Are you jealous of me?!....

I saw a commercial today which stated, "The average American has $8000 in credit card debt." This means that for once in my life I'M ABOVE AVERAGE! After thinking about it for a bit, I realized that this is probably not a situation in which I should be happy.  So we have decided on a home equity loan, again.  Here's the typical scenerio.  First house, Me: "Honey, we need to get a handle on these credit card bills.  Why don't we get a home equity loan?"  Hubby, "Sounds good.  Then we will be able to breathe easier!" We get the loan, stay in the house another four years, sell it for more than we paid for it, and pay off all cc debt. Me: Lets never use credit cards again!" Hubby:  "You are right!  Cut them up!" Flash forward to 2000:  Me: "Honey, we need to get a handle on these credit card bills.  Why don't we get a home equity loan? Hubby:  "Sounds good.  Then we will be able to breathe easier!" We get the loan, sell the house the next year, making more than we paid for it, and pay off all cc debt. Me: "Lets never use credit cards again!" Hubby: "You are right!  Cut them up!" October 2003....I think you know where this is going. 

 

 

 

Errands....

Well, it's 7:18 am and I am getting ready to take the wee one to the bus stop, then run errands with a girlfriend.  I think we will be doing breakfast first (belgian ((is that spelled right?  It's early)) waffle....yum!) then begin the Christmas shopping.  I know, I know, I've got at least 52 shopping days left, but I hate to procrastinate....lol.  I've already bought my first gift, so that's one down, hundreds of dollars to go!$

The tooth and nothing but the tooth....

I just got back from a dental appointment with my youngest.  According to the dentist she has "perfect teeth"!  No cavities, brushing like she should, and two loose teeth.  I am thrilled to say the least.  We were in the office for over an hour, then had to run to the bank, get a hamburger on the fly, and rush back to school so that she wouldn't miss her first student counsil meeting of the year.  As I was rushing about I started thinking of the things I probably should be doing; like finishing the wash that built up over the weekend, finish my sewing so that I can get my order in on time, pay my bills since payday was Friday.  And then when my daughter said, "Thanks for taking me out today Mom.  I like it when we're together," I thought again.  I shouldn't be thinking of everything else when I am with my kids.  So I had to wait in the waiting room for a while.  I was waiting with my daughter snuggled next to me, quietly reading a magazine.  And as we went to the bank, we talked about school and what she would be doing this afternoon.  Then we ate together in the car, laughing about stuffing our faces so she could get back to class on time.  And finally, she wanted me to walk all the way to her classroom with her, so she could kiss me goodbye.  What load of wash or bill is more important than that?  I will have plenty of time for mundane tasks when my kids are older and don't need me as much.  These are the times that we look back on and wonder when they grew up so fast.  They grew up at the doctor's office, the dental appointments, the sports practices we sped to at the last minute.  We were with them, but maybe we were cursing the long wait, or trying to pass the slowpoke in front of us on the way to practice.  We have to learn to look beyond all of that, and enjoy the time we spend with our kids....vacationing at Disney World or waiting at the dentist....it's all good to me.

Another day in the life....

Well, it's Friday morning, which means it's cleaning day.  Actually it's more like "get the house ready for the weekend because no one is going to be neat for the next two days"-day.  For some reason on Friday afternoon, the bookbags don't get put away after school like usual; instead they are left in the middle of the kitchen for me to pick up.  Shoes are tossed off at the door, instead of being put in the shoe rack.  When hubby comes home, is keys aren't hung up as usual, and he leaves his briefcase for me to either a. cook dinner around, or b. put on his dresser (which, by the way, he passes immediately after plunking it down on my kitchen counter).  Here's my question....when do I get to treat Friday like the end of the week?  My theory is that if I start with a clean and neat home on Friday, by Sunday it will be messy, but not horrible.  I have to protect myself or Monday will be torture.  We stay at home moms are always thinking ahead.  Sure, I'd love to toss caution to the wind and not wash the kitchen floor because it's "Friday"....however, by Monday no one will be able to get out the door because they will all be stuck to the floor.  I'd love to say, "Gee, I'm sorry you have no clean underwear but....it's the weekend!"  Since it's Friday, maybe I won't do a dang thing.  I'll just sit around and relax, rent some movies, have cold leftovers for lunch.  When everyone gets home, I'll tell them dinner will be the cereal of their choice.  Of course, you know I won't do it.  I'll do what I do every Friday, and make sure things run smoothly.  I'll pick up the shoes, put the bags away, and I will probably even put hubbys things away while I'm at it.  I know, I know, you are saying, "Why?  You deserve to relax too...."  I don't know why.  It's just who I am.

