For much of my life, I have had extraordinarily disappointing birthdays. I wouldn't go so far as to curse the day of my birth, but it has been decades since I've looked forward to my special day. To put it mildly, it has most often left something to be desired.
My husband knows the reasons why I feel particularly unloved and uncared about on my birthday and, to his credit, he has always tried very hard to make that day a good one for me. Last year, he was out of town for my birthday. . .other than when I was attending my brother's service, it has been the only time we've slept apart since we got together. It wasn't all badness & sadness though because I met up with some friends at a local theme park that day and they treated me to a very tasty funnel cake.
My birthday this year wasn't all that great, I swear that my son went out of his way to make me cry that day, but my husband certainly came through with what can only be called The Best Birthday Present of All Time!
After five or so years of casually looking and ten months of serious looking, we bought another house. Not only did we buy another house, but we bought a FREAKING AWESOME house that is exactly what we both wanted. It is the perfect place to raise our boys and we both fell in love with the location, the floor plan, the backyard.
When did escrow close on this house? On my birthday. As I said, best birthday present ever!
My husband has already told me that I shouldn't expect him to buy me another house for my birthday next year. . .geez, what a cheapskate! Ha!
Showing posts with label house. Show all posts
Showing posts with label house. Show all posts
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Waiting for Some More Good News
This has been quite an excellent week thus far. We received interesting information at around 11:30 last night and we should know in the next day or so if this week qualifies as the best week ever!
Friday, May 13, 2011
Guess Who Has Morning Sickness Again?
I never experienced morning sickness when I was pregnant with my son. Sure, I had queasiness for a few weeks, but I sure wasn't vomiting or feeling ill all day long. I didn't really have any challenging symptoms other than a constant backache. That entire pregnancy was pretty doggone easy and I've come to realize that I was ridiculously lucky to have a relative lack of pregnancy complaints.
It totally took me by surprise when I was sick as a dog while pregnant with my lost baby. I couldn't even keep down water and weighing in at each appointment showed that I lost weight the entire time. Since I had so many spotting scares with that pregnancy, I took some measure of comfort in my 24/7 pukefest because the theory is that your hCG levels are continuing to increase if you're continuing to suffer. I still ended up losing that baby so I think it's entirely possible that the theory is complete crap.
I woke up feeling queasy this morning. Actually, I felt a little ill last night before bed. . .I would have bet everything that I own that there was a skunk in our yard. I didn't actually yak over the possibly imagined scent, but it was bad enough that my stomach turned and I had to swallow often to keep my dinner down.
I was struggling to keep down plain ol' water this morning. I'd reached the point where I thought I might be able to keep down a piece of toast and maybe an egg. Then the painters showed to do their touch up work.
I almost puked last night over the smell of a skunk that may or may not have even existed and now my house would be filled with oh-so-very-real paint fumes. Wonderful, just wonderful. Why, yes, I did end up tossing my cookies while the painters were here!
I ultimately ended up feeling sick & queasy all day. My nausea subsided enough in the early evening that I walked through two houses. . .I should have stopped after the first house. The second house smelled so strongly of cat piss and cigarettes that I swear I can still smell it hours later. Gotta love that super-human pregnancy nose!
My husband tells me that I look back on my son's pregnancy with rose colored glasses and that I had plenty of complaints. Perhaps he's right, but it seems like I'd remember the really rough stuff. I mean, I do remember how much my back ached.
I've gone up a cup-size in the last three weeks and, as a result, my boobs are killing me. I apparently can't even keep water on my stomach without vomiting. Thankfully it appears that that symptom is only around in the morning. I've been spotting and/or bleeding every damn day for nearly a month now, courtesy of the suppositories that are helping to keep my uterine lining intact - thereby keeping my baby in my uterus. At least, I'm inclined to blame the prog suppos since I've been spotting since I began to use them.
Other than my nice cans and the lil' bun in my oven, it's really starting to seem like my body rebels against me when pregnant. I'm rooting for Team Babyworks!
It totally took me by surprise when I was sick as a dog while pregnant with my lost baby. I couldn't even keep down water and weighing in at each appointment showed that I lost weight the entire time. Since I had so many spotting scares with that pregnancy, I took some measure of comfort in my 24/7 pukefest because the theory is that your hCG levels are continuing to increase if you're continuing to suffer. I still ended up losing that baby so I think it's entirely possible that the theory is complete crap.
I woke up feeling queasy this morning. Actually, I felt a little ill last night before bed. . .I would have bet everything that I own that there was a skunk in our yard. I didn't actually yak over the possibly imagined scent, but it was bad enough that my stomach turned and I had to swallow often to keep my dinner down.
I was struggling to keep down plain ol' water this morning. I'd reached the point where I thought I might be able to keep down a piece of toast and maybe an egg. Then the painters showed to do their touch up work.
I almost puked last night over the smell of a skunk that may or may not have even existed and now my house would be filled with oh-so-very-real paint fumes. Wonderful, just wonderful. Why, yes, I did end up tossing my cookies while the painters were here!
I ultimately ended up feeling sick & queasy all day. My nausea subsided enough in the early evening that I walked through two houses. . .I should have stopped after the first house. The second house smelled so strongly of cat piss and cigarettes that I swear I can still smell it hours later. Gotta love that super-human pregnancy nose!
My husband tells me that I look back on my son's pregnancy with rose colored glasses and that I had plenty of complaints. Perhaps he's right, but it seems like I'd remember the really rough stuff. I mean, I do remember how much my back ached.
I've gone up a cup-size in the last three weeks and, as a result, my boobs are killing me. I apparently can't even keep water on my stomach without vomiting. Thankfully it appears that that symptom is only around in the morning. I've been spotting and/or bleeding every damn day for nearly a month now, courtesy of the suppositories that are helping to keep my uterine lining intact - thereby keeping my baby in my uterus. At least, I'm inclined to blame the prog suppos since I've been spotting since I began to use them.
