Sunday, April 20, 2014
Saturday, April 19, 2014
First House-iversary
One year ago today, we were handed the keys to our first house.
It was a quite a journey leading to that moment. Exactly two years before, on April 19th, 2011, we found out we were going to have Emmie.
After she was born, we faced a tough financial situation because I was unpaid for my maternity leave. We decided the best thing we could do to finally settle down would be to save up money by moving in with the in-laws. Parenthood is a challenge to any relationship, but we had the added stress of learning the ropes under someone else's roof. Raising baby Emmie has been the most wonderful experience of our lives, but it was also during the most difficult time for our marriage.
But we got through it. Almost a year later, we moved in here. And we had to learn how to be a family of three again. In many ways, everything was new.
Today, we planted a tree to celebrate this milestone in the hopes that as its roots spread and strengthen through the soil, so shall the foundation of our family. As its trunk reaches higher, so shall our love for one another. When its branches multiply, so shall our happiness. Its flowers will reflect our joys, the leaves our blessings. And when the chill of winter blows against the boughs, we will remember that the warmth of spring always returns.
It was a quite a journey leading to that moment. Exactly two years before, on April 19th, 2011, we found out we were going to have Emmie.
After she was born, we faced a tough financial situation because I was unpaid for my maternity leave. We decided the best thing we could do to finally settle down would be to save up money by moving in with the in-laws. Parenthood is a challenge to any relationship, but we had the added stress of learning the ropes under someone else's roof. Raising baby Emmie has been the most wonderful experience of our lives, but it was also during the most difficult time for our marriage.
But we got through it. Almost a year later, we moved in here. And we had to learn how to be a family of three again. In many ways, everything was new.
Today, we planted a tree to celebrate this milestone in the hopes that as its roots spread and strengthen through the soil, so shall the foundation of our family. As its trunk reaches higher, so shall our love for one another. When its branches multiply, so shall our happiness. Its flowers will reflect our joys, the leaves our blessings. And when the chill of winter blows against the boughs, we will remember that the warmth of spring always returns.
.jpeg) |
| Wherever my family is, there is my home. |
Friday, April 18, 2014
Good Friday
We have daffodils! I am so thankful to the previous owners for planting these lovelies.
I took a clipping to brighten up inside our home, too.
Have a beautiful weekend, everyone!
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
As Summer Looms
Before I was a mother, I was able to teach day or night, weekdays or weekends. I taught a credit load equal to a full-time instructor. My income still wasn't much, but it was fairly steady.
Since Emmie was born, my availability at work has changed. We made the choice for me to stay home with her, so Bruce works full time during the week, and I teach now on nights and weekends. This has severely limited the amount of classes at both schools. Sometimes I get offered a Monday night class at both schools - and then I can only choose one. Teaching online has made up for some of the difference, but it's still a struggle from term to term, not knowing what my financial contribution will be.
Summers are the worst. For the past two years, my summer classes have been cancelled due to low enrollment. Losing out on my source of income contributed to our decision to move in with Bruce's parents in 2012. I have just one class lined up for this summer, and thus far no one has signed up for it.
I'm taking measures to do what I can: talking with the purse store manager about summer employment, applying for jobs at online universities (not the most credible schools, but I'll take what I can get). I've even requested a faculty web page at my school, in the hopes that a page with my picture and profile might solicit more student interest in taking my courses. If approved, I would be the only adjunct in my department with a web page.
Apparently, I'm not alone in the struggle. Below is a link to an article by Josh Boldt, a contributing editor at Vitae, in which the summer plight of adjuncts is compiled. A couple of my tweets are featured:
Since Emmie was born, my availability at work has changed. We made the choice for me to stay home with her, so Bruce works full time during the week, and I teach now on nights and weekends. This has severely limited the amount of classes at both schools. Sometimes I get offered a Monday night class at both schools - and then I can only choose one. Teaching online has made up for some of the difference, but it's still a struggle from term to term, not knowing what my financial contribution will be.
