Tidy Husband

Eligible for the seniors discount and the Happy Meal deal at the same time.

  1. Another Day Another Problem

    Today’s Episode is brought to you by Samsung.

    It was 9 years we got out of her. I suppose that’s not too bad.

    when you’re just months old watching the washing machine go round and round is still better than watching polkaroo

    That’s what we got out of our washer/dryer from Samsung.

    We were hoping for 10 years, but we didn’t make it. Tonight we went to flip the laundry and the dryer had no heat. It spins, but no heat.

    This is technically repairable but the cost for the total repair costs more than half of a new dryer and it would not be in our best interest. It’s now $400 for a service call for somebody to just come out to the house and tell us what the problem is.

    We know what the problem is. It has no heat.

    Also, we need clean laundry. Like, NOW.

    I tried to go to YouTube University to see if I could troubleshoot but I don’t relish the idea of taking the thing apart again.

    And because we’re getting tired of problems we just said screw it - and ordered a new washer and dryer tonight. This time it’s a LG washer and dryer and I’m sure it comes with sensors and WiFi and a bunch of other crap we don’t need, and here’s hoping that we’ll get about 10 years out of this one too.

    Despite the pain of coughing up for a new washer/dryer, they have been pretty good. The washer has it’s door mechanism replaced a few times by me but it’s a few screws and a ten dollar part from Amazon.

    But dryer heaters are out of my league. Besides, I already have taken the dryer apart once and that’s it. I think I have hit the limit of fixing appliances here.

    Sure, I can put it back together, I told BW.

    I’m hoping that this set is quieter than what we’ve got now, but I assume that in 10 years there’s been some improvement in washer/dryer.

    One should hope so - considering a washer dryer set now costs 2 grand. But we figure we better get this now before the current administration screws around with the tariffs any more and making these things more expensive, or worse: impossible to buy at any price.

    watching the re-runs…

    Keeping it clean,

    TH and Co.

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  2. The Glittering Prize

    Alternate title: How to convince your child to come home with a slightly less annoying toy.

    How many of you went to an ice cream social tonight?

    Photo by sheri silver on Unsplash

    Nobody?

    Well then, you’re in for a treat.

    But, instead of being in some tiny ice cream shoppe in a quaint little village licking the ice cream off your cone while sitting on a bench on the river - you’re at a public school at 6pm with every kid that ever attended that school (or at least that’s what it felt like) and every one there wants one thing: free ice cream.

    Free ice cream. Of all the things to get a community together, it was the ice cream that did it.

    It’s not for the parents you say - and you’re right - because this is what a face looks like happily eating lemon sherbet.

    It’s all about the happy face.

    lemon with sprinkles, please.

    This photo of her is where the high ended though as it was a very long day and then we had just one more boost thanks to the sugar and then it was pretty much over.

    But not until we got to the book sale so we could spend money on some books and crap we really didn’t need. (see? there’s no such thing as FREE ICE CREAM) It’s a loss leader to get you and your offspring in the door and then and only then do you realize there’s a book sale.

    Totally optional of course.

    Our problem was that we did ice cream first, because: it’s free ice cream! and I am sure every parent had the same idea because by the time got to the book sale she was already coming down from her sugar high.

    The book sale was wall to wall book buyers, so obviously the ice cream and book thing was working: they had books for all ages and interests and she had no problem picking a book. She settled on this one:

    The book was the easy part. It has some stuff about tooth fairies in it and considering we found out about her first loose tooth yesterday this book about tooth fairies was an easy sell.

    But, I also let her pick out a toy. And of course, she’s getting overwhelmed by choice and getting tired by this point so she picks the worst toy possible:

    A freaking pointing stick! I let her walk around with it for a bit until I realized she was pointing and sticking things that should not be pointed and stuck at - so somehow, somehow I managed to get her to swap the stick out for a unicorn pen:

    It’s still not ideal, and it was way way overpriced but I saved somebody in the household a trip to the emergency room tonight by not coming home with a finger pointer. No good can come from a finger pointer.

    And the pen has unicorns. Unicorns are good - safe even. And they sparkle if you shake the pen and and and she likes to draw with pens and have glitter around at all time.

    It’s my opinion the pen was a better choice.

    The book, though - that was the choice. She was reading it in the car on the way home you guys! She could not wait to read it!

    Any outing that ends with a belly full of lemon sherbet (with sprinkles!) and reading books in the car on the way home is a winning combination.

    Of course, I get extra points for not coming home with a pointing stick.

    We’ll stick to books and glitter and unicorns here.

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  3. On Losing Teeth and Toys on the Same Day

    I wonder how much the Tooth Fairy is good for these days? A post about getting rid of things we don’t need.

    A Loose Tooth

    Photo by Anthony Tran on Unsplash | She’s adding our address to her itinerary.

    6:10am (again with the early starts. we need to work on this )

    “Hey guys”.

