Update February 19, 2023

News

Saturday

Saturday came and went without event. Well, except that M10 took a math test to get into an accelerated program. He is 90% certain he got over 75%, though I’m guessing that’s not going to get him into the program. I probably should have helped him study alegebra beforehand.

Sunday

Sunday, I went to church with Todd, then to a parent  meeting for M10’s musical production he’s in.

Monday

Monday I had 3 doctor appointments – 2 for myself and one for M10. M10 gained about half an inch in height, but still has not gained weight. In my bariatric appointment, I found out that I would be on my weight loss med for the rest of my life. That was oddly reassuring, since I was afraid I was going to gain all the weight back as soon as I went off the med. D13 auditioned for the middle school play. She thinks she did pretty well. M10 finished off the day with a Cub Scout meeting.

Tuesday

Tuesday was Valentine’s Day. Aaron took the day off, and we hung out and relaxed together all day. We binge-watched Lockwood & Co. Then we went out to dinner. It was delightful. D13 also told me that she picked me as her hero to write about in Spanish class. I was quite surprised and flattered. 😊

Wednesday

Wednesday was fun. I started by going mall walking at the Mall of America with dad and IL4. The kiddo was well-behaved for the first round, but then saw Nickelodeon Universe (the amusement park) and just HAD to go running through it. We had to drag him kicking and screaming before we managed to bribe him with ice cream.

Then, my friend Liz came over and we went to Olive Garden with IL4, then to a bookstore, where I bought too many books for IL4.

Later D13 and M10 went to Willy Wonka rehearsal and I went to work.

Thursday

Thursday was also fantastic. After taking D13 to an appointment, she rushed back to school for call-backs for the middle school play. Afterwards, Aaron and I went to a comedy club to see Steven Ho. Most people know him as the YouTuber/TickTocker stevioe (the “Tips from the ER” guy). He wasn’t as fantastic in person as he is online. Just not very practiced, is all…the flow was a bit halting instead of a fluid string of jokes like most stand up comedians. He probably just needs more practice.

At the show, there was a disruptive, drunk-AF woman who we’ll call “Mara” (mainly because she told the comedians that was her name). She made it abundantly clear (and not in any roundabout manner) that she wanted to get laid by a comedian that night – it didn’t matter which one, but she had a preference for the famous one. She eventually got kicked out when she attempted unsuccessfully to get on stage.

At one point, she said her job was to “wipe buttholes for a living,” and when people seemed confused, she clarified that she “works with old people.” People who, hands down, deserve better than her, I’d say.

Regardless of being seated way too close to Mara, I enjoyed the show.

Friday

Friday was busy. After two appointments for IL4 (Well-Child & speech therapy), M10 had a therapy appointment. It went so well! Usually he is not very responsive, but this time he really sat down with us and puzzled out what might be the reason he’s been acting out at school. I was so proud of him, I offered to take him to play laser tag again.

Reading to IL4

  • Don’t Feed the Coos, by Jonathan Stutzman & Heather Fox
  • Didi Dodo Future Spy: Robo-Dodi Rumble, by Tom Angleberger & Jared Chapman
  • Didi Dodo: Double-O Dodo, by Tom Angleberger & Jared Chapman
  • Llama Rocks the Cradle of Chaos, by Jonathan Stutzman & Heather Fox
  • Peppa’s Valentine’s Day, by Courtney Carbone

M10 reading

  • To Be a King, by Kathryn Lasky
  • Fuzz, by Mary Roach

D13 reading

  • Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus, by Dusti Bowling
  • Dungeon Academy No Humans Allowed, by Madeline Roux & Tim Probert

Wrote

  • 1 letter Pennsylvania Department of Corrections
  • 1 letter Virginia Department of Corrections
  • 1 letter Michigan Department of Corrections
  • 1 letter England
  • 1 letter Wisconsin

Week’s Photos

I’m told that this is too many cranial accessories
IL4 took a pretty good picture of me reading

Media Partaken In

Pg 50 – 75
Pg 100 – 128
Season 3 episode 7 – 8
2.25 – 4 hours in
4.25 – 5.5 hours in
34.5 – 34 hours left
Lecture 26 – 27
Lecture 25
Episode 20 – 24
Episodes 1 – 4
Stephen Ho (stevioe)

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Didi Dodo Future Spy series by Tom Angleberger & Jared Chapman

In this spin-off series from Inspector Flytrap, Koko Dodo teams up with Didi Dodo to solve three mysteries. The books are cute, funny and enjoyable to both myself and my 4-year-old, to whom I read these.

In this installment, Koko’s super secret fudge recipe has been stolen right before the cookie contest. Will Didi be able to find it before the contest is judged?

In the second installment, a giant robot dodo is trying to put Koko out of business.

In the final installment of the Didi Dodo books, the Queen is kidnapped. Didi and Koko go undercover to look for her.

Don’t Feed the Coos, by Jonathan Stutzman & Heather Fox

By the same author as “Llama Destroys the World,” “Don’t Feed the Coos” is about a girl that accidentally encourages a bunch of pigeons to follow her around endlessly. It’s a book of few words, so it’s also good for younger kids than my 4 year old, but my son wants me to read this book over and over. It’s cute, and attention to details in the pictures pays off. I missed some stuff on the first couple of readings.

When Stars are Scattered, by Victoria Jamieson & Omar Mohamed

This is the true story of Omar and his brother Hassan, who grew up in a refugee camp in Kenya after leaving Somalia. They were desperately hoping their mom would find them, but managed to pull it off with a foster mom and a school.

It is important to get stories like this out to kids so they are less likely to form preconceived notions about refugees based on the current political climate. It was well-written and enjoyable.

