Note: This post is going to contain a lot of "belly aching" (sometimes only a good ol' southern expression will do). Please don't feel like you are required to read on if you don't want to listen to me belly ache.
Top 10 reasons why I want to go home:
1. I miss my friends and family. I miss adult conversation during the day. I miss having other moms to hang around with. I know the kids miss their friends and are tired of having only each other to play with.
2. The stinky weather here. This morning, the sun was shinning (well, I guess it still is) it looked like a WONDERFUL day. I took the kids to playtime at the "Chan" Lifetime so that we would be there to go to the water park after I worked out. It wasn't until I had showered, changed, changed 2 kids (one with swim diapers) and slathered sunscreen on everyone that we realized the wind was blowing really really really hard. It was so chilly because of the wind. The kids were only able to stay in the water for about an hour before they were blue. The water is heated, but unfortunately you do have to come out of it once in a while. How in the world can it be so cold again after it actually hit 80 yesterday? We had to come home and put on jeans. BBBRRRR!!!!
3. Our small "cave" we are living in. I know that I should be thankful that we have a place to stay while the house in GA sells. I know that I should be so grateful that we are able to stay together as a family (although at this moment...staying in GA with kids till the house sold doesn't seem like it would have been so bad). But, I am not. The kids are tired of being on top of each other and not having room to play. They miss their beds, poor Maddie just misses having a room. I miss my bed and my things. I miss my vacuum cleaner. The one here only has the carpet part. Therefore, I have to sweep the kitchen and bathroom floors junk onto the carpet and then vacuum. However, the vacuum is very particular about what it will and will not pick up. I miss my pots and pans....I miss having an oven that works. Don't worry, it will only be about week and 1/2 before they have the parts here and are able to fix ours. So we don't have a stove top or an oven to cook with. Of course my slow cooker and good ol' George Foreman Grill are tucked save away in GA.
4. People always commenting on my southern accent. Yes, I realize that I must sound like I am from a different planet here, but really people.....must everyone have me repeat words so they can hear me say them again. If one more persons tells me that I sound so "cute" I may just scream. Really, really I am a mother of two...there isn't anything "cute" about me and surely to goodness my accent isn't. Have they listened to their speech lately??? We actually had a little boy come to our table at Applebees (where we took Wade for lunch for Father's Day) and stare at us listening to us talk. His parents just let him stand and stare. According to Wade he was more staring at me, but you get the point.
5. 4 way stops. Usually I have no problem with 4 way stops. In the south, people are polite and take turns going through them. Here it is every man (or woman with kids) for themselves. It doesn't matter that the person on my left just went. No, no no the person behind them will go too or the person on my right and then back to the person on my left. And I thought nothing could require you to be more of an aggressive driver than living outside ATL.
6. EVERYTHING closes early. By early I mean 8 or 8:30. Therefore if I need to run errands I can't wait for Wade to get home anymore, I have to take my two munchkins with me. Those of you with kids know how troublesome it can be having to haul kids with you to the store.
7. The fact that stays light until 10ish and gets light again at around 5ish. Of course our spacious home isn't equipped with black out shades like in GA. So, the kids have black trash bags taped to their windows and Wade and I just have to suffer.
8. I have to take an elevator everywhere. Even if I want to check my mail...down the elevator one must go. So you have to wait for the elevator, wait while people get on and off while keeping your kids from getting off at the wrong stop, and haul everything from you car up the elevator (i.e groceries). I realize that people in places like NYC and Boston do this all the time. I, however, am used to just being able to pull up to my garage and boom...there I am at my house.
9. Having to take the garbage down the hall to the garbage chute. Trust me, we go through a ton of garbage in this family. Especially since this place only came with 4 plates. We have to use a lot of paper products. I just can't keep up with keeping the dishes clean. We can't just take one bag out the door until trash day and then pull the can out to the end of the driveway....no, no no every time 1 bag gets full we have to carry it to the very opposite end of the hallway.
If you are wondering where number 10 is, there isn't one after all. You see God looked down on me today and saw that I needed good encouraging news...any kind of good news. And I received some. I had a message from St. Andrew's Preschool (where Maddie is going) and Sam got into the PMO (parent's morning out) program for Fridays. He was on the waiting list and someone dropped out. That means I will have 2 1/2 hours without kids to grocery shop with once a week. That also means that he will have buddies and be with kids his age. Thank you Lord!! I count all my blessings...no matter how small they may seem.
Thank you to those of you that hung on with me to the end of my rant. I try to remain positive, especially for the kids sake. But sometimes, I have had all I can take and just need to get things off my chest. Maybe someone reading this will see that God is real and that He listens to even the smallest of prayers (like mine for Sam to get into the illusive PMO). This rant reminds that only I can make my own happiness. No matter what is going on in life, it is I and only I that look for the good, trust in the Lord, and find happiness. I try to live by that mantra, but sometimes I get caught up in the moment and I forget. Tomorrow is another day, another post, and another chance to make my own happiness...isn't that a blessing in itself!!
