No Way…

What I Learned This Week

January 29, 2013 4 Comments

I learned that I need to work on saying no.

No, seriously.

In my mind, I’m superwoman and I can do it all.

But I’m not.

Tonight was the local rec club meeting. I’ve been attending the last few months because I coach and because I don’t feel as if I could ever complain (not that I really have anything to complain about) unless I sit through those monthly meetings.

Actually, it was a time issue. Once I started working part time, it opened up some time to attend. Plus, Thing 4 is at girl scouts just across the street.

Prior to leaving the house, I mentioned that they were voting in new officers and my husband laughed.

And not a little giggle either but this gut wrenching laugh.

“No! I’m not doing it!” I was adamant. I did not need one. more. thing. on my plate. ”I’ll even bet you money that I won’t.”

The wager was a dollar.

I sat through the hour long meeting and there it was. The presentation of the nominees. My name wasn’t on it. The problem was, there were several that had no nominees and so when they asked for nominations from the floor?

My friend spoke up and said, “I nominate Heather for Secretary.”

To which I responded, “I’m unfriending you.”

Real mature don’t you think?

After thinking about it for 2.5 seconds (and there in lies my problem. 2.5 seconds isn’t long enough for God to smack me upside the head!) I said I would. Secretary isn’t that bad… I just have to take notes.

I can do that.

I know, because somehow I got roped into being the secretary for the middle school PTA next year.

That was right after I found myself being appointed as a VP on the Cheerleader booster club’s board.

::sigh::

Now I’m out a dollar.

So I learned this week that I need to learn how to say no…

Or at least stop going to community meetings…

How about you? What did you learn this week? Link up at From Inmates to Playdates.

Until next time…

Filed Under: Heather's Quirks, No Way..., What I Learned This Week

One Score and 16 years ago… at 7 something in the morning…

January 9, 2013 2 Comments

I was born.

Me.

In all my glory.

I’ve been an adult for EIGHTEEN years… or at least by law. I’m pretty sure I’m not REALLY an adult yet.

No…

…just 18 with 18 years experience.

But yes. January 9th… 1977… the Day the world was blessed with little ol’ me.

It was also Super Bowl Sunday. That’s before they extended the season.

The Vikings played the Raiders and the Raiders won… 32-14.

It was their first Super Bowl Championship.

(I’m still waiting for THAT to come up in some random trivia game…)

I was born early enough in the morning so that my dad could still catch the game… (I’m considerate like that…)

And for YEARS (primarily when I was a teen living in Philly) I was convinced that it was my birth on Super Bowl Sunday that pre-destined me to be a sports reporter.

You see how far I went with that dream, right?

I have no baby pictures. And forethought would’ve had me ask my mom to scan one and send it to me.

But I had no forethought.

I have a few pictures of me growing up…

Oh wait! I totally lied! I DO have a baby picture of me! (Amazing the things you put on Facebook and forget!)

That’s me and my Pappy Bob. He passed away this time last year.

And as I was typing this, my mom… without knowing… was scanning and sending me pictures on Facebook! So you can see those on my Facebook page…. (and like it while you’re at it!)

My mother’s favorite picture… which she sent to the hubs and it’s framed on his night stand.

That was Kings Dominion if I’m not mistaken. I’m pretty sure there’s a picture that same day of my brother in his smurf undies after he puked blue cotton candy all over the back of the truck… Too much cotton candy and one too many rides on the Scooby Doo Coaster.

My, Mamaw (my grandma), and my little bro…

Me and my dad

Me, my brother and my Pappy Bob coloring eggs.

My senior year in high school… and my best friend, Peg, came to visit from Philly. My license plate said “NewzGal”

So there you have it… a look back at the pictures that I have.

Honestly?

I probably have some more floating around but I’m too lazy to get them out.

And it’s my birthday… so exerting energy isn’t on the list of things to do!

Eating lots of cake is…

Until next time…

Filed Under: Grins and Giggles, Heather's Quirks, Mom Stuff, No Way..., Pics, Time wasting..., Yo!

History Has Been Made.. and other randomness on a Monday

October 22, 2012 1 Comment

Last week, history was made at the House of Chaos. The hubs has a newer piece of technology than I do.

That’s right.

The former Luddite that didn’t even have a computer or internet when I met him got an iPhone 5.

