Monday, February 28, 2011

yay! Yay!! YAY!!!!!

OK- I waited to give you results because I wanted Baba and Dyodyo (grandma and grandpa) to hear first. This was the most incredible sporting event I have ever witnessed live. Our girls did a phenomenal, almost perfect job at the Championships.

Let me give you a run down of the day. First event was the medley relay (each girl does one lap-25 yds-in a different stroke). The fastest seeded times go last, so it was a bit of a wait. But when our girls got on the blocks, right from the start, we were in the lead. Backstroke was first, and our youngest girl of the four got out beautifully. Next is breaststroke. She took over and pulled further ahead. My daughter was third, butterfly. She made the lead longer, and finally the freestyler left everyone eating her bubbles. They won!! First place, 32 points for the dolphins!! I cried! It was such a perfect execution of all 4 strokes, it was stunning. Now there was a bit of a wait for my daughter, but in the meantime one of our girls won the 25 freestyle! 16 points!! Next was my daughter's first individual event, the 50 freestyle. She was seeded second, this isn't her event, she gave it her all and came in second to her teammate in probably less than half a second. (I don't have the official times yet.) So we go 1 and 2 in that event, 16 and 13 points. After a quick wait, my daughter goes up again, this time for the 100 IM- one girl, all 4 strokes. She gets in, her fly is fast, her back is GORGEOUS, breaststroke is strong, and then she finishes with the free and WINS the event!!! FIRST PLACE!!! In my opinion, this is the strongest swimmer as she has to do all four strokes well, three different legal flip turns and not peter out. After a quick wait as there weren't many boys in the IM, she has to do the 25 fly. I was in the stands eating sunflower seeds to keep my nerves at bay. The parents around me were so nice, congratulating me with each event. So, finally she's up, "swimmers take your mark....BOOP!" and she's off, she's in the lead, she's making her own wave, and she WINS THE 25 FLY!!! MY GOD- could I have asked for anything more???? Now, each heat winner gets a little ribbon and a water bottle right there, immediately after the race. Since there are SO many kids swimming, they figure it's nice to recognize more than just the top 6 with a medal and 7 thru 12 with a ribbon. What I didn't realize is that even the first place finishers get the little ribbon and water bottle as well! So, we've got THREE so far, with the last relay still to go. WHEW- I'm exhausted just writing this! Now we had the 25 back and 25 breast with about 14 heats each, boys and girls, to go. LONG wait. We went 1 and 2 in the back and I think we got a fourth in the breast. So now, it's almost the end, with the freestyle relay. Four girls, all swim one lap in freestyle. My daughter is first, BOOP!- she's off the block and out to a lead. #2 is next, and she shoots out like a rocket. #3 is the one who won the 25 free, and she's cruising, half a lap ahead of the rest. The last girl (won the 50 free) gives us almost a full lap lead and the WIN!!!!!! ASTOUNDING!! Another water bottle and ribbon, 32 points, hysteria abounding!! I started screaming- "THAT'S HOW YOU SWIM!!! THAT'S HOW YOU SWIM!!!!" It could not have turned out any better.

I know that I was making myself sick over this, but I never take anything for granted. I never assume anything either. We were all seeded high, but anything can happen on any given day. I'm glad I was "wrong" to worry. But that's what I do, because I care and love my daughter and those other girls too and I wanted them to be rewarded for their hard work and dedication. So there. I just have to make sure I wear the same underwear, nail polish, black sweater, pack the same stuff in the bag, eat the same seeds, all over again for when we go to Harvard!! ;)

Friday, February 25, 2011

This is it!!

