In-laws 10, dh -427

I love my in-laws, I really, really do.  They are such great people.  My dh however becomes a serious ass in their vicinity.  He becomes nasty, critical, quick to snap, quick to lay blame for things going wrong, and he picks at me and the kids. 

Normally if someone were acting like this I’d figure they were not happy about being where they were.  I know, it seems like dh is stressed and he’s snapping, but he loves his parents.  He really does, in fact, he’s more like a girl in a lot of ways.  He would really prefer to be closer to them and he misses the time with his dad, whom he loves best. 

We’ve always had a great relationship with his parents, that’s why I can’t understand why he always gets like this.  It was only this time that I’ve noticed it really, but I can remember the same feeling every time, that my dh has turned into someone else while we’re here.

I’ve always had the belief that I am who I am, there isn’t much alteration between me when meeting different people.  I am WYSIWYG all over, but dh is not and I’ve known that always, but I never knew how much it affected me.  Or how much he affected me with it.  Normally I just laugh it off as the Deacon being the people’s person and not letting on that he’s human.  Oh don’t get me wrong, he doesn’t Lord over people having them think he’s perfect, but he does act different around non-Catholics.

Anyway, I’ll be the good wifey and just take it and tell him to shove it up his ass, no?

The weather outside is frightful, and no I’m not breaking into song.  I’m Canadian, so I’m used to cold weather, even though I don’t live in an igloo.  I don’t even own a snowmobile.  Our weather os of late has been nasty and cold.  We’ve had -30C windchills and colder for quite a few weeks and then it warmed up to bring us yet more snow.  There is a pile in front of my in-laws from shovelling that is bigger than my truck.

I’m keeping warm, still at my in-laws, and wish me luck that I don’t kill my dh.

Happy New Year to you all!

I’m off my rocker

Well you knew that considering you read my blog.

I’ve got to stop making humourous attempts at fun titles, I suck at it.  I’m not technically off my rocker since I haven’t been committed yet, but I’m off to visit my in-laws.  No, no, not those kinds of in-laws.  These are in-laws I love to see; all of them actually.  No really, I’m not kidding.

It’ll be 4½ days worth, 4 ½ days where I may not, that’s may not, be able to post here.

I know, don’t panic .

They have internet access and we’re bringing our computer, but I’m not going to promise myself that I’m going to post and then be sorely disappointed when I don’t.  I’ve done well this month, in fact I’ve posted 33 days in a row now, a huge record for me, and I’ve really, truly enjoyed every minute of it.

Well, *sigh* I’ll see you on the other side .

The pendulum is always off kilter

I always wonder if I’ve gone too far every time I’ve ever come down on my kids for behaviour.  Did I break their spirit or did I teach them this time?

I think the pendulum swings like that, either way, but in my mind it never seems to stand still, perfectly in the middle; not too hard, not too soft.  Is it fair to push them to a brink at which they cry themselves to sleep?

God works in wondrous ways really.  My mother always told me she was hopeful that I’d get a daughter just like me.   Little did she know that God would not only grant her wish, but grant it doubly.  I have two sweet girls who can be holy terrors just like I was (or is that ’still is’?).

My youngest is more like me; either like I was, or like I still am, it doesn’t matter, she’s just like me.  Her attitude can be sharp, but so incredibly kind in the next breath.

I asked her to put away some toys, as per usual before bed.  She continued to play with them while her sister took hers apart and put it away (tinker toys).  She turned on her sister nastily who was putting away parts she had wanted and I reprimanded her saying I had already asked her to put hers away.  She turned to me and screamed that she was putting it away, she literally screamed it.

I do not allow my children to talk to anyone in that manner so she got sent to her room, but I was pissed.  She was lying right to my face considering I was watching her continue to play with her toy and not putting it away like I had asked her to.

I walked up the stairs shortly after she was sent up and I had a pair of scissors in my hand.  The only thing that has ever helped with Punk is her blankie.  It is the most decrepit old thing; tied together, barely held together by its own knots.  I know how much it means to her, hell she’s almost 8 ys/o and still carries it around to where ever we sleep over at.

I cut a piece off.

It’s funny how it has upset me.   I don’t mean to trivialize her pain, but it’s my stinkin’ blog.  She cried quietly while I did it, and I still did it.  All I did was cause her pain, not taught her the quality of respect for someone else.  What respect did I show her?

It’s too late, the piece is in the garbage on top of some ickiness that not even she would pick through to pull it out.

My pendulum is stuck much too far to the right me thinks.

Whoa, dude, too many hospitals this season

I’m telling ya, my family is keeping nurses company this holiday season.

My Grampa, who has been in a nursing home quite a while, has been in the hospital since the 23rd because of a nose bleed.  I kid you not.  He’s been having nose bleeds, which is fine, but once they get them under control, his 3 y/o mind wants to pull out the packing, which starts the bleeding again.

So they had to admit him and sedate him heavily, as well as tie him down so his arterial bleeding through his nose could set and stop.

Of course there was our little trip for Sweet Pea.

Then there’s my 11 y/o niece.