Summers are the worst. For the past two years, my summer classes have been cancelled due to low enrollment. Losing out on my source of income contributed to our decision to move in with Bruce's parents in 2012. I have just one class lined up for this summer, and thus far no one has signed up for it.
I'm taking measures to do what I can: talking with the purse store manager about summer employment, applying for jobs at online universities (not the most credible schools, but I'll take what I can get). I've even requested a faculty web page at my school, in the hopes that a page with my picture and profile might solicit more student interest in taking my courses. If approved, I would be the only adjunct in my department with a web page.
Apparently, I'm not alone in the struggle. Below is a link to an article by Josh Boldt, a contributing editor at Vitae, in which the summer plight of adjuncts is compiled. A couple of my tweets are featured:
A Summer Survival Guide for #adjuncts. Tweets included from many who contributed to this crowdsourced discussion. https://t.co/slAHR0gF4m
— Josh Boldt (@josh_boldt) April 15, 2014
It's a travesty of the higher education system that full-time faculty and administrators receive considerable salaries while many other instructors fret over how the bills will get paid. I am planning on writing a more comprehensive post on my adjunct experience, but that will most likely have to wait until after my current class ends. By May, I might have plenty of free time on my hands.Friday, April 11, 2014
Two Days' Time
Monday
I was grading papers at the kitchen table last week. The sun was shining through the patio window, and the house was all tidy. It was quiet; Emmie was napping. Suddenly horrible screams rang out from her room. I ran upstairs.
The smell struck me before I pushed into the room. There was vomit everywhere. On the carpet, stuffed animals, the bed, blankets, everything. In the middle of it was my daughter, screaming in terror, soaked head to foot in her own sickness.
For a moment, I had no idea what to do.
Emmie has, for her two years of life, been a very healthy child. She's gotten a fever maybe once. She never puked on me as a baby, as far as I can recall. We've been extremely fortunate. But that also equates to inexperienced. This was new to both of us.
The first thing I did was to pick her up, place her in the bathroom, and strip off her clothes. Of course, I had given her a bath earlier in the day. Back in the tub she went. Then, I pulled off all her sheets, grabbed everything I saw that was dirtied and put it in the sink. There was too much, I had to get a garbage bag. I was trying to reassure my scared daughter while inside I was freaking out.
I called Bruce, he was leaving work in half an hour anyways. Then I called my mom, who's a nurse for a pediatrician. She told me that a bug had been going around just like what Emmie had. Sudden projectile vomiting. She said not to give Emmie anything for an hour or two, then try a little bit of ice chips or Pedia-Pop. She warned that the illness could last a day or two, that we would just have to gradually feed Emmie liquids and plain solids like toast or crackers, and no dairy. I also left a message for Emmie's pediatrician. They called back a while later and recalled the same advice as my mom.
Emmie was sick one more time before Bruce came home, about an hour later. When she saw him, she raised her little arms in welcome. He picked her up, and she promptly threw up on him. It wasn't funny then, but looking back, it kind of was.
I had to go to work. I would've called off, but adjuncts have very little job security, and it's seriously competitive out there. A little thing like canceling one class could put me behind my colleagues. I dismissed class early, though, and rushed home to Bruce and Emmie, who was somewhat better.
Tuesday
The next day, Bruce stayed home from work. I can't even imagine what it would have been like if he hadn't because besides our sick kid, I had a work meeting (my brother was originally going to watch Emmie, but we told him not to), our old car was scheduled to be picked up by the pound, and our new dryer was supposed to be delivered.
A few days prior, we Googled "cash for cars" and called around to different places, getting quotes. We had decided weeks ago not to fix it up again, but to just get rid of it and try to recoup the the cost of the original towing back to the house. We've been a one-car family for over a month now, and even though it's not always ideal, we're managing fine. One place offered us free pickup and more than we anticipated. They would send a tow truck driver over with a check.
When the tow truck driver arrived, he walked around the car, scrutinizing it. "What's wrong with it?" He asked skeptically. He was contracted by the junk car company, so he was unaware of the situation.
