Thursday, September 29, 2011

Here we are at two weeks gone again!

I guess I think I am going to improve on updating this. However, I am not improving at all, am I? So here I am, hooked up to Spotify and blaring music that I love. I find music to be a huge motivator for me. I am a huge lovey dovey sappy music lover. So it doesn't have to be something peppy to get me going at all.

This is a beautiful time in my household. It's 10:00 pm at night. My kids are sleeping so soundly and Bill is in the other room watching TV. So I can just sit in my office and do what I want. Love it. I love my kids. I love when they are awake, but I have things to do too. So this is a beautiful time of the day for me.

So in review, this is how the last two weeks have gone.

Sunday the 18th was a tough day. The kids started Sunday School, so Daddy took them to church for an hour. When they got home, Yamira acted up so badly, that I had a terrible argument with her. She did something she knows she shouldn't do and I was really angry and hurt she would do that. Bill and I don't usually argue at all about the kids. We do really well on providing a united front almost every single time. However, he was upset that I was so angry at Yamira, so we had words. That is pretty rare. Shortly after, Bill left to get Uncle Joe for a beer brewery tour and I headed out with Ayi Meri to Start on the Street. We had a great time. I ended up getting a few things. It was nice out and so it was nice to walk around and look at what the vendors had to offer. Once the fair closed, we headed home for dinner. Bill was on call that evening. The day was saved by getting out for a few hours, that is for sure.

Monday brought a busy day. My friend Maura's birthday was this day, but I wasn't able to see her as she was working. I was supposed to see her Saturday, but I was too sick to go. Anyway, Bill took the kids to school and I headed off to physical therapy for my neck. I find that therapy seems to be helping. It's only 30 minutes, but it's worth it. At 9:30 am, I had an appointment in Shrewsbury, so after a quick errand to grab a paint sample, I headed to my appointment. I then rushed to get the kids as Bill leaves for school earlier on Mondays than on other days. I fed the little ones and gave them a nap and then we headed off to school to pick up Ping and to head to skating lessons for her. After a cold hour at the rink it was home and dinner for everyone. I then had to put the three in the car again and dash off to Daisies for Ping. Her first Daisy meeting for the school year was at 6:00 pm, so all parents were asked to stay. Bill came in around 6:30 pm and picked up the little two. They were in bed by the time Ping and I got home. A little bit of homework for Ping and off to bed she went.

On Tuesday, I was supposed to walk with a friend, but it was raining. Needless to say we didn't walk. It was just as well. I had plenty to do here. I made a few business calls and then headed out to do a few errands and have some blood work done. I then rushed home to pick up Yamira as she had a occupational therapy appointment in the afternoon. Unfortunately, she didn't get a nap in and she is a kid that really needs a nap. The rest of the day with the exception of picking up Ping was spent at home. I had a ton of phone calls to make here. I do not get why I have so many phone calls all the time, but I seriously do. That and I wanted to work on my "to do" list. That night though, I took the three to Bill's class for pediatric assessments. That was a disaster as they were so tired and not at all listening. However, we did it for the sake of the class needing children.

Wednesday brought another appointment. I went to see the nurse practitioner at my ob/gyn office. I had never met the NP before, but she was a sweetheart. She suggested that I have a test to see what was going on with me. So I set that up and headed off to my physical therapy appointment. I was going to go on Thursday, but cleared my schedule to attend a field trip with Ping. After pt I did a few errands and headed home. I spent the rest of the day at home with the exception of getting Ping at school. Just as well as I was out all morning long.

Thursday brought rain and with that the cancellation of Ping's field trip. We were both so disappointed. No fun trekking in the muddy fields though. At least not for me! So after getting the cancellation, I went back to bed. Bill took the kids to school and picked them up at 11:00 am. I needed the rest. I can sleep in sometimes, but I also make up for it on the other end of the day! I can't really remember what else I did that day. I want to say that I ran out to do some errands for Yamira's party before Bill went to school, but I seriously can't remember. Getting old here!

Friday was a crazy day. I got up first thing and headed out to pick up a million things for Yamira's party which was the next day. I was all over Worcester. I feel like a cab some days. Errands without the kids is so easy though, so I really can't complain. However, juggling the three kids schedule, mine and Bill's is no picnic. I was supposed to have someone come at noon to clean the furniture, but they had to cancel. Just as well, I wanted to get the entire house set up for the party and didn't need to have to worry about wet cushions. Bill took Yamira to therapy and sat with Manny while she was talking with her therapist and I had an ultrasound test. I then did a few other errands and then I picked up the special jumbo cupcakes and also got some really cute and special cupcake chocolate lollipops for each kid to take home after the party. They had a really cute label on them that said "Thanks for coming to my party, love Yamira." The party was cupcake themed, so I thought the pops were adorable!!! I then rushed home in the pouring rain, so Bill could go out. He had something to do. Can't remember what it was though. I started the intense cleaning that needed to be done and I got everything set up. Bill helped me finish up everything and then I sat down to relax for the rest of the night. Nearly everything was done for the party.

