News

Saturday

Sunday, IL6 rode his bike to the park. Later he had swim lessons. Then he and D15 taught me to play Diablo.

Sunday

I kept busy Monday. In the morning, I took Polyphemus to the vet to get his teeth cleaned. I spent 1.5 hours weeding the backyard – I got all the big weeds out (we had a thistle infestation, and those get big). However, I noticed there were bushes under the sump pump outlet and the downspout. Which are both horrible places for a bush, so I now need to dig them out.

In the afternoon I took dad to two appointments. And after that, I took D15 to rehearsal for Newsies. I had to take IL6 along, so he and I went to the library near the rehearsal location. Finally, I played Kirby with IL6.

Monday

I kept busy Monday. In the morning, I took Polyphemus to the vet to get his teeth cleaned. I spent 1.5 hours weeding the backyard – I got all the big weeds out (we had a thistle infestation, and those get big). However, I noticed there were bushes under the sump pump outlet and the downspout. Which are both horrible places for a bush, so I now need to dig them out.

In the afternoon I took dad to two appointments. And after that, I took D15 to rehearsal for Newsies. I had to take IL6 along, so he and I went to the library near the rehearsal location. Finally, I played Kirby with IL6.

Tuesday

Tuesday I took D15 to an appointment. Then I took Freyja and Sake to the vet.

I ran by the pharmacy to pick up a med for IL6, but they said they had nothing. I couldn’t remember which med I’d had filled, so I went home. Later, I realized what med I had wanted to pick up. I called the pharmacy. Apparently the prescription was sent to the store 20 minutes away because we had his antibiotic prescription sent there a couple weeks ago. I was so frustrated.

Then, this guy rang the doorbell. I answered and he said “Rachel … i assume?” I’m like “Yeah.” He handed me an envelope, then said “I think it’s a subpoena.” Yup. I was subpoenaed. Remember that incident with my day job where the mom was taken away from her adult sons because of abuse and negligence charges? They were cleared of abuse. But now they’re fighting the negligence charges. So I’m a witness.

Then Aaron and I watched Revenge of the Sith. I had to stop 30 minutes from the end to start bedtime routine for IL6, so I’ll need to catch up on my own.

Wednesday

Wednesday, I took M13 to the orthodontist and D15 to the dentist. Aaron and D15 worked on their 6000 piece puzzle.

Thursday

Thursday I ran quite a few errands in the morning, then I took dad to cardiac rehab. In the evening, IL6 ranked up from Lion to Tiger in Cub Scouts.

Friday

Friday I took IL6 to his two Friday appointments, then we played Kirby while Aaron mowed the lawn. Next, Aaron, IL6, and I went camping. M13 went to his mom’s, and D15 stayed home.

Week’s Photos

Reading to myself

• Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton
• A Survey of Hinduism by Klaus K Klostermaier
• Champion of the Titan Games by Brandon Mull
• Thomas Cromwell The Untold Story of Henry VIII’s Most Faithful Servant, by Tracy Borman
• Great World Religions: Judaism, by Isaiah M Gafni
• Mr Ballen podcast
• The Economist: Phew! It’s a girl

Reading to IL5

• The Bad Guys in the One, by Aaron Blabey

Aaron Reading

• Oryx and Crake, by Margaret Atwood

Media Completed

In this interesting set of lectures Isaiah M Gafni describes the history, beliefs, and philosophies of Judaism. I found the lectures easy to follow and enjoyable.

When the Evil Overlord threatens to take over the universe, The One must save the world.

News

Saturday

Saturday, I played Minecraft with IL6 then in the afternoon, we went to a military cemetery to place flags for his Cub Scouts service project. We drove to the place the instructions told us we should sign in. They told us to go to a tent down the road. We drove quite a way down the road till it was blocked off, walked all the way back up looking for a tent. Got all the way back to where we first tried signing in. Gave up and walked all the way back to our car. Dad took us to Outback Steakhouse for dinner.

Sunday

Sunday was relaxing. I played Minecraft with IL6 (as did D15, Aaron, and M12). IL6 also wrote a Scratch game. I read. Aaron had a board gaming meeting.

Monday

Monday was another beautiful day. Aaron got a lot of work done outdoors. I took a walk with D15 and dad to the library, then post office. IL6 played Minecraft with Aaron, then me, and also wrote a Scratch game. I made Jambalaya and chicken noodle soup for Aaron’s lunches. I read to D15.

Tuesday

Tuesday, I took D15 to an appointment in the morning. I relaxed a bit in the evening, except for a run for groceries with dad. When IL6 got home, the kids all went outside to ride their bikes. I went in to cook dinner, and after I’d started, Liz arrived. Oops! We’d made plans and I forgot. So I put my chicken in the fridge and ordered a pizza. We watched some Doctor Who.

