Our Last Saturday

This is our last Saturday before Mr. Bean starts his job as our church's interim music pastor. We have spent it by sleeping in and being rather lazy. Once String Bean wakes up from her nap, we will continue the celebration by doing laundry.

Our lives will just be busier starting February 1, so it is nice to have a blah day to just relax and enjoy doing nothing of consequence. Starting in May, our lives will get a lot busier, so I am trying to just enjoy the slow pace of a day like today. Who knows when another will come along?

Oh, and Mr. Bean did get a haircut.

Ear Aches

I woke up yesterday morning with severe pain in my left ear. It really felt like someone had shoved a stick in there and was swirling it around. Great visual, I know.

I took some ibuprofen and eventually the pain went away. My trusty friend, Google, told me that ear infections often have intermittent pain but are most commonly associated with fevers. I didn't have a fever. So, I went to work. After all, my pain had subsided (despite that living in a tunnel-effect that I was "enjoying").

My office is typically HOT during this time of year. It can be 40 degrees outside, but I'll wear short sleeves to work because the heat has one setting. Let's just say, I'll never freeze there. If we go through another ice age, I'll wait it out at work.

Yesterday's office climate did not disappoint me. I was hot and my coworkers complained about the heat too. Mild relief came, as always, when I used my stapler to prop open the door and get some kind of cross breeze.

When I got home, I kept thinking how abnormal that ear pain was, so I decided to check out the Take Care Clinic at Walgreens. After checking in at the kiosk, I chatted with a father-daughter pair who were waiting for wife/mom and daughter/sister to finish up their turn with the nurse practitioner. 30 minutes later, I learned the daughter/sister did not have strep, but several other (unmentioned) problems.

I was pleasantly surprised that the nurse practitioner visit felt like a normal doc visit. (Where I found out, I did have a fever.) She got my history, took my vitals, diagnosed my ear infection, and gave me an antibiotic prescription. She even took into account that I am breastfeeding and double checked the prescription she was writing to be sure it wouldn't be harmful to String Bean. This particular nurse is a firm believer in homeopathic remedies (especially for nursing moms). She was happy to hear I use a Neti Pot and that I visit a chiropractor on a regular basis. In fact, she said that my use of the Neti Pot is probably why I don't also have a sinus infection.

I was not thrilled that the ear drops I got cost $130. Insurance covered $72 and our health care savings account covered the other $58.

Well, laundry is calling...At least I think that's what I heard.

My best Laundry tip

Not all moms are as fortunate as my co-blogger to have laundry facilities inside their house. I for one am one of the unfortunate souls.

For those of you who find yourselves in my shoes, here is the best laundry stain fighter tip I know. Purchase a bib like this for your baby/toddler.


String Bean got a bib like this for Christmas from her Ama (Grandma) and it has saved so many of her outfits! Make sure the on you get is made of plastic-y material so it wipes clean. Since this one has sleeves, we haven't had stains on anything since Christmas day!

Homeowners Associations

Mr. Bean, String Bean, and I just got home from the annual homeowners association meeting for our condo association. The usual voting for new board members and approving the budget happened. I restrained from asking why us first floor condo owners had to pitch in for paying for new balconies for the second, third and fourth floor condos. But, I think I was the only owner who showed restraint at that meeting.

There were really only two moments of fireworks. Of course, I put my two sense worth in both times since, in my opinion they were both silly. First, a guy got up and spoke about how our building manager is overworked and how great she is. Then the same guy wanted to know why the minutes were not more detailed. He was told that the bylaws (or some official document like that) had it listed in them. Then he insisted that the building manager (who he just said was overworked) find that for him and point it out. I chimed in and said, "Don't we all have copies of the constitution and other association documents in our binders that are required to stay in our units when/if we move out? Why don't you just look it up yourself since our building manager is really busy." Everyone nodded in agreement, especially the building manager. Under his breath, he said, "I can't understand what that stuff says anyway." Interestingly, he used to be a board member.

The other heated moment occurred when I asked how the laundry receipts were going.

First, you should know that our laundry is done on the honor system here. We just pay cash in a locked box for all our laundry needs. We sign in with how many washers and dryers we used. Second, you should know that we have a lot of people who don't bother to either sign in or pay for their laundry. This has been a point of contention for years.

The response was, "Well, same as usual; not everyone is paying. In fact when our contract on the laundry machines is up in two years, we are more than likely going to go to a coin-operated laundry system." This lady immediately got up and started ranting and raving about how she was going to go out and purchase machines and make people pay for laundry when she owns them and how she works hard for her money and she's tired of being the only one to pay. Literally, she was talking over everyone else at the meeting and the poor board members couldn't get a word in edgewise. She demanded the name of the company that our laundry contract was with and all sorts of other nonsense. Every time we thought the discussion was over, she'd yell "You haven't answered my question, yet! Why can't I just go out and purchase laundry machines and run it myself?" I finally jumped in and said, "You can't do that because we are under contract with a company that will not end for two years. When it ends, go to the board and propose running the laundry yourself. Until then, nothing can be done!" After I said that and one of the board members mentioned there was a large penalty for cancelling the contract (and we just raised association fees by 10% so they were not willing to do that), she finally calmed down and the meeting was quickly adjourned.

Geesh. What a way to spend the evening.

Things on My To-Do List

I'm going to cross these off the list as I accomplish them!

Today:

• Eat lunch (If I don't add this to the list, I snack all day long)
• Empty dishwasher
• Check e-mail
  
• Call everyone who signed up church directory photos tomorrow and remind them.
• Update Facebook status
• Check e-mail
  
• Feed String Bean
• Pick up Mail
• Call attorney about updating wills
  
• Daydream
• Nap, if I can fit it in
  
• Go to worship team rehearsal
• Check e-mail
• Send final appointment list for church directory photos to Bill
  

Later:

• Sleep in past 7 am
  
• Finish planning String Bean's first birthday party
• Clean the house thoroughly
• Laundry
• Pay bills
• Finish Christmas shopping (yes, I've already started!)
• Get String Bean's flu shot
• Get my allergy shot
• Find a new address for that wedding card that was returned to sender
• Blog
• Think about whether to decorate for Thanksgiving or just skip right over to Christmas
• Get rings inspected
• Get assets turned over to a Living Trust
  

That about does it.

Lazier Housewife

Oh dear, I thought I would have a little bit more time for you all to get to know me, but since Mandie brought it up, I might as well just admit it. I am a Messie, yes, Messie with a capital M. They write books about me. Books that I don't read, I just hear about them. People tell me about the Flylady all the time. I went to the Flylady's website once, and just reading about it wore me out so much I had to take a nap.

One of my problems is that I'm easily distracted. (Since I started writing this, I've gotten up from the computer twice.) Let's say I'm in the kitchen and need the crockpot, which we keep in the linen closet. I walk toward the closet, but on my way, I glance into Cashew's room and notice the laundry basket is overflowing. I stop and put some clothes in the washer. Then Walnut needs to know why the sky is blue. I say something vague about fractals and then say "Ask Daddy when he gets home." Then I walk past a bookshelf and remember that I have to go to the bathroom. There are toys in the bathroom that don't belong there, so I decide to be productive and put them away, so it's off to the family room, but Peanut needs a cracker and Cashew needs whatever Peanut needs, and one of them stinks, so I have to change diapers. The diaper pail is full so I take it too the laundry room. The washer and dryer are both full and so are all the laundry baskets, so I sit down to fold clothes. Hey, there's the computer! Yay!

What's for dinner?