I am still having a hard time believing that tomorrow is December 1. I'm still not sure where the month of November went!
Boss is going in for some surgery tomorrow. Should be very interesting for the next couple of weeks to have a marketing professional not able to speak. He will not be a patient patient, I'm expecting. I just hope he isn't in too much pain while the healing process takes hold.
Last Thursday evening I went over to Laur's for the annual "Putting up of the Christmas lights." I guess I have done this task for her for the past 6 or 7 years.
One afternoon she and I were chatting on the phone (this was before I started back to work full time) and she had said how it took her and her Hubby hours to put the lights on the tree. Now, I have been the official putter-of-the-lights-person since Hubby and I were married, so I just couldn't understand how it would take so long to do this job. I told her I would be over in 20 minutes and help her get the job finished.
From starting to pull the tree out from the box, to stringing the lights and calling the job "done" was just over an hour. She and her hubby were amazed.
I have been doing the task ever since. (Except for the year I broke my wrist at the Christmas party.)
On Friday night, I went off to the city with Jazzy's mom and M to celebrate M's birthday. Friday was her actual birthday, so it worked out well. We went out to dinner, had drinks, met up with a bunch of people.... it was a very, very fun time. The next morning none of us were feeling 100%, but we all perked up after breakfast and were just about normal by the time the play we went to see started.
The play was called "My Mother's Jewish Lesbian Wiccan Wedding" and was quite humourous. I think what made it really funny was the fact that it was based on a true story. Sometimes you just can't make these things up!
When I got home on Saturday evening, Hubby told me that I was looking at the person that used to be my husband; the grouch of the previous week had been banished. I welcomed him back with open arms.
Sunday dawned with very few plans. We ended up doing the pheasant slaughter - I even cooked one of the males for dinner. I may have over-cooked it a wee bit, but it was quite tasty.
I managed to get about 80% of the laundry done, and tonight I am hoping to get Christmas cards addressed and ready for mailing. I made a few more bath bombs yesterday (mandarin orange this time) and I advised the A-man that it wasn't a snack to be enjoyed. ;o)
We were just finishing up dinner tonight, and the front door opened. Hubby is back home with an ache in his mouth again. This time it is just in front of the tooth he had extracted. Hopefully it's just something to do with the stitches. He will go in to the office in the morning.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Report cards and sore teeth
I have found myself reading the boy’s report cards again and again. I can’t help it - I keep checking to confirm that my memory hasn’t gone and left me.
The report cards are both just so… positive! The life skills section – initiative, homework completion, working well with others, etc – is always the section that I read first. For S, I was never surprised to see a “Needs Improvement” for cooperation with others, initiative or homework completion. A “satisfactory” was always much better, and if we saw a “Good” that was always cause for celebration in our household. An ‘excellent’ was rarely (if ever) seen on S’s report card. (Maybe in kindergarten…)
I would say that was pretty much the case for the A-man too when he was in elementary school; maybe not for the majority of the skill set, but definitely for a couple of the categories.
S’s report card still shows 78% for his average mark. He has almost 90% in Music, and the teacher marked him “excellent” in all of his skill sets. The same teacher also has S for his lowest scoring class – Geography – which is 67%, and even that is showing a number of ‘Good’ and ‘Satisfactory’ comments in the skills set. Actually, there isn’t any “needs improvement” notations in any of his classes! Heck, in Science the teacher even commented that S submitted “very well written lab reports”.
I love high school!
(Okay, well, as a parent I love high school. When I was actually attending high school, not so much…)
On the home front, my poor Hubby has been having not a very good week. He awoke on Sunday evening (early Monday morning, really) to a terrible pain in his mouth. He called in to work on the Monday morning and went to see the dentist at the first appointment he could get. He has an abscessed tooth. The abscess is in a tooth that had a root canal a few years ago over the Christmas holidays. (NOT a fun holiday, I will admit)
The dentist prescribed some antibiotics to help clear the infection, and some Tylenol 3’s with codeine to help with the pain Hubby was experiencing. On Monday evening, Hubby was still in a lot of pain, and wasn’t actually able to sleep much (again) that night.
Tuesday evening he went back to the dentist at the urging of our friend (a hygienist in the office) to see if the other dentist would be able to prescribe something stronger for the pain. But, since Hubby hadn’t been on the antibiotics for more than 48 hours, the other dentist wasn’t willing to give him anything else. (I wonder if he might have thought differently had he been living with the pain…)
Yesterday morning the original dentist called to see how Hubby was feeling. When Hubby told the dentist that he pain was actually getting worse, they made an appointment to have him come back in yesterday morning. They ended up pulling the tooth, even though they don’t like to do so when there are still signs of infection in the area. Apparently this does happen to some 25-30% of the cases.
Hubby said the best he had felt in days was when the dentist gave him the first freezing for the extraction. Apparently they aren’t willing to continue to give Novocain every four hours… imagine. The extraction itself, however, wasn’t very pleasant to hear about, never mind living through. Hubby said it was terrible when the freezing started to come out, but I have got to believe that now that the tooth is gone he has to start feeling better once the infection has the ability to drain.
His jaw was actually visibly swollen from the infection.
So, it hasn’t actually been a whole lot of fun in our world for the last few days. The boys and I have been trying to stay as quiet as we can to ensure Hubby can sleep whenever he needs to, but he is still a bit of a grouchy bear. I get that.
Here's hoping he starts to see some improvment today.
The report cards are both just so… positive! The life skills section – initiative, homework completion, working well with others, etc – is always the section that I read first. For S, I was never surprised to see a “Needs Improvement” for cooperation with others, initiative or homework completion. A “satisfactory” was always much better, and if we saw a “Good” that was always cause for celebration in our household. An ‘excellent’ was rarely (if ever) seen on S’s report card. (Maybe in kindergarten…)
I would say that was pretty much the case for the A-man too when he was in elementary school; maybe not for the majority of the skill set, but definitely for a couple of the categories.
S’s report card still shows 78% for his average mark. He has almost 90% in Music, and the teacher marked him “excellent” in all of his skill sets. The same teacher also has S for his lowest scoring class – Geography – which is 67%, and even that is showing a number of ‘Good’ and ‘Satisfactory’ comments in the skills set. Actually, there isn’t any “needs improvement” notations in any of his classes! Heck, in Science the teacher even commented that S submitted “very well written lab reports”.
I love high school!
(Okay, well, as a parent I love high school. When I was actually attending high school, not so much…)
On the home front, my poor Hubby has been having not a very good week. He awoke on Sunday evening (early Monday morning, really) to a terrible pain in his mouth. He called in to work on the Monday morning and went to see the dentist at the first appointment he could get. He has an abscessed tooth. The abscess is in a tooth that had a root canal a few years ago over the Christmas holidays. (NOT a fun holiday, I will admit)
The dentist prescribed some antibiotics to help clear the infection, and some Tylenol 3’s with codeine to help with the pain Hubby was experiencing. On Monday evening, Hubby was still in a lot of pain, and wasn’t actually able to sleep much (again) that night.
Tuesday evening he went back to the dentist at the urging of our friend (a hygienist in the office) to see if the other dentist would be able to prescribe something stronger for the pain. But, since Hubby hadn’t been on the antibiotics for more than 48 hours, the other dentist wasn’t willing to give him anything else. (I wonder if he might have thought differently had he been living with the pain…)
Yesterday morning the original dentist called to see how Hubby was feeling. When Hubby told the dentist that he pain was actually getting worse, they made an appointment to have him come back in yesterday morning. They ended up pulling the tooth, even though they don’t like to do so when there are still signs of infection in the area. Apparently this does happen to some 25-30% of the cases.
Hubby said the best he had felt in days was when the dentist gave him the first freezing for the extraction. Apparently they aren’t willing to continue to give Novocain every four hours… imagine. The extraction itself, however, wasn’t very pleasant to hear about, never mind living through. Hubby said it was terrible when the freezing started to come out, but I have got to believe that now that the tooth is gone he has to start feeling better once the infection has the ability to drain.
