90 Degrees in October?

Seriously, Mother Nature, what's up with the 90-degree heat wave the last week in October? Even by Florida standards that's warm. Granted there was the 93-degree heat wave last year but that was during the first week in October.

We don't have a drastic change in seasons down here but we do celebrate our moderate change with certain rituals and customs. By Halloween I want to be able to do the following:

I want to turn off the A/C in the house and open all the windows.

I want to drive to and from work with my windows down.

I want to let my hair air-dry and not look like Stands-With-A-Fist.

I want to make great big pots of chili, cassole, and saurkraut stew.

I want to wear jeans and long sleeves.

Dare I say it? I want to wear a thick, warm sweaters at night.

But alas the forecast calls for 90 degrees again today. October is almost over. Our traditional chili dinner on Halloween might be delayed a week. November, all my hopes are now on you.

What's your favorite color? Magenta!

According to IMDB, the Rocky Horror Picture Show has been in continuous release since 1975. In other words, at 35 years RHPS is the longest running movie ever.

My first introduction to Rocky Horror was in the 6th grade (circa 1980). My sister was a senior in high school and midnight showings of RHPS were wildly popular with middle-class, suburban, white teenagers.

I don’t know if my sister ever made it to a screening in a theater. But a friend of hers loaned her the soundtrack and taught her all of the audience’s cues and responses. Which in turn I learned because I wanted to be all mature like that. Whatever. Listening to the music and reading the lyrics on the album sleeve made a lasting impression on me even if I didn’t understand it all at the time.

When I was finally a senior in high school six years later, the RHPS came around again for Halloween. A guy on my swim steam suggested that all of the seniors go to the midnight show… in prim & proper Montclair, New Jersey of all places! This was back before the multi-plex theaters and a single theater was huge and sat hundreds of people.

We thought we were so cool. You couldn’t have found a preppier group of kids. We had on our long, wool overcoats with scarves. We had mastered the perfect layering look with turtlenecks, sweaters, and polos with upturned collars. And all the girls wore Tretorn sneakers that matched the color of one of our layers.

Oh, we were so out of our element when we got to the theater. I knew people dressed up but we were literally the only ones not in some sort of costume. Some of the kids in our group were way out of their comfort zone and wanted to leave but were coaxed to stay. We couldn’t have been more out-of-place if we had walked into a drag club. We huddled together and tried to play along since “blending in” was definitely out of the question.

Some of my friends brought props like toast, rice, newspapers and squirt guns to the movie but they were unsure as to what to do with them. I didn’t bring anything because I didn’t want to make a mess in the theater. Yes, I feel guilty about other people cleaning up my mess.

The music of Rocky Horror is great. But the audience participation is what really makes this movie unique. And that doesn’t come through on the soundtrack or watching the movie at home on DVD. You need to experience it in person.

I remember watching the movie and thinking, “Wow.” Who came up with all of the audience’s lines? How did it become so viral? It’s a marketing dream come true! I was more amazed by that than anything else. And this was all before the internet!

To this day, whenever I hear someone say, “dammit” I automatically reply, “Janet.” It’s a natural response as saying “God Bless You” when someone sneezes. I know I can still do the Time Warp because I currently have the song running through my head. And I’m sure I totally freak my kids out when I sing Touch-a Touch-a to myself while I clean, knit, etc…

Tonight Glee is performing seven songs from the Rocky Horror Picture Show. I’ve been excited about this for two weeks. Now the day is here and I can’t wait! I may not turn up my collar anymore but I’m still a fairly nerdy, preppy geek. Being able to sing along to RHPS makes me feel cool… at least in my own mind.

Have you ever seen The Rocky Horror Picture Show?
What was it like the first time you saw it?
How many times have you seen it?
What’s your favorite line?

Eating Out and Other People's Children

The line at the Subway restaurant was long. I offered to go out and pick up lunch so my Sweetie could watch the kick-off for the Navy-Notre Dame game. Mr. A came with me because he’s just that kind of kid.

