Tag Archives: SingleMom

Water Everywhere

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You know you are in for an interesting day when you are the person in the office to find the massive water leak. It also helps knowing that you are going to be the only one in the office all day.

Good thing is the office is a city owned building.

“Yoooohoooo! Maintenance please.”

Glad it was making a noise!

I guess there are some good things about this. First, it happened in the middle of the week. Can’t imagine what we would have walked into if it had happened over the weekend.

Also, it is just the water heater. No busted pipes or anything like that so it should be an easy fix. The keyword here is “SHOULD”.

On another note, I am fairly accident prone. When I found the leak, my hands were full of water bottles that I was taking to the fridge when I heard the noise. The light was off so I didn’t notice the puddle on the floor until I stepped in it and heard the noise that made.

So, of course I start rushing around trying to figure out who I should call cause the boss is out of the office today and Co-Vid has everybody else working from home. You should know, there are only 4 of us total.

Once I got the call in to maintenance I went about my usual morning routine of heating up my poptart. I got them on the paper towel and somehow or another, when I turned to put the wrapper in the trash, I kind hyperextended my knee just a little.

I blame it on the adrenaline that kind of kicked in when from the leak. Needless to say I am not always the calmest under pressure. This I blame on the anxiety.

Outdoorsy

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When I first found out I was having a boy, I was excited! I was well prepared to teach him the football, baseball, basketball, and any other sport he may be interested in.

What made it even better was when he came out loving cars! We go to local dirt track every weekend and I love it! I’m one of those that if I had the money, I would be out there driving, but racing is an expensive sport!!!!

Now, what I was expecting and what I got are two different things. Yes, he loves football and basketball and the racing, but he also has developed a love for the outdoorsy type of sports. Ya know, hunting and fishing and that type of thing.

This is where my problem comes in. I didn’t grow up being taught all the finer details of these sports. I know about each a teensy bit and can appreciate it, but actually doing it and teaching it is high above my pay grade.

I have been able to kind of take him fishing with a kiddy pole and learned to set up the bobber and hook and the weights. The only thing is, I don’t like bugs so I just picked up some of those brightly colored nibblet things for bait.

The first trip out we were learning to cast by using the little rubber fish that comes with kiddy poles. We were doing good until something happened and the fish flew off without me realizing it. I ended up reeling all the line in and had no idea what to do.

I unscrewed the cap on the reel and thought I could fix it but couldn’t quite figure it out. That day a good friend came out and helped us. From then I did good with taking him to the park just me and the boy, until the same thing happened again. This time the good friend texted me each step to fix it.

This fall, after it started cooling off another friend who has a little boy that just turned 1 started meeting us at the park. Luckily they have a daddy around who just so happens to enjoy fishing too. Thanks to him we got to fish with actual worms. Still haven’t caught anything though.

One thing I have learned through this is that for those that truly enjoy fishing, poles set up to cast out and let sit until you get a bite is not the way to go. Zackary wants the experienced type of fishing, where ya throw it out and very slowly reel it back in and ya use lures and such, which I know nothing about!

It appears I am going to have to learn the real ins and outs of the outdoorsy life. Just last night the tot said we needed to go camping, which I have done before but not by myself!

This is going to be an interesting journey!

Ohhh Toddlers!

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Toddler years are some of the most interesting years of your life. And I don’t mean for the toddler.

In example, every now and then my son will come crawl into bed with me in the middle of the night. He doesn’t usually wake me up either. I don’t even know he is there until I somewhat wake up to roll over and there he is.

Now, he has been potty-trained for a few months now. He doesn’t need a pull-up anymore. But, there are still accidents every now and then. Ok, fine, that is part of having a toddler. The part I have a problem with is….most of his nighttime accidents seem to happen in MY bed.

Not his bed where the mattress is made for with accidents in mind. Where the wet spot doesn’t absorb into the mattress. Nope. My bed. My queen sized pillow top mattress that is NOT waterproof!

On another note, toddler years are interesting because you never know what you might find them doing.

One of my mom’s favorite events was one day we are sitting in the living room. The boy has his own little recliner and a table he eats on. He was eating cereal, and I look over and he has a Fred, from Scooby Doo, in his cereal. A toy Fred. So, with her being on her phone all she knows is that she randomly hears me say “Get Fred out of your cereal!”

