Sunday, January 30, 2011

Why do I only seem to get caught up on Sundays here?

What a day. Bill worked at the Fire Department today. He just got home after running to Walmart. I have cleaned the dining room three times, the kitchen, the inside of the refrigerator, my office and a few other places. I am sitting down, but I am still doing stuff. I promised myself that today I would sit and enjoy my People magazine. I always feel like if I get it all done today, then tomorrow I can relax. It's been how many years I have said that to myself? I still have tons to do the next day. I loved my parents with all my heart, but keeping busy 24/7 has been a curse that they passed on to me. However, I never see it changing!

So this week in review. Monday was a regular school day. Bill got an opportunity to work at the Fire Dept. for the day, so I stayed home with Manny. I didn't get to swim. Not a big deal, but I like to get there daily. It's more important that Bill works though, so truly I did not mind. Bill came home after 6:00 pm, but was actually on call for the rest of the night till 6:00 am. I took Ping to Daisys in the evening. A fairly busy day with the three, but manageable.

On Tuesday, I dropped the girls off at school and took Bill to the hospital to have a colonoscopy. I then left him there and went home for a short time and then back out to get Yamira at school. Then I had to go back to the hospital to get Bill. A lot of running around in a short period of time. I did a quick errand with Bill and the kids staying in the car and then we headed home. Bill went straight to bed as he was tired. I took Yamira and we went to get Ping at school. We then went to skating. I don't think I was ever home more than 15 minutes at a time this day. I hate days like that. I feel like I don't get anything done. I do, but it's all driving around. So that is not really tangible to me.

On Wednesday, I also couldn't go swimming. I could not go yesterday because of Bill's test, so that was day two of not being able to go. I was due to help out in Ping's classroom in the morning, so now we are at day three of no exercise. Not the worst thing, but I really like to be in that routine. I find it helpful. I do enjoy helping out in Ping's class though, so I am happy to go. I love getting to know her friends and classmates. Her teacher is a dear. I left there around 10:30 am and headed home for a few minutes. Then I had to go back to the school to get Yamira at 11:00 am. We then had a fun play date at Ashly's home. Yamira loves seeing her best friends Sophie and Skylar. So we went over there and the girls made pizza. They loved that. Then they played and had some delicious cookies that Bridget made. Ashly is such a relaxed mom. Wish I could be that way. I have tried, but so far it's not working!!!! Before we knew it, the time was late and I had to leave and get Yamira home to change into her leotard for gymnastics. Bill and I literally ripped the clothes off of her and redressed her because Bill had to grab Ping at 3:00 pm and it was 10 minutes till 3:00 pm. So they headed off to get Ping and then went to gymnastics. It was nice to be home for a short time without the girls to get a few things done. Manny was here with me, but he was busy playing for the most part.

I had decided that Thursday was my day to go swimming. Well Mother Nature said no. She clearly wanted me and the kids to stay home because she decided to snow and snow hard! It was an okay day. It's hard being home with the three. They have so much energy. They need to be moving constantly. Ping went out and played in the snow while Daddy used the snow blower. The snow is too high for Manny. He gets frustrated and Yamira wants to go out but she can not handle the cold for more than 5 minutes. I got them both a project and they were pleased as punch! Once Ping came in, she was frozen stiff. Bill went off to the Fire Department for a few hours and so we did some craft projects and they watched some movies. I worked at my desk. Don't ask me what I did. I don't even get where I get all this stuff to do. In the afternoon when Bill came home, we ran to do a few errands. He drove, the kids sat in the back and I did all the running in. He then had to go back to the Fire Department to set up for a wake and funeral. I put the kids to bed and that was that. I passed out in my chair when I finally sat around 10:00 pm or so. I have to say that the day was okay, but my social worker was really rude to me and I find that unacceptable, especially since she accused me of something I had nothing to do with.

On Friday, I took the kids to school and finally got to swimming. It felt good to be there. I then headed to the store to return something and then home to shower. Bill had left at 11:00 am or so because he had to go to the wake for the entire day and evening. Manny and I picked up Yamira from school at 11:00 am and off we went for a therapy appointment for Miss Yamira. Manny played in the waiting room. I tried to read my favorite magazine, but it didn't happen. Shocker. Once home and fed, Manny napped. We had a 4:00 pm appointment with our social worker from DCF which was very frustrating. Needless to say, she wasn't happy about a few things. Crazy stuff for sure. One thing was that she disapproved of us doing an addition before we finalized the adoption. She thought it was too disruptive. Seriously? Like finalizing is going to bring different children? If they were disturbed before, they will be disturbed after. However, it has not been disruptive at all yet. Who does she think she is for telling me when I can do an addition. That is stepping over the line. There was a lot more to this awful meeting, but I don't want to write a novel here!

