Whew! Now that THAT’S over with…

I’m ready to start a new year!

I didn’t make a lot of New Year’s resolutions– mostly the whole “gonna lose weight” thing, blah blah blah… I WOULD like to read everybody’s blogs more– I miss that.  You’re my friends and I feel I’ve been neglecting you.  Unfortunately, I make that resolution when there’s kids in the house–people, I’ve got to tell you, the older they get, the more they talk, the less likely I am to, I don’t know, have two brain cells fire in sequence without an interruption!

I have to admit.  This weekend, I just gave up.  I gave up on getting work done (which, paradoxically, is when I got a LOT of it done–go figure!)  I gave up on knitting, I just… I dunno.  I sat on the chair and fell asleep a lot.  Got some knitting done, and, well, I guess the kids are calling it “chillaxing”, and it seems sort of new fangled and, *yawn*  full of sleeping, but I gotta say, it was oddly refreshing too!

Although, I have to admit… “napping” on the chair with kids on my lap has changed tone in the last couple of years.  For one thing, the kids have become a lot more active.  Nothing is LESS restful than sitting on a chair while two grade schoolers initiate a cold war of bickering, and then follow it up with hand-infantry and full-metal squirming, complete with lethal ass-bones and the occasional boob-popping jab with the elbow.  Be that as it may, it did not stop me from waking up yesterday with Squish on my lap, telling Richard Dreyfuss why he was living his life wrong to end up in that shark cage in the ocean.

“You need to get out of that cage because you should NOT be there.  That is a BAD place to be, and that shark will get you.  You need to get on the boat, because sharks don’t go there.”  *snicker*  The rest of the movie really WAS  a surprise to her, and I’m ashamed to say, I was so out of it, I let her see it.  by then, Zoomboy was on the other side of me, and she took the bossing to a whole new level.

“You need to look away, because this is icky.  I can watch, because I don’t get nightmares, but you get scared.  Look away now–good.  Eww.  The shark bit him and he’s bleeding now.”

And, of course, by this time, I was fully awake and laughing my ass off.

Another thing that has made this vacation not quite so restful is that Chicken has her driver’s permit, Goddess save us all.  We spent an hour yesterday doing three point turns, which was good (although if I hadn’t had my knitting, I would have been carsick) and she was…

Okay.  I”m sure my nearest and dearest will tell you I was a worse driver when I was her age–but that is only because my nearest and dearest were of the “WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU WAITING FOR, A SIGN FROM GOD!!!?” school of teaching driving, and I am more from the “A panicked driver is a driver who will dart into an oncoming lane because it suddenly seems like the right thing to do!” school of driving.  So, while I endeavor not to panic, Chicken endeavors not to ACT panicked, while in the meantime, her voice has risen an octave, her game-face is locked on, and she’s telling me how totally calm she is.

*headdesk*

Yeah.  I seem to remember telling her father he was going to teach her.  He seemed to have a good philosophy, too,–it involved him eating a cookie while she drove.  I liked that.  I think he should do more of that– just sayin’!  (Besides– he’s the one who will be less impacted by the cookie eating.  Again, sayin’…)

But generally?  I’m feeling a little more refreshed than I was two weeks ago, and a little more positive–and a little more certain that once the kids are back in school, I will DEFINITELY be on the write path.  No, that’s not a misspelling… writing with them in the house has become a near impossibility.  I foresee a lot of me with my laptop at McDonalds over the summer.  Yay team!

And in the meantime?  Thank you everybody– thank you so very very much.  Everyone who left comments, both here and at goodreads.com — you were supportive and wonderful and really really awesome.  I’m starting the New Year VERY clean, VERY shiny, and with VERY much promise.  Thank you.  You all helped that happen.

Amy


0 thoughts on “Whew! Now that THAT’S over with…”

  1. roxie says:

    I love the Squish narrative! DID Zoomboy get nightmares? I know people who still won't go near the ocean because of those movies.

    Dear girl, you NEEDED that down time. Desperately! And you could even pull a little more with no harm to the world as we know it. It may take a bit longer to really get over last year's trauma and that's O KAY. You are always with us in spirit.

  2. DecRainK says:

    Squish is the best. ever. lol

    Now that Chicken is driving, I am soooo glad I live at the other end of the state. LoL j/k Tell her I wish her luck and that it does eventually get easier to drive without thinking you are going to crash and/or kill your passengers.

  3. I remember learning to drive. My dad was unshakable; going out with him was awesome. On the other hand, my mom was a panicky passenger. I still get kinda freaked out when she's the passenger in my car. 😀

    Luckily my girlie is still a couple of years away from officially learning to drive. & I have this feeling that she & her younger brothers will be learning on backroads LOOOOONG before that time, from their Daddy & his brother…

  4. Good luck with the new driver, but when she gets it…. It will be heaven. I need milk, run to the store for me….

  5. Donna Lee says:

    My girls will tell you I was not a good driving instructor. I got too nervous (although my memories are vastly different). Only one of them drives at this point.

    When I lost my teaching job, I felt like I lost a bit of my soul and it wasn't for anything I did/didn't do. It was just because the principal didn't like my "style". I understand the desire to stand up and fight for what's right but I also understand the need to just let it go. I chose to let it go and walk away. I regret that decision sometimes but others? not so much.

    Saddest part? All the kids who won't know you as an educator.

  6. Artfulmamma says:

    Motherhood sure can be exhausting, don't feel guilty at all about finding rest where you can. I for one am thrilled to beat the band that the kids are back in school. Whew, love 'em, but I never felt so releaved to be back at work.
    Take your time writing those fabulous escapes from reality for us, we'll devour them too fast anyhow. Looking forward to a great 2012!

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