My husband asked us to schedule a day to meet him downtown to have lunch. Today seemed like a good day since the boys were in camp until 11 am and I was not going to be in workout clothes all morning (as is the case most days). As he was saying goodbye this morning, he asks me if I was bringing lunch. I am pretty sure he invited us to lunch. Wouldn't that mean he would either take us out or he would make it?
We went to this really neat deli place known for their tea. It was delicious.
The older boys are in Golf Camp Monday through Wednesday this week. So far they have been happy with all of the camps they have attended this summer.
This past weekend, we went out with some neighbors. One of our friends is celebrating her 40th birthday in August. She planned her own party, a beach get-away towards the end of August. Many people are not going to be able to make it to the beach, so my neighbor forced (strong word but this is my opinion) birthday girl's husband into a smaller celebration with a few neighbors. They actually gave him the option of doing a party in their backyard, they would do all the work if he funded it. That idea was nixed. The outing was planned for this past Saturday and we literally did not know what we were doing until Friday evening. An even then the plan was not solid.
So we headed downtown and were lucky enough to be seated at one of my favorite restaurants. It was a slow dinner but it was delicious. We then headed over to the Pier to hear the Beach Boys. It turned out to be a lot of fun. John Stamos plays the drums at some of their concerts. Cutey! We got as close as we could to get a good look, he is shorter than I expected.....but still nice to look at.
My car started acting up this weekend while my husband was driving it. We have been talking about replacing my car as we have sunk a lot of money into it. It is almost 9 years old but I love it and I will have a hard time parting with it. If you haven't figured it out, this falls into the not so fun category. We had it towed and found out that the cylinders were not working correctly. $$$$ ugh! We are still trying to figure out what to do about a new car.
We wouldn't be so concerned if we weren't just about to leave on vacation for 2 weeks. Yes, that is right the beach followed by some time at my parent's house in Florida. Two weeks is a long time for me to be away.
I have so much to do between now and the weekend. My friend, who is in town because of her brother being hospitalized, is coming over tomorrow to spend some time with us. Good in that now I really have to get my house cleaned up. No worries I have spent a good part of the afternoon cleaning.
As I was cleaning, Jay looks at me and say "Mom, why are you cleaning?" My response, "you really just asked me that?" It is like I never clean around here.
Showing posts with label Neighbors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Neighbors. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
I know you missed it!
I know you must be surprised that I have not ranted in a long time. Truth be told, I have had many situations just no time to sit and write. I can't remember most of the situations, which is probably a good thing. But there is one that has been lingering around.
I have a neighbor that I have spoken about many times, I will call her Lizzie. She rarely seems to be happy with anything and she lies a lot. Most recently I posted about her here and here. After the last incident regarding baseball, I decided I needed to get along with her or it would be a LONG baseball season. So I buried the hatchet and that was that. We picked up her child for a baseball game or two and she was able to help me out one time. I did not let it get much further than that.
I noticed that she has many people convinced that she is super Mom who is always willing to do anything for you. Of course, she complains behind their backs about what she has done for them.
It seems like the lies are so silly. For example, the other day she stopped by to drop money off for the bus driver. She made mention of going up to the school with Popsicles on the wrong day. The dry ice gave out and the Popsicles were melted and disfigured. My neighbor who happened to be standing there asked where she had gotten the dry ice. Lizzie mentioned that she got it at the grocery store with the exact location. My next door neighbor had mentioned that she was just there looking for dry ice but they said they did not sell it any more. Lizzie said yes they do that is where I always get it from.
So my next door neighbor just happens to be at the store the next day and asks about dry ice. The cashier said they have not sold dry ice in about 6 months. Now really, what is the deal?
I have so many stories about Lizzie that it would make your head spin. I have such a hard time believing anything that comes out of her mouth.
There is one thing that was the last straw. I collected money to give a gift to our coach. I like the boys' baseball coach and know that he spent an enormous amount of time with our children. My husband was an assistant coach with one other person and then there was one person who took score the entire season. Most of these people were at every practice and game including my husband. The team also had help from several of the other Dads.
Lizzie said that she would get picture frames for the other coaches. She would have the boys sign the matting (which they did), put the coaches name at the top and put the picture in the frame. We agreed to have it completed by the last regular season game. So I made sure I had collected money from everyone and purchased a gift card that morning for the coach.
Lizzie gets to the game empty handed. She said she was having issues with the picture size. She asked if I wanted to wait until one of the following games to present the coach's gift. I told her that I was doing it that day. That is what I had planned on not to mention that I had to make a special trip to get the card.
The next time I saw her, no picture frames. I am sure you guessed that none of the other coaches received their gift. That makes me incredibly angry. If I would have know she was going to flake out I would have taken things into my own hands. I just felt a little awkward since my husband was one of the coaches.
I will always be cordial when I see her. I will wave to her as she drives by my house. But my hope is that our paths will not cross in the future. I don't think her son will be playing baseball in the fall. The boys were on the same basketball team in the winter, so I need to make sure to be a little more involved during evaluations.
I have never met anyone like here. I wonder if there are more people like her out there?
I have a neighbor that I have spoken about many times, I will call her Lizzie. She rarely seems to be happy with anything and she lies a lot. Most recently I posted about her here and here. After the last incident regarding baseball, I decided I needed to get along with her or it would be a LONG baseball season. So I buried the hatchet and that was that. We picked up her child for a baseball game or two and she was able to help me out one time. I did not let it get much further than that.
I noticed that she has many people convinced that she is super Mom who is always willing to do anything for you. Of course, she complains behind their backs about what she has done for them.
It seems like the lies are so silly. For example, the other day she stopped by to drop money off for the bus driver. She made mention of going up to the school with Popsicles on the wrong day. The dry ice gave out and the Popsicles were melted and disfigured. My neighbor who happened to be standing there asked where she had gotten the dry ice. Lizzie mentioned that she got it at the grocery store with the exact location. My next door neighbor had mentioned that she was just there looking for dry ice but they said they did not sell it any more. Lizzie said yes they do that is where I always get it from.
So my next door neighbor just happens to be at the store the next day and asks about dry ice. The cashier said they have not sold dry ice in about 6 months. Now really, what is the deal?
I have so many stories about Lizzie that it would make your head spin. I have such a hard time believing anything that comes out of her mouth.
There is one thing that was the last straw. I collected money to give a gift to our coach. I like the boys' baseball coach and know that he spent an enormous amount of time with our children. My husband was an assistant coach with one other person and then there was one person who took score the entire season. Most of these people were at every practice and game including my husband. The team also had help from several of the other Dads.
Lizzie said that she would get picture frames for the other coaches. She would have the boys sign the matting (which they did), put the coaches name at the top and put the picture in the frame. We agreed to have it completed by the last regular season game. So I made sure I had collected money from everyone and purchased a gift card that morning for the coach.
Lizzie gets to the game empty handed. She said she was having issues with the picture size. She asked if I wanted to wait until one of the following games to present the coach's gift. I told her that I was doing it that day. That is what I had planned on not to mention that I had to make a special trip to get the card.
The next time I saw her, no picture frames. I am sure you guessed that none of the other coaches received their gift. That makes me incredibly angry. If I would have know she was going to flake out I would have taken things into my own hands. I just felt a little awkward since my husband was one of the coaches.
I will always be cordial when I see her. I will wave to her as she drives by my house. But my hope is that our paths will not cross in the future. I don't think her son will be playing baseball in the fall. The boys were on the same basketball team in the winter, so I need to make sure to be a little more involved during evaluations.
I have never met anyone like here. I wonder if there are more people like her out there?
Friday, March 19, 2010
I am getting real
There comes a time when you have to get real (as Dr. Phil would say). This is my time. The neighbor I spoke about in the previous post called me on Wednesday and asked that I return the call. I did not return the call because I knew exactly what she would say. In fact, no matter what I would say she would have an excuse. Why bother.
I do not like confrontations. I am not very good at them. I always forget to mention the important facts.