Saturday came and I actually slept in a little. Once up though, I sprung into action. I did a lot more cleaning and organizing and hiding of stuff. Can't have all this miscellaneous stuff hanging around like back packs, right? I got out all of the containers to put the snacks in. I decided to not have pizza as every single party has pizza. No offense. I have had it too, but I am done with it. So I did some chips and dips and crackers and cheese spreads. Also had stuff for the kids. Popcorn and Chex Mix and cookies. Nothing orange though. Go ahead and laugh. I love a good Dorito, but I do not appreciate orange fingers in my house. The party started at 2:00 and everyone pretty much came right at that time or shortly after. The kids played in the playroom. We then decorated cupcakes and opened gifts. I felt sick all day long. No clue why. I had 2 crackers and felt sick from then on. It was awful as I haven't been that sick in some time. I felt like I had to throw up. However, I couldn't no matter how hard I tried. To be honest, I was really disappointed with the party. Yamira had a lovely time and got some adorable gifts. However, I am not hosting another party at my home. I refuse. The cupcakes were great. The kids seemed to enjoy making them and eating them. The adults seemed to have fun. It was pure chaos. I love my friend and their children. However, maybe due to the weather being rainy, a lot of the kids were screaming, running, twirling and more. I don't even want to go into it. Mind you, my kids were not sitting with their hands in their laps. I am not saying my kids were not some of the ones driving me crazy. They so were. However, it was really hard to watch all of the kids and every time I turned around there was something else. All I can say at this point is I am done. I am done due to the expense. Maybe I will host something small elsewhere. I have hosted big, but it's time to really cut down. I love a good party. I love putting all party stuff together. I love a theme. I love the fun. I am just done for right now. The play room is for having fun, but there was food brought in there. I never allow food outside of the kitchen/dining area. The toys were thrown everywhere and the crayons were thrown everywhere. Food and drink was being wasted like crazy. I am not pointing at anyone. Like I said, my kids were there too. I just can't do it anymore. Maybe a friend or two out for lunch is the way to go? I will say that I loved having 90% of my closest friends there. That was awesome. I love a good GNI, so the women are always welcome. Just not 20 kids at one time. Before everyone left I started cleaning as we had plans that night. I cleaned for two hours after as well. I picked up and organized the play room and cleaned all the other rooms as well. My sweet buddy Anita and I then hit the store for a new jacket for me. I can't wait to wear it. While I was out at the store, Bill was at a Girl Scout sing along with the three kids. He said it was nice, but the two younger kids were disasters. Of course they were. They were exhausted and it had been a long day. Needless to say, everyone went straight to bed once they were home. Anita, Bill and I sat around and chatted. I love my Anita. So glad to spend some time with her.

I got up Sunday and was really gung ho about taking the kids to Kids Fest. However, they were not well behaved. Bill took them to Sunday School. They came back and just wouldn't listen. So as much as it hurt me because I wanted to go, I decided I was not going to waste the money or my time with going. So I went to my friend Ashly's house for a 31 party. It was nice to be out for a few hours without the three kids. Especially since the day before was a killer. I stayed a few hours and then headed home so Bill could head out to grocery shop. He left late and Ping insisted on going, so she went to bed way too late for my liking!

On Monday, I headed to pt while Bill dropped the cherubs off at school. I ran around and did a bunch of errands all over the place before heading home. I picked up Manny and Yamira and we headed off to get Ping. I had a 3:30 pm appointment, so I rushed over to Ayi Meri's house to drop the three off and then sped off down the highway for my appointment. I was meeting with the NP from the ob/gyn to go over my test results from my ultrasound on Friday. The ultrasound showed nothing, so she had me head down to the lab for some blood work. Once I got out of there, I rushed to Ayi Meri's to pick up the three and then headed home to feed them so that I could get Ping to Daisies on time. I am also the Fall Product Manager, so I wanted to be there early to catch a few parents. The little ones played, while I caught some people for signatures and then Bill walked in. I was going to give him the kids, but he was on call. So I left with the kids and after an errand, Bill went back to get the paperwork I left behind and to pick up Miss Shayla. I had already gotten the little ones into bed, so we got Ping upstairs as soon as we could and then sat and watched a little TV after checking emails and such.

