Thursday, June 26, 2008

Hot & Humid/Cool & Comfy

One of the reasons air conditioning can be bad. I do not want to leave the house. PERIOD. It is so muggy outside and so cool inside. But, I've had laundry to wash and then hang on the line and a dog outside who needs water and ice. So, traipse back and forth to the back yard, I must. And I have. And it sure has felt sooo nice to come back into a cool house.

Hard to believe that my nephew will be 1 yr old on July 12. Seems like he was just born yesterday. They sure do grow so fast.

And speaking of growing, the Headstart coordinator for this area called today to see if she could come by and pick up Sebastian's birth certificate and immunization record. (Did i ever mention that I finally found the birth certificates and what a relief that was). So, she will be here sometime this afternoon. One more reminder that my own little guy is growing up so fast. He will be in school in the fall. That is, if he ever takes to the potty. He is just content as can be in his darn diapers. He has been climbing up on the toilet more often, but still has only gone in there, once. One time. I am trying to be patient because I realize it is something they have to want to do. But, darn it, I am so over buying and changing diapers.

I feel bad for Jeremy having to work outside in this heat and humidity. I hope he is doing ok. I hope even moreso that he finds something better soon. I have to mail out his resume for another job. I can only hope he gets the job. OF course, the job at Chrysler would be even better because it would be more money. The downside to that job is that the auto industry is just gone from Michigan. Motor city just a memory, a blip in history. =(

Well, my brother and his girlfriend are finally working on wedding plans. He hasn't bought the ring yet (she was wanting to get her her mom's diamond from her wedding set cut and used in a new setting (her parents are divorced)....very costly and hard to find a place that does it). But, he plans to get her a ring soon. In the meantime, they are checking out halls and caterers and all that groovy stuff. They are planning an August 09 wedding. Their plan is to get married outside. I think that would be beautiful and hopefully our weather cooperates.

*Wow, i am committing all sorts of grammar sins today. I think I should stop writing now before I hit post and have some crazy mistakes I will never be able to live with. LOL. I don't even want to admit to how many ridiculous mistakes I have found in this post already.

Anyway, nothing too exciting going on lately. Drama, but no real excitement.

I should round up the courage to get ready and set out for some shopping. Within the next few weeks I have a first bday for my nephew, an open house for a cousin, a bridal shower for Jeremy's cousin, a baby shower for one of my cousins and then a wedding reception for one of my mom's cousins. Whew. Summers are sooo busy. And costly.

We finally got our stimulus check, for what it's worth. My portion sure won't be stimulating the economy too much. I need to either fix my car or get a new one. So, I guess that's a bit of stimulation...not for me though. I could think of many other things I would rather spend the money on. Like say, a camping trip.

Well, I am getting off here to get something eat and hang yet another load of clothes out on the line.

Keep cool

Monday, June 23, 2008

What's written on my forehead?

