What. A. Week.

Wow. All I can say is I am VERY glad it is Friday and that I have the pleasure of not working weekends. I am truly exhausted. This week tested my limits more than ever, and I was not a happy camper.

I literally wanted to clone myself several times this week. Are we still against human cloning? I know we did it with that sheep and all, but honestly, can a mama get a duplicate version of herself please?! That way I can enjoy an afternoon at the Bronx Zoo with my best friend and her son and my own children without having to take 10 phone calls, and check emails while trying to observe the prairie dogs and lions bask in the sun. I wouldn't have to do 90mph on the freeway to meet my ex husband at a rest stop to drop the kids off so that I can get to the bus station in time to pick-up my exchange students. I wouldn't have to call a friend to ask her to pick-up an au pair in transition because I had somewhere else to be at the same time she was scheduled to depart her host family's home.

So yea, can someone get on that whole cloning thing please? Another week like this one and I might very well end up in a mental institution. ;-0

A little random ...

Today's post will be a little random, but it's my blog and that's ok. So here goes ...

I now have two exchange students from France staying with me for three weeks. You may recall I wrote about a Spanish student some time ago ... well he left me for another family. LOL - can you stand that?! Just up and left me! No I'm kidding. Timing did not work in our favor during his visit, so he was placed with another family. They had a Spanish speaking student and could help translate (his English was extremely poor.) So alas, I opted for session 3 of this exchange program and now have 2 teen French boys. They. are. awesome. I am having a blast with them! My first experience with them was the double-sided cheek kiss greeting. My daughter and her friend, who was with us for their arrival, totally didn't understand what was going on when the boys greeted them. A prime example of cultural differences gone awry. It was ok though - after a look of shock and disbelief as to why boys they just met were kissing them like so - my daughter & her friend quickly got over it.

I found out the night we picked up my students that I need a bigger car. It's no longer a "nice to have", it's become a "must have". Too bad you "must have" money to purchase said new vehicle. Sigh....

I took my boys (yes, for the next 3 weeks they are mine!) to my friend's house on the lake today. They got to go tubing, swimming & boating. Despite this insane heat, we really had a great time. I think being near bodies of water in extreme heat is a must! ;)

My son's birthday was this past Friday. He was with his dad this weekend. This is the first time ever that my son was not with me for his birthday. It is also the first time ever that he will be celebrating his birthday with mommy and daddy separately. His dad did a small party with cake, presents & pizza. I'm doing the larger "friend" party with more pizza, more cake and laser tag! It will be fun, but it doesn't change the fact that my son spent his actual birthday with his dad and the dirty mistress. Someone other than his mom, who actually gave birth to him, celebrated this extremely personal & special day with him. Exchanging presents with him, and eating pizza and cake with him. This has been a tough pill for me to swallow. I'm not sure I'll ever get used to this ...

It's raining again. Thundering in fact. Here's hoping I don't lose power! *Ending blog post now just in case.*

:)

A party by the lake ....

I spent the day at Pinewood Lake here in Trumbull, CT today as part of an au pair event. My current job as a local coordinator has me conducting monthly meetings with a fabulous group of au pairs. This month one of my very own host families opened up their home to our group and beyond for a party by the lake. I had never even heard of a water trampoline until this party. Ha! We had a great turnout. I brought my kids with me, and a whole bunch of au pairs and even a host family or two attended. It was loads of fun to say the least.

I'd say the highlight of the day was my seven year old son clogging the family's downstairs toilet and causing a minor flood in the bathroom. Yepper. Fun times. Thankfully it was contained and the host dad (after blurting out a few expletives) managed to plunge it back to normalcy. Sigh. Why me?! 

I am truly beat. The sun is a powerful beast and spending all day in it has taken its toll on me. 

Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure. :) 

Rough week

As if the scorching hot temperatures weren't bad enough this week, I found myself with a scorching hot temper.

I am pretty good at holding it together on the outside while going completely batty on the inside. That's just how I am. Well this week the battiness was unleashed. And the worst part was that it was unleashed in front of and at the expense of my kids.

My daughter is a preteen bundle of hormonal wackiness. I love her to pieces, but she can be a real witch when she wants to be. This week she decided to take some nail polish to her dad's house. I wasn't thrilled with that because daddy can buy nail polish for her to use at his house. Mommy bought this nail polish, and mommy kind of wanted her to leave the nail polish at home. But it wasn't so much the bringing of said polish to daddy's...it was the fact that she was bringing said nail polish to have the dirty mistress paint her nails. Now I'm not much of a nail painter. In fact, I prefer to go to the salon for things like that. Call me spoiled, but I do!  My daughter knows this, and has taken it upon herself to ask the DM to paint her nails on occasion. At first she'd come home showing me how she had her toes or fingernails painted. It was cute the first couple of times, but then it quickly got old. I grew tired of hearing about how the DM was painting MY child's nails. I also grew extremely jealous of how the DM was potentially bonding with my daughter during this time. I can't stomach that right now. I'm just not ready for that.

On the day in question I asked my daughter about her plans for the nail polish and the hormonal wackiness ensued. She made a snippy comment under her breath instead of answering my question. I lost it. Did I mention that the cable guy was supposed to come this same day and he was about two hours late?!?!?! A moot point to some extent, but it definitely did not help matters at all.

