AM I FREAKIN' INVISIBLE OR WHAT?

Merry Christmas to All and to ALL Goodwill toward man!

2006-12-24T20:53:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas EVERYONE!

I hope Santa has given you everything you requested (within reason). May God shower you with blessings in the New Year and for many years to come.

See ya next year! ;)

PS: Down 27 1/2 lbs!!!!! Yippeeeeeeeeeeeee! I'm so glad that I haven't hit a dreaded plateau yet. I HAD hoped to be done to my "fighting weight" by the end of January, but now I'm shooting for a more realistic goal of my birthday -and I refuse to make that a New Year's Resolution -particularly since I found my resolve in early October.

KFC gives me eyestrain

2006-11-14T19:49:00.000-05:00

So I received this e-mail from KFC that invites me to view some kind of logo that is supposed to be visible from space. I squinted and rotated the image and zoomed in and out a kajillion times and couldn't find anything. I left the page open and went to get the 11 year old from school, looked at it for a second and noticed something right away. Then it took me another hour and a half before I was able to figure out exactly how to zoom into exactly the right spot in the exactly right magnification -okay maybe I'm a big dummy, I don't know. But if you don't want to go through all that, just comment me and I'll give you the answer.

Or, if you want to go through the agony, go here:
http://www.kfc.com/facefromspace/default.asp

Gardening is Therapeutic

2006-10-14T09:08:00.000-04:00

mmmmmmm... The curative effects of gardening are really curative -for the soul at least, can't say the same for my bank account. I've spent $50 in two days for two very small flower beds. I've actually done quite well because I had a discount card for the local home improvement world (I can hardly call such a behemoth a store).

I can feel the age in my limbs after several hours leaning in the garden. But these are pleasant aches -the aches from something fun and relaxing that drives the unrelenting tension away. And what a payoff! I can peep out my window and look at the sunshiney faces of my gerber daisies and their less bold friends swaying in the early autumn (such as it is in Florida) breeze. I put in some lovey ground cover (blue haze?) in the larger bed where my bottle brush tree and gladiolas are bedded down. Then I spent hours -literally hours- wrenching out some sort of invasive vines that seem to be attacking everything in my beds -nearly all of my Mexican Heather has been choked back by these treacherous weeds and they've begun their assault on my rosebushes. The sneaky things have bright pretty small green leaves. Without getting a close up view, I'd thought all my plants were thriving. A couple of days ago while working outdoors, I noticed that all the "pretty" green was some awful murderous weed. GAAAGH!

There's plenty more to do, but it will all have to wait at least a couple of days. I have gardening to do, but it's of a more personal kind. Sometimes one must nurture one's own tender life. Tomorrow we're breaking from routine. Rather than rushing off to church we're rushing off to breakfast out. In place of tiring ourselves doing home improvements and car repairs, we're going to tire ourselves enjoying some family time, maybe a little light shopping, a movie?

Monday (no school -some sort of teacher workday) I'll be taking the kids off to the Museum with some friends. My closest friend and her granddaughter will be coming with us to Tampa to the Museum of Science and Industry. MOSI sounds very serious and stuffy, but is actually quite a bit more child-oriented than most museums. And the little kid inside me loves those hands-on exhibits. I simply can't wait for the planetarium and the IMAX dome theater. Maybe I'm more excited than the kids! Wish us a safe drive -it's only an hour away, but traffic going to Tampa can be pretty hairy.

BTW, thanks for the comments on my previous post. And personal note to Kay, I AM considering using the blog as a bit of my therapy -I'm currently seeing a counselor who's always suggesting I write letters (though most likely not mail them) to those who've caused some of the hurt and negativity in my life. I'm just shying away from putting too much negativity on my blog, lest I drive the few readers I have left away from me. Comments always welcome. Have a lovely weekend. I know I will!

Confession right here in my own personal confessional

2006-10-05T09:56:00.000-04:00

Confession is good for the soul, yes? I haven't written ANYTHING on this blog in a shocking 3 months. I confess, there were times that I WAS on the 'puter surfing random triviality and probably could have found the time for a quick post. I just don't know why I haven't bothered. Lazy? Underachiever? More interested in Regis and Kelly during Little Bear's naptime? (not so likely).

