Life Expenses

On Wednesday I had a scheduled day off. I was planning on taking it easy and getting some things done around the house. Instead, I woke up to a house full of sick kids and a request to help Ethan move. So I spent the day helping Ethan move, buying popsicles and juice, and then collapsing on the couch that evening. Grace had a load of clothes in the dryer and Sam had clothes in the washer. Sam asked us if we could transfer his laundry before we went to bed. We agreed and Grace and Sam both headed off to bed. I collapsed onto the couch, exhausted after a crazy day.

Michael and I decided to watch a show while we waited for the laundry to finish. Fast forward to 10:30 and Michael and I are finally heading to bed. That's when we discovered the heating element on the dryer had stopped working. So I ended my day by turning the living room into a hodgepodge clothesline/rack, Michael ordered a replacement part, and we finally turned in, really tired, and with a little less patience and money.

Meanwhile, the cat has mostly led a non-problematic life. She hasn't required more than some basic cat food and a warm place to sleep. When Libby moved out we discovered something. Namely, the warm place Gertie likes to sleep is cuddled up to a person's face. This was not a problem for Libby, but Grace is rather allergic, which is the person Gertie now tries to sleep with. So we bought Gertie a bed, which she likes. But not as much as Grace's pillow and face. So we bought her allergen-reducing cat food, which costs a whole lot more than her previous cat food. She cannot sleep with Sam or Michael as they are both horribly allergic as well. So far, the expensive cat food and reasonably priced cat bed seem to be helping. 

So the cat problem is almost under control. The dryer heating element came the next day (extra expense of expedited shipping), and I crawled behind the dryer while Michael brought me tools and we got the dryer sorted. Ethan was also getting settled in his new apartment, and I felt like I could finally breathe again. 

But then Appa must have felt left out. She has had two surgeries on her ACL and she has been healing nicely. She loves to play with the kids and go for slow jogs. Everything was going well until suddenly it was not. Michael and I went on a date Saturday evening, and Appa was calmly hanging out with the kids while we were gone. By the time we got home, though, her leg had completely quit working. She was refusing to put any weight on it and was in visible pain. We are still waiting to get an appointment with the specialist (who is impossible to get ahold of) to find out what is happening. 

Moral of the story: kids and pets are expensive.