Fixing the Washer

Yesterday I was washing a load of laundry when I noticed a river of water flowing from under the door of my mud room where the washer is housed.  Wonderful.  I opened the door and saw that the water was cascading from beneath the washing machine.  Luckily, it was in the final spin and drain cycle, so I only had to wait a couple minutes for the water to stop.  I grabbed a couple towels and sat down in front of the computer for a seemingly endless search on how to solve the problem.

If you have an HE machine and this has happened to you, I hope you will benefit from this post.  I know I saved at least $300 by fixing the problem myself, AND I had my washer up and working the very same day.  My leak was coming from the front of the machine.  If yours is coming from the back, this post probably won't be much help.

I have a Whirlpool Duet Sport frontloading HE washer.

The first thing I did was unplug the washer.  That's vital whenever you're working on an appliance because you don't want to get electrocuted, right?  Next, I removed the kick plate on the front of the machine.  I used a socket wrench to get the bolts off.  They are located on the bottom of the machine and there are 3 total.  You don't have to lift the machine or put blocks under it or any of that if you have a screwdriver that is thin enough.

Here's what it looks like (I've circled the location of the bolts holding on the kick plate in red. You will probably need to lay on the ground to see them):

Once you get the kick plate off, your machine will look like this:

See where that hand is grabbing?  That's the drain filter.  Put a bowl or something underneath it and slowly unscrew it (counterclockwise).  Mine was on there ridiculously tight because it was the first time I'd undone it.  Holy cow it was hard to get off, but luckily taking it off slowly allowed me to just "turn off" the water when my bowl got full so I could empty it out.

When it comes out, you'll have something like this, except yours will be dirty and it will probably have a bunch of stuff sitting in it like coins, screws, etc.:

Clean that puppy out.  It's the drain filter, so it's probably a good thing to know its location and how to access it anyway.  Once that's done, shine a flashlight around in the area that it goes to make sure there's nothing else in there.  I had a baby sock stuck in the drain tube on my machine.

Put the filter back in.  Also, if your machine isn't draining at all, you probably need to replace the entire pump assembly (the part that the filter is attached to), but luckily because of it's location that's an easy fix.  Order the part online and it's just 2 clamps and a plug-in electrical connection to install/uninstall it.  You can totally handle the job on your own.

After I fixed up the filter, I ran a load of clothes sans kick plate.  Not recommended and probably dangerous, however in my case it revealed that my leak was not fixed yet.  I also saw the water was coming from the seal around the door of the machine where it joined up with the tub.

I googled a YouTube video of how to fix it and everything said I would need a new one if there was any leak at all.  I called Whirlpool to get a price... $150.  No.  Amazon had one for $60.  Score.  So before I attempted the repair on my own, I decided to see if I could get the old "boot" off.  Fail... that process is so dang complicated and it involves taking the entire top and front panel off of the machine.  That wasn't going to happen since my machines were stacked, so I decided to look for a suspicious part I saw in the video.

To do this, I released the spring clamp/wire around the front of the door seal.  Just use a screwdriver and pry the spring (at the bottom) away from the machine.  The rest of the wire will pop right off.  Now you can disconnect the seal from the door opening, so do that and clean all around the inside of it.  Push it inside your washing machine and you will have access to the space near the drum.  I don't have any pictures of this because I was too busy to take photos and it's not a "normal" procedure, so there aren't any photos online either.

Next, I used a makeup mirror and a flashlight to locate the screw of the clamp that attaches the "boot" to the drum of the machine.  For me, it was on the left side around 10 o'clock. I found a small phillips head screwdriver and used it to tighten the screw on the clamp by 1.5 turns.  Then I went to work reseating the "boot" around the door opening and getting the spring-loaded clamp/wire back in place.  I closed the door and ran another load of laundry (with the kick plate still off).

SUCCESS!  The washer was working again and there were no leaks this time!  Getting the kick plate back on was the hardest part of the project and it really made me wish I had my machines on those laundry pedestals like this one:

Newtown, CT Shooting

After watching the tragic events of today unfold on the news and on Facebook, I feel like I must comment about something that someone said.

A former friend (as I unfriended them following this comment) updated their status with a message saying that it was a good thing none of the first responders wasted time praying and that they just apprehended the shooter in a timely manner.  They went on to say that God wasn't in any hurry to stop the shootings.

First of all, it's not like the shooter was taken out with a bullet from a police officer.  The first responders arrived AFTER the fact.  The shooter killed himself.  For someone so crazy to then turn the gun on themselves, I say IS divine intervention.  Imagine how many more children would be dead right now if the shooter kept going until an officer took them out.

What this poster failed to realize is that God gave everyone free will and unfortunately some evil people CHOOSE to do horrible things.  God doesn't stop people from doing horrible things.  However, if our society was a little more open minded and accepted that religion has a place in public life, maybe more people would be exposed to the types of morals and values that make for a safer society.

Thou shalt not kill.  Honor thy mother and father.

Those two lines would have prevented this whole thing from ever happening.  Instead, this sociopath decided to kill his mother and the students in her Kindergarten classroom.  I can't imagine that he had any type of faith, otherwise he wouldn't have done this in the first place.

So to the Athiest that posted the horrible comment on Facebook, it looks like you and the shooter have something in common.  You are both missing something rather important in your lives.  Faith and the types of moral compasses that would prevent you from shooting a room full of children or using a tragedy to spread your own anti-religious views.

This one horrible comment sparked such outrage in me.  I was tempted to respond with a something I once heard...  A student asked God why He allowed such violence to happen in schools.  God simply replied that he is not allowed in schools.

I urge everyone to keep the families and children caught in this horrible tragedy in your thoughts AND prayers.  Hug your children, kiss your spouse and never forget to tell the people you care about that you love them.  You never know when it will be your last chance.

That Neighbor

They say that everyone has "that neighbor" - the one who comes and goes at all hours of the night, doesn't mow their lawn, is a revolving door for somewhat questionable activities, etc. Think about your neighborhood and you can probably pinpoint who "that neighbor" is.  If you can't, odds are that it's you.

Up until about a month ago, we really didn't have "that neighbor", so I assumed it was either us or the people next door.  They don't come or go at all hours, but the basement light is constantly on during the night and they probably don't own a lawnmower.  They do however own several dirt bikes that they start up at random times whenever we are out back with the kids.  That's special.

However, since the addition of our newest neighbor, the one with the dirtbikes hasn't seemed all that bad.  Our dear neighbor has decided to clear-cut his lot, giving a lovely view of our backyard from the road.  The trees used to act as a natural barrier for kids and pets.  The new neighbor has also decided to build a house on his newly cleared lot... as close to the boundary lines as allowably by the town bylaws.

He also thought it would be a good plan to knock on my door and ask me to clean up the debris in my yard that is unsightly.  The debris is from a construction project, which we began before he bought the lot.  It's not done, hence the reason the debris is still there.  I find it rather insulting for him to tell me that my small pile of wood and metal is more unsightly than a clear-cut lot that's full of holes and temporary wooden molds for a foundation.  I also have a toilet in my debris pile and I feel it might be making a good planter in the future... facing the neighbors house of course.

He also hired a questionable surveyor that has given him some misinformation as to the location of the boundaries, so now he is trying to "meet with us" regarding the boundaries.  He is claiming a portion of our yard belongs to him.  There's also an area near our sheds that is in question.  He claims they are on his property, we know they are on ours (we had a surveyor confirm this).  Here's where it gets fun... our surveyor says they are on our property by 22 feet.  His says they are over the line.  22 feet is a HUGE discrepancy for professionals.  The problem is that his company has the larger reputation, but they are basing their claim off of a plot plan drawn up by a fly-over aerial photo of our lot.  When I spoke with the department of public works about this, I was informed that the photos are for estimates, which aren't accurate and the distances can't be used by a surveyor. 

