Fiesta Time & the Chipmunk Assassin

On the corner, a few houses down from me, live a bunch of Mexicans.  And I do mean a bunch-several families live in the same house.  In the summer, whiffs of well-seasoned barbecued meats and wafts of ranchera or salsa music float on the breeze into our open windows.  Yes, it's fiesta time.  Just about every weekend, they have a party and invite friends...they eat, laugh, and drink, and often sing loudly.  Either that, or turn up their favorite songs so that the entire neighborhood can hear as well.  They are out until all hours-kids and all.  Sometimes it's a little annoying, depending on the volume of the music, and, well, whether the music sucks or not.  Most of the time, I simply note that they're having more fun than me.  Kinda like tonight. 

I had a fabulous day.  It was Courtney's turn to go to Starbucks, so I had 15 extra minutes this morning.  I wasn't too tired, and had a great day at work.  It wasn't too busy, but just enough to keep me from getting bored.  After work, I went to my mom's, where my husband and children had been since lunch time.  The kids played hard all day, and then we cooked out.  We ate burgers, hot dogs, potato & pasta salads, and mac & cheese.  The kids loved it because there were no veggies tonight (usually we do a stir fry when we grill, but no one felt like it today).  Then there was angelfood cake with strawberries & whipped cream, or ice cream (or both) for dessert.  We sat out on the deck and relaxed in the breeze, and it was truly heavenly.  I gave the kids a bath at my mom's, so I only had to tuck them in when we got home.  They are suffering so badly, the poor things...their eyes are swollen and itchy, their noses are stuffy, they have headaches and earaches.  The allergy medicines just can't keep up with the huge volume of pollen in the air right now, and their poor little minds can't grasp that the medicine will not cure their misery completely.

Anyway, by the time I came downstairs fom tucking the last one in, G was already asleep on the couch.  Part of me cannot blame him-he's under an open window, the cool breeze on his face, and he's snuggled up under a soft blanket. 

 

The other part of me is screaming, TALK TO ME!  WAKE UP AND SEE ME!  He hasn't seen me all day, and spent most of the time at my mom's inside on the sofa, watching Pirates of the Caribbean (again) on his laptop.  I think tonight, it's going to be me and a new book, until I fall asleep, too.

Tomorrow we're having Family Bowling Day.  A bunch of us will get together for duckpins and some greasy pizza.  Sounds like we made a good plan, considering it's supposed to rain until Tuesday.  Hopefully, I can get some flowers in the ground and clean up my perennials this week.  My garden is a hot mess right now, but just seeing the stuff that is blooming is encouraging.

And then there are the chipmunks.  Or, were the chipmunks.  See, we have a colony of them living in my garden, in the yard, and out back in the retaining wall.  We recently discovered that they are under our porch stoop, as well.  G insisted that they will ruin the foundation of the porch and cause it to collapse, and that we must get rid of them.  Well, last night, while I worked, he decided to do just that.  He lit a fire in one of the holes.  He was trying to smoke them out.  Instead of going the other way, a family (read: parents and babies...cute little baby chipmunks) ran right past the fire.  At least one baby was badly burned.  The parents fled, and he put the babies into the lawn waste bag (although they were all alive).  Did I mention my children saw all of this heinousness?  They have been traumatized.  As soon as I got home from work, they converged on my car, crying about how daddy killed the baby chipmunks.  What can you even say to that?!  What kind of man does something like that, let alone in front of his kids?!

Anyway.  One more confession to make, since it's obviously been too long since I blogged, and I have a lot to say.  I drove the Tahoe a couple of times last week, and I discovered something: I don't miss it that much.  The Sienna's drive is so nice, and it seems so much more agile...not lumbering and hulking like the Tahoe.  Then there's the fact that it starts right away...the Tahoe always starts, but always sounds like it's not going to.  Here lately, it's sputtering so badly that it sounds like it's could quit running at any second.  Frankly, that's embarrassing.  So yeah, I kinda like the minivan.  On the other hand, I think I would have liked any vehicle that was 8 years newer.

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Car Shopping

I test drove another Sienna today. This time, they offered to give me $2k for my truck, and the salesperson said they would probably go to $2500. They did not take anything off the price of the vehicle, though, leaving me about $2500 from where I’d like to be. The salesperson was casual, down-to-earth and reasonable. He treated me as though I were going to buy the vehicle--didn’t ask if I needed to contact my husband. I like that. I didn’t really get to talk to the manager, which is just as well. They’re usually the slimiest of them.

I might go look at another, tomorrow. I don’t even feel like having my truck appraised again...it’s not running well and the engine light is on. It’s embarrassing! Combine that with the dirty carpet, Cheerios and toys, and, well, can you blame them? I know they’re only going to wholesale it, but still...it’s worth more to me. The book value is about $2600 more than they’re offering, and that’s for only fair condition. High retail is about $5k more. So should I try to trade it, or sell it outright? Is it worth it to try to sell it? Or should I suck it up and pay more?

