What a Day...

Now, don't anyone fall over or anything. The world is not ending because I am posting on a somewhat regular basis. It's that I'm just gettin' my groove back so to speak. I've missed posting and reading the blogs I like to follow AND I finally have free time in the evenings to write/read. ;-) The only thing that I won't be heading back to is my HNT photos quite yet - as Tug pointed out to me today that might make things better. Hmm... I miss those too. I'm hoping soon when all the legal garbage is done with the ex.

It doesn't look like it will be over anytime soon as I received an email from BOTH the ex and the parenting coordinator telling me in not so many words that for either of them to communicate with me that I needed to dismiss the pending legal filling. Hmm... let me think about it... NO!

Last night before the princes went to their father's, I took the youngest prince to the dr. because he was complaining about ear pain and after having his 4th set of ear tubes put in this summer, it was better to have the ears checked. The littlest prince was saying that he got water in his ear from his bath the night before. "Momma, YOU got water in my ear!" That's what I heard all the way to the dr.'s office. Hey, on the bright side, at least I know HE listens to what the ear dr. says - now if ONLY his father would listen about how to take care of the ear tubes we'd be all set! lol

Today was the first day back to work after being gone for 3 days with the middle prince. He's doing better and is on his way with his brothers to Ohio to a water park for the weekend with their father. I'm hoping that the trip goes well with no major issues with the oldest prince and his father. There is definitely a personality conflict there.

I spent the day reviewing with the kiddos and oh, yeah... cleaning up diarrhea. Yup, you read right... I had a kiddo right towards the end of the day after visiting the nurse several times have an "episode" in class. So, guess who got to help them get cleaned up? And this is why I teach little ones! What a welcome back!

Feed a Fever, Starve a Cold...

I think this freakin' flu bug is coming to an end for the middle prince. His fever is FINALLY gone and he's feeling "medium" - not good and not bad but just plain medium. lol We've spent since Friday evening when he came back from the ex fighting the fever or actually letting it run its course. Going to the dr. on Saturday to get told it's probably a cold or flu. Seriously, ya think! Sunday afternoon was spent at the hospital getting a chest x-ray which came back clear.

Thankfully, his fever has been gone for 48 hours now and he'll be off to school tomorrow afternoon. The entire school grades 2-8 are heading to a local event arena for an all school area mass with the Bishop. Yup, I don't think so... we don't need him coming home with some other creepy crawly.

So once I drop the older princes off at school, I'll have an afternoon to myself. What's a girl to do?

Happy Freakin' Halloween

It wasn't the scariest of Halloween's or maybe it was? The middle prince wasn't able to go out and plunder the neighborhood with his brothers for all the sugary treasures because he has the freakin' killer virus going around!

It started for him on Thursday with fever and by Saturday he wasn't getting any better. The fever was actually rising to just over 102 and he said he was having 'lung pain' when he coughed. Off to the dr. we went on Saturday for Doogie Howser to tell us that he had a cold or the flu. Really? No, I wouldn't have thought it was that!

So, the prince got to stay home with me while his brothers went trick-or-treating with their 'father'. He picked them up at 5:30 so they could head to his neighborhood for the start of trick-or-treating. Not a biggie but he had his girlfriend with him at MY HOUSE... this woman is no gem. Seriously, I'm glad he found someone and she suits him to a tee but what gets me is that when she's around me she has to puff out her chest and strut her stuff like she's marking her territory. I hate to tell her that I've been there, done that and don't want it. She can have him!! Uugghh...

Everything was going okay until 8 p.m. hit and the princes were to be back to me. See, I had emailed the ex earlier in the day telling him that the middle prince went to the dr. and his fever was rising and he would not be going trick-or-treating. In this email, I asked him if he would bring the other two princes back to me at the agreed upon 8 p.m. time so I wouldn't have to load up the sick one and drag him 30 minutes across town to pick up the other two princes. He responded saying he would bring them back. So...

At 8:30 p.m. the princes were not back. I sent the ex a text asking if they were on their way because at this point, I started to worry that something may have happened. I got a response back saying that they were on their way but I was suppose to pick them up at 8! WTF??? Seriously???

