How do you know if your "friends" are really FRIENDS???

This stuff has been floating through my head lately and I've decided to write it out and see if it makes any more sense on "paper" or not.

When I was a kid, I had the typical neighborhood friends.  You know the ones who are around after dinner and you could play outside until the street lights came on?  Ahh.. the good old days.. anyways... I had a few of them..a few lived up the street from me, and a few others came around when they were visiting their grandparents. 

Then there was school friends.  The ones you thought you would be friends "forever" and you wrote in each others yearbooks ( BFF with some phone number or Have a GREAT summer, see you next year..) In my case, they were just nice to me.  No one really wanted to be my friend for whatever reason, reasons I couldn't figure out at the time.  

Then there are the friends you "get" when you get married/dating whatever...When you get married you get the spouses' friends (or do you??) and once you have children WATCH OUT!!  There are the "friends" you make because your kids are friends and so on. 

Here I am, almost 40 years old and I've finally realized who my REAL FRIENDS are.  And it's not the so-called best friend I had grade school all the way through high school.  She was just "friends" because she felt sorry for me,  I don't need people like that in my life.  I hate hate hate pity parties...  

REAL friends are those who give you much needed advice, have a shoulder (or a bunch) to cry on when you need it, help you when you ask (or don't) and make your day a lot brighter by calling to say "HI". Those are the friends I need in my life..

Kelly

Update - Noodles & Co.

Now, way back on August 10th I posted this and I promptly complained about it. 

It is now the 25th of August and I got NO fricken response from them, SO I called the corporate office.  I explained to them why I was calling and what my complaint was and so on.  He finally found the original email I had sent (it got lost in inbox limbo or something) and along with my complaint sent it up to the corporate offices.

He apologized to NO end and said that this is not how we train our employees, yada yada yada.

I have NO clue what will happen now but I thought I would write a blurb about it and keep those who read my blog updated....

How do you deal with the uncertainty of life?

With full disclosure this maybe a whiny, rambling post.  I just need to get these thoughts out of my head and since this is MY blog, this is where I'm going to do this.  

Earlier in the week, all was well.  Took Nichole to her TMJ appointment and got her all set with her splint for her jaw and hopefully her headaches will stop.  Then we registered her for school.  Some of her classes weren't scheduled (what's up with that??).  I'm not sure what the heck these scheduling people do during the summer regarding scheduling the students classes but I hope that they have this crap straightened out by Sept 1.
What happened to Tuesday...not sure...

Wednesday started like any other day.  I got ready for Hand Therapy at Froedert and reminded Sam that he needed to get up.  Also made a verbal chore list for the kids to do *note to self...never do that,...they don't do anything while I'm gone.*  While at therapy, I get this text from Nichole stating that "Grandma is in the hospital, but she's fine, you need to call her, but she's fine".  With my experience with a sick parent, I'm in the hospital AND I'm fine = NO YOU'RE NOT!!!!!  So I called and then went up to the hospital and talked to her and got some so-so answers from her.  It never dawned on me to actually ASK/TALK to her nurse.  

Thursday again started almost like any other day.  I took Nichole to the Third Ward for some resale shopping  (she didn't find what she was looking for and that's just the way resale shops work), out to lunch, got flowers for my mom, got the things she wanted me to get and on our way to the hospital we went.  Of course, she (Mom) is on the top floor of the damn hospital and I HATE HATE elevators!!!!!!! But I had Nichole with me so it was alright.  We talked with mom for a while and she finally told me that she has Congestive Heart Failure but it's only a symptom of something else that's wrong with her heart.  I'm not entirely sure I believe that but for the time being, I'll buy it.  


I was so damn exhausted (mentally, emotionally and physically) that I needed to take a pain killer and I finally FINALLY slept more than 1/2 hour!!! But I'm still exhausted.  I don't know if I'm just worried to NO fricken end or what...but I don't like this feeling.  I feel helpless, sad, oh I could go on...I'm trying to be upbeat and happy when I'm out of the house but my family (and a couple of REALLY close friends) know differently....


I can't go through this again, I know eventually I'll have to, but please NOT NOW!!!!!


God, Please give me the strength to get through this.  I don't ask for much but please  I need help.

Stuff.....Good things....but just stuff...

Hey there!!

So in an attempt to get Sam some help for his headache and stomach issues, we went to a pediatrician instead of our family doctor.  While we love our family doctor, he was stumped as to why Sam has been suffering for so long with no obvious reasons why.  As I've said before, all his tests have come out absolutely normal.

This doctor was wonderful.  He's a very soft-spoken, understanding man who took the time to actually TALK to Sam (unlike the other insane doctor's who would just ignore him and talk to me....yeah, I'm NOT the patient, Sam is...arugh..) and he (the doctor) came to the conclusion that Sam has migraine headaches but was treated incorrectly.  While the initial medications should have helped Sam, they actually had the opposite effect on him.  Sam and I walked out of the doctor's office relieved, an actual migraine medication for Sam to try and the option of going back to this doctor or our regular doctor. 

Relief is an understatement.  Sam walked out of there happy, giggly, and actually wanting to play outside yesterday.  I asked him if it was because someone FINALLY listened to him and not told him it was all in his head, and he looked at me....smiled...and said "Yes Mom"  I could have cried..And he was happy the rest of the day...It was SO nice to see him happy, giggly, silly again.  You have NO idea how much I've missed that part of Sam. 

