Thursday, February 9, 2012

My Moms First Blog Post

My mom sent me this email today, it may or may not have made me cry. She's an amazing mom, grandma and friend. She may not agree with every choice I've made in my life, but she loves me anyway. She is my rock through hard times and makes me laugh when no one else can. I'm fortunate enough to have a mom I can call my best friend. Thanks for all you do! (And sorry to post this.....) 

I've always wondered about why women blog.  But after watching 5 grandkids I get it.  I forgot how fun this was. First you need to know I slept exactly 3 hours and 47 minutes last night. Between snoring, coughing nightmares and my mind writing my talk for Sunday at 2:00 am it was a very long night.  I had a Benadryl at 4:00 thinking if I could just get a couple hours Id feel great in the morning...apparently Benadryl is longer lasting than 2 hours.  I'm just praying I don’t get pulled over for a DUI by the cops running the speed trap on 3600 west.  I know it's a trap cuz I've been down it 8 times already today. 

You'll be proud to know all kids have gotten to school on time.  (Seatbelts may or may not have been on).  After getting 4 of the 5 to school I had 45 minutes to get ready for the day.  I know that's about 3 times as long as most moms, but keep in mind I'm use to leisurely mornings reading the paper sipping Pero.  After I'm ready I help Gunner with his homework.  We count out 100 M&M's and count them by 10's.  I started a diet today so I only eat 5....well maybe more like 50, I quit counting.  We go pick up Marin and Drew (on time again, go me).  Get home and make sandwiches when Halle calls and says she needs shoes for recess.  (It's pajama day and she wore slippers).  Keep in mind I've been home from picking up Marin for 4 minutes.  I slap ham on bread for sandwiches and we pile back into the car.  I snarf the crusts down for my lunch and say to heck with the diet bring it on!!!  I get Gunner to school about 10 minutes early so let Marin and Drew play on the playground so I can sleep in the car for 10 minutes.  Just as I'm dosing Gunner opens the door to tell me Drew has broken a school rule and climbed up the slide.

Right now I'm on the toilet faking like I'm going while Marin and Drew are trying to watch me under the door.  I reach for the TP and see a piece of cheese clinging for life on the roll.  (don't ask, I have no idea).  I wash my hands and hear the doorbell, crap!!!!  The RS Presidency is coming for a visit!  Really?  Why?  I'm fine!!!!  My house is a complete disaster!  After an hour visit I make Drew his lunch, he wasn't hungry earlier, I eat his crust and figure that's a meal combined with the crusts from the other sandwiches.  Things have calmed down a bit.  I'm going to make beds and straighten up before the others get home. 

So what I'm trying to say in all this, is I get why mom's blog.  When I was a young mother we stood outside and talked to our neighbors and told horror stories like my morning to each other while the kids played.  Now a days, we don't do that.  We text and we blog and we take Xanex to get through the day.  My baby turns 28 tomorrow.  I can hardly remember her as a child.  I don't remember the days like today.  I don't remember the hard times, I only remember the joy she, and my sons have brought to me.  The wonderful feeling of holding your child for the first time.  Of falling so in love you can't imagine a life without them.  My days of little children are gone. I only have grandchildren who visit and stay over occasionally.   I realize that being a mom and grandma is the best job I could ever have.  I've been blessed with 3 wonderful children.  Who are my best friends. Thanks for being such great people.  I love you!
Mom

Friday, February 3, 2012

A little rant....

**Heads up, this is just MY opinion, I’m sure it will rub someone the wrong way, but when have I ever tried to sugar coat things like this? Get over it.**

I was listening to The Painful Circle this morning on X-96 and they were talking about divorce. A lady called in wondering about Alimony and child support payments. I don’t even know what they ended up telling her or what they told her was going to happen because I pulled in to work just as they started chatting about it. But it got my blood boiling that women can be so dependent on “spousal support” to live.

I’m divorced with two kids, (shocking, right?) there is nothing that irritates me more than women who drain their ex husbands bank accounts every month so that they can continue to live comfortably rather than going out and working to support THEIR children. TWO people made the decision to get married and have kids, not one. ONE person should not support the children.  Things HAVE TO CHANGE once a divorce happens. (Girls,  you may actually have to take the sweat pants off and get out of the house and get one of those “job” thingy’s…) I understand CHILD support and completely agree with it. Obviously if the husband was bringing in all of the income, the wife is going to have to have help…FOR THE KIDS!!

I find a sense of accomplishment and independence that I’ve been able to get myself into a house, find a great paying job, pay my own bills, pay off some debts and still have some money each month to let the boys have some play time. {side note…..I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have help from my parents to get me to this point, so here’s a little shout out to them. You guys are AMAZING!!}

The majority of my “accomplishments” have all been done, with very, I repeat VERY little child support and absolutely NO ALIMONY!! Why should both my ex and I struggle each month to make ends meet? What does that do for the kids? Oh, I know, it makes THEM suffer!! I’d rather the ex (who I really don’t give a rats for) be able to take my kids to do fun things or be able to buy them that video game they’ve been begging for, instead of draining his bank account each month because he has to pay me alimony.

It’s my hope that later in life my kids will be grateful for the fact that I busted my a-double-s to provide for them, and have an appreciation for the fact I didn’t exhaust all of their dads money so that I could afford to have a few luxuries or pay my house payment each month. I did it all. BY MYSELF!

To tie up this little rant about lazy women who depend on their ex husbands, here’s a little food for thought: Grow some lady balls, and get things done without depending on that ex husband to pay for your lifestyle.

Amen