Saturday was the first day I felt almost normal all week. I even got some reading done! Aaron, D16, and I went to Walmart to buy Easter food and some other items. Aaron, IL7, and I went to the new Mario movie.
Sunday
Easter Sunday, Dad was feeling too weak to go to church, so we skipped. D16 hid some plastic eggs in the yard, and then IL7 did a hunt. Everyone got a book from the Easter Bunny, too. IL7 got “BFG” by Roald Dahl. I got a biography of Benjamin Franklin. M13 got a history graphic novel. In the evening, I cooked a ham dinner.
Monday
Monday, IL7 was home sick with a fever. We played Minecraft and 7 “chapters” of an imagination game with LEGOs. Apparently, there are infinite chapters, but it’s ok, because we can play it every day. In the late afternoon, dad had a visit from his in-home nurse.
Tuesday
Tuesday, I took Dad to a doctor appointment and played Super Mario 3D World with IL7. Dad took us all out to Olive Garden.
Wednesday
On Wednesday, I took Dad to physical therapy, then to the gym. I took IL7 to two appointments. I played Scribblebots and Minecraft with IL7, and Aaron played Brotato with him.
Thursday
Thursday we had two separate contractors out to give quotes on the exterior paint of the house. I took D16 to an appointment. IL7 had his first grade concert. He didn’t want to be there, but he managed to participate in a couple of the songs.
Friday
Friday, there was no school – to add on to the three days IL7 was out of school at the beginning of the week. I took him to an appointment and took Dad to the gym.
Week’s Photos
Reading to myself
Systematic Theology, by Wayne Grudem
Dragon Reborn, by Robert Jordan
Team of Rivals, by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Curse of Strahd, by Dungeons and Dragons
Mr Ballen Podcast
One Day Everyone Will Always Have Been Against This, by Omar El Akkad
A New Name, by Jon Fosse
A Feral Darkness, by Doranna Durgin
Reading to IL7
Mermaid You Look, by Andres Miedoso
The Diary of a Minecraft Zombie: Zombie Swap, by Zack Zombie
Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat Enemies
The Scarlet Shedder, by Dav Pilkey
D16 reading
Children of the Lamp, by P B Kerr
IL7 reading
Robo-Rabbit Boy Go, by Thomas Flintham
Media Completed
Klawde and Raj each deal with unexpected enemies that have arrived in town. Like the first book, it was very funny.
This continues the story of Asle and his namesake. He reminisces in the third person. I admit to not really getting the point of this septology. Why were there two of a couple different people? I was hoping this book would make it clear. I have some ideas, but I’m not sure. Maybe about choosing the better life?
Saturday Aaron, M13, and I lost a game of Pandemic Legacy. D16 and IL7 played Roblox.
Sunday
Sunday IL7 had swim lessons and then the family finished up the final battle of the D&D campaign.
Monday
Monday I had no appointments! That hasn’t happened in several months! I went to Olive Garden to celebrate and made my new D&D character there. He is an halfling monk. I also developed a picture for IL7’s character, a tiefling barbarian.
I ran a bunch of errands – it’s a busy week because Easter is coming up. Then I relaxed in the nice weather.
Tuesday
Tuesday after work, I took Dad to balance PT, then took the car in for a taillight fix (which they always do for free because we’re regulars). In the evening, Dad took us all to Outback Steakhouse. Then IL7 made a Scratch program.
Wednesday
Wednesday, I took Puck to the vet for an echocardiogram. After a huge bill, we found out that there was nothing notable about his heart. So I guess we can clean his teeth now. I took Dad to the gym. Then my last two appointments of the day were cancelled.
In the evening, we had a contractor over to give us an estimate on painting the outside of the house. There is a lot of peeling paint on the house, and it turns out it’s lead paint. The quote was large, as expected. We will try to get quotes from more companies, but so far, the other companies are giving us the runaround. Apparently when they have enough customers, they don’t care about new ones.
Thursday
Thursday I had a headache, body aches, low motivation, irritability, and fatigue. I somehow managed to take M13 to an appointment and then take Dad to the gym. I played D&D in the evening.
Friday
I was still feeling awful on Friday. I took IL7 to his appointment and Dad to the gym. I ran errands.
