ramblings

I can't believe it's been over a month since my last post. Where has time gone?

Work is keeping me busy to say the least.

Running errands between noon-1pm is difficult.

Suffering through my annual winter cold. It's making me feel tired... sluggish... old.

Not accepting that this will probably be my grandma's last Christmas.

Kiana's cheer competition was cancelled for this weekend. I'm far from upset about it.

Logan is still resisting school & all that it has to offer. Can't wait for Xmas break.

I think I want a tattoo. But where? More importantly... what?

I have no idea what to get my husband for Christmas. If I figure it out, I better make sure I can get it between noon-1pm...

When it rains, it pours like a mofo!

Man, what a week.

I got a job! Yay! It's in the administrative aspect of a geotechnical engineering firm. All my construction background was a huge plus for this one. I start Monday! That is the only good thing this week. Here is the rest:

Michael's job changes a bit (also on Monday). He'll be switching shifts until mid January from a Tues-Sat 8-4 to a Mon-Fri 1-9 with probable overtime. Ugh.

Logan is struggling again back at his regular school. I got a call today requesting me to pick him up due to his 'unruly" behavior but by the time I got the message & called back, he was better. This will be a long year indeed.

Then there is Kiana. Look what she did last night:

Dislocated elbow...

Starting to bruise...

Getting drugged up...

Pain will not stop Facebook...

We were in the emergency room last night from 8:45pm - 1:30am. This is the second time she's done this. The first time was 5 years ago and it was her other arm. Both were a result of a bad fall from cheer.

Now she cannot: 

• Cheer 
• Work 
• Drive 
• Take notes in her college classes

The no driving thing is going to be a major obstacle. She won't be able to get to school on her own or pick up Logan after school like we had planned. Since I am starting my new job, I really needed her to do that. Really needed her. I had not thought of a back-up plan & I don't think I can come up with one.

*sigh* 

Next week will be interesting to say the least. Very, very interesting.

Shenanigans

Last weekend I went up to my brother's place for the annual 3-day racquetball tournament at the club where we grew up. Some of these guys I've known since I was 7. A few were in my brother's wedding. They're like an extended family & always will be. I love these guys.

The newest tradition to this tournament is a party on Saturday night at my brother's house for anyone in the tournament. He has a barn in the backyard with darts, ping pong, and a fridge filled to the brim with beer.

This weekend's party also had 2 bonus events: The Giants beating the Phillies & a UFC event.

Add Jagermeister, tons of food, & beer pong to the mix...

Let's just say the night was one to remember.

I should have used my camera a bit more, but it's very hard to stop laughing just to click the shutter.

I made a mini-video with the only 'evidence' that I had:


WEEKEND HIJINKS

Quirky Canines

Dogs.
Indoor dogs.
We have 5 of them.
I think we are certifiably crazy.

They play (constantly)
They eat (anything)
They sleep (wherever)
They shed (everywhere)
They bark (incessantly)

They also make us laugh on a daily basis.

Lily enjoys the fruits of Kiana's labor (she works at a pizza parlor)

They each have their own quirks.

Piper likes to let us know when she wants to eat, have a snack (which her internal clock knows when it's 5:30), go to bed, go outside, etc... simply by scratching her foot & kicking like a chicken. I'll have to get that on video one of these days.

Carmello likes to lick feet. All. The. Time.

Molly is the mother of the bunch. She's always cleaning the other's ears & eyes.

Simon Von Whinerheimer

Somedays they bug the crap out of me but most of the time they are a hoot. Don't know how I've lived without them.

Miracles do happen

Considering all the academic antics my little one has been a part of, I never thought I'd see something like this:

The past 4 years have been rough. I still can't believe I haven't turned grey because of it! I have my fingers crossed that his new attitude will last. I prefer this one much more than the one he's had since kindergarten.

My babies. September 2010

Grinding down to a nub.

I need a mouth-guard.

Yes, my dentist has recommended a guard to keep me from grinding my teeth in the middle of the night. I don't wake up with a sore jaw, so I don't realize what I am doing as I dream the night away... but I do have a feeling it is all about stress.

