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They also had a WWII ship docked there so we also took a tour of the ship. It was an unguided tour so we ran around the ship exploring and checking out every inch of it. (see pictures on myspace as well)
Then we went for lunch at this cool restaurant (Splitsville) that is also a bowling alley (although we didn't bowl).
Afterwards we had Cold Stone and sat around chit chatting.
Krystal (DD in college) needed a phone since her screen wasn't working so I told her it'd be her bday gift and we went off in search of a phone store to get her phone replaced. She was happy.
We were completely pooped by the end of the day. We walked so much and the ship had so many stairs (we went up and down and up and down), we were dead tired. So we took DD back to campus and hung out there for a while until we finally took off for the long ride home.
DH left to work in the Keys again this week so we're on our own again. In a lot of ways it's more relaxing when he's not there. He doesn't really alleviate my work load too much (except on nights when I have school, but that just started last week). Tonight the kids will be on their own since I have class. My DS will have to babysit the girls. I hope they behave!!
- Mood:
happy
I just wrote to the psychologist that I took my DD to a couple weeks ago. It was the first visit. I don't think I told her everything I could have, (1) because my DD was in the same room and (2) because we only had an hour. We're supposed to meet with her (she's having a one on one session) next Saturday. But I had to write to her because for the first time in the 18 years that I am a mother I don't know what I should/could do.
This is what I wrote:
Hi Dr. xxxxx.
I'm not quite sure how to handle this situation. She continues to have a total lack of respect for the rules I set for her even after I explain that she will have consequences if she doesn't follow them. I don't think I'm being unreasonable. All I've asked is:
This week: "After school, go to your brother's car and don't wander around the school"
Yesterday: "Don't let anyone borrow your phone. If anything happens to the phone, I'll be stuck paying for a phone you don't have"
Today (basically every day this week) my son calls me half an hour after school got out because as usual he can't find Amanda. Turns out that some boy had her phone and she was trying to find him in order to get it back. So I talked to her and reminded her she would have consequences for her total lack of respect and consideration. She threatens that she'll cut herself because she would prefer to be anywhere else other than home. I told her she would have a good time this weekend on our trip to Tampa to her older sister at the university. She reassured me she would do everything possible to ensure everyone has a miserable time.
Yesterday she called me crying because she wants to live somewhere else, in another house, it doesn't matter with who, because everyone in our house eats meat and we "touch" everything. Is this normal?
What is wrong with my daughter? She's so bright and has so much potential and I'm afraid for her and want to help her but I don't know how. I don't want to see her locked up in an institution. I think she would do something crazy for the sole purpose of hurting me or punishing me for imposing on her or for not "letting her have a life".
- Mood:
crushed
:(
- Mood:
blank
Then I guess we'll chilax at some place they have there with shopping and dining. They're offering discounts on everything we do (as per their schedule of events) so I'm going to take advantage of whatever we can (within reason of course). I can't go crazy spending though.
I still have to buy the girls' dresses for my cousin/god-daughter's wedding on Thursday (which I can't attend because of school). They're going with my mother. But they have NOTHING to wear. We don't usually have the need to dress up for these types of events. So that's going to cost also. I'm going to end up broke!!
Not to mention I want to go back to Tampa the weekend of the 18th for birthday celebrations! I have my youngest DD on the 9th (the day of the wedding), my oldest DD on the 14th, my son on the 18th, and my sister on the 26th. So my oldest suggested a Grand Prix up in Tampa and it sounds like an awesome time with unlimited go kart rides, unlimited mini golf, bungee jumping thing (I must do this) and other stuff. We could spend the whole day there just having a blast. So that's also going to cost.
Then I also have to do Halloween shopping for the girls' costumes. And now at this new job I have they also dress up and have a party and stuff. So that's also going to cost.
This is going to be the most brokestestestest month ever.