Reading to myself
Systematic Theology, by Wayne Grudem
Pickwick Papers, by Charles Dickens
Curse of Strahd, by Dungeons and Dragons
Team of Rivals, by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Dragon Reborn, by Robert Jordan
The Week: Feeling the Pain
Men at Arms, by Terry Pratchett
American Eden, Victoria Johnson
Mr Ballen podcast
Reading to IL7
Tale of Two Kitties, by Dav Pilkey
Klawde Evil Alien Warlord Cat, by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth
Diary of a Minecraft Zombie: Zombie Swap, by Zack Zombie
Big Jim Begins, by Dav Pilkey
Big Jim Believes, by Dav Pilkey
Cat Kid Comic Club Perspectives, by Dav Pilkey
IL7 reading
Robo-Rabbit Boy, Go!, by Thomas Flintham
Media Completed
Another great book from the Discworld group of series. This is the second from The Night Watch. Funny. Fun.
American Eden is about Dr David Hosak’s quest to bring a great conservatory of plants, especially medicinal plants, to New York. It is a well-written history, though I guess I wasn’t as interested in the topic as I might have been. It is the first finished in this year’s attempt to read about US history.
Saturday started with taking D16 to orthopedic urgent care for a painful foot. She was told she had a sprain and was given a splint and some exercises.
IL7 and I made a chocolate chip snack that he named “Doodle Birds” and didn’t eat. Then we went to the park for a couple of hours.
Sunday
Sunday, M13, IL7, and I went out with my friend Liz and her nephew to Olive Garden. Aaron made chili for dinner. In the evening, we played D&D as a family. IL7 was really excited by the game. At about 8:30pm, Dad started having chest pain, and we went to the ER.
Monday
The visit to the ER was pretty uneventful. It turned out Dad had fallen earlier in the day, and had injured his ribs. It wasn’t a heart attack. But had I known he had fallen, I would have responded as if it were potentially a heart attack anyway.
On Monday morning, I took IL7 to an appointment and Dad to the gym. I had a video visit with another provider, and Dad’s nurse came to visit.
In the evening, my friend Liz came over and we watched an episode of Doctor Who.
Tuesday
Tuesday, I took Dad, then IL7, to an appointment. Aaron and I watched an episode of Andor.
Wednesday
Wednesday I kept busy making lots of phone calls. I took Dad to the gym and IL7 to two appointments.
Thursday
Thursday, I hauled IL7 along on D16’s appointment. Then I took him to the playground. There was a cold wind, so we were the only ones there, but he stayed for about an hour, anyway. Mostly, I chased him around the playground. In the evening, I played D&D.
M13 was supposed to arrive home from DC at 10pm, so I stayed home from work so Aaron wouldn’t have to drag IL7 to the airport at night. But at 7:00pm, we got a notification that they had been rerouted due to a storm in Chicago. They sat on the tarmac in Saint Louis for at least 2 hours, possibly more. Then at 1am, I got a message saying to pick them up at the baggage claim at 8:30am. So they got to spend the night in the airport. I didn’t enjoy waiting up till 1am for that message, but M13 had it worse!
Friday
Friday I took IL7 to an appointment and Dad to the gym.
Week’s Photos
Reading to myself
Mr Ballen Podcast
Dragon Reborn, by Robert Jordan
Pickwick Papers, by Charles Dickens
Systematic Theology, by Wayne Grudem
Team of Rivals, by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel, by Dungeons and Dragons
The Week: Dire Straits
Curse of Strahd, by Dungeons and Dragons
Reading to IL7
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger
Saturday we prepared for the snowpocalypse which was supposed to come on Sunday. Apparently all the other Aldi shoppers were doing the same.
Sunday
Sunday, Aaron taught M13 to use the snowblower, but the drifts were too high for M13 to push through. The family drove to Red Lobster, but it was closed due to the storm, so we went to Perkins.
Monday
Monday, the kids didn’t have school because, apparently, the district thought snowmaggedon would last another day (it didn’t). I took IL7 to Dad’s doctor appointment, then to the grocery store, McDonald’s Play Place, and Target. I took him to pick out some D&D dice, but then he wanted the expansion pack to a game we didn’t own because it had the picture of a tank on it. I didn’t get it, and he screamed all the way home (a 20 minute drive). We played Scribblebots and then made a cake when we got home. M13 had Boy Scouts.
That night, I overshot the driveway at work, and got stuck in a snowbank. I had to call AAA to pull me out. At 6am that morning, we got a call saying that school was cancelled again due to threats that the police were investigating. So I went back to bed with the expectation of another day of hauling IL7 around.
