Late-night Monday

Just an update.

My dad is doing *really well* !!! Woo-hoo. My sister has started the search for an assisted living facility for dad. He's made huge improvements since I've last seen him. I talked to him on the phone Saturday night and thought: My dad is back, completely! This makes my heart soar! He's got his fight back -- which is what he needs.

Life in Minnesota? Um, well, um ... we're plugging. Both Thomas and I are whiny. Thomas really is letting off steam. School consists of only a few subjects a day, coupled with much moaning and groaning. I am not concentrating well to help smooth matters over. I think time will help.

I feel like I'm walking knee-deep in water. Lots of stuff I have to get done in a short amount of time. Typically, this wouldn't be a big deal, but now it is. I'm working on my taxes tonight -- my appointment is at 4 tomorrow afternoon. Talk about cutting it close!

Bob brought me a list of 15 neurologists in the area that our insurance company said I can use. Now, how do I pick by a name alone? This has me stumped. I guess I can call the eye doc back and ask who he recommends, and then my doctor's office. It certainly would be easier if there were some to choose from in our town.

I haven't read a book yet. I have been using eye drops, though. My eyes feel really good. So good that I was floored, because I didn't know my eyes didn't feel good until they started feeling good. I did sit down and read a chapter of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, which is a book I've been wanting to revisit. Reading the chapter was fine except when I stopped to put eye drops in. No blurriness or fatigue...but it was only a chapter. I need to get through some of this other stuff so I can sit and read a spell.

I have definite and true signs of depression going on right now. That Thursday night I was just sobbing uncontrollably. Bob did take the afternoon off on Friday. We didn't do anything, but his presence did help. I am debating anti-depressants. I've tried them years ago, and they never seemed to help. I worry, though, because this is going to be a long-term situation, and I'm down already, so I don't know what to do. My doctor appointment is on Friday, so we'll figure something out.

On a fun note, Thomas, Bob and I went to Kmart last week for something and Thomas discovered the 90%-off Easter stuff. I had promised him we'd have Easter at home, but I kind of forgot about it. Thomas picked a candy-making kit for $9.99. I said no way. The clerk said, "Oh, buy it, it's only 90 cents." So I did. And we bought three egg dying kits. And we bought an Easter Gingerbread house. The house was only 90 cents, and the kits were 14 cents apiece.

So yesterday Bob prepared our Easter dinner. It was delicious. Today we dyed eggs and made candy and the gingerbread house.

Thomas got his easter after all.

(And for what it's worth, we are Christians, and even though we never attend church, on the real Easter morning, Thomas and I stopped at the hospital's chapel and had a little mini-service of our own.)

So we had a little bit of religion, and mostly secular fun to go with it.

Bob came up with an idea to extend our privacy fence with chain link so the dogs could have a big run. This was my idea, too, and even Thomas's. But when Bob thinks it's his idea, things work better. ;-) So we're waiting for the ground to warm up enough to dig post holes. We do have to get a permit from the city first, but I don't think that will be a problem. The fence will run 20 feet deep and 30? feet -- no, it must be more -- along the side of the house. It will be a great area for them. Now, I've always wanted the whole back yard to have a privacy fence, but I'll gladly compromise with an ugly chain link for our dogs' sakes.

School wise, we're finishing up a book called Mastering Essential Math Skills: 20 Minutes a Day to Success, Book 2: Middle Grades/High School . I bought CLE before we left for Colorado, but we ended up hating it. I'll post a review someday. Next year we're going back to Rod and Staff.

Thomas has almost finished reading his life science textbook. I have three new science textbooks waiting for him for next year.

We're plugging along with writing and reading. And it's time to restart the Civil War. I'd like to spend the rest of our year on that.

So we're not covering all the bases, and I usually have tons of bases that need to be covered, but we're getting back into the swing.

Now if only I could get my house cleaned to my satisfaction. Hasn't happened yet. Haven't' caught up on laundry, either.

BUT...life is good. It's full of ups and downs, that's just the way it is, and you have to enjoy each moment, or take each moment for what it's worth -- that's how you get through it all. Didn't someone once say, That which doesn't kill us makes us stronger? We're stronger now.

Tonight Thomas and I had a discussion, that we've lightly touched on before, but we really talked about it. We saved a life. Our actions saved Grandpa's life. Now I can feel good about that. Before, I had worried that my actions caused him harm -- but I should have known how strong my dad is, and I should have listened when he said he was happy to be alive. It makes me cry. I have my dad back. How lucky am I? Thomas has his Grandpa. How lucky is he. Grandpa has been working very hard, to the point of exhaustion. He's bound and determined to get out of hte skilled nursing facility. And he will. He's a very strong, bull headed, opinionated man -- I'm a chip off that old block.

I told Thomas tonight that he is my hero. What happened was very scary, but he stepped up to the plate. When I needed to get dad to the floor to start CPR, I couldn't because I couldn't move the chair. Thomas did. Thomas got control of the puppies when the paramedics showed up and put them in their crates. Thomas ran and made sure the doors opened so they could get into the house. Thomas was a great help in saving his grandpa's life.

Yes, Thomas is my hero. He endured daily visits to the hospital, consisting of long, exhausting, boring hours. He watched his grandpa, talked to his grandpa, and was very polite. Then he would go find a waiting room where he could wiggle around and be noisey. Then he'd come back. He never once complained. He never once acted out. He was the perfect gentleman.

Yes, Thomas, you ARE a hero.

You have my permission to be whiny right now, because it's all built up from March.

I wish I had some Harry Potter flu powder to go and visit Dad right now. I think he'd tell me to get home, get the house cleaned, my bills paid, school done, etc.

As dad was getting checked out of the hospital and getting ready to move to the western slope of Colorado, he said: Go home, I don't need you anymore. That really hurt my feelings. So the next morning, as I was packing his bag for him, I asked him, "Do you really not need me anymore?" He agreed, he didn't need me. So I smiled, a big smile, and said, "But you want me, though, right? You may not need me, but you want me?" He started laughing. That was the reaction I needed. He wants me. =)

When it rains, it pours

And I'm in a downpour at the moment.

Yesterday I made a follow-up to my hospitialization doctor appointment, a full physical appointment, two dentists appointments, one for Thomas and one for me, and an eye doctor appointment. Imagine my surprise when my eye appointment was TODAY.

Well, there's good news and bad news. The good news is I have been diagnosed with rosacea, if that can be good news. Now I always suspected I had rosacea because my cheeks are always red, but I never thought much of it. WRONG. It is in my eyes. This is the reason that I have not been able to read a book for a couple years now. So the good news is that I have artificial tears and I am to practice blinking A LOT when reading, and I should be a reader again. That makes my year. I never knew rosacea could harm the eyes, but it really can. Scary stuff!

This got discovered today because I did NOT wear makeup. So I think from now on, I won't wear makeup to any doctor appointment.

I probably do have glaucoma. I go back for some weird test as soon as they get me scheduled. It doesn't appear I have any optic nerve damage, which is good. Not good news, but caught early and treated, not the worst news. Hopefully.

The really bad news: I was referred to a neurologist for special evaluation and testing. I go blurry eyed in one eye when I recline, such as laying down to watch TV. When I get up, it takes 15-20 minutes for my vision to clear. The opthalmologist suspects there may be something very wrong with my carotid artery. Yikes.

I'll have to get on the phnone tomorrow and find a neurologist that is on my insurance plan, because we don't have one locally. This scares the crap out of me because there is a family history of carotid artery blockage. I also have to get on the phone and get all my Denver medical records sent to my doctor. I was given some, but no specific test results except the stress/treadmill test. I also have to think back to every single eye doctor I've ever been to, find their numbers, and get my records. Good grief.

The neurologist part scares me the most.

It could all be worse, but I just wasn't up for this today. I guess I wouldn't be up for it any day, but I've had enough going on right now.