Other than my nice cans and the lil' bun in my oven, it's really starting to seem like my body rebels against me when pregnant. I'm rooting for Team Babyworks!
Monday, May 9, 2011
I'm EXHAUSTED!
One wouldn't think that painters would leave your home a colossal mess, but some apparently do. I worked my butt off from 1:00 until around 9:00 today so that my family could sleep at home tonight. What did I do that took eight hours? I thoroughly cleaned my kitchen, two bathrooms, the dining room, and my son's bedroom. I decided to let everything else wait until tomorrow. What's left? My bedroom, the den, and our living room.
Why was I so determined to be home tonight? I actually had a few reasons. One is that I just don't sleep well when I'm away from home and I feel sleep-deprived as a result. Another is that I have yet to be slammed with first trimester exhaustion so I'm trying to take advantage of my current energy levels. Finally, my son lit up when he saw all his toys and he was eager to sleep with his "animal friends." How eager? He actually ASKED for a nap so he could sleep in his own bed! Let's face it, the kid is the only reason that I busted my hump all damn day.
The house, half the house anyway, looks great. I miss color on the walls and photos of my family, but this hopefully won't be my house for much longer. I hear rain at the moment so I suppose the exterior painting will have to wait another day or so.
Why was I so determined to be home tonight? I actually had a few reasons. One is that I just don't sleep well when I'm away from home and I feel sleep-deprived as a result. Another is that I have yet to be slammed with first trimester exhaustion so I'm trying to take advantage of my current energy levels. Finally, my son lit up when he saw all his toys and he was eager to sleep with his "animal friends." How eager? He actually ASKED for a nap so he could sleep in his own bed! Let's face it, the kid is the only reason that I busted my hump all damn day.
The house, half the house anyway, looks great. I miss color on the walls and photos of my family, but this hopefully won't be my house for much longer. I hear rain at the moment so I suppose the exterior painting will have to wait another day or so.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Work, Work, Work
My family moved out of my husband's home this morning because 10,000 workers showed up to do some serious work. Yeah, that's a slight exaggeration. Okay, okay, a huge exaggeration!
A carpenter worked at our house much of last week and his work turned out perfectly fantastic. We had our driveway poured at the end of last week and it was set enough that the crews can walk on it. We had a group of tree trimmers, some guys doing miscellaneous work, and a crew of painters over today. Oh, and the concrete guys showed up again so that they could finish the driveway. The trees out front have been trimmed, the miscellaneous work is complete, and the ceiling retexturing appears to be halfway complete. I'm estimating that we should be back in our house sometime this weekend if work continues at such a brisk pace inside the house.
I've commented several times that I wish we had this work performed ages ago. Isn't it always that way? You live with things that bother you (whether it's with your car or your house) and you fix it so it's nice for someone else.
A carpenter worked at our house much of last week and his work turned out perfectly fantastic. We had our driveway poured at the end of last week and it was set enough that the crews can walk on it. We had a group of tree trimmers, some guys doing miscellaneous work, and a crew of painters over today. Oh, and the concrete guys showed up again so that they could finish the driveway. The trees out front have been trimmed, the miscellaneous work is complete, and the ceiling retexturing appears to be halfway complete. I'm estimating that we should be back in our house sometime this weekend if work continues at such a brisk pace inside the house.
I've commented several times that I wish we had this work performed ages ago. Isn't it always that way? You live with things that bother you (whether it's with your car or your house) and you fix it so it's nice for someone else.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Relax? Yeah, Right!
~ My husband said we'd be out of our house by last weekend. I have been busting my hump to get us out of this house by this weekend. I've even got things that I use on a weekly (not daily) basis all packed up and out. This took a crazy amount of effort on my part.
~ Now we are not going to totally vacate the house prior to selling it. WHAT?! So the plan has changed, okay. That's fine, but if you know my husband, our son, or our dog, you'll completely understand why I'm freaking out at the prospect of keeping the house clean, in order, and "show-ready" until it sells. Not to mention that I've already packed up things that I use fairly frequently because we weren't going to be staying here!
~ I'm in the process of explaining how to coordinate completely loading the portable storage thing as full as possible, getting it picked up and off our driveway, getting the driveway guys to fix our driveway (will take a week), getting everything that's left in the house in the garage, getting a place to stay temporarily while the outside and inside of the house is painted (this will also take about a week). And tree trimming fits in there somewhere.
~ In the last seven weeks, I've experienced more days with blood flowing out of my body than I have had days without. It's not like hormonal imbalances wreak havoc with your emotions, right? Ha! In a word, it's stressful and exhausting. Well, I guess that's two words, but you know what I mean.
~ My progesterone suppositories are definitely causing my body to experience symptoms very similar to early pregnancy. Plus I get the benefit of spotting all the time - except the spotting stops when I rest. Rest? Yeah, when exactly can I do that? I'd love to crawl into a wine bottle at night, but I'm not 100% certain that I'm not pregnant because I still haven't had a period yet. And I feel dangerously close to spending another two hours crying today because:
~ I just discovered this morning that my husband will be working - again - tonight. Indeed, he will be working three evenings per week for the next three weeks. I guess six days and two evenings per week just wasn't enough time for me as a single parent. If you know my high-energy son, you know why this is so distressing to me. Put simply, I NEED the break that I can kinda get when my husband is around.
~ I'd finally got back in the swing of things, socializing and having fun with friends, and I necessarily had to pull back and get this stuff done at the house. Except I guess it wasn't so necessary after all. At least, it wasn't nearly as urgent. Now I feel frustrated, angry, and isolated.
And people wonder why I can't relax. I'm tempted to disappear on vacation for a couple of weeks. The only problem with that is I'm pretty sure all work will stop until I return so there would be no point in getting away only to deal with the same bullsh*t when I return.