    I open one eyeball. “yes?”

    “I have a loose tooth!”

    BW springs out of bed so fast I thought she was going to hurt something (or me) and hugged the child like she just graduated from Harvard. (or cleaned her room)

    After some inspection and caffeine for me, it’s true. - we have a loose tooth. And right where the internet says it should: the bottom middle.

    Stay tuned for the tooth fairy post. It’s coming.

    No More Bath Toys

    I have been waiting for this day, and it was good timing for us too because we could use the loose tooth as leverage about the tossing of the bath toys as big girls don’t need them, yada yada, and you’re a big girl now

    No more plucking bath toys from the far corners of the tub. No more trying to keep the bath toys remotely clean. I wonder why they have the hole? It has to be for squirting and fun, but what they don’t tell you is that after a while the water in the bath toys becomes so gross you need a radioactive suit to get near it - let alone sit in the same tub with the thing.

    They are going. Tomorrow when she’s at school they’re going to get wrapped up and tossed. No more paw patrol or peppa pig ones. I do have to say that the Peppa Pig ones held up well and brought HOURS of imaginary stories in the tub.

    We’ve had a good time with Peppa and George but it’s time to say goodbye and just have a bath or shower like big girls do.

    The Poster

    Her PJ’s are on inside out, but whatever.

    We have a house guest coming tomorrow. The child is going to have the best day ever as it’s also her book fair and ice cream social at school and then when she gets back there will be a person in the house that’s not her parents. I think we need to get out more.

    She’s so excited she had to paint a welcome banner for the big day tomorrow.

    Welcome!

    If you drop by you might get a poster of your very own to take home too! And, if you time it right - a tooth too!

    We will be here - patiently waiting for the tooth fairy.

    Keep Flossing,

    TH and Co.

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  4. Hug your Landscaper

    Because it’s hard, hard work that you do not want to do.

    I watched the guys start their work week at 8 am across the street at the fancy house with the manicured lawn. They finished at about 5:30 pm.

    Photo by Haydon on Unsplash | Not an exact replica of the house across the street, but close.

    That’s a long day of hard work. All for about $17.00 an hour. 1

    Over here? I mowed my lawn. It’s shorter now. The neighbors should stop calling the cops on me now.

    It was also a lot of work and I’m tired. I can’t imagine having to be outside all day tomorrow again in the rain planting some annuals for a Karen in a Cul-de-sac for under $20 bucks an hour.

    These poor guys. I bet that they are exhausted at the end of the day.

    And yet, they’re going to get up tomorrow and do it all over again.

    Same lawn, different address.

    We’re All Just Doing the Best We Can

    This internet thing can feel like a bubble at times where the few that are making it are only making it by selling the dream. Of course, there’s some that have done well for themselves and made money from being online and started at zero and that’s great.

    Good for them. Be an Influencer or whatever they are.

    But for the most of us? We’re not influencers. We’re out here doing your yard work an cleaning your dog poop and houses. We’re the Uber drivers and doordash drivers and the invisible people that make your latte in the morning.

    We ask if you want fries with that.

    The least you can do is say thank you.

    Or Tip.

    Tips are good too.

    1. I have no idea what they make, but I bet this is close for most. ↩

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  5. Happy Memorial Day

    We tried to explain that memorial day isn’t something to celebrate really, but then we decided what the hell - let’s go with it.

    The day started at 6:10 am.

    “Happy Memorial Day”, she exclaimed with glee.

    Considering the time, I was less gleeful than her. I don’t think my glee woke up until about 7 am.

    BW tried to set her straight and explain what memorial day is really for without success. It’s my opinion that in a way those that fought did so so she (and future generations) could celebrate a peaceful day - so maybe the child is on to something.

    We actually ended up having a great memorial day. She spent a good chunk out of it outside as today was finally a nice day compared to earlier this weekend when it rained and rained and rained.

    She decided she wanted to go on a picnic so took some lunch supplies and walked to our neighborhood park which is only about 2 houses away. We can see it from our front door so it was an easy commute:

    this park is rarely busy and we had it to ourselves.

    Homemade empanadas and pirate booty. A match made in heaven.

    We even brought a tablecloth and made it fancy. And perfect timing: just as we were finishing up her friends found her and they played and played some more for another hour or so.

    How she’s even standing is beyond me.

    Dinner was on the grill and then to end the meal and the perfect (almost) summer day we ended with dessert that Mommy surprised both of us with:

    the diet starts tomorrow.

    Of course, we took the Popsicle outside and ate it and she lost a bit on the ground, but she was okay with it.

    “I was full anyway”, she told me.

    All in all a pretty good day. Bedtime was relatively easy 1.

    She didn’t want the day to end she had such a good day.

    She was right. It was a Happy Memorial Day.

    Thank you to all that have served.

    Lest we forget,

    TH and Co.

    1. I swear, my entire day revolves around the difficulty of bedtime. ↩

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