I didn't know if I should cry, or punch them

During my first session today I was talking to a parent about activities that would help their child's fine motor development.  The child is having some difficulty holding a pencil and doing some other activities that require fine motor control.  We were discussing using a Mr. Potato head and how some of the pieces were hard to push into Mr. Potato.  I was telling them that that even pushing and pulling the pieces would build strength in the child's hands.  That's when I was told, "they don't need to build strength, they're just lazy."

Lazy? A four-year old that can't sit still is lazy? Really?

I get it, I really do.  These parents are still mourning the perfect child they thought they were going to have.  But this child is who they are going to be.  I don't think there is such a thing as a lazy four-year old.  That comment just broke my heart.  The child doesn't want to do those things because they are hard for them.  For all we know it hurts them.  The child can't tell us.  I watched the frustration on their face this morning.  I saw the poor baby's hands shake while trying to put two pieces of train track together.  I wanted to cry.  I felt so bad for that child.  How sad is it when your own parents can't accept your disability and think because you don't want to do something that you're lazy?

Up until two months ago I didn't know this child.  But when they make eye contact and smile at me, there is joy in my heart.  If they would let me, I'd hug them. Do their parents feel the same way? Or only see what they want to change so their child is "normal"?

I love, love, love this song

I think this woman may have followed me my entire life. Scary. 

Photo Challenge

Inside the Anaheim Convention Center.  Check out the staircase in the background.  That place was HUGE!

Meet Me on Monday

I'm going to do this early since I don't know if I'll have time tomorrow.

Questions:




1. What do you put on your hot dog? Ketchup and mayo.  Uncreative yes, but I will occasionally do mustard and relish.

2. Do you play Sudoku?  Sometimes.  I'm addicted to Mahjong Dimensions on Facebook

3. What is your favorite vegetable?  Peas. I think. Lol

4. Do you color your hair? Since high school.  I started getting gray hair early

5. What is your favorite brand of clothing? Comfortable. So that's not a brand, but I work with young children and honestly they don't care what I'm wearing.  I want to be comfortable so I can play with them and not worry about my clothes.

Head over to Never Growing Old to link up!

Military Girlfriends Community

The lovely Kelsey Lauren has started a community for us military girlfriends.  So stop by and say hi, if you're a military girlfriend, sign up!

Military Girlfriend Community

Six Word Saturday

I got to sleep in today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Click on the picture to link up!

Five Question Friday

1. If you had $1,000 to donate to a charity, which would you choose?  That's a tough one, but I'll say the Red Cross because I'm a Red Cross volunteer!






2. Snow days: Do you welcome them happily or are they a pain in your butt? Snow day? What's a snow day? Matter of fact, what is this snow everybody's talking about?





3. What talent did you wish you had and why?  I'd like to be able to play the piano.  Not sure why, but it sounds fun.





4. Are you a news, politics or celebrity gossip junkie? No, I'm a Facebook junkie.  The news is depressing and politics usually just pisses me off lol





5. What is your favorite "cocktail"? (Are you a beer person, a kiddie cocktail junkie, or perhaps your more the "Cosmo" kind?! Anything flies...doesn't hafta be alcoholic!)  Definitely beer, Shiner Bock please.  Best stuff ever!

Answer the questions on your blog and head over to Five Crooked Halos to link up!

Fill in the blank Friday!

Fill in the blanks on your own blog then link up at the little things we do

1. If my house was on fire and I could only grab 3 things I would grab

my laptop, my camera, and my purse.  Of course I would grab my kids, but the question said things!



2. A smell I really like is coffee. Okay, I just love coffee.




3. Something you might not know about me is that I don't like sudden change.  I like to plan ahead and when the plan changes, wow do I get grumpy.  Seriously, I sprout horns and tail.  It's ugly.




4. Some of my favorite websites to putter about on are, I don't really have any.  I'm always busy with homework or blogging. Does Google reader count?




5. This weekend I will be going to see Jeff Dunham on Saturday night.  Double date with my parents lol.  Dinner and lots of laughter, it's going to be a great weekend.


6. Nothing makes me happier than the feeling I get when I get to sleep in on Sundays next to my love.  If he's not here I wake up early.  I love lazy Sundays.




7. A bad habit I have is procrastinating on my homework.  I wait until the last minute and then get grouchy because I don't have enough time to get it done.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Wordless Wednesday

My adorable nephew. He made it to the top by the way.

