Another New Years

Yup. Probably because I look at the things I have bought as little monsters. These tiny little monsters that hang around, hide and pop out at random times to remind me that I spent money on them. For instance, today, I was going through my yarn stash and I found some of the most hideous, frightening, yarn I have seen since my days of becoming a self proclaimed “yarn snob”. I pulled some things out and looked at them like, really? Really? I spent money on this? ugh! I have little monsters hiding in my yarn stash.

Then I look to my bookshelf. Little language book monsters just sitting there, waiting for me to pull them out again and actually put them to use. Little monsters in plain sight.Waiting for me to put down the bookmaking book that I’ve picked up or the knitting magazine I’ve become re-obsessed with. Am I ever going to learn Italian, French, Sign Language or enough of the dirty Russian to be able to communicate semi-fluently or even cohesively? Not with them sitting there on the shelf, I’m not. And that’s my own fault. I made the effort to invest in my learning a language (or five) and haven’t taken advantage of the resources to actually do it.

After that, I look back at my credit report. Ugh…a bunch of tiny little monsters hiding in one big monster’s belly, is more like it. This big monster is the scariest thing I have ever come across, the monster of “the reality of where I stand financially”. In all honesty, two years ago, it was a much bigger monster in comparison to now…now it’s a medium sized monster with even smaller monsters inside, bouncing around, creeping, hiding and crawling. At this point, it’s more annoying than anything else. The unfortunate thing about this, medium-sized, annoying monster, is that the only way to make it go away is not by wishing, it’s by throwing money at it. 

So, it’s a New Year again, organizing, moving things around, regretting the bad purchases and wishing I had taken advantage of the books on the shelf and the time that I’ve had to get this all done. I’m done letting myself feel guilty and I’m making a new plan for myself. I’m taking this year to clear out all the debt. Clear out all the little monsters hiding on the shelves, in the baskets and in my credit report. All of it is going…I’m slaying the monsters, one at a time and come this time next year, I’ll be talking about the new plans for when I finish my bachelors degree. 

My goals, for this year, is tackling one little monster at a time. Thanks to my parents for giving me this Dave Ramsey book (it was a little monster sitting on the bookshelf, but I’ve since converted it into my new best friend), which is my long term ticket away from the scary money monster. It’s pretty awesome that since January first, in just nine days, John and I have paid off three monthly bills, one class payment and will have two more paid off in three more days, which will leave us the rest of the month to actually get ahead and pay off some other little nagging monsters that have been nipping at our heels.

Gotta love New Years.

<3 Lindsay

 

Just a thought…

I read an article about an “anti-child ban” movement that’s starting to go around the U.S. and was a bit shocked. I understand there are certain places where having your children might cause a problem…art gallerys, fine china stores, government buildings (unless they are supposed to be present, of course), 5-star restaurants, Victoria’s Secret, head shops…ect. Yes it’s the parent’s job to know the difference between what places are child appropriate and not. Something came to mind after reading it, and instead of being so angry about that, I figured we should add something else to the mix. 

I would like to propose an idea for another ban…

…it would be for adults who fail to act like adults in public. Whining, snotty, egotistic, rude adults who, no matter what happens, find something to complain about and throw fits of epic purportions (with a deaf ear to volume and inappropriate language bursting out the seams (even if children are allowed and are nearby)) until the business bends over backwards and starts giving them free stuff.

Ok, great idea, lets start banning children from public places like grocery stores and restaurants, but lets cater to the adults who throw fits worse than my 4-year-old.

I put forth the motion to show those people the door when they revert back to their 2-year-old selves.

Anyone second??

~Lindsay

Have Done/To Do

So, my to do lists seem to have the same thing on them over and over. It never seems to end and it never seems like I actually end up doing it. For months now I’ve been trying to get the time to go over to the Social Security office to have my last name changed back to my maiden name, but between my two little peanuts, school and the two jobs I currently hold, there never seems to be a good time, or even enough of it rather, to actually get it done…and this has been going on since April. Time flys SO fast and it’s been so difficult lately to get anything done that needs to be done. But finally, FINALLY, yesterday I was able to snag a couple hours to myself before 4pm to be able to do this.

