Weekly Preview and Review

Cirque Shanghai was FABULOUS! Suzy and I were amazed. Chinese acrobats - 10 young men and 6 young women skillfully entertained us with feats of balance, strength and beauty. Afterwards we went to Cici's Pizza Buffet, which I like very much. First time we went, but not the last!

Dental visits for the girls this week. Emily - no cavities. Suzy - two cavities. Hmmm.... The boys have their turn this coming week.

David finished his drivers ed makeup classes and passed both the tests in class. Now we visit the Secretary of State. He first needs to connect with his teacher and get his certificate.

Took Emily and some friends bowling today to celebrate her birthday. Had the party room at the bowling alley beforehand for cake, ice cream, gifts, and a craft. Then two games of bowling with 7 girls. I bowled too. One strike, lots of gutter balls for me. No gutter balls for the girls because they all used the bumpers. lol

After the party, Suzy, Emily, and I went out to eat and then shopping for Regency Ball shoes and then to the thrift store. Then a white-knuckle ride home in the blowing snow and on the untreated roads. Man, that was awful. The blowing stuff kept freezing on my windshield and I could not see.

I've been working hard on getting the yearbook done for Seeds of Faith and it's just about finished. Hopefully we can get it delivered before the next co-op. I want to get it ordered tomorrow.

Thinking about signing up for homeschool karate. We are about done with gymnastics, I think. Just this month left. But we are gearing up for soccer which should begin mid-April and run through the beginning of June. Do I want to do karate too? Well, since I can participate in the karate for free, I think maybe so. They are having a signup special, so I probably will take advantage of that.

A little lingering cough and wheezing is all that's left of my illness. The kids too are doing tons better. Only James seems to have a lingering cough.

On Monday, there wasn't enough work loaded, so I spent some time typing in some books I had set aside for sale. And I sold about $90 worth. So that was time well spent.

I finished reading Persuasion for my Austentatious class. Loved it this time through. Funny how the Austen grows on me. I disliked reading my first Austen a lot; it was Emma. I've since read it twice more and now I love it. Book club is reading another Gaskell - Wives and Daughters. I've started but I am still in chapter 1.

Sunday - Church?
Monday - WORK 5 hrs, Lessons, SOF meeting
Tuesday - WORK 5, Lessons, Homeschool rollerskating
Wednesday - WORK 5, Lessons, Dentist-D,J,S
Thursday - WORK 5 Lessons, Mammogram-L (funfun)
Friday - WORK 5, field trip
Saturday - Book Club Movie Night (Jane Eyre)
Sunday - Church, Contra Dancing!

Gotta work 5's this week to make up for 2 weeks ago when there wasn't enough work to keep me busy. And this is a busy week with something every day! Better take a deep breath on Sunday night. (And maybe start with a little extra sleep, eh?)

I also need to get moving on the soccer registration plans. It'll be here before we know it. Oh, and SOF co-op stuff for NEXT year already too. And make sure everything is in order for the Regency Ball.

Quite a few Regency Ball-related activities are on the calendar for March.
March 13 - Contra dance at Flint school
March 17 - Dance practice
March 21 - Persuasion Movie Day & Regency Hairstyle Practice (girls)
March 22 - Regency Portrait Day (wear your costume and do your hair!)
March 25-26 Regency Ball trip!

So, you can see, there's a lot involved. David and Emily and I will be attending, along with about 20 other people from our homeschool group. And it's in South Bend, so we're spending the night.

We'd love to see any of you at our co-op program on Friday, April 1st in the evening. David will be sharing a computer script he wrote. Emily will be dancing and in a skit. Suzy is doing a cheerleading routine. And James will have a very nice art exhibit. There will be other stuff too, but I'm not sure what all. And you won't want to miss my Austentatious class; they are doing Pride and Prejudice in 100 seconds. I get to play Lydia. LOL

Weekly Preview and Review

Saturday - Writing and grocery shopping and chores
Sunday - Visit a church, look at cars, write
Monday - WORK 4-5 hrs, Lessons, Gymnastics, Write
Tuesday - WORK, Lessons, Write, NANOWRIMO ENDS!
Wednesday - WORK, James turns 11!, Art Class, NO lessons at the request of JPW
Thursday - WORK, Work meeting, Lessons?
Friday - WORK, Co-op, David to a friend
Saturday - James' Gym & Swim party
Sunday - Visit a church?, Nutcracker Ballet with Suzy

Scrapbooking last Saturday was a BLAST! Twelve hours with friends, yummy food, and scrapping photos.

