News

Saturday

Saturday was a good day. Dad and I went to the gym. Aaron, IL6, and I went to get IL6’s Christmas presents to the kids and a turkey for Christmas.

Aaron took out the carpet in D15’s room. We ran into some problem when we found out the pad was glued to the asbestos tiles. Then dad went down there and ripped it up, anyway, before I could ask the advice of the asbestos removal people. Now we have 1 broken tile, as well as some pieces of wood nailed along the sides of the room that we will have to remove. I want to wait until I call for advice before those are removed, though, so I’m not going to tell dad it needs to be done. I’m not sure that after the broken tile and removing the wood the room will be safe for D16 to sleep in, so I’m hoping I can get the asbestos removal people to come early – before she gets back from her mom’s on the 1st of January.

After that, I cooked dinner and read.

Sunday

Sunday, we had a laid back day. Aaron, IL6, and I went to the zoo. We stayed for quite a while. IL6 even wanted to see some outside animals, but the walk was too far so we turned back. We’ll have to go back with a wagon. I cooked shrimp for dinner, and then IL6 and I sat in his room.

Monday

Monday I had an appointment with a dietician. It was actually quite helpful. I found out why I could never meet the grain goal from MyPlate. I thought “1 serving” was about 4 times more than it is. I may start keeping track of my food groups again. We’ll see. Then I took dad to his cardiac rehab appointment.

On the way home from cardiac rehab, my nephew J20 called dad. Apparently, he’d been kicked out of his homeless shelter (hotel), and had 1 hour to get out. We went to pick him up. He may be sleeping on the streets, now  I can’t have him overnight at my house any more, because he’s too disrespectful.

Aaron got some bad news on the job application front, and so he was feeling a bit glum.

I cooked chicken for dinner, and got some reading done. I’m now 10 pages from the end of a 675-paged book, and I’m really excited. I have my next book all picked out.

Tuesday

Christmas eve went well. Aaron and I wrapped our stray presents. Aaron picked up a few groceries to get us through Christmas. I finished my 675 paged book that I’ve been reading for months! I attempted to sew a patch on M12’s sash, but couldn’t remember how to tie off the end. I tried and tried in frustration. Then I finally used fabric glue to secure the end. Go loose now, bitch!

IL6 and I baked cookies. He spilt some of the liquid part of the cookies, so the dough was very crumbly. I had to squish the dough into hard little spheres in order to bake them.

In the evening, dad, Aaron, IL6, and I went to Applebee’s. Because everything at Applebee’s is ridiculously high calorie, I ordered a french onion soup and a house salad. (I ate Chipotle for lunch, which sounded more delicious at the moment than any high-calorie food at Applebee’s.)

IL6 put out all 6 cookies and milk for Santa and one baby carrot for the reindeer. I had to go to work in the evening, so I couldn’t steal any of Santa’s cookies. Hopefully they were yummy!

Wednesday

On Christmas, I got home from work at 9:30, and IL6 wasn’t awake. In fact, he slept in till after 10. He loved his presents and books (mostly his presents, he would have liked the books better if he weren’t getting presents).

Then Aaron set up the switch and put Mario Maker 2 and Kirby and the Forgotten Land with IL6. He also put together one of IL6’s LEGO sets for him.

I cooked a feast – turkey, au gratin potatoes, and brussels sprouts. It all turned out well. The au gratin potatoes had better have turned out. I lovingly spread cheese sauce on each slice of potato.

I spent the rest of the day chatting with Aaron.

Thursday

Wednesday, dad and I missed his appointment because he wasn’t awake when I got home, and he only had 15 minutes to get up, dressed, and ready. (That takes at least an hour.)

So I found myself with extra time. I’d like to say I spent it well, but mostly I wrote letters and relaxed. IL6 played on the switch. Aaron had two interviews.

After Aaron’s interviews, he and I took IL6 to an indoor park, which he really loved. Then we picked up dad and went out to eat.

At night, about 10 minutes into my 20 minute drive to work, I suddenly realized the gas tank was on E. I had another 10 minutes of driving before getting to work, and there were no gas stations on the way. I was very flustered. As I approached the turn for the gravel road (which veers sharply diagonal back in the direction I came), a semi passed me, so I didn’t stop my car in quite the right spot to get on the road. The road is white. The snow is white. I drove into the field (which is about a 3-foot drop). I’m lucky the car didn’t roll. Thinking as quickly as my flustered brain would think, I decided not to take my foot off the gas, lest I stop in the snowy field and get stuck.. So I kept driving parallel to the gravel road. Eventually, the field went flush with the road to the point where I could get back on.

Friday

Friday I had a pretty productive day. I cleaned, wrote letters, and ran an errand. Aaron and I took IL6 to the library. The last several hours I spent sitting in IL6’s room with him. I got a bunch read at that time, as well as some cross-stitch.

Week’s Photos

Reading to myself

• Mr Ballen Podcast
• The Unlikely Retirement of Edna Fisher, by E M Anderson
• Behave, by Robert Sapolsky
• Carpe Jugulum, by Terry Pratchett
• Mahabharata
• Wrath of the Dragon King, by Brandon Mull

Reading to IL5

• New Pets on the Block, by Nick Eliopulos
• The Show Must Demon, by Andres Miedoso

D14 reading

• Counting by 7s, by Holly Goldberg Sloan

Media Completed

In the 4th book in the Stonesword Saga, our brave troop of Minecrafters needs to go on a mission to fetch a mooshroom. Yet another enjoyable book for IL6.

In this intelligent and humorous book, Sapolsky discusses the biological (and some environmental) controls of our social/antisocial behavior. I love Sapolsky’s dry sense of humor and all the interesting discussions in this super long book. Some of the neuroscience was a little over my head – he did a good job explaining it, but then I was expected to remember details later in the book which I did not remember. However, I got along pretty well despite that.

Desmond and Andres sign up for a school talent show. It’s all good until a demon enters stage right. As always, IL6 loves these books.

News

Saturday

Saturday, Aaron and I played D&D and then dad, Aaron, D15, IL6, and I went out to Red Lobster. I fell asleep putting IL6 to bed again, but this time roused myself suitably to finish the book we were reading.

