No avoidance here

As I drove home from dropping off the kids, I heard the following on the radio

It's 90 degrees here at 8:15. The expected high for today is 100. So folks? It's cooling down for us.

Isn't that the funniest?

But it's so true though. It IS cooling down for us. Supposedly, this weekend it's only supposed to be in the low 90's. Yeah! SUCH a difference from 110*. Seriously.

Even though it was already 90* when I got home from school? That didn't stop me from taking a long walk. I want to incorporate some long walks into my weekly outings instead of only doing short walk/runs. I want to increase my stamina, so long walks are my way of getting my legs in gear to get those increased miles under my feet.

I still don't know how long my actual walk was. I actually did today's route on Wednesday morning as well. I'll probably end up doing my long walks during the week and my short runs on the weekends. I mean, the runs take about 20 minutes while my two walks this week? It took me about an hour to finish my route.

What's funny is that yesterday I dropped by the local coffee shop to "treat" myself. And the owner mentioned that she'd been seeing me on my outings around the neighborhood. When I walk I don't pay attention to the cars that pass by me. I just make sure I'm not in the way of any drivers. It's funny knowing that people that I see every now and then actually see me doing my workouts. Huffing. Puffing. Sweating. Not a pretty sight. At. All. But I'm on a mission to get stronger right? And that's all that counts.

Trying to sneak another one in

I am trying to be better about my spending habits.

That being said, I'm more closely scrutinizing what I'm spending each month. I'm actually putting things onto a spreadsheet and planning out how much I need as a standard month-to-month versus "other" spending.

As I listened to all my transactions over the last two weeks, one statement caused me to pause.

August 13 - Service Fee - $8.95

WTF?

A service fee? For what?

I called the customer service folks at my bank's 1-800# to get things straightened out.

Customer Service Rep: Good afternoon. Welcome to "X" Bank. What can I do for you today?

Me: Yes. I was going through my account transactions and I found a charge that isn't valid.

Customer Service Rep: You did?

Me: Yes. August 13th shows a service fee of $8.95. I know I wasn't overdrawn this month so I'm wondering why my account was assessed the charge.

Customer Service Rep: Okay. let me take a look at your account.

Me: Alright.

Customer Service Rep: Hmm...the charge wasn't for an overdraft.

Me: Okay. So why was my account assessed the charge?

Customer Service Rep: You have a "X" checking account. A service charge won't be charged if you either have a balance above $1500 or if the account has a direct deposit associated with it.

Me: Well, if you look on 8/17 there is a direct deposit into the account.

Customer Service Rep: Oh...I see it...

Me: Right. So the $8.95?

Customer Service Rep: Okay. I'm in the process of reversing it right now.

Me: Because I have to say I'm a bit disappointed right now. In June as I was reviewing my account activity, I found the same type of bogus charge on my account. When I called up the last time, they apologized and said it would never happen again. And here we are again.

Customer Service Rep: I apologize again Ma'am. I've now reversed the charge. Is there anything else I can do for you?

Me: No.

Y'all? If I hadn't checked on my account, the $8.95would have just been removed from my account. Just removed. For NO. GOOD. REASON. I played by their rules and they would've still snuck money away from me.

Some might say that it's only $8.95, but check the math:
* 100 accounts = $895.00
* 1000 accounts = $8,950.00
* 100,000 accounts = $895,000.00 -->this can easily be done since it's a national bank

One "clerical" error could help a bank make thousands or even MILLIONS of dollars during this tough economic time.

Lesson? CHECK. YOUR. TRANSACTIONS. EVERY. MONTH.

Soap Opera Drama Surrounds Him

The Hubs has some characters that he works with.

