Holy holly berries batman. My holly bush is BURSTING with berries this year. We're talking boat loads of berries to the point that it's all saggy and sad looking. Not only are there an absolute ton of the little buggers, they're also already changing color from green to orange to red. It's still September!
The difference between the last couple of years and this year has been so great that I did what any self-respecting wanna-be gardener would do - I Googled it.
After a few tries at the search bar, I discovered that there's actually an old wives tale / farmers tale about holly berries. Apparently, the more berries you have, the longer and harder the winter will be. They (who are "they" anyway?) say that it's nature's way of providing enough food for the winter or something crazy like that. I really don't get that part since you don't eat holly berries and the birds around here don't seem too fond of them either, but whatever.
So there you have it - my holly bush is officially forecasting a long, hard winter for the 2013-2014 season and I'll even suggest that the first flakes will fly early judging by how early they are turning red.
On a side note, I am feeling some wicked deja vu right now, so sorry in advance if I've already posted about this. I'll look into that ASAP...
Monday, September 30, 2013
Friday, September 27, 2013
Procrastination
It seems like I can't focus lately. I blame it on the whole being pregnant thing, but there's more to it than that. I was talking to my husband about it last night and he thinks it's my weird work schedule.
You see, with my job it seems that I get absolutely no work for the first two weeks of the month and then I get dumped on with impossible deadlines and a ton of work. That persists through the end of the month and then... back to nothing. So in the beginning I'm bored and looking for extra jobs. At the end of the month I'm out of my mind busy and basically fried.
It seems like spacing the work out better would help, but I have zero control over that. You see, I am a freelance writer. So, the way I imagine things going down, in the beginning of the month my editor is being told to save money. Avoid hiring out jobs. Do work yourself.
Which he doesn't do.
Then, at the end of the month he goes in with a panic saying oh no, if we don't hire out jobs we won't meet the deadlines. So then he starts dishing out work he has known about forever, but with ridiculously short deadlines.
It's really not that awesome. It leads to burn out... and I just have to get through another week before I can rest for 1-2 weeks and recuperate... I can do this. I will do this. Focus.
You see, with my job it seems that I get absolutely no work for the first two weeks of the month and then I get dumped on with impossible deadlines and a ton of work. That persists through the end of the month and then... back to nothing. So in the beginning I'm bored and looking for extra jobs. At the end of the month I'm out of my mind busy and basically fried.
It seems like spacing the work out better would help, but I have zero control over that. You see, I am a freelance writer. So, the way I imagine things going down, in the beginning of the month my editor is being told to save money. Avoid hiring out jobs. Do work yourself.
Which he doesn't do.
Then, at the end of the month he goes in with a panic saying oh no, if we don't hire out jobs we won't meet the deadlines. So then he starts dishing out work he has known about forever, but with ridiculously short deadlines.
It's really not that awesome. It leads to burn out... and I just have to get through another week before I can rest for 1-2 weeks and recuperate... I can do this. I will do this. Focus.
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Addicted to Facebook
I'm going to make a serious admission here. I am addicted to Facebook.
I'm sure you gathered that I'm on the social networking site quite a bit by my previous posts, but it's to the point where even I'm seeing a problem. The worst part is it's like I just navigate there automatically. I have a Facebook tab open right now, even as I'm typing this. It's that bad...
Why am I addicted? I like reading about what's going on in other people's lives and I love browsing the yard sale sites. I rarely buy anything, but I love to look. I may ask a question or say interested on an item that has 15 people already in line, but I rarely rarely buy anything.
Lately, I've found myself going to the site in the middle of working, which has made it very very hard to stay on task. The reason is because my job can be super boring and extra tedious at times. I write content for websites and often, it's not for sites that I find exciting or interesting in the least. That makes it even harder to stay on task and so I pop over to Facebook for a minute to see what's going on and then an hour goes by and I'm like no problem, I'll catch up. Then the kids need something and when I sit back down I'm like ok, lets just check out Facebook to ease back into things... and another hour goes by.
Look, I almost just did it again. I meant to close the Facebook tab and instead I clicked it. Ugh!
So folks, have you ever had a Facebook addiction? If so, how did you overcome it and stay off the site? I'm super glad that it's fall and a couple of my library books came in because now I have TV shows to watch twice a week (I had none before, and that's when the Facebook addiction started - at night when I was bored and the hubby was watching his shows, but I still wanted to be in the same room as him) and I have books that need to be read within 2 weeks. I can always clean the house, but at night that's the last thing I want to do. I'm the most productive in the morning, so that's when I try to get work done... however that hasn't been happening lately... Wish me luck as I work super hard today to quit the Facebook habit and catch up on a huge mountain of work. The house will not be getting cleaned today and I hope the kids can magically get along and not need me for long periods of time... you know, like 15 minute stretches. LOL
I'm sure you gathered that I'm on the social networking site quite a bit by my previous posts, but it's to the point where even I'm seeing a problem. The worst part is it's like I just navigate there automatically. I have a Facebook tab open right now, even as I'm typing this. It's that bad...
Why am I addicted? I like reading about what's going on in other people's lives and I love browsing the yard sale sites. I rarely buy anything, but I love to look. I may ask a question or say interested on an item that has 15 people already in line, but I rarely rarely buy anything.
Lately, I've found myself going to the site in the middle of working, which has made it very very hard to stay on task. The reason is because my job can be super boring and extra tedious at times. I write content for websites and often, it's not for sites that I find exciting or interesting in the least. That makes it even harder to stay on task and so I pop over to Facebook for a minute to see what's going on and then an hour goes by and I'm like no problem, I'll catch up. Then the kids need something and when I sit back down I'm like ok, lets just check out Facebook to ease back into things... and another hour goes by.
Look, I almost just did it again. I meant to close the Facebook tab and instead I clicked it. Ugh!
So folks, have you ever had a Facebook addiction? If so, how did you overcome it and stay off the site? I'm super glad that it's fall and a couple of my library books came in because now I have TV shows to watch twice a week (I had none before, and that's when the Facebook addiction started - at night when I was bored and the hubby was watching his shows, but I still wanted to be in the same room as him) and I have books that need to be read within 2 weeks. I can always clean the house, but at night that's the last thing I want to do. I'm the most productive in the morning, so that's when I try to get work done... however that hasn't been happening lately... Wish me luck as I work super hard today to quit the Facebook habit and catch up on a huge mountain of work. The house will not be getting cleaned today and I hope the kids can magically get along and not need me for long periods of time... you know, like 15 minute stretches. LOL
Monday, September 23, 2013
Why the USPS is Failing
Big news everyone, I've figured out why the USPS is failing.
