Gripe of mine

Top Ten Peeves. Ah, yes my list of gripes. I don't know if this is the best topic for a 'happy go lucky' blog, but Jori hooked me up with Mama Kat and her writer's workshop and you know what...it feels kind of good to blow off a little steam every now and then.

Yikes. That isn't too nice is it?

Anyhow, these are things people say that drive me bonkers. Now I know most of these things, if not all of these things, are said with good intent. I firmly believe there are very few people who try to be mean or pesky and certainly no one wants to be considered daft. With that being said, here they are, my gripety gripes, in no particular order.

1. "I know just how you feel." No, you don't. I especially dislike when people say this and try to equate a somewhat important event to the major event you are dealing with at the time. Like, "Oh, gee your aunt was just diagnosed with inoperable cancer. Well, I know just how you feel because my dog just got diagnosed with arthritis and it has been awful." This is not to say I don't appreciate an encouraging word. I do. And I do know I also have offered the , "Oh, I know just how you feel" phrase myself. It is just a peeve.


2. "You have no idea how busy I am." UGGGG! We are all busy. I particularly get bugged when people say this to me as if business equates to goodness or to value. As in, I am somehow better because I define myself as busy. I am busy. I like being busy. I know, I have, in the past, on this blog talked about my busy life. But I try to remember what my mom has always said about business. "People are just about as busy as they can be." You may look at my life and think "SLACKER. You don't do much at all." You also might look at my life and think. "Holy Cow, does she sleep?" I am as busy as I, personally, can be. I have to get this in though. The biggest, 'oh I am so busy' offenders, the ones who tell me that they have been 'running since 6 am', make me snicker. Who doesn't start running at 6am? I don't know one adult who does not start at or before 6am and end somewhere around 11pm. Unfortunately we live in a time where literally everyone is TOO BUSY!
And as far as you folks out there who feel like you have to tell everyone how busy you are, a word to the wise; my busiest friends never have to tell anyone they are busy. Everyone knows they are busy.
I think we are probably all guilty of tooting our own busy horn from time to time. It is the folks who constantly talk about their busy lives that drive me crazy!


3. This one is for my kids... "There is nothing to eat". Hearing this statement makes my skin crawl. I think it is because I hear it so often. I cook and shop and cook and shop and somehow we never have any food. I could add "I'm starving!" but I will just leave it at, "There is nothing to eat!"


4. This one is for Doug. "It's hot in here." I know his list of pet peeves would include my saying, 'it's cold in here.' But this is MY list. Left to his own devices Doug would have our house at a brisk 60 degrees. Me, I'm an 82 degree kind of gal.

5. "Hello, can I speak to Mrs. Meckem". Oh I hate this. I know you don't know me if you can't say my name and so, you are a telemarketer. Goodbye.


6. Any conversation that starts with , "You/We /I should have..." Okay Tell me what I can do not what I should have done.


7. Okay, this one is unique to me and any other step parent/ adoptive parent in the world, "Well they aren't your real children" or, "You are not their real mother." I love my step kids. I love them so much I would lay down my life for them, just like I would for my two biological children. Is that real enough? As far as parenting goes, let's see, I don't reserve the mothering type things for just my biological children, I share that wealth equally among all the kids. I encourage all my children to make good choices, I teach them right from wrong, I listen when they are upset or hurt by the actions of another, I teach them songs and read them stories, I work along side them in the house and yard, I sit by them in church and tickle their backs, I pray with them, I read Scriptures with them, I love their father, I cultivate and encourage their friendships, I monitor their progress in school and work hard to make sure they do well, I stay home with them if they are sick, I take them to the doctor and dentist, I bake cupcakes for school parties, I sew on merit badges, I give them crazy nicknames, I work on homework with them, I cook their dinner, I do their laundry, I sit in the stands at every activity and cheer them on I think about them and what the future holds for them ... do I need to go on? I have to say this one for Doug too, if I have one more person tell me Doug isn't Joey and Millie's real father....Hello, adopted, sealed...ummm Heavenly Father approved, initialed and stamped= REAL.

8. Along those same lines, "They are not really brothers and sisters". (This said when talking about our 4 kids. ) Now If you are a close friend, you were there when Joey and Millie were sealed to Doug and me. You were there when all four of the children were addressed by the temple sealer in that holiest place and you heard what he told all of them about OUR FAMILY. If you don't know me, or you weren't there that day, all I can say is, just try to tell any one of the four kids that they are not really brothers and sisters. You'll eat those words. :-)

9. "Tsk." I hate when people tsk or 'smack' their lips at me. Generally people/ or school children only do this to me once.

10. "You want fries with that? You wanna make that a large? You want to try any one of our super side dishes today?" Okay, so I hate getting fast food anyhow, but on the rare occasions I break down and go to a drive through, I don't like it when they ask me if I am sure about what I ordered. If I wanted fries I would have ordered them!


So there you have it. My peeves. Yikes. what a grouch I can be! You'll be afraid to leave a comment!