A leetle bit tired.

Today was kind of a long day.  We had dentist appointments this morning and that took about an hour, then we had to meet a notary to sign about a billion forms for our refinance.  Then, we came home and I had about half an hour or so to get ready for my volunteer shift.  I worked pretty hard on behalf of the babies tonight.  A lot of them were not big and easily picked up and rocked, so I spent a lot of time on my feet, holding pacifiers, patting backs and holding hands.  It's funny how letting them curl their whole hand around my index finger will calm them, sometimes when I just start talking to them while trying to gown up and santitize, they will quieten.  It's pretty cool.  I also suspect that all that standing is good for me, since I have such a sedentary job.  It is a little tiring though.

The kids did school on their own as usual.  I spent some time answering questions about homeschooling and talking about homeschooling with both the dental hygienist and the notary.   

Definitely.

We are really enjoying these live theater productions lately.  A new family has joined our homeschool group and they participate in a theater group which has classes and rehearsals for the kids.  Yesterday's production of Fiddler on the Roof was very, very good and was performed by children and young adults from about 12 to 18.  A few of the littler boys looked quite funny in their full long beards but the acting was good, the singing was good and the dancing was good.  Because of that new family, this is the third play we've seen lately.  We saw "White Christmas" and "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" in December and now this one.  They are going to do several others that I'd like to see as well and my kids agree.  I kind of thought youngest son might not enjoy it, but he enjoyed it very much as well, and, it was educational.  My friend did a little class beforehand, just to give the context and a little 1905 Russian history.  Afterwards, since it was a nice day, 60 degrees, a few of us went to the park and let our big kids play on the playground.  They had a ball and we moms enjoyed sitting outside and talking. It was nice for it to be warm for a change.  That's over now.  :-P

Speaking of warmth, my son in Mississippi is having a nice time.  Apparently the weather is always pretty warm there.  There are palm trees on the campus.  He is having a very busy trimester.  He told me yesterday that he had learned to play bass guitar and was going to play bass at a concert tonight that his friend's band is putting on.  I said "when did you learn to play bass" and he said "today."  He says that the bass is way easier than the regular guitar that he's been playing for several years.  Hopefully, he will get someone to film at least a snippet of the performance with their phone, so I can show grandma.  She will be thrilled that her grandson is following in granddad's footsteps.  It is especially poignant to think of granddaddy today, which would have been his 83rd birthday. 

Day off.

Today, we've been invited to a theater production of Fiddler on the Roof.  I've never even seen the movie, so I think I'll enjoy it very much.  It's the same theater where we saw White Christmas in December and we really liked that.  Since it's going to pretty much be a full day, I took the day off work.  I'm excited about that too.  :-)

 

Today would be a good day.

To go ahead and review our homeschooling routine and see what we need to add or subtract.  We're stuck home without a car again today so we should have plenty of time.  The trouble is, I don't really know what to do.  I spent some time yesterday looking at dysgraphia resources but I didn't find anything.  :-(  I really probably need to get Dianne Craft's Brain Integration Therapy Manual, which I've heard will help, but it's kind of pricey.  I just figured out, while typing this, that some of her videos are on Youtube, so I'm going to check those out and then see if I can come up with a plan. That's the thing about homeschooling, if it isn't working, you can change it, and I frequently do.  :-)

I've been reading a lot of things on these websites (below) that kind of make me re-think education and childhood.  One thing I think we need to do, in educating these 2 high schoolers, is give them some control of what they learn and how they learn it.  I don't know if either of them is heading to college, and if they are, they could start now taking CLEP tests and probably could go ahead and enroll in some college classes ... something else to think about.  I may just hand the problem of my son's handwriting over to him and let him come up with some kind of plan.  I may get him to watch the dysgraphia videos on Youtube himself.  I think maybe he'd remember it better if it was his plan.  Hmmm.

Parent at the Helm

Janet Lansbury

Free Range Learning

Another reason I'm looking for a different job.

The first one is what I typed.  The second sample is what was dictated to me.  If these doctors could just get their thoughts in order (I know they are tired, but still.) they could save the whole industry a ton of money.

FINAL DIAGNOSES: 

1.   Coronary artery disease status post coronary artery bypass graft.

2.   History of gout.

3.   Status post Clostridium difficile toxin treated with Dificid. 

4.   Depression.

5.   Hypothyroidism.

6.   Status post urinary tract infection.

7.   Diabetes mellitus type 2.

8.   Gait unsteadiness/debility.

9.   Status post PEG removal.

For any other information, please see the chart.  Greater than 35 minutes spent in the process of discharge. 