- Mood: excited
Let me tell you, there are some dumb people!!! I'm amazed sometimes at the level of dumb that exists. There aren't a lot of people in the class. It's probably up to almost 10. These people don't know how to round #'s or how to follow directions or at least take notes for that matter. The instructor reviews everything 3 and 4 times and they still make the same mistakes he just said NOT to make. I just don't get it. I'm not good at math but damn, I listen, I apply the lesson and I figure it out and if I don't get it I grab the book and study it and do the exercises until I know I'm doing it right. That's how you learn.
So we had our first quiz last night which is based on everything we've gone over for the past 3 days, including a pre-quiz he had just given us with the same exact type of questions that would be on the actual quiz. I would have been pist off if I wouldn't have aced it (which I did). yay me!!!
But after all this is only Chapter 0 consisting of adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, fractions, decimals and percentages. So yeah, you get my point now, right?
Now it's on to the rest of Chapter 0. We have a test on Monday, a quiz on Tuesday and another test on Thursday.
So far I'm loving it. I haven't made any friends. I'm kind of not the type to speak to strangers. I like to scope out people before I decide whether or not I want to get to know them. I haven't decided if I'd like to know any of them. They're all different kinds of people. It's a pretty diverse class.
Each class is only about a month long so I can't wait until this one is done with and I move on to the next.
Happy, happy!!
- Mood: chipper
Only 2 more hours to go and I'm off to become a college student........
- Mood: excited
I'll update again later when I know more.....
- Mood: sad
Friday, my DD (18) at the University of Tampa calls me to tell me she has what I think could be a UTI or a kidney infection (which I'm prone to as well). The clinic at the U was closed by then and she was going to try to wait it out. I told her to just go to the ER, but of course why would she listen to me. So at 4am she calls me because she can't sleep and she has chills and feels like she's dying. I told her to wake up her roommate or someone to take her the ER and call me back. I told her she probably had cystitis (from her symptoms, I knew since I've been through that as well). She doesn't call me back and I keep dozing off dreaming that she's calling and I'm missing her calls. It was miserable. So Saturday finally she has the security guard and her RA take her to a walk in clinic at the suggestion of the on-call nurse (which I told her she should just go to the ER since a walk in clinic would probably not be covered on our insurance). After she found out I was right, she then had to wait for antoher guard to take her the ER (as I suggested she did Friday). When the dr tells her she has cystitis she says that's what I said she had. The dr asked if I was a dr! What a trip. So she got her meds and she's doing better now.
Then Saturday I took my 14 yr old to see a psychologist. I think the dr was way too nice. I don't know if it's because of my Cuban culture or what but I would have been a little meaner. I guess it's nice that she's nice. Maybe my DD will eventually open up to her if she has someone who's nice to deal with for a change. LOL But she was not cooperative during this initial session and kept saying "no comment" to certain things. Her next session is one on one in private away from me so she should like that. I told her she'll get to talk about things behind my back. We'll see how that goes.
Sunday we went to Disney on Ice, courtesy of my winning passes. The girls had a blast. It was an amazing show. The freakin light up toys cost $18 each and I bought 3 of them! That was not as bad as the $4.25 bottles of coke I bought, though.
My damn computer is messed up. Something about some display driver being in a never ending loop or something. I brought it to work so our IT kid can take a look at it. That's the 4th computer in my house to go caputz.
More updates later on my friend's niece with the brain tumor.......
- Mood:busy
Pregnancy, Estrogen, and Women
PREGNANCY Q & A & more!
Q : Should I have a baby after 35?
A : No, 35 children is enough.
Q : Should I have a baby after 35?
A : No, 35 children is enough.
Q : I'm two months pregnant now. When will my baby move?
A : With any luck, right after he finishes college.
Q : What is the most reliable method to determine a baby's sex?
A : Childbirth.
Q : My wife is five months pregnant and so moody that sometimes she's borderline irrational.
A : So what's your question?
Q : My childbirth instructor says it's not pain I'll feel during labor, but pressure. Is she right?
A : Childbirth.
Q : My wife is five months pregnant and so moody that sometimes she's borderline irrational.
A : So what's your question?
Q : My childbirth instructor says it's not pain I'll feel during labor, but pressure. Is she right?
A : Yes, in the same way that a tornado might be called an air current.
