Sight of the Day

I threw out a few random ball pit balls that I came across while I was cleaning out things this weekend. (My child hasn't had a ball pit in six years, but I still come across a random ball or two every so often. I think they mate.) Anyway, I looked out the window just as the trash men were coming down the street and noticed one of them in front of my trash pile juggling three of the balls. It's nice to see someone having fun at work. He stopped juggling before I could run and grab my camera though.

You Just Wish You Lived At My House, Don't You?

This is how I'm living at the present time. Not only do I NOT have a living room floor, but somehow I got the bright idea that now would be the perfect time to rearrange and organize all the crap that's in the spare bedroom. I'm an idiot.



I do have the flooring. It just hasn't been installed yet.



This is what the spare bedroom looks like as I write this.




Click here to read all the little notes I left behind on each pic.

Bob and Weave. Bob and Who?

So I'm trying to exercise more, and I get the idea that I'll ride my bike to the store to get the poppyseed dressing I need for the salad I'm going to make for lunch. After walking the kid to school, I hop on my bike and head to the store. Everything is fine on the way there, no pulled muscles, no heat exhaustion, no flat tires. I did bruise my heel when my foot slipped off the pedal, but other than that everthing is cool. I'm feeling good. I made it to the store. Now I just need my dressing and I can head back. Keep in mind that I'm out of shape, really out of shape. The store is 2 miles away. I'm really out of shape. It's 9:00 am and it is already 95 degrees with 100% humidity, and I'm really out of shape. I get about half way back, and I start to feel very nauseous. I shake it off and keep pedaling. Lots of cars are driving past. I keep telling myself that I'm not going throw up. I refuse. I have never thrown-up in public and I'm not about to start now. I keep pedaling. Cars keep driving by. I start to feel light headed as well as increasingly queasy. I keep pedaling. Cars keep driving by. I have emitiphobia, which means I have an intense fear and dislike of vomiting. I start to feel like I'm going to pass out. I keep pedaling even though I'm starting to get tunnel vision. I don't know if it's the heat that's causing this, or my phobia. I keep pedaling. Cars keep driving by. "I will not stop and puke." I keep telling myself. "I will not pass out." I keep telling myself. I begin to bob and weave on the bicycle, because, like it or not, I'm about to pass out. The cars that keep passing me probably think I'm drunk. I finally decide that maybe it might be a good idea if I get off the bike. I start walking with the bike, and gradually start feeling better. By the time I got home, I was perfectly fine. I never did puke or pass out. However, next time I want to ride my bike in 95 degree weather with 100% humidity, I'm going to stay home.

On a completely different note, I want to post this before I forget about it. My son had surgery 3 weeks ago. Apparently, when he was growing, the tissue around his testicles pulled tight and caused his testicles to pull up into his adominal cavity. Therefore, they had to go in and "release the boys", pulling them back down where they're supposed to be. So, the night right after he just had surgery, my nine year old and I have the following conversation.

Austin: Mom, my voice sounds weird.
Me: Yeah, you're hoarse. They had breathing tubes in your throat, and
sometimes it causes your voice to sound funny. Don't worry. It will go
away.
Austin: Awww, man! I thought it was puberty.

The Rivalry of an Only Child

My nine-year old son is an only child. He will probably always be an only child. I, on the other hand, am the youngest of three girls. I have witnessed and been a participant in many a sibling scuffle. My son does not have to deal with the problem of sibling rivalry……or does he?


After getting a kid’s meal with a really cool toy inside.

Me: (grabbing the bag) I get the toy this time.
Austin: Mooommm, give it to meeeeeee.
Me: I paid for it.
Austin: So, it’s mine.
Me: I paid for it.
Austin: It doesn’t matter.
Me: Of course it matters.
Austin: It’s myyyyyy toy.
Me: But I want it.
Austin: IT’S MINE!!!
Me: If you don’t let me have it, I’ll tell all your friends that you still sleep with your stuffed monkey and suck your thumb at night.
Austin: No, I don’t.
Me: Who do you think they’re gonna believe? You or me?

I’m in my bedroom and hear screams coming from the kitchen.

Austin: Stupid dog! Stupid, idiot dog!
Me: What did he do?
Austin: He stole my corn dog.
Me: Oh, well.
Austin chases dog and tries to kick him
Me: Hey, hey, hey. Just get another one.
Austin: That was the last one. STUPID DOG!
Me: Well, be more careful with your food next time. Don’t leave it where the dog can get it.
Austin: You love him more than me. He storms out of the kitchen.

