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DUECES BIOTCH!

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This damn plant has been placed in every window in this house.  It has been fertilized, allowed to dry until the dirt pulls in, wet throughout, dribbled on, soaked sitting just the bottom of it in water for 30 minutes, etc.  and it STILL keeps dropping healthy leaves like it's so damn miserable and has lost it's will to live.  The last thing I read was that the poor dear might need a specialized grow lamp like this one:  Hydrofarm JSV2 2-Foot Jump Start T5 Grow Light System

$60 light for a plant I paid $8 for two years ago.  

I'm two seconds away from snatching this little shit up out that damn filigree planter and chunking it in the outside garbage can.  I'd walk away from that shit like this yelling "DUECES BIOTCH!"

Yeah...it's like that and that's the way it is.

HOOOAH!

From My Inbox:

“Hi Monica,

Hope you are doing well and had a nice holiday. I am an off-and-on reader of your blog for many years now and have sent a few things for consideration by the tribe. I’ve always found their feedback helpful. So here is the latest that I’m struggling with. If you’d like to post it, please do.

My sister-in-law has been with my brother for over 10 years, but only married for a few years. They have two young children. She has always been nice and a part of the family. That is, until she had kids. Once she had kids she became controlling, overbearing and often downright bitchy. She is overprotective and could be the poster child for helicopter parents.

How she raises her kids is her business, but the fact that none of their aunts, uncles or grandparents were able to bond with them because we could never get near them, that’s where the problem comes in.

As I’m writing this I am already hearing people’s reaction that it is her business how she raises her children, but it hurts. These are years in their lives that we will never get back.

Another part of it is that my own kids are slightly older, and she acts like her kids need protecting from mine. Of course you need to protect your baby, but trust me when I tell you my 3-year-old is just playing, not trying to hurt your son. She said that when kids come over to her house to play, there are rules. She won’t tell me what the rules are though. Chances are, my kids will break them. And I can’t help but wonder, if they come to play at my house, is it my rules then? Or still hers?

In my opinion when other kids and parents are around you be respectful of how they do things, and you use common sense. Share, be polite, don’t break things, clean up after yourself, those kinds of things.

I avoid being around her if possible and walk on eggshells when I am. I’d love my kids to grow up knowing their cousins, but I’m struggling to get past this. She has, in the past, disciplined my kids for things that she felt they were doing wrong, but that I was okay with. In fact, everyone except her was okay with it. My son grabbed a toy from her son. Her son went about his business and picked up another toy. This happened a few times and when I didn’t step in, she did.

If it had been something serious, potentially harmful or dangerous, of course I would have stepped in. My approach is to let kids play and work these things out themselves.

I guess I am looking for others’ experiences and advice on how to deal with this. She is family so she isn’t going anywhere.

Thanks so much!”

Miami Northwestern High School Dancers

A friend posted a video of these dancers last night.  It wasn't this video, but another one that was pretty bad in my opinion.  The one I saw was done on bleachers where they had more room to move.  

I went searching for the school today just to see what was what.  Turns out...this school's dance team is held in high regard.  Girls, at this school, dream of being on the squad.  They are truly the popular hot ish girls on the yard.

What say you?  Would you be comfortable with your daughter being on this squad?   

How to Survive a Mandatory Water Shutoff

We got a note on our door saying we would have a mandatory water shutoff so they could do something to something over yonder or something.

From 8:00am - 4:00pm today.

Great.

I got up early this morning so I could get my day started and shower up before the cut off.  I then filled both bathtubs, a large pot, Jaru's water dish, the Brita pitcher, my tea kettle, the coffee pot (for tomorrow), the watering can and one side of the kitchen sink with water.

Those of you from the South know this is straight hurricane mode.  The water in the tubs is to flush the toilets and wash hands.  I use the watering can to pour the water into the toilet tank and into the sink.  The water in the kitchen sink is for cleaning so I added a bit of dish soap to it and the water in the pot is for food prep.  

Old school.

The sheet says that once the water is restored today, we'll have to boil water until further notice before digesting.

Joy.

Robby asked me to let him know if anything goes wrong so he can take a shower at the gym on his way home.  LOL!  

Hell...I'm just glad it wasn't electricity because Shelly would have come home to me and Jaru posted up on her sofa this evening until the all clear came.  LOL!

Are you able to manage mandatory utility shutoffs if need be?  Do you have that "survivor" gene?