Old Enough

At what age is it appropriate to start having children do more for themselves? I'm ready to hand over some household responsibility.

The child in my home is going to be 12 in just a couple more months. The husband says that he's going through a transformation...he's beginning to take pride in the way he dresses, he's making semi-good attempts to comb his hair in a presentable fashion and he cares if his shoes get dirty. Jason says that he's at the age where "he can smell his own piss". (Please, don't ask. There are lots of Jasonisms that fly around this house daily). So I'm wondering if I can slap some more responsibility on his ever broadening shoulders and growing ego.

Young D already has a list of chores that are posted on the fridge that need to be completed daily. The only supposed exceptions to the latter are large amounts of homework, baseball or football games/practices. Sometimes the get out of jail free card is used for a number of other less important things like American Idol or Dad wants to go somewhere and doesn't feel like waiting for Poky Joe to finish washing the dishes or walking the dog. But that's a whole other issue, let's not go there today.

Anyway...I figure it's time for the young buck to learn how to do laundry. His own, of course. I wouldn't dare let him touch my clothes. He does enough damage to mine by leaving chocolate bars and ink pens in the pockets of his blue jeans.

If I may be honest here, my motive is two fold. First, I HATE doing laundry and I have no idea how three people can create sooooo much of it. And on the rare occasion that I've managed to get all the dirty clothes washed (just as I've finished my victory dance) the little man has this magical way of conjuring up two or three more loads that have mysteriously been placed in the corner of his closet. Not by him, of course, but by the little people who live under the floor-boards. Those bastards really irk me, I'm going to have to call the little-people exterminators to handle that one. Moving on. I've decided that if he washes his own clothes, I'll no longer need to be concerned with the dirty clothes that pop up out of thin air once I'm done dealing with the laundry demons. He can have his own hamper. In his own room. Then it's no longer MY issue.

Second, I think it's time for the young man of the house to see what it's like to be a bit more responsible for himself. It's time for him to learn exactly WHY you can't tell someone that your uniform is dirty 20 minutes before the game. He needs to learn that life will run much more smoothly when you don't wait until you've completely run out of clean underware to ask if anyone washed clothes the night before.


Seriously, the most important factor here...I don't want to have to wash so many damn clothes. PERIOD. He's old enough, right? Besides, my mom always told me that one of the plus sides of having children around the house is having the authority to make them do the stuff parents don't want to do. So maybe I'll approach this new task for D as a scientific experiment proving her theory.

Pick a Side Already!

In case you missed it, tonight was the Republican Party candidate's debate.

When asked whether or not he believes in evolution, Sen. John McCain answered:
"I believe in evolution. But I also believe, when I hike the Grand Canyon and see it at sunset, that the hand of God is there also."

Is it just me or is McCain's response a bit contradictory? Where I come from, the answer would be a simple "yes" or "no". I wouldn't be allowed to pick and choose which parts of the Bible I want to believe. But hey, that's just me.

I'm still pulling for Obama.

Eclectic Thoughts

I've got a ton on my mind so let me apologize for the incoherent rambling before you read on...

I hold grudges. This is admittedly one of my worst flaws. And let me tell you, it's bad. The people who know me best may not even realize I am this way because I'm not always vocal about it. But I NEVER forget when someone has wronged me. And I'm wondering about this now because I'm realizing that holding grudges stresses me out. My life would be so much easier if I'd just forget about the time when...

Thinking about grudges brings me to forgiveness. If I continuously hold grudges do I truly ever forgive anyone? Or myself, for that matter. Honestly, very rarely. I really have to find a way to work through all of this.

I went bowling and ended up hurting my finger. A bowling injury? Who gets those? Whatever. The cool part...a couple of nights later I was at the local watering hole with some friends and I told one of them about my injury. He said, "Give me your hand." I obeyed. He rubbed my finger for 30 seconds or so (while I carried on a conversation with someone else) and asked if it was any better. Amazingly enough, the pain was gone! When I asked what he did the reply was, "I prayed for your finger to stop hurting." Ahh...the power of prayer even works in a bar. More so, I was touched. Deeply. (just for the record, I was not drunk.)

Window salesmen are shitty. They are all liars. Except for the one who shows up last and gives the best price, of course. He's great.

My Lacie dog has some funky skin disorder. I bathed her tonight in the "special" shampoo that has to marinate on her skin for 10 minutes. Keeping a 100+ pound dog in a bathtub for 10 minutes is not easy.

When I want to sit down and blog my mind is empty and I have nothing to write about. When I've got a million other things that I should be doing, I sit down at the computer and this strange power takes over me and I can just go on and on and on...

Today was supposed to be the beginning of the the little league baseball season. Opening day, the big hurrah! It rained. The fields were too wet. All games were cancelled. My point? Baseball season is already too long and here we are, on the first day, already extending the season. It's going to be a long summer.

