A Mommy's Open Letter to Santa

 

Dear Santa,

 

I know I'm a 28 year old mom and shouldn't be writing you a personal letter, so I decided to be a grown up and write you an open letter instead.  Who said adults can't have fun and write letters to Santa?  There are just a few things that I want this Christmas, that I know I'm not going to get, but hey; I want to get it off my chest anyway.  As much as us moms say that we don't want anything for Christmas, everyone has something that they want but just don't want to say!  So here is my list.

 

1. I would like a new pair of Uggs.  Yes, I know that I already have a pair but they're three years old, have been repaired twice and are stained from water and snow.  Of course I had them waterproofed when I bought them, but I'm sure that wore off after a year and I was just way too lazy to get them back to the shop to get them waterproofed again.  I know, I know, it's my own fault.  If you're feeling kind, Santa, I would like this pair of Uggs.  They don't go with everything but they're a bright pop of color when the weather is dreary and snowy, why not be daring?  You may be questioning me since I have so many pairs of Fuugs (Fake Uggs...boots that look like Uggs but are not!) but they are not the same.  They're cheaply made, rip after one season and aren't as warm; but I do rock my Fuggs everywhere I go. 

 

2. A blue iPod Touch would be nice too.  I've been wanting to purchase one for myself and have been, on numerous occasions, close to buying one.  I just can't justify purchasing something I am never ever going to use.  I have an iPhone, I have a computer and a laptop and also have an iPad, but I do not have an iPod Touch and that's the only reason why I want one.  The blue is so pretty and really stands out.  I probably would never use it since all my music is streamed through Rdio and I never actually download music, but whatever.  I can ask, you're Santa.

 

3. What about a nice North Face jacket to keep me warm?  I purchased a pair of waterproof and fleec-y North Face boots about three years ago and absolutely love them.  They're my go-to winter boots when I need to go out in the snow.  You wouldn't think they're waterproof because the outside is fleece, but they really are.  So why not ask for a jacket that is probably warmer and more awesome than the boots?  Eh, I can dream, right?

 

4. Just a good ole' gift card.  There are a number of things I want to buy at any given time but aren't interesting or significant enough to really write in this open letter.  Santa, you should know what they are, but I will make it easy for you.  Just leave a gift card under the tree.

 

5. I would love some time to myself.  Just a day where I can relax, clean my house without it being messed up again within minutes, cook an actual dinner and just can relax on the couch watching mindless TV.  That would probably be my main Christmas wish!  I love my kids and my mother, but they always want my attention or need my help with something.  If I just had one day to relax I'm sure I wouldn't freak out and have nervous breakdowns as much as I actually do. If you can't get me some time to myself, maybe you can throw some magic dust down from our roof on Christmas Eve for my kids to be calm and behave.  It would be nice to have my girls actually listen to things I say and obey me.  I'm so tired of saying:

 

"Clean your room."  Numerous times a day.

"Do your homework." Again numerous times a day.

"Get up or you're going to be late for school."  About 5 times every morning.

"No, you can't pile 15 stuffed animals on your bed at night, you'll suffocate." 

 

Why can't they just listen to me? 

 

So Santa, if you're feeling generous and feel like granting some adults Christmas wishes, please do!  They would be incredibly happy!  I definitely have been a good girl this year.  (Sort of...) 

 

Sincerely,

Kristin

 

DISCLAIMER: I know most of you would take this in humor and good spirits but some others may think I'm a little nuts in the head.  I know that Santa is not real, but just felt like writing a letter since my kids get all the fun of doing that! Trust me, I did have fun.  I felt like a child again.

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Insanity Gone Viral

I actually saw this photo on Facebook last night and thought it was a joke... That was until I saw this actual article on Yahoo, then I just wished it was a joke.  Who, in their right mind, would leave their child in the car while shopping?  It doesn't matter if it's for two minutes, twenty minutes or two hours; you are a parent.  Your child is YOUR responsibility, not an inconvenience to you.

For those of you who do not know, this happened in New Zealand.  The Yahoo article states:

A photograph taken in New Zealand is causing quite an uproar around the world. The photo at the center of the controversy is of an infant asleep in a car seat locked alone inside a car. A note, seemingly written from the baby's perspective, is attached to the chest and reads, "my mums in doing the shopping, call her if I need anything." There is a phone number written at the end.

This child has to be a few days to a week old, sleeping peacefully in her car seat.  All her mother had to do was snap the carrier out of the base and place the carrier on the front of the shopping cart.  I mean, on average a newborn baby sleeps 16-18 hours out of the day, I doubt this little one was going to interrupt her mother's shopping.

Another part of the article states:

The couple also noted that the baby did look well taken care of and that they know how difficult it can be to get an infant to go to sleep.

I'm sure the baby was well taken care of however it seems like the mother feels the child is an inconvenience to her when she is going out.  It is the mother's responsibility to make sure the child is always well taken care of and that means not leaving her sleeping newborn in an unattended car.  Who knows what could have happened?  Someone could have stolen the car, kidnapped this baby, etc...  The worst part about the above quoted statement is that it seems this couple condones what the mother did by stating that they understand how difficult it is to get a newborn to sleep.  I actually couldn't believe what I was reading when I was reading it.

In my honest opinion, the New Zealand police should have at least charged the mother with child endangerment.  I can't believe they aren't charging her at all since a formal complaint was never filed.  It sickens me to know that this mother might continue to leave her child in the car while she's shopping, especially in this uncertain and dangerous world we live in.

Ok, Ok, maybe I've threatened to leave my kids in the car a few times, especially when we're going to Toys R Us, but I never do! (Even though the temptation is so strong sometimes.)

What do you think about this article?

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NEVER go to the mall with kids.

