Missed writing last night...was busy correcting a guest writer in our local newspaper who decided that ADHD is a condition you 'catch' from our dysfunctional society! She also made it very clear that kids are needlessly medicated.... Really?!? Well I happen to know differently- with two medicated officially diagnosed ADHD children, I now have a PhD on this subject! I know for a fact, that it's a real physical brain-thing that the kids (and my husband) were born with... sorry to disappoint her. But if she spent a day with my kids unmedicated, she would be a born-again pill pusher. I have to think this writer has never know children who make impulsive decisions like cutting an extension cord under a bed with scissors ('mommy, fire') or a kid that takes a metal fork to new heavy vinyl (for a boat) custom cushion just to hear the popping sound! or how about a child that puts big limestone slabs of stone on the hood of my husband’s newly detailed car?.... or the creative step-stool that was a coffee can of bacon grease (a la Dr. Atkins diet days) that her feet went through to then come and find me in the house?! One kid drank a urine sample (not mine) from my doctor's office.- thought it was apple juice! ......These are not actions of normal kids... normal kids wouldn't even think of these things! So welcome to my world of the ADHD SUPER KID.... daily medication needed!

Bedtime for mommy...

Well, today has been yet another 'work' day for mom... I was excavating crushed limestone from a place in my garden where we used to have a cedar playhouse.. (I tore that down myself on Wednesday) anyway, I worked for hours with a pick to loosen the stones like a prisoner -- oh, yeah, I forgot that's what I am... my kids were naturally 'unavailable' to help so I am not available for dinner duty tonight... my good-sport husband is going to feed this motley crew with take-out so loser mom (me) can sequester herself with a locked door to our bedroom at 6:30 pm and read a Vanity Fair magazine from March '08! I'm hoping I can increase my words-per-evening to 20 before my eyes roll into the back of head and I start snoring...... I'm quite the hottie lately... hoping my husband will remember his key- there is no way I'll hear him beat on the door.

A little house of horrors! (kids home on cleaning lady day!)

One of my greatest joys in life is to have one day in a 2 week period where the whole house is professionally recalibrated and cleaned --- On this day, I don't even mind laundry that I know for a fact hasn't been worn...it just ends up in the basket for me to do again... yea!... more work! This unusual state of clean, where some days, I'm working as hard as the cleaning lady, overrides everything else... Today was one of those days....it only lasts for a 1/2 day when the kids are in school and a 1/2 hour when they are home...but for me, it is a joy nonetheless. Because school is now over, we had the second scenario and it sucked... Right after I filled the house with beautiful peony's from my garden, I discovered my teenager rummaging around in the kitchen...cereal on the floor... several dirty pans from her elaborate breakfast, make up in the office and guest room- she is just a walking mess from room-to-room... Because I am a 'stay-at-home' Mom- I spend a great deal of time scheduling everyone OUT of the house so I can 'stay' in peace, quiet and clean. I'm like a booking agent ... babysitting yes!, internships of all kinds…yes! ...volunteer activities- yes! camp yes!.... I'm thinking of putting a tent in the yard so they'll have a place to stay when they return...:)

End of School ....Trash Day

Today was the day that I 'get' to drive to school to be greeted by each child with their special garbage bag of school treasures.... in the past I have had to wear gloves and a mask and that was just their backpacks....As I mentioned before and will probably mention a million more times because I'm old and I repeat myself, both of my children are ADHD medicated and a common trait among this 'variety' of kid is complete and utter disorder.....teachers have described them as having desk areas that look like a hamster cage so you can only imagine their lockers.... Because I don't have a haz-mat suit (yet) I have told them they are both responsible for their crap and it must stay in the garage until it is 'unloaded' properly. My 'grace period' is going to be about 1 day, because I have learned over the years....they don't even miss it and I'm kidding myself to think there is anything valuable in the trash bag....

End of the school year..ugg....

I usually like to write new entries in the evening, but this morning I was dropping my kids off at school and flashes of past 'last day of school' overcame me.... like the time, I was taking a small breathe as I retrieved my 3rd cup of coffee from the microwave to hear what sounded like a rain forest noise coming from the basement..... we have always had a leaky basement, but this time, I was confronted with a substantial waterfall as a result of a break in our City water-main line - we were in crisis mode for about a 10 days after that then I did what any illogical person would do..... I went out and adopted a large Old English Sheepdog... (Emma). :) Or the other time (on the last day of school), when our air conditioner broke and as I was paying the repair guy ($700) the kids were on the other side of the house hanging on the outside handle of the garage door- ($150).... so today, I'm going to sit tight and hope that we remain stable...

No lip... (stick)

I've decided this blog is going to be sprinkled with various tips that a wild mother like myself, just might find useful... it makes me recall this past Mother's Day how I was greeted by my teenager with a fresh new (now empty) tube of Wild Orchid lipstick that had just been washed and dryed into a very full load of mostly my clothes. Even though it was Mother's Day, my daughter was pissed as though this was a deliberate act on my part! As though I just can't wait to tackle another load of washed and dryed lipstick all over everything! woo hoo ...can't wait.... afterall, it was 'Mother's Day!' .......I had my 'secret' recipe, but first because I always have to do things the hard way... I bought a new bottle of Resolve Carpet Cleaner from a suggestion I saw on the web... because I'm never satisified unless I have wasted time and money... and yep, right again... the "Resolve" suggestion did nothing.......so back to my tried and true recipe... hot, hot water... mix Cascade powder for the dishwasher, Tide and a little Oxiclean -- put clothes in your sink and soak and stir with a wooden spoon like a crazy witch... Repeat, Repeat... then wash...if it's a really miserable load like this one...you may have to repeat up to five times...but it does come out... ! :)