I came home and bawled.

~~~~~~~

On a school-related note, things have been better. We've been getting into the habit slowly but surely. Book learning is going on again in our house, which is a very good thing. We've decided to work really hard so we don't have to use the entire summer (or month of June) to catch up.

I talked to my dad on the phone yesterday and he sounded so good -- better than he did when he was in the hospital. That did wonders for my heart and soul. It is so hard being so far away.

I asked Bob to take the afternoon off tomorrow. He readily agreed. I just need him to be close right now. He's good at chasing off the scary monsters in the closet, so to speak.

We're supposed to get up to six inches of snow tomorrow. Good grief, it's April already! Snow, snow, go away, please come back another day...preferably next winter.

Here's hoping next week is better!

Three Little Kittens

On a lighter note, I saw this video today and *loved* it. If you like kittens, you'll enjoy it.

Stink, Stank, Stunk

I fear my future blog entries are going to all be negative. Please, forgive me.

School today? Stink, stank, stunk. We both had a terrible time getting started up. We finished three subjects. It took us all day. 'Twas an awful day.

The house is a pit, I have bills to pay, dishes to wash, laundry to do. I took the weekend off and so did everyone else. Big mistake on my part. At least I got unpacked.

I actually snuck in a nap this morning, too.

Tomorrow is another day. While Bob might be upset with what little we accomplished, I'm cutting Thomas and myself some slack. Each day will be better.

If I had three wishes to be granted, this is what I would wish for:

1) Good health for my father -- and all my loved ones, but especially dad.
2) Easing of Thomas's struggles with life in general at the moment.
3) A maid, a cook, an errand runner, a bill payer, a laundry doer, a tutor: Wait, what I need is a wife!

Sunday, Sunday

Dreading Monday. I think getting back into the routine will be good for both Thomas and I, but I’m dreading it nonetheless.

Yesterday I didn’t shower and get dressed until afternoon. Same today.

I tried to get a nap in yesterday, but the phone kept ringing. One time it was dad calling on his new Jitterbug phone. That was a nice surprise.

The whole family packed up and hit Wally World last night. We were looking for an intermediate sized crate for Tesla, but they didn’t have one we liked. What they had was a bit too small, and the large was way too large. We need to venture out into the real world soon as Tesla is too big for his crate now. He fits, he curls up fine, but I’d like him to have a tad more room.

I bought myself something last night. A Bissell stick vacuum. I was getting very sick of lugging around my small canister vac to do floors. Dad had a cordless Shark that was good at picking up chunks on carpet (dog food, big crumbs, etc.) and that got me to thinking about my own floors. I tried his Shark on his wooden entryway and his laundry room floor. I wasn’t impressed. I was, however, impressed with the way it was light weight and easy to maneuver.

I looked online and found some great stick vacs, but always impatient, I decided to buy one at Wal-mart last night. It was only $19.99. Bob put it together for me and I am very surprised, but it works very well. It’s like a Dust Buster with a handle and floor attachment. The only drawback is that the cord is so short it won’t reach the entire floor in my kitchen. So I need to run out and buy an extension cord for the thing.

It’s the small things in life that get us through – and having something new to vacuum my hardwood floors is really the highlight of my month.

I have been avoiding looking at school work. I should be sitting down going over things, but I can’t bring myself to do it. Tomorrow is going to be a difficult day for both Thomas and I. Thomas is very upset that we’ll be doing school until the end of June. Can’t be helped, though.

I’m thinking of cutting some subjects short. We had started studying civics, which we both really enjoyed. It’s not imperative that we finish that this year, though. I’m going to scrutinize my list and do only what is of utmost importance: math, science, reading, grammar and writing. I’ll tweak as we go. I’d like to throw history back into the loop, but I’ll let time tell. We do need a gentle day tomorrow.

I’ve been looking at cell phones, or prepaid cell phones to be exact. The last time Bob was in South Carolina, we got hit with a cell phone bill that was over $200. We typically pay $86 a month. Our company just got bought out, and the new company charges you .10 a minute if you’re not on one of their towers. What a jolt to the system that was after we were used to never paying extras for years. My cell phone bill from Denver is going to be a KILLER. I bet it will be over $300. You just have to have a cell phone in an emergency.

So, while in Denver I bought Thomas his first cell phone, a Trac Fone. We couldn’t get a local number with the phone he got, so he got a Colorado phone number. It was easy to use, and the cost would be very cheap if we got the high minute card and double minute card. He used his phone everywhere – including all the way back to Minnesota – and always had coverage. I looked at some of the other prepaid phones, and it looks as if the Trac Fone would be the best bet for us. My plans are to switch to unlimited long distance on my land line and just use the cell phone when out and about. I use my current cell for all long distance now. I think that’s what we’re going to do. In case of emergency, Trac Fone cards can be purchased anywhere, so I could buy a big-minute card if need be.

I hate making decisions like that, but I really detest our new phone company. I went in person to the local store to ask about and then contest that big phone bill, and they were so rude I filed a complaint. I talked to the service center online and they weren’t much better, but they did cut my overages in half. We had such a great deal, and it’s gone. None of the other cell phone companies in our area are nearly as cost effective as our old plan was. So, prepaid wireless it is.

My mood this weekend has been very low. Friday night I cried for about four hours straight. I had cried off and on during the whole ordeal, but not for long. At home, safe and sound, I was able to really let it all out. I hate being so far from my dad. Thomas has been very upset this weekend as well. He’s actually had a few crying spells himself. I had to remind Bob to go very easy on him because of all the trauma he has experienced. I cannot imagine what Thomas is thinking – it was hard enough on me, and I’m over 40. How on earth a young child would process all that happened is beyond me. He doesn’t really want to discuss anything. Typical male, perhaps? He’s letting off steam slow but sure, though. Bob and I have both told him that if he needs to talk, we’re here. I’ve also asked him some prompting questions to get him to open up a bit. He’ll talk a little but then just tell me he doesn’t want to talk about it. So I’m going to let him be, yet be there for him. He’s like me, he’s somewhat delayed reaction. I have a feeling as we get back into our routine, he’ll have an emotional week. As will I.

Home

We're home. Thomas and I, and Apollo and Tesla, arrived late this afternoon. Bob had a delicious dinner in the oven waiting for us. We were overjoyed to see our cats.

Bob was amazed at how Tesla and Apollo had grown. He said they left as puppies and dogs came home. I'll have to snap a photo in the next few days to share. Also amazing, Thomas grew 1/4 of an inch while gone. I guess all that fast food and hospital food agreed with him.

I am in a very melancholy mood: It's good to be home, but my heart is very heavy.

We'll resume school on Monday. I need tomorrow to relax. We had originally planned on leaving Denver Monday, but I just couldn't. There were many things to do, and I was emotionally and physically exhausted. I needed rest before the two-day drive home. I worked, but was able to rest and not work at such a fast pace.

Our drive through Nebraska this morning was pure hell. Down poor, white-out conditions when truckers passed. It was awful. Many times I was tempted to pull off and find something to do, but I plugged along. We were at Omaha when the rain finally lightened up.

I need a day of nothing. I'm going to take it tomorrow.

Very Rough Times

Three weeks ago yesterday (Thursday) my dad called. He was to have surgery the following Tuesday and my sister was ill and couldn’t come to help. He asked if Thomas and I would come and help him.

Of course we would.

We left Friday evening and arrived Sunday.

The surgery on Tuesday went well. By Wednesday evening, I had concerns about dad. The next morning I called the surgeon’s office and scheduled an appointment that day. I voiced my concerns and basically he blew me off and told us to come back the following week.

On the way home, we drove through Wendy’s so Thomas and I could get a Frosty. We got home and dad, Thomas and I sat at the table while Thomas and I ate our Frosties. I looked up and saw my dad was passed out, in the throws of what I now know was a heart attack.

I called 911 immediately. I got him to the floor with Thomas’s help – he pulled out the chair. I was about to start CPR, but the paramedics arrived. The paramedics arrived in less than five minutes. I specifically looked at the clock when I called 911.

Well, the rest is a long story and somewhat personal so I don’t feel free to share the details. However, dad was released from the hospital today and my brother-in-law and sister drove him four hours away close to their home to a skilled nursing facility. He is very ill, still, but…..sigh. I cannot express my feelings. I ache for him. He has a struggle ahead of him that I just cannot fathom. I love my dad very much and I worry about him.

As they drove off from the hospital, both Thomas and I just let loose and bawled.

Thomas and I are still in Denver. We will stay for a few days because I have a lot to do here, plus I am so completely exhausted that it wouldn’t be safe for me to drive two days home yet.

On the Sunday morning after dad’s heart attack, Thomas and I were driving to the hospital. We were only about two blocks from home. I had the most intense “thing” happen to me. I thought I was having a heart attack. I had tunnel vision, I shook, I had chest pain, I had the most horrid sense of impending doom – I thought I was dying. I got to dad’s house and my sister arrived a few minutes later. She took me to a local walk-in clinic. I was so bad I couldn’t get out of the car so they had to get a wheelchair to bring me in. After a few minutes, they did an EKG and informed me that it was not normal and they had called an ambulance. The ambulance arrived, and I feared for myself, but mostly for Thomas. I didn’t want him to see anything, so requested they take me outside. My sister took good care of Thomas.

Before we left for the hospital, they did an EKG and it was normal – they only saw one “weird blip” They did another en route to the hospital, and that was normal. In the emergency room, they did another which was normal. They gave me Atavan?? I felt much better, but I still shook. They admitted me and I spent one night in the hospital. I was two rooms away from my dad. I had a CAT scan checking for clots and also a treadmill test complete with radioactive dye. Bottom line: My heart is healthy. I was released with Xanax and Ambien. It was a massive panic attack.

The next day I started to have another panic attack, but the Xanax did the trick. The Ambien, which was a higher strength than what I had at home, enabled me to sleep every night. Before I had that, my mind raced at night and I didn’t sleep. I have only had to take one Xanax, thankfully I’ve been practicing breathing and trying to keep myself relaxed.

Poor Thomas. I cannot believe what all that wonderful 12-year-old boy has had to endure. He was a perfect angel, but the stress started to show two days ago. Even then, he was still good. I am so proud of him.

On the way home from the hospital visiting dad one night, I stopped at a Wal-mart and bought him a cell phone with 250 minutes. He is so proud of that phone. He really deserved something special. He’s been able to keep in touch with family and friends on his own terms, which he really needed. He also got a thrill every time someone called him.

We hope to be back home sometime next week. I miss my blogging buddies, I miss the internet, I miss a good computer and high-speed internet. This is the first time I’ve logged on since I got here. It will probably be the last because the computer is so slow.

So, we’re still alive. We’re obviously not doing school at the moment, even though I brought it with us. We’re planning on going way into the summer now. I am so thankful we homeschool because we wouldn’t have been able to stay and help.

If you pray, please say a prayer for my dad. If you don’t, please think good thoughts for him and send him good vibes. I would greatly appreciate it.

Frankie, in Denver

High School, Oh My!

When Bob was home for lunch today, I told him I had started planning next year. I told him I needed him to sit down with me and map out what we wanted to accomplish. We then got to talking about high school and that we should have a good, but general, idea of what we want to do 9th - 12th grade so we know what we should cover in 7th and 8th.

Oh my. I haven't even thought about the high school years yet. I don't want to think about the high school years yet. I don't want my baby to be starting 7th grade, turning into a teenager so soon, either. Can't stop time, though, so I guess I'd best start.

Meg, Carole, and Doc, I may be snooping around your blogs. If you see some crazy stats on your site meters from Minnesota, relax, it's just me.

I think I'll start googling, too. Perhaps I'll pull out my Rebecca Rupp Homeschooling Year by Year book. I don't know if I've ever looked at her high school section. And I also have The Well Trained Mind I can look at.

Sheesh, I don't think I'm ready to think that far ahead. BUT wise old Bob and I figure it's probably a good idea to know where we're going.

Yuck!

Bribes

Bribes -- never thought before I had a child I would use them. In fact, I thought it was a sign of bad parrenting.

Not any more. We started playing the bribes game early on. It works!

My latest guilty bribe has to do with school. See, I ordered Christian Light Education's Sunrise (or whatever the heck it's called) math for Thomas. Instead of ordering the 6th grade, I ordered 5th. Now Thomas isn't behind on math, he scores years ahead on computation and post high school on concepts on his standardized tests every year, BUT he hasn't had any exposure to algebra and very little to geometry. I was looking around at the yahoo group's photos, and they incorporate both things in the 5th grade program.

So, most of it will be review -- gravy. There will be ne concepts learned, and I'm happy with that. Now here comes the bribe. After we get it, and have worked it for a bit, I will be ordering the 600 series for THE SUMMER. I don't want Thomas getting behind on the other skills and concepts.

Bob and I broke the news to Thomas at lunch today. He was not a happy camper. He pitched a fit. He was not happy. Uffta. (When in Minnesota, talk like the Minnesotans. lol)

Thomas made a very valid point. His summers are precious to him. He enjoys the freedom of no school. SO DO I. I probably enjoy it more than he does, truth be told. Bob said that if he did this work for us, with a good attitude, we'd get him something. Something big.

Bob was talking Wii -- I told him that's too big. I came up with the perfect solution while reading the Well Trained Mind boardsd tonight: A cell phone. I ran that by Thomas and he was thrilled. He's been asking for one for a long time. All his friends have them. (eye roll) They do, but they're also in public school and going every where after school and the parents use the cell phones to keep track of where their kids are. Thomas just wants one.

So I'll buy him a Trac Phone, get a big plan for him, and we'll call it a day.

I can handle an hour of school every day this summer, right? I can do it.

The thing is -- what do I get for doing math every day this summer? Anything special for me? ha ha ha ha ha

brrr

Took the puppies potty a few minutes ago.

They went out the door, stayed for one second, and raced back in. I physically picked them up and put them out. Each of them. Twice. They wouldn't stay out.

The wind is blowing, it's snowing, it's a wet snow, and the current temp is -15 and our wind-chill is -43. -43. #$#@&*(

Tomorrow is supposed to be nasty cold, too. I think on Thursay, I am going to go buy a lottery ticket. I think I'll buy one for every lottery. If I ever win, I'm moving somewhere warm.

Who said there was no such thing as a cold day in hell?

Back and Forth

We've had lots of back an forths lately:

Back and forth travel for Bob. We're about done with that, though. Whew.

Back and forth with the weather. It's average temperature, then it's waaay below average, then it's average again. Currently, it's 0 with a wind-chill of -21. I'd take our average of 20s in the daytime, PLEASE. Hopefully by the end of the week we'll make the swing. Life is so much better when we are in the average range of temps. 20 may not seem warm, but believe me, compared to -20, it is balmy!

Back and forth with illnesses. Thomas is still coughing away, and yesterday I awoke to greet a lovely sore throat, coughing, sneezing, stuffy nose, runny nose, or just icky nose, aches and pains and slight fever. Had it today. I'm sure it will be here tomorrow. Back and forth between who is sick. Thomas and I just keep taking turns. It's too cold to air the house out. Ick.

Frankly, I'd rather be sick at home than being sick out of town. January 6th, the day we got Tesla, the day I was throwing up and more all over Rochester, Minnesota. Yup. I'll quit complaining about being sick, because I'm HOME. What a world of difference that makes.

Back and forth with math. Gosh, our entire homeschool career math has been an issue. Thomas hates math with a capital H. Cannot stand it. I used to like math, but with the stress of all these years building up with Thomas' hate, UGH. First we did Singapore, which was not a good fit for either of us. Then we did Rod and Staff. I loved it, Thomas hated, hated, triple-dog-dare -- no wait, that doesn't apply to hate -- detested it. In between we've done a little of Lial's Basic College Math, Key To Fractions and Decimals, and Painless Fractions. We're about to finish the Key to Fractions and one have book of Key to Decimals.

I am sick of not having a set math curricula. I need something in workbook format. Thomas cannot copy problems from a book. With the Rod and Staff, that I loved, I broke the spine, tore the book apart, three-hole punched it, and put it in a notebook. Thomas wrote directly in the student text. That worked well most of the time. He really doesn't want to do Rod and Staff.

So I've been searching again. There are a few workbook format choices out there, but I think I will purchase Christian Light Education, CLE for short. Lots more algebra than Rod and Staff. The only samples I could find were at their yahoo group, Christian Light Families. Based solely on a few sample pages, plus the index, I think it might work. It's not too expensive, so I can return or re-sell it if it doesn't work out.

Time will tell. No more back and forth with math, that's my biggest desire.

No more back and forth with anything. I am sick of the pendulum. I want to stay put for awhile. I want everyone home, healthy and happy. Is it possible???

