Super Mom!

Thanks for checking Lisa - I am still here!

I had a pretty amazing weekend. I had to work Friday night at my fun job. To those of you who don't know, I bar tend every other Friday at Petek's Tavern. Jeff has known the owner, Stash, since like grade school and I am lucky to have become good friends with both him and his wife Denise. In fact, their daughter Chelsie is our baby sitter. Any way, I'm working on Friday, feeling stressed, and I have to admit a wee bit sorry for myself too! I look up and Denise is talking to someone and they are both looking at me. So, I walk over to see what they are talking about because it is obvious that they are talking about me. Any way, Denise is telling this other woman just wonderful things about me and our commitment to raise and love Alyssa. I so needed to hear something kind and encouraging and out of the blue, Denise provided! You know all my whining, all my complaining, I really do have some wonderful, caring friends. I am not going to focus on the mud-slinging, hurtful comments of a couple of ignorant people. No, I am going to align myself with people that truly and deeply love me, my husband, and my daughter!

Saturday, Jeff did Karaoke for a graduation party and took Miss Alyssa along. IT WAS WONDERFUL! I had the whole afternoon and night to myself. I went out with Tammy and we celebrated her birthday! I had forgotten how nice it is to have some time all to yourself! I am proud to say that my cup over-floweth and I am once again ready to take on the world, or at least my lovely Alyssa!

I need a new car! My piece of shit Neon is dying! Sunday the tie rod broke. Thank God Jeff was driving it when it happened. We had to call in our personal "McGuiver" (my BIL Bruce) to fix it so that we would be able to drive it to the car lot to trade it in! I am so frustrated! We have really been looking hard for a new vehicle! We have gone to many different car lots and the salesmen just don't seem to get it! I really don't want the moon! I want a car. I want to spend between $8,000 and $10,000. I want a stick. I want air conditioning. I want under 40,000 miles. AM I ASKING TOO MUCH? Well, you would think so! Instead of showing me vehicles that meet my criteria, or at least come close, they seem to think that I would be much happier with a brand new car! Well, you know what? In a perfect world I would wear a size 5 and be driving a sporty little convertible. This is the real world people, not fantasy land! These people just can't seem to get it through their thick skulls that we are still paying off our $30,000 truck(that was my mistake! The loan ended up getting extended another year after we refinanced at a lower interest rate). I do not need or want another brand new vehicle payment! We are very frustrated so we are taking the night off tonight and going to have a movie night. A nice, quiet night on the couch sounds heavenly to me.

I just read Torina's blog and she asked about RAD parents that work full time. I wanted to comment on that here. Yes, it is extremely challenging to balance a full time job, a home, a husband, AND a child with special needs. I will be the first to admit that not everything gets done the way I would like it to get done. I feel like I am always way behind. And a lot of the time I feel like a complete failure! But, then I stop. I look around my home. I see pictures of Alyssa, smiling and happy. I see pictures of Jeff and myself, smiling and happy. I see pictures of our friends, smiling and happy. I see dust bunnies in the corner, and I see dust on the end tables. I see windows that never got washed this spring, and I see clutter that needs to get put away. And then I realize that I am not a failure. I am a GREAT MOM! I understand what the important stuff is! It is not having a perfectly clean, manicured house. It is having a HOME! A place where family and friends can gather and feel comfortable and welcomed. Success is having a home that people want to come to! I always joke and say, "Well, if they don't like it, I won't be offended if they pick up the broom"! You know, no one ever has! It is OK if I am not Supermom! Because, I am a Super MOM!