Coming up for air

Well, since my last post I have received a ton of support from friends and family! Apparently, I appear to be holding it all together in spite of the mess I think I am. I referred to my last post as 'verbally vomiting' and since then I feel much better. It's easy to forget that no matter if you haven't talked to someone in ten years, or if you just talked to them yesterday, a friend will always think of you and wish you well. The new skill I am try to master is to accept help in the manner in which its given. Learn to trust, learn to forgive and learn to move on.

It's funny how people pop up just when you need them.

I just had my first house guests this past weekend. My house is in reasonably decent shape for someone who has just been here a scant four months. The Hub's cousin, his wife and daughter came to stay with us. We had not visited with them for seven years. It was very good to see them and now I have family semi-close by. Tara made me promise to call her before I hit 'crisis mode' in the future and that she would be happy to be my sounding board especially since we are in the same time zone.  She's also familiar with some of the different school systems and can answer any questions, however daft, and set me on the right track. Tara also has a wicked sense of humor and I find sarcasm strangely comforting.

Life is much more level a the moment. I finally bullied the teacher and the special needs coordinator into letting Bean attend first thing in the morning. (There are only four weeks left of term, but I picked my battle.)I reasoned that he would be involved in the actual school routine and not just coming in at the end of the day when the class is participating in free play time. The change in his behavior is short of a miracle. Well, to them maybe. To me, it was pretty common sense. It was a big deal for the Bean to be able to walk with his classmates and peers to school and line up with all the other kids saying good-bye to their Mums. It made him feel like part of the group and not the outcast who can only attend the late part of the day. He is sitting for lesson, attending assembly and his tantrums and mood swings have settled down. I also got to witness what a 'lady's man' he is already. Yea, apparently his social skills in that respect are top notch.

However, his 'openers' need a little work. We were at the playground the other morning when a little girl and her grandpa came to play as well. They introduced themselves and then Bean followed up with, 'Do you like spiders?' Smooth - like butter. Meh, we'll let that go for now.

I will have another house guest landing this Thursday (Eek! That's tomorrow!) My first 'American' visitor. It promises to be a ton of fun. I get to play tourist and the 'warden' has even granted me a night away in London.  Since Becky is allergic to cats, this will be a good trial run for the in-laws visit next Spring. I have dusted, vacuumed, washed bedding and sealed off the premises to keep the cat hair accumulation to a minimum. But in true cat fashion, every time I go open the door, she zooms into the room like I have open cans of tuna, empty boxes and catnip tossed everywhere. It doesn't help that she thinks I bought the vintage telephone table just for her leisure. Here is what a telephone table looks like, in fact it looks exactly like the one in my guest room:

Thank you British Heart Foundation Furniture and Electrical Store. I have found some really cool stuff there and at very reasonable prices. My coffee table is another sweet deal I found there, too. I would really recommend frequenting thrift shops and local charity shops for a plethora of shopping needs. So far, we have managed to bag two beautifully framed countryside prints and two signed and numbered prints of bridges in Cambridge. Here's the artist's website. Not to mention the wealth of books,  pottery, and one slightly used scooter. The scooter in the storefront of the sports store adjacent to the charity shop where we purchased Bean's new wheels (for four pounds fifty, mind you) was seventy-five pounds. The scooter had some nicks and scratches, but nothing worse than what the Bean would do in an average afternoon.

So now I am off to the base to get some necessities at the Commissary. I have been stoked since I found out  that the Commissary will take coupons up to six months out of date. Even more excited that the Family Readiness Center on base has tons of coupons for the taking- you just have to sift through to see which ones you will actually use. The last time I went to the FRC to get the coupons they were closed. I was bummed. I took my binder and everything. My plan was let Bean play while I plowed through the mountain of coupons.  I am not one of those coupon divas - but I do feel that every little bit helps and if you have a coupon for something you know you're going to buy anyway then it's a win-win.

Next post will probably have incriminating photos of my overnight stay in London. It will be titled: "What to do in London when you're childless and husband-less for the first time in five years". OK that may be a bit wordy, but you get the point.

Cheers!