Lots of folks had the same idea we did... take home some game day subs. We saw plenty of college shirts and caps while standing in line. The morning soccer games must have also let out and families were stopping for lunch on their way home.

In line behind us was a family of five. Mom, Dad, two daughters in soccer uniforms, and the youngest – a son about 6 years old. Everything that boy-child said came out in a whine. Everything. It wasn’t the annoying “Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy” or the typical “I waaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnt…” That could be chalked up to tiredness or hunger.

This child whined Every. Single. Word.

The most irritating part of listening to the sing-songy whining for 10 minutes? Not once did the parents correct the child’s behavior or speech. The mother catered to the boy’s every whim while the father completely ignored him.

At one point I thought that maybe I was being a crabby, old lady and the kid was just acting like a kid. Then Mr. A caught my attention and gave me a great, big eye roll. Good, I wasn’t the only one annoyed by the whiner.

The following day Mr. A and I stopped for lunch after my trip to the urgent care clinic. Yes, we ate out a lot this past weekend. Go ahead and judge. I’ll give you a minute.

Finished?

The weather was glorious and we decided to eat outside. A young family was seated at the table next to us – Mom, Dad, pre-school age girl, and infant son. The little girl was dressed in her Disney Princess costume and I thought it was very open-minded of the parents to let her wear it out to eat. But the girl also had a binky in her mouth and I tried not to be judgmental about that. Opps, too late.

Ever have one of those days when your child won’t behave not matter how much you will it or he has a monstrous meltdown in public and you just KNOW that everyone is looking at you and judging you?

Well, I would never judge a parent in that situation because it's happened to all of us. I would give them an I've-been-there-myself-and-this-too-shall-pass look in hopes of being morally supportive.

However, on a beautiful Sunday afternoon I found myself being a cranky, old woman constantly staring at a misbehaving 4-year-old while the parents did nothing. Yes, I judged. This little girl dressed as Princess Jasmine was allowed to do whatever she wanted and her parents let her.

She bounced around to every chair. She poured out the salt shaker and proceeded to lick up the salt. She took the lid off her drink and poured it out. She squirted ketchup out and proceeded to paint the table with it. She picked up her mother’s bruschetta appetizer and dropped it into her father’s glass. Then when their lunch came she refused to eat hers and her mother gave her a snack bar of some sort.

I will point out that no one got hurt, nothing was broken, and in addition to the weather there was a reason why the family was ate outside. For some reason the little girl’s behavior and her parents’ inaction really drove me nuts. Plus the poor waiter had to clean up their mess! I hope they tipped him well.

Why am I suddenly judging strangers’ parenting skills?
Am I turning into a cranky, old lady?
How do/did your young children behave in a restaurant?

Quilts, X-Rays, and One Crab

The only plans I had for this weekend included fabric shopping for a quilt I plan to make for myself. Yes, that sounds kinda selfish. But you’ve got to understand that everyone in the family has a quilt except me. Our first Great Dane, Lilly, claimed my purple, flowery quilt as hers and it’s now buried in the backyard with her. If any future owners of our house ever decide to put in a pool, they’re in for a big surprise.

Mom and I did get some time at the quilt shop and I found some pink batiks. Plus, I sifted through my mom’s stash and I filled in with some more fabrics. Batiks are my favorite because they are hand-dyed and become softer each time they’re washed.

Saturday morning my Sweetie and I went to the outlet mall so he could get some new shorts. In less than two hours my foot was swollen inside my sneaker and I was hobbling. For the past two weeks or so my left foot has gotten progressively sorer and I have no idea why. It’s not nerve pain or plantar fasciitis because I know what both of those feel like. I don’t remember injuring my foot. It just hurts. Resting it, icing it, and wearing tightly laced shoes help but it hurts again as soon as I walk on it.

