Roma!

We arrived this morning in Italy. I traveled First Class and poor Olaf sat waaay back in coach. I slept about an hour on the plane, even though the seats reclined to a full flat position. After a car ride to the hotel, we walked to the Borghese Gardens just a few blocks away. We rented a rickshaw for an hour and tooled around the park. Then back to the hotel to see if our room was ready. After a quick shower, we walked to The Spanish Steps but it was so hot outside. I was sweating like crazy. Came back to the hotel and I took an hour nap. Then we went to a local restaurant and had a very nice dinner. I had lasagna and Olaf had a calzone. The house wine was excellent. We also had tiramisu and espresso. Now it's almost 9:00 pm and we are tired. Tomorrow we have a full day tour of Rome and we are super excited!!

Friday!

I know no one reads this blog anymore, but we leave this Friday from Rome. I think I'll post my travel updates here. (Providing I can hook up to wifi) I really want to journal my first time out of the country, and this seems more logical (and permanent) than paper and ink. I am not looking forward to the ten hour flight to Rome in row 39, but at least I get to sit next to Olaf. I'll probably take a phenergan and hope to sleep a few hours. 

Roma

We leave for Rome is just a few short weeks. It will be my first time out of the country. I am super excited and nervous too. Cami is in charge for a week and that is a lot of responsibility for a 17 year old young woman. Two butts to wipe, four dogs to care for, cooking and cleaning... So grateful she is so responsible and can do this for us. Then she'll go to Paris for two weeks in July on her IYE exchange. My 17 year old has been to New Zealand, Australia, Germany, Spain and now France. I am so happy that she likes to travel and is independent enough to go alone. Grace gets to begin IYE exchanges when she is 14. I think she'll be a world traveler as well. Speaking of Grace, she turns 12 this Thursday. Time marches on and I'm getting old. 

Mama got a new iPad

Tomorrow is Mother's Day and my family bought me an iPad. My Mac is about six years old and full and getting slow. I love it still, but thought it would be fun to have an iPad. So, I asked for one. Yes, I know I am spoiled. Simon uses it more than I do so I am hoping he will want to play more educational stuff since the screen is bigger. 

The children are almost done with the school year. About a week left. Cami only has one class to finish high school! One class. It's precalculus, so it might take her all year to do. I need to look into dual enrollment and let her take a college course next year as well.  Maybe a composition class or something. As of now, she wants to major in English and perhaps get a job as an editor or write for the local paper.  

This is Kidani. She is huge. We covered the couch with blankets so she won't stink it up. She's very protective of the house and she is super scary when she barks at the UPS man or anyone else coming to the house.  We try to take her out as much as possible to make sure she stays socialized. We do not want a mean dog. She is about a year old now and still gets crazy and hates the cats. I need the Dog Whisperer to help me as I have no idea how to get her to NOT chase the cats. She is crazy with the other dogs as well. Bailey likes her, but until Bailey's spay incision is healed, I won't leave them alone together. No rough housing for her and Kidani tries to mount her. 

We have been in our house one year now. Still have boxes everywhere. I suck. 

Look at Bailey now

She's happy and getting fatter! She is afraid of the leash so we are trying to get her used to it. I think someone must have used a leash and a collar to choke her. Poor girl. She loves Cami the most. Cami is the one that finally lured her into our yard the night before we called animal control. The picture on the left us the day we turned her in. The one on the right is today. Such a huge difference. She looks so happy.

It's May

There is really no reason not to blog now that there is an app on my phone. Technology is crazy. What did we do before the Internet?

Cami just had a cyst cut out of her breast bone and next week gets all four wisdom teeth cut out. Poor girl. She only has one more subject to finish and she is done with high school. She's just finishing her junior year, so hopefully this pre-calculus class will take awhile. I won't let her go to college until she's 18.

We are picking up the dog we turned into animal control three weeks ago. She was spayed yesterday and I feel bad about keeping her outside, but we have no choice. Kidani is crazy and I'm not bringing her in the house. We've named her Bailey. Here is a photo we took if her the day we turned her in to Animal control.

Fun night

I had so much fun last night playing Music Trivia with some friends and Cami. We were in last place, but thanks to a final jeopardy question and betting all our points, we wound up in second. We got a $20 gift card to the restaurant we played at. I have a feeling this will end up being a weekly event for awhile.

I'm addicted

To live trials on Court TV. Jodi Arias has me pinned to the TV. I am in my pj's all day. I don't clean. I don't parent. I don't do anything.

I am a sucky blogger

However, this is mostly for me anyway, so I guess it doesn't matter that I suck!

