A Work at Home Mom’s Blog

I’ve been in a major funk today. I’ve been trying to get some work done, but it just isn’t happening. So in addition to my already foul mood, I’m beating myself up for not being able to do what I need to do to support my family. Doesn’t make for a good day.

Anyway, Pumpkin asked if I would like to play with her earlier when I was away from the computer. I told her I wasn’t feeling well, and she told me to take a pill. And that made me feel that much worse. I always hoped that she wouldn’t take my frequent trips to the medicine cabinet as a sign that pills are the solution to everything, but I’m afraid that she is. And that’s a very bad thing.

So I had a little talk with her. I told her that you should never take medicine unless you really need it, and that pills aren’t the solution to everything. And that if there’s a change you can make in your habits that will fix the problem, that you should try that before turning to medication. I mean, you could take the world’s best diet pill and still not lose any weight if you sit and eat ice cream all day.

She said she just thought I had a headache and should try taking some Tylenol or Aleve for it. And that’s good advice, because I know my headaches and know that I need to take something at the first sign so that they don’t get so bad that nothing will help. So hopefully I was just overreacting. But I also hope I made an impression on her, because I really don’t want her to grow up thinking that she should be taking pills all the time.

Why is it that kids can’t wait to grow up, yet adults wish they could be kids again? Wouldn’t it be nice if we could all just be happy with where we are in life?

Pumpkin has been talking about the future a lot lately. First, it was pondering what she wants to be when she grows up. So far, she’s considered being a teacher, a singer, a writer, and a couple of other things that I can’t remember at the moment. And for the past couple of days, she has been asking questions about middle school and high school. She says she dreads them both, and she’s only in third grade!

I keep telling her that she has plenty of time to think about these things, and to just enjoy being a kid for now. But it keeps coming back up. I don’t really want to discourage her, because it is good that she is thinking ahead. But at the same time, I wish she would make the most of this part of her life while it’s here and not worry about things like careers and textbooks.

Well, I can’t really say that I wasn’t the same way when I was a kid. I was probably much worse. I guess it takes growing up and experiencing adult life firsthand to truly appreciate childhood.

Hi there. Remember me? I used to blog here. Haven’t been doing that so much lately, though.

The new year hasn’t been kind to me so far, and that’s why I haven’t been around. I could write a big, long post about it, but I don’t think I will. I’d rather just forget about it all, and bits and pieces will probably come out in future posts anyway. So I’ll try not to bore you to death with details here.

But in summary, I’ve been horribly ill, finally got on medication for depression and panic attacks, and had to contend with major plumbing problems all last week. I spent a lot of time when I didn’t feel like doing anything but lying in bed waiting around in various hardware stores, looking at fancy Whirlpool dishwashers and Toto toilets that I can’t afford while waiting on employees to help me. A few hundred dollars later, we finally got the water going again.

Things are finally somewhat back to normal, so maybe I’ll get something accomplished today. The jury’s still out on whether or not the medication (Prozac, to be specific) will help. I started it on New Year’s Day, so the two week mark is coming up, and that’s how long the doctor said it would take to kick in. I hope it does the trick.

Hubby’s honorary little brother brought his younger sister, three of his cousins and one of their friends to Pumpkin’s party yesterday. All but the youngest cousin are teenagers and preteens. So while the youngest one played with Pumpkin and the other kids their age, the teenagers mostly stood around looking sullen.

Eventually a couple of them started playing with balloons, which was funny. But the rest just mostly sat or stood around. They were polite and all, but seemed rather ill at ease, or angst-ridden or something. I can relate, I guess. I was like that at times when I was that age, and at a younger kid’s birthday party probably would have been one of those times.

But what really got me was that none of them would eat. Well, I talked one into having a piece of cake, but I don’t think the rest took a bite of anything. And they were all ridiculously skinny - it wasn’t like they needed to be in the market for weight loss pills or anything.

The teenage years are interesting, to say the least. In a way I miss mine, and in a way I’m glad they’re over. I guess most people feel that way to a certain extent.

I remember when I was a kid, and I was always asking questions. Not just simple questions, but questions about how things worked and why things were the way they were. On more than one occasion, my mother informed me that she was not a walking encyclopedia.

You know what they say about payback. Pumpkin has turned out to be quite the inquisitive little booger. I can answer some of the questions she asks with ease and in detail. But sometimes I think that when I do, I’m shooting myself in the foot. Because when she asks something I don’t know the answer to, she says something like, “Well you should know. You’re so smart!” Kinda makes me feel good and not-so-good at the same time.

Some of her questions are stuff I learned in school, like basic science and such. Others are things that I learned in school and have long-since forgotten. And then there are those questions that make me feel old and behind the times because I don’t know the answer, like “What’s the difference between DVD and Blu-Ray?” or “What is Atro Phex?” Oh, and let’s not forget those meaning-of-life type questions that don’t have any concrete answers.

As much as it drives me nuts sometimes, I’m glad she asks lots of questions. It lets me know that she’s interested in learning, and that’s a good thing.

Pumpkin is on Spring Break from school this week. I wish I got a spring break. Well, for all intents and purposes, I guess I’m kind of taking one.

It’s hard to get anything done with the kiddo at home. She’s pretty good about letting me work considering her age, but even when she’s entertaining herself I find myself getting distracted. I do a fine job of getting distracted when I’m home alone, so as you might imagine, I haven’t been getting much done this week.