We went skating yesterday.  Ah, you say, you know very well that cold temperatures make the ice harder, which can result in broken bones.  How right you are, but sadly it may be more than that.

She was skating and her feet slipped out from under her and she slammed down on the side of her leg, right at her femur.  Now, please be aware this child is a serious wimp most times and cries at odd things, in my mind, so I thought this was no exception.  There was no doubt she was in pain, but the true amount is often unknown.

My brother took her in at about 2 pm and around 7pm he phoned to tell us she had broken her hip.  Let me say that again.  My 11 y/o niece broke her hip.  HER HIP!  What kid breaks a hip?  Is she more fragile than other kids?  Has the disease that has sucked the nutrients from her mom’s little body been passed onto her?  Or is it just that she fell hard?

Crap huh.  We were in such shock when we all heard.  Her sister, I don’t think was quite sure what to do.  Her dad was gone, and her mom 2½ hours away (they are divorced).  Our sleep over had an icky air around it, and we missed her terribly.  We watched movies quietly and didn’t really celebrate hard like I thought we would.  Nobody really felt like eating actually.

She’d gone into surgery at 10 this morning to get a pin put in.  I’m sure she’ll be fine, but in her future I see a barrage of testing to ensure that her bones are fine.

I’m sure that’s not the way my brother wanted to see the Children’s hospital either.

Boxing Day blowout

A term that may have new meaning for me today. No I’m not sick.

My mom and I have an awesome relationship, and we’re much the same creatures.  Both normal people with a huge side of immaturity.

We’re having a slumber party/sleep over thingy today at her house with me, my dds, my nieces, and my brother and dad will be there too, but I highly doubt they’ll think of it is a slumber party.  We’ll watch movies and eat like pigs … again!

With my mom, she cooks amazing foods, in great quantity.  I think she was an Italian or Greek mother in her former life because her ancestry doesn’t give way for the way she cooks!  Her Christmas meal last night was delicious as per usual and I did very well not pigging out until it came to her pumpkin pie.  I had 2 pieces!

Today, I get to eat again, but I get to eat a ton of Mexican food.  She’s going Mexican.  Beans, burritos and of course, left overs.

Mmmm…. foooood.

Christmas morn

My favourite day has come, and will go just as quickly as it came, but I love it just the same.

Merry Christmas to all!

Our own traditions

Since dh and I moved close to my parents five and a half years ago, we came up with our own Christmas Eve tradition.  Truthfully speaking, I actually look forward to that every two years more than any other Christmas celebration.

I never thought I’d get to this point.  I love my parents a heckuva lot.  Not that others don’t, but bare with me.  I have such a close bond with both of my parents, each in their own different ways, that it pains me every other year not to spend Christmas with them.

Now of course, if my il’s were to read this (which I don’t know if they do or not), they being such sweet people would suggest that I not do actual Christmas with them, but make our own with them on another day.  That’s just how they roll.  But I cannot possibly deprive them of their only son and his offspring (and of course me ) on a very special holiday for all of us.  But that doesn’t stop me from missing my parents dearly.

Now that we’ve started our own tradition at home, I’m more inclined to make it a yearly event rather than bi-annual.  Let me explain.

My parents live 20 minutes from my front door.  My il’s live 2½ hours from my door (get over it, I’m Canadian, this is how we talk for distance measurement – in time rather than actual distance).  Because I made it clear from the beginning that I would not be travelling to both sets of families every year I kind of dug my own grave.  It’s not that we won’t see both families within the holiday span of about a month, it’s just that Christmas morning, or Christmas dinner is not spent with both families in one year, it is alternated every other year with each, by my own request.  Does that make sense?

I’m not sad that we’ve created our own traditions that supersede even spending time with my parents, but I am curious as to how it all of a sudden came about.  Our relationship hasn’t changed one iota, in fact it keeps growing.  It just kind of snuck up on me that I’d rather spend the main part of the season with my own little family of five, tucked up at home in the warmth either watching cheesy Christmas movies or playing some board game that we’ve all come to love.

Maybe in years to come we will begin to seclude ourselves and make the Grandparents travel to see their offspring … after the holiday has been celebrated in the peace and quiet of our own home.

My child really is a dog

I can seriously call him Rover now.

I’ve been teasing about Sweet Pea being such a dog, and I don’t know if it’s a boy thing, but neither of my girls drank from the toilet.

Anyway, tonight was the clincher.  He’s been attempting to walk lately, and doing odd tricks to do it.  Not only is he walking furniture like crazy, or holding hands to walk, he’s even taken to stepping 1 or 2 steps towards Daddy (and only Dad).

Here’s what still has me giggling.  He’ll get himself into a downward dog position (for non-yoga persons that is hands on the floor, feet on the floor about 4 ft behind your hands – unless you’re an infant, which then the feet will be about 6 inches away from the hands – with butt sticking straight up in the air) but instead of his hands being on the floor, he uses his bulbous little head.  Oh yes, I kid you not, my child is scootching around with his face on the floor, giggling, with his butt in the air, much like a dog does for a good face scratch.

My Rover.