~~~~~~~~~

One more back and forth. Today, Thomas said to me, "Mom, would you please log out of my Webkinz account so I can play? We go back and forth on who is logged in. I am in love with Webkinz. I like to play Tile Towers (Tai Pei game.) I like to play go fish. I like their arcade games. I like their word games. Gee, isn't it geared for YOUNG kids? Maybe I'm just young at heart, but I really enjoy the games there. So Thomas has decided I need a Webkinz of my own. I think he's right. I just have to figure out which critter I want. They don't have a border collie -- well, they didn't last time I checked. The only down side is I make Thomas a lot of Kinzcash. Oh well, he'll have to earn it on his own.

This mom rates Webkinz as A+ for safety. I don't even worry about Thomas there because the only way to chat with others is by picking phrases from a screen. No typing on your own. So, nice and safe.

Back and forth. Sounds like a hypnotist trying to dull me to death. Sadly, I think it's working!

Happy Valentine's Day

We did absolutely nothing to celebrate this year. Normally I buy a gift for Thomas and make a cake or cupcakes or something. Today was just not the day to bake, celebrate or think twice about VD. (My mom always used to say happy VD, so in rememberance of her, I call it VD sometimes.)

Thomas woke up so cranky that he squeaked. Oh my! I forced him to feed and potty his pups and then I forced him back to bed. The later wasn't too difficult. He went back to bed at 8:30 and did not get up until 12:30. He slept hard.

Bob surprised me by coming home early. He opened the door at 9:30 and caught me still in my robe and on the internet, playing Webkinz' Tile Towers.

When Thomas awoke, he took a long shower. His sinuses are really bothering him. We ate lunch, loaded up the puppies, and headed for civilization, otherwise known as Mankato. Yes, the same civilization that Laura Ingalls Wilder used to head to.

Puppies had their final vet appointment and are now officially up to date on shots. Tesla was such a baby that the lovely vet -- and we really do love her -- called him a wuss. He actually cried when she gave him his shot! He's a mama's boy.

After that, we headed out for a quick Valentine's Day meal. We drove past Applebee's (I've never in my life eaten there and don't really have a desire to), some rib join that Bob wants to go to, and my all-time favorite Olive Garden. I drove into the Taco Bell parking lot. We feasted on burritos, tacos and nachos. Ever since our Taco Bell closed a few years ago, I just cannot help myself when I see one. I love their bean burritos.

Next, we drove to a furniture store. My kitchen chairs are falling apart, literally. We bought a cute dinette set 20 years ago and let's just say we've had the chairs five years too long. I took one chair out to the garage while Bob was gone recently because it broke. Bob got a surprise check Monday and announced that we were going to get new chairs with it. We checked our local furniture store, they had an okay set of chairs, but I wasn't in love with them. We thought we'd check civilization before buying those. Well, lo and behold, we found a lovely set, priced nicely, brown microfiber and oak. Bought them on the spot, loaded them in the van. They're still sitting in the van because it's cold and we're old and tired, so we'll bring them in tomorrow.

The addition of new chairs is going to do a lot to lift my spirits. I will take a photo of my old chairs and share it. They were disgusting.

To finish off our time in civilization, we went to our final puppy kindergarten class. They have built a new facility called The Paw that is fantastic. It has a huge swimming pool for the dogs, an underwater treadmill, huge training room, luxury boarding, outdoor play area -- you name it, all top of the line canine luxury! We had our last class in the facility tonight.

