Trip to Bloomington

Last weekend I was lucky enough to go with mom, grandma, and Lucas to visit Bridget at school. Before I get into the trip specifics, I have to say it was so awesome to see Bridget, get to visit, walk around the gorgeous campus and town on a beautiful fall day. I would love to go back, next time without my darling son.

It started out where I knew it could go either way. We had been out late last TH at Chuck E Cheese's, celebrating Carter's 5th bday. That was lack of sleep night number one. Fri was our early day, so he was tired. Then he had school all day, and was picked up as we were on our way out on the road, to eventually stay overnight in Cincinnati, leaving us with about 2 hours to go in the morning Saturday. Well, aside from my tired kid acting like a fool, a completely ridiculous fool in the car, we got lost when we were in the last leg of our trip. I still have not determined if the directions were wrong or if I missed an exit, but it does not much matter. I had mom call the Hotels.com 1-800 number, since it was the only ph# printed on our itinerary to get the local ph# to the Comfort inn and Suites and get directions. I knew we were not far, it was the same hotel we had stayed at when Larry and I went in April. After getting crazy and wrong, then right directions from the local hotel, we pulled in, an hour later than it should have been, it is now going on 9pm. As soon as we pulled into the parking lot, I knew it was not the same hotel I had stayed at, and none of the rest of the surroundings were familiar, I had not been there before, it was not the correct hotel. They had given my mom the wrong ph#, to a different Comfort inn and suites somewhere in Cincinnati. Now I am livid. Not only were we not getting back in the car with my crazy son after 6 hours, I was mad that I knew grandma's credit card would be charged for not showing at the correct hotel. Well, this was Hotels.com's problem, not mine. As we checked in to this other hotel, cause luckily they were not booked up, I had the pleasure of speaking to one of the most bumbling of idiots on the Hotels.com staff, when I advised her she was an idiot and could obviously not handle her job, I asked for a supervisor. That supervisor told me I needed to call back in the am after 9 when there was a manager in at the hotel we should have been at. That we would have been at had they not given us the WRONG ph#

Lucas of course wanted to swim, it lasted 10 minutes cause he was so tired. By the time we all settled in it was 11pm.Anyone who knows Lucas, knows if he does not get to bed before 9pm, its worthless. he was up at 6am, need I say more? There was the drive to Bloomington then which lasted about 3 hors and I could not get out of the car fast enough. By now I was reminiscing (and having nightmares of) the time we took Lucas to Virginia when he was 14 mos old (yes, this is how he was acting).

Walking around I say he did pretty well, but then settled into wanting to know when we were going to the new hotel, over and over again. By the time we got to the hotel, he had fallen asleep, it takes a LOT for him to fall asleep at any point during the day, no matter how tired he is. It was dinnertime by then and Lucas was incessant about wanting to swim and not wanting to eat or get back into the car. So we ordered pizza and watched a movie, it was all we could do with this kid.

Sunday he was less "Are we there yet" and more slap happy and I would have been happy to slap him, believe me. We made good time and I told Larry that he better be home when I got there to take over with Lucas before anyone had to call 696KIDS on me. WOW, I have had better trips with him on longer drives to SC when he was even younger. This is why Lucas'sleep is so important!!!!!!!!!!!

So, now that that is out of the way, back to Hotels.com. I called back on our way into Bloomington Sat morning, and spoke with yet another idiot, obviously that is all they employ I concluded. After her reading the notes, and me re-explaining everything all over again, and her putting me on hold 15 different times, she finally called out to the original hotel we never made it to and told me they charged grandma's credit card cause we no showed. REALLY you fucking genius???? I could have figured out they were going to do that you sorry excuse for a human sucking useful air. I was quite proud of my non usage of every swear word in the book since grandma was in the car though I might add. I said at that point " Ok, and I told you that if the hotel was not going to refund the card, that YOU guys WERE"" So now do that, since this is your fault". I was put on hold again, each time she placed me on hold she asked if it was ok, each time I promised her I had all day and would be her bestest new friend til I spoke to every supervisor in the place, and as I advised them the night before, now was not the time to screw with me since I have spent 6 plus hours stuck in a car with my tired 5 yr old son.

So moron #2 comes back and insultingly offers me a 20.00 credit or a 50.00 voucher. Now, had grandma not been in the car, I would have told her exactly where to shove the credit AND the voucher, but at that point I let her know I believed she has LOST HER MIND and was to get me a competent Supervisor immediately. I was asked to hold again, and this time when she came back, she had gotten authorization from a supervisor to refund the whole amount (duh bitch) and I was offerred a million apologies for the trouble I was caused and the person who gave the incorrect ph# would be reprimanded (the idiots have no idea who gave that ph#) but I did not care, as long as the credit was given. : ) And it was there by Monday grandma informed me, btw.