Once our worker was gone, I put the three kids in the car and headed to the wake. Bill watched the three kids in a private room while I paid my respects. It worked out fine. I brought the kids home, fed them and put them in bed. Bill got home around 9:00 pm or so. I was supposed to go to a book party, but had to cancel due to Bill being gone all day and night.

On Saturday, my neighbor came over to watch the kids so that I could go to the funeral. Bill left at 8:30 am and so I got myself ready, the kids ready with play stuff and got their lunches made. Once my wonderful neighbor showed, I headed out to the funeral. I wasn't able to go to the cemetery because my neighbor had plans and we did as well. The funeral was beautifully done. Once home, I got the kids ready and we headed off to the Dumpling group at WPI. The kids had a great time. I always love going, but it's very, very hard to go with three kids. Ping is older and wants to do the projects. The two younger want to run around like crazy kids. It's hard to manage them all. I did get some help from the older daughters of some dear friends. I was so grateful. I just felt awful as I had to keep yelling at the two youngest ones. I am sure they all thought I was a crazy lady. Hell, they probably thought I was crazy before this. The Chinese students are fabulous and helped out as well. However, even they were getting frustrated with the balloon punching and such. I was grateful for anyone that helped though, truly. I did not want to miss it for Ping's sake and mine. I enjoy being with others who have adopted and I love the students. They are phenomenal. They are so giving of their time. Ping made some Origami cranes and candy boxes. Fun. Then they had two little girls come in and show us their Chinese dancing. Then we did some Chinese New Year signs. At that point though, the little ones were off the walls, so we had to leave.

Once I got home, Bill was there so I told him the kids were all his. I needed a break. So I came in my office and got caught up with some things. Felt good. We got the kids fed and into bed. Before I knew it, the exhaustion I had turned into energy. I was able to sit here for a few hours doing stuff. Where that energy came from is beyond me as I was thoroughly exhausted when I came home from the Dumplings. I even sat at 11:00 pm and watched a movie.

Today Bill took the girls to Sunday School and then headed off to work. He worked at the station today. It's an abnormal week as he does not usually work at the Fire Department. I was home with the kids for the day. I think I mentioned earlier that all I did was organize and clean and clean and organize. The kids played all afternoon and watched a movie with some popcorn late this afternoon. The two youngest went to bed because they were pretty beastly for most of the day. Ping stayed up so she could hang out with Daddy. As for me, I am still at the blessed computer. I have been here catching up and on FB and email. I have gotten a ton done and I am very pleased about that. I am watching a Hallmark movie at 9:00 pm though, so I best post some pictures and get out of here.

Have a wonderful week.

Mama Out!!!!!!!!!

My gorgeous baby!

Gymnastic time.

Snow day.

Manny ready to play with his blocks.

Yamira tracing her doll stuff.

Shoes for sale.

Ping craft. Nice job!

Hubby going off to the wake.

Neesha.

Sophie.

Sasha with Daddy.

Casket on the fire truck.

Bagpipers.

Bill on the right.

Loading the casket.

Ready for the cemetery.

Flag over the cemetery.

Origami.

Yamira with Chao and Simone.

Chinese dancers.

Chinese dancers.

My dancers.

Mom and baby girl.

Daddy and sleeping baby.

Daddy and sleeping baby.

Snow from the front porch.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Skating 1

Skating 2

Skating 9

It's Sunday again!!!!

Another week down. This week was a toughie. We got a ton of snow and the kids didn't have three days of school. Having them around should have been somewhat delightful. NOT!

Monday was Martin Luther King day, so the girls didn't go to school. We stayed home for the day and did some crafts and they watched some movies. Not a very exciting day at all. In the evening, I took Ping to Daisys. She got two new petals that night. So I took a magazine with me and just waited until the ceremony at 6:45 pm. The little ones were in bed. Ping stayed up to finish something she was working on earlier and then she went to bed.

On Tuesday, it snowed like crazy. I think we got about two feet of snow. So everyone was home for the day. All three of the kids did crafts upon crafts upon crafts! The driving looked awful so we didn't venture outside until 3:00 pm. The girls still had their skating lessons. They never get canceled. The parking lot was never cleared, so it was a mess and people kept getting stuck. Ping's teacher wasn't there, so she was put into a class. She loved it none the less. We then did a quick errand at Michaels and came home. The roads were super slippery and I just wanted off. I wanted us all home safely.

