Saturday we were traveling. We got up at 6:30 and got to Aaron’s mom’s house at 3, 11 hours later. The kids were thrilled to see their grandparents. We also saw their aunt Eleanor.
Sunday
Sunday IL6 went to the park twice. Once with my mother-in-law and Aaron, and once with my mother-in-law, M12, and myself. I also got a letter written on Sunday.
D15 was feeling a little sick, but she still has a voice, unlike myself. I started to get a crackly voice on Friday night, then had a very gravely voice on Saturday. On Sunday, I was whispering after an initial, fading croak. I was hoping my voice would be back on Monday.
Monday
Monday my sister-in-law Kate came to visit with us. I still had no voice in the morning, so didn’t get much socializing in. My voice came back a little later in the day, so I was able to talk a bit.
Tuesday
Tuesday I spent a lot of time talking, happy to mostly have my voice back. IL6 and I baked a cake for D15’s 700th birthday. It was delicious.
Wednesday
Wednesday I spent 2 hours cross-stitching and finished up the eyes of my creeper. D15 and my mother-in-law went shoe shopping.
Thursday
Thursday, I concentrated on finishing my book this week (because I want to finish one book a week this year). I got a good amount of cross-stitch done as well. IL6 and I played with the toys. Aaron and I went out on a date. I took a nap after the date, and IL6 fell asleep for the night.
Friday
Friday I read a news magazine. Aaron played his online game. M12, my mother-in-law, Aaron, and I played Forbidden Island.
Week’s Photos
Reading to myself
Master of the Phantom Isle, by Brandon Mull
Witches of Eastwick, by John Updike
Thomas Cromwell, the Untold Story of Henry VIII’s Most Faithful Servant, by Tracy Borman
12 Major World Religions, by Jason Boyett
The Week: Which Way?
Reading to IL5
Mood Science, by Jim Benton
Stitchhead: The Spider’s Lair, by Guy Bass
The Pop of the Bumpy Mummy, by Troy Cummings
D14 reading
A Court of Thorns and Roses, by Sarah J Maas
Confessions of a Sociopath, by Patric Gagne
Media Completed
Franny decides her moods get in the way of her science. Her moods teach her a lesson.
Three witchy friends bond quickly with a new man in their town, but he turns out to be more than they can handle. I didn’t really like this book. It was well-written, I’ll grant Updike that, but it was very crude with no reward of an exciting plot to go with it. I found myself bored.
Alexander, Rip, and Nikki find themselves fighting their town’s mummy.
Saturday, IL6 immediately in the morning wanted to bake a cake, so we did that. Then Aaron took IL6 to the Children’s Museum and I took M12 to the Science Museum. They both had fun. We all met at McDonald’s, where the boys played in the Play Place. Afterwards, the boys watched Aaron and me eat at a restaurant we rarely get to go to. IL6 fell asleep on the way home, and slept the rest of the night.
Sunday
Sunday I cooked jambalaya and chicken noodle soup for Aaron’s upcoming weeks of lunches. That, with dinner, meant I spent a lot of time cooking. I also spent a good amount of time reading. M12 had band rehearsal. D15 played D&D. IL6 programmed a computer game.
Monday
Monday after work I tried to take IL6 to his well-child visit, but there was an event in the car on the way, and we had to turn around and go home. I decided to keep him home after that, so rescheduled a vet appointment. Then dad, IL6, and I went to Perkins.
I did a LOT of laundry, and still didn’t finish it all. I wrote a letter, got some reading done, and sat with IL6 while he programmed a game.
In the evening, Aaron disassembled D15’s bed so we could get some work done Tuesday – Thursday. I took M12 to Boy Scouts and sat through a hideously boring parent meeting.
Tuesday
Tuesday after work I took D15 to an appointment. Then I focused on my to-do list for the rest of the day. IL6 wanted to program a game when he got home. M12 had jazz band rehearsal. I read to D15.
Wednesday
Wednesday, during downtime at work, I registered IL6 for summer daycare. It was with the YMCA, which fills up quickly, so I started at 7:25, when half the spots were taken by people who started at 7. The online form was clunky and poorly designed, and took a stressful 25 minutes to fill out. I was a bit frazzled at the end.
After work, I was supposed to take Puck to the vet. But when he saw the carrier, he ran and hid where we couldn’t reach him. He wouldn’t even come out for tuna. So I rescheduled the vet again, and will leave the carrier out all vacation, so I catch him off guard next time.
Finding myself with extra time, Dad and I went to JoAnn Fabric to see what the closing sale looked like in the cross-stitch section. It was EMPTY. We ran to the bank, and then came home, where I half-heartedly attacked my to-do list.
I was getting ready to go to the gym for my personal trainer appointment, when I got a call from the school because IL6 had a stomach ache. So I cancelled my appointment and picked him up.
I got a bit of cross-stitch done, which was nice…I wish I could take it on vacation with me, but I don’t know how to safely pack it. I will try to figure it out. IL6 is eager to get it.
