Augh, I spent 10:30-2, out on the town. So, my house is messy and I'm wiped from shopping that long.

 

I returned a sucky popcorn popper and bought a new one that I think is a keeper! You need to use a bit of oil so it's not as healthy as an air popper but I like it. And, it holds up to 1 cup of kernals which makes a butt load of popcorn! (I just tried it out.)

 

I got most of Em's birthday presents, just want to get her a Webkinz. Got a few stocking stuffer's as well for her and D.

 

Gotta get snack ready and head out to pick up the kids. No rest for the weary.

 

Oh, I got a turkey too cause we are going to do turkey dinner for just our family on Monday. It's a 10 lber, I believe. If I leave it in the fridge until Monday, is that enough time to defrost it? Is it too much? It was sitting in my van trunk for a few hours while I did shopping so it's already started defrosting. augh

Happy Birthday Em - when's the big day?

 

That's a really long time to run errands with a baby - I'd be wiped out too and I'm not even pregnant.

 

Congrats on the popcorn popper lol.

 

I think the rule for turkey thawing is 24 hours per 5 lbs.  So that woudl be plenty of time.  I doubt it's too much - that would only be an extra day or two and I know you can keep chicken in the fridge for a pretty long time without it going bad.

 

I just started keeping a hot/cold bag in my car.  It helps some.

 

Well I feel like I'm getting a cold altho after 3 airborne tablets (1 last night, 1 this AM and 1 a couple of hours ago) I may not get it.  I feel a lot better.  But I did go to bed really early last night and then back to bed today.  Scott didn't get home from work until after 3AM - he worked from 7AM (left here at 5:30AM) yesterday and worked until almost 2.  So he's totally groggy today - we both slept 'til 11:30 not including me being up from 6-8 with the kids for school.  I got way too much sleep, he got too little I think.  But I felt so crappy I couldn't make myself stay up.  Head congestion and that fizzy kind of pain behind my eyes and nose.  Hopefully the airborne nipped it in the bud! 

 

Have you guys seen the airborne commercial with the romance novel model flitting around handing it out and they say at the end "if you want Phillippe to bring you some airborne, call 800-whatever."  I wonder if they get any calls from people who really think this hot guy will deliver it lol.  The stuff really works though.

 

Yesterday I cut open my couch pillows from the family room, took the stuffing out, and washed them.  They definitely don't look new but they do look a lot better.  They're beige and now there are just some dark spots on them instead of identifiable stains like koolaid and drool.  I air-dried them and today I ironed them and put them back together.  I'm hoping my mom can just run a seam on them so I don't have to handsew them, altho she did volunteer to handsew them if I need her to.  I'd feel bad asking but if she wants to, she certainly can!  It's something I could do myself so that's why I'd feel bad asking, but I don't have and can't use a sewing machine so if she can do them on her machine, I wouldn't feel bad asking.  Especially since I know she enjoys that stuff.  Blech!

 

Chane's teacher called and said no need for me to come in tomorrow.  It's "insect day" for the 2nd grade and they'll be spending the morning going from station to station learning about insects all over the 2nd grade hallway.  So that's good - I'll have all day to do stuff.  And my whole house is neat right now altho I do know it wouldn't take much to mess it up.  The only two rooms that are a mess are the kids' bedrooms. Even Erik's room is cleaned up but there are several tubs of toys I have to deal with.  Most of them need to go but I haven't been in a decision-making mood lately.  I have a list of things to do before Saturday when my MIL will be watching the kids and like I said, she always manages to find a reason to look in cabinets and stuff.  Last year she went through the entire house looking for a lightbulb for some reason.  Anyway, I know I shouldn't care but I'm going to make sure the hidden areas are neat.  It's something I want to do anyway - she's my motivation.  I wish I could just NOT CARE!

 

So I'm going to post my list on here and spend tomorrow, hopefully, puttering.  Assuming I don't end up really sick.  At least if I get sick, the house is good enough.  I have an appointment tonight to evaluate a house for a cleaning job.  I will have to price it which I have never done.  This is for kind of a friend - the receptionist at the potato chip factory (Utz) where I used to clean.  So I don't want to charge her too much because I don't think she realizes what I normally make and I know it would be awkward if it's way too much but I don't want to undersell myself.  I'm pretty sure she won't be a pain so that is worth it to me to charge less than normal plus I could really use the money, any money, right now.  My one job that takes about 4 hours plus 40 minutes travel time pays $90 although she usually gives me $100.  The other one takes about 3 to 3.5 hours with about 15 minutes travel time and pays $90 (it was $70 and she's given me two $10 raises through the past 3 years).  So that is over $20 an hour including travel and I use my own supplies which cost me less than $5 probably - maybe a little more on the really dirty house because I go through about 4 swiffers there.  Beth, the friend who gave me the jobs, says to charge between $8 and $10 a room depending on if they are smokers, have pets, and have kids but this woman wants me to do spring cleaning and I don't know what to charge for that.  If I say $20 an hour will she freak?  And I don't even want to charge hourly, really, but how do I charge "per job" for spring cleaning?  I much prefer the flat rate method because then if I work fast and efficiently it pays better and I don't feel like I can't do extras if I have time because it's not like the people will be thinking "I really didn't want her to do the baseboards at that hourly rate!"  I have a feeling this woman is really clean and wants a lot of dusting-type stuff done which is the WORST for me.  I am terrible at dusting.  I'm trying to think of a way to do a trial thing so if one of us isn't happy, we're not stuck with it.  Ahhh   It would be nice to get more cleaning jobs though, so I won't feel like such a bum!