The traveling circus.

The traveling circus is what my family will be referred to from now on. 

This is how I figure it.  Jason and I are like high wire tight rope walkers.  Spectators watch to see if we will fall and since we never operate with a net this is especially fun to sit back and watch.

The boys are like the dare devils walking through fire.  No danger is off limits for these two.  In fact, the more dangerous it is, the more inclined they are to want to do it.

And then our dog, Lucy.  She is the great lion.  The boys show off how they can put their heads in her mouth, make her jump and then sit like a lady.  Of course, this isn’t really how it goes, she is definitely not trained that well. 

The ringleader makes one final appearance, you guessed it, that would be me.  Usually, involves a costume change after my high wire act.  Then we close the show with screaming babies, a tired puppy and a few extra gray hairs for Jason and I.

Laura….

Control freak.

Do you ever feel like its never enough?  I run this household.  I do the shopping, plan the meals, bathe the children, take care of the pets, make the doctors appointments, pay the bills, clip the coupons, clean the house and go to work.  I make sure we always have what we need in the house, shop for birthday presents, rsvp to parties, make plans, and did I mention go to work? 

Not that Jason doesn’t help, because lord knows he does.  He helps a lot.  There are just some things he’s not wired to do.  If I send him to the grocery store, he comes back with twinkies.  If I send him to the mall to buy a present, he comes back with slippers and a robe.  (This holds true for anyone, me, the kids, mother, father, baby showers, and retirement presents). 

When he has refilled prescriptions or made doctors appointments, he has gotten confused by the lingo, and ends up calling me anyway.  Same thing applies to the pets.  We have four cats and a dog.   As any pet owner knows, preventive maintenance is the key to healthy pets.  To this day, Jason has no idea that our dog gets heartworm medicine every month.  He has no idea what type of food our food allergic cat eats and couldn’t tell you what type of flea medicine we use.

I realize I created this monster.  I realize that I may be a bit of a control freak and have to have my hands in everything. I realize that he was a fully functioning adult when I met him.  And somehow, I killed that in him.  He doesn’t even know where I buy his underwear.  I’m pretty sure he doesn’t realize that I buy him new underwear.  He thinks it just appears in his drawer.

He takes care of our children and does a damn good job at it.  I really can’t complain.  He is a wonderful father and an amazing husband.  He works hard to provide for our family and will help anyone in need.  I know I’m lucky.  I just feel overwhelmed sometimes.  At the end of the day, only half the list got done.  I feel like I need another five hours in the day to accomplish what I need to get done.

Am I the only one that has done this to her husband?  Am I the only one that puts this much stress on myself?  How do I fix it now?  Should I even try? 

The last time we were out of the house sans kids together….sad.  it was July 7th.

Laura….

Working with the public.

I work in retail.  I work for a large company.  I like my job sometimes.  I like the people I work with all the time.  I even like my customers, sometimes.  Today, was one of those days.

I have to leave by 1:40 at the latest, so Jason can make it to work on time.  So at 1:30 today, I was quickly finishing my work when a customer politely asked if I worked there.  I replied yes, how can I help you.  The gentleman was in his late forties with salt and pepper hair.  He asked if we carried any medicated bar soap.  I walked him over to the soaps and asked exactly what he was looking for. This was his reply:

I have pimples on my hiney and they won’t go away.  I showed him some different acne body washes and left before I could laugh in his face.

A side note, he grabbed his ass while explaining the problem to me.

That sums up my day at work.  And I was late getting home, and Jason was mad. 

The end

This story was lost on Lucy so I thought I would share it with you.

Laura….

Dear Sophia.

24 hours ago, I had to put my best feline friend to sleep after 15 years.

Dear Sophia,

Thank you for the ten years of friendship you allowed me to have with you.  Whether, you realized it or not, you helped me get through some of the toughest times in my life.  You saved me from myself a lot of those times.  I am forever grateful for the time we spent together.

Remember when I adopted you?  Remember how you were sitting in that tiny cage and everyone passed you over because you weren’t a kitten?  I’m so glad I looked in your eyes that day and saw the kindness and love that you bestowed upon me everyday after. 
Remember the walks we would go on in the woods behind the apartment?  I told you all my secrets on those walks.  You never told a soul.  Thank you.
Remember when Ian died and you didn’t leave my side for weeks?  Maybe it was months.  Truth be told you never left my side.  You may have been the only bright light when I was in such a dark place.  Thank you.
Remember when I met Jason?  Remember how you loved him the minute you met him.  Remember how determined you were
not to let him die so you would put your paw on his throat to make sure he was still breathing?  Remember the songs he sang for you and about you.  He loves you so much.
I know you are having a blast right now, running and playing.  I know Ian was waiting for you.  After all, you were his bear.  Just know that the hardest thing I ever did was let you go.  It was not a decision I made lightly or easily.  Really, I just want to thank you for being my best friend.

Love always,
Me.

Laura….