Crimson Tide

After waiting over a month... I finally got my period again... LOL Just wanted to post it so that I'll know about when to expect it next month.

Witchy Woman Update

Update on the 'anti-cat' neighbor.



Friday, after Jeremy came home from work, he went next door to talk to the husband. It was just as I had suspected, he wasn't aware of all that was going on. I didn't go with Jeremy, so I only know what Jeremy tells me about what went on there. He knocked on the door and asked her husband to come out. He did. Jeremy showed him the yellow paper (animal control warning) and asked what that was about. At some point in time, the wife walked out. She kept saying stuff like, "___ get back in the house" "Are you going to believe me or this fucking drunk" (BTW, Jeremy wasn't drunk) "You (Jeremy) need to leave now." And she proceeded to call the police. Jeremy said that he was going home but to send the police over when they got there.



He walked in our house, telling what happened. Said the wife was saying that I was lying. After a little while, we (Jeremy & myself) went outside. Not long afterwards, the husband from next door asked if he could join us. He apologized for what had happened. He also apologized for buying the cat food. Apparently, they both thought we were bad pet owners and decided to take matters in their own hand without ever asking us about what they thought we were or weren't doing.


See, we sometimes go visit my family for a week (usually, if its a week, its me and the kids, not Jeremy & when he does leave for a week, that's the only time we ask neighbors to feed our animals) or even just the weekend. Well, before we leave for the weekend, Jeremy fills Max's (our dog) food bowl (large metal container that Jeremy nailed down inside of Max's house so he can't take it out or it can't be rained on and ruined.) with food (like a 20lb bag). Max doesn't gorge himself so, when we get back, he still has food there. The only concern is the water and Jeremy has asked a few of our neighbors at different times just to make sure he has water while we're gone. Also, our other neighbors have asked us if they could feed Max their scraps which is totally fine with us. He eats anything. And for the few times that we are gone for a week at a time, Jeremy calls our neighbors to make sure Max is okay.


Now, for the cat(s). I've written about how great of a hunter Momma Cat is. She is close to being a feral cat. She brought back many different types of rodents for herself and kits to eat along with birds, snakes, frogs, etc; even when there's food out there for them. Yes, we don't buy cat food too much because we want her to stay a hunter and not get lazy. However, I'm always giving them table scraps.


So, while our neighbor was here, Jeremy asked him if he knew about the metal container inside Max's house and that he fills it full of food when we know we'll be gone. Our neighbor was dumbfounded. He had no idea. They just figured we left the animals with nothing. Which is really stupid since Max is on a leash and can't very well go find food. What kind of people they thought we were, huh? AND, if they thought this, there were ways they could have found out what we do... they could have approached us with this concern before taking matters into their own hands.


Well, that is also the reason they bought cat food and fed them at their house. BTW, they did this while Jeremy was home... me and the kids were the only ones not home for the week.


Of course, they didn't 'fess' up to any of this... this is what we got from their actions and words.


All of this could have been avoided had they NOT assumed the worse and asked us... even then, that didn't have to be a confrontation... the matter could have been brought up during conversation without us even knowing their underlying concerns. And this whole ordeal could have been totally avoided.


So, yes, they created their own problems yet we were the ones that got both animal control and the police called on. OH yeah, the police did show up next door but the husband sent them away saying that there were no problems.


The wife has yet to apologize and I don't see her doing it, ever. This was all their doing; not ours. Our cats don't go to any of our other neighbors' houses; just theirs because they were feeding them.


OH, yeah... another thing... all of the kittens are indeed gone. She said the animal control picked them up but when I spoke to that lady, she said we get 3 warnings and THEN they pick the animal(s) up... so, I'm pretty sure she got rid of the kittens via her mom or someone else they know around here since our female neighbor is so allergic to them, she wouldn't have been able to transport them.


Even after her 'threat' that she'd get rid of the kittens, she only gave us like 4 days to do anything. I wouldn't have wanted to bring them to the animal shelter... I was trying to find them homes.


You know, even if she apologizes at some point in the future (which I don't see happening), there's no way I'd be friends with her again. She's an ass and a major bitch. Yeah, I can be bitchy... but, she's got me beat hands down.


Another thing that really sucks is now her son gets on the bus with my girls. So, I have to see her twice a day during the week. I'm just ignoring like I did.