So anyway, I read my last post and it sure seemed negative. Made me feel guilty. Don't worry much, EVERYTHING makes me feel guilty. I decide today that I'll try something new. Get things out into the open. Utilizing this post as a private (hah) confessional, I hope to clear my mind of some of my negativity so maybe I can move on.

Confession:

1) I'm fat. Overweight. Hate it. No one else even seems to be bothered about it, but I hate myself for it. HATE MYSELF. I feel ugly and disgusting. It's depressing me and making me procrastinate about dieting and exercising and buying any clothing that might make me look a little better and therefore feel a mite better about myself.

2) I don't do ANYTHING for myself and I feel incredibly guilty if I do. It even stretches as far as buying myself new bras and panties. I'll pick things up and think about all the things that the kids want or would like to have and all the things hubby wants and/or needs and I put everything back and get "presents" for them. I feel guilty to even linger in the bathroom for an extra 5 minutes to finish the chapter I'm on. I feel guilty to just sit quietly reading or relaxing instead of doing housework while Little Bear naps. I feel guilty spending any time at all on the telephone when Kangaroo is home from school and Little Bear is playing. I feel guilty if I get to go to the store for an hour all by myself while Daddy stays with the kids.

3) The one way that I do try to do something for myself is not healthy. I "reward" myself with special chocolates and other fattening junk. And I generally sneak it these things -when one's at school and the other is sleeping or going off to soak in the tub when they're with Daddy and bringing chocolates with me. This is one of the reasons I'm fat. And I feel extreme guilt about that.

4) I have a horrible HORRIBLE relationship with my mother. It's not my fault at all -REALLY and I'm actually going through counseling for it. So that I can convince myself that there's nothing wrong with me and let go of some of THAT guilt.

5) I'm a terrible procrastinator. I can't seem to get anything done until it's the eleventh hour. And sometimes not even then.

6) I often feel like a lousy mother. People are always telling me I'm such a good mom, but I still feel like the worst Mom in the world.

7) I'm pretty sure I'm clinically depressed. I can cry at the drop of a hat. I'm always tired. Everything, including making plans to do something that I enjoy, feels like so much work.

8) I worry incessantly about everything. Sometimes when somethings bugging me I stay awake at night.

9) I'm a total control freak. It stretches into every area of my life and I'm pretty sure it's making everybody around me crazy.

10) I have ZERO patience. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Not one iota.

11) I feel responsiblity for EVERYTHING and EVERYBODY -including how others feel. I feel terrible if I can't help someone resolve whatever problem or worry they have.

12) I occasionally cuss like a sailor. I'm really trying to stop.

13) I can't stand other people being disrespectful or inconsiderate of others. You know them -the aisle blockers, the ones who MUST drive 5-20 miles per hour below the speed limit. The drivers applying make-up, the woman who jumps into the express lane in a packed grocery store even though she clearly has 40, not 20 items, the ass who will look right at me turning my cart with the screaming overtired toddler into a lane at the grocery and still dive in front of my because they are so more important than me and my kid (NOT!!!)

14) I am horrible at saying no to anyone about anything. And when I do force myself I can hardly live with the guilt.

15) All of these things about me drive me crazy, but I rarely do anything to change these behaviors.

Any confessions from any of my readers who have long disappeared or any lurkers?

SORRY!!!!!!!!!

2006-07-21T20:59:00.000-04:00

I know. I know. I know. I've just been so busy being Mommy that there are just not enough hours in the day for blogging or even me time. I'm thrilled to eek out a shower while the little bub is taking his morning nap.

Now he's walking -has been for almost a month. I have to plan his 1st birthday party. I'm drowning in a pile of outgrown baby clothes, blankets, and assorted paraphernalia that he only used for a couple of months. I'd like to give away or consign some or all of it, but hubby has delusions of another child.

So we've been fine here. Things have much improved over the past few months. Now that he's more mobile the little guy can entertain himself a little -at least long enough for me to dash off to the bathroom or fix our lunch. Brother being home for summer break has also been particularly wonderful this year because the boys have each other so it's not all Mommy all the time.

The heat here is as unbearable as ever. A couple of months ago our old minivan died so we were kind of forced to buy a new one -that was a large expense that we really hoped to put off one more year. Now a couple of weeks ago we found major leakage in the attic and had to buy a new roof. Another very unwanted expense. We're only half way through the year and we've already spent a large percentage of hubby's annual salary -and I'd been hoping he could finally cut back on the overtime at work.

