Classy Chassis

Some people just seem to have been raised by wolves. For some reason these people seem to live on either side of me. It is very clear now that summer is here and windows are open that they really only know a handful of words. Go ahead and take a guess what these words might be. Just to give you a hint I guarantee they are nothing along the lines of “fractional ownership“. It seems that even simple words like “thank you” and “please” are absent from their vocabulary. You made a safe bet if your first 5 guesses were around 4 letters.

Popularity: 8% [?]

While we were on vacation I purchased a child harness/backpack for our littlest son. I got a few funny looks while we were out and about. The truth is I could care less whether anyone approves of the use of these items. My son is simply one of those kids who must be on the move all the time. There is no way I could get him to settle down into even the fanciest of strollers. When you think about it aren’t shopping carts and strollers just another means of managing the behavior of a child? People who very much oppose the use of harnesses have absolutely no problem strapping their child into a stroller or shopping cart which I find confusing.

Popularity: 7% [?]

It seems that our cats have been either popping Phentermine or taking some other type of drug while we were gone. They have been acting so crazy since we got home. It is possible that they simply missed us and are showing those emotions by running around the house like a couple of fools. We tried having someone watch them in their house last week and it didn’t work out at all. One of the cats tried to jump through a window to escape and cut up his nose . The other one hid in a cabinet for three days after he got home. Now we simply have someone come by daily to check on them. Clearly they prefer this method of “boarding” over their prior experiences.

Popularity: 17% [?]

For most of the last three weeks we have been away from home. We just got back home and I can already tell that it wasn’t long enough. My nerves are already on edge when I see hoodilums hanging out in the front and back yard next door. Throw in a sea of beer bottles all over their yard and trash and it is pretty clear they like us being gone a great deal. I wish I could book one of those Hilton Head rentals and never come back. It makes me so sad that there isn’t any activity related to selling our house. I know I should trust that there is a plan much greater than I could realize but it is getting hard to be patient.

Popularity: 15% [?]

The slugs next door haven’t moved in the last three weeks. They aren’t actually slugs but are what passes for young men in some people’s eyes. Essentially they make their way from the couch to the front or back yard to smoke and drink and then to bed. This cycle repeats itself day after day. I would have thought that after a few weeks they would make some attempt to get a job but there is no apparent effort at all. I am half tempted to start placing the classified Chicago jobs ads on their doorstep each day and see if they take the hint. How exactly do people pay for cigarettes and beer and not work? The last I knew food stamps didn’t cover these items.

Popularity: 14% [?]

Generally I pride myself on being one of those moms who takes my kids in stride. Two weeks in a hotel room has made me just a little bit stir crazy and short tempered. My older son is constantly doing something that either requires a lecture or some type of discipline. For example today he has been purposely trying to ram himself into the bed as hard as he can. I usually can ignore this type of nonsensical behavior but I am really tired of the constant bouncing around in front of me. I know it would help if we could be outside swimming and running around. I am SO hoping that it is at least slightly warm today so we can get in the pool. I have even resorted to having them run the hallways and climb the stairs instead of taking the elevator to burn off all this pent up energy.

Popularity: 27% [?]

Before leaving for his first month of training my husband said he was going to try to lose weight while away. This hasn’t really been happening from what I can see. It doesn’t help that this hotel offers homemade and fresh baked cookies every evening at the front desk. In fact we make a point of taking the kids out every evening right at the time when the cookies are put out. Since I have been recovering from surgery and sitting around for the last 2 weeks I think we are going to have to try to lose weight together if it is going to happen at all. The weather has been so cold here that we haven’t even been able to be outside like we had planned on doing. Maybe the coming weeks will be better and we can get on track to getting healthier.

Popularity: 24% [?]

Now that we are getting ready to head home I must admit I am dreading it on several levels. For one thing I hate where we live. I am very thankful to have a home but just have had it with the neighborhood we live in. Being away has only compounded those feelings. The other thing I am dreading is finding out what the scale says. There is no way I have lost a pound here and it is virtually impossible to build muscle sitting in a hotel room all day. I have tried to eat wisely but when you eat at least one meal out per day it is inevitable that you will gain weight. If we come back with my husband for the remaining weeks he has here I just hope it is warm enough to get in the pool or get the kids outside.

Popularity: 24% [?]

For the last 10 days we having been staying in a hotel and it has been delightful. There is just something nice about not constantly checking my pocket watch to make sure I am getting everyone where they need to be on time. The kids have loved having a big breakfast buffet every morning, a pool, and big comfy beds to jump on. I have loved not having to keep my house clean and not having to cook 3 meals a day. We are going home in the morning for a few days and may come back next week with my husband. There really is no good reason I can think of not to travel with him since our other commitments have been met at home.

Popularity: 23% [?]

All I can dream about today is getting away. There isn’t any point in me looking into Las Vegas travel or travel to anywhere else because it just isn’t going to happen. Right at this moment I am so down and I can’t really put my finger on it. Likely it is those post-surgical blues that people seems to get and I am completely exhausted. I know my kids won’t be ready to go to sleep for at least another couple of hours since they slept in this morning. Calgon can’t even take me away at this point since lounging in the tub is against doctor’s orders. A good cry is in order but there isn’t even time for that until the kids are in bed. It is pretty pathetic to plan on crying yourself to sleep isn’t it? I think I will just bypass the crying and head straight for the sleep part of the evening. Maybe things will be looking better in a couple of days.

