Think before you speak!

I am wondering if some people just do not think before they speak (or type when it comes to the internet). A couple of days ago something was said to me that pretty much made me say "What the hell?!?". The more I think about it, the more I do think it was probably meant to be funny or a joke, but it just was not that way to me. Either I need to grow some very thick skin and not let things bother me, or people seriously need to think before they speak or type! I am always so careful when it comes to things like that. I never like to offend or hurt people, but it seems so many just do not care if they do it to others. It is very sad, actually. :(

On a much better note, the sun is shining again. Yay!! It is supposed to be in the high 40's today and then the next couple of days in the 60's. It's definitely a spring tease and then I'm sure we will be back to reality of winter again. I am definitely ready for spring though and so ready for February to be over.

3 more days until the 5th anniversary of Mom's passing. A very sad time. I try so hard to not let it affect me, but the reality of it is, I am affected every single day of my life by Mom's death.

It sucks! :( I cope, but it still hurts like hell!

We are still on the hunt for a new car for Ashley. There is just nothing reasonably priced out there that is in decent condition. Unbelievable what some people want for cars that have super high mileage on them already. I guess everyone is just out to get as much money as possible in this economy. Can't see how most are actually selling their cars though at this rate. I know I wouldn't pay too much for a vehicle that already has like 200,000 miles on it. Crazy! Ha Ha

I am still looking for the patience that I seem to lack these days. Not sure though if it's really me or if others just try my patience too much making me feel as if I have very little these days. Ok, probably a combination of both. I am always a person that puts up with so much though before I reach a breaking point. For some situations, I feel I am at that breaking point though. But, I will continue to try to find my patience instead of allowing myself to be broken. Some people tell me I am just too nice for my own good. Although, I have always felt being good was an excellent trait. These days I am seeing that being too good may not be as it tends to make people walk all over you just because they know they can! Ugh!!! Just not sure I am the kind that can have the F You attitude. Ha Ha Ha!!!! Sometimes wish I was though.

I am noticing that my entries here tend to jump all over the place. Is that a bad thing? Does it mean that I can't concentrate on one thing at a time. Probably, but guess that is me these days. I really wish I could come to my blog with one solid topic in mind and just write about that. It just rarely works out that way, even though I tend to start the blog with one thing in mind. Today it was thinking before you speak or type. Then again, I guess there is only so much you can say about that subject. Some people will never think before they speak or type. Some people just do not have it in them to worry about how their words could affect others. I am actually thankful that I am the kind of person that does try my hardest to take others into consideration before I say or type something. I credit that trait to my Mom. She was a peacemaker and such a sweet, nice woman. I don't think my Mom could have ever hurt a fly (ok, maybe a fly, but let's admit that they are kind of disgusting). Ha Ha!!! I am very proud to be a lot like my Mom. Hopefully I got the best traits from both of my parents to make me who I am today. Although Dad would say that the things I did get from him aren't exactly great things to have. hahaha

Anyway, to sum this all up. People, think before you speak or type please. You never know what your words could do to someone (good & bad). Hurtful things can really make a person sad and ruin what was a good day. Kind words are always so much better as those can actually brighten a person's day. Afterall, would you rather be the kind to brighten or dampen a person's day? Your answer to that question definitely helps define your true character!!!

Un-clenching my fists and other ramblings......

Relaxation.... something that comes pretty easily for most people. As for me, I don't know how to relax, no matter how hard I may try.

When I was going through my group with TOH back in the fall, someone mentioned that when you go to bed at night, make sure you stretch your hands & fingers out and don't have them clenched up into fists. At that time, I thought, who really goes to bed with their hands in fists?!? Well, I do.... I have taken notice to this a lot lately and I do consciously have to remind myself to unclench the fists and stretch out my hands & fingers. I would love to say it helps me relax, but not sure it does. Just find it so strange that now I do remind myself of this every single night and catch myself having to unclench!

Why is it that I can never turn my brain off?!? No matter how hard I try, there is always something going on. I'm always stressing about something. Wish I could just be carefree and not care about things, but that just isn't in my nature. Stress sucks though and I sure could use a lot less of that in my life!!

