A WEEK GOES BY

A week sure seems to go by quickly.

Last Wednesday I took my car in to Saturn and the Maintenance guy couldn't even get the key to turn let alone start the car. I thought it was rather funny since when I called last Monday to make the appointment, they asked if there were any other issues and I stated that sometimes the key did not turn at all. There response to this was "do you turn the steering wheel?" I thought you knuckle heads! That is not the problem but I don't think they believed me until they couldn't get the key to turn either even if you turned the steering wheel HA! Anyway they put in a new coolant sensor and a new key cylinder and a few other things to the turn of $800 plus-as if that was in my budget! The car is running well. If you have your car serviced at Saturn they wash it for you, I sure wished that they vacuumed it out as well. Also I don't know why but every time I drive the car my hands end up smelling like gas or grease. I have washed off the steering wheel, the door handle, the shifter and the keys and still I end up with that smell on my hands.

Last Wednesday we also had a couples counseling appointment. It went OK, but I am still frustrated by how my husband comments on everything, he makes fun of me when I am not feeling well or on the exercise I choose. He is a great help with the housework and yard work but there are still boxes to be sorted in both the garage and the basement that his failure to help me with says to me that he thinks I should just do it myself. It also bothers me that he doesn't want to do a lot as a family and when we do he is really grouchy about it. Like last week when we went to the museum to go trick or treating It was like I had 2 five year olds the way Scott and Bella bicker. He has no patients for her at all. Scott's idea of family time is going to the movie or watching TV together. He seldom reads to Bella and complains constantly if she wants to play one of her games over and over. He complains that story time is not very fun-well it isn't great fun for us as grown-ups but it is really good for our child. My idea of family fun is going for a walk or to the park or library or museum. I like to get outside and I think it is good for Bella.

Our budget is really tight right now and since I am such a worrier I am the one who is stressing out about all this. Our bank just sent us a note and stated that we had too much money in our escrow account and were going to cut us a check. We could use the money but I am sure the bank is wrong on their calculations because we got our real estate tax assessment and our taxes went up and they did not account for that in their calculations. Lucky for us I think our Home owners insurance is cheaper than what they have in their estimate because once we got our electrical updated last fall we got a better rate because we could get our insurance from the same place we get our car insurance. I think we should take the extra money from our escrow account and put it in a separate account somewhere in case we have a short fall next year.

On the exercise front I am still exercising in the mornings 29 day and counting. However i have only lost a couple of pounds. I am going to try and cut calories as well in November and increase the workouts as well.

Bella had a pretty good week of school last week as she had 3 days with no time outs and the teacher sent home a good note to us. We are pleased with that. She was not very good at the sitters however on Friday as Karshon said she wasn't listening. She slept over 12 hours Friday night so I had hoped she would be better on Saturday. Boy was I wrong! We took her to see the Pet Costume contest. She loves dogs and cats and evidently bunnies and rats too. She had a great time but keeping track of her was hard as she would wonder off to look at something. Then I put her tail on her with the harness and she was constantly pulling on it and whining about it. After the pet costume contest we went out to lunch at the Golden Coral-Grandma and Carl go there all the time, but not on Saturday at lunch and we now know why. It is expensive and the price does not include your drink. It was OK for that type of meal but too expensive. The worst part was after paying $17+ Bella had a absolutely tremendous fit! I have never seen her this bad-Crying and whining and laying on the floor all because she had to sit next to me instead of Grandma. I should have just taken her home! She did straighten up and ate but would still not stay in her chair and she smeared Jello all over her face! We had to stop on the way home to get her friend Colin a birthday present and she was obnoxious at the store. touching things and talking and saying inappropriate things! I was exasperated. When she got home she did several consecutive time outs. I would put her in the corner for 5 minutes for one offense then let her get up and then we would talk about her behavior and she would get another time out. Then she had supper and a bath and we sat down and wrote a list of what she needed to do between Sat night and Sunday afternoon if she wanted to go to Colin's birthday party and then I sent her to bed. She did really well at accomplishing her list including calling Grandma and Carl and apologizing for her behavior on Saturday. I did let her go to Colin's party at the Discovery Center and she behaved well and had a nice time even though she got a sliver in her hand. We raked part of our yard when we got home.

Bears lose and the Packers play Monday night Football this week. I have no time for TV tonight. Scott is going to get Bella started on supper early so we can carve our pumpkins tonight and hopefully still make it to story time. We will see. I spoke to Scott a little bit ago and he said he got her sliver out. She was crying and wanted a band aid, Scott is yelling at her. He needs to show a little more patients and compassion in dealing with her. Once I came home and she was sitting at the table with her head down almost asleep and Scott was complaining she wasn't eating and Bella was claiming her tummy hurt and he is expecting her to eat a taco. Who gives a child a taco when they are complaining that their stomach hurts? It wasn't logical and it wasn't compassionate and then he wonders why she prefers me to him-I would to!

Last Tuesday when we went to swimming lessons we got there and somehow had lost the suit out of the swim bag, Bella is wailing because she can't go to swimming lessons so I bought her a new suit there. $28 for a kids swim suit-she better wear it for awhile.

This week is shaping up to be busy as well as I have already stated tonight's plans, plus swim lessons and Woodman's shopping on Tuesday, Bella has a dentist appointment Wednesday morning and trick or treating on Wednesday night-plus a party at school. Thursday we have no real plans but Friday I am off work and Scott is going to an all day respiratory conference and I have a dentist appointment and I need to get ready for the all day scrap I am going to on Saturday. And the best news of all my policy project is coming to an end, it will go live on the intranet where I work on the 6Th so I have roll out meetings scheduled this week. I am sure once it goes live we will get lots of phone calls especially since we are missing about 130 nursing policies. I have been on this project since late May and will be glad when this phase is over. The actually maintaining of the data base will never end but I am anticipating that it will get easier.

Wow that is a lot of information. I know I started this blog thinking I would write more often and about more weighty stuff like what I am thinking and feeling and how successful or not the battle of the bulge is, maybe soon. I know I have some faith ideas I would like to share. until then have a great day!