Another wonderful weekend, except for a very hectic Saturday morning where one thing after another went wrong. The day just went from long to longer.
My mother-in-law was coming today, so I woke up early and cleaned and cleaned. Bedding needed to be changed, toys put away, laundry, floors swept, bathroom cleaned, etc.
After about two hours of working on my own, I woke up the children and put them to work helping me. Then I started cooking. I made Spanish Rice, Carne Guisada and then Elizabeth asked me to make some Chili which I did.
I had already made a new pot of Pinto Beans with the left over Ham bone and gravy from the ham from last week.
My mother-in-law finally arrived. Travis and Maria picked her up from the airport and her plane had had mechanical problems so she had been rerouted through another state and had been delayed several hours.
Matthew came over as well and we visited and ate.
I then had to take Elizabeth to a public pool to get her a swim test in preparation of going to Girl’s camp next week. The life guard did not have her certification with her, so I will have to have them fax it or email it on Monday.
They were really nice to work her in and let her take the test while they were still running the pool. There still are many nice people out there that can “make do”.
Then we found out that her ride to camp was not going to materialize. We had misunderstood the plans of someone else, so I decided it was just best to drive her to her cousin’s in Dallas and let her just travel to the camp with the whole group.
I left with Elizabeth at 5:00 pm and arrived back home just a little after 11:00 pm. Then a week later, I drove back to Dallas to pick her up, except this time I hit traffic...yuk.
I actually like driving, but these trips are when I wish I had satellite radio in the car. I took the Suburban and realized again that I really like driving it. I think I want to trade in my Mercury for a small SUV.
Well Sunday came and went. Fito went to the Spanish service with his mom, while the children and I went to our service. They invited over a family…we invited over a family…so lots of company at the house.
Monday, I contacted the supervisor at the Parks and Recreation Department to get them to fax to the camp the life guard’s certification.
I was told they could not do so without permission from the City Clerk.
So I called the City Clerk and was told they needed a written request asking for the release of the information. I sent an email doing so.
I went on with my work and day and then realized Tuesday morning that the camp still had not received the info. I called the City Clerk’s office and was told it was in the legal department. I called there. Each time I called one of the departments, I was put on hold, had to wait, be transferred to person to person, until finally I would find the person who knew something or would try to find out something.
Another day comes and goes. Now it is Wednesday morning and I had been unsuccessful in reaching someone at the girl’s camp. I was so afraid that because they did not have the certifications from the life guards that they were not letting Elizabeth swim or participate in the water activities.
I again called the Park and recreation Department, the City Clerk’s office, and the legal department. I finally was told that the Park Dept. had permission now to release the certification’s, but that they did not have them because the Red Cross had not sent them as yet.
I then spent time talking to individuals to see if I could find someone to write a letter explaining that the life guards were certified, etc. After 2 hours of different calls, I went on to work and then home.
When I got home, I checked my email and a woman with whom I had had no contact had emailed me the certifications…and over 2 hours ago! I had spent all that time on the phone for nothing.
I faxed and emailed them to anyone I knew that might have contact with the camp leaders, hoping to get the information there so Elizabeth could swim.
Of course, I found out later, that the leaders had trusted us, and had gone ahead and let Elizabeth swim the whole time. (Yea, for common sense).
But can you believe the bureaucractic red-tape gobbly gook? And they wonder why they are inefficient? Companies, governments, organizations should look for ways to reduce paper work, forms, policies, and procedures. But instead, they usually just add more regulations, more forms, more…more…more…which just makes it more complicated and less efficient.
I still have been waking up early…is it summer hours? But I get a lot done. Right now, with my Mother-in-law here, I do not have to cook as much, but I take her places and so forth so the time saved disappears in other forms.
Took mom to her hair appointment and then out to eat. Her short term memory is even worse. Yesterday, I was with her all afternoon and she asked me perhaps seven times what the date was. She kept thinking it was April or May. Even things I told her just a few hours or days ago are lost to her and she doesn’t remember.
Today, she came into the kitchen all dressed and ready to go. Fito asked her what she was doing, and she replied, “Tammy should be here to take me to my hair appointment. “
Fito said, “Mom, today is Wednesday, not Thursday.”
Then she said, “Oh, I guess I will go back and do whatever I was doing before, but I do not remember what I was doing before…so I guess it doesn’t matter.”
Last night, I made 3 huge pans of Goulash and put them in the freezer. Next week is a family reunion, mainly for my mom…of my siblings and their children. Four of the six children will be coming and about ½ of the grandchildren will be here.
