Expired Warranties

My lawn mower quit working in October. The warranty expired in September.

Max's MP3 player stopped playing tunes in September, for the second time in 6 months. Of the 40 weeks he's owned it, it's been in for repairs for 15 of them. His warranty expires in December.

Clint's Sony Digital Camera was unable to take pictures in October, so we took it in for warranty work. We might get it back for Christmas, but his warranty runs out then as well.

The battery in the camcorder isn't holding a charge. I bought that $90. battery last January and was told it had a one year warranty only on it.

My cell phone died this week. It was a slow death, first one function, then another... I took it in for repairs, and was told my warranty had expired, I should just buy a new one. (SO lucky I had my receipt on hand... evidence that I had bought the extended warranty package, so yes, I am expecting them to repair or replace it)

My oven is on it's last legs. Cooking and especially Christmas baking are frustrating activities.

When Clint started up the Camero yesterday, he was grossed out by the fine layer of green fuzzy mould that covered every interior surface. There was a 2" puddle of green slimy stagnent water on the floor in the back. I guess there's a leak somewhere. I guess that'll have to be looked after.

Max has a Science Fair project he needed to start yesterday. It involves 4 large glass jars, each containing a different food item. One has a BigMac, one has a package of McDonald fries, one has homemade fries and the last one has a homemade burger in it. (If this makes no sense to you, rent the documentary "Super Size Me")
So, first we went to the dollar store to buy glass jars.
Then we went to McD's to buy the food. (While we were there, and because it was after 6 and I still hadn't made dinner, we ordered meals for the four of us as well. As I pulled out I realized they hadn't given us 2 of our drinks or 2 of our fry orders. So I went back and showed them the receipt and the 1/2 filled happy meal bags. They gave me new bags and it wasn't til I got home that we discovered they didn't give us back our hamburgers, they just gave us the missing fries. So I had to go back again.) That fast food meal took 45 minutes.

Max made a hamburger patty out of beef, choosing to BBQ it.
Turns out my BBQ is broken. Surprise...
It is less than 4 years old.

So he fried the patty instead.

Meanwhile, Drew has a craving for shortbread cookies. Being the super woman that I am, I whip up a batch of dough and tell him to grab the cookie press. He loves that accessory. It's like a gun. It's missing. Of course.
I've got a double batch of dough, ready to go, and ...
He remembers playing with it in the summer. Was sure he put it back.

Max needed to take a photo of his project.
But my camera had no film. Of course it didn't.
We zipped up to get some.
But then discovered that my ultra expensive lithium batteries are dead. Of course they are.

Tonight, Max and Nate needed to print off their project.
By 11:30 pm my computer had had enough. It quit working. The printer went spastic. The internet connection went haywire.

I am human. And tonight I reached a limit.
I have spent every waking hour these past 5 weeks on kids' homework, kids' entertainment, new job insecurities and trying to maintain the value of any electronic or motorized device in my possession.

Everything is falling apart.
The pressure of trying to hold it all together exploded tonight at about 6:30 pm.

One child in particular was pushing my buttons and not backing away.

After asking him to please leave the room (I had 2 pots of pasta boiling over, a sink full of dishes that needed attending, a 10 year old that had to get to school for his Christmas concert, a youth group arriving in 20 minutes, and I was still wearing tight, high shoes with dress pants and an itchy sweater) he wouldn't go.
So I snapped.
Yelled.
Screamed.
Cried.

Completely lost control.

Felt like crap afterwards. And apologized to anyone brave enough to eat dinner with me.

Just as I'm heading out the door, tear-stained and spent, Clint says,
"By the way, I forgot to hang up the phone earlier. My friend's family heard your entire rant."

Just shoot me.