Life is never boring
The guy across the street that was on stress leave disability and getting full pay from my wife's company got busted. I told the insurance company that that I saw the him remodeling a house and gave them the cell phone number on the for sale sign. Turns out that was his personal cell phone. He's busted and cut off from further benefits. The house he remodeled isn't selling either. The guy has been milking the system for 4 years and nobody has been able to catch him till now.
I guess the bad guys do get theirs every once in a while.
My mother in law gave me a boo hoo story about how rotten her last few Christmases have been. Seems Hammer's family has been the only ones showing up. The rest of the family has been making excuses not to be around us. I guess they are still mad at us for not excommunicating my nephew and his wife. Sorry, it's not my fight and the I raised the kid like a son. He stays.
I finally snapped and told dear mother in law that it's not our fault that no one shows up to Christmas and if our company and her grand kids aren't good enough for her we can just as easily stay home too. She got the message. I'm sick and tired of being called the bad guy for doing the right thing.
My Daughter who just turned 8 today is really excelling in school. I love running into to her first grade teacher who a few short months ago assured us our daughter should not be promoted and telling her that my little failure is making straight A's. Her reading teacher said that she may be gifted. Take that! HA!
.
I finally talked to Gary who had that unfortunate episode at my house a few months back. I told him I wasn't angry anymore. It turns out that night caused him a lot of trouble. He's going to California for a few months to train for a new job. He says he quit drinking and is trying to turn his life around. Hell, maybe awful events can trigger good endings. I wish him the best.
I've put my kids on rat patrol. We've been finding dead rodents all throughout our yard. My little girls snatch them up like it's nothing (using tools of course) but my son is deathly afraid of anything icky and goes into full panic attacks. I stuck to my guns and made him scoop up the rat anyway. I feel bad about it, but the kid has to learn to overcome fear and do unpleasant tasks anyway. I used to be the same as him, but I had to bite the bullet and face my fears no matter how debilitating.
Well there's some good news for ya. I can't always be bitching and griping.
posted by Bill Rowland @ December 10, 2007
43 Comments
43 Comments:
we don't like being around incessant "bitchers" either and as a result, have spent the last nine years with just the four of us - well, that and we left californistan where all our relatives are!
the way i look at it is that unhappy people are just as unhappy being around us as we are about being around them.
in our case, it's my mother - she's NEVER happy unless somebody is suffering.
p.s. - keep your kidz away from those rodents - remember that bubonic plague and that other fleaborne disease have wiped out hordes of people in the past - scoop them up with a shovel and put them into hefty bags and burn them if you can.
there's nothing wrong with a child who doesn't cotton to this sort of thing. your son is having a completely normal reaction to "icky".
Glad you stuck up to Mum-in-law!! Good on ya Hammer.
HA HA HA to stupid teacher lady! Hoorah for 8yr old daughter - gifted aye. That's great news!
Wow, Gary!! Changes are good and usually bad things lead to good things in the end! I wish him luck and am glad you have let sleeping dogs lie =)
I read these personal holiday stories and it reminds me of Scrooge's conversion! It's funny how we KNOW what Christmas is all about, but then discover some new way of looking at it. A new way that's better.
I posted a similar tale at my blog. Please feel free to drop in a take a look at The Ladder Guy
Ah , the holidays always bring out the best in relatives, don't they?
;-)
Peace
I had wondered what happened to that guy, Gary. I'm glad he's taken a turn for the better.
That's awesome about your daughter! CongRATS to her! Sorry about the rodent problem though.
By the way, I love it when you bitch and gripe! Don't stop!
mother in laws are the root of all evil
Not bitching doesn't become you; get pissed off again would ya!? Cheers and happy rat hunting!!
Hammer,
You haven't seen Evil till you deal with my mother-in-Law. I try to be nice but that women looks for things to piss me off.
To escape her for Christmas, I rented a house at the coast for the week of Christmas; GUESS WHAT!
She'll be at the coast too, the same damn week and the same damn coast!
My biggest fear ever is rats...
Happy Birthday to 8-year-old daughter! It's great that she's doing so well in school!
yeah, life has its ups and downs, and I'm glad yours seems to be mostly ups.
