Why Don't These Pants Fit & Other Reasons February Sucks....

This month has been a real bitch.  Not too many things have been going my way (yeah, I'm aware that "that's life", but it doesn't mean I have to like it).  Here's a few (yes, there are plenty more I'm NOT including). 

Many of you may remember in December I had facial/oral surgery & was on a soft food diet, soon to be replaced w/a diet high in calories & carbs (I lost a lot of weight while recovering).  Well....the aftermath has arrived!  Note to self: you CANNOT survive on chocolate, noodles & Pepsi & expect to continue to weigh 111lbs, nor can you get lazy, lay around watching Millionaire & The View & just stop Pilates all together & expect to stay bikini-ready! 
I can proudly say I'm back on track, exercising daily & only had 1 Pepsi yesterday!! Yay, go me! (You don't know how huge that is, only drinking 1 Pepsi....The only fair comparison would be like an alcoholic who starts drinking before noon, drinks all day & even goes to bed w/one on the nightstand....that's a pretty accurate pic of my relationship w/Pepsi). 
So, I'm trying to eat right, exercise daily & make smart choices when it comes to my non-stop snacking after 9pm every night.  I'm confident this extra weight will just evaporate w/a little hard work.
.....just solved 1 problem.....hopefully......  

That being said, I'm officially OVER winter (ok, ok, so technically mid 70's to low 80's isn't much of a" winter", but hey, it's winter to me)!  I want to swim & stroll along the beach & bitch constantly about how I wish it was winter again.  I long to be tan again instead of albino. 

My skin.  When did it decide to finally go through puberty & just break out like crazy?!?  I'm 35! Why is this happeni....oh, God....could this be tied in w/my bouts of crying for no reason (or a really sentimental commercial), the hot flashes I get throughout the day, the sweat I'm drenched in 1 minute, followed by cold chills the next.....is it, dare I even say it....MENOPAUSE?!?!  Lord help everyone close to me if it is!  But seriously, my skin is worse than it ever was when I was a teen!  I'm so ugly right now......& fat.

This next one is DRAINING ME!  Ben's extra-curricular schedule.  He is 7 & his dance card is way more filled than mine (ok, so I don't even have a dance card).  On Monday & Tuesday he, I mean WE have baseball until 7:30pm, Wednesday it's Cub Scouts from 6-7pm, there's trips to the library & park, entertaining him every second of every day, having to feed him, clothe him, let him live in my house, etc....its exhausting!  (Yes, I am very aware that is what having kids is all about, but everyone is entitled to bitch about it from time to time & yes the last part was 100% joke).

I am basically saying, hurry up March, I'm waiting!!! That's all. 

Peace, Love & Light,
Katie

Hurricane Ben.....

Since my last post (over 2wks ago).  I know, I'm soooo horrible w/deadlines, but I have a REALLY good excuse....well, actually, I have four excuses!

The first & second reason is Ben & I.  Last Thursday, I had to pick him up from school early w/a fever & lots of snot.  He wasn't allowed to come back until the fever was under 101.1° for 48hrs (GREAT policy if you want my opinion)!  There's been a lot of sick children & staff so the school has taken extra measures to keep uninfected people that way.  Anyway, he stayed home Friday too & by Friday night, I had a fever too.  I am pretty sure we got the flu.  It lasted until Tuesday for BOTH of us!  I'm still sneezing non-stop & have developed quite the sexy, distinctive "smokers cough".
(Note: sarcasm was sprinkled on my smokers cough comment for those who'll give me hell for "glorifying" smoking)

Excuse number three is baseball clinic.  I am generally a pretty laid-back, mellow mom.  Not so much when it comes to ANYTHING even remotely associated with competition, winning, losing...basically, if you can win it, I want to be the one to have the top prize.  I'm extremely competitive.  Baseball (thank God) is just as important to Ben as it is to me.  I'll be the first one to admit, he's good.  Damn good.  He's been playing t-ball for two years now & has moved up to the "minor leagues".  They had a team-building clinic Tuesday, to let the coaches see what the kids have to offer & to fairly split the kids into teams.  Quite a few coaches were checking out my lil slugger!  One coach even walked across the field to check him out!  He did an outstanding job & I'm very proud of him.  He's going to be such an asset to any of the teams!