Tuesday
Tuesday, I dragged IL7 along with me to dad’s appointment. Mobilizing one, alone, is hard. Mobilizing them both at the same time is frustrating.
Plus, they run off in different directions and don’t wait for me when I ask them to pause so we can stay together. You think my Dad can’t run off? Well, if I don’t leap out of the car with his walker, he starts wobbling off without it. So I stopped the car, asked him to wait, speed walked to the back to pull the walker out, and slammed it down in front of Dad before he’d gotten too far. Then, I had to turn around and get IL7 out of the car. He thought it was funny to crawl back and forth between the front and the back of the car whenever I switched what door I was at. When I finally got him out, he took off running through the parking lot, not looking for cars, to catch up with Dad.
Plus, I swear they were conspiring against me a couple of times. For instance, when the physical therapist came out to the waiting room to call Dad, I said that IL7 and I would wait there. I told IL7 to get off Dad’s walker. Dad stood up and started pushing the walker away with IL7 on it. I repeatedly told IL7 to get off. Finally I had to get up and follow them, because it became clear that neither of them cared what I wanted to do.
And Tuesday was the second day in a row of dragging IL7 and Dad around together, so I was already tired before Tuesday started.
Luckily, IL7 didn’t require as much attention Tuesday as he did on Monday.
Wednesday
Wednesday I was very tired. I got a call from the vet saying Puck’s lab work came back unsurprising. He now has stage 3 kidney disease. They couldn’t find a reason for the heart murmur. They suggested a urine test, an x-ray, and an echocardiogram, which I decided are the responsible things to do. They’re expensive. I’m also going to see if renal soft food helps him gain weight, as he’s dangerously thin now.
I took Dad to the gym, and took IL7 to two appointments and faith formation.
Thursday
Thursday, I took Dad, then D16 to an appointment. I bought some renal soft food for Puck, which he completely rejected. I went to Perkins with Dad. I played D&D.
Friday
Friday was the first day of spring break. I took IL7 to an appointment and Dad to the gym. IL7 and I played Scribblebots, then he rode his bike to the library, followed by a park. We played “monster hunt.” Aaron made hamburgers for dinner, and we practiced IL7 on going through a little bit of dinner (sharing about his day) without my phone. He did admirably. I tried Puck out on another type of soft food – no luck.Â
Reading to myself
New Scientist: Stronger for Longer
I is Another, by Jon Fosse
War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy
Systematic Theology, by Wayne Grudem
Dragon Reborn, by Robert Jordan
Curse of Strahd, by Dungeons and Dragons
Team of Rivals, by Doris Kearns Goodwin
The Week: Hegseth’s Rules
Mr Ballen Podcast
Men at Arms, by Terry Pratchett
The Week: Dire Straits
Reading to IL7
Beast Mode Unleashed, by Andres Miedoso
Klawde Evil Alien Warlord Cat, by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, by Tom Angleberger
I’m Your Biggest Phantom, by Andres Miedoso
Game Over, Super Rabbit Boy, by Thomas Flintham
D16 reading
The Accidental Apprentice, by Herman Foody
Trouble’s Child, by Terry Goodkind
The Girl in the Moon, by Terry Goodkind
IL7 readingÂ
Robo-Rabbit Boy, Go!, by Thomas Flintham
Media Completed
This is a sweeping classic of historical fiction. It follows several characters/families and describes how they were impacted by Russia’s war with France in the early 1800’s. It also encompasses how their lives weren’t impacted by the war – how life went on despite it. I admit that a lot of the philosophy went over my head, though. I just don’t view the world from a Russian perspective.
In this second of a trilogy Asle continues to ponder his past and present, often in the third person. It is unclear what is going on – is it parallel lives? And why the unique sentence structure. It feel compelling and meaningful, yet I don’t understand why or how. But I can see why Fosse won the Nobel Prize. I am fascinated.
Saturday, IL7 and I played Piku Niku while Aaron went to a political event.
Sunday
Sunday, I made some split pea soup for Aaron’s lunches. Aaron and I played Super Mario 3D World with IL7. I got some reading done. Aaron went grocery shopping. IL7 had swim lessons. In the evening, the family played D&D.