Now the real fun begins of convincing the neighbor and his good-for-nothing surveying company that the distances are inaccurate and that he does not own the part of our yard that he thinks he does.

To me this all seems rather silly.  If you purchase an empty lot next to a house, why on Earth would you assume you own the neighbors property?  That seems like looking for trouble to me.  Whatever he thought would come of moving next to us isn't going to happen and any hopes he had of having a good neighbor are now crushed.  I think a nice tall fence is in order and he can feel free to not contact me further.

I am so outraged at the nerve of this individual.  Then to top it all off, he started threatening legal action -- on what grounds I have no idea -- because he is old and I am young and he thinks that will intimidate me.  Well, have fun with your lawyer, waste all the money you please.

Cleaning

For those of you who were keeping up with the cleaning challenge, you probably realized that I gave up after a very short time.  It just wasn't working for me with my life and the way I live.

With that being said, I did come up with a weekly cleaning guideline that has helped a lot. Here it is:

Monday:  Clean the kitchen from top to bottom.  This includes counters, floors, tables, chairs, stove, fan, microwave, etc.  Do a regular cleaning of the rest of the house.  Laundry:  clothes

Tuesday:  Clean the bathrooms from top to bottom.  This includes counters, floors, tub, shower, toilets, sinks, mirrors, etc.  Organize the vanity quickly and throw out anything that looks old.  Also, fold the towels in the closet if they have gotten messed up.   Do a regular cleaning of the rest of the house.  Laundry:  towels

Wednesday:  Clean the master bedroom & dining room from top to bottom.  This includes dusting, cleaning the table, vacuuming under the bed, tidying up the closets and clearing off the bureaus.  Do a regular cleaning of the rest of the house.  Laundry:  bedding.

Thursday:  Clean the kids' rooms top to bottom.  This includes picking up toys, putting things away, vacuuming, cleaning under the beds, and dusting where necessary.  I also pick a few large toys to clean with sanitizer.  Do a regular cleaning of the rest of the house.  Laundry:  none

Friday:  Clean the living room from top to bottom.  This includes vacuuming, picking up toys and putting them back in the kids' rooms (we have a toy basket in the living room, which I empty every Friday).  Also, dust the furniture and vacuum the crevices on the couch.  Clean the sliding glass door and wipe down the TV.  Do a regular cleaning of the rest of the house.  Laundry:  clothes

Saturday and Sunday I just do basic cleaning and there isn't any more laundry to do until Monday.  This way I kind of have the weekends off.  If there is an event happening or I am hosting something, then obviously I do more cleaning.  If things are slow or I am bored, I pick a big task off my list to accomplish.  I keep a pen and pad handy for when I'm doing something else and think of/see another item that needs to be tackled at some point.

That's it.  Basically I pick one area/room each day to tackle and then just do a quick clean up of the rest of the house.  I clean the windows every other week on the inside, and save the outside cleanings for the "spring cleaning/fall cleaning" marathons.

Lyme disease

I've decided to write a blog post about my recent experience with ticks in New England in hopes that others recognize the symptoms of Lyme and get tested before they feel like I have been.

My story begins the weekend before Halloween.  I woke up Saturday morning feeling off.  By the time I had breakfast made I was so nauseous that I didn't want to eat it.  I also had a strange pressure in my head, like before you get a migraine headache.  Wonderful.

As the day progressed, so did the nausea.  My stomach started to bloat a little as well.  By Saturday night, I was unable to keep food down.  I thought I had a 24 hour stomach bug.  We had friends over and the timing couldn't have been worse.  After losing my dinner, I decided to take a shower to try to feel a little better.

That's when I saw the speck.  Right in my belly button.  A little black dot.  It was a tick.  I called my husband in and he was able to get it out, whole and alive.  It was hands down one of the smallest ticks I've ever seen.  I continued on and by Saturday night at midnight my stomach was so bad that I had my husband run to the gas station for Pepto.

I rode out the illness through Sunday and through Hurricane Sandy on Monday.  At this point we were getting concerned.  My back was hurting, my knees were hurting and my all-day nausea was making it impossible to eat.  Of course we thought I could be pregnant, so we quickly ruled that out.

By Tuesday I still wasn't any better.  My husband told me to call the doctor.  I agreed and was able to get an appointment for that Friday.  As the week went on, my symptoms worsened.  Friday couldn't get here soon enough.  I was tired and sick and couldn't take care of the kids or the house.

My doctor immediately suggested pregnancy.  Why is it that whenever a woman in her child bearing years goes to the doctor for an illness, they assume you're pregnant?  Do you really think that thought didn't already cross my mind?  Wow, I'm so glad I waited all week for an appointment and then paid my $25 co-pay for my Dr. to play the role of captain obvious.  No.  I am not pregnant.  Lets get serious.

So then she did her usual exam consisting of blood pressure, listening to my lungs, my heart, etc.  She took my temperature and had my lie down on the table so she could poke at me.  Pretty much everywhere in my abdomen hurt along with most of my lower back, knees, etc..  I told her about the tick and she decided to do a bunch of urine work and have a Lyme test done, though she admitted that she thought Lyme was unlikely given that the tick wasn't engorged so it probably hadn't been on for any length of time.

I waited through the weekend, with increasingly bad symptoms.  On Monday, I called for my test results.  They had come in that morning, but the doctor hadn't reviewed them so I wasn't allowed to know yet.  I called again in the late afternoon before they closed.  Still nothing.  That night at 6:30 my doctor called me.  She was surprised, it was Lyme.  She prescribed some antibiotics and had it sent over to my pharmacy.

I got the email from the pharmacy letting me know my prescription was done 4 minutes before they closed.  I'd have to wait another night.  What a long night it was!  At this point my back pain and nausea made it impossible to sleep for more than 10 minutes at a time.  Standing was a no-go.  Sitting was a no-go.  It was awful.

I picked up my prescription first thing on Tuesday and began taking the pills immediately.  It took until Thursday to notice an improvement and I woke up again this morning (Friday morning) feeling terrible.  I hope it will get better after my next dose.  The doctor is supposed to call today or Monday to let me know the results of the more detailed test to determine whether it's a new infection or if I've had it for a while.  I'm not sure why that matters, all I know is that I'm glad I insisted on the test.

Holiday Money

As the holidays quickly approach, I know many of you are looking for ways to earn a little extra cash to spend on that special gift for a loved one.  One of the ways that I'm earning some green this holiday season is with Swagbucks. Swagbucks is a website that pays you to search, shop, play games, watch ads and more.

It's free to join and your Swagbucks that you accumulate can be turned into a variety of prizes, including Amazon gift cards!  I got a Kindle last year for Christmas and so far, I haven't had to pay for any books yet thanks to my Swagbucks points!  They take a while to accumulate if you only do the search (like me), but it's nice to log in once in a while and find some extra money when you need it.

If you want to learn more or join Swagbucks to start earning your rewards, click here.

I've tried plenty of those survey sites and other money making techniques online, and this is one of the easiest ones to do because you don't really have to think about it.  I definitely recommend installing the toolbar so the earning is even easier.

More Hurricane Prep

As the storm gets closer it seems that people are taking it more seriously.  I am glad that I started my hurricane prep earlier this week - the gas lines today are outrageous!  Hubby has to take his car for gas still, so I'm hoping the gauging hasn't begun yet.

Anyway, I've been stalking some internet feeds and I came up with a few additional things that people can do to get ready for the storm.

• Lower the temperature in your fridge and freezer 24 hours in advance of the storm.  This will get things extra cold and hopefully make your perishables last just a little bit longer.
• Put some empty buckets (with rocks in the bottom) outside to collect rainwater.  It's not safe for drinking or cooking, but you can flush the toilet with it.