I said this post would be "other ramblings", so pardon me if I tend to jump all around in it. Sometimes my thought process will jump from one thing to another so quickly that I even surprise myself. I always have so much on my mind that the thoughts come and go sometimes as fast as the speed of light!

In 10 days, on February 19th, it will be the 5th anniversary of my Mom's passing. 5 years! Just to say it is unbelievable. Where have the years gone? How can it be 5 years already when it feels as if I just lost her last week?!? Why am I still finding myself so angry at times?? After 5 years, shouldn't I be better? Stronger? Less prone to the anger and tears?

I still find myself to jealous of those that still have their Moms in their lives. To hear how others make plans with their Moms to go shopping, to lunch, etc..... I am so jealous! Then, there are those with Moms still on this earth but the relationship is strained and they complain constantly about their Mom?!? I do realize that everyone's relationship with their mother is not what I had with mine, but I still find myself so angry at times to hear people talk badly about their own mother. I want to grab them and shake them and remind them that some day they will not have their Mom anymore and that day they may find themselves full of regret for the relationship that is no longer a possibility. Embrace the relationship and your Mom while she is here on earth. If not, I do believe that most will live with so much regret later.

Regret is one thing I can at least say I do not have. Mom and I were best friends. We did everything together. I took care of her until the very end. I have no regret when it comes to our relationship and my Mom. I have lots of longing.... Longing for more time, longing to hear her voice again, longing to see her beautiful face.... Yes, lots of longing, but no regret.

I wish Mom were here for my girls. They need her almost as badly as I do. Mom was their cheerleader, their biggest fan, their biggest supporter in everything. Since Mom's passing, the girls do not have any other strong female figures in their lives. I am all they have in that department. I wish there were others that would support them like she used to, but they have nobody else like her.

On to other ramblings.....

I am soooooo angry!! I am so tired of certain people treating the girls as if they are not important. Especially hurting for Ashley this year. It is her senior year. It is supposed to be such a special time for her and some have taken so much from her happiness this year. First, she got into the accident in December and has been without a car since. We just can't afford to buy her a new car right now and she is trying so hard to save up for one. She is working 2 jobs and going to high school!! Crazy! But as quickly as she starts to save she has to spend the money. She has had to cover 1/2 of her own senior trip and get paid back by her father at his leisure. Last year, Britney did not have to do that. He paid on time for her, but this year Ashley is getting the shaft as she always has from him & that entire side of the family!

Ashley turned 18 on December 29th. Today is February 9th and as of today she has still not gotten any celebration or gift from her father! But he proceeds to tell her how he was taking someone else out (girlfriend's daughter) this past weekend for her birthday that is this week. Does he honestly think this does not hurt his daughter??? Ashley may not say it or show it to him, but I live with her and I get to see the hurt!! Some people truly do not deserve to be parents!! :(

Thank goodness for Pat stepping up all of these years and being a real Daddy to the girls. He supports these girls as if they are his own. He has never missed anything they have done. He has made sure they each got a first car, that we pay our share & more of their school stuff as well as everything else.

Oh well, I guess that is enough complaining about all of that for now. It just gets my blood boiling, which is never a good thing.

On a good note, it hasn't snowed in at least a week and none in the 7 day forecast too. Praying that means that spring is truly on it's way. I need some sunshine and warmth. The winter blues does not help my mood at all! I have also had the worst cold in years this past week or two. I think it is finally loosening it's grip on me, but it sure has made life miserable for awhile now. Today, however, I have been blessed with a nice headache to remind me that stress is no good for me. I really need to find a way to de-stress. It just seems that things come at me so fast. If it's not one thing, it's another. I lack patience these days. Patience is another thing I need to find again.

Sigh..... maybe another day.

Winter sucks!

I am so sick of winter. Bad enough that winter tends to bring on the "winter blues", but the past two winters have been horrible when it comes to the weather. Another storm coming in tomorrow. Seems that we are getting a storm every week and winter is not even close to being over! Ugh!!

Tomorrow is the first day of February. Countdown is on to the 5th anniversary of Mom's death. It sucks! So much died with Mom... hopes, dreams, plans, etc.... Yes, I have picked up and moved forward but I can't help but be sad at times. Oh well, "this too, shall pass". I just keep telling myself that.

Will write more later. Distractions at the moment. Sigh.... Seems there is always some kind of distraction these days.

