Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Thanksgiving Eve

It has not been quite a month since I have been here, but close enough.  The older I get, the faster my life moves. Can we slow it down please?  It has been an okay month. It hasn't been fantastic, but it has not been horrible either.  I despise November. There are many reasons why. I don't like the time change. I don't like it being so dark so early. I don't like it because I lost both of my parents in November. I lost my Dad 16 years ago and my mom 6 years ago. You would think that the farther away from their passing that I get, the better I would be. I think I am getting worse. Is it my age?  I have no idea. I am trying to figure it out. I think I am starting to suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder. I can't stand the cold, the dark and the dreary. I prefer green grass and blooming flowers. I am not a fan of the summer. I am a fan of the sun though. I don't like heat. I like the brightness of the sun. I need it.  Self discovery never stops here.

So what have we done in November?  Soccer is over, so we have not had to run to that every single weekend. I miss it. I don't miss the commitment, but miss the kids playing and the friends I get to chat with while they are playing. I have gotten to know some people better than I have before and I am enjoying it a lot. Our weekends have not been as crazy as they had been. I love being busy, but not having something every weekend isn't a bad thing.

Since I was here last this is what we have been up to.  I had a swallow test on Tuesday the 5th. I drove to Boston for the swallow test. I was there for four hours!  I had to drink that awful barium stuff. That stunk, but I did it.

On Wednesday, I met my friend Mindy for lunch. It was great to see her. She has been so busy working, so we had not had a chance to catch up in the longest time.  That afternoon I took Manny to have his staples out. That stunk. He did great. The nurses just had a hell of a time taking them out with the tool which was not working well. She had to try 6 different tools. However, they came out and off we went with a lollipop in hand.

On Thursday, I had Jordans out here repairing Ping's foot board. I then took the kids to therapy in the afternoon.

On Friday I had an appointment with Manny's teacher. It was very productive. Bill and I were both able to attend.  That night I went to a Tupperware party.

We had no plans on Saturday which was great as I did a lot of organizing and cleaning.

On Sunday, Yamira got to go to Drawbridge Puppet Theatre with her friend Erica. The rest of us stayed home. Ping and Manny played and I did a few things around the house with Bill.

Monday there was no school as it was Veterans Day. We went bowling with our friend Lisa and her son Evan. Bill then took Shayla to a Girl Scout Brownie outing. They took a tour around town. They had a nice time.

On Tuesday I had to go back to Boston to have a gastric emptying test. It wasn't painful, but it was boring. I had to lay there for 90 minutes. I was there for a few hours and then I headed home.

On Wednesday, I took Ping to her Cranialfacial Clinic appointment which went great. They feel she is doing terrific. Her speech is great.  I then dropped her off at school and did errands till I had to go back and get the three of them at the end of the day.

On Thursday I had a really important appointment in Waltham at Children's Hospital with a Lymphedema Specialist. I had waited four months for this appointment. I left nearly two hours early, but was still late for the appointment. The traffic was horrendous that morning. I got there and was brought right into the exam room where I proceeded to sit for two hours in a gown. I wasn't thrilled about that. My time is precious too. Thought that was out of control, but I wasn't going to complain given how I was 20 minutes late!  I finally got to meet the doctor I had been waiting to meet for four months. He was decent. He never apologized for being late. I thought that was pretty rude. I apologized for being late. He didn't even know I was! Anyway, he was decent enough, but I was disappointed in the appointment. He came to one quick conclusion instead of actually listening to me. I find that to be the case with a lot of doctors. I was really bummed about that. So after talking to him and having some pictures done, I left.  It was a long day and I just wanted to get home.

On Friday, my friend Meg came down from New Hampshire. We went to lunch and had a grand time. The day went by way too fast though. Before I knew it, she was leaving. I was so sad to see her go.

