The Hibernator Skips April Entirely and Moves to May

(Pictured is D reading her new Diary of a Wimpy Kid book, with Puck above her and Myra beside her, and M reading his new Minecraft chapter book.)

Hi! I'm Rachel, 39yo homemaker and caretaker of aging parents. I have 2 step-kids: D (9yo) and M (6yo), one biological son IL (5 months old this month). I have three cats: Myra, Puck, Hero. I have one adopted soldier, Daniel, who I write to weekly and send care packages to on a monthly basis. (I started this at the end of April.) D and I also bake cookies for Habitat for Humanity workers. (Started this at the end of April, too.)

2019 books read

1. Grave Peril, by Jim Butcher
2. America's Champion Swimmer, by David A Adler
3. Harry the Dirty Dog, by Gene Zion
4. Brown Bear, Brown Bear What do You See?, by Bill Martin Jr and Eric Carle
5. Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, by Eileen Christelow
6. Clifford Cares, by Normon Bridewell
7. On the Night You Were Born, by Nancy Tillman
8. Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What do You See?, by Bill Martin Jr & Eric Carle
9. Frozen: Melt My Heart
10. Where's Spot, by Eric Hill
11. The Elephant and the Bad Baby, by Elfrida Vipont
12. Tiger in my Soup, by Kashmira Sheath
13. Good Night, Alfie Atkins, by Gunilla Bergstrom
14. Bedtime for Frances, by Russell Hoban
15. The One and Only Ivan, by Katherine Applegate
16. Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne
17. Vote Loki, by Christopher Hastings
18. The Overstory, by Richard Powers
19. Rosie's Walk, by Pat Hutchkins
20. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle
21. The Merchant of Venice, by William Shakespeare
22. Summer Knight, by Jim Butcher
23. Ruins of Gorlan, by John Flanagan
24. Gulliver's Travels, by Jonathan Swift
25. Between the World and Me, by Ta-Nehisi Coates

2019 books read

26. Christopher's Garden, by Elsa Beskow
27. The Wolf, the Duck, & the Mouse, by Mac Barnett
28. Now I Rise, by Kiersten White
29. Snail Mail, by Julia Patton
30. The Tale of Emily Windsnap, by Liz Kessler
31. Madeline, by Ludwig Bemelmans
32. Worst in Show, by William Bee & Kate Hindley
33. Rise of the Earth Dragon, by Tracey West
34. Mrs. Mo's Monster, by Paul Beavis
35. Grandma's Purse, by Vanessa Brantley-Newton
36. Citizen: An American Lyric, by Claudia Rankine
37. Saving the Sun Dragon, by Tracey West
38. Bright We Burn, by Kiersten White
39. Much Ado About Nothing, by William Shakespeare
40. Secret of the Water Dragon, by Tracey West
41. The Burning Bridge, by John Flanagan
42. Emily Windsnap and the Monster from the Deep, by Liz Kessler
43. American Overdose, by Chris McGreal
44. Washington Black, by Esi Edugyan
45. Power of the Fire Dragon, by Tracey West
46. Song of the Poison Dragon, by Tracey West
47. Flight of the Moon Dragon, by Tracey West
48. Search for the Lightning Dragon, by Tracey West
49. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
50. Roar of the Thunder Dragon, by Tracey West

51. Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen
52. Foundation, by Isaac Asimov
53. Death Masks, by Jim Butcher
54. Icebound Land, by John Flanagan
55. The Apothecary's Daughter, by Julie Klassen

In order to increase the variety of fiction books I've read, I modified a list of genres and subgenres off of Wikipedia, and hope to read one of each. (Of course, I will read many of some.) This project started in October 2018, and I try (but will not force myself) to fill as many in as possible by the end of 2019.

Adventure novel (Master and Commander)

Romance - Much Ado About Nothing, by William Shakespeare
Historical romance - The Witch of Willow Hall, by Hester Fox
Contemporary romance

Historical fiction - The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Historical Mystery
Holocaust Novels
Prehistoric fiction

Literary fiction (Room)

Mathematical fiction (Flatland)

Metafiction

Slave narrative - Washington Black, by Esi Edugyan

Occupational Fiction

Political fiction - Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley

Pulp fiction

Christian fiction
Christian science fiction / fantasy
Contemporary Christian fiction
Historical Christian Fiction - Apothecary's Daughter, byJulie Klassen

Islamic fiction

Jewish fiction

Saga - The Conqueror's Saga, by Kiersten White

Fantasy
Epic / high fantasy
Ancient history fantasy
Medieval fantasy - The Ranger's Apprentice, by John Flannagan (series incomplete)
Low fantasy - The One and Only Ivan, by Katherine Applegate
Urban fantasy
Paranormal romance
Comic fantasy - Gulliver's Travels, by Jonathan Swift
Contemporary fantasy - The Tale of Emily Windsnap, by Liz Kessler (series incomplete)
Dark fantasy
Magic realism
Retelling myth/fairy tale
Superhero fantasy - Black Panther: Nation Under Our Feet, by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Horror The Wasp Factory, by Iain Banks

Supernatural / paranormal
Ghost story
Monster literature
Vampire fiction
Werewolf fiction
Occult detective - Dresden Files (series incomplete)

Science fiction - Foundation, by Isaac Asimov
Alien invasion (Dawn)
Post-apocalyptic – The Passage (series incomplete), by Justin Cronin
Cyberpunk
Biopunk (MaddAdam Triligy)
Steampunk
Dystopian
Hard science fiction
Military science fiction
Parallel universe, aka alternative universe -
Alternative history - (Library of Alexandria)
Space opera

Speculative cross-genre fiction
Climate fiction (cli-fi) - The Overstory, by Richard Powers
Slipstream
Weird fiction

Suspense fiction
Crime fiction
Detective fiction
Mystery fiction

Thriller
Legal thriller
Medical thriller
Political thriller
Spy fiction
Psychological thriller
Techno-thriller

Urban fiction

Westerns

Women’s fiction

LGBT fiction

I very likely won't finish the POPSUGAR Challenge, but here is an idea of what I will attempt to read for it:

1. A book becoming a movie in 2019 - Chaos Walking (series)
2. A book that makes you nostalgic - Pride and Prejudice
3. A book written by a musician - My New Teacher and Me
4. A Book that should be turned into a movie - Ranger's Apprentice series
5. A Book with at least one million ratings on Goodreads - Brave New World

6. A Book with a plant in the title or cover - The One and Only Ivan
7. A reread of a favorite book - Pride and Prejudice
8. A book about a hobby - Furiously Happy
9. A book you meant to read in 2018 - The Scarlet Letter
10. A book with "pop," "sugar," or "challenge" in the title - High Price: A Neuroscientist's Journey of Self-Discovery That Challenges Everything You Know About Drugs and Society

