Grumpy McGrumpypants

Don't worry, I'm not going to whine or anything.  Ha! Just kidding. I'm fond of lists, so here is my list of Things That are Bugging Me right now:

-This dry Virginia winter weather. We're all having bloody noses.
-Mean fourth graders. Especially ones that call my sweet boy a "f*g" for having a pierced ear (he took the little hoop out after this and has yet to put it back in). Also, the ones that told him his valentines were disgusting.
-Feeling guilty every time one of my kids struggles as a result of our moving to Virginia.
-Missing mild temperatures and overcast drizzle (really!). This bright sun is giving me eye wrinkles, which has nothing to do with my being in my forties.
-Worrying that we started this too late in the game. All the FS people we've met have either really young kids or kids that are grown or in boarding school. Do they know something I don't?
-Isolation. I am fully aware that this is my own semi-agoraphobic fault. Why, there's a church full of snake charmers just next door that would welcome me with open arms. They tell me almost every day.
-Not knowing where, or when we are going.  Or even when we'll know when or where we are going. I'm a planner. I can't plan until I know more, so I make myself crazy planning imaginary scenarious to keep myself in practice. No, I haven't been institutionalized, why do you ask?
-Missing friends and family is harder than I thought it would be, because my kids are aching for the ones they left behind, too, and when they ache, I ache times a bazillion.
-Fairfax County Public Library. At 30 cents per book, per day late, and a rate of about 25 books per week, many of which fall under the furniture and get left in desks at school, they are breaking my bank. If my old Island County library ever thought to charge for overdue books, they might actually build a collection of more than six books.

Alas, as always, it is what you make of it, and after getting that out of my system, I do feel a little better, so I'll close with a list of Things That are Making Me Happy right now.

-Olivia mastered double digit math. Seeing how easy it is for her twin sister ticked her off so she refused to even learn. Isolating them during homework and computer math games did the trick, along with a little help from Dad. Woot!
-My kids. They are mostly happy and resilient and funny, even in the face of fourth grade a-holes and second grade boys that tug on pigtails (yes, her father explained why the little boy was tugging on her pigtails. He's just lucky he picked Grace, because Olivia would have blacked his eye.).
-Thin mints and Samoas were delivered to my front door today.
-I fixed the Problem of the Flooded Basement all by myself when Mitch was in Africa. I felt competent and handy (There was a mighty clog of Olivia's hair bands in the drain. I pulled them out, saving the entire family from being carried away by flood waters.).
-Mr. Clean Magic erasers.
-Trader Joe's started carrying good sourdough bread.
-I'm pretty much sticking to my New Year's Resolutions, except numbers 1-9.

And the number one thing making me happy right now is:




SO FAR, NO ONE IN THIS FAMILY HAS BARFED IN THE YEAR 2011 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


You weren't expecting that, were you? Maybe it's the universe's way of telling me things are going to be okay.