Tall Tales Concerning Dinosaurs and Such

A couple of weeks ago I talked to Atticus’ teacher about his performance in school. She said he’s a good student, but that when it comes to spelling he likes to make up stories about not feeling well. I said the usual stuff like, “he’s a smart kid, you have to challenge him or he gets bored, please push him a little when he gets like that because he just needs to do it.”

I then went home and decided that we needed to do a little extra to challenge him at home to. Maybe give him a creative outlet, something we can do together. Since I’m not very creative and he likes to make up stories I decided that he should tell me a story and I would type it for him.

So without further ado, here is Atticus’ story:

Once upon a time there was a boy named Atticus. Atticus went to school everyday whether he liked it or not.

One time he saw a T-rex digging in a volcano at school. The next morning he went to school and saw a giant hole in the playground. Atticus found a ladder and took it over to the hole and climbed in.

The first thing Atticus saw as he climbed down were; giant bugs and electric eels. Then a little further he saw Kyla about to get eaten by a giant black widow. Atticus didn’t know if he wanted to save her, because he was afraid of the black widow.

Atticus climbed down a little more and he saw a giant squid. Atticus was scared of the giant squid, because like the electric eels, it did not need water to survive. The squid started to chase Atticus, but he turned and kicked it in the peanuts and it fell down and went to sleep for twenty hours.

After battling the giant squid, Atticus decided to do the same thing to the black widow and save Kyla. Atticus saw that Kyla was trying to kick the black widow in the eyeballs, but just couldn’t reach.

The black widow was so intent on Kyla that she didn’t even see Atticus come into the cave.  Atticus ran into the cave, up to the black widow, went under the body and kicked her in the peanuts.

Then Atticus picked Kyla up and carried her out of the cave. He tried to throw her out of the giant hole to safety, but the giant electric eels stung her. Kyla then fell to the bottom of the hole and Atticus decided to go get her.

The giant black widow woke up and sent a giant meteor after Atticus, because she was mad at him for kicking her in the peanuts. The meteor went down and as Atticus got to Kyla’s side it set it both of them on fire. Just then before the fire could do any damage a flood came and washed the fire out.

Phew, they survived!

Then the giant bugs, electric eels, black widow and giant squid started chasing them. They saw a secret exit and ran through it as fast as they could. They saw another hole, one with a ladder and they climbed up not knowing where they would end up.

Next when they reached the top of the ladder they realized it was a sewer. They saw another exit and climbed it’s ladder. The ladder took them to a manhole cover in the middle of the street. They had to wait for the cars to move before they could get out. When they could finally get out they raced back to school just as the bell rang.

The End

Atticus did take this story to school the next day and read it in front of his class. I’m thinking about doing this once a week and then at the end of the year making a little book for him. ATTICUS’ SCHOOLTIME ADVENTURES

A Rant – Unresolved Issues Rear Their Ugly Head

*** You’ll have to excuse my ramblings, it seems I’m trying to work through some issues while my dad is in the hospital.***

It’s kind of funny being home with my family. It brings back so many weird memories and issues.

My sister and I never got along. Scratch that, we got along when my dad was mad at both of us and that’s pretty much it.

Why am writing about her and why am I mad at her? Because I am worried about my dad and this comes second nature.  Wrong I know, but it’s what we do.

She is infuriating. We are at opposite ends of the spectrum. I don’t get her and don’t know what makes her tick. Actually, that’s wrong too. I know what makes her tick.

She s a very self-absorbed girl. She thinks that she is the only one who knows anything and now that she has a new boyfriend, he is the only one that knows anything.

We all went out to dinner last night and she and her boyfriend are the only ones that talked, but not for lack of trying. My mom and I didn’t talk because we couldn’t get a word in edgewise. They talked about crap that only he cares about and when we tried to bring up anything else they entertained themselves with conversation betwixt themselves and ignored us completely.

Really?

When you are trying to get from A to B, you go from A to B. She is the type of person that goes from A to L to R to Z to 6 and then maybe she’ll hit B. She drives me nuts. She doesn’t do anything without some sort of angle.

She has a good heart, but man don’t cross her, she gets mean and vicious. Once she says something, no matter what she’s said before, it’s the truth. It erases everything else that’s ever come out of her mouth. It’s annoying.

Again, I ask myself why am I bitching about her? Because she’s my sister and she’s supposed to be there for me. She was too selfish after my dad got in his accident 25 years ago and I resent her for it.

