Sharon Y. Edlin's Blog, page 3

KO’d!

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Years ago when my daughter, now 16, was just a little thing and would have a nightmare or if her dad was out of town, she’d crawl in the bed with me and gently tuck in. This was not representative of what was to come once she fell asleep.

Most humans sleep vertically in their beds with head on the pillow at the top of the bed, followed by their body, and then their feet at the end of the bed in a relatively straight line. Yes, you may roll some and spread your arms and legs out in a configuration, but you are relatively vertical.

Well, not my daughter. Within 20 to 30 minutes she would have turned completely horizontal and instead of her sweet little head at my rib cage, it would be her restless leg syndrome tiny feet. In some of her dreams, she was kicking the crap out of someone aka my ribs and stomach or she was running a race, again, on my ribs and stomach. It was a nightmare. When we would go out of town and sleeping arrangements had to be made, we’d flip a coin of who had to sleep with this disoriented active in her sleep child. I lost, a lot.

When I became a single person again, I slept like a starfish because, for the first time in a long time, I had the bed all to myself, although I’d starfish for about 5 minutes and then tuck into a ball on ‘my’ side of the bed to fall asleep.

Fast forward to meeting the Professor, marrying him, and I’m now up against another disturbed sleeper capable of taking out an eye or in my case, dislodging a row of eyelashes.

I have written about this before but an all-time different scene played out earlier this morning that not only scared the stew outta me, hurt a little, and later made me laugh, but it was just crazy and worth a blog mention.

In addition to flailing, demonstrating restless foot and leg syndrome, talking in his sleep, snoring, sometimes holding his breath, which he won’t do anything about, sigh, he pulled a new one on me this morning.

So there I am, tucked into my ball on my side of the bed but I was facing the Professor’s side of the bed which I normally don’t do, I don’t know why I just don’t. Well, I know now why I don’t . . .

In my ball, sleeping innocently, I feel the bed and blankets move and I know the Professor is on the move, rolls over to face me with fists a blazing apparently, pops me in the right eye (not hard), scares me and I yelp, “Owe, what the what?” He immediately apologizes and when I sit up a little to assess my near KO’d situation, I feel my eyelashes flutter down my cheek. Crap! Well, the nutty Professor sees this and busts out laughing so hard, he farts, which causes me to start laughing, and then I realize I am about to wet my pants as I grab my eyelashes and go dashing for the toilet.

Now, I wasn’t KO’d but my poor eyelashes were. The little Bruiser Professor managed to mangle the hell outta my eyelashes and as I tried to revive them with eyelash CPR it was clear, they were not only KO’d, they were dead.

After putting more on and going back into the bedroom to bless out the Nutty Bruiser Professor, he started laughing again and so did I. “Listen, Bruiser, you keep your restless leg, snoring, Ninja flipping, little fists away from this face or else!” He laughed some more, farted a few more times, then rolled over, and went back to sleep.

I love this man with all of my heart. My eyelashes avoid him at all costs and don’t like him very much but I sure do. I can’t help myself. He’s a gem.

I’ve decided that I am putting up a protective husband baby type gate in my bed to protect my body parts and eyelashes from harm. Perhaps this will show him that I mean it when I say, “Or else!”

Love y’all!!

Everybody In! Just Kidding, Everyone Get the Heck Out!!!!!!

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It has been many years since our Southern weather has been this cold. No snow to play in, no, of course not, just blistering wind, wind chill temperatures that will bite your ass, chapped lips/face/skin, and fridged cold that rips right through you. Now, I know there are places that are a lot colder but I don’t choose to live there, I choose to live in the South were things aren’t supposed to be this freaking cold.

We have had wind chills that I swear to God Himself were 400 below 0 but according to the weather guy were more like 9 or 12 degrees. This is highly unusual for our area and I don’t like it one bit as there are bodies everywhere in my house staying warm and driving the crap out of me, though I love all of them dearly.

We also just got over a 2-week winter break where everyone was home and underfoot and I swear to the good Lord above, I was so stabby I thought someone was going to get hurt . . . by me. Now that it is cold, everyone seems to be pressing their bodies near mine and I feel like I’m gonna lose it. My kids are near me demanding food, money, and hugs, eck, hugs . . . just kidding but I can be hugged so much and then I start to implode. Too much touchy, not good for me.

I work from home in my lovely OT clinic most days and I like having the house to myself but instead, I have the Professor, who seems to be here a lot lately, and between he and I, there is so much stabby-ness, one of us is going to lose an eye. We NEVER fight but lately, we keep tiffing, not really fighting but just being goofy stabby, and I feel just crazy. I got upset last night because our WiFi sucks and our TV was messing up because of it and I just kinda lost it for a little bit. The Professor looked at me like I was insane and I believe I very well was, just for a minute. He has been weird stabby too and saying things that are unusual for him.

