A Long, Uphill, Bumpy Ride Over The Hump This Week

Wow. Is this week ever dragging. It feels like we've been slugging through mud, uphill and someone keeps moving the darn hill! It's been cold and dingy out. The kids are playing outside if I send them. It seems I have begun to hibernate early this year. Brian has caught a terrible cold. I wish he would let me put him on ColdFX...or echinacea...or that nice Cold/Flu tea that mom gets us. But no, he'll battle it out...and of course, he has absolutaly no time off in the forseeable future.

We've had two different recipes of crock-pot cider the last two days. Makes the house smell nice instead of like old-stuffy-carpet. And the kids like it. They heard me read the recipe we tried today (maple syrup, allspice, cloves, cinnamon, orange juice concentrate, cider) and then they actually tried it and had seconds. Did you know that cloves are expensive?!? Almost $7 for one of the weeny shaker bottles!! And I was thinking of doing Cloved Orange Pomanders at Christmastime...


Rai's Hallowe'en party was awesome - he says. I managed to drop him off and return only to help clean up. He's having a good time at Beavers and I don't need to be there. Progress!! I forgot the camera so I don't have a pic of him in his 'Karate Guy' uniform. One of the mom's commented as he went in, "That's a pretty fancy belt for a kiddy Hallowe'en Party". I cringed as I knew someone was going to say something. I know nothing about the Martial Arts (other than Ninjitsu rolls cause my brother to break collar bones in turn causing mom to yank all her offspring out of that 'violent silliness'). I was tying his belt when we were getting ready to go knowing for certain that I was doing it wrong and probably breaking 14 Cardinal Rules of Katate Uniform Respect. Oh well...he loves his costume and didn't ruin it...it is all white, you know.

Rai's finishing up his last week of meds. We finally received our Clinic Appointment: November 21. I need to dash over to the hospital and get his films from the ultrasound. We are in big trouble if we don't bring them. When the lady called to book the appointment with me, she told me about them twice. Then, we received confirmation by mail and it's in there too. Twice. Highlighted. In Pink. Twice. Apparently we are going to see how Rai does without his meds for a couple of weeks. We will monitor him through weekly urinalysis at the hospital lab, watching for rising levels of infection. I spoke briefly with Dr.W who mentioned he had seen the ultrasound results. Rai's left kidney seems to be the culprit. There seems to be a couple of different problems with it. Suddenly the abdominal pains and the urine infections make sense.

We are looking froward to a homeschooler's day at the Museum this Friday. Hopefully I will remember to pick up local postcards while I am out. We also are hoping to check out the new park at Blockhouse Island with friends after our program.

And the last thing I will share tonight....I am just about ready to throw the towel in. Everything takes so long to accomplish here at home. I can't keep up with anything. Every time I start something, someone else needs me to do something for them. I am too scatterbrained to get back to whatever it was that I was doing in the first place. A simple 'pick up the house' (declutter) took me two and a half hours last week. I insisted the kids helped. Once I am able to get everyone on the same page (stuff put away, ready for the day, fed & watered) we are all too frustrated to hit the books. Stuff piles up and I avoid it. Case in point: still haven't filled out October's calendar. I am so scattered right now I'm avoiding the phone. So, instead of jumping off a bridge...I fear I will have to make lists. And charts. And I'm going to have to really try to stick to a schedule. Oh joy. Oh bliss. We've been talking about doing what needs to be done first and then enjoying free time so we don't feel rushed. Excellent in principle, not so successful in practice. Over the summer I read Sidetracked Home Executives. Amusing. Practical. Good ideas. Now I'm going to have to do it.

That's a good idea. I think the kids and I will sit down and do it together tomorrow. IT being a daily/weekly schedule of stuff-to-do-after-breakfast-before-dad-gets-home-for-lunch-and-before-anyone-leaves-the-house-or-uses-the-electronics. I'm even thinking of getting Bri to lock out the PC until he gets home for lunch. Isn't that what husbands are for? To help with accountability?

As always, lovely chatting with you and catching up. Cross your fingers for us on the 21st.