11. A Book with an item of clothing on the cover: Scythe
12. A book inspired by mythology, legend, or folklore - I Am Risen, by Kiersten White
13. A book published posthumously - Wives and Daughters
14. A book you see someone reading on a TV or a movie - Pride and Prejudice
16. A book with a question in the title - Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do?
17. A book set on a college or university campus - Magicians
18. A book about someone with a superpower - Steelheart
19. A book told from multiple POV - Overstory
20. A book set in space - Binti

21. A book by two female authors - Magesterium series
22. A book with a title that contains "salty" "sweet" "bitter" or "spicy" - Salt: A World History
23. A book set in Scandinavia - A Man Called Ove
24. A book that takes place in a single day - Comedy of Errors
25. A debut novel - A Man Called Ove

26. A book that's published in 2019 - Any of my NetGalley books published in 2019
27. A book featuring an extinct or imaginary creature - Dresden Files (series)
28. A book recommended by a celebrity you admire - Between the World and Me
29. A book with "love" in the title - Love's Labor Lost
30. A book featuring an amateur detective - The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

31. A book about a family -
32. A book written by an author from Asia, Africa, or South America - Stay With Me
33.A book with a zodiac sign or astrology term in the title - The Breakthrough
34. A book that includes a wedding - Apothecary's Daughter
35.A book by an author whose first and last names start with the same letter - Washington Black

36. A ghost story - Infidel: Other challenges Mt TBR
37. A book with a two word title - Gulliver's Travels
38. A novel based on a true story - Alias Grace
39. A book revolving around a puzzle or game - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
40. freebie

ADVANCED

41. Choose Your Own Adventure - I'll find one
42. "own voices" book - Between the World and Me, by Ta-Nehisi Coates
43. Read a book during the season it is set in
44. A LitRPG book
45. Unconventionally named or numbered or chapterless book - Gulliver's Travels, by Jonathan Swift
46. Two books that share the same name - Feed
47. A Book that has inspired a common phrase or idiom - Merchant of Venice
48. Book set in an abbey, cloister, monastary, vicarage, or convent - Name of the Rose

Open thread!

So, good day yesterday despite the missed walk. I got a lot done - though not necessarily what I expected to get done. M was accepted into a program to help with his depression, and he will start on April 30th. It really complicated the schedule, as I'll have to drive him a half hour each way, so a total of two hours of driving a day. But I guess that means I get lots of audiobook listened to! However, it also means that there were a lot of events I had to reschedule - like swim lessons for both kids (different places) and doctor's appointments for me, my parents, and the kids - or cancel - all off M's therapy sessions and psychiatrist appointments. It took me about 2 hours to sort it all out. But now I think we're good to go for the summer! I don't know how long M will stay in the program - it's 4-8 weeks - but he'll be out before his summer camps!

Today will be another busy day. I was supposed to take a fasting blood draw this morning, but just realized that I've already started my diet soda. I'll take IL in for his thyroid hormone level check, anyway. Then, I'll drop by the post office and see what kind of postage is required to send a heavy letter to Daniel, my adopted soldier. He's in the Middle East somewhere. After that, I'll clean my parent's house, take mom to the library, bake cookies with D for Habitat for Humanity, and give plasma (if they'll take it this time).

So, busy day!

Happy new thread, Rachel!

Glad to hear that M's been accepted in the program, glad you see all the juggling and driving as an opportunity to listen to more audiobooks! That's the only thing I miss about being retired. I used to have 1 1/2 hours every work day to listen to audiobooks, now if I drive 50 miles a week it's a big deal.

Happy new thread! Sounds like a lot of good news -- I'm glad things are going well.

Happy new thread :)

Hopefully, you find some time during the day to relax a little :)

Happy new thread, Rachel. Audiobooks sound like a good idea for you with your crazy schedule.

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread Rachel.

Happy new thread, Rachel!

I hope the program will work out for M.

Happy new one Rachel. Fingers crossed that the therapy works well.

>8 karenmarie: Hi Karen! I miss being able to listen to audiobooks on drives as well. I never minded a long commute because I always had my audiobooks with me.

>9 foggidawn: Thanks foggi! I'm glad things are going well, too! :)

>10 figsfromthistle: Hi Anita! I didn't get much relaxing done yesterday, unfortunately. But I didn't end up donating plasma, either. The kids were being little terrors - all three of them. At one point, all three were crying at the SAME TIME. D made M cry, M made D cry, and IL is teething (we think). Plus, I started feeling a little woozy. Today, I have a cold, so that is what was going on last night, I guess. I will probably rest today.

>11 BLBera: Hi Beth! Yes, I love audiobooks. I'm glad I'll be able to listen to them more regularly now, even if it means a lot more work transporting M around. :)

>12 drneutron: Thanks Jim!

>13 fairywings: Thanks Adrienne!

>14 FAMeulstee: Thanks Anita! I think it will. He seems to actually be pulling out of the depression a bit. He WAS crying yesterday, but to be honest, that was mostly D being a little terror. He seemed much more energetic and cheerful lately. He even TOLD me this morning "I feel so much more energy lately! It must be my food!" I asked him how long he was feeling energetic, and he said about a week. So maybe the meds are kicking in. I hate to have a kid his age on depression meds, but if they pull him out of this terrible funk, I'm happy with them! :D

>15 charl08: Thanks Charlotte! As I said to Anita, I think the meds are kicking in, so he may be snapping out of it already.

Well, I got everything done yesterday that I planned except for the plasma donation! Yay! The plasma donation got cancelled because I wasn't feeling well, which I attributed to the fact that all three kids were being little terrors. All three of them were crying at the same time for a little while. But it was mostly IL teething and D being a jerk to M. It's her depression. Usually the misbehavior goes the other direction. However, it turns out that I was coming down with something, so it's best I didn't go anyway.

I've decided donating plasma isn't a good way to get extra cash. I need something more reliable. Like a job. lol. Sadly, it's hard to find a job that's just a few hours a week and allows me to work around my own crazy schedule. I'm thinking of a direct support professional job, where I can pick my own hours. There is also a newspaper delivery job in my area. I could listen to audiobooks on the newspaper job, so that's a plus. :) I'll probably spend some time today applying to jobs, since I will be hunkered down not doing many activities due to my cold.

Hopefully I can get some reading in today, if IL will let me.

Anyway, yesterday D baked her first batch of cookies for Habitat for Humanity! AND IL said his first word. It was "poop." Pure imitation, but still. He said it clear as day. I asked him "did you poop?" and he looked me right in the eye and said "pooooooop." with a little popping p at the end. He tried HARD to say that word correctly. I was laughing so hard.

First word, 'poop'. Not traditional but right to the point. Good for IL! Congrats to D on her first batch of cookies.

I hope you do get some reading in, today, Rachel. And take care of yourself, too.

>18 karenmarie: Hi Karen, I didn't fit in much reading, as I spent some downtime sleeping (IL actually cooperated by taking a long nap) and some watching Netflix. Technically, we have a no-screens-till-he's-3 rule. But I broke it because I had a massive headache and figured that it would help distract him from the teething when nothing else seems to. I feel a little guilty, but as long as I don't make a habit out of it, I think he'll be fine.

