I was talking to a friend of mine the other day.  She just built a new house.  The other day, her Aunt was in town and her mother wanted to come out for a visit and show off the new house.  It was my friend’s day off. She just wanted to stay at home, do some laundry and sluff off being nice, being pretty, being anything but in old sweats.  She told her mom that too. But, they came anyway.

 

When she was telling me about the visit, she said to me “you know, how you like to have an apple pie in the oven cooking when someone comes over to visit..”

 

HELLLOOOOO.  I am just glad if the dog doesn’t take a dump on the floor right before the doorbell rings!!  Apple pie? 

 

Most of my friends have a broken home. The dishwasher is broken, or the microwave, or the doorbell.   In my home, most of the residents are broken.  Or, at least their legs and arms are.

 

I am trying to get the kidlets to achieve some independence and chores.  It works really well when I have the money to do the chore chart.  But, when I am out of one’s (I feel like I should be visiting a male stripper the way I collect ones), well, the chore chart suffers.

 

And, you know what?  I don’t even care.  I’m tired when I come home. Why aren’t the kids tired too?  I don’t want to do MY chores, so why should I push them to do THEIR chores?  Well, because, darn it, that’s what the manual says we should do, isn’t it?

 

Do all mom’s spend their money intentionally breaking large bills so they have lots of ones and fives in their wallets?  I know I do, that way if I have to give a kidlet money, I can count out ones or give them a five.  You NEVER get change back.  So, knowing that in advance, I will NEVER EVER give a child a $20.  If they needed 10 cents and all I had was a $20 bill, I would write a check for the 10 cents.  Because, whatever age, whatever the need, they will FIND a reason they had to spend the rest of the money and “Oh, sorry Mom, I had to use the change for (_______  insert any excuse…).

 

Even the grown ones. Wait. ESPECIALLY the grown ones. They get smarter and smarter about how to get the bucks from good old Bank of Mom !

 

My oldest daughter and I trade money constantly.  We go shopping, and I see something for the baby that I want to buy, so she whips it on her visa which has a lower interest rate than my visa.

 

Then, when the next opportunity comes, we are like, well, I owe you 33.75 from the trip to Walmart, and you asked me to get you soymilk and strawberry syrup and pork chops, so that is 10.53 from 33.75, so I still owe you about  23ish, but I paid for your daughters yearbook which was 20 last year and forgot to tell you, so I really only owe you 3 dollars, but the baby needed water at karate and I took her to BK for dinner that day, so that was 7 dollars, so you owe me 4.

 

Then she comes back with something else.  We have never been able to figure it out and never will and yet, we keep doing it week after week.  I wonder why?  It drives her husband and my husband both nuts.  Maybe that is why.  It doesn’t really bother her or I one bit.

 

I have to lock my car now.  Someone at karate last week got their car stolen. And totaled. They are driving a new Dodge something or other now.  I cannot afford to have my car stolen, even if I do have full coverage.  So, no more leaving my purse in the unlocked car with the keys still in it.  Can you believe there is a town in 2006 where until last week that was relatively safe to do?  I love the United States.

 

Tomorrow is Saturday.  Its cold and rainy here.  I am glad.  Today is the first day of fall, and darn it, it is SUPPOSED to be cold and rainy during fall. Its one of my favorite times of year.  I hate summer.  Don’t mind winter a whole lot.  Can live comfortably with spring.  LOVE FALL.

 

Had to explain to the oldest grandkidlet today on the way to school why Alaska is dark for four months out of the year.  I am going to start carrying a ball in the car, because I found out it is very difficult to drive and try to explain the rotation of the Earth with one hand. It just simply doesn’t work.

 

And, is Alaska also LIGHT for four months on the other end of the year?  I don’t remember that part.  Ah well.

 

Have a great fall weekend.

 

0 Comments