So tomorrow morning are the Swimming Championships. I am about to burst, but I'm trying to keep cool. My daughter is seeded FIRST of 18 in the 100 yd. IM, SECOND of 52 in the 50 yd. Freestyle and SECOND of 49 in the 25 yd. Butterfly. And both relays are seeded FIRST. AAAHHH!!! How's that for talent?? God, I just hope she lives up to her seeding. I don't doubt her ability or drive, but unfortunately when you are dealing with kids, anything can happen. Please send good thoughts her way!! and my way too... ;)

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Headache x 5

OK- since I donated blood last Wednesday, I have gotten 5 of my headaches PLUS this weird dizziness in my head. I've had that dizziness before, and it gets treated with an antibiotic, but still. I am falling apart. I ran errands this morning and went to the walk in clinic but the wait was an hour and I wouldn't have made it in time to pick up my daughter from swim camp. So I returned later around 3:30 (with both kids) and didn't have to wait too long. I got checked over, got the prescription, ran to the pharmacy, loaded up on the drugs and am thankfully feeling better. It's so hard when you're alone, feel like crap, and still have to cook, or drive someone somewhere, do laundry, keep things running. One day I'll tell you about the spinal tap I had and the devastating aftereffects. That's one for the record books.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

One vs. Two

My son is still with his dad, so it's just me and my daughter. Having one child is so much different than two, I can't even tell you. It's calm, there's no fighting, beating up, wrestling, arguing over movies, arguing over the computer, dinner is easy, and on and on. It's not just that it's my daughter that I'm with, but when I'm with my son it's the same as well. Just calm. Very nice atmosphere here. He'll be back tomorrow, and we'll have to do Ukrainian homework- not looking forward to that plus play on the saxophone at least once. My daughter is swimming in her league championships this Saturday, so the big focus is on her. She will have the toughest line up of events possible. I am hoping that she will have a great day.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Good Thoughts

I hope that my most frequent commenter Leo is ok down in New Zealand. I saw the devastation on the news the morning and I hope that he and his friends and family are all safe. Let's send some good thoughts his way.

Happy Happy Birthday to my mom!!! She and George Washington share a birthday.
MNOHAYA LITA MAMA!!

Monday, February 21, 2011

No news

Winter Vacation Week! YAY! Not... So many snow days have not made this much of an event. My daughter is attending a swim camp from 9-12 every day where she'll learn some more swimming stuff, nutrition and exercise, and get a chance to get out of the house. My son is spending a few days with his dad. We did the "Divorce Drop Off" at a rest stop on the highway. Bittersweet. It snowed here about 3 inches. Minor hassle. And that's about it for today.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Shrektastic!!

I got tickets for the three of us to go see "Shrek: The Musical" in Hartford at the Bushnell Theater. The performance was today, and it was a really good show! Some of the songs dragged a bit, but the fairy tale characters were great, Donkey was funny, and the woman who sang the voice of the dragon was AMAZING!! We had seats in the balcony, so kind of high up, but the view was good. EXCEPT FOR ALL THE KIDS WHO WERE PRACTICALLY STANDING UP IN THEIR SEATS!!!! My God- the rudeness, the cluelessness of these people was astounding! OK- right before the show started, a lovely British voice came over the speakers and said something to the effect of: "Dear theatergoers, we hope you will enjoy the show, but please keep these three things in mind- 1. Please make sure to turn off your phone, 2. no photography allowed, and 3. (The best of all!) If you have brought anything to eat with you which is wrapped in a crinkly paper, please eat it immediately or a giant ogre will find you and take you far far away." Great, no? It gets a huge laugh, lights go down, show starts, and the woman behind my son takes out a baggie filled with chocolates and starts eating and sharing them. And a boy behind me was drinking water out of a bottle and popping and crinkling the friggin' bottle for the whole first act!! What a bunch of morons!! Where the hell is the common sense? Where are the parents? I did not pay $90 to listen to popping plastic OR to not be able to see the stage because the kids in front of us are A. leaning forward, B. in booster seats, C. sitting on mom's and dad's coats, or D. TOTALLY STANDING UP AND SQUIRMING!!!!! GAH!! I wanted to take that water bottle and throw it across the aisle and hit the woman with the chocolates. Now, I get it, it's a kids' show, there were lots of kids, lots of little kids, lots of little squirmy kids, but COME ON- I just kept breathing deeply until I whispered loudly- "SIT DOWN!!!" to the squirmy standing kid two rows down. He sat. And the little girl in front of me thought I was talking to her and she cowered and went on her mommy's lap. As intermission was ending, I said under my breath- "OK, who's gonna piss me off now?" and a dad next to me started to giggle and agreed about the kid with the water bottle. It's just so maddening. I guess that civility is gone. I used to not like going to the movies because I'd wonder who was going to ruin my experience with talking, eating, rustling, phoning, after I paid ten bucks or whatever, so I stopped going for years. Anyway- the show was fun, I think my kids liked it, and then I spent $38 on souvenirs- a key chain, a mug, and a headband with ogre ears for my daughter. Ah, the things we do for our kids!

