i know a man with a wooden leg named smith

well what's the name of his other leg?

why do chicken coups have two doors?
because if they had four they'd be sedans!

every day when i pick up punkin he asks for a burger and then asks to go swimming. no different today. except that the second time he asked for a burger he also asked for a coke. !!!!

conversations with brick walls

So Creepy Guy once said something to the effect of, "I got ridda her [mystery girlfriend who gave him a watch from Avon that he thought was super expensive). She had three beers in my apartment and was all and I got ridda her." He then went on about being Mormon or something.

Naturally I filed this information away as a helpful hint for turning him off. My friend Tall Guy suggested I answer the door with a beer (or four) and see what happened.

So I hear his familiar "knock KNock KNOCK knock" and zip by the fridge to grab a Bud Lite. The same Bud Lite I bought in February for a party. Chances were high I wouldn't actually attempt to drink the now stale beverage.

"Aww, Erika. Godda drink Miller."

GAHHHHHHHHJHHHHHNHNHJJK!!!! Does NOTHING WORK????

That's all he could talk about. I even cracked it open and took some swigs (not that bad). He asked if I like Icehouse and I lied and said I used to drink it in high school which is not true I never even left the house in high school I just wanted to make myself seem yucky because he keeps talking about church but

BUT now I see. He just says whatever floats to the top of his brain. He can't keep it straight one minute to the next.

"They raise your rent yet?"
"My lease isn't up until October."
"Just wait."
"Last couple times they just raised it about 10 bucks."
"That's what they say anyway. My neighbor took 'em to court they raised his rent didn't even tell him. He lost though."
"Your neighbor here?"
"Ya, below me."
"They didn't warn him?"
"Ya, they did."
"Well, that's telling him. That's notice."
"Ya, he's a little (swirls finger around temple in 'crazy' motion)."
RIGHT.

Then he showed me his battle scar from working at a restaurant in town. (Note to self: don't eat there.) He said I could work for him on Monday. I said he could work with the preschoolers. He said, "Kids aren't bad, though."
"No, I like them."
"Just gotta know how to treat them. Like my cat."
RIIIGGGHHHT. "I need to go clean and go to bed. Bye."

God is Good

(and so is my family)

I AM MOVING FOR HEAVEN'S SAKES. Yesterday I was feeling super delflated because creepy guy caught us right when we were coming out to the car and talked my ear off about his new kitten and how HE TURNED THE BURNER ON when she sat on the stove and Punkin wasn't even afraid of him anymore because he's seen him so often and he practically ran after him and I thought, "Oh, no no no nononono." But now the way has been made and I am going to tell him I'm moving to Florida. Definitely Florida. To live with the crocodiles. Hmm. Maybe not crocodiles. He once brought over his scorpion lighter to show me, so he might be into scaly things, too.

Also, PUNKIN is BRILLIANT!

I asked him all about lunch today. When he ate watermelon!!!! He does not eat watermelon at home. Turkey. NO NOT! NO WANIT. NO. Anyway, I asked him what he drank and he said, "I [something something] mulk." And when I ask him what he did at school he says, "Play." And I ask him what he played with and he says, "I play toys."

Okay, Oma's here. Hooray for Oma.

twenty questions. or five and some antecdotal notes

Do all fraggles love Julie Andrews or does that phenomenon exist only in my family? Punkin and I went to redeem my Best Buy Rewards Zone points today. I let him pick out whatever movie he wanted. Breezed right past Mickey Mouse and even Aristocats was easily discarded once he saw Mary Poppins. "Horse. Horse." Huh? Oh, the horse race while they're inside the chalk drawing! and guess what, when I had to turn the movie off and that part hadn't come on yet he freaked. Of course, being the easily persuaded and curious mother that I am, I fast forwarded to the race. Sure enough he ran straight to bed once it was over.

If you go to OT appointments outside the home, do they help? It certainly doesn't seem ideal. I mean, I can't recreate their super awesome center at my house. And what's the point of using their super awesome equipment if I don't know how to properly support him at home and at school? Perhaps I jump to the conclusion that they won't provide assistance in these areas. But how can they if they never see it? I am a skeptic!

Spinning in circles? Seriously. He doesn't even get dizzy. At first I was hopeful he was playing because he would hold two Woody dolls and spin, yelling "go, go, go!" But now he's doing it with manilla envelopes and strips of paper.

