Roach races and rodent wars

Alright, alright, twice in the same week....don't get your undies in a bunch, it's just been one helluva week. Let me preface this story by saying that I REALLY dislike bugs or any animal in the house that does not use a litter box. Even at the age of probably 20 I would wake my mom up in the middle of the night to kill a spider in my room. I was sitting on my bed on Sunday night getting some work done when I thought I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. I leaned over, and sure enough saw something move again. Well, at this point it was moving so fast that I wasn't sure if it was a mouse or a roach...but it didn't appear to be black (like most roaches). None the less, I sat on my bed screaming for my roommate. I pointed in between some boxes, she started kicking them and I saw the rodent race around the outside of my room. I kept screaming and pointing, and Lois was always about two feet behind. By this point I am standing on my bed screaming bloody murder. Finally it runs into my closet/laundry room. To make a long story short, we have a brilliant idea to barricade the door with plastic tubs, rags, cardboard, tag board and a broom (thinking this thing couldn't get higher than 5.5 feet). We were on our way to Wal-Mart to get a trap (at 9:30 on Sunday night). Luckily Ballard had some sticky traps, so we saved ourselves a trip. We baited it with a peanut butter glob the size of the rodent itself and let it sit. In about 2 minutes we heard it squeal. Lois was brave and stood on the chair we had drug into my room and peered over our barricade only to see the mouse stuck on the trap. PHEW. Well, we are wimps...and she sort of practices Buddhism (aka she doesn't like to kill animals) so we decide to leave it for the night and we'll take care of it in the morning.

Morning: right before we are about to leave...we go to get the mouse and decide we could just leave it outside and let the cats have their way with it. We (Lois) peer over the barricade only to find....nothing. The mouse AND trap are gone. WTF...how is that possible. I spent the day in disbelief, thinking that mouse was in my room and probably in my bed. That afternoon our landlord called in a pest person who laughed at our barricaded closet...and told us those sticky traps will catch mice but they can also get out of it easily. He put out little bags that will attract the mice and somehow makes them so thirsty they HAVE to go outside in search of water and will die out there....perfect. However, less than an hour after he left, I was doing work (again on my bed) and I heard that friggin mouse eating at the bag...HE WAS STILL IN MY ROOM. Like a bad song on repeat, I screamed for Lois and we listened to the mouse eat the bag, both highly disturbed. I wanted to open the door and chase it out with a broom, but the chances of that being successful were probably slim to none with our luck.

Anyway...here it is 4 nights later, I'm still sleeping on the couch...I wear shoes AT ALL times...and the mouse ate from the bag two separate times but the bag hasn't moved since. I HATE MICE...and the idea of one in my room, ick, ick, ick, ick, ICK. My kids learned about mysteries this week, since the fact the mouse and trap were gone on Monday morning was a definite mystery (don't worry, we found the trap under the dryer).

To top it off, I went to school on Tuesday morning and saw a roach scamper past the door when I opened it. Sick...but it went behind some shelves so I wasn't too concerned. However, a few minutes later I walked over to get copy paper out and the darn thing was rushing after me. I turned and hopped to the rug and it followed....ick, ick, ick...how on earth am I getting chased by a ROACH. I BRAVELY took off a shoe and dropped it on him...luckily I had good aim. Normally I go to the cafeteria and get a kid who will come kill it for me :) I guess I'm getting to be a big kid, huh?!

Today was supposed to be our first soccer game, but my principal didn't want all of those kids in the damp grass...what? Have I mentioned that I coach soccer nowadays? Well, I'm not sure if you call what I'm doing "coaching." But, I don't know if you call what these kids are doing "playing soccer" either. I mean really they are in 1st-3rd grade...it's nothing major. My team is full of high-strung boys that I have to scream at to stop fighting over the ball...but I think once we start games they can run off all of that energy! These kids just aren't used to anything being organized...therefore when they try something new they go crazy with new found freedom. I really just want games to start because I know NOTHING about soccer and run out of things to do to keep them entertained at practice!

Don't worry, I made it until May 1st without turning on my air conditioning! Some teachers have had theirs on for several weeks. EVERYONE that came in my room yesterday complained that it was hot. Even the stupid people that come to test my kids for this pilot program about vocabulary. WHAT ON EARTH, I'VE NEVER EVEN MET YOU! Our therapist told me she couldn't breathe because it was so hot in my room...I think if I were wearing a pink wool suit I would feel the same. To tell you the truth, I'm afraid to turn on my AC for fear that a GIANT cloud of dust is going to come out of it. No.joke.

Quote from my kids referencing my sunburn on Monday, "muh Ward, what's that red stuff all ova yo neck?" Or "lemme touch that." PS, I saw my first armadillo the other day, granted it was dead on the side of the road, it was an armadillo none the less. PPS, the movie Steel Magnolias is much more real to me now that I have lived here...and much more witty than I ever remember it being! LESS than a week until WINONA :) :) :) :)

Happy May Day tomorrow...it will forever remind me of the Grover's and living in the country.

PS, sorry for those of you that read the Jeannie-un-edited version....who knew I had grammer critics....