Writing

I have a hard time writing for a grade. Writing for a blog isn't as hard because no on is judging me on my punctuation or how descriptive my words are.

I am taking a composition class right now. It is HARD! The last few weeks my teacher has complimented me on how well I have been writing. This week, however, I am not so sure I will get such compliments. I had to write a descriptive paragraph for my essay. I was very hard. I can vividly picture the day I want to describe in my head, but getting it down on paper is another thing. Hopefully, the paragraph I wrote for his week's assignment is what he is looking for...

August 30 started of as a typical day with one exception; my brother's fluffy, cute, obnoxious dog was at our house until my brother and my mom came home from their fateful trip to Arizona. I went to school complaining about how loud that dog was and how I didn't get any sleep. I proceeded with the mundane task of going to my first three classes of the day. Then, I was called down to the office to see my dad. I could never have even imagined what happened next. I walked in and saw the heavy hearted look on my dad's face. He took me into a small room with my sister and told us the news. "Mom and Anthony have been killed in a car accident." My heart fell into my stomach. I was beyond feeling. Wasn't I just talking to my mom the night before?

What do you think? Does it describe the day or just give a general idea what it may have been like? I already turned it in, but your feed back would be helpful for my revisions for next week.

A Present for Me

Upon arrival of my home this morning, everything seemed nice and peaceful. The dog was in her kennel sleeping. The house was quiet. The lights were off (other than the porch light that John leaves on for me so that I still feel welcome when I get home). The kids were all in their own rooms...sleeping? Maybe not.

I went to my bathroom and got ready for bed. Something seemed off (you know that mom feeling that you get sometimes). I looked around the room before climbing into bed. I looked down the hall to Noel's room. Her door was open. That is not a normal thing because we always close the kids' bedroom doors when they go to bed even if they get up for some reason and have to go back to bed. The kids' bedroom doors are always shut.

I decided to investigate. Who knew, maybe she had gotten up to go to the bathroom or climbed into my bed late at night with out John knowing and didn't close her door. I looked into my bed. No Noel. I went into her room and looked in her bed. No Noel. I was about to go look on the couch when a startled Noel looked up from the floor in front of her dresser...NAKED.

I asked her what was going on. She said that she threw up on my pillow and needed clean jammies. After asking her some questions, I found out that she had only thrown up that one time all night and only on my side of the bed. I felt...loved? Hmmm...I'm not sure how to feel about that.

I can laugh about it now, but I had to sleep on the couch this morning because I was just too tired to deal with it. (I know that is gross, but that is just me.)

A Night/Morning From H###

Last week I went through tech training (meaning if you were to call in with a remote or receiver or wiring problem, you could be transferred to me). Last night was my first night on the phones taking these calls. First of all, they suck!

I am used to having an average call time of about 5 or 6 minutes. I think most of the calls I took last night were more than 20 minutes. That totally raises my average. UGH!

Most of the people that call in either don't understand simple instructions like, "Press the TV mode button until all of the mode buttons light up," or they are just too lazy to even try something like unplugging the receiver to reset it. Then there are the people that have just enough information to make them dangerous. They call in already having done a lot of things that sometimes are not even necessary and could even prolong the process. When one problem is fixed they seem to somehow cause another problem. (Like I said, it sucks!)

My problem last night wasn't just the tech calls that I barely understand myself. I also had regular customer service calls that were just plain ridiculous. A pay-per-view call that I ended up having to transfer to my coach because of his "stories." A billing call where she was actually calling to accuse us of setting her up for failure. A man from Puerto Rico that had talk to rep after rep trying to get programming that is just not offered there (he kept me a half hour late after I had already stayed for an hour of overtime). The list goes on.

Sure there were the easy calls that were straight forward for regular customer service and tech calls that didn't last long and were solved quickly. I did have a call that took a while, but I felt good about it in the end. It is just that those were few and far between. We had back to back calls all night.

