I promise nothing exciting

Yea, don't mind the pregnancy ticker at the top of the page either. I still lack sufficient mental energy to tweak layouts, even if that includes a simple deletion of something like a ticker. I'm sure you'll forgive me, and if not I am already over it.
I'm still busy tending the mini-human and her 3 older siblings, plus working (yes already) and going to the chiropractor twice a week for adjustments. I missed Friday's appointment because I was running behind the 8-ball and then there was an accident RIGHT in front of me. Then the mini-human screamed for my help with a yucky diaper, but I couldn't get out of the mom-bus to tend her because the rubberneckers are morons and would have clobbered me as they gawked at the vehicular carnage. I really needed an adjustment Friday, so I was upset with myself for being late, and really frustrated that I missed my appointment. That in conjunction with the postpartum hormones, I wanted to cry actually. Love the hormones. Really.

Today's adjustment consisted of a few additional manipulations than previous visits involved. I was really trying NOT to undo the chiropractor's handiwork. So I honestly did very little today in hopes of achieving that particular goal. Two of the kids were home from school today for planning day, and it was fairly quiet for the most part. Except, the Clone and her hormones were out of whack and PMSing today. I offered her chocolate and she said she didn't like it. ::quizzical look::

I'd be rambling with a bunch more of the mommy-blather at this point but I will spare you the boredom-induced drooling. I'm sure you would much rather use that salivary function for baked goods or that hidden Halloween candy you've been trying not to eat - but just can't seem to ignore its call.

Pregnant - and with PMS

It's been one of those weeks for me, which is part of why I haven't been posting much. I have not had anything funny, snarky or even nice to say, so I have been biting my keys. I'd rather do that than need peppermint ones later anyway. The Clone has been cranking out her PMS, and the hormones are apparently contagious. I've warned the penis people of the house repeatedly that it's a crank-fest and just stay on my good side. The first trimester "bleh" has pretty much passed and the second trimester nesting has kicked in full force. My house reflects the fact that I had the first trimester bleh, and it's driving me nuts. My frustration at how little I can accomplish to quell the second trimester nesting instincts is compounding things. I have managed to clean a bunch of junk out of my daughter's closet to make room for baby stuff to go in there. She is not happy that things go in there that aren't hers. However, this 1100 square foot house has literally THREE closets and we need six. Hers is the biggest one, so it gets the most stuff by default. I'm repacking things into boxes I've brought home from work, and tossing the old ratty boxes.
In the good news department this week, I scored a plain exersaucer for $10. Yes, plain. As in, no fifty gazillion toys attached to it that require scrubbing with a toothbrush daily to keep it clean. We're prone to messes here, and simpler to clean means "good idea" here. Plus, my household is overly stimulating for the senses anyway, there is no sense in adding to a baby's (or the MOM'S) overstimulation. Three noisy kids and a baby. I'm first in line for being overstimulated by the chaos.
Second, I scored a Medela Pump In Style motor for $25. For those of you outside the mama-milk circles, this is presumably the 'mack-mamma' of breast pumps. And for you pervs googling that crap, I'm talking about lactating and feeding offspring with the boob-milk, not the hormonal crap you're searching for on the internet. Anyway, it's just the motor that does the pumping, not the tubes, connectors or parts that attach to the milk source, plus it's an older model. I am blessed to have a friend who has the same pump and extra parts that she's offered to send me, and then some.
Third, I found some fabric that said same friend is going to use to make a maternity top for me, along with some others out of fabric she found where she lives. I'm excited because the stuff loaned to me by another friend isn't exactly my style, except the t-shirts. And it's getting more challenging to dress for church because my tops are starting to not fit me in a few places. When I'm done with these clothes, I'll be returning them to the other friend, and passing along the additions I've acquired, thereby increasing and updating her wardrobe for her next pregnancy. I call it the "Circle of Giving", and I'm trying to stay on the good side of the equation here.

Now, if you'll pardon me, I have something needing to be done around here, and hopefully doesn't include yelling at unproductive, uncooperative, teenage boys. One of them wants to get on the computer and do some schoolwork. I just want my house clean. I won't even start ranting about my husband's freakish work schedule that complicates my life these days. I'm grateful that he even HAS a job. Now if I can just get the teenager who is old enough to work, to actually LEAVE the house and FIND a job of his own, it would be tremendously helpful to my sanity. God bless those homeschool parents who actually do the teaching themselves. I am not one such capable parent.

Therapy, in public

Today, was bad. Very very very BAAAAAAD. (Sheep anyone?) And I refuse to give the crap any credence at this moment. I will say that the day involves PMS for two, overexposure to the 15 year old, and all of this while Devildog was cheering for his favorite team in the National Championships. Which by the way, you know it's bad when the Devildog was around the boy for all of two and a half hours this afternoon, and the boy annoyed the crap out of Devildog the entire time Devildog was home. When he told me this, I thought "Welcome to my world pal". So, to recap....PMSing mom left with PMSing Clone, pesky 15 year old, and a loud 14 year old. While Dad goes to a friend's house to watch a major football game. Under normal circumstances, no big deal. But all these combined, was not pleasant. The kids and I got to eat a meal Devildog wouldn't touch for anything. Then I got really annoyed by the oldest and in my attempts to decompress, I went to Ravelry to drool over yarn and patterns. And found an announcement. Wheeee! Knitting Therapy and in public. Join us if you like. But don't mock us. We knit so we don't kill people and it's often much cheaper than therapy, plus you get something tangible out of it, and it's not generally constructed out of an empty oatmeal container. Plus for the few weeks that Florida has cold temperatures, warmth can be available from the creations.

Early Winter break?

