A Work at Home Mom’s Blog

I have accomplished absolutely nothing today. It’s not that I haven’t tried, it’s that the one thing I’ve been trying to accomplish is proving to be near impossible: getting a spectacular deal on what I want to get Pumpkin for her birthday.

I’d love to be browsing for killer prices on Disney vacations, but there’s no way that would be within the budget this year. And besides, that would be as much for me as it was her, so I’d kind of feel bad doing that for her birthday, as much as she’d probably enjoy it. But anyway, what I’m trying to get her is a PSP.

I’ve been on eBay off and on all day, bidding on the blasted things. So far, someone has sniped me on every single one that I’ve bid on. I’ve even waited until the last few seconds to bid, trying to beat them at their own game, to no avail.

I found one that looked good that was a Buy It Now or Best Offer deal, so I submitted an offer. I have yet to hear back on that, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed. I’m determined to find a used one for less than $100, unless it has several games or some great accessories with it. If I can’t do that fairly soon, I may just break down and buy her a new one, if I can talk Hubby into it. Amazon has them on sale for $149 right now, and that’s $20 cheaper than usual.

One way or another, I’m going to get that girl a PSP. Mark my words.

I’ve been feeling pretty good for several days now, but the finances have been a major source of stress nonetheless. But today we managed to create some breathing room for ourselves. We were able to take out a loan to refinance Hubby’s truck, and get a little extra money to boot. That made me very, very happy.

I’d love to take some of the extra cash and buy myself a Sony VAIO laptop with lots of extras. That would make me even happier. But that’s just not in the cards right now. We’ve got to use that extra cash to get the bills paid up until I start bringing in more money. Things should be looking better by the time the first payment on the loan is due, and then we’ll be able to rest easier.

That’s not to say we’re not going to splurge on anything at all, though. Hubby mentioned Pumpkin’s upcoming birthday, and said he had an idea we would discuss later. I believe it’s the same idea I had: Getting her the PSP she’s been begging for since before Christmas. I’ve already been checking prices on them and browsing eBay for deals on used games. I really hope we’re able to do it for her. She’s such an awesome kid, she deserves something nice for her birthday.

If it turns out that we can’t get her that, I guess I’ll have to find something less expensive that she’ll like and try for the PSP this coming Christmas. We’ll see how things look once we get all the bills caught up.

Pumpkin was after me to come to her awards ceremony at school from the time she found out when it was. Today was the day, and last night she practically begged me to come. I had planned on going if I had Hubby’s truck, but then he up and decided that he needed it today. So I told her I wasn’t sure if I would be there or not, because I didn’t want to drive my car. The throttle was sticking, and although Hubby said it was fixed, I was still a little afraid of it.

Well, she kept on until I finally said I would be there for sure. So this morning, I got up, put her on the bus, went back to bed, and told Hubby to call and make sure I was up no later than 9:00.

He forgot. And I didn’t wake up until nearly 10:00. So I had to majorly rush to get ready and get out of here in time to make it. I went out to the car, popped the hood, and hooked up that infernal wire that I’ve got to connect so that it will continue to run after it starts. And as I did that, I noticed that a hose was unhooked. It slipped back on easily, but I wasn’t sure if it needed a clamp on it or not. So I called Hubby, explained where it was, and got his approval to go ahead and drive it.

I got in, put the car in drive, pulled out into the road, and immediately realized that it needed some power steering fluid. So I had to stop at the nearest store (which fortunately is only about a quarter mile away), buy some, and put it in before continuing. By the time I did all that, I was running seriously late.

I got to the school without incident, but the visitors’ parking lot was full. People were parked alongside the private road that goes to the school, but I was afraid my car would either drag or get stuck if I parked there. So I had to go park in the bus parking lot and hope nobody pitched a fit.

I got in the gym just before the ceremony started. I was sweating like crazy because the car windows wouldn’t roll down and the air conditioning doesn’t work. All I had was the air from the little push-out windows to cool me off. I remembered to take my camcorder, but I was rather shaky, which made the video I got rather shaky.

Pumpkin got two awards, so I’m glad I made it. But when it was over, I was ready to get that car home and park it. I stuck around and talked to her for a minute, then hightailed it back out to the monstrosity, hooked the wire back up, and started it. It was then that I realized that I may not have enough gas to get back home. Instead of taking a chance, I went on to town and got some gas.

I turned the car off at the gas station, and of course had to unhook that wire so it would quit running. I pried the gas lid loose (because the button that pops it open isn’t working), got my gas, went in, and paid for it. Then I hooked the wire up and pulled out of the gas station parking lot.

I made it a few yards down the road before the thing died on me. Luckily I had enough speed built up that I was able to pull it into a parking lot across the road. I hopped out, popped the hood, and saw that the wire had come loose. By the time I hooked it back up and got in the car, my brother-in-law and his girlfriend were pulling in.

I told them everything was fine, that I just had to adjust the wire, and no I didn’t need them to follow me home. I thought I had talked them out of it, but when I got back on the road I looked in the rearview mirror and saw that she was following me anyway. Nice and all, but I really didn’t feel like dealing with them when I got to the house. But I didn’t really have any choice in the matter.

