The Crazy Coaster

        If the crazy coaster comes to your house don't get on it. I have several people in my life that suffer from mental illness and the coaster comes to my house often. In fact it is sitting right outside my door waiting for me to sit down. The jackals on board are howling with satisfaction if I climb on and weeping if I do not.  Sometimes the coaster seems tantalizing. I mean, what if it is different this time? What if I can make the course change? Sometimes it seems easier to join them in their self pity then the effort it takes not to. Especially for those who have the terrible habit that I do.  I have this stubborn quality that hates being wrong so if the invitation is an argument, I usually find it hard to say no. I also can't handle being rejected well nor do I like being insulted. When these things happen I fight back and have found myself smack dab in the middle of the coaster.
      The crazy roller coaster can even trick you. You think for sure this time you are not getting on and before you know it you are strapped in and headed for a downward spiral. I usually love roller coasters, but this is one coaster that I do not enjoy. Once you are on it, you are strapped in and thrust into a scary addictive series of twists and turns that you cannot control if you wished to. Yes, it is addictive....the rush of the roller coaster, but do not let the adreline rush reel you in.
      This coaster is sometimes subtle in presenting itself and you may not even realize your on it until it is too late. I have even ridden the coaster and later gave an excuse to why I got on. In my mind it was a good reason, but in the sane mind my excuse is illogical. Once you climb on, you have yielded control of your situation.  You are letting the driver, which is never you, have complete control.  When the coaster is run by my 11 year old I need to remember that I can climb into the drivers seat and put on the brakes on it. God is in control not the roller coaster operator.
      Instead of getting on the coaster you are to run from it, avoiding it at all costs. My wellness is critical for my family's sake. This last sentence was not reality for me last week. Last week I rode the coaster daily and was in constant state of dizziness. I wasn't contributing to my recovery, but instead was making the roller coaster more tantalizing of a choice.
     I have the choice NOT to get on that coaster. When I emotionally detach from the situation at hand, no matter how crazy, I can be a better mom to my children, a better wife to my husband, a better friend and most importantly a better child of God. When I focus on God and ask Him for guidance about the situation that the coaster is weaving into, then God is in control of the coaster. Wether the coaster is spiralling into someone's depression,or climbing rapidly into a heated argument, or all out mania, I can choose to ignore it. I can choose to "change the dance" by not climbing aboard.  If I have the urge to ride a roller coaster I need to go to Six Flags. Those coasters are definetly more fun.

How not to eat chocolate

http://www.instructables.com/id/Chocolate-Covered-Squid---Valentine-s-Day-Candy-Fr/
       Okay a friend of mine gave me this recipe, knowing how much I love chocolate. This has got to be the nastiest way to cook using chocolate ever. A close second would be chocolate covered grasshoppers. This recipe is from the same person who eats chocolate covered bacon, but at least both of those things are yummy on their own. Squid and chocolate do not go together!!! Do you hear me Darren?
         They look like they are fake when covered in chocolate but I can imagine the feel of the slimy rubbery squid as it slides down my throat and I want to puke. I love chocolate but this is one recipe that gets a huge thumb down for me. I do not enjoy calamari, which is at least fried, why in the world would I want to try this. And then he tells me it is spicy too. So throw in the chili powder to hide the taste of the squid or squelch the taste of the chocolate, which by the way was already ruined with the fishy squid flavor.
       When I was in high school my teacher gave us chocolate bars that were really chocolate covered ants and chocolate covered spiders. It really didn't taste all that bad, but when I bite into my chocolate bar I do not want a crunchy spider leg to poke out. Once I saw that it ruined the chocolate taste and made my stomach turn inside out. Don't get me wrong I love chocolate, but somethings need to stay far away from the chocolate. Squid and chocolate should not even be in the same sentence nevermind the same pot.

The terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day

   Today's blog post is inspired by this book. I had one of these terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days yesterday. When I think about my bad day in hindsight, as I am sure any one reading this book will  agree, our bad days are really not that bad at all. For example, the poor Alexander did not get a dessert in his lunch box...oh no the horror of it. He should be thankful that he usually gets a dessert at all. Many children would die for his mother's handmade lunch. I had such a bad day yesterday that I deserved, and thouroughly enjoyed, Chipolte for lunch. Oh no, he had lima beans for dinner, but did the poor kid ever think that some malnourished kids never have vegetables for dinner. Another bad thing to happen to Alexander was kissing on the television, yet he is fortunate to own a television, maybe even more than one. His day started poor with gum in his hair, what a lucky kid to get gum before bed. His best friend told him he was his third best friend, how blessed he is to have three best friends. His teacher liked someone's sailboat drawing better than his invisible , and nonexsistant castle, well at least the kid has an imagination.
     I can definetly sympathize with Alexander for when I have a  bad morning, things seem to get worse. My day starts with uncooperative children. Followed by a mad dash to find my keys, only to realize when arriving at work that I don't have the right keys. My coffee was made incorrectly, my classroom is overly cold, my son tore up his pants and.....by the end of the day (only 10 pm mind you) I was utterly exhausted. Yes, I am at this point sounding like a sniveling whining Alexander. I had cried over the most ridiculous things such as finding a lock for my fridge, very cold weather and loud kids. I had other "issues" occur that the drama queen in me only made worse.  The only true reason for my tears was pure frustration on top of a pile of desperation, that was followed by a dash of pessimism, and a failed  test of patience. By the end of the day I was done and I wanted to run away to hide. The character Alexander keeps mentioning that he wishes to move to Australia, which yesterday I completely agreed with him. I was literally worn down and worn out. I know now, looking back, that when I am like this I should just go lie down, not speak to anyone and pray. When I open my mouth, the only thing that comes out is garbled stupidity. I was reminded of this by my best friend, which of course made me cry. Since everything made me cry yesterday, I know that it was not his fault nor his intent to make me cry.

Alexander's mother says the best thing at the end of the book. Everyone has those bad days, even in Australia.

Mini Monster

My daughter is my mini me. Why then do I find her ear piercing screeches so annoying? Did I really sound like this? She talks loud, screams loud, whines constantly and is very annoying when she does any of these things. I know I was always a chatter box and have been known for my diarreah of the mouth on occasion, but the volume issue really is unbearable. My little drama queen is in her room right now trying to convince us to help her clean her room. We could be right next to her and she would be yelling the same. She doesn't even need anyone to talk to as she will converse with imaginary friends or stuffed animals. The boys think it is funny to aggravate  her and at the present moment I had to put one child on the stairs for time out for aggravating her and making her screech. I hope she grows out of this. I know I can be annoying at times, but I am not that bad, am I?