I felt/feel as though perhaps I have a vulgar phrase tattooed to my forehead. Saturday I had to babysit for John again. Let me back up because maybe I didn't mention this before but one of my sister's friends knew a guy who needed an occasional babysitter. Well, he lives a few miles from me and Carrie's friend thought of me. So, I babysat for him that first day. He has 4 kids. They range in age from 5 up to about 11. 2 girls, 2 boys. The first day I watched them, he paid me 50.00 for about 5 hours. The problem was, neither of us really knew the going rate for babysitting. I haven't babysat in a long time nor have I hired an actual babysitter. I called my cousin who does babysit for a living. She said that when the parents are paying, it's usually about 2.50 per child/hour. So, this $50 for 5 hours was in the right ballpark. Then he called and wanted me to watch them this past Thursday. He was going to the beer tent at the local carnival. Ok, no big deal. I got there at 10pm, he said to have kids in bed at 11pm (they had a late night because that was the night of the parade and they didn't even get in til 930). So, I put them to bed at 11pm, after an hour of hell. The kids fighting, the girls whining, the boys yelling at girls for whining. Fight over who sleeps where with what blanket. OMG. Well, he pays me 25.00 for 2.5 hours. OK, not a big deal because really, they were asleep by 1130ish. He calls again and asks if I can babysit on Saturday from 930-230. Ok, we need the money, why not. Well, I thought he meant at night because the beer tent..he didn't specify and I told him I would have to talk it over with my hubby bc we had a wedding reception that night. He never said anything to specify morning or otherwise. So, I wake up Sat. am to my phone ringing off the hook. It was John, realizing that we had a misunderstanding. So, I told him I would be there asap. Thankfully my cousin had stayed the night, so I just woke her up to sit with my kids while i threw on clothes and rushed out the door to watch his kids. So, I get there closer to 10am. He had already left, knowing I was on my way and lived right down the road. The kids were horrible. THe boys got into a bad fight, the oldest kicked the younger in the stomach, then oldest proceeded to throw a huge fit and throw things around and wow! The youngest girl did nothing but whine. They would demand food/drinks, etc. and fight over every thing. I was fit to be tied. I was at my wits end with these kids. It became very clear to me that everyone always makes the boys (who are the oldest 2 of the 4) give in to the youngest girl. She throws the most dramatic of fits whenever she doesn't get her way. I have never seen anything quite like it and I have quite the drama queen myself-Makenneh. On top of that, I had to make them lunch, I did the dishes and had to referee some fighting. He gets home a little after 2pm and pays me a whopping 20.00! Yep, $20. I was mad. I mean, i just watched his 4 monsters for 4 hours, made them lunch (which was a free-for-all, too) and cleaned the kitchen and he paid me 20.00. So, I came home feeling a bit shafted if you will.

I came home to find out that my stimulus check still hadn't arrived, although the paper we received and the irs website both said that we should have it by the 20th.

It got better, let me tell you. Then, my cousin tells me that she saw my Uncle drive by with a cement mixer in the back of his truck and Jeremy thinks that my uncle went and did a side job with his buddy that was supposed to be with Jeremy. I don't know if that made sense, so let me back up. Jeremy is working with my uncle. They do cement work. All the time, they will have people stopping to see if they want to bid on jobs, etc. Well, my uncle never wants to. Jeremy talked him into it and did the bid. They got the job and my uncle said they would do it on the weekend. Well, he never called Jeremy. Him and his roommate/buddy drive by with a cement mixer. I was so mad. This could have been an extra $40-$60 in our pocket this week and it was his job to do with Jeremy. Not sneak behind his back and do with someone else. I will know for sure tonight if he did do the job, but it really looks as though he did. Of course, he will no doubt lie and try to come out of it clean. But, if the job is already done, we know for a fact who did it. So, that was the second shaft of the day.

But wait, there's more....all in a day.

I mentioned about the Chrysler job Jeremy has connections on. His aunt's Step son-in-law does the hiring for Chrysler and said he could probably get Jeremy in the Warren Plant. OF course, that means we would have to move downstate because it's too far of a drive to make daily back and forth to work. No big deal. We have relatives in Warren who would be more than happy to let all 4 of us or just Jeremy stay there during the week while he worked until we found our own place. Well, Jeremy's mom calls a week or so ago and said that Chad (the Chrysler guy) is trying to get Jeremy into the bay city or Saginaw plant bc it would be closer. OK, no big deal, i think. Until my mom takes my mother in law to the beer tent Friday night so they could watch my sister perform in a karaoke contest. Chris proceeds to tell my mom that Jeremy could have been working weeks ago in Warren but Chris took it upon herself to tell Chad that we would rather be closer to home. So, the job in Warren, which was $17 an hour to start was ripped out from under us because Chris spoke on our behalf. I am sooo pissed. Now, he has to wait for an opening up here and only make $14 an hour to start. What kind of crap is that? And he could have already been working! So, yeah, 3 strikes on one day. I was beginning to think that I have SCREW ME written on my forehead and everyone was deciding to take advantage of the offer.