Tuesday was a wacky day. The kids had a visit with their biological Dad at noon. I wasn't home in time to take them as I got stuck on an errand. So Bill took them over to visit. Originally I was going to take them and we were going to do some school clothes shopping. However, their Dad already bought them clothes, so I thought they were just going to go to the park and have lunch. So I told Bill to just sit and study in the car while they did their thing or sit in the house if they were there. It didn't work out like that. Their Dad wanted to drag them all over to have them see his sister and sister and law and so on and so forth.To say that Bill was unhappy was an understatement. It was just poor communication all around. I know their Dad wants to share them with everyone, but it wasn't what we had intended. So there is Bill driving all over two towns and he really needs to be studying. Well we will get that better hammered out for next time. Little Manny got a truck and a train set plus some clothes that were way too big and not something I would normally put him in. However, it was so sweet of their Dad to get them something. Yamira got some ponies and some clothes. Some she won't be able to wear as they were way too old for her. I have a feeling the clothes came from an ethnic section in town and that is fine with me. However, I can't have Yamira wearing some of the stuff she came home with as it's not age appropriate. Again, sweet that she got some stuff from her biological Dad. I appreciate all of his efforts. Bill rushed home and gave me the two because he had to take off for school. We had to walk out minutes later because I had to get Ping at school. We spent the rest of the night doing home work, having dinner and baths and getting to bed at a reasonable hour. Nights are really hard around here without a second set of hands and Ping sure misses not seeing Daddy all day long. It's been so hard on her. After she went to bed, I signed up as a Tastefully Simple Consultant again. Shoot me. When am I going to find time to do this? Ah, it will be fun, right? Looking forward to it.

On Wednesday, I left the house early. I had a bunch of errands to run. I went to Shrewsbury and had to be in four different places in Worcester during the day. I met my sweet friend Marghrit for lunch. We were there less than an hour because she had to grab her girls from school and I had to grab my Ping from school as well. So I ran home, grabbed the little ones, went to school and picked up Ping and then we headed to ice skating for Ping. We then headed home and had dinner, read a story and hit the pillow.

Today was yet another day like all the others. Some days just don't seem to end. Case in point, it's after midnight and I have been sitting here for hours catching up here and answering emails and doing some other things. I had a 9:30 am appointment here for the couches to be steam cleaned. They are still drying! Dying to see how they come out. After the gentleman left, I fed the kids lunch and put them in the car for two appointments. I had to drag poor Manny because Daddy had school. So off to occupational therapy we went. Yamira didn't have a good session. She was being silly and not paying attention. I on the other hand had to walk out of the main office and then I went back in and found a quiet room to hide in. There was a mother there who was waiting for her son who was in therapy and her other son would not stop crying and screaming. It was unbearable. She would say "Shhh, calm down." I was livid. It was very rude and disturbing to watch her sit there with no sense of responsibility to anyone else nearby. So I got up and told Manny we were finding somewhere else to sit. It was either do that or give her a piece of my mind. Take your kid out of the damn office. He is disruptive. So rude. This carried on for a full hour with not one break. I could not believe it!!!! I could not wait to get out of there, that is for sure. We then raced across town to Yamira's therapist's office. She had a good session there. Not sure how, but I don't think Yamira pulls any punches with her therapist who is very nice and helpful. Manny was a mess at this point. No nap and he was talking so loud, the people in Indonesia started complaining!!!!! I was spent between the two. Once we left there, we had to race to my friend Renee's house because she was sweet enough to pick up Ping from school since I was going to be a little late. I ended up being later than I though. The therapist is never late. This was the first time ever. Figures. We grabbed Shayla, ran to the bank and then home for Shayla to sit with Miss Ding to learn some Chinese. That went well, but Manny and Yamira were really, really miserable and would not leave them alone so that they could concentrate. Upsetting for sure. Her son Matthew came over as well and the three of them played, but Yamira could not stop harping on this and complaining about that. I had put her in time out a few times. It was just a really miserable afternoon. While Ding was here, I did a few things and tried to keep everyone calm. I failed at it, but I did try!!!! After Ding left, I made the kids dinner, gave them baths, cut their nails, read them a story and plopped them in their beds. I can only hope tomorrow is a better day. I need to get myself to bed. I have been staring at this computer for far too long. Now I have a few pictures to upload before I call it a night.

I hope your September has gone well and that you can ring n a new month with less things to do and more time to relax.

Mama Out!!!!!!!

New clothes.

Daddy and Ping dancing.

Daddy ready to give plaque to Mr. Donahue.


The Donahues.

Silly Mommy.Silly Ping.

Art in the Park.

Sweetest of friends.

Having fun.

Pediatric assessment.

Happy Birthday Yamira.

Beautiful Skyler.

Ashly and Rebecca.

Anita and Kirsten.

Marghrit and Ding.

Armig and Noushig.

Presents.

So sweet!!!

Happy Anniversary to the Stands.

Me and Bobby-Jo.


The kids.
Our friends.
The pops.


Sing along at Girl Scouts.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Another two weeks gone in a flash

I have had many things on my to do list lately. I seem to knock one off and add three more. I am finding that a lot of people in my life right now are having the same issues. Welcome Fall? I would rather be a Fall Festivals than staying around the house working on the endless list. I would rather be apple picking somewhere new with the family instead of running errands. They are such a necessary evil though, are they not? I would rather burn all the paperwork in the backyard than fill it out, but that isn't very adult of me now is it?

