Day 7 of 30

Whoops.  So I'm not doing so hot at staying on task.... but at least I have my subject matter already picked, eh? 

Day 7 is something I want to buy....


I really want to buy a couch.  When we finished our basement, we moved our couch down to the family room and we have yet to replace it upstairs in the living room.  We have a plethora of chairs, currently.  And I don't think I like any of them.  I guess I'm grateful I have somewhere to sit until we buy that couch.  I even have the one I want picked out.  But we decided to be smart and wait until we had the cash to get them (I'd like the loveseat too...)  So, we're still waiting, thanks ever-so-much to our duplex that keeps sucking money. Dustin tore out a tiled shower today and we'll be replacing that next week.  Some mega-idiot that did the bathroom before we bought it put the tile directly onto the sheetrock on the walls and directly on the wood framing on the bottom pan area.  So, the shower has been leaking and leaking over the years, turning sheetrock to mush and the framing to compost under the tile.  Lovely. 

I'd also like flooring for my living room... and paint, and new windows and new curtains.  And new cabinets for my kitchen, and new flooring... pretty much a whole new upstairs to match our whole new basement.  Wouldn't that be nice?

First Week

This is completely a "for my own records" post, just so I can have it recorded. Therefore, it is, potentially, rather boring. Sorry.


I mentioned that we are keeping Mac at home this year for school. The Idaho Virtual Academy "powered by K12" is our method of choice. In my ideal world, I would be choosing all his curriculum and planning it all myself. But, alas, I know my own limits and that is way more than I feel capable of at this point in my life. And that's o.k. K-12 it is!

We got all our "materials" a week ago today. (At the end of the day, so we didn't use them, we just got them out and looked at them.) We officially "started" on Monday. Monday didn't go so well. If you don't recall, look at my post that day and it will give you an idea of my Monday. That post wasn't entirely about my son or homeschooling, but those two things were the catalyst for a lot of dormant emotions and, to put it nicely, I lost it.

Tuesday wasn't easy, but I was in a better place.

Wednesday was quite good with a few, minor rough spots.

Thursday was good too... I think. I'm starting to blur a little on the details...

Today was long, but should have been short. We didn't have that much to do, but Mac likes to drag his feet and dilly-dally. It makes me crazy-insane, but somehow I've managed (aside from Monday) to keep my head and stay cool. (Go me!) This day had a lot of potential for being totally awful... maybe like Monday... but I chose to be chill and not react (...much. Does slamming my fist on the table and raising my voice count as a reaction? Probably, but I apologized right after and we carried on.)

Thus far he hates Math the most (not so shocking) and he likes Art the best. (not so shocking)

So far, I am pleased with the program. I am pleased that I can just go online and see what we're doing for the day and I don't have to plan. If you recall, planning is not one of my greatest strengths. I think it's good for Mac to be home. Truly. I am happy to see him interact with his little brother.

At this point, I'm happy that Ella has chosen to go to school as well. She loves school (although she loves it a little less since she's the only one who has to get up in the mornings at 7:00 a.m.) and I love watching her do her cute homework. I think I would be totally overwhelmed if they were both home this year. Mac and Ella are often the best of friends, but more often it seems, they antagonize each other and therefore harry their mother endlessly. This transition, I believe, has been infinitely smoother because Mac and Ella are not battling each other or vying for my attention all day. Rohan, in his easy-going manner, is happy to play Legos or sit on my lap while I do things with Mac. Bless that child. And bless Ella for choosing to go to school this year. And bless Mac for his strong will and his consistent, if begrudged efforts. And, if I may be so bold... bless me, too. For something.

So, there's the log for my first week in our new adventure. Pretzel dipping continues as does apartment management (or not... PLEASE let us get a new renter!!!). Also continues the mantaining of a household (to some degree anyway), and continues what would seem the easiest part of my life right now despite the limits it's putting on my wardrobe: baby-growing.

Friday's Fabulous Five

1- Ella asked today, "Where is that rug we have that has roads on it?" I told her. This is one of those rugs that has a whole little town on it complete with a church, hospital, school, police station, etc. It's been put up for about a year since we started remodeling their rooms last August. Frankly I had quite forgotten about it. Ella got it out and, after doing chores, all three kids got all the cars we have, divvied them up and have been playing for a good long while now. I love hearing and observing them using their little imaginations and playing. It is my very very favorite part of being a mother and I wish I still thought playing like that myself was fun.

2- Dustin and I officially scrubbed the last wall yesterday in our duplex. There's still some things to do, but they don't involve cleaning anymore. Well, not really. We had a bit of water damage last winter in a closet from some ice dams on the roof so my dad (bless him a thousand times for his skills) is going to come patch the ceiling and then I have to paint some Kilz on the mold that grew here and there. Then, I will have to repaint the whole closet, which of course is a walk-in closet that is a putrid gray color. But... I don't have to clean anything else. No more gum, no more stuck-on food, no more grease, no more pee in bathrooms! It took seven days of cleaning, but we are done. YAY!

3- I had a really weird dream last night. I had to climb on this mountain to get into this cave and I had to hang on to these staple-ish things that were put into the mountain. The problem was I had to hang upside down and backwards and all sorts of awful contourtions and the staples kept sliding out. I was terrified. I was so glad to wake up in my bed. Beds are so nice to be in when you thought you were on a giant mountain with a 100+ foot drop below you and the staples you were holding keep falling out.

4- Frosted Mini Wheats. Yum.

5- I am looking forward to wearing clothes that are NOT my paint/work clothes. I've worn the same pair of pants since last Wednesday... my cleaning pants. They are not cute and I don't like them. But I don't care if they get dirty so that's why I keep wearing them. But, I'll be glad to wear something else.