Friday, February 18, 2011

Exhaustion squared

I woke up at 4:00 this morning. 4:00!! What the hell is wrong with me?? I know what is wrong with me- my daughter is having her State swimming championships next Saturday the 26th and I am beside myself with worry. Maybe worry is the wrong word- I just want her to do well. I mean, I want this for her more than I have ever wanted anything for myself. I swear to God! She has had such success this year, and she should be fine, but you just never know. I mean, she's 9!
I played sports, but started in Middle School, 7th grade tennis and swimming!
And then because she has done so well, we are going back to Harvard for the New England Championships and it would be so cool if she did well there too. Her times are phenomenal, and there are high expectations for her. I swear to you, I am not saying anything to her so I don't pressure her or make her feel bad or inadequate should she not do well. But this is eating me up, and now I am so friggin tired, it's exactly like when she was an infant and didn't sleep for 14 months and I was totally wiped out. I don't know how I'm going to get through another MONTH of this.
Any advice?? Please??

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Biggest Loser

Sorry for not posting yesterday. It was one of those odd, "Limbo" days, and I don't mean the dance (har dee har har). I was sort of waiting for the squirrel people to come, then I went to donate blood (BP 112/72, pulse 62- not bad!) and came back and was still waiting for the squirrel people, then kids came home, we had massive amounts of homework to do, then... my daughter and I went to her swim team's Swim-A-Thon. Now, this is kind of a different swim-a-thon in that they aren't raising money for cancer, or diabetes, or heart disease, but rather for their own team trophy, team gift and banquet dinner. I know, it sounds kind of weird, but it's how it's been done for years. In the past, the kids basically swam laps non-stop, someone kept track, they won prizes, and it was boring to watch and participate in. So they decided to change it up and make it a fun evening. They had silly relays like pushing a beach ball with your nose, swimming in a large t-shirt, swimming with a pool noodle, doggy-paddling, etc. So at least it was a bit more entertaining and not so tedious. They also opened it up to parents. I said I'd swim, since I know how to swim. So any parents who signed up got to be in a relay with their own kid.
(I asked them to turn down the light since there was so much white flesh from the parents (HA!)). So when it was my turn, I ended up having to swim against my kids' former gym teacher. She's like 38, fit as you wouldn't believe, and she totally cleaned my clock. We started at about the same time, and I tanked. I felt like an ass. I hope no one made fun of me- I have spoken about my knowledge of swimming, so I really hope I didn't come across as a tool. The dad who was also on my relay was like, "Oh, it's you and your daughter! Awesome! We're gonna win!" GAH! I really felt like I let my team down. I so don't need this angst right now! So I came home and ate like half of my daughter's birthday cake while watching the rest of "The Biggest Loser." And that's what I felt like...

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Another visitor???