Tuesday I made the very hard and stressful decision to leave Old Navy.  I enjoyed the job but the 45 minute commute to and from work everyday was very stressful on me and tough on my wallet for gas money.  As much as I loved everyone there and enjoyed the job (and the discount!) I told them that we had to part ways as I didn't want to be unfair to them when I couldn't give my all to the job. As I was in the car on the way home from telling them I had to leave (and I was in tears) I got a phone call from Coach.  I had applied with them a few weeks prior and had gone on an interview about a week and a half before...  They were offering me a job!!  I was so excited I could barely contain myself and all I wanted to do was get out of my car and jump for joy.  Not to mention how perfect the timing was of their phone call; when I was crying and stressing over my decision to leave Old Navy!  

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An Open Letter to AT&T Wireless

Dear AT&T Wireless,

I used to brag about your customer support and how great you guys were when I had an issue with paying my monthly bill; that just changed.  When you shut my service off today because I was one day late I went to the store with the money that I had saved up for the bill and paid it...All $340 of it. (Which NO one can explain to me why my bill is that high for 3 lines and two smart phones.  They all keep telling me that they will "get back to me" with ways to lower my bill -- NEVER HAPPENED.)  I was told by the retail store in Jersey City, NJ that my service would be back on in 5 minutes... I waited...

It takes me 15 minutes to get home and my service still wasn't on.  I walked to my grandmother's house to use her phone to find out what the hell was going on and why my service still wasn't on... "Oh, it shows your services are active." I was told... I had to fight with the agent to tell them my services were in fact NOT active because I couldn't use my phone.  I was put on hold for an absurd amount of time before she told me that she had to manually start the initializing of my services being restored... She told me within an hour they would work.

I gave you guys two hours, actually...

Still nothing.  I walked to my grandmother's (once again) to use her phone and I got a little more angry with your agents this time.  Two hours had passed and no services were restored.  I was told, once again, that my services were all connected.  I had to argue (for the second time) that my services were not restored.  I was put on another long absurd hold only for them to tell me it was still initializing.  Seriously?  Two hours and 15 minutes?  She told me that unfortunately there were so many new iPhone activations that they were all lagged for now and some were put on hiatus.  I'm a long time AT&T wireless and iPhone customer but unfortunately I guess that doesn't matter with AT&T.  I was told that some of these people waited hours for a new iPhone and they have to activate those first.  Is this how you care about your long time customers? She told me there was no guarantee when the service would be active again and I think that's complete bullshit.  I want my phone working the way it should be.  You're so quick to take my money every month and I have to wait hours and hours to use my own service?  Complete and utter bullshit.

Thankfully, I'm not the only one complaining about this.  I searched on Twitter to find many other customers who were one day late dealing with disconnection and activation lags as well.  I'm really ready to throw in the towel with AT&T and go to Verizon Wireless or Sprint.  Maybe there I wouldn't have to deal with the type of customer service and attitudes that I received today from the AT&T Wireless Customer care.

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Do low income families need better parenting skills?

I read an article today that was titled, Are Poor Parents Poorer at Parenting?  Just the title made me a little angry because I don't see how income really makes parents good, bad or needing improvement.  Even though I was angry I decided to read the article and to give it a chance; I'm seriously an optimist at times!  To be honest, the article was not half bad and did touch on the fact that even middle class and upper class families can use some parenting help.  It got me thinking, How many people actually feel this way about low income families?

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Friday at Last! (Blog & Hops)

Sorry for the tackiness, but I had to use something glitzy to make myself feel better. Ha!  I have had the month week from hell.  I told my friend the other day, if I actually had a month week that went well, I'd be shocked.  Everything seems to go wrong lately! I definitely hope that things start looking up, but I highly doubt that.  At least I am not alone in feeling like life is overwhelming.  Two of my friends feel the same way, as well as a nice client that I met yesterday as well.  Maybe it's just a bad month for everyone.

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Plastic Surgery to Stop Bullying?

Can't we just love who we are?

I have spoken a lot about bullying on my blog, because it is important to me.  I was bullied from ages 8-18 and I hated it.  I was picked on for absolutely anything that kids could find to pick on me about, and they continued to bully me all through school because I let it get to me.  I would be picked on for my hair being too thick, for being to chubby, for having glasses and braces and even for being adopted.  The bottom line is, kids are cruel and unfortunately, the only thing those being bullied can do about it is to stand their ground and not let it visually shake them.  Easier said than done, right?

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Stay-at-home moms are lazy?

While at work (haha) I was browsing through some blogs and saw this post by http://herbadmother.com/2011/02/they-said-shut-up/.  She brings up some valid points that I have thought about many times before.  There are so many people who frown upon being a stay-at-home mom.  Trust me, I have been in the middle of that argument before.  When my oldest was born I had been thinking about being a stay at home mom for as long as I possibly could.  I was criticized and put down about spending time with my daughter (how dare I!!) from many colleagues, friends and even family members.  I was told that with my smarts and my education, why am I going to waste my talents being a stay-at-home mom?  

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Expulsion, Termination and Compensated Blogging

Occasionally, mommy bloggers will get a bad rap for many reasons.  Some say we are too demanding, others say we should not get paid for our hobby and some even say that we neglect our children in order to either get good "material" for our blog or to spend hours on our blog.  None of which is true!  There are also mommy bloggers getting fired from their jobs or even children getting expelled from school because of innocent things bloggers are saying.  Is this a reasonable reason for expulsion or to be let go from your job?  Not unless the things being said are damaging to the children involved or something fiercely damaging to the job or employer. With some of the stories I'm hearing, parents are being penalized for writing such innocent stories about their children, about school functions or even a simple statement about their job.  To me, it's absolutely absurd!  True, there are some people who do not understand blogging or even the internet, but they are making rash decisions without even consulting with the parents or employee.  There was one story I recently heard, where a pre-school aged child was expelled for her mother venting about an ordeal she had gone through at her daughter's school.  The mother wrote nothing damaging and she did not name any names or specific places.  Blogging is for venting and is an outlet for emotion and writing how you feel.  Just as an artist paints or a musician sings or composes music.  If we can't write about how we feel and if we can't let our emotions out through our writings on our personal domains, how can we do it? 

