Breaking Down

I would like to dedicate this post to all those hard working appliances in my life that aren't broken. Thank-you, washer and dryer, for being there for me when no one else is. And also, the hot water heaters in the big house, that allow us to shower and look/smell acceptable to those around us.

I would now like to call out the losers in my life, those appliances who have let me down time and again:

1. the hot water heater in the trailer (over a year)
2. the refrigerator in the trailer (a week)
3. the heater in the trailer (off and on)
4. the air conditioner in the trailer (works if it's not over 90* outside)
5. the electrical system in the trailer (years now- some of it works, some doesn't, and it's all hooked up funny outside)
6. the TV (today-probably related to the electrical problems)
7. my computer is going down...blogging one last time for awhile (I hope not!) and backing stuff up... the stupid power cord is not exactly charging my laptop any longer...because I have a horrible time with laptops and power cords being ripped out, or pulled the wrong way...because I have no desk or place to keep it, IN THE TRAILER.
8. the electrical system in my car. (Several months. Sometimes it locks, sometimes it doesn't...) Hey! That's not related to the trailer! Imagine that.

On a side note, since I don't feel like washing dishes in cold water yet again, and we need to use up the milk out of the ice chest, and because it is 87 degrees indoors (no A/C), the kids are having cereal for dinner, and old candy canes for dessert. {Healthy!}

Starting a New Trend

Just trying to be cool, that's all. A legend in my own mind, if you will.

Today has been less than stellar. The fridge officially died. The food was all lukewarm this morning. No resetting the fridge, either. Dropped the kids off at school and went to the local little store for ice. Lots of ice. Get back out to the car and the tire is flat. Apparently I drove 15 miles on a flat (I knew it- or suspected it). So, I have 80 pounds of ice and a flat. I cry for a minute (because life is that good right now), compose myself, and call Ryan, who is at home with Jessie. He offers to come change it for me (I told him I didn't want to because I was at the front of the store. I wasn't in the mood for the kindness of strangers offering to help me). I get all the stuff ready for him- you know, get the nasty, sticky kid crap off of the tire. I'm still not sure where or how- but there were M&M'S, toy cars, plastic toys, and googly eyes stuck to my spare. The spare needed air. I was near a gas station, and its air thing was out of order. I carefully drive across the street to see Frank, who puts air in my spare. I drive home VERY SLOWLY.

When I get home, I empty the fridge into an ice chest. We will be good for a couple of days. That will give us time to figure out what to do about it. We have a few options.

One the plus side, 15 steers (stockers) walked right passed me as I was pulling weeds. Cows make me happy.

Update

Just a quick update.

*Jessie is scheduled for surgery this Monday. Because of her age, she will be worked on bright and early! She is having tubes put in her ears again, and her adnoids taken out. Crossing my fingers this works and the tubes will last awhile. Her ears need to heal and dry up so she gets her full hearing back. Plus,we have great insurance, but it's still expensive. She told me today she wished she didn't have ear problems. This was before the blood draw.

*The BLOOD DRAW- None of my kids have ever had to have blood work done. Their pediatrician does all the kindergarten stuff in his office, and he does a finger prick for anemia, so no blood draws! However, Jessie needed one today for her surgery on Monday. The kids were sure to remind her that she was going to get a needle stuck in her and blood was going to come out- lots of it. (So helpful, those kids.) I told her if she didn't throw a baby fit, I'd go get her some ice cream. I'm okay with crying, but screaming, squirming, and general freak-outs are unacceptable. I had to hold her in my lap. The guy checked for veins (he said they were so little), stuck a needle in there, hooked it up to the collection vial, and she was done. She said, "That didn't even hurt!" I was relieved. The guy gave her pink tape to hold her cotton ball on (he went to the back to get it, without her asking), and then he pulled a dollar from his pocket and gave it to her "for being so tough." She was THRILLED. She went to the dollar store and bought a watering can.

*Easter was great. Gotta love the family and cousins. I did use my camera, and I took head shots (portraits?) of my kids to update my mom's collection from a couple of years ago. Kids grow so fast, it's obvious when the pictures aren't updated.

*Saw a car flipped on it's side on my way down the canyon today.

*There was a reporter at the school board meeting last night. She had a camera and a recorder. It was awful- like, my worst fears. I really hate my picture taken (especially because I'm out of shape) and I loathe most media, as I distrust them. I have observed various types of media to use quotes out of context, just to stir the pot, if you will. I better not show up in the paper- I'll be really embarrassed.

*The education system in California is falling apart. Just so you know. Not related to anything in particular, and some people will think this is totally awesome, but students are going to start their standardized testing on computers, and fourth grade on up will use ebooks (tablets) for their curriculum (in it's totality) by 2017. That's in four years. Has anyone used a tablets for research purposes? Any body read something on an e-reader, and then went back to find a certain part, but couldn't because you couldn't earmark the page or thumb through it? It's very likely I'm old fashioned in this respect, but it seems e-readers are best served for fiction. (I wonder if it'll be e-readers or tablets- because there is a difference, right? Tablet curriculum might be really interactive...until the equipment glitches, gets dropped, or runs out of juice.) I'm biased. I love the smell of books, the feel of books, the permanency of books. Oh well. If things keep going the way they are going, the kids are going to need computers to teach them because the class sizes will be so huge due to lack of funding. Again, thoughts about homeschooling.

