Can I quote you?

I love funny sayings, especially when they come from my own family. I actually have a quote book where I store them. Sometimes I put motivational or spiritual quotes in there but more often than not they just end up being funny things that my kids or my husband say. Today netted a good one...

because Hubb and I had a fight.


Again.


We've had a few of them lately. I think it is because we have hit a new phase lately. One that is seeing us busy, busy, busy. We've hardly had time together, he hardly sees the kids. It's high five on the way out the door and "See you next Tuesday." I hate it. And it has both of us tense, so therefore, we've fought a little more than normal. Nothing serious. No lawyers on the phone. But it's becoming difficult for both of us. I can't post this on my regular blog because I have a rep to protect. WE never fight. Not us!

So tonight as our disagreement wound down I remarked that I hated fighting all the time. His response...

"Then stop making me mad."

Maybe it should have made me angry but I laughed my head off. I never can stay mad at him. He's too good at making me laugh. But that's not the end. I felt bad for our argument and did penance by giving him a back rub. I asked if he forgave me since I rubbed his back.

His response...

"Yes, and I'll forgive you for the next two arguments if you'll rub my legs, too."

Love that man!

I don't want to be a mom tonight.

Is it tomorrow yet? I don't want to be a mom tonight. I'd just as soon skip it.

It has been a busy day. Busy with lots of kids, not even all of them mine. Maybe that is the reason I'm not in a mom kind of a mood tonight. I feel inundated with kids. Diablo had a particularly trying afternoon. Man, that kid can whine like no other! And she's incredibly persistent. I keep hoping one of these days she'll decide that she is absolutely, possitively going to be a good girl, come what may. If she decides that, no power in heaven or on earth will sway her from it. Kind of like tonight at the dinner table when she screamed at me for a full 15 minutes because she wanted to find her flip-flops. Notice that she never went to look for them, just yelled at me as I tried to explain that we were leaving soon to take Teaser to soccer and she already had shoes in the car so we didn't need another pair.

Tomorrow night I'm going out with my girlfriends. I live for nights like those. Nights when Hubb puts the kids to bed and deals with the whining himself. He gets to wrestle Diablo into her pajamas while she plays dead. He gets to remind Gem no less that 16 times to put her clothes in the laundry basket. He gets to put Chubb to bed 2 or 3 times before he'll go to sleep. I get to put on some sexy shoes and a shirt without snot rubbed on the shoulders. I get to pack my cute purse, the one that can't fit diapers and wipes. I get to talk to big girls who don't cry. I get to enjoy a dinner and dessert that I will regret all the next day. Bliss.

I can hardly wait. Really. The kids are watching a movie tonight until it is time for bed so I don't have to deal with them at the moment. Yessiree, Bob. I'm in no kind of a mom mood tonight. Or tomorrow. Maybe I'll try for Friday.

One last post before bed

I'm tired. I'm drained from worrying about my friends and from anticipating the repercussions that may come from getting dragged into the middle of the drama. I took a very long time getting milk at the grocery store tonight and then came home and plopped myself in front of the computer.

My brain feels a little fried. But at the moment I'm happy. Because I perused some old favorites. Blogs that are written by people who have a gift for words. Who see the best in hard situations. People who count their blessings, and laugh uproariously at their mistakes. People who make me smile and remember that life and even people are wonderful. There are fantastic things all around us.

Things like Pride and Prejudice! I'm so going to watch that movie tomorrow. I might invite Gem and Diablo to watch it with me, though it may be over the little one's head a bit. Because tonight I can't imagine anything more fun than watching my favorite love story with my girlies and gooing over Mr. Darcy.

Life is good. I'm done with drama for tonight. And maybe even for tomorrow.

Oh, the Jr. High school drama!

I haven't posted to this blog for a while. I have been busy. That is so cliche! But it's true.

I know no one has missed me because no one reads this. Why? Cuz I haven't told ANYONE about it. This is my spot for anonymity and where I can lay it all on the line without fear of retribution. It is the actual definition of a journal. Private. Mine.

