The Time I Thought My House Was Going to Burn Down.

*warning: long post ahead…

I’ve been MIA, but I have a good reason.

Ready for a story?

It was Sunday morning.  I’m sipping my cup of joe while reading some of my bloggy favorites.  As I peruse other sites I check the time.  630am, time to get some work in.  I work until the radicals get up and that’s my cue to start breakfast.  *side note: I’m constantly multi-tasking throughout the day so I leave my programs up and running thinking that I’ll get to squeeze in some work (or maybe play).

I’m using the microwave to heat up radical #1’s breakfast and POP!  “what the hell was that?” I sort of screamed.  “oh crap, the outlet is smoking!” I screamed to the mister.  I’m in a full force panic by now because there’s smoke and a weird buzzing sound. 

“sh*t! why is the stereo smoking?” the mister says to me to which I responded “beats the sh*t outta me!?!”  did I mention that the stereo is plugged into a different wall?   “get it! get it!” still screaming at the mister.  “get what?  calm down!” the mister says.  “what is that sound?” the mister asks me.  “what sound?” I reply.  The mister runs to the living room and the ceiling fans are going like 100 mph.  okay, maybe not 100 mph but it was going faster than I’ve ever seen it go.  I’m still panicking which got the mister panicking and he runs downstairs to turn off the main switch to the power. 

I will admit that when I panic, all my common sense is lost.  I’m so thankful the mister was home because god knows that I would have never thought of turning off the main switch if I was home by myself.  The mister tells me he’s going to call tony (the half-butt electrician) and I tell him “NO, you are going to call a real electrician!” to which he replied “hello?!?  It’s Sunday, electricians don’t work on Sunday!”  If you can recall my electrician post a few weeks back, I started in on the mister with how this wouldn’t have happened if we called an electrician in the first place to check everything out thoroughly and this wouldn’t have happened if he just listened to me and I went on and on and on.  I win. 

The mister calls a real electrician and explains to him what just went down.  The electrician says “oh crap you lost your neutral.  Turn off the main switch and I’ll be right there.” Although it was Sunday and we called him in the middle of football, he came.  He came because what just happened is not good and it can’t wait until the next day.  God bless his heart. 

I was so overwhelmed with happiness and thankfulness and I told the mister I feel like we should bake him some cookies or something.  Oh wait.  We have no electric.  Scratch that idea jenn and think of something else.

 As we’re waiting for marty (the electrician) to come I think about my computer.  I know, how selfish of me to think about a computer when our house could have burned down but just stay with me.  I was hoping that it didn’t go kaput on me because I was in the middle of work and didn’t save anything.  I put it to the back of my brain and told myself to deal with it later. 

Marty finally comes and the poor guy was here all day.  I could hear him mumble to himself stuff like “your electrical wiring is weird”, “I’m getting weird numbers”, “I don’t understand why it’s doing that”, “all this stuff is old”, or “this is just weird!”  I watched him run around the upstairs, under the house, and on the roof.  He said something about our electrical panel being old and corroded and it needed to be replaced. At the end of the day he decided to call helco so they can come and check out their lines.  Mr. helco comes, checks it out, brings out his chainsaw and goes at it with our avocado tree.  Mr. helco was thinking that maybe the growth over the lines from the tree contributed to the madness.  Poor tree. 

Marty and mr. helco are talking electrical talk which is gibberish to me but they do a temporary fix.  Hooray, we can take a shower!  I check my computer and I get nothing.  The darn thing won’t turn on.  Awesome.

So after 1200 plus buckaroos, a fried computer, tv, and phone I am slowly getting my house back together.  Hopefully the insurance will cover some of it.  I finally broke down and bought a new phone yesterday and I also got my computer back.  The parentals feel bad that the radicals have no tv so they are bringing one for them this weekend.  I have to say I got a lot of other stuff done that has been calling my name forever.  And the radicals have been functioning very well without a tv.  I can’t say the same for the mister though.  As for me, I’m glad to have my computer back and it got me thinking to invest in a laptop.  I need one after hearing my mom’s heart jump out of her body and plop on the floor when I told her my computer was dead.  She was thankful that we were all okay but I got her stressing out with half a week lost of no work.  Don’t worry mom, work will be done and all will be well. 

Even though I shouldn’t be, I’m still paranoid.  It’ll take a while for the paranoia to go away.  I find myself going around the house checking outlets and sniffing around for smoke.  I unplug everything that is not being used.  I jump at every sound that sounds like a pop!  I’m afraid to vacuum and I still refuse to use the microwave.  That thing has forever traumatized me.

Happy Hump Day Thursday!  Haha.  I think the power outage has fried my brain too…

jenn

Patience Really Does Pay Off.

