Weekend over--nothing done

It's Sunday evening, and I never made it to the electronics store to look for a new TV or computer. Maybe I'll get there during the week.

I've spent a lot of the day answering the telephone. We an ad in the paper to rent put our little bungalow that gets broken into by vandals. I would say that in one day, this ad generated more phone calls than anything else we've tried to rent. I don't know if there are more people interested in that part of town, renting a two bedroom as opposed to a three-bedroom like our other places, or simply that the price was $650/month, which is $100 lower than anything else we've asked for in the past since they were all three bedrooms.

Now we'll see how many of these calls actually pan out. I've scheduled four appointments already for Mr. K for Wednesday evening. The most I've ever scheduled on one day before is five, and that took me a couple days I've got four now the day the ad run. The day I scheduled the five appointments, no one bothered to show up. One person I had even spoken to 30 minutes before the appointment, and she had assured me she'd show up.

So, it really I can't get all that excited about having so many appointments set up. I'd guess one in four of them will bother to show. At our other places, I've scheduled them 15 minutes apart. This place is so small, I've put them 10 minutes apart.

I had one lady on the phone today who said she could only get together the $650 for the first month's rent, and couldn't get me the $650 security deposit until April 11. She was very disappointed when I told her we couldn't give her the key until she gave us $1300. She said she'd keep calling until she found someone who'd give her the key for just the first month's rent. What happens with people like that is that they never come up with the extra $650, and then they don't pay the rent for the following month. It takes at least two to three months to evict them, so they end up getting four or five months rent for the price of one, and if they damage anything, you have no money to cover it. A lot of people do this, living with friends or family between apartments.

I'm such a cynic, but it's so true. The deck is stacked against landlords. I don't understand why they can't be evicted the day after they pay no rent if you want, but our laws do everything possible to protect the deadbeat renter.

Spring

We had lovely spring-like weather today. I have lots of tulips in bloom. My sweet cherry has started to bloom. The kids and I tossed a frisbee around this evening.

Mr. K loudly decided we must get a new computer because this one is too slow from start-up to checking his e-mail. I'll probably go to Best Buy this weekend. Probably I'll pay someone to set the new one up and move all my stuff over. Mr. K is unwilling to have the computer down entirely for several days if I screw stuff up, and he's probably won't watch the kids to allow me to set the new one up in peace if it takes me hours. I'm quite worried about my old printer and my camera working with Windows Vista, along with a lot of my software. I couldn't find any Vista printer drivers online for my old Lexmark.

I'm also going to look for a new 19" high definition television when I'm at Best Buy. Our old one is truly on it's last leg. I turn it on with the volume or channel up/down buttons, and I turn it off by unplugging it. Sometimes it takes several minutes to get the picture to appear, like an old tube TV (which it's not). Reception is horrid, but I'm hoping we'll be able to pick up the digital signals.

Tomorrow is the last weekday of the kids' spring break. We are driving each other crazy. They're begging for fast food lunch tomorrow. I might give in.

Not much of one

The kids are home with me for the week since it's spring break. They fight so much that it's getting old fast, but K is glad to have them home all day with her.

We dropped my tax information off at the accountant's this morning. Hopefully I won't owe anything this year. Last year we owed enough that the accountant personally called to talk to me. Yikes!

I got a call from the neighborhood association for the neighborhood down the road from my (just the other side of the creek). They needed more information to process my pool/tennis membership. For $340, I've paid for our family to join the pool and gain use of the tennis courts. No one plays tennis, so that does us no good, but I finally decided N and J are old enough that I wouldn't need to watch them like a hawk at a pool so I can keep my eyes on K. We've never joined before because I was too afraid of the kids' behavior. I think the pool opens Memorial Day weekend and closes Labor Day weekend. One doesn't have to live in the neighborhood proper to join. I don't. We'll see how it goes. I think mornings are tied up with swim team stuff and lessons, but afternoon through early evening the pool is open for play. I sunburn so badly (as do the kids) that I'm not sure this is a good idea.

We went to an Easter egg hunt yesterday at the grandparents of a friend of N and J's. Their mom is the lady who watched K while I bra shopped. One of her sons is in N's grade at his school, and her youngest child is in J's kindergarten class and is her "best friend." There were lots of kids at the egg hunt, and I got to meet the uncles of N and J's friend. One is a city police officer. I could tell which one he was by his size, haircut, and how he carried himself.

