Conversions

I got my Tampa General ID badge today.  Tomorrow we may or may not go do an orientation at TGH for clinicals.  However, the "worry" over that will have to wait-I have a math test to study for tomorrow.  The big test.  The one that if we fail, we are unable to pass medications in the hospital.  The one that we only get to take twice, and no matter how well we do in the classroom setting-if we fail, well, we fail the entire semester.  So, no pressure right?

Today I've been studying (before I went into Tampa) math calculations.  I full believe that who ever made up the apothecary system of measurement needs to be shot.  Not fatally, but just enough that they can listen to the medical staff calculate how many drams of whatever to give him/her to save their life.  Oh, the meds don't come in drams?  you need me to calculate milligrams?  Let me bust out my calculator...this'll only take a few minutes.  What? you don't have a few minutes? your losing blood by the ounce?  Wait, let me translate that into metric.  I'm telling you...apothecary translation will be my downfall.  I have not even STARTED on Fahrenheit to Celsius.  5/9 or 9/5 can kiss my big old tukus!  (please don't correct my slang-I'm already doing it lol.)

As the parental units of this home, the spouse and I have decided to ban all carbonated high fructose corn syrup items in this house.   That includes us as well.  It's going to kill us all if we don't.  There are (as I already know, and my dearest Imzadi has pointed out so eloquently) many benefits of not drinking pop.  (that's "soda" to all you non-Yankee's)  I have in the past given up pop, one time for more than a year, but all it takes is a few drinks to get back on the addiction train.  CHOO CHOO, next stop headachville, and aggitation station.  Luckily I have found a comprable subsitute.  Crystal Light makes a grape with caffiene in it.  Doesn't taste quite as good as Target's grape, but if I mix it together, it tastes like grape kool-aid.  Bill and I are going cold turkey.  No more pop after tonight.  We are going to save a ton of money too.  I know I said somewhere that we are poor, living frugally so we can splurge, and well, this was one of our splurges.  By doing this, we may off-set the cost of healthier alternatives (you know, because it's so flippin' expensive to eat healthy...and they wonder why poor people are fat...who's the stupid ones there government?) 

So, now the question of the night is...what to have for dinner?  I have not been grocery shopping for the next week, I've been busy studying stupid apothecary conversions.

grocery day, and other assorted errands

Ah yes, grocery day.  The day that I use to like, and sometimes look forward to.  However, lately it seems that I LOATHE grocery day.  Maybe it's because the kids are home from school, and I have to buy for an extra few meals a day, or that I have to actually make sure there is snacks for them, or maybe they just are the worst grocery companions ever, and even though my husband would keep them all home for me to go alone, I kinda like the idea (before I leave the house) of not being alone in the grocery store.  However, Shelby will NEVER EVER EVER go with me when I go "big" grocery shopping.  Mostly because I'm not even down the first aisle before she's asking when it's time to go home.  I could probably get, $10 worth of produce in my cart and she'll be saying things like "Salad?  Really?  Just, Really?"  "We just had salad the other day, why do you want me to eat that stuff?"  Or, if we go down the meat aisle, she'll remind me that Zsusanna is sick of what ever meat that I pick up and put into the cart.  (that would be the buggy for all ya'll southern folk)  Then, because the Little Debbie display is right across from the meat section, I hear "Mommy, we haven't had (enter whatever overly sweet box of sugary goodness you want) ____ in FOREVER!"  So, when I say no, and there is a meltdown of epic proportions, everyone in the freezer and meat section will stop and look to see why that child is melting down, and then as she gets more aggressive in her plea for sugar, the dairy aisle will begin to hear, and they then change the way they are walking to come around the back corner to make sure that some poor child is not getting a beat down with a box of Twinkies.

 I just want to say that Twinkie the Kid is a wonderful acrobat.  He has flung himself into my cart unbeknownst to me on SEVERAL occasions.

Anyway....back to the problem at hand.   Grocery shopping.

So, yeah, Shelby doesn't go with me, unless there is an actual emergency that requires said child to accompany me to said public place.  It isn't pretty, and usually I need a couple of anti-psychotic drugs by the time I get home.

The older 3 have their own specific advantages, and disadvantages.  Zsusanna I can send off to get various things around the store, and she'll come back with JUST those items.  Stephanie, I have to worry about if she runs into a slim jim display.  The girl is addicted to dried meat products-and this is the child who wanted to be a vegetarian!  Dude, really?  Actually, it was a slim jim that interrupted her vegetarian run about 6 months ago.  It was the only time she feel off the wagon, until we kicked her off.  She was doing really well on it, but then she started to lose weight, and well, we thought it was the vegetarianism, we didn't realize she had mono.  Poor kid. 

Ok, how did this go from groceries to mono?  Oh yeah....my train of thought.  HOLY CRAP, it's after 11!  I really need to get on that list.  I've been REALLY slack in the past few months about grocery shopping.  Usually I'm really good at getting it organized and such.  But, as said previously-I think it's the summer thing.

