Yes, it is me writing again.
When a house is listed on the MLS, and also has flyer's in the front yard, both listing the same price, it is really not necessary to knock on the front door to ask the owner if the price is correct. That would be a question for the realtor. But, seriously, when is a house really priced at something different than what is listed in the MLS and on a flyer in front of the house?
And, by the way, don't bother bringing your client back later in the week like you said you would (although I saw them in the car) because our house is being taken of the market.
Really. We understand that we want you to come look at our house since we put it on the market. But these:
-3-4 hour long windows of you wanting to show our house and either not coming by or not leaving a card are ridiculous
-randomly stopping by without calling and expecting us to let your client in and/or verify the price that is listed on the MLS
are simply rude and unprofessional. Really.
So, yes, really, we are taking the house of the market. We didn't need to move, just wanted to. But it's not worth the hassle anymore.
Sincerely,
Owner No Longer On The Market
Friday, May 30, 2008
Dear Realtor
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Life Moments With A Child On The Spectrum #3
On being literal with word usage:
Tonight, right before Son's favorite show was coming on Son dragged his big bin of Star Wars toys and a Darth Vader action figure holder out of his room. Out of curiosity I asked him what he was doing. He said he was going to bring it downstairs so he could sort through it while watching TV. I asked him if he was actually, um, cleaning? Laughing at me he said, "Cleaning, no way! Just organizing."
Call it cleaning or organizing - it all has the same effect at the end. Toys are off the floor and where they belong when not being played with. Maybe instead of telling him to clean his room I should tell him to organize it from now on.
AND
Over the weekend, I asked him if he had his literature circle paper completed as it was due the first day back. He said it wasn't due. I got out his literature circle group paper of important dates and showed it to him. "Yea, Mom, but it's not DUE. We just have to TURN IT IN!"
Well, excuse me - I didn't realize there was a difference in something being due and something having to be turned in - but apparently there is - and he actually explained the difference to me. It's a small difference, but in his mind, a difference, hence please be sure to use the proper term when asking about the completion of his assignments Mom.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
It's Official
I've become lazy. As many of you know, I took a year off of teaching and have now resigned. I'm working part-time (ABA Therapy) and loving it. And it's given me a lot of free time. I can get work and house chores all done during the school hours. I have no work that comes home with me. That means my afternoons and weekends are a big, clean, empty slate for the first time, in, literally, forever!
When I was teaching special ed most days I would work an hour or two after school let out (either at school, or bringing stuff home to do). On the weekends it wasn't uncommon for me to put in another 10ish hours making tasks, doing paperwork and lesson plans.
This was a huge reason why I took a year off. I missed my family. I mean, they were there in the house with me, but I was always doing work related stuff on the side. I missed having time to do stuff.
Back in the fall it was weird. All this time on my hands. I kept thinking enjoy it, vacation will be over next week. But it wasn't. I really wasn't working full time (or full-time-plus). I started reading LOTS. I started blogging. I took a couple of classes. I organized closets. I kept myself busy. But over the winter I started slowing down on my 'projects'.
Now it's almost summer time and I'm not sure what I did over the spring. I actually don't think I did much. Somehow I kept myself busy doing nothing.
I think I have officially become lazy. My weekends disappear and I haven't really done anything.
And ya know what? For the first time in my life I am learning to relax and take things slowly. I have actually become somewhat lazy.
.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Book Tour: The Working Woman's Pregnancy Book
MotherTalk has a new book tour out The Working Woman's Pregnancy Book.
No, I'm not pregnant. But my sister is. So she is my 1st ever guest blogger (thanks sis!):
Toss out your copy of "What to Expect..." because this is the best pregnancy book! This even beats out all the websites that cater to the reproductive-ites. I'm in my second pregnancy and I wish I'd had this book for my first. In "The Working Woman's Pregnancy Book", Marjorie Greenfield, M.D., incorporates factual medical information, practical advice and first-hand accounts - and has managed to glue it all together by focusing on being a pregnant employee. This book is so well organized. It functions like a resource guide yet it also reads like a story from cover to cover.
So now I'm four months along and wondering how the heck am I going to organize and deal with a newborn, a sprite of a two-year-old, a growing career and, oh yeah, did I mention I'm going back for my masters'? But right now I have to handle being pregnant at work and being a pregnant employee - no such easy feat, even in a supportive work environment like I have.
Easy or tough as your experience is, Dr. Greenfield provides great tips, advice and facts - like qualifying FMLA requirements and negotiating your maternity leave plan to tips on treating first trimester nausea at work (I've been there...it works). I recommend this book to any working mom-to-be, even the ones with current mommy experience!
Cross-posted to Yup - Another Reveiw Blog.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Sex
And all the stuff that one can talk about is being talked about over at DC Metro Moms and the sister sites.
Come see what I said when my son asked me what a condom was!
Monday, May 19, 2008
Dear Realtor
Yes, I realize there is a For Sale sign in front of our house, and we are listed in the MLS. This means that you can come and show our house to your clients. I also realize that this is a tough time to sell a house, and we should welcome any buyer that wants to take a look.
However
because we still live here, is it asking too much to:
1. Leave a card if you come by? It's obvious you are here because doors are closed that are usually left open and lights are turned off/on that weren't off/on when I left earlier. This allows us the peace of mind that it was you and not a complete random stranger with no permission at all to wander through our house
2. Leave the key in the lock box and not in the door itself? Enough said on that one.
3. Call before you come instead of just showing up at our front door? We'd like for it show it's best, and since we do live here, sometimes it's just not good to randomly stop by.
4. Come if you are going to say you are going to come by in a set time frame? If you say you are going to come, we leave and find something to do. It can be frustrating to pick up and leave and then you don't even come in (or maybe you did, see #1).
Thank you,
Owner who is really getting fed up with points 1-4.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Monday, May 12, 2008
Lyme Disease Update
The test came back negative. But we are to retest in 6-8 weeks as sometimes it can take a while to show. So, if it wasn't Lyme Disease, what the heck was it?!?
Read more!Friday, May 9, 2008
Stamp Out Hunger
I remember when I was growing up my Mom was 'in charge' of mission work for the homeless in our church. Her job was to find congregants to donate prepared food once a month and also servers once a month. Starting in 3rd grade she took me to the shelter to help serve. It was a shelter for women and children. I stood on one side and served food, often their only meal that day or for days, to kids just like me. Driving home my Mom always told me, "Don't think for a minute they are different than you because they don't have a home. We could be in their shoes in a matter of paychecks, broken bones and a really bad month." She's right. So many of us are closer to being homeless than we think.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Brain Dead
I just finished my online final for my first ABA class towards my BCBA.
My brain is dead. My stomach is growling.
And my husband is cooking an Italian dinner with wine for dinner.
He's home. I'm done with class for a month.
It's a good night :)
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Life Moments With A Child On The Spectrum #2
How to tell when Son is genuinely, truly, grounded and happy:
-he skips instead of walking
-he talks passionately about math - formulas, patterns, similarities between percents/decimals/fractions, you get the picture
We've had a lot of that today :)
Priceless
Seeing the look on your Son's face when he sees his father coming home from a week long business trip.
Read more!Monday, May 5, 2008
Friday, May 2, 2008
This Way and That Way
Head this way for a review of an absolutely wonderful children's book I had an opportunity to review for MotherTalk.
And head that way for a post I put up on DC Metro Moms (we can no longer cross-post directly).
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