The 4th of this month was Oktoberfest for the Young Gardeners Club at a local nursery. The postcard I got said there would be a petting zoo, face painting, straw bale maze, arts and crafts, treats and a free pie pumpkin. There was no time on the postcard, so I looked up the phone number and called. The kid told me it was going on from 9-6.
So it’s 4:45 and we are ready to go, sortof. Aron and the kids walked a little friend back to his house and were coming “right back.” About 5 p.m. the baby and I had been waiting in the car for a while and I was stewing. I drove over to get my man and kids and was not so nice to my man when I saw the neighbor guy and him holding FISHING RODS and chit-chatting. And they say WOMEN are bad!
So we race to the nursery, having ourselves a good fight on the way. Not so much fighting as me hopping my guy’s a**. And I am aware there are those of you out there who don’t have a clue what Aron is doing with a shrew like ME, but keep that opinion to yourselves, thank ya!
The parking lot is dead, and I have a sinking feeling. We piled into the nursery and came upon an Ed Harris-looking guy. He said all festivities were over by 5. I told him my gripes about the kid telling me the wrong time, no time on the postcard, how disappointed we were, etc. He just kept saying “sorry” over and over. I said, “Okay, so you’re sorry. But are you going to listen and take my suggestions for next year?!”
Like thieves in the night, we grabbed our free pie pumpkins and watched the petting zoo drive away. Eva was fussy; I had woken her from a nap so she could sit in a rolling container of negative energy. Poor kid.
I told Aron the nursery debacle was a waste of a good fight between him and I (or is it he and I or him and me?).
The kids cared less than I did – I wanted to cry, but they were cool with going to the park instead, where Michael fell off a swing and bloodied his lip.
Thanks for listening; I feel better. Lesson learned: before going to an activity, call the place beforehand about SEVEN times to make sure all information jives.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
MapQuest Kinda Sucks
You aren’t going to believe this one, so put down that damn coffee mug before you read this. Swallow your donut first, too (what, do I think a bunch of cops read my blog or something?). If anyone in your house (or workplace) is sleeping, DO NOT say, “WHAT?!” loudly. I’m warning you.
So I’m reading this blog (you can link to it using the sidebar over to the right of this page … it’s called Life as Mom). This chick (who I totally dig, by the way, because she is the Grocery Goddess) posts about how much she LOVES MapQuest. I post a comment, something like, “Are you kidding me? They give the worst directions. They didn’t even have the hotel in Phoenix where we were staying in their little database. And people I know trying to get around the city where I live is impossible with MapQuest. Glad it works for SOMEONE!”
So I look at the comment above mine, and it says something like “congrats on having MapQuest contact you.” So I look one MORE above, and I swear to God MapQuest has written a comment to THANK this chick for writing good things about them.
Now, I know for a fact that MapQuest will be seeing this very (negative) blog post that you are reading right NOW. How did I figure this out?
Well, it’s pretty clear that companies have nothing better to do these days than to Google themselves. Losers! I thought only people like ME did that! I guess it's cheaper than a SURVEY like AFI sends out!!!! It's a good way to gauge customer satisfaction since actually answering angry e-mails (or that relic called a PHONE) isn't an option.
By the way, I understand how difficult it would be to run a site like MapQuest. New stuff goes up, old stuff closes, highways and road have construction. I get it. But when something CONSISTENTLY sucks, what other conclusion can I draw?
I suspect Primerica also does it, and I can only HOPE they read my previous post about them. Oooh, and American Family Insurance. Okay, then I hope people see all the POSITIVE posts I’ve written, as well (Starbuck’s, good book reviews, Red Box).
Please, PLEASE post comments about MapQuest and tell all your friends, too. I HAVE to know that I’m not crazy and that LOTS of other people also have bad luck with MapQuest. Together we can change the world … haha!
So I’m reading this blog (you can link to it using the sidebar over to the right of this page … it’s called Life as Mom). This chick (who I totally dig, by the way, because she is the Grocery Goddess) posts about how much she LOVES MapQuest. I post a comment, something like, “Are you kidding me? They give the worst directions. They didn’t even have the hotel in Phoenix where we were staying in their little database. And people I know trying to get around the city where I live is impossible with MapQuest. Glad it works for SOMEONE!”
So I look at the comment above mine, and it says something like “congrats on having MapQuest contact you.” So I look one MORE above, and I swear to God MapQuest has written a comment to THANK this chick for writing good things about them.
Now, I know for a fact that MapQuest will be seeing this very (negative) blog post that you are reading right NOW. How did I figure this out?
Well, it’s pretty clear that companies have nothing better to do these days than to Google themselves. Losers! I thought only people like ME did that! I guess it's cheaper than a SURVEY like AFI sends out!!!! It's a good way to gauge customer satisfaction since actually answering angry e-mails (or that relic called a PHONE) isn't an option.
By the way, I understand how difficult it would be to run a site like MapQuest. New stuff goes up, old stuff closes, highways and road have construction. I get it. But when something CONSISTENTLY sucks, what other conclusion can I draw?
