Hibernation Station

Seriously, I am one lazy mother. even my 7 year old is more ambitious than me.

Sometimes I think I'm half bear because when it gets below a certain temperature, all I want to do is crawl under blankets and sleep.  And a massive cold snap is descending on the North East today, and we are smack in the middle of it.  Kid's had a snow day today, so we did legos, watched some TV, and just basically acted like lazy, loose, turds all day long.   Sagan is currently downstairs playing on Stu's computer and what ever game he is playing sounds like a techno rave or something.  I am too phased out to care what the hell he is doing.... he could be watching YouTube videos about Somali Pirates for all I know, I am not getting off this chair and checking.

This is why I am clearly the mother of the year.

This snow makes me want to build a pillow fort and hibernate.  I'd share with the kids, don't worry.

So I will make a list of things I SHOULD be doing right now, instead of sitting here rambling on a blog:

• Making Biscuits.  Stu will be home any minute, and dinner isn't half ready.  Smells good though, thank you Mr. slow cooker.
• Hocking my Thirty-One.   I really have to get on the horn, email and facebook and start promoting my business more.  But it makes me feel pushy and desperate, so I don't.   I guess I think customers are magically going to come to me.   So far I've had luck with that, but it's slowing down.  Maybe I'll get on that this weekend.
• Bathing my children.   I'm pretty sure they need to shower.   I''ll save it for later.   That way Sagan can do my favorite thing in the world, flood my bathroom with his action figures filled with water.  
• Cut the Guinea Pigs Nails.   That little critter needs his talons chopped.   He is starting to resemble those cray cray ladies on "My Strange Obsession" who never cut their nails.   Who knew how fast a GPs nails grew.  I guess I am an unfit pet owner.  I probably shouldn't have had kids either because I don't think I've cut their toenails since 2009.
• Clean out my Car.   Ut-uh.  No way.  It's 5 below zero, my snot will freeze to my face.  It's bad enough I went out there to get my Ice Tea out of the car and it was basically a shot put.  I am not going out there again.
• Sew with Sophia.  We have some sewing to do for gifts and I am too lazy to lift the sewing machine onto the table and thread the bobbin.  We'll get on that tomorrow.  Maybe.
• Read the manual For my New Camera.  Yeah I'll get to it.  Right now, the "auto" setting is fine.  But I really should learn how to use it more efficiently.
• Give Brian a Bath.  My dog has had a small knot due to Sagan sticking a tiny drop of chewing gum on his head for abotu 6 months now.  When ever I pet him, I feel this tiny, gooey bump on him and it drives me nuts.   He needs a good grooming to be honest.  Maybe I'll hire someone to do it.  Probably a better idea or he may be bald by the time I am done with him.
• Get off the Computer.   yeah I think I will.   This is probably the one thing I don't mind doing in my lazy state.   I'll move to the chair, and think about those biscuits.....
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For the love of God people, It's just a Snowstorm

An Open letter to the worry warts;

Dear ulcer-inducing, over sensitive, highly critical fart knockers,

It's just snow.  It has been falling out of the sky for all ages, and will continue to fall until weather on steroids evaporates it all.  Cars CAN drive in snow.   I did it for years, usually down hill, and sometimes with bald tires.   You will not die.   Your children will not die on a bus.   I do understand your worry about kids being out on buses in a blizzard, yes I do.  But the snow did not start in our area till the evening.  This is not an excuse to go to the grocery store and be rude to the check out lady, it is not an excuse to ask for prayers.   No one is dying.   It's snow.  Bundle your kids up, put on their boots, and send them out to play in it.  I promise they will not freeze, their fingers will not fall off, and they will not dash their heads upon  hidden rocks as they frolic in the white stuff.   We are creating a culture of youngsters afraid of mother nature.   Let's not fuck this up for them anymore than we all ready have.

Technology in the New Year

It's 6 minutes til' midnight on New years eve the other night, and my kids and my husband are glued to technology.   What is my daughter looking at?   Instagram.   Do I sit there and check on her like a hawk on her shoulder?

Hell yes.

I am getting really fed up with the screens in this house.  I will admit Sophia has been better since Christmas since she got her sewing machine and a ton of craft products.  These things have been instrumental in keeping her off her tablet for a large amount of the vacation.

Dixie makes a great foot rest minutes before the ball drops....

We resorted to every expensive and technical and flashy noise maker.   Pots and pans and a pair of old tongs.  Sagan was a fan.  My ears were not.