Sunday brought more excitement. My dad was working on the old 1976 Chevy Truck that they use to get around. Whoever is driving the shorter distance, takes the truck. My dad is now carpooling, so if he is just driving to the carpool lot, he takes the truck. Otherwise, mom drives the truck to my sister's where she works taking care of my brother-in-law's elderly aunt. Well, the gas tank was bad on the truck, so dad had it rigged up. He decided to work on it yesterday to fix it. HE went to remove the tank again and there was some extra gas in the line and it went all over his head and got in his ear. He had safety goggles on and even so, shut his eyes before the gas hit. He hollered for Jeremy, who had to guide him to the hose to hose off. He came in and got in the shower and when he got out, was in excruciating pain from his ear. We called poison control who said to get to ER immediately; that it's worse to get in your ear than your eye, even. So, off they went. The ER Doc said that had it ate threw the eardrum it would have gone to his brain and could have been catastrophic. Luckily, that didn't happen. And they used mineral oil to rinse his ear. They Rxd some drops that he puts in his ears and he is to follow up with his family doc today. He did go to work so will have to go to doc afterward.

Needless to say, the truck didn't get repaired, so mom had to take my car today. I am home all day without a car. Not the end of the world.

On a bright note, my lil guy has become so snuggly and lovey. I just want to gobble him up most of the time. He loves to be right by my side and kiss on me and it is just pure joy! OF course, he is also a dirty little git. I can bathe him and within 20 mins he looks as though he hasn't seen the likes of water in weeks. And I have decided that he gets more sand in his diaper and hair than there is in the sandbox. Of course, we put 10 bags of sand in that sandbox, made from a tractor tire...and it's not nearly enough. I need to get some more. Although, Im afraid that the more I put in there, the more I get to dig out of his butt crack when I change his diaper. LOL.

Ah, another Saturday find - As I pulled into the driveway from my babysitting job in hell, the neighbor girl runs up to my car to inform me that the neighbor boy (who lives upstairs in the duplex and is actually related to us) has MRSA. NICE. It was confirmed when I got in and talked to mom. She had Steph look it up online and they said to use alcohol to wash the skin to prevent spread of it. So, she did that to both the kids just to be safe.

Ahhhh....my fingers have been typing away. I need to get some things done around the house today. So, I guess this will wrap up my long post for the day. That's what happens when I don't get on here and post daily. Hope everyone is enjoying their summer!

Monday, June 16, 2008

Attempt to Catch Up

Yeah, I know, I haven't been blogging like I used to. And I miss it. But, this damn computer gets the best of me. When I try to do things on here, I feel the urge to grab a hammer and smash it. I'm certain that most times it raises my blood pressure. Then, there's the time issue. I don't seem to have as much time. which seems weird given the fact that I am not in school for the summer. But, it is summer time, we have a campaign to run and functions to attend and well, i don't have time (or is it patience, yes, it's patience) to sit and wait for pages to decide to load so i can actually blog. So, most often, I just don't do it. Plus, there isn't a whole heck of a lot of interesting things for me to blog about. ANd when interesting things do happen and I think to myself, WOw, this would make for a great post....well, i forget about it before I make it to the computer and when i do eventually make it here, i stare at a blank page and try to think of something that won't bore my readers to tears.

I have finally learned to play Euchre. I know, not too exciting. But interesting perhaps that I live in this part of the world and am 27 yrs old and just now learning how to play. I actually like it. I never tried before because every time people were playing it, they seemed so damn competitive and well, I didn't want to try for fear of failing, i guess. Or fear of pissing people off because whoever my partner was was sure to lose. But, I have had chances to play in friendly family games with people who are patient and willing to actually teach me the little tricks of the game. I spend a few nights a week playing at my uncle's, after i get the kids to bed. a little escape of me time, if you will.

So, yesterday was Father's Day. We all went in on a new gas grill for dad. He had told us about the one he wanted and we got it for him. It's really a gift to me and mom as well, because we do a lot of the cooking. It will be so nice to have a gas grill to cook on. Saves cooking time when you don't have to wait for charcoal to be ready. Just go out, turn the dial and voila, have heat and can cook! We had planned a cook out for here but by the time everything was ready (yes, we procrastinated and didn't get dad's grill to yesterday and still had to assemble it) it was time for jeremy and I to go to his dad's. So, my family had the cook out without me and we went to my father-in-law's for pizza. Would have much rather had the burgers and salads of home, but what can ya do.


