They're BAAACCKKKK!

Before Memorial Day, my parents and Kathy left in the Beast for a trip to Florida.  One of Kathy's daughters lives in Miami and had been bugging her to come and visit. So off they went!

They took their time driving south, stopping in South Carolina and Jacksonville, FL.  They landed there just in time to set up camp and take shelter from Tropical Storm Bertha.  Everything was fine during the storm, just a lot of rain and some wind, nothing too scary.  They didn't have electric but they did have the generator.




Kathy getting her seat

 After weathering the storm (literally!) they continued south to Miami.  Once there, Dad and ESM dropped Kathy at her daughters and then set up camp for the rest of the week.  They didn't really enjoy the park they were in.  The Wifi didn't work all the time, the pool wasn't open much and the general upkeep of the park paths and such just wasn't kept nicely.

Kathy enjoyed her visit with her daughter and they eventually had to pack up and head for home.  The trip back was much better, no tropical storms or other major issues.




Start Your Engines!

 They backed down the road about 8 pm last night and the dogs (Jaxon and Kathy's babies) went NUTS!  Lots of wiggly butts all around.  I was happy they are home because I don't have to take care of Kathy's zoo anymore.  But I did miss them and am glad they are home.  The Compound feels complete again.

Tonight I'll have to help unload the camper.  But they are HOME!

New Adventures for the Parents

I have started a new adventure in my life.  Selling Scentsy!  Its fun, its smells yummy and it will get me out of the house!  At my first party, I made money and had fun.  Keep it coming!

My parents are going starting a new adventure too.  They bought this:

The Thing

When they started looking, they had certain criteria that HAD to be met.  There had to be a shower/tub.

It also had to have enough room for them to play Wii Bowling.



The living room slides out, giving enough room for bowling

They are planning a couple of local trips and will probably end up at the shore for a week.  I imagine once ESM retires next year, they will take some longer trips.  They are super excited and working hard to furnish it with their stuff.  I know they will enjoy it!

Sunday Check in - Paradise Not Found

WOW!  Has it really been a week since I checked in here?  Oh my!  But I've been having fun and relaxing.  The flights were on time and PACKED.  AZ was released from ER just in time for me to land and be picked up. Phew.

I'm sending you greetings from sunny Phoenix, Arizona.  I'm loving the weather, being in shorts and t-shirts.  I've taken lots of walks in the sunshine.  Today I realized that my lungs are missing something......... humidity!  There is no humidity here and I come from swampland Jersey where the humidity never goes below 95%.  I'm part amphibian, I think.

We've been enjoying our time together, with only one trip to ER which did not result in an admission.  Double Phew.  We went to see Breaking Dawn and both of us loved it.  Can't wait for the next one to come out.

The next couple of movies we want to see while I'm here is Edgar and Muppets.  I can't WAIT to see the Muppets.  I love Animal and Sweetums.  So lovable!

We cooked Thanksgiving Dinner at home just for us and between us, we make REALLY good cooks!  Still munching on leftovers. 

I think Jakes is missing me.  Before I left, he told me in a Tween way to stop texting him everyday.  Well, guess who's been texting me EVERYDAY!  YUP!  The attitude Tween!  But of course he won't admit to missing me.  Oh well, I'll take what I can get.  ;)

Dad and ESM have been sending pictures of Jaxon conked out on the couch.  Apparently, they have been running his little butt ragged with new toys.  Probably to keep him from gaining weight from all the treats they've been giving him.  They also have reported break-out from the house.  Shadow is lonely and everytime someone goes into my house, he runs out.  Of course, they are catching him right away cause he's looking for some lovin'.

So, all is good from Sunny AZ.  But while I've enjoyed myself here, its not my paradise found.  There are lots of reasons, good ones for being here but plenty of others for not staying.  Maybe to be disclosed one day here but most likely just in my diary.

We've almost got laundry done and will be heading out to see what kind of trouble we can get into!  Happy Sunday!

I Have ADD - Tuesday Ramblings

This is going to a short and sweet entry.  I have not been able to concentrate on anything for long periods of time.  I even downloaded a Clive Cussler book from the library that is not keeping my attention.  Couldn't be because of all I have on my mind, could it?

Dad got good news, health wise.  He had a colonoscopy where they removed 8 polyps. None of which were cancerous!  Wonderful news!  ESM had a colonoscopy as well and only had one polyp.  She's still waiting for the pathology to come back.  I get to go for a colonoscopy in December.  sigh........

I went to my Mom's best friends home for a visit over the weekend.  When Mom was dying she said that Judy was to take over being Jakes grandmom.  And she has!  She has also taken over being Mom to me.  I got lots of comfort from Judy this past weekend.  She and I can share memories and stories of Mom and I like that.  I needed Mom this past week.

Jakes went to his other grandparents, Mam and Pop-pop's on Friday and his father picked him up from there on Saturday.  Fortunately, his father was willing to help me out by separating Jakes and I this weekend.  Even if he wasn't, I was going to call Mam and Pop-pop to take Jakes.

On Monday morning, I called the In-home therapy people to get set up for a needs assessment.  Hopefully, we'll qualify for Youth Case Management, which will open lots of doors for services and supports for us.

This doesn't mean that I have changed my mind about Jakes living with his father.  This is so that hopefully Jakes and I can get along until his father has moved and made the changes necessary to take him.  Also, if things don't work out at his fathers, we will have the needs assessment completed and can pick up from there.

