Weekly Review September 6 '08

"Weekly Review" is going to replace my "Maryland News" weekly e-mails that I've been sending out for years now. They are more for me than for anybody else--I like to be able to look back and remember what happened when. Besides, you wouldn't believe how many times I've gone back to copies of my weekly e-mails to see when somebody got a particular immunization or received a certain Cub Scout award! So here it goes, for me. If some of the rest of you want to get a peek at the more mundane events of our lives, be my guest!



We didn't do much for Labor Day. It would have been fun to go somewhere nearby, but I gave up on that idea when almost everybody was sick over the week end. By Monday, everbody was in the "almost better" stage, but not really up for much adventure. Frank and I decided that we would take the family for a drive that afternoon and then stop to get ice-cream on the way home. That was before Scott came down with the same nasty stomach bug that the rest of us had last week. He was at a birthday party that afternoon for a girl in our ward (the second party he's been to for a girl in the last month--what's up with that?!) and we were planning to go for our drive after he got back. Then he called us and said he wasn't feeling too well. We went to get him--and barely made it home in time! So much for our drive; maybe some other time.



Fortunately, Scott got a milder version of the illness than most of us. He did miss school on Tuesday but by the end of that day he was feeling better. Then on Wednesday morning he didn't feel so great, but he still went to Seminary. He came home for a little while after that, but by the time I needed to take the other 2 boys to school he was feeling a lot better, so I dropped him off on our way to the other school. He only missed most of his 1st period class. Scott seems to be doing well in school, overall. High school hasn't been too much of an adjustment for him so far. He is enjoying his Digital Photography class--they are learning to use Adobe Photoshop. He got a 90% on a science test this week--good to hear!

Monday evening we remembered we needed to put out some things for "bulk trash pickup." Frank mentioned that we really ought to get rid of Tanner's dresser while we had the chance, so we decided to do that. Tanner wasn't very thrilled about having to empty out all his drawers, but we made him do it anyway. Since the budget couldn't really handle buying a new dresser for him right now, we went out the next day and bought him a couple of sets of plastic drawers. They actually look pretty nice and are working out well.

My infected eye has caused me a lot of trouble this week. I started taking antibiotics on Saturday because I had some leftover that the first eye doctor had prescribed for me. But it just kept getting worse so on Tuesday I went in to see the doctor (my PCP, not the eye doctor). He prescribed a stronger antibiotic and told me to put warm compresses on it. He also told me to give the eye doctor a call to make sure there wasn't anything else he would recommend. I did, but the eye doctor was not very helpful. He just said that I would probably keep getting infections until I have the operation. Not very encouraging since that's still 7 weeks away! They didn't offer to move it up, either. I was feeling pretty discouraged about it all on Wednesday. My whole head was throbbing and I was experiencing pain similar to a bad sinus infection most of the time. Things got better on Thursday, though. I started to see some signs of improvement. I still had a very large lump near the corner of my eye, but at least my whole cheek wasn't swollen up anymore and the throbbing headache went away. It hasn't improved a whole lot since then, but at least I've made some progress. The pills I'm taking are huge, but I am choking them down! In the meantime, I have not been able to wear my contact lenses at all and it hurts to wear my glasses since the nosepiece rests right on the large sore lump so I've been blind most of the week. Maybe some day I'll be able to see again!

Thursday was a particularly busy day--Tanner & Jared had dentist appointments, Scott had an orthodontist appointment, and it was "back to school" night at Tanner & Jared's school. I actually planned the dentist and orthodontist appointments on the same day on purpose so I could do it all in one trip (our dentist and orthodontist are near each other, but about 30 minutes away from Frederick) but I had no idea when I made the appointments that "back to school" night would be the same day. Tanner had one tooth pulled and poor Jared had four pulled. Jared has never had a tooth pulled or even a cavity filled, so it was a little bit traumatic for him. He handled it well, though. A few tears rolled down his cheeks, but he didn't make much noise. I was a little worried about him for the first little while because he looked so miserable and said he felt sick. But after a while he cheered up. We had to rush home after Scott's orthodontist appointment and make dinner so I could get back to the school on time. "Back to school" night was pretty typical. I enjoyed the presentation done by Tanner's teachers; I have been very impressed with them!

All week I tried to find time to put together Sharing Time for tomorrow but I had trouble getting it to come together. I finally got started on it on Friday and finished it up tonight. It's been a long time since I've done that! Hopefully it will go well.

Today we got up to gray skies and rain, courtesy of tropical storm Hanna. It really came down hard for most of the day; we got some pretty strong wind, as well. Hanna seems to have moved on, now. Frank and I both got haircuts today--it's a toss up who needed one more! We all went to a birthday openhouse for a lady in our ward. The most exciting thing that happened is that we discovered that the BYU / Washington game was actually on television! That happens out here about once every 8 years or so. We saw the beginning--long enough to see BYU score their first touchdown. We had to go to the openhouse after that, but we got home during the fourth quarter--immediately after the Washington player got seriously injured--and watched the rest of it. What a nail biter! BYU didn't disappoint us, though!