The combination of finishing something that has been on my plate for so long, and taking that final step of this crazy thing called divorce, really lifts that heavy weight of my to do list…which is perched so quietly on my shoulders. Not only did I complete that, but I also had my tetanus shot done so I can continue on and finish my associates for the fall. Within two precious hours, I was able to cut that silly to do list of important things in half. Just two more forms to file and send out and that’ll be finished up, just in time to have a few days to spend with my wonderful John, Mal, Ari, Ma, Dad, Bill, Aaron, Meg and her niece and little brother.

I am such a scatterbrain it even drives me nuts. So to accomplish just four, seemingly simple tasks, is just so motivating and wonderful for me. The beauty of to do lists for someone like me, is that it’s right there on paper. A hard copy of the things that float in and out of my brain throughout the day. I know I always have one, and I know what’s on it, but when it comes time to make that phone call, or send out that letter, I seem to remember to do it when I can’t. Like right in the middle of work, or after 5 o’clock when the place I needed to call was already closed. The only thing I need to get into the habit of is actually putting that to do list somewhere where I’ll see it throughout the day. Normally I write it up and it’s neatly tucked into, or even just written into, my journal. Although I carry it around all the time, and write in it a few times each day, I’m always flipping past that silly list and completely remembering it at the absolute worst time.

…see where I frustrate myself? lol

So now I’m motivated once again, chopping down that list, one, or even two, things at a time and finally even finishing things I should have done a few years ago! Looking back at how I was in the early years of college to the aftermath of a failed marriage, I’m finally back to square one and moving on. If I just keep chipping away at my to do list, following the financial plan I have installed for myself and keep rocking the socks off school, I’ll be where, just a few years ago, I never thought I’d be. Frustration is a motivator and someone very wise told me, “if you get too comfortable with where you are, you’ll never get to where you want to go”…..how true is that?

Peace, love and to do lists for the scatterbrained goober,
<3 Lindsay JOHNSON 

Favorite Kiddie foods…and how they’re prepared.

Ever notice that a pick-me-up could involve something as simple as a food that you used to eat all the time as a kid? I’ve been having a rough morning trying to motivate my sleepy bum into being a bit more productive…and it wasn’t coffee that’s got me going, it’s a bowl of instant fruit and cream oatmeal, (strawberry and blueberry mixed with extra milk so it’s soupy, yum!) that did the trick. Other times it’s a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, only the peanut butter’s spread on an inch thick, and  there’s so much grape jelly that it pops out the bottom while I eat it. Or even just a big bowl of Mac and Cheese, the Kraft kind, mixed up so it’s kinda soupy opposed to thick and creamy.

These are the real comfort foods. The kind that no one can ever take away the memories of. The Mac and Cheese thing, for example, no one can ever take back the way my Ma made it, and she only made it that way because, according to her, she just never made it right, but that’s how I like it still to this day. It almost brings me back, just for a few minutes, to when I had grass stained jeans and dirt under my nails from playing outside all day long. Or when I watched a neighborhood girl flip over the handle bars of my bike after she took it from me, or playing Power Rangers and fighting over being the pink one.

It’s fun to remember, isn’t it? What’s your most favorite childhood food that brings the comfort and memories?

Peace, Love and Comfort Food,
<3 Lindsay

5th Grade

“Somebody said that it couldn’t be done,
And he with a chuckle replied,
‘That maybe it couldn’t but he would be one,
who would not say so until he tried’,
So he buckled right in with a bit of a grin,
On his face,
If he worried he hid it,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing,
That couldn’t be done and he did it.

Somebody scoffed ‘oh you’ll never do that,
At least no one has ever done it’,
So he took off his coat and he took off his hat,
And the first thing he knew he’d begun it,
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubt or quibbling,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing,
That couldn’t be done and he did it.

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands of prophecies of failure,
There are thousands to point out to you one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.

