Every year, on November 1st, Facebook is inundated with posts for 30 days of thanksgiving.  So many of my friends and acquaintances participate.  I have never.

I found myself thinking this year... Is it difficult to come up with something you are thankful for every day for 30 days without repeating?  Though the challenge still wasn't enough to make me post on Facebook, I am going to post my list of 30 right here.

1. God's amazing grace.  Even though I know I don't deserve it, I also know it is there, saving me all of those times I fall.
2. My grandparents.  They have always been so giving of their time, resources and love.  I was fortunate to live very close to both sets growing up.
3. My mom.  We talk nearly every day.  She understands the challenges I face in motherhood.
4. My dad.  Always thinking of me, and how he can help me out in life.  
5. Jamin, my brother.  "They say I have autism, and I like it that way."  Without his special needs, I wouldn't be the person I am today.
6. Susana, my sister.  We shared a room(and often a bed, even though she had her own) growing up and have a great bond now.  I couldn't imagine life without her.
7. Jackson, my husband, partner and friend. 
8. Grayson, Camden, Madalynn, and Paxton, my children.  Even though they are often the source of my craziness, I love them dearly.  I told them last night that they made my dreams come true.  I always wanted to be a mother, and am so glad that I am.
9. My dear friends.  Those people that I talk with often, people who brighten my day, people who I can pick up where I left off no matter how long we have been apart.
10. Casual friends and acquaintances.  They may not be those I run to in a time of need, but I am thankful to know them.  We can have fun, chat, and quite possibly may become much closer.
11. WalMart.  Yes, that's right, I am thankful for WalMart.  It has provided Jackson with a stable job for 15 years.  It has paid our bills, given us insurance, and allowed us to have met many wonderful people.  Not to mention the always low prices!
12. Our vehicles.  I was fortunate to always have a car, but Jackson spent quite a while without one in college.  He was always able to catch a ride, often with me, but I am thankful that we have transportation.  
13. Our church.  We have so many great friends and opportunities for learning and fellowship through our church.  Wonderful things for the children as well.
14. MSSU.  I learned so many things in college, and not just educational things.  I met Jackson on the first day, and developed many lasting friendships.  I also got the opportunity to study abroad and take some amazing trips.
15. My jobs.  Though I don't really like to work... I would much rather be home with the kids.  The many jobs I have had have provided "fun money" throughout the years. 
16. Our house.  Our realtor was about to tell us she wouldn't help us find a house after looking at over 50.  The funny part was, we had searched in another town, probably the same number of houses, before we found out we were moving here.  This house isn't perfect, but it meets our needs pretty well, better than any of the other houses we looked at.
17. The computer.  It can be a tremendous time waster, but also a great learning tool, a way to keep in touch and a simplifier of life. 
18. Facebook.  Without it, I might never see the kids of my long, lost friends.  I might not know what my past friends were up to.  I can keep up with close and distant relatives without just hoping they will send me a Christmas card once a year. 
19. The sky.  So much beauty, countless hours of entertainment.  Watching clouds, sunsets(not many sunrises, I am not a morning person), meteor showers, eclipses, and the list could go on.
20. Phones.  I don't know what I would do without being able to call people anytime I wanted, or needed.
21. Music.  I have passed many hours traveling, trying to sleep, just being bored with music.  I also love to sing.  
22. Heat in the winter and air conditioning in the summer.  
23. Running water.  I have had a few, brief times without water.  I would not like to live without it, and feel very blessed that I have running water in my home.
24. Creative minds.  I'm always amazed at what great, creative minds can think up.  I often find myself thinking, How did someone come up with this?  Art, entertainment, inventions... They make our life richer.
25. Sense of humor.  It would be hard to live life without one.  Some of the toughest moments as parents can often be helped with a good laugh.  For all of the madness my kids bring about, I bet there is at least 5 times more laughter.  We have a lot of fun in our house! We once read a study about the lack of laughter in adults.  Jackson and I came to the conclusion that participants of that particular study must not have kids.
26. Volunteers.  I have been involved in several different groups that need volunteers.  It can be so hard to find someone willing to commit to giving their time. 
27. Cameras.  Without them I may forget those precious moments of life that have passed by.
28. Difficulties and disappointments.  Life is not perfect, and though I may not be thankful at the time, the more difficult times in my life have provided me with many lessons to learn from and the perspective I need to be grateful for all my many blessings.
29. Quiet moments.  In a house with 4 kids, tv or music is often on, kids are fighting or crying, or both.  I am thankful for those moments when there is no noise.
30. Teachers.  Those who have taught me, and those who teach my children.  School and Sunday School.  They spend so many hours preparing, add to their school budget with their own money, give of their time and their hearts.  

