A Day in the Life of a Homeschooling Mom

5am: Awake. First cup of coffee. News. Catching up on my reader and facebook.
6:30am: Andrew blearily comes out from his room. Smelling like pee. Strip the bed, start a load of whites.
7am: Watching the news with Andrew, explaining what he doesn't comprehend. Like why Harry was getting a colonoscopy on The Early Show. Looking up on the internet why Harry's colon looked "wet and slippery". I'll spare you the details.
8am: Yasar's up. Second cup of coffee. Andrew to the shower, laundry into the dryer.
8:30 am: Make beds, straighten up rooms. Stop to check pH and nitrates in the new aquarium (and explain to Andrew what I'm doing, why, how, yadda yadda).
9am: Make blueberry pancakes and throw leftover broccoli and potatoes into an omelet.
9:30am: Breakfast.
9:45am: Dishes
10am: 2 pages of reading comprehension, a page of spelling, 2 pages of math for Andrew.
10:45am: Yasar off to work.
11:30am: Review 4 verses for Awana tonight (two were leftovers that Andrew didn't get to recite last week). Also go over 100 sight words.
12pm: Kid's Clock!
12:30pm: chicken corn noodle soup for me, tuna salad sandwich for Andrew.
12:45pm: Dishes
1pm: Make Andrew's bed. Fold the res of the laundry. Get the mail and make some calls to update companies with our new address. Talk to a friend.
1:45pm: Drop off a check with Yasar at the store. To the bank to make a rolled change deposit to our "Disney in Two Years" account.
2pm: Off to the library to pick up some new books and educational DVD's. Andrew got his first library card (he's very excited!).
3pm: Make two cheesecakes for a Friday pickup. Peanut butter bananas and milk for snacks.
4:00pm: Dishes.
4:15pm: Make some rice for dinner. Head outside to watch Andrew ride his bike up and down the block.
5:00pm: Electric Company (the only TV show I consider part of my homeschooling).
5:30pm: Dinner.
5:45pm: Dishes.
6pm: Cup of coffee, a little computer time while Andrew reviews his verses.
6:20pm: Out the door to drop Andrew at Awanas.
6:35pm: Domino's to drop off Yasar's dinner, then off to Meijer for some grocery shopping.
7:30pm: Dollar Tree for some personal hygiene items for the Cleveland homeless shelter.
8pm: Stop off at Domino's on the way back to pick up Andrew.
8:15pm: Pick up Andrew from church. High-fives and big hugs for success at reciting the 4 verses.
8:30pm: Home. Unload car of groceries. Quick snack for Andrew while watching a Veggie Tales DVD.
9pm: Brush teeth, into PJ's. Climb into my bed with him to read a chapter of Island of the Blue Dolphins.
9:30pm: Prayers and bedtime for Andrew.
9:45pm: Load of coloreds into the washing machine. Sweep of the house to see what needs to be put away. Take meat out of freezer into fridge for tomorrow's dinner.
10pm: Brush teeth, wash face. As many chapters of Food Inc. as I can keep my eyes open for.

Just another day. I fall asleep exhausted but with a smile on my face. I love my life. :)

Stereotypes

Last night we took an order for two large 1-topping pizzas for $12. It's a coupon we have, super-cheap, huh?

I was back at the oven cutting pizzas when two men came in to pick up the pizzas. Two Indian men.

I didn't pay any attention until the driver who was waiting on them turned to me and said, "Do we have any cups?"

I looked around, said "no, I don"t think so. Well, there might be some in the back. Did they buy a 2-liter of pop?"

My driver: "No, they just wanted some cups."

I look at the two men and they're loaded for bear: a double handful of napkins, about 20 plates, pockets overflowing with parmesan and red pepper packets.... (I may be exaggerating there, but not by much)

And now they want cups.

Seriously, when does buying something from a restaurant entitle you to outfit your entire kitchen and pantry with complimentary condiments and dinnerware? Is there no shame?