I think your son will thank you later in life, it's better he learns to do stuff he doesn't like to do now.
That's wonderful that your daughter is doing so well in school !
Good for your daughter and good for you! I think some teachers believe themselves to be experts on children simply because they have to be around them all day. Using that logic, the guys working at McDonalds should be experts on cows ... and maybe some other animals.
My niece decided two years ago that at the age of 37, she had simply had enough of the Holiday Drama and quit participating in any big family hoo-hah. She comes to town a few weeks before Christmas, goes to see her father and comes to see us for some small private gift exchanges and a little one-on-one interaction. And then she goes back to her home in Chicago for Christmas.
My mother in law has no one but her partner this year. We cant afford to go over and see her and her daughter has went nuts quite literally so she has no one this year and I hate being around her when she starts in on me and my mothering style.......LOL.. Anyway great way to keep the kids on top of things and a good work lesson. Sometimes you have to do things you dont want to do.
AMEN! Good for you Hammer for sticking it out and sticking up for your daughter. Now sit back and watch her soar!! Watch with pride my friend. Job well done, Dad.
Every Christmas at my in laws there is lots of yelling, slamming and crying. So...we don't go over there.
My mother in law informed everyone (not asked) that next year she was doing christmas at her house and everyone had to show up and spend the whole day and evening. I laughed at her. Which got everyone looking at me. But I just laughed and walked out. Not gonna happen. heeheheheh
I hope that guy has straightened up.
And whooohooo that other jerk got caught.
I couldn't get my son to pick up a dead bird in the yard. I said, jsut pinch a feather and throw it in the trash, that's what I do. He went and got about 10 paper towels and used that. It's a start I guess.
Rats/mice/ birds all dead don't bug me but for some reason the dead lizards do.
Lummy! All that good stuff in one go! Hope you're on a roll.
Best wishes
This is my calling card or link"Whittereronautism"until blogger comments get themselves sorted out.
Hey Hammer...
I'm truly happy that your daughter finally has a teacher who is challenging her and she's excelling. There is nothing worse than having a teacher who obviously does not like her job.
I bet you're so proud ;)
I am so happy that your daughter is doing well at school, congratulation to her.
HEY guys!!! I Am a mother in law, my daughter in law is malaysian-chinese, and it's not always easy with her, my mistake? hers? or both? I have to be very careful with her, not my normal self in case she is not happy with me, it's not easy to be a mother in law, and I want to see and enjoy my grand children.
I have to say that she has been an angel lately.
I think you and I traded places for a day, b/c now I'm all wrapped up in bitching and griping - ha ha. That's really great news about your friend and daughter and I love how you dealt w/ the mother-in-law. Now see, when a man does that to his MIL, he's understood and respected for it. If I did it to mine, I'd be banned from the family. Oh well. PoTAto PoTAHto. Have a good one Hammer!
That's a great story about your neighbor. Glad to see him get his.
And family... What the hell can you do? Just don't take any shit I guess. I feel for your dad, but there's nothin' you can do about that.
I'm so glad to hear about your daughter. My mom sent me to my first shrink when I was in about the third grade. He told her I shouldn't be allowed to watch war movies any more and that red was my favorite color because it was the color of blood. Luckily for me she mostly blew the advise off.
You're doin' a wonderful job raisin' those kids. Makes me think that raising your own kids is like the last stage of growing up... Figuring out what's really important and tryin' to do it right. Sounds like that's what you're doin'. Makes me feel sad at the idea that I'll probably never get to try it. I think I'd be good at it. Guys like you and me can see the crap because we had so much flung at us back in the day.
happy b-day to your daughter!
If that guy who was defrauding the insurance company figures out you dropped a dime on him, might he not do something unpleasant to get even? I hope not.
Good stuff , standing up to the outlaws.
I'ts such a downer hanging around people who are constantly unhappy with their lot , and blaming everyone else.
I am glad at least one of these 'stress' shirkers got their come uppance. Lazy bastards :-)
sounds like you have things under control there.
Hope your health has improved and that Gary manages to turn things around.
glad the kids are doing so well at school....good for them and wtg!!!
So, you're saying I should take my shirt off at the beach? ha ha ha
Good to hear Mr. suck-off-the-system got his. Don't be surprised if Gary stays in California and finds Jesus.
