Dear California,
It would be incredibly helpful to my morning commute if you did a better job preparing your drivers. Some points I think should be brought up on your drivers test are as follows:
1. The gas is on the right. It is used to propel the car forward.
2. The break is on the left. It does not need to be used ALL THE GODDAMNED TIME!
3. The rear view mirror is specifically designed to see cars and other objects behind you. It is not a mirror to put on 6 layers of make up.
4. Cutting people off and weaving in and out of lanes during rush hour only creates more traffic. Stay in your lane and stop acting like an asshole.
5. STOP ACTING LIKE AN ASSHOLE! (this is a very important one. You may want to consider an essay question as to why drivers shouldn't act like assholes)
and
6. Vegas is pretty. The strip is beautiful. There are lots of big buildings that are amazing to see. I get it. But for the love of God, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not slow down in the left lane of the 15 to look at said pretty buildings. Because if you do and I hit you or get into an accident because you went site seeing on the freeway, I will punch you in the face when we get out of the car.
Sincerely,
Shannon
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Don't Leash Your Kids
Kiddie Leashes. Just typing it makes me cringe. I hate those things. Leashes aren't for kids. They are for dogs. Kids are not dogs. Ergo, leashes are not for kids.
The other day we were in a restaurant I saw a mom put a monkey leash on her kid. She said "I didn't think she'd like it but she LOVES it" and strapped her kid in. The kid plopped to the ground, pulled and tugged and cried. It was pathetic. Mom was happy though because she got to sit down and drink he mimosa and have a grown up conversation. While her 2 year old was strapped down to a dog leash disguised as a monkey.
So here's what I suggest:
1. If you want to have a mimosa at breakfast while talking to your friends, don't bring your two year old. Two year olds like to walk around and touch stuff. It's developmentally appropriate for them to do that. Not to be tied to a restaurant booth.
2. Teach your kid to have boundaries. Rather than strapping her down, give her rules and restrictions and teach her that she can get up when she is done eating and take a little walk. Then have something for her to do at the table while you indulge in an alcoholic beverage (or three) before your drive your child home.
3. Have your own boundaries. Kids at breakfast mean coffee or OJ. Not champagne. Sorry. It's called being responsible.
4. Don't be an ass.
Monday, August 27, 2012
It's been a while
Well it's back to school time! I've been back in the office for a few days but the kids come back to school today so the real fun can start. I'm hoping this year involves fewer bruises and less spit than last year. Autism is fun.
Anyway, this summer was crazy. A lot of going out and partying and enjoying the city we live in. The result has been puffy skin, weight gain and (GASP!) acne. So I decided it was time to take some time off.
So it's back on the health wagon. I'm giving up alcohol for a while. I'm shooting for 30 days. I need to give my body some time to recover from all the drinking we did this summer. After that I am thinking I will stick to the occasional glass of wine and Sangria for a while. We are playing kickball though so I'm not sure I will be able to give up Bud Light Lime's, especially since I really suck at kickball. Drinking gives me an excuse other than "I'm sorry guys but I really suck at this sport that 3rd graders excel at!".
We're also going back to clean eating. This morning was a good start. I had my coffee black and skipped the cheese on my breakfast (although I am not completely removing cheese from diet, I am going to refrain from putting it on top of everything....).
So that's where we are at for now. A lot of my posts will probably involve food, pictures of food or bitching about the need for more than a glass of wine and trying to get someone to pry the bottle of tequila from my hands after a bad day.
That's all for now kids. Good luck to all my CCSD friends and my teacher peeps back in good ol' Massachusetts, as they embark on another year of the craziest profession any person could voluntarily get into.
Peace and Bacon Grease :) (that's for my husband)
xoxoxo
Anyway, this summer was crazy. A lot of going out and partying and enjoying the city we live in. The result has been puffy skin, weight gain and (GASP!) acne. So I decided it was time to take some time off.
So it's back on the health wagon. I'm giving up alcohol for a while. I'm shooting for 30 days. I need to give my body some time to recover from all the drinking we did this summer. After that I am thinking I will stick to the occasional glass of wine and Sangria for a while. We are playing kickball though so I'm not sure I will be able to give up Bud Light Lime's, especially since I really suck at kickball. Drinking gives me an excuse other than "I'm sorry guys but I really suck at this sport that 3rd graders excel at!".
We're also going back to clean eating. This morning was a good start. I had my coffee black and skipped the cheese on my breakfast (although I am not completely removing cheese from diet, I am going to refrain from putting it on top of everything....).
So that's where we are at for now. A lot of my posts will probably involve food, pictures of food or bitching about the need for more than a glass of wine and trying to get someone to pry the bottle of tequila from my hands after a bad day.
