The Most Embarrassing Moment of my Mommy Life

I am sitting here at Barnes and Nobles eating my Lucy's Gluten Free cookies and drinking a Carmel Machiato. Desperately trying to focus on my senior thesis but I am having no luck. So I must tell this story and get it out of my head before I can move on.

I am not the type of person who discusses my finances with anyone unless it is absolutely necessary. I think finances overall should be private. I most certainly do not discuss it with kids because I want them to have a time in their life when they are not worried about how bills are paid..

However I want them to value money, so I am constantly telling them how long someone who makes minimum wage would have to work to earn the toy or item they are requesting.

It utterly makes me nuts for them to leave lights on when it is easy way to conserve money and energy. My biggest irritation is the bathroom light that is left constantly and constantly telling them to shut it off.

 Somewhere during my nagging to turn off the lights and to close the refrigerator door when it is not in use was sending the wrong message.

HERE IS WHY I CAME TO THIS CONCLUSION.

Today around 4pm, I got a call from the school resource officer. Of course, you guessed it, it was Joey's school.

"Mrs. Rupp I want to let you know that Joey has been invited to participate in the Police and Friends program on Dec. 5th, " he said.

"Great, let grab a pen," I said naively thinking it was some type of program for creative kids or something.

He proceeded to tell me that Joey was selected to met and have breakfast with police officers in the county. Then after that Joey would be given a certain amount of cash for whatever he wanted. They asked that he bought clothes or shoes and then he could pick a toy for himself but they asked it not be a fake gun or knife. They wanted to insure that Joey had something under the tree for Christmas.

It took me a moment because I am slow like that and then the light bulb went on.

"Sir, can I ask you a question?" I responded.

He said, "Sure."

"Has been put in this program because someone thought that our family was impoverished," I used that word because truly I just hate people to think I am poor or uneducated.

There was a pause, "Well yes ma'am."

I rubbed my hand across my face as if to say, what in the heck are these children telling people.

"Sir, while your program sounds wonderful and I appreciate the thought but honestly I think there are other children out their who benefit much more. I would not just feel right letting Joey participate when it could go to someone more deserving."

The officer had a shocked tone in his voice, "well I appreciate your honesty."

"Sir my son will wear his play shoes to school sometimes or his play jeans, if I am not paying attention but he has almost everything he needs. While my husband and I are not comfortable, we are not on the edge of eviction either. We have planned for Christmas since July and a lot of Joey's Christmas is done," okay now I was just getting defensive.

He then told me the school counselor referred me. I told about the fire but that we did have insurance and promised we okay and he thank me and I thanked him and said our goodbyes.

I stormed out of the kitchen with a red face and turned into mommy hulk.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?"

Now Joe was freaking out, we both looked at Joey. He stammered and said nothing mom. I have not talk to the lady since Me-Maw went to heaven.

So I ranted and raved for awhile to my boss, and then my awesome neighbors. I informed all the kids, that we were not poor we just gave them impression so they had low expectations(okay I did not say that but wanted to).

I decided to go to Barnes and Nobles to work on my paper, I walked into the living room and all the lights were off. I asked my daughter why they lights were off.

"Mom, we do not have the money to pay the electric bill," she responded.

I told her not to listen to me, turn the lights on I can afford the stupid power bill. I walked all through the house turning lights on, and even the bathroom light where no one was using it.

My kids are future Lawyers: The Story of the Contract

So it is Veterans day, a day to celebrate the selflessness of the those who served this great country and all the freedoms we hold dear like contractional law. To celebrate my two youngest got out of school early.

The two of the them came home and preformed their normal routine which is normally argueing. As I am working,  and I hear Joey talking to Taylor and his voice was gradually starting to raise. 

"Taylor we had a contract, you have to play with me," Joey yelled.

"No, I don't, Joey leave me alone," she responded.

"But we have a contract and you signed it," he yelled back at her.

It is at this time, I decide to intervene."What is going on?"

Joey stomps out into the living room. "MOM, Taylor and I had a contract that I would not bother her for ten days and it has been 10 days. "

I just looked at him for a moment trying to understand what the heck he was talking about.

"So you and Taylor have a contract? I asked.

"Yes, mom," he said.

"So was this contact verbal or written?" Thinking slightly this is a ridiculous question and that he probably did not understand.

"It was written mom," he stated with confidence.

So I asked him to bring it to me thinking the could have not possibly wrote a contact.

He stomped back out with an 8x10 paper and some red marker and it said:

This contract says that Joey wil not annoy Taylor for 24 hours. That if I want to be by myself then I can for 1 hour each day than he will leave me alone after and 1 pick the game.

I then looked at my son with a satisfied look on his face.

I then looked at him and then my husband, "They both signed and initialed it."

"Yeah, mom the intitials were Joey's idea," Taylor said now in on the conversation.

"Well Taylor, you have a legal and binding contract, you have to abide by the contract, " I responded.

My husband looked at me, "that is blog worthy."



Guess Blogger: Amazing what you can find in a child's cast

My boys are now 10 and 12 and I thought we were doing pretty well without them breaking any bones or having any major medical emergencies. That was until 3 weeks ago when Mark came in crying because he had fallen playing football with his brother and friends. Well I should rephrase that apparently he was standing there waiting for someone to throw the ball when he fell over….

