Busted My Butt....

Busted my Butt....

I would have used the other word but I prefer to keep the ratings on here on the low side. But everyone knows how sensitive the topic about my butt is. But Im sure I will slip up and say ass.

I would also like to add that I have a couple of posts in the workings but I was too lazy to finish them up. Im in a sort of decent mood and working on those will only sour it.

As I write this, my darling little baby is on the couch feeling sick to her stomach. It concerns me because of this whole swine flu thing that is going around. There is a confirmed case here in this school district already. She doesnt have a fever but she says her stomach is all cramped up. We shall see what this brings. I will be up for a while til I know she is ok. Yeah, Im the worry type. Im a mom.

This morning was pretty interesting. I will start by saying that Im poor. Ha ha. Laugh. But its true. I dont have a lot of cash and when I do have extra, I tend to spend it on the things she needs more than I do. But I will add, that now I have to spend on myself.

Everything was going smooth this morning until I got to work. I was wearing a pair of jeans that have seen better days. The jeans themselves are ok but they have been patched in certain places. Like the pocket corners were wearing a little thin. But the patches were on the inside. Like I said, Im poor. But they were comfy jeans. In my job, thats a requirement. Wear comfortable but presentable clothing. Oh, and comfortable shoes. You never know when you have to take off running at a blink of a second.

Well, I get to work this morning and I was wondering about how loose my jeans felt. I know I have lost some weight but this was a little more loose than it should be. I was also wondering why my ass felt soft. My car seat covers are velvet. I was summing it up to a new pair of underwear. But I guess I was wrong because by the time I made it into the building and to the office to sign in, I was feeling a draft.

I reached back and low and behold, I was feeling my ass. Actually not the skin of my ass but the soft material that was covering my ass and it wasnt my jeans. My jeans werent there. No, this isnt one of those naked dreams. That was my first thought though. In my dreams, Im topless. Yes, I did check to make sure my boobs were covered. I knew this wasnt a dream. It was my ass. Hanging out of the back of my pants.

Good thing I had on a hoody that covered my butt. If not, then the whole world got a nice view of my pink underwear. It was one of those moments where I could almost hear my mom telling me to make sure I was wearing clean underwear in case Im in an accident. I would most certainly call this an accident because I, for damn sure, didnt plan it. I told the secretary that I was sneaking home for a moment to change and then I told my boss the same thing. He was cool about it.

I went home quick and changed and came back to work. He was happy I was there and thats when he handed me my review forms to fill out. Eek. Review time and here I was running around with my ass hanging out. Yep, thats how I needed to start my day. Good thing I have a sense of humor because I would have been freaking out if I didnt. But I chalked it up to just something that happens and moved on with my day. If I hadnt noticed, it would have been interesting for the concert that we had this afternoon. Could you imagine? I could. But then thats me.

I will work on the other posts tomorrow night. Right now Im going to go snuggle my peanut.

Oh and the pants went into the trash. I will be shopping for a new pair tomorrow. And no, I wont be going to work pantless tomorrow. I do have two other pairs I can wear. I also dont plan on a topless dream. Or reality for that matter.

Help Me!!... Ive Lost My Links...

My dear readers, I have lost my links to your pages. Please help me link you all back on here. If you see some that I once had, please link me to those as well so that I can put them back on.

Madre, I know you have most of them on yours. I cant find some of the ones I visited.

Im Melting...

Im Melting...

I think I may have already used this title but even if I didnt, its the way I was feeling today. Its starting to feel more and more like Summer. I printed out a couple of calendars today that are blank. I did that just so that I could write in them and make sure that it is known to the world that there are 23 days of school left before summer vacation. It also means that there are 23 days more left til I am unemployed. There is always something to spoil my joy.

My daughter was really off her rocker this morning. I just couldnt see through her logic today. Either I was blind or I was just not fully conscious. Usually I can see through so that means my eyes were open but my mind was still in sleepyland. My alarm went off and I went to hit the snooze. You know when you get that unconscious feeling that you are being watched? Well I usually get that with the pets when they wait for me to wake up because they want something. But they tend to stare at you til you do. Its a creepy feeling and sometimes can interact with your dreams. But this morning was a little different. I didnt wake to the cats ass in my face or the dog ready to lick me because shes so damn happy Im alive to feed her. Such a dull life they lead. I want to be just like them.

Nope, this time it wasnt the pets. It was the kid. As soon as the alarm went off, I bolted up to snap the snooze when I hear "MOM! I NEED A DRINK!" Yes I did the uppercase letters on purpose because thats how I got it this morning. I was in such a daze and not awake but the ringing in my ears wouldnt stop after that. She was about 3 feet from my head when she yelled. It was like a freight train went past. I was about to pull the rails out from under it though. Crash. Oops.

What in the world made her think that I was moving out of my bed before I absolutely have to get up? Oh yeah, Im the one with the keys to the fridge. Sorry but I refuse to let anyone here drink the tap water. Its gross. So I stagger out to the fridge and unlock it for her so she could get a drink. I locked it back up and went back for my 6 minutes that I had left on the snooze. Hey, 6 minutes is a long time for me in the morning. I will take what I can get. Of course I hit the snooze one more time after that.

I got up out of bed and saw her on the couch. She was wearing a tshirt and jeans. Her shoes were on and she was pretty much ready to go. I jumped in the shower and got myself ready. When I came out to the kitchen to get a drink, she was wearing pink pants and a tanktop. I know Im awake enough to know the difference but I was confused as to why she changed. She was putting something in a bag. Something that resembled jeans. Odd.