I've never been a worry-wart, and I usually don't let things get to me but lately it's been rough. To deny the fact that I have been constantly stressing about everything is to deny myself of the truth.

Work (or lack thereof), kids, money, health, family, pets, marriage, house, friends.... all of it in one way or another is bringing me to tears on an almost-daily basis. I don't know where to begin.

I wonder if they sell mouth-guards in bulk?

Me & grandpa ~ October 3, 2010

Batman's new school

Actually, Batman is no longer Batman. He now wants to grow up to be Indiana Jones. Recently he has requested that we call him Indiana Powers Sheffler.

Indiana is changing schools... temporarily.

His latest "frustration" at school was the last straw for staff, and rightfully so. He now has to attend an alternative school for 6 weeks, and then they will allow him back to his regular classroom the end of October.

He starts Tuesday.

We are all hoping this will be Indiana's wake-up call, and allow him to realize he has more freedom than he thinks. His 'new' class consists of students from 4-6th grade, and he will be only 1 of 5 students. They will be able to monitor him closely in this setting, which is a good & a bad thing. I just pray he doesn't like this format. He may crave the attention too much & choose not to leave.

(breathe in, breathe out)

Tuesday.

Here we go again!

Another year, another empty bank account.

That sentence can easily sum up competitive cheerleading.

This is (probably) Kiana's last year of cheerleading for this troop. She can continue on their "college" team, but that will remain to be seen. Serious tryouts are involved for that squad. I'm sure she would make it, but the level of commitment is insane. It's hard enough just attending college. I can't imagine her doing the college team as well. We'll see.

She does love it ever so much. In a strange way, so do I. Out of town competitions (which have included Las Vegas, Anaheim, and even Hawaii) are usually mother-daughter trips only. It's a great bonding time, and wonderful memory makers. Now that she's 18 & in college, I know those trips will be few & far between. She's even starting to venture out on trips of her own, so I better make this last year count.

I'm hoping to catch some good pictures this year. It's hard to catch her in action on my own, so I have to rely on the professional photographers for each event. She flips & flops, holds up cheerleaders & tosses cheerleaders into the air. When she hears other people scoff that this is not a sport, she'll quickly retort with, "Athletes lifts weights. Cheerleaders lift athletes." So so true.

And I must say (not being biased) she has a pretty good toe-touch:

"Fusion Fierce" Anaheim, CA. February 13, 2010

My Mystery Man

My son is an anomaly. Plain & simple.

School to him is like hearing nails on a chalkboard while watching Battlefield Earth: UTTERLY PAINFUL

He doesn't want to participate in any sport, hates recess, cannot eat lunch in the cafeteria, nor does he believe in homework. According to him, "Homework shouldn't exist, because you're supposed to do your work in school. Home is were you're supposed to play & be happy."

I can't argue that.

Without going into too many details, I will say that he does suffer from a few conditions that make his academic & social life... uncomfortable, to say the least, but we are doing our best to work through them. Last year he was suspended (off & on) so many times, yours truly had to 'home school' him for a total of 6 weeks. Difficult would have been an understatement. That was the most challenging time I've had in many moons. I now have a new respect for teachers. While I do have more patience than most people, it seems to fly out the window on an express plane when it comes time to teach someone who doesn't want to learn.

GOOD: We have successfully put one full day of 4th grade behind us.
BAD: Over 170 to go.

(breathe in... breathe out... repeat...)

Back when he was Batman

Time to Flourish

I have been holding onto the past so tightly that I haven't been able to embrace the present.

Yesterday was my wake up call.

Within hours of hearing my friend's husband's sudden passing, I read that another acquaintance was found dead as well. Both deaths are (assumed to be) from natural causes. They're my age... and that scares me.

No more will I let time pass me by.
No more will procrastination be my middle name.
No more will my kids go a day without getting a hug from me.
No more will the phrase, 'I'll do it tomorrow' be uttered from my lips.

Kiana's graduation: June 8, 2010

Time Goes On

This is my first blog in years. Literally. 

I never ventured down the MySpace route, but I have succumbed to the mad world of Facebook.

(raising glass) Here's to another new adventure!