A Good Hair Day....

Well, I just got my hair done....$95 worth of done.  Truthfully, I don't feel like it was worth that much.  I got red "autumn" highlights to replace my golden "summer" highlights, and a trim.  So basically my hair is a little redder, and 1/4 inch shorter.  No one even noticed until I pointed it out to them.  Now, you would think that after spending that much money, someone would notice!  I think that my expectations of hair cutting day are much too high.  I have this thing about getting my hair cut.  Two weeks before my appointment, I begin leafing through hair style magazines at the store, in search of the elusive "perfect cut".  Three days before appointment time, I actually buy the magazine (at $3.99 a pop) and begin frantically searching, bending over the corners of the pages that I like, and shoving it under the nose of my husband while asking, "Which one do you like?"  His response is always the same.  "You know how I like your hair.  The way you have it in the picture of us when we were dating, long and curly."  (Not only is my hair short now, but in the picture I had an 80's perm and my hair was wider than it was long!)  I just roll my eyes, and go back to searching.  Ten minutes before the appointment, I take out the picture that I ripped out of the styling magazine that my Mom had, give it to the stylist, and get the same thing done that I always get done.  So, I am really out about $98.99 plus tax, if you include the purchased magazine.  But hey, my hair does match the season.... 

What a week....

Well, it is Friday....thank goodness.  It hasn't been an overly busy week, but it's been a long one.  And I don't feel good today.  I think I have a sinus infection.  I took some medicine today, and I believe it is wearing off.  Hubby is in Daytona until Sunday (he left Wednesday), so it is night #3 with no formal dinner.  Hmmmmm, bagels with peanut butter or chef boyardee?  Decisions, decisions.  My oldest is going to a church lock-in tonight.  In case you aren't familiar, that is a night of pizza and games and talking, locked in the church.  We used to have them as kids, and they were a blast.  Of course, that means she won't sleep all night, which means that Saturday will be a day of either a.) a crabby, snotty teen or b.) a sleeping teen.  I, personally, am hoping for b.  But, I will put up with either, because she chose church over hanging out at the mall, or any other mindless "teen" stuff.  She is a really great kid, with good grades, good morals, and a good head on her shoulders.  I am a very lucky mom.  So, that leaves my youngest and I for tonight.  I am so disappointed that they took Funniest Home Videos off Friday nights.  That was our official "start of the weekend show".  We would all get in bed together and watch it, laughing our butts off.  I suppose it will be back to Nickelodeon and SpongeBob.  That's okay too, though.  I honestly don't think that I am the only adult out there who likes SpongeBob.  I even watched him this morning, after the kids went to school while I was cleaning.  I can't help it....he's just so adorable.  I am a cartoon freak, I suppose.  Family Guy, King of the Hill, Home Movies, and of course, our favorite, The Simpsons.  I have a Simpsons theme running through our car.  Floor mats, steering wheel cover, and Homer antennae ball.  Even Simpsons checks!  You might say I'm obsessed.  I suppose I am.  Well, it's time to make dinner, or perhaps I should say "toast" dinner.  Bon appetite!