We just spent the weekend at Disney World.  A whirlwind, but fun trip.  Four parks in two days.  You have to love that Guest Assistance Pass that we get for Caleb, because it enables us to do what we want in each park without the wait times that most people have to endure.  Of course, Caleb could never wait, thus the need for the Guest Assistance Pass.  I think the GAP is being abused though, as I saw several cast members with clipboards checking off how many people were using it as we entered numerous attractions.  And that is fine with me if they crack down.  If we need a doctor's note in the future, I would welcome that. I do not like seeing people use the pass that obviously do not need it.  It ruins it for those of us that really do.

Cami just started precalculus and is having a difficult time. I cannot help her anymore.  She is way past my comfort level.  I am looking into finding a tutor asap.  If it were me, I wouldn't make her do it at all.  However she is getting an accredited diploma through an online high school and it is a must.  Her goal is to work for minimum wage at Disney World, so I don't think calculus is required.

Olaf and I are contemplating a trip this summer to Machu Picchu.  We are considering an Adventures By Disney Tour, but financially we need to go over it.  He has two positive space tickets on Delta, so we want to go somewhere fantastic.  I also want to go to Rome, but I think eventually they are going to close Machu Picchu to visitors and I want to get there before then. 

I still haven't started formal school with Simon.  He will be six in May and still doesn't know his alphabet.  I have no idea what to do with him.  Plus, I'm lazy. All of my children were reading by now, but he is definitely different than the other children.  And the baby.  And probably coddled too much.  Speaking of being the baby, he always will be.  Olaf is getting a vasectomy on March 8th.  Yes, we have made the decision.  No more babies until grandbabies come along.  I am now 45 years old and I have zero desire to have another one. 

And on the lazy note, I am super fat again.  Time to start watching what I put in my big, fat mouth. 

Happy New Year??

Oh my word was today full of shit!  Back story:

There has been a huge, male (with balls) dog coming into our yard for about a month now.  He is super sweet, but he shits all over the place and makes my dogs go crazy.  They bark at the windows and will not shut up.  If I let my dogs out while he is here they run with him all over the road.  Kidani almost got hit by a bus because of this dog.  We found out that this dog showed up on our neighbor's property and they decided they might want to keep him.  So they feed him.  But they don't "house" him, so he runs.  To MY house.  To shit on my property and make my dogs go nuts.  So, as a nice neighbor I take the dog back to his "owner" and introduce myself and ask her to 1.keep the dog on her property or 2. get rid of the dog.  Well, that didn't work.  Every day here comes the sweet dog with huge balls to make my dogs go crazy and so he can shit on my porch.  So, I have my children take the dog back to the owner.  Three times.  But that doesn't work.  So I send her a Facebook message asking her to keep the dog on her property.  She comes down and speaks to Olaf and is very nice about it.  She still doesn't know if they are going to keep the dog.  Guess what?  That doesn't work.  The dog still comes down into my yard to shit and make my dogs go fucking ballistic.  So, I call Animal Control.  Yep, I did.  I filed a complaint yesterday with Coweta County.  That was about 10:30 am.  At about 1:00pm some crazy ass white truck pulls into my driveway, pulls all the way to the garage, and then backs out like a crazy man.  Scared me to death, but I didn't know who it was. I was so scared, I texted my husband and told him about it.  So today, I let Deacon out to pee.  I was watching from the window since it was raining and I was in my pajamas and had no bra on.  Mr. neighbor man was walking his (now leashed) dog and decided to stop in front of my house because he was PISSED that I had called Animal Control.  Now mind you, I had NEVER met MISTER Neighbor man before.  Only Missus, and she was nice.  I go out to get Deacon and this mother effer starts yelling at me.  He threatens me, yells at me, and basically tells me, "You are NOT welcome in this neighborhood."  He also said, "If something should happen to you or your house, I would never help you."  Was that a threat?  Of course, Olaf wasn't home when all of this transpired.  And what is his reaction?  Let's call the cops!!  I only want to do that as a last resort because honestly, I am scared shitless of this man.  I am afraid he will set me house on fire or something.  And I wanted to blog to get this out on the internet in case I am killed. :0)

Life...

• I have been alive almost 45 years.
• I have been married almost 25 of those years.
• I cannot remember much of my life.
• Time tends to blur things.
• I really do not like politics.
• They are all liars.
• Republicans and Democrats alike. 
• I am selfish.
• Sometimes I want to be alone with no children and no husband and no pets.
• If I knew then what I know now, things would be different.
• I would never choose to parent a mentally challenged child.  
• Because I am selfish.
• As I get older, and closer to death, I think more about me instead of others.
• What have I done with my life? Is it everything I want?
• Because I am selfish.
• But being selfish isn't a bad thing to me.  Not anymore.
• I need to be me.  
• Being me makes me happy.
• For 18 years I was Olaf's wife.
• Now I am Misty.
• Strong.
• Independent.
• Self sufficient.
• Funny.
• Authentic.
• Yes...transparent and authentic.

