Im no longer free from the realities of my life. Im firmly planted back in Arizona. Yes, we can all cry now :'(
First, lets reflect before I whine about life.....
WARNING:This is the part where I get sappy
I spent a lot of time simply enjoying the fact that I was around family.
That side of my family is so polar opposite of the other side of my family. They're generally happy to see you. Jokes can be made. Kids can play and squabble without adult interference. Theres no bitching and moaning about how crappy their lives are.
I just cannot put into words how much they mean to me. How much I have searched for that here in Arizona; tried to replicate it. The sense of family unity is the one thing I wish for my children. I want the big family Holiday meals, backyard BBQs, birthday parties, etc. To me, there is nothing more important than family (this includes friends who become family too!) Its just so important to surround yourself with people who love you, people who want to laugh with you, and people who are there to help/support you.
My kids had cute little "southern" accents while there. They sounded totally fake, but hey *shrug*
The boy-child caught frogs every single day. Lightening bugs, too! He swam, fished, played with babies, slid down Sliding Rock in NC, dug for worms, planted a garden, and probably more things that I just cant think of :-)
The Diva, well she definitely had the phoney accent! She enjoyed all of the same things her little brother did, but especially liked playing with the babies! She asks daily when daddy and I are going to have a baby girl *eyeroll*
I spent the last couple of days hanging with my "baby" cousin H. Gosh kids grow up so fast! Shes 15 now and just absolutely beautiful! Shy and quiet, too. I finally got her to mumble a few words back at me towards the end. Convinced her to try driving and we went shopping for new clothes :-) The "child" definitely needs to gain some confidence though! (so H, if you read this, You are BEAUTIFUL and SMART)
It was absolutely great for our souls to "escape" for awhile. We saw some beautiful sites, relaxed, enjoyed life.
Now onto LIFE-
My grandma is now schedule for some pretty serious surgery. I really wish I could be there with her. My poor mom is just a mess :-(
We are BROKE. Like seriously so. Whats new, right? This level of broke is new to us. Scary.
Im down to working 1/3 of the hours I normally would. 'E' is bringing in 20% of his normal pay. Yeah, its just craptastic right now. We will get through it, but at what cost I dont know and that worries me.
I have no freakin' clue how im going to juggle kids school, work, my school, and all that comes along with those things without my mom here to help. Childcare is our biggest issue. We have no money for a sitter and trying to coordinate with the free offers is pretty difficult. I have faith thatll we will figure something out , though. We have to damnit!
My bestie is leaving town for like a year. Boooo! WAAAAAH! Whatever will I do? Looks like ill be traveling more or going crazy ;-)
