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.
Saturday was really cold out, so we stayed indoors. IL7 played various games with Aaron and myself. I read to D16. Aaron went to a local Democrat coffee and shopping.
Sunday
Sunday was fairly calm as far as Sundays usually go. I played Minecraft with IL7, then D16 also played with him. I took him to swim lessons, where he dunked his head twice. (He kept his face out of the water, but it was improvement.) In the evening, the family played D&D. They annihilated the foes. I need to get them harder enemies. They then managed to convince a bunch of guards to let him into the mines. Sans then stepped onto a rickety old elevator, and fell a couple of levels. Luckily, the three kobolds in a trenchcoat cast featherfall, and Sans didn’t die. Sans then poked a skeleton, which came to life. That’s where we stopped.
Monday
Monday, all three kids had a video appointment at 7am, then I took IL7 to another appointment. On the way back, my phone rang and I didn’t answer it, because I was driving. Then, when I got to the school to drop IL7 off, there were hordes of people picking up their kids. Apparently the call had been to tell me they were closing the school early because they had no heat. So IL7 was home all day. That rearranged my whole day.
IL7 and I played on the Switch. I read to him. He wrote a book. It was adorable.
In the evening, I read to D16 before work.
Tuesday
Tuesday I had a bunch of time in the morning that I wouldn’t normally have because D16 was registering for next year’s classes instead of going to her weekly appointment. I got a bunch of calls made and then read for a bit.
M13 had a dentist appointment in the afternoon. I read to IL7 when he got home. Aaron ran some errands for me after work. Aaron and I watched Andor while IL7 and M13 played Minecraft.
Wednesday
Wednesday, M13, D16, and IL7 all had appointments. But I managed to get a bunch of reading done. The family went out to eat while IL7 and I were at his appointment. He and I read some Dog Man.
Thursday
Thursday, I got some reading and letter-writing done. I took Dad to physical therapy. M13 and IL7 played on the Switch. M13 played his fantasy card game with friends. I played D&D. It was mostly battles. Just a really long night out camping where creature after creature attacked us. Three gigantic birds, followed by a huge lizard. I also got a little cross-stitch done for the first time in over a month.
Friday
Friday was pretty laid back. I got an oil change in the morning and got some reading done while I was doing that. I dropped dad off at the gym, cross-stitched, and read. IL7 worked on writing a book. He played Super Mario Maker with M13. Then I read to IL7 in the night.
Reading to myself
Influenza, by Jeremy Brown
Determined, by Robert Sapolsky
Nightfall, by Shannon Messenger
One Piece Volume 19-21, by Eiichiro Oda
War Peace, Leo Tolstoy
The Week: Art of the Deal
Guards, Guards!, by Terry Pratchett
Gulag Archipelago Part 3, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn
History of the Ancient World, by Susan Wise Bauer
Systematic Theology, by Wayne Grudem
Dread Nation, by Justina Ireland
New Scientist: The 21 Best Ideas of 21st Century
His Last Bow, by Arthur Conan Doyle
The House on the Cerulean Sea, by TJ Klune
One Piece Volumes 22 – 24, by Eiichiro Oda
Reading to IL7
Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea, by Dav Pilkey
The Curse of the Were-Weiners, by Ursula Vernon
Cat Kid Comic Club, by Dav Pilkey
Any Fin is Possible, by Mo O’Hara
Cat Kid Comic Club: Perspectives, by Dav Pilkey
The Scarlet Shredder, by Dav Pilkey
Big Jim Begins, by Dav Pilkey
Big Jim Believes, by Dav Pilkey
Cat Kid Comic Club On Purpose
D16 reading
Hunger of the Gods, by John Gwynne
Media Completed
This is a solid history of influenza and what has historically and presently been done to treat it. It warns of a potential oncoming pandemic of influenza, similar to that of 1918 because it is pre-COVID. He underestimated how badly such a pandemic would go, though. Guess he didn’t predict Trump. He seems only mildly confident in the flu vaccine, and seems to feel that it should not be given to healthy adults, as, apparently, England did at the time. He is unsupportive of Tamiflu – though his complaints about it were not entirely new to me. It was an interesting “no-treatment-is-best” approach to a virus that he admits may cause a pandemic of the proportions of that in 1918. Which may make sense. I wouldn’t know, not being a doctor.