The rest of Saturday was pretty low-key. G-Man went to the driving range and Mr. A had another Academy interview that he insisted on going to alone. I stayed home, put my foot up, and knitted. We ordered Chinese take-away and watched V for Vendetta for the 17th time. I don’t know why my Sweetie likes that movie so much but he does. I find it kinda humorous because I’m usually the one that loves the comic book/ sci-fi movies and wants to watch them over and over and over again.

After a night of weird dreams in which I was a lifeguard again, I woke up Sunday morning to the aroma of a sausage, onion, and mushroom frittata. I tell ya, my Sweetie lives up to his name. As we were eating, husband’s Cousin Jenny calls. She has two extra tickets to the Bucs football game and wants to know if my Sweetie and one of the boys want to go. He looks at me and I mouth “Go! Go!”

Once it was decided that G-Man will go to the game I jokingly asked why I wasn’t invited. Oh, the back-pedaling that occurred! I insisted that I really wasn’t in the mood to go so husband and youngest son left for the game.

By that time I could barely walk on my foot. Anyone who knows me knows that I have an extremely high tolerance for pain. This morning when I put my weight on my foot and I got nauseous from the pain then I knew that it was time to get it examined by someone with a medical degree.

Mr. A drove me to the urgent care clinic. I thought it was a little unfair that his brother was at a football game and he was driving his mom around. So I promised to buy him lunch afterwards.

I got right in at the clinic. The doctor examined my foot and x-rays were taken. By this time, I really thought I had a stress fracture but couldn’t figure out how I could have possibly done it. The results: Nothing. Nada. Zip. The doctor couldn’t find anything wrong with my foot. He said it could be tendonitis. He told me to continue doing what I was doing and to take some Advil.

I limped out of the walk-in clinic feeling like I had just wasted an hour and wondered how much the x-rays are going to cost. I felt like I had been dismissed as a whiner. Oh yea, and my foot still hurts.

Mr. A and I picked a restaurant where we could eat outside in the gorgeous weather. I sat in my seat pouting because I hadn’t received what I thought to be a satisfactory answer. Noticing my attitude, Mr. A informed me that I wasn’t allowed to order the crab sandwich because I already was one. Amazing how one comment from my child can straighten me out.

I’m still a little crabby. Not from my clinic visit. I’m over that now. I’m crabby from the pain in my foot that could be tendonitis. Also, cutting fabric for my quilt requires standing and standing = pain. So in the meantime, I’m going to put my foot up and knit.

Feeling Better

I don't want to jinx myself but I think I'm honestly feeling better both physically and mentally. This week I've noticed that I'm not as fatigued or fuzzy-headed as I have been. Glancing at the calendar I realized that it's been about eight weeks since this whole Chronic Fatigue started. Perhaps the Epstein-Barr has run it's course for the time being!

Also, I feel so much better mentally and emotionally. Ever since getting the news about Mr. A's scholarship I have really relaxed. Apparently, that was weighing on me more heavily than I thought.

Are things really looking up?

(knock-knock-knock)

That was me knocking on wood.

I was in such a goofy mood yesterday that I stopped at Target on the way home from work. I bought Halloween decorations from the slim-pickins that they had left. I have NEVER bought decorations for any holiday other than Christmas before. This is something totally new for me. I got home and decorated the boys' hallway. It wasn't much or particularly scary but the boys really loved the surprise.

Here are some picks:

If you ever saw Mr. A's room, you would understand this sign.

One more thing! My Sweetie has been busy working on home improvement projects while I've been napping away on the weekends. Look at the fabulous tile work he did on our front step! (Grout to come this weekend).

Have a great weekend everyone!

Paying for College

Paying for my children’s college educations has been a source of anxiety for me for several years. I would venture to guess that quite a few other middle-class American parents share my anxiety. Many career paths now require a 4-year degree as a minimum while the cost of higher education has gotten ridiculously expensive.

Yes, there are many ways to save and pay for college. Often times it requires a lot of planning ahead. There are pre-paid programs, 529 investment accounts, athletic scholarships, academic scholarships, ROTC (Reserved Officer Training Corps) scholarships, the GI Bill, financial aid, and more.