FINAL DIAGNOSES: 

1.   Coronary artery disease status post CABG.

2.   History of gout.

3.   Status post Clostridium difficile toxin treated with Dificid. 

4.   Gout.

5.   Depression.

6.   Hypothyroidism.

7.   Depression.

8.   Status post urinary tract infection.

9.   Diabetes mellitus type 2.

10. Gait unsteadiness/debility.

11. Status post PEG removal.

12. Depression. 
13. Hypothyroidism.
14.  Status post urinary tract infection.
15   Diabetes mellitus type 2.
16.  Status post PEG.
17.  Gout.
18.  Gait instability.

For any other information, please see the chart.  Greater than 35 minutes spent in the process of discharge.   For any other information, please see the chart.  Send copies to all the aforementioned consultants.  For any other information please see the chart.

It's the sifting and the sorting and keeping them from repeating themselves constantly, at least on the finished product, that is so annoying.

Saturday, the end of a long week.

Last week, both kids procrastinated until late on Friday and one of them was so late that he ended up with extra chores on the weekend.  It was actually kind of nice for me in a way, because he got the spring cleaning started and it really needed to be done.  This Friday, everyone was done at a decent hour, I'm not sure exactly when because I took a nap yesterday, but they were done when I woke up.  My week did not go all that well.  Things happened.  It is the anniversary of the week my Dad passed away and also the week of his birthday and I've been kind of emotional.   Then my mom was having problems with her back and I had to take her to the pain management clinic, which I always dread terribly because it takes.  so.  long.   On the way there, I experienced some pretty severe road rage at a driver who kept blowing his horn at me.  I felt absolutely murderous.  Then, on Thursday, I went to the funeral home fully intending to go to the funeral on Friday (forgetting that I wouldn't have a car.)  Then later on Thursday I went to the children's hospital to hold the babies.  I had considered not going, because I was already tired and extremely stressed and crabby,  but my daughter told me to go.  She knows how it soothes me.  It worked wonders.  I just felt  content on Friday and had a good day.  Oh how I wish I could fit in going more often.  :-).  I've been perusing the hospital's job listings in the hope that I could get a job there and get to see the babies more often and get away from this annoying job that I have, (win-win),  but so far, no luck.  One of the jobs I'm going to apply for actually requires the degree that I have, a B.S. in Child and Family Studies.  Can you believe that?  I mean, nothing ever requires that degree.  It's been totally useless to me in the years that I have had it, but it might come in handy now.  If you see a big dust cloud in the sky next week, you'll know they are blowing the dust off my old transcript so they can send it to me.  It's been a while, shall we say?

Also this week, I've been reading a totally fascinating book recommended by a fellow blogger at The Common Room (see the sidebar for a link).  It's The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg and it explains what we do and how we do it.  I'm looking to change my poor eating and exercising habits into good ones and possibly even change into a good housekeeper (that might require a genie instead of a book!) but it is really some interesting reading.  I'll try and give a better review later on.  It has really got me thinking.

So anyway that's my weekly summary.   It's Saturday and since hospitals don't close on the weekends, I've got to work. 

Tired Thursday.

I'm just completely wiped out today.  Tired.  I got up this morning at 8:00 because the mortgage company for our refinance called.  Then, I goofed off for a while, cleaned the house a little, got ready and went to the funeral home.  Another dear friend's mom has passed away.  Later, I went to the children's hospital for my volunteer shift.  It turned out to be a long, long day, but as always, it's nice to be needed in the NICU.  I was the only volunteer there tonight and there were a lot of fussy babies tonight.  I did the best I could and in between times, I sorted one of the big laundry sorting the tiny preemie boy clothes from the tiny preemie girl cloth and then I held a little baby girl with huge beautiful eyes and rocked her to keep her happy while she waited for her dinnertime which was scheduled at 8:00 p.m. and then I drove home. 

Like I said. 

Tired.

And some miscellaneous pictures.

A birthday banner we put up for my husband's birthday this week. 

One of today's algebra problems.  I am thankful I don't have to teach it.  That's Dad's job.

Today's veggie soup.  It's not as good as it was the other day.  :-(