Hate Is Too Strong Of A Word

Except today.

My children (child?) drew on my less-than-a-year-old-expensive-tile-laminate-kitchen floor. I'm assuming it was yesterday. It is crayon. Can't be pencil, NOOOO, that's too easy to get off. Has to be crayon. Dark blue crayon. Crayon? Does not come off that floor. The last time they drew on it, it took two hours for me to hand-scrub with baking soda a one foot by one foot section. I kid you not. The tile has all the texture stuff on it, so there's millions of little nicks and crannies and places where crayon gets caught up.

Oh! And bill collectors! Don't EVEN get me started. Okay, I'm sorry, but I got myself started.
Just got a call from the one credit card that hasn't been paid. And I hate to sound like I'm protesting guilt, because I'm not. I'm a firm believer that credit cards need to be paid and not foisted off.

BRB, have to go water the goats.


Okay, back. Where was I? Oh yeah. Credit card.
So anyway! Firm believer that you get into debt, you find your way out of debt. Even if it means relying on your husband to pay your bills while you have two kids and don't work (ahhem.)
So this card, right? This one card has about $1500 on it. The minimum payment was $75, which I paid faithfully for 2+ years while paying off other cards/things. One month I missed the $75, so my minimum the next month was $150. Too much. So I called and asked them if I could pay off the $75 missed payments in installments, or have it deferred, because $150 at once was too much.
They said no. So I paid $75. Which make me $75 overdue.
Over. And over. For months. I called and asked again what I could do. They said nothing could be done. (By now the $150 had turned into over $300 as a minimum payment, despite me paying the $75 monthly).
It, obviously, went into collections.
Collector just called.
First off, I think he was put off by my grunts and 'uhhuhs' instead of actual words. I've noticed that puts off a lot of them. But once we got through the original "are you mrs doran, blah blah blah", he asked if my address was correct, yes, it was, and then asked me my work address.
Wha? I hung up.

I just NOW realized why this is different than the collections calls i've gotten before! It was from a collection company, not the actual card company. Duh. I get it.

Well, long story short, I hate bill collectors. Not the actual card companies - i've had really good experiences with Discover and Chase Bank, who heard me out and worked out stuff with me. Discover even went "You've never missed a payment, and we noticed you missed this month, so we wanted to make sure everything was going okay and give you a reminder" which was awesome because, yup, I actually DID forget.

So I hate bill collectors.

Oh! And what else do I hate? Picture this. The house is 52 degrees. You're in a nice hot shower. Mmmmsteam, nice and hot, filling the bathroom so you know when you step out of the shower it will still be warm and you can get dressed before you exit and FREEZE YOUR BUTT OFF.
Now, take that whole, nice, warm steam-filled room, and open the door, while you're still in the shower.
My kids did this to me. Cold air flooded in.
After figuring out they wanted more oatmeal, and shooing them out, I turned up the heat to get it nice and steamy again.
And they opened the door. Again. This time to tell me they were SO HUNGRY and I HAD to get them more oatmeal because they were STARVING and the one full bowl they'd already had was NOT ENOUGH and they were going to DIE.
I finally gave up, dried off and dressed in freezing air while shivering.
I'd lock the door, but then Morri would pick that 15-minute-time-slot to pee on something because she couldn't get to the toilet.


Okay, so I feel better after putting my rant into words. But it's still freaking cold in here. Screw it, I've been cold for a week straight, rationing wood... I'm going to build a nice fire and try to thaw.

Kudos

An Experiment: 90 Minutes

Whew.

I spent 90% of my day on the couch, drifting from awake to asleep. I don't know if it is because I've been staying up late the last few nights, or maybe because of drinking night before last, or just a mood swing, but my motivation was 0.

Around 3pm, I 'woke' up fairly coherently and realized I had wasted an entire day doing absolutely nothing. Totally disgusted with myself, I decided to do an experiment.

I set the timer for 60 minutes and got to work. I worked hard-core, non-stop, as fast as I could. And I wrote down every single thing I did. Then, when that timer went off, I was still going, and added another 30 minutes.

Here's what I did in 90 minutes:

• Took out the trash
• Unloaded the dishwasher
• Started a load of laundry
• Started a new load of dishes
• Hand-washed 4 skillets, 2 bowls, the crockpot, 10 of our best knives that I refuse to dishwash
• Swept the kitchen
• Fed the girls spaghetti
• Scrubbed the stovetop and counters
• Wiped down the fridge, dishwasher, wall behind the crockpot
• Cleared the microwave table and scrubbed it
• Washed the cast iron skillet
• Picked up the bathroom and swept
• Cleaned the bathroom counter, sink, toilet
• Picked up Morri's room (with her help! yay!), vacuumed
• Switched the laundry, folded the dry load, and put it all away
• Picked up the dining room (but haven't vacuumed yet)

It's funny because looking at it now, it seems like such a short list, but really, it's a lot. I'm sure anyone who cleans houses, stays with their kids, etc. etc. knows it's really a HUGE amount of stuff.

But! I feel as if I have atoned for my morning of sloth. I feel like overall it has been a productive day, and I am no longer disgusted with myself.

Kudos!

Menu Plan Monday

 

Head over to Organizing Junkie for more meal plans!

This week's meal plan is fairly easy to do, since I will be working straight from our stockpile. We have $30 for groceries this pay period, so I will keep that in reserve for next week, so that we could get some fresh fruit and veggies.

Mon - Ham and bean soup, using broth from last night's potroast and ham saved from christmas. Home made 'sweet' rolls with butter, salad.

Tues - Chicken Salsa Fajitas (minus the flour) with all the trappings of fajitas.