Q : When is the best time to get an epidural?
A : Right after you find out you're pregnant.
Q : Is there any reason I have to be in the delivery room while my wife is in labor?
A : Not unless the word 'alimony' means anything to you.
Q : Is there anything I should avoid while recovering from childbirth?
A : Yes, pregnancy.
Q : Do I have to have a baby shower?
A : Not if you change the baby's diaper very quickly.
Q : Our baby was born last week. When will my wife begin to feel and act normal again?
A : When the kids are in college.
'ESTROGEN ISSUES'
Q : When is the best time to get an epidural?
A : Right after you find out you're pregnant.
Q : Is there any reason I have to be in the delivery room while my wife is in labor?
A : Not unless the word 'alimony' means anything to you.
Q : Is there anything I should avoid while recovering from childbirth?
A : Yes, pregnancy.
Q : Do I have to have a baby shower?
A : Not if you change the baby's diaper very quickly.
Q : Our baby was born last week. When will my wife begin to feel and act normal again?
A : When the kids are in college.
'ESTROGEN ISSUES'
10 WAYS TO KNOW IF YOU HAVE 'ESTROGEN ISSUES'
1. Everyone around you has an attitude problem.
2. You're adding chocolate chips to your cheese omelet.
3. The dryer has shrunk every last pair of your jeans.
4. Your husband is suddenly agreeing to everything you say.
5. You 're using your cellular phone to dial up every bumper sticker that says: 'How's my driving-call 1- 800-'
6. Everyone's head looks like an invitation to batting practice.
7. Everyone seems to have just landed here from 'outer space.'
2. You're adding chocolate chips to your cheese omelet.
3. The dryer has shrunk every last pair of your jeans.
4. Your husband is suddenly agreeing to everything you say.
5. You 're using your cellular phone to dial up every bumper sticker that says: 'How's my driving-call 1- 800-'
6. Everyone's head looks like an invitation to batting practice.
7. Everyone seems to have just landed here from 'outer space.'
8. Everyone around you is wearing a parka and you are in shorts and a tank with a fan blazing
9. You're sure that everyone is scheming to drive you crazy.
10. The ibuprofen bottle is empty and you bought it yesterday.
TOP TEN THINGS ONLY WOMEN UNDERSTAND
10. Cats' facial expressions.
9. The need for the same style of shoes in different colors.
8. Why bean sprouts aren't just weeds.
7. Fat clothes.
6. Taking a ca r trip without trying to beat your best time.
5. The difference between beige, ecru, cream, off-white, and eggshell.
4. Cutting your hair to make it grow.
3. Eyelash curlers.
2. The inaccuracy of every bathroom scale ever made.
9. You're sure that everyone is scheming to drive you crazy.
10. The ibuprofen bottle is empty and you bought it yesterday.
TOP TEN THINGS ONLY WOMEN UNDERSTAND
10. Cats' facial expressions.
9. The need for the same style of shoes in different colors.
8. Why bean sprouts aren't just weeds.
7. Fat clothes.
6. Taking a ca r trip without trying to beat your best time.
5. The difference between beige, ecru, cream, off-white, and eggshell.
4. Cutting your hair to make it grow.
3. Eyelash curlers.
2. The inaccuracy of every bathroom scale ever made.
AND, the Number One thing only women understand:
1. OTHER WOMEN
- Mood: amused
Needless to say, I'm super proud of her for everything she's accomplished and am her biggest cheerleader for life. One down, four to go.
- Location:work
- Mood: melancholy
Today we mourn, today we remember.
I don't know anyone killed in the attacks of September 11, 2001. I don't know anyone personally who was affected by them either.
But I do remember the disbelief that day. I do remember hearing about an airplane crashing into one of the Twin Towers. I didn't even know what that meant. I do remember eventually getting to a tv when I realized it was serious and I do remember vividly as the 2nd plane hit the 2nd tower. I was pregnant with my daughter at the time and remember not understanding how this sort of thing could happen in the US where we were supposedly safe from these kinds of things. These things only happened in places where war and violence was just part of life, not here.
