Fuckin pink eye?!!

I woke up yesterday morning to eye pain, itchiness, a little bit of swelling, and a bit of redness. My initial thought: PINK EYE. Ugh. I was really careful to not touch my eyes at all. Hand sanitizer like whoa. I got Em up, then checked him. He was fine. I sent him to daycare, then went into work. I had some drops that I was using from when I had an eye infection before. My eyes started to feel a lot better, and they didn’t even look pink/red. When I got home, again, I was very careful. I kept sanitizing my hands, and even kept sun glasses on. I did not want Emerson catching whatever this is. Today, I went to the doctor. They diagnosed me with pink eye. Of course. I got some antibiotic drops and already took one dose. I feel better already. I’ve had pink eye before and it was awful. Crusty and goopy eyes, plus the pain was the worst. I got off easy this time. I’m not experiencing any of that. My eyes are irritated and itchy, but no goop, or crust. Thank God. I just hope Emerson somehow does not catch this from me. I’m still going to continue being extra careful. Never a dull moment, huh?

Outside of itchy eyes, I’ve been busy crafting! I’m decorating our house for Fall/Halloween. I’m not going over the top though. I want versatility, so I’m making some decorations appropriate for Thanksgiving too. I get more bang for my buck that way. I did make a couple of things that are specific to Halloween, but the best part is I can paint on the other side to make the décor reversible! I plan on doing that with the stacker blocks I made. I can put Thanksgiving sayings on the other side, so all I’ll need to do is flip them over. Genius! I put some pics below! I hope I inspire someone else to  make their own décor. It’s so much cheaper than buying in the store. I just need to do the front porch. Tonight I’m picking up some wood to make a big sign to put out front. It’s going to say “Home of a witch, her handsome devil, and little monster. I’m the witch, Emerson is the handsome devil, and Kodie is the monster. LOL Cute, right? I plan on leaning the sign in the corner of my porch, adding a pumpkin, and a broom. I want to keep it pretty simple. I’ve been all over Pinterest lately, so who knows what It’ll end up looking like, but I’ll post pictures when I’m done. It feels good to get back into crafting. I’ve missed it a lot. Now that I’m working out on my lunch break, I can utilize my evenings to hop back into it.

This weekend, I believe we’re going to the flea market with my mom and older sister. We haven’t seen my sister in a REALLY long time. Father’s Day was the last time we saw her. It’s crazy not seeing someone in your family for an entire summer. We’ll see if those plans stick though. Between her and my mom, the flakiness is unreal. More so on my mom’s end though. I get it though. She just doesn’t care about our family very much. Emerson doesn’t even know her. He is such a social kid though. He is not shy at all and will go up to anyone, even strangers. She probably thinks he remembers her because he’s very open when he does see her, but really, he’s that way with anyone. The truth is, he has no idea who the hell she is. When he gets older though, he will realize a bit more that his aunt is not a part of our family. She is happy with things this way, so I guess that’s all that matters. I hope nothing ever happens to the two people who she is close with and dedicates her life to. She will literally have no one.

The crazy thing is she thinks she’s better than us, which she is not. Even when you talk to her, there is an arrogance there, which I cannot stand. I don’t know why she thinks she is better than me. She talks down to me like I have no job, and we live on the streets. I think she seems to forget where she came from. We both have our own homes, which are both really nice. We both have well- paying jobs (I make more money than her though). She talks down to me like I don’t have my shit together, but she does. We both have it together, so I don’t understand what her problem is and why she feels the need to talk down to me. I think it all surrounds around me being a single mother. To her, that makes me less than and a mess. That couldn’t be further from the truth though. I have something that she will never have. I feel bad for her that she will never experience the joy of having a child. It truly is the best thing in the world. Single mother, or not, I’ve been so extremely blessed with Emerson. It is not a downfall of mine, though she seems to view it as one. It really pisses me off. Another thing that bothers me about her is weight. She recently lost 75lbs. Okay? 11 years ago, I lost about 80lbs. So what. She talks to me like I am a size 12 and she’s a size 0. In reality, she is a size 12 and I am a size 0. Not that it matters, but she talks down to me about it. It really ticks me off. She talks to me like I am not healthy, that I don’t eat healthy, and that I don’t work out. Um, hello?!!!!!! There is so much that we can relate on. Our jobs, our homes, and our health, but instead of letting it bring us closer together, she has found a way to have it drive us a part. She speaks to me like I don’t work in a professional office establishment either. Maybe we won’t go to the flea market with them on Sunday. That way, I won’t have to put myself through this. Can I also add that NEITHER OF US have boyfriends, but she speaks to me like she is so independent and I am not. What?! If anything, I AM MORE INDEPENDENT that she is. She has two “friends” who stay with her ALL of the time. She stays at their houses too. I don’t do that. I don’t have anyone at my house to help me. She does. She talks to me like I don’t have a dog. We both have dogs!  I just cannot stand when people talk to me like I cannot relate to them, when in fact, YES I CAN!