Monday
Monday was busy. D16 had an appointment in the wee hours, then IL7 had an appointment. I took my dad to the gym, then I had an appointment. Dad decided to walk home from the gym (about two miles) without telling me – I had left him there because I thought my sister was coming. Dad made it 1.5 blocks before he needed to be rescued. Later, Dad’s at-home nurse came to visit. In the evening, my friend Liz came over and we watched Doctor Who. Afterwards, I played Scribblebots with IL7.
Tuesday
Tuesday it feels like I ought to have had free-time, but I was busy all day long. I got D16’s surgery scheduled for June, which required about 6 appointments, with promise of months of physical therapy following up. I took dad to his first physical therapy for his herniated disc. He was pleased with the exercises. I played Scribblebots with IL6.
Wednesday
Wednesday IL7 had an appointment. I spent some time reading.
Thursday
Thursday, I had to take a nap for a couple hours because I was so tired. D16 had an appointment. Later in the evening, I had D&D.
We had car troubles on my way to work. I moved the little car out of the way, so I could drive the big car. There was a wind warning in the morning. I parked it in an awkward spot. Then it wouldn’t start again when I tried to move it back in the driveway. We had to put it in neutral and push it back in, as IL7 ran around in our way. It started the next morning.
Friday
Friday I moved more slowly on everything than I intended, but I got enough stuff done, I suppose. I took IL7 to an appointment and ran some errands. I read. I wrote a letter. Aaron played a game with his friends.
Reading to myself
War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy
Team of Rivals, by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Dragon Reborn, by Robert Jordan
Systematic Theology, by Wayne Grudem
The Week: America at War
Curse of Strahd, by Dungeons and Dragons
New Scientist: What’s Tearing the Universe Apart
A Master of Djinn, by P Djeli Clark
American Eden, by Victoria Johnson
I is Another, by Jon Fosse
New Scientist: Stronger for Longer
Reading to IL7
Desmond Cole Hold on to Your Heads, by Andres Miedoso
Diary of a Minecraft Zombie, by Zack Zombie
Klawde Evil Alien Warlord Cat: Enemies, by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth
Saturday, Dad was in a lot of pain. IL7 wanted to do a lot of non-TV activities, which was nice, but he enjoys attention while he’s doing things like that, so I didn’t get much reading in. One thing IL7 did was make a carrot & apple smoothie, which was actually quite tasty.
Sunday
Sunday, IL7 played Battle Simulator. He talked me into playing Brotato, then I ended up playing alone. He also had swim lessons. D16 and M13 watched videos/TV. I got some reading done. Aaron went to a meet and greet with a politician.
Monday
Monday I took IL7 to an appointment. Then, hours of phone calls and housework. I took Dad to the gym for his first workout in weeks and worked out on the treadmill. Then I took Dad to see his doctor.
Tuesday
Tuesday, I picked up cupcakes, shuttled Dad’s urine an hour round-trip, took M13 to his well-child visit, played Minecraft with IL7, and read. Aaron went to a political meet-and-greet.
Wednesday
Wednesday morning, I took M13 to the dentist, then I went to the gym with Dad. In the afternoon/evening, I took IL7 to two appointments, then to faith formation.
Thursday
Thursday, I used the last of my Christmas money to treat myself to Olive Garden, where I got some reading done. I ran errands. I took D16 to an appointment. In the evening, the family went out to Outback Steakhouse.
Friday
Friday the kids were all home from school. M13 and D16 spent all day on screens. I played on the computer with IL7 and took him to an appointment, the library, and Target. We bought Jenga. I worked on a letter and read a little.
Reading to myself
War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy
Deathless Divide, by Justina Ireland
Team of Rivals, by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Systematic Theology, by Wayne Grudem
Curse of Strahd, by Dungeons and Dragons
A Master of Djinn, by P Djeli Clark
American Eden, by Victoria Johnson
Mr Ballen Podcast
Dragon Reborn, by Robert Jordan
Reading to IL7
Super Cheat Codes and Secret Modes, by Thomas Flintham
Klawde Evil Warlord Cat by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth
Super Rabbit Boy’s Time Jump, by Thomas Flintham
Super Rabbit Boy Blasts Off, by Thomas Flintham
Diary of a Minecraft Zombie Book 4, by Zack Zombie
Media Completed
Klawde, an evil warlord cat, is banished from his home planet to Earth. He is adopted by Raj, who believes he is a good warlord. Very cute and funny. IL7 loved it. Maybe 3rd grade reading level?
