Hal: I have to get my speech ready, anyway.
Lois: Honey, you know you don’t have to talk at every funeral we go to.
Hal: I wish that were true. You see how people look to me when they ask if somebody has a few words to say?
Lois: They’re not looking to you; they’re looking at you. -Malcolm in the Middle

With all of this responsible saving we’re doing in preparations to buy our first home, Match and I have been talking about other responsible things we need to do. Things like making sure we’ve properly set up retirement accounts and talked about what would happen if one of us were to pass away. It’s horrible to think about, but we needed to discuss it.

We’re talking about possibly getting funeral insurance because those are terribly expensive, sadly. I think when I go I’d rather people just threw a really big party and had a lot of fun. That would make me happy!

We also talked about who we’ll entrust our kids to if we should both pass away. That’s a tough one since A. We don’t have kids yet and B. We’d most likely choose his parents. This is NOT a conversation I want to have with my parents, but it makes the most sense. Match’s folks live closer and the odds are they’ll know our kids the best. Anyways, all of this grown up stuff is so depressing but I’m so grateful I have a husband like Match who I can talk about everything with, and who has a plan for our future.
 

Lisa: (tugging at Homer’s hand) I’ll do it! I’ll babysit!
Ned: I dunno, Lisa. You’re awfully young and the boys can be quite a handful. Todd’s been pinching everyone lately! -The Simpsons

Yesterday I had my first volunteer shift at the crisis nursery. It’s not like a daycare, and it’s also not for wards of the state. The families bring their children there voluntarily. The kids stay for a minimum of 24 hours while the parents sort their lives out. For some parents, it’s a once a month break when they have no other family or friends to watch the kids and they are on the verge of a breakdown themselves. For others, it’s because a parent needs to through rehab. There are children of recovering addicts, nearly homeless, very poor families and more.

My job as a volunteer was simply to play with the kids and assist the staff members. I was pretty nervous since it was my first day and I wasn’t sure what to expect. There were two staff members working in the kitchen, and two other volunteers on the playground with the little ones. The staffers were kind of grouchy, which I could understand. They have a tough job and it’s tiring. At the same time, they gave me only limited instruction and I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do. The training I received was mostly, here are the exit signs and emergency routes to take. There wasn’t any lesson on how to deal with children, like if they need help going potty, or if they have a tantrum. So I walked onto the playground a little bit freaked out. I don’t have a lot of experience with children other than brief encounters with my friends’ kids and my family members. It’s been at least 2 years since I last babysat, and that was just one baby, not a roomful.

So the volunteers were grouchy, but hopefully as they get to know me they’ll warm up, and as I learn what to do they will like me. I could tell they were annoyed with having to teach someone new which was a shame since I was there to give my time. I got the impression that they also thought I was a lot younger than I am, probably because I look like I’m about 18. The volunteers were really sweet and helped me learn the ropes which I’m grateful for.

The best part about my first shift was playing outside with the kids. This sweet little boy of about 2 came toddling up to me, grabbed my hand and led me off on an adventure, looking for “ant houses”. Then we played a pretend game where he was a little pig and kept oinking. Then he was a monster and we played hide and seek in one of the playhouses. I think my favorite was when he grabbed a basketball and placed it in the bushes and whispered to me, “It’s a dinosaur egg”. Oh how I loved his imagination!

Later in the day a sweet little girl with braids in her hair came up to me and just simply asked for a hug. Her little brother was also super cuddly. My ovaries hurt with the cuteness factor of these little ones.

Not that it was all sunshine and roses. There was a little girl in the group that the staffers and volunteers said was quite a “handful”. This was putting it mildly. I think she learned the manipulation skill at a very early age and boy did she use it! She convinced the volunteers that she had to go potty, and poor unsuspecting me, I took her. The minute we got into the nursery she went running over to the tissue box and just started flinging the tissue on the ground and laughing. She said she didn’t have to potty. Turns out she just wanted to be inside. Later during nap time she refused to lie down and rest and instead pouted and loudly screamed that she didn’t like the book I was reading. I ended up having to get help from a staff person.

My heart is sad for that little girl because I could tell she was acting out because of her situation. I can’t imagine that it’s easy for a toddler to be in such a different environment. I don’t know what’s going on at home but I can bet she’s not getting enough attention, so she seeks it out any way she can, even negative attention. I think it was good for me to be exposed to this kind of behavior, because I know even the sweetest children will have their handful moments.

All and all it was a great experience, and I’m sure next week will be even better. I just felt awkward and unsure of myself because I don’t know all the rules yet, and my experience with children is so limited. I wasn’t sure how much I could say no, or if I was allowed to leave Handful alone for a minute to get help from staff members. I’m sure as I learn the ropes I’ll get more confidence. And hopefully the staff will have more confidence in me.

Little girl: Then who do you live with?

Robin: Well, actually, I’ve got five dogs.

Little girl: Don’t you get lonely?

Robin: No, I’ve got five dogs.

Little girl: My grandma has five cats and she gets lonely.

Robin: Well, yeah, that’s cats, I’m not some pathetic cat lady, not that your grandmother is some pathetic cat lady – does anybody else have questions?

Little boy: Are you a lesbian?