So I'm preparing my Ukrainian School work this morning in my living room/dining room. And I start to hear noises up above. Like cracking, thumping, SCURRYING...
And I'm like, "Not friggin' again!!!" I go outside and look to see if maybe the ice is melting off of the roof, or the snow is doing something up there (Funny how you make excuses when you want to avoid the obvious, no?). I go back in, turn down the radio, and there it was, that scratching, scootching noise coming from the front closet!!!!!! So I slam the louver doors shut, grab a skein of yarn (!) and wrap a long strand around the knobs. I am screaming the whole time, then I look around and start yelling, "Furniture!! I need furniture!!" So I grab 2 dining room chairs and prop them up against the doors. I run downstairs, grab the phone, my cell, my little address book, and run out to the garage. I call the nice guy from last year who removed the dead squirrel, but he's at his other job and can't come by until 4:00ish. Crap. Now, so I don't bore you with my craptastic day, let me jump ahead and tell you that a different gentleman came here, from Nuisance Wildlife Removal and walked through every inch of my house for almost two and a half hours, and couldn't figure out where this thing got in. I told him I wasn't crazy, and he believed me. He was so awesome, so thorough, and he admitted he was stumped for the first time in his career. YAY! I'm so honored... Anyway, the noises stopped, so hopefully this thing got out, or died, and tomorrow he will come by with a colleague who may go up on the roof to check things out. CRAP!!! Will my luck ever change????

Monday, February 14, 2011

Birthday Trip

Yesterday was my daughter's 9th birthday, and we decided to celebrate it by going skiing!! Our Plast group organized a trip to Ski Butternut in Massachusetts and I thought it would be a fun thing for us to do. To make a long story short, we had a fantastic day. The kids loved skiing, and I actually didn't do too bad, especially since I haven't set foot in a ski boot in about 20 years. YAY! Kids want to go again, which is a pretty good sign.

For our kids' birthdays, we like to go out for dinner. We met their dad at a place near our house and it was a fine meal. Ex is the last person I want to look at across the table from me, but I guess it's important for the kids to see that we can get along. We 3 were pretty tired and hungry and the meal hit the spot. I wanted to mention that next to us sat a family of 5. The mom was on the phone, one son was playing with an IPad, the other son was playing with a DS, and the little daughter was coloring. Dad was staring into space. It was so nice to see a family go out and ignore each other. What the hell is the point? Save yourself $100 and stay home and ignore each other! So sad...

Happy Valentine's Day to all who have a sweetheart. To those who don't, enjoy a pint of your favorite...ice cream!

Friday, February 11, 2011

What's in a Name?

I just posted my first comment on someone else's blog. I follow TheSimpleDollar for frugal living tips. The guy who writes it is quite prolific with several posts a day. I decided to comment on something he wrote about preparing meals. My dilemma, however, was what name to use. Now, my real name is Alexandra. I don't use it, except on legal documents and with doctors and at the bank. My nickname is Sandy. That is the name I have used my whole life, in my American life. When I moved to CT, however, I wanted to go with something different, so when I met our neighbors, I introduced myself as Alexandra/Alex. And it worked! Until I was at a mommy and me class with both my toddler kids and a mom asked me my name and I just blurted out "Sandy!" and realized I was creating an issue for myself. One name around my block, one name with all new acquaintances. Now, in my Ukrainian life, I go by Lesia. My whole family calls me that, as well as people in Ukie school, Plast, camps, everywhere. And that's how I signed myself on my Vovchachow blog since it was going out to Ukie people. When I wrote the comment today, I didn't know how to refer to myself- Lesia, or Sandy. I chose Lesia, because when I think of who I am, Lesia is it. Plus, if ever I get the courage to link this blog, it will only make sense that I be Lesia, right? You know what's even funnier? My ex called me by my name, Lesia, to me to my face ONE time in ten years together. It was the first time he called me. Is that not weird?? To not call your girlfriend/spouse, EVER by her name??? At least I can giggle about that now.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