While eating at Taco Bell, he finds two sauce packets. The mild packet has “Thanks for rescuing me. Hot was getting on my nerves.” printed on it, and the hot packet has “Thanks for rescuing me. Mild was getting on my nerves” printed on it. He takes the sauce packets, and begins playing with them, and making them talk to one another.

Mild: I hate you!
Hot: Not as much as I hate you!
Mild: Would you just go away? I thought I got rid of you.
Hot: You will never get rid of me.
Mild: Shut UP!
Hot: You shut up.
Mild: I’m telling.
Hot: Who ya gonna tell, cry baby?
Mild: If you don’t shut up I’m going to smush your head into the burrito.
Hot: Just try it.

Yeah, I'm a little disturbed by that last example too.

It's not 100 degrees today!

Skater Pose
Originally uploaded byMarti515

Today has been a nice day. The temperature has been hovering around 90 degrees. Much better than the 100+ degree days that have kept us inside the air conditioned house all month. The sky is overcast, but as long as it doesn't rain we can continue to have some outdoor fun. In celebration of the cooler temperature, I took Austin to a new skatepark that just opened up a couple of miles from our house. I was a little worried at first, because he just had surgery 16 days ago, but he did fine. That is until he ran to me screaming, "Bleeding! I'm bleeding! Bleeding! Bleeding! I'm bleeding!" Knowing the drama queen, uh king, that my son is, I just sat there while I watched him run towards me screaming. The other parents kept looking around for this poor child's mother to jump up and run to her bleeding son's rescue. I think it only registered to them that I was his mother when he stood directly in front of me and stuck his foot in my face. I checked out the stinky, sweaty ankle, and informed him that it was only a little scratch. I then wiped the small amount of blood off with a crinkled up napkin I found in my backpack and off he went. A litte later he decided that he was tired of skating and wanted to go to Bass Pro Shops to "just look around". Yeah, I've heard that one before. It always ends up with him asking me to buy him 20 different items and me eventually giving in and buying him "just one thing and that's it". Surprisingly, I got out of there without buying him a single thing, although I did have to buy my dogs a dog bed that was being "given away" for only $9.88. The dogs weren't sure what to make of it at first. In fact, I think they were downright scared of it. Well it is kinda ginormous and very smooshy, and they have been used to just sleeping on a thin blanket on the cold, hard floor. Both of them would get on it, look frightened by the smooshiness, and jump off. Eventually they did get used to it though. It's a nice pillow too. I almost kept it for myself, but then I had this vision of me lounging on a dog bed in front of the television and........still wanted to keep it for myself. Austin made me give it to the dogs.

I'm Back!

I think I might be able to regularly update this blog, at least for a while. So, here's a quick update to catch you up on what has been going on in my world lately. I just started working on my Master's degree in child psychology. I plan on getting my PhD immediately after completing my Master's. For two months this summer, I lived in Stillwater, OK while going through a summer program where I got to do research at a hospital in Oklahoma City. The research involved children with cancer. I also did a praticuum placement in Tulsa where I shadowed two different child psychologists. In other words, I got to drive in between Tulsa, OKC, and Stillwater while I watched the gas prices go up and up and up.

My son just started back to school last week. He is back in public school again. I wish I could continue homeschooling, but as a single parent, it just isn't possible. At least, not right now. I found out this past May that my son is dyslexic. I suspected that he was ever since I began homeschooling him a couple of years ago and saw for myself the trouble he was having. No, the public schools did not ever mention the word dyslexia to me when he was having trouble at school. They threw every other label at me that they could think of, but dyslexia was never one of them. Anyway, I had him formally evaluated by a private psychologist when I knew that I was going to have to put him back into public school. I didn't tell the psychologist ahead of time that I thought Austin was dyslexic, but several tests later the psychologist confirmed what I already knew. Hopefully public school will be better for Austin this time around since we now know where all his frustration is coming from.

Let's see. What else has been going on. Oh yeah. I have been living without any flooring in my living room for almost a month. The pipe that runs to the washing machine got clogged and flooded my living room. Needless to say repairs are going slow and I've been living on a concrete floor ever since. My insurance company assures me that I will eventually have a new living room floor as well as a new kitchen floor. I'm still waiting.