Robin: NO, ARE YOU? Jeez. [mumbles] Every woman that lives alone is not a lesbian. -How I Met Your Mother

Today is day 4 of Match’s 7 day work week. His schedule shifted and the way the chips fell, he has to work 7 days in a row. Boo! These aren’t overtime days either so double boo. Sigh, such is the way of the Law Enforcement life. The good news is he will have Friday-Sundays off for the next four months. This weekend we will be celebrating by meeting up with a few of my old friends from my long ago Freshman year of college, back when I was a wild party girl. It’s going to be great meeting up with the guys, but hopefully they don’t share too many incriminating stories with Match. He knows most of them, but hearing them from someone else is likely to be cringe worthy.

In the meantime, this week is dragging. Normally I don’t mind Match’s regular work schedule because it’s 3-4 days on, but then he gets a least 3 days off. But last week he worked a bunch of overtime, so he’s been gone more than he’s been home and the house is starting to feel really empty.

I have been housebound, self inflicted, because I want to save money for our down payment, so I’ve turned down some offers to hang with friends because inevitably it means spending money on food, booze and gas. So that means I’ve had a lot of exciting nights cleaning the house, talking to my dog, reading books, and spending way too much time on the couch.

This pretty much sums up my nights:

I’ve also been trying to come up with craft ideas that don’t cost anything. Halloween is around the corner and I’d love to start making some decorations. Anyone have any good craft suggestions that don’t require a lot of expensive supplies?

I can’t wait for us to have a house. I know when we do I’ll have plenty of fix it projects to keep me busy while Match is working. There just isn’t much I can do in our rental besides clean it, which I do daily.

I start my first volunteer shift with the crisis nursery on Wednesday and I’m really excited for it. It’s going to be a great excuse to get out of the house and be around people. Hopefully it’s also fun! Other than that I’ve been trying to up my workouts and not snack out of boredom. I’ve gotten back into running and there is a little less jiggle in my wiggle. Yay! I do manage to stay busy and active, but I’m ready for my Match to come home. As self sufficient as I am, I have a lot more fun when he’s around.

I miss this face!

Sue: I’ll have you know that I happen to have my PHD!

Will: You got it online! -Glee

Lately I’ve been thinking of different ways I can contribute to our savings. Match and I have been diligently saving up for a home someday and I want to do my part too.

I’ve been writing some posts for money, but I would like to possibly get a part time job as well. I’ve been doing some research into the town we want to move, and most of the jobs I would like to do require some additional education. If I were to go back to school, I think I’d want to do it with WaldenU.edu.

Walden University’s online degree programs are extensive and include education specialist, which is what I’d probably do. I think even getting a job working part time in a school system would be a fun and rewarding job. I don’t necessarily want a full time career, but I might if I enjoyed it enough.

If you’re interested in online schooling you should click to learn about Walden for yourself. I’ve taken a few courses online in the past with my previous school, and it’s so nice to be able to study on your own schedule. It would allow me to continue to work on my writing but also open up doors for something new. It’s something I’m seriously considering.

Ted: That’s why I have this list, so I never make the mistake of thinking I could still pull an all-nighter.
Marshall: I’m too old for that stuff.
Ted: Or eat an entire pizza in one sitting.
Marshall: I’m too old for that stuff.
Ted: Or hang posters on your wall without frames.
Marshall: Wait. Wait! I’m too old for that stuff. By the way, how good is Lethal Weapon? -How I Met Your Mother

I confess…

That I’m a terrible, terrible friend. I flaked out on Tomboy and her boyfriend’s going away party. I lied and told Tahoe Couple and Tomboy that I was sick and couldn’t make it to the festivities. Me miss out on a party? Cue Gasp!

I confess…

That I’m not really sick. I’m just sick of partying. This summer has felt like one big drunk fest and I just didn’t have another party in me. Plus this wasn’t just a party, this was going to be two nights in Santa Cruz,  where there would be tons of repetitive drinking games, lots of bad tasting cheap beer, and inevitably me sleeping  on an uncomfortable couch.

I confess…

In the words of Murtagh, I’m too old for that shit. Every once in awhile sleeping on a couch (or maybe passing out on the dog bed) is all fine and dandy. But I’m not in college anymore. When I party with friends, I would like to be able to sleep in a comfortable guest bed, or get a DD to drive me home to sleep in my own bed. I am also pretty over these parties with the same drinking games over and over again. I love our group, but just once could we have a party where we all just hang out and talk? Or maybe play a game like taboo or something, where drinking just happens naturally, instead of as a part of the game?

I confess…

That I’m also semi-dreading Geeky’s bachelorette next weekend. I know it will be fun, but it is another night where drinking will be #1 on the menu. At least she changed the venue and instead of a weekend in Tahoe, now it’s just one night at a country bar. It’s a place I’ve never been and I’ve heard it’s a blast. We’re also going in style, renting a limo, drinking champagne, the works. And Geeky has a really comfy guestroom and breakfast planned for the next day. On second thought, maybe I’m not dreading it so much.

I confess…

That I’m getting to that age where I’m ready for a different kind of party. I love hanging out with Sassy Couple and their friends, dancing with the kids and singing karaoke with Sassy’s little girl. We sip on some wine, maybe play some lawn bean bags, and cuddle their babies. It’s a very mellow kind of partying.

I confess…

That I will miss Tomboy and her man. Hopefully Match and I can make a trip up to Oregon to visit them. I think we’d have a lot more fun hanging out with just the two of them. I think they’re kind of over the wild partying too, but feel obligated to the rest of the group to throw one last big party.

I confess…

That even though I can be the life of the party, I’m definitely a homebody at heart. I can’t wait to curl up on the couch tonight in my pj-jays, with a glass of wine, a dvd and maybe some chocolate chips and strawberries. Sounds like the perfect remedy for my “sickness” to me.