Sunday

Sunday I went through the day exhausted. It started with church with dad, followed by the gym. Then we found out my computer finally went kaput, and we discussed whether to buy another one with Aaron unemployed, since we need two computers for D&D on every other week. We decided against it, and for me to do D&D on my phone. Yuck. We also discussed whether to cancel the basement work (except the necessary electrical work). Dad offered to loan us the money interest-free, and we felt compelled to take him up on the offer to avoid floods at snow melt (if we get snow).

D15 played D&D on Aaron’s computer. I took IL6 to the library, which was fun because we were the only ones there for the first half hour. (I have an after-hours pass because I’m an awesome patron.)

Then I went downtown to pick up M12 from his mom’s. I took IL6, and we listened to the music he got at the library. (This week was Rolling Stones – better than the death metal he chose the time before.) M12 was not impressed with the Rolling Stones, but dealt with it politely.

After that, Aaron took M12 to band and I sat in IL6’s room with him from 4:30 pm till bedtime at 9pm. I started by writing some letters, but then realized i finally had time to catch up on sleep that I seemed desperately to need. I slept from 5:30-9:30, and felt very much refreshed. Besides waking me for a snack or milk occasionally, IL6 was good with this plan.

Monday

Monday I took dad to his cardiac rehab, then Hero to the vet for her annual. She’s lost a pound, so yay! After much procrastinating, Aaron and I agreed that we had nothing interesting to write about the two of us in a Christmas letter, and decided to skip it altogether. Maybe next year I’ll only write about the kids. Then I read to D15 as she cleaned her room. She packed up 4 boxes of books and two medium garbage bags with trash. After this experience, she may throw out her trash instead of leaving it on her floor.

Tuesday

Tuesday I took dad to the gym for his personal trainer workout, and I stayed on the treadmill for 45 minutes. Then Aaron and I cleaned the basement and moved stuff out of the way of where the workers will be in a couple weeks. D15 continued cleaning her room. IL6 played with LEGOs. My friend Liz came in the evening and we watched Doctor Who with D15 and Aaron. Meanwhile, IL6 dumped all his cars out on the livingroom floor, then ran around with a light saber yelling. Later, I helped D15 with a homework assignment.

Wednesday

Wednesday I found myself with extra time because dad cancelled his cardiac rehab. Instead, Aaron and I ran errands. Then I went to the dentist. We ate fried chicken for dinner, then I sat in IL6’s room with him for the rest of the evening. Aaron joined me so we could talk.

Thursday

Thursday I had an appointment with my bariatric doctor. She suggested I meet with a dietician to make sure my restricted diet is getting the right amount of nutrients. She also suggested moving the light box farther from my face to help me not go hypomanic. (Unfortunately I left the box at work, and then called in because of the blowing snow on the gravel road, so I don’t have it Friday – Monday, and I skipped Thursday because I was losing sleep.)

Then Aaron and I met again with the intake specialist at the place I want to get therapy for IL6. His ADHD diagnosis was changed from “unspecified” to “attention and hyperactivity combined” (I already knew that, but the diagnosis is nice, I suppose.) He was also diagnosed with trauma (because of the pooping pain), and we will attack his anxiety about pooping from that angle. That seems a lot better than the approach his last therapist has used, which was “let’s relax and talk about pooping in the toilet” (he simply won’t talk about it). IL6 misses that therapist a lot, but possibly because of her magnetic tiles. Occupational therapy was suggested for IL6, but we already have an OT intake scheduled at another clinic (in January). Two other programs were suggested, one that will be a 6 month wait, and should only be done if little progress is being made. The other program was to discuss what other resources might be useful (that will be right away after IL6’s report is filed). I didn’t expect that much support for IL6, but at this point I’ll take it. This advanced school/clinic may be exactly what we need despite the wait lists.

After that, Aaron and I ran an errand and had lunch together. (We were celebrating his upcoming second interview.) Dad took us to Olive Garden for dinner. Then, Aaron, IL6, and I had a slumber party in his room, complete with a pillow fight.

D16 is worried about a speech coming up on Friday, and is stressed about her room having been emptied for the basement work. We had the electricians out on Thursday and Friday to move the circuit breaker to a safer (dryer and up-to-code) location.

Friday

Friday morning, I picked up IL6 from school and took him to speech therapy, only to find out it had been cancelled, and I either wasn’t properly told, or I didn’t take it off my calendar. So, instead, I took IL6 to McDonald’s and had lunch. Then I took dad to cardiac rehab.

In the evening, M12 and D15 left with their mom and IL6 and I went to a party at his school. He didn’t find the party very interesting, so we came home and sat in his room for the rest of the evening. To my shock and awe, Hero came and sat on my lap for a half hour. I don’t recall her ever, in almost 8 years of life, sitting on someone’s lap. I got photographic evidence.

Week’s Photos

Reading to myself

• Mr Ballen podcast
• Return of the Native, by Thomas Hardy
• Mahabharata

Reading to IL5

• Mobs Rule, by Nick Eliopulos
• Mermaid You Look, by Andres Miedoso
• A Troll Lot of Trouble, by Andres Miedoso
• New Pets on the Block, by Nick Eliopulos

D14 reading

• Neverseen, by Shannon Messenger (with me)
• Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan

Weight loss

X – 51.1 lbs

Media Completed

Mobs Rule

Desmond and Andres go to the aquarium and wonder why everyone is getting mesmerized by a song. As always, IL6 loves Desmond Cole. It’s his favorite series.

This story follows two cousins in a small town in England. The two each marry unfortunately, and they must navigate their poor choices. The beginning and end were long, but I rather liked most of the book. The ending surprised me, though it shouldn’t have.

Desmond and Andres discover a troll in a forest as they are trying to photograph birds. IL6 loved it.

News

Saturday

Saturday we celebrated IL6’s birthday. He opened presents (magnetic tiles, a toy crane, books, and LEGOs). We went to Olive Garden for his birthday meal, then he played with each toy. D15 helped put together the LEGOs before Aaron and I played with the little LEGO men with IL6. And, of course, we had cake. It was a cyclops with a cupcake eye. I cooked some jambalaya for the upcoming week and tried a new Brussels sprouts recipe (it was yummy).

Sunday

Sunday was a busy day. I got IL6 up at 6am, as he requested. This time, I carried him to the livingroom, dropped him on the couch, forced him to remain sitting, and pried his eyes open. After all this, I said “It’s 6 o’clock!” Suddenly his eyes snapped open, and he was really happy to be awake.