I worry constantly about him putting in 82 hour weeks and getting very little sleep. We're not getting any younger and this can definitely not be good for his health.

Well, life rushes on. We're doing fine here. I can't promise any regularity on my blog but I'll try.

Pretty cool poem -I think.

2006-04-26T20:43:00.000-04:00

Water can extinguish fire,
but it can not extinguish fear.

If it could wash away loneliness,
I'd need a lot of water around here.

By HR OLDEST SON

Yesterday was...

2006-03-23T08:16:00.000-05:00

Mommy Hell.

For some reason, (I don't know if he's more clingy because of the teething or because Dr. said to cut back a little on the nursing sessions), Baby V.J. cannot live for even .25 seconds without me. If I venture more than a foot away from him he bursts into dramatic tears. And he continues to cry, no matter how long I am away from him, until I either pick him up or he exhausts himself and dozes off. The way he acts you'd think that I never hold and cuddle him or that I'm constantly taking off and leaving him -neither is true.

All of this is tiring and frustrating enough for any mother and that much more so for a very impatient Mom like me. Top that with a horrendous migraine/tension headache and you can well imagine my pain. In the morning the headache hadn't quite reached it's peak and I actually thought it might be sinus/allergy related so whilst baby slept through his 1 hour morning nap, I got online to pay some bills and do some shopping for Easter. Baby Wondertears woke up and was fine until I put him down to play and thought I could take a quick shower while he played in his play yard. HA! Again I tell you, "HA!"

Of course my headache grew and grew and grew until I was nauseous and could only keep one eye open. Hopefully today will be better. We'll see. Already he's whining because he can't see me from around the corner.

Oh, yeah -HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME (off key)! Happy birthday to me (also off key)!

Is it just me or...

2006-03-11T17:28:00.000-05:00

should there be a law preventing you from having and raising children if you're still dumb enough to believe you look good with your pants hanging so far off your a** that your boxers are completely out of the waist band? How do they walk in those things?

We sat behind a young couple in church last week. Their little boy was out of control. TOTALLY out of control. And all I could think was, well maybe if the dad put more time into disciplining his child instead of spending all of his time on his penguin walk to hold his pants up... Okay, so maybe I shouldn't be thinking that way at church, but who could concentrate with that kid tearing up the hymnals and climbing all over the pews?

So, I have much to say but...

2006-03-08T10:00:00.000-05:00

NO TIME TO SAY IT!!! GRRR....

So how about you people tell me your stories and I post the best one? I would especially appreciate stories about ridiculous parents (regardless of whether or not you yourself as a parent, surely you've witnessed something absurdly stupid, rude, bullyish, or whatever that bears repeating) that you may have run into at school AND bonus points if you let me know how you've dealt with them (if you've dealt with them at all) I promise to at least check the comments twice a day.

And probably next week, or as early as this Friday, things should quiet down for me enough that I'll have time to tell you about the parent that's been bullying me at my son's school pick-up line every day.

Well this weather is sure...

2006-02-20T08:17:00.000-05:00

Screwy. Cold, cold, cold. VERY warm. Cold, cold, cold. Very Warm. And this time it doesn't appear to be just Florida doing it. The whole country's having wild weather. I just saw on the Today show that they're having 34 below zero somewhere in the midwest. YIKES. I actually enjoy cold weather, but the idea of anything below zero is horrifying. That hurts your skin just to walk out the door. And to think of the utility bills -Jeez.

What's it been like across the pond?

Baby V.J.'s first attempts at typing

2006-01-25T15:33:00.000-05:00

wA? /. NBVVH M ,NHM GF JB BHHHNMV G NBF

BABY V.J.

I actually have no idea how he managed to get it bolded and all caps. Guess he knows a few keyboard shortcuts that I don't. ;)

And we return to our regular program already in progress...

2006-01-24T09:12:00.000-05:00

Vacation? Not so much. Hubby was sick the week before we left. I was sad that he wasn't completely well when we took off, but pretty surprised and delighted that the kids and I didn't get sick. UNTIL...By the time our 9 plus hours of travel time (including flight time, plane changes, and layovers) were over, ALL of us were sick. Poor sweet baby got the worst of it. Big brother stayed sick for about two to three days. I was sick the whole time. I got better about a week after we got home. I'm now sick again, but in a weird just a high temp, chills and headache kind of way. Baby got the worst of it and was sick for almost three entire weeks. We had to take him to the doctor's while we were down there. Since I don't trust the doctors there, that was a major emotional terror for me. He's much better now. Needless to say the majority of our trip was spent in our bedroom (we own our home down there) with the sick little pumpkin.