That night, I got sick, though. The sickest I've been in about ten years. Thankfully it was only 8 hours in duration, but I was wiped out for all of Sunday, since I really didn't sleep at all during the night. Monday I was still feeling rather shaky, but I'm now back up to snuff.

Gymnastics Day was Monday. James and Suzy went and Emily opted out. I wasn't feeling up to arguing, so I left her home. She probably thinks she doesn't have to go anymore, but I'm not convinced that's a good plan.

Wednesday Bob wasn't feeling too well, but he went to work anyway. But he called and let me know that he wasn't feeling like he ought to travel to Grand Rapids for Thanksgiving. Too queasy for a long car ride and a big dinner. So, the kids and I left early and headed to my parents' house as soon as my work hours were done for the day. Roads were dry about half of the trip and then the rain started pouring. The older I get, the less I like driving in the dark and the rain does not help.

Thanksgiving was such a nice time! Mom had everything really well planned and the day was pleasant and not stressful. The cousins played well. We missed Debbie and Denise - I'm still not convinced this separation thing is the best way to handle the family holidays, though I don't have a more workable solution right now. More rain on the way home made for a white-knuckle drive.

A couple trips to the store recently made me realize I am not much of a shopper. Crowded stores and too many choices stress me out, especially with limited funding. Going to be ordering online as much as possible.Which means I really need to get to it!

My non-disclosure agreement for my work means I can't tell you a lot about what I do. That sounds awfully mysterious, doesn't it? It's really quite mundane, but the client doesn't want specific details about the project spread around. There are at least two slightly different projects I can be working on currently. Basically I have to look at search engine queries and categorize them. Thousands of them. One project is more about the query terms and the other project is more about the results. So there you have it. Or not, as the case may be. LOL

I've been writing a lot and I am about 2000 words from the 50,000! David is less than 20% from the end. I am sure we will both finish. The other kids have all met their goals.

File cabinets - yes, I have two; actually three if you count the lateral file cabinet. They are filled with books and folders and folders and folders of stuff I've saved through the years from teaching. I have come to realize I almost never take anything OUT of a folder and use it once I put it in. And 20 years ago when I started "foldering", there was no internet. Now I usually just google when I want a worksheet or a picture or an activity. So, I'm sorting slowly through my file cabinets - tossing some things (old weekly readers?? lol), using some papers for scrap paper for the kids, making a pile that I think others might find useful, and keeping only a little of it. I am hoping to get down to just one of the file cabinets, mainly for books. If I can get everything in the lateral file cabinet, I'd just be thrilled.

Emily and I both need Regency gowns for the ball in March. And yes, I am considering sewing them. ACK. Such a savings! I don't even have a sewing machine anymore, though. So, I'm looking at sales and craigslist. I need one that can sew denim for another project I've been wanting to do. And David's outfit is going to be even more challenging! Think Mr. Darcy mixed with Phileas Fogg and add a dash of Sherlock Holmes.

OK, clicking "publish" because I am bored with posting. lol

Sagas 1 & 2 and 5K Coming Up

James went to the doctor last week and was put on an antibiotic. Well, THIS week, he seems to have turned up with a non-allergic amoxicillin rash. He is covered in red spots. I was going to take him to the doctor, but it turned out to be a lot harder than I imagined.

I called our regular pediatrician. Waited on hold for about twelve minutes before speaking to a human and learning that the doctor is out of town for 2 weeks. Gone to India. The office referred us to the pediatrician on call - he was gone to jury duty. (They can't excuse him during H1N1 season??? Really?)

So, I called HIS replacement and left a message on their answering service, which told me they would call back within 48-72 hours. Reassuring, eh? I then called BACK to our office and asked if James could see one of the family practice doctors. Nope, they were all overloaded, and all call-ins were being referred to the walk-in clinic. Farther away? During flu season? Not really a good idea, in my opinion.

Finally that last office called back and told me THAT doctor had gone home sick. I was talking to the nurse though, and she agreed with me that it was probably the non-allergic amoxicillin rash and James was probably not contagious. Keep giving him the amoxicillin.

But I kept him home from co-op anyway because he just looks so awful. He feels great though! The other kids have gone to co-op but I am home with James.

That was saga #1. Saga #2 involved a hard drive failure which thankfully is covered under warranty. I spent a lot less time on the phone with tech support than I did trying to get ahold of a doctor. lol A new hard drive will be sent to us within a couple business days, and we can get back to business. But everything on that hard drive is toast. All of my stuff is backed up. David and Emily both lost some work, though. Emily was devastated, but David was matter-of-fact. He told me his philosophy is basically "Don't cry over spilled milk" and got back to work typing in his lost 2000 words.