I went to church with dad at 8:15, then to the gym afterwards. I took M12 to Michaels to buy Christmas gifts for IL6 and D15, and then to Kohl’s to get a sweatshirt. I took dad to Barnes and Noble to buy a calendar for M12’s Christmas present.

After those errands, I was exhausted (mainly from not getting enough sleep), so I took a nap. While I was napping, M12 failed to go to band for the second week in a row. (He may get kicked out). I had reminded him earlier in the day, but I’m still sort of blaming myself.

I cooked shrimp for dinner and exercised on the stationary bike after dinner. Then it was time to put IL6 to bed.

Monday

Monday I had a lot to do because I was behind on all my goals due to the fluctuating mood of the past weeks. It started with a 2.5 hour intake appointment for IL6’s psychology clinic. And after all that talking, we didn’t finish, so there will be a follow-up appointment next week.

Then, I culled my to-do list to things that really ought to be done ASAP while Aaron directed the delivery of our new entertainment center that dad got us. (Our TV is mounted on the wall, but it’s a perfect size to place gaming consoles and IL5’s LEGOs.) Afterwards, Aaron and I ran errands.

Next, I cooked 3 pork chops for M12’s week’s worth of pork chop dinners, followed by chickpea tagine (recipe provided by a friend on LibraryThing). That will be my protein-packed lunches for a week or two.

While Aaron cooked chili for dinner, I wrote a few letters – a Letter Against Isolation, 1 letter to Michigan, and 1 letter to Massachusetts. (I’m way behind on my letter-writing right now.)

After dinner, Aaron and I attended a horribly rambling Zoom meeting about D15 process to get a driver’s license. It didn’t provide much good information – look at the Schoology page, pay $400 or else she won’t get a blue card, and a couple other snippets of information.

Then IL6 wanted to sit in his room for a while, so I read while he played on my phone. (I’m also behind on reading, so that was nice.)

Tuesday

Tuesday Aaron and I took the car to the mechanic. It was making a noise because the brake calipers had gone bad and we had metal-on-metal grinding. ($1200) Then, I saw my psychiatrist. She told me I was on the maximum effective dose on both my meds, but that she was going to raise one of the meds just in case I’m an outlier on effectiveness.

Following that, dad and I went to the gym, and then Aaron and I wrapped presents. IL6 was pretty excited about the presents under the tree and really wanted to know what I got him.

Immediately upon arriving IL6 wanted to play magnetic tiles for quite a long time, then went to sit in his bedroom with me. After a while, he and I did a homework assignment in which he had to decorate a gingerbread man. He made it look like Catnap from Poppy’s Playtime Chapter 3. We put it in a purple bodysuit, claws, ears, and a huge mouth.

M12 and D15 watched videos/TV.

Oh! And we got some good news. Minnesota Care (state insurance) had rejected the kids a while back, claiming that we hadn’t given them the appropriate paperwork. Today they called us and let us know they found the information, and they found the paperwork. So we’ll get thousands of dollars refund from the various bills we paid.

Wednesday

Wednesday, I took dad to his cardiac rehab appointment, then to a sporting goods shop to buy some dumbbells. Next, I called up all the providers at which we’ve paid bills for the kids and gave them the Minnesota state insurance information. That took most of the day.

I had about 30 minutes free, so I finished up a letter to Maine, and then picked up D15 from school (it was very cold out). Next, I picked up M12 from school and cooked dinner (chicken and squash – lima beans for dad, because he’s not adventurous).

I am beginning to believe the story that oatmeal decreased appetite (“nature’s Ozempic”). I started eating oatmeal when I heard that, in spite of it not being appetizing, and my diet has been easy to follow. But Monday I couldn’t fit it in to my schedule, and Tuesday I was really struggling between meals, to the point where I was eating Doritos. So I cooked my golden potatoes early, to calm my stomach before dinner. I’m going to be more careful about getting my oatmeal in.

In the evening, the kids played computer games and watched TV. I read to D15.

Thursday

Thursday I took dad to the gym for his personal trainer appointment. Then I ran some errands, met with the electrician with Aaron, and had D15’s IEP meeting. I think we agreed to take her out of the special education class and let her have that extra elective next year. In the evening, IL6 had a pajama party with the Cub Scouts.

Friday

Friday I had Buffalo Wild Wings with Aaron in order to get out of the house and away from dad. He was being VERY rude. Then I took dad to cardiac rehab. Then I cooked salmon for dinner. I wrote a letter to Indiana, and fell asleep while putting IL6 to bed. I did not get to read to him. 😱

Week’s Photos

Reading to myself

• Behave, by Robert Sapolsky
• Return of the Native, by Robert Hardy
• Warmth of Other Suns, by Isabel Wilkerson
• Carpe Jugulum, by Terry Pratchett

Reading to IL5

• Mobs Rule, by Nick Eliopulos

D14 reading

• Neverseen, by Shannon Messenger (I’m reading this with her)
• When You Trap a Tiger, by Tae Keller

Weight loss

Lost 1/2 pound

Media Completed

This book chronicles the Great Migration of black people from the South to the North. It follows the story of 3 migrants, with historical commentary in between. It is a really good narrative history, with lots of research. I generally read history books that are more academic, but this one was a nice change.

This book is an African fantasy about a kingdom where magic has been stolen by the royalty, and a girl and her friends go on a quest to bring it back. It was really interesting all the way through, and I am excited about the rest of the books, though the ending was a bit drawn out.

News

Saturday

Saturday, Aaron and I played D&D (we almost TPK’d). Then, Aaron played on the computer with IL5 and dad and I went to the gym. Then I got some reading done.

Sunday

Sunday, I was tired. IL5 had repeatedly woken me up overnight asking how much longer till 6 o’clock. Then in church I couldn’t stand during service. I took a nap when I got home, and then wanted to go mini-golfing (which my original plan for earlier in the day). I accidentally had us out mini-golfing when M12 was supposed to be at rehearsal for his band. 😱 The combination of the holiday weekend and feeling lightheaded totally blipped it from my mind. Later in the afternoon, I played LEGO with IL5, and then sat in his room with him for a while (since he doesn’t like being in there alone).