So now when my dad gets sick and we all have to band together to survive, I can’t deal because I know that she’s always going to come first. If she does something you can count on the fact that she will hang it over your head later on and say you didn’t appreciate it.

When we were kids — me ,11-18 and her, 13 -20— she caused so much pain, heartache and drama in the house that I hold every bit of it against her. It makes me so angry.

I am still so angry at her. I’ve never been able to let go of that anger.

I’ve forgiven my mom and dad for all the roughness that was my teenage years.  I had no control over my own life, because my dad was going through the 5 stages you go through during a “stressful” time and he had no control. Though he had the control to make my life hell or not.

Let me tell you, It wasn’t nearly as fun as it sounds.

I haven’t forgiven my sister, because I feel that she should have been there for me. Instead, while everyone was dealing with the pain and emotional consequences of my dad’s accident I was left alone. Physically and emotionally.

I was 11, but the amount of responsibility that I absorbed was phenomenal and I grew up fast. By the time I was 12 I was 25.

My sister though, being older and a little more mature fought for her childhood and her control and left me in the dust. There was no one to fight for me.

Wow, I sound pathetic, but I was really sad and since then I’ve been angry at her. My big sister that let me down all those years ago.

I should probably try to resolve these issues, but she’s so hard to talk to. So hard to communicate with. She apologizes without any really feeling, no remorse. She doesn’t realize that I was devastated by her abandonment.

Now she tries to be all huggy and stuff and it makes me angry. She calls to talk about her and her life but doesn’t really ask about me. I listen, but when it’s my turn to talk she has to get off the phone. She’s still so self-centered it’s maddening. Everyone just has to accept her for who she is, but don’t cross her by being honest and telling her things. She doesn’t like it and she will retaliate.

Just writing this down has made me feel better. Now for the hard part confronting her. Ooh my stomach hurts now…..

A Sunday Hike With The Bears

So I might have mentioned in the past that I sometimes  feel the need to get away. Maybe its the fact that my house is loud with the sound of youth and exuberance that makes me want to get away. I don’t quite know. Don’t get me wrong, I love my  kids, but I need the quiet of the forest to get centered.

Sunday I took the boys away from the hustle and bustle of Salmon Days to the almost too quiet mountain trails behind our house. I took the dogs, because we need their noise to make sure the bears know we are coming. Yep, it’s bear season. The picture below has claw marks all the way to top. I know it’s not that great of a picture, but I know what I saw.

The trail we took is right at the top of the switch backs and one we hadn’t traversed before.  We were about halfway down the trail when I realized that it was way too quiet. Of course I didn’t want to worry the boys so I didn’t say anything. I just kept an ear open off trail.

We walked for two and a half hours nary a complaint was heard, the dogs were more tired than the boys were. The dogs were so tired that they were sore the rest of the night. I had to rub the kinks out of their legs. Yes they are spoiled.

I love to go hiking with the boys, they say so many interesting things.

Here are some examples:

Atticus: Mommy daddy sounds right to me.  Saying daddy mommy just doesn’t make sense.

Atticus: If we see the bear that made those marks,  I’ll kick it in the peanuts.

———————————–

Zane: That’s bear poop ( I left out the picture, because it looked like poop)

——————

Zane: There’s a path way.

Me: Let’s not go that way. That’s an animal path.

Zane: We have animals

Me: It’s a wild animal path

Zane: Oh
——————————-

Atticus: This is where we need a shalaylee

Yes Atticus, it is.

Can I tell you how proud I was that he knows what a shalaylee is? (Not the urban dictionary definition either)

It’s amazing how far their little legs will take them. We went up and down and down and up. There were hills and dales, streams and rocks. Yes, rocks. There I was, struggling up the hills and they were carrying rocks. Show offs.

With Our Busy Schedules, What Are Your 3 Valid Tips for Getting Dinner Ready in a Flash?

It’s a definite struggle to make sure dinner is made and the night is progressing towards bedtime without bedlam ensuing. Samsung and Twittermoms asked the universe what the top three tips for getting dinner out in a timely manner are. I’m sure many of us will say the same things with a little variance, but shoot, maybe I’ll win a refrigerator..

Three tips I use for getting dinner down in a timely manner:

1. Keep it simple: We eat things like spaghetti, tacos, grilled cheese and tomato soup, hamburger pie and even chili rellanos. I keep the complicated stuff for the weekends. Sometime we go out, but not usually during the week.

