Sicknesses

OK.  I'm done.  I'm over my kids being sick.  We took Hannah to the doctor for her cold on November 4, and she'd had it for a week before that.  Since that day, October 28, one (or both) of them have been sick.  Poor Hannah is so good at controlling her nausea.  She managed it for 6 hours today before she finally was sick.  After her nap she was so excited because she thought she was better, only to throw up an hour later for the first time.  Then after her third go-around she was excited again.  She said, "I threw up three times, and I feel better!"  But alas, that, too, was short lived.  She hasn't been sick again, but she never wants to go more than a foot from her bowl, and that was only a little over an hour and a half ago.  Poor baby.

Seth is such a good boy.  He just played and wanted us to play with him while Dusty was holding her tonight.  For some reason I felt the urge to clean the downstairs bathrooms while Dusty held her and played with him.  I think I'm subconsciously anticipating all of us getting sick, and, consequently, needing those bathrooms to be clean.  Not that they're super dirty anyway, but bathrooms can always use a cleaning.

I think I'm also anticipating us putting our house on that market.  Yep, that's right.  January 2, our house goes up for sale.  We have some properties that Dusty has looked at and liked, so we're not without options if our house goes fast, but chances are it won't.  The houses around here aren't selling well.  I've already started packing the extraneous things.  Of course, I've only packed two boxes because that's all we had.  I'll be a packing machine when I get some boxes though.

You won't be seeing me post anything on facebook about my piano students anymore because my problem student is now my "friend."  Oh my word.  Yesterday I had to teach her half steps and sharps.  You'd think I was teaching her astrophysics.  Not only was it hard for her to grasp, but she contradicted me on more than one occasion.  I would state something, for instance, "This is going DOWN the keyboard." *points down the keyboard*
"Uh, no it isn't."
Uh...YES IT IS!!!  I've been doing this for TWENTY-FIVE YEARS!!!  Don't contradict me on that!
Then the other thing was, "Actually, that isn't a C."
"Um, yes.  It is."
"No, it's not you little snot!  It's a C#!  That's why the # sign is there!"

(OK, maybe I didn't say it exactly like that.)  I don't care if she doesn't agree with me, but don't cop this I-know-better-than-you attitude with me when it comes to piano, and you've been taking for all of ONE year.  *Steps off soapbox*  So, you'll be getting my rantings here now, instead of facebook.  OK, I just got up from typing because I heard yelling outside.  It was this same student and a little friend of hers that apparently can't speak to each other at any decibel level under 108, and at any pitch under dog whistle.  Can I just tell you that I hope that moving makes it so inconvenient for them to come to piano that they have to quit?  It would break my heart. 
No, really. 
What?  Why don't you believe me?

P.S.

The first girl didn't come.  Didn't tell me she wasn't coming.  Nothing.  At 4:00 the second girl comes.  I said, "Where's [the first girl]?"  "Oh, she's not feeling very well.  She has a really bad headache."  Waste. Of. Time.

Still haven't been paid.  I'm giving sicky a makeup lesson tomorrow, and the mother said she'll be home from work, so she'll be sure to send a check over with sicky...well, she didn't call her sicky, but you get what I'm saying.  You can rest assured that if the check doesn't cover the last 3 weeks, Sicky will be getting an escort home.

Refinance

Well, we're refinancing.  We've signed all the papers, and the appraiser is coming out this afternoon.  I HATE this stuff!  They're coming to appraise, but our house is a WRECK.  I have a 2 year old and a 3 year old, and I'm having yard sales, so it's horrible.  I'm going through the kids' clothes, and selling some, and giving some away to relatives.  I'm trying to eliminate clutter and wasted space, and in the process creating much more for the time being.  Unfortunately, during that time, a strange person will be coming to judge our house.  My dad said not to worry, that they're not looking for the toys in the floor.  That made me feel better.  So I'm blogging instead of freaking out about the house.  I tend to avoid big tasks.  I've done a lot though, I'm just kind of done with the whole picking up thing.  Hm...wonder if they'll have to move the couch out from in front of the gas fireplace to see if it works.  That'll be a little annoying seeing as I'll probably be teaching piano at the time.  (Oooh, more on that in a second.)  Also, I guess we signed something to allow the bank to charge our credit card with a substantial amount of money for this appraisal and the credit report (which we can't get even though we paid for it...but whatever).  I'm wondering when and how that was authorized.