Get Ready for the Hurricane

With hurricane Sandy just a few days away, I thought I'd share my families storm preparation plan with you instead of the challenge of the day.  I spent the morning running around with the kids getting things ready.  Though we are located in Eastern Mass and the hurricane isn't currently forcast to hit us directly, we are still expecting winds and possible power outages.  Additionally, not all of the computer models are in agreement, with at least one of the majors putting it farther North than is currently being shown on the TV news stations.

• Stock up on canned goods (soup, chili, beef stew, vegetables, tuna fish) - I buy foods that my family will eat anyway, even if it's not right away.
• Shop for shelf-stable foods (Mac & cheese, ramen, bread, peanut butter, jelly, crackers, snack cakes, etc.)  Again, make choices that you'll use anyway.  Don't worry about buying too much bread, you can always freeze it.  I buy 2 loaves when we usually go through 1 per week.
• Shop for paper goods (paper plates, forks, paper towels, plastic cups)  - The idea here is that you won't necessarily be able to wash dishes easily without any power.  Paper goods eliminate the need to wash anything other than pans.
• Buy water or fill empty jugs.
• Fill the bathtub with water (to flush the toilet).
• Fill Gas tanks in cars and additional gas tanks, even if you don't have a generator or snow blower.  You can always use the gas in your car.
• Get cash, at least $100
• Charge all electronics the day before and again as the storm is coming in.
• Buy extra batteries or charge rechargeable batteries.
• Gather candles and put in a convenient location with matches or a lighter.
• Wash all laundry the day before the storm is supposed to hit.  You want to have as much clean clothes on hand as possible.  Clean blankets are always helpful too.
• Gather up all of your important documents and put them in a plastic bag that's in an easy to reach location.  Include a piece of paper with contact information for insurance companies, doctors, and utility companies.  Include the most current photos of your pets and family members if possible.  If you don't have current photos, take some on a cell phone camera and email them to yourself so you have access to them if your phone is damaged.  Photos are important in case you are separated and someone is missing.
• Get out a battery or crank-operated radio and make sure it works.
• Organize your freezer to make as much space as possible.  Fill large freezer bags with water and freeze them.  This will help keep your fridge/freezer cold longer if you lose power.  Some people have been able to save food for as much as 4 days with this technique.
• If you have kids, gather up activities that don't use power.  Coloring books, cards, games, toys and other distractions will help pass the time without draining your cell phone battery.

Even though the media is downplaying this storm, it's important to still be prepared.  Prepare for the worst, but hope for the best.  At the very least you'll be a little more ready for the next storm and you'll have plenty of food in your house.  For those of you who live in the Northeast, I'm sure your hurricane supplies will come in handy this winter with future Nor'easters if Sandy isn't as bad as they are fearing.

Stay safe everybody!

Challenge Day 9

Today is day 9 of the challenge... lets see what is on the to-do list. Hopefully it's short because the hubby is home today while they install our new satellite TV and then this afternoon we're showing a car that we're trying to sell.  Tonight I have work and sometime between all of this I need to run to the store and get some water, batteries, diapers and canned goods before the crowds surge out ahead of Hurricane Sandy, which is supposed to strike early next week.

What a LONG day!

Clean:

• Ceiling Fans

Declutter:

• Junk Drawer

  Organize:

• Calendar/Planner

New Habit:

• Unload the Dishwasher

Just 5 Minutes:

• Dust Light fixtures around the house

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Luckily, I've been cleaning the ceiling fans with each room, so all they need is a quick dusting.  I also don't have a junk drawer, but I keep a basket next to the couch on the end-table that I cleaned out instead.  I use a regular paper planner, which didn't really need any organizing, though I'd love to find a better way to keep all my appointments and things together.  At the end of the year, paper planners are tough as they don't quite cover the next year yet and I'm already making appointments for the kiddos well into 2013.  I always always unload the dishwasher each morning, so that's not a new habit for me.

The light fixtures are going to take more than 5 minutes.  I feel like that maybe should have been the "clean" project for the day in my case...

Challenge Day 8

Today is day 8 of the cleaning challenge.  I'm getting an early start to get it taken care of and out of the way!  Lets jump right in...

CLEAN:

Kids toy room, craft room, spare room or extra living room (one only) - Today’s task is a bit of a mix as I realise all our homes are different, some have a toy room for the kids, you maybe lucky enough to have a space dedicated to your hobby, a spare room or extra 2nd lounge room.  I’d like you to clean at least one of the above rooms.    
Today’s cleaning task is to do the following:
If your cleaning a spare bedroom, find cleaning list here.
If your cleaning a 2nd living area, find cleaning list here.
General room cleaning list:

• Tidy area by placing all items where they belong
• Empty bins
• Dust/wipe over all surfaces
• Clean window
• Pick up items from the floor to make vacuuming easier
• Clean skirting boards
• Vacuum floor

DECLUTTER:

Kids toys

ORGANIZE:

Create a family responsibility system (My kids are too young for this, so we'll go ahead and skip that one.)

NEW HABIT:

Tidy a shelf or small space in your kids room each night before bed.  This helps keep the mess to a minimum.

JUST 5 MINUTES:

Clean up the main room in your home to keep your hard work from earlier going.

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For this challenge, the room I cleaned was my daughters room along with the open side of our living room.  Toys seem to creep between the two spaces, so I treated them as one mess.  Mostly, it was just a lot of picking up and sorting to put all the pieces of things back together.

Challenge Day 7

Today is day 7 of the challenge (roughly, haha) and fortunately, it actually coincided with what I was planning to do today anyway.  Hooray for coincidence!!

Clean:  Fridge
Take everything out of your fridge and give the shelves, walls, etc. a good scrubbing.  The author of the challenge aims to clean her fridge once every 3 months.  I hope I can keep up with this one!  Don't forget to replace your baking soda box to control odors!

Declutter: 

• Cookbooks!  Time to go through your hoards of cookbooks and decide what to keep and what to donate.  

Organize:

• Mealplans - I won't go into detail on this one because I am not one for meal planning.  Knowing what I'm going to cook days in advance doesn't do anything except make me not want that particular meal.

New Habit:

• Plan meals -- Um no.

5 Minutes Only

• Wipe down your kitchen appliances - I like to spray them all down and then go to the first one I sprayed and wipe them in the order I sprayed them.

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Aside from the whole meal planning thing, this day was pretty awesome.  My fridge really needed a scrubbing, so bonus!

Challenge Day 6

I know I'm skipping around quite a bit on this challenge, missing days here and there.  Shame on me.  Oh well, life doesn't always work out perfectly, so sometimes we have to improvise, darn it!

Anyway, today I went ahead and peeked at day 6 of the challenge and I realized I really did it on Friday without knowing it!  Yay for me!

Clean: Bathrooms

• Spray shower/tub with shower cleaner and let sit for 10 mins. While waiting...
• Use AP cleaner on fixtures and taps
• Wipe vanity and all items on vanity
• Refill soap dispenser
• Wipe window sills
• Clean window
• Wipe bathtub/shower and tiles
• Wipe sink
• Rinse shower
• Toilet

** I also added change the cat litter and sweep/mop the floors

Declutter: Vanity

Organize: Shower Caddy

New Habit: Clear and clean bathroom vanity when brushing teeth

5 minutes only:  Wash the lines on your clothesline

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I guess it's important to note that I do a thorough cleaning of the bathrooms at least once a week.  I hate dirty bathrooms more than anything and I even go a little above and beyond what the original challenge author suggests by including the floors and changing the cat litter (I use a scoopable kind and replace it with fresh litter weekly).

When approaching the bathroom, I usually put cleaner in the toilet and the tub (I use Ajax), then I start spraying everything with all purpose cleaner (I use Lysol).  Then I spray the mirrors and sometimes the windows then take out the rugs to wash.  After that it's a simple left to right, top to bottom wipe-down of the entire room followed by a quick sweeping and trash removal.  Done.  It takes less than 30 minutes to super-clean the bathroom and it's so worth it.

