Wheels in the sky

The last full day of our vacation, we went to the Vancouver aquarium. It is super sweet, more like an aquarium plus Sea World. About half of the exhibits were outside.


During that day, I had several old lady moments. I was tired. We probably walked 100 miles the entire trip. I am, after all, nearing 35. Yikes! I decided to sit down and watch the sea otters play. While watching, I noticed a young boy compeltely zonked out in his stroller. I thought to myself how nice it would be if they made strollers for adults. Mr. Big Momma could push me around...I could take in the sites, rest a few minutes, etc. A few minutes I realized, they already do make such a thing:






They are called wheelchairs. OK, bad idea, moving on.

But what if....

Vacation, all I ever wanted....

Just got back from our Pacific Northwest trip and it was fabulous. Pictures to come. Between the 2 guys, over 2300 pictures were taken. There were probably about 500 of me, looking dorky as usual. Something about those teenage boys who like to take goofy pictures of Mom....I have plenty of goofy faces, so there was no lack of a subject. And, I guess it is better he take pictures of me, rather than of all the hoochie mommas we saw on our journey.

I have to say that it is great to go away, but great in a different way to come home. Especially to a country that offers free refills on pop. I drink a ton of DC (British Columbia speak for Diet Coke, kinda cute, don't ya think?) and it is difficult for me to ration one pop for an entire meal. Oh, the troubles of my life, right?

The Big Momma's are unique vacation travellers. We tend to go to urban spots, park our car (if we even have one) and walk. It was nice to be in 2 cities (Seattle and Vancouver) that allow for such easy pedestrian travel. I wish Cbus was better in this way. It was also nice to be in cities that have hills and water, something that we definitely lack in this part of the country. The weather was great in both cities, the temperature never exceeded 80 degrees F. In Vancouver, they had record highs of 78 degrees F. The locals complained that it was too hot. Mind you, there is very little humidity. These people would melt in Cbus! I don't think that a drop of sweat was formed on my body the entire time. What lucky fools they are, eh?

I spoke with several friends tonight and was asked, "What was my favorite part of the trip?" Mt. Rainier was definitely a highlight. It is amazing to be in such a beautiful place, where there is still snow on the ground, even though the temperatures were around 55 degrees F. Kayaking came in as a close second. I never thought I would enjoy it as much as I did. Because Vancouver is the host of the 2010 Olympics, we were able to see much of the construction, including the Olympic Village. I wish we could go back for the Olympics, but we probably won't. Vancouver is expensive enough now...can you even imagine the cost of things during the Olympics?

Well, I'm going to sign off for now. More details to come. I think I'm going to run to Tim Hortons, throw back a few donuts and maybe drink a few Molson XXX.....go to sleep you hosers!

Confused in Clinvonville

I think I am going to have to rename this site. I haven't been blogging much as I've been busy with my family life. Plus, I think I lost my blogging mojo. I think blogging is something that must be done frequently, so that you don't lose your voice, purpose or creativity. I think I've lost them all. Maybe even my mind as well....

My intent when I started this blog (almost a year ago!) was to blog about whatever I felt like. Life in general. It seems though, that I've got more parenting stuff to post about. That is where the name changes comes into play. Some possible suggestions:

Clintonville Baby Momma Drama
Help! I've fallen and I can't get up!
Quick somebody pass me a percocet with a vodka chaser!
Clintonville Second Tier Big Momma

I'd appreciate your suggestions.

So, with the new custody agreement, we are now able to take Jr. to counseling. The old agreement wouldn't allow him to go to counseling w/o his mother's approval. As you can imaging, she wouldn't allow this. Couldn't possibly do something in her son's best interest. I have been taking him to a Dr. that came highly recommended by our highly recommended lawyer. This is the third Wednesday that I have taken him. After his first two rounds, I asked him how it went. He said fine. I really just wanted to make sure that he liked her and felt comfortable talking to her. It is an effort for me not to pry. I am the original nosy Nelly. They don't call me "The Quiz Master" for nothing. But, counseling is personal and what he discusses behind closed doors is his business. Just because I want to tell the world about my realizations after a good session, doesn't mean he does.

Today when he came out, I swear to you, he was a different kid. He was sooo excited. Excited like she told him he didn't have to change his underwear ever again, that he could eat Jeni's ice cream every day, that he could get a TV in his room, an iphone, a laptop, you get the idea. When he walked out he had a folded piece of notebook paper in his hand. At first I thought maybe the Dr. was writing us a note that said, boy, you guys weren't shitting me, his mother IS a piece of crap. As we walked to the car, he told me that the paper was part of his homework. (Homework! I am loving this Dr. more and more.) His homework was to have a conversation with his mother and basically tell her that SHE IS FAILING HIM AS A PARENT. There is more to this story, but I'd like to keep the rest to myself. It sounds to me like she is trying to empower him to improve his relationship with his mother. He seemed happy to have the opportunity to talk to her about this. Didn't seem worried about it at all. It was like a weight was lifted off his shoulders. He told me that he now realizes that he was doing poorly in school to get back at his mother. He also, very maturely added that his grades are still his responsibility, but at least he understood WHY he was doing what he was doing. Or, NOT doing what he was supposed to be doing.

Wednesday is his time to visit with his Baby Momma, but we had an hour to kill after the Dr. before I took him home. We decided to have lunch. As he shoved his face full of food (remember, he is 16) I couldn't help but be excited for his self discovery. It was nice seeing him feel empowered and in control. But, since I've dropped him off, I've started feeling worse and worse. First worse because he is no longer in our care. Wednesday is tough for me in that way. Second worse because I started to think about how Baby Momma would react when he talked to her. I've started to wonder if Mr. Big Momma should call this Dr. to be sure that Jr. got the right message. So, I'm wondering what you all think about this??? Do you think that his Dr. gave him good advice?