Post It Note Tuesday

Click the HERE to make your own stickies.  Then click HERE to go link up!

Meet me on Monday

This is a blog hop! Answer the questions on your blog and head over to Never Growing Old to link up!


Questions:




1. What is your favorite kind of fudge? Peanut butter fudge

2. Is there snow outside your window?No, but there is fog, fog, and more fog.  There was no sunshine at my house today.

3. What is your favorite meal of the day?  Breakfast. I love having a big breakfast on the weekends.

4. Do you text on your cell phone?Constantly.  I should probably consider a 12 step group for texting

5. Waffles or pancakes? French toast.  Okay, waffles but they have to have strawberries and whipped cream on them.

Hmmmmmmmmmmm

I see I have 8 followers, but only seven people show up on the list.  Oh mystery follower, who are you?  That's gonna bug me.

If it's my ex-husband. Dude get another hobby and piss off.  If it's not, hi! Whomever you are.

Wow, that hurt soooooooo bad!

I was getting ready to for my 3 nephew's birthday party earlier today and as usual I was drinking a Diet Dr. Pepper.  The boy was in the bathroom with me, making sure his do was in order and I took a drink and coughed at the same time.

Ouch.

Before I knew what happened, I had Diet Dr. Pepper coming out my nose.  It burned like fire!  I wanted to cough, but every time I coughed more soda came out my nose!  My eyes watered, my throat burned. It was ugly. 

The boy notices the fizzy liquid coming out of my nose. Finally.  He looks at me and says, "OMG are you okay?!"

"Yes. It's just soda."

"Why did you do that?"

"I didn't do it on purpose dude. Wow that really hurt."

"Well don't make soda come out of your nose."

"Thanks for the tip son.  I knew I could count on you."

Six Word Saturday

I wish he was here now.

If you want to play along visit Show My Face and link up!

Five Question Friday

1. Where did you meet your spouse and did you instantly know it was love?  Uh, he's not my spouse, yet.  Though there have been many people that have assumed we're married.  Kind of a long story, we actually met in fourth grade.  We graduated junior high together and after pretty much lost touch after that.  Then about two years ago we started chatting on Facebook and now we've been dating for two years.  So a HUGE thank you to Facebook.  I really need to buy that guy a beer.






2. What is your favorite room in your house?  It's not my house :0(. So my favorite room is in my truck, lol because it's actually mine.




3. Can you wiggle your ears? Yes I can! I can't wait to see how many other people can wiggle their ears.




4. What is your evening ritual? It depends on which night of the week or weekend it is, but I do homework, check blogs, watch tv, wash my face, brush my teeth, and go to bed.  Do I know how to party or what?





5. How many hours of sleep do you need to function? I can get by on 5, sometimes less, but if that goes on too long I turn in to the devil.  So really I need 8 hours to be a somewhat pleasant human being.

Fill in the Blank Friday

1. My favorite quote is "I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do." Helen Keller


2. A bad habit I have is interrupting people when they're talking.  Whenever I do it, I realize it about a second after I've interrupted someone and I want to smack myself in the mouth.




3. The first time I felt like a "grown up" was when  . . . . I still don't feel like a "grown up".  I don't wanna grow up. Not being a grown up is what makes me a good teacher, I love to play just as much as the kids do.




4. Weekends are for sleeping in and staying in my pajamas all day while I do my homework.




5. When I was a child I wished my name was  . . . . . I always liked my name.  I never even thought about changing it.


6. I wish I was done with school so I could start working full-time again and get out of my parents house.  I'm too old for this crap.




7. A secret I have is that I love to color.  I have a drawer full of crayons, color pencils, and two different types of markers. (See? Still not a "grown up")

Thursday Thirteen

1. I have a HUGE blister on the bottom of my foot.  It sucks.
2. My son lost a tooth today.  I hope I remember to play Toothfairy.
3. I have forgotten to play Toothfairy several times.
4. I've had to place phone calls and send emails to the Toothfairy to file complaints from my children.
5. Forgetting to play Toothfairy costs extra money.
6. How many teeth do kids lose any way?
7. Since when did teeth become more expensive? I used to get a quarter.
8. These kids better not need braces.
9. It's 11pm and my son is STILL awake.
10. Can you say benadryl?
11. Somebody call me in the morning and remind me to buy his tooth.
12. Okay, I think I'm done with the tooth thing.
13. Technically it's still Thursday for me.

