altruistic1

Have had to catch up on cleaning and rest, I am so exhausted still from our trip.  The girls are still grouchy and we have been home a week today.  It is crazy,  I can’t believe a week has passed since we came home.  The whole week was a total blur to me.  I sat down on the couch with the girls for a minute and fell asleep, that is so not me.  I never take naps and do not just fall asleep on the couch sitting up.  The girls are tired too, the did catch a virus of some kind.  Runny noses and the youngest ran a fever.  Then it turned into a cough, seems to be getting better now, thank goodness.

Hopefully, this coming week will be better.  If I would have had to return from that trip and had to go back to work at a nine to five job, I would have been fired for sleeping on the job.  I really need to work though, times are tough and getting tougher.  The price of the gas is going back up again, I am not sure what else is going up because I really do not even go out to look.  A quick trip to the grocery store just to get a few needed items, and while I am there I will not purchase anything that is not on sale or that we do not need. 

When we were at Disneyland we did not have the funds to buy food there, so we shopped at the grocery store for items that we could easily carry and took bottles of water.  That was ok though, with as many as we had with us it would have cost a small fortune to buy food there for three days.  We were all having so much fun we almost forgot to eat and then the kids would remind us.

I would love to go on an other trip to California but this time I would love to go to the San Diego Zoo.  I will have to put that on my wish list and maybe it will happen sometime in the future.  Everyone is tapped out right now as far as money goes, I was already before I even left and now I am exhausted to top it off.  I think that will be an excursion that may not take place until next year. 

I remember when my children were little, by the time my oldest son was ten years old, my family was complete with the birth of my youngest daughter.  So, I had a ten year old, five year old, four year old, two year old and a newborn.  My second son, the five year old had the middle child syndrome, he really gave his all when it come to getting his way, punishment and reward systems were always changing because none of them seemed to work for him. 

I would get up in the morning and of course there were a million things going on at one time and to figure out which was more important was a task.  My oldest had kindergarten, the four year old was in preschool and the three year old was in preschool.  That is great, only thing is that I had a newborn and sometimes I did not get enough rest the night before, and had to get up early enough to get them all ready. 

Having all of this on my plate, when I woke up, I just grabbed whatever was clean and brushed my hair.  Other tasks were more important to me than to my looks.  I wanted the kids to look proper for school.

Laundry was always an issue with that many, especially since I used cloth diapers.  Dishes came a close 2nd. and then there was the toys to clean up before you could sweep the floors.  I breastfed so the bottle washing, sterilizing nipples and fixing formula was not an issue with me.  We lived in a two-story house that had an attic and a basement.  The bathroom was upstairs, so I made plenty of trips up two flights of stairs. The washer and dryer were in the basement down two flights of stairs. 

I took all of my kids with me whenever I needed to go anywhere, shopping, doctors office, etc..  When we went to a store to buy clothes or household supplies, the kids always needed something more than I did.  So I never really purchased much for myself.  Once in awhile we would go to a yard sale and I may have picked up a piece of clothing or two from it. 

There is not a minute during the day that someone did not need or want something and when you finally get them all in bed, that was when you could actually get something done.  Cleaning and preparing for the next day.  I am not complaining just stating how it was for me.  Yeah, I must have looked like a reject and  probably had a little B.O.(lol) but there is just never enough hours in a day for a mother to complete all of the work that it takes to keep a family going.

I just want to say, even if it is a 5 minute break, hiding in the bathroom, or letting the dishes go so you can sit in the tub, do it for yourself.  I had a hard time with that lesson , but can tell you from experience, those few precious moments will mean alot to you and the rest of your family. 

I love my kids and yes it was difficult and trying to raise them but I would not take one day back.  I have five grown children that I love more than anything in the world who have given me eight wonderful grandchildren.   We are a close family and they have made me proud.

Our trip to Disneyland was an eye opening experience!!  My grown up children planned the trip and paid for the trip.  The only thing is it was so last minute working out the details of the travel.  I loved the idea that they wanted to include me but they knew I did not have anything to contribute as far as money went.