Feeling much better today. Have a slight headache, but the rest of the symptoms are gone. I will work on getting the house clean, and probably still resting a bit as well. I cancelled all my plans with the assumption that I would still not be feeling well, so now that I'm feeling ok, I guess things are good.

Finding the right part time job seems to be more difficult than I expected. One day, and still no job. lol. I was turned down for the newspaper job because I lived on the wrong side of Eagan. lol! Like, I had to drive an extra 10 minutes to get to the depot, and he didn't approve of me wasting that gas because he'd spend a bunch of time training me and then lose me to the other depot. lol.

There's another newspaper delivery place that wants to interview me on Monday, though, so that's still an option. I just don't know if they have routes in my area. I'll ask before I drive all the way out there.

I also applied to quite a few caregiver jobs. Most of them do not have the availability that matches with mine. I need it to be SOME (not all) weekends, and between 6pm and 6am during the day. So, it's difficult. I have one job that looks promising, but they have not replied to my application, yet.

Well, I got a job interview that I'm excited about! It's a caretaker/companion job with an 85 year old woman. From the back and forth, it sounds like they will be pretty open to working with the schedule I have available, which is why it's exciting. I thought I was going to really have to push the limits of my availability to get a part time job.

On some bad news, Aaron fell down the stairs yesterday and hurt his foot. We packed the whole family into the car and drove to Urgent Care. Fun stuff! Luckily, nothing is broken, and the ligament that he tore won't need to be fixed surgically "most likely," because he's not an athlete. That probably kills the walking marathon, though. At least for him. That means I'll really have to try hard to stay motivated myself. The diet motivation died with all the stress with M. I'll have to start again. :(

I've been trying to listen to Pride and Prejudice fast enough to get Foundation started and finished before the first Saturday of the month (one week from today), and I only have 1.5 hours left. Wish me luck!

Sorry to hear about Aaron falling, glad to hear about the part time job opportunity.

Good luck getting Foundation in before the end of the month, too.

>22 karenmarie: Thanks Karen! Still working on Pride and Prejudice, lol. I'm just not doing a good job of reading right now. But it'll get easier once I'm driving back and forth from Woodbury to drop off and pick up M from his program. That starts on Tuesday, so I think I'll have no difficulty finishing Foundation. That's 8 hours of listening right there. The rest can happen while I'm cleaning the house or going on walks.

My interview went well! I really don't see any reason they wouldn't hire me, as it's hard to find good employees these days for jobs like this. College students can be unreliable these days. Maybe they always were? I don't know. Obviously, there are some responsible ones - I like to think I was responsible in college. But who knows?

Had a great playdate with D's friend's mom yesterday. The kids had fun, too. :) I think I've found a new friend! It will be nice to know someone who drinks, but doesn't pound back Long Islands, lol. She likes breweries!

I'll try to get some reading done today, but right now I need to go through my list of things to do AGAIN. I didn't get as much done this weekend as expected, and I have to figure out how to fit in all in during the week.

Hi Rachel! Hope the job works out for you, and good luck on the reading.

>25 banjo123: Thanks Rhonda!

I finished Pride and Prejudice - my first book in quite a long time. :) Yay! I am confident I can finish Foundation by the time I have my book club on Saturday. We chose The Knife of Never Letting Go as our next book, and that will have to take the place of Black Leopard, Red Wolf as my next book once I finish Icebound Land.

Yay for finishing a book when you've been stuck a while, Rachel.

Happy slightly belated new thread.

Foundation is such a fun book with snappy interesting characters.

Hard to read without jumping right into Foundation and Empire and then Second Foundation.

But Stop there. And enjoy!

>28 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul! I know! It's great to finish a book finally. :) I'm well on my way into Foundation, even though I just started it.

>29 magicians_nephew: Hi Jim! I'm certainly enjoying Foundation, though I'm afraid I'll have to wait to finish the trilogy until I have the other two books, which won't happen next month. But I certainly plan on reading them!

No wonder you've been so quiet. You moved and I didn't pay enough attention! Well, here I am, in the top 40 at least.

The craziness that is life with kids rolls on. I'm sending virtual hugs.

Sorry to hear about Aaron. I hope his injury clears up quickly. Best of luck with the potential new job I'd agree, perhaps the young folks are a little lazy. I'm kind of loathe to say such a thing, but I've been shopping for a new I phone as my old one has run out of memory. I was surprised that in two stores that sold Iphones, there were two sales assistants in each store , chatting to each other and they could barely give me the time of day. I began to wonder, do I look too old to operate an Iphone?

Hugs to you and yours.

>31 richardderus: Hi Richard! Thanks for the hugs! I need them with all this stress. :)

>32 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb! Aaron seems to be doing a lot better today - the ankle looks worse than it feels, apparently. I am excited about having a part time job that will give us a little spare spending money. We have enough for the basics, but it's nice to be able to go out on dates - which means expensive babysitters!

Yeah, I hate to suggest that young people are just lazy these days - it's possible they just don't have the same values as I do. They find jobs to be dispensable, perhaps? I ran into the same problem in a make-up store a couple months ago. I was trying to catch the attention of one of the two employees, but they were just chatting away about non-work stuff. Then they looked really annoyed when I just walked up and interrupted.

Happy New Thread, Rachel!

I love the photo up top of the kids reading.

How great that you adopted the soldier Daniel. What a kind-hearted thing to do. And you’re doing so much to help M. You remind of our gold-hearted SIL, who my wife says will have a seat right next to God when she goes. I suspect there’ll be good seating waiting for you, too. :-)

>34 jnwelch: Thanks Joe! That's no nice of you to say! :) I love the picture of D and M reading too. It's pretty cute, isn't it?

Well, good news and bad news. Good news is I still have a head. Bad news is that I don't have a side-view mirror. A truck threw something at me and knocked it off. I didn't even have time to panic, let alone dangerously swerve on the wet pavement and die a fiery death. Good thing, too, as I had IL and M in the car with me.

M had his intake at the program today, and that went fairly well. There was a misunderstanding, and he didn't say goodbye to all his friends yesterday, so I dropped him off at school after the intake, which was almost 1pm. I think he was hoping I'd just let him go home - he kept hinting that school was almost out for the day.

On the agenda for the rest of the day: laundry. I was going to help Deirdre cook peanut brittle for Habitat for Humanity, but alas, I was unable to go shopping because I needed to figure out what to do about the side-view mirror and now it's too late to leave and get back before the kids do. So, laundry it is. :)

I agree, a very lovely picture of D and M reading! Oh dear about the side mirror and the truck. I'm glad that there was not further damage, but still , replacing a side window is expensive. And yes, My Sister the Serial Killer is on the Womens Fiction Prize short list. It's a short and dark but fun read. Maybe next time for your book club.

