I spend many of them sleeping. I admit it. Probably too many- but I feel so much better after a Friday & a Saturday morning in bed until 10:30 or 11.

It is COLD here in VA today, I’m ready to go back to bed or for spring to be here already. I know, winter hasn’t even begun yet, but I hate the cold.

It would help if I had normal heat- we finally filled the kerosene heater for the first time Thursday night. It didn’t explode, which is what I was worried about (that happened to someone last year & now I worry every time I light it) It would also help if the ceiling fan in the Dinning room worked- that would help distribute the heat from the heater around the house a little better- but though the light works, the fan part died in October of the first year we were here.

It tickles me to be able to say ‘the first year we were here’ because we’re up to 2 & ½ years now & I’m really thrilled about it. I don’t particularly want to live here for the rest of my life, or even the 27 & ½ years left on the mortgage, but I could do so if I had to.

My 11 year old received an email from my ex’s new wife, it featured pictures of their son’s third birthday. I am pleased that 11 didn’t say a word about the fact that neither she or her brother ever received so much as a card from them for their birthdays for the past 4 years.

I, however, am really angry that she would send these pictures, showing the 3 year old with a store bought Sponge Bob cake, an electronic drum set & a flashy new tricycle, to my daughter. I mean, they can afford to spend that kind of money on him but not send my kids even a card? For heavens sake, when miss 11 turned 4 he bought her a used bike with training wheels which is all she had until his aunt & uncle bought both of them bikes in 2004 for Christmas.

I don’t fuss too much about the whole no child support thing most of the time. My goal, when we weren’t getting any money for years on end, (Mid 2001 to May 2005) Was to be self sufficient, I wanted to be able to manage my finances without help. Of course I did better than that, I bought a house, on my own. Just at the same time I was going to buy the house the state finally caught up with the ex & took his taxes, for 18 months it all went well & we got some money each month, when he left the military it got a lot less steady & he’s up to owing $2000+ again.

I can make it without the child support, just as I strove to do back in the really lean years, but it’s a sight more comfortable for all of us when there is the extra money. It means the difference between the kids having plenty of clothes, sneakers etc. & having 1 pair of sneakers, 1 coat & 4 or 5 pairs of pants. I still buy everything at Goodwill & our major Local Children’s resale shop Once Upon a Child. But I can buy more when I have child support coming in.

We did our usual every other Friday shopping trip last night, beginning with 11 & 7 getting to pick out dinner from a local place to share with 17’s friend who babysat them for this trip. They weren’t happy about it but we rented Ratatouille  & I got them chips & a bottle of soda, also to share with V who was our babysitter for the evening. It was a half day so they arrived home at noon, just as it began to rain. We ran the early errands & arrived back at home about 10 minutes after 17, V & her other friend A got off the bus.

We left pretty quickly afterwards & 17 played a co-worker’s CD of Spike Jones Greatest hits for A who had never heard of him. (17 only just heard about him, from me, 2 weeks ago when I borrowed the CD from a co-worker My father was a big fan of Spike Jones & played his albums for my brother & I growing up so when I heard there was a greatest hits compilation I had to borrow it for the kids to hear)

We went to C’Burg & our first stop (after the bank to get money) was the DMV, 17 took her learners permit test & passed (third time pays for all) I was very relieved because if 17 is in a bad mood, no one will be happy around her- she sees to that.

We did a few other errands & at 3:45 met 17’s BF at our favorite Mexican restaurant, El Gran Rodeo They were surprisingly quiet considering it was a Friday night, though it was picking up considerably when we were on our way out. The Guacamole was as good as ever & everyone was pleased enough with their entrees that we didn’t even have any food to take home.

We had to take 17’s friend A to meet her parents at a furniture store at 6 & it was still an hour too early so we went to the mall. I avoid malls for the most part but I needed to go there to get a new clip to hold my hair off of my face, I had broken the one I’d been using regularly (the last of 3 I liked a lot- all broke within 3 weeks of each other) on Wednesday at work. I got 2 clips at Claires & was ready to go but 17, the BF & A had all scattered throughout the mall, I found 17 & A in Spencers & was told I ‘had’ to come to Hot Topic because I admitted I’d never actually entered the store before.

