Nothing clever to see here. What are your whines?
W/AW?? Albatross #2 phone call this afternoon. This is were hopefully we deal with Complication Man's actions in a wise way. I will be glad to get past the phone call.
W/AW?: Sweet feels better. Maybe? Or she's trying to tell me what I want to hear, so she doesn't have to go to the doctor. It's hard to keep up with her.
How about you?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
83 comments:
Well, I decided that one of the two bits of albatross remaining to be done this week is not worth pursuing. Which sounds like I'm just lazy, but this was my idea in the first place, and upon review, there is no there, there. In better news, this other albatross bit finally got itself more organized! Not exactly written completely, but organized.
W: True tail of contact exposure. My beloved and "the most beautiful girl in the whole wide world" [the stupid dog] ran into some poison oak on one of their walks. And I asked him to wash the dog, but he said it was raining and she had fur, the dog would be fine. (Which of course I scoffed, because that makes no sense at all.) So this morning, my daughter shows me her arms -- both covered in rash, because she pet the stupid dog, who is a vector for poison oak serum.
AW: Martin Luther King, Jr.
An organized albatross is an albatross well on its way to completion!
Ouchy on the poison oak. Sorry you were correct on the "I told you so"
AW: Sweet really does feel better today. A little low energy.
W: I have somehow agreed to make a giraffe pinata for Mini's birthday party Saturday. I had a place I was going to ask about doing it for me, but their "Be Right Back" sign has been on the door for 4 days now. So, we have two balloons (body and head) with a first layer of newspaper on them.
AW: Her vision for the cake is well within my capabilities, so the pinata will be the big creative project that will be destroyed within 5 minutes.
Oh, I want to come make a giraffe pinata! That sounds like a lot of fun.
So far, very messy.
But the paper mache [sp.] part is really ideal for enlisting baboos. It might make a mess, but there are no mess-ups with the artistic building of the understructure of a pinata!
Sending strategic chocolate. School tomorrow, no?
They were opposed to getting it on their hands. Mini is funny like that. Sweet was doing something else and not particularly interested. It was plenty messy all by myself!
Chocolate always welcome.
One hour and 45 minute conference call. We are pretty much all on the same page re: Complication Man.
Good on being on the same page! omg about 1:45 hour conference call. (And you probably couldn't even apply another layer to the giraffe during that time, either.)
No; the first layer wasn't quite dry. I am the chair of Albatross #2, which means I have to pay attention to the whole meeting :) Baboos were GREAT--occupied themselves with bonus! screen! time! and got their own snacks, didn't make too many unidentifiable noises.
Yay for albatross bits being dealt with expediently, kathy. Sorry about the poison oak distress in your house. Ouch.
1:45 is way too long for a conference call. Ugh. I'm glad the participants were on the same page at least.
AW: Kittens. There is a deadly amount of cuteness in our house right now. We should put a sign on the door warning visitors of potential Death by Cuteness.
W: Not a lot of sleeping going on.
AW: That part will pass soon enough. They are making themselves at home really quickly, which is the important part.
W: Littlest kitten has some psychogenic alopecia, which means when she's stressed, she overgrooms and ends us with little bald patches. Her foster mom is a vet and said it should resolve once the adjustment is made to the new home. She checked out kitten for all manner of skin troubles, parasites, etc. and is confident it's a passing thing.
End of kitten report. :)
W: Government filings. Kill me now.
Ugh, Liz. That sounds daunting.
Cute! Kittens! Who are all excited about their new forever home, aka kitty heaven!!! Baby kitteh's fur will grow back; it's an anxiety thing with some cats.
((( Liz ))) May the filing mojo be with you.
Lotsa lotsa rain. Did I mention the leak in the kitchen? It only requires a towel [not a bucket], and is directly over vinyl flooring, so it is pretty much the best of all possible leaks.
W: Lice. Mini. Two hours combing, and I know they aren't all gone. She was unbelievably patient (thanks again, iPad).
W: Even worse, she's had them for weeks, I'm afraid. That's how long she's been scratching. But I didn't see them until today.
AW: Sweet seems to be in the clear. She has curly hair, which I've heard isn't as susceptible. Let's hope so. Because it would take 4 hours to comb out her hair.
I've really had enough of those parenting milestones this week: red crayon in the laundry and now lice?!?!
Esperanza, UGH! So sorry. Now my head is itching in sympathy.