His jaw was actually visibly swollen from the infection.
So, it hasn’t actually been a whole lot of fun in our world for the last few days. The boys and I have been trying to stay as quiet as we can to ensure Hubby can sleep whenever he needs to, but he is still a bit of a grouchy bear. I get that.
Here's hoping he starts to see some improvment today.
Monday, November 23, 2009
A weekend of birthdays
Whew – what a weekend! I got to see so many people that I haven’t seen in a very long time, and although it was quite tiring to do so much driving, it was totally worth it.
Friday night was a quiet one for us. I left work earlier in the afternoon with plans on taking a nap before the kids got home from school, but then I ended up running into Laur when I was downtown and went to have a coffee with her. That ended up getting me home about my normal time.
I laid down for a bit when I did get home. After about half an hour, I told Hubby that I was going to get up and get supper started. Next thing I knew, an hour had passed and I was still in bed. I’m thinking I fell back asleep! I made dinner for the family (we have been dining late!) and then sat with Hubby to watch a bit of TV. Hubby went to bed around 10 or so that evening, and although I had a nap, I ended up following him around 10:30 and I slept quite soundly until after 7 on Saturday. (I was obviously very tired.)
Saturday morning I had both of the boys make sure their rooms were tidy. Hubby and I were heading to Cuz’s house for the night and I had a friend coming to my place for the night. She was coming with her mom and son, and I didn’t quite know how the sleep arrangements were going to work for the evening, so I wanted all of the linens to be fresh and clean, and all of the rooms straightened up – just in case. I got all of the linens changed, set out fresh towels for everyone, and prepared a note for Bear.
Hubby and I got on the road about half an hour later than I had planned, but that was still okay. We had a few hours before the start of the surprise 50th birthday party, but I wanted to have a bit of time to just catch up with Cuz before we had to get moving again. We had a great afternoon followed by a very tasty Moose roast for dinner!
Off we went to the 50th birthday party. It was very nice to have the chance to see everyone again, but it can sometimes be overwhelming to have that many people in a house. I found at the end of the night that I hadn’t really had an opportunity to spend much time with as many people as I would have liked.
The next morning I was quite surprised at how late Hubby and I had slept! This time Cuz had put us up in the basement, and I guess the darkening blind really made a big difference for us. Hubby and I woke up about half an hour before I had been hoping to get heading home. We were just getting our first coffee of the day when the birthday girl called to let us know she was coming over for some additional visit time. It was very nice to have that extra hour with her, that is for sure. (Even made some plans to come and visit Cuz again in a few weeks so that I can have a chance to see some friend's new homes. Both now live near Cuz and I was complaining about not getting to see their homes! I am going to be missing a group dinner, but I won't be too upset about missing that!)
Hubby and I made really good time coming back home. I arrived to the 100th birthday party only about 15 minutes after it began, and I had even made it in time for the guest of honour’s entrance! He had a piper lead him in to the hall. I must say, for someone that is now 100 years old, he was quite spry. I can only hope that if I were to live to that age that I would be able to walk myself into the party at the clip he walked!
I’m not sure if my favourite part of the day was the opportunity to get to see so many faces that I haven’t seen in so long, or watching the ‘birthday boy’ take a drive off the 10th hole of the golf course. Now legally blind, he hasn’t been able to play golf in over 5 years, but yesterday afternoon, he was lead by the bagpipes out to the course where he took an honourary drive for his guests prior to having some family pictures taken.
I didn’t have a chance to spend near enough time with Bear, but it sounds like the A-man did his very best to make sure they were comfortable in our house with Hubby and I not being there. It sounds like he was keeping them in stitches for most of the night, and also made sure that everyone was ‘taken care of.’ He prepared the pizza, and in the morning even made scrambled eggs for Bear’s mom! Who knew I had such a host in my eldest son?! (I’m not really surprised, though, given the amount of times Hubby and I entertain, it only makes sense that he would know what sorts of things to do and offer to guests.)
Had a pretty quite Sunday evening where I got all the laundry caught up and spent some time just taking it easy.
~~~
The boys both received excellent report cards. The A-man ended up with a 76% average with his English mark pulling him down a bit. There is some room for improvement in both that course and his Math course, but I am not upset with anything any of the teachers had to say.
S brought home a report card that shows him with a 78% average! I am so proud of him! His Geography mark isn’t quite as high as I believe him capable of, but that isn’t really a subject that he is overly interested in (I never was either) so I have just reminded him that he needs to make sure he gets everything done and handed in on time. He did very well in both Skills for Success and Music, and his Science mark was quite good for him, too. All of the comments were very positive.
The beams were just shinning as they were coming out of his smile when he gave me that report card.
I am very proud of both of them.
Friday night was a quiet one for us. I left work earlier in the afternoon with plans on taking a nap before the kids got home from school, but then I ended up running into Laur when I was downtown and went to have a coffee with her. That ended up getting me home about my normal time.
I laid down for a bit when I did get home. After about half an hour, I told Hubby that I was going to get up and get supper started. Next thing I knew, an hour had passed and I was still in bed. I’m thinking I fell back asleep! I made dinner for the family (we have been dining late!) and then sat with Hubby to watch a bit of TV. Hubby went to bed around 10 or so that evening, and although I had a nap, I ended up following him around 10:30 and I slept quite soundly until after 7 on Saturday. (I was obviously very tired.)
Saturday morning I had both of the boys make sure their rooms were tidy. Hubby and I were heading to Cuz’s house for the night and I had a friend coming to my place for the night. She was coming with her mom and son, and I didn’t quite know how the sleep arrangements were going to work for the evening, so I wanted all of the linens to be fresh and clean, and all of the rooms straightened up – just in case. I got all of the linens changed, set out fresh towels for everyone, and prepared a note for Bear.
Hubby and I got on the road about half an hour later than I had planned, but that was still okay. We had a few hours before the start of the surprise 50th birthday party, but I wanted to have a bit of time to just catch up with Cuz before we had to get moving again. We had a great afternoon followed by a very tasty Moose roast for dinner!
Off we went to the 50th birthday party. It was very nice to have the chance to see everyone again, but it can sometimes be overwhelming to have that many people in a house. I found at the end of the night that I hadn’t really had an opportunity to spend much time with as many people as I would have liked.
The next morning I was quite surprised at how late Hubby and I had slept! This time Cuz had put us up in the basement, and I guess the darkening blind really made a big difference for us. Hubby and I woke up about half an hour before I had been hoping to get heading home. We were just getting our first coffee of the day when the birthday girl called to let us know she was coming over for some additional visit time. It was very nice to have that extra hour with her, that is for sure. (Even made some plans to come and visit Cuz again in a few weeks so that I can have a chance to see some friend's new homes. Both now live near Cuz and I was complaining about not getting to see their homes! I am going to be missing a group dinner, but I won't be too upset about missing that!)
Hubby and I made really good time coming back home. I arrived to the 100th birthday party only about 15 minutes after it began, and I had even made it in time for the guest of honour’s entrance! He had a piper lead him in to the hall. I must say, for someone that is now 100 years old, he was quite spry. I can only hope that if I were to live to that age that I would be able to walk myself into the party at the clip he walked!
I’m not sure if my favourite part of the day was the opportunity to get to see so many faces that I haven’t seen in so long, or watching the ‘birthday boy’ take a drive off the 10th hole of the golf course. Now legally blind, he hasn’t been able to play golf in over 5 years, but yesterday afternoon, he was lead by the bagpipes out to the course where he took an honourary drive for his guests prior to having some family pictures taken.
I didn’t have a chance to spend near enough time with Bear, but it sounds like the A-man did his very best to make sure they were comfortable in our house with Hubby and I not being there. It sounds like he was keeping them in stitches for most of the night, and also made sure that everyone was ‘taken care of.’ He prepared the pizza, and in the morning even made scrambled eggs for Bear’s mom! Who knew I had such a host in my eldest son?! (I’m not really surprised, though, given the amount of times Hubby and I entertain, it only makes sense that he would know what sorts of things to do and offer to guests.)