Laughter is the best medicine!

Last night we had our January "drop-in" for Tapestries of Hope. Tapestries of Hope is a group I now belong to. It is all women who have lost their Moms. When I first got involved back in September, I wasn't sure how I would like it. I had tried Gilda's club about a year and a half after losing Mom and it honestly did nothing for me. I find Tapestries to be quite refreshing as every single woman there knows exactly what it feels like to lose their Mother! It was a wonderful gathering full of food, stories & laughter. Laughter is definitely the best medicine! I do find that I still do not share much, but even listening to others stories helps. Not sure why I don't share that often. Guess I have just always been a pretty closed up, private person. Right or wrong, it is all I know.

The discussion last night turned to what the hardest times seem to be for most of the women. From birthday to holidays to the anniversary of their Mom's deaths. While I do have moments in each of those things, I find my toughest times to be the milestones that involve my girls. Sometimes even just the normal things with my girls, like when Britney has a performance. When she is up on stage, along with my pride for her, I always miss Mom so terribly. Mom loved Britney's singing and it makes me sad that she did not get to see it past Britney young teens. She hasn't been here to see the development of her voice into a woman's voice and how beautiful her singing became over the years. :(

Then there are the milestones.... Ashley's 18th birthday in December was one of those. I remember the awful sadness that came over me that day and I wasn't even sure why I was feeling it. It was supposed to be a happy day. We had a big party for her and I remember at points during it I found myself just sitting there staring off into space. Mom missed Ashley becoming a woman and it makes me angry. Britney's graduation last year was tough and I have a feeling that Ashley's graduation this June is going to be even worse since she is the baby of the family! I want Mom there so badly! Mom was the girls' biggest fan, biggest supporter, biggest everything. I miss that for them. Mom would be the proudest person sitting in the stands when Ashley gets her diploma. It really sucks that she is not here!!!

The 5th anniversary of Mom's passing is coming up on February 19th. I keep thinking that after 5 years, it should be easier. This should all be easier, but sometimes it just isn't. While I do function normally day to day, there is always that empty spot. Do I spend my days crying? Of course not, although I do have plenty of times where the tears come easily. I just feel as if I walk around every single day still feeling so heavy in the chest. That weight is still there, crushing me and making it hard to breathe! But, I am determined to keep breathing!!

Thank you to my "Angel Sisters" for the wonderful evening last night. Laughter truly is the best medicine and I do appreciate each and every one of you for bringing some of that to my life! :)

Reminding Myself to Breathe!

Is it bad when sometimes I find myself actually reminding myself to breathe?!?

Some days it just seems that I can't catch my breath. It's as if a big weight has been placed on my chest and I just can't get it off. It's a combination of stress & grief, I suppose.

I miss my Mom! I would like to say that after almost 5 years (on Feb. 19th), that it has gotten easier. However, I am finding that is not really true. Perhaps in some ways I have just learned to deal with the grief and carry on my everyday life. But, those times when I sit alone and my mind has a chance to wander, it's all right there exactly where I left it!

I told myself when I started this blog site that I would not turn this into a blog about my grief, but my grief is part of who I am. This is a blog about me, my life, my family, therefore, I am not going to fight it anymore and strive to make this blog mostly positive. It is what it is and I usually feel better when I put things in writing. At the moment, this is the best venue for me to get things out. I started an online journal after Mom died in 2006. I wrote in it off and on as I do here, but it was mostly negative and about what I was going through. I look back at it sometimes and do realize that in many ways I have improved.

I did some stupid, crazy things after Mom died. I was self-destructing slowly and I allowed it to happen until I finally hit rock bottom. Nobody could help me and I didn't really want the help. Thank God I have a husband that truly loves me with everything in him, because most men would never have stuck by me after some of the stupid stuff I did. So grateful for Pat and his unconditional, undying love! He is my rock!

Almost 5 years later, I am at least glad that I have learned better ways to deal with my grief. Oh, it's still there and it's still strong, but I am a changed person. I am realizing that after the loss of my Mom, I will never be the same person I used to be when she was here. I am forever changed by the death of the most important woman in my life: My mom, my best friend, my hero!