>37 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb! Yes, it will be expensive to fix, but it's lucky there's no further (or worse!) damage. The scary thing is that IL wasn't properly buckled in! We had been at M's intake meeting and IL had been sitting, unbuckled, in his carseat sleeping. Aaron just picked him up and plunked him in the car, and neither of us thought to check to see if he was buckled. That was a little disconcerting! He's fine, though, and so are Malcolm and I.

Hi everyone! Today is M's first day at his program. So lots of driving for me. But that means lots of audiobook. I also need to clean my parents' house, take mom to the library, take both of them to their lawyer to sign off on me being power of attorney, and take them both grocery shopping. I need to fit in my own grocery shopping, too, because I'm almost out of formula, but I will have to do that separately because their shop doesn't have formula!!! After all that, the kids have swim lessons. Which, oh, by the way their swim suits need to be washed!!! Oh, I also need to call D's teacher because she's apparently backsliding in school.

Wow. I feel stressed out when I say it that way. But I'll get it all done. :) I hope.

Still listening to Foundation, reading Icebound Land and The Complete IEP Guide. Also started a Serial Reader book: Wives and Daughters. At least I'm making progress on that and the audiobook, even if I'm not on the other two.

Morning, Rachel. Happy New Thread. I am a bit late on that greeting. Good luck with all your tasks.

Rain for days here. Getting pretty tiresome.

I'm so glad the only result was a broken side mirror, Rachel!

Your day sounds more than busy, but at least you'll have audiobook time. You take care of everybody so well, make sure you take care of Rachel too.

>40 msf59: Hi Mark! It's been raining here, too, but that's better than snow. :) Of course, I don't have to go out walking in it like you.

>41 karenmarie: Yeah, Karen, I got lots of Foundation read. I'm confident I will finish it by the book club date (Saturday). I'm trying to take care of me! But it's hard with all this other stuff going on.

Hi all! M's first day at the program went well. We went to Buffalo Wild Wings after swim lessons to celebrate a good first day. While there, Malcolm actually expressed interest in joining a soccer team. He hates physical activity, so this was shocking. Aaron suggested to me that he didn't actually know what soccer was, but I asked if he liked being goalie, and he said yes, because then he can hold the ball. It's too late to sign him up for this summer's soccer team, but I can sign him up in the fall. I think it would be great if he were more physically active. He does swim lessons, but a lot of that is watching the other kids be instructed.

Anyway, apparently I was supposed to sign him up for soccer in January?! Soccer moms are serious.

Today I have an interview with a quadriplegic man to be his PCA in the evenings. It's not a glorious job, but it's a way to earn a little extra cash. I'm still hoping for the caregiver/companion job I interviewed for over the weekend, but they haven't gotten back to me. I'm going to give them another few days (though the weekend) before I start looking for weekend jobs again.

>43 The_Hibernator: The life of a parent in these too-busy times! January?! Maybe the local Y has a summer program he could start in?

Not that you need more research to do.

>44 richardderus: Hi Richard! Thanks for the idea. I looked into the Y, but they require a family membership, which we can't afford. The reason I'm applying to part time jobs is to get spare money for this kind of thing, but if I make over an arbitrary amount of money, I'll lose Medical Assistance for the kids, making the job a waste of time. grrrr

Well, the interview went well yesterday. The hours are perfect - they'll let me work after Aaron gets home from work, but still get enough sleep to make it through till it's time to feed the kids. I was hoping to get another interview with a man who lives much closer to me and has the same hours, but he's not very responsive. Probably because he's a quadriplegic and doesn't make it to the computer easily to answer emails, lol. We'll see if he's able to squeeze me in. I like the guy I interviewed with yesterday because he is understanding of my vacation desires. I don't know how understanding this other guy will be.

On top of vacation, I'll probably have to schedule in vacations during finals weeks or something like that just to keep the amount of money I make for the year under $6000. lol. Can't lose that government assistance, or I'd be losing more money than I'd be making when I work. Kinda defeats the purpose.

I've never been on government assistance before, but I can now see why it's such a trap. They should do a sliding scale of assistance loss, rather than a black and white line drawn at an arbitrary point. If I didn't have SO much to lose, I wouldn't be so cautious.

Still working on Foundation. Haven't been sitting down to read lately, but at least I have the audiobooks!

>46 The_Hibernator: I am deeply familiar with your income problem...my cut-off is $2000 a year or I lose my home. People wonder why I don't have a bank account....

We have the same problem helping a nephew on SSI. Over $2000, he loses benefits that month. Mrsdrneutron is right now filling out an appeal form because two checks she wrote in December weren’t cashed until mid-January, which caused his balance to be too high when they did a verification with the bank on January 1.

>46 The_Hibernator: >47 richardderus: >48 drneutron: Wow, Definitely sounds like something needs to be done about this issue. I also realize how hard it is to move the government. I wonder if there are any grass-roots type movements working on legislators? I'd be glad to help if so.

>47 richardderus: >48 drneutron: >49 streamsong: Yes, something needs to be done about this issue, but I'm not sure what. We finally gave up and realized that I simply couldn't take a job without going over, so I took a couple of PCA jobs in the evenings (So I'm booked all evenings) and we'll deal with the loss of benefits next year. Hopefully by then the kids won't need as much therapy, and IL will be out of his first year of doctor appointments.

Regardless, no one should feel trapped like half of the work they're doing will not accomplish anything because they'll lose healthcare help!

Well, I'm doing well. I ALMOST finished Foundation in time. :) I'll just finish it really quick, and move on to Jane Austen Book Club. I don't read a lot of women's fiction, so this should be a nice light fling.

I'm really on here to post a few pictures.

>51 The_Hibernator: Great pics! Looks like you were all having a great time :)

>51 The_Hibernator: Ha! Adorable smiles and happy faces are delightful ways to be greeted in a thread.

>52 figsfromthistle: >53 richardderus: Thanks figs and Richard

Finished Foundation! Review upcoming. Starting Jane Austen Book Club.

Today is exciting. I'm going to have lunch with my best friend Liz. Olive Garden! Plus, I'm going on a real date with Aaron with a babysitter and everything. We'll be going to dinner and a cider brewery.

How in the world did I lose your thread? Bad Morphy. No cookie!

Lunch and a dinner date? How exciting! I adore Olive Garden and will have to nudge my friend, P, who brings me lunch from there every month or two. It's been awhile. I always get the same thing Steak Gorgonzola Alfredo but they changed it to some other type of (cheap) meat recently. Over 10 years of getting the same thing and now I have to pick something new. Waaaaa! It's actually okay. They have some new things on the menu and I wanted to try the giant stuffed shells anyway. What do you like?

Hi Morphy! Our dinner and brewery date went really great. I ended up wanting a salad for dinner because the Olive Garden was too heavy to let me want to eat much of anything else. (I generally eat Seafood Alfredo). The cider brewery was new to us, and I really enjoyed the cider there. Aaron is a cider and not a beer drinker, so we may make it a regular haunt for inexpensive dates.