Yesterday, the Mom walked to my house after the bus stop. She approached and said she wanted to talk about the email I sent her. She was so hurt by my email and wished that I would have called her to talk about the situation. She did not think I wanted the lesson. And she is hurt that I think she is the kind of person who would do something like this.
My response was that we had a conversation in which she almost insisted we take the lesson slot. Again she replied that she did not remember, but she did remember to change the lesson on Monday from 1 hour to ½ hour since the other kids were not going to be able to make it (forgot to mention that part).
She mentioned several times how she was hurt by my email waiting for me to apologize. The apology never came. I feel like my email stated the facts and left out the other information I found out, some of it I believe to be false.
We went back and forth a few times and never really got anywhere. She was looking for an apology and I don’t know that I really wanted anything out of it.
I wish that I cared a little more but don’t for many reasons. She is the type of person who targets people that are needy, for lack of a better word. She likes to help people out but only so that she can brag about her ability to be superwoman. I can’t tell you how many stories I have heard of her having 20 kids over to play and then serving them lunch and dinner. Or she will take neighborhood kids to the movies and dinner (to nice restaurants, not fast food). She always has kids sleep over. And it really just goes on and on.
Not only does she brag about all of her kind acts but she also likes to talk about people. She doesn’t like one of her neighbors and has mentioned it to me several times. She talks about kids that she does not like her child to have as a play mate. I really could write a novel but I will not bore you with more.
This will put an end of her trying to wrap me up in something that she will not follow through with as has happened in the past. She is a neighbor and I will most certainly be cordial to her. That will be the extent. It will make for an interesting baseball season.
I do not like confrontations. I am not very good at them. I always forget to mention the important facts.
Yesterday, the Mom walked to my house after the bus stop. She approached and said she wanted to talk about the email I sent her. She was so hurt by my email and wished that I would have called her to talk about the situation. She did not think I wanted the lesson. And she is hurt that I think she is the kind of person who would do something like this.
My response was that we had a conversation in which she almost insisted we take the lesson slot. Again she replied that she did not remember, but she did remember to change the lesson on Monday from 1 hour to ½ hour since the other kids were not going to be able to make it (forgot to mention that part).
She mentioned several times how she was hurt by my email waiting for me to apologize. The apology never came. I feel like my email stated the facts and left out the other information I found out, some of it I believe to be false.
We went back and forth a few times and never really got anywhere. She was looking for an apology and I don’t know that I really wanted anything out of it.
I wish that I cared a little more but don’t for many reasons. She is the type of person who targets people that are needy, for lack of a better word. She likes to help people out but only so that she can brag about her ability to be superwoman. I can’t tell you how many stories I have heard of her having 20 kids over to play and then serving them lunch and dinner. Or she will take neighborhood kids to the movies and dinner (to nice restaurants, not fast food). She always has kids sleep over. And it really just goes on and on.
Not only does she brag about all of her kind acts but she also likes to talk about people. She doesn’t like one of her neighbors and has mentioned it to me several times. She talks about kids that she does not like her child to have as a play mate. I really could write a novel but I will not bore you with more.
This will put an end of her trying to wrap me up in something that she will not follow through with as has happened in the past. She is a neighbor and I will most certainly be cordial to her. That will be the extent. It will make for an interesting baseball season.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Ridiculous is all I can say
I have a neighbor which I have written about some. She is the one who got my boys on her son’s basketball team. She is not happy with the public school we attend. She was mentioned in the Liars I wrote about recently. When I speak with her I never know if everything she says is BS or only part. I have gotten along with her fine until today.
Our kids are on the same baseball team. We have been practicing for the last 6 weeks. She has been taking her child to an indoor facility for additional lessons.
She mentioned that she thought it would be nice to have all 3 boys take a lesson together. I was ok with that as it would not hurt my kids to get a little more practice in before the season starts.
We spoke at the end of last month and she had 2 dates set. She thought I would send one of my kids for each lesson while her child would attend both lessons. I told her that I wanted to take both of my kids, not split them up. After a little hesitation, her response was that it should work. I gave her many opportunities to back out; including that of calling the coach first to ensure it was ok. She said that she had already spoken with him and that it was ok.
A few days prior to the lesson she calls me and says the coach said that 3 kids were too much. It would be better for me to take my 2 alone. She wanted me to take my kids to the first date but I ended up having a few conflicts. She insisted I use the second date and she would have our names put on this list.
Well, today is the day that I am supposed to take my boys for their lesson. I decided to call and verify the time. The lady at the facility knows my neighbor. She told me, my neighbor called on Monday to change the lesson to ½ hour as the other kids (that would be us) were not going to be able to make it.
I am so glad I called, because I would have been really HOT (more so than I am now) had I rushed my kids through their afternoon to get them down to the facility (30 plus minutes) only to turn around and come home.
A phone call would have been nice. I really don’t care about the lesson. It is a beautiful afternoon and now we will be able to enjoy some outside time after school.
I have emailed my neighbor regarding the situation. I decided calling her at the time was not a good idea. A few other lies were mentioned in the conversation I had with the lady at the facility. I know that she will make up some story about how she forgot or misunderstood or something. I can’t wait to hear what she has to say. I am sure it will make for another good blog post.
Our kids are on the same baseball team. We have been practicing for the last 6 weeks. She has been taking her child to an indoor facility for additional lessons.
She mentioned that she thought it would be nice to have all 3 boys take a lesson together. I was ok with that as it would not hurt my kids to get a little more practice in before the season starts.
We spoke at the end of last month and she had 2 dates set. She thought I would send one of my kids for each lesson while her child would attend both lessons. I told her that I wanted to take both of my kids, not split them up. After a little hesitation, her response was that it should work. I gave her many opportunities to back out; including that of calling the coach first to ensure it was ok. She said that she had already spoken with him and that it was ok.
A few days prior to the lesson she calls me and says the coach said that 3 kids were too much. It would be better for me to take my 2 alone. She wanted me to take my kids to the first date but I ended up having a few conflicts. She insisted I use the second date and she would have our names put on this list.
Well, today is the day that I am supposed to take my boys for their lesson. I decided to call and verify the time. The lady at the facility knows my neighbor. She told me, my neighbor called on Monday to change the lesson to ½ hour as the other kids (that would be us) were not going to be able to make it.
I am so glad I called, because I would have been really HOT (more so than I am now) had I rushed my kids through their afternoon to get them down to the facility (30 plus minutes) only to turn around and come home.
A phone call would have been nice. I really don’t care about the lesson. It is a beautiful afternoon and now we will be able to enjoy some outside time after school.
I have emailed my neighbor regarding the situation. I decided calling her at the time was not a good idea. A few other lies were mentioned in the conversation I had with the lady at the facility. I know that she will make up some story about how she forgot or misunderstood or something. I can’t wait to hear what she has to say. I am sure it will make for another good blog post.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Back to school shopping
We had a fairly low key weekend. We spent Saturday laying out by the pool. It was a cloudy day but our water was nice and warm thanks to the heater. I can't believe that I have had to heat my pool water at the end of July. This seems so wrong. It was a nice day and an early evening for the little ones.
I did have a situation arise that I did not handle well. I got a call from a boy down the street. He is the same age as my boys. He wanted to know if the boys could swim at his house. I heard him talking to his Mom and I am not positive she knew who he was calling. I did not know what to say so I told him we would have to see what was going on after lunch. After lunch came and I did not answer the phone and we were out by our pool.
I don't like it much when a child calls my child to set up play time. The parent needs to be involved and call me to discuss the specifics. This child typically comes down to play with my boys but neither parent ever comes down to talk to me. He will ask if he can play and then he will go home talk to his parents and then come back and say he can play til such and such time. How hard is it to walk a few houses down and have a conversation. There have been times when his older sister will walk him down to see if he can play here.
