This Week, With my Oldest Child

[altarflame]

Ananda: I really really really want to go on this overnight field trip, and they're gonna let ME design the shirts everyone wears, if I am going! It's $115.
Ananda: I'm going to need water color paint for school really soon. Like by this weekend.
Ananda: Don't forget, nobody has found my elbow pads at the track - I still need them, and the bout is just a couple of days away.
Ananda: Can I have one of the long sleeved school shirts? They sell them at the office, they're $15.
Ananda: *goes with me to oral surgery consult that is not included in her orthondontic financing, and we get quoted $1440 out of pocket*

Comments

[altarflame.livejournal.com]

1. We can get all her stuff, I just like to complain and to record things. I mean she might have to wait for the shirt and she borrowed some knee pads out of the derby shed for a week, but that's ok. Honestly, the scary thing is that we're spending the most on Isaac these days...he's going out of town with school too, and had a science project last week, and needed bearings for his skates - but the vast majority of that is going to weekly counseling sessions, pediatrician visits, his new psychiatrist, etc...It's just an expensive time and hers seems less heavy to tally up like this entry did. Plus I'd just gotten back from the oral surgeon ;) I guess the good news is that soon we'll hit our family deductible and insurance will start covering a lot more...like Aaron's allergy shots, and some stuff Elise needs... We have a ton of extra expenses lately, between Christmas and home maintenance it's been fucking crazy. The cool serendipitous thing is, we have also had a lot of supplemental income (unexpected escrow refund from mortgage company because rates went down, Grant's job gave them a surprise bonus in December, I got student refunds this month, and our tax return will be coming soon - that all adds up to about $12k over less than 3 months) so it's coming fast and furious but it's also working out much easier than it would have in the middle of summer.

2. She really doesn't have the time or personal resources to work. Annie's always needed downtime to recharge, as an introvert, and being in school full time for the first time in her life, this year, while still playing cello and being on a roller derby team, has really felt like a LOT to her. We've had to sit down and have some peptalks and reorganization around things like daily chores and her homework. When she has homeschooled friends over on the weekends, even though she has a great time, Mondays are really hard for her. She babysits her little cousins for my sister about once a month, usually for a whole evening that yields about $60, and is scrupulously saving that up for a trip to Harry Potter World. We told her when she gets enough together, I'll match it, and the two of us will go together (Aaron doesn't want in enough to save for it when he gets money, and younger kids haven't read all the books/seen all the movies yet so there'd be spoilers everywhere).