The Random Midnight Musings of a Single Mom

My insomnia is raging. I woke up at 12am and didn’t drift back off until after 4:30. I’m going to drag later this afternoon.

During this “gift” of early morning time, my mind has been touching on many random subjects.

I want my elliptical fixed now. Just watching calories isn’t keeping me on track for my New Year’s resolution of losing 15 lbs. I need those two daily workouts. I’ve started dancing to Zumba in the living room. Doing the steps makes me feel clumsy. The kids think it’s funny.

Should I forego a vegetable garden this year? Maybe I should concentrate on improving the soil instead. Let all of the raised beds rest for a year and tackle the unruly weeds. I think I’ll try using the lasagna composting technique to build up nutrients in the garden beds. I’ve got plenty of newspaper and I can always buy straw. Should I get a truckload of gravel for the driveway this Spring?

Plans for retirement savings are going to slow a bit over the next few months. I have to make the first quarter estimated tax payments (Eeek!) and the final contribution to my IRA for 2013 (Yay!). Then my focus will change to more aggressive saving for the emergency fund. The goal is to bank ten months of living expenses. Income taxes will be high for me this year with the money coming in from my contracting job. That means less financial aid for the kids’ tuition in 2015. Should I keep paying extra principle on the house or use that money to pad the emergency fund?

Two people were rolled off the team at work because of budget concerns. One was more senior than I am and one was my junior. Is it time to look for a fulltime job and bite the bullet where vacation time is concerned? I’ll be the first to admit that I have a pretty sweet gig where I’m at. Maybe I should just ride this train for as long as possible and let the chips fall where they may with the future. Then again, I am self-employed and won’t get any unemployment income if I do get let go.

Should I have a garage sale or just donate my excess household goods to the Salvation Army or Goodwill? There’s no tax advantage to be had. I don’t have enough deductions to use Schedule A and itemize on my tax return. Maybe I should check out consignment shops.

Spring cleaning will start soon. And there’s some home maintenance on my list as well. I need a new roof and could maybe push that for another year or two. But it will happen eventually. I also need to get the cement truck out here for a project.

When will I have time in my schedule to watch Game of Thrones Season 2? Should I wait until after I finish the latest episodes of House of Cards or just dive in right now? And what about PBS’ Masterpiece starting Mr. Selfridge? That looks good and Downton Abbey is finished for the season. Do I want to get wrapped up in a new drama series? I hate Frank and I mourn for Ned. Again, fix my elliptical! I used to watch all of these shows while doing my workouts. Thank you, Hulu, Netflix, internet streaming, and good old DVDs.

What should I make for dinner later? No kids around this evening. I have giant black prawns in the freezer thanks to Costco’s latest seafood roadshow but I already have wild rice and leftover BBQ chicken in the fridge. Hmmm….both sound good. Or maybe I’ll just have a bowl of cereal.

I miss having Husband #2 here. He was my sounding board for ideas and troubling thoughts. I don’t have anyone to talk to about these things now. I wonder if my sister is awake yet….

Yawn….