Payday and Payment Day

It hardly ever happens that I get paid and the payments are on the same day.  I am paid every 2 weeks but payments are arranged by date.  I like that it is orderly this month.  This makes it a 3 paycheque month too!  Good thing as I was reading in my archives that my insurance bill will be arriving soon and due to a tune of   $1,100. 

One of little guys tests is done.  It was painful getting a bunch of iv pokes. I was ready to choke the tech.  I wouldn't let her do the third one, called in someone that was good at kids iv's and he made it look easy.  Now thanks to her my child is terrified of iv's.  He had numbing cream on and she went beside and above it?!  Anyone could see the vein to use!  What's worse is things are looking like he will need surgery.  How big of a surgery will be determined by the test next week.  I would rather cut off my own leg than have him go through any of this.  I hate it.
The only bit of information that made me feel a bit better is that this isn't related to the strep he had.  Or at least it doesn't look that way right now.  So a bit of guilt has been lifted but not the feeling of helplessness that he has to go through this at all.

I had my brave mommy face on all day and then cried all night.  Thank goodness that I can go into work a little late and it's OK.  Nobody gets bothered by it. 

My dh starts in his new department in a week.  I am relieved that he will be in a stable job for now.  His pay is going up which is good so that means the LOC will be going down faster.

My friend invited me to visit her in New Jersey.  I am in a state of flux right now with my little guy.  Once life settles down again may take her up on it.  We used to be next door neighbours 20 years ago and then we were co-workers for many years.  I miss her.   Her 3 kids were adorable and have now grown into beautiful successful people.  She went through a nasty divorce right after I did.  She met her soul mate online and moved across the country.  She is happy, she looks as good as she did 20 years ago.  I always wished she was my older sister.  I think I would really enjoy a week with her.

Here is today's accomplishment:

1 hour left to rise and I should be pretty popular after school today!

The Good Things:
great kids

Things that suck:
I would give anything to trade places with my son.

 

What a Pleasant Surprise!

So I gave my sibling the use of our car, dh and I drove hers to the garage, then I went with her to pick it up.  Luckily it needed only a reset of the little button.  Some sort of on star magic thing.  (Didn't sound or feel like only needing a reset to me)

When I drove our car back home - the gas tank was full!

I thanked my sister for that today as she did not use 1/2 a tank.  She in turn thanked me for what I have done for her and her kids. Said that it was the very least she could do for us. Shocker.

She is in serious debt, serious marital turmoil and in serious denial.  She won't quit spending money.  Each of her kids got an ipod, with a nice case, with insurance against everything.  That was over $1000 right there.  Plus clothes, toys, games and crafts.

I told her that she needs to stop spending money she doesn't have.  I told her that she needs counselling.  She says "I know" and does nothing.

What I fear is that she the idiot and the idiot she's married to will loose the house.  I fear that 3 little kids will have nowhere to live.  I fear that she will come to me with her hand out and I will say "NO".  I will tell her to sell some of her 6 pairs of black leather boots.  Stop spending over $1000 per month on dance lessons.  Stop getting her hair coloured something new every 6 weeks.  Stop with all of the purses.  Figure out necessities and go from there.

In the meantime what about her kids that already have problems?

The parental units have washed their hands of her and the 3 once precious and the only worth visiting grandchildren!  The once golden daughter has been kicked to the curb.  It is ridiculous what nasty people they are.  Now both retired, they have a huge, huge pile of money. Millionaires. They don't want the tarnished golden daughter to have a dime until they are dead.  And not like I was ever the shining star either.  They did increase the Xmas gift this year to $100 per person, double from last year.  But if grandparents don't want to spend Christmas with grandchildren is it still a lovely gift?  The parental units went away this weekend.  Grandma is better.  So the first thought is not to see grand kids.  That makes it 2 years in a row nothing to do with my kids at Christmas. 

 

I am finding it really hard to bite my tongue.  To take the high road.  The positive note is that I do know how I never want to be.

 

 

Maybe I'm the one that is abnormal? 

 

I am thankful that dh and I are doing really good.  In spite of family problems, injuries, job loss, we are on the same page.  Our kids are OK and our finances are OK.

 

We need a new roof in the spring, new tires for the suv, another semester for kid #1.  We have a plan and life goes on regardless.

 

 



The Best of Plans...

Things have been a bit of a  huge cluster since I hit enter on my last post. 

I had 2 loaves of bread in the oven and all of my cookie ingredients out on the counter, laundered bedding out of the dryer... phone call from my parents.  My Grandma's care home nurse just called and she had according to the Dr. a "Massive stroke and is unresponsive".

