A Mile a Minute: The World of Mrs. Saditty

Day 5- Adult ADD

Okay, it is Day 5 of maternity leave and I am already bored stiff. Well, not bored per se. I always joke about having Adult ADD and I think that the joking has come true. I cannot concentrate on ANYTHING. Since I've been off, I've played classroom Mom, did a little cleaning, and attempted a few other things. The only things I can concentrate on are texting, talking on the phone, and Twitter...ain't that sad?

My husband said, "All you need is a hobby." Is he kidding?

I've been trying to get thru this book so that I can get started on a new hobby for nearly a year! I don't know guys, maybe I should've worked until I went into labor at my desk (like I did last time). But, if any of you out there care to entertain a lonely, bored, pregnany lady---holla! Until then? Back to my main form of entertainment:

Tears

Family, I am so sad to report that I could not shed a tear over the death of Michael Jackson... I tried but I just couldn't. Steve McNair? Nope. I did grow misty-eyed over Farrah because she was one of my first sheroes and I had an awesome lunchbox with her pic on it. I think the last celebrities that I had hard cries over were Gerald Levert and Ed Bradley. In fact, I almost burned my house down because I was cooking while drinking and having my own personal funeral for Ed Bradley but that's another story (NEVER try pouring out a lil Cabernet for a homie near a stove). Anyway, when I heard about the death of E. Lynn Harris, I was devastated. I cried like a baby. This hit your girl hard. When I called my sister, she was driving and had to pull over. It hit her hard. My girl Felicia described it best when she said that she was "numb". Why? Not only was he a great author that was full of truth and honesty, he was a genuine person. I had the pleasure of meeting him on two Yes, he had purchased a copy of MY book and wanted an autograph...can you believe???The second time I met him, he didn't remember our first meeting but joked that I was one of his characters (Windsor) come to life...lol...and on both occassions, he was funny, warm, giving, loving, and well...he was warm. Like you had been knowing him for years. And you know what? Every person who has ever met him says the same things about him. Consistant. Real. Warm. That was the E. Lynn we all knew. We laughed and cried. We cheered his heroic characters on and wanted to murder the villians. I will never forget his laugh or the grip of his handshake. Real people are hard to come by and the world has lost one. What are we going to do without Basil, Kyle, Raymond, and that bitch Yancy B? E. Lynn, you left us way too soon....

 

Overjoyed!

What is this, you ask? Why it is the President's Award for Educational Excellence and it was presented to Biggest Saditty at his schools awards program on Friday night.  Now, those of you who know me know that bragging is not in my thing but this is an exception. Why? Remember, this is the same child that was incorrectly labled as "ADD/ADHD", "mildly autistic", "learning disabled", "slow" and a myriad of other crap . On top of this award being totally unexpected, I was also blown away by both his test scrores and his final grades for the year. It seems like this son of mine took the Iowa test and blew it completely out of the water. Speech and language therapy along with modifications, patience, and prayer have taken us to this point. I can kick myself for wanting to give up in the past! On top of his superb test scores, he finished the year with an overall 97 avereage. Yes, my baby. To ANYONE out there who is frustrated with your child and/or the school system, keep pushing on and praying--any situation can change. OK....on to more pictures...

Biggest getting his Presidential Award from the Principal.

The First Grade Teacher presenting my baby with awards for Math, Science, Social Studies, and Spelling. Gotta work on that reading....

In other school news, we also had the best kind of birthday party (the school party, with no mess at home, no passing out invitations and minimal cleanup)for Itty Bitty who turned 3.

I can't believe this girl refused to stand on the chair....making her poor, pregnant mama bend.....

The birthday girl and her brothers....wow! I finally got them to look all in the same direction at once!

Well, tommorow Middle Saditty (on the right) graduates from pre-K. He asked me if its okay for him to quit school after tommorow because he is tired...says he can just try to find a job....NO WORDS! LOL  Pray for me as these graduations are so wonderful and I am usually the parent that just sits and cries thru the whole thing!

As always, there is a message in me for someone out there...not sure who but its for someone. If you occassionally get down on yourself and think that you fail at being a parent--lighten up. Parenting (especially single parenting, remember I have been there) can be a struggle and sometimes, we cme close to throwing in the towel. We feel as though we have no help and that everything in the world is against us and although the struggle continues, joy always begins. When you look at the product of your hard work (yes, your beautiful children), you won't think about money problems, divorce, lonliness, or bad relationships, depression, or any of that stuff. You'll simply see them and how far you've come. If you've had some type of failure in the past or feel inadequate in any way, looking at your kids will make you see that you actually are a winner. Love ya'll! Mrs. S

On top of the world!