Unfortunately, I experienced a couple of financial setbacks in my life that I never totally recovered. Basically, my divorce and my ex-husband. They say love is grand but divorce is twenty grand. So true.

As part of the divorce agreement, I was to fund and manage G-Man’s college fund and the Ex was to fund and manage Mr. A’s account. The Ex readily accepted after it was noted that I would be paying into G-Man’s account for three years longer than he would have to pay into Mr. A’s account.

Why, oh why did I think this was a good idea? This is the man that ran up every credit card he had in his possession and drained every bank account that he had access to. I thought it would be different because he was investing in his son’s future.

He proved me wrong. He proved me so wrong. He took the money and never looked back.

For years I felt guilty over the situation. I didn’t tell Mr. A. I never shared my anxiety about paying for college. I hoped, prayed, and put away as much money as I could.

Then in the 7th grade, Mr. A announced that he wanted to attend the US Naval Academy and that Notre Dame would be his “back-up” school.

I always knew that he would do well in a structured environment and make an excellent military officer. Both my Sweetie and I told him that we would support his decision to apply to the Academy but not pressure him. However, I did choke when he mentioned Notre Dame. I asked him who was going to pay for that school because it’s one of the most expensive in the country. He simply replied, “The Navy. Notre Dame has NROTC.”

I was impressed. My son was more squared away in regards to college in the 7th grade than I ever was as a senior in high school. The boy had a goal, did his research, and knew what he needed to do to accomplish it.

Mr. A’s goal is still to attend the US Naval Academy and to become a Naval Officer. The application process for the Academy is arduous and he’s in the thick of it right now. He has been working his tail off filling out multiple applications, going on interviews, and training for and completing a physical fitness test. I would like to point out that Mr. A really has been doing all the work himself. My husband and I have been Mr. A’s moral support, his proofreaders, and sometimes nudges.

True to his plan, Mr. A applied for a Navy ROTC scholarship as his back-up plan. However, he changed his choice of schools to University of South Florida in lieu of Notre Dame. He said that since he didn’t get a chance to visit ND, he felt unsure about putting it down as his first pick NROTC school. I think it might also have to do with the fact that Notre Dame doesn’t have co-ed dorms.

Mr. A is beginning to reap the fruits of his efforts. Tuesday night he received a letter awarding him a Navy ROTC scholarship to the University of South Florida. His back-up plan is in place. If for some reason he doesn’t make it into the Academy, then he has a 4-year scholarship to USF.

I can barely describe how proud I am of my son and all of his hard work. At sometime during his application process I did share with him the facts of what happened to his original college fund. I think the information made him work that much harder (if that was even possible).

The other night I sat on the sofa with a contented smile on my face. My heart was full of pride for my son and the rest of me slowly breathed a sigh of relief.

Life with Boys: Texting

Yesterday G-Man texted me FROM SCHOOL to tell me he got an 80% on his Geometry test and to check if he was still grounded.

Does anyone else comprehend the irony of his action?

Recent Reads

The last five books I’ve read were written by non-American authors.

I almost wrote “un-American” and that definitely doesn’t convey the correct meaning.

I alternated reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy by Stieg Larsson, a Swedish author, and a two-book series by Irish author, Tana French.

At first, I was a little hesitant to read the Dragon Tattoo books because they have been translated from a foreign language. I don’t have anything against foreign novels. It’s just that I’ve only had 50/50 luck with translated novels. Sometimes the translation is flawless and sometimes it’s laborious. Larsson’s books were very well done.

Another reason I hesitated is because the books are so HUGELY popular at the moment. I was concerned that the Dragon Tattoo would be another DaVinci Code. Rather pedestrian and written for the masses. I’m pleased to report that it was neither.

Tana French’s novels In The Woods and The Likeness are both set in Ireland and surround murder mysteries. I really like French’s writing style. She requires the reader to be intelligent. French’s books like Larsson’s are exciting and are difficult to put down.

