Owner: cool beans URL:http://coolbeansmama.wordpress.com Join Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2007 15:24:13 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: This is the personal but public diary of a 30-something woman who is a wife, mother, survivor and volunteer. She tends to be easily irritated by people, but is working on being as friendly on the inside as she is on the outside. Or not. Site statistics:Click here
A Week In Preview 2007-06-29 11:38:24 I am all caught up on email and there are no new items in my feed reader. I have reached the end of the internet.
The rest of the day includes laundry, a shower, the library. I want it to go slow, slow, slow. The next few days pick up speed.
Tonight: Husband and his brother camping and fishing through tomorrow afternoon. My friend and her family arrive after bedtime.
Saturday: Visiting with friend. Hissing at kids to leave us to visit and hollering, “Stop trying to blow up your hands and faces! Husbands! Get out here and help your children play with fire safely.” (Visiting with insanity!)
Sunday: Fireworks display. Four thousand mosquito bites.
Monday: Become mother of teenager. Start crocheting doilies. Open first bottle of tequila.
Tuesday: PAR-TAY.
Wednesday: PAR-TAY.
Thursday: Moaning.
Friday: Finish off tequila. Swear off tequila until next year.
Saturday: Possible coma.
Each and Every Day: Blow stuff up.
Read more:Preview
Asking for a favor… 2007-06-28 15:44:28 Please click here to visit Whymommy at Toddler Planet and share your words of encouragement. She needs our thoughts and prayers and love.
Read more:favor
, hellip
Everybody run! It’s a MEME! 2007-06-27 11:08:18 1.Whats your name spelled backwards?
Erm. Pretend I played along with this one.
2. What did you do last night?
I read blogs and talked to a friend via email while my husband paced through the house and talked non-stop for over an hour.
3. The last thing you downloaded onto your computer?
Graphics for possible blog headers.
4. Have you ever licked a 9 volt battery?
No. What the hell is wrong with people?
5. Last time you swam in a pool?
A couple weeks ago.
6. What are you wearing?
Gray knit capri pants and a white tank top. (Most of yesterday’s outfit that became pajamas at midnight.)
7. How many cars have you owned?
Since being together, my husband and I have owned four cars. Not all of them at the same time. Somehow, none of them have ended up on blocks in the yard. It is a miracle.
8. Type of music you dislike most?
I don’t even know what you call it. Best described as “polka with lyrics en Espanol.” Also, anything by the Eagles and Don Henley. And a whole Read more:Everybody
BlogHer Blues 2007-06-27 01:20:17 Amy Sedaris is going to be at BlogHer?
Weepy with the sadness. Someone sniff her for me. I bet she smells like vanilla and lemons.
Read more:Blues
Team Whymommy 2007-07-01 02:06:38 Whymommy of Toddler Planet said:
I need people to know that I have cancer. I need them not to look away at the sight of my ugly bald head. I need them not to pity me when they see the young woman with the hat slowly moving along behind the two-kid stroller. I need them to cheer me on, instead, and to smile when they see me, and to help me see the good side of life. I need their thoughts and prayers and healing light and good spirits. Because I am not likely to be able to sustain this fight and positive outlook on my own.
To join the team, head over to canape’s blog where you can find all the details.
Home from the lake. 2007-07-06 12:49:35 We’re just getting home from the lake. I’ve unpacked one vehicle and two out of three kids are in the bathtub.
I am so tired. A shower and a nap and some grocery shopping are up next.
Things I know and a letter. 2007-07-04 18:27:35
It is hot.
Water is our friend.
Tequila is bad for you. And also for me.
Light fixture covers sometimes fall off at home while I’m at Walmart.
This house isn’t haunted.
Now, a letter.
Dear XBox 360 video game makers,
Please stop making first person shooters and other games with guns and blood and war. Also, please make Guitar Hero more affordable. You’re killin’ me here.
Sincerely, Me.
A Job and Chicken Pox 2007-07-10 00:39:44 Yesterday morning I went to see a man about a job. There was no horse. That would have been weird. It was brief. He explained the hours I’d be working. He didn’t ask questions really. So it was weird. But not totally uncomfortable. That’s so much worse. So it went okay.
