Road Rage anyone?

So, I was reminded again today why I hate people. As I was driving in the local "big city" on my way to drop Mr. X off at an appointment, I came upon a stop light at a busy intersection... No big deal, right? WRONG!! I had my van full of my loved ones but that didn't seem to matter to the lady that didn't think she needed to obey the law and ran her stop light right in front of me. I saw her approaching the intersection and questioned her out loud as she turned into my lane and sped off. At first I did the hand up gesture, as if to say, "WTF" and then I was done. But, Mr. X mentioned that I didn't need to get mad because people are just stupid. I told him I wasn't then he said, "well, I am.". For some reason, I became consumed with that horrible anger toward her and felt that the lady should pay, or at least be stopped and reminded of the proper driving laws.

I recalled a time in my earlier days when I was aquainted with some women that had done just that, gone after someone that pissed them off while driving. At the time, I was schocked to hear their stories, the chase, the cursing, sometimes even a punch or two. These weren't crazy teens, these were women, with children! I could easily see how road rage can get out of hand though. We put our lives in the hands of other people all the time, just by leaving home. It's something I've often forgotten but was unpleasantly reminded of this morning... So, to you, the lady that didn't slow down for the stoplight nor even stop at the red, I just hope you know that you nearly hit us, a van full of precious lives. You aren't a worthy driver and I hope you never come that close to hurting someone again! So, screw you! Nothing is worth what you could have taken.

My dad always told me to be an offensive driver and today, it saved my family's life.

Doing the "right thing", but why?

There are so many rules and regulations in life, so much drama that arises from being "good" but I ask you, isn't that what we all want? Why is doing the right thing, individually or as a whole, so difficult for people to follow? Was our entire youth a waste, being forced to go to school to learn and be productive members of society? I just don't get it.

I find myself particularly irritated when it comes to my kids. I've done my best to instill a sense of right and wrong in them, but what the h*** for if there are kids that get away with the unthinkable? How do I explain to my kids that what those other kids did was wrong, yes, and it's unfortunate that they'll never have to repay their wrongdoing but don't you ever think of trying it. It makes parenting really difficult. I've thought of how interesting it would be to just tell my kids, instead of being nice to the other kids at school or at the park, just take them down. I know this sounds ridiculous but that's just how I feel after years of watching them suffer for doing the right thing. I know life is hard but SERIOUSLY, aren't we making it harder on ourselves by letting our kids get away with such crap?

To all you parents that aren't aware of your kids' wrongdoings, get with the program! Your kids are the reasons people need therapy; your kids are the reasons kids opt out of playing sports or even enjoying school. Kids are mean and rude and just downright difficult but that's no excuse to just let it happen. Take control of them for gosh sake! At least then the rest of us don't have to listen to another heart wrenching story of how your darn kid made life hard for the other kid, who did the right thing.

Sleep Deprevation

As I sit here nodding off, I contemplate napping.. I think I will, for a few minutes.. until yet another issue arises and I must be mom again.

Can you say, OMGosh!

So, I forced Child #2 to go to his last game of soccer this evening. We were packed in the van, nearing the field, he was dressing on the way, and it happened... He forgot his cleats! Living 30 minutes away from the field has given us a run for our money most game nights, but tonight it was agonizing because we were just a few miles away when he realized he didn't bring them. Of course I couldn't get over the fact that last night, after he finished wearing the shoes for another hated event, t-ball, I reminded him to put his shoes in his soccer bag... and then again this afternoon, I reminded him again to get all his stuff together.

Talk about irritating! I was going to make him sit there and watch his team with their final game but it was hot and I didn't feel the need to torture the rest of the kids, and Mr.X who was still in his shirt and pants from work. So, we left.. and that was that!

I'm desperately trying to empower my kids to do things for themselves because I hate, hate, hate being a hoverer, a helicopter mom, a nagger, etc. I have enough of my own issues to deal with without having to worry about shoes, or this or that.

Oh, and mower man came today and the yard looks lovely!

Disobedience..

Is it just natural for kids to balk the system? Do they just come out, born to say "no, I don't want to!"

Having more than one child causes a lot of drama, but when it comes to accepting my decisions, they can NEVER agree, nor do I expect them to, but GEEZ!! Give the mom a break already!

