Vacation!

Two months and five days… No time to blog and not really feeling inspired to share, continue, carry on… It is a weird time for everyone, considering politics, news, environmental issues, the price of gas and all things financial. I’ve felt inundated with negativity by an onslaught of actions out of my control. Been keepin’ my head down and hoping for the best…

And here we all are, in the throes of vacation, keepin’ it simple by digging in the dirt. Oh… My achin’ back! So far, we’ve had two “jammie” days, have eaten more crap than you can shake a popsicle stick at, and pulled a bunch of weeds. It’s exhausting! And, somehow, Magically Delicious…

Here’s the news that’s not news anywhere but in our world:

• Oldest is now living with his dad and doing better.

This was a harrowing decision for S, and the rest of us, but based on his continued downward spiral, it was the best decision for him. Lots of good things have come from this such as, a reconciliation between S and Ex that is for the betterment of the kids, the boys are now able to connect with their dad, Ex is remarried and seems to have grown-up a little bit (his wife seems to be a tremendously positive influence, thank God!), and things are much more amenable. Oldest is still pushing and testing but it seems to be shorter-lived and moved through to a better result. He really needs a solid, positive male energy and we are all glad that this seems to be working for him. S is relieved that Ex can finally find out for himself that she’s not crazy and, yes, this stuff really happens with Oldest. Affirmations and vindications, all around… We are all looking forward to this being a positive experience for everyone.

• Middle Child is obsessed with Miley Cyrus.

Tomorrow is the BIG DAY! Miley’s new CD comes out and G-Man is beside himself. He has exactly two things on his mind: the new CD and the fact that, before he left to be with his dad, Oldest lost G-Man’s Nintendo DS and it’s unfair that Oldest is getting PS2 games when he should be focused on getting G-Man a new, replacement DS. God, that kid has such an unforgiving memory! To be fair, Oldest’s birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks and the bragging has already begun about what he’s going to “get” out of it. This makes G-Man steamin’ mad so… I have to remind him of what he does have i.e.: a DS he can play, Gameboy, friends, Lulu, Mojo, Q, and his little brother. So, tomorrow, ever the dutiful “mom” that I am, I will travel to Target, suffer the crowds, buy some batteries, and pick up the new Miley CD. I’m also thinking of (For only $29.95 a year!) allowing him to join her fan club and get online (it seems to be safe but I dunno… gonna check it out a little more, first) so he can get his Miley fix. Truth be told: because I’ve been doing all of this Miley research, I’ve become a little Miley obsessed. Eh. I imagine there could be worse things…

• Youngest is talking more and more and has an amazingly funny sense of humor!

So, yesterday, I was puttering around on the computer and somehow ended up on YouTube. G-Man came in and we decided to watch the boys’ Christmas video. Then D-Man came in and we all ended up cracking up at the video (and had to watch it like, 27 times!) Then, I found dogs talking/singing, cats talking/singing, horses talking, and then finally landed on Miley Cyrus. I selected her “See You Again” video and suddenly, D-Man, G-Man, and S (And, it’s so cute when S does this… although my favorite is when she sings country-western songs to me, especially “Pick-up Man“!) started singing every-single-word! D-Man knows all of the words, inflections, stops/starts, and even sings the quiet, back-up parts. It is hilarious when he’s whispering/singing and then… BOINGGGGG! He starts bouncing around the room singing this song. Cracks. Me. Up. He’s really expressing himself and it’s so wonderful to see his progress.

• S and I are doing well. Navigating childcare, work, business, home, finances, dogs, kids, meals, cleaning, dirt, etc… is an every day struggle but we just keep on truckin’.

What else can I say about that? Lots. Stay tuned…

• Dogs and cat all love each other.

Q is a “morning-cat” and shows all of his affection during our bed-head moments. I hesitate in qualifying his affections as obnoxious. It probably has more to do with our not having had our first cuppa coffee. Mojo and Lulu have started their own blog (which is not yet complete but we’re [mostly S] working on it) and may allow Q to guest blog. Their lives are so much more interesting than mine, from an ankling point of view, and they‘ve been doing an outstanding job of “asking for it.” Lulu, in her newfound, infinite wisdom (according to Mojo), will bring a little brevity to the journal. Thank God ‘cause Mojo is such a lil’ punk sometimes! Q, on the other hand, is a total smart-alec and speaks in such a fussy, sophisticated-couldn’t-be-bothered-but-I-am-tone, that I’m positive there will be some outrageous debates. The only problem is that Q assumes he’s dealing with an above-average intelligence when, in fact, Mojo is emotionally driven in his arguments. Ahhhh… the passionate minds of our critters… hence the need for Lulu’s pithy observations.

All in all, life is good, worrisome, amusing, and I’m takin’ it one moment at a time. I’ve missed writing and have re-committed to doing the things I am passionate about in order to keep myself somewhat sane during these uneasy times. I haven’t written in my APS blog since December. I have still been involved and have lots to talk about but just didn’t have the time or energy to commit. That is changing as I write this because I am still totally and completely passionate about education and positive directions with APS. Mojo and Lulu, however, have so much on their minds these days that it will be a fight to see which journaling processes take precedence. Thank God, my sense of humor is still intact.

I’ve just had some interesting and good news and will share once it’s finalized. (Being the superstitious, Pisces that I am, I don’t want to jinx anything!)

Today’s Mantra: “Keep breathing. Everything will be okay. Everything will work out just the way you want it to…”

Okay… say it with me…
Or…
Just…
Breathe…