I’m only slightly jealous. And not really because I need a new phone. My iPhone works just fine. It’s really just because he has a new toy to play with.

But it’s been fun to watch this all unfold. I ordered it a week earlier and they said there was a three-four week wait. A week later, I opened my email after the kids went to school and it said that it shipped. When I checked the tracking number, it was on the truck for delivery. Talk about no anticipation!

His phone has been acting up. When he texted me that day and told me that his phone had crashed, again, and the battery was dead, I just decided to give it to him that evening instead of waiting until Christmas.

I think many would agree that a boxed up iPhone 5, sitting in the closet for almost 2 months is sacreligious.

Don’t you think?

He loves it… especially the talk-to-text and Siri… except Siri doesn’t really understand Appalachian American, so sometimes, I get some really interesting texts… and I’m not sure what they mean.

*********

And speaking of technology, last night we got a brand new TV. I know. It’s exciting.

We were all excited.

It’s one of those flat panel or flat screen, or whatever you call them. And it’s hanging above our mantle. And because we could put it above the mantle, we got to rearrange the whole living room (something we really couldn’t do before with the TV where it was (and that’s really the only place it could go.)

And now? Our living room is so open! It looks so big!

And we all love it!

(I think I like the open living room MORE than I love the new TV!)

And no… you aren’t seeing things. That is an antenna attached to the fancy TV.

We are those people.

And before you think we’re rolling in the dough (or that ministry pays a great deal of money!)

Do you know where the TV came from?

Rolled change.

No, seriously. The hubs comes home every night and empties his coins into an old water jug.

And the kids and I make that a project at some point in time. We’ve done this three times in the last three years or so and typically go and do something fun with it. So this time? We decided on a TV.

I asked the hubs if we should wait for Christmas and have Santa bring it – but apparently he didn’t feel like spending Christmas Day hanging a TV. So we got it early.

Pretty cool!

*******

I started this post last Monday and never finished. That’s how crazy my week has been.

*******

Thing 1 and I got to meet the Newsboys last week! That was majorly exciting… especially for him! And especially because we went to work the concert…

If I would’ve known I was going to meet the Newsboys, I might have done something better with my hair… but since I was planning on flinging tshirts all night, I just threw it up.

********

The winner for the Angela Thomas “Do You Know Who I Am?” book is Ann G. Basically because she was the only one who entered. Great odds, no? Ann, I’ll contact you and get that in the mail as soon as I can.

********

The new job is going well. I’m encouraged by the kids that have stepped up and said they want to be involved and we held Sunday School for the first time last week… there were NINE kids between First through Tenth grades. I was over the moon. Last week? There was just one… Thing 2… but that’s okay. I was still over the moon because the kids that were there the week before were absent for very good reasons… not because they hated me!

And we’re starting to meet people and remember names. That’s so hard for me.

*********

The favorite part of my house is our HUGE maple tree in the fall.

I took this picture last year, but it is just as pretty this year… (in fact, at church yesterday, someone told me they stopped and took a picture of it… so yeah. It’s the talk of the neighborhood.)

**********

So there you have my random for two weeks… Menu plan soon!

Until next time…

Filed Under: No Way..., Pics, Quality Time, Thoughts..., Time wasting...

Big Week… and I Might Have Teared Up

August 22, 2012 3 Comments

Back to School happened this week.

I now officially have a 10th grader, 8th grader, 5th grader, and 2nd grader.

Where has the time gone?

It seems like just yesterday I was putting them on the bus for the first time. (Thing 3 is the only one of the Things that I didn’t put on the bus for the first time…)

But look how much they’ve grown from last year…

Or from two years ago…. (Which is the start of the pictures of four children on the first day of school)

I normally don’t dwell on the fact that they are, you know, growing up… because they do that. I know that. I guess what gets me is that in addition to realizing that this is the last year of Middle School for Thing 2 and the last year of Elementary school for Thing 3, I’ve been dealing with two other VERY BIG EVENTS.

No, really.

Thing 1 is getting his learners permit this tomorrow (hopefully… I’m praying he truly has studied and knows his stuff.) and then?

Thing 2?

She’s turning THIRTEEN. A real, live, honest to goodness teenager.

Couple that with the fact that tomorrow, I’ll be watching her cheer in her first HIGH SCHOOL football game (she made the high school JV squad this year)…

Well, I’m just screaming SLOW THE FREAK DOWN on the inside.