Anotheruncle is a photographer for the local newspaper. He was easy to identify by the huge, expensive camera equipment he had with him. I had to ask him about a picture he took at the "Festival of Lights" at a local garden around Christmas that made the paper. I had tried similar shots the same evening, and mine were disasters. The flash overwhelmed the fact that the place was a mass of Christmas lights, and with no flash, all I got was colored blobs against a black background. I wondered if he had just used a camera with fast film. Nope. All his work is digital, and he just knows how to make the camera do what he wanted without the flash. I'm sure it helps that his camera is so fancy, but I wouldn't even know what to do with his camera. I can barely figure mine out. Maybe if I knew mine better, I could have got the shot. I don't know. Anyway, it was exciting to meet a photographer for the paper, but I'm sure Brilly's not impressed ;).

Happy Birthday, Nick!

It's N's eighth birthday. He's had his cake and presents already. We're just waiting for K to get up from her nap so we can go to IHOP (International House of Pancakes) for his birthday dinner. Mr. K and I don't like that place because the food is awful. N and J love it.

When my mom was here, we went to a burger place called Five Guys. Here is a link to their menu. http://www.fiveguys.com/menu.html Mostly they serve burgers, hot dogs, and fries. I think I might have had the best burger of my life there. It was great! It's also the kind of place with an open bin of peanuts, and you can drop the shells on the floor. They come by and sweep a lot. Too bad N doesn't like burgers or I'd push him to go there for his birthday. It's so casual it doesn't matter if K throws a little food the way it did when my mom and I lunched at a Vietnamese restaurant. The food was good there, but K was a disaster.

We fished for a little while this afternoon. We got some worms from the yard and then walked down to the creek with the worms and our poles. We caught lots of little bluegills and sunfish and let them go. I caught one tiny large-mouth bass and let it go. I love to go fishing.

Kids Home

I've got all the kids home with me today and all of next week. It's spring break at school.

Yesterday when we were waiting for the bus, K dragged out an old backpack J gave her, which was almost as big as K, and she seemed to think she was then going to be able to get on the bus with N and J. She was sadly disappointed when I didn't let her go to the bus with them. She grabbed her backpack again this morning, hoping I had changed my mind, I guess. We were finally able to talk her out of it by convincing her that N and J wouldn't be getting on the bus today.

We've been to the gym this morning. Then we had to go to the office, the bank, and the gas station. We found Mr. K at the gas station, putting air into the tires of his truck. N and J were very impressed with that. We've never run into him before anywhere but the office.

N's birthday is tomorrow. While the kids had their last day of school yesterday, I was able to run out and pick up some presents for him. Tonight after the kids are in bed, Mr. K and I will have to get the presents wrapped.

N got screened in math and English for the school's gifted program. I just got the letter with the results this week, and he qualified in both areas. I have three options. One is to do nothing. Two is to put him in a different elementary school that is geared for gifted children. Three is to keep him at his school, but have him put part time in cluster groups with other kids who qualify as gifted but choose to remain at their regular school.

My preference was the third choice, partly for the convenience of having both kids at the same school close to here, and partly because I know N, and he's shy and wouldn't want to leave all his friends and have to go make new ones. I left it up to him, and he wants to stay where he is, but do the gifted stuff at his school. If he had really wanted to change schools, I would have signed him up to do that. What he said about that is, "They'll expect me to work too hard there." He's probably right about that, too.

The Vacuum Cleaner Dilemma Resolved

When my mom came, she brought with her a copy of Consumer Reports magazine with a recent vacuum cleaner rating. We went to Sears and got me the top-rated upright vacuum cleaner. It has a bag. After my horrid experience with my new bagless vacuum, I wanted very badly to go back to a vacuum cleaner with a bag. I've used it, and it seems fine. I demonstrated the new bagless Eureka Altima I bought a couple months or so ago, and she was shocked that I wasn't joking about needing to sweep the floor with a broom after it was done. It is the most worthless vacuum cleaner I have ever seen, and next time we only have the supercan out waiting for trash pick-up, I'll put that piece of junk out next to the supercan for pickup.

Also in her Consumer Reports magazine was an article and ratings for dishwashers. I no longer remember which one I got, but in reading the article, I saw that they are supposed to run a lot longer than they used to because they are more water-efficient now than older ones. That my new dishwasher runs for two hours to complete a load is normal and not really that long. My old one could wrap it up in less than an hour, but I guess it was a water hog.

Mom is gone

K and I took my mom to the airport this morning and dropped her off for her flight home. I miss her. I think my kids, especially N, were driving her nuts and she'll be glad to get home. I wish I could join her ;).