I truly didn't want the kids going back to school. The only thing that I thought to myself would be that I would have more time to get some things accomplished, especially in the morning while they are at school. Now the first two weeks of school hasn't been that bad. I have met up with one good friend for a good chat in the am that lasted till the afternoon. Hey, we had a lot to catch up on. I also had a great lunch with a friend in the same week. This past week I did some errands with yet another good friend and we had lunch. So it has not all been work. However, just because I am out and about doesn't mean that my responsibilities at home disappear. Quite the opposite. I often have to work even harder and later just to get everything accomplished that I didn't do while I was out catching up with a friend.

The kids are loving school and Bill is adjusting to being a student. Unfortunately, nights around here are hard. Between going through the endless paperwork some of them come home with from day to day, the homework, the repacking of snacks and lunch, the dinner that I have to throw on the table which is very disappointing to me as I don't cook, plus the bedtime routine of bath, reading books, fluffing up pillows and securing stuffed animals, it makes for a very long day. Mind you, I don't regret it. I don't begrudge it. It's just very time consuming. That stuff isn't really hard. It's the endless interruptions that come with doing that stuff and the other things that have to be accomplished. Like cleaning. I have to clean the kitchen, bathroom and dining room daily as those are the most used rooms. If the house isn't tidy, my brain isn't tidy. Some people will get that and others won't. That is okay. If you get it, you can empathize with me. Then there is the paperwork that has to be done around here whether it is car stuff which we have had a lot lately or for insurance stuff. Right now I am currently working on getting things ready for Yamira's birthday party. On top of that I am chasing down an almost fixed pressure washer that we desperately need. I want to order all the photos I haven't ordered over the last few months. I want to get some stuff put away in the kids rooms and I want to order some event tickets. Nothing special in general, but all stuff that takes time and there is only one person in this house that does it. That is me. It's okay, I am a control freak and I am organized. I just wish there wasn't so much all the time and I didn't have to wrestle with myself as to taking a Sunday off to do stuff or go out and play with the family. Just feeling a tad overwhelmed lately I suppose. Anyway, I need to get to updating this blog as it's been heavily wearing on me. It's nearly been two weeks since I have last check in.

I left off on Labor Day Monday. Now what did we do after that? Hmm, help me out someone! Okay I can now remember. It was Bill's first day of school. Bill dropped off the kids in the morning at school and then we headed off to my favorite auto body place to leave my truck there for some cosmetic work. We picked up the rental which we fondly called "POS" and headed off to find an address to get a cat carrier off of Freecycle. All Bill and I could do was laugh. The car was a true "piece of shit." Here we are in Worcester, using the gps on our phones to find out where we need to be and we are running around in circles. We finally find where we need to be and approach this horrible rocky road. Bill got out and looked at the steps of three people's homes before we found the right one. We found the cat carrier and laughed all the way down the street as we jostled from side to side. I said to Bill, it's like we are just starting out in life again. The Taurus we are driving has a brake light that doesn't shut off. You have to shut the door by sticking your hand outside the car and using the outside handle and it has a bucket of rust. That and the car carrier that we drove all over for was about as pretty as the car! Oh well. I can wash it and remove all the "live animal" stickers, right? I wanted another one as we have four cats and while we don't need four carriers, given the recent hurricanes and tornadoes we have had here in MA, I wanted to try to get four in the event of a terrible emergency! We then went to do a few more errands and Bill dropped me off at Walmart while he went to get his truck at home to pick up the two little ones at school. He then came to get me at Walmart. After a quick stop at home, we headed to their biological dad's home for a short visit. He is a very nice man. He tries really hard and that makes me so very happy. We get along well with him and his wife. He has a bigger TV than us and the Wii. Bill played on the Wii, I sat on the couch vegging and the kids played with their Dad. We didn't stay long as Bill had to be to school and I had to pick up Ping from school. It was a great day overall with many laughs. Bill took the POS to school and left me with the truck. The POS doesn't have three car seats in it.

Wednesday was a great day. I met my sweet girlfriend Kirsten at the Northworks in Worcester for lunch. We sat and chatted for a few hours. I then headed home with the POS and grabbed the truck. Bill headed off to school and I headed off to get Ping at school. We then went home and the kids watched a movie while I cleaned out the backpacks and got stuff ready for the next day. Yamira and Manny were in a mood this afternoon. Not sure why, but it was not remotely enjoyable. At 5:00 pm, we piled into the truck and I took Ping to a birthday party for twin friends of hers. I was going to drop her off as I was told I could do so and then take Manny and Yamira for dinner somewhere. I didn't feel so hot, it was pouring and their behavior was awful, so I wasn't really in the mood to do that. I got up the courage to ask another woman I know to bring Ping home. I hate, hate, hate asking people to do me a favor. I hate putting people out like that. However, she said she would be happy to do so. I was so unbelievably grateful. So we came straight home. I fed the little ones and put them to bed. Bill then came home a little earlier than he expected and shortly after Ping came bounding in. She had a great time. Parties are so hard in general. They are hard to plan. They are hard to have in the middle of the week and they are hard to explain to everyone when not everyone in the family is invited. Not that they should be. It's just hard to explain while all of us attend some and only one of us attends others. All in all, a great day.

