Nothing New Due to Extreme Sinus Migraine

Please come by tomorrow when I tear apart the diagnosis that House's entourage came up with in the last show. Because they did something wrong and I know what. nanny nanny boo boo.

Off for ice pack, bed and hopefully silence.................

Is It Just Me Or...?

Is it just me or is parenting teens a lot like being a chicken with its head cut off?


Is it just me or does every wife want to punch her husband every now & again?


Is it just me or is algebra a mind torture made up by cruel ex-Nazis trying to get me to bury myself in the back yard simply to avoid the class?


Is it just me or is marriage a mind torture made up by aliens to drive me to shoot arrows at my own heart? (It's very hard to arrange the bow so that the arrow is pointed at my heart! OY, I bet I need algebra to solve this issue...)


Is it just me or is it a full moon? Cuz I am ready to run in circles in a fur coat (fake, of course) and howl all night long. (Hey. It would be more fun than algebra homework.)


Is it just me or are Obama, Clinton, and McCain all extremely annoying? I don't want to vote for any of 'em! Stop bickering like 8 year olds already!


Is it just me or do I need to up my xanax dose? (snerk)


Is it just me or is there something wrong with a man who'd rather watch a baseball game than have hot sex with his incredibly attractive wife? (Jeesh, I think I need a younger model hubby.)


Is it just me or is everything more annoying tonight? Heh.


Side note~I think I'm hallucinating. I just thought a player on the Cleveland team was an Ex-Red Sox player but I was WRONG! Yo Misty! Go Mariners! :P~~~~~~~~~


Okay who snuck in last night and stole my IQ? All of a sudden I'm feeling pretty dumb or is that just middle age creeping up on me again?



Perhaps I have little elves in my cranium slowly breaking apart the rock inside into smaller and smaller pieces making it impossible for my neuronal axons to fire or accept action potentials? For those who've never had the joy of taking anatomy and physiology that means my connections in my brain has broke. Ya know, The lights are on but nobody's home?



I'm a few fries short of a Happy Meal? I have a few screws loose?
You can hear the air whistling through my ears(airhead).
Houston, we have a problem. I'm as mad as a Hatter. I'm not playing with a full deck. I'm a few bananas short of a bunch.



I'm an evil terrible horrid wife.


My Crime?


Talking while McHub is watching a tv show. He gets really irked if I talk inbetween commercials. Take me out and shoot me. Better yet, take him out and shoot him. Muahahahhahaha.


Went off a slight tangent there. Kate? KATE! May I please be locked in a soft rubber room with an excellent library and posters of Hugh Laurie? That will cure me after 6 weeks or so. (rowr)

Oh Where, Oh Where, Has My Little Boy Gone?

It's time for Heads or Tails Tuesday! Yeah!(Here I sit applauding as McHub wonders if he should call the men in the white coats.) The theme this week is a very special memory. To get to the HOT page click this link(I kept typing kink, what IS wrong with me?)and be magically transported and have the opportunity to visit many other bloggers who do this meme every week.

The picture taken above was in June 2000. My younger son, Baseball Boy(BBB) was 9 years old. We were at the Little League Tournament of Champions where BBB's older brother, BPB, was on a team competing for first place in the region, 11-12yo bracket.

BBB was a sunny child who we called Smiley Riley because he smiled at 4 weeks old and never really stopped. He was a child with a will of steel, mostly used for good, who was a Mama's boy.

He always had to be near me, climbed all over me like my name was Jungle Gym, and I used to call him my Cling-On. He loved hugs and kisses and had never been embarrassed to be seen with me.(Those days seem like a century ago~sigh.)He was all boy though, a tough guy unless it was just the two of us.

I'm ashamed to admit some days I wanted a crow bar to pry him away from me. I wanted some space. I wanted a few minutes without my clingy shadow.

Now I'm living that wish and I'm sad for time gone by.