~ Now we are not going to totally vacate the house prior to selling it. WHAT?! So the plan has changed, okay. That's fine, but if you know my husband, our son, or our dog, you'll completely understand why I'm freaking out at the prospect of keeping the house clean, in order, and "show-ready" until it sells. Not to mention that I've already packed up things that I use fairly frequently because we weren't going to be staying here!
~ I'm in the process of explaining how to coordinate completely loading the portable storage thing as full as possible, getting it picked up and off our driveway, getting the driveway guys to fix our driveway (will take a week), getting everything that's left in the house in the garage, getting a place to stay temporarily while the outside and inside of the house is painted (this will also take about a week). And tree trimming fits in there somewhere.
~ In the last seven weeks, I've experienced more days with blood flowing out of my body than I have had days without. It's not like hormonal imbalances wreak havoc with your emotions, right? Ha! In a word, it's stressful and exhausting. Well, I guess that's two words, but you know what I mean.
~ My progesterone suppositories are definitely causing my body to experience symptoms very similar to early pregnancy. Plus I get the benefit of spotting all the time - except the spotting stops when I rest. Rest? Yeah, when exactly can I do that? I'd love to crawl into a wine bottle at night, but I'm not 100% certain that I'm not pregnant because I still haven't had a period yet. And I feel dangerously close to spending another two hours crying today because:
~ I just discovered this morning that my husband will be working - again - tonight. Indeed, he will be working three evenings per week for the next three weeks. I guess six days and two evenings per week just wasn't enough time for me as a single parent. If you know my high-energy son, you know why this is so distressing to me. Put simply, I NEED the break that I can kinda get when my husband is around.
~ I'd finally got back in the swing of things, socializing and having fun with friends, and I necessarily had to pull back and get this stuff done at the house. Except I guess it wasn't so necessary after all. At least, it wasn't nearly as urgent. Now I feel frustrated, angry, and isolated.
And people wonder why I can't relax. I'm tempted to disappear on vacation for a couple of weeks. The only problem with that is I'm pretty sure all work will stop until I return so there would be no point in getting away only to deal with the same bullsh*t when I return.
Monday, April 18, 2011
You Gotta Be Kidding Me!!
Guess who started spotting today in the middle of packing and wrangling a toddler who wants to play with every single thing being packed? It's official: My body freaking sucks! Dammit!
Why? Just why? Why is this happening?
I'm only on Day 17 of my cycle and I stared at the toilet tissue for the longest moment, not wanting to believe what my own eyes could see. And that's when the meltdown started. It's still going on, but I'm hopeful that I'll stop my boo-hooing and get myself together in short order.
With everything else that I'm dealing with at the moment, why my period too? And, if I have to have my stupid period, why did it have to come with cramps too? So much for putting my hopes on the progesterone.
Boo-freaking-hoo. . .this is my FOURTH period since February 26. Four friggin' periods in only seven stupid weeks. Un-freaking-believable.
Why? Just why? Why is this happening?
I'm only on Day 17 of my cycle and I stared at the toilet tissue for the longest moment, not wanting to believe what my own eyes could see. And that's when the meltdown started. It's still going on, but I'm hopeful that I'll stop my boo-hooing and get myself together in short order.
With everything else that I'm dealing with at the moment, why my period too? And, if I have to have my stupid period, why did it have to come with cramps too? So much for putting my hopes on the progesterone.
Boo-freaking-hoo. . .this is my FOURTH period since February 26. Four friggin' periods in only seven stupid weeks. Un-freaking-believable.
Progesterone, Periods, and Packing
I started using the progesterone suppositories last night and I'm thinking that it wasn't a moment too soon. Though I was only on Day 16 of my cycle, I experienced slight cramping and a few twinges that I suspect were going to herald the arrival of my next period. Really?! Yeah, really. I think it's beyond lame that my body is so out to get me by trying to put me on a nearly perpetual period. . .it's not like I don't have any other stress, right?
How was it using a vaginal suppository? Uh, pretty much what I expected. I decided to use it just before hopping into bed for the evening. The waxy/greasy bullet was easy enough to slip on up there, but I could feel it melting within a minute. Yeah, man, that's a gross feeling. I stayed in bed all night long even though I really needed to pee around 3:00 am. Why not just go urinate? Because I could feel this puddle of waxy gunk up in my hoo-haw and I didn't want to deal with the mess.
I ultimately woke at 7:00 am and the nasty remnants of the suppository flooded my britches as I sat up in bed. What a glorious way to start the day! I'm just thankful that I not only had on underpants, but that I put a liner in place last night before bed. Nonetheless, those panties were totally wrecked so I'm guessing it's going to be granny panties for me until I stop using the suppositories.
In other news, I plan to spend today packing up all but the bare essentials that we need for daily living. Then I plan to start storing our stuff. My hubs works until 10:00 pm tonight so it's all on you-know-who to get this show on the road. I'm burning daylight so it's off to work I go!
How was it using a vaginal suppository? Uh, pretty much what I expected. I decided to use it just before hopping into bed for the evening. The waxy/greasy bullet was easy enough to slip on up there, but I could feel it melting within a minute. Yeah, man, that's a gross feeling. I stayed in bed all night long even though I really needed to pee around 3:00 am. Why not just go urinate? Because I could feel this puddle of waxy gunk up in my hoo-haw and I didn't want to deal with the mess.
I ultimately woke at 7:00 am and the nasty remnants of the suppository flooded my britches as I sat up in bed. What a glorious way to start the day! I'm just thankful that I not only had on underpants, but that I put a liner in place last night before bed. Nonetheless, those panties were totally wrecked so I'm guessing it's going to be granny panties for me until I stop using the suppositories.
In other news, I plan to spend today packing up all but the bare essentials that we need for daily living. Then I plan to start storing our stuff. My hubs works until 10:00 pm tonight so it's all on you-know-who to get this show on the road. I'm burning daylight so it's off to work I go!