I’m patient and impatient at the same time, if that makes sense.  Haha.  When it comes to me, I’m patient.  I’m willing to put off what I want to do or get something I need.  I like to look at it as putting others wants and needs before mine.  I can give you tons of examples but that’s not for this post.  When it comes to other people (the radicals, the mister, family, friends, and complete strangers), I’m very impatient.  If I’m going to do something, it needs to be done right then and there.  It makes me cringe to do a little at a time.  I know it’s ridiculous and I’ll get over it.  I’ll try to save the world one  day at a time.  So anyway, one of my projects was to create the radicals a play area since they don’t have a room of their very own.  The first things to get were an activity table and some kind of organizing thing.  Thanks to pinterest and my fellow bloggers I had all kinds of ideas.

I came across a lot of activity tables online but most of them were out of my budget.  Although they were cute, I just couldn’t afford it.  We went home one weekend and I was on a mission to have all furniture by the time the weekend was over.  While browsing through target for some organizers, I stumble upon an activity table.  It was the cutest thing ever, just the right size I was looking for, and the color was right up my alley.  But, because there’s always a but, the price was 100 bucks, just for the table!  I found the matching chairs which were separate (weird but whatev) and they were 50 something bucks.  I wanted to get it because I’m an impatient person and just wanted this play area to be done but that means I would be shelling out 250 bucks that day.  Judge if you will but the guilt was setting in. 

I was willing to invest dinero in the activity table because after all, it’s supposed to last for 3+ years but I had a feeling that I could get a better deal somewhere else or maybe something else that comes in a set.  Yeah, my budget was no more than 250 bucks but with that 250 bucks I was hoping to get something more.  Like maybe 4 chairs instead of 2?  So I decided to wait and look somewhere else.  Where was that somewhere else?  I don’t know. 

I told the mister about my find at target and he told me I should have just got it.  Ugh.  Mission half accomplished.  I don’t know about you but I don’t like to see a space halfway done.  I know, I know…have patience. 

A week later I decide to look at target online and what do I find?!?  I find the exact table on clearance for $35.  SCORE!!  Sold, I’ll take it.  I look to see if I can find the chairs and they were on sale for $45.  SCORE again!  As I proceed to check out I’m reminded of the shipping.  Darn shipping!  I delete the chairs from my shopping cart and decide to just get the table.  $35 plus $30 in shipping is cheaper than $100, right?  Right but something was telling me to wait.  So I wait. 

A few weeks go by and my mom calls to ask if I ordered the radicals table.  No, no I did not.  I was guessing I should get on it just in case the clearance was no longer a clearance.  I’m back online at target, the table is still on clearance, and I decide to look at the chairs again.  Still on sale so I tell myself to suck it up (because too much time has passed) and get it. 

Proceed to check out and guess what I see?  I see a note (a note that wasn’t there before) that the two items I am about to purchase is….eligible for FREE SHIPPING!!!  No effing way!  Sold and sold.  Get it, get it now or forever hold your peace jenn!  So I scored the table and chairs for 80 bucks!  And I just received the chairs yesterday and the table is on its way.  I couldn’t have been anymore stoked.  So you see my friends, I learned a very valuable lesson.  Be patient and good things will come.  But I’m sure y’all knew that. 

Have an awesome Friday!!

jenn

Prankster.

I mentioned the prank caller yesterday and said I would be back to post about it tomorrow which is today.  So here it goes…

I woke up to my phone ringing at 530am.  Panic sets in if my phone rings in the wee hours of the morning or late at night.  Weird, I know.  So I jump out of bed in a panic, run to the phone, and answer.  The caller is whispering something that I couldn’t understand let alone hear.  At one point I thought I heard them say to hang up the phone or to put down the phone.  So I say in the loudest voice possible (at 530am, haha) “you need to speak louder because I can’t hear you!” 

The mister comes out asks me what was going on and yelling at me to hang up the phone all while I’m trying to stretch my ear drum to hear this person.  The grumpy mister tells me to hang up and he goes back to bed.  Less than a minute later the person calls back and they are still whispering.  I say to the person “if you’re not going to speak louder, then stop calling because I CAN’T HEAR YOU!”  click. 

The phone immediately starts ringing.  It’s the same whispering person and this time I swear they were saying to hang up the phone to which I replied “WELL I WOULD HANG UP BUT YOU KEEP CALLING!”  click.  Phone rings again and this time I keep it on speaker hoping that they would start talking instead of whispering.  Nothing.  So I go about my business while the phone is still on and then I start to freak myself out. 

 See, I think I watch too much law & order, csi, and criminal minds because I thought that maybe they were tapping my phone, tracking me down, and coming to kill or kidnap me.  And then I got even more freaked out because it was still dark and the mister had to work that day and I didn’t want to be alone just in case something were to happen.  A little dramatic, I know but it could happen.  So I hang up the phone and this person called back three more times! 

The mister finally had enough, asked me why in the world am I wasting my time with this person at 530 in the morning, and unplugged the phone.  I told him about my paranoia and how I was sad that he had to go to work.  He gave me the ‘you watch too much crime shows’ look and asked if I wanted him to tell the guys he couldn’t come to work today because I’m paranoid.  Haha.  No honey, you go on your merry way and I’ll do my best to fend off any crazy people. 

