Android Mom

Some of you are going to gasp, feel betrayed, and possibly call me a traitor (others will be agnostic about my decision and some may even support it) but I am prepared and braced for the scrutiny.  Recently, there has been a lot of hard decision making (including piles of research and spreadsheets) resulting in challenging life changes.  We added a Sam's Club membership to our Costco lifestyle. I'm no longer driving my dear Odyssey but a Mazda 5 (mostly a financial decision because our minivan suffered an untimely departure and all we can afford is a mini mini van), and now I gave my beloved iPhone to my daughter and became an Android Mom (my husband says that there is a joke in there somewhere but I don't get it and I am quite sure that I don't want to).

I've had an iPhone for years.  If I were to guess, I would say at least 7.  My sister got one and then I kinda wanted one too and then after I got it, I was totally hooked.  I felt like I had the world at my finger tips.  My own personal Inspector Gadget.  I talked countless friends and family members into getting an iPhone (regretfully sometimes even shaming or scoffing them into it) and we would all laugh and talk about our apps.  Siri was my friend.

You can easily research elsewhere about the concrete differences between the smart phones:  Battery life, megapixels, size, weight.  What I am going to give you is the mom perspective.  A very Non-Technical Review:

39

Yesterday I turned 39.  I've rarely had an issue with age or growing older.  Most years, I truly feel like it was better and more fulfilling than the last.  24 was a little rough.  I was out of college but still didn't know what direction I was going.  I had youthful dreams that needed to die but they didn't go down without one heck of a fight.  The first couple of times one truly faces reality is rough (and often heartbreaking). I'm not melancholy about 39, but the closing of a decade is certainly a time to re-prioritize.  I've never been the kind of person who is okay with just surviving.  If I find myself in that situation, were I am merely treading water and not actively becoming a better person, a more loving wife, a stronger parent, a greater influence for good, I start to feel trapped and caged and impotent.  

Over these past couple of years, what it means to have a fulfilling life has changed and grown and developed.  For so long, it was just generically "happiness" but I'm realizing that happiness is really just the bi-product of a truly fulfilling life.  Happiness isn't about circumstances, it is a constant choice, a lovely result, but not the core.  I've come to realize that a clean house makes me happy.  That said, it is the hard work and the diligence to become master over consumerism that really makes me happy; the external ramification being a clean house.

Air-Duct Cleaning

Yesterday the arteries of our home were cleaned out, and I mean really cleaned out; like basically an angioplasty of our air-ducts.

Recently, we got a new furnace.  The previous furnace was so old that my husband was quite confident that if we opened up the avocado green casing we would discover two cave men rubbing sticks together.  It was helicopter loud, smelled nasty, and very very un-efficient (I realize it should be inefficient, but in this case I want to make it clear that this is actually the exact opposite of efficiency).  We nursed this poor furnace for years and then one Friday in January, I came home from work, the kids were doing their homework; I said, "OMG!  Aren't you guys freezing!?  What is with the heat?!  Did you leave a door open?!"  Being that they are my kids (read earlier blog about them never being cold), they said they didn't notice.  It wasn't even 55 in the house.  Our faithful little cavemen had officially quit for good.

Credit Karma: a Review

I'm no Dave Ramsey, but I will admit, I kinda like paying bills.  Now this "like", is akin to taking out the garbage or organizing the garage or gardening or perfectly folded laundry or house cleaning or meal planning.  I don't relish paying bills like reading a book on the back patio with a summer breeze on my face and a cool drink in my hand, but I do love the results:  a balanced spreadsheet and a solid but realistic financial budget.  I like the harmony that only comes from reconciled living within our means and still being simply, comfortably, and peacefully happy (if I'm honest, probably even happier than if we had unlimited funds).

Please don't get the wrong idea, we aren't the greatest with money ever:  

Rock-Bottom Sunsets

To many of you, this won't come as surprise but recently it has come to my attention that my personal "rock bottom" is really pretty shallow.  I know a lot of people who live their baseline lives well under my melt-down point and survive quite nicely.  They have a spouse who travels or works long hours or is unsupportive; they taxi 4 kids to 3 travel sports each.  Work crazy hours.  Live at fast-food chains.  They don't remember the last time they watched a TV series on Netflix or read a novel or went on vacation or rearranged or had someone over unplanned or "dated".  They squeeze in their cardio while paying their bills.  Bills are a challenge to pay and their homes are cluttered.  Their time is all scheduled.  Their life a swirling happy, crazy, blur of excitement and activity.  But that just isn't me (or us).  I am not judging those people  I love that everyone is different.  Truthfully, if I'm reflective:  I am nearly jealous of them.