Muggles

No, I am not talking about Harry Potter here, I am talking about our new dog. We got him two weeks ago from the same rescue group that we got Sara and he has been great. Sure having a new dog has its challenges, but all in all we do love the little stink bug. He is half shepherd and half we don't know....his mom and the litter were pulled from a shelter and he was the only one to survive parvo. There are times where he annoys Sara and she lets him have it, sort of like a big sister teling the little brother to knock it off. And there are times the two can't be seperated. He is only 8-9 months old, but he does listen pretty well for a puppy. He still has to learn some things, like how to walk past another dog and go beserk, but we will get there. He is a pretty brindle color(think marble) and has the sweetest eyes. Last night he and I had a snuggle moment on the couch, he was in my lap and his head was on my shoulder...yeah I am a sucker. We have no idea how big he will get, but seeing as how he is almost 9 months and not but 45 - 50lbs I don't think he will get that big unless he has some major growth spurt. Of course I have no clue when a dog really stops growing, but his feet are not that big and that is usually a good indicator of how big a dog will get.
He has been enjoying his walks with his backpack....I like for my dogs to work and they can at least carry my phone and keys, along with their poop! He does seem to have some obsessive issues with balls and certain toys, so all doggie stuff had to be put up and I hand it out when I feel like it. Which honestly makes things easier here as we avoid any doggie fights over special toys. It will be hard to walk everyday since I was able to skip days with Sara since she is older, but it will be good for my butt to walk everyday! I don't know if I will take him to the farm on Tuesday mornings or not. He listens ok off leash in the backyard, but I don't know what he would do up there with the horses and the last thing I want is for him to get hurt or for him to cause some issue with the horses. I think he is just dumb enough to think he could take on a horse! He is fast as can be and he would love to run with the other young pup up there, but just not sure yet. There are times when Sara looks a little sad, sort of like an only child realizing the new baby is staying and not being sent back. But I think she will soon realize there is enough love to go around.
I will get pictures up soon, maybe....

Lent

So last night we were sitting at the table discussing Lent and what we would be giving up. Kiera had a few things and so did I, we shall see if we can keep it up for the entire time, but I am hopeful we will. When I asked Jamie what he wanted to give up for Lent he told me, "going to school". That will not be one we keep up with.

People Who Piss Me Off

So I found this great new blog, www.peopleiwanttopunchinthethroat.com, and it has inspired me to just make this one post about people that piss me off. The above listed blog is hilarious and if you don't have a sense of humor don't bother reading it as you won't get it, but if you think you can handle it then dive right in and read all her posts. Reading her posts has made me realize I am not all alone in getting pissed at people and the insane crap they do. I don't want to repeat all the people that she lists that she wants to punch, I agree with them all, but I do want to vent a bit about some people who have started to irritate me.
I am sure that most of us drive to school to pick up our children where you either have to park your car and walk to the front door to meet your child(which is what I do) or you have to wait in the dreaded carpool line, which at our school is not all that bad. So our school has "rules" that you have to abide by and they don't want you to wait in the carpool line but have your kid be signed up as a walker(those are the ones that meet the parents at the front door) and then just come out to you in your waiting car b/c you are too darn lazy to drag your butt out of the car and wait like the rest of us. Well there is one person that I keep seeing doing this every darn day. She is in line by 3pm, school isn't out until 335pm, and her kid comes running out at the bell and makes his way to the car and then they take off. They aren't the only ones, there are others, and it just irritates me. Trust me, when it is cold and rainy I don't want to get out and walk to the front of the school to get my little rugrats that will do nothing but complain about the cold and rain as we walk back to the car, but there are rules set for a reason. Like today when I guess this woman's child left something in the class and he had to go back to get it, so since she couldn't wait in line she had to drive around the parking lot in circles until the child came back out. And did I mention that this woman looks pissed all the time? I feel like the theme music for the Wicked Witch of the West should follow her around. She has two other kids in the car with her, so I can understand it is a pain in the butt to drag your little ones out, but if you don't want to drag them out then just have your kid be a carpooler. What makes you so darn special that you think you can do what you want at pick up. And don't get me started on the parents that have the kids walk out the front door to just stand there and wait for an hour, alone. Or the ones that always come to get the kids a few minutes before school is out. What is the point, you can't wait five more minutes that you have to walk into the school and have your child come out of class early? The rules are set for a reason, the safety of our kids, and why some people think they don't have to follow them just boggles the mind.
Oh well, that is my rant....I feel better now.