Wed - Spicy Beans 'n' rice, cornbread, salad

Thurs - Crock pot cube steaks, mashed potatoes, salad, bread???

Fri - Hearty skillet supper, bread, salad

Sat - Black bean enchiladas (didn't get a chance to make these last week), cornbread, salad (I hope I have enough salad to go around!)

Sun - Pasta chicken alfredo, spaghetti for the girls. Garlic bread.


Mmm. I'm starving now! After scanning the recipes, I think I have everything needed for all these meals. We have plenty of fruit and snacks for the kids. Sandwich stuff for me. I did a nice grocery run Friday and stocked us up, so we're really ahead of the game. (For once!)

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Lately I've been dying to go back to school. I've been studying Russian and guitar as things to distract me, but nothing beats the thrill of working towards good grades (am I insane?). I spoke to Ben about our tax refund and, assuming it's a fair amount, we agreed that we would pay out of pocket for the few credit hours I need to take to re-qualify for financial aid.

That's very reassuring. Even one class would be excellent. One step closer to a degree.

I'm also considering applying to OUL - Ohio University, Lancaster. I'm wondering if my financial aid restriction will prevent me from getting aid from OUL too. Something to think about.

Meanwhile, life goes on. We cancelled Tamsyn's birthday party because of bad roads and snow, but we had a nice little celebration just in our family. I got some great pictures of her. And then that afternoon we Skyped with Ben's parents and they had a blast.

The house has been coming along, too. Yesterday we cleaned out our closets and reorganized them so everything would fit. Ben cleaned out enough of the garage to fit my car in and fixed a few minor dents. We also cleaned out a LOT of the utility room, giving us a huge walkway instead of just a tiny little path!

So, on that note, time to go. I have SO much to catch up on in regards to the house today.

Kudos!

What A Day

This has probably been my most stable day in months. This morning I woke up, a little drowsy from the serequel, but in a good mood. I set out a fruit plate and some dry cereal for the girls, then stretched out in front of the fireplace and dozed until about 9:30. It is amazing how they well they are when I'm napping. I think my being so sick for 8 weeks helped them realize they could play without me... hee.

Anyway, I packed up the 400 pounds of beef that I picked up yesterday for a co-op and headed into Columbus. Another thing that amazes me is how excellent the girls are in the car. I suppose they kinda have to be - driving is a LOT of our daily life.

Met up with some ladies at SS, where I got rid of most of the beef, and headed to Aldi, where I somehow forgot my debit card's pin, and therefor had to have the poor checker lady void off $30 of my $50 order (I had a $20 cash in my wallet). Face red and embarassed, we promptly snuck out and headed home.

The girls napped in the car for almost an hour, so I spent the time cleaning out the front seat and back feet areas. I got out 2 trash bags full of garbage... HOLY CRAP. I found a bunch of shoes that were M-I-A, as well as some toys that Morri swore she left at grandma's. Also found my Kohls credit card, which is not a good thing, LOL!

Anyway, now I'm home, and doing some chores. It's been a very positive day. I feel very productive and self confident. I am stable. I was able to cuddle Morri for a few minutes after she bumped her head on a chair. I made the girls a full lunch, at the table, instead of snacks all day. I am considering working on our bedroom... it's been MONTHS since we've built the wall, and our side still isn't mudded completely.

I'm wondering if it's the serequel... if it is, this is totally worth being drowsy in the morning!

A rant, of sorts.

Living out in the middle of nowhere has some amazing benefits. We have land, animals, a safe, crime-free environment for the kids. We have a house that was practically given to us - true, it needs repairs, but what house doesn't? We have a wonderful school, a quiet atmosphere, and the chance to see the stars in all their glory without any lights.

I do believe that sometimes the cons outweigh the pros, though. The cons are many and are extremely life-limiting.
- In order to go grocery shopping, we have to drive half an hour. There is a small grocery store about 20 minutes away, however, it's prices are sky high and it's produce leaves something to be desired. In summer, there are farmer's markets, but (except for 2 I can think about) those are even 15-20 minutes away.

- Our closest Catholic church is 10 minutes away. However I find it extremely boring and do not like the Priest. I also don't like how they aren't involved with the community, as I find that one of the ideas of Catholicism. The next closest church is about 35 minutes away.

- There are very few, if any, chances to meet other moms unless your kids are in school. Our library (15 min away) does have a weekly story time, but they're always full. I have yet to find even an online mom's group for our area. I am hoping that our YMCA membership will help - hopefully I can enroll the girls in some classes and make friends. But even Licking County, where the YMCA is, is 25 minutes away.

- Doctors, allergists, dentists, hospitals, and other related services. Tamsyn's allergist is 30 min away. My dentist is 25 min away. My therapist is 20 min away. And heck, my psych is almost an hour away.

- Because of the distances of, well, everything, we spend a TON on gas money. Ben's gas allowance JUST for work is $100/week. That doesn't include my gas for things like appointments.



Lately I have been very lonely and trying to reach out to find friends. I'm part of a columbus mom's board, but 90% of them live in downtown columbus or the surrounding neighborhoods - 45 min to 1 hour away.

As you can imagine, it's very frustrating. And disheartening. And I'm not sure how to fix it.

Kudos,
Ket

An Experiment

I have decided it is time to dust off this blog, give it a facelift, link it to twitter, and try again. The rest of my life has evened out, thanks to a diagnosis of bipolar and subsequent medicine stabilizers and some intensive therapy. I am now consistant in everything from chores to taking care of the animals. It's a very freeing thought to know that all along I wasn't just a spoiled, selfish, lazy person. I actually had a sickness. A sickness that seriously disrupted my life and my family.

Anyway, we're going to try again. But for now, I have animals to tend to and children to corral.

Kudos!
Ket