I had to go to a baby shower today. We all know how I feel about "showers" of any type. But somehow I got recruited for the job of writing down who bought what gift. Really, I didn't mind. I would do anything for _______. Well, at least I didn't mind until the mother-in-law of the mommy-to-be decided to be super-grandma and it literally took her about 30 minutes to open super-grandma's gifts. Why didn't she just save some of that shit for after the baby was born? (I am happy to report that there were no games.)

Barack Obama disappointed me during Thursday's debates. He did a fine job of NOT answering the questions. I'm considering supporting the crazy guy from Alaska. I liked him, he had no problem whatsoever speaking his mind.

It's probably time that I stop. I need to finish wiping dog hair off of the bathroom walls before the effects of the wine set in.

Back In The Day

Everyday I receive an inspirational quote that also comes with a "today in history" fact. I found today's trip back in time interesting and worth sharing. It said:

"...today is the birthday of the License Plate (1901)?
New York became the first state to require license plates on
cars. The first plates cost $1.00. It's gone up just a bit
since then."

I had to purchase plates last month and the going rate was $65. The renewal sticker that we must get each birthday is about $53, I think. I know that this varies from state to state. I'm curious to know what it costs elsewhere for those of you who don't live in Ohio.

The other day my son was eating a box of $.25 candy (Cherry Bombs) that my husband and I used to pay 5 cents for when we were his age. I also remember when it cost only a quarter to enjoy a fun filled day at the local pool. Last summer the price was $2.00. When I graduated from high school, the price of gas was just under one dollar per gallon and everyone was saying how high that was. A pack of cigarettes were $1.80 and I swore that if they ever went over 2 bucks I'd quit. Now here we are at over $4.00 a pack and I'm still buying...

In the comments...take a trip down memory lane. How have the prices of your favorite activities, foods or vices changed over the years?

What's For Dinner?

The weekend was BEAUTIFUL! Sunny and warm. We turned off the furnace and opened all the windows. Lovely, just lovely. I woke up on Sunday morning feeling motivated to get outside and clean up the yard. I picked up sticks, pulled weeds, laid mulch, trimmed the shrubbery, scrubbed the outside table and chairs and played with the dogs. All in all I had a pretty productive day. To say I was exhausted would be an understatement. However, we must eat. Now mind you, Jason was asleep the whole time, while I'm slaving away, since he worked the night before. When he wakes up, I ask him would he like steaks on the grill for dinner. He says that sounds great. So off I go to the local Convenient store.

Upon arrival, I realize that everyone else in town must have had the same brilliant idea (a steak cookout) because my only purchasing option was New York Strip Steaks. This is fine by me, I happen to love a good strip steak. However, I know this is a potential problem for the husband as he's a t-bone or fillet lover. But what is a girl to do? The selection was limited. I choose the best looking from the bunch and head home.

When I return to the house, Jason is outside prepping the motorcycle for a ride. He informs me that he's going to pay his aunt a visit and asks when dinner will be ready so he can be back in time. Then comes the conversation I prepared myself for during the 3 minute drive home:

Jason: What kind of steaks did you buy?
Me: Strip steaks.
Jason: (rolls his eyes)
Me: That's all they had.
Jason: I didn't say anything.
Me: You didn't have to, you rolled your eyes.
Jason: It's just that strip steaks don't grill up nicely because they're not that thick. Fillets would have been better.
Me: The steaks are plenty thick enough and they'll be fine.
(Jason makes his way to the refrigerator and pulls out the package of steaks.)
Jason: Where's the meat? This isn't enough?
Me: There is more than enough for the two of us. You always tell me that I don't make enough meat and then you retract your statement after you've eaten by saying how full you are. Stop thinking you always have to eat like a pig.
Jason: This isn't enough.
ME: (I'm angry now) Well, go over to Aunt Francine's house and eat. Maybe she made steak that is the right cut and thickness and cooked properly. I'm going to make this for MYSELF. And it's going to be good!! I'm serious, Jason, I'm not cooking you a steak!


Before he left for his aunt's house, he asked me again when dinner would be ready. In a not very polite way, full of expletives, I promised him that I would not be providing him with dinner in any way, shape or form. I reminded him that what I chose to prepare was not high enough on the "Jason's meat standard list" and he better find some dinner somewhere else. Period.

He left. I cooked MY steak in my favorite Calphalon pan, INSIDE, because now I've been sucked dry of any remaining energy and don't want to wait for the grill to heat up or have to be bothered with running in and out while it cooks.

