Summer Vacation June 23, 2011

So the kiddies are all finally out of school for the summer. Horray! This is going to be a whole new level of stress being her first summer with me. I don’t think she’s quite caught on to the concept of “adults don’t have summers off” yet. I’ve been looking for summer day camps & activities for her so she’s not at home all day (Lord knows what could happen then!). But I have had no luck. This would be so much easier if she were a little kid, but so would everything else!

Tonight she has a friend over, one I’m not particularly fond of, so I got to make everyone dinner and sit in the living room alone all night. Boy this summer will be sooo fun… not.

“The Talk” June 7, 2011

Well I had the inevitable “talk” with Amy last night.
She’s a very smart girl and her knowledge of safe sex surprised me. Although it shouldn’t have because I know she’s very intelligent.
Unfortunately I found out some things that I’m not too happy about and ultimately have to keep a closer eye on her. We’re going to the doctor on Friday so she can get protection. My baby sister is on birth control now… What a strange feeling.
I distinctly remember my mom taking me to that same doctor to get birth control. I was the same age, so I know what’s going on in Amy’s mind. The struggle between being a kid and an adult, the fear of becoming a teenage parent, the acceptance you feel after losing your virginity to the one you “love”. What a difficult time.
However, I didn’t realize how difficult of a time my mother had with this particular time in my adolescence. I definitely get it now. Luckily, Amy and I had a great talk. Very open and honest. She obviously had a lot of questions and I had a lot to say.

I think we both grew up last night.

Bullying May 27, 2011

What is wrong with teenage girls these days!?
All the stuff you hear on the news about girls being arrested for cyber bullying and texting terrible things to each other makes me sick, I never thought I’d have to discipline my own sister about how to freaking treat people! It’s one thing to get in an argument but to harass each other because “she said ____ to my friend” is just wrong!

I can’t say I’ve ever been so disappointed in her before.
And what do I do about it? She told me about it and it was after the fact, so can I really punish her? What would even be appropriate?

Now she says she’ll never tell me anything again! What am I supposed to do? I can’t be “cool” and just blow it off because it’s WRONG but I want her to talk to me and be open with me about it.

So confused…

Interview!!! May 22, 2011

This is going to be a quick post because I have to leave for me INTERVIEW in 10 minutes!!

This is the second time I have applied to be a 911 operator for my county and get to start the testing process of the interview today! I’m so excited that I just had to share with everyone and ask you all for your good thoughts and prayers!

Last year I got through phase 2 and failed and was really discouraged, so this time around I hope I can get through it. If I can just past phase 2 it should be smooth sailing because it’s just the psychological exam… maybe not so smooth sailing there 😉 Then it’s the official interview then I start my 4-6 months training!

This job can really open some doors for Amy and myself. Please send your good thoughts, leave them in a comment, rate this post, pray for me, whatever you chose. Thanks for much for all of your support guys!!!!!

Snip snip!! May 20, 2011

So I’ve been on this new kick… How many of you have seen the new show on TLC called “Extreme Couponing”? I LOVE IT!!
These people are absolutely insane and spend no quality time with their children or spouses and clearly don’t have to work, but hey, that’s overrated anyway… 😉

I’ve been reading about it online and I think I can do this (on a much smaller scale). Today I browsed some coupon clipping websites and printed out a few that I use regularly. I also checked my local stores websites to see what’s on sale right now. I think I’ll have to start buying the Sunday paper, too, so I can get some good manufacturer’s coupons. So far I have a good chunk of change in savings. I’m getting a bag of Pedigree dog food for Diesel for $6 off the regular price, which is pretty sweet!

What’s even better, if I get really, really good at this little venture of mine, I can hold classes, seminars, blogs, etc to teach others how to become hooked on clipping and hoarding coupons till their little fingers fall off! I think it could possibly turn into a business venture as well as a hobby/obsession. What a cool way to make money, right?

I’M LOOKING FOR COMMENTS ON THIS ONE GUYS!! 🙂
What are your favorite coupon websites?
Do you coupon?
Have any tips/tricks for me?
Think it’s stupid?
LET ME KNOW!!!!!

There’s fungus amung us May 6, 2011

So Amy has had a fever for the past 3 days. It’s been up and down between 99 and 103. Today I thought she was well enough to go back to school, but I quickly found out that I was wrong. The school nurse called right as I was pulling into work to tell me that her fever was too high to stay in class.

Well crap…

So I call into work late so I can pick her up, but instead I end up taking her to the Urgent Care that’s about 15 minutes from the school. (Which, of course, took me about a half hour of driving around town to find the damn place because I am no longer used to living in this city).

After getting Amy checked into the Urgent Care and being seen my the medical assistant, we both started to get a little giggly, like we both do at the most inappropriate times. The doctor… (who was wearing socks with sandles… REALLY!? I mean, I know this is Washington state, but seriously, that’s just not a good look on ANYONE!)… comes into the room and starts checking Amy’s throat and lungs, etc. Neither of us can help but laugh while he’s poking her. It’s just awkward!

Does no one else get like that???

Anyway, the doctor was pretty cool about it all and cracked a couple of jokes, although I refrained from the socks/sandles jokes because I didn’t want to sound rude… Overall it wasn’t such a bad doctors visit. Until we got the news.

Yup, Amy has strep throat.
They gave her some penicillin and steroids, however she’s very contagious and he said I will most likely catch it. I figure it’s probably less likely now that we have our own rooms in our new apartment, but this is NOT the house-warming gift I was expecting!!! (Thanks Amy and whichever snotty little kid spread this bacteria around… I really appreciate it.)