Let's Catch Up

Well let me start by saying, Happy Halloween, Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, since it seems I have missed all those holidays since my last post!
I have gotten off track with this thing, guess I either don't have much to say or I am tired of talking about all the crap we have had to deal with over the past year.
Last year was a hard one, mainly from what we dealt with from April to November, which is pretty much over half the year. Have you ever dealt with something that drains you for that long? How did you get through it? I was lucky and have lots of support with wonderful family and friends. I was able to vent to numerous people, they were probably tired of me talking about it and it was just as taxing on them as it was on me. There were days when I wanted to just get in the car and drive away from all the problems, but I knew that wouldn't help matters. Then there were days where I wanted to beat the ever lovin' tar out of one person in particular, but that wouldn't make it better either. I cried more than I care to this past year, but that seemed the only way I could get any stress out of my system. There were days I wanted to curl up in bed and not get out and not have to face the stress, but I couldn't do that as I had kids that were depending on me.
I was lucky to find during this hard time, a wonderful place where I could go and all my stress would melt away as soon as I stepped out of my car and my feet hit the ground. I still go there and find times when even if I am not feeling any stress, I am able to go and recharge and make myself better so that I can be better for my family. Do you have a place like that? If not, you should get one. The people I have met and the things I have learned about myself have been wonderful. I have found a new support group I never knew was out there. People accept me for who I am, flaws and all, and they care for me in spite of all that. I was surprised to find myself telling people I had just met the hard times I was facing this past year and the support they gave me was amazing.
I am new to the place I go, at least I still consider myself new, and I am hopeful to get more involved with this organization. I want to do more because it just makes me feel good. Maybe that is a selfish reason, but I don't see how doing something good that also makes you feel good can be wrong. I don't get any financial gain by working there, but it sure does my spirit wonders! To me that is worth more than any paycheck.
I am not dealing with the major issues that we had last year, but I seem to have other things that have taken its place; of course this is all with the same person. We keep trying to look forward and know that one day we won't have these issues to deal with, but it is hard and the road seems so long. But I have to remind myself of many things - I have a wonderful family that I am forever greatful for; I have great friends who have been there through it all and have been such support for me that it is hard to put into words; I have three crazy kids who keep life interesting; and best of all I have the best husband in the world. He willingly came into this craziness 10 years ago and has been there for me every step of the way.
As one of my friends said this past week, "I don't know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future." Here's to a calm and boring 2012!

Summer is Gone!

So I tried to update this blog a while ago and after I typed lots of great stuff the blog wouldn't load it, so I haven't re-written and now I have forgotten what I was going to tell you. So I will just re-cap the summer for you.....

