Tuesday, August 7, 2012



This is me about the beginning of me starting to track calories and working out more.

Monday, August 6, 2012


You might have seen a post on here that I didn't mean to put up. If your a follower of my private blog I moved it over there. Sorry about the mess up.

Sunday, August 5, 2012


My son has been working at his job for a couple weeks now. He got his first partial check pretty fast cause they pay weekly. He bought my husband a lighter so he blow thru his check pretty fast.

However, to his credit it wasn't very many hours because he started mid week.

He has already increased in hours and I am proud of him. He missed a fun day with his church because he had to work cause they added a day to him and he didn't even complain. He seems to be catching on a little more about some of our issues around here.

The job has caused some conversations between my husband and I that we don't agreee on. It's about the meals. My husband is thinking that he is working he needs to start pulling his weight more in the area of feeding himself especially if he is working during our dinner time.

We are in agreement that we don't want him to cook late at night when everyone else is in bed or soon to be. We are in agreement about how we don't want him to see dollars and start eating his meals at the various fast food places all the time.

We just are not in agreement over that missed evening meal. I don't see my grocery shopping suddenly changing from buying for four to three. Honestly, I have to buy for 5 since my grand daughter spends quite a few meal times with us.

Its my feelings that if I could for four for dinner that we save him a meal that he can eat at night or say take for lunch or the next night. I see no problem doing this unless he was to not eat the food and it was being thrown out. I am in no place to be throwing good out. Money is very tight and I just can't do that.

My husband thinking is also part on the line is Alex going to want to wait to eat dinner until 11 pm or so when he is off and shouldn't he just pack a sandwich? I don't care for boring sandwiches much so I wouldn't want to push them on him. Also, I find lunch meat to be pricey. At the store my son works at it is 6 dollars for a pound. I am glad that we have Aldi's where I can afford to buy food at lower costs.

I think we vary on feelings on this issue cause I am Mom and I can feel my stomach growl if he is hungry. I don't mean literly but what hurts my children hurts me. To this day my finger hurts when I think about Alex getting it cut off in a door as a new walker. Long story but the finger was saved.

My husband doesn't see my son as an equal and I don't blame him but he is seeing him more like a man than a child. So, he has higher expectations for my son to take care of himself. I think in some ways he is right. Saturday, Stephen went with his Dad to a water park and Alex couldn't go due to work. My husband isn't big on eating and often times if left all on his own might not eat a meal. It just really varies.

I think a night when the pressure is off putting a meal together for all of us my son should figure something out on his own to eat but shouldn't have to pay for it.

Wonder if I will be thinking the same when in the next few weeks or so my husband loses his unemployment.

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Retreat and cooking


I am all signed up for the retreat for Mom's with special needs children. I am excited to get to go again. Well, anyways, the organization the puts the events together emailed me asking me for a a favorite recipe. I don't know why this is so hard but I have been holding off on doing it cause not sure which recipe I would go with.

My guess is that they are going to put a cookbook together and give it out or sell it. :)

Can anyone give me advice on what kind of recipe that you would want to see in a book.

Would you think a casserole? Or a desert? Or a bread or muffin recipe? A soup? Something cold like potato salad?

Texting


Dear Readers,

I wanted to say a little about texting. Please, keep in mind that it doesn't replace a phone call. Never assume that if you send a text that the person actually got it. I know relationships could suffer from a result of someone thinking they were ignored. This could be so much worse for someone in reunion who isn't secure in their new relationship.

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Two daughters, two Mother's and one Nana




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This picture was floating around on facebook and I don't normally go sharing a lot of things like that and put it on my status.

It got me thinking about how ironic that in just a few short years compared to my long overall longing for a daughter that I ended up with two daughters.

Two daughters who both have another Mother. One daughter is biologically mine and no one can contest that since we look very much alike. One daughter is my husband's daughter so that makes her my stepdaughter.

The other Mother part has at times been a hard thing for me to get past. I felt as if since I didn't raise them that they didn't need me. I didn't know where I fit in with my stepdaughter and the reality hit me like a ton of books that the same situation went with my daughter too.

