It's insanity I tell ya!

OK, so Cody * Chelsea are at the beach this week with their mom. Every year when they go to the beach, Tim worries the whole time they are gone. Their mom kinda lets them do their own things. (they are 10 & 14) She doesn't watch them in the ocean (and NC is FAMOUS for our ripcurrents and undertows). She let's them go to the ocean by themselves, go for walks alone, etc.

So, yesterday, we got a call that my stepson had been attacked by a Portugese Man O war. Apparently, it was pretty bad. One of the tentacles was wrapped around his leg. When he felt it, he reached down to pull it off, so he had multiple stings on his legs, hands, and arms. Poor kid was in agony!!!

Here's the crazy part:

We found out later that the lifegaurds had advised people to not go in the water. The current was bringing in a large schools of jelly fish & the man-o-war, so they were just advising people to stay out of the water yesterday.

And his mother IGNORED the warning. Well, she told them to only go in knee deep so they could see what was in the water.

WHAT?!?!?!?!?


Can any of you imagine hearing a warning like that and still letting your kids get into the ocean? I mean, they have a swimming pool at their condo. There is a million other things the could have chosen to done that day. Knowing there was a large increased risk of stings---why let your kids into that water?

I just want to ask her what she has planned for next summmer.....swimming with sharks?

Austin's Birthday Party

Here are some pictures from my son's birthday party yesterday. We had a really great time. The "Mad Scientist" did lots of neat experiements, shot of rockets, had them make their own bouncy balls....etc

Strangers Passing in the Hall

Ok, so that is an exaggeration. But, right now I almost feel like that.

I just got done working 5 nights in a row. I am off tonight & tomorrow night, but low and behold Tim had to go out of town for work. Just for tonight & tomorrow night. Then, when he gets home on Wednesday, I will be working until Saturday.

BUT wait.......Saturday is his company summer party. They rent a party boat and spend the day out on the lake that is about an hour & 1/2 away. Food, drinks, jet skis, swimming...all kinds of fun. I am not going this year because I will need to sleep. So, we won't see each other Saturday at all.

Then, on Sunday I volunteered to work overtime Sunday Day. (extra spending money for our vacation) After that, I start a 4 night stretch.

So, from now until we go on vacation ( August 5 ), basically Tim and I will literally just see each other in passing. It really makes me sad, although I know that is silly. It is only temporary, after all.


Last night when I called to check in with him, he kept saying how much he misses me. Well, at least our vacation should have a romantic current...even with 4 kids in tow.

Tonight is Austin's 9th birthday party. His actual birthday is tomorrow, but his dad & girlfriend wanted to have the party tonight. Sounds like it is going to be quite an event...about 20 people and The Mad Scientist will be on hand performing science tricks for the kids. I really hate that Tim is going to miss the party. In addition, my stepkids are at the beach with their mom, so they won't be their either. It is like 1/2 of our family is just missing this week.

Anyhow...I'm sure I will be posting pictures tomorrow from the party.

Summertime

I am not a fan of summer. Yes, I admit I like some of the lazy days of summer. As long as I can stay INSIDE where the A/C is blasting.

I hate heat. I hate humidity even more. :-( Every time I walk outside these days, I feel my energy just being sapped away. I cannot even imagine working outdoors or someplace with no air conditioning this time of year. I would faint, I feel quite sure of it.

I am an autumn girl myself. I love the cooler days, chilly nights; the crisp, clean air and bright blue skies. No haze & no humidity. October was made for me. Really from October 1 to January 1 is perfect as far as I am concerned. I don't even mind the shorter days.

This is one of the reasons I was a fan of year round schools (which they have done away with in this area). I really enjoy being able to take a vacation sometime other than the summer. On the schedule our kids used to be on, they would go to school for 9 weeks, then have 3 weeks off. This meant they had a vacation period for every season.....the fall break in October being my favorite. And they still had 6 weeks out for the summer.

Now, they do not even get a full week off in the spring or fall. Summer is really the only time to go anywhere. We chose the Tennessee mountains this year, hoping that it would be a little cooler than the beach. We are going in 2 weeks & I cannot wait! It is going to be our first real family vacation.

Well, I am off to watch my soap in my nice cool bedroom. Air conditioning on, lights off, and fan on full blast. Later this afternoon, I am taking the kids to see a movie...also in a nice cool place. I'll be in hiding for at least another....two months or so.

Stay cool, folks!

4 days off..

...and all I want to do is sleep. Still adjusting to the night schedule, I suppose. The heat may have something to do with it, too. When it is 90+ degrees and VERY humid it just seems to sap all of my energy.