So here is my list.  30 things I am thankful for right at this point in my life.  I know this list will grow and change.  Hopefully we all take time to be thankful throughout the year and not just in November.

What is more important... A person or a car?

Last Friday afternoon I was having one of those days.  We were wrapping up a crazy week of cub scout bake sales, Halloween festivities and Box Top submissions(I am the BoxTop coordinator).  I was glad that the craziness was over.  Looking forward to a relaxing weekend.
While I was picking the boys up from school, Madalynn hopped in the front seat and was pretending to drive.  I was standing outside the driver-side door talking to a friend for about 10 minutes.  Of course, she flipped every light on and had the turn signal and windshield wipers on, too.  I went to leave the parking lot and my van wouldn't start.  This has happened a couple of times, so it is probably time for a new battery... ugh!

I saw a school staff memeber's husband waiting to pick her up, so I walked over to his truck and asked him for a jump.  He said no!  I have never encountered anyone who said no to helping someone with a jump start, unless they didn't have cables.  I told him I had a set in the van and he said he really didn't want to mess up his truck.  That was news to me... I had no idea giving someone a jump start could cause problems for the other vehicle.  He said he didn't know what it might do, but he didn't want to risk it.

I don't know why it upset me, but I felt really hurt by this.  I wouldn't think twice about helping someone, even a complete stranger, and certainly a mom with 4 kids waiting in the car, and I couldn't imagine anyone who wouldn't help out someone in need.  The guy didn't even roll his window down more than a crack!     

I ended up going into the office, tears in my eyes, and the kids' principal came to our rescue.  I came home and Googled jump starting and the damage it can do.  There are varying opinions, but theoretically it could do damage, so I shouldn't be too upset.  Though, in my opinion, people are much more important than your car.  I have yet to see a car damaged by giving a jump start, and I have done it myself more than 10 times in the past couple of years.  So I will continue to help a person in need and hope that my generosity outweighs the risk of damaging my car.

What happens when I'm lazy.

Today is the first Saturday of the school year.  Soccer hasn't started yet, no other activities to rush to, so I wanted to sleep in.  Paxton woke up sometime early morning, and he was in my bed.  The rest of the kids were still asleep.  One by one, they started waking up, but I wasn't quite ready.

I got up and got Madalynn and Paxton some milk.  Gray and Cam were playing a video game they had rented in the living room.  Everyone was content and it was only 9.  Seems like a good idea to lay back down.  I was, as my sister used to call it, "savoring the feel of the bed".

Just a few minutes passed, and Paxton came into my room trying to reach something behind the head of my bed.  I smelled something fruity.  I laid there for a couple of minutes still trying to postpone the inevitable, getting up.  The fruity smell was overwhelming!  Does it smell like my lotion?  I knew that particular lotion was out of his reach, so I got up to check it out.  Soap!  Plum soap! 

That could only mean one thing.  Someone had left the bathroom door open.  This is something we don't do anymore.  Paxton is forever into things in the bathroom.  He loves to get out toothbrushes.  He will dip those, cups, washcloths... anything really, into the toilet.  He will pull all of the toilet paper off of the roll.  And his newest fascination... The soap.  He has figured out the pump and will walk around pumping soap everywhere.  He has only gotten a couple of drops out in the past, but today he was becoming more efficient at pumping.

Grayson was the last one I saw go into the bathroom.  I told him to get in the bathroom, quick.   He apologized, and I told him he had to clean it up.  "But, mom, I don't know how!"  I told him I would walk him through it, but he was going to do the work.   Fortunately, the soap didn't hit any carpet, but it was on about 10 feet of wood floor. 

