HATS OFF TO WORKING MOMS!

I have a new job. It’s a wonderful job, and I love being back in sales (really, really love it!). But if I THOUGHT I had a problem with time management before I started working, now I KNOW I have a problem.

How do working moms do it? And I’m not even working full-time! Yet I feel like I’m failing miserably at juggling my work schedule and my family time and everything else I need to do. Oh, and forget about working out at the gym. I have NOT figured out how to fit that in yet. I mean, I barely have time to get my nails done. (C’mon, I HAVE priorities!!!)

So I’m working on this. I’ll figure it out eventually, I’m sure. And if not, I’ll end up either being the worst mom, the worst wife or the worst employee. But hopefully not all three!

So here’s to my renewed respect to Melissa and all the other working moms out there. I’d give you a high five, but my nails look awful!

Karen

Monday Madness- When did THIS Happen?

It's Monday. I'll be brief.

1.) He's turning 12 this week.
2.) She's turning 10 in 6 weeks.
3.) I can no longer rest my chin on top of his head without having to stretch my neck.
4.) Karen is moving to Florida. 
5.) Two of my musician friends, whom I love each so dearly, are moving on to different dreams within the next 5 months. 
6.)Yes, I'm a mess.

Lots of change going on all around me. Better get in there and enjoy every single minute while I can- even in the middle of the madness!

Yours, soaking up every minute of it,

Melissa

PS- Happy President's Day! If you have not seen the HBO mini-series John Adams with Paul Giamatti, you absolutely need to watch the entire thing. It will give you a much needed/deeper appreciation for what our founding fathers went through to set up this great nation. 

WE’RE MOVING TO FLORIDA!!!

Yep, it’s my hubby’s dream to live in Florida, so we’re gonna do it. Not for a while yet, but in the summer of 2014, we’re packing up and leaving St. Louis. It hasn’t been an easy decision for me. After all, I’ve lived in the Lou (as Melissa calls it) my entire life. Everything I know is here. But he’s been working on me for years now, chipping away at my resolve, until I finally cracked.

Then, last weekend, we went down there. By ourselves. No kids. And I might add here that even though the boys will be 12 in a few weeks, this is the very first time we’ve gone away together, without them, since they’ve been born. The Very. First. Time. Did we miss them. Um, no, not really! (Do I feel like a bad mom? Um, no, not really!)

But I digress. So we went down there, in the middle of winter, and people were ON THE BEACH!!! That pretty much made up my mind that living in Florida is a GOOD thing!

The first thing we did was look at the schools to try to figure out where to start looking at houses. We’re moving to the Tampa/Clearwater area, and I’m pretty sure we’ve narrowed it down to Palm Harbor. (Does anyone out there live in that area who can give me any insight? I’d appreciate it!) Then we looked at some homes just to get an idea. Hmmm, no basements. That’s going to be an adjustment.

But the homes were beautiful, the schools were huge and clean (even the lockers were outside, can you believe it!), the weather is amazing. What’s not to love about Florida?

Oh, I know. Melissa’s not there.

 

Karen

Friday Funny- And There's a Flag on the Play

Flag on the play!!

Penalty: 15 yards for illegal use of movie quotation!

We were in the car (why does everything always happen in the car, anyway?) driving along when my tween son, sitting shotgun, looks at me and says with great urgency:

Z1: Mom! I feel a great disturbance in the force!

Me: Really? Wha-

Before I could even begin to finish my query, Z1 rips one so loud and ferocious it may have registered on in the Richter Scale. Z2 and I could not hit the window buttons fast enough.

Bill Filer would be extremely proud. 

Yours, hoping the force is now settled,

Melissa

Monday Madness- Super Bowl Wha? Just Stop It!

 Super Bowl ~ I love a good football game as much as anyone, and last night's game was pretty good! I didn't have a true affection for either team, just wanted to see a good game. They nearly lost me in the first half. I thought it was going to be an absolute blowout. Speaking of blowouts, there was the whole mess with blowing the breaker and the lights being out for 34 minutes. (Thanks, Beyonce.) There was plenty of once a year foods at The B House, because, seriously, I could eat those Cuban Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches every day of the week. The only problem? I would be buying new clothing every week because I would be splitting out the seams. But I digress. 

I admit, I went to bed before the game ended last night (some stupid running injury agitating me). This morning I turned on the news during my exercise time and there it was:

Baltimore Ravens Fans looting the local 7-11..... in celebration??? Wha??? 

I somehow missed that stealing/looting/destroying someone's business is a form or celebration. 

