Like I have the time to update?

I am very overwhelmed with the holiday approaching and yet instead of sitting down with my next project like I intended, I have decided to update here. This should probably be the first thing to go. However, I am so far behind and I hate that. Believe it or not, it weighs on me. So maybe I will feel better if I update here? It's worth a try I suppose.

Where did I leave off? Oh god, the 23rd of November? It's December 7th! Oh god, better pull out the calendar so I can remember what I did. Even with my calendar, I really can't remember all of the details. Not that it matters what we do on a daily basis, but I do try desperately to remember so that I can look back at this blog as a record of our lives as a family. Mommy needs a new brain and more memory for Christmas!

November 24th was a Thursday and I can say for certainty what we did. It was Bill's birthday and it was Thanksgiving day. Bill cooked a delicious turkey with all the trimmings. Ayi Meri and Uncle Joe with Lucas and Ryan joined us as did Ayi Sarah and Uncle Brad! It was a great day. It was so nice to spend it with our good friends. I will admit that Bill forgot the stuffing. I will also admit that the day started off roughly. I was annoyed with a video I have been working very hard on. I was showing Sarah, Brad and Meri and Bill wanted me to help heat up the food while he cut the turkey. When I didn't jump up and help, he got a bit perturbed. He doesn't normally get annoyed with me. He had every right as I wasn't helping. However, I really wanted to show the video so that I could get the opinions of my friends. After that incident, the day went quite smooth. Food was delish. We topped off the day with cupcakes for Bill and pie. Once everyone left, I cleaned the house. I love a clean house. Nothing makes me feel better. Well, there are some things, but that is up there at the top of the list.

The next day was Friday. Bill was asked to work. So he worked from 6:00 am - 6:00 pm. I took the kids to a holiday fair in Princeton. We got there for noon. It opened at 1:00 pm. Very disappointed that I didn't look at the hours. That was just stupid of me. Anyway, we hung out in the car and then ventured in. The kids did phenomenal. I was so proud of them. Not only because they waited an hour in the car, but the craft fair was very different than the ones I usually attend. There was a little something at every table, like a gift shop. You pick what you wanted and on the way out you paid. Usually you go to each crafter's table. This wasn't like that at all. Everything was high end and nearly all of it was breakable! We were there for quite some time. After we left, we went home and had lunch and Yamira and Manny had a nap. We spent the rest of the day at home. I did a whole bunch of stuff in the house.

On Saturday, we ran and did errands. I can't remember where we went and what we got, but we had errands. I know because I had to be home for two friends to come over. It was a last minute thing where we were available and they needed the escape! Where did we go during the day though? I know we went out as a family. Darn it all. Hate when I can't remember! Oh well. Oh wait, just asked Bill. We went to Natick to look at furniture. We were there for what seemed like an eternity. We didn't buy anything. Not that we did not want to, but we have to look at a few other places!

On Sunday, Bill worked from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm and then from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm and then from 10:00 pm to 6:00 am. Needless to say, he had a long day. I was going to take the kids to church next door for Sunday School, but we did not get there. Then we were going to go in the afternoon as they were going to be doing some crafts. I thought that would be a blast. However, between being out on Friday and then all day Saturday doing errands and furniture shopping, I just decided it would be better for the kids to spend a quiet day watching TV and playing while I worked at my desk.

Monday was a busy day. I had a post op appointment for my para gland surgery. Bill took the kids to school and then I picked them up, fed them lunch and took them to Mrs. Rebecca's house. Shayla followed later on the bus with Hannah. They had a ball. I ran into Brighams for my appointment and then straight home. I am healing well. In a few weeks my stitches should dissolve and my neck scar will look better. I did get some delicious pot roast soup at Au Bon Pain in the hospital. That was divine. I picked up the kids, brought them home and gave them dinner. I then took Ping to Daisies. Busy day.

On Tuesday, Bill brought the kids to school. I picked up Yamira and Manny at 11:10 am and brought them to the library to play with Miss Ashly and Skyler and Teresa. They had a great time. Then it was home for lunch and nap. Then off to get Ping. I believe we stayed in the house for the rest of the day. I know that with Christmas approaching, I was trying to make a lot of phone calls and place orders online for gifts. Shhh.

Wednesday was a busy day. Bill took the kids to school and then Sasha to an appointment to have some blood drawn. She had to have her white cell count tested. She is fine. Thank god! I had a few appointments in the morning and then I had a 12:30 pm appointment to have some cranial sacral work done. That was a great appointment. Necessary, very necessary. Other than getting Ping from school, we spent the day at home. God knows what I did that day, but I am sure it was spent in my office working on Christmas stuff.

On Thursday Bill took the kids to school. I did a few errands. I met my girlfriend Renee locally for lunch. It's always great to see her. I dashed home so Bill could get to school. At 3:00 pm I picked up Ping and we headed home for her Chinese lesson with Mrs. Ding. She loves to see Mrs. Ding. Ding is a friend of ours. Her son went to school with Yamira. He is in another school right now. However, he will be back at Yamira's school next year. Ding needed a full time school for her little guy as she attends school herself. Ping is learning quite a bit. It's hard as she doesn't speak Mandarin at home because we don't speak it. However, she is learning. She loves Mrs. Ding's iPad more than anything. She would play with that all day if we let her. Ding's one Matthew plays with Manny and Yamira while Ping is learning. It's always nice to see them. Ding is a sweetie. After Ding left, the kids had dinner and hit the sack. I had a lot to do that night as I had a big weekend ahead of me.

I got up at 6:15 am and showered. I then jumped in the car and headed off to Stratford, Connecticut where I met my friend Stefanie at the train station. We boarded the train to New York city. We had a great day. We walked around Times Square, Rockefeller Center and Fifth Avenue. We went into Michael Kors and Coach. We had lunch at a really nice place. Wish I could remember the name of it. I had a cup of soup and an ice tea. We then dashed off to Dylan's Candy Store and then to the train. We had "signal" issues on the way home, so the train was a little late. I then jumped in the car and headed for home as Bill was on call at 10:00 pm that night. I was over an hour late getting home. Thank god there were no calls. No only did we have train issues, but I hit bumper to bumper traffic due to construction. I was in that for longer than I cared to be. However, the rest of the way home was a breeze. So nice to have a great day out with a friend. Unfortunately, I also developed laryngitis. I have been feeling not so hot the last few days with throat and head issues.I finally lost my voice on the train ride home. I still talked all the way back into Connecticut though. Shocking for many I am sure. Once home I actually did a lot of stuff at my desk. I know it was 11:00 pm, but had a few things to get caught up on and felt guilty for being gone all day. When I did finally decide to sit and watch TV, I passed out.