So because my boss would not let me come into work today (because I am a care taker for a person with special needs and they don’t want anyone getting sick over there), I am staying home today, taking care of Miss Amy. Lucky girl, she gets to lay under the blankets all day while I bring her juice, medicine and her food.

I better get this kind of treatment if/when I catch it too!!!

Settling in May 5, 2011

Fellow Bloggers, I have finally moved what I’m pretty sure are 100 sexually reproducing boxes of my crap that I have collected over the past 21 years into my new place I now call home. We found a cute 2 bedroom apartment, close to work and school that accepted my dog.
Their exact words were “any size, shape or breed as long as they don’t eat your neighbors or my staff”. Fair enough, right?… It’s a little more than I’d like to pay, but what isn’t these days? It’s not like I pull into AMPM and think “YES, GAS JUMPED 5 CENTS SINCE THIS MORNING! SCOOORE!”

You get the point…

I’m sure lots of you have moved before but boy it is hard work! And why is it that your teenager waits till 2 seconds before you start working to get hungry or tired? I mean, really?
But I had a ton of help from three of my wonderful friends. I couldn’t have done it without them!! So I’m thanking

my lucky stars that my terrifying insa

nity I call “raisingmyteenagesister” hasn’t driven away every single person I’ve come to know! 🙂

Good night for now, world. Here is a picture of my pit bull, Diesel, sleeping to send you off into dreamland.

Madness April 27, 2011

Oh boy it’s been a rough week! I haven’t had two seconds of mind numbing silence till today.

So, Amy and I had a great plan for this weekend to move into a lovely 3 bedroom house, right next to work, right next to her school, dirt cheap, pet friendly and “too good to be true”.

GUESS WHAT!!!

(It was…)

So now, 4 days before moving day we are frantically looking for an apartment that is close enough to work and school, cheap enough to not crack my piggy bank and somewhere that will tolerate my 70 pound, darling pit bull, Diesel. I think we have our work cut out for us here ladies and gents.

So lo and behold, this weekend we will be cleaning, packing, repairing holes, cleaning carpets and cleaning some more. What a fun-filled weekend we have planned! Everyone, please pray that the sun stays out long enough not to soak my boxes. (I shouldn’t get my hopes up for that either, being Washington state!)

I promise I will update this dang thing more often once the madness has settled!
I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend!

Dear Aunt Flo (an open letter) April 18, 2011

Thank you for your regular visits to me and my sister. I just love that you’ve decided to visit both of us at the same time now, instead of a week apart like before. I know, personally, you bring me great relief once in a while when I see you, especially when you are late for your visit. I worry about you aunt Flo!

Unfortunately, I feel like you may be a bad influence on Amy. Don’t get me wrong, I am grateful for all of the presents you bring. Sometimes while we are at school, sometimes while we are camping… However, when you come around, Amy’s attitude changes. She becomes aggressive, emotional, irrational and what I like to call “A little red monster”. I can’t help but think this is because of you. Usually she’s a pretty good kid. Of course she is a 15-year-old girl, so she doesn’t always make the most rational decisions to begin with, but since you have been visiting us monthly, I don’t think you’re being a good role-model to her. I just can’t stand another silly argument over who gets more space in the bathroom mirror or what time she should get off the internet and do her homework. I don’t have these problems nearly as much when you are not around.

Please don’t be upset, Flo, I don’t want this to anger you. I don’t think we could handle a meltdown of that magnitude. Supplies are expensive enough already! Maybe if you could just tone is down a bit when you come over next and try not to overstay your welcome. You know, use your powers for good instead of bad. We do love and appreciate you aunt Flo. See you in a few weeks.

Sincerely, Randi and Amy.

What’s for dinner? April 15, 2011

I remember when I was growing up, every day after I got home from school, the first words I would utter to my mom were “what’s for dinner?”. It never really crossed my mind that she’d been working all day. I was at school for the last 6 hours! I was starved! What could she possibly have to complain about anyway? She got paid to be there, I didn’t get paid to be at school. So, of course, I would ask, then she’d suggest something, then I’d complain, then she’d suggest something else and so on, until we could agree on something.

BOY DO I UNDERSTAND NOW!!!

    I’m not home for more than 5 minutes every evening, after a deafeningly quiet car ride home, when I hear those 3 little words… “what’s for dinner?”. Now I have to go to the kitchen, figure out what to feed her and try to make it somewhat healthy. I’m sure many of you moms out there have picky eaters, but how often do they change what they are all of a sudden repulsed by? I mean really, how do you hate peanut butter, rice, pasta, ALL types of seafood, corn, salad, wheat bread AND beans one day, but love them the next? Thus adding different foods to the new “hate list”, of course. My head is spinning…

You know what makes it worse? 15 is such a complicated year! You know what I mean; body issues, I’m too fat, I’m ugly, blah blah blah. My perfectly figured little angel just thinks she is just the fattest girl to every tilt the worlds axis. (What exactly does that mean for ME being about 110 pounds heavier than she is!?) So now, not only does it have to be within her ever-changing likable foods guidelines, it also has to be healthy, filling and fast so she still has time to do her homework, take a shower, get her stuff ready for the next day and go to bed at a decent hour.

Tonight’s dinner menu? Baked chicken tenders with bbq sauce and vegetables. That’s pretty good, right?? Damn it, it’s bedtime… When do I get to take a shower??