The problem is they're not done building it and so there was dust everywhere. We got down on the floor to play with the puppies and I was covered in dust. Disgustingly thick heavy, white dust. Halfway through the class, Thomas started crying. My big 12 year old. The dust was so bad, and he has such a bad cold and sinus issues, that he had trouble breathing. It was so cold he didn't want to go outside, so Bob took him out to the lobby and he blew and blew his nose. I think the tears helped, too. He came back, but was uncomfortable the rest of the class. As we were driving home, I was sneezing, Thomas was upset because his sinuses hurt, and we all just smelled of dust. The puppies were covered.

Thomas showered immediately when we got home. He's breathing better now. Puppies got brushed, we all changed clothes. I am feeling a need to wash all our coats tomorrow, it was that bad.

It was a lovely day, although we didn't really celebrate St. Valentine's Day. I really think that it's fun to celebrate in a small way holidays like today, but love should be year round.

Not one school book was opened today. We're getting a little behind, but Thomas is sick and it cannot be helped. I have already informed him that we'll probably have to do school into the summer, longer than we ever have before. He got upset at first and then his eyes lit up. He has an idea: flex school. That is a post for another day, but I think we're going to come up with a fun plan.

Tantrum Time

I am stomping my feet, angry, ticked off, you name it.

Another BUG has hit our house again.

Thomas woke up this morning with a very sore throat. I gave him some Motrin, and we did school. He complained off and on all day.

This afternoon we went to Wal-mart, all three of us, and stocked up on groceries. He was complaining again that his throat hurt.

We get home, have dinner, and his throat still hurts, but he's fine.

And then, as he was getting ready for a treat of ice cream, because he thought that would make his throat feel better, it hit him. He walked by the trash can and just knew he couldn't make it any further. He didn't.

He's thrown up a few times tonight. He is not running a fever. His throat is red and sore still. What kind of virus is that?

I am so ready for spring, to be able to open the windows and get fresh air. I'd air the house out now, but it's -8 at the moment. Not going to work.

Thomas asked me if we had to do school tomorrow. Of course I am the type to baby my baby, so I would have said no. Instead, I told him to ask his principal. Bob told him it depended on how he felt. Thomas shook his head and said if he didn't feel too well, he'd like to read his life science text book all day. That's doable.

I am just mad because we've been sick forever! If it's not one thing, it's another. I shouldn't complain, because it's nothing *serious*, thankfully, but it's still a pain in the patooy.

So what else? Bob and I each have a sore throat. Hopefully our adult bodies will be able to better handle the virus, whatever it is.

Hrmph.

Silly, Silly

This part isn't silly. I was reading blogs tonight, and Daryl at HE&OS mentioend that the South Dakota legislature killed a bill that would enable homeschoolers who scored at least a 24 on the ACT the eligibility to get a state college scholarship. BOOO

Now for the silly part.

When I moved to South Dakota, way back yonder in the 1980s, one of the secretaries talked about PEER a lot: going to PEER, getting PEER on the phone, sending stuff off to PEER. I thought she was talking about a person.

You see, in my 4th-grade geography studies, I was taught that the capital of South Dakota was Pierre. Pronounced PEE - YAIR.

Not so. The first time I mentioned PEE-YAIR everyone in the office when into hysterics laughing at me.

For those, like me, who didn't know: The capital of South Dakota is Pierre. Pronounced Peer. Or Pier. One syllable.

Trust me, I lived there for 11 years, and on rare occasion, I worked in Pierre. Shoot, I was even on the national news one time while walking into the Pierre courthouse. Of course they weren't filming me, they were filming the judge I rode with and was walking with, but hey, that was my claim to fame.

There, an interesting little tidbit for the day.

Now, if only Pierre would get their act together and recognize excellent homeschooled students.

Puppies!!!

Airplanes

Thomas and I (and Apollo and Tesla) are eagerly awaiting Bob's arrival home today. It's been a long three weeks.

As I type, his airplane just crossed the Georgia/Tennessee border. How do I know this? I like to watch him fly. Whenever he is in the air, I go to Flight View's website, pop in his flight number and watch him.

Today I know that his flight is 46 minutes late already, so I will adjust my dinner preparations. Watching makes it kind of fun for Thomas and I.

Flight View Live opens in a separate screen, so I can surf (if we're not doing school, that is) and watch without refreshing all the time.

Kind of fun, kind of cool, and there's no truth to a watched pot never boils, because we can see progress. His plane is nearing Nashville, as I close.

2:30 am

I awoke. I'm sick. Again.

Sitting here sipping on a Sunkist pop, because we're out of Sierra Mist, trying to settle my tummy, I'm in deep thought.

I hate January. There, I said it. It's depressing. And cold. The only thing to look forward to is February, where the temps will rise, slightly.

I hate February. The temps are usually warmer, not below zero, but Mother Nature likes to laugh at us and slap us with some very cold days anyway. (And my heart goes out to those who experienced the bad storms and tornadoes -- Mother Nature is cruel!)

Since moving to Minnesota a decade ago, I have developed a seasonal depression. It hits in January and February. I have severe cabin fever. I'm tired, I'm cranky, I'm depressed -- mildly -- and just crawling out of my skin.

Today was a bad day. We only got about half of the stuff on our school list done. Watership Down was on TV again and Thomas requested that he be allowed to watch, so I over-enthusiastically agreed. Why? So I could sleep on the couch. And sleep I did. Then I awoke, grumpy, mad at the world.

Part of my problem this February is I am sick to death of my husband being out of town. He was gone in November. He was gone two weeks in December. He was gone a week in January, home a week, and then gone again. This time he's been gone three weeks. Three L~O~N~G weeks.

It's hard being a single parent. It's hard not having a moment to myself. It's hard when there are two puppies in the house.

Anyway, after Watership Down was over, Thomas quickly figured out I wasn't getting off the couch any time soon, so he turned it to Oprah and curled up with a book. Oprah actually got me out of my funk a little because the topic was The Secret which I have long believed in before the book came out. I watched the show with interest, got up and took a hot shower, then prepared supper.

I don't know how to overcome the winter blues. I've tried full-spectrum lights. I've tried getting outdoors more. I've half-heartedly attempted exercise. Nothing works except for spring to arrive. I do know that I get in bad moods and my thoughts get very negative very quickly. So at least I can control that.

So here I sit. January 6 I was sicker "than a dog" in Rochester, Minnesota. I was sick that entire week. Thomas got sick not long after, then I got sick again. We both seemed to be on the mend, now here I am sick again.

I think my body is rebelling. I think I need rest. I think tomorrow is supposed to be a day where we snuggle on the couch and read great books and have great discussions.

Friday Bob comes home. I know I'll feel better when he's back. After 18 1/2 years of marriage, I find I miss him more when he's gone now than I did even a few years ago. He's my rock. Even though it's always an adjustment when he gets home.

I'd go back to bed, but I know I can't sleep. So I'll continue to sip my Sunkist, wishing it were a Sierra Mist, and feeling glad that the Imodium is kicking in.

Calgon, take me away.

Frugal Friday

Well, I blew it again -- it's now Saturday.

I'm clueless what to post about frugality at the moment.

This week Thomas and I ate out twice: Once at Taco Bell in Civilization, a town an hour from us where we take puppy classes. Tonight we ate at McDonald's. Taco Bell was $8, McDonald's was $11. So there's a 20 shot. However, I did only spend $60 on groceries this week, so that's much less than normal.

I also spent some money on school this week. I bought two used text books. We're going to stop studying history for awhile and start a unit on civics. It's a good time with the election and all. I find it easier to use a text as a spine and then supplement. I bought two identical texts, because they were $6 each and it included shipping. I prefer it when we read together and then talk -- I can see what Thomas is reading. I don't typically buy two texts for social studies, though.

This week I called the bank where we have our car loan. I had it set up so it automatically comes out of our bank account. For the entire time we've had our car loan, they have only sent us a year-end tax form. I wanted to check to see when it would be paid off. I knew it would be this spring. I was correct, it will be paid in full in April. Woo-hoo to that!

That's it. I am completely uninspired to talk money, think money, or save money at the moment. Sadly, I'm never uninspired to spend it, though. However, I have a new motto: When in doubt, do without. That works for me.

Bump in the Night

I heard a bump, thud or noise. It woke me from my deep sleep. I have no idea what it was, but highly suspect it was a cat. Of course now I can't sleep.

So, thought I'd share a funny a very good friend sent me today. It made me laugh!

GOVERNMENT HEALTH WARNING

DO NOT SWALLOW BUBBLE GUM!!

DUH

I had a light-bulb moment today.

I've blogged several times how I felt this year was uninspired, dull or just not as wonderful as years gone by. I felt it was due to our dog's illness and death, I was wrong. I now understand WHY.

It's because I'm not nearly as involved. Yes, I'm very involved, but Thomas has made that leap this year from needing me to sit by his side while he does his work to working independently.

What took me so long to figure it out???

When we started our homeschool adventure, which was Thomas' third grade year, he had concentration issues. I had to sit by his side year after year. "Focus, stay on task, don't lose track of where you are" were all common words spewing from my mouth. Now? He gets his assignment, asks any questions, and goes off to do his work.

This is a GOOD thing. I don't know why I didn't figure it out sooner.

My babe is growing up -- at his own pace.

Toot

I'm tooting my own horn this morning.