On Thursday, I had physical therapy for my neck and head and then I met my wonderful friend Lisa at Starbucks for an iced tea date. We got there at 9:45 am or so and left around 2:00 pm. It's not like we didn't have anything else to do. However, there was a lot to catch up on. It was nice to see just her. I adore my children and she adores hers, but there are so many interruptions when all the kids are around! After I left Starbucks I headed home so Bill could get off to school and so I could get Ping from school. I had to give him the POS and I had to take the truck. All we have done is switch cars. This was a really great morning, but a toughie. I told Bill that I would drive the kids to school in the am. Unfortunately, I had to use the truck for that, but then because he was getting the kids at 11:00 am, I had to take the POS to PT. So I dropped the kids off, rushed home in the pouring rain and headed out to therapy. The sad thing is that I didn't know you could only shut the door handle by putting your hand outside. So there is Bill running alongside the car with just jeans on and I am driving and swearing. It's funny now, but it wasn't then. Bill is trying to show me how to shut the door and I just keep rolling slowly out of the driveway while yelling. I felt awful, but it was getting late. Bill was drenched and nearly went to therapy with me because his hand was on the doorknob. I made it to therapy but I was 15 minutes late. So I got a 10 minute therapy session to the tune of $20.00. The flooding was so bad, it really kept me from getting there on time. That and the POS! Like I said, all we did was switch cars every day. Bill was in school till 9:00 pm that night, so I missed the Open House at the school. I felt really guilty about missing it, but I did contact all teachers and tell them that I wouldn't be there. Regardless, it's an awful feeling you get when you are not doing right by your children, but the children were not included and so I wasn't going to take three with me. Meri had offered to babysit, but it was only the first week of Bill being at school. I didn't think I should start depending on people already. It's okay though. I am only one person, right? At least I try hard. I may fail, but I do try.

Friday was an equally busy day. I had PT again. I got there on time and got the full 30 minutes. I walked out of there very relaxed and yet very spacey feeling. I didn't like that at all. I ended up being exceptionally tired. I have not felt well in days. I was wondering if I may have a sinus infection? My head was bobbing like crazy and that was disturbing. PT was supposed to be helpful. No guarantees, but I certainly didn't expect to be worse. Anyway, I did a few errands and headed home. I went back out to take Yamira to therapy. She loves going. I don't mind taking her at all, especially as I do feel it helps. We spent the rest of the day at home. Bill doesn't have school on Fridays. Wahoo! At 5:30 pm, Meri came to pick me up and we headed out to use our birthday Groupon that we purchased in April. It was wonderful. We each had a facial and a seaweed wrap. Now I didn't care for the seaweed wrap at all. I have always wanted to try it, but it did not do much for me. The woman who did it was wonderful and did some massaging. That was excellent. Best facial I ever had though. She was wonderful and I will go back again for another one at some point. Groupons are great for me due to being able to save some money, but on top of that, it lets me try places I may never have given a chance. Needless to say, it was a very relaxing night. It was good to be out with a friend too.

Saturday was a busy day. We had soccer at 9:00 am. Ping was excited soccer started finally. She has been talking about it for months. We then headed home so she could take a shower and we headed out to WPI for Dumplings. We love going to the Dumplings. I love watching the Chinese students unselfishly give their time to our kids. This time we discussed Chinese tea culture. It was great. The two youngest were not well behaved. In addition, I got really sick and felt like I was going to throw up. I didn't. Thank goodness. We then headed off to do a few errands and then went home for the night. We had another party to attend, but it was cancelled due to flooding from all the rain we had during the week. It was an adoption party in Oxford. Just as well. We had more than enough stuff to do.

Sunday was a waste of time. I was so angry at how I spent the day. I had not felt good all week for the most part. I was super tired every evening. I couldn't get through watching a simple show. That is not like me at all. I was also dizzy a lot and my stomach bugged me a lot as well. That isn't unusual though. If I am dizzy or nauseous, my stomach also acts very wacky. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but thought it might be due to my sinuses. I had wanted to go out apple picking and to a few fairs, but I was too tired and sick feeling to go anywhere. So what did I do? I actually took a nap at 12:00. I then got up and napped again around 3:00 pm. What a waste of a day. I didn't go anywhere I wanted to and I didn't accomplish one thing at the house. Very upsetting, but I was too sick to do anything else. The kids played all day and watched movies. That night we went to give them a bath and the tones went off, so I got stuck giving the three a bath alone. Not a big deal at all, but when you aren't feeling good, it's not fun. Oh well, it's my job.