 

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Friday Follow & The Exploding Egg

Wow, it seems like FOREVER since I have participated in Friday Follow, Follow Me Friday, Social Parade or ANY of the Friday link-ups! Well, actually, it has been!  I have been so busy with my two jobs, the Holidays, life and planning a trip that I am going on in two weeks; things have been so hectic! Well, today I am back in the swing of things and I am so happy to be participating in Friday Follow again! (And all the other 'blog hops'.

Just a quick bit about me -- I am a 25 (and 3\4) year old single mom from New Jersey (Near New York) and I have been blogging since 1999, more or less.  Blogging is definitely an outlet for me and something I just love to do! I used to want to write and wanted people to hear me, so this is a great way for that to happen.  I love to talk and always have a lot to say!  My girls are 3 and 5 (Alayna and Olivia respectively) and they're my life.  I am a personal shopper for a high end fashion website as well as a Client Service Professional at H&R Block.  (Woo hoo, tax season!)  I work way too much and try to work full time at both jobs.  On the side, I am also a freelance writer for a website as well. (Side income!)  Below this post is the "100 Random Things About Me" and you can definitely check that out to get more of a feel of who I am!  Clicking through the website and reading older posts can as well give you a little insight!

Right now I want to tell you all about a little lesson that I learned from attempting to re-heat a hard boiled egg in a microwave. (I know, that sounds like a bad idea just saying it out loud.) 

I am not a cook by ANY stretch of the imagination, but I do attempt to cook for myself and my family at times.  I used to be the textbook hard working mom when I would just pop TV dinners into the microwave and give those to my kids...Oh the horror!  That's something that most moms would probably want to smack me for!  Well, I am currently watching what I eat, since I am upset over the fact that I gained back the 40lbs I lost, and cooking my own food is definitely something that I feel better doing.  It's so much easier to know what goes into my food and that I can control it myself.  I usually hard boil eggs in the morning for salad and to grab quickly when I am running to work in the morning, but because of a storm and having to leave earlier I had hardboiled a bunch one morning and refrigerated them.

Since I absolutely hate eating cold hard boiled eggs, I took them out of the refrigerator and went to heat it up.  (Bad idea!)  I shelled the eggs and put them on a plate.  Stuck them in the microwave for 20 seconds and went to make the girls' breakfasts.  15 seconds later I heard a huge BOOM!  I nearly thought the house was falling apart, thought a plane smashed into my house or thought someone hit my car.  No, no other disasters... I had no idea what it was until I went to take my eggs out of the microwave...  Only one survived...  RIP hard boiled egg...  Not only did it explode, but there was egg EVERYWHERE!  (Thank God it was already boiled!) 

At least the one that did survive was good, but it was sad that one egg didn't make it.  At least I learned a good lesson:  Don't heat hard boiled eggs in the microwave. The outcome is never pretty.

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Do you overreact to the storms?

I've been posting  a lot of rants lately and this is a rant/humorous post. (Or so I am going to try to make it a humorous post...even though I am actually typing this at 1 am.  So most of my humor has gone down the drain.)

As everyone knows, the east coast has been getting hit hard with storms.  Especially the New York metro area.  We have had 3 huge snowfalls to date and some smaller ones in between.  Very unusual for this area during this season.  We may usually see one large storm or even absolutely none.  We haven't had a Winter full of storms like this since 1995/1996.  They have been hyping this storm up for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday up for days now and everyone did their ritualistic mad rush to the grocery store in order to get the essentials.  (Including us! lol)  So today comes and I wake up expecting this huge snowfall.  There wasn't even an inch on the ground.  Sure, the ice wasn't too fun this morning, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle.  In fact, when I got to work, a lot of people were breathing a sigh of relief because there was no snow.  

The ice was bad enough that people could not walk on unsalted sidewalks and we did see some people slide right in front of work.  When I was driving home I had terrible ice on my side view mirrors and really had to drive home with caution since I couldn't see out of them.  (They really need defrosters on those, by the way!)  


I got home and started working my second job, the girls are playing on my bed, and my mom comes barging in.


"We need to get batteries for the flashlights..."  


Um...ok mom.  There isn't a huge storm, it seems like it passed us, why do we?


"The news is saying that there is going to be a huge ice storm tonight into tomorrow and they're expecting a lot of outages."


Ok mom...do we ever lose power during storms?  

At this point, my mom has begun to scare my girls. They're looking at her like the men in the white jackets should come and take her away.  I'm serious, the girls thought she was crazy.  Alayna even asked if Grandma was ok!

"We need to get ready in case we have a long term outage and need to go to one of the safe areas."


What the hell? Really mom?  So right about then, the girls were freaking about because my mom said they might have to leave here for a few days.  Alayna was running around screaming that she couldn't find her favorite stuffed dog, Olivia ran for her Hide and Seek Jo Jo and I'm sitting here in the midst of this madness shaking my head and trying to find out why my mom is overreacting like this.


Of course, the news hypes this up, as they always do.  Maybe I'm always the 'doubting thomas' until something actually happens, but I read so many conflicting weather reports that I don't know what to believe.  I'm the optimistic one...the eternal optimist.  I never want to believe something until it happens.  I was the one who didn't believe we were getting a blizzard (a few days after Christmas) until I woke up and couldn't open my front door because of the 34 inches of snow outside.   So even in this situation, I'm not going to believe we are having a huge storm with ice and snow tomorrow until I wake  up and see it in the morning.