Challenge Day 5

Today is day 5 of the challenge and I'm lacking ambition.  I went a bit crazy with cleaning yesterday and wanted a break today.  Alas, I must press on.

Clean

• Clean the floors

Organize

• Pantry

Just 5 Minutes

• Clean the kitchen counters

New Habit

• Immediately put trash in the can

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Cleaning the floors is something I do way way way more often than ever 20 days.  Try 3 times a week.  I have toddlers, so if it's on the floor, they will eat it.  I have to keep my floors looking lovely at all times to avoid leaving tasty morsels behind for the kids.

Organzing the pantry is taking forever.  I took a break to write this post -- it's seriously taking THAT long.

As for the new habit, that's just ridiculous.  This is kind of like the clothing on the floors bit -- who does that?!  You have trash, you throw it away.  It's not rocket science.  Trash won't magically appear while you're sitting down, so if you suddenly become in possession of trash, you're probably standing up anyway and the whole thing is a moot point.  Gah, I hate lazy people!

Challenge Day 4

Today is day 4 of the challenge and I've noticed a little problem with this already.  I'm on day 4 and though it's technically been 6 or 7 days since the beginning of the challenge, the work I did on day 1 is already undone.

Does my house get messier faster than normal?  I don't know.  What I do know is that perhaps this challenge isn't so wonderful at all.  Never the less, I shall push on.

Here's what the challenge held in store for today:

Clean the Living Room:

•  Place decorative pillows on the clothesline to air out and kill dustmites
• Wash throw rugs
• Dust all units in the room including TV unit, display cabinet, coffee tables, etc.
• Remove all DVD's, CD's, etc. and give DVD players a good cleaning
• Reconsider the amount of decorations on display
• Dust picture frames
• Wipe remote controls
• Clean light fittings
• Spot clean couch
• Vacuum couch
• Roll up rug and vacuum underneath

Declutter:

• Magazine collection

Organize:

• Pamper yourself  

New Habit:

• Say NO!

Just 5 Minutes:

• Clean windows in main area of your home  

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So, how did I do?  I think I did pretty darn good.  I don't have throw pillows or throw rugs, so that's no big deal and my couch is made of microfiber, so I routinely take the covers off the cushions and throw them in the washer.  I don't have a magazine collection, and I'll pamper myself another time.  I clearly have no problem saying no, since I didn't do everything on the list.  Done!

Challenge Day 3

Today's tasks are all about laundry.  This is the day you're supposed to sort, clean and organize your laundry room and routine to get a better hold on the task we all love to hate.

Since my laundry room doubles as a mudroom/entrance/storage area, I didn't have a whole lot in common with the original author.  Here's a list of what I did instead:

Clean:

• Wipe washer and dryer
• Wipe storage bins/cupboards
• Sweep & mop floor
• Clean the window
• Dust the blinds
• Wash the washing machine (by running a load of just vinegar with the extra rinse cycle)

Organize:

• Organize the cupboards containing all of your laundry products like detergent, stain lifters, etc.

Just 5 Minutes:

• Dust/polish 2 pieces of furniture    

Challenge Update - Day 2

I am horrible at keeping up with things.  Sorry for missing a day on the challenge (yikes, it was only day 2!!).  I had a busy couple of days with late night meetings and basically my whole schedule went out the window.

Anyway, without further delay, here is what I did on "day 2"...

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Clean the Main Bedroom

• strip sheets off bed
• wash bedding
• place decorative curtains on the line in the sunshine to kill dustmites  
• vacuum mattress
• flip mattress if you have not done so in the past 3 months
• pick up and put away all clothing
• pick up and throw away all paper clutter
• pick up and put away all other clutter
• dust all surfaces
• dust ornaments
• vacuum ceiling fan
• place clean bedding on bed

Declutter Bedroom Surfaces

Organize Bedroom Nightstand 

New Habit
Make the bed each morning.

Just 5 Minutes
Wipe down your dining room chairs. 

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You may have noticed that I did not do everything on the list or get anywhere near there.  Last week (and the week before) I rearranged our master bedroom and in the process I cleaned under the bed, went through clothing and removed a lot of the clutter.  I also wash everyones bedding on Wednesdays, so my sheets are still good until next week.  As for picking up and putting away all clothing, I'd like to know what kind of adults leave clothing laying around places?  You take clothes out of your drawers or out of the closet, you wear them, then you put them in the hamper.  I don't see how there's any other option.

For the "New Habit", I already make the bed each morning, so that's a moot point.  I did wipe down the dining room chairs, even though I dust/clean/polish the woods in the house on a regular basis already.

I considered doing day 3 today as well just to catch up, but it's Friday and I have to pack for a weekend trip, so that won't be happening.

Challenge Day 1

Today is officially day 1 of the housecleaning challenge.  Read on to see how I did:

Summary:
Clean the Kitchen

•   Load the dishwasher
•   Wipe the sink
•   Clean the counters
•   Clean cupboard doors
•   Clean on top of the cupboards
•   Clean the microwave
•   Wipe the walls
•   Wipe the windows
•   Wipe light fixtures

My Additions:

• Wipe the baseboards
• sweep and mop the floor 

Declutter:

• Counters

Organize:

• Under the sink

5 Minutes:

• Tidy up a bookshelf

New Habit:

• Clean the counters and do the dishes at night

How I did:
All together, today's tasks took me about half an hour to complete.  I have a tiny kitchen, which probably helped me spend less time cleaning it.  Also, most of these tasks weren't anything new to me, so they were pretty quick to complete.

I ignored the one about cleaning the top of the cabinets because I'm just too darn short.  Maybe one weekend when the hubby is home I can get him to do it, but not today.  Also, I didn't wipe the walls because I really don't have a lot of wall-space in the kitchen that doesn't get the occasional wipe-down with the kids and I didn't clean the window because I do all the windows at once anyway (and it requires moving the MASSIVE blinds in front of the window because it's a big picture-window).

Ideas for Another Day:
I don't know if the challenge addresses cleaning the oven vent hood, but I'd like to clean that at some point, and I'd really like to get some bins and things for under the kitchen sink.  An over-the door rack to hold my cutting boards would be great too -- currently they are in an over-the-door rack under the sink to get them off of the counter, but I find that a wee bit yucky, so they probably won't stay there permanently.  I like having them out of sight, but I wish they were in a different cupboard.  We shall see... I could probably also just put them in a drawer somewhere, which would be cheaper/free.

20 Day Cleaning Challenge

I know I've done a "cleaning challenge" before, and that was a major bomb.  I didn't have the ambition to follow it through when life got busy.  My work assignments picked up, personal things got in the way, etc. etc.

Well, tonight I was browsing Pinterest and I came upon a pin that a friend of mine put up.  It was a link to a blog doing a housecleaning challenge.  I'd like to invite everyone to follow along with me beginning tomorrow to get your home in tip-top shape this fall.  Having a clean and organized home helps me to relax and feel more in control of my surroundings, so I really want to give this a good go.

Here's a link to the original blog over at The Organised Housewife.

I hope you take the challenge with me, and if you do, feel free to upload photos of your progress!!

P.S. - I only plan to participate in the challenge on weekdays, so even though this is a 20-day challenge, it will take slightly longer for me to complete.

You've Got to be Kidding Me

For anyone who's been following my blog, you won't be surprised to find out that I'm just not that impressed with my sister-in-law.  She acts like a spoiled 12-year old and dresses like a back alley hooker at family functions... well, so long as there is a certain male in attendance who happens to be her husbands BFF and her ex from what I understand, but we won't go there (again).

Anyway, she keeps putting up little ditties like these on Facebook...

Along with a little rant/status update about how she has recently realized that a lot of people her age whine about nothing and act like complete nitwits.  She went on to say that they really need to grow up and act like adults and that life can't always go your way, but you need to learn to deal with it.... irony, I know.