First get a paper towel.
He manages to make an even bigger mess by spreading the soap everywhere.  Wiping it in circles, sticky, soapy circles.  He's moving way to quickly to be doing a good job.  I tell him to slow down.

Next get a wet rag.
He wets the rag, wads it up and squeezes it, leaves it waded up, and wipes over the soap smears.  Once again, super quickly.  I show him how to spread the rag out and wipe it more efficiently.  But it is just making a sudsy mess on the floor.  "Mom, I can't do this!  It's way too hard!" 
"I know it's hard.  Much harder than shutting the bathroom door.  Maybe next time you will remember."
It's at this point I realize he is doing this all so quickly because he is wanting to get back to his game, which just makes me more angry.

Finish with a dry towel.
I am planning on mopping the floor a little later, so I give him a towel to dry up the suds.  He finishes up and tries to throw the towels to me.  "No, they go in the dirty towel basket."  He sighs, runs and throws them away and gets back to his game.

Maybe next time he will remember that it would be much easier to prevent a mess rather than clean it up.

Maybe next time I will remember that my laziness almost always results in a mess.

Maybe, just maybe, we both learned from a lazy Saturday morning.

Sometimes people just frustrate me!

It has been 15 years since I graduated high school.  At our 10-year reunion, the majority of classmates voted to have a reunion this year.  So we are planning one.  The class president recently had twins, and has opted out of planning this time around.  I, being the vice president, decided to get the ball rolling last spring.

I sent out e-mails to all of those who were interested in a planning committee, and 3 girls showed up.  First off, we knew we needed an updated contact list.  The two of us who had copies of the contact list last time had suffered hard drive failures, and the list is no more.  We are starting from scratch.

Our class had 122 members.  Doesn't seem like it should be a difficult of a task to get their info.  Oh, my!  Was I ever wrong!  I am a procrastinator, for sure, but I created a spread sheet and filled in all of the addresses I had of my close friends.  I  shared the list with the others, and it sat.  It took one of the other girls to get on the ball before we really got moving.

Just before vacation, I was feeling pretty good with the progress.  After I recuperated a bit, I started looking to see who was left on the list.  I sent e-mails to everyone I could find facebook pages for.  No responses.  I contacted some siblings.  No responses.  I sent a second e-mail.  I finally got about 3 classmates to respond.  I also had two respond with, "I won't come" messages.  We are currently sitting at around 70 blank contacts.  That isn't even halfway there, and the invites need to go out ASAP!

I am amazed that people will not respond.  People who were once my friends.  People who complained about not being notified about the last reunion.  Even if they want to say, "I'm sorry, you cannot have my personal info."  Any response would be better than nothing!

I am pretty frustrated at this point, but I will not give up!  If I don't get all of the contacts, I guess I will just send out the invites I can and post it in the newspaper.  All I can say is that people better not complain!  And if they do?  At least I will be able to say I tried my best.

Train Ride

This last week, we traveled to Colorado for a family reunion in Manitou Springs.  After the reunion, we stayed a couple of days to make the most of the 12 hour drive.  My parents, my brother, my sister, and her (new) fiancee were with us on the trip.  My granddad also rode out with us, but he traveled back with one of my uncles.  It was a true family vacation.

The night before we left, Paxton was showing some signs of respiratory distress, so I took him to urgent care.  He was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection, ear infections in both ears and bronchiolitis.  He was to do breathing treatments four times a day, antibiotics once a day and ear drops for pain.  When I told the doctor we were going to Colorado, she strongly suggested I do not take him into the mountains.  Bummer!  One of the main events for the family reunion was a trip up Pikes Peak.