As a matter of fact, I went to the store right after work tonight to get some things that we needed and some breakfast for myself tomorrow to take to work. (Even though my mom swears up and down that I am not going to go to work tomorrow... Whatever floats her boat!)  


So, in closing, (I know, you're all breathing a sigh of relief that I am almost done)  if it does end up being a huge storm tomorrow I will eat my words.  I will admit that I am still the eternal optimist and I will apologize to my mom for doubting her.  Hell, I'll even call up ABC and apologize for cursing them out while watching my TV.  :D HAHA!!  I just don't feel, with the weather the way it is right this second, that we're going to have that huge storm.

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It sucks to be head of household.

Every year on my taxes, I file head of household.  Why?  Because basically, I am.  My mom is unemployed because she cannot work.  She has had an injured knee for years and since she is unemployed and has no income, she doesn't have insurance to get the surgery that she needs.  While I am trying to see if I can add her to my benefits for health insurance at my job, we have to wait to see if that can be done.  So for now, she watches my girls when I am at work and I give her what I can for babysitting my two maniacs kids.  I know that what I give her per week isn't a lot, but it is enough to get her through what she currently needs.  I know that she wants to get a job to help out.  I also feel that once she gets her knee surgery and can stand and walk again, she definitely will try to get something little to bring more money into the house.  My mom has always worked and I know she feels helpless when she can't do much.

It's so hard, being a 25 (and 3\4!) year old single mom who is also supporting her mother and everything in the house.  Especially since I am one that works two jobs and tries to hold down the home as well.  My jobs aren't high paying jobs, they're retail and reception.  While I do get paid more than other employees because of my experience and work ethic, it's still difficult to work all I have to work to get the money we need to keep the house going.  Now that I do have two jobs, I am trying to save money per paycheck in a savings account and emergency fund.  We have to get back on our feet, and we will.  I feel so useless, sometimes, that we live paycheck to paycheck, but that's all that can be done right now.  In the future, I hope to get a job that pays more so we can be comfortable and not apprehensive, but at least we are no longer worrying about where our next meal will come from.  (A few years ago, that was actually one of our concerns.)

This is why I clip and search for coupons, this is why I have put so much time into studying the right way to use and stack coupons and this is why I try to save all I can where I can.  It's a really great feeling to get a $100 grocery bill for $40 or even sometimes less.  This is why I go to many different stores and not just one grocery store, but this is also why I am stressed.  Sometimes it feels like I am running errands all day and have no break time.  I also wish that my mom would appreciate me more for all that I do.

My mom is a great person, she really is.  I love her for so many reasons and appreciate her for adopting me and giving me the life that I wouldn't have had otherwise.  She supported me for so many years, even working two jobs at one point so I could have what I wanted.  I love my mom and I know that I am giving back to her by supporting her right now.  Sometimes, though, I feel like I am underappreciated and not giving the credit that I am due.  There are times that she yells at me for being out going to different stores, but how else would we get the good deals that we are?  There are even times she yells at me for being exhausted and wanting to take a nap.  I work two jobs that are very difficult and stressful.  On top of that, cleaning the house as much as I have to, making dinner, figuring out what to make for dinner, and all the other mommy-hood duties -- at the end of the day I am asleep standing up.  Sometimes I just wish she would understand and thank me for all I do.  She does occasionally, but the days that she disrespects me and tells me I am lazy, it hurts. 

I shouldn't be complaining about this and I should be lucky that I have a mother who cares and watches my kids, that I have a place to live and that I have a job to support my family and put food on the table.  I just needed to get this off my chest.  This is why I love blogging, I can rant and rave and maybe one or two people who read this would relate.

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An Open Letter to Sears

Dear Sears,

I have worked in Customer Service and Retail for 10 years and I have never encountered the rudeness that are Sears call center associates.  WEEKS ago, I placed an order for a car charger adapter.  It took Sears THREE WEEKS to e-mail me telling me the order had been canceled.  Meanwhile, I had been calling and inquiring, they would always tell me the order was on it's way when it was not.  After I received very late e-mail telling me the order was canceled, I called back to place the order. The first agent I spoke to RUDELY told me that she could not give me the sales price of the item that I PAID FOR and I would have to now pay full price.  Now, come on, Sears, I've worked in retail long enough to know that your rude agent was bullshitting me.  (And oh yes, she was very rude to me too. She treated me like I was a 5 year old who got scolded for not listening to the rules.)  I hung up out of anger and because I had other things to do. 

Calling back the day after actually gave me the one nice agent that I had spoke to.  He placed my order again for me and told me that he would give me the sale price that I had originally paid.  I was happy to actually speak to someone who cared for a customer.  (Or at least seemed like it.)  My order was placed and I was a happy camper.  Unfortunately, this isn't the "happily ever after" ending when I STILL had not received my item.  Called numerous times to rude associates who told me the item was shipped, I should be receiving it soon, etc...  Two weeks later I got the package.  They told me 5-7 business days when it took 15 to send it?  Come on, Sears...

Fast forward to Thursday night... I go online to check my credit card bill and to tally how much I spent this Holiday season when I see Sears took $79.00 off my card.  Oh really?  For what?  I call sears to get ANOTHER angry and rude agent who told me that I had not cancelled my ShipVantage membership and that's why I was charged.  I told said agent that I had an agent cancel it for me after the second order that I placed. Agent gets VERY angry with me and tells me that I'm feeding him a line because I didn't want my card to be charged.  No, I had canceled it and was angry that they still charged my card.  That agent rudely hung up on me.