I guess she really doesn't see just how she comes across to people.  I was tempted to leave a comment on her rant saying something to the effect of, "Dearest Slutzilla, you are the queen of the adolescent tactic of the silent treatment and you wigged out in front of everyone saying that my pregnancy was going to ruin your wedding."  But I didn't put anything, I just took a couple of screen shots and decided to rant about it on here instead.  Why?  Because part of growing up is knowing when it's better to just let people self-destruct in solitude rather than trying to show them the error of their ways and this is definitely one of those cases.

I'm sure she'll get the Karma that's coming to her, and perhaps the person that's pissing in her Wheaties is just the tip of a hopefully very large and very painful iceberg.  This is definitely one of those times where reading her rants on FB is annoying, but at the same time I kind of want to give God a high-five and then sit back to see what else he has in store.

Scheduling Problems

One of the most annoying things I encounter as a stay-at-home mom are scheduling conflicts.  It's amazing how un kid-friendly the world is.  People don't seem to understand that when you provide 100% of your child's care, you're just not available on the drop of a hat.  You can't "call out sick" and skip being a mom that day.  You don't get personal days or vacations.  You're a mom 24/7 and you're basically "at work" all day long. 

Sure you can get the grocery shopping done (if you're brave) or run to the post office with kids, but even these seemingly simple tasks require preparation and planning.  Having children is a full-time job with endless overtime, no pay and no benefits.  People who aren't in that same situation don't seem to understand that you can't just slip out for a few minutes here or there to make an appointment.

For example, my dentist knows that I'm a stay-at-home parent and that I have to line up childcare for an appointment.  They recently called me at 11am to ask if I could make it in that same day for a 1pm appointment because there was a cancellation.  No, I can't.  I have my kids and there's no way I can find someone to watch them at the drop of a hat like that.  Being a stay-at-home mom I don't have a regular list of baby sitters, so it's not like I can just call someone up to come on over.

On the same note, I am not available during "regular business hours" to come do site inspections, fill out paperwork for hours on end or anything else that requires my children to be absent.  I wish people would look at stay-at-home moms more like they look at everyone else and try to schedule appointments with us IN ADVANCE and during nights or weekends if at all possible.  If you need my full and devoted attention, my kids can't come and you need to be available at times that I can make that possible.  Period.  End of story.  If that's not the case, I don't need to do business with you.

Wake-Up Call

Last night was a rough one.  I was up at 4am and was awake for about two hours... and it wasn't my kids that were keeping me up.  As a mother, I could have handled crying children in the wee-hours, but last night it was something else.

I awoke to a horrible noise that sounded like a fan blowing or water running... loudly.  It was coming from outside.  After further investigations, we concluded that it was coming from the power plant on our street... there was a lot of smoke coming from it.  We were concerned, so I called the police.  They told me they were getting a lot of calls and were looking into it.

This morning, I went to my good friend Google to discover the answer to the source of the noise... turns out, it's the sound an emergency pressure-release valve makes when the internal pressure at the plant gets too high.  Great.  The power-plant in my backyard sounds super safe.

I'm not sure how I feel living so close to disaster.  The worst part is that I was never told about the power plant before I bought the house and since it's not right on the street, you can't see it either.  We had no idea until we went trekking through our woods after we moved in and stumbled upon a clearing with a huge power plant sitting in it.  If I knew then what I know now about the location of my house, I would have never bought it.  Boy, do I want to sell and move!!  I wish the economy would come back so I can get off this street.  :-/

Make an Offer

To anyone planning to sell something online, I have a tip that will make the process much easier for both you and the buyer.  Do not use the phrase "make an offer" in the listing.

If you are selling something, I assume you have some idea of what you would like to get for it.  The only reason you would ever write "make an offer" is if you have some silly notion that someone is going to suggest a price higher than what you are considering asking for it.  This RARELY happens and most of the time those three little words turn buyers away, losing you a potential sale.

Here's a great example.  On Facebook, a mother was selling a used baby swing.  She posted a stock photo and only wrote, "Make an Offer".  Another mom made an offer of $15.  The poster replied that the swing was barely used and that offer was way too low as the swing originally sells for $170.  Now, given that bit of information, it may have been more beneficial to post the stock photo and say, "Cradle swing, barely used $100".  That may have drawn more attention for the item from people willing to pay her price.

Unfortunately, if she thinks $15 is "way too low" she has another thing coming.  Those cradle swings have been going for anywhere from $20 to $30 on the site, so it's doubtful that she'll get what she wants for it, especially with her perky attitude and happy disposition.  (Sarcasm is just one more service I offer.)

So let that be a lesson to all you sellers on Facebook and Craigslist.  Nobody wants to guess what outrageous price you want for your item.  "Make an offer" usually means you're just ashamed to ask for what you want because you know it's too high.  Anyone who's ever bought anything online before won't respond to your ad and you'll probably wind up negotiating a lower price anyway with someone who won't show up to meet you.

Good luck all of you "make an offer" posters.  I hope your items don't sell until you name a price.

Letter to my MIL

I really wanted to write an email to my mother-in-law today regarding her behavior lately, but I'm not rude enough/ballsy enough to do so.  Instead of sending it to her, I thought I'd share it with all of you instead...

Dear Mother-In-Law,

Your behavior as of late has been quite concerning.  You seem to not be yourself, and I'm wondering if perhaps your recent separation from father-in-law is the cause of your troubles.  In any event, I believe a few things need to be cleared up.

1.)  While I appreciate your blind hatred of cats and your nonsensical belief that all cat litter boxes are disgusting (evident by your continual reminders of how you never had an indoor cat or a cat litter box because they are gross), my cat's litter box was fine this past weekend.  I dumped the old litter and put in fresh, new, clean litter just 24 hours prior to your visit.  The litter is scoopable, meaning it doesn't need to be emptied and re-filled every day.  Good thing too, because my litter costs $17 per bag and one bag fills the litter box 1.5 times.  Thank you so much for dumping an entire box of baking soda into the expensive cat litter.  That was not only aesthetically appealing, but my cat really enjoyed the sensation of his behind fizzing as he went pee.  He is now terrified of the litter box.  Oh, and PS the litter we use is meant to attract the cat (in fact, it is called Kitten Attract) and it secretes a particular small that draws in the cat.  Your little baking soda fiasco has destroyed that and now I must buy another bag of $17 cat litter.  In any event, only cats can smell the herbs in the litter, so unless your mother had an affair with a lion your "small" issue is a moot point.  I assume the smell is not what bothered you, but rather just being able to see the litter box in the first place.

2.)  You keep asking me why you don't get jobs after going for an interview.  Besides the obvious point of the economy and job competition, I think your main problem is articulation.  You are not good at expressing your ideas clearly.  This problem is compounded when you are nervous and every sentence ends with either, "You know what I mean?" or "Ya get what I'm sayin'?".  Oh... and by the way, when one applies for a position as an English teacher, it is imperative that one uses proper English during the interview.  It's also probably also a bad idea to call anyone "Darlin'" that has any connection to the school you wish to seek employment at.

3.)  Your ex-husband-to-be is not sleeping with your cousin's daughter.  While this statement alone may sound odd to some, the mere fact that she is now living with (renting from) him does not automatically mean that they are in any type of relationship.  Furthermore, it is bad form to let the man you claim to have no feelings for see how upset you are over the prospect of him having relations with another woman.  Clearly, you aren't completely done with him.  It might be a good idea to try to work out your differences instead of seeking a divorce if there are any feelings left.  After all, you are unemployed and will soon find yourself without a place to live or insurance or any other luxuries you've enjoyed for the past few decades.


I trust that you will think long and hard about the items I have mentioned.  Thank you.

Happy Birthday Baby!

Happy Birthday to my daughter who just turned 1 today.  It's both a great day and a bittersweet day.  On one hand, I'm happy to see the progress my little girl has made over the past year.  She's almost walking, she's talking and she is totally off of baby food.  She sleeps through the night and is growing beautifully.