"Holy Cow....Almost"

"You knew they would blow it in the end."  That was the comment of an on/off Cubs fan friend of mine.  Well, yes, I knew that there was a chance that they wouldn't win, but more importantly, I knew that there was a chance that they would win.  That's what makes being a true Cubs fan so special.  As a child, I remember listening to Cubs games on hot summer days.  My father would be working in the yard, accompanied by the voice of Harry Caray on the radio.  I remember how excited we would be when we would hear the booming, "HOLY COW!" and singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the seventh inning stretch. The great thing about being a Cubs fan is that you would have a few seasons of inactivity but then *BANG* something great happens, and there would be the hope that this would be the year.  (Remember 1984?)  The Cubs bring people together.  Sure, it's great when the Yankees have yet another consecutive win, but it doesn't equal the feeling of a Cubs win.  Wearing a Cubs shirt almost always guarantees a stranger will smile and say, "This could be the year!"   How many times since 1908, has a father taken his son to the ballgame, and hoped that the season would end in victory?  Okay, so it hasn't yet, but how many teams can boast multi-generational bonding like that?  Being a Cubs fan brings families together.  It teaches us that even though you might not win, doesn't mean you shouldn't give it your all.   I'm not saying that I wouldn't be thrilled if the Cubbies actually won a World Series.  I would cheer just as wildly and be just as proud as the next fan. Until then I will look forward in anticipation to each new season.  So, at the end of the Cubbies 2003 season, I say thank you for another year of fun, excitement, cheers and, admittedly tears.  It will be a year my kids won't forget, sitting together, cheering every catch and high-fiving every run. Being a Cubs fan is never a disappointment.  It's a lesson in perseverance.  So to those who say they knew the Cubs would blow it, I say,"Just wait till next year!"

 

Hoop Dreams #2....

Last night was like a blast from the past.  My youngest daughter started basketball with the 2-3rd grade church league.  My oldest was in a similar basketball program from 4-7th grade back in Indiana.  We just loved those years.  My youngest and I would take her to practice once a week, and then on game day we would need our own section in the bleachers.  Besides me, hubby and sister, there were Grammy, Papa, Nana, Richard (Nana's significant other), Aunt Jody, Uncle Keith, and on occasion Aunt Gina and Uncle Chris.  It was a very happy and special time for our family.  Not only did we get to be a part of something my daughter loved, we were spending quality family time together.  We were all busy during the week, and might not see or hear from one another often.  But on those game days, our children knew that we thought it was important to be there for them.  When we moved to Florida, I wasn't sure if the school system would offer such a program.  They didn't....but luckily the church we decided to start attending did.  So now, my youngest daughter is playing.  She is so excited.  She wore her big sister's old uniform and carried her waterbottle with the basketball on the side.  She was hot and sweaty within 5 minutes of practice, but had a huge smile on her face.  My oldest daughter came with me and critiqued her sister's style from the bleachers.  After practice, we had a small meeting with the coach who asked for a volunteer assistant.  My oldest stepped up and introduced herself, and said she would be happy to help.  So, next Saturday, I will have both  of my daughters on the court together.  Things sure will be different.  Not only on the court, but in our family.  The aunts and uncles are back in Indiana.  Nana's older and her significant other didn't move with her.  My father is now ill, and in a wheelchair and has lost most of his eyesight.  But I guarantee this; the family will be at the game, cheering her on, and enjoying our family time together.  Some things never change.

She works hard for the money....(hey, what money?!)

Okay, confession time.  It is 11:28 am and I am still in my pajamas.  Yes, this is one of the perks of being a stay at home mom.  Now, don't get me wrong, I have not been lazily lying about, doing my nails and drinking mimosa's.  Here's a quick run-down of my accomplishments so far....the dog had 2 seizures during the night (he is epileptic) so at 6:00 am I gave him a bath (big job, he's a 90 lb. Golden Retriever); I have done 3 loads of laundry, gotten two kids off to school, went to my mom's and picked up the steam cleaner, came home and showered, put on my face, did my hair, put nightgown back on, vaccumed house, washed kitchen floor, and steam cleaned the bedroom, along with two throw rugs and an area rug....whew!  Oh yes, dinner is in the crock pot as well.  I am not tooting my own horn here, I'm just pointing out that even though stay at home moms might choose to wear pajamas for 50% of their day, it does not hinder us from doing 120% of the work!  ;o)

The Chosen One....