Anyway, the other Sienna I am interested in is $1k more, and it’s in Owings Mills. Another hike. I am one of those people who has to feel "this is it". I have to know that it’s right. I believe we didn’t get the first two we looked at because they weren’t right. Am I saying that we’ve been predestined to purchase a particular vehicle with a particular VIN number? No...just that I should have clarity and peace with the one I’m going to buy.

Last night, my 2yr old Noah tried on my mascara. He also tried it on the couch (thank God I don’t use waterproof, eh?). Some of you may remember a short while ago, when Collin did the same. It was pretty funny. He also emptied a can of Dermaplast all over the living room and himself, coating everything in a greasy fog. For the past week or two, he’s had an affinity for markers and pens. He wrote on both the dining room table and the coffee table with a pen, and the entire way up the stairwell with a green marker. More proof that when you realize it’s very quiet, it’s already too late. My friend complains that with the current state of things, he might have to be an Ikea shopper. Well, I’d rather my kids write on my Ikea stuff than my Ethan Allen. Today, Collin dumped an entire 20oz (cold) water on me. That, too, was a pleasant experience. It truly was an accident, though, so I couldn’t be too mad...and let’s face it--it could have been cherry KoolAid.

I think I will try to make some fish for dinner. I’m still on the fence about it. I am really NOT a fish person. I like shellfish, yes, but I pretty much always turn my nose up at even the finest selections of fish. I have, however, had a couple of types of salmon that I liked...I may try to replicate one of those recipes. I’m just tired of the same old thing...I like quite a bit of variety in my diet. That’s pretty hard to do, when you have not one, but four different people, with different degrees of pickiness, living in the same household. There is literally nothing that will make everyone happy. Sometimes I feel like making my own dinner, and telling the rest of them that they are on their own. I guess to be fair, I should wait until they’re at least old enough to use the stove!

Uneventful

Well, the MIL came and went without much to-do. Really, her visit went well. We ate out more than usual, which is nice for me...and she’s the type to help clean up and stuff, so that was nice, too. Her incessant commenting during movies and phony hyper-praising got on my nerves as always, but it was pretty tolerable. Her worst visits have always been when her husband came with her. We even had a fairly deep discussion about religion last night. The kids really enjoyed her visit. I’m just glad it’s over and we can go back to "normal", whatever that may be.

So, we went to talk to the sales people about a deal on the minivan we liked. As soon as we pulled up, we saw that another three-kid family had just arrived and was looking at the same van. We lurked around the lot as they got the keys, checked it out, and went for a test-drive. It was pretty pointless, but we went in to see what kind of deal they would offer us, but I knew the other people were going to buy it. First of all, the list price was decent, considering the book value. And while there was nothing "wrong" with them, the other family just seemed to not be quite as savvy as we might be regarding used vehicle purchase. It turns out that they only offered me $1k for my truck, and nothing off the price. Why should they, they had another eager family whose rugrats were already climbing all over the thing? Oh well, it just wasn’t meant to be, and that’s ok.

Right on cue, however, my truck began small signs of protest. She knows her days are numbered, her feelings are hurt, and she’s going to give me a hard time in the next couple of weeks. She didn't want to start (more than usual), and the trip odometer got stuck...so it made an annoying click which I couldn't figure out for quite a while. Then it overheated...or maybe not, the temperature guage was just going crazy because there was so little coolant in it (that's a boy's job, and that boy hasn't been doing his job). Anyway, there is another I might go look at tomorrow, in Reisterstown. That’ll be a fun drive with the boys. The price listed on that one is not too bad, either, so it depends how much they’ll move on it, as well as how much they would give me for my truck. I know I would likely be able to sell my truck outright for quite a bit more than the dealer would give me, but it’s just not something I want to do right now. Trying to answer questions and field calls and potential buyers while looking after my children and juggling my own schedule...eh. Not to mention if my truck would sell before I find a minivan. Fun, fun. I would like to find a new vehicle before I go to the beach at the end of the month. At least then I wouldn’t have to worry about problems on the way down and back (except my incredibly motion-sick child on my new leather seats).

I can’t believe Easter is this weekend. I am not at all ready for the festivities...my eggs are not filled, my treats are not ready to go in the baskets. My house isn’t even decorated, which makes me kinda sad. I am, however, glad that the daffodils and crocuses are up, and that spring is on its way. This cold weather keeps hanging on, but with Daylight Savings, I’m really encouraged. It won’t be long. Now I just have to figure out what to do with my kids while Cam is off school this week. We will have to think of stuff to do so that boredom and insanity and fighting doesn’t ensue.

Guess I’d better go see about dinner...it’s not going to cook itself!

The Mom Mobile

So, I drive a 4WD 1997 Chevy Tahoe with 155k miles on it. It has no third row seating, therefore, if we have the family with us, no one else can ride with us. The cargo space is, of course, fabulous. It's great to be able to go to Home Depot and buy an appliance, 12 bags of mulch, whatever. It's great to be able to cart around a double stroller, single stroller, and a week's worth of groceries. It's especially wonderful after a snow storm to be able to get in the car, push a button, and drive away...no shoveling required. I can tow pretty much anything, pull another car out of the mud, etc. It's big, strong, and safe.

And it gets about 11 miles per gallon.