Those were the days Mommy could fix most problems even if she was mean and made BBB do his homework BEFORE he went out to play.(I know I'm evil) Mommy was the best helper Mommy because she came every week and helped in his classroom. Mommy always went on field trips even though she'd feel carsick on the school bus.

Mommy would take both boys to visit the tide pools during the lowest tides of the year (In June) and she knew what most everything was. She never screamed or ran away like all the girls did. Mommy let BBB to drizzle vinegar on a mountain of baking soda and food coloring. That was way cool. Mommy made gingerbread cookies and let him cut out his own shapes to play with and bake.

My sweet blue eyed boy now thinks I live only to ruin his fun. I say no when he asks for a ride when it doesn't work for me or when I have a migraine. I ask questions! How dare I ask more than one question a month?!! My sweet clingon now clams up as soon as I ask more than one question and refuses to answer.

I get accused of yelling when I'm not, so my anger will be transferred away from him, like he thinks I don't notice? He keeps many secrets now. Until he was 14 my BBB couldn't keep a secret to save his life. Before he was 13 he would come home and tell me ALL about his days. I knew who all his friends were and who tripped who in the lunchroom. We were close until he started high school. He would still talk to me most times before he turned 16. Now I am one persistant pain in the rear to my baby.

BBB is at Young Life(Christian Support and Outreach program for high schoolers) right this minute. I can only pray my BBB will some day tell me secrets again.

Give A Little Bit

It's Monday and I'm sure you're thrilled to be awake and ready to get the new week moving. Ayup. We all adore Mondays! Yes, I am always this sarcastic so early in the morning. :P

Let's try something different this week. It would be fabulous if each of us could make the effort to help one person in the next five days.

This doesn't have to be inconvenient. Or difficult. It could be as simple as holding the door for the person behind you.

Or picking up a piece of litter and putting it on the garbage.

I'm not asking for ya'll to join Habitat for Humanity and go build a house in Arkansas, though I'd be damn impressed if you did! Heck yeah I would! If you join the Peace Corps I promise to write you every week you're in the jungles of Nicaragua! And I'll save all my change to send you each month. Smile. Really, I will!(nodding my head)

I think most of us forget that little, tiny gestures can make some one else's day better.

Say hello and smile as you walk by another person.

Remember every person is human and appreciates kindness as much as you do.

Say thank you. Or Please. Or ask if you can help.

I was talking to one of the staff, at our math building on campus after I held the door open for her last week. She was astonished I was holding the door open for her because no one ever did that.

I said My mama taught me manners. We then discussed how few of the younger students ever said please or thank you or held the door. They are so self-centered and in their own little worlds they don't think of others.

I'd love to know my friends here are better people than that. Just give a little bit of yourself to someone in need, even your own child on a hectic day. Or your spouse after a long day at work.

Me? I'm going to try and be pleasant to my 17yo no matter how he acts. I will allow people in line that are waiting to leave the parking lot after class. I will open doors, say please and thank you, and smile at others even if they think I'm some happy kook.

One of my favorite things to do is to pay for the person behind me in line's coffee. Usually at a drive through so it's anonymous and kinda fun. Giving really is fun.

Try it and then come back and tell me what happened. You can do it. Just give a little bit of yourself. You'll feel good. Really good.

Whoever Dies With The Most Toys Wins?

It's no secret I am an 80's girl. I graduated high school in the 80's. I attended university in the 80's, I got married in the 80's and I delivered my first born son in the 80's.

I still love 80's music like Devo, The Ramones, Phil Collins, etc.

The clothing, the big hair, the raccoon eyes, the excess all sucked. I did not buy into most of that. Mainly cuz I had no clue what back teasing was, I could not line my eyes straight all the way around and because the value system in the 80's in So Cal went against my very nature.

The one who dies with the most toys wins. Wins what? I am sure this phrase was thought up by some coked up PR executive in Hollywood, but seriously dude~time for rehab.

I went to a high school where Johnny and Amy got BMW's on their sixteenth birthdays. Eh, I don't even like BMWs.

