Superpaige's Pad

The Trials of a Busy Mom

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More tires (sigh)

December 12, 2007 / / 6 Comments

It’s car inspection time for many of us. When you buy a vehicle near the end of the year, you don’t really think about how much of a pain it’s going to be to have to get that vehicle inspected and registered at this time of year. Every. Single. Year. Well, we really blew it. We currently have 3 vehicles, and two of them come due for their registration in November, and one in December. So you know that windshield you’ve been putting off buying? Well, now you’d better buy it. You know that check engine light that’s been on? Well, that car won’t pass it’s safety inspection with it on. Yes, it means unwanted unexpected car repair expenses RIGHT when you don’t have any extra money to do those repairs. A good friend of mine decided to sell her car last weekend rather than invest ANY more money in it and buy the new tires she needed. I can understand where she’s coming from.

So, anyway, Ryan took the last of our three vehicles to be inspected yesterday, and –surprise, surprise– it has two bad tires and needs something done on the brakes. Oh joy of joys, for Christmas we’ll be getting….more tires! That’s just what I wanted! I say ‘more’ tires because this is not the first set of tires we have bought this year. You may remember my extremely bad day back in July when we needed to repair the van and THEN get new tires (and then pay those overdue taxes). Yes, that was quite a financial setback. But we made it through. And we’ve only had to put about $300 more into that car this year. (You may notice that I say ‘Ryan’ is taking care of all these repairs, and for that I am grateful. I have this strange aversion to car repair places and tend to freak out just a bit when I am trapped in one with no vehicle. Maybe it’s because I know I’m paying about the amount of my mortgage for someone to fix a tiny little part that I can’t even see, just so I can continue driving. Yeah, maybe it’s that.)

But last month when Ryan took the Suburban to be inspected, he realized that it’s tires were also very bald. Ka-ching. He bought new tires for that one. And he was glad that he had, as he was driving through snow and ice this past weekend. And now these tires for the truck. So, if you are keeping track, that’s 4 plus 4 plus another 2 (maybe 4–he hasn’t told me if he’s doing just two or if all 4 are bad). So that’s 10 new tires.

I should have put that in my Christmas card. I could have done a 12 days of Christmas type thing. “And the tenth thing at Christmas that we didn’t plan to buy…. Ten brand new tires!”

I know I should be counting my blessings, being grateful that we HAVE cars and all that stuff. But right now I’m just frustrated. And a little ticked off. And wondering how long it will take us to pay all this stuff off.

So, if you have an encouraging story or a lovely quote or something nice to say to cheer me up, now would be the time to leave a comment. Or you could come over here and slap me and tell me to stop complaining. But I’d rather you brought me chocolate.

December Book Giveaway

December 11, 2007 / / 13 Comments

Even though we’re busy, there’s still time to do the monthly Pay it forward Book Giveaway, which is hosted by Overwhelmed with Joy.

This month I’d like to give away a light, fun read that you can get through in a couple of days and it won’t add to your stress load. I picked this up at a garage sale this summer, and I must admit it’s a well used copy. But still readable.

book

Stately Pursuits by Katie Fforde. Fforde. Say that a few times–it’s ffun. Anyway, an amazon review says this about this fun book:
“Hetty has taken a job house-sitting a 600-year-old place named Courtbridge, which proves to be in dire need of renovations and extensive repairs. She agrees to tackle the assignment because, reeling from a rather humiliating romantic break-up, it seems like a good hideaway in which to mend her heart and ponder her future. Unknown to Hetty, the hospitalized owner, Samuel, has sent his rather beefy but handsome nephew Connor to keep an eye on her as well as his crumbling ancestral home. Hetty hatches a scheme to restore the old home to all its former stateliness by opening the mansion and charging for tours, weddings, and other social occasions. However, Connor would prefer to tear the old thing down, sell the property, pay off some old loans, and be done with the architectural dinosaur. Needless to say, these two opinionated and obstinate people discover in spite of their different views a remarkable attraction to each other. A satisfying although somewhat anticipated conclusion bodes well for the house, the couple, and even the cat, Clovis. Library patrons who enjoy the romantic novels of Jayne Ann Krentz and Nora Roberts will find a similar story here but with a delightful British accent.”