I have finished teaching the first semester of one of my Spanish classes. It will resume again mid-January. Three weeks remain in the first semester of the other Spanish classes.

This coming week appears to be calm - most activities are not being held because of Thanksgiving. I am hopeful that I can catch up with my writing. I am several thousand words behind.

I've been counting calories this week. I've not been recording my food intake in a couple of months, but I've gotten lazy. Next year? I better count calories around Halloween. I am going to try hard to make my goal by mid-December.

I found a 5K race, the Santa Shuffle in Lapeer, that I think I'll run two weeks from tomorrow. There is a fun run for the kids that I may be able to persuade the kids to participate in. Anyone care to join me?


So, fin

Long-awaited update

I haven't written much of anything here except weekly previews and lists of completed workouts. I haven't had a lot to say, I guess. It's all pouring into the story. Heh heh....

The weather has been a nice surprise - late in the year for an Indian summer, but really nice. This whole week has been gorgeous. Next week also looks to be nice, although chillier with maybe some rain. I can still hang out my laundry on occasion and the furnace isn't running as much, which is nice when it comes time to write that check.

Bob worked Mon-Fri last week and Mon-Thurs this week. He works tomorrow too, which is the Grand Opening of their store. Next week, they only scheduled him four days, one of which is Saturday. Maybe he can use the two weekdays he is off to go apply at some other places. Now that he has some recent work experience, maybe that will help.

David has been busy listing items on eBay. Did you know you can list 5 items every month for free? You pay the final value fee if they sell, but no listing fee. He weeded out his PSP games and is hoping to earn enough money to buy an iPod Touch. He has some money he earned doing yard work for a friend of ours too.

James went to the doctor on Wednesday since he had a sore throat, swollen gland in his neck, and hasn't been sleeping well. The doctor took a throat swab (to test for strep) and wrote him a prescription for an antibiotic. He has been taking it for almost 2 days and feels better - the gland seems smaller. Haven't heard if it was strep or not. She also thought 'mono' was a possibility. If he wasn't feeling better by today, she wanted to see him back again. But he IS feeling better - thankfully. He told me this morning that his throat doesn't hurt when he swallows.

Suzy had bright red cheeks that same day, which is a huge sign a kid has Fifth disease. However, the next day, a lacy rash is supposed to show up on the extremities and she didn't have that, or a fever. So, I don't know what that was all about. I call her healed in Jesus' name!

David and Emily have remained healthy. I've made everyone take Vitamin C a couple times a day and let them sleep in. I bought some garlic for the dreaded garlic/honey/vinegar cure, but I haven't used it. Bob is fighting a sniffle and cough, but that's about it. He often comes down with something in the cold months.

I was supposed to go scrapbooking this weekend with friends, but one friend's son has H1N1 and the other friend is also sick, so we have sadly cancelled our fun times. The kids are bummed because they were going to get to go along as well. Hopefully we can reschedule. So, I guess we can do something family-oriented in the nice weather and we can all write!

Missing? The USB cord for my MP3 player. This will seriously cramp my style! It is a MUST-HAVE.

Stay tuned for details of the insane project I've undertaken since I didn't go away for the weekend.

Ramblings of a Cold and Gloomy Tuesday

Tuesday already!? How did THAT happen?

Yesterday we took an extra day for Easter vacation, so I could do the taxes and the lesson plans. (Yeah, you know, the public schools had the day off too.)

Success on the taxes! E-filed. No problems. Money coming back. S'all good.

Success on the lesson plans too. All complete through the end of April. David's were already done, but I had three weeks of plans for the others to complete.

Worked an hour and a half on scoring tests yesterday. (Eleven hours between Sat/Sun!) Today I got up early and worked for an hour on that before anyone else got up. Worked another hour and a half after lunch and hoping to stuff another 30-45 minutes in before dinner. (But I have to stop blogging to do it! lol)

Watched the dumbest movie last night - Duplex, with Ben Stiller and Drew Barrymore. Never heard of it before and it must be fairly recent. Stupid movie. But I was doing other stuff while I watched it, such as trying on ALL of my clothes. Culled 2 paper sacks worth of clothing, mostly too big! yay! Have a medium size stack I am still considering what to do with - mainly stuff I like, but size is not QUITE right, or Size is right but I don't really like. Will deal with that tonight as well as pick the elastic waistband out of a sweatshirt that I adore otherwise. Going to watch Yes Man tonight.