What was funny this morning, after getting her seat, Calista was looking out the window, at our neighbor, with this super mean eyes... I had to smile to myself. I just wonder if our neighbor noticed it at all. She had to have... I mean, Calista was looking at her for a long time like that. lol

Okay... further on in the day...

Calista & Ursula get off the bus, before that, I see Jude with this sad/mad face. I asked Calista if she told Jude about her mom getting rid of our cats and she said she had and she will tell everyone she can about it.

Missing Kittens

I went ride my bike around 9:30-10:00am today and the kittens were around.

I received a visit from the parish's animal control regarding our pregnant momma cat... yet, nothing about the 5 kittens on that report. I knew about the leash law in our parish, but didn't realize that meant cats too... can't say I've ever seen a cat on a leash in real life. This lady came around 2:00pm. And I hadn't been outside since riding my bike. The kittens weren't around.

My kids got off the bus at 3:18pm and still no kittens.

I suspect my neighbor, the one mentioned in my previous post, had her mom or someone else bring our kittens somewhere else.

What an ass, huh? Report me to the animal control??? I can't help but think her husband knows nothing of what she's done. He likes the cats.

I'm so glad I never opened up to her about our personal lives!!!

I love how people create their own problems and blame others!!!

Update

Biking:

I've been riding my bike 2 miles daily this week and Wyatt has been loving it. Its so nice to just ride, wind in your face, sun tanning your skin (hehe), and having that nice quietness. Wyatt just sits and looks around, barely does he make any noise while we ride. Sometimes he'll touch my back with his hand or foot :D

Along with riding, I've been doing crunches; I can already see results! Gotta love that! Makes it worth doing, ya know!

Gymnastics:

Well, that hasn't worked out. The first one ended up being way more expensive than I had thought. I went to get the information package and Ursula even stayed for a class that day. I read all the mandatory requirements, deposits, etc... I knew Jeremy would say no; and of course, he did. For the end of the year recital, they wanted $300/child!!! That didn't include costumes and accessories even! Not even tickets! Crazy, huh? Then, you had to buy the daily outfits from them which would have equalled no less than $100 for both.

So, I called the other ballet/gymnastics place and got their info packet. Jeremy had agreed to their terms; seemed a better deal but when I read it closer, they wanted both the registration and 1st month tuition at the same time. If I could have paid them a week apart, it could have worked out a little better. That, together, would have been about $300. Jeremy said no. I do understand though. This summer, our bills have been twice and three times more than normal making his raise almost nil. There was a water leak the landlord didn't fix until recently. Our water bill was almost $300 for 3 mths. Normally, it would be about $24/mth. Then, our A/C seems to never cut off even when I have the temp set for 80 degrees during the day! Our electric bill has been between $250/320/mth!!! That's frickin' high for us. We're used to it being around $150 or so. Its not like we live in a huge house... its not even 1200 sq ft! Maybe next year, we'll be able to put the girls in dance and gymnastics.

My sister, Cherie, has her girls in dance where she lives and its only $20/child/mth! OMG, we could soooo afford that!!!

The closest gymnastics place is 20 min away. I called but no one answered. Depending on the costs and time the classes take place, it could work. Next closest is in Lafayette... and sorry, that won't be happening. I will not be traveling there twice a week...

Cats:

Looks like Momma Cat is pregnant again... much to our chagrin. Her kittens are barely 4 mths old. We still have 5 out of 6 of them. My sister had taken one home. I did place an ad for the in the local Freecycle group but no one answered it; guess everyone is trying to get rid of their own cats...

Jeremy's ready to drop them off somewhere (like the race track); I'd hate for him to do that but they'd have a better chance to survive than bringing them to a shelter where they'd euthanize them in a short amount of time. I really didn't think we'd still have them by now; looking back at how her other kittens disappeared by the time they were like 3 mths old... of course, those kittens were cuter... LOL This litter has no white ones like her previous kits did.

I like Momma Cat because she a mouser & an all-around hunter. I've seen evidence of her capturing, killing, and bringing home at least 2 rabbits. I've seen bird feathers. I've seen many, many mice she's gone found in the wooded area and killed. She's a good mom too; teaches her kittens how to as well.

I'd like to keep the one male kitten. I want to keep at least one because of the mouse problem we had 4 yrs ago... don't want to have that happen again!!!