One more thing............

When did Nichole decide to become a Senior in High School??  When did she decide to be so damn independent??  While I TOTALLY encourage all my kids to be independent, I'm amazed as to HOW independent she is.  Yes, I totally get that she is almost 18 and all that crap that goes with it.  But over the past week or so, we (husband and I) got a little taste of life will be like when she is no longer in the house.  It was incredibly weird..I'm so used to all the silliness that Nichole brings and all the yelling at the TV downstairs while they (Sam and Nichole) are playing video games....it was unusually quiet..  So weird...

I officially registered my first child for High School for the last time.  Strange feeling to say the least.  Yes, I know I have 2 other kids to get through the school system BUT when it's your first child - it's weird.  We go and have her Senior pictures taken this weekend and that will also be weird.  Something that I will have to get used to and FAST!!!

Hope you all have a great Summer day!!

Kelly

Ticked off beyond belief.....

I should be used to this crap by now but today it hurt more for some reason.

I went to the Target in Brookfield because 1. It's clean, and 2) it's clean.......Did I mention the Target was clean?? I also bought a rice cooker/veggie steamer on recommendation from a friend.  And it was on SALE!!! YIPPEE... I digress..........

So after that I went to Noodles and Co for lunch.  While I was sitting there, eating my lunch and realizing I had this new found freedom of sorts - I hear people next to me and behind me, talking about me.  WTF??  They were complaining to the staff at Noodles that my presence there was unappetizing because I was peeling.  Okay....I can't help it.....I was born this way....so sorry....don't look at me....:(

So I was rushed through my lunch and told that the next time I decide to come into that place, I need to wear a sweatshirt or long-sleeves.  Ummm... HELL NO!!!  I down right refuse!!!  I have every right known to man to be in that place and having lunch.  I paid for the lunch, so I should be allowed to enjoy it at a table THERE!!!!!!    I also told the people behind me and next to me that they were rude/annoying/obnoxious and so on.  I also asked them if their parents brought them up to be do damn rude. 

I know it shouldn't bother me, but it does.  I am incredibly aware of what I look like and how others look at me.  I've been this way for almost 40 years now and this skin disorder is not going away anytime soon, SO GET OVER IT PEOPLE!!!!

Random Crap......

Hi there!!!

It's been a while since I blogged about the random stuff that's been floating around in my head.  Put the post about Children's Hospital aside, it's been a very frustrating few months.  Ready?  This maybe a long post, hang on...


Sam is still not feeling well.  In fact, I had to cancel ALL his appointments for today because he's so sick.  I wish, pray, hope that we find out what the hell is going on with him.  He needs to be a kid again!! I need him to be a kid again!!  He's my lovey, my buddy and it hurts me to see him like this ALL THE TIME!! I'm one sad mommy.

Nathan has to go to the High School to be tested to see where he places for certain classes.  Since we homeschooled him last year (well, it was really unschooling him but I digress) he didn't get the opportunity to sign up for classes like all the other 8th graders did.  I think his biggest hurdle will be Math (it's a running thing with me and the kids...husband? not so much..) But we will see in a few weeks....A Freshman....where the hell did the time go?? This kid TOWERS over me, I think he's close to 6 feet tall.  Does it surprise me? NO, considering his dad is 6 foot 3 inches...anyways..

Nichole is working the State Fair this year again.  It's tiring work but it's money for her to save up and buy a car or clothes or maybe college...who knows, but for right now, she's not bored... That makes me very happy!!  In a couple of weeks we go and have her Senior pictures taken. A Senior?? My only daughter will be 18 in a few short months.  I think we did a good job raising her, giving her the values that we want her to have but in the same respect, give her the opportunity to speak her mind and to be a valuable part of the world we live in.

I mended some fences with a person from my past.  This is a good thing.  It had to be done, I'm glad we talked things out.  I hope and pray that this new found friendship last for a very long time.  And no, it's not the person who treated me like crap since Kindergarten and thinks she's all that and a bag of chips...It's a completely different person. So all is good...:)

I'm also a Podcast Junkie.  If you have Itunes or actually just search for podcasts in any search engine, you will find some good ones.  The ones I've found are:

 Dads are More Fun   This is one DAMN funny podcast.  I know it's meant for Dad's but still, it's so funny.  Bill Glass (e-surance commercials) and Justin Worsham (second funniest podcast) are too funny.  They give a great look at what Dad's go through when they have kids.  It's funny...

Naptime Radio This is yet another funny as all get out podcast.  It's Heather and Kate, who both have a set of twins and Kate as 2 additional kids.  I so can relate to all of what they are going through (not the twins part) and it's funny, because I get it.  Totally get it! Add the Biz Buzz and Nodelman's News Quiz and you got a great podcast.

Manic Mommies This is was one of my very first podcasts that I ever listened to.  It's funny and it shows how working mom's have the same damn struggles that the stay-at-home moms/dads have.  I wish I could go on the Manic Mommies Escape but funds are just not there. 

As you can tell, these are parent-related podcasts and I enjoy them.  There are more but this post is getting long.

I'm not being paid to comment on these podcasts, these are my opinions and they are truthful.  I do hope you give them a listen....

Enjoy!
Kelly