The other thing is she only talks about HERSELF. She would NEVER ever ask about my job, my home, my dog, or even my kid. It is WEIRD. She will ONLY talk about her home, her job, her dog, her friends. That is it. If it isn’t about her, she doesn’t want to talk. It drives me MAD. Being in person with her and having a conversation with her is so irritating. Even if we are out and about, she will somehow route a conversation back to herself. Sometimes, I text her photos and she ignores them. I sent her a couple pictures of Emerson a couple weeks ago. It took her SEVENTEEN days to respond. SEVENTEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was a picture of EMERSON. Really?! When she finally responded, she sent a picture of herself talking about the fact that she can shop and fit into Junior clothes. Well, congratulations, but so can I. Hell, I can fit into LITTLE GIRL SIZES! You don’t see me texting that. She only wants to talk if you’re complimenting her, or if it is about HER. I try to gear the conversations towards family and Emerson. It really ticks me off. She also is ALWAYS trying to rub it in that she goes out and parties like I am jealous. Actually, I am not. I got all of that out of my system when I could. I enjoyed my 20s THOROUGHLY, but we are in our 30s now. It’s just time to grow up and start to focus on some other things. She has set her life up to be that way though. Some people are just not family oriented, and that’s okay, but you don’t have to try to act like everyone else is jealous that you’re getting drunk all the time. No one cares. LOL

Okay, I have to stop. I’ve irritated myself enough.

LOL

Emersons new shoes

After I was done working yesterday, I went and did our weekly grocery shopping. Then, I went home, put everything away, then picked Em up from daycare. We headed to my parent’s house to pick up my mom. She took us shoe shopping. She wanted to get Em some new fall shoes. He ended up getting two pair. One is a light up cars shoe and the other is an adorable gray and blue canvas shoe. He wore the light up ones today. So freaking cute. It’s funny to see him with an actual sneaker on. He’s never worn one before. He’s always had boat shoes, crocs, and sandals. He needed shoes badly though, so I’m very appreciative of my mom doing that for us. He still needs some new fall clothes too. Right now, he’s still wearing shorts to daycare, but it has been warm enough that we can still get away with that. He does need some stuff though.  I think we’ll make a quick trip up to once upon a child this weekend to grab a couple of things.

After we were done shopping, we went back to my parent’s house for dinner. Emerson didn’t eat anything. He’s usually such a good eater too. I guess we’re entering a new phase where he just wants to say “No” anytime you ask if he wants to take a bite. When we got home, I actually gave him dinner and he nibbled on that for a while. I was just glad that he put something in his belly. Then, he had a bath, then bedtime. I meal prepped, then worked on a fun Halloween decoration for my table. I made mason jar votives that look like candy corn. I need a second coat on them, so I’ll work on that tonight. I was pleasantly surprised at how cute they looked when I was done. Tonight, I’m working on making some fall stacking blocks to put on my shelves. I’m trying to not make everything look too Halloween-ish, so that I can keep it up for Thanksgiving.  Some things will need to be swapped out, but I’m trying to make everything pretty versatile. I’ll do the same for Christmas/Winter. I’ve never really decorated my house for the holidays, so I’m having a good time doing this. I still need to put something out on the porch, but I haven’t quite figured out what I want to do yet. I do think I want to do something more fall, so that I can just keep it out there through Thanksgiving. I’d like to use pumpkins. The only issue is them going bad. Real pumpkins are cheaper than fake, but I guess I can reuse the fake ones next year, so it’s a good investment. I guess we’ll see. I’ve been looking for cute ideas though for that. I just want to try to make the house a bit more cozy.

I want to start my Christmas shopping. I’m keeping it very small this year. I’m going to do some cute, homemade gifts, but then incorporate a gift card too. It’ll keep costs down. I don’t want to go crazy. I just want to focus on Emerson and being able to do things with him like visiting Santa, and seeing the lights. Plus, doing some Christmas crafts too. I know no one cares if they get one gift, or 20, but I always feel like I have to go nuts. I’m not going to do that this year. I’m going to be practical.

I hope this week is so uneventful. I’m excited to work out tonight. I’ve been off my game since about Friday. I did the color run on Saturday, but I ate like crap on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. It feels good to be back to the grind. I’m going to the gym with my friend at 12:30 to do an upper workout from my DVD. I honestly can’t wait. No cheat day this upcoming weekend either. Because I wrecked Monday, I have to be on my game until at least Sunday night. That means no pizza for dinner this weekend like we typically do. Emerson has been a little cookie and cake monster these last few days too, so I’m keeping him on track too. I got my special friend yesterday, so that explains A LOT. I was wondering why I felt so out of control these last few days. I do not get visits very often either. It’s always random too, which I hate. It seems to be worse this time, so I hope it doesn’t last forever. I think it came around about 1.5 months ago and It lingered for much longer than I would have liked!

Alright, All. Have a great day!

Our weekend

This weekend was bananas. Friday, I was off of work, so after I took Em to daycare, Britt and I went to our hair appointment. I wasn’t able to have my hair colored. The salon called me the night before to cancel my entire appointment because the stylist was sick. I was pissed. How can you cancel my appointment when I am obviously booked with another person with the SAME last name as me. Idiots. I told them it was unacceptable. We were coming in for her damn birthday. Figure it out. They called back and said they had an hour block of time that I could have. It wasn’t long enough to color my hair, but I could have it cut, then styled. I obviously took this deal. I still think they should have given me some kind of discount, but I didn’t push the issue. We had a great time. It was nice to spend time together without the kids. That doesn’t happen often.

Oh, let me back up a little bit too. My sister moved back in with her fiancé. It turned into such a HUGE fight between my parents and her. Rightfully so, they were quite upset over her decision, but given the fact that’s she is 30 years old, they can’t really do much about it. It’s such a bad idea though, but she won’t listen to anyone. I am more than sure that he will continue to beat up on her. It is so unreal to me that we know she is living in those conditions, but can’t do a damn thing about it. Some girls are just absolutely stupid.