Had a pretty quite Sunday evening where I got all the laundry caught up and spent some time just taking it easy.
~~~
The boys both received excellent report cards. The A-man ended up with a 76% average with his English mark pulling him down a bit. There is some room for improvement in both that course and his Math course, but I am not upset with anything any of the teachers had to say.
S brought home a report card that shows him with a 78% average! I am so proud of him! His Geography mark isn’t quite as high as I believe him capable of, but that isn’t really a subject that he is overly interested in (I never was either) so I have just reminded him that he needs to make sure he gets everything done and handed in on time. He did very well in both Skills for Success and Music, and his Science mark was quite good for him, too. All of the comments were very positive.
The beams were just shinning as they were coming out of his smile when he gave me that report card.
I am very proud of both of them.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Reviewing
I've just spent some time reading my original posts to this blog. I could feel the heartbreak and upset again as I read those words.
So many bad memories came flooding back - things that I didn't write about, that would really be better left in the memory bank and not rehashed.
I am so very grateful to be done with that elementary school and to have Ms. B out of our lives forever. That woman was a terrible, terrible 'educator" and I just wish I had listened to the warnings I had been given from both Cuz and Jazzy's mom.
Hindsight really is a wonderful thing, and living in the past is not going to change the past.
Anyway, I am just very grateful that we have moved onward - and upward.
The boys will be bringing home their report cards tonight - I am looking forward to seeing what they say.
So many bad memories came flooding back - things that I didn't write about, that would really be better left in the memory bank and not rehashed.
I am so very grateful to be done with that elementary school and to have Ms. B out of our lives forever. That woman was a terrible, terrible 'educator" and I just wish I had listened to the warnings I had been given from both Cuz and Jazzy's mom.
Hindsight really is a wonderful thing, and living in the past is not going to change the past.
Anyway, I am just very grateful that we have moved onward - and upward.
The boys will be bringing home their report cards tonight - I am looking forward to seeing what they say.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
This and that
I have found that I enjoy the special alone time the A-man and I get to share when I am bringing him home from working on the school play set. He commented last week that he didn't know what he was going to do with himself once the semester is over, and I found myself wondering the same thing.
I know it's only a half an hour, but it is probably the best quality time we spend together. It's just he and I, no other distractions, and we just get a chance to talk. (S often talks with me in this manner, but I have to admit that the A-man and I haven't had done this as often.) It was during these drive times that I realized - really realized - how grown up and mature he has become. I find I'm quite fascinated in the young man that he now is.
During dinner tonight, Hubby and I were talking about our plan to cancel our family membership at the Y. S became very upset and wanted to know why we would do such a thing. I explained to him that I have invited both of them over the past number of months, and neither one of them have been interested in going, so it just didn’t make sense to continue to spend the money each month.
This is when S informed us that he and his friends had been talking about going to the Y near the highschool two or three nights a week, and he asked us to please not cancel his membership.
After supper S even went and pulled out his gym bag, checked to make sure his card was still in place, and called his one friend to start making some plans for next week. I truly hope that he starts to use the membership in this way; it is what I had talked about when we purchased the year family membership. And, since I will be going to the gym to pick him up, it would only make sense that I actually take a bit of time to use the place myself, right?
Here’s hoping.
The A-man and I attended our local community theatre group’s opening night this evening. The co-op student that is working with his Drama class was performing in the play, and the Drama teacher thought it would be a nice show of support to try and get a number of the Grade 11 students to attend. They filled the first two rows. The young man didn’t actually realize such a large group was there until the play was over, and then he was all embarrassed and nervous. It was a cast of 6 – 3 men and 3 ladies – and a comedy. It was actually very well done, and I was impressed with the quality of the production.
I'm going to encourage the A-man to consider getting involved with the theatre group for the Spring production. It would be great experience for him, and it would also give him a little bit more confidence. He really enjoys his time in Drama class, so it just makes sense that he look at how he can continue this enjoyment beyond school hours.
The young man that works with the A-man’s class seemed very pleased to have such an out-pouring of support. He was also very good in the role he played. He has a lot of potential, I would say.
One more work day, and I’m going to make it a short one tomorrow. Have some house stuff to get done before the weekend begins, and it is always nice to tackle these things when no one else is in the house.
I know it's only a half an hour, but it is probably the best quality time we spend together. It's just he and I, no other distractions, and we just get a chance to talk. (S often talks with me in this manner, but I have to admit that the A-man and I haven't had done this as often.) It was during these drive times that I realized - really realized - how grown up and mature he has become. I find I'm quite fascinated in the young man that he now is.
During dinner tonight, Hubby and I were talking about our plan to cancel our family membership at the Y. S became very upset and wanted to know why we would do such a thing. I explained to him that I have invited both of them over the past number of months, and neither one of them have been interested in going, so it just didn’t make sense to continue to spend the money each month.
This is when S informed us that he and his friends had been talking about going to the Y near the highschool two or three nights a week, and he asked us to please not cancel his membership.
After supper S even went and pulled out his gym bag, checked to make sure his card was still in place, and called his one friend to start making some plans for next week. I truly hope that he starts to use the membership in this way; it is what I had talked about when we purchased the year family membership. And, since I will be going to the gym to pick him up, it would only make sense that I actually take a bit of time to use the place myself, right?
Here’s hoping.
The A-man and I attended our local community theatre group’s opening night this evening. The co-op student that is working with his Drama class was performing in the play, and the Drama teacher thought it would be a nice show of support to try and get a number of the Grade 11 students to attend. They filled the first two rows. The young man didn’t actually realize such a large group was there until the play was over, and then he was all embarrassed and nervous. It was a cast of 6 – 3 men and 3 ladies – and a comedy. It was actually very well done, and I was impressed with the quality of the production.
I'm going to encourage the A-man to consider getting involved with the theatre group for the Spring production. It would be great experience for him, and it would also give him a little bit more confidence. He really enjoys his time in Drama class, so it just makes sense that he look at how he can continue this enjoyment beyond school hours.
The young man that works with the A-man’s class seemed very pleased to have such an out-pouring of support. He was also very good in the role he played. He has a lot of potential, I would say.
One more work day, and I’m going to make it a short one tomorrow. Have some house stuff to get done before the weekend begins, and it is always nice to tackle these things when no one else is in the house.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Get ready for Christmas
Hubby arrived home safe and sound early Sunday afternoon. It was very nice to have him back home. It’s really been a while since we have had the chance to spend some time together, so we ended up spending over an hour just chatting and catching up on the events of the previous week.
On Saturday I had gotten in a creative/festive mood, and went out to get supplies to make some Christmas gifts. By the end of the afternoon, I had made a sea salt body scrub, oatmeal and brown sugar body scrub, some milk bath, and some bath fizzies. I’ve never made body scrubs before and was amazed at how easy they were. The beauty industry has to make a fortune, I tell ya. They are so EASY.
The bath fizzies were a little more complicated than I expected. Well, not really complicated, but they require just the right amount of water to be spritzed on to the mixture (corn starch and citric acid) and you have to mold them quickly so that none of the unmolded portions start to harden.
I was quite pleased with the quantity of the items, and I am feeling pretty good that I will get quite a few gifts from it all. I still have enough citric acid to make about 3 or 4 more batches, so that should give me quite a few bath bombs, too. So glad I still have a number of bottles of essential oils to help perfume the mixture!
On Sunday afternoon, after Hubby and I had been ‘talked out’, I pulled out the Christmas wrap, and started wrapping some of the presents I have purchased. I was done wrapping the 3rd or 4th gift when I got a call from my Mom asking if I wanted to join her on a trip to the near city. The A-man had just reminded me of a couple of clothing items that he required for his Drama costume, so I thought this trip with my mom might be just the thing.
We stopped at the Goodwill to find the pants and jacket the A-man required, and while he was trying on the pants, I went over to the household section and found two small bottles I could use for the milk bath, and a few wide mouth jars that I could use for some of the body scrubs. Perfect.