So just buckle right in with a bit of a grin,
Take off your coat and go to it,
You’ll start to sing as you tackle the thing,
That cannot be done and you’ll do it.” ~Unknown

The great thing about Ms. Donovan’s class in 5th grade was the poem we recited every morning together right after the pledge of allegiance. We had four different poems throughout the year that we learned. At the beginning of the quarter she would tape one down to our desk and at first we would read it together. As the quarter went on we would cover up a little bit at a time until finally we could stand up and recite it without looking. Out of those four poems this is the one that I remembered these past 16 years.

Every now and again I stumble upon a written copy that I had hidden in a notebook here and there and it’s always at the right time. Like this morning for example. I’m starting my new semester at 4C’s later this morning and there it was. The greatest thing about it was that it still flows from my memory just the same as those mornings that I wore over sized sweatshirts with spandex and beaded braids in my hair.

I shiver at the image…but man what a powerful message that was. Thank you Ms. Donovan.

Peace, love and memories,
<3 Lynnmarie

Your Typical Resolution Post

Well, now that 2010 is officially out the window after tomorrow night (thank God), it’s about that time to write a little post about the things I want to do with my year. Sure it’s a bit corney, and 9 times out of 10 people don’t keep their resolutions…but these are goals that I make every year…and every year I get a little bit better…SOOOO I figure if I keep on making them…I’ll get closer to actually achieving them.

Typical Resolution Number 1:
Saving my money. Save lots and lots of money. Stop being such an idiot and spending so much all the time. If you don’t really need it….don’t buy it you goon.

Typical Resolution Number 2:
Make and keep on top of all doctor’s appointments. Really? It’s taken you a whole year to actually get back to that one doctor that you should have been seeing at least once every 3 months? Kudos. When you have the nurse make a comment to you about how it’s been such a long time “Miss no show”…that’s a bad sign. Actually write these things down on a calender so there’s no question about what day, what time, which family member and which doctor for what.

Typical Resolution Number 3.
Eat healthy? I guess this goes a bit hand in hand with number 2…but seriously. You’ve gotta start taking better care of yourself. Cheese and bacon on french fries? Really? Do you HAVE to make that an every day “treat”?

Typical Resolution Number 4
Prioritize…you’ve gotta. Make sure you’re not pushing aside what’s important to do what isn’t important. Work then play…get it all outta the way.

Typical Resolution Number 5
Buy new car and pay off student loans. I’m almost there on the loan front…another $1,500 to go? That’s SO close!! Then between the tax returns and the summer season only being 5 months away…it’s a total possibility. You can do it! 86 that P.O.S!

Typical Resolution Number 6
Do better in school. Sure this first semester took a lot of adjustment…but you could have done soo much better than that….seriously. Put your head down and just get the work done. Enough procrastinating already! (Thank God all my classes for next semester are art classes…haha…this should be easy to keep)

Typical Resolution Number 7
Get some more sleep. You need it. Stop ignoring those dark circles under your eyes and just do it.

Aaaaand for now that should be good. Why not? Works for me. Lets see how it goes though.

Peace, love and keeping my resolutions.
<3 Lindsay

 

Anyone want to join me?

…in a little read-a-long? I’m thinking about reading through American, British and World literature. I started to read the major works of Edgar Allen Poe and it seems like a good time to just read my way through the list finally. I’ve been thinking about doing this for some time I just never actually started.

So here it goes. Here’s my list of authors who’s work that I would like to read. Any suggestions please feel free to comment in for me.

*American Lit
Edgar Allen Poe (Because of him I want to read anything by Sarah Helen Whitman)
Louisa May Alcott (I’m so down for rereading Little Women)
Emily Dickinson (I started reading her poems when I was younger)
Robert Frost
Nathaniel Hawthorne (I’d like to reread The Scarlet Letter without being forced to)
Washington Irving
Mark Twain
Walt Whitman

*British Lit
Jane Austin (I’ve been reading Pride and Prejudice off and on for the longest time, time to finish it up)
J.M. Barrie
Charlotte Bronte
Emily Bronte
Lewis Carroll
Charles Dickens
William Shakespeare (I’m an addict and I want to read my way through all the plays and sonnets)
Bram Stoker
Jonathan Swift

*World Lit
Dante Alighieri (I’ve gotta read The Divine Comedy, he is the “father of the Italian language” after all.)
Gustave Flaubert
Homer
Victor Hugo
Gaston Leroux
Voltaire

Anyone want to join me in this reading adventure?