2 TVs

I love to watch TV. We are lucky enough to have 2 televisions in our house. One is in the family room and the other one is in my bedroom. As I've mentioned before, the kids aren't allowed to watch TV during the week, except in some rare instances. Like yesterday, I got my daughter a video from the library ("Because of Winn-Dixie") because she read it in school, liked it, and she asked if she could see it. This coming weekend will be crazy, so I allowed her to watch it after she finished her homework. No problem, I can be flexible. But I do find their behavior so much better without having the tube on all the time. Now, when Ex was still here, the TV was on ALL THE TIME. As soon as he would walk in the house, he'd turn it on. No matter if it was 4:00 in the afternoon, 10:30 at night, whenever, he'd turn it on and then it would stay on all through the night as he slept on the couch (that is another story...) and often into the morning when the kids were getting ready for school. Totally not necessary to have it on in the morning. Anyway, he'd watch Law and Order re-runs, stuff on the History Channel, some sports, but nothing of any importance. The only shows we really ever watched together were ER, Sex and the City, and The Sopranos. Otherwise, I'd go upstairs, he'd stay downstairs, and such was our life. One of the good things about his leaving was that the TV could be off and no one would explode. The kids are now forced to find something else to do but watch SpongeBob. My son made room in the garage and shoots hockey pucks into his net, and my daughter loves to play with little animal figurines. And then I can go and watch TV on my own. Ha- just kidding!

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Hair Cut

I got my hair cut back in October. Like really cut. I had been wearing it in a scrunchy bun for about 5/6 years. I decided to take the plunge, and chop it all off. It was a great, funky haircut with one side angled longer and covering my eye. I loved it but it was a TOTAL PAIN IN THE ASS to wear everyday. The part covering my eye was driving me CRAZY!!! So I'd end up using a headband, and that defeated the purpose of the short hair. So, in early December, I washed it, styled it, and cut off that section over the eye. And it was totally fine!! But by the end of December, the original hair was getting longish, so I went to get a trim, and that was the worst haircut of my life. I told the woman what I wanted, and she just started hacking away and I ended up with this dorky mom-do. I HATED it. So I had to make it through Xmas with my family. I wore one of those reindeer headbands to mask it. Now, about 8 weeks since that cut, it was time for a trim. The short parts were growing out like I wanted. However, I have no money for a haircut and I do not want to go back to the place that made me look like a dork. So I started chopping away myself in the bathroom and believe it or not, I LURVE IT!!! It's longish on one side, short on the other, like I originally wanted and had when I was about 15. The back, however, still needs some work. I'm going to have to do some creative contortioning to get that part up to speed. But I did it!!

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Love? Hate?

Last night, my daughter asked me what am I getting her and her brother for Valentine's Day. Now, her birthday is on the 13th, but of course that isn't enough.
Anyway, I told her I wasn't sure, but I know that if any more stuffed animals make their way into this house, I will throw them all into the woods out back. I said that her brother doesn't like chocolate, and she already has chocolate as rewards for her swimming records/first places, so that's out too. So she says, "Well, the kind of gift you get us will show how much you love us! Like if you get us a Wii or a dog, you really love us. If you get us nothing, that means you hate us!" I replied, "What about the personalized menu I made for you last night for the Super Bowl? I'd say that was a nice gesture, and it's not about how much I love you on the 14th, but how much I love you the other days!" And she says, "Well, you're supposed to cook for us!" Nice, huh? "You get a sticker, and YOU get a sticker." There's your Valentine's Day!

Monday, February 7, 2011

Civil Talks

The Ex and I actually had a civil conversation yesterday. There were some planning issues we needed to discuss, and surprisingly, they went well. I won't bore you with the details, but suffice it to say, we agreed on everything. Back in the summer of '09 I wanted to talk to him about something (I was at my parent's house and the kids were with him) and when he came over to drop them off, I started talking to him and he totally flipped out on me. We had the worst fight of our "coupledom", screaming at each other, right there on my parent's lawn. I didn't cave, I held my own, but I still felt like I wanted to throw up afterwards. Ever since then, I've been so wary of having to talk to him, because I don't know if he's going to fly off the handle. That's a great way to live, considering we have kids together and will need to talk about issues regarding them for the next 10-12 years. When you never talked during a marriage, it's virtually impossible to talk comfortably during a separation/divorce. It would be nice to have a "co," a partner with whom I could talk, share, laugh, discuss, plan. It's really exhausting having to do most of this on my own.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

SUPER Bowl

How's this for an indivdualized super bowl menu?

