Here it is another day. I did 3100 steps on my walk yesterday. Wonder what it'd be if I left it on all day.

Eddie called last night after he got to his Dad's house. He said it was pitiful.His Dad has been sleeping and living in the livingroom. Nothing in the fridge and the house seems like a sad lonely place to live. He's trying to find paperwork. Apparently my x's father didn't leave him as much money as he was telling us he had so after paying the hospital bill there may not be much left. Theres a good bit of land and one house to sell that may bring in some money evenually but right now it's looking pretty tight. eddie has no idea how long it'll be before he can get back home.

Cristi,your right. I looked it up and found out about the dangers of sudden withdrawal from A.Grand Mall Seizures,hallucinations,hand tremores, ect.It can even cause death.

Susan, glad to hear about attorney and the drug test. This will fix Mike's little red wagon.lol.You can give the results to the other x to use to. Addicts do not quit with out first reaching rock bottom and it sounds to me like Mike has people enabling him and preventing this from happoning. There are ways to clean up if you know that a urine test is expected but there is no way to hide from a hair folical test other then shave your head and keep it shaved I suppose and that would be a dead give away.

Girls, got to go get things done. Have to do some banking for my sister and do my walk. BBL

Afternoon All!!!
Well thank you all for your opinions on my ungrateful friends.. I guess we are just gluttens for punishment. DBF wouldnt be able to go on without having those kids in our life, and it would bother me too...I guess thats the only reason we put up with it.....I KNOW, We're pitiful!!!! lol
Kickboxing was awesome....I can barely move today though!!! The instructor was a heavier version of Billy Blanks Himself!!! He was really motivating, it was all basically kicking, squatting, punching, pretty intense...I was so exhausted I went to bed at 8:00 last night. Im very excited about it though, hoping that this helps get me over my plateau/slump!!!!

KATIECAT: Good Luck with the root canal!!! I hate the dentist myself!!!

SUSAN: Glad to hear that you made out well with the lawyer....

JANE: Hope Macy is doing well,this is the first winter in 3 years, that I havent had it myself....YET!!!!!!!HAHA

MARTI: How are things going with the Gazelle? Have you noticed any results?

Hi to Angie, Cristi, Pam,and anyone else who pops in!!!
Julie

Happy first day of February ladies~

Wow, can you believe it is February already? I can't! LOL These months and years are going by waaaaaay too fast for me!

Julie~I figured you guys put up with that sort of treatment for the kids. I have to agree with Angie tho...maybe you guys should try some volunteer program to help out some kids instead of being disrespected, walked on and used just to see these so-called friends kids. I feel for you guys and evenutally it will take it's toll on your psyche. Anyway...glad you had a great workout.

Jane~aaahhh, poor Macy. Give her hugs from me. I do hope she gets to feeling better soon. I like the Maxine stuff also only most people I send cards to don't share my sense of humor. Can't believe it is February all ready! I do look forward to spring tho. I look forward to finishing off our yard and finally getting a fence! Yes, I do get excited about stuff like that. LOL Ernie is going to love it also-he will have run of the whole yard.

Angie~the concert sounded like lots of fun! I haven't been to a concert in ages! Love the scraf, it sounds cool. I need to learn how to crochet or knit-supposed to reduce the stress level in your life. I don't have so much stress but more worrying about kids all the time. Wish there was a switch I coculd turn it off. Hope Brandon enjoys his first day back at school. I looooove scary movies! Not sure why, but I do! HIde and Seek wasn't so much scary. It was more a psychological thriller-didn't even expect the ending. I love movies like that, but then I like most kinds of movies.

Katiecat~speaking of the dentist...I woke up this morning thinking I need to go. First I need to find one. I was hoping DH would be the guinea pig first. LOL I want to go to one that I know I will feel comfortable with and won't feel any pain other than the shot to numb things. The last one we went to was good but he talked way too much. But I traded the quiet for the comfortable. I never felt any pain, except the first prick of the shot. However...they changed their billing policy and you have to pay in full and then they will do the paper work for your insurance but not actually bill them. Done this in the past and it got messed up so prefer a place to just bill the insurance themselves because we don't usually have to pay anything but the co-pay. Anyway...sending good vibes and prayers your way that all goes well and it is painless! Glad you had a nice visit with DS and that DS#2 got him another car.

Pam~yeah, I don't know much about alcoholism but figured if someone was addicted and didn't have it for even a day they are going to go thru withdrawls and that makes for a very mean and po'ed person. And x-sob is going on a few days without it so I can only imagine how he is feeling both emotionally and physically. Then add to that the injuries-someone is not going to be a happy camper. I do hope DS doesn't have to endure too much from his dad. Maybe they can make peace before he goes.


