Update April 5, 2025

News

Saturday

Saturday M12 and D15 played board games with my mother-in-law while Aaron, IL6, and I drove to Portland to a meetup with some internet friends.

Sunday

Sunday we flew back home. The trip was uneventful, and it was good to be home.

Monday

Monday wasn’t back to routine yet, because the kids were all home from school. They all relaxed after their exhausting travel day, while I rushed around exhaustedly and tried to catch up on all the stuff that accumulated while on vacation.

When I took dad to the gym, I intended on working out, but instead decided to take IL6 to the gym. He really enjoyed seeing the equipment. He ran on the treadmill, lifted weights, and punched the dummy.

In the evening, Aaron got D15’s bed put together, then he went to work out. D15 happily got all the stuff back in her room.

Tuesday

Tuesday D15 an appointment and then Puck had a vet appointment. Taking a cat to the vet is always nerve-wracking to me – in proportion to how skittish the cat is. So I was shaking for about an hour before the appointment, and wanted to puke when it was time. That lasted till about an hour after the appointment.

Puck has lost 2 pounds in the last year, and we don’t know why. The first step is to check for hyperthyroidism or advanced kidney disease. I think they’re hoping for hyperthyroidism. I’ll find out by the end of the week.

In the evening, my friend Liz came over and Aaron, D15, Liz, and I watched Doctor Who and ate pizza. I missed most of the second episode because IL6 wanted a lot of attention, but that’s ok.

D15 had a terrible tear in her skirt that her mom gave her, and I promised to try to fix it. I’m not good at sewing, though. It’s probably hopeless.

Wednesday

Wednesday was a hard day for me. For some reason, my bipolar disorder was acting up so I was angry and irritable. My personal trainer messed up my schedule, and I sent her proof that she was wrong (she’d messed up a few times in the past, and so this time I decided to text all agreements to each other). But she didn’t answer right away, and when she did, her excuse for messing up seemed a bit odd.

We got a call about Puck’s blood work and urine sample. His kidney function has continued to decline, but they couldn’t find a reason for the weight loss. They wanted to do another test on the urine to test for reasons why the calcium levels were high. They suggested taking a blood pressure to see if that’s impacting the kidneys. And said they don’t think the kidneys are causing the weight loss, and said an ultrasound for lymphoma or intestinal disease might reveal something. And if we know the cause, we may be able to stop the weight loss.

M12 wanted very much to learn the keyboard, so I found lessons and a keyboard for him, and told them I needed to double check that he really would practice at home (he’d already said he would). I told him he’d have to play the trombone 3 times a week and the keyboard 3 times a week, and he decided he didn’t want to play keyboard after all, though he was disappointed.

IL6 programmed a new game. Then I asked him to read the book the teacher sent home, and he freaked out and started yelling at me.

D15 worked on a hard poetry assignment, but once she understood the assignment, she switched from a very bland poem to a Shel Silverstein poem. Hopefully the teacher doesn’t mind, lol. Technically she did the assignment. They said she could switch poems, but they probably meant for something more sophisticated than Shel Silverstein.

Thursday

Thursday I was feeling burnt out. I went to a brewery for lunch, which was a nice break. I spent an hour there writing a letter. I rested the rest of the day. Aaron cooked tacos, giving me relief from cooking D15 got a reprieve from the poetry analysis assignments since she understands poetry. She can analyze without going through the extra steps that the other kids are going through. That made her feel a lot better.

Friday

Friday, I took IL6 to his normal Friday appointments, but I was super tired and super hungry. It was a hard morning. I took a nap after the appointment. IL6 read to me, so I read to him till midnight as a deal.

Week’s Photos

Reading to myself

Mr Ballen Podcast
Artifacts: Fall 2021
Thomas Cromwell The Untold Story of Henry VIII’s Most Faithful Servant, by Tracy Borman
Master of the Phantom Isle, by Brandon Mull
The Economist: Elon Musk’s Efficiency Drive
The Building that Wasn’t, by Abigail Miles
12 Major World Religions, by Jason Boyett

Reading to IL5