On Monday, Bill took the kids to school and I went straight to PT. That went okay. I told her that I walked out of there feeling really spacey and was wondering if this was going to work for me. She proceeded to tell me that she didn't finish the entire procedure she did with me on Friday and because of that I might have a lot of "junk" stuck up in my head and it could be throwing me off. She could not be more accurate. I walked out of there feeling much better. Yay for getting to the bottom of that. I still didn't feel the best due to suspecting I have a sinus infection, but I no longer felt like I was bobbing as badly as I was. Once I got home, I made a doctors appointment for the next day. Decided instead of booking it with my GP, I thought I would go see my ENT doctor. She wasn't going to be available, so I was told I had to see the nurse practitioner. I was fine with that. While the kids napped, I made a few more calls. Bill went to school early. Monday is his early days. At 3:00 pm, the little ones and I piled into the car to get Ping and then we headed off to Auburn for Ping's ice skating lesson. I had a hard time watching her as the two little ones were really distracting. So I am not sure how she did. I did ask her and she said good, but she says good to almost everything. She is truly a happy girl most of the time! After we left the rink, I drove home like a bat out of hell so that I could quickly feed them dinner. They had maybe 30 minutes to eat and then we were back in the car and off to Daisies. The two little ones played while Ping did some work with an older Girl Scout and I listened to what was coming up for the year. First one of the school year, so parents attend. Bill then came in and grabbed Yamira and Manny and headed off. I forgot to mention that my computer had been acting up for a few days, so I was given the name of someone right in town to call. I called and they came and picked up the hard drive. When I got home from Daisies, the couple were here dropping off the hard drive. I was so grateful to have it home so quickly. It just needed a good cleaning. That was good news too. However, it wasn't cheap. Oh well, what can you do? So it was a crazy busy day with appointments and such, but all in all a great day!

Tuesday morning I slept in while Bill took the cherubs to school. I then got up and showered and headed off to my appointment with the nurse practitioner. I was fortunate enough to get the tool shoved into my sinuses. Truly that wasn't a big deal. I really wanted that as I wanted to know what was going on with them. I did have a sinus infection and so a prescription was written for me. The NP was very sweet. Unfortunately, something else was found. No idea what it is. We have to wait for the inflammation to go down before we can do a more thorough investigation. Looks like I have a cyst or polyp. They want to look at it more. If it grows, it can really do a number on my sinuses. They also want to make sure it's not something else in my body that is causing this. This was very upsetting to me as I feel like all I do is battle health problems now. However, there is nothing I can do about it now. I headed home after a few errands and then we all headed off to get Ping while Bill headed off to school. I took the kids to Walmart and ran into Miss Ashly. Good thing too. The NP called as promised and told me after talking to my ENT doctor, that they all agree they need to look at this new problem closer. Just made me really nervous. I got off the phone and felt faint. Here I am with two carts and three kids and I had to dash off to sit on a bench to calm myself down. I was grateful that Ashly was there so she could keep the kids talking and from jumping out of the darn cart. Between not eating all day, having the sinus infection and getting news that is disturbing, my brain just short circuited I guess and there you have it. I recovered quickly and the kids and I did our quick shop. It seemed like it was forever, but we got through it. Brought it all home, put everything away and I fed the kids. I also gave them baths as the next day was picture day. Once a book was read and they were tucked in, the night was over. I did a few things downstairs, but was too tired to do much of anything.

We got up extra early on Wednesday so that I could get the kids ready for their pictures. I made sure two nights before that I had their outfits ready and ironed. Now I just needed to get them dressed and coiffed! We dropped off the kids together and ran to Walmart quickly. We then went home as we had an appointment at the house. I then jumped in the car and called my friend Renee to see if she wanted to do a few errands before having lunch. As luck would have it, she was ready to go and was willing to go. So I ran to her house, jumped into her truck and off we went to the Burlington Coat Factory. We stopped in the Christmas Tree Shop quickly and then we had lunch at Ruby Tuesdays. I had a fabulous time. We headed home so I could be in the door by 2:30 pm as Bill had to get to school. Bill left and off we went to get Ping at school. We spent the rest of the day at home. I had a bunch of things to do at my desk. Ping had school work. The kids played in the playroom. So it was a good afternoon. I spent most of it really angry. I had a great beginning of the day, but the rest of the day went bad. Bill had locked Shayla's room as Yamira has been going in there and disturbing things. Well I couldn't find the key and we needed to get in there. Bill was at school, so I couldn't reach him. On top of that, when Ping got in the car, she had an unusual smell to her. It was really awful and bothersome to me. It was perfume/lotion and I am allergic. I had Ping wash her hand three different times with three different things. Then I had the poor girl take a shower. Still didn't help. Then I had her use mechanics stuff. That helped a little, but not much. It was awful. I sent off an email to her teacher as I wasn't sure what happened. Ping did tell me that at pick up in the afternoon, a Kindergartener gave it to her. She promised never to get into something like that again. Thank god. Between being allergic and having a sinus infection, it was the last thing I needed. In addition to that there was a whole debacle over the kids photos today. Very upsetting. I called Lifetouch directly and told them what I wanted. They told me how much to pay for each kid. I nicely typed out three letters last night saying what pose I wanted, what background I wanted and what photos I wanted. What a mess. Because it wasn't a "package" the photographer did not know what to do. So two checks were sent back and one was taken. I had to call Lifetouch to talk to them about it. They were going to get to the bottom of it and call me back the next day. Just a pain in the ass! I just didn't need that on top of everything else. I was told Manny's photo wasn't taken because there was no package. So after calling and getting the package ordered and me sending in a nice typed up letter to let them know, getting up early to make sure the kids look great and then finding out this? Very angering. It was resolved the next day. It was just really upsetting.