It's because they don't actually deliver mail. I constantly hear how they are going out of business because of email or electronic payments. Cell phones, better cars and even NASA have all been blamed at one point or another for the demise of the postal service. None of those things are true. The post office is failing because the management and employees are incompetent, which is really not surprising given that it's run by the feds. Just sayin' - when has government ever taken a simple concept and improved it? Oh that's right, never.
So what's prompting all of this hate on the USPS? Well, last night I heard that the price of the stamp is going up again, even though I'm pretty sure it already went up once this year. Then, today I watched the mail get delivered. The mailman spent about 5 minutes at my box delivering mail and texting on his cell phone. He then drove off - still texting - to the next house. I went out and checked the mail. Most of it wasn't for me. Most of it wasn't for an address that even somewhat resembled mine. It seemed to be completely random whose mail I got.
I've been expecting a paycheck for a solid week now and I haven't gotten it. I wonder who did get it, considering I've gotten everyone else in town's mail. I called the post office to complain (again) and was told that the individuals bosses weren't in, so they couldn't do anything to help. I refrained from saying their boss couldn't do anything either, since I've called many times in the past.
There really needs to be some private competition to the post office. Maybe just a small, local thing to begin with that delivers mail within a small area and then branches out. They could also use stamps and have prices that are more competitive, but they would get the customers because the mail would actual go to the correct destination. Imagine that!
Unfortunately, I'm sure there are federal laws that prevent that from happening, after all... the feds don't want competition. Sure you have options when it comes to a large package, but if you want to send a letter it's pretty much the USPS or bust. There is no incentive for them to clean up their act and provide better service and it's a shame.
It's because they don't actually deliver mail. I constantly hear how they are going out of business because of email or electronic payments. Cell phones, better cars and even NASA have all been blamed at one point or another for the demise of the postal service. None of those things are true. The post office is failing because the management and employees are incompetent, which is really not surprising given that it's run by the feds. Just sayin' - when has government ever taken a simple concept and improved it? Oh that's right, never.
So what's prompting all of this hate on the USPS? Well, last night I heard that the price of the stamp is going up again, even though I'm pretty sure it already went up once this year. Then, today I watched the mail get delivered. The mailman spent about 5 minutes at my box delivering mail and texting on his cell phone. He then drove off - still texting - to the next house. I went out and checked the mail. Most of it wasn't for me. Most of it wasn't for an address that even somewhat resembled mine. It seemed to be completely random whose mail I got.
I've been expecting a paycheck for a solid week now and I haven't gotten it. I wonder who did get it, considering I've gotten everyone else in town's mail. I called the post office to complain (again) and was told that the individuals bosses weren't in, so they couldn't do anything to help. I refrained from saying their boss couldn't do anything either, since I've called many times in the past.
There really needs to be some private competition to the post office. Maybe just a small, local thing to begin with that delivers mail within a small area and then branches out. They could also use stamps and have prices that are more competitive, but they would get the customers because the mail would actual go to the correct destination. Imagine that!
Unfortunately, I'm sure there are federal laws that prevent that from happening, after all... the feds don't want competition. Sure you have options when it comes to a large package, but if you want to send a letter it's pretty much the USPS or bust. There is no incentive for them to clean up their act and provide better service and it's a shame.
Friday, September 20, 2013
Pregnancy Journal: Week 10
I know that my week 9 update was just a couple of days ago, but I went and had an ultrasound yesterday and found out that I am slightly further along than I thought, so we are already into week 10.
The good news is that the baby looks great. It's a healthy, pulsating blob surrounded by a good-sized sack.
The bad news is that I can't stand the witch that does the ultrasounds at my new Dr's office. Seriously. She is just unpleasant. When I first stepped into the doorway of the smallest room I've ever seen in my life, she told me to remove my clothes from the waist down. I'm not sure such an action would even be possible in so small a space, but to make things even more fun, there was no sheet or anything else, so I'd have just been hanging out in the free and breezy air while she jammed an ultrasound wand up my hoo-ha. No thanks!
So, I asked nicely if we could do an external ultrasound because I had never had an internal one before I would rather avoid that experience if possible. Then, she got all snippy (perhaps someone gets jollies out of doing that to pregnant women?) and told me it's not that invasive. Besides, she said, I'm not far enough along for an external. I told her I was about 9 weeks and she said the paperwork had 8 weeks.
In case you're unfamiliar with an internal (or transvaginal) ultrasound, it's a wand that they put a condom over and insert INTO YOUR VAGINA while wiggling it around to point it in various directions. How the hell is that "not that invasive"?! If she thinks that isn't invasive, I'd really hate to see what she DOES think is invasive! Freak!
So then, she gave me some lip about how she won't be able to see anything and I'd just have to strip down anyway, etc. etc., but I held my ground and we tried it my way. Low and behold, we could see just fine. Also, we found out I'm 10 weeks, which is obviously far enough for an external.
What's the point of this story? Well, if you're a medical professional, I encourage you to remember that although you go through the motions every day of your life, your patients don't. Your patients are probably nervous and I can guarantee that nobody wants anything entering any orifice on their body unless absolutely necessary. Also, just because you're a nurse or doctor or technician of some sort, most women don't like displaying their lady bits to you or flashing some boob. We are told since the time that we're little that showing strangers our bodies is an immoral thing to do, so don't expect it to be easy. Yes, you may be elbow-deep in vagina all day, every day, but it's not MY vagina. You have chosen that to be your profession, and you're used to it, but I have not chosen to be a hooker, so I'm not used to showing strangers intimate parts of my body. Have a little compassion.
Also, whoever controls the medical industry really should come up with less invasive ways for women to get the healthcare that we need because having fingers, lights and tools shoved up our hoo-ha's on a yearly basis (or more often if you're pregnant) is really unpleasant. It's embarrassing and it's demeaning. There must be a better way.
The good news is that the baby looks great. It's a healthy, pulsating blob surrounded by a good-sized sack.
The bad news is that I can't stand the witch that does the ultrasounds at my new Dr's office. Seriously. She is just unpleasant. When I first stepped into the doorway of the smallest room I've ever seen in my life, she told me to remove my clothes from the waist down. I'm not sure such an action would even be possible in so small a space, but to make things even more fun, there was no sheet or anything else, so I'd have just been hanging out in the free and breezy air while she jammed an ultrasound wand up my hoo-ha. No thanks!
