Does this ever happen to you?

I've just spent most of the morning getting dressed, attending to various online matters, and prepping Jax to leave the house for a 2 hour stay at the Y while I toot over to the outlet mall to purchase his Rocket costume for 50% off, which Shawn suggested I do "to save me some time making one" (aka: you suck at making costumes, Amy).

So I put Lola outside -- more on that in a bit -- gather the necessary accoutrements and head to the garage where Jax has kept himself busy in the car, flipping knobs, raising and lowering the garage door, etc...

I take a deep breath as I prepare to face the everyday-challenge of getting my 32 pounder into his carseat, when he instantly starts fighting me, struggling to keep from being buckled. Having already used up my complete arsenal of empty threats, I simply pull him out of the car, take out his bike, and leave him to being a boy.

It wasn't just Jax's fault, though. Prior to walking out of the house, I saw Shawn's wallet, thought about grabbing his credit card to use for the $17 costume, then weighed the merits of using his over using mine, considering apr's, balances, minimum payments, etc... Depressed beyond belief, I then thought about taking the money out of our "savings" account, since I'll be going there anyway to get money out to cover the "unexpected" expense of Ryan's latest Scholastic Book Order.

Furious at myself for playing the naive ingenue who just doesn't know what to do, I realize i do know what to do; I know I shouldn't even step foot at that outlet mall, I should just suck it up and tell Jax to suck it up (I mean, whatever I end up making can't be nearly as bad as his two previous Halloween costumes --Sebastian the Crab & Toto). Having made up my mind about that, but knowing I've already gotten him ready to go, I decide I'll just drop him off to play and spend some alone time cleaning.

Which is even more depressing, if you ask me, but whatever.

Then comes the seat belt struggle, my resolve wears out, and once again I quit an endeavor I've only just begun.

My question is, at what point does it stop being quitting and start being the smarter, money-saving, okay thing to do?

Anyway, enough waxing philosophic (I've always wanted to use that phrase. Yeah me!).





About Lola and the Great Outdoors:

Knowing Lola, who always appears to be cold and is constantly snuggling up under some blanket or cushion, putting her outside for 2 hours straight in the 50 degree weather may not seem like such a great idea, but then neither is spending over $200 to have your carpets professionally (and safely) cleaned, only to have to clean 2 piles of dog poo and 1 pile of dog vomit a mere 3 days later. That said, until she is potty trained, she can shiver with the rest of us.