No Pain, No Gain?

I'm pretty sure that when whoever coined the phrase, "No pain, no gain," they were referring to getting in shape. However, tonight I'm pretty sure that applies to cleaning house today for approximately 11 hours. 

My accomplishment - a deep clean on the kitchen and I'm not even done yet. 

I'd like to say this was just a moseying around the kitchen and doing some dishes, taking a break then playing around on Facebook. Not. So. Much. 

For whatever reason under the sun, no one had done dishes all week. I got pissed. And when I reach a certain level of pissed, I clean. I've been that way my entire adult life. 

So the dishes got done, the counters were all scrubbed down, the outside of the cabinets were all scrubbed down and then were taken care of with Old English Oil, the walls were scrubbed down... well... I think you get the picture. 

There is; however, one thing that vexed me beyond belief I was trying to take care of and didn't manage - replacing the lightbulbs in the fridge. 

Son of a purple dragon. 

My darling hubby went out and bought me 3 new bulbs. Three. Because THREE of the four are out. 

I put one in. No workie. I checked the filaments. They're all good. Perplexed, I tried the bulb in the socket in the freezer. No workie. I left that bulb there and went to pull the other burned out bulb (#3) from  the fridge side and found someone spilled something down the back of the fridge that has hardened like cement. 

For all that is holy... really? Can you not clean up the mess you spill? Is it that freakin' difficult? 

I slammed the fridge door shut; I got out the parsley cleaner,  Windex (TM), Lysol (TM), etc... and started scrubbing the bathroom which too disgusted me. 

I'm sitting here writing now at 0101 because after the long, long day, I took a hot shower in the somewhat cleaner bathroom and I'm having to let my hair dry a bit before I get in bed. (Plus no other guild members are on Warcraft right now and that's kind of a bummer.)

Why?

Unexpectedly, the fruits of my womb had my "other daughter from another mother" spend the night and I can't run the hair dryer. That and if I wake darling hubby, I will probably regret it more than I do trying to move my back or legs at the moment. 

So yes. This is not my usual post. I'll be back to my regularly scheduled programming a bit later. (After I get some sleep and finish cleaning the bathroom if I can actually move...tomorrow.) 

The Best Days of Our Lives

"Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road

Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go 

So make the best of this test, and don't ask why

It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time..."

- Green Day-

Eldest graduates high school in three weeks. Its seems like it has been a lifetime and I suppose it has - hers. But the lifetime I'm actually referring to is mine. As as today is Mother's Day, I'm a little more introspective than usual. 

It's been 24 years since my high school graduation and when Youngest graduates next year, it will be 25. A quarter of a century. For the life of me, I have no idea where most of it went.  

Prom

My eldest and I had a short discussion last night as she was upset because she didn't go to her senior prom. She worked at a job she hates and she closed - which meant she didn't get off work and home til after midnight. She mentioned to me who was crowned "Prom King." I suppose when I was 18 that meant something to someone, but in the overall scheme of things, I'm sure my 18 year old self didn't really give a shit. My 42 year old self feels the same. Prom King and Queen is nothing more than a popularity contest and the real world doesn't really operate that way. My darlings will find that out soon enough. 

A few other thoughts on prom: For the love of God, it's expensive. Prom dresses run hundreds to thousands of dollars. Tuxedo rentals are freakishly expensive too. It's a racket. When I was a kid, I fell in love with this pretty, BIG poofy white prom dress. It was a size 16 and I had it cut down to between an 8 and a 10. I always figured I would wear it again as a wedding dress, but by the time I got married, that really didn't happen. The dress was expensive back in the 80's and I have to wonder if I should have just saved some money and wore jeans and a t-shirt and been more comfortable all night.  At least my red Converse tennis shoes saved my feet the burden of wearing heels all night. Best shoe decision ever made. 

Some of the songs played at my prom:

INXS - Need You Tonight

Poison - Every Rose Has It's Thorn

Breathe - Hands to Heaven

Def Leppard - Pour Some Sugar on Me

Terrence Trent D'Arby - Wishing Well

Patrick Swayze - She's Like the Wind

Information Society - What's on Your Mind (Pure Energy)

Bobby Brown - Don't Be Cruel

Whitney Houston - So Emotional

Bon Jovi - Bad Medicine

Friends

I do remember many of the popular girls and guys in high school; however, and there are a few of them I still think kindly on to this day because they were naturally charismatic and never looked down their noses at others because they weren't just like them. I think it's only appropriate that I tell them now I appreciate them. I'm also glad I learned the lesson young to take care to look past appearances and get to know the meat of a person before judging them. 

My bestie and I became friends in high school. In looking back, I still think it's funny that a tall, leggy blonde would be friends with a tomboy like me. But then again, there's that appearance thing I was talking about earlier. Obviously she didn't care either. We just hit it off and we've been friends for almost 30 years now. I can't imagine a day when I couldn't pick up the phone and say, "Dude... you would not believe...." 