Ah, piano.  Still haven't been paid.  We have two hours until the student comes for the third week of unpaid lessons.  I will be asking both of the girls if their mom sent a check with them, and if their answers are no, then I will be calling the woman tonight to ask her when a good time would be to go to get the check.  I love confrontation like that.  It doesn't get my stomach in knots at all.

Off subject completely.  One of my favorite things in the world is to use the floss just to the point that there's almost nothing left and then leave it for Dusty.  Then I watch as he vigorously pulls out some floss, and he gets 2 1/2 inches of floss.  It cracks me up every time!  Last night it happened not once, but twice!  We are out of our normal floss, so we've been using up the dentist samples, since we have like 20.  Apparently we had used up all of one before, and just put it back in there with just as smidgen left.  (I don't really like the word smidgen.  Why did I choose that one?)  Ahhh, it makes my insides happy because it always makes me laugh. :)

Could it be time for more coffee?  Or perhaps some tea instead.  Poor little boy Seth fell off a desk chair onto his big hard plastic fireman's station thing that was tipped over on the floor.  He landed flat on his back and got poked with many hard plastic corners.  He does well with pains, but it really hurt him this time.  Fortunately, it was lunch time, and lunch was pizza, so life was good again.

Push Over

That's me.  Biggest one EVER.  I have piano students.  I have a piano studio policy.  It requires the student to be upfront with their payments, and to either pay monthly, or bimonthly.  I teach 2 girls that live right next door.  She should pay for 4 lessons, 2 weeks, BEFORE the lessons. Almost since the beginning of this semester, which began the last week of July, she has been late.  Not just one week late, but TWO weeks.  I am now sitting here, having given two lessons yesterday and two lessons last week, without getting paid.  She paid me the previous payment 2 hours after their lessons were over.  I'm just tired of giving 4 lessons before getting paid, and it's awkward for me to go over to her house and knock on the door to ask for the payment.  I mean, it would be one thing if I didn't know them, but I do, and they're next door.  It makes me want to stop teaching them altogether (like that wouldn't be awkward).   I will have to go over there after next week's lessons, if she doesn't give me a check between now and then.  I will insist after those lessons that she pay me for that week, and the previous two weeks.  Does any of this make sense?  I feel like I'm talking in circles, unable to make myself clear on the timing.  Oh well. 

Last night Hannah was reading a Bible story about baby Jesus being introduced to the people in the church, Simeon and Anna.  I told Hannah the man's name was Simeon.  Simeon, she repeated.  Then, as she read the story she said, "The took him to the temple and handed baby Jesus to Cinnamon."  HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!  We tried so hard to hide our laughter because she does so well reading.  Every once in a while...just have to let it out.

Today we went to story time at the library. Hannah is such a good girl.  The lady was reading the story and two girls kept standing up in front of the book, which makes me want to stand up and say, "Excuse me, whose kids are these?  Could you possibly make them sit and act like civilized members of society?"  It's not like there are 50 kids in there.  There were maybe 10.  Poor Hannah kept trying to look around them and see the book.  Never did she complain, and never did she try and stand up and get in other people's way.  Then she did stand one time to point at something, and after she did so, I said, "Hannah, sit down."  She did immediately. Then all of the other kids, and when I say all, I mean, every single kid except Seth, were crowding around this puppet raccoon stuffed animal in a trash can.  Sweet Hannah just sat there trying to see around them.  When I noticed, I said, "Hannah, you can get up to go see it!"  She did, but kept back so the other kids could enjoy it.  I'm not sure how to handle this because I wish she were a little rougher so she could get in there and enjoy things too, but I do not want to encourage her to be pushy or selfish.  We've tried to instill selflessness in our children, I only wish other parents did the same.  I would love to reward her in some way for being so kind, but I may have missed that opportunity, since I didn't take advantage of it immediately.  However, she did get to play with that raccoon later.  She got to put her hand in and let Seth see it, and then Seth did the same for her.  They really enjoyed being able to do it themselves.  Hopefully that was enough to treat her.  I'll be sure to compliment her later though.  She really is the most well behaved little girl I have ever encountered.  Love her.  :) OH, and who knew that Itsy Bitsy Spider was full contact!?  Hannah, I guess, because when she washed the spider out, she smacked the kid next to her in the head.  She was unphased.  I laughed out loud.