Then there is what he was doing last night.

Here he is doing what looks like a normal thing. Eating some yogurt.

However, upon further inspection you find, he is doing a normal thing abnormally.

That is right, my son was using the handle end of a spoon to eat his yogurt. As you can see he knows the right way to use a spoon since that is how he started his yogurt and how he finished. But somewhere in between he chose to do things a little differently.

Oh the joy of toddlers!

“Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.”
— Psalm 127:3

It’s Been A Week…It’s Tuesday

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Yesterday started off like a it was going to be a Monday of all Mondays. The toddler got mad because I helped him pack his lunch box. By “help” I mean, I put his soft sided lunch box on the counter so he could put his stuff in it. From that point on he was grumpy. Not 15 minutes later, pulling into the school parking lot he was fine. Toddlers….sheesh!

I go to work as normal and at around 10 a co-worker notices a window is shattered. The whole front of our building is windows. This was a smaller one, at the bottom. All the windows are tinted so even though it shattered, it was still in place. Turns out it was shot with some sort BB gun. Also turns out, the building got shot 9 times with a BB gun. Thankfully it was over the weekend when nobody was in the office. I just can’t imagine what would make someone shoot up a random building….with a BB gun. All that BB gun did was put some holes in some windows.

Today, is Tuesday, and a new day. However, there was almost an incident at school drop-off this morning. While I walked my son up to the building, a lady parked next to me…crooked and too close. So close, I was blocked out of my own car. So, I took a quick picture so I could vent a little to my friends and family. Then, I wait. It was only about 10 minutes but when she came back she didn’t even acknowledge there was a human being standing there. Just got in her car. Now, if I were to park so close that the person couldn’t get into their car I would make an effort to let them know I was sorry. I would at least acknowledge that I know I did wrong and would act like a decent human being. This woman did nothing…until she saw me take a picture of her car as she waited to get in the exit line. Then, she blamed her crooked parking on the car on the other side of her. Now, I could have made a big scene but I just said alright and let it be. She gets back in her car and I hang back making sure she has room to pull out into the line. She doesn’t. She just sits there, so I go around her and get in line myself. She had her opportunities. Something about the drop-off and pick-up line really does bring out the worst in people.

“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
–Proverbs 15:1

Be Positive

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Had car trouble again yesterday. As we were about to pull out of the McDonald’s parking lot, something busted. We heard a “spew” sound and saw smoke coming from under the hood. As I pulled into a parking spot I checked my gauges and everything was fine according to them. I get out and check under the hood and nothing seems to be broken but, there is something definitely leaking. Something with a smell. We call my grandmother to come get my mom and son to go on and take them home while I wait on a friend to come look at it. Within 5 minutes the problem is found. Luckily it’s a small fix. Just a plastic connector for the heater hose broke. No big deal, except that no average parts store seems to have one. Went the three different stores to find anything that would work enough to get me back home. So, two gallons of coolant, a hose clamp, and some vise grips later the tater is home. In all reality I did panic but as were trying to hunt down a connector a thought crossed my mind. It could have been worse. It could have been a major part go out but it was just a $5 part instead. Also, it was labor day so my friend was able to come help. If it hadn’t have happened yesterday evening, it probably would have happened this morning trying to drop off my son or on my way to work, when every body else is at work too. Another thing is how much I dislike driving my grandmother’s car. It’s a 2012 Focus, but compared to my 2006 X-terra, I feel like my butt is dragging the ground and the brakes are super touchy. Even just thinking about tapping them seems to almost throw you through the windshield. However, being optimistic means that I am grateful there is a car available for me to use until I can get the part I need. Obviously, not every situation is quite this easy to be positive about. However, the stress you feel during situations like these depends on you. You can choose to be positive or you can choose to be negative. Being negative will only bring stress and frustration. Who needs more of that? I certainly do NOT! Letting these things seep into your mind can make things seem never ending. Seeing the good times in between the bad times becomes nearly impossible. It starts to make your life seem like nothing but struggles and heartache. When really, you just need to change the focus of your story. Now, I am no mechanic but, if I hadn’t immediately gone into panic mode about how much this was going to cost if it was the a/c compressor or the radiator, I would have seen the problem. A hose disconnected. It’s like when you think you are charging your phone to come and find out the cord has disconnected from the square plug in. You freak out at first and then you find there was no reason to actually lose your mind. Just a small disconnect.