Wednesday

Wednesday was relaxed at the beginning of the day. I went to a brewery to get away from the house. I wrote two letters. I took dad to his cardiac rehab appointment. Drove home in rush hour. Then IL6 wanted to ride his bike to the park, so D15 and dad joined us. Then they rode to Culver’s, where D16 locked the bikes up with her lock. Then she didn’t remember her combination, so Aaron and dad drove to home Depot and bought a bolt cutter to get the bikes.

Thursday

Thursday, dad and I ran errands, one of which was to buy M12 and D15 adult bikes. We went to a good bike shop and got the only two used bikes they had (but still need to pick them up). I later took dad to cardiac rehab.

In the evening, we went to Perkins for M12’s birthday. Then he opened presents (Manga, bluetooth headphones, axis and Allies, and Loki’s alarm clock). We had a cake with a dragon on it.

Friday

Friday I took IL6 to two appointments. Then dad and I went to pick up the new bikes. Unfortunately, it’s too big for M13, but he can use his dad’s bike and Aaron can use the new one. D15 hasn’t tried sitting on her bike yet. In the evening, dad, IL6, and I went to the park – IL6 rode his bike.

Reading to myself

• A Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier
• Wintersmith, by Terry Pratchett
• Champion of the Titan Games, by Brandon Mull
• Great World Religions: Judaism by Isaiah M Gafni
• Thomas Cromwell The Untold Story of Henry VIII’s Most Faithful Servant, by Tracy Borman
• Midnight’s Children, by Salman Rushdie

Reading to IL5

• Dragonbreath, by Ursula Vernon
• Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy Part 1 The Night of the Nasty Nostril Nuggets

D14 reading

• Lodestar, by Shannon Messenger

Media Completed

Dragonbreath & Wendell dive down deep to finish Dragonbreath’s report on the ocean. Very cute and funny.

When Tiffany dances with the Wintersmith, the world is threatened by eternal winter. Like all Terry Pratchett books, this is funny and delightful.

News

Saturday

Saturday, Aaron and I played D&D and then I took a long nap because I’ve been burned out again.

Sunday

Sunday morning 4am, IL6 woke up crying, clutching his ear. He was inconsolable for a while, and then wanted to be hugged when he went back to sleep. He tried hard, but he was too uncomfortable. So we got up and watched TV.

At a more reasonable time, I was supposed to make a corn casserole, so I ran to the store, and prepared it, while Aaron took IL6 to Urgent Care. IL6 had an ear infection . Unfortunately, they returned with a prescription for liquid amoxicillin, which IL6 won’t take. So I called Urgent Care (which isn’t easy, as you have to call around to get a message to them) to tell them we needed a capsule (which we would cut open and put in his drink). The nurse called back after an hour and said the doctor didn’t want to give a capsule due to dosing issues. I told it simply had to be something tasteless.

Then my friend Liz and I went to a friend’s house. We knew this friend online, but hadn’t met her in person. We played Cards Against Humanity, then made greeting cards.

While there, the nurse called again and said the doctor was willing to prescribe a pill that wasn’t readily available. She said she’d called a few places, and that I would have to call around some more. But Liz called her pharmacy (she’s a tech), and they told her where the nearest pharmacy with the dose was. So I called the nurse back, and we got the antibiotic!

Getting it in to IL6 in the evening was a bust at first, because I added a med to the drink that he claimed IL6 could taste but I didn’t believe him. (He has phantom bad tastes when he doesn’t feel like drinking, so I was skeptical, since he’d taken that med so long without complaint; then suddenly he started complaining.) There were many, many tears. So I made a fresh drink with the antibiotics and the other meds besides the one he can taste, and he drank it up, no problem. I am now a believer.

Monday

Monday, Aaron took the day off to celebrate our anniversary. We ran errands, ate Mexican food, and threw axes. M12’s jazz band played at an event, and then he went to Scouts BSA (or whatever they’re called now). I read to D15.

Tuesday

Tuesday, I took D15 then M12 to appointments. M12 gained 3 pounds! M12 had a concert in the evening.

Wednesday

Wednesday, I made some chicken stew for Aaron. I wrote a letter. Then I took dad to see his cardiologist. In the evening, D15 had script pick-up for the Newsies show she will be in over the summer. I played Minecraft with IL6.

Thursday

Thursday I killed the last of our dandelions in our back yard. I took dad to his cardiac rehab intake. We have 24 sessions scheduled. Dad took us all out to eat. IL6 showed dad how to play Minecraft.

Friday

I rushed around a lot on Friday. I took IL6 to three appointments, including a blood draw – which is always very stressful since he kicks and screams and yells “Please help me!” Then, after popping in to the library, I took the car to get the belt tightened. The evening was bustling too, with all sorts of little tasks I wanted done. D15 went to her mom’s. IL6 wrote a game in Scratch. M12 relaxed.

