I'm Really Bummed

As a woman with an accounting degree (well, almost) I decided to put together a working budget for my family. I had a master budget, it just didn't seem to be working. A working budget is one that will reflect actual money spent. My master budget was pretty much a rough guesstimate. What I found out is shocking. We are broke! We have nothing. I have spent 500 more dollars this month than was on the budget. 500 D-O-L-L-A-R-S!!!!!! At this rate I will never have enough to add money to my TV fund.

I can pinpoint exactly where the money was spent. The breakdown looks something like this:
Bills=50% of income
Children=50% of income
Susan=0% of income

OK, OK, that's not exactly right. But it's pretty darn close. After carefully reviewing my budget, unless we cut off all cable, internet, and cell phone services, and the children stop eating lunch and driving, I really need to get a part time job. Just to have some spending money. I mean, I make decent money, unfortunately it cost money to live. After I realized why I seemingly never have any extra cash, I got really bummed. Depressed even. I thought I was in much better shape than this.

So if anyone knows any way I can earn some extra bucks, preferably from home, let me know. If not, you just might see me around town. With a tin cup. Asking for lunch money. Or gas money.

The Serious Issues

As a regular blogger, I like to make sure I address the really serious issues. I have been known to blog about such issues as weather, traffic, school, car buying, house cleaning, all that really important stuff. Tonight I want to talk about food. Or the lack thereof.

We were late getting around to dinner tonight. The DQ played at her friend's house and then we had to run out and pick up a birthday present for one of her friends. I decided that we should just grab something quick while we were out. We waited in line forever at the Taco Hell Bell. We get home and The DQ starts complaining that her tacos barely have anything on them. She doesn't like lettuce so we always order them that way. I was thinking that it probably seemed like they didn't have a lot on them because of the no lettuce thing. Sissy tells her she shouldn't make a big deal about it. Until The DQ showed us the taco. It had a very small amount of meat and cheese and that was it. Not only did they leave off the lettuce, they didn't put any tomatoes or sour cream on them either.

I don't understand what is so hard about the words "no lettuce". Two little words. We didn't order anything else special. The ONLY special instructions were "no lettuce". Not, "Leave everything off the taco except for meat and cheese, and then only a small amount of that".

A couple of weeks ago I ordered a burger and my special instructions were, "no ketchup". I went through the drive thru on my lunch hour. I forgot to check the bag and when I got back to the office, the only thing on my burger was meat and pickles. No cheese, no onion, no nothing.

It's almost like my special instructions are so simple that they are mind boggling. I can picture alarm bells going off, employees running in every directions shouting, "She asked for no ketchup, what do we do now"? Then someone else yells out frantically, "I don't know, I don't know. I've never heard anything like that before".


Now I know that it's not a big deal. But it is annoying. Especially to a child who LOVES to eat. Food is like oxygen to this child. She eats a lot. All the time. Sissy is giving her a hard time telling her just to get over it and eat them. After she witnessed those pitiful excuse for tacos, Sissy offered her little sister her own taco. The DQ didn't want it because it had lettuce on it.

I watched my sixteen year old daughter set her own food down, and then proceed to pick ALL the lettuce off the taco for her little sister. How sweet is that I ask you?

Sissy is forever more saying that I need to be tougher on DQ. She says I am too soft on her. Yet I am not the one who picked.Every.Single.Shred of lettuce off that taco. Who's the soft one now I ask you?

A Work In Progress

The painting is almost finished. I can't wait until I can move all my furniture back and clean up(again).











































The first picture is the best.

Here are my "blizzard" photos I couldn't get to download a few days ago. I am especially posting these for HW.






























It's hard to believe that we got a whopping 2-3 inches just a short while ago. Today, the high reached 75 degrees.

The Down Side

There is definitely a down side to getting on your blog and bragging about the cleaning you accomplished.............when your sister is coming to paint the next day. I took this picture last night.









Here are the ones I took when I got home today.














































The hideous gray color will soon be little more than a distant memory. You can tell by the mess that I was not prepared for this. I should have waited to clean AFTER she finishes painting. Oh well, live and learn.

Susie Cleans Again!!!!!

Dear Brethren(HW, my last remaining reader from the looks of things),

We are gathered here tonight this 11th day of March in the year 2008 to share my epiphany. Tonight I made dinner, loaded the dishwasher, did three loads of laundry including folding and putting away, swept and mopped the kitchen floor, cleaned my living room, vacuumed, and cleaned the hideous wood/glass tables. Not once during all these activities was I plagued with feelings of guilt. Guilt because of some homework or assignment or test that needs to be taken. For the first time in three years, I was able to clean and not feel guilty that I should be doing something else.