Sparkling Apple juice was also a big hit.

My beautiful boy slugging down his New Years treat.

So a few of my New years resolutions.   Loose weight.   Get in shape.   Get the kids off technology and into music lessons.  Make some money with my Thirty-One business.   Laugh more.  I used to laugh alot, but the stresses of life have taken their toll.   The stresses of having a kid with challenges, though sometimes it's hard to even tell because we've come so far with him, has taken it's toll.  It ages you.   Learn to hold stuff  in and not complain so much.  I'm on it.  Oh.  and get a mammogram.   Gotta get on that.

Definitely get on that.

Happy New Year!

One of my New Year's resolutions is to blog daily, so join me on my challenge! 

Wishing you a healthy and happy 2014, The Williams Family

Adventures in Sewing

Today's adventure was.... sewing with Stacy and Sophia!  It shocks and amazes me how skills you learned 25 years ago... even 35 years ago in some cases, come back to you when you are trying to re-learn them.   For instance, take sewing.  I took sewing classes in 4-H.... does anyone remember 4-H?  I learned to knit, sew, ride horses, raise rabbits,  I even sewed my own Christmas stocking one year.  I was literally 9 when I gave up on it.  In college I took Costume construction classes, but never liked it.  I remember once, standing there for two hours with my arms out having class-mates pin muslin onto me... and when I put my arms down I passed out.   BAM right on the floor.... so embarrassing... anyway, I digress.  Here are some pictures of Sophia and I trying to rev up the sewing machine she got for Christmas.  I think our two projects came out pretty good.

Now, you see people on Pinterest with all their artsy fartsy creative things, pictures of nice little  frocks and bows and all that stuff, but, yeah that's not how we roll in this house.....

           Shit Shit shit shit shit.....

That's about the moment I realized I sewed the pants inside out.

 Sophia did a pillow for her brother all by herself....

 Don't sew your fingers to the machine, we don't have time for an ER visit today.

 Im laughing because I'm completely retarded.  Does this go here or... where?

 Extra fabric for other projects.

Sagan's Pillow.

Ironically today Stu and Sagan worked on his Pinewood Derby car all day.  Mostly it was Stu on a very dangerous wood saw,  and then on a very dangerous dremel, coming hazardously close to filing his own fingers off, while Sagan played Minecraft.  Let's be honest here, how much is a 7 year old really going to do when it comes to Pinewood Derby?  We'll save that for another post.  For now I have to go sweep up, it looks like a Cambodian sweat shop in here.

We are Never Getting A Real Tree, Ever Again. Ever.

 

Today's adventure was removing the Christmas Tree.  About a week ago, I noticed the needles falling off my tree like rain.  Since we heat our house with a pellet stove ( article I wrote back in '08) it is quite dry.  I did attempt misting and watering the tree regularly, but the needles didn't want to stay.   They all jumped ship... onto my rug.  I almost lost my mind trying to clean them up, as illustrated below.

 

 

 

 I am woman, I am braless, and I'm wearing all-weather-mocs. 

 

Stu hacked up the tree, wrapped it up and threw it off the back deck in a rain storm.   This is his annoyed face.

 

 

 

I made three attempts to sweep my rug.  Then I vacuumed.   Again and  again.  Then I lost my mind.  Then Stu vacuumed.  I nursed my pine needle punctures and itchy skin from contact dermatitis.....Still, the pine needles linger.

 

 

 

 

Next year?   Fake tree.   Sorry kids. 

 

 

But it sure was pretty.

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.....

My friend Katie came up to visit me from Florida this weekend, reminding me that distance has no effect on friendship if the friendship is real.


I truly believe some people are compatible, and others aren't.  Not everyone is cut out to be friends with everyone, but there is a friend out there for everyone. 

"People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime"

I had a friend say this to me a few years back and it is really something to live by.  If you adhere to this rule, you can save yourself a lot of heartache.  I definitely have those "lifer" friends, the ones you tell the truth to when they have a booger hanging, or their shirt is too short to cover their beer belly, or their tramp stamp is looking a little faded.....and those friends who seem to appear in your life right when you feel you can't go another day and lift you up.... and when they leave your life you remember fondly that they were definitely there for a reason.... and then the friends who are there for a wonderful, fulfilling season, that eventually wear out their welcome in your life, and fade like an old pair of underwear that eventually gets holes in it and isn't pretty and sexy anymore.   I can categorize my friendships into reasons, seasons, and lifetimes.

Katie's a lifer.