Day Fifty-Seven, Identity Theft!

One of my respite providers found out that she is a victim of identity theft :-(...unfortunately, she doesn't use the computer at all...no email address, nothing.  When they told her to go online to get it straightened out, she had no idea what to do.  Today for my gift, we downloaded all three of her credit reports.  We went through found any discrepancies and filed the appropriate paperwork to dispute it.  We also filed a claim with the Social Security Administration and put a freeze on her accounts so no new credit could be taken out.  Thank God that the damage wasn't too bad and we caught it.

This would have taken days to accomplish over the phone and through snail mail when it only took an hour online...that was my gift for today.  She gave me a huge hug in appreciation.  I'm loving this!

Day Fifty-Six, Cleaning Solution!

Today was my fourth day taking care of the kids on my own.  I'm enjoying brushing teeth, changing diapers, getting them dressed...I'm finding myself humming as I vacuum and just thrilled to be able to function as a CEO of my home.  I've been able to keep the house clean and the laundry somewhat under control.  Dakota had his homeschooling program today and he wanted to do a play, so we loaded up our puppet theater in the car and I dropped him off.  He was considerably less sad today to go than usual which was encouraging.

I did not sleep well the night before for some reason, I'm not sure why, and I headed off to grocery shop.  I was doing great filling up the cart...I didn't leave much for anyone else and then headed off to the cashier.  As I reached in to grab my wallet, I realized it wasn't there!  How embarrassing!  The cashier was so gracious and told me that at least one person a day forgets their wallet...I remember taking it out to fill out insurance card information on a form and I didn't put it back.  I had to drive back home, grab my wallet and then go back down to pay...sigh. 

I spent quite a bit of time tying up lose ends with the principal to get the two teens going for Monday...but while I was at the grocery store, I picked up some Murphy Oil Soap for my friend.  She absolutely loves the smell of it in my house and I explained to her how natural it is and it is one of the only cleaners that is safe for my lungs.  She ranted about how much she loved it but I knew it was pretty pricey for cleaner and she has food stamps, which doesn't cover cleaners.  I noticed it on sale and grabbed her a huge bottle...she was so excited and thankful that I got it for it.  I also got her "Motivated Mom's" cleaning schedule and printed it out for her.  She loves mine!  That was my gift for today.

Day Fifty-Five, High School Education!

Today was a really rewarding gift...I worked with a teen couple who have a one year old on a plan to get them back into high school and graduated, all while working around the needs of taking care of their baby.  They thought it was impossible, but with a bit of creativity and being familiar with different program options we were able to get the signed up with the paperwork in.  I worked closely with the principal and they are both starting on Monday!  They will be studying from home and doing their classes online...they will take turns studying and taking care of the baby.  I did the enrollment forms for them, got all their documents to the principal, and helped them with picking out classes.  That was my gift for today :-).  They were so grateful and are really excited to start!