The giant spiders have invaded again. Oh jeesh I hate these spiders. Okay, actually tonight it was only one spider, but these things are just not normal spiders. They're HUGE and FAST and UGLY (not that I've ever seen a pretty spider, but these are just... UGLY) and evil-looking. And they sneak up on you. I was very aware moving into this house for the second time that these spiders existed in the basement. Fine, I don't care, I don't need the basement. If a tornado comes, I will take my chances with the storm, not going down there with the giant spiders that no pest control can rid my house of. As long as they stay in the basement, we'll get along just fine and they can live there happily ever after for all I care.

Last spring sometime, I saw the first one in the HOUSE part of the house. It was not a pretty sight. Let me also clarify that I have a severe arachnophobia anyway, and these creatures... *shudder* I've been known to vomit from having a spider sneak up on me, such is the extent of my phobia. So, I was folding laundry, and there on the shirt that I had just folded was one of these THINGS. I thought I was seeing things. I thought it was a hairball. I freaked, screamed, jumped on the table... sprayed a whole can of bug spray on the creature (and my clean clothes) and taught toddler a few new curse words. The kids thought it was hilarious (after the fact), but I was not amused. Neither hubby nor teenager were home (either one would have rescued me) so I was left alone to deal with it. And thankfully the baby gate was up so toddler couldn't come in and play with it. The bug spray eventually worked, and hubby found the carcass some time later behind the washer. And congratulated me for for once not exaggerating the size of the monster spider (I do have a habit of that).

Tonight, I was cooking dinner and one came scampering across the kitchen floor right at my feet. I handled myself much better this time, letting loose no curse words and calmly crawling up onto the kitchen counter while also calmly asking my teenager to come into the kitchen with shoes. He of course said "Why?" and I replied "NOW!" at which point he understood that mom had seen an eight-legged-freak and came armed with spider spray and shoes. He got it with the spray a *little* but missed with the shoe and the darned thing ran under my cabinet in a little hole. So I of course refuse to go in the kitchen for anything at the moment and am shamelessly making my teenager go for me. He's not afraid and really wanted to CATCH the thing for his biology project. Just keep it away from me!

I cannot live with these things! They simply MUST stay in the basement! The one today was merely an adolescent spider in comparison, but the first one was (not exaggerating, remember) big enough to cover the entire bottom of a mason jar (including legs and all, not to imply the body was that big). They're HUGE. The one today was a little smaller than my mountain dew can and clearly not as large as the other ones I've seen. Which means they've reproduced and there are a bunch of them around here somewhere...

Well, if you google "wolf spider" you'll see the freaks I'm speaking of. They're not supposed to be aggressive or dangerous, but that is absolutely beside the point. The simply cannot live in my house. They can have the basement.

Well, it has been a while since there has been any teenage drama in my house, so I guess I was about due. I got a call from teenager's school today wanting to know about his absence on Monday as this is "count week" and attendance is very important during "count week." As far as I knew, teenager was AT school on Monday. Apparently not, he skipped.

Now, I really hate this because of course I skipped occasionally as a teenager and feel so hypocritical being the parent. But alas, that's what parenting does for ya. I thought he'd have a big ole fit and be sulking for the rest of the evening after I grounded him (which means he won't be able to see his girlfriend this weekend) but no, he surprised me. Just went to his room to read ( ) and said okay. Scary. He refuses to tell me where he went Monday, and not like I can really force it out of him.

Meanwhile, the toddler has decided that he knows how to work the dvd player, and can actually switch dvds and get them started (sometimes). That said, however, he also has a tendency (if no one is paying attention) to seriously mistreat the dvds and the dvd player, and I fear it won't be long before no one is watching anything. Hubby thinks this is hilarious, and encourages the child to change the dvds. I spoke my mind, and left it at that because I don't watch it anyway (who has time!) but I did request that he put up all the things that are not suitable for a toddler to watch. So now he has a choice of a few disney dvds, curious george, dora, and harry potter. The child loves Harry Potter. And the child is driving me crazy because for some silly reason I'm still trying to protect the dvd player/dvds while dh is working in the evenings. . I really should let it go already.

Had my first clinicals today at a local nursing home. I got lucky I suppose in that I have a great teacher and landed a great location, but it was stressful and I was terribly nervous. I survived, though, and am a little less stressed about it now.

Then there was hubby complaining because I didn't make his lunch, and I didn't finish the laundry (it's still in the dryer, never had a chance to fold it), and kids who all of a sudden don't like chicken fingers for dinner .

BUT! I have to wear a nurse's uniform thingy for clinicals, and had a couple people today ask when the baby was due. I braced myself and secretly wished for that shirt... and several of them said "Wow, you don't look that far along, you're TINY!" So now I know, I just need to wear that uniform every day!

At any rate, it has been a very, very long and stressful day and I'm ready to take a long bath and crawl into bed. However, there is a really, really big test coming on Monday and knowing I won't have much time to study over the weekend... I guess I'd better quit blogging and start reading. I'll be in a better mood tomorrow, I swear.