So that was my morning full of weird phone calls.  In the past I’ve had calls during the day but at 530am?  Weird.  I didn’t think people would get their thrills that way early in the morning.  Or it could have been someone tapping my phone or possibly I got caught in the middle of a super secret mission going down over the phone and that’s why they were telling me to hang up the phone!  Yeah jenn, I’m sure that last one was what it was…I hope y’all had a beautiful day!  

jenn

One of those days.

Yesterday was just one of those days.  One of those days where I wanted to lock myself in a closet or room or gauge my eyes out.  or maybe wear ear muffs so I couldn’t hear the screaming and wear a bubble to defend myself from the radicals.

The day started with me waking up refreshed and motivated ready to tackle my to-do list.  I was also hoping to get some projects done.  Then it happened and all motivation was lost.  The kiddos woke up and all hell broke loose.  I guess they woke up on the wrong side of the bed because all I heard was screaming and whining.  Little man #1 decided to whine every single word that came out of his little mouth and little man #2 decided that he would do some whining too.  Breakfast was a disaster with food all over the floor and a bridge built out of spam going across the table.  Normally I’m fine with food building but not when they are fighting and food is flying everywhere.  More whining started because little man #1 wanted little man #2 to smell his feet.  When the feet smelling didn’t happen they decided to chase each other around the kitchen while letting out ear piercing screams. 

The fighting over toys broke out and I reminded myself to stay calm and handle it in an adult manner.  That didn’t happen and I found myself screaming at my kiddos, taking the toys away, and sending both of them to time out.  Little man #1 thought I was kidding with time out and wandered back to the living room.  When I told him to get back in time out he screamed at me “too bad!”  oh my word.  Did my three year old just backtalk me?  Although I wanted to spank reach out and touch him, I put him back in time out where he cried and pleaded that he was sorry. 

The screaming and whining went on for the rest of the day.  I got an occasional head butt, had to dodge flying toys, and break up fights that seemed to go on every 10 minutes.  I know I’m supposed to teach them to be kind and share and all that stuff but today I just wasn’t in the mood.  My patience ran and hid after an hour of the radicals’ chaos. 

They hadn’t napped at all and as I was cooking dinner I was praying that it would cook a little faster so I could get them fed and to bed.  I was annoyed and exhausted.  I found myself zoning out during dinner and the mister asked how my day was.  My response?  “today was a day I would have traded my “work” for your work.”  Did I mention the mister does masonry for a living?  Anyway, a shower was my excuse to be alone in silence and I ended up locking myself in my room until the kiddos went to sleep.  Just for the record because I don’t need cps to come knocking on my door, the kiddos were supervised by the mister while I was locked in my room.  Wait, if cps came yesterday I would have handed them over.  Okay totally kidding.  I love my kiddos but there are days like yesterday where they drive me absolutely insane.

But today is a new day and we will be making it a good day despite the prank calls that I’ve been receiving since 530am.  People are weird and I don’t understand why they get their kicks off of that kind of thing.  More on that tomorrow though.

Until then,

jenn

Do All Little Boys Act This Way?

Do all little boys have a streak of craziness here and there?  A streak of craziness that comes after they’ve displayed civilized behavior?  When they display this civilized behavior I feel like a great mom.  I feel like I’m doing my best and raising my sweet little boys to be civilized people.

Little Man #1 is almost completely potty trained.  We’re almost there.  He knows when he has to go, he’s goes in the toilet, and he knows to wash his hands when he’s done.  I only say he’s almost there because sometimes he gets lazy and he’ll just go where ever he’s at.  Like in the living room because he’s too busy playing or coloring.  Ugh.

Anyway, when he does make it to the bathroom he knows to leave the door open so I can hear him to make sure he’s not up to no good.  On occasion Little Man #2 will tag along to see what this potty stuff is about.  Well yesterday, I was told by Little Man #1 that he needed to go potty and I responded with “okay, go for it and make sure you wash your hands when you’re done!”  “Okay mom!”  Little Man #1 said.

Of course I was in the middle of doing something when this all went down and I didn’t realize that Little Man #2 decided to go with.  I hear the toilet flush and I wait to hear the sink faucet turn on.  I don’t hear anything but I figure he’s just moving a little slow.  I wait.  I hear splashing.  Okay, he’s washing his hands a little more vigorously than normal.  Fine.  Didn’t think much of it.  Then I hear Little Man #1 say “c’mon brother, wash your hands.  Like this.”  I hear more splashing.  Red alert, red alert: Little Man #2 can’t reach the bathroom sink.  I walk in the bathroom and it was a sight for sore eyes.  My once civilized little people were washing their hands in the toilet! 

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?” was the only words that would come out and Little Man #1 kindly responded with an angelic look on his face “we washing our hands mom!”  Ugh, for the love of goat cheese!  Are you serious?  This is totally new.  Not once did he show any sign of thinking the toilet was a place to wash his hands.  And when he does bizarre things like this, I go back to feeling like a totally mommy failure.  What am I doing wrong?  Or am I over-reacting because he’s only 3?

But now that I think about it I can’t help but laugh and I’m eagerly (total sarcasm) waiting to see what’s in store for me next.

Happy Wednesday!

jenn