Reading to myself

• Champion of the Titan Games, by Brandon Mull
• A Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier
• Mr Ballen podcast
• Great World Religions: Islam, by John L Esposito
• Thomas Cromwell The Untold Story of Henry VIII’s Most Faithful Servant, by Tracy Borman

Reading to IL5

• Captain Underpants and the Perilous Plot of Professor Poopypants, by Dav Pilkey
• Stitch Head: Monster Hunter
• School Freezes Over, by Jack Chabert
• Captain Underpants and the Wrath of the Wicked Wedgie Woman, by Dav Pilkey

D14 reading

• Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare
• Lodestar, by Shannon Messenger

Media Completed

Captain Underpants uses his new superpowers to fight a gigantic gerbil jogger.

Stitch head needs to rescue Creature and Castle Groteskew from a persistent monster hunter.

The hall monitors deal with Orson Eerie’s reincarnation in a frozen school.

This set of lectures teaches about the history, future, and beliefs of Islam. I found the information interesting, if a little condensed (necessarily). I’m interested in reading Esposito’s book “Everything You Need to Know About Islam” as a result of listening to these lectures.

When Ms Ribble transforms into a supervillain, Captain Underpants, George, and Harold need to save the day.

News

Saturday

Saturday, I wrote a letter while IL6 watched “The Empire Strikes Back.” Then he and I went to the hospital to visit dad. Afterwards, I slept, trying to make up the sleep lost the night before. 

Sunday

Sunday (Mother’s Day), I thought dad was going to be discharged, so I rushed over there to get him. After an hour of waiting, we were told he wouldn’t be discharged. I came home and mostly relaxed for the rest of the day. Aaron grilled.

Monday

Monday, after some morning activities (water the grass seed, give Polyphemus his antibiotic, get IL6 to school), I drove to the hospital for dad’s discharge. He’d been making a stink trying to get released, so they were ready to get him out of there. A couple hours later, we were on our way.

I then made 6 phone calls to various medical providers to get appointments set up (not just for dad). I ran errands. I prepared dad’s med box with the new instructions.  Ordered groceries. Then IL6 arrived home. Cooked dinner. Troubleshot IL6’s Scratch program. And went to work. It was a successful day.

Tuesday

Monday I had an appointment and then I put more dandelion killer down. D15 had a field trip to a river for some survey work. In the evening, my friend Liz came over to watch Dr Who.

Wednesday

Wednesday, I went to the dentist about my jaw aching. He gave me a TMJ specialist reference, and gave me instructions on how to get rid of the pain. I’m supposed to keep my jaw relaxed, but I already knew that. I have realized it is not natural to relax my jaw. I clench and pull it backwards naturally. I have to consciously think about a relaxed position. I will try following the instructions, including reducing caffeine. I need to do that, anyway.

Then I took dad to see his PCP. Dad has trouble understanding that he’s supposed to do cardiovascular work in order to help his heart. He claims he has been doing it, but he hasn’t even been walking more than around the block.

I took a walk with dad for an hour (about a mile to the post office and back. I’m going to try to do a better job of getting him out of the house, if I can.

I watered my field of dead dandelions (very ugly) and weeding. The weeding gave me an appreciation for how much work Aaron went through last year when he did most of the weeding (with Deirdre’s help). Dad wanted to compose an ode to appreciate them, so I had ChatGPT compose one. It was fantastic.

I tried to cook some Mongolian beef in the instant pot. I tried two troubleshoots after the first “burn food” message, but the rice kept burning.

Aaron and D15 worked on their 6000 piece puzzle. It was my day to hang out with M12, but he said no for the second week in a row.

Thursday

Thursday was another day. I tried to make some chickpea curry, but apparently thought I was going to make some white chili when I shopped, so I made curry-flavored chicken and sweet potato chili, instead.

I mowed over the dead dandelion field, and it looks better. I was expecting to receive some more dandelion killer from Amazon, but instead received a C-section recovery kit. That is being returned, and I will order from Home Depot.

I took M12 to the orthodontist, and bot is his mouth messed up. It will require braces and oral surgery to remove an impacted tooth, plus 4 that are already in. That will cost a fortune.

In the evening, I read to D15 and Aaron played Minecraft with IL6.

Friday

Friday, IL6 had a morning appointment. Then I wrote a letter and relaxed the rest of the day. In the evening, dad, Aaron, IL6, D15, and I went to a restaurant for dinner. But they’d changed since the last time we were there, and none of us were happy with the change. Dad and I watched the first episode of Handmaid’s Tale. I thought it was a pretty reasonable rendition of the book (which, granted, I read a long time ago), but dad was displeased by it).