So, I asked nicely if we could do an external ultrasound because I had never had an internal one before I would rather avoid that experience if possible. Then, she got all snippy (perhaps someone gets jollies out of doing that to pregnant women?) and told me it's not that invasive. Besides, she said, I'm not far enough along for an external. I told her I was about 9 weeks and she said the paperwork had 8 weeks.
In case you're unfamiliar with an internal (or transvaginal) ultrasound, it's a wand that they put a condom over and insert INTO YOUR VAGINA while wiggling it around to point it in various directions. How the hell is that "not that invasive"?! If she thinks that isn't invasive, I'd really hate to see what she DOES think is invasive! Freak!
So then, she gave me some lip about how she won't be able to see anything and I'd just have to strip down anyway, etc. etc., but I held my ground and we tried it my way. Low and behold, we could see just fine. Also, we found out I'm 10 weeks, which is obviously far enough for an external.
What's the point of this story? Well, if you're a medical professional, I encourage you to remember that although you go through the motions every day of your life, your patients don't. Your patients are probably nervous and I can guarantee that nobody wants anything entering any orifice on their body unless absolutely necessary. Also, just because you're a nurse or doctor or technician of some sort, most women don't like displaying their lady bits to you or flashing some boob. We are told since the time that we're little that showing strangers our bodies is an immoral thing to do, so don't expect it to be easy. Yes, you may be elbow-deep in vagina all day, every day, but it's not MY vagina. You have chosen that to be your profession, and you're used to it, but I have not chosen to be a hooker, so I'm not used to showing strangers intimate parts of my body. Have a little compassion.
Also, whoever controls the medical industry really should come up with less invasive ways for women to get the healthcare that we need because having fingers, lights and tools shoved up our hoo-ha's on a yearly basis (or more often if you're pregnant) is really unpleasant. It's embarrassing and it's demeaning. There must be a better way.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Pregnancy Journal: Week 9
This entry sort of encompasses week 8 and week 9 because I'm not 100% sure how far along I am at this point. On Friday of last week (the day I think I turned 9 weeks), I went to the doctor to meet with the nurse practitioner. She asked all of those crazy questions that they ask - does your husband beat you? Do you use drugs? Are you planning to terminate? - And all the while I'm sitting there wondering what kind of ghetto area I'm in where these types of questions are really being asked.
Then the lady grew horns out of her fricken head and told me we were aiming for a 25 pound weight gain.
WHAT?
I'm not a big individual. I normally weigh about 110 pounds, which is 5 pounds more than I weighed before my first baby. Currently, at about 9 weeks in, I'm 114 pounds. Yes, I have officially gained more than the 2-3 pound allowance for the first trimester.
I'm not eating a ton, in fact, I eat less now than I used to because I'm nauseous ALL THE TIME. So for me, it seems that as soon as I get pregnant, my metabolism takes a vacation and the weight piles on. Just walking through the kitchen to do the dishes adds a couple pounds.
So then, to add insult to injury, she tells me I should aim to eat every 1 - 1 1/2 hours to help with the nausea. She suggested bread, pretzels and crackers as between meal snacks. I just looked at her and said, "Yeah right! I thought I was only supposed to gain 25 pounds!" Then she assured me that I could add a few hundred calories to my daily routine without adding excessive weight.
No you demented twit, I cannot. I'm consuming less calories than normal, the same on a good day and I am gaining weight. That would lead one to believe that if I add in 300 more calories, the weight will really pile one. Ugh. I seriously wanted to slam her head in the mini-fridge in her office.
For the next fun game, she took my blood pressure, which was shockingly low as always. I told her not to worry about it, my BP is always low whether or not I'm pregnant. She seemed concerned and confused at the same time - after all, how could a fatty like me possibly have low blood pressure?!?!
Needless to say, I called my mom as soon as I left there. I told her all of the ridiculous BS that was spewed at me and she laughed. Then she told me something I hadn't known before - my mother averaged a 60 pound weight gain with each of her 3 pregnancies. I gained 45 with my first and closer to 40 with my second, so I guess I'm doing ok.
The downside to all of this nonsense is that now I'm obsessed about my eating. Every time I eat or drink something, I ask myself if I'm really hungry or if I could wait. I've started looking at labels on things like orange juice and worrying about calories. Every time I put something in my mouth I'm thinking about what that judgmental nurse is going to say to me and how high the scale is going to go. It has made every meal absolute torture and despite her advice to snack frequently, I'm suffering through the nausea in hopes of keeping off 1 or 2 unnecessary pounds.
Thanks nurse killjoy. I hope you get horrendously fat due to something beyond your control in the near future.
Then the lady grew horns out of her fricken head and told me we were aiming for a 25 pound weight gain.
WHAT?
I'm not a big individual. I normally weigh about 110 pounds, which is 5 pounds more than I weighed before my first baby. Currently, at about 9 weeks in, I'm 114 pounds. Yes, I have officially gained more than the 2-3 pound allowance for the first trimester.
I'm not eating a ton, in fact, I eat less now than I used to because I'm nauseous ALL THE TIME. So for me, it seems that as soon as I get pregnant, my metabolism takes a vacation and the weight piles on. Just walking through the kitchen to do the dishes adds a couple pounds.
So then, to add insult to injury, she tells me I should aim to eat every 1 - 1 1/2 hours to help with the nausea. She suggested bread, pretzels and crackers as between meal snacks. I just looked at her and said, "Yeah right! I thought I was only supposed to gain 25 pounds!" Then she assured me that I could add a few hundred calories to my daily routine without adding excessive weight.
No you demented twit, I cannot. I'm consuming less calories than normal, the same on a good day and I am gaining weight. That would lead one to believe that if I add in 300 more calories, the weight will really pile one. Ugh. I seriously wanted to slam her head in the mini-fridge in her office.
For the next fun game, she took my blood pressure, which was shockingly low as always. I told her not to worry about it, my BP is always low whether or not I'm pregnant. She seemed concerned and confused at the same time - after all, how could a fatty like me possibly have low blood pressure?!?!
Needless to say, I called my mom as soon as I left there. I told her all of the ridiculous BS that was spewed at me and she laughed. Then she told me something I hadn't known before - my mother averaged a 60 pound weight gain with each of her 3 pregnancies. I gained 45 with my first and closer to 40 with my second, so I guess I'm doing ok.
The downside to all of this nonsense is that now I'm obsessed about my eating. Every time I eat or drink something, I ask myself if I'm really hungry or if I could wait. I've started looking at labels on things like orange juice and worrying about calories. Every time I put something in my mouth I'm thinking about what that judgmental nurse is going to say to me and how high the scale is going to go. It has made every meal absolute torture and despite her advice to snack frequently, I'm suffering through the nausea in hopes of keeping off 1 or 2 unnecessary pounds.
