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!