They got here at 8:50 p.m. The princes came in and I stepped out on the porch to talk to asshole and had the email in hand. Showed it to him and he insisted that I was to pick them up according to the original email arrangement but when I pointed out that I had emailed him earlier in the day asking for him to bring them back and he responded he would, all he said was that he had not read the 8 p.m. time and I was trying to cheat him out of time with the princes! And that he was to have them until 8 p.m. Well, if he would have returned them at 8 p.m., wouldn't he still have had them until 8? I tried to reason with him but there was none of that going to happen. He was laughing at me when I told him that he had no regard for me or ANY agreement that we made between the two of us! He told me that I couldn't do anything about this and I reminded him that he was actually in contempt. He told me to do what I wanted because it wasn't going to matter because nothing would happen and for me to have fun in court. That's when I exploded and told him that he could explain to the judge why he's such a fucking retard and wanted me to load his sick child up with a 102 degree fever to drive across town to get the other two when he was quite capable of bringing them back to me!

Uugghh... I'm home tomorrow and will be calling the attorney to insist that contempt charges be filed on the asshole because the ONLY thing that will make the asshole be accountable is actually getting him in front of a judge and making him answer for his actions!

Busy, Busy, Busy...

Wow, what a week! I'm posting a run-down and it's in bullets nonetheless...

• Monday head back to school after the relaxing weekend (okay, mini vacation) in Michigan.
• Tuesday a meeting after school which I open my mouth saying 'yes, I can do that' and I get handed a HUGE (I mean freakin' huge) project for the principal that has to be at the state department of education in one week!
• Got into a tiff with Yummy over my freakin' birthday gift. I HATE celebrating my birthday - used to love it but then being married to a douche bag for 8 years who didn't put any effort or thought into gifts or celebrating MY day, it does tend to put a damper on a person's attitude toward their own birthday. Yummy tries SO hard but I had asked him not to get me a gift mainly because he likes to do things on a grand scale and money just doesn't allow for it right now since we did take a little vacation the week before. PLUS, my birthday wasn't until Thursday.
• Got an email from the ex saying my middle prince had asked him if he was going to attend the party on Sunday. He wanted to know where his invite was! Decided to just ignore the email.
• Thursday was my 29th birthday (again). My students made the most darling picture frame from the pottery store with their fingerprints and a class picture. I even got a Macy's gift card from one student and her family - WooHoo!!! Shopping is always a great gift. :)
• The ex emailed me again on Thursday with a list - YES, a list of things for me to answer. At the top of the list was the damn birthday invite. I really wanted to tell him to quit being a fucking idiot and to give me a break on my birthday. But instead I answered it and told him that he was not invited to the party plus answering all his other requests.
• I get an email from the ex telling me my middle prince is ill an hour after I told him he was not invited to the party.
• Middle prince is VERY sick with fever, cough, sore throat, body aches... but his 'father' thinks he'll be better to go bowling the next day. Ahem, don't think so!!
• Spent my birthday without the princes, Yummy had to work so I treated my self to a pedicure/manicure and spent a couple of hours with my in-laws.
• Today was the Halloween party at school. The room parents threw a HUGE party for the kids... 2 pinatas, 2 games, treat bags, snack, crafts.
• Picked up the Princes from their 'father' and he couldn't tell me how high the Prince's temp was, symptoms, etc. Did get out of him that he had kept him drugged up all day and the poor kiddo was so out of it.
• Had to track down the oldest prince's winter coat because the ex lost it and didn't bother trying to track it down. So, this took another 20-30 minutes longer that I could have been home with the prince that's sick. Found the coat at the local YMCA where the princes go for after school care. At least we found it - I didn't want to have to buy another new one.
• Got home to find that the prince has had a temp (fever) of 101 the last 2 days and it doesn't drop much with the drugs. His throat is red, his cough is worse and he doesn't have any energy.
• It's looking like we'll have to postpone the birthday party for a few weeks so the prince can get better. We have this guy coming that has an ark of exotic animals that he has gotten from people who cannot take care of them - I swear it's going to be a Desperate Housewives episode as the baby alligator latches on to a kid's finger.
• It's also looking like we'll be off to the doctor in the morning for them to either tell me the prince has the seasonal flu, H1N1, strep throat or pneumonia.
• Oh, and telling the prince that he won't be able to go trick-or-treating was a big disappointment. Now, we'll see if his 'father' throws a fit and pouts because it's his year to take the princes trick-or-treating. The last time one of the prince's was sick on Halloween the *ahem-asshole-ahem* made me get the prince loaded up for him to take him AND took a sick kid trick-or-treating. Would it kill him to give up one night with the princes for the sake of their health? Yup, I hear father of the year calling...