Wordless Wednesday

Hoo are you?

Tuesday blog hop!  I borrowed this from   Dilly Dally  and







Tell us hoo you are!

1. Do you use an alarm clock or some device to wake you up, or do you wake up on your own?

I use an alarm clock.  I don't trust myself to wake up on time.


2. If you could go on any game show, which one would you choose? I'd say Jeopardy, but I don't think I know that much.  So I'll go with Wheel of Fortune cause I think I'd do pretty good on there.

3. Do you prefer the weather to be hot or cold? Hot. I don't like being cold.


4.What color of clothing do you wear the most? I force myself to wear color. I'd wear black all the time otherwise.


5. What is your favorite color?Blue.  Pretty much any shade of blue, which probably explains why I wear a lot of blue. Cause it's close enough to black that I feel like I'm wearing a color. Lol
 

Post It Note Tuesday

Forgive me for the lame post.  It's my first Post It Note Tuesday and it took me FOREVER to figure this shit out.  I feel old right now, and I'm sick. So there!  But I did it!  Thanks for the help Rockin Mama! Next week will be better.

I wasn't sure I was gonna make it

I started out this semester thinking I was out of my mind.  Attending two different colleges and tackling 26 units.  I thought that I could just gut it out and I would be okay.  After the first night of class and really starting to think about how much work my last semester at FPU was going to entail I realized I was taking on too much.  I didn't need the classes at FCC. So I dropped them.  That was a big weight off my shoulders, but I still had a ton of homework hanging over my head.

Friday night I almost hit a wall.  After class on Thursday night and being reminded of how much work I have to get done in the next two weeks, I just felt competely overwhelmed. I didn't know how I was going to finish it all.  I started trying to think about what assignments I could skip and not take too big of a hit on my grade.  I was tired and just didn't want to do it. 

After dropping the classes I cleared two more nights during the week and put my head down and started working my way through what was due first.  15 chapters of physical education for young children.  Ugh. It's really as exciting as it sounds I promise.  Like watching paint dry in the dead of winter.  I have two more assignments left for this class and four days to get them done.  I'll worry about the work for the other class after I finish this one.

I can do this.  Because I have to.

You have got to be kidding me

I got the stink eye from a mom today when she found out I have tattoos.  Seriously?  She has tattoos! Having tattoos and piercings doesn't make me any less capable or professional.  I'm very good at my job.  I'm an honor student for crying out loud! I didn't even have to interview for this job.  I called gave the lady my name and my credentials and that was it.  BAM! Insta job. 

It irritated me. Obviously.  She had this look on her face like she wasn't sure she wanted me around her child.  She has no idea that I've already gone to the mat for this boy twice because the team was expecting too much from him.  I promise I'm not whispering in his ear sweet little nothings about becoming a tattoo covered criminal.  I'm not in recruiting.  I'm president of the tattoo having baby snatchers.  BOO!

Filll in the Blank Friday

1. I feel happy when I get to sleep on my favorite pillow (my boyfriend! lol)
2. I get silly when I'm at work. I get paid to play!
3. Something that makes me sad is I know my son is unhappy and I feel like there's nothing I can do about it.
4. Something that makes me annoyed is people touching my stuff without asking. I'm soooooo OCD.
5. A time when I was truly surprised was my daughter used money her uncle gave her for shopping to buy me a Christmas present.
6. I am so thankful for my parents, children, and boyfriend.  They support me in getting my education and put up with my grumpy ass.
7. I feel loved when my boyfriend takes care of me when I'm sick. I'm used to having to just deal with by myself.  Kinda nice being taken care of. 

That's funny

I'm looking my stats and see that people are being directed to my blog through Google.  How do they get here? By searching "how not to be weird".

People, you have come to the wrong place if you're looking for help with that.  Weird is all we've got here

Thursday Thirteen

1. I hated school when I was a kid.  I still hate it but I can't stop enrolling for classes, even ones I don't need because I'm a nerd.
2. I'm proud of myself for what I have accomplished in the last three years.
3. I absolutely love my job.
4. My favorite color is blue.
5. I actually have to force myself to wear colors other than black.
6. I've been dying my hair since high school when I started getting gray hair.
7. Sometimes I wish I hadn't gotten my tubes tied.
8. Then my sanity returns and I'm glad I did.
9. I love cheesecake.
10. I love to blow bubbles.
11. I bought a 500 pack of crayons just for myself.
12. I have six tattoos and can't wait to get more.
13. I miss having my own house.

