Locked Out

Focus on the things that matter in life.

The title of this post seems to be the hashtag that is constantly trending in my chaotic life. #lockedout

I know what you're thinking... what did she get locked out of this time? A car? A house?

No and no, thankfully.

It was something that made me feel left out of the mix and completely aloof.

No, I wasn't permanently banned from a group of pals or a party.

It was something that left me with no communication with some friends and even family. Nope, not my phone either... buuuut, you're getting warmer.

It was made clear I waste too much time with this "thing" only after two days of being #lockedout.

OK... I think you have it now. BINGO! I was locked out of Facebook.

My world was over as I knew it.

I didn't even do anything wrong... OK, I must have done something wrong if I got locked out. But I locked myself out... SHOCKER!

So, here's what happened...

I changed my password a while back for no reason... and I remember thinking "you're not going remember this [the new pw] in a few days," but I did it anyway. And since I never needed to login to FB because I was automatically logged in on my phone and computers, I never had to use it. Then Thursday night, I got on Facebook on my phone and it wanted me to login. Go figure.

I tried to guess my password a few times, then said to myself "screw it" and requested a code to be sent to my phone.

After receiving a code and trying it, it didn't work. I couldn't pass LEVEL 1 of what would turn into a Facebook Password Challenge. I was the new pawn in this game. W-T-F.

The screen kept pointing out that a link didn't work correctly. I kept requesting to receive a new code, and trying again and again on my phone only to receive the same reply. I even tried on my computer a few times. ACCESS DENIED.

"You've tried too many codes, please try again later," it repeatedly told me. How long is later!? 

After receiving the same codes again and again, and none of them awarding me to LEVEL 2 of what seemed like an impossible Facebook feat, I decided I'd give it another go in the morning.

The next morning I got on the computer refreshed and crossing my fingers for a new outcome. I was frustrated when I received the same message from Facebook. FYI--YOU SUCK, Facebook. Perhaps it was pissed that I had been enjoying Instagram more...

I decided to poke around their website to figure out how long this crap would keep me locked out from my "social world." It told me, if I tried too many codes, I needed to try back in "a couple of days." OMG! How long is that? How long would I be forced to not know what's going on with the 1000 friends I'm "friends" with? What the EFF was I going to do?

I'm a loser, I know.

I was seriously going APE-SHIT, which is ridiculous. It was more frustrating to me because that's how I communicate with my blog readers--you guys--and now you wouldn't know what I posted or when I posted it--unless you check it daily or follow my blog via email. Hence my absence this weekend...

And, I wouldn't see all the latest posts from people I care to keep up with... And let's be honest, a lot of times, that's where I find out things about those I care about. They share with the world sometimes, rather than shooting you a quick text. You kill more birds that way, but now I was out of the loop. FML.

Needless to say with my newly established ban from Facebook, I was going to be forced to focus more on what was happening right in front of me instead of in the palm of my hands.

Friday and Saturday sucked, ya'll. I'm not going to sugar coat it. Like mega sucked. Klay would talk about something on Facebook... "Did you see so and so? Did you see this? Oh no, I didn't know this happened, did you?"

"Um, no I didn't. Locked out remember?" I'd respond back with a tinge of hostility in my voice and he'd laugh. Glad my mental incapability to remember anything anymore amuses you, hubs. I'm here for your amusement... ARG!!!

But by Sunday, I realized things had turned.

I didn't care to have my phone anymore or even want it really. I wasn't worried about what was going on with everyone else, but focused on enjoying the actual people I interacted with that were in front of my face. I played more with Brody, talked more with Klay, got more stuff done around the house, and even felt more free. I didn't soak up my free time with wasteful scrolling on FB.

I came to a harsh realization--I don't put the phone away like I should; I should leave the online social world behind more. I realized how much it really does interfere with my daily interactions.

And because I wasn't on my phone, Klay was on his less too. And I hardly checked Instagram, which is where I've been spending a lot of time on lately. But without Facebook, I just became disinterested in all of social media. I wanted to enjoy face to face interaction and life beyond a screen.

Then I thought, how could this be affecting my kid!?

It's one thing to need my phone at my fingertips to capture those moments I catch Brody doing the cutest or most frustrating things so I can watch it later... but the issue, for me though, was using it as a time-filler at probably every opportunity available. If I'm waiting at the doctor's office, what do I do? I don't read a magazine anymore, I check Facebook or Instagram. If Brody takes a bath, and he's playing with his toys by himself, I'll sit next to the tub and get on my phone; not all the time, but sometimes. If I had a spare moment, even for a second, I'd be on my phone submersed in a world elsewhere--a world that really doesn't matter. It's almost as if I'm living not in the present... not with those you care about like I wanted to escape reality.

