Shame on Me!

All that ranting about the nephew -- and he wasn't even here at ALL this weekend. Seems he came in the middle of last week BECAUSE he was going to go to Mississippi to visit his dad over the weekend. So, now I feel kinda bad about the ranting I did. But in reality, I desperately needed the peace and quiet. So, while I feel a *little* guilty, my utter relief at having a weekend without teeth-grinding and tongue-biting far outweighs any negative feelings I may harbour. Have a terrific week, now. Ciao!

Bad Attitutde (The Frustration Factor)

Where do I start? Living with my in-laws and holding a full-time AND a part-time job so that my husband--sober now almost 2 years--can attend college full-time (looking at a Spring '08 grad date, now, HOORAY), is stressful beyond what I can possibly tell you in this venue. But it gets better! My hubby's sister is an alcoholic who lost custody of her son last fall. So, my 12-year-old nephew was placed in custody of his dad. Dad is a construction worker who travels up and down the Gulf Coast, and he's gone much of the time, so stepmom is basically raising nephew right now.

Anyway, in the beginning, he spent most weekends here--in this house, with my in-laws and my husband and me. Which was okay, it ratcheted up the noise level (and the stress level!) considerably, but he IS 12, and it was only for two nights--right? Friday and Saturday, then he went home on Sunday. Then, it crept up somehow to Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Every week. *SIGH*

Last night, Wednesday night, at 8:30 (!) his stepmom called and told my mother-in-law that her daughter was spending the night at a friend's house and nephew was begging to come over here. So, now, it's Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Did I mention he takes medication for ADHD???

Sure, it's just for this week. (YEAH, RIGHT!) And I do kinda feel sorry for the kid, his mom's a flaked-out alcoholic with co-dependency issues and his dad is off working most of the time...

But, with all the other pressure, tension, and stress in my life, if THIS becomes the norm, I may have a stress-related psychotic episode.

Yeah, my attitude's bad--What about it????

Crazy Busy, But Content

The way I see it, if I get to post once each month, I'm doing alright. It's been SO-O-O crazy busy, at work and at home, that I literally collapse into bed every night at 9 p.m. and get up moving at full speed every morning at 5 a.m.

But things are running so smoothly now. This all just feels right.

Oh, I'm still working two jobs and still living with my in-laws while my husband attends college full-time, but he is getting close to having a certification in Phlebotomy (part of his Clinical Laboratory Technician program) that will allow him to work part-time doing the blood draws ordered by physicians. When he finishes that at the end of May, he will try to get a weekend or evening position and I plan on turning in my notice at my part-time job during the early part of the summer.

Won't that be so fine??

We will continue to live with his parents until he actually gets his Associate degree next year, and then we will try to look for our own place or maybe look into getting a mobile home to put on our 4 acres.

Daughter is doing well in college, and made the Dean's List last semester! Hooray!

Sister-in-law appears to have stopped drinking and seems to realize that she must get a job and prove that she can provide stability if she is ever going to have custody of her son, again. So far, it's all been talk. Note the emphasis on appears and seems. We shall see....

So, life goes on at its crazy, breakneck pace, but I feel at peace with things right now.

Arrivederci!