On the other hand, I now have 2 toddlers and I don't know if I want more kids.  My husband does, he wants to try for a boy.  I always thought I wanted more than 2 kids, but now I'm not so sure.  Two kids are a handful and I don't know if I can handle a third.  I also don't know if I want to go through the whole pregnancy, labor, recovery, not sleeping through the night for 4 months routine again.  That was hard, and I'm not getting any younger.

Part of me wants to just call it quits and watch as my two beautiful, smart, loving kids grow up into equally beautiful, smart and loving adults.  Another part of me wonders if the next one might be the boy that my husband wants.  Part of me wants another pregnancy, since I didn't take the time to appreciate my last two.  I just don't know... do I sell the baby gear while it's still relevant and I can get a good price, or do I hang onto it for a few years and see if another baby comes our way?

Misleading Chart

I've seen this chart floating around on Facebook an awful lot lately and I'm baffled at how people are interpreting it.  I believe most people see this as a positive thing for the president, but I look at it and I'm just not that impressed...  Here's the chart:

It looks like things are going up, right?  At the first glance, it's pretty deceiving.  You might look at this and think, "Hell yes, things are better than they were during Bush!"  Before you start doing a victory dance look at the chart.  I mean really look at it.  Notice that the distance from the mid-point to the first marked line above it represents 150,000 jobs.  The same distance in the negative direction represents a loss of 250,000 jobs.  This is done intentionally to make a lesser gain look like it offsets a larger loss.  Also, in January 2009 when Obama took over, the bar should be equally divided, but it's not.  Bush's color is given a larger portion of the bar, visually giving him more of the losses.  It's also important to note that this graph begins in January 2008, which only represents 1/8th of President Bush's term.  Prior to this, the graph shows positive gains in jobs, larger than any gains experienced during Obama's rein in office... but they don't want to show that for obvious reasons.

Ignoring all of the visual trickery, lets just do some simple math here.

The number of jobs LOST during the Obama administration (counting half of the jobs from the bar when he took office) is 4,631,500.  The number of jobs gained during his administration is 4,544,000.  The NET LOSS is 87,500 jobs.  That's over 80,000 jobs that were here four years ago that aren't here today.  To me, that means we're still doing worse than we were four years ago.

In comparison, the number of jobs LOST during the Bush administration (counting half of the jobs from the bar representing when Obama took office) is 4,242,500.  That's less jobs than were lost during the Obama administration.  You heard it here first folks, less jobs were lost during the Bush administration than the Obama administration.

The country is not better off than it was four years ago.  I remember a certain someone saying that if he hadn't turning things around in three years, it would be a one-term endeavor.  Guess what, he didn't turn things around in three years.  He didn't even turn things around in nearly four years...

Update on Previous Posts

I was just browsing some of my previous posts and realize that I should probably put some updates up...

1.)  My brother-in-law was wait listed for the plumbing position in Maine.  I don't think he'll take it because it's a step-down in pay from his current position, which was since started giving him more hours in an attempt to not lose him.  Good for him, bad for the rest of the family that is stuck dealing with his wife still.

Speaking of his wife, no change on her attitude problem or behavioral issues.  She is still nasty towards everyone with the last name she worked so hard to get.  Seriously, I don't understand why you would baby trap someone who lives with his parents if you can't stand his family... that makes no sense to me, but whatever.  Then again, you can't be very intelligent to baby trap someone in the first place, so maybe she really just wasn't capable of thinking the entire plan through.  In terms of behavior, she still tries to come on to anything with a Y chromosome.  I overheard her say she thinks of herself as a MILF.  I nearly peed my pants.

On a somewhat unrelated topic, they appear to be attempting to get financing in order to buy/build a house.  These are the same people who consistently don't pay their $200/month rent payments to my husband's family because they "don't have the money".  They may be in for a rude awakening when they not only have to pay an actual mortgage on a monthly basis, but must also pay for their utilities as well.

2.)  I did hear back from the job.  They liked me, but because of procedural issues I have to begin the interview process again from a larger pool of candidates.  Awesome.  I'm not sure if I'm still interested in being part of a system that is so badly broken.

3.)  I found some amazingly cute Christmas dishes on Craigslist for $40!  It's service for 12!  I will post pictures after I get them.

House Cleaning Challenge Day ??

Sorry that I haven't been keeping up with my housecleaning challenge blog.  Things have been really crazy lately, so I haven't been able to write updates.

Here's where I'm at:

I've made my weekly schedule and I'm doing my best to keep with it.  If I miss a day, I try to make up for it the following day so nothing gets too out of hand.  In theory, it's a great system, but in practice I think that I need to clean certain things more than once a week.  Here's my schedule so you can get an idea of what I'm talking about:

Daily:
-Pick up clutter
-sweep (we have hardwood floors)
-dishes
-wipe down kitchen counters
-clean the sink
-clean the litter box

Monday:
-Do regular laundry (clothes)
-Focus on the kitchen and mudroom (clean appliances, clean the stove top burner pans, wipe down outlets and switches, mop the floor)
-water houseplants

Tuesday:
-Focus on the bathrooms.  (counters, toilets, floors, tub & shower, mirrors, refill everything, wash floor mats) I hate cleaning the bathrooms the most, so these get their own day...

Wednesday:
-Focus on kid's bedrooms (pick up & organize toys, dust furniture, organize books, etc.)  My kids are little, so they can't really clean their own rooms themselves yet.
-Wash sheets

Thursday:
-Focus on the dining room and our bedroom (dust furniture, sort & shred mail, put shoes away, etc.)
-Water plants
-clean out fridge (I do this on Thursday because my husband hates seeing me throw out leftovers and sometimes he works from home on Friday.)

Friday:
-Focus on the living room (vacuum, dust furniture, vacuum couches, clean glass door, organize and put away kid's toys & movies, etc.)
-wash regular laundry
-Lightly clean bathrooms (counters, sinks, sweep floors)

What I like and don't like about this schedule:
I like that everything gets cleaned, but I don't like how things I clean on Monday need to be re-done by Friday if I'm having company over for the weekend.  I also don't like how the house is never completely clean all at once.

So the schedule is going to need some additional tweaking...  I think it would work for someone with older kids, but my oldest isn't even 3 yet, so it's going to be a while before I don't have to worry about tiny mess makers.

Day-Three

Today is day three of my self-imposed house cleaning challenge.  Fail.  I am so unmotivated today it's not funny... not to mention that I didn't do anything yesterday because I was too busy with work, so today's list is super long and intimidating.

To top it all off, my husband changed his work-from home day from today to Friday, so that's messing with things.  I'll be lucky if the house gets picked up at all...

I blame my lack of vigor on two things: giving up coffee and completing the writing project from you know where.  I have been typing my little heart out and I just want to relax. We'll see how I feel later this afternoon since cleaning when both kids are awake and husband is home is pointless.

House Cleaning Challenge - Day 2

Today is day 2 of my house cleaning challenge.  Yesterday, I made my list and managed to stick to it even though I felt like I didn't have enough time.  Today, my mother-in-law called to chat about her latest crisis, which as put me way behind schedule in terms of work.

I have to put work ahead of the cleaning, because work is what helps pay the bills.  I hope I have time leftover today to tackle the bathrooms, which is my Tuesday goal.  I also need to pick up the house really quickly before the hubby gets home, read some materials for a meeting on Monday and start writing out my daughter's birthday invitations.  Great, I have 3 days worth of things to do in less than 12 hours.  Challenge on!

House Cleaning Challenge - Day 1

Like a lot of people, cleaning my house can be overwhelming.  I feel the need for everything to be perfect every day, and sadly most of the time that just doesn't happen. It leaves me feeling inadequate.  I don't have a cleaning schedule or really a set routine, so most cleaning I do is surface cleaning.  I rarely clean the windows, vacuum under furniture or any of that other stuff.