Don't get me wrong, I would have adored rich parents back in the day. My viewpoint has skewed and twisted since high school.

Let's get back to toys~can you take them with you when you die? Will God think you belong in heaven because you spent money on fast cars, big houses, recreational drugs, meaningless sex and Armani suits? I don't think so.

Remember the actress, Diana Hyland, from Eight is Enough was buried in her car? What was the message there?

Rampant consumerism was a sign of that decade. People thinking the more money they had, the more things they owned, the happier they would be. HA! Did not work out that way, did it?

Many people(aka "friends") could be bought but they were not the type of people you could count on if the money ran out. It was a parasitic time.

Many parents that grew up in the Golden 80's era now buy anything their kids want. This has spawned a generation of entitled brats who still believe more is better. If you don't have kids go find a 16 year old and ask them what they need to be happy. Most will say fast cars, money, clothes with pricey labels, a kick ass job where they really don't have to work and a fancy house in Redmond.

Literally I know some teens girls who think they would DIE if they did not have cell phones. Funny that. I survived without a cell phone or an answering machine cuz they did not exist yet.

It comes down to what legacy do you want to leave. How would you like to be remembered when you die? (Sorry peeps~the truth is people our age die every single day.)

I don't even remember any one's name from the 80's that flitted through my life.

Having been upper middle class to seriously close to the poverty line, I am happy with a house, heat, food, time with my family(before they turned into beast-like teenagers), and I'd like to leave this world knowing I helped someone live a more fulfilling life.

Growing up Catholic in NJ and MI, I was taught giving was better than receiving. Who knew that would be a goal for me?

I am an idealist and want to give back. To whom, you ask? Whomever needs my help. Nursing is a good way to do this. If I get paid enough to to afford a roof over my head, keep food in my belly, a couple of incredible books, and time to spend with my family while helping others out what else do I need?

If I am very lucky I won't die alone.

What more could I need?

Not Such a Content Camper Today

I know, for a fact, I did not get a 100% on my math quiz today. Maybe I should have studied harder instead of lusting after Dr. Kovac? But he's so sexxxy and math, isn't. I'm hoping Luka will NOT leave ER cuz he's THE hottie on that show. I do know John Carter will return for at least 4 episodes next year. Some body's gonna have to nail that Aussie bastard to the wall!

Ms. Livvie? I watch Grey's for the pure amusement value. I think McDreamy is McI have no balls. Mc Steamy's good for looking at. But it's the silly and funny things I watch for. I love to tear apart the 6000 medical mistakes they make every show. It's a soap opera.

After I wrote yesterday's post my McHub starting irritating the crap out of me. We were irritating the crap put of each other. He needs to not stay home an extra 2.5 days a week. GRRRRRRR. He was flipping from my tv shows to the freaking Mariners game. DUH! The Mariners almost ALWAYS lose in the 9th, what's the point of even checking? I know! It's a P/A way to tweak his wife who he thinks is selfish. NO! Really? Where has he been for 22 years? Chuh.

Mr.-I-am-a-testosterone-laden-moron-17yo gave me big attitude in front of his gf and her friend. To say I was less than pleased would be the understatement of the day. I did give him a small dressing down in front of the girls AND I brought it up before I would give him his allowance. I am not his servant, damn him. Mother, if I was ever this terrible please strike me with lightening NOW!
Dayam. Still here to live through the rest of the teenage years. :P~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I wish you all a good weekend!

Nothing To Whine About

It's probably a good thing my mom is already dead or I would be arrested for her death. If she had ever heard me utter these words, "I have nothing to whine about."

She would have DROPPED DEAD, yup. Right there on the spot. It's a better thing I hadn't thought of this when I was a thirteen year old brat! (wink)

Seriously.

Grey's Anatomy is on tonight.

ER is on and they killed off all the bad writers after the 2006-2007 season. It's getting good again.

I have a DVR so CSI and Without A Trace will be waiting.