Okay, anyway, we got our hair done, then went shopping to pick up some stuff for the color run, which was the next day. We kept it pretty basic. Black leggings, white shirts, and colorful sports bras. Afterwards, we went to have sushi for lunch, then did a bit more shopping. I took Britt to work, then picked up the Good Luck cake that I ordered for my best friend’s surprise going away party, which was that night. It was just a busy ass day. After I picked up the cake, I went home to put it away, then rushed to get ready for that night. Then, I zoomed over to daycare to pick up Emerson. When we got home, I let him play for a while, gave him a snack, then bathed him. We left the house around 620pm. It took about 20 minutes to get to the brewery that I was having the party at. When we got there, my friend’s mom was there. Wow, she was super bitchy telling me that it was jam packed inside, and that we would have an hour wait just to get a table. I had already called in advance and spoke with the manager. I asked if he’d be kind enough to hold a bar table for us, so that I could at least set the cake down. When I invited everyone, I told them it would be CASUAL. We were hanging in the bar area and would snag tables as they came available. I don’t know why this lady was being such a bitch to me. When I got inside, it wasn’t jam packed. Yes, all the tables were taken, but we had our table, so I was happy. All the people around us offered up their tables when they left, so we actually ended up with about 4 big tables! It was really nice. Again, I said it was a casual gathering anyway, so most of the guys stood around talking anyway. We all ordered food and pretty much just used the table to house our food, drinks, and the kids. Anyway, everyone was having a great time hanging out. We were all anticipating Heather, Steve, and Cam’s arrival. All of a sudden, BOOM! They came through the door. I screamed “Surprise!!!!!!!!!!” Her face was priceless! I almost cried just from her reaction!

She had a hunch that we had planned SOMETHING, but had no idea it was going to be quite that large. I invited her husband’s friends too that he hasn’t seen in a while, so that made it even better. They both had a bunch of people to hang out with. It was incredible. We had a great time. I was so nervous that Emerson would be extra cranky because we’d be out well past his bedtime, but he was fine. He did end up falling asleep on someone’s shoulder while we were there. It was too freaking cute. I’m glad it went so well. I was nervous. It’s stressful planning stuff like that because you never know how it’ll turn out. It was perfect though!

Em and I got home around 10:30pm. Britt got dropped off after work. We had the color run the next day, so she slept over. The color run. Wow. What can I say about that. It was amazing and so much fun!!!! I’m so glad we went. We dropped Emerson off at my cousin’s house, then headed downtown around 8am. We met up with two of our cousins, a friend of mine, and a couple of other people who tagged along with my cousins. It was amazing. We had a good time getting blasted with color and glitter. It was a 5k, but we walked for most of it. I would have loved to run, but not everyone we were with would have been up to that. It was not a big deal though. It just meant we got to enjoy it longer! Afterwards, we headed to pick up Em, grabbed some lunch, then went home. Em took a nap, and so did i! I was so damn tired. Then, Britt and I got ready, so that we could go to my parent’s house for dinner and cake for her birthday. Emerson was in his glory. Two days in a row with birthday cake. Sunday, we hung out at home pretty much all day. We did sneak out for some errands and visited my parent’s for a bit. Em has a nasty cough. Ugh. I hope it doesn’t linger too long.

This week isn’t too busy. I have a doctor appointment on Friday, but I think that’s all we have outside of work, and daycare. My best friend is moving this week, so I have to figure out how the hell I am getting through that. I’m choosing to ignore it right now. The weather is going to be nice though, so I’m thinking we will hit up the park at least once. My mom wants to buy Emerson some new shoes today, so I think we’re doing that tonight. I’m working from home today, My nephew doesn’t have school, so he’s going to hang out with me today.  Alright, I hope this week is just mellow. We had such a crazy weekend that some chillness would be great. I hope you all have a wonderful week.

Wow just wow

Yesterday was crazy. My sister and I got into an argument that lead to some nasty exchanges. It all started with a text message from her telling me that my mom was a bitch because she didn’t want her storing her dining room set in one of their spare bedrooms. Duh! I don’t know how to explain this to her. My mom and dad just re-decorated their two spare bedrooms. One is a man cave for dad. The second is a pretty office for my mom. Obviously they are not going to give these rooms up to my sister for storage. She isn’t living there, so they knew they didn’t have to compromise their space. My parents are letting her store my nephew’s bedroom furniture in the man cave room, but the table and chairs was a bit excessive. The entire room would be out of commission. Even if they slept there, the room wouldn’t be able to be utilized if it’s being taken up with a dining set. My mom offered to pay for a storage unit. My sister went mad. She said no one cares about her stuff, that my mom is so messed up, and if she ever needed help she wouldn’t help her. It was just so unnecessary. When my sister gets mad, you cannot rationalize with her at all. She goes so overboard. It’s VERY frustrating, and I absolutely refuse to deal with people like that. There  I was though, trying to rationalize with the irrational.