I always seem to have problems with the Indian community here (and there's a large one). They own the local hotels, we buy their key cards for their guests with our advertising on them (one less thing for the owner to worry about, right?). Then the owner calls us *demanding* free food because he *allows* us to advertise in his hotel.

Say what?

And we have this one customer who you just cannot explain toppings to. She wants "just a few" jalapenos on her onion pizza. Ma'am, that's an additional topping, and you'll have to pay for it. And back and forth we go, me explaining it to her over and over while I've got three other lines on hold.

And don't get me started with those darn Entertainment Book coupons - they don't want to hear that they can't pay the $6.99 large carryout price and use that for buy-one-get-one-free.

I don't want to be labeling people. The Indian people that I know outside of work are warm, charming, just very conscientious people. We have several families as neighbors, and we enjoy their company. Why is it, when I have the carry-out counter between us, that everything changes?

My Indian readers, can you explain this to me? Do you guys have anecdotes of Americans in India?

Adios, "Mother of the Year" Nomination

How is it fair that, amid all this grief and depression, I'm still expected to be a suitable mommy to Andrew?

Friday he felt a little warm. And started acting like a monster. Grexy, as they say where I'm from. A pain in the booty, we say here. Just crabby, super-sensitive, weepy.

We had the audacity to laugh at him while he was wrestling with us. He came running at my face with his fist up and destruction in his eyes.

I put my hand up to stop him, and accidentally clotheslined him. My 5-year-old!

It didn't go over well. Especially since lately he's been working hard, getting in touch with his inner drama queen.

Later, while brushing his teeth that night, I spot the enemy. A molar popping it's head out.

Then I was all, "oh, poor baby, let me get you some Tylenol."

And they all lived happily ever after......at least, until the next drama.

Facing My Demons

Yes, I'm still alive. Still upright and taking nourishment. Call it laying low, or hiding out, or just plain being lazy, but the blogging life has suffered as a result.

What's been going on? Well, I have someone who's a little too interested in my life right now, and has really no place to be. I've nipped it in the bud on Facebook, but I can't employ the same actions on the oh-so-public blog. I'm sooo tempted to pull this blog down, except it's been such a lifeline to me. I'd miss the writing, the responses, and the friends and enemies made along the way. I don't want to give this person that much control over my life. Why should everything change, just because someone is making me uneasy? I learned that from my friend Tricia, that you can never bow to the outside forces. You have to stay brave and persevere. Thanks, Pixie! You're awesome (but you already knew that).

The pregnancy's marching on. Some days it's harder, and I just want to cover my face and cry. But then I feel that little tumble in my belly. Or Andrew gives my tummy a goodnight kiss. Or I get to hold my friend's newborn daughter. And I realize how much I want this. I can't wait to see this little girl. Count her toes. Fall asleep with her on my chest. Experience being a new mommy again, exhaustion and all.

It was different with my pregnancy with Andrew. I was so self absorbed! It wasn't about the baby, it was all meMeME! What a new experience, to look forward to this new life, to see this pregnancy as a means to an end.

I've started exercising on a regular basis. We're so lucky to have a park here in own with a 1.8 mile walking track. I'm making it a habit to get out there while Andrew's in school and waddle my way around it (yes, waddle. it's started already.) Thank God for NPR Planet Money podcasts! And last night we all went for a bike ride. I'm happy to say that, while I'm still below my prepregnancy weight, I've gone up a little - it's a good thing. I was so weight-obsessed that my baby girl was starting to show the effects.

Please don't give up on me. I'm tired, and it seems that every time I power up the computer my head starts pounding.

And thanks for understanding....

Husbands + Vacuums = Disaster!

So last night I was delivering pizzas in the snow - my husband wanted to watch the Steelers beat down the Chargers and make their next step towards playing in this year's Super Bowl. Yasar calls me, says Andrew's complaining of stomach pain, what should he do? Being the omniscient mommy that I am, I knew what was coming, and told him that Andrew is going to throw up - be ready. And I wasn't wrong.