On Saturday I slept in a little. What a mistake. I wanted to bring the kids to the library for 10:30 am to see Santa. Unfortunately, since I wasn't feeling so hot, I really felt like I needed the rest and I had a long day ahead of me. So we didn't go. I felt really guilty. The kids didn't even know about it. So they were not upset. I was just upset with myself. At 11:00 am, Ping was supposed to be at the Heifer Project in Rutland. At 11:00 am, Bill asked me what time he was taking her. Needless to say, that set off a "shit" storm. Not sure what else to call it. I told Ping it was too late to go as Daddy wasn't showered. She cried hysterically, so he showered really quick and dashed off. That left me in the lurch with two kids that had been up but were not changed and a whole lot of stuff to do. I was less than happy. That and Yamira had gone into my office at some point when Bill was not looking and took the wishbone and broke it. Not only was I mad about that, but I was further infuriated because she lied to me three times about breaking it. She did not do it and she kept pretending that I had no idea what I was talking about. Very upsetting. The worst part of the entire thing is that I could not find the broken pieces and I was frightened the cats would find them. Especially the kitten and possibly try to bite the bone and then choke! To say I was livid would be a true understatement. Once Bill was home, we jumped in the car and headed off to Newport for the Polar Express train. I had managed to pack up the kids with no nap and a whole bunch of snacks and a sandwich while Bill was gone. I was furious that the day was going like this as there was no need. I had told Bill over and over and over that Ping needed to be in Rutland for 11:00 am. Anyway, we darted off to Newport. We were there early. I was so pleased. The train was adorable. We had hot chocolate, a chocolate chip cookie and then met Mrs. Clause. The kids had a few Christmas tattoos put on and then we met Santa and they had a picture taken with him. They had a blast. After we left the train, I got angry again as Ping darted off to walk to the car with Daddy. She left my side and nearly got hit by three cars. I lost my temper and yelled in the middle of Newport. Bill then came around the corner to pick us up as we were on the curb. He nearly was killed by a bus who was charging the other way. There was nearly a collision. Instead, the bus driver started screaming at me. Oh joy! We then headed off to Chelo's to have some dinner with our friends. There was a whole group of us that went on the train. I would do it again in a heartbeat. I would start the day off better though. We didn't get home till late. The kids didn't go to bed till after 10:00 pm. Unfortunately, the two little ones do not nap in the car. I have no clue why. Ping does, but they never do. So they were very, very tired. As was I.

The kids got up early and headed off to Sunday School. When they got home, I dressed them up and we headed over to Heberts Candy Mansion for a picture with Santa. Santa was a grump! However, we got a few photos. None of them were great, but at least they got to sit on Santa's lap. They had the night before, but those photos were terrible. After we went to Heberts, we dashed to Elsa's to get me some soup. Never been there before. Not going again. The soup was horrible. Bill got sick from his soup. We then grabbed McDonalds so we could dash home and put Manny and Yamira down for a nap. They got to nap for an hour before we woke them up. We then jumped in the car and headed off to Connecticut. I know, back to Connecticut! We went to the trolley museum. We met Mrs. Rebecca and her son Matthew there. We had a great time. We walked through the trolley museum, sat on Santa's lap, took a trolley ride through the lights and then took another trolley ride called a sleigh and went through the lights as well. That is an open trolley car and it was freezing. Me being Mom of the year forgot the kids hats and mittens. Needless to say, they were freezing. We all were. We had a great time and it was so good to be with our friends. We stopped at Cracker Barrel for soup to go and headed home. The kids didn't get into bed till after 10:00 pm. Again the two younger ones don't nap, so they were exhausted.

On Monday, I volunteered at the kids school from 8:30am - 11:00 am. I man the front desk. I buzz people in and out. Not a tough job. Actually it's good for me to do it because it helps them and it forces me to do absolutely nothing but say hello to people and read a magazine. I had so much to do though at home and after being away for days, I was literally shaking from stress. At 11:00 I left and headed home and headed to the bank with Manny and Yamira. I then came home and fed them and had them nap. They so desperately needed it. They napped for quite some time. Before I knew it, we had to pick up Ping, head home for homework and then get Ping back out to Daisies. I literally dropped Ping off in the parking lot with my friend Renee and dashed home. Bill came home moments later and I dashed back out for my Tastefully Simple party in Boylston. I had a great time with my hostess and her friends and neighbors. I got home at 10:00 pm and proceeded to stay up till 3:00 am. That was just dumb. I got the party orders in, a deposit made and a whole bunch of other things accomplished. Doesn't matter though as I was still behind in everything. Not matter where I borrow the time, there is so much to still be done. So disheartening. I finally headed to bed because I had to be up at 7:00 am.

