Hi strangers, if any of you still exist out there!

Big things are happening on the Catchy front. We are about to go adventure in Hawaii for 6 months.
Looks like I will have things to write about again!

I think that I have actually had things that I could have been writing about all of this time, but being the mother of children 15 months apart, and a child graduating into the adult world, and having 2 extra charges on top of that sort of sucked the "write" right out of me. And that's okay. It was probably best that I wasn't writing during a lot of that time, haha! Just kidding! [instant hair fry] [eye bursts out of socket]

So, anyway, the first leg of this trip is me making a cross country trip with two under-fives, a dog and, blessedly, my now-official-adult child.  I will explain how that makes sense in moving to Hawaii in another post.
I am currently in the process of "How many Lists Does it Take to Prepare for a Cross-Country Trip that You will Not be Returning from for 6 Months. Thank God for House-Sitters".

It would probably help for me to let you know that this whole "Let's put in to move to Hawaii for six months!" thing came up only 4 weeks ago, and was only officially confirmed 2 weeks ago. So, yeah, considering that we didn't even think that we would be the ones to get it (hubs is temporarily filling a position over there), it has been a whirlwind over these last few weeks.

Okay, a small tornado.

But, a tornado we can deal with because, well, Hawaii for six months. Conveniently, the entire winter.
Let the chaos reign. I'll take it!

I'm purging.

I think I say this all the time, but I actually am now. I am going room by room - sometimes drawer to drawer, because that is all I can handle in that particular moment - but I am slowly parting with as much "stuff" as I possibly can.

I have minimalist dreams.

In no way will my house ever be a museum that has nothing in it but furniture and a few art pieces, but I cannot stand "stuff". I am nowhere near being a hoarder, but the level of "stuff" in my house is making me homicidal, and I fully believe in the "simple living" philosophy.

I know, I know. Being a minimalist, and simple living are two totally different things. What I also am not, is hard core. I find the applicable and apply it. I am not even going to pretend that I know what the difference is, I just know that hardcore minimalists lose hair over anyone insinuating that the simple living philosophy is anything remotely close to being a minimalist.

At any rate. I am in my basement at the moment. A basement that is being turned into a playroom, and I am suffocating on the anxiety that all of this useless crap is bringing me.
Throw it away, you say? Except, it shouldn't all go into the landfill. That gives the 'waste is sad' part of me horror-filled nightmares.
What I am actually planning to do is post most of it for free on our community online yard sale site. That is just tedious, and isn't the immediate answer that my psyche wants.

Fair warning, this is going to be a subject here for a while.

I should probably stop procrastinating and get back to it.

Happy Hump Day

Yay, Saint Patrick's Day! 

I actually made Irish inspired food today! Do you know how much of a miracle that is???

Seriously, it should go down in the history books, which, it basically is, since I am publishing it here on the internet. 

This morning I made a quiche, and the girls and I tried our hand at some hot cross buns, except, the yeast failed me, so those were a total bust. I'm okay with that, though. It is no mystery that I am not a baker. Haha!

For dinner I made a simple fish dish (cod, and I regret that decision), with potato cakes and (according to my "Irish recipes" cookbook that I picked up on the grocery store aisle) a 'traditional irish salad'.

The potato cakes were to die for, if I do say so myself.

I would post some pictures, but I have not figured out how to pull photos from my iPad to my blog. It doesn't give me an option to pull photos from my photo album. 

Happy St. Paddy's! 

Goodnight!

Oh, hi!

I've really been struggling with this whole blog thing - not sure if that has been evident. The problem is, when I do finally log in to this thing, I don't even know where to begin anymore. Which is probably why I should just scrap this bad boy, and start over again with something new.

While I was wandering around Whole Foods earlier this evening, I had a host of topics I wanted to come here and write about tonight. Nothing earth shattering, but ideas none-the-less. Those all went down the drain with my bathwater, apparently.

So now you are stuck with me, and a blank mind, just hanging out in this dusty corner.

I'm not going to sit here and just stare at this blank screen, so I'll go ahead and sign off, but hey!
I was here! That should count for something.

Maybe I will get ambitious and blog all about the Saint Patrick's Day faire that I have planned for tomorrow.
Maybe I should keep a poll at the very end of every blog post so that people can vote on whether or not they think any promised blog post with come within the next 3 months.

Goodnight!

2014. 

When I was a kid, the "2000s" seemed soooo far away - so "futuristic". It is hard to believe that we've been in the 2000s for 14 years. It doesn't seem like it has been that long at all since we were dancing to Prince's 1999 at the New Year's Eve party for which it really counted. 