Sunday, April 17, 2011
We Missed the Deadline
My husband said that we'd be out of our house this weekend. I'm writing this on my laptop in our living room, so it's pretty obvious that we are still here. Not only are we not out of the house, but I'm not even totally finished packing yet. I've almost finished, but I still have a couple of closets and our kitchen "basics" left before I'm complete. Then I can start storing our stuff. I'm confident that I'll have us out of the house within the week.
Where will we be living at that point? Good question! I'm hopeful that I can get most of our stuff moved out in the beginning of the week so I can focus on finding us temporary digs to settle in at by next weekend.
I know this is going to sound horrible, but I'm glad that I'm not doing this by myself while six-months pregnant and wrangling my toddler. I'm not happy that I lost my baby, far from it, but I suppose that everything really does happen for a reason.
Where will we be living at that point? Good question! I'm hopeful that I can get most of our stuff moved out in the beginning of the week so I can focus on finding us temporary digs to settle in at by next weekend.
I know this is going to sound horrible, but I'm glad that I'm not doing this by myself while six-months pregnant and wrangling my toddler. I'm not happy that I lost my baby, far from it, but I suppose that everything really does happen for a reason.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Crazy is Contagious
I think my craziness has spread to my husband. As I wrote a few weeks ago, we do nothing easy and we always seem to juggle too many things. We've just added one more thing and it's like introducing a chainsaw to the tennis balls that we've already been struggling to juggle.
My husband said we could not only be out of our house (as in everything is gone, the house looks great, and we are living elsewhere), but it would also be ready to list in two weeks. Two weeks! FOURTEEN DAYS.
If you've ever been to our home, you'll understand why I'm freaking-the-frack out right now. We have A TON of stuff. I want to say we have a ton of sh*t, but that's what you call other people's stuff, right? Not only do we have a ton of stuff to donate, sell, and pack, but we have a ton of projects that need to be completed. You know, the ticky-tacky BS things that never seem to get done; new handles on cabinets, replacing switches & plugs, and stuff like that. I guess now is the time to get said projects finished. Additionally, I have painted every single vertical surface in this house. And, by painted, I mean I PAINTED. I actually have three walls that are tan with chocolate brown sponged on - it looks like a leopard print and it's very cool, but it will take at least two, if not three, coats of paint to cover it. I almost regret my decision not to paint everything white way back when we painted. . .almost.
Having a toddler in the mix makes things damn near impossible, but my husband says it will all work out. Uh, my husband works six-days each week and at least two evenings so I have no idea why he thinks anything will work out in his absence, but I guess he trusts that I can handle it. I don't know if I should feel flattered or annoyed, but I suppose I can handle it so I'm trying to feel the flattery.
I'm not afraid of hard work or putting in long hours, but I should also mention that I have a very specific reason for wanting to take it easy for a couple more weeks. Well, it looks like I won't have that luxury, so I'm hoping for the best outcome with that situation too. Either way, it will make doing this project even harder than it should be.
Wish us luck/pray for us/whatever it is that you do because we're going to need all the help we can get!
My husband said we could not only be out of our house (as in everything is gone, the house looks great, and we are living elsewhere), but it would also be ready to list in two weeks. Two weeks! FOURTEEN DAYS.
If you've ever been to our home, you'll understand why I'm freaking-the-frack out right now. We have A TON of stuff. I want to say we have a ton of sh*t, but that's what you call other people's stuff, right? Not only do we have a ton of stuff to donate, sell, and pack, but we have a ton of projects that need to be completed. You know, the ticky-tacky BS things that never seem to get done; new handles on cabinets, replacing switches & plugs, and stuff like that. I guess now is the time to get said projects finished. Additionally, I have painted every single vertical surface in this house. And, by painted, I mean I PAINTED. I actually have three walls that are tan with chocolate brown sponged on - it looks like a leopard print and it's very cool, but it will take at least two, if not three, coats of paint to cover it. I almost regret my decision not to paint everything white way back when we painted. . .almost.
Having a toddler in the mix makes things damn near impossible, but my husband says it will all work out. Uh, my husband works six-days each week and at least two evenings so I have no idea why he thinks anything will work out in his absence, but I guess he trusts that I can handle it. I don't know if I should feel flattered or annoyed, but I suppose I can handle it so I'm trying to feel the flattery.
I'm not afraid of hard work or putting in long hours, but I should also mention that I have a very specific reason for wanting to take it easy for a couple more weeks. Well, it looks like I won't have that luxury, so I'm hoping for the best outcome with that situation too. Either way, it will make doing this project even harder than it should be.
Wish us luck/pray for us/whatever it is that you do because we're going to need all the help we can get!
Friday, March 18, 2011
Packing and Moving with a Toddler
Working is completely and utterly impossible when you have a busy toddler underfoot! I've often thought the previous statement when I'm trying to do things like cleaning, cooking, and doing laundry, but it has really become quite clear as I'm trying to declutter our house and pack up. No, we haven't quite bought a house yet and our house isn't listed yet. It's just that we have soooo much stuff that we need to get started right away.
I'd really like to begin working in the black hole that is our garage, but I can't let my son run around in that mess because I'm sure he'd get hurt or get into dangerous stuff (like poisons, pesticides, gardening tools, etc.) that we store in the garage. So I'm forced to work in the house instead. That sounds easy enough, right? Wrong!
My son will ignore me whenever I want his attention and, naturally, he's all over me when I want him to play on his own. I've decided that the lazy Mom's babysitter (television) can deal with him while I try to work, but he doesn't want to watch TV. He wants to play with Mama. He wants to play with anything that I'm trying to go through. He wants to mix together everything that I'm sorting. He may not want to be a roadblock to my progress, but his actions are sure making it difficult for me to get anything done.
Have you ever packed up and moved with a toddler in tow? How in the heck did you do it without going bonkers??
I'd really like to begin working in the black hole that is our garage, but I can't let my son run around in that mess because I'm sure he'd get hurt or get into dangerous stuff (like poisons, pesticides, gardening tools, etc.) that we store in the garage. So I'm forced to work in the house instead. That sounds easy enough, right? Wrong!