Today is Mother's Day, and Aaron is grilling for all of us, including my parents, my two nephews, and my niece. At least that's our plan right now. Aaron is stressed out because he left his phone at M's chess club. I called the location, and the guy there is looking for it. Hopefully he finds it! But someone is going to have to drive way out there (half hour drive) to get it.

Happy Mother's Day to an awesome mom! I know how much you care for those kids of yours.

And I hope that "someone" isn't you!

It's really crazy that the benefits cut off abruptly rather than having a sliding scale! Who comes up with these things?

happy mother's day!

>58 Morphidae: No, Aaron picked the phone up himself, Morphy.

>59 _Zoe_: I agree, Zoe! Making this trap for people just pushes them into poverty and makes them dependent upon government assistance.

>60 banjo123: Thanks Rhonda!

Happy belated new thread, Rachel! Lots of great pics!! Happy belated mom's day too. Shwew! That was a close call with that truck. Scary and glad you escaped a disaster.

Love the pictures! Looks like you had a great time at the BBQ.

>62 The_Hibernator: Looks like you had a fine Mother's Day weekend, Rachel. Looks like a perfect day.

>62 The_Hibernator: What a great Mother's day weekend!

Hi Rachel!

Dates, Mother's Day, nice pics. I'm glad to hear that there are some bright spots.

Hope you had a great Mother's Day!

Looks like a great Mother's Day! Hope you're having a wonderful weekend.

>63 Carmenere: >64 Morphidae: >65 msf59: Thanks Lynda, Morphy, Mark, figs, Karen, Chelle, and Mary!

I hope you have all had a great Mother's Day and following week!

Hi everyone! Today I start my new job in the evenings. Which means I'll have even less time to read. I'm going to have to switch entirely to audiobook for the time being - though at least I should still have a reasonable amount of listening time. I'll probably have more reading time in a few years when IL is in school. lol. I also probably won't be able to come by your threads except on the weekends, but I'll set aside a time then to do so. :)

Right now, I'm listening to Dead Beat while kids aren't in the car on their tablets while secretly listening, and Radium Girls when they are.

Good luck with the new job, Rachel!

>51 The_Hibernator: Love those silly photos!! And the Happy Mother's Day ones too. : ) With all you do, you certainly deserved to be pampered a little. Good luck with the new job--so far so good?

I like the two options for the audio switch-out. ; ) Take care of yourself.

Fun pictures Rachel. Wishing you well for the new job.

Hi Rachel, dropping off a hug for the start of the weekend. Hoping you're adjusting to the new scheduling demands.

Hi Rachel! Miss seeing you around here - I hope things are going well for you.

hope the new job is going well!

Hope everything is going well with the new job.
I'm looking forward to reading your thoughts on The Radium Girls when you're done with it. I bought it a couple of years ago but haven't got around to it yet.

>72 karenmarie: >76 karenmarie: Thanks Karen! Things are going well, but very busy. I have a little time today, so I'll try to get around the threads, but only if IL cooperates. :)

>73 Berly: Hi Kim! Funny thing is, I actually finished a paper-copy book yesterday! I have some spare time in one of my jobs when the man I work with is watching TV and doesn't need much attention besides channel changes and fast-forwarding through commercials. :) The jobs are going well.

Ok, IL started crying and I can't type well while holding him. I'll finish up later. :)

He stopped crying. :)

>74 charl08: Thanks Charlotte, >75 richardderus: Richard, >77 banjo123: Rhonda, and >78 PawsforThought: Paws. I will finish Radium Girls this week with any luck.

Hi Rachel! IL is much more important! Babies don't keep, but Lt will.

I'm glad you're enjoying your new jobs.

What a teaser! Not fair to say you finished a book and not say what it was ...

Hi everyone! My new jobs are going well. I work for two different quadriplegic people, 6 days a week. I'm enjoying the job because patient care really fits my personality. And the extra money is nice. The lack of reading time isn't, but I guess that was happening anyway!

Nothing really new to report about the family. D and M will be out of school this week, and it'll be nice to not have to drive 2 hours every day to get M to his program (though I'll miss the audiobook time). IL is ALMOST crawling and ALMOST sitting. He creeps very fast and can raise himself on his hands and knees, but he hasn't successfully moved forward while crawling. He can also sit up with one hand planted on the floor for support.

I am excited for the summer because we have pool passes and will be working on scrapbooks for the kids. I have a lot of work to do before the kids are able to work on theirs, though. I need to pick out pictures and get them printed off. I'll have to prioritize that over cleaning. I think I can do that while holding the baby, because I can sort of type with one hand, and it won't require much typing.

I have finished two books, one of them an actual physical book. The first is Dead Beat, by Jim Butcher. The physical book was Icebound Land, by John Flanagan. As I told Kim above, I am actually able to read while at one of my clients' jobs because he watches a lot of TV and only requires me to change the channel for about 2 hours every night. I am currently listening to Radium Girls, by Kate Moore and reading The Apothecary's Daughter, by Julie Klassen.

IL is currently creeping around under the table, so I'll try to get to some of your threads. Don't be hurt if I don't get to yours, as I don't know when he'll suddenly need to be picked up again.

>81 streamsong: Hi Janet! As you can see, we cross-posted and I said what book I read. :)

Ok, baby's crying again...If I didn't get to your thread, I'll try again next time he lets me put him down.

It's good to see you posting. And that you finished Icebound Land! I'm enjoying the Ranger's Apprentice series. I'll be reading number five this month, The Sorcerer in the North and most likely the sixth, The Siege Of Macindaw as @FAMeulstee says the fifth ends in a cliffhanger.

I know what the "L" stands for in IL but what about the "I"? I'm sure you told me and I should know...

His first name is Ian, Morphy. We couldn't find a middle name that flowed well with Loki, so we named him Ian Loki. :)

Hope your enjoying The Apothecary's Daughter Rachel, I listened to it recently and really enjoyed it.

>87 fairywings: Thanks Adrienne! I am enjoying it. She's a good writer, and she's from Minnesota, so I've met her.

Hi all! Yesterday wasn't a bad day since I managed to get in a walk and was in a fairly good mood. However, my mom got a new diagnosis. She now (in theory) has PSP dementia rather than Alzheimer's. It is a rare form of dementia that also affects movements. It's similar to Parkinson's. I am a little skeptical that she has such a rare form of dementia since she has Alzheimer's on both sides of the family and PSP is not generally genetic. However, I took her to her neurologist because she was having tremors, sometimes very bad tremors, and the doctor decided to check for the ability to track with her eyes. She was unable to track left or up at all. That is a hallmark sign of PSP. The doctor suggested physical therapy since PSP causes falls. I told her that she's only had one fall recently, but when I talked to dad about that particular fall, he couldn't remember what I was talking about because "she falls so often, I can't keep them apart." Why didn't he tell me that? Of course, he thinks it's fainting, rather than falling, and therefore not an issue for her neurologist. But since I am the one taking care of her doctors appointments, you'd think he'd tell me. I was pretty frustrated with him, but I also need to remember that his memory is failing him as well, and he may not be accurately portraying the symptoms even now. It's frustrating not to know how often she really falls. Anyway, now I have to take her in for a CT scan today and a physical therapy appointment once a week. I'm never going to get the house clean or another book read .