I call back an hour later and speak to an agent who said she cancelled it, but I would have to wait 10 days for the shipping department to call me to tell me if I can even GET a refund.  No, no, no, I'm not going to do that.  I demanded to speak to a manager.  After asking me many questions that I REFUSED to answer, I got a manager on the phone.  Oddly, this manager told me Sears' computers were down.  It was shocking especially since the agent prior was able to tell me the information from the computer, but this girl couldn't even pull up any information?  Hmm...  I was told I would get a call back in 2 hours.  Friday passed, Saturday passed, Sunday passed, Monday passed and part of Tuesday.  I wasn't waiting any longer.  That 2 hours was turning into a week very quickly. 

Today when I called I encountered 3 rude (very rude) reps who refused to transfer me to a manager and EACH of them said I was acting irrationally and hung up on me.  IRRATIONALLY?!  DO YOU WANT TO SEE IRRATIONAL!?  TELL ME AGAIN THAT YOU DON'T KNOW WHEN I AM GOING TO GET MY MONEY BACK!  I called a third time, hoping not to go completely nuts on the agent, when this agent asked me over and over again, "What is your name?" "What is your order number?" "Why are you so upset?"  Listen, if I have to tell you my name (and spell it) 5 times, there's something wrong.  When I have to explain to you 5 times that I DO NOT HAVE AN ORDER NUMBER, you're not listening to me. AND THEY WONDER WHY I AM UPSET.  I eventually refused to answer anything else until I got a manager.  After being put on hold for 15 minutes, I finally got a manager.  (Who had absolutely no compassion for me.)  This manager tried for 35 minutes to pull up my account with my name. 

"Are you sure you used your name for the order?"

No, I used Abraham Lincoln's name...WHAT DO YOU THINK?

"What is your order number?"
For the 100th time, I DO NOT HAVE AN ORDER NUMBER.

"Ok, then we can't pull your account, are you sure you shopped with Sears?"
No, not at all. I just feel like calling and telling you off for nothing. It's amusement to me.


"Maybe we canceled your order. If so, you'll get a refund."
Ok, let me say this like I'm speaking to my kids... I... DO... NOT... HAVE... AN... ORDER.


"Oh, you don't have an order? Then why did we charge you $79?"
I am just the customer! I found it on my credit card statement! Why don't YOU tell me, Sears Supervisor... (if that is your real name.)


After going back and forth with this unhelpful supervisor and a long ("brief", they called it) hold, she came back and told me that the agent prior who said she canceled the ShipVantage NEVER DID and she would do it for me now.  She also told me that I would have my money back in 3-5 business days.  I'm praying I do, but after the crap I have gone through with Sears, I'm not holding my breath. 


The kicker, before she ended the call, she asked me "Do you have a Sears credit card and would you like more information about signing up for one?"  No, no thank you.  I'm never shopping with Sears again.  JC Penney has much better customer service and I'll use THEIR credit card.  I WAS a Sears card holder, but no longer.  Not after the way the agents made me feel small and insignificant when customers are supposed to be one of the most important part of the company.

So much for good customer service with that company.

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Toothpicks, meet eyes...

I wish giving birth to a baby came with an owners manual.  Honestly, I can use one.  Motherhood had no warning: May cause extreme exhaustion after the first cutesy year of their lives. Nope, nada, none what so ever.  Although I should have known the exhaustion and frustration that motherhood sometimes causes, I didn't think of it until it hit me like a ton of bricks.  Both of my girls were perfect for the first year of their lives, actually, Alayna never hit the terrible twos until she was almost three...  She's now five and they're not gone yet.  Worst part is, her hyperactivity sometimes eggs Olivia on and makes her run around like a crazy person as well.  

When you become a mother all of your perfectionism and cleanliness goes out the window.  You may try to keep up after the kids and pick up every time they take things out and don't put them away, but it's impossible. As much as you may not believe it, you will probably end up standing in piles of toys up to your knees and completely ignoring it.  I've gotten used to wading through toys to get through to my living room or their bedroom.  It's now a part of life!  I used to be ashamed to admit, there are nights where I go to bed leaving the mess as it is.  Those are the nights I have no energy nor do I have the concern for what my home looks like.  I just want to get the hell to bed and try to get some sleep!  I figure that I will pick it up in the morning, or anytime that I have the energy to.  No one drops by my house unannounced, why should it always be clean?  

Working practically two jobs and being a single mom is even more difficult.  That's my life.  I have a full time 40 hour a week job in which I work from home.  I lock myself in a tiny room with a desk and computer for 9-12 hours a day and help other people via phones and web.  How can it be exhausting? I don't leave the house!  Well, it is.  sitting in one place and staring at a computer screen for hours is mundane and exhausting.  Even though I love my job so much, there are days that I have to fight to keep my eyes open.  There are days when I find myself getting extremely tongue tied on the phones because I can't even think straight.  Those days are the worst, they drag along.  No amount of coffee or espresso or any energy drinks can make that exhaustion go away; not even temporarily...  

Then, I have my freelancing job.  I am a freelance writer and most of that work gets pushed to the back if I'm too exhausted to stand or move at the end of the day.  Otherwise, I am usually up until 2-4 am trying to meet my deadlines and writing articles over and over until they're perfect.  If I can sleep, I get to bed at 3 or 5 am and have to be up again by 7...  (Unless it's a lucky day when my mom decides to bring Alayna to school.)  I just start the entire day all over again and hope that maybe I'll have time to take a shower, shave my legs or just breathe that day.

Being a mother is an exhausting job, but it's also very rewarding.  I love my girls and would do anything for them, and that is why I work two jobs besides my blogging.  Because I want the best for them and I know that working is the way to provide for them.  I'm not at all complaining about my jobs, I love them and feel lucky to have jobs that I enjoy... I'm complaining about the lack of sleep and "mother's burn out" that I experience almost daily.  

