Am I a bad mother?

Today was good and bad, as a mother, and I just don't know which one is making me feel the most.
Maybe that doesn't make sense. I had some wonderful moments, and some terrible moments, and the bad ones want to overwhelm the wonderful ones.
Usually I like to wake up to a fresh start, cuz each day represents a new beginning. No worries.
I love to give my kids kisses while their cheeks are still rosy and warm from sleeping. It's one of my favorite things about being a mom.
Later in the day, my son wanted to show his friend who stopped by to play, his bass playing skills and wanted to play Jingle Bells for him. I decided I would tape the playing so I could send it to my mother in law in Michigan. I knew she would love to see this.
I then had asked my daughter to accompany my son with her clarinet, and this is where all hell broke loose.
My daughter has been playing an instrument for three years, and my son for three months, tops.
His version of jingle bells was simple, and my daughter had music for much more complicated ensemble Jingle Bells. According to her, she couldn't do a duet, because the music wouldn't match.
Then everyone in my family decided to go against what I thought, and told me the same thing, which is her playing the music she had would not match what my son had. I just wanted this to work, and they could have found music on the internet easily, I thought.
We got into such a heated argument, when all I wanted was something so simple as to hear both kids play a simple lovely Christmas song.
In order to prove my point, I decided to go on line myself to see if I could find simple Jingle Bells music for the clarinet, and it just happened to pop up on the first page. This whole ordeal that we had today could have been avoided if only my family wasn't so stubborn and determined to prove themselves right and me wrong. Sorry but that is the way I feel.
I hate it, too.
I want to have a harmoneous life with my family but sometimes it just doesn't happen.
I left in a huff, and brought the 18 pound turkey I recently received from the Cub Scout pack (who are the best, I'm tellin' ya) over to my mom's house so she could put it in her fridge in the basement.
Yes, Thanksgiving is over five days away, but according to mom, defrosting right now is just fine. What a hunk of meat this thing is.
My family is still trying to heal from today, as I have ignored them for the most part. They're hungry? Then make something to eat. Maybe tomorrow we'll be able to have a better day - we'll start fresh, again.

Jobs, Jobs everywhere, but not a one for me?

I have been so busy the last few weeks, ever since I was laid off at the beginning of the month.
Every day seems like it goes by so fast, because I have something to do each and every day.
I thought I would be depressed after being laid off, but I don't think I have enough time for that!
It's been rough finding a job though, in this depressed economy. I don't want just any job, I want a job in a school district.
I want to have off the days my kids have off.
I was exhausted enough working part time throughout the year and taking care of what the kids need.
Besides, I was working Monday through Friday, five hours a day, so it's only 15 hours shy of full time.
Thankfully I'm getting a severance pay, and my insurance covered until the end of February (I still have to pay half of it - ugh!). But to think that if I don't find a job before the end of February, and have to go on Cobra or risk my health needs, makes me quiver.
It's funny too, that the more the economy tanks, the more interested I am in what is being said on what I have thought as very boring, news channels like CNN and MSNBC. I avoid Fox like the plague, as I can't stand their right wing biased politicking.
I even have been able to get my kids interested in the political world, and we watched the election night coverage together. It didn't hurt that they both had homework that was involving watching the election. It doesn't mean they didn't enjoy it.
I hope to God that Barack can get this country in order in 2009. I know it won't happen in the bat of an eye, but maybe by the end of 09.
So, to end tonight's entry, anyone needing a very good secretary/assistant that can give me summers off? Heck I'll take any job that pays decently and lets me have the summers off!

It's time to start this!

Okay, since I've seen that so many people already have tried their hand at this technological wonder, I figured why not try it myself.
I have enough thoughts to spew about to fill a few pig troughs, so this should be fairly easy (not to mention cathartic).
My first submission has to be about my kids, since they take a full throttle hold of my daily activities, like it or lump it, so here's what I have to say about them today.
I have been cleaning all day today, because the holidays are coming up, because I'm sick of looking at all the clutter around my house, and because it's just a normal thing to do.
So one of the areas to finally see organization was the closet under our staircase. This is a fairly large area, and it sees all the items we don't want to see for awhile.
So, one of the things I dug up was my trusty (and very dusty) Brother AX 24 portable typewriter/"word processor" (so it's called).
My kids could not have been more excited about something I found so mundane.
It didn't even make it out of the closet, but since there wasn't anything now in front of it, my curious nine year old son decided to bring it up into my bedroom to investigate it. My daughter wanted her turn, and they actually fought over using the stupid thing.
I even had to warn them that this item did not have unending ink available, and that once the tape was gone, could we even get more? Sure enough, just googling the model on the internet, and I had my answer. For the low, low price of $6.95 + $3.95 shipping (what - this thing weighs about an ounce if it's lucky) I could have a spankin' new tape for the kids to waste.
Seeing as how money is tight these days - both my husband and I have been laid off from our jobs in the last month - I think I'll let them buy the next tape. Then they'll appreciate, I hope, the cost of replacing these types of things.
There's good reason people don't use typewriters as often. After seeing what price people are selling theirs for on Ebay, I have no idea why someone would pay the price these things are getting. Not all of them are winners, but there's enough of them getting bought!
I guess this is enough for my first submission - hope I'm not boring anyone. One of these days I hope to get some pictures posted, and some links to things I like - but that is for another day.