I am uneasy with the parental supervision in the family. I accept that everyone parents differently. I remember the time the boys were over there for maybe 1 hour to celebrate the boy's birthday. I walked down to get them and they were watching a Transformer Movie. This is NOT something I would let my children watch. On Saturday, he wanted them to swim at his house. Although I am very comfortable with how my children manage themselves in the water, I still feel they need supervision. The boy is a little on the wilder side and I think great care should be given at the pool.
Speaking of the pool. They had their pool put in this Spring. Well, not just a pool but the entire backyard has been transformed into an oasis. That is what I have heard anyway. I would really like to see it.
I will address this at some point with the Mom. Not sure how to say what I want to say but hopefully it will come out well.
Sunday brought rain into the area so we decided what better time to shop. We drove west to a really great Prime Outlet center. G*p was running their family and friends promotion (30% off) so I stocked up on school clothes for the boys. They got some very nice clothes and I feel like I saved a lot of money. The boys also got new shoes for the year. Their feet grow like crazy! The husband and I managed to buy a little something for ourselves as well. I love this outlet mall and so worth the hour drive and the whiny kids.
Speaking of whiny kids. The Tee man has really started to slip on his potty training. He has pooped in his underwear 2 times. I knew the regression would happen but I am ready for it to be over.
I did have a situation arise that I did not handle well. I got a call from a boy down the street. He is the same age as my boys. He wanted to know if the boys could swim at his house. I heard him talking to his Mom and I am not positive she knew who he was calling. I did not know what to say so I told him we would have to see what was going on after lunch. After lunch came and I did not answer the phone and we were out by our pool.
I don't like it much when a child calls my child to set up play time. The parent needs to be involved and call me to discuss the specifics. This child typically comes down to play with my boys but neither parent ever comes down to talk to me. He will ask if he can play and then he will go home talk to his parents and then come back and say he can play til such and such time. How hard is it to walk a few houses down and have a conversation. There have been times when his older sister will walk him down to see if he can play here.
I am uneasy with the parental supervision in the family. I accept that everyone parents differently. I remember the time the boys were over there for maybe 1 hour to celebrate the boy's birthday. I walked down to get them and they were watching a Transformer Movie. This is NOT something I would let my children watch. On Saturday, he wanted them to swim at his house. Although I am very comfortable with how my children manage themselves in the water, I still feel they need supervision. The boy is a little on the wilder side and I think great care should be given at the pool.
Speaking of the pool. They had their pool put in this Spring. Well, not just a pool but the entire backyard has been transformed into an oasis. That is what I have heard anyway. I would really like to see it.
I will address this at some point with the Mom. Not sure how to say what I want to say but hopefully it will come out well.
Sunday brought rain into the area so we decided what better time to shop. We drove west to a really great Prime Outlet center. G*p was running their family and friends promotion (30% off) so I stocked up on school clothes for the boys. They got some very nice clothes and I feel like I saved a lot of money. The boys also got new shoes for the year. Their feet grow like crazy! The husband and I managed to buy a little something for ourselves as well. I love this outlet mall and so worth the hour drive and the whiny kids.
Speaking of whiny kids. The Tee man has really started to slip on his potty training. He has pooped in his underwear 2 times. I knew the regression would happen but I am ready for it to be over.
Friday, June 19, 2009
The neighborhood
When we were looking in Maryland for a house I wanted to stick with a neighborhood that had an HOA. In general, I think HOA are a good thing for the community. They help regulate any riff raf that would likely bring house values down. I don't always agree with the rules of this HOA but we do comply.
Every spring, the HOA has a walk-thru of houses to ensure that everyone is in compliance and to point out "opportunities for improvement". I was shocked when I received a letter a few days ago. They said we had a major violation because we did not get approval to have a freestanding basketball hoop. I have to say this really made me mad. I forwarded the approval email I received way back when along with my opinion. I said that more time and attention should be put into the letter before they are mailed out. I am in compliance and don't feel that I should spend my time having to forward them paperwork they should have in my file. I wrote a few other things in my letter to get my point across. I have yet to hear back from them.
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I wrote a while back about clueless Mom from the bus stop. Well, she spent the rest of the school year avoiding me and would not make eye contact with me. I thought it was really funny honestly. I am not going to like everyone I come in contact with but I try to be cordial. Must be the southernness in me. I ended up making her have contact with me because I was collecting money for the bus driver. For some reason yesterday she decided it was the day to talk to me. She complimented me on my highlights, which is somewhat funny because they are growing out. She then invited the boys to come over after school today for some water play and end of school celebration. Nice gesture but it won't happen. I have to say I would not let them go over there unless I was present. They have a dog who is not friendly, a trampoline and I have heard that the father owns a gun. On top of that I have heard the child has had 11 reflection forms (a form that goes in your record when you misbehave at school). You know I am just not willing to take the chance.
Every spring, the HOA has a walk-thru of houses to ensure that everyone is in compliance and to point out "opportunities for improvement". I was shocked when I received a letter a few days ago. They said we had a major violation because we did not get approval to have a freestanding basketball hoop. I have to say this really made me mad. I forwarded the approval email I received way back when along with my opinion. I said that more time and attention should be put into the letter before they are mailed out. I am in compliance and don't feel that I should spend my time having to forward them paperwork they should have in my file. I wrote a few other things in my letter to get my point across. I have yet to hear back from them.
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I wrote a while back about clueless Mom from the bus stop. Well, she spent the rest of the school year avoiding me and would not make eye contact with me. I thought it was really funny honestly. I am not going to like everyone I come in contact with but I try to be cordial. Must be the southernness in me. I ended up making her have contact with me because I was collecting money for the bus driver. For some reason yesterday she decided it was the day to talk to me. She complimented me on my highlights, which is somewhat funny because they are growing out. She then invited the boys to come over after school today for some water play and end of school celebration. Nice gesture but it won't happen. I have to say I would not let them go over there unless I was present. They have a dog who is not friendly, a trampoline and I have heard that the father owns a gun. On top of that I have heard the child has had 11 reflection forms (a form that goes in your record when you misbehave at school). You know I am just not willing to take the chance.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
A bite is a bite
My neighbor has 2 female dogs, I will call them brown and blacky. I am not certain of the breed of either but know they are mixed. The dogs like to bark when they are outside. It can be annoying especially when it happens very early in the morning or very late at night. This was the case for a while, but they have not been keeping the dogs outside as much these days.
A few weekends ago, my neighbor got bit by blacky while he was trying to separate the dogs fighting. Actually he was trying to get blacky to stop attacking and biting brown. One trip to the ER for him and for brown and a huge vet bill later and blacky is still at the house. I hear the dogs are being kept in separate places.
I am a dog lover. But I draw the line when a dog bites anyone. I remember we had a dog growing up. She was definitely a mutt and not well trained. She would growl at us, nip at us and she also bit my neice on the lip which required stitches. Guess what the dog stayed with us because it was seen as that others were the ones responsible for the dog biting.
I have heard from both neighbors (him and her) that the dogs are so sweet separately but not when they are together. The whole Alpha dog things with 2 females. They are defending blacky even though she bit the other dog and the owner. Open your eyes people! His 2 preteen children live in the house also.
So when my other neighbor asked her daughter to get her arm out of the fence to blacky's backyard, the owner was quick to defend the dog. My neighbor made it very clear that her daughter should never stick her hand through any one's fence to where there is a dog. She also made it very clear that the dog bit him. I am glad someone said it.
We are always careful is Tee is outside to ensure he is not near the fence. The dog scares me and I am hoping they find a home for her very soon.
A few weekends ago, my neighbor got bit by blacky while he was trying to separate the dogs fighting. Actually he was trying to get blacky to stop attacking and biting brown. One trip to the ER for him and for brown and a huge vet bill later and blacky is still at the house. I hear the dogs are being kept in separate places.
I am a dog lover. But I draw the line when a dog bites anyone. I remember we had a dog growing up. She was definitely a mutt and not well trained. She would growl at us, nip at us and she also bit my neice on the lip which required stitches. Guess what the dog stayed with us because it was seen as that others were the ones responsible for the dog biting.
