We've got a kitty named Belle...she has been with us since September 1996...she is getting up there in age and it shows. More so, lately. She meows constantly if she's not sleeping and it's not a "I'm in pain" meow. I think she is telling me to piss off most of the time cause I don't feed her when she wants me to or let her outside. It's hard for her to jump to places she easily has before on some days...others she is up there no problem. She sleeps in the oddest places lately and they aren't comfy ones either! She will demand to go outside (she is an indoor cat mainly) and she will just lay in the flower bed or on the sidewalk (concrete) path in front of the porch for hours. She has never slept in any of the bathrooms - ever and she will do that every day now...weird. Right now, she is laying on the metal fireplace hearth sleeping like nobody's business. Belle must have been sick all last week and this weekend because typically she will wake me up for breakfast every morning and demand I get to it...she will race me downstairs (One day I will trip over her and beat her to the bottom!) Belle is more my pet than anyone else's in the family. She tolerated Jennifer (who wanted the cat) and had nothing to do with Valerie (I think because when Val was little, she would be a bit too rough with her) and will only give attention to Mark if she wants outside and I already vetoed it. She sleeps on top of my pillow at night, I have conversations with her..and yes she answers me, contrary to my kids arguments. Anyway, back to the sickness part. She didn't come down in the morning with me for 5 days...it wasn't till like lunchtime when she appeared to eat and she really was slow moving at times. Monday she didn't even come downstairs until around 8pm...her food was untouched until then. Hubby said when he was home she stayed on the bed sleeping and that's where she was that evening till 8pm. She threw up sometime in the middle of the night, I know this because I stepped in it when I went to the bathroom! Nasty feeling on your feet! Yesterday, she flew downstairs like normal and is acting fine once again. All of this made me think of my past pets, which were few!
I guess I was about 3 or 4, I remember having pet turtles, small ones that lived in a fish tank...I think they died because one day there were there and the next gone lol. They were fun to play with outside the tank too.
When I was in 3rd grade I got a cat because my parents didn't approve of my imaginary sister that lived in Japan...well her name was Twinkles and she loved me, tolerated my dad and wanted nothing to do with mom lol. She lived forever...I mean she was OLD when she died of feline leukemia and is buried in the backyard of the house my parents live in right now. When we lived in Wayne Heights, Twinkles would get outside at times and made friends with the dog that lived downstairs, Sheba. Once I got married, Mark didn't want to bring the cat with us so when we would visit, Twinkles let me know she was not happy with me abandoning her! I was no longer a thought.
Sometime in the first years of our marriage, Mark brought home a kitten which we named Cricket...beacuse she jumped like one LOL. She was our party kitty...she HATED people except for us. When people came over, she would hiss and growl at them and the hide somewhere. We had a party once, I think it was for Stacie's husband's birthday and Cricket hid the in bathtub and the shower curtain was closed so you didn't know she was there. One of the guests went to the bathroom and came out screaming...said there was something in the shower LOL..It was Cricket hissing LOL. We gave Cricket to a new home right before I gave birth to Jennifer, we weren't sure how it would react to her. Have no idea how she is now.
Which brings us to Belle. I truly think her days are numbered...I will miss her terribly when she is gone. Jennifer asked me what I would do and I told her...I will cry and probably get another kitty...I need company until my girls are married and give me grandchildren! Of course my girls both say they aren't having kids LOL.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
An Ah-Ha moment in child rearing.
You have many throughout the life time of raising your children and some aren't as memorable as others. The books and the experts tell you about them and tell you how to deal with them and all the while you are saying, "oh my child isn't going to be act like that!" Haha..then we end up we egg on our face because at one point in time our children DO act like the books and experts tell you to expect.