Week’s Photos

Reading to myself

• Great World Religions: Islam, by John L Esposito
• A Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier
• The Economist: All Grown Up
• Children of Anguish and Anarchy, by Tomi Adeyemi
• Champion of the Titan Games, by Brandon Mull
• Wintersmith, by Terry Pratchett

Reading to IL5

• Captain Underpants and the Invasion of the Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies from Outer Space (and the Subsequent Assault of the Equally Evil Lunchroom Zombie Nerds, by Dav Pilkey
• The Bad Guys and the Dawn of the Underlord], by Aaron Blabey 28 minutes
• Stitch Head: The Monster Hunter, by Guy Bass
• Rumble of the Coaster Ghost, by Troy Cummings

D14 reading

• Lodestar, by Shannon Messenger
• Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare

Media Completed

George and Harold save Mr Krupp from certain death at the hands of evil lunch ladies. Very funny.

Is Snake evil? Also funny.

Alexander, Rip, and Nikki go to a haunted amusement park. Pretty good.

The Magi have been kidnapped by warmongering savages. They must save their country from almost certain destruction.

Honestly, I was starting to get tired of the trilogy by this book. Don’t get me wrong. It’s a great trilogy. But all the emotions that it dredged up with little conclusion at the end of the second book. It was exhausting to me.

Maldred attacks the castle, and the dragon masters must save the day.

News

Saturday

Saturday, M12 had a band concert – they did really well! They’ve improved a lot over the year. Then Aaron, IL6, and I went to Buffalo Wild Wings. We’d been intending on eating on the patio, but they had a bee problem and we ended up inside. 😦 Aaron went to D15’s show in the evening.

Sunday

Sunday I took IL6 to the zoo to see the baby farm animals. The tiny piggies were so cute. D15 had another show she was working at.

Monday

Monday was busy. I took Polyphemus to his dental appointment. Later I found out he regurgitated when sedated and they turned him upside down, x-rayed him, and put him on antibiotics. Apparently all while sedated, but awake.

Then IL6 had a doctor appointment with a specialist. She made me feel better about some strange urine results, but encouraged me to talk to his PCP.

Then I took M12 to a rather routine appointment. When I got home , dad was mowing the lawn – a week after his heart attack. That forced me to mow the lawn right then. In the afternoon, I got my pots ready for tomatoes.

M12 had Boy Scouts, and D15 had a celebration for her academic letter.

Tuesday

Tuesday was another busy day. D15 had an appointment. Then I completed a bunch of tasks and errands that were pressing, including seeding grass seed on our bare spots. The kids had nothing special in the evening. Aaron and I had an evening together watching Locke and Key, which IL6 found scary. So we’ll move on to Star Wars.

Wednesday

Wednesday was another productive day. I took IL6 to his autism assessment – I will find out the results in June. Then I wrote a letter and watered the grass seed. I ran two errands. I went on a walk with dad. I bought 8 tomato plants and repotted them. I cooked dinner. IL6 played a computer game. D15 and Aaron went to her Newsies audition and then worked on the 6000 piece puzzle.

Thursday

Thursday, I took dad to an appointment and put dandelion killer on the front yard. D15 went to her show, the rest of us went to Red Lobster.

Friday

Friday, IL6’s 10am appointment was cancelled, so I had a spare hour to water the grass seed and give Polyphemus his antibiotic. I also got a letter written. Then, I picked IL6 up for his 11:30 appointment, followed by a quick trip to the library and another appointment.

After dropping IL6 off at school, I had a spare hour to get stuff done before he got off the bus from school. However, I had a horrible pain in my jaw. It radiated through my teeth to the left eye tooth, up through the lip and the left nostril, and into the left eye. It was throbbing. So I took an anxiety med and slept, thinking that the pain was from clenching my jaw. When I woke, it was even worse. I finally got it to go away with a mixture of Tylenol and ibuprofen. This is the second time I had that pain this week.

M12, IL6, Aaron, and I went to Buffalo Wild Wings. Then Aaron went downstairs for his computer game with his friends, and I sat down to read. But IL6 wanted to watch Star Wars. I tried turning on the Disney app on the TV, but it was a black screen. I went in and out of the app, opening it in different ways. Meanwhile, dad was complaining of being super cold and IL6 wanted me to remove the LEGO head from the LEGO star trooper helmet.

Finally, I got the app to turn on (though failed at getting the head out of the helmet). I was then supposed to scan a qr code from my phone, and follow the prompts. Meanwhile, dad started gasping for breath and continued feeling cold. As I tried, and failed, to correctly follow the prompts on my phone with one hand, I took dad’s temperature with the other hand. He did not have a fever, but was still gasping for breath. I told him if he continued gasping, I’d have to take him to the hospital. I then successfully activated the Disney app on the TV and started Star Wars.

