The kids had money from Christmas burning a hole in their pocket so I agreed to take them to the mall after I got off work on Friday.  Vanessa texted me Friday afternoon while I was working and said she’d made a hair appointment for 4:30 and would be home as quickly as possible.  I knew then that we most likely would not make it to the mall with time to shop…lol  I got home about 5:30 and she texted me, “We’re just waiting to rinse my hair.”  She got high and low lights in her hair and I’m not sure I like it.  The colors are very contrasting and I’m just not into that; however, she liked it and that’s all that counts.

A couple hours later, after Vanessa had taken home her girlfriend and picked up her boyfriend, we finally headed to the mall.  We got there with 30 minutes to shop before they closed.  We hit Abercrombie first and Ethan wanted a hoodie, but expected me to buy it.  WRONG!  He decided not to get it.  We went to Aeropostle and Vanessa bought two pairs of sweat pants that were on sale for $9.99.  Ethan and I went to American Eagle while Vanessa was in line to pay for her stuff.  They closed the door before Vanessa and Cody got there…lol  We left and on our way out of the mall, Ethan said, “If I buy that hoodie and don’t have enough money left for Halo 3, will you pay the rest?”  I agreed since I know the only time he volunteers to spend his money is if it’s something he really really likes…or food.  On the way home, we stopped by WM to pick up Halo 3 and they were out!  I couldn’t believe it.  We grabbed a bite to eat and went home after I promised Ethan I’d take him to my WM in the morning to get it.

Yesterday morning, I asked Vanessa to run Ethan to WM to get his game.  After they left, it hit me that it’s rated M and they weren’t old enough to buy it.  I called them and they were already at the store.  A few minutes later, the called back, “No problem mom, the guy thought I was 18 and sold it to us.”  She was proud.  I was scared!  I don’t think she looks 18 and I certainly don’t like the idea of her being that old!  She’s not even 17 yet!  However, I was happy I didn’t have to make another trip to get it so I let it go….lol

Ethan got home, asked if he could plug his XBox up in the living room, and proceeded to play Halo 3 until he beat it.  Yup.  Took all of one day. =/  First thing this morning, one of his friends came over and that’s all they’ve done today - play two players.  Little addict.  Can’t wait to see how long it holds his attention online…lol

This morning the kids got up and in the kitchen in the floor in front of the sink, was a dead cardinal.  I told them the cats brought them breakfast, but they didn’t like it. =/

A few days before Christmas, Ethan asked me, “Did you get Vanessa that phone she wanted?”

“What difference does it make to you, Ethan?  Why do you ask?”

“Well, she told me you’ve already got my XBox360 and she wanted to know if you got her phone.”…lol

Christmas eve, Rebecca came down.  I had to work, but her dad brought her.  When I got home, she and Ethan asked if they could go ahead and open their gifts.  Of course I said no.  They then asked if they could open them at 12:01…lol  I said, “Only if you get Vanessa to agree to it.”  Vanessa said no.

This Christmas I did things a little differently.  Every year, I give them pj’s from me and maybe some other small gift.  The rest of their presents are from Santa.  This year, I put everything out under the tree except their stockings…and I didn’t label them.  I wrote a small initial in the corner that they didn’t even notice….lol   The kids were going nuts trying to guess what everything was.  Vanessa got a ROKR phone.  I took the phone and charger out of the box so that I could have it charged for her to use after she opened it.  That box drove them berserk.  Vanessa thought it was her phone, but when I told them they could shake it because it wasn’t breakable, she was confused.

Rebecca had the most gifts, but hers cost the least.  Vanessa got Twist the dog and a cell phone.  Those were two big ticket items.  Ethan got the XBox 360.  Another big ticket item.  Rebecca got a new comforter, sheets, a blanket, throw pillows, a net canopy and curtains.  I had to hunt to find everything because her bed is a twin XL dorm size and she was very specific…a black comforter and hot pink sheets.  When I finally found the sheets, I ordered two sets and the matching blanket.  I made her pillows out of the pink sheets and a king size black flat sheet I bought to make her curtain out of.  I was wanting to get pics of it before she left, but I didn’t.  Since her stuff was less expensive, I filled in with all kinds of little knick knacks to girly up her room…pink candle holders, potpourri, and other small stuff.

Christmas morning, I handed them one present at a time so I could watch them open everything.   Rebecca’s bedding alone took three big boxes - which I handed to her one at a time right off the bat.  Ethan and Vanessa were like, “Don’t we get to open any?!?!”  Ethan already knew what he was getting.  He made a deal with me that he’d pay $120 of it - his birthday money.  I knew he was waiting to open the XBox so I saved it for last…lol  I saved Vanessa’s phone for next to the last.  When she opened the box, she said, “Where’s the phone?”