Marti~I love Angie's idea about sending James to get a paper or something. That would be cool to have rose petals everywhere and lots and lots of candles lit. And of course a negligee and some champagne to top it off! I do hope that you and James both get the time off to go off on your weekend together.

Anywhoooo......went for an interview for a job at the Goodwill this morning. This will be the third time I have applied there in the last two years. The lady last time almost hired me but I was in school at the time and she was worried about me getting there by 4. The hours were 8-5 but she was thinking about hiring me on the spot and letting me have the hour off and me making it up on another day. Anyway, she hired someone else. The bad thing is everytime I have applied there there is always a different supervisior and different employees! Makes ya wonder. I'm not looking for a dream job, just a job that is close to home, something I feel I can deal with and somewhat easy. That's terrible isn't it? The pay is not even that good but I am willing to work and I think that is what counts. Anyway...maybe I should just try the secretarial route, something part-time We'll see...not much on the agenda today. Just cleaning the house and getting some cards ready to mail. Pretty dull Tuesday for me. Going to get some reading in also.

Hope everyone has a wonderful day! Tata for now

Gotta pop in real quick to say... I love my dentist! I go every 6 months to get my teeth cleaned, and whatever else needs done. A root canal isn't so painful. I've had 2 of them. What hurts is the idea of it! The thing that was the worst is when they put that rubber sheet with a hole for the tooth to protrude through, that does smart a little until you go numb.

Cristi - good luck with the job. If you're supposed to get it, you will.

Macy was sleeping when I visited her. So was Jerry. My sister was crying because the nurse mentioned that it would be time now to call hospice if they were going to go that route. <oh this hurts!!> I called for her, and they are going to give her some information today. Too sad.

Mackenzie Jo is napping. She's worried that she'll be in trouble with her parents since she didn't get a "Good Behavior" star today from the teacher. I think the teacher must have misunderstood the child, because she's very well behaved for me! Hrumph!!

Gotta go make a phone call... bbl,

Good Morning ladies--

I've been doing better at getting up at 11:00 rather than 1:30-2:00!! Trying to really focus on things in m life right now and getting enough sleep is one of them.... so I can make the most of my day.

Jane--I have no idea how the muscle thing works. I do know that I work out everday on it and I can feel my muscles in my legs and that's a good feeling. I'm going to start doing some other kind of exercise w/it later on so I can get a variety. May just drag out the ball and do crunches and squats w/it...... Hugs to little Macy!! I hope she gets better soon and is out of the hospital in no time.

Angie--Such a romantic you are!! I have a bottle of champaigne that was given to us on our wedding day...and I plan on bringing it with us. I told him that we are going to open it up on our One year anniversary. And who knew that the year would go by so fast and it's just around the corner?!!

Katie--I am sending you prayers your way that the visit to the dentist goes well for you. I had a rootcanal done years ago. And then last year.....it broke so I went in and had a sealant put on over it. The next day at home...the other half broke! It has been a year since I've had that done and it's still broken!! I just now got my dental insurance and need to make an appt. Sure not looking forward to that visit....will have lectures to go with it.That is happening next week sometime.

Pam--Keep the pedometer on all day and just before you get ready for bed....then check it out. My cousins dad and step mom (he's no longer married to my aunt so he's not my uncle ) joined this group called something like "Million steps" and their goal was to walk a million steps in a certain amount of time. And they did it! I have no idea how long it took and if it was a group effort or individually...but that pretty neat!

Julie--I realize you love those kids and you have every right to. But have you thought of this?? Those kids are watching what their parents are doing to you and DBF. As they get older....they may start treating you the same way. Or grow up treating OTHER people this way. Knowing that it's easy to do and nothing gets done. SOMETHING needs to be done.....have a heart to heart talk w/these friends and ask them why they think it's ok to treat you that way after all that you do! Or...as I and the others have said...distance yourselfs and the next time they need a favor....say no. (the kids are always going to love you) I read your post and worry about you. It's emotion abuse. And that's not right.

Cristi--Today is the day James can put in for his vacation. And I can't wait to hear if we both get the week off. I won't hear about it until the 15th. (Our scheduling is so bizarre!!) Hope your interview went well at Good Will!! Keeping my fingers crossed that you get it. They have some good stuff go through there that I sometime think "someone actually didn't want this??" So if you get the job...then you'll get first dibbs! (ok...that sounded strange after I wrote that!)

