Happy Belated Birthday Eddy

Summer 2008

Winter circa 2000

Eddy you are the biggest pain in my butt, but you changed my life forever that night you arrived 10 years ago. I love you and hope you grow up to be a strong man! Thank you for coming into my life and for making me see that there is more than one way to skin a cat!!

Love, Mom

WTF Wednesday

WTF Parents at my son's Christmas program last night? Did you not hear the principal announce that you needed to be quiet while the students other than your own were singing. SHUT THE FUCK UP PEOPLE!!! Come on I know Little Suzie Q looked so sweet in her little Christmas dress, but did you have to get up 20 times to take her picture? I also know that when big kids sing, it is boring, but that was my big kid who was up there while you were talking on your cell phone and while your kids were running and screaming in the lobby. Did you not think that they have been practicing this since before Halloween, and that you might want to encourage the freaking arts?

WTF Teacher? No not my cooperating teacher but her BFF, I cannot stand her. She wants to be the center of attention but really no one cares. So to you SHUT UP!!! Also Ms. Music Teacher, who needs to get laid, quit smacking your food in my ear at lunch, or move to another table.

WTF Family? It is the holiday season not a competition for you to go out and buy, or better yet for you to ask for big ticket items. You know who you are! They asked for a Barbie Jeep for their baby who is younger than Gnat, and who is not even walking yet?? WTF

WTF Weather? Just snow enough to get school canceled, this icy road shit has got to go. Either let it rip and send us a blizzard or just stop!

FINALLY!!!!

This week marks the end of a very long journey, I will finish my student teaching on Friday and will graduate with a Master's Degree in Education. This journey started over 13 years ago when I initially graduated from high school with hopes of becoming a teacher. I attended a private college near the town where we lived until I could no longer afford to pay their tuition. I completed most of my general studies at that private college, when it came time to transfer to a state university I found that few if any of my credits actually transferred over, which was the universities way of saying that they wanted more of my money. Needless to say, I flunked out my third year of college because I was just tired of the bureaucracy. I wanted more in my life, I needed direction. So I left.

I really ran away to Alaska. I wanted to see the world, I wanted to have an adventure, I wanted. I was naive and I trusted people and humanity too much, and I ended up pregnant and on welfare. Ten years ago next week I gave birth to my son, Eddy and my life changed forever. I needed a good paying job with benefits and I needed to get my life back together, not only for me but for this life I had just brought into the world. I came back home. I drug my no good lousy sperm donor, two dogs, and a baby back and tried to get it in order. That lasted for about a year, when I became tired of his abuse, and I left with only the baby and the truck.

Meanwhile I had started back to college albeit one night a week, but I was a trooper I went to class faithfully every week. I moved in with my parents and they assumed child care on those nights when I had class, I had also secured a job as a personal care teacher assistant for three disabled children in a local school district. I trudged on, I worked as an aide full time during the week and on the weekends I bar tended and waitressed my way through bills and tuition. In 2002 I graduated with a bachelor's degree in psychology. PSYCHOLOGY, yeah you thought I went for the teacher degree right then and there huh? Well nope, I was too proud to quit my job with full benefits and an actual income to fulfill the requirements for the teacher degree, which included quitting the said job and going back on welfare.

Well then again I found myself STUCK, I was a really good aide, but I hated my job. I hated being bossed around and found myself seeking another way out. So I started working on an associates degree in Fire Science because at that time in my life I needed more adventure and what better way to quench that need than to become a Firefighter. I broke many barriers in my pursuit of the Fire Science Degree, I was the first woman in the program to complete Fire Fighter I and II. I was the only woman in the class, and that in itself was exhilarating.

Meanwhile I joined a local fire department where I was treated as an equal and where I would later meet the Anti-Hippie. The summer after the Anti Hippie and I were married he encouraged me to get a degree that would make me happy and one that would allow me to get a job that I would be happy with. So I did, I started in the summer of 2006 and here it is a little over 2 years later and I am graduating with a degree that I am proud of and that I initially started out pursuing oh so many years ago. Well, my student teaching was one of the best things that I ever did, and I can honestly tell you I put my heart and soul into my class, my lesson plans, and my teaching. I have never worked so hard in my entire life as I have these past 4 months, and I did not even get paid for this! I am proud of myself. I am also proud of my family for supporting me over the past decade with all my career changes and wild adventures!

