Good afternoon.
I was up early today making Pancakes for the kids and waiting for my Coffee to brew.
I also knew I had to deal with my car situation today, as early as it was.
Let’s talk about how my Monday went yesterday, and how I can totally relate to Garfield and why he hated Mondays. 🤣
My day started off really well yesterday.
I sat at the kitchen table with my laptop and a Cup of coffee while I was in a Zoom meeting with two women from a homeschooling academy – learning more about it.
I’ve thought about homeschooling Elijah for a while now, and we’re going to try it this year. So, he’s all signed up and I just have to run to his doctor, get his shot immunization record, send a letter to the district to let them know my intent to homeschool, and he’ll be good to go.
I have been so nervous about it and wondered if I’m doing the right thing, or if I have what it takes to homeschool because as the women said in this zoom meeting, we’re not just helping our kids as “moms and dads” anymore, we’re helping them as moms and dads, plus – learning coaches. We’re working right beside the teachers basically and putting our all into this – just as much as them and the kids who do this.
Parents new to homeschooling and on Zoom yesterday – were able to see the screens of these women sharing information, as they taught us how to check grades, have our students turn things in, contact the teachers, check school calendar schedules – (which run on the same schedules as regular public schools), how to find resources if we need extra help, and do so many other things from the website we’d be using.
They talked about hours per day and hours in the online classrooms, how students can participate in class and see / talk to each other, and sometimes – they even do online recess. I’m not sure how that works, but I found that interesting, and I’m sure it’s just all of the online students being able to mingle with each other.
I was worried that Elijah wouldn’t have interactions with other kids because he’d be homeschooled, but I do plan to have playdates with his friends from around this small town, and I do plan to find other things for him to do with other kids as well. However, I was so happy to learn that this homeschooling thing doesn’t stop him from seeing other students and making new friends.
In fact, parents were told that they have field trips, and notices will go out a few weeks before each one.
That’s where parents in each state can find out who else in their state is homeschooling in this program, and the school will create a place where those parents and kids can meet up with other parents and their kids from the same classrooms, state, etc. How cool is that?! So, not only are kids getting to know each other online, but parents can even travel to other places if they want to – for different classrooms / states field trips.
They also have many different activities and groups, extracurriculars, and so many other things for kids enrolled in this homeschool program – to do. Places to go. Kids to meet in person, and so on.
My good friend Ashley homeschools her kids, and she absolutely loves it.
Elijah has a friend who left the public school over here a few years ago, so his mom could homeschool and that mom loves it.
I’ve talked to different moms who do it, and while I was nervous and worried, the Zoom school meeting yesterday put my mind at ease, and I feel a little bit better about trying it out. So, he starts in a few weeks, and hopefully it goes smoothly.
I told him this is a test run, and if I feel like he’s not paying attention, or it’s not working out, he’s going right back to regular school.
So, yesterday started out well – with me feeling so much better about my choice to homeschool.
And then – my car happened.
I’m going to try to hope everything really does happen for a reason and there’s some kind of blessing that will come out of this!
THE CAR:
My car has been giving me issues for a long time now.
It actually started when I first got this car.
Everyone who sees it – tells me, “I love your BMW”.
It’s not a BMW, but it does look like it and it’s in the same family as them, so I don’t mind, and I always tell them, “I hate the car! Keep it!”. Seriously. When I first got it, my wipers would turn on by themselves, the radio would go on and off by itself, and my kids and I would joke that it was the “ghost” that came with the car. We joked that it was a playful spirit, and I’d joke with my kids and tell them to leave my new friend alone. ha.
It was electrical issues and I was told something about the wires being crossed in the car. I was also told it wouldn’t affect the car too much, so I left it alone, and as the months and years have passed by, more issues started happening and no matter how many things I’ve had replaced or how many times the car has been in different shops for maintenance, there’s always another problem and another problem.
It never ends with this car.
I’ve had major parts changed, only for something else to go wrong or my car still to be doing the same damn things it’s been doing.
It picks and chooses when it wants to act up, and when it wants to run smoothly, but I’m so over it. I’ve had it to different mechanics and shops, and nobody can seem to figure out why it’s being an a-hole, and why it’s doing what it’s doing – and many other shops and mechanics won’t touch it out here because it’s a VW, and nobody wants to mess with a VW.
(They’re complicated) – I keep getting told.
I could sit here and list all the things I’ve had to deal with when it comes to this car, but I’m not going to.
*Sigh*
Our nearest VW dealer is hours away, and it’s going to be a hell of a lot to have it towed to one and back, and for years – this thing has just been a pain in my ass.
I also knew for a few days now that I needed front brakes and rotors because they were squeaking. Shops were charging me $600+ for front brakes and rotors and a rotor in the right rear. I read they charge high prices for labor, heavy work, tools, and all kinds of things, so I ended up taking my car to my daughter’s friend’s father. (He works on cars all of the time).
He was great and told me he’d only charge $150.
Yesterday afternoon, I went to a parts store where one of the girls I know – works.
I was going in to see if she can have the parts that I needed ready, so when I get paid, I could just go grab them instead of waiting and having them pulled, but…………………………………………………………………….
Life.
I was driving and my car felt like it didn’t want to yesterday. I had to step on the gas a few times to get it to finally kick in and go. That was new. That had never happened before, but of course something else would go wrong with this stupid car right when I’m trying to fix the brakes and get those done.
As I was driving, it kept doing the same thing, so when I got to the parts store, I had this girl I know – hook it up to the scanner.
We went inside and she pulled up the codes that came up.
At the same time that she was doing that, there was a guy in there looking at the hats. He turned to the girl I know and jokingly started complaining about the price of the $34.00 hat, but said he needs a new one, so he’s still going to buy it. We laughed about it, and when he looked at the computer as she was showing me the codes that came up, he turned and yelled, “Holy cow!”.
