Pets - It's a Vivas Thing!

Jan 10 2010

Sear’s Repairmen and Goldfish, Part 2

My first thought was, "Lord, please don't let it be the washing machine."

And then I thought, "Lord, please don't let it be the water heater."

And then, I called the Smart One over to help me figure it out. We got out the flashlight and looked up, down, around, over and under. I didn't think it could be the water heater because there wasn't enough water, unless it was a slow leak. But, the water was actually closer to the heater than the washing machine, so I wasn't sure. We ran a rinse and drain and couldn't find the leak, so we finally decided to call hubby. The conversation went somewhat like the other night; only this time, I was the bearer of bad news.

Me: "Hi, honey. You may not want to come home."

Him, "What's wrong?"

Me, "Well, you know how the other night you told me to just go to bed? You might want to do that tonight."

Him, "Why's that?"

Me, "Well, either the washer or the water heater is broke. Regardless, the garage is full of water."

He came straight home and went to work trying to figure it out. And it was; you guessed it, the washing machine! The water was pouring out of the top of the machine, towards the water heater. The new rubber seal was put on incorrectly. I won't tell you what I was thinking, but you can imagine that I wasn't real happy. I called the Sear's repair line and stayed on hold forever, only to get the person that makes you give them all of your information even though you've just told them that you have a warranty, a service number, etc and you don't want to have to repeat the information all over again to a different person. Then, I tell them anyway because after all, they're just trying to do their job, and I'm put on hold once again. After another 15 minutes go by, we're finally connected and none of the information has been passed, so I have to start all over again!

They apologize and say that they can't get anyone over to fix it until Tuesday. (It's Saturday, and I've been waiting since Thursday to wash my clothes.And there are EIGHT people in my house!) It does not matter that there is water in the garage or that I have dirty clothes or that their repair men are incompetent. It does not matter that I am desperate or that the dumb washing machine keeps breaking on me! Apparently, they think by giving me a $10 gift card takes care of the countless hours I've spent waiting for them to fix my machine. And I don't qualify for a new machine, because in order to qualify it has to be the same thing that keeps breaking, not several different things. Yeah, like that makes sense. So…They can't come until Tuesday.

The lady does give me another number and suggests that I call on Monday and see if they can get over to fix it same day, pleading my case. She wants me to call at seven am, central time. That's five am for me, but hey, if it will get my dishwasher fixed a day earlier, I'll do it! Then she realizes that that won't work because their department calls my city's department and if it is five am when I call them, it is also five am for my city's department. Well, duh!

Ok, honestly, this is where it becomes almost comical. She then spends the next few minutes trying to calculate what time I should call on Monday. She's trying to figure it out because there is a two hour time difference and she wants to make sure that my city's office is open when I call. I suggest that I just call at whatever time they open, since I live in the same city. She isn't happy with that answer, because she's still trying to figure out the time difference. HELLO…I am in the same time zone as the office in my city!!! She finally decides that I should call her at 9:30 in her time zone which would be 7:30 in my time zone because by then the office in my city should be open, because they also have a two hour difference. Ok, ma'm, I'll do that.

Do you suppose that they train their repairmen and their customer service people in the same office? Maybe what they really do in their training sessions is teach them 101 Ways to Annoy Their Customers.

At any rate, I finally get off the phone and head upstairs to relax and try and watch a movie after such a day as this.

And then the wailing starts. OH NO PLEASE SAY IT ISN'T SO!!!

Yah, it's the Drama Queen.

"Goldie is dead! I was watching him and he was breathing and then he went upside down and his mouth was doing this (she actually shows me how he was gasping for air) and then it stopped and now he's DEADDDDD!!!"

We are not a callous family, honest. But B-boo had to leave the room before she burst into uncontrollable laughter.

Poor Punky had to hold the Drama Queen while she sobbed.

I offered her a hot bath to make her feel better.

And when she left, I quickly told B-boo to have her daddy flush it into Neverland.

He wasn't thrilled because the agreement was that I would do it while they were at church. But hey, the fish was still alive then! He flushed; I tried to appear compassionate.

Hey, at least I didn't make us circle the toilet as we said a few nice things about the fish!

As for the washing machine…we're waiting for part 4 of the continuing drama.

Other Sear's Fiascoes:

Appliances and Repairmen

A New Day

Sear's Repairmen & Goldfish

Sear's Repairmen & Goldfish, Part 2

DMV

Sear's Part 3

Jan 10 2010

Sear’s Repairmen and Golfish

After the week that I'd had, I decided to rise to the occasion on Saturday and make it a great one. I was hoping the repairman would come early so that I could accomplish my mounds of laundry. I was ready for my day! I'd made an omelet for the bowler, a waffle sandwich for the karate boy and was working on turkey bacon for the others.