(2000 zero-zero, party over, oops out of time)

The school year of September 2014 will see some kids who were born in the year 2000 entering High School. And, while that seems like kind of a trip to us old people, it won't see them arriving on their hover boards, or in their mom's hover-van, as I am fairly certain my 8 year old self was sure would be happening, and maybe even being considered passe, by this point in the future. 

I guess, for us old fuddy-duddy's, time really does just keep moving faster and faster. Made more apparent when you have kids, I guess. 

My first baby, who it seems was five only yesterday, graduates high school this year - in only six months from now, actually. A full fledged adult. Time is weird, haha! 

Here is to the first blank page of a new 365 page book. 

Happy New Year!

I think I would feel like a complete failure as a parent if I raised my kid into adulthood, sent them off to college, and they graduated said college incapable of applying for a job without my help.

Your college graduate child should be able to apply for a job. Without you completing his/her application. Without you following up with the potential employer. Without you sitting in on any interviews.

Seriously, what is happening to our world, people?!

If I am an employer, or the hiring manager for any company, the first applicant to be sent to the round file is the one who shows up with their mommy (or daddy) in tow, or whose mommy (or daddy) calls to follow up, or whose mommy (or daddy) turns in the application for them.

It just screams "I don't have any clue how to operate on my own!"
What does this applicant have to offer as an employee if their parent, or parents, show up at the interview with them? Is mom going to come to work with you every day too, to make sure your task list is complete, and to keep you on track? And what does this say for your decision making skills, or ability to actually perform your job? You can't even interview for the job yourself - how am I going to be able to seriously consider any possibility that you will be able to handle the work I have for you?

And instead of maintaining the idea that this is ludicrous, our lovely "progressive" workforce is embracing this idea! WHAT???

There are companies now who actually set up separate "parent involvement" interviews, and the such.
It's basically like "open house/back to school/parents night" at school, except... Oh yeah, you are a grown ass individual who shouldn't need your mommy and daddy to check out your potential employer.
It is one thing to discuss your options with your parents and, as parents, for us to give pointers about what to ask, what to enroll in if you land said job, weighing options between different jobs.
That is our job, that is our function. But actually becoming a part of your adult child's hiring process?? Really??? That is taking it a little far.

Lay off of the crazy pills.

I can't even imagine what my kid's reaction would be if I told her I was going to come to a job interview with her. When she was interviewing for her first job at 15 she would have cut me if I even suggested the idea of coming in with her, much less the ones she's applied for recently, much, much less any job she will apply for in the future. Are you kidding? I am getting the giggles just thinking about her potential reaction to this idea, haha!

She recently decided to get a second job, and had applied for and landed a particular job that she couldn't start until she was 18. In the meantime she decided to apply for a third job, and when she landed that one as well, she had to make a choice.  She and I had many discussions about her options, and I gave her my opinions - that's my job, and let her talk it out with me, but ultimately, she's the one who has to work the jobs, not me. So what place would I have in the process anyway?

It is just a really bizarre concept to me, I guess.

Anyway... end rant, but I just saw yet another article about this bizarre practice, and I couldn't be quiet.

Opinions happen, yo!

Happy weekend!

Good morning blog-o-sphere!

I don't have much to say this morning so I will leave you with a few announcements:

1. I gave up on NaNoWriMo this year. FAIL! I know! I just have so much other crap going on right now that it was ridiculous to even pretend to continue. The word count that I actually had down probably shouldn't even have counted in any way. I will consider my financial donation to the cause my achievement this year. I got my lovely bookmark, and my sticker. Yay!

2. This does not mean that I have given up writing entirely. I am still working on another writing project, I'm just taking my time with it at the moment. 

You know what is awesome about writing? You get to use all of the names you would name your kids if you had 100 kids. Seriously, if I had a kid for every name I've ever loved. Holy shit, I would have a television show. It probably isn't even humanly possible to have as many kids as names I've loved. 

It also creates a place for all of those names you love, but would never really use because you actually like your kid.  

3. Do I have anything for number 3? Oh wait, I do! 

I have a huge project to start in my basement. I've been putting it off. 

I am considering opening an in-home daycare. People who know me in real life can go ahead and spit coffee out of their noses now.

I know, I know! It sounds ridiculous, but I think it makes sense for where I am at in my life right now, and affords me the ability to be home with my kids and still bring in an income.

Before I do, I need to finish the basement area downstairs. This involves a lot of painting, and other small projects (and not so small projects like moving the piano, gah!), that I was planning to do anyway, but that I need to get cracking on if that is my plan. The more I think about it, and write out my plan, the more excited I am about it. I know! Weird.

For those of you who don't know me in real life - I'm not generally really very fond of kids. Especially other people's kids. But I think having small children again has softened me, and one thing I love about kids is their wonder, and I love teaching them things, and showing them things, so I think I can do it.

I think that is really all I have for the time being.

I hope everyone is having a great week! 

Cheers!