Of the DECADE??!

It's the last day of the decade. Of the decade.

It's been one heck of a decade for me, too. In fact, in the beginning of this decade I was a whole different kind of Spaz. I was a Spaz just starting out on my journey of motherhood and adulthood and responsibility and all that jazz.

I rang in the new decade with a tiny infant not even 1 month old in my arms. I remember that New Years Eve so clearly, too. I sat at Jenny's mom and dad's house on her old bed with one of my oldest friends (who I sadly am not in contact with any longer) and he and I looked at my brand new child in amazement.

I was newly married, young and so very clueless back then. I guess I'm still pretty clueless... less young, though. ;)

Over the last 10 years I've divorced a man who loved himself more than anyone else, found the love of my life in The Man, been lucky enough to be the mother to three incredible children, learned to be a grown up, learned to be a mom and a real partner, figured out a lot about who I really am and learned not to be ashamed of it or apologize for it... and realized that I'm still changing.

I've learned that the only thing that really matters is the people you love and as long as they're around you, everything really will be alright.

I've learned to forgive little grievances and to look at things from other people's point of view. I've seen beauty in places I wouldn't have dreamed I'd see it and ugliness in places I'd never expect it.

I've grown up enough in the past decade to realize I have a lot of growing up left to do.

And I truly believe that the next 10 years are going to be better than I can imagine.

My resolutions for this next year? This next ten years? To live my life without petty worries. To live my life without wondering what someone else is thinking. To experience the things I've always hoped to experience and to learn as much as I can learn.

And to stop playing Farmville.

Chickens and Turkeys and Ducks, Oh My!

I've finally figured it out. I've figured out why my house cannot seem to maintain any level of cleanliness, why the laundry is out of control, why this blog has been hopelessly overlooked, and why my kids have had chicken nuggets and pizza as their main staples for the last month or so.

That's right... there is an evil lurking in my life. An evil so powerful, so mind altering, so alluring and seemingly harmless that I have allowed it to creep into my world and take over.

The evil's name is Farmville.

That's right. I said it. Damn you, Zynga Game Network! Damn you!

It started harmlessly enough. I had dabbled a bit in the realm of Facebook games. I'd had a nice time decorating a little apartment in YoVille and had spent some time challenging other sisters in Sorority Life. But I knew my limitations and I could stop at any time.

It was then when I started getting invitations.

"B1 wants you to be her neighbor in Farmville!"

I quickly hit the ignore button. I didn't need to play any other games.

But then the next day the invitation would come again.

"B1 wants you to be her neighbor in Farmville!"

Ignore.

After a few of these invitations I finally got a call from B1.

"Why won't you be my neighbor?"

I began the explanation. Oh, B1, I'd love to but you know I just don't have time for that and I already played a little too much of the other games and I really need to focus on some other things in my life and...

"I need 8 neighbors to upgrade my farm. I need you to be my neighbor."

*sigh*

Okay.... what harm could it do to just be a good neighbor?

And that's how it started.

The next thing I knew I was scouring my friends posts for lost chickens and cows and sheep. I was laying out patterns for crops and calculating what would bring me the most revenue. I was devising strategies and arranging my livestock and clicking and clicking and CLICKING.

I was hastily rushing home to harvest before my crops died. I was fertilizing friends crops. I was accepting gifts.

And my life? My real life?

It was crumbling around me.

I'm vowing now to leave the farm behind me. To stop it, to let it go! It's a new years resolution of sorts. I will not let the farm run my life.

And I'm calling out to you, you know who you are, to put the mouse down! Blink the hay bales out of your eyes and return to your families! It's time to say goodbye, Farmville, goodbye and good riddance.

The post you've been in angsty anticipation of for all this time...

It sure has gotten dusty around here, hasn't it?

I have no excuse for not posting in almost 2 months... life hasn't really been busier than it ever was before (I mean, except for the holidays and all - whew!), there haven't been any illnesses or worse, and my computer has been working just fine.

I just haven't wanted to. I guess I haven't felt like I had anything really important to say lately.

Things around the Spaz household have been busy as usual. November brought us some cooler weather (thank goodness!) and The Man has been busier than ever with his plans to take over the world. In fact, he's gotten so busy that he put in his two weeks notice with the security business just before Thanksgiving and is now focusing all his efforts on world domination.

Thanksgiving was a wonderful, albeit short, vacation to my mom and dad's house in North Carolina where we searched for snow (but didn't find any) and enjoyed the welcome break from Florida's heat.

I managed to snap this great picture of the kids for Christmas cards just before my camera died, never to be revived again.

We made the long trek back to South Florida Thanksgiving night so The Man could report for work the next night and life got back to normal for a little while and then before we knew it Bug was turning 10.

When it hits me that I've been a mom for an entire decade it just boggles my mind. You'd think I'd have a good grasp on this whole motherhood/parenting thing by now, right? Wrong.

Bug had a great birthday at Lion Country Safari with one of his friends from school. We fed giraffes by hand, we saw giant alligators, and of course, lions. The kids frolicked in the water park area and we ate greasy funnel cakes. Of course, I have no pictures because my camera died... did I mention that already?

And then just when I thought I was getting a grasp on the insanity that is my house, Christmas came along to ruin any sort of control I may have thought I had on the chaos. The Christmas tree went up (with much wailing and gnashing of teeth on The Man's part), the kids decorated it all by themselves (and it looked honestly, just about as good as I've ever done), the presents went under and then the day finally came.

At 7 AM (not too bad, don't you think?) we were woken by the angelic voice of Goober. "Hey guys! Get up! It's CHRISTMAS!!!"

And the mayhem began. Wrapping paper and ribbons that I had so carefully put together were torn and thrown into the air. We struggled with clamshell packaging and twisty ties and screw drivers needed to install batteries. It was beautiful. And it was only the beginning.

In total our kids get FOUR Christmases. One at The Man's dad's house on Christmas Eve, one in the morning at our house, one at The Man's aunt's house, and one at my mom and dad's. It makes for three very sugar filled, dazed, and jolly children.

Yesterday I just couldn't take it anymore and I took down the tree and put away all the Christmas decorations until next year. I just can't wait to get my house back under control.

Unfortunately it still looks like Santa Claus and about ten of his elves (and perhaps a couple of reindeer) had a giant drunken party in my living room, but I'll get it under control soon enough. :)

How was your holiday this year?