I have written before about how crazy my ex’s schedule is, and how we work around his schedule to accommodate visitation. So, he has been doing his best to come visit regularly, but sometimes that means he only has a few hours with Rebecca.
So, rather than driving her back and forth (an hour each way), he has been doing his visiting at our house. I know, for some people, this would be awkward, but I am happy to say that Keith has a great relationship with our whole family.
So, sometimes, he and his son come for dinner, sometimes he comes alone. Sometimes he takes Rebecca out for dinner, and last weekend he took me, Rebecca, and my other daughter Siobhan out for dinner.
It was really nice, and I think these visits have helped Rebecca to see that her mom and dad are really good friends.
A few weeks ago, my husband was helping Keith change the lights on his car, and things weren’t going well. In the end, Keith’s lights weren’t working and it was dark, so we loaned Keith our car to drive home.
He returned it the next morning and took his car to a mechanic to get his lights fixed (I will refrain from commenting on this, men, fixing things, asking for directions, or any other stereotype).
My point is, we are very good to one another, and are always willing to help one another. I think this is important. I treat him (and he treats me) like I would any other friend.
Then, last weekend after Keith had left, I found a card sitting on my side table that said “Maureen”. I thought it was probably a card I had gotten for my birthday that one of the kids had relocated, but I opened it anyway.
Here is what the message said: “Moe, thank you for doing a wonderful job with Rebecca. Happy Mother’s Day." It was from Keith.
I cried, and sent him a thank you text…cause that’s what friends do.
Click here to read how much my husband and my ex respect one another.
Our girls love to make money. Our son likes to get money, and does do chores for money, but would like to put as little effort into earning his wage as possible. Also, once he has money, there is no way he’s giving it up. The girls, on the other hand, want to make money and spend it or give to it to charity.
They do extra chores to earn bonuses on their allowance, and they make and sell bracelets in order to give the money to charity. They discuss what they are saving up for and how they will spend their money. When asked, it is being saved for a larger item like an iPod touch, but more often than not it gets spent at the 7 Eleven.
I thought that Siobhan was too young, at two, to understand money until recently. We were at the park, and she had just come down the slide only to run underneath it where there was a little play area. From where I was standing, it looked like she was going to sell me something, so I asked if I could have a burger. She nodded and said “yes” then held out her hand and said “money, please!”
I was shocked, but I pretended to hand her some money, and she pretended to put it away in her cash register before offering me my make-believe hamburger. I then asked for a drink, and again, she asked for my money and tucked it away before handing me my order. At least she has the good business sense to get the money first.
Now we will have to see how she does with real money, but considering she thinks the glass pebbles in the jar in our den are “monies,” paying her allowance could be pretty cheap.
When I switched jobs, I was very excited about being home to have dinners with my family again. I was even excited about cooking meals. That honeymoon has come to an end, and I am already scratching my head wondering what to make each evening.
Today, as I was drooling over the gastronomical delights found on Pinterest, I decided I was going to make something special. I found a recipe that I thought looked good, and I wrote down all the groceries I would have to pick up. Then I headed out to run my errands.
Before hitting the grocery store, I needed to go to the health food store for a few items. While there, I decided I would stop in at the local cheese market. Never a good idea if you want to save money, by the way.
Fifty dollars later, my dinner plans had changed.
I had 3 types of cheese (White Stilton with mango and ginger, Raspberry Bellivitano, and Applewood smoked cheddar) and 3 types of deli meat, some fresh bread, and a jalapeño mustard; a ploughman’s lunch for dinner. I had done breakfast for dinner before, but never lunch for dinner. I wondered how it would go over with the kids, but to be completely honest, I knew I was going to love it.
I was not only excited about all the great cheeses and fresh bread I was going to be eating, but also the fact that I didn’t have to cook anything. At the grocery store, I picked up some veggies, some dip, and some crackers; dinner was ready.
When the kids came home, they were excited by all the options on the table, and really wanted to sit down to eat. They ate more vegetables than they normally would have, and they loved being able to put together their own meal.
Nothing is better than breakfast for dinner, but lunch for dinner was pretty close.
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