She accused me of siding with my mom. I was not. I was trying to show her a different perspective. To say that no one cares about her was disrespectful. I’ve opened my home to them, and provided a brand new vehicle. It’s unreal to me that someone can be that rude. She said she’s been appreciative about the whole situation, but I disagree. There is a sense of entitlement there. I cannot stand entitlement. She can’t take over my house, then expect to take over my parent’s house too. She thinks we should all just do what she wants all of the time. Life does not work that way. I’ve worked extremely hard to provide a home for myself and Emerson. That includes working to get a nice car for us too. It takes a BIG person to take in two people and to let them use your stuff. It’s hard for me. I am on a schedule. Emerson has structure. It’s hard to live in a home with someone who does not have ANY of that.

Throughout the conversation, we talked about boundaries and rules. She accused me of treating her like a child, then threatened to go back to her fiancé. I refuse to play the back and forth game. Then go. I don’t care, but don’t come back if you leave. It’s ridiculous that I cannot mention boundaries, and rules without her feeling like I am treating her like a child. Seriously? You have to have boundaries when you’re living with other people. The problem is she has no rules, no structure, nothing. My nephew does what he wants when he wants. All she does is play on her phone 24/7. That’s it. She was pissed at me when I mentioned that Isaiah didn’t even eat dinner on Tuesday night. All he had was pringles. I can’t live that way. You have to feed your kid dinner. She thought that was the most ridiculous thing ever. It honestly makes ME FEEL CRAZY!!!!!!!!!! Am I crazy?! Is it too much to ask that we eat dinner together? If we aren’t eating dinner together, then they have to go down into the basement until Emerson is done. Isaiah yelling, “Hurry up, so you can go outside and play” is so distracting. Emerson barely wants to eat then. When he wakes up at midnight screaming from hunger, I’m going to have to deal with it, NOT them. If you aren’t eating with us, then you have to go downstairs to do your homework, or something at that time. I can’t tell her that though. She gets so offended like I should bow down to her. I’m sorry, but YOU NEED ME. I do not NEED you, so I don’t understand why my life has to be so disrupted and I have to make sure they are 100% comfortable and happy. I told her that my house isn’t a free for all. Yes, there is structure because that’s what these kids need! She freaked out.

When I got home, we didn’t talk about it. She didn’t apologize for being so rude to me either. We did eat dinner together, but it was awkward. After Em went to bed, they had the entire living room and television, so the dog and I had to go to bed at 7:45pm. I am hoping once the cable is installed in the basement, they retreat down there. It’s ridiculous that I have to go to bed at 7:45pm just to relax, and watch t.v. I know it’s going to suck all weekend. They can sleep in until 11am. I can’t. I’ll be up at 650-7am with Emerson. I like to rent movies on Friday, and Saturday nights. I know I won’t be able to do that at all this weekend. They’ll be on my t.v. the whole time in the living room. I know I can’t even ask them to go down into the basement because they’ll be so offended. Help me, guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What can I do?! I seriously cannot talk to her at all. The second I mention ANYTHING she snaps! I can’t live like this every day and be miserable. There is a way that we can make it work, and to live cohesively without wanting to kill each other. It isn’t fair that I have to just shut my mouth and go along with what THEY want! I’m already not using my car ALL day and walking home from the bus stop. On top of that, I’m not even using my livingroom either after Em goes to bed. They get the house to themselves, and my car!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Okay, I have to stop!

We need rules

Last night was so much better. I got off the bus and walked home because my sister had my car. It’s not a far walk at all. It probably took me 3 minutes at most. My sister and nephew were both home by the time I walked in the door, so I made a shake real quick, then grabbed the keys, and headed to pick Em up from daycare. When we got home, the boys played in the yard, I cooked dinner, and Brit did the dishes, the organized all of the cupboards in the kitchen, then the bathroom. Emerson and I ate dinner together like we usually do, then we all went outside for a while. The kids played, then after a while, I had Em come inside to wind down a bit before bath and bed. He had a snack, while we played with some toys. In the midst of all of that, Isaiah through a major fit. I have no idea what happened. He kept saying he was bored, and had nothing to do. I said “what would you be doing at your house right now?” Britt said he’d be playing Xbox. Well, go play it then! He starts CRYING. Sitting on the floor and crying, but not telling us what was wrong. I think he is afraid of the basement. It isn’t the least bit scary down there, but I think he doesn’t want to go down there himself, but didn’t want to tell us that. I told him that I have a happy home, and I am not going to deal with these outbursts every day. We can’t fix it unless he communicates with us and tells us what the problem is. He stopped after about 10 minutes though. Britt ended up going downstairs, and he perked right up, and went down with her. I bathed Em, then put him to bed. I let him stay up about 20 minutes later, but nothing too crazy. He snoozed all night. I put him in some warmer jammies because it’s been much colder at night.

After Em was put into bed, I came downstairs, then packed my lunch for the next day. I got all of his cups ready, and packed up the diaper bag. I also got our clothes ready for the next day too. By the time I was done, Britt and Isaiah were back upstairs. We all piled onto the couch to watch Dancing with the stars. It was actually pretty fun. I was tired by a little after 9pm, so I went up to bed. I’m not sure how late they stayed up. I’m sure they appreciate when I go to bed, so they can have a run of the house.

The one thing that bugs me is I never get a run of the house. I wish they had a little bit of self-awareness. They go to bed so much later than I do, so they get the entire house when Em and I are upstairs in bed. I don’t get that luxury. I sat on the couch for 1 hour last night with them. I never had any time to myself like they get after I’m in bed. I guess I just feel like it’s very one-sided. They get the house and the car. It’s almost like nothing is mine. It wasn’t bad yesterday at all. It was actually kind of fun being there with all of us. Isaiah asked me how my day was, and how work was. That’s not something that ever happens. I never get to talk about work, or share anything like that, so it was pretty cool. I just wish I had a little bit of time to myself like they get to themselves. I don’t know how to convey that though. I’m hoping once we have a cable box downstairs it’ll change a bit because they can just hang out and watch tv down there.