Well....I've got to clean up some and then get some breakfast in. You all have a wonderful day.

Ha,it's 6pm and the pedometer says I walked 2.10 miles today. It sounds like a lot to me.
Update on the x sob. He's much better. He's even watching tv and changing the channels. So much drama because of his drinking ,or not drinking. At least Eddie will be able to come home sooner then we thought and I don't have to worry about him coming out here and me being forced to take care of him. I think he should at the very least, reimburse Eddie for his out of pocket expenses if not his lost wages. After all this is a crisses of his own making. Thank God it's almost over for now but I'd be willing to bet he'll continue to drink.

Where is Ellen??? We miss you when you are not around Ellen,....also, Shanna......been forever hearing from her, hope she is ok.

Pam - I have a question......how long does a hair drug test thing work?? If he was doing drugs 6 months ago would it still show up? He has really long hair.....I will just carry some scissors with me and the next time I see him.....

I would love to work at Goodwill!! My fave store .....I had to go back there last night and buy yet another VCR because Gaby broke the first one - 14.99 what a deal

Yes, Rocky is a sweetie Marti. Last night though he was having a fit - never heard him so upset. All over me having to go back down next Monday night for a parenting class.The "idiot" (Mike) has it so easy, when is he going to have to spend money??? lol...........it is truly frustrating having to do this all long distance. The court down there can't make long distance phone calls....and no one ever calls back on info for this class or how to register or nuthin.............pain. I know it is the 7th though and it cost $80 - which I don't have........need to figure out how to get that.......lol. I was going to do the donation drive thing called "Save Gabrielle"......and collect $$$$ for the cause.......lol

Speaking of which........Miss Gaby stripped off her purple jumper during gym time today. Had to jump off the bleacher and go get her dressed - pronto! She is so cute.

Anyway- back to work! Thanks Katie- I will be careful.....

Good evening ladies~

Just a sort of quickie for me for now.

Marti~keeping my fingers that you and James get your days off. I would go crazy having to wait till the 15th to find out. You know...you have a very good point about the kids growing up and treating others the way the parents treat others. I didn't even think about that but it is true that kids learn by watching their parents. I too thought you are supposed to work the muscles every other day-think I read that some where.

Susan~why is it that Mike isn't having to do the class and other stuff that you are having to do? I know he's the one who got this started but does that mean he doesn't have to do the same? Doesn't seem right at all. At least he should be paying for you to do all this if nothing else. I thought I saw somewhere that the hair had to be pulled from the root for a drug test. Dunno for sure, just thought I saw that somewhere. Probably on one of those court shows I used to watch! I can totally understand why Rocky is getting upset tho-not fair at all and doesn't make a darn bit of sense to me.

Jane~(((((HUGS))))) to Macy and Jerry, and your sis. I can only imagine how hard this has been and is going to be on her. I always think it is hardest on those left behind. Your sis is lucky tho to have you by her side.

Pam~that's pretty good! I too would leave the pedometer on all day. I always wonder how much walking I do. Always have the 10,000 steps in the back of my mind but know I don't even get a fourth of that but very curious to know. Anyway...keep up the good work. Well, glad to hear the ex is doing better and DS won't have to stay as long. Maybe being in the hospital will make hime think about things when he leaves. Sometimes it takes something such as that to wake people up.

Anyway...this was supposed to be a quickie. Gonna go do some more reading since there is nothing on tv. Have a good evening ladies. See ya tomorrow sometime. Nighty, night.

darn,darn Cristi,,,,,,,,you mean I can't use the scissors on Mike?? haha,,,,,

Honestly , I don't know if he has taken the class yet. He was going to take the Jan 18th one - the class is only once a month on the coast - so the next one is Monday the 7th.
I am sure you can get a waiver on the cost but I can never get a "live" person on the phone.
I took the class when I went through my divorce and had Multnomah Court send a certificate saying that ....only for Clatsop to say it was over 1 1/2 years ago so I would have to take it again.
I asked the clerk(in Clatsop) if I could just take the class up here in Portland and send another certificate but she wouldn't say yes or no.....she wanted me to send her the info on the class and I would have to file an order for the judge to sign.
I told her ...............*sigh* (sooo frustrating) that it was denied for the length of time not on the class that I took. The classes have the same title and the one up here meets the requirments.............I mean we are Portland!! We aren't some dinky coastal town....lol.......course up here in Portland I wouldn't get a waiver.
Anyway.......I don't know if he has taken the class yet....he is suppose to.