I’ve all but given up on my ADD meds. I had high hopes, but they have little to no effect now that I’ve been on them a while. I thought maybe just popping one when I needed it the most might be the answer, but it’s gotten to the point that taking a break from them doesn’t even help. At best, taking them helps me stay awake all day. At worst, I’m my usual, perpetually spacey, dozy self.

At any rate, I’ve got to get my butt back on track. I think doing something outdoors with Pumpkin might help clear my head and put me in better spirits, but so far that has been impossible. It rained the first two days of her break, and today it’s too chilly to play outdoors. Maybe the next couple of days will be better. I hope so, because we could both use a fun and relaxing outing.

Yet another reason I hate winter: Snow days when I have truckloads of work to do!

They called school off yesterday, and for once it actually made a little bit of sense. We had an inch or two when we got up in the morning, and the road here hadn’t been touched as usual. Hubby said the walkway was very slick, too. So even though I really needed to work uninterrupted, I didn’t mind that they called it. I don’t want Pumpkin riding the bus, or my truck for that matter, on slick roads.

It snowed rather heavily until around lunchtime, but then it quit and the sun came out. By the time Hubby got home from work, the road was completely clear and there were only patches of snow on the ground. Pumpkin was disappointed because Hubby had said he’d take her up on the hill where the blackberry plants are to sled if it didn’t melt, but I was relieved. Heh.

There was no precipitation overnight. But this morning came, and the radio stated that there would once again be no school. They said there was still snow and ice on a lot of secondary roads. WTH??? The sun completely took care of it here, with no help whatsoever. I realize that some places get very little sun and traffic, but come on! The state had plenty of time to get rid of that. But for some stupid reason they didn’t do it. Par for the course around here.

It burns me up that the salt and scraper trucks are everywhere when we just get a little sprinkling, but if it snows enough to cover the ground, they’re nowhere to be found. Even if we get a pretty good snow, after it quits, they don’t do anything to the back roads (and sometimes even the main roads) for days. It’s so aggravating.

My daughter always loves it when I make cards on the computer. Not only for her, but for other people, too. I always make it a point to put her name on the back in the “Made Just for You by” section along with mine, just because it makes her so happy.

There’s just something about having your name on something without having to write it that kids love. I always had a hard time finding anything that was already personalized with my name spelled correctly when I was young, but I kept hoping someone would give me a personalized gift. While I don’t think I ever got anything with “Kristy” printed on it, I did get something pretty awesome once: My mom’s friend called me her little sugar lump, and one day when she came to visit she brought me a quilt she had made me with a cool clown on it and “My Sugar Lump” embroidered at the top. I always treasured it- as a matter of fact, I still have it.

Knowing how a little personalization makes things extra special, I was thrilled when I got a chance to review one of the personalized books that Frecklebox sells. They have two kinds: story books and coloring books. I got one of the coloring books for Pumpkin.

When it arrived, she kept asking what it was. I told her not to be so nosy, took it in the bedroom and closed the door. I opened it up, and I was thoroughly impressed. The quality was excellent! It had her name on the front, and on every page in a different ornate font with designs in many of them to color. I had thought about holding onto it for her for Christmas, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

I went back to the living room, coloring book behind my back, and told her I had something for her. Of course she came running full speed ahead. I presented it to her, and her jaw dropped. She asked me if I had made it. I laughed and told her no, that that was what came in the mail. Then she said, “How did they know my name?” I explained that I had told them her name, but by that point she was flipping through the pages, amazed that her name was on each and every page. And then she finally put it down long enough to give me a ginormous bear hug.

In case you haven’t figured it out yet, she loved it. If this big grin doesn’t convince you, I don’t know what will.

Frecklebox makes all kinds of great stuff for kids. They have personalized party favors, growth charts, posters and more. So if you want to put a smile on your child’s (or niece’s, nephew’s or just some special kid’s) face, take a look at what they have to offer. The quality is great, and the products are lots of fun.

Just wanted to wish all you ghouls and goblins out there a Happy Halloween before it was all over. I’ve already had my fun for the day. I picked Pumpkin up from school, took her to a convenience store bathroom to change, and took her downtown to beg for candy trick-or-treat at the businesses. She got a ton of candy!

Hubby is out with her now, taking her to his mom and dad’s and his cousin’s house. I’m glad she doesn’t have to depend on him to do all of the trick-or-treating. Before I started taking her to town, we all went and he drove. He would stop at about three houses before he was ready to come home. It’s not that he doesn’t know anybody (like me), he just gets bored with it. Party pooper.

Anyway, I hope everyone has a happy and safe Halloween!

Oh, by the way, I got some good news about my health today. Well, depending on how you look at it I guess, but it was music to my ears. I’ve got to do some work now, but I’ll fill you in as soon as possible.

The time has come for the annual Girl Scouts nut sale. Actually it starts tomorrow, but I’ve been drooling over the brochure every since we got it a couple of days ago. Everything looks so good! And I know it will be. We’ve ordered stuff from it a few times before, and it’s not that cheap junk that you get when you buy from some fundraisers. This is the real deal, the kind of stuff they put in gourmet gift baskets. Yuuuuuummmmmm!

If I ordered all the stuff that I’m dying to have plus what Hubby requests every year, I’ll be spending close to $40. No can do. So I guess I’ll have to make a sacrifice or two. But I’ve definitely got to have a can or two of the cranberry trail mix. That stuff is awesome!

I’m hoping to sell enough this year to get her a decent prize. Last year we didn’t sell much at all. With me not working outside the home and not knowing much of anybody around here, it won’t be easy. But maybe Hubby can sell some at work, and maybe our families will buy some. At least she’ll get a patch or two.