All these bodies in this 2500 square foot house refusing to venture outside because of the cold and working from home right alongside me, well, my panties are so waded up right now I text my mom and two sisters that I was leaving for Tahiti to work on a sugar cane farm and living in a hut in the warm all by myself. Of course, my mom and sisters freak out and think that something is terribly wrong when I talk like this and fear there will be a divorce or I will abandon my children, not gonna happen, I just like to dream sometimes of escaping for a bit to re-energize and center myself when I’ve gotten so thrown off course, ya know?

I have read about those retreats for women in Arizona and realize that I don’t think that we have anything like that here and I think to myself, well, maybe I can start some retreat up on Monte Sano or on a ranch out in New Hope where there is a heated pool, sauna, jacuzzi, and a room that has those lights that mimic the sun and help with sadness. We’d drink, dance, meditate, do yoga, and whatever else our female hearts desire.

If it wasn’t 400 below 0, we could hike and be one with nature cuz nature is so good for your soul, not kidding, scientifically proven. I’d have an adult playground where we could swing, slide, jump on a trampoline if you aren’t one to pee your pants, play on the monkey bars, and climb because we can’t stop being young, y’all, we just can’t. There would be massages, pedicures, manicures, horses, dogs, rabbits, and mini-pigs as these are very therapeutic for your soul. I’d call it “The Southern Chick Retreat.” I’d have any kind of food you’d want, not just health food. It would be awesome. Now, I just need to win the lottery.

I know I am not the only chick that feels this way, especially after the holidays, in the dead of winter, with unusually low temperatures, and less sun than we’d like but know that you are not alone in your quest for space, peace, and quiet.

I am counting down the days to springing forward with our clocks so there is more light, fewer bodies, and warmer weather.

Hang in there, y’all, we got this!

Love y’all!!

 

 

2017

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If I had to sum up 2017 it would have to be that of a roller coaster ride and I am absolutely sure that I am not the only one out there who would say this.

Don’t get me wrong, I am the most thankful-est person on the planet in that I realize, things could be so much worse such as losing all of my hair again, going through another divorce, going broke, a death, etc., but thankfully, this didn’t happen this year.

My marriage is stronger than ever and I literally thank the Lord above every day that I had a second shot at love, I’m not kidding, y’all, the Professor rocks. My kids are growing like weeds and in less than 7-8ish months, we will have 3 gone out of the house at college with 2 left who will be juniors in high school. Very hard to believe. All three college kids will be at Auburn and if things go right, my daughter would like to be back at her high school with her bonus brother in 2018, but we shall see what has transpired in that direction as it was quite out of control when I pulled her in November to do homeschool. Very unsavory times, y’all.

My OT practice welcomed 2 kid yoga classes, a Hippotherapy opportunity, a ground Horse Assisted Therapy opportunity, aquatic therapy, Plant Therapy essential oils, the beginnings of a Creative Art class, a Nutrition Coordinator, and several other certifications and awesome opportunities. In addition, I opened a satellite clinic at Foster Academy but this has been put on hold temporarily until the church folks that are using my OT space have their space back which is currently being renovated. I am pumped about this school and being their OT!!

My bonus daughter graduated from high school 6 months ahead of schedule attending homeschool and I had the awesome opportunity to sit through the most delightful graduation ceremony I have ever been to. Very moving.

My daughter turned 16 and I bought her a new car, hence being fired as her chauffeur quite happily. I was also fired from carpool, also quite happily! Woohoo!!

Since pulling my daughter from high school and enrolling her in homeschool, she has gotten an afternoon job and I have now been fired from being her full-time sugar mama, always having to give her money. I’m down to my leech son, though I keep telling him he could totally swing a job, he tells me he wants to focus on school, so I back up because he has proven to me that he is kicking it in school.

I lost 42 pounds of the 47 I was hoping for doing Weight Watchers and was 5 away from goal, but . . . I got busy with work and new opportunities and had to put WW on hold thus putting 20 pounds back on. It sucks but it just shows me that I can’t quite WW as it is not good for my waistline. In addition, my sweet friend talked me into something I have always thought about but never followed through with . . . Adventure Boot Camp at 5:30 am several mornings a week. We start on Wednesday and I am both excited and nervous that I won’t be able to roll out of bed on time, however, when I think about her conviction to this program, I will most certainly roll out of bed as not to disappoint her. She is a very cool chick!

The Professor and I took several wonderful trips in 2017 just confirming that he is the funnest dude to hang out with and really knows how to show his wife a great awesome time. I am so blessed. We also celebrated our 4 year anniversary, that sounds so funny to me as my friends are on their 18th, 20th, etc. and it was great!!

My bonus son has a girlfriend, my daughter has a boyfriend, and my other bonus son has a girlfriend so they have roller coaster times too but all seem happy.