BILs

I have to tell you that I have the most amazing brother in laws. I appreciate them in so many ways. I am one of two girls, so getting four brothers via marriage has made me very happy. As I child, I longed for a big brother. Never got one. I always dreamed, as a youngster, that Scott Baio would be my older brother. As an adult, I realize that he is a total douchebag and I am lucky to have no association with him.

My BILs have in some way, shape or form amazed me in the last year. My Sister's husband N, had a kidney transplant earlier this year. The new kidney was transplanted on a Tuesday. We found out that Thursday that his new kidney had cancer. He had to undergo another operation in order to remove all of the cancer. A check up this week has shown him to be cancer free. Yippee! He is now doing extraordinarily well. We are referring to him as "The new N" since he has a rejuvenated outlook on life. Sweet. The New N is now my tennis partner and it is amazing playing with him. I remember not so long ago....the struggle that was his life. It is hard to believe that I am kicking his butt on the the tennis court each week! Sorry folks, I play to win. As Ricky Bobby says, "If you're not first, your last!"

My husband's youngest brother was diagnosed with cancer last year. He ended up having to have his eye, eyelid and all of the goo behind his eye removed. E won the fight on cancer and continue to fight in whatever life brings him. My husband's other brother (Mr. Big Momma has 3 brothers) was diagnosed at 24 with Type 1 diabetes. He was and still continues to be an athlete, never held back by his diabetes. Yesterday, he began a very long and tedious journey. He and 6 teammates started something called Race Across America. This is a bicycle race across the country. This is the second year he has participated. The team he is on (Team Type 1) is a team of all Type 1 diabetics. You can follow their progress by visiting http://teamtype1.org/. You should check it out. These people are truly an inspiration.

How about we all make a promise to one another? No complaining allowed. When life gets you down, you don't have to look far to find someone who has overcome something totaly amazing. Really, what do you have to bitch about?

No wire hangers here

There is a spring in my step that is much springier than ever before!!! I hear the birds singing louder then ever before. The sky seems bluer. Why you ask? It is summer people! And for someone who works in college publishing, that means very little work. Last summer I found that I got a bit bored. But, it was my first summer and a. I didn't know what to expect and b. I didn't plan for it. Because the hours you put in when you work for a publisher are long and hard, you start thinking about summer by the end of January. You can't imagine doing anything but work and when you get the rare chance, you are too tired to do anything. So, when I had a few local community colleges offer me teaching positions for this summer, I was stoked. What a great way to enjoy the summer. I would still have plenty of time off AND I could get back into the classroom and influence young minds, make a difference.

Those of you who have read this blog know that I have a son who is 16. Scary but true. He is not my biological son, as he is the offspring of my husband and his first wife who I fondly (and I say that loosely) refer to as Baby Momma. She doesn't do much outside of holding this title. Jr. and I have been happily mother-sonning for over 10 years. He tells us that he can't remember his life before my involvement. I wish I could say that this was because of my stellar parenting skills, but it is a reflection more on his age at the time we were introduced. Several months ago Mr. Big Momma took Baby Momma back to court since she was prepared to pull him out of school and homeschool him. He also wanted to see if he could get more normal split-parent time, since Jr. is only over Monday and Wednesday evening and every other weekend. It was a battle that left us with scars-o-plenty. They were worth it though, because we won. Ohio has shared custody rules that are to be abided by when both parents can't agree on how the child's time is spent. These rules specify that the child will spend the first half of summer break with one parent, the second have with the other. The Monday/Wednesday/Every Other Weekend rules apply to the parent who does not have the child full time. So, for the first time ever, Jr. is spending the first half of the summer with us.

So, with all that being said, I made the decision to postpone summer teaching until Jr. was in college. My new full time, half of the summer job is as a stay at home mom. Yes you heard that right. I, Big Momma am a SAHM! Who would have believed that I would have ever had this title? Certainly not me. Or my mom for that matter. Mom, are you still with me or have you fallen out of your chair? My new job is the reason for my super duper sunny disposition. Things are going quite well and I have found that I am pretty good at it. I have certainly had practice at being a mom, but have never done it full time. I never would have guessed how satisfying this line of work is. We have been packing activities into our days and around Jr.'s social life. So far we have shoe shopped, vacation clothes shopped (the boy wants to look GOOD! Got the ladies to impress, ya know!), attempted to pick strawberries (more on this later), played tennis, applied for his passport, taken the dog for long walks in the ravine, visited the Park of Roses (gorgeous), watched movies, visited Mr. Big Momma's office for lunch, talked and just enjoyed each other's company. Jr. is obviously not the typical teenager. I am so surprised that he is so willing to spend time with us! No eye rolling, no groans, just laughter, Napoleon Dynamite quotes and good times. I figure that he just doesn't get this type of attention or normalcy at home, so he soaks it up while with us. Plus, I am a better cook and love to feed hungry mouths. And let me tell you, he is ALWAYS hungry. We have made one trip so far to Costco this week and will probably have to make another in a few days. That boy can eat!

Enjoy the summer and this wonderfully cool evening that we are having!!!

Craptacular

Just thought I'd share. While doing my "business" on my office toilet, I actually caught my head bobbing as I began to fall asleep. Time to pack it in for the night.

Slackerbigmomma

Tomorrow is Friday, yeah! My plan you ask? To sit outside and drink as many beers as possible before I fall into the ravine and roll to the bottom.

So here it is, a few minutes till 8 on Thursday night. Is there something wrong with me because I feel like a slacker for ending my work day so early? I do not recall, in the past few months, ending my work day while it was still light. Please let me know if you think I should seek psychiatric help...unfortunately I will have to wait until June as I'm just too busy right now....