On Monday I had put the fizzies on to a cooling rack to dry out a bit more. One of them had broken and I realized that I may have put them in to a container before they were fully dried. The A-man thought I had made lemon squares and had almost taken a bite out of one before he noticed the little label I had made to remind me of the scent of the fizzies. That would not have been a pleasant taste. (Again, just proves that teenage boys will eat anything.)
We have had a pretty uneventful week so far. Touching wood. S was in a bit of bad mood this morning, but that was probably because I told him I thought he should wear some different uniform pieces and I was informed that he didn’t like the ‘feel’ of the cotton dress shirt I had pulled from his closet. Once he realized that I wasn’t going to push it, he seemed to calm right down. He even made sure to get both the garbage and recycling to the curb this morning since the A-man had spent the night at my parents and wasn’t at home to get his portion done.
Haven’t talked to Nee lately, but I have emailed her every now and then just to let her know I am thinking of her. She will call me when she needs to talk.
We have a busy weekend for birthdays this coming weekend. My niece is turning 16. My dear friend Bear’s son will also be turning 16 on the very same day as my niece. On Saturday we are attending a 50th birthday party and on Sunday I will be going to a 100th birthday party for a friend’s father. Quite the span of ages we are celebrating!
On Saturday I had gotten in a creative/festive mood, and went out to get supplies to make some Christmas gifts. By the end of the afternoon, I had made a sea salt body scrub, oatmeal and brown sugar body scrub, some milk bath, and some bath fizzies. I’ve never made body scrubs before and was amazed at how easy they were. The beauty industry has to make a fortune, I tell ya. They are so EASY.
The bath fizzies were a little more complicated than I expected. Well, not really complicated, but they require just the right amount of water to be spritzed on to the mixture (corn starch and citric acid) and you have to mold them quickly so that none of the unmolded portions start to harden.
I was quite pleased with the quantity of the items, and I am feeling pretty good that I will get quite a few gifts from it all. I still have enough citric acid to make about 3 or 4 more batches, so that should give me quite a few bath bombs, too. So glad I still have a number of bottles of essential oils to help perfume the mixture!
On Sunday afternoon, after Hubby and I had been ‘talked out’, I pulled out the Christmas wrap, and started wrapping some of the presents I have purchased. I was done wrapping the 3rd or 4th gift when I got a call from my Mom asking if I wanted to join her on a trip to the near city. The A-man had just reminded me of a couple of clothing items that he required for his Drama costume, so I thought this trip with my mom might be just the thing.
We stopped at the Goodwill to find the pants and jacket the A-man required, and while he was trying on the pants, I went over to the household section and found two small bottles I could use for the milk bath, and a few wide mouth jars that I could use for some of the body scrubs. Perfect.
On Monday I had put the fizzies on to a cooling rack to dry out a bit more. One of them had broken and I realized that I may have put them in to a container before they were fully dried. The A-man thought I had made lemon squares and had almost taken a bite out of one before he noticed the little label I had made to remind me of the scent of the fizzies. That would not have been a pleasant taste. (Again, just proves that teenage boys will eat anything.)
We have had a pretty uneventful week so far. Touching wood. S was in a bit of bad mood this morning, but that was probably because I told him I thought he should wear some different uniform pieces and I was informed that he didn’t like the ‘feel’ of the cotton dress shirt I had pulled from his closet. Once he realized that I wasn’t going to push it, he seemed to calm right down. He even made sure to get both the garbage and recycling to the curb this morning since the A-man had spent the night at my parents and wasn’t at home to get his portion done.
Haven’t talked to Nee lately, but I have emailed her every now and then just to let her know I am thinking of her. She will call me when she needs to talk.
We have a busy weekend for birthdays this coming weekend. My niece is turning 16. My dear friend Bear’s son will also be turning 16 on the very same day as my niece. On Saturday we are attending a 50th birthday party and on Sunday I will be going to a 100th birthday party for a friend’s father. Quite the span of ages we are celebrating!
Friday, November 13, 2009
Out of the oven... in to the fire...
Well, the silent treatment has ended, and I have become S’s confidant once again.
When we got home last night, S was sitting in the living room waiting for the A-man and I. He was very quick to tell me about the homework that he had, and even pulled out the information he needed right away to finish it as quickly as he could.
After finding the information he needed in the flyers (it was a math-type assignment where they had to use 'real prices') I was amazed to see him start to straighten up the newspaper as soon as I reminded him. I told S that he didn't have to do it right away, but to make sure that he did it before too long.
"Oh no, that's okay. I like to do things right away when I'm upset," he explained to me. When I asked him what he was upset about, S pulled two notes from his pocket.
The first was a note from Lil'A explaining that she "didn't want him to love her anymore because she had found someone else to love." It went on further to tell him that she knew of a girl that liked S and she thought maybe he should consider loving her. The second note was from a friend of Lil'A's saying that it really upset her to see S watching Lil'A all "lovey dovey" and maybe he should find someone else.
Oh - to be so young and naive as a 14 year old girl. (See, apparently feeling can be turned on and off at whim...)
S was more than chatty about this turn of events. He even told me that he knew this was coming - he has apparently known for a couple of days. Hmm... wasn't it a couple of days ago that he was all grouchy and snarly at home? He said that wasn't why he'd been so rude the other day, but it all makes sense now.
S was more than happy to help me get supper prepared, and he chatted with me for the entire time. At one point I had to ask the A-man to leave the kitchen because he came in, asked what we were talking about, and then interjected with a comment he thought he had heard S say. It was not in any way similar to the discussion S and I were having, so I suggested that perhaps the A-man allow S and I a little bit of privacy. I think he was just grateful to not have to help with supper, to be honest.
The boys and I had a lovely dinner. We all chatted about our days, about what had been happening here, there and everywhere, and after supper, both boys were very quick to get started on their after dinner chores. I had a telephone conference at 7.30, and they were both quiet while I was on that call.
After I got off the phone, I thanked S for all of his help and asked to review his completed homework. After I gave it the once over, I told him that he could watch one television show since he had been so helpful. I told him that he was not getting out of the 'grounding' but that I would dole out time limits as I felt was appropriate. He was very thankful for the chance to watch TV, and I even got a bit of a shoulder squeeze/hug on his way past me.
ARGH!! Teenagers! One minute you are the WORST person ever, and the next, they totally love you. I know I was a moody teen, but holy!
~~~
On a different front, my dear friend ‘Nee’ has been going through some major issues with her youngest son. J is 13, and although she has always had some concerns about him – many reasons for these – a lot of these concerns have come to a head back at the end of October.
J has started cutting. She discovered a number of cuts along his upper arm, all in various stages on healing. When she asked him about it, I guess he felt it was time to come clean with a number of things. Nee and her ex have shared custody of their two sons – they live two weeks with Nee and two weeks with Hubs. Apparently during the two weeks with Hubs, J has taken to smoking cigarettes, drinking, and using pot.
It’s a very long story – and not my story to tell – but she has been in touch with me off and on over the past few weeks because she was very much aware of the mental health issues we lived through with S, and she knew that I would be a source of both support and knowledge about how she should proceed.
I had lunch with Nee today and found out the latest with J. He was actually admitted to the hospital last weekend. Her eldest son phoned her with a concern that he thought J had cut a pentagram into his thigh. (It was their time at their Dad’s) Nee went to Hubs house and asked J to take down his pants so that she could confirm if this was true.
It was true, but he had actually used something to burn the pentagram into his thigh. At this point she informed both J and Hubs that she was taking him to the hospital because she knew something needed to be done. She had been in touch with their doctor regarding the cutting and the substance use, etc., so this was something she had been advised to watch for, etc.
The hospital admitted J and kept him for observation for two days. He is now taking some medication to help with the obvious depression, and due to the hospital stay, he has been short-listed for many services that would normally take the better part of a year to receive.
My heart is breaking for both my friend and her son.