I only have one class. I am kicking back and sitting pretty.

I wake up around 8 and then take a nap around 1. I know, tough job, ey?

My children seem to be staying out of trouble and actually are going to work/school on time. I haven't heard from any teachers or from the parents of BPB's gf. BBB actually went to Young Life this week with a friend and enjoyed the heck out of himself!(Thank you Lord.)

McHub is in a relatively good mood and was off Monday, today and goes in late tomorrow. While I haven't had my alone hours, I have not been harassed either.

I adore my math teacher and do not even mid the fact I have a quiz tomorrow. I know I said I got it last quarter and I did for a few weeks. In this math class I got a 100% on my first quiz and a 75% on my first test. I test sucky in math so I'm very happy with my grades so far.

The weather's a bit cold for us but I like cold so that isn't bothering me at all. Did you know there are 800 shades of gray in the sky?(snicker) The pollen's been lower due to rain showers and my sinus infection is starting to completely clear up.

What a girl got to whine about? Tell me all your problems my friends. Let me listen.

Thirteen Great Places to Visit

My favorite thirteen places to visit.

1. The Jersey Shore when I was 5. Don't forget the salt water taffy!

2. Edison's Lab in Monmouth County, NJ where Edison invented the first light bulb.

3. Lake Ontario from the Toronto side and the most awesome Museum of Science & Tech.

4. Lake Huron from the woody Michigan side. Great place to be an imaginative kid.

5. The Detroit Museum of History and Art, one of the best I've been to!

6. Cedar Park on the big wooden roller coasters over the water.

7. Canoeing in MI lakes and streams.

8. Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, and Laguna Beach in the OC as a 16 year old.

9. Niagara Falls, Canada~an experience not to be missed.

10. Beaches of Nova Scotia, Canada

11. La Jolla Shores beach north of San Diego.

12. Del Mar, California

13. Solana Beach, California


Thursday-thirteen

The Voice Inside My Head

I have an internal dialogue going on inside my head almost continuously. Yes, call me crazy. You won't be the first or the last.

This voice inside my head has been there for as long as I can remember.

It used to be the do I look stupid in this outfit? voice. Or the I don't fit in here voice.

The voice has grown up as I have grown up.

When Brennie got sick and we were in Children's ICU the voice was background noise screaming THIS IS NOT HAPPENING! TOO SURREAL, MUST BE A NIGHTMARE. SOMEONE WAKE ME UP NOW. It was also the little voice that told me my baby is bad, really bad. My gut is telling me Brennie is going to die. I feel it in my soul, my baby is dying. I never wanted to be more wrong, but the voice was right on 100%.

My voice used to pop up to say I'm sooooooooooooo tired, why live today? Maybe things would be better if I were dead? What am I doing here? Who would miss me if I died? Maybe it takes too much energy to engage with others.

A month or two a funny thing happened. My constant inner voice stopped saying how tired and weary I was. It stopped wondering what my purpose in life was. The voice stopped reminding me to grieve.

It fell silent for a few days. A small whisper here and there, dang! it's cold or and I'm hungry.

Last week I realized my voice is no longer a negative influence. It's been relatively negative most of my life. I don't know why it's had a negative slant, that is just how it is.

Now It tells me what I could do to add some cute decorations to my sea/beach themed family room.

Or I'll be in nursing school in September.

My boys need to make their own decisions and live through the consequences. I refuse to be responsible for their idiocy because I'm not the idiot.

I'm so excited to start studying pharmacology.

Damn, Geo is such a great guy.

Medication, enough sleep, acceptance into nursing school therefore successful completion of a goal, has made my voice my friend instead of my toxic enemy. It's cool to be content and excited for the future and a bit scared.

The BEST thing: I like me for me.

Directions

Please go visit our Heads or Tails headquartersto learn about this fabulous Tuesday meme created by my friend and yours, Barb aka Skittles!!!

