Update January 10, 2026

News

Saturday

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.