On Thursday, I headed to PT in the morning while Bill took the kids to school. I felt great after. Clearly doing the entire procedure she is doing from belly up to my head is working. At least I hope it is. That and now I am on an antibiotic, so I feel better there. My head is clearer and I am not so tired. Unfortunately, my stomach can't handle this stuff at all. So that has been hard and the newest and most exciting thing that I have acquired now is Thrush. Yes folks, I have Thrush yet again. My tongue is burning and I can't eat. So between the belly that wants to hold nothing and my mouth that wants to eat nothing, I am really struggling here! So I used some medicine I had at home and also called in to my doctor to ask for a troche prescription. We had a meeting at the house at 9:30 am. That went well. Bill and I grabbed the kids and did a few errands. Then Bill headed off to school and I went to gather Ping. We spent the rest of the day at home. Again, I am trying to catch up on the endless assortment of stuff I have to do at home and the many calls I need to make.

Friday brought a 1/2 day for the kids. Not really for Manny and Yamira as they go to school a 1/2 day anyway. I ran a few errands in the morning and Bill picked up the kids from school. He was only getting two and I was going to get Ping a little later, but Ping was brought out and so Bill took all three of them. He then headed to CVS and Walmart. When they got home, Yamira got a very special call from a Princess because it was her birthday. She is now a proud five year old. Ping and I jumped in the car and I brought her over to her friend's house for a play date. I then ran to pick up my car. Oh how I will miss that good old POS. Funny enough, as much as it sucked, it was nice to drive around with a "beater" for a change. Something that I didn't have to worry about getting a scratch or a dent on. It had too many to count, who would have noticed one more? After getting my car, I headed to Webster to get something. I then stopped in Price Chopper and got two soups and some strawberries for myself. I approached a woman and her daughter as she looked Chinese. I quietly asked if she was adopted. The woman was very nice. I told her about how we attend the Dumplings at WPI and if she was interested, I would have her added to the list. She said she thought it would be wonderful and to please add her. She probably thought I was a nutcase. I don't approach everyone that has an Asian daughter, but it just worked out that this lady was right next to me and it was comfortable. Believe it or not, not all adoptive parents are receptive to chatting about their child. So you never know how you are going to be received. I have since sent her an email with the information that she needs if she is interested. Once out of Price Chopper, I stopped to get gas and went to CVS. I also made a few calls from the road. I am not a fan of that, but I knew the minute I got in the house, I would be accosted by the little ankle biters. They would want attention and deserved my attention. So I thought making some calls before heading home might be a good idea. Sure enough, the minute I got home, Yamira wanted to open gifts and who could blame her. So we opened gifts and they all had dinner. After dinner and bed, I sat down to try to watch a little TV. I passed out and didn't get a lot watched. I need a day where I can just catch up with some shows. I don't watch a lot, but I do have a few on the DVR.

Well it's been about two hours since I started this post, so I am going to finish up by sharing some photos. First though, today was not a bad day. We got up early and headed off to Shayla's soccer game. We then came home and put the two youngest ones down for a nap after they had lunch. We then headed to a retirement party. That was nice, but it was bitter cold out for me today. So I wasn't comfortable. On top of that, I am not sure what I ate as it wasn't much, but it made me really sick. I have a feeling it was applesauce, but I could be wrong. We took two cars to the party because I was leaving at 5:00 pm to get to my friend's house. I was so looking forward to having dinner with her and some of her friends. Unfortunately, I got really sick to the point of having terrible stomach pains and worrying I was going to throw up. So I got up and rushed to the car and rushed home. I did not even get a chance to properly say goodbye to anyone. I would have liked to leave in a better fashion, but I was just too sick to do so. I drove home hoping to god I wouldn't throw up. Once I got in, I slammed some Mylanta down my throat, called my friend Maura to tell her I couldn't get there and crawled into bed. Before I knew it, Bill was home with the kids. He put them to bed for me since I was too sick to get up. I woke up around 9:45 and really felt great. So I got up. I came downstairs to find Bill snoring on the chair. I decided to pay some bills and to catch up here. One less thing to have to do tomorrow. Tomorrow we have a few things going on, but who knows what we will get done.