Ah another reason i don't take time to blog as often. THe computer is in the front bedroom/laundry/craft room. The bedrooms and living room are to the back of the house. Kids find things to get into when they feel mom is secluded at the front of the house. Right now, all is quiet in the house. I just know Seb has found mischief. Makenneh is in the toy room playing by herself as she often will. She can entertain herself without involving mischief. But Sebastian is another story all his own. He currently has a red marker mustache and red marker tattoos along his arms. OH glory. But, speaking of the kids, I have been able to find more divine joy in them. We may have reached a certain spot where good times are at least equal to the naughty times when i want to sell them to the Indians or something. There are lots of times i just want to eat them up.

Well, it is time for lunch and SEb insists he wants to draw on here, so it is my time to go. I shall be back, sooner or later...

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Last day of school

Today is Makenneh's last day of school. Tomorrow it's a party in the park and then friday is her trip to Crossroad's Village. So, this is my last day of running her to a bus stop. Woohoo.

Other than that, not much to say. Just been busy with campaign work.

Seems how Julie mentioned this in her blog and it fired me up, I will post about the rudeness of customers in the retail world. She had mentioned that her daughter has dealt with some nasty customers and it reminded me of my days in retail. I have certainly paid my dues to the retail gods. I actually love working retail because the people, for the most part, are wonderful. But, then, there is a breed of customer very different from the norm. They don't hesitate to treat the sales associates like dirt. What these snots fail to realize is that while you may be upset over a return policy or the colors of a dye lot (yes, i will go into this story in more details below), the worker is just a minimum wage paid associate (sometimes makes a little more than min. wage) who has no control over policies, ordering, marketing, nothing. We simply get to ring up your sales with a smile while you treat us like crap. We can help you find things, help you match things up, help you get things from the shelves, but we cannot change corporate policy. Just isn't in our measly job description. If you are not happy about something, by all means, ask politely to speak to a manager, describe your frustration in kindness and if need be, ask for the number to corporate. Unless it is the associate or the manager who is being rude (because by all means, these types exist), please be kind to your sales associates.

I worked several years at a party supply store. We were known for selling greeting cards at Half Off the retail and we also had all the paper supplies needed for throwing the best of shindigs. Well, I was fairly new to this job and I had a customer come in who had purchased napkins for a wedding. She became furious because the blue (and i don't recall the actual color) napkins had different tones to them. She was so mean and nasty, I ended up in tears in the backroom. We tried explaining to her that all colored paper products run off a dye lot. Sometimes the dyes are a little off. if one pack came from one dye lot and the next from another, there is a possibility that the hues will be ever so slightly different. most people don't notice this so it isn't an issue. However, this hussy wasn't missing a thing. I think, perhaps, she should have gone to a high end store to purchase her items, rather than a discount store. So, yes, I have certainly dealt with the devil of customers. In working retail/with the public, I have come to firmly believe that before heading off into the corporate or professional world, every one should pay their dues to the retail god by working for 6 months to a year in a retail establishment. This way, perhaps they would realize that the associate is simply a cashier, with a few added duties and there is no need to bring your nasty attitude to the counter with you. Leave them at the door, thankyouverymuch!
And that is the end of my rant, folks!

Hope everyone has a great day and don't forget to bring your smiles to the sales counter!

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Where's the rain?

They have been predicting rain quite a bit, but we rarely get it. Today it did rain for a little while, but we seriously need some good down pours. As if costs of things aren't high enough, the lack of rain will make things even higher. So, time to do a rain dance!

I was named on the Dean's Honor List for my two semesters of college. I am a bit proud of that achievement. Go me!

I signed Makenneh up for Kindergarten yesterday. Talk about a bittersweet moment. She won't be tested beforehand, because we missed that, but she will be tested in the fall, in her class. Tomorrow is her last school day, then we have a day at the park and Friday is our end of the year trip. And that's a wrap for her school year.

Ohhh, I found their birth certificates. I was so happy.

Anyway, time to get her to the bus stop. Next year, she can catch the bus right at the end of our driveway..w.ooohooo!