Fast forward to today, I was vacuuming with my baby, the Dyson Animal which I love so much. My m.o. is vacuum the carpet, then change attachments and move on to the kitchen. So I'm doing the transformer-thing with the wand and hose, turning my Dyson from an upright to a canister. And I notice something weird about the hose. It's see through, all the better to locate clogs, and it's got sticky stuff in it. Lots of it. You gotta be joking....


So I call the store, where Yasar's working. I beg him to tell me that he didn't vacuum up puke with my $600 vacuum. Silence. Then, "Okay, here's what happened..."

"After Andrew threw up, I wasn't sure how to clean up the couch and carpet. So I threw some flour on it, you know, to absorb it a little. Then I vacuumed it up."

I'm dumbfounded. "You vacuumed up puke and flour with my Dyson?!?!?"

"Well, to be completely honest, I couldn't find the flour. But I figured powdered sugar would work just as well."

Ohmigod. I'm totally quiet and still, not sure whether to cry or laugh hysterically. Thank God it's a Dyson, made to be completely dismantled, just for these types of situations.

Yasar wasn't so tickled, though, when he was breaking it down and cleaning it out tonight.

Slacking, Another Update

Yeah, it's been quiet here. Andrew's been off-and-on sick this weekend, and my husband scheduled an appointment for the realtor to come check out our house on Wednesday, so I've got a TON of cleaning to do. Other than that, not too much exciting. I haven't forgotten you, dear readers. Just don't want to bore you to death with stories of cleaning the bathroom, or gross you out with Andrew's technicolor projectile vomitting.

Much love!

Peace out.

Back to Being a Walmart Shopper

I started a post a few months ago about the changes at the local Meijer store...I was really disappointed when they went from 4 "U-Check" lanes to 12 of them. Not that I mind checking myself out...on the contrary, I prefer it, it gives me a chance to try to use up the change in my purse without irritating anyone except Andrew. But it looks like a sign of the times, another step in the slow death of personal customer service.

We went to do our weekly grocery stop Sunday. Uneventful, until we got to the checkout. Much to our disappointment, the penny horse rides were gone! It's something I'l posted about before, how I was willing to pay the slightly-higher Meijer prices just for the opportunity to send Andrew to the penny horse rides so I could pay more attention to the scanner at checkout. To say Andrew was devastated would be pretty dead-on. The cashier said the machines were being serviced, but the spots they resided in were conspicuously overtaken by those annoying Grab-A-Prize games (you know, those ones that cost $1 for each reach of the mechanical arm, in the hopes that maybe, just MAYBE you'll snag a $0.25 stuffed animal that will fall apart before you hit your front door). And it was totally working on Andrew, he was pulling on me for a penny to play that games (when I explained the price difference, he did me proud by saying (in an eerie imitation of his mom),"What? Forget that!".).

Anyway, the reign of Meijer over Walmart is officially over. And we have a newer horse in the running, Save A Lot.

And we'll still be frequenting the Meijer for the clearance racks in the produce section - something Walmart doesn't (won't, I asked) offer.

First Day of School Pictures

School Daze

So many of my friends and fellow bloggers have reported that their kids are back in school, or headed back this week, and how that's influencing their lives. There's been so much anticipation...heck, I even have a friend who gleefully reports the number of days/hours until her kids start every time I see her (we won't dog her, she's got three at home and a man working over-the-road). So why don't I feel the same?

It's disconcerting to look at our calendar for September. Andrew's only 4-going-on-5, but he's already got such a full agenda. Dance classes, AWANAS, preschool, weekly McD's mommy meets, almost-weekly outings with Riverside, Lowe's Build & Grows every other Saturday. It's enough to make a grown-up want to crawl in bed and duck under the covers, I'm anxious to see how he'll do it all. Thank God he's a far more social individual than his mom, he really thrives on interacting with others.