Well I hope you have enjoyed this update. I hope you are enjoying the Fall weather. I love Fall, but I am not a fan of being cold. Love the leaves, the apple picking and the pumpkin selecting though.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Mama Out!!!!!!!!!!


Cool shades.

Gorgeous fashionista.

Soccer time.

Sweet siblings.

Daddy on his first day of school.

A fancy block of tea.

Diana. Such a cutie.

Beautiful girls.

Loot.

Special call from Ariel.

She likes her gift just a little.

Joy.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Labor Day and here I am laboring over my blog

Well I should have blogged on Sunday, but did things around the house instead. We encountered Hurricane Irene this day. We were truly very fortunate as we didn't suffer any damage or even lose any power. I was so grateful for that. We did have a lot of debris in the yard, but other than that, we made out perfectly. We were supposed to attend a party, but we didn't go out at all. Never know if the storm is going to turn nasty and it's better to be home and out of the way of trees and such.

On Monday, I had to go to Boston to meet an Endocrine Surgeon at Brigham and Womens. First I had to have an ultrasound of my neck and then I headed upstairs to meet the surgeon. He was great. Really nice guy. He said he isn't sure from the ultrasound if the gland I am having an issue with is on the left side, but he believes it is. Regardless, I booked surgery and a 4D ultrasound for Thursday. Once home, I got the kids outfits ready because their first day of school was the next day. I got the backpacks ready, the snacks and the supplies. It was a busy day between the driving back and forth to Boston and then doing so much at night to get the kids ready. They had a nice bath and they were into bed at a decent hour.

On Tuesday, Bill and I got up and showered and drove the three chickens to school for their big day. It was Manny's first day at school ever. He is just starting preschool. Bill and I then proceeded to go to Lowes, AC Moore, Target and a few other places and then we ran to pick up the two little ones. I dropped Manny and Daddy off at the house and took Yamira to her occupational therapy appointment. I then dropped her off and headed off to my physical therapy evaluation which went great. I headed home for all of 15 minutes before rushing off to Leominster for a mani/pedi that was wonderful, but not enjoyable. Too busy of a day to do something like that, but wanted to use up my Groupon! I then met Bill and the kids in Princeton because Bill had to drop off the truck for brakes and tie rods. That cost nearly $1,000. Such fun!

Wednesday was a much nicer day. Bill dropped off the chickens at school while I waited for an appointment at the house. I spent the entire day at home just working on things in the house that needed to be done. It was a great catch up day. We picked up the truck in the evening. Thank god they only had to keep it one day. Three trips to school during the day does not make things easy.

On Thursday, Bill took the kids to school and I headed to MGH to have my 4 D ultrasound. Easy peasy. After a quick run through at the gift shop, I hit the pike and was home in no time. I spent the rest of the day at home. Bill mowed the lawn and I did some stuff inside. The kids had a great day. They have had a great day every day. I am so pleased. They love their teachers. Once the kids were in bed, Bill headed out to a soccer meeting.

Friday was a great day. Bill took the kids to school and I slept in a little. I haven't been sleeping well. No idea why. I had lunch with a friend and then I headed home to get Bill and the kids and off to school to get Ping. We then headed into Boston to do an errand and then to Worcester to do a few errands. Turned out to be a very late night by the time we got home and got the kids fed and in bed. A lot done, but I hate when we are running that late. The kids were so restless in the car. Who can blame them.

On Saturday, we headed out with Ayi Meri and Uncle Joe and their kids to the Spencer Fair. The weather was gorgeous. We had a fabulous time. The kids were fairly well behaved and enjoyed seeing the animals and riding the rides. We were there for nearly eight hours. It didn't feel it though as the day went by fairly quickly since we were enjoying our friends.

Sunday we spent the day at home. The construction over the last nine months has really put a dent into things at the house. It's the little things. The is so much patching and painting to do. There is furniture to pick out. There are things to dispose of. We are trying to get the playroom up and running to the best of our ability. We are nearly there. We need some seating and need to hang up some photos. It's looking pretty good. Bill had to work the next day, so we just stayed home and did house projects.

Here we are at Labor Day. It's been a good day. Bill had to work at 6:00 am and he isn't due home till 6:00 pm. The kids have done well for the day. I have made some phone calls about things. Put together some things to return. Basically gearing up for the work week. My big man goes to school tomorrow. It's his first day. Do I have to pack him a snack? Kidding. Off to get a few more things done. I have a feeling Bill will be a little late as there was just another call. Oh well. It is what it is.

Mama Out!!!!!

First day of school.

Second day of school.

Lazy ladies.

Sweetness.

Off to my doctors appointment.

Meri and me at the fair.

Acrobatics.

So cute.

Crazy yellow kids.

Too many hats.

Love llamas.

Puppets anyone?

Lucas and Ping.

What kind of move is that Ping?

Ready to be rounded up!

Heading on to a ride.

Flying around.

Buds.


Some of my favorite girls.