I also made a great big batch of the filling for Pupusas for the reunion. I saved some and Nena (my mom-in-law) and I made Pupusas for dinner.
I also had made the Apple-Coconut bread this week and changed it somewhat. I did not have two cans of apple to add. So I substituted a can of tropical fruit instead. Wow. The bread was great. Also, when I add a can instead of using real apples, I take a knife and cut the apples (fruit) into small pieces.
We went to a wedding on Friday and then their reception on Saturday evening and that leads me to discuss again “Parenting”.
I sure wish the parents of the children I saw at both occasions would read my blog. Boy, do they need some advice.
Friday, the wedding was at the temple, which in our religion is extra sacred, even more so than our churches. There was a young couple with 4 small children in the waiting room. I am guessing the oldest was either 4 or 5 years old.
The parents let the children roam at will. They were eating and carrying Graham Crackers and Fruit Snacks. Both of which, fell on the floor.
The parents did not worry about their children making a mess in such a sacred place, nor did they worry or reprimand them for swinging on the door that covered the TV, running, talking loudly, playing with a truck, etc.
They let their 18 month old? 2 year old? Play with markers. That is debatable at home, but in a public place? And at a sacred place?
Unthinkable!
At one point, I took a trash can, kneeled on the floor and proceeded to pick up all the crumbs, pieces of food, and fruit snacks lying on the floor. The waiting room also serves as a break area for workers and as the people walk through there, I was afraid that they would step on the food and grind it into the carpet.
The parents did not say a single thing as I cleaned up their children’s mess.
Later, when we came back to the room after the wedding ceremony was over, the mess was even worse. The mother had gone to the ceremony leaving the father to watch the children. My husband and I had left our shoes in that room and the children had played with them and left them at random.
Parents! Your children are NOT to touch other people’s property! This is one of the first rules of civility…manners….etiquette…have you heard of those words?
When they come to my house, I do NOT want them touching my glass, the house plants, musical instruments, etc. When they come into my classroom, they are NOT to touch the chalkboard, my purse, my desk, or other things in the room.
Teach them to ASK for permission…using “May I please…” to touch something or go somewhere.
Then Saturday night at the reception…incredible what happened. It was a Mexican reception and so they had the whole family come forward as in a procession. The couple started dancing in the middle of the dance floor as the other family members formed a circle around them and started dancing around the couple. Then one by one other family members would leave the circle and go dance with either the groom or the bride.
Everyone was dressed so lovely, the music was wonderful, and the photographer was inside the circle taking great pictures.
BUT…there were several unattended small children, that were not family, that were playing inside the circle. They kept getting in the way of the couple, of the family members, and of the photographer. I was about to go grab them, when the photographer told the disc jockey to announce over the microphone for their parents to come and retrieve them.
One older sibling came and got two of the children. The others were still there. The photographer asked him again to tell the parents to come….then he asked him again. Then some parents finally came forward to get their children. One mother, when she came to get her son, knocked him on the head.
I wanted to knock her on the head. He was too little to have paid attention to what was going on and the minute the family came forward for the procession, she should have come and gotten him then.
Better yet, she should never have let him run around free in the first place.
Parents! Another rule: when you are in public, your children are NOT to run free! If you do not want to control them, do not bring them into public!
Enough of my rant…actually, I think I am going to make a page on my website that is: Tammy’s Pet Peeves…
Hummm…like when I see your underwear? Guess what folks. We do not really want to see your underwear. Boxer or briefs is NOT what we are concerned with. We do NOT want to know what color your bra is, nor do we want to know under that very tight skirt or pants that you are wearing lacy panties because we can see it, the line, the straps, and so forth.
Please do us a favor. When you try on clothes; look in a full length mirror. Use a hand mirror to see the back. Not only do I not want to see your underwear, but I do not want to see your crack, your hairy back, your underarm hair, strange bulges, your cellulite, your roll of fat hanging out the side, your sagging breasts, your nipples, and so on.
Now one final rant. To those of you who wear under clothing that is considered sacred, and in the Jewish, Muslim, and Christian faiths there are different types of sacred clothing…please wear it properly.
When you wear it improperly or show us something that we should not see, it is awkward and we actually wonder why you are doing that. Cover up what should be covered up and if you wear something religious, please do so correctly to honor your faith.
Blah, blah, blah…I guess I am through ranting for now.
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