There was a guy (Guy#1) who missed work yesterday because he had to visit his doctor. No, Guy#1 wasn't sick. He had to see his doctor so that he could get checked out. Because Guy#1 had to get some dead skin cut off. Ewww! Yes. Apparently, the night before Guy#1 had accidentally fell and in the process his toenail was ripped off. Ewww! Yes. Apparently, he was outside looking at the sky and somehow tripped (ya think the dude was drinking?) and fell into his pool. Yes! And while he was falling got his toe caught on the edge and his toenail came off. Uhh....okay. That's the story the Hubs heard. Can you say knucklehead?

Then there's another guy (Guy#2) who came out of the blue with some life-changing news. I guess Guy#2 was contemplating attending a school in North Carolina to get an advanced degree. All summer Guy#2 and his wife have been considering it. Well, last week Guy#2 calls the Hubs up.

Guy#2: Hi! I won't be able to make any of my shifts the rest of this week.

Hubs: Okay. What do you mean?

Guy#2: I won't be able to make any shifts because I'm driving to North Carolina.

Hubs: You mean you're driving to North Carolina right now?

Guy#2: Yeah.

Hubs: So you're not giving us any kind of notice? Just calling in?

Guy#2: Yeah. Because I'm driving right now to North Carolina.

A little rude of Guy#2 right? He quit over the phone! Can you believe it?

So the Hubs calls his boss and let's him know about the situation. The Hubs' boss calls the HR department to tell them what is happening. An HR rep calls Guy#2's wife, who happens to also work in a different part of the company.

HR Rep: Hi. I was wondering what was going on with your husband, Guy#2?

Guy#2 wife: Why? What happened?

HR Rep: He quit his job today and said he was on his way to North Carlina this morning.

Guy#2 wife: What? He's driving out there? He better NOT have taken our daughter.

That's right folks. Guy#2 hadn't even told his WIFE that he was going. I guess they were in the midst of some marital turmoil. So I guess Guy#2 decided to just leave. LEAVE! And his wife wasn't concerned about him, but more concerned about their daughter.

And then there's Guy#3 who the Hubs is waiting to hear from. I guess Guy#3 wasn't doing well on the job. He wasn't able to complete all the tasks that he was responsible for. The Hubs has been working for at least 6 months trying to give Guy#3 support and training so that he'd be successful on the job. But it hasn't worked. Guy#3 has still been making jaw-dropping mistakes. And the Hubs' boss couldn't take it anymore and asked the Hubs to switch Guy#3 to another job in the department. It wasn't a demotion. It was a lateral move. Apparently, Guy#3 didn't like the possibility of switching. He is on vacation this week visiting his kids from his first marriage. His 2nd wife apparently works in another department and makes WAY more money than he does. Basically, Guy#3 doesn't have to work. And since he doesn't seem to want to switch jobs.... he may just quit.

My POOR husband! He's surrounded by knuckleheads! These aren't people he hired either. These are folks that have been at the company far longer than he's been there. But I just can't believe the "stuff" that happens on his office. The strange drama. It's like a soap opera!

Are you surrounded by nut-jobs at work? How do YOU deal with them?

Moving and grooving

Oh yeah. That's me!

When I was a kid, I was a tomboy. I'd walk into pond to capture guppies. I'd run around the neighborhood and get all sweaty. When I fell down, I'd patch myself up. I'd climb on the bars at school constantly.

When I reached high school, I was semi-athletic. I joined the volleyball team and the track team one year. Unfortunately, my academic schedule wasn't conducive to having 6th period PE. And I wasn't SO dedicated to any particular sport where I'd want to change my academic schedule. So instead of joining a sport, I would run about 3 miles between 3-4 times per week.

When I graduated from college, I went to the gym about 5 times per week. I loved it. I'd take an aerobics class and then ride a bike for 45 minutes. I loved it.

But life got in the way. I became a work-a-holic. I got married. I had kids. I didn't find the time for myself. Yes. I neglected myself. I guess I'm lucky though. I'm pretty healthy overall. Our family eats when we're hungry. We don't eat a load of junk. Of course, when there's a special occasion we totally indulge. But we're not a family that eats dessert with every dinner.