License Plate

On my drive to school today I saw a license plate that read "If your rich, I'm your Bitch".

At least she's honest.  I think it was a girl driving.  Maybe I should have checked. Lol

That weird noise you hear . . . . yeah that's me screaming

Ugh, what a day.  It started out so good too.  My only session cancelled (woohoo! free money!) so I had all day to run errands and go to the gym.  Everything was all sunshine, hearts, and rainbows until I got the email from my son's teacher.  He "forgot" part of his homework AGAIN.  Then he decided he didn't care about detention and just didn't go. Awesome.  We're a few incidents away from being invited to be on The Jerry Springer show.  It will descend into an all out brawl because I'll finally give in to temptation and punch my ex right in the neck.  Be sure to set your DVRs, you don't wanna miss that shit.

The icing on the cake though was the notice from my friends at the Franchise Tax Board that my wages are being garnished! It's nice when friends keep in touch don't you think?  Most would send a card, a text, maybe even write a letter.  But not these guys! Oh no, not them.  They've chosen to give me the gift that keeps on giving.  I believe it's called an ulcer.  Who am I kidding? It's not really their fault.  They're just doing their job.  It's my ex-husbands fault. Stupid, stupid paperboy.  This children is what happens when you don't delcare income.  FTB doesn't care that the employer didn't send you your paperwork.  They also don't care that we're not married any more hence the garnishment of my wages.

There is a silver lining though.  They tracked his happy ass down and are garnishing his wages too.  The icing on the cake? He gets paid every week, and I only get paid once a month. Haha sucker!

It's amazing what bad habits you can kick by getting your tongue pierced

On New Year's Eve, because I'm a total idiot, I got my tongue pierced.  This wasn't exactly a spur of the moment decision.  I've been thinking about it for awhile.  I took a baby step and got my tragus pierced, google it if you want to know what it is.  It's nothing dirty. Perverts! Since my awesome boyfriend got me a gift certificate to our favorite tattoo place and since my favorite artist is also a piercer, it seemed like perfect timing.  I did go on Wednesday, thinking I could get it done then and the worst would be over by New Years Eve.  Best laid plans and all that.  Oops.

I won't say I quit smoking, but I did stop smoking on Tuesday because I knew it would slow the healing process.  I haven't really wanted a cigarette since, so I'll just go on not "quitting" and see how long it lasts.  I figure if I actually quit then I can just as easily start again.  Not officially quitting means no official starting again.

Also, I have cut way back on how many sodas I drink a day.  I started drinking lots of water right after I got the piercing cause it was pretty much the only thing I could tolerate.  One bad habit almost gone in favor of a good one.  I used to drink practically 6 sodas a day, sometimes more.  So I feel pretty good about cutting it down to one or two a day.  Hopefully I'll get rid of soda all together.  Now if I could just get my fat ass to the gym.

Hello my name is Rachel and I was addicted to the "ville" games on Facebook

"Hi Rachel!"

A little over two years ago I got divorced and thank god, my now ex-husband moved out.  The bad thing was, joint custody.  I had all this freedom! Well once I had stopped drinking my way through the weeks he had the kids.  It was a ugly at first. But getting back to my point.  So the kids are with their dad and here I am will all this time on my hands.  I had to find something to do and I'm not really into the whole bar/club scene. I'd much rather drink at home.  It's cheaper and there are a lot less stupid people to deal with. So I started playing all these damn life sucking games on Facebook and good lord they suck you in! You have to have a bigger farm and more friends and they have to help you harvest your crops!

 Then there is more than one farm game and then because they not only want your life, they want your money too there's all these nifty things you can buy for your farm, amusement park, bakery, mafia, island, etc., etc.  But here's the kicker, all those cool things cost money, not "play" money, real money.  I'll admit, I spent money on the stupid horseshoes.  Not a lot.  About twenty bucks and then I refused, REFUSED to spend any more because how ridiculous was that? I was spending money on shit I didn't even OWN.  Like I wasn't broke enough already? I just threw money away.  Seriously, $20? That's a least a twelve pack and a pack of cigarettes both of which are more fun and at least give me a buzz.