My son will ignore me whenever I want his attention and, naturally, he's all over me when I want him to play on his own. I've decided that the lazy Mom's babysitter (television) can deal with him while I try to work, but he doesn't want to watch TV. He wants to play with Mama. He wants to play with anything that I'm trying to go through. He wants to mix together everything that I'm sorting. He may not want to be a roadblock to my progress, but his actions are sure making it difficult for me to get anything done.
Have you ever packed up and moved with a toddler in tow? How in the heck did you do it without going bonkers??
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
I HATE SHOPPING!
I've probably mentioned how much I hate shop and I'm not exaggerating when I say that I HATE TO SHOP! I can tolerate grocery shopping since, well, my family needs to eat. Other than that though, I can think of dozens of activities that I'd rather do than shopping. I know that a lot of women are shopaholics. . .I guess I'm more of an alcoholic - haha! Just a joke, people, lighten up! Anyway, circumstances beyond my control are forcing me to do a fair amount of shopping lately and it is totally getting on my nerves. So wish me luck and send prayers that this particular bit of shopping is over for at least thirty years. ;-)
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Something's Cooking
Just once it would be nice to have every aspect of life clipping along on cruise control, a relaxing drive in a sweet ride. However, my husband and I don't live like that. I suppose we need to feel the action to continue propelling us forward.
We apparently think nothing of extending ourselves in fifteen different directions and this week is no exception. My husband is having spinal surgery tomorrow morning, but we put something in motion today. . .something big and exciting. No, it has nothing to do with penis; though that's big & exciting too - haha! In addition to this particular thing we were working on today, there is another fantastically unique opportunity that is simmering quietly while he patiently awaits a response.
I can't specify exactly what it is that we're brewing and the ball is in someone else's court at the moment. I know that I'm ridiculously superstitious, but my fingers are crossed. More importantly, I'm praying that all this works out in a truly spectacular way. In the meantime, the suspense is driving me insane!
We apparently think nothing of extending ourselves in fifteen different directions and this week is no exception. My husband is having spinal surgery tomorrow morning, but we put something in motion today. . .something big and exciting. No, it has nothing to do with penis; though that's big & exciting too - haha! In addition to this particular thing we were working on today, there is another fantastically unique opportunity that is simmering quietly while he patiently awaits a response.
I can't specify exactly what it is that we're brewing and the ball is in someone else's court at the moment. I know that I'm ridiculously superstitious, but my fingers are crossed. More importantly, I'm praying that all this works out in a truly spectacular way. In the meantime, the suspense is driving me insane!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
I Have a Housework Solution!
I decided to earn my keep the other day and perform some very neglected housekeeping. I'm sure that I've previously complained about how much I detest cleaning the house and it really is my least favorite part of my "job" as a SAHM. I'm fine with cooking, laundry, childcare, and husbandcare (heh!), but I sure hate cleaning.
My Swiffer mop head had broke in half (no, I didn't intentionally break it to get out of housework!) so I pulled out the steam mop to finish the floors. My son FREAKED OUT when I walked in the front room while mopping. He actually started screaming and running away. As he ran, he was yelling, "No mop! NOOOOO!"
I momentarily thought about chasing him throughout the house with the hissing mop in my hand. Yes, I do know that I have an odd sense of humor and I'm a bit of a jerk at times. However, in the interest of not inflicting severe emotional trauma on my child, I decided to mop as far away from him as possible while telling him that he had nothing to fear from a mop. He eyed the mop from a distance and didn't settle down until I unplugged the hissing beast.
His nervous response got me thinking. . .dangerous, I know. But I started wondering what would happen if I were afraid of the mop? I couldn't really be expected to use the damn thing if I had a mop phobia, right?
I casually mentioned to my husband what had happened with our son and the mop and that I could have a budding fear of the mop. He laughed at the boy being afraid of the mop, but ignored the statement about my own potential fears. That tells me that he not only wasn't buying it, but that he wasn't even going to bother with telling me to stop making excuses for not doing my job.
I guess it's back to the drawing board to come up with reasons to shirk my duties. . .
My Swiffer mop head had broke in half (no, I didn't intentionally break it to get out of housework!) so I pulled out the steam mop to finish the floors. My son FREAKED OUT when I walked in the front room while mopping. He actually started screaming and running away. As he ran, he was yelling, "No mop! NOOOOO!"
I momentarily thought about chasing him throughout the house with the hissing mop in my hand. Yes, I do know that I have an odd sense of humor and I'm a bit of a jerk at times. However, in the interest of not inflicting severe emotional trauma on my child, I decided to mop as far away from him as possible while telling him that he had nothing to fear from a mop. He eyed the mop from a distance and didn't settle down until I unplugged the hissing beast.
His nervous response got me thinking. . .dangerous, I know. But I started wondering what would happen if I were afraid of the mop? I couldn't really be expected to use the damn thing if I had a mop phobia, right?
I casually mentioned to my husband what had happened with our son and the mop and that I could have a budding fear of the mop. He laughed at the boy being afraid of the mop, but ignored the statement about my own potential fears. That tells me that he not only wasn't buying it, but that he wasn't even going to bother with telling me to stop making excuses for not doing my job.
I guess it's back to the drawing board to come up with reasons to shirk my duties. . .
Thursday, January 6, 2011
All We Need is a Strip Club
We received a notice in the mail yesterday about a business that will be opening around the corner from our house. I looked at the notice and thought, "There goes the neighborhood." What type of business is it? A pawn shop. A freaking pawn shop.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Pawn shops are legitimate businesses. Fine, good for them. I don't care that it makes me a NIMBY; I don't want one in my backyard.
We currently have a smoke shop across the street, a Cash 4 Gold storefront up the street, a seedy bar on the corner, and a pawn shop going in around the corner. I think I'll begin to refer to this part of town as Santa Ana North.