One of my MANY and memorable came when my girls were teenagers and were fully enjoying their cell phones. I can recall this day almost perfectly...I can't remember the date but I can remember where each of us were sitting and doing. The girls were on the couch and I was ust coming back in from getting the mail. I had the cell phone bill in my hand. Now, our plan at that time - each girl had 250 texts each and we had a family plan of minutes and I allotted each of them 500 minutes. At this point in time, they didn't really call many people that weren't on our plan (or so was the case till this point.) For months they did well staying in the ranges. My policy was the same as the cell phone company...if you went over your texts, you would pay me 10 cents for each one over. If you went over your minutes, you paid me 35 cents for each minute
over. The penatly for not paying your bill was turning off the that feaure or even the phone untill payment was received.
The girls had no jobs but did get an allowance that included spending money. I gave them X amount of money each money and from that money X amount was lunch money, money from doing their assigned tasks at home and then spending money. The idea was (and it worked VERY well their entire teen years) that this was all you got for the month...you had one pass to ask me for extra if it was something important (example being a school function or a new book (reading is deemed very high in our house and I never have turned down buying them a book). They never abused the extra pass.
So back to this particular day, I opened my bill and hit the roof. It was almost $300! Now I have to tell you that the two months before each girl went over their texts by like 4 each and one went over their minutes by like 10. I gave them a warning each of those months and a "pass." I figured they would learn. HaHa...egg on my face! I told each girl what they owed me for this bill...and it was BIG for Jennifer. Not so much for Valerie, but it was still steep. Jennifer didn't care one bit and all she said was she would try harder not to. Ohhhh so not good enough. She proceeded to tell me that I always bluff with the threats and don't follow through with my punishments like I say I will. Ding Ding Ding...and let there be LIGHT! Oh yep indeed...the light bulb came on BRIGHTLY. I picked up my phone and dialed the cell company and had them turn off the phones temporarily. Now being smartasses the girls didn't believe me and laughed and went on with watching their TV show. I walked away to cool off and to start dinner. About 10 min later, I heard this scream of MOMMMMMMM why did you turn off my phone!!!!! I nearly choked from trying not to laugh of smile but said with the straightest face possible "you don't pay your bill, the service is gone, Pay your bill and it comes back on"
Fuming she walked away and didn't talk to me for two days. Valerie, my money hoarder paid her bill two days later and her phone was turned on. On the third day, Jennifer paid me half (she owed me $100) with money she was saving for some outfit and shoes for months now. Told me to take the rest of it out of her next months money. I did which was a week away. Her phone was then turned on. Since that day, I have no problems with them and their phones and I have had NO problems following through on any of my punishments....they didn't like it but they got the point and didn't argue.
I probably should have learned that lesson long before that but my girls are awesoome, responsible adults now so I didn't do too badly. Live and learn.
What was one of your Ah-Ha moments?
One of my MANY and memorable came when my girls were teenagers and were fully enjoying their cell phones. I can recall this day almost perfectly...I can't remember the date but I can remember where each of us were sitting and doing. The girls were on the couch and I was ust coming back in from getting the mail. I had the cell phone bill in my hand. Now, our plan at that time - each girl had 250 texts each and we had a family plan of minutes and I allotted each of them 500 minutes. At this point in time, they didn't really call many people that weren't on our plan (or so was the case till this point.) For months they did well staying in the ranges. My policy was the same as the cell phone company...if you went over your texts, you would pay me 10 cents for each one over. If you went over your minutes, you paid me 35 cents for each minute
over. The penatly for not paying your bill was turning off the that feaure or even the phone untill payment was received.
The girls had no jobs but did get an allowance that included spending money. I gave them X amount of money each money and from that money X amount was lunch money, money from doing their assigned tasks at home and then spending money. The idea was (and it worked VERY well their entire teen years) that this was all you got for the month...you had one pass to ask me for extra if it was something important (example being a school function or a new book (reading is deemed very high in our house and I never have turned down buying them a book). They never abused the extra pass.