(Inspired by Mama Kat's prompt: Why are you burned out?)

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Should you really compare the obese to drug addicts?

I may not be obese nor am I morbidly overweight, but there was a time where I would have fit in those categories.  I have many friends and family members who do fit into these categories and because I once was classified as obese, I can relate to the insensitivity of some people.  I was one of the chubby kids that would always be made fun of and I would be called terrible names.  Honestly, I thought the "bullies" would grow out of their phase of disliking people for their image or hair color.  I guess I was wrong.

Through another blog, my attention was brought to this article written by Maura Kelly entitled "Should Fatties Get A Room?"  (It disgusts me to even link this article.)  This article made me sick...it actually made me nauseous and completely disgusted me to see a grown adult act so childish and immature.  She reminded me of one of those bullies that called me degrading names and made my confidence plummet to low levels.  Basically, she said that obese people on TV made her sick and so did "obese people walking across a room."  Really?  

Seeing overweight people as actors/actresses on television, in my opinion, is something that should have been done years ago.  So maybe being obese isn't healthy, but some people have conditions where they can't help it.  They don't just sit there everyday all day and eat.  Why shouldn't bigger women be able to act on television too?  In Rosanne her and her husband were overweight and there was NO controversy like there is now over the more recent shows.

What got me, was this: "To be brutally honest, even in real life, I find it aesthetically displeasing to watch a very, very fat person simply walk across a room — just like I'd find it distressing if I saw a very drunk person stumbling across a bar or a heroine addict slumping in a chair."  That is more or less comparing their view of someone with obesity to that of a druggie or alcoholic.

The author did write an apology, but the hurtful things she said still resonate with those who relate to the subject of the bullying.  Once a bully, always a bully...

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"Mommy, why was your childhood so boring?"

I remember being a child and having to use my imagination to play with Barbies, my doll house, Polly Pockets, dolls and other various toys.  Back in the 1980's, electronic toys were few and far between.  When I had a toy that was electronic, it wasn't very advanced; they were just being developed and were very plain.  I would get out of the house daily and for a long time.  I got exercise by playing with my friends, by going to the park, riding my bike, my scooter, my roller skates/ roller blades and using my imagination to play different games with my friends.  

Fast forward to more modern days where preschoolers learn computers as part of their curriculum in school!  By kindergarten, children are computer savvy.  Hell, some kindergartners even have their own computers.  I see 8 year olds with their own cell phones, texting and even with their own e-mail accounts.  I'm not saying that knowing the computer when you're young is a bad thing, but I know many parents who have young children and don't monitor what they're doing online.  I know many parents who tell me they trust their children and don't feel like they have to monitor what they're doing.  It's not the fact of distrusting your children, but the fact of distrusting others and knowing the dangers that are out there in cyberworld.

I understand the need for technology, however I also worry.  Kids aren't getting the exercise they need because of technology.  Sure, we have the Wii and I love Nintendo for coming up with such a great concept; a gaming system that conbines family time, exercise and fun.  Even so, children need fresh air and more physical movement.  I also believe they should go outside and enjoy their time because it's better than being stuck in the house.  Even voluntarily stuck.

It really dawned on me when I had brought some of my old toys up from the basement for my girls to play with.  My oldest, Alayna, asked me how did I play with the toys when it wasn't electronic.  I had told her that when I was younger electronic toys were just being created and she really thought my childhood was boring!  I had to explain to her that when I was a kid it was 1980 and most of our fun was created by ourselves.  We had to use our imagination to make the dolls talk and to come up with scenarios.   She didn't really understand why there was no electronics, but I realized that our kids now are brought up with Nintendo, Playstation, XBox, computers, toys that talk and walk and poop and pee...

My kids have great imaginations because that's how I raised them, but I think there are some parents who depend on the toys that do the work for them.  In fact, I know some of those parents.  More children should be limited to the technology toys and should spend more time with the toys that stretch the imagination and build the creativity.  Not even that, but kids should be able to get out of the house and exercise, play games outside, going to the park.  They need the fresh air.

Sometimes I see 4 and 5 year olds playing outside all by themselves.  While it's good that they're outside and getting the exercise, where are their parents?  I hear some parents talking about how they can't wait to get their little kids outside because they want the time to themselves. These are the parents who will act like the big and mighty protective parents when something bad happens, God forbid.  Honestly, I don't mean to criticise any parents, but when I see this and hear parents talking about this, I do go off.  And I have gone off on parents who have said they let their 4 and 5 year olds outside alone in a busy urban area.  It angers me.

What do you think about this topic?  What do you think about the parents who distract their children with video games and electronic toys so they can do what they'd like to do?

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NO OBJECT IS SAFE FROM CHILDREN!! lol

I've professed my undying love and devotion for my point and shoot Samsung Dual View (TL220) camera many times in the past on here. I bought it a few months ago when my Canon Cyber Shot flaked out on me and decided to not work with the LCD screen anymore.  This camera has gone everywhere with me and it even has a nice little padded case.  I'm always so careful with this camera...until today.  

This afternoon I was taking pictures and uploading everything for my Energizer Smart ChargHER Blogher post and when I was done I left it on the kitchen table next to my laptop.  Unfortunately, we were in a rush to get to Kohls this afternoon, so I left the case next to it.  That usually wouldn't be a big deal because we were all going out and I figured when I got home I would just put it into the case and back into my purse.

My mom notified me on the way home that we needed apple juice and toilet paper and Olivia was screaming and throwing a temper tantrum because she couldn't get a toy she wanted at Kohls, so instead of driving to the grocery store with the temper tantrum and leaving my mom in the car with miss moody, I decided to drop them off home and head to the grocery store myself.  It's not fun to go to the store with a cranky, crying two year old in tow and I wouldn't put my mom through the horror of sitting in a confined space (my car) with miss attitude.  I dropped them off and headed back out to the grocery store.