Well, I'm thinking PSP dementia is looking less likely for mom. When I got her CT results back, it turned out they see what they think is a mass in her brain. I'm working on scheduling an MRI so they can get a more clear look at it and decide for sure.

Anyway, still slowly chugging along on Radium Girls and Apothecary's Daughter. They're both really good so far. :)

>90 The_Hibernator: Oh, no. I'm sorry to hear about your mother's CT result. I pray that the MRI reading isn't worrisome.

>91 kidzdoc: Thanks Darryl! After much hemming and hawing about mom's pacemaker, they have finally scheduled the MRI on Friday. I'm hoping the results will be more positive.

Thinking about you, Rachel, and hoping that you're doing well juggling everything.

Now that I'm not driving M to his program and back all the time, I have not had as much time to listen to audiobooks. However, I'm moving forward much more quickly than imagined on Apothecary's Daughter. I am confused by so many potential love interests, though I am enjoying the story quite a bit.

I have a funny story about M. Two days ago, I found two pairs of undies SOAKED with urine at the bottom of his hamper. I checked his bed - no pee there. I was worried that twice in a short period of time he could have peed himself, especially when it was obviously a full void of the bladder and not just a little oopsie. I talked to both his parents, and we all agreed to talk to his pediatrician about it. (He's going to see him about a wart on his foot today anyway.) M insisted that he did not remember peeing himself or the bed. Yesterday, he was doing a "need to potty" dance in the car, and when Aaron said "should we pull over," M answered "no. I've never peed anywhere except in the toilet and in the hamper." I'm like "Wait. You peed in your hamper?!" He had thought I must have figured out how the undies got soaked in urine, and didn't think he was admitting anything new. It was so hard not to laugh and to sternly tell him not to do that again.

>93 karenmarie: Thanks Karen! I'm pretty stressed, but doing ok. :)

Hi all! Today is a "day off" in that I have no scheduled activities until I work in the evening. I am torn between taking the kids to the library, scrapbook shopping, and the pool or taking them strawberry picking. It's beautiful out.

I can't wait till I have a better idea what's going on with mom. Does she have a mass or not? We'll find out Friday. I find myself wanting to talk about it, but do no see my husband during the week much and my dad is in total denial - calling the neurologist a quack who's just trying to get money out of us. Guess that's his coping strategy, but it's upsetting to me. Instead, I have been brooding about it. I remembered that my grandfather had died of brain cancer (I think) and it's possible my mom's sister did too. So now I'm really stressed out. Hopefully I'm mis-remembering due to stress. They both died youngish, and I never met either. Hopefully this resolves itself before I brood myself into a funk.

>96 The_Hibernator: Sorry to read the medical news, Rachel. I've found it really hard waiting for news about my parents' health, so completely sympathise. I think my siblings think I worry too much, but hard not to leap to "what would I do if x happened?"

>97 charl08: Yes, exactly Charlotte! I feel better with a plan of action, and so hashing things out makes me feel better. People who don't deal with stress like that tend to be stressed by my talking and planning. But if I can deal with dad's denial as HIS coping mechanism, they should deal with my coping strategies too.

Sorry about all the worry, Rachel. I worry and brood, too, so relate completely. Only time 'fixes' it.

Strawberry picking is fresh air, sunshine, and the prospect of strawberry shortcake.... just sayin'. *smile*

>99 karenmarie: Hi Karen! I was leaning towards the strawberries, but it turns out the season has been delayed because of the cold weather. Another day, perhaps.

Hi Rachel;

I'm sorry to read about the uncertainty with your Mom. Hopefully you'll get some answers soon after Friday's test. Parents' healthcare is so worrisome.

I would have voted strawberries, too! But a day at the pool sounds good to get some fresh air and sunshine and enjoy the all-too-short summer.

I'm a master at worrying and brooding too. You have so much on your plate and you seem to cope so well. Amazing, Rachel. Sorry for all of the worry for your mom. Uncertainty is the worst.

Too bad about the late strawberries, Rachel. It is strawberry season here. Your life is so busy, you don't need any more worries. I hope that your mom's MRI results are good.

Morning, Rachel. Happy Saturday. Sorry, that you have to deal with issues, with the folks. I am wishing for the best outcome. Miss seeing you around.

Hoping for the best news with your mom.

Thanks to everyone hoping for the best. I guess the news was better than expected, so that's good. She DOES have a mass, but it is a buildup of amyloid protein in the blood vessels in her brain. So, better than a tumor, but still not good. Apparently the buildup can increase likelihood of bleeding in the brain. The doctor emailed me on Saturday morning, so I didn't get much of an explanation other than that. And the internet isn't really that helpful. One site says "Prognosis is not good" but what is that supposed to mean? Regardless, it's not something above and beyond her Alzheimer's disease - it is because of the disease - so it doesn't feel quite as concerning as a tumor.

Not surprisingly, I didn't get much read over the past week. But I did watch Good Omens with Aaron and my friend Liz. Loved it.

Hi Rachel!

I'm sorry about your mother's 'mass'. Not a tumor, but not good either. You may have mentioned it before, but how old are your parents?

Several people have mentioned Good Omens, but I read your post yesterday afternoon and since Bill and I had just finished In Plain Sight, we startd watching. We both love it. I didn't realize David Tennant was in it.

>107 karenmarie: Hi Karen! Glad you're enjoying Good Omens! I had to watch when I realized Tennant was in it.

Well, D's in swim lessons right now, so I'm typing on the phone. She was disappointed to be moved down a level on her first day yesterday, partly because she has to pass the higher level in order to get on the swim team next school year. I'm hoping she'll pass the lower level on the first try, and move on to the higher level in June. She is beyond that level in skill, but was intimidated by the deep water and bigger pool than her private lessons.

We were going to give her two chances to pass the higher level, so I had to sign her up for a third two week session in hopes that she'll make the team.

I'm spending the first half of this week cleaning the house - my mother in law is coming to town for a few days.

Thursday I will clean my parents' house, and Friday I'll go to a funeral for my friend's grandpa, and then go through the kids' first three years photos for their first ever scrapbooks. They are excited.

Yes, I plan my activities that far in advance. :)

Tennant and Michael Sheen were so much fun in Good Omens! I just finished the series, and enjoyed it. They were perfect picks for the leads. Just watching Tennant walk as Crowley made me laugh.

>110 jnwelch: Hi Joe! I loved Crowley's walk too. 🤣😂

Reading 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear with Aaron now.

