from our weekend out of town my Exploder, er I mean Explorer, has been making some terrible racket.  Phone Guy looked at it the other day but couldn't really pinpoint anything.  So I have just embarassed myself driving around for the last few days with my loud, grinding, clanging car.
Today we got our tax refund (yes, we just did our taxes...don't worry we had an extension) so we decided to buy a storage building for the back yard.  We clanged and grinded all around town to different stores and finally decided to buy one at Costco.  He went in and paid for it and I pulled up and we got it loaded in the car. 

About 1:45pm I pulled out on to the road and we got half a block before we started smelling this foul, hot car odor.  Simultaneously, we both said, "Is that this car?" and "CLANG, CLING, PING, TING, SLAP" the car answered us.  I immediately lost all power steering.  We pulled over and Phone Guy looked under the hood to find that the serpentine belt was gone along with one of the pulleys.  GREEEEAAAAAT.  He got in to drive and we made it about another block before the car started to majorly overheat so we pulled onto a side street.

Now remember, the storage building is loaded in the back and the tailgate is strapped down so we can't lock it up.  Also remember it is 1:45 and Danger Boy gets out of school at 3:15.  We are probably about 3-4 miles from home.  My dad is at work in Fort Worth.  Mom is at the hospital with my Grandpa in Fort Worth.  Jamie lives too far away.  Lisa is at work.  At this point I am thinking, "I need more friends."    
Before I can go thru anyone else in my cell phone directory, Phone Guy decides he will walk home and get his car and come back and tow me home.  OOOKAY.  After he leaves, I called my dad and he told me to call my brother...he said, "He owes me one" as my mom & dad have had to bail him out of car trouble a few times recently.   So I call - no answer.  I call his girlfriend - no answer.  I wait a few minutes and try him again and he finally answers and agrees to go pick up Danger Boy at school so we can tow the dang car home.

So I wait for Phone Guy and get to watch a forklift driver crossing the street totally lose his load off his lift.  It was pretty funny, although I bet he didn't think so.  Phone Guy finally arrives, hooks up the tow strap and decided I should drive the towing vehicle since there is no power steering in mine.  OH GREAT. 
We have to turn around....goes very smoothly.  SWEET!  We get on to the main road and it goes really well.  Only 2 more turns until we are home!  On the first turn, I hesitated a little and the tow strap jerked really bad.  So I got a little cautious on the second turn and hesitated again and BAM - the strap broke right as we turned onto our street.  Phone Guy yelled at me.  "Way to go ACE," he said and pissed me off.  I told him that I didn't want to drive the tow vehicle in the first place.  It wasn't pretty.  At least he could drive the rest of the way without overheating.  We were only about 5 houses away from our driveway.

So anyway to make a long story even longer.  He went to Auto Zone, got the parts and only had to spend $51 and I'm all fixed up.  It's nice to have a handy husband sometimes!  Even if he does act like a jerk occasionally. 

A Little Less Blubber

As of this morning I am officially down 40 lbs.  I am still having to take pee-pee pills for fluid retention, but whatever works.  If I go off the pills I retain as much as 5 lbs of fluid.  So I guess I'm content to pee every 5 minutes for the rest of my life.

I weigh exactly the same as Phone Guy now.  My #1 goal is to weigh less than him.  Almost there.   I am hoping to be down at least 50 by Christmas although it would be nice to be down that much by Thanksgiving since we are spending it with Phone Guy's family.  I haven't seen most of them since April of 2005 so I know it would be very motivating to have them notice the weight loss.

My Son, the Bra Thief

I got ready to change Danger Boy's sheets last night and started removing the 32 dozen stuffed animals he had amassed up there (he is in a loft bed) only to find the black bra that I had been hunting for over a week.

He had to have put it up there.  I know for certain it wasn't in the sheets when they were put on the bed. 
Now what the heck does a 7 year old do with a bra?   I have come up with 3 possibilities:
1)  He is a fledgling cross-dresser.
2)  He is already becoming a boob man.
3)  He wanted something of his Mommy's to keep him company because he is scared of the dark.

I am going with the 3rd one just to keep my sanity.