Bruce told him: the car wasn't running, and even though it only had 167,000 miles on it, we didn't want to pay for any more repairs.
"I'll give you $100 more dollars for it. Cash." The tow truck guy offered. All we would have to do is call the junk car company and cancel the sale. The tow truck driver explained that he fixes up cars himself. There was nothing majorly wrong with our car. He said he would fix it up and drive it himself, or sell it. "They have this listed as a junk car. It's not junk," he told us.
When Bruce came in the house and told me what had transpired, my B.S. radar went off. "I don't know... This seems fishy to me," I muttered warily.
Bruce felt confident that everything was legit. We had signed no paperwork with the junk car company; he called and swiftly canceled business with them while the tow truck driver drove to the nearest ATM. The company immediately emailed a cancellation confirmation.
The tow truck driver came back with more cash than we had seen in a very, very long time. The amount was more than we had hoped for. Considering all the money we've sunk into the car over the years, the fact that we considered it an unreliable mode of transportation, that we would've had to pay to tow it to an auto body shop and then pay for repairs which would add to our credit card debt - this was the best possible outcome. Bruce signed over the title, and we watched our old car get towed away.
We immediately put the money in the bank and paid down a credit card.
A few minutes later, I got a call from Maytag. Our new dryer would be delivered soon! We bought the thing online from Home Depot during its President's Day sale. That's right - back in FEBRUARY. We got a good deal on it: it was on sale, we had a gift card we got from credit card points, and we also bought it through Ebates, so we would get a little extra cash back.
We were thrilled to finally be getting a new dryer. The one my parents gave us would take hours for one load to get dry. A while back, it was deemed irreparable by the gas company. We have a warranty, so the cost of replacement would get reimbursed.
The problem is, when we went to buy it, we weren't able to schedule a delivery date until 6 weeks later. Then, the day before it was supposed to be delivered, we got a call saying delivery would be postponed at least another week. They told me I could call later that week to see if it would really be shipping out. I called several times over the next week, and no one could give me a straight answer. It was quite possibly the worst customer service I've ever experienced.
What made me the most angry is that Home Depot charged my credit card right away, instead of when the item shipped, which means I was paying interest on a product I didn't even have yet. Worst of all, reimbursement couldn't be processed until after we received the product.
But it did finally get here. The deliverymen took away our old dryer and Bruce installed the new one (we didn't want to pay for it). We just got the reimbursement and promptly dropped it on the credit card, too.
Notice a theme here? Bruce and I are trying resolutely to get out of debt, to make a better life for our family. With my job being so unstable, we have to do everything we can to make our financial situation better. We got our tax refunds back, and with that and the car money, we've paid off four small credit cards! It makes a minor dent in our overall debt, but there is a sense of accomplishment in it nonetheless. Also, four less payments a month gives us a little more breathing room.
So Bruce, Emmie, and I survived the chaos of those two days. The old car was taken care of, and our insurance cost went down. We finally got the dryer, and I'm able to do laundry quite easily now. I went to my work meeting and think I make a good impression. Emmie got better. Plus, the weather's been getting nicer every day! We go outside as much as possible. I've started to do work on the yard while Emmie plays.
Onward and upward.
I was grading papers at the kitchen table last week. The sun was shining through the patio window, and the house was all tidy. It was quiet; Emmie was napping. Suddenly horrible screams rang out from her room. I ran upstairs.
The smell struck me before I pushed into the room. There was vomit everywhere. On the carpet, stuffed animals, the bed, blankets, everything. In the middle of it was my daughter, screaming in terror, soaked head to foot in her own sickness.
For a moment, I had no idea what to do.
Emmie has, for her two years of life, been a very healthy child. She's gotten a fever maybe once. She never puked on me as a baby, as far as I can recall. We've been extremely fortunate. But that also equates to inexperienced. This was new to both of us.