In high school, we made a pact to never fight over boys All girlfriends should have that agreement. It would save a lot of problems down the road.  I had a crush on Shaun. She ended up married to him. Today... that's probably the best thing that could have happened to either of us. (God bless ya buddy.) 

My other friends in high school, I still keep in touch with now after losing touch for so many years. Facebook is a wonderful thing sometimes. (Now sounding like I'm 95 years old....) Back in the day.... when we all went off to college or whatever, we didn't have cell phones, we had to write letters to keep up with folks and because life is what it is, we got busy and it all fell by the wayside. I know Facebook and Twitter and whatever other media isn't the greatest for heart to hearts, but it is a good way to say, "Hey, I'm thinking about you." I kinda dig that. 

The Future

I still have the same argument I had in high school with my math teachers. I'm never going to need advanced math, why do I need to know it? It took me 20+ years to get my associates degree because of college algebra, which I had to take something like 5 different times - go back and take all the remedial math classes first etc. Without YouTube videos with many different instructors explaining the concepts, I never would have passed. And why? Why do I need a 2 year degree? A bachelors? A Masters? Doctorate? I'm still trying to figure that out.

We push our children toward a higher education (which has an ever growing cost) to have a plan for their lives? Is this correct? Or is it a fall back plan? Or what is it? I'm sure at one time I was certain, but I can honestly say that I'm really not. What does the piece of paper gain you unless you want to BE something SPECIFIC such as a veterinarian, a lawyer, a doctor, etc...? For all the kids who don't know, I say take the basics so you don't have to remember them 20 years later when you might need a piece of paper with your name on it and let the rest falls where it falls.  

We always ask our children what they want to be when they grow up. I'm 42 and I can't answer that question. Sure,  I have always wanted to be two things: a cop and a writer. I have done many different things along the way on my path of growing up, but at the heart of things, I have successfully attempted both and learned that I'm much more suited to one than the other, but never for heart and lack of trying. I just should have done one of them much, much sooner. (Something I hope my girls never do: delay the inevitable.)

Advice

Jobs: There is going to come a point with my children that I have to give them some advice as to their future and I can only tell them to try and figure out what they have passion for. Then to go for what they want with all of their heart and determination. IF they can do that, they will succeed; because even if they fail by mortal men's standards, there is still success in the fact they gave it their all.

Marriage: Marriage is a give and take. Marry your best friend. If your best friend EVER becomes violent or hits you, get the "F" out and never look back. You are too precious to be someone's whipping post. 

Cooking: Learn to cook a few meals - even if they are very simple. 

Cleaning: Borax and Baking Soda are wonders. Do NOT mix bleach and ammonia. If for some reason you do... RUN... do not walk to the nearest exit - poisonous gasses are created when you do that. 

Call 911 for emergency help. If you really don't think it's that bad, then at least call Poison Control for advice on handling the after-effects of exposure and cleaning up the chemicals. The number for Poison Control is:1-800-222-1222

Vehicles: When buying a new vehicle - remember, the value of the vehicle drops BIGTIME as soon as you drive it off the lot. If possible. buy a really nice used vehicle - have it checked out by a good mechanic before you buy it and pay cash if possible.

Credit Cards: There is no reason to ever have one. This is the single biggest mistake I have ever made in my life. Getting a credit card - especially before the age of 21 is EXTREMELY STUPID AND UNWISE. There is never a reason to have one if you 1) have a debit card and 2) pay cash for what you need. "Lines of Credit" are a myth perpetuated by the finance community so they will make money off of loaning you money. Avoid it if possible. 

Debt: DO NOT GO INTO DEBT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot stress this enough.

Ok.... I think this is about it for now. I just wanted to get a few things off my chest and I feel a bit better now. Hopefully at some point in time, this will make much more sense to my two darling daughters. 

Ciao for now...

Celeste

Day 22 - Not So Sunny Sunday

I'm sitting here looking at my desk at the casa and all I can ask is, "How does it get this messy so quickly?" I guess junk mail is the majority of it (and mess is relative to any given person. Mine is just cluttered, not exactly "messy.") And the good Lord knows that I have no intention of letting my desk look like mother's kitchen table. Heavens that would be bad... I tend to be a pack-rat and I can probably justify most of the stuff I have kept throughout the years; however, the older I get and the worse mother's hoarding gets pushes me to the other extreme and I've started throwing out a bunch of stuff.

If you are wanting to know the difference between hoarding and collecting, there's a pretty observable definition. Hoarding is when the items collected intrude on the living conditions, lifestyle and ability to use areas of the home for their intended purpose. For example, when you are sleeping on the couch or in a chair because you can't make it to your bed, you are a hoarder. Another example is when you are eating off a tv tray in the bedroom because the dining room and kitchen table are covered with stuff, you are a hoarder. If the quality of the air you breath is diminished and you don't even realize it because you are in the stench all the time, you are a hoarder. If you are keeping random items long after the use they were intended for, then you are a hoarder. I'm not saying all of these things apply to my mother, but I can honestly say that she does have a problem.