Eww, lice! I'm so sorry, Esperanza. Guess this means the special shampoo and a metric ton of laundry, too. Ick.
And this on top of Complication Man, the conference call that would not end, and sickness in the Baboo sector, not to mention the giraffe. Sheesh. Sending a SuperMom sash, along with the virtual chocolate.
I'm going with lasagne tonight because it's cold, and apparently everybody in the house needs comfort food. But this means trips in the rain to 2 separate places, because we don't have ingredients, and we also need the magic soap for poison oak (which continues to afflict the non-furred dog lovers). Fortunately, the dog doesn't expect much from me except dinner and sweet talk.
I already proclaimed, loudly, that I was NOT fixing supper tonight. I mean, really. You have listed my ailments very accurately.
I left out the crayon, which sounds like not a big deal until it has melted all over everything. And made you do a metric ton of laundry already.
Now I have to decide between the chi-chi natural market that costs too much and has a too-small parking lot; or the regular grocery store that has a parking lot from hell, and also had 2 gun incidents recently inside the store. [Bank robber, and shoplifter who showed heat when caught. Both mid-day.] For some reason, my support of small local businesses has increased lately...
By my count, it's three metric tons: crayon, strep throat, lice
Wow, and you aren't even in my state. The gun incidents inside the store--eeek!
Nobody was shot. There's that. But I live in this quiet little town that almost never sees violence. Or displays of guns. Freaky.
(((esperanza))) Ugh. I hardly know where to start with sympathies. Dear Universe, enough already!!! Give our esperanza a break already!
kathy a, I can't even with the gun in the grocery store. Shooting incident or not, it's beyond my realm of comprehension.
Yeah, I'm that way, too, about guns in stores. So the hippie grocery it was, and I did find parking in the alley, and the UPS truck didn't actually run me over. So, all good.
Also got the second to last bottle of the poison oak soap at the stupid chain pharmacy. Have they not heard that the stuff is growing like (forgive the phrasing) weeds with all this rain?
Due to an unfortunate mental lapse while shopping, I forgot to buy lasagna noodles. So I'm calling it lasagna anyway, because I had enough flat pasta to do the top and bottom layers; and it has the traditional ricotta, cheese, sausage/veg/sauce parts all layered with more sauce and topped with more cheese. Despite the fact there is a layer of rainbow spiral noodles in the middle, and I'm cooking it in a deep round casserole dish (because that one has a lid) -- it's still a lasagna, is it not?
It is still a lasagna. And you win MacGyver of the Kitchen Award.
It's a lasagna. Btw, any time you don't have lasagna noodles, you can always do baked ziti (or rigatoni or spaghetti)
Yes, it's definitely still lasagna. :)
Esperanza, is the universe lightening up any?
Liz, that government thing, is it coming along?
Sue, how cute are the babies today?
Think this albatross section will be mostly done today, so I can polish a little tomorrow, report completion of the section friday. yay.
Of the lasagna, there were no complaints. And half is left for tonight!
My poor daughter is still suffering mightily from the contact poison oak, despite the products to remove poison and relieve itch/pain. She finally got to sleep with an ice pack on her upper chest. Her dad has asbestos skin, and regards his own infection as a minor inconvenience.
Ouch for your daughter kathy. Would an anti-histamine help with the itch at all? I don't know - just grasping at straws. :(
The kittens are unbearable in their cuteness. They are both very curious and fun. Of course, I went out on the weekend and bought all kinds of cat-related fun things and the ones they like the best are the floofy foil balls that cost 70 cents each. They also like the feathers on a stick toys. These are both good for distracting the wee one when she starts overgrooming.
They were initially a bit freaked out by the wheelchair, but are coming around. The bigger, and slightly more brave, kitten jumped up on hubby's lap yesterday while he was in the chair.
Just watched the video you posted Liz. It's fireplacing terrifying. In the summer, I honestly thought he would be gone by October, but the buffoon has created an angry mob that's only growing and getting uglier. This is some scary sh*t.
Oh, those mylar/foil toys make such good scrunchy sounds, and they are great fun! Feather on a stick is very good, too.
So good the babies are getting used to the chair! It is occupied by an excellent human, as they no doubt have discovered already. ;)
Yes, the leading buffoon and his mob are scary as heck.
WWW: I accidentally sent a personal note to the Entire Freaking Listserve. Which is a mistake I hate hate hate.