It seems that Jakes and his father have their own agenda for this situation.  It seems that JF thinks that I'll settle down and change my mind.  AND he's said so to Jakes.  That's why Jakes doesn't think he's moving.  Guess its time to step up my nagging of JF, ask where he is on moving and such.  And share the info about the boarding school.

Right now, all I want is to get Jakes sent to his fathers and for me to run away to AZ, permanently.  Of course, there are many complications in that scenario as well.  sigh.

Above all else, I want to find happiness in my life.  I can't remember when I felt happiness.  When do I get my turn?  Why does it seem that my idea of happiness for myself has to be without Jakes?  Questions to ponder.

Fragmented Thinking

Its Friday.  So happy its Friday.  For a short work week, this has been a looooong week filled with stresses.  I'm ready for it to be over.

Dad's visit to the cardiologist went well.  They are not sure if he had a heart attack or not, but since he's starting to feel better, there really isn't anything to be done.  Except for him NOT to carry luggage down three flights of steps again.  Dr said that's the stuff that will kill him, with his heart condition.  The Dr prescribed nitroglycerin for Daddy to carry around in case it happens again and told him to get himself to the ER ASAP.

Dad also had a colonoscopy this week.  In the past, they have found cancerous polyps, some of which could be removed at the time of the scope and others that required further surgery.  This time they found 10 polyps, 8 of which they removed.  None appeared cancerous, but we have to wait for the pathology to come back.  Fingers crossed and prayers said!

As far as Jakes new diagnosis, I'm doing ok with it.  I contacted the Epilepsy Foundation and they are sending me educational information and I have to find out what Jakes actual diagnosis is as well as the type of seizure he has.  Once I know this, the Foundation will be able to better educate me on what to look for and expect.  The woman I spoke with said that he could have been having them all along, I just don't know what to look for.  Or this could be a new onset, with puberty.  Either way, it doesn't matter.  What matters is that we know now and will do what is necessary to care for Jakes.

I emailed all this info to JF but wasn't holding my breath on a response.  The NEXT morning, he sent a text thanking me for the information.  Now I know why the East Coast is flooding.

I am making plans for some girl time this weekend.  There is a celebration in a local town and Janet, Lori and I will meet there and turn our kids loose on the rides and such.  We're finalizing those plans now.  I can't wait to hang with my girls!  Its been too long!

Short but sweet!  Its all I got right now.  Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Mommy-hood Guilt

*** This week Jakes is with his dad and it gives me lots of down time and time to think about things in my life.  And to hopefully figure somethings about my life out. ***

My Mother was a wonderful woman.  She was great at everything she did.  She was a loving wife and mother, she kept the house, sewed beautifully as well as grew fabulous vegetables in her garden.  Mom was a stay at home mom and was there for everything my brother and I needed.  She was the healer, the disciplinarian, the inspiration, the cheerleader, the taxi driver.

My brother was the slug, the one who would prefer to sit and watch TV all day long.  I was the adventurer, the one to climb trees and jump off chicken coop roofs.  I was the cheerleader, the one active in 4-H and other clubs.  I was the headstrong one that challenged my mothers authority. Many, many times my mother said "I hope you have one just like you!" to me when she was exasperated.   My mom lived to be a wife and mother.

Through it all, the love shared with Dad, the raising of the children, the lean years, the teen years, and finally her illness, she was never mean, negative or seemed to struggle with anything.  I can only remember her crying once and that was because Dad lost his job.  They worked through that and they were stronger than ever.

I am constantly comparing myself to Mom.  How she was as a wife and mother and wishing I had half her skills at both.  When my marriage was failing, I held on and fought to make it work for many reasons but one was because I was afraid of what Mom's opinion would be if I failed.  (mom had passed several years before my marriage failed.)  Mom and Dad (and most of my friends) didn't want me to marry him, they saw him for the crap that he was, but I was blinded.

I know that I am not as good a mother as she was.  I don't have the patience for being a mom.  When I am struggling with Jakes and his behaviors, I try to think how Mom would have handled it.  And I fear I don't measure up to her expectations.  In my head I know that I am not my mother, that I am a completely different person than she is, that I have been raised in a different time.  Mom was raised with the expectation that she would marry, stay home and take care of the husband, babies and the house.

I was raised knowing that I would have a career outside of the home and I would have to work with my significant other to care for any children we would have together.

It doesn't always stop the guilt and expectations I place on myself.  I don't think I will ever stop comparing myself to my mother and her skills as a wife and mother.  I just have to find a way to not allow the guilt to paralyze me when I am living my own life.

I am ME and I have to do things differently from Mom.  I have to hope and pray that she would be proud of how I am living my life and raising my son.

Officer Daddy - WW

Officer Daddy, 1977

Check out other Wordless Wednesday entries........

Scooter People

Dad was approved to get a scooter because of his health problems.  Of course, the kid in him wouldn't allow him to get any old scooter.  He had to get one that ROCKS!

This Bad A$$ machine was clocked at 18.5 miles per hour by ME chasing him on my bike.  I could have beat him if I didn't let him have such a strong lead!  HA!

WAY to far ahead!

He decided that he would meet Son at the bus stop and took the Tricycle along so Son could ride back with him.  Here is what he did:

Unfortunately, Son was at Music Lessons and didn't take the bus home.  Tomorow is another day!