Staying Busy in the Midst of Winter

Christmas mailbox moving noticeI keep a journal and don’t write in it often.  I would like to say there are new and exciting things going on in my life, but there just aren’t.  I applied to my back to get pre-approved for a mortgage so I can stop renting and was told I need to wait six months since my divorce was just recently final, so that is on hold.  I am working on getting my taxes together – which is always exciting.  I’m hoping to get them done for free again this year by the folks at the River Center, where I met my tax guy who came to my house and I paid him in cookies – no kidding!  My deck is buried in snow that is more like cement, and my face hasn’t been in the sun since the last time I walked across the parking lot into the grocery store a week ago.  All this is very boring, I know.
snow
I also began using a day planner for my work.  The trouble I am having is that I never seem to get the lists finished and they carry over day after day.  I get sidetracked easily and must have a touch of my son’s ADD.  I always check my e-mail first thing and see what my recent store sales look like.  Most everything is selling from Sandpiper Wedding and I attribute that to the fact that the blog is being updated every day by my daughter.  Updating daily will bring more views, and more views transfer to more sales.  It’s also filled with images of beaches and tropical things.  Maybe that is the reason for the views.

So goes life in winter. Just keep plugging along.

Long, Long Summer Days

I have been dreading summer. I am the single parent of a 12-year old who needs activity – lots of activity. I work at home. I live in a small, rental house – about 1,000 square feet. He plays video games and watches tv in the living room which is right beside the kitchen where I have my computer set up at the kitchen table.

I listen to iCarly, Big Time Rush, Fairly Odd Parents and Spongebob all day – well, only when I’m not listening to him yell at his video games. He is a loud child who likes to scare the cat, make random strange noises, and thrives on noise.

Don’t get me wrong, he does go outside. We live near a lake and he goes swimming with a couple of friends who live up the road. But those friends have a big family and take trips all summer. We live on a dirt road and bike riding is tough and I don’t want him riding alone.

I don’t have relatives or friends close by to go visit, and I need to get my work done anyway. We don’t have our own home and since it’s a duplex, I am always worried about him making lots of noise outside with his friends, so inviting friends here is not helpful.
Every day we struggle with what to do. I get up early and begin working around 4:30am and he sleeps until 9am or so, but after lunch the day really drags.

I never planned for my kids to not have siblings, but the plans I’ve made have never come close to coming to be. At my age all my friends have grown children, money for vacations and traveling, and look forward to summer. My older son will be visiting for a couple of weeks and that will give us something to do. I’ll be cooking and the kids will be hanging out, but if my son is occupied it will be a big help.

Meanwhile, I will be getting very little done work-wise and my blogging takes twice as long since I can’t think straight! Is it really only the beginning of July?