In other news, it is possible Little Guy has chicken pox. I can’t say he had a fever in the last week sometime, so who knows if this is the real deal. If he’s got more spots in the morning I’ll take him in to have the doctor sign off on it. We’re hoping that’s what it is.
It’s my bedtime. Yawn.
Read more:Chicken
Search Engine Writing Prompt 2007-07-10 00:24:25 Today people found my weblog by searching for the following terms:
lifeguard pee break
parenting poverty groceries
why don’t i have earlobes
Yesterday, some poor fellow needed to know about:
anxiety and finding where you are going
A couple of you claim “Lucy Was My Lady” and are showing up at my doorstep. So. Yeah. Whatcha got, mister? This was about to be a hillbilly trailer trash interlude. Stopped that shit afore it gits started.
Also, someone would like a cool beans t-shirt. I think that would be stellar. Who’s got the cool beans t-shirt? I want one, too!
Here’s my little SearchEngine
Hit story:
Anxious and finding where I’m going, I see her. Lucy. She was my lady. I don’t love her anymore. Besides, who has time for Lucy? That ‘ho. I have this kick ass cool beans t-shirt AND we have ourselves an emergency! The lifeguard needs his pee break while a very confused couple is attempting to parent poverty groceries. “Now, you, mi Read more:Prompt
, Search Engine
What the heck am I thinking? 2007-07-09 08:54:14 When I left my job in February, I told my husband I was staying home, jobless, penniless, for at least six months. August 8th would be six months.
But this morning, I’m going to see a man about a job. A full month early. One might think I’m caving. That I want satellite television service. That I’d like for both of us to be able to go out on date night. (”We need a date night. Where should we go? That’s too much if we go together. You go and then come home and tell me all about it!”) Or, you might say I’m flexible and this would be the right job at the almost rightish time. Because aside from being paid to pick my belly button lint all day, this is the only job I’d consider right now.
So, I’m going to brush my teeth and put on some pants. Then I’m going to go be charming and relaxed. Then I might have a job. Or not. Either way, it will be good.
(The next time I say “I’m taking six months off” I really mean & Read more:thinking
Friday Meme 2007-07-13 08:15:16 This is from Friday
’s Feast. They said it’s “a buffet for your brain.”
Appetizer
What is your favorite fruit?
Pomegranate.
Soup
Who is someone you consider as a great role model?
Famous person: Dolly Parton. Non-famous person: My husband’s aunt.
Salad
If you were to spend one night anywhere within an hour of your home, where would you choose?
The “big room” at a local bed & breakfast. I’d spend most of my time in the giant tub, covered in mountains of bubbles.
Main Course
Name something you do too often.
Stay up late.
Dessert
Fill in the blank: I really like reality television because it is so mindless.
This and That 2007-07-12 23:25:28 Distraction and disconnection
Last week derailed me mentally and physically. I just cannot catch up with myself since the holiday. I feel disconnected, unable to focus and put ducks in a row. I have to get my poop in a group.
There are some current events and news thingies I want to be in the know about, but uh, what? Look! SHINY OBJECT! I need a personal assistant who researches these things for me. Mostly so I can be pissed off about the news in an educated way.
Voices in my head
I’m nervous about Monday. Freaking out that this might not be the right thing to do. Did I enjoy my time at home enough? Could I have soaked more joy, relaxation, tequila out of it? The work itself should be totally okay. I can manage that. It’s the time and the rush and having to be organized and crap every day. If I use the crock pot will I wash it out before it gets yucky so I can use it again and avoid frozen pizzas and Kraft Dinner? Should I just buy another crock pot? What about shoes? Do
What the heck did I just do? 2007-07-11 14:52:31 I don’t understand haiku. Like, I think it’s supposed to be more complicated than 5-7-5, but someone once said to me, “Why’d you have to go and make things so complicated?” That’s a good question. Taking that into consideration, I present the following:
I got an offer
to which I said, “Excellent!”
The fun starts Monday.