I paid my filing fee but I know he hasn't. Though I asked for a waiver - which was denied.Maybe because I work, maybe because I get free housing with my job- I don't know.Some formula they use...

It cost me $20 every time I go down there in gas - and that has been 5 times so far.

Also , what got me spinning was the fact that IF he does lose his Oregon driver license because of not paying child support I would be the one required to transport her to see him. Wear and tear on my car, time away from my other kids and $$$ out of my pocket.
It just doesn't seem fair.....twilight zone. I would gladly pay for the drug testing though.

The mediator said " not having a job doesn't mean you are a bad parent" I said..........."will he has to have gas in his car and carry car insurance. Those things take $$$ - basic, simple things."

Even the child support lady said "we might have to grant the hardship appliaction, we have to give him a chance to get on his feet"

*roll eyes*.............is there a time frame??? He has already used up his unemployment and the reason he can't get a driving job anymore is because he was high as a kite and kept getting tickets............so, we enable some more????

argh........

Susan, I don't understand why they make the unfit parent sit back and almost control, while the other parent is jumping through hoops.
Tanner and Brandon both loved to be naked,,,and used to strip any time they had a chance. Couldn't trust them at all...lol
Jane, I feel so bad for your sister. That family has had enough.

I have had such a day already and its not even 8 am. Tanner is off to band camp this morning, and the fighting to get him packed. Always last minute...grrr Brandon has been messing with my computer and it takes almost 20 minutes to start it up...arghh So I was cranky with him about using and abusing my computer. He has one he just needs to figure out how to use the rotator for his to have internet. Told him he better pull some $$ out of his pocket.
Anyways need to get going, 3 days without the mouth...can't wait

Good morning.

Susan, The hair folical it's self shows drug use for the last 90 days. Cemicals are traped inside the folical. The shaft of the hair is like the trunk of a tree. It will show drug use over an extended period of time. The test doesn't take long.You can even buy them on line. I don't know if the court would allow you to hand over hair you got on your own, But his hair brush would be you best bet. You might need an impartial observer. I suggest surprising him in court infront of the judge and having a sample taken right then. Ask your attorney to arrainge for a lab rep to take it from court.

Jane, wish I could give you a hug.

Julie, Marti and Cristi made some good points. Much as you love them they are not your children and your influence will be minimal. You and your family's needs have to be the first priority and door mate isn't something you want your children to learn from you. If they treat you that way in public imagin what they're saying in private. You don't need this.

Did all my shopping yesterday so got nothing to do but house work today.ug.

Good morning ladies...coffee time

Well, the root canal wasn't a picnic, but I survived I'm really sore -- will be until they get the permanent crown on, I guess, in a few weeks. Traded very sensitive to cold for extremely sensitive to touch...trying to train myself not to bite down on that side at all -- OUCH!!! The worst thing, I think, was that they squeezed me in as an emergency appointment, so I had to sit there in the chair for 2 hours listening to him work on other people. He had a conversation with one guy, I will spare you the gory details, but the gentleman evidently had an abscessed tooth, and their little chat almost had me run screaming from the office in terror... My appointment was at 9:45 yesterday, and I didn't get out of the office until 2:00. Needless to say, I never did make it in to work.

Susan, hair drug tests can be done from hair anywhere on the body -- arms, underarms, legs. The closer to the scalp/skin, the more recent the record, because that is the newest growth. When Tim started working at this new job last spring, he had to go through an extensive background check -- he works at a medical insurance company for military members and their families and retirees, so he is contracted by the Federal government. At the time he had a really long ponytail, between the middle of his back and his waist, I guess. The woman at the lab cut a section of his hair close to his scalp, so if they'd wanted it, they would have had a record for a few years. Now he shaves his head (from one extreme to the other!) but he told me they could have gotten hair from other parts of his body for the test. And as far as the "reasonable" time frame for Mike to get his act together? Your new lawyer should be able to work that out, shouldn't he?

Pam, I am glad things are calming down for your son. This must have been awful for him to deal with. If nothing else good comes of this, your son will have an unforgettable picture in his head of what alcohol abuse can do to a person, and hopefully that will help him in the choices he makes as he gets older. As far as your ex goes...I thought (but I'm not positive) that when you first mentioned this you said the two of you were finally coming to some sort of truce, making peace in a way, and that this injury was the result of him trying to quit drinking? If that's the case, and he hasn't had any booze since being hospitalized, maybe he really is ready to quit, maybe he will be there long enough to totally detox? Wouldn't that be wonderful Only time will tell.