Me- quesadilla with refried beans and shredded cheese
nachos with cheese sauce, refried beans, tomatoes, jalapenos, onions and salsa
Son- hot wings, taco meat, nachos, salsa
Daughter- popcorn chicken, chips

Yeah, baby- come to my house for your ultimate party!!

Feeling a bit better after yesterday's non-day. Hopefully this week will bring fewer storms.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Knife, meet heart

Ukrainian school was cancelled today. Kind of yay, but now it means we have to go until June instead of the middle of May. Boo. My ex came to take my son to hockey, and I actually went back to bed. Got up when they came back home. He left, then I had kind of a BS/non-day. It was misting outside, I was groggy, kids were meh. We've been home so much that this wasn't any sort of treat. Ex comes back around 3:15. Whenever he's here, I make myself scarce. I usually end up in my room, waiting until he leaves. I feel awkward IN MY OWN HOUSE whenever he's here. So, I'm watching a movie, listening to the three of them goofing around and then I hear dad say to my son- "Ok, get your stuff together! Time to go!" And I'm like, what?
My son was supposed to have a hockey game tomorrow but it was cancelled. Dad stays in a hotel on days like this, and everytime my son stays with him because he hates it here, but now there was no reason for him to stay. So I run down and say- "What's going on? Why do you still have a hotel room?" (He never tells me anything!) He BS's that he couldn't cancel cause he reserved it on Hotwire. So, he's spending $$ on a hotel room for no reason. He's going to do it next weekend for my daughter's birthday, and the weekend after that when my son's game is supposed to be replayed. For someone who wanted to get out of here, someone who so hated his life here that he left, he is here an awful lot. And it's going to bankrupt us as well. But that isn't the worst of it. Later, I hear him say, "Go say goodbye to your mom." I hear my son come upstairs and he barely leans in the room and says, "We're leaving," and he turns away. I say- "Whoa, isn't there something else you should say?" and he GROANS and mumbles "bye..". Wow, that's just effing great. It is astounding to me that my child could HATE me so much. He is just 10, and he absolutely HATES me. Next to feeling like a total failure that my marriage crashed and burned, this is the worst part. I bust my ass for him, I am here for him, and he hates me. I don't know if you can imagine this kind of pain.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Snow Daze

January 12, 2011 Snow Day #1

6:00am: check TV, school closed, YAY!, back to bed
8:00am: kids wake up, school closed, YAY!!
8:30am: breakfast, kids in pj's, cartoons on TV
11:00am: put on snow clothes, outside to shovel and play
12:30pm: lunch
1:00pm: first fight between kids over which video to watch
4:00pm: back outside to play
6:00pm: dinner
7:00pm: second fight between kids over which video to watch
9:00pm: bedtime

January 13, 2011 Snow Day #2

6:00am: check TV, school closed, oh no!, back to bed
6:30am: kids up
6:45am: first fight between kids over which cartoon to watch
7:00am: breakfast
7:15am: second fight between kids over rest of cereal
7:30am: kids sent to rooms over fight about cereal
9:30am: kids take out all old blocks from containers, can't see living room floor
10:30am: "Mom, I want lunch!"
10:31am: kids sent outside to play in snow
12:00pm: lunch
4:00pm: mom watching Oprah with barricaded bedroom door
5:00pm: "Did you do your homework?"
6:30pm: dinner
7:00pm: "Go practice your saxophone!"
7:10pm: "Go practice your saxophone!"
7:20pm: "GO PRACTICE YOUR SAXOPHONE!!!"
7:30pm: mom watching "Access Hollywood" with barricaded bedroom door
8:00pm: bedtime