Bits and Things 2007-07-16 23:39:08 Work was good, thank you.
I enjoyed the first day of my new job. Everyone was very nice and they were excited to see me. It was very good. I like the environment and felt at home right away. Because I don’t like to write about work on this site that’s all I can really say about that. But, for those of you who asked, thank you for asking. I’m glad you were thinking of me. Warm and fuzzy.
In other news.
It is flipping HOT. We have air conditioning, though, so I can’t complain too much. If my A/C wanted to make out right now, I’d totally do it. As long as we can make out inside the house.
To preschool or not to preschool?
I wasn’t planning on sending my little guy to preschool because I can teach him to write his name and use scissors and dump glue on stuff. But now I’m thinking maybe I want to send him to preschool and it’s pretty late in the game for that, you know? I looked up numbers for area preschools and looking at the possible candi
Tired but happy 2007-07-18 20:42:48 I woke up at 4am when my husband’s alarm clock went off. I couldn’t get back to sleep, so I made my coffee and breakfast, snuggled with my little guy for a while and got ready for work. Can anyone complain about working 8am to Noon? I won’t. At least not this week.
After lunch with my sister, I dipped the children in sunscreen (a 30-minute process when we all stay focused, which wasn’t exactly the case this afternoon) and hauled them to the water park. The first hour was rough. The water was warm and our tempers were hot. Want to adjust some attitudes? Concession stand hamburgers and corn dogs* are the secret to your success. Things were much better after the children dipped things in ketchup.
We’re home now and I am wiped. It’s 8:30. I still have to do laundry (necessary for work tomorrow), complete my grocery list and take a shower. And the fifteen other random things that manage to jump in my path between here and bed. But I am going to sleep so,
This and That 2007-07-21 11:49:13 Rock
You know who I like? People who think I rock.
Thank you to Braindead Betty for passing it on to me.
I had to do a little searching to find where this started. Clicking the graphic will take you to Roberta Ferguson’s post that kicked it off.
I’m passing this on to jen of allthepretties for taking the plunge and moving her booty over to WordPress.
Paper
Yesterday I held the new Harry Potter book in my hot little hands and guess what I did? I read the end. It’s been almost 12 hours since bookstore employees started rolling their eyes at fanatics who line up in the middle of the night to buy a stinkin’ book. So you know the end now anyway. I felt a lot more special about this last night when peeps were trying to nap so they could stay up past 11:00pm. Not special enough to write about it last night, though. We went out for pie.
Scissors
I made pancakes for the kids this morning and thought it might be nice to have some music on in the kitchen. The under-cab
“You don’t have to have a lump to have breast cancer.” 2007-07-24 08:50:56 (The following was written by WhyMommy of Toddler Planet. The original post can be found at her site. Please head over there to comment and cheer her on as she courageously battles this beast. -cb)
We hear a lot about breast cancer these days. One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetimes, and there are millions living with it in the U.S. today alone. But did you know that there is more than one type of breast cancer?
I didn’t. I thought that breast cancer was all the same. I figured that if I did my monthly breast self-exams, and found no lump, I’d be fine.
Oops. It turns out that you don’t have to have a lump to have breast cancer. Six weeks ago, I went to my OB/GYN because my breast felt funny. It was red, hot, inflamed, and the skin looked…funny. But there was no lump, so I wasn’t worried. I should have been. After a round of antibiotics didn’t clear up the inflammation, my doctor sent me to a breast specialist and did a skin punch biopsy. T Read more:ldquo
, rdquo
What? You wanted something to read? PFFT! 2007-07-23 22:10:53 I read, I shower, I go to work. Repeat.
That is all.
P.S. I am not opposed to Drew Carey hosting the Price Is Right. My husband doesn’t think it will work. I think it has possibilities.
Read more:wanted
, something
Pills, Tendonitis, Books! 2007-07-25 21:06:19 Dopey
Email response from a friend today reveals I emailed her while under the influence of Ambien.
“WEll…it looks like its workingbut i’m medicated. The screen is lumpy!”