I still have 2 dogs after a bit of confusion that I was adopting a therapy dog I could use in the clinic, long story short . . . not a therapy dog, so we had to give her back to her foster mom, but she has found a great home. Things have settled down in our house and my Lucy dog has stopped shedding a lot and seems less nervous. I had second thoughts about whether our house and the activity was too much for her as I observed her a nervous wreck, she is part Chihuahua but I was still worried and thought about giving her to a nice quiet old person. She’s all good now and taught me a lesson in the art of calm. I found out I am able to use my Scout dog as my therapy dog and he is working on his certification, though he really doesn’t need a paper to tell OT kids that he rocks as a therapy dog. I get so sick of paying fees for things I already know are good, ya know?

The Professor has a running joke with me that I won’t be able to top the 22 medical/scientific books I read in 2017 on subjects such as Quantum Healing, Quantum Physics, Subtle Body Energies, Magnetic Resonance, Neurofeedback, Ayurveda, and many other books to make myself the best OT that I can plus, to have a better understanding of things not seen as you won’t believe what I have learned. The Professor says he doesn’t get me but I’ll tell you this, I’ve taught the man how to center himself and meditate and he has managed to bring his blood pressure down through this daily practice so there’s that.

When I am not in the clinic, at the ranch, at the farm, in the pool, teaching yoga, or at Foster Academy, I do homeschool with my daughter and I am now learning about Astronomy and re-learning Spanish and Chemistry. Plus, hanging out with her is a kick in the pants.

Some other phenomenal things happened here at the end of the year that put my heart, mind, and soul at ease as well as my two kids. This was one of the reasons my blood pressure was up, I was having acute nose bleeds (something I have never had before), I was tearful, and sometimes angry. This was our cherry on top of our 2017 cake and I am so thankful, just so thankful.

The Professor still has some ‘things’ to work out on his end and boy it will be great to settle his stuff as I am about sick of crap getting drug on and on and kids getting caught up in the cross-fire. It gets pretty old, but, it is what it is, we just keep praying.

In 2018, I’d like to see me at my goal weight, in shape, better than ever at yoga, a better OT, mom, wife, sister, daughter, and friend. I’d love to see my book published as I know in my heart without a doubt that it will help so many parents with or without kids with special needs. I’d also like to see fewer weeds in the yard, our fence to miraculously be new again and not brittle and falling apart, solar power to the back garage so the Professor can putz around out there and make stuff, and I’d like to see all the kids really shine when it comes to school. I’d love to win the lottery so I can donate funds to my friend’s horse rescue and Vet ranch, buy a therapy dog for one of my OT families, build a therapy pool, build a covered driveway for my OT kids/families for when it rains, and make someone smile every day.

I’d also like to see a helluva lot more love in the world and a helluva lot more respect for human life, our Earth, and anything else I am forgetting.

My hope for everyone is a happy, loving, and successful 2018.

Cheers, y’all to a great 2018 for you have the power to make it that way.

Love y’all!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Nutty Professor

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When I was a kid, I will never forget how Jerry Lewis portrayed ‘The Nutty Professor.’ It was absolute hilarity and it was our kind of simple humor way back when that I so loved and appreciated. I got a kick out of Eddie Murphy’s portrayal as well and my all time favorite scene was when Eddie’s on-screen mom clapped at the rather over-weight boy at the dinner table as he flexed his muscles and she chanted, “Her-cu-leez, her-cu-leez.” I still use this phrase when my son insists on points out something ‘strong’ he’s done. He’s such a goober.

I am now married to a Nutty Professor, who also so happens to be the love of my life and wildly entertaining. I feel as if I am a bit of an anthropologist here lately as I observe him slowly buzzing around our house doing his weird little things or talking about things that need to be done but won’t happen as he gets sidetracked nearly 4000 times per day. It is absolutely adorable and he has definitely taught me patience in a whole new venue.

It is not uncommon for him to lay his phone down somewhere, pretty much every day, and ask me or some other human occupant of our home to call his phone. One time, we heard his butt ring as he discovered it was in his back pocket. He is also the type of person who has his sunglasses on top of his head as he meanders around trying to figure out where he put them as all of us giggle at the hilarity of the situation. He has also left his wallet at work more times than I can count and has to carefully drive back to retrieve it in order to get there so as not to get pulled over license-less.

In the morning when he wakes up, I have to tip toe around for at least 2 hours while my precious not-a-morning-person husband very slowly wakes up. I, on the other hand, am a morning person who wakes up with a spring in my step and ready to tackle the day. This baffles the Professor as he watches me buzz around at a much quicker pace, tackling what needs to be done each day. I not only talk about what needs to be done, I do it and then some. I drive him a bit mad I believe, but the feeling I have watching him meander around is one of irritating love and how adorable he is.