Thanks nurse killjoy. I hope you get horrendously fat due to something beyond your control in the near future.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Land Dispute Part III
I know I don't normally post twice in one day, but bear with me. There has been a new revelation with the land dispute.
The neighbor let it slip that his surveyor said my surveyor was not returning calls and was basically avoiding him. I let my surveyor know what was being said. My surveyor assured me it was not true and CC'd me on an email with the other surveyor, requesting once again a copy of the efiles pertaining to the lots.
This has been going on for more than an year, mind you.
So finally the other surveyor got back to my surveyor and he says oh, well, we can't share our information - it's against policy. Seriously? How the hell do they settle disputes then? And why wasn't this "news" mentioned before? Maybe a year ago?
So I really don't know how they think this will all get settled. Ever. It's going to cost 30-40K to drag it through land court and honestly, my house isn't worth enough to justify that kind of cost, not to mention like most people I don't have that amount of money sitting around to throw at this.
Any suggestions from anyone out there?
The neighbor let it slip that his surveyor said my surveyor was not returning calls and was basically avoiding him. I let my surveyor know what was being said. My surveyor assured me it was not true and CC'd me on an email with the other surveyor, requesting once again a copy of the efiles pertaining to the lots.
This has been going on for more than an year, mind you.
So finally the other surveyor got back to my surveyor and he says oh, well, we can't share our information - it's against policy. Seriously? How the hell do they settle disputes then? And why wasn't this "news" mentioned before? Maybe a year ago?
So I really don't know how they think this will all get settled. Ever. It's going to cost 30-40K to drag it through land court and honestly, my house isn't worth enough to justify that kind of cost, not to mention like most people I don't have that amount of money sitting around to throw at this.
Any suggestions from anyone out there?
Happy Birthday
Happy birthday to my amazingly cranky little girl. You are officially in the terrible two's so now I can use that as a real excuse when you flip out in the grocery store or cry uncontrollably in a restaurant.
I hope I make it through the next year and that when you turn 3 I can post about my little sweetheart... here's to hoping the terrible 2's go quickly!
I hope I make it through the next year and that when you turn 3 I can post about my little sweetheart... here's to hoping the terrible 2's go quickly!
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Crazy Neighbor
My ape-shit crazy neighbor has outdone himself once again. Seriously, I doubt his family tree forks at all because he is one piece of work. We came home today from my daughter's 2nd birthday party and found that he had taken down the fence separating our yards AND THEN THE CRAZY FUCK CALLED THE POLICE.
Why? Because he's nuts. Who does that? Hi officer, I just pulled this fence down, now I'd like to stand on the neighbor's property with you and whine that they put it up in the first place.
In what crazy world that does that actually happen with no ramifications to the person that took it down? Oh right, Massachusetts. I forgot how in order to live here you have to blindly vote democrat and be on the government's dole. Criminals have more rights than law-abiding citizens and the burden of proof and expense of court is always on the backs of the honest person who is not the one causing issues.
A little back story may be in order. The fence was put up to contain my kids and my dogs. We live on a semi-busy street and keeping them all out of said busy street is an issue. A fence is far more effective than a frazzled and stressed mother chasing after them when they get near the edge of the property. Makes perfect sense, right? It's called being responsible, no?
Well this ass-hat came along and decided that the fence was on his property. Never mind that we have lived here for way longer than him. Never mind that the fence was where our lawn ends. It's the visual property line. Well, because the turd-monkey hired a shady surveyor that says the line is off in la-la land, he thinks that entitles him to take my fence down and start throwing feces everywhere like the ape that he is.
Not cool.
Now here's the pathetic part. I ran out and asked the cop to press charges. He took down my fence, on my property and disposed of it God knows where. So that's what? Vandalism AND theft? The cop was like oh no, this is a civil dispute - that's not what we do. You'll have to take it to land court or have the surveyors come to an agreement.
Um what?! So now I have to spend thousands of dollars to prove that my land that has been a part of this property for 20+ years is actually mine? I already have a damn survey saying the fence in question was firmly on my land. I already paid for the survey... so then what? I go to land court, pay the 30-40K and he does it again citing his survey that disagrees with the court? If a survey isn't good enough, will a judge's opinion be good enough or can he just find another judge to have a differing opinion and it all begins again. This is just plain stupid.
I should not have to spend all that money or all that time to keep a hold on the land that is visually a part of my property and is a part of my property according to a survey.
Oh, just to make things more fun, the town says they can't halt the construction of his property based on the disagreement until it goes through land court, which can take more than a year. Also, in the meanwhile it won't be halted either, and once it's finished it's unlikely to be taken down. Wonderful!
So here's the lesson: In Massachusetts you can just put shit wherever you want on whatever piece of land you want and nobody will do anything about it. The person who's land you are encroaching on has the burden of proof. Most regular people can't afford the outrageous cost of land court, making the entire exercise a waste of time.
DO NOT BUY LAND IN MASSACHUSETTS OR MOVE TO THIS GOD FORSAKEN HELL HOLE. THE LAWS HERE SUCK AND THE PEOPLE MAKING THEM ARE SLOW.
If anyone is reading this from Massachusetts, please take care of who you vote for, or it may be your property that is being taken from you next time. The laws here are so unbelievably stupid... I just can't even put into words how disappointed I am in not only the legislators in this state that have thought up this system, but the voters that continually put them into office.
Before you say, "if you don't like it, run" - I did. I was in office at the local level. It was one road block after another. Our standard answer to literally everything was, "consult town council" or "hire a peer reviewer". We did not do any actual deciding on our own. The town boards and councils are basically puppets. Smoke and mirrors folks - each town has a lawyer that essentially makes all of the decisions regarding every aspect of every little thing and then the boards just present those decisions.
That's where all the tax money goes.
Why? Because he's nuts. Who does that? Hi officer, I just pulled this fence down, now I'd like to stand on the neighbor's property with you and whine that they put it up in the first place.
In what crazy world that does that actually happen with no ramifications to the person that took it down? Oh right, Massachusetts. I forgot how in order to live here you have to blindly vote democrat and be on the government's dole. Criminals have more rights than law-abiding citizens and the burden of proof and expense of court is always on the backs of the honest person who is not the one causing issues.
A little back story may be in order. The fence was put up to contain my kids and my dogs. We live on a semi-busy street and keeping them all out of said busy street is an issue. A fence is far more effective than a frazzled and stressed mother chasing after them when they get near the edge of the property. Makes perfect sense, right? It's called being responsible, no?