Number four.  Two words.  Pinewood Derby.
Um, so, yeah....I breed champions!  Ben won second place overall out of the entire troop!  His car was the fastest out of all the other packs except one car....it was a great race.  We almost had him, but, sadly, our car had a tire problem at the end when we needed it to race fast.  But, he won a trophy & all the splendour & bragging rights to dominating the entire race!  If it weren't for the tire problem, I'm confident we would have swept the whole thing!  Congratulations to Wyatt, the weblow who's car was just a smidge faster than Bens.  Everyone did great & everyone had a good time. 

Now, on to the hurricane that is my son.
Ben's room.  Its indescribable.  Its horrific, horrendous & for lack of better words, a fucking mess. 
I have spent hours upon hours cleaning, scrubbing, organizing & tidying up his damn bedroom.  He & my nephew completely destroy it on a daily basis. Not just take a few things out & not return them to their proper spot.  I'm talking full-on war zone.  It's literally a fucking dump.  They wallor in their own filth & fester in their boy-cave. I am at my wits end!  I can't do it anymore!  I (amazingly) kept my cool last night while I laid down the law.  Neither one of them will be allowed to leave the room until it's cleaned.  William will NOT be permitted to just go home when it's cleaning time & Ben will NOT sucker me into "helping" him, which translates into mom doing everything.  They both assured me that things would be different this time, that they'd both start keeping things tidy....
Bullshit!
I walked into the room this morning, after they left for school....the horror of it!  Its just not even cool, what these spoiled, little princes are doing.  It's total & complete bullshit!  Guess I know what I'll be doing today.....fuck!!!

Any suggestions? I need help, ASAP!!

Peace, Love & Light,
Katie

It's A Scary, Scary World (to the tune of "Its A Small World)

I'm watching the news (if that's not depressing & terrifying enough), I just can't shake the unsettling feeling I get about the latest & "cray-est" sociopath making headlines.  Its now been about 40 hours since a Vietnam vet took it upon himself to board a school bus, shoot the driver 4 times & take a young boy who suffers from Asperger's Syndrome (a form of Autism) hostage.  He & the boy have been holed up in an underground bomb shelter-type bunker.  The man has allowed the police/officials to send the boys necessary medicines through a pvc pipe tube leading into the shelter & the boy is said to have food as well as t.v.
Police are negotiating to free the boy, who is probably scared shitless!!  ANY child would understandably be terrified, but an Aspie?!? Its amplified by about 1000!!!  It's a disaster waiting to happen if officials don't act quick!
Children who suffer from any type of trauma such as this, have a difficult time coping, but most have the social "know-how" to keep their captors somewhat calm & at bay.  With Asperger's, social skills are lacking (for a better word).  Emotions can be raw & at times, primal.  Being in a small, confined space is out of routine (another Aspie "quirk") & is likely to cause even more confusion & frustration for the 5 year old Alabama boy.  Aspie's are creatures of habit, love & thrive off of routines.  Most are very intelligent, but many have a difficult time conveying wants, needs & sometimes verbal/communication skills are delayed.
Imagine the poor boys mental state after not only seeing his beloved bus driver get shot to death in front of him & his peers, but then having to actually go with this crazy man?!?!
As a mother, my heart aches for this boy & makes me hug mine even tighter.  As an advocate for Asperger's & Autism, it breaks.  I have a very special son.  I know how a change of routine messes with him; example: for over a week, his teacher has been prepping him for her being out of the class today & tomorrow.  She knows that this is essential for his success & behavior.  He would more than likely have a "yellow" or "orange" day if her absence was sprung on him (as opposed to a child who does not suffer from the spectrum of disorders).  He would shut down during tests, shout out during lessons & tomorrow's field trip would be a disaster (for not only him, but the other children & adults). 
Aspie's need structure, compassion & an understanding I fear the young boy may not be getting. 

In closing, I hope & pray that this man lets the boy go.  Sooner than later.  He needs his parents, his house & his routine.  He's just a baby....his family needs him too.  I am choked up at the thought of what his poor mother must be going through.  Everyone, I don't usually ask this, but PLEASE PRAY FOR HIS SAFE RETURN!!

Peace, Love & Light,
Katie