The Exam Period Ruin of Christmas

The holidays officially came to a big time pause today.  This is exam week for Carter.  She may only be a freshman but now-a-days even freshman year counts towards getting into college.  It stinks.  No parties or fun, no Christmas music, no celebrations or preparations, except for exams.

Of course the pouring cold rain is adding to the need to be studying feeling in the house.  Now I can’t help with any of the studying.  The test taking is all up to Carter, but I still feel the need to be around to create an atmosphere that is conducive to learning.  Even Russ woke up this morning and told me about a dream he had about having to take the SAT and needing to study math.  I am sure that Russ could take the SAT without doing any studying and do quite fine so why he is having the school anxiety dream I am uncertain.

Feeling guilty about doing anything fun while Carter was stuck in her study cave Russ and I went out in the cold wet day to do the one thing that she did not want to so, to look at new washers and dryers.  I was using this trip to Home Depot as a covert way to get my steps in since I was not going to walk the neighborhood and get soaking wet.

Researching washer and dryers is a horrible job.  Yes we have Consumer Reports and all the tools the Internet has to overwhelm us with, but until you throw a really soiled towel in a machine and pull it from a dryer you have no idea if the duo you have chosen is a match made in heaven.

I have been thinking about a new washer and dryer for a long time.  When front loaders first came out and were considered practically sexy Carter was about seven.  One evening when Russ was on a business trip to China Carter and I went to the mall for dinner.  We strolled through Sears on our way back to our car and lingered in the appliance department looking at the cherry red washer and dryer combos on their pedestal drawer units.  A bored salesman, thrilled with a potential customer in the empty store quickly asked us if we were looking to buy.  Carter in a very grown up way responded,  “No, we are just dreaming.”

Eight years later I am still looking at washers, but with a little more urgency.  I am less interested in the front loaders now that top loaders have gotten the center agitator removed, but I just don’t know.  How much can one person read about machines?  It seems like my exam schedule is to learn all I can about the market and make a decision for once and for all.

When Russ and I got home Carter decided it was a good time for us to have a really good mother daughter talk about all things non-exam related.  Her procrastination may be fun for me but I eventually had to cut off the heart-felt talk and suggest she go back to the books.  I still had load size specifications to review.  I hate that exams ruin this week before Christmas.