This is the beginning of a new (to me) arc of the Discworld series. As usual, the book was funny. It was nice to be introduced to new characters, and I look forward to seeing more of them in a couple months.
Sapolsky is a fantastic science writer. It’s a mixture of wit and well-researched, well-explained science and philosophy. He is explaining why he believes free will doesn’t exist. I learned a lot on the subject, though I was disappointed in his definition of “proving free will doesn’t exist” which is basically the lack of proving free-will exists (which is impossible). However, his arguments that it didn’t exist were pretty good.
Saturday IL7 watched The Dogman Movie 5 and a half times.
Sunday
Sunday IL7 and I went to the library then to swim lessons. Aaron took the boys for haircuts. Then the family played D&D. It was mostly a battle. IL7 wanted to fight Mario, who could jump and spit firebolts out of his butt. Mario never tried jumping, which disappointed IL7. Then Aaron and the older kids role played discovering D16’s 3 kobolds in a trenchcoat
Monday
Monday was MLKjr Day, so the kids had no school, and Aaron had no work. IL7 and I went to an appointment in the morning, so he didn’t get to sleep in. Almost immediately upon arriving home, I took Dad to the gym – I walked on the treadmill for 60 minutes. Later, Aaron and I had an appointment where IL7 was supposed to be observed by Zoom meeting (which was a little awkward). I read IL7 a Dog Man book, and played Switch/computer games with him. M13 went to Boy Scouts. I read to D16.
Tuesday
Tuesday I didn’t get much of a break. Immediately after work, I ran a vital errand and then made oatmeal for Dad. Then I took D16 to an appointment followed by an appointment for M13. Then I did some vital chores. When IL7 got home, I played Scribble Bots with him for an hour before finally getting a moment to myself.
In the evening, my friend Liz came over, and the family watched Doctor Who with her. Aaron then played Scribble Bots with IL7, and I read.
Wednesday
Wednesday, I took dad to the gym then went to a surgery consult for D16’s knee. It would appear that she will have surgery this summer. In the late afternoon, I got IL7 in his pajamas for faith formation, hauled the two of us to an appointment in bumper-to-bumper traffic (due to the bad roads), and then decided not to go to faith formation because of the terrible roads. So we went home and played Scribble Bots.
Thursday
Thursday I took Dad to his physical therapy appointment. Then I went to our phone carrier store to see if they could figure out why my phone wasn’t working with my data card, but it worked with IL7’s data card. After some troubleshooting, they found that my data was turned off on my phone. It’s a relief to have my phone back. Carrying around both phones was a bit annoying. I had my apps on one phone and my calls/texts on IL7’s. My apps include my journal, to-do list, Google docs, and parenting apps.
After that, I used my Christmas money to eat at Olive Garden. I read while there. When IL7 got home, I played Scribble Bots with him. We went to parent-teacher conferences for D16 with IL7. (He wasn’t behaving, so we couldn’t leave him with D16.) Of course, every teacher loves D16. She is very outspoken in class, and they love that.
D&D was cancelled because there were only 2 players, so I read before work.
Friday
Friday was busy. The kids were home from school, so I was having to pay attention to IL7. He had an appointment, and then Dad needed to go to the gym. I was on the treadmill for 60 minutes. I played Scribblebots with IL7, then we went out to Red Lobster as a family. Afterwards, I finally got some relaxation time.
