A Full Plate

Ok, so today was a pretty rough day for this momma. It's not totally mom-related, but it's just so crazy, I thought some of you might get a kick out of it. Let me first say, I really hate cars that are broken. Truly hate them. Especially when I am working full-time on top of solo-parenting!!  Seriously though, how many times can a car break in one day? If you are curious, please read on.

It all started roughly 3 months ago with a slight oil leak. Just enough to notice it on the ground, and smell when driving. I finally was able to take it in after several weeks of life's craziness, only to be told that I was 4 DAYS out of warranty. Really. Fortunately, they made it right, and fixed the leak without charging me a dime. Or so I thought. 

After a few weeks, I could still smell the oil burning. Clearly this wasn't normal. I returned to the dealership where they assured me they had fixed the leak, and again, no charge.

Then yesterday. You know what I'm going to say, right?  Yep, really bad smell, and very distinctive (but slight) smoke coming from my hood. I only had 40 minutes to figure out what to do AND drive through rush hour/snowbird traffic to pick up my son from school. After discussing it with my husband, we decided the best thing to do for the night is to get a rental car, and take my car to the dealership the next day.

Today was that day. My son wouldn't get out of bed/moving this morning (he is SO my son), which means we were late getting him to school. I decided to try a different dealership to see if they would be willing to help me with my car, and maybe really fix it this time. Third time's the charm, right? The other dealership clearly could not get it right after two attempts, and they're out of the way for me, anyways. The "new" dealership was very nice, and said they'd do their best to work something out for me. On my way back to the office, I almost lost it. We just can't afford a new car or any major repairs right now. We have a LOT going on right now, and this just isn't helping.

By 3:45, I had not heard from the dealership, so I called - and of course, had to leave a voicemail. After waiting 30 minutes with no return call, I decided to extend my rental car for another day, as I figured there was no chance that my car would be fixed. At 4:40, the dealership calls - all fixed, no charge. What?! Time to scramble, again. What a relief, though.

Then I'm literally driving out of the dealership parking lot and my car makes a very strange noise while waiting at the stoplight. What the freak. I almost thought I was hallucinating. But the noise disappears and is driving fine, so I dismiss it. Traffic is horrible, and I'm very late in picking up my son. My car still smells after I pick him up, so I check under the hood for anything noticeable. Nope. Ok then, let's just get home.

We stop at another stoplight down the road, and the noise returns. I start to get a little more scared now, as my son is in the car and I can't quite figure out what is wrong. It sounds like the engine is revving up, but the RPM gauge is not showing anything to confirm that theory. It stops again when I drive off from the light. No indications show that anything is seriously wrong.

I'm at the home stretch, only about a mile to go, and my tire pressure light illuminates. Seriously. I am not making this up. The pressure in one of my rear tires is down to 23 PSI and falling steadily. I just need to make it home! As I pull in the driveway and get out to open the gate, I can hear the tire hissing.  I get in the garage and finally park the stupid piece of crap. Yep, the tire is almost completely flat. Fabulous.

Fortunately, I have a great coworker friend (who also happens to be a very experienced airplane mechanic!) whom when I called him for some advice, insisted on coming over to help me hook up the spare, and try to figure out the revving noise. He did both wonderfully - the spare is installed, and discovered that the dealership mechanic bent the a/c hose into the engine cooling fan, which made a nice gouge in the hose. 

Guess where I get to go again tomorrow? The adventures we live through...

Snapshot

This post won't be edited much, so please forgive me if there are any errors. I wanted to write a quick post, about a brief snapshot of my life right now. As some may already know, I've been parenting pretty much solo for the past month, with no end in sight. My husband is away for work, and we don't know when he'll be back. I'm guessing this is a little like how military wives feel. It's certainly not the same as single parenting, but it does feel like that sometimes, too. I give those parents a lot more credit, now that I've had a small taste of what their lives are like all the time.

My son seems to be going through a defiant stage, testing the boundaries. I feel like I yell way too much. Since I've realized that, I'm trying to reduce it. But it's hard. I'm tired, lonely and often feel very defeated. I love my little boy more than words can ever express, yet I get so frustrated at him when he won't listen or just freakin' go to the potty alone. He's not even 3 yet. How can I expect him to be what he's not yet ready for? 

We don't get home from work and school until about 6pm, so that means we only have a few hours together every day. I hate that. I try to minimize the chores that I do while he's awake, and mostly stay in the same room so that I can talk and play with him. Sometimes we do chores together, like taking the trash out or sweeping the floor. I can't seem to ever get him to bed earlier, as the time just seems to fly by. Plus, he's already getting good at using delay tactics! Before I know it, it's 10pm, and we are just turning the lights off. I haven't yet made his lunch, done the dishes or taken a shower. Forget having some 'alone' down time - unless I want to stay up until after midnight. It's not every night, but it sure seems like most nights lately.

And then tonight, something happened that I don't remember ever happening before. He was clearly still wound up when we laid down. So I told him to stay in bed and rest, while I got up to get to the laundry started and make his lunch. He really needs to learn to fall asleep on his own, I told myself. Of course, he called for me, but I just answered him from the other room. When I could tell he was finally winding down, I came back to him for a cuddle. Then I told him that it was time for him to go to sleep, and that I was going to go finish making his lunch. He said ok. 

Not another peep was heard. When I came back to the bedroom, he was fast asleep. This is a big deal for us. I know it probably sounds stupid to most people, but it just is a huge step for us. I won't let him cry it out, and up until now, it's never really been too a big deal for us to stay close by him until he falls asleep. He's growing up and gaining his independence. I'm so proud of him each and every day. My heart melts when he hugs me or tells me something sweet. I hate myself when I get frustrated with him. But I know it's only human nature, and I'm not perfect. I am struggling, just like the other millions of parents out there. Now I know that being a parent is one of the biggest balancing acts, and the rewards are well beyond my expectations.