a blended life

We had a pretty good Christmas. I promise to post pics in the next day or two. I gave myself a mild concussion that has left me nearly brain-dead for a week now. Your next question is, How did that happen? Drum roll please.......I whacked it on the washing machine. Anyway, I've been having a hard time putting two thoughts together and I'm in a fuzz for most of the day. Thus, the late post on Christmas and other exciting December happenings. The real tragedy is that I've wasted my entire break from school by flipping channels because I lack the energy and thought process to do anything productive. I had so many plans.

I'm having an incredibly hard time with Leah. It's hard to describe what's wrong, but the best description I have is that she's out of control of herself. She has anxiety over everything, and usually over something irrational like getting a shot in 5 years or tractors. If she doesn't get her way, she blows up and starts yelling, screaming, and attacking me--hitting, flailing, pushing, etc. She doesn't just throw a fit, she pushes and pushes until she gets a reaction out me (she doesn't do this to anyone else). She has become extremely disrespectful and sassy. For example, I said "Leah, you need to put your clothes away." And she answered, "You put them away. You're the one who did it." Typical kinds of child discipline have never worked with her. She has an almost complete refusal to take responsibility for herself. The other day she blamed me for her hair being snarly because I was the one the let her sleep too long. Normally that wo...

I read a lot of blog posts and this one has to be my favorite and most inspiring for this year. Read it if you: *need a reason to be grateful for your kids *had a baby in the NICU *are in the mood to get weepy *need some perspective on your life Grab some tissue.

Remember that song? It should say "The mom is getting fat."  My dad has a camera club and they invited some professional Santas to come and get shot (?). Thanks to a wonderful Grandma, the girls had some cute new dresses to wear for the event.  Leah is telling Santa that all she wants is a Lego airplane.  We don't know what Hannah was whispering about.  In other news, I sold the tortoise today. It has been almost one year to the day that I took her in. I found a good home, some teenage boy that has dreamt about turtles his whole life. I hope he isn't disappointed--Shelly always was a bit moody. In more other news, here is an exact conversation I had at church: Concerned friend: How ARE you? Me: Oh, pretty good. I finished finals this week and... Concerned friend: ( interrupts ) But are you dating anyone? Me: No. ( refrains from eye rolling )

The biggest news of the week: I survived finals. I almost drowned in the process. I had three comprehensive tests. They went mostly good. I had a strange experience during the last final--in the middle of the test, I realized I would be done with the semester. I started panicking. What was I going to do with all my free time? How would I be able to decide what to do? Keep in mind that I haven't had enough time to even sit through a t.v. show in many months. For a while, I wanted the test to keep going. I didn't want to be stuck with so much unscheduled time. That's what it felt like when I ended my mission and probably what it feels like (to a very small degree) when someone gets out of jail. I had planned to go home after the final, eat something delicious and watch a movie on HBO. I got home and was so overcome with fatigue that I couldn't look at the t.v. screen. My stomach and my friend, the ulcer, had taken a beating this week so I cramped up on the couch until it...

A random, unflattering picture unrelated to the post content: This is a brief post to answer a question that nearly all of you are absolutely dying to ask but don't have the nerve. I didn't know everyone cared so much until I was talking with a certain friend on Tuesday night. She is possibly more blunt and forward than I am (I won't mention any names, but if you see Lynette, tell her hi for me). She asked the same question that everyone asks me, "So, how ARE you?" And I thought that meant, "Now that you're divorced, are you able to sleep through the night and shower regularly?" So I answered with my usual, "Great! And by the way, I hate Statistics." This conservation has been happening consistently with many different people over the past year. When I had this habitual conversation with said friend, she stopped the routine and said bluntly, "What I'm really asking is, Are you dating anyone?" OH. Why didn't s...

My niece took some pictures of us at Thanksgiving. I'm turning into a fairly bad picture shooter these days--my pics of Thanksgiving were abominable at best and I can't find any of my birthday. Probably because I let Leah have the camera, so we have a lot of the floor, her Build A Bears, and the t.v.  This is the most stressful time of year for me--finals are next week. I have three of them and all are comprehensive. I've decided to make a public announcement:  I make a terrible student (that's not a surprise to most of you). I get good grades and all, but sitting through class is so boring I want to poke my eyes out. In fact, I bring a large bag of diversionary (?) activities to help me get through the 6 hours of class I have every Wednesday. It includes computer games, treats, different colored pens, and more treats. Sometimes I forget to be discreet and whip out a novel. I might really get rebellious tomorrow and bring Kettle Corn. I will never understand the point ...