I am not above bribery.

I used to think I was...but, as it turns out, I am not above bribery when it comes to parenting.  My little drama queen has been wanting to quit dance recently, specifically tap which she is trying out for the first time.  In general, she has been one to easily give up when things get too tough and most of the time these days she just looks so crabby and has a constant pout on her face because, according to her, things just are NOT turning out the way she would like in her life.  (Reminding her that she is only 9 and SURELY things are not THAT bad, doesn't help, btw)

Yesterday when I picked her up from tap I spoke with her teacher and it would seem there were 4-5 girls in the class that were pretty advanced and shouldn't have been in that class in the first place but they are now in another class more suited for their level.  So, Alyson's class is now down to 5 girls who are all beginners.  I also asked her teacher if she would show me some of the specific things they were working on in the class so that I could practice with Alyson at home -- yep, back in the day, I did some dancing myself...still have my tap shoes from when I was doing classes before Stevie was born (I may or may not be willing to share pictures at a later date.)  So, anyway, her teacher is going to write things down for me.  I figured Alyson would be happy with the change in class and with the fact that I would be spending time with her and helping her practice.

Instead of the "That is great Mom, can't wait to practice with you!" I was hoping for, her whole body just went limp and she slid down the car seat like a piece of jello.  (Isn't it amazing how their bodies can do that?!  My son was one who REALLY perfected that move!)  SO we had to have a little talk about bad attitudes, etc.  Didn't really get anywhere.

Then a few minutes later she asked if she could roller blade when we got home -- this after she had gone ON and ON about ALLLLL this homework she had (another reason to quit dance) -- and after telling her I didn't see how she could possibly have the time for roller blading with all that homework I learned just how exagerated her thinking was (not really surprised.)  Then she wanted me to actually go roller blading WITH her.  (OH CRAP!)

I have not roller bladed since before my car accident with left me with a metal plate and 5 screws in my right wrist (3 years ago)...and even before the accident I wasn't all that great at it after an unfortunate incident in the mid 90's that left me walking funny for a month.  Needless to say she was disappointed that I wasn't jumping at the idea of putting my roller blades on.  (Finally getting to the bribery part here...)  So, I told her if I put roller blades on and went around the neighborhood with her, she had to promise to change her attitude and be willing to go to dance and work at home with me and be positive about it rather than pouting and turning into a limp noodle.  She readily agreed and was all smiles.

I followed through with my part of the bargain and made sure that Alyson had plenty of instruction on how to call daddy, a neighbor and even 911 if necessary should mommy fall and break something.  I was feeling pretty good too...for awhile.  THEN it happened.

I didn't see the acorn in the road and I hit it head on which of course stopped my roller blading in it's tracks and I feel forward.  Thankfully the only thing I broke was a nail but I did manage to scrape up my knee even through my jeans and have a beautiful blue bruise to show for it this morning.  (Thank goodness for my wrist guards though -- whew!!)  My ever loving and supportive daughter took after her daddy in that brief moment when I fell and told me to "get up Mom, you're fine"  followed with a "I'll bet that hurt!" and a "good thing no one saw!"

Yep, it hurt...and I AM thankful there was no one around to see it!  LOL!

So now that I have kept up with my part of the bargain...crossing my fingers and nursing my bruised knee (and ego) that she will keep up with her part.  And for the record, I am way better at tap dancing than roller blading!

It's a LOVE/HATE thing.

I have been blog hopping a lot lately...fills in the empty minutes at work because unfortunately things have gotten slow.  So slow in fact that the already small office I work in has been made even smaller with some recent layoffs...my little brother being one of those layoffs unfortunately.  I do so miss seeing him everyday :(

So in the empty minutes, I blog hop.  It started when I was looking for ideas of the Witch's Ball my BFF and I throw in honor of Halloween and then because I am also looking for ideas for the bridal shower I am throwing in a few weeks for one of my sisters -- with no help from her other bridesmaids I might add (and no, I am NOT the maid of honor...but whatever!)  So, yes, back to the blog hopping...it is so completely addicting and before I know it a WHOLE LOT of minutes have gone by!  A person can really get lost out in Blog Land!