We had a difficult time figuring out how everyone was going to get there.  My son and his wife and two kids were going to drive their vehicle but there was no room for the girls and I.  So, they decided to rent a car for me, but there were a lot of events going on in town and availability was limited.  Finally, we ended up with a vehicle large enough to carry the bunch of us.  That was one obstacle out of the way, the next packing and making sure the kids had enough of everything. 

We left on Sunday, and it took us about 7 hours to drive to my oldest sons house.  My youngest daughter lives 4 hours away and they had not left when we thought they were going to.  When they finally ended up leaving the following morning they ran into road closures and had to use an alternative route.  We were supposed to go to Disneyland that day but the weather was cold and rainy.  My oldest son had made reservations at a restaurant, so we left for the restaurant and my daughter met us there.

From the restaurant we made our way to Ikea, it was raining and Disney was out of the question for that day.  The kids were all a little grouchy from the car ride and being bustled around.  They were too fussy and driving me nuts in the store so I opted to go to the vehicle with them while they shopped.  When they finally emerged from the store I was ready to go back to their house.

Part of the reason the kids were getting on my nerves so much was that I had stayed up until 3:30 am the day we left and only had a few hours sleep and then when we slept at my sons house I didn’t sleep much because there was too much to take care of.  Preparing everything for the next day, cleaning up after the kids, getting them ready, etc.

So when we set out for this trip we had 3 day passes for Disneyland, and had planned on leaving Wednesday night and returning the car the next morning.  Since Monday was rainy and we did not go to Disneyland we decided that we would stay until Thursday and called the car company.  Thank goodness the rain stopped for the rest of the days.

When we finally went to Disneyland, after parking and assembling we headed in for our passes.  Once inside we just started walking and stopping and talking.  It was difficult to steer everyone in the same direction since we had never been there before.  We did not do our homework and figure out what to see and which direction to go, we did not even learn this after the first day.  The whole place is overwhelming and there are just too many things to see and do!  I really learned a lesson about this kind of trip, you really need to know what and where everyone wants to go and make plans before you even leave the house!!

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the trip and so did the girls, I think the rest may have been a little disappointed that things did not go much smoother but we were all together and that is what was most important.  I guess we will just have to try it again and be better prepared the next time!!

The trip was wonderful but it was over way too fast, time goes quickly when you are having a good time.  You always wish it could be just a little longer.  I know that is the way I felt, I really had not taken a vacation since 1990.

It takes so much preparation to do these kind of things with kids.  Kids require extra clothes, a special seat, something to keep them occupied, and snacks.  That is just to get where you are going.  When you get at your destination,  the amount of items that you have to tote along with you is amazing.  If you do not prepare yourself, you can count on a disaster.  I am glad that I was prepared for any and all accidents and remembered to bring needed items. 

I never have felt so exhausted, I do not think that I can remember when I have felt this tired before, it is taking everything I have just to make it through today.  We all came home with runny noses and a cough, I think that could be part of my problem too!  I sure hope it goes away soon.

What a lovely time we had going all the way to California with 4 children and 3 adults in a minivan for 7 hours!!  The kids were really excited!!  Thank goodness for the invention of the GPS, it makes traveling so much easier.  We arrived at my oldest sons house and unloaded our “stuff”.  My youngest daughter was coming from Las Vegas and I thought that she was going to get there before us, but she decided to wait until the next morning to leave.  It was raining and very cold the next day and they ran into a road closure do to snow.  They finally made it and we decided to wait and go to Disney the next day.

We had a total of 7 adults and 6 children 3 yrs. and under, so we had 3 vehicles and it was about a 20 minute drive from my sons house.  When we arrived and paid for parking, drove following the directions given us to the parking area, unloaded all of our needed supplies for the kids, and started making our way from the parking lot to the  Wonderful World of Disney.

We had a wonderful time as so many others before us and so many more after.  What kid would not love it there?  I am so glad that we were able to go as a family with only a few members missing.  It would have been great to have them all there but what can I say.  It was a memorable time.  I have the pictures to prove it!!