Peace, love and the classics,
<3 Lindsay

Life Is Good. :o)

So I’m all set for the fall semester for classes. I’ve talked to someone at the advising center and they said I’m on the right path to become an art teacher. I already have my first piece of the MTEL’s finished and Champlain is sending my transcripts to 4C’s this week so I’ll have more credits to transfer in and choose from. With a quick trip to school I’ll be able to transfer the credits officially (for some reason they hadn’t yet? Meh, easy fix.) and add adolescent psychology to my classes for the fall. I was bumming because the prerequisite is general psych, which I’ve already taken, but because the credits hadn’t been transferred officially I can’t add it online. But that will all be fixed in a couple days so I can add that instead of sociology…or maybe even in addition to it? Who knows. I do only have 4 classes right now and 2 of them are art classes.

What do I have here? Drawing 1, Design 1, Astronomy + the lab for it, and Sociology (this is my online class, easy enough). I could totally slip Adolescent Psych in there. It’ll be a lot of work, but I look at it this way…it’s really only for like, what, 3.5 months? I can totally work my bum off for that amount of time. Take the break in January or even just take a nice mellow course to help me keep the momentum going. I know if I stop I’ll get lazy and I do NOT want that to happen. I was looking at my transcript from FSC and apparently there’s a pattern of Dean’s List in the fall (3.30, then 3.44) and no Dean’s List in the Spring. haha. Oh well. I actually have a clue and a passion for what I’m going for now…that’ll make all the difference in the world to how I attack these classes. Plus I won’t be worried about student loans, how I’ll pay for books, eat, pay my crazy rent and work full time…you know, all that nonsense. haha.

Then my car’s getting fixed as I type. Uncle Steve found me a gas tank for a wicked good price and he’s putting it in today! Eeee! Who’s excited?! ME! That means I can actually drive the kids around in that thing again….I don’t have to stay home all the time or ask Ma to borrow her car and drive her to work and all that silliness.

Whoo!

And to add to all of that awesomeness, work is picking up at The Belmont. People are coming back and I had a really great weekend there, and from what I hear it’s supposed to get even better. We’ve got the core group of people now and there’s only a few of us. Which rocks. I think I’m finally finding a groove there too. Hopefully this next weekend I’ll be all over it. Gotta love nice smooth nights.

Oh yeah! AND I’m filing my divorce papers this week once I get one piece of paper back from Matt. EeeeeeeeEEEEEeeeeeEEEEeeee!!!!! I can’t wait!

See? Shit’s all coming together.

I’m thinking it’ll be a celebration day tomorrow. All day long with my buddy Wes who’s coming down for a visit. Yay! Grumpys, beach, mini golf, ice cream and maybe a little Main Street action? We will see. We will see.

Whoops, forgot another little thing too. I’ve begun operation “Out Stubborn the Wicked Stubborn”…potty training has been pretty much next to nothing because I can’t even talk to Malachi about sitting on the potty without him totally freaking out…but I have a new plan. Muah-ha-ha-ha-ha…we’ll see how this works. The worst part about Malachi’s total stubbornness when it comes to using the potty is that Miss Aria is following right along in his footsteps. She had been sitting on it and one day just turned to me and said “no potty” and has stuck to it since. I’m so ready to get them out of diapers this year. That would be effing amazing.

Big sighs of relief….*sigggggh*

Life is good.

Peace, love and awesomeness.
<3 Lindsay

Yip Hip…Horray!

I am so excited. I went to orientation yesterday at 4C’s and I’m now all signed up for my fall classes. No assessment test needed (thank God, in the lack-of-sleep state I was in I would have failed at the simplest addition…lol) and by the time I got home there was a click.