On Wednesday, the girls finally went to school. Thank god because they can't handle being home well. I can't handle them being home either! Bill had an opportunity to work at the station from 6:00 am till 9:00 pm that night, so he was gone all day long. So I stayed home with Manny instead of dropping the girls off and then going swimming. I picked up Yamira at 11:10 am and then got Ping at 3:10 pm. We then headed off to gymnastics. Yamira didn't listen at all to her teacher and Manny was off the wall. He wasn't playing nice in the little playroom at the gym. I was really angry by the time I left the gym. We came home and had dinner and then after a little TV, they went to bed. Could not be fast enough for me. Bill finally strolled in around 9:00 pm. He was exhausted to say the least!

On Thursday, I dropped the girls off and headed to swim class. I hadn't been there all week long. I used to go five days a week. It's getting harder and harder to get there for so many reasons. All good ones. I just miss going. After picking up Yamira at school, we headed to the library for a play date with Skyler and Sophie. She had a great time as did I. I love chatting with their mom's! We then came home so Yamira could have a quick lunch and then I took Yamira to therapy. Bill got Ping from school. Once home, I grabbed Ping and us girls jumped back in the car for a dentist appointment. Ping had to have two cavities filled. What a night. Ping was beside herself crying and screaming. I was nearly in tears because my heart hurt for her. She hated the Novocaine. Meanwhile, Yamira gave me so much grief about going out to play in the waiting room, I finally gave it and told her to go. What did she do while I was with Ping? Oh, only throw everything all over the place. I was so angry! I made her pick everything up after she did that. So we were at the dentist a good 30 minutes waiting on her. She knew she wasn't allowed to take out more than one thing at a time because I had been in the waiting room with her before I had to go to Ping. So just because I wasn't there, she decided to make a mess. Just really disappointed in her. Once home, everyone had dinner and went to bed.

On Friday, it was Professional Development day for the teachers, so there was another day off. So the kids were home for the entire day. They wanted to do more crafts, so they did those. Then Ping went off to play at her best friend's house. She had a wonderful time. Bill did a lot of snow blowing because we had another big storm out there. I stayed in and worked at my desk. I literally had a large to do list. I am proud to say that I did 98% of the list! It took me from 10 am to 10 pm to do it, but I did it.

On Saturday, our friend Maura came over for a visit. She has not been to the house in 8 or so years. She was shocked at all the changes. We have built out to the left and now we are to the right. We spent the day trying to catch up, but the three little ones were really not helping. Yamira and Manny were really behaving fairly poorly. I was grateful that we could have some time to chat after the kids went to bed. Maura just moved back from Phoenix and I have missed her company terribly. I am so happy she is back home. At the same time, she really misses Phoenix and that makes me really sad. I want her to be happy. Selfishly, I want her to be happy in Norwood. I am hoping things turn around for her.

Today Bill took the girls to Sunday School and then went to Walpole to help Sarah and Brad get a washer and dryer moved. They got a great deal and needed a helper. So Bill shot down to help out. He was home within a few hours. The kids did some crafts and watched some TV, while I did a few things at the computer. What else is new? I wanted to sit down and read my People magazine, but I never got to it today. Now it's 8:00 pm and I don't think at this point I want to read it. I rather watch a little TV after doing a few more things!

It was a really tough week with the kids home so much. I have no idea, but Yamira and Manny were really rough this week. They were really poorly behaved. Yamira tested me every single day and would not give up. I swear she spent more time in time out than she did with the rest of the family. I think she must be going through one of her streaks. I call them streaks because she goes a few days, a week or a few weeks with this poor behavior and it's so frustrating. I am not sure that anything we are doing is helping, but we will keep doing what we are doing as I feel that it's the best way to work with her. I do love her and her brother dearly, but I don't like it when they are like this day after day. Makes it hard on everyone!

On top of the kids not behaving, I have had some terrible stomach burning. I am sure it will go away, but have had it for three days and it's very uncomfortable!

Well off to do one or two more things. Have a fabulous week!

Mama Out!!!!!!!!

Daisy meeting.

What the petals are for.

Ping.

Ping.

Friendship circle.

New petals.

Bottles of sand.

Ping's crown.

Ping and Yamira's new frames.

Scratch art.

Yamira's new necklace.

Manny at the skating rink.

The three.

Ping skating.

Neesha on her back.

Theresa.

Yamira.

Sophie, Skylar and Yamira.

Silly chicks.

Reading to each other.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

So the Pats are playing. I don't give a fig though!

