Life is good. Really good. I am very busy all the time and I like that. Love it really. I could use help though. I don't love cleaning the house. Dusting, laundry, mopping, organizing. Not so fun. In January '09 the hubs and I realized that we needed to cut back due to the economic downturn. We let go the once a week housekeeper. About 8 months ago we also removed the date nights. Cutbacks are not so fun, but sometimes they are a reality that needs to be faced.
With the cutbacks I have learned how to juggle even more. I am on a mission to get my career to a point where I can afford some help with the house cleaning again and reinstate the date nights. The problem is, it's kinda tricky to keep up with the house work, be a mom and build a creative, demanding career at the same time. Lots of balls in the air at one time.
I wasn’t really trying to listen in on their conversation… but after a while it became hard to not listen to what they were saying. Yes, the economic downturn has affected Orange County, CA in a major way. I don’t know anyone whose family hasn’t been touched in some way, either by a layoff, a pay reduction or some other reduction in financial security. It’s the topic on everyone’s minds these days so it’s not unusual to hear women talking about their home being foreclosed on while their kids play at the park or sip on a coffee at Starbucks. It’s just reality around here and not just fodder for The Real Housewives of Orange County!
As I sat there pretending to be immersed in emails on my iPhone, I overheard one of the women mentioning that they didn’t have the money to pay the movers the remaining balance to get their furniture out of storage. I heard her say over and over again how hard the past few months had been. I couldn’t help but notice her perfectly manicured acrylic nails, salon perfect hair and obvious cosmetic surgery she’d had and wonder whether it was “real” money spent on those items or just paid for with equity lines and credit cards. Don’t misunderstand me… I have absolutely nothing against those things. My beef is with spending fake money for it. If you can’t afford to pay for it with real money… you have no business getting it done! If you can’t afford to pay a couple thousand dollars to get your furniture out of storage how can you rationalize manicures, expensive hairstylists and a shopping budget that would feed a small village?
Orange County's Capo teachers (CUSD) are about to strike any day it seems. I don’t
know what to think or what to believe, but I know that talk of substitute teachers who’ve
never been fingerprinted is enough to make me do shots (my 2-minute Martini
Monovlog above).
I just can’t imagine dropping my kids off with picket lines.
Can’t we all just get along, already? It’s been going on for months! Who’s
really got the kids’ best interest at heart? Kids or cash? LA's Bill Handel had some
usual frank talk yesterday on his KFI radio show with OC mom/reporter Hannah
Scott (worth a listen: click OC Teachers on 4/1).
The story is all over, at MSNBC and more. So with all the
chatter, why am I—and so many of my fellow Mom friends—still disengaged?
I wonder: are your kids in Capo, do you care, would you picket
at Capo or if it hits your district?
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