Here's a top ten list of prioritized goals for 2008:
1. Hug Hubby a lot more.
2. Restructure the end of the debts to minimize number of payments and interest rates.
3. Do all bill paying and budgeting online so I can keep track of exactly where my money is going.
4. File the bills as soon as they are taken care of.
5. Put away money each month toward birthdays and Christmas expenses.
6. Set aside cash each month for fun stuff.
7. Take kids to at least one free event every month at the library/park/whatever.
8. Bring my lunch at least 4x a week to minimize $ spent there.
9. Eat more vegetables.
10. Figure out how to work some exercise time into my week.
Obviously time with Hubby is the most important thing I can add to this year. It's hard with two jobs, two kids, our crazy extended family, and the seemingly 9 billion things we have to do every month, but I want to make sure he feels loved and taken care of. He's been last on the list many times before (especially when the kids were babies), and he deserves a lot more.
You can tell that paying off debts and managing the budget are two big priorities also. I've never been very confident with managing money or doing budgets, but now that I'm using the online bill paying service and watching my accounts online, I can tell a lot more easily what's going on with the bills and the bank. Not that I'm ever going to be any kind of raging genius when it comes to this stuff, but I at least don't feel like I'm a totally incompetent moron.
Seems like we spend most of our weekends cleaning the house and doing laundry rather than getting out and doing fun stuff as a family, so I'd like to do more of that. Not sure how that's going to work with the laundry schedule, but we'll live. Last on the priorities is basically improving my eating and exercise habits as always... I do okay on those for a while but not consistently. The exercise one is my biggest bugaboo. Maybe someday the basement will be finished, the toys and a tv down there, and we can get an elliptical machine. More good ideas -- but Hubby's got to put those Home Depot cards to work buying the materials to finish off the basement first.
The only thing I haven't put on the list is trying to figure out what kind of spiritual time I want to have in my life. I think that's going to end up being some kind of separate list for the coming year. I've been sorely lacking in that department, and I do want the kids to participate in some kind of spiritual activities. I've been extremely offended by the kinds of shenanigans that have been going on in the local Catholic and Episcopal churches here -- am thinking about making a trip to the neighborhood Lutheran church with Miss Emma next door. We'll see.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Thursday, December 27, 2007
End of 2007
It's been an eventful last couple weeks.
The one possible date I had to go over to The Boy's school and do an official lunch duty with his class -- I left my school, crossed the street, slipped on the fucking wet leaves and did a total face plant in the road (chipped a front tooth, bit through lower lip, general mess and mayhem). I walked back into the office where my principal didn't even recognize me for all the bloody mess, spit chunks of my lip into the nurse's sink, and ended up in the dentist's office and the oral surgeon's office (read -- drop a grand and wait for insurance to reimburse). This with the Drama Queen in tow, whose teachers thought she had symptoms of pinkeye (she didn't have it) which necessitated pickup immediately after naptime and just before dentist appointment, because Daddy was in Florida and wasn't due back until midnight, and Pop-pop was in St. Marten with his GF -- which left me with UM as the only other person on all the emergency forms, so had to call him and see if he could take an early train home and pick up the boy at the Y for me since I had no idea how long I would be getting stitched up. Fortunately DQ had an amazing afternoon and was quite happy to sit with a coloring book, a cute receptionist, and a juice box while I was having needles etc jabbed in my face.
The worst part? My teeth hurt so much drinking wasn't really an option, with or without a straw for a couple DAYS and they gave me NOTHING. Tylenol and Advil on alternating 2 hours put a decent dent in it, though. Went back to the oral surgeon at the end of the week, and he said he was impressed at how well it had healed since "it looked like hamburger on Monday." Lovely. I pretty much had no other options -- get the fuck well was it. Welcome to motherhood. If this shit doesn't work in your book, then don't bother getting knocked up.
Next up on the hit parade we have UM's court date, which fortunately went well for him. Apparently the Murphinator's lawyer is about as unorganized as she is, and according to UM the judge was less than impressed with the histrionics and drama being offered up. Once that and the Mouth Trauma were both over we set the date for doing the final Christmas shopping for FIL as he announced he didn't want to do it this year.
That turned out to be the date of FIL's combo colonoscopy/endoscopy which discovered a large and needs-to-be-removed weird mass in his colon. Therefore -- surgery the day after said evening shopping trip in which UM and I rationalized everything but our emotional reactions to FIL being in the hospital for major surgery. Needless to say, surgery went well given the nonsense at the hospital, but reactions by all were less than good. GF didn't call from the hospital for hours, snowstorm/icestorm prevented the rest of us being there, and basically communication broke down and no one handled it well.