The first thing I did was to pick her up, place her in the bathroom, and strip off her clothes. Of course, I had given her a bath earlier in the day. Back in the tub she went. Then, I pulled off all her sheets, grabbed everything I saw that was dirtied and put it in the sink. There was too much, I had to get a garbage bag. I was trying to reassure my scared daughter while inside I was freaking out.
I called Bruce, he was leaving work in half an hour anyways. Then I called my mom, who's a nurse for a pediatrician. She told me that a bug had been going around just like what Emmie had. Sudden projectile vomiting. She said not to give Emmie anything for an hour or two, then try a little bit of ice chips or Pedia-Pop. She warned that the illness could last a day or two, that we would just have to gradually feed Emmie liquids and plain solids like toast or crackers, and no dairy. I also left a message for Emmie's pediatrician. They called back a while later and recalled the same advice as my mom.
Emmie was sick one more time before Bruce came home, about an hour later. When she saw him, she raised her little arms in welcome. He picked her up, and she promptly threw up on him. It wasn't funny then, but looking back, it kind of was.
I had to go to work. I would've called off, but adjuncts have very little job security, and it's seriously competitive out there. A little thing like canceling one class could put me behind my colleagues. I dismissed class early, though, and rushed home to Bruce and Emmie, who was somewhat better.
Tuesday
The next day, Bruce stayed home from work. I can't even imagine what it would have been like if he hadn't because besides our sick kid, I had a work meeting (my brother was originally going to watch Emmie, but we told him not to), our old car was scheduled to be picked up by the pound, and our new dryer was supposed to be delivered.
A few days prior, we Googled "cash for cars" and called around to different places, getting quotes. We had decided weeks ago not to fix it up again, but to just get rid of it and try to recoup the the cost of the original towing back to the house. We've been a one-car family for over a month now, and even though it's not always ideal, we're managing fine. One place offered us free pickup and more than we anticipated. They would send a tow truck driver over with a check.
When the tow truck driver arrived, he walked around the car, scrutinizing it. "What's wrong with it?" He asked skeptically. He was contracted by the junk car company, so he was unaware of the situation.
Bruce told him: the car wasn't running, and even though it only had 167,000 miles on it, we didn't want to pay for any more repairs.
"I'll give you $100 more dollars for it. Cash." The tow truck guy offered. All we would have to do is call the junk car company and cancel the sale. The tow truck driver explained that he fixes up cars himself. There was nothing majorly wrong with our car. He said he would fix it up and drive it himself, or sell it. "They have this listed as a junk car. It's not junk," he told us.
When Bruce came in the house and told me what had transpired, my B.S. radar went off. "I don't know... This seems fishy to me," I muttered warily.
Bruce felt confident that everything was legit. We had signed no paperwork with the junk car company; he called and swiftly canceled business with them while the tow truck driver drove to the nearest ATM. The company immediately emailed a cancellation confirmation.
 |
| Goodbye, old car. |
The tow truck driver came back with more cash than we had seen in a very, very long time. The amount was more than we had hoped for. Considering all the money we've sunk into the car over the years, the fact that we considered it an unreliable mode of transportation, that we would've had to pay to tow it to an auto body shop and then pay for repairs which would add to our credit card debt - this was the best possible outcome. Bruce signed over the title, and we watched our old car get towed away.
We immediately put the money in the bank and paid down a credit card.
A few minutes later, I got a call from Maytag. Our new dryer would be delivered soon! We bought the thing online from Home Depot during its President's Day sale. That's right - back in FEBRUARY. We got a good deal on it: it was on sale, we had a gift card we got from credit card points, and we also bought it through Ebates, so we would get a little extra cash back.
We were thrilled to finally be getting a new dryer. The one my parents gave us would take hours for one load to get dry. A while back, it was deemed irreparable by the gas company. We have a warranty, so the cost of replacement would get reimbursed.
 |
| We were like little kids with a new toy when the dryer arrived! |
What made me the most angry is that Home Depot charged my credit card right away, instead of when the item shipped, which means I was paying interest on a product I didn't even have yet. Worst of all, reimbursement couldn't be processed until after we received the product.