Thursday
Thursday was pretty laid back. I took IL6 to speech therapy. Completed some tasks to prepare for vacation. Read. Cross-stitched. IL6 programmed the computer. D15 did diamond art. M12 had rehearsal for the middle school play.
Friday
Friday after work I took IL6 to an appointment. Then I spent the day preparing for our trip, which was overwhelming, but I made it! I lost my voice at night and was not able to finish IL6’s book. 😦
Week’s Photos
Reading to myself
The Economist: The Revised Economic Outlook
Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank
Mr Ballen podcast
12 Major World Religions, by Jason Boyett
Confessions, by Saint Augustine
Reading to IL5
Stitch Head: The Spider’s Lair, by Guy Bass
Robo Rabbit Boy Go!, by Thomas Flintham
Mood Science, by Jim Benton
D14 reading
Lodestar, by Shannon Messenger
Court of Thorns and Roses, by Sarah J Maas
Media Completed
A book about not being silent.
This was a hard read. It was my first time reading it, though I saw the play in elementary school. Anne was very cute and independent. Feisty. But I couldn’t help thinking about her ending.
Saturday, I made baked beans for Aaron’s lunches for the week. Then he and I played D&D. IL6 tried programming another game, but started feeling pain. I interpreted it as pain because he was withholding, but when it started to get really bad by 10pm, Aaron and I thought maybe it was constipation pain, and took him to the ER.
Sunday
Sunday morning started in the ER. IL6 was given an enema for his blockage, and when it didn’t come back out, we were sent home (it never ended up removing the blockage). IL6 had slept in the hospital, but Aaron and I were exhausted all day. IL6 was hyperactive all day, as usual. In the evening, I read to D15. Then IL6 fell asleep early, so I was able to sleep at 8:45pm.
Monday
Monday I took dad to the gym, where we worked out for 45 minutes. I ran errands. I wrote letters. I read to D15.
Tuesday
Tuesday didn’t go as planned. After work, I took D15 to an appointment (so far so good), but then shortly after I got home, I got a call from IL6’s school nurse. He was having stomach aches. I brought him home, worried it would lead to another ER visit, but the pain got better. In the evening, my friend Liz came over and we watched Doctor Who.
Wednesday
Wednesday, I took M12 to his eating disorder appointments, which went really well. Sometimes those appointments are depressing. Then I worked out with dad and wrote a letter. When IL6 got home, he wanted to program a game. Then we went out to Olive Garden. Then we relaxed.
Thursday
Thursday my head was racing. I think my fasting has made my bipolar disorder destabilize because I’m supposed to take 500 calories with a morning and evening dose of my med. So no more fasting.
I took two naps to try to calm my brain down. Communicated with IL6’s gastroenterologist. D15 went to a Christian group after school and says she’s going to read the Bible. I warned her that the Old Testament had some boring bits, and that it didn’t necessarily portray the views Christians are meant (through Jesus’ words) to believe. We tried taking IL6 to Cub Scouts, but he was yelling about being bored, so we took him home. He’s been throwing temper tantrums lately. I read to D15.
Friday
Friday I woke up and my brain was screaming at me. But I went ahead and did my thing. After work, I took IL6 to two appointments, followed by an x-ray for his gut. I got home around 2:30 – in time to take a quick nap before IL6 got home from school. IL6 programmed a new game on my computer, and we sat up till midnight reading (I regretted promising to do that when I got really tired.)
Week’s Photos
Reading to myself
The Sign of Four, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Witches of Eastwick, by John Updike
The Week: Rescue Mission
The Economist: The Don’s New World Order
12 Major World Religions, by Jason Boyett
Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank
Reading to IL5
Whack of the P-Rex, by Troy Cummings
Recipe for Disaster, by Jim Benton
D14 reading
Neverseen, by Shannon Messenger
This Book Won’t Burn, by Samira Ahmid
Media Completed
Holmes and Watson help a young woman solve the mystery of her father’s disappearance. Again, I am struck at how unlikable Holmes’ character is. It’s an interesting and well-written mystery, though, as well as a classic, so I will continue with the series.
Sophie and her friends are in hiding from the council, but continue to look for the evil group Neverseen. I didn’t like this series at first, but it’s starting to grow on me, despite some plot holes.
Franny decides to help some friends with their bake sale, but inadvertently creates a monster. IL6 loves this series.
Alexander and his friends battle a gigantic pinata. IL6 is loving this series.
Saturday I went to Olive Garden with Liz, M12, IL6, and Liz’s nephew. Later Aaron went to a board gaming party with his friends. I read to D15, and Aaron made pancakes for dinner (because IL6 wanted something “healthy”).
Sunday
Sunday Deirdre played D&D and made some eggrolls. Malcolm had band rehearsal.
Monday
Monday I ran errands, made calls, and read. I worked out for an hour, too. Aaron had his first day of work. He was hoping that he would be able to work at the office, but it turned out they didn’t have space for him, so he’s going to work from home. (He doesn’t like the distractions at home.) M12 had Boy Scouts in the evening. Aaron went to the gym. I read to D15.
