I’m Not Crazy, I Just Work A Lot!

For those of you who’ve been missing my musings and social commentary over the past few months (or who have just been robbed of the opportunity as of late to tell me what an opinionated jerk that I am), let me just say firstly, that I am truly sorry for turning this mini-hiatus from the blog into an indefinite sabbatical.

The truth is that with my recent promotion at work, much of what I do on my 9 to 5 (who, am I kidding; it’s more like my 8 to 7) overlaps into my “me” time, my home life and what little time I had originally carved out for daily blogging activities in the first place.  But if I am honest, I really have been missing the decompressing, creativity and general medium by which to express myself when I am not blogging, and if nothing else, what this time away has revealed to me is that writing combats the crazy!

So with that, while I cannot yet promise to pick up a daily writing regime at this time, I am committing to knocking down the cobwebs and making a concerted effort to compose a few posts each week.  This should serve to not only satisfy you, my loyal readers, but to also stave off the need for both my regular Calgon appointment and the looming white jacket.

The Measure of a Man

Okay, really guys?  Stop blinking rapidly and refreshing the webpage!  It’s really me!  I know that my posts for 2012 have been few and FAAAAAAARRRR between, but seeing as how we’ve discussed my various power moves as of late (promotion, anyone?), I trust that you all understand.

What’s funny is,  I’ve been a little skeptical lately as to how I would find time to get back into blogging, and if I would still have anything poignant to say, but truth be told, I’d forgotten how cathartic this practice is on a daily basis, so I imagine that I will be doing better to make time!

At any rate, with my new responsibilities and the annihilation of anything that even remotely resembles a structured daily schedule, it hasn’t only been me who’s had to adjust.  While my honey and the big Pack Kids have been supportive (who knew that after a thankless 10-hour work day, “the twins” would have warmed up left overs for themselves and run a load of dirty dishes without being asked to do so…the fact that the clean ones from the morning were still in the dishwasher is neither here nor there…), it’s been The Baby Child who’s antics have let me know how truly missed I’ve been between 8 and 6.  Whether it’s sitting up under me until bedtime, requiring that we act out the latest Dragonball Z fusion fight stances or helping me to sort his fruit juice splattered laundry, once I’ve crossed the threshold, the kid is basically not letting me out of his sight until bedtime.

The other night after I’d made him a fruit salad, The Baby Child insisted that he sit in my lap and share his fare with me.  This of course entailed serving each other all “Coming to America” style, sans the large ostrich feather fans and handmaidens.  When The Honey got home, it was all he could do not to burst into laughter.  Instead, he popped a grape and told The Baby Child that it was his job to feed me fruit and for me to sit in his lap because he was my man.  The Honey proceeded to shake his head at me, chuckle and change out of his work attire into his sweats.

After our palettes were thoroughly satiated, I convinced The Baby Child of what great quality time he could spend with me before bed by helping me to sort some white laundry (don’t judge me).  After getting half of the clothes in the washing machine, I caught sight of him intently inspecting, then snatching up a shirt and gleefully running up to his room.  Days later when I got home from work, The Baby Child greeted me at the door with kisses, an inquiry into what was for dinner and fully dressed in his “good clothes” from head to toe, but with that missing white undershirt billowing over his own toddler wear.  Taking the bait, I asked him why in the world he was wearing his father’s beater.

“Because mommy, I’m a MAN and I’m gonna get all the girlfriends.”

Uh, whaaat?

So, clearly I am not sure at what point my baby opted not to fill his father’s shoes but instead his undershirt, and in doing so, equated that with being “a man”; or even in being “a man”, that meant being imparted with girlfriends, but it is apparent that although this child is extra times ten, I must say, at least he has modeled his mini-manly self after a pretty wonderful prototype.

Now, if I could just get them both to put the seat down!

Playing Catch-up!

Have you ever just awaken one day, feeling as though you’ve shaken yourself loose from an alternate reality and had to ponder on how exactly you got to where you were?

Like, when did this happen?

Or, how did I miss that?

And, in my quest to do it all, have I really been accomplishing anything at all?

Unfortunately, that has sort of been my tale of woe over the past three months.  While I have been forced to be highly productive in many areas relating to my life and career, I feel as though I have been missing so many of the little things that, in en masse, are truly what make my life whole.

For instance, my inability to attend my ladies book club meetings; you have no idea how difficult describing Katniss and Gale and Peeta’s quasi-love triangle across three novels to my honey (who only wants to see the movie and couldn’t care less about the precise descriptors of Panem or the almost lyrical narrative of a country on the brink) has been.  Or having to regretfully decline an offer to coach students at my local track club because my schedule simply won’t allow it.  Or how about being shocked at learning something entire new and unexpected about my kids?

