Why bother?

Today has been a shitty day. Plain and simple.

I won't bore you with the details of what lead up to this shitty day - but I will tell you about the straw that broke the camels back.

I made dinner for everyone, I clean up the kitchen, Marcia invites me to play a game, I play. Afterwards they get ready for bed, they come back into the living room and say, "Night, Dad". They hug him and leave. I immediately want to cry. This has happened so many nights. Where I am ignored completely - whether they mean to or not, it hurts. I expressed my hurt feelings to Mr.Brady, who said he hadn't noticed and that he would talk to them about it.

Did he ever get around to talking to them about it? Nope.

Did he go into their room afterwards to talk to them about it tonight? Nope.

Did he even wince, noticing that they had, once again, ignored me? Nope.

Sometimes it's just nice to feel included in the ready-made family, you know?

It's been a shitty day.

Meme for moi

I have no excuse for my behavior. I am sorry. I am turning out to be a horrible blogger. And I honestly don't think it's because I don't have anything interesting to say. I do. Really!

I'm just lazy.

Thankfully, Lacey tagged me to do a meme post.

The meme rules:
Link to the person that tagged you.
Post the rules on your blog.
Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
Tag at least three people at the end of your post and link to their blogs.
Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
Let the fun begin!

1. I am shamelessly addicted to trashy magazines. I can't help it. I frequently read US weekly, Star, In-touch, and Hello. I blame it on Britney.

2. I have a very particular way of folding towels. I am the only one in my house who folds towels because...apparently my method is "too hard".

3. I have tricked the Brady kids into thinking my lasagna is the 'real deal'. It's a completely unhealthy and a fast food version of it, but they're hooked.

4. I bought Britney Spears' last album, "Blackout". I know, I know.

5. I love Jolly Rancher Jolly Jellies. I must have a constant supply.

6. I was recently told by a psychic that I'm going to have twins and a boy. I'm not sure how I feel about this. Especially since the Brady family already has 3 kids.


I tag:


Erin @ The Erin Experiment

Quentin @ QBall's Mental Detritus

K @ The Not-So-Evil Stepmom

Hello?

Has it really been almost a month since my last post? Have I given up? Am I really that lazy when it comes to keeping up with the tool that has helped me stay sane these past 6 months!!

Apparently yes. And if you're reading this right now, I owe you the biggest hug. Thank you for continuing to check up on me.

This month has been crazy. As I'm sure it has been for all of you.

This Christmas, I have been volunteered to host the festivities at our place. Not that I mind so much - but wow! Talk about stress.

So...I'm going to cheap out on this WAY overdue post and instead of giving you an update on my life, I'm going to ask you for your favorite appetizer recipe. You know...finger foods, coffee table snacks, etc.

If you've got some gems hidden in your recipe box - and are willing to share - I would be in your debt!

Why I might be a terrible person, reason #2

My Brady Bunch family is a tad different from the original Brady Bunch.

I'll state the obvious: we have more than one bathroom, we don't actually have a live-in housekeeper, my step-kids don't call me Mom, and Mr.Brady isn't an architect.

But what really seperates us from TV's fantasy family are the dynamics between the kids. In the original series, Jan is second to Marica. Marcia Marcia Marcia. Jan pretty much found a not- so-great place in Marcia's shadow.

In my Brady Bunch, it's quite the opposite. Jan is bossy, aggressive, and extremely demanding! Marcia on the other hand is quiet, polite, considerate and contemplative.

I have witnessed WAY to many situations where Jan fully walks all over Marcia. Does Marcia do anything about it? Nope. She just says, "I'd rather give in to her than have to hear her cry for hours on end."

How sad is that.

And what would this post be without a classic Jan example.

:: ahem ::

Last week, Marcia and Greg were sitting on the couch. Jan was sitting on the floor, playing with her toys. Mr.Brady walks in the room and notices that there is still one plate on the dinning room table that hasn't been cleared. He calls over to Jan, "Take your plate into the kitchen, please." Mr.Brady exits stage left.

I, in the laundry room, can hear everything - but has remained to be seen. Jan gets up, walks over to Marcia and says, "Thanks for getting me in trouble!"

"How did I get you in trouble?" Marcia asks.

"You could have taken my plate into the kitchen with yours, but you didn't. And now I'M in trouble!" she replies in a (for lack of a better word) bitchy tone.

Marcia says nothing. I step out of the laundry room and say, "It's not her responsibility to clean up after you. You are 6 years old, you know how to take a plate into the kitchen."

Jan's face goes red. She's horrified that she has been busted. Marcia smiles at me.

So...that's a typical bossy-Jan situation.