Tuesday
Tuesday I stayed home waiting for the contractor to come to look at D15’s room. He’s going to fix the walls, paint, and put in carpet. While waiting, I cleaned my bedroom and did laundry, but the vacuum kept breaking the circuit, so I had to call an electrician. I made some phone calls, as well. In the evening, we were expecting a blizzard, so I called in to work.
Wednesday
Wednesday was hectic. IL6 woke me up at 5am needing a bath. I went back to sleep after the bath, but then when I got up at 8, I realized I’d have to remove at least 6 inches of snow off the driveway to get my car out. Aaron was going to start the snow blower for me, but the garage wouldn’t open. So I walked to the hardware store to buy a shovel (about a mile each way). I got about a sidewalk’s width of the wake cleared and sat down to rest. The neighbor took pity on me and rescued me with his snow blower.
Almost immediately after that, I went to my physical trainer for 30 minutes, then stayed at the gym for another 40 minutes for dad’s personal trainer appointment. But she noticed how tired I was and showed me the water massage bed when I was done.
While I was gone, IL6 and D15 built a snow fort.
It was Ash Wednesday, a fast day, and I wasn’t going to eat until sundown, but I thought I was going to faint, so I ate an orange and some cashews to hold me over.
Then, I was going nonstop until 4pm with stuff that absolutely needed to be done. (For instance, Wednesday is the day I do dad’s laundry and make his bed.)
At 4 I left with IL6 to tour the Delta hangar with a small group of Cub Scouts. The GPS took us to the wrong building, so we walked around until we found a worker who pointed us to the right building. It was a quarter mile walk from where we parked.
IL6 loved the hangar. He got to see a huge 250 seat plane. The first class was crazy. It had little private pods, and the chairs changed to beds. He also got to sit in a pilot’s seat. On the way back to the car, I was carrying him and slipped on ice and fell, dropping him. I thought he hit his head hard, so I tore off his hat and looked. He had been about to cry, but was startled by my intense questioning about his head. Apparently he hit his butt and elbow. A nice man pulled over to ask if we were ok, but I had already ascertained that he was fine, and I wasn’t even bruised.
I was thrilled to eat when I got home. M12 was on his bed playing D&D, and promised to make the bed after D&D. I’m not sure I believe he’ll really do that. (I clean his bedding weekly because he’s allergic to dust. I throw it in with dad’s laundry.)
I went to work early to relieve the coworker who had been there for the last 36 hours.
Thursday
Thursday I ran errands after work, got an oil change, and went to the gym. When IL6 got home, we had a snowball fight and built a snowman. D15 continued work on her fort. I cooked dinner and then sat with IL6 in his room. I read to D15 and chatted with Aaron the rest of the evening.
Keeping my diet was really easy today, and I wonder if it’s due to the hormone changes from the fast the day before. I may try a light intermittent fast where on MWF I eat only a light amount of fruits, veggies, and nuts till dinner (except on days where I have a social reason to eat otherwise), and see if the decreased calories make me feel more satiated the next day. It possibly won’t last like all my other diet change attempts, but I commit to trying it out for a from Friday through next Friday.
Friday
Friday I went immediately from work to an appointment for IL6, followed by another appointment for IL6. The electrician popped by to tell us we needed a new vacuum. I tried an Alfredo recipe which, while quite edible, was a complete failure. Apparently Alfredo sauce takes talent, and I am not a chef. I was tired and didn’t do much for the rest of the day. M12 went to his mom’s, and Aaron played a computer game with his friends.
Week’s Photos
Reading to myself
The Week: MAGA Military
Master of the Phantom Isle, by Brandon Mull
A Hat Full of Sky, by Terry Pratchett
The Economist: The Would-be King
The Life of Elizabeth I, by Allison Weir
The Economist: The Don’s New World Order
The Week: Tasting Victory 28 minutes
The Sign of Four, by Arthur Conan Doyle
Master of the Phantom Isle, by Brandon Mull
Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank
Confessions of Saint Augustine, by William R Cook and Ronald R Herman
Reading to IL5
Chomp of the Meat-Eating Vegetables, by Troy Cummings
The Ghost of Grotteskew, by Guy Bass
D14 reading
Neverseen, by Shannon Messenger
This Book Won’t Burn, by Samira Ahmed
Media Completed
Andrew and his friends are faced with gigantic man-eating vegetables. IL6 is enjoying this series.
Tiffany goes to be an assistant witch, but has to deal with something weird chasing her. I enjoyed the book, though again it didn’t have as many jokes (or I missed them) than adult Discworld books.
This history of Elizabeth I of England is well-written and easy to read. It focused a lot on her flirting with various men and her refusal to name a successor. Some things that I was specifically interested in – her treatment of Catholics among her subjects was not covered. It was referred to in passing, saying she executed fewer Catholics than Mary I killed protestants. In fact, I feel that, other than some personality comments, she was painted in a positive light. I am also wondering about the politics of the time and what she accomplished in her youth other than flirting.