North, South, West, East~directional terms we use to tell which way somewhere is, formerly commonly used on a compass. Long before GPS and directions for morons, there were compasses which told us if we were going N, W, E, or S. Compasses are based on the earth's magnetic field. Isn't that a cool deet?

When I was a child living on the East coast my mom would give my brothers and I compasses and treasure maps. The first to reach the X marks the spot got an ice cream bar or a slurpie. My mom was a clever woman.

I got my girl scout badge for trail blazing by using my compass to find the correct trail. Anyone else remember the girl scouts before cookies became the main focus?

As long we had our compass, we were never lost.

At night the North star guides us explorer types which direction north is. It's quite fun to follow the star. We used to night hiking using this method of finding our way.

I have lived in the East~NJ, North~MI, West~California and North West~Washington State.

Let's Talk About Bras

As most of the women reading this know finding a good bra that fits, is comfortable and defies gravity is almost impossible and I'm mad as hell, I'm not gonna take it anymore!

Back in junior high I could wear those cute little bras with barely there straps and a cute flower in middle, between the cups. The teeny tiny cute little bras. That was 3 decades ago. Do the math! THIRTY years ago.

Even up until the time I got pregnant with BPB in 1988, I could wear bras that had matching bikini panties, sexy lace bras, see through bras, bras in all different colors including red and black. I enjoyed wearing cute and/or sexy underwear.

Then 19.6 years ago I had a baby and I got to wear nursing bras. They weren't pretty but they did the job and were fairly comfortable, which was good as I wore them 24/7 when my breasts reached the size of basketballs. The joys of parenting begin early. Ha!

I have not needed a nursing bra for well over 12 years now. I have not had a well fitting bra in those entire 12 years and dammit, I'm getting tired of it.

It's bad enough I have huge boobs but can they not create something to corral these puppies that doesn't poke, itch, irritate, dig into my shoulders or other related discomforts.

I'm at a point in my life where I don't want to display my breasts for anyone to look at. Nor do I want half my boobs sticking out cuz they don't make bras that cover all they NEED to cover.

It's bad enough I can't wear button down shirts because none of them are large enough to fit across my chest. In fact, I have to buy a larger size top than normal because these melons are huge.

I want a bra that supports, covers, defies gravity and is comfortable. Is that too much for a middle aged, half way to death woman to ask?

Saturday Night Calm

Now that I've recovered from my excellent sex dreams and real life escapades (woo-woo!), I thought I would write a blurb.

Last night I had (no joke!)eleven teenagers here. Yup. ELEVEN. Apparently we have become the cool house. yeehaw.

BPB was here with his girlfriend first. Fairly quiet as they were watching videos in his room,(hmmmmm, I hope he watched the video better than I used to watch drive in moveis).


Next a big crash as the front door was flung open 7 pairs of shoes came off and a herd of elephants stormed up the stairs.

BPB came down and asked if I knew there were 19 teens in the computer room. I squinted at my oldest and asked sarcatically, nineteen? Yes, he insisted there were 19. I went up to count.

I opneded the door and gazed at the gaggle of teens in my house. I counted them. Six Males and one female. I knew six of these kids since they were in kindergarden(tho they be waaaaaaaaaaaaaay taller and more mature these days.). Twelve teens were missing according to my oldest's method of counting.

BPB had a small cow and left the house with gf. We were so sad we almost cried.

More teens arrived. I went all the way upstairs and counted again. One, two, three(who are you? I don't know you.), four, five, six, seven, eight and number nine was in BBB's room creating rap lyrics for which he needed silence. (He should have stayed home if he wanted silence!)

BPB and gf came home and for a small time I felt like the Duggar family. Hubby and I kept looking at one another thinking, DAYAM! Hard to have sex with 11 teens running all over the house! (pout, pout) I wonder how the Duggars keep having more kids?


They all left at 10p.m. Thank goodness. Thought my floor was gonna cave in!


Tonight, just me and the man I married. Too bad we be all worn out from last night...snerk.