This is a graphic novel for kids which I listened to adapted to audiobook. It was well read and interesting despite not having the pictures.

Poo-Dunit A Forest Floor Mystery, by Katlyn Aronson & Stephanie Laberis

When Mouse discovers a gigantic poo outside her home, she wants to know who has offended her. She asks around, but everyone claims that their poo looks different than the poo in question. Until she discovers the offender.

This is an adorable poo story. It even has a bit at the end talking about what good things poo can be used for, and pictures of several types of poo meant to be matched to each animal’s description of their own poo. I used it to help my 4 year old feel better about pooping.

Wednesday Season 1

In this delightful remake of the Addams Family, Wednesday Addams is sent off to boarding school. There, she tries to discover the culprit behind some heinous murders.

I loved this. Especially Wednesday’s now famous dance scene. I don’t feel that the Addams parents were as charming as she was, but I think that was the writing and not the casting. I loved each and every one of Wednesdays friends. I look forward to the next season.

Update February 11, 2023

News

Saturday

Saturday I spent a good chunk of the day sleeping off my not-strep. I watched some X-files with D13 and Aaron in the evening.

Sunday

Sunday I felt pretty much normal by the end of the day, which was nice. I got some reading done and took IL4 to an appointment. M10 went to baseball. D13 watched a movie. Calm day. Great news, though! My wedding ring fits again!

Monday

Monday was a rushed day. I drove M10 to student council, then took D13 to 3 appointments. While at one appointment, the daycare called and said IL4 was “screaming in excruciating pain, grabbing his leg and sometimes his bottom.” I thought perhaps this was an exaggeration. I imagined he was just wothholding poop and was about to pooplode. I was right. I sent Aaron to get him, since I couldn’t.

After all that, we had a parent-teacher conference for M10’s math class. Apparently he’s doing well, but has started missing assignments, which is exactly what’s happening in other classes. Then M10 had a patrol meeting for Cub scouts. Busy day!

Tuesday

Tuesday was a mess. IL4 had diarrhea 4 times overnight, so we kept him at home, where he had diarrhea 10 times that day. Then, I went to pick up M10 from school, where I was told he’d gotten into a fight. I won’t go into detail, but he deserved the punch he got – he asked for it, in fact. Then, D13 was doubled over in pain, so I was left trying to figure out whether to take her to Urgent Care or talk to her doctor in the morning. I waited

Wednesday

Wednesday went much better. IL4 had a doctor appointment followed by an X-ray. Because he was so brave, I took him to the store to get Cheetos. There, he performed a miracle – he told me needed to go potty, and held it in while I ran the cart to the bathroom! This happened twice, so he got two extra rewards. In the evening we had the first family dinner that we’ve had since we moved the table for the Christmas tree. It had gotten a lot of stuff piled on it.

Thursday

Thursday was fun. I took M10 to play laser tag at the Mall of America. Afterwards, he, my dad and I ate at Rainforest Cafe, and then bought LEGOs at LEGOLand. That evening, we had 3 parent teacher conferences.

Friday

Friday was good. After speech therapy, I took IL4 to the library. He picked out another book for me to read, despite my having not finished “Dead Wake” yet. The book is “Three Rings,” by Daniel Mendelsohn. Apparently he thinks I read quite the variety.

Reading to IL4

  • The Gruffalo, by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler
  • The Bad Seed, by Jory John and Pete Oswald
  • Why Do We Poop?, By Harriet Blackford & Mike Henson
  • Little Good Wolf, by Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel
  • The Frog Prince Continued, by Jon Scieszka & Steve Johnson
  • Poo-Dunit? A Forest Floor Mystery, by Katelyn Aronson & Stephanie Laberis
  • Ganesha’s Sweet Tooth, by Sanjay Patel & Emily Haynes
  • Pete the Cat I Love My White Shoes, by Eric Litwin and James Dean
  • Llama Unleashes the Alpacalypse, by Jonathan Stutzman & Heather Fox
  • Pete the Cat and his Four Groovy Buttons, by Eric Litwin & James Dean
  • Dog on a Frog, by Kes Gray, Clare Gray, & Jim Field
  • The Legend of Spookley, the Square Pympkin, by Joe Troiano & Susan Banta
  • Dona Esmeralda, Who Ate Everything!, By Melissa de la Cruz & Primo Gallanosa
  • The Surprise, by Zadie Smith & Nick Laird
  • Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, by mo willems
  • Grumpy Bird, by Jeremy Tankard
  • School of Monsters Pete’s Big Feet, by Sally Rippin
  • Pete the Cat Rocking i my School Shoes
  • Grumpy Monkey Oh No Christmas, by Suzanne Lang & Max Lang
  • Llama Destroys the World, by Jonathan Stutzman & Heather Fox

M10 reading

  • To Be a King, by Kathryn Lasky

D13 reading

  • Prisoner of Ice and Snow, by Ruth Lauren

Wrote

  • 1 letter Pennsylvania Department of Corrections
  • 1 letter Virginia Department of Corrections
  • 1 letter Maine Department of Corrections
  • 1 letter Michigan Department of Corrections
  • 1 letter California Department of Corrections
  • 1 letter Belgium

Week’s Photos

Media Partaken In

Episodes 7 – 12
2.5 – 4.25 hours
Lectures 23 – 24
1.25 – 2.25
Lecture 25
35.25 – 34.5 hours left
Episode 4
Pg 1 – 50
Mr Ballen Podcast: Episodes 13 – 19
Pg 80 – 100
28 – 27.25 hours left
Season 3: Episode 4 – 6
Whole book

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