I suspect Primerica also does it, and I can only HOPE they read my previous post about them. Oooh, and American Family Insurance. Okay, then I hope people see all the POSITIVE posts I’ve written, as well (Starbuck’s, good book reviews, Red Box).
Please, PLEASE post comments about MapQuest and tell all your friends, too. I HAVE to know that I’m not crazy and that LOTS of other people also have bad luck with MapQuest. Together we can change the world … haha!
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Grandmas Who Help Out
On the 9th of this month I was sick. I must’ve eaten some long-overdue leftovers, which isn’t like me. I lay around in bed not knowing how I was going to get through the day, take care of the kids, let them play outside with no supervision. So I called my mom.
Some women call their husbands. I used to not get this. I mean, the guy is working his a** off so you can stay home all day with the kids; please don’t bother him! I know people who can’t go to the doctor without their husband either coming along or else staying home with the other kids. Tooting my own horn: I have no problem dragging all 4 kids to my annual Pap smear. I just give them blindfolds.
Anyway, now I get the whole relying-on-husband thing. Some people don’t have family nearby; some people don’t LIKE their family.
My mother, however, wouldn’t care if we all had The Plague … she would come over and take care of us anyway.
Within one hour, she shows up with McDonald’s for lunch for everyone, Coke for me (the best medicine EVER), and Hershey bars for everyone for later. She checks in on me, writhing around on the bed (me, not her), and goes downstairs to take care of my 3 cherubs. I can hear the kids talking and talking and sharing and talking to her … all at once. She is so patient with them. The mother of one has no problem taking on 3 these days (the baby was in bed with me).
So this post is a thank you to my mom as both mother and grandmother. I don’t only sometimes need her around; I also want her around.
Some women call their husbands. I used to not get this. I mean, the guy is working his a** off so you can stay home all day with the kids; please don’t bother him! I know people who can’t go to the doctor without their husband either coming along or else staying home with the other kids. Tooting my own horn: I have no problem dragging all 4 kids to my annual Pap smear. I just give them blindfolds.
Anyway, now I get the whole relying-on-husband thing. Some people don’t have family nearby; some people don’t LIKE their family.
My mother, however, wouldn’t care if we all had The Plague … she would come over and take care of us anyway.
Within one hour, she shows up with McDonald’s for lunch for everyone, Coke for me (the best medicine EVER), and Hershey bars for everyone for later. She checks in on me, writhing around on the bed (me, not her), and goes downstairs to take care of my 3 cherubs. I can hear the kids talking and talking and sharing and talking to her … all at once. She is so patient with them. The mother of one has no problem taking on 3 these days (the baby was in bed with me).
So this post is a thank you to my mom as both mother and grandmother. I don’t only sometimes need her around; I also want her around.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Dirty Laundry
Okay, here’s how I do laundry:
1. Cram as much as I can into the 30-year-old washing machine.*
2. Don’t sort colors.
3. Put in some detergent, maybe some baking soda or vinegar, too, if it’s a tough load.
4. Set the machine for a cold, large load.
5. Start the machine.
6. When it’s done, check for stains that didn’t come out and cram the rest in the dryer.
7. Later, ask the boys about 8 times to go down and get the laundry.
8. Let clean laundry sit in basket for a day to get nice and wrinkly. Only put it away when there is new dirty laundry to be washed.
9. To put it away, sort into piles … have the boys throw their pile on a dresser for later putting away; have Callie put the girls’ pile on the bed until I can get to it.
My friend Ellen has the System. She has 5 kids and does laundry daily. Her kids are totally trained to bring down dirty laundry, and they each have a milk crate in the basement so she can sort their individual laundry into each crate. They pick up their crate later, put their stuff away and return their crate. WOW. That is going to be me when I grow up.
See how I’m World’s Best Wife? My poor husband only has white underclothing when he takes it out of the package. And I’m not even sure where the iron is located at this moment.
*Diapers are a completely different story
1. Cram as much as I can into the 30-year-old washing machine.*
2. Don’t sort colors.
3. Put in some detergent, maybe some baking soda or vinegar, too, if it’s a tough load.
4. Set the machine for a cold, large load.
5. Start the machine.
6. When it’s done, check for stains that didn’t come out and cram the rest in the dryer.
7. Later, ask the boys about 8 times to go down and get the laundry.
8. Let clean laundry sit in basket for a day to get nice and wrinkly. Only put it away when there is new dirty laundry to be washed.
9. To put it away, sort into piles … have the boys throw their pile on a dresser for later putting away; have Callie put the girls’ pile on the bed until I can get to it.
My friend Ellen has the System. She has 5 kids and does laundry daily. Her kids are totally trained to bring down dirty laundry, and they each have a milk crate in the basement so she can sort their individual laundry into each crate. They pick up their crate later, put their stuff away and return their crate. WOW. That is going to be me when I grow up.