I was so glad to be done with school last year. The kids and I were in need of summer break! I had volunteered in Kiera's class, and I must say I will be hesitant to do it again, I felt totally taken advantage of by the end of the year. Probably my fault for letting it happen, but no teacher should call you when you are driving your daughter in from and orthodontist appt and ask you to pick her up some lunch! Anyways, summer has been lazy and I am greatful for that. We have been to our pool and just hung around the house, lots! We didn't go on any family vacations since we went to the beach over spring break, but I did miss not being able to play in the ocean. Andrew went off to camp for a month, which I don't think we will do again, way too hard on me and him! It was a stressful summer with all the legal junk, but with that now behind us we are looking forward to a good school year. Kiera and Jamie went to see their grandparents over the 4th of July, which gave me a little break, and that was nice. I have not done a whole lot around the house because I am waiting for little people to head off to school in order to get my chores done.....it is not easy to paint with three kids in the house and wanting something all the time. Jamie will officially start school on the 1st of September, he seems excited about it all. He is especially excited about his new Darth Vader backpack. Have I told you how he is obsessed with Darth Vader??? Andrew is not really looking forward to school, what 13 year old does, but he is excited about trying out for football. I hope he makes it, but I hope he is third string so he won't get hurt! Kiera is doing great with her horseback riding, she is really close to being able to canter and can't wait for that day. I have been busy with typical house stuff and volunteering at the horse farm. Right now I am feeding once a week and go help on Saturdays for the barn chores. I have been asked to host some barn chores days, so I will do that more this fall. Once school starts I am hoping to volunteer in the school library, or maybe the public one, once a week and then go to the horse farm and then still do all my normal things here. This week will be busy with the kids going back to school and Pat having knee surgery. He tore the meniscus in his knee when he was trying to move a very heavy air compressor. So he has been laid up for the past two weeks and will be off it about 5 days after surgery. It will be nice when he can get around more, I need some help! The kids have been great at getting things done when I ask and they are wonderful about getting ready for bed and going to sleep without any issues. Jamie has to have his room pitch black now, he thinks any lights left on will start a house fire, so he is a little nervous about leaving one on. Kiera loves sleeping downstairs now, her room is a ovely shade of lavendar and it has sparkles in it, very girly. We still have some little things to do, but it is pretty much all set for her. This fall I think my painting project will be the downstairs bathroom....time for the old wallpaper to go! I will paint right over it, like I did the kitchen, no idea what color right now, but I am sure something will strike me once the cold weather comes and I am stuck in the house more.

I am off to enjoy one of the few remaining days of summer before school starts Thursday!

I will say this yet again, I really suck at posting to this blog. My husband so lovingly reminds me that I need to post something, but I think he foregets I have other stuff going on right now :) I know he will read this and chuckle at that!

So, since spring break we have been busy....school finished up and I was sooooo glad about that. I was Kiera's room mom this year and I must say that I will never again do that. By the end of the year I felt totally taken advantage of, maybe that is my fault, but I was pretty pissed. After working in Kiera's class twice a week for the whole year, about two and a half hours each day, my "thank you" gift for the end of the year was a 2011 calendar. And not only did I do the mundane things of putting together the homeowrk packets, but I graded spelling tests, recorded grades, and even tuaght using the smart board. So,thanks, after all that I get a freaking calendar that I can't use half of since the year is half over. It seemed like it was something she happened to have laying around and she felt she had to give me something. So never again will I do that job. I will send in what the teacher needs, but I am not putting all that work into a class so that at the end of the year I feel unappreciated. And I know I did it more for Kiera and myself than for the teacher, but still, you want to feel a little appreciation. I could have very easily used that time to do other things, but I chose to be there to help. Then she had the nerve to let me know that if next year I have nothing better to do with my time I can come and volunteer in her class again! Sorry, but if I don't have a kid in your class I am not helping in the slightest. She will see how good she had it this past year when she gets nothing next year. And just b/c I stay at home doesn't mean I don't have my own goals. So I will be volunteering elsewhere next year, somewhere I do feel apprecaited.

So after the whole school thing the only thing on my plate has been the lovely legal drama, which most of you know from me either venting to you over or seeing my FB page. My deposition went well, of course the douche bag was there, but I didn't hold back. Guess he thought he was going to rattle me by showing up unannounced, whatever. Of course I am still hoping that his lawyer will see the light and realize that his client has lied to him and they have nothing to go on and if we do go to court my lawyer is going to rip his client a new one. And honestly if his lawyer does go through with his case I may have to call the state bar, where my mom happens to work, and see about filing a complaint about a frivilous lawsuit. All that came about in the deposition was that douche bag doesn't like the fact that Andrew doesn't attend a private school. Guess he thinks that the only place a person can get a good education is at a private school. I am pretty sure I gave answers that the lawyer was not expecting, especially considering what was in the motion...like I haven't ever talked about private schools when the fact is that we talked many times about them and I just don't think it is the best place for Andrew. So, I don't want to go to court, but honestly there is a part of me that would love to see a judge give him a piece of her mind.

Pat is working way too many hours, but guess that is expected when you take over a new store. It isn't new to him, actually he was working at this branch when we were dating, now he is the manager. Amazing how things seem to come full circle. Hard to believe that in December we will be celebrating 10 years of marriage. Lots has happened over the first ten years, I can only imagine what will happen over the next ten!