I was reading some blogs this morning and came across a link to a list of the Top 50 Homeschool Blogs by Christina Laun for www.collegedegree.com.

I like to read blogs, so I thought I'd check the list.

Let's just say that I had to clean my computer screen because I sprayed my coffee. I was number 41 on the list! It says, "In this blog you'll find links to tons of helpful homeschooling and educational resources to improve your homeschooling experience."

I haven't been doing much of that lately, so my apologies. It's been a rough year, what can I say.

That made my morning, though.

And yesterday, Audrey made my day. She awarded me an E for Excellent Blog Award.



Wow, I am honored.

I would like to pass this honor on to:

Elshevia at Ragamuffin Studies. Her blog is truly excellent, and I really admire Elshevia.

Carole at Mt. Pleasant Academy. An inspiring homeschool blog. Carole has given me many ideas for our journey and has become a great friend.

Tammy at HS Comments on the Fly. She keeps me up to date on what's going on in the homeschool world.

I look at my bloglines subscriptions, and I read so many blogs because I enjoy them all, so it's very difficult to single people out.

I'm feeling a bit inspired now. What a boost!

A Day at the Park

Scattered Thoughts

Thomas was sick all week. So no school at all was completed. While I was worrying about this, my best friend reminded me that had he been in public school, he would have missed the entire week, too. That put it into perspective, because now we can just take up where we left off, rather than going to school and having to catch up.

~~~~~

Last night I was looking on eBay at text books. I once thought texts were evil and shouldn't be used, except for math. Well, I've changed my mind. We are using a text book for science this year. I got it from eBay. Thomas has really enjoyed it, and we will read a section and then hit the Internet for further research and discovery.

I think I'm going to buy a Civics text book. Thomas has been asking tons of questions about elections, government, legal matters, etc. He has even, gasp, expressed his desire to become a trial lawyer when he grows up. (NOOOOOO!!! I was a court reporter for 11 years and that is NOT what I want for him, but it's his life and choice. Still, NOOOOOO! I'll say that here, but not to him.)

Maybe I should tell him about some of the most boring trials I have sat through -- one was four days long about ladders. Yes, I am an expert on ladders because of that. I guess those four days did help when we bought a ladder ourselves, because I knew what to get and what not to get.

~~~~~

I have learned I have a love/hate relationship with the month of January. January is so long, so cold and so miserable. We've had a nasty cold spell for quite a period of time. Yesterday it warmed up to a balmy 28 degrees and we were out of this house, at the park, and loving every minute of it. The puppies had a ball.

Love: It's only 31 days. Things settle after the holidays. We can get back into a routine.

Hate: Cold. 31 days of cold. Nasty cold. Ice. Snow. Cold. Brrrrr.

Triple Hate: I had been "green" by setting our thermostat at 67. The house was warm enough, we'd wear a sweater or sweatshirt if we were chilly. It was impossible to keep the house warm enough for our comfort levels during that nasty cold snap. I had to move the thermostat up to 72 which kept the house at 69 degrees. When it warmed up outside, I promptly moved it back to 67.

~~~~~

Puppies: Going well. We're completely in love with these critters. I only wish the cats were. We've started puppy classes, and they are very well behaved. Except when they escape, that is. The classes are in the store room at a Pet Smart type store. It's impossible to keep border collie puppies from jumping over the stacked bags of food and running free. Each class gets better, and I'm thankful they'll be moving the classes to a new facility in February.

At the classes, the instructor told me that she had never seen such independent and confident litter mates. I corrected her by telling her they weren't litter mates. She then corrected herself and said that she meant two puppies from the same home. She said that typically they will only play with each other and be fearful of other pups. She asked if we kept them separated, and I told her that we aim for 90%. SO...even though it's inadvisable to get two puppies at the same time, it is WORKING. We have confident, independent, happy and healthy puppies -- as judged by an expert trainer.

~~~~~

I have a desire to get back to the school room for school. Thomas is resisting. He likes the kitchen better. I don't because we have a small kitchen and now there are two huge dog crates. I feel like I'd have more space in our 9x9 school room. Plus, we can watch the birds at the feeder in the school room. Another plus is the school "mess" would be there rather than my kitchen.

~~~~

I forgot to post a Frugal Friday post. I'll sum up my Frugal week here: Food was cheap as Thomas was sick and didn't eat much. Bob and I ate mostly from the cupboards. We spent a total of $60 at the grocery store this week. We did eat out at Taco Bell on puppy class night as class is in a big town. I think the total was $9. Thomas only ate half his burrito, so I knew he was still sick. Taco Bell is cheap, though, so I enjoyed the "luxury" of that.

I did not spend one dime at the pet store where the puppy classes are held. That is a huge accomplishment for me. I had wanted to buy another large crate for our bedroom, as Tesla is going to outgrow his crate soon. I resisted. I'm still looking for used crates.

I have kept my checkbook up-to-date, which is unusual for me. I usually balance it once or twice a month. I've been aiming for weekly, and soon, daily.