Need to read seven or so chapters of Daniel Deronda tonight to stay on schedule. Book club members have been less than happy about this book choice. Several have just decided flat out they aren't reading it. But I'm enjoying it - truly - and my co-leader Darlene is farther along than I am and said that she can't wait to find out what happens next. And I'm told by many that the movie is wonderful!

Went to a couple libraries yesterday and the grocery store. Have been buying clearanced flowers at the grocery store lately. They make me happy. Yes, the ones in the picture are the same kind I got recently. (Although that's not my pic.)

On my 3rd cup of coffee for the day. Had about 5 hours of sleep last night. Should get more tonight. Don't wanna get sick like most of the other people living here.

The weather sucks, to be totally honest. I cancelled my soccer practice for this evening since it's rainy and in the low 40's. Isn't this MID-APRIL? James' coach cancelled his practice as well. I wouldn't have sent James anyway, since he still isn't 100% after his week-long illness - coughing mostly.

Chess Club was cancelled for today too, so we ended up with a commitment-free day.

The boys rearranged their room. I haven't gone up to look, but they're happy with having more space on the floor. David's bed is up high, and he's not that thrilled about that. James is using a bedframe we got on freecycle. It's elevated just a bit higher than a normal bed. Enough to store stuff underneath.

I need to buy an armoire for my clothes, so they can be downstairs instead of upstairs in the boys' room.

Ok, enough rambling and avoidance of work. Dinner will be ready soon!

Regain, Redress, Replay

Weighed in today at the same weight I was two weeks ago. Before Sister Weekend and scrapping weekend. lol So, the treats have been worked off. Hopefully next week, I'll have a loss to report.

Emily and I made a trip to the thrift store today to get her some spring clothes. She has been looking a bit like a hobo lately and I was afraid that once the weather warms up (if it EVER does) she'd have nothing to wear. Two trips to the fitting room netted us 7 short-sleeved shirts, a pair of jeans, a pair of capris, a pair of shorts, and a cute sleeveless dress. Oh yeah, and a very cute black spring jacket. I also grabbed a short-sleeved dress for Suzy and a nice pile of books.

Suzy climbed in bed with me this morning complaining of a headache. "Oh no," I thought, as this is how James first presented on Monday. He's still sick, too, by the way. He seems to be better and then worse again. He spent most of Wednesday laying on the couch. And he's had bad dreams three nights in a row. So, Suzy and James have spent the day so far laying around moaning. I stocked up on library & Netflix DVD's to occupy them.

So, Spring Break's been kind of a bust between the sickies, the cold and snow, and the fact that I'm working on test scoring online now. Also Bob has been volunteering every night at the homeless shelter from 3 - 8 AM. Makes me wish we could take another week off, but we won't.

Time to go to work!

Fifteen Years

Suppose I should post something! People tell me they get tired of looking at the same entry day after day. :-)

Last night I went to the grocery store and ran into someone that I hadn't seen in over 15 years - the mom of one of my students. Then she called him over. Of course, he's a grown man now! Ack! LOL I last saw him at about age 9, so he's in his mid-twenties. Works with his dad on their farm.

Emily broke her glasses this morning. Thankfully she has the extra pair and we know where they are. The ones that broke are the ones that were recently replaced. Junky frames!

James is sick today - complaining (moaning) of a headache and he did throw up once. Sounds to me like a migraine maybe. He's going to stay home and cuddle with Daddy.

We're heading out to our "Mock Twilight Mercilessly" party. :-)

The Nitty-Gritty

I did watch the inauguration, about an hour of it anyway - the actual swearing-in ceremonies, Aretha singing, Rick Warren's benediction (which was the best part, imo), John Williams' music, etc... The kids and Bob watched too.

Bob has been a little better every day. He can sit up and sit down by himself now, which he couldn't do for about 4 days. Today, however, he has a migraine, which has pretty much flattened him. He spent most of the day in bed resting. I also have a headache, but a couple ibuprofen took the edge off. My back is about the same - just a nagging ache, especially when I bend over, at which time I groan like someone's sticking me with a knife. Not that I know what that feels like.

Have tried and failed to get into a number of books lately. Gave up on a few. Read the intro part to The Shack and it didn't grab me. I do intend to finish it, but I'm not in the mood. Reading The Jane Austen Book Club now, which was made into a movie. The movie version was the impetus for Dar and I starting OUR OWN Jane Austen Book Club, better known as The Rollicking Readers. Anyway, the movie wasn't all that good, and to be honest, so far the book is worse. Blech.