Ordering chicken at Red Lobster -- that probably sounds pretty lame, huh? Well, that's what we did. I had a gift card but I definitely do not have "a seafood lover" in me. So I got chicken and so did Punkin. He did pretty well, too. The card even covered the tip.

Do you love Merriam-Webster Online as much as me? The thing talks! (Had to look up anecdotal.)

I am super tired of people (who don't know me very well) thinking that I only have babysitting skills because I work in a preschool. We are a preSCHOOL. We have a curriculum. (I should look that up on m-w.com.) But more than that, I did graduate college with a host of experience in writing and leadership. Come on! I know it's a little outdated, but cut me a break!

Also, we had a rough time at church Sunday. Took 10 minutes to get from the narthex of the church into the actual sanctuary. 10 minutes to walk through some doors. I think his tiredness and anxiety got the best of him when he saw all of the people. Even though we go to church every Sunday, it's been much less crowded this summer and we usually are a little early. This time we went to an earlier, more popular service and were five minutes late.

I think that I am done now. The melatonin has started to kick in. Also, Jennie -- you should call me. My phone fear is strong lately but I need to talk to you. =) Maybe these meds aren't working.....Given my irritability lately I'm sure my mother might agree. =) (Love ya, Oma.)

soap box moment

Yesterday I spent a good 4 hours helping with a Bone Marrow Drive for Wade, or rather in his honor as he has been fortunate enough to find two matches in his siblings. I just want to share a few thoughts about why I chose to join the registry in college and would choose it again today. Also, read this. It is worth your time.

• It is fast and it doesn't hurt. All it takes is a few minutes to fill out paperwork (in complete privacy) and swab your cheeks with 4 Q-Tips.
• The registry doesn't bug you. They may send a mailing once or twice a year to confirm your contact information and inform you about the status of the registry, but that's it unless they find you are a match for someone.
• If they find you are a match and you are unable or unwilling to donate at that time, you can just decline. You can also remove yourself from the registry at any time.
• The procedure to donate now doesn't usually involve traditional, painful method of going through the donor's hip bone. Many times it can be accomplished through a series of blood transfusions.
• And the biggest reason: 30-40 hours of my life can mean 30-40 years for the recipient. I hope someone, even a stranger, would do the same for me.
• Oma brought up a good point in the comments: it costs nothing for the donor. No travel expenses, nothing.

what i've been up to

My super-clean, super-organized closet. Love the new drawers/shelves so much more than the old desk I had stuffed in there.
Pure joy found inside a dougnut.
The coolest, easiest place to get your hair cut. He gets to sit in the car while watching Cars. He gets better every time. He even wore the cape thingy.
The bangs are a smidge short, but it will be perfect come school photo time.
I cut up the big schedule into three little schedules. I am going to get magnets for them tomorrow so I can take the bottom one on and off as needed since it is just for respite. Obviously a few pics are missing today and one is apparently broken. I may have some work to do. But he is responding really well especially about getting dressed and sitting on the potty. On Sunday he went and got the pizza picture about five times because he was so excited.

calling all people who love puns and fragile x!

Hey everybody. I am getting some things ready for Gene Day in October. It's a day when people will pay to wear jeans and we will raise awareness about the fragile x gene. Get it? My Aunt J is so brilliant. Anyway, if I could have pics of your kiddos to use for a couple displays that would be great. I want to show off our great variety of beautiful fraggles. If you want to give a photo, e-mail me at fxfundraiser@gmail.com. I'll ONLY use it for the displays, not on my blog.

If you want, you can have your own Gene Day. I will even send you an e-mail attachment of the flyer and any other info I've put together once it's finalized. In the past for similar events, people have paid anywhere from $2 to $5. I'm thinking that anyone who does this will be responsible for collecting and sending in the money they raise.

waaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i wanna mmmoooovvveee! weirdo guy already came to say hi today. blech.

in happier news, i get to play sand volleyball with the cool kids tonight AND i have respite tomorrow for one of their birthdays!

also, punkin cracks me up. i'm all ready to get in the shower when he walks into the bedroom. you have to imagine that he is speaking in a happy, liliting, toddler voice, "mom. wow! no twothes (clothes) on. wow! ya." out of the mouthes of babes. like i had finally seen the light! duh, mom! this is what i've been trying to tell you! TEAM NAKED FOR THE WIN!

i sent the lady an e-mail with the fx info and she thanked me for it. it was not as sassy as the one posted on the blog. being sassy is sometimes what we preschool people call a bad choice.