~~~~

That's about it. After having a week off from school, I'm pumped up to start again. I wish Thomas were, but he'll go with the flow.

~~~~

That's it.

How Sad

I enjoy reading the silly TMZ and Perez websites just for "fluff" and to take my mind off things.

I was so extremely saddened to read about Heath Ledger's death this afternoon at TMZ, though. I almost felt as if I had been punched in the stomach.

He was one of my favorite actors. I actually thought he was older than he was, I was surprised to learn he was only 28. What a tragedy.

I'll be anxious to learn the true cause of death. I take Ambien, but I only take one. There's lots of rumors floating around.

One of my favorite movies is The Patriot, which is where I first saw Heath. Of course I love Brokeback Mountain, too. That movie just captured the feel of growing up in Wyoming -- even though it was filmed in Canada. The big open skies, the big open spaces. Of course the story was sad and touching, too.

Sigh.

On another note, Thomas is still feeling icky and still has a fever. He just took an ibuprofen and settled in for the night. I'm feeling better, as the cramps are letting up. Now I just hope that I don't get what he's got. I've got my fingers crossed.

UGH

We had a holiday yesterday. We loosely follow the local school district's schedule, and they take Martin Luther King day off, so we followed suit. Last night we ran to Kmart for some cleaning supplies and then to Subway for dinner. I had wanted to get to a grocery store, but we were both tired and so we didn't.

Now I regret that.

This morning Thomas woke me up. I heard him crying in his sleep. When I got up to check on him, he woke up and told me he had a nasty headache, his nose was stuffed and also dripping down his throat, and he had a fever. It's 100. So I gave him some Ibuprofen and he climbed into my bed -- what is it about my bed that makes all things better? -- and fell fast asleep.

That left me to care for the puppies all by myself. Wah. I took them potty, fed them breakfast, and chased after them as all hell broke loose and they went wild, running through the house. I know Thomas is sick because they both jumped on the bed and tried to give him morning kisses and he wanted no part of it. That's not normal for him!

I put Apollo in the ex-pen upstairs, Tesla in the ex-pen downstais, gave them both a stuffed Kong and some toys, and got a moment to myself. The first thing I did was to take some Ibuprofen. I have raging cramps, plus my throat is sore, and I fear I'll get what Thomas has.

Today we were supposed to get back into school, and I was also going to review our work and look ahead to the final two quarters of the school year. Last Friday was officially the end of the first semester of school.

I really need to sit down with my planning book and revamp school. This year we have got a lot done, but it wasn't the way I like to do school. We were depressed as Jerry Lee got sick right after school started, and so the whole September-December was the year of the dog: Nursing a dying dog, looking at puppy litters, getting the new puppies, etc. School got done, but not with the zest, the fun, the adventure that we've had in years past. Well, not that years past were a blast, but they were much less depressing that this year.

So today I'll be wishing both Thomas and I had an I.V. Motrin drip. It will be a chaotic day, because I will be bouncing around like Tigger, going from one project to another. The house needs cleaned -- it's picked up, except for the kitchen, but it really needs cleaned. I need to get going on my school plans. I need to train puppies. I need to go shovel the snow at the end of the driveway that the snow plow just buried us with. I need to potty puppies. I need to check on my son. I need to start the taxes. I need to unload the dishwasher and reload it. I need to potty the puppies again. I need to finish laundry. I need to go to the grocery store.

Thomas is a very responsible boy, we're a good team. I will miss his help today. I hope he's able to get rested and feel better, though.

Meg Thinks I'll Do This

It's another meme, and Meg thinks I'll do it. So I will.

Two names you go by: Mom and Frankie.

Two things you are wearing right now: A cream-colored sweatshirt with a pastel blue snowflake and pajama pants.

Two of your favorite things to do: Be with Bob and Thomas and surf the net. Or ride trains. Or go on vacation. Do I have to choose two?

Two things you want very badly: To be debt-free and happiness, health and success for Thomas.

Two favorite pets you have had/have: This is impossible to answer. I love all my dogs and cats, past and present. There's no way I can choose. I will list two least-favorite pets: The hamsters that we had and the hermit crabs that we had. ICK to both. What a mother won't do for her child, though.

Two people you think will fill this out: No one! Someone, surprise me!

Two things you ate today: Chicken Fried Steak Sandwich (leftovers, yum!) and a bowl of vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup.

Two people you last talked to today: Ginny and Bob -- does Bob count? Actually if we're being technical, it would be Thomas and Bob.

Two things you’re doing tomorrow: Cleaning the house, going to Kmart for laundry detergent.

Two longest car rides: Denver to Indiana with my dad, my sister, her two kids and Thomas. It was fun, but long. Second longest drive was across Kansas. Kansas is very flat. Beautiful, but flat. (I would move there in a heartbeat, it was a long drive with just me and Thomas, though.)

Two favorite holidays: Christmas. Hmm. Does Spring Break count as a holiday? Birthdays? Hmmm...I'd say 4th of July, I guess. Christmas is my holiday.

Two favorite beverages: Diet Pepsi and Chocolate Milk

Frugal Friday

Cheap Prescription Glasses

Sometime eons ago, last April to be exact, my eye glasses broke. Bob and I went to the eye doctor, got new prescriptions, and paid over $500 for new glasses. I bought glasses and prescription sunglasses. The sunglasses I got dirt cheap, that is for a brick and mortar store, as the frames were only $19.99 on sale. I think I ended up paying around $85 for the sunglasses.

I hated my regular glasses with a passion. I returned them. Even though my glasses were broken, I was very proud that I marched back into Shopko and got my money back. I kept the sunglasses.

Sam, at A Desk Full of Clutter, had commented about Zenni Optical when I blogged about my glasses and the search for a cheaper pair. He had read about someone who was happy with their glasses from them.

I went to Zenni Optical, looked around, was shocked that they had frames starting at $8 a pair, and quickly made a selection. The frames I chose were $29.90. Well, that is the total for the glasses I chose, I'm not quite sure if my wonky prescription bumped the price up or not.

The customer service was fantastic. Within a day of my order, Zenni emailed me asking for verification of the prescription. My left eye is really bad but my right eye is really good. They questioned that I put the prescription in correctly before they made the glasses. I scanned the prescription and emailed it to them.

Within less than a week, my new glasses arrived. I LOVED THEM. I love them to this day! This is one of my all-time favorite pair of glasses -- ever. They fit fantastic. They're much more stylish than I would have normally bought.

They arrived with a nice case and cleaning cloth, too.

I will never buy glasses in a brick and mortar store again. My total bill, with shipping from Zenni, was $34.85.

The only down side I can see to this is that you don't get them custom fit to your head. I really don't see that as a down side for me at all, though. These glasses fit great.

I highly recommend Zenni Optical! I will always buy from them. It is nice to know that I'll be able to pick up a pair of glasses, and much-needed prescription sunglasses from them for under $100.

That was my best money-saving adventure of last year.

A Funny -- Poor Bob

This morning as I was getting ready to shove Bob out the door off to work -- no, say goodbye as Bob was leaving for work, he decided instead to take the day off. He has three vacation days that he has to burn in a hurry, so he figured why not. This was at 7 am.

Bob parked himself in front of the computer as Thomas and I fed the puppies and took them outside. We then started school. It's hard to do school with Bob underfoot -- not because he's here, it just ruins our routine. So we plugged away.

About 10:30 we took our first break, took the puppies outside, and I came down to catch up on emails and blogs and all that fun and good computer stuff. A half hour later, I startled because so much time had flown by. Up the stairs I went. Thomas sat down at the table and started math while I decided to make another pot of coffee.

I was looking out my kitchen window and the overcast, cold and dreary day. I then looked at Bob's van, which was parked in the driveway. I blinked a few times. I actually put my glasses on. Lo and behold, there was exhaust coming out of it! It was 11 am and that van was RUNNING.

I called down to Bob, who was diligently working on defragging and deleting unwanted files from his computer and asked him if he forgot something. Nope. I started laughing. I just couldn't help it. I said, "Honey, did you start your car this morning?"

Oh shiitake mushrooms. Only he didn't say the mushroom part. Or the "ake" part, either. He flew out the door faster than I could say boo.

So there in our driveway, from 7 am to 11 am, sat our van, with the engine running, warming up. We're trying to figure out how many gallons of gas he blew. It was just so funny that I didn't care about the lost gas, though. I don't think I've laughed so hard in many, many moons.

Poor Bob. I'm laughing at him, not with him. However, he was a good sport and laughed about it, too.

And I'm proud to say that even though Bob was underfoot, as soon as Thomas finishes his five-paragraph essay on his favorite foods (or poop, whichever he chooses to write about today) we will be done with school for the day. We made it through.

4H

The 4H Dog program lady called tonight. I put a call into her over a month ago, she'd been busy and apologized.

So, we're set to start this. We have to join the next county over's 4H.

I know NOTHING about 4H. I do know Thomas will have to train once a week. That's great. He will also have to join a club? What else will he have to do?

Bottom line: HOW MUCH WILL THIS COST ME?????

I'm hyperfocused on money this year, and want to work this into the budget! Aside from gas being $3 a gallon, and this town is 20 miles from here, how much money?

Thomas is excited about it. He wants to do it. He's ready to volunteer at our local animal shelter again, which we'll do after Tesla has his second round of shots.

Help, someone explain this 4H thing to me, please!

Everybody's Doing It

I've seen this all over the blog world. I've always claimed I'm not a liberal or conservative -- I guess this proves it.

Your Political Profile:

Overall: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal Social Issues: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal Personal Responsibility: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal Fiscal Issues: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal Ethics: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal Defense and Crime: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal

How Liberal Or Conservative Are You?

Cuties

Frugal Friday

How to save money on food.

1) Pick up a nasty virus that makes you sick.
2) Make sure the virus stays with you an entire week.

I have saved a lot of money on food this week! I have consumed:

Ramen Noodles
chicken noodle soup
Kraft Mac and Cheese -- only when I was so hungry I felt I'd eat the house and figured it was pretty bland -- it worked
soda crackers
toast
three 2-liter bottles of Sierra Mist.

Sierra Mist at our store is 99 cents a bottle, while Sprite and 7-Up are $1.39.

Yup, that's all I've consumed this week.

When I ventured out to the grocery store to pick up more soup, and found the Ramen Noodles on sale and got those too, I asked the store clerk what was going around. She said a nasty virus was going around that was coming out both ends, and that it was lasting a week or more. OR MORE??? Oh shiitake mushrooms.

It's Friday, this bug hit me last Sunday, and I'm still very queasy, not up to par by any means. Of course being a mom, I have to function. Surprisingly, school got done every day this week. Well, not really this morning. This morning after we did all the puppy chores, I collapsed into my bed. I slept until 11:30, clocking about 2 1/2 hours of sleep. That felt so good. Thomas was snuggled up reading a Harry Potter book, taking care of the puppies when need be.