We managed to get them where they needed to be in the morning and came back to tackle the house. The three little ones and I would clean, clean, clean and have fun doing it We dusted, we vacuumed, we straightened shoes, we mopped.

And of course, there was drama. Chicken Noodle Butt has been on a roll of tantrums whenever he's asked to do something. Not hard things, just normal things; like taking a shower, picking up your toys, putting your plate in the sink…you know, normal things. And while this was going on, Mr. Goldfish had been found floating around on his side. Then upside down. With his little mouth trying to suck up air. The Drama Queen was sobbing uncontrollably because *this was the first pet that she'd ever had that she didn't have to share that was dying." Now understand that we've had hamsters, rats, fish, frogs, lizards, snakes, birds and dogs. The only thing that is remaining today is the snake and the dogs! (Ok, we had to give the birds away because the dog wanted to eat them, but still! And no, they didn't all die, some we shared with others, but still!) And we were crying over a goldfish??? I was nice and I held her and told her how sorry I was. I asked hubby to take her out of the house with him when he left so I could flush it down the toilet give it a proper burial. Meanwhile, little Goldie was still trying to decide whether he wanted to float or swim.

And then, the repairman calls to let me know he's on his way. I ask if he's got the rubber seal. He doesn't know what I'm talking about. No, the nice lady from Friday didn't put it in the notes. I tell him what is needed, he states he'll get it and I'll have my washing machine today. I do have serious doubts, especially after my last Sear's fiasco, but I am determined to stay positive! He comes on over, with the part needed and we discuss the washing machine. We talk about previous fiascoes with the washer and repairmen and my growing dislike of this particular machine. He guarantees me that he will be able to fix it and fix it correctly the first time.I almost believe him. I'm elated when he tells me it's fixed and I can do laundry! I'm so happy, I can do anything! I can put up with temper tantrums and dead goldfish because I can wash clothes again. Wow, this was easy. I can't believe it! Life is good again in the Vivas household!

I manage to get a load in and even sit for a whole 30 minutes! The kids are happy playing outside now, the goldfish has decided to live after all, and it's not so bad.

For about 30 minutes.

We head out to run an errand and do what we need to do while the clothes wash. I get back and start cleaning again, and ask the Smart One to please put the clothes in the dryer, then put the jeans from the other day back in the washer so that they can be rinsed out properly. He wonders if the reason why he was itching the other day was due to soap in his jeans, I say it might be. I finally finish and head downstairs to relax.

And I walk into the garage.

And there is water every where.

But I need to get ready for church, so I guess there's a part three to this saga.

Other Sear's Fiascoes:

Appliances and Repairmen

A New Day

Sear's Repairmen & Goldfish

Sear's Repairmen & Goldfish, Part 2

DMV

Sear's Part 3

Nov 17 2009

Great Photography

Every once in a while, we get priceless moments in time that we just want to capture. There have been countless times over the past 22 years where I have thought to myself, "OH, I wish I had a camera right now!" Instead, we try hard to keep that moment in our memories and hope that we never forget it. Sometimes we do, however, until the memory is jarred back by a thought, a smell, or a laugh.

A great picture isn't only about the actual photo. It's about what was going on at that moment..and about how the photographer felt. For instance, don't they look like twins? They're actually three years apart, and this was one of those priceless moments where they were at complete peace with one another.

The picture below is actually of me and the Drama Queen. We were at one of the Smart One's karate testings. It's not a great photo in terms of quality, but it is one of my favorite photos. I had no idea my picture was being taken. I think it shows me as a mom. And a wife. And I wonder what my husband was thinking when he took this photo.

I can't even begin to express this picture. It's simply a boy and his rat. What other's may not know is that this wasn't just any rat. This was my son's gift from God; his special friend that he needed. Buster picked my son; and his heart was broken the day Buster passed. We all cried. But I'm glad that he was able to have his time with Buster.

This is one of my all time favorite pictures. It's my dad. My dad instilled the love of picture taking in me. He loves to capture life. This was taken during one of those moments when he was filming my children; his grandchildren. Again, I love those moment when the person is caught unaware.

The next two photos are of my children. The first is of B-boo. She was getting ready for a production she was in and kind of caught unaware. This was her last year before becoming the big teenager. I had helped her put on some make-up for the show. That was fun. And then, I grabbed the camera and she looked up and smiled, and I remember thinking to myself, "When did she grow up and become such a beautiful young woman?"

