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.

News

Saturday

Saturday, M12, dad, and my mother-in-law went on a walk. I had lunch with my friend Liz. She updated me on her brother’s hospital stay (he’s not psychotic anymore). We discussed our bookclub book, “The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone.”

When I returned, my dad, my mother-in-law, Aaron, D14, IL5, and I went to the zoo. We went to see the bats for IL5, but saw the tropical animals and the sharks, too. D14 was excited to touch the sea anemones and starfish, as apparently that exhibit is usually closed.

In the evening, we had swordfish for dinner. D14 went to be cast in the school play. I finished reading “The Ghast in the Machine” to IL5.

Sunday

Sunday, we relaxed. M12 went on a walk with dad and my mother-in-law. I wrote a letter. D14 played D&D. Everyone except D14 went out to dinner. Then D14, mother-in-law, Aaron, and I played “Ticket to Ride.”

Monday

Monday, I took dad to see the vascular surgeon. He said the same thing the vascular doctor said – that dad doesn’t need surgery. So I’m at a loss as to why we were referred to him. Dad and I then killed some time at Barnes and Noble – buying two books for each D14 and IL5 (M12 doesn’t read). Afterwards, we went to dad’s PT.

D14 was pleased when she got home because she’d auditioned for the new school play. It will be “The 25th Annual Putnum County Spelling Bee.” She will find out tomorrow.

In the evening, Aaron, my mother-in-law, the kids, and I went to the Jack ‘o Lantern Spectacular at the zoo. 2000 carved pumpkins were on display – some of them very intricate. I thought it was going to be a bust because M12 was complaining about having to go. Then once we got there, IL5 wanted to go to the playground instead of on the jack ‘o lantern walk. But we herded them both in, and both boys really enjoyed the pumpkins. D14 was a little overstimulated by the end, and she’d been the one who was excited.

This was my mother-in-law’s last night with us, as she returns home on Tuesday.

Tuesday

Tuesday I went on a walk with dad. It was about 1 mile at 45 minutes per mile. He was pretty exhausted at the end. I had lunch with Aaron. In the evening, Aaron and I took IL5 to a park after dark, because we’d promised we would. He tripped in the dark and scratched his face. He now thinks parks are more fun in the daytime.

Wednesday

Wednesday I rode the exercise bike for the first time in a long time. I even rode 5 minutes longer than I intended. Later, I took dad to an appointment. Afterwards, we went to lunch. When IL5 got home, I took him to a playdate, which he really enjoyed. M12 weeded and prepared a bed for fresh wood chips. Then He played D&D. I read to D14. She didn’t get a callback for the play, but they could cast her in a smaller part, still.

Thursday

Thursday, I jumped on the exercise bike when I got home from work. Two days in a row! I took M12 to an appointment, and found out that he’d lost one pound. He’s probably not eating his snacks at school. I should write his teachers and have them spy on him in a week or so (after he’s gotten over losing a pound). Of course, there’s really no way of getting him to eat snacks at school. I guess I should just make him eat once an hour when he gets home?

Aaron had a meeting with a potential employer was offered a job. I think he’s eager to try out the new type of work, but it’s only part time for the first couple of months. Then, if he’s a good fit, he can switch to full time. He’d probably make more money than unemployment that way, but I worry that if it doesn’t work out, the amount of unemployment we get afterwards will be drastically reduced, because it’ll only be half of his part time earnings. Oh well.

We are also starting to suffer the consequences of switching insurance and having to start with the deductible again. IL5’s and D14’s weekly appointments are adding up. And the deductible will start all over again in January.

After Aaron’s meeting, Aaron, D14, M12, and I played Goonies Never Say Die. Then I got my bedroom and IL5’s room clean – I am 15 minutes short of my weekly cleaning goal. I’ll have to figure out what to do on Friday.

Friday

Friday was pretty calm. After my overnight job, I ran some errands, then took dad to an appointment. Then dad and I met Aaron at a favorite restaurant that we can’t take the kids to (they’re too picky). In the evening, Aaron gamed and dad and I watched The Visit. IL5 was tired, and screamed through the whole movie, so I didn’t read to him for very long at bedtime. Which is a shame, because I had some good reading planned.