Jane and Katherine continue fighting zombies and corrupt humans in this fantastic follow-up to Dread Nation. The story really isn’t complete without this sequel. It’s just one story.
Saturday I got up early and took IL7 to Cub Scout Polar Camp. It had snowed earlier in the week, which was really convenient. It started with making a bracelet with knots. But I lack the visiospacial IQ for that, and gave up after a half hour and lots of help. Another mom finished it for me. The kids learned winter survival. And built with LEGOs (which is not winter-themed). And we went sledding/tubing. IL7 went down the tubing hill about 4 times. Which was me carrying the tube up a steep hill over and over because it was cumbersome for him. Walking down was just as hard, but for a different reason. Then he went down the sledding hill about 5 times. It was a long black tube, out of which the kid would shoot at high speed. I wouldn’t have expected that slide to be ok with IL7, who is historically afraid of tube slides, but he loved it. I had to carry the sled up the steep hill, too, and I was exhausted by the end. I was stumbling around, getting weird looks from the young man sending the boys down. Maybe they should try climbing that hill, carrying something, as an overweight 46-year-old.
After sledding, we were supposed to have lunch, but IL7 wanted to go home. When we got all buckled in, he changed his mind. So off we went to join the group again. We played a ball game kind of like dogde ball. Then they shot hacky sacks with a slingshot. We were both exhausted on the drive home.
After a long nap, he wanted to watch Jurassic Park, which he enjoyed.
Sunday
Sunday was typical for a Sunday. IL7 had swim lessons. He dunked under, so earned McDonald’s. He fell asleep, so we didn’t do D&D.
Monday
Monday, I took IL7 to an appointment, then he stayed home sick. He didn’t seem sick, but he had a fever. I had two at-home appointments, as well. In the evening, Dad wanted to go to Red Lobster, and he got out of the house for the first time in a couple of weeks.
Tuesday
Tuesday, IL7 was home sick again. I took M13 to an appointment. I read to D16.
Wednesday
Wednesday, I wrote a letter, read, and took dad for a haircut and pedicure. I even got some cross-stitch done. Then I took IL7 to an appointment and to faith formation.
Thursday
Thursday started with a doctor appointment for Dad. I went to Olive Garden alone with my Christmas money. And I played D&D.
Friday
Friday I relaxed and read. Both of my usual appointments were cancelled. In the evening, I read IL7 a new Super Rabbit Boy book.
Week’s Photos
Reading to myself
The Other Name, by Jon Fosse
War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy
The Week: The AI Tsunami
Deathless Divide, by Justina Ireland
Team of Rivals, by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Mr Ballen Podcast
A Master of Djinn, by P Djeli Clark
Systematic Theology, by Wayne Grudem
Nightfall, by Shannon Messenger
New Scientist: Before the Big Bang
American Eden, by Victoria Johnson
Reading to IL7
Super Rabbit Boy Team-Up Trouble, by Thomas Flintham
Diary of a Minecraft Zombie: Book 3, by Zack Zombie
Klawde Evil Alien Warlord, by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth
The Super Jump Between Worlds, by Thomas Flintham
D16 reading
Fury of the Gods, by John Gwynne
Media Completed
This is an ethereal story of Asle, a Norwegian painter, who mourns his wife. It has flashbacks and another Asle, who lives a lonely, alcoholic life, mourning his life. The story was confusing at first, and I’m still not sure what is going on. But I found the book interesting, and will continue with the next book.
I’m not sure what to say this book was about, since it rambled a lot. It was basically Wilson’s thoughts on how humans have changed from evolution of the species to technological advancement. Unsurprisingly, he mentioned his negative impression of religion/faith, though he did admit it had upsides, too. I found the book lost its point in its rambling.
Saturday, after much cajoling, Aaron and I convinced IL7 to go ice fishing with the Cub Scouts. He was entertained for about a half hour, then ran off to play by the thin ice.
Sunday
Sunday was surprisingly relaxing. I got some chores done, and Aaron and I did the shopping. IL7 had swim lessons, then played Brotato with M13. In the evening, the family played D&D.
Monday
Monday was a sucky day. It started with too little sleep, because I needed to get Hero to the vet for her first-ever dental cleaning. It turns out, I’ve been neglecting her teeth – she had 5 broken teeth, a cavity, periodontal disease, and an infected root. Apparently some cats just have bad teeth. I guess we’ll look at them yearly from now on. So for the next 10 days, she’s locked in the bedroom, eating soft food.