Well this ass-hat came along and decided that the fence was on his property. Never mind that we have lived here for way longer than him. Never mind that the fence was where our lawn ends. It's the visual property line. Well, because the turd-monkey hired a shady surveyor that says the line is off in la-la land, he thinks that entitles him to take my fence down and start throwing feces everywhere like the ape that he is.
Not cool.
Now here's the pathetic part. I ran out and asked the cop to press charges. He took down my fence, on my property and disposed of it God knows where. So that's what? Vandalism AND theft? The cop was like oh no, this is a civil dispute - that's not what we do. You'll have to take it to land court or have the surveyors come to an agreement.
Um what?! So now I have to spend thousands of dollars to prove that my land that has been a part of this property for 20+ years is actually mine? I already have a damn survey saying the fence in question was firmly on my land. I already paid for the survey... so then what? I go to land court, pay the 30-40K and he does it again citing his survey that disagrees with the court? If a survey isn't good enough, will a judge's opinion be good enough or can he just find another judge to have a differing opinion and it all begins again. This is just plain stupid.
I should not have to spend all that money or all that time to keep a hold on the land that is visually a part of my property and is a part of my property according to a survey.
Oh, just to make things more fun, the town says they can't halt the construction of his property based on the disagreement until it goes through land court, which can take more than a year. Also, in the meanwhile it won't be halted either, and once it's finished it's unlikely to be taken down. Wonderful!
So here's the lesson: In Massachusetts you can just put shit wherever you want on whatever piece of land you want and nobody will do anything about it. The person who's land you are encroaching on has the burden of proof. Most regular people can't afford the outrageous cost of land court, making the entire exercise a waste of time.
DO NOT BUY LAND IN MASSACHUSETTS OR MOVE TO THIS GOD FORSAKEN HELL HOLE. THE LAWS HERE SUCK AND THE PEOPLE MAKING THEM ARE SLOW.
If anyone is reading this from Massachusetts, please take care of who you vote for, or it may be your property that is being taken from you next time. The laws here are so unbelievably stupid... I just can't even put into words how disappointed I am in not only the legislators in this state that have thought up this system, but the voters that continually put them into office.
Before you say, "if you don't like it, run" - I did. I was in office at the local level. It was one road block after another. Our standard answer to literally everything was, "consult town council" or "hire a peer reviewer". We did not do any actual deciding on our own. The town boards and councils are basically puppets. Smoke and mirrors folks - each town has a lawyer that essentially makes all of the decisions regarding every aspect of every little thing and then the boards just present those decisions.
That's where all the tax money goes.
Friday, September 13, 2013
Pregnancy Journal: Week 8
I realize that week 8 is over at this point, so this entry is more of a retrospective look back on the things that have happened.
I am slowly getting a little more energy, but I think this may have to do with my diet. I've given up soda, and my husband noticed we hadn't been eating pasta like normal. It was all potatoes, all the time. I brought back the pasta and things have been good.
Midway through the week I met a girl that will become our new babysitter. We have never hired a babysitter before, but the kids seemed to like her, so it's all good. Hopefully we'll try her out soon...
My belly is taking on more of a definitely pregnant shape and less of a bloated look.
Between my belly shape and my first trimester plagues slowly improving, I'm getting paranoid, wondering if I'm really 4 weeks farther than I thought. I need an ultrasound! LOL
Today, I have my first visit with the nurse. I guess that's really more for week 9, so perhaps next week's entry will be less dull! :-)
I am slowly getting a little more energy, but I think this may have to do with my diet. I've given up soda, and my husband noticed we hadn't been eating pasta like normal. It was all potatoes, all the time. I brought back the pasta and things have been good.
Midway through the week I met a girl that will become our new babysitter. We have never hired a babysitter before, but the kids seemed to like her, so it's all good. Hopefully we'll try her out soon...
My belly is taking on more of a definitely pregnant shape and less of a bloated look.
Between my belly shape and my first trimester plagues slowly improving, I'm getting paranoid, wondering if I'm really 4 weeks farther than I thought. I need an ultrasound! LOL
Today, I have my first visit with the nurse. I guess that's really more for week 9, so perhaps next week's entry will be less dull! :-)
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Land Dispute Part II
The saga with the land dispute rages on. With the impending arrival of #3 and the neighbor drama, we are one again considering selling our house. To avoid having to disclose a land dispute, I wanted to see if by some stroke of luck the issue had been resolved. I contact the surveyor one more time to see if they had come to an agreement as to the placement of the line. I did that, and in the process mentioned a couple of things that would indicate that the neighbor's survey was the one that was wrong.
1.) They contacted the DPW for the distance from my house to the street to create a starting point for their survey. They did not measure this distance. The distance given by the DPW is an estimate generated from an aerial photograph and is not suitable for surveying purposes. Had they measured it or really even used common sense, they would have realized the DPW's estimate is off by about 15 feet.
Furthermore, an easement for the street is not listed in my deed, which should have been a red flag since my lot was cut prior to even subdivision control regulations. In layman's terms, there's a pretty good chance the lot measurements did not include a street easement and thus, measurements begin at the street, not at the edge of an easement.
2.) After putting up flags, my neighbor's contractors began pulling up trees and disturbing the land that was assumed to be his. During this process they dug up a curious looking concrete cylinder. They discarded it in the no-man's land area as I call it - which is the portion of the property that both of us feel is ours and have pieces of paper laying claim to.
Apparently, his construction team thought nothing of this, but I immediately recognized the object as a landmark and snapped a few photographs. Since then, the brush has grown up to cover the structure and it is no longer visible, so I am glad that I took pictures when I did! I sent that photo to my surveyor for confirmation that it was in fact a landmark and was told that that sort of concrete landmark was extremely common on farmland back in the day. That makes sense, since both properties were used for agricultural purposes.
Now, I'm not laying blame on the neighbor in any way for pressing on with the building of his house during all of this. I'd have probably done the same thing - after all, when spending that type of money on a project of this magnitude, you pretty much want it done ASAP. It has been a year now, and his house still isn't finished. That's a LONG time for construction. However, his surveyor should have gotten on the matter ASAP. I guess it wasn't an issue to them because the town didn't give a rats behind that the two surveys were in disagreement. Perhaps the town should have cared a little more and then a fire would have been lit under the surveyor's butt to straighten things out. I can't say for sure.
One thing I can say for certain is that the land dispute drama has basically caused the neighbor and us to be at odds. Had there been some sort of agreement on the survey (and perhaps a little courtesy from the neighbor on several occassions), I'd be working on a scrap book of the construction to give as a welcome gift rather than emailing surveyors and giving the stink-eye. I can forgive a lot, but once you get on my bad side, you pretty much stay there.