It was still nice to spend some time with hubby's extended family, but I feel a little cheated. One thing that did help me a little was the cooking was taken care of by my sister-in-law (though it hardly seemed fair to leave it all to her) and the only cleaning I had to worry about was our bathroom and bedroom. But we also missed out on church, sightseeing, souvenir hunting, the beaches, etc. Oh well. Thank GOD, we're all healthy and safely home. Thanks to everyone for your well wishes with regard to my coping with the new baby. Things ARE getting better, slowly but surely. HR MOMMY

A Sad Admission

2005-12-19T08:41:00.000-05:00

I'm having a really hard time dealing with being a mother all over again. I love my baby. Really I do. But I'm feeling really overwhelmed. He's a difficult baby. He's easily overstimulated so even a shopping trip turns into a nightmare for me. He's a cryer and no matter what you do with him at night -rocking, nursing, singing, etc.- the moment his bottom touches the crib he starts wailing and goes on until he works himself into a gasping, sweating, tear soaked mess. Letting him cry sometimes works. Other times it just makes matters worse.

Now he's begun teething and it's getting even more stressful. We have lots of wonderful moments where he's smiling and giggling and we're enjoying each other, but these horrific crying jags make me feel so overwhelmed and useless.

We're getting ready to go on holiday and though I'm sure we all need a break from the day to day routine, I'm worried about how miserable it will be for me. It's going to be messing with V.J.'s schedule and it's going to be unfamiliar surroundings. We'll be with hubby's family and I'm worried that it will all be too much for me. I wish I could just stay home alone and let hubby and kiddies go, but that would never work. V.J. is nursed and will not take a bottle -of any kind. We've tried every kind. I think that if I could just get some time away for an hour or two a day it would really help. It's pretty hopeless right now. I can't very well switch him to formula when he won't take a bottle. And I really don't want to switch him to formula. I want to give him the best. I feel so worn out. And if one more person tells me it gets better I'm going to lose it. It's NOT getting better. He'll be four months old Friday and if anything it feels like it's getting worse -of course that could be because everyone keeps telling me it will get better and I thought it would be by now.

Please don't worry if you don't hear from me for a while. Christmas is this weekend and we're going to be leaving on vacation soon enough. I won't have access to e-mail while I'm away. Just pray for me that the vacation will be a positive thing and maybe help me relax.

I'm forever your HR Mommy.

ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2005-11-03T10:19:00.000-05:00

I was pulled over this morning by a State Patrolman. I will admit that he was kind enough -ticketed me for a seat belt violation instead of 18 mph over the speed limit. In my defense, I didn't even realize I was going that fast until I saw the patrolman coming toward me from the opposite direction and I did immediately ease off the gas, but apparently not soon enough. Woe is me. I hope my lead foot has learned its lesson. Hubby is going to be so disappointed with me. And that's what bothers me most. He works so hard for our family and I foolishly squander our money by driving carelessly.

Gotta go now. I want to throw together everything for one of hubby's favorite meals.

Can I just tell you?

2005-10-14T10:55:00.000-04:00

NO TWO BABIES ARE ALIKE -even if they do have the same mother.

Why am I telling you this? Well, all of the older women at church kept telling me this when I would tell them what a good baby Oldest Child was. And I just smiled and nodded and didn't really listen too closely. I should have believed them.

Oldest Child was a product of my first marriage -his father hasn't been seen or heard from since I left him. He was verbally, mentally, emotionally, and sexually abusive and an alcoholic who refused to get help. I was in constant depression and misery while married to him. But Oldest Child was a joy of a baby. Quiet, sweet, and easy to care for.

New Baby? NOT SO MUCH! New baby is fussy, stubborn, and has to have every little thing just so. If you're even holding your arm in what he feels is the wrong way he will cry at you. If his blanket isn't on him just so he fusses. If, as I'm nursing him, his arm is at his side instead of digging his little baby razor nails into my flesh he screams indignantly. Don't get me wrong. I love him to pieces. Absolutely adore him.