Mental health issues have been in Hubs family for many years, but until days after his son was admitted to the hospital, he was not willing to acknowledge any problems or concerns with J. It would appear that he is starting to come around and actually DO something other than blame Nee for everything that has happened ‘wrong’ in their marriage. I am hoping he will also use this time to perhaps examine the reasons for her leaving him in the first place.
So, yet again, children’s mental health issues have reared its ugly head in my world. It is so sad to think that it often needs to go to major extremes before these kids can get the help and support they need.
Nee has taken a leave of absence from her job, and will be providing constant supervision to J, and it would appear that (finally) Hubs will be doing the same during his time with the boys, and he has acknowledged that sometimes she may be the better person to be with the kids, even if it’s “his week.”
I gave her a huge hug, and told her that I am here for her, whenever she needs me. She was there for me when I needed her, and I will be more than happy to provide that same necessary ear. I told her that I won’t offer advice – I will just be a sounding board.
She is going to need it for a while. I’m just so grateful that she became aware of this situation before it became really bad, and that she has been successful in getting the supports in place very quickly.
When we got home last night, S was sitting in the living room waiting for the A-man and I. He was very quick to tell me about the homework that he had, and even pulled out the information he needed right away to finish it as quickly as he could.
After finding the information he needed in the flyers (it was a math-type assignment where they had to use 'real prices') I was amazed to see him start to straighten up the newspaper as soon as I reminded him. I told S that he didn't have to do it right away, but to make sure that he did it before too long.
"Oh no, that's okay. I like to do things right away when I'm upset," he explained to me. When I asked him what he was upset about, S pulled two notes from his pocket.
The first was a note from Lil'A explaining that she "didn't want him to love her anymore because she had found someone else to love." It went on further to tell him that she knew of a girl that liked S and she thought maybe he should consider loving her. The second note was from a friend of Lil'A's saying that it really upset her to see S watching Lil'A all "lovey dovey" and maybe he should find someone else.
Oh - to be so young and naive as a 14 year old girl. (See, apparently feeling can be turned on and off at whim...)
S was more than chatty about this turn of events. He even told me that he knew this was coming - he has apparently known for a couple of days. Hmm... wasn't it a couple of days ago that he was all grouchy and snarly at home? He said that wasn't why he'd been so rude the other day, but it all makes sense now.
S was more than happy to help me get supper prepared, and he chatted with me for the entire time. At one point I had to ask the A-man to leave the kitchen because he came in, asked what we were talking about, and then interjected with a comment he thought he had heard S say. It was not in any way similar to the discussion S and I were having, so I suggested that perhaps the A-man allow S and I a little bit of privacy. I think he was just grateful to not have to help with supper, to be honest.
The boys and I had a lovely dinner. We all chatted about our days, about what had been happening here, there and everywhere, and after supper, both boys were very quick to get started on their after dinner chores. I had a telephone conference at 7.30, and they were both quiet while I was on that call.
After I got off the phone, I thanked S for all of his help and asked to review his completed homework. After I gave it the once over, I told him that he could watch one television show since he had been so helpful. I told him that he was not getting out of the 'grounding' but that I would dole out time limits as I felt was appropriate. He was very thankful for the chance to watch TV, and I even got a bit of a shoulder squeeze/hug on his way past me.
ARGH!! Teenagers! One minute you are the WORST person ever, and the next, they totally love you. I know I was a moody teen, but holy!
~~~
On a different front, my dear friend ‘Nee’ has been going through some major issues with her youngest son. J is 13, and although she has always had some concerns about him – many reasons for these – a lot of these concerns have come to a head back at the end of October.
J has started cutting. She discovered a number of cuts along his upper arm, all in various stages on healing. When she asked him about it, I guess he felt it was time to come clean with a number of things. Nee and her ex have shared custody of their two sons – they live two weeks with Nee and two weeks with Hubs. Apparently during the two weeks with Hubs, J has taken to smoking cigarettes, drinking, and using pot.
It’s a very long story – and not my story to tell – but she has been in touch with me off and on over the past few weeks because she was very much aware of the mental health issues we lived through with S, and she knew that I would be a source of both support and knowledge about how she should proceed.
I had lunch with Nee today and found out the latest with J. He was actually admitted to the hospital last weekend. Her eldest son phoned her with a concern that he thought J had cut a pentagram into his thigh. (It was their time at their Dad’s) Nee went to Hubs house and asked J to take down his pants so that she could confirm if this was true.
It was true, but he had actually used something to burn the pentagram into his thigh. At this point she informed both J and Hubs that she was taking him to the hospital because she knew something needed to be done. She had been in touch with their doctor regarding the cutting and the substance use, etc., so this was something she had been advised to watch for, etc.
The hospital admitted J and kept him for observation for two days. He is now taking some medication to help with the obvious depression, and due to the hospital stay, he has been short-listed for many services that would normally take the better part of a year to receive.
My heart is breaking for both my friend and her son.
Mental health issues have been in Hubs family for many years, but until days after his son was admitted to the hospital, he was not willing to acknowledge any problems or concerns with J. It would appear that he is starting to come around and actually DO something other than blame Nee for everything that has happened ‘wrong’ in their marriage. I am hoping he will also use this time to perhaps examine the reasons for her leaving him in the first place.
So, yet again, children’s mental health issues have reared its ugly head in my world. It is so sad to think that it often needs to go to major extremes before these kids can get the help and support they need.
Nee has taken a leave of absence from her job, and will be providing constant supervision to J, and it would appear that (finally) Hubs will be doing the same during his time with the boys, and he has acknowledged that sometimes she may be the better person to be with the kids, even if it’s “his week.”
I gave her a huge hug, and told her that I am here for her, whenever she needs me. She was there for me when I needed her, and I will be more than happy to provide that same necessary ear. I told her that I won’t offer advice – I will just be a sounding board.
She is going to need it for a while. I’m just so grateful that she became aware of this situation before it became really bad, and that she has been successful in getting the supports in place very quickly.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
A better night
It would appear I am receiving “the silent treatment” from my youngest son. This, apparently, is what I get for punishment when I took away his television privileges the other day.
Now, to be fair, I am not getting the full treatment – he will answer a direct question, and even during supper last night he did offer a tidbit of conversation. But, for the most part, it would appear that I am persona non gratta right now. I think I will be able to handle it.
S worked on his Geography ISU last night for quite a while. He took his laptop into his bedroom though – I guess he didn’t want to risk my talking to him while he was working on it. After supper, he and the A-man got right down to business with getting the dishes taken care of, and he was even quick to jump in the shower when I asked.
Now, that said, when he got out of the shower I was quite amazed to see that his hair was completely dry even though he swore that he had washed it. He even accused me of “not believing him” for some strange reason. I don’t think he liked it when I admitted that I did not believe him and then told him that I would wash it over the sink. He wasn’t happy about it, but at least I now know that it is clean. I heard him muttering something about how I “never believe him” and I told him that trust is something that must be earned, and once he has actually proven himself to be trustworthy, I would be a little more willing to believe him. (See, he lost this trust the other night when I caught him in a bold-face lie. Even though I had the proof of his lie in my hot-little hands, he continued to look me in the eye and say, “Mom, I am telling the truth.”)
This is one thing about S that I don’t understand – his first instinct is to always tell a lie. I didn’t think this was typical of a child with Aspergers, but it certainly is typical of him. I can’t stand it.
The A-man worked diligently on his English essay and then went outside to do a little running around. Always amuses me to see him doing just that – running around, in no particular fashion, in the back yard. Sometimes he takes a long stick with him to “practice his sword play” but other times he just runs around randomly. At least he gets active.
Both boys went to bed with ease last night, so it was actually quite a quiet evening. Nice from the night prior.
Hubby should be home on Sunday, I think. I'm looking forward to having some time with him - it feels like it has been a very long time since we have spent much time together.
Now, to be fair, I am not getting the full treatment – he will answer a direct question, and even during supper last night he did offer a tidbit of conversation. But, for the most part, it would appear that I am persona non gratta right now. I think I will be able to handle it.