12 “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
–Philippians 4:12-13

Mind Ya Business, Again!

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Working for a non-profit you see all sorts of people. The ones I dislike the most are the ones all up in somebody else’s business. Yes, we currently are accepting applications for a specific assistance and anyone in affected areas are able to apply. But, don’t look at what your neighbor 3 doors down got and assume you’re getting the exact same thing. That isn’t how it works. Don’t come in here like you know the damage they have just because you know their general situation. You yourself told us the story of their daily struggles, which by the way are completely legit struggles. You also said that you were proud of you neighborhood because it recently came together to help this family. So, how dare you stand here acting all nice and empathetic while trying to plant a seed in our minds that THEY cheated the system. YOU. DON’T. KNOW. Even if they did, what’s done is done. We can’t take money back. Like I said, we are a local NON-PROFIT, not the cops. Yes, it sucks if they did cheat the system a little, but it isn’t like they are hooligans that just don’t want to work. They actually need help, and the seasonal weather probably didn’t help matters. Instead of focusing on what your neighbors got, focus on your needs and what you will get.

In no way do I want to seem like I’m condoning cheating the system. However, it isn’t anybody else’s business, so just stay out of it.

“Like one who grabs a stray dog by the ears is someone who rushes into a quarrel not their own.”
— Proverbs 26:19

“And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, 11 and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you,”
— 1 Thessalonians 4:10-11

First Day!!

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Today I dropped my little boy off at school for his first day of Pre-K!! Leading up to this week my mom kept telling me that I need to take pictures and that I would want them later. I agree, I wanted to take pictures. The only problem is that I know my son all too well. I tried getting one of him with his backpack and lunch box and everything. He wanted no part of it. He apparently inherited the same gene as his uncle, my brother. Neither of them will willingly take a picture. If you do get my brother in a picture he is making a funny face. Drives our mother nuts and now, she has a grandson that does the same thing! She even got my son a special shirt for today. It’s a monster truck and it says “I’m ready to crush Pre-K!” Luckily, we were still getting into the car when she walked out to her car. She had to bribe him with a kiss for a picture. The only picture I was able to get was right before we pulled out of our driveway and it was not a friendly face.

Now, he is going to the school my siblings and I all attended as well as our parents, aunts & uncles, and cousins. It is a consolidated school district and the schools that combined were the ones our grandparents attended even. I knew traffic would probably be bad this morning but pulling out of our street was actually fairly easy. Then, we rounded the curve. This is where it gets a little iffy. This curve is famous. Part of the traffic problem is just the way the roads were made. There is a small straight stretch on either side of the curve but you can’t actually see around it. So, you’re cruising along at 45, you take this curve, and you stop. That is right, this is where the traffic is backed up to. Just enough on the other side of the curve that you can’t see the stopped cars. There are always a couple of accidents every year in this exact spot. It is one of those spots where, if you are the last one in line you pray whoever comes around the curve next is paying attention and not flying down this two lane road! The reason this road is backed up is because elementary, middle, and high school buildings are in one place. It’s not an inner city school district. However, to get to the middle school you have to drive through the elementary line, and to get to the elementary you have to drive past the high school line. So on the main street you have the joining of three different drop off/pick up lines.

To say the least, this is going to be a fun year.

Strangers

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“There are no strangers here; Only friends you haven’t yet met.”
— William Butler Yeat