Reading to myself
Determined, by Robert Sapolsky
The Great Hunt, by Rovert Jordan
Influenza, by Jeremy Brown
War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy
One Piece Volumes 16-18, by Eiichiro Oda
The Week: ICE Unleashed
The History of the Ancient World, by Susan Wise Bauer
Guards, Guards!, by Terry Pratchett
Nightfall, by Shannon Messenger
Gulag Archipelago Part 3, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn
Systematic Theology, by Wayne Grudem
Mr Ballen Podcast
One Piece Volumes 19-21, by Eiichiro Oda
Reading to IL7
Curse of the Were-Weiner, by Ursula Vernon
Dogman and Cat Kid, by Dav Pilkey
Grime and Punishment, by Dav Pilkey
Mothering Heights, by Dav Pilkey
Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea, by Dav Pilkey
Deidre Reading
Hunger of the Gods, by John Gwynne
Media Completed
A hunt for the Horn of Valere begins, as the group goes their separate ways. Like the first book in the series, this is a really good story that holds the reader.
Saturday I helped IL7 play Piku Niku, then took Dad to the gym. I expected a 20 minute workout like last time, but he was feeling better after that injection Friday, and he stayed an hour. Aaron, IL7, and I went to the Pinewood Derby and raced IL7’s car. He came in 38th. Out of about 45. He fell asleep on the floor during the races.
I went to the grocery store twice. Cooked some jambalaya. IL7 fell asleep while I was doing that. The other kids watched TV all day.
Sunday
Sunday D16 and I worked on an awful homework assignment. Aaron shopped. I played Piku Niku with IL7, followed by swim lessons. After dinner the older kids, Aaron, and I played Pandemic Legacy. We won.
Monday
Monday, I took IL7 to an appointment then took dad to the gym. He was thrilled to be exercising again. I went on the treadmill for 45 minutes. I had a video appointment later in the day. When IL7 got home, he and I made a chocolate cake (he decided it was Sake’s birthday). In the evening, I read to D17. M13 watched TV.
Tuesday
Tuesday I took D16 to an appointment. In the evening, M13 had a band concert. We sat in the back row, and IL7 was on my phone with headphones on.
Wednesday
Wednesday was a frustrating day. It started with me not having a phone signal at work (all that night, in fact). I figured it was a tower issue since my signal came back when I got about a mile away from work. At the gym, I also didn’t have a signal. When I got home, I realized I didn’t have a signal there either.
Aaron and IL7 had a signal. So I decided to switch out my card with IL7’s card to see if I had a signal using his phone. Only I had to break my phone case to get it open. Then, when I managed to get it open, there was “glue” (maybe just gunk) along the sides of the phone, so the card wouldn’t come out. I had to dissolve the gunk in vodka before I got it open. Then I had the same gunk problem with IL7’s card.
When I finally got the cards switched, suddenly both phones had a signal. Fixed, right? No. Because when I switched the cards back, since both cards worked and both phones worked, my phone doesn’t work ONLY when my card is in it. But since both phones had a signal when the cards were switched, I switched them back again.
In the evening, I took IL7 to an appointment, followed by faith formation. Dad took the rest of the family out to eat.
When I got back, I opened an envelope containing D16’s IEP for us to approve and sign. This was surprising, since we never had an IEP meeting. We were supposed to have one the day my dad went to the ER with pneumonia. But we had to cancel. We were supposed to do it another day by Zoom, but the link didn’t work. We were going to do it by Zoom a second day, but the link didn’t work that day, either. In an email conversation, I suggested a three-way call. The IEP manager said she didn’t know how to make a three-way call. I said I’ll make one. She didn’t respond.
While Aaron was in Oregon, the IEP manager suggested a same-day three-way call. It would now be a four-way call, which my phone wouldn’t do. The IEP manager said that we’d have an in-person meeting after winter break.
Imagine our surprise that, without any notice and without any meeting, we received an IEP. It claimed there had been a meeting, and quoted us from the non-existent meeting. This is a clear violation of our legal rights. D16 was so angry she was shaking. She wanted to advocate for herself (i.e. tell off the teacher), but I said that although I applauded her desire to do so, this was a job for her legal representatives. I decided to email the principal in the morning.