Well, I decided I need to change how I clean, so I can have a better looking home in less time.  I'm sick of finding mess after mess and putting things on my "to-do" list that never get done.  So with that in mind, I'm working to challenge myself to create a house cleaning schedule that will work for me.  One that I can stick with.

This week my goal is to create a functioning weekly cleaning schedule.  I made a list of what needs to be cleaned every day and then I set aside one day a week for "deep cleaning" certain rooms in my home.  For example, on Mondays I will focus on the kitchen and clean out the fridge, the pantry, mop the floors, and wipe down the cabinets.

Once I have a functioning weekly cleaning schedule, I plan to expand and add in bi-weekly or monthly chores.  After that, bi-yearly or yearly chores.  Eventually, I would like to have a working cleaning routine that suits my needs.  My house isn't a complete mess, but it's not quite up to the standards I would like either, so hopefully this self-challenge helps me get it in shape. 

Stay tuned for updates on how things are progressing.

**Image credit http://www.123rf.com

Double Standards

I am sick of double standards.

Really, when will everyone wake up and realize what a bunch of hypocrites they all are?

You've probably heard of all the recent drama regarding Chick-Fil-A and you probably have friends and family that feel strongly about the owners opinion on gay marriage.  That's fine.  My problem is with the people who are JUDGING and BOYCOTTING an entire business based on the beliefs of one individual.

Dear Chick-Fil-A haters, please do not JUDGE Chick-Fil-A because one individual within the corporation thinks differently of you.  You are upset that he is judging all homosexuals based on the beliefs of one (God), yet you are doing the EXACT SAME THING to Chick-Fil-A.

But he owns Chick-Fil-A, so by judging them we are returning judgement to him.

Wrong.  By judging Chick-Fil-A harshly, you are painting all employees, patrons, and Christians with the same brush you painted the person who made the statement.  You are making broad assumptions and judgements about all based on the words of one.  Kind of like how the Chick-Fil-A guy made broad assumptions about all based on the words of the Bible.

That my friends is called hypocrisy.

So before you dismiss the world of delicious chicken sandwiches from your life, think about all of the pro-gay marriage employees your boycott effects.  Think about how you're impacting the employees at coca-cola (which supplies drinks for Chick-Fil-A) and the employees at the companies that provide the bags and cups for food, or the gloves and uniforms for the employees.

Instead of shouting insults and inundating their Facebook page with the hatred you pretend to object, why not reach out a loving and supportive hand to show him the good side of the LGBT community?

Are Good Manners Gone?

It's becoming more and more clear that good manners have gone out of style.  From strangers letting doors close on mothers with young children, to professionals not extending a phone call by the promised date, it seems that any form of courtesy is now out of style.

Maybe it's the "do whatever feels good" mentality that we're drilling into our children these days.  Either way, I'm sick and tired of people being rude.


The latest incident involved a professional.  They were supposed to make contact "either way" by a certain date.  Well, that date came and went with no attempt on their part to get a hold of me via phone, snail mail, or email.  I find it even more offensive since this particular person is a professional, and doing what they say they are going to do is an integral part of their job.

I always make an effort to get back to people when I say I will or to hold a door open for the person behind me.  Is it too much to expect the same from others?

Glad this Week is Over

I am so unbelievably glad this week is finally over.  I kid you not, it has been one of the most frustrating weeks I've had in a long time.  Here's a re-cap of the horrible happenings so far...

Sunday:  My in-laws came over early and left late.  Not the most awesome thing.  They have a bad habit of messing up my house and being very demanding.  My mother-in-law forgot something at home and was planning to bring it up the following day.  Goodie.

Monday:  The kiddos and I were supposed to finally meet up with the playgroup that gets together at 9:30am.  There was a club meeting happening at 10:15, so we all decided to meet at the library.  I got there at 9:30 prompt and guess what?  The library doesn't open until 10.  So I drove around town with the kids for half an hour and came back.  We went in to the appointed meeting area and... nobody else showed up.  So we went to the meeting (which started late) and nobody from the playgroup made it.  Awesome.  I'm supposed to host the next playdate at my house, how uncomfortable will that be??  Hi ladies that I don't know and children that I don't know, come on in...  awkward.

Tuesday:  Nothing really big happened on Tuesday.  I turned in a project for work and got some mixed feedback on that along with a new project.

Wednesday:  Hubby worked from home.  I do the grocery shopping (solo) on hubby's work from home day, but I couldn't go until I knew if anyone was coming over for the weekend.  He didn't get back to me until 6:00 at night, so I went grocery shopping late and we  had McDonalds for dinner.  It took nearly half an hour to get through the drive through and my fries were cold.  Not awesome.  Took the day off from work.  I also realized that the blanket I'd been crocheting was getting progressively smaller.  After counting stitches twice, I determined that I started screwing up on the first row... I had to pull the entire thing apart and start over.

Thursday:  Nothing big happened, but I noticed the TV is progressively getting worse (it emits a high-pitched noise sometimes when you turn it on.  It's becoming more frequent.  The TV is a projection model from 6 years ago, so I guess it's about due to die).  We were supposed to have some storms in the evening, but they missed us.  The grass is dead.  The garden is in desperate need of water.  There is a water ban in effect still.  The town planning board was supposed to meet tonight to determine which candidate gets the associate position.  I didn't get any work done on my new project.  The animals have fleas and the over the counter medication didn't work.  My dog seems to have an allergic reaction to it.  I washed them in olive oil (amazing results, BTW) and washed all the bedding and carpet in the house.  They dried a little on the ugly/funky side, so I picked up some Dawn dish soap and washed them with that.  One or two more baths to go before they look normal again.  It was worth it to get rid of the fleas before they became a problem though.  Nasty things.

Friday:  Another playgroup happened today... or was supposed to.  The plan was that we'd meet at the park at 10:30 or at the library at 10:15 if it rained.  It didn't rain, so I went to the park.  Alone.  Nobody showed up.  These aren't the same ladies as the Monday group, and I'm not sure if that makes it better or worse.  Also, Friday marks the 2nd week since my brother-in-laws interview in Maine for the plumbing position.  I haven't heard anything, so I'm assuming he didn't get the position.  I feel bad for his family, it would have been an amazing opportunity -- and I think it would have helped his wife be less bitchy towards everyone because they'd be farther away and maybe she wouldn't feel so crowded.  Oh, and I didn't hear from the planning board today, so I'm guessing I didn't get the position.  I only got minimal work done today for my project... which means a working weekend.  Not awesome.

So you see, while nothing really bad happened this week, nothing really worked out according to plan either.  So frustrating. I could really use some good luck any time it wants to come my way.

Fingers Crossed!

Fingers crossed that I'll soon have good news to share!  I just read a post on my sister-in-law's FB page that her hubby is going for his long awaited interview tomorrow.  I really hope he gets the job, because not only would it be an amazing opportunity for him and his family, relations between the entire clan would be improved.

The job is 2 states away, roughly a 4-hour drive from where they are now.  That would mean that they would need to move if he gets the job.  Hopefully he'll hear back the day of his interview, because the job would start on the first of next month, leaving them only a couple weeks to move, put in his notice with his current employer, etc.  Luckily, the housing situation is already squared away and they have a place to go that's better than their current situation should he get the job.

Now, my hopefulness is not entirely selfless.  My sister-in-law is bat shit crazy difficult to get along with, and everyone thinks it's because she and her family live too close to my mother and father in-law.  That could very well be the case, but we've never seen how she is when she doesn't live next door to them...  I for one am looking forward to seeing her less often because of the distance and hopefully seeing a turn-around in her personality if they do wind up moving.

So... fingers crossed that my brother-in-law gets the job.  If nothing else, they have 2 little boys and the change in finances would really benefit the children.   Don't get me wrong, they live quite nicely now thanks to the generosity of family and the government.  Moving wouldn't change the family end of the support, but hopefully they would rely less on the state.