I did notice that Isaiah never had dinner. That really bothers me. When Em and I sat down to eat, he wasn’t hungry. Understandable considering he had a rather large after school snack. One of my rules was that we eat dinner together every night. I don’t understand why that’s such a hard rule to follow. It’s going to be REALLY hard to teach Emerson the importance of that if we’re the only ones sitting down to dinner together every night. Isaiah was running around the house, and Britt was cleaning. Let’s all just sit down together, talk about our day, and enjoy a meal. I texted her and told her I want us eating dinner together tonight and made a dinner suggestion. It’s important to me that we eat together. Regardless, Isaiah needs to eat dinner. Lunchables, smoothies, and pringles are NOT dinner. I don’t care what way you look at it. It isn’t dinner! She has never had that structure with him. I know when she lived alone they just plopped on the couch and ate, or just ate when and whatever. I can’t do that. I need to have a real meal and a real meal time. I hope after a couple of days/weeks that we all just fall into the same routine, and maybe it’ll help build some structure. When they lived with my parents, my dad and mom would bring my nephew’s plate up to him in his bedroom while he played video games. My parents would have never allowed that when we were growing up. He just needs a good sense of family. We have a great opportunity to provide that to both of the kids.

Okay, now let’s talk about some other things. This week is crazy. On Friday, Britt and I have hair appointments at 10:15am. I took the day off of work, but Em is going to daycare. On Friday night, I have a surprise going away party that I organized for my best friend and her husband. I hope that goes well. I invited a lot of people. I’m ordering the cake today. On Saturday, we have the color run! I’m so freaking excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Afterwards, we’re having dinner at my parent’s house for my sister’s 30th birthday. It’s going to be a pretty busy weekend. Sunday, we are just going to hang out. We have nothing planned and I’m more than okay with that. I think my nephew is sleeping at his dad’s mom’s house on Friday night. Em and I are going to swing by and pick Britt up at work after the going away party. It’ll be pretty late. She works until 10:15pm. I just hope Em goes to bed when we get home. My cousin is watching him the next morning for the color run, so I don’t want him to be too cranky. I hope it pans out on Friday night. It makes me nervous rocking the boat with our schedule, but I have to keep a positive attitude about it.

I’m going to the gym today around 1pm to do some upper. I ran 3 miles yesterday. Tomorrow, I’m doing lower with a friend from work. Thursday, I’m running with another coach. Friday, I’m hoping to at least get something quick in before I pick Emerson up from Daycare and head to this going away party. Saturday, we’re doing the color run, so that’ll count as far as working out. I’ll take a break on Sunday. Sounds like a well -rounded week, right?! I food prepped on Sunday, so I’m all set there. The only thing I didn’t food prep was dinner, but I figured since there are two of us, I wouldn’t need to prep dinner. Four hands are a lot easier than two!

Alright, I have to go do 100 things. I hope you all have a great day!

This shit is crazy

So much has happened this weekend. I don’t even know where to begin. My sister and nephew moved in with me. Apparently, my sister’s boyfriend has been physically abusing her for the last two years. He snapped out on Saturday night and actually did it in front of his entire family. Luckily, his family reacted and held him back from really hurting my sister. He’s pretty banged up from being thrown into a wall though. She said he’s been choking her to the point of not being able to breathe for about two years. He has pulled a gun, and knife on her as well. I am pretty speechless. We never liked him, but I didn’t think he was doing this to her. She has always been so secretive about their relationship, so I really shouldn’t be surprised, but it doesn’t make it any easier to digest.

On Saturday night, she came to my house around 11pm. My nephew was sleeping at my parent’s house, so he wasn’t with her at the time. It’s just insane. So, they moved in yesterday. We went to her house and got some things too. It’s a little unnerving that they aren’t staying at my parent’s house. My parents have a three bedroom home. 2 bedrooms are not being used right now. Well, that’s half true. They are in the middle of redecorating. One bedroom is a man cave for my dad. The second room is for my mom. She just painted and had new hardwood laid down. I know she absolutely does not want to give her space up to my sister/nephew. My dad would in a heartbeat. My mom is just like that though. She isn’t making them feel welcomed back enough for them to even want to stay there. She was so happy when they moved out. She didn’t hide her enjoyment at all, so that has stuck with my sister this last year. My sister moved in with her fiancé mainly because of my mom. My mom makes comments all of the time about wanting her house back and that her children are grown, so they shouldn’t be at her house. Valid point, but you can’t forget things that someone said, especially that.  Anyway, my mom kept saying “Thank you, Ash” and “You’re so awesome” Right. I’m so awesome because no one had to inconvenience you. My sister and nephew are sleeping on an air mattress in my basement. If they were at my parent’s house, they’d have full bedrooms again, with actual beds. My mom weakly offered them the space, but it wasn’t genuine.

