Fail

Here it is, the end of November, and I have failed again. I started out strong. I had a plot and I knew what I wanted to write. But I guess I didn't care enough. I wrote a little over 8,000 words for my novel for NaNoWriMo and then I quit. I had the best intentions. I really wanted to succeed this year. But I couldn't make it happen.

But on a more positive note, I continued to take care of my kiddos, I worked two jobs, I survived through several terrible stomach bugs, and I became a Girl Scout leader. Yea, Me!

Not The Usual Suspect

Friday night is the night I try to get some house cleaning done. Not a lot, but I would like to begin the weekend with a comfy, cozy, clean-ish, house. This past Friday Kenna and I were doing some chores in the living room and kitchen. Kenna was actually helping. She didn't like it, but she was helping. Kaemie was doing something in her room. I went in there and talked to her. She said she was cleaning her room. I got mad about something, I don't even remember what it was, but I lectured her with my "mommy voice" (not yelling) for several minutes. After this lecture I went back to the kitchen.

Moments later, Kenna is right there, tugging on my shirt, telling me that Kaemie called me a name. When I asked what Kaemie called me and granted Kenna permission to say it (because she would never say that word) she told me that Kaemie called me a "bitch." I laughed. You see, Kaemie does not call me names. Kaemie is sixteen years old and has never screamed "I hate you" at me. She has never stomped off to her room and slammed her door. I am not exaggerating. NEVER. I laughed all the way down the hallway to confront Kaemie. I laughed with Kenna following me with a smug look on her face. She just knew Kaemie was gonna get it.

I was laughing so hard I could barely get the words out to ask Kaemie if she called me a bitch. Kaemie was laughing too. She nodded while she was laughing, though. Then she said, "I didn't call you a bitch, I said you were acting like a bitch." How she said that with a straight face I will never know, but it made me laugh even harder. Now the look on Kenna's face has changed from smug to confused. Kenna gets in trouble when she calls people (me) a bitch. She is looking from Kaemie to me and back again with wide eyes and a arrogant/questioning look on her face. She is waiting for Kaemie to get grounded, soap, or even worse. I had to stop laughing long enough to explain to her that Kaemie was in trouble for calling me a name, but that since Kaemie didn't do it very often I wasn't sure of her punishment yet, and just because I was laughing about Kaemie doing it didn't mean that I would laugh the next time Kenna did it. And I reminded her that she was being a tattle-tale.

Kenna Quote of the Week - Part 2

Kenna has started this weird "tic" where she just moves her head to the side, leaving her neck still. It looks like she is trying to pop her neck, but it is odd. She did this "tic" during her entire school program last night. Kaemie and I commented on it after the program. "Kenna, you were ticcing like crazy up there." She said, "Oh, man! I didn't tic all morning so of course I had to tic tonight!"

I guess that during rehersal, someone reminded her not to do that, but they couldn't remind her not to do it during the performance. She did real well, though. Such a cutie!

Kenna Quote of the Week

Last night Kenna didn't get to bed until after 9:30 because of her school program. When I tucked her in she asked if she could read. I told her that since it was so late, she couldn't. She told me that she was going to read if she wanted because I wasn't her boss. I kissed her good-night and quietly walked out of her room, flipping the light switch off as I went by. I hear her whisper, "I hate you."

Nice? No. But I won that one.

Vote!

I was at the polling place by 6:40 AM and out by 7:00 AM. Not bad. I hope everyone gets out to vote. I thought I would use this opportunity to share Kenna's reasoning for voting for Obama at school. "That other guy, (is it McCain?) wants to build a gate around the United States to keep Mexico out." Well, we all have our reasons! I wish you short lines and working machines!