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Thursday, February 28, 2013

Trolls should stay in fairy tales people

When I was a little girl reading all the nice little fairy tales that society thinks girls should be forced to read the one I would always skip over was the story about the troll and the bridge. I always hated the fact that the troll would bully whoever came along no matter what. So I would skip the story so that I wouldn't feel that rage. I was a bullied little girl, so why would I want to read about them? If I was that person in the story I would have kicked the troll in the junk and crossed that damn bridge with a perk in my step. Just because he tried bullying me.

I have always been a quiet, reserved and a leave-them-alone-if-they-leave-you-alone kinda person. I was painfully shy as a child not to mention small. This led to more aggressive kids thinking I was an easy target. Little did they know, if they pushed me too far I would kick them in the gonads. After awhile, they all learned that it was in their best interest to just leave me be. So when I see a bully, my first instinct is to hit them where it hurts.

As I have gotten older and the internet has evolved to where it is today, I once again have been subjected to people thinking I am an easy target. Sorry, but I can still kick you where it hurts. The latest "troll" in my life is someone I am unfortunately related to but only just met. We friended each other on our personal Facebook pages hoping that we could get to know each other and like each other because of a mutual person we share in our lives. I soon started to notice this person would troll people for the fun of it. Someone will post something innocuous and they will feel the need to get their troll on. I don't think this person actually realizes that what they are doing can actually harm someone. They may actually think they are just having fun and games, but internet bullying has led to so many unfortunate deaths. I find myself glad for that time in my life that toughened me up against the verbally abusive.

Now my issue is that my usual course of action with an internet bully on my personal Facebook page would be to unfriend and block them.You know, a virtual internet foot to the crotch move. Unfortunately in this case, if I do that I may cause a shit storm with that person we share contact with. I have several times posted on my page that I don't appreciate drama and will delete those who start it. Don't attack me, my other friends, or my family. This person has done all three. I had honestly hoped to get past this because we share a common person in our lives and we have many of the same interests. I just can't get past the bullying nature of this person. How they will troll someone just for the fun of it. It isn't always fun for the person you are trolling. The drawback to the internet is that we don't have to ability to see facial expressions and voice tone inflection. All we see are the words and we have to interpret those for ourselves. So if a person with low self esteem or very easily hurt feelings can't tell that you just are having fun, you can cause tremendous damage to them. If you disagree with something someone says, that doesn't mean you need to constantly attack them about it with negativity. In fact, you can keep your asinine comments to yourself. I will never understand the inability for some people to just let things be. Just know that if you continue your troll ways, someday you will run into someone alot like me and it won't be pretty.


So a little forewarning,  if I wanna cross that bridge, then you had damn well better get outta my way troll, because come hell or high water I am going to do it. Even if I have to kick a few gonads on the way across.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Hostess with the (NOT)Mostess

I share a bond with two very beautiful women I call my sisters. In all actuality they are my step-sisters, but our parents married when we were all very young so we have grown up together like any normal siblings do. These two gorgeous ladies couldn't possible mean more to me even if we had the same blood in our veins and not just tied together through marriage.

 A few months ago I talked to my older sister about her and her brood coming to my house for Spring Break. We had the usual banter about what days, what we could possibly do and how many times we would need to duct tape our children to the walls. She comes down often enough that I don't stress too much about the little details. I bugged her and bugged her for weeks for the exact days she would be here (I'm a planner, I NEED this information) before finally giving up and texting her that I had taken the entire week of Spring Break off.  A few minutes later I get a text saying "oh great! I will ask Dad and Mom if they wanna come too!" 

O.o

Now I love my dad and his wife, but I don't have a large house. I live in a townhouse. There is enough room in my kids rooms to bunk a few more kids and my living room and be re-situated to make a sleeping pallet on the floor. But I don't have enough room for a whole lot of people. My couch sits 2 and my table sits 5 on a good day. At my best of times I am a decent hostess, at my worst I am terrible. So now, I am trying to figure out stuff that we can all do that doesn't involve us just staring at each other. My dad told me that he will bring some stuff to grill and we can do that. I have a basketball court and a park directly behind my house, so I plan on doing alot of stuff outside. For the most part I am going to try my best not to freak out (the planner in me is just dying right now) and enjoy having my family invade my house for a few days. I'm sure everything will work out for the best and I will probably sleep for days after everyone is gone. 