Monday

Monday I took dad to his cardiac rehab. Then I cooked a weeks’ worth of food for me and M12 At the same time, I called the clinic where IL5 got his OT referral. They wanted to switch him to PT, but I assured them that I wanted OT. She said she’d ask OT if that’s something they’d do, and call back. So instead of going to the gym, I had to sit next to my phone and wait for a call. But I got him scheduled in January. In the evening, I cooked chicken.

IL5 got angry in art class and threw a stool. They had to empty the classroom until the principal came and got him. He now knows that throwing a stool is not a good way to respond to anger. He was angry that his T-rex’s legs were too small. When he got home, I told him the legs were fine, it just looked like it was jumping. He yelled at me that it wasn’t jumping, then drew a trampoline and hung it on the fridge.

In the evening, IL5 relaxed with some videos. That is also what D15 did. And M12 went to Boy Scouts, or whatever they call it.

Tuesday

Tuesday, Aaron and I ran a lot of errands. We went to three different grocery stores to get the ingredients for jambalaya. We returned some Amazon-bought shoes that were way to big for Loki. We bought a cute Christmas tree star.

I went to the gym with dad. He had a personal trainer appointment, and I was on the treadmill and lifted weights with my legs.

M12 had his first jazz band rehearsal. He was worried I wouldn’t know, and would call 911 on him again (mind you, when I did that last year it was because he was specifically told to come home directly after school, and he stayed for something he didn’t know he had to do, and he didn’t call to let me know). I feel that if M12 was worried I’d call 911, he should have called me Tuesday.

IL5 wrote a letter to Operation Santa. In case you’re unfamiliar with it, USPS collects letters to Santa, and posts them on the internet. People can adopt a letter, and send a present. IL5 asked for a toy crane, a balloon for punching when he gets angry (instead of throwing a stool in art class and getting the room cleared out), and a roomba. Then he asked for a jacket, shoes, and catfood. I’m like “great, some good Samaritan is going to adopt him and think we don’t have the resources to buy him a jacket, shoes, and catfood.” 🤷‍♀️

Then my friend Liz came over and we ate pizza and watched Doctor Who. My nephew J20 was there for the pizza.

When getting ready for bed, IL5 asked if birds fart. Aaron and I decided that they have intestines and gut bacteria, so they probably fart. But it’s a good question.

Wednesday

Wednesday I woke not feeling well. I couldn’t tell if it was depression or illness. I bullied through work in the morning, and sat useless until it was time to take dad to his appointment. Aaron had to go get D15 because she wasn’t feeling well, either (which I suspect was also depression, in retrospect). I dropped dad off at his appointment. My sister was going to pick him up.

Aaron had a second interview (by video) in the afternoon, and then we went out to BWW to celebrate. After that, I took a 3 hour nap. When I awake, the kids were home, watching TV.

Thursday

Thursday, I took dad to his primary care physician. Aaron, dad, and D15 (who had a mental health day) went to Perkins while I made calls and ran errands.

Then I took M12 to his eating psychologist. She said he’d gained 2 pounds since last time, but that since starting at the eating disorder clinic he has gone from 19th percentile BMI to 16th percentile. They want him to be at 25th percentile. Now, I don’t mind him being at the weight he is, as long as he doesn’t lose weight or become thinner. So it was upsetting to hear his BMI percentile had actually gone down. But, finally, I decided that probably many boys got more muscular when they went through puberty, and M12 didn’t, because he’s naturally not muscular, so his percentile would go down without him getting thinner. So that’s ok.

Then I talked to IL5’s gastroenterologist’s nurse. She was worried that IL5 doesn’t poop every day (give me a break, isn’t every other day ok?), and IL5 has frequently been going 4-5 days without pooping (today he’s on day 6). So they want us to do a gut cleanout at home this weekend (which is IL5’s birthday). So, yay to lots of poop on your birthday?

In the evening, IL5 went to Cub Scouts and I read to D15.

Friday

Friday I took IL5 to speech therapy and then dad to cardiac rehab. Following that, Aaron and I took IL5 to see Santa. We stood in line in the cold for over an hour, but we got to Santa right before he was about to leave. Then I cooked some chicken in preparation for making jambalaya on Saturday. I promised IL5 I’d wake him up at 6am because he thinks it’s a magical time between night and morning, but despite much shaking, and moving around, and calling his name, he wouldn’t wake up. In the morning, he cried real tears about not waking up, so I promised I would force him to wake up at 6am.

Week’s Photos

Reading to myself

• The Week: Wrecking Crew
• Behave, by Robert Sapolsky
• Carpe Jugulum, by Terry Pratchett
• Children of Blood and Bone, by Tomi Adeyemi
• Return of the Native, by Thomas Hardy
• Warmth of Other Suns, by Isabel Wilkerson

Reading to IL5

• Who Wants I Scream, by Andres Miedoso
• Mobs Rule, by Nick Eliopulos
• The Bubble Gum Blob, by Andres Miedoso

D14 reading

• Neverseen, by Shannon Messenger (I’m reading this to her)
• Unraveled, by Shannon Messenger

Weight loss

Lost .9 pounds

Media Completed

On this hot summer day, all Andres and Desmond want is a nice ice cream cone. But the ice cream wants them, too. Cute, as always.

When a new kind of bubble gum starts circulating through Kersville Elementary, only Andres isn’t drawn in. Cute, as always.

News

Saturday

Saturday, M12 spent all day working on his HAM Radio Merit Badge. Aaron and I took IL5 to the McDonald’s Playplace and then to buy a turkey for Thanksgiving and a balloon for D14’s birthday celebration. The rest of the day was spent recuperating from a stressful week.

Sunday

Sunday I took M12 to Barnes and Noble and picked out a book for his present, and then paid for it myself. So I’m pretty sure that counts as a gift from me. But he took the credit. 🤣😂 It’s hard picking books for her.

M12 went to band, and then we celebrated D14’s birthday. We celebrated early so we could separate the birthday cakes out by a little longer. IL5’s birthday is a week after hers. Then D14 picked The Truman Show to watch together. Afterwards, she went downstairs and M12 played on his tablet, so IL5 and I watched Jurassic Park. He hid his face a few times, but was generally pretty excited about the movie. Apparently he takes more after his mom than his dad as far as scary movies go.