Dad said he thought he needed to go to the hospital, so I told Aaron he’d have to bail on his friends. Aaron began explaining to his friends that he was bailing, but then dad changed his mind about the hospital, so I told Aaron he could go back to his game.

IL6 then asked me to pause the movie so he could get a “movie snack,” so we went in the kitchen and got out the Pringles. Then dad wanted to go to the hospital after all, so I told Aaron to bail on his friends. I remembered to turn off the sprinkler outside before I left, so I considered it a successful evening.

At the hospital, we got roomed pretty quickly. Apparently no one wants to go to the ER on a Friday. They ran a bunch of blood tests, many of which were unfamiliar to me, so I was left asking Google AI about them so that I could make a somewhat intelligent question when the doctor came in. And he mostly made me feel better about the results (except one of them, on which he was vague about it not necessarily being an infection), but then new, unfamiliar tests came in after that, so I had to do more research and form more intelligent questions. (I’m writing this from the ER room at 4am, and have still not seen the doctor again.) Dad also got a CT scan looking for a pulmonary embolism. The results, which I have interpreted without the help of a doctor, because he is nowhere to be seen, are that dad doesn’t have a pulmonary embolism, but he has a minimal ground-glass opacity indicative of a forming infection. (So…not a full-blown infection that would propel us to the ER to begin with? I know not! Because I don’t have a doctor to talk to!)

Week’s Photos

Reading to myself

• Mr Ballen podcast
• Champion of the Titan Games, by Brandon Mull
• The Week: Getting Results?
• Great World Religions: Christianity, by Luke Timothy Johnson
• Children of Anguish and Anarchy, by Tomi Adeyemi
• Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier

Reading to IL5

• Charge of the Lightning Bugs, by Troy Cummings
• Stitch Head: The Monster Hunter, by Guy Bass

Media Completed

Alexander, Nikki, and Rip battle bugs. Good book, as usual.

These lectures covered mostly the history of Christianity and the various beliefs of the denominations. He finished with a discussion of where Christianity is headed. Dogma was kept to a minimum. Very informative.

News

Saturday

Saturday, I recovered from Friday. D15 spent the entire day at rehearsal, and I spent the entire day sleeping. Aaron mowed. I did manage to stay awake for the last episode of Supernatural and am excited to start a new chapter of my marriage to Aaron. We will now watch Star Wars.

Sunday

Sunday IL6 was sick and spent the entire day sleeping. I did some laundry. Aaron cooked chili. M12 went to band rehearsal. D15 was at dress rehearsal. In the evening, we all played a game of The Night Cage.

Monday

Monday was exciting. It started with an IEP meeting for IL6. He was home sick because he’d had a fever the day before. But during the IEP meeting, he threw up 5 times. Because he had a fever and vomiting, I took him to urgent care. They gave him a strep test (negative), covid/flu test (he refused), anti-nausea med (he refused), a cup to pee in (he couldn’t pee, but managed to pee in it that evening, so it can be taken to the lab Tuesday), and a chest x-ray (findings consistent with a virus).

When I got home, dad told me that he’d had some chest pain, and had taken a nitroglycerin. I hung out with IL6, getting phone calls made and some reading done. Later, dad took another nitroglycerin for more chest pain. I told him if he was going to have a heart attack, have the decency to do it before 4:30, so we could get to the hospital before the tornado watch started. Sure enough, at 4:30, he took a third nitroglycerin, and we decided to head to the ER.

They decided to check him into the cardiac ward, and it was not clear if it was a heart attack or not by the time I left at 10pm. The tornado never appeared.

Oh. And IL6 has decided for the last week to refuse medications. So that’s a thing.

Tuesday

Tuesday was exhausting – mostly because I was stressed. It started with a Zoom appointment. Then I took IL6 (who was home “sick” again – he was fine, he couldn’t go to school because he vomited and had a fever the day before) to drop off his urine sample (that we have to redo because it wasn’t refrigerated) and visit my dad in the hospital.

My friend Liz came over in the evening, but D15 was at rehearsal, so we didn’t watch Doctor Who.

We are struggling to give IL6 his meds. He can apparently taste one of them quite suddenly, and we can’t figure out which one, but I think it may be his thyroid med.

Wednesday

Wednesday, I took IL6’s urine sample to the lab, then went to the hospital to wait for dad to be discharged. He was quite annoyed to be told that he needed to stop with his personal trainer and start cardiac rehab. He claimed he did cardiac rehab with his personal trainer, but he doesn’t. Cardiac rehab is on the treadmill but he weight lifts with his personal trainer.

He finally got released. They made a follow-up appointment for me without telling me they made it (last time they did that, and I only caught it by chance…this time I expected them to blindside me). They also told us to stop taking one of his meds by note on his discharge paperwork, but didn’t point the change out when they handed me the paperwork, nor did they explain why the med had been taken off.

