To Do List

My list of things I need to do just keeps getting longer and longer. I'm such a procrastinator.

1. Find respite for Deb. We are leaving in a couple of days. I fear rejection so I just haven't called many foster families. Rumor has it there are a couple of families in town that will keep any kid for the money. I'm hoping to luck into one of those.

2. Find a pet/house sitter. Again, we are leaving soon. A friend and I usually trade this service off but we will both be gone at the same time. I'm sure we can round up a semi-responsible teen who will do a half-way decent job. We're down to one elderly dog and two indoor/outdoor cats. I have to admit I wish I could just leave Deb with the pet-sitter, too. (Just kidding....sort of.)

3. Call my foster parent support worker and ask the regulations for milage reimbursement. The old rule was they would pay for any trip over 75 miles each way. I'm driving 1,000 to 1,200 miles a MONTH taking my two foster daughters to regular counseling appointments. Sadly, each trip is about 55 miles each way, thus not qualifying for payment. Something's got to give. Gas is really expensive and my aging van isn't getting any younger.

4. Return the many messages left by Deb's CASA (court-appointed special advocate) workers. I mean to call them back but it's hard to find the time. I really can't talk with her around and she's always underfoot and eavesdropping.

5. Plan meals and shop for the trip. We stay in an apartment and to keep costs down we cook our meals. Food is much cheaper here than near the beach.

6. Pack for the trip. Luckily, it's still really hot here so we are still wearing summer clothes. It's a lot harder to find out-of-season clothes. The only thing we haven't used in a while is bathing suits and they have already been located and washed! Now where in the world are those beach towels????

7. Call pediatrician about Cori's bloodwork results and schedule an ultrasound. Sounds simple enough but when I'm woking, I just can't connect with that office. The only time I can get to a phone at work is while they are at lunch. We've exchanged messages for over two weeks. Now that I am on fall break, I've got to connect with them...or it will have to wait until Christmas vacation.

8. Wash dishes. Without a dishwasher, this is always on my list. It never gets done.

9. Remove the dead squirrel from the front yard. I'm tempted to call it a science project but it's really not. One of the cats proudly presented us with it a few days ago. No one wants to touch it. We've seen the varying degrees of decomposition now. It's just plain nasty - but so nasty that no one will dispose of it. To get in or out of the house, we cover our noses, look straight ahead, and RUN!

10. Hang the new curtains in my bedroom. The ones I had have been there 7 years of so and have gotten really faded. I finally saved my money and waited for a sale. They are here now but aren't doing much good still sitting in the package. I'm putting it off because they will need to be ironed and then I'll have to climb around but the end result will be worth it.