Dinner was scrumptious. The steak was juicy and cooked to perfection, medium rare. I enjoyed it thoroughly along with a baked potato smothered with butter, sour cream and cheddar cheese. I also prepared myself a nice crisp salad. I ate my dinner, ALONE. And just for the record, I did not finish the steak. I'd eaten about half of it when my belly said it was time to stop. Apparently, the steak WAS big enough.

After dinner, I decided to take a hot bath laced with baby oil to soak my aching muscles and quench my sun dried skin. I've got it all planned out. I can stay in the tub for about 30 minutes and when I'm finished it'll be time to cuddle up in bed to watch the Sopranos before nodding off for the night.

The bath was refreshing for my muscles but relaxing for my mind. I laid down, willing my eyes to stay open just a bit longer so I can catch up with the happenings of Tony and the gang. I never even heard the opening theme song. But somewhere along the way of my blissful dreams, Jason came home. He woke me up asking, "Where's my steak?" I gave him a groggy response of, "Still marinating in the fridge." He said, "You really didn't make me any dinner? I can't believe this!!" I rolled back over, anxious to return to dream-land, thinking...did he really think I wasn't serious? I thought I made myself clear when I told him to eat while he was out. I vaguely remember hearing him in the kitchen cooking the steak he didn't want. This morning, upon further investigation, my suspicion was confirmed when I found the refrigerator void of the supposedly unwanted, not good enough for Jason, steak.

Maybe next time he won't be so damn critical of my choices. Or maybe he'll volunteer to cook dinner (Jason is an excellent cook) to ensure the food is to his liking. Hopefully, he'll just keep his pie-hole shut and be grateful that I even cook. Damn it!

BLAH!

Just finished paying all the bills. Depressing. I hate watching the balance in the checkbook plummet. (But I'm sure I can still manage those cute shoes I saw yesterday).


My mom gave me a copy of Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook (I love Martha) but so far all I've learned is that I don't clean my house enough.



Today I received my highly anticipated sexy black leather jacket that beautifully rounds out my motorcycle attire.
But guess what? It doesn't fit & I'm going to have to send it back. I had to squeeeeeze my boobs into a very awkward position to zip the damn thing as though breathing was optional. I knew I should have ordered the other one. So now I'm faced with paying for the return shipping costs and restocking fees. I'm so disappointed. I could keep the jacket and go on a crash diet in the hopes of shrinking my breasts. Or maybe I could look into a reduction surgery. Or maybe I should just exchange it for the next size up and hope the extra room needed in the chest area will take some length off the sleeves. How and the hell am I supposed to know which size to opt for when obviously the sizing chart measurements can't be trusted? Oh the joys of online shopping!!!


My tulips are not going to make it. Not because of all the crappy weather we've had but because a certain Lacie Dog likes to lie all over them when she sun bathes and that damn Scooter eats the would-be blooms. Would anyone like to adopt a dog? I'm willing to part with Scooter, immediately! He comes with a lovely cage and I'd also be willing to feed him for a year. Furthermore, he's a wonderful running buddy/security guard. The only stipulation, no returns and no exchanges. Sorry.

Obviously I could use some cheering up. Feel free to tell a feel-good story in the comments.

Mission Accomplished

Yesterday's class was challenging, full of slow curving maneuvers and making quick stops. Then end result, I passed the class with only having 5 points deducted from my riding skills evaluation test. And let me just brag a minute here...Jason passed as well. But he also had 5 points deducted on the same portion of the test as myself. Given the fact that he's been riding for years, I feel pretty damn good knowing I did equally as well!


One down-side of yesterday's class...it was freakin' cold, raining and the winds were bone chilling! Down-side #2...I crashed, hard! While practicing making a quick stop coming out of a curve, I failed to straighten out the handlebars and flew right off that damn motorcycle! It happened so fast I didn't even realize I'd wrecked until I was laying on the ground. However, my instructor told the class, "If you're going to crash, crash like Nina!" I went down, rolled away from the bike without hitting my head and jumped right up yelling, "I'm okay!!" as I gave the onlooking riders in my group a big smile and a thumbs up! I was even told that I did it all with grace :)


Anyway, I'm fine and have no major injuries. I've got some nice bruises from my beautiful shoulder rolls and my leg was throbbing last night after I'd rested for a while and the pain had time to set in. But all in all, I'm glad it happened. My biggest fear was falling off the bike because I just knew I'd kill myself. I'm happy to report that I survived. They say everyone crashes at some point in their motorcycle riding adventures. Hopefully, I got mine out of the way and I'm grateful it didn't involve being on an open road with traffic.


The next step is finding the motorcycle right for me. Although I did well in the class (minus the wreck) I'm smart enough to know that I need tons more practice. I won't be heading out to the city streets anytime soon. I will continue to practice in secluded areas until my confidence levels have raised dramatically. But I still want to ride Jason's Hayabusa...someday!