I have heard from both neighbors (him and her) that the dogs are so sweet separately but not when they are together. The whole Alpha dog things with 2 females. They are defending blacky even though she bit the other dog and the owner. Open your eyes people! His 2 preteen children live in the house also.
So when my other neighbor asked her daughter to get her arm out of the fence to blacky's backyard, the owner was quick to defend the dog. My neighbor made it very clear that her daughter should never stick her hand through any one's fence to where there is a dog. She also made it very clear that the dog bit him. I am glad someone said it.
We are always careful is Tee is outside to ensure he is not near the fence. The dog scares me and I am hoping they find a home for her very soon.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
And the season begins
Last night was the official start to the baseball season. We will have practice on Tuesdays and games on Saturdays and Mondays. It is a long season and runs through mid June. The boys really enjoy baseball and they know lots of kids on their team.
A week ago (before I found out about our baseball season) I signed the boys up for an instructional Lacrosse class. Luckily, it is only 6 weeks and is on Sunday afternoons. We want to determine their skill and desire to play that sport. We will be busy.
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I am sure you want to know whether I went to the jewelry party or not. I decided not to go. I am one of those people who feels that I HAVE (guilty if I don't) to buy a product. I don't really wear lots of jewelry and I definitely don't need to spend over $30 on something I will not use. I emailed her Sunday morning to let her know that I would not attend and was honest regarding why. She replied and stressed that it would not be a lot of product pushing just a fun relaxing time. I honestly was very much into getting things cleaned up and did not feel the need to get out to socialize. My neighbor did go and she was the only one there for over 1 hour. She not only purchased a product but also said she would have a party. The host never sent out a reminder email or checked back with any of her friends. Her friends showed up 10 minutes prior to the end time.
A week ago (before I found out about our baseball season) I signed the boys up for an instructional Lacrosse class. Luckily, it is only 6 weeks and is on Sunday afternoons. We want to determine their skill and desire to play that sport. We will be busy.
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I am sure you want to know whether I went to the jewelry party or not. I decided not to go. I am one of those people who feels that I HAVE (guilty if I don't) to buy a product. I don't really wear lots of jewelry and I definitely don't need to spend over $30 on something I will not use. I emailed her Sunday morning to let her know that I would not attend and was honest regarding why. She replied and stressed that it would not be a lot of product pushing just a fun relaxing time. I honestly was very much into getting things cleaned up and did not feel the need to get out to socialize. My neighbor did go and she was the only one there for over 1 hour. She not only purchased a product but also said she would have a party. The host never sent out a reminder email or checked back with any of her friends. Her friends showed up 10 minutes prior to the end time.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
The irony
I have talked a lot about my noncommittal neighbor (NN) I know. It provides me an opportunity to laugh on most days. As an FYI, this is the same neighbor who normally asks me to get her daughter off the bus. She has gotten a full time job which starts on Monday and has made other arrangements for her daughters. I won't elaborate.....but it will come up again if it doesn't work out for her.
Back to my story. I checked my email on Tuesday morning and saw an email from NN. It was an invitation to a jewelry party. I only glanced at it briefly. Later on in the day when I looked a bit closer I noticed that the party is scheduled for Sunday, yes this Sunday...coming up. And here is the kicker, she asked that you RSVP by Friday. So within a matter of 5 days she wants me to commit to going to her party and she wants me to respond with an answer. NOT! I may let her know on Saturday if I will make it or not.
Back to my story. I checked my email on Tuesday morning and saw an email from NN. It was an invitation to a jewelry party. I only glanced at it briefly. Later on in the day when I looked a bit closer I noticed that the party is scheduled for Sunday, yes this Sunday...coming up. And here is the kicker, she asked that you RSVP by Friday. So within a matter of 5 days she wants me to commit to going to her party and she wants me to respond with an answer. NOT! I may let her know on Saturday if I will make it or not.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Neighborly
I consider myself a very nice person who is willing to help others when needed. I know a lot of our immediate neighbors and we all are neighborly. We borrow sugar or eggs and on occasion will look after each others little ones. This is what neighbors do right?
I have a neighbor who has 2 children, one in middle school (she is special needs) and one in elementary school. The husband worked from home until recently when he was assigned to another area. Meaning he travels a lot during the week. The Mom doesn't like to sit home so she accepts subbing jobs at the school. It is nice because she can work when she wants. The issue for her is that the middle school daughter's bus drops her off about 20 minutes before the elementary school bus arrives. So there is a lag time where she needs her older daughter cared for.
This is where it has become an issue for me. In the past month and a half, she has often asked me to get her daughter off the bus until she can get home. Like I mentioned I like to be neighborly and help when I can. But I did say it has become an “issue” for me.
I feel like it has gotten to the point where she thinks just because I am home that it should be no problem for me to stop what I am doing to get her daughter off the bus. Doesn’t she know that I have to write on a blog and read many??? But seriously my toddler usually goes down for a nap around 1:30 and I spend the next hour plus doing what I want to do (or in some cases what I NEED to do). Then if I haven’t showered yet I do that quickly to get my boys off the bus at 3:30. Having to cut 20 minutes out of my day (my precious time) has become annoying to me.
To make matters worse on many occasions she will wait until 2pm or after to call for the favor. So she accepts a job not really knowing if someone will be home to get her child off the bus. I honestly find this hard to believe. It has frustrated me beyond belief. And it is now time where I will have to say something….I am just not sure what.
Now the Mom is looking for a full time job (actually she interviewed and the company is checking her references). As you would have guessed she has not thought out what she will do with her older daughter until the Grandma can get home to watch both girls. Just so happens that the Grandma works at the elementary school. The lack of making a plan and thinking through all the specifics is beyond my comprehension.
I feel so fortunate that I am able to stay home with my boys. It is a decision that my husband and I made together. It was not easy for me to leave my job. But I knew that I wanted to be home with them, which isn’t always easy either.
Another neighbor has been involved in this issue also. She is a little more brutally honest with the other Mom which works in my favor. This situation has strained being neighborly with all of us. It is very unfortunate.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Please don't talk to me about your water problems
Shortly after we moved into our house a year ago, our neighbor approached us with an issue he had arising from our yard. Honestly, I am not even sure we had any conversation prior to him wanting to talk to us about this issue. He even had his nanny at the time tell us he was having the problem. That is when I sent my husband over to talk to him.
The problem was that the drain pipes off of our house were all directed to one pipe that let out at the fence line pouring right into his yard. My husband explained where the water was coming from. At this point our hands were tied but we told our neighbor we would try to come up with a fix. The neighbor has 2 dogs who have recently become more outdoor dogs than anything else. We understand the problem because we had a dog and dogs love to get dirty and then you really don't want them to come in the house.
In May, the contractor whom we hired to do our patio addition around the pool said he could fix the problem. We actually had a spot in our yard where the water collected as it had no where to drain. He would be able to fix this as well. He told us that the drainage had to be 10 feet from your neighbors yard, which at the time wasn't. We paid a lot of money to redirect the pipes from the house and add a french drain. The french drain goes around the pool and leads to the back part of our yard.
One more factor that is in play, our house is downhill from our other neighbor and the neighbor complaining is downhill from us. All of this water then drains into the houses behind my neighbor and there is a retention pond way behind those houses. So unless you are at the top of the hill you are having water drain into your yard.
We are the good neighbors right. We took care of our problem and fixed the drainage into our neighbor's yard. Imagine our surprise when he came over to complain again about the water and now it was at the back of his yard where his shed and firewood sit. My husband tried to explain that our water has to drain somewhere, it is within code and there is not much else we can do. When it rains heavily....you will see water in your yard.
When we have heavy rains we have to drain the water out of our pool. The pump drains it into the french drain. We have no other place to drain the water. We have had LOTS of rain lately also.