Still no word yet on the oldest son's school assignment, and I'm really frustrated by it. At the same time I don't want to be a pesky parent and harass the principal just yet. However, noon Thursday, all bets are off. This whole process has sucked mucho for me. I'm thinking that with two days left till winter break starts, it's going to be January before he sees the inside of another classroom. THIS should be fun. My sanity already suffers, and now it's making me sufferable to those around me. PMS compounds the entire situation.
THEN, while I'm on a service call in the ONE store that blocks cellphone signal, I get a call that went straight to voicemail. This one happened to be from Beast's school. He got suspended for two days over something stupid he did. He didn't even get into a fight for pete's sake. Sometimes I wish he would. Sooo, he's home till January now too. Clone has a class party Thursday and probably a day of fun stuff on Friday. So much for sneaking out to buy socks and underwear while they're at school. It's been a monkey-wrenched month.
Today proved to be a very annoying day and I was quite cranky. Despite my warnings to the children, they were ignored. I can't take all this *expletive* noise. I hope not to be a complete and UTTER shrew by New Year's.
Let me also add that I have a sum total of less than ten minutes left on my cellphone minutes till Thursday night. I love you all. Really. I do. I just can't afford to go over my minutes to talk to you. Catch me after 9PM or the weekend...or Friday even. I'm so glad that my husband has relatives on Verizon so I can call them and wish them well or beg for money, whatever the case may be. Just as long as I stay on their good side. If nothing else I am IN. I'm also IN for some insanity for the next two weeks. Lord, help me keep these offspring busy and entertained, so I don't become the entertainment.......

When stuff happens it gets settled

And it all settles in ONE week of my calendar. I will survive. I just do not know if I can bank on surviving my daughter's PMS. Rather, I should say, that I hope and pray the males can survive her PMS. She was hellified EEEEVOLLLLL today, and I STILL have a headache from it. Tomorrow, I might have to throw chocolate in her direction from around the corner and wait for it to kick in to get near her. I chuckle to think that my husband WANTED a girl, and he got one. She is every bit my clone. Except a few years experience taught me how to deal with my own PMS. I just hide in my corner and let him tend to the PMS laden little girl - that he wanted all while forgetting that girls get PMS and make his life hell. In a few years he's going to think boys were a good idea like I did 7 years ago. Him: old man. Her: Teen with hormones gone terribly awry. Me: Menopausal mother of teen with hormones gone terribly awry. Yeah, things eventually settle.

Men CAN understand women at times

If not understand them then at least understand how they tick. A few days ago marked 16 years that my husband and I began our relationship. After a male dominated household was effectively leveled by arrival of my clone, the male dog's demise, and one male child moving to another place, it's safe to say there is ample estrogen in this house. My clone, young as she is, does indeed have those heinous hormonal swings and she's ill-equipped to handle them. No one can tell me she doesn't get them, especially if they do not live WITH her daily. Today I have been rather .. hm... the only way to describe it is a bit of a "MRWAWR!!!" mood and the clone's has been "HIISSSSS!!!!", which the males here can avoid if warned. They were in fact, NOT warned this go round. My husband, God love him, went out to get a paper this afternoon and came back with something else as well. He walked up to me saying "Hold out your hands" to which I obliged.
I asked what that was for and as he poured Pink M&Ms in my hands, he said "Chocolate! So you can calm your butt down." The clone asked him why he gave mommy more than he gave her. He told her that it was because we hadn't eaten dinner yet, and he knew mommy would eat all her food (followed by comments about how I eat more than some grown men). After 16 years with this man, I'm pretty sure he was thinking not of how big my appetite can be, but more like how big a temper I have. Smart man.

PMS euphoria

Yes, that would be an oxymoron there, but let me explain.....I generally crave baked goods and sweets at any given time. It gets especially loud at that very key point in the month my husband calls "hell". You have me, the Feisty Irish Wench and my clone, the Feisty Irish/Cherokee/Apache Wench-ette and a nice roiling pot of PMS. Yes, she's soon to be six and she indeed gets PMS-y. We eat a lot of the same things and cravings are similar between us. I have been good about not getting to indulgent with the sweets, almost have my sugar addiction handled. Except when I get PMS, I try to fight off the urge to make up for lost time in terms of baked goods. I stockpile cake and brownie mixes. It's not good for my husband and son who are built like "strappin' country boys". My husband, I swear to you was anorexic looking when I met him. I have NOT fed the man *that* well. In any case, I'm rambling again. I got a new-to-me toaster oven at the church garage sale today, along w/ a couple other small finds that I've had on my list of wanna-get-it items. This one is built to cook a small freezer pizza *cough* (like Totino's) *cough* rather than heat up the entire house using the big oven on the stove. Imagine my joy at finding this treasure that has been on my list. I almost got the smaller one, then thought again that my teenage sons can fend for themselves and save me money on electricity. The youngest one might even be able to figure this out being near-genius and all. Sadly I didn't get any freezer pizzas on my way home today. I did however break out one of the brownie mixes and make some PMS food. The oven heats hotter than the dial indicates, so it requires tweaking of time and temperature. It made for some slightly messy but tasty brownies.

Funny side story: While I was mixing the batter, my daughter appears wanting to assist. Her brothers trained me well to expect alterior motives. I see the gleam in her eyes...mmmmm lick the bowl/spoon/spatula.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm making PMS food."
"I get PMSing"
"Yes I know you do, as evidenced by that whole cranky display earlier about getting in the tub"
::innocent nervous laughter::


I am in pure PMS craving heaven. Baked goods, chocolatey baked goods.....yummmmmm. ....crumbly, gooey, cakey...CHOCOLATEY.....
This? This is PMS Euphoria