Do you see where this post is heading?

I get a call from my mom while I'm in the grocery store.  It was about 5 minutes after I left home to go back out and get the few things we needed from the store. 

"Now, don't get angry when I tell you this..." She said and stopped after she said that.  I guess looking for an answer from me.  I have learned that whenever something starts off like that, it isn't a good thing. I said nothing. lol

"Olivia was in the kitchen and touched your camera.  I don't know what she did, she may have deleted something."  

Whew...at least she only may have deleted something.

I told my mom that I'd deal with it when I got home and she could just put it on the counter or somewhere out of reach.  So she did.  Only I should have realized, my mom isn't tech savvy.  She doesn't use a camera or know how to use a camera.  

When I got home I went to get my camera only to find out that THE SHUTTER WOULDN'T CLOSE AND THE ZOOM WON'T GO BACK IN.  I cried...no, really...I did cry.  

Not even thinking, I put the camera back in the box and drove to Best Buy, where I got it from.  I swore that I had the credit card with me I bought it with, but after waiting on the returns line for 15 minutes, I realized I didn't have it with me.  (I don't just leave credit cards at home, I don't use this one anymore. lol)  The woman at customer service said they wouldn't be able to do anything without the receipt or without the credit card.  I figured I would go back in the morning with the credit card I had bought it with.

A lightbulb went off in my head on the way home, that maybe I could fix this myself.  Krissy: THE QUEEN OF THINKING SHE CAN DO THINGS HERSELF WHEN REALLY, SHE PROBABLY CAN'T... That' me, that should be my title.  The 'wannabe' tech and repair DIY.  Even so, I googled it and found a website that had a few steps to fix this on ANY camera.  

Tried a few of them and up to step 5 didn't work.  I was losing hope quickly and figured I would jsut have to send it into Samsung and hope they can replace it.  Number 6 was my last hope and I was silently praying and hoping that it would work.  They told me to do this:

Plug the camera into the wall power source and turn it on.  

So I did...the camera went on, that was an improvement.  Then they said to try to press the zoom back and forth.  So I did...

IT WORKED!!!

My zoom went in and out and the shutter/zoom extended and went back in.  I shut the camera off and it went back to it's normal ways.  At this point, I wanted to marry the person who had written that on their website.  I wanted to e-mail them and profess my undying love and devotion to them...only I didn't.  I figured that wouldn't be appropriate from someone who just learned how to fix their camera from their instructions...  And no, I'm not THAT desperate to find love. lol

I'm just happy it worked.  I would have been stuck without a camera if it didn't.  (And I'm one who LOVES to take pictures of everything.)  

Moral of this story:  (There are two)

#1.  NO OBJECT is safe from a nosy 2 year old.  No matter how many times you tell them not to touch things and no matter how much you think they  may understand, don't leave precious electronics where kids can get them.  (I should have known this from when Alayna, as a 2 year old, decided to see if my phone could swim...in the toilet...)  

#2.  If your zoom ever gets stuck extended, plug your camera into the wall power source and try to power the camera on.  When it goes on, if it goes on, try to move the zoom back and forth.  If it worked for me, it may work for you!!

 

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I feel so old because I am about to say this...

...And you know, it's so funny because when I was a teenager and into *N Sync and BSB and Britney Spears, I was the same exact way.  It's funny how your opinions change as you get older and funny how your vision gets clearer!

Today we celebrated my best friend's 26th birthday.  I love her to death and would do anything for her.  When she invited me to an Honor Society concert, I jumped at the chance to be with her when she celebrates her birthday and does something she absolutely loves.  Honor Society is her favorite band.  I had gotten a CD from her a few months ago, and I have to say that their music is very good!  Though, I wasn't very familiar with them.  

Now, Honor Society is basically a boy band.  I would compare them to Hanson, even though they aren't brothers and even though there are 4 of them.  When I say this, you'll understand further where my rant is coming from...

They had opened up for Jonas Brothers last year...

...Need I say more. (For the record, I do not like Jonas Brothers, but my daughter does. lol)

The concert was general admission, so my friends got there at absurd hour of 6 am and completely understood that I didn't want to couldn't get there until noon, THANK YOU GUYS!!  Thankfully, they ended up being the 8th-11th people online, so we were sure we were guaranteed first row for her birthday -- which would make her so happy.  

Frustration started when the 10-14 year olds started their teenybopper bragging, screaming, etc...  Which, I know they were excited, I was their age at one point in time, but they were just obnoxious...  My youngest friend there was 21 and even she understood that what they were doing was annoying.  I was a little annoyed by their antics, but understood because we were all that age.  I'm sure I was like that too...

We had a great time in the line, my friend got her meet and greet and went to soundcheck, she was very happy because she got a birthday greeting from them and when she came back to the line and it was time to go in...the mess started.

Teens from the back of the line started to sneak in the front, we had 20 year olds arguing with the teens, security guards had to kick people out of the line, the entire line started going awry...  When the doors opened it got worse.  People started pushing others... (Frustration!)  

To make a long story short, once we got in we ended up a lot farther back than we would have liked because of the fact that people pushed, made a run for it and so on...  My friend wasn't upset, just frustrated just as I was... We decided to sit in the seating farther back because we couldn't stand the entire time with the kids/teens screaming and pushing down on the floor.  

We felt old... We opted to sit in the seats with the parents... lol

Despite the teens screaming, and despite the opening acts being way too long (YES...3 opening acts)  We had a good time.  Unfortunately, we did leave before the show was over because we didn't want to get stuck in the line getting out of there.  We went to dinner instead.  

We felt even older!!