This is of the Smart One getting ready for a test. I laugh every time I look at this photo. He was obviously having a good hair day! I just love the look on his face. Happy. Content. Excited.

These next two say it all. At least I think so! Ah, the beauty of God's creation! The sunset will always remind of a time when I just needed some peace…and to know that God had a handle on it, know what I mean? And so, God gave me that sunset. It was amazing!

But THIS is my favorite photo of all! It is the photo that inspired me to write this blog. You see, on Good, True and Beautiful's blog today, they are giving away a rolled canvas print of a digital picture. I immediately thought of this picture, because I've always wanted to get it printed on a canvas. This picture is of my youngest two children. We had *hatched* some butterflies from caterpillars. We had a special net home and we watched them spin into cocoons and then emerge as butterflies. When it finally came time to release them, we went out into our backyard on a beautiful, spring day. The Smart One was so careful to take them out without harming them. The Drama Queen wanted to hold one, so he carefull placed the butterfly on her fingers. This picture is of that moment, as he was handing it off. When I look at this photo, I see the wonders of His creation; my beautiful children enjoying something so rare and wonderful. This was one of those moments when I was so glad to have my camera handy; a moment
not ever forgotten, and always cherished.

Nov 11 2009

Why Mom’s Can’t Sleep

It's a holiday today. As a homeschool mom, I'll be sure to remind my kids why they don't have school today and to pray for those families whose members are serving or have served in our armed forces. And I'm not making light of what today is. But holidays mean something around here.

I have six kids at home. Count them…six. (I have a college student but he lives on his own, so he doesn't count in this post.)

Six kids means that I can have six different places to be on any given day. It means, everyday, I have four public school schedules to keep to at three different schools, plus working homeschooling around my youngest. Whew! It makes me dizzy thinking about it. Add in doctor appointments, counseling appointments, sports, activities, etc…and I am one tired mom!

Which brings me back to a holiday. It means I don't have to get up at the crack of dawn to take anyone to school! Don't get me wrong; I love getting up at the crack of dawn and making breakfast for my kids and having that special time in the morning. But I'm getting older and tired.

So back to that holiday anyway! Last night, hubby made the littlest ones promise not to wake up anyone…at all…this morning. (I did tell him that he should realize that is a promise they won't be able to keep. The Princess can't stand being alone, quiet, for anything and Chicken Noodle Butt will find something to cry over.)

I also have this problem. Once I'm awake, that's it for me. I can not go back to sleep. It's the same for me at night, too. Wake me up, I'm up.

A friend asked the other day how can she be so tired and yet not fall asleep. I replied that it's the brain. It finally has time to function, so it goes into full mode. Mom's go to bed wondering if they've accomplished everything they should have during that day and wondering how they can get the everything accomplished the next! Unfortunately, God forgot to give us a turn off switch for our brains.

So this morning, it's a holiday. I don't have to be anywhere. I get to sleep in, right?

At 6:47, the little one goes into the bathroom. He's talking as loud as he can about counting and the fact that something is yellow. I pretend I don't hear him, but he starts to get louder. I finally just say, "Shhh!" He stops, and it becomes quiet again.

Next thing I know, my phone goes off. Now, I know that I turned off the alarm, so this means it's a person. It's 7:03 and my sister-in-law wants to know if I want to go to the parade today. I tell her I'm asleep and ask when and where. She says she was asleep, too, but mom woke her up so she's texting me with one eye open. I consider the parade.

"The little ones might like it. That means I'll have to wake the older kids up. That means I'll have to get up soon and make breakfast. Oh wait, we're all supposed to be sleeping in until whenever we want today. We do need sleep. But hold on. Chicken Noodle Butt needs pants and it's supposed to get cold tomorrow. I'm supposed to find time to get him pants today…and it needs to be cheap. Penneys might be having a sale since it's a holiday, or I can take him to Savers. It sure would be nice if hubby had a job. If I take them to the parade the Drama Queen will be walking around a lot on that broken growth plate. She'll probably like that but we really should keep her off of her feet. Oh, that's why I promised her we'd paint today. Oh man, that means a mess…I wonder if I can con Chicken Noodle Butt into doing something else. I could give him a puzzle. Maybe I we could all work on a puzzle together. Oh wait, I need to call the ortho doctor and find out where his leg braces are. Today's the eleventh and they told me to call today if I didn't hear from them. Speaking of doctor visits, I need to make them a dental appointment, too. I wonder when I can get them in. Speaking of teeth, maybe I should make a good breakfast today. I could make biscuits and gravy. That sounds really good, but it will have to be for a late lunch/early dinner because I need to thaw out the sausage. I'll have to look up a recipe for gluten free biscuits for the Smart One, and I'll need take out part of the sausage to make the Drama Queen dairy free gravy. That reminds me, I still haven't replaced the broken skillet, but I think I can manage with the pot. Giggle…I better make sure the Drama Queen doesn't touch it otherwise she might break another toe. Speaking of gluten free recipes, I need to find one that doesn't have eggs so I can still make stuffing this year for Thanksgiving. Did someone let the dogs out? I hope they gave them water. Oh man, they need a bath today. I wonder if the kids can handle their baths by themselves. Roxy is a pain to bathe. We really should have named her Marley; dumb dog."