stupid grownups

i can't move. i just can't. i made some fairly irresponsible decisions a few months ago and am literally paying for it. i just can't stretch my budget that tight. IF i got child support every month. IF i made money selling pampered chef every month. then maybe, but even now i'd have to consider giving up cable and eating out and i'd still be pinched tight. so i guess i will stay put pending the arrival of a new job. my lease isn't up until the end of october, so you never know. and this way i will be comfortable and be able to afford full coverage for my car and keep some of those things that make me feel like a woman and not just a mommy (like my friday nights). i think what i really am aching for is change of some sort. serious change, though, not just a haircut or something.

at the inservice yesterday i could feel that all too familiar fire burning inside me. and no, it wasn't my acid reflux. it was passion. about fragile x/autism -- raising awareness and DOING something about it. at the inservice i was sitting next to punkin's teacher and telling her that if the speaker mentioned fragile x i would bring her chocolate the next day. (neither of us expected a hershey bar on her desk the next morning.) basically she said, "there's your job! work for her!" and i gotta say i would love it. it was nice to hear someone else say what i've been too timid to admit. i want to be an advocate/consultant. and i want to make a living doing it. so how do you get there? good question, right? feels kinda good to write it out loud, though.

BLECH being grown up!

other shtuff

why do the male gymnasts where footie pants?

i will probably move, pending approval from firefighter friends that the complex next door to the building i'm looking at is not problematic.

i am tired. i want to tell you about how my poor little punkin was so sad about being served peanut butter and jelly and carrots for lunch. and then how i made taco meat using some seasoning from that one company i work for and it tasted AWFUL.

one more thing, then i really am going to bed. lately i have been having serious tactile problems. i can't stand touching the inside of my wallet or the inside of my bag or the paper towels at school. that dry, rough texture. blech. it makes me want to flail my arms and scream. i will never look at punkin the same way again. once again a tiny taste of what he endures every day. i've understood the eye contact issue for some time, once i was made aware of it anyway. and i gotta say that the best feeling for me is wearing sunglasses. because then i can look at the person i'm talking to all i want or i can look away and i don't have to worry about whether or not they are scrutinizing me. unfortunately, our guys and gals usually can't handle things on their faces. the tactile thing is either a result of too little medication, the wrong medication, or me just getting weirder. guess i'll have to wait and see.

i thought i was going to sleep now. stupid gymnastics!

dear in-service lady,

You seem very nice and extra bubbly. You also seem like you are quite smart, inuitive with children, and overall a fantastic person. I enjoyed your presentation today about autism and behavior intervention.

And* I think you are missing the boat just a smidge.

You see, you kind of glossed over the causes of autism by reciting a bulleted list that included genetics, heavy metals, vaccines, preservatives, and other environmental factors.

I feel frustrated when broad discussions about autism leave out the Fragile X factor.** It's not because I want my disorder to win or because I want all the attention. (I do love me some positive attention, though.) It's not because I want to be all "woe is me." It's because children and their parents deserve an accurate diagnosis. And these are the reasons why:

1. Their siblings need to be tested
2. Their parents need to plan
3. Their parents may need to address FXTAS and POI
4. FXers learn in pretty much the opposite way that autistic children do
5. FX carries with it a label of mental retardation or other learning disabilities that autism may not

We need to understand the children and adults we work with as much as possible in order to help them be as happy and successful as possible.

Here's the word from the people who know best, The National Fragile X Foundation:

Fragile X syndrome can cause a child to have autism or an Autism Spectrum
Disorder (ASD), though not all children with fragile X syndrome have autism or
an ASD.

FACT: For between 2% and 6% of all children diagnosed with autism, the cause
is the Fragile X gene mutation. (This may not seem very high, but consider that the CDC now reports that 1 in 150 have autism. Two to six percent of 1 in 150 is a sizable number of people.)

FACT: Approximately one-third of all children diagnosed with Fragile X
syndrome also have some degree of autism.

FACT: Fragile X syndrome is the most common known single gene cause of
autism.

If your child is diagnosed with autism, or an autism spectrum disorder (ASD),
please ask the doctor to rule out fragile X syndrome by ordering the DNA blood
test for Fragile X. http://www.fragilex.org/html/testing.htm

If your child is diagnosed with fragile X syndrome, and you believe your
child also has autism or an Autism Spectrum Disorder, please consult with your
child's doctor and ask that he or she be evaluated for autism or an ASD.