Actual Dreams I Have Had Lately

Last week I had a dream with McDreamy and Hugh Laurie in it. McDreamy was doing my skin cancer mole and annoying me cuz I think he whines. He kept following me around to try and glance under my gown to find moles. I kept walking away.

Next, I was invited to Hugh Laurie's new house in England that he shares with his wife and 2 teenage children. It was a friendly dream where he showed me around, we cracked joke off each other at a rapidly hilarious rate and it was an enjoyable dream. I was more a family friend.





The dream I had the other afternoon was pretty x-rated. Hugh and I were lovers. HOT, STEAMY, Oh my Lord never stop Lovers! I rarely have sex dreams with celebrities. They are with my husband or an anonymous/faceless male.

I was digging this dream. It was one of those where I could his breath on my neck, feel his (freaking awesome)kissing on my lips and neck. I knew on some level it was a dream because I always do~~but I was staying in dream world as long as I possibly could.

It was like being in a relationship and being close emotionally and then finally physically. It was perfect. It was that experience I shall never have again being committed and all to my hub, oh nelly. It was an icredible emotional and revitalizing dream.

In real life, perfection rarely happens so I enjoy it even in my dreams.

The my husband came home and perfect dream vanished. My memory will keep it close when I need it, just to remind myself I am desirable and sexy and can feel that overwhelming "first" time.



PS~Hugh's body is as incredible as his sense of humor, need I say more.

Meme~One Word

Another word-restrictive format, this one:

Only.

Type.

One.

Word.
Not as easy as you might think. Change the answers to suit you and then pass it on. Remember: one word answers.

1. Where is your cell phone? bookcase
2. Your significant other? snoring
3. Your hair? long
4. Your mother? dead
5. Your father? alcoholicy
6. Your favorite thing? words
7. Your dream last night? Great!
8. Your favorite drink? Coke
9. Your dream/goal? Nurse
10. The room you’re in? family
11. Your ex? lost
12. Your fear? kids
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? healing
14. Where were you last night? couch
15. What you’re not? organized
16. Muffins? oatmeal
17. One of your wish list items? beach
18. Where you grew up? places
19. The last thing you did? blogged
20. What are you wearing? sweats
21. Your TV? on
22. Your pets? anoles
23. Your computer? on
24. Your life? good
25. Your mood? comteplative
26. Missing someone? always
27. Your car? civic
28. Something you’re not wearing? socks
29. Favorite store? book
30. Your summer? coolish
31. Like someone? friendly
32. Your favorite color? blue
33. When is the last time you laughed? today
34. Last time you cried? March
35. Who will repost this?Misty

Rhyming With Tip

Please go to the Heads Or Tails web page to see all the great bloggers who participate in this meme and say Hey to Barb who invented it. :)

Yo. Da Janice is goin' rhyme time on yo grill. Enjoy.

Zip
yip
whip
trip
thrip(small sap sucking insect)
sip
skip(Skip to my loo, my darling!)
slip
ship
rip
quip
pip(as in Gladys and the Pips)
nip
mip(nonsense word thrown in for good measure.) (not to be confused with "meeeeep. meeeeeeep." as Beaker says in the Muppet Show)
kip(means bed in England english)
lip
hip
gyp
grip
flip
dip
drip
crip (as in the Gang)
clip
chip
bip(anyone remember you bet your bippy!? from Laugh-In)
blip

I may add on as I think of others. No dictionary used, this is all from my little own brain. LOL.

Meanderings of My Mind

Good weekend, with a teeny bit of paranoia thrown in for fun. (wink)

It has been a nice, calm and lazy weekend. Perfect. Except for the pesky algebra homework I need to hand in by tomorrow at 11:00a.m.. It's time consuming but not difficult at this point. My teacher is excellent. Explains everything without being condescending and explains it well. There are quite a few folks in my class taking it for the 2nd or 3rd time so I don't feel like such a dumbkomf.

McHub has been mellow and sweet and unannoying. I really liked that! I did not have to watch one basketball game! I did watch some tennis and the Mariners' games but I don't mind those.