Can you believe it?  My journal was chosen to be featured in the Parenting community on the "Because I said so...." page.  How wonderful.  The sad part?  I didn't even know there was such a page.  Go figure!  But, I am excited.  I even printed out a copy of the notification e-mail.  I suppose thanks should go to my 15 year old, who introduced me to the wonderful world of journaling.  She has a Blurty, another blogging/journaling site, that is nowhere near as good as AOL's. (Honest, this is not a paid testimonial!) She spends hours there, spilling secrets about her life, school, general nonsense, and she loves it.  All of her friends are doing it too.  They all have links to each other's pages, leave comments, the whole bit.  My daughter probably has at least 30 entries.  So, as a mother of a skinny, beautiful teenager, I felt it my duty to rub it in.  First, I put the screen up and clapped wildly, and asked her to look at it.  She squinted from the chair and said, "What?"  So I said, "Come and see!"  She sighs heavily and comes over.  "WHAT MOTHER?"  I just keep smiling and laughing and point.  She reads it and says, "You mean, you have put in 6 entries since the 6th of October and get featured, and I have 30 entries since August and get nothing?"  I leaned back in my computer chair and put my feet up, hands behind head, "Yeah, (sniff), that's right. (satisfaction sigh)  I guess you will just have to admit it."  "Admit what?"  she asks.  "Your mom ROCKS!" I said, nodding confidently.  I didn't quite catch what she was muttering under her breath as she walked out of the room, but I imagine it was something like, "You sure do mom.  I'm gonna call all my friends with the good news!"  Hey, a mom can dream, can't she? 

Home Sweet Home....

Well, after 7 hours in the car, we are home.  What a looonnnggg drive. Have you ever noticed that the drive home is much longer than the drive there?  It doesn't matter where "there" is....it's just longer.  I have a problem with my back, (bulging disk), so I bought one of those car massager/heat things at Wal-Mart.  I can't tell you how many times that thing has saved my a$$....literally.  Of course, 3 hours into the trip my daughter says, "What smells like its burning?"  The motor on my massager/heater went out.  So, for the rest of the trip home, I was squirming in my seat, trying to find the most comfortable position.  My legs were crossed, on the dash, on hubby's lap...it didn't matter, nothing helped.  And now I'm out at $20 massager!  Go figure.  But, our trip was worth it.  Every time we go there, my husband gets so relaxed.  That is quite an accomplishment, since he is so stressed most of the time.  Of course, he leaves Thursday for "Biketoberfest" in Daytona Beach.  Must be nice, going on TWO vacations in TWO weeks!  I, of course, wouldn't know.  I never get to go on vacation by myself.  I don't do ANYTHING by myself.  Well, occasionally I do treat myself to an hour massage with Jean, my masseuse.  I have to admit, those are pretty good.  Hmmmm....you know, my electric massager is broken....

Mountain mama....take me home

Ahhhh, finally....fall weather!  We are here in beautiful North Carolina, enjoying the spectacular fall colors in the mountains.  Beats the heck out of flat, green Florida....yuck!  We moved from Indiana to Florida last year, and boy do I miss my autumn, winter and spring.  We are stuck in perpetual summer, humidity and bad hair days.  Don't get me wrong, I love the ocean, and I am getting used to the heat, but being here in NC is making me melancholy.  There is no way that you can look at these beautiful, majestic mountains and not believe there is a God.  We have spent most of the weekend eating....and I am getting sick of it!  (Never thought I would say that!)  The girls are having a great time with their aunt, and the hubby has done nothing but relax for 48+ hours....now there's a change!  We leave for home, tomorrow morning....boohoo!  BTW, GO CUBBIES....BEAT THOSE FREAKIN MARLINS!!!!  This is our year....I feel it in my soul!!!! 

Banging in the kitchen....

Yes, the hubby and I banged in the kitchen....we banged the old fridge into the new one, (not even 24 hours old), and put a lovely dent and scratch in the front!  Needless to say, a few curse words were said....not by me of course, lol, but by the hubby.  He says it was my fault for not looking out, (he was behind the fridge, pushing it on the dolly), but I was telling our youngest and her friend not to come through the door because we were coming out.  Now how is that my fault?  How was I to know that he was going to start pushing the stupid thing?  Well, anyway, I went and got my trusty "white-out" and dabbed it on the scratch.  What do you know....you can't even tell it was there!  I was so proud of myself!  Of course the hubby took one look at it and said, "You can't see the scratch but you can see the dent."  Well, thanks a lot for complimenting me on TRYING to make a bad situation better!  Jerk!  Then he put a magnet over it and called it good.  I took it off because you couldn't even tell it had been hit after I fixed it.  I tell you....