S worked on his Geography ISU last night for quite a while. He took his laptop into his bedroom though – I guess he didn’t want to risk my talking to him while he was working on it. After supper, he and the A-man got right down to business with getting the dishes taken care of, and he was even quick to jump in the shower when I asked.
Now, that said, when he got out of the shower I was quite amazed to see that his hair was completely dry even though he swore that he had washed it. He even accused me of “not believing him” for some strange reason. I don’t think he liked it when I admitted that I did not believe him and then told him that I would wash it over the sink. He wasn’t happy about it, but at least I now know that it is clean. I heard him muttering something about how I “never believe him” and I told him that trust is something that must be earned, and once he has actually proven himself to be trustworthy, I would be a little more willing to believe him. (See, he lost this trust the other night when I caught him in a bold-face lie. Even though I had the proof of his lie in my hot-little hands, he continued to look me in the eye and say, “Mom, I am telling the truth.”)
This is one thing about S that I don’t understand – his first instinct is to always tell a lie. I didn’t think this was typical of a child with Aspergers, but it certainly is typical of him. I can’t stand it.
The A-man worked diligently on his English essay and then went outside to do a little running around. Always amuses me to see him doing just that – running around, in no particular fashion, in the back yard. Sometimes he takes a long stick with him to “practice his sword play” but other times he just runs around randomly. At least he gets active.
Both boys went to bed with ease last night, so it was actually quite a quiet evening. Nice from the night prior.
Hubby should be home on Sunday, I think. I'm looking forward to having some time with him - it feels like it has been a very long time since we have spent much time together.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Not the best night
As my day progressed yesterday, I found myself feeling worse and worse with this blasted cold. When I picked the A-man up from my parents after work, it was all I could do to keep my head up. I just wanted to lie down and try to relieve some of the pressure in my skull.
When we got home, the A-man handed me two Advil Cold and Sinus tablets, and told me to go to bed. I didn't even argue with him. Once the tablets had started to take effect, I realized that I was, in fact, going to live.
This is about the time I remembered that the garbage and recycling had to be prepared for the morning. S came upstairs (this was about 8) and I reminded him that this needed to be done. I believe I got a sarcastic "Yeah, yeah" from him.
At 9:45, I made my way downstairs to confirm that everything had been prepared for the morning. The garbage was not done, the recycling had not been finished, the green bin was still full, and the cat's litter had not been emptied. The boys go to their rooms for the evening at 10 pm.
At this point I told them to get these tasks done so that they could be ready for bed when the time came. S lost it on me. He started yelling and carrying on.
At this point, he and I got in to a big ole heated discussion about timing of events and what is "essential" and what isn't. As I was talking to him, he started to put his hands into fists (his was of showing that he is angry) and started breathing really hard at me. I looked at his hands, moved my eyes back to his face, and told him, "You can knock that off right now. I reminded you about these chores almost two hours ago and you made the choice NOT to do them then. Now you have to do it when I say so - because you are NOT going to start this task when it is time for you to be in bed."
He stormed off and started to do what needed to be done. I went back up to my room to gather the garbage from our bathroom. It just so happens that our bathroom vent is joined to the vent in the laundry room where the A-man was cleaning the litter. Next thing I know, I hear the A-man and S having a conversation. S asks the A-man something, to which he replied, "I don't know."
In a very angry voice, S says "For the last F$%^&^^ time, tell me where the f*^%$^ bags are."
I calmly leaned down toward the vent and said, "Uh... S - I can hear every single word you are saying."
I started to come out of the bedroom, and saw S's reflection in the window coming up the stairs. As soon as he heard me walking down the hall, he turned quickly on his heel to head back to the foyer. I stopped him and told him that I did NOT appreciate hearing him talk that way to his brother - or anyone else for that matter. I then told him that he was not to take it out on either me or the A-man because *he* wasn't able to watch the last 15 minutes of a television show. At this point, I also told him that he had lost all electronic privileges for a one week period. Again the hands went into a fist, and he started yelling at me about how his brother was being a jerk, and on and on. I interrupted him and told him that if he didn't like the rules of the house, he didn't have to stay.
I was done listening to him, and he has been using an extremely snarky and nasty tone of voice for FAR too long lately. I can't count the number of times I have reminded him about tone of voice. I will not tolerate his being rude and disrespectful any more.
He grabbed his coat, and screamed "FINE!" at me. He went out the door, slamming it so hard that the wall hanging fell to the ground.
We live in the middle of nowhere. He was wearing a pair of sleep pants, no socks or shirt, a pair of crocs and his jacket. I'm not sure where, exactly, he thought he was going to go, but when he went out that door, quite honestly I was happy to see him go, and didn't care (at that point) if he came back in or not.
The A-man, on the other hand, was very concerned about where his brother would go. I knew he wouldn't 'go' anywhere; he would sit outside and wait for me to open the door and tell him to get back in the house. This is a routine that has happened way more times than I care to remember.
I was not going to give in this time. But, after the A-man finished washing the dishes, he went outside to try and get S to come back in. I waited about 10 more minutes until I was in a calmer state, and I opened the door and told them both to get back in the house and finish getting ready for bed. At first S refused, but I think after he took a moment to look at my face and consider the ramifications of his decision, he wisely came inside.
I told him to pick up and rehang the picture from the wall, and to finish getting the garbage ready. At this point I started to receive "the silent treatment." (really upset me, too. yeah, right.)
I'm going to have to have a very serious conversation with this young man very soon. I am beyond tired of this nonsense, and just about at my wit's end. I realize it is nowhere near as bad as it has been in the past, but I cannot keep living in his horrible rotation of his moods.
He is being lazy. Period. It is only when he gets to do what he wants to do, WHEN he wants to do it that he is pleasant to be around. When it is something he is "being forced to do" he gets all rude and surly. It just does not work that way.
I've take taken the day off today, and I am hoping I will be able to have a calm and rational conversation with him this evening. If I can't, I think I will have to get him back in to see a doctor.
I am tired.
When we got home, the A-man handed me two Advil Cold and Sinus tablets, and told me to go to bed. I didn't even argue with him. Once the tablets had started to take effect, I realized that I was, in fact, going to live.
This is about the time I remembered that the garbage and recycling had to be prepared for the morning. S came upstairs (this was about 8) and I reminded him that this needed to be done. I believe I got a sarcastic "Yeah, yeah" from him.
At 9:45, I made my way downstairs to confirm that everything had been prepared for the morning. The garbage was not done, the recycling had not been finished, the green bin was still full, and the cat's litter had not been emptied. The boys go to their rooms for the evening at 10 pm.
At this point I told them to get these tasks done so that they could be ready for bed when the time came. S lost it on me. He started yelling and carrying on.
At this point, he and I got in to a big ole heated discussion about timing of events and what is "essential" and what isn't. As I was talking to him, he started to put his hands into fists (his was of showing that he is angry) and started breathing really hard at me. I looked at his hands, moved my eyes back to his face, and told him, "You can knock that off right now. I reminded you about these chores almost two hours ago and you made the choice NOT to do them then. Now you have to do it when I say so - because you are NOT going to start this task when it is time for you to be in bed."
He stormed off and started to do what needed to be done. I went back up to my room to gather the garbage from our bathroom. It just so happens that our bathroom vent is joined to the vent in the laundry room where the A-man was cleaning the litter. Next thing I know, I hear the A-man and S having a conversation. S asks the A-man something, to which he replied, "I don't know."
In a very angry voice, S says "For the last F$%^&^^ time, tell me where the f*^%$^ bags are."
I calmly leaned down toward the vent and said, "Uh... S - I can hear every single word you are saying."
I started to come out of the bedroom, and saw S's reflection in the window coming up the stairs. As soon as he heard me walking down the hall, he turned quickly on his heel to head back to the foyer. I stopped him and told him that I did NOT appreciate hearing him talk that way to his brother - or anyone else for that matter. I then told him that he was not to take it out on either me or the A-man because *he* wasn't able to watch the last 15 minutes of a television show. At this point, I also told him that he had lost all electronic privileges for a one week period. Again the hands went into a fist, and he started yelling at me about how his brother was being a jerk, and on and on. I interrupted him and told him that if he didn't like the rules of the house, he didn't have to stay.