It's just that since I was in an extremely stressful situation when Oldest Child was born and for his whole first year and I am now in an incredibly loving and nurturing place in my life now, I really thought that meant that Vincent would be an even easier baby. NOT A BIT.

And because little guy is so fussy about every little thing, it's not always easy to figure out just what the heck he's crying about at any given moment. First check the diaper, then feed, then burp, then what? Is he bored again? It only seems to take him 5 minutes to become bored with where he's at, how he's positioned, etc. Is he overtired? Overstimulated? Understimulated? Wants to be held? Wants to be put down? It's not colic, he doesn't fit the profile for that. Sometimes I wonder if we've spoiled him already, but I really don't think that's it. I'm at a complete loss. I know all this will pass, but the real question is... Will I survive it all?

LOL

DAMN THOSE SPAMMERS

2005-10-02T20:33:00.000-04:00

Spammers have found my site. Anyone of my usual readers no how to eliminate that problem? If you comment on my blogger comments I'll be able to get in touch with you.

A very annoyed and tired but otherwise well,

HR MOMMY

We interrupt this blogram for a very important announcement...

2005-08-27T10:39:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday, August 23, 2005 at 12:16 a.m., Vincent Javier was born two weeks early, weighing in at 7 lbs, 12 oz. He's extremely healthy and beautiful and enjoying his days spent nursing, pooping, and sleeping. Please excuse this brief hiatus at "Am I Freakin' Invisible or What?".

HR Mommy

Just came home from the Doctor's Office...

2005-08-22T11:27:00.000-04:00

and I'm dilated 1 cm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so excited that I can't even relax enough to nap. We're definitely getting close now!!!

T minus two weeks and counting...

2005-08-19T22:00:00.000-04:00

So TODAY was actually a slightly stressful day.

Had my hair trimmed this morning -last official chance to have my hair cut without a baby crying in the background. The haircut was not stressful. But the sitting in the parking lot wondering when the owner of the shop was actually going to show up for the 9:30 a.m. opening was. I'm sorry, maybe I'm a pain in the rear, but I think if you open at 9:30 then your butt should be in your shop and ready prior to 9:30. My hair lady? Not so concerned with traditional courtesy. She pulled into the parking lot at 9:30. Emerged from her SUV talking on her Nextel (I freakin' hate people who have to obnoxiously advertise their private conversations) and takin' her sweet time draggin' her short-shorts clad rear over to the door to unlock. Finally we're inside and she's still listening to her hubby on the Nextel -rather than telling him she'll have to call him back because there's a paying customer waiting for attention. That annoyed me.

Next stop? Take Hubby to the Workman's Comp Doc to be checked out after he got diesel fuel (and not a little dirt) in his eye. Sit there for 150 years, er an hour, only to have them say come back again on Monday. Not terribly stressful. It actually could have been far worse.

After dropping Hubby off, it was nearly time to show up for my volunteer hours at 10 yr old son's school. I was really hungry, but really didn't have time to go home for lunch. I grabbed a cheeseburger at Mickey D's and stopped at the CVS before heading to the school. That's when the real stress set in.

I came out of CVS ready to chomp on my cheeseburger and cruise over to the school. While reaching for my burger with one hand, I turned the key -or at least I thought I did, but there wasn't a sound. I turned around perplexed and tried again. Nothing. I made sure that it had been in Park when I'd shut off the engine. Yep. Looked around kind of confused and tried again. Nada. Nothing had been wrong with the car. No recent hesitations in starting. Nothing. I'd actually just been thinking how well it was running (Apparently, that's where I went wrong). I was perplexed.

I actually ended up calling Hubby and asking him to come. While I waited for poor Hubby to drive the 25 minutes to where I was, three men came over and tried to help. The first one had the theory that perhaps just a wire was loose. He put his hands in various parts of my engine to no avail. He apologized for not being able to help and left. But not before I thanked him for being kind enough for trying. The second guy was a motorcycle guy whom I had just watched start his bike with the ol' touch the screwdriver to the starter selenoid trick- I kind of wondered if that could be my problem, but I wasn't going to ask. I must have looked just pathetic enough. He asked if I was having car trouble and jumped off of his bike and tried that with my car. Sadly, no dice. The third guy was convinced from the first that it was a battery problem and proceeded to try all kinds of handy little tricks that might help the battery. Really a very nice guy. Hubby came pulling into the lot about that time. I called Hubby by his Christian name and the guy looked at me kind of funny (Hubby has an uncommon name) and then asked my name. When I told him he said, "Oh Boy. I'm Gloria's son." You wouldn't know this, but Gloria is one of my closest friends from church. Her son goes to a different church so we've never actually met before. So we were all very thrilled that here a guardian angel had come along to help. It turns out it was the battery.