Popularity: 38% [?]

I hate living in my house. Our stupid neighbors have taken every last bit of joy possible out of living here. Just when I think they might have finally gotten a clue about what being a decent neighbor is they go and do another stupid thing. If I could I would call several mortgage lenders today and see what type of mortgage we can qualify for. The problem is our house hasn’t sold and who knows when it will. Our agent says she could rent it out for us without a problem but I think we need to sell it to qualify for a new mortgage. We have worked so hard to get it ready to sell and it doesn’t seem to have done a bit of good. I could just cry but I am to tired to spend the energy to do so.

Popularity: 44% [?]

My mother-in-law found a bunch of vintage sunglasses in her attic. She told my son he could pick out whatever pair he wanted and take them home. Did he go for something traditional and manly? Of course he didn’t! He chose a pair of silver shiny sunglasses that look like something out of Willy Wonka when they are in the television room. He thinks they look like the sunglasses from Alvin and the Chipmunks. I think it is just funny that he wants to wear them out and about on the town. He definitely marches to the beat of his own drum and I like it.

Popularity: 43% [?]

In our home we currently don’t have any type of video game. My husband thinks we should buy our son either a Wii or playstation 3. He thinks he has reached the age where this something he will really enjoy. I feel completely different about it and think it is like any other electronic gadget and can become addictive. I just don’t want my kids sitting around with their faces glued to the television or a video game while the world passes them by. I could be wrong so I am asking what do you think? Is this a wise move or one that is better to put off as long as possible?

Popularity: 42% [?]

This week a friend of mine came over to look at our house and give feedback about things we might do to make it more marketable. During the course of the conversation he made a comment about me being “older”. I found this humorous because my friend is 7 years younger than I am. It made me wonder just old he thinks I am. It isn’t like I am having mid-life crisis and running out and looking at used Harleys and red sports cars. The last I knew 37 was not that old! Yes, I will turn 38 in a couple of weeks but that still isn’t that old or am I missing something? The truth is I don’t feel any different than when I was 21 except for being more mature intellectually. In fact I wouldn’t trade anything to be 21 again and have to deal with all those coming of age issues again.

Popularity: 50% [?]

I stepped on the scale the other day and was not happy with what I was seeing. After my son was born I started off with the best intentions of getting off the baby weight. Well you know what they say about good intentions. Well now my 20 year reunion is right around the corner and I need to get slim quick. I figure some time on the treadmill will help but it won’t be the only thing I can do. My husband had, at one point, suggested a personal trainer. I wonder if he would still go for that?

Popularity: 48% [?]

My husband and I have had our house on the market for quite some time and we are getting a little frustrated. We are trying very hard to save our money for our vacation in August but we don’t know if we can wait that long. Right now anything would work from one of those cruises to the Bahamas to an extended trip to Walmart. We have actually gotten to the point where we have purchased an air conditioner to drown out the noise of our idiot neighbors. It amazes me that nobody else seems to care or hear what is going on unless we all bought the same air conditioner.

Popularity: 49% [?]

My husband and I have finally listed the house. So now comes the hard part, where do we want to live for the rest of our lives. I think back to the other places we have lived and continually come back to when we lived in Tennessee and were going to school. We lived on the Outer Banks of creek/river and had fields and mountains and farmland all around us. I find that when I am stressed I dream about this time and often find myself looking at pictures. It would be nice to find that again where we are now and not have to worry about our neighbors thumping their music or toss their garbage in our yard.

Popularity: 55% [?]

There is this small spot on the horizon that I can see in my mind’s eye. It is the day when I close the door to my house for one last time and head off down the highway to a new home somewhere else. It will not be a tear filled day but a joyous one. This will be the day when I leave my neighbor’s and their love of beer pong behind me. Sure, there are people in our neighborhood that I will miss but these particular people there is not a thing they could do to endear themselves to me. When our house sells I may have to have a party of my own and invite everyone else in the neighborhood except them to it.

Popularity: 53% [?]

Can you make a cat exercise? I know it isn’t like you can put them on a treadmill or take them for a walk on a leash. There just seems like there should be a point when even the laziest of cats needs less than 23 hours of sleep a day. One of our cats seems to perpetually be glued to the same spot on our sofa. In fact he almost looks lopsided from having spent so much time in one position. What kind of life is that?

Popularity: 53% [?]

Our awful neighbors have finally worn out their welcome with other people in the neighborhood. We were leaving for work yesterday and happened to glance next door to see our other neighbor sitting on the bad neighbor’s steps. Apparently she had finally had it with the “mother” of the kids that live next door and decided to give her an ear full. The “mother” moved her teenage daughters into the house and essentially visits them for about 30 minutes a day leaving them to run the streets. Our good neighbor said she finally took a seat on the patio furniture when 35 minutes had passed. She said she could hear the “mother” inside yelling at the kids and swearing asking them what they had done to get this neighbor mad. The conversation went just as predicted with the “mother” lying through her teeth about where she is. I am so pleased that someone besides me has had it with the situation.

Popularity: 59% [?]