By the way, mom...

I didn't mean to make it sound like my parents beat me mercilessly on a daily basis when I was ranting about Sam's behavior. Nothing like that. I don't think they really had to. Billy and I were never that bad. But, I think we both knew that if they told us to stop something or we would get in trouble, we knew without a doubt that they were serious. This is what I was saying about Sam... I just have to do this enough to make a believer out of him and then hopefully my evil eye will suffice to put an end to any foolishness when it begins. I love you mom & dad... thank you for spanking me. Bet you never thought you'd hear that, did you? While I am at it, thank you for making me clean up. Thank you for having high expectations when it came ot school and everything else. Thank you for grounding me when I needed it. Geez, thank you for everything. I appreicate now that you weren't just being mean and I appreciate how much easier it would have been for you just to throw your hands up and say "eh, whatever...". Good job.

My sick baby...

Linda called me at school this morning because Lily had thrown up. She has had diarrhea for a couple of days (nothing major) and she has been complaining of her legs hurting. I took the rest of the day off work and I took her to the doctor. She has also had some congestion, mostly throat drainage as opposed to a runny nose, for about three weeks, but it hasn't been anything bad either. Anyway, the doctor seems to think she has a sinus infection and the drainage has caused her to have the upset stomach. The leg pain he attributed to lack of potassium because she has had the diarrhea and vomiting. He prescribed her an antibiotic and we went on our merry way. She is asleep right now (and I should be too, I guess). She is so precious when she's asleep. Her mouth is hanging open and that bobby is dangling from her lips - I mean, she's out cold. Although she doesn't seem to feel bad, she's still talking and laughing and all that kind of stuff, but you can look at her face and tell she's just puny. Grandmomma is getting Sam from school this afternoon for me so maybe I can join Lilybelle for a much needed nap.

Sam's in trouble...

Sam had a note sent home from school yesterday saying that he had never been so disruptive. He could not keep his bottom in his seat, when he was in his seat he could not keep his head up. He blurted out all day and he had to have silent lunch. So, I took TV away from him last night. He came straight home, did homework, ate supper, took a bath, had a nice, long, stern talking-to from his dad and I, then he went to bed at 7pm. Today he apparently had a good day at school but then he was a complete pain after he got home. I took him to get a haircut. He couldn't sit still while I was getting my hair cut. He kept jumping around in the beauty shop. The I took him to mom and dad's to get supper and then took him straight to basketball practice. That's where all hell broke loose... He was AWFUL! He wouldn't keep his hands off the other boys. I watched him pretend to fart on a little girl's head. He kept doing this fake-falling-down thing that he does. He was doing everything except playing basketball. He was so disrespectful to his coach. He wanted to wrestle with his buddies, kept coming up behind them and getting them in a headlock, etc. I pulled him off the court twice and warned him about his behavior. By the time we left he had stretched his shirt so much that it looked like his daddy could have worn it. He had nearly chewed holes in his sleeves...I mean it was ruined. So when it was all over I took him to the car and I let it roll. I made him take his shirt off and I told him that if he couldn't wear his clothes appropriately that he could just not wear clothes. I don't think I have ever let him have it like I did. I was so mad I had to pull the car over. When we got home, I made him go to his room and I spanked him with the belt. I have only done that a couple of other times, but I am so worried that he is turning into a super spoiled brat. I see too many of those on a daily basis and I swear to you all they need is a good spanking and they need to have some healthy fear for their parents. I want Sam to know that when I say something I mean it. I really think he knew he had pushed me as far as he could push me. I told him that I was tired of being pleasant to him when he was so disobedient and disrespectful and that I intended to start spanking him whenever he decided to be that way. I hate to spank him, really I do, but I keep reminding myself of the kids I see every single day who have not been spanked enough in their lives and what it has done to them. It has made them too big for their britches, it has made them have absolutely no respect for authority. I dropped a kid's level at school today just because he told me I wouldn't do it. He jokingly said he didn't care if I dropped his level, it didn't mean anything to him anyway. So, I am going to drop his level or die. I never would have talked to my teachers that way. When he realized that I really was going to drop his level, he begged me not to and he told me he hadn't done anything. I started listed example after example of times he had been disrespectful to me, and times when he had been insubordinate. I ask him repeatedly every day to get out of the hallway after the first bell rings and he goes back out there every day. That's blatant insubordination. So guess what? He's getting his level dropped and its his own doggone fault. My point being that I am tired of kids (including my own) thinking that the rules don't apply to them and that they don't have to listen when they are told to do something. I can see that I am feeding this monster by standing aside and doing nothing. At school, I plan to take action by doing what I can (dropping levels and calling parents) and at home I am going to start spanking, because I know that it worked for me. Just the fear that I would get a spanking was enough. And I don't even think I had that many spankings...just enough to show me that mom & dad meant business and that they WOULD do it if they had to. So, as much as it really hurts, I feel like I am doing more of a disservice to my kids by not spanking them. Have I defended myself enough? Somebody back me up here.