I was done listening to him, and he has been using an extremely snarky and nasty tone of voice for FAR too long lately. I can't count the number of times I have reminded him about tone of voice. I will not tolerate his being rude and disrespectful any more.
He grabbed his coat, and screamed "FINE!" at me. He went out the door, slamming it so hard that the wall hanging fell to the ground.
We live in the middle of nowhere. He was wearing a pair of sleep pants, no socks or shirt, a pair of crocs and his jacket. I'm not sure where, exactly, he thought he was going to go, but when he went out that door, quite honestly I was happy to see him go, and didn't care (at that point) if he came back in or not.
The A-man, on the other hand, was very concerned about where his brother would go. I knew he wouldn't 'go' anywhere; he would sit outside and wait for me to open the door and tell him to get back in the house. This is a routine that has happened way more times than I care to remember.
I was not going to give in this time. But, after the A-man finished washing the dishes, he went outside to try and get S to come back in. I waited about 10 more minutes until I was in a calmer state, and I opened the door and told them both to get back in the house and finish getting ready for bed. At first S refused, but I think after he took a moment to look at my face and consider the ramifications of his decision, he wisely came inside.
I told him to pick up and rehang the picture from the wall, and to finish getting the garbage ready. At this point I started to receive "the silent treatment." (really upset me, too. yeah, right.)
I'm going to have to have a very serious conversation with this young man very soon. I am beyond tired of this nonsense, and just about at my wit's end. I realize it is nowhere near as bad as it has been in the past, but I cannot keep living in his horrible rotation of his moods.
He is being lazy. Period. It is only when he gets to do what he wants to do, WHEN he wants to do it that he is pleasant to be around. When it is something he is "being forced to do" he gets all rude and surly. It just does not work that way.
I've take taken the day off today, and I am hoping I will be able to have a calm and rational conversation with him this evening. If I can't, I think I will have to get him back in to see a doctor.
I am tired.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Back to normal again
Back to the familiar grind now.
Had three days off this week and I must admit that it took until yesterday (Thursday) to start feeling normal again. Really got a groove on with respect to some purging/cleaning, actually.
Cuz and her Hubby (my actual cousin!) stopped in for a while yesterday. They were dropping their boat off for the winter with the plans of coming our way for some Spring fishing. It was a short visit, but still nice to get some time together. We will see a bit more of them in a couple of weeks when Hubby and I go for an overnighter!
It would appear S is on the mend. He resisted going to school yesterday, but since they were having a PA day today, I felt it was important that he get to school for at least one day. I'm not sure if he would have actually tried to get the details he had missed, but I'm going to keep my fingers crossed.
Report cards come home on Monday.
Hubby is getting ready to leave tomorrow for a one week hunting trip. He has his bins all packed, and last night I made a couple of my "now famous" spicy lasagna. I'm feeling that I didn't make them quite as hot as years past, but I do know that it will be flavourful either way. I forgot about Hubby asking me to make a breakfast casserole, so I guess I will be doing that while making dinner tonight.
We had our first taste of one of 'the girls' last night. I wasn't sure how I would do, but it was okay. Once I put the package in the water for thawing, I was over any strange feelings. It just hit me when I was taking the package from the freezer. I didn't mention where the chicken came from to the boys, though.
Did I notice a big huge taste difference? I can't say for sure. It was very tender meat, and had a nice flavour, but the dish itself was quite tasty, so that is a tough call.
The pheasants are in need of some TLC in their run, so I guess that will be another task for me to add to my list for the weekend. I have been very remiss in keeping up on their care since we did the chicken slaughter. My bad.
I'm going to a surprise birthday party for my brother tonight. He will be in the area to give a talk at the local legion during their veteran's dinner tomorrow night. Quite an honour.
Anyway, his wife made some phone calls and a friend has invited a bunch of Bro's friends over. They are going to stop at my place for "an emergency bathroom break" and then I am going to invite myself along for drinks. Should be about 25 people waiting when he arrives. His birthday is actually on Monday, and it's not a biggie (he's 40 in a couple more years) but since he is in the area, it's as good a reason as any!
Sunday is another day that I will be on the move. Going to a fundraiser for my dear friend's skating club. We went last year and had a very enjoyable time, so I am sure it will be a good day again. Leaving fairly early in the morning, but I expect to be home in time for making supper for the boys.
The boys and I will do our annual "dinner and a movie" tomorrow night. We have done this every Saturday since Hubby started his hunting week. I miss the days of going to see the newest Christmas movies. We've seen Elf, and the Grinch... this year I think they want to see a bit of a thriller, but I will ki-bosh that one. I don't "do" thrillers.
Maybe I will convince them that we should see the new 3-D Christmas movie...
Had three days off this week and I must admit that it took until yesterday (Thursday) to start feeling normal again. Really got a groove on with respect to some purging/cleaning, actually.
Cuz and her Hubby (my actual cousin!) stopped in for a while yesterday. They were dropping their boat off for the winter with the plans of coming our way for some Spring fishing. It was a short visit, but still nice to get some time together. We will see a bit more of them in a couple of weeks when Hubby and I go for an overnighter!
It would appear S is on the mend. He resisted going to school yesterday, but since they were having a PA day today, I felt it was important that he get to school for at least one day. I'm not sure if he would have actually tried to get the details he had missed, but I'm going to keep my fingers crossed.
Report cards come home on Monday.
Hubby is getting ready to leave tomorrow for a one week hunting trip. He has his bins all packed, and last night I made a couple of my "now famous" spicy lasagna. I'm feeling that I didn't make them quite as hot as years past, but I do know that it will be flavourful either way. I forgot about Hubby asking me to make a breakfast casserole, so I guess I will be doing that while making dinner tonight.
We had our first taste of one of 'the girls' last night. I wasn't sure how I would do, but it was okay. Once I put the package in the water for thawing, I was over any strange feelings. It just hit me when I was taking the package from the freezer. I didn't mention where the chicken came from to the boys, though.
Did I notice a big huge taste difference? I can't say for sure. It was very tender meat, and had a nice flavour, but the dish itself was quite tasty, so that is a tough call.
The pheasants are in need of some TLC in their run, so I guess that will be another task for me to add to my list for the weekend. I have been very remiss in keeping up on their care since we did the chicken slaughter. My bad.
I'm going to a surprise birthday party for my brother tonight. He will be in the area to give a talk at the local legion during their veteran's dinner tomorrow night. Quite an honour.
Anyway, his wife made some phone calls and a friend has invited a bunch of Bro's friends over. They are going to stop at my place for "an emergency bathroom break" and then I am going to invite myself along for drinks. Should be about 25 people waiting when he arrives. His birthday is actually on Monday, and it's not a biggie (he's 40 in a couple more years) but since he is in the area, it's as good a reason as any!
Sunday is another day that I will be on the move. Going to a fundraiser for my dear friend's skating club. We went last year and had a very enjoyable time, so I am sure it will be a good day again. Leaving fairly early in the morning, but I expect to be home in time for making supper for the boys.
The boys and I will do our annual "dinner and a movie" tomorrow night. We have done this every Saturday since Hubby started his hunting week. I miss the days of going to see the newest Christmas movies. We've seen Elf, and the Grinch... this year I think they want to see a bit of a thriller, but I will ki-bosh that one. I don't "do" thrillers.
Maybe I will convince them that we should see the new 3-D Christmas movie...
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
"Life" - according to the A-man
My big guy continues to find new ways to bring laughter and amusement to my life. When he isn't trying, he is actually quite a funny guy.
His drama class did the choreography for the stampeed scene in the play today. He was telling me all about it when I picked him up and he seemed really pumped up about it. "It totally rocks," were his exact words, I believe. (Or something similar to this well-spoken/thought out phrase.)