Now, this is not to say he is not intelligent or lazy. No, he is a physicist, a rocket scientist, and has a title of a systems engineer at his job. I can’t give you any more than that as I secretly believe he thinks he’s kind of a 007 of sorts. He also pulls his weight around in chores so just because he talks about something and it doesn’t always get done, he is a champ at the little things such as emptying the dishwasher, getting groceries, starting dinner, etc.

The man can also fix anything and if he can’t, he will watch every video, read every article, etc. until he figures it out. This is one of the things I fell in love with, his persistence at figuring a problem out. He also has an incredibly sweet disposition and a heart that feels very deep, something else I love about him.

My Nutty Professor treats me like a queen and shows me more respect than I could ever hope for. I am always pointing things out to my two kids about things to look for in their future spouse and I use the Professor as an example for many of them because he is just a good soul, y’all. I am so blessed and lucky to have him as my partner in this nutty world.

In addition to all of his qualities, there are more but I’ll not go on as he would die if he knew I was writing this blog about him, he cracks me up to the point of wetting my pants on a regular basis. For such a quiet man, his sense of humor is not lacking. I have never had as much fun with someone until I met the Professor. He is a ball and not at all afraid to have fun.

Here’s to all the Nutty Professors out there and to the folks that love them.

Love y’all!!

 

Good Stuff, Y’all!

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For the last few years, I have felt stabby, punchy, depressed, beat down, and looking for hope all over the place but failing to find it. Until yesterday . . .

I hear folks all the time asking why God ‘does bad stuff to them?” Listen, people, God doesn’t ‘do bad stuff to you,’ your free will intermingled with the free will of all the other billions of people on the planet, and countless other facets to life ‘do’ things to you, not God. God loves us beyond our comprehension so why would He trip you up? He wouldn’t, so stop blaming Him and utilize the one thing He gave you to get through . . . prayer! Yes, prayer and faith are the two things that happen when shit hits the fan, as you pray to get through it, you build your faith up and lean on God, after all, I’m pretty sure that’s what He wants.

Let me shoot it at ya from another angle. God made me and lo and behold, He gave me the ability to ‘make’ another human being from my body. The kids that I have produced are gifts that I had a hand in making. Now, why in the hell would I trip my own kids up or throw a stick in their spokes or cause them any other sadness? I wouldn’t because I have unconditional love for them and only want a happy life for them. Get it?

Now, some of you won’t get it, especially if you have never experienced the miracle of making a baby, growing that baby inside your person, and then birthing them 9 or so months later. Words cannot express the awe that fills your entire being with this ‘happening.’

Okay, let me get to my point or I’ll start going off on abortion and life and conception, etc.

I have been struggling with several ‘things’ in my life over the last few years and if any of you know me personally or have read anything I have posted to Facebook, blogs, etc., you will know that I have asked for prayers here and there as things got really bad and I felt like I was drowning along with the Professor and my two kids, but . . .

Every once in awhile, one of my shoot from the hip prayers while walking around Wal-mart trying to skirt people on scooters who want to tell you about their body parts and the unworking body parts of their husband’s gets answered. Maybe not in the exact way I would have expected, as my expectations can be quite low sometimes and I love the occasional surprises when something completely incredible happens.

For example, I have started a satellite clinic at a wonderful private school designed for those kids that fall through the cracks in our city/county/some private schools because their learning style is not conducive to the way they teach, which is wrong because the greatest teacher gets their education across on a subject in a way that the student can and should learn. A circle does not fit in a square, y’all, it just doesn’t unless you severe the edges, which is what happens a lot in our schools. I was one of the ‘crack kids’ who had bits of me severed so I can attest to the struggle, anxiety, and depression that follows right along with you lying in the crack with your severed parts, hence me being an OT.

So, when my dear friend whose son I saw for OT decided to found this awesome school, she calls me one day and says, “I did it, now come on and be our OT.” I was thrilled and jumped on board. However, a stick was thrown in our spokes just about the time I was almost finished setting up the clinic to begin seeing her students for OT. An international religious studies group, as this school is in a rented church building space, needed the clinic space because the space that they usually occupy was being renovated. So, all the hard work me and some of the school kids did to help me, had to be packed up and stored, including the tearing down of all of the posters on the walls, which sucked.

I was really bummed but understood. I got a little antsy because I have had several new referrals at my primary clinic and I had blocked off two mornings for this new satellite clinic and was concerned it would never happen as those blocked spaces sat empty without OT kids in there. I emailed my friend/founder of the school and kinda got panicked as she assured me things were going to roll probably mid-January but I still worried.

Then, I found myself pulling my daughter out of her high school for several reasons, see a few blogs ago, and started homeschooling her in those very blocked spots that were set aside for the satellite clinic but were not being used yet. So God, in His infinite wisdom, prolly made this happen on purpose so I could help get my daughter rolling on homeschool. A blessing in disguise.

