Feeling down :(

This morning I was approached by one of the assistants at The Stanislaus Wrobinski Tennis Academy about an opening in their residential program for Hummus this fall.  Normally they don’t take children as young as he is, but when I promised to potty train him before he started there, of course they wanted him!

He is so focussed when he plays!

When I got home, Röbert was holding some mail,and looking very stern.  It seems that I may have forgotten to tell him about how much time Hummus has been spending at The Academy, and it cost a lot more than either of us imagined.  A LOT more.  Oh well, that is what credit cards are for!

Anywho, Röbert made me go back and pick him up and withdraw him from all of his classes. Later, I could tell Röbert felt bad about denying our baby this amazing opportunity, because he had signed him up for Lil’ Lobsters at the community courts.  I will try, but I am not sure I can stand to take him to such a low rent facility after the progress he has made with his clay court game this spring.

This is what Röbert thinks is acceptable?

I guess it is back to the gym child care for Hummus this summer.  That is okay, but it kind of ruins a lot of my plans for me and my friends.  Being a Mom is all about sacrifice, but it would be nice to have a little more support.

Three Questions

I have three questions today.

Question number one:  Is costume jewelry in any way the same thing as jewelry?

Question B:  Does Kate Spade have a line at Kohl’s all of a sudden because I think some of her stuff looks hideous?

Final question: Do husbands even listen anymore?

I am about to be taken out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant, not that cute French place in town.  Very romantic.  I can’t even bear to ask which Mexican place because I think I may be back later to tell you what the new dollar menu at Taco Bell is like.

Of course, I would never let Röbert know how disappointed I am.  I am always very stoic, even when faced with major life events such as getting costume jewelry and being taken out to a Mexican place for a date.

All ready for my big night out. I think I must have been near Beefeater today and had a lil’ allergic reaction because my eyes are a tiny bit puffy.

I ended up eating all of the Valentine’s Candy that Röbert bought for Merlin today.  I don’t think he likes sweets anyway, so it really doesn’t matter.

Whatever God damned restaurant I am being taken to tonight better have a frozen margarita machine, that is all I am saying.

 

Ski Bum

I slept absolutely terribly last night.  Karen’s dog Beefeater was up half the night barking at something.    He sounded crazy.  I finally called her at 3:15 AM to ask her to please get him to stop, and she “claimed” that Beefeater was sleeping at the foot of her bed ( I would never let that vicious animal sleep in my room!) and the sound that I was hearing was coyotes.  As if!  Everyone knows that coyotes only live near ranches.

I was exhausted this morning, and really fed up with that horrible dog, so I decided to cheer myself up with a snowboarding trip.  Hummus is old enough for the day care at the lodge, so I packed him up and off we went.

The mountains were beautiful and it had just snowed the night before so we had a lil’ powder.  I was really surprised that I recognized so many faces there.  It was like the whole town had up and decided to go snowboarding today!

When I went into the lodge to warm up a little bit and have some cocoa and schnapps, who should I run into but Ty!? I had totally forgotten that today was the school ski trip and that he is the sponsor for the ski club.  Starling didn’t want to go and I forgot to send in Merlin’s permission form, so it had slipped my mind.

He is a skier. I would have thought he was a snowboarder like me.

I think he wasn’t feeling very well, because he had to excuse himself to go to the men’s room and then he didn’t come out for over an hour.  I had to leave to meet the children’s schoolbus.

Snow Day

We had a blizzard!  Oh my stars, it was snowin’ and blowin’ yesterday and all I wanted to do was crawl into my bed and sleep.  Of course that wasn’t possible.  I got everyone up extra early because I wanted to be nice and safe and slow while driving them to school.  When we got there the the school was all locked up.  I called the principal at home and she was very sweet but said they were closed because of the weather!   Have you ever heard of such a thing?  Excuse me, my littles need to be educated, and not just when the teachers feel like showing up.  I was even ready to drop Starling off for the day and give it another chance.  I think the school could at least try to keep the other girls from bullying her by calling her a bully, and I had a lot to do.

I had dressed in my gym clothes already so I decided to head over to the gym and try to get the child care people to watch Starling and Merlin too.  I thought they could be great “junior helpers” for the day.

Reporting for spin duty Cap’n!

It took forever to get there because tree limbs had fallen down all over the place, blocking roads and what have you.  And when I finally made it…closed!  They had better reimburse me for 1/31 of my monthly membership fee, because that is not right.  I could see several other mommies also trying to get in.  I am sure they will hear from us tomorrow.

So I was stuck heading home with all three children for the entire day!  Horrible!  As soon as we got home Merlin started asking about going sledding.  Ugh!  It was so annoying.  Finally I told them that if they all got themselves dressed entirely on their own they could go out back and I would watch them from the window.  Well, Merlin got all the clothes organized and even helped Hummus get dressed.  Next time I think I will hide their mittens or something.  It would give them a fun scavenger hunt like game, and I won’t have the mess of snowy boots etc. when they get back in.