Bob is on his way home today. It was an awful time for him to be out of town. I have been dreaming of Saturday, when Bob will get up and do the puppy chores with Thomas and I can S L E E P in.

Now in case anyone was worried about Thomas getting decent food, I will say again how proud I am of him. He cooked for himself every night. Chicken wings twice (the $5 a bag kind from Wal-mart that aren't precooked, not the $10 a bag that most stores sell), Tuna Helper which he loves, eggs, and I forget what else. He also made a couple batches of muffins, which he loves to do. I'm so glad we've been teaching him his way around a kitchen.

This afternoon we're going to work on math, science and geography and call it a day. We'll then watch the clock waiting for Bob's arrival home.

Sorry, this wasn't really a Frugal Friday post. I just didn't have it in me today to post about snowball payments on debt. I'll do that next week. That takes too much energy on a good day.

The last few days...

Warning: This post is gross and long and sick.



Sunday was the day to pick up our new puppy. We loaded everything up in the car, Apollo, all the dog stuff, and headed out for the airport a couple hours away. It was a beautiful day, unseasonably warm for Minnesota. About a 30 miles outside of Rochester, our destination, the fog hit. It was very thick.

I called Bob, who at the time was in South Carolina on work, and asked him to check flight status for me. Sure enough, Tesla's flight had been cancelled. So we arrived at the airport, stood in line with many angry passengers, waiting our turn to find out what the status of our puppy was. They were going to try to put him on the next flight.

We went outside, played with Apollo for awhile. It was nearing the time for the next flight to depart, so we decided to go in and check. This time there were no angry passengers, but a very chatty and helpful man at the counter. He was checking for me, and I did hear that the flight had been delayed. He said many other things, but I didn't hear a word. As I stood there, something in my gut started churning and gurgling and I felt as if I were going to double over at any second and pass out right then and there. Or worse.

I said thank you, parked Thomas in a chair right next to the rest rooms, and, um, how do I say this without being gross? Had the runs. Felt a little better, decided to go out and play with Apollo in the parking lot. That lasted, um, an entire two minutes before I was running back into the airport.

At this point I knew. It was 4 in the afternoon, and I would not be driving home that day. I was too weak to go back to the counter, so I called the 1-800 number to check Tesla's status. The plane had not yet taken off. We did. I called Bob, told him to get on the Internet and find us a motel room pronto that would accept dogs. We hopped in the car and headed toward town. The Rochester airport is about 10 miles south of the town. He called back immediately and said there is a Super 8. They are known for being pet-friendly. And cheap. Drove right to it, checked in, and decided to unload what little we had brought for our day trip. I forgot the potty box!

The breeder trains her puppies to use a potty box. It's basically paper training in a box. Shredded newspaper in a Rubbermaid container that they can climb into. How on earth could I have forgotten the potty box? This meant that I would have to *go to a store* when I did not feel like going to a store. So we spent about a half hour in the motel room and then headed out. Found a Shopko, ran in. I told Thomas to find a potty box while I looked for Imodium. I was so weak that I handed the clerk the Imodium and sat at the bench right next to the check-out lane. Thomas found a potty box, forgot the lid but I didn't care, and we paid. I only had like $15 cash with me so I had to go in and use the plastic.

Ran through Wendy's so Thomas could eat. The smell made me sick. I got a Sprite. Or Sierra Mist. Or whatever it was. It tasted so good. Made it to the airport. Two minutes later, the plane landed. The lady at the ticket counter brought our beautiful Tesla to us. He is gorgeous, snuggly, fluffy and smart -- everything a puppy should be. We cut the plastic ties off the crate inside the airport, and I carried 20-pounds of puppy and crate to the car.

At this point I was doubling over in pain yet again. Thomas took over. He got the collar on Tesla, took him potty, and introduced Apollo and Tesla. My head was spinning. I didn't snap a single photo. It was dark anyway, but I couldn't even try. My only thought was to stop at a Mini-Mart on the way to the motel, grab a 2-liter bottle of Sprite, a snack for Thomas, and a big, thick newspaper so we could make strips for the potty box.

So that's what we did. Hopped in the car. Took every ounce of energy for me to drive. Got to the Mini-Mart, Thomas stayed in the car with the pups and I ran in the store. The clerk was very nice or very bored and when I walked in, she asked what I needed. I told her and she set out getting it. Butterfinger for Thomas, newspaper and 2-liter of Sprite. At this time the smell of the hot dogs cooking hit me like a ton of bricks. I screamed, "Where's your bathroom," she pointed, and I ran.

How do I say this without being gross? I puked my guts out. And what's worse? I peed my pants every time I puked. I *hate* being old, or having had a baby, or whatever it was that made me not able to control my bladder while I was heaving. I cleaned up, and approached the counter, thankful that my coat was very long and hopefully covered myself. She gave me a look. I said, "Oh my God, I'm NOT drunk, I'm sick." I was afraid she'd call me in as a drunk driver!

Got my stuff, was actually feeling a tad better, opened the trunk and took out a towel that I had remembered to pack, sat on that and drove a few blocks to the motel. Carried in two crates full of dogs.

I had to run around that motel room wearing two towels on my lower half in front of my son and wash my clothes out with shampoo. Thomas suggested that from now on, we carry a change of clothes in the car. Brilliant idea, Thomas. When I felt able, I would use the in-room blow dryer drying my clothes.

I was sick all night long. Poor Thomas was scared to death.

I did not feel comfortable sending a 12-year-old child outside to potty puppies by himself at a motel at night. So, the puppies used the potty box. Thankfully they used it. And speaking of puppies, that is a complete blur to me. I only snapped three photos.

I am so completely proud of my son. He stepped up to the plate, took control, and took excellent care of his pups. He fed them, watered them, and played with them. He snuggled them, crated them, and met their needs. He put them to bed in their crates at a decent time. He snuggled in and watched the Discovery Channel, asking me every 15 minutes if I was all right. I don't know what I would have done without him.

It was very scary for me. If something would have happened, what would we have done? We didn't know anyone there. Bob was in South Carolina. I was so sick I couldn't even drive to get myself clean clothes. I was up every hour during the night.

It was also probably one of the most embarrassing times of my life. Peeing my pants? Oh my gosh.

The next morning Thomas went and got breakfast, came back to the room and ate. He fed his puppies, and took them outside to potty and walk. It took me from 8 in the morning, when I started to pack up, until 11:30 before I was able to get out of the room. Bob wasn't too keen on us staying another day in the motel. Plus, I would have had to get clothes, more dog food, and food for Thomas.

I made it home fine. In fact, driving in the car felt good because I made Thomas use the in-case-of-emergency blanket we keep in the car to cover himself with, and I cracked my window. The cool air felt so good.

We arrived home, unloaded everything, introduced the puppies, called the breeder to let her know we made it home, called Bob to let him know, cleaned out the crate -- it was full of newspaper for the flight, cleaned out the potty box, fed the puppies, etc. I was then able to shower, put on my nightgown, fill kongs full of cream cheese, crate the puppies and sleep for an hour.

When I woke up, I finally felt good enough to actually sit on the floor and play with the puppies. The new puppy is a snuggler. Of course he bonded himself to Thomas because Thomas took such good care of him, even though he is my dog. I then put him in the ex-pen and played with Apollo. Thomas was still doing the majority of the work, taking the puppies potty, etc. Thomas cooked himself dinner, I had Sprite and soda crackers, and we were about to call it a day.

Thomas took the puppies potty, one at a time. Tesla was crated, and when he brought Apollo in, he hollered for me to come quick. Apollo had stepped in poop outside and tracked it all over my kitchen and hallway.

Oh my gosh. I had to scrub crap off floors when I wanted nothing more than to collapse into bed. So, I picked up Apollo, cleaned his paws off with a million paper towels, and then decided to run a bath for him. I put two inches of water in the tub, put him in it -- thank goodness he likes the tub -- and had Thomas sit and play with him. Tesla was crated, so I went to work on the floors. I cleaned up the tracks with paper towels, then mopped the floors -- twice.

Talk about a crappy ending to a crappy two days!

We went to bed, Tesla, bless his heart, slept through the night. We have an excellent breeder who crate trains the puppies early, so he was used to being in a crate overnight. He is 10 weeks old, too, so he's better able to hold his bladder than a younger pup. He woke me at 6:30 the next morning.

Still feeling weak, I got up, got dressed, and took care of the puppies. I was going to let Thomas sleep a little, but he woke and helped. Amazingly, we had all our puppy chores done early and were able to start school at 8.

The house was clean, the bills paid, school was going well, so I was able to start training the new puppy. Then the old puppy. I've been on the go ever since.

I'm exhausted. Thomas has already done his math, science, geography and art this morning. He's reading now, the puppies are in their ex-pens, and here I sit trying to catch my breath on the Internet. It feels nice to not be on the go.

And there you have it. My crappy few days in gory detail. Maybe today I'll actually take some more photos of the puppies! Although, we keep them separated 90% of the time so they bond to us not each other, so they'll probably be individual photos.

I think I shall take a nap this afternoon.

Frugal Friday

Another Frugal Friday is here. I have lots of things I want to write about, but today's thoughts out loud are focused on health.

It's cheaper to be healthy than unhealthy. It makes one feel better, too.

Currently I'm on two medications, one for high triglycerides and one to help me sleep. $50 a month, and that's with insurance. (And yes, I know that's cheap compared to what some people are on.) It's highly likely that if I were to lose weight and exercise daily, I could get off that triglyceride medication. Perhaps the sleeping pills, too.

I always feel icky. I have aches, pains, headaches. My back hurts, my feet hurt, my legs hurt. I get out of breath, I have no energy and I just feel blah.

I used to be a member of Weight Watchers. I love the program. I know it inside and out. I've decided to not spend the money and join again, saving me about $14 a week. Instead, I'll do it on my own. I'll be accountable to myself.

That is the single-most important thing for me to focus on at this time: my health. It wills save me money in many ways.

Exercise is another important ingredient. I'm not going to join a gym -- too expensive, plus I don't like gyms. I was a member of Curves for a long time a few years ago. I liked it okay, and I was able to maintain my weight loss with exercise alone, but it was $30 a month, Thomas was in school then and so I was able to get there at convenient-to-me times (when it wasn't crowded) and I had the money to do it. Now I prefer to save the money, I don't want to go when it's crowded, and I choose to stay at home.

Right now I just need to get moving. I have a puppy, he needs to walk. Free exercise. When it's icy out, we go to one of the city parks because they keep the sidewalks there ice free. So no excuses. I also have a million exercise videos. I love Richard Simmons. I have many others to choose from, too. (Garage sale finds!)

Food: Well, eating healthier will cost a little more starting out. I'll need to stock up, watch sales for chicken, turkey and healthier protein choices and pantry items. I'll have to watch sales very carefully. I'll also be making more trips to the store to stock up on fresh foods.