Don't adjust your computer's settings because you are seeing correctly! And I am sitting on top of the world. Sure, its time to look for a bigger house, a bigger Mommie Mobile, buy baby things all over again but those things are simply taking a back seat to my bliss! My whole world is about to change again and although it is unexpected, I am ready for the challenge!!

Jamaica? No Problem!

Hey ya'll! It's been a few days but your girl has been distracted. I have the most WONDERFUL news in the world to share with ya'll but I'll wait another day or so.Needless to say, I am back in effect! I wanted to share a few pics of our trip with you guys...

A shot from the airport shuttle en route from Montego Bay to Ocho Rios.

 The view of Ocho Rios from our little porch.

 

 

  Jerk baby, jerk baby, jerk jerk jerk!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A picture of a natural waterfall at The Ruins. I kept hearing running water while in our room or on the porch and could not figure it out where it was coming from(it helped me to sleep like a BABY!). We became hungry and wandered off and discovered this right next door!

An alternate view of the Falls at the Ruins.

 

The famous and fabulous Dunn's River Falls. It took Mr. S and I nearly an hour to climb from beach level to the top of the falls. Not bad? Wrong! A group of eightysomething year old Austrian and German tourists beat us up there by about twenty minutes. I couldn't take my camera on the actual climb BUT I wish you guys could see them standing at the summit in their Speedos and micro-kinis...a-m-a-z-i-n-g!

 

Mr. S is going to HELL. Why, you ask? Well meet Carlton. Carlton works at Evitas, a restaurant in the Blue Mountains with an AMAZING view. It was booked solid every single night....until Mr. S got the bright idea ofcalling and saying that I was a food critic attempting to write a review. Instantly, we had a table on a balcony overlooking Jamaica. Carlton wasted no time telling us how he was an aspiring actor and planned to come to America and put Idris Elba out of work. He insisted on posing and slipped Mr. S a headshot, asking him to give it to his "producer friend"....WTF?????? The closest my husband has ever been to a producer was in a concession line at a Star Trek convention. Carlton honey, don't hold your breath. Since everyone thought I was a food critic, the service was OFF THE HOOK. The food? Imagine licking motor oil off your car's axle. Got it? Good. I guess that was our punishment!

 

A view of the Carribean from Reggae Beach.

Peep this cute little wagon. Vendors push them up and down the street, selling fresh steam roasted peanuts. Mr. S insisted on buying me a bag. I was hesitant but when I bit into the warm creamy goodness called a steam roasted peanut, I was in sheer heaven. Imagine how fast I came crashing down when I stood on the sidewalk chewing as the vendor fetched more water to make steam----OUT OF THE FRIGGING DITCH!!!!!

Mr. S and his 746,288th Rum Punch.

In all, we had a wonderful time with lots of laughs. and great memories were made. It was super affordable.  After talking to a few islanders, we learned how bad the recession/near Depression is hurting the tourism industry. As always, visits to the Carribean and other parts of the world are beautiful yet eye opening. In the United States, we are TRULY blessed. The people of Jamaica are becautiful, humble, and so happy. Makes you think....in the US, we have everything but are not happy with anything. The people of Jamaica and other nations have nothing but still manage to be happy. How can they be happy with nothing but we are miserable with everything? Counting blessings is definitely something that I need to work on!

Love ya'll! Mrs. S

My Funny (and belated) Valentine

I know that I am nearly a week late but here we go! Valentines is my favorite holiday so of course me and the kiddies go all out. This year, Mr. S FINALLY decided to join in the fun...this is pic heavy and may take a bit to load but enjoy!

 They looooved the idea of ditching uniforms for the day. Because V-tines fell on a Saturday, the school celebrated on Friday.

 Middle Saditty's class did a presentation that was priceless! (PEEP that "come hug me" look in his eyes)

 Mr S brought home two new additions to the family. This is Itty Bitty's baby Saudia Saditty. Now keep in mind that is what we were going to name our next (and final) child so I guess this is his way of telling me that we are done????