Yesterday we were at my other neighbors house (more on that later) and this neighbor happens to come over to drop off something he has had for a while. He looks at me and says I need to talk to your husband, perfect timing as the husband was walking in the door. He brings up this damn water thing again. I thought my husband's head was going to turn all the way around and fall off. I could see the fire burning in his eyes. He listened and said little and it ate at him all night.
So neighbor.....keep your water problems to yourself. We no longer want to hear how you backyard is so wet, guess what so is ours. We have standing water in our backyard when it rains just as you do. The ground has been frozen so it can't soak into the ground. We have done all we can to try to appease you and all our efforts have failed.
The problem was that the drain pipes off of our house were all directed to one pipe that let out at the fence line pouring right into his yard. My husband explained where the water was coming from. At this point our hands were tied but we told our neighbor we would try to come up with a fix. The neighbor has 2 dogs who have recently become more outdoor dogs than anything else. We understand the problem because we had a dog and dogs love to get dirty and then you really don't want them to come in the house.
In May, the contractor whom we hired to do our patio addition around the pool said he could fix the problem. We actually had a spot in our yard where the water collected as it had no where to drain. He would be able to fix this as well. He told us that the drainage had to be 10 feet from your neighbors yard, which at the time wasn't. We paid a lot of money to redirect the pipes from the house and add a french drain. The french drain goes around the pool and leads to the back part of our yard.
One more factor that is in play, our house is downhill from our other neighbor and the neighbor complaining is downhill from us. All of this water then drains into the houses behind my neighbor and there is a retention pond way behind those houses. So unless you are at the top of the hill you are having water drain into your yard.
We are the good neighbors right. We took care of our problem and fixed the drainage into our neighbor's yard. Imagine our surprise when he came over to complain again about the water and now it was at the back of his yard where his shed and firewood sit. My husband tried to explain that our water has to drain somewhere, it is within code and there is not much else we can do. When it rains heavily....you will see water in your yard.
When we have heavy rains we have to drain the water out of our pool. The pump drains it into the french drain. We have no other place to drain the water. We have had LOTS of rain lately also.
Yesterday we were at my other neighbors house (more on that later) and this neighbor happens to come over to drop off something he has had for a while. He looks at me and says I need to talk to your husband, perfect timing as the husband was walking in the door. He brings up this damn water thing again. I thought my husband's head was going to turn all the way around and fall off. I could see the fire burning in his eyes. He listened and said little and it ate at him all night.
So neighbor.....keep your water problems to yourself. We no longer want to hear how you backyard is so wet, guess what so is ours. We have standing water in our backyard when it rains just as you do. The ground has been frozen so it can't soak into the ground. We have done all we can to try to appease you and all our efforts have failed.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Drama
I have always said this neighborhood is filled with a bit of drama. Sometimes I am all about the drama and other times it seems so silly. There are many people in the neighborhood who have been here since the beginning which is about 7 to 8 years ago. As people got to know each other groups started to form. These groups hold fairly tight around here. I don't like to think of myself as part of any group but it seems as though I probably am. It is fine with me but I do make an effort to become friends with others in the neighborhood. There are a few ladies with potential kid friends to my baby. I try to get together with them when I can.
Here is what has transpired the last few weeks. I will refer to Group 1 and Group 2. I will say that I am in Group 1 with my neighbor and several others. Someone from Group 2 had an adult Halloween party on Nov. 1st. We heard the party going on, just a few houses from ours. Apparently, the cops were called on the party, maybe more than once. The first visit was at 11:30pm. There was someone that made a comment that it was probably my neighbor that called the cops. My neighbor was out of town by the way. When she heard this and found out who supposedly said it she decided to call this person on it. The person denied saying it that she had repeated what someone else said and included that she didn't think that would be right. She went on to tell her who did say it but asked her not to say anything to this person about it. My neighbor talked to the party thrower and explained that it was NOT her that called the cops.
On Halloween I found out that the police were at a house in the neighborhood, not far from our house. My neighbor happened to inquire from a mutual friend to find out what was going on. It is not every day you see police at a house in the neighborhood. The mutual friend must have said something to the person. The person then texted my neighbor's husband and made comments about his nosey wife. Did she think I am beating his wife or something? It ended up being a ridiculous exchange of words. Not for sure, but we think that there was a man following a group of girls who were trick or treating. If this is the case....did he not think this was worthy to share with the entire neighborhood. There are lots of kids in this neighborhood.
Lastly, there is a boy (high schooler) who lives a few houses down who has been riding a dirt bike on the road after school. I have seen him a few times. I was standing outside with my neighbor when he went flying up the sidewalk with a passenger who had no helmet. The boy then came back did a few doughnuts and then went to put away in the backyard. My neighbor went to talk with him asking if his Mom knew what he was doing. He did not answer any of her questions and played ignorant on the subject. My neighbor emailed his Mom to tell her she was sorry she was so hard on her son, but wanted to make sure she knew what was going on. The Mom was very thankful to my neighbor for letting her know. The dirt bike is now gone...apparently it came from his father's house.
Does this kind of drama go one everywhere? I do not like to be the center of the drama but it seems like I get to hear about most of it. It does seem like there is always something going on with this person or that. I tend to not let things get to me like most people. I honestly just don't have the time or the effort to put into it. So for now I will sit on the sidelines and just listen and maybe add my 2 cents in when I feel like it.
Here is what has transpired the last few weeks. I will refer to Group 1 and Group 2. I will say that I am in Group 1 with my neighbor and several others. Someone from Group 2 had an adult Halloween party on Nov. 1st. We heard the party going on, just a few houses from ours. Apparently, the cops were called on the party, maybe more than once. The first visit was at 11:30pm. There was someone that made a comment that it was probably my neighbor that called the cops. My neighbor was out of town by the way. When she heard this and found out who supposedly said it she decided to call this person on it. The person denied saying it that she had repeated what someone else said and included that she didn't think that would be right. She went on to tell her who did say it but asked her not to say anything to this person about it. My neighbor talked to the party thrower and explained that it was NOT her that called the cops.
On Halloween I found out that the police were at a house in the neighborhood, not far from our house. My neighbor happened to inquire from a mutual friend to find out what was going on. It is not every day you see police at a house in the neighborhood. The mutual friend must have said something to the person. The person then texted my neighbor's husband and made comments about his nosey wife. Did she think I am beating his wife or something? It ended up being a ridiculous exchange of words. Not for sure, but we think that there was a man following a group of girls who were trick or treating. If this is the case....did he not think this was worthy to share with the entire neighborhood. There are lots of kids in this neighborhood.
Lastly, there is a boy (high schooler) who lives a few houses down who has been riding a dirt bike on the road after school. I have seen him a few times. I was standing outside with my neighbor when he went flying up the sidewalk with a passenger who had no helmet. The boy then came back did a few doughnuts and then went to put away in the backyard. My neighbor went to talk with him asking if his Mom knew what he was doing. He did not answer any of her questions and played ignorant on the subject. My neighbor emailed his Mom to tell her she was sorry she was so hard on her son, but wanted to make sure she knew what was going on. The Mom was very thankful to my neighbor for letting her know. The dirt bike is now gone...apparently it came from his father's house.
Does this kind of drama go one everywhere? I do not like to be the center of the drama but it seems like I get to hear about most of it. It does seem like there is always something going on with this person or that. I tend to not let things get to me like most people. I honestly just don't have the time or the effort to put into it. So for now I will sit on the sidelines and just listen and maybe add my 2 cents in when I feel like it.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
I VOTED
The boys and I made it to the polls this afternoon for me to cast my vote. We made it in and out in a flash. Now we must wait and see what happens.
EE and Jay have been out of school for the last two days. Yesterday I let them each have a friend over. They played a little, ate lunch, did a craft, played outside and of course played a little WII. They all had a great time together and no arguments.
Today after a quick trip the gym I met a friend and her kids at the bowling alley. The boys bowled for 2 games and then they helped finish their friend's game. The Mom and her youngest child did not want to finish playing. They had such a fun time.
