News

Saturday

Saturday went well. Aaron watched IL7 while I went out with a couple of friends. We did crafts. IL7 rode his bike. D16 went to tech crew for her high school play.

Sunday

Sunday I had a little extra time because I didn’t need to make lunches for Aaron, and Aaron was going to make chili, so I didn’t cook dinner. There was also no family D&D because D16 was at crew all day. I played Minecraft with IL6 and got a lot of reading done. Aaron kept busy all day, which was nice of him.

Monday

Monday started off early with a triple video call – appointments for all three kids. Then I took IL7 to an appointment. I followed Dad around at the gym – dragging his oxygen along behind him. Dad then had an appointment later that day, followed by an appointment for D16.

M13 won the Presidential Award of Academic Excellence (for getting through middle school with above 3.5 GPA). I played a bunch of Roblox with IL7 as a reward for something he had done.

Tuesday

Tuesday was calmer than Monday. An appointment was rescheduled for Thursday, and Sake’s double eye infection looked better, so we cancelled her vet appointment. That left me time to do other things, like errands. I played Roblox with IL7 after school. In the evening we all went to Red Lobster. Aaron played Minecraft with IL7 after dinner. D16 was at tech crew for the high school play all evening.

Wednesday

Wednesday, I took Dad to the gym – dragging his oxygen and pulse oximeter along after him. Afterwards, he took me to Perkins. IL7 had a couple appointments after that, then I took him to the McDonald’s PlayPlace followed by Minecraft.

Thursday

Thursday was another busy day. In fact, I needed to make some important phone  calls, but never got the chance. I had to take Dad to an appointment right after arriving home from work, and, soon after that, had to take D16 to an appointment. Dad had a video visit immediately upon arriving home, then I immediately took IL7 to a roadside cleanup with the Cub Scouts. Only, I took him to the wrong park, so we wasted time (as IL7 informed me several times).  Immediately after that, Aaron and I went to D16’s parent-teacher conference, where we found out that D16 was sweet and so intelligent. D16 had her high school play to go to, where they learned how to use the trap door immediately before the show. The show is Hadestown.  

Friday

Friday, as usual, was busy. I spent the morning making calls that I meant to make on Thursday. Then IL7 had an appointment, followed by trailing behind Dad at the gym with his oxygen. I cooked an early dinner so I could take IL7 to an indoor park for a couple hours. Then I read to Loki till midnight.

Reading to myself

• Team of Rivals, by Doris Kearns Goodwin
• Mr Ballen Podcast
• Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens
• Ink and Bone by Rachel Cain
• Higgs Boson and Beyond by Sean Carroll
• Satantango by Laszlo Krasznahorkai
• Curse of Strahd by Dungeons and Dragons
• Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem
• Feet of Clay, by Terry Pratchett

Reading to IL7

• Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat: The Spacedog Cometh, by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth
• Super Rabbit Boy’s Super Side Quest, by Thomas Flintham
• Major Monster Mess by Andres Miedoso

IL7 reading

• Robo Rabbit Boy Go!, by Thomas Flintham

Media Completed

A town is under an evil influence. The blurb said satanic, but I didn’t quite catch that.

Klawde is about to be arrested by a spacedog. Cute and funny.

News

Saturday

Saturday, IL7 and Aaron were camping. Apparently, IL7 had fun on and off, but really wanted to come home that night.

I got the day off, so I got lots of reading done, as well as some cleaning and errand-running. I also cooked some gumbo and took care of a pesky electrical problem.

Sunday

Sunday, I spent a lot of time doing laundry. IL7 went to swim lessons. IL7, Aaron, Dad, and I went to Red Lobster. Then the family started our new D&D campaign that Aaron is DMing.

Monday

Monday was very busy. It started with an IEP meeting for D16, then I took IL7 to an appointment. I dropped Dad off at the gym, then did some yardwork. We’re trying to dig out the raised beds before we get the house painted. It’s a lot of work. Then I had a video visit with a provider.

When IL7 got home, I took him to get a haircut and got one for myself. Then, instead of relaxing, which I should have done for my mental health, I chugged through my to-do list. 

Tuesday

Tuesday, I took Dad to an appointment, and D16 to a video visit with a provider. In the evening, we went out to Olive Garden for Dad’s birthday.

Wednesday

Wednesday, I had a virtual appointment in the morning. I made some baked beans. Dropped Dad off at the gym. Made a bunch of phone calls. Took IL7 to an appointment. Played Scribblebots with IL7.

Thursday

Thursday, I took Dad and then D16 to an appointment. I picked some dandelions. I think we’ll need to treat the lawn again. I made some calls. Wrote a letter. Played with IL7. Played D&D with my friends.

Friday

Friday had its ups and downs, but overall I was feeling a lot better than I have for months. It unfortunately started with a blood draw for IL7, which really upsets him a lot – which upsets me. Then I took him to another appointment. After that, I took Dad to the gym and trailed along behind him with the oxygen and pulse oximeter in tow.

In the evening, I cooked dinner, then took IL7 to the park on his bike.

Week’s Photos

Reading to myself

• One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad
• Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens
• Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan
• Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin
• Feral Darkness by Doranna Durgin
• Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem
• Curse of Strahd by Dungeons and Dragons
• Santantango by Laszlo Krasznahorkai
• Higgs Boson and Beyond by Sean Carroll

Reading to IL7

• Dogman Unleashed by Dav Pilkey
• Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat: The Spacedog Cometh by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth
• The Show Must Demon, by Andres Miedoso

D16 reading

• Dracula, by Bram Stoker

IL7 reading

• Robo-Rabbit Boy Go by Thomas Flintham

Media Completed

Omar El Akkad mixes thoughts on his life with thoughts on how Western countries are responding to the genocide in Gaza. For instance, the fact that it’s difficult for people to refer to it as genocide – instead come up with euphemisms.

