Friday, August 21, 2009

Catching up on old News

The days have been passing so quickly that I haven't kept up with some things here on the ol' blog. So this post is basicly to share what has been going on around here.
I now have 2 children in double digits. The Artist turned 10-years-old on the 13th of August. Yes, he was my friday-the-13th baby. Which was pretty cool because that meant they had an Alfred Hitchcock marathon on the movie channel while I was in labor ;) Hey, I wasn't gonna turn away any distraction at that point! Since he was the 13th grandchild, and also born on the 13th, his grandpa gave him the nickname Lucky.
Here he is with the Lego set we gave him. I bought this about 6 months again on spoofee.com for $19.95.... The msrp was $100...I LOVE those kind of deals! This kid can build anything with legos. He doesn't use the directions much, as his creations are much more impressive than the ones that come with the box (said by a slightly prejudiced mother:).

My girlfriend from Alaska will be coming into town for a visit sometime soon. A few weeks ago she called me to give me an update on some testing her daughter recently had done. It turns out that they are tentatively diagnosing her as having cystic fibrosis. Needless to say, we've spent a good bit of time on the phone as she's quite concerned about what this means for her daughter's future. More testing is being done, but either way she will definitely be coming to Portland within the next month for treatment, and most likely surgery as well. So the plan is to buy an open plane ticket and stay with me for... we're not sure how long. She lives on an island in Alaska, and they have very limited medical facilities there. Since it will most likely coincide with the start of ( home) school, things are going to get very hectic around here at that time. I'm happy that I can be there for her, as she's like a sister to me. But I have to admit I'm just a tad bit worried about being able to juggle it all. I hope that doesn't sound selfish to say that.

And speaking of school... Beware if you're considering homeschooling your children. Your mind never truly get's a Summer break! I've been weighing so many options over the Summer in this area. My kids are getting older, and one has special needs. What's the best way to go? I honestly don't know, and it's not for lack of thinking. I'm worried about the legislation being drawn up even now to limit our rights in this area, and equally as worried of the sheep-in-wolves clothing approach some of the charter/virtual schools can take. And through it all I want my children to also be happy. And the clock is ticking...

Getting ready for a garage sale is such fun... I'm joking of course. Because the novelty has totally worn off. But I do like the extra money it brings. If only I wasn't such a sentamentalist (which sounds much better than a pack-rat) and could give up more things. Seriously, no more Autumn or Christmas decor is entering this house! My walk-in storage closet is wayyyy too full... but that's beside the point. I am so ready to get rid of all this stuff that I had ready 4 weeks ago (for the aforementioned, last-minute cancelled garage sale). The Princess is so excited because she is going to sell Lemonade and cookies, and has her profit margin all figured out, lol.

And speaking of the Princess... She loves the colors pink and purple and, of course, anything Princess. But she also has two brothers... and anything they can do, she can do better. So she has taken to climbing trees, and had a near miss of a bad fall the other day. Fortunately her brother chivalrously broke her fall by catching her (no kidding). And do you think that I bought the excuse that she "forgot" the tree-climbing rule? Nice try. My tree climbing rule is thus: No climbing trees (or at least the really high ones) on the days that mommy does not have the car. 'Cause I'm not calling an ambulance for a broken arm. I personally think that's sensible ;)

Well, there's more to write, but I've gotta get to work. I'm reorganizing my cupboards today (fun, fun).

Wishing everyone a happy weekend!

5 comments:

Nikki said...

Two in double digits! Wow!!

I hope that you have a good visit with your friend although the reason for her visit isn't a a good one. Surely, you could postpone school a couple of days or even a week; that is one of the benefits of homeschooling, isn't it?

There is a consignment sale coming up next week for children's stuff, and I hired a babysitter to distract the children while I got my things ready for it. Otherwise, I never could have tagged those toys for the sale. Good luck with your yard sale!

Happy Elf Mom (Christine) said...

That's one great buy!

I'm sorry to hear about your friend's daughter. I hope she can find some answers/ help.

MyKidsMom said...

Just wait Nikki, it will be you before you know it! (double digits)

While I do have some flexibility with homeschooling, my kids are getting to the age (at least my boys) where we can't take off too many school days. Our curriculum has a heavy load, especially as my eldest is approaching Junior High. On top of that the Princess is behind because of her learning issues. In spite of that, I will take a little time off when she comes for a visit. Where it will get tricky is if it turns out to be for a month or more. Which is definitely a possibility with probably surgery.

I think I would prefer a consignment sale over a garage sale. Lately everyone wants things for dirt cheap, and I work way too hard (not to mention my clothes are quite nice)to almost give them away. In that case I would just drop them off at Goodwill...you know what I mean? Good luck with your sale as well!

MyKidsMom said...

That should read "probable" surgery:)

Christine: Thank you.

Nikki said...

Praying for you to withstand all that is ahead of you.