Reading Again

I am in love with the Kindle App on my iPhone.  Before children entered my life, I loved to read.  I'm one of those people that would pick up a book and would not put it down until the last word was read, cover to cover, eyes bleary, hours at a time.  I came to a point in my life that getting any amount of sleep out weighed anything to be learned from reading.  I turned to magazines.  Tons of them.  Being able to read the short articles got me through those years without books.  Then I got an iPhone, downloaded the Kindle Application and have been reacquainted with an old love...books.  I have read 36 books in the last 6 months.  That is more books than I have read in the last 18 years!  All of the books I have read have been freebies, I figure as long as there are free ones, I'll read them and then move on to ones that cost money.  The reason I have been able to read so much now is the portability.  I always have my phone with me, therefore I always have the book I'm reading with me. Waiting on My Favorite to get out of drama practice, I can read.  During lunch, waiting at the doctor's office, or sitting on the toilet (TMI, I know) I can read.    I admit that I have lost some hours of sleep, not being able to put my book down and then regretted it in the morning when the BIG Man woke up extra early.  But.It.Felt.GOOD!!!!  I feel like I'm getting some of me back.  It feels good to do something I like to do.

Playing Favorites

Against the rules, I have a favorite child.  My daughter is a trooper!  Having a sibling with a disability is not an easy thing.  Children with disabilities unintentionally monopolize everyone's time and attention.  In our family the younger sibling is typical.  She has never known any difference, but she has felt it none the less.  Reading her a story, playing a game going to the movies was always interrupted by her big brother.   Even if we had a sitter, we got calls interrupting our together time. Her toys were broken, her space invaded, and her life different than everyone else.  She went through a time that she was jealous of every ounce of attention paid to him.  She pointed out that everyone who came to visit always greeted him first often forgetting to acknowledge her.  I doubted her at first and after observing  for a while, I found it to be true.  What an ego crusher!  Don't get me wrong, I love both my children equally. But I do have a favorite...who could resist those big blue eyes, the sweet freckles on her nose,  the way she cares about others!  She signs her notes and cards:  from your favorite child.  And she's right.

Close To YOOOOOOOU!

Why do birds suddenly appear, every tiiiiiiime you are neeeear?  Just like me they long to be close to yooou~ Just like me, they long to be, close to yooooou! 
Yes, I am insane, thanks to Big Marv.  Every year he buys the kids a Valentine.  This year was no exception.  The usual a valentine card and a tiny heart box of chocolates, which isn't too bad cause it only has three pieces and they don't like them and I get to eat them.  This year there was a stuffed animal in the Wal-Mart bag. Not only a stuffed animal, but an ugly bearilla (bear/gorilla I can't really tell which one)  hand puppet that sings "Close To You".  I don't want to seem ungrateful, but I am. 
My children are teenagers.  The oldest-BIG Man- has autism.  What does that have to do with this story? EVERYTHING! BIG Man likes to do things over and over and over. He just can't stop himself.   So, I have been subjected to this bearilla singing that stupid song a bazillion times in a row.  I found myself humming  at work today. Stuck in my brain like a mouse on a glue trap...squeaking, and wiggling and clawing its way out of my brain to be shared with the unlucky within earshot.    Then, my co-worker started singing along. A duet.We had a good giggle about the whole thing and kept on singing.   Went to lunch today and got a goofy grin from a dude in big sunglasses.  I wondered if I had a booger hanging out of my nose or if there was something wrong with him, but then realized that I had been singing the song aloud.  Tonight,  I'm sitting here typing on my laptop, singing along to Bearilla and the BIG Man.  
Will it ever end?