Monday

Monday I took dad to cardiac rehab and then to a fitness center to get him a silver sneakers membership. He also got a personal trainer. Then I ran errands with Aaron, followed by a phone call to a major clinic to get IL5 on the psychology wait list. Apparently, the person that I talked to earlier was wrong about the wait. (She said two months) The system is a mess. First, I wait zero to 3 months for an initial assessment. Then, after the 2 hour assessment, I get to call daily to see if there are any openings for a psychologist until eventually I get one. It sounds like a lovely system, since it’s a half hour wait on hold each time I’ll call. I’ll probably keep looking in the meantime.

After roast for dinner, Aaron and I watched a little Supernatural M22 watched YouTube, IL5 wrote a book (fanfic of the Minecraft book we’re currently reading) and watched YouTube, and D14 worked on a puzzle.

Tuesday

Tuesday I spent the morning making phone calls. I was trying to find a psychologist for IL5 in shorter time than half a year, and with less effort than being on hold a half hour daily. But there were no openings anywhere. Then I called the clinic that would be doing IL5’s OT, and spent almost an hour at “spot 2 in queue” before getting an answer. Then they told me the referral hadn’t come through.

Then I went to the gym with dad. I got a membership as his gift, while he did his trainer appointment. I spent the rest of the time on the treadmill.

After that, Aaron and I ran errands. We bought D14 a new bed that would fit in her room better. It will be delivered after the asbestos tiles are removed in January. The other errands were rather mundane.

I made some salmon for dinner, and then relaxed for the rest of the night. All three kids watched YouTube.

Wednesday

Wednesday I was sleepy all day, and the kids were home from school. First, I took dad to his appointment, and left him there for my sister to pick him up. I went to the gym for a while. Then I fell asleep on the couch. In the evening, I brined the turkey in the evening, then read to D14. Other than that, the kids brain rotted all day. I think Aaron napped most of the day? I wasn’t paying attention to him.

Thursday

Happy Thanksgiving! After work, I rushed over to the gym to get a workout on the treadmill before cooking the feast. We had turkey, corn casserole, asparagus, sausage and veggies, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and pie. (The pie was store-bought.) My friend Liz came over to join us. IL5 even ate some turkey after I picked off every stray herb.

Friday

Friday I was busy catching up on some of my goals for the week early in the day, plus IL5 took at lot of my time after 5pm, so I didn’t get my exercise in. That was the first time for the week, so I did pretty well. I wrote a letter to Letters Against Isolation (which had to be mailed by the 30th), and a letter to Pennsylvania. I took dad to an appointment. And I read. IL5 relaxed, as did Aaron.

Week’s Photos

Reading to myself

• Children of Blood and Bone, by Tomi Adeyemi
• Return of the Native, by Thomas Hardy
• Warmth of Other Suns, by Isabel Wilkerson
• Carpe Jugulum, by Terry Pratchett
• The Week: Wrecking Crew
• Behave, by Robert Sapolsky

Reading to IL5

• Last Block Standing, by Nick Eliopulos
• Crack in the Code, by Nick Eliopulos

D14 reading

• This Lie Will Kill You, by Chelsea Pitcher
• Neverseen, by Shannon Messenger (I’m reading this with D14)

Weight loss

Cross-stitch

Media Completed

This is the 5th book in the Woodsword Chronicles, a Minecraft series that IL5 really enjoyed. It doesn’t really end the story, though. It leaves a thread hanging for the follow-up series.

IL5 picked this from his school library. After reading it, he decided it was very short. It would be considering I read him mainly 3rd grade chapter books. This was a cute story, though.

This is the first book in the Stonesword Chronicles, which is the follow-up of the Woodsword Chronicles. Like the first book, it is about teamwork. IL5 enjoyed it so much that he wrote a fanfic of it.

News

Saturday

Saturday I played D&D and read. I also looked up more about the government’s/Harvard/Mayo recommendations on diet, and discovered I’ve not been including enough grain, and eat too much meat. With the huge amount of grain suggested by dieticians, the 30g of fiber is reachable.

M12 was still at Boy Scout camp, D14 watched a lot of Dexter, and IL5 played on his phone. Aaron played D&D with me.

Sunday

Sunday Aaron, dad, IL5, and I went to the zoo. IL5 wanted to see the bears, but they weren’t out. Maybe hibernating? Then we went to see the bats, which IL5 says are his favorite zoo animal. IL5 was very disappointed that the playground was closed for the season.

M12 came home from Boy Scout camp, and D14 played D&D.

Monday

Monday didn’t feel like Monday. D14 said it felt like Tuesday. I thought it felt like Sunday. Even though I did weekday stuff.

I dropped dad off at cardiac rehab (my sister wanted to pick him up). Then Aaron and I ran some errands. I went shopping with D14 to buy her birthday presents from dad (formal dress) and me (shoes with lower heels). Driving home was terrifying because it was dark and raining hard and the lines on the highway were so old they didn’t have reflective properties. But I clutched the steering wheel hard and didn’t let D14 know we were about to die. The rest of the evening, I spent coming down from that anxiety only to have to drive again to work. Though a good part of that drive had good lines…only the last couple miles had old lines. M12 had Boy Scouts. IL5 wrote a letter to his grandma (Popo).

Tuesday

Tuesday I did a lot of little tasks on my to do list, then relaxed for the second half of the day. IL5 was in a playful mood, and we played airplane (where I carried him around as a plane) and we played our dinosaur game on my phone. M12 hid in his bedroom so I wouldn’t tell him to do stuff. And D14 watched Doctor Who with my friend Liz, Aaron, and me.

Wednesday

Wednesday I took dad to his cardiac rehab appointment, then he took Aaron and me to Perkins, where I blew most of my planned calories for the day. Afterwards, I talked to an administrative assistant at Children’s Hospital psychology department about finding IL5 a therapist to deal with a fear IL5 has. His last psychologist discharged him as a hopeless cause, and IL5’s doctor wanted us to try a different psychologist. In order to get on their 6 month waitlist, I needed to get a referral from a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital – meaning I had to switch pediatricians. Nope. And what’s with a 6 month waitlist? How can so many people be willing to set aside helping their kids for half a year? Fraser, another really good place to go, only had a two month waitlist.