I think Röbert and I need to seriously talk about moving to Florida. This gives me such a headache!

I called Val on the phone and we had a nice chat about the gym and how angry we were about it closing, because it really was the worst sort of inconvenience.  When the kids were done, Merlin got their clothes all put away in the mudroom and then made hot chocolate for them.  It was only instant, which I would NEVER serve.

After dinner I put them to bed and made a lovely hot chocolate for myself with some Belgian Chocolate i had hidden away and a lil’ cognac.

Happy snow everyone!

 

Time to Get Away

I woke up even more upset and confused about whoever K is. I am sure Röbert would never cheat on me, but I just feel so sad and confused.

I dropped the big kids off at my mother’s but she wouldn’t let me drop off Hummus, just because he has a fever and is throwing up a tiny bit.  So he was my lil’ sidekick as I drove out of town to gather my thoughts.  I ended up in this small town next to a big state park and Just sat in front of the general store and watched Hummus sleep off some Benadryl in his carseat.

I must have drifted off too, because I was startled when I heard a knock on my car window.  You will never believe who it was!  No, not Röbert.  Not Karen or Mitch either.  It was Ty!  I had totally forgotten that he had mentioned that he was camping near here this weekend!  LOL!

His snowmobile is such fun!

What a coincidence.  I asked him if he would join me for lunch at the sweet little inn next to the river.  He took a lil’ convincing, but eventually he said yes.  I could tell he was thrilled to spend some one on one time with his favorite class mom. LOL!  Luckily I happened to have made a reservation there, so we were seated right away.  He was such a gentleman, he insisted that we bring Hummus and his carseat inside (he was still asleep) even though I am sure he would have been fine in the car.

I was glad I had taken care with my appearance, even though I was distraught. I wouldn’t want to “shock” my buddy, Ty.

After I had confessed that I was taking time to think about “things” and had no place to stay and he had checked with the inn and called several local hotels and motels to find that they were all booked, he very kindly offered to have me and Hummus stay with him.  So we all piled on his snowmobile, and off we went.

I will confess, when he said camping I was thinking more like glamping, with a big old tent and running water or even a chic, rustic Ralph Lauren cabin in the woods.  Nope, Ty takes his camping seriously and was staying in a tiny tent in the snow.  Hummus had woken up on the trip out there, and was thirsty but Ty only had water to drink.  Unbelievable.  He didn’t even have wine for later.

Can you see how small this tent is? I was really thinking it would be more like a small cozy 3 bedroom cabin.

All of a sudden I remembered something.  I was the one who had bought that ugly shirt!  It was a gift for Karen last Christmas, and then we had a fight and I never gave it to her.  I should have known who it was for when I saw how hideous it was.  Ha ha!  That explains the K on the shirt and I am sure the pajamas were just Röbert being Röbert.

Ty was, of course, disappointed, but drove me back to my car as soon as I told him that I needed to get home.  LOL, I am such a silly goose!

 

 

Gossip is Wrong!

I can barely bring myself to write this post because I have been crying all morning long!

I started the day trying on outfits for Thanksgiving.  The Sullivans have asked us over for dessert after dinner and I want to look my best.

Too much? I think I look very elegant but probably should let Röbert do most of the cooking on Turkey Day!

I was rudely interrupted by a phone call from The mother of Starling’s friend, Martha.  I can’t remember the mom’s name.  She is in one of my spin classes and is so slow and uncoordinated.   A couple of us like to get behind her and imitate her, LOL.  Anywhoo, she was uninviting Starling from the slumber party tonight!  Can you believe it?  She said Starling is a bully and Martha is afraid of her.  I told her that it was all petty gossip and she should be a better person and ignore it.  She hung up on me.  How completely rude!  I called all of my friends and told them what a bitch she is and also maybe mentioned that she has been diagnosed with a borderline personality disorder which, while not entirely true, I am sure she would be if she went to a psychologist like she needs to.

Gossip is so cruel and it hurts, actually hurts, people like my own lil’ angle, Starling.  I think I may start an anti bullying and gossip campaign or something.

Starling was upset and so we cried together for hours.  Then I went out and bought her a nice guitar because she said she might want to play it and won’t Martha and her mother be sorry when she is a famous singer songwriter and Martha is just a nothing.

Out of the the way Taylor Swift, here comes Starling!

I made peanut butter crackers for dinner tonight because I was exhausted from crying.  Can you believe I forgot that Merlin is allergic to peanuts? LOL.

Unbelievable!

This morning I got an unexpected call from the school again.  By unexpected I mean that I picked up the phone call by mistake because usually I avoid phone calls from that place because it is always some big misunderstanding like they want me to pick up a supposedly sick child when I am busy at the gym or shopping.

