Insomnia Fairy

Main Entry: in·som·nia
Pronunciation: \in-ˈsäm-nē-ə\
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin, from insomnis sleepless, from in- + somnus sleep — more at somnolent
Date: circa 1623
: prolonged and usually abnormal inability to obtain adequate sleep
— in·som·ni·ac \-nē-ˌak\ adjective or noun

{merriam-webster.com}

Insomniac. That's me. I can't sleep. It all started with my arm. I just can't get to sleep, and then when I do any tiny thing will wake me up and then I can't go back to sleep. My routine is off. It all started about 26 years ago. I was a stomach sleeper. Then I got pregnant with Jill and the rest is history. So I slept on my stomach for the first 20 years of my life. Then I gradually had to change to side sleeping. My right to be exact. 26 years sleeping on my right side. Then I hurt my right arm and had to immediately change. I am no good at change, ask anyone! I tried my left side, it's just not the same. I tried my back, I hate it! I tried going back to my stomach, that is gone forever. So now I just toss and turn. I have a lovely mattress, a beautiful room (compliments of Jeff's handiwork). So why can't I sleep? It seems as though when I lay down all noises are amplified. The most annoying sounds right now are... my little dog that sleeps under my bed. He snores. And when he isn't snoring he is scratching and jingling his collar, or walking around on the wood floor and his nails are going click, click, click. Or I can hear Jeff, sometimes snoring. Not always though more annoying that than is just breathing. I can hear everyone breathing. I am starting to go crazy. I am tired. Sometimes I will just lay there, for hours not sleeping and then I will finally nod off around 1am or so. Then out of the blue Jeff's alarm will go off. At 4am! You must understand. He has no intention of getting up when it goes off. And it is all the way across the room, so he will have to get up and turn it off, but he doesn't, he sleeps though it. But, I am awake at the first buzz! Then he will set his phone alarm and leave it in the bathroom. Intentionally! I am going crazy, I am tired. Then he will just continue to sleep through both alarms. Sure he will get up and turn them off but it is too late for me. I will lay there and get madder and madder because he woke me up for no reason and then is able to sleep through it. I can feel my blood pressure rising just thinking about it. I will never go back to sleep. This little scenario takes place about 6 days a week. Yes 6. Poor Jeff usually works 7 days a week, and he is tired too. Alas 2 alarms in 2 different rooms. I think we both need a vacation. Maybe we could find a cozy little sleep lab somewhere close.

Where the Hell is Matt?

Not our Matt, 'dancing Matt'.

This video will make you smile. Justine is very adventurous, I can just imagine her doing something like this. You can learn more about Matt on his site.

Hope you enjoy!

Surveys and Stitches...

I got a survey from one of the girls a while back. You know, answer these questions and then send it to 10 people, so you got to see every one's answers at the same time. The question that I thought was so funny was. Have you ever had stitches before? If yes, where? This is what it said. Yes, in my head. Yes, in my head. Yes, in my head. Yes, in my head. All four in the head! There's not competition here, right?

Let's see who was first... Jill.
Jill was 7 when she did a triple flip off the monkey bars in elementary school. 9 stitches in her lower lip and she lost a tooth. She was so mad when the doctor stitched her up with the really fine black thread (you know the kind that isn't suppose to leave a scar). She sat up in the bed and said that doesn't match me, I'm peach not black! She was furious!


Second... Jaley.
Jaley was about 2 and all the girls were playing in the backyard. For some reason Jordan who was about 7 at the time had a pick/hoe in her hand and she was marching around like she was a soldier or something. Anyhow Jaley got too close and well, slit her head open. Right between the eyes. Jaley was wearing her favorite Barney shirt, it was covered in blood. Jordan was horrified and grounded herself to her room. Jaley got 2 stitches. Jaley was devastated that we had to throw the Barney shirt away.