The Universe might be easing somewhat. Mini has MANY classmates with lice as well. I hope their mama's are being as nit-picky (hahahaha. If it were only really funny) as I am. I have my doubts. Teh Interwebs assure me that lice do not like tea tree oil/peppermint oil. So we have a new hair conditioner around here. The kindergarten classroom is so small that their jacket hooks are approximately 6" apart. It's no wonder it's spreading.
W: the school nurse just called me to say that Mini is very itchy and she wonders if it might be scabies. Um. No. Eczema. Which I apparently neglected to put on her paperwork this summer. I am going to instruct Mini to stop going to the nurse!
AW: I myself stopped by the school nurse's office this morning, so she could check my hair, and I am all clear. So is Sweet. The washing machine and dryer are almost finished. Until I find something else I think I need to wash and dry on hot.
AW: Mr. E and I were chuckling in remembrance last night. In the first two years we were married, the laundry room at our apartment had an enormous, gas dryer. We dried two loads at once and still had to be really careful they didn't get over-dried and start to shrink. That dryer got so hot. We thought we might need it back. :)
Scabies! That poor school nurse is just expecting another plague will be along any minute, what with all the excitement.
Now I remember, when we had those super loads of wash-everything during one contamination or another, we sometimes went to the laundromat because they still have the giant driers. (But they might have better thermostats than the "dry to a crisp" model of your reckless youth.)
As I put the (please let it be so) last load in the dryer, I thought, "I should have just gone to the laundromat and be done with it." Ah well.
MM went to bed at 7:20. I hope it's not Con Crud.
Sweet went at 6:15. Which was nice, because she was a total bear, and it gave me an early start on the nit picking.
I hope MM was just worn out by the weekend and wakes in the morning healthy and rested, Liz.
Send good luck health thoughts to all!
Esperanza-- when we were in the 6" apart hook stage, I started sending them to school with a giant trash bag to put their stuff in, to close it up and keep it apart from all the other stuff with potential creepy crawlies... I've heard of some schools adopting the strategy when things got really bad, so....just a thought once you are in the clear...
:) Neighbor Lady
Tonight's combing session was a definite improvement over last night, though the nits are not all gone. And it still took an hour.
Ugh. I hate lice. Hate.
It's on my list of things I will discuss with the Higher Power, should I ever meet her face-to-face.
Yes. And pinkeye
It's 7:20 here now, and I'm not that far from dropping off myself...
Have been itching in sympathy with everyone. Daughter got home from work and went immediately to use her products on her poison oak. May tomorrow be nit and itch free for everyone!
Ugh - I will join the "I hate lice" brigade. *shudder*
I hope that's the end of the laundry esperanza!
Also, you still have school nurses???? We haven't in our province for decades. Instead the nurses from the local Public Health Unit do education and occasional check-ins at schools. But there hasn't been an on-location nurse for at least 20-25 years. I think at some point the teacher's unions convinced the governments at the provincial and federal level that the money spent on nursing care was better spent on more teachers. Turns out they were right...the public health nurses do a good job and anything that decreases class size is a win.
Um. Yes on the school nurses. I'm not sure we have public nurses that would be an equivalent. We actually have an RN and an LVN that are on our campus all day long. (ages 4-7/grades preK-1). In the few minutes before school that I was in the office: me, a teacher's aide suspecting pinkeye, puking kid, and somebody else with an unknown ailment. If not for the nurse, the school would have to pay somebody to call parents/send kids home/give out bandaids I guess. I'd love to spend more on teachers, too, of course.
I think the older grade campuses might not have the RN, and/or might not be full time (half day at one campus, half day at another).
Huh. Interesting.
I could have done without the scabies call, but otherwise, I'm impressed with her work. Turns out Mini didn't ask to go to the nurse; her substitute teacher saw her scratching her leg until it was bleeding and sent her. Mini is a bit high maintenance this week: eczema (two creams), lice combing, and birthday party prep.
I remember a nurse at school when I was very young. She was very kind and had a comfy cot in her office for sick ones to lie down while their parents were on the way to pick them up.
I think a lot of those calls/bandaids are made by teachers and the school administrators. Most schools have a good staff of teaching assistants as well, especially in the younger grades.
Poor Mini - what a week!
East Coast Pixies, and Northern Tundra Pixies -- hope y'all are safe and stay warm with this series of storms that appear to be rolling in!
