Day 2 - negative checking positive karaoke

Back to work after a week off for Xmas...so hopefully I earned some $$.  Brought leftovers for lunch so didn't spend there.  Tonight am buying Chinese for New Years Eve dinner as my folks are here.  Logged in online and realized my credit card bills for this month exceeded the amount I have in my checking account...ouch.  Had to do an emergency transfer from my savings to cover the bills.  ICK!  I had been paying some extra on my mortgage (more than needed) so I am going to scale that back to make up the savings debit and then try again later in the year.  So that should really enforce my desire to be more mindful of what I am spending.

Giving - I am loaning our karaoke machine to the church youth group for their New Year's Eve party.

Day 1 - Target beckons but is barren

Shopping at Target today but with very specific needs - 1 robe for Loulou...lost hers, I have no idea where, refills for our label maker and some undershirts as the weather has turned chilly here.  Found the shirts, but not a robe in sight and they didn't have our brand of refill for the labelmaker at Target.  Let her buy a pack of gum at checkout after shushing her requests for toys and art supplies (kid, we just had Xmas!!!).  Went on Amazon and ordered new robe and some cartridges for label maker.  Put some movies on my amazon wishlist to watch in the future.

Giving - taught preschool class at church and had a fun time painting kids hands so they could handprint.  It was cold and grey and it was hard to get out of bed.  

Not shopping, giving

I think about this once in a while...not shopping and seeing if I can save some $$$.  I have so many things and too much stuff in some areas of my life.  But there is such an allure of shopping, choosing, purchasing.  So here's what I'll try to do.

1.  All catalogs go straight to the recycle bin.  (I have already opted out of them but they show up when I buy something.)
2,  Email shopping goes straight to the junk folder.
3.  Credit cards will be less accessible.
4.  If I have to, I will put things on a wish list and not into the shopping basket.
5.  At the end of 1 month, I will examine my wish list and choose 1 thing if any at all.
6.  I will use the money I save to put away for future big things (car) or things for others (gifts, charitable contributions).
7.  I will blog about any emotions, struggles I have with this in hopes that it will help others as well as help me.

Playing House

Nora. What do you consider my most sacred duties? Helmer. Do I need to tell you that? Are they not your duties to your husband and your children? Nora. I have other duties just as sacred. Helmer. That you have not. What duties could those be? Nora. Duties to myself. Helmer. Before all else, you are a wife and a mother. Nora. I don't believe that any longer. I believe that before all else I am a reasonable human being, just as you are--or, at all events, that I must try and become one. I know quite well, Torvald, that most people would think you right, and that views of that kind are to be found in books; but I can no longer content myself with what most people say, or with what is found in books. I must think over things for myself and get to understand them. "A Doll's House" Henrik Ibsen

Mean Girls?

My dh and I have been very fortunate over the years of our marriage to have some very good friends, nice acquaintences, and genuinely sincere people in the social parts of our lives. That's why it's puzzling to us that there was some strange behavior on the part of a person who was part of a group we had plans with. Due to various issues, our plans had to be cancelled. This person notified me and I replied ok. My dh said, why don't you ask them to do something with us since they would be free now too. This person replied, oh, I think I am going to do xyz. Fine and good. However later in the day near dinner time, they called us and asked us to go to dinner. As we had already made other plans, we declined.

I did mention we and another couple in the original group had decided to go out the next night and they were welcome to come - I even had a sitter willing to watch their kid too. She said, Sounds great! So the next day, I saw this person's spouse and he said oh, we missed you guys last night. So I mentioned the next dinner, and they said, oh, we can't make it because of xyz and but we're going to lunch right now if you want to go. xyz was kind of a weird excuse again. (We didn't go to lunch due to our schedule)


I am pretty secure so I can blow this off or just write off that this person had
weird social skills. Perhaps she is just too honest and doesn't see that it is kind of off-putting to others. I think my dh was more bothered about it than I!

Easter Fun

We've enjoyed a 3 day weekend so far and I'm pooped. All I did today was get up, fix breakfast, go with the kids to a big easter egg hunt/ party, come home and watch a netflix movie (old Julia Roberts - Runaway Bride), and cook tacos for dinner. I am already tired of cleaning up easter egg debris from the floor. Maybe it's because there are some big storm systems in the area and I don't like changes in the barometric pressure. I'm just lazy today. Tomorrow is church and brunch with family.

My mother in law has been through a big surgery and some health issues and is doing better. I can tell that because she is stressing about the regular things now (social events, parties, etc) instead of how she's feeling. She's really unusual for most folks her age (79) in that she never talks much about her health. We have to force her to go see her doctor. So I'm glad she is almost her usual self again - even if I feel like an underachiever in my social schedule/ roster of daily activities compared to hers! I know I should not compare myself to anyone else, but she is intimidating. Raised 4 kids, ran/ still runs a large business with her husband, board member of several community organizations, member of several clubs, travels extensively (foreign country at least once a year), etc. Glad I'm the 2nd daughter-in-law!

Clean your screen

I have been cursing and annoyed at my computer the last few weeks. When I am typing, the cursor bounces around and I can't even log on sometimes because of that. I was contemplating getting a new computer (maybe go back to an apple) or getting it fixed ($$$). I fretted about a virus. I even used my husband's computer to work on some travel reservations as it was getting so bad.

When it 1st started, I had mentioned it to dh and he didn't know what to do. I changed the batteries in the wireless mouse and keyboard. I complained about it again at dinner 2 days ago and he said, "Maybe the touch screen is going out. That would be bad." I frowned and said, why did I buy a computer with that? And my iphone does too and it gets beaten up worse than my computer. Then he said, "Maybe you need to clean your screen." DUH! perhaps the kids sticky fingers and cat hair all around has a effect. I wiped it all down and since then, no scrambling cursor or letters.

It's funny how the solution to the problem can be so simple and cheap and I didn't even think about it.

Behind

My RE is leaving town. Not for business reasons, but for personal reasons. I am sad to see her go. I got to eat lunch with her and one of my best friends last week. She has helped so many people in our community and even farther away. I was/ am her patient as well as a professional colleague, even though we are not in the same specialty. She said, I can't believe its been 10 years and this is the 1st time we've gotten all together to eat lunch. That is sad...I always didn't feel like it was my place to become friends with her, but I guess it might have helped. I do feel good that one of my friends I did sent to her as a patient became very good friends with her. But even my best friend and I even struggle to make time to meet each other...and it has only gotten better this past year, as we finally have children out of diapers (almost!). Most of my friends and socializing are with people not in my profession - I may have made that choice unconsciously in order to diversify my brain a bit!