K and I went to the gym. Except for Monday when she was asleep in my mom's arms when it was time to go to the gym, I've been taking her to the child care at the gym when I go instead of leaving her with my mom so she' wouldn't get out of the habit. She's been having a lot of separation anxiety lately.

Spring is almost here. It starts tomorrow. A lot of my plants are starting to leaf out or bloom. We seem to have a pair of pileated woodpeckers (think Woody Woodpecker) nesting in the area. I hear them a lot and see them once in a while. They're very shy.

J's kindergarten play was last evening. She was clutching her crotch most of the time, and we were so scared she had to pee and might do in on stage in front of everyone. She barely did any of the songs with the other kids. I bugged the principal, but there was no way to get her attention to see without interrupting the play. It turns out she didn't have to go so we don't know why she kept clutching herself and not participating. The good thing is we left K home with my mom while we saw the play, so we didn't have a fussy baby to deal with.

N's birthday is Saturday, and I only have one thing for him. I need to get shopping tomorrow.

Mom is coming

My mom's plane gets in around noon tomorrow. K and I will go to the airport to pick her up. She'll stay in my livingroom on my hide-a-bed loveseat. It's not very private, but at least it is a real mattress. Before I had kids, the girls' room was my guest room. That was long ago. Once the kids grow up and get their own homes, that room will be my guest room again.

My cleaning in honor of my mom is barely started. Since K won't nap anymore, I really don't get a chance to clean anymore. I haven't mopped since K got her big girl bed. Now I have lots of ink, pencil, and crayon on a lot of things because K has discovered how fun it is to write on tables, walls, etc. Maybe my mom will keep an eye on K so I can clean a bit around here. Otherwise it may wait until K is allowed out in the yard with only N and J to watch her. That won't be for a long time.

I did spray the mildew in my shower this morning. It looks like it could use another round or two of bleach spray.

My new vacuum cleaner is horrid. It sort of works on carpet. It really doesn't work on hard floor, which is most of my house. As soon as I get done vacuuming, I have to drag the broom out to clean the floor. I'm not even exaggerating, I'm sorry to say. It's my first bagless vacuum, and I am not impressed. Unfortunately, it is very hard to find a vacuum that takes bags anymore. My mom suggested I try Sears, and I may do that while she is here. I'd buy a new one today if I knew which one worked worth a darn.

I drove the kids to school yesterday because N told me the evening before that two fifth graders on his bus told him they'd kill him if he didn't bring them candy the next day. No one answers the phone at school once dismissal time comes, so I couldn't call the principal that day. N is only in second grade.

The first thing we did was talk to the principal. From their first names, which N knew, she immediately knew who the boys were. She said she'd get this to stop, and the boys would be off the bus for a while, and that she'd talk to the bus driver. She said both boys had someone at home who didn't want them to behave like this. They did go home on the bus yesterday, but they left N alone. Today they weren't on the bus, and when he picked up N and J this morning, the bus driver said he'd spoken to the assistant principal about the problem.

Being a bus driver must be a very difficult job. Driving isn't my favorite thing. I don't think I could even drive something so big without hitting stuff. Screaming kids aren't my favorite thing, either. Combine them, and I'm sure I couldn't do it.

Hopefully this will be the end of this mess.

Here's a mystery. Why do crumbs shake out of my keyboard when no one is allowed to eat at the computer? I know the answer--no one cares that I say we don't eat at the computer.

N has a Cub Scout meeting tonight. I'm trying to get him to go do his homework before dinner so he is ready for his meeting. I'm not having much luck. J has the TV on, and Cyberchase is on. It's one of my favorite kid shows. It's about math.

My Bed Bath and Beyond gift cards I got from turning in Discover Card Cashback bonus money arrived in today's mail. I've found a 20 % off coupon. I need to get to Bed Bath and Beyond and go get my gelpro kitchen mat.

This morning K and I ordered a new washer, dryer, and refrigerator for the rental house Mr. K has been working on. They are supposed to be delivered on Saturday, when Mr. K can be there. We're hoping no one will break in and steal or damage them.

K and I went to playgroup this morning. We had a very nice time. Today some girls came. Recently it has been just K playing with a stack of little boys.

Two days ago I cut the pad of my index finger on my right hand opened by running it along the edge of a piece of stone Mr. K had busted up in order to make arrowheads. That was very stupid of me. I might as well have run it along the edge of a knife. The cut is like a bad papercut, and it has been making it difficult to type when I need to use that finger because it hurts. It's a little better today, so I'm typing more today. I think it's getting a little infected because it hurt more the yesterday the day I cut it.