This whole scenario does introduce another issue as well.  Normally, if friends or family were moving, I'd offer my help with packing or some tips to make the process easier on them.  I've moved quite a few times and consider myself pretty good at organizing and packing in a quick and timely fashion.  Anyway, my sister-in-law can be terribly moody, and I'm not sure how an offer of help would be received, especially since she is apparently not pleased to be moving despite the fact that she always says she wishes she could live farther from out in-laws.

So do I put the offer out there and risk her wrath when she believes I am invading her space, or do I say nothing and risk her being angry that nobody even offered to help?  Choices choices.  Have I mentioned how much I hate walking on egg shells around "family"?

Gold Digging Granny

This post is about my husbands grandfather, who has recently remarried without having any family present at the ceremony.  In fact, nobody in the family even knew the date of the wedding or that a date had been picked.

I feel the need to point out that my husband's grandfather isn't in the best of health, and has amassed a notable amount of land during his 50+ year marriage to his late wife.

That being said, his new wife has proven herself to be quite the gold digging granny, and I truly hope she gets all that is coming to her.  Karma has a funny way of going full circle and biting people in the butt.  Until that happens, I'll relax and enjoy the show.

Mother-In-Law Madness

So I realize this blog is becoming my way to vent about my in-laws, but bear with me.

My mother-in-law is currently on the phone with my husband getting computer help.  She has been on the phone with him since he got home, two hours ago.  He had a brief, 15-minute break to eat dinner, but then had to rush back to help her.  He has spent no time with either of our kids, and now they are going to bed.

My mother-in-law knows that my husband only has about 2 hours after he gets home to see the kids each night, yet she insists on calling as soon as he may be home to get help.  She isn't working right now (she's a sub and school is out), so there's no reason she can't wait until the kids are asleep to get help.

Also, let me just mention that it has taken 2 hours so far for him to try to help her set up her printer.  Her wireless printer.  They had it working fine and less than a minute later she called him back and said it wasn't working anymore.  I really feel like this is her way of "spending time" with her son, even though it's cutting into his very limited time with his kids.

I really hate how they have zero consideration for anyone, yet expect unlimited understanding from everyone else.  I am not a saint and I only have so much patience.  I'm afraid I am at about the end of my rope and I will go off on her soon and tell her exactly what I think of her.  Someone needs to set her straight.

Lawnmower

So I wanted to post this story of what happened with my in-laws and our lawn mower because it's really bothering me and my husband doesn't want to talk about it.  I know that we all have our horrible in-law stories, but this one really takes the cake.

My husband has a habit of picking up inexpensive kind of junky lawnmowers from people on Craigslist.  He purchased a mower for $150 from a fellow in the next town over.  It worked for one season and then broke.  No surprise there.

My father-in-law is always bragging of the mechanical sensibilities and inexpensive pricing of a small engine repair place near his vacation home in Maine.  He offered to take the broken mower up, and we agreed.  $350 later we had a working lawn mower, just in time for the final mow of the season.  It wasn't working perfectly, but it was mowing so we didn't complain.

Fast forward through Winter and Spring.  It's time to start cutting the lawn again, so we get out the mower and it runs, but not well.  Half way through cutting the lawn, black smoke starts billowing out.  The mower dies and can't even be driven back to the shed.  We throw a tarp over it and give up.

Again, my father-in-law mentions he's bringing some items up to be repaired in Maine.  He offers to bring our mower up as well, and we agree.  The repair man looks at it and tells my father-in-law that it will cost $300 for a new motor.  The motor apparently died.  Awesome.  Oh, let me mention now that my husband sent a signed check made out to the small engine repair place with my father-in-law in the event that it could be repaired.  We told him to of course check with us first before agreeing to repairs and paying.

Well, because of other bills, we decided to put the expensive repairs off for a month.  My husband asked my father-in-law to just leave the mower at his vacation house until we decided what to do or could afford the repair.  He said ok, but mentioned that he thought the replacement motor was "really nice" and that if it were him, he'd do it.  Again, my husband told him that we needed to postpone repairs for a month.

A few days later, I got a call from my mother-in-law.  She said, "I just wanted to let you know that we thought it was a really good deal to fix the mower, so we told the guy to go ahead."  She then proceeded to tell me they would make the check out for $200 and then we would owe them the remainder.  I don't know where she got the OK for $200 from, but it wasn't myself or my husband, they had been told to hold off on the repairs.

So them my husband called his parents and got in a mini-fight with them about it.  His father said the repairs were being done, he couldn't tell the guy no, it's a really good deal, and that we could either pay the $300 or he would pay it and then sell our lawnmower to my brother-in-law for $300.

This really pissed me off.  Who do they think they are to have repairs done when we asked them not to and then sell a lawnmower that isn't theirs to begin with?  Even broken, a large riding lawn mower like ours can bring in at least $150 in our area.

So now they think that I'm being a horrible person for being angry with them about what they did, and my husband doesn't want to start any wars, so he's just not saying anything.  I contacted my brother-in-law, explained the situation to him, and asked him not to buy the mower from my father-in-law since it isn't his to sell.

If he goes and sells it online, I have several of his expensive tools at my house.  I'm contemplating wrapping the cords in duct tape and selling them for $30 each online, then telling him "Well, I put $30 into them and I need my money back so I had to sell them.  It doesn't matter that you didn't want me to do it, it's already done."

And these people don't see why I don't want to leave my children with them for any length of time.  If you can't respect our decisions regarding a lawnmower and its repair, you certainly won't respect our decisions regarding our children.

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to my new blog!  I'm creating this blog as a forum to vent my frustrations, fears, triumphs, and challenges in all things related to being a stay-at-home mom in America.  Being a stay-at-home mom can be isolating and difficult at times, so it's my hope that sharing my experiences here helps other mothers feel that they aren't alone.

That being said, lets just jump right in.  I've been a stay-at-home mom since my daughter was born 2 1/2 years ago.  That's a long time to be out of the work/social scene!  While other stay-at-home moms understand how much I do on a daily basis to manage my house and my children, people who aren't in this situation seem to look down on the choice I've made.

A great example is a post I recently saw on facebook.  It was one of those cartoons that are supposed to be so brutally honest that they're funny.  I can't find the cartoon image to post here, but it basically said something along the lines of, "I'm working hard to get my Master's Degree, but if the opportunity arises to be a stay-at-home mom, I'm taking it!".  My own friends and mother have joked saying that I went to college for an MRS degree and that I wasted a lot of money on my education when I'm just going to stay home and pop out babies.

Attitudes like this never fail to piss me off.  Yes, I went to college.  Yes, I graduated with a degree in Biology and Chemistry.  Yes, I had a low-paying, unfulfilling job in a field directly related to my degree.  Yes, I CHOSE to give all of that up (haha) to stay home and raise my children.  Why?  Aside from the fact that I'd actually like to look after and raise the children I gave birth to, my job didn't pay enough to cover daycare costs.  There is a HUGE wage gap in this country, especially among educated workers, and while at first glance that seems like a bad thing, it has given me the opportunity to raise my children to be good people.  I'm not saying that all daycare kids turn out badly, I'm just saying that I want to be in my children's life.

It turns out that there are a lot of other women that think like that.  I recently went to a MOMS club open house, and discovered that here is a large community of stay-at-home mom's in my area.  Like myself, many of them have college degrees and were working in their fields before having kids.  Like me, many chose to stay home with their children, rather than turning over 90%+ of their paychecks to a daycare center.

I'm hopeful that the sacrifice of many women such as myself will result in a new generation of hard-working American's that can help turn this country around and get it back on track.  The generation of young adults born in the 90's is a great example of what we need to avoid.  Kids need their parents, and I'm proud to say that I'm here for mine.