Also, I've been complained to about my kittens by a neighbor. The kittens like hanging out there and she's allergic to cats. She's actually cursed at me about it (said the "F" word); something I've never heard her do prior to this week. I was in shock. So, I really didn't say anything at the time since she hurried off after having her say. So, I haven't talked to her since. I don't need friends like that... that will confront me and then hurry off without discussing the problem like adults. I can handle confrontation but can't stand when someone will say something, esp. cursing at me, and then leave after they've had their say. That just really pisses me off.

If she's reading this... here's my advice:

STOP FEEDING MY CATS

If you wouldn't (or your dh, whoever does it) buy and feed my cats, they wouldn't hang out at your house!!!

I've NEVER told you to feed my cats; NEVER asked you nor your dh nor your kids to feed them. Even while we are away, visiting relatives for a week, never asked you to feed them... the cats can fend for themselves; they're hunters; plus, we put out a bag of food for them when we leave that they can eat from.

We have 3 other close neighbors that the cats DON'T visit. You know why they don't? BECAUSE THEY AREN'T FEEDING THEM!!! HELLO??? You've created your own problem! And if it was your husband that did it and not you, then complain to him. I didn't bring food to your house and put dishes out in front of your door and lure the cats there. Nope, not me... I didn't do that.

Okay, I've gotten that out of my system... I feel better.

My Bike!

My New Bike!!!

It cost me all of $1!!!

Last weekend, Jessica & I (along with our babies) went to garage sales. We left her home at 7am and got home at 10:30am. We went to 13 altogether!!! Now, we didn't buy something from every single one. But we did get some good deals!

This bike came with the baby seat as well! Now, it was a little messed up and couldn't be ridden right away but nothing Jeremy couldn't fix in 2 hrs!!! Yep, my man, the handyman :D

What's so great is that he was going to buy me a brand-new one so that I could exercise!!! I had been wanting one for a while now! I have a Raleigh Mountain Bike that I paid $550 way back before I had kids... but, I let one of my sisters borrow it. Plus, I couldn't have put a child seat on the back of it anyways.

So, now I get to ride! Wooohoooo!

I rode it for the first time today and Wyatt freaked when I strapped him in but once I got going, he calmed down. He did hold on for deal life though! heheh I think (I hope, at least!) that he'll eventually love it :)

I also bought an umbrella stroller for $2, quite a few uniforms for my girls, 3 pairs of shorts and a couple of shirts @ 25 cents/piece for Jeremy, about 3 or 4 pairs of shorts for myself, various shirts, velour jogging suits, Bratz tennis shoes for Calista and Reebox tennis shoes for Ursula, both is brand-new condition and about $1/piece along with some tan suede boots for Calista :)

I spent less than $40... probably more like $30 altogether but came away with tons of stuff! I mean, the bike along with the uniforms and new shoes made it all worth it!!!

It was a good trip because Jessica had looked up what garage sales were happening and located them all and then planned our route! It worked out so well! A few of the ones we stopped at weren't even planned, we just happened upon them.

The craziest part of it was that we didn't go to bed until after 2am that morning!!! So, we go to bed after 2am and wake up in time to drink coffee (which we took with us), get our babies & ourselves dressed, and driving out the driveway by 7:02am!!! I was this _ close to not going but like I told Jessica, I'm so glad I did :)

World Breastfeeding Week 2007

Okay, so, I'm a little late... :D But, we all know that I celebrate breastfeeding everyday :))

Here's a small snippet taken from the UNICEF site as to understanding why we have a World Breastfeeding Week:

Why this week to celebrate World Breastfeeding week?

It commemorates the anniversary of the Innocenti Declaration.

INNOCENTI DECLARATION

On the Protection, Promotion and Support of Breastfeeding. Recognising that:

Breastfeeding is a unique process that:

Provides ideal nutrition for infants and contributes to their healthy growth and development Reduces incidence and severity of infectious diseases, thereby lowering infant morbidity and mortality Contributes to women's health by reducing the risk of breast and ovarian cancer, and by increasing the spacing between pregnancies Provides social and economic benefits to the family and the nation Provides most women with a sense of satisfaction when successfully carried out and that Recent Research has found that: these benefits increase with increased exclusiveness of breastfeeding during the first six months of life, and thereafter with increased duration of breastfeeding with complementary foods, and programme intervention can result in positive changes in breastfeeding behaviour.