I had been pretty nervous about the ride up and down the mountain.  I had been up as a kid, and I remembered my mom being scared, and almost every adult woman I told we were going said to prepare myself... it's nerve wracking.  I knew I would be telling Jackson to slow down, and that would make him mad, so I figured it wouldn't have been a very fun trip for anyone in our van.  To me, Paxton's illness was a pretty convenient way out.  I struggled with the decision not to go up with the rest of the family.  Several people offered to stay down with poor, little Paxie, and Jackson really wanted me to go up with he and the other kids.  In the end, I stayed with Paxton.  My dad and Granddad rode up with Jackson and the kids (Thank goodness he took them with him because Camden threw up on the way back down).  I had been anxious about the thought of driving up, and after hearing all of the family talk about the trip up, I was certain I had made the right choice.

Traveling with four kids and extended family can be really stressful.  Especially for me who was having to keep track of the budget and keep Paxton on his medicine regime.  I had a break down a couple of days into the trip.  We went to Garden of the Gods, souvenir shopping and to lunch with my entire branch of the family tree.  Jackson and my sister's fiancee went  to play golf, so I was solely in charge of ordering and making sure the kids ate.  Susana, my sister, was riding with me and she and my parents were helping out with the kids, but I was feeling totally overwhelmed at that point.  We ate lunch and all went back to the hotel.  I laid down and took a nap while my parents took the older kids swimming.  I woke up feeling better, but I really would have liked to just go home at that point.  I knew that wasn't an option though because the thing my kids were most looking forward to was the train ride the next day.

The entire family just before the train ride.  

We all had decided to go on a train ride on the Royal Gorge Route Railroad in Cañon City, Colorado.  We had been watching carefully because there were wildfires in that area.  Two days before, the train had been running half routes because debris from the Royal Gorge Bridge had fallen onto the tracks. On the day of our trip, the train was back up and running!  We spent the morning walking around historic Manitou Springs.  We did some shopping, the kids played at an arcade, and we had a very nice lunch.  Then we drove about an hour down to the train depot.


I was a little nervous about the train ride, too.  I have been having some trouble with anxiety, and I was worried I would get anxious when we started going.  I really had nothing to worry about... as usual.  We all found our seats and started on the trip.  Shortly after the trip began, everyone decided to venture out to the open air car.  I stayed inside for a little while, but the views were really spectacular outside.  We all went outside except my brother, Jamin.  Jamin has autism and has trouble with sensory integration.  He has always struggled with walking down steps that you can see through, swinging bridges and that sort of thing.  He was perfectly content sitting in his seat on the train.

My mom and dad had tried to get him to go outside, but he wanted to stay put.  I hated leaving him inside by himself, so I asked him to come out with me.  He often answers a question with a question, so his response was, "What if I want to stay here?" I told him that was okay, but I thought he would really like it outside.  He asked if the train would stop moving.  I said, "Yes, eventually it will, but not for a while."  So we sat.  Then Gray came in and asked Jamin if he wanted to come out.  "What if I don't want to?"  I asked him, "Do you really not want to, or are you scared?"  "Will the train stop moving?"

Finally I said, "Just give me your hands.  I'll walk with you."  He reached out his hands and quickly pulled them back, crossing his arms.  Then he put both hands on the seat like he was going to push up out of the seat.  But he pulled his hands back, vigorously rubbed his thighs and crossed his arms again.  He looked up at me, then back down.  Rubbed the palms of his hands together and crossed his arms.  I said, "Come on, trust me."  Still holding out my hands... I knew he was close to getting up.  I wasn't certain he would do it, but I could tell he wanted to.  We continued several minutes.  I was saying encouraging words.  Jamin was rubbing palms, rubbing thighs and crossing arms.  Looking up at me, looking back down.  Almost standing up, but never really lifting off the seat.

"Who's out there?" he asked.  "Everyone but us."  He looked down for a moment then he put his hands on mine.  He stood up, and took off running.  "I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm coming..."  He yells all the way down the aisle.  I chase after him, surprised we aren't walking slow, shuffling steps.  I open the door between the two cars and he yells "I'm coming, I'm coming".  Just when he gets to my mom and dad, he says, "I'm here."  That moment was worth all of the stress of the entire trip.  We laughed and enjoyed the scenery.  Enjoyed our family time.  Jamin didn't go back inside until the trip was almost over. 

Jamin and I after he came out of the train car.