Back to the Grind...again...

Well, once again I had to go back to stinkin' school. I had such a nice break. We had Thanksgiving lunch at Linda's with Brad's parents & grandparents (we had supper Wednesday night with Matt & Lindsay & his parents). We went to get a tree Thursday afternoon, then the kids spent the night with Grandmomma & Granddaddy that night so Brad & I could get up and look for a four-wheeler for Sam for Christmas Friday morning. We shopped until about 3, picked up the kids, then we went to get one of Sam's friends from school to spend the night with him. We went to basketball practice Saturday then Sam went to his friend's house to spend the night Saturday night. We sent Lily to stay with Matt & Lindsay for a few hours, and Brad and I visited our favorite place to eat, Outback. It was so yummy! Brad had an Eagle ceremony at First Baptist Sunday morning and Sam was still at his friend's house, so Lily and I played hookey from church and went to WalMart instead. We came home and we started working on decorating the outside of the house. Packed lunches, did bookbag inspections, laid out Monday morning's clothes, sent everyone to bed.... and before we knew it the alarm clock was beeping at us to get moving. It was so hard to get up, too. And it was SUCH a long day..

Anyway, I have been feeling really good (emotionally) lately. I think the medicine is doing its trick. Of course, I think the fact that it is closing in on Christmas and family is feeling more like family these days is helping me to keep my chin up and be positive. And it always helps to know that I have a nice break from work to look forward to over Christmas. I make it sound like I really hate my job, don't I? It's not that I hate it that much, it's just that I can only take it in small doses. If I could work three weeks then have a week off all year round, life would be great! I think the kids would be better, too.

My friend Nikki came back to work today. She has been out for several weeks and I have really missed her! My friend Becky found out she is having a boy...we all thought for sure it was a girl! She is due in April and she is finally starting to look pregnant. She's so cute! I really don't want any more children (we had Brad "fixed" anyway) but I think I would be pregnant for the rest of my life if I could. I absolutely loved it. I was very lucky...never sick, no major problems to speak of. I really did get to enjoy it because I didn't have to endure all the stuff some people have to endure. Plus, you get to eat whatever you want and nobody fusses at you or looks at you like you're a pig. :)

Well, I believe I will go put a puzzle together. I need to be grading papers but I am really not in the mood. I had a big bowl of homemade vegetable soup for supper on this cold, rainy night and it was perfect. I'm feeling really relaxed and satisfied, so why would I want to ruin it by grading papers?

Something else to waste your time...

Yeah, just something else I found to do when I should be doing other things... www.jigzone.com

Going to Grandmomma's...

We are going to Brad's mom's house tonight for our Thanksgiving dinner with them. Of course, I asked if I could bring anything and she just couldn't think of a thing...typical. I will probably make some stuff and take it anyway because I am sure everyone else will bring something. Anyway, I am home now, just like I wanted, and I just don't know what to do with myself first. I need a haircut. I need to get the oil changed in my car. I need to clean out my car and have it washed. Before I can do any of that, I have to get up and get my shower! That's the hard part. I would much prefer to lay around in my PJ's for the next five days. I checked my email and I had lots of ads for sales the day after Thanksgiving. I haven't attempted to go out on the day after Thanksgiving for several years but if I could find a good enough bargain, I just might do it this year. Best Buy looks pretty promising, although I really don't need anything specific there. I would like to find some good deals on DVD's for the kid's stockings and Sam has finally taken somewhat of an interest in his Gameboy so some games might be an idea. I really want to get him a four wheeler or a go-kart but they are so expensive. And I feel like I would need to get Lily something comparable. She will be happy with a Barbie doll. That's all she'll say she wants. I really need to spend some time cleaning out their playroom and their rooms and getting rid of some toys they don't play with anymore. I just can't do that with them here though. They claim to play with it all, you know. I saw a really cute pink convertible corvette at Toys R' Us that she would love... it was $300. It just seems ridiculous. Well, I guess if I'm gonna accomplish anything today I am going to have to get up from here. I'll let you know what I manage to get done today.