Week’s Photos

Reading to myself

• Behave, by Robert Sapolsky
• The Week: Abortion Activist?
• Mr Ballen Podcast
• Life, the Universe, and Everything, by Douglas Adams
• The Warmth of Other Suns, by Isabel Wilkerson
• Roam, by C H Armstrong
• Maskerade, by Terry Pratchett

Reading to IL5

• The Ghast in the Machine, by Nick Eliopulos
• Ghouls Just Want to Have Fun, by Andres Miedoso
• Fly Guy’s Amazing Tricks, by Tedd Arnold
• Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Sleigh, by Mo Williams

D14 reading

• The Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, by Holly Jackson
• Neverseen, by Shannon Messenger

Media Completed

In the 11th book of IL5’s favorite series, Desmond and Andre have a dance off with the Boogieman.

In this witches book, Agnes/Perdita runs off to Ankh-Morpork to sing opera. But Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg have different ideas. Funny, as usual.

WTF

Games Played

News

Saturday

Saturday I woke up exhausted again, and then had a run-in with M12, who has been repeatedly acting impulsive. He was already grounded for 3 weeks before his most recent impulsive behavior, so I had to think of something more creative for a consequence. He is now my servent for the next two months. Saturday I made him walk to the grocery store and get some donut holes. Then he went on a walk with my dad.

I was in a bad mood when D&D started. Then my friend Liz wasn’t at D&D, and she eventually texted to say her brother had had a massive heart attack while watching his son’s soccer game. He’s currently sedated in the hospital on a bypass machine. He’ll probably be there for two weeks. 

The rest of the day was spent resting, since I was super tired.

Sunday

Sunday, Aaron, M12, IL5, and I went to Brick Fest (a LEGO festival). Both boys had a lot of fun. We separated so M12 and IL5 could do their own thing, so I only got pictures of IL5. He loved the huge bins of Duplo. D14 was playing D&D. In the evening, we all played D&D as a family. IL5 even joined us, but he didn’t like the role playing and was impatient to attack. First, he attacked an NPC with his firebolt. Luckily he missed. Then he attacked a giant squid that I threw in the middle of the role-playing. That almost killed him. Then, after the rest of the family solved the mystery that they were role-playing, a herd of 4 goblins attacked. IL5’s character took down two of them.

Monday

Monday I dropped dad off at an appointment (my sister was going to pick him up), and popped by a friend’s house for an hour. I hadn’t seen her in about 6 months, so it was good to catch up. M12 carried ten bags of yard waste to the curb for his time serving me, and then went to Boy Scouts. IL5 made some cat toys with his crafts. D14 was excited to find out that she could work crew at the shows that she’s been preparing the stage for despite not being able to make two of them.

Tuesday

Tuesday had nothing planned, since it was a day I was meant to work. So after my overnight job, I wrote two really long letters and then went to lunch with Aaron. In the evening, Aaron, D14, M12, and I played Goonies: Never Say Die. Then I played a night-night game with IL5 for 15 minutes before work. Today for his servant work, M12 attempted to sew on his Boy Scout patches. He’d disdained me gluing them on, and indeed the glue doesn’t work, apparently. But now he understands that sewing them on is really hard because they’re thick and tough. He seemed chagrinned for all his mocking. He only got two patches sewn on.

Wednesday

Wednesday I took dad to an appointment and ran errands with Aaron. M12 cleaned the livingroom and found the job very annoying. So now he understands how I feel. Aaron and I took IL5 to the playground in the evening.

Thursday

Aaron and I headed to D14’s parent-teacher-conferences after that. She’s doing pretty well! I was in a very stressed out mood due to the upcoming hearing, the poop, and another issue I’ll mention in a bit. So I got unnecessarily assertive when someone tried to take our place in line at a teacher’s table. I should have let it go. The system was very confusing, and she hadn’t noticed us sitting there when she walked up. I could have let it go and waited another 5 minutes, but I was in a bad mood.