To learn more about the relationship between Fragile X and autism please
click here: http://www.fragilex.org/html/autism.htm or
call the National Fragile X Foundation at 1-800-688-8765.

From Dr. Randi Hagerman's statement to the United States House of Representatives Subcommittee on Health and Environment: "...Fragile X represents a portal through which we hope to view and treat a wide variety of other disorders of brain development and function. All children with autism...should be tested for Fragile X."

Please include the thousands of us who are affected by Fragile X in your large scale conversations about awareness. I will try more to include you in mine. Please continue to be a positive advocate for special needs children. I LOVE the way you focused your intervention on the changes adults need to make in order to gently teach young people appropriate functional behaviors.***

Also, your kid looks super cute,

the other lion

*I learned in our in-service yesterday that when having important conversations and when using "I Messages," it is a good idea to substitute the word 'and' for the word 'but' to ensure that each person's individual truth is maintained. If I say the word 'but', I may infer to you that your truth is in fact invalid. I'm sure my preschoolers will pick up on the change.

**Check out my first class "I Message."

***Let me know if you want details on this. It basically talked about how all behaviors are an attempt to communicate and that a caregivers response either reinforces or eliminates said behavior.

for rent: newly renovated apt in nice neighborhood

Pros:

No weird guy

Real cabinets with drawers that are big enough to hold a set of silverware.

Two bedrooms.

Brand new, regular sized stove and refrigerator (not circa 1982 apartment sized ones)).

A dishwasher for $30 more/month if I want it.

A big grassy area for Punkin to play.

Seems quiet.

Close to a park, Oma and Opa, work, and my friends.

A bigger bathroom with cabinets (I have none now).

I know the landlord.

Central air (I have a window unit now).

Cons:

It's going to be $100 more all together since I have to pay gas.

I will have to navigate some stairs.

It's going to cost about $1000 to move, which I have but hate spending. And I don't think I'll be getting my deposit back here after burning the carpet and Punkin breaking every blind. Will it strain my budget too much now that I am also paying car insurance?

In conclusion:

What am I worried about? I guess I am worried I can't really afford it even though I think I can. Kind of the way I felt when I moved into this place, I guess. But it all worked out. Might have to cook more. I did look into getting a 2 bedroom here. None are available right now, and when they are the rent would be $675 for a standard two bedroom and $725 for a large. Which, I must say, is a total rip off. My friends pay less than that for a townhouse with a basement.

Also, I am going through Lion withdrawl. Well, generally I am going through College Friend withdrawl. I NEED them.

And my anti depressant dose is so not strong enough. Wow.

p.s. The cost of moving will actually only be $500, I guess, because I would have to pay rent either way.

My uber-brilliant sister called me with this website today, which I now love. The best so far has to be the one about guitar dude. Because, well, we all know one. Mine was about 8 feet tall and looked like a Ken Doll. He came complete with Ken's IQ and faux feminist mantra. (ie: I enjoy watching the Miss America Pageant because I can appreciate the beauty and diversity of the female form.) Enjoy.

cold turkey

I decided today that after 3 years and 5 months, Punkin needs to officially lose the pacifier. I think it's going to be harder for me than for him --except tonight when I randomly sprung the news only an hour before bedtime. All the times I tried quitting before, I would plan to stop tomorrow night or on the weekend or after his birthday or after the trip. But if you really want to quit something, you quit it. You don't procrastinate. That poor little boy, asking so nicely for something that has been freely handed out every other day of his life, gets denied. But better deny him and make him cry than have him walking around with a pacifier in fifth grade.

I told him to tell Nuk (pacifier) night-night and threw it away. It took about 20 minutes and there were fewer tears than anticipated. Also he never took his chewy tube, which I offered as a lame substitute. So it confirms that the pacifier is more of a comfort item than an actual sensory input tool.

