Philosophical question

Would you hire someone who is missing an arm to cut down your trees?

Seriously?

On the way into work this morning, I heard a bit on The Arrow that made me chuckle and shake my head. They were referring to a list found on the internet about songs that make you gay. One caller gave a testimonial- I listened to REO Speedwagon and turned gay!

Several more followed with disgust, dismay and anger. How can listening to music turn you gay- that is just not possible! The dj's retorted- well, you're just not trying hard enough! Maybe you need to pay more attention while listening. Several more angry people called in.

Seriously people! Are people that dense and lacking in sense of humor?

God necklace

When hubby and I married and talked about how we would raise our children, the topic of religion was one of the topics. He was raised Jewish, myself Christian and neither of us believed in either God or organized religion. So, how to raise the kids? We decided they should find their own way, much like we did. We never expected it to turn out this way!

The boy is very interested in religion. He attends church weekly with my grandparents (the only ones in the family who attend regularly). He has been asking for a "god necklace" for over a year. He even made a cross necklace out of rubber bands, staples, and ribbon. My grandmother had a cross and necklace for him when I dropped him off for church last Sunday. He has not taken it off since.

The preschool the kids attend(ed) has a prayer they say before every meal. The girl announced last night that she was saying prayer. The boy then wanted to say prayer and he asked if it was ok if he make one up. His went something like "It is ok if you are Jewish. It is ok if you are not. We believe in you God. Amen".

Even if I personally don't agree with his beliefs, I love that he is finding his own way and that he is following his heart.

Rain, rain

Go away!

I might scream if we have one more cloudy, rainy, dreary, cold day. It seems like it has been this way for months. A rainy day here and there is nice- a nice break from the sun and nice to fill your heads with thoughts of lounging around in bed all day. Day after day of dreary is down right depressing.

Sunday was a brief break from the rain and it was surprising to realize just how much I missed the sun.

Golf

I had many misconceptions about golf. No one in my immediate family played and I thought it was a sport for old men who did not want to exercise. After joining my new employer last summer and seeing all the business done on the golf course and all of the afternoons off from work that I was missing, I decided I needed to give it a try.

I love it.

It is challenging, exciting, invigorating, and just plainly a lot of fun. I took my first lesson yesterday and I want more. I am hooked.

No one ever said it would be easy

Oh, the boy. We've seen a steady decline in his behavior marks at school since the week before Thanksgiving. At first, we chalked it up to the excitement of the holidays. But it is still getting worse. I received a phone call yesterday from his teacher to discuss. She recommends meeting with the school counselor and I think that is a great idea. We have tried everything we can think of- small rewards, bigger rewards for consistent behavior, punishments for bad behaviour. We're out of ideas. The boy Does Not Listen. Ever. He is disrupting the classroom by continuous talking, messing with the teacher's things, not staying in his seat, and a constant desire to be the center of attention.

What to do? I am going to make an appointment to discuss with the pediatrician. We're also going to move bedtime up a little, to allow for more sleep. He's been showing signs of allergies lately, with always wiping his nose and dark circles under his eyes, so I will also get him tested for allergies.

What I dread most is a diagnosis of ADD and the subsequent prescription of meds. I will refuse that option. He is a bright, creative, driven, energetic child. How to we hold on to that and get him to blend into society without breaking his spirit? How do we teach him impulse control without squashing his drive? He's always been special and difficult to manage and never responded to traditional parenting. Oh, what to do.

Stress Counselor

One of the perks offered by my company is a stress counselor. It is a one hour session and she comes in once a week. I am wondering what she could tell me that would help me that I don't already know or that I could do something about. I work full time in a demanding job, have two small children, running two small companies, and have two small children. Not to mention that we are building our dream home and trying to prepare our current home for the market with two small children, a dog, a cat and two not so tidy adults living in it. I get as much sleep as I possibly can (usually 7 hours), try to eat as healthy as I have time for (which means too much eating out) and I am exercising regularly and taking a yoga/pilates class.

Maybe I'll go just to find out.

Yeah! We have a decision!

I think. In case you haven't been following the saga, here is a little background. We bought a house. A very, very old house- 1914 to be exact. A house in quite a bit of disrepair. We don't particularly like the house, but we love the neighborhood and the lot that the house currently sits on. My plan was to buy old house, move old house to new lot, fix and sell. Then build dream house on the lot. Somehow I convinced hubby this was a good plan. So, we started this project last spring and expected to be moved in and settled by now. Only we are still in the planning stages. The architect is almost finished and next comes the structural engineer. We need to interview one more builder and then select the builder, get financed, sell our house (which is not on the market yet) and then build. Piece of cake :)

So, what to do about little old house? We went back and forth. I called everyone to try to donate it. Apparently there is an oversupply of little old houses to be moved. We do not have a lot, so where do we move it? The house sits on a street called Lakeview. Only there is no lake view. And hubby's dream is to have a lake house. A dream he obsesses over constantly, to the point of driving to the dream lake 3 1/2 hours away regularly to drive around and look. He went on just such a mission last week. And found a lot. A lot where a house burned down, so it has utilities, a slab and a garage. All things our little old house needs. (Along with major structural and cosmetic repairs). So he puts an offer on the lot. And it is accepted.

And we still have not determined if the house can be moved, how much it will cost to repair or if the house could be moved to the lot we are purchasing. I used to be so methodical and rational.

Happy Birthday!!!!

Happy Birthday Darkle! May your day be filled with bagels and Ben and Jerry's ice cream and void of the typical office idiots!

Ack! New Year resolutioners....

I tried to escape from work a little early to have enough time to go home, change, get hubby, pick up the kids and get to my "Total Conditioning I must be nuts to love this" class at 5:45. I was stopped by my manager right before I headed out, so I was running behind schedule. We picked up the boy and we pass right by the gym before getting to the girl's school, so hubby dropped me off and went to get the girl. It was right at 5:45, so I jumped from the car and jogged up to the front. Apparently, after I started jogging, the boy exclaimed- "Run for your life girl!".

I hurried over to the locker room, found a locker, threw my stuff in and pushed through the masses of people to get the stairs to my class. I am about to walk in when I notice that every square inch of the room is in use and all the equipment is taken. Two more show up wanting to join the class. Disappointed, I take a deep breath and turn towards the cardio and weight areas. HOLY COW. I've never seen so many people!!!

We don't count as the blasted new year resolutioners since we joined weeks ago. I give it 2 weeks before it is noticeably less crowded. 4 before it is back to normal.