Part of the choreography was where the "black people" (that's the people that aren't actually in the play therefore are all in black) have to catch him as he falls from the cliff. Apparently he squished 5 of the 12 today during the first practise, and he said in the other two takes he heard a number of moans and groans. I'm thinking most of these students are not used to a 6'2" person that tips the scales at 200 pounds falling on them from a height of about 7 or 8 feet.
Either way, it was quite amusing to hear his take on the entire scenerio. I would really like to hear the comments of the 'catchers' though...
The next time he made me really laugh during the drive was when he was talking about how he will look after me when I am 90. I asked him if he was going to change my diapers if he needed to, and then he went in to this long explaination about the names of these types of products. (Apparently he has put a lot of thought in to this observation...)
"For babies," he says, "they are called sweet lovable names like Huggies and Luvs. This implies that the parents will change the diapers and still want to cuddle and love the babies. Yet, for the adult diapers, they don't still have this same implications.
You ask if I will change your diaper when you are 90.... hmmm... that makes me ask - am I in the will? 'Depends'!"
Perhaps the written word doesn't do the entire statement justice, but I found this whole monologue to be quite funny when he got to the punch line...
A few minutes later, the A-man shared a conversation that occured over the weekend. Hubby's aunt and uncle had come for a visit to my in-laws, so Hubby and the A-man went over. (S wasn't feeling well so he stayed home.)
Apparently the Aunt had commented that she didn't find it very different raising a son verses a daughter, however the A-man disagreed.
"With a daughter," he wisely explained, "you have to worry about feelings and the right shoes and things." (He did a sidebar comment to me here that said the shoes comment was for my benefit)
"But a son, a son is much easier to raise; you just have to make sure you leave out a plate of food and crack open the window a bit."
I have to admit, I am quite looking forward to seeing how this wise and well-thought out information actually converts to 'real life' in the years to come.
His drama class did the choreography for the stampeed scene in the play today. He was telling me all about it when I picked him up and he seemed really pumped up about it. "It totally rocks," were his exact words, I believe. (Or something similar to this well-spoken/thought out phrase.)
Part of the choreography was where the "black people" (that's the people that aren't actually in the play therefore are all in black) have to catch him as he falls from the cliff. Apparently he squished 5 of the 12 today during the first practise, and he said in the other two takes he heard a number of moans and groans. I'm thinking most of these students are not used to a 6'2" person that tips the scales at 200 pounds falling on them from a height of about 7 or 8 feet.
Either way, it was quite amusing to hear his take on the entire scenerio. I would really like to hear the comments of the 'catchers' though...
The next time he made me really laugh during the drive was when he was talking about how he will look after me when I am 90. I asked him if he was going to change my diapers if he needed to, and then he went in to this long explaination about the names of these types of products. (Apparently he has put a lot of thought in to this observation...)
"For babies," he says, "they are called sweet lovable names like Huggies and Luvs. This implies that the parents will change the diapers and still want to cuddle and love the babies. Yet, for the adult diapers, they don't still have this same implications.
You ask if I will change your diaper when you are 90.... hmmm... that makes me ask - am I in the will? 'Depends'!"
Perhaps the written word doesn't do the entire statement justice, but I found this whole monologue to be quite funny when he got to the punch line...
A few minutes later, the A-man shared a conversation that occured over the weekend. Hubby's aunt and uncle had come for a visit to my in-laws, so Hubby and the A-man went over. (S wasn't feeling well so he stayed home.)
Apparently the Aunt had commented that she didn't find it very different raising a son verses a daughter, however the A-man disagreed.
"With a daughter," he wisely explained, "you have to worry about feelings and the right shoes and things." (He did a sidebar comment to me here that said the shoes comment was for my benefit)
"But a son, a son is much easier to raise; you just have to make sure you leave out a plate of food and crack open the window a bit."
I have to admit, I am quite looking forward to seeing how this wise and well-thought out information actually converts to 'real life' in the years to come.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Home again
S went to his first school dance on Thursday night. I think he had a pretty good time, but he didn't really say too much about it.
I had stayed at Mom and Dad's while S was at the dance, and he knew I was leaving in the morning for another show, so I had asked him to get back from the dance as soon as it was over since I had to make sure I was all packed and ready to go for my normal time in the morning.
About 15 minutes after the dance was over, Mom could tell I was a bit anxious because she suggested we take the dog for a walk. We were about half way between Mom's house and the school when S came walking up the sidewalk with a couple of girls. Apparently the line up at the coat check was really long.
The A-man had opted not to go to the dance. Still not sure why.
Lil A's brother was hit by a car on Tuesday evening. Apparently he was air lifted to the city with a broken tibia on one leg, a broken femur on the other and some broken and cracked ribs. He is very lucky that he was not killed. Apparently he had been riding his skateboard up the wrong side of the road at 10 at night, and was dressed all in black. It was also reported that a police officer was witness to the accident, and from what I have heard there are no charges pending.
S told me that Lil A was at the dance - she had been away Wednesday and Thursday, but still came to the dance on Thursday night. S told me she "didn't want to talk about her brother" so I take this to mean they are an "off again" item. He seems okay with that at this point, but he was very concerned about how she was coping with the injuries her brother had sustained.
I was heading back home this morning when I got a phone call from the school telling me that S had been sick to his stomach. Hubby was able to go to the school to pick him up, and although he hasn't been sick again, he does have a bit of a fever and a nasty cough. Of course with the entire country all up in arms with this H1N1, I am going to be keeping a close eye on him over the next few days. I'm sure it's just a cold, but so many of the symptoms apparently appear to be like a common cold, too.
For the record, our family does not have any plans to have the vaccine. My personal feeling is that the drug was rushed through and I am leary of the lack of testing that has been done on it. I just worry about the long term effects of something that was created so quickly.
So many debates on the subject...
Had a nice nap when I got home this afternoon, and I am really looking forward to having a few days off. Cuz will be coming up for the day on Thursday to store their boat for the winter, so I am glad that I will get to see them - even if it's only for a short period of time.
Will be even better to get to see Hubby a bit this week!
I had stayed at Mom and Dad's while S was at the dance, and he knew I was leaving in the morning for another show, so I had asked him to get back from the dance as soon as it was over since I had to make sure I was all packed and ready to go for my normal time in the morning.
About 15 minutes after the dance was over, Mom could tell I was a bit anxious because she suggested we take the dog for a walk. We were about half way between Mom's house and the school when S came walking up the sidewalk with a couple of girls. Apparently the line up at the coat check was really long.
The A-man had opted not to go to the dance. Still not sure why.
Lil A's brother was hit by a car on Tuesday evening. Apparently he was air lifted to the city with a broken tibia on one leg, a broken femur on the other and some broken and cracked ribs. He is very lucky that he was not killed. Apparently he had been riding his skateboard up the wrong side of the road at 10 at night, and was dressed all in black. It was also reported that a police officer was witness to the accident, and from what I have heard there are no charges pending.
S told me that Lil A was at the dance - she had been away Wednesday and Thursday, but still came to the dance on Thursday night. S told me she "didn't want to talk about her brother" so I take this to mean they are an "off again" item. He seems okay with that at this point, but he was very concerned about how she was coping with the injuries her brother had sustained.
I was heading back home this morning when I got a phone call from the school telling me that S had been sick to his stomach. Hubby was able to go to the school to pick him up, and although he hasn't been sick again, he does have a bit of a fever and a nasty cough. Of course with the entire country all up in arms with this H1N1, I am going to be keeping a close eye on him over the next few days. I'm sure it's just a cold, but so many of the symptoms apparently appear to be like a common cold, too.
For the record, our family does not have any plans to have the vaccine. My personal feeling is that the drug was rushed through and I am leary of the lack of testing that has been done on it. I just worry about the long term effects of something that was created so quickly.
So many debates on the subject...
Had a nice nap when I got home this afternoon, and I am really looking forward to having a few days off. Cuz will be coming up for the day on Thursday to store their boat for the winter, so I am glad that I will get to see them - even if it's only for a short period of time.
Will be even better to get to see Hubby a bit this week!
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