Then, a little over a week ago I had a friend post, on Facebook no less, that she was deleting all of the games. You know who you are you sexy bitch! ;oP I remember thinking, "I can't do that! What would I do when I got bored?! OMG!" Then in the midst of planting my crops, cooking in my cafe, and building a city I realized this shit sucked.  Really? The amount of time I spent doing all this shit and planning when I would be home to harvest my crops or serve my dishes was just insane.  I would actually sit here at my computer and figure out how many hours it would be until I would be home to check on my games.  Lame!

 So I took a deep breath, removed the applications from my account and then blocked the feeds so I wouldn't see all the requests for boards, or goats, or whatever silly shit somebody needed for their farm, frontier, or cafe.   I even took it a step further and deleted all the "friends" that I didn't really know and just had on there because you need more neighbors to unlock more cool shit! I'll admit my life isn't any richer for having removed them, but now I at least have the time I should have always had to do something productive. Like whine on my blog or harass my children.  The added bonus is that I can actually see what my real friends are up to, which is sort of the whole reason I started using Facebook in the first place.

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel . . . . . .

The sad thing is, it appears to be moving away from me. I'm staring down the barrel of the semester from hell and I just can't work up anything close to enthusiasm for it.  I'm tired of being at school all the time.  I'm tired of having massive amounts of homework breathing down my neck constantly.  Mostly I'm tired of not being able to work full-time due to needing time for school.  This shit better pay off.  Twenty-six units this semester. Holy shit. At two different schools no less.  The icing on the cake is that I have the kids full-time again.  A weekend isn't enough time to catch my breath much less take a break.

At this point I'm so close to burning out.  I just want to run away and leave everything behind.  Go somewhere nobody knows me and start over.  Let the ex have the kids and move to another country.  I feel so buried.  It's not overwhelming, it's exhausting. 

You ever make a choice and years later think, "damn, I fucked up."  I should have taken that job when it was offered to me.  I could be in some hellhole with no indoor plumbing, covered in dirt and probably having the time of my life.  It sounded like fun. Oh well. Shoulda, coulda, woulda.

25 Questions. Because I'm avoiding homework

1. How far away do you live from your parents? Ugh, I live with my parents. But only because I have to.


2. What did you get in the mail today? I don't know yet. Our mailman is the slowest EVER


3. How do you like your steak cooked?: Medium rare!



4. Have you ever sat all the way through Gone With the Wind? Absolutely. My most favorite movie!


5. Have you ever been to Mt Rushmore? Nope



6. Is it just me, or was The Marine (w/John Cena) a really horrible movie? No, it isn't just you. That movie is horrible.


7. Do you smoke cigarettes? Not right now. I quit so I could get my tongue pierced. One vice for another!


8. Are you currently planning a trip? No, but I sure wish I was.


9. Is Ryan Seacrest gay? Should anyone care? I don't know and no, we shouldn't care.  As long as he's not hitting on my boyfriend Mr. Seacrest can do whomever he wants.


10. Do you take anti-depressants? No



11. Do you ever take sleeping pills? No, that's what beer and sex are for.



12. Did you ever get into a bar and drink before you were 21? Yes. Long story and probably a damn funny blog post.


13. Do you watch MTV anymore? Yes. Lately for some reason I keep watching it.  Nitro Circus is pretty funny.


14. What kind of car do you drive? A POS Jeep.  Please steal that piece of shit.

15. Honestly, is that car insured? Yes, that's why I want you to steal it!


16. Do you like sushi? Never tried it. Kinda scared to with all of my allergies.


17. Do you like roller coasters? Hell yes!


18. What magazine(s) do you buy regularly or subscribe to? None. They just pile up and then I throw them away.


19. Do you own an iPad? Do you plan to buy an iPad if you don't already have one? No, probably not.


20. Was your dad named after anyone? His dad


21. What’s the longest time that you‘ve been involved with the same person? Almost thirteen years


22. What is something that you‘d rather be a bit dirty?: Sex. (I stole this answer ... kinda hard to disagree with that one!)



23. What was your best/favorite subject at school? English or Art


24. Describe your accent: Californian lol


25. What do you wear to sleep? Sometimes nothing and sometimes shorts and a t-shirt

On Hold

"Your call is important to us. Please continue to hold. Your call will be answered in the order it was recieved."

If my call is so damn important, why haven't you answered the freakin' phone?! I've been on hold for over half an hour now. If my call will be answered in the order it was received then everybody and their grandmother must be calling today. Don't make me come down there!