FREAP CHAT Part 2 ~ Everyone Welcome to our new digs

[pperfectmom]

I was happy to see that Fay isn't a hurricane this morning, but I'm sure all the rain will be a huge problem. Hope all our Forida Freaps have their ponchos handy.

mtblu-sorry your son is being a PITA. If it's any consolation, both of my kids have been acting bratty all week. I hope their behavior improves since we are still planning to go to the state fair on Friday. Hopefully, the fire situation will improve and the smoke dissipates for you. My best friend is a Task Force leader for the USFS and just returned from California. She told me she is already on the mobility list to go anywhere else out west. I always worry when she's gone, but a little part of me is jealous and wishes that I was still firefighting. Right after DS was born, I decided it was too dangerous and I was terrified of leaving my kids motherless every time I got a call. So that is why I went into early retirement. I sure do miss the excitement, the travel to beautiful parts of the country, and, most importantly...the MONEY!!!!!

 

[hadleysun]

Hey everyone! Fay went exactly as planned....I was prepared so it stayed away! Jennifer was definately closer than me, we're getting rain and high winds, but she may be out of power temporarily.

Mtblu-Sorry about your oldest. I agree that it's probably a coping mechanism. He has to break off a little emotionally to prepare himself to be away from home. But I'm not gonna love my kids any less unconditionally to test your hubby's theory! That's just the way moms are!

 

[SHAYMARAYSMOM]

Oldest DS is beginning to pack for college and will be leaving the 1st of September. He has had an attitude this summer and I have been on the receiving end of it. I think it is an emotional break from Mom. He wouldn't use that tone with Dad...he knows better. DH says that is what I get for letting the kids know they are loved by their Mom no matter what.

DD did this with hubby before her first year of college. My thoughts on it was if she went away mad it would not hurst so bad. The would fight everyday for 3 months. But she did cry.

Hey everyone! Fay went exactly as planned....I was prepared so it stayed away! Jennifer was definately closer than me, we're getting rain and high winds, but she may be out of power temporarily.

Mtblu-Sorry about your oldest. I agree that it's probably a coping mechanism. He has to break off a little emotionally to prepare himself to be away from home. But I'm not gonna love my kids any less unconditionally to test your hubby's theory! That's just the way moms are!

Glad you are okay. I hope the rest of our Fl group is okay

 

[Alesia]

Oldest DS is beginning to pack for college and will be leaving the 1st of September. He has had an attitude this summer and I have been on the receiving end of it. I think it is an emotional break from Mom. He wouldn't use that tone with Dad...he knows better. DH says that is what I get for letting the kids know they are loved by their Mom no matter what.

Ahh...
The joys of parenting...

 

[Jennifer823]

Hey all! My power is on! WOOHOO! Actually, we didn't lose it at all. The storm didn't get us too bad.

I'm so sore today from all that putting up of shutters yesterday, and like Hadleysun said, if you're prepared it won't come... we saw some wind and rain, but it was really nothing. I have four sisters who live in Naples and Bonita, where the center of the storm was, and they got it worse than us. One sister has a neighbor's tree in her driveway. I'm very thankful that we didn't get it too bad!

 

[Jakesmom1]

Sorry to hear everyone is having to deal with the storm. I hope it doesn't get any worse. I have been following it on the 'net. Does hurricane season in Florida usually start at this time of year?

Everybody be safe....!

Just an FYI Hurricane season down here starts in June and goes thru November

 

[jeankeri]

Glad all the Florida freaps are safe . We prepared for hurricane Gloria 30 years ago. This was in Boston a few years after the great blizzard of 78. We were so prepared- I still have the mega huge cooler we bought at Osco. Taped all the windows. Got nada... . But as you've said, the more you prepare, the less you get.

 

[It's A Happy Day]

I hope all of our fellow floridian freaps are doing ok

Where have all the meaps gone???? Dirty Bunny, EMT guy, others???? I haven't seen any of them around lately

 

[SHAYMARAYSMOM]

Morning all,
I hope all our Fl freaps are doing okay.
Today I am going to be home alone. DH is helping a buddy for the day and DD is working.
So once the visting nurse leaves it is me and the cat.

 

[It's A Happy Day]

MaddH....

I know your leaving for your trip soon, if we don't "see" each other before then, have a great trip!!! Watch that back & don't do anything I wouldn't do We'll miss you

 

[maddhatir]

MaddH....

I know your leaving for your trip soon, if we don't "see" each other before then, have a great trip!!! Watch that back & don't do anything I wouldn't do We'll miss you

Thanks, I am lurking a little here and there. I am trying to get some work done this month in 3 weeks, that usually takes me 4!

 

[hadleysun]

Hey Madd....Forget the work, forget your back, and do everything you want to do!

 

[kittymarcy]

MaddH....

I know your leaving for your trip soon, if we don't "see" each other before then, have a great trip!!! Watch that back & don't do anything I wouldn't do We'll miss you

A trip? I am sooo out of the loop. That's what I get for being a little over involved in my oldest begining Kindergarten...this is the 2nd week already! Anyway, so no JD for anyone for a week? The masses will be quite sad (and me if I make it back to the boards more often).

Hooray for our FL freaps! Hang in there.

 

[It's A Happy Day]

When you have to visit a public bathroom, you usually find a line of women, so you smile politely and take your place. Once it's your turn, you check for feet under the stall doors. Every stall is occupied.

Finally, a door opens and you dash in, nearly knocking down the woman leaving the stall.
You get in to find the door won't latch. It doesn't matter, the wait has been so long you are about to wet your pants! The dispenser for the modern 'seat covers' (invented by someone's Mom, no doubt) is handy, but empty. You would hang your purse on the door hook, if there was one, but there isn't - so you carefully, but quickly drape it around your neck, (Mom would turn over in her grave if you put it on the FLOOR! ), yank down your pants, and assume ' The Stance.'