Tomorrow we are starting a new schedule at church--we're back on the 9:00 am schedule. I don't enjoy getting up earlier, but other than that I like the earlier time much better.

Seth is cute, cute, cute! We were waiting in the car line at the boys' school this week and he was getting restless, so I flipped open the mirror on my sun visor so Seth could see me, and started waving at him. He watched me for a little while, then he got this big smile and shyly started waving back--it was so cute! He loves to play in Jared's little play tent. He has also gotten attached to his teddy bear. I always give it to him when I put him down at night. When he sees it, he gets a big smile on his face and hugs it tight--so precious!

Frank has been so great this week. He has run a lot of errands and done a lot of other things to help me out since I wasn't feeling too great and couldn't see. I don't know what I would do without him!

The best news of the week is that Mom & Dad bought plane tickets and will be coming to see us in October. Hooray! We are so excited to see them and are particularly grateful that Seth will finally get to meet his other grandparents. We are praying that they will be feeling well for the trip.

Now I'd better post this quick before I lose it all like last week! Which reminds me...I did finally re-write last week's post, but for some reason it appears on my blog as my very first post instead of the third one. So if you missed it, go back and check it out.

One man's trash...

Twice a year, the City of Frederick does a thing called "Bulk Trash Pick Up". Basically, it's an opportunity for all us residents of Frederick to get rid of some larger items (furniture, old appliances, bicycles, etc.) without having to haul them to the dump ourselves. The way it always operates is that there is about a week designated for different sections of the city where the collection is going to happen, but you have to have everything put out by the first day of the designated time period (you never know what day they are going to come by). This time we put out several items--Tanner's dresser (it was falling apart), an old picnic table, Seth's old car seat, some plastic lawn chairs, a bunch of empty plastic laundry detergent containers, and some wood. Some of our neighbors put things out, too so there was a pretty large pile of stuff waiting by the curb. Now, an interesting phenomenon happens every time we do this (I really get a kick out of it), and it happened this time, too. The pile started to shrink! By the time the city came around to pick up the stuff, I noticed that the picnic table, the car seat, and even the plastic laundry detergent containers had all mysteriously disappeared. I guess some resourceful people just wait for this time of year so that they can drive around the city in their pick up trucks (in the dead of night, presumably) and see what useful things they can find in the piles of stuff waiting for the pick up. That old adage that says "one man's trash is another man's treasure" is really true! And that's a good thing, actually...fewer things going into the landfill .

Blogger's Lesson #1

I said I would try to add a post about our week; I said it might not be until Sunday. Well, here it is Monday and no new post yet...but I have a really good excuse! I actually wrote a really long (and hopefully entertaining) post and I even got it done by late Saturday night. I was so proud of myself! Then I went to post it and discovered that somewhere along the line I lost internet connection. By the time I got back online and back to my "draft" of my post, only the 1st paragraph was there! I have no idea what happened to the rest of it, being new at this blogging thing and basically ignorant of how it all works. My computer savvy husband couldn't find it either. I was so frustrated that I was almost ready to delete my new blog and forget all about it. Why, or why, didn't I just write my normal weekly e-mail instead? I wanted to throw something! I turned off the computer and went to bed. Yesterday I decided to just give it a rest before trying again. Today I have a better perspective (church can do that for you!) and I am ready to try again. So...my Blogger's Lesson #1 is...don't believe that little button down there that says it is "saving"! Now maybe I will get that other post rewritten....

Just to Get Started

All right, I've given in to peer pressure and I've started a blog. Since almost all my siblings have cool blogs that I greatly enjoy reading, I decided to jump on the bandwagon. I should start out by saying that the family picture at the right was taken last December, so it's a bit outdated. Yes, I know--it's time for another family picture! But this one will have to do for now. Baby Seth is, of course, much bigger than he was back then. The transformation in the other 3 boys has been almost as dramatic, though. I think they've each grown about 6 inches! Frank and I , of course, have not aged a bit and are still incredibly young and fit. Yes, really!

I hope to do a post later today updating you on all the news at our house this week, but the way things are going it may be tomorrow!

The Good, the Bad & the Ugly--2nd Try

Here we go again! This post is not going to be anywhere near as long and detailed as the last one was (maybe that's a good thing) but I don't want to completely lose this week of our lives, so I'm trying again. I've decided to do it in a list format instead. The point I was originally trying to make with this post (besides recording our week's activities) is that we are not perfect! As I've been reading some other blogs lately I've noticed some discussion about how some bloggers make their lives look perfect. Not us! As you look over my lists, I think you will see that our life is pretty typical--lots of crazy, less-than-perfect moments sprinkled with those wonderful moments that don't happen as often as we'd like but which make it all worthwhile. Here we go....