The other thing that was stressing me out was my good friend’s brother’s issue. Remember how he had a massive heart attack last Saturday? Well, he was off the bypass machine and intubation. But, probably due to the sedatives he’d been on, he was psychotic and thought the hospital was a cult and that he had been attacked overnight by a nurse. So he checked himself out against medical advice, and was wandering the city in his hospital gown. His dad found him and took him to a different hospital, but the family had to sit with him to keep him calm. They did put a 72 hour hold on him, though, so he couldn’t abscond again. My friend was understandably upset, so she was texting me all day. Although I am happy to provide that outlet, it was difficult on top of all the other stress I was under. So my brain was fried by the end of the day, and I only read to IL5 for 10 minutes.

Friday

Friday I logged on to the custody hearing at 8:30am. They put me in a virtual waiting room, and there I stayed till 12:45pm, when they told me my testimony wouldn’t be needed. During those 4 hours, I cross-stitched, read, wrote my journal entry, played the Wordle, and texted with people. I had just started writing a letter when they told me I wouldn’t be needed.

In the end, they made some rather nasty threats to my client’s sons, forcing them to agree to losing custody. My client’s sons couldn’t argue their case because I was the only one of their respite workers who showed up.

After the hearing, I went to lunch with Aaron and my mother-in-law. My brain was pretty fried the rest of the day, so I got very little else done.

In the evening, Aaron, my mother-in-law, and I went to the play “The Curious Savage” to see the set D14 has been building. It was good.

Week’s Photos

Reading to myself

• Mr Ballen podcast
• The Week: Targeting Terror
• Roam, by C H Armstrong
• Life, the Universe, and Everything, by Douglas Adams
• Behave, by Robert Sapolsky
• Maskerade, by Terry Pratchett

Reading to IL5

• 5-minute Super Hero Stories (DC Comics)
• Ghast in the Machine, by Nick Eliopulos

D14 reading

• Neverseen, by Shannon Messenger (I’m reading this to her)
• Blood on the Beach, by Robin Stevenson and Sarah H Harvey

Media Completed

16 years ago Caitlin’s sister Olivia was kidnapped. Now, suddenly, she reappears as an adult, throwing Caitlin’s life out of whack. This was a very engaging book, and I had trouble stopping. But half of the big reveal was pretty predictable to me. I generally find thrillers pretty predictable, so I was pleased with not knowing half of the reveal. So I’d recommend it highly to those who like thrillers.

Games Played

News

Saturday

Saturday Aaron, IL5, and I hung out with the Cub Scouts. IL5 had a ball. First, he made a little boat that he raced later in the day. He raced against another Kindergartener, LH, who he’d been playing with a bit. Then he shot a bb gun. He didn’t hit the target, but he did a good job listening to our instructions. Then we went on a short hike. IL5 only made it about half way before we had to carry him. In the evening, he helped the other kids build a fort with fallen logs.

Sunday

Sunday we packed up camp and headed home. I worked for a few hours, then after dinner, IL5 wanted to take a bath and go to bed. (He wanted to try out the toy boat he built in the bathtub.) M12 and D14 both had great weekends.

Monday

Monday was relaxing while the kids were at school. I threw some taco soup in the slow cooker and then read for a while. Then I went out to lunch with Aaron. When IL5 got home, things started to get busy. First, I forgot that three of us had flu/covid shot appointments. Instead, after letting IL5 relax a little, I worked on a homework assignment and speech therapy with him. Then I cooked pork chops for M12’s meals for the week, and read to D14 for over an hour. Afterwards, I helped her with her homework. This time she had to compare the three Judeochristian religions to a book/series. She chose the one I’m reading to her now because she’s read it multiple times. She had mostly finished the assignments – she had 3 more comparisons to make. I helped with 2, but neither of us could come up with an element of Islam which was like the book.

Tuesday

Tuesday I went from my overnight job immediately to my day job. I used my downtime to read The Week magazine, cross-stitch while listening to Mr Ballen podcast, and write a couple letters. At home, I watched a Doctor Who episode with Aaron, Deirdre, and my friend Liz. Aaron followed that up by watching the VP debate. I walked in and out on it, because I was trying to get other stuff done.

Wednesday

Wednesday started out ok. I rushed home from my overnight job to get dad to an appointment that really needed to be 15 minutes later. It was physical therapy for his peripheral artery disease. I expected him to be resistant, like he was with the balance PT, but he was willing to cooperate. After brunch at home, dad and I went on a walk. It was a nice day for that.