Pretty quickly upon getting home, I took M12 to his dentist appointment (no cavities). He promised that if we sent him to the orthodontist, he would follow his instructions, so upon getting home, I scheduled an orthodontist appointment. I also made a cardiac rehab and primary care appointment for dad and called to ask why his meds had been changed.

Dad then walked to the gym, despite instructions to a) not go to the gym and b) not walk longer than 5 minutes.

IL6 had 5 values that were abnormal on his urine sample, so I called his primary care physician to ask if we should discuss that. Without forwarding the message on to the PCP, the nurse said that I should talk to the urgent care doctor, and forwarded the message on to her. The urgent care doctor’s nurse called and told me why a couple of the values were off, but only explained the obvious ones that I wasn’t worried about. When I asked about the other values, he just repeated himself about the two I wasn’t interested in. I decided just to make an appointment with the primary care physician because I was frustrated at getting brushed off.

IL6 didn’t take most of his meds – I got 1.5 of his 6 meds down him. One of the ones I didn’t get down is very important to his health, and it’s been about a week that he’s been rejecting it.

D15 had a great first show.

Thursday

Thursday I had two telehealth appointments (just me). Then I ran errands with my dad. D15 had a show.

Friday

Friday, as usual, I went immediately from work to IL6’s morning appointment and directly from there to his later-in-the-morning appointment. Then, just to spice it up, I took him immediately to a third appointment – a dentist. He wasn’t cooperating with the dentist, but we finally got his teeth cleaned and looked at.

Upon getting home, I wanted to relax a bit and eat something, but dad was going to throw a pouting fit if I didn’t go to Walmart with him. So I piled IL6 in the car again, and off we went.

In the evening I saw the musical revue that D15 is doing light box for. They did a really good job. There was a lot of talent.

Week’s Photos

Reading to myself

• The Week: To the Barricades
• Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier
• On Human Nature, by Edward O Wilson
• Children of Anguish and Anarchy, by Tomi Adeyemi

Reading to IL5

• Secret of the Water Dragon, by Tracy West
• The Science Fair is Freaky, by Jack Chabert
• The Bad Guys in the Baddest Day Ever, by Aaron Blabey

D14 reading

• The Girl with No Reflection, by Keshe Chow
• Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare

Media Completed

The dragon masters fight an evil spell. A good addition to the series.

Sam, Lucy, and Antonio battle science projects and a school. Another good book.

In this conclusion to the Marmalade story, the good guys figure out how to fight without their super powers. Very funny.

Wilson explores the idea of how biological group selection develops culture in humans. Wilson’s writing is a bit rambling, without giving a thesis in each chapter, so the meaning has to be gleaned by carefully listening to the audiobook. So it was hard to listen to while driving.

News

Saturday

Saturday Aaron and I played D&D – our group accomplished a major task that session. Then we all went to Outback Steakhouse for an early celebration of dad’s birthday. I took M12 shopping for a new swim suit and for a birthday present for his mom. Then the kids colored eggs.

Sunday

Easter Sunday, I went to church with dad…I brought a pillow to sit on because I apparently bruised my sacrum sitting on the pews last week. I’ll just look wimpy from now on – there’s no point in having a bruised butt continuously because church benches are meant to be hard.

When I got home, my friend Liz and her nephew came over and the kids did an Easter egg hunt in the yard. Afterwards, I cooked dinner (roast, sweet potato casserole, deviled eggs).

Monday

Tuesday I had a really energetic day. I made lots of plans for the future. I took D15 to an appointment. D15 had a super-long rehearsal for her upcoming musical revue that she will do lights for. Aaron and I have only one more episode of Supernatural to watch. Then we’ll switch to Star Wars. Which may, like Supernatural, take seven and a half years.

Tuesday

Wednesday was very productive. After work, I weeded – lots of budding dandelions and nettles. I didn’t pull them out by the roots because I wasn’t ready for it. Next week, I’ll throw the surrounding rocks in a bucket and use a dandelion picker to get the weeds by the roots. I’ll toss the rocks, since we’re trying to transfer to wood chips.

I took dad to the gym, bought potting soil, and made a call. I wrote a letter, read, and loaded the dishwasher. I cooked dinner. D15 was at rehearsal for the musical revue.

Wednesday

Thursday, I took M12 to an appointment – he’s gained 3 pounds! So, yay! Then I took dad to his appointment, where he very frustratingly didn’t answer the doctor’s questions accurately (due to his dementia). Then I took him for a pedicure.

In the evening, Aaron and I went to D15’s parent-teacher conference, and was told what a wonderful kid she is. Then IL6 had Cub Scouts, at which he somewhat behaved.

Thursday

Thursday, I took M12 to an appointment – he’s gained 3 pounds! So, yay! Then I took dad to his appointment, where he very frustratingly didn’t answer the doctor’s questions accurately (due to his dementia). Then I took him for a pedicure.