About this time, I realize the toilet is running, so I get up to go jiggle the handle. Chicken Noodle Butt starts crying about something, so I head over to find out what is wrong with him. Hubby comes upstairs to take over and let me sleep. Yeah, ok. I head back to my room and lie down. I text sister-in-law to tell her the plan for today was for everyone to sleep in as late as they want. She laughs; I laugh.

I try to go back to sleep.

"I wonder what to get the Good Looking One for his birthday. Poor boy has to work on his birthday. It really would be cool if we could all show up with a cake and sing to him at work. I wonder if he'd get fired if we did that? Maybe if hubby is working we can take him out to lunch. It will probably be pretty crowded though since it's black friday. Oh, I hate going out on black friday…who does that anyway? It was fun though, last year, when he took us out in the middle of the night. Boy, was it cold. That reminds me, what are we going to do for the Smart One's birthday. I can't believe he's almost 12. He'll be hitting puberty soon, that will be fun. I wonder if the Good Looking One will teach him how to shave, too. The Talented One loved that! Christmas is coming soon. What will we do? What do you get a 22 year old? The little ones are easy; legos and barbies will make them happy.And they do seem happy a little don't they? I wonder if we'll end up adopting them. Where will we put them? I wonder if I can get a good job and just have all of my salary go into adding some rooms on the house? Then we'd all fit. Speaking of fitting, I can't believe the Talented One and the Smart One are graduating college and high school the same year. Can we really throw a big party for the graduations and the 18th birthday all at once? It could be like a family reunion! That's be great. Where would we hold it?"

8:25, I get another text message. This time from Punky, asking me to bring the choir book so she can make copies. "It sure would have been great to skip activities tonight, too." I text her back ok.

I write this blog.

It's now 8:46 am. Hubby thinks I'm sleeping. I think I'll go make some coffee and cuddle with him.

No, no parade today. It's quiet in the house for now and somehow, that seems a much better way to spend my morning.

Oct 27 2009

She has a Disorder

She's cute, isn't she? But she has a disorder. We're not sure what causes it, but it is definitely there.

We call it a tongue disorder! The dog is completely, totally unable to keep her tongue in her mouth! Really. I'm not sure we've ever seen it in her mouth. And, it seems to be connected to her tail…which is somehow more connected to her butt than most dogs. It goes something like this. Her tongue hangs out and starts moving back and forth, her head moving with it. At the other end, her butt wags, causing her tail to move back and forth. Seriously, the tongue and head go one way and the butt and tail go the other way.

People come over and and ask what is wrong with our dog. I tell them she's a mini Marley. Seriously, if she was bigger, we'd be in serious trouble! Hubby tells them she has a tongue disorder. The thing is, they believe us…because it looks like she really does! I'm sure if we took her to the vet, he'd agree. It's probably got some long, weird name and there is no cure and we'd pay a lot of money just to not be able to pronounce it, so we just accept it for what it is and when asked, we tell them, "She has a tongue disorder."

Personally, I think she's a little off, too. The problem is that she just doesn't realize that she's a dog. She thinks she a cat perhaps? The dog is small, but she can jump through windows. Seriously. And she can catch birds out of the air. Really. But mainly, she has a tongue disorder.

She acts dumb, and sometimes, I wonder why we keep her. But really, she's pretty smart. I think she knows it, too, and just acts dumb. And she gets away with it because we feel sorry for her, because of her tongue disorder.

I guess you could say that she fits in with our family well. I never thought we'd have a dog, let alone two. Our family comes with multiple…er…disorders. We don't do normal.

Which is why we keep her, even with her tongue disorder.