Thursday
Thursday morning, I sent an email to the principal of D16’s school about the IEP manager. He said he’d get back to me after talking to the manager. I ran some errands and took dad to PT. In the evening, Aaron and D16 went to a registration event at her new magnet school, and I went to a registration event at the local high school for M13. IL7 and M13 played Super Mario World 3D.
Friday
Friday, I took IL7 to speech therapy and then took dad to the gym. I didn’t really want to, but I managed to walk 60 minutes on the treadmill. The rest of the day, I tried to read. I got an email from the principal of D16’s school in which he didn’t acknowledge the lie the IEP manager made. He just backed her up that she made three attempts scheduling a meeting, and, regardless that the Zoom link failures weren’t our fault, she was not required to schedule another meeting. I told him that that does not excuse 1) that she told us she’d schedule another, didn’t, and didn’t tell us she wouldn’t and 2) she lied in D16’s IEP. I think we at least deserve acknowledgement and preferably an apology. I can go over the principal’s head, but am trying to determine if it’s worth it. Of the three of us parents, I seem to be the only one who thinks contacting the district head of special education is worth it.
Week’s Photos
Reading to myself
The Great Hunt, by Robert Jordan
War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy
Gulag Archipelago Part 3, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn
Determined, by Robert Sapolsky
Systematic Theology, by Wayne Grudem
One Piece Volume 16 – 18, by Eiichiro Oda
Valley of Fear, by Arthur Conan Doyle
The Week: Imperial Ambitions
Nightfall, by Shannon Messenger
Mr Ballen Podcast
The History of the Ancient World, by Susan Wise Bauer
Guards, Guards!, by Terry Pratchett
Reading to IL7
Curse of the Were-Weiner, by Ursula Vernon
Fetch-22, by Dav Pilkey
IL7 Reading
Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilet, by Dav Pilkey
D16 reading
Shadow of the Gods, by John Gwynne
Media Completed
Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson try to determine who murdered a local rich man whose home is surrounded in a mote. I found this solution rather predictable, as it was similar to the end in one of the short stories. But it was an interesting book, regardless.
Dogman and his friends save the world from supa angry psychokinetic tadpoles.
Saturday, IL7 made a horse costume. We tried going to Michael’s to buy some elastic, but they didn’t have elastic! We got by with a rubber necklace, but it was slightly too short. We’ll have to buy some elastic on the internet. He wants to wear the costume on Halloween. Besides helping IL7 with the costume, I spent another 3 hours playing with him. In addition, I got some reading done. D16 and M13 spent all day on the TV. Aaron spent all day grocery shopping at 4 different stores (to save money).
Sunday
Sunday I didn’t get much done. I made gumbo, and Aaron and I took IL7 to swim lessons.
Monday
Monday I took IL7 to an appointment. I walked on the treadmill for 45 minutes. Had some back and forth with Dad’s doctor. I had called to ask if the med he prescribed is bad for the kidney. It was, and they changed their minds about Dad taking it.
I learned that hemming pants by hand is about as hard as I thought it would be, but I made some progress. We bought some pants for IL7 that look great in the waist, which is really important for him, but the legs are way too long. So I’m working on this for him. The stitches look pretty awful, but no one is going to care.
I read to D16, M13 went to Boy Scouts, and IL7 played on Aaron’s computer.
Tuesday
Tuesday I took D16 to an appointment, hemmed some more, and walked on the treadmill for 45 minutes. In the evening, I read to D16.
Wednesday
Wednesday I went to the dentist, then took dad to the gym to see if he could handle an upper body workout. He got two exercises in. In the evening, I took IL7 to an appointment, then to faith formation. He complained about the length of the day, but didn’t want to drop out of faith formation.