Jamin, much more at ease.

After all of the worry, will I be anxious, could I get motion sick, is it going to be uncomfortably hot? The train ride was my favorite part of the trip.  It was relaxing.  It was beautiful.  Everyone enjoyed it.  The next day we were heading home, and I was wishing we could stay longer.   Quite a change from the day before, when I was wishing we could just skip the train ride and go home.

I love that we can make memories with our family.  My kids get to take trips with their grandparents, aunts and uncles... things some kids never get to experience.  Traveling can get crazy sometimes, especially with a stressed out, anxious momma.  I have to try my best to let go of the anxieties because the entire trip usually turns out just like the train ride... wonderful!  We have fabulous photos, fun souvenirs and loads of stories. 

My family at Garden of the Gods.

Remembering Joplin

May 22, 2011 is a day I will never forget.  The summer before, our family had driven in a torrential downpour.  We had hydroplaned, it was nearly impossible to see the road, and I was terrified.  Sunday, May 22, we were on our way toward St. Joseph, Mo.  We had been home visiting family.  Because of our experience the year before, I was carefully monitoring the weather radar.  I was hopeful that we would get home before having to drive in any rain. 

We were just north of Bolivar, MO and we had pulled over, for something I cannot remember.  As we went to turn back onto the highway we were facing west and I could see the clouds to the north of the storm. I had just checked the radar and told Jackson that Joplin really looked like they were getting hit hard, and I was glad we had chosen to go see his family before we headed back home... This took us out of the path of that storm. Then our four-year-old, Camden said, "Look, I see Jesus!"  I looked ahead, and though I didn't see exactly what he was seeing, he pointed to the clouds to the north of the thunderhead and described Jesus with his arms stretched out.  You could see sun rays shining through the clouds, and I figured that was what he was talking about. 

We talked about the clouds for a bit and then continued on with the usual car trip chatter.  About an hour later, my sister called to tell me about the tornado.  I was shocked!  I knew the storm had looked bad on radar, but I never could have imagined just how terrible it was.  I was searching facebook and news channels and couldn't wait to get home to turn on the news.  When I began seeing photos, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. 

Joplin had been my home.  It was where my adult life and my family began.  It was my first home away from my hometown... The first time I ever moved.  The place I met my husband.  I worked on the south side of town, went to college at MSSU, and got married just north of where the tornado had hit.  I had driven those streets daily, knew parts of it by heart.  I spent almost every Sunday night for the first year of college at the CiCi's Pizza that was now gone.  The first time I went back after the tornado, I was amazed at how unrecognizable it was.

People who knew where I was from would ask if I had friends or family who had been effected.  Yes, I did.  I knew lots of people who had damage to their homes and property, their places of employment, even a few who had been injured.  I was acquainted with one girl who lost her life.  So yes, I knew people who had been effected.  But I realized that I, too, had been effected.  Not in the same way, but I think anyone who has ever called Joplin "home" could say they were effected by the storm. 

It took me a while to remember the conversation about seeing Jesus in the clouds.  When I did, I realized it was the same time the storm was hitting Joplin.  It still gives me goosebumps thinking about it.  Through the eyes of a child I saw that Jesus was there. 

Some things I'd rather not do.

This morning I had quite the excitement at my house.  There are some things I would rather not have to deal with, and this morning was one example. 

I woke up around 7:30, and listened to the baby monitor to see if the kids were up yet.  I could hear the big boys, so I laid there listening.  Grayson went in to get Paxton when he started crying and brought him down to me.  Then the boys went in to brush their teeth.  At some point, while I was playing with Paxton in my room, Camden heard the cat outside the door.  Mayflower is an indoor cat, but she loves being outside almost as much.  He opened the door to let her in, and that is when I hear the boys yelling, "Mom! Mayflower has a bird!"  I am expecting her to be outside, and I step out of my room to see Mayflower in the family room, with a vibrant red cardinal in her mouth! 