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Independent kids can be a blessing

I am so very grateful I have children old enough to manage things by themselves. I had a different post planned today. I was going to write about pms and feminism but that is just going to have to wait. I had it all planned out in my head last night while vainly trying to sleep. You see, when mother nature strikes along with all the other horrible stuff  I outlined, I become an insomniac as well. I have not been able to sleep more than 3 to 4 hours a night all week long.
 
am 
exhausted

Last night was no exception. I laid awake reading my book late into the night hoping that would make me drowsy enough to fall asleep. I gave up after about 2 hours and forced myself to just lie there with my eyes closed and hope for the best. The next thing I knew I heard a door slamming. I jerked awake certain that we were being robbed, just to realize that it was 7:30 in the morning. My very loud alarm is set for 6 am. My children's alarms are set for 6 am. They are the nosiest children getting ready in the morning. They argue, scream, and sometimes even throw things. I slept through every single bit of it. The door I heard was them leaving for the bus. I jumped up, ran down stairs and yanked the door open so I could yell to them that I loved them and to have a good day all while feeling like the crappiest mother on earth and embarrassing them in front of their friends in my t-shirt and underwear (yeah, I'm so classy). I was devastated. Today, I am so exhausted I can't even think straight. Hopefully things are going to get back to normal soon. In the meantime, I am grateful that my husband and I had the foresight to drill into our kids the importance of being able to do things for themselves. 




Monday, February 18, 2013

My kids still manage to awe me

I am such a proud little mommy today. A little while back, Mr. Fluffy and I decided to put both of our boys in Boy Scouts. We figured Smarty Pants would benefit from all the social interaction (he is the kid most would call "class clown") and Little Man would finally learn how to interact socially at all. I worried my little introvert would be in shell shock at his first few meetings but his father kept insisting he was doing well. I attended a meeting myself with him to calm my nerves and was pleasantly surprised to see him getting along with many of the boys his age. You see, he is a loner by nature. He doesn't like many children his age and it doesn't help that he has a bit of an anger issue (he has been to counseling). So for a while I just sat back and enjoyed it. Then, I began to question if they were actually learning any "scout" stuff. Yesterday I got my answer.

Two weeks ago we bought all the kids new bikes because theirs had been stolen last year. Little Man, Smarty Pants and one of the neighbor kids were riding the bikes yesterday when Smarty Pants lost control, hit a fence, and got caught under his bike. The usual reaction for Little Man would be to panic right along with his brother or to completely ignore him. I am a paranoid mother, so I keep the back door open when they play outside so I can hear them. I had already heard the crash and the crying and to my shock and awe I heard my Little Man telling his brother to "Breathe slowly, calm down so you don't hurt yourself more. Hey (the the other kid) stay with him and keep him calm while I go get our mom. Don't let him move, he could be very hurt.It's going to be ok Smarty Pants." It took a minute for me to grasp that this was my kid talking. My Little Man who would usually freak out was being absolutely calm and putting what he had learned to use. My heart swelled and as soon as Mr. Fluffy came back home I was bragging all I could. My little boy is growing into such a man. I'm glad I am around to see it happen :)

Friday, February 15, 2013

Crafty girl

So, I'm a bit of a crafty girl. I do a little bit sewing, little bit of crochet and I make a little bead jewelry. I have dabbled in just about every crafty thing you can think of. The only problem is, no one but me and my daughter will usually wear the stuff I make. Of course, a 7 year old girl who dresses like a color blind hippy on speed isn't quite the spokesperson you want.

So, about a week ago I decided I wanted to try bead looming. I got online, ordered my loom and then proceeded to totally forget about it. I do this often, I find it makes it a nice surprise when it actually does get here. As predicted, when it arrived yesterday morning I was very happy to see it, though bummed because I was on my way to work and am not allowed to play with things there. Boo. I am excited to try one more thing out that I am sure I won't be great at but not too bad. I will update this later with pictures of the process and let's hope they aren't too bad.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Hell yeah! Got my roses! Happy Valentine's Day

HA!

