Got new tires on the van today. Spent around $500 with tires, oil change, break check and such. I had budgeted $600/year for car repairs/maintenance. In past years we really haven't spent much so seemed fair, but gosh we have blown it out of the water this year. Around $1500 I think this year - just insanity. I know too we could have saved money on a lot of this with more time and effort on our part. So something to think about. Well, hopefully next year will be less costly! How to pay for it? I'll throw it on the card and hope some extra money pops up. I am thinking of not putting $300 to the efund next month. Will probably put it to the tires instead. I have $200 coming to me for Cookie Lee sales. So wala. Am only about $500 away from my efund goal and figure I will get there regardless. So it kind of sucks, but in the long run not much to complain about.

Well this weekend is our anniversary and grandma was going to take the kids. However, dh and I got "the bug." It was some nasty thing with a 10-day incubation that all the kids at preschool got at once. IT was lovely and I was worried it may ruin my Japan trip (like if we all got it one at a time, 10 days apart). LM has been rather resilient, but last night dh and I started to get very sick. As luck would have it, his parents were in the area. They were going to go to their cabin an hour away, go gambling tomorrow, and pick up the kids on their way home (so we could have a free weekend for our anniversary).

Instead I started puking and dh wasn't feeling well so he asked if they would maybe take them for the night and we could send them to preschool tomorrow, not to ruin their plans. Anyway, they just took the kids home with them, so I feel bad. But I could not imagine caring for the little ones with us both puking all night. So anyway, it was nasty. I am just starting to feel better, but as it was with all the kids, they felt better one day and then relapsed for one day. So I am wary. Trying to rehydrate the body, but not push it. We have piles and piles of leftovers in the fridge, all completely inedible with these stomachs. Bummer.

So happy anniversary to us! It's been 7 years. (We've been together like 12 years). Oh I am just so grateful the kids aren't here and we could rest and recover.

Dh's parents are crazy generous and his grandma gave us $40 cash. His parents will probably give us some too. We were thinking of splurging it. dh saw they were doing some charity dinner/wine thing down the street for $35/person. We were thinking that may be a nice use of our time/money to celebrate, but frankly I am scared to eat anything at this point. So we'll probably put the $40 towards the tires and whatever else we get - and the $65 (challenge money). So it's not so bad.

Oh which reminds me. I feel REALLY bad but there is some distant family member who always sends the kids a lot of cash. Like $50 or $100 - though I really have no idea who she is. Anyway, I wrote down she sent the kids $5 each for their b-day and thought it was a little unusual (so little), but whatever. Sent her a thank-you. I think the same day (but after it had gone out in the mail) I found an envelope with the address of a different relative of the same name - where I had noted her $5 gifts to the kids. How embarassing - I sent a thank you to the WRONG person. We just figured, whatever. She would be confused, but at least we realized (& I was able to send a thank-you off to the right person).

So anyway, $50 arrived in the mail yesterday for the kids. I guess she felt bad (or maybe she had just genuinely forgotten their birthdays). I feel really bad, I did not want to guilt her into sending money. I joked with dh that this was a good tactic to raise college money for the kids. Send thank you notes to the wrong people. Of course I thanked her for $10 and she sent $50. I'll send her a 2nd thank you with an explanation.

Well, hopefully we'll feel better tomorrow and will enjoy this kidless time. At least I won't feel so tempted to do stuff around the house. Just trying to take it easy.