Watched Waitress last night. Though it made me cry, I didn't really like it. Not big on movies that condone extramarital affairs, even if the husband is mean and nasty, or senile and drooling. Whatever. Also watched Panic Room this week, which was better, but quite scary. Jodie Foster is always good. And, no, neither of those star Hugh Jackman . I can look beyond my current obsession, you know.

We have also been watching Planet Earth DVD's and they are awesome, but they'd be better on a TV that isn't all washed out like ours is. There's no way of fixing it. It's just the way the darn thing is. Old and stupid. At least it works. I'd like to replace it with something NICE AND BIG but Bob resists.

Let's see. I've been exercising three times a week in the mornings. Long ago, I taped some fitness shows off ESPN - the Fitness Pros. (See how long ago that was? I had CABLE then. It was when David was a baby, I think.) I liked them then and I still like them now, so I dug out that old tape and put it back into service. Once I get a month of this routine down, I'll take it up a notch, perhaps by adding a 4th day to my routine, or maybe by adding strength training on opposite days. Not sure yet. Once it gets warm enough (April?), I'll add walking to the routine.

I've also been counting calories and staying within my calorie limits almost every day. (I went slightly over a couple days and on scrapbooking weekend, calories are free, or so I've been told.) Candy has an amazing amount of calories in it! ACK! So anyway, hopefully results will follow.

I'm getting rather discouraged that we haven't heard the results from Bob's disability hearing. Apparently it doesn't matter to them that our whole LIVES hang on this decision and we really can't move ahead until we know. The hearing was September 16th, so that makes it over four months we've been waiting now. I hope there is not some simple reason why, like they don't have a report from a certain doctor, or something. Those things we could hurry along IF we knew about them!

David's bronchitis is a little better, I think. It's hard to mother a sick teenager. He resists at almost every turn, but then is surprised when he isn't healing.

And no one wants to play Word Twist with me. Wah!

OK, laundry needs folded, dinner needs worked on.

Health Update 2

Bob is a little better every day. He spends his day in the recliner and then moves back to bed to sleep. He isn't taking Vicodin anymore though, just his regular OTC meds that he always takes for pain. He is very sore, but I think he'll mend well.

David is about the same, maybe a bit worse. Hard to tell. The cough comes and goes. I am 90% sure it is viral bronchitis. (Did I say this here already? Losing track.....) Anyway, rest, fluids, vitamins, etc... is what the doctor would say. OUR doctor would probably prescribe a useless antibiotic. (Useless because they don't combat viruses, only bacteria.) Anyway, I'm making him sleep more. I gave him the day off lessons on Monday and let him SLEEP IN on Tuesday. (giggles! wondering why? see my post on Cornerstone about bedtimes/wake times... lol) I'm giving him garlic capsules, zinc, vitamin C, echinacea, orange juice, Delsym cough meds (barely touch the cough). I tried tea. That went over like a lead balloon. I will try hot cider today.

I remember having bronchitis when I was pregnant with Suzy. I didn't have any insurance and never went to the doctor for it, so I wasn't officially diagnosed. I coughed for weeks, awful paroxysms. TERRIBLE. (Did I use that word right? No, not "terrible"! LOL)

Oh yeah, my back. Still hurts. It's not a terrible thing, just an annoyance. But like I need one more of THOSE right now. lol I am exercising and going about my business anyway.

OK, I am just procrastinating the writing. I think I am at a painful part in the story and I don't want to write it. I've been avoiding it for days now. I may skip that and write a better part first. That way, at least I know where it's heading.

Saga of Bob and the Porch

Guess I only posted on facebook about Bob and forgot to post it here, leaving some of you in the dark. Sorry!

Bob fell off a ladder Sunday night while clearing snow off the porch roof. He landed in about two feet of snow. He is in some pain on his back on the left side. Pray he is not injured seriously and that he recovers quickly.

Health Update

Decided against taking David to the doctor today. Going to concentrate on fluids and rest. I think he has viral bronchitis and I'm pretty sure that's what the doctor would say. They might prescribe an antibiotic, because they tend to do it no matter what, but if its viral, it won't help anyway.

Bob is resting, pretty comfortably, until he has to move one way or another. He decided to just rest and see how much he improves. It's possible he cracked a rib, but I would imagine they'd just tape it.