So I told her that she wasnt allowed to wear those pants to school because they didnt really fit her. And there was no way I was sending her to school with an old tanktop on. I have no idea what was going through her mind for that fashion disaster. So I made her change. I got the rest of my stuff ready and then walked into the diningroom just in time to see her walking out of her room wearing something different. But she was still stuffing something in a bag. She now has a tshirt on and jeans again. Different ones than the first set.

I asked her what she was putting in the bag and she told me that she was putting a skort in the bag. For those that dont know what a skort it, its a skirt with an attached pair of shorts under it. I asked why she was putting them in the bag and she said that she was bringing them so that she could change once she got to school. I can understand the logic to that part because I knew it was going to be really hot. I told her to just go put the skort on now and not bother with the jeans. She grunted yet again at me and went to change. I also told her to put a bra on as well and got another grunt for that. But at least she didnt scream at me and start throwing things. I honestly expected that.

We made it to her school without any battles and I thought it was going to be a great day. I will add now that it was a great day for her. For her. Not me. I mean, it wasnt a bad day. It was just a pissy day. I could have done without the heat. It was so hot. The downstairs part of the school isnt so bad as the upstairs. It was sweltering up there. They really need to allow for airconditioning.

Today was the first day on the half day schedule with my one on one. He is to be leaving at about 11:30am and then I am to go to lunch. After lunch I return to the classroom upstairs as I was before. Seemed like an easy day at the time because usually the kid does fairly well in the morning. Usually. Today wasnt going to be one of those days. This kid has such a hard time gathering himself that when he goes wild, he is just placed on a computer and plays games so that he can be contained to one area. I dont follow that rule. Im not going to give the kid the privilage of having fun while the others have to work. Its not fair.

So my rules are that he has to do some work to earn the computer time. For all the amount of time he works, he will get that time for computer play. When I came into the classroom, he was sitting at his desk working on his morning paper. He had a few wrong but Im not allowed to correct him. This is the stuff that gets put in his file to show what he knows and what he doesnt know. And I do admit that he did make the effort and it was neatly done. Then he was allowed to play with a learning toy. These toys are things like shape blocks or numbers and letters. Even dominoes. When its time for the morning announcements, the bags are all put away and then the kids go to sit on the carpet for the morning circle time.

During this time, they do morning greetings to everyone in the room, they go through the day of the week thing and then some word wall stuff. Then they sing some daily songs and read a story. Not too bad. He didnt want to do this though and asked me nicely for a walk. Ok. He was getting wiggly on the carpet so this will be a five minute thing for him to get some energy out. He was doing great for the most part. We walked to the library where he asked if he could have some computer time. I told him that he can have about 5 minutes and then go back to class. That was a mess from the start.

He did his computer time. He then decided that he would go back to class but he took off running. Oh joy. Im not running. But he did make it back to class. He went back to the carpet and did some more work for a few more minutes. I told him to get through his centers and then he could have more computer time later. I figured an hour of work and then the rest of the time on the computer til mom came to pick him up. I was soon to see that wasnt going to be the case.

As the kids were getting up from the carpet, he hit one of them and kicked at her. I had to remove him from the room and he took off again. I chased him to the office and told him to wait there. I went back to the room and got all his center work and told him that he needed to do this or there would be no computer time. He didnt like that too much and I had to chase him down again.

Finally I trapped him in the hall down in the basement where the lounge and the learning rooms are. I sat him down and forced him to do the work while he stared at the computer in the corner. After some grumbling and slapping the table, he finished it all and I told him that he was allowed some play time. He did his work and I did promise him. So we went back up to the library. At about 11:45am I pulled him out of there to go to the office to wait for his mom. While in there he went through everything and caused some issues. Very stressing and I was at my whits end by 12:30. Mom wasnt there yet. She is an hour late. She finally came about 15 minutes later and then I was off to lunch. I needed that break.

The rest of the afternoon was fine. It was sweltering hot in that room upstairs but at least there wasnt any serious problems. Just one kid whining and one kid running around the room. I was sweaty and exhausted by the time I left. I picked up Cami and went home to an airconditioned house. I was beat. And to think that I get to do this all over again tomorrow.

Im glad its the weekend coming and that it is also a pay week. I just hope its not as hot.

I Cant See....

I Cant See.....

Today was a real winner of a day. The morning started off interesting. I honestly didnt intend to hit the snooze more than twice. Somehow I hit it three times. But thats ok. I still leave myself plenty of time to get ready. Its just that Im one of those people that cant spring out of bed in the morning. If I do, then I will just spring right back into it. Im not a morning person. Yesterday I was up early enough to make a pot of coffee. I made up my thermo-mug but I forgot it on the kitchen counter. Sucks to waste perfectly good sugar and caffine.

Today was no different. But the weird thing is, as I hit the snooze for the third time, I heard something out in the kitchen. I have a pair of Crocs next to my bed. The one good thing about those is that they leave no sound when you walk. My bedroom is right off the kitchen. I could see in the reflection of the oven on the counter that someone was in my kitchen. That someone could only be my wonderful child. The only time she goes in the kitchen in the morning is to get something. Now mind you that everything is under lock and key because she will steal it if its not. Its an ADHD thing.

So I slipped on the Crocs and jumped out in the kitchen. Sure enough, she was on my step stool with my keys in hand, trying to unlock the snack cabinet. Busted. Her response was to throw my keys on the floor and stomp out to the livingroom. The thing is, I was awake when I hit the snooze all three times. I just didnt want to get out of bed. That means that she snuck into my room, picked up the pants I had on the floor and took my keys out of my pocket. Shes smooth but not that smooth.

So she was pissed off that she wasnt able to get a second strawberry straw for her breakfast. Those things do rock though. You drink your milk through them and it turns the milk to a strawberry flavor. We have chocolate ones too. They arent the NesQuik ones though. I dont know where my mom got thembut Im going to assume somewhere in Florida.

