What a horrid week. It can only get better, right?

WARNING: This is a vent/whine. I feel the need to vent my spleen.

Have you ever had one of those days where you are on the edge of tears due to whatever reason? I've had one of those weeks! Since last weekend, I've been hell to live with. I've been irritable and on the edge of tears for days.

It started after going to my family doctor to check my thyroid last week and my results arriving in the mail on Saturday. They think my levels are GREAT and they want to keep everything 'as is' (even though their labs are using the OLD recommendations for hormone levels and not the new ones). Because I haven't felt "great" in years and because my doctor won't listen to me, I just wanted to cry. I wanted to tell them what they could do with their sunny little letter that came with the lab results in the mail. I want my short-term memory back. I want my skinnier body back. I want the brain fog to clear. I just want to feel like ME again. Needless to say, I was beyond frustrated.

Then, I'm in bad pain for two days. I thought I had food poisoning. It hurt so bad I was nauseous. Turns out it wasn't food poisoning. Being female, well, you know what it was. Never before has it caused me that much pain. Thanks for making my week better! Not. Bad news AND that too? Oh boy was everybody around me in for it.

THEN (yes there is more), I check our bank account and find that somebody has hacked my bank card number. When all is said and done, they've spent over $1500, mostly in the United Kingdom having a grand ole time shopping and traveling. Then the bank tells me they canceled the card, when they didn't, so the hackers got another $400 out of that mistake. THEN (yes, always more), I've tried to file a police report at our local police department for the last couple days over the hacking but everytime I go there (during normal business hours during the day), it's all locked up...not one cop working...not a secretary...doors locked, nobody is on duty. WTH?

I've also been a bit upset with hubby because I get tired of getting the blame for everything from his family. I guess you expect it a little bit because of the dynamics between in-laws, but sometimes it seems like I get the blame for something he didn't do and since I'm just the in-law, blame naturally falls on me. He didn't email his sisters back all those times? Well, his wife must not have given him the email all those times (when in fact, I leave them for him to read and won't delete them until he's had a chance to...it's not my fault if he won't respond back to them). Their brother, my husband, doesn't get along with his ex? Oh, it is all his wife's fault. Never mind they've never bothered to even ask their brother! Hubby married me and not the ex? Cardinal sin!! I'm getting tired of it. His sisters send out these mass emails to all their family and friends (including the ex and my husband's new email which the ex didn't have until they did this), but didn't include me in their mass emailing. Hubby, not realizing what they're doing, responds back to "all" to whatever the email is, unknowingly confirming his personal email back to the ex along with his response over what they sent...straight to the ex. She's probably sleeping with a copy of the email beneath her pillow, thinking he meant it to go to her when it would be the last thing he'd want. The ex is a part of their friends/family line; I'm not. We've been married for more than 13 years. They were never married. I've loved and supported their brother all of these years; the ex made him miserable. I've been here for him while the ex made false accusations and alienated their children.

Maybe it's all PMS motivated...I don't know. Maybe I'm overly sensitive right now. Maybe I just feel like the convenient scapegoat for other people's behavior.

Yes, I'm whining. I'm done now. It's been one of those weeks.

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Nikki Catsouras Accident Scene Photos

I posted this yesterday on my other blog and it's been a popular read. Why do people want to see accident scene photos of a young woman's death? I don't get it. I even had somebody ask me for a link to the photos!! Um....no!!!

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It's all over the 'net today about the photos from a very bad accident that this teenaged girl, Nikki Catsouras, was in (she was driving her dad's Porsche, which she'd been forbidden to drive, driving 100 mph when she crashed so you can imagine how horrific the accident was). The accident killed this 18-year-old three years ago and the photos are being leaked on the Internet. How horrid. Why would people post pictures like that? Why would people do that to the family of this girl? I think it's disgusting. The Internet is full of information but being morbid and cruel shouldn't be a part of it.

Somebody actually emailed these photos to the parents. What kind of sicko does that?

So, if you came here looking for the photos of a young woman almost decapitated, you won't find them here. Get a life and a hell of a lot of counseling!

I feel so bad for the family. I've lost loved ones to car accidents (three times). It's not a show for other people; it's real grief and loss and it's horrible. Losing a child would be devastating but to be harassed by sick individuals sending photos from the scene of their deceased child, the person or people who did this must be mental.

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Is Twitter for Sale? Seen on The View today.

Do you Twitter? It's the new thing to do, gaining momentum everyday, which is actually a big surprise to me.

On The View today (you know that show where most of the women gang up on one and argue - oops, I mean, debate - so much so that you can't hear what any of them are talking about. Like a bunch of angry birds squawking at each other...hey, they're twittering at each other. OK, bad joke.

Back to The View, Biz Stone, a co-founder of Twitter, told audiences today that Twitter is not for sale. Apparently, rumors abound that Google, Microsoft, and others are wanting to buy them. That's right. Hang onto it long enough, Biz, so the price goes up nice and high and then you can retire young. Good going, Twitter owners! With the popularity of Twitter increasing, the sale price can only go up, at least for now. Boy, I wish I had the knowledge to do something like this.

If you'd like to follow me on Twitter, follow me and send me a tweet!

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How do you feel about Mother's Day as a stepmom?

Mother's Day, May 10, 2009.

A day once a year when many non-custodial and custodial stepmoms are left out. A day when the golden light from above shines down on the biological mother's head, casting some stepmoms in its shadow. It doesn't matter if that stepmom has cared for that child more than the biological mother up to that point...it's Mother's Day and to many, Mother's Day means biological mothers or adoptive mothers. There are many people who do not want it to mean stepmothers.

Mother's Day.

A day when some stepmoms' hearts fill with joy because they are shown just how appreciated they are. For some, a day when some stepmoms will cry because they've been forgotten, making them feel unappreciated by the kids or their husband for all they've done for the 364 days prior to this day. For others it is a day when some stepmoms will shrug it all off. It doesn't matter anymore.

So, which stepmom are you?

• I was the first stepmom for awhile. When my stepkids were too young to be affected by the negativity heaped on and around them, I received their handmade attempts that were so sweet.
• Then for a very short time, I became the second stepmom being forgotten as a "stepmom" (though never forgotten as "mom" to my own kids) once the negativity started to have its desired effect on the children.
• Finally, I quickly became the stepmom who shrugs it off, the stepmom who might think of the stepchildren with a twinge but will easily set aside what can't be changed and enjoy the day with my own kids. I have four beautiful children who do so much to show their appreciation and love that there is no way that somebody else's negative actions are going to ruin the day for me. The ex will never have that much power.

I no longer have any expectations from my teenaged stepchildren for Mother's Day. Expect the worst and perhaps be surprised, but likely not.

So, which stepmom are you?

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Disciplining Stepchildren

I read this fantastic post today on another blog about what some see as a controversial issue regarding stepmothers disciplining their stepchildren. It's a hot topic in a lot of homes trying to blend and especially between two warring homes when the other bio-parent doesn't think a step-parent should be disciplining at all. I think step-parents and their spouses should definitely read it. Please read Discipline and the Stepmom.

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