Happy Third

Dearest Husband,

Happy third anniversary. I love you more each day, no matter how crazy it gets around here. You surprise me with your patience and understanding. I know I am not easy to live with and that I tend to get testy sometimes. Our wedding day is still one of the most special days in my entire life. In fact today with the Indian Summer like weather we are experiencing I was thinking back to that Saturday just three short years ago.
It has not always been easy for us and I expect more turbulent times ahead. Just know that I love you and that I really like being married to you. Happy Anniversary.

Love, Earthy Birthy Mama

Crabby Patty Strikes Again

My mother has been bugging me for weeks about what to get the kids for Christmas/Hanukkah. I told her Eddy would appriciate a membership to the zoo, horse riding lessons, or art lessons. I told her Gnat would love a Waldorf Doll. Waldorf Dolls are made exclusively of natural fibers and the doll that I linked here is a fair trade doll, which means that the people making the dolls are treated fairly and paid a fair wage. I love this doll and coveted these when I was a little girl. They will allow so much imagination to the little girl or boy who plays with it, as they are not electronic and they encourage imaginative play.
Crabby Patty called me today to let me know that she does not like the doll and she will not be buying it for the Gnat. Okay, then why the fuck did you ask me what she wanted? Crabby Patty, being an expert in fiber art, said that the doll was too expensive and she thought it was ugly. Well riddle me this, will she be playing with the doll?
So I guess Santa Earthy Birthy and Santa Anti- Hippie will be buying the Gnat her very own Waldorf Doll.

Kids Say the Darndest Things

This post actually started several years ago but, I was not a blogger back then.

I was running into Target one day after Thanksgiving to get ribbon for a wreath. The wreath was for the cemetery as we decorate family gravestones each year for the holidays. While at Target I met one of Eddy's teachers I introduced myself and she told me she had a story to tell me about Eddy. I groaned thinking this was 'one of those' stories about his behavior or something. She continued, "last week I read to Eddy's first grade class, we read about Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving, you know the one where he messes up the meal?" yes.... "Well, after Charlie Brown messes up the meal he calls his Grandma, and I asked the class 'what do you think Charlie Brown's grandma told Charlie Brown about messing up the meal' and in all seriousness I called on Eddy and he said 'whaaa whaaaawaaaa' the teacher said, just like the adults on Charlie Brown talk." I was rolling on the floor! As an avid Charlie Brown fan, that is in fact what Charlie Brown's grandma would have said.

Second funny thing Eddy said happened many moons ago when he was in nursery school. I do not think they still call it that, so let me rewind and say that he was in pre-school. He came home one day in January and said we are learning about martinknewtheking, huh?? I said. You know that African American who helped give people freedom, you know mom martinknewtheking day, we don't have school that day. oh I said, Martin Luther King, yeah he said martinknewtheking. So every year in our house we celebrate the birthday of that great American freedom fighter Martin Knew the King.

Finally a funny that is not so funny, but take it in context. Before the Anti Hippie and I lived together Eddy and I lived with my parents. We watched a lot of news, Eddy watched the news with us every night, as we prepared dinner. Well with this story maybe he watched a tad to much. I recently had a class with a lady, we shall call her Jenni, who was doing her student teaching in Eddy's kindergarten class and she told me this story: One March afternoon while Jenni was in Eddy's classroom the teacher came in and told the class she had some bad news, and Eddy pipes up unsolicited and says "yeah I know Terri Schiavo died" and the teacher and Jenni who were really going to tell the class that recess was going to be inside, just looked at each other, wondering where in hell did that come from. Well folks that came from the mouth of a kindergartener who watched too much adult television.

Hope my stories made you laugh, they are much better told in person with a good glass of wine, but you get the point. Right?

This and That

First of all Happy 10th Anniversary to my BFF and her Husband. She posted a lovely little note to him on her Blog, go over and check it out. I wish them the best as they travel to K.C. this weekend for a little get away!!

Secondly, I am so happy fall has finally made her appearance, summer is my FAVORITE time of year, but fall/autumn comes in a close second. I love this weather and the anticipation of the fall foliage this year, colors are supposed to be spectacular. We decorated our porch with home-grown pumpkins from our garden and corn stalks from our garden as well. I think we have finally come to a conclusion about costumes this year also, Eddy wants to go as an Army Guy, (which I think is "gay", but he gets to carry a toy gun, so he thinks its cool) and Gnat is going to be an olive!!

Finally I am happy that my household is getting along somewhat, I have not dropped the 'F' bomb all week, so knock on real wood this lasts. Last week was crazy hectic around here with all the yelling and screaming and "F" bombs. I also told my mother that she needs to quit calling so much and criticizing my parenting, Eddy is ours not hers, and I don't need her Jewish Mother guilt making me even crazier.

Hope y'all are doing great!