Friday

So glad it's a blue jean and curly hair Friday!

Austin's annual end of year IEP meeting was today. He's doing so much better here… at least as far as behavior is concerned. He's doing better academically in that he's participating in class more, his written communication has improved, his attitude is much better. He has what he describes as a "solid c" average. He still struggles with organizational skills and handwriting and turning in assignments. High school has a weird schedule in that they have two academic classes per semester and two electives. We decided to keep one of his electives as a study skills class where they help him organize and make up any missed work. It's helped a lot this year but he still would have a solid b average if he wasn't such a pigpen. His teachers like him and all had good things to say about him.

The meeting was at 7:30 and I still made it to work on time!

I'm planning to work tomorrow morning so this is not an "end of the week" celebratory Friday but Friday is still Friday. Just wearing my tennis shoes makes me happier. Austin has to study for an end of course test over the weekend so I'll have him come to work with me tomorrow and study while we're here. We finished washing the dirty laundry last night but none of it is folded so that's my biggest chore for the weekend.

I don't have plans for Mothers Day other than church. After last year's marathon wait for a table with Michael's family at Outback Steakhouse (four hours!) I'm not planning to eat anywhere other than my little cozy cottage. Maybe even pb&j! Or leftovers! Or something I stick in the crockpot before church… whatever… I just know I have no intentions of eating in a restaurant anywhere. (Although, I will admit, having Elijah fall asleep between Michael and I during dinner is a precious memory of my time there in Jacksonville!)

They're having a marriage seminar at church this weekend and our Sunday morning activities will be part of that marriage seminar. Let me just tell you how interested I am in a marriage seminar - it ranks somewhere up there with my interest in rock climbing or running a marathon - painful and unnecessary. I can tell you the secret to a successful marriage: don't marry the men I married. Plain and simple. Don't marry a selfish kid who has no idea how to be responsible even for himself. Don't married an old bachelor who has never had to answer to anyone but himself. If a man makes it to 45 without having been married, there's a reason. Marry men with conscious and clear boundaries. Marry a man with morals. Integrity. Who gets up and goes to work every morning. Who knows how to come home after work in the evenings. Who conducts himself faithfully while he's at work. Who places his family as a priority. Who respects other people. Who respects himself. Who respects you. Marry a man who will always make you feel better about yourself. Who will love you unconditionally. Unconditional love does exist. Marry a man who loves the Lord. And until those characteristics exist in a potential candidate… I'm perfectly happy being single.

I'm not quite single yet. Our divorce isn't final. Soon. Ultimately, as long as it happens before the end of the year so that I don't have to file taxes as "married filing separate" again - which cost me a fortune - I'm happy. Seriously, it made a difference of about two thousand dollars for me this year. Enough to buy a REALLY nice laptop… *sigh*…

I had a really frustrating day yesterday. Since we're now getting commission on p&c products (auto and homeowners insurance) I have sold practically NOTHING. We have a "rotation" that's supposed to be in place but somehow I've managed to be dealing with customer service when every new customer has called or come in this week. I have a co-worker with something like ten applications and I have maybe two…. Or, like last week… I had a family that I had quoted and really worked with but I was out sick on Friday when they came in so I got zero credit for the applications - zero commissions - because I wasn't here to do it. It just makes me feel sometimes like I can't get ahead… so I had a brief pity party on the way home and then started voicing positive reinforcements to myself… which sounds sort of psychotic but when you are saying positive things OUT LOUD it is impossible for your thoughts to travel back to the negative.

Last night Austin made cupcakes late… and brought me a little cup of the batter to eat… I was half asleep and thinking, "I'm going to get salmonella poisoning"… but I ate it anyway and feel fine so far. The cupcakes didn't turn out quite right… he couldn't find cupcake liners and didn't want to wake me up. But the batter was good.

We have this issue with our half bathroom toilet stopping up. Every now and then it will back up and get downright foul smelling. This happened yesterday evening so we had to make a run to the little corner market for some air freshener. I was already dressed for bed… in my "thing one" tshirt and some horrendous shorts… but I thought… "I'll just let Austin run in" but on the drive over I quickly ascertained that he was not quite capable of handling this task alone. So I said, "alright I'll go in… I mean… what are the chances we'll see someone we know?"… and… of course we did… some kids from his school… and here I am dressed in the most embarassing mom outfit possible. All I needed were curlers and fuzzy slippers.

Kate Gosselin on Larry King… I meant to watch it but fell asleep… which means I was asleep by nine o'clock. I don't even remember the ending of Ugly Betty. My tv was programmed to go to Larry King so I drifted in and out and saw her but didn't really get the context of the interview. They were part of the discussion on CNN earlier in the evening… and I just thought it was so surreal… five years ago they were relatively unknown and now their marital issues are on CNN. If it had been up to me… ours would have been too… I have a penchant for publicity! Ha! I say break out the stockades… adultery should not be tolerated.

But yet… we are living in a society where having conservative Christian values sets you up as a spectacle for ridicule or attack - or even worse, being called a hatemongerer. I wish like crazy that Elizabeth Hasselbeck would quit The View. She's nothing but Joy Behar's whipping boy… they showed a clip on Fox and Friends this morning where Joy was accusing Elizabeth of CHILD ABUSE for teaching her children creationism instead of evolution. Seriously! How is it that attacks on Christian beliefs are acceptible but speaking your heart on Christian values isn't? Our nation is in sad shape when the national day of prayer is referred to as "a photo op" and not taken seriously by a sitting president. Remember 9-11 when the nation was brought to it's knees? How soon we forget. Remember how our nation was founded on religious freedom? I definitely don't feel that I have the freedom to discuss my beliefs with complete candor. Freedom is for those who have no boundaries, no morals…

Time for me to get off my soap box … hope you have a fabulous Friday, a wonderful weekend and a marvelous Mother's Day!