Thursday
Thursday, I got a letter written, then I took dad to his first PT appointment for his hip pain. We didn’t agree on how long his hip has been hurting (he thought a week, but it’s been 6 months, on and off. He just thinks it’s brand new every time it happens). He got pretty angry at me.
After that, I went to the gym and walked on the treadmill for 45 minutes. Apparently dad had wanted to come, but I didn’t know. I needed time away from him, anyway. He’s been a lot lately.
I got to read till D&D. I got a lot of hemming done during D&D. I’m getting faster. The kids watched their screens and Aaron ran errands.
Friday
Friday I wrote a letter, took IL7 to speech therapy, and took Dad to get an injection in his hip for his pain. He was up doing the dishes the next day. I read to D16, myself, and IL7. M13 fell down on the ice on his way in the house.
Week’s Photos
Reading to myself
The History of the Ancient World, by Susan Wise Bauer
The Great Hunt, by Robert Jordan
Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel
Systematic Theology, by Wayne Grudem
Hangnail Castle, by Ursula Vernon
We Shall Be Monsters, by Alyssa Wees
Nightfall, by Shannon Messenger
One Piece Volumes 13-15, by Eiichiro Oda
War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy
Mr Ballen podcast
One Piece Volume 16-18, by Eiichiro Oda
Reading to IL7
Brawl of the Wild, by Dav Pilkey
The Case of the Toxic Mutants, by Ursula Vernon
Mermaid You Look, by Andres Miedoso
Any Fin is Possible, by Mo O’Hara
D16 reading
Shadow of the Gods, by John Gwynne
Media Completed
Gemma is told to stay away from the forest. Every time she ventures close, her mom steals her memories. But when an emergency happens, Gemma must enter the forest alone. This is a deep, thoughtful story, though the action is a bit slow.
Molly comes to Castle Hangnail to be its wicked witch, but her main minion is skeptical about her age. This is really cute and funny.
Saturday I wrote a letter and got out the size up in clothes for IL7. Only there were no size 7 shirts and only 4 size 6 pants. I got out size 8 shirts and will buy size 6 pants. Then dad and I watched Fahrenheit 451. I didn’t read to myself because I was feeling a bit overwhelmed, but I read to IL7 for a bit.
Sunday
Sunday morning, I was pondering what to do about an email saying Aaron and the kids’ flight had been cancelled when dad called out. He had been in intense pain all night and wanted to go to the ER. So I called for an ambulance. At the ER, they X-rayed dad’s hip, and found nothing. He was sent home.
I wrote a letter, read, and watched Electric State with dad. I read to IL7 at night. Aaron rescheduled his flight for 6:30am Monday, which meant he needed to get up at 1am.
Monday
Monday, started with picking up my family at the airport. It was nice to see them. We opened Santa’s presents. M13 loved his rave gloves. IL7 got lots of knock off LEGO, I got nonfiction books and a Groot figurine. D16 got books and a shower speaker. Aaron got a new Swiss Army knife, as he had to throw his out at the airport.
Later, the family, including dad, went to Perkins. It was the first time Dad had been outside for pretty much a week, except the ER. The snow hadn’t been cleared yet, but he managed.
I mostly read, IL7 watched Wall-E, Aaron unpacked, D16 put together IL7’s frog LEGO for his birthday, M13 played on his phone.
I ended the night going to work. My supervisor had gifted me soda! It made me so happy!
Tuesday
Tuesday I took D16 to an appointment and had to take IL7 along because he was at home. Dad had an appointment with his at home nurse later in the day. I played Minecraft with IL7. Read. Worked on my to-do list. D16 put together some of IL7’s LEGO.
Wednesday
Wednesday I brought IL7 to M13’s appointment. Then I tackled my to-do list and took IL7 to his appointment. IL7 put together LEGO with M13 while I was doing tasks.
After IL7’s appointment, the family went to Red Lobster and IL7 played Minecraft. I read to IL7 to midnight and M13 watched the ball drop with Aaron. D16 read to midnight.