1.) They contacted the DPW for the distance from my house to the street to create a starting point for their survey. They did not measure this distance. The distance given by the DPW is an estimate generated from an aerial photograph and is not suitable for surveying purposes. Had they measured it or really even used common sense, they would have realized the DPW's estimate is off by about 15 feet.
Furthermore, an easement for the street is not listed in my deed, which should have been a red flag since my lot was cut prior to even subdivision control regulations. In layman's terms, there's a pretty good chance the lot measurements did not include a street easement and thus, measurements begin at the street, not at the edge of an easement.
2.) After putting up flags, my neighbor's contractors began pulling up trees and disturbing the land that was assumed to be his. During this process they dug up a curious looking concrete cylinder. They discarded it in the no-man's land area as I call it - which is the portion of the property that both of us feel is ours and have pieces of paper laying claim to.
Apparently, his construction team thought nothing of this, but I immediately recognized the object as a landmark and snapped a few photographs. Since then, the brush has grown up to cover the structure and it is no longer visible, so I am glad that I took pictures when I did! I sent that photo to my surveyor for confirmation that it was in fact a landmark and was told that that sort of concrete landmark was extremely common on farmland back in the day. That makes sense, since both properties were used for agricultural purposes.
Now, I'm not laying blame on the neighbor in any way for pressing on with the building of his house during all of this. I'd have probably done the same thing - after all, when spending that type of money on a project of this magnitude, you pretty much want it done ASAP. It has been a year now, and his house still isn't finished. That's a LONG time for construction. However, his surveyor should have gotten on the matter ASAP. I guess it wasn't an issue to them because the town didn't give a rats behind that the two surveys were in disagreement. Perhaps the town should have cared a little more and then a fire would have been lit under the surveyor's butt to straighten things out. I can't say for sure.
One thing I can say for certain is that the land dispute drama has basically caused the neighbor and us to be at odds. Had there been some sort of agreement on the survey (and perhaps a little courtesy from the neighbor on several occassions), I'd be working on a scrap book of the construction to give as a welcome gift rather than emailing surveyors and giving the stink-eye. I can forgive a lot, but once you get on my bad side, you pretty much stay there.
Monday, September 9, 2013
Land Dispute
I'm sure I've posted about my a-hole neighbor that's building a house next door. In case I haven't, I'll do a quick overview. Basically, we have lived here for 5 years. In that time, the lot next door has been vacant and wooded. Then, a-hole bought it, tore down EVERY SINGLE TREE on it and proceeded to build a house and a 2 story barn. Part of the process involved getting a survey done where his surveyor decided that 1/2 of my front yard secretly belonged to him.
Uh huh.
So, then a-hole decided to knock on my door and start making demands. First, he wants me to clean up my back yard on the side facing his property - there was some debris from our construction project, kids toys, gardening supplies from my current project, etc.
I laughed. I mean, who does that? Then he basically said if I didn't, he would put a fence where his surveyor said the line was. Well, I wasn't having any of that, so I showed him where my surveyor said the line was, which was not in agreement with his surveyor. Now, I have some shrubs on my property that are on the side. Both surveyors said they are past the line, but they are 20+ years old. In my state that situation would qualify for adverse possesion.
So... fast forward a while. My husband put a chicken-wire fence to contain the dog and some shrubs in the backyard near the property line. A-hole the neighbor decided to pull up the fence and the shrubs and throw them in a pile... WHILE MY HUSBAND WAS BACK THERE! That's some brass balls, right?
Of course, my husband is the non-confrontational one between the two of us, so he didn't say anything. I don't know what I found more surprising - the fact that the a-hole next door has balls made of brass or that my husband is such a wuss. Needless to say, I would not have done nothing. I would have gone and bit his head off, then called the cops. Knowing that I am the more aggressive of the two of us and that he was in the wrong, said neighbor did not visit his house today, like he has done every day for the past 11 months.
I think he's afraid of me. And he should be. The husband is putting the shrubs and fence back today. If he does it again, I am calling the police. I have his address... not like it's hard to find him!!!
So then, on top of all that, we called a land lawyer today. I have had enough of that jerk. Unfortunately, we found out that to just settle the line dispute will cost in the neighborhood of $30k plus another full survey, which I have already priced out to be $2800. We don't have that kind of money! I have another baby due in April...
I think we'll be doing things a little more creatively from this point out. He wants to play dirty? Fine. He's getting the cops called on him for every little thing. I'm also calling in to the tree warden and letting them know he cut down trees illegally and should pay the fine (we live on a scenic road). And, if his workers arrive before 7am at all ever again, I'm calling them in on the noise ordinance. I've taken to waking up at 6:30, so I will know if they are there.
You really really don't want to get on this mama's bad side.
Did I mention that he hangs out in his garage all day? I swear he must be a pedophile or something. Who hangs out in an unfinished garage for 12 hours a day doing nothing? He only appears to gawk at my little kids. I think he's into child pornography... should probably tip off the cops. Seriously, he's doing something freaky in there.
Uh huh.
So, then a-hole decided to knock on my door and start making demands. First, he wants me to clean up my back yard on the side facing his property - there was some debris from our construction project, kids toys, gardening supplies from my current project, etc.
I laughed. I mean, who does that? Then he basically said if I didn't, he would put a fence where his surveyor said the line was. Well, I wasn't having any of that, so I showed him where my surveyor said the line was, which was not in agreement with his surveyor. Now, I have some shrubs on my property that are on the side. Both surveyors said they are past the line, but they are 20+ years old. In my state that situation would qualify for adverse possesion.
So... fast forward a while. My husband put a chicken-wire fence to contain the dog and some shrubs in the backyard near the property line. A-hole the neighbor decided to pull up the fence and the shrubs and throw them in a pile... WHILE MY HUSBAND WAS BACK THERE! That's some brass balls, right?
Of course, my husband is the non-confrontational one between the two of us, so he didn't say anything. I don't know what I found more surprising - the fact that the a-hole next door has balls made of brass or that my husband is such a wuss. Needless to say, I would not have done nothing. I would have gone and bit his head off, then called the cops. Knowing that I am the more aggressive of the two of us and that he was in the wrong, said neighbor did not visit his house today, like he has done every day for the past 11 months.
I think he's afraid of me. And he should be. The husband is putting the shrubs and fence back today. If he does it again, I am calling the police. I have his address... not like it's hard to find him!!!
So then, on top of all that, we called a land lawyer today. I have had enough of that jerk. Unfortunately, we found out that to just settle the line dispute will cost in the neighborhood of $30k plus another full survey, which I have already priced out to be $2800. We don't have that kind of money! I have another baby due in April...
