AN EMPTY TOILET PAPER ROLL AND OTHER PET PEEVES!!

Although I still consider myself to be slightly higher maintenance than the average gurl I am much more easy going in general than I used to be! That being said, there are however a few things that absolutely drive me insane. Is it just me or does it bother anyone else (who shares a bathroom with someone) when you get in a shower only to find a big nasty clump of hair (that is definately not your own) clinging to the wall of the shower? Call me crazy or just too sensitive, but DON'T LEAVE YOUR HAIR CLINGING TO THE SHOWER WALL it just really ICKS me out!!! On the same topic (of hairs being where they don't belong) does it gross anyone else out when there are little hairs of unknown origin on the soap??? I dunno, maybe I am strange!

I live alone part time , that is when Devilteen is at the other place where she lives, and I have lived alone for most of my life, so maybe I have just been spoiled by not having to share my space with others. I guess I've become used to having things a certain way in my home, don't get me wrong, I AM NOT a neat freak, but I like things to be in their place, and I kinda like not having to pick up after others. One thing I just take for granted is that when I use the bathroom, there WILL be toilet paper on the roll! Remember that I live alone for most of the week, and when I know that the roll is almost empty, I will leave a full one on the counter so I don't have to , ah, you know, leave my post in the middle to retreive a fresh roll of paper.Am I just picky? It's just that too often I am stranded with no toilet paper and no one to come to my rescue BECAUSE I LIVE ALONE sort of.

While I am venting... my child is SO like me in some ways that I have to bite my tongue when she does something Lushgurl-like (my tongue used to be long enough to reach my chin, now I'm lucky if I can lick my own mouth!) An example of a major tongue biting episode is whenever Devilteen has homework, like over the Christmas holidays. She has some trouble focusing, slight ADD problem, and I totally get THAT, but, she had quite a hefty amount of work to complete on her break, and I being the mom, feel it is MY job to encourage (read remind) her to complete these many tasks. It is a fine line between encouragement and nagging though as I have recently found out. On this past weekend it became very clear to me exactly HOW MUCH work Devilteen had saved for the last weekend before returning to school. Let's see , she had not one, but TWO projects, an assignment in her civics class which she is this close to failing (her work is a part of credit recovery), a quite lenghty assignment in English and, well I guess that's it. But she left it ALL until this weekend...

I KNOW it is not for me to worry about, Devilteen must take responsibility for her school work, it's just that I know how it feels to put something off and off until you haven't any time left and then you get over whelmed at the daunting task. I KNOW!!! I have told Devilteen that if she doesn't finish her work on time it makes it harder to catch up later. I have reminded her of the times when she did well at something and the sense of pride she had for her efforts. I have also said that if she does her very best , that no one can ask for more. I didn't yell or threaten or bribe, so why is it that on the very LAST day before all this stuff is due that I am the one getting stressed out about homework?I DON'T EVEN HAVE HOMEWORK!!! I did what I could to Help, not Enable her, but I don't know if all the work got done, I guess I'll find out later. Oh, and BTW, I am getting MUCH better at not leaving things to the last minute---(I am aiming for progress not perfection!)

Here now, is another fine-line dilemma that I have yet to figure out... How does one know when to help and when to not help? Would you like an example ? Good, 'cause I just happen to have one! So hypothetically, let's say I have a friend and let's say that hypothetically this friend is as close to perfection as any 'earthling' is likely to be. O.K. now let's just say that this friend has a new born baby (and hypothetically, two Other children that are not actually part of this hypothetical story). So one day -well actually many days, but this ONE in particular- this friend has said she was going to come for a visit. "Great" I say, and I really mean it because I actually really enjoy this persons' company. So what's the problem, I know you're wondering? The problem is that this friend will come to the door with a baby in a car seat, a diaper bag, a few bags of stuff to show me that she has just purchased and more times than not, Timmy's coffee for us!!! I know hypothetical friend, you are indeed perfection on earth, but WHY can't you let me help you SOMETIMES- hypothetically??? Even mere mortals like me want to know that we are needed OCCASIONALLY-hypothetically!!! Well suffice it to say that this hypothetical friend is also in recovery, but I am older and wiser dammit and I WILL help you leave, so there!

Yes I am a bit of a freak, but to be fair, I did warn you about my freakiness in the profile of this Blog!! I'm just doing the best I can today, to be a better mom, abetter friend and (hypothetically) a better person. I guess that's it for now...ciau!