On Tuesday, I was up at 7:00 am getting ready so that I could volunteer at the desk at school again. I was only there from 9:00 am - 11:00 am. The morning went by fairly quickly. Unfortunately, Yamira had a very tough day with impulse control. When she was supposed to "shake her tail" in the circle, she pulled her pants down! UGH. Her teacher was less than thrilled. What made it worse was that she then proceeded to lie about it. That is very upsetting. Yamira knows better. She does have impulse issues, but this isn't something she normally would do. Needless to say, it wasn't a great morning. However, Yamira was very remorseful that she did this. She was so upset that she disappointed her teachers and me. So she sincerely cried all the way home. That is actually a good thing. It's healthy. It means that she is really starting to care about her behavior and how others feel about her. So even though I wasn't proud of what she did, her response to it was good and appropriate. I did tell her I was disappointed in her, but I didn't really beat her up about it because to be honest, she was beating herself up about it enough. I did not need to add to it. She apologized several times and said she would have an "excellent" day tomorrow. Once home, I gave them lunch and had them nap. Neither napped well and I am not sure why. They were up way too early. I did a few things while they were sleeping, but it's like holding a match to an iceberg. Once they were up it was time to get Ping. We headed home to do homework. Shortly after I gave them dinner and we headed out the door for a church in Worcester. Every year I attend a memorial service for those who have died and used hospice. My mom literally only used hospice for a day. However, I make a donation every year in her name and my father's name. I attend the service every year as a way to honor them. Bill had to go to school, so it was either up to me to find a babysitter or to take the kids with me. So I took them with me. The service was from 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm. When we got there, we sat down and I handed the kids their coloring books and crayons. Within minutes, the fire alarm went off and we had to stand outside in the rain. It was a false alarm. I knew it was. I didn't thing a huge roast was being burned in the back! It was a church. Not that a fire can't happen. We immediately filed back in once the fire alarm was reset. Unfortunately it went off again, but was reset again quickly. I was not going back outside. Well, I would have, but didn't want to. My three were the only children at this event. This event used to be filled to the brim with people. The place is always packed and finding seating is very difficult. Not so this year at all. There have always been children too. There were no children. There were a few kids that looked to be 12 or so, but no young kids. My three did fabulously. I was so unbelievably proud of them. They rocked it. Given the event, the hour of the event and the weekend they had, I was shocked. I was so unbelievably amazed!!!!! After the service, they each had a cookie and we headed home for bed. I did a few things after they went to bed, but I was feeling pretty awful by then. I had a sore throat and was exhausted. Somewhere around 9:00 pm, I decided to heck with it all and sat down. Thought I might catch up on a little TV. That didn't last long. I was asleep in no time. Ended up sleeping on my chair all night which is stupid. To be honest, I didn't really "sleep" at all as I didn't feel well. I just kept waking up. I could hear Bill snoring in our family room. I could hear two TVs going and all the lights were on. Bill finally got up maybe around 6:30 am? Then Ping came down to watch TV.

So now we are at today. It is Wednesday the 7th. When Ping came down, I headed up to shower. Shayla had an 8:30 am eye appointment. Bill took Manny and Yamira to school after I begged him to get up several times. He didn't want to move. Neither did I! However, I had to get Ping to this appointment. So off we went in our own cars. Ping did great. She passed her eye test. Her eyes needed to be dilated. That really upset her. She hates the drops. I know they sting, but really? It's only for one minute. However, because she put up such a hellabalu, we had to sit there for forever waiting for her eyes to dilate!!!!! So frustrating. Once the second exam was over, we dashed quickly to the Solomon Pond Mall, where I had exactly 45 minutes to do a few errands. That was incredibly stressful of course. I would have taken Ping to school right after her appointment, but it was a half day and it was after 10:00 am already. We dashed from Solomon to the school to get Yamira and Manny and then we headed home. I brought the three kids in, but headed right back out as I had lunch plans with two friends I have met through CASA. I have not seen them in years. We had a really fast lunch unfortunately. Susan had to head back to lunch and Jaime had to pick up her sister. It was so good to see them, but lunch was way too fast. I then came home to Ping playing with her best friend Lily. Ping had a play date with Lily here while Yamira and Manny slept. I spent the day on the phone trying to get some stuff that I had ordered fixed. There were a few mistakes with some Christmas orders. I then paid bills. I did some Tastefully Simple stuff too. I can't believe it is 10:45 pm and I have yet to quit. Sure I could, but then things would not get done. I cancelled some things for tomorrow and the next day as I have got to get a few errands done and I have got to get some decorating done here. It's stressing me out to no end. I have a few more presents to order too. Well I need to get some pictures uploaded at this point so I can call an end to this night as far as the computer it concerned. If you would ever like to see more photos, please friend me on Facebook. I would love to sit and watch the news tonight. Someone said snow tomorrow? NO. NO SNOW!

Hoping you are enjoying your holiday season. Can not wait for the new year to usher in. I need to make some important resolutions. I think I need to cut back. That is going to be my first resolution. I think. Maybe. We shall see.


Mama Out!!!!!


Happy Birthday to Bill.

Me and Stephanie.

The tree in Rockefeller Center.

Rockefeller Center.

Dylan's Candy Store.

Polar Express.

Our gorgeous bunch.Polar Express.

Taking our tickets.

Me and my honey.

Me and my honey.

Me and Ayi Meri.

Santa.

Yum.

Yum.

Yum.

Santa at Heberts.

Insisted on picture with the animals.


Trolley fun.

Yamira and Rebecca.

Santa in Connecticut.

The girls.

Me and my guy.

Open air sleigh trolley.

Beauty.

Handsome devil.

Lazy bones.

Memorial service.

Good coloring.

Pretty tree at memorial.

Best buddies.

"LET ME OUT!"

Happy Birthday Sweetie

While you lay on the floor in the other room snoring honey, I figured I would listen to some Christmas music and catch up on my blog. I should go to bed as we are expecting company and I have to do a little big of cleaning around here. However, I was in the mood to stop by here and add an update to it since I have a few moments. The music is relaxing and I can hear the cat's water fountain going. That and your snoring. It's not too loud though. So it's fairly peaceful on the first floor tonight. So let me catch up and I will then wake you so that we can go to sleep.

It's only been a little over a week since my last stop here. So that isn't really as awful as I have been lately. I am no better at remembering what I have done since I was last here though, so does it matter if it's been seven days or fourteen? I don't think so.

If I remember correctly, I was here on the 14th which was a Monday. Last week is a blur to me as always. I just checked where I left off and even though it says Monday, it looks like I wrote out everything up till Thursday. Maybe that is why I felt like it had not been so long since I last checked in. It truly hasn't been that long. So I will start from Friday and go forward from there.