 Okay. I am sooo addicted to watching A&E's "The First 48" that Mr. S named my baby bear Caroline Mason Saditty...lol

 This year, he remembered to peel off the Albertson's sticker! LOL

We ate here. If you have not been and have one within a seventy-five mile radius, make a bee-line! Here is a shot of us after a few pineapple mojitos.

   

Well I hope that your Valentines was as happy as ours. Much love! Mrs S

DIY Sunday

Before: An ugly and nasty side drainage area good only for storing trashcans. After: A pseudo Japanese Tea Garden/Multipurpose area. Less than $200, and the whole Saditty household pitched in. Project completed 30 minutes before the Saints game began! Family life is so sweet.

Birth Order

Last year, I read an extremely interesting book on birth order. It was true to life for my siblings and I. I recently pulled it put and read it again--so true of my kids! I am a middle child and so is Middle Saditty. the traits are amazing. anyone ever read up on/studied birth order?

I Heart Mr. Saditty (Sometimes)

My phone rang, waking me out of a heavily medicated sleep (we'll talk about that later). Mr. S wanted me to watch out for the FedEx guy. I dragged myself to the sofa and did just that. When the delivery guy finally came, the package was addressed to me. The gift receipt read, "Just Because..... " awwwwe. Then I read on..."Your broke husband cannot possibly get any broker. Enjoy a fruit of my blood, sweat, and tears.." ONLY Mr. S, ya'll. Only him. LOL

Life, Love, and Gustav

Well Gustave is gone and blue skies are back! Gustave had the nerve to take a tiny piece of 2146's roof with him. MrS and I had already planned a total remodel (including a new roof and some Pella windows--which I LOVE) for late October/Early November. The bad news? We will have to embark on this sooner so that means roofing nails in my tires and a mess everywhere but the great news is that instead of all of it being out of pocket, insurance will assist!

There is so much that I want to update on...let's see:

• I have so many readers and lurkers that I was unaware of. I did not learn this until the power came on and my Blackberry charged up fully. My voice mailbox was jammed with messages from friends and :::gasp::: readers! Then, once the EDGE network came back up (at about the same time as the electricity), my mailbox started being pinged with emails from regular readers/posters AND lurkers offering all kinds of help but most important, kind words! You guys are great...I mean the bestest of the best! I didn't know many of you prior to receiving an "Are You Okay" email but when a few of you asked me to kiss the babies, etc., I could tell that some of you have been here awhile. I love you guys!
• I am back in school! A Master's Degree should be mine in less than two years. The beginning has been kind of rough but my frayed nerves were soothed when I learned that some credits from an abandoned attempt at a second degree were applied towards my Masters. It'll be interesting juggling life, work, labor relations activism, family, AND school but Mrs. Saditty has got this!
• Speaking of work, I now have yet another part-time job/side hustle. Now, Mr. Saditty wasn't too happy about this (he dreams of a stay at home Mom/Wife who wears aprons and pulls fresh bread out of the oven every afternoon) however this side hustle is ridiculously easy, can be done from home, is LEGAL, and pays nearly 1/4 of my full time job's salary. MrS made me promise that I would let it go if and when it becomes a distraction to the family or my labor relations work.
• The babies LOVE school...with the exception of the Littlest Saditty. She is NOT feeling the uniforms, her new teacher and teacher's aide, and going to chapel twice a week.
• The big boys are enjoying their reign as seventh graders but the cell phones HAD to be repossessed. Text messaging during class time? I guess they forget that I review both the bill as well as the unbilled activities? Progress reports could have been better but they were pretty okay but I don't like nor do I accept mediocrity. I am sure with the repossession of the phones and their only means of communications being a string and two tin cans, those grades for the first Nine week period will be up there.
• A friend gifted me with a complete sushi guide, a sushi mat, and starter supplies! My kitchen skills are about to get a little creative. Once I can get the rolling as neat as I desire, I will post pics. (Ash, you MUST try this).
• I am a new godmother and her mother and I were cheeky enough to swipe one of my reader's names for her middle name! I mentioned the name "Shanga" and the new Mom was hooked! Little Leigh Shangah was born on September 2 and weighed in at 7 lbs and 9 ounces and was a whopping 19.5 inches long.

Well that is it for now. IKE needs to burn himself out in the Atlantic because he is not needed here or anywhere else!I look forward to things being back to normal. Peace and Blessings, Mrs.Saditty