Posting from my phone

Who would have thought that I would be posting a blog with my phone? Not only that, it is correcting my one thumb typing. (my other arm is around Simon. And I spelled half if those words wrong, including simon. But my awesome phone corrected it.)

Not a lot to say today. I mowed, mower broke again, I drank Jameson, Olaf took Josiah to Cub Scouts, and here I sit. Pretty typical day. Caleb has had diarrhea for almost 2 weeks. Fun. Not.

Hey there, Hi there, Ho there...

You're as welcome as can be.  M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E! 

HEE!  I am so silly.  Does anyone remember the Original Mickey Mouse Club?  I used to watch it all the time as a kid.  Annette, Darlene, Bobby...  Black and white.  My favorite.  It was destiny to be a Disney fanatic.  I grew up so poor, I thought I would NEVER see Disney. Then I joined the Air Force and was stationed at George AFB, CA (Victorville) and guess what?  I went to Disneyland at least four times from 1988 to 1991.  I cannot wait to head BACK to Disneyland in January.  I am sure it has changed A LOT from 1991, and I cannot wait to take my children.  We will spend three days there and then fly to Hawaii for our 25th wedding anniversary.  Yep, the Disney Aulani Resort!  I hope Caleb does OK.  I am worried about that. 

Caleb has had, what I think is, the rotavirus for almost two weeks now.  It started like a normal stomach virus and then progressed to this awful diarrhea that just will not stop.  He has missed so much school.  If it doesn't stop in the next few days, I need to get a stool sample in. It started October 4th and here it is the 15th and he still has diarrhea!

My birthday is November 9th.  I think I am going to hang out at the Alamo for a few hours to celebrate with my friends.  If you are local and want to come, PLEASE DO!  It should be a lot of fun.  I'll be there about 9 pm.  You can buy me a drink. :0)

HA!

I actually blogged, but never published it.  Weird.  So, you get two blog posts back to back.  Isn't that special...

First of all, let me say that I cannot believe people still come here to check on my blog.  I don't know who you are, but I am glad you are interested in my life.

We leave Saturday bright and early for a few days at Disney World.  We will be back Tuesday.  I am so lucky to have found a great house/pet sitter while we are away.  Especially with Kidani.  Things will be tricky for awhile until she is fully trained.  She is a spoiled, spoiled dog.  We all love her so much.  (so much that we special order dog food that you cannot buy locally!) 

So, update on the children.  Caleb is at Newnan High School and is adjusting nicely.  He goes skating every week and to Target etc.  As usual, he rides the bus and loves it.  Camille (who prefers to be called Cami) is almost done with high school although this is only her junior year.  She has Advanced Math, Physics, American Government, Spanish 2, and I think one other course to take before she will graduate.  She takes the SAT on December 1st at Newnan High School.  This will give us an idea what she will need to improve on to enter college.  Her plans are for West Georgia for a semester so she can apply for the Disney College Program.  At least that is the plan right now. She loves to travel, so who knows...Grace is a Cadette in Girl Scouts and likes it.  All the girls are in the seventh grade except Grace.  Fortunately for me, most of them are dorky and brainy and not the "typical" seventh grade girl.  Josiah is in Cub Scouts too.  He doesn't like school, but tolerates it.  Simon is five and there is NO WAY he could be in Kindergarten this year.  He is slightly autistic I think.  There are a few issues anyway.  I try to do school in a sneaky way, but if we sit down to do something formal, he melts down.  He is an enigma, but I am glad I had him later in life or I would be freaking out right now. 

Olaf is now on a Fentanyl Patch for pain.  It doesn't get much stronger than that.  I hope he never needs pain meds in the hospital because they will have to put him in a coma to relieve the pain.  The only thing stronger is Dilaudid.  As for me, well I am just taking things one day at a time.  My children drive me batty some days and I wonder WHY I home school.  It sure would be nice to have the break.  Then some days I am truly grateful for the extra time I have with them.  If I died today, I would have had so much more time with my children than most women.  Hmmm...let me do some quick calculating.  If a child is in school for 30 hours a week (roughly) starting at age five, then I have had an extra 550 DAYS with Camille so far.  That is a year and a half! I'll take it.

And that's it for tonight.  Perhaps I will be back shortly.  Leave a comment if you stop by.  I'd like to know who is reading.  

