I Am Surrounded by Bees & Monkeys

Sorry it has been so long since I have written.  I have not had much time and have had some trouble putting thoughts together.  As some of you may know, Brian is probably going to Iraq in September.  We are all trying to deal as best we can with it.  Some days I am glad he is going and others I can’t stop crying.  It will be an interesting summer.

All in all we are well here at the Kresic House, though.  I’m sure I will have lots more to say once I know where my head is.  Miss you all and can’t wait to see my new niece!

OOh, My friend Stacy had her son on Thursday.  Named him Cash.  Also found out on Friday that I have another niece (Brian’s brother) named Violet.  She is two and I have never met her. 

Are two Violets a posie?

I got cut off this morning, twice, by people who had no real reason to do so.  There were no other cars behind me.  I take back roads to avoid the other cars.  This morning (and every day as I have observed) it seemed like we were all racing to get somewhere.  People don’t stop for stop signs if a car is approaching. Yellow lights induce a flooring of the gas peddle.  If the other lane is moving faster, and ther is a space there almost big enough for our cars, we will go for it!  I have even seen people turning right at red lights and U-Turning it to get the other light.  Where are we all going so fast?  Is there a point system to this race or does it start new each day?  Am I in a seperate race in the morning than in the evening?  What are the rules?  Are you disqualified if you wreck?  I feel like I win when I get to work on time.  Is that what winning is?  Getting there first?  Getting to the red light before the other guy?  Just passing someone makes me feel better.  I didn’t see more than five cars this morning, though.  I can’t imagine driving in the horrific traffic some people drive in to get to work.  I actually get to race, not sit in stopped traffic.  I think I would go crazy in my car for that long without moving.  How do you do it? 

Dani said something adorable the other day and I told her so.  She replied, “You can write about it in your blog.”  Now I can’t remember the OTHER cute thing she said.  She is also at the stage where she keeps trying to kiss me for longer than necessary.  She will even throw her arms around my neck and move her face against mine.  I tell her to stop trying to make out with me.  It’s creepy.  Anyone else experience this sort of thing?  I am at a loss.

On the examples of my being a good mom, I have taught Erica to find her “happy place”.  When she is nervous and can’t sleep at night (Sunday through Thursday nights), I told her to think of her favorite place to be and picture herself there doing her favorite thing.  Anybody guess yet?  Yes, a field and she is with a horse that she rode there and she is brushing it.  Her friend Katie is with her.  Isn’t that cute?  My happy place is waking up in a tent on the Appilacian trail when I was in Girl Scouts (must have been like 15) and the ground is covered in snow.  I told her this to help her find her own.  She sleeps much better now.

We got a Quad and the kids LOVE to ride it.  They beg Brian every day to take them out on it.  He lets them “drive” it.  I can hear their screams of delight from the trails behind the house.  It has been a little cold here lately and no one is riding the quad, not even Brian.  The kids are hoping for warmer weather….. 

On a side note, Brian got all A’s in his classes last semester and I got a BIG raise at work.  We are all very smiley right now, you’ll all know when that’s over.

First off, let me start by saying that I love snow.  I love evrything about snow.  Even the cold.  I would rather be cold than hot anyday.  Also, while fall is beautiful, there is something clean and new about a snow covered tree.  Winter is peaceful and quiet.

Now, the one and only thing I hate about this weather.  People with cars.  I understand if you have lived your entire life in Florida or Southern California and have never seen, let alone DRIVEN in snow before.  You people are all exempt.  The rest of the people with cars that do not know how to drive in this weather need to PULL OVER AND GET OUT OF MY WAY!!  I am not saying that I am a perfect driver in the snow.  By far I am not.  I have had my share of accidents due to bad weather.  I have slid off the road into a telephone pole on a snowy evening.  I fully understand the need to be cautious.  I am very cautious.  I woke up a full twenty minutes early today to give myself extra time on the roads this morning.