She got over her snotty attitude fast this morning. I told her that if she didnt wise up quick, she wouldnt be allowed to watch The Jonas Brothers on tv. That did the trick. So I went about my morning and then went to the fridge for a drink. It was unlocked. So was the freezer. Hmmmm.... I could have sworn that I locked them last night. I opened the fridge and my candy was still in there so I know she didnt get into there. I need to be more careful before bed.

I would like to take this time to tell you that Im am beyond exhausted. If there are any typos, too bad. Im not fixing them. Im too tired to. Im sure there might be some good ones though.

I was able to get Cami to school early and then I was debating on going for some coffee before I went to school. That didnt happen because I got stuck in traffic on the way and there wasnt any time after. I walked into the building and went to my classroom. There would be a substitute today because there was a big meeting regarding my one on one. Im hoping that he goes to a half day deal because the afternoons suck. Im tired of running the halls.

The morning itself went great. The kids were a little off but thats expected with a substitute in the room. I did my best to maintain normalsy though. Is that how you spell it? Anywho, at about lunch time with the kids, I took mine outside to play. He was joined by his classmates and he was having a great time. Normally he wont eat anything and I dont make him eat. I know that feeling with Cami not eating because of the medication. So I dont force the kids to do it. But he did grab some pretzel sticks and ate those. I was happy.

But once I got outside, I started feeling a little sick myself. My vision was blurring and I could see heat waves. You know, like the ones in a Scooby cartoon. Or the end of Waynes World. Which ever you choose. Only this time they were in the form of a rectangle. I know this is a migraine coming on and its going to be a bad one. My one on ones mother showed up from the meeting and we chatted about how it all went down and when he will be coming for half days. I also told her that he had a great morning. She took him home with her and I decided that I was not needed now and went to the nurse for my headache. Or I should say, the one that will soon be hitting me.

I got to the nurses office and by this time, I was losing vision in my left eye. This was not a good thing. She gave me some Excedrine but that wasnt helping. I then went to my boss and told him that I was going to take a half day. When this happens, I know what to expect and it would be best that I get home as soon as possible before I wouldnt be able to drive.

He let me leave and I went straight home. I took some meds and crashed on the couch. That was the end of me til I had to go pick up Cami from school. I would just like to add that at that moment, Imitrex was the only answer. I was able to become conscious enough by then to go get her. That is the ultimate miracle drug. I just wish it wasnt so expensive.

I was able to go to class and I finished off a necklace that I had been working on and also the project for the evening. A crystal beaded dragonfly. I bought an extra kit to make one for a friend because she needs some cheering up. She recently lost her pooch and I know she is very sad.

Im sure that will give me something to do for the weekend coming up. Whoohoo. A three day weekend.

Exhausted....

I had really thought I was going to be able to rest before her concert. Oh, I should also mention that this is a part two to the previous post. It was really long so I thought that I would break things up a little.

I should also mention that during the early morning, I was getting ready for work and trying to figure out the day. There were some things that I needed of a couple of different stores. I was scheduled for the half day. That would have left me some time to go get these things and be back in time for the concert. I couldnt do them after because I had a class that I couldnt miss that was at 6pm.

But when I got home, I called my father to see if he needed anything while I was out. It ended up as me picking him up and going to the the mall and BJs for some water. One of my stops was at there to pick up some contacts but the optical thing wasnt open til after 11am. So we got the water and left. We went to the mall for the next thing on my list and also we had some lunch. It was a nice afternoon and I was back in time for the concert.

I went to the school a little early so that I could see the kids. Normally when I get there, all the kiddies are gone home and I was missing them. I stopped into my old classroom and was nearly knocked over from all the hugs. They missed me too. It was so good to be back there. The concert was wonderful. All the kids did such a great job.

Cami and I went home and then I had to go to class with Juan. We made a beautiful pendant and a ring from copper. I love his classes. They are a lot of fun and I like working with the stuff he comes up with. I also learned how to do knots in leather cording so that it can be adjusted.

Friday was an ok day. Cami was a little on the wild side though. Seems shes been like this for a couple of days now. She gets on a sort of high with the ODD thing and it tends to be a little frustrating. Saturday was absolutely out of this world. She was flying off the handle big time. It was a very difficult day and after I got home from class, it was even worse. Im going to make an appointment with her therapist this week to see what can be done. The meds dont need altering. Her attitude does. But I cant totally blame her because this is something she has a hard time controling.

Sunday was a much better day. I think I may have gotten through to her for a little while. Lets hope for a better week for her.

Run, Forest, Run....

Run, Forest, Run....

I thought this was an appropriate title for this one. It was an interesting week. Just for the record, Im writing this one on Friday, May 15th. You know, just in case I start it and not finish it. Im good for that.

After the bout with food poisoning, I returned to work on Tuesday. I was still in a lot of pain but it wasnt nearly as bad as the day before. It was just pain. Not like the bruising, kicked feeling I had the night before. Not having the cramps or the nausea, also indicated that this was quick and was definately food poisoning. I called my doctor later in the day to let them know. They assured me that I was on the mend and blood work was not needed. Me and some Pepto got along great. It was the new cherry flavor too. Just so you know, I do not like the new flavor. I prefer the old. When you are sick, you expect medicine to taste like medicine. The new cherry stuff is way too sweet for that. It actually made the feeling worse because I dont like things to be too sweet. That alone will turn my stomach. And of course, I got the economy size. Figures.

I walked into work on Tuesday morning without any incidents from Cami. I think she knew I wasnt playing games. I was sick still and she knew it. Of course, she was asleep on the couch when I woke up though. But at least she was dressed and ready to go to school. That helped a lot. I wasnt about to fight with her to get dressed and all that jazz.