So I look on the month of September with mild trepidation. I'm so happy he'll be busy and doing things he loves, but at the same time I'm worried that, at the ripe old age of 4, he'll start to feel the burnout. He's always been happiest when he's busy, and much more manageable when he has something to look forward to, so I just pray that this coming month is filled with blessings for him and maybe a little strength and stamina for his mom.

What It Means to be Lonely

The house feels so empty. The cats are on edge. Nothing feels the same. It's chick-TV, or quiet. There are no dishes to do, no laundry to fold, no pots to stir. Nothing to do but....ahhhhhh, breathe.

My boys left Friday to visit family a few hundred miles away. They've made the trip safely, and are having a great time. Meanwhile, I'm a bit at loose ends. It's wonderful, peaceful with just a touch of melancholy. For someone who feels as if she's in perpetual motion, it's pleasantly disconcerting to just be still.

It'll be short-lived, to be sure. My boys are expected back tomorrow afternoon. Life will return to normal, hustle-bustle, demands and whining, hugs and kisses, purposefulness.

So I'm going to enjoy tonight.

Walmart + 4-year-old = Total Meltdown

Yesterday Andrew and I decided to head over to Walmart to see if his preschool had submitted a school supply list for the upcoming year (it's his first year in public preschool, so I wasn't sure that they wouldn't be requesting 4 boxes of Kleenex and 2 rolls of paper towels). There was a few other things on my list, and I wanted to just cruise the aisles a little and try to distract myself from our current financial crisis.

And boy, did I ever get distracted.

Someone must have swapped my loving, cheerful son with a materialistic madman. He had the worst case of the "gimmes" I've ever seen! He was running at everything, grabbing and pulling, making me feel like the most incompetent parent ever to push a grocery cart down Walmart's hallowed halls. Finally he got to be too much, hiding inside the clothing carrals, and momma decided he'd be safer inside the cart.

From there, the situation just continued to decompose. He started jumping in the cart, swinging his weight around and making it hard to steer (ever since my tumble into the garden, my shoulder's been a bit messed up, and it hurts when it's wrenched around). He's grabbing at everything, and mouthing off, and basically making the whole shopping trip miserable.

And then he dumped a container of popcorn chicken at the checkout.

And momma snapped.

Misbehavior I can handle, wasting money is beyond my scope right now.

You know life's completely got control of you when you're ranting like a lunatic at a 4-year-old, in a hot car in the middle of a parking lot, while people walk by you and gawk.

But the punchline is, about half an hour after getting home, I couldn't stop hugging him.

Go figure.

Oh, Misery!

What an idiot I am! I took a tumble into the garden this afternoon and now I'm layed up with an ice pack on my ankle. Good thing there's a huge backlog on my Google Reader to keep me occupied for a few hours, and after that a dessert of Dave Ramsey podcasts. Sudoku anyone?

Oh, and the urban foraging concept is lost on DH. Maybe he'll change his mind, maybe not. But I'm not holding my breath. :)

One more thing, before you go...please join us in sending our warmest congrats to Ryan and Sharon on welcoming their new arrival, Zechariah Emerson. Welcome to the land of the living dead, guys. 3am feedings, spit-up stained t-shirts, haven't-had-a-shower-for-three-days, ah, the joys of parenthood! (grin) You guys will be great parents, Ishmail is a lucky little fella. :)

Has He Caught the Frugal Bug Yet?

I was soooo proud of my husband this past weekend. I came home from work to find a Great Clips coupon flier stuck to the fridge! Wow! I think he's finally getting it!

(though I wouldn't spend the $4.99 on a haircut I can do myself at home for free)

And then I saw that, also on the flier, was the Ohio State football schedule.

Oh, well. All good things, even proud moments, have to end, right?

And anyway, GO BUCKS! :)

Introducing Izzy Beau!

This is our latest family member. Izzy is another friend found outside the pizza shop, just like our other baby, Tiger. She (at least, we're pretty sure she's a "she") is sweet as sugar, so sweet that she's even managed to win Tiger's old tomcat heart. We're so glad to welcome her into our family, and into our hearts.

Mommy, please stop rolling your eyes.....