Thursday
Thursday (New Year Day), wasn’t too exciting – which is sometimes nice. Aaron, IL7, and I ran some errands. I read to him while he put together LEGO with his dad. I played a LEGO game with IL7, read, and worked on my to-do list for the rest of the day.
Friday
Friday I took IL7 to an appointment then Dad to an appointment for his painful muscle. The doctor prescribed an anti-inflammatory medicine to see if that helps, which makes me really happy. The other doctors said nothing could be done. I had to drag IL7 along on Dad’s appointment
In the evening I got some reading done, played Minecraft with IL7, cooked dinner, and read to IL7 till midnight. Aaron was sick with a fever all day. D16 and M13 watched TV all day.
Reading to myself
Systematic Theology, by Wayne Grudem
Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel
The Great Hunt, by Robert Jordan
War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy
We Shall Be Monsters, by Alyssa Wees
History of the Ancient World, by Susan Wise Bauer
Castle Hangnail, by Ursula Vernon
Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier
One Piece Volumes 13-15, by Eiichiro Oda
Castle Hangnail, by Ursula Vernon
Mr Ballen podcast
Reading to IL7
Jurassic Carp, by Mo O’Hara
Lord of the Fleas, by Dav Pilkey
Media Completed
Klostermaier wrote a very thorough survey of the living-style and history of Hinduism. It had an overview of the philosophy of Hinduism, as well as the practices. It did not contain lists of gods, but treated the gods as one great God, which I think is how many, but not all Hindus feel. I am not an expert, but it seems more acknowledgement of polytheism was in order. Also, the book was a bit over my head in a lot of places, as it assumed a basic knowledge of Hinduism and terminology.
Petey battles some old friends and takes some advice from Li’l Petey.
A scientist and Mark make a giant prehistoric fish using Frankie as a template.
Saturday M13 didn’t have a fever, so I drove the family to the airport and they flew off to see Popo. By the time they made it to her house, M13 had a fever again.
I had a good day quietly hanging out with my dad. I did all the laundry. I read. I wrote 2 letters. (I have 9 more to complete this week, then I’m caught up.) I stayed up late so I could read to IL7 by video call.
Sunday
Sunday, I wrote two letters, read a lot, and spent a long time cleaning the living room (which will stay clean for another 6 days, at which point it will transition to instantly trashed without an in-between state). Dad and I went out to Olive Garden. I read to IL7 over video call.
Monday
Monday I made some baked beans for Aaron’s lunches next week. I did a lot of reading and writing, and spent a little more time cleaning the living room. I read to IL7 over video call.
Tuesday
Tuesday I wrote two letters, scrubbed the floors, and watched “Death on the Nile” with dad. I didn’t get much reading done. I read to IL7 at night. The electricity in my room and to the router went out, interrupting the story, then IL7 fell asleep before I finished the book.
Wednesday
Christmas eve, Dad and I watched “Crazy Rich Asians.” I read to IL7 till 2am.
Thursday
Christmas was calm. My friend Liz came over and we played board games. Then I cooked steaks for dinner. I read to IL7 till 2am.
Friday
Friday I ran a bunch of errands, cooked dinner, watched Elevation with Dad, and read to IL7 to 2am.
Reading to myself
War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy
Determined, by Robert Sapolsky
Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier
The Great Hunt, by Robert Jordan
Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel
One Piece Volumes 10-12, by Eiichiro Oda
The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle
History of the Ancient World, by Susan Wise Bauer
One Piece Volumes 13-15, by Eiichiro Oda
We Shall be Monsters, by Alyssa Wees
Reading to IL7
Knight-napped, by Ursula Vernon
Jurassic Carp, by Mo O’Hara
The Frozen Menace, by Ursula Vernon
Treasure of the Gold Dragon, by Tracey West
Bad Guys in One Last Thing, by Aaron Blabey
Aaron reading
Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis
Media Completed
Danny, Wendell, and Christiana are kidnapped by knights while trying to save Danny’s cousin.