In this position your aging, toneless thigh muscles begin to shake. You'd love to sit down, but you certainly hadn't taken time to wipe the seat or lay toilet paper on it, so you hold 'The Stance.'

To take your mind off your trembling thighs, you reach for what you discover to be the empty toilet paper dispenser. In your mind, you can hear your mother's voice saying, 'Honey, if you had tried to clean the seat, you would have KNOWN there was no toilet paper!' Your thighs shake more.

You remember the tiny tissue that you blew your nose on yesterday - the one that's still in your purse. (Oh yeah, the purse around your neck, that now, you have to hold up trying not to strangle yourself at the same time). That would have to do. You crumple it in the puffiest way possible. It's still smaller than your thumbnail

Someone pushes your door open because the latch doesn't work. The door hits your purse, which is hanging around your neck in front of your chest, and you and your purse topple backward against the tank of the toilet. 'Occupied!' you scream, as you reach for the door, dropping your precious, tiny, crumpled tissue in a puddle on the floor, lose your footing altogether, and slide down directly onto the TOILET SEAT .. It is wet of course. You bolt up, knowing all too well that it's too late. Your bare bottom has made contact with every imaginable germ and life form on the uncovered seat because YOU never laid down toilet paper - not that there was any, even if you had taken time to try. You know that your mother would be utterly appalled if she knew, because, you're certain her bare bottom never touched a public toilet seat because, frankly, dear, 'You just don't KNOW what kind of diseases you could get.'

By this time, the automatic sensor on the back of the toilet is so confused that it flushes, propelling a stream of water like a fire hose against the inside of the bowl that sprays a fine mist of water that covers your butt and runs down your legs and into your shoes. The flush somehow sucks everything down with such force that you grab onto the empty toilet paper dispenser for fear of being dragged in too.

At this point, you give up. You're soaked by the spewing water and the wet toilet seat. You're exhausted. You try to wipe with a gum wrapper you found in your pocket and then slink out inconspicuously to the sinks.

You can't figure out how to operate the faucets with the automatic sensors, so you wipe your hands with spit and a dry paper towel and walk past the line of women still waiting.

You are no longer able to smile politely to them. A kind soul at the very end of the line points out a piece of toilet paper trailing from your shoe. (Where was that when you NEEDED it??) You yank the paper from your shoe, plunk it in the woman's hand and tell her warmly, 'Here, you just might need this.'

As you exit, you spot your hubby, who has long since entered, used, and left the men's restroom. Annoyed, he asks, 'What took you so long, and why is your purse hanging around your neck?'

This is dedicated to women everywhere who deal with a public restrooms (rest??? you've GOT to be kidding!!). It finally explains to the men what really does take us so long. It also answers their other commonly asked questions about why women go to the restroom in pairs. It's so the other gal can hold the door, hang onto your purse and hand you Kleenex under the door!

This HAD to be written by a woman! No one else could describe it so accurately!

 

[Maggimus]

haha that was cute`

 

[hadleysun]

That is PERFECT! I always wondered why my grandma and my mother carried tissues in their bras/sleeves/waistbands, etc....until I was grown and a mother myself! Now I seem to stick them all over myself as well! My kids think I'm nuts, but when I'm handing them tissues at the utmost important of times, I give them the look! You know the one! The "See, I told you you'd appreciate my knowledge and loving committment to keeping you as clean and germ-free as possible sooner or later!" look.

 

[maddhatir]

To take your mind off your trembling thighs, you reach for what you discover to be the empty toilet paper dispenser.

This is great!!!!

When I read the one sentence- all I could think of was Elaine on Seinfeld......"Can you spare a square"

 

[OneBadApple]

That is priceless and kind of hits home.

 

[It's A Happy Day]

So I have to share my grocery savings with you....

I just "ran" to the store to do some back to school grocery shopping ~ you know without the kids so they don't see the mini pack, the juice boxes, etc. so you can hide them BEFORE they are seen and devoured like a stranded mans 1st site of food in months BEFORE school even starts. Now keep in mind I did buy some meat for supper tonight ($16.00). I got (6) juice boxes, (3) snack packs, (2) pkgs hot dogs, (2) pkgs sliced cheese, (9) boxes granola bars, (2) boxes of cereal, (6) boxes of tissues to bring in for the classroom, (2) large containers of crystal light, (2) bottles of minute maid lemonade, (4) lean cuisines for lunch, (2) boxes of wheat thins, and more...the cart was FULL! My bill totaled $171.99 and I spent $71.10....thats right baby, I only spent $71.10 for everything!!!

 

[hadleysun]

Ahhh, you gotta love coupons! Especially the ones for FREE items!

The other day I was also doing some shopping w/o the kiddies, for the same reason, and I saw an obviously very, very poor couple with a little girl. They seemed to be shopping in the same pattern that I was and I noticed they had gotten cheese slices, hot dogs, etc. but while I was getting the name brands they were getting the cheapest store brand they could get.... They were also using a calculator and were trying to decided what they could afford to buy and what they might be able to get by without....I felt so compelled to help them! I don't usually talk to strangers (except you guys ), but I had to! I showed them my coupons for the free kraft items and even took her up to the magazine rack to show her which magazine to buy. Free coupons are worth sharing! They actually looked a little stunned... I wasn't sure if it was the fact that some stranger started giving them shopping advice or if they just thought I was out and out kooky! But oh well.... I felt like I'd done my good deed for the day!