In the evening, Aaron and I went to D15’s parent-teacher conference, and was told what a wonderful kid she is. Then IL6 had Cub Scouts, at which he somewhat behaved.

Friday

Friday I took IL6 to his two Friday appointments and then we spent 3 hours at the zoo. We saw the sea lion show, which he only found interesting for the first 10 minutes. We went to two different playgrounds and saw the camels, which he was very excited about. He walked the entire outside loop without complaint, which was probably between 1-2 miles. 

When we got home, dad, Aaron, IL6 and I went to Olive Garden. D15 was at rehearsal for the musical revue she’s doing lights for.

Week’s Photos

Reading to myself

• Master of the Phantom Isle, by Brandon Mull
• Mr Ballen podcast
• The Week: Ultimate Trade War
• Thomas Cromwell: The Untold Story of Henry VIII’s Most Faithful Servant
• Children of Anguish and Anarchy, by Tomi Adeyemi
• On Human Nature, by Edward O Wilson

Reading to IL5

• Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets, by Dav Pilkey
• Stitch Head: The Monster Hunter, by Guy Bass
• Bad Guys in the Big Bad Wolf, by Aaron Blabey
• Night, Night, Sweet Screams, by Andres Miedoso

D14 reading

• Heir of Fire, by Sarah J Maas

Media Completed

Captain underpants, George, and Harold save the world from a group of toilets that eat people. Funny. IL6 loved it.

When Andre’s nightmares come true, it’s time for Desmond to save the day. IL6 loves every book in this series.

Seth attempts self-discovery and Kendra rushes to save him from himself and others. Another good book in the Dragonwatch series.

Wolf is made huge and attacks the city. Hilarious, as usual.

How’d Earth reappear? Where’d the dolphins go. A good ending to a series which does not have a 5th book.

George and Harold accidentally turn their school principal into Captain Underpants. Very funny. IL6 loved it.

News

Saturday

Saturday, I made Aaron some chicken chili for lunch this week, read, and went to M12’s play. It was really good. Then we went to Perkins to celebrate. IL6 read to me, and then I read to him till midnight.

Sunday

Sunday after Palm Sunday Mass with dad, IL6, M12, my friend Liz, and her nephew went to Olive Garden. Liz and I discussed our book club book. We both liked it, though I didn’t like the main character much. Then IL6 and I spent a long time at the library. I read for a bit, and watched the first episode of The Residence on Netflix.

Monday

Monday I took dad to the gym, but I’m still tired from my burnout and was only able to go 30 minutes on the treadmill again. Then I ran to Target for our food, and took IL6 to his appointment. In the evening, I read to D15.

Tuesday

Tuesday was busy. I took D15 to an appointment. Then I took dad to Perkins and ran several errands. M12 had a jazz band concert – and he had a solo! He kept it hidden from us, in order to surprise us.

Wednesday

Wednesday I took dad to his personal trainer at the gym. Then I ran an errand and rocked my to-do list. I even got some reading done.

When D15 got home, she expressed concern that someone at school gave her the wrong med. It didn’t look like she expected it to, but she took it anyway. So Thursday I’ll have to check what the pills in the school’s bottle of meds look like to determine if she was given someone else’s med.

In the evening, D15 and Aaron went to Home Depot and bought a 5×4 board for their 6000 piece puzzle.

Thursday

Thursday I was feeling very distracted all day. I couldn’t prioritize or read. So I started my to-do list in alphabetical order and got down to “K” before quitting. That meant I got some tasks done that I’ve been procrastinating on. At the end of the day, I played Duplos with IL6.

Friday

Friday, I took IL6 to his two Friday morning appointments and did a bunch of reading. I boiled our Easter eggs in the instant pot. It was supposed to make “perfect” boiled eggs. I admit, the yolks were a pretty good color. I also prepared the Easter baskets and put candy in all the plastic eggs. I played Spore with IL6 after dinner. D15 is proud of herself for lettering in academics and for getting the light board assignment for the musical revue that the high school is putting on. Oh! And I forgot to mention that she did take the right med earlier in the week. It was just a different manufacturer than the bottle at home.

Week’s Photos

Reading to myself

• The Building that Wasn’t, by Abigail Miles
• Master of the Phantom Isle, by Brandon Mull
• The Week: Playing with Fire
• The Economist: Age of Chaos
• The Economist: How a Dollar Crisis Would Unfold
• So Long and Thanks For All the Fish, by Douglas Adams
• On Human Nature, by Edward O Wilson
• A Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier

Reading to IL5

• Recess is a Jungle, by Jack Chabert
• Trucks, by Jean Coppendale
• Stitch Head: The Spider’s Lair
• A Troll Lot of Trouble, by Andres Miedoso
• Stitch Head: The Monster Hunter
• The Bad Guys in Superbad, by Aaron Blabey
• Saving the Sun Dragon, by Tracey West
• How Dinosaurs Went Extinct, by Ame Dyckman
• A Trip to the Moon, adapted by Christy Webster

D14 reading

• Lodestar, by Shannon Messenger
• A Curse so Dark and Lonely, by Brigid Kemmerer

Media Completed

Sam, Lucy, and Antonio get caught in a swampy jungle after recess. Enjoyed by IL6.