I don’t know how this will turn out. It’s pretty frightening for me. I live my life in a very scheduled manner. My child needs to have rules, boundaries, and consistency. Brittany is not like that with Isaiah, who is 11. He eats when and what he wants, and he does what he wants. That isn’t okay in my eyes, especially the eating thing. Every 3 minutes yesterday, he was asking for something to eat, or just grabbing food. It was absolutely baffling. We need to put a stop to that. I don’t starve my child, but we have meal times. If you’re hungry in between, a small snack is sufficient if it isn’t too close to meal time. You can’t just eat, and eat. That’s how you go broke. Kids will just eat if you let them. I feel he eats out of boredom too. I have a big feeling we’re going to fight about this. I can’t and won’t allow it though. Yesterday, I made dinner. It was done around 4:08pm. I said we’d eat at 5pm. My nephew looked at me and said “Well, why?” I didn’t even have a response. My real reasoning was that it would be later in the evening and spaced enough apart before bedtime, so that I could give Em a snack before bath time. Anyway, my nephew says “Well, I want mine now”. I wasn’t about to argue with him. I mean, at least it was real food, right? So, I said okay. He grabs a big plate and brings it into the backyard. Come on. That isn’t what I meant. If you want to eat now, fine, but please do it in the dining room. Emerson ran right over. He had just eaten a small snack, so I knew he’d be okay until 5pm. Instead of arguing, because I knew it would be a fight, I said “Fine, let’s all just eat now”.  He ended up wasting it and then saying he was hungry 45 minutes later. Britt said “Well you wasted your spaghetti” His response, “Well, I wasn’t that hungry when I was eating it” I saw red. I said nothing, but come on!! Had he waited until 5pm, he would have been more hungry and wasted less. Now, he wasted dinner, then ate more food right after. I refuse to live that way. I am not kidding. I can’t do it. An 11 year old is not going to start dictating me. I just know Britt will feel offended, but I’m sorry. No. Stay out of the cupboard. She will thank me later when she’s living alone and needs to ration out food. I let it go yesterday because it was the first day. I don’t want him to be embarrassed to say he’s hungry, or ask for something, but at the same time, come on. You have to have some self-control. That’s our job as parents. We need to set some boundaries. He has absolutely none.

There was only one other thing that bothered me that I can see being a potential issue. My nephew has a way of just making himself too comfortable. I have no problem with them staying in my basement, but that means my workout space is gone. I can workout in the livingroom though, no problem. My nephew took over my living room too. I understand there isn’t cable in the basement, but he has a television down there with an xbox that can play movies too. They did not have cable television at their house, so he isn’t used to watch television anyway. Around 815pm, I told him I had a show on at 830. Evenings are my kid-free time and I don’t want to give that up. I really don’t. I know it sounds mean, but you’re 11. You can go downstairs and play your xbox, or watch a movie for the evening. You’ve ran all over this house, yard, and television all day. It’s MY turn. He asks me if he can watch my show with me. Well, it was “I am cait”. I didn’t know if that really was even appropriate for him to be watching. Plus, I just wanted to watch it with myself, or just with Britt. I have ONE couch in my livingroom. It’s not very big, so I didn’t feel like being squeezed on there and all uncomfortable. She says it’s okay if h watches. He sprawls on the couch and Britt sits on the other end. Isaiah really says to me “Where are you going to sit, Ash” Listen, I’ve worked so very hard for my house, and all of my belongings. I understand he is only 11 and has no tact, but my sister does. She should have spoken up and told him to go downstairs, or to sit on the floor. I was just beyond offended. I said, “I guess I’ll squeeze in somewhere” It’s not right. It really is not. I refuse to deal with that every evening too. I am making it a point to say something. Around 830pm, he needs to get ready for bed, have a snack, then go down to his room. I know it sounds rude/mean, but I don’t care. She allows him to stay up until well after 10pm on school nights. I don’t even know how to convey that to him. I love you, but I need time away from you right now. If everyone would respect space, we’d get along fine. The problem is they don’t get that. After my show, he said “can you put my movie back on?” It was pretty annoying. I got to sit uncomfortably on my couch for about 40 minutes. I ended up going to bed at 9pm. Again, my sister didn’t speak up at all, but if I said no, he’d have an attitude, then she’d say something crazy like “Isaiah. Shut up! This isn’t our house, so deal with it” No, that isn’t my point. My point is, you’ve watched t.v. all day long. It’s adult time now. Go off on your own, and leave the adults alone. That’ll be a challenge for me.

I need to stick to my guns though. It is my home. I’ve given up a lot more than I’ve gotten back. She is using my car every day to take Isaiah to school, and herself to work. That is frightening. My brand new vehicle. Daycare is 3 blocks from our house, so she took me up to drop Em off this morning, then I walked across the street and waited for the bus. It sucked because I had to wait on the side of the highway for 15 minutes in the cold with a dress on. Usually, I’m in the car at the park n ride until the bus gets there. I am sacrificing a lot though, so I think the least the two of them can do is to obey my small set of rules, and respect some evening space. I just don’t know how to SAY that.  I wish she’d just have a talk with Isaiah to tell him what is expected of him, and then correct him when he’s falling out of line. I will try my hardest to verbalize this, but I think not being honest is a bad idea. Nothing can be fixed if it isn’t put out there to begin with. I am not picking on her son either. He told me yesterday that he absolutely loves that Emerson and I do stuff all of the time, and it’s nice to get out of the house. All we did was play in the yard, then we took a walk up to the ballfield, then let the boys run around for a while. It was pretty simple, but he isn’t used to doing things like that.  He is used to playing his xbox all day. Britt even said it was nice to see him running around outside. That made me happy. I definitely think it can be a good situation if some guidelines are followed. I already know they hate that they have to be extremely quiet when Emerson goes to bed. That’ll be a sore spot. It was when we went camping for two days. Well, there is no way around that. I won’t tolerate excessive noise that might wake Emerson up after I put him down. I’m the one that will have to deal with it. I’m not okay with that at all. I said to my sister last night that around 745pm-8pm he needs to be winding down anyway, so being excessively loud, running around, etc shouldn’t even be occurring anyway. I don’t tiptoe around my house, but I do go out of the way to not slam doors, or bang cupboards, etc.