I have one paper that I am almost finished with. It was supposed to be turned in on Monday, but the professor decided to give us an extra week. She used class time last night to over these papers individually and offer pointers and suggestions. So, my paper needs a couple of modifications, and it will be complete. Which means that even when I decide to sit down and finish it up, I will not be plagued with guilt about house work that I should be doing.

Let's go back in time for a minute (or two). Three years ago when I started school, I had the misguided belief that I would be able to go to school and continue doing all the things I did before. Was I ever wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Several weeks after I started school, I called my mother on the verge of a nervous breakdown. I whined about how I didn't have time to keep the house as clean as I did before. Nothing was getting done. Nothing, nothing, nothing. My house was in a shambles.

I started blowing up at my children. I would come from school, late at night I might add, and there would be a sink full of dishes. The living room would be messy. I would rant and rave at the girls. I finally had a talk with them and told them that we were in this together. It was going to take all of us working together for me to be able to go to college and work full time. Everyone was going to have to do their part. Everyone would eventually reap the benefits when I graduated and was able to earn more money.

My little talk helped. Sissy took over taking care of the kitchen. The DQ sort of took over the living room. Things were still messy and not as clean as I would have liked. OK, OK, the place has looked like crap poo for the last three years. (They are kids, of course they don't clean as well as I would)

Brethren(HW) that is not the case anymore. This last semester has not been as tough on me as some semesters were. There were times when, due to the nature of the classes I was taking that I spent A LOT of time studying and doing homework. Anyway, my house is starting to resemble what a house is supposed to look like. Things are getting putting away. Furniture is being dusted. Floors are being vacuumed, swept, and mopped. Oh the joy! Rapture even! I am not saying it's perfect, but it's getting better.

I have had to let a lot of things slide over the last three years. There was no way around it. Everything that needed to get done, didn't. I learned to be OK with that. I learned that stressing out over my house was not doing me any good. I decided that this was my opportunity to further my education, and to make a better life for myself and my girls. The house work would still be there, ever faithful-when I finished school.

As much I hate to admit it, I got used to a messy house. It didn't really bother me. I had a "whatever" mentality. Even so, somewhere in the back of mind I always felt guilty. Like I SHOULD be able to do it all. I have even felt lazy. During my free time I didn't want to spend it cleaning house, so I didn't.

I said all that to say that I finally feel like my old self again. The me who keeps a clean house, raises children, and holds down a full time job. The me who will have time do all these things, and blog for my one reader. I can't remember when I have felt this good. It was really hard for me to blog about the fact that I couldn't and didn't do EVERYTHING. You see, I have always done it all. Since I was sixteen years old. It was really hard for me say that my house has been perpetually messy for the last freakin' three years. But another part of me wanted to. I want to remember that I am human and not perfect. And unfortunately, not capable of doing everything on my own. (Boy, that last one was really hard)

After next week, my time will be mine again. I will be free to be the clean freak I used to be. I will be able to fix up my yard. (I forgot to mention that my landscaping has been really hideous, and I haven't pulled a weed in two years)

So brethren (HW) join me as I celebrate graduating college next week. I didn't think I would make it. Frankly, there were a few times when I wanted to quit. The only reason I didn't was because then I would have to start paying back all those student loans which I wouldn't have been able to do because I wouldn't have been able to get a promotion without a degree Maybe I should change my name from susiewrsthepants to susiecleansthehouseanddoeswhatevershewantstodo.

Mad Monday

Have you had a week that got off to an annoying start? Not really a bad start, just sort of a pain the butt neck. Yesterday started off with me over sleeping because I forgot to "spring forward" the alarm clock. I was tired because I was jacked up the night before on allergy medicine, and didn't sleep well. The DQ is complaining that she has nothing to wear because I didn't get any laundry done over the weekend.

Due to my recent fear of the car being stolen, I didn't warm the car-(carjackaphobia?) which resulted in me not being able to see as I was driving down the road. You know, because of that frosty stuff on the windshield. Plus The DQ and I froze to death.