With gas prices heading up to $3.20, and $4.00 projected by summer, that does pose a bit of a concern...even though I usually only drive a few miles per week. Additionally, it needs some work...needs a new catalytic converter (so the exhaust has that lovely rotten egg smell) and some oxygen sensors and stuff. My aftermarket remote start has stopped working, and the mp3 changer stopped working a long time ago. The transmission has shown signs of stress on some occasions, and no wonder, with that many miles on it. It probably should be rebuilt. So, the school of thought is, is it really worth it to put any more money into this vehicle? G thinks not. And, quite honestly, he doesn't want to be the one working on it, either. See, fixing cars is one of his hobbies. But not when it has to be done.

So, the other day we went to look at a Honda Odyssey in Bel Air. It was pretty nice...heated leather seats, navigation, and plenty of room for the fam. I will say that I hate the storage space in a minivan. I wish it was more like my truck. Once there is a single stroller in there, there won't be room for much else. The used car market around here is very slow lately, so prices are fairly reasonable, even before haggling. We could potentially get a good deal, and have a nice, comfy vehicle to take on our summer road trip. But man, I hate to get rid of my truck. We would likely trade it in for two reasons. First and foremost, it gives us a little bit of bargaining room, and therefore would decrease the amount we need to finance. Secondly, we wouldn't have the headache of having it inspected and selling it on our own. I just hate to get rid of it. And, to be quite honest, I hate a minivan. The features and comforts are nice, but I just don't like them.

Yesterday, I went to look at a Toyota Sienna with the two boys. That was interesting. I wasn't assertive enough with the sales person, so she yapped the whole time and came with me on the test drive. She offered to stay behind and keep my boys (NO!), and then pissed me off by asking THEM if they wanted to stay there in the kids' room. Thankfully, they're boys, so they wanted to see the car. She yapped the whole time on the test drive as well, which irritated me. I couldn't concentrate on the details of the drive and the vehicle because she was going on and on about how many people wanted to see this particular van. Give me a break. I'm immune to all their slimy tactics...G used to sell cars! I didn't let on, though. I knew I would be bringing G back to check the car out...obviously he would be able to diagnose any mechanical problems better than I would.

So, the whole lot of us drove back to the dealership last night, and G took the car for a drive himself. He liked it even better than the Odyssey, as did I. It looks like we will probably give them an offer and commence the haggling this weekend. IF it doesn't sell by then, which of course they would have us believe is inevitable. Oh, this will be fun. G thinks we should bring the children, because that gives us excuses and leverage...I'll make them all cry if you don't give us what we want and hurry up! I think, of course, that it would only add more pressure to us...and of course, it would make them pretty miserable. On the other hand, it just might work for us to say, we only have half an hour. Let's roll.

Two days until the MIL's arrival. Guess I'd better make sure I have some wine in the house.

Archives-Finally! 3/13/2007

March 13, 2007

On Valentine's Day, G and I went to dinner. Because of the snow storm, couples stayed home, but we fared well in the Jeep. So well, in fact, that we were done in record time. That's pretty unheard of at Seaside, the 'Burn's premier seafood restaurant. Anyway, we proceeded to Target, bought a travel Scrabble, and headed for Starbucks for some adult game time. We have been playing frequently ever since. And he's been beating me...ever since. He's had a few stunners, but I'm generally better at the words, hands down. However, strategically, he's much better. He will play a word for location every time...and he stalks the Triple Word Scores like nobody's business. Tonight, his luck has changed. I won, finally, I won! Since I was keeping score, and who knows when it will happen again, I have to let you know that it was 252 (a lucky number for me already) to 224. I'm sighing contentedly.The kiddies went from bad to worse, and $100 or so and an evening at Nighttime Pediatrics later, they're officially on the mend. I think. I asked for a gallon of "the pink stuff", and they thought I was kidding. They all three had strep. G even had an ear infection. Somehow (knock on wood), I was fine. I am fine. And it had better stay that way.I think we've finally narrowed it down-I think us girls are going to go to the Mayan Riviera. It's kind of a longer trip than we wanted-the flight is slightly longer, and the trip from the airport is kinda long, but it seems like a great deal. The price is pretty reasonable. I read every single review that Trip Advisor had to offer, and the resort is highly complemented and gorgeous. The area is full of cultural and scenic things to see and do, and I just might get to practice my [very] rusty Spanish. The only derogatory reviews were that the beds are firm (but I hear you can beg the front desk for a foam topper), and there is no drink service on the beach. I guess that's okay, because I can work off my pina coladas and margaritas by walking to get more. And I'll be sure to take a large, insulated cup so as not to have to use the resort's little four-ounce cups.We're also going to FL next month...and staying with the inlaws. That should be interesting, but I'm excited, none the less. My MIL very generously offered to pay for our flights, if we would pay for the rental car. Obviously, we did not refuse. G is convinced that once we rent the minivan, I will want to trade in my Tahoe. There is no chance, but I guess it would be nice to have seating for more than five. I can't wait to take boat rides on the Gulf and even take the kiddies to the biggest money pit on the planet (Disney World).I wore a t-shirt today, and my jonquils are blooming. There is light at the end of this tunnel called winter. All seems right in the world