On Friday morning, Bill took the kids to school. When he got home, I was ready to go as we had to drop his car off to have some work done. We have always had an exhaust issue with the Envoy. It's gotten louder and enough is enough. So we dropped it off and told them to fix it. We then headed alone to Worcester to do a few errands. It was nice. We were in the car alone and listening to the music and actually catching up on some things. I couldn't help but take the opportunity to remind Bill that many years ago, I said to him "What if we never have kids?" To that he replied that he thought we might get bored with each other as we have been together for several years. We did laugh at this. It was a meaningful conversation, but it wasn't a heavy one. It wasn't a conversation where he was saying that if we didn't have children, he was going to be downright bored and would have to move on or anything. He meant it, but was also joking when he said we would be bored with each other. So anyway, I took the opportunity to remind him the other day when it was just the two of us not being interrupted and having a conversation that it is his fault that we don't get to enjoy our quiet time more. Of course we had to jointly laugh. We are constantly blaming each other for the changes in our lives. Bill wanted three kids. We adopt three kids. Three kids are a lot of work. I remind him he was the one that wanted three. They he will go down the path of "yes, he wanted three, but he wanted to hand pick them.
" Clearly he would have picked non interrupting, bathroom using and non whining children. Ha. It so doesn't work like that. The point to the story is that we actually had a little alone time in the car and it was nice. Even if we were not talking, we were also not listening to three humming different tunes. That can get to the best of parents on any given day, trust me! We did a few errands and then headed back to get Manny and Yamira. After a 10 minute break at the house for lunch for them, we headed off to Yamira's therapy. Bill and I sat and read while Manny played and Yamira met with her therapist. Once we left there, we headed to the dreaded social security office. I was so grateful we were not going to be there long. The place was not all that crowded. Needless to say, the wait was agonizing because they always have to move me to another line. So frustrating. We left there with no minutes to spare as we had to race home and gather Shayla. After getting Shayla, we did three more errands. One of them was getting the truck that was never fixed because they didn't supposedly have our phone numbers to get permission to fix the truck. To say we were disappointed is a true understatement. We knew what needed to be done. We booked this appointment weeks ago, so we were really shocked to find out that we had to lose the truck on yet another day to get it fixed. I certainly thought they had our cell numbers as well. Needless to say, we grabbed the truck and we all headed home. It had been a very busy day indeed. I had a party that night, but it had been cancelled. Just as well as it was a busy day. However, Bill was on call for the night. It was dinner and bed for the children once we arrived home.

On Saturday, I got up and headed out to do two errands. As I am backing out of the garage I realize that the hair appointment I am heading to in 15 minutes started 10 minutes ago. I messed up on the time. So I made a quick call and put the pedal to the medal to get to the salon. After a quick cut I headed off to get some gas. I could not figure out the pump for all the tea in China. What made it worse was the cold air that was ripping through my body. It was unbearable. I finally figured it out and got my gas and flew on home. After everyone had lunch, the two young ones took a nap and I took Shayla to the Dumplings at WPI for 1:00 pm. She had a wonderful time as always. There was a decent sized crowd on this day. The kids learned a lot about the Chinese festivals and holidays. It was fascinating. We ever got to watch some cool cartoons. It was just as well that the little ones stayed home. They wouldn't have been able to follow as it was in Chinese and we had to read the English captions very, very quickly. It's a hard time because the kids sleep at the time the Dumplings get together. The last few times they have come, they have not been well behaved. I felt really guilty not bringing them, but they were totally fine with it. Bill worked around the house, the kids slept and we hung out at the Dumplings and did a few errands. Before I knew it, I was blowing down the highway as Bill was on call at 6:00 pm and I completely had forgotten about that. It all worked out. I was home before there were any calls. Phew!!!!! Some dinner and bed for the kids and all was good.

On Sunday, I slept in a little while Bill brought the kids to Sunday School. However, I had a 10:00 am appointment with the videographer doing Shayla's video. So I did have to get up and get ready so that I could meet him at his house. What a flipping disaster. I can't say enough how much I regret ever meeting this man. He doesn't have a clue to what he is doing. He quoted me one price and ended up doubling it. He keeps having to make changes and can't remember to save the changes. A month ago, I literally spent 8 hours with him trying to get through some changes. All I should have to do is hand the man pictures and video clips and music and he should be the creative guy behind putting it together. The stuff he has made me do is incredible. I found all of my own songs. I had to watch the video and literally time each song, each segment for photos and each segments for videos and match everything up. This had taken countless hours of my life. He wanted to meet on Sunday to view the final copy now that he has put the music on it. I get there and he still has yet to put the music where it goes. I was livid. I had a Tastefully Simple party to do that day. The last thing I needed was to sit in his office and do his job. He said I didn't have enough songs to get to the end of the video. He should have told me that a long time ago as I would have added more. He wants to know if I want the music to stop or just fade into the background so we could hear the audio. Seriously, this is HIS job. Why am I figuring this all out. We are 10 minutes of music short. I take the time line he has that I prepared and I cut the music from this video and that video and this one and that. So I got the music to fit the entire CD. Why do I have to figure this stuff out. This is his software and his damn job. Finally he told me that I could go as I had a party to do and that he would take care of listening to the video, making sure it was correct and fixed in the places it needed to be fixed and then he would call me. I couldn't wait to escape. I was fuming.

Once I got home, I immediately had to run to the ladies room. For whatever reason, my stomach had started to punish me from the day before. When I went to the videographer's home, my stomach was a mess. I just tried to keep it together. I was happy to be home. Between that and feeling like I was going to throw up all of a sudden, I was nervous as I had a party that day. Sure enough I threw up maybe four times. No clear understanding as to why, but I did and it was less than pleasant.

Somewhere around 2pm, I headed off to the party. This was at a friend's house. I was concerned due to the time it was scheduled. It's very difficult to get people to come in the middle of the afternoon, but my hostesses wanted it at this hour for their own reasons and so I went with it. At this point in time, I have promised myself that if I know the day or time isn't going to work, I am not doing the party. It's not worth the time or the expense to me. Thank god the hostesses were at least friends of mine. So I get to the party and I immediately have to get to work as not everything is prepared yet. Shortly after the guests arrive. All three of them. Well actually there were 3 others, but they are really friends of mine and were there to be supportive for me in addition to attending the party. I have done some wonderful parties in the past, but this didn't go off well. I was rushed as some people had to leave. That is more than fine. Like I said, this was an awful time to get together, so I more than understood. It was a shame as the kit feeds 25 people and there were only 6 or so there? So I gave my presentation and then proceeded to do a little cleaning up. I received three orders, packed up the car and took off for home as I was blocking the hostesses driveway which I clearly wasn't aware of since it is a 2 car wide driveway and thought there was plenty of room to go around me. Mind you I didn't know someone was waiting on me to move! So I felt badly and took off out of there as soon as this was told to me. I headed to the Mill to grab a piece of chicken and headed home. Needless to say, I had my chicken, but my intestinal issues continued for the rest of the night and into the wee hours of the morning and woke me up in the wee hours on the other end of the morning. Far from fun! I tried to watch a little TV Sunday night, but I couldn't sit still for some reason. Needless to say, I finally sat still when I passed out from exhaustion, but then was right back up with stomach issues within hours.