Somehow I got my back out of alignment. I can feel one of my vertebrae in a weird place. Going to research if I can put it back somehow on my own. Not thinking I want to pay a chiropractor at this point.

Outlaws, Doctors, Barbies

Loving the Robin Hood BBC series! Will be posting more about that on Mirkwood soon. If I don't, call me on it!

David is sick - has had a persistent cough that got much worse yesterday. Today he woke up with laryngitis. I think I'll take him to the doctor tomorrow.

I need to find some paper for my co-op class this Friday. Will call a printer tomorrow and see if they can provide it.

The girls love the MP3 players they got for Christmas, Suzy especially. She uses hers every day! They look like Barbies and they can snap on and off the clothes and hair. Very nice item - I am pleased with it!

Healthier, and Spending Money...

Health is improving here! David woke up with a bad headache and slept most of the morning, but by evening he was bouncy and perky. I feel a lot better. Bob is fighting a cold. The others all seem ok.

I started Christmas shopping tonight online - Amazon and Target. Whenever you shop online, always do a google search for the name of the site you are shopping at and then "promo code" or "coupon code". Tonight I saved a few dollars on shipping because of that.

Books are pouring in from paperbackswap. I saved up my credits and have started redeeming them for gift books for my kiddos. Excellent condition - like new books. I think they'll be happy!

I got myself a Speed Racer Mach 5 Hot Wheels car tonight at the grocery store. Hot Wheels were on sale for a dollar. This one didn't ring up a dollar, but the cashier was kind and gave it to me for a dollar. Aren't I silly? And the Mach 5 came with spearhooks. David was appalled. Speed Racer doesn't USE spearhooks!

I just peeked outside - NO WINTER STORM. Hmmm.....

It continues....

David woke up nauseous in the night, so I ended up sitting with him for a while. It all came to naught, however - the nausea persisted but no vomiting ensued. So, today he is laying around on the couch. He did eat a little and seems better. I still have a headache and some lightheadedness, and some mild nausea yet, but am feeling much improved from Friday night/Saturday morning.

We've watched three episodes this morning of the BBC Robin Hood TV series, which we have from Netflix - campy and funny and with Richard Armitage (North & South) to boot! My three healthy children are on kitchen cleanup duty and then I'm booting them outside for a few minutes. A temperature of 17 degrees means they won't be out very long.

I've been going through cookbooks - need to choose recipes for Christmas baking and make a list. Emily is hosting a table at the Christmas Tea on Tuesday night and she needs to bring a dessert, so we are thinking about that as well.

I have accomplished NO Christmas shopping yet. So, that needs to happen before too long here! My kids have made their lists.

Ka-blooey

My plans went all ka-blooey last night. I had a pounding headache Friday morning, but I took some Aleve and it went away mostly, so I went ahead with my plans for the evening which were to visit Maryann with my friend Darlene.

Darlene drove. We had a late dinner and ice cream cake to celebrate Dar's birthday. We watched North and South - so awesome. During the movie, I started feeling REALLY sick, I mean REALLY nauseous and crampy. When it didn't go away, I finally confessed how awful I was feeling. Maryann gave me a choice of meds. (She has what appears to be a DRUGSTORE in one of her cupboards.) Keep in mind, I didn't have a car there and it's an hour away, so I couldn't just leave, and I didn't want to ask Dar to leave early.

Went to bed pretty late, since there was really nothing more to do for it, but didn't sleep until nearly 5 am. Tossed and turned because of the cramps. Slept restlessly for a couple hours and then Dar and I came home. The roads were yukky, it was snowing, and 16 degrees. When I got to HER house, my van wouldn't start. Her gallant husband got it going for me and I finally got home around 11:30.

My sister Debbie was supposed to visit today and we were going to go to a game night at another friend's house. I called her and told her not to come. Right now Bob and the kids are at the Game Night! YAY. A quiet house!

I slept for 3 hours this afternoon and I just ate a yogurt. I feel better than I did last night, but still not very good. Bob called my Sunday School Superintendant and left her a voice mail that I would not be there tomorrow, although I haven't heard anything back from her, and of course I have the curriculum.

I guess I'll lie low. I don't even feel like sitting here at the computer. I am going to go lay in the recliner and veg in front of a movie, I guess.

I pray that neither Maryann or Dar's family gets sick because of me. I would not have gone if I knew I was going to have a relapse! I hadn't felt the stomach stuff since Tuesday.

Wednesday Whining

OK, not really WHINING, but still....