Now my son Mark is not really a crier, if he cries for more than 2 minutes he’s really hurt. So when he first came in I gave him ice, a hug and told him to sit on the couch. He continued to cry and I quickly made the decision that he needed an x-ray. So off to the ER we went…

The night it happened.

By the time we got to the ER he had stopped crying, we walked into a full waiting room. I leaned over and whispered in his ear that he should start crying again…is that wrong???!!! Whatever…it worked we were in and out of there in a 1 ½!

It is indeed broken. Now the adventure began of keeping it dry and his hand clean…you know how little boys are! Well 2 weeks after getting the cast on, he “accidentally” put it in the bathtub…

I called and made an appointment for him to get a new cast. He got a lecture from the nurse who walked us back and from the guy who cut off the cast. The doctor was very nice and didn’t make him feel bad. So the guy is cutting off the cast and the doctor is talking to Mark. All of a sudden the guy pulls out the top to a mechanical pencil from inside the cast…he says what’s this???

Mark says “I don’t know how that got in there!!!!” We all just burst out laughing! Apparently he left his arm lying around somewhere and someone else used a pencil to scratch it! The pencil top had also been in his cast for a week…

This would be the first cast; he now has a glow in the dark one. Hopefully he can make it until Wednesday without sticking in the tub or losing something in it! He should be getting it off Wednesday!

Barkley and Me: The War Rages On

My whole life I loved kitties. I just wanted to cuddle and smush their little face. However my step-dad did not like cats at all. So as I child, I was never really around many of them.

In 1992 I moved to my dad's house in Florida. For a while it was just him and I in a big huge house. So when I was offered a cat, I jumped on it. Being the bad teenager I was at the time, I brougt the new kitty home without my dear ole' dad's permission.  He still loves to tell the story of how he woke to go to work and opens his bedroom door and hears a little meow. I do not know if I can describe the anger in his eyes and he has never let me live it down.

I named the cat Diana, she was precious. However it became clear she loved my dad and not me. I was an annoyance who changed her litter box. So when I moved out later, I did not take her with me. Once again, something that irritated my dad. In fact for years every time I talked to him he wanted to know when I was going to pick up my cat. I truly believe he would never let me. He did however offer to give her to me as a wedding present but atlas I got a toaster instead. When she passed, my poor dad was devasted.

When I met my husband he had a black lab. She loved me at first until I started sleeping on her side of the bed. Then she would just chew up my socks when I slept. Nesta and I had a rocky relationship in the beginning. I think were both trying to claim the alpha role in the house. Atlas I won and she became my special friend.  We had her for 11 years and I adored her deeply.

When we lost her, I could not bare another dog. She was too special. My best friend Chelsea offered to bring me a kitten. Considering my general history with cats, she promised to bring me the sweetest cat she could find.

So in June 2009, she brought the cutest black kitten ever born. I named him Backley, my husband insisted a boy cat would love me. I am not listening to him again.

This little thing just looked at me. He was cutest kitty I had ever seen. I genuely do not think he looked at me like I was the custest human he ever had seen. Moreover I think he thought I was a giant two year old wanting to cuddle with him.

Tell me that is not one of the cutest faces ever.

For the first year I pretty much annoyed him.  In that year my husband also came up with a European voice for him and a facebook page. He kinda took on a Stewie persona in the house. Always threatening through my husband. One day I sat Joe down and told him that he was not channeling the cat and he was from Alachua and not Europe.

 He became quite famous among family and friends. Everyone would ask me about my little friend.

Then I startd verbally arguing with him(my husband voice) about things as it it was real. I really think Barkely believes I am nuts.

As he got older he started to do things, I think to make me think I was scrazy.

One day I was sitting in the living room, I heard a big crash. No one was home, so it was not my kids. Then I ran into kitchen as my little man ran out.  On the kitchen counter the was a glass of water tipped over and the counter was soaked in water.

I walked into the hall, the cat is sitting, licking his paw, and looked up at me as if to say, "What happened mom?" I put my hands on my hips and walked away. I thought I heard  little laughter.

He geneally seems annoyed that we did not buy a sixth table chair for him. He takes his seat at dinner every night until one of us kicks him off. In fact on night we were having steak, he jumped up on the table and stole Logan steak while we talking about how cute he was on the table. He tried to eat the whole dang thing.

One morning he decided it was play time, he ran back and forth through the house for an hour. Of course I was the only one he woke up, after throwing several things in his general direction he just would not stop. I gave up, and went into the living room to find him sleeping. That morning every time I walked by him I woke him up on purpose. He looked at me like I was the jerk.

This year I dressed as him for Halloween and we took pics together. I cannot tell you how annoyed he was that I was forcing him to take pictures. He generally only wants me to pick him up if I have milk or ham for him.

He is also notorius for peeing in boxes. You cannot leave on the floor for more than a minute.

The cat is a constant pain, but I love his little face. I have many more stories. I thought it would be good to lay the foundation of our relationship. Sometimes I swear he thinks his job is to push me into a mommy meltdown.