I enjoyed it, and I’ll be that one of you would enjoy it, too! Just leave a comment on this post and you’ll be entered in the drawing. It’s that simple. Next week on Monday, I’ll draw out a name and then if you are the winner, I’ll send you this book (probably after Christmas). So go ahead and enter! And for more book loving fun, check out Overwhelmed with Joy and see what other books are being given away this month.

Perspective

December 9, 2007 / / 0 Comments

I was going to write about cleaning my couch cushion because someone in the house peed on the couch. But then I read this blog post and realized there are other people in the world with much more to complain about. People who’s homes have been washed away or their home is still standing but filled with mud. I know how blessed I am and how much help these people need right now. I realized that if there’s any way I can help, I should do that instead of wasting time and energy thinking I need a new couch because this one smells like pee.

Neighborly Kindness

December 8, 2007 / / 4 Comments

This week has been really busy here at Superpaige’s pad. My concert was Friday night, so that meant extra rehearsals this week. The girls also had their band concert and dance recital this week. So on Wednesday night, I told Ryan that Natalie wanted her hair curled for the next day, and would he please put it up in sponge curlers? I showed him how to do it, and figured he could do at least an average job.

When I came home late that night and asked him how things had gone, he said that things were fine, and that Natalie’s hair got curled, but he didn’t do it. What? How did it get curled? And he showed me this picture.

Jeana

“She owed me a favor, anyway, since I fixed her computer,” he said. I guess he had tried to do the curlers, but said it pretty much looked crappy, so he called for back up.

What a great neighbor to come over and curl my daughter’s hair. I love living here with great neighbors like this, who will drop what they are doing to come and help out a friend. And I’m sure she would have done it even if Ryan hadn’t fixed her computer.

Nativity Creativity

December 7, 2007 / / 2 Comments

I have this beautiful Fontanini Nativity set that I got when I was living in Germany. It looks like it’s carved wood, but it’s really made from durable resin. One of the reasons I love it is because I don’t have to worry about it if the kids play with it. I remember as a kid playing with the nativity set and having the people travel around the house to come and see the baby Jesus. And I love letting my kids play with my set. Sometimes things get a little bit crazy, though. The other night I came home to see all of the nativity people gathered around….the bird cage. Hmmmm. I didn’t like that one, however, since I don’t want to have to scrape bird poop off the baby Jesus.

john

John is especially creative in his Nativity Play. I heard him over there making gun and bomb noises. “Boom! Get the baby!” My ears perked up and I came to take a look. All the people were laying down and he said, “They’re dead. They are all shooted. By a mean Lamanite.”

Ok. Well, then. Carry on.

I think that’s my husband

December 6, 2007 / / 8 Comments

I may have mentioned that my husband has been on a shaving strike since roughly….October. We went on vacation to Disneyland and he decided not to shave anymore. It’s been growing longer and more scruffy until he finally looked like this.ryan,paige
On Sunday I think the scratchiness was finally getting to him. Either that or my endless complaining and refusing to kiss him might have had something to do with it. So, he shaved. But thankfully, he documented the whole process. ryan 1 First he was Mr. Scruffy there, then he went to this. ryan2. Next we had sad Mr. Stash. ryan3 Then he did a regular moustache and we thought he looked like his brother, Kyle. ryan4
Do you see the resemblance? kyle
And he finally ended up looking like the Ryan we remember from way back when. ryan5 I’m happy to have him back.

Shameless Plug

December 5, 2007 / / 3 Comments

I’d like to invite all of you to a Wonderful concert on Friday night! It’s the Bells on Temple Square Christmas concert in the Conference Center at Temple Square.
bells
There are still tickets available, and I have several with me. It will be a fun evening. Come see the lights, and listen to some wonderful music. At least I hope it’s wonderful.