Monday arrived earlier than it was supposed to in my world. Like I said, I woke up early with a terrible stomach rumbling and assorted issues. I went back to bed. Bill took the kids to school. I don't remember when I woke up. I didn't sleep in all day. That would have been nice, but I did not. Actually, Bill left for school at 9:00 am, so I got up and got ready to get the kids at 11:00 am. We then headed to the store for some soup and then home for lunch and a nap. For the kids that is. We spent the rest of the day at home. I got Ping at 3:00 and came back to the house to do some homework and to make some business calls and to do some Christmas research. We left at 5:45 to head to Daisies. Ping had her Investiture this night. So all of us piled into the car and headed to church. I brought Manny and Yamira some stuff to color and their Leap Frog and Etch A Sketch, so they were kept fairly busy and quiet. They spend some quality time loving on Roger, so they were happy campers. Bill joined us right before the ceremony started. It wasn't worth going home for 20 minutes. That is why we just stayed. The ceremony was cute. The girls are fantastic and seem to be very well behaved. They received a few badges and even I got a pin for being the nut mom. Ping even got a badge that says "Nut Mom." Appropriate, no? After the ceremony we had cake and headed home for bedtime. It was late. We put the kids to bed and I settled in at the computer to do a few things and then tried to watch TV. Very jiggy lately, so it's hard for me to just sit and try to watch TV. Finally passed out on the couch at some point.
I did wake up in the middle of the night and crawl upstairs.

On Tuesday, I jumped out of bed as I was manning the front desk at the elementary school for 9:00 am. So I packed up my catalogs and off I went. Sitting there is a joy. I love seeing the kids and I love having the time to just sit and smile and make small talk with the kids and administration. I even get a little catalog peeking in as well. Once 11:00 am rolled around, I collected Manny and Yamira and we headed to the bank and then to the library to play with Ashly's Sky and T and Rebecca's Noah. They had a blast. Before we knew it, we had to leave. Everyone had to get to appointments, lunch or naps. I fed my two and put them in for a nap. Bill took off for school. Before I knew it, I had to get Ping from school. The kids basically played for the afternoon with all of their stuff. I did some Tastefully Simple work at my desk as well as a few other things. Calling in prescriptions, making files and responding to emails. All that jazz. Then in was dinner and bedtime. I continued to work at my desk for a few hours and then sat down and watched "127 hours" which I found quite boring. Wanted to get it sent back to Netflix though, so I was determined to watch it. Interesting, yet boring. I passed out right after and woke up first thing on the chair as Ping was coming down the stairs. So I got the snacks, drinks, coats, tooth brushes ready and their fluoride and vitamins. When Bill came downstairs, they had already eaten and were ready to go. I sat down and decided to have a bowl of cereal. I have never done that. Do not ask me why I thought I could have a bowl of cereal. The first four bites were heaven. The fifth bite was the worst mistake ever. I put the bowl in the kitchen, walked upstairs to my bedroom and crawled in bed to avoid throwing up. I passed out. When I woke up, I was fine. However, I didn't end up feeling all that good for the rest of the day. I was still experiencing stomach issues. This happened last year during the week of Thanksgiving too. What the hell was going on? I do not want to be sick. Here I was thinking I was eating better, but clearly the last few days has me severely doubting that! Anyway, I jumped up and showered. I came downstairs and put together a list of things to do and headed out the door. I had to get cat food and return soup and go to the bank. As I was backing out of the driveway, I see my videographer on my door step. My first instinct was to ignore him, but I was so shocked to see him. He is an odd guy. He is nice and then he isn't nice at all. He is so poor from the way he talks, it amazes me that he has a house. I suspect that he is a heavy drinker. He can never remember what he has said to me. I hired him nearly a year ago to work on Ping's video. I got his name from a friend. I did not do a lot of research as it was just an adoption video for Ping. How hard could this be. Good flipping question. It's been an absolute nightmare. Anyway, he hands me the "final" copy in his opinion and asks me for another $100. I tell him that I can't give him that money at that moment. So he asks for a couple of dollars to get him to the store. WHAT? You are that hard up? He has two jobs. I just don't get it. Hence, I think there is something in the background that I do not know about, but am suspicious about. Anyway, I gave him a check for $50 as he would not take no for an answer. That angered me to no end. I took the video, asked for my original stuff and he didn't have it. That really was upsetting. He has some stuff that we got in China!!!!! I want that stuff back and I want it back now!!!!! He told me to watch the video, that it should be in perfect condition and he will talk to me in a day or two. I couldn't get out of my driveway fast enough. I headed off to do my errands. Later on I came home and got the children and up and into bed. I came downstairs and started to do a little cleaning for our company tomorrow or should I say today since it is 2:00 am. I then sat down to watch the video. I literally sat there crossing my fingers that I would not have to change one thing. I was prepared to accept it the way it was and not be picky. I bit my bottom lip for the first 20 minutes and then just lost it. Who the hell is this guy? He never turns down the music so you can hear the video clip. How many times did I tell him on Sunday that he NEEDED to do this. He also mentioned that he had to "cut" a song in and it sounded smooth. Smooth like a Japanese knife I tell you. What a flipping joke. So I pop out the CD and just shake my head. I need my originals back and I need to find someone to finish this G D project for me as this guy is a complete moron. You know he is a nice guy at times, but again, suspect he has issues. So one time he will be friendly towards me and then he will bully me for money. It's awful. I want to avoid him like the plague. Now I am stuck. I just need my materials and we are going to have to have a serious chat and I so don't want to do that. What other choice do I have here? Really? I handle everything in this house. It falls on my shoulders. UGH. Stay tuned.