More recently, yesterday actually, a miracle happened. This was the one worry that has probably been the reason for many tearful nights, increased blood pressure, nose bleeds (new for me), and countless other things I won’t list here for fear you might feel so sorry for me and that would gross me out. I don’t like folks feeling sorry for me as I am capable but just get tripped up sometimes, like all of us.

The miracle set my fears aside as well as my two kids who have been tearful, depressed, and worried about it too. God definitely had a hand in this latest ‘happy’ and this situation could not be possible without Him and the other party involved, that is all I will say on this subject. You know who you are and thank you, just thank you.

I have been through hell and back, but its the ‘back’ I’m most proud of. Don’t forget to carefully study your ‘back’ because that is the very thing that builds in you strength, faith, integrity, and confidence. If you didn’t have a ‘back’ you’d never appreciate your journey forward.

Here’s to everyone’s ‘back!’

Love y’all!!

 

Thanksgiving

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A friend of mine posted that little picture on Facebook this morning and it just cracked me up and prompted a blog post today, the day before Thanksgiving.

Now, in my professional human opinion, I think Thanksgiving should happen 4 times per year because I know for my pulled-in-multi-directions-daily family, we have a heck of a time sitting down to eat a meal together and yes, I hate admitting that but its the truth. When you have one off at college, two who are a part of everything social including but not limited to Young Life, High Life, the spirit section at all of the ball games, a boyfriend, one who doesn’t seem to want to eat at a designated time but simply graze, one not here, etc., etc., it can be hard to harness all of them in. Then mix me and the Professor in, as I work until 6 or 7 some nights, with the Professor’s schedule varying in the evenings, it’s quite an orchestration to lasso everyone in.

Although I see the Professor roll his eyes when everyone talks about what they are thankful for during the Thanksgiving meal, he’s a goober but this is what he does, I like taking those few minutes to hear what it is folks are thankful for because sometimes I find new insight into the person speaking that I may have missed now that we are all holding still in the same place together. I know I am very bad about being so wrapped up with my OT kids and their families providing the best care possible, my Hippotherapy program, the nutritional program, yoga, my other horse program at the ranch, now writing my 5th book, setting up my satellite clinic, reading, studying, getting my paperwork done, billing, etc., etc., that I fail to hold still and listen at times.

Now, my kids are awesome about yanking me down in a chair and saying, “Will you freaking listen to me for 5 minutes?” To which I usually respond with a look of oh shit, I suck again, “Wait, what? You need to talk? What’s the matter? Are you in trouble?” My kids always shake their little heads at me and say, “No, mom, chill. I just want to talk.”

I’m sad about my thought process when they want to talk. Am I really to the point in my life with regards to my kids that they only talk to me if something is wrong? I suck, but I’ll tell you though, I am thankful for my two kids who get me and yank me back when I am too far ahead of everyone with my head cut off.  I am thankful that I have been able to raise them by myself and see how wonderful they have turned out even though they had a huge bump in the road, they prevailed.

I am thankful for the Professor who will call my ass out when necessary and let me have it as needed. You may think this is weird, but I need it sometimes and I love that he has the gumption to do it. I return the favor, don’t get me wrong. I am thankful for the wonderful and awesome relationship we have full of love and respect, something I never thought I’d have, ever!

I am thankful for my bonus children and love it when the college one comes home so I can hug him, on my tippy toes, and cook for him, which brings me such joy. I am thankful for my youngest bonus son who makes me wet my pants laughing at some of the things he says. He is a nugget of joy, y’all. I am thankful for my bonus daughter and although things have not always gone smoothly in her direction, I cherish the time when she comes over and she and I get to have one of those lovely conversations as I sit there and gawk at how beautiful she is.

I am not thankful for taxes, violence, innocent people dying, children having unspeakable things happen to them, my kids deteriorating high school situation, and all the other crap that is happening in our world right now. But, I am thankful for prayer and although I can’t fix these things with my hands, I can put my hands together, get down on my knees, and pray my heart out about them.

I hope all of you get the chance to be together and talk about what it is you are thankful for. I hope everyone can hold still long enough for lovely conversations to happen as well as just being together. People need each other, that’s why there are so many of us, ya know?

Love y’all!!

Simply Weary

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There are some days I just feel like throwing open my front door and go screaming out into the night and run until I can’t run anymore. I have been having these days here lately and I am plum worn out mentally, physically, spiritually, and my heart is very heavy at the moment.

I know I’m not alone and yes, I know things could be so much worse, I get that, I do but no matter how hard I seem to try to make my life ocean calm, it whips up and smacks me under its current and drags me along like a rag doll. When I do come up for air, which seems rare these days, it is everything I can do just to get one gulp of oxygen before I’m pulled back under again. I know I’m not alone, I know you all feel the same way some days.

Some would call this life and yes, it is life, but man, not only is this life ocean cold, its rough, unforgiving, and just downright mean right now. I want calm water, toes in the sand, and the sun on my face kind of life weather right now, but no, that’s not in my cards evidently.