I said, “What are you talking about?”

She said, “There’s no phone.”

I told her it must be under the plastic stuff in the box.  She lifted it up and of course nothing was there but the disk, paperwork, and cables.  I said, “You had to have dropped it!  Where’d it go?!?!”

She was looking everywhere, “Mom, I know I didn’t drop it.  There wasn’t anything in there!”

I said, “You mean I just paid all that money for an empty box?!?!  Vanessa, that’s not funny!  Where is it?!?!”

At this point, she was almost in tears so I went to my room and got the phone.  She was soooo mad…lol

We went to my mom’s for lunch.  It was nice.  We played Mad Gab.  My mom and my aunt got to play also because they weren’t having to cater to my grandmother.

We went to the nursing home…er I mean Rehab Center to see her!  We have to call it Rehab.  She said there was no way she was going into a nursing home.  She didn’t really feel much better about rehab, but she took it easier when there was a chance she’d get to come home.  She had quite a few stories to tell about how they were mean to her and how one of the nurses told her that if she had to pee, she’d have to go in her pants and if she wanted something to eat, she’d have to fix it herself.  The woman she accused of saying that to her one day, was the only nurse of all of them that would help her out the next day.

She told us that her roommate Ms. Ford was a black woman.  We were looking at her pictures on the wall and she obviously wasn’t black.  I asked her how she knew because her roommate was gone with family over the holiday.  She said, “They wheeled her in this morning and I saw about that much (she was holding her fingers just above the hand) of her hand.  Just enough to know that she’s not white.  Who knows what she is!” She then went on to say that Ms. Ford called them this morning and told them she was on her way home and asked if she needed to pick anything up on her way….lol

The next day, Ms. Ford did come home and when my uncle went to visit grandma, she told him, “She’s President Ford’s wife, you know.”  We’re playing along with that too.  As long as Ms. Ford has more status than she does, my grandmother won’t eat her alive.  If she finds out the truth though…  My grandmother has always been a bit of a snow, but now she can be down right mean to people she believes are beneath her.

I went to bed about midnight Christmas night and had to get up to go to work the next day.  When I got up, Rebecca wasn’t sleeping on the couch.  I thought it was odd because she always does.  She has a room here, but she always sleeps in the living room watching tv.  I checked her room, she was no where to be found.  I knew that when I went to bed, there were three children in my house.  When I woke up though, I could only find two.  I tried not to panic.  She’s gone home in the middle of the night before.  I woke Vanessa up, “We got into an argument and she told me that she wasn’t feeling good.  She said her heart hurt and she was going to call dad, but she I didn’t know he came and got her.  I must have been asleep.”

I called the ex’s home and cell, but no answer.  I left messages and instructed the kiddos to keep calling until someone answered.  In a couple of hours, she called back, “What did you want, mom?”  I was so mad.  Logically, I knew she was at her dad’s, but there was still that sliver of possibility that something had happened that had driven me insane.  All my worry had turned to anger the second I heard her answer so nonchalantly.  I started scolding her and explained it better not ever happen again.  “I would have told you, but you were asleep.  It was 2AM when dad got there.”  /boggle

“So you’d rather drive me crazy thinking something happened to you than to wake me up?!?!”

Overall, it was a good Christmas - despite the small heart attack the next morning…lol

Sunday night was my work’s Christmas party - for the pharmacy that is.  It was interesting.  I got there 15 minutes early, but most of the people were there already.  I ended up sitting across from the boss’s wife and next to one of the OTC people’s husband…in other words, I was alone.  Isolated on that end of the table.  A few minutes later, two other people and their spouses showed up.  The oldest person in the pharmacy sat beside me.  Her son is graduating college this coming year.  She’s nice, but we really don’t have much in common other than having children.

The other end of the table was laughing and cutting up.  Mean while, I was struggling to make conversation that would include people I really didn’t know anything at all about.  The new tech that I don’t care for was spouting off all kinds of sexist remarks to rile up a co-worker and I would catch one here or there.  At one point his girlfriend told him to do something and he said, “Since when do you tell me what to do?”

Her response, “Since I started putting out.”  Obviously a classy dame, she works at Hooters.

Meanwhile, our end of the table was chatting it up, “Sooo…how was the drive up here?”
“It was cold out there!  The roads weren’t busy at all though.”