That's all for now kids. Good luck to all my CCSD friends and my teacher peeps back in good ol' Massachusetts, as they embark on another year of the craziest profession any person could voluntarily get into.
Peace and Bacon Grease :) (that's for my husband)
xoxoxo
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Thankful
Today I was talking to my Auntie on the phone and the subject turned to my cousin Kevin and his fiance Dina. They are getting married in a couple of weeks. A running joke in our family has always been that my uncle Ed loves it when people reply no to invitations. Less people to pay for hahaha. So anyway we were talking about how someone replied no and I laughed and said "After 4 weddings we all know how much he loves those No's".
4 weddings. That's something I know he and my aunt never bargained on. 2 extra kids to help plan a wedding for. 2 extra kids to have call them when anything and everything goes wrong. 2 extra bodies at the Inn every Christmas.
In the hours and days following my mothers death I freaked out over everything. The how, when, where and why. How was I going to take care of myself and my sister? When was I going to get to be a kid? Where would we live? Why, why why did this happen to me?
And at the end of each and every day in those following hours, days and weeks there was a constant. A phone call that came without question. My aunt or uncle checking in. How are you doing? Do you need anything?
One night my uncle came over with a file box, some file folders, a calculator and a stapler. He spent countless hours patiently teaching me how to be the head of a household I wasn't ready to head.
That winter when our heat went out because I had no idea you had to call and order oil, he talked me through it and made sure it was all ok.
When I was mad about everything and feeling abandoned and sad and angry Auntie was never ever too busy. She always listened and she was always there.
It was a seamless transition for them. They just did it. They took us in and just like that they had 4. My cousins... oh those boys. They both took it in such stride. They never complained. They never even made a peep that now they had to share their parents. And they too looked out and watched over us.
4 weddings. 2 girls walked down the aisle on the arm of the most amazing man I have ever had the privilege of knowing. 2 unexpected children that they took in and saved. 4 weddings that they helped fund and plan and in once case they even hosted.
Without them I don't know where I would have ended up. Without them I don't know that I would have come out of the darkest time of my life with only minimal scarring.
I couldn't be more thankful for the family that I have. For ALL of the people who helped us through that time. For the two people I admire the most in the world. I have the most wonderful family in the world.
They may not have bargained for 4 weddings but I hope they know how forever grateful I am that they are there, that they have done everything they have for all of us and that we are the luckiest kids in the world.
See below.
4 weddings. That's something I know he and my aunt never bargained on. 2 extra kids to help plan a wedding for. 2 extra kids to have call them when anything and everything goes wrong. 2 extra bodies at the Inn every Christmas.
In the hours and days following my mothers death I freaked out over everything. The how, when, where and why. How was I going to take care of myself and my sister? When was I going to get to be a kid? Where would we live? Why, why why did this happen to me?
And at the end of each and every day in those following hours, days and weeks there was a constant. A phone call that came without question. My aunt or uncle checking in. How are you doing? Do you need anything?
One night my uncle came over with a file box, some file folders, a calculator and a stapler. He spent countless hours patiently teaching me how to be the head of a household I wasn't ready to head.
That winter when our heat went out because I had no idea you had to call and order oil, he talked me through it and made sure it was all ok.
When I was mad about everything and feeling abandoned and sad and angry Auntie was never ever too busy. She always listened and she was always there.
It was a seamless transition for them. They just did it. They took us in and just like that they had 4. My cousins... oh those boys. They both took it in such stride. They never complained. They never even made a peep that now they had to share their parents. And they too looked out and watched over us.
4 weddings. 2 girls walked down the aisle on the arm of the most amazing man I have ever had the privilege of knowing. 2 unexpected children that they took in and saved. 4 weddings that they helped fund and plan and in once case they even hosted.
Without them I don't know where I would have ended up. Without them I don't know that I would have come out of the darkest time of my life with only minimal scarring.
I couldn't be more thankful for the family that I have. For ALL of the people who helped us through that time. For the two people I admire the most in the world. I have the most wonderful family in the world.
They may not have bargained for 4 weddings but I hope they know how forever grateful I am that they are there, that they have done everything they have for all of us and that we are the luckiest kids in the world.
Hero:
2. a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal: See below.
Monday, July 30, 2012
BCBA
I'm considering going back to school in the next year or so for my BCBA. Does anyone have any information on programs in the LV area OR good online programs for the standard classes??
Thanks for the help!
Thanks for the help!
Thursday, July 26, 2012
How it changes things
I had to wait a while to write about everything going on in Colorado. I've been obsessed with it since it happened; unable to tear myself away from the news reports, articles, pictures and tributes. Unable to stop thinking about how terrifying it is that you can't do ANYTHING anymore without worrying about it.It's a lot of information and feeling to process.