Then I got some bad news from another respite worker of my day job. The state got a court order to take my client away from her son, so I no longer have that job. It’s bad timing because Aaron is unemployed. But what galls me is that the bully won. She’s really just getting even with him for yelling at her, when she set him up to yell by being a bully. She used an imperious tone of voice and a “you’re wrong” attitude from the moment I opened the door to her a couple weeks ago. And taking a woman in that state away from people that love her and the place she’s familiar with is abuse. That kind of thing kills people in that state.

Thursday

Thursday I had an unexpected day off since I had planned on being at work. I wrote two letters and made some necessary phone calls. In the evening, IL5 had a readathon at his school. He dressed in his Minecraft pajamas and his crocheted Loki hat and we went to the school. There were snacks and someone reading in the gymnasium. The parents were letting their kids literally scream across the gymnasium while the reading was going on, and I was embarrassed to be part of that very rude group. So we left.

Friday

Friday morning was a bit frustrating. There was a hearing in which my clients were objecting to having their mother taken away. It was 45 minutes of talking, with a decision that testimonies would be heard on Friday the 11th. So I have yet another pain in the ass hearing to attend. It doesn’t sound like they’re getting their mom back, but I’d feel bad not testifying.

Then I picked up dad at his physical therapy and kept myself busy for the rest of the day. Aaron and IL5 baked me a birthday cake, and then we went out to eat as a family to celebrate my birthday.

Week’s Photos

Reading to myself

• Lost Sci-Fi anthology
• The Wrong Daughter, by Dandy Smith
• The Warmth of Other Suns, by Isabel Wilkerson
• Maskerade, by Terry Pratchett
• Mr Ballen podcast
• The Week: A MAGA Fiasco

Reading to IL5

• Ghast in the Machine, by Nick Eliopulos
• Now Museum, Now You Don’t, by Andres Miedoso
• The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog, by Mo Willems
• Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, by Mo Willems
• Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late, by Mo Willems
• The Pigeon Has to Go To School, by Mo Willems
• Leonardo the Terrible Monster, by Mo Willems
• Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Sleigh, by Mo Willems
• The Pigeon Will Ride the Roller Coaster, by Mo Willems
• The Duckling Gets a Cookie, by Mo Willems
• The Pigeon Needs a Bath, by Mo Willems

D14 reading

• Everblaze, by Shannon Messenger
• 14 Ways to Die, by Vincent Ralph
• You Owe Me a Murder, by Eileen Cook

Media Completed

In this third installment, Sophie tries to discover more about the Black Swan and the rebel group. The books are getting better than previous ones, but are still a little “whatever” to me. Though I give it 4 stars because it’s fun to read to D14. There are lots of plot holes.

News

Saturday

Sunday I worked a good chunk of the day. Then I cooked salmon, drank several of IL5’s “potions” (concocted mainly of water and food coloring, though one of them had a suspiciously savory taste), read to IL5, and slept.

Sunday

Monday was a good day. After sending IL5 off in the bus and making white chili for my lunches this week, Aaron and I ran to Target, Kohl’s, and two Schuler’s to buy clothes for the kids. We had burgers for lunch, then ran one more errand. I relaxed for a couple of hours, then was disappointed by the movie “Uglies.”

Monday

Monday was a good day. After sending IL5 off in the bus and making white chili for my lunches this week, Aaron and I ran to Target, Kohl’s, and two Schuler’s to buy clothes for the kids. We had burgers for lunch, then ran one more errand. I relaxed for a couple of hours, then was disappointed by the movie “Uglies.”

Tuesday

Tuesday, I went directly from my overnight job to my day job. The day job was a bust. There was a complaint about my client’s son that he might not be caring for my client well enough. I had been there last week when the police arrived to do a wellness check on my client, so I already knew that this was going on.

A social worker rang the bell while I was working Tuesday and insisted on being let in. I told her that my client’s son wasn’t home, and I didn’t have permission to let her in. She stood there and tried to bully me into letting her in. Her: “You don’t understand. I’m a social worker from the county.” Me: “Well, I’m a respite worker. I can’t let you in without permission.”