Our group battles Arlong, a beautiful pirate, and enters the Grand Line.
The Dragon Masters race to stop Maldrid from getting the golden key that will release the Naga.
When Danny’s fire goes out, he, Wendell, and Christiana go to the Farthest North to find a phoenix egg.
Wolf is Shortfuse’s new apprentice.
Another set of short stories involving Sherlock Holmes and his great friend Watson. Obviously intended on being the last book in the series. Obviously wasn’t the last. I like how much Holmes’ personality has developed through the last several books.
Saturday dad got out of the hospital. D16 was starting to get sick. IL7, Aaron and I played Minecraft. M13 watched TV. In the end, the family finally got to go out to Red Lobster for IL7’s birthday.
Sunday
Sunday was busy as usual. I made some taco soup, caught up on housework, and played Minecraft with IL7. Aaron, IL7, and I went to swim lessons, and he dunked his head under the water. M13 and IL7 played with the magnetic tiles. D16 played D&D.
Monday
Monday was a busy day. IL7 had an appointment, followed by an appointment for me. I had lots of tasks to do since Dad just got out of the hospital and we’re about to go on vacation. Then I took IL7 Christmas shopping. I spent a couple hours wrapping presents, and finished about half of it. Glad I started early.
Tuesday
Tuesday the high schools were closed because someone on the internet was threatening to shoot up more than one of the district’s schools. D16 stayed home, but they kept the middle school and elementary schools open.
I was supposed to take D16 to an appointment, but it was cancelled by the provider, so I was able to finish wrapping presents. That took forever!
Aaron and I had a video appointment and then we were supposed to have an IEP meeting for D16. She, Aaron, and I sat on the bed waiting for the Zoom link to work, then it was rescheduled for Friday. Such a waste of a half hour.
My dad’s at home nurse came to do an after-hospital visit. That went smoothly. Then IL6 played his new computer game while I wrote a letter.
In the evening, my friend Liz came and we watched Doctor Who with Aaron, Dad, and D16.
Wednesday
Wednesday I got the rest of the Christmas cards mailed and ran errands. There seems to be a multi-step process to make sure everyone has enough meds to make it through the vacation.
In the evening, I took IL7 to an appointment, followed by faith formation. I actually got an hour of reading done! Dad’s SpO2 was in the low 80’s all day.
Thursday
Thursday, I took Dad to his primary care provider to follow-up after his hospital visit. His PCP seemed pretty dire about Dad’s oxygen levels, which was worrisome. Dad wanted to stop by the gym to talk to his physical trainer, but she wasn’t around. I popped by the library with IL7. Then I played D&D in the evening.
Friday
Friday I made the hard decision to stay home for Christmas because of Dad’s unstable health. (The family is going to visit my in-laws for a week.) I had thought Dad was going to be angry, since he’d gotten angry when I suggested it a week earlier, but he actually seemed relieved. However, it was a sad decision, since I didn’t really want to separate from the family for Christmas. But I’ll read to IL7 by video call instead of in person before he goes to bed at night, and I’ll celebrate Christmas with my friend, who is also alone on Christmas this year.
I took IL7 to an appointment and attempted l yet another IEP meeting for D16. Again, the Zoom link failed. I picked up M13, who was sick, and ran to get a COVID/flu test (negative). Aaron decided if M13 had a fever in the morning, they wouldn’t go, either.
To finish the day off, we opened presents to each other (Santa hadn’t come yet), then packed. Except M13. Apparently he missed the packing memo.
Reading to myself
War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy
The History of the Ancient World, by Susan Wise Bauer
Determined, by Robert Sapolsky
One Piece Volumes 7-9, by Eiichiro Oda
Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier
The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle
The Great Hunt, by Robert Jordan
Reading to IL7
Knight-Napped, by Ursula Vernon
Double Creature Feature, by Andrea Miedoso
Lord of the Fleas, by Dav Pilkey
IL7 Reading
The Frail Snail on the Trail, by Brian P Cleary
Media Completed
The crew wants to save Nami from some fishman pirates.