Anyway, I made it back, stood out in the driveway and talked to them forever, and now here I am. I wish I could say that I spent the morning looking at spa covers or something, but it was what it was. At least I got to show up and show my support for Pumpkin. I’m just glad it’s all over and done with.

Rearranging the living room! All I can say is it’s about time.

Well, actually, I’ve got a whole lot more to say about it. For one thing, the timing could have been better. Here’s how the whole thing came to fruition. Hubby went to the chiropractor last week, and they said that his back was improving and he could start doing a little bit. A couple of weeks ago, they told him not to even do so much as wash a dish. So that was good news… sort of. The problem is, when they told him that, he took it as permission to do anything he damn well pleased. And after sitting around for so long, he wanted to do all sorts of stuff.

The first thing he did was push mow the yard, since the riding mower is out of commission. Then he decided to clean off the front porch, which was a huge mess. Then he decided that since I wasn’t motivated enough to have already started on it, that he would start on the spring cleaning. And the first thing he wanted to tackle was the living room.

I had actual paying work I could have been doing, but I knew that he was overdoing it, and I wasn’t about to let him do it all himself. So on Monday, we got started. The living room was pretty messy, and it took a while just to get it straightened up. The carpet was ridiculously dirty, thanks to my barely functioning vacuum cleaner. It took him a while, but he finally got it to work reasonably well, and I did the vacuuming. And then he said it was time to rearrange the furniture.

As much as I wanted to rearrange, and as many times as he had planned to help me do it and then changed his mind, I tried to talk him out of it. I knew he didn’t need to be moving furniture with his back just finally starting to heal. But he wouldn’t budge, so once again, I figured the best thing I could do was help. So I did.

The living room looked great. But by the time it was all said and done, I felt like I had been to the gym and made the rounds on all the fitness equipment they had. And I knew if I was that tired, it couldn’t have been good for him. So when he mentioned doing some more cleaning on Tuesday, I begged and pleaded with him to take a day off. It wasn’t easy, but I finally talked him into it.

It’s a good thing I did. Yesterday, he was really feeling it. He kept wanting to do stuff anyway, but I put my foot down. And I know he had to be hurting, or he wouldn’t have listened.

He seems to be feeling even worse today. He’s hardly mentioned doing any more cleaning, and he sat around all morning playing video games. I wish he would learn to pace himself. I was actually relieved when his mom called and asked him to come over and sit with his grandpa while they went to town. Now I have the house to myself for a while. After I get a few things done on the computer, I’m going to get to work on the kitchen. Hopefully I’ll be done with it by the time he gets back, and he won’t decide to move on to another room.

So in a nutshell, I’m delighted that we finally got the living room rearranged. It’s got a lot more space, and looks 200% better. But I wish Hubby would have done it when his back wasn’t in such bad shape. Now I’m going to have to push myself to try to get the whole house cleaned up as quickly as possible, because if I don’t, he’ll be right back at it as soon as he starts feeling a little better.

Well, not really. But Hubby and I did spend a substantial portion of the school day with Pumpkin on Friday. Her reading group just finished a poetry unit, and they had a poetry reading. Immediately following that was the awards ceremony for her grade. And, conveniently, right after that was over with, she had lunch.

I went to eat lunch with her once this year, but she was dying for her daddy to come and eat with her, too. So I talked him into coming along for the whole shebang. He had to go to the doctor for blood work that morning, so I went with him for that and we killed time until it was time for the poetry reading. I even conned him into trying a new restaurant for breakfast.

The poetry reading was fun. The teacher instructed the kids to break up into groups and read to pairs or small groups of parents. Of course Pumpkin made a beeline for us, and her best friend tagged along since her parents couldn’t make it. Another girl whose parents weren’t there also read to us.

After they read some of their poems, it was time for cookies and lemonade. As soon as they told our group to serve ourselves, Pumpkin’s best friend and the other girl each grabbed one of Hubby’s hands and led him to the snack table. I wasn’t surprised, because Hubby just has this magnetic quality about him when it comes to kids (and to females of all ages). Since he was out of hands, Pumpkin took my hand. Amazingly, little miss Daddy’s Girl didn’t seem the least bit disappointed.

Well, we finished our snacks and poetry, and moved on to the awards. Pumpkin was nearly in tears by the time it was over, because she only got one award. But we got her cheered up pretty quickly by telling her that as long as she does her best, we will always be proud of her. By the time lunch rolled around, she was a happy camper again.

Another one of her friends sat with us at lunch, and she took up with Hubby as well. She even suckered him into buying her and Pumpkin an extra order of chicken rings to share. I was kind of sad when it was time to leave, because we were all having such a nice time.

Pumpkin wanted us to take her home after lunch, but since she still had a couple of hours of school left, we declined. Fortunately, she got over it pretty quickly. I guess she was still floating on the cloud of having both of her parents at school with her. Isn’t it sweet how kids enjoy that so much? I guess I’d better enjoy it while I can. It won’t be long until she reaches that stage where she doesn’t want to be seen with us.

