Sometimes I get lucky

Now that I live on the tundra up north I needed a good set of snow tires.  I hate the idea of spending the money... but I hate the idea of driving without the more.  So I was prepared to spend about $400 for a new set of tires.  I enlisted the help of my father -- because he likes doing this kind of thing (and because I need to store my regular tires in his garage since I have no storage).

Imagine my surprise when he called me to say it was going to be in the $650-800 range for 4 winter tires.  I was not prepared to pay that.  But I needed to buy tires.  Not an option to do without.  So what does a poor do?

Daddy came through.  He calls.  Offers me his snow tires off his Subaru.  You see, I got lucky.  The Subaru died.  No revival.  So my parents bought a new car.  A bigger car.  Their snow tires won't fit the new car.  But they will fit my car. 

Only one problem.  The Subaru died last spring... with the snow tires on them.  I was wondering how they were going to get the tires back.  Apparently my dad had it sitting at the junk yard trying to sell it on craigslist... with no luck.  So now he just needed to get them for me.  And they are studded.

Oh but that is not all... He talked BJs into installing them on my car for free.  He is a member.  He had a free tire change for as long as he owned the car.  They agreed to transfer that deal to my car.  So I ended up with 4 studded snow tires installed on my car for free.  Got it done last Wednesday.

So today I woke up for a few inches of fresh snow on the ground and 0 degree weather and I was really happen to have my new snow tires.

Imagine my surprise as I am on the highway going about 55 heading to work this morning and I began to feel my car fishtail.  Fishtail?  But I have studded snow tires.  I should be fine.

And then I did everything wrong.  I tried to correct the fishtail.  Which made it worse.  Of course.  I looked around.  I was the only person on the highway.  And I was heading toward the guardrail.  And then I was heading toward the other guardrail.  And I was going way too fast (even though I had taken my foot off the gas -- and remembered not to step on the brake).  I needed to slow down.  Fast.  So I stomped on the brake, and jerked the wheel to one side. 

So I spun.  Around and around.  In one spot.  Until I stopped.  Perpendicular to the highway -- straddling both lanes.  Stalled. 

I looked around.  Cars were coming.  So I started the car, and pulled off to the shoulder.  Facing the wrong direction.  I waited until all the traffic passed (because none of them stopped) and then did a 3 point turn on the highway. 

Needless to say it was a long, sloooow drive to the office.  What normally takes 40 minutes took well over an hour.  Nerves were shot, nobody had chocolate, and I knew I still had a long drive home.  I left work early.

Mean Mama

I hate holidays

I know that is not a popular thing to say.  I get it.  I am the Grinch.  I don't want to be.  I wish I wasn't.  But it is soooo soooo soooo tough.

Thanksgiving:

First my niece is there.  The perfect niece.  The smart niece.  The younger niece.  Ladybug and K get compared.  K loves school.  K is so smart.  K is so happy.  K is learning so much.  And it would just be katty of me to point out that I had to repeat basic instructions to her over and over and she still didn't get it right.  And I don't want to point out that my child is actually brilliant.  Brilliant in human nature.  She can read a person in about 2.7 seconds.  Because I don't want to point out that she usually uses her brilliance for evil.

My father is also there.  He doesn't believe me about Ladybug.  He loves to egg her on.  He loves to break the rules.  He loves to work her up into a frenzy.  He loves to contradict my attempts to keep her even keel.  He wants her to be normal.  But then reality slaps in the face -- sometimes literally... like when she grabbed the video tape of Miracle on 34th Street and smacked him with it during a wrestling match.

And then there is my sister.  Who brings cockroaches with her.  Yeah, there is nothing worse then that.

Lastly there is my step mom.  Who is a wonderful cook.  She follows recipes religiously but they turn out great.  Not only do I gain weight whenever I am there but I also need to hear from the kid how she is a better cook then me.

One holiday down.  Two more trips for it is 2013.  I hope I survive.