Last night I signed and addressed greeting cards whilst medicated. One was a “Congratulations!”; the other “With Sympathy”. Then, I licked ‘em shut and slapped on some stamps. I had to open one today to make sure I was routing them correctly. (So, now you know why your card was pried open, dear.)
Carpel Tunnel Syndrome
When I had a full-time gig a few months ago, I was very good about using my left hand to do all my mousing. I used to switch the mouse at home, too. (My husband finds it aggravating. Because it’s SOOOOOOOOOO much work to move the mouse back over to the right. Wears out the shoulder, you know.) For the last couple months, I’ve used my right hand exclusively (dirty!) and since starting this new jobby-job, my right arm is killing me.
Rivet Read more:Tendonitis
, Books
Illin’ 2007-07-29 15:06:10 I think it was Wednesday morning that I started feeling sick. I have used an entire box of tissues, half a jar of Mentholatum, and 1400 Sudafed. It’s moving from my head to my chest now, and I am wiped out. I want to whine about laundry and my sticky kitchen floor and having to get up with the sun every day this coming week in order to get my son to band camp. So here: WHINE.
I do this every time I start a new job. My body has to get used to all the new germs and having a new job isn’t stressful enough without feeling like utter crap. So, WHINE.
We watched Zodiac last night. It was great in a serial-killers-are-horrifying way.
Es todo.
Where was I? 2007-08-02 08:35:41 Oh, yeah, I was full of mucus. Guess what. I’m still full of mucus. Awesome!
School starts in a couple weeks. On Tuesday I attended my first meeting as Vice President of our PTA. I already got all bossy up in there. Will someone tell me why I always end up volunteering to bring fruit? Expensive, time-consuming fruit? Why am I afraid of making an egg casserole? Eggs is cheep.
I signed the little guy up for preschool. Hopefully they have openings. If I wasn’t working, I’d do it myself following Kristi’s advice. I could still do it but he has to go somewhere while I’m working in the afternoons. He says he doesn’t want to go to school. Then I tell him, “You get to wear a backpack!” and he runs to his room and trudges out wearing his pack filled with everything he can possibly stuff in there.
Yesterday was the first day I didn’t have someone working side by side with me at my new job. This place is woefully understaffed. I really thought
Links you’ll like. 2007-08-06 10:59:29 I put some of my favorite posts in the sidebar under my Google Reader Clips. Sometimes I feel it’s not enough. I’m afraid you’ll miss some really great stuff. Basically, I don’t trust you’ll click through from the sidebar. There. I’ve finally said it. I don’t trust you. I’m sorry. I have issues.
A N Y W A Y!
You can’t miss these:
Humanity* from the lovely Kismet.
Railroad Crossing Safety - It’s Not Just for Intellectuals from Gidge.
The Thing I Didn’t Share from WhyMommy.
Speaking of WhyMommy, please continue to pass this on for WhyMommy and future survivors of Inflammatory Breast Cancer. Print it and hang in on the bulletin board at work, email it to your friends and family. REMEMBER: You don’t have to have a lump to have breast cancer.
What we’re doing right this minute. 2007-08-05 18:56:50 While I type this my husband is watching Big Daddy. I’M PRETTY SURE YOU CAN HEAR IT. My little guy is sitting on the kitchen table, slamming his 45th roll of Smarties and vibrating in a very focused way. Having participated in a parade in 90-degree weather, my other kids are recovering in the icy cold basement. OH MY GOD HOW LOUD DOES THAT TELEVISION NEED TO BE? I CANNOT THINK.
I had to work this afternoon, but I was close to the parade route. I stepped outside when my daughter’s dance school’s float rolled by. Her smile had turned to a “I’m baking here, people, it’s so hot” grimace until she saw me waving at her from the sidewalk. My son marched by with the band a few minutes later. First marching performance ever! My heart went squish when I saw him marching along. Then my heart went “ACK!” because he didn’t have his lyre. I panicked. Where was his music? Was he freaking out that he forgot his music?! AAACK!
It turns out a p Read more:doing
Fisher-Price Toy Recall 2007-08-05 18:15:26 Click here for recall information.