The big freeze....or "defrost" as it were....

Yesterday....what a day.  My house looked so lovely!  I cleaned and my kitchen sparkled...*bling-bling*.  And then it happened.  My freezer stopped working.  When I got home from the symphony, the freezer was making a strange kind of grating sound.  And there was a bit of water on the floor.  So, I summoned all the appliance repair knowledge in my brain....and hit the ice maker, HARD, a few times.  Can you believe that didn't work?  I was stunned....but it did quiet down a bit.  When hubby came home I showed him, and he found some ice in the fan and pulled it out.  It whirred again, silently.  We were elated!  I went on to serve my delicious dinner....ham, sweet potatoes and green bean casserol (a dry run for Thanksgiving).  After that, the wee one was bothering me for ice cream.  As I pulled the carton out I though....boy this is soft!  And then I stepped in the PUDDLE of water.  Once again the freezer stopped freezing....and the fridge stopped, uh, fridg-ing.  So, hubby and I went to Lowe's and came home with my brand spankin new, 25 cubic foot, Whirlpool side-by-side refridgerator.  It is LOVELY!  So clean and beautiful.  The fridge we had was okay, but it came with the house and the lady apparently wasn't as obsessive as I am with cleaning, (ewww).  So, although I spent $800 that I didn't have, (thank God for plastic), I do have a new fridge.  I didn't want to pay $200 toward a repair on an old one, you know?  I mean, don't I deserve a new one????  I am the one who uses it to hold the food that I prepare to sustain my family.  And anyway, we are going on a long weekend, and I don't want to come home to melted meat and clumpy milk. By the way, I helped hubby load and unload and navigate into the kitchen this new, hulking fridge.  No delivery man needed here!  Of course, I am sitting here with an ice pack on my back....kept frozen by my new fridge!

Ahhhh, the symphony....

Today was a lovely day.  I went with my 3rd grader's class to hear the symphony.  Have you ever really listened to classical music?  To the strains of Mozart or Vivaldi?  Utterly moving.  I don't cry often....except for some odd reason, at parades or when little children sing.  But today, when that music began, I couldn't help it.  By the time the concert was over, my so-called "waterproof" mascera was all over my face!  My daughter was so impressed.  She was smiling, and had a hundred questions about music and symphonies and composers.  Wonderful!

I had never been to this particular theatre before and as we came out of the building, the sun was just peeking out from behind a cloud, and the water from the river was sparkling like diamonds.  It was truly a beautiful end to a beautiful trip. 

 

Another of life's firsts....my first post!

Ahhhh, my first blog/diary/journal entry.  Well, let's see.  I've been a stay at home mom for 15 years now and I am loving the job.  The hours are great, you wouldn't  believe how little I spend on work clothes, and even though I sleep with the boss.....no one cares! ;o) I have been very lucky in that my husband and I agreed that we wanted to raise our kids, not a stranger at day care.  I am happily able to say that I saw my daughters first steps, sat with her all night during one of her many bouts with the flu, cleaned dried play-doh off the carpet after an afternoon of play....so many things that I look back on and am thankful that I was able to be home and be a part of.   I was a very young mother, and learned so many things raising my kids.  Things that no career could ever teach me.  I know that some might say that I missed out on my 20's....having a career, living on my own, making decisions.  But I don't feel that way.  Maybe you can tell me which stock to invest in on the market, but I can tell you which supermarket will yield your best money to food ratio.  Perhaps I don't know the entire score to the latest Broadway hit, but I do know the score of my daughters latest basketball game....because I was there.  Stay at home mothers of the world unite!  Let us no longer be looked down upon as the lazy women who stay home and watch tv all day.  Let us be known as the women who rear the next President, or scientist that finds the cure to a horrible disease.  Lets be proud of who we are.   When someone asks "What do you do?"  SMILE, throw your shoulders back and say, "I stay at home and raise my children!"