Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Kinda thought things would slow down...

Things haven't slowed down since school started. I keep hoping, but it hasn't happened.

I drove Andrew to school this morning, then drove straight to the Jr. High to pick up Nathanael for his emergency orthodontic repair. It wasn't time for me to pick him up yet, but it would have been ridiculous to go home and then have to turn around so soon. So I sat and read a book in the Jr. High office until it was time to take Nathanael. Then I sat and read in the orthodontist's office for a while. Then I ferried Nathanael back to school. Then I went home and took inventory of my pantries and refrigerator/freezers compared to what I would need for this week's recipes. Then it was off to Sam's Club, and then off to Wal-Mart. Then home just an hour before it was time to go pick up Andrew, and of course there were chores...

And then the kids were home. And there was homework, and kids' chores...

I learned this week that the quality of gasoline you buy can have a HUGE impact on your gas mileage. I usually buy gas at Safeway, just because it's handy. But a couple of Sundays ago we needed to stop somewhere because we were way low on gas, and so we filled up at a convenience store that's also close to home. I could tell pretty quickly that this must have been lousy gas, because my mileage stank. I filled up again today and figured it out, and I'd gotten only 16 mpg! That's far and away the worst I've ever gotten in this car; almost as bad as the big SUV we got rid of. Normally I get 22 or more mpg.

I had heard you could get really good gasoline at one particular place in town, and it wasn't far from Wal-Mart, so I went there today. It remains to be seen what happens to my mileage, but I think it's a good sign that there was no "Contains Ethanol" sticker on the pump.

One cool thing was that I gave the kids "buzz cuts" for the first time. (It's not the first time they've had buzz cuts, but it's the first time I've been brave enough to be the one wielding the clippers.) It was so easy...I can't imagine why I used to think I wasn't qualified to do that. It feels good saving all that money by doing it myself. So, in honor of the occasion, I'm including one of my favorite photos. I didn't take it myself. It's a picture of my great-nephew J.J. Enjoy!

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