Too cozy...

Boy, did having Thanksgiving dinner yesterday mess with my mind, or what?!? I was so cozy in the bed this morning... feeling as though I was already out on Thanksgiving break...and then...beep, beep, beep!!! Man! What a disappointment to have to get up and go to work for two days before officially being out on break! I know, some of you are thinking I should shut up and be thankful I get to be out at all, not everyone gets extra days off of work for holidays. But I swear, maybe it is arrogant of me, but I think I deserve more days off of work for putting up with all that I put up with! I am SO looking forward to the end of the day tomorrow when that last bell rings and the kiddies are out the door until next Monday! Ahhhh... less than 24 hours away!

Thanksgiving at Mom's...

Today we had Thanksgiving dinner at mom and dad's. The food was delicious (as usual)! Best of all, we had some of the best time together as a family that we have had in a very long time (or at least I enjoyed it). Daddy went walking outside with us (got him away from that cursed television!). Mom was in a pretty good mood, going through some pictures. Overall, it was just a nice time visiting with them. I am extremely thankful that things seem to be improving with my relationship with my family. I love them so much and I hope they know how thankful I am for every second I get to spend with them.

Christmas spirit...

Becky & I went to Pineville to Garden Ridge tonight. I needed some garland for the front porch and, of course, I ended up buying lots of new Christmas decorations. Way more than I needed, but it at least got me in the mood to decorate. I feel like I have slapped up a tree the past couple of years...well, actually, since we moved in the house. This year, I really want to take the time to decorate a tree and make the house look really nice. Last year, especially, I was downright ashamed of the job I did decorating. I just haven't had the Christmas spirit but I think I am feeling it a little more this year. I hope to get the tree up and decorated Thursday or Friday.

Damn the blue bobby...

Lily just had a full 90 minute screaming, kicking tantrum because she wanted a BLUE bobby (pacifier) to match her BLUE pajamas... yes, you heard me...she threw a fit because her bobby didn't match her clothes. The clothes she was going to SLEEP in, nonetheless. I swear, I thought I would go mad before she finally gave in and fell asleep. I have never encountered such a headstrong child in all my life. And such a drama queen! I sent her to her room almost immediately and told her she was just going to have to go to bed early if she couldn't stop crying. When she got up there, I went to tuck her in and she started kicking and throwing the covers off her bed while screaming that she didn't like her clear bobby. I spanked her. As soon as I got downstairs, I heard her bobby hit the wall, then she started crying that she couldn't find her bobby. I went upstairs (giving her the benefit of the doubt, maybe she just dropped it), found the bobby under her bed, gave it to her only to have the whole thing start again because it wasn't the BLUE bobby. When I got back downstairs, I heard it hit the wall again. I let her cry for at least 15-20 minutes before I went up to find it again. Tantrum started again when I didn't give her the BLUE bobby. I came back downstairs, called Brad (he worked late) to tell him he better come home before I lost my mind. Then I called mom (needed a witness so SOMEONE could hear what I was going through). Just before it all ended, the child buried her bobby in her toybox, yes... buried it in her toybox... to try to get me to get her a BLUE bobby instead. She finally gave in and was asleep within a few minutes of me getting her bobby out of her toybox. I will be shocked if she can speak tomorrow after screaming like she did for so long. And I'll be shocked if I survive until Monday...Brad is going camping with Sam and the scouts leaving me alone with the princess. Say a little prayer for me...

The truth about Sam...

