A Work at Home Mom’s Blog

My back has given me trouble off and on since I was a teenager. I always attributed it to two falls that happened when I was young. One happened at my grandma’s house when I came running inside after running around barefooted in the rain. That time I majorly jammed my tailbone. The other one happened when I was about 16. I went to check the mail when it was icy out and my feet flew out from under me, and it seemed like I went ten feet up in the air before landing squarely on my back.

I don’t know if those really have anything to do with it or not, but my back does give me trouble sometimes. Lately it has been pretty bad at times, mainly when I’ve been sitting in front of the computer a lot. I think a new chair would help quite a bit. The one I have now is one of those cheap low-back things that offers no support whatsoever. I try to watch my posture, but it seems that’s just not enough.

As soon as we can afford it, I need to visit an office furniture store and find something better. I hate the thoughts of having serious back trouble. You always think of people lifting and throwing out their backs, but it can happen in other ways. And I’d really rather it didn’t happen to me if I can help it.

Fleas are nasty little creatures. I hate them with a passion. Especially since they invaded my living room.

Precious brought them in. She’s staying outside now, partly because of that and partly because she used the carpet as a bathroom one too many times. I had some spray and used it a couple of times, to no avail. I bought a different kind today, and so far it has done absolutely nothing, too. I’m going to try spraying again tonight before I go to bed, because after reading the label more carefully I don’t think I used enough. And if that fails, I guess I’m going to have to do the thing I really don’t want to do: set off a flea bomb.

This is just one more reason that I hate carpet. One of these days when we have the money I’m going to have it all ripped out and replaced with laminate or ceramic tile or something. I’ve considered hardwood, but don’t really see that happening. We’re going to have to do some work on the floor underneath just to make anything other than carpet look decent.

If anyone knows any flea killing tricks, please share in the comments. They’re driving all of us crazy!

I haven’t posted to this blog in 11 days. Amazing.

Wanna know where I’ve been? Right here for the most part. I haven’t been vacationing in the Bahamas (unfortunately), or visiting far-flung family, or going to speak with a Rochester medical malpractice attorney. I’ve been in front of my computer writing, and dealing with the curveballs life has gotten so fond of throwing me lately.

There was a death in the extended family last week, nothing I care to write about, except to tell that it happened. I’ve got an uncle who’s not doing well too, and he lives too far off for me to make the trip to see him. Hubby’s family is worried about his grandpa too, but he’s close enough that we can at least visit him regularly.

I’ve got plenty to rant and rave about, but that’s for another post. I just wanted to explain my absence here. I hope to be able to carry on with business as usual for the time being, but it’s kind of touch and go right now.

We’ve been getting even more rain here. We got a slight reprieve from the heavy stuff for a week or so, not a complete stop to the rain, but considerably less of it. But now it’s back full force.

We’ve had more than our fair share of storms during the past few days. And when they get close, I always turn off the computer, cut off the surge protector and unplug the modem from the phone line. I know the surge protector is supposed to prevent any damage, but what can I say? I’m paranoid that lightning might damage my computer and leave me with no way to get my work done. It’s kind of like when I worked in retail or restaurants and was afraid to use their POS systems when it was storming. I’m sure they took precautions to prevent anyone from getting electrocuted, but it still scared me.

Our basement drain still isn’t functioning properly. I bought some drain cleaner yesterday and poured the whole bottle down it. I waited 30 minutes as the instructions said to, and went back down there with a bottle of hot water. But water was still standing. Hubby checked it this morning and it was gone, so maybe it just took a little more time to work. I hope so.

The window in my office is also leaking, because there’s something up with the guttering above it. They just replaced it, but something still isn’t right. Last night it was dripping all the way across, and at one point there was a steady stream of water running out at one place. I had to move my printer and modem to keep them from getting damaged and keep switching out towels so the water wouldn’t go everywhere.

And then there’s all the mud outside. It’s supposed to rain every day this week, and I’m having an Oscar Mayer House Party on Saturday. The forecast isn’t calling for any rain on that day, but I’m sure it will be seriously muddy by then. And Hubby probably won’t get to mow the yard, so the outside is just going to be a mess.

I wish all this friggin rain would just go away already! It seems like we either have a drought or it’s raining all the time. Can’t there be a happy medium?

I’ve been doing affiliate marketing for probably a couple of years now. I have made very little from it, but only because I never really got into it. Lately, though, I’ve been considering ramping up my efforts to get some passive income coming in. But if the North Carolina government has anything to do with it, I guess it won’t be happening.

I just got an email from the Amazon Associates program stating that the General Assembly is trying to enact legislation that would force affiliates to collect sales tax on sales to residents of North Carolina. Apparently, it’s pretty much already decided that they’re going to do it. And guess what that means? Most merchants will drop North Carolina affiliates because it will be too expensive and too much trouble to work with them. Amazon has already stated that it will do so.