I'm thinking that this week can't get worse but I'm wishing that it was next week already and I was working on the big project for work.

Here's to Long Weekends...

I forgot what it's like to curl up with a book. I'm fortunate that I teach at a school that still has a fall break. I had 3 days off last week plus the weekend - a mini vacation! I swear this is unheard of around here anymore.

I spent the time in Ludington, Michigan with Yummy at his family's lake cottage on Lake Michigan. I know, I know... you're thinking Michigan? What!?! But, it was not too terribly bad for weather. We had one day of rain but it was in the mid-50's to low 60's for most of the week. We spent a little each day in the quaint little town that I swear is a ghost town when the 'season' is over with at Labor Day. Pretty much all the little shops close for the winter. The candy store was having an end of season sale - they were still making fresh chocolates and carmel apples but they were prepping to close. I was able to get the yummiest carmel apple - a HUGE Granny Smith covered in buttery carmel and chopped peanuts. YUM!!

So most of the impromptu vacation was spent curled up with a blanket and a book at the cottage since there wasn't a damn thing to really do in town. I was able to get an entire book read - a co-worker turned me onto The Sookie Stackhouse Series (True Blood). Don't laugh - it's actually not bad and I'm starting the second in the series and looking forward to finishing it.

Besides the book, Yummy and I were able to get some 'adult' time in too. ~wink, wink~
I swear, I never get to spend that many days with him all to myself. I forgot what it's like sleeping late, staying in bed all day if you want and not hearing "Momma... I want..." :-)

Here's to hoping all of you had a GREAT weekend!

The Life of a Teacher

Well, it official... if you're in need of first aid, cpr, aed... I'm your person! I spent 4 hours tonight training on these plus blood borne pathogens. It was such a great experience. The lady talked for the entire time, we didn't show her anything and we didn't take the test so my question is how can we be certified in all these areas? Hmm... idk.

Now, tomorrow night we have training on a new website & volleyball/soccer games for our undefeated teams and then Friday is the fall carnival that we're required to be at. Who ever said teaching was an 8-3 job?

Getting In Touch with One's Self

Let me just start out by saying that this is NOT what all of you are thinking by the title. You see... as many of you know I have been trying since May to gain full custody of my princes from their loser 'father' (and I use that term loosely). It's been one hoop after another trying to get the papers filed, get a mediation date and a court date. I'm still waiting on the latter.



Before a court date can be filed, I must endure mediation which I did back in June which was a total waste of time! EH argued over who was going to pay what percentage of the mediator and the parenting coordinator that his side has requested. We NEVER discussed any of the issues that brought us to that point.



In the meantime, things have gotten worse since school has started. The boys are failing numerous assignments when they are with him, they are having numerous late assignments, he has flown off the handle at the oldest prince, grabbed a hold of him leaving swelling & bruising along with scaring the daylights out of the middle prince to the point where these two are scared to go. He refuses to discuss ANYTHING with me without his attorney present. He's slammed my car door into me and thrown a water bottle at me in his frustration after I told him that he could not open my truck door while I'm sitting in the truck. (This came after 2 aggressive emails from him.)



Fast forward to last week when I met with the parenting coordinator (PC). Her role from my understanding is to give me suggestions of how to better communicate with the ex in hopes of the problems going away. Well, after a 4.5 hour meeting, I walked out of there with the understanding that I need to find myself and get in touch with my inner voice. I was told to learn to heart-center and bring my 4 personalities to the center or my core. She told me to explore my Native American side and gave me a book on animal spirits. I kid you not! She also gave me a book on the 4 personalities - warrior, martyr, wanderer & orphan. Okay, what the fuck??? I went to get suggestions of how to communicate with an idiot so I don't lose my freakin' mind and I come out with books on animal spirits and told to find my animal totem and this will explain a lot!?! I left with papers to notify the ex about appointments for the princes and told to mail them certified if money was no object. WTF!!!

So, I'm off to read about animal spirits and find out what my flippin' dreams of snakes has to do with all the shit going on with my ex. lol

Just call me Pocahontas.