Not that Mondays are any better, but at least that's one more out of the way (6 more to go, but who's counting?) I find I'm actually enjoying one of the three classes, the one where we're actually learning how to do "stuff" and why we do "stuff." It's very interesting, the teacher is engaging, and it's fun to do "stuff"! The second class is interesting sometimes... it's mostly about the history of nursing, which has some very interesting points and some very dull moments. The third class, which incidentally comes at the end of my Monday, is dull, lifeless, useless, and boring. It's the one where she reads to us from a Power Point presentation that she has printed up and hands out so we can follow along. She doesn't say anything that's not on the PP... I'm thinking I can read at home! Ah well, a necessary evil I suppose, and only 6 more times to suffer through. Another big ole test on Monday, so we know what I'll be doing this weekend.

I must have been looking ragged today, as people kept asking me if I was okay and if I thought I'd actually make it another 8 weeks. One professor told me we have to at least get me through the middle of November so I can pass the quarter ; I assured her I'd try really hard! I had to go to Kmart for some stuff, and the cashier there asked how much longer I had to go. I told her 8 weeks, and of course she said "Wow, you look much bigger than that, I thought you were due any day!" Thanks. Again. Gonna make a t-shirt I think, with some very rude comment on it just for people who find it necessary to voice their opinions on such things!

I'm due in December
It's a boy
Yes I'm sure there's only one
I'm pregnant, what's your excuse?

How's that sound?

Okay, it wasn't toast, it was cinnamon rolls. Either way, we have a slightly blackened breakfast this morning . I'm blaming it on the oven! We got up way too early this morning, and I hope everyone won't be too grouchy to live with by noon. I probably don't really need to point out that we were all up late last night (for them) watching the Buckeyes... (incidentally we do this every year, but this year seems to be filled with considerably less throwing stuff at the TV than most!)

Yesterday we all went to the Greek Festival at the closest Greek church (45 minutes away). This was mostly for hubby, as he seriously misses having Greek food. His mouth was watering as we drove by looking for a place to park, and I swear he turned into a begging puppy when he spotted the lamb on the spit. It was a beautiful day for hanging out outside and listening to Greek music, watching the dancers, and wondering what "other" (non-Greek) people's perceptions must be of this alien culture. My daughter regularly goes to church with her grandma (ex-MIL) who is VERY religious (although not Greek), and let me say, she freaked when she realized that they were in fact serving beer and wine in the basement of the church. I wouldn't have thought anything of it!

Hubby managed to track down his friends and talk them out of the... yucky parts of the lamb. His favorite are the intestines and skin
and he was happily munching them from a bag as we walked back to the car. Once in the car, the smell alone was enough to set off my easily-upset-pregnant-tummy, and I had to jump out of the car hurling. . I don't do lamb intestines. Not. Gonna. Happen. He of course apologized and put them in the back where I couldn't smell them until we got home, then snuck off to the kitchen and gobbled up the whole bag. No kisses for him last night! Ewwwwww!

Going to take it easy today and gear up for that awful Monday tomorrow.

I hate Mondays! I haven't always hated Mondays. In fact, in graduate school I was one of the freaks that loved Mondays! I was having a great time in class, loved my job, and quite frankly, it was less "work" being at work and class than it was being at home with my (then) 3 young children. Mondays were a welcome distraction.

But now... now I hate Mondays.

I now have class on Monday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. with only 10 minute breaks in between. So I have a 10 minute break just before noon, and another at 2, and whatever the (merciless) teachers decide to give us during class. Two of my classes are in the same room, which is much like an old movie theater as far as seating goes. You know, those fold-down, terribly uncomfortable, no-room-to-move-or-turn seats with no cushion? Yeah, those. These are torture to my back (can't speak for anyone else's) even in a non-pregnant state, but with my current (ahem) basketball ( ) belly they are truly excruciating. Truly.

Today we had to watch a movie in the 12-2 class, and as a result had no break in that time frame from the devil-seats. My test was in the next room (with the same satanic seats) at 2. I thought I would cry before the test was handed out. But I didn't cry, and the test was as simple as I imagined it would be (thankfully because the pg hormones were running rampant at that point let me tell you!) and I didn't have to sit in those horrible, cruel, torture devices all the way until 5:00 today. We were allowed to leave when we finished the test, which took me all of about... 20 minutes!

Didn't matter much, the damage was done and I have felt absolutely horrible the rest of the day. There is no easy recovery at this stage in the game. Thankfully hubby was off today (lucky him, he loves Mondays) and he straightened the house and took care of the kiddies and dinner for me (woohooo, points for him!)

On the bright side, the rest of the week is pretty easy in comparison once I get Monday out of the way, and I only have 7 Mondays left to go in the quarter.

I'm going to bed early tonight, I'm too old for this!