January 21, 2011 Snow Day #3

6:00am: check TV, no school, Oh God, NOOOOO!
7:00am: mom watching "Today," all 4 hours, with barricaded bedroom door
11:00am: kids still in pj's, haven't eaten, don't know where bowls are
12:00pm: kids sent to shovel driveway
12:17pm: shoveling too difficult, back in to watch 7 hours of Nickelodeon
7:00pm: dinner
7:30pm: bedtime

January 27, 2011 Snow Day #4

6:00am: NOT AGAIN!!!!!
7:15am: breakfast
7:30am: mom on computer, checking real estate in The Bahamas
9:00am: mom shovels driveway, sidewalk
12:00pm: mom collapses in exhaustion
12:05pm: "Mom, can you bake those cookies?"
12:06pm: kids sent outside to play, mom barricades door
2:00pm: kids knocking on door, mom hiding under blankets
3:00pm: mom relents, lets kids in, but they must be silent
6:30pm: dinner
6:45pm: bedtime

February 1, 2011 Snow Day #5

6:00am: HELP!!!
7:00am: Legos overtake downstairs
8:00am: Barbie army fights WWE wrestlers on new couch
9:00am: mom goes to get firewood, falls through 5 feet of snow
10:00am: "Mom, where are you?"
12:00pm: kids make lunch, kitchen destroyed
2:00pm: "Did you do your homework??"
4:00pm: mom recovers, hacks away at ice for 2 hours
5:00pm: dinner
5:30pm: bedtime

February 2, 2011 Snow Day #6

6:00am: we'll be in school until July!!!
7:00am: kids pull out toy farm and animals, construction trucks, puzzles,
Bingo, 35 bouncy balls, and all Happy Meal Toys from the last 6 years
7:15am: mom goes to car to read
12:00pm: mom comes back in house, hungry; lunch
3:00pm: fight over toys
3:30pm: fight over markers
3:45pm: fight over blankets
4:00pm: fight over breathing
4:15pm: dinner
4:30pm: bedtime

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Mental Case

Well, this storm underdelivered somewhat. I know that it took up one third of the nation, and most places did get hammered, but here it never lived up to the hype. It snowed about 4-5 inches, and there's a layer of icy crust on top. Not too bad in comparison, BUT- this snow is the heaviest to date. I was out for about an hour and a half and was completely wiped out by this one. Each shovelful needed to be hacked out first, then each weighed about 20 pounds. No lie! I only got about half the upper sidewalk done. Oh, and I can't get my car to move. Tires are spinning. I'll deal with that tomorrow.

I feel like a total zombie. I am almost at the point where I don't care if I don't shovel out. I'll get the kids to and from the bus, and otherwise I will become a shut in. Even the kids have had enough. At least I was able to make a fire.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Sigh...

Another snow storm, another snow day. I think we will be home again tomorrow and probably Thursday since this next storm is supposed to be all ice. The thought of having to shovel again makes me ill. There is literally no place to put any more snow. Mr. Ex did come yesterday and he cleaned the roof. The driveway is now ten times worse, however. This is snow day #5. We will have to make up these days at some point. My dilemma is that I want my daughter to go to this fantastic swim camp the last week of June. What message do I send if I have her blow off school to swim, AND, have her brother go to school and not her. Just another thing to have to worry about, lose sleep over, obsess over. Other stuff on my mind: my daughter's swimming successes and anticipation of championship results; whether or not to continue working at Ukie school; whether to take my kids out of Ukie school; my unemployment; my separation; I have to wear a bathing suit in 2 weeks for my daughter's swim-a-thon; money; electricity maybe going out tomorrow; GAH! It never ends. Ten ton boulder uphill, every freaking day!