I told the ladies that I work with what happened and turns out that one of them also had food poisoning before. She agreed that the symptoms that I had were the same that she had felt when it happened to her. Ok, so I know I will get some sympathy today and hope that the kids wont be too rough on me. I wasnt in the mood to restrain anyone. That would make it hurt worse than I was already feeling. I was pretty much stiff. Not so bad though. And my head wasnt hurting so that was a plus.

I went downstairs to my post at the back door. My morning duty is to be at that door because that is where the buses stop and also where the kids go in and out of for breakfast or to the playground. I was still somewhat sore. Im sure I mentioned this a few times before but I really was. I have to stand there and smile and tell everyone good morning and make it a positive day. Its almost like answering the phone at Sears.

That reminded me of something really funny. When I worked at Sears, I was in the catalog department when I first started there. The main phone switchboard was located there and we always answered the phone and transfered the calls. Eventually I was the one that made the morning or the closing announcements because I sounded very happy and pleasant on it. Yeah right. So it was always the same thing. Hello, thank you for calling Sears, this is so-and-so, how may I direct your call. Now they have the automated one. But the announcements were funny because everyone would stand in the doorway to see if they could make me laugh over the loudspeaker.

The funny part was when I worked at a sporting goods store. I was a cashier and we all had to answer the phones. I always had trouble doing this because I refused to say what they wanted me to say. I couldnt so it holding a straight face. It went something like this. Hello, Its a great day at Dicks, this is so-and-so, how may I help you. I also hated working there because they lived up to their name. But that is another story I may tell you at some time.

Back to the original story. Im at the back door and my boss comes out. He asked if I was ok and I told him I was. He went on to the playground and I continued my morning routine. The kids there are great and they are polite. Most will tell me good morning first. Most have gotten to know me already and they like hanging out with me. So I have to push them on to the playground because I dont want them to get in trouble standing there. But they understand.

After the whistle blew and the buses left, the kids all come inside with their teachers. I greet them again and also the staff that I see. They are all friendly to me and I have made some new friends there. That is a relief due to how my job started there. At least these people liked me. Oh and I should mention that I am being treated a little better in my class now too. they see that Im a nice person and Im not a threat. Yeah, like that can happen. I dont have a mean bone in my body. Well some of those bones hurt but they arent mean.

After all the kids go on inside with their teachers, my boss comes up to me and wants to chat. Hes a great guy and I do like working for him. He asks me if I can help him out a little with a certain child. I havent met this one yet though. He said that they are having a difficult time with him and Im needed to guide him. Im almost questioning this. Almost. But then again, I should have known better. You know, this is when you agree to something and kick yourself in the ass later. I was soon to find out that my ass was going to be kicked hard.

But I agreed because I know that my boss has faith in me. I liked that feeling because I know that he isnt using me. There is a difference. He knows I can do the job and do it well. Its one of those things that I refer to as job security. Remember, I have a job where as some dont. I have mine because I know what I have to do and I do it. I do it well. Sometimes that can bite you but when there are layoffs happening, its nice to have that bit of a pat on the back to know that I still have a paycheck.

Anywho, he then goes on to tell me the issue at hand. There is a child that is pretty much uncontrolable. Its not the childs fault and its not the parents fault. Its the systems fault. Im back to where I was four years ago. When my training was put into place in the processing of a kindergarten child. This is a child recently diagnosed and was in the middle of being placed where he should be.

Its hard to explain. There is so much paperwork and testing that has to be done on a child in this grade level. You cant just put him in a room somewhere and expect it to be where he should be. He is medicated but not to the degree he needs to be at because of the way the system works. The proper papers need to be filed and all the meetings need to be done before the clinic will alter medications and place the child in the right place.

So this is a special ed child placed in a mainstream room where he isnt getting the one on one that he needs. He tends to be a runner because he has no place else to go. He cant control the urges he has. So now Im there to take him under my wing and guide him. Yeah right. Ive been up and down those stairs at least a hundred times a day and walking those halls with him. He will sit still at a computer and play games all day though. Its the only thing that keeps him still. So I put him on some educational games. But in the mean time, his work isnt getting done. He does listen to the teacher out of one ear though. He is learning but not where he should be. They are trying to get him into the containment room where Im supposed to be. There is a process to go through in order to get that done though. And that wont happen til Sept. So from now until then, hes mine. But they are trying to get him into a half day program. That will benefit him and my feet.

I think this week, I have lost about 15 lbs with all the running and walking I have done. He has kept me on my toes for sure. But he is a good kid and he likes to chat and he will work with me. Ive spent some time talking to his mother and shes ok with me working with him. She cant do anything more for him either and its frustrating her. But she likes that I am able to occupy him more than having no one at all. So Tuesday and Wed went fairly well. I got a lot of excersize.

Thursday was another story all together. I cant even begin to describe how crazy it was. I wouldnt even have a name for it. Well I have one but its too raw to post here. The morning was insane. Yeah, insane was a good word. Today is the Spring concert at her school. This means that there is a set rule for attire and she also has to do this whole thing alone in the morning. Rehearsal and all that. First off the bat, she had on a pair of jeans and a white shirt that was a little too big for her. She wore this shirt a couple of years ago for a concert but she has lost a bit of weight since then. The collar is a sort of wide V neck with crystals on it. Its a pretty shirt but its falling off her now. Also she wasnt wearing a bra. This is not good. Im sure that when she reads this someday, shes going to be a little bit pissed at me. But you know what? I can show this to her boyfriend and embarrass her.

So I made her change her shirt. She has other white shirts. She complained a little but I wasnt in the mood. But she refused to wear the black pants. I wasnt going to argue with her about that either. Let her teacher tell her. So off we went. I got her to school and she was more calm by then. I left there and I was on my way to my school when my cell phone rang. I cant answer it while driving so I waited til I was in the parking lot. I checked the number of the caller and saw that it was the phone number to her classroom. Why is she calling me this early? I was about to find out why and this is what started the ball rolling for the day.