Because we eat when we're hungry, all of us are within healthy BMIs. I'm actually 5'3" and about 125 lbs. But to me? I'm not happy with myself. I'm not as strong as I want to be. I can't "go" like I want to go.

My sister and brother-in-law started walking/running earlier this year. My BIL is still in the walking/running stage. He has a bad back so he while he's been able to increase the number of miles he's going, he hasn't been able to really run completely. Now then. There's my sister who is running, running, running already. She actually lost 20 pounds in 3 months. TWENTY! She's now down to a size 8 and she's attempting to incorporate more into her workouts. She's starting riding a bike. She's actually contemplating training for a triathalon.

My sister's progress has inspired me. Totally gotten under my skin. And guess what? I started walking/running last week. Yes. Me! Now let me say that I'm not going very far -- maybe 1.5 miles? But it's a start. I'm kind of sticking to my route for now. I want to get my legs oriented to walking/running first. And I'm walking less and running more. I don't want to jump in too far and hurt myself (like I tend to do).

I can actually see that my legs are already more toned. My calves are getting firmer. My thighs are less giggly. My legs are not totally sore now. You should have seen me walking last week. It was NOT pretty. No. It was pathetic. But this week my legs are less stiff. My recovery after each run is easier.

I'll eventually increase my distance. But for now? I'm happy with my progress.

Friends and then not?

The Bear is in the first grade this year. His class is in the same classroom as his class ended up in last year, but he's got a new teacher. A new teacher at the school and a new teacher to him. She's young and energetic. I like her.

What's interesting is that the dynamic in his class has changed tremendously since last term.

How much can change in less than 3 months you ask?

Well, it turns out that more than half a dozen kids have not returned. And many of those who haven't returned? Were the Bear's buddies. A bunch of boys are now gone. Including his best buddy. And the boy that I really liked.

At the beginning of this week there were six boys in the class of twenty. Yes. SIX boys are surrounded by a gaggle of girls. Can you believe it? What's great about having so few boys is that there should be less rough-housing. Which means "hopefully" less trouble.

As of today? There are five boys. FIVE. Why? Because one of the boys is not returning. This isn't unusual at the school since kids do drop out during the first few weeks when they realize that they aren't able to handle the quantity of homework that's being assigned.

The boy from the Bear's class is not leaving by himself. His brother also left. Yes. Two siblings have left. Not because they couldn't handle the homework. Because the school didn't want to deal with these boys' behavior anymore. I didn't realize that the administrator has been working since last year to get a "handle" on these boys. And it seems that the boys' Mom was not actively working on helping improve their behavior. These two have had outbursts during class. When they are upset they'll curse like a sailor. And they are mean to the other kids. They've got anger issues. The boy in the Bear's class was actually in the 1st kindergarten group last year while the Bear was in the 2nd group, so that's why I didn't hear about this boy's behavior earlier.

But the boy leaving the school does make me a little sad for the Bear. I mean with only five other boys in the class it's inevitable that the two would hook up daily, right? And that's what happened. They became friends. And now this boy is gone.

But then again the fact that the boy has left the school does provide me with a bit of relief. Now knowing (after the fact) that he has anger issues, there will end up being less drama this school year for the 1st grade class.

Now have you had to help your child deal with friends leaving suddenly? Did your kids stay sad for a while? Or did your kids bounce back quickly?

Back and forth

You all know that I don't like going to the mall. I try to avoid the big-box stores. Of course, I'll visit Tar-jay because it's small enough and it's got all the general stuff that I need to buy.

So what do I end up doing? Buying most other items online. I got my face cleanser stuff dropped at my doorstep yesterday. I got my tupperware sippy cups lickety-split (ordered them on Sunday night and they were delivered that Wednesday).