We therefore declare that:

As a global goal for optimal maternal and child health and nutrition, all women should be enabled to practice exclusive breastfeeding and all infants should be fed exclusively on breastmilk from birth to 4-6 months of age. Thereafter, children should continue to be breastfed, while receiving appropriate and adequate complementary foods, for up to two years of age or beyond. This child-feeding ideal is to be achieved by creating an appropriate environment of awareness and support so that women can breastfeed in this manner.

Some links:


Breastfeedingworld.net


World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action


The Lactation Sensation

KellyMom

Breastfeeding Blinkies & Graphics

Stupid Argument

Okay, so, Jeremy comes home from work and all is well. We hug hello. The kids hug him. We're talking. Smiling. etc. I'm making Split Pea Soup but there's still a little time left on it and he's hungry so, he makes himself a sandwich. I see he's using the bread and tell him, "That bread sucks." OMG For some reason, that offended him. He got mad and started an argument. Frickin' ridiculas. He's mad because he bought the bread. Because he bought the best bread available at the local grocery store. Because he bought whole wheat bread. Because he bought that kind for me. Because he changed his eating habits to suit me. And I had the nerve to say something negative about this bread. Now, this is, of course, me paraphrasing the gist of the argument.

Let me tell you why this bread sucks. When you try to put peanut butter on it, it tears apart. It falls apart in your mouth before you start chewing. It is too airy. There's no substance to it. I like a more dense bread.

I didn't tell him the bread sucked to argue about it. I told him that so that he'd be prepared and maybe treat his sandwich a little more gingerly. I also told him that so that he wouldn't buy that brand again. I wasn't trying to insult his ability to buy bread. Or even his decision to buy that one. How was he supposed to know it was going to suck so badly?

You should have seen how angry he was about it. Totally uncalled for! I mean, I can't even talk to him without an argument happening. I've already told him that I was going to stop talking. I've done it before. I mean, I don't need to live everyday arguing with him. Its too stressful. I don't need it.

If the roles would have been reversed, I would not have acted that way. I would have said something like, 'oh, okay' and mentally noted not to buy that brand again.

Gymnastics Update

Okay, after Jeremy got to work yesterday, he must have been thinking about it because he called me around 10am. He asked when the registration fee was due. I told him I didn't know but I would leave them a message on their answering machine.

Well, I did call; twice. Left messages. Not sure if they called back while I was outside (no caller ID anymore) but, hadn't heard from them. I hope its not too late.

Jeremy's terms are that the kids are perfect. He will take them out of gymnastics if they aren't the model kids. He wants them to do their chores (Calista's loads and unloads the dishwasher. They both clean up their room and wherever else they made messes). He wants them to listen and follow our directions immediately, without hesitation or procrastination. He wants them (esp. Ursula) to respect me; IE, no yelling or sassiness or backtalk. Of course, I'd love to see this too. However, I don't expect perfection and maybe that's where I'm falling short... and maybe that's why he thinks I don't discipline. I do discipline them. And I am as consistant as I can be. I do believe though, that kids need to be kids and that kids will be kids; they will test you; they will test their boundaries. I know I tested mine as a child. I look back and think of the spankings I received. I think of the way I did sassy my mom. I remember my mom telling me to not look at her that way or to take that look off of my face and me thinking 'what look? how should I be looking at her?'. So, I do put myself in my kids' position. I think of myself and my parents. Things they'd tell me and didn't explain; assuming I knew what they meant.

I'll get back to this later.

Pissed Off

Man, Jeremy makes me so mad!

He told me that he won't give me the money to get the girls registered in gymnastics!!! WTF??? He says they aren't disciplined. He's such a selfish $%%#$. It'll cost $120 to register them and $120/mth. Its not like he can't afford this. I know he spends more than that on beer and cigerettes alone in a month!!! You know, I don't ask him for anything. Nothing. I hardly ever ask him for money. You know what money I get? I get the change from paying bills & groceries. We pay them in cash, in person. So, I get that. I don't ask for new outfits. I don't ask for new jeans. I don't ask him to pay for my hair cuts & colors (my sister does them for me). I don't ask him for hardly anything. You know where the majority of my clothes come from??? Thrift stores or are given to me.

You can't convince me that he doesn't blow $120 or more on crap during any given month... kwim? How is this not worth it? He's trying to hurt me? Because he thinks I don't/can't discipline the kids. So, he's punishing me???

I'm so frickin' irritated with him.

I yelled at him, "You know how well Calista will excell in this! Just think of the pride you'll feel when you see her perform!!!" I told him to think about it while at work.