Last night’s rehearsal was a bit rough for me, and I don’t think I could have played “God rest ye Merry Gentlemen” any worse if I had been trying. Which I wasn’t, really. But I’m hoping that tonight’s rehearsal goes better, and that Friday night is the best of all.

Speaking of tickets, I have today become an official ticket broker, it seems. A lady from my ward called and told me she had gotten tickets to the King’s Singer’s concert, and wanted to know who else had been wanting them because she had a few extras. Isn’t that sweet? But she was lamenting the fact that they were on a bad night for them and they would miss their family party. I offered to trade tickets with her, as either night was fine. She was SO happy, because then she could attend both the concert and her family Christmas party. Good! I’m glad I could help her out (season of giving and all that, remember?). Not 5 minutes later a lady called and said her name, and said we had met at Curves the other day, and she was wondering if I had Thursday night tickets (she had talked to that other lady from Curves who I had given a ticket to). They had a ward Christmas party on Friday, and something else on Saturday…… I told her I would look into it, but I was pretty sure I could find someone who wanted to trade. Voila–I found someone in the choir who needed to trade his Thursday tickets for some other night. I’m like a ticket matchmaker! And let me tell you, it’s exhausting.

So, please don’t ask me for tickets to the Mormon tabernacle choir concert. But if you’d like to come to MY concert on Friday night, we’d love to have you!

***
By tomorrow I should have some Christmas pictures to post. I’ve been decorating!

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Oh, and for today’s stuff to give away, I’ve filled a bag full of size 5/6 girls’ clothes to give to a friend of mine who’s daughter is younger than mine. How are you doing? Are you de-cluttering? Are you getting into that giving spirit? Don’t worry if you’re not– there’s still lots of time.

Proud mom

December 4, 2007 / / 1 Comment

Last night we went to the “Christmas in the Rotunda” art show awards night that the local library puts on.  My three girls had entered winter pictures for the art show, so they were excited to see if they won anything.  Imagine our delight when we saw a HUGE purple ribbon on Megan’s picture.  She won Best in Show!  Along with that came a $20 prize.  They even took her picture and told her that “the Mayor would be delighted to see who won”.  We were all very excited for her.  Natalie also won , a purple ribbon and a $5 prize.  Jenna was a little disappointed that she only had a green ribbon for participation, but she seemed to be ok with it.  They didn’t really divide this contest into age groups, so she had a better chance of winning, since she’s the oldest of the kids allowed to enter.

Of course I forgot my camera, so I have no picture YET, but I’ll hop down there to the library in the next few days and take some pictures so I can post them here.

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And by the way, today I’m giving away John’s old race car toddler bed.  The problem, however, is that so many people would like to have it, and I hate having to decide.  I think I found someone who’s little boy will really enjoy it, and the mom is very appreciative, so I think it was a good choice.  I wonder what I’ll find to give away tomorrow!

Service and Giving–it comes in all forms

December 3, 2007 / / 3 Comments

As we get into the Christmas spirit, we hopefully focus more on giving.  I’ve found that anonymous gifts are so much fun and really get me in the right frame of mind.  And even though I’m as fond of the “drop off cookies to the neighbors” or “secret santas” as the next person, I’ve found that I also get a little excitement giving things to people I don’t even know.

For example, on Friday, as I was cleaning out the girls’ closet, I found several cute toys that are longing to be played with.  They aren’t new, but they are still in good condition.  So I listed them on freecycle and made someone’s day as they came and picked up a new toy vacuum and a little pink castle for their kids.  If you haven’t discovered freecycle, then you really must.  You can list things you’d like to be rid of, or even ask for things you’d like that maybe someone else has laying around.  I’ve given away a couch, a fridge, a table, clothes, shoes, a ceiling fan, a waterbed, an old treadmill, and lots of little things.  Things that may not mean a lot to us anymore, but to someone else, it might be just what they needed. And you usually don’t have to do anything more than just leave it out on your porch and someone comes and picks it up!  So you are giving things away to people who may need them, AND you are getting rid of a bit of clutter.

So I’ve decided that I will give something away EVERY day until Christmas.  On Saturday a woman from freecycle was looking for a pair of cowboy boots for her daughter’s birthday.  Well, we have some boots that may not fit Jenna anymore, so I pulled them down from the closet, had her try them on (nope, don’t fit!), then emailed that lady and told her I had boots for her if she still needed them.   Yesterday I gave away tickets to my upcoming bell concert to people in my ward.  It doesn’t cost me anything, yet these people were quite excited to get tickets.

This morning I met a lady at Curves who was looking for one ticket to Thursday night’s Mormon Tabernacle Choir concert.  Just one.  She’s a dancer in the program and she was given only two tickets, and her husband can’t decide which of their twins to take to see mommy in the concert.  I have one or two extra tickets for Thursday night, I could give her one of mine.  I took her phone number, and won’t she be happy when I call her up and tell her that I DO have a ticket for her so that both of her twins can come to the concert.  I think I was there at Curves this morning (earlier than I usually go, in fact) so that I could be of service to her.

If you look for opportunities to serve, help people, and give things away, your eyes will be opened to a specific need that maybe only you can fill.  And at this Christmas season, isn’t that what we want to be doing?

So take a minute to see what you have that is “extra” at your house.  Maybe your son just grew out of his Sunday pants and shoes and you can offer them to someone who has a younger son (that’s what I will be listing on freecycle today).  Maybe you have a couple of perfumes or lotions that someone gave to you that just aren’t your style.  They might be just the right pick-me-up for someone else.  Maybe you have a gift card or a coupon that came in the mail that you won’t be using.  You could offer it to someone else, and it might save them a little bit of their hard earned cash.  Or those shoes that your youngest just grew out of?  I’m sure somebody is looking for some in just that size.

Your neighbor would still love it if you dropped off a fresh plate of cookies, but maybe a nice batch of soup and some rolls would be even better to help, if they have been sick.  So, go ahead.  Do something nice for someone you don’t even know.  I challenge you.  And you might surprise yourself by uncluttering whole closets full of stuff from your house in the process. See if you can give of yourself just a little bit more this December.  Try a little harder to be a little nicer, and embrace the spirit of giving.

Christmas Fun, it has begun

December 1, 2007 / / 2 Comments

I received a fabulous present in the mail the other day.  It’s Michael W. Smith’s It’s a wonderful Christmas CD.  And fabulous, it is.  In fact, you can listen to snippets of the album if you click on that link there.  My favorite song is “Christmas Day” with Mandisa.  If you need some new Christmas music to listen to while you decorate that tree or make cookies, check it out.

Today I put up our Christmas countdown calendar.  It’s a cute little Santa with 25 pockets.  I used to just fill every pocket with candy, but now since there’s 5 kids, I can’t really put 5 candies in every little pocket.  That just wouldn’t fit.  So in some pockets there are candies, but in others there are little pieces of paper labeled with the fun thing that we are doing that day.  Today’s paper said “Go to Italo’s Christmas show”.  Italo is Julene’s step-son, and he’s in “Return to Christmas”, a Christmas variety show at the Scera Theater in Orem.  It was lots of fun.  We really enjoyed the show, and the kids were even very well behaved through the whole thing (popcorn helped).

Some of the other pockets have little cards that say things like: make cookies, wrap presents, sleep in sleeping bags by the Christmas tree, go see the lights at Thanksgiving point, read a Christmas story, watch a Christmas show, go to Mom’s Christmas concert, deliver gifts to the neighbors and things like that.  I hope that the little clues will be just as well received as the candy is, but we’ll have to see about that.

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