I called her school and got ahold of her teacher to find out what was wrong. Apparently in the rush to get to school, we forgot her violin. I didnt even notice that she didnt have it with her. *facepalm* This is not good. I cant leave to go and get it. Its at home. Its not in my car. I dont have time. I have to get the kids off the bus. I am scheduled for a half day to go to her concert. I told her teacher that I would bring it to her then.

I got to my post at the back door and no sooner do I get outside, the phone rang again. It was Cami this time and she was crying and so upset. She has a rehearsal at 9:15 and needs the violin. Shes carrying on and it was heart breaking. What was I supposed to do? I did what a mom has to do. I found my boss and explained to him what happened and he said that I needed to get the kids off the bus and then I could go and get the violin and bring it to her. We both then thought about it a second and decided that I would be better off to just get the kids off the bus, go get the violin and take the whole day off instead. Ok. I can deal with that. Im tired and I could take a nap before the concert. Or so I thought.

Mothers Day....

Mothers Day....

I know Im a week late on this post. Its been a rotten week.

Mom is home from Florida. She came home the week before and I was anxious to see her. I havent seen her since November. Yes, I missed my Mommy.

The drive down to the camp couldnt go fast enough. I wanted to get there. We pulled in at about 11:30am. It was so awesome to see them. We had Mommy Day presents. Of course I forgot the leaf vase that I bought for her while she was in Florida though.

The day was warm and cloudy though. I knew that it was going to rain. But it was still a thrill to be there. I love the place. Its so quiet and relaxing. But there has been some changes. Hard to describe though. Seems that the owner just cant get enough money. That was sarcasim. The man is rolling in cash but still wants more. You know the type. You would think that having all the campers that he has there now would be enough. Nope. Not him. He has to have more.

The reason that I complain about this is the fact that the campground is in the mountains and the woods. Its the perfect place. But every year, he clears out more and more trees for more and more sites. This takes away the beauty of the place because its not so quiet and its not so wooded. Its more open and a lot more people.

The area where our site is located is away from the main drag. Its on a small side area where its one small road that loops. If you look down the road that the camp is on, it looks like a dead end. Not many people go down it for that very reason. The road takes a turn at the end and looks like you would be driving into the woods. The trailer is the last one on the left. When the road turns, it goes down a small hill and goes around to the area in back of the trailer. Across from those trailers on that road is an open field that used to be the tenting area and it was surrounded with woods. Its far enough from the lake so that we dont get the noise or the bugs. Holiday weekends are full in there but that area was always still quiet.

In the last couple of years, the field was converted to an area for campers. There was no sewer hooked up but the weekenders were in there. It wasnt bad at all. Up in the front entrance though, the area was all cleared out and about 30 new sites were created. There was another area in the middle cleared out as well. But now the field and the wooded area around it are cleared out for about 20 new sites. Now when you go around that turn by my trailer, you see the clearing and it looks horrible. The woods are all gone. Im sure that by July, that will be full and the noise and traffic will be a pain in the ass.

We had a great day though. Cooked burgers on the fire. Sat and chatted and relaxed for a while. I was home again too. The ride home was a bit interesting. The camp is located in a major mountain range. To get home we have to leave those mountains and travel through some others. Those always look misty when you go through. Most of the time, its raining. This was no exception. Remember when I drove through that tornado? Same area.

Today was gloomy skies and sure enough, in that same area of the tornado, the wind picked up and the rain started coming. It was coming sideways and making it hard to travel. There has to be a better way. Well there is but the trip is longer and I dont like to drive it. We made it home safely though. It was a wonderful day. I cant wait til next weekend to do it again.

Sunday was a bit different. I didnt have anything planned for the day but to sleep late and be lazy. Which is what I did. But something bad happened. I have no idea what or when it actually started though. At about 7pm, I was feeling sick. Nausea and cramping. I blew it off and called it from all that traveling and stuff. My body started aching and my head hurt. It wasnt a migraine so it wasnt too bad. I went back to bed at around 1am. I was feeling a little worse but decided to sleep it off instead. That didnt happen.

At about 2:30am, I woke up to a sick feeling and I ran to the bathroom. It was aweful. I spent the rest of the night on the floor in there. Both ends were constantly emptying. I dont have the vomit reflex so it was all forced. I needed to expell what ever was in me and I really didnt have too much of a choice. It was quite painful. At about 6:30 am, I finally went back to bed and I knew I was calling in. This was not going to be something I was bringing to work with me.

At about 7:30am, I was up again and in the bathroom. Another round. Cami was up and ready for school. She knew I was sick and I wasnt going to keep her home. I needed to rest and I also needed to call the doctor. I called in from the bathroom and I thought for sure I was going to lose it again. I took Cami to school at about 8:30am. I was able to get a shower before that though. That seemed to help a little. I was really sore though. But I got her there and I went straight back home.

I called the doctor when I got home and was told that the symptoms I had were sounding like food poisoning. I didnt have a fever. I didnt have the shakes or the chills. It wasnt a flu. I was told to keep a watch on it and if it continued, to come in and have blood work done. But this shouldnt last. I then decided to sleep it off and passed out. The cramping was gone and so was the need to expell. At about 11am, Bill was called to go pick up Cami from school. Seems she got into an argument with another girl and was hit in the face with the wooden hall pass. She had a little bump on her head but she was fine. I really wanted a quiet afternoon to sleep but that wasnt happening.