As a child, Brenna calls on an ancient god to help save her dog. Now in her 30’s, she discovers that a darkness is attacking her town. This was a great story. I really enjoyed that.

In this third installment of The Wheel of Time, Rand and his friends go on separate quests to save the world from darkness. Excellent book. Excited for the next one.

News

Saturday

Not much happened on Saturday. I played Kirby with IL7. Aaron went to board game with his friends.

Sunday

Sunday started out calm enough. I took M13 shoe shopping, and Aaron took IL7 on a tour of the police station. At about 12:30, I told Dad to get out of bed – I was making him oatmeal. He had only been out of bed for a couple hours, in two different bouts, on Saturday. He hadn’t eaten at all. But on Sunday, he couldn’t stand. Much to his dismay (“Is this really an emergency?”), I called 911. They checked him into the hospital with pneumonia. I spent most of the rest of the day there. D16 was sick, though, which was also distracting. I promised I would make an appointment for her on Monday. 

Monday

Monday was exhausting, I was fatigued, and my brain was foggy. I took IL7 to an appointment. Then I made a bunch of phone calls and went shopping before the big storm was supposed to hit. Then, when IL7 got home from school, we visited Dad in the hospital. In the evening, my friend Liz came over, and we watched an episode of Doctor Who. Afterwards, I played Minecraft with IL7.

Tuesday

We had big plans for Tuesday. Aaron and I both kept the day clear so we could get some pressing yardwork done. Aaron had already started digging when I got home from work, but before I finished breakfast, he threw out his back.

I was about to go out and do some work, when I noticed Freyja’s eye was squinty. I wouldn’t have overreacted, but the eye was overly dilated compared to the other eye, which weirded me out. So I took him to the vet, but by the time I got there, the dilations were even and the squint wasn’t as pronounced. I did have a couple of pictures as proof. He was diagnosed with conjunctivitis.

While I was on my way to the vet, Dad called to say he was being released from the hospital between 1-2. So I grabbed his oxygen compressor and made his bed, then rushed out there. He wasn’t released till 4.

Aaron took M13 and IL7 to the Mario Galaxy movie. I had been going to, but I guess at least Dad is out of the hospital.

Wednesday

Wednesaday, I made all the calls requisite after Dad gets outof the hospital. No appointment roulette was necessary! I went through my to-do list, hand-fed Puck 3 times, washed Dad’s bedding (an all day process), and read for a little while. In the evening, I took IL7 to a couple of appointments.

Thursday

Thursday I took care of Dad, took M13 to an appointment, wrote a letter, and attempted D&D. I wasn’t in the mood, though.

Dad’s nurse came by and brought a hospice nurse to discuss our options. I wasn’t impressed. Neither Dad nor I want to give up on “aggressive” treatment and diagnostic procedures. I get where they’re coming from, though. He is declining. I felt that they were simplifying the situation too much, and I multiple times disagreed with what they said. For instance, they implied Dad didn’t need a specialist anymore, because their doctor was a specialist in everything. That’s called a general practitioner, not a specialist.

There’s a chance Dad has lung cancer – we’ll get a CT soon, and if he decided not to go through treatment, then hospice is a better option. I doubt it’s cancer, based on what the radiologist said, though.

Friday

Friday I took care of Dad, took IL7 to his appointment, and went to the laundromat to wash Dad’s comforter. Then IL7 went to Cub Scout camp with Aaron. M13, Dad, and I went to Outback Steakhouse. In the evening, D16, M13, and I went to Feed My Starving Children, which both kids really like. I hear IL7 played serial killer with the other Cub Scouts before heading off to watch his phone.

Reading to myself

• Systematic Theology, by Wayne Grudem
• Pickwick Papers, by Charles Dickens
• Dragon Reborn, by Robert Jordan
• One Piece Volumes 22-24, by Eiichiro Oda
• Curse of Strahd, by Dungeons and Dragons
• Team of Rivals, by Doris Kearns Goodwin
• One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This, by Omar El Akkad
• Feral Darkness, by Doranna Durgin

Reading to IL7

• Dogman, by Dav Pilkey
• Zombie Swap, by Zack Zombie

D16 reading

• Children of the Lamp, by  P B Kerr

IL7 reading

• Robo-Rabbit Boy Go, by Thomas Flintham

Media Completed

News

Saturday

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?

News

Saturday

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.

News

Saturday

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
• Game Over, Super Rabbit Boy, by Thomas Flintham
• Robo-Rabbit Boy Go!, by Thomas Flintham
• Tale of Two Kitties, by Dav Pilkey

IL7 reading

• Robo-Rabbit Boy Go!, by Thomas Flintham

Media Completed

News

Saturday

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. 

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 reading 

• 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.

News

Saturday

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
• [Fetch-22], by Dav Pilkey
• Beware the Werewolf, by Andres Miedoso

D16 reading

• The Accidental Apprentice, by Amanda Herman Foody
• Trouble’s Child, by Terry Goodkind
• The Girl in the Moon, by Terry Goodkind

Media Completed

News

Saturday

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.

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Saturday

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.