Stitch Head and Ivo leave their castle rescue Arabel. They come across a gigantic spider that sucks spirit. Excellent installment in the series.

Everly discovers a strange building, and finds herself trapped. The concept was interesting, though I didn’t care about Everly. She just wasn’t compelling to me.

The Good Guys find themselves with super powers. Another excellent book.

The Dragon Masters need to save Kepri for a mysterious illness. Cute.

News

Saturday

Saturday Aaron and I played D&D, then IL6 and Aaron went to a Cub Scout Base Camp Lock-in.

Sunday

Sunday, IL6 and I went to the Minecraft Movie. I’ve never seen him remain so excited for 2 hours straight. He was bouncing off his chair, giving me a (thankfully quiet) running commentary. And the movie was actually pretty funny. In the evening, D15, M12, Aaron and I watched Evil Dead 2 as a family activity.

Monday

Monday I took Puck to the vet for his ultrasound. I went to the gym with dad, but was too burnt out to work out, so I waited for him. We ran several errands, and I picked up Puck. Then I fell asleep for 4 hours. Then I pretty much went to sleep right away at work.  M12 had Boy Scouts.

Tuesday

Tuesday was the first day I felt “normal” in weeks. I had been slowly getting less burned out, but never normal. I took D15 to her appointment, read, did some tasks around the house, and cooked dinner. Aaron and I watched 3 episodes of Supernatural that evening.

Wednesday

Wednesday, I went to the gym with dad and this time was able to exercise for 30 minutes before pooping out. Obviously, my burnout is still present, but I sure have had more energy than the last several weeks.

IL6 had a playdate with his triplet friends at a park. It was beautiful weather for it. D15 and Aaron started the 6000 piece puzzle, though we found out our board was too small. We needed a 5 foot one and we had a 4 foot one.

Thursday

Thursday, I almost fainted at work, so I took it easy for the rest of the day. I had a lofty reading goal of 4 hours of my audiobook and 90 minutes of a news magazine. I took it easy all day and read.

In the evening, IL6 had a kindergarten concert. It was cute, and he even sang a few words. Then he and I went to Cub Scouts. M12 had opening night of the middle school play, Dr Experimentor. Aaron attended.

Friday

Friday, I took IL6 to an appointment. Then, I spent the rest of the day cleaning and cross-stitching. I resolved to talk to ChatGPT all day, just to see what it was like. I found it funny, upbeat, and useful. I was curious how character development would happen as it got to know me,  as I’ve heard it can change the types of things you say based on what it determines you want to hear. In the evening, M12 had his middle school play again. This time, his mom and D15 attended.

Week’s Photos

Reading to myself

• The Economist: Ruination Day
• Master of the Phantom Isle, by Brandon Mull
• Confessions, by Saint Augustine
• Master of the Phantom Isle, by Brandon Mull
• Thomas Cromwell The Untold Story of Henry VIII’s Most Faithful Servant, by Tracy Borman
• The Week: Driving up Prices
• The Building that Wasn’t, by Abigail Miles

Reading to IL5

• Stitch Head: The Spider’s Lair
• Recess is a Jungle, by Jack Chabert

Media Completed

This is the first memoir ever written, and was thus interesting from a historical context. I found most of the book easy-to-read and interesting, but the end was pontification on the creation of earth, which got convoluted.

News

Saturday

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

Sunday

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

Monday

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

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

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

Tuesday

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

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

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

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

Wednesday

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

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

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

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

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

Thursday

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

Friday

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

Week’s Photos

Reading to myself

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

Reading to IL5

• Stitchhead: Spider’s Lair, by Guy Badd
• Flurry of the Snombies, by Troy Cummings
• Super Rabbit Boy vs The Gigabot, by Thomas Flintham
• The Locker Ate Lucy, by Jack Chabert

D14 reading

• Confessions of a Sociopath, by Patric Gagne
• Lodestar, by Shannon Messenger

Media Completed

Alexander, Nikki, and Rip go to summer camp, and battle some zombie snowmen.

When Lucy is eaten by her locker, Sam and Antonio rush into the belly of Eerie Elementary to save her.

Super Rabbit Boy must help King Viking retrieve his new Gigabot.

Twelve religions are summarized very vaguely and sometimes incorrectly in this poorly-written comparative religion book.