I know you're probably thinking that I should complain to the city, but that will do no good. This house is located on the extreme West side of town and we are basically surrounded by a neighboring city. The same neighboring city that is allowing all these undesirable businesses to operate within a stones throw of where my son plays. Great.
The city I do live in has recently been taken to task for not building enough "low-income housing" so naturally they want to place all state-mandated units on this end of town. If I didn't live here, I'd say stick them over here too. Heavens knows that the good people on the East side of town wouldn't want that riff-raff to breathe their rarefied air. All we need is a head shop and a strip club and the slummification will be complete.
My husband has lived here since 1981 and he can't believe what has happened to this neighborhood in that time. Perhaps we should get out while the getting is relatively good. . .
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Pawn shops are legitimate businesses. Fine, good for them. I don't care that it makes me a NIMBY; I don't want one in my backyard.
We currently have a smoke shop across the street, a Cash 4 Gold storefront up the street, a seedy bar on the corner, and a pawn shop going in around the corner. I think I'll begin to refer to this part of town as Santa Ana North.
I know you're probably thinking that I should complain to the city, but that will do no good. This house is located on the extreme West side of town and we are basically surrounded by a neighboring city. The same neighboring city that is allowing all these undesirable businesses to operate within a stones throw of where my son plays. Great.
The city I do live in has recently been taken to task for not building enough "low-income housing" so naturally they want to place all state-mandated units on this end of town. If I didn't live here, I'd say stick them over here too. Heavens knows that the good people on the East side of town wouldn't want that riff-raff to breathe their rarefied air. All we need is a head shop and a strip club and the slummification will be complete.
My husband has lived here since 1981 and he can't believe what has happened to this neighborhood in that time. Perhaps we should get out while the getting is relatively good. . .
Friday, October 1, 2010
This Lazy Woman's Guide to Housecleaning
I might be a SAHM, but I refuse to spend my days cleaning the house. The way I see it, the house will always be here and it will always need cleaning. My son won't always be young and I'm already alarmed at how fast his infancy passed so I don't want to miss out on a minute of his toddlerhood. I certainly don't want to look back and regret that I was so busy keeping a perfect house that I didn't enjoy these special years with my son.
Thanks to living on a busy street, I can actually dust every single day if I was interested. Not that I'm interested, mind you. Most horizontal surfaces are always cluttered and I'm engaged in a never-ending battle with dog hair on my floor. My house doesn't sparkle and it's most often somewhat messy, but I'm not afraid to have friends over. Besides, friends don't perform white-glove inspections anyway.
Note that all of these tips are not mine; I got some of them from the FlyLady. Not FLYing yet? Check out the website and get FLYing! Yeah, I'm lazy and I don't do all the things she suggests yet, but I'm getting there. Below is a quick rundown of a typical day spent at home and you'll see that I agree with the FlyLady that choosing to do a tiny bit of work here and there and making just a little effort ultimately makes a huge difference.
Morning
- Make bed once you get up.
- The FlyLady says to get dressed right away, but I have been really bad about lounging in a bathrobe for an hour or two.
- Unload the dishwasher if it was run the night before.
- Brew up a little coffee for myself and, hopefully, enjoy a cup before the kiddo wakes up.
- Put laundry away so the basket is empty.
- Make breakfast, cleaning up any cooking messes or dishes dirtied along the way, and feed the kiddo.
- Once breakfast is finished, immediately put dishes in the dishwasher. If the dishwasher wasn't run the night before, there are probably enough dishes to run it now. Hand wash pots or pans if used, dry, and put away.
- Wipe down dining room table, stovetop, and counters. Assuming the dog didn't pounce on any morsels that might have dropped on the floor, clean those up too.
- Check to see if the kitchen sink still looks good.
- If using the slow-cooker for dinner, get cracking on that.
- Go to master bathroom to brush teeth.
- After teeth are brushed, grabbed toilet bowl brush and do a quick scrub around the toilet bowl. Use cleanser every two weeks.
- After hand washing, determine if the bathroom sink could use a scrub down and make a mental note if necessary.
- I slack on this sometimes, but generally I'll wipe down the counter with a washcloth and throw the washcloth in empty laundry basket.
Mid-morning
- Hustle to the hallway bathroom, grab toilet bowl brush and do a quick scrub around the toilet bowl before the kiddo has to poop. Use cleanser every two weeks.
- After hand washing, determine if the bathroom sink could use a scrub down and make a mental note if necessary.
- Wipe down the counter with a washcloth and throw the washcloth in the laundry basket.
Lunchtime
- Unload dishwasher if it was run in the morning.
- Prepare lunch, cleaning up any cooking messes or dishes dirtied along the way, and serve.
- Once lunch is finished, immediately put dishes in the dishwasher and put any leftovers away in the refrigerator. Hand wash pots or pans if used, dry, and put away.
- Wipe down dining room table, stovetop (if used), and counters. Assuming the dog didn't pounce on any morsels that might have dropped on the floor, clean those up too.
Mid-afternoon
- If not using slow cooker for dinner, start planning and prepping a meal. Be sure to clean as you go so that you don't end up with a bunch of dishes to wash at the end.
- Every week or so, I sweep and mop floors throughout the entire house. I should probably do this every other day, but I'm lazy.
Dinnertime
- Prepare dinner, cleaning up any cooking messes or dishes dirtied along the way, and serve the family.
- Once supper is finished, immediately put dishes in the dishwasher and put any leftovers away in the refrigerator. Run dishwasher if it's full. Hand wash pots, pans, or slow cooker if used, dry, and put away.
- Wipe down dining room table, stovetop (if used), and counters. Assuming the dog didn't pounce on any morsels that might have dropped on the floor, clean those up too.
- Throw the kitchen towels in the laundry basket.
- Scrub down the kitchen sink and, since I have the scouring powder in hand, run to the bathroom sinks and scrub those if needed.
- Every few days, look under the seat of each toilet and clean with a Clorox wipe.
- When throwing away the Clorox wipe, determine if the trash needs to be emptied. If it does, do it.