But there’s nothing that I can do about it.

::sigh::

When people ask advice on the Terrible Twos (or other young ages) I simply smile and say “Cherish them.”

Because, seriously, there is nothing I would love more to go back to the day when all I had to worry about was how to get the crayon/marker off the wall. It seemed like such a big deal at the time to me.

I wish now that I would’ve cherished those moments more.

But I am cherishing every.single.minute with these kids, despite the fact that I have to be the homework Nazi and that somedays I wonder why I had two children let alone married a man who had two more.

I am so madly in love with these kids, it’s not even funny.

And so I’m going to cherish… and the driver’s permit and the teenager thing will soon be the new crayons on the wall….

Until next time…

Filed Under: According to Samara, Dorks R Us, Heather's Quirks, Manly Man Matthew, Mom Stuff, No Way..., Pics, Thoughts...

School Supply Rebel

August 15, 2012 26 Comments

I abhor shopping for school supplies.

In fact, if you’ve been around here long enough, you might have seen some of the Love Letters that have come from an afternoon of school supply shopping. (And really? This is probably one of the FUNNIEST things I’ve ever written. If you haven’t read it, or even if you have and want a good laugh, you should read it. Go ahead. I’ll wait.)

So this year, since the teachers were so stinkin’ specific on what the younger kids needed, and because they were unavailable, I decided to go by myself.

And I’m serious when I say that they were specific. There was nothing that they could pick out on their own.

Six vinyl folders (with pockets and prongs) in the following colors: blue, purple, orange, yellow, green, and red.
3 packs of 10 #2 pencils
10 (or more) glue sticks
15 cap erasers
4 large glue sticks

Just an idea of some of the items that my 2nd and 5th graders needed.

No. Really.

That’s what they said they needed.

And guess what?

I didn’t get everything just like the list said.

Yes. I’m a rebel.

Um…how much gluing are 2nd graders doing? Let’s think about this… 25 kids (average) in the class and each of them need 10 (or more) glue sticks? That’s 250 glue sticks! They came in packs of four so I bought two.

Call me if they run out midway through the year.

And for the 5th grade? I bought three (as opposed to four) large glue sticks since they came in packs of three. Again. Call me. I’ll be glad to provide more if they need it.

She’s getting 12 cap erasers since that’s how they come. And Staples didn’t have 10 packs of pencils. But the 8 packs were on sale for a quarter. So they will be 6 pencils short when the teachers count.

And those folders. I have been to four different stores looking for those stupid folders. I got four colors at WallyWorld for 50 cents each. But there was no orange so I had to pay $1.88 for the expensive name brand ohmygoshimnotsureiwouldspendthatonafolderformyself folder and there was ONE yellow one. That looked like something attacked it.

I needed two. I have two things with two very specific requests. I checked another place on my way home. Nope.

Then, when their mom brought them home, I asked her to be on the lookout. Nope. She went to two other stores.

I went to a different store today while running errands. Nope.

My mother, who LIVES IN TENNESSEE, is now on the mission to look for these folders in her locale.

I mean really?

Really?

No offense to those of you who are out there and are teachers. I know that you have ideas and systems and processes. I get it.

But really?

I should not have to run all over God’s great green earth to find two yellow vinyl folders with prongs and pockets.

I just shouldn’t.

Especially when I know there’s a good chance each child will (a) lose it or (b) rip it.

And then there was the gal at the register at Staples… halfway through, she says, “And I’m just going to add this on. You’ll be able to save 15% on all school supplies now through September 12th.”

As she scans the barcode I ask, “Is there a cost for that?”

“Yes,” she responds, “It’s $10.”

“Then let’s not add that on until I see how much I spend and know if it’s worth it.” I was slightly angry at that. I wonder how many people she added that onto and they never knew? In the end, I opted to add it because it worked out to be free. But who does this?

By the time I got home, and told eleventy bajillion people about these stupid folders, I needed a nap.

So tell me…. what are your school supply shopping woes? Do you take your kids with you or leave them at home?

Confession: I abhor school supply shopping for children of mine who are returning to school and need all these stupid supplies. But I personally LOVE office supply shopping. Put me in the office supply section and I can stay all day. And let me buy a new pen. It will change the outlook on my whole day.

Until next time…

Filed Under: Heather's Quirks, Mom Stuff, No Way..., Sans Kidlets