I think we'll be doing things a little more creatively from this point out. He wants to play dirty? Fine. He's getting the cops called on him for every little thing. I'm also calling in to the tree warden and letting them know he cut down trees illegally and should pay the fine (we live on a scenic road). And, if his workers arrive before 7am at all ever again, I'm calling them in on the noise ordinance. I've taken to waking up at 6:30, so I will know if they are there.
You really really don't want to get on this mama's bad side.
Did I mention that he hangs out in his garage all day? I swear he must be a pedophile or something. Who hangs out in an unfinished garage for 12 hours a day doing nothing? He only appears to gawk at my little kids. I think he's into child pornography... should probably tip off the cops. Seriously, he's doing something freaky in there.
Friday, September 6, 2013
In-Laws are a Strange Breed
Does everyone feel like their in-laws are a little off? Don't get me wrong, my in-laws aren't horrible people or anything like that, but they are just a little... off. Quirky...
In particular, I'm talking about my father-in-law. The man has this special talent where he can make anyone feel uncomfortable. I mean that, he really can. His specialty is taking something you said years ago, twisting it a bit and then using it to make someone uncomfortable.
Not only does he make people uncomfortable, he knows he's doing it and he hounds them over and over until you want to crawl into a hole because you feel so bad for them. His favorite target is my mother. Then my mother literally walks away from him and he FOLLOWS her or waits for her to come back into the room to take back up his uncomfortable conversation.
Well, in anticipation of another family gathering, I decided to bite the bullet and speak with his "better" half... though I feel that causing strife is one of her specialties, so I'm not sure how wise that was. However, my husband won't talk to his dad, so what was I to do? Anyway, I told her that his behavior at the last party had people feeling very uncomfortable, particularly my mother. I then told her to remind him to stick to neutral conversation topics in mixed company and all would be good. She started typing... she stopped.... she started.... she stopped. Yes, I did this over an IM because I'm a coward like that and didn't want to have to say it -- these are the types of things that should go without say and having to actually SAY something was outside of my comfort zone. I grew up in a different type of family where if people seem to get uncomfortable at your line of conversation, you stop and change directions. Go figure. Not everyone was raised that way I guess.
Anyway, I have a feeling my FIL and his girlfriend are now going to be mad at me. I didn't know what else to do though, and with the party just a week away, it was better than saying nothing. Part of me hopes they don't come now... it sounds horrible, but everyone else would have a much better time if they stayed home. They have managed to make everyone uncomfortable at the last party and they really seem to have no idea. I just want everyone to have a nice time, and if they opted not to come it would be less stress for me (waiting for him to say something out of line) and probably less stress for everyone else too.
How do you handle relatives with verbal diarrhea?
In particular, I'm talking about my father-in-law. The man has this special talent where he can make anyone feel uncomfortable. I mean that, he really can. His specialty is taking something you said years ago, twisting it a bit and then using it to make someone uncomfortable.
Not only does he make people uncomfortable, he knows he's doing it and he hounds them over and over until you want to crawl into a hole because you feel so bad for them. His favorite target is my mother. Then my mother literally walks away from him and he FOLLOWS her or waits for her to come back into the room to take back up his uncomfortable conversation.
Well, in anticipation of another family gathering, I decided to bite the bullet and speak with his "better" half... though I feel that causing strife is one of her specialties, so I'm not sure how wise that was. However, my husband won't talk to his dad, so what was I to do? Anyway, I told her that his behavior at the last party had people feeling very uncomfortable, particularly my mother. I then told her to remind him to stick to neutral conversation topics in mixed company and all would be good. She started typing... she stopped.... she started.... she stopped. Yes, I did this over an IM because I'm a coward like that and didn't want to have to say it -- these are the types of things that should go without say and having to actually SAY something was outside of my comfort zone. I grew up in a different type of family where if people seem to get uncomfortable at your line of conversation, you stop and change directions. Go figure. Not everyone was raised that way I guess.
Anyway, I have a feeling my FIL and his girlfriend are now going to be mad at me. I didn't know what else to do though, and with the party just a week away, it was better than saying nothing. Part of me hopes they don't come now... it sounds horrible, but everyone else would have a much better time if they stayed home. They have managed to make everyone uncomfortable at the last party and they really seem to have no idea. I just want everyone to have a nice time, and if they opted not to come it would be less stress for me (waiting for him to say something out of line) and probably less stress for everyone else too.
How do you handle relatives with verbal diarrhea?
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Middle Class Woes
As another school year begins, I find my Facebook feed clogged with pictures of people's kids heading off to their first days of school. Normally I browse, think how nice and then move on. However, lately I've been noticing a number of kids that are youngest than my oldest daughter headed off to their first days of preschool and it's making me mad.
Why? Well, in most parts of MA you can't start kindergarten until you're 5 by August 31st. So, for my daughter that means she can either do 2 years of preschool or start preschool when she's 4, almost 5 and then start kindergarten when she's 5, almost 6. Preschool isn't free in my town - or any other town for that matter - and I can't afford the tuition for 2 years of the same program. Because of that, she's only going for 1 year of preschool.
However, you can apparently go to free or a severely reduced price if you are on some form of assistance. Lovely.
I am sick and tired of seeing people on public assistance getting to send their kids to 2 years of preschool for free simply because they are low-income. Before they qualify for preschool they send them to early intervention programs. Speech therapy. All kinds of things for absolutely free. Meanwhile, my kids can only go to 1 year of preschool because I simply can't afford 2 years of tuition for each of them.
I'm middle class. We are struggling like everyone else, but because we aren't below some arbitrary threshold we get no assistance while it seems like everyone else that has made bad life decisions gets everything for free. I'm not talking about just education. I get that not everyone can afford college, though to be fair, it wasn't free for my husband and I either. We each came out with thousands upon thousands of dollars of loans. Between the two of us, we have about $150K in student loans to pay off.
The bad decisions I am referring to is having children out of wedlock - often multiple children. There are numerous women that I know that have delayed getting married because their combined income with their partner will disqualify them for benefits. So rather than saying, "I do", they simply live together. The woman qualifies for free health insurance, food stamps and everything else while the man supports the family the same way my husband supports our family. The difference is that we got married before having kids, so we don't qualify for anything.
How is that type of backwards policy building strong families? If anything it's encouraging people NOT to get married before having kids. It's encouraging broken homes, children out of wedlock and supplementing your income with government handouts.