Third... Justine.
I don't remember exactly how old Justine was maybe 2nd grade. That seems to be the year that everyone got hurt. My friend Ruthie came over and Justine was very happy to see her. Justine jumped into Ruthie's suburban and then proceeded to jump over the seats. She hit the dome light and knocked the cover off. I am sorry to say I cannot remember how many stitches that took. Jeff could probably remember. I do remember that the doctor wanted to use staples to close her head up. I won't let him, I told him kids might call her Frankenstein if she had staples in her head, he looked at me like I was crazy and then sewed her up. I also remember that Jeff wanted me to just braid her hair really tight to close up the wound and not get any stitches at all. I told you with Jeff it's always about the money. :-)


Fourth...Jordan.
I thought we were out of the woods. I didn't think anyone else was going to get hurt. Jordan was about 15 and playing in a softball tournament. The sun was really bright and all of the outfielders were having trouble with the fly balls. Jordan's coach talked her into putting on a pair of sunglasses and that's when it happened. Wearing the glasses, Jordan couldn't judge the ball and it hit her right in the head out in left field. It knocked her straight to the ground. I remember Jeff and I were keeping score and we were watching pretty closely, we could see that she was moving, and I know she has a hard head. We had seen all of our girls get hurt to some degree playing sports and we didn't want to run out too soon, because we would hear about it later if they were embarrassed. Anyhow that's about the time we heard the word, PARAMEDIC! screamed across the field. We jumped up running to left field. The coach stopped me and said, "it's pretty bad." trying to keep me from getting any closer, that's when I said, "then you better get out of my way." Jeff ran and got the car and we loaded her up there on the field and took her to the ER. It was a pretty bad hit. You could see the imprints of the softball stitches on her forehead. Ouch. She got quite a few stitches and had one heck of a shiner. She was admired by every one (especially boys) in her school that next Monday. She was cool!

Another girl turns 21!

Today is Justine's 21st birthday. Wow! That sounds crazy to me. Not because it seems like she was just born yesterday, but maybe last week or last month. Justine has been quite a hand full from the very beginning. She has kept us in stitches since she was very small. One time when she was about 3 she got into some baby powder. What I actually mean is that she sprinkled an entire bottle of baby powder all over herself and proceeded to slide up and down the hallway on the wooden floor. The powder 'smoke' was so thick you couldn't breathe. It set off the smoke alarm. Another time when she was only 2 we went on vacation to Colorado. She could repeat anything you said. I mean anything. And that wasn't always good.

Once Jeff muttered under his breath a 'swear' word when I biker darted behind us. She stuck her head out the window and yelled it over and over at the top of her lungs. Needless to say Jeff is still embarassed about that one. She was constantly runing all around the Royal Gorge, scaring me half to death. I would say to her, "Jussy don't do that you are scaring me." She would repeat in this little elf like voice, "I sker you Mom ma." "I sker you Mom ma."

When she was about 5, I was working on some things for my VBS classroom. It was a wall murual, you know the kind the kids add something to everyday. Anyhow, Justine just kept bothering me and I couldn't seem to get it done because she wanted to 'help'. Anyhow, I finally told her she couldn't help and to let me be. A few minutes later a note appeared out of nowhere. It read "Deer Julie, plese let Justine color wit you. luv god." I still have the note, tucked away with all my other millions of sweet memories of my girls growing up years.

Once Justine drew this giant picture on the kitchen wall with crayons. I was furious. I asked her did she do it, knowing all too well that she had. She said no. I asked over and over again, she said no. Finally I went at it from another angle. I said, "I sure wish I knew who drew this beautiful picture on my kitchen wall." Bam. She was there taking all the credit. I know it was a sneaky thing to do. She got into a lot of trouble. She still hasn't forgiven me for my unethical tactics. Sorry baby. Please forgive me. One summer she went to stay with her grandparents down at the coast, she was gone for about 5 weeks. We all missed her so much. When we went to pick her up we almost didn't recognize her, she was well ... kinda chubby. She said, "Hey Mom, Grandma lets me eat off the adult menu!"

Justine has always been lots of fun. She is also my helper. She is always there to pep me up when I'm feeling down. Helps me clean house and loads the dishwasher when no one else will help.

Thank you Juss for being a wonderful daughter. I can't imagine my life without you.

Happy Birfday! (it's an inside joke)

XOXO Mom

How the world sees Texans...

I don't watch Ellen, not that I wouldn't, she's very funny, but I don't watch daytime tv. I saw this on Facebook and it is hysterical, you gotta watch it. Gladys sounds like she could be your grandma or aunt or something. What a hoot!