I used one of Mrs. Rodger's ideas to make a schedule for Punkin. It's not been perfected yet, so if you have any suggestions please let me know. For example, should the days of the week be along the left side so that the schedule moves from left to right or is moving down better? I definitely want to get a big "Today" chip clip or clothespin to move along from day to day. I know that some of it is going to be over his head, but I want to get him use to things like this now so that they are hopefully more effective when he's older. And he really responds to the other schedules in his life -- the one at school and the respite schedule I made. The ultimate goal is to make Sunday less stressful and Monday less sad.

really?

of all the scripts that floated across the desks of hollywood, these are the ones they chose:
dumb and dumber. gaawwwd.

must be crazy

went to the new doctor today. she's pretty nice, but i gotta say i'm not completely won over. perhaps i am too picky. the thing is, the first person who came in to see me was a medical student. hello? no one asked me if this was okay. i don't mind telling people about my problems, but do i really have to tell them twice? and do i really have to rely on one person to adequately pass on my entire message to the doctor who ultimately makes the decisions? really? why can't the medical student and the doctor examine and interview me at the same time? oh well. in the end, i walked away with samples for a new antidepressant and a bonus cleaned-out left ear. apparently it didn't just feel like there was wax in there. i love that water thingy they use.

by the way, how in the world do the men perform their gymnastic floor routines without music? i think that would be hard. back in my tumbling days when i was eight, i thought the music was the best part.

back to the doctor. i had to take punkin. who ripped the paper off the bed, threw a plastic truck at the wall and the computer, and pooped the smallest and stinkiest poop ever all before the doctor, err medical student, came in. he did think me getting my ear washed out was pretty hilarious, though.

when we came home i checked the mail and discovered two restaurant gift cards in the mail. so we vegged out for an hour and then headed back out for a little olive garden. i know, olive garden? with punkin? and no one else? he's an adorable little angel, erika, but it's the olive garden.

honestly, i thought it would be slow. also, i envisioned us in a booth. can you see what happened? it was busy and we had to sit across from one another at a table. i finally decided that i would in fact inconvenience everyone by moving his chair over near mine and everything was cool. and i forgot that olive garden does not offer a cheeseburger. oops. i got him chicken strips, and he ate about seven bites of one strip in addition to his fries. i was quite impressed that he didn't say, "no wan it" even once. all in all it was not disastrous. except for the part where i almost lost my cell phone in the parking lot. a kind sould found it and brought it inside so that i can go pick it up tomorrow.

this incident with the cell phone was one of a series of close calls this weekend. the first being my mom losing her wallet in california. $71.55 later, i overnighted her passport so she would be able to board the plane tonight. and while lion and i were at oma and opa's picking up the passport, i locked my keys in their house. ya. the keys for their house, my apartment, and my car. but God is good. opa suggested i make sure the front door was really locked. and while it was locked, it wasn't shut completely and i was able to retrieve the keys after lion and i suffered mild heart attacks.

lion and i had a fabulous time. i tried to post pictures, but my camera battery died. basically we talked and laughed and admired punkin. and read gossip and bridal magazines (she's recently engaged). i told his teacher that after this weekend, today was bound to be a tough one, and it was. he had so much fun with us that it was extra hard getting back into routine today. i mean, who wants to sit criss-cross applesauce for carpet time when they could be running around the park and shaking up the children's museum? DUH!

why i am nearly 100 percent grown up

Besides the fact that I have given birth to a 9 pound baby, raised him for 3 and 1/2 years, lived in my own apartment for 2 and 1/2 years, worked the same full time job for 4 years, and now am the proud of owner of a big girl bed, i am now 90% real adult. On the eve of my 26th birthday, I finally bought car and renters insurance. Oma and Opa should have a drink with tonight with the money they are saving. =) What's the final 10% you ask? My own cell phone plan.

d to the ork

i just tried, in all earnestness, to play the word "bling" in scrabble.

i don't wanna talk about it

basically i called on my way to the interview to make sure i was heading the right direction since my internet directions seemed too simple and i knew the building would be difficult to find. long story short, the receptionist and i had a misunderstanding and i traveled 20 minutes in the wrong direction. when i called back she apologized profusely and said she told her boss it was her fault and not mine. but the boss still wanted to reschedule. well, the boss and i have been communicating via email so far and so i emailed her as soon as i got home. she was nice and understanding, but she also said they were done interviewing for this week and next since she is going out of town and they have two other strong candidates. so if the position isn't filled by the 18th, they'll call me. i must say i feel a bit deflated. but your prayers helped me stay calm and not get lost in a city i never drive in (cause i knew where i was and how to get home, just not how to get to the interview) and not start sobbing uncontrollably on the phone. now i'm going to go crawl into a ball.

