Working on Staying Positive.

Seven in the morning and the AmazingA's mother just called to say she no longer needs me to watch the AmazingA on Thursdays. Given that I was going to head over there in forty-five minutes, that is not much notice. What is positive about that? I now have the morning free. I will spend the time readying my next claim for Victim's Comp; maybe I can even get it off in the mail. That might mean a fair amount of money a couple of weeks down the road.

Yesterday I took KidFour back to her father's home for good. KidThree came with us and the two of us had a good visit with my parents. KidFour's father gave me a check, which is just enough to put in the credit union so that the rent check I already turned in won't overdraw the account. That will save me $22 in overdraft fees and keep things nice with the credit union. I am so sorry it did not work out with KidFour here. Just not enough money or space to keep things going until she decided to pick herself up. Her father and stepmother have literally told her not to unpack until they have things firmly negotiated with her; I don't think that will go over well at all, as those two won't let bygones be bygones and start afresh, which is what they need to do. What a sad mess. The poor girl. I will try to keep in touch with her by email, but am not sure if she will respond.

My mother gave me $30 in quarters--this will keep us covered for two weeks or so with laundry. Mom also gave me gas money, of which I have $40 left, and KidTwo sent $50. Tonight I am babysitting and should earn about $50, then tomorrow morning I babysit elsewhere and should earn another $50. I think I will take that combined cash and buy the new bed for the living room. The girls have told me that they think a single bed will a better fit for the room than the full-size. The new bed I've chosen is $150; for now it can use the futon I've already got in my bedroom. KidTwo plans to send more money Monday or Tuesday of next week. I will work on putting all money besides absolute necessities into fixing this room to make it attractive to parents. That should take about $500 total.

I've put a new ad on craigslist that says I will do babysitting in clients' homes. Maybe I can earn some money that way while working on things here. Since KidFour is gone, leaving KidThree here is much easier--the reduction in tension makes it possible to leave her on her own.

What else I can do to stay positive is to get to work here. There are so many things I can get done on my own, while KidOne is working and KidThree is sleeping. I will get the living room cleaned up (it is messy from KidFour's packing), then clear up some things on the kitchen table. That will be productive and keep me busy until it is time to go to the credit union at nine to put in my check from KidFour's father. I will also draw a picture of my front wall with window, so my professional seamstress sister can make me a curtain for that window. The fabric is all picked out; she just needs dimensions and to know where the window sits in the wall in relation to walls and such.

Now off to have my second cup of coffee, then to get going.

A