The kids have been in and out but have NOT been aggravating me. Whoa nelly! When did I die? Cuz this is not my normal reality. Or did someone slip me some X when I wasn't looking. My oldest worked diligently all week and on Saturday and has been cleaning up after himself......I know! Who replaced my family with the Pod People? Are any of you old enough to get that reference? :P

Drama King has been fairly undramatic. Still a pig, but he's a teenage male. He goes back to school tomorrow! YEEEEEEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!! I am mildly excited about having the house to myself for several hours a week.

I talked to my aunt yesterday. She is my father's youngest sister. She is also my Godmother. She became an LPN and at 50 started her RN training, lived on campus and got her degree! She no longer does hospital work just private nursing. I had to tell her I was starting nursing in the fall. It was a good conversation. I admire my aunt who has lost 3 of her four children and is still going strong. It's been awhile and as I have found out, time does help. She lives near Pittsburgh and has that western PA accent.

I have procrastinated long enough. I need to go identify and solve systems of equations, figure out simple word problems, draw some graphs and factor some multinomial problems. Doesn't that sound nice(in the church lady voice)?

I hope everyone had a great weekend!!

MURDER in My Old Neighborhood

Seriously.

In 1993, we moved from Bellingham, WA(35 miles south of Canadian border) to Kent(18 miles SE of Seattle~give or take a few miles).

We had bought a new house on a road on of new houses. 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, den, brand spanking new. It was in a nice area of unincorporated King County even though the zip was Kent.

I was slightly disappointed that the neighbors who moved in before us or in the same day as we did, were, in a word, strange. I was hoping for some friends of kids who were similar in age to my boys, 2.5 and almost 5.

No such luck. During that first summer, we moved in June 30, there were kids roaming the streets after dark. (Half of the houses were still being built)

These days I try very hard not to be judgmental but back in 1993 I was shocked people let their 5, 6,and 7 yos to roam on the darkness. The parents were nowhere to be seen.

Later I found out why they were nowhere to be seen. Two sets of neighbors tended to kick back inside drinking while the kids ran wild. Yeah. I know.

BPB would have fits because he had to be inside by 7pm to make his 8:00pm deadline for bed. This was a really hard summer with BPB, he hated that we moved but he loved running with the gang. He began to deliberately disobey me. Bad move. This is the time I took his door off.

Never the less, I would hunt him down every evening to make him eat dinner, be inside by 7pm and bathed and in bed by 8pm. I was evil mommy. TA DA!!

I was not too fond of the neighbor boys as one was 3 years older and HUGE compared to BPB(They were fundamentalist Christians who had a year's supply of food on their garage and their child was thrilled to tell my kids Santa Claus was a myth. GRRRRR) and the other child was a sneaky boy a year older but smaller than BPB.

It was not the dream neighborhood like the one my family lived in in MI with the Welcome Wagon and where all parents looked out for every one's children.

Years went by and in 2000 we had to sell the house Brennan died in (spent his whole life in). That's when we rented the house with Lake Janice.

I'm reading the news and saw a story about a man killed in his garage in Kent. Uh oh a warning flag went up just because of the nearness.

The father of the boy a year older than BPB was the victim.

Apparently he hired a 15yo prostitute, brought her home, and she stabbed him to death in his garage. He used to live with his wife and son and daughter. Last I heard daughter was in same school as Drama King.

This house was across the street from us and to the left. I spent some time in that house. Not much, as I did not drink to get drunk and I believe my partying neighbors thought I was a snotty bitch. Hard not to show a disapproving face when neighbor is looking for something and a roach clip shows up!!(Yeah, me too).

Last I saw this man outside the grocery store he told me he was unemployed, his son had not graduated hs(Hmmmmmmmmmmm, sounds like my oldest) and told me some of the things that had happened in the old 'hood.

He was a seemingly nice guy, originally from Mexico. Ya never know.