The time change has not been kind to our family. The entire family has been getting up way early. Jay seems to be having a hard time sleeping in which is not new but it seems that he is getting up earlier than before. He says he hears dogs barking, which belong to our neighbor. The neighbor keeps the 2 dogs out all day and night. And they bark so much.
Looking forward to getting back to a normal routine tomorrow.
EE and Jay have been out of school for the last two days. Yesterday I let them each have a friend over. They played a little, ate lunch, did a craft, played outside and of course played a little WII. They all had a great time together and no arguments.
Today after a quick trip the gym I met a friend and her kids at the bowling alley. The boys bowled for 2 games and then they helped finish their friend's game. The Mom and her youngest child did not want to finish playing. They had such a fun time.
The time change has not been kind to our family. The entire family has been getting up way early. Jay seems to be having a hard time sleeping in which is not new but it seems that he is getting up earlier than before. He says he hears dogs barking, which belong to our neighbor. The neighbor keeps the 2 dogs out all day and night. And they bark so much.
Looking forward to getting back to a normal routine tomorrow.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
More on neighbors
I have been looking at my screen for a while now thinking that I am in a really foul mood. It is probably not the best time to blog. Also, just can't figure out what to write about. I was thinking about writing of birthday parties when you have twins and all other types of parties. But I think I will write about that tomorrow.
When all else fails, talk about the neighbors. There is a family that moved into our neighborhood at the end of summer. They actually purchased the house at the beginning of summer but didn't move in until the end of summer. They have plans to do some remodeling and they thought about doing all of it before moving in. Then sometime in August it hit them that their child would start Kindergarten not knowing any of the kids in the neighborhood. So they used a truck to bring over the beds and some other essentials. I guess you are wondering where they are moving them from? They still own their other home. They have made it very clear that they don't need to sell that home. So they have two homes with some of their belongings in both homes. Must be nice that they can afford two homes in this economy.
In the last week, the Mom has really tried to make a connection with me and others. She will bring her kids over when mine are in front playing with friends. I have been the one that has been out and therefore the one that has to make conversation with her. I don't have a lot in common with her, other than the fact that we each have 3 children. The more I talk with her the more I realize that her and I are total opposites. She is the more relaxed, anything goes, go with the flow type. I stress the importance of schedules, doing homework after school (before playing) and being organized.
It is really not my nature to be mean to others. And in another few weeks it will probably be too cold for me to be outside much anyway. I will just see her at the bus stop. So I guess I will play nice for now.
When all else fails, talk about the neighbors. There is a family that moved into our neighborhood at the end of summer. They actually purchased the house at the beginning of summer but didn't move in until the end of summer. They have plans to do some remodeling and they thought about doing all of it before moving in. Then sometime in August it hit them that their child would start Kindergarten not knowing any of the kids in the neighborhood. So they used a truck to bring over the beds and some other essentials. I guess you are wondering where they are moving them from? They still own their other home. They have made it very clear that they don't need to sell that home. So they have two homes with some of their belongings in both homes. Must be nice that they can afford two homes in this economy.
In the last week, the Mom has really tried to make a connection with me and others. She will bring her kids over when mine are in front playing with friends. I have been the one that has been out and therefore the one that has to make conversation with her. I don't have a lot in common with her, other than the fact that we each have 3 children. The more I talk with her the more I realize that her and I are total opposites. She is the more relaxed, anything goes, go with the flow type. I stress the importance of schedules, doing homework after school (before playing) and being organized.
It is really not my nature to be mean to others. And in another few weeks it will probably be too cold for me to be outside much anyway. I will just see her at the bus stop. So I guess I will play nice for now.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Nosey Neighbors
The garage sale was a success and fun at the same time. We spent Friday afternoon and into the evening getting everything tagged and in my garage. I can't imagine what our neighbors were thinking when we put our hodge podge dinner out on one of the tables and ate dinner in our front yard.
We decided Friday night to get up at 6 am on Saturday (the yard sale did not officially start until 8 am) to get everything organized out in the driveway. That is really early. I do have to say it did take us a while to get it all out of the garage. There was a steady stream of traffic. I made $70 which I thought was really good for what I sold. My neighbor had a lot of "treasures" and she made over $250.
Six am is early to be up and outside and sometimes you see things that you wished you hadn't. We have neighbors 2 houses down. It is a couple. She has 2 children (high schoolers) from a previous marriage and then 1 son with her current husband. I noticed that the couple along with her youngest went out of town on Friday (saw her loading up the car.) About 7:30 am we see a car exit the garage (the boyfriend of the girl). Then she gets in her car and leaves. All three of us ladies looked at each other thinking "did we just see that". We busted them so bad and she knew she got busted as she never looked up. The other two ladies know the Mom....I don't. So now they must decide whether to tell the Mom or not. They both agree that they would want to know if it was their daughters (they each have 2 girls). I think one of them will break the news.
The best sale I made all day was ALL of the curtains and valances that were in my house when we moved in for a mere $10. When we moved in we took them all down. I am more of a blinds person and can do without the fancy window treatments. One lady came by and expressed interest in them and said she would be back. Then I thought this guy was going to buy a set (he gave us the line....I have to go get money). The worst part about that was we actually believed him and gave up a sale in the mean time. I had started to fold up the window treatments and put them in a box headed for the donation center when I saw the truck come back. There were two ladies and they took them ALL. I was so happy that I was able hand them off to someone else who likes them as much as the previous owner of our house.
I have to report another injury for this family. This time it happened to me. I had the back door open and went into the garage hung onto the door frame to get a soda. The cross wind in the house slammed the door shut on my middle finger and now I have what you call subungual hematoma or what most of us call bleeding under the fingernail. It was so painful. It covers almost all of my fingernail bed and is incredibly sensitive.
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Right after the injury, it was time to get to work on getting the house ready for our guest/cookout. We ended up having 20 kids and 18 adults. A family called Friday to let us know that they had changed their minds and wanted to come. Another family showed up without letting us know they were coming. We had a lot of people here. Getting the fire in the pit going was a bit of a problem due to wet wood, but after persistence from the husband he was able to get it going. It was fun and I am glad we did it. Towards the end of the night (after I put the baby down), I was actually able to sit down and talk to people. I think we will wait until the summer to do something big like this again.
We decided Friday night to get up at 6 am on Saturday (the yard sale did not officially start until 8 am) to get everything organized out in the driveway. That is really early. I do have to say it did take us a while to get it all out of the garage. There was a steady stream of traffic. I made $70 which I thought was really good for what I sold. My neighbor had a lot of "treasures" and she made over $250.
Six am is early to be up and outside and sometimes you see things that you wished you hadn't. We have neighbors 2 houses down. It is a couple. She has 2 children (high schoolers) from a previous marriage and then 1 son with her current husband. I noticed that the couple along with her youngest went out of town on Friday (saw her loading up the car.) About 7:30 am we see a car exit the garage (the boyfriend of the girl). Then she gets in her car and leaves. All three of us ladies looked at each other thinking "did we just see that". We busted them so bad and she knew she got busted as she never looked up. The other two ladies know the Mom....I don't. So now they must decide whether to tell the Mom or not. They both agree that they would want to know if it was their daughters (they each have 2 girls). I think one of them will break the news.
The best sale I made all day was ALL of the curtains and valances that were in my house when we moved in for a mere $10. When we moved in we took them all down. I am more of a blinds person and can do without the fancy window treatments. One lady came by and expressed interest in them and said she would be back. Then I thought this guy was going to buy a set (he gave us the line....I have to go get money). The worst part about that was we actually believed him and gave up a sale in the mean time. I had started to fold up the window treatments and put them in a box headed for the donation center when I saw the truck come back. There were two ladies and they took them ALL. I was so happy that I was able hand them off to someone else who likes them as much as the previous owner of our house.
I have to report another injury for this family. This time it happened to me. I had the back door open and went into the garage hung onto the door frame to get a soda. The cross wind in the house slammed the door shut on my middle finger and now I have what you call subungual hematoma or what most of us call bleeding under the fingernail. It was so painful. It covers almost all of my fingernail bed and is incredibly sensitive.