Careful menu planning will help. I took all of my favorite WW recipes and organized them on one sheet into categories such as Mexican, Italian, beef, chicken, crock pot, etc. That helps a lot when I'm planning. I then plan one month's worth of dinner menus at a time. That way we're able to get variety in what we eat, and we have a little leeway if we're in the mood for something -- I can move things around.

I have looked into The Grocery Game but I don't know that it would work for us. I rarely use coupons because I don't use a lot products that offer coupons. I might revisit this and try their $1 trial, but I have my doubts. I think watching sales ads on my own will work better.

My favorite source of Weight Watchers recipes can be found here. Homemade snacks for Thomas and Bob are in order, which means me being in the kitchen more, but it's cheaper and healthier than buying prepackaged stuff.

Good health is more cost-effective than bad health. If I can take the steps to be healthier, I will save money because I'll have more energy to do more.

hmmm...not your average frugal post, is it?

Just think of all the books I can buy if I get off those medications...$50 a month!

Some cheese with that whine?

It's 1:08 am. I woke so hot that I thought I would burst into flames. We went to bed early tonight because this mom's sick. Fever, aches, pains, sore throat, and full of whine.

Our back to school has fizzled. Wednesday Thomas did math and then complained of not feeling well. I felt his forehead and he was burning up. He spent the rest of the day on the couch, and was feeling much better by evening.

Thursday was my turn. Only I'm not feeling any better. Thomas did math with me by his side, then he did science on his own. He then read. He's started one of the Harry Potter books. Amazingly, he hasn't read any of them yet. His comment to me was cute: "Mom, reading the book is like *being* there. I love it. It's much better than the movie." Gee, I've been trying to get him to read all those HP books since forever. Although the movies are great, the books are better.

My house is a pit. I have bills stacked to pay. I do have groceries, though. I hate it when my house is a pit and I have bills to pay. Huge weight on my shoulders. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have a little more zip and will be able to get some of those tasks done.

Tesla, our second puppy, will be coming this weekend. Finally. He had a virus and ran a slight fever so she couldn't vaccinate him, plus she put him on antibiotics. He was fine and back to normal a couple days later, but she had to wait a few days before vaccinating. Then she had to wait a few days more before shipping. It all worked out for the best as we were supposed to get him December 27. That's the day we lost Jerry, so we really needed that time to mourn. Now we'll be in happy moods for Tesla's arrival.

We'll be very busy this weekend! And it's supposed to be warm, near 40 -- shorts weather! -- an added bonus.

So I think I'll try to go to bed again. My Motrin has kicked in and I'm feeling a tad bit better. Wishing I had Harry Potter's wand so I could wave it to clean up the house!

Happy New Year

From our home to yours, we wish you the best for 2008!

And may it be happy -- as Thomas is with his new puppy.

Africa Studies

Two links useful for studying the Africa countries and capitals:

Name the African Countries -- the country name is give, you click on its geographical location.

Learn the capitals of African countries, after you've memorized the countries, that is.

Nations of the World

Here's a cute video that sings the videos of the world. It's dated and there are errors in it, according to today's geography, but fun nonetheless.

Frugal Friday on Saturday

Topic: Books

Audrey at A Small Corner of Nowhere didn't just talk about Frugal Friday, she jumped right in.

And she hit a subject near and dear to my heart (and almost every homeschooler's heart, books!)

Hop on over and read her post.

Her post got me to thinking about some things. I don't use the library as much as I could/should. I think 2008 we'll strive to improve that.

I don't use the library that often because when we study something and I look for books, half are checked out, and it's usually the good half that are gone. Well, our library does have a system that you can place holds on books. So being organized would be the key to avoiding that problem. Organization is also the key for requesting ILLs so that they arrive when we want them.

I love to buy books, but as Audrey points out, we are disappointed with so many. My latest book purchase from Amazon cost $80ish. We got several books, but the one that Thomas really loved was the Eyewitness Africa book. That is one that he has read from cover to cover more than once. Facing the Lion was his second favorite. So only two of the books I bought satisfied Thomas. The rest, although not waste, was waste. lol

Another issue I have with buying books is that I have only one child. I don't have a bunch of kiddos to pass the books on to. That really does make a huge difference. If I had a house full of kids, I could see purchasing more as I'd get more bang for the buck.

I buy a lot of books at garage sales. We only have one thrift store in town, and the past couple of years their book selections have been dismal. I like to look for used books online, but with shipping, that adds up. Our Rotary Club has an annual book sale in the fall. Our library also has two book sales a year, and books are cheap. Other than that, we'd have to travel to a nearby city to find decent, used books. My small town does not have a book store!

Audrey also discussed the use of credit cards. I want to quit using credit cards this year. Impossible, for a homeschooling mom in a small town that has to order a lot online. My idea was to start a separate checking account of my own. Proceeds of anything I sell will go into the account. I'll budget so much per month to go into the account as well. I will get a check card/credit card to use with it so that I can buy online. The only difference is that I can't spend money that's not in the account. That will force me to choose very carefully what I actually buy. That will also make things easier for tax time, because in Minnesota, we get to claim our educational expenses on our state income taxes.

The Homer Simpson Rule

Awhile ago, our family was gathered in front of the television watching The Simpsons. We like it, we think it's funny. It doesn't take much to amuse us.

The particular episode we were watching had a kitchen trash can that everyone walked by, carefully added their trash, then walked away. It grew taller and taller and taller. Finally Homer put something on it and the whole pile went crashing.

That's when Bart and Lisa did their irritating laughs and reminded Homer of the rule: He who knocks the pile over has to take out the trash.

Well, I think we've been watching too many cartoons. The past few days I've been walking by our recycling pile, carefully adding to it, and so has Bob and Thomas. Surely, it has got to come down tomorrow. I wonder who will knock it over.

Frugal Friday

I've been toying with the idea of having a Frugral Friday post every week. I need it.

It seems that I've worked us up into a little bit of debt with which I'm not comfortable with. It will take awhile to get it paid off. That's a New Year's resolution or just a plain common-sense goal.

Time to visit my bookshelf and dust off my dated Tightwad Gazette books. I won't, repeat, won't be making popcicles out of the grape jelly jar reminants. I don't remember if that was in her book or if she mentioned it while on Oprah years ago, but ewww.

It's tough being a single-income family these days. It's even tougher when the mom of that family likes to buy books. And other stuff. And has an "I'm deserving" mentality.

I've put lots of thought into this for awhile: how to save money. I have lots of ideas floating around in my head. I don't know if many would save or not. I have to balance with my energy expenditure -- is it worth it. I need to start scouring the web for up-to-date skinflint sites. I need inspiration.

Next Friday I'll start with real posts on how I'm going to save money, reduce debt and feel a little better. For now, smoke will be coming from my ears as I think this through.

Goodbye, Jerry Lee

Rest in Peace
2001-2007

Reflections

Coal for Jerry Lee!!!

We had a lovely Christmas Eve dinner. Bob bought wonderful steaks, and I baked some potatoes and warmed some brown-n-serve rolls. A nice green salad complimented the meal.

The table was set with my finest. Great-grandma's wine glasses, grandmother's salt and pepper shakers, mom's candle holders. A beautiful silver table cloth that I got especially for Christmas, and bright red plates.

It was perfect. For us. Not for a magazine. Bob was outside grilling, and I had just put the bun basket on the table. I turned to do something, turned back around and we were missing three dinner rolls.

Was it Jerry Lee or Apollo? Apollo is growing by leaps and bounds, but there was no way he could have reached the rolls. Jerry was the culprit. I didn't get mad, I actually chuckled. I threw some more rolls in the oven quickly.

When Bob came in, he was not happy. He doesn't want a dog grazing from our table. I told him to cut him some slack, he's dying after all, and we'll laugh about it some day.

We sat down, Bob gave a beautiful prayer, and we indulged in our Christmas Eve feast.

While we ate, Jerry kept pacing to the counter and back to the table. Bob informed me that he had purchased a pack of steaks, so there were four, not three. He grilled the fourth and figured we could have a steak sandwich for lunch tomorrow.

We finished our meal, Bob and I went outside for a minute, (after-dinner smoke) then came back in to put food up and clean up. On the counter, clear against the wall, was the plate where the steak had been. Some how, some way, Jerry Lee had got to that steak and had himself a nice Christmas Eve dinner.

It's mind boggling to both of us how he was able to get it. Our dog, the very dog that we've been struggling with "the" decision all week, who has labored breathing, gets out of breath easily, and is not doing so hot, was able to get to the back of the kitchen counter and steal a steak.

We will laugh about it some day. I sure hope he enjoyed it.

I think he needs a lump of coal instead of the nice, juicy bone we got for him for Christmas. Silly boy.

Okay, secretly, I'm overjoyed that he did such a naughty thing. His days are numbered, we've had "the" discussion a few times, and when we do, he seems to rebound and recover fast -- as if he knows. It has been a wonderful gift that we have been given so much extra time with him. He was only supposed to live until October 15, according to both vets. His being here was a wonderful Christmas gift.

I just hope Apollo did not see him in the act. We don't want puppy learning naughty things!

We really have been struggling with our decision. I just ordered him new medications, and I have been ordering a month's worth at a time. This time I ordered 15 days' worth. We pick up the second puppy, Tesla, on the 27th. Two puppies might just do him in. Then again, I have caught him bouncing around in the snow with Apollo. We have only seen him in pain one time, and that was when we had the first talk. I was going to call the vet the next morning, a Saturday. The next morning, he was fine. That Sunday, he was running up and down the stairs.

This is so hard. However, I am so thankful that we have Apollo and soon Tesla. Their arrival into our home takes the focus off the sadness. They've brought us joy when we really needed it. Apollo has definitely given Jerry a run for his money. If I dare say it, I think Apollo has given Jerry further will to live. Jerry is a jealous boy, and he wants me all to himself. So he gets right up, stands in front of me to protect me from the cute little puppy. He has barked at the puppy with the puppy was mouthing too hard on his humans. He has growled a few times when he didn't want to be disturbed yet the puppy wanted to crawl all over his head. He has given up all hope that the puppy will actually leave.

I love my Jerry Lee. I hope he enjoyed his steak. We will laugh and laugh about this for years to come, when we're remembering him fondly. I won't give him coal, but I do think all will be forgiven tomorrow and he'll get his juicy bone.

Jerry's being here for Christmas is truly the best Christmas gift this family has received this year.

Merry Christmas

I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.

While I am a Christian, I do have a great sense of humor. I didn't hear any cursing in this video, which is why I'm posting it. I find it funny because I can never remember the words to songs -- ever. I always invent my own. So this was very in line with who I am.

May Santa be good to you all.