How do you deal with stress?

Me I usually at work buckle down and come out with my best stuff, but then I go home and stress eat. So being stressed this weekend I looked thru the cupboards and the freezer, after the sixth time thinking that the desert fairy would visit me I gave up. That and I was too lazy to make some cookie dough that was also sounding very yummy but with a broken mixer (thanks to thanksgiving mash potatoes) that would require hand mixing which my weak upper body strength wasn't up to. So I decided for the next best thing ... cleaning! I want totally OCD and arranged my closet by color, did the same with the socks and started on the rest of the house. 2 and 1/2 hours later I'm frustrated and going back to the cupboards and freezer wishing that something would miraculously appear. No such luck so I get everyone dressed and figure a little grocery shopping will get my mind off it, yeah spending money is a great time when your worried about your job ... logic isn't working, didn't you just read I opened up the freezer 7 times hoping something appeared. Apparently my head isn't thinking on all it's cells.

Shopping did oh so much good, well until I got home and then had to make dinner and no adult conversation. Oh how I miss Rick home to talk to, silly Christmas shopping store hours make our schedules crazy. So I put the kids to bed grab a glass of wine (yup still using the regular glasses so ok it's like 2 full glasses) and grabbed my pedi-egg. Again mixing wine with this sharp object probably isn't the best idea but hello do I need to say it again about my thinking? I gave up shortly on that and cut the toenails, yes another sharp object with wine. Hey the kids were asleep and I wasn't going anywhere, well hopefully not hurting myself and needing to go to the ER. Happy to say I have all 9 ... I mean 10 toes still :).

I was so wired that I stayed up and did the night shift for the call center, finished up around 1:30am and agreed to do a 7am to 11am shift (yet again, filling the time). So 5 hours of sleep and an easy shift 2 hours and only 2 calls, yet both times the phone rang Caden decided to have freak outs. Poor people got to hear me trying to keep him quiet, oh joy! One great thing is I had the chance to talk with a great person on the IM, so it made the 2 hours of no calls go by really quick. I finished up and have all kids standing there looking at me like there were about to die of hungry. So make up some french toast, thankfully I made bread earlier this week and by shear luck I bought syrup yesterday and some sausages that looked like just a little frost bitten ... LOL.

Today it lightly dusted in the morning so I sent the boys outside (don't shake your head just the two oldest ones, with warm coats). Then I got the brilliant idea to drive to the store and the bank to get some cash, well during the few hours the snow came down like crazy. Well on the way home a car stopped abruptly and with some lovely skidding and quick turning we barely missed him, thankfully the car behind me was able to hop the curb and avoid me (thanks to you). I got home made some yummy chicken enchiladas (the chicken you cook in beer, oh shush I barely drink and the alcohol burns off just make the chicken tender) and got my lazy butt to make some surprise bars (oh shhs again I'm going to take them to Grandma Pat's tomorrow, that is if I don't eat them all tonight). That is my wonderful weekend in a nutshell, it's crazy but I think I'll stay on the train for a while longer. I'll keep you posted how tomorrow goes, ugh. That is if I can get out of my driveway, the snow is not looking so good and the ice is nasty.

Did I really just do that?

I really need more sleep, this morning was a great indication of this. Since last night I stayed up way past my bedtime uploading new pictures to myspace. I know what am I 30-something and updating my myspace page like I'm a teenager! But to my surprise not everyone reads my blog (I know I was shocked too!) so since those people don't read my blog they miss out on all the pictures of the kids. I know can't let that happen, so here I am sitting in front of my computer on that hard seat uploading pictures and making notes of who is in the picture and tagging any one's elses child in the photo (because I'm cool like that). So this leads me back to this morning having to take a shower in the morning instead of at night like usual. Once out of the shower I put products in my hair. So I grab the bottle shake it and spray it into my hand, hmmm that's weird why is the mouse coming out in a liquid? So I try one more (ok 3 more times) before I realize I'm squirting black bottle and not the purple mouse bottle. That would explain why my palm is all sticky I was spraying hairspray in my hands!

Yup that is how I started my morning, that and the trying to catch a certain person who was sneaking cookies into his bedroom again. Let alone going into the bathroom to find yet another puddle around my sink that I call out like I do every morning "Hun please make sure you wipe up the water please, hang up your towel and put my make up mirror back". What does a 10 year old need my make up mirror for? You got me I've been trying to figure that out for 2 months now! Then I wake Caden up get him dressed and head towards the door, where I open it and almost get pushed out of the way so someone else can make it to the car. Every morning this is what we do, if only I could have someone see my hands are full and shut the door for me not push me out of the way so they can make it to the freezing car first! Oh boys I so can't wait for Cole to get to this stage, hopefully his manor will be 10x better since I'm going to start to beat them into him. Manor and eating with your mouth shut, how do you tell someone elses child that they need to eat with their mouth closed. How much longer can I take dinner with smacking and slurping and just a gross view. Sorry of track yet again!

