She Says: Working Outside the Home

I got a job! Well, I already have a full-time job that keeps me pretty busy as a stay-at-home mom. But I just got a job outside of the home.  I feel embarrassed saying it, but I’m pretty excited.

My new job will be working for a major publishing company training and coaching teachers on how to use their products.  I’ll be able to decide how often I want to work and where.  The best part is that I’ll be working for someone I know, like, and respect a lot.  And, my mother-in-law has offered to watch Lulu for me while I’m working, so I won’t have to worry about who is watching the baby.

I feel a little guilty saying that I’m excited to be out of the house. But, I’ll only be working  about one day a week.  I’m pretty lucky to be able to stay at home at all.  I didn’t have the opportunity to do so with my older children, and always felt a little guilty.

But prior to having Lulu, we made a ton of sacrifices, including selling a car and getting rid of all our debt.  But some little part of me feels like I’m not contributing, even though I’m probably making the biggest contribution to our family.  And another part of me misses the interaction with adults, and using my brain.  (You know you need more adult interaction when you start chatting up the grocery store checkout clerk.)

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy teaching Lulu to sit up, crawl, to hold her own bottle.  But this new job will be perfect because it will give me the flexibility to work a little outside the home, while Lulu spends time with her Grammie.  It doesn’t get much better than that!

She Says: A Healthier 7 Layer Bar

I love 7 Layer Bars. They’re easy to make and don’t require very many ingredients.  But my kids don’t really care for coconut, and I’m not crazy about the amount of fat and calories in them.  A traditional 7 Layer Bar has about 150 calories and 10 grams of fat per serving!

By simply reducing the amount of butter and swapping out a few ingredients, it’s possible to make a healthier 7 layer bar that tastes just as good. They were so good that my kids ate the entire pan before I could even get a picture of them!

Ingredients

1/2 stick of butter

1 c. crushed low fat graham crackers

1 c. Quaker quick cook oats

1 c. chopped almonds

1/2 c. chocolate chips

1 c. raisins

1 can of sweetened condensed milk

Directions

Set the oven to 350.  Melt the butter in a baking dish in the oven.  Add the crushed graham crackers and press.

Add the next 4 ingredients in the order given in a thin layer. Pour the can of sweetened condensed milk in a layer over the top.

Bake for 20-30 minutes. Wait until the bars are completely cooled to cut.

Eat and enjoy!

She Says: I Want to be a Contractor

Over the summer, we noticed a water stain on the ceiling of our dining room. Since the dining room is directly below the bathroom, we guessed that water from the shower was somehow leaking.

We filed an insurance claim. The mold removal experts came and gutted the disgusting bathroom and removed dining room ceiling within a day.  We were excited and hopeful.

The present state of our bathroom.

But that was two months ago.  Since then, no one has come to repair the water leak problem or to put everything back together.  To say I’m frustrated is an understatement.  I can only use my kid’s bathroom for so long.  I think I’d almost rather use the mold-infested bathroom!

I’m pretty confused. I thought there was a recession. I though someone would be happy to earn the $20k the insurance company has given us to put everything back in order.  I don’t understand why someone doesn’t want to  do the job.  It’s apparently too big for an independent carpenter to do but too small for a big contractor to do.

We’ve contacted the Better Business Bureau to find a plumber. We called seven plumbers. We can’t even get some to call us back!  Some make appointments but never show. Others call at the time when they’re supposed to be here to say they’re going to be late. It’s a good thing I work from home.  Otherwise, I would not be happy!

What is it with this work ethic?  I can’t imagine telling my boss that I would be late at the time I was due into the office. Or to not show up when I say I’m going to?

I wish I had an iota of trade skill.  I’d become a contractor. I’d be a great one.  I’d call people back. I’d follow up.  I would actually show up when I say I’m going to.  There must be people like that out there. Right?

She Says: Let the Leaf Wars Begin!

It’s 7:30 am on a Saturday morning.  I am awake, not because the baby is up, but because my neighbor is using a very loud  tool  to blow leaves all over the place.  This is how I know fall is here.  The leaf wars begin!

I live in what would be the text book definition of a “thickly settled” neighborhood.  If we wanted to, my neighbor and I could poke our heads out of our kitchen windows and shake hands (we wouldn’t want to, but that’s another blog).  My house is virtually surrounded on all sides by houses.  Yet somehow in this dense neighborhood, closely located to the downtown area, big beautiful maple trees have managed to find a way to bloom in stately grandeur for hundreds of years.

Each Spring, I look forward to seeing the leaves return from hibernating. Each Fall, I dread the moment following the beautiful display of firework-colored leaf explosions, when the leaves tumble to the ground to die.

I should mention that I personally do not have a maple tree in my yard. The nearest maple tree is about 100 feet away.  I have two small crab apple trees. (Not very stately, but they make decent applesauce.) Yet somehow my yard manages to become a magnet for maple leaves.  It probably doesn’t help that my neighbor uses his leaf blower to blow leaves anywhere else but his yard (he doesn’t have a maple tree either).  I guess that’s the price we pay for the benefit of seeing their beautiful colors (even if only for a short period of time), and enjoying maple syrup on Sunday mornings.

Leaving leaves on the grass provides important nutrients.

Last year, I decided not to rake the leaves, following some advice I read.  I didn’t need much coaxing. I hate raking about as much as the kids and don’t mind doing without the blisters.  I rationalize it two ways:  One, they’re not MY leaves, and two, the leaves act as nutrients for the yard.

This does not make my neighbor happy.  He doesn’t seem to buy the whole it’s better for the environment argument. And since he’s an older gentleman with not much else to do, he seems to relish waking up early on a Saturday morning to return the leaves that have blow into his yard to their rightful place: anywhere else!

She Says: Home Loan Modification

Has anyone tried or been successful in modifying their mortgage under President Obama’s Making Home Affordable plan? We been trying to do it through Chase for over seven months. I’m doing a story on it and am looking to get people’s experiences. Please email me at: melsau2005@yahoo.com. Thanks!