But it did finally get here. The deliverymen took away our old dryer and Bruce installed the new one (we didn't want to pay for it). We just got the reimbursement and promptly dropped it on the credit card, too.
Notice a theme here? Bruce and I are trying resolutely to get out of debt, to make a better life for our family. With my job being so unstable, we have to do everything we can to make our financial situation better. We got our tax refunds back, and with that and the car money, we've paid off four small credit cards! It makes a minor dent in our overall debt, but there is a sense of accomplishment in it nonetheless. Also, four less payments a month gives us a little more breathing room.
So Bruce, Emmie, and I survived the chaos of those two days. The old car was taken care of, and our insurance cost went down. We finally got the dryer, and I'm able to do laundry quite easily now. I went to my work meeting and think I make a good impression. Emmie got better. Plus, the weather's been getting nicer every day! We go outside as much as possible. I've started to do work on the yard while Emmie plays.
Onward and upward.
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Staycation, Not All I Ever Wanted
Wow... just one blog post for March. That's an all-time low for me. It's not to say that there wasn't lots to tell. It's just that I never got around to telling it. And so, without further ado, I give you a March recap:
Last month, I started a new on-campus class. It's been good to get out of the house one night a week. The only downside is that Bruce has a class the following night, so we go two straight days barely seeing each other.
The last full week of March, however, Bruce took off from work. We meant to take a vacation and go somewhere, but our financial situation made us change our minds. So instead, Bruce took a "staycation."
Sometimes I am far too practical. We talked about doing fun, free activities every day, but I also wanted to take care care of business. I saw Bruce's time off as an opportunity to schedule some long overdue appointments. On Monday, I had my blood drawn for my thyroid and then went to work. Tuesday, we each went to the eye doctor. On Wednesday, I attended a work meeting, which I normally wouldn't be able to do without arranging a sitter. Bruce told his parents we would have dinner with them on Thursday night. None of these activities took more than few hours, but with a little one who needs to take naps and such, they pretty much ended any hope of adventure.
Late morning Friday, Emmie had her weekly park district class. Bruce and I walked to the local café like I would usually do by myself. For 45 minutes, we sat and sipped and chatted like adults. It was the first time we were alone as a couple all week. Since the weather was better than it had been in a while, after Emmie's class we drove straight to Starved Rock State Park. We were pleased to discover that it's only 50 minutes away from our house. I've never been there. Bruce thinks he went there as a kid. We hiked as much as we could with Emmie and enjoyed the fresh, crisp air of the outdoors.
On Saturday, we had plans to see some friends in the city and explore Little Italy. We ate pasta, visited the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame, and bought goodies at a little Italian grocery. It was a great time, but as two families with two excitable toddlers to look after, a few short hours later, we were completely worn out.
The most thrilling thing we did on Sunday was finally filing our taxes. At first we contemplated going to an accountant because we bought the house last year, but a colleague of Bruce's who also works at a national accounting chain told him it wasn't necessary. She told him we would be paying for basically the same process as the free online programs available. She was right; it turned out not to be complicated at all. The good news is, we will be receiving much more money back than in recent years! Yet, while in the past we would've spent our refund on something fun, this year we will be putting it all towards debt. We really want to get out from under all our bills. If we can slowly pay off our credit cards, our daily living and our future will be much better off.
I think Bruce was slightly disappointed by his vacation. Sure, we got to spend nine whole days together as a family, but the weather wasn't great, and it was mundane overall. One day, there was a mangled rabbit carcass in our backyard (it looked like it had been dropped by a hawk), and he had to dispose of it. He kept joking that when his coworkers asked what he did on his week off, he would reply, "Oh, you know, cleaned up a dead bunny. Good times!"