I have been enjoying volunteering at the theraputic horse farm. Kiera and I have gone some Saturdays and done work and I am on the feeding team, so I get to see the lovely horses every week. How I would love to have one, but now is not the time. We have way to many other things on our plate to even think about that! Maybe in five years we will be at a better place and we could afford one, but lots can change in five years.

Jamie is looking forward to kindergarten, although he thinks he will be in Kiera's class. He is excited about being at the same school as her, but I know it will kick his butt to be in class all day. So while he is in school hopefully I can walk the dog a bit more, we both seem to be a little soft these days, and I can get out and work at the farm more. My dad had offered to pay for me to take classes if I ever wanted to, but not sure what I would do. I have thought about some sort of equine science, but it is hard to find a school nearby that has classes for that. I figure for now I will just get through the crap we are dealing with and after the kids get in school I will get settled in that new life, it will be a change for me to have the whole day alone!

I may try to swim more, I need to as I love to swim and it will be good for me, just a matter of doing it.

Well I hear children splashing in the tub and I am sure it is all over the floor, which in our case is carpet, yes we have carpet in the bathroom....it must have been a '70s thing.

Spring Break

Last week was spring break for us, which was really late in the school year, and the kids were dragging....so was I. We rented a house on the beach down at Topsail Island, we were very excited to be able to get out of town as a family. This is the first vacation all five of us have been together in four years! So we leave with the tornados closing in, get to the beach house and it was a tiny little place. From the outside it looked rough, really rough. Inside wasn't fancy, but hey, we were at the beach and I didn't care. I don't need fancy, I just need clean and comfortable. We got in the house around 3pm, and after a few hours I notice black spots on cushions and lamp shades. So I call the office and let them know we need to be moved as there is black mold in the house and I have a child with asthma that will not do well, not to mention the rest of us. They got us in another house, a much cleaner house, but it wasn't on the ocean, it was one row back. I was a bit bummed as it is much easier to be on the ocean with kids. We got unpacked and watched the bad weather go across our hometown and hoped that everyone was ok, which they were. Pat's work building, one of the branches not the one he works in, got tore up. So he was getting lots of emails with pictures and it was amazing. Our house was fine, but I am sure that Sara was a little nutty with all the wind blowing and storms rolling in, she barks at the wind and thunder. We all went to bed the first night and looked forward to the next day, hopefully a day of sun on the beach. We had sun, but we also had the wind blowing, hard. It was pretty chilly to be out there, but we were. We only stayed about two hours each day because the kids were freezing after going in the ocean, even though I said not to because I knew they would be freezing, but hey, who am I and what do I know, right? Tuesday after the beach Kiera fell asleep and said she didn't feel well. If she takes a nap we know she is sick, and she was. She puked about 5 times over the next 12 hours. Pat did well to handle the issue, he is not good with puke. Wednesday was a day in, which was ok, but I did get a little stir crazy. Thursday was great, the winds were gone and it was actually sort of hot sitting in the sun. Of course I thought it would be chilly so I wore clothing over and had to go back and change after Pat came over. In the 30 minutes I waited for him I got some sort of rash on my thighs, looked it up on webmd today and it was an allergic reaction to the sun. Kind of weird figuring I don't have the issue here at home, but it did say it can happen at anytime and happens more when you go from no sun exposure to intense sun, like wearing jeans all winter and then sitting on the beach with no sunscreen on your legs! I will not do that again. Pat had some sort of rash going as well, but I honestly figured it was something from the water as it covered his whole body and he always had sunscreen on. Friday we got up and saw that the weather was crap and decided to head home, check out was by 10am Saturday, so we left a bit early. Everyone was so happy to be home, Sara was all over us when we got here. I was glad we left a day early as we needed the extra day at home. We are already thinking of when we can go back and next time bring Sara, we think she would really enjoy the ocean. The kids have yet to really experience the sound, that was always my favorite part of going to the beach, so hopefully soon we can get a place near the sound.
We got lots of good pics, I will post them sometime soon, along with all the other stuff I need to post!