Friday Feats & Fails (Oct.10th)

So I’ve decided to take the leap thanks to Ash’s encouragement, & linked up with More Than Cheese and Beer to try my hand at Friday’s Feats & Fails. I’m so thrilled to be able to link up with such an amazing blogger as herself, I think she’s incredibly talented & a great inspiration to a newbie like myself. So here goes nothing….

Feats:
1.  I stayed on top of all three kids’ homework for the first time since school started. I know, I’m usually an awful, non-diligent, drop-out raising mother, but NOT this week! My two oldest are boys who really despise school & have become pretty good shitheads at hiding from me & lying about schoolwork, tests, & assignments. Even with the daily agendas that must be signed by both the teacher & myself, they manage to slide a few past me or purposely fail to bring something home necessary to complete the task, only remembering hours after I asked them after school. Then, my first grader, Bean, has a teacher who not only assigns a daily math ditto, decoder book, handwriting practice & spelling words, but sends home all the in-class work with mistakes to be corrected, as petty as a few numbers written backwards or forgetting to capitalize the first word in a sentence. It’s three times the amount of work that the fourth & fifth grade boys get, so it’s even easier than before for them to slide under my radar. This week though, I made it through keeping up with it all- not one missing assignment, not one test un-studied for, & everyone turned everything in on time. Yay me, I can actually say I’m a good mom this week! And their teachers are probably very confused now, too.

2. I actually got my ass up, showered, dressed in clothes that couldn’t be mistaken for pajamas, & on-time to my ultrasound appointment for my swollen thyroid. I’m a huge procrastinator by nature & way more unmotivated than normal with the funk I’ve been in with the thyroid-pancreas-kidney issues, that I skip out on a LOT of appointments & scheduled events just because I can’t make myself want to move my fat ass, no matter how good I know I’d feel if I did. So it’s something to be proud of that I managed to get up out of bed an hour early to get myself ready before getting the kids up & ready for school that way I could go straight to my appointment without rushing like a mad woman. The fact that this test may help the doctors figure out what the hell is going on did play a huge roll in giving me that necessary push, especially since I made an effort to look presentable & didn’t just roll out in my yoga pants & favorite tattered hoodie. Another WIN for the books!

3. I knew we were a little short on funds this week, so I did something a little different with our groceries to try & stretch our money a little farther. Instead of doing one big trip for the week & the kids eating everything up in a few days, sending me back for more provisions later in the week putting us over our budget, I went every day with a $20 budget. And I succeeded!!! I fed our family of 6 on just $20 a day! Boom! Now, I can’t foresee that this will always work out, because keeping the pantry basics,seasonings, & cooking necessities stocked would screw it all up, but for a tight week now & again, this was a surefire way to help keep from dipping into our measly savings when there’s a short paycheck & too many mouths too feed. I’m still in awe of myself for pulling this one off without an uprising & dethroning from the gallery over the lack of choices for their picky selves.

Fails:
1. I failed my marriage this week by allowing something I know I should’nt get the better of me. If my marriage is ever gonna last, I need to learn how to let go of attachments to things from my past. Honestly, I don’t blame my hubby for being mad at me the way he is because if the roles were reversed, I’d feel exactly the same way. It’s hard to ever admit that I need to make some changes, but if this marriage is going to go anywhere forward, changes have to be made.

2. I have neglected my poor dog all week long now. Poor baby got used to walking at least once a day with me, but more often than not, twice a day, but since the weather’s been changing into full-blown Autumn with bitter winds & chilly air & the funk I’m in, I haven’t felt like going out. When winter rolls in, I’m inclined to hibernate like a bear, I do NOT do the cold because I’m always cold to begin with, even with temps on the seventies. So the dog has been pouting & causing trouble more than normal, just like the kids do when there’s a change in the routine. I feel horribly guilty since I know she’s already feeling neglected by the kids because of them being back in school all day.

3. Laundry is a a drag. No one likes to do laundry, basically because it requires folding, which is the most boring yet time-consuming task. With four kids, including two girls who play dress up even in their sleep & two tween boys who play kickball & football as often as they eat, a husband who works in a steel factory where oils, grease, & dyes are continuously in use, & pets who are always tracking in, or covered in, mud, the laundry is never ending! Well, I may have washed about ten loads last weekend, but here it is on Friday & I have yet to fold any of it. In fact, I’ve been digging through them all week, but have yet to actually rid my living room of the five overflowing baskets that make me cringe at the very sight of them. I think today may just be THE day. I think. Maybe. I’m cringing now. Never mind.

There ya go, I’m all done with my recap of the week. Time to look forward to Friday night shenanigans celebrating the hubby’s bday & hoping he won’t stay mad at me forever. If you wanna help me butter him up, come check out my Facebook page, The Daily Rantings Of An Angrivate Mom, where there’s a birthday post for you to wish the hubs a great day in the comments. Ok, I’m gonna beg now. I’m groveling on my knees…PLEASE, pretty pretty please, come over & wish the hubs a happy birthday for me!