Mean Mama

Out numbered

I had my first official parent teacher conference last week.  I received her report card in the mail the week before.  She did great -- academically.  She can do the work.  If you find the right hook.  Behaviorally she didn't do so great.

My parent teacher conference was delayed.  Not because I didn't need to do it.  But because I was in training the week of the normal ones.  So it had to be scheduled special. 

I walked in to a room full of people.  A simple parent teacher conference for a 2nd grader.  In attendance were:

Her main teacher
Her math teacher
Her math teaching assistant
The school counselor
The school nurse
2 staff from student support
The school principal

Ever been in one of those?

Mean Mama

fire breathing dragon

One of my "chores" this month is to get the living room ready for winter.  This includes putting up curtains.  But I was having some difficulties finding the right curtains.  I wanted something velvet -- so that it looked warm.  I wanted something thermal -- so it would be warm.  And I live in the middle of nowhere and I was having a hard time making a decision about which curtains to buy by shopping online.  I wanted to see it.  And touch it.  And see the color.  So I had little faith I would complete my chore.  But every night I could feel the heat escaping from my house.

This weekend my mom came to visit.  And she wanted to go shopping.  Because she also lives int he middle of nowhere.  I dropped Ladybug at a party and we drove about 30 minutes to the shopping mecca (Home Depot and Lowe's).  She wanted a rug and a fake christmas tree.  While I was at Lowe's I casually walked down the curtain aisle and ... fell in love with a dark red velvet thermal curtain.  I wanted them.  But they were not cheap.  They were good quality.  But they were not cheap.  I didn't buy them.

But when I got home, my mom offered to buy them for me as a birthday/christmas present.  So I got online and tried to order it.  I needed 8 panels. 

Have you ever tried to order online from Lowe's?  It is not easy.  It kept telling me that "my" Lowe's store had 3.  So I couldn't order 8.  So I changed "my" Lowe's store to another one.  Again I could not order more then what was in that store.  So I called.  Screw ordering online.  The guy on the phone found me 8 in a store about 2 hours from me.  Apparently each store has it's own inventory.  So I bought those.  He reserved them.  I needed to drive 2 hours to get them.

And that is where the crazy happened.

I drove 2 hours today to get my nice new beautiful curtains.  I arrived at Lowe's and was told... "We don't have them." 

I took a deep breath.  I counted to 10.  I tried to calm my heart rate.  I opened my mouth and ... out came the fire breathing dragon.

I think my exact response was, "That is completely unacceptable."  And then it went down hill from there.

He tried to show me that there was no order.  I pulled out my iphone and showed him my email confirming my order and that I could pick them up today.  He showed me his computer screen showing no order AND no curtains in store.

I flipped out about driving 2 hours with my child.  I told them I wasn't leaving until I had my curtains.

A manager came over.

And we started from the start.  He asked how they could make it right.  GIVE. ME. MY. CURTAINS.  There was no other option. 

And then they found them.  In a back room.  With a sign on them -- for me.  Put there by... the first guy I was talking to.

I am pretty sure I am not allowed back in that Lowe's again.

Mean Mama

how the week went

Last week I posted about my crocking ideas for the week.  We will eat healthier.  But the best laid plans...


Saturday was suppose to be pot roast.  And it was.  She loved the meat.  Hated the potatoes and onions.  I hate cooked carrots so I didn't add those.  Maybe next time it will be just meat and then I will make a salad or something.

Sunday was chicken soup and fresh bread.  She loved the bread.  And hated the soup.  Really.  I thought the soup was great.  But maybe next time I will add onion -- since she already hates it.

Monday was calzones (not in the crock).  More accurately bacon and cheese calzone for her and bacon, mushroom and cheese calzone for me.  How could it go wrong?  Well it did.  I thought they were fabulous.  She hated the crust and thought there was not enough bacon.

Tuesday was BBQ chicken sandwiches.  Again, I was wondering how this could go wrong.  But I managed.  Again, I thought this was great.  Her first bite she loved.  The second bite was just okay.  By the third bite she was questioning how much she needed to eat.  Fail.