This is the first I’ve heard of such legislation. But apparently it’s already been enacted in New York, and several other states are considering similar laws. I just don’t get it. Do they not see that they’re not going to make any money from this? Instead of collecting sales tax on more sales, the states that do this will be doing nothing more than taking money out of the pockets of their residents. And that’s money that would have most likely been spent at least in part in that state. So essentially, they’re shooting themselves in the foot.

Quite frankly, I’ve come to expect crap like this from both the state and federal government. But that doesn’t make it any more palatable. If you want to learn more, visit the Performance Marketing Alliance’s website.

The past week or so has just been crappy. Things have actually been going better than they were for a while, but I’ve still been all down in the dumps and not thinking clearly. Part of it’s another one of those ongoing spats Hubby and I have from time to time, and maybe adjusting to having Pumpkin at home for the summer (as much as I like it) has thrown me for a loop too. And then there’s the matter of trying to get the budget back on track.

All of this has left me struggling to write a word. I know I need to get my scheduled work done and pick up some extra stuff, but the words just aren’t coming to me. I’ve thought about trying to find some diet pills that work, getting a fake tan and pursuing a career as a model, but somehow I doubt that would work out.

I’ve gotta get out of this funk. I’m driving myself nuts here, and the bills aren’t going to pay themselves. If I can’t get back on track, I’m going to have to try to find a J.O.B. And as scarce those are (and as low-paying as they tend to be around here), I can’t bear the thoughts of that.

I’m not one of those mommy bloggers who shares every single moment of their kids’ lives. I don’t suppose there’s anything wrong with that, but it’s just not me. But right now, I just have to brag a little.

First off, there was her awards ceremony that I went to this past Wednesday. For about the fifth time in her school career, she got the award for being the best behaved kid on her bus. As always, I was proud. The only other award she got was for commendable attendance (not perfect, because she was out sick a day or two). She was a little disappointed, because she thinks she’s supposed to get three or four awards each time. But as long as she’s doing her best, I’m happy.

Yesterday was the last day of school here, and she came home with her backpack full of papers and school supplies. After sorting through all of that, I found two things that made me smile. One was another award- this one for being the friendliest kid in her class. The other was her report card. And her grades have really improved. She’s doing particularly well in math. And on her e-assessment, she scored on a fourth grade level!

So let’s see what we’ve learned here: She’s friendly, well-behaved and good at math. Maybe she should go ahead and put in some applications for banking jobs. Or not. As far as I’m concerned, she should just keep being the awesome kid that she is (and that I’ve always known she is) for many, many more years.

At the end of the school year, I almost find myself missing my school days. I wasn’t a big fan of school, but those last few days were always lots of fun. On the very last day, we’d have a picnic lunch on the playground and stay outside until time to go home.

Pumpkin is having a great last week of school. Her only homework has been her nightly reading, and they’ve been doing more fun stuff than work. One day they tie-dyed t-shirts, and they’ll get to bring them home tomorrow I think. They’re having parties both tomorrow and Friday, so she’s all excited about that.

Today is the final awards ceremony of the year. I promised her I’d make it to this one, because I’ve missed all but one other one. I wish I had one of those small camcorders to take with me and capture any awards she might get.

I just hope she gets something this time. For the one that I made it to this year she didn’t get any awards, but last time she got three. I felt so bad for missing it.

I’ll have to adjust to my new work schedule starting next week. I’m going to try to get to work as soon as Hubby leaves in the mornings so that I can have a few uninterrupted hours each day. I’ll try to get some work done while she’s up, but that’s kind of hit or miss. And then I’ll have to get the rest done after everyone’s in bed. It’ll be a change, but I’m not complaining. I’ll be glad to have her home more for a couple of months, and to be able to go out and do some stuff with her.

So far, this week has been pretty uneventful. That’s a very good thing.

The only real mishap we’ve had so far has been with my washing machine. It is now leaking out all of the water instead of draining it out during the spin cycle. And since the basement drain is still clogged, we end up with standing water in the floor for a while. Hubby’s going to look at it, but we’ve already determined that it’s not coming from the drain hose or pipe, so I’m betting I’ll need a new one. Lovely.

Still, I’m counting my blessings. If it comes down to it, I can probably find a used washer for cheap in the classifieds. I won’t be able to get it right away, but I’ll make do until I can. With everything else that’s been going on lately, I’m not going to let that get me in a twist. I can’t.

I’ve been trying to get back on track with my writing. Thus far, it’s been going… so-so. I’m not behind, which is a good thing. But I’m working on a project that’s requiring a lot of confidence and concentration, two things that are not coming naturally at the moment. Just gotta keep pushing myself.

I’m also hoping to get some extra stuff done this week. Money is so tight it isn’t even funny, and poor Hubby is trying to squeeze in a bunch of side jobs to compensate for the lost income and extra expenses. But he can’t do it all himself, nor do I expect him to. I’m willing to do my part, it’s just a matter of getting my brain to cooperate. If the drama will stay at a minimum, I should be able to manage.

I guess I’ll know that things are really back to normal when I can think of things to blog about other than my household troubles.