Cami was pretty good about letting me rest though and the whole episode was behind me. Now all I had was pain. Severe pain to my lower back and side. I thought for sure that if it wasnt food poisoning, it was a kidney stone. Thats what the pain felt like. I felt bruised like someone was kicking me. I spent the rest of the day and evening in bed.

The next day was going to be interesting because I had to go to work. I had no choice. I need to keep my job. This was the first day that I took off from work for myself being sick. Every other time, it was because Cami was sick. I went into work and they understood why I took the day off.

That was something I wont forget. I had never had food poisoning before and I hope to hell that I never get it again.

When it rains, it pours....

When it rains, it pours...

That is basically how the week ended.

The week started off slow. It seemed to drag on. Isnt that typical of a Monday? Tired and cranky was the mood forthe whole week. And my daughter as well. My feet have been bothering me more and more and I really need to take some time to rest them. I cant take the time off from work to go to the foot doc. I will have to tough it out til Im on vacation again. So that means I have to suffer til the end of June. I can handle it. I mean, I did go over a year with the pain. I just dread the two big field trips that I will be on in the beginning of June. Both will require a lot of walking. I might have to bring some ice for the trips home.

Tuesday and Wednesday nights were my TCI refresher classes. Im already certified but I have to take this refresher yearly to keep my certification. Some would say that Im definately "certified" but thats another story. This is something that I need to use in my job. I dont have to take the courses but it does help to have this knowledge to back you up in case its needed. In my school and the one I was in, its needed daily.

Let me define this class. Its called TCI which stands for Theraputic Crisis Intervention. Its the training you get for when a child loses control of himself and you have to make sure that you, the child or anyone else doesnt get hurt. That you can talk the child back to normal and also be able to safely restrain the child if needed. Trust me, these kids are strong and when they get full on fire, the adrenaline goes through the roof. But at the same time, you dont want the child to get hurt.

So this was a fun time for me and the others in the class. I want to thank those that were there with me for the fun and the laughs. They know what Im talking about. I nearly peed my pants Tuesday night. Wednesday night was a little stressful for me. The physical part nearly ripped my legs and feet off. Both of these nights had me exhausted.

The rest of the week went off without a hitch. It wasnt so bad. Thursday was interesting. Yeah, thats a good word for it. Interesting. Dean Davis came to the school. Most of you wouldnt know this man. But around here, he is a sort of legend of his own kind. This man has to be the wildest person I have ever known. Ive known him for a few years. Actually, I think some of those reading this would know him. He is from that small town area where I grew up. And some of my readers are as well. You know who you are.

Well Dean is a sort of, how do I put it, zoologist in his own right. He really is one but not like the typical one. This man likes the animals that no one else likes. He has quite a collection. Most of his pets come from homes where they couldnt be cared for anymore. Some are exotic pets that people should not have had in the first place. So he has them now and he takes care of them. He brings them to places to show people. Mostly schools to educate the kiddies on howthese animals help the environment. But also why they are best left in the wild. They wouldnt make good pets.

When he shows these beasts off, he tends to be talking about them at the same time. He holds them and wont let them loose so there is nothing to worry about. Also he is missing a finger so that shows how much he loves these critters. And yes he does love them. Its weird how they respond to him like its nothing new to be held and moved around. He tends to talk with his hands to the animals get a fun ride around in the air. Interesting is the word, remember?

The lizards were cool. The snakes were awesome. The turtle was just about as amazing as it gets. I grew up with these things in my yard so that was nothing new. But the reaction that the kids had was priceless. He got that baby snapping and looking around. The head alone was huge. It would have taken off his arm in a snap.

The scorpion was trying to pinch him and he was telling the kids that the stinger was like getting stung by a big bee. Well he was stung at least 30 times while it was being moved around in the air while he talked. If I was moved in the air that much, I would have stung someone too. Well, that is if I had a stinger. That would be cool to have huh?

The one thing that I just couldnt handle was the spider. We all know how much I hate spiders. I know they are a benefit to the environment and that they eat the things that freak me out. But they need to do it when Im not looking. I dont want to see them or the food supply. Thank you. But Im sitting about five feet away from this man and when he brought that spider out, I nearly pissed my pants and vomited.

I excused myself to the bathroom but when I came back, he was still waving that hairy Godzilla thing around the room and I had to pretend not to be afraid of it. You know, for the sake of the kids. Yeah, ok. I can suffer it. Now put that damn thing away. To make it worse, there were pictures being taken so Im sure that somewhere is one of me with a freaked out look.

Today was the cream of the crop though. The morning was really stressful with Cami. She was a bit off the hook. Somehow she had sneaked into the kitchen and stole the last of a can of frosting that was used on some brownies that she couldnt get to. Yep, sugar. And unmedicated. This is not a good thing. She was flipping out on me because she got busted. Yeah, that seems to be her logic.

So the whole day was pretty much shot for me. I was in a miserable mood all day waiting for the bombs to hit later on. But it ended up on an entertaining note with the kids flipping out. It was actually funny. Im learning to adapt fairly well now. I just love a friday with wild kids. But at least they dont come home with me.

Friday was fun. Just to let you know, I forgot that I started this post and am now just picking it up again before I write a new one. Anywho, after school on Friday, I went to my fathers as usual. He wanted to go shopping but wanted to eat first. So we went to a chinese buffet. There is nothing like eating at one. Im sure you all have at one time or another. I love them. The only sad part about chinese food is that you can stuff your face and then feel hungry again in about an hour.

After this we went to BJs. I prefer to shop there because I can stock up on the things we like to eat. Also laundry soap and things like that. Everything was fine and dandy til the end. I should also add that we ran into some friends there as well and Cami ended up hanging out with them.