On that same day, Mr. K's office person cut her thumb badly on the plastic packaging that the printer cartridges are kept in. I drove her to the local urgent care facility where she got some stitches, a thumb immobilizer, and a prescription for antibiotics.

Anniversary

We went to Applebees for dinner. It's our 11th anniversary today. Mr. K's stomach began bothering him before the food even arrived. He seems to get an intestinal disturbance every time we go out to eat.

The waiting for the food was too much for K. She was tired because she hadn't napped, too. Probably it would have been simpler if I had just made dinner at home, but then I'd have been stuck with a load of dishes. Also, I got a chocolate/coffee martini. If I had been home, that certainly wouldn't have happened.

Saturday Mr. K finally called the police about the vandalism at our rental house. They think they know who did it (juveniles) and think they can keep it from continuing. Also, the neighbor on one side has a friend living with him who is interested (enough to fill out an application) in renting the house as soon as we get it finished. Ideally, we'll be renting to him soon, but it comes down to many things. I've confirmed his employment. Mr. K has to get the house finished faster than it is getting trashed, the guy has to come up with the first month's rent and the security deposit, and he still has to want the place at the time we get it ready.

My mom arrives next Tuesday. She'll be staying for a week and a day.

K is having a lot of problems with separation anxiety. She cries each time I leave her at the child care area at the gym even though I've been taking her there since she was seven weeks old. She gets upset when the bus takes N and J away each morning. She gets upset when our neighbor gets up and leaves if we are talking at the fence. Tomorrow I'm planning to drop her off at a friend's house while I go bra shopping (last week's attempt got canceled). She's never had such a scary thing happen to her before. Fortunately this lady's sixth (and last) child is in J's kindergarten class, so she's seen it all, and a meltdown won't phase her.

Rental Woes

We've had a lot of vandalism problems at the cute little bungalow rental house we got last October. That one is the one Mr. K went to evict the non-rent paying tenants, and they didn't bother to show up in court. When the sheriff came for the eviction, they discovered the tenants had already left, and left the place quite a mess.

Since then, he's lost some windows and the back door to vandals. Once someone had broken in and plugged the stove back in and cranked up the heat. He hadn't bothered to call the police since he wasn't making any insurance claims, and waiting for the police can take a long time. There are a lot more important things (like many murders) that keep the police busy.

Anyway, these vandals have been literally destroying the place faster than Mr. K can fix it up to get a tenant. I filed a no-trespassing letter at the police precinct near the house, and I've been calling them a few times a week to get them to drive by after dark in hopes they'd investigate if they ever saw the lights on after dark.

This morning he called and said someone had broken in through a window, and had done a lot of damage all over the place. They had dumped a can of paint all over a recently painted floor (white paint of a brown floor). I'm not sure why Mr. K even left any paint behind. They broke a window that wasn't all of ten feet from the windows on the next house over. Anyway, he wanted to police to come by, so I called them for him. They even came. The police officer has a pretty good idea which band of juveniles is causing the problem, and he thought it could be stopped. We certainly hope so. A very old guy at the gym who made his fortune in the rental business (now he does private loans for rental investors) suggested we just sell the place, take a loss, and consider it a learning experience.

The police talked to the neighbor, who had heard the break-in. We don't understand why they didn't call the police. Where I live, we look out for our neighbors.

Hopefully the police will get this under control. I stopped by with the kids to bring Mr. K some Burger King for lunch. I didn't realize he had removed the toilet, so we had to keep our stay brief. It was my first visit to the house since the one time I went through it before we purchased it.

Mr. K and I are talking of putting a lot more money down on our next rental so we can buy into a better neighborhood while still having positive cash flow with the mortgage payments.

Personally, I'm not interested in being a landlord at all, but it is what Mr. K wants to do, and Mr. K makes the money that funds the project and Mr. K puts in all the hard work, so if Mr. K wants rentals, Mr. K can have them. I do have veto power over which houses we buy, and I've only used it once. Mr. K later agreed that my veto made sense. It was on a very expensive, labor intensive (needed a lot of fixing up), multi-family old house that would have had negative cash flow for years. I told him that if anything happened to him, we would not be able to keep the place, and it could eat all our savings while waiting to get it sold. We'd owe so much on it, I wouldn't be able to let it go cheaply just to get rid of it.

I've probably just bored everyone; I know I've bored myself.