I only have one gripe about Tana French… I don’t care for the way she ends her stories. All through her novels she alludes to something supernatural at large but it never manifests. The reader is more or less left to think that it was all in the character’s imagination. The author leaves a big gaping hole at the end of the story. I don’t expect a neat, pretty package tied up with a bow but I do enjoy a little bit more closure.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading the novels by both authors. I was absorbed by them. After reading a couple of the books written by European authors I started to notice different things culturally.

For example, if the novels are an accurate representation, then the Irish and the Swedish smoke and drink way too much. Or it could just be that Irish and Swedish policemen and reporters do.

While reading Larsson’s trilogy I really wished that I drank coffee. It seemed that all the characters drank an enormous amount of coffee and ate tons of sandwiches. They were either, making coffee, drinking coffee, making more coffee, or stopping at a café for coffee. Then there were the sandwiches with lots of cheese and pickles. Meatballs and ligonberry sauce didn’t even get a mention until the third book!

The big difference in these Irish and Swedish books from American books?

The attitude towards guns.

In these books the characters’ attitudes towards guns is so different than that of an American. The guns are not only illegal they are viewed as taboo and treated as such. It seemed as if a person touched a gun others around him would run away for fear of catching cooties.

I realize that Americans’ right to bear arms is a unique freedom in this world. But the fact that I picked up on the different attitude in these non-America novels makes me wonder if we’re too desensitized to firearms. I don’t intend to open a can of worms because I don’t care to discuss controversial topics on my blog but I thought this was worth mentioning. I read five excellent novels in the past month and this is the message that has stuck with me.

All of the books above are worth reading. I will warn you that The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has sexual violence in it. My Sweetie and I watched the Swedish film a couple of weeks ago and a particular scene is in the movie as well. By the way, it’s difficult to knit while watching a movie with subtitles. The really good news that an American version of the film is being made with Daniel Craig as the leading man. That’s definitely on my list to see.

Randomness

Let’s see if I can cover the highlights of the past two weeks when I was missing from the blogsphere. Also, let’s do it in bullet points to keep me from rambling too much.

• Mr. A had a really good 17th birthday. He had a lot of fun and I felt old. His birthday cake illustrates just how busy he’s been with his Naval Academy application and homework.
  
  
  
  
  
• G-Man sprayed his hair green for spirit day at school. I can’t decide if he looks like a Munchkin or an Oompa-Loompa with that do.
  
  
  
  
  
• Friday night we watched the new Karate Kid. I was disappointed. Jackie Chan is extremely talented and quite a funny actor but his character of Mr. Han just couldn’t compare to Mr. Miyagi. But the thing that really bothered me about the movie is that the age of the characters didn’t seem appropriate with the subject matter. The main character is only 12 years old and at that age the school bullying seems viscous. Plus the level of karate performed at the tournament was extreme. No mother of a 12-year-old would let her child do that. OK, I’ll get off the soap box.
  
  
• I slept for 13 hours on Friday night. I was genuinely surprised when I woke up Saturday and the clock read 12:11 pm. I must have really needed the sleep.
  
  
• When I bought dog food at Target on Saturday, instead of getting the usual register coupon for kitty litter I got a $4 off coupon for Christmas lights. Christmas lights in October? Seriously?
  
  
• I’ve had two Lady Gaga songs alternating in my head for the past week.
  
  
• The weather has cooled off a little bit and this weekend was the first time we turned off the air conditioning and opened the windows in a long, long time.
  
  
• Saturday my Sweetie and I had date night. We dined al fresco at a new Italian restaurant on Main Street. It was a little pricey but the food was very good. While relaxing and enjoying the breeze I realized that not many people have this kind of view when they eat dinner.
  
  
  

• After dinner we saw the movie Red with Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, and Helen Mirren. The movie was funny and very enjoyable. But before the lights went down my Sweetie and I both noticed that the majority of the audience was in the 50+ age range. We felt slightly out of place. Kinda like going to a screening of Twilight but in reverse. We assumed that the maturity of the actors accounted for the maturity of the audience.
  