My memory card filled up on my camera too fast though, luckily the others had cameras so all areas were covered. 

PUSH the Power Button,

TURNon the Monitor,

OPENyour Browser,

TYPE in the Website address,

You are now in the land of the World Wide Web!! 

That is if your computer cooperates and does not FREEZE !!

It froze more times than I can count yesterday.

That did not stop me, I have things to do on the computer.

Like WRITE!

Look at my PICTURES!

Read my EMAIL!

Thank goodness for the creation of a User-Friendly system and of course the Power Button!!

Now I need a Power Button for the girls.

“Would you like a naperkin to wipe off your face?” (napkins) ” Can I have a wiperking?” (paper towel)  “Is that sketti on your shirt?” (spaghetti)  Words that still bring a smile to my face.      “I do not want to wear those shoes, I want to wear my cowboots!” (cowboy boots)  “My toy is in the roomium, grandma!”  (living-room) “I want to play with the goreshins.”  (decorations)  And the list is growing!!   

 Of course there are always the ”NO-NO” words they say that will make you want to crack up, but boy if you do that turns the word to GOLD !!  It will be every other word out of their mouth.  Any time and any where!  Don’t laugh! (Ha! Ha!)

Watch out for nick-names too because they stick “Mutt Mutt” & “Kinko”   just to name a couple.   We even have a dog that was named by a child  “Peter” a female dog.  No matter how hard I tried to get rid of that one, it stuck! 

If you have some kids words that were there own let me know, I love to get a good laugh!!

I am sorry to those of you who may read this blog, if it is boring or repetitive.  I love to write but it seems when I finally get the chance to sit down and actually write this I am still being interrupted.  I think that my brain cannot have one complete thought without interruption.  Those few times that I do not get interrupted I get writers block,  I do not know what to write.  I want to write so that it is interesting!! 

I know my dysfunctional family provides me with plenty of  content and the two little mischievous girls give me quite a bit to write about because they do so many crazy and cute things.  At least it is cute when I am writing about it, maybe not so cute at the time it actually happened.  Being the homebody that I am I really do not have worldly tales to tell,  I guess you may just as well say I am boring.  I do have a lot of opinions but I do not impose them on others.

We all have to do what we feel is best for our families and sometimes something that you have had good luck with may not work for others.  I knew my children very well because I was with them 24/7 and I knew if they had done something just by looking at them.  Each of my children were different individuals and were treated as so.  I do not know what that may say about me I am not a psychologist, but that was what worked for me.   I do have a piece of advice that I will pass along to others is that children need that unconditional love and they need to know that they have it! 

Our trip is getting closer and I have so many things to take care of it is not funny.  I hope no roadblocks appear between now and the time we are to leave.  I walk around with a gray cloud over my head and if something bad can happen it will for me.  I often times think that I must have done something so bad that I am going to pay for it the rest of my life.  What I might have done I do not have a clue.  My grandmother used to say if it wasn’t for bad luck I would have no luck at all!! 

My oldest daughter(the girls mother) saved the trip to Disneyland.  Hooray, no more calling car rental places.  I had a list that I started with this morning off of the Internet and the first one I called said that they did not rent cars any longer and hadn’t for about 2 yrs., on to the next and I was informed that there was an event taking place in town that was making rentals higher priced and some places were completely out of rentals.  Then my daughter called and asked if I had found a rental yet, when I told her I hadn’t she said good because her friend had rented a vehicle that would accommodate the girls and I, and they are on their way from Florida to pick us up and drive us to California.  One road block gone.

I have been driving for a long time and never had an accident, but I have never been to California.  Now I can ride and watch the scenery, and take pictures.   I am glad that my daughter will be able to go as well, she will get to be with the girls and be able to watch their expressions as they see all of those wonderful Disney characters that we all love to see.  So, our count just went up to people attending to eleven adults and six kids.  Ages 3, 3, 2, 1, 1, and 5 mos.  I am really getting excited as the time goes by, but I also have a ton of things to take care of before we leave. 