But I don't want to escape my reality; OK sometimes I do. I love being Brody's mommy and Klay's wifey, but I'll be honest I'm tired of staying at home. I'm surrounded by a house full of stuff--junk--that keeps piling up and I don't have motivation to do anything about it. Maybe my use of Facebook and Instagram keeps me busy and distracted from the reality that is this house.

No, I'm not a hoarder; OK, maybe a little. I keep things for sentimental value. I'm just sick of crap being all over the place--toys, paper, mail, cups, cleaning supplies, you name it--nothing has a place.

This whole house needs to be reorganized and when I focus on cleaning one area, it just reminds me I need to clean another closet or organize another room, so I can get things out of that particular space and into a space it should be. It never-ending.

It was never this hard without a kid. I could manage it. My house in Alaska stayed really clean, and everything had its place. I was O-C-D.

Excuse time--I know I'm a mom of a two-year-old, so toys and random items get pulled from one room and into another, where they shouldn't be. I know I should deal with it and don't worry about having a messy house. Just focus on having a happy child, I say to myself. BUT IT'S HARD!

I'm a very organized person, so clutter literally drives me nuts. If you live in an unclean messy environment, I believe your life becomes its environment--crazy and chaotic. And I actually enjoy organizing things, but I feel like I need a professional organizer to come in and do it for me.

So where am I going with all of this? Well without my phone distraction, I got into work mode and talked Klay in going to IKEA in search of a desk for our office (which is by far the worst space in the house). The office was like a hoarders dream come true. It was full of junk, plastic sacks left over from Christmas (where I stored all the Christmas gifts until they were wrapped), and it became the place to put things I didn't know what to do with. We needed an office strategy to get our shit together--literally. Before and after office makeover post to come soon!

OK, SO... this post went somewhere I expected it not to, so let me take it back to the phone sitch...

I hate when people share those things about parents missing out on their kids lives (and it accompanies a photo of a mom who is pushing her daughter on a swing but staring at her phone). I understand the message, but my reaction was, I'm a stay-at-home mom and I'm with my child 24 hours a day. I don't like this stigma of not being able to have some time to do something other than play with my child all day.

I don't like when people assume you're not spending quality time with your child because you're preoccupied with technology. But I know in my case, they are partially right. It's just since I'm with my son all day, I'm due for some interaction beyond my two-year-old companion, even if it's just online. I talk to him and play with him daily for hours, and let's face it, those 24 hours aren't always amazing mommy-son moments; some involve discipline and arguing with a kid who is too smart for his own good. Some days are better than others and some are challenging. So those people don't know what all I do for my child or how much we laugh or play.

But I do think about how my parents didn't have that sort of technology at their fingertips to distract them from us. How many times have I been talking to someone in person and they are texting someone, playing a game, or checking Facebook that they miss out on half of the convo. I've been guilty of it and I don't want to be that person. Have you been one of those people?

So! I'm going to make it more of a point to use technology, mostly when I'm alone... or at least I'm going to try. I will say I haven't checked Facebook much today or Instagram. Pat on the back!

Although I was pissed that I was locked out initially, I'm sort of grateful. I'll remember to focus on the things that truly matter, not the things that fill my time.

Now, lets hope I don't forget my password again... Next to do--brain games! I need to exercise this machine of mine or I'm gonna lose it!

PS. This reminds me--follow me via email, in case this happens again! If you're looking at this from a phone, chances are you're seeing a mobile version (not my whole blogging website). So get on a computer or use Safari or Chrome (some sort of internet browser) to view the entire webpage).

http://lifeoncasslane.blogspot.com/

Best,

Not So Happy Friday

My life in a nutshell. Dogs and Kids galore!

Sooooooo. I decided to break up these deeply sad and scary stories about Brody with a little recap of my day today. Get pumped, folks. It's a good one. I'm sure I will have you LOLing and wondering where the F my mind went. I'll tell you this, after this kid was born, I definitely lost brain cells.

So here it goes...

Today was an incredibly awesome day.

Cough, cough.

OK, OK I lied.... but since you can't hear me talk through these beautifully-written words on your screen, I have to tell you, that was sarcasm.

This glorious adventure started last night before bed. I noticed my fella with bad breath who always begs and whines at my feet had a swollen eye. To clear things up, I'm talking about one of my hairy wieners (I call them my weens), and by wieners I mean my dogs.

Ya, they're dachshund mixes. Well one of 'em is, the other is up for debate, according to the hubs.

Anyway, back to my weens...

His swollen eye before bed last night.

So Stretch was the one with the swollen eye. Klay and I investigated it, and he passed it off as possibly an insect bite or allergic reaction, but I wasn't convinced. It literally popped up out of no where.