Thanks, dude! I already know.
He was telling me what each code meant, and what I probably needed to fix everything and stop what’s going on with it. He told me that’s the reason it’s not driving right and acting the way it is.
He apologized for being nosy and said he’s a mechanic and has a shop. He told me he can fix everything and said if I come to the shop – (aka – His house) – it’s a flat fee, but if he comes to me – it’s $75 an hour, but he can get it all fixed for me.
I told him to give me that flat fee, and he looked everything over and quoted me $500+. I’m sure that would have added up to the $75 an hour anyway, but what choice did I have? If this guy says he knows what he’s doing (and he sounded like he did) – I’ll take it.
He shook my hand, told me his name and handed me his phone. He told me to put my number in, and I did. He said he’d send me the quote and everything I’d need and told me to give him a call as soon as I want to get this all done – even offering to buy the parts himself and I could just add the fee to his quote when he’s done with the car.
He told me to drive it home and leave it there. I asked if I’d be able to drive back to the little town I live in, and he said it should be fine. It indeed – was not fine.
I was with my daughter, and we only got a few blocks down when the RPM needle started jumping around like crazy, went all the way up, and then the car started smoking from under the hood. I turned around, drove to a gas station and parked there to figure out what to do.
My daughter contacted her friend – who then got ahold of her father, and he works in the area I was in, so luckily, he was just heading home from work and was nice enough to meet me where I was. He checked the car out, told me he has a better scanner than where I went, and he’d take it to his place to scan it and see what’s going on.
Unfortunately, he had to go get the straps and something to tow it on, so I felt so bad when he took us to his house, his dads house to get other things he needed, and had to drive all the way back to where my car was – but he was so cool about it. My daughter and I went with him and his daughter in his truck.
We got the car to his house, and would you believe that this damn A-hole car – acted like nothing had happened? He drove it for a bit, and it was just fine. It ran smoothly. We laughed about it, and I joked with my daughter that this car is like a Toxic boyfriend. When we’re alone – it wants to be a jerk and act stupid and when we’re around people – it wants to pretend like we’re great together and all is good.
When he came back to his house and said the car was acting just fine – and it didn’t do anything I said it was doing earlier – I stood there like:
I can’t wait to get this paid off and traded in because the day I leave this car somewhere else and it doesn’t get to come home with me – I’m going to celebrate so hard.
I’m over it.
He told me to bring it back if it happens again, and that something may have just been stuck and went back to normal when the car cooled off.
I’ve heard that these things give all kinds of issues, and I wish I knew that before I looked at how pretty this car was and that I knew all the headaches that come along with it.
Let me also tell anyone looking for a foreign in case you haven’t had one before – that if it needs any major work or parts – you’re probably going to be waiting until they get shipped out here from overseas.
When I first moved to Minnesota, I had an Explorer. I loved that car, and I wouldn’t mind having something like that again. I wouldn’t mind having something DOMESTIC again – where parts are decently cheap and most mechanics will work on it because it isn’t foreign.
While I was at my daughter’s friend’s house and her dad was checking out the car, it was getting pretty late, and he was awesome enough to offer a drink for my long day – so we both had a Crown Royal (Apple) / Soda mix, and it was delicious. While I was there waiting for him to get everything done, he tried to scan it, but his scanner wasn’t working right, so he was supposed to look at it last night and have me come back sometime this week.
Meanwhile – I was able to take this cute photo!
As many times as I’ve been to their house to drop my daughter off, pick her up, or hang out there with her friend’s parents, I’ve never noticed this cute little cottage behind their house, but last night – I asked my daughter’s friend what it was.
She said it’s abandoned, but the guy who lives behind them – his kids are trying to knock everything down inside and fix it up. I guess he is taking it over. So, we walked over to it for me to get a photo, and I laughed when she told the guy who lives behind their house, “She just wants a photo of your abandoned place here!”. I told him I love abandoned places like that.
I know the guy. He’s a bus driver at the school, so I knew he didn’t mind. He knows all the kids well, and he also knows my daughter.
I also grabbed these photos.
The moon was so much prettier in person.
All while sitting there sipping on my much-needed drink.
I was able to drive the car home, and my daughter’s friend’s dad offered to let me use one of his extra cars that he has, but I don’t want to add miles or risk someone else’s car.
I had such a long day with this damn thing yesterday – that I sat there talking to my daughter’s friend’s dad for a while about this whole thing, and eventually – came home and knocked out. I did NOT want to deal with this thing last night.
This morning is a new day. I need my car. I had to deal with the situation, so I know a shop in town that does deal with foreign cars and I had it towed there – with a long list of things going on with it – that I need checked out or fixed – including my brakes and rotors because as long as it’s in the shop – why not?
I’m waiting on the call to see how much it’s going to be, and if this car gives me one more issue – it’s going right back to where it came from because I’m done with it.
I will also not be dealing with the “mechanic” I met at the auto parts store yesterday – as I also found out he does not have his own shop like he said at first, and most mobile mechanics around my area are playing a game of competition with each other to see who can get the most customers, and don’t really seem to care if they can or can’t fix something.
The car is at a real shop with guys who deal with VWs.
That was my night. That was my morning. I handed the tow truck driver my keys with the list and sent him on his way.
Depending on what the issue is / issues are – I’ll decide if I want to fix it or just try to get a new car.
I remember when I was younger and couldn’t wait to be an adult so bad, and now –
lmfao.
Let me go figure out what I’m doing for lunch for the kids and wait for the shop to tell me how many hundreds they want if my car can be fixed.
I hope you had a better Monday than me yesterday, and a better day than mine is going today.
Love you.
🌸Shel🌸