After watching that awful DVD that will never be done, I watched two DVR taped shows and then shut the TV off so I could come turn on some Christmas music, check in on FB, my other two forums to see what was going on there, check emails and to catch up here on my blog. Well it's now 2:00 am. If I do not get some rest, I am not going to get up and clean the house well. That isn't cool. So I need to post some photos and get upstairs.

What a crazy couple of days. I can't stand myself. I have been so angry with people. To be honest, it's been well directed and deserved anger. However, I hate feeling this way towards people because it's not in my true nature to feel this sort of anger. Is it because I have been taking a special medication for a few days? Does it have to do with what the medication does to your system? Is it because my belly has been so poorly behaved? Could it be because of some poorly behaved people who should be doing their jobs? Who knows. All I knew is that I hope this anger is replaced by peaceful thoughts again soon as I hate myself several times a day now. Send me some fairy luck dust. Thanks so much!!!!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving my dear friends.

Mama Out!!!!!!!

Dumpling salute?

Dragon drawing.

Loving these trees this year.

Biggie and little.

Jezzy.

Special loving time with Mr. Roger and Phoebe.

Doing the special hand gestures.

The crew.

Sky and Yamira at the library.

Leaving the library.

Time to catch up here

There is plenty to be done around here, but Ping is doing homework in my office and Yamira is playing with her annoyingly loud Leapfrog. Needless to say, I can't think straight. So I figured I would do my best to get caught up here.

As usual, I can't really remember what we have been up to. Mostly because I have had so many issues to contend with for myself lately. Doctors appointments and surgeries and pills, OH MY! When I left off last it was the second of November. Here we are at the 14th already. Where is this month going?

Thursday plans ended up changing. Just as well as there was plenty to do around her. Missed seeing my friend, but we will plan another time to get together. Ping did have tennis that afternoon.

Friday was a busy day. I had a pre-op appointment at Brigham and Women's. Bill was home for the day because he doesn't go to school on Fridays. So he dropped the kids off and picked the two youngest up after their day was over. Then he took the two to Yamira's therapy which she did great at. She has had a couple of good days at school and I have been immensely pleased.

Well after I posted that last paragraph, I was pulled away for a few days, but now I am back and am determined to get this posting done before the end of the day which is midnight, right? I should have a little bit of time. Mind you I need to go get Ping soon. She is at a play date. Okay, where was I?

To finish up Friday, we had a babysitter for Manny and Yamira. My neighbor came over while Bill and I took Ping to the Chinese Acrobatic show at Mechanics Hall in Worcester. It was a great show. I am not a fan of acrobatic shows, but it was really amazing. I felt really bad that the younger ones didn't come, but they never would have made it as the show started at 8:00 pm. As it is, Shayla kept passing out during the second part. We didn't just take Shayla because it had to do with Chinese Acrobats, it really was because she is older and thought she could stay awake. Next year we will take all if we go again.

For some reason today I am very shaky and can not concentrate. It's too bad because the house is quiet. Yamira is watching a movie. Manny is sleeping and Ping is out! Yet I can't seem to streamline anything I am doing. I am getting things done. I had a bunch of ordering to do, but nothing is really working for me today. So frustrating.

So Saturday the 5th was a decent day. I did a few errands by myself in the morning and then I was going to do a Tastefully Simple party that evening, but it was cancelled. So after doing a few errands out I decided to stop at a craft fair. I picked up a couple of really cute things. I then headed home. I was able to score at the very last minute, three tickets to tea with Clara. So I met Kirsten and her beautiful Molly and my girls and they attended tea at the Hanover theatre. They ate a sprinkled cookie, listened to the Nutcracker which Clara read and then colored a Nutcracker cookie and had a picture taken with Clara. It was an hour long. It was so cute and fun. I took Ping two years ago and it was a nice time. I was so glad I was able to get us tickets even though I had only known about it since last night. I made a call and got a call back, so it worked out perfectly. It was a nice time!

On Sunday, we went to Lowell for a photo session with a photographer. Ayi Meri and Uncle Joe gave us a nice gift certificate to a photographer for the adoption of Yamira and Manny. So two or so months ago, I booked this appointment. I shopped for the perfect clothes for this appointment and it was now here. We went to Lowell and spent nearly two hours taking photos at the photographer's loft. It was a difficult day with the three and trying to get it all done, but it's done. Yay. We headed home after the session so we could give the kids dinner and baths before bed.

On Monday, I woke up to discover my left foot wasn't working. It was very, very upsetting. Another health problem. Just what I need. Over the last two weeks or so, I noticed that I was tripping over my right foot. I also noticed my balance was off on my right foot. I thought at first it was my boots as they are fairly new. I am not used to wearing them. So I thought that because I am in sneakers every day, I just need to get used to my boots. So the next few days I wore sneakers. I was still tripping or stumbling. I thought it was maybe because my sneakers are old and stretched out. So for the next few days I wore my newer sneakers. Well at this point I noticed that my right leg was feeling somewhat numb. Very disturbing. It has taken me awhile to figure it out, but on Monday when I woke up, I stuck my feet out and started to point and flex and circle my feet. I could do that on my left, but my right foot was dead. I could point, but I could not flex. So I got up and got ready and called my neurologist somewhat in tears and begged them to fit me in. What a stressful day. My neurologist is going to India for 2 months and so I had to wait to see if they had a cancellation or to see where they could fit me in. That coupled with the possibility of dragging the three kids was overwhelming to me. Needless to say, it was really a tough day. An appointment was finally made for Wednesday. I had done a lot of research and had spoken to others who have had weight loss surgery to see if they were familiar with this. I and others thought this was "Foot Dropsy." After much research, I discovered that crossing my legs for hours upon hours a day is not helpful. So I stopped crossing my legs immediately and started exercising my foot. Another thing I had noticed over the last two weeks, is every time I struck with my right foot while walking, the right struck much harder than the left. I thought I was walking fine and Bill agreed, but also agreed I was very loud with my right foot. He too thought it was the older sneakers! Well as you know now, it wasn't that. By the time Wednesday came around, I was so much better. I will get to that when I get to Wednesday. Let me finish up with Monday first.