Well, today Grandmomma had to have some dental work done so I had to take part of the day off to pick up the kids from school. It worked out pretty good because I went by Subway and took a sandwich to Sam and ate lunch with him. It will probably be the only time I get to do that this year. He was jealous the other day because Brad was going to eat at the Thanksgiving luncheon with Lily at her preschool and he said he wished someone would come to his school to eat with him. So, I did. I told mom earlier, if you want to know what your kid is really like and what kind of things they really do at school, just go eat lunch with them and listen to what all their little friends have to say!
One kid says, "Sam already had to pull a ticket today."
"Really, what'd he do?"
"He called Nya a bad name. I don't feel like saying what it was."
"Oh really? Is Sam usually good at school?"
"No, not really. He's good sometimes on the playground, but that's about it."
"Hmmm..."
"Sam has a girlfriend, too."
"Really? A girlfriend?"
"Yeah, her name is Anna and he kissed her."
"Really!?"
"Yeah."
Meanwhile, all the others are sitting there nodding and chiming in from time to time, while Sam sat there and said, "They're lying, momma."
Needless, to say it was interesting.
The teacher had some interesting news to share, too. He called a little girl in his group an idiot because she wouldn't be quiet so their group could get points (for whatever). And he has been testing his teacher by doing the opposite of what she says. She told him to put down his pencil and he instead rolled his pencil around on his desk. She told him not to run and he took off running down the hallway. He's been doing this stuff to me at home, too. I'm not sure what to do about it because I feel like a lot of it is just to get attention. Lily demands so much attention from us, I feel like even though I try really hard to be attentive to Sam, he feels ignored because he has this drama queen for a sister. I am afraid he is going to be fighting this battle all his life. So, what do I do? Every time I try to talk to him about anything, he just busts out crying and you can't talk to him at all. When you ask him why he's crying, he says "because you're mad at me." I'm just not sure how to handle this.

I'm really sleepy and I need to fix something for supper. Brad will be home in a few minutes and I'm sure he's not hungry (he never is this early). The wind is blowing like crazy outside and it just looks like it's cold. I am so content sitting here in the recliner covered up with my blanket with my computer on my lap. It just seems like such a shame to get up and move before I really have to. Well, maybe I'll just sit here and surf a while. Can't hurt, can it?

Starting another diet...

I have to do something about my weight... lost 45 pounds last year and I have gained back a little less than 20 since the beginning of the summer. Summer was really hard because I was home and I could eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. Then I came back to school...stress attack... and I have started right back down the path to a fatter butt. My clothes that were too big on me have started fitting again :( I just hate it so I have to do something. I have been reading the Dr. Oz books and he really makes sense. He talks about eating things that are more "natural" and less processed. Stay away from enriched flours, sugars, etc. He also advises a diet that includes "good" fats. He says that is the downfall of the all protein diets is that your meats today are so much higher in fat than they used to be because of the way the animals are fed, etc.

I don't know, I still have a lot of reading to do. I actually cooked fish (tilapia) for supper last night with steamed broccoli and carrots. Lily had a meltdown and refused to eat anything except the shredded cheese I gave the kids to go on top of their broccoli. Then, of course, two minutes after supper, she wanted a little snack and I refused. After a solid hour...no joke... of her crying through her bath and getting her PJ's on, I finally broke down and gave her some peanut butter crackers. I feel bad because my kids eating habits are almost as bad as mine. If you ask them what they want for supper, they ALWAYS say chicken nuggets and french fries. I'm a terrible mother.

Anyway, today I had game duty after school. Me and Becky took the money at the door for the wrestling match. We actually did very little work but we had fun working on an Intelligence test that momma emailed me. Gotta run... almost time to go...Lily has dance tonight.

Cleaning freak...

Today I did not have to go to work because it is Veteran's Day. Grandmomma offered to keep the kids last night so I accepted. This morning I slept until 8am, then I took Lily to preschool at 9, brought Sam back home with me, and then the cleaning frenzy began... I have cleaned all day, stopping only long enough to go pick Lily up from preschool at 1pm. Sam has played in his room and has had a blast because Lily wasn't here to interrupt him. I have washed every stitch of clothing in the house, changed my sheets, washed the bathroom and kitchen rugs. I mopped the entire downstairs, cleaned the bathrooms, vaccumed, & dusted. I cleaned out my closet, took all my summer stuff up to the attic, brought all my winter stuff down & put it in the closet. My house really needed this. My next strategy for keeping it clean is to come up with a weekly schedule where I do one major cleaning chore per day (ie. toilets, tubs, vaccuming, etc.). It is going to be hard because my weeks are so hectic, but with as much other stuff as I fit into my schedule, surely I can manage ONE chore per day. We'll see...

You're probably wondering how I am able to sit down and write this at 3 o'clock...well, I'm glad you asked. My prince is upstairs in his bed asleep & my princess fell out on the couch in her favorite princess outfit (high heels & all). She has been walking around with a Bob the Builder umbrella pretending it is raining for the past hour. It got quiet suddenly and I came through the living room only to find her half on/half off the couch. The umbrella and her baby were laying on the couch beside her. I swear, it's like she just collapsed into some enchanted slumber mid-step and was just lucky the couch was close enough to catch her. So, I decided to make the best of a quiet moment and take a little break.