You may ask, “Well, crazy blog lady, what in the world is going on?” So, I’ll tell you, so here it goes.

I have a blended family and the reason for the word blend, to begin with, is that more than likely there was a divorce involved. And if this is your scenario, you understand that sometimes folks promise one thing and then do another, right in front of your two kids on a Friday afternoon when you’ve gone back under your life ocean already. So, after you have opened the door to this new unfolding, you now feel your knees and belly are scraping the sandy bottom, tearing your skin right up and now your kids are down there with you. So, not only do you have to save their lives, you have to try and save your’s too but that in and of itself is a challenge as you are already short of breath and drowning.

The aftermath of promises broken causes panic and anxiety in your children and as you make another counseling appointment trying to fix the wrongs done to them after they have fallen apart in your arms tearful, confused, and asking why, again and again, your heart rips out of your chest as you scrape the ocean bottom and you feel as if a break down is in your near future. You also form an ulcer in your stomach about the mental well-being of your children that you have worked so hard at raising only to be pulled under over and over again and now they are down there with you too. It sux.

Throw in an unlocked prison school with the powers that be scared themselves because their hands are tied, guns, drugs, a cultural war, gangs, and a system freaking out having made poor decisions, then you have to make additional decisions while under water, to pull her out of school as she feels scared, anxious, and spent.

Yes, I am now homeschooling my daughter to keep her safe and although I know it is the right thing, I find myself overwhelmed yet again.

You know what happens when emotional stress, money worries, and feeling like you may go mad does to your immunity?

I was sick all last week to boot and when I don’t work, I don’t get paid. Some think I am rolling in all kinds of money but that is the most laughable thing in the world to me as I scrape by each month.

You see, I run my business from the heart and not in a cutthroat greedy manner as some have chosen to do, no, I cut folks a break all of the time and often see kids for free. That’s just how I roll and I refuse to turn a kid or family away who is struggling financially as I know what it feels like. I fight with debt daily as I have had to pay for 90% of my kid’s needs myself including 2 cars, 2 car insurances, clothes, gas, food, dances, haircuts, nails for the dances, dinner birthday parties with friends, car repair, medical bills, baseball, sororities, Young Life camps, make-up, counseling for both of them, a couple of surgeries, vacations, homeschool, books for homeschool, etc, etc, etc. It ain’t cheap, I’ll tell you that straight off.

My kids and I are in an ocean life that could be so much better if certain individuals would follow-through, do the right thing, and act like they give a damn. Boy, that would make my kids so happy. The band-aids that are being stuck on over and over again are coming off quite easily in the turbulent life ocean that we are all in. The band-aids don’t work, they just don’t.

And if all of this isn’t enough, there is another side to my tale. Another side that is part of this blended family and again, individuals who shove folks down into that cold ocean because of the life choices that they have made selfishly and with little regard to the aftermath it may cause. Its bad enough that me and my kids have to deal with it, but now my other half is in this ocean with me. We are all drowning, scrapping our flesh right off, and praying for oxygen. The biggest most troubling thing in this is watching our kids faces, seeing the pain, anxiety, worry, and sadness. But no, this is not seen by some, so they carry on slapping us and the kids with waves while they continue to wreak havoc on other people’s lives because of their selfish and pathetic behaviors.

Carry on, oh yes, by all means, carry on, because me and the Professor have got this and we WILL NEVER GIVE UP because you know what, with struggle comes strength and as we navigate these waters with each other and the kids, we are becoming quite strong!

Love y’all!!

 

 

Time to Withdrawal

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Today, I made the best decision I have made in a very long time because enough was enough and I was tired of seeing my sweet daughter anxious, nervous, scared, and upset.

I made the decision today to withdrawal her from a school that has slid so far down the success ladder they have nearly reached the last rung.

Let me back up . . .

A hundred years ago when I went to this same school, there was order. It had to do with the attitudes and respect us students showed our teachers, the principle, and coaches. This is how we were all raised and if you were one of the punks who didn’t give a crap, well, you found yourself out on your can. You didn’t cuss in front of your teachers or talk back and there wasn’t cell phones way back then either, something I think was a good thing as I see cell phone neck syndrome and trigger thumbs increasing in today’s kids.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I am a free-spirited, follow the rules and break them too, and feisty kinda chick. I cuss, drink, and like having fun but there are limits to everything lest you perish from your own stupidity.

I may not have liked high school but I was NEVER afraid to be there and it was a damn good school, y’all. It really was! My husband and his two sisters went there, me and my two sisters went there, my bonus son, my son, my other bonus son, and for a bit, my daughter. My bonus daughter couldn’t handle the madness either and withdrew a couple of years ago to home school and that bright child graduates 6 months earlier than her class.

While I was there today withdrawing my daughter, I found out we were 3rd that day in the line of parents withdrawing their children left and right. I was shocked when one of the students told me that at least 3-5 kids are being withdrawn pretty much daily. We were third and it was only 11 am. Does this disturb anyone else?