In this set of lectures Saint Augustine’s Confessions is explained in a way that is clear and concise. It is not a replacement for reading the book, however. It’s meant to supplement the book. I chose to listen to it in advance of reading Confessions.
Stitch Head meets the ghost of a terrible man Mauly Crackbone. IL6 loved this one.
Saturday Aaron and I played D&D, then we played Luigi’s Mansion with IL6.
Sunday
Sunday I cooked a turkey dinner for Aaron’s birthday. (It had been intended to be cooked on Thursday, but I made a mistake ordering the brine, so we cooked it on Sunday, instead.) My friend Liz came over for dinner to celebrate. I invite my friends over for Aaron’s birthday. That’s how I roll.
Monday
Monday I took M12 to an appointment, and then took IL6 to an appointment. After that, I let D15 drive. She got on the streets for the first time today, and didn’t run any stop signs. I was still feeling the never-ending tiredness I’ve felt since being sick two weeks ago, so I rested for a while, then read to D15. Then I talked to Aaron till it was time to go to work.
Tuesday
Tuesday after work, I almost immediately took D15 to her appointment. Then I ran some errands, worked on my to-do list, and read. In the evening, Liz came over and the family ate pizza and watched Doctor Who.
Wednesday
Wednesday Dad and I both had a personal trainer appointment at the gym. I let D15 drive again – she successfully backed out of the driveway, drove around the side-roads, and pulled back in the driveway. Speed while turning needs a lot of work. After dinner, I read to D15, then went in early to work.
Thursday
Thursday I relaxed. I took a nap, went to lunch with Aaron, and even watched a little TV. Aaron took D15 to get a henna tattoo. IL6 programmed the computer and then went to Cub Scouts. M12 played a computer game online with a friend.
Friday
Friday, I went directly from work to two appointments for IL6. Then Aaron and I ran some errands (our last weekday of running errands before he starts his new job). In the evening, dad treated us to Outback Steakhouse.
Week’s Photos
Reading to myself
12 World Religions, by Jason Boyett
New Scientist: Our Quantum Future
The Economist: The Would-be King
A Hat Full of Sky, by Terry Pratchett
The Life of Elizabeth I, by Allison Weir
March: Book Two, by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell
The Week: Maga Military
Reading to IL5
The Yellow Bus, by Loren Long
The Bubble Gum Blob, by Andres Miedoso
The Pirate’s Eye, by Guy Bass
Bad Hair Day, by Jim Benton
D14 reading
I Am Malala, by Malala Yousafzai
Neverseen, by Shannon Messenger
Media Completed
A yellow bus lives its life.
Stitch Head decides it’s time to leave Castle Grotteskew when his master leaves permanently. This book was very enjoyable, and IL6 enjoyed it, but it was a little long for him. I will split the third book into pieces of once a week.
In this second book in John Lewis’ graphic memoir he goes on Freedom Rides. It was heartbreaking. Very good drawings.
Saturday had a slow beginning, but I perked up towards the end. IL6 wrote another program on my computer, and played a bit of LEGO. D15 relaxed, as did Aaron.
Sunday
Sunday was productive. I got lots done on my to-do list, read a lot, and took D15 driving in a parking lot. Much to her chagrin, she missed two stop signs, so I wouldn’t take her on the roads.
Monday
Monday was another productive day – the second really good day in a row. In fact, I feel like since I started taking 90 minutes to read a news magazine daily I have actually become more, rather than less, productive.
The kids had the day off school. IL6 programmed a new game and played LEGOs. D15 and M12 watched videos. Aaron, dad, and I went to the gym for an hour, then Aaron and I ran a couple of errands. I also got a bunch of reading and some cross-stitch in.
Tuesday
Monday was exhausting. Immediately after returning from work, we jumped one of the cars. Then I woke M12 and D15 to eat and get ready, respectively. I took care of some stuff with IL6. D15 and I went to her appointment. Immediately following that, I took M12 and IL6 to the library because M12 needed to do his homework from all the school he missed last week. I played with IL6 for about an hour before he picked books. He ran in the library repeatedly, and I didn’t stop him.
Then I went to the pharmacy to pick up dad’s meds, and ended up stuck in the line for 20 minutes because the pharmacist was at lunch. I loaded dad, M12, and my pill minders, only I was missing two meds, and I thought I’d ordered them last week, but apparently I didn’t confirm. Then M12 wanted McDonald’s, and I felt that I should get it for him because D15 had had a Jersey Mike’s sandwich earlier.
Finally, at 3:30, I had a break and was able to look at my personal goals, which had been ignored all day. But I was too stressed to do them, so I wrote a letter, cooked dinner, and played LEGO with IL6 for 35 minutes while the food was in the oven. I was beat at the end of all that, so spent the rest of the evening talking to Aaron before going to work again.
Aaron, did entertain IL6 for about an hour on his computer game, which gave me time for the pill boxes, but mainly because I reminded IL6 that he hadn’t played on dad’s computer for a while.