Wednesday was golden glow pork chop.  A pork chop with peaches.  She hated it.  And to be honest... so did I.  But the real drama was that we didn't have heat so not only did the food suck but it got cold.

Thursday was supposed to be baked potatoes with toppings.  But it wasn't.  I just couldn't bare the idea of cooking.  Or eating in the house.  So we went out for pizza.  To warm up.  And there was so much left over that we ate pizza on Friday... while we celebrated having heat again.

Friday was supposed to be Mexican chicken.  But as you can see from above, it didn't happen.  I did make it on Saturday.  But then a friend asked to go out for a late lunch at a Chinese buffet.  So by the time dinner rolled around neither of us was hungry.  So it went in the fridge and it is currently warming up for tonight's dinner.

Saturday was supposed to be meat loaf with mashed potatoes and veggies.  I am sure she will hate it.  But it will be made for tomorrow's dinner.

And I still have the baked potatoes as options this week... along with all the left overs from last week.  She will hate it.  But I am happy.  Happy enough to make this plan again next week... oh wait, next week is Thanksgiving so I don't need to make such elaborate plans.

Mean Mama

Socks!

What does one do on a mild November Saturday in the cold country?

Go to a sock sale!

Only I didn't really have a plan.  I didn't know what would be there.  I didn't know what I needed.  I didn't know what it would cost.  So I just threw socks in a bag and ran.

This is what I ended up with...

And this is what Ladybug ended up with...

Next year I may have more of a plan.

Mean Mama

I love winter!

NOT!

I came home last night and turned on the heat.  Well, I tried to turn on the heat.  Nothing happened.

So I got the landlord -- who lives just on the other side of the wall.  They worked on it for a while.  About 2 hours.  And the furnace finally kicked on.  I heated the house up to 70 degrees.  Then the furnace turned off.  And then it refused to turn back on.

By morning the house was at 56 degrees.

The landlord worked on the furnace all day. I got home to a ... freezing cold house.  No furnace.  So we went out for dinner.

Landlord has given me an electrical heater.  Which heats a room about the size of a bread box... not exaggerating.  He has also given me a new kerosene heater.  The thermostat is currently registering the dining room at 58 degrees.  I am staying up a little to give it some time to run and heat.

I am worried about fumes.  The carbon monoxide detector has been checked and has new batteries. 

Yep... I love winter.

Mean Mama

PS any typos are the fault of the gloves I am wearing to type.

after the election

As I was heading to bed last night. After the election was decided and announced.  I was listening to a republican commentator on some channel -- not sure which one -- that said something like...

It will now be the responsibility of the President to move off the Left and work with the Republicans.  He needs to move toward the conservative side if she wants to get anything done.

Hmmmm.

So Democrats won and it is their responsibility to bend to the will of Republicans?  Well why not -- that is what has been happening the last 4 years.

The Republicans complain about what a shitty job Obama has done and yet the forget that they have blocked his every attempt to get things done.  You can't blame someone for not doing their job if you completely prevent them from doing their job.  Here is a novel idea -- let him do his job.  Let him do what he wants and see if it is good or bad.  But don't block every attempt to change things and then tell him he sucks.

Maybe it is time for the Republicans to come off the right and work with the President.  Since they haven't done that for the last 4 years.

Mean Mama

I'm nervous

I want to know who are next president will be.  NOW!  I don't want to wait.  Tell me now.

I did not vote against someone.  I voted for someone.  I took all those silly online quizzes that tell you who you are most aligned with.  I came out about 91-97% with a particular candidate.  I really want him to win.

And I want to know.  NOW!

Mean Mama

Counseling

Tonight we finished session 3 of counseling.  That was after she was required to go to "student support" 2 times today.  Things are rough.  Well, things are good at home.  I mean we fight over following a schedule and attitude but overall things are okay at home.  She is not throwing tantrums.  She is not stomping around.  She is not wishing me dead -- out loud.