If I was super religious and believed in God and his plans for us I would wonder if this was a funny joke that I went from only being a Mom to two sons to having two daughters but I am not their Mom.

For the record, I have a stepson but I haven't ever felt any bad emotions over him. I just accepted him as he came. However, with my stepdaughter, especially before reunion, I felt like I was cheating on Izzy if I had a relationship with my stepdaughter. I know that sounds silly but it's how I felt.

I remember finding this little red headed doll and falling in love with it and I knicked named it the (insert name of step daughter) doll. I thought that the doll might sort of look how she looked as a young kid and that was around the time reality hit me that I didn't know if I could fit in with her cause she had a Mom and didn't need a second one.

Alot of time as passed and I have very different relationships with both girls. I see my step daughter quite often cause my husband babysit's our grand daughter. I am Nana to her child and I believe that with us having her daughter with us so much that has helped us be closer than we would otherwise.

We really don't hang out and stuff. I do give my step daughter gifts for birthdays and Christmas if I can afford it. I love that I have another daughter to spoil. There is just something exciting about choosing gifts for a girl and I am overjoyed that not only do I have two daughters but I have a grand daughter too. My step daughter has given gifts back and while I don't give gifts to recieve them it's nice that she takes the time to think about me. Izzy hasn't really given me any gifts besides a tshirt that she gave me that she held onto for a whole year before she remembered to give it to me. Then, there is the picture of our first dinner all alone. But mostly it's just me that gives her gifts and not the other way around.

When it comes to talking to my daughter there are times I feel guilty like it's more one sided me trying to engage her in conversation and at times I feel second best to her Mom. Izzy moved away and soon her Mom is making another trip to see them on her birthday and the last trip just a few weeks ago was the boyfriends birthday. I get to feeling if I loved her enough I would find a way to go. It doesn't matter that I am strugging with bills and how my husband is soon to lose his unemployment and how unless my ex finds a new job asap we are going to lose child support for a month or more. I feel bad that I didn't send the boyfriend a birthday gift but I can't afford to start doing that. I will feel like I always have to do it.

I struggle with am I suppose to love both daughters the same? I would be lying if I said I love them equally and I just don't want to lie about that. I wondered when I posted the picture about my daughter's does that make Izzy jealous?? When I see Izzy post stuff about her Mom it stings a little for me. Also, i feel the sting a little bit when my step daughter gets nails and feet done with her Mom. It's not that I want to take those moments and start doing that with my step daughter cause honestly I can't afford it anymore. But it stings because Izzy is no longer here for me to do those fun girl things with her if I could afford it.

I think I will wrap this up with saying that even though I am not the Mama and I have to share with them with their Mom's I am glad for the chance at reunion and the memories. I know that someday I will be able to give Izzy the scrapbook that I started before I had a clue that there would be a reunion.

I am also glad that my step daughter has accepted me in her father's and her life and seem to understand that there can't be too many Grandmother figures in her daughter's life. I don't get to spend as much time with my grand daughter as I would like but I really enjoy her.

This week she was out of bubbles and I said Nana will get you some more bubbles. She brought me my shoes. It was so cute. So, I decided that we would go get bubbles and some ice cream. We went to McDonald's and I hear Sponge Bob!!! I wouldn't stop with just ice cream. We shared an happy meal and each had our own ice cream and she got Sponge Bob. It's the little moments like that just melts my heart.

Vacation over


I have to go back to work. My time off reminds me that I am just not the type of person that can stay home without a job. I get bored and without having income coming in it just doesn't leave much money to go places. My vacation wasn't paid for so I will be pinching pennies for a couple weeks.

I don't feel like I did much but gonna do a run down of the things we did do.

Walked around the river front with my dog.

Took my sons to a water park.

We spent the day at the local pool.

I did Zumba outside in the sun on dance day.

I did Zumba a couple days inside the Y.

My son and I took a walk around the neighborhood.

I took my grand daughter out to buy bubbles and a happy meal.

I had a day out with my friend yesterday.

All in all, I did quite a bit.

12 hour shift today. I really missed one of my two clients and am looking forward to seeing her.