The bird is squawking, making a horrible racket.  I tell the boys to go open the door and plan on chasing Mayflower back outside.  She has other plans though and runs upstairs.  I walk cautiously up the stairs and listen for the bird.  It sounds as though it's at the end of the hallway, so I walk down to the boys room.  Mayflower has the bird in her mouth and comes out into the hallway from the boys' room.  Then goes into the playroom.  I am able to chase her back to the top of the stairs.  But then she puts the bird down. 

At this point, I have a dilemma... Do I chase the cat out first, or try to rescue the bird? I am trying to decide the best way to rescue this bird when he makes a run for it.  Mayflower takes off after it, feathers flying, and she gets him.  I chase her back downstairs, grab her by the hind legs and shove her out the back door.

Madalynn has slept through all of the commotion right outside her door.  Then I realize I haven't seen the boys.  I go to my bedroom and they yell, "Shut the door!"  I tell them the bird and the cat are outside, crises averted.  Then I notice Gray is on the phone.  Apparently, he called Jackson while I was chasing the cat and told him we had an emergency and that he needed to get home.  He was just wrapping up the morning walk with his store manager, who thought the whole situation was quite comical. 

I was glad he was on his way home though.  That meant I didn't have to deal with the cleanup... Mayflower ate the cardinal right outside the back door.  He also vacuumed the feather upstairs.  Mayflower first took the bird under Camden's bed, so there were feathers all over their room, as well as, at the top of the stairs.

Maybe the boys have learned that even though I usually don't mess with animals if I can help it, I am capable of taking care of things when Dad isn't home. 

Spinning out of control!

Sometimes I feel as though things are spinning out of control.  I have been having a week (or maybe a few weeks) like that lately.

February 1st starts the birthdays in our family.  We have February 1, 3 and 26, and March 11.  This year included a First Birthday.  So we had the first birthday party back home, first birthday pictures, and parties for the older kids.  We were birthday-ing all through February and the first 2 weeks of March!

My sister was moving the end of February.  So I drove down to help her pack and move every weekend I was available that month.  Throw in opening day of trout season for Jackson, a full week of work for me and 4 snow days for the kids, and you get a pretty crazy month and a half!

Now that our calendar has fewer things, you would think my life would feel on track.  Unfortunately, that isn't the case.  I have gotten so behind on things.  Jackson is great at cleaning on his days off, but the days he works, things just fall apart.  I feel like I am running in circles and not accomplishing a thing. 

The problem... I am being thwarted by a one year old.  I spend so much time picking up after Paxton, I can't get much done for myself.  Gray came home sick from school the other day, and when he got home he said, "Every day after school, there is new mess".  That day it was cereal on the floor.  Right now, there is popcorn that Pax dumped on the floor behind my chair.  I will sweep it up as soon as I finish writing.  He digs things out of the trash and recycling.  Yesterday I caught him eating a biscuit I had thrown away after breakfast!  I keep all of the doors shut, or he will throw things in the toilet and pull things off my dresser and night stand.  We have locked almost all of the cabinets, but he still finds things to get into.  If I sit down to work at the desk, he cries until I pick him up and then starts grabbing things... anything he can get his hands on, stapler, pens, pencils, anything.  Now that he is walking, he can reach higher, so I have to keep things off the surfaces he can reach.   I don't remember the other kids being such mess makers!

My to-do list is never ending.  I need to go through the kids clothes for spring.  Gray just pulled out 3 shirts that no longer fit, and I know the other kids have things, too.  I need to find things to sell in a garage sale and plan the sale.  I need to work on plans for my 15-year class reunion.  I need to work on planning our vacation.  Find time to exercise, read, scrapbook...

I will try to take Jackson's advice and focus on one thing at a time.  Though I am often interrupted by someone needing something.  Maybe I will focus on a few things at a time.  It seems to work better for me that way.  I will also remind myself of my accomplishments.  Maybe I should keep a running have-done list instead of, or in addition to, a to-do list, since I have never been very good at crossing things off my to-do list.

I have just had an ah-ha moment!  This may be the answer to my frustration.  Right now I am starting my have-done list for the week.