Today was a HUGE misunderstanding.  They asked me to come in to talk about Starling and would not take no for an answer.  There is this really drippy girl in Starling’s class named Chloe.  Starling complains about her all the time because she s always trying to make the other children be kind to each other or buy donuts to raise money for books for underprivileged kids.  You know the type: annoying and bossy.  Well apparently someone put a dead animal in Chloe’s lunch bag and they think Starling did it.  Maybe Starling said she did, I am not clear about that part, but she would never do that and also she would never push Chloe over in a mud puddle and Chloe is lying about that part, definitely.

Anywhoo, Starling is spending a few days at home with me, which will be such fun but does seriously mess with my schedule.  Maybe Röbert can take her to work with him or something.  She was so sad about the false accusations that I had to buy her a present.

A surprise for my sweetie!

All this mess is giving me a my grain.

School Trouble

I got a call from the children’s school today.  I don’t know what is going on there.  It is a very good school in a very nice neighborhood but sometimes the administration is a little weird.

For instance, this morning they called and told me that they needed me to come in ASAP.  Well, I am sure you are thinking what I was thinking, “What has Merlin done now?”  Imagine my shock when I went into the office and sweet Starling was sitting there.

According to the guidance counselor, they have been trying to call me for weeks about Starling. Of course, I never answer the phone when the school calls because it always turns into a big misunderstanding (like this!) but I answered this morning because I didn’t recognize the number (it was the guidance counselor and usually it is just that bitch in the office)  and I thought it might be my nail tech calling with a cancellation.

Apparently they think that Starling might be a bully!  When they told me that, I just about exploded.  My lil’ angle is not a bully!  I stood up to leave and everyone was yelling all at once.  I ran out of the building and they chased me because they said that I had to take Starling with me.  They actually suspended her for a day because she was supposedly picking on the children in the gifted class and Fat Alice on her bus. She is a kind and gentle little girl, not a bully.  I am sure she didn’t say anything that wasn’t true.

I even had to miss spin class and lunch with my friends!  This is so unfair.

I am still steaming!

This angle is not a bully!

Some Good News At Last!

I know a lot of people have been really worried about the Sullivan’s dog, Beefeater.  We sure were!  I felt so helpless because Karen and I have been goin’ thru a lil’ ruff patch. Anywhoo, I went out for my power walk, as per usual, yesterday and guess who I ran into?  A certain special dog!  I brought him right over to Karen’s house and she was absolutely delighted.  We hugged and cried and made up.  She mentioned that Beefeater didn’t seem to be in any distress at all. It looked as though someone had taken VERY good care of him.  I agree.

Besties once again.

She mentioned that she and Mitch are having a little get together next weekend and invited Röbert and I to join them.  I am certainly looking forward to that.

Before all of the excitement with Beefeater yesterday morning I was a little upset.  There was a blogger do I wanted to go to in Atlanta this weekend and when I mentioned it to Röbert on Thursday, he claimed we couldn’t afford it.  Well, later that day I went to buy something at the luggage store and I found $100 in my purse, but no credit cards.  This is highly unusual because I never carry cash and have lots of credit cards.  I guess we must have plenty of money because banks and stores are always offering me more cards.  I am sure they don’t do that for poor people!  I had been looking for my cards everywhere and I finally found them when I went to get  some breakfast bars for the kids from the freezer yesterday morning.  The cards were frozen in a solid block of ice!  I was furious!

Then I walked into the kitchen and the corner of our kitchen table leg was all chewed up.  That was when I decided to go on the walk to find Beefeater.

Moments before I found the chewed up leg.

Now Robert says we can’t afford a new table either.  I can’t live like this!  It is one step from being homeless.  We will see what we can afford this week!

That School is Crazy!

I am still so frustrated with the school and their absolutely ridiculous and arbitrary way of deciding who is gifted.  Starling is so smart, especially for a girl!  How many girls can there possibly be who got a B in math last year?  I’ll bet Starling is the only one.  She is such a wonderful and curious little girl.  I found her after school today, measuring away for some assignment.  Why does she have to be held back in that way?  She learned measurement LAST year and she needs to be challenged!!!!!

Warning, genius crossing!

 

Meanwhile, the gifted teacher acted like he had no idea what I was talking about when I told him that a violin is a girl’s instrument.  Hello?  And this is a TEACHER!  Wow!  Finally he agreed to give Merlin another instrument.  The first day he came home with a practice drum pad.  Well, we marched that right back.  Now Merlin has a guitar, of all things.  Oh well, he seems to like it anyway, and I guess the rest of us will have to walk around with ear plugs in while he insists on practicing every single day.  UGH.

He’d better not start listening to heavy metal.

At least Starling is one of the most popular girls in her class.  She has tight knit little clique and they are all very pretty to top it off.  I couldn’t be happier to have her friends over.

Starling with two of her MANY friends.

I went in one more time today to ask about gifted classes for Starling and the office lady told me  that the decision had been made and I needed to move on.  I even offered to give up Merlin’s spot for her and was told, “It doesn’t work that way.”  I don’t see why not.  It is all so frustrating that it has given me a my grain!