She is going to get a car with her income tax. She has already proven to herself that she can pay bills,  so once she has a car, it should be okay. I hope that is the case. I do not want to live like this forever. I love my sister, and nephew, but I have a very specific way of living. I need my kid to grow up well balanced, and happy. My sister and nephew are some of the most miserable people I’ve ever met. Being beaten up for 2 years will do that to a person, but my nephew feeds off of my sister’s energy too. I know she wants to live by herself. She feels like a failure that she even had to move back in with someone, so that feeling just makes her even more miserable. I just cannot have my child living in a cloud of negativity. I just cannot have it. I hope that we can make this work until she has stability of her own. I hope being out of that environment allows them to be happy again. She can’t stay with me forever though. I don’t want to be mean. Once she gets a car, she can move in with my parents if need be. The reason she’s staying with me is because my schedule allows for her to be able to take my car. My mom and dad’s schedule do not allow for that. I feel like she only stayed with her ex because she could use his car. It’s sad that a car basically dictates your life, but I fully understand it. I think once she has a car, it’ll be a lot easier.

Alright, I am going to cut this now and go for a run.

Wtf

Emerson’s daycare called me yesterday morning to report that he had a flea in his hair. I find this absolutely absurd. There isn’t much I can do about it, so why call me during work hours? These things can be reported at pick-up. Anyway, his teacher asked me if our dog has fleas. I let her know that our dog does not have fleas. I checked Kodie last night. Clean as a whistle. I also checked Emerson’s head just to be sure he didn’t have some other bug outside of a flea. Any child could have brought a flea into that daycare. It doesn’t mean it came from our home. She called me three hours after I dropped him off too. I doubt a flea was hanging out in his hair that entire time.  This morning, she called me to apologize for calling me the prior day and to apologize if she offended me. She said I sounded upset when we hung up. The way she said it was rude like I was a bitch to her, or something. I wasn’t. I’m always nice, but I’m sure I had a slight edge in my voice over the disbelief that she’d call be for a flea. Anyway, she went on to tell me that she has a dog and how rapidly fleas can spread. She drove in the importance of catching it early. Again, I reiterated that our dog does not have fleas. I’m not an idiot. I wouldn’t let my dog walk around with fleas infesting our home, and our bodies.

I appreciate her willingness to call me, but I don’t need phone calls for things that are out of my control at that present time. When I see that number come up on the caller id, I die a little inside. It’s not a fun feeling to have. The sheer panic that something is wrong, or I have to pick him up early is nothing that I take lightly. A parent dreads nothing more than a call from the school, or daycare. She should know this, therefore she should use better judgement before picking up the telephone. I don’t understand what is so hard about that concept. I feel like a bitch if I complain about this. I also feel like she’ll take it so literally that she won’t call me for ANYTHING. I have a feeling she’s a spiteful person like that, so whatever I say, she will take it really far. No matter what I do, I lose, so I guess I should just let her continue doing what she’s doing. It just bugs me that she talks to me like I was a bitch to her yesterday when I was annoyed that she bothered me at work over something so stupid.

Anyway, my best friend’s sister brought Emerson a huge play castle the other day. He loves it! Our backyard looks like Camelot. Okay, maybe not Camelot, but it’s starting to resemble a toy store. We have so much stuff back there. I need to start thinking about tarps to cover everything before winter. Even though everything is mainly plastic, I still don’t want to leave it exposed over the winter. I’d like to try to keep it nice. Our grass needs cut so badly, but I don’t think it’ll be done this week. It has been awfully rainy. It’s already Thursday, so I’m thinking the lawn guys will just wait until our scheduled day, which would be Monday. It’s still okay enough to play in, but we’re teetering towards it being out of control.

Next week is going to be so busy. I took Friday, the 18th off, so that my sister and I can have our hair done. It’s her birthday present. Afterwards, we’re going shopping to pick up some stuff to wear to the color run on Saturday. I cannot wait! That’s also apart of her birthday present. We’re doing the run with our cousin, and a couple of friends too. On Friday night after our hair appointment, I organized a going away party for my best friend, and her husband. They’re moving to Arizona at the end of the month. I’m extremely sad about this. She has no idea about the party. She thinks Emerson and I are taking them out for dinner for her birthday, which is the day before. I have a few people helping me invite her old co-workers, family, and friends. I just need to order a cake. The only thing I worry about is Emerson. We’re all meeting at 7pm. Bedtime is typically 7:30pm. I hope he isn’t too cranky. We’ll probably stay out until at least 930ish. I hope I can push him two hours after bedtime. I don’t know how that’ll be though. We’re having the party at a brewery, so he won’t have much room to run, and play. I’m hoping people watching is enough to keep his attention.  Between that, food, and cake I think we’ll be alright. I just want to make it special for my best friend. I can’t believe she’s moving across the country. Emerson and I are going to make the trip out early next year to visit.