I get that there are people who really need this type of assistance, but there are sooo many more who simply work the system to their advantage. Maybe if there were less takers and more givers, those of us who have done everything "right" won't have to struggle so much to pay for those who want everything for free.
Just a thought.
Why? Well, in most parts of MA you can't start kindergarten until you're 5 by August 31st. So, for my daughter that means she can either do 2 years of preschool or start preschool when she's 4, almost 5 and then start kindergarten when she's 5, almost 6. Preschool isn't free in my town - or any other town for that matter - and I can't afford the tuition for 2 years of the same program. Because of that, she's only going for 1 year of preschool.
However, you can apparently go to free or a severely reduced price if you are on some form of assistance. Lovely.
I am sick and tired of seeing people on public assistance getting to send their kids to 2 years of preschool for free simply because they are low-income. Before they qualify for preschool they send them to early intervention programs. Speech therapy. All kinds of things for absolutely free. Meanwhile, my kids can only go to 1 year of preschool because I simply can't afford 2 years of tuition for each of them.
I'm middle class. We are struggling like everyone else, but because we aren't below some arbitrary threshold we get no assistance while it seems like everyone else that has made bad life decisions gets everything for free. I'm not talking about just education. I get that not everyone can afford college, though to be fair, it wasn't free for my husband and I either. We each came out with thousands upon thousands of dollars of loans. Between the two of us, we have about $150K in student loans to pay off.
The bad decisions I am referring to is having children out of wedlock - often multiple children. There are numerous women that I know that have delayed getting married because their combined income with their partner will disqualify them for benefits. So rather than saying, "I do", they simply live together. The woman qualifies for free health insurance, food stamps and everything else while the man supports the family the same way my husband supports our family. The difference is that we got married before having kids, so we don't qualify for anything.
How is that type of backwards policy building strong families? If anything it's encouraging people NOT to get married before having kids. It's encouraging broken homes, children out of wedlock and supplementing your income with government handouts.
I get that there are people who really need this type of assistance, but there are sooo many more who simply work the system to their advantage. Maybe if there were less takers and more givers, those of us who have done everything "right" won't have to struggle so much to pay for those who want everything for free.
Just a thought.
Monday, September 2, 2013
Pregnancy Journal: Week 7
Today is Labor Day and my husband managed to scrape in a 4 day weekend by taking last Friday off. Woo-hoo for him! It's also the beginning of week 7 (or possibly the middle since I'm not too sure when my last period was...). Anyway, week 7 has some exciting things happening.
First, we are telling our parents. We actually told my husband's mom last weekend, but everyone else is learning this weekend. My parents came over on Saturday and we (reluctantly) shared the news with them. I say that because my mom is the queen of bad reactions. With my first, I got pregnant 10 months after we got married. My mom said to me, "Are you sure this is what you really want?" Bit too late there mom... then she complained that we told too early, though I was 8 weeks pregnant at the time. The next time through the gates we told them at 13 weeks. My oldest had just turned 1 when I got pregnant. Again, my mom had a great reaction, "It's too soon. You'll never be able to handle it." followed by complaints that we told them too late. So, you can see why I wasn't thrilled about spilling the beans about B3 to my dearest mother.
Fortunately, I was completely wrong. My parents were actually happy about it. My mom happily chatted about due dates and how she "knew" I was pregnant weeks ago. Apparently she had a feeling or something and told my dad she thought I was pregnant again and they were just waiting for the official announcement. The weird part is that she seems to be convinced I'm really a month farther than I am because I looked different the last time she saw me, like I had the "glow" which was 9 weeks ago. I'll be seriously weirded out if she winds up being right, though I highly highly doubt it.
Now, today we get to tell my husband's father and his girlfriend about it. That should be a blast... no, realistically I don't think his dad will be unhappy, but I don't think he'll be happy either. Neutral at best... he doesn't really get excited over babies and whatnot.
The reason we are telling everyone now is because the next time we'll see them will be at my youngest daughter's 2nd birthday party in 2 weeks and we want them to know before then in case it's obvious. It's already getting hard to button my pants, so who knows... in 2 weeks I may be in maternity pants. I'll probably be busting out those next week at home just for the sake of comfort.
Other than that, I'm really digging cheese lately. Also, my husband felt bad about me not being able to drink caffeine anymore and he went to the store last night and bought a ton of caffeine-free drinks. Then he set up a little beverage fridge in the living room (our house has a weird layout and the kitchen and living room are on opposite ends basically) so the drinks are more handy and I'm more likely to consume them. I have problems drinking enough while pregnant, so he's trying to stop that before it starts.
First, we are telling our parents. We actually told my husband's mom last weekend, but everyone else is learning this weekend. My parents came over on Saturday and we (reluctantly) shared the news with them. I say that because my mom is the queen of bad reactions. With my first, I got pregnant 10 months after we got married. My mom said to me, "Are you sure this is what you really want?" Bit too late there mom... then she complained that we told too early, though I was 8 weeks pregnant at the time. The next time through the gates we told them at 13 weeks. My oldest had just turned 1 when I got pregnant. Again, my mom had a great reaction, "It's too soon. You'll never be able to handle it." followed by complaints that we told them too late. So, you can see why I wasn't thrilled about spilling the beans about B3 to my dearest mother.
Fortunately, I was completely wrong. My parents were actually happy about it. My mom happily chatted about due dates and how she "knew" I was pregnant weeks ago. Apparently she had a feeling or something and told my dad she thought I was pregnant again and they were just waiting for the official announcement. The weird part is that she seems to be convinced I'm really a month farther than I am because I looked different the last time she saw me, like I had the "glow" which was 9 weeks ago. I'll be seriously weirded out if she winds up being right, though I highly highly doubt it.
Now, today we get to tell my husband's father and his girlfriend about it. That should be a blast... no, realistically I don't think his dad will be unhappy, but I don't think he'll be happy either. Neutral at best... he doesn't really get excited over babies and whatnot.
The reason we are telling everyone now is because the next time we'll see them will be at my youngest daughter's 2nd birthday party in 2 weeks and we want them to know before then in case it's obvious. It's already getting hard to button my pants, so who knows... in 2 weeks I may be in maternity pants. I'll probably be busting out those next week at home just for the sake of comfort.
Other than that, I'm really digging cheese lately. Also, my husband felt bad about me not being able to drink caffeine anymore and he went to the store last night and bought a ton of caffeine-free drinks. Then he set up a little beverage fridge in the living room (our house has a weird layout and the kitchen and living room are on opposite ends basically) so the drinks are more handy and I'm more likely to consume them. I have problems drinking enough while pregnant, so he's trying to stop that before it starts.
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