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Right after the injury, it was time to get to work on getting the house ready for our guest/cookout. We ended up having 20 kids and 18 adults. A family called Friday to let us know that they had changed their minds and wanted to come. Another family showed up without letting us know they were coming. We had a lot of people here. Getting the fire in the pit going was a bit of a problem due to wet wood, but after persistence from the husband he was able to get it going. It was fun and I am glad we did it. Towards the end of the night (after I put the baby down), I was actually able to sit down and talk to people. I think we will wait until the summer to do something big like this again.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Nobody is home
I have not given much detail to the people in our neighborhood. And believe me these people are not the same that Mr. Rogers encountered on his TV show. Most people are nice, I always try to give the benefit of the doubt. There are specific groups (ok cliques). They are nice to each other in appearance, but the tension doesn't go unnoticed. The bus stop should be interesting this year!
I am finally getting around to posting the story about my nieghbor from the other day. It really isn't that exciting, I hope I didn't get your hopes up for something juicy. It was a little wierd. Here you go.
Our doorbell rang around 1pm on Monday. It was a neighbor from across the street, that in itself is not so bad right? Wrong!
A little back round information on my neighbor. She is from New York, so I will call her NY. I have talked with her maybe 5 times and I know she probably doesn't know my name, but I know hers. It has been witnessed by others that she and her husband yell at each other outside for all to hear(I have only heard one such incidence). And she constantly complains about him, he is cheap, he doesn't tell her anything, he is very laid back etc. She is known to yell at her 4 boys, aged 11, 9 and twins who are 8. A conversation with her no matter how short will always include the words ass and damn especially when my kids are around. Lastly, she also has been known to show her ass to others and also her boobs. Sound lovely?
On the not so funny side, a few weeks ago she had a double mastectomy because of cancerous cells in her milk ducts. All went well with the surgery and she recovered amazinly. I saw her shortly after surgery and asked her if she needed anything, thinking of mainly making them a meal. She said she had more food than she knew what to do with.
Last week, she came out and asked if I would walk with her. Before our walk started, she was baring her chest so that we could see the scars and expanders they put in. Luckily, I am not offended by things like that as I find medical science amazing. She feels better when she gets out a few times a day. Me being the good neighbor, walked with her and listened to her chat non-stop. You guessed it she is one of those people who really likes to talk but not listen so much. Did I mention she is very opinionated? In the course of our conversation, she mentioned her great fertility. I managed to get a few words in and told her she was lucky because it was a struggle for us to get pregnant both times. This did not seem to phaze her at all. Somehow adoption came up and she made a comment that it was not good to adopt because you never know what you are going to get. This seriously came out of her mouth. Ms. NY I have a niece and a nephew who have been adopted and we have no problems. They are loved just like everyone else in the family. I was floored as we were walking and could not wait to step back onto my property and quickly leave her side. This was the longest walk ever.
Ok, down to her visit. She wanted my boys (by the way she didn't even know they were twins) to play with her 9 year old. When I told her my kids are only 6 she then thought about her twins. She is very pushy and said let me take your boys. I sat there for a moment not knowing what to say.....so of course I said well why don't your boys come over here. We would love to have them visit. My boys were just getting ready to play WII. Her twins came over and played for 2 hours. They have speech issues, it has a real name but I can not remember what she said. Basically, their is a breakdown with the brain getting their lips to move. One was not very easy to understand but I managed the best I could. In all honesty, her boys were very well behaved. They kind of did their own thing and then they would play with my boys for a while and then go off and play on their own.
My issues is that I am not sure that I want my kids to go over there. I am not sure what I am going to do if she comes back. I don't think she is a bad person but I don't know her very well other than hearing her opinions on our walk the other day. I better start thinking.
I am finally getting around to posting the story about my nieghbor from the other day. It really isn't that exciting, I hope I didn't get your hopes up for something juicy. It was a little wierd. Here you go.
Our doorbell rang around 1pm on Monday. It was a neighbor from across the street, that in itself is not so bad right? Wrong!
A little back round information on my neighbor. She is from New York, so I will call her NY. I have talked with her maybe 5 times and I know she probably doesn't know my name, but I know hers. It has been witnessed by others that she and her husband yell at each other outside for all to hear(I have only heard one such incidence). And she constantly complains about him, he is cheap, he doesn't tell her anything, he is very laid back etc. She is known to yell at her 4 boys, aged 11, 9 and twins who are 8. A conversation with her no matter how short will always include the words ass and damn especially when my kids are around. Lastly, she also has been known to show her ass to others and also her boobs. Sound lovely?
On the not so funny side, a few weeks ago she had a double mastectomy because of cancerous cells in her milk ducts. All went well with the surgery and she recovered amazinly. I saw her shortly after surgery and asked her if she needed anything, thinking of mainly making them a meal. She said she had more food than she knew what to do with.
Last week, she came out and asked if I would walk with her. Before our walk started, she was baring her chest so that we could see the scars and expanders they put in. Luckily, I am not offended by things like that as I find medical science amazing. She feels better when she gets out a few times a day. Me being the good neighbor, walked with her and listened to her chat non-stop. You guessed it she is one of those people who really likes to talk but not listen so much. Did I mention she is very opinionated? In the course of our conversation, she mentioned her great fertility. I managed to get a few words in and told her she was lucky because it was a struggle for us to get pregnant both times. This did not seem to phaze her at all. Somehow adoption came up and she made a comment that it was not good to adopt because you never know what you are going to get. This seriously came out of her mouth. Ms. NY I have a niece and a nephew who have been adopted and we have no problems. They are loved just like everyone else in the family. I was floored as we were walking and could not wait to step back onto my property and quickly leave her side. This was the longest walk ever.
Ok, down to her visit. She wanted my boys (by the way she didn't even know they were twins) to play with her 9 year old. When I told her my kids are only 6 she then thought about her twins. She is very pushy and said let me take your boys. I sat there for a moment not knowing what to say.....so of course I said well why don't your boys come over here. We would love to have them visit. My boys were just getting ready to play WII. Her twins came over and played for 2 hours. They have speech issues, it has a real name but I can not remember what she said. Basically, their is a breakdown with the brain getting their lips to move. One was not very easy to understand but I managed the best I could. In all honesty, her boys were very well behaved. They kind of did their own thing and then they would play with my boys for a while and then go off and play on their own.
My issues is that I am not sure that I want my kids to go over there. I am not sure what I am going to do if she comes back. I don't think she is a bad person but I don't know her very well other than hearing her opinions on our walk the other day. I better start thinking.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Batter Up
We had a very busy Sunday. In fact, it was non stop from the moment we woke up until the time our heads hit the pillow last night. We were exhausted to begin with because the baby spent a lot of time crying during the night. I happened to look in his mouth the other day and saw very red swollen gums. The fact that he has been drueling was a good clue also.
We started by running (no not literally) by the nursery to ok all of our plants that have been picked out for our project starting in 2 weeks. When we got back home it was a rush to get some dinner items made for the company we were having that night. And I had to finish preparing another meal I was taking to a friend who had surgery. Then off to the Orioles baseball game. We took the two older boys. We were sitting really close to the field. I almost felt like I could reach out and touch one of them. I am not a huge fan of baseball but it was fun to be there at the game especially when the boys were having such a good time. The heat ended up getting to EE and we had to leave to find some shade. Once we got a snack we decided to head home. We made it until the bottom of the 4th inning and if you know how baseball works that is almost 2 hours. Once we got home we worked on getting ready for our company. It ended up being a very nice night and a great cookout.
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I think I will be getting a new cell phone soon at least that is what my husband has been telling me for the last month. Yes, you got it an entire month or maybe even longer. At night he usually sits on the couch with his PC and visits the Sprint website (this is almost every night). We decided to stay with Sprint because we have a fairly decent rate and their service is about as good as what we would get with other plans, meaning cell service in my area stinks. I have even picked out the color of my new phone. I will have the capability of texting others. I am not sure why he feels it necessary to continually look at the same phones every night and not make the purchase. I suppose when he gets it all figured out I will finally get a new phone.