It's all a part of growing up.  It's all a part of being an adult and all a part of opening our eyes to what we probably were when we went to concerts at that age.  We had some laughs, we shared our frustrations and had a great time.  I wouldn't change a thing... And she is still one of my best friends anyone can ever have.  Everyone should be as lucky as to have a friend like my friend Gina. :)

OH!  And when I got home, I came home to the Cascade 24 Hour Challenge sitting on my kitchen table!  Any excuse to bake a blueberry cobbler, I'm there! :)  That means we are going to have a giveaway soon for a $25 Walmart Gift Card!!

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After this day, I need a nap...and a drink! lmao

Another one of those days where you just want to go back to bed and redo the entire day.   First off, my mom has been cranky the entire day.  If she wasn't older, I'd say PMS. ;)  My entire day has been running errands for her, which isn't a bad thing -- If she was grateful for all I did for her today.  (Which she isn't.)

Let me ask you; What would you do if you scanned your entire grocery order at the self check out, got to the coupons, scanned most of them and asked for assistance when the coupon didn't scan. (Printer cartridge was going when I printed it.)  When the cashier came over, she accidentally cancelled the order rather than putting in the coupon value... But she did this FOUR TIMES.  FOUR TIMES I had to re-scan everything.  I stood there at the self check out lane for 45 minutes because the associate "trying to help" cancelled the order over and over again.  Eventually, I asked for the manager and she put my coupons through with no problem.  Thank God.  If I had to scan it a 5th time, I would have gone ape shit.

At least I did excellent...I had gotten a $65.51 order and only paid $9.50.  I have to thank my great catalina coupons for saving as much as I did!  I feel like I did just perfect.  I was very happy with what I did. :)  

I get home, my mom was very pleased with what I spent at the store and how much I saved, but she was still ungrateful.  Instead of telling me nicely that she wished I had gotten something different, she yells.  She tells me in a very rude way, and keeps on yelling even after the fact, that I'm "useless" and "never do anything right."  I try my damndest to get her what she needs and I'm always hesitant to give her the groceries.  This happens WHENEVER I go to the grocery store.  I hate to make my mom sound so terrible, because she isn't, but sometimes she just lets her anger fly off the handle.  Sometimes I can't take it.

I have such a terrible migraine right now, all I want to do is go to sleep.  Thank God I got my kids to sleep pretty easily, so I can go to sleep.  I just have to go to the grocery store AGAIN early tomorow morning since we have a birthday party in the afternoon.  Sometimes I want to bang my head against the wall. 

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Sometimes I feel like it's never enough...

I love my mom, I really do.  Even though as I was growing up as a teenager my mom and I had terrible arguments that neither of us won.  I may have, on many occasions, said those three words that come out of EVERY teenager's mouth at least once in their lives, "I hate you."  Of course, she never took it seriously, but it's part of a teenage battle with your mom, right?  

I owe my life to my mom.  She adopted me when I was a month old and I owe everything to her for giving me a better life.  Even so, sometimes I get so frustrated with her.  I feel like whatever I do is never enough.  I try so hard and feel it goes unrewarded.  Sometimes I long to hear, "You did good" or "Thank you, Kristin..." from her... It happens occasionally, but it's not something I hear often.

My mom has known that since my kids were born I have been battling on/off depression.  Sometimes it causes me to be completely overwhelmed and sometimes I have great days where it never bothers me.  Yes, I have seeked help from a counselor, but felt it was useless to my situation.  My mom knows all of this, and yet she still knows what buttons to press to drive me absolutely insane.  I know that she does sometimes do it purpously, even though she really isn't a bad person.

For the past week I have been trying to take cleaning and organizing little by little.  I have been accomplishing a lot, but because the kids need me, I can't do it all at once.  I also get very overwhelmed and frustrated when I am trying to clean something and it starts to look worse than look like I am accomplishing everything.  Yesterday, when Olivia was at her dad's, however, I really accomplished a lot.  I put my mind to cleaning and organizing the living room and it acually looked great.  I promised myself I would clean their room today and organize their clothes.

This morning comes and I have terrible cramps.  I couldn't even move when I woke up this morning.  I took a Midol and tried to start organizing the kids' room.  I did tackle the closet and I organized a lot of the clothes into garage sale and save for next year boxes too.  However, the floor is still a mess because I had to put boxes of other things temporarily in the middle of the room.  My mom sees this and starts to get mad at me.  Even after I explained to her that my cramps were so bad I could barely stand, and I asked her to help me watch the kids while I lay down for an hour, she starts yelling at me and telling me that cramps are no excuse to be lazy.  She doesn't understand the severity of my cramps.

As a teenager I used to have to miss two days of school each month because of my cramps.  They were so terrible I'd nearly throw up, get terrible headaches and not be able to move with the cramps.  It was like that until I had Alayna.

After Alayna was born, I had no cramps or problems at all.  The doctors reasoning is that my uterus was tipped and that's the reason I was having so much pain.  Because something was abnormal.  After she was born, it corrected itself and the cramps were gone.  I actually had no problems, no nausea, just some headaches and my PMS anger! lol 

When Olivia was born and my cycle started again, the cramps got even worse than when I was in high school.  My doctor said that after every pregnancy cycles are a lot different.  It could be because the second pregnancy tipped my uterus again or it could be another reason.  The pain isn't as bad as it was right after Olivia was born, but it's still very painful.  I still can hardly more or walk for the first two days because of the severe pain.  My mom knows this and uses it against me when she gets frustrated.  Those two days are the only days I ever ask her for help.  She just doesn't seem to appreciate all I do for her.  I buy her groceries, I keep my place clean, I ask her for help only when I need it, and when she does babysit, I am forever grateful and do give her something for it.  

Sometimes I feel like Im worth more than the way she treats me, and I wish she understood better.

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