One way to look at it.

We got a new dishwasher today. The old one went completely kaput, so my husband got a new one on the way home from work. He has not installed it yet and it's in the truck. Meanwhile, I'm sitting here at my desk trying to get some things done and I hear my 2 youngest kids in the kitchen cooking. Then I get a faint whiff of something burning. As I'm starting to go investigate, I hear my daughter say "Well, look at it this way, we've created a challenge for our new dishwasher." They had tried to make pancakes and had burned them on the pancake pan. I guess that's looking on the bright side?

A good idea.

I had a good idea, I think.  You know my youngest has dysgraphia or something like it, hates to write, reverses letters, etc.  I had been making him do copywork and it was working out okay.  The rule was that if he reversed a letter, he had to do it all over again.  This worked pretty well and his reversals got less frequent.  Then, at the beginning of January, I put him into the Sequential Spelling program and I took away the copywork, thinking that he'd be writing his spelling words.  However, he has worn me down and hasn't been writing the words.  He has instead been spelling them aloud, typing them on the computer or spelling them with Scabble tiles.  This was all supposed to be interspersed with actually writing them at least 1 day a week.  I do feel that there is value in those methods, multisensory learning and all that, but he's not been writing anything except math.  So I decided to incorporate copywork again.  This time, instead of just copying anything out of any book onto any paper, I bought him a journal.   He's been facinated with the Spiderwick Field Guide to the Fantastical World and so the plan is that he is going to draw one fantastical creature per page and copy a couple of interesting 'facts' about it out of that book.  He is very enthusiastic about this idea so maybe that will make copywork go better.  I hope.

I'd like to clarify about my vacation, it did make me tired because the beds were less comfortable than one would hope, (and I ate gluten, thinking it would be "worth it" - - big mistake!)  but I'm still glad we went.  Family bonding on vacations is more intense and more fun and full of good memories and I spent 3 whole days without crying so it was worth it and it was a break.  Just the next day when I had to start work again and pick up the death certificates and make arrangements for doctor visits and just generally get back into my real life, it was really hard, that's all. 

Unfortunately

going on vacation did not refresh me the way I had hoped.  I came home so exhausted that it made the next couple of days more difficult.  Still, we've managed to get school done this week.  Most of us, that is.  The youngest has to get going today and get all of today's and part of yesterday's school done so that he won't be grounded for the weekend.  I took my son to the doctor yesterday to see about his ankle and he is going to have to have surgery on his ankle.  Unfortunately the doctor hes' been seeing for the last couple of months does not do these arthroscopic ankle surgeries himself but has referred us to yet another specialist.  My mom went to the back doctor yesterday as well and was referred to not one, but two other specialists.  I'm starting to think the specialists around here have some kind of referral/copay racket going on. 

Did you all see the warnings against excessive sitting recently?  I just read this one.  Stand up while you read this.  I really need to get another job, something that involves walking. 

A few pictures from the trip.

Of course I forgot to take pictures of the water park. Oh well. My husband may have some on his camera, I'll have to check. The Air Force museum was amazing as was the Ikea store. We forgot to go to the Lego store for my youngest, so I guