Washday Wednesday Update

For those of you who may be interested in how this Washday Wednesday went (as compared with the past few), here's an update...

The simple version is that it went very well!

The long version - I was much more relaxed and patient with myself.

• I went about my morning knowing I'd get around to laundry... and working in that direction, but not panicking and getting upset at how late it was getting.
• I packed a lunch for us, and left around 11:00.
• We put the laundry in.
• Then had our lunch in the van (when a friend called to check on how laundry day was going... THANKS for thinking of, remember, and calling me!)
• Transferred to the dryers.
• We walked next door where I let the boys choose a Krispy Kreme donut (which they shared).
• Then, while they played on their scooters in the dirt lot next door,
• I did a Clean Car Boogie on the van.
• We went back inside where I used my new folding stool (Wal-Mart, $14). The stool was a little low for the counter heights, but my feet still feel good and I didn't wear myself out.
• Afterwards, we went and took care of three errands without incident.

My daily calendar had this illustration:


I thought it's quote "Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. -Abraham Lincoln" was particularly appropriate for my Washday. It also makes me smile because one of my favorite quotes about attitude is from Disney's Pollyanna, where Haley Mills goes cross-eyed trying to read her father's locket... which says "If you look for the bad in people you'll surely find it. -Abraham Lincoln" Did you know that he never really said that? The writer of the movie script made up the quote and the reference! Of course I only learned that piece of trivia as an adult, and it sounds like something he'd say. :D

Sunny Side Up

We've been up here for what, almost a year now?

Most of that time, Tom has spent "in the field" (ie: driving around A LOT and working on fixing things). Today, he held both hands out, palms down, and we observed that his right hand is quite a bit darker (tanner) than his left.

I think it's from driving with his right hand on the top of the steering wheel and his left on his thigh. I also think it's kinda funny that he's got his own version of a Farmer's Tan going on. :D

Defiance

Frank got himself in a bunge this morning and found himself on his bunk. After he calmed down, he declared "I’m not coming out until you let me play chess or play a video game!" I explained that we were blessing our home (with FLYLady’s Weekly Home Blessing Hour) and we were taking out the trash, dusting, vacuuming, and making beds. Then, I left him on the bed.

A few minutes went by and he hollered out “one more thing… I will come out if you let me watch a video.” “Nope!”

A few more minutes and he said he would come out if he could “wash the doors”. Now we’re talking! Doing a chore to get out of time-out? That’s what I’m talking about! The longer I left him there, the more he came around. It actually only took about ten minutes total. Back to our Home Blessing Hour…

By the Numbers – A Birthday Shout Out

Is there some terminology for people that are totally, weirdly obsessed with numbers? My birthday adds up to ten, three different ways. I’ve figured out weird little number things for each of my boys’ birthdays. We were married on 02-02-2002… I wanted to do it at 02:02 am (we eloped, so, not a lot of people to coordinate), but the marriage official refused to get out of bed in the middle of the night. Basically, I find and make interesting number patterns… constantly.

I also tend to remember dates. Birthdays, anniversaries, surgery dates, death dates. You name it, if it’s a number, it seems to stick around.

I'm thinking about numbers because today is my former-step-daughter’s 14^th birthday. Is there a “term” for your Ex-Step-Child? Can I just call her my friend? I miss her. I haven’t been able to talk with her in 7 years. I always find myself thinking of her extra the week of her birthday. So, even though I can’t speak with her or write her in person, I thought I’d give this little e-tribute to Serina Mae.

I’m thinking of you.

I love you still.

Happy Birthday Sera-Bear!

No Pictures?

Did you ever notice how you don’t seem to have pictures of:

1. Yourself… kinda hard to take them when you’re in charge of the camera, and others don’t seem inclined to jump up and take them of you.

2. Real “Work” being done.

3. The things in Life that wind up being the Best Stories!

Today, for example, we spent 2½ hours in our storage shed. Lord Vader’s presence has been requested at our local Big Brothers Big Sisters… we had to find the costume though, and it (of course) was at the VERY back of the 10’x15’x8’ storage shed… which was packed to the gills! Tom (luckily) knew what side it was on, so, we ONLY took out HALF of the boxes and then restacked them. Not one picture of that.

Want another example of the Lack of Pictures of The Good Stuff? How about while we were visiting a 91 year old friend this week, and Jack came out with a bare butt holding his pants, underwear, and a cloth bag complaining that they were wet. As I went down the hall, I saw a 1’x2’ puddle in the hall carpet – my pace to the bathroom quickened. I found ONE FULL INCH of WATER on the bathroom floor, and the toilet still running! No pictures of that either. Not.a.one.

Wonder what happened? Well, Jack either uses NO toilet paper, or WAY too much. He also hates to wash his hands, put away his step stool, or basically do anything but actually USE the toilet (I am grateful that he knows how to use it though). Apparently he liked the feel of her Charmin paper. Our hostess had put it out the day before. When we went in, there was only cardboard left. So. Yep. A WHOLE ROLL of paper down the toilet… literally, and one inch of standing water… don’t know how many gallons I mopped up with a towel in my bare feet with my pants rolled up… did I mention it was ICE COLD? No pictures of that either.

Anyway, I just wanted to observe that some of the best stories in life are just that… stories. Sometimes there are simply no pictures to go with them.

Wyoming Life - Washday Wednesday

On my hubby's suggestion, I am going to post regularly again. He reminds me that my posts are therapeutic for me, even if they don't have regular comments / visitors. And, HE's RIGHT!!! So, I'll start posting daily again, except tomorrow I'm headed out of town for a few days, so, I'll start posting again... Saturday.

In the meantime, a quick observation of self. Today was awful! Last week I had a terrible day too... upon reflection, I realized it was ALSO Wednesday. Since moving to Rock Springs, Wednesday has become Washday... as in LAUNDRY. Sort, pack, haul downstairs, load in van, go to Laundromat, spend three hours on my feet, lug it all home, and MAYBE get it put away that same day. Like six to eight loads usually. I HATE IT!

What I've just realized is that I grumble so much over it and become so tired by it, that I'm now getting grumpy BEFORE I go through the motions and get tired. I've been having hideous times with my boys and today I realized that it's all my fault.

So.

I need something new. I need something different. I need a new and different approach to this laundry business.

My apartment is small and cramped as it is, but I have seen neighbors with portable rental washing machines. There are paid washers downstairs, but they are smaller than the laundromat and don't accommodate things like blankets or coats. I think they would wash everything else.

Let's brainstorm some possible alternatives to the Do-it-all-in-one-morning Method, shall we?

1. Wash at a different time of the day. (Wednesday mornings are pretty slow at the laundromat).
2. Load the vehicle with the laundry the day before; it would have to be TuesDAY though, because I go to a Knitting Circle on Tuesday evenings.
3. Split the washing into two different days, double the laundromat time, but cut the folding time.
4. Buy a folding stool to take with me for folding... they got rid of their stools because someone was standing on one and fell recently. My feet miss having a place to rest while folding.
   
5. Wash at the apartment, probably every other day. More costly, and have to be home for several hours, running up and down a flight of stairs to the laundry room.
6. Pay to have the laundry done! (Ha! Ha! Ho! Ho! That one IS funny!)
7. Rent a portable washing machine, buy a wooden drying rack. Wash EVERYday, with the machine moving to the kitchen sink (much like the original dishwashers).
8. Bribe the kids to behave better on Laundry day, but I really think this is MY problem, not theirs. If I could / would chill out about it, we could, maybe even HAVE FUN doing the laundry Marathon Fashion.
9. Dress up, like fancy, so that it doesn't feel like so much drudgery work.
   
10. Be glad I have washing machines, and I'm not washing in a stream / from a pump... wait a minute, that's not a solution for me now is it!? I guess I'm out of ideas.

Anyone out there have any suggestions / encouragement for me changing my mindset about this All-at-Once-Pay-Per-Load Laundry bit?

I look forward to hearing your ideas / encouragement / suggestions!

What do you do...

Throughout the year, I take care of the finances, but at the end of the year, my hubby does the taxes. I give him the folder with all the documents I've gathered and he files them. Somehow, for us, it balances out. Tom prints out a hard copy for our file and keeps an electronic copy on the computer.

Last year, in April we decided to move. For whatever reason, Tom still had the Taxes file folder on his computer desk... instead of back in my filing cabinet. We've just realized this in the past week as we prepare to file our taxes. I've gone to my filing cabinet (in storage) and found my taxes from 1991-2002. 2003-2006 are in the manilla folder which Tom had on the desk. Apparently, that file folder got packed with the desk contents instead of returned to the folder... which means, it could be ANYWHERE within a 10'x15'x8' storage unit which is COMPLETELY packed! :P

Never fear! We have an electronic copy... right? No. Tom installed an update of Windows a few months ago which wound up CRASHING our hard drive and formating a good number of files... including our electronic tax records. :P

Foiled again.

So. What do you do? Tom even tried looking back (online) at our banking records, since we received our refunds electronically, but, they only keep the past six months online.

One other thing... it's been delightful that Tom always does our taxes in February... but, if you'll recall, Tom spent most of February on prescription pain-killers... so, doing taxes was out of the question.

Anyway, if you have any ideas about how I can recover the records of my previous rebate, so I can pay taxes on a refund that I've already been taxed on, please, let me know!

Thanks.