Fisher
-Price, in cooperation with the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission is voluntarily recalling a limited number of Nickelodeon and Sesame Street painted toys produced by one specific contract manufacturer during a narrow timeframe. The recalled products were sold in retail stores nationwide since May 1, 2007. Paint on affected products contains lead in excess of permissible levels.
Thanks Plain Jane Mom and MomSquawk for passing this on.
What do you know about the violin? 2007-08-07 22:45:03 We dropped the saxophone off at the music shop today. My four-year old saw the violin
s hanging on the wall and said, “I want dat.” The shop owner sang, “Violins are cheaper than saxophones.”
But, like, DUH. I already have a saxophone. So that makes a violin more expensive than something I already own, dude.
My little guy is serious about this, I think. We got a note from preschool today telling us we got our first choice of session. I told him, “Hey! You get to go to school!” He said, “I go to school and pway widdle guitar!”
Now I need some help. (Yes, I could ask the shop owner but I’m a skeptic when the other person is interested in my wallet.) I know that violins come in different sizes, are generally cheaper than saxophones I don’t own and are squeaky in the hands of a novice. Also, they are not convenient for marching. What else?
Things are good if you don’t count the smoldering garbage! 2007-08-11 00:42:34 My nine-year old daughter is reading Judy Blume. My 13-year old son is playing the saxophone and learning to march with the band. I KNOW! Can you feel the power of the awesome?
It’s going to be melt-your-face-off hot here this weekend. We will be staying indoors, thank you.
Except, we might have to get some back-to-school shopping done. Or not. Because that sounds like zero fun. Something died in the fridge and I’m already afraid of the garbage can in the garage that doesn’t get picked up until Wednesday. I might start freezing my garbage. I am 76-years old.
Hey! My job is alright. It could be better. You know, if I could lay around and read and watch live Big Brother 8 feeds for cash. But if it can’t be that, I’ll settle for this.
Lemon pepper pasta is MAGIC. You should have some. But you can’t because you don’t live here. Neener!
Read more:count
Another link you’ll like 2007-08-10 08:59:36 This is too fantastic not to share:
How to be your own albatross in a thousand easy lessons by Meg Fowler.
Thanks to Country Mouse for pointing me in that direction.
Past Present Future 2007-08-14 10:26:35 Yesterday
Having not slept well at all the night before, yesterday was challenging. An hour before work, I realized I hadn’t done any laundry over the weekend and I had to dig to find something to wear. There were some frantic moments of flinging things around my room with a liberal amount of swearing. Staying awake at work was a hard even though I was STANDING almost the whole time. I kept expecting the bones in my legs to liquefy and leave me in a puddle of exhaustion on the floor. After work, I came home and moaned about being tired and then headed to my 7:30 meeting. I’m going through volunteer training to help with the local domestic violence and sexual assault survivor program. I’ve done a little volunteer work for them already, but the things I could do were limited until this training is complete. Two more sessions of general training and then I think I’m going to volunteer to do the hotline. That’s probably about as much as you’ll ever hear Read more:Present
, Future
PMS, Yelling, and Exclamation Points! 2007-08-12 12:57:01 Last year I started taking medication to treat depression and post traumatic stress disorder. At that time, I started seeing a psychiatrist to help “manage” these medications.
manage ‘ma-nij:
1 :See for five to ten minutes every couple of months so I can tell him, “I’m fine and yeah, your secretary already called in those refills for me. Thanks. Here’s a hundred bucks.”
The last time I went in, we had the following conversation:
Me: Can I stop taking this one pill every day?
Him: Uh, no. That and the other - very good combination. Very good.
Me: So as long as I’m on one, I’m on the other?
Him: Yes. They work really well together.
Me: (Starting to cry out of frustration. I am trapped.) Okay.
Him: Is there anything else?
Me: Yes, actually, I have two or three days every month when I am just really, really angry and emotional. Is there anything I can take just on those days to manage that?
Him: No.
Me: Blinkblinkblinkblink.
Him: Nothi Read more:Points
Recommend Site To A Friend