59 people were injured and 12 killed on Friday July 20th. Innocent lives taken and changed so quickly. Those who were hurt face not only the physical but emotional challenges of recovering, the guilt of being alive while a loved one died, the fear of going out again and not being scared at every turn.
Those who weren't physically hurt deal with the feelings of "thank God. I wasn't hurt. I wasn't killed" and the guilt that comes with those thoughts. They too live in fear of doing something as simple as going to the movies.
Something we take for granted every day.
The day after this tragedy, I was out running errands and I had to go to CVS to drop off a prescription. I used the drive up window all the time so that day was no different. I pushed the button for service and waited. And waited and waited. Normally I would be peeved at having to wait so long. But that day my thoughts went to a darker place. "What's going on in there?" and "Is everything ok?" and then "What would I do if someone opened that window and pointed a shot gun at me?". I got myself in such a state that I almost drove off. As I was about to leave the pharmacy tech opened the window and said "can I help you?".
I was like this after Columbine but not as bad. I was younger and didn't really believe that things like this could happen. I had no idea how fragile and short life really is. But when a door in a lecture hall opened unexpectedly, I would stiffen up a little.
Then there was 9-11. I was a little older and more aware of the news and things going on in the world. I was terrified and scared and jumpy. It took me a long time to fly again. And I hated hearing planes overhead. Something I had once loved so much.
And now this....somehow this is scarier to me. If it happened at the movies it could happen anywhere. It could happen at the library or the bank or the grocery store.
Or the CVS drive thru.
Eventually I will calm down again. I will stop being irrational and jumpy. And then something else will happen.
Life is short and unpredictable. And that scares me more than anything....
59 people were injured and 12 killed on Friday July 20th. Innocent lives taken and changed so quickly. Those who were hurt face not only the physical but emotional challenges of recovering, the guilt of being alive while a loved one died, the fear of going out again and not being scared at every turn.
Those who weren't physically hurt deal with the feelings of "thank God. I wasn't hurt. I wasn't killed" and the guilt that comes with those thoughts. They too live in fear of doing something as simple as going to the movies.
Something we take for granted every day.
The day after this tragedy, I was out running errands and I had to go to CVS to drop off a prescription. I used the drive up window all the time so that day was no different. I pushed the button for service and waited. And waited and waited. Normally I would be peeved at having to wait so long. But that day my thoughts went to a darker place. "What's going on in there?" and "Is everything ok?" and then "What would I do if someone opened that window and pointed a shot gun at me?". I got myself in such a state that I almost drove off. As I was about to leave the pharmacy tech opened the window and said "can I help you?".
I was like this after Columbine but not as bad. I was younger and didn't really believe that things like this could happen. I had no idea how fragile and short life really is. But when a door in a lecture hall opened unexpectedly, I would stiffen up a little.
Then there was 9-11. I was a little older and more aware of the news and things going on in the world. I was terrified and scared and jumpy. It took me a long time to fly again. And I hated hearing planes overhead. Something I had once loved so much.
And now this....somehow this is scarier to me. If it happened at the movies it could happen anywhere. It could happen at the library or the bank or the grocery store.
Or the CVS drive thru.
Eventually I will calm down again. I will stop being irrational and jumpy. And then something else will happen.
Life is short and unpredictable. And that scares me more than anything....
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
525600 minutes
Such a corny title. Oh well....
Anyway, this weekend we celebrated our first anniversary. One whole year. There was a time in my life when I couldn't tolerate another person for a few weeks much less years.
It's not been all rainbows and butterflies. I won't lie to you and say that it has. This marriage shit can be hard. And yes, we did live together for a while before getting married but there's just something different about it when your married.
The good overpowered all that hard shit though. We laughed a lot. We made a lot of memories and we had a lot of fun. The past year has solidified that I made all the right choices even when sometimes they scared the crap out of me.
While sometimes he drives me bat crap crazy, he is my best friend. He takes care of me, knows me and appreciates me like no other person. I wouldn't trade one of those minutes with him for anything.
That's how you measure a year....
Anyway, this weekend we celebrated our first anniversary. One whole year. There was a time in my life when I couldn't tolerate another person for a few weeks much less years.
It's not been all rainbows and butterflies. I won't lie to you and say that it has. This marriage shit can be hard. And yes, we did live together for a while before getting married but there's just something different about it when your married.
The good overpowered all that hard shit though. We laughed a lot. We made a lot of memories and we had a lot of fun. The past year has solidified that I made all the right choices even when sometimes they scared the crap out of me.
While sometimes he drives me bat crap crazy, he is my best friend. He takes care of me, knows me and appreciates me like no other person. I wouldn't trade one of those minutes with him for anything.
That's how you measure a year....
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