***Now the disclaimer that I have to add.***

My view do not reflect the opinion of Dish Network or its employees.

***Wasn't that fun?***

Grocery Shopping

Thursday is my errand day since I get to sleep at night on Wednesday nights and Thursday nights which make the need for sleeping in the afternoon a lot less essential. I have learned something in the last few weeks. Grocery shopping with just one child isn't that bad. Yes, Noel does get squirrelly after a while, but when it is just one kids jumping on and off the cart (or climbing in and out of the "car"), it isn't as stressful. It is also a lot easier to say, " I can just come back another time." When I know that I only have to deal with one kid rather than three. I do still love my boys, but I am SO glad that I don't have to bring them to the grocery store anymore!

My Schedule

OK. First off, I would like to say I am only pointing this out because there are people out there that think that just because I am home during the day, I can do all of the stuff that I was doing before I started working. That is not so. I am home during the day, but I am asleep a lot of the time. Since I work the graveyard shift, I am WORKING while most normal people sleep.

I work from 8:30pm to 5am Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. On most Fridays and Saturdays I work 6:30pm to 2am. (I say most because this week I have been in tech training, so I work the 8:30 to 5 shift all the days that I work.) Yes, that means that my "weekend" is Wednesday and Thursday. That part sucks a bit but isn't too bad because I do get to go to bed a few hours earlier Saturday and Sunday mornings, so I can still spend the days with my family on the real weekends.

So you may be asking when do I sleep. Well, the answer is I sleep in shifts (in a way). I get home from work about a half hour after getting off of work. On the week days, I sleep until about 7:30 at first. I make Eric's lunch, say prayer with my family, and put a movie on for Sean and Noel as John and Eric head out the door for school and work (John drops Eric off at school and goes to work). Then, I head back to bed until 10:45ish. I get up, take a shower, make lunch for Sean and Noel, read them a book, do some homework, and take Sean to school. Then, Noel and I sleep until about 3ish. We then pick up the boys from school, and I try to fit in all the "good mom" stuff (homework, snack, etc.). Then, I try to fit in all I can as far as family time, hubby time, cleaning, and cooking before I leave for work again. Since the kids go to bed around 7:30, they are in bed when I leave most nights. They only have to go to bed without me being here 2 nights a week.

I know some of you are cringing knowing that my kids are here in the morning awake while I am sleeping. First of all, let me say that a few years ago I would have been right there with you. Second of all, they can come get me if they need. I don't sleep very soundly, and haven't since Eric was born. Noel comes in and gives me pictures that she has colored and just comes to talk to me a lot in the morning when she is bored. For a few weeks, she got into EVERYTHING (lets just say we have no more Vic's, and that was in the medicine cabinet). I did check into daycare for her, but daycare just for Noel would be a third of my paycheck. (Tara, I don't know how you do it.)

I am tired some days, but I figure I am getting more sleep than I did when the kids were newborns. I can handle it.

1978

I always wondered what I would have looked like if I were in high school the year that I was born...OK, maybe not.

The Gambler a la Noel

Yes, Noel is indulging in my song as well.

Ignore the strange lady in the background.

While in the Shower

When I got out of the shower, I found Sean and Noel playing in Noel's room with her kitchen set...jut not in the usual way.

Bees

Yesterday, when I picked up the boys from school, Sean asked me a bit frustrated, "Why do the bees keep following me?"
I told him, "Because you smell so sweet."
His response, "Mom...I don't smell good. I look good."

Camera Catch Up

Eric started 2nd grade, August 19.

Sean started Kindergarten, August 24.

Sean turned 6. His birthday was September 25, but we had to wait a few days to celebrate. Yes, that is a Sham Wow behind the Legos. He was just as excited about getting that as he was the Legos.

Finally!

Eric finally lost his first tooth yeasterday!

Cough Medicine

Sean informed me today that cough medicine tastes like a dead spider.