Please, someone help me understand in WHICH culture is this acceptable? I know it's not acceptable here. Or in Asian countries. Europe would have a problem with it. And in Arab countries? Yup- they cut your hand off. 

So please, Raven Fans who were acting a fool last night, stop making America look bad go back to that business owner and make it right. 

You say you only took a bag of chips? A couple of beers? Well guess what, so did you and a hundred other people. So when the owner has to make a claim on his/her insurance for all of the stolen good and the damage in his/her store, his insurance rates will go up. And then he will have to raise his/her prices. And then who is paying for it? Everyone. Simply so you could act a fool and steal a little something in the name of Super Bowl Celebration.

And if you don't feel guilty or convicted, may whatever you took and ate rot in your stomach for at least a week.

That is all.

Yours, hoping at least one person is decent enough to go back and make it right,

Melissahttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XHqs4ybAoQ

Friday Funny- Mama Don't Like Lyin'

So Z1 is experiencing some growing pains. This usually happens about this time every year. But this one is a little more difficult because he is looking me in the eye and telling me lies. So I started busting him. You see, in this age of technology, it's a little bit harder to get away with things. Want to know his test score? What he had for lunch? What he did on the computer after school? All I have to do is look it up. 
After a recent bout of attitude, he found himself grounded from video games and TV. Yes, it can be a pit of a punishment for me as well, but I'm willing to do it to drive my point home. Now, I was attempting the honor system with him until I figured out he had been sneaking games and such when I wasn't around.It perturbed me, as I have always been able to count on him telling me the truth. Poor kid has always been honest to a fault. Since that seems to have shifted,  I decided to get proactive this morning. 
After he went to school, but before I left for word, I made sure to logoff the computer. Then I turned all of the cable channels on the TV to the Religion station where they show mass for 24 hours. I turned my TV in my room to The Weather Channel. 

And then I hid every single remote. 

It's my long day, so I don't get home for a bit. In fact, The Hubs will make it home before I do. And I didn't tell the sitter where they are, either.

Mama. Ain't. Playin'. You wanna watch? Go right ahead. We may not be Catholic, but maybe somethin' will happen while he's watching mass. 

Yours, uppin' the ante,

Melissa

What To Say and NOT To Say When A Spouse Dies.

A lot of us have been there. A friend loses a spouse and we  want to say the right thing, but we stumble over our words and don’t quite know what to say to make her feel better. Will ANYTHING we say make her feel better, we wonder. Perhaps not at the moment, but there’s a lot of things that will make her feel worse, I assure you!

My sister’s friend lost her husband the other day. He was only 42, the exact age of my first husband when he passed away. It brought up some memories for me, including the things that well-meaning people said to me. Yep, there are some doosies!

What NOT To Say:

1. You’ll marry again soon. Really? REALLY? This woman just lost the love of her life and you’re already thinking about marrying her off again? NUMBER ONE WORST THING TO SAY!!!

2. Thank goodness you had time to say good-bye (if it was a long illness) or Thank goodness he went quickly and didn’t suffer (if it was sudden). Either way, he’s gone. There isn’t enough time in the world to say that last “Good-bye” or “I love you” and if it was sudden, there are so many things left unsaid. BAD, BAD, BAD!

3. You’re so young, you have a whole life in front of you (if she’s young) or You were so lucky to have had so many years with him (if she’s older and had been married for many years). If she hadn’t been married very long, she’s mourning the loss of their dreams and their future together. She can’t imagine a future without him. If she’s older, she’s mourning the loss of all those memories with him and still, she can’t imagine the rest of her years without him.

Those are the 3 worst things to say. (Believe me, I could go on and on!)

What to say (and do):

1. Talk about him. Bring him up whenever you can and it’s appropriate. Tell funny stories about him. Make her smile, remembering the good times with him. I can’t stress this enough. DO NOT BE AFRAID TO BRING UP HIS NAME. It will not make her sad.

2. Let her cry. And cry and cry and cry.

3. Don’t ask what you can do for her, just DO IT. Bring her dinner. Tell her you’re going to the grocery store or discount store when you’re on your way and ask her what she needs. Pick up her kids and take them out for a couple of hours. You get the idea.

4. Do not abandon her. Don’t be there for the first month or so then figure she’s okay, because that’s what others will do. Be there for as long as she needs you. It could be years. Don’t leave her…please.

Those are the main points. This doesn’t only apply to somebody losing a spouse obviously, so use it as you wish.

And if you are in the situation and you can’t remember what I’ve told you and you think that you might be on the verge of saying something inappropriate, STOP! Close your mouth, hug your friend and don’t say a word. That always works!

Karen