  
• My brother could be Bruce Willis’ double. Right down to the laugh.
  
  
• On the way home Saturday night we stopped for gas and then ran the car through the car wash at the gas station. Ever go through a car wash at night? Well, there’s a fine line between spooky and romantic.
  
  
• Today I finished (except hemming) the cursed skirt I started a month ago. I want to start a new quilt and just wanted to get the darn skirt out of the way. I’ll reiterate that the instructions are AWFUL! But I’m very pleased to say that the skirt looks great. Unfortunately, it’s a tad too small in the waist. Frack.

Catching My Breath

This week and last week combined have made two really long weeks that I thought would never end. The huge event at work continues through the weekend but my part is finished. I can now call it quits and go home.

Everything is flowing along nicely and this afternoon I was able to stop and catch my breath. I was able to get out and enjoy the event a little bit. I got the opportunity to see one of the performances. More on that later...

On my way into the performing arts center I FINALLY saw the world's most famous, Russian dancer. (Please let me know if you need more hints or visual aids.)

Photo by Annie Leibovitz

He was with other people so I didn't go and say "hi" because I thought it would be a little creepy and nerve-wracking. But we did make eye contact and sort of exchanged smiles. That made the whole week worth it even though my fantasy of having coffee with him didn't play out.

I discretely pointed him out to some co-workers and then I found my seat in the theater. Everytime someone else came in I looked up hoping that it might be him. But alas, no. He must have gone to watch the dance performance in the adjacent theater.

The show I saw was a 25-minute performance of the re-telling of the Apollo 11 space mission. The artist uses only his hands, music, and the aid of a narrator. It's difficult to describe but trust me it works. I'll add a small clip below so you can get an idea.

Now it's time to go home, take a long hot shower, and go out to dinner with my guys. Have a great weekend!

Mini-Break

The past few weeks I've been exhausted just trying to keep up with the speed of life. This Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is really kicking my butt. I've been letting some activities slide so I have the energy to do others. It's not an ideal system and I have yet to figure out the correct balance for physical fitness.

Anyway, so what's my point? This week there is a HUGE event going on at work. I'm not kidding. It's a week-long event that's taken us a 11 months to prepare. I will need all my energy to make it through this week so blogging (posting and reading) will take a backseat. Unless I meet the world's most famous dancer and he invites me for coffee and photo-ops, you won't hear from me until next week.

Wish me luck!

Mr. A Turns 17

To my First-born Son -

Today is your 17th birthday. This is the last birthday I can claim you as my little boy. For next year you will officially be a man. Next year your father and I will share you with the world. Everyone will know how amazing you are. But for now you belong to us. I plan to be selfish this year and savor every moment with you.

There are so many things that I could write here but I know I can sum it up in one sentence...

Thank you for making me a mom.

I love you.

Happy Birthday!

School Spirit

Before the start of the school year in August the PLRH household received a letter from the school board announcing changes in the dress code. I didn’t pay too much attention because most of the rules apply to girls’ attire and gang paraphernalia. In other words, items that wouldn’t make it out the door at my house.

The major change is that girls can’t have bare shoulders. If a girl decides to wear a tank top (as is common in Florida), she must wear a blouse or cardigan to make sure her shoulders are covered. I thought this rule odd because after all we do live in a sub-tropic climate. But really I didn’t think anymore about it.

Then school started and the student body got amped for the first football game of the season. This year’s opener was against the Mustangs’ rival. A team that they hadn’t beaten in four years. On game day, the football players wore their shirts and ties, the students wore their school t-shirts, and the cheerleaders wore their cheer uniforms.

Awesome school spirit, right?

Well, guess what? The cheerleaders’ uniforms are sleeveless leaving the girls shoulders bare. When the principal of the high school realized this, she banned the uniforms from school.