The order that I'm still waiting for? The 3 Thermos bottles that I ordered on July 31st from Thermos.com. That's right folks, I still don't have my order! So I checked the delivery service to see where the heck-a-doodle my stuff was at.

Here's what I saw :

HOMETOWN, US	08/13/2009	8:46 A.M.	OUT FOR DELIVERY
	08/13/2009	3:27 A.M.	ARRIVAL SCAN
MAIN CITY, US	08/13/2009	12:59 A.M.	DEPARTURE SCAN
MAIN CITY, US	08/12/2009	4:40 P.M.	ARRIVAL SCAN
HODGKINS , IL , US	08/11/2009	11:19 A.M.	DEPARTURE SCAN
	08/11/2009	5:50 A.M.	ARRIVAL SCAN
ADDISON , IL , US	08/11/2009	5:19 A.M.	DEPARTURE SCAN
	08/11/2009	12:17 A.M.	ARRIVAL SCAN
HODGKINS , IL , US	08/10/2009	11:44 P.M.	DEPARTURE SCAN
	08/10/2009	12:09 P.M.	ARRIVAL SCAN
STRATFORD , CT , US	08/06/2009	11:29 P.M.	DEPARTURE SCAN
	08/06/2009	7:08 P.M.	ORIGIN SCAN
US	08/06/2009	7:00 P.M.	BILLING INFORMATION RECEIVED

Now WHY in the heck did my package leave Hodgkins, Illinois on 8/10 and go to Addison, Illinois on ONLY to return to Hodgkins on 8/11? Anyone? Anyone?

I mean, I live NO WHERE near Illinois. So why'd it go to Addison? [sigh]

Hopefully the bottles will arrive today. But people? If you want something rushed from Thermos.com, don't hold your breath. Seriously.

Making Mommy Grumble

With the kids in school you'd think that I'd have more free time to compose more thoughtful entries. But NO! I've been swamped with work. I've also started walk/running after I drop the kids off. After getting 4 -5 hours of work under my belt, I am less than motivated to write about my observations of the day.

I know. I feel like a slacker. But really. I'm just brain tired. You know?

You all know that I love my husband. But there are moments when I want to take my palm and bang it on my forehead.

Last night as we cleaned up after dinner, I noted that the trash would be picked up in the morning.

Me: Honey?

Hubs: Yeah?

Me: Tomorrow's trash day. You going to take the trash out?

Hubs: Oh yeah. Don't worry about it.

Famous last words, eh?

This morning we're in the bathroom washing up for the day.

Me: You're taking out the trash, right?

Hubs: I told you already that I would.

I went about getting the kids' backpacks together and keeping the kids on track to get ready for the day. The Hubs finishes getting ready for work. He gives us our good-bye kisses and hugs and heads out the door.

After I hear the door close and the security door being locked, I walk into the kitchen. Ah-ha! The bag in the trashcan hasn't been touched. Grrr.... I go about getting a new bag and wrap up the filled bag. As I walk into the hallway to go out into the garage, the entry door opens and there's the Hubs.

Hubs: Oh hi! [He stops and has a surprised look on his face to see me in the hall. Holding the filled trash bag]

Me: Yeah?

Hubs: I'm taking out the trash.

Me: Oh really? Did you just remember?

Hubs: Yeah. I saw all the neighbors cans out.

Y'all? He didn't remember because I reminded him twice about it. He remembered because he saw everyone else's green trash bins outside.

How frustrated am I? Would you be?

School starts tomorrow!

I am shaking with excitement because the kids start school bright and early tomorrow morning.

[doing the happy dance]

We made it through summer!!!

The kids are happy as clams. They'll be able to see their friends. They'll be away from each other most of the day. They'll be learning new things.

I'm happy that I'll be able to hanker down on my desk and plow through work without getting up to break up arguments, make meals, or clean up crumbs & dishes afterwards.

As I'm typing this, the kids are upstairs running and chasing each other while the Hubs is making soup and sandwiches for dinner.