Wednesday
Wednesday was a great day it was Aaron’s 50th birthday. After an hour at the gym, he and I had a date. While on our date, he got a job offer! And a good one, too. 😊
I spent a good chunk of time reading in the afternoon, and then when IL6 got home, we all went out to family dinner for Aaron’s birthday. Then Aaron and I chatted while the kids played on screens. M12 was actually playing with a friend on a computer game, which is a new activity for him. I like the social aspect of that.
Thursday
Thursday I woke a little light-headed. I don’t think I was sick, I think I was just burnt out from trying to catch up after getting behind while I was sick the week before. But because I couldn’t stand very long at a time, I just spent the whole day reading and doing just the basic things that needed to get done. IL6 programed my computer with me for a while in the afternoon.
Friday
Friday, I took IL6 to two appointments, then drove dad to the gym and picked up my niece and nephew from school. Later, dad took IL6, Aaron, and me to Red Lobster. Afterwards IL6 and I played Luigi’s Mansion and Aaron gamed with his friends. M12 was at scout camp, and D15 was with her mom.
Week’s Photos
I can see a face!
Reading to myself
New Scientist: Dark Side of the Microbiome
The Economist: Battle for the Pentagon
The Ravenswood Witch, by Jenni Keer
Master of the Phantom Isle, by Brandon Mull
Diary of A Young Girl, by Anne Frank
The Week: Collision Course
Mr Ballen podcast
New Scientist: Our Quantum Future
Reading to IL5
Time to Clown Around, by Andres Miedoso
The Pirate’s Eye, by Guy Bass
D14 reading
Neverseen, by Shannon Messenger
Media Completed
IL6 was so excited when we found out we missed a Desmond Cole book when we read them all. In this one, Andres is afraid of clowns.
Gerald starts sneezing and thinks it’s Piggy making him sneeze.
When a young woman is running away from the law, she stumbles into a mysterious man who pretends she is his wife to keep her safe. This book was great with a bit of a surprise, though the big reveal was obvious from the beginning.
Saturday IL6 and Aaron were supposed to go to Cub Scout Polar camp, but he had forgotten his snowpants at school, and we didn’t have a spare. Not only was it snowing, but it was in the single digits temperature. So he stayed home. 😭 Aaron and I played Dungeons and Dragons, then I dyed D15’s hair blue.
Sunday
Sunday….well…apparently I remember nothing about Sunday. Maybe something happened? I slept poorly due to nausea and M12 sicker than me.
Monday
Sunday night, both M12 and I were nauseated – and M12 was repeatedly vomiting. In the morning, he felt fine, but I was groggy and had awful body aches. I slept all day. In the afternoon, Aaron was supposed to take D15 to her permit test, but he had misplaced her (and M12’s) birth certificate. D15 was so disappointed. 😭Then M12 became short of breath, so I dragged myself to the thermometer and took his temperature. It was 104.5. I slept the rest of the evening/night till 1am.
Tuesday
Tuesday was a disaster at first. I had stayed home from work because I was sick, so I was there to be awakened when D15 started throwing up and got diarrhea. Then she let me know we had a leak in the basement. It was a failed pipe.
Aaron turned off the water, but then I had to take D15 to the toilet at Perkins and the gas station (2 times), and Aaron took her to the toilet at our grocery store. She threw up most of the day, and ran a 103.4 fever. M12 was also home because of his fever on Monday, and had another low-grade fever on Tuesday.
Good news: the pipe was fixed by about 11am. Plus Aaron got a copy of the older kids’ birth certificates. I set up an appointment for D15 to take the permit test on Wednesday at a 48 minute drive away. It’s the closest we could get. We figured she couldn’t be at school, but would probably be ok for taking the test.
IL5 worked on coding a new game on my computer with my help. He’s getting really good at it, considering he can’t read. He learns so fast. The teacher did say he learns visually. He threw up rather dramatically at the end of the day.
Wednesday
Wednesday, all three kids were home sick, and dad was pretty darned sick, too. I went to the gym, but started feeling lightheaded, so I came home.
I was trying to take it easy and get the basic tasks done for the day and get a lot of reading in. But IL6 wanted to program his game on the computer, and we spent 2 hours doing that.
D15, who wasn’t actually sick (she just had to stay out of school because she’d vomited within 24 hours), took the permit test in a city 48 minutes away (because that was the closest next-day appointment) and passed. Aaron took her out driving in the parking lot, but wouldn’t let her drive faster than 5 mph, which I think is excessively slow, but I guess I didn’t see if she was doing poorly with her breaking and steering.
Thursday
Thursday, I had a lot of unexpected housework to do, and felt very overwhelmed. But Aaron did the dishes when I said I was overwhelmed, so that was nice.
When IL6 got home, he wanted to play the computer game he had coded. It was 3-person, so at first M12 joined us, then Aaron joined us. After that, IL6 coded a 1-person game. All these games are pretty much identical in function, but not in appearance, so I really need to help him branch out. Not sure how to do that, though, because he is very strong-willed. On the other hand, he actually knows how to code that game with minimal assistance from me.