Eating Dinner with my Irish twins last night, I was doing a little raving over my spaghetti sauce loaded with grilled and sliced kielbasa (not vanity, just self-appreciation).  When I asked The Big Boy and Girl what they thought of their dinner, my son in no uncertain terms told me that he did not like my proffered meal.  After I got over my initial shock and hurt feelings, I asked him since when could he not abide by my cooking?  It was then that my daughter busted out laughing and said, “since he became a vegan!”

What’s In My Bag?

This started out as a YouTube trending post, but completely ended up as a therapeutic purse-cleaning session.

Just think, if I stay this motivated, my next video upload will likely be, “Clean The Baseboards With Me!”

Blame it on The Ex-Ex-Ex-Ex-Ex-Ex-ecutive Training!

Please believe me when I tell you that by now, I had planned to have a plethora of different topics, interests and general opinions penned to The Pack for 2012, but you know what they say about our plans and God’s funny bone (oh you don’t?  Well basically, When WE make plans, GOD laughs…and likely calls over Jesus, St. Paul, Mother Teresa and MLK, Jr. to watch our sitcom-ic lives unfold over a bucket over heavenly popped corn).

The simple truth is that while announcement meetings and org charts have not been official rolled out, I’ve been working tireless within the last couple of months with my management team to embody a more executive role at work.  And as exciting as this potential opportunity appears to be, I can say that I miss the notion of coming home (when there is still daylight) and decompressing with you all through my blog posts.

But hey, until this whole “writing gig” takes off and affords me the independently wealthy status to be able to work for myself (and own a bell wearing, tights donning Elizabethan court minstrel…I’ve always wanted a minstrel), then the majority of my no-longer-free-time won’t be spent perfecting my subject-verb agreement but will instead be about me being the chick that is honing her skills in and out of the boardroom!

Let us pray….

Getting My John Coltrane on in 2012

No, I’m not making epic music on my horn (although I did play the tenor sax until Junior High School…Fanny Pack Fun Fact # 128), but I am in A Sentimental Mood as I’ve been reflecting on 2011 and making preparations for a productive 2012.

Let me be the first to say that while I am blessed every single year, 2011 was honestly a time of both high highs and low lows for me.  But in my planning to agressively chin-check 2012, I am not sitting down and calculating a bunch of unattainable goals just because a New Year has crested upon my horizon.  What I am doing is looking back on all of my loves, losses, goals, miscues and realities and making a commitment to myself to dedicate some real and substantial time toward addressing each.

That alone makes 2012 an exciting prospect for me, and I am looking forward to all that is in store; I hope that each of you are as well!

I’m (Not) Every Woman!

You ever feel like you are doing SO much, yet actually getting nothing done at all?

Oh. I’m the only one then?

Well, that is absolutely what I have been going through over these past few weeks.  It doesn’t matter how many bake sale cookies I produce, overtime hours I work, wrestling matches or AAU tourneys I attend; I just can’t mark everything off my everlasting “to do” list.  And if you know me, then you already know that I am awaiting God’s answer to my petition for 4 more hours of sunlight, as there are certainly not enough hours in the day!

Even late last week, I forgot to send my kid to school with the supplies she needed to begin a project that must be completed by tomorrow; I had to adjust my schedule to include a business dinner that I didn’t add to my calendar a month ago when I accepted the invitation and after two month of rescheduling his appointments, I had to ask my mother to take The Baby Child to his doctor’s appointment, where he ended up needing four shots!

Talk about Jesus being a fence!  And an anti-anxiety agent.  And a 32 oz. Calgon container.

Tiffany FAIL!

With December almost half-over, I’ve been quite apprehensive to even log onto The Pack to check the daily readership stats, especially since I’ve not posted anything of substance since late November.  Still, thanks to those of you who have at least “peeked” in to see if I’ve had an opportunity to either, vent, complain or enlighten.

This time of year has proven to be uber-busy for me (what, with counting down until Holiday Vacation, remembering sizes, scratching gifts off the lists, taking Christmas Photos and mailing holiday cards) but I promise that I will try to do and be better.

Lights! Camera! Close Up!

I feel like such a negligent parent tonight (to the blog, not my offspring).

Well not really.  But the truth is that instead of blogging, I’ve let so much of my evening get away from me due to the fact that I’ve been relishing in my new video editing software for the vlog.

Forgive me just this once Pack Faithful, but I really feel like I’m getting my Scorsese on tonight!

iCan’t Today.

Well folks, like a simp I’ve once again taken work home over the weekend and am also working through my day off.

*Sigh*

Somebody agree in prayer with me that a long lost, obscenely wealthy great aunt or uncle shows up in my life and decides they want to adopt me!

Jesus be a benefactor!