What I hate are the people who look at the snow and assume that the roads are horrible and drive five miles an hour without flashers on.  These people scare me.  They are going so slowly that I wonder if they are really that scared to drive.  Today the roads were a little slushy on my way home from work.  I didn’t get over 35 the whole way.  Most of the time I was going closer to 25.  I have front wheel drive and new tires.  But it never hurts to be safe for the furst good snow of the year.  I saw several cars off to the side of the road.  It was bad.  If you are frightened of this kind of weather, DO NOT DRIVE IN IT!!  You are the people that will wreck into my car.  The less cars on the road the better.  Let those of us that have to drive in it have free and clear roads.  I got stuck twice on my way home because the car ahead of me was going too slow to get up a hill.

The other people that shouldn’t be out driving in this weather are the guys that are SO confident that they think we should all be going 75mph.  No, we shouldn’t.  I had a guy pass me tonight going too fast.  I passed by him in his truck in a ditch a few minutes later.  Dumb.  Do not invite an accident.  There’s no need for that.

Now, let’s all get our snowsuits on and make snow angels in the backyard!  Yea SNOW!!

We have a little nativity set we put out every year for the kids to play with.  They enjoy it and over the years pieces have gone missing and turned up in June.  It is odly still complete with all the pieces, including the two shepards and their sheep.  Last night Dani was playing with the nativity and having a lovely time.  Brian happened to look over to see how things were doing and this is what I heard, “Dani, I don’t think Baby Jesus and Polly Pocket ever played together”.  Yes, Polly Pocket in her camping outfit was at the side of the manger.  She was prepaired for whatever Jesus might want to do next.  Perhaps she had to come from far away like the wise men.  Maybe, like Mary and Joseph, there was no inn for her to sleep in and she had to set up her tent nearby.  I think when I put away the nativity this year, I may try to hide Polly in the box.  She will be a part of the Nativity tradition in the Kresic household for years to come.

On a related sidenote, our neighbors REALLY love Christmas.  They have set up a light discplay that is set to music.  It would be absolutely beautiful except for these three things:

     1.  It is the same three songs over and over and over and (you get the picture).

     2.  The songs are not played by a beautiful harp or lovely soft bells, no, it is more like carousel music.  Loud organ music.  And faster.

     3.  This music plays all night.  At three AM people driving by can stop and listen to a horrible rendition of Frosty the Snowman and watch the lights blink.

Not sure who would be driving around at three am looking for that sort of thing, but it is there for you.  My neighbors are filling that need.  They are driving me nuts!

Erica all dressed up for the Daddy Daughter Dance, “If I eat one more piece of that chocolate, I will pop right out of this dress.”

Dani in front of the computer after talking to me while playing a game for twenty minutes, “Can I have a piece of candy?”  Me, “Not right now.”  Dani, “If you give me one I will stop talking.”

I was laying in bed with Erica this evening after Dani had been crying and whining all night.  I told her that I had been so excited about being pregnant with her.  Then I told her how I was excited about finding out about Dani thinking it was going to be another her.  Her response, “But instead you got Dun Dun Dun…”  We both giggled and laughed. 

 Note:  Remember that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.  Sometimes, the light is you.

I volunteer at this group home for girls twice a month.  I volunteer my time and limited knowledge of the NA program to girls that have committed crimes that, if they were over 18, would land them in jail for awhile.  Once, a girl was talking about riding in her car and interjected that, “if I hadn’t beat up that cop” she would be cruising right now.  I feel a connection to these girls.  I did spend six hours in a county lock-up for setting off a fire alarm at my college (turns out this can be a felony people.  Not worth it).  I spent some time in my younger days in front of a judge.  I am at home in this situation more so than I ever was at any other facility I have taken meetings to.

Tonight our topics were trust and priorities.  I have not heard these topics in quite some time.  We had an awsome discussion.  They are far wiser than I was at that age.  Smart, funny and tough.  I love to go and see how they have changed since the last time I saw them.