2. I make a list of meals we’re going to have for the week so while grocery shopping I can make sure we have plenty of the basics: pasta, sauce, bread, vegetables, tomato soup and the like.

3.The other thing I like to do is get the boys involved. I don’t just shoo them out of the kitchen. If they would rather be in the kitchen helping me instead of playing with their friends, I’ll take it.  They really enjoy stirring and adding ingredients. I’ll take  a little quality one on one time with them during our busy hectic day.

We all set the table and sit down together for our dinner and that’s one of  the most important things we can do everyday.

We try to make breakfast our big meal of the day and I spend the most (relatively)time on that meal. I cook while the boys are in the shower. It’s better for all of us to have such a great, sit down start to the day.

What are your tried and tested methods? Check out these tips for getting dinner on the table on time.

I do have to say that I could use a new Samsung refrigerator. I could store a lot of food in this baby, how about you?

Photo 1-Tricia Hoea

Photo 2- Samsung

The most frightening dream I’ve ever had

Last night I had a crazy nightmare. I don’t know what brought it on, but it was a doozy.

The dream started innocently enough, but it quickly turned dark and violent. I was outside, looking for Atticus. I was behind the townhouses next door and I was calling for him to come home.

I turned to see a man start running away through the brush with Atticus under his arm. I screamed out Atticus’s name and for the man to stop. He didn’t. I felt like a mama bear, not just in the fact that I wanted to protect my kid, but in my mind’s eye I was big and fierce. Almost animal like in shape and shadow.

I ran through the brush and because I was uphill from the man, I was able to catch up and jump on him. He let Atticus go and I screamed for him to run up the hill and get his brother and go to the neighbors house.

Atticus, being 6, was scared, but had enough whine in him to say that he couldn’t run up the hill because he was tired. Seriously kid, you almost got kidnapped and you are going to whine about the hill.

By this time I had picked myself up and was backing away from the crazy man. The image of him was so real that I can still, hours later,  picture what he looked like. Dark greasy hair, bushy eyebrows, about 5′10″-5′11″, thin build and really jacked up teeth. Not just crooked, but dirty and nasty.

I ran up the hill towards the house. Atticus was ahead of me. I told him to go across the street to get the neighbor and ask for help. I had enough time to watch him go and start banging on the door.

I ran in the house to find Zane, my little 3-year-old. As I ran around screaming for him the man followed me in. He shut the front door and came after me. I ran by the bathroom to the boys room only to see that he wasn’t there. I realized he was in the bathroom as the man stepped into the bathroom with him.

He grabbed Zane and was threatening to kill him. Yes, kill him. He told me he would throw him down and step on him to kill him. I didn’t know what else to do. I jumped. I lunged for him and tried to make his body turn so Zane landed on top.

I was beaten and bruised, my skin was torn up due to the blackberry brambles. My throat was scratched and hoarse from screaming.

My neighbors came in to help, they pulled me out of the bathroom and the police were called.

That was when I woke up. Needless to say I didn’t want to go back to sleep. I got up and started my day. It was too frightening to even contemplate having another dream like that.

This is why I started my day at 4:45am today. Anyone want to try and interpret that dream for me?

Lost. . .

I am lost.

I keep trying to find me, but there are so many detours and roadblocks that I feel like I’m not getting anywhere. I know that I’m not the person I used to be, at all. No where near the person I used to know and love.

What am I supposed to do? How do I get from point A to point B?

I was diagnosed with post-partum depression after my second son was born, but I really think that I’ve been depressed for far longer than that.

It’s the lack of motivation, the slow weight gain over the years, the fact that I haven’t been happy for as long as I can remember, that tells me so.

I know this is my blog and I can write whatever I want, but I feel like such a negative nancy all the time. I don’t want to put such negative vibes out there, but gosh darn it, that’s all I feel, all the time.

There is the baseless anger that I feel towards my kids and husband. I get so angry that I don’t even have the capacity to deal. At all.

Why am I angry?

I am angry because I feel that every one gets to do everything but me. Really though, part of it is me, I don’t want to go when I finally get the opportunity.

It’s a horrible vicious circle that I can’t break out of.

I don’t know what to do. Sometimes I am so overwhelmed by the day to day that I can’t function. I can only concentrate on my work and drown every thing out.

Pathetic, right? I know it’s not, but it’s still hard.

Every day is hard. Getting up out of bed, getting the kids ready for school, sitting down to work. It’s all a battle. I’m not really sure why it has to be so hard.