I am so not a sports fan. Bill is watching the game on the kitchen TV and the kids are watching Lion King in the living room. Of course I have been displaced, but I am very used to that. What better time than now to catch up on my blog? Most people are watching a football game somewhere, but not me. Frankly, I hate all sports. I find the players to be very overpaid. What is spent on them could rescue a third world country for Pete's sake. Anyway, that isn't a popular stance with most, but it is what it is!

So let me see here. What did we do this week?

On Tuesday, I dropped the girls off and went to swim class. Other than that, it was a lot of running around doing errands. After getting Ping from school in the afternoon, we took the girls to their ice skating class. We then took Ping to get a hair cut. She was the only one that needed it. Bill hung out with the other two in the car and I ran Ping in. Came out cute. Then it was home for dinner and a bath.

On Wednesday, we had a huge storm. We got two feet of snow. So school was canceled as was gymnastics. I slept in. That isn't even a fair statement. I slept in like for forever. Bill got up and got the driveway into good shape. He also let the kids play outside while he used the snow blower. I was supposed to help out in Ping's classroom, but I didn't have to due to no school.

On Thursday, I took the girls to school and headed to swim class. I was then going to take Yamira to a play date, but due to having a broken printer, I needed to go to Staples to purchase a new one. That and because we lost Wednesday due to snow, I had more things I had to do. So we didn't do the play date. I was really looking forward to it, but also really needed the printer desperately! After getting a few more errands done, we spent the rest of the day at home!

On Friday, I had a 12:00 pm appointment for a facial, mani and pedi. Bill took Yamira to therapy so I could make my appointment. Back in September or October, I found a coupon that was $100 worth of services for $50. So I thought I would try it. So I spent the day at the salon. The facial was fantastic. The mani and pedi were truly horrible. Worst I have ever had. I hate to say that, but it's the honest truth. I had to soak my feet in a tub! Then she painted my toes by having me put my foot on her leg. She took her time and she was nice enough, but she doesn't enjoy giving mani and pedis and it showed! Well the pampering was nice anyway, so I can't complain. I will go back for a facial only. Before I knew it, late afternoon had come and so we all just stayed in. We had a busy weekend coming up and so I wanted to make sure the kids got into bed at a decent time. I try to really get them to bed on time every single night anyway.

On Saturday, I got up and ran to the post office, the bank and Walmart. When I got home, my great friend Anita was at the house. While she watched the kids for a few minutes, Bill and I dropped his car off at the mechanic. He is having four wheel drive issues. Once back at the ranch, we all jumped into the car and went to Grafton for a sleigh ride. It was cold out! What can I say though? If you want a sleigh ride, you must brave the elements. We had a nice time, but the ride was a little pricey for a short trip around a small field. I was a little disappointed that the ride was so short. However, you never know how something is going to be if you don't try it, right? Once we all had our turn, we headed home. While Bill cooked dinner for all of us, Ayi Anita made a gingerbread house with the kids. She gave it to them as one of her Christmas presents. The stipulation was that she had to make it with the kids. The stipulation was from me. She has never made one before and for those of you that have, you know it can be a difficult process. However, Ayi Anita let them put everything everywhere. Bill and I would have stuck to the instructions and the picture. That makes us the bad guys I suppose. Ayi was so much more relaxed than we have been in the past. No surprise there!

After I cleaned up the mess, we sat down to dinner. We then put the kids to bed and Anita and I watched a movie. Not a good movie either. It was a little confusing to both of us. It was so nice to spend some time with Anita regardless. That is all that counts!

Today we got up early and dropped the kids off at a licensed home daycare, so that Bill and I could go to F1 in Braintree. The car ride was so quiet all the way there. I almost didn't know what to do with myself!!!! We had a great time at F1. We did a go cart race and then we had lunch. I didn't feel like eating, but Bill was happy with his sandwich. We then did another race. Once the race was over, we headed to Mekong supermarket in Worcester to get some things for Ping and then we picked up the kids. They are now watching Lion King while Daddy is cooking. In a few minutes, they will eat and hit the bathtub. They love having a bath.

Tomorrow is Martin Luther King day, so the kids have the day off. We do not have plans as we only have one car at this time. Might not be a bad idea to stay inside and do some things. The kids prefer to be out, but I have plenty of things I can do right here!

Well off to post some pictures. Have a wonderful week.

Mama Out!!!!!!!

Ping at DCU free skate.

Ping at free skate.

My handsome froggy.

My cute Zebra.

My funny monkey.

Me and my bud.

Us on our ride.

Cozy.

Making the house.

Enjoying.

Any color will do.

Sophie.

Ping coming down for water and plopping herself.

Sasha.

Neesha on the black snow pants.

Go carting.

Ready to rumble.

Let's go.

Track.

Track.

Nice cart.

F1 building.