Did I mention yet about Sam starting basketball? He went to his first practice on Saturday and he loved it. I think it is going to be a great thing for him. I have tried to get him interested in playing sports but he has thus far been happy to stay home and play in the backyard. He brought the singup sheet home and asked to participate totally on his own. I guess this is the best way to do it because I know he is truly interested. I can't wait to see him in his little uniform. By the way, speaking of cuteness, his teeth are coming in now. I have throroughly enjoyed his snaggle-tooth days.

OK, I need to run get a couple of other things done before the crew wakes up.

So far, so good...

Well, this week has been a blur (as most weeks are). Monday night Brad had both Boy Scouts and City Council, while I took the kids to Chic-Fil-A for Fallston School spirit night. It was a total madhouse. Grandmomma had requested that we go to Kmart afterward to buy Sam a pair of "knock around" shoes to keep down at her house for when she picks him up from school. We did that, then swung by DQ for a blizzard before returning home. Thank goodness they gave out homework passes to everybody who came to Chic-Fil-A because both the kids were asleep in the van before I got home with them. It wasn't even 8 o'clock! This time change has been rough for them. Anyway, I tucked them in the bed and did a load of laundry before Heroes came on. That show just confuses me lately... anybody know what's going on? I'm just tired of trying to figure it out...

So Tuesday (last night), we got home, did homework, ran by Mimi and Paw's to grab some supper, came home, ate, put on Lily's dance gear and headed off to dance. She got to wear tap shoes and they tapped last night. She had a ball! Came home, bathed them, did more laundry, spent 30 minutes putting away clothes in their rooms, put them in the bed, then collapsed in the recliner to read a little bit of my new cookbook that came yesterday. I am going to have to have packages delivered somewhere besides my house from now on. You remember the two Dr. Oz books and what happened to them, right? Well, I just managed to save Jessica Seinfeld and her Deceptively Delicious recipes from my hungry hounds. They had chewed through the box and the book only suffered a few scratches before I found it in the flowerbed. Darn dogs!

That brings us to tonight... we just got home and I sent Sam outside to find a few leaves for a school project he is working on. Lily is whining (of course) for something to eat (a little snack) but we are going to church tonight for supper in about 15 minutes. Brad and I are going to go to Bible Study (the new preacher is starting a new study tonight that sounds pretty interesting) while the kids are in their classes. When we get home, it will be baths and bed for the kids, then I have more laundry to do, lunches to pack, papers to grade and a test to write for tomorrow.

I know I am not the only person who runs around like this all the time. I even recognize that some people have a much busier schedule than I have. It just seems like I never have time to slow down and enjoy anything. Brad and I talk sometimes about being born in the wrong time period... and I really think sometimes that I was. I think that I should have been alive during a slower paced time...back in the time when there were no computers (as much as I love my computer), no phones, & no cars. I just think there was a much deeper appreciation for the little things in life and you weren't so rushed that you never even noticed those little things. Maybe I would have gone totally mad with boredom, but I don't think so. Anybody else ever think about such weird and crazy things as me?

Fall back...

Spring forward, fall back... well, it is 6:20 (new time) and I am up with both my children because apparently someone forgot to tell them that you get to sleep an extra hour when the time changes in the fall. Lily has been up since 5:00. She went straight to Sam's room and got in his bed and woke him up, too. I slept on the couch because Brad is going through one of his hard-to-sleep-with phases. When he gets stressed out about work or when he gets even the slightest cold, he snores, he tosses and turns, he knocks into me with his sharp elbow, he pulls the covers, he talks... and weirdest of all, he smacks his lips! I always laugh at him and tell him he must be dreaming about eating. Anyway, at about 3am, I had had all I could take for the night. I bought him some Melatonin (like my buddy Carmen suggested) and I told him to take it before he came to bed. I'm not sure if he did or not because I was out like a light when he came to bed. I hope it helps him because we have been so snippy at each other lately and it is literally because of our sleeping patterns. You know, it's funny, I always assumed that when people had children their sleep was disturbed for a year or so while their baby learned to sleep through the night. Pretty naive, huh? Now I see clearly that it will be a very long time before I ever get to sleep like I used to. I guess that's part of the natural cycle of life, but I sure do miss sleeping. When I was at home with Mom and Dad, I used to get the BEST sleep because my room in the basement didn't have windows. I would sleep in the middle of my bed and I literally did not move all night. It was wonderful. Now, if it's not my kids keeping me up, it's Brad. Oh, well, that's life.