It is becoming a Love/Hate thing for me lately.  I just love all the amazing and wonderful ideas out there...but I hate that I don't have the time and energy to actually do most of them...kind of makes me feel like a bit of a failure in the creativitiy and homemaker department...hence another reason for the HATE side of the relationship!  I also hate that while I am inspired to do things to my own home I keep falling back on the "why bother" attitude since chances are high we won't be in our home much longer.  I know, I know, totally the wrong attitude to have and I AM working on it...I swear!  I did actually rearrange my daughter's bedroom and actually picked up some paint samples to potentially paint both of my kiddos rooms so they can enjoy it for the time left we have in our house...that's a pretty good start, I think.

I suppose I should actually get back to work.  I am crossing my fingers for a somewhat productive weekend....here's hoping!

A Little Lady

Alyson has been bugging me for quite some time to get her hair cut short.  I finally realized I was not going to be able to put her off anymore.  We went yesterday and after the hairdresser asked her several times if she was sure....

She went from this...

 to this...

The hairdresser had to hand me a box of tissues because I was crying from the first snip.  Alyson however was grinning from ear to ear and hasn't stopped since.  She has informed me that she feels like a whole new person with her new look.  She is growing up so fast!



Fresh Start Friday

I need a fresh start.  So today, I am giving myself one.  For too long lately I have just been "out of it".  I have felt so unhappy, unmotivated and like my life is just on PAUSE because of all the uncertainty that has been surrounding me.  I have been so paralyzed by it all that I just have not been able to move forward...or even sideways for that matter -- just haven't been able to do much of anything.  Even the things that normally cheer me up just haven't been cutting it lately.

I have been telling myself that I could do this or I should not do that because, well, we don't even know where we are going to be in the not so distant future.  Our dream house has turned into a nightmare because of the financial woes overtaking our country and then you factor in the sinkhole issue we have...bleck!  We are just stuck in PAUSE...not really sure how much longer or even IF we can stay in our house.  Wondering how much longer I will have a job just piles on the worry.  I have a 9 year old drama queen in my house too...I think my 11 year old son is the most stable out of us all...I suppose my husband could run a close second in that department...depending on the day ;)

There are two weddings coming up in my family too...one of my little sisters is getting married - this December 17th, in fact, and then my little brother is planning to tie the knot next May.  Wonderful reasons to celebrate...but stressful and expensive (yep, just throw that into the worry-cart too)

I tried taking a break from some of the things in my life but unfortunately, the only thing that has succeeded in doing is causing my friends to worry.

Last night though, I was talking to a friend, and while we are not in exactly the same situation in our lives there are some similarities and she made a few comments during our conversation that just really helped change the direction of my way of thinking.  Really simple things but finally, something that made sense to me and that could maybe even help me move forward instead of just being stuck on PAUSE.  It will take some time I am sure but I am determined to climb out of this black hole I have found myself in. 

So, I am giving myself permission to start over today.  I am making a fresh start.  I don't expect I have much of a following on my blog but at least by just putting it out there I am accountable to someone -- even if it is just Blogger! ;)

My first step is just to focus on the here and now and what I can do within and about that.  Seems simple enough, right?  Right.  Right?  Maybe not? 

I am a worry-wart by nature.  I think I may even be a bit of a control freak.  I like to have a plan and a list to go with that plan...I tend to be lost without those things.  And when things are so uncertain it is just that much harder to plan and make my list...and I just worry some more.

NOPE!  I can do this.  My first goal is just to enjoy my weekend...not going to stress about the house being a mess or the laundry or if the cat threw up again...nope, just going to enjoy my healthy family and the fact that we have a roof over our heads. 

I got this.