Go Daughter Dear!!! I'm so happy for you!!!
I love to hear about other folks' disfunctional in-laws. Makes me feel better. I also love when a kid excels when a teacher insists they're stupid.
That's my Hammer...firm as cold steel! You did good.
I wish we'd get an invitation to stay away from the inlaws' at Christmas. The hubby's siblings are a bunch of lunatics, yet they feel snubbed when we stay away! Good for you for standing your ground.
I'm so glad to hear about your daughter's success. It's that much sweeter when you've been on the other side of the spectrum, isn't it?
Hammer, we had an infestation of rats and mice at the lease the last couple of weeks. Kid you not, I found twenty in a full deer feeder. All alive.
This trick apparently works, but I have yet to see results. Wasn't there when they did it. Take a five gallon bucket and fill it with enough water where the rats can swim, but can't climb there way out. Put said bucket where the majority of rats and mice are congregating. You may be surprised by what you find in the morning. One guy in camp swears by this method.
BTW, I am glad to hear the family Hammer is doing well. Kudos for your kiddos. Extra tokens at Chuckie Cheese for them.
Good. Im sick of people taking advantage.
Now thats using your hammer!
Hammer- you are a great dad (and person in general), it's good to be in your company- Merry Christmas :)
Hammer! Good news about your daughter dude!
What the Hell is it about mothers-in-law. I was going to post about my Thanksgiving but I think she might read my blog. I cooked EVERYTHING for Thanksgiving. It was a feast. Did she say anything nice about it? Not one thing. She just COMPLAINED about three of the things I made!
Good to hear about your daughter! I is so sweet when you see your children succeeding after others don't have faith in them.
Mother-in-laws ... I suppose that I am a few of the fortunate who have good ones. All the best with standing up for what you believe regardless of "family pressure."
Good post, Hammer.
Dead rats, huh? Good for you making the boy pull his own with the carcasses.
Oh, almost forgot: good work outing that disability fraud guy. Heart-warming story.
Great news about you DD! My DD is also beginning to turn around in reading (thank you tutoring club!)
As for the relatives, aren't they awesome-LOL. My mom still after 2 years bitches about us taking the car away from her. (She was so lucky that she did not get jail time after the 3rd accident in a year. She can not see well and that is why she kept hitting cars and things, and kept hitting and running btw).
As for me - still bitching. It's a way of life.
The dead beats riding workmen's comp have caused the cost of workmen's comp insurance to triple plus in cost over the past five years. A contractor friend of mine tells me that half of the labor costs of a new home is due to the high price of the damn insurance...
Turning these dead beats in is the best way to stop it..why should the rest of us pay for them to beat the system..
Great to hear that justice is around somewhere. I also love the fact that you can give people "I told ya so" even if its years afterwards.
Keep makin it do what it do, Hammer!
Flyinfox_SATX
Probably is good for your son to face his fears now than when he gets older and they cripple him further. Although this approach can sometimes backfire, with you as his guide, he will probably prevail. :)
People who scam the systems in place for people who are truly in need or truly hurt are pretty low. I'm glad you turned him in.
I'm glad you gave your mother in law the truth too, sometimes doing the right thing is hard. I used to have to toe the line when my MIL would act screwy, not wanting to offend my father in law or my wife, but every now and then I'd be inspired with the perfect thing to say back to her that would shut her up and actually make her think.
I'm glad your daughter is doing well. That's a tribute to you and your wife's efforts to be good parents. All your kids are worth the trouble.
Good on you for giving your MIL a straight dose of truth and common-sense. People who play those bullshit games of manipulation and punishment in families are just assholes, anyway, and few people have the stones to be honest with them. I think they ruin a lot of lives and pass bad behaviors on to more generations.
And speaking of rats, good on you for ratting out that wastrel sponge to your wife's company - people like that should be pilloried. I hope they get all their money back from him. Dickweed!
Good on your 8year old for showing up that teacher - I suspected that teacher was wrong all along. I was ADD and some teachers (and my mother) just treated me like I was bad all the time-- got paddled every year through 8th grade - she must have been buoyed immeasurably just knowing her parents were really on her side-- that means more than you can imagine.
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