IL7 had an appointment, but other than that I was able to get stuff done around the house. The kids were all home from school, so M13 and I both played Brotato with IL7. In the evening, M13 went to Boy Scouts and I read to D16.
While I was at work that night, Aaron had to call 911 for Dad, who was in pain in his butt and hip. There, he was diagnosed with a broken tailbone and a herniated disc – both from his fall a couple weeks ago. Aaron couldn’t go to the ER with dad, so an ambulance had to give him a ride back home. So Aaron had to settle Dad back into his room at 4am and got very little sleep while I was sleeping like a baby.
Tuesday
Tuesday, I feel like I was putting out little fires all day. Making phone calls about Dad’s ER visit, taking care of him. D16 had an appointment. Then I proofread her essays for National Honor Society. In the evening, my friend Liz came, and we all finished watching the Disney Doctor Who.
Wednesday
Wednesday IL7 had a couple of appointments and then we played Brotato.
Thursday
Thursday was Aaron’s birthday, and he took it off work. We started out the morning running to Goodwill to drop off some stuff (it was nice having his help), then we went out for Mongolian grill. In the afternoon, we put together a LEGO set (Eeyore – it was my Christmas present). IL7 and I played Scribblebots, then dad treated us to Buffalo Wild Wings. Unfortunately, he couldn’t come along because of his pain. He’s hardly able to move around the house.
Friday
Friday, D16 and IL7 both had an appointment. Then I spent most of the rest of the day feeling stressed out. M13 and IL7 beat Brotato. Aaron played Gloomhaven with his friends. I read to Loki till midnight.
Week’s Photos
Reading to myself
Mr Ballen Podcast
Deathless Divide, by Justina Ireland
War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy
The Week: Slash and Burn
Systematic Theology, by Wayne Grudem
Team of Rivals, by Doris Kearn Goodwin
New Scientist: Off the Scales
Nightfall, by Shannon Messenger
Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn
Reading to IL7
Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea, by Dav Pilkey
Super King Viking Land, by Thomas Flintham
Super Rabbit Boy: The Game Book, by Thomas Flintham
Super Rabbit Boy vs Super Rabbit Boss, by Thomas Flintham
Super Rabbit Boy World, by Thomas Flintham
Diary of a Minecraft Zombie Book 3, by Zack Zombie
Saturday I made baked beans for Aaron then played Piku Niku with IL7. Dad took us out to Olive Garden for dinner.
Sunday
Sunday, I made Aaron some white chili and took IL7 to swim lessons. IL7 and M13 played Minecraft. Aaron went grocery shopping. In the evening the family played D&D.
Monday
Monday morning I took IL7 to an appointment, took dad to the gym and a doctor appointment, had a virtual visit of my own, and then attended an in-home appointment for dad.
The day went downhill from there with 2 people crying, one person being grumpy, and one person being in too much pain to eat. So I made meatloaf, but then we didn’t have dinner.
Tuesday
Tuesday was fairly relaxing. I only had one appointment. M13 played Minecraft with IL7.
Wednesday
Wednesday, dad’s bruised tailbone hurt so much that we cancelled his outing to the gym. I made his bed and then made him oatmeal. In the evening, IL7 had 2 appointments in the evening.
Thursday
Thursday, I treated myself to Olive Garden with my Christmas money, then ran errands. I had D&D in the evening.
Friday
Friday I took IL7 to an appointment, then relaxed for the rest of the day. M13 went to his mom’s house. I read to D16. Aaron played Gloomhaven with his friends.
Reading to myself
Gulag Archipelago Part 3, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn
War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy
Dread Nation, by Justina Ireland
The House in the Cerulean Sea, by TJ Klune
The Week: Start of the Steal
Systematic Theology, by Wayne Grudem
Case Book of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle
Paradise Lost, by John Milton
Deathless Divide, by Justina Ireland
Team of Rivals, by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Reading to IL7
Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets, by Dav Pilkey
Any Fin is Possible, by Mo O’Hara
Cat Kid Comic Club Influencers, by Dav Pilkey
The Zombie Chasers by John Kloepfer
Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea, by Dav Pilkey
D16 reading
Fury of the Gods, by John Gwynne
Media Completed
Linus is sent on a work trip to investigate an orphanage with scary-magical children. OMG. I haven’t liked a book this much in years. It was funny, sweet, and interesting.