I think that's enough for now. It feels good to be back.

Blog Time

I may not be blogging too much anymore. Every once in a while maybe, but I don't know. Today I called and cancelled all my cable services. This means television, internet, and phone. I just don't have the means to keep them at the moment. I will still have access to the internet through the public library and the university I attend, but blogging might not always be on the agenda when I have to use those computers.

Austin's Birthday Present

Austin's Birthday Present
Originally uploaded by Marti515.

8 years ago today you were born. How could I have ever known how much I would love you? Now I know. You are an amazing little boy. Happy Birthday, Boo!

Conversations with a seven year old

A couple of nights ago, Austin wanted to know exactly how a baby grows in a mommy's tummy. Which led to exactly how does it get out of the mommy's tummy. Which inevitably led to how does it get in there in the first place. Then he decided he wanted to know how a breast makes milk. I was pretty proud of myself. I answered all of his questions honestly, age apropriately, and as throughly as I could. Afterwards, he told me, "thanks for talking to me like this Mom. I really like it. If I have more questions will you talk to me like this again." "Absolutely", I told him. So, today he shoots off hard question after hard question. I'm talking questions about religion, philosophy, politics. Geez, I'm worn out. Anyone out there want to take over for awhile?

I don't wanna grow-up!

I don't wanna grow-up!
Originally uploaded by Marti515.

They tell me I'm 35 years old today. NO WAY! I won't grow-up! I won't!


No, I don't have stripped wallpaper. That's Austin's timeline in the background.

Graduate

Graduate
Originally uploaded by Marti515.

One Bachelor's and one Associate's down, one more Bachelor's, a Master's, and a Doctorate to go.

Burn Ban Lifted

The Oklahoma burn ban is finally over. We have not had a good soaking rain since October. OCTOBER! This past week we have had some good soaking rains though. Last night we had a major thunderstorm. And judging by the sound, I could have sworn lightening struck our front trees more than once. They are still standing though, so I guess not. It was a loud night last night, and it lasted ALL night long. I'm glad the burn ban is over. Now we can finally do some grilling outside, and hopefully we will get to do fireworks on the Fourth of July. Believe it or not, the fate of the 4th of July was starting to become a big concern. We aren't completely out of the woods yet. The burn ban could be reinstated at any time. Actually, some western Oklahoma counties still have the burn ban in effect even now. Good luck and many rain dances to them.

I've been tagged!

I'm taking a quick break from studying for my finals to list six weird qualities or habits about myself. This was really hard, because I'm just not that weird. HA HA HA HA! Yeah, right.

1. I can't sleep unless my arms are above my head.

2. I can pop just about every bone in my body, and do quite often. This is probably more annoying than it is weird.

3. I can not stand having my finger nails longer than the tip of my finger. Bugs the crap out of me.

4. I can't just watch television. I HAVE to do be doing something else at the same time.

5. I hate the feel of frosted glass. Just the thought of having to touch frosted glass gives me the heebie jeebies.

6. When someone sings out of tune, it makes my two front teeth hurt. I could never judge American Idol.

Boy Scout Camping

Austin and I attended a boy scout camping trip this weekend. Except, because of the burn ban that is currently going on in Oklahoma, we weren't allowed to camp overnight. So, it was more of a boy scout picnic. Austin had a blast. The boys did a lot of activites in just one day. Hopefully next year we'll actually get to spend the night. Below are a few of the pictures I took at "camp". There are tons more over at flickr if you care to browse.

PHOTOS

Hiking

Hiking
Originally uploaded by Marti515.

Austin hiking on the boy scout camping trip.

Austin and friend in Castle dungeon.

Austin and friend in Castle dungeon.
Originally uploaded by Marti515.

This castle was three stories high. The boys loved it.

BB gun range

BB gun range
Originally uploaded by Marti515.

Austin loved getting to shoot the bb guns and the shooting range!

Archery instruction

Archery instruction
Originally uploaded by Marti515.

Getting some archery lessons.

Water guns!

Water guns!
Originally uploaded by Marti515.

Austin had a great time with the water guns.

Mom's House

House
Originally uploaded by Marti515.

We went to my mom's house for Easter. We didn't do much. Just chilled and ate chocolate.