In the evening, IL5 played a computer game, M12 prepared for his HAM Radio Merit Badge, and D14 watched Dexter. I started writing a letter, but was unsuccessful due to conversations.

Thursday

Thursday was filled with a lot of stress about interviewing a psychologist for IL5. She suggested occupational therapy in addition to psychology. And suggested the school psychologist. I called the school psychologist, who said she doesn’t deal with that kind of thing.

The endocrinologist and physical therapist agreed that occupational therapy was a good idea, and I got a referral for the same place IL5 had that occupational therapist for eating that disliked him. So I need to be careful not to get her this time.

Now I still need to find a psychologist because I’m not sure the person I interviewed is interested.

Friday

Friday I took IL5 to speech therapy. He had an articulation assessment and came up 2nd percentile. That’s down from 3rd Percentile a year ago. But he tries.

Then I took dad to cardiac rehab, where he said he broke a sweat for the first time since starting.

D14 went to her mom’s for the weekend, IL5 watched YouTube and M12 played on the computer.

Week’s Photos

Reading to myself

• Behave, by Robert Sapolsky
• Carpe Jugulum, by Terry Pratchett
• The Week: After the Beating
• Warmth of Other Suns, by Isabel Wilkerson
• Return of the Native, by Thomas Hardy

Reading to IL5

• Last Block Standing, by Nick Eliopulos
• The Vampire Ate My Homework, by Andres Miedoso

D14 reading

• Neverseen, by Shannon Messenger (with me)

Weight loss

Media Completed

This is the final book of the Woodsword Chronicles. Our team learns compassion and trust in this book. IL5 loved it.

Andres and Desmond suspect their teacher is a vampire. Cute. IL5 is really enjoying these.

News

Saturday

Saturday was a pretty low-key day. So low-key, that the lack of occupation was hard on my mood. After our weekly talk with my mother-in-law, Aaron and I got all ready to take IL5 to the park. But when we went outside it had started raining. So we took him to the McDonald’s playplace instead. D14 watched a bunch of Grey’s Anatomy, which further depressed my mood, because it has so much drama and death. I wrote a couple letters, and that was it.

Sunday

Sunday I kept myself busy to avoid the nonstop Grey’s Anatomy D14 watched on the TV. (I find the drama annoying, and it had been non-stop 3 days in a row.) I wrote 3 letters, read, and completed my task list. I played dinosaurs and Pokemon battle with IL5, as well as building a cat maze of boxes with him. Dad took us out to dinner in the evening. M12 went to band after he got back from his mom’s.

Monday

Monday I kept myself very busy. And I told D14 that she couldn’t use her fourth day off in a row to watch hours of Grey’s Anatomy. She started Dexter instead, which is much less melodramatic. In the morning, Aaron and I ran some errands, and then took dad to Olive Garden for his free Veteran’s Day meal. In the afternoon, I took dad to cardiac rehab. I cooked steak for dinner, “finger battled” with IL5, (that involved putting Duplos on our fingers and trying to knock off the other’s Duplos.) and read to D14. M12 went to Boy Scouts to plan for his camp this weekend.

Tuesday

Tuesday I had a date with Aaron. We ate burritos and watched Supernatural.

Wednesday

Wednesday I was feeling pretty down, and I have been for over a month now. Feeling depressed so long without concurrent hypomania is odd for me. Not sure what to do about it.

I took dad to his cardiac rehab and got some reading done. Dad wanted to order a pizza, so I ate more than my allowance of calories for the day.

M12 had Anime club and D&D. D14 watched some Dexter. IL5 made an amusement park with Duplos. Aaron had a job interview.

Thursday

I was depressed on Thursday. I took dad to his cardiac rehab appointment and cooked salmon. That’s about it. D14 watched Dexter, and M12 and IL5 watched YouTube.

Friday

Friday I took dad to see his cardiologist, then ran errands with Aaron. In the evening, Aaron made chili, D14 watched Dexter and M12 went to Boy Scout camp.

Reading to myself

• The Week: America’s Choice
• Behave, by Robert Sapolsky
• Carpe Jugulum, by Terry Pratchett
• Warmth of Other Suns, by Isabel Wilkerson
• Children of Blood and Bone, by Tomi Adeyemi
• Return of the Native, by Thomas Hardy

Reading to IL5

• Minecraft: Dungeon Crawl
• Escape from the Roller Ghoster, by Andres Miedoso
• Beware the Werewolf, by Andres Miedoso

D14 reading

• The Fire Keeper’s Daughter, by Angeline Boulley
• Neverseen, by Shannon Messenger (with me)

Weight loss

I gained back 10 of my 50 lost pounds, so have started counting calories, carbs, fiber, and fruit & vegetable servings again. Even if I manage 5 servings of fruits and vegetables as well as eat a bowl of oatmeal, I still don’t reach 30g of fiber. What’s with that recommendation? And 5 fruits and veggies are hard to get to without skipping my meat, which, according to health recommendations, I already don’t eat enough of. I am a bit skeptical of these recommendations.

Media Completed

In the penultimate book of this series, our daring group ventures into a dungeon, looking for the source of the Evoker King’s power. IL5 is very much enjoying this Minecraft-themed 4th grade reading level series.

Desmond and Andres go to a haunted amusement park. Again, IL5 loved this book (the 11th in the series).

In this 12th book of the Desmond Cole series, Andres and Desmond find a puppy…but then a werewolf finds it, too. IL5 loves these Desmond Cole books.

News

Saturday

Saturday was pretty calm, except for a quick run to the pharmacy so IL5 and I could get COVID and flu shots. He didn’t like that very much. Then Aaron and I had D&D. I started falling asleep during the second half of it, and then continued to fall asleep during dinner at Red Lobster. D14 then went to the fall formal at her high school while IL5 and M12 watched YouTube. I wrote a letter.

Sunday

Sunday was a calm day. I went to iHop with dad for breakfast. M12 and Aaron emptied out the storage closet downstairs – putting everything in the garage. I tried to get IL5 interested in going to the library, but no such luck. Unfortunately it was too cold and rainy for the park. I wrote a few letters and prepared for Dungeons and Dragons with the family, but then D14 didn’t want to play. So I relaxed until it was time to put IL5 to bed.