After only two hours of standing out in the 97 degree heat, we had the battery checked at the auto parts store across the street and the battery was completely shot. The auto parts store even installed it at no additional charge. End of stress, but still, all in all quite a long day for the 9 month pregnant woman.

Oh, the Wendy's update? They actually made amends by coughing up $30 worth of gift certificates good at any Wendy's. Now I just have to get up enough confidence to try Wendy's food again so I can use them. The plastic that was found in my burger? It was a piece of a lid to a dressing container. I'm just still kind of grossed out over it. But they've tried to make it up to us. Okay it's the weekend. Enjoy it!

The good news...

2005-08-16T11:19:00.000-04:00

The humidity is only at 90% today.

The bad news:

It's about 80 kajillion degrees outside. On the pregnancy body heat index it's the equivalent of sitting naked on the sun while covered in Crisco.

Another day another Doctor's Appointment...

2005-08-15T17:32:00.000-04:00

Everything's normal. Doc H says, "Don't worry. Not yet. See you next week." I tell the doctor that I really wish this baby would come SOON. I wonder if it's okay to indicate that I have an actual date that I'd prefer little V.J. to make his entrance, er exit.

Happy Birthday BIG BROTHER! TEN YEARS OLD TODAY!!!!

2005-08-12T06:52:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday
to our big boy
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well...

2005-08-07T15:57:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow is another Doc's appointment. I'm getting pretty excited. We only have like 3 1/2 weeks to go. I really want to have him in exactly 3 weeks. And I would appreciate him coming right around this time of the day too.

There's just one problem... BABY'S don't adhere to schedules very well. Anyway, I do recognize the wisdom in waiting patiently for all to happen in God's own time. So I'm trying really hard to chill out and be less of a control freak -the one thing I can't control is my control freak tendency. My suitcase is packed and in the back of the minivan. The car seat is installed. We really do ONLY need the baby now. And it REALLY would be convenient if he'd make sure he comes on a Sunday afternoon when his Daddy is home so that Mommy won't have to sit waiting for Daddy to get home. Patience may be a virtue, but no one ever called Mommy a virtuous woman either.

Big Brother's birthday is this coming Friday. We're keeping it low key. I'm too far along to get crazy with plans, so we've promised to do something extra special with his little school friends in a couple of months. We did try to do something bigger sooner, but his mates were off with their divorced dads for summer break. School goes back on Tuesday. I'm going to be really lonely and anxious sitting home alone all day. My big boy is really a huge help and such a love. There ought to be an Amazing Eldest Child award. He's the greatest. But I'm only capable of making Amazing children ;)

So let's see, what's new at HR Mommy's house?

2005-08-03T07:09:00.000-04:00

Not a whole heck of a lot. It's already been a busy week for us here. The trip to the mechanic was quick and painless. They said they couldn't find anything wrong to be causing the car to run hot. They checked every bit of the cooling system. The guy said the only thing he did at all was to add a tiny little bit (less than a quart) of coolant. But when I left there the problem had gone away. This van has been having this freaky act like it's overheating thing periodically. Every single time they can't figure out why it's doing it and every single time some bizarre little inconsequential thing seems to make it stop. I think the van is a hypochondriac. It's just doing it for attention.

Afterall, with the baby coming and all the focus has just not been on pampering the automobiles. No steam bath for the carpets and interior. No hot wax treatment for the chassis. It's gotta hurt. LOL

Wendy's? Okay, so I took Big Brother (aka my soon to be 10 yr old) swimming at a friend's pool on Saturday morning. After two hours of swimming I really didn't feel like rushing around the kitchen fixing us both lunch. I decided we'd get some fast food. I cruised over to McD's for a happy meal and an extra cheeseburger for Brother and then went across the driveway to Wendy's for my lunch.