Got a rejection today for my Egyptian short story. I was really expecting that story to sell. So, I am kind of frustrated about that. I know it's part of being a writer, but it's discouraging all the same. More so, because I have a time limit here.

And no, we still have not heard anything about Bob's disability hearing. So much hinges on that.

James was sick yesterday, but never did throw up - just stomach cramps and gas. Today he seems fine. David has been moping about, but he didn't really get sick either. So maybe the bug has weakened as it moves along. I haven't felt right since Sunday, but I never had any real symptoms, just general ickiness.

Bob went tonight to an alternative pain relief seminar with his mom and brother. It's quite a drive, so he won't be back til later. I will be going to church tonight without him.

Went to the grocery store and saw about 7 people I knew! Odd! LOL Got brown and serve rolls for 25 cents a pack! You can freeze them, you know. Stocked up on a few other things too. Pantry is full to the top. Nice feeling!

We should be getting the check for our totaled car soon, so we've been browsing Craigslist for just the right vehicle.

Thanksgiving was an awesome time! I really enjoyed the time with my siblings especially. I didn't get to spend too much time with Mom and Dad despite staying at their house! What time we did have was nice, though. Seeing my kids playing so well with their cousins is also such a blessing! And being at Sarah's dedication was awesome! If you want specifics of what went on, click on Denise's blog - she did a great recap. My other sisters also wrote some about it.

Tuesday Toodles (ok it's corny)

I feel better today.

Finally finished A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, which I liked very much, but it wasn't a light read at all.

I am going to read something fluffy before going on to Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey. At least I think it will be fluffy. It has a picture of a cupcake on the cover. lol Can't remember the author or the title.

I went to Walmart with David last night. Lots of school supply clearance! I bought a lovely notebook in which I will be writing fiction, as well as some brightly colored felt pens that I'll have to hide from my kids. lol David bought duct tape and then proceeded to annoy me happily all through the groceries section. I thought there was a RedBox movie kiosk in our Walmart but if there is, I don't know where. Anyone? Anyone?

We also went to Home Depot and got 5 more gallons of Melted Butter. Or paint. :-) It was on sale! That was a lovely surprise! (I'd even say serendipitous, if I didn't think I'd get teased for using big words. lol)

I have boxes of stuff to sort from my girls' room and I am going to go help Bob paint in a little while.

Monday Miscellanea

I didn't feel well at all yesterday when I woke up and so we didn't go to church. I sent Bob over there with the Sunday School book and an apology. I wonder if the teens did the "worship" again this week. I'm getting pretty tired of it. Maybe that sounds grumpy, but it's not the kind of worship service I care to attend.

By afternoon I was feeling somewhat better. I was supposed to go to a baby shower, but I was pretty dragged out and not presentable at all.

Instead I worked on painting the house a bit. Maybe we can get a pic up here. It's about half painted yellow now. It will probably need another coat, but we'll do that in the spring. I was just so worried about going another winter with peeling paint. I really felt like it was going to harm the siding. So, now it's got a coat of primer and a coat of yellow paint, so that should be good protection. I LOVE the color. While Bob paints (or both of us), people that walk by tend to give good feedback. :-) That's encouraging! (And also, a little frightening - how bad must it have looked! lol)

David went to a laser tag birthday party yesterday and he ADORED it. We are considering a combination party for David and James in December doing laser tag. I missed their half-birthday celebrations this summer, so they never got a party at all. Neither did Suzy. It was just so hard to get them scheduled when I didn't know what would be happening with work - would I work a Saturday? Would I be laid off? Where could we do a party on a Sunday that wouldn't be crowded? So, I procrastinated too long and then it was closer to their next birthdays. Sigh.

Today I woke up with a huge sinus headache. I took some kind of meds that Bob gave me and 2 cups of coffee later I'm still a bit headachy. I need food.

I also need to buy groceries. David wants to buy some duct tape for a project he is making. (See my Cornerstone blog for a sneak peek.) Bob thinks we may need to get more paint.

Our furnace is still not running. Bob is kind of stumped. That's not a good thing.

The dryer is also broken. It needs a part we can't get. Bob must improvise or trash it, I think.

I am thinking I want to get the second disk of The Tudors.

Monday Musings

The clothing is now tidily tucked away in 3 dressers in the back room, conveniently near the washer and dryer. Except for, of course, the mounds of DIRTY LAUNDRY that were playing hide and seek with us in corners, under beds, and just smack in plain sight upstairs. That is mostly awaiting laundering, although a couple loads made it onto the line to take advantage of the sunny day. Upstairs remains only the PJ's, undies, socks, and some church clothing. Hopefully.