On Saturday we went to Boston to the Dumpling group. That was fun. The kids made masks, bamboo out of construction paper and they had hot pot food. Ping wasn't a fan. She said everything tasted like a vegetable. Oh well!  We then headed home for the rest of the afternoon.

We didn't have plans on Sunday.  So I organized and cleaned and cleaned and organized. I am determined to get through every single room, drawer, cupboard, closet that is in this house. I am trying to get rid of as much stuff as I possibly can. We just don't need this much stuff!  I truly do feel lighter. My heart and anxiety is lighter. It isn't like we are hoarders or anything. We just have too much stuff. Maybe others don't care. I do.

On Monday I had a nice breakfast with my friend Lisa. I then had PT.  That night was Brownies for Ping.

On Tuesday I had breakfast with my friend Bobby-Jo after I helped in Manny's class for an hour. That was fun. First time I was able to help out in Manny's class. Breakfast was great too. It almost ended up being dinner too. We hadn't seen each other in a long time so we had a lot to catch up on.

Wednesday I had a fairly open day with the exception of seeing my nutritionist at noon. I got a lot of stuff done at home that afternoon before the kids came home.

Thursday I got a lot of stuff done as well. I did have to bring the kids to therapy in the afternoon.

On Friday I had breakfast with my friend Shelley. She is a gem. I have really enjoyed getting to know her better and better. She is very sweet. I love a down to earth person. It has become more and more important for me to become better friends with good people. Not that I haven't always wanted good people in my life. I have. However, I have met some bad apples along the way. People I thought were great, but were not really great. They didn't put any effort into the relationship. It was all of my doing and it grew exhausting. I have had to let a lot of friendships go in the last year to two years. I can't be your friend if I am constantly asking you when you are available. That is not really what I call a friendship.  I really need to see if you have any interest in getting together with me. I like to get a text or an email from you once in awhile.  I can't constantly be doing the work. I have a life too! I have three kids, a big house to take care of and I work as a substitute too. I also have things I volunteer at or in. So step up if you care. If you don't, then don't bother. I just can't chase people anymore. Know what I mean?  It has been hard for me. I think of a lot of these people a lot of the time, but I refuse to contact them one more time. They need to step up to the plate. Anyway, I am going off on a tangent.  I had an opportunity to meet friends for lunch, but I was unable to do so. Hopefully next time!

On Saturday we had brunch at the Spencer Country Inn with others who have adopted and then we went to Woburn to have pictures taken by a photographer who wanted to photo families with adopted children. It went very well.

Sunday was Bill's birthday. We had our favorite babysitter Deb come to watch Manny and Yamira. Shayla was with our friend Joanna and her daughter Peyton. Joanna was taking Shayla and Peyton to indoor soccer. Unfortunately, the game was cancelled and the girls were bummed. Bill and I went to tea at Sarah's shoppe with our friend Anita. We had a fantastic time!  Anita brought me home some things from Hawaii. I had her birthday gift and Sarah's as well. So we all exchanged gifts while eating.

Monday was a 1/2 day at school. I worked that day in the fifth grade which went great. Bill and I then took the kids to JC Penney for photos. We spent the rest of the day at home. Shayla had Brownies that night.

On Tuesday, Bill had a dentist and hair appointment. I had school conferences for Shayla and Yamira. Both went fantastically.  I then had a play date at my friend Katie's house. Socheat was there, but she didn't have her kids there.  So us ladies chatted in between the constant interruptions from the kids. It was nice to see the ladies though.

Today the kids didn't have school. So we have been hanging around the house doing various things. I did a few errands. I have been doing a little bit of cleaning. Bill has been cooking. We organized the toys a little bit. We actually checked a lot of the puzzles to see if all the pieces were there for each puzzle.  Now I am here catching up on my blog!  I need to post some pictures now.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I hope it is a wonderful one for you and your family.  I have many blessings in my life. Hope you do as well!

Mama Out!!!!!!!
Dumplings
Spencer Country Inn
Cake
Me and Sarah
Me and Anita


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