After we cashed out, Cami wanted a drink and I needed to go to the optical dept to order some contacts. They are a lot cheaper there. And of course, I needed them. So grandpa and Cami sat down and waited for me. This gave him a chance to rest a bit. I no sooner got back to them and I heard the rumble of thunder. Shit. I dont like the sound of that. We moved pretty quickly to the door on that note.

I looked outside and it wasnt raining yet so I told my father to wait by the door and I will load the car and then pick him up. He walks slow and this was not the time to wait for him to catch up. So Cami and I raced to the car. About half way there, the thunder rolled and the lightning flashed. Shit. We all know how much I hate this. Especially since I had that weird dream about being struck by lightning.

So we ran a little faster. Pushing that heavy cart filled with stuff wasnt easy but I managed to get there. But not before the sky opened up and drenched us. When I say drenched, I mean it was monsoon. I opened the door and told Cami to just get in the car. I opened the trunk and she decided that it was a good idea to help me put everything in there. Ok. I can use the help and she really did a great job. No, Im not being sarcastic either. We had that truck loaded and the back seat too. It was so quick. I didnt bother to sort anything. I heard the car door slam and thought she had gotten in anyways. Nope. She was standing next to me. I dont even remember leaving it open and there wasnt any wind. I looked in and there was my father in the front seat. Guess he didnt want to wait.

I put the cart away and got in the car. Cami obviously got in before me. We were both soaked. My hair was matted to my face and my clothes looked like I just ran them through the washer and put them on. Good thing I wasnt wearing white. That would have been a hell of a show. Of course my father was quite wet too. And he was bitching. Sometimes I think he does this stuff just to find something to complain about because he sure did a lot of it on the way home. I told him to wait at the door.

There is nothing like the smell of wet hairspray. And it was running down my face. The drive home was interesting because of the wind and the rain. It was coming down hard and I wasnt liking it. We pulled up in front of his house and it was still coming down hard. I backed right up to his door area because I knew that bringing all that stuff inside wasnt going to be fun. I told him to wait in the car til the rain slowed down but he wasnt listening to me. He got out and went inside. Of course he got a little more wet. Of course I was going to hear about that too.

I decided that this wasnt going to happen so I got on the phone to call for back-up. There would be at least 6 trips in and out for me and also the sorting of the stuff first. I wasnt about to do this alone in the storm. So Bill came about 10 minutes later to help me carry it all in. Of course when he showed up, the rain slowed. It was a drizzle by now. But still, it was a lot easier on me to have help. What would have been a lot of loads ended up being about 3. I was able to sort while he carried. Worked for me. It also made it easier carrying it all into my place as well. I took a long hot shower after that and felt better. I was like a drowned rat.

The FURminator.....

The FURminator...

Sounds interesting huh? Check this out.

http://www.furminator.com/

I was sitting here at my computer last night and this ad popped up. It looks very eye catching. But then I thought, whats the catch? Im sorry but there is no such thing as making a dog shed-free. Its impossible. I have lived with dogs all my life. They shed. Even the K-9 variety. 'Nuf said.

But I got to thinking. Hmmmm... I might want to give this a try. Now, you do remember that you cant outfox the fox right? Im going to check the listings for some place near by to have this tested on my own ball of fur. The K-9 one. What? I have a cat too.

All of my life I have been around all sorts of animals. I think at one point, my house could have been labeled as a small petting zoo. My brother used to bring home everything from school or strays. We have just about every farm animal and all the wild animals that needed help. So its no surprise that we always had a dog. I dont remember a time when we didnt have one. Or two. Or seven.

Now in my adult life, I wanted a dog of my own. This is where Holly and Caesar came into the picture. I have always loved German Shepherds. If you have ever believed that a dog has no soul, then you have never looked into the eyes of a German Shepherd. The beauty, the loyalty, the courage and the love that these dogs possess are none to be matched. Of course this is true for all dogs but Im playing favorites here. I love all animals equally. But this post is about shedding and let me tell you, these dogs can shed.

Holly was the love of my life. My first born. I treated her as I would have treated my child. And even after my child was born, she was still treated the same. She became my daughters best friend and "sister". Holly went where Cami went. She even slept under her bed. Due to her age, it was difficult for her to get up and down from her bed. So she opted for the best place and it was closest to be with her under the bed.

Holly was a very large dog. She topped out at about 130lbs. She was soft and cuddly. Very huggable. But she was hairy. Not a nice thing to say about a lady but it was true. She could shed. Where ever she went, there was sure to be fur left behind. Thats one of the ways we knew she was sleeping on the couch all day watching cartoons. Yes, when we left the house, the tv was turned on and the cartoons were what she watched. Any other channel and you could tell that she wasnt in the livingroom. She was more human than dog.

One day, I was at a sort of police dog show thing going on at a local park. There was a vender there that sold a special food that was supposed to curb shedding. I could see their dogs and how shiny and beautiful their coats were. I thought I would give it a try. It worked. It actually worked. But Holly wasnt all that thrilled with the food and didnt really like it too much. Plus the cost factor was enormous. I couldnt believe the cost and having a dog of this size meant that you needed a second mortgage just to by this food.

So that option was out and I was looking for a better solution. I personally didnt mind having hair here and there. But it wasnt making a fashion statement with those in the public eye. Wearing a fur coat that wasnt actually yours, wasnt a good thing. And also having to wash the dog constantly wasnt an easy thing to do. My tub was clogged beyond all repair at times. There would be so much hair in the drain that it would have to be snaked out after every washing. And then came the constant brushing. I could stuff a pillow case with it every week.

So for me, the best option was to take her to a groomer. There was a grooming place in town that allowed me to wash and dry her myself at a fraction of the cost. This was great because it was quite expensive to have a pro do this. At this place I could use their specially designed tubs and their products included all in the small price of about $20. That is a $60 savings to me. Washing a dog really isnt all that hard to do. Well at least to her it wasnt. She liked a bath. Most dogs dont.