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A really weird thing with a neighbor has happened today. I don't have time today to go into it but boy do I have a headache.
We started by running (no not literally) by the nursery to ok all of our plants that have been picked out for our project starting in 2 weeks. When we got back home it was a rush to get some dinner items made for the company we were having that night. And I had to finish preparing another meal I was taking to a friend who had surgery. Then off to the Orioles baseball game. We took the two older boys. We were sitting really close to the field. I almost felt like I could reach out and touch one of them. I am not a huge fan of baseball but it was fun to be there at the game especially when the boys were having such a good time. The heat ended up getting to EE and we had to leave to find some shade. Once we got a snack we decided to head home. We made it until the bottom of the 4th inning and if you know how baseball works that is almost 2 hours. Once we got home we worked on getting ready for our company. It ended up being a very nice night and a great cookout.
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I think I will be getting a new cell phone soon at least that is what my husband has been telling me for the last month. Yes, you got it an entire month or maybe even longer. At night he usually sits on the couch with his PC and visits the Sprint website (this is almost every night). We decided to stay with Sprint because we have a fairly decent rate and their service is about as good as what we would get with other plans, meaning cell service in my area stinks. I have even picked out the color of my new phone. I will have the capability of texting others. I am not sure why he feels it necessary to continually look at the same phones every night and not make the purchase. I suppose when he gets it all figured out I will finally get a new phone.
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A really weird thing with a neighbor has happened today. I don't have time today to go into it but boy do I have a headache.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
It's mine
I feel like a 3 year old when I say this is my space....all mine. My husband (I really need a good nick name for him) has suggested that I not write about neighbors or put anything offensive in my blogs. Well then why blog? My neighbors do not know that I blog nor would I let them in on my little secret. I can't imagine that anyone would think I would have the time to keep up with a blog.
So for today, I get to discuss one of my neighbors. I will call her green lady. You guessed it, as green as you can get. I have no problem being green, as I mentioned we will take steps to become more green in this family. She has very strong opinions(which are always correct) and lets them be known. She is encouraging me to grow a garden. That is right, she has a very large garden and grows lots of vegetables in her yard. On my to do list is to order a garden box (a suggestion from green lady) so that we can grow a few of our favorite vegetables. A garden box is an easy way to grow vegetables on your deck in one space.
One day she was discussing how she would love to have a clothes line to hang her laundry. We live in a community where the HOA would not approve an outdoor clothes line. As she was talking about how she loved the smell of the clothes, I remembered how I could not stand the smell of our clothes when I was young. We did not have a dryer so my mother had to hang all of our clothes. That would be for 5 children and 2 adults. How in the world did she ever get all that done? Honestly, I can barely get my laundry moved from the washer to the dryer and forget about folding and putting away. It was a big day in our family when my Dad purchased the dryer.
Back to the green lady. She is a nice lady but sometimes hard to stomach all of her views. In reality, I probably half agree with a lot of what she says but I have some flexibility within my life. I don't think things have to be black or white. So I will continue to talk with green lady....maybe she will give me more material to blog about.
I will have a kid update tomorrow. I am hoping to get Baby T's reaction on camera to being on a swing. Have you ever met a kid who doesn't like to swing? You will very soon.
So for today, I get to discuss one of my neighbors. I will call her green lady. You guessed it, as green as you can get. I have no problem being green, as I mentioned we will take steps to become more green in this family. She has very strong opinions(which are always correct) and lets them be known. She is encouraging me to grow a garden. That is right, she has a very large garden and grows lots of vegetables in her yard. On my to do list is to order a garden box (a suggestion from green lady) so that we can grow a few of our favorite vegetables. A garden box is an easy way to grow vegetables on your deck in one space.
One day she was discussing how she would love to have a clothes line to hang her laundry. We live in a community where the HOA would not approve an outdoor clothes line. As she was talking about how she loved the smell of the clothes, I remembered how I could not stand the smell of our clothes when I was young. We did not have a dryer so my mother had to hang all of our clothes. That would be for 5 children and 2 adults. How in the world did she ever get all that done? Honestly, I can barely get my laundry moved from the washer to the dryer and forget about folding and putting away. It was a big day in our family when my Dad purchased the dryer.
Back to the green lady. She is a nice lady but sometimes hard to stomach all of her views. In reality, I probably half agree with a lot of what she says but I have some flexibility within my life. I don't think things have to be black or white. So I will continue to talk with green lady....maybe she will give me more material to blog about.
I will have a kid update tomorrow. I am hoping to get Baby T's reaction on camera to being on a swing. Have you ever met a kid who doesn't like to swing? You will very soon.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Lucky....at least for today
I sat outside the boys' bathroom this evening folding laundry and listening to them talk while they bathed. They are both fascinated (read scared) of tornadoes. They were trying to figure out if a tornado could chop your leg off. J thinks that tornadoes hit Texas and E wishes we were back in NC (I guess maybe tornadoes can't form there). The conversation went on and on and I don't remember all of what they said but it reinforces how lucky we are to have two very well behaved little boys. They are not angels all of the time and they certainly like to test their limits, but overall we can't complain.
The boys' had a friend over today. The friend came over because his Mom called and wanted E to go over to play with her son (I will name him evil one). For reasons that I don't want to get into, E is not allowed to play down there. Evil one was fairly well behaved while he was here. His Mom came down to get him and stayed to chat a while. By the way, I like her a lot, she is very nice. She said something to make Evil one mad and he went up to her and started punching her in the arm and told her he hated her. Let me remind you he is only 6 years old. She did not have the reaction I would have had if it were one of my boys doing that to me. Basically, there was not a consequence for his action. Wow......I hope none of my boys will ever had to find out what will happen to them if they were to act in such a manner.
Tonight I will be sure to say an extra prayer and hope that we continue to be blessed. Baby T is still young, but hopefully will follow his brothers' footsteps in terms of behavior.
The boys' had a friend over today. The friend came over because his Mom called and wanted E to go over to play with her son (I will name him evil one). For reasons that I don't want to get into, E is not allowed to play down there. Evil one was fairly well behaved while he was here. His Mom came down to get him and stayed to chat a while. By the way, I like her a lot, she is very nice. She said something to make Evil one mad and he went up to her and started punching her in the arm and told her he hated her. Let me remind you he is only 6 years old. She did not have the reaction I would have had if it were one of my boys doing that to me. Basically, there was not a consequence for his action. Wow......I hope none of my boys will ever had to find out what will happen to them if they were to act in such a manner.
Tonight I will be sure to say an extra prayer and hope that we continue to be blessed. Baby T is still young, but hopefully will follow his brothers' footsteps in terms of behavior.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Full Moon
Our neighborhood is very nice with lots of great neighbors. I experienced my first encounter with the "rotten" kids yesterday afternoon. As most of you know we love to spend time outside, especially now that the weather is nice. As I look down the street I see 2 boys (think 7th graders) with their bathing suits down exposing their backside. Such inappropriate behavior needed to be discussed. As I walk up to them (they are 3 houses down) I am telling them to pull their pants up. The two boys ran and I waited for them to come back and explained their inappropriate behavior, the terrible example they are to my kids and that it was against the law. My last piece of advice was to keep their pants up. As I was walking back down I see my kids just looking at what was going on. I was still fuming at the lack of respect these boys had. I got my neighbor, who warned me about these kids, and explained what happened. The two of us waited for Dad to get home and bombarded him with the days events. Not sure that anything will really happen to these two boys but I feel we did our part.
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On another note, our backyard is complete minus the swingset that Jason is in the process of erecting. Pictures will be posted soon.
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On another note, our backyard is complete minus the swingset that Jason is in the process of erecting. Pictures will be posted soon.
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