Alabaster Mom

I abandoned my family this weekend and went out of town with a couple of friends.  There were no arrests, so that's a plus. It was fun to get away for a night and I didn't even have to yell at anyone to get dressed and brush their teeth. On Friday night (before I headed out of town), I took the kid to an improv comedy show.  The comedy troupe was holding a fundraiser for a couple of local organizations that provide support to cancer patients. So, I wanted to enjoy some funny stuff and buy some raffle tickets.  Since I won a basket in a raffle the week before, I felt like my winning ways just might continue. Sure enough, I found out yesterday that I won a free night in a hotel room! The hotel is only about 15 minutes away from my house, but what the heck, right?  Of course, once I board the dogs and make babysitting arrangements for my child, the "free" night might run me a hundred bucks.  Anyway, the show was a lot of fun. A friend of mine is one of the performers s

So, I went back. To Weight Watchers, that is.  I hadn't attended a meeting in just over a year. Interestingly enough, my weight (at my Saturday weigh-in) was only four-tenths of a pound higher than it was the last time I went. I guess that's good or bad, depending on how you look at it. I do adore my WW leader, so I was happy to see her. I just wish I was more enthusiastic about the whole thing.  However, I guess I do need the accountability.  If knowing that I have to weigh in on Saturday keeps me from snacking before bedtime on Thursday, I guess that's a plus. We'll see how I do. I'm a bit nervous because I know that my physical activity will grind to a halt when I have my foot surgery in May. I guess I'll just chew on some air until I can get out and about again. Other than that, things have been pretty quiet.  I took the kid to a pet expo on Sunday (because, you know, I "never take her anywhere") and won a gift basket from a German Shorthaired Po

“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” ― Epicurus The other day I took my daughter out to dinner at Noodle's.  As we were leaving the restaurant, she spotted some jumbo-sized chocolate chip cookies for sale next to the registers. "Mom, can I have one of these for dessert?" I shook my head. "You don't even like chocolate chip cookies that much." I think she just wanted it because it was there.  She pouted and made stompy feet all the way out to the car. As we were driving home, I said, "How about this? I'll let you run into Express and get a little something."  Express is a local gas station.  We pulled up at the station and I dug around in my wallet. I had a five and a ten and that was it. I handed her the five. "Do you want change back?" "Um, YEAH! And I don't mean that you can spend $4.99 and bring me one

My friend Sharon pointed out that it's been a while since I posted a list of keywords that people have used to find my blog on the interwebs. So, here you go, amigo.  I ran a report from July 1st to now. Most people seem to find my blog by searching on variations of the words "alabaster" and "mom." That all seems legit. However, a few oddities turned up . . . exhibitionist mom (I think they've got the wrong mom. Even my husband doesn't know what I look like without my clothes on.) lisa bonet (Three people found me using this term. I know how it happened, though - I did actually mention her when I blathered on about my crush on Khal Drogo . He still hasn't left her and sought me out, but hope springs eternal.) 18 plus girls on water slides (I'm not sure if this refers to girls who are 18 years old, girls who wear a size 18, or just a large quantity of girls on a waterslide. Regardless, you won't find them here.) alobaster mom blog

My mom flew in (from Oklahoma) for a visit last week.  She flew back last night, and now I must reprogram my child. The kid didn't have school on Thursday and Friday of last week, so she stayed home with her Meemaw. On Wednesday night, I got up to use the bathroom at around midnight and noticed that my child was not in her bed. She and my mom were partying in the living room. When I got home from work at 2:30 the next afternoon, the kid was still not dressed.  Also, she was fairly bratty while my mom was visiting. I guess kids know that you won't put the smackdown on them in any major way while their grandmother is sitting right there.  Other than that, it was a nice visit. We went to a resort for one night (and went swimming and stuff), but mostly we just hung out at the house or at any of the local craft stores to which I drove my crafty mother (I sat in the parking lot outside Hobby Lobby twice and Michael's once). We attended a St. Patrick's Day parade by pure cha

I've scheduled my foot surgery for May 22nd ("That's fascinating, Claudia. I'll be sure to alert the media.") This gives me over two months to obsess over it. This whole ordeal started after I fell up the stairs years ago, which apparently left me with a hairline fracture in the big toe of my left foot. Now my foot is sporting a bone spur and nothing works right down there. The procedure I'm having is called a cheilectomy.  My podiatrist is going to slice my foot open, saw off some bone, and then sew me back up. I made the mistake of watching part of a YouTube video of the procedure. Blech. I noticed that one of the comments on the video was from someone who said they just had it done and that they were "off crutches in two weeks."  I guess that's supposed to be a good thing. There are so many aspects of this surgery that freak me out. For starters, I am petrified of being helpless. Absolutely terrified.  I don't like to rely on other peopl

I work as a project manager for a web development company.  I've been helping companies, non-profits, and individuals develop a web presence for many years.  Although the vast majority of our clients are super-nice and exceedingly patient and understanding, I've noticed over the years that some folks have a bit of trouble discerning an emergency from a non-emergency.  Perceived emergencies crop up so often that anything short of "My skull just cracked open! Help!" fails to elicit much of a response from me. I run into this with the rescue as well - every situation is URGENT URGENT URGENT! In my mind, unless you are a cardiac surgeon and you are clutching a cooler containing a human heart, and you can't install that heart in a dying patient because there is a period on your website that is really supposed to be a comma, then it's really not a emergency. One of my clients runs an assisted living facility. A couple times a year, the director asks me to come to

I've been super busy at work. Then when I come home each day, I have to take out my frustration and angst on my family.  So, it's been hard to find time to write. The stress is really taking a toll. Last night my daughter came up behind me and asked, "Mama?" I sighed loudly. "Can you just ask your father?" I responded. "I've had a really bad day." I was pulling laundry out of the dryer. She turned and started to walk away.  "I just wanted a hug," she said.  Way to go, Claudia. Mother of the Year. Needless to say, I dropped the laundry and gave my child the best hug the world has ever known. When I'm not making my family miserable or working, I've been playing with my new toys. Thanks to Amazon gift cards I received from my sisters and one of my sisters-in-law (for my birthday), I had enough moolah to buy a Kindle Fire (and Mr. "HOW MUCH DID THAT COST?!" did not even have to get involved). I love the darned th

We didn't feel like it was quite cold or snowy enough where we live, so we drove two hours north to spend the weekend with some friends.  They have a cabin "up north."  So, we had one cabin containing four adults, three kids, and four dogs (two Boxers and two Boston Terriers).  Oh, and one bathroom. I thought it would be fun to kick off the weekend by getting my van stuck in a snow bank as soon as we arrived at the cabin Friday night. I need to put some monster truck tires on that bad boy for next time. We had planned to go sledding and whatnot but the below-zero windchills mostly took care of that plan. The kids played outside for a bit but then came inside once they couldn't feel their cheeks anymore. We mostly stayed indoors and played games and ate. We also enjoyed some grown-up beverages while the kids played on their various gaming devices. On Saturday we found an old-school bowling alley "in town" and played a couple of games. It must have been the