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Sorry, I can't read through 32 pages of posts, but -- and I don't know if you've already addressed this, BingCherry -- but at some points you have asked "wherever have we gotten a certain idea" from your tone.
One of the things for me is that you use the terms "knocked up" and "popped out kids / popping out babies." Just an observation.
I have a Master's degree but I chose to stay at home with my kids and would never change that. YMMV. There is no redo with child-raising, and I wasn't about to pay someone else to raise my babies / toddlers / young children.
My husband and I do live in such a way that we aren't constantly trying to keep up some exorbitant lifestyle, we drive a safe but reasonable car, live in square footage that is just fine for our family, use coupons, shop sales, don't live beyond out means, don't have CC debt.
Surely not everyone is working because of this upcoming reason, but ...it does seem like so many people feel they "have" to go back to work to keep up a very high standard of living. Not to mention it makes no sense when you are just putting so much of that into child care.
Must you have cable? No. Must you have an SUV or minvan? No. Can you learn to boil water so you don't have to order take-out so often? Of course.
Even if I placed my potential income in one column and our monthly expenses in anothe column and they still came out close, I would not trade being with my little ones when they most need a parent around. And that's JMHO.
Haggardhouseelf: You want me to come over (?) because I could fix your toilet problem. (I forgot to add plumber to the list of jobs I did.) I could run you a new line from the street but what you need is probably a run to Lowes for parts. So add a couple of hours to the "do nothing all day" schedule.
haggardhouseelf- Yes, there are definitely "those days" where I wonder how in the world I could ever go back to work. And, BTW, Even with kids in school, staying home is not the same as not having kids at all and staying home. You still have their groceries to buy, their messes to clean up, their laundry to do, their schools to deal with, their after school activities, etc.
Right now, I feel like this house is falling apart around us, much like you described. All within a week we've had a light fixture fall apart, window blinds break, the satellite box quit, and the refrigerator have various parts fall off or quit working. Not to mention the carpet that needs replacing. We probably spend twice as much on food as we did 4 years ago when I quit work (growing boys and healthier choices). With me not working, we don't have money for extra unexpected expenses like the ones I mentioned. I need to get a job so we can maintain this house. Right now I have the time to meet the repairman, but not the money to pay him!
This is one reason Child Free imbeciles annoy me to the core.
If you wanna get laid and then beg some stethescreep to send a torpedo up the vagina, by all means please do so BUT without bashing people who wish to have kids, or rather pop out little ones
Our youngest just started middle school last week and this was my cue to start looking for jobs. I want to transition from being full-time SAHM and housewife to working mom. And working wife.
So first day of school - both kids in school - I get online and start applying online and writing down places to go in person to apply. I'm updating a resume and and checking job websites... boom. Power goes out.
Power comes back on the next day - had to go through and clean out the fridge - but something happened to our internet.
Spent day two waiting for the cable guy... waiting waiting... finally shows up. Internet fixed 20 minutes before it's time to walk out the door and meet son at the bus stop.
Son - not used to riding the bus to middle school PLUS we've moved so we're in a new neighborhood, which is why I'm still walking to meet him for now - gets off at the wrong stop on his way home from school. He's lost and confused and I'm freaking out wondering why he didn't get off the bus! Where's my kiddo? Bus driver doesn't know where he is... total freak out moment.
Thank Goodness for cell phones - son turns it off while at school and finally after a few minutes walking around the new neighborhood remembers to turn his cell phone back on and calls me. Found kid. World set to rights.
Next day: dryer breaks. Call Sear's. I hate dealing with Sears. They transfer you three or four times and each time you're put on hold forever. Like I have nothing else better to do than sit on hold. I love speakerphone.
The repair man comes out next day ... waiting for repair man... waiting waiting. He gets address wrong... what the heck. He's late.
They always give you those like 4 or 5 hour service windows. He might be there at 8am... or 1pm... or anywhere in-between. Thank Goodness I hadn't found a job yet!
Looks over dryer... says he fixed it... leaves.... I start a load... dryer not fixed. Call Sears again... on hold for 45 minutes... transferred to someone else.... on hold again 25 minutes.... same process... repair guy will come back tomorrow between 10 and 4.
Sheesh!
Meanwhile: tons of laundry and no dryer. I'm hanging clothes and things everywhere I can think of to dry them - on a cool wet Oregon day. Soccer practice later and son has no dry soccer socks. Other son needs jeans and I'm running low on clean underwear. This sucks. UGH!