I also noticed that two news stations were at the school and over-heard an irate husband and wife informing the office that they had a meeting to get to the bottom of a situation with a teacher and their child.

Will this madness ever end? This is serious, y’all!

I got off the phone earlier with the home school I have chosen for my daughter and the lady informed me that she is flooded with new students and that it has been crazy. That too is sad for crying out loud, well, not for the home school lady probably as I detected a bit of harried in her voice, but for the reputation of a once great school.

My biggest fear in all of this is that someone is going to end up shot and dead and if you don’t think it can happen in this school, then you are sadly wearing coke bottle pink glasses and its time to take them off. Brushing stuff under the rug, turning the other way, allowing segregation of discipline, and all of the other things you are not doing is not working and someone is going to die.

Parents, keep a close eye on your children and if they are telling you stuff that you think sounds crazy and they are acting drama, I, first hand, found out that no, no they aren’t lying and being drama. Listen to them!

Love y’all!!♥

Out Thinking Common Sense

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Dare I say that the whole world has gone crazy and it has now infected the schools here in my town, which just so happens to affect my children and my bonus children to boot.

Our schools, namely the high school that my kids attend, needed a desegregation overhaul according to the laws, so that very thing happened starting last year I think it was and that is when all hell broke loose. Now, I’m not saying that different shades of skin cannot and should not get along, no, they should but it does not matter what color your skin is if you are rude, violent, have no respect for the human race specifically your teachers, gun wielding, drug using, and don’t give a damn that your are in a classroom with other folks who just so happen to be there to learn. Oh but it gets better than that . . .

Then you decide it is wise to make a law for the desegregation ‘movement’ that you created to skirt repercussions for things such as drug busts, bringing a gun to school, threatening people on social media, get in fight after fight after fight at school, threaten to shoot up the school, and so on. Hello gasoline, hello fire!

From my understanding a ‘movement’ child brought a gun into school, had his little hands slapped, was told to go home for a few days to think about what he had done, and then waltzed back into school without another thought. Um, have you lost your friggin’ mind?

That would be like me setting fire to the church that I go to, getting slapped on my behind, and then being let back into the newly built church. Are your freaking kidding me right now?

A judge has ruled that the ‘movement’ kids are above the law in other words, which in turn, ties the hands of the teachers, police officers, security folks, the principal, and the other staff put in place to educate and keep the peace. So, bring a gun to school, pick fight after fight, threaten to kill people, disrupt class on your cell phone after the teacher has asked you to get off and you have cussed her out, and you get this, “Well, you little booger, look at you all above the law and stuff. You just cut that out right now being a wild animal from hell and creating havoc at your school. Now, go on and smoke that joint, point that gun around that you like to carry, and we will see you right back in here in a few days ya little dickens you.”

Can anyone else see the rediculousness of this situation or are we all too damn blind to give a shit? Once again, out thinking our common sense is going to get someone killed. If you think because the ‘movement’ kids come from troubled homes and that you are doing them a favor by looking the other way then you are an idiot and I am sending one of these wild animal children high on weed with his gun to your house for supper and see how you like it you jack ass idiot!

If I hear one more person utter the words, “They come from a troubled home,” I will throw up on your face. Let me tell you something right now people, both of my parents came from what you call ‘troubled’ homes. Several of my friends have come from ‘troubled’ homes but let me set something straight . . . they know right from wrong and know to respect people in authority. They also gave a shit and wanted to better themselves and not let that ‘troubled’ home wreak havoc on them any longer. That’s called tenacity y’all, we all have it in ourselves, we just have to find it and if you don’t find it and you keep leaning on your ‘troubled’ home story, well than you are lazy and you suck. Where there is a will there is always a way. Quite making excuses for your pitiful self. Grow the hell up!

Now, not all of the ‘movement’ folks are bad or cause trouble and to those of you I’d like to say thank you and I’m sorry. Sorry because you probably feel that you get sucked into the ‘troubled’ category when you probably shouldn’t be. Hang in there, life gets better after high school, I promise.

The whole point of desegregation was to even out the playing field and give these kids a chance at a good education, correct? Then how utterly ironic is it that you want to even out the playing field of life for these kids with your desegregation movement yet you are segregating them from the punishment that all the rest of the kids get if they are out of line? Does that make any freaking sense at all? Well, hell no, hell no!

Enough is enough.

Love y’all!!♥

 

Impressed

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Well, the Professor and I fiiiiinally got the opportunity to go to Auburn this weekend to peek in on my bonus son and his tiny little adorable girlfriend. It has been long over-due as he is a Sophomore but because of me and all that I am involved with and the Professor not wanting to go down on game days because its crazy and and and blah blah blah, we have not been able to get there until now and I hate that we couldn’t arrange it sooner as I had a ball.