When are people going to learn screwing with me is NEVER a good idea.?

Treading water over here

Wow, what a whirlwind the first 3 weeks for school have been! Lucas is doing great, thankfully, right into the swing of it and whether he is buying or bringing lunch, if its gym day, where he is going before or after school. Me on the other hand, while it has gotten easier, I am struggling to catch my breath most days, and paranoid and stressed I am forgetting to sign something (no, that has not gotten any better, FYI, still just as much crap to remember to fill out and /or sign every other freaking day) lol.

But, I am getting more used to it. And now they have tossed in 3-4 nights a week of homework for the kids as well, which is really for us in addition to the other stuff I have to deal with. its getting easier, i think. Sure it is.

Lucas just loves gym class, computer class and recesses, buying lunch at school and After school care : ) he dislikes when he has to go to before care cause they just sit in the library. But all in all, his feedback is much more positive than I expected from him. he is having a good time having Emma over some days and going to her house some days before or after school, I am trying to remember our schedules and plans from week to week, scared I am going to forget a kid somewhere in the mix.

He has grandparents day on friday, he invited grandma Jane : ) and Picture day tomorrow

I have a PTU meeting tonight, and VIRTUS trianing tomorrow night(I have to take this one time class if I want to help with parties/school trips or any school affair)

And we will keep on trucking until the men in the white coats with the straightjackets (please)come to take me away, haha, hoho,heehee : )

just kidding, sort of

Jonas Brothers concert

Tuesday I took Alyssa to the Jonas Bros/Demi Lovato concert. She had waited all summer for this, and was so excited. She even wanted school to start cause it meant she was going to go to this concert. If you know Alyssa, she hates school, so this was major lol.

She adores Demi Lovato, and I have watched them all grow up on the Disney channel, and know most of the songs they sing. And really, I have never been shy about watching the Disney and Nickolodeon shows even when there are not any kids around. They are fun shows : )

I figured if I could just deal with the screaming tween, it would be fun, and it was : )

I got to spend a girls night out with one of my favorite girls, she picked Friendly's as out eat out destination and we were off to the show.

There were a lot of screaming teens, but it was a really good show. Those Jonas Brothers know how to rock it out on the stage. And I think they have me successfully wanting to watch Camp Rock two tonight (yeah, I was goin g to watch it anyways, I already have seen the first one a million times)but now I really want to see it lol.

I danced and sung and stood for the whole thing and was reminded in the morning after 5 hours of sleep I am really getting old. I was exhausted and sore. I still am a few days later. And I was relieved when even Alyssa told me she thought Demi's skirts were too short, cause I was thinking it the whole time but was not going to say anything cause I figured it was just me getting really really old. She is 18 now after all and it is a concert lol
But I am glad I got to take Alyssa : )

Little Big Man goes to Kindergarten!!!!

The day finally came! I was so nervous and anxious myself about it I really could not wait just to get it over with. Lucas was a bundle of nerves that morning, especially once we got to school. Right down to he was not going, his throat hurt, his stomach hurt, he was going to throw up, would I come with him? I told him he would not throw up, to take a deep breath and we would go in together.

Once we got in his classroom, he began to cry at the thought of me leaving. I actually did not cry, I knew he would do fine as soon as I left, so I kept it short, sweet and positive. Once he had been in there not seeing me for awhile, we peaked back in, he was coloring, laughing and smiling with the kids at his table. he came out of school that day smiling and by Monday this week his nerves were all gone and yesterday he and Emma walked into school together without me . I am very proud of him, he is adjusting really well and enjoying it. he loves After school care too, so no worries there, he did not even want to leave there when I cme to pick him up Monday. Big relief!

He is adjusting well, albeit a bit worn out. I however, am all kinds of screwed up adjusting. Not worried about him and school anymore, but I cannot get my own act together. I spent a near sleepless weekend overwhelmed with all the things I had to remember now, its such a different routine. School supplies, filling out forms, signing forms, before care, after care, pack a lunch, cafeteria menus, uniforms, gym days, money for this and money for that, who is picking him up, who am I taking to school what days. I got myself a bit worked up. My new schedule started at work last week, I am working 34 hours a week now, sucky moneywise, but it gives me extra time for him in both the afternoons and mornings, and life at home has been so much less stress since, loving that. However, I was thinking I could take him to school and still be on time every day. Travelling later in the mornings at peak time means too much more traffic and I ended up being late both monday and Tuesday, even with my later schedule. Upsetting, but this morning I sent him to before care at 7:30, so he only had to be there 15 minutes before the bell rings, and I amde it on time. So this week is an adjustment, a learning curve for me and it will all settle in soon-I hope-for my sake : )