Now, my client’s son’s phone was dead because he’d left it on the roof of his car a couple days ago. So finally I called my client’s other son to ask permission to let the social worker in. He wanted to talk to her, but she refused and said she’d call him later. She met with my client, whose dementia is progressed enough that no information can be garnered from her, then the social worker interviewed me. She did so in an entitled and supercilious tone of voice, though by that time I was already annoyed at her entitled behavior at the door, so my opinion of her tone was probably colored. During this time, my client’s other son called twice and M12 texted four times.

Then my client’s son came home early for a nap, but, of course he didn’t get one. She took on an even more supercilious, entitled tone when interviewing him. I asked if he wanted me to leave, and he said “no.” He lost his temper and yelled at the social worker, and she stomped out of the house. So I don’t know if I’m going to have this job by my next shift. And as I said before, I need this job while Aaron is unemployed.

At 5:30pm, I arrived home and ate dinner (Aaron cooked hamburgers and corn-on-the-cob). Then I cooked M12 some pork chops, filled pill boxes for 3 people, read to D14, and then helped her with her homework. It was stupid homework: she had to write a description of galaxies using 6 of 8 words. The description had to be precisely 20 words. What was the point in that? How did those 20 words help her learn?

Immediately after helping her, I went to work.

IL5 had been on a field trip Tuesday. He caught some grasshoppers and tried to catch a dragonfly, but it was too fast. I also sat with him in his room while helping D14, and that was all my time with him.

Wednesday

Wednesday after my overnight job, I took IL5 to a doctor appointment. Then Aaron and I ran some errands and went to Perkins with dad. Aaron then dropped dad and me off about 2.5 miles away and we walked home. In the evening, dad, Aaron, and I took IL5 to the playground. Then I helped D14 with her homework. This time it was comparative religions.

Thursday

Thursday I went from my overnight job to my day job. Then when IL5 got home, we took him to the open house at his school, then to his first-ever Cub Scout meeting. He got along with the kids – I don’t know where he gets the confidence to make new friends. They worked on learning the scout oath, though I’m pretty sure he wasn’t paying attention. He doesn’t need to earn his bobcat anyway. 藍 D14 went to the outside movie her school put on.

Friday

Friday after work, I took IL5 to an appointment, then did a virtual appointment with D14. The rest of the day was spent preparing for the Cub Scout camping trip. As soon as IL5 got home from school, Aaron and I hopped in the car with him and went to the campground. Aaron set up the tent in the near-dark and I struggled to keep track of IL5. In fact, at one point, he ran off and navigated the group campsite on his own because I couldn’t see him.

M12 stayed home with my dad for the weekend and D14 went to her mom’s.

Week’s Photos

Reading to myself

• Mr Ballen Podcast
• New Scientist: The Language of Reality
• The Week: Hitting Russia
• Maskerade, by Terry Pratchett
• The Wrong Daughter, by Dandy Smith
• Alan Turning: The Enigma, by Andrew Hodges
• The Warmth of Other Suns, by Isabel Wlkerson
• Lost Sci-Fi Anthology

Reading to IL5

• Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, by Mo Willems
• Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late, by Mo Willems
• The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog, by Mo Willems
• Minecraft: Deep Dive!, by Nick Eliopulos
• Campfire Stories, by Andres Miedoso

D14 reading

• Everblaze, by Shannon Messenger (I’m reading this to her)
• The Dead and the Dark, by Courtney Gould

Media Completed

Desmond and Andres go camping and tell scary stories. They meet a campfire ghost. Not the cutest of the Desmond Cole books, but good all the same. IL5 liked it.

In a dystopic land where at the age of 16 people undergo a surgery to make them beautiful, a girl nicknamed Squint learns what it is to be beautiful on the inside. I liked the movie up till the ending, which left the story hanging for a future movie.

This was an excellent biography of Alan Turing. It painted him in a sympathetic, yes honest light. It seemed well-researched, though sometimes I wondered where he got such private information. Did Turing have a journal? The descriptions of Turing’s theories and discoveries were well-written and clear, though math and computer science are not something I am particularly interested in, so I found my attention lagging during the very long descriptions. Overall, a great book.