I’m not posting this on social media, so if you stumble across this…congrats?

1. I have a strange habit. I sucked my thumb until I was 8. While I did this, I would touch (couldn’t find a less creepy word) a blanket. It always had to be silky, so sometimes it would be a dress slip, sometimes a swimsuit and finally a pink polyester, oh so soft robe. The thumb sucking left but the robe (Robey) stayed. I’ve gone without it before (to camp, some vacations, etc.) and I seriously think I would live if the robe went up in flames. It’s just something I like to hold on to while TV watching, reading, surfing the internets… I’ve actually tried Googling to see if others share this same habit…alas, I haven’t found anyone yet.

2. It’s hard finding things to write that won’t completely mortify my husband. I mean he didn’t even want me to blog about the time he caught the house on fire. But this isn’t about him. So I don’t think he’ll mind. Hubs and I were married very young. I was 19 and he was, gasp, 18. Bird was born a little over a year later when I was 20. Because of my lack of focus and my award winning slacker-dom I never made it to college. This is seriously embarrassing to me and hopefully I will get there some day. You know, like the same day I suddenly forget to procrastinate and miraculously become organized and motivated.

3. I was a bully. And I feel terrible about it. I was a tiny, tiny child. I was almost always the smallest kid in my class and I had a lot of anger about not having control over my life. I took this out on others. They were never smaller than me. I was more of a physical bully than a verbal one. It was almost always a one-off thing. Until I was in High School. My buddies and I would go to the Junior High to pick up one of my siblings when we would drive by this one girl and yell, “Jenny Craig!” Which brings me to:

4. I am now a big girl, and holy karma, I am enrolled at Jenny Craig. Which leads me to the reason I am a big girl:

5. I was diagnosed with severe depression and OCD (thoughts only) 11 years ago, although I’m sure was suffering way before that. I’d been a runner, and weighed a little less than 100 lbs. This was after my second kid. I got on meds, which was very necessary. I was fine in most ways–including weight wise for about 7 years until they stopped working. I was switched to a different med and I packed on the pounds. I switched back to the old ones, but it was no use. Now losing weight is a VERY slow process. –The only reason I can write about this now is because I’m borrowing on the courage of others. Lauren, The Bloggess and other bloggers occasionally write about their struggles, which makes me feel less alone and helps me to realize that depression is not something to be ashamed of.

Whew! Glad that’s over.

Tell me your five!!! Ya know, if you feel like it.

The kids were not thrilled. The house is NOT ship-shape.

2.  Sold even more cookies. My favorite part was eating barbecue. It was windy and cooooolllllddd.

3. So the next day I had a fever and had to miss a fabulous GNO which involved EATING and bowling. One of which I am much better at than the other. Bet you can’t tell which.

4. Tuesday Bird was home chillin’ cause he’d been up all night at a friends house.

Textual proof:

Me- Are u spinning the night at GPS?

Bird-Yes. The whole night. Spinning in large tea cups.

Don’t you just love how prim he is in his texts?

5. That very same day I took the kids to the park. Well, two of them anyway.

6. I wanted to make Bird jealous of the fun we were having, so smarty that I am I didn’t send the pics I took with my phone but texted him instead.

Me-There are kids your age here

Bird-Ok.

Me-They’re having lots of fun

Bird-Ok.

Me-One of them has blue skin and green teeth

Bird-You should take a picture!

Me-I tried. No image. Eerie.

Bird-Weird looking vampire thats immune to sunlight?

Me-I think the blue skin protects him.

Bird-Oh ok.

7. The girl and I went to Girl Scouts and I snapped this flattering pic. That’s pollen on my nose.

8. Wednesday we went to pick up boxes from a food bank when the TRE went screeching by. I wondered later if using my flash was disruptive to the driver. Then I remembered that it’s a train. On rails.

9. Thursday we went back to the park and had a picnic. It was windy. And expensive. This week we all promised not to eat out and then we’d go to Kincaid’s on Friday. So instead of spending $20-$25 at Subway, we went to Albertson’s and spent $33. But we didn’t eat out!

10. That night we decided to go to Kincaid’s.

11. I found this great recipe for Seasoned Chicken Strips. It was sooooo good and healthy. What a combo. You’ll have to click the link to see the final product. I was so good about my before shots, and completely neglected the after (maybe because the food was ready?) But that’s okay since mine looked just like the pic on the site.

12. The girl and Max decidedly not enjoying Ship Shape Spring Break:

13. My cat:

No photos!

14. My other cat:

15. Both cats!

This is the closest they've ever been without fighting.

One member of my family escaped the virus that held the rest of us hostage this week. And boy, was he ever proud of it. I guess he deserved to sit this one out since he is the kid with asthma, and has already had shingles in his short 13 years. But it sure is grating when he has his smug “I feel fine” smirk and reminds us every hour on the hour that he’s so amazed that he’s the only one who hasn’t gotten sick.

Do I sound bitter?

What I didn’t do: read a book. Not even one! My only outings were picking the well child up from school…no libraries or bookstores for me. I did read Time magazine cover to cover. You wouldn’t believe all the crap going on in the world.

What I did do: Walk around with a can of Lysol every day spraying everything, including the couch. I don’t even know if that works. I did it anyway.

Wash every linen I could on HOT.

Broke hearts when I reminded the sickies that if you miss school you don’t play computer.

Pimp fluids like my life depended on it.

Remind everyone that coughs and sneezes go in the crook of your arm (or a kleenex–aka roll of tp). I am not amused by the light speed breaking force and sound of your most impressive spewage.

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Make-up-school-work week–here I come!