Better Score, Broken Player, Bob's Hours

Quick post, then off to bed. Yeah, it's late.

See Cornerstone for the Winter Break Highlights for Tuesday.

After sledding today, the car wouldn't start. Just clicked repeatedly. Called Bob, he said get someone to jump it. That worked! I was amazed as I really didn't think that was the problem. So, hopefully all will be well with the van.

Got the taxes e-filed today. Finally. I don't know why I put it off so long, when we get money back! I just hate dealing with numbers.

My job training went better today. Attended the first live meeting session online this morning for some more training and then took another "test" tonight. Did much better than yesterday's. And I felt better today when I found out my poor score from Monday was still better than the average score. I think I will like the job.

Touched up my nails and cut my own hair. Like the hair, but the nails look patchy. They need to be redone. I like how they look and since I will be typing a lot, I figure it will give me something to look at. lol

Didn't Tae-bo today. Too busy and too tired. Didn't go to the Pampered Chef show either, though I wanted to.

Bob got the schedule for next week and he has FOUR days instead of three! YAY! I guess a couple people quit.

Suzy was carrying Emily's CD player up the stairs tonight and forgot the handle was broken. It fell down the staircase all the way from upstairs and busted apart. David to the rescue! He fit it all back together and duct taped it, so that it works. Well, the CD player works anyway. The cassette deck door broke off and was unsalvageable.

Made chicken potpie (Bisquick crust) tonight and it ALL vanished. LOL Also made blueberry crisp with the last of the blueberries from summer. It wasn't as well-received. What will I make tomorrow????

I don't have to go anywhere at all on Wednesday or Thursday, though I imagine I'll need to go at least to the store and library at some point before co-op on Friday.

OK, that wasn't as short as I had predicted, but now I am going to bed. Morning comes early.

Snow shoveling, Essay grading, and Ink flowing

Bob got called off work today. They said come in tomorrow instead, due to the snow. They are expecting fewer shoppers.

That was good since he could take David to the dentist instead of me. David had a tooth extracted today, so now he's laying down. Which means he'll be behind in his lessons. Which I warned him about earlier in the week, so he could consider working ahead. But did he? Noooo....

I think we got about 6 inches of snow. Anyone know how to check that? Is there a website with that info? David and James were sent out to shovel and Suzy did of her own accord. I'll make Emily do some shoveling later, no worries, ok?

Thinking of taking the kids to the children's museum tomorrow since it is $1 admission day. Of course, the older two are a bit too mature for it, but we hope to visit friends after and they won't want to miss that. They can take lessons to do if they get bored in there.

Got an email last night about a work-at-home job that would be WONDERFUL. I had to do a sort of "test" and submit it, so I did that right away. Hopefully that will put me ahead in the queue and they'll call me for a phone interview. It would be soooo great, so please pray that works out.

Essay homework is trickling slowly into my email inbox. We don't have class this week, but I asked the students to submit an essay by email so I could grade it and get it back to them for next week.

I already need another black ink cartridge! Dang, the ink goes fast.

Weekly Preview

Sunday - Install Dryer, Watch Emma
Monday - Lessons, Spanish
Tuesday - Lessons, Keepers (E,S)
Wednesday - Lessons, Art (E,J), Essay Workshop (L,D)
Thursday - Lessons
Friday - Lessons
Saturday - Something together as a family!
Sunday - Church, Baby Shower, the last Emma

Oh, look! A week with Lessons every day! I am adding teaching the Essay Writing Workshop this week. I am also hoping to schedule another one.

Bob works three days this week - 2 eight hour days and 1 six hour day. Yep, that's ANOTHER cut of hours. At least he only drives in 3 days. This week, he is also volunteering at the homeless shelter in the middle of the night, so he'll be running on caffeine all week.

I sent in my resume to be considered for teaching in an English immersion school in Abu Dhabi. What do you think of that? LOL If we're gonna move, we may as well really MOVE, don't ya think?

I've also started writing web content articles for pay. It pays peanuts really, but it's real money for writing.

Workouts. Hmmm.... I only managed two Tae-bo workouts last week, one 30 min & one 60 min. But the scale has me almost back down to my lowest weight. Another couple pounds and I'll be there. I did fine through Christmas. It was AFTER Christmas that I fell off the wagon. Sigh. And not having hot water and a dryer really made it challenging. Who wants to get all sweaty if you can't have a nice hot shower after? Especially when it's 64 inside?

But this week, I've already done one Tae-bo (30 min) and it should be warmer this week, so I think I can run outside.

We now have a dryer that works. YAY! And the timer works too, which is a change for the better. Thank the Lord that my husband knows how to install this sort of thing!

Kids are getting restless so I better go teach them the new hymn for this month. I can hardly believe January has gone and February is here!

Um, blogging every day? CAN'T DO IT! LOL It left me no time to go read and comment on other people's blogs. Hoping to catch up on that this week.

Bob Goes to Work

OK, I know some of you have wondered about Bob's new employment. I didn't say anything much about it before it started for a couple reasons. First, he wasn't all that excited about it. It pays minimum wage and it's not full-time. Second, we were hoping he'd get something else before this job started.

So, anyway, that wasn't God's plan. Bob started at the Salvation Army yesterday. He was hired for a new store, but is training at an existing store (that is farther away). He is working 7 hours 5 days a week this week. I guess we'll see if that continues or changes. He is a back room worker, at least thus far. (One day in, lol)

At least it's a job, eh? Some income is better than none. And he's out of the house doing something. And hopefully a stepping stone to something more lucrative.

Seven Year Stitch

Warning for squeamish people. This may be considered gross.

Just a reminder. Bob was in an accident at work on May 23, 2002. So, it's been almost seven years since the day I got the call notifying me that I needed to go right to the hospital. He was in the emergency room there and the doctors were repairing his broken leg and fractured spine, as well as numerous cuts and abrasions.

So, today he comes out of the bathroom and says, "I just pulled a stitch out of my lip."

I was flabbergasted and questioned him to make sure, but yes, he pulled a stitch out of his upper lip from nearly SEVEN YEARS AGO. He's always had a bump there since then, but we figured it was a scar. Nope, it was a STITCH that either never dissolved or they forgot to take out.

Gross, eh?

Nope, no pictures for you. LOLOL

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.

Like a President

Here is the BEFORE Pic. (No, I'm not sure why James is yelling. lol He likes to mug for the camera and I have LOTS of shots like these.)













Recently I have been strongly suggesting to Bob that shaving would be a Really Good Idea. It took a while (and possibly some nagging), but he finally agreed, although I would describe his attitude as somewhat reluctant. In fact, first he came out of the bathroom with only his moustache shaved off and the beard still intact. The ensuing conversation went something....like....this....

"What do you think?" he asked.

Eyebrows raised, I answered, "Um. No. Go finish."

"How about leaving big bushy sideburns? I want to do that." (I think he was SERIOUS!)

"Um. No. Definitely Not. Go finish. Shave it all off."

He went away and came back with just the hair left on his chin, a sort of brownish-grey splotchy goatee. He smiled winsomely and struck a pose.

"How about this?"

"Bob. No. Shave it all off!"

Finally he did remove all his facial hair. Thank you, honey! Doesn't he look much younger?












Reaction from Suzy, sounding cheerful - "You shaved your beard! You don't look like Daddy."

Reaction from James, sounding impressed - "He looks like a President!"

Well, he DOES need a job. I hear they're hiring a President. Should he send his resume'?