Windfall

It's been said that it's amazing how fast things can go from really good to really bad. I find it even more amazing how fast things can go from really bad to really good. Today was just that kind of day.

Work was the rather standard motions I've been doing lately. Absent-mindedly picked up the mail and walked in the door. I came home to learn that Colin had brought his DS to school and had it confiscated. Yeah, the DS that I took a second job to afford him for Christmas. The DS that he had broken 2 months later. On top of this, he's been losing out on recess time because he doesn't complete his work when he's supposed to. When I learned of this, and that he was trying to wiggle out of trouble by lying to me about it, D and I had a long chat with him about making better choices. Like it or not, he's growing up into a man, and the choices don't get easier...

I'm really trying to stay positive and encouraging with him: if I tell him he's becoming a man, but treat him like he's 4, he's going to act like he's 4. I'm trying not to resort to yelling and spanking, because he's simply too old for that. He's smart, so I'm going to talk to him that way. I started with the fact that he did an awesome job of getting up and out the door on time this morning. That was really cool: he got himself up with the alarm, made breakfast and let the dog out. When I asked if he had taken his meds, he answered quickly and truthfully: no. Then we began on how the choices he makes now really do shape him into the kind of choices he'll be making in the future. They don't get easier. He's grounded through the weekend, and when the time comes that I find enough time to get his DS back from school, it's no longer his. Not until he can prove he's making better choices. I ended with my firm belief that he is intelligent and encouraged him to use that intelligence to make better choices, instead of going along with what all the people around him are doing. I think it went well. We'll see.

After this, we had a talk about our days and what we were going to make for dinner as we started shredding through the mail. First up was a package. D had ordered a 2Gig memory card using the points she had accumulated from taking surveys. I do a similiar thing, but with reading junkmail advertisements. I'm saving up for the cruise for two. >.>; Next was my first expenses reimbursement check from my new job! Yay! Next was my first paycheck from my new job. Yaaaay! Last was a check from Countrywide: overpayment to escrow account to the tune of +$1100... O.O YAAAAAAY! Considering D just put in her paycheck, we were floored with the blessing. We decided to table the cheap chili dogs in favor of going to Tiago's to celebrate. I let the static know we were going to be out, which was good because MC couldn't make it tonight anyway. After a little bit of planning, we find we have enough with all that to knock out our two highest interest rate cards. That's nearly $200 a month that we won't be bleeding out, that we can put towards our long term goals. I've always wanted to adopt Colin, and if income and financial things stay at this level, by this time next year, I might be able to do that.

After we got home and put the kids to bed, D went upstairs to play FF8 and I logged in to do some campaigning. I got some really good fights in, and even some kill shots, but the counsel is STILL not happy with me. ; ; I've got to be getting close though, but I only have 10 days left. I also started the steaks we bought last weekend by preparing the marinade and setting them to soak overnight. Top sirloin, beer, twice-baked potatoes and corn: dinner tomorrow night is going to be a thing of beauty!