Geneology

Have you ever wondered where you came from?  NO, not the birds and the bees! We know that, but who were those people that met and started your family so long ago.  The people we call ancestors?  I have seen my family's history  traced way, way back to the early 1800's or maybe earlier. Of course I was a teenager at the family reunion and I wasn't real thrilled to be spending my Sunday afternoon with a bunch of weird, old people talking about some old dead guy that lived in Ireland being my Great, Great, Great, Great Grandfather.   I had relatives (who obviously were the ones that contributed the gene that gave my son autism)  traced the family back to the country of origin. I guess that eventually everyone wonders who they got their temper from, or what genes may have caused them to be prone to allergies.  There are many sites out there that you can use to find out your family's heritage. I haven't really had the urge to use one, because I guess I have a pretty large family that tells stories about my great grandparents  boot-legging whiskey and burying thousands of dollars in a gallon jar under the floor of the chicken house.   
On the other hand, my DH doesn't know much about his family. He didn't know either of his grandfathers.His father's father died of a heart attack while his father was a teenager forcing him to be the man of the house.  His mother's father was allegedly the town drunk and he doesn't remember ever meeting him or his mother talking about him.   DH was lucky enough to meet both his grandmother's though. His father's mother was a cook for the school system.  She liked to cook and I actually got to meet her.  Although, she was convinced that we related and shouldn't get married.  That's another story.  She was quite the doozie! DH tells stories of playing baseball with her and his cousins in her yard and the fun times they had on the holidays.  She would fall asleep on the couch and snore loudly, but deny it and say she was resting her eyes.  His mother's mother was very close to him.  She taught him to do many things.  She was a tough old biddy and drove a truck (semi) until she retired.  He was her right hand man and they spent lots of time together.  She taught him to fish, work on cars, and to be a man.  She died while he was in high school from cancer.   Maybe we should start a search or I should ask his relatives for more information about his family so he can know his family tree. I don't think he really cares, or if he does he never says so.  One thing is for sure, the way he sleeps and snores--- he's a direct descendant of Rip Van Winkle!

To Blog or Not To Blog? Is That The Question?

I have been contemplating for days about starting a blog.  I love reading blogs and always think, "I should try blogging", but I just never have taken that first step.  I read several different types of blogs and love them all for different reasons.  Maybe it's that voyeuristic feeling of getting to peek into other peoples lives to see if they are as weird or perhaps weirder than me.  I.don't.know!  I find myself being drawn in by those people that can tell a story about themselves or recount events that have happened to them in a realistic way...they write just like they are sitting there personally telling you the story.  I have mulled over in my mind, "what do I have to tell people about that is interesting?" The answer is nothing.  I'm ordinary, just plain ordinary.  I don't really do anything exciting. I can cook.  I'm not a great cook, I really don't even like to cook.  I just like reading cook books. I even join recipe sharing sites and read blogs of all these people that can cook.  I also love the freebie and coupon blogs.  I got really into it at one time.  I know how to do it, but man, it can be a pain in the butt!  Grocery shopping for 3 or 4 hours is not my cup of tea.  Yeah, I saved $100 bucks on the order, but really?  After a while it gets old being an extreme coupon lady and those checkout people can get pretty testy. But, I salute those who can do it! I do like telling all my friends about great deals, and I do love shopping!  So,what in the heck am I going to blog about?   OK, I made up my mind! I think...
If Jerry Seinfeld can have a show about nothing, then why do I have to narrow my choice down to just one thing?  Maybe I have a coupon for a free recipe that I need to share with the world...I don't but let's just say I do. What kind of blog would that fit into?  What if I'm feeling all fashionista? Not likely, but I could take some pictures of myself all glammed up and ta da! There you go!  That would not fit in with a cooking blog, maybe a coupon/ freebie blog if I got the outfit all cheap or something.  What about if I hit the super lotto and I get to go traveling.  Not just taking my DD to an amusement park, no real traveling like to a winery! Or maybe someplace that has nice cushy beds and those robes you walk around in and sip coffee on a balcony.  Of course I would still do a check for bedbugs!  I am not about to sleep tight and let a bed bug bite me!  So, I have decided that...I'm going to have an Undecided Blog...I think.