The drive-thru line was unbearable, but it was at the late side of the lunch hour. I finally got up there to place my order and the girl typed it in wrong. It took her literally FIVE minutes to change the order from Monterey CHICKEN to Monterey CHEESEBURGER. FIVE. MINUTES. After some wait I pull up to the payment window and then up to the food window. They DID not even know WHAT I ORDERED. They asked me. I told them. Monterey CHEESEBURGER. They seemed to be in disagreement with each other over what my order was but finally handed me my bag and my drink. I started to pull away, got about 6 feet from the window and then thought about their obvious confusion. I stopped and checked the bag. What do you think was in there? Can ya guess? Monterey CHICKEN sandwich. I should have said the hell with it and went home. But I was really craving BEEF. So, despite the fact that I did not want to walk into Wendy's in my bathing suit with my 9 month pregnancy belly, I went inside to point out their mistake. They looked at me like I was nuts. Then wandered off with the wrong sandwich. Then they sauntered over and asked for the right sandwich and finally handed me a bag with my cheeseburger in it. Would you believe they hadn't bothered to give me back my fries? Now I had to flag one down to get that. When I got home I found they also didn't bother to give me any napkins or a straw for my drink. So that was a sucky experience right? Couldn't get a whole lot worse, right? WRONG. I park myself in front of the TV hoping to go ahead and eat my now cold fries and cheeseburger. I eat a couple of fries and then start on my burger. FIRST BITE. FIRST. FREAKIN'. BITE. Something small and hard clamped between my teeth. I pick up a napkin and find that there is a 1 inch long piece of white hard and sharp plastic in my sandwich -or there was, 'cause now it's been in my mouth. Not only was I grossed out, but I was thoroughly pissed off. NO WAY am I going to drive back to town to return it, so I now have no lunch. Not only that, but I'm feeling sick over it. I'm 9 months pregnant. I use papertowels to turn on the water and open the door to public restrooms. I've accosted other women in the bathroom for leaving pee on the seat. I avoid all sorts of germ ridden people everywhere. Now I'm eating some foreign matter that for all I know came off the floor of their restaurant.

I opened the phone book, looked for the number for the local Wendy's, and dialed them up. FORTY FIVE RINGS. No answer. I was even angrier now. I was going to go online to complain, but that was not fast enough for me. I wanted to talk to someone YESTERDAY. I look on the bag and see the 800 number. I call and IT rings forever, but eventually someone answers. I explained everything and they tell me to save the plastic and someone will call me. Couple of hours later their Regional Manager calls back from a nearby major city. I tell him everything and he says they'll be sending coupons. I told him I want them to let me know exactly what happened and exactly what that little plastic thingy was. I agree to drop the piece off at the restaurant on my way through town. That was Saturday. That major town is only two towns away from us. I didn't receive any coupons yet. I forgot to drop off the piece of plastic 'til yesterday. I really just want to know what the hell that plastic was. It was sort of crescent shaped and appeared to have broken off of something. It kind of looked like the edge of a screw on cap from like salad dressing or a coke bottle, or ketchup bottle, or something similar -you get the idea. The only problem is Wendy's doesn't have bottled sodas, dressings, or ketchup. They all come in industrial strength plastic bags. So what the hell was that thing and why was it in MY lunch?

Ah who knows? Okay, pregnancy update? 4 weeks to go and now I'm having these gosh awful cramps way down low -like menstrual cramps. Not contractions. Not pre-labor, but definitely a normal part of pregnancy for some women. It doesn't generally occur in first pregnancies but is fairly common in subsequent pregnancies. The cramps are unbearable. I cannot believe how uncomfortable and I cannot believe that they will probably continue all the way to the end. A month's worth of menstrual cramps!!!! That's no incentive to continue having babies! Oh well, I have had a fairly easy time of it. I guess I'll survive. I just keep trying to tell myself that these cramps are just getting my body ready for delivery and that they're going to make for a much faster and easier labor and delivery. I just hope I'm not lying to myself. ;)

Good Morning

2005-08-01T06:34:00.000-04:00

I'm off to the mechanic to find out why the minivan seems to be running hot, eventhough it's not losing any fluid.

I'm really not looking forward to sitting in the lobby of the auto shop, but I know that if I leave and wait for their call I'll be left waiting forever. When I'm sitting right there they bring the car right in and don't do any of that slipping my car out for a while to look at someone else's.

Remind you to tell you about my misery at Wendy's on Saturday afternoon. Customer Service has become an oxymoron. Let's hope that's not the case at the auto shop this morning.