I no longer trust electronic thermometers

So last night Turbo said he didn't feel good. I took his temperature. Normal. He asked if he had to go to school today, to which I replied "we will see in the morning".

This morning came and he still insisted that he didn't feel good even though the thermometer said that his temp was normal. Because he really didn't want to go to school I told him that he could use his "mental health day" (my kids each get one mental health day a school year, this is a day they can choose to stay home from school just because they don't feel like going. Heck, adults take vacation days sometimes for no other reason than they need a break... I figure my kids should have the same option).

After going to work (Jer had the day off so he stayed home with Turbo) I met the two at Subway for lunch.

Once I got there Turbo wasn't acting quite normal and started shivering when we got our food. I felt his forehead and thought "gee, he's warm." and asked Jer if he was ill. Jer said his temp was normal when they left home.

After we returned home I broke out the thermometer again and AGAIN it said normal (even though I could feel he was warm with my wrist... and not just a little warm). Then I tried the darned thing on ME and it said my temp was low. Grrrr.... needless to say I asked Jer to pick up an "old school" thermometer on the way home from his Physical Therapy appt (he hurt his back a while ago, I should probably have another post about that).

When I decided to write this post I thought, I need a pic of miserable boy... and he saw me and gave me a valiant smile. Good sport that one.

Sassy Shoes

    Ok, so recently my old shoes that I purchased when I was preggo with Missy (she is going to be 8 years old this year) started to konk out. It made me sad. But with shoes that last that long, and I'm hard on shoes people, I figured I would get the same brand again. The old shoes are at the top of the picture, the new ones are the ones just next to them that are all sassy and loud... loud? What? Not ME?!?! If you know me IRL you know that just about everything about me is loud! LOL. 

   Anyways, I ordered them online cause it's hard to find truly sassy stuff in this town. :D Yay Amazon! I'm a fan.

Turbo reading

So this is Turbo "reading" or reading Harry Potter. I'm sure he can read some of the words, though I'm fairly certain he can't read all of them :D

Can you tell we are a reading family?

The House

   Well, it's official! We are moving back into our house! We decided that this was doable a couple of months ago when we were able to pay off our credit card and our van (therefore freeing up monthly funds for actual living expenses!). At the time we decided that it would be best to move after I was done with finals for this semester, because moving and going to school can be a hot mess!

   Soon after that our renters gave notice, which is nice in some ways (we don't have to feel crappy for kicking them out) but not so nice in others (they now haven't paid their last months rent... oh, the joys, and since no one will be in the house we figured we might as well get our butts in there).

   Anyways, I'm still way excited to have my own space again and not feel like both the kids and us are in the way or that we need to have anyones approval for how we are raising our kids or living our lives. This feeling has not so much to do with my in-laws as the fact that we are living in someone else's home... anyone else's home would make me feel that way.

   My In-laws have been great! They really were what made the difference between us foreclosing and going bankrupt and being able to weather this storm. While we see differently on many things I think we were able to find an equilibrium that we did okay with for the most part.

   My mother-in-law has been an angel in being willing to help out with the kids when Jer has to work (his shifts change) and I have class. For the most part my work and the kids don't conflict but my class schedule and the kids do, especially, like I said, when Jer has to work. Now that Goober is getting older he is able to help out with supervising the younger ones for short periods of time (which is AWESOME!!!) but I still have one fairly long night class that I don't feel good about leaving him for the full length of the time.

  Anyways, the renters should be out (at the latest) by the last day of this month!, so looking forward to seeing what the state of everything is and getting a move on! Get it? MOVE on.

  Ok, lame... I know. meh.
 
 

Mortality

  Throughout my whole life I have never had anyone that was particularly close to me be in immediate threat of death (at least in my mind... usually I found out after I already knew they were okay that there had been a threat, ie car accidents, pulmonary embolisms, etc.) . I know I'm incredibly lucky on this front, I'm not complaining.

  I went to the dentist last week - the same one I have gone to since I was eight years old - and as we were chatting I was reminded of what a kind and caring person he is. As I left his office and pulled out of the parking lot I had a sudden feeling of sadness about him getting older and how I would miss him when he passes away. I quickly reminded myself that he really wasn't that old, I would say he is probably comparable to my parents age... and revised the thought to how I would miss him when he retired.

  On Friday my mom called me with concerning news, one of my aunts (the one I have the closest connection to and adore even though we rarely have a chance to spend time together due to distance etc.) had had to have an emergency appendectomy, As the hospital was trying to send her home she insisted that she couldn't breath and refused to go. GOOD THING TOO! Turns out she has a hole in her heart that she didn't know about (and neither did anyone else obviously). Now she has to have open heart surgery early next week.

  Knowing this threat is there puts an ache in my heart, but I'm glad that I know. I love that lady and I look up to her. She is spunky and driven and determined to do things that fulfill her at the same time as she does her best to look out for her children. Last time I saw her she had fire engine red hair (I knew I got my desire for funky hairstyles somewhere!) and a mischievous grin that reflects her great sense of humor. She and I have always been kindred spirits.

  I really don't know what to do with myself though, I want to do something to help, but I know more people up there "helping" would only cause stress (her son, my mom, and one of my other aunts are already en-route or already there). I no longer believe that prayer makes much of a difference - outside of being a kind of self comforting mechanism - so praying about it seems kind of asinine to me (I know many many people will disagree with my assessment of prayer, but tough cookies, that's my reality right now).

  I guess the best thing I can do at the moment is just to let her know I love her (I have texted her, because I don't want to inundate her any more than she already likely is). I don't even want to think about the risks involved with open heart surgery... so I'm going to do my best to pretend they don't exist because there is zero I can do about that.

  Now just to find someone in the Portland area that will go and get one of those little remote control helicopters for me and deliver it her to help keep her entertained while she recovers! Anyone know of someone? I'll pay for it! (her trade is in helicopter mechanics).

PS. I really wish classes weren't scheduled to start on Monday.

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Update!: My aunt came through it all fabulously! In fact she feels better than she has in a very long time! :D Yay for modern medicine!

Goober and the Piano

So, for the last 4 months Goober has been fighting practicing his piano... He's very good for the short amount of time he has been playing and I hated to see him quit so soon on something that I feel he will enjoy knowing how to do later. So I told him I would let him quit if he finished his recital and still didn't want to do it. I didn't want it to be a snap decision.

Anyways, last night was his recital. He did pretty well for a 9 year old that has only been playing for about a year. 

So this morning he says to me "Mom, I want to keep doing piano." when I asked him why he said "I want to be able to play like those last two kids!".

Color me happy.

Crazy Handy

Yesterday was a classic Monday... not only because it actually was Monday, but because it was Caaaaaaarrrraaaazy busy.

I bribed the children with a reward if they were good while I dragged them along on all of my errands and they were FANTASTIC!!! My kids really are good kids. I'm lucky to have them.

Goober has been asking for a new robot kit for a while now and since we were at the hobby store to get a gift for a friend I picked one up for him as well.

He built the whole thing by himself with me only helping him get some of the plastic burrs off of the pieces!

P.S. I know his hair is waaaaaaay long, I'm planning to get it trimmed up asap!