So last night as I helped my girls pick out their outfits I pointed out to them that today was a special day and they should reflect it in their outfits and I suggested they wear Red, White, and/or Blue. I soon realized that my 10 year old had no idea what I was talking about. I was shocked in a way, but then realized, she was only 2 when it happened. Still I wonder, this is an event that happens every year since then. Have I not ever put any emphasis on it before or is she just noticing it now? IDK.
So as we drove in the car on the way to school I schooled her as to how privelages she should feel for being an American Citizen and having the opportunities that she has to be educated, to be successful, to be free. I think we need to remind them everyday and show them how so many others are not as lucky.
I'd love to find an event where I can take them today to honor those we lost 7 years ago today.
- Mood:
pensive
It sickens me to hear how the School Board's Superintendent gets to walk away with a fat pocket full of $300,000 from the mess that is being left behind with the budget cuts while teachers and, ultimately, students are left suffering the consequences of his (in)actions.
- Mood: discontent
My dearest friend's niece was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of brain cancer last Nov at only 3 months of arriving to this cruel world. She just recently celebrated her 1st bday and what a milestone it was. A year ago they were only given a 10% chance of surviving and here she was a year later beating the odds. However, life is so cruel and unjust in so many ways, the latest MRI revealed another tumor (the original one is at least gone). They weren't sure if it was the same kind or not and were hoping that it wasn't since it gave them a greater chance of being able to treat it more effectively. However the news from the Oncologist is that he's 99.9% sure it's the same vicious beast. But at least he's also 99.9% sure he can get it out (unlike the first one) in its entirety. But still, what are the chances that she won't get another, and yet another, and who knows how many more? How much can a baby endure? And how fair is it to continue to put the child through these aggressive treatments that cause her so much agony? And how fair is it to not do whatever it takes to save her life?
I go back in time when my son was only a baby himself and his body was being invaded by God only knew what. As he detiorated and I sat in that hospital room alone with him, I would just look at him and wonder how much longer would he have to suffer. How much longer would he be allowed to be with us. We almost lost him. But in the end it happened so fast and I was so young and didn't really understand what was happening and I didn't have access to information like we do now and I couldn't research things as I can now, I am almost thankful that I was oblivious to how close to death he was. I highly doubt I would take it the same way now.
But she knows what's wrong with her baby and she's done extensive research and found the most effective treatment by reading through other's stories of survival as well as those who didn't make it. She knows that at any moment, everything can turn around and there will be nothing more they can do. She knows that one day her fight may be over. I think what keeps her going is knowing that there is still a fight. And I also think that even after all the doctors tell her there's nothing more that can be done, she'll still keep insisting on finding some way, some thing, some last hope.
Then after I got this news, my co-worker comes up to me tell me about his friend. He was just diagnosed with HIV. He's 27. So I counseled him as best I could. This is one situation I've yet to have to deal with, thankfully.
So that's the latest.....
- Mood: gloomy
DS just had surgery for his broken arm yesterday. Everything went well. He has titanium holding the bone together now. Will know more details of the surgery when we go back to the dr next week. He's in less pain today than yesterday. At least he's more awake.
Hemingway was once challenged to write a story in only six words. His response? “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” He is believed to have called it his greatest literary work ever. Can you write a story in six words? Submitted By |
It's late and I'm watching the Olympics so I'll keep it brief.
It's been a crazy/hectic summer:
Krystal graduated high school and took her SAT's and ACT's and applied and got accepted to University of Tampa
Amanda finished middle school and will now be a freshman in high school
Aileen completed kindergarten and turned out to be a social butterfly with friends all over school
Krystal had surgery to repair her ACL and meniscus stemming from that original injury from colorguard over a year ago, she's still recovering
Had to do A LOT of back to school shopping getting ready for college and all others
Andy got his ride (finally) Purple Rain
Andy got his driver's license
We traded in our minivan and got a regular car (now we travel in 2 cars as needed)
Many other things happened along the way and eventually I guess I'll write about them at some point in my blogging about my life.
- Location:in bed
- Mood:awake
- Music:olympics on tv