Today was the usual at work, the highlight is Tarra and I have a class at the children's museum. Now I usually don't care for these parenting classes I think I've done pretty well on my own, but this one is different. They offered 1 1/2 hours of childcare, the things I will do and sit thru just to have a little adult time! Now if I could get them to go to the bar next door and get us a couple cocktails! Hmmm ... I'll let you know if I can get that one to work! I'll try to post later tonight to let you know how the class and the cocktails went :).

Will it ever end?

Yet another sleepless night with Caden, pretty soon I'm going to be a pro functioning on a few hours at the most of sleep. I feel like I have a new born again, but at least then I didn't have to get up at 6am to go to work. And work I have to do, I only get one day before my desk is completely swallowed up by the elves that hide stuff on it and then ask days later why I didn't do the project at hand, I digress!

Today was not to bad until about an hour before I suppose to leave work, now I say suppose to leave since of course I ended up staying over yet again. Which usually isn't too bad but since I have another host family that picks Roy up I'm sure it effects them if I'm a half hour late. Which when I got home and got a call from the wife I learned that I do effect them and I need to make sure I get off on time Tuesday and Thursdays. One more reason I really would like Roy to go to extended care at his school, that way I don't have to inconvenience anyone.

Today we did the pack as many kids in one car as you can. I'm thinking of changing my car color to yellow for a taxi or maybe shrink it down like the clown car it has become! On our way home Roy told me the car ride was boring. What do you tell a child "It's life and deal with it?" or "Do you think I enjoy taking over an hour to get home when I only live 7 minutes from work?". Now if this was one of my boys I'm sure the latter would be coming out of my mouth, but since I'm trying to keep up the June Cleaver instead of letting my inner Roseanne come out I just smile and ask where his book is. So we pack everyone into the car and head home. I let the younger runs outside since it's better there then screaming and running around the house, I'm trying to save the carpets ... which as you'll see later took a beating yet again tonight! During the time of me getting in the door I got count them 5 phone calls! One was Rick telling me he should be home on time, Tarra saying she'll be late, my girlfriend Amy who's been calling and I'm such a bad friend and haven't called her back and yup you got it 2 calls from the host people. The first guy called to talk to Roy about the hitting situation, he got me back on the phone to say he doesn't speak Korean which 1st blew me away and then that he asked if the situation was better or the same, Roy said the same. Which of course blew me away since the boys haven't even been really in the same room for a few days. So the 2nd host person called and talked to Roy since she spoke Korean, and got back on the phone with me to tell me no the situation was better and he understood that I told him that if Cole bugs him to come get me and not to deal with the situation himself. So I guess all is better, Tarra did tell me Saturday that there was some back and forth ruff housing, but at one point it did get a little much when Roy stuck his foot out to trip Cole on the concrete. I know boys will be boys and Cole will soon be doing the same things to Caden and it's just the cycle but it's still hard!

After the whole ordeal I finally start on dinner, hey's only 7pm who needs to eat at a normal time like normal people. Well after I looked in the cupboards blankly it came to me to make a Spam Casserole a girl at work talked to me about. After some searching and of course not finding the recipe I went onto the Internet, can I tell you how nice it is to type in a subject and a whole list appears right before you! So after a quick search and prep time we have dinner, it's only 8pm that's not late right? Dinner was uneventful if you count kids hoping up and running around the table, at least nothing was split. Well that is until Rick came home and you all know what a clean freak he is. That's when it happened Khari took juice (yup you guessed it, red juice) into the living room and of course it went on the carpet. I knew when I heard Rick's voice that something happened. Well the carpets needed to be cleaned tonight, right? So a quick swipe with the carpet cleaner and all is well (thanks to my Christmas present to Rick, that's been one smart investment). Rick had seconds of the casserole which cleaned out the dish for me! Roy even had seconds, so this recipe is so a keeper and so easy to make if you start out on time dinner would be early :).

Tarra and Khari take off and I get the boys to bed. This is when the furniture started to be moved, I guess all the carpets are being cleaned tonight. He even dusted and picked up the front room! Wow, I just have to say nothing and enjoy these rare occasions! Well I tried to go to bed early but of course it isn't happening, so I guess I'll go watch TV. You know got to catch up on my teeny bopper TV shops, 90210 & Privileged were on tonight!