- Every couple of weeks, scrub the kiddo's tub after bath time.
- Take off clothes, make sure to have the kiddo's clothes too, and start laundry.
- Take shower and make a mental note if it needs to be scrubbed tomorrow.
- Squeegee and wipe down the shower doors before leaving the shower stall.
- Enjoy the evening with my hubby, but remain mindful that the laundry will need to be swapped over to the dryer in about an hour.
- After laundry is dried, fold it right away and stack it neatly in the basket.
That's it. Pretty easy, right? What simple, but effective, steps do you take to keep your house up?
Thanks to living on a busy street, I can actually dust every single day if I was interested. Not that I'm interested, mind you. Most horizontal surfaces are always cluttered and I'm engaged in a never-ending battle with dog hair on my floor. My house doesn't sparkle and it's most often somewhat messy, but I'm not afraid to have friends over. Besides, friends don't perform white-glove inspections anyway.
Note that all of these tips are not mine; I got some of them from the FlyLady. Not FLYing yet? Check out the website and get FLYing! Yeah, I'm lazy and I don't do all the things she suggests yet, but I'm getting there. Below is a quick rundown of a typical day spent at home and you'll see that I agree with the FlyLady that choosing to do a tiny bit of work here and there and making just a little effort ultimately makes a huge difference.
Morning
- Make bed once you get up.
- The FlyLady says to get dressed right away, but I have been really bad about lounging in a bathrobe for an hour or two.
- Unload the dishwasher if it was run the night before.
- Brew up a little coffee for myself and, hopefully, enjoy a cup before the kiddo wakes up.
- Put laundry away so the basket is empty.
- Make breakfast, cleaning up any cooking messes or dishes dirtied along the way, and feed the kiddo.
- Once breakfast is finished, immediately put dishes in the dishwasher. If the dishwasher wasn't run the night before, there are probably enough dishes to run it now. Hand wash pots or pans if used, dry, and put away.
- Wipe down dining room table, stovetop, and counters. Assuming the dog didn't pounce on any morsels that might have dropped on the floor, clean those up too.
- Check to see if the kitchen sink still looks good.
- If using the slow-cooker for dinner, get cracking on that.
- Go to master bathroom to brush teeth.
- After teeth are brushed, grabbed toilet bowl brush and do a quick scrub around the toilet bowl. Use cleanser every two weeks.
- After hand washing, determine if the bathroom sink could use a scrub down and make a mental note if necessary.
- I slack on this sometimes, but generally I'll wipe down the counter with a washcloth and throw the washcloth in empty laundry basket.
Mid-morning
- Hustle to the hallway bathroom, grab toilet bowl brush and do a quick scrub around the toilet bowl before the kiddo has to poop. Use cleanser every two weeks.
- After hand washing, determine if the bathroom sink could use a scrub down and make a mental note if necessary.
- Wipe down the counter with a washcloth and throw the washcloth in the laundry basket.
Lunchtime
- Unload dishwasher if it was run in the morning.
- Prepare lunch, cleaning up any cooking messes or dishes dirtied along the way, and serve.
- Once lunch is finished, immediately put dishes in the dishwasher and put any leftovers away in the refrigerator. Hand wash pots or pans if used, dry, and put away.
- Wipe down dining room table, stovetop (if used), and counters. Assuming the dog didn't pounce on any morsels that might have dropped on the floor, clean those up too.
Mid-afternoon
- If not using slow cooker for dinner, start planning and prepping a meal. Be sure to clean as you go so that you don't end up with a bunch of dishes to wash at the end.
- Every week or so, I sweep and mop floors throughout the entire house. I should probably do this every other day, but I'm lazy.
Dinnertime
- Prepare dinner, cleaning up any cooking messes or dishes dirtied along the way, and serve the family.
- Once supper is finished, immediately put dishes in the dishwasher and put any leftovers away in the refrigerator. Run dishwasher if it's full. Hand wash pots, pans, or slow cooker if used, dry, and put away.
- Wipe down dining room table, stovetop (if used), and counters. Assuming the dog didn't pounce on any morsels that might have dropped on the floor, clean those up too.
- Throw the kitchen towels in the laundry basket.
- Scrub down the kitchen sink and, since I have the scouring powder in hand, run to the bathroom sinks and scrub those if needed.
- Every few days, look under the seat of each toilet and clean with a Clorox wipe.
- When throwing away the Clorox wipe, determine if the trash needs to be emptied. If it does, do it.
- Every couple of weeks, scrub the kiddo's tub after bath time.
- Take off clothes, make sure to have the kiddo's clothes too, and start laundry.
- Take shower and make a mental note if it needs to be scrubbed tomorrow.
- Squeegee and wipe down the shower doors before leaving the shower stall.
- Enjoy the evening with my hubby, but remain mindful that the laundry will need to be swapped over to the dryer in about an hour.
- After laundry is dried, fold it right away and stack it neatly in the basket.
That's it. Pretty easy, right? What simple, but effective, steps do you take to keep your house up?
Thursday, April 8, 2010
It's Cliche. . .
But true.
I need to pop over to my neighbor's house and ask for a cup of sugar.
The only problem is that I have no neighbors at the moment. Even if I had neighbors, I probably wouldn't know them well enough to ask for kitchen staples. Frankly, I probably wouldn't trust them either.
So my darling husband is off to the supermarket to pick up a package of sugar. I couldn't tell him what amount to buy because I have know idea how they sell sugar. It's in boxes or bags (I think?), but I don't know quantities.
This got me thinking. . .when was the last time I purchased sugar? I believe it was when I was still married to my ex-husband, around 2001 or so. He liked sugar in his coffee (no comment!) so I bought it for him. Prior to that I'm not sure that I had ever bought sugar in my entire life.
So what do people use sugar for anyway? Why do I have no need for it? I can't think of a single recipe I use that calls for sugar. I only keep it in the house because sometimes people do like sugar in their coffee.