A few years after Mom passed, Dad was diagnosed with cancer. Today, he is doing pretty well. But my fear of losing him is so high, that at times it is probably over the top. Something in me just feels as if I will also lose him way before I should and to the same horrible disease that took my Mom when I was only 36 years old! My fear with Dad is that if it comes back, he won't even tell us and just let it take him. He has practically said that if it ever came back he would not bother with treatment again. I pray that is not how he really feels, but I know my Dad and chances are he is being completely honest about that. So I pray every day that his cancer stays in remission. I need him to be here as the girls go into their adult life. I need him to see them walk down the aisle on their wedding days.

Today, I spent some time with my Grandmom (Mom's mom). She will be 91 on February 2nd. I am amazed by her. She is such an awesome woman. She had 9 children (5 boys & 4 girls). She has already buried 4 of those children (3 girls & 1 boy). My Mom was the most recent of her children to die. I remember asking her sometime after Mom passed, how she got through it all. I mean, burying your children is just not the way it is supposed to be. Her response was faith & prayer. I sometimes wish I had her faith, but that is just something I will never have enough of.

It's this time of night when I am at my worst. Everyone else in the house has gone to bed. I, of course, have had insomnia practically my whole life and it has gotten so much worse since Mom's death. My mind never stops. Is there a shut off button somewhere that I am missing?? I so with there was! Tonight, I fight back the tears. The tears that come so often when nobody is watching. The tears that my family will never realize exist. Always strong for them, but inside, I am so weak! I am feeling physically & emotionally drained, as usual. I will head to bed, where I will lay and watch the clock for hours regardless of how tired I may feel. Someday, I hope to be able to go to bed and actually fall asleep easily. That will be a day worth celebrating!!

Good Night!

A New Year....

Happy New Year 2011.

Would like to say that one of my resolutions is to be better about posting here, but we all know that would be a joke for me. But, I will try. ha ha

My new year's resolutions this year..... Get on a better track financially. I want us to save more and stop spending so much on silly, unnecessary things. Once in awhile is fine, but we could be and should be saving so much more! Second resolution is to remove myself from toxic relationship or situations. They are no good and tend to only send me into a depression. I tend to worry too much about hurting other people's feelings, so even if the relationship isn't a good one for me, I stay for fear of hurting someone else. I can't keep doing that. What good is a one sided, toxic relationship anyway?!?

2010 ended badly with Ashley having a car accident a week before Christmas. Luckily though, she was not hurt and neither was anyone else. I do believe that Mom was riding with her that day. Thank you so much Mom for being Ashley's guardian Angel!! It's expected since Ashley is your clone! :)

Now to work on getting her a new car. It's her senior year and I hate that she is now without her own vehicle. Not to mention the fact that she is a very ambitious young woman and not only goes to school, but is now working 2 jobs!! Lots of places for her to be. Hope we can find her something reasonable soon!

Oh well, that is all for now. Hoping 2011 will be a wonderful year for all. Ashley will graduate high school in June & Britney will finish her first year of cosmetology school. Hoping for good things for both of them. Our 5th grandbaby is coming in April and this will be our first girl. So, lots of good to look for in 2011 so far!! :)

Who Am I Kidding????

I'm kidding myself, that is who. I said I would keep up here and even said I was going to post again yesterday or the other day.... heck, what day was it anyway?!? I think my insomnia is getting to me and what a joy tonight will be with the changing of the clocks. Another hour to sleep for most... another hour to be awake for me. Sigh........

Right now I am waiting for teens to come home. Always a fun time of night for me. Brit worked until 11 and should be on her way home and Ash is due home by 12, which of course she will push right to that moment! ha ha. I keep wondering..... did I do that too when I was a teen? Due in at a certain time and walk in right on the dot?!? Probably, but I would like to say that I didn't. ha ha

Would love to get that answer from Mom, but she is gone, unfortunately. Not about to ask Dad because whether I did or not, he would swear I did! @@ <--------- that is an eye roll!

Loving my new tv that I got for my birthday a few weeks ago. A nice 50" plasma. Watched Avatar on it tonight and Wow was it crisp!! Great movie too!

Yay, a car pulled in which means one teen home, one to go! It's Britney, of course, since she was just coming home from work. Well, I'm off to hear about her night at work. :)