See how I’m World’s Best Wife? My poor husband only has white underclothing when he takes it out of the package. And I’m not even sure where the iron is located at this moment.
*Diapers are a completely different story
Friday, October 10, 2008
Aron + Kerrie = Love Forever
Today I have been married to Aron for 10 years. We met on July 20, 1995. My friend from work, Anita, was dating Aron’s friend Dave. Aron’s car was in the shop so he was crashing at Dave’s so he could get a ride to work in the morning. I was hanging out at Dave’s with a guy I was seeing non-seriously. He was a jerk, as I had a tendency to date before I met Aron.
Aron was double-dipping his chip in salsa and I gave him s**t about it. I was a big TV watcher (shocker!) and was proud of my Seinfeld reference. He looked at me like I was the supreme b**** of the universe (still does! Just kidding!) and basically ignored me. I didn’t know he didn’t own a TV (and he didn’t the whole 3 years we dated)!
A couple of nights later a bunch of people were going out for Dave’s birthday. Aron and I flirted some, but mostly tried to pretend to ignore each other. Later we split into groups somehow and I got into the group without Aron. He got to go to a dance club and I got to sit in ANOTHER bar listening to some married total schmoe ramble on.
At the end of the night we all took a limo to a hotel. Aron and I sat outside talking and that’s when I found out he went to DeVry and wasn’t just a loser without a car and that he had dreams for his life. Soon 8 or 10 people crammed into one tiny hotel room for the night. Aron and I ended up sleeping on the floor next to each other. I got us rolled-up towels for pillows. He was a perfect gentleman.
The next morning we happened to ride together back to where my car was parked in the city, then I took him to my apartment for lunch, to his apartment to get ready for work, and then to his work as a cook. He couldn’t believe I was being so nice to him. We traded phone numbers. Later I went to his work to show him the pictures from the night before. We agreed to go out the next night dancing.
We almost didn’t connect. I was at my apartment on a Monday night waiting for him to call and say he was coming to pick me up. I had just about considered myself stood up when I decided to call him at work. He thought I was coming to pick him up (his car was in the shop, remember?). I felt so dumb, but happy to go get him.
We had a hard time finding a decent dance club that was open and settled on Perkin’s for some chow. I still tease him that he paid for dinner with a check (we were both SO broke back then!!). I actually stayed the night at his place that night (I can’t believe I was so forward!) and we didn’t even have our first kiss until the next day. Again, he was a gentleman … none of that hanky panky stuff!!!
A couple of weeks later I told him I loved him, and he told me the next day after we saw A Walk in the Clouds at the movie theatre. We clicked from the start, and it was always comfortable. We always said we wanted to have more than 1 kid but less than 6. We shall see.
Glock, I would marry you all over again … if we had the time!
Dave and Anita got married the same day we did.
Aron was double-dipping his chip in salsa and I gave him s**t about it. I was a big TV watcher (shocker!) and was proud of my Seinfeld reference. He looked at me like I was the supreme b**** of the universe (still does! Just kidding!) and basically ignored me. I didn’t know he didn’t own a TV (and he didn’t the whole 3 years we dated)!
A couple of nights later a bunch of people were going out for Dave’s birthday. Aron and I flirted some, but mostly tried to pretend to ignore each other. Later we split into groups somehow and I got into the group without Aron. He got to go to a dance club and I got to sit in ANOTHER bar listening to some married total schmoe ramble on.
At the end of the night we all took a limo to a hotel. Aron and I sat outside talking and that’s when I found out he went to DeVry and wasn’t just a loser without a car and that he had dreams for his life. Soon 8 or 10 people crammed into one tiny hotel room for the night. Aron and I ended up sleeping on the floor next to each other. I got us rolled-up towels for pillows. He was a perfect gentleman.
The next morning we happened to ride together back to where my car was parked in the city, then I took him to my apartment for lunch, to his apartment to get ready for work, and then to his work as a cook. He couldn’t believe I was being so nice to him. We traded phone numbers. Later I went to his work to show him the pictures from the night before. We agreed to go out the next night dancing.
We almost didn’t connect. I was at my apartment on a Monday night waiting for him to call and say he was coming to pick me up. I had just about considered myself stood up when I decided to call him at work. He thought I was coming to pick him up (his car was in the shop, remember?). I felt so dumb, but happy to go get him.
We had a hard time finding a decent dance club that was open and settled on Perkin’s for some chow. I still tease him that he paid for dinner with a check (we were both SO broke back then!!). I actually stayed the night at his place that night (I can’t believe I was so forward!) and we didn’t even have our first kiss until the next day. Again, he was a gentleman … none of that hanky panky stuff!!!
A couple of weeks later I told him I loved him, and he told me the next day after we saw A Walk in the Clouds at the movie theatre. We clicked from the start, and it was always comfortable. We always said we wanted to have more than 1 kid but less than 6. We shall see.
Glock, I would marry you all over again … if we had the time!
Dave and Anita got married the same day we did.
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