Then in the afternoon, Sissy and I had a disagreement over her blowing her lunch money on other things. She says its quote "No big deal". Maybe it's not a big deal. To her. It was a big deal to me. I gave her that money....SO SHE COULD EAT. Of course....what was I thinking???? I will just go pick some more money off that tree in the backyard. I forgot all about it! It's really easy to be inconsiderate about money when you don't have a job.

Then I had to work late to help my boss make copies. Yes-I did say make copies. At first I thought it was just a few copies. I was in for a rude awakening. I was brought a stack of stuff to be copied. Normally, working late would not be a big deal. I did however, have class last night and a paper to turn in. A paper that I worked very hard at the last minute to complete. No one even I asked if I had somewhere else I was supposed to be. It was just assumed that I was available.

This morning started off with me over sleeping (AGAIN). The DQ whining that she needs a note to be excused from PE because her knee is sore. She fell down yesterday. I HAD to take the time to make my lunch before we left the house. I have taken a solemn oath that I will try to not spend so much money on eating out. The DQ can't find her house key. I just had that key made for her. It is her second replacement key. I need her house key to leave for my sister. Who MAY be painting my living room this week.

Because I overslept, I was running late. Does anyone know what the Goldren Rule for driving is when you are running late? Good.....I will share. The Golden Rule states that if you are running late, you will get behind every slow S.O.B. person on the freeway. You will then get stuck behind a couple of 18 wheelers, who move slowly. I am not going to rag on 18 wheelers. After all, they can't help that it takes an hour for them to get up to 30 MPH.

Anyway, none of it is REALLY a big deal, it's just.......you know, a pain in the the neck. Yep-cool, calm, and collected........that's me.

I'm Not One To Complain........

I'm not one to complain....but, I waited till the last minute to finish my online class work. While I was working I felt my allergies starting to bother me. I took some of my allergy medicine. Now I am all jacked up at ten thirty at night. Which means I will not be able to get to sleep tonight. Not that I am one to complain. I got a card with some money in it from a family member for my graduation. I decided that the money is all for me. Me, me, me. I tucked it away in separate compartment in my wallet. I WAS going to put the money in my TV fund.

I have decided that I want to upgrade my TV. Which I will be paying cash for. So, I must save up the money. Sissy went off with one of her friend's this weekend. She didn't drive her car. That's fine. She calls me on her way home and asks me if I have any money. Now.....I just put gas in her car, and gave her some cash. The only cash I have on me is of course, the money I got in my card. She needs to give her ride some gas money. I was livid. Not because I mind to give money to my children. Because they usually end up getting my money anyway.....not that I am one to complain. I especially decided that this money was all for me.

I can't send her friend away with no gas money as Sissy stated that said friend was on empty. Plus, they did give her a ride home. Why didn't she just take her own car. WHICH HAS GAS IN IT. I gave her gas money on Friday. I have decided that it will be up to me to keep gas in her car until she gets a job. At which point I will hopefully be relieving myself of the title of "Gas Fairy". Not to mention that she called while I was in the middle of finishing a paper that is due tomorrow.

Which brings me to point out that my phone rang no less than four times while I was trying to finish the aforementioned paper. No ever calls me. My phone never rings. Unless I am in the middle of a paper that is due in less than 24 hours. Not that I am one to complain.

Now...The DQ decided that the best time to talk to me is of course, while I am trying to finish my paper. So, not only am I dealing with my phone blowing up, but also with a nine year old who wants my attention. I think she eventually picked up on my frustration, and left me alone. She actually tried to give me a back rub while I was typing. Which was really sweet. Hard to believe this is the same child who complained that her burger from Wendy's was too small last night.
Guess I need to write a strongly worded letter to the corporate executives at Wendy's who decided to make the Jr. cheeseburger so small, as I am sure this is somehow my fault. Not that I am one to complain about my children either. No sir.

The paper I am writing is an argumentative paper. Which means I must argue a point. During my research, I found evidence which goes against my argument. What should I do? At this point I can't very well change the topic of my paper. I am hoping that I will be graded on the paper itself and not so much the argument. Of course I had to leave out the opposing information from my paper. I DID NOT lie. I just used different facts and statistics. Had I done my research a little sooner, I would have had a chance to make the necessary changes. As everyone knows, I work better under pressure. It is so much easier to stay focused when you KNOW something has to be completed in a short amount of time. Had I started my paper earlier, I know I would have found many distractions to sway my attention from the project at hand.

I have been trying ALL day to post pictures from the blizzard, with no luck. Which I will not complain about. Yep, that's me. Just an easy going chick......that's how I roll.