Cristi, good luck on the job! Oh, I hate it when the dentist asks you questions! They have all this crap crammed in my mouth, bite blocks and rubber tooth isolators, and metal clamps, I feel like I'm suffocating and choking and trying to breathe calmly through my nose, and then he asks me a question that doesn't require a simple uh-huh or uh-uh. Sheesh! Thank goodness I have good insurance through my work, and coverage through Tim's. Since it's the beginning of the year and we haven't had any other work done, most of this should be covered. Good thing, too, because the torture session yesterday would have been 995.00, and that's not counting the work my own dentist will do for the crown. I can think of a heckuva a lot of things I'd rather spend a thousand bucks on.

Jane, maybe you could give Miss Mackenzie your own "good behavior" star How is Macy doing? And prayers to your family, for your sister and BIL. It's good that you can be there for them. You seem to be the "be there" person in your family Hospice can be best for the family, getting to be with their loved one as much as possible. My stepsister in Florida (never met her) just passed away, and she was able to be home with her sister, her mom, her ex-mother-in-law (who loved her dearly) and her teenaged daughters. My dad died the month before I turned six. He packed to go to the hospital, and I thought he was going to have his tonsils out, like I had. I never got to visit him, and the last time I saw him was from the hospital parking lot, he managed to get out of bed to wave to me from his window. I wish he had been able to be home with us when he died, so I could have said goodbye.

Angie, my kids didn't tend to strip, but I do remember one incident. My oldest son, when he was three, had a little girl from an upstairs apartment come over to play. It was summer, and they were both wearing plain little shorts outfits, like a solid colored T-shirt and shorts. Sarah's mom was chatting with me in the kitchen, and we thought, hmmm, the kids are awfully quiet. We went into Erik's room, and he and Sarah were playing happily, no worries...it took me a good 5 minutes to realize he was wearing her outfit and she was wearing his!!! They had swapped clothes -- wonder what on earth instigated that!

Marti, good luck on getting your time off with James Isn't a pain to co-ordinate two work schedules? For Tim and I to get time off together in March, we had to request it the beginning of January. Somehow, I don't think I'm that ridiculously indispensable -- I think they can manage to run the place without me for a week!

OK, ladies, it's that time. My mouth is sure sore, and I have to go talk to cranky people all day *sigh* Hope you all have a good one -- hi to Pam, and Julie, and Shanna, and Ellen, and anyone else I missed...heehee, I feel like the Romper Room lady with her magic mirror -- "I see Pam, and Julie, and Shanna, and Ellen..."

time for me to fly!
(wasn't that an REO Speedwagon song?)

Mary Kate

*sigh so now before 9 am I have already dropped Tanner off, and once home gotten a call from the school saying he and his friend Sam were picking on another child. Talking to the teacher I told her I had grounded him from the computer for 1 month as of last night and we were having alot of loud words this morning about his mouth. Tanner is crying and apologizing for his behaviour. Told the teacher as it stands Im ticked at him from another incident, and being him mom asking me to decide isn't right. That being she would be with him for the next 3 days and not I, she would have to decide if she wants to be around him. She told me hes going but if there are any other incidents he will be coming home,,gawd help him if I have to drive over an hour to get him. He knows...the band teacher always says,,,don't ever do anything to make your parents come and get you...lol So anyways I have now also grounded him from his friend Sam. Told him that if he does that with his friend then he needs to find a new friend.
Meanwhile talking to Monte about all this I am one step away from cancelling our internet.
Am I being to cranky? I know Im starting a cold, and don't feel well,,,see I am not busy and I get sick. Have to be busy all the time and don't have time to be sick.
I guess what it comes down to, is Im tired of coming home to the kids fighting about who's turn it is. The house is a mess and I know I left it clean that morning, I know this is all minor stuff,,,just fed up with all this racket.

Good Morning ladies--

I'm up w/the sunshine! And ohhhh....am I tired! Need to get James up here in the next few minutes. We are taking our two female kitties to get spayed today. Can't they work on my night schedule???? But not having kittens is worth getting up!

Wish I had more time to chat....but I need to get these girls out of here. Poor things are hungry but they had to fast!


Off I go....bbl on today....unless I sleep right on through!

Just checking in for a minute... I've been up at the hospital since real early with Maggie. Jerry had to have a procedure done, and I didn't want her to be there by herself. Then I went to Macy's room, 4 floors down, and stayed with her while Gina ran home to get a quick shower. I didn't sleep well last night so I'm off for a nap.

I'll try to bbl,
Have a good day, ladies.