Got the COBRA info in the mail today. OUCH. Gotta decide what to do about health insurance.

Wrote 1272 words this afternoon before getting stuck on my major conflict. How to finagle it just so??? Can't figure it out yet. Gotta do it yet today. ::::bangs head:::: Nope, nothing yet. ::::bangs head again::::

Have a roast in the slow cooker and some potatoes boiling on the stove. In just a few minutes we will eat a satisfying dinner and then move on to bath night. No other plans tonight!

Watched three movies this weekend - Speed Racer (FINALLY! - reviewed at Mirkwood), What Happens in Vegas (kinda funny and romantic, but I am not real fond of either Cameron Diaz or Ashton Kutcher), & Then She Found Me (Colin Firth and Helen Hunt in a "what else can go wrong" sort of R-rated romance - liked it! Cried!). I would love to review both of those, as well as Penelope, which I watched some time ago and would recommend. Also read a book by Tess Gerritsen - The Keepsake (a suspense thriller). I've been starving for some media input! lol I'd love some movie recommendations from NEW DVD releases.

I am feeling better, maybe 90%. Bob is not quite himself either, but he has been working on scraping paint today. He also went out to the farm and picked some veggies and taters from the garden. David and James STILL have coughs, which is quite annoying. I keep thinking I should take them to the doctor, but then I think - well, they'll just tell me to give them an antibiotic and I don't really want to. I should increase all of our immune system remedies - Vitamin C, orange juice (in my opinion, the BEST home remedy), echinacea, garlic, etc...

I posted my Daybook over at Cornerstone.

Soccer Report, Illness, Clothing Situation

Weather Report - Sunny, seventies. Perfect.

Both kids had their pictures today before their games. Noon games meant pictures between 11-12 instead of at 8 am thankfully. Suzy couldn't find her uniform this morning and that was VERY stressful since it was picture day. That was the impetus for something else, as you'll see below.

Suzy's game went well, but the other team scored twice and we didn't score at all. So, it ended 0-2. Suzy was not on her best game today. I have to work on the team PASSING and not just kicking the ball without looking where other players are. It's a very hard skill to get in the U-8 level. Heck, even in the U-10 level, they still need to work on this. So, it's probably a hopeless task, but we'll get to work at it anyway.

James said his team won 3-0. I think. He played 3 quarters and sat out the last. The kids' games ended at the same time today, so I didn't see any of his game.

Bob didn't go to the field today. He wasn't feeling well at all, even got sick to his stomach. I think he overdid it yesterday with painting while we were gone to the Renaissance Festival. (He primered maybe half of the house? I haven't gone all the way around to look. lol) He doesn't pace himself very well. Tends to go to the very end of his strength and then be good for nothing for 3 days. He CANNOT do that with the painting, as we have to make the most of the fall weather. It's killing me to see this beautiful day and nothing happening on the house.

I am not feeling that good either. Just a general malaise and a killer headache. Just took a nap which helped, but not much. At least my appetite isn't impaired. lol But I am not any good for painting either.

We were invited to a fall party today, but we aren't going. Too sick, too much to do, too messy of rooms.

I have several things to do yet today, despite the ill feeling - plan the Sunday School lesson (and hope my headache eases up enough to teach it), go up and get all the clothes out of the kids's rooms (see below), and write. I am sure there's more, but my mind is blanking out.

The kids rooms - what can I say? I am SO tired of it always being messy up there. We used to have the kids' clothes all downstairs in dressers by the laundry and I LOVED it. But we ran out of room back there and the kids had room upstairs, so the dressers went up. But in all that time (2 years now? 3?) they have never gotten a handle on keeping it clean. It is a constant source of stress, irritation, and problems. The uniform missing this morning was the last straw. (Despite it being clean, it was located in a basket of dirty laundry.)

Upshot? The clothes are coming back down. It is not worth it to me to have to constantly be after them for the clothes, to never be able to go upstairs without getting upset over the mess, to be always grounding them because the rooms are not clean. If the clothes are down here, they can't be all over the floor up there and it is that simple.

They'll have their PJ's and underwear and sock drawers up there. That will be a little inconvenient but there isn't room back by the laundry for everything and so SOMETHING has to stay up there. That's all though.I am determined.

Now to summon the energy to get it that far.

And I am HUNGRY!

Off to find food, summon energy, and get something accomplished!