It’s ridiculous really. I used to have it all together, but not anymore. My chest is tight, my head is heavy, I’m short of breath and my brain is tired.

I am tired.

The First Day Of School

Today was the first day of school for Atticus. He’s a big bad first grader now and after we dropped him off, I felt my stress level decrease by a 1000 fold. Is that bad?

I love my kids, but they completely stress me out. Hi cortisol, how are you?

Zane starts preschool next week and he’ll be gone three days a week for 3 hours. That will be M,W,F of every week that I will have time to do stuff besides be stressed out about my kids.

I haven’t really figured out why they stress me out. I don’t think I really want to delve into the reasons that make me freak out when my kids are in the same room for prolonged periods of time.

Today Was a Good Day

So yesterday was not a good day. I had moments of self-pity, some of self-loathing and a couple of, Oh my God, everyone would be so much better of without me moments.

I wanted to die: literally, emotionally and figuratively.

Today was different is so many ways.

I got up early. 6am is pretty early when you’ve been sleeping until 9:30, or until you dragged your sorry depressed butt out of bed. It’s funny, I didn’t think that I would carry my depression up to Washington, but here it is, like a so-called ball and chain. I just drag it everywhere I go.

I got to work, right away. I knocked out my 7 posts, trolled through my feeds for tomorrow’s stories. I was done with  work by 10am. What? I’m never done that early.

The boys went out to play by 9:30, so that left the house free to clean. I was done by 11. Halle-freakin-lujah!!!

I even went for an hour walk. All by myself. It was amazing. I actually got the gumption to leave the house for something other errands.

I forgot how exhilarating the outdoors can be. It’s like opening up the windows of my soul and airing out the dark dank rooms in my mind. Stopping to pick blackberries along the way is balm to my frayed nerves. Even though the beat of the music got my blood pumping and I was walking fast, I still took time to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of my new hometown.

I have set my life to rinse and repeat. I’ll be trying to recreate this day over and over, because it makes me happy.  That is all.

Yummie Tummie Works For Me – Now I Need Something For My Booty

I wanna look like her

I was so excited when my Yummie Tummie Boyfriend Tank came in the mail. I had heard all about it and wanted it to work for me. I just had to go in and try it on right away. I needed to see the miracle in action.

My first impression of the tank was, hmmm, does it really make a difference? I put another shirt over it to prepare for my outing to the mall playground and was pleasantly surprised. I looked down and everything was smooth. One thing I noticed right away though, I have broader shoulders than I thought and definitely need to work on that.

When I sat down at the mall playground I was happy to see that I could sit and bend over without that unseemly thing hanging over my shorts. That was nice, if only because the mall is very chic. I already feel self-conscious as it is, I don’t want to feel fat, too.

The Yummie Tummie is a little warm to wear on our record breaking 103 degree days, which is, of course, when I decided to try it. But, it worked. I got the extra long tank and did have to tuck in the bottom because it kept flipping up. Maybe if my hips were smaller it wouldn’t roll up. The material on the bottom is really thin, almost shear. It made it difficult to control.

Now, I just need to get the rest of me in shape. Once I do I’ll order a smaller size and still wear it under my shirts, because it’s a great silhouette.

I really like that they offer T-Shirt, V-Necks and even Strapless Body Shapers. I think I’ll get the long sleeve V-Neck next, it’s perfect for looking good and super casual at the dog park or picking up my kids at school.

Photo

Sunset Over Washington

Tuesday night it was 100 degrees in our house. I guess that’s what happens when it’s 103 outside and there is no A/C in sight. We all jumped in walked slowly to the car and sat in the blessed cool.

We drove around for 3 hours, wasting gas soaking up the cool. We drove north, past Kirkland and took a left at Everett and headed to the water. We drove through some sort of ghetto neighborhood, which is what I thought all of Everett look like. Then we found an old neighborhood full of beautiful houses and green lawns. So that’s why I have to ration my lawn watering, so the old established homes can keep their laws green. Seriously, one of the houses had three sprinklers going.

We drove through Forest Park and ended up at Harborview Park. What a nice spot to watch the sunset it ended up being.  The kids got out of the car and made friends in about three seconds flat. Don’t you wish you were that young again? We sat in the grass and watched the sun go down. We were waiting for the relief nightfall would bring.

Sunset was at 8:48 pm. Not soon enough. Relief from the heat came days hours later.

These are the pictures I took with my iphone. Not bad, but I’m searching for a camera that will do the scenery justice.