Monday

Monday I ran some errands with Aaron, then we ate lunch together. We spent some time cleaning the basement until IL5 got home. Then IL5 and I went to McDonald’s to meet his friends. They played in the Playplace and I sat and talked to their mom. In the evening, D14 watched Grey’s Anatomy, IL5 played on the computer, and M12 had a Boy Scout meeting.

Tuesday

Tuesday, I took dad to cardiac rehab, then to vote, then to the mall to walk around a couple of times. He bought some LEGO for IL5’s birthday next month. He’ll buy D14 a formal dress so she will have more than 2 for dances, and I will buy her some dress flats so that she doesn’t have to wear her heals. We’ll go on a shopping trip later in the month. After the mall walk, my friend Liz came over and we all (besides IL5 and M12) watched Doctor Who.

Wednesday

Wednesday I didn’t do very much. I was in a state of denial, I think. I did dad’s laundry and ran to the grocery store with Aaron. We went to parent teacher conferences for the boys. Both of them are doing well. IL5’s teacher says he’s a delight to have in the classroom because he’s so happy, which is what we’ve heard from teachers in the past. And M12 is getting all A’s except one class where he didn’t hand in an important assignment.

Thursday

Thursday I was in a zombie state all day. But I managed to finish my cleaning and reading goals for the week. Then I took dad to an appointment. I cooked dinner, and relaxed for the rest of the evening. IL5 had Cub Scouts.

Friday

Friday I took IL5 to speech therapy. Then I ran some errands, followed by my yearly physical. I’m 45 this year, so it’s my first colon test. After that, Aaron and I took IL5 to get a blood draw for his thyroid indicators. He took it like a champ. M12 went to his mom’s, and D14 watched Grey’s Anatomy. I wrote a couple letters, played Pokemon battle with IL5, and then got ready for bed.

Week’s Photos

Reading to myself

• Behave, by Robert Sapolsky
• Roam, by C H Armstrong
• Return of the Native, by Thomas Hardy
• Children of Blood and Bone, by Tomi Adeyemi
• Warmth of Other Suns, by Isabel Wilkerson
• Carpe Jugulum, by Terry Pratchett

Reading to IL5

• Should I Share my Ice Cream, by Mo Willems
• Stitch Head: The Forgotten Creation, by Guy Bass
• The Gruffalo, by Julia Donaldson
• Dungeon Crawl, by Nick Eliopulos

D14 reading

• Stalking Jack the Ripper, by Kerri Maniscalco
• Can You See Me, by Libby Scott and Rebecca Westcott

Media Completed

Stitch Head was brought to almost-life by his Master, and best friend. But then his Master forgot about Stitch Head, and started creating other creatures. Stitch Head stayed loyal through the years, hoping to be remembered. IL5 saw this at a book store and really wanted it. Then he loved it! This is maybe a 3rd or 4th grade reading level, which is higher than I usually go for reading to IL5, but he was able to follow it and stay interested.

Abby moves to Minnesota, and lives with her family in a van while attending high school. This book had a good message (understanding the perspective of a homeless teen), but it also has every high school movie trope possible, and has cheesy dialogue.

News

Saturday

On Saturday, dad and I went to my uncle David and aunt Virginia’s house. My cousin Jeff stopped by, as well. We had a lovely talk, and a nice dinner at a Mexican restaurant. I got lots of cross-stitch done.

Sunday

Sunday dad and I spent all day with my aunt and uncle. We went to Olive Garden for a late lunch. I met my cousin’s girlfriend. She seemed nice. I got lots of cross-stitch finished. I chatted with my friend Todd’s mom about his death, as well as with Todd’s ex-boyfriend.

Monday

Monday, dad and I packed up and hauled ourselves to Minnesota. When we got there, we had a quick dinner out with the family. Then we dropped dad at home and picked pumpkins for carving.

Tuesday

Tuesday after my overnight job, I pushed to finish a bunch of tasks that I would have done over the 4 days I was gone (I didn’t finish it all). Then I picked up IL5 for a gastroenterologist appointment that happened in the car. We made some minor changes to our laxative regimen, and decided to follow up in December.

Then I took a break and wrote a letter, followed by picking IL5 up for an audiologist appointment. He hadn’t cooperated six months ago with one of the exercises, so we brought him in to finish up his checkup. This time, he cooperated. He’s on a cooperation roll recently!

After the appointment, I worked again on task catch-up, while Aaron cooked chili. After dinner, we carved pumpkins, and I saved the seeds for roasting. Everyone loved their pumpkin. I started another letter and helped IL5 play Wordscapes, which is his new favorite game. D14 watched Grey’s Anatomy, and M12 enjoyed his first day of not being grounded in 2 weeks by watching YouTube on his tablet.

Wednesday

Wednesday, Aaron and I ran to JoAnn Fabrics and bought some floss to finish up my cross-stitch project and to prepare for my next project (a baby Creeper for IL5). Then we went to Target to buy Halloween candy.

In the afternoon, I took dad to his Cardiac Rehab appointment, and made 24 more. So my schedule is filling up!

I cooked meatloaf for dinner then played trains with IL5, as M12 watched YouTube and D14 watched Grey’s Anatomy. D14 had gone to her Science of the Mind club after school.

Thursday

Thursday started out with an appointment at my dad’s primary care physician. Afterwards, I ran errands with Aaron and then had lunch with him while we were getting an oil change. I cooked chicken for dinner, and then the kids got ready for trick or treating. IL5’s blow-up costume was adorable and hilarious but it malfunctioned about 45 minutes in to trick-or-treating so we took it off. They all got a good stash.

Friday

Friday was busy. About the time I was supposed to leave work, my replacement called and said she had slept in. That was inconvenient timing, since IL5 had an appointment. But what to do? I decided to warm the car up so it didn’t have frost when she arrived (quick exit), but my key wouldn’t go in the lock (my fob doesn’t work, and the lock was frozen). After pondering my options, I decided to try warming the lock with my hand. That worked, but then left me wondering what I’d do if that happened when it was below zero. So I bought battery-operated hair dryers – one for work and one for home.

I managed to get IL5 to his first appointment with minutes to spare, then he had a second appointment immediately after that. After dropping him off at school, I almost immediately took dad to his appointment. That ended just on time to get home around the time IL5’s bus arrived. When he was off the bus, Aaron and I went to the mechanic to pick up our car.