In the evening, I read while IL6 was at Cub Scouts, and then again in IL6’s room for a quarter hour before the older kids decided to come in and either have an anxiety attack (D15), or make lots of noise (M12 with IL6)..
Friday
Friday, IL6 had two appointments in the morning. Then, after dropping him off at school, I only managed to finish a little housework before he arrived home again. He programmed a computer game for a while, then Aaron and I went out for a Valentine’s Day date. I was a little concerned it would be crowded, but we went somewhere that didn’t seem like it would be a popular Valentine’s Day destination, and scored – we were seated right away.
Week’s Photos
Making progress
Reading to myself
The Economist: Scam Inc
The Ravenswood Witch, by Jenni Keer
March Book 1, by John Lewis, Andrew Ayden, and Nate Powel
The Week: Musk’s Rampage
The Life of Elizabeth I, by Allison Weir
New Scientist: The Dark Side of Your Microbiome
12 World Religions, by Jason Boyett
Reading to IL5
Stitch Head: The Pirate’s Eye, by Guy Bass
The Frandidate, by Jim Benton
D14 reading
Crazy Wanda, by Terry Goodkind
Neverseen, by Shannon Messenger
Media Completed
John Lewis tells a couple of kids about his youth and organizing sit-ins in Nashville. This graphic novel is drawn well, and holds the reader’s interests.
Fran wants to run for president of her class, but has difficulty appealing as a candidate. So she creates a skin which changes into (and says) whatever each voter wants. Funny and cute.
Saturday IL6 had a birthday party to go for his triplet friends. It was at a kids’ gymnastics gymnasium. He loved it for the first hour, but then they decided to make it structured, and he got bored and came back to me. (I think the gymnasium was trying to drum up interest in their gymnastics classes by having a “lesson.”)
After the party, I wrote a letter, then Aaron and I went to D15’s play. There were two 45 minute plays, and she was very proud of being able to bow twice.
Sunday
Sunday we all relaxed. M12 went to band. In the evening, we played D&D as a family.
Monday
Monday was pretty productive. I dived into my to-do list, took dad to an appointment, the bank, and a nail salon. Since I had finished a good chunk of stuff by then, I read The Economist until IL6 got home. When M12 got home from auditions for the middle school play, I started cooking meatloaf. M12 then went to Boy Scouts and I finally programmed in Scratch with IL6 again. He learned a lesson on saving when he accidentally deleted something that we couldn’t get back, and we had to go back to a previous save. He lost some work, but he survived.
Tuesday
Tuesday Aaron and I took D15 to an appointment, and then we exercised. D15 did tech crew work after school. M12 had jazz band rehearsal.
When IL6 got home, he wanted to program the computer more (he’s really catching on), but what he wanted to do wasn’t possible, and he wouldn’t believe me. Then M12 tried to do it, and he said it was impossible, and IL6 believed him.
Wednesday
Wednesday started with me taking dad to the gym – we were both going to work out. But then I discovered that the wheel had fallen off his walker, so I told dad that we needed to look for the nut and bolt. It had fallen out somewhere. Dad said “Oh! Do you need me to come along?” Like, umm. Well it IS your walker. But, whatever. I left him there and went searching for the bolt. I didn’t find it. I returned 30 minutes later for my workout with my personal trainer.
Then Aaron and I went to a pub while waiting for our car to get an oil change.
Later, we went to parent-teacher conferences for the boys. They are both doing well. All teachers gave glowing reviews.
Thursday
Thursday was a relaxing day. The boys had no school, so dad took us all to Perkins. Then we relaxed at home. I read to D15 in the evening.
Friday
On Friday, I took IL6 to an appointment and then tried to take him to a second appointment, but it was cancelled. Then I took him for a haircut. Following that, I took IL6 and M12 to the library, and then D15 to a doctor’s appointment. In the evening, dad took us out to dinner.
Reading to myself
The Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank
Human Acts, by Han Kang
12 Major World Religions, by Jason Boyett
Mr Ballen Podcast
The Life of Elizabeth I, by Allison Weir
The Economist: Revolt Against Regulation
The Week: Immigration Offensive
Master of the Phantom Isle, by Brandon Mull
Ravenswood Witch, by Jenni Keer
Reading to IL5
Attack of the Shadow Smashers, by Troy Cummings
Jo Bright and the Seven Bots, by Deborah Underwood and Meg Hunter
The Kiss Box, by Bonny Verburg and Henry Cole
The Fran With Four Brains, by Jim Benton
D14 reading
Neverseen, by Shannon Messenger
The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak
Aaron reading
Fury of the Gods, by John Gwynne
Media Completed
A young bear learns to separate temporarily from his mom.
Retelling of Snow White
Alexander and his team fight shadow monsters. IL6 loved it.
Fran builds some bots to help her get stuff done.
In this heartbreaking novel, Han Kang explores how people must have felt in the aftermath of the Gwangju uprising (where about 2000 people were massacred for protesting). I had not heard about this real event in 1980, and it was terrible to behold in this novel. Human Acts was eloquently written – I see why Han Kang won the Nobel Prize.
