There is nothing funny about having vertigo

There is nothing funny about having vertigo. There is, however, something very funny about watching someone who has vertigo. It's like watching a wasted teenager try and act sober in front of their parents. I've been a train wreck lately. I went to bed Tuesday night feeling a little dizzy. I assumed it was low blood sugar, or I was too tired, or something. Well, I quickly realized there was something more going on when I woke up Wednesday morning, stood up, and fell over. I managed to take a shower, holding on the the walls the whole time. When I got out of the shower I stumbled over to Eric and asked him to take a sick day to take care of me and the boys. (There was no way I could drive myself to the doctor.) He reluctantly agreed, thinking that I was exaggerating my condition. In actuality, I think I was downplaying how bad I really felt. I had Christopher too, so that meant both boys for Eric to take care of. I called the doctor and made an appointment right away. We got the boys ready and Eric drove me to the hospital, where my doctor's office is. Since it was so early, I got in quickly and she took one look in my ears and said there was tons of fluid in them. She gave me a prescription to help with the dizziness and told me to take sudafed around the clock to dry me out. Both of the medicines together knocked me out, but I did feel less dizzy and was able to eat and someone continue on with my life. Since then the dizziness has come and gone and I've slept more than I have in a very long time.

Four More Days....

When Jackson was about eleven months old I started thinking about how I could make some extra money. The most obvious thing to do was to watch kids out of the house. I have my degree in early childhood education, was a teacher for years and I'm home, taking care of Jackson anyway, so what's the big deal adding more kids? I quickly found some kiddos to watch. It kind of fell in my lap. The boy across the street needed new daycare, and a little girl who used to go to his daycare needed new care too. It was easy money. Or so I thought. I started watching all three of them and quickly got them on the same schedule. They got along moderately well, and it really wasn't three times as hard as watching one. I just made more of the lunch I'd make Jackson. I'd have to put three kids to bed instead of one, which could be difficult, but they were all good sleepers, so I usually got a break. I had to change three times the diapers. There's no way to make that easier. I just changed a lot of diapers. But here was the problem. I was miserable! When it was just Jackson and I, we would go out almost every day. We'd meet friends for playdates, or story time. We'd go shopping. We'd just get out! Now, I was trapped at home. Trapped with no mental stimulation. Trapped with nothing to do but think about how miserable I was. In all honesty, I think this past year of my life has been the hardest year of my life, mentally. I've made lots of progress, but I still think that watching kids is not a good choice for me. First of all, it doesn't pay for shit. I could work at McDonald's and make more money an hour than watching kids. It's simply not worth my time and stress it brings me. Also, watching kids is hindering me from going full force on what it is I really want to be doing with my life, selling real estate. But here's the problem. I can't not pull in income on a regular basis. Real estate pays really well, when you can get it, but you never know when you are going to get it, so I need to find a way to either make money or save money on a regular basis to make real estate work. That's where the move comes in. We will save enough money by moving that I can focus on where I want my career to go and still be with Jackson. Now, I only have childcare income for the next four days. The kid I watch starts his new daycare next Monday. They had to start then to get a great financial incentive. I don't blame them. So now I need to find a renter for our house and get moved into the new place. I need this to work out. I need to not watch kids anymore. I need my real estate career to take off. So, please, send me your business. I promise I'll take good care of you. It's what I love doing!

How I am like Rex on Toy Story

So, I've seriously seen Toy Story 1 and 2 eleventeen billion times in the past couple months. My son is obsessed with it. Usually it's just playing in the background and he's not actually sitting and watching it. He's playing while it's playing. But that means that I'm listening to it. I've decided that the character I'm most like is Rex. Here's why:

*I think he is so funny, but he doesn't think he's funny. He's just being himself. People tell me I'm funny. I don't think I'm funny, I just say what I'm thinking and sometimes those thoughts make other people laugh.

*He's got a great moral compass and is a rule follower. That's totally me and I get so disturbed when other people don't have that moral compass. For instance, in toy story 2, Rex finds the "how to defeat Zurg" magazine at Al's toy barn. He get's really annoyed when he finds out that the only way to defeat Zurg is to buy the magazine. "It's extortion!" he says. (I totally agree Rex!) And when they are driving the pizza truck to the airport Rex gets upset when they park in a white zone. "We can't park here! It's a white zone!" Nevermind the fact that they just stole a car, Rex. That would be me. I'd steal a car, then follow all the driving laws.

*He hates confrontation. I hate confrontation. In Toy Story 1, when Woody pushes Buzz out the window the other toys ask Rex if he believes Woody that he didn't mean to push him out the window. His response? "Yes! No! I don't like confrontation!" Now, don't get me wrong. If someone challenges my moral compass I will fight to the death, but, in general I'll do whatever it takes to avoid it.

*He is fiercely loyal. He is willing to go out of his comfort zone to help a friend. I'd like to think I'd do the same if any of my friends were kidnapped and sold to the Konishi Toy Museum in Tokyo.

*He has an innocence about him. Okay, I realize that after reading about my waxing experiences you might not think that I'm overly innocent. And I'm really not that innocent, but I do think I have an innocence about me. I think when people first meet me, they think I'm a "goody-two-shoes". Chelsea Handler even told me she thought I was a goody-two-shoes one time. (Isn't EVERYONE innocent compared to her though?) And I do think I have a genuine innocence about me too. It doesn't take much to make me happy and I find joy in the small things in life.