We exchaged gifts.  One person got a roll of bubble wrap and just couldn’t believe there was nothing else in the package.  I felt bad for her, actually.  While a funny gag gift, I really expected her to get something else.

Soon, Hooters Girl realized she needed to use the ladies room, but she was seated in the middle against the back wall.  No problem for her though.  She just slid under the table while announcing where she was going!

Back at our end of the table, the conversation was sparkling, “How are the kiddos?”
“Good.  Good.  And yours?”

The co-worker getting riled up about the sexist remarks finally had had enough (of the sexist remarks and the huge margarita she was drinking) and slammed her hands down on the table causing everyone in the resteraunt to look back at our table.  Our boss stood up while making exagerating gestures and said, “Hey hey, everybody just calm down now!” while laughing.  He said later he thought it might embarrass her, but it was too late for that…lol  She no longer cared.

Back on our end of the table, “How was your food?”
“Good.  Good.  And yours?”

Finally, people started leaving.  My whole end of the table left and I moved around to the other side.  We talked a very little bit and someone announced they had to be excused to the restroom.  Three more people decided that was a good time to go so that was that….lol  Not the best Christmas party ever, but certainly a memorable one.

My computer is up and running again!  Thanks everyone for the help!!!!!

Just a short note to wish everyone a merry Christmas.  More updates on the way!

Last night, my mom had to call 911 to come get my grandmother.  She’s stopped eating and drinking again and is now down to 98lbs.  She kept passing out last night.  She’s not getting enough oxygen even with her home machine and was so dehydrated that they couldn’t take her temperature orally.  She’s got an irregular heartbeat, but they’ve not found anything else wrong at this point.  I’m actually hoping they’ll transition this hospital stay into a nursing home.  She’s just becoming too difficult for my mom to deal with at home and I’ve been no help at all lately. =/

My grandma is the person that influenced me the most growing up.  There’s no doubt.  Not long ago, my little sister and I got into it over her.  My little sister mouthed off that she’s always been mean like she is now and that’s just not so.  Granted my grandmother had her favorites and, in my little sisters case, her least favorites, but she was a strong woman that had high expectations from those around her.  If you didn’t meet them, then you could count on her coming down hard on you.  She stood up for me time and time again when I was too young to take a stand for myself.  She taught me to be a lady and how to command respect without demanding it.  I spent many many hours with her because I didn’t want to go home.

There’s a lot more I want to say about my grandmother, but I have to go to work instead.  =(

Okay, so I’ve been accused more than once this Christmas of being a bit scroogy.  My aunt sent me this and it put a smile on my face.

I love that Kelly Clarkson song, Miss Independent.  *blush*

I also love that Raine Maida song Yellow Brick Road ever since Winter turned me on to it.

A week or so ago Rebecca decides to call and tell me what a bad mother I am and how I’m not there for her.  I listened and tried to explain that every child living with only one parent has those same feelings.  Vanessa and Ethan feel that way towards their dad a lot and I always try to explain that while it may not always seem that way, their dad loves them.  She began yelling and saying it wasn’t the same because I kicked her out of my house twice.  Obviously that’s not true, but it sure stung.  When I couldn’t get her to calm down and stop yelling, I told her I needed to go several times and then just hung up.  She called yelling every night after that.  She even called my sister thinking it was my mom’s house and left a message about how not to buy her a Christmas present because she wasn’t coming down for Christmas and didn’t know when she’d get to come down again.  That was the last straw for Vanessa.  Vanessa called (without me knowing) and told her how the cow ate the cabbage.  She called and apologized to me saying she wanted to come down for Christmas, but she didn’t want anyone to treat her special.  /boggle

That along with her failing school again (from B’s to F’s in two classes and C’s in the rest) , indicates to me that she’s back in a state of depression - part of the bipolar disorder.  To her dad though, there’s not wrong except she’s a lazy teenager. I understand that teenagers go through different moods; however, a week of calling me every night to yell is a bit much.  We went from, “You aren’t there for me!” to “You cannot control me!” and “You don’t even know me!”  I wish she’d yell at her dad like that, but he’d beat her butt if she did.  Instead, she yells at me knowing I can only dream about reaching through the phone, popping her in the mouth, and making her take her meds.

I’m a little afraid of what kind of scene she’s going to make at Christmas as well as how bad things will get before she swings back to mania…and what will happen then.  That’s usually when she does dare devil stunts.  I also feel guilty.  Guilty that I’m relieved she’s not living with me and it’s one less headache I have these days.