My brother in law, John, is the opposite of a hoarder. He and my sister live in a wonderful apartment in Manhattan and have an office on one of the most famous streets in the world. Because New York living standards are different from the midwest, it's easy to see how he is able to keep things to a minimum. I admire the ability to do that. And usually about the time their spring cleaning / fall cleaning starts, I sit around at the house and start asking myself, "Ok, time to clean out some of this crap. What goes first?"

With this being said, now is a good time for Life Lesson #22 Cleanliness is next to godliness.

It's an old expression, but in case you were looking for some motivation to actually clean up the casa, here's a list to help you get motivated.


1) Insects. The cleaner you keep your room the less likely that there are creepy crawlies hiding in corners, in your shoes, or otherwise populating a space that should be yours alone.

2) Cleaner rooms are healthier rooms. A lot of people are allergic to dust mites or dust itself. It's bad enough that your messy decor might be making you sick, but if your room is literally making you sick that can lead to feeling awful and possibly preoccupying your immune system so when a cold or flu bug comes your way, you might be too run down to fight it off as well as you otherwise would.

3) When you can find all of your clothes, and they are clean and neatly put away, you can actually wear all of them and vary your wardrobe, which is very cool. This can prevent you from getting bored with your stuff, and even better, prevent you from wasting money on stuff you already have.

4) Cleaning gets rid of some other nasties: It eliminates food and body shed skin that roaches dine upon as well as the stink from oily bed clothing. (I'm thinking I need to do a wash load right now because I'm fairly grossed out by #4.)

5) Pride. If you have a messy room / house, when you have company over they may tell their friends. They may also say something if your room / house smells bad. When friends and family come to call, they don't want to trip over anything, break anything, or sit there with a hankie covering their face because your room smells like decomposing food, old gym shorts, wet dog or what have you.

And a final note taken slightly out of context, the Bible also promotes keeping things clean. This also includes our bodies and our spirits. When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.'Luke 11:25. and the rest of the story at Matthew 12:44 When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order.

Food & Drink #22 The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook. —Julia Child

Food tally for the day:
Breakfast: 2 homemade oatmeal cookies and some hot tea
Morning Snack: TBA
Lunch: TBA
Afternoon Snack: TBA
Dinner: TBA

Feeding the Spirit #22 “May the God of peace… equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (Hebrews 13:20-21).

Day 14 - Saturday

This morning I got up, got ready for work and went. Ok... I have one Saturday a month where I actually do work for a few hours. I teach a curfew class at the police department. Basically the kids who were cited for breaking curfew AND their parents have to come in. If they take the class, the citation is dismissed - but it's ONLY for the first offense. After that, the kids can end up being fined up to $500 and the judges typically aren't very lenient. Amarillo is the only city in the state that has a class like this and I like to think it's effective. I haven't gone back to check on the status of repeat offenders, but one of these days I will.

I really can't say that I've done a lot today. I managed to work, do 4 loads of laundry (yes... 4 loads and have approximately 4 to go!!!!) and to clean the master bathroom, but nothing else really spectacular. I'm still not feeling quite up to snuff. I think; however, that resting is a good thing considering I probably need to. However, I have a small problem with every time I feel like crap, I have an urge to clean. Maybe it was the going through 6 operations in 7 years, but I doubt it. When I was a kid, the only time my bedroom was spic-and-span was when I was sick. Couldn't stand to be in a room that was dirty. Still can't when I'm sick. I've been known to clean the bedroom with a 102 degree fever. Can I blame Mommy Dearest for that?

Lower back / kidneys still hurting today. I'm really hoping this mess will be over soon. I go to the doctor Tuesday morning - AND - I'm taking the entire day off. Woot! Or Not. Apparently the tests are not so pleasant, which is really why I took the day off.

Life Lesson #14

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.” - Charles Swindoll-

I found this quote and really need to take it more to heart. There are times I don't and have a crummy attitude in spite of my circumstances. And the good Lord knows, there's already enough negativity and pessimism in the family to go around.

Health & Fitness #14 Tips for the day: 6 Ways to beat Breast Cancer (by CG)
1) Watch your weight. Every 11 pounds you gain as an adult increases your chance for postmenopausal breast cancer 3-5%
2) Eat right - Low in fat, red meat and refined sugar and high in fruits and veggies. Vitamin D may also play an important role, so make sure you get your fair share.
3) Get moving - 30 minutes of exercise three times a week is enough to reduce the risk
4) Go to bed earlier - Women who regularly sleep 6 or less hours a night are 62% more likely to develop breast cancer than those who get 7+ hours a night.
5) Kick the habit - smoking increases the risk by up to 30%
6) Think before you drink - Drinking even one glass of wine a day is linked to an increased risk for breast cancer - two drinks can up the tally by more than 20%

Food & Drink #14 After reading the previous list not admitting to anything.

Food tally for the day:
Breakfast:
Morning Snack:
Lunch:
Afternoon Snack:
Dinner:

Feeding the Spirit #14

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”