School is a whole different story.  I sit by the phone and wait for it to ring -- because it will.  Hands on.  Attitude.  Unwilling to follow directions.  Vomiting.

I have managed to get her physical rescheduled.  It got taken away from me by a client.  I threw a bit of a fit and we are going on the 15th -- instead of 5-6 weeks out.

The therapist is withholding from a diagnosis right now.  But she is considering a lot of options.

adhd
anxiety
attachment
spd
ptsd

I can't really argue against any of them at the moment.  And would buy any of them, I think. 

Give me a few more weeks and I might be able to be diagnosed with ptsd.

Mean Mama

weekly menu

I hate my kitchen.  But that is no excuse for not using it for it's intended purpose... cooking.  I mean, I have essentially cut out eating out... thank you for moving to a small town with very few restaurants.  But it seems that perhaps I have substituted eating out for junky quick food in the house.  I mean, if I am going to eating chicken fingers at home, why not just go to McDonald's?

And I really fear that Ladybug is dictating too much of our diet.  I mean, so what if she doesn't like it?  She never will if I never introduce her to healthy options soon.  And it is not like she is starving anymore.

On top of that, I need to have quick healthy options because of my schedule.  We leave the house at 7:30am.  We get home around 5-6:30pm depending on what the day brought.  I need to be able to help her with her homework, cook, clean up, spend some time with the kid, give her a bath, read her a story, and have her in bed by 8pm.  So I don't have a lot of time to cook in the evenings.

So that is what a slow cooker is for.  Right???  Oh Ladybug is going to hate this.  Truly.  But I can make this work... I think.

Here is the dinner menu for the week...

Saturday: Pot roast
Sunday: Chicken soup and fresh bread
Monday: calzones (not in the crock)
Tuesday: BBQ chicken sandwiches
Wednesday: Golden glow pork chop
Thursday: baked potatoes with toppings
Friday: Mexican chicken
Saturday: meat loaf with mashed potatoes and veggies

And the nice thing about all this is that I will have made more than one meal for each one.  It can go in the freezer and then I don't have to cook the next week. 

Now to write the grocery list.

Mean Mama

October update

1.  Loose 55 pounds by December 31, 2012.  Up 3.  Wrong direction.  41 to go.  I will fail for the yearly goal.

2.  Begin writing a book.  I have a fiction and non-fiction option.  Giving myself 2 years to complete it.  Did nothing.

3.  In October I needed to get 8 hours of sleep at least four nights a week. Each month after I must add one more night per week. Not even remotely close.  Will try harder in November.

4.  Blog at least 12 times per month.  Apparently blogging is too much work these days.

5.  Finish unpacking and putting together rooms in the house.  One room a month.  Problem is I have more rooms than months this year.  October is the dining room.   Done!  Well... mostly.  The one piece that is not done is not my fault -- or my responsibility.  It is cleaned.  It is decorated.  There are curtains.  But there is one wall that is not fixed.  The wall the my landlord ripped open right before I moved in -- 6 months ago.  But here are the pictures to prove it.  

I also said the kitchen would be finished this month.  And it is!  Well, as much as I can do in a rented place.  I hate my kitchen.  Really.  I hate the yellow floor.  I hate the wallpaper.  I hate the cabinets.  I hate hate hate the floor plan.  I dislike the counters.  But I love love love my new curtains -- even if they don't go with any of the decor.  More photos...

Next month is the living room.  Which is going to cost me a boat load of money.  I need new curtains and a rug.  But it can be done... I think.

6.  Start a 529 account.  Done.

7.  Start a savings account. No success here.

8.  Eat out no more then 2 times per month.  I think it is important to keep this one from last year.  Done!  Surprisingly easy this month.

9.  Reinstall Photoshop and start editing photos again.  Nope. 

10. Pay all bills on time. Nope... but most were.

11. Make at least 1 pair of earrings each week.  Nope. No new excuse.

12.  Adding a new goal this month... Ladybug will sleep in her own bed.  Please!  Ha!  But now that it is getting colder, I might want to delay this goal... until May.

Mean Mama