This final Sherlock Holmes book was as interesting as the rest. There was one story where I felt Holmes acted out of character, but that’s ok.
Jane is fighting for her life in this reconstruction-era zombie book. It was creative and interesting. The book was left open for the sequel.
Saturday was busy. I did get some reading, writing, and cross-stitch in. But I also cleaned IL7’s room with the help of IL7 and Aaron. M13 read manga. Then, IL7 bought a new game. M13 spent an hour going through a tutorial, and I spent 2 hours going through a second tutorial. Then I read to IL7.
Sunday
Sunday was busy, too. I was going to make baked beans, but realized I had no ham. I’d already started cooking bacon by the time I realized, though. M13, IL7, and I went out to Olive Garden with my friend Liz and her nephew. Then IL7 and I played on the Switch, and he did some math workbooks.
After swim lessons and dinner, the family played D&D.
Monday
Monday I took IL7 to an appointment, then dad to the gym. I stayed on the treadmill for 60 minutes. There were several errands. I read to D16 in the evening. M13 had Boy Scouts.
Tuesday
Tuesday I took D16 to an appointment, made some onerous calls, and took Hero to the vet. My friend Liz came over, and we watched the Mario movie so that IL7 was prepared to watch the new movie coming out in April.
Wednesday
Wednesday was crazy. It started as a pain in the ass with registration for summer day care. It opened at 7am, and I used a half hour of free-time at work to try to get IL7 registered, but the website was really confusing. I couldn’t figure it out, then had to try again at noon. The way the system was set up, you had to add each day of the summer as an individual item to your cart, and each day took 20-30s to load. After 48 minutes, I got all the days loaded except the first week (didn’t exist in the system), the last two weeks (were full) and a random day in June (it didn’t exist in the system). I know it was 48 minutes, because they would have emptied my cart in another 12 minutes. It’s genius programming that might empty your cart before you can feasibly get it filled.
Between my two attempts at the registration, I took dad to an appointment. The doctor had switched locations to somewhere much further away and very confusing. But with a little trial and error of building approach, we made it.
Then, Aaron and I dealt with a guy who came for an estimate of a duct cleaning. I left from there to an appointment. Afterwards, I drove back home to pile IL7 in the car to take him to another appointment.
Meanwhile, Aaron was moving everything out of the way of our vents. We were both exhausted .
Thursday
Thursday I woke feeling sick. It was a struggle to stay awake all day. IL7 and M13 had no school. I took Dad to physical therapy. While I was there, the men came to clean out our ducts. In the evening, Aaron and I went to IL7’s and M13’s parent-teacher conferences. They are both performing as expected. No surprises. Then I played D&D.
Friday
Friday, all three kids were home from school. IL7 and I played Scribblebots for a while, then I took him to an appointment. Otherwise, it was a calm day.
Reading to myself
Dread Nation, by Justina Ireland
The Week: License to Kill
The House in the Cerulean Sea, by TJ Klune
History of the Ancient World, by Susan Wise Bauer
His Last Bow, by Arthur Conan Doyle
The House on the Cerulean Sea, by TJ Klune
Systematic Theology, by Wayne Grudem
Nightfall, by Shannon Messenger
Gulag Archipelago Part 3, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn
Mr Ballen Podcast
Systematic Theology, by Wayne Grudem
War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy
Reading to IL7
Cat Kid Comic Club on Purpose, by Dav Pilkey
Any Fin is Possible, by Mo O’Hara
Night of the Zombie Zookeeper, by Andres Miedoso
Cat Kid Comic Club Collaborations, by Dav Pilkey
Cat Kid Comic Club Influencers, by Dav Pilkey
D16 reading
Hunger of the Gods, by John Gwynne
Media Completed
In History of the Ancient World, Bauer uses epic stories as if they are reliable sources for history. She does not use archeological evidence, and does not seem to use the bulk of other historians’ accepted ideas of what happened in her book. Sometimes, I know she’s stating juicy tidbits that weren’t included in, say, the Bible as if they are accepted truths. It read like historical fiction with no overall plot. But it wasn’t boring.
This penultimate Sherlock Holmes book had good stories, as the others. It stayed to character, and was fun to read.
Hibernator's Library 