I love Jameson Irish Whiskey and Bombay Sapphire Martinis, but I am trying to lose weight and alcohol impedes my weight loss.  I still love my Visalus shakes, but I just re-read a book called "Why We Get Fat and What To Do About It" which advocates a low carb lifestyle.  Now, I have done low carb before and I absolutely LOVE eating that way.  The problem is my body doesn't respond with weight loss.  I track my carbs and limit them to 20 (or less) a day and still do not lose a lot of weight.  The weight melts off most people, but not Misty.  Thankfully my shakes are low carb so I can still have one for breakfast or a snack if I want to, but honestly the great thing about low carb eating is you can eat and not feel hungry. For what it's worth, the book is really interesting and great reading.  Then again, so are all the vegan books I love like "The China Study" and "Forks Over Knives."

So happy that fall TV is starting back.  Once Upon A Time started last night.  We love that show.  The other shows we watch are The Middle and Modern Family.  Raising Hope is also a fun show but we always forget to watch it.  We need to set the DVR.  

We still have boxes in the house and we have lived here since-May!  I'm too lazy to unpack I suppose.  It sure is nice having all this room though.  Oh, and we just adopted a new puppy two weeks ago.  She is part mastiff so she will be huge.  Someone cropped her ears when she was just a baby with scissors.  This is a link to a video of her story.  She is such a smart dog and we love her so much. We have renamed her Kidani which means necklace in Swahili and is also our home Disney Resort at Animal Kingdom.  As soon as we changed her name, she knew it instantly.  It's almost as if it was destiny.  

I really need to blog more often...

Today is Caleb's 17th birthday!  Seventeen years ago, Jennifer (Caleb's birth mother) gave birth to a baby boy and made me a mother.  I will always and forever think about her on this day.  How brave and selfless she was to allow Olaf and I to parent her baby.  Jennifer, if you happen upon my blog...thank you.  Thank you just doesn't even do justice for the gift you have given us.  Caleb is happy, healthy, and loved by six people in our family.  He has many friends, plays baseball, and loves us unconditionally.  And I will always think about you today...

ten secrets

I don't even think I have ten secrets. I am an authentic person and there is no facade with me. What you see, is what you get, BABY! But, I'll try. Not like anyone reads this blog anyway.

1. I love, love, love giving gifts. Especially to people who don't expect them. I also spoil my Pure Romance Hostesses like crazy.

2. I don't like children. I like my own children, but I don't like other people's children. And I am a Girl Scout leader!

3. I am lazy. I don't like to do housework or homeschooling. Moving is going to KILL me!

4. I am finally ready for Olaf to have a vasectomy!

5. I am an unfundamentalist christian. www.johnshore.com is one of my favorite blogs.

6. I had a breast lift in 2009. So glad I did it! Wish I would have gotten implants at the same time.

7. I hate pedicures. They tickle. But I do it because I need it.

8. I want a big huge diamond ring from Olaf, but we cannot afford it. Therefore I would be mad if he bought one for me. I would return it! (and I'm talking gorgeous huge!)

9. I have NO problem being truthful and living authentically. Not really a secret, is it...

10. I have no attachment to my siblings. They are strangers to me.

Whew, that was tough!

Finally

I think I am on the upswing. Days 5-8 were bad. I was in a lot of pain. But today, I am feeling better.

Olaf and Josiah are building a soap box derby car for Boy Scouts. Well, Olaf is building and yelling at Josiah. I'm sure that will be a happy memory. I am in no shape (or mood) to go referee. I can barely speak and still feel weak. I guess I'm thankful tomorrow is Monday and he goes back to work. The children go back to school tomorrow as well. Cami needs to get busy with her Algebra 2 and Chemistry.

Time to get back to healthy eating as soon as my throat is better.

Yep-the pain gets worse

It's true! Yesterday my tongue was killing me and I was certain it was thrush. I took a Diflucan yesterday and my tongue is feeling better today. That said, good golly my throat hurts!! The morning is the absolute worst. Until I eat and drink and get Lortab in me, it sucks really bad. My follow up appointment with Dr. H is tomorrow at 2:00. I am going to make Olaf drive me because I still feel loopy when I am on my feet. I must say, having surgery and being waited on hand and foot is really nice. I could get used to this.

Post Op Day 4

Still doing good. I kind of feel like my entire mouth is coated in thrush, but I think it's just my tonsillectomy. Still laying in bed because Olaf took today off since he wasn't feeling well himself. Tomorrow will be the test when Olaf goes back to work and I have to be the mommy again.

My friends have been fabulous and brought dinner for us. I am so blessed with great friends. Renee, Becky, Robin, and another Renee have brought us dinner so far. That has helped our family so much.

I am still taking Lortab every four hours. I would love to take Motrin, but Dr. H said not to. I spilled a bottle of my Lortab, so I may not enough to make it through the pain. I have a post op appointment on Friday, so if I need more I will ask him then.

Sleeping has not been a problem for me as long as I am on my side. I cannot exhale when I am on my back. I love Mayfield Snow Cream Popsicles! Oh my word. They are terrific!