Next day... repair man has to reschedule. OMG. Seriously?
Meanwhile - throughout all this - dealing with schedule crisis at older son's high school. The school only gave him three classes and refuses to add anymore core classes. Son has two computer classes and 1 math class all term. For the whole year he's only scheduled 2 core classes - all others are electives. WTH? Dealing with public schools is a constant fight where we live. I hate it. IT is a full-time job. I spend hours at the school every day for the first four days of school.
If I'm not waiting for repair men, I'm at the high school fighting to get my son a decent schedule.
The schedule issue is still not resolved... and my dryer is still broken.
So here I sit... broken dryer. Clothes hanging around the house everywhere. Oh how I'd love a drying rack or clothesline right now. Waiting for repair man. Emailing and playing phone tag with high school scheduling people and other high schools we are checking into because the public high schools where we live stink and I hate them and they suck. We applied for tuition reduction and scholarship to private school but we were declined because they said hubby makes too much money AND (get this) we contribute too much to our retirement accounts. Lame-O.
I'm hoping my youngest hasn't got lost on the bus. The cat just puked on the carpet in my bedroom and I'm out of Shout. My tea's gone cold and I have only managed to fully inquire and apply to four jobs, and haven't heard back from any of them yet. (I'm impatient.)
Yes. Having kids in school gives a stay at home mother SO MUCH more free time!
I mean I didn't even mention the small stuff - scrubbing toilets, getting hair out of the clogged-up drain, grocery shopping, cooking, packing lunches, making breakfasts, dishes (OH and our dishwasher rack broke and doesn't slide smoothly anymore and has become a real PIA... AND... AND... AND.... we have had ants for months that will not go away. Ants in our kitchen sink. Gross! Ugh! Honestly... the stars are messing with us! Everything is breaking. What does this mean?) killing spiders, signing papers, buying last-minute school supplies, writing checks for last minute school fee's...
OH - and our toilet broke last night - the water keeps running - and for whatever reason the little knob you turn to turn the water off to the toilet just turns and turns and won't turn off. Lovely, huh? So we're dealing with that, too.
So... screw looking for jobs right now. I have enough work to do. Sheesh!
Call me a pampered housewife is you like... but tomorrow I'm going for a pedicure.
You made my day with this post! I definitely have my moments.
You mean it's not okay to sit around watching re-runs of Glee, eating bon-bons and posting to City-Data? Uh-oh!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dorthy
That sounds like a great day to me!
I left out the part about doing the laundry while simultaneously cyber-stalking Darren Criss (I think that boy is just one giant package of adorable, and I should be embarrassed, but I'm really not), and eating a lunch of peanut butter on a spoon topped with a few chocolate chips. (Okay, that I am embarrassed about.)
Oh, dear God, did I really just admit all that to the internet?
On a positive note, I went to the gym this morning.
Last edited by formercalifornian; 09-15-2011 at 01:22 PM..
Haggardhouseelf: You want me to come over (?) because I could fix your toilet problem. (I forgot to add plumber to the list of jobs I did.) I could run you a new line from the street but what you need is probably a run to Lowes for parts. So add a couple of hours to the "do nothing all day" schedule.
Ha ha! Thanks you're sweet! We rent a townhome, though, so guess what - I called and am waiting on the maintenance men to come fix the potty. lol
Maybe I should make the repair men and maintenance men just give everything in the house a tune-up once-over check-up while they're here. That way they (hopefully) don't have to come back again. At least for another week or so.
...Right now I have the time to meet the repairman, but not the money to pay him!
Oh man... I kwym! Thank goodness our dryer is still under warranty and we also got the protection plan. Each time he's come out the cost would have been around $200 so far - each time! Wow.
And thanks to renting we don't have to pony-up for things that break around the house or anything like that.
I guess really I should shut up and stop complaining. If we owned or were buying our own house things would feel a lot more stressful right now.
Thank you for putting things into perspective for me. I needed that.
then beg some stethescreep to send a torpedo up the vagina,
I am totally not getting this reference.
Is this misspelled?
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Yes, there are definitely "those days" where I wonder how in the world I could ever go back to work. And, BTW, Even with kids in school, staying home is not the same as not having kids at all and staying home. You still have their groceries to buy, their messes to clean up, their laundry to do, their schools to deal with, their after school activities, etc. 
Thanks you're sweet! We rent a townhome, though, so guess what - I called and am waiting on the maintenance men to come fix the potty. lol