It swelled quickly, probably in an hour or two. I knew it hadn't been swollen all day because this dog is always on me. I mean he is like a parrot and a leach. He's either sitting on your shoulder like a damn bird or slithering over to you to sit on top of you, clinging to your body as if his life depends on it. So, if something were to happen to his face, I'd see it because he's always up in my grill.

After some late night, googling "dog with swollen eye," I found an image that looked just like his eye situation. And BINGO! I knew what it was.

I had my "ah-ha!" moment not just from Google, but also because this dog has some foul breath, yall. He's needed his teeth cleaned for a long time, but we've never gotten around to it. Needless to say we'd guessed some time ago this dog may lose a couple teeth once we got him to the vet to get them cleaned.

The diagnosis: He has an abscess tooth; that's why his eye swelled up like he'd been punched in the face. So, basically he will need the tooth extracted or can get a root canal, if the tooth can be saved.

All up in my grill.

Been there, Stretch. I feel ya, bud. Had a root canal that went awry last year and it was not fun. I suffered from a series of unfortunate events that week. Face swelled up like a balloon, had an emergency oral surgery and Klay was gone for two weeks working. It was an especially unlucky week for me.

Seriously though, there is no pain like dental pain.

So, I scheduled a vet appointment early this A-M for Stretchie Man Jones. Yes, that's what I call him. I'm slightly obsessed with my pooches.

I hopped out of bed, put my war paint on (aka makeup), got dressed, ate a banana, popped Brody's microwavable pancakes in, put them in a bowl, fixed B a cup o' juice for the road, and then searched for the dog collars and leashes which were MIA. Apparently they have an invisible power of some kind because they were no where. Or! Maybe they walked away haha, get it!?I know, I'm lame, but whatevs.

So amidst the search, I realized I was running behind and I needed to get Brody up and dressed or we were going to be late.

Brody's up, dressed and voila! found the leashes in a plastic sack in the garage (they hadn't walked away), and I was on my way out the door with Brody and Stretch on the leash (he was the only one on a leash) locking the door on the way out.

Sounds pretty successful right?

If you're a dedicated reader of my blog, you should know better. Especially if I mention the word LOCK.

As soon as I shut the front door and walked out to my car, a lightbulb went off. KEYS!? 

WTF. Hand to the forehead. 

Seriously, yall, that just happened.

I don't know what it is with blogging and getting locked out of places, but when I blog this tends to happen A LOT. As many of you know, I locked my four-month-old-son in a car in Walmart parking lot almost two years ago. That was the first and only time I locked my keys in a car. Of course it was while my newborn babe was in it. Go freakin' figure.

One thing I didn't report via this blog was the time I locked Brody in the house in his carseat after the Walmart incident. Yep, that happened too.

How, you ask?

Mini-story time:
Um, Klay was away for the weekend working and I'm scaredy cat when it comes to being at home alone, especially with my kid. I play out scenarios in my head as to what I would do to make sure no one takes my kid or my dogs hostage and use them as leverage to get me to cooperate. I'm a complete basket case.

So being the chicken I am, I locked the door going out to the garage before bed, just in case someone smashes into the garage and comes through that door in the house. Well when I left the house with B and the dogs the next day, I went out the front door. When I came home (I was at my mom's for a family day), I unloaded Brody and the dogs entering through the garage forgetting I'd locked it the night before. I unlock the door with my key, go into the house and put B's carseat on the living room floor.

I lay my keys down on the table near my entry to go back out and grab the bags shutting the door so the dogs won't run back out. Then, I come back to the door and it's locked. I must've turned the key one too many times and relocked it while it was opening it, trying to get the key out. Luckily, my sister left mom's after me, and had a spare key. She stopped by and unlocked the house for me. But I was already a wreck, feeling like an idiot for doing this twice in a matter of months. I cried about it for a week.

So, back to today...

Luckily, Klay was down the street working so it only took him 10 minutes to get back home after I called to tell him what happened.

I called the vet office, told them the story (I got an "oh no!") and they told me to come when I could. I think they felt sorry for me.

Klay arrived opening the garage so I could get in. I grabbed my keys and came back outside to a laughing husband.

Hey, at least this time, I had the kid with me instead of on the other side of whatever I locked myself out of. And Brody was happy because being the awesome mom I am I didn't forget to grab the pancakes! That's the most important part of the story. 

Who needs keys!? We got pancakes!

Locked out. Waiting on Dad...

We did make it to the vet, only five minutes late or so. Stretch is scheduled to have the tooth extracted next week. I'll be dreading that day. Let's hope I make it out the door that morning with my kid and the dog in the car with the keys in hand.

All in all, guess who needs a bottle of wine!?!

Well, I hope everyone has a better Friday than mine. I'm officially flipping this day off, kicking my feet up and toasting to a weekend of relaxation. Well that's what I plan, but we'll see how it plays out.

Cheers,