I am blogging about this because I have come to the realization that I need someone to write me a teen to adult dictionary.  These young ladies get to talking with their slang and I suddenly have no idea what they are saying.  Perhaps this just automatically happens when we turn thirty.  Am I now an old person?  No longer allowed to say things like, “cool” and “whack”?  My eight-year-old has told me before that I am not allowed to say “awesome”.  When are we old?  I used to think 30 was old.  Now, I am thinking 80 is not a bad age.  There are tons of people that are in their 90’s and still active.  Is it about your quality of life?

Over the summer we visited a relative that made me think she was old.  She had been sleeping when we got there and woke her by knocking on her front door.  It was 11:00 am.  I would love to sleep that long!  She had trouble hearing and kept forgetting things.  She looked fragile and breakable.  I wondered about her quality of life.  Was she enjoying it?  Did she have hobbies and things she loved that she still did?

I want to be a teenager again.  I want to say things like “peaced up” and not have people look at me like I am trying too hard.  Yo, lata’.

Took the girls to Chick-Fil_a for dinner (there’s were FREE mom).  After we sat down and began to eat, some other people came in and I started to notice some weird parents things that I wanted to share with you.

The table next to me, for instance.  The parents came in carrying drink boxes.  Then the took the breading off the chicken nuggets.  Their kids ate the fruit instead of the fries, of course.  Theyh made their children wash before AND after eating with handy-wipes.  They kept saying things like, “Don’t put your hands on the seat Jeffery, it’s dirty.” and, “No, we are not using the ketchup packets here, no telling what’s in there.”  They were creepy parents.  Too overprotective.  They wouldn’t let their kids play in the playground at all, just look.

Overheard at another table, “I think the chickens are probably not happy this restaurant opened mommy.”  the mothers reply?  “I am, I hated going to the mall.”  (Now, I agree with her, but there could have been so many other fun answers to that.)

A woman came in with like fourteen kids.  I do not for a moment think they were all hers, but they were very loud and roudy.  She got them all seated and gave each one several options for food.  She must have gone up and said, “twelve sandwiches, ten nuggets and fries for all!” 

There was a five-year-old girl eating a salad.  A SALAD!  I can’t even get my kids to LOOK at salads.

My kids made several new friends.  They always do.  Had a good time in the play area.  they played freeze tag.  Really.  I let them play for a while because they had been to the zoo that day and clearly not gotten enough exercise.

On a sperate note, Dani has been playing 7-Up at school.  Everyone remember that one?  Heads down, thumbs up!

My baby turned five today.  For all you Moms of tiny ones, this is a big day for her.  Now I am having birthday party issues.  No one is coopoerating with me!  No one but Dani…..

Out of the six people she gave invitations to, two people RSVP’d.  Two!  How am I supposed to plan?  It is very hard to figure how much cake, gift bags, etc. to get.  Not good people.  Even if you can’t come, AT LEAST CALL!!

Today is her birthday and family tradition states that she gets whatever she wants for her birthday dinner.  Brian has to work.  He has asked if we can wait until Tuesday.  Um, yeah, Tuesday is NOT HER BIRTHDAY!!!  Now he is mad and not speaking to me.  GROW UP DADDY!!

I am having trouble getting my house ready for the two days of birthday parties about to comence.  Anyone want to help me clean?  Fold laundry for an hour?  Run the Vaccuum?  ANYTHING!!

Erica is not the center of attention right now.  This means she is the QUEEN of pouting.  About everything.  She was mad at me last night for asking her to tie her shoes twice in a row.  Wouldn’t talk to me.  This morning she was mad for something and I have NO IDEA WHAT!!

Through all of this Dani is just excited to be 5.  She grins SOO big when anyone mentions it.  When asked what she wanted to take to school for snack she replied with the customary cupcakes.  I told her the teachers didn’t want parents to bring cupcakes and she said, “Then whatever you want to bring”.  SHE is cooperating.  She is okay with waiting for her birthday dinner until a night that is NOT HER BIRTHDAY, but when we can all be there.  She is ignoring Erica ignoring her. 

Perhaps next year I will take her away somewhere for her birthday.  Just her and I away from all the people who are not nice to a five-year-old on her birthday weekend.  Any suggestions to where?  What was that Dani, the Maternity Ward of the Hospital?  No problem…….