A couple of my friends are involved in high drama right now and I'm caught in the middle. Feelings have been hurt, conclusions jumped to, mountains made of mole hills and all because one of them took her feelings public on her blog. The matter could have been dealt with between the parties involved but now the families and friends of both are sounding out, some are being very unkind, and a friendship that has spanned several years hangs in the balance. It makes me crazy!

We are all older, better and wiser than this! It's junior high drama at it's worst!

I don't want to be involved in this kind of drama. I'm refraining from passing judgement and trying to stay out of it as much as I can while being a good friend to both of these women who I truly care for and admire. I isn't easy. It's like juggling 6 balls in the air while walking a tight rope and whistling dixie. This friendship stuff is not for the faint of heart. Not for sissies.

Hubb just rolled his eyes when I told him of the problem. I think he's finally getting what I've been telling him for so long. Girls are all about drama. Even the grown-up variety.

What's the point? Well, now you know why I don't have an identity here. Nobody I know or care about will read this and think less of me and if I don't know you I don't care whether you think less of me. That's the hard truth, dear reader. So when I come back and bare my soul, I'll feel safe. I hope my blogger friend will find a safer way to bear her soul because everything we do has consequences. You can scream and shout all you want about how things should be but you can't always change how they ARE. If your opinion is "It's my blog and I'll say what I want" then you had better buck up and take the abuse that people give you when they disagree with what you wrote because nothing gets people fired up faster or hotter than a situation that is absolutely none of their business!

Deep breath. Back to the mele.

Miss Manners on acid

As I grow older I recoginze that my parents were right. SHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! Don't tell them I said that. Sadly, they were right about most things and one of the things that they were right about is that kids have no respect these days. If it was true then, it's even more true now. Everywhere go I'm surrounded by kids and teenagers who are just rude and inconsiderate. It's an epidemic. But that's not really what this post is about. This post is about taking manners so far that it borders on absurd.

I called someone tonight. Her daughter answered the phone and at first I was very impressed by her phone manners.

Child: "Hello, you've reached the _____ residence." (Nice, huh? Perhaps a little stuffy but very polite.)

Me: "Hello, is ________ there?" (Maybe not the best question to ask but I find it usually gets the job done.)

Child: "Yes she is. Would you like to speak with her?"

Me: ...Pause... "Yes, please."

And all the while I'm waiting for her to come to the phone, I'm thinking... "Would I like to speak with her? No. I just called to check that she was there. (Said in my best sarcastic voice.) "Of course I want to talk to her! That's why I called!"

I'm all for phone manners but to me, it was just all too much. I have no doubt that the little darling was poised with a pen and message pad in hand before she picked up. I can't decide whether she would make a better secretary or answering machine. Yup, that's good manners gone a little to far, if you ask me.

I know. You didn't ask.

I've been neglecting my alter ego.

I've been neglecting my alter ego. I don't even remember the last time I posted to this blog. I could go back and check but that would be a bigger waste of time than posting to this blog. I've been neglecting The Rant Suit because there really hasn't been that much to rant about lately.

*Anybody who knows me knows that is a total LIE. I always have something to rant about. It's an ugly personality flaw. *

Let's just say that I've been trying to be a little more positive lately. I'm trying to see the good in things and concentrate on that instead of the things that annoy me. There are so many. It's harder to find the good things. At least for me. I recently caught up with an old friend and read her blog. Her gift amazed me. She was able to take the most mundane, ordinary, annoying things and turn them into learning and growing experiences, happy thoughts and inspiration.

I wish that were me.

But we celebrate the little milestones anyway. Today I read my relation's blog and chose not to put a comment on it. That may seem small but she put up a glowing movie review on a movie that I thought was boring with a capital B. She's not the kind of person you can disagree with so I chose to not injure her sensibilities or damage our relationship, which is tentative at best, and I didn't comment. It about killed me.

I'm not all the way there yet though. Another relation just had a baby and chose a simply ridiculous name for the child. I told her that she was going to spend a lot of time trying to comfort her child after he was beat up at school.

See. I'm not as good as I should be.