I was amused to find that it’s like Newbury Comix lite & both of them are basically rip offs of the 1980’s rock shop, my brother & I used to go to one in Brockton MA called “Rock Heaven” & a trip to Boston was not complete without a stop at “Stairway to Heaven” Of course, I’m old enough, & have enough older friends & family to know that they’re all just rip offs of the 60’s era Head Shop stores with more focus on the rock shirts, stickers & chains etc & less on the pipes & incense.

I actually bought a shirt, they were having a clearance sale in which the marked down price was cut in half again & I got a Led Zeppelin shirt for $5. 17 however, finally found something to put her in a funk (it’s like she’d rather be angry & sulky rather than happy & cheerful) She found a shirt that she really wanted & the largest sized one they had was a large, no extra large & certainly no xx or 3x, (my shirt is 3x) she tried the large on just in case & it didn’t fit. So we got to hear alot of surly comments about dieting & never eating again etc. (Very easy to say when you’ve just eaten the ‘Hokie special’ & helped polish off 4 baskets of tortilla chips with red & white salsa & guacamole!)

We took A to the furniture store, where they were going to be picking out a couch for her to take to college, myself, if I had the money to buy couches I’d replace my home couch & give the kid going to college my old one. 17 & the BF & I went on to Walmart to do the grocery shopping. They went off on their own & I shopped by myself for once, I remember now why I used to go after work to do a lot of the shopping, no one asking for this that or the other thing, no fighting & no running in the aisles. (them not me)

I am, however, much less tolerant of kids when my own are not present. I wouldn’t get rude with any parent having trouble with their kids but I do tend to head the other way if there is a large group of kids in an aisle. The grocery shopping was depressing, it was nice to have some extra money this week to be able to stock up but I didn’t feel like it should have cost so much. There were entirely too many things which were a dime or more more expensive than they were just last week.

We finished in near record time & left with it still raining. A word about the car here, it runs just fine, same as ever, but when I go up a hill, the lack of a trunk latch is made apparent by the car’s lights coming on, the trunk light on the dash going on & the warning bells ringing in the car, it is every hill & on the occasional down one hill up the next type road pattern, plus of course, the occasional large bump in the road- everyone is thoroughly sick of the whole thing & yet I have forgotten consistently to call anyone to make an appointment to have the car checked out & an estimate done.

We were home before 8:30. The kids helped with the unloading of the car & were fairly well satisfied with the things I bought them, they had been insultingly concerned that I might not be able to find Pop Tarts & Honey Bunches of Oats cereal for them without their help- Needless to say, I managed.

After the groceries were put away & 8 sent to bed, 17 her BF & I settled down to check out the other movie I’d rented, Disturbia. We had not even gotten past the previews when 11, who was supposed to be getting ready for bed but had decided to put the shampoo, toilet paper etc. away, began screaming.

We went running to the bathroom to find water pouring out of the under the sink cabinet. 11 had been trying to shove the new rolls of toilet paper under the sink & it had snapped the hot water pipe (we have those 3/4 inch circumference pipes under the sink & this one had obviously seen better days) 17’s BF – the only one with shoes on- was sent to the basement to turn off the water & I caught as much of the water as I could with a cup & a bucket we had in the bathroom & dumped the water into the tub to keep it off the floor.

We used a bunch of towels to dry it up & today I had to go out & get a joiner pipe & some cement (which I then couldn’t open, Mr 8 ended up prying the lid off of it with a screwdriver) & sawing off the old join, cementing the new one in & I’m now waiting for 7:30 when it will be set for 4 hours (the directions said at least 2) so I can take a shower.

Today has been uneventful, 11 & 8 went with me to town to get a few forgotten & unavailable at Walmart – type items from last night’s shopping trip & to spend their own money at the dollar store. I’ve glued the pipe, read a little & made dinner. 17 & the BF are at a friend’s house playing D&D again. I’m looking forward to a quiet though cold evening at home watching TV shows I didn’t get to see this week because I was at work.