With a boy that loves cars, we have become regulars at the local dirt tracks. I am no stranger to the places. We used to go all the time growing up but fell out of the habit as we got older. One thing is for sure, you will find all types of people there. My observations of these people have made me realize that some of the kindest people are the ones that look the roughest. In particular the ones that look like they may or may not own a shower seem to be the friendliest. My son having the super radar for stranger danger just stares at them. They are usually the ones with a whole family there and the grandpas of the family even try to be nice to him but he is just to leery. Which, I am not complaining about that safety feature that came with him, especially now a days. But, even after spending a couple of hours with this family he still won’t have anything to do with them. At the track a couple of weeks ago, there were popsicles at the concession stand. Every child got one free with admission but then you could also buy them. The family sitting next to us had a boy about my son’s age and they even played together a little. We chatted through the night. When one of the guys offered him a popsicle, nope. Didn’t want any part of that. He had taken the little boy to get a popsicle and he came back with an extra. He offered to us and he just got “the stare”. These weren’t even the roughest looking people really. This past weekend we sat next to another good sized family with the a grandpa figure that did look a little rougher. He tried talking to us and making friends. Offered about $5 to my son for concession stand goodies and he just got “the stare” too. This guy was from out of town and would walk up to the fence to take pictures/videos of the racing. One of those times he found a little police car hot wheel type toy. My son LOVES hot wheels, and he still just gave the stare. The family just put it down on the seat in front of us so that if he changed his mind he could have it. Took maybe all of 5 minutes for him to pick it up. He played with it the rest of the night.

The whole not judging a book by it’s cover could not be more true. Like I said, some of the nicest people look the roughest. The cleanest looking people often seem to be the most rude.

“Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”
Hebrews 13:2

The Joy of Kids

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Growing up you hear “you’re giving me gray hairs”. Now days I’m not the one hearing it but the one thinking it. Yes, I can feel the red fade a little everyday thanks in part to the toddler. This morning I roll my window down and it won’t go back up. The window has done this before…last October. I paid $300 to replace the motor for it. Less than a year and it seems to have happened again. Now, of course I wasn’t in a place to drop what I was doing and head to the shop so I do that thing where you hope, pray, and every 5 minutes just about you try to roll it back up. Of course it doesn’t work and you eventually decide to just accept that something is broken. But you still keep trying the button just in case. After about 10 minutes something actually happens. Low and behold, it goes back up! That is when it hits you. It probably wasn’t the window, rather all the mud/dirt on your window you found this morning. You know how it got there and you knocked the big clots off of it thinking you were good to go, but nope, you needed a little…excitement to get you ready for the day apparently.


For those who are wondering…for the most part we live outside the city so we burn things. Mostly cardboard boxes, pizza boxes, and other such things. Well, trying to be a responsible adult I like to have the water hose on and ready just in case. We have a good nozzle that has the different settings on it but is also easy to use because yes, I let my child play with the water hose. Why not right?! He likes to take his semi and construction trucks outside and play in the mud and wash them off. What I didn’t expect was for him to start picking up mud and slinging it at my car. I wasn’t worried, I could just spray it off when we went inside, which is what I did. I just didn’t get all of it apparently. The actual mud puddle is just on one side so I didn’t think about checking the driver’s side for it too. it wasn’t until after I got him buckled in and walked around to get in the car that I find, my side had been mudded too. All well, no big deal. That is until I need to roll my window down and it doesn’t come back up. By now it wasn’t wet mud, it had dried and was just dirt clots which I knocked off the best I could. Apparently that was just enough for it to get stuck. After the ten minutes of trying, it finally broke loose.

It is times like these when I truly think God has a very special place in heaven for those who teach/take care of children for a living!! Lawd help us!



Into the Future

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If we all had superpowers and could see into the future, life would be just a little bit easier.

Adulting. The hardest part of growing up. No matter what, you are never prepared for adult life. They can try to teach you life skills, make sure you have common sense, teach you the ins and outs of banking, but there as teenagers we just roll our eyes and out the other ear all that wisdom goes. Also, no one can really teach you about the in between times. The crossroads you will most definitely come across. I mean, how do you know which path you are supposed to take. Sometimes it isn’t a complete cross either, instead it is just a fork. Left or right only. The only thing you can count on in times like these is the fact that you don’t know what is further down the road in any direction. You could be choosing the road that ends at the edge of a cliff, which would be good if we had the ability sprout wings and fly whenever we wanted. Unfortunately, people tell you to be cautious and not reckless. They tell you to think about your options and consequences. Well, guess what, all cross roads pretty much end in a leap of faith. Just like jumping into a pool you close your eyes, hold your nose, and you leap. All the while praying your bathing suit doesn’t malfunction. To those who can go under without holding your nose closed….I applaud you. When I try to do that I get that horrible feeling of snorting chlorinated water.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
–Jeremiah 29:11