Zippity Doo Dah

Good morning! I'm feeling much more cheerful today than I did yesterday. Perhaps that's because after we ate fast food (again) last night I went BACK over to the duplex and cleaned one of the very nastified bathrooms 'til it sparkled! I had been putting off the bathrooms and I dug in and did it last night! I cleaned one bathroom for three hours and it's DONE!!! I'm feeling a light at the end of the other-people's-dirt tunnel and it's made a more chipper girl out of me!

Many thanks to you all for your encouragement yesterday! And many, many, many thanks to Rachel for helping me clean in the kitchen last week and then bringing me cookies and visiting me yesterday! Rachel, my dear, you are such a bright spot in that dirty-but-getting-cleaner-by-the-hour apartment! THANK YOU for bringing sunshine, cookies and conversation! Love ya!!!

Soon I will get to have the arduous task of finding new renters! New, CLEAN renters!

Post-Edit...
I just noticed that there's only one sentence in this whole post that does not end in an exclamation point. Do you think I'm excited?

Lacking Cleverness

No clever post today. No well-thought-out stories. Just checking in to say hi. I've been very busy cleaning at my duplex since Wednesday. Not my favorite thing to do, but something that has to be done.

I've been farming my kids out to various friends and family. I've been completely exhausted each night when I come home. I should be over there right now, but instead I find myself sitting here, still in my pajamas, typing this lackluster post.

I am slightly discouraged, if you cannot tell. I used to be so angry at my ex-tenants, but now I'm more resigned and dutiful. Just do it, Clancy. Get off the computer, drag your kids over there and start scrubbing walls. Again.

See ya later, alligator.

I Heart Landlording

In my landlording "career" I've had many firsts. First time taking someone to small claims court. First time evicting someone. First time confronting recently evicted tenant and letting them know that, no matter how much I like them, they have to get out and get out now because I can no longer foot the bill for their existence. First time having serious destruction (seven broken windows, broken doors, broken yard, broken cashflow, broken heart) of my property by my tenant, who later became eviction #2 for me. First time getting a call... "My fridge/stove/dishwasher/dryer/furnace/brain is broken, can you come fix it?" First time getting a phsycotic text message from my tenant full of curses and threats and general awfulness.

The list could go on for MUCH longer, but I shall stop there. I would like to focus on my most recent first.

Today, my very nice tenant, who's rent was due yesterday which puts them in default today, came over with her son and a kind request. Her twelve-year old son serves as the (semi-lousy) interpreter because he is the only one who speaks English aside from the six and three year old daughters.

They first assured me that rent would be paid either tomorrow or Friday and the request went as follows:

"We need a letter from you." says twelve year old.

"OK, what kind of letter?" I say.

(turns and asks his mother, in Spanish, and turns back to me.) "A letter that says we need to pay."

My eyebrows knit in confusion. "OK, I guess I don't understand."

(more babbling in Spanish) "You know, like a letter saying we need to pay and how much we need to pay."

"Ummm, well, I can just tell you that you need to pay $SUCHandSUCH amount, and there will be $THISMUCH in late fees if you pay after tomorrow and $THISMUCH if you pay on Friday."

(more Spanish, and then a flourish of a piece of paper) "This is what we need."

I look over the piece of paper that he hands me and, aside from seeing that it's a form for some sort of one-time rent assistance, I can't really tell what it is except that it has a bulleted list of required items such as:

• -Copy of rental agreement or contract
• -Landlord name, address and phone number
• -Eviction notice
• -W-9 form filled out by landlord
• -Three month plan and budget
  

I can't recall any more of the 7 or 8 bulleted items, but after reading it several times I point to one of the items and ask the twelve year old, "You need me to give you an eviction notice?" He looks at me, confused, like he hasn't a clue what an eviction notice is. I rephrase, "You want me to give you a paper saying if you don't pay me in three days, then you get kicked out?"

"Yes!" he nods emphatically and babbles something to his mother. She nods too.

"You want me to give you a 3-Day Eviction Notice?" Flabbergasted would be a good way to describe my expression, voice, body language, aura, cosmic field, and energy frequencies...

"Yeah" says the twelve year old.

"Really?"

More nodding and smiling.

"Oooookaaay... I'll just go print it up for you...."

And so I did.

They gave me a "Gracias" and a "Buenas noches, " and they were on their way with their eviction notice in-hand and a few more "Gracias's" for good measure.

Weird.

Opponent

Yesterday, I was so worked up that I had to write away my agitation. I dropped that quick little post and it left you all wondering.

There are times when I write to feel better but don't necessarily want to spill all the secret thrills or pains of my heart, so I write in a cryptic manner and never address it again. Yesterday happened to not be one of those times. I was just in a hurry and had to write quickly leaving no room for explanation. It seems that some of you are interested in who this "opponent, nemesis, arch-rival" is. Elaboration follows...

I had a conversation with one of my tenants yesterday. I won't go into the details, but I had to make a choice about something he did and was expecting payment for without coming to an agreement with us first. It wasn't a right/wrong choice, but more about what was fair. It was hard for me because I felt taken advantage of. I always like to be nice, and, as a result, people walk all over me... or have in the past.

There have been times in my history of landlording where I actually stand up and remove the "Doormat" sign from my back. This was one of those times. I didn't take it. I did what I thought was fair, which meant he didn't get everything he wanted, but neither did I. I came up with a compromise. That's what fair is about, right? Compromise?

Anyway, my opponent wasn't so much the actual person I was talking to on the phone. Rather, it was my own beliefs about myself deserving equity and fairness. My own inner battle over "keeping peace" vs. "standing up for myself". My backbone won, and, now that I got all my cellular-nausea out of my system, I feel fantastic about my choice and my strength. Go me!

The end.


P.S. My Captain Crunch wound is almost all better! *sigh*