Long story short, at 6 pm Dec. 23rd I was on the road with my sibling for a one way 4 hour trip (that took 3.5).  My Grandma was very unwell but it was no stroke.  I don't know where these doc's get trained?  She had a grand mal siezure and was recovering.  Still not good but not what we were led to believe.

I was going to have my dh bring all of the kids (6) and 2 dogs and some food down but my parents literally had nothing in the fridge.  And 2 spare bedrooms were filled with mothers hoard.  Not going to work.  So that night at 2 am I said that we were going home the next afternoon.  My dh bought a lasagna from the store, a garlic bread and some romaine for a cesar salad.  Ta Da! Christmas eve will be served. The 5 of us and my sister and 3 kids. Instead of a lump of coal, I got to spend 10 hours of "alone travel time" with my sister.  Not go to church like I wanted, and not have any of the food I bought.  Next day for Christmas I pulled 2 roasts out of the freezer and we had them with potatoes and veggies. Again for the 5 of us and my sister and 3 kids.  She brought... nothing.  Oh yes, on the way home her fancy vehicle had the engine light come on and felt like the transmission was going.  So rather than have her and 3 kids stranded at -30 I gave her the use of our car.  Then yesterday I drove her suv to the shop with dh following me and she has our car.  I'm sure at any moment I will get a thank-you! For our car and providing 2 Christmas meals for her family.  I'm still waiting.

I would like a do-over.

My Grandma is much better today.  Walking short distances, eating and better oriented.  We (dh, myself and my kids) will go and visit in a week or so.

When I am feeling a little more in control of things we are going to have our Christmas meal on another day. 

Today I have to go into work for 45 min.  Not sure really how I'm getting there.  Dh may come home and get me and take kid #3 to his work.  My kids #1 and #2 are both working and spending this week with the x.

I am ready to wrap up 2012.  Scrunch it in a ball and throw it in the garbage really.

I'm not even going to ask what else can happen or how crappy can things get....

So the Good Things...
I have great, normal, nice, healthy kids
Grandma doing much better
I have 2 cars that work just fine
I am feeling healthy today
I got lovely gifts from the kids and dh
I have no mortgage and I have savings in the bank

Things that suck...
it is so cold it is ridiculous
my sibling the idiot ingrate
not the Christmas I hoped or planned on

On the Bright Side....

There seems to be quite a bit of badness about.  I have been watching the news this past week with such sadness and a bit of anger too.  Things aren't sunshine and lollipops for quite a few bloggers as well.

I like to use my blog as a place to vent and moan about how tough I have things but really in the grand scheme of things I have nothing to complain  about.

Kid #1 has been sick for a month with a cough and sinus cold.  Over the counter meds aren't cutting it.  Maybe pneumonia or maybe bronchitis... Bright side = able to be seen immediately at walk in clinic, chest x-ray done and prescription for antibiotics for $10 and a physicians sample of steroid inhaler for free.

Kid #2 got paid for a couple of days work.  Bright side = now he can pay me back for the $90 textbook he lost.

Kid #3 had a birthday.  Super bright side = I used Shoppers Drugmart points super redemption weekend and got him a Nintendo ds and 2 games for free :)  He is over the moon happy!  He's also having a kid party today with friends and cake.  Pizza and games for 4 friends at our house.  Cost will be under $75

The man had to do a "test" of sorts at work.  There will be one man left standing after the cuts in his department and they will use this to select the most suitable candidate.  Makes for very uncomfortable times.  These guys are all friends.  There are 4 of them.  I don't think it is likely that dh will stay as he is the least senior.  There have been job opportunities come up in other places and even in Ottawa (where I said that I would consider moving).  However if I move my benefits will be terminated from my work insurance.  I would not be hired anywhere with the current state of my back.  We are staying put for now as we couldn't survive without a huge lifestyle change on only his salary.  I also won't leave my older 2 here with the x.

Bright side = emergency fund is still in place, I've been putting everything extra to savings accounts so there is a parachute for us.

My back is a little better.  I have 60% hand strength in my right hand now.  Bright side = better than the 30% of 5 months ago!

My yard is looking after itself!!  Thankfully all of the work I did last year with moving perennials and mulch has made it presentable.  The rain that we've been getting has also helped!

Here is one of my big peonies before the wind blew it all apart...

   


My daylilies are happy in the new bed they got last year.  I had no idea what colour this little guy was when I planted it.  I like it!

Here's hoping for a better month next month...