We went to see A Bee Movie yesterday with Billy and Lea. I wasn't impressed. Lily danced at Hog Happenin' at 1pm and then we went to the mall for about an hour before the movie started. After the movie, we went to WalMart. Billy has lost his license again and he had promised Lea he would take her to the movie so he called on me. I don't really mind except that it seems like Sam's behavior is so much worse when Lea is around. And Lily is in a phase right now where she WILL NOT stop talking. And every sentence begins with "Momma..."!!! It is driving me mad! She doesn't even have anything to say and she will just say Momma over and over until I answer her, then she thinks of a question to ask me...usually "What time is it?". Linda has her so spoiled. When she wants something, she demands it RIGHT THEN. When she says jump, Grandmomma jumps. I'm too lazy and her demands are not always legitimate needs (a little snack at 5 in the morning, for example) so I try to put her off, which leads to whining. She will actually whimper like a dog when she doesn't get her way. I put up with it for as long as I can stand it but she is a persistent little cuss and I snap after so long. I know I am doing wrong when I give in, but I swear my mind is just fragile or something because I reach a point where there is NO MORE patience. UGH!

The weather has been absolutely beautiful lately. Crisp, cool mornings and warm, sunny afternoons. I love when the weather changes..whether it is Spring or Fall... my favorite time of year is when you can feel the next season trying to break through the current one. It can be frustrating when you're trying to dress for that kind of weather, but it is still my favorite. Of course, I am a little concerned that it is November and we are just starting to feel that transition. The kids have asked when it will snow again and I truly wonder if we'll have anymore "real" snows like we used to have. That makes me sad for them. I guess there's always man made snow on the ski slopes... I guess I'll have to learn to ski...now that should be interesting :)

Halloween is over & my sleepless hubby...

Thank goodness Halloween is over. Every kid I teach came to school today with a large bag of Halloween candy they stole from their younger brothers and sisters. They were bouncing off the walls! My own kids aren't exactly calm... Sam keeps "falling" in the floor. He is getting on my nerves with it, too. Lily got up at 4am and climbed in bed with me talking up a storm. She crashed last night after all the candy but I think the sugar kicked in again this morning and got her up. One good thing came from her getting up so early... she woke Brad up and asked him to cook her bacon and eggs. I guess he felt guilty (that or bacon and eggs sounded really good to him, too) cause he got up and cooked breakfast around 6am. I slept until around 6:15 and then ended up at work a few minutes earlier than usual. Worked out rather nicely, except that I am sleepy now (having been in and out of sleep that last bit of the morning).

Tonight was the first night we were able to stay at home this week so I actually cooked supper. I made pork chops, pintos, greens, cornbread and tea. And I don't mind saying that it was really good.

Brad left to go to a scout meeting at 7, then called a few minutes later to say he was mistaken about his meeting and he was going to the sale barn instead. I wish he would sit still every once in a while! He is constantly on the go and then I feel guilty for ever sitting down to relax. He and I have been sort of pissy at each other lately. I get mad at him because he can't get up in the morning. He gets mad at me when I go to bed at night. I usually go around 10 o'clock but he will stay up until midnight or 1am regularly. He says he gets sleepy, comes to bed, then can't go to sleep. He'll stay up and do laundry, which I appreciate, but we end up never having any time together because our schedules are so opposite. I need him to do a better job in the morning because as he sleeps late, I have to get the kids ready and then it ends up making me late for work. I like to leave around 7:15 but I can't usually get out of the house until 7:30, which causes me to hit bus traffic. I have explained this to him, it gets better for about a week, and then it slowly returns back to the same old same old. And when he makes sassy little comments to me when I tell him I'm going to bed, I end up making sassy comments back about how one of us has to be able to get up the next morning...and it continues from there. I just don't know how to solve this problem because I really think he has some legitimate sleep problems. Anyway... this problems recurs with us... it sorts itself out and gets better for a spell, then it will come back with a vengeance. I guess right now it's just peaking because I'm about to paddle his head with my shoe to get him moving!

Trying not to spend this whole post complaining (sorry, I'm still working on that...I am too much like my Granny), I AM thankful that my husband helps out around the house, even if it is in the middle of the night. It is nice to get up and see all the laundry baskets empty and all the clothes folded. I am also thankful that tomorrow is FRIDAY! :)