Throwing myself another pity party....

I will try to make this a short post (lol).

After having my Mom here all of Thanksgiving break (which was actually a good time....post more later), school resumed this past week. The Mister left early Thursday morning to head up north to get our last Uhaul of belongings and place them in storage here. All that will be left to selling the house is actually signing on the dotted line by all parties (waiting on the loan/first time buyers stuff to go through - seems to be a clog in that paperwork, really? You're "giving" thousands of dollars away and everyone wants their cut, really Mr. President? duh.) I am playing the role of single parent which is stressful enough but of course in the true fashion of my life Thursday evening the oldest calls from gymnastics practice to tell me her throat is red and swollen and she cannot breathe through her nose. I go get her and decide to head to the dr. The twilight pediatrician with her office is cheaper than Urgent care so I decide to go that route but the office is in the next city about 30 minutes away. I got home and mapquest the directions. I realize I forgot to drop off the payment to the gym while picking up sicky girl. I then head to day care to get the two well girls since I knew there was no way I'd be back to get them before the daycare closed. Then back to the gym to drop off the check then finally on the road to the Dr. or so I thought. At that point the toddler says she needs to potty. I lost my mind for a brief moment. I pulled into McDonalds and the girls all went potty and I ordered dinner. (Sorry WW, the stress was too much. I was not sensible, nutritious or considerate in what I ordered and consumed. I biggie sized and devoured under shear survival mode. Not a proud moment on this healthy lifestyle change of mine but....it happens. I weighed in this morning and was down 4.3 lbs but last week I was up 3 so....I guess I am still winning on the deal.) Back on the road with mouths chewing artery clogging goodness. Made it to the office. Waiting about 15 minutes to see the Dr. She said the asthma sounds good but the gymnast has the "new germ" that is going around, no flu or strep, but a a head/nasal congestion, and terribly sore throat. Some kids have a cough to boot but not mine. I was told to treat the symptoms and have her rest (no school Friday) and would have to wait and see about the state competition Sunday. Came home and after a few melt downs by various and sundry ladies of the house every one was finally in bed (maybe not their own but a bed) by 9:30ish. Friday I taught all day, had an annoying parent conference after school (will vent about this singularly later....) and came home to sicky. She had only eaten 1/3 of a bowl of ramen instead of the chicken noodle soup I laid out for her. She had consumed NO liquids even after being told to drink as much as she possibly could (she claimed she could not find her water bottle...well, we only have 6 that are NOT being used in the cabinet right now. grrr....she also said she could only watch tv as the rain was too distracting to read. grrr....translation: I was sucked in my the Disney goodness on tv all day so she did not even sleep to help matters.) Early this morning as the toddler drug me out of bed to turn on Dora, I met the sicky in the bathroom. She said she was sick to her stomach now b/c she tried to drink so water. I tried to explain that is was b/c she has nothing else in her stomach but what do I know. Since then she has slept all day (no tv on by the mean Mommy that I am) but is still not getting any better. I have no idea if we'll be at the state gymnastics meet tomorrow or not nor how I will survive that 4ish hour drive with sicky (or pseudo-sicky if she is feeling decent enough to try), little drama and the toddler. I am stuck in what-do-I-do-now mode and can't accomplish anything b/c I don't know what I should try to do or get done because I don't know if I am leaving on a long car trip or not. ARGH!

Right now it sucks to be the Mommy. It sucks to be the only parent around. It always sucks to not be able to make things better especially when is has to do with a sick kid. And I hate to think of how hard she has worked all season in gymnastics to have this happen with such a stigmatic meet and the last one of the season, like her super bowl.

*sigh*

All alone....

I have decided that the communal bathrooms in college are just preparing you for when you have children - you never are in the facilities alone.

It could just be more of a 'Mom thing'. I know men have those unwritten 9well, what do you know - they are written somewhere so I guess unspoken is a more appropriate title) urinal rules (see below).

Here is a short list of the Unspoken Rules for Urinal Etiquette. (taken from this site after googling)

1. No Talking
This is the most important rule of urinal etiquette! There is no talking allowed. EVER! No exceptions!

2. Always leave a buffer urinal
Unless it is absolutely necessary, do NOT ever pick an empty urinal that is located directly next to an occupied urinal. Seriously. If there are five urinals, take the one that is furthest away from me. Why would you publicly park your penis right next to mine? This may result in a very uncomfortable awkwardness that resonates between you and your temporary urinal neighbor.

3. Look straight Ahead!
Count the tiles. Read the advertising. Mentally calculate your tab. Think of an ice-breaker for the girl you’re not going to even try to pick up. I don’t care what you do…. Just look straight ahead. Not up or down, or anywhere around…. Straight ahead! You don’t want people getting the wrong idea.

4. Posture & Position Is Very Important
Stand up straight. Don’t stand too far back from the urinal. And don’t lean back either. Nobody wants to see a side view of you holding your junk. On the same accord, nobody wants to see a stream coming from your genital-area. Get in close, and get down to business.

5. Don’t Waste Time
Get in. Get out. Especially if there is a line of people waiting to use the urinal.

6. Never Make Direct Eye Contact
Making direct eye contact with another man standing at the urinal is never a wise idea. Nothing good can come out of direct eye contact. Either a severe beatdown or unwanted sexual contact are the most likely consequences for making direct eye contact with another man, while he is comfortably urinating in public.

7. Making Sounds Is NEVER Acceptable
No moans. No grunts. No sighs. No satisfying sounds what-so-ever. Just step in front of the urinal, and get to the point. If you are behind closed stall-doors, then exceptions can be made. But, if you are holding your junk in your hands, while standing directly next to another man, you should NEVER make these bodily-noises! Ever.

8. Everybody Farts, Nobody Acknowledges Farts
If you happen to fart during urination, do not look around to see if anybody heard it. Chances are they already know it was you, and chances are, they’ve done it too. Just pretend like it didn’t happen and go about your business.

9. Flush It. Only If You’re Brave
Flushing is NOT always necessary. Mainly because nobody wants to touch a handle that other people touch directly after they were holding their junk. However, if there is a strong aroma of urine or a dark shade of yellow-orange, flushing may be a necessity. On the other hand, washing your hands is an ABSOLUTELY necessary! Don’t be lazy. Spend the 30 seconds to sanitize your hands. Because we all touch the same door handle on the way out.

10. Shake it, Don’t Spray It
When you shake it off, make sure drops of urine do NOT get all over you or the floor. It’s a bad idea to shake wildly, due to the mystery of where it will land. Nobody wants to step in it, and drops of urine on your pants or shirt may prove to be quite embarrassing. Shake with care, especially if the person in the next urinal is wearing brand new Air Jordans… Bottom Line - Just remember to shake with care.

11. No Cell-Phones Allowed!
We have established that talking to other patrons in a bathroom is never allowed. Ever! This also applies to those on your cellphone. Cell Phone conversations ruin the whole urinal experience, for you and everybody else around you. Honestly, one of the main reasons I leave for the bathroom is to get away from the noise. To get away from the constant chatter, and spend a few moment of peace with just me and my penis. I don’t want to hear your mindless drunk dialing.

12. Leave Your Beer Behind
Don’t take your drink into the bathroom. I understand that sometimes it’s necessary, depending on the venue in which you are drinking. But, Urinal germs can float in the air. And when I say Urinal germs, I mean some strange man just took a piss right where you are taking a sip from your beer. Why would you bring your tasty beverage into that area? You should ONLY take your beer in front of a urinal, is when it’s absolutely necessary! And you do so AT YOUR OWN RISK! (yes, this includes bottled-drinks)