We are dry today, wet again tomorrow. The last rain is still migrating off the hill and through our yard; glad it is not coming all at once!
Just a few more little pieces on this section of work, and it'll be done! Today!
There is little more unwieldy than a giraffe pinata in process.
Elevated risk of mullet to Esperanza.
MM woke energetic and happy this morning! No con crud!!
-liz
So glad MM is healthy. Just tired from the big fun weekend!
The giraffe is a cross between a dinosaur and an ostrich right now. I'm hoping that putting the spots on will help with its identity crisis.
Good for MM!
Esperanza, sounds like you have the major parts in place, anyway.
esperanza definitely gets Elevated Risk of Mullet!!
Yay MM!
Stay safe in all that snow East Coasters. Nothing happening in this part of Middle Earth Canada. It seems I am destined to never have another Snow Day. It's been years. *sigh* The problem is that where I live, a snow day only happens when the depth of snow is ridiculous - otherwise, we make our way through the stuff one way or another and get to work. Oh well.... :)
When I lived in a charming coastal town in the South, there was once maybe 1/4" of snow, and everything shut down. Seriously! Government offices, businesses, everybody went home. And by the time I got home, the snow had stopped.
That is exactly what would happen here, kathy a.
DONE DONE DONE with this big chunk of albatross! There are more pieces in the last section, but definitely seeing the light at the end of the tunnel!
Yay kathy a!!!!!
:) Neighbor Lady
Schools already closed for tomorrow. Last night we had a half inch of snow which caused no fewer than 174 accidents. I am not kidding. The snow was utterly gone by morning. We are now expecting anywhere from 1 to 35 inches. I'm glad our school system made the decision early
Esperanza, painting will make all the difference. Remember, I was able to look like Snape with a moderate application of mascara and eyeshadow (just not used in traditional ways)
Thanks, NL! I'm so so so so happy!! Did I mention that now I'll get paid something? Yay!
Liz, good call on closing the schools already! Fingers crossed for the duration.
Esperanza, the giraffe is totally about a longish neck and the spots, and ears. I should have thought to send the duck-shaped ceramic giraffes from SIL, as an artistic inspiration. (Also I wouldn't mind them being smashed to bits, but that's probably not birthday-party-safe.)
Good thoughts coming your way, Liz, for the snow event.
Glad they decided early!
:) Neighbor Lady
Hooray for Alabatross landings! Yay kathy a!
Enjoy the snow day, Liz.
W: horrible afternoon. It's been this way most every day since Christmas break. Snacks after school take forever. Forever. I might as well just make a meal; I'm considering it. Then Mini does her homework. Then she will not leave me and Sweet alone. I know I've whined about this before. I gave up today. Sweet will not pass her spelling test tomorrow and I can't make myself care very much. We were well past the point of her learning them. Maybe we can try again in the morning, but I'm not going to push it.
((Esperanza))
No suggestions, just hugs
Yay, Kathy! Payment is good!!
((( Esperanza ))) It's OK to give up if the alternative is going to be a mess. But I'm sorry about this dynamic, where Sweet needs extra and Mini is not yet at a place where she can go entertain herself -- not to mention, on top of this big fat week you've had. Seriously, the crayon incident and lice would have been more than enough without extras, like the giraffe and Complication Man and etc. You have earned the SuperWoman t-shirt.
Seriously: a Superwoman t-shirt is needed, after this ridiculous week. And a hug.
Cheering for Kathy, and hoping Liz stays safe in this snow storm. (The incredible number of car accidents after a first snowfall happens here, too! It's like the roads start getting slippery and everyone forgets how to drive.)
AW: the last few days have been a happy kind of busy, and I'm getting closer to being healthy. We've had so many visitors this week, and I've liked it. It might just be the novelty of having a new house, but I like that we have a location and a nice space, that people like to stop by for a visit. (And, thankfully, everyone calls first before they stop by.) This week at least, I'm discovering myself slightly less introverted than I thought I was (so long as I'm at home).
Yay kathy a!!!!!!! WooHoo!!!!
Another hug coming your way, esperanza. What a week you've had...xoxoxoxo
QWP - I'm so glad you're settling in to your new home and enjoying visitors! Yay!