WELL - today may have been the FIRST morning that I actually enjoyed the sound of Jan crying.

7:45am - I hear screaming coming from the kitchen.
7:55am - Still screaming, crying, yelling. (All Jan).

I hear Mr.Brady go in there and ask what's going on.

"MARCIA WON'T GET ME MY CEREAL!"

"And?" says Mr.Brady

"I CAN'T GET IT!"

"What? Of course you can! It's right infront of you".

"NO! NO! NO! I CAN'T! IT'S TOO HARD!"

"Marcia, why won't you help Jan?", he asks.

Marcia's response: "Because, Dad...I am not her slave. She cried last night when I wouldn't bring her bag in from the car! I can't do everything for her! She is 6 years old, she can get it herself. I was getting cereal for myself when I was 4. I'm not doing it anymore."

"Fair enough", says Mr.Brady, "Jan, you're on your own. You'll have to open the cupboard by yourself, and prepare your own cereal."

Yelling ensues.

Now, I know that some of you are going to disagree with what happened. Maybe 6 is still young enough that a parent should be be pouring her kids cereal and milk, but I'm in the school of thought of, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." Hot food? of course we take care of that. Cereal? Not so much.

So, even though I'm a terrible person for actually enjoying the sound of Jan crying this morning, I am damn proud of Marcia for standing her ground and speaking her mind.

I know I'm just the step-mom, but...

I'd like to know how my fellow step-moms feel about their in-laws and the relationship they have with the ex-wife.

I encourage healthy relationships in general, and I think it's great when everyone can get along. But I can't help but feel a little left out at times. :: sigh :: Sounds childish, huh? But I need to confront this issue...Whether his family means to or not, I feel like an outcast.

Let me make one thing clear, I know that is MY issue. It's probably all in my head, but that doesn't lessen the fact that it's still something I struggle with.

Examples?

BM sends Mr.Brady emails that say things like...

"I've seen your family a lot latetly, and they feel like you are (fill in the blank)"

"Your sister and 2 nieces are moving in with me..."

Ok. I get it. Just because he got divorced, doesn't mean the rest of the family has to disown her. After all, she is still the mother of his children. I suppose I'm finding it difficult to "warm up" to them, when I know that she is still so close with all of them. Yes. Yes. I know that this doesn't mean that they can't be close to both of us. But it's difficult for me to put down my guard, to open up, to not watch what I say around his sisters. I wan't to say, "HEY! I'm cool too! I know you've known BM for 17 years, but I'm pretty sure I can be fun to get to know too!"

The only comfort I can offer myself is time. I know, that with time, everything will settle into place. I won't feel like such an outcast. But until then...I'm left to wonder...is there room in the family for the second wife?

Message in a bottle...

Thank you all for the support emails that some of you have sent. They have ranged from, "Where the hell are you?" to "Are you alive? Has the Brady Bunch finally driven you crazy?"

I'm here. And very much alive.

I'm just really busy with work, and havent had a good opportunity to post. But thank you! It means so much to me that people care about where I am. Please keep in mind that just because I'm not posting, I am definitely still reading YOUR blogs everyday. It helps me to feel connected. Strange as it may sound, this little group of step-moms is an important part of keeping my sanity. So often the words I read put a huge smile on my face. I can't even begin to count the amount of times I've yelled, "OMG...I know EXACTLY what she's talking about".

My point is...even though I suck and often go a week (or two) without posting...I still read yours. I'm a slacker. I know.

:: Hugs :: & smiles!

Banana Bread Goodness

I looked in our freezer last week and saw that we had an abundance of ripe bananas. I decided it was time to make some banana bread. I'd like to share my recipe with you because I did something different this time and, oh my gosh, it is delicious. So if you've got some ripe bananas sitting lonely in your freezer...you might want to give this a go.

Traditional Recipe

1 1/2 cups Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Sugar
1/2 cup
3 ripe bananas

Added:

1 teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 cup Milk
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease an 8x4 inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Sift in the flour, baking soda and salt. Blend in the mashed bananas. Pour batter into pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a knife inserted into center of loaf comes out clean.

Voila.

****

In other news....

Another exaple of Mrs.Brady's strage and unusual thought process.

The other day I called up the kids and asked if they were ready for Halloween. They were all very excited about their costumes and agreed to give me any of their candies that had nuts in them :)

I then inquired about pumpkins. "Did you guys carve pumpkins yet?"

Greg replies, "Not yet. Mom doesn't have money for pumpkins."

Give.Me.A.Break.

I bought a pumpkin last weekend and it cost me a total of $2.00.

Again....2 dogs....pumpkins...WTF!