Wins and losses from the past few days…

Win: My dear friend KF saw on this blog that I was looking for a full bed for my middle son. She was getting rid of a full bed as part of her move to another state and generously delivered it to me last Thursday. Before, my son was sleeping on a pretty crappy twin mattress and was finding his way to my bed in the middle of the night. Since getting his new pillow-top bed, he has stayed in his room all night! Thank you again KF!

Win: My husband hit some kind of breaking point in regard to clutter and mess around the house, and went on a cleaning bender on Sunday. I joined in, and we cleaned from about 11 am to 4 pm. It felt soooo good. And having a partner when you’re cleaning makes it more fun. We went to town on the kitchen, the family room and my daughter’s room. I think if we had two more days like that, we could do the rest of the house. I’m just talking about serious cleaning — some purging happened as a result, but to focus on purging would be another task.

Win: Enjoying the summer solstice. Friday night, we decided to let the kids stay up as long as they wanted so that we could sit outside, have a few beers, and build a fire. (We are always too worn out after putting them to bed to go sit outside by ourselves.) Idyllic is the word. The weather was perfect; the kids chased lightning bugs in the dark until they got tired, then curled up under blankets in lounge chairs. When we finally took them upstairs they fell asleep instantly.

Win: Seemingly at the last minute (unless I missed a letter somewhere), my oldest son’s school set up a summer math and reading program, so he has all these workbooks and projects to work on now that school is out, and he is excited about it. The school will also be having field trips to the library. Yay for free activities to keep him busy that I don’t have to come up with myself.

Win: The Resorts casino in Atlantic City sent us a code for a free room, so my husband and I are going to use it this Thursday to celebrate his 40th birthday. We don’t gamble, so the only other cost will be dinner and gas. I hope the weather is good so we can go to the beach. (Once upon a time, he gambled more, plus AC is getting a little desperate for customers lately, hence the comp out of the blue. His name is on some lists.)

Win: Free guinea pig food: Guinea pigs like clover. My yard is full of it.

Win/Loss?: I’ve been searching for art for my walls and I finally dropped $40 on this print. It just made me laugh, and it made me laugh to think of people walking up to it in my house, thinking it’s a serious work of art, and not realizing what it is til they get up close. On the other hand… GROW UP GINA! My maturity level is definitely stuck somewhere around 1987.

Loss: Selling stuff on eBay… I stink at it. I sold a dress on there recently, but only broke even after shipping. I also listed a christening outfit, which I thought would be popular, but it had zero action. Before I try this again I need to read up on it. Trying to ship the item out on time is a hassle I don’t need if I’m not making money.

Loss: Cooking from scratch. The hotter it gets, the less I even consider cooking.

The livin’ is easy