Ok, So, back to the kids:

• Zsusanna-good at coming back to the cart with JUST the wanted items. 
• Stephanie-good at getting what she SHOULD have unless there is a dried meat product around.
• Shelby-no way, uh-uh, MAYBE if I have to-but mostly stays with the Daddy.
• Brina....we have not yet talked about Sabrina.

Sabrina is my go-to organizer.  When I come home with a lot of cans (like I will today), she is the one I get to organize the cupboard.  She is awesome at it.  Like, she's been the one in charge of cans since she was like...oh, I don't know-3?  However long I've been with Bill.  Whenever I get home from grocery shopping, she's the one I plop down in the corner, and I tell her, when I hand you cans, please organize them.  (Now, if I can get her to do her room-that would be AWESOME).  In the grocery store, Sabrina is always ready and willing to help.  I can send her to get things, and she'll come back with what I want, but if she isn't sure, she doesn't make stuff up (like a box of slim jims), she'll come back for clarification.  However, as my Special Child, she requires a lot of patience and love, and sometimes we don't get that at the grocery store.  Once in a while, I need a couple of valum when I get home from grocery shopping with her too.  Mostly just out of worry of what other people who are unwilling to share the world with people who are not "the norm" are going to do. 

So, I guess since it's after 11, and we have to meet the missionaries at the Church at 6, and I have not been grocery shopping in...well, I plead the 5th.  I should get off here, get that list completed (at least there are meals on my list), pick a kid and go.  Last time there was a fight over who wanted to go! LOL

ahhhhh, the joys of parenting bored children in the summer.

"I care"

I have said this past weekend that my "I care" button has been broken.  It seems that there is nothing I can do for myself that will cause me to actually WANT to do something for anyone what so ever.  I'm burnt out on caring.  It's a fact.  I want to walk around flicking people in the ear, or in the back of the head and tell them what's wrong with them.  I don't, because well, that would be REALLY bad, but I sure as heck don't wanna give a crap about someone  I don't like very much.  (no, not my husband-but a couple of my kids maybe...or, well, I'll leave some imagination for you guys.)
Anywho, I really have had a hard weekend at work, actually this whole past week was horrible.  State showed up this week to do their yearly survey.  They walk around, make sure everything is a kosher dill pickle, and all that jazz.  Well, we got one tag, just like last year we only got one tag.  Thankfully it wasn't the SAME tag.  Last year it was dining, this year it was call lights.  So, on top of that stressfull situation, our lead CNA was out on vacation, along with our unit manager, and one of our regular girls.  So, as back-up lead CNA, I got to play leader while state was in the building.  So, I got to do my assignment (which has some very flickable people on it-but I would NEVER. EVER.) make sure all the paperwork was up to date, and make sure all my own paperwork was completed, then run around behind everyone else and make sure THEIR paperwork was completed.  It was too much.  I'm burnt out.  I need a vacation from this past week.  I need a $5/hour raise just because of last week alone.  There were some problems end of the week (I told you I don't really flick people) that I thought I would have to stick up for a resident (even though they were in the wrong) because she fully has her mind and knew the consequences of her actions.  I can not force someone who is there own person to do the right thing, even if they are wrong.  Not my job. 

anyway....sorry....moving on...

Today is Sunday, and we are broke.  I have less than a half tank of gas, a tire with a nail in it, and no cat food.  We have just enough money in the bank to cover the auto payment for the a/c that is coming out at the end of the week.  PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let Friday get here before we go negative in the bank.  We have not been negative in the bank for a long time.  We do have a pretty strick budget that we pretty well keep to, but there are a few times a year we look and think, wow...did we party last night?  Cause if we are that low, I wanna at least think that I've had fun blowing it all.  Sheesh.  Being a grown-up is hard work, like, REALLY hard work.

I should totally be in bed.  It's 15 minutes past my bedtime.  But at least I can say that our lead CNA will be back tomorrow, and she can have her cursed position.  I would've loved to take her assignment, and have JUST 4 people to take care of, cause then I could actually make sure that EVERYTHING was done properly, and not just "I think" it's done properly.

I can't wait until tomorrow at 3:15pm when I can walk out those side doors at work and say SEE YA!  I mean, really...seriously....I'm gone!  At least tomorrow I'll have that extra 20 minutes that I won't be stuck in the back room supervising breakfast.  20 minutes is an other person out of bed!  If I can get to that tomorrow, I'll be set for the day!  I don't even remember what it's like not having to be all rushed rushed, and actually having time to be able to help my co-workers.  The prospect of it is awesome!  (watch tomorrow be the biggest pain in the butt day)

Anywho....on a COMPLETELY different note...

Saturday is BIG grocery shopping day.  Like, 2 shopping carts kinda grocery shopping.  (oh wait, I live in the south....they call them buggies! ha ha)  Gonna stock up a little bit on some food storage.  Found out the family likes Aldi's instant mashed potatoes.  They only use water, so in an emergency situation, they would be easier to make than other instant potatoes that require water, milk, and butter to make.  Also, their green beans are ok.  Corn is-eh.  I'm a little unimpressed with their corn.  Tastes to me like field corn, but how on earth would I know what field corn tastes like?  Well, that's an other story.


;-)



oh yeah, and the bitch pills worked....crap-well, sorta crap