Does cuddling with a Carrot Cat count?

Did you know that today is.........

Yep!  So you might want to have some Carrot Cake to celebrate!  Or.... to make up for missing the celebration!

Today, I spent most of the day, finishing up my blogs that I had to batch post and posting them to finish catching up.  Of course it was interrupted with this and that and the other thing, but ... I DID IT!

In addition to that, I spent most of the like this.....

Who knew my foot made such a good pillow?

So the day just raced by.  Of course, I didn't fall asleep until after 5 AM and then I didn't get up until almost 1.... so I guess, that could be the reason the day felt so short.  I really wish I could change that, but I just will fall asleep wherever...  if my body just shuts down and is like - nope, I'm done.   So I don't like being left alone with the kids anymore.  I mean my little kids, maybe, because I know they can kinda take care of themselves a bit - but definitely not Elly ...  I would hate to be watching her and just not be able to wake up.   Well not unless I know I've gotten enough sleep where I won't be to the point of not waking up.

Anyway ....  before I knew it was dark out, and I finally finished up the blogs.  I am starting the season of Big Brother UK 2009.  It should be interesting...

My view ....

Kale was hiding in his room (still fighting his toothache AND his ribs hurting from falling at the school a few weeks ago on that ice patch) ...   Shila was on the big computer playing WOW, Nathan was sleeping, Cal and Noah were playing on the X-Box, DB working on his homework on the other side of them, and then Kaedyn....

 There was a convo with Kaedyn....

I am standing by him, looking at him... and he starts to take off his headphones ....

K: What?
Me: Nothing, I'm just looking at you.  Can't I look at you?
K: Noooooooooooooo!
Me: Why?
K: I'm trying to watch a video!
Me: Oh, well EXCUSE me! Carry on....

So ... instead of starting to work on this blog, I decided to update my header first.....   this is what it was.

This is what it is now.....

I had 7 kids on my last header, but I put 8 on this one.   See...   I have the four boys I gave birth to.  Cal, Noah, Nathan & Kaedyn.  I have the one that I adopted, Kale.  Then there is Shila and Alana ... Kale and Cal's future wives, my future daughter-in-laws.  They are mine too.  But then there is The Princess, DB's daughter from a previous relationship.  I am not raising her (mainly because she's not allowed, or even encouraged, to even care about this family. She didn't even know about DB being her Dad until recently - and of course it's all DB's fault that she doesn't know about him, when infact, we have NEVER had their address to send anything, he's tried calling but every phone call was met with name calling and berating and nothing but disrespect towards DB.  Verbal abuse.  So what was the choice, to stop calling? Or to keep letting himself be torn down?  DB suffers severe depression.  It's not an excuse.  When you are already telling yourself you are a piece of shit, and you are met with other people constantly telling you such, it's not okay.  But "he could have kept calling" ... yeah he could have, but he'd probably have been pushed to the point of not being here anymore.  It's not my fight.  It's not.  Could he be doing more, sure, I'm sure he could be.  But how can he when he's not allowed to?  She (Mom) doesn't care to even encourage any relationship with him and their daughter.
There was a conversation that went something like this.  Jessa is upset because she wants to know why you have that family, and left us, and didn't want us.  And DB was taken back by that.  She says "I didn't say ANYTHING to encourage her to not like you" ...  but then the following was said ...  "I told her I didn't know" .... well, that's not true.  You did know.  There were issues in the relationship between "Mommy and Daddy" and you guys had to split up.  It was better for you guys to be apart and lets face it,  you are both happier in the relationships you have now.  Right?  So it was the right thing to do.  Right?  Daddy had to go his way, and Mommy had to go hers.  And let's not forget how Daddy has TRIED to have contact with his daughter, but Mommy and new "Daddy" haven't allowed it at all.  I mean - she didn't have to say that part, but by saying "I don't know" she just encouraged the thought of "well my Dad doesn't care about me" which is so far from the truth it's not even remotely funny.

But whatever...  On one hand, I understand that she's trying to do what "she thinks is best" ...  and no matter if I agree with her or not, it doesn't matter.  The fight is between the two of them, but she's always "dominated" and he hasn't ever had a voice in that relationship, so I don't expect that to happen.  He hasn't seen her in almost 10 years.  He hasn't talked to her since she was two months shy of turning 2.

So anyway - I've always had this inner dilemma - I always say she's part of the family - no matter what.  We relish any and all pictures we get of her (which aren't many) ...  but she is a part of our family.  I have a big box of gives we got her when she was little - that I am considering just giving Elly and Clairah since even if we would be able to give the stuff to her, it's all stuff from when she was little and would have no interest in now... which is sad.

So I go back and forth - do I include her in my stuff?  Do I include her when I say "I'm mom of ...." this many?   I have never even met her.  No doubt I love her, I would treat her as if she's my own.... she's ALWAYS be welcome in our house no matter what.  She is DB's which makes her mine.

But I do still have that inner pull on if it would be more insulting to include her - or not include her.  Would I hear "you aren't my mom!" or "why didn't you include me?" ...   so I just say f*** it at this point, and I'm including her.

I call the kids "The Gremlins" ... it's a thing.  A few years ago, I started saying "That's right, I bathed them, I fed them after midnight, and you better believe I showed them the light!"  LOL...  So that became a thing ... LOL...

I asked Kaedyn the other night, though ...  if he knew what a Gremlin was...

I showed him ... I said "This is what one looks like when it's cute."   He goes "that looks weird"

Then I showed him this picture......

And I said - If you get them wet, feed them after midnight, or put it out in sunlight .... then they turn into that.  HA HA HA....  I said "They are naughty ... bunch of trouble makers ... just like you and your brothers."

DB chimes in and says ..... "No, the quote is 'Keep him out of light, he doesn't like it, especially sunlight. It'll kill him.  Keep him away from water, don't get him wet.  But do not feed him after midnight, no matter how he cries or begs'"  and I was all "nuh-huh" ...  and then I looked it up, and he was right.   CRAP!

Yeah ....

Anyway - that's about it now.