So back to this particular day, I opened my bill and hit the roof. It was almost $300! Now I have to tell you that the two months before each girl went over their texts by like 4 each and one went over their minutes by like 10. I gave them a warning each of those months and a "pass." I figured they would learn. HaHa...egg on my face! I told each girl what they owed me for this bill...and it was BIG for Jennifer. Not so much for Valerie, but it was still steep. Jennifer didn't care one bit and all she said was she would try harder not to. Ohhhh so not good enough. She proceeded to tell me that I always bluff with the threats and don't follow through with my punishments like I say I will. Ding Ding Ding...and let there be LIGHT! Oh yep indeed...the light bulb came on BRIGHTLY. I picked up my phone and dialed the cell company and had them turn off the phones temporarily. Now being smartasses the girls didn't believe me and laughed and went on with watching their TV show. I walked away to cool off and to start dinner. About 10 min later, I heard this scream of MOMMMMMMM why did you turn off my phone!!!!! I nearly choked from trying not to laugh of smile but said with the straightest face possible "you don't pay your bill, the service is gone, Pay your bill and it comes back on"
Fuming she walked away and didn't talk to me for two days. Valerie, my money hoarder paid her bill two days later and her phone was turned on. On the third day, Jennifer paid me half (she owed me $100) with money she was saving for some outfit and shoes for months now. Told me to take the rest of it out of her next months money. I did which was a week away. Her phone was then turned on. Since that day, I have no problems with them and their phones and I have had NO problems following through on any of my punishments....they didn't like it but they got the point and didn't argue.
I probably should have learned that lesson long before that but my girls are awesoome, responsible adults now so I didn't do too badly. Live and learn.
What was one of your Ah-Ha moments?
Sunday, October 2, 2011
A day with Valerie
Yesterday was a very long day but a great one. We drove 2.5 hrs to see Valerie and enjoyed the day there in Carrollton and surrounding areas. We left at 8am and didn't get get home till 11pm. The trip was to bring her the cold weather clothes she asked for, the new laptop (hers crapped out), and of course cookies for the roomies. I also brought her the padded memo board I made for her so she could hang pictures up without making holes in the wall. I love those 3M sticky hanging thingys!! Anyway, we went to a mall that was about 30 min away...it was pretty big! Took us about 3 hours to do the entire thing and she bought a few more items of clothes. I didn't spend a dime! Well unless you count the Aunt Annie's pretzel! We headed back over to Carrollton and went to see Lion King in 3D...Valerie was like a little kid lol. Dear hubby fell asleep! By this time, it was going on 6pm so we went to eat dinner at Applebees...I tried something new and loved it...think I will be trying to make it at home too. Bruschetta chicken. Then it was time for the traditional trip to the grocery store! We dropped her off at her place and headed for home...I know I am rambling here lol.
I don't think I will ever be comfortable driving this trip alone to see her...I drove there and it was so stressful when the traffic got thick near the airport and then each time we had to change interstates. Hubby likes interstates and I would prefer back roads or at least a not so busy interstate unlike the ones we had to use. I felt as if Mark didn't care for the drive but you know what...he choose not to get Valerie a car so maybe eventually he will get her one. On the way up there, the "service engine light" came on...it comes on from time to time and we have no idea why...or I should say Mark doesn't seem to care as long as the car runs well which it is. It bothers and worries the heck out of me.
I've attached the picture of the memo board I made and Valerie sent me one last night of it partially filled. They are so easy to make and the colors I used matched her comforter perfectly.
I don't think I will ever be comfortable driving this trip alone to see her...I drove there and it was so stressful when the traffic got thick near the airport and then each time we had to change interstates. Hubby likes interstates and I would prefer back roads or at least a not so busy interstate unlike the ones we had to use. I felt as if Mark didn't care for the drive but you know what...he choose not to get Valerie a car so maybe eventually he will get her one. On the way up there, the "service engine light" came on...it comes on from time to time and we have no idea why...or I should say Mark doesn't seem to care as long as the car runs well which it is. It bothers and worries the heck out of me.
I've attached the picture of the memo board I made and Valerie sent me one last night of it partially filled. They are so easy to make and the colors I used matched her comforter perfectly.
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