I moved here when I was 13 years old from Illinois 100 years ago so we were Fighting Illini people because my dad went to that college. Honestly, I didn’t get into football until now, believe it or not and I’ll explain that in a bit.

So, when my family and I moved down to the South, one of the first questions we were asked was, “Who ya for?” Not knowing what in the world these people were talking about, one of my first replies was, “Well, Jesus of course. Rock on Jesus!” Aside from cracking several folks up with my reply, they were aghast with the fact that I was not for anyone and apparently this was a sin in the South.

Well, as I said, I didn’t get into football but my best friend at the time was for Auburn so I said, “Um, yea, Auburn. War Eagle!” And that was that for a while.

I started dating my first serious boyfriend my Junior year of high school and he was a Bama fan. I would have just lined up with him as I said, I didn’t care at this point, but I didn’t because he needed to be put in his place from time to time as a raging Bama fan and an obnoxious one at that. It was gross so I stuck with my Auburn guns, but I have to be honest, there was something incredibly appealing about that Bama team, like, they were one helluva football team. I remained Auburn just to piss my obnoxious boyfriend off but I could feel the winds of change each year I watched this Bama football team practically dominate.

As I got more and more immersed in the Southern way of things, I began to think I had chosen the wrong team as my new husband at the time, was even more of a raging obnoxious screaming cussing Auburn fan to the point where folks stopped inviting us over for Auburn football games. Not kidding, he was that bad.

All through my 16 years with my first husband, I became a secret Alabama fan as I saw a well oiled machine that I admired and having Auburn shoved down my throat all the damn time got incredibly old and I had had it. So, I secretly danced and high-fived myself every time Alabama won and Auburn lost. Now, you Auburn fans, it has nothing to do with your team, it has to do with the pain that was caused at your expense by a raging lunatic fan who made football season a living hell. I will hit my point home in a bit, y’all.

After my divorce, I threw away all of my Auburn stuff but I didn’t buy anything Alabama, not sure why, I just didn’t. As I watched Alabama kick butt in the season prior to meeting the Professor, I was like a caged animal that had been released and I could whoop and holler each time they won. It was very freeing.

When I met the Professor, I was delighted he was a Bama fan, he went there by the way, but I feared he was one of ‘those’ fans. The first game I watched with him, I braced myself when the other team scored and as I looked over at him to see what would happen, I was shocked as to what he did and said, “Well, crap, that sux, although that was a great catch and score for the other team. They really deserved that play.” Whaaaaaaaaaaat the?

The Professor gets excited, don’t get me wrong, but he recognizes a good play when he sees one and it is not uncommon for him to call to me, if I’ve left the area of watching and say, “Honey, come look at this play by the other team. What athleticism, although I wish we had scored.” I’m not kidding, he is a fan, believe me, but not the raging screaming cussing slamming doors fan I was accustomed to and now, I have several Bama shirts, watch nearly all the games, and absolutely love this thing called football.

So, now I have possibly 3 kids, maybe even 5 depending on the other two, who are going and will be going next year to Auburn. Dilemma? Naw, not really. Auburn is one helluva a good school and I had the most pleasant time there Friday and yesterday with my bonus son and his cutie girlfriend.

Auburn . . . your campus is simply lovely and has such a good energy that is unmatched, I’m sure, on the other campuses in the state of Alabama. I’ve been to Auburn only a couple of times but didn’t appreciate the campus until my visit on Friday. I’ve also been to Alabama’s campus and its lovely as well. I need to go back because its been a long time since I’ve been there.

My bonus son and his girl are very happy at this lovely college and I can see why. He took us to eat at some burger place called WiFi Burger maybe, I don’t remember I just remember it was one of the best burgers around and the atmosphere was awesome. We also went to Little Italy which has the best pizza, although a bit greasy, but good nonetheless. And your buildings, Auburn, they are stunning.

I got to see Toomer’s corner and the new trees that had to be planted because of some dumb Bama fan, shame on you you idiot, as well as the one that was lit on fire, shame on you you idiot! And oh Lord, that rec center is to die for. The pool is so awesome and the thingy in the middle with all of the trees and the fountain, oh, the atrium is what it is called . . . I’d never leave from there. I’d just move into the rec center workout, swim, and live in the atrium in a little hut.

As you can tell, I have a soft spot for Auburn but I’m still an Alabama fan. I am so excited to see my son go there next year as he has been accepted, praise the Lord, and wants to study mechanical engineering, which is right up his alley. I’m hoping my bonus daughter will go there too to study speech therapy as I think she would just love it there. My daughter has expressed her desire to go there too we just have to get her involved in school and not her social life. Lol! As for my other bonus son, well, he’s just not sure of all of it yet it seems and that’s ok.

As a parent of Auburn kids and an Alabama fan, I think it will all work out just fine.

Love y’all!!♥