Chickafinty ~ A Life in the Laundry

Other People

<rant>

Why do we have such a problem with doorbells?  Other people don't seem to have hassles with their doorbells.  We've been married just over 15 years and by my calculation we have owned somewhere in the vicnity of 5 different doorbells.  Every single one of them has gone bung.  I would estimate that of those 15 years, we have had a fully functioning doorbell for possibly 8 months tops.  

The pattern goes like this:

We buy a doorbell and install it.

It works for about a month.

It stops working.

We replace the battery in the door unit.  It works for a week or so, then it dies sop we conlcude it was the clone unit at fault..

We replace the battery in the clone unit.

It works maybe twice and that's it.

We leave the non-functioning doorbell on the door, sometimes with a card drawing attention to the non-functioning doorbell, for about 6-8 months, maybe longer.

I get a bee in my bonnet about the dead doorbell on the basis that Other People don't have problems with their doorbells.

I remove the non-functioning doorbell from the door and toss it and the clone unit.

We buy a doorbell.

It works for about a month...

Other People can't have these hassles with their doorbells or they'd go nuts.  Like me.

Other People don't seem to have hassles with their phones either.

Number of landline phones currently on the premises?  Three.

Number of properly functioning landline phones on the premises?  Zero.

Phone #1 rings appropriately, and the answering machine is a delight to behold, but the handset is dead.  Dead, dead, deadibones dead.  It worketh not.

Phone #2 doesn't ring.  It doesn't work it all.  It's sitting on the school desk in a pile of tangled phone cord.

Phone #3 doesn't ring either.  It sits on its little pedestal with the little red light blinking proving that it's on, but it doesn't ring.  We have to rely on Phone #1 to know when the phone is ringing.

BUT, as soon as you pick up Phone #3 and remove it from the pedestal, it rings!

Other People cannot possibly have to go through these telecommunications gymnastics in order to take a simple phone call.  They'd go mad!  Like me!

These are about our third phones since moving to this house 10 years ago.  I don't know about you, but three sets of phones in 10 years seems a bit excessive.  I'm going to replace the batteries in the handsets of the non-working units and see if we have phone action again.  If not, then it's onto set number 4.

Other People cannot possibly find this so hard.

</rant>

2012- The Year I Am Really Orgainsed

You may remember that 2011 was created "The Year I Am Organised".  Taken globally and looked at from all angles, it would have to be considered the Year I Was Slightly More Organised, but it never lived up to the dreams I had for it.

Enter 2012.

The Other Half was on holidays for the first two weeks of the year and all organiasation fell by the wayside.  Long, lazy sleep in mornings and long, lazy days spent lolled in front of the cricket are not compatible with an organised life.  I'll leave the state of the house up to your imagination.

The kids school work is completely organised and scoped and sequenced down almost to the day and it was perfect until I got sick.  We're now a week behind on all my beautifully prepared charts.  never mind, it'll all come out in the wash.

I have rejoined Flylady (again) and am working with her motto for this year : Perfectionism is shelved in 2012

I am a perfectionist which is why nothing ever gets done.  I can't do it perfectly, so I don't do it.  Getting the concept that it doesn't *have* to be perfect is a difficult thing, but I shall try.

So, yeah, this is the year when I shall really be really organised.

Yeah.  Right.

 

 

Like sand through the hourglass

Another year has begun and I discovered yesterday, somewhat to my chagrin, that I haven't posted this year at all.  So much for the vague "blog every day" New Year's Resolution that wandered through the increasingly empty space between my ears.  The chagrin mostly comes about because judging from StatCounter, my dear friend SuperJ, who is living and working in Africa, comes here just about every day using some of her precious internet minutes to check out the blog only to discover that there is nothing new to look at.  Well, SuperJ, I shall do my best to make sure that there *is* something new a bit more often than there has been. 

So.  What's new?

It's our wedding anniversary today.  In a bit over half an hour we shall have been married for 15 years.  15 very happy and contented years - judging by our combined girths I'd say that there was quite a lot of contentment.  As I have often said he's the glue that holds the fabric of my life together and I cannot imagine having to do this mortal coil thing without him.

Ok.  That's enough mush for one afternoon.

No, we don't have any plans for the day.  We did talk about going out for dinner, but I have come down with a nasty chest infection/cough thing which is really not conducive to going out especially at night.  The cough is worse than the chest infection - significantly worse as in a wake-up-in-the-night-to-cough-but-can't-get-enough-oxygen-so semi-vomit kind of way.  That's probably TMI.  As a result dinner is on hold.

As of this minute I have no idea what we are going to have for dinner as there is nothing in the house.  We haven't been shopping since forever and I am down to the dregs...dubious things of uncertain age at the back of the freezer kind of dregs.  I don't think I'm brave enought o risk it, so the kids and I will have to brave the shops and get something.

Kissing is also completely off the menu this anniversary as we are desperate for Mr Bear to stay well and not pick up this hideous infection.  Last year was not kind healthwise, and there was one individual at his place of employment who was not kind jobwise, so we'd really, really like him to not get this.  His BIG project comes off this year and will kickoff in a big way at the beginning of February.  He is going to have to work very long hours over very many days this year which will be no fun at all, but to partly compensate for this, he is going to be able to work out of a local office 2-3 days a week.  This office is only 6km from home and just down the road from the church.  On the days when he's at that office he'll be able to leave just before 9 and he'll be home just after 5, which will be very lovely :)

The kids have started back at school which was great until I got sick.  They've had more play time this week than I am comfortable with, but as I can't talk without coughing I don't have much choice.  They are so raggedy this afternoon though that it will be back to the books tomorrow.  Never ever tell your homeschooling mum that you are bored.  It's a surefire way to see your books back on the table lol.

On the weightloss thing...he lost about 5 kilos and I lost about 3.  They found us again over Christmas.  As soon as I am well again it's back on the wagon.

I think that's all for the minute.

Happy New Year :)