• I attended the Parent Advisory Committee meeting and the PTA Meeting
• I remembered to take the stuff for the planting activity after the PTA Meeting (this is something I was really worried about)
• I cleared most of my desk yesterday and finally feel like I can sit down at it without being in utter chaos.  
• I have caught up with the laundry.  
• I did some major grocery shopping and bought most of the Easter outfits last weekend.  
• I have found a chance to write a bit, even though I have had to stop about 10 times during this short post.    

I am sure I can think of some more things, but it's a start.  I'm glad I started writing today.  I may never have thought of this otherwise...I am going to try to keep a have-done list for the next few weeks.  Maybe it will help me feel like I am back on track.

I left them in this room for less than 20 min. while I was cleaning the kitchen.

 

Maybe they need a better calculator.

My husband and I have the 200 MB data plan from AT&T.  We have a wireless router at our house and try to use wifi when we are out and about.  We rarely go over our data usage.  About a week and a half ago, he got a message telling him he had used 65% of his data, so he started being mindful about when and where he used his phone.  Yesterday he got a 90% alert. 

We have really been trying to cut excess spending, so he disabled all of the push notifications and tried to disable the 4g.  He also checked to see exactly what his usage was and was surprised to see he had only used 109 MB.  Most people could figure out that that is just above 50% (54.5% to be exact).  Not that complicated... or so one would think.

He asked me to call AT&T to see which was correct.  Oh, my!  From the beginning, the customer service gal was not understanding the problem.  She confirmed that the 109 MB usage was correct.  I told her they needed to figure out why the alert was sent.  She said it was for both of us.  Though I, too, had only used 50%.  Trying to explain that was like trying to explain algebra to a kindergartner.  She kept saying, "Yes, but it is for both lines."  She finally realized that 200 out of 400 is not 90% no matter how you figure it.  Though probably 5 times she put me on a brief hold to calculate.  Then she decided my complaint was that it only took a week to go from 65% to 90% and started asking if we had used the internet connection.  Never mind the fact that both lines are nowhere near 65% according to the system. 

Finally she said I could upgrade my plan to be sure I wouldn't go over.  I didn't need an upgrade!  I have barely used half the data with only a week to go!  I told her, "Here's what I'm going to do.  I am going to take your name, write down the exact usage you are showing with the date and if I get charged overage, I will be calling back to get a refund."  She didn't have much of a response.

All I wanted was a confirmation that the alert was an error, and if so, bring it to their attention that the error had occurred.  Or, a guarantee that we would not be charged an overage would have been nice.  I was amazed at how difficult that was to explain.  I still don't know if she ever understood.  

Back to what I'm good at.

It is only 6 days into the new year... 2013.  I don't really believe in making New Year's Resolutions... maybe I just don't believe in making them.  I always think of things I could work on, though I usually refrain from saying them out loud. 

This year I decided to try and better my life before my next birthday.  I listed several things, right here on my blog, that I would like to do better.  I know I'm only 3 months in, but not much has changed since then.  New Year's Day was coming up and I thought, "I am totally going to get back into exercise, logging my food and exercise into the My Fitness Pal app, get back on my Bible reading plan, keep my messes under control, and, a big one for me, work on my organization."  Yep, failed at all of the above so far.  I did clean up the Christmas wrapping paper mess in my crafting room tonight.  I can at least give myself credit for that one!

Right now I sit, typing at my desk that is covered in paper + lots of other things.  It is after midnight... pushing 1 am.  I finished my kids' Christmas gifts for their school teachers.  I was going to make them the Wednesday night before Christmas, but we ended up with two snow days and began our break early.  I had all break, but I chose to hold off until the night before break is over.  I also procrastinated on creating a flyer for a PTA event and printing the PTA cards that are long overdue to new members.  I have good excuses for putting that off (ran out of cards and had to wait for the new ones to come in and computer trouble), but still, I had all of the break!  

I am headed right back to what I am good at.  Going all day until all I want to do is sit when I get the kids to bed.  Procrastinating every chance I get.  Forgetting to do those things that 3 months ago seemed important enough to blog about and just last week struck me as New Year's Resolutions I should try to keep.

Why is it so hard to change?  Maybe I'll figure it out later...