The Queen's Rambles

Yesterday I noticed a weird smell in the house, but it wasn’t totally pervasive and Mike couldn’t smell anything (he has a bad cold) so I gave up on finding it and just figured it would go away.

This morning the smell was worse than ever. It was like burning paint–fire and chemicals mixed together. Just the sort of smell you want in your house. Or not.

I was ready to call 911, but then we went into the basement and finally figured out it was coming from the laundry room. We have a super old fridge down there, plus a semi-old washer and a brand new dryer. It seemed like the smell was coming from the fridge, so we unplugged it and started airing out the house.

That didn’t help one iota. I still wanted to call 911.

Next, we unplugged the washer.

No change. I still wanted to call 911.

So now we have the brand new dryer unplugged and Mike thinks the smell is finally starting to dissipate. I’m not so sure and I still want to call 911. I don’t want to sleep in a house that smells like burning chemicals. I don’t want my little family to be a story on the nightly news.

We have lots of smoke alarms and a carbon monoxide detector all in working order. We’ve cracked a couple of windows for the night, so maybe we will get some fresh oxygen. I am going to be too scared to sleep.

Could it really be the brand new dryer? I don’t understand what is happening and I don’t know who to call to fix the problem.

In other strange news. . .

As we were loading up the van for our weekly lunch outing, a neighbor lady came up to me and told me she was from social services. If there’s ever a sentence a parent doesn’t want to hear coming out of some random lady’s mouth, “I’m from social services” tops the list. I was doing a run down in my mind of all the horrible and abusive things I do to my children–let Erik go out in the cold in his crocs! Yell too loudly! Get really angry and make a very mean face!

It turns out she wasn’t really from social services. I guess she used to be a social worker and thought saying she was from social services would be a good introduction? I don’t know. She said her church did a toy drive for Christmas and she had a ton of left over toys, so she was giving them to all the children in the neighborhood. She wanted to give Erik and Elsa something. It was all very strange, but I let her pick something for the kids. Erik got a little car set and Elsa got a very cheap talking baby doll that came with a couple of bottles and other stuff. I’m sure the people who donated the toys would be thrilled to know their stuff went to kids who are already pretty spoiled. I was going to turn around and re-donate them, but the kids saw them and that option was quickly eliminated.

All the money I spent on Elsa’s Christmas, and guess what she’s obsessed with? The ten buck Wal-Mart doll. She sticks the bottle in the mouth and calls it water. She’s obsessed. She also likes to take its clothes on and off.

Usually we put Elsa in a two piece pajama set, but tonight we were out [unplugged washer and dryer on my laundry day] so had to put her in a one piece set. Her baby doll has the same type of pajama set.

She kept screaming “No! Me not baby! Not mine! Not baby! I don’t wear baby shirt!” and having a conniption over these jammies. She even managed to get to the zipper and get them half off before Mike laid down the law. It is still so shocking to me to hear her speak so clearly and in such complete sentences when she’s only 20 months old. Erik didn’t really start talking till his 2nd birthday, so I’m not used to being able to communicate that well with a toddler. It sure does make it a lot easier to deal with a toddler who can adequately convey her wants and needs. She still does her fair share of screaming, but it is nothing like how Erik was at this age. It must be very, very frustrating to be non-verbal but KNOW in your brain exactly what you want.

Speaking of Erik, I ordered a book about six year olds yesterday. I really need some insight into his psyche. One moment he’s completely clingy, which isn’t fun with a giant 50 pound child who is made of sharp bones. The next moment he is sulky. And some moments he is completely happy, silly and fun. It’s those clingy and sulky moments that I need help understanding.

I’m sure most of you have heard of the very outdated Bates-Ames child development books. Though they were written in the 70s, I find the developmental information to be spot on. Their solutions are ridiculous and their assumptions about family life are laughable, but they know their basic kid psychology. I find it extremely helpful to my own mental health to read that Erik is perfectly normal. He’s not acting crazy because he wants to make me blow a gasket. He’s just being [insert age here].

They took the series out of our library awhile ago. I never read the 5 year old book, but maybe the very title indicates why I didn’t feel the need to pursue it: Your Five-Year-Old: Sunny and Serene. I do agree that five was a good year for us. The title of the six book seems spot on so far: Loving and Defiant.

We had Campfire today and I was ready to tear my hair out. Erik would not participate or pay attention. He wanted to sit behind me and kick at my back, while hiding from the other kids during the lesson (totally not like him). I hope that book is shipped quickly! It’s not like any of the kids were strangers, either. His best friends are in the group.

Ok, time for me to go downstairs and see if the laundry room smells any better. I feel like we are total fools to sleep in a house with this sort of problem. Hope you hear from me soon!

I guess I shouldn’t leave you hanging. I’ll go down, sniff, and let you know what I think before I go to bed.

Conclusion: It must have been the dryer. It is still a little smelly, but nothing like it was this morning. I feel much better about sleeping in the house now. Thank goodness!