I am recovering from surgery and flew my mom from California to help out for a week. The entire time she kept saying how useless she felt. Our kids aren't little anymore- they're almost all teenagers- and they get themselves ready for school in the morning and pick out clothes to wear, and take showers on their own (sometimes after much encouragement). I'm not a single mom, or have a husband that works all hours of the night and day. Some might think I didn't really need my mom to come, but they would be wrong.

Not only did my mom do endless loads of laundry- managing to pair up 80% of the hundreds of our wayward socks- she washed dishes every day, swept and vacuumed floors, attended basketball games and kept me company. Usually my kids have chores to do each day, but while she was here, she assisted them and I heard very little complaining. I was unable to attend my daughter's basketball games, and my youngest's games to watch her cheer, but my mom went and took video and cheered them on. She relieved my husband of extra duties so he could go to work without worrying about me.

And while my mom did all of these household and family tasks, she sat and watched stupid TV with me and talked with me about the news and told me stories from home, and listened to me grunt and groan as I moved around. She got me glasses of water, and helped me put together Valentines for the kids. She made me laugh ( a lot), and I didn't even mind that I had to hold my stomach and take pain pills afterward.

My mom was the best after-surgery helper in the world and we were all sad to see her go home.

Thanks, mom- you are one in a million.

(This image does not do them justice. It is a little hard to take a good photo in my little tiny laundry room. I had to do some pretty extensive gymnastic moves just to get this one.)

As several of you know, I got a new washer and dryer this week. They are wonderful. They are both front load and energy efficient. I am, however, a little embarrassed by how gaudy they are. Maytag truly went out of their way on this set to make you feel as though you were on the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (note the crests on the doors) or working as a chamber maid and laundress for people who think gold-leafing the entire interior of their home is not tacky.
While I would rather be on a cruise ship (as a guest, not a maid) I am happy with my ultra quiet and efficient new appliances.

We were recently lured to Pullman to look at a four-bedroom apartment. What turned our sites to Pullman were Panda Express, Grad school, a pool and rec center at the apartment complex and the thought of the girls each having their own rooms (less fighting) - in that order.

So Jon and I made an appointment at this complex with a rental agent. The complex rhymes with Lampus Rommons. The woman who showed us around was really nice and even when she showed us the laundry faciliies (no hook-ups in the four-bedroom) I was undeterred.
We get to the apartment, which is a model so it was furnished with top-notch stuff, the living room is pretty small. The furniture made it look so inviting that we continued in.

Turning the corner to the "dining room" Jon and I had to stifle the giggles. The dining area was no bigger than a shower stall and the kitchen was miniature. When you opened the dishwasher it hit the cabinets on the other side.

It looks bigger in the photo, really.

The bedrooms barely fit a twin bed and dresser and all four were the same size. The agent explained to us that the four-bedrooms were the exact square footage of the two-bedrooms. What were they thinking?
If the living quarters weren't bad enough, the school buses don't even travel that far out so the kids would have to ride public transportation partway to and from school.

Suffice it to say, we will not be renting from them.
The search continues, but now we are strictly looking at houses and I think we are going to stay in Moscow.