I’ve been in a major funk today. I’ve been trying to get some work done, but it just isn’t happening. So in addition to my already foul mood, I’m beating myself up for not being able to do what I need to do to support my family. Doesn’t make for a good day.

Anyway, Pumpkin asked if I would like to play with her earlier when I was away from the computer. I told her I wasn’t feeling well, and she told me to take a pill. And that made me feel that much worse. I always hoped that she wouldn’t take my frequent trips to the medicine cabinet as a sign that pills are the solution to everything, but I’m afraid that she is. And that’s a very bad thing.

So I had a little talk with her. I told her that you should never take medicine unless you really need it, and that pills aren’t the solution to everything. And that if there’s a change you can make in your habits that will fix the problem, that you should try that before turning to medication. I mean, you could take the world’s best diet pill and still not lose any weight if you sit and eat ice cream all day.

She said she just thought I had a headache and should try taking some Tylenol or Aleve for it. And that’s good advice, because I know my headaches and know that I need to take something at the first sign so that they don’t get so bad that nothing will help. So hopefully I was just overreacting. But I also hope I made an impression on her, because I really don’t want her to grow up thinking that she should be taking pills all the time.

Why is it that kids can’t wait to grow up, yet adults wish they could be kids again? Wouldn’t it be nice if we could all just be happy with where we are in life?

Pumpkin has been talking about the future a lot lately. First, it was pondering what she wants to be when she grows up. So far, she’s considered being a teacher, a singer, a writer, and a couple of other things that I can’t remember at the moment. And for the past couple of days, she has been asking questions about middle school and high school. She says she dreads them both, and she’s only in third grade!

I keep telling her that she has plenty of time to think about these things, and to just enjoy being a kid for now. But it keeps coming back up. I don’t really want to discourage her, because it is good that she is thinking ahead. But at the same time, I wish she would make the most of this part of her life while it’s here and not worry about things like careers and textbooks.

Well, I can’t really say that I wasn’t the same way when I was a kid. I was probably much worse. I guess it takes growing up and experiencing adult life firsthand to truly appreciate childhood.

Hi there. Remember me? I used to blog here. Haven’t been doing that so much lately, though.

The new year hasn’t been kind to me so far, and that’s why I haven’t been around. I could write a big, long post about it, but I don’t think I will. I’d rather just forget about it all, and bits and pieces will probably come out in future posts anyway. So I’ll try not to bore you to death with details here.

But in summary, I’ve been horribly ill, finally got on medication for depression and panic attacks, and had to contend with major plumbing problems all last week. I spent a lot of time when I didn’t feel like doing anything but lying in bed waiting around in various hardware stores, looking at fancy Whirlpool dishwashers and Toto toilets that I can’t afford while waiting on employees to help me. A few hundred dollars later, we finally got the water going again.

Things are finally somewhat back to normal, so maybe I’ll get something accomplished today. The jury’s still out on whether or not the medication (Prozac, to be specific) will help. I started it on New Year’s Day, so the two week mark is coming up, and that’s how long the doctor said it would take to kick in. I hope it does the trick.

Hubby’s honorary little brother brought his younger sister, three of his cousins and one of their friends to Pumpkin’s party yesterday. All but the youngest cousin are teenagers and preteens. So while the youngest one played with Pumpkin and the other kids their age, the teenagers mostly stood around looking sullen.

Eventually a couple of them started playing with balloons, which was funny. But the rest just mostly sat or stood around. They were polite and all, but seemed rather ill at ease, or angst-ridden or something. I can relate, I guess. I was like that at times when I was that age, and at a younger kid’s birthday party probably would have been one of those times.

But what really got me was that none of them would eat. Well, I talked one into having a piece of cake, but I don’t think the rest took a bite of anything. And they were all ridiculously skinny – it wasn’t like they needed to be in the market for weight loss pills or anything.

The teenage years are interesting, to say the least. In a way I miss mine, and in a way I’m glad they’re over. I guess most people feel that way to a certain extent.

I remember when I was a kid, and I was always asking questions. Not just simple questions, but questions about how things worked and why things were the way they were. On more than one occasion, my mother informed me that she was not a walking encyclopedia.

You know what they say about payback. Pumpkin has turned out to be quite the inquisitive little booger. I can answer some of the questions she asks with ease and in detail. But sometimes I think that when I do, I’m shooting myself in the foot. Because when she asks something I don’t know the answer to, she says something like, “Well you should know. You’re so smart!” Kinda makes me feel good and not-so-good at the same time.

Some of her questions are stuff I learned in school, like basic science and such. Others are things that I learned in school and have long-since forgotten. And then there are those questions that make me feel old and behind the times because I don’t know the answer, like “What’s the difference between DVD and Blu-Ray?” or “What is Atro Phex?” Oh, and let’s not forget those meaning-of-life type questions that don’t have any concrete answers.

As much as it drives me nuts sometimes, I’m glad she asks lots of questions. It lets me know that she’s interested in learning, and that’s a good thing.