Dan and I are expecting our tax return this Friday, along with his paycheck, and money from a few different freelancing sources for me. We’ve been talking over the bills and such that we’ll put everything toward, including making the switch from Vonage to T-Mobile @Home (read Disappointed in Vonage).
Only, we may need to revise a few things because my washer is making a funny noise. More specifically, the spin cycle is insanely loud and shakes a good part of the house. This is on the low spin setting, people. It doesn’t matter what kind of clothes I’m washing — sheets, towels, a blanket, Ryan’s cloth diaper covers, a load of kid clothes, etc. I don’t overload the washer, I use proper hE friendly detergents, proper settings, etc. The spin cycle is not only a little overzealous with its vibrations and rocking around (oddly enough, it seems like the inside of the washer, the actual drum, is what is rocking around, because the washer itself hasn’t moved a single inch), but it makes a horrible rattling/banging sound.
Dan is thinking it could be a ball bearing, but whatever it is, he doesn’t know how to fix it. Sigh. So guess who I’ll be calling as soon as our money comes in on Friday? Here’s to hoping the repair bill isn’t TOO high. We have about $700 that we can dip into for repairs, but dear God I hope we only need about half of that!
So now we’re without a way to do laundry, unless we pack up clothing and haul stuff to a laundromat. Thanks, but no thanks. I did approximately six loads of laundry after the spin cycle issue started, and that was enough to take care of Dan’s clothes, my clothes, Alyssa and Ryan’s clothing, Ryan’s cloth diaper covers and towels. I also washed up the last of my mom’s clothes (she’s having some plumbing problems, so she has been bringing her laundry over here). And last night Dan picked up a big bundle of disposable diapers, so washing up smelly prefolds and covers won’t be an issue for the time being.
I swear, the fun never ends around here. 
But overall, things are looking up, I’m out of my weird little funk, and I’m feeling much happier.
I’m also looking forward to spring! As much as I hate warmer weather (I despise spring, mostly because it’s such an annoying mixture of hot and cold and nasty ass lukewarm. Just give me one extreme or the other, thank you very much.), I’m looking forward to going outside and doing more outdoor things. Winter temperatures don’t really play nice with most outdoor activities, and snow, sleet and freezing rain definitely don’t play nice with my camera.
Speaking of spring, I love this photo that I took last year:
I also love my little boy’s angelic expressions. I swear, he is too good at making me melt. Heh. Just as Alyssa is a pro at working Dan, while I roll at my eyes at him. Ryan has progressed from “Love shoo” to “Love shoo [Mommy/Daddy/Lissy/Ma-mom]“, and the other night, “Love shoo too Mommy”. Nothing weakens me faster than a “Love shoo”, especially the ones he whispers to me when he’s cuddled in my arms and has his face buried in my neck. ♥
He’s also counting! Last week he was pointing out 1, 2, 3 and 4, and this week he’s going, “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, GO!” and running laps around the kitchen table. When the heck did he pick up numbers? That wasn’t something we (the collective “we” — Dan, me, my mother, Ryan’s therapists) have really focused on. Smart boy. 
Anyway, that’s all for now. I have more writing to do, of course. It seems like I no sooner turn in two projects and I’m getting nine more. Not that I’m complaining. As a whole the amount of writing I have to do is insanely overwhelming (right now I’m looking at 160,000 words worth of projects), but if I just do 8000 words a day, it’s not so bad. But seriously, it is SO hard to be so rigidly self-disciplined all of the time!
The washer is probably just out of balance. I’ve had a similar issue and I think it’s fixable but I’m not sure. That’s a really sweet picture og Ryan
I totally understand what your going threw. Its been like the weekend and week from hell. Hopefully we will get some good vibes soon!
Ryan is getting so big!
My washer had something like that too (making a lot of noise), it turns out that it was a zipper that came off of a sweatshirt and went through the holes where the water drained and made an issue with the hosing and such. Hopefully it’s a quick (and inexpensive!) fix.
And that’s such an adorable photo of Ryan.
Men, here’s to hoping the washer won’t cost you much.
I hope it is inexpensive to fix your washer and I think Ryan looks so adorable
You have an insane amount of work to do but that money feels oh so good, yes? I hope your washer doesn’t cost and arm and leg to fix. Urgh.
That’s completely ridiculous that you couldn’t remove YOUR credit card from your mother’s account! Hopefully you have it straightened out though! The newest photos of Ryan are just adorable…it’s like he’s modeling or something!