Child #2's new statement is, "Mom, you can't make me do anything!" What do I say to that? You're right Child #2, but I don't have to let you come to the park with us; I don't have to let you have ice cream after dinner?

What do I say when it comes to doing activities that they originally wanted to do and went into with great excitement and anticipation and now, suddenly don't like them, don't want to ever do them again, don't even enjoy them a teeny little bit.. but they sure would like doing something else? Ugg!

Given the fact that I'm an educated person, fully aware of how children grow and learn, I most likely know the answers to my questions and should be able to handle the situations appropriately, but sometimes, I forget.. sometimes I find myself bursting with frustration.. And today is no different! haha So, today Child #2 is laying down for a rest, even though he hasn't taken a nap in a couple years. And when he decides that he doesn't want to cooperate, I'll just grin and say it's for the greater good of our existence (at least my sanity anyway) 8~)

What do you say about that?

Online gaming... Yes, it's created to be addicting to some extent, but do those creators really think of the ramifications their actions have? Do they realize there are actually people that take the game too far and can't stop playing? Those people play and play and play until they've mastered each an every possible option the game has to offer; they make excuses to get out of doing things so they can play the game, ways to avoid life experiences and responsibilities, so they can fulfill their daily fix.

Mr.X has fallen victim to online gaming.. or would it be better put, my children and I have. Mr.X does his best to only play the game after the kids are in bed, at least some of them anyway. Since most of our children are still fairly young, he ends up spending about 4-6 hours a night playing. Amazingly he is able to work and even function, but give him a minute of silence and he zonks! On the weekends, he likes to sneak off and play a little here and a little there and if it's raining, he's a goner. Child #1 is fairly outspoken about the issue and often shares opinions about the subject which only leaves Mr.X and Child #1 upset. It's a hard situation that has added a lot of sadness to our lives.

How does one cope with it? I don't get to be a spouse to Mr.X because as soon as the kids are in bed he's unavailable. I can talk to him but there's no guarantee he'll respond nor remember what I've said. We can't plan anything with any certainty because he can't commit that much time to anything. He's wasting away our relationship and it's very, very unfortunate.. our children deserve better and the man he truly is knows that.

Mow is me..

Life is busy here, I have more than 2 children, less than 5. Keeping up with them is a full-time job but I also work. My significant other, Mr.X, is a busy worker also. For some reason, he doesn't feel the need to mow the lawn. Much to my frustration and irritation, he would rather just stay inside and chill in the A/C and let the lawn grow into the town's only jungle. As it sits, he has yet to mow at all this year!!!

I was tired of waiting for him to find the motivation to deal with the yard and was fearful I might lose one of my small children in the great depth of grassy wonder, that I took on the challenge again this week. It was a nice evening and all the kids were asleep or busy. I secretly enjoy mowing, but I would never admit it to Mr.X. I've always thought of it as a rite of passage into home ownership and enjoyed the loud, but quiet time while mowing. I'm thankful for having a home that actually has a yard, with grass, and a lawnmower that works.

So, I'm out mowing... a local mowing company truck passes me and pulls into the neighbor's driveway.. Grrr! Yes, I could pay to have him do all the hard work, but I like my money and I want to keep it, I also want to use the mower that Mr.X purchased last year instead of letting it go to waste. So, I happily continue on my way, keeping my rows nice and straight, back and forth, forth and back, thinking of how nice the freshly cut grass looks and smells. And cursing Mr.X for not being more considerate of my allergies and carpal tunnel syndrome!

An hour and a half into the mow, I got a little too close to a drainage pipe.. crunch! Death to the mower.. or at least temporary paralysis.. What to do?? Why me?? I was simply mowing the yard, being responsible for my blessings.. Mr.X was inside so I made my claim for his time.. "Mr. X, I need your help. I broke the mower." Mr.X being busy with his usual evening event, online game play, doesn't want to leave the cool confines of our home but manages to take a second away from the ever so important gaming world to report that "it's broke." Um, duh.. I think I realized that when it wouldn't start and the pull cord wouldn't let me pull it! Mr.X wasn't very helpful, especially when he said "I'm not a mechanic, I can't fix it!" Bleap, bleap, bleap!! So, I push the stinken' mower back to it's home and pick up the rest of the toys that #1 child didn't pick up. Tomorrow, I'll have to call the local mower man.. Maybe while he's here he can fix my mower!