No Average Mom

Both our vehicles are paid off. This is something that was really important for us to do. For many years we carried a great deal of debt related to frequently buying or trading in different cars. We were kind of caught up in having the latest car and the newest car accessories. It wasn’t a big deal until we decided that I need to stay home rather than work. Once our priorities shifted it then also became important to minimize the amount of debt we are carrying around. After selling our previous house the first thing we did was pay off our vehicles. It is nice to know that we don’t have that monthly payment hanging over our heads. I rarely drive anywhere and that makes the need for a fancy ride so much less important than it used to be.

Does anyone on here iron their kids shirts? Like play shirts, school shirts, etc ? A friend of mine does. Nope. I don’t even like to iron for myself so I make sure the clothes I buy them are not clothes that need ironed. I hang most stuff before it is completely dry so I rarely iron anything. All of dh’s clothes need ironed (for work) but he knows that is one chore I hate so he irons all of his own clothes. On the rare occasion that something of mine or the kids needs ironed he will usually do it for me too. I’m lucky to get the laundry folded and put away. If I had to iron everything first, I would be doing laundry 24/7.

Last week I read an article about the dangers of drinking soda pop. I am someone who enjoys one can of diet soda a day. It usually takes me all day to drink a can. This article explained how carbonated drinks are bad for your waistline and your bones. I am now trying very hard to drink more water. I don’t like the taste of our local water and am wondering if water filters might help the situation. I have tried adding flavoring to our water and this has made it more drinkable. It is still hard not to want a soda in the middle of the afternoon. It is probably the caffeine that I am really craving. I have read that diet sweeteners have an addictive feature to them which is another reason I am trying to avoid diet soda. It does seem like some days that everything you eat has some bad aspect to it.

Today is my 39th birthday. I am not sure how I feel about being that old. I certainly don’t feel like I should be pushing 40 years of age. It likely has to do with the fact that I have a 3 year old at home. I honestly believe that having young children makes you feel younger than you are. Truth be told I don’t feel any different that I did at 28 years old. My medical records would suggest that I am indeed of “advanced maternal age” but there is no other proof in my mind that I am getting to be middle aged. I do hope that this day passes without incident because I really don’t like birthdays and would rather just move on to the next day as soon as possible.

Now that my older son has become more computer savvy he is constantly asking questions about our computer network and different terms he runs across. The other day he wanted to know whether our virus software was up to date. I think this is pretty funny for a nine year old to be concerned about. It is actually pretty amazing to realize what he is able to to accomplish using the computer. It wouldn’t surprise me if one day he owns a website similar to onewaytextlink.com or another internet enterprise. He seems to have a natural gift for figuring out things on his own when it comes to using various software. I remember struggling for a long time to figure out how to use programs like Excel. The other day my son called me into his room to see a spread sheet he had created in Excel to log his various hours spent studying different topics in school. We are required to account for our hours daily as part of his cyber school education and he thought his system would be easier to use than the one the school supplies. I have to admit I agree with him and applaud his ingenuity. I just wonder what the future holds for my creative son?

The other day we were discussing recent criminal events and whether bystanders should be prosecuted. I believe that they should in a situation where acting would be as simple as placing a phone call. The recent rape of a 15 year old girl while so many people stood by an watched is one example. With this and the other recent case of the honor role student who was beaten to death, it brings a question to my mind. Are the youth today more desensitized because of the horror movies and violent video games they watch? Is it almost an unreal thing to them now, because they see it all the time on TV, movies and video games? I definitely think that bystanders should be penalized. Especially those who take pictures or record it on their phones and post it on Youtube. I don’t understand how someone could stand by and watch that being done to another person and not try to help. Even if it is to step away and call the police.

What is it with people and bragging? I was raised that telling everyone about the cost of the latest thing you bought is rude. Maybe times have changed and I just haven’t kept up with them or I am just in a really foul mood? It just bothers me to end to listen to someone tell me about how much they spent on a new car or a Outer Banks rental vacation. I am more than happy to hear about your trip or how much you enjoy your new car. I do not want to know how much you spent on that trip or vehicle purchase. We have several friends who are forever making conversation out of describing in detail how they bartered to get a certain price on a purchase. Isn’t it enough to say that you have a new car and what you love about it? It would be far more interesting to know what you loved about your recent vacation rather than how much you spent to take it. Maybe if I had more disposable income I would feel differently but I seriously doubt it. Telling people about my personal financial transaction just isn’t something I can see myself doing under any circumstances.

I am an animal lover but am a little leery about cats. I haven’t been around many that I would want to make my own. We moved last year and there is a cat constantly on our property wandering about and getting into thing. It tries to into the house or basement whenever doors were open. Now it’s cold out and the cat will scratch at the door and come running over whenever it sees us. As the weather has now turned for the worst and it was going to be below 20 the other night we decided to let him in for the night. As soon as we shut the door it jumped onto the door wanting to get out. Then once we let it out it won’t stop scratching to come in. It is ok as long as the door is open but freaks out when it’s shut. I’m worried about it surviving the winter. Our local shelters are filled past capacity due to the economy and people giving up or abandoning their pets. So I am not sure what to do.