I guess you could even say a Monkey Man delivered them too since it was Mr. Fluffy :)  I  have to admit though, I have a very sweet man. My boss lost her husband a few years back so he bought her roses as well. That just might have been a tad sweeter than him bringing them for me..............almost :P

Have a Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

P.S. This isn't my actual gift yet. He hasn't quite finished that yet. 

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Rain, Rain

It's raining here and I am super excited about it! I know that may sound a bit strange but I'm southern if that helps you understand a little bit. I get very down in the dumps about constant sunshine. Give me a gloomy, rainy day and I'm a happy girl.

Speaking of rain and sunshine, the hubs was introducing me to Heroes not long ago. Yes, I know I missed that whole bandwagon when it was cool but I don't mind. While I absolutely loved the show I did get very irritated at parts of it. As you guys may know, the cheerleader is supposedly from Texas. More specifically, Odessa Texas. Let me let some of you in on something. Odessa does NOT look like that. I know, I spent at least 18 years of my life within an hour driving distance from there.

And we have monster snakes as well :)

 There are no giant mountains and no spanning canyons. We had dirt, dirt, mesquite trees and tiny hills. Mostly a bunch of flat, dry dirt. Have you ever watched Carnivale? Yeah, it looks alot like that. So, I ranted at the hubs a bit about how stupid that was and how apparently they didn't do any research at all. Then I let it go (with a few irritated noises everytime I saw something off), or so I thought. A couple of seasons in this character moves to California. Woooo! At on point the father comes in and makes a sarcastic quip about liking this "85 days of constant sunshine."

Really?

You are from Texas! That is very highly normal here. I grew up in the Permian basin (where Odessa is located fyi) and what very little rain we got was few and far between. I admit, this sent me off on another rant at the hubs. He wisely just nodded his head and threw in a few "I know right!" in for good measure. After I was calmed down he said, "Hun, you know this is just a show right?"

Yes, I know that it is just a show. My beef with Hollywood is they do not do any research at all on us down here. The one and only time I ever saw anything in a movie or show that even looked like the area they were trying to portray was The Rookie. That opening scene of them driving through plains of mesquite and oil rigs? Yep that is very accurate. I have actually driven that exact road many times myself.

Well I am done with my little rant. I am going to stare out at the wonderful rain outside and enjoy it while I can before it goes away.

Monday, February 11, 2013

I'm still alive

I'm still here! I have just been so incredibly busy. We bought a new bed this weekend and a whole bunch of other stuff we had been putting off. I have been home mainly to just eat and sleep. I did decide to share something pretty awesome with you though :)


BAM! Isn't that a beauty!

My very own dragon egg!

With this "late christmas" present my husband got himself assaulted with hugs and kisses and then ignored for 2 hours. I have been informed my valentines present is still a secret. Let's hope it's as awesome as this :)

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Our gaming obsession and why I love it

  Mr. Fluffy and I are both "gamers."  We both play numerous games and platforms. We quite enjoy our little mutual hobby. We both got into WoW for many years together, we both like the Call of Duty games and we love to hunt down new games and try them out. For many people, they think this means that one of us must like a game the other enjoys. Not true. I don't really understand his obsession with Fallout and he doesn't really get into Borderlands the way I do. I obsess over all the tiny details in the Fable series, he spends hours running in circles on Skyrim. While he used to fuss over his guns and home in Star Wars Universe, I would get bored and put my character into a perpetual dance and walk away. That is what I really love about us both being gamers. Yes, we do play many, many games together that we both like but it allows us the freedom to find something we like as an individual. I don't begrudge him his time alone on Skyrim (I myself have never even felt the urge to try it), in fact many times I will be next to him on the couch reading a book or talking to him while he plays it. I will ask him questions about what is going on and he loves bragging on his character and what all it can do. He does the same with me. Our conversations usually run like this:

"What is going on now?"

"Oh well, remember I was doing so and so?"

"Yeah"

"Well that escalated to this and now I'm blowing things up for the heck of it and I think I just might have to start over because I blew all my money and I really needed this <random object> by now"

"Ah that sucks"

I'm really glad that out of all the hobbies my husband and I could have it would be gaming. Something so diverse that we do not get bored easily and we can find something we both like together as well as separately.