I spent most of the day in a tizzy. I was upset and scared. I was going to cancel my dinner that night with a friend, but decided not to do so. I dropped Ping off at Daisies that night and Bill met me there. He grabbed Yamira and Manny and went home. I headed off to O'Connors for dinner with an an old friend by the name of Cheryl. I am so glad I went. I had spent the day running around picking and dropping off kids, running around doing returns and waiting on calls. I thought I would be awful company by the time I got to the restaurant, but I had such a lovely time. I have known Cheryl for years. Our mother's were in each others weddings. They had coffee weekly. We had played together for years. However, like a lot of things, my family moved and we didn't see each other as much. Flash forward to adults and we ran into each other here and there, but never had a large opportunity to chat. So the last time we ran into each other, we said we would do dinner. Took forever to schedule, but we did it. I had a great time. It's amazing because we both look a lot like our mothers and here we are years later getting together like they did. Wish I could tell my mom. She would be thrilled. Cheryl is every lucky as her parents are still with her. Anyway, the night ended well.

The next day I had to go to the kid's school and cover the desk for two hours. That went great. I then brought home Manny and Yamira and we stayed home for the day till it was time to get Ping. I believe the rest of the day was spent doing homework and hanging out at home doing some stuff around here. I was trying to get as much done as possible before my surgery on Friday!

On Wednesday, I took Shayla to her cranial facial clinic appointment at 8:45 am. Twice a year she gets to attend these appointments where she meets with two doctors and a speech person. The appointments are often long and this was no different. Ping was really upset when I told her she wasn't going to school for the rest of the day. She wasn't going to get credit for it and while that isn't that big a deal, I didn't want to have to go back and get her at the end of the day. I took her and the other two at 4:30 pm over to Rebecca Christoforo's house. She is my savior lately and I am so very grateful to her. She watched the three and gave them dinner while I went to see my neurologist. My appointment went well. He felt the same way as I did. It was due to not having enough meat on my bones! So I can't cross my legs anymore. I had improved about 75% before I saw him. I still had a way to go, but I was doing very well and had more sensation. There is something called "Slimming Poroneal Syndrome" or something like that. It's when you have lost a lot of weight and you start crossing your legs and you can't because you end up damaging your poroneal nerve. There is a lot more to it than that, but I won't bore you with all the details. The doctor said he was going to have me go in for a nerve and muscle test over the weekend. I was so pleased he was willing to fit me in for this test before leaving for his trip. In fact, now that I think about it, he left yesterday. He is a great man! So I left the appointment, picked up the kids and headed home. All I had to do was put them in bed because they had had dinner. Go Rebecca.

On Thursday, Bill had to leave early for school to meet with his adviser. I stayed home to do a few things and then got Ping after tennis on Thursday. That was her last tennis lesson. We came home and after a little playing, had some dinner and went to bed. I wanted them in bed as soon as possible as I had a ton of things to do before the next day because I had surgery. I swore I was going to go to bed early! Of course I didn't. It never fails, I never get to bed on time!

I was lucky that I was able to switch my surgery time because originally they wanted me there for 6:00 am. That was too early for anyone to watch the children. Rebecca was willing to drive me in. Ashly was willing to drive me in. They were willing to do whatever they needed to do to help me. If they took me, Bill could stay home with the kids. I know this may not seem like a huge deal, but it completely immobilized me for days. Who was going to take me? Who was going to watch my kids. I am so incredibly blessed to have a few friends who were more than willing to help. I have other friends that would have helped and tried to help, but they couldn't due to having other things going on. So again, I was so very lucky that I was able to get to the hospital later than originally planned. We got up at 6:00 am and got ready. We then got the kids ready and dropped them off to Rebecca at 7:20 am. We then headed off to Brigham and Women's. We were a little late, but not bad. Once there, they sort of whisked me through all the channels and before I knew it, my surgery was over. I was okay. In a little bit of pain, but not bad. They took out one of my para glands. They asked what kind of pain meds I wanted. I didn't want any really, but decided to take Tylenol 3 with Codeine. I thought that would be perfect because at least it wouldn't make me feel like I was out of it. Needless to say, I ended up not being a fan!!!!

They checked my vitals and told me I could leave. I felt a little off, but was okay. We headed straight to Rebecca's to get the kids. They had a wonderful time at Rebecca's house. They always do. They would have been happy to have me leave them there! Anyway, we piled them in the car and headed home.

Once home I figured I would lay down. No such thing. Not only was I up and moving around, I was up till 3:00 am moving around. Not sure why. I thought I would be asleep for the rest of the day, but nope. So odd. All in all, I felt decently.

The next day was Saturday and there were no plans to be had. I purposely didn't book anything because I wasn't sure I would be up to doing anything at all. Needless to say, I felt worse than the day before. Not sure why. I guess everything was settling? I had the worst headache. I didn't expect to have such an awful headache. I figured it was from the anesthesia. I wasn't sure. Who is really to ever know. I kept taking my pills, but never felt really a lot better. It took me till Saturday night to discover that the Tylenol 3 with Codeine had some serious side effects like nausea. I kept trying to eat, but I couldn't. So as much as I felt like I needed them, I stopped taking them so I could try to eat a little. Talk about a bad cycle. I feel awful, I take a pill to try to dull the pain and the pill makes me feel worse. Needless to say, I spent the day at home just drifting from room to room to pick up a little here and there. I didn't want to do nothing at all and yet at the same time, I couldn't do very much either. What a waste of a day!

I woke up on Sunday expecting to feel wonderful. Nope. I don't get why two days later I am not feeling grand yet. A bit unrealistic I suppose. I really did hope for the best. Figured if I exercised my neck like I was supposed to, took regular Tylenol and kept focused, I would be feeling grand by now. Well the Tylenol 3 seemed to still be plaguing me and the headache was worse. However, I was powerless to do anything. Who would I call? I had booked Bill to work at the station from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm and then home from 6:00 pm-10:00 pm coverage for the station. I know I shouldn't have booked him as I was supposed to be recovering, but we really could use the money and Bill loves covering shifts. Unfortunately, to make matters worse, my awesome neurologist who wanted me to come in for a test over the weekend had called the other night and he wanted me to come in today at 1:00 pm. So there I was feeling awful and having to scramble to find a babysitter because I had booked Bill to work. Why do I do these things to myself? So I asked Ayi Kirsten and Uncle Roger to watch the kids for me at their house while I ran to have a muscle/nerve test done at St. Vincent's hospital. So I dropped the kids off at 12:30 and made my way to St. Vincent's. The test was fairly easy, but it wasn't without pain. It wasn't horrible. There were electrodes that made my feet react. I could deal with that. The harder thing to deal with was the needle the doctor inserted in 5 places to test my muscles. That was pretty bad. However, you have to do what you have to do. He did say that I clearly did have some neuropathy palsy or something like that. Basically my nerves and muscles are not responding as well as they should due to malnutrition. We agreed that my right foot has improved even further. So at this time, we are not going to do anything. I need to not cross my legs at all though anymore. So after 20 years of not being able too as I was too heavy, now I am too thin to do so. The irony!