Just before Christmas Eve, we have FIL asking GF to marry him with giant diamond ring (I'm guessing at least 6 carats on the center stone, the thing is as big as my fingernail). She of course said yes, but there's no date set as they have a lot to work out in terms of their businesses and such. UM was okay with it. Hubby was not, but at least he was polite. He wouldn't be okay with this if they'd done it five years from now, though... sigh. RainMan he is, and there's nothing going to change that. Christmas Eve other than that was fun with the kids. The Fantastic Four were quite happy with all the gifts and stuff.
Lastly, Hubby's beloved and favorite cat Chester went down for the count two days ago, so FIL took him to the vet. They ended up putting him to sleep that night. Hubby had gone to the animal shelter with his mother 17 years ago and the two of them had picked out two kittens from the same litter -- Chester and Madeline. So it was more than a little sad for him to lose Chester.
Hopefully 2008 will be somewhat more manageable. Guess we'll find out!
The one possible date I had to go over to The Boy's school and do an official lunch duty with his class -- I left my school, crossed the street, slipped on the fucking wet leaves and did a total face plant in the road (chipped a front tooth, bit through lower lip, general mess and mayhem). I walked back into the office where my principal didn't even recognize me for all the bloody mess, spit chunks of my lip into the nurse's sink, and ended up in the dentist's office and the oral surgeon's office (read -- drop a grand and wait for insurance to reimburse). This with the Drama Queen in tow, whose teachers thought she had symptoms of pinkeye (she didn't have it) which necessitated pickup immediately after naptime and just before dentist appointment, because Daddy was in Florida and wasn't due back until midnight, and Pop-pop was in St. Marten with his GF -- which left me with UM as the only other person on all the emergency forms, so had to call him and see if he could take an early train home and pick up the boy at the Y for me since I had no idea how long I would be getting stitched up. Fortunately DQ had an amazing afternoon and was quite happy to sit with a coloring book, a cute receptionist, and a juice box while I was having needles etc jabbed in my face.
The worst part? My teeth hurt so much drinking wasn't really an option, with or without a straw for a couple DAYS and they gave me NOTHING. Tylenol and Advil on alternating 2 hours put a decent dent in it, though. Went back to the oral surgeon at the end of the week, and he said he was impressed at how well it had healed since "it looked like hamburger on Monday." Lovely. I pretty much had no other options -- get the fuck well was it. Welcome to motherhood. If this shit doesn't work in your book, then don't bother getting knocked up.
Next up on the hit parade we have UM's court date, which fortunately went well for him. Apparently the Murphinator's lawyer is about as unorganized as she is, and according to UM the judge was less than impressed with the histrionics and drama being offered up. Once that and the Mouth Trauma were both over we set the date for doing the final Christmas shopping for FIL as he announced he didn't want to do it this year.
That turned out to be the date of FIL's combo colonoscopy/endoscopy which discovered a large and needs-to-be-removed weird mass in his colon. Therefore -- surgery the day after said evening shopping trip in which UM and I rationalized everything but our emotional reactions to FIL being in the hospital for major surgery. Needless to say, surgery went well given the nonsense at the hospital, but reactions by all were less than good. GF didn't call from the hospital for hours, snowstorm/icestorm prevented the rest of us being there, and basically communication broke down and no one handled it well.
Just before Christmas Eve, we have FIL asking GF to marry him with giant diamond ring (I'm guessing at least 6 carats on the center stone, the thing is as big as my fingernail). She of course said yes, but there's no date set as they have a lot to work out in terms of their businesses and such. UM was okay with it. Hubby was not, but at least he was polite. He wouldn't be okay with this if they'd done it five years from now, though... sigh. RainMan he is, and there's nothing going to change that. Christmas Eve other than that was fun with the kids. The Fantastic Four were quite happy with all the gifts and stuff.
Lastly, Hubby's beloved and favorite cat Chester went down for the count two days ago, so FIL took him to the vet. They ended up putting him to sleep that night. Hubby had gone to the animal shelter with his mother 17 years ago and the two of them had picked out two kittens from the same litter -- Chester and Madeline. So it was more than a little sad for him to lose Chester.
Hopefully 2008 will be somewhat more manageable. Guess we'll find out!
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