Thank you all for validating my overwhelmed/on the edge of sanity feeling. When you put it all in one place, it is a lot. If I can get through the birthday party, that will be good. I will pause and be thankful that my parents are *not* coming for this birthday party. That would definitely put me right over the edge into nutty land. Mom had her second knee replacement two weeks ago, and is still in a lot of pain. Definitely not able to travel.
QWP, so glad things are easing up for you.
I think another part of it is this: for many MANY years...let me put a number on that...close to ten years, I was highly involved in some youth weekend retreats that take place late January/early February. Though I didn't realize it at the time, they served as a real pick-me-up. I was working with people I enjoyed being with. I haven't been but twice since Sweet was born, but I think that rhythm is still buried deep inside me, and I miss being there on a level that is not entirely conscious. Except now that I've articulated it all, I guess it is conscious! A vestige of pre-kid life that I really, really miss.
QWP, how great you are getting things where they go, and that you love your new house, and that friends are coming to see you!
Esperanza, you don't get much of a break. Can definitely relate to missing people and a regular event that means so much to you.
I am getting a break! There are a lot of days when not that much gets accomplished, and I feel guilty, but today I have a free pass!
It is cool and rainy, and I'm going to make chicken broth; and then chicken soup. And make corn bread, maybe -- there will be bread. And make brownies for my poor daughter, whose poison oak infection keeps getting worse -- which her dad says means it is getting "better," but he is a known liar on this particular topic.
Y'all the giraffe pinata is almost done. And it's pretty cute, if I do say so myself. Photos will be on my book of faces page at some point.
The giraffe is Very Cute! Good job, mama!
That is an awesome giraffe!!!
That's a GREAT giraffe esperanza!!
Esperanza, that giraffe is adorable. Well done, Superwoman.
My heart is hurting for my province's northern communities. There was a school shooting yesterday, and we're all still wrapping our minds around it. The teachers in my life (but especially the ones who have a lot of dealings with province-wide stuff) are ill about it.
Oh, no, QWP. Not the kind of US export you wanted. xoxo
I'm seeing impressive snow photos from some back east friends. One who lives in DC has a little dog -- he had to shovel to get the dog out this morning, and the snow towers over the little guy.
(((QWP)))
Snow blocked the exhaust vent from our downstairs furnace. We cleared it out, but it's still having asthma problems, or maybe a touch of pneumonia. Fortunately, the fan's still working and we have a gas fireplace down there, and a working furnace upstairs, and the whole damned system's under warranty, but it was not a convenient moment for this to happen.
Snow at least 2 feet deep. Measuring 40 inches in drifts. Neighbors cleared our driveway last night with their snow-blower, and this morning you couldn't tell.
It's going to continue falling at least until tomorrow, and I can't see the bank across the street.
In other words, yes, Virginia, this is a blizzard.
Yikes, Liz! Fingers crossed that nothing else happens. That is a heck of a lotta snow.
Looking forward to updates about the giraffe birthday party and the adorable baby kittehs! That's right; I'm living vicariously. ;)
Oh no, Liz! Not a good time to be having furnace issues! I'm glad you still have sources of heat.
AW: you guys, there's a really nice playground, a block and a half away from us, and the park beside it gets turned into a wee skating rink, with warm-up shack, every winter. My in-laws took E to it today, and they are all raving about it. (E is still high on I WENT SKATING WITH GRAMPY excitement.) I love the location of my new home!
Tres exciting, QWP! Yes, good location.
Birthday party update: it's done. No time for picture uploads. Mama has a sermon to write. So does Daddy. We're going to have to change our birthday party times to Saturday at lunch instead of the afternoon.
Across the street neighbor used his mega-huge snow-blower to clear everyone's driveways and sidewalks in the neighborhood, except for the driveway of the other across the street neighbor...the one who had a T@g Gree$on yard sign out during the election. I don't know WHY he didn't do that guy's. I just know I saw that guy out doing his own, and the nice neighbor blowing by.
We baked cookies and made an MVP certificate and button for the nice neighbor.
Go, good neighbor! Such a great idea, giving him a certificate.
Apologies for asking for updates Saturday, from the two pixies who preach on Sunday.
Hope everybody in the snow zone is doing OK!
There isn't a way to share photos in comments, but if anybody has photos they'd like to share in next week's post, send them on! kathy with cats (all together now) at gee mail dot com. The new post will go up tomorrow, but I can add late entries if you are so moved.
Post a Comment