Heck yes, I have a plan…and it’s a good one to boot.

Who’s going to study to become an art teacher in high school? Dah-da-da-daaaaa! Moi.

Weird? Maybe. Considering I had abandoned the idea of teaching because I knew knew knew I could not handle a classroom full of toddlers and then go home and take care of my own. Toddler overload is probably the best way to put it. But I’m thinking that although it’s going to be tough teaching teenagers and I might want to jump out a window at times, I’d have way more fun working in a high school than finger painting in preschool. (I’m not knocking finger painting though…I loved that…still do…and come to think of it I should go buy some paint so me and the kids can do that this weekend. Love it.) You know, I guess I’ll be putting all of those education classes to work afterall.

This works though…and here’s why. I’ll be working while the kids are in school and I’ll be home in the evenings and on the weekends which is bomb, then I can spend more time with my wee ones. I think working with teenagers, as rough as it would be, would be a pretty fun job in an art related environment. It’s not like I’d be ripping my hair out trying to teach them to multiply fractions (even I hated that crap) but I’ll be teaching them different techniques and introducing them to something that could end up being a fantastic outlet for them. I loved being in the art wing in high school. Crap, the band room was like a second home to me. I could create an environment for the kids where they could relax and feel comfortable being in. Holl-er

Another great thing about it? I be surrounded by art and anything craft related but I’ll have the time to work on my own and run my business too. Eee! A steady paycheck? Heck yes!

I’m going to do my classes at 4C’s, get a degree in visual arts and then transfer to Bridgewater I think and finish up the courses I need to become a high school level art teacher.

You know what’s great about this? I’ve already passed the Communication and Literacy MTEL…I’m 1/3 of the way there already. Wooord. So glad I’ve held onto the test results for this long. Phew. :O

Anywho. I’m excited. I’m taking Sociology, Astronomy (gotta fill that science with a lab requirement somehow, and I’m actually really excited about taking it) Drawing 1 and Design 1. On top of taking care of the kiddies I’m going to have a 13 credit semester and 2 jobs until mid October. A little scared? I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t. It’s going to be a lot of hard work but the outcome is going to be such a great thing for us that I’m so ready to do what has to be done to get to where we need to be.

Signing up for classes yesterday just gave me all the motivation I need to get this kickass ball rolling! WHOOO!

Peace, love and school.
<3 Lindsay

Warped Tour 2010

Holy crap that was the most amazing warped tour I’ve been to yet. Effing amazing.

Basically this is just a list for myself that I won’t lose of bands that I really want to download….

Alesana

Enter Shikari

Hey Monday

I See Stars

We The Kings

Lights Over Paris (They didn’t play but I found one of their wrist bands and they’re actually pretty fun)

And I’m sure I’ll check out more but those are the ones I reaaaaaaally want to listen to like….right now.

It’s been so long since I’ve gone to this show that the only thing I really remember about it was that I needed sunblock in the worst way. I applied and applied and applied all day long to my face and my shoulders and I’m SO happy I did because although I still managed to get some color, I did not burn! Whoo!

Somehow, I managed to not get ANY color on my legs and a tiny bit on my tummy. Those spots were void of any sunblock. I’m convinced I will never have anything more than pale white, freckled legs. And for some reason I’m alright with that….saves me money in sunblock.

BTW…Reel Big Fish still effing blow my mind. They are my number one favorite band to see live. Amazing. Simply, amazing. *sigh* Being in that crowd is a lot of fun too. It’s not like the other ones where people get nuts like that Sum 41 crowd (holy shit). They’re so chill, everyone just dances and has a good time. I’ve gotta go see them play on their next tour. I just love them.

I think I am a hippy. Although I do love the rush of being in the middle of a crowd, getting pushed around, being close to the mosh pits and watching for crowd surfers I like that laid back, “lets just dance”, chill out sort of stuff.

Eff yes.

On to relax some more. I have work later and I need to be on my game tonight so I can get out of there as early as possible and come home to sleep. I need me some more sleep…mmmm….sleep.

Peace, love and kickass music.
<3 Lindsay