We had breakfast with some friends this morning. The husband has been recalled to the Navy and they are being sent to Japan for 3 years. They were leaving today for a military base in Rhode Island, so we met them along the interstate. It was a little sad...knowing that best case scenario we won't see them again for over 3 years. But, what an adventure they are embarking on! They have 3 kids--10, 5, and 2 years old.

So, now we are back home for the day. I think we will just do a little housework and be lazy around the house. Perhaps tomorrow or Friday I can get motivated enough to actually take the kids to the pool.

Our vacation is a little over three weeks away now. I am so excited about it. This will be our first real family vacation---and we've been married 5 years now. We invited my inlaw's to stay a couple of days with us, and turns out they are going to stay the whole week. That aggrivates me a little bit, but for the most part we will be happy to have them. The only part that bothers me sounds really petty when I put it in writing. But, we are renting a 2 bedroom cabin in the tennessee mountains. There is the masterbedroom (with jacuzzi) on the mainlevel. The other bedroom (not as nice) is downstairs. My mother-in-law recently had a knee replacement, so she can't do stairs. So, in other words, we are paying to rent this house for a week, and WE will get to stay in the spare bedroom.

Petty, I know, but I can't help it. The kids will all have to sleep on sleeper sofas. We'd planned to let Chelsea, the oldest, have her own room and the boys all sleep in the gameroom.

Ok, I realize I've gone off on a rant, so I will hush about it now. I really am thankful they are going to be able to join us...their health has been declining so we are fortunate to spend any amount of time with them.

I'm off to take a nap now. LOL I just feel like if I get another hour or two of sleep I'll be all ready to tackle the rest of the day. Only one way to find out....

Rambling thoughts

I have so many things on my mind right now, that I hardly know where to start......

Independence Day was a non-event for me. I worked that night & the night before so I slept most of the day. When I woke up, hubby has just walked in the door with a Frappicino from Starbucks. I wish I could wake up that way every day!! :-) I LOVE STARBUCKS!

Later in the day, I found myself washing dishes and just stopped. I had just worked 12 hours & was getting ready to go in for another 12. Hub & the kids had been off for 4 days...doing a whole lot of nothing. And I was the one doing dishes????

We are going to have to have a family meeting to discuss some changes that are going to have to take place now that mom is back at work.

My son's birthday is coming up soon, and my ex-husband's girlfriend has decided to throw him a party. I have VERY mixed feelings about this. On the logical hand, I am happy that she is interested in the kids and wants to be involved with them. But, on the emotional hand, they are MY kids. I can't help but feel like she is trying to be mom to them. Especially since she doesn't have kids of her own. And according to my son, she can't have kids. (which I didn't think I could either, come to think of it).

I don't know....I guess it is just my maternal instinct is feeling threatened. I hear little alarms going off in my head, that for now I suppose I will simply have to ignore. I will not allow myself to behave as my husband's ex did when I first entered the picture. And I do really believe that the more people my children have that love them, the better off they will be. I just better not hear them say, "We are supposed to call Christina, MOM, now...."

Another subject...

My husband was in the Army for 6 years...from 1989 to 1995. He was in a specialized unit in Army Intelligence. Since things have been heading up in Korea, he has been feeling the pull to reenlists. As with my kids and their dad's new girlfriend, I am not sure how I feel. I have so many conflicting emotions. One one hand, I feel like he's done his service for our country, and now it is time for other people to step up. On the other hand, I can understand his desire to contribute. He was very good at what he did and it is hard for him to just sit back and do nothing while there are so many potential threats out there. I know he thought about it after 9/11...but we'd only been married a few months at that point.

So, who knows. I finally agreed he should go talk to a recruiter and just see what they say. They may not take him at all because of his diabetes. (though I've read if you can show you can manage it thru diet & exercise alone they will let you in. And that is what he does---no meds). They may not be able to pay him enough for us to afford for him to be enlisted. From what I understand, he would have to take quite a pay cut.

Regardless, I will support whatever decision he makes.

Tomorrow I am taking the kids to Concord Mills Mall, near Charlotte. It is a big mall with a lot of neat stuff...Arcades, bass pro shops, movies, etc etc. I figured we'd just make a day of it. One day next week I want to take them to the pool, once it heats up again. Today it is only 76 and GLORIOUS. But, the heat will be back soon, I am sure.

God has wisely kept us in the dark concerning future events and reserved for himself the knowledge of them, that he may train us up in a dependence upon himself and a continued readiness for every event.

Matthew Henry

Silly young 'ens

I had this sketch made of Austin & Bryce on Friday at Adventure Landing. At first I was kinda aggrivated because Bryce wouldn't "do right", but after the picture was finished I realized it is much more him this way.