Never say “Never!”
Before I was a single mama, there were things I wouldn’t (and thought couldn’t) do… But, when you’re pulling double duty as Mama and “Man of the House,” there are times you don’t have a choice.
I thought I’d share a list of my accomplishments, and some things I have overcome over the past two years:
- Dead Mouse Disposal: My daughter spotted a very dead mouse in the yard. Afraid the dog would grab it, I swiftly removed it with the pooper-scooper. Fling! Into the back treeline it went. I admit, I screamed like a girl when I flung it. That’s okay. I am a girl.
- Spider, Moth and Praying Mantis Removal: My parents regale their friends with tales of my sister’s and my blood-curdling screams as teenagers, at any given hour that we’d spot a spider or centipede. I can now swipe, squish and flush a spider while proclaiming “See? There’s nothing to be afraid of!” to my kids. We have used a variety of tupperware containers to capture and release a variety of flying critters as well. I haven’t come across a centipede in my house yet, and let’s hope I don’t. Those will always give me the willies.
- Storm Door Handle Repair: Allow me to say that handle has fallen off regularly for about 8 years. A number of people have tried a number of repair methods, but it was my frustration that led to gluing it on with Gorilla Glue. It hasn’t budged in about a year now!
- Clogged Washing Machine Bailing: A tiny sock slipped over the tub and into the drain. I saw water rising fast and could only think of my drywalled basement ceiling below it. An old Tupperware pitcher and several trips to the sink, followed by a call to the repairman did the trick.
- Leaking Roof in the Baby’s Closet at 10 p.m. on a Saturday Night: Upon arriving home on a rainy, rainy night, I heard “Drip! Drip! Drip!” coming from my son’s closet. He was at his dad’s. The solution? Large metal bowl. Tears. Martini. Bed. (Next day, dehumidifier in closet, and a call to the repairman.)
- Leaking Dishwasher: Tears. No martini this time… It was morning. Botched diagnosis, wrong part(s) and eight weeks (not a lie) of hand washing dishes. It wasn’t that bad, but I was a happy lady when it was finally resolved!
- Mowing the lawn (These skills are emerging. I still can’t handle dodging toads in the yard.)
- Snow removal (I don’t love it, and yes, sometimes I call for aid. But I’m learning.)
- Turning the outside water on and off
- Assembling shelves
- Assembling furniture (IKEA, baby!)
- Checking out scary noises
Single mamas, I want to hear from you: What have you done to surprise yourself when it comes to tasks that are undesirable or were previously handled by someone else?
I’m new to this and it’s a challenge…
Let’s talk about: Purchasing, bringing in, and setting up the xmas tree! Who knew I was so devoid of skills. Said tree is still crooked, with no lights yet. Working on that today. Oh, and as Lucy and I were taking the tree off of the top of the mom van, we broke the back windshield wiper. Bent it at least so now it’s pointing down. Way down.
But you know what? No tears, no stress….so we’re putting up the tree late. So what it’s crooked. So what? It’s not about that….Next year look how much I’ll know!
Found a new one tonight: cleaning up dog barf because the dog ate Santa’s Christmas cookies. Ewwwwe!
My greatest accomplishment as a single mom was using the lawn mower and weedwacker for the 1st time. I have never had to mow a lawn in my life and getting it started involved a phone call to a friend, some swearing (guaranteed to start on the 2nd pull, my a@!%#) and enlisting the help of my neighbor (what, there is a safety bar that I need to hold??). Admittedly, I have injured that poor lawnmower by overfilling it with oil (causes a huge black cloud), and hitting it with the car, but the lawn got done!
Other proud moments… picking out my new tires, getting the air conditioner reattached, and dealing with a gas leak. I felt very empowered. In the past I would have just had my husband do it all.
I have not mustered about the courage to do rodent removal though… My BIL’s deal with that!
Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about. So, we need some practice on a few things? “Necessity is the mother of invention,” as they say, and in this case, it’s got the makings of some great “remember when” stories to look back and laugh about!
Mine was shoveling a raccoon carcass into a garbage bag without blinking.
And, just from reading your post, I’m soooo grateful I rent – I would call my landlord for most of that. With that said, more power to you.
I love doing man jobs now though, makes me feel like I can do anything.
Ohhhh dear… That raccoon carcass takes the cake!