IL is sitting, crawling, and pulling himself up on furniture now.

D is kicking butt in swim lessons and is excited to swim the English Channel.

M is doing much better.

I have high hopes for Cory Booker.

I didn't watch the Democratic presidential debate last night, but NBC News posted a five hour video of it on YouTube, with the third and fourth hour being the actual debate itself, running from roughly 2:00:00 to 4:00:00. I'll watch it over the remainder of this week.

https://youtu.be/vJ6MrDO0kgY

>113 kidzdoc: Hi Darryl! I was unable to watch the debate due to work, but I was able to watch NBC's live blog on the subject, as well as a surprisingly informative Twitter feed and some late-night comedy news shows which gave new opinions, but no new information. I will read the NYT debate analysis too. My impression is that Warren and Castro stood out the most. Booker spoke the most words, and gave a nasty look to Beto for breaking out into Spanish. 🤷‍♀️I like his policies, but I don't need the guy that spoke the most words without, apparently, actually standing out. Thanks for the link. I may watch the debate over the weekend.

Morning, Rachel. Sweet Thursday. Obviously, I have not had time to visit any threads, while on my whirlwind trip, so I will have to play catch-up, over the next few days. It was sure nice spending quality time with some LTers. A bonus, on any trip. I hope things are going well and thanks for keeping my thread warm.

Hi Mark! There's not much to catch up on my thread. I haven't finished any books recently. Boo! I had to set aside Radium Girls to work on a book club selection. And I spent the last two evenings reading live updates of the debate while my client was watching TV.

D is currently watching an upbeat comedy about a teen with cancer on Netflix. It is tempting to rent Fault in Our Stars to show her that cancer is heavier than that. But D's mom says that would be traumatizing for her. So I suggested to D's mom that maybe we'd watch The Hate U Give while we're at it. LOLOLOL

Of course I'm teasing. D isn't mature enough for The Hate U Give. But I'm concerned she'll end up not taking death well when she's older, like her mom, because the subject is so taboo.

I think it's been a couple months since I posted a pic of IL. He's 6.5 months now, and pulled himself up on furniture for the first time the other day. It was rather a shock to see him standing. This picture is his first time sitting in a high chair - yesterday.

>118 The_Hibernator: Aww! He's a cutie!

>118 The_Hibernator: Oh, my goodness, he's so big now! And a big chunk of hair on his head, too.

>118 The_Hibernator: IL's so big and he looks like a happy boy!

Hi Rachel!

Very cute pic of IL. I know you're crazy busy these days but hope you're sneaking in Rachel time when you get a chance.

>118 The_Hibernator: What a cutie!

>118 The_Hibernator: Lovely picture Rachel! How happy does he look?

>119 kidzdoc: Thanks Darryl!

>120 PawsforThought: Hi Paws! I know, we already had to give him a haircut!

>121 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg! He is a very happy boy! I'm blessed with a very "easy" baby.

>122 karenmarie: Hi Karen! I should get here more often, but it's so hard with IL pulling on cords and demanding attention. I do hang out with my friend Liz fairly frequently, which is nice. I would like to get more reading done, though.

>123 banjo123: Thanks Rhonda!

>124 charl08: He's such a happy baby! Here's a picture of him standing:

Hi everyone! Still working on the same books Apothecary's Daughter and Radium Girls, though I hope to be more diligent in reading books in the upcoming months. I have decided that the PCA jobs I have just aren't enough to bring in the money we need for medical expenses for the children (their biomom pays no child support), so I'm going back into dialysis. They pay for nursing school, so that's good, anyway. :) I can finally fulfill that goal. Every so slowly but surely. IL will go into daycare, and I don't start classes to Winter, so I'll have a little extra time to read! Yay! Also, I should do a better job of listening while driving. :)

Other than that, things are the same old stuff. I'll try to find time to get on here more often once I start reading again.

>125 The_Hibernator: Cute baby! Good to see you back here, Rachel.

>125 The_Hibernator: So cute! And glad to see you here, Rachel!

>126 The_Hibernator: Lovely picture, Rachel. He looks like he wants to break free! Wishing you well with the return to dialysis.

Summary: In this Historical Christian Romance, Lily Haswell struggles with choosing between the high-society life of her mother’s family and the less glamorous life of her father’s apothecary shop in the village she grew up in.

Thoughts: This was an engaging and well-written book. I had a little difficulty sorting through my thoughts about the many suitors that Lily had, though. They all seemed so nice in their own way, and it got a bit emotionally exhausting. I’ve never been a fan of love triangles. However, that was the only downside of this light, sweet read.

Hi everyone! This weekend went well for me. On Saturday my friend Liz and I got together with Aaron to play Earth Break, which is an escape-room-like puzzle game that is mailed to your home in a series of 5 episodes. The first episode was fun - the world is filled with interesting details - though a little too easy. Not worth $26. It is a pretty good idea, though. After that, we all watched a little Doctor Who.

Sunday was a good day. My dad sat with the kids while Aaron and I got some housework done. Now, the family is watching the first Jumanji movie and relaxing.

The kids are doing ok. D has been very anxious lately...worried about who her teacher for next year will be and whether she will understand her anxiety disorder. She having nightmares of having the same teacher as last year, who (she says) didn't understand. Last year's teacher was actually VERY understanding, so if she's nightmare material, D is in for disappointment. M is doing much better than the end of last school year.

Really, we only have one bit of drama going on right now. Aaron is asking for the kids' mom to pay half of the medical bills, as agreed upon in their divorce agreement. She doesn't pay any child support at all - never has. But she seems to be ramping up to refuse to give us the money. She doesn't seem to realize that it was written into the divorce agreement, and just because Aaron has never held her to it, he CAN start at any point in time. *shrug

Hi, Rachel! I haven't been commenting as much, but I have been following and it's nice to see you posting again. Sounds like you had a wonderful weekend!

Glad that things are going mostly well! And >131 The_Hibernator: such a cute picture!!

Hi Rachel,

Good to hear things are going well with you and yours (mostly, at least).

>131 The_Hibernator: How adorable! Happy faces, big smiles, all good memories.

Radium Girls was no giggle-fest but it was a very, very good read...I was stunned at how much of the attitude was familiar to me.

People are still people. Darn it anyway.

Thanks Mary, Rhonda, and Paws. Richard, I think Radium Girls is very sad, but well-written. I wish I had more time to finish it!

I don't think I mentioned that I'm starting The Gene, by Mukherjee. But I want something light to read as well. Can't decide. I HAD started Harry Potter a while back and stopped half way through the 4th book. I could continue that...or I could read Black Leopard Red Wolf...or maybe Annihilation. Oryx and Crake?

Hi Rachel, good to see you around.

>136 The_Hibernator: As I haven't read any of the other titles you mention, I would say Harry Potter is always good :-)

Just dropping by to say hi! Hopefully, your week goes smoothly.