Saturday Aaron and I slept in. Then we played D&D for 4 hours. I had told IL6 I would teach him to code a game, so I downloaded Scratch, but then was having difficulty figuring it out. So I told him I needed to watch a tutorial. However, I was too tired for a tutorial, so, despite trying to watch one, I took a nap. For the rest of the evening. And through the night till just after 4am. I fell back to sleep around 6am.
Sunday
Sunday started with me trying to program an easy game with IL6 on Scratch (A kids’ programming language developed by MIT). He actually picked it up surprisingly well. We ran into a bug I was trying to fix, but he didn’t have the patience to fix it, so his mind on what he wanted to do, and screamed at me when I continued trying to solve the original problem. I didn’t know how to do the new thing he wanted to do, either, though Malcolm rather snottily explained how to program in a very simplistic sort of way that I’d understood even before watching the tutorial, because apparently he thinks I’m stupid. I told IL6 that I would figure it out alone, and we could continue tomorrow. We stopped at 11am.
I then looked at my phone. My friend Liz had texted at 10:30 to ask if she should come for our trip to Olive Garden for our book club meeting at 11. Oops. I told her “yes?” And started to get IL6 ready, as Aaron was out. Then, Liz asked if her nephew could come along, so I invited M12, and it turned out to be a party.
A little after getting home, I took M12 to band, then headed to the library with IL6. They had gotten rid of his favorite toys, but had acquired a new one that he wanted to play with. Someone else was playing with it, so he wanted to wait. But the computer was broken, and we’d picked out books, and I was super tired again, so to IL6’s dismay we went home. I felt bad.
Then I zonked out for 2 hours in IL6’s bed, while he played on his phone on the bed. And that was pretty much the end of the evening.
Monday
Monday Aaron and I went to the gym and ran errands. I figured out how to do what IL6 wanted to do while programming the game. But then he didn’t actually want to program when he got home, despite reminding me about it in the morning.
In the evening, dad took us to Red Lobster for dinner. Then IL6 wanted to hang out in his room, so I got some reading done. My cross-stitch of the creeper is coming along much faster than the one of Groot. I think because I’m more experienced. It is a lot more complex that Groot, though.
Tuesday
Tuesday I went to the gym, then to lunch, then to errands with dad and Aaron.
Wednesday
Wednesday, I got up at 5am and started the 3 hour drive to get to my aunt’s funeral. It was a beautiful service and nice seeing everyone, but at the end my social battery was drained and I had a headache, so I didn’t socialize long. I drove back home that night.
Thursday
Thursday I had little motivation to do anything. I washed dad’s laundry and ran some small errands. I read and cross-stitched for a little while. (The pattern is difficult because there are so many shades of green in one- or two-pixel areas, making the counting a pain.) IL6 had Cub Scouts. D15 had play rehearsal. M12 went skiing after school with some friends.
Friday
Friday started with two appointments for IL6. Then I wrote a couple of letters and read for a while. D15 had the first night of her play, which she says went well.
Week’s Photos
Reading to myself
Beyond These Walls, by Tony Platt
Children of Virtue and Vengeance, by Tomi Adeyemi
Mahabharata
The Life of Elizabeth I, by Allison Weir
Diary of Anne Frank, by Anne Frank
Master of the Phantom Isle, by Brandon Mull
Human Acts, by Han Kang
Reading to IL5
The End of the Overworld, by Nick Eliopulos
The Leaf Thief, by Alice Hemming
Beach Bummer, by Ryan T Higgins
We are Growing, by Mo Willems
Here Comes Teacher Cat, by Deborah Underwood
Hidden Gem, by Linda Liu
D14 reading
Girl in the Moon, by Terry Goodkind
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, by Grace Lin
Book Thief, Markus Zusak
Media Completed
A squirrel wonders where all the leaves are going.
A bear is dragged along to the beach.
Some grass figures out what it’s like to grow as unique blades.
A cat has to substitute teach a class, and learns to enjoy it.
This is a major Hindu spiritual work, one of the (if not the) oldest spiritual texts as well as the longest epic poem in existence. This audiobook, despite being abridged, was about 45 hours, and it took me about a year to read. The story was interesting (to me) and ok in terms of ease of following. Not much previous knowledge was necessary.
A rock discovers it’s awesome.
In the second book of this African fantasy trilogy, the 3 main characters fight for their differing visions of what is best for their country. This is an interesting and well-written book, based on the emotions it elicited in me. They weren’t all positive emotions, but I feel like any book that gets the feels is well-written. (As long as I’m getting feels the author suggested.)
Eggasaurus Inc. misunderstands the intents of a kid.
Saturday, I drove dad 3 hours south to visit my aunt. She is very cheerful and says she doesn’t see herself dying any time soon. The pneumonia has turned out to be antibiotic resistant, but she is not in multiple organ failure as my cousin made it sound on Friday night. She was pretty tired, though. The visit took place from noon till seven, so I was pretty exhausted by the end of the visit. Dad and I then went to the hotel and a restaurant.
IL6 had his Pinewood Derby, and came in 39th out of 58th.