God has a plan. i can still be disappointed, though. =)

Note: After I had a little tiny cry at home I realized that LION is coming FRIDAY and nothing can spoil how happy that makes me.

prayers, lots of prayers

clothes laid out for tomorrow -- check

shirt to change into for interview on hanger -- check

bag with purse and touch up items packed -- check

opa picking up punkin from school -- check

directions from work to interview in aforementioned bag -- check

anxiety level skyrocketing --check

confidence in my ability to do a good job in between wild bouts of anxiety over driving to a new place and trying to impress new people -- check

trust in God that He has a plan -- check

aaaaaaaaaaakkkkkkkkkkkk

I applied for a job and landed an interview! This, of course, is happy news both because it is the possibility of more money and because I would actually be using the degree I spent four years earning. When it comes time to consider the potential changes that would occur as a result of accepting a new job (which I realize I have not even been offered), I start getting a yucky feeling in my tummy and a flood of doubts. This is otherwise known as anxiety. I know, and I will, push it aside and move forward. In that effort, I need to hash out why this potential change freaks me out, regardless of how much I really want it to happen. See, it would mean that Punkin would need after school care. This scares me to pieces. Do I keep him at his current school with some of the kids and people he knows, or do I have him ride the bus to a different program down the street from our apartment? Okay, writing that sentence made the decision so obvious. I go visit the other center and then follow my gut. Why consider moving him? Mostly for convenience. I could either drop him off at school in the morning or put him on the bus* and then he could ride the bus from the preschool program to the after care place. And then I could pick him up at the after care place on my way home. That idea FREAKS me out. MY little Punkin on a BUS.* AND, AND at the completion of said bus* ride, his MOM does NOT retrieve him, but rather a DAYCARE WORKER. Eeek. See? SEE? I am considering traumatizing my BABY every day for the sake of a 20 minute drive. Clearly I am delusional.

*It is not actually a bus, it is a large white van complete with car seats, air conditioning, heat, and usually nice drivers. But still. A BUS.

In poop news, which I know you all have been missing the past few days, the pineapple seems to be the culprit. What a sad state. One of our favorite fruits. Sigh.

sunny side up

Just in case you thought things were going all too swimmingly around here with regards to the potty, I'll have you know that 10 minutes after my last post, I was cleaning poop off of the bottom of Mr. Punkin's little Cars table.

And he threw up in the car. All. Over. The. Car. (probably from his reflux)

It will be a miracle if I don't get sick in the next week.

The up side? I also had to clean poop off of one of the couch cushions. My grandparents gave me their little couch not long after I moved in. I always knew it had a slipcover, but I never paid much attention to what was underneath the slip cover. So when I took it off one of the cushions today it piqued my interest. Long story short, a very nice cream colored couch was hiding underneath the reddish cover. I love red couches, but it just never matched my other furniture. But this looks great. Just needs a small amount of TLC. I kinda feel like it's brand new. So, Mr. Punkin, thank you for being ridiculous about your dirty diaper today. But maybe this can be the last time?

progress

I did not want to get Punkin one of those plastic kiddie potties. I used the excuse that I thought it would be too confusing when the time came to switch from the plastic pooper to the porcelain one (which may still hold true), but in reality I just didn't want to clean it. And when we left for the conference last week he was doing great on the real potty -- he stayed dry for 24 hours! He went at Pizza Hut, at the gas station, our friends' house -- he was doing awesome until we got to the conference. Then it was, "NO WAN IT!"

Then we got home and he slipped on his stepstool and once again became terrified of the potty (I think he fell in once when the respite worker was here and he was supposed to be sleeping). And the magical star I bought him was losing its charm, so I decided to break down and get a little one just for him. It took a minute to convince him to leave his toys to come sit on it, but he went immediately and used it again later that night. Then this morning he ran in, took of his pull-up, and went all by himself!

They have some that play music when you pee or poop in them! Can you imagine? He'd hear that, stand up, and pee all over the bathroom.

Oh, and the dishes really are clean this time. =)

to move or not to move

That's the question on my mind. I don't so much feel like a second bedroom is a necessity, though it would be nice, but I desperately want a dishwasher and a more "let's go for a walk" friendly environment. I don't live in a neighborhood at all, rather on a busy street that is close to everything except my work and my parents. But sometimes we want to go out walking, which presents a problem when the speed limit outside is 45mph. The other added incentive: moving away from creepy guy! But my rent is so cheap -- $450 a month and I only pay for electric, which is about $15 in the winter and $25 in the summer. Do I really need to stretch my budget for a dishwasher and a toy room?