So that is the way I controlled the shedding to a point. But the hair was still coming. Where it all came from? I have no idea. I very well couldnt shave her. I have never seen a shaved Shepherd before and I wasnt about to do it to my own. So eventually I gave up and just let it be. She was going to shed whether I liked it or not. My burgundy carpet was hairy and I would just simply have to clean it more often. I loved my dog more than the torture it was to keep the hair at bay.

But then came the cat. Although cats tend to clean themselves, the hair and the shedding is still an issue. So now I not only had the dog shedding, but the cat hair was everywhere too. I was sleeping with both animals and the hair was all over me. I had my own fur blanket.

After Holly passed away, a sadness came over me. This was obviously normal in the loss of a loved one. But one thing that I also missed was seeing the hair. Yes, I didnt have to clean the floors from all the hair, or use the vac on the couch. But it was still a loss that I wont get over too soon. So now I have another dog. And yes, she is just as hairy. And yes I need to figure out what to do with her. Especially right now. This time of the year is the worst. I can see thehair just falling off her when she walks by.

Im wondering if this new system will work for her and I am also wondering what the cost is going to be. I washed my bedding last night and the lumps of fur in the washer and the dryer was unbelievable. There was more fur in there than on my cat total. It was like I gained a third pet. Both are lazy so having this huge hair and lint ball on my floor wouldnt have made a difference. No one would know. Sorry but that third pet went into the trash can. At least I hope it was the hair ball.

Right now, my cat and my dog are asleep on the bed behind me. I know I will wake up in the moring with a mouth full of fur. I know that before I go to work, they would be leaning on me and rubbing fur all over me. Its like they put it there so that I wont forget them while I am away all day. A sort of haunting reminder and a guilt trip for leaving them. And yes, they know how to pour on the guilt trips very well. The sad brown eyes. The whining as if to beg me to please not go. Believe me, I really dont want to leave but someone has to make the cash to feed you all.

Oh and just so you know, the new As Seen On TV PediPaws thing does not work. It sucks and the pets are scared shitless of it. I think I will end up using it to grind down some of my jewelry wire that I work on. That way it wont be a total loss of cash.

I think this week I will set things up for next weekend for Mindys bath outside in the back yard. Im glad for the summer months because then the drains dont get clogged up. Nothing like using the garden hose and having some soapy fun. I cant do it this week because the forecast is for thunderstorms. That would not be a fun thing to be out in it while washing your dog and holding a hose in your hand. Yeah the rubber will ground a lightning strike but Im not taking that chance.

Drop And Give Me 10....

Drop And Give Me 10...

Take that any way you want to. :D

We need real smilies on here. Im too lazy to load them to photobucket though.

Well it was a decent week gone by. Started out shitty and then pushed forward to a few good things. But sadly its ending with a nasty headache. You know, the kind where you want to take a jack hammer and bust open your skull and rip all the contents out to find what the hell is causing the pain. Ok. That was a great visual. It didnt help though. So far today I have taken about 1600mg of Advil and 2 Alavert. If that doesnt kick it then nothing will. I even took a 3 hour nap.

So anyways, lets start on the events of the week. The beginning of the week wasnt too bad. Wednesday, Cami was sick so we took the day off. I wasnt feeling all that great either so in a way it was a blessing for both of us to just get the extra rest we needed. My allergies always act up at this time of the year and also catching a cold wasnt on my "things to do" list.

But something fun and interesting happened this week. Wednesday night I went to class as usual. The necklace we worked on was really pretty. A lot of potential for add ons as well. But Im not sure I will be doing this. One of the guys that I worked with at the old school would buy things from me for his girlfriend. He was very specific and picky with what he wanted for her. Well now I work with her at the new school. So of course on Thursday, she asked me what I have made recently. I told her that I would bring in the latest project on Friday.

Friday rolls around and I brought the piece in to show her. She loved it immediately. She offered to buy it when its finished. Yep. I sold something before it was even finished. That is actually very exciting to me. It really is a wonderful piece. I would hate to see it go before I had a chance to wear it or what not. But thats ok. I know it will go to a good home. I think what surprises me the most is that its not the colors that her boyfriend always picked for her. Not even close. When it is done, I will add a photo or something here for it so that it can be fondly remembered.

The other interesting thing that happened on Friday was that I was asked by the boss to sib for the gym teacher. I have subbed in just about all the other capasities but this one. Now remember that I have issues with my feet. Not something I would pride myself in to stand on them all day long. But I figured that moving around in the gym wouldnt hurt as much as standing in one small area would. I also thought that if I had been asked to do this 6 months ago, I would have had to refuse due to the pain factor. But today, I thought, hmmmm, I can handle this. It sure as hell beat sitting up in that classroom with the hostile one.

This also gave me more of a chance to meet some of the kids and staff. There are alot of teachers that I havent met yet. Most of the kids see me every morning at my post at the gym door to the playground. The faces will be added with some names now. The day got easier as it went along. We played some basketball and some soccer. Low impact things that I know couldnt harm the kids and that they couldnt use to harm each other. They had fun too and they seemed to like me. We shall see on Monday morning how that all went.

This weekend was pretty mundane for the most part. My highlight was going to class but Ive had a raging headache all weekend that just wont go away. I talked to my neice for a few hours last night and that was fun. I miss her and I hope we get to hang out soon. Also, mom called this morning and she is pretty much home. At about 11am this morning they were in PA. She said that they might take a night at a hotel there though because of the storms in the mountains makes it hard to drive in. But either way, she will be home tomorrow and I will get to talk to her then.

I debated on telling her that the week was going to be all rain and storms but then thought that she might turn around and go back to FL. Yep, I thought better of it and didnt tell her.