As for me, I found that Bruce's continual presence disrupts the rigid order I keep throughout the week when he's at work. I was lazier; the house was messier. Do other stay-at-home moms notice that, too? It's not that Bruce doesn't help around the house, he definitely does! It's just that I have this routine during the week as far as cleaning and such while my husband's working, and when he's around, I drop it in favor of doing whatever: playing together with Emmie, going shopping, cuddling and watching TV on the couch during nap time. All of that is wonderful, but for a Type A personality like myself, the lack of regularity throws me off my game.
Nonetheless, our time with Bruce went by too fast. It was suddenly Sunday night, and he was setting his alarm for the morning, knowing that he only had a few more vacation days for the rest of the year to look forward to.
When Monday came, everything went back to normal. But that didn't last long...
Last month, I started a new on-campus class. It's been good to get out of the house one night a week. The only downside is that Bruce has a class the following night, so we go two straight days barely seeing each other.
The last full week of March, however, Bruce took off from work. We meant to take a vacation and go somewhere, but our financial situation made us change our minds. So instead, Bruce took a "staycation."
Sometimes I am far too practical. We talked about doing fun, free activities every day, but I also wanted to take care care of business. I saw Bruce's time off as an opportunity to schedule some long overdue appointments. On Monday, I had my blood drawn for my thyroid and then went to work. Tuesday, we each went to the eye doctor. On Wednesday, I attended a work meeting, which I normally wouldn't be able to do without arranging a sitter. Bruce told his parents we would have dinner with them on Thursday night. None of these activities took more than few hours, but with a little one who needs to take naps and such, they pretty much ended any hope of adventure.
Late morning Friday, Emmie had her weekly park district class. Bruce and I walked to the local café like I would usually do by myself. For 45 minutes, we sat and sipped and chatted like adults. It was the first time we were alone as a couple all week. Since the weather was better than it had been in a while, after Emmie's class we drove straight to Starved Rock State Park. We were pleased to discover that it's only 50 minutes away from our house. I've never been there. Bruce thinks he went there as a kid. We hiked as much as we could with Emmie and enjoyed the fresh, crisp air of the outdoors. |
| Overlooking the Illinois River |
On Saturday, we had plans to see some friends in the city and explore Little Italy. We ate pasta, visited the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame, and bought goodies at a little Italian grocery. It was a great time, but as two families with two excitable toddlers to look after, a few short hours later, we were completely worn out.
The most thrilling thing we did on Sunday was finally filing our taxes. At first we contemplated going to an accountant because we bought the house last year, but a colleague of Bruce's who also works at a national accounting chain told him it wasn't necessary. She told him we would be paying for basically the same process as the free online programs available. She was right; it turned out not to be complicated at all. The good news is, we will be receiving much more money back than in recent years! Yet, while in the past we would've spent our refund on something fun, this year we will be putting it all towards debt. We really want to get out from under all our bills. If we can slowly pay off our credit cards, our daily living and our future will be much better off.
I think Bruce was slightly disappointed by his vacation. Sure, we got to spend nine whole days together as a family, but the weather wasn't great, and it was mundane overall. One day, there was a mangled rabbit carcass in our backyard (it looked like it had been dropped by a hawk), and he had to dispose of it. He kept joking that when his coworkers asked what he did on his week off, he would reply, "Oh, you know, cleaned up a dead bunny. Good times!"
As for me, I found that Bruce's continual presence disrupts the rigid order I keep throughout the week when he's at work. I was lazier; the house was messier. Do other stay-at-home moms notice that, too? It's not that Bruce doesn't help around the house, he definitely does! It's just that I have this routine during the week as far as cleaning and such while my husband's working, and when he's around, I drop it in favor of doing whatever: playing together with Emmie, going shopping, cuddling and watching TV on the couch during nap time. All of that is wonderful, but for a Type A personality like myself, the lack of regularity throws me off my game.
Nonetheless, our time with Bruce went by too fast. It was suddenly Sunday night, and he was setting his alarm for the morning, knowing that he only had a few more vacation days for the rest of the year to look forward to.
When Monday came, everything went back to normal. But that didn't last long...
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