So, which Toy Story character are you most like?

Galoshes and aprons....

So, I have this image in my head of what life will be like living in the wilderness. And, being the good Seymour-girl I am, I have visions of what I should wear. For some reason, my visions include cute aprons and rain boots. (It doesn't rain that much here, it's just part of my vision) Maybe not at the same time....maybe at the same time. So last night I made a cute apron. I'm no cobbler, so I ordered my rain boots from Target. They will be here in about a week..... I realize that the way I'm picturing things isn't always reality, but since I'm just stuck here, waiting for the perfect renter to rent our house, sewing and daydreaming makes me feel better in the mean time.

A waxing update:

So, yesterday it had been three weeks since I first tried my hand at waxing. I've gotta say, I've never had such a reaction to a blog. Even my dad said asked me to email him a copy so he could share it with friends. Yeah, not at all awkward.... But people were asking me all kinds of questions, like did it really hurt that bad? Yes. Did I like the results? Yes. Would I do it again? That depends. Would I do what I did before again? No. But I would do it again in a less hairy state. They say that the more you wax, the thinner and more sparse it grows in. So, it has been three weeks. The first two weeks, I was hairless. It was awesome. No razor burn. No bumps. No hair. The third week it started growing back, but much less dense and thick. Honestly, if you stood back about 10 feet and squinted, you might not have even been able to see the hair at all. So I decided last night that I was going to wax it again, before it got too unmanageable. And I've gotta say, I don't have a funny story, because it was no big deal! Really! It was over and done in about 45 minutes, and I didn't even have to get drunk to do it! I'm not even sore today. So, my advise for anyone thinking of trying this at home? Get it done by a professional the first time, then do it yourself every 3 or 4 weeks, or however long it takes to grow out but still be manageable.

Why I have short hair...

I have short hair. I've had short hair for the last 12 years, with a few bouts of trying to grow it out. People have asked me before why I have short hair. It all started the summer before my sophomore year in college. I was in the marching band in college and when we were in uniform (which was a lot), we either had to french brain it and have it completely under our hats, or cut it so the back of your hair didn't touch the back of your uniform's collar. After one year of french braiding my hair constantly, I decided to cut it. I'm SO glad I did. First of all, it made being in uniform a lot easier and more comfortable, but I also really liked the way it looked. I have a thin face, and when I have long hair, it makes my face look really long. The short hair balanced out my face a little better. Well, I've been out of college for a long time, but I still have my short hair. Why? It's certainly not the popular look. Most guys don't find girls with short hair attractive (not that I'm seeking that out or anything). It's not easier to take care of (waking up with bed head every morning and having to get it cut every 6 weeks). I have short hair because it looks good on me and suits me and my personality. I think it takes a special person to be able to pull off short hair. You have to be confident to have short hair. You can't hide with short hair. Kind of like when a guy shaves his head. You have to be pretty confident to pull it off. There is no hair to hide your face. You are exposed. Out there for everyone to look at.

So, I haven't gotten my hair cut since June. That's a very long time for me. I've trimmed it myself, just to keep it growing in a somewhat acceptable manner. I'd love to try out having long hair for a bit, before wasting my time growing it out, but I know that extensions would make me look like Dog the Bounty Hunter, so I'll have to do it the old fashion way. I love the idea of being able to pull it back and get it out of my face. I chase around a two year old all day, everyday. Easy sounds nice. And I'm ready for a new look, but here's the problem: I'd hate that I'd have hair like everyone else's. I like being different. I've always liked being a little different. If I do go through with trying a new look for my hair, I guess I'll have to find another way to be different looking. Any suggestions?

Confessions of a hoarder....

Hello. My name is Michele, and I'm a hoarder. Well, not in the traditional sense, but I am a t shirt hoarder. So, we are working on downsizing our house, and that means that I've been going through the clothes in my closet, since that is going to be one of the hardest things for me to downsize. I'm not getting rid of any clothes, necessarily. I just did that and gave a bunch to Goodwill. I'm sorting through my clothes and deciding which ones will go to storage and which ones will make it to the new closet. This is a pretty easy task. After all, I probably only wear about 25% of the clothes in my closet on a regular basis anyway. But the easiness stops when I get to my t shirts. I have a lot. Like, really a lot. I wouldn't say that I "collect" them, because that would make me sound like a nerdy 12 year old girl, but I don't get rid of them. I have t shirts from elementary school. Literally. But, here's the thing. I wear them. All of them. I wear them to sleep in and clean in, and many of them I actually wear in public. And each one has some sort of special memory or takes me to that time I got it, or whatever. So, I just can't get rid of them. I managed to cut it down to less than 20 t shirts and store the rest. I imagine myself still having these t shirts when I'm an old lady. I'll be the only 90 year old in the nursing home that's wearing an Ohio University Sib's Weekend 1995 Calvin and Hobbes t shirt. My great grand kids will go through my vintage t shirt collection and fight over my Dave Matthews Band tour t shirts and Ohio University Marching 110 shirts. (They will be even more special because it will be the Marching 330 by then.....oh, and they'll march flutes too....)

So, I'm keeping my shirts. I'm doing it for my great grand kids.