Let me say that again.

The high school principal banned the existing approved cheerleading uniform of a school-sanctioned activity but because the girls have bare shoulders and therefore violate the district-wide dress code.

While the principal’s reasoning does follow logic, I’ve got to wonder what happened to school spirit.

Another Florida high school had a similar issue because of the length of the skirts on their cheer uniforms. The skirts were too short to meet the dress code requirements. The cheerleaders of that school were finally granted an exception.

On the flip side, cheerleaders at a high school in Connecticut petitioned to have their uniforms made less skimpy. The girls were embarrassed to wear the outfits that exposed their midriffs and affected their self-image.

In my opinion, high school is more stressful now for teenagers than it’s ever been. When the students show enthusiasm for school spirit, small allowances should be made in the school rules. Over-enforcement of rules can squash an upbeat attitude in a flash.

Let the cheerleaders cheer on the team all day long.

How do you feel about school dress codes?
Should an exception be made for the cheerleading uniform?
Are you for or against uniforms in public schools?
How strict are you about enforcing rules?

One Less Thing

This morning I had my 6-month dermatology screening. Anyone who knows me knows that I've had bouts of skin cancer regualrly for the past five years. The 6-month screening is always a cause of stress for me because a suspicious spot is always discovered. I never walk away from a screening without having something burned, scraped, or excised.

My dermatology appointment was weighing heavily on me yesterday when I wrote about my anxieties. But I didn't mention it because I didn't want to jinx myself. How silly is that?

Well, now I have one less thing to worry about. My skin got a clean bill of health this morning! No suspicious spots! This is a first for me! Woo-hoo!

And I get to do it all over again in six months...

Anxieties, Fly Away

I’ll be the first one to admit that I’m prone to worry and I sometimes over-think things. My Sweetie is probably rolling his eyes and questioning, sometimes? Thinking about an issue or problem too much can cause anxiety. The typical making a mountain out of a molehill scenario.

Over the past couple of years, I’ve learned that by simply verbalizing my anxiety I realize that it isn’t as big and scary as I thought and it often flies away on the breeze.

So here’s my attempt to let go of the items that I’ve been worrying over this weekend:

• G-Man isn’t doing so great in Geometry. He’s brilliant in his other classes with A’s and B’s. We just haven’t figured out what’s the stumbling block for Geometry. I always had good grades in school and so have the kids until know. This is uncharted territory for me and I’m not sure how to handle it. Suggestions?

• Mr. A ordered his cap & gown this past week.

• Mr. A turns 17 this coming week.

• I totally overdid it at zumba class last week. It was a boatload of fun! But a straight hour of Latin dance is a little too much for someone with Chronic Fatigue.

• I’m still battling with my weight and waistline. Even though I seem to have gotten a grasp on my relationship with food, my self-image is still suffering.

• The skirt I started making three weeks ago is still in pieces on my sewing table. I told my Sweetie that I was hesitant to finish it because I was afraid that it wouldn’t fit. He’s such a great guy. He told me that I could do one of two things: I could either put it away for now or finish it and donate it if it doesn’t fit. I’ve decided to put it away for now.

• In the course of one week I’ve learned of five women that are friends/acquaintances in real life or in the blogosphere that are pregnant with their third child. I always wanted four children myself. So as a result I’ve been having lots of dreams about babies and adoption.

• Yesterday I went with Mr. A to a Service Academy information day hosted by our Congressman. We’ve heard all the information before. But the realization hit me that Mr. A is in the thick of the application process. He only has three more things to do. For so many years he’s talked about going to the Naval Academy and now it’s close to becoming a reality.

• I’m so tired. This is the third weekend in a row in which I’ve taken multiple naps. I can’t wait for this whole CFS thing to be over.

OK, worries, time for you to fly, fly away just like the boo-boo-ties* and leave me alone!

*That’s Mr. A speak for butterflies.

Are you a worrier?
Do you make mountain out of molehills?
What do you do to lessen the anxiety?