Saturday Aaron went to the DFL coffee meeting before talking to his mom. I made chickpea curry. M13, Dad and I went Christmas shopping. Aaron and IL6 also went Christmas shopping.
Sunday
Sunday we celebrated IL7’s birthday. We had a cake with cake pop eyeballs and presents and played D&D, where the group battled mirror world Shrek and Fiona. (Which is what IL7 wanted to do.) IL7 and I also built a snowman. The snow was very dry and powdery, so it ended up being a very small snowman that we squashed together using body heat. The head exploded as soon as we stuck the carrot in, so we had to get creative. We dyed IL7’s hair purple, too. It turned out really nice. He had a high fever by the end of the night, though.
Monday
Monday IL7 was sick. He had a high fever and was lethargic. I took him to urgent care. He has “A viral infection” and a mild ear infection. We played his new Mario game on the Switch.
Tuesday
Tuesday IL7 was home sick again. He still had a fever, but was feeling much better. I cooked some Southwestern chicken and rice for Aaron’s lunches, pork chops for IL7 and M13, and meatloaf for dinner. Right about the time I was finally going to settle down and read, dad asked me to call an ambulance because he was having chest pain. I told him to take a nitroglycerin, and it went away. Then he couldn’t catch his breath, so we gave him the nebulizer at the suggestion of the on-call nurse. He also had a fever. I stayed home from work because there was a snowstorm. Getting IL7 to take his antibiotic was like pulling his teeth.
Wednesday
Wednesday M13 had a virtual appointment, then I got him McDonald’s and took him to school. IL7 was home sick again, so I played Super Mario 3D World with him, which was fun. We were trying really hard to get all the stars, and we finished levels 1-1 and 1-2 (multiple times each because some stars are hard to get).
At that point, dad said he thought he had pneumonia and that he couldn’t get out of the chair. I gave him a nebulizer and called 911. After 5 hours in the ER, he was diagnosed with pneumonia and checked in to the hospital.
Aaron went to a tour of a magnet school D16 is interested in attending. It is a science-based one, located at the zoo.
Thursday
Thursday IL7 was still home sick. Aaron sat with him for the day. I took D16 to an appointment, then went to visit dad in the hospital. The social worker called and said dad was cleared by physical therapy to be released – with in-home physical therapy for a while. She said the doctor said he could maybe be released Friday. Dad’s at-home nurse came to visit, as well.
Friday
Friday, Dad was still in the hospital and IL7 was still home sick (though it was the first day all week that he didn’t have a fever). I played Minecraft with IL7 and did a bunch of laundry. IL7 also wrote a Scratch program. M13 played on the computer. When Aaron was off work at 5, I went to visit Dad.
Week’s Photos
Reading to myself
War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy
Determined, by Robert Sapolsky
Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier
The Sympathizer, by Viet Thanh Nguyen
The Great Hunt, by Robert Jordan
Gulag Archipelago Part 3, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn
A History of the Ancient World, by Susan Wise Bauer
Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel
Media Completed
Danny, Wendell, and Christiana use mad detective skills to investigate Danny’s grandfather’s missing dentures.
Tom and Pradeep take Frankie to an aquarium, where he is almost eaten by an octopus. Then they try to audition for My Pet’s Got Talent
Snake and Wolf battle it out.
The narrator of this story is a spy for the communists during the Vietnam war. It describes a lot of complaints about how the US handled the war. It was much more character/situation-based than plot based. Very well written, and thought-provoking.
Reading to IL5
The Case of the Toxic Mutants, by Ursula Vernon
Bad Guys in the Serpent and the Beast, by Aaron Blabey
The Night of the Zombie Zookeeper, by Andres Miedoso
Hibernator's Library 