*Day two of driving the kids back and forth to school: I don't like it. There are some good things, and I'm trying to focus on those.

*It rained and hailed today! It's cold!

*Tried a Clif bar for the first time. Not too shabby- I think I'll buy some more.

Happy Friday!

Well, I'm glad to report that the funk I was in on Wednesday went away yesterday. (But it's back today. It has to do with me feeling fat and lazy. But I won't delve further about that.)

Yesterday we went to see my grandma. We took her some Chinese Food from Lok's. She loved it- it's her favorite! She was nice enough to let me leave the kids and the dog with her while I used a gift card my mom gave me for Christmas to get my eyebrows waxed. I no longer feel so closely related to the ape family! Pearl the dog slept on my grandma's lap almost the whole time I was gone. The kids watched cartoons. We made donuts in a little donut maker. We chatted. We explored some of my grandma's old cameras she gave me.

The kids and I went to Walmart to get socks for them. Where do their socks go? They don't even get worn out, because they get lost first. We also tried Winco, but since my car was full of kids, there wasn't any room for groceries. We didn't get much, but that's okay because my fridge is still on the fritz. We came home to bitter cold winds and it was a cool 36 outside, and 47 inside. Oh YAY! OUR HEATER IS BROKEN! Yipee-aye-ay-kie-oh! My life keeps getting better!

It was miserable last night. We piled the kids up with blankets, and they were fine, I think. None of them have complained. I wore sweats, a hoodie (with the hood on), and my Ugg boots to bed. It was still freezing. I slept about four hours last night. The heater started working at 7:30 am. I'M SO HAPPY RIGHT NOW. SO THRILLED WITH MY LIVING SITUATION. I WISH I COULD LIVE IN THE TRAILER FOREVER!

I told Ryan this morning that I'm done. I am sick of living in the trailer and now I'm going to be grouchy about it. No more Mrs. "It's okay." I. hate. the .trailer. DONE.

Now, lest I fall into a self loathing and pitiful mood, I need to go wake up my dog and take a walk. That'll make me feel better, and help me sleep tonight.

Looking forward to this weekend- I do love the Easter holiday. Getting together with family is something I like to do.

P.S.- Pearl the dog? She's totally awesome! Growing up nicely, and isn't such a pain in the butt anymore! (For the record, I think babies are kind of a pain in the butt, too. Love 'em, but glad to see them grow!) She impresses me with her intellect, and that she is cool hanging out with the kids and with me. She will sit on my lap (I think she's going to be small), she rides in the car with me, and she helps me stay a little active. Now, I'm off (my rocker!?!).

Real Life

This is a post about "real life," not "blog life." There is a distinction a lot of the times, which is why I gave up reading most blogs a long time ago. (I only read those blogs of people I actually know.)

In real life, some days are just crappy. I'm having one of those days. I'm trying to figure out why: Why do I feel so lazy and unproductive? Is it because I set my alarm for 5:40am to get a start on my day, but couldn't get out of bed until 7:30 am? (I don't know why.) Is it because of the poor nutrition choices I made today? (Probably a bigger part of it than I want to admit.) Is it because the fridge/freezer in the trailer spontaneously quit working? (After I fiddled with the buttons, it has been on for the last 30 minutes.) Food defrosted, no alternatives to a fridge except using an ice chest... yipee. Is it because the kids have mostly vegged out in front of the TV because it's cool and windy? (They have been good, but still.) Maybe it's because I sent $1000 to the DMV to register our stuff today. (That's always a nice treat, no?) Maybe it's because I haven't taken a shower yet today, and my hair is frizzy because I have been sanding the kitchen cabinets while wearing a tee shirt over my face and a hood over my hair. (I look stunning right now- hahaha.) Or maybe there is some deep, underlying, psychological problem wherein I feel bound to the trailer like a prisoner, like it dictates my every move, constricting me from doing the things I want to do, forcing me to compromise every aspect of my life.  

Nah, that's too deep.

Or, maybe it's a combination of all these things, and what I need to do is shower. (I'll feel all nice and clean and refreshed, I hope.) That is within my control. And pray that the fridge doesn't catch fire, because I think we received a recall notice on it a LONG time ago about faulty freon or something.

And then I will make my list of things "to do" and get hopping.

On the plus side:

I did a pile of dishes today.
I sanded the rest of the kitchen cabinets and bar.
Pearl and I went on a short walk (until I got all mental about the fridge and the kids and an explosion- MENTAL!) I love my Pearl! She's growing up nicely.
I paid all our bills for the month...on time and all, like usual, but still that's a good things, right?
It's not totally freezing outside. Just a little freezing.
I saw Hunger Games last night with Ryan. Very good. Made me want to re-read the books again. (Fascinating story line. And, I wish I was pretty like Katniss in the movie.)
Ryan has a training day today, so he'll be home tonight.
Tomorrow I may go to town. And get groceries. With the kids and dog...but where to put the groceries? Hmmmm....should move this one up top!
I am grateful I don't have days like this very often!

Maybe I just need a nap and an attitude adjustment. :)