Sugar. I just don't get it.
I need to pop over to my neighbor's house and ask for a cup of sugar.
The only problem is that I have no neighbors at the moment. Even if I had neighbors, I probably wouldn't know them well enough to ask for kitchen staples. Frankly, I probably wouldn't trust them either.
So my darling husband is off to the supermarket to pick up a package of sugar. I couldn't tell him what amount to buy because I have know idea how they sell sugar. It's in boxes or bags (I think?), but I don't know quantities.
This got me thinking. . .when was the last time I purchased sugar? I believe it was when I was still married to my ex-husband, around 2001 or so. He liked sugar in his coffee (no comment!) so I bought it for him. Prior to that I'm not sure that I had ever bought sugar in my entire life.
So what do people use sugar for anyway? Why do I have no need for it? I can't think of a single recipe I use that calls for sugar. I only keep it in the house because sometimes people do like sugar in their coffee.
Sugar. I just don't get it.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Shopping for a House
I hate shopping. I rarely spend money because I hate shopping. I never buy new clothes, shoes, jewelry, books, CDs, DVDs, or stuff that clutters up the house. I don't care for electronics, expensive cosmetics, or collectibles. I tolerate grocery shopping because, well, my family has to eat. My husband's first wife was on a first name basis with her favorite Nordstrom sales associates, so he definitely appreciates that I'm not fond of spending money on frivolous purchases.
For the last several months, we've been casually talking about buying another house. Every few weeks or so we'll drive around the neighborhoods we like and check out what's available, stopping in on any open houses along the way.
I love my husband's house. I don't want to move and I'd be happy to spend the rest of my life here. Unfortunately, our neighborhood isn't as nice as it was when my husband moved here in 1981. Thanks to the RHNA and government interference, our neighborhood is slated to turn to what I consider absolute crap. My side of town will most likely be where the city council is dumping over 800 very low or low-income units.
Our city traditionally does not allow high-density housing, but housing advocates don't really care how the legitimate residents feel about the matter. I guess they feel that everyone deserves to live in an area with low-crime, highly rated schools, and very high property values. . .whether they can truly afford it or not. That last part is particularly galling to those who worked hard and saved up to live in such a great area.
One of the things I like the best about living here is that it is mainly single-family homes. If I wanted to live around high-density housing, I'd be living in my condo. Call me a snob if you want, but I don't want to live in an area with a lot of apartments or condos and I don't want my son to go to school (even a highly rated school) in such an area.
So we've been looking to move and just rent out this house. We walked through a house that I actually liked a lot today. My husband HATED it. I asked what he didn't like and he said it was too small. I think our current house is too big (it always feels that way when I'm cleaning anyway!) and I've been hoping that we'd buy a smaller house. He actually wants a much bigger house! Of course, I know who will be cleaning so I'm not quite on board yet.
I want a big & open kitchen. I want glass fronted built-in cabinets. I want at least 2.5 restrooms because I don't want visitors to use the restroom my kids will be using. I want both a living room and a den and I must have a dining room. And I do not want to hassle with a 2-story house. Seriously, we aren't getting any younger and there will come a time that we won't want to drag our old bones up and down stairs. Frankly, I want our house with an extra bathroom and in a better neighborhood.
My husband wants a lot of space for parking - at least space for six vehicles. He wants a very large backyard and at least a 3-car garage. He wants at least four bedrooms. And he wants a bigger house.
Purchasing property was much easier when I was single because I only had to please myself and didn't have to consult with anyone. I hate moving and I don't want to ever move again once we buy another house. Right now, it seems that we don't really care about the same things and I don't think that the perfect house exists for us.
I hate shopping. . .even if it's for a house.
For the last several months, we've been casually talking about buying another house. Every few weeks or so we'll drive around the neighborhoods we like and check out what's available, stopping in on any open houses along the way.
I love my husband's house. I don't want to move and I'd be happy to spend the rest of my life here. Unfortunately, our neighborhood isn't as nice as it was when my husband moved here in 1981. Thanks to the RHNA and government interference, our neighborhood is slated to turn to what I consider absolute crap. My side of town will most likely be where the city council is dumping over 800 very low or low-income units.
Our city traditionally does not allow high-density housing, but housing advocates don't really care how the legitimate residents feel about the matter. I guess they feel that everyone deserves to live in an area with low-crime, highly rated schools, and very high property values. . .whether they can truly afford it or not. That last part is particularly galling to those who worked hard and saved up to live in such a great area.
One of the things I like the best about living here is that it is mainly single-family homes. If I wanted to live around high-density housing, I'd be living in my condo. Call me a snob if you want, but I don't want to live in an area with a lot of apartments or condos and I don't want my son to go to school (even a highly rated school) in such an area.
So we've been looking to move and just rent out this house. We walked through a house that I actually liked a lot today. My husband HATED it. I asked what he didn't like and he said it was too small. I think our current house is too big (it always feels that way when I'm cleaning anyway!) and I've been hoping that we'd buy a smaller house. He actually wants a much bigger house! Of course, I know who will be cleaning so I'm not quite on board yet.
I want a big & open kitchen. I want glass fronted built-in cabinets. I want at least 2.5 restrooms because I don't want visitors to use the restroom my kids will be using. I want both a living room and a den and I must have a dining room. And I do not want to hassle with a 2-story house. Seriously, we aren't getting any younger and there will come a time that we won't want to drag our old bones up and down stairs. Frankly, I want our house with an extra bathroom and in a better neighborhood.
My husband wants a lot of space for parking - at least space for six vehicles. He wants a very large backyard and at least a 3-car garage. He wants at least four bedrooms. And he wants a bigger house.
Purchasing property was much easier when I was single because I only had to please myself and didn't have to consult with anyone. I hate moving and I don't want to ever move again once we buy another house. Right now, it seems that we don't really care about the same things and I don't think that the perfect house exists for us.
I hate shopping. . .even if it's for a house.
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