Tuesday, February 5, 2013

I will get them one way or another, hehehehe

While we were getting ready for bed last night, Mr. Fluffy decided to grill me on what I wanted for Valentines day. Yeah, he lacks a tiny bit in the spontaneity department.

Mr. Fluffy: Hey, tell me what you want for Valentines day.

Me: Roses, as in multiple (he RARELY buys me flowers)

Mr. Fluffy: Roses *extreme look of disgust on his face*

Me: Yep, roses.

Mr. Fluffy: I was going to buy you season one and two of Game of Thrones.

Me: Ooooo, ok well then that and roses. I could definitely enjoy that gift!

Mr. Fluffy: How about I get a dancing monkey man to come to your job to give you the roses? *Smug look on his face*

Me: I don't care, I would dance with him because I would have roses! YAY!!

Mr.Fluffy: I bet you would freak.

I am determined to get roses on Valentines day. I can count on one hand how many times my husband has bought me flowers and I am getting tired of being the only woman where I work who doesn't get them. I absolutely adore roses.

Monday, February 4, 2013

It's the little things

Sitting on the couch watching a Heroes marathon;

Mr. Fluffy: Oh, just for your information, one of our children has gotten very good at forging your signature on his homework.

Me: Really? Which one?

Mr. Fluffy: Smarty Pants

Me: Oh well, at least his handwriting has improved.

Yeah, I am convinced Smarty Pants is my only hope for a child with pretty handwriting. His older brother is a lefty so his writing always looks like a kindergartner attacked his homework and his younger sister refuses to practice her handwriting. So, I am happier at this moment that since he is doing good enough to copy me then maybe I have hope. We can deal with the forging bit later.........let me have this one thing :)

Sunday, February 3, 2013

I'm an old fashioned mother (sort of)

I am finally starting to get back to being healthy again. There is still a lingering cough, but much better than it was. So I will try to get back to being on here more.

I often wonder at how different things are now then when I was a kid. Not things like technology, I expect technology to change. It is the way people act. When I was a kid, a good parent knew where their child was, who their friends were and the phone numbers of said friends parents. There was such things as calling before you went over to make sure it was ok and calling your parents to let them know if you were going somewhere else. Mr. Fluffy and I have tried very hard to instill that kind of thinking in our own children. The boys had a particular friend that vexed me at every turn. This young child would come over almost every day at supper time and want our boys to go play at his house. Every single day we would remind him that it was a weekday, we were about to eat and no the boys would be unavailable to go play at his house because they would be getting ready for baths and bed soon. We would remind him everyday to try to come over earlier. It never happened. It would be no surprise to go stand on our porch and see this young boy's mother wandering around looking for him and knocking on everyone's door to see if he was there. I may be old fashioned, but in my books that would be reason enough for grounding him. I like to know where my children are at all times. Call it overprotective if you want, but I would rather that then have them missing. The most unfortunate thing is, I find myself a rarity in our neighborhood. Many parents here just let their children go wherever and find nothing at all odd with not knowing where they are.

So, knowing all that, it was a rare treat to finally meet another mother who felt as I did. She is a very nice lady who is quite a bit older than most of the mothers around here, but she was given a blessing late in life and that little blessing has just firmly staked a best friend claim on my daughter. I couldn't be more thrilled with this. Her daughter is very well behaved, and very nice. Her mother insisted on exchanging phone numbers with me before allowing our daughters to have play dates so that we could both keep tabs on them. She will call me and ask my permission before taking my daughter elsewhere or giving her something. Today, I surprised her. My daughter wanted to go play with hers, so I made Little Miss dial her number and ask permission herself. I don't feel the need to do every tiny thing for my children, I like them learning for themselves. Of course the other mother loved this. We live only about 200 yards from each other. I sat on my porch and watched my daughter walk down the street to her house. As soon as she walked in the door my phone rang. Her friend's mother was letting me know she got there alright.

I really wish that more parents from my generation were like this lovely lady. I may be more lax in certain areas regarding my children, but I don't believe manners and common courtesy ever go out of style.