Hi Rachel:
>131 The_Hibernator: I can't believe how big your little one is getting!

Hi Rachel! Wonderful family photo!

I'm glad things are going a bit smoother both on the kid front and the career choice.

Hugs to you all for the upcoming school year. (Can't believe it's time to say that!!!)

Loved Radium Girls and Oryx and Crake. Can't go wrong with HP. There! Now that I haven't helped you at all....love all the photos of your kiddos. So cute. Good luck switching to the dialysis job. Enjoy August and some reading. : )

Happy Wednesday, Rachel. I am enjoying these family photos and this little guy is getting absolutely adorable. What book did you start? I liked all of them, but I hope you went with Oryx and Crake.

>137 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita! I did pick up HP until I decide on another book. I'm very familiar with them, so stopping and starting is no problem.

>138 figsfromthistle: Hi Anita! My week seems to be going well so far. Thanks for stopping by. Hope your week is good, too!

>139 BLBera: Hi Beth! Neither can I. He still doesn't quite have the balance, but he can stand unassisted for a couple seconds at a time. I suspect he will be walking before 10mo.

>140 streamsong: Hi Janet! Thanks! I'm looking forward to the new school year because it means (on my days off) I can run errands without dragging M along. He's 7, so I can't leave him alone yet.

>141 Berly: hi Kim! Thanks for all that! I am enjoying listening to Radium Girls. 🙂 As I said above, I did pick up HP until I decide on a more literary one. Right now, I'm part timing as a PCA just to pick up extra cash. My dialysis job should start on Aug 20. I'll probably wait until then to start something more literary because my best opportunity to read now is while my client is watching TV, and I am easily distracted. Once I start my job, I will be reading on breaks, so maybe less distraction? Otherwise, I may have to stick to fluff until I'm able to read at home again!

>142 msf59: Hi Mark! I started HP for now. I think I may pick up Toni Morrison's Beloved in a bit if I can find my copy.

I paid M $3 to keep IL occupied on Monday while D an I got cleaning done. So much so, that if she asks to earn more cash through jobs today, I won’t have much to tell her to do. (There’s always her room.)

Wednesday I had an appointment with mom’s cardiologist. She’s in the position now where she should be on a blood thinner because of her atrial fibrillation (or she risks stroke), but she needs to be off blood thinners because of her amyloid angiopathy (or she risks brain bleed). So she’s going to get a procedure to put in a Watchman Device, which will lower risk of stroke. Yay for solutions. We'll have to wait a few months before putting it in, till my training period is over at work. Don't want her to go home from the hospital on the city bus.

D's taking a writing class online right now, and I have had another opportunity to compare her writing to others her age. She is undoubtedly way behind. Despite what the teacher said last year about “she just needs to practice more” I still think she has dysgraphia. We worked so hard to advocate for an IEP and met so much resistance from the school last year. My new job has a free special education advocacy consultation, so I will call them up and see what kinds of help they can give.

I have more pictures, but can't post from my phone. Maybe this weekend I can find freedom to sit with my computer.

As I said above, I'm listening to Radium Girls, and reading The Gene and Goblet of Fire.

IL enjoying a pickle


M attacking a dragon

Turns out one of the kids, who shall remain unnamed, was peeing off his top bunk onto the walls and floor presumably because he didn't want to get out of bed to go to the bathroom. Had been for a couple months. I knew the room smelled of urine, but thought it was from an isolated incident. I discovered the sticky truth by stepping in it.

We spent hours over the weekend cleaning up his trashed room to see which of his possessions needed to be tossed and which could be saved. We washed the walls with vinegar and are currently tearing out the carpet, which was nonredeemable. We took out his bunk bed and are giving him a single bed (that was a lucky coincidence that we were going to do anyway). We will go to Lowes and pick out a new paint color (he wants red) and some vinyl floors to replace the carpet later today.

We will take him on Monday to check to see if he has diabetes or a UTI, though we suspect it's a behavioral issue - which means back to therapy for him.

D is currently at Girl Scout camp - will be till Wednesday. She was SO excited.

>145 The_Hibernator: Always good to see smiles!

>146 The_Hibernator: ...except on Mom's face...

Hi Rachel! I'm sorry but I seem to have missed a couple of your threads and am desperately catching up on this one.

>51 The_Hibernator: I'm in love ;0)

>118 The_Hibernator: Cute!

Re M thinking her teacher didn't understand her, sometimes kids use their diagnoses as an excuse, in my experience; we discovered this year that my son needs extra time in exams, but he seems to be using that as an excuse to slack off his studies. Kids!

Wishing her luck in her new class.

To be honest, I don't give credence to half the stuff they tell me. On the weekend, we caught up with friends, whose small kids joined in the conversation about snakes by saying that they had snakes at school. I just thought they were making it up - but it turns out that, recently, that area has had a lot of snakes turning up in odd places.

Hi Rachel!

It's always something, isn't it? Yay for D, hope you figure out what's going on with the unnamed kid.

That's an adorable pic of IL.

>147 richardderus: Hi Richard! Good to see you. Yes, I was not smiling!

>148 humouress: Hi Nina! Yeah, D causes her own set of problems by running with her anxiety. Hopefully some therapy will teach her a better way to manage her anxiety. Right now, it's really getting in the way of her ability to function at daily activities.

>149 karenmarie: Hi Karen! Still no word on what's going on with unnamed kid. He is using the excuse that he just didn't want to get out of bed. The medical exam showed that it was not a medical issue.

Hello all! Despite my plans to get a bunch of work done on M’s room last week, we did not. Aaron and I were sick. Now the painting will have to wait until the next time M is home on a weekend. However, the carpet is torn out, and we have ordered vinyl to be put in.

My reading was also a bust this week, but I started my new job in dialysis. That’s going as well as a first week goes. I’ve also been hanging on to those PCA jobs, as my clients are having difficulty replacing me. Hopefully they’ll both find someone soon! I can’t keep this up for long.

IL had his first week of daycare EVER. He seemed to handle it better than I.



That’s him at daycare. Taken by the teachers while I was gone and missing him. 🤣😂

Aaron, the kids, and baby have just landed in Oregon. I will miss them, as I couldn’t go on vacation this year. New jobs and vacation don’t mesh well. They will have fun, and I will get the house sparkling clean while they’re gone. Either that, or I’ll read a lot. 😁

I was tempted to have a readathon this weekend. But maybe I’ll wait until Labor Day weekend, as I’ll have a better idea of how much I’ve accomplished in housework by then. Anyway, I’d like to be able to dedicate a whole day to it. Maybe I should make a goal of finishing Radium Girls and reading the entirety of Beloved, by Toni Morrison by Labor Day’s end? That’s a good goal.

Ooooh, look 151 posts, I can start another thread for our new school year which will be so much better than the last.

>151 The_Hibernator: Wow! So grown up.

OMG ... another thread ... off I go ...