News
Saturday
On Saturday I worked for a while. Then I was supposed to go to Feed My Starving Children with M11, but I was super tired, and it turned out that M11 wanted to go with his dad anyway. I dealt with some slight jealosy that he didn’t want to go with me, but mostly I was relieved.
After FMSC, M11, Aaron, and I watched a few episodes of Good Omens Season 2.
Sunday
Sunday started with taking my dad to Mass for the first time in a long time. J19 walked around looking for applications to jobs in the area – which kind of suggests he plans on staying longer than just the weekend. I’d rather he didn’t stay longer, as he’s already drunk half a bottle of our Fireball, forcing us to hide our alcohol in our room. Plus, IL4 will want to go in his room since all his toys are in there. But I also don’t want to kick J19 out because he’s been combo couch surfing and sleeping on the streets for over a year.
I decided to ask on the Facebook page for my suburb where was a good place to apply, and mentioned that he was walking around looking for one. Most people answered helpfully, but one said he was lying if he said he was walking around looking for applications because they’re all online. I told her politely that he wasn’t lying, he just didn’t know what he was doing. A couple people came on and said the commenter should be nice. She came back and apologized if she was wrong about the paper applications. I answered that I wouldn’t let her narrow and negative assumption cheapen his attempts at getting on his feet, but if she’s sorry, she should be more cautious about what she says in the future. Then I got scolded for not accepting her apology, even though she didn’t actually apologize for accusing him of lying. People on the internet!
Later, I took J19 to Urgent Care for a non-urgent matter. But he had been planning on walking 4 miles to a bus stop and taking a 2 hour bus ride to the ER downtown for this non-urgent matter.
Afterwards, D13, M11, IL4, Aaron and I carved pumpkins. J19 was excited to do so, too, but then wandered off and didn’t carve his. His loss. 🤷♀️
We watched some Grey’s Anatomy, and then I went to bed early because I’d had a headache all day.
Monday
Monday started with breakfast with IL4 and dad as well as a trip to the pet store. I got IL4 a cat toy to call his own since D13 has claimed the two cat toys Polyphemus came with and only lets IL4 play with them under her watchful eye.
After dropping IL4 off at school, I took M11 to the dentist to get his cavity filled. He says he’ll brush his teeth from now on. That resolution probably didn’t even last till that evening, but it was nice to hear.
After dropping D13 off at dress rehearsal, I took IL4 to his first swim lesson in the big pool. He was reluctant to get in the big pool – not sure why, since he’ll get in a pool with me or Aaron – but maybe because he’s with a few other students and one teacher?
Tuesday
Tuesday IL4 had an appointment with his GI specialist. Aaron joined me, because he (like me) was getting frustrated by mixed messages. The specialist said that the tortuous intestines weren’t a permanent problem, that they’d hopefully clear up when he stopped withholding. So psychology was what we should focus on now (besides the regular cleanings, which will also hopefully be unnecessary when he stops withholding).
D13 also had an appointment later in the day. Then D13 and M11 had dress rehearsal in the evening.
Wednesday
Wednesday I got a bunch of cleaning done because an appointment was cancelled in the morning. In the afternoon, IL4 had feeding therapy. He was absolutely refusing to go in to the office – he threw a temper tantrum on the sidewalk outside – but I told him he didn’t have to eat any of the food in the lunch box, and he grudgingly went in. He sure didn’t eat anything from the lunch box.
I then took a nice walk and brought D13 to rehearsal. Aaron took M11 and IL4 to get their hair cut, and now they both look handsome and sophisticated.
Thursday
Thursday I worked most if the day. In the evening D13 and M11 had rehearsal. It was the last rehearsal before the play. But D13’s knee buckled and she fell and is now in pain.
Friday
Friday after work I took IL4 to speech therapy while Aaron took D13 to urgent care for her knee. IL4 didn’t want to go to speech therapy and threw a massive temper tantrum. I managed to pull the kicking and screaming child into the atrium between outside door and inside door. Is that a thing in warm places? Places have a heated atrium area so that cold air doesn’t blow into the office whenever the outside door is open? Anyway, I got him in the atrium because neither of us was dressed for 35F degree weather. Then I tried to talk sense into him as he rushed me trying to get out the door. Finally, I let him exit.
He continued his temper tantrum outside, now running around in tight circles on the sidewalk. Finally, the receptionist walked out and asked if I wanted her to go get the therapist. She did, and Jill, the therapist, calmed him down by saying they could go to the OT gym.
D13’s visit yielded more action than I expected, too. I figured she’d be glanced at and sent away with RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) instructions. Maybe an X-ray. Well, they did the X-ray, and decided there was some “fluid in the knee” (no, I wasn’t there to ask what that means). So then they needed an MRI, but our insurance needed to pre-authorize that so it’s not scheduled yet. She’s proud of her crutches though.
In the late afternoon, IL4 had a trunk or treat at his daycare, which he really loved despite the cold. He loved handing out the candy just as much as getting it.
In the evening, D13 had her first performance. (M11 is “part time,” so he’s only in half the performances. His first is tomorrow afternoon.) They had to make some minor changes to her on-stage time so that she didn’t have as much walking. She took not being in the combat scene pretty well. She had been really excited about the combat.
Week’s Photos
Letters Written
- 1 letter Virginia
- 2 letters Maine
- 1 letter Pennsylvania
Reading to myself
- Beloved, by Toni Morrison
- School of Fear, Gitty Daneshvari
- Great Mythologies of the World, by various professors
- How to Read the Bible, by James Kugel
- Uncle Tom’s Cabin, by Harriet Beecher Stowe
- Bible
Reading to IL4
- Inspector Flytrap, by Tom Angleberger
- The Candy Caper, by Tom Watson
D13 reading
- Throne of Glass, by Sarah J Maas
Media Completed
Sethe and her daughter Denver live a lonely life, haunted by Sethe’s dead baby’s ghost. But then two people join their family. One is a fellow runaway slave, and the other is a mysterious woman named Beloved. This is a haunting story of recovery.
Theo is afraid of dying. Lulu is afraid of confined spaces. Garrison is afraid of bodies of water. Madeline is afraid of bugs. They meet at the School of Fear, taught by an eccentric recluse. This book was both cute and funny. I loved it, though I found the basic idea (not the details) of the ending predictable.
Some major shark jumping in this season, and it’s only season 2.
When Mollie must find out the number of Skittles in Principal Shelton’s candy jar, her friends Simon and Rosie help her come up with a plan to help her count them. This is a cute little chapter book about embracing your differences and being you.
Weight Loss
I’ve plateaued two months in a row, so I need to add something to my weight loss efforts. I’m going to start counting calories again. I will continue to increase my weekly step goal (I’m currently pulling off 40k per week, and am trying to increase by 5k per month.) I will also add in a 15 minute body weight exercise daily. My bariatric physical therapist said I needed 30 minutes two times daily, but I didn’t try very hard at the time because I couldn’t move from 0 to 60 overnight, and she made me feel guilty about only moving up to 60 minutes 3 times a week. Anyway, (I’m apparently still bitter about her motivation-shaming.) Anyway, I thought 15 minutes daily for a month would be a good start.
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