On the news tape(they have arrested and charged 15yo girl) they showed the front of his house and the person who now lives in my old house(right in front of the street number so I'm positive it was my old house) saying he had had family but lately she had seen no one but him.

The dude brought a prostitute into his home in middle class 'hood!!! She stabbed him to death and no one heard.

Ya just never know who are living next to, and I'm really glad we haven't lived there in 18 years!

Holy cow.

Happy, Happy Childhood

After reading a post today about a blogger who's parents still spanked her at 18 and the responses this post garnered, I need to appreciate my upbringing. Many of the responses indicated these folks were spanked or beaten as children and teens. The rules were different in the 60's and 70's and I'm not judging any one's parents. Spanking was NOT a national debate and was even recommended by Dr. Spock, if I remember correctly.

I had one of the happiest childhoods I have ever heard about. I almost feel guilty some days because so many people I know were abused, lived with alcoholics(before it was a disease, it was just considered a weakness), mental illness, and abusive parents.

I never doubted that I was loved.

I doubted I lived up to certain expectations, but I was loved even if I disappointed in my school performance.(Janice is a delightful child but does not live up to her exceptional potential....blah :P ). The story of my entire life I'm shore(snerk).

My older brother used to blame my parents for certain deficiencies in his life. I think he's over it now. While I believe our parents shape us, I do not believe in blaming them for my actions as an adult.(This is my belief for me, so don't go flaming me or anything.)

I have 3 brothers and we all live different lifestyles and have completely different memories of our childhoods.

I am the conventional married before I had kids, nuclear family, stay at home mom one. Or the BORING one as I'm sure has crossed their minds. And compared to their lives, I am kinda boring but in a GOOD way.

Back on track, my mother stayed at home like 90% of middle class moms in the 60's and 70's. She did the cookie baking, cub scout mom, room mom, The Jaycees wife, did it all except attend church with us. Mom was raised Methodist and refused to convert to Catholicism though she did agree to raise us Catholic. This was before Vatican II when my parents married(1955).

We weren't the Brady Bunch, thank goodness my mom never wore Pucci prints(shudder). She wore Keds, slacks and whatever tops were in. Unlike this stay at mom who loves sweats, big tshirts and birks.

My mom was into science. We bird watched with the Audubon Field Guide. We also watched small mammals like squirrels and chipmunks and small rodents.

My older bro had a chemistry set in the basement. Remind me to tell you some of those stories sometime!!! HA! It was funnneeeee. We had a microscope. Pond water under a 'scope could keep me busy for hours.

We took nature walks. Just in the neighborhood as we were surrounded by woods and meadows. (In NJ! This was a very long time ago!)

We watched the first men land on the moon together as a family. 1969 meant something amazing to a 7yo, space~a completely new frontier. Americans were explorers to me. I was oblivious to what was going on in politics, Vietnam and at universities.

I spent my first 10 years of life in NJ. Maybe I'll talk about MI another time.
Thanks for reading! :)

Thursday Thirteen: What I Love About My Readers

Thirteen Things I Adore About My Reader/Friends.

1. Your unwavering support.

2. The fact you keep reading my froth as well as my angst!

3. Any and all comments.

4. Those readers who assure me they've been there and have survived teenagers.

5. The readers who let me know I am not alone!! HUGS!

6. Every one of you that "get" my warped sense of humor.

7. Everyone who also lusts after Hugh Laurie aka Dr. House (rowr).Ahem, this is for my female readers and not everyone must lust. I'm expressing solidarity with those who. :D

8. You who comprehend parenting is the hardest job on earth with little rewards.

9. Encouraging folks who keeps telling me I can pass Algebra. (oy vey.)

10. Any and all who say sweet things like I'll be an awesome nurse!

11. Every single person who "hears" my whines and are kind even then.

12. All of you who make me laugh...which is just about everyone! :D

13. The loyal ones who have been reading me over 3 days! HOORAY for you!!!!

HUGE HUGGLES TO YOU!!!