I took the four bottles of nail polishes from the counter and threw them across the room all the while yelling obscenities at my kids. They looked at me funny, but calmly picked up the bottles of polish (which did not break) and continued doing what they were doing, somewhat ignoring my outburst. When their father arrived to pick them up for dinner, I abruptly told them their dad was here and that it was time to leave. They scurried out the door, clearly happy to be rid of "mommy dearest" for a few hours. I called my husband to ask that he please refrain from having his DM paint my daughter's nails. I explained how the whole scenario made me feel. Or at least I tried to explain. I'm not sure he understood. Men don't understand feelings as it is, but ex-husbands in particular cannot possibly understand their scorned ex-wife's feelings about the mistress attempting to bond with her children. I'm not sure I understand these feelings. Its all new to me, and I've never felt like this before in my life! All I know is I was pissed and I made that known to all involved. The worst part was that my feelings did not seem to matter. My daughter came home with painted nails, much to my dismay. I took it VERY personally and I let her know that. It was kind of a slap in the face that even after my tirade she still thought it was ok to have the DM paint her nails. I get that she's 11, and all she really cares about is herself. That's just how 11 year old girls are. But during this time of awkwardness, anger & distress, it would be nice if she thought of someone other than herself for just a moment.

Maybe I'm asking too much. Perhaps. Maybe my flying off the handle the way I did was inappropriate. Perhaps. I did learn something about myself during this. I need to learn to express myself in a healthy way & find ways to process my anger. I have to realize that my kids are just as hurt, angry and distressed during this time as I am, if not more! I can't take my anger out on them no matter what. They are not at fault. They are just children. Even my '11 going on 21 year old' daughter is still just a little girl that simply wanted her nails painted.

Heat rant

It's no secret that most of the northeast (the entire country perhaps?!) has been hot as the surface of the sun itself these last couple of weeks. Ok, maybe not that hot, but damn close in my opinion. I am not a Summer person. It's one of my least favorite seasons - always has been. I love the Spring. Perhaps because I'm born in April? Could be. I love the cool temperatures, the blooming flowers, the bright sunny days. This heat makes me cranky. I'm not pleasant when I'm cranky. I mean, who is?!

I have taken the kids to the town pool only once so far. Lately the pool has looked as if some sort of infestation is taking place with the amount of people there. It's honestly kind of creepy. Did I mention I don't do well in large crowds either? The last time I took the kids to the pool I spent most of my time either chasing or holding my 2 year old. Needless to say it was not relaxing for me at all. Hence my resistance to going back. Maybe when the weather cools down. That defeats the purpose of going doesn't it? ;)

In all honesty, it's just been so gross out I have been unable to motivate myself to do much outside of my air conditioned bedroom. This is especially difficult when it comes to cooking. Tonight dinner consisted of cold cereal, ice cream and hot dogs cooked on the stove-top. Anything to avoid turning on the oven! Did I mention I don't have a grill anymore? The douchelord ex-husband got rid of it before we moved. He bought himself and the dirty mistress a new one for his new apartment. I got nothing. Go figure!

Well that's it for me folks. It's just too hot to type anymore ....

I'm having a 4th child!

Ok....not exactly....but close enough! This week a fourteen year-old boy from Spain will join my crazy family for three weeks as part of the EF Homestay program. As an aupair coordinator, I heard about the program through some colleagues of mine and thought it would be a great experience for my family. I also thought it would help me prepare for my eventual role as a host mom to an au pair. While not feasible for me right now, I do plan to utilize au pairs as my primary form of childcare. With three kids and a wacky schedule it's really the best choice for me. But I digress ....

Hosting an exchange student for three weeks will be quite interesting. I've never done this before. He is a teenager, so it will basically be like having four kids in the house. Oi!
Even though he will be quite busy with activities planned and a rigorous course curriculum (learning English), I am still be responsible for meals, room & board and some occasional entertainment. I can only hope that I am able to provide a caring, loving environment for this young man. Scratch that - I know I can do all of those things. What I worry about is airing my dirty laundry or acting in such a way that this poor kid runs screaming for the hills!

Happy Independence Day!

I've always loved the fourth of July. The BBQs, the parades, the fireworks, and most importantly honoring the brave men and women who fought their bums off to make this nation free.

A very good friend of mine made a comment today that struck a chord with me. She said that this year the holiday was symbolic for me, because this year I am able to celebrate my own independence. I had not thought of that, but she's right. Although not final or official by any means, this fourth of July is indeed a symbol of my newfound independence. I haven't been truly independent in a very long time. And despite the pain and hardship caused by my current situation, there is some good that will come from it. I will emerge from this stronger than ever before. I will be able to proclaim my independence.

Happy 4th everyone! Be safe. :)

Random thoughts ....

My daughter's report card came today. She finished the year with A's and B's - yay! All those late nights helping her with her homework and giving her the wrong answers actually paid off.

I somehow have broken out like a preteen going through puberty. My face is starting to look like a pizza. Are we serious?! I do not need this right now...

I bought the cutest pair of flowery peep toe pumps from DSW. They arrived on Monday and are just adorable. Now I just need some place nice to wear them. Stop and Shop here I come!

The kids have been home barely a week and I'm already at my wits end. I'm almost wishing summer away and I don't like that one bit.

So the 4th of July is this weekend. Wow - where did June go?!?!?!? Holy hell time is flying.

Drop by my friend Small Town Mommy for more randomness. :)