The evening was less eventful. I cooked dinner, wrote a letter, and read. IL5 and M12 watched YouTube while D14 played a computer game.

Week’s Photos

Reading to myself

• Africa Risen (anthology)
• The Week: Conjuring Demons
• Study in Scarlet, by Arthur Conan Doyle
• Warmth of Other Suns, by Isabel Wilkerson
• The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer
• The Week: Battle of the Sexes
• Roam, by C H Armstrong

Reading to IL5

• Stitch Head: The Forgotten Creation, by Guy Bass

D14 reading

• As Good as Dead, by Holly Jackson
• Stalking Jack the Ripper, Kerry Maniscalco

Cross-stitch

Media Completed

This is an speculative fiction anthology written by Africans. Most of the stories take place in Africa – some in the US. The stories were mostly really good, though there were a couple that were too abstract for me. I don’t usually listen to / read short stories because I feel they’re too abstract for me, though. I like lots of development. So don’t worry about that opinion if you like short stories.

Dr Watson meets Sherlock Holmes. They investigate a murder. This was a well-written book, though it had a digression in it that didn’t make much sense at the time. I was left with a couple of negative impressions, though. First, Sherlock Holmes was a bit of a conceited ass, which surprised me since so many people love his character. Second, Doyle doesn’t like Mormons very much.

William Kamkwamba grew up impoverished in a village in Malawi, and his family had no money to send him to school. So he read at a nearby school library. When he discovered a design for a windmill, he decided to build one for his home. His success brought the world’s attention. I listened to the young readers’ version of this book since I had originally bought it for M12. I listened to it with my dad while driving. It was a good, well-written story of a struggle to overcome odds.

News

Saturday

Saturday, Aaron and I played D&D. We had a new player join, so that was great. Then a miracle happened: IL5 let us get him a hair cut! He hasn’t let us do that in a year. I was almost disappointed to cut off all that pretty hair. But it’s not in his eyes anymore. Afterwards, I wrote a letter and took a nap.

Sunday

Sunday I went with dad to Walmart. I hate Walmart, and have an anxiety attack almost every time I go, but Sunday I got through a large shopping trip with only a few frustrated mumbles. We got a size up in clothes for IL5 and M12 and winter gear for the kids. D14 and M12 were both thrilled with their gloves, as I decided to get them both comfortable gloves instead of water-proof gloves. They’ve apparently never experienced this phenomenon before.

In the evening, dad had chest pains which didn’t go away after 3 Nitroglycerin, so we called 911, and off he went to the hospital. He was checked in overnight.

Monday

Monday all three kids had an appointment with the same doctor at 7:15am, which meant I had to get up at 6:30 to make sure D14 didn’t walk out the door to school. That was difficult when I was at the ER till 12:30.

Afterwards, I headed to the hospital and stayed there till 4pm, when they took dad to get his angiogram. The procedure was successful and they put in a stent. Dad stayed another night in the hospital.

I relaxed for the rest of the day. M12 worked on a geography project (not a school assignment), D14 watched Grey’s Anatomy, and IL5 played with LEGO. I also read to D14.

Tuesday

Tuesday had a relaxing couple of hours after work in the morning. Then I took M12 to the dentist. He passed with flying colors. (D14 had an appointment that Aaron took her to, but she had a “on watch” spot for which she got a special toothpaste.)Afterwards, I headed to the hospital to pick dad up.

The hospital stay was 3 hours. On the way there I got a call from the the hospitalist, who told me that dad did have a heart attack when he came in (as I suspected from his troponin levels), but that he would be released that day. While I was waiting, a friend of my former friend Todd  contacted me to ask if I knew about Todd’s death. He said he’s been hearing Todd died for a couple weeks, but he didn’t know if his friends were messing with him. I texted Todd’s mom to give condolences, but she didn’t answer. I know I haven’t talked to him for almost a year, and that he was OD’ing several times a week by the time I stopped talking to him, but it was still really sad to hear.

On top of that, my former client’s son called to say his mom (my client), who was unfairly taken away from him, was declining fast in the home which the state threw her into. I was expecting that, since she was frail and confused, and people die pretty quickly when they are taken away from their familiar environments. But it was still sad to hear.

Then, the nurse came in and told us why dad has a black eye. Apparently his heart stopped during the angiogram and they resuscitated him. When his heart started again, he jerked and banged his head. I was pretty upset to find out the doctor had lied to me when she said the angiogram was uneventful.

Anyway, they finally let us leave the hospital with a whole bunch of discharge instructions. I quickly filled med boxes using his new instructions (it was med box day, so M12 and I also had ones to fill). Then my friend Liz came over and we watched Doctor Who. I played trains with Loki until it was time to go back to work.

Wednesday

Wednesday was a calm day. I did some chores, wrote some letters, and took dad to an appointment. He’s been discharged from peripheral artery disease PT and put on cardiac rehab. So I had to cancel a whole bunch of appointments and will have to set up a whole bunch more.

D14 went to a club and learned how to count cards in blackjack. M12 did some yardwork (removing rocks from a bed so we can put in wood chips). IL5 played Spore.

Thursday

Thursday was uneventful. After my overnight job, I ran errands with Aaron. Then I took IL5 to the dentist, wrote a few letters, and cooked dinner. D14 had D&D club, which she enjoyed. IL5 had Cub Scouts.

Friday

On Friday after my overnight job I drove 8 hours with my dad. We ate dinner at a hipster restaurant, then crashed at a hotel.

Week’s Photos

Reading to myself

• Warmth of Other Suns, by Isabel Wilkerson
• Roam, by C H Armstrong
• Study in Scarlet, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• Life, the Universe, and Everything, by Douglas Adams
• Mr Ballen Podcast
• The Week: Conjuring Demons
• Africa Risen

Reading to IL5

• Stitch Head The Forgotten Creation, by Guy Bass
• Fly Guy’s Amazing Tricks, by Ted Arnold

D14 reading

• Good Girl, Bad Blood, by Holly Jackson
• Can You See Me, by Libby Scott and Rebecca Westcott
• Neverseen, by Shannon Messenger

Media Completed

In this classic of science fiction, our brave travelers save the universe. Just as funny as the first 2.