Andrew's Shining Moment

And, within the hour, he was riding all over the place.

My baby's growing up! :(

Highlights from South Bend

Getting a little help from Aunt Chris.
Biking with Uncle David.
"Painting" the deck,
These guys are big helpers!
MMMMMMMmmmmm, make-your-own ice cream sundaes with Aunt Beth...

Reality Bites...Back - Update

Funny thing happened yesterday. Got a call from DirecTV, they asked how I was doing without their services. I guess they expected me to be crying and begging for my next fix. I said we were doing fine, we didn't have the funds to pay right now, but I was aware that it is my responsibility and they will be paid ASAP. Maybe I messed up the poor girl's script. Anyway, we were behind 2 months, she said if we paid right then, she would credit one of the months.

Heck yeah!

So I dug out a credit card, dusted it off (it's been awhile since I've had the pleasure/pain/guilt of using one of these), and paid the bill. She then put me on hold for a bit, came back, and asked if my service had been restored. I said I didn't know, I was upstairs and not close to any TV's.

She was dumbstruck. What? A cut-off customer NOT desperate for reconnection????

I had to chuckle.

Hope you did, too.

Anyway, OT, prayers for Beth and Gianni, they'll be travelling from Eastern PA to Western OH late tonight. Can't wait to see you guys!

Reality Bites...Back

You know, I don't generally like to delve too deeply into my personal life on here, but as my BFF Melissa says, "my blog, my rules"....so I'm going to unload the things that have been heavy on my mind.

Summertime in the pizza industry must be something like winter for the ice vendors of old. Not to say we don't get any business, we do. But it's never enough to hit that mystical "break even point". And, as business owners, the first person to feel the sacrifice is ourselves, usually with the forfeiture of our paychecks.

So here we are, just looking down our third pay period without a check. And that gets a little frustrating. I mean, we have bills to pay, too. Mortgage, utilities, groceries, credit cards, that all doesn't just stop when business isn't panning out. And, as you've probably already figured out, the inevitable happened this week.

Yes, our cable was turned off.

Hey, we're grateful it wasn't something vital, like the electric or gas.

And I refuse to look on this as a negative thing. I had blogged a few months ago that, when our DirecTV contract was up, we were going TV-free. And we're just a month from that time. So instead of moping and bemoaning my fate (noHell'sKitchennoBachelorettenoPeople'sCourt), I'm embracing the fact that I now have HOURS of my life back! Yes, yesterday morning I was at the gym at 6:30am, rather than lying on the couch and trying to catch up on grown-up DVR before Andrew woke up. I'll tell you, it was a liberating experience!

So I guess I'll be seeing alot more of you guys now, since I actually have time to blog more. And maybe I'll lose those 15lbs I've been struggling with this last year. I know I'll be working at the nursing home more, if only to pay off DirecTV once and for all. And, you know what? I might actually develop a terrific relationship with my little guy.

Aren't you jealous?

A Day in the Life Of.....6/12/08

Thursday was a fairly normal day - chaufferring Andrew to and from summer school, meeting with the nursing home supervisor to get raked over the coals, counting pennies while filling up the car. Until we went to the doctor for Andrew's physical for day camp & preschool.

Now, I had no idea this was going to turn into anything more than a "normal" well check-up. I mean, the last time Andrew got shots was a few years ago, a distant, yet still-painful memory. I guess the next round is between 4 and 6 years old, and we decided to bite the bullet and get it started. I mean, when I agreed, I was under the impression it was one, maybe two vaccinations.

Try five.

In the arms.

Make that seven, since he wiggled right out of the first two.

I cried as much as Andrew did. And I'm still so proud of him, he's such a little trooper. He still thinks he only got one shot (and should I tell him otherwise?). And he's still reaping the benefits...popsicles-of-choice and a camp-out in the backyard with mommy and daddy last night. Top that with the way-cool bandaids from the doctor's office, and the street cred he earned, and maybe he'll come out ahead in the end.

Andrew, you're definitely today's hero.