The Edge of Empty

Now that the holidays are over, I am willing to venture near a mall.  Since I offered to buy lunch, the boys decided that they could be seen in public with their mother. (They also had gift cards that were begging to be used).  During the course of our trip, I ventured into the ladies room and this is what I  saw: Okay, this isn't the nicest mall in our area and the bathroom was small so I originally thought that it was nice that they at least thought about providing a lounge area.  However, once I got closer, I was infuriated by the sign shown below. To be honest, I can barely stand to go to the bathroom in a public restroom.  I sure as heck would never eat in a bathroom.  That the management of the mall thought that they were being considerate providing a bench in the bathroom for a mother to feed her child astounds me.  But then again, I don't think that they were trying to be considerate.  At 5'6", I am just above average height, and I ...

It seems that the boys in this household are addicted to games.  This is supported by the number of game systems that have taken up space in our household over the years.  The youngest boy is no exception.    Here he makes his answer selection during a friendly family game of " Scene it! " on our X-box.

My family eats out way more than we should.  My father predicted this more than 25 years ago when the Hubster and I were dating.  I have mentioned previously that my family rarely went out to eat when I was a child, so the number of times that the Hubster took me out to dinner was shocking to my parents thrifty nature.  Of course, I thought it was great.  And since my family was also very religious, there weren't a whole lot of other options of sanctioned activites. Needless to say, proprieters of many restaurants in our area know our family on sight and not a week goes by that one of them will ask about this missing family member or another.  Of course, we each have our favorite establishment, but occasionally we will want a change.  When a new restaurant opens up in our area, we are sure to be one of the first families to try it out. Recently, the boys came home saying that there was a new restaurant that they wanted to try. This new restaurant was call...

I am a bargain shopper.  Friends are always asking me how I get such great deals on things.  Truth is, I shop the end of the aisles or the clearance section first.  One recent shopping trip took me to a local Walmart which was undergoing renovation.  Because of the renovation, there were several aisles of merchandise priced to go.  One section held particular interest because it was packed with various games for all different game consoles.  One of the items that caught my eye was a family game called " Scene It! ". This was appealing because we are always trying to find ways that we can share the boys interests.  And like it or not,  the X-box uses up a huge chunk of their days right now.  This particular version of the game also included the controllers necessary to play the game so I figured that if nothing else, it was a bargain for that reason. I will readily admit that the family didn't express any interest in my acquisition.  I d...

My grandmother was Rosie the Riveter during World War II.  Actually, she was a welder at a shipyard in Mobile, Alabama while my grandfather was off in the Army.  My dad was a toddler during this time, so he was left in the care of her parents while she traveled the 90 miles to work.  Each Monday morning, my grandmother rose hours before dawn to walk several miles to town and board a bus back to Mobile.  Each Friday night, after a rigorous and exhausting week, she would board a bus back home.  She recalled that most trips she stood the entire way. Hard work was nothing new however.  As a child, she spent her summers in the cotton fields helping her family eke out a living. Growing up with 5 brothers, she learned at an early age to not let them see her cry. She eventually became a professional seamstress for a manufacturing company.  I remember her telling me of the times that she sewed right through her fingers.  I am cringing now thinking about...

One of the reasons that people purchase alarm systems for their home is to keep their family safe.  Another way to keep the ones you love safe is to be aware of your surroundings.  For me, this includes a check of the Registered Sex Offenders in the neighborhood.  When we were searching for a home to purchase several years ago, a search of the registry showed that a sex offender lived in the house diagonally across the street from the home we were trying to purchase.  This did not stop us from putting in an offer.  However, it would certainly have made a difference in how we let our children play.  Our offer for that house was outbid by someone else so our search continued.  The neighborhood where we did finally purchase has three sex offenders, but none within a several block radius. It is a natural thing for me--maybe it is the law enforcement background.  I think that it should become a standard practice though for all--especially those with c...

My son graduates from high school this week.  The thought terrifies me.  Not because he is my baby and will be going off to school soon.  I will worry about that next month.  Right now,  I am terrified because my parents are coming to attend the graduation and my house is not ready for company--much less my mother.   Now, you will never walk in my house and wish that you were as good a housekeeper as me.  In fact, I am sure that many people walk in and get an ego boost when they see that they do much better.  I do try to control the chaos that having two teenage boys, a husband, and a ferret brings to a house,  but lets face it, I am not the most dedicated housekeeper in the world.  In fact, I am a FlyLady flunkie.   This weekend as I was desperately trying to knock back the clutter, I fantasized about booking a hotel room for my parents.  Of course, that wouldn't really solve the problem since they would still at some po...