Now the next road block to get over is the hotel arrangements, my oldest son lives in California, not far from Disneyland but, cannot fit us all in his house.  They are all working together trying to get this last roadblock taken care of and hopefully, all arrangements will be finished before we leave on Sunday. 

I am not a traveler and have not been many places, so this is a little stressful.  I know that nothing will make me happier though, being able to see the majority of my kids and grand-kids together and having fun.  I will forget every little detail about the roadblocks when I see all of their little smiling faces!!

When my children were little we used to live in Rochester, New York and we would visit an amusement park called Darien Lake, it was about 45 miles away.  We all loved it there and the kids always had a great time, there was a petting zoo and so many rides, and even a camping area.  Since we left Rochester over 18 yrs. ago we really haven’t been anywhere together except my house.  This is a long time in coming, I wish that things were more optimal but that is just the way it is and we will have to make do. 

I am going to have so much fun taking pictures,  I will probably have to limit them because I will run out of room on my card.  Taking pictures is so much fun, even the ones that are not the best shot, it still can trigger a memory.  I have a hard time deleting pictures unless it has absolutely nothing recognizable on it. 

As far as the smoking thing goes I am a failure again, too much stress.  The youngest one has been acting up worse the past few days, more than usual and it is just unbelievable the amount of things that she can find to get into.  If she doesn’t find something new to get into, she always finds things that push my buttons.  She has used a chair to get up to my bird cages and dump the seed and water on the table top two days in a row, and while I am cleaning that mess she takes off and gets into something else, the camera, an ink pen, you name she gets into it.  I am still trying to keep it in my mind not to go for a cigarette but she really sends my blood-pressure up, so outside I go to light up.

This trip to Disneyland is really going to be something to pull off.  I do not have a car right now and my son that is going does not have enough room in his vehicle, and my kids are not able to afford to pay for entrance tickets and the hotel and our airfare.  So, we are trying to find a rental car that they can afford,  we thought that if  we looked for a vehicle large enough for seven passengers,(my son, his wife, their two kids, the girls and myself) we would be better off.  That was a joke, the prices are too much.  So now we are searching for a small car to rent, so I can follow my son in his car and that is even turning out to be more than we anticipated.  We have never been to Disneyland and I really never believed that I would get a chance to go.  I have always just been able to afford to live from paycheck to paycheck. 

The reason that we even are going is that my oldest son is getting deployed this year and will be gone for at least a year.  We were not able to get together for Christmas, my daughter found a special that Disneyland was having for Veterans.  This enables four of them to get in for free and the rest at a discount price.  So she called her brother and they decided it would be a great vacation for us all.  This is true, but I am the dead weight.  They have enough to pay for their families and my ticket, but the transportation is a problem.  I feel so bad because I am not able to contribute to this venture and feel like a heel.  My kids love me and want me to be with them and they would be terribly upset if  I told them to just enjoy themselves and do not worry about taking me.  I would totally be fine with this, but I know that they would not. 

I just hope that tomorrow we can come up with a rental vehicle that does not cost an arm and a leg.  I have a list of numbers ready to call first thing in the morning, because we are supposed to be there for the 16th through the 18th.  The drive will take about 7 hours, so we need to have a vehicle soon. 

I will feel horrible if this falls through, my oldest son is looking forward to this, when he was married a couple of years ago I was not able to go because I had just started a new job and could not take the time off and could not afford to go.  They had both just returned from Iraq and had the date set for some time, but I had just moved (away from a 24 year relationship) and had not found work, so when I found a job with decent pay and great benefits how could I pass it up.  They were married on a yacht and they remind me that I didn’t make it.  So, this time around I have no job and two dependents, and cannot afford to disappoint them.  My youngest daughter is getting disheartened because she thinks we are not going to be able to find something that they can afford.  I told her that I will search all ideas and call as many places as I have to until we come up with a solution. 

Say a prayer or two for me.  I need all of the help I can get.