So I headed back to Ayi Kirsten's house to gather the children who were not fabulously behaved and headed off to Burlington Coat Factory to do a return. The last thing I wanted to do, but it needed to be done. Yamira and Manny had not had a nap, so unfortunately, their behavior was less than stellar earlier for our friends and then for me. Made for a difficult afternoon. Was grateful to get home for the day.

On Monday, I stayed home. The kids went to school and Bill went to school as well. I was lucky as his first class was cancelled, so he was able to get the kids to school and pick the youngest two up at 11:10 am. I actually got up really early as I wanted to call the surgery center to see why I felt so awful. However, I at that point knew I had a sinus infection. After talking with the nurse, she said to call my ENT person or general doctor. I called my ENT and they got me in to see a doctor I had not seen before. Regardless, he gave me a script for an antibiotic. I was grateful. I then headed off for CVS. The day was pretty miserable as I just felt horrible. I had to get to Daisies early as the fall product was in and I had to double check everyone's order, but I was truly lucky to have some great people help. Mrs. Dorman had her son split up all the orders. Renee's son Andrew was a gigantic help as I sat on the floor and read out the orders as he double checked everything. Manny and Yamira played nicely while Ping was doing her Daisy thing. Then Daddy came and we all went home. Daddy went back to get Ping at 7:00 pm and then he went to his Mason's meeting. I was glad to have the day over. I am so grateful for the help at Daisies as that was a huge blessing. We have an awesome Daisy troop!

Tuesday I still felt pretty awful. I had to run to St. Vincents for a blood test. Needed to have my calcium drawn. Every day it is something new with the medical community and me. Sick of it to say the least!!!! After I picked up Yamira and Manny, we went to the library and played with Noah, Skyler and Teresa. It was nice to chat with Ashly and Rebecca. The rest of the day went fairly well. At 4:00 pm, my friend Ding came over with her son Matthew. While Matthew, Manny and Yamira played, Ping and Ding worked on Ping's Chinese. I am so grateful to Ding for spending time with Shayla. Ping loves Ding too. So she really looks forward to her visits with her. They work on writing and talking and stories. Mrs. Ding big popular draw is the iPad that Ping has got to get her hands on each week! She loves it. Sorry Ping, not in our budget for now. After her lesson, it was dinner and bed.

Wednesday was a crazy busy day. There are two half days this week due to school conferences. So Bill dropped the three off at school at 8:15 am. I picked them up at 11:15 am. I get them all released together. Ping would rather stay the extra 20 or so minutes, but it is not worth if for me because I have to literally sit around for another 45 minutes waiting on her just to be dismissed. I hate her missing the time on her card, but it's just not worth it. Anyway, we rushed home and I fed them lunch. We all jumped back into the car and headed back to school. Bill had a doctors appointment, so I had to take all three to Yamira's conference and Manny's. When we pulled in, we saw Miss Ash who was there early, so she was sweet enough to sit with Ping, Manny and Yanira at a table while I talked to Yamira's teacher. Yay Ashly. Yamira is doing quite well at school both academically and behaviorally. I am more than pleased. Then we went to see Manny's teacher. Manny is young, but is doing very well. He is a ball of energy. Hoping he really grows by May. Then we rushed home and met Bill. Manny and Yamira took a nap while Ping and Daddy delivered the fall product to the neighbors. I ran back to the school and met with Ping's teacher. Ping is doing excellent on all fronts. She is getting speech and we feel like it's really helping. So three great reports. I was thrilled. I then headed home and Daddy headed off to school. When I got home, I called the pediatrician's office. Manny has been claiming his arm hurts him. He seems to be complaining less and less, but he is still favoring it a bit. They asked me to bring him right in. So there we are in the pouring rain, pouring back into the car to head into Worcester. The doctor that saw him is someone I don't know, but she was nice. She thought he may have popped out his shoulder by accident and it may have just popped back in. She said to keep an eye on it. Not much else can be done. Even if an x-ray confirmed, there isn't much you can do. Not like he would wear a sling at the fine age of three. So we left the office and I made two stops for my Tastefully Simple business and then we headed home for dinner and bed. What a long day.

Today has been a long day as well. I was really looking forward to today because I didn't have a ton of things to do outside the house. I was excited to be in the house doing stuff all day long. Unfortunately, I am not sure what happened, but I didn't get nearly the stuff done that I planned on getting done. I got some stuff done and I am plugging away now. I am a little disappointed more isn't done, but what can I do. I am getting caught up here and that was important to me. I have some pictures to upload. I need to go through and match up some receipts to a bill and a host of other things. I have tomorrow to do it too and Saturday I supposed. Just wanted to get ahead of the game today. Some days just can't be explained I suppose. I did stay in bed today because I knew I wanted to work late at my desk tonight. I can't believe how late it is already. Bill did most of the running around. I did go out around 4:00 pm to pick up Ping. Yamira had a play date today with her friend Chelsea and Ping had a play date with her friend Peyton. Bill picked up Yamira. I picked up Ping and then we went to Walmart. We were literally out of Pull Ups. That is not good at all. After a quick and wet trip to Walmart, it was home and dinner here. I just put them in bed and now I am going to try and finish up a few other things I need to absolutely get done.

I know this was not the most well written posting. A lot of them are like that. There is just too much content and my brain is all over the place. However, this time around, I had so many interruptions, I am not sure it even makes sense. I hope so.

Mama Out!!!!!!

The acrobat show.

Amazing.

Amazing.

Very cool.

Tea with Clara.

Tea with Clara.

Tea with Clara.

Tea with Clara.

My chicken.

Piggy.

Library fun.