(I'm going to go in reverse order, so that we end on a positive note!)



The Ugly:

• First 2 days of school adjustments / stress (T: I need 2 composition books by tomorrow or the world's going to end!; J: Why didn't you get me a ruler? (I did; apparently it's lost already); S: My backpack strap broke; I need a new backpack (from the kid who refuses to use his locker but instead carries all his stuff around with him all day); homework tantrums and parent lectures about the importance of school to kids' futures (yes, already--please tell me the whole year isn't going to be like this!))


• A nasty stomach virus / chills & fever going through the whole family (started with me, then Seth, next Frank & Tanner, from them to Jared, stay tuned for Scott)


• An infection in my left eye which began Friday evening. Red, swollen and very painful. And did I mention my glasses are broken so that they slide off my face incessantly?


• The hysterical words that came out of my mouth when Jared slammed Seth into the wall at the church (something about not using the brains he was born with--no, I'm not proud of myself.)
• Losing my first version of this post after a long, exhausting day of taking care of sick people.
• Me in my 8 year old glasses (or any glasses, for that matter.)

The Bad:

• Rain all day on Thursday and Friday, since we had planned an outdoor Pack Meeting with a camp fire and s'mores for Friday night.


• Jared running full speed down the hall at church, pushing Seth in the stroller & slamming into the wall, banging Seth's head.


• Getting up at 5:00 am to make sure Scott got to Seminary on time (and knowing this is only the beginning of many years of that!)


• My sun shades that clip on my glasses apparently falling into a black hole somewhere, right when I need them most! (As if my eye wasn't watering enough already....)


• Spending all day Saturday taking care of sick people; feeling totally worn out and crabby by the end of the day


• After a long day on Saturday, being up in the night for 2+ hours with Seth, who usually sleeps through the night but chose that night not to. Then getting up early for a Primary meeting, going to church with a red, swollen eye and having to wear glasses that slipped off my nose all day.
• Going to Pack Meeting with all four boys but without Frank, who was sick.
• Going to church without everybody except Scott (everyone else was sick).
• Spending most of the day on Friday making phone calls to let everyone know about the changes in Pack Meeting (and not getting all the other things done that I needed to do).

The Good (sometimes great or even wonderful):

• Scott starting Seminary on Wednesday. When I asked him the first day if he got tired at school, his reply was "No; I must have been blessed for going to Seminary."


• Not having to drive Scott to Seminary--he goes with two other older girls in our ward who live nearby. They take him to school, too.


• Having one of those rare spiritual moments as I saw my son head off to Seminary in the dark. 1 Nephi 14:14 came to mind. He is one of only about 12 LDS students in his very large high school, but in my mind, I could see them as a "little army" who are going to change the world for the better!


• Seeing Frank being totally sweet and patient with a sick Seth, even when he kept him up pretty much all night (I was at the "can't lift my head off the pillow without being sick" stage, so Frank was on his own.)
• Frank staying home with me all day on Thursday to take care of Seth & I while we got over the nasty stomach bug.


• Following that strong feeling that I should go investigate when I heard noises downstairs at 5:30 am Saturday morning...getting to a sick child with a bucket just in the nick of time!


• Frank figuring out how to fix my glasses so they don't slip off my nose (but not until Sunday night!)


• Scott getting to attend a party for Seminary on Friday evening because he completed his "homework" for the summer. (Read one of the 4 gospels, mark the 25 Scripture Mastery scriptures, mark all the JSTs in the New Testament)


• Being able to move Pack Meeting to the church (because of the rain) and having the Cub Master show up to help me set up tables & chairs


• Discovering that s'mores work just fine if you prepare them in the microwave!


• Tanner being excited to be in "Middle School". He talks enthusiastically about his "classes" and some of the things he is learning in them. Mr. Chaos even spent a few hours organizing his binder after school--I was stunned!
• Rain all day on Thursday and Friday, since we need more rain.
• No concussion or other significant damage to Seth after Jared slammed him into the wall.
• Having time to read my scriptures and say my prayers in the mornings (since I got up at 5:00 am).
• Tanner taking great care of Seth at Pack Meeting so I could help with the awards.
• Tanner doing so well on his math assessment that his teacher said he could choose whether to be in the Pre-Algebra or Algebra class. "Mr. Ambitious" chose Pre-Algebra. His teacher says she will move him up to Algebra if he isn't getting challenged enough, though.
• Scott going out the door to Seminary one morning, stopping, turning to me with a sheepish, goofy grin on his face, and holding out his arms for a good-bye hug. Not too old for that yet--love it!
• Watching Seth grow--2 new teeth this week, exploring everywhere (especially the garbage cans), pulling the knobs off the stove, always wants to be outside!

There you have it--the good, the bad, and the ugly. Overall, it seemed like a pretty stressful / difficult week. But I notice that there are more things under the "Good" category than any other. I guess I could work on focusing on the good!