Sunday
Sunday dad and I went to church with dad, cousins Bob and Steve, and my uncle. Then dad and I had breakfast at Perkins, and visited my aunt. Before leaving, dad and went to dinner at Olive Garden with Steve.
IL6 was thrilled to see me when I got home, and demanded my attention. D15 was in an unusually chatty mood, too.
Monday
Monday we woke everyone up at 7 (despite it being a holiday), and stuck the cats in bedrooms. Workers came with their jackhammers to dig a trench where they’re placing the drain tile.
D15 and IL6 didn’t like the noise, so after their virtual appointment, we all piled into the car to go to Olive Garden (that’s where IL6 asked to go). We usually go to one in the suburb north of us, but M12 had an appointment right across from an Olive Garden in a suburb two cities to the west. So Aaron dropped D15, IL6, and I off there and drove off to the appointment. IL6 was crying so hard because he wanted to go to the other Olive Garden. It was -14 degrees out, and he just stood there outside crying. Finally I bribed him to go in with Dairy Queen later.
When the workers left, I let the cats out of the bedrooms. About an hour later, I realized I hadn’t seen Freyja since letting them out. But D15 said she’d seen him, so I dropped it. A couple hours later, I went looking for him.
Downstairs, I heard him meowing for help. It took a couple minutes to pinpoint it, since whenever I started looking, he stopped meowing. Finally, I found him in the area between the ceiling of the basement and the floor of the first level. He wouldn’t step down into my hands, so finally I wedged a large container about half-way up under the place Freyja was looking out. After I walked away, he jumped down using the container. Why do cats go places they can’t get out of?
Later that night, I noticed smoke pouring out of a greasy skillet on the stove. Dad had accidentally started the burner under it. I took it off the burner before it burst into flame. Then I pressed the check button on the smoke detector. It was dead! But we survived, and I guess we are fine. And now we know we need a new smoke
Tuesday
Tuesday, dad and I went to the gym with dad – I lifted weights with my legs and then walked on the treadmill.
The kids had the day off school because of the -40°F windchill. So they got to listen to more work downstairs. Freyja seemed to handle it a little better today.
I got a call from my cousin saying that on Monday my aunt crashed and is close to passing. It’s a bit surprising, since she seemed weak but ok on Sunday.
In the evening, my friend Liz came over, and we watched Doctor Who and ate pizza.
Wednesday
Wednesday Aaron and I went to the gym. Then he, dad, and I drove to the elementary school and asked to look in the lost-and-found. We found IL6’s missing hat and coat! I had hoped they’d eventually make it to the lost-and-found. He likes the replacement coat better than the original, but he’d really missed that hat.
Then we went to Olive Garden to see if D15 had left her coat there. She had. (How you accidentally leave your coat somewhere when the temperature is below zero is beyond me.) We decided to eat since we were there.
IL6 was thrilled to see his hat when he got home. Then he played Spore on the computer with M12 for a couple hours, which was kind of M12. D15 had rehearsal.
I got news that my aunt was probably going to die overnight or Thursday, and was unable to read or do much because of grief. Hopefully Thursday will be better for at least reading.
Thursday
Thursday IL6 and I had a useless appointment in which the provider told us there’s nothing she could do, and she wishes she’d called to tell us not to come in.
Aaron and I finished a couple of errands. We went to the gym. In the evening, we went to D15’s parent-teacher conferences. She is doing well.
That night, my aunt passed. I guess I feel relieved that she’s not suffering anymore.
Friday
Friday I took IL6 to an appointment, then relaxed for the rest of the day. Except, I did make a phone call to insurance about IL6’s med – which apparently will simply not be covered by insurance.
M12 went to board game camp and D15 went to visit her mom. Dad went to my sister’s overnight, and IL6 took a 1.5 hour bath. So it was a calm night.
Week’s Photos
Reading to myself
Wee Free Men, by Terry Pratchett
The Week: Agony in Los Angeles
Mahabharata
Children of Virtue and Vengeance, by Tomi Adeyemi
Beyond These Walls, by Tony Platt
Wrath of the Dragon King, by Brandon Mull
Reading to IL5
The Day of the Night Crawlers, by Troy Cummings
D14 reading
Girl in the Moon, by Terry Goodkind
Aaron reading
Fury of the Gods, by John Gwynne
Media Completed
Tiffany wants to be a witch, but has no one to teach her. However, when her brother is kidnapped she must convince some tiny men to help her use withcy powers to bring the brother back. This wasn’t as funny as the witch novels, but was pretty cute.
Alexander and Rip figure out why night crawlers are invading their town. IL6 was excited to read this book after he remembered the first book. It did not disappoint.
Franny develops a crazy dangerous bomb, but Igor eats it. She has to shrink herself and be snorted up Igor’s nose to retrieve it. Cute story. IL6 was pretty excited to read more about Franny’s creations.
Dog races the strawberry. Very cute.
Seth and Kendra need to beat the dragon king when he declares war on them. This was very interesting second book to the series.
Hibernator's Library 