I can’t believe she’s moving. It’s weird to think about. We really started to see each other more, and talk a lot more these last few months. I know that sounds crazy considering we’re best friends, but mommyhood really took over there for a while. I was always exhausted trying to balancing work and mommylife. Pumping, and nursing always drained me too. Things have definitely changed though, and we’ve been seeing them a lot more.  I’m sad. I know they are really excited to start a new life, so I’m happy for them, but it’ll just be strange to know they aren’t right down the road anymore. I hope the party comes together nicely though. We plan on seeing them as much as possible before they jet.

Alright, guys. Have a great Thursday!

Busy busy!!

We had such a busy, but fun Labor Day weekend. On Friday, we didn’t do anything outside of the usual. After daycare, we went home and hung out, had dinner, bath, then Em went to bed. I rented The Age of Adaline. Wow. It was absolutely incredible! If you guys are looking for a good movie to rent, I’d highly recommend that. I’ll be watching it again for sure. On Saturday, we had no plans, but I knew I wanted to do something with Em. My best friend posted on her Facebook that she was going to Sandcastle, which is a water park for all of you non-Pittsburghers. We jumped on the band wagon and decided to head to the waterpark for the day too. We had time to kill after purchasing our tickets at Giant Eagle, so we headed over to my parent’s house for a bit. I had no idea they were babysitting my nephew, so we decided to take him with us. We had an amazing time! It was awesome because the water only came up to Emerson’s chest, so he was able to walk and run around with no issues. He went under a couple of times too, which gave me a heart attack, but he liked it and kept doing it. He went down all of the sides, which was so freaking cute. It was such an awesome day, and a great way to end the summer. Afterwards, we dropped my nephew back at my parent’s house. Em slept on their couch for about an hour. He was pooped. We went home, had dinner, bath, then he went to bed.

Sunday, I had to go to a funeral for my friend’s aunt. It was such a weird weekend. Dressing up for a funeral, then dressing down for a cookout. My best friend watched Emerson for me, so that I could go to the funeral myself. I was so appreciative of that. After I picked Em up, we went home, he took a nap, and I got ready for the cookout at my parent’s house. Em slept for about two hours. He must have been worn out from playing with Heather. We finally headed to my parent’s around 3pm. We swam, ate, and just had a really good time with everyone. Em was tuckered out by the time we got home. He went to bed at his usual time. I rented Crazy, Stupid, Love, which is one of my favorite movies.

On Monday, the office was closed for Labor Day, so Em and I met my mom for breakfast around 915am. Afterward, we went home, and Em played in the yard in his splash pad and pool for a few hours. He took a nap from 1-3pm again. I got ready, packed his bag, and waited for him to wake up, so that we could go to my sister’s cookout. We headed over there until about 6pm. We had a really nice time. It was nice to finally meet her fiancé’s family. Em had a good time running around. When we got home, we played for a while. I actually let him stay up later than usual. After he went to bed, I did nothing but lay on the couch watching t.v. This week, we don’t have much planned. We do have a surprise 30th birthday party on Saturday, but outside of that, we have nothing. I’m okay with that too! I have to do some grocery shopping. We have pretty much NOTHING at home. I’m hoping to get to the store right after work today.

I can’t believe summer is over. I wish we did more, but the things we did were really fun, and I’m glad we have those memories. We went to Kennywood, the zoo, the children’s museum, Sandcastle, The lake, camping, swimming, the splash park, living treasures, the animal farm, many ice cream outings, etc. I’m not prepared for cold weather, and snow. I am excited for all of the upcoming fall activities though. Hopefully we have a lot longer before it starts to get really cold. It’s supposed to be 93 today, so I don’t think we need to worry just yet!

Alright guys! I hope you all have a fabulous week!

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

This week has been pretty much the same for us. Work, daycare, yard play, dinner, bath, then bed. I like a set routine, so I’m not complaining. I like when things are the same. I hate when it’s shaken up, so I’ve been a happy girl the entire week. I’m doing the same. Work, working out, taking care of business. I don’t really have much to update you guys on outside of that. This weekend is going to be pretty mellow. I do have to go to a funeral on Sunday. My friend’s aunt died. I don’t want to even talk much about it, or I’ll cry. She was only 56 years old though. #cancersucks. We’re cooking out with my parents afterwards though, so that’ll be fun. We’ll try to log some pool time in here before my parent’s close up shop.

I ran a total of 7 miles this week. 3 on Tuesday, and then 4 miles yesterday. Not too bad. No more running this week though. I upped my weights to 10 and 12lbs, so I’ve been a bit sore this week. Today, I’m doing lower, but I’m going to use 12 and 15lb weights. My eating has been pretty much on point outside of indulging in some lattes. I’m always sure to opt for soy milk, so I feel like it’s a good enough trade off. I prepped food for the entire week, so I’ve been good to just pull things out of the fridge. I have nothing prepped past today though, so I’m going to work on that tonight. It’s easy to fall off over the weekend, especially with a holiday in the mix. My stomach suffers so much when I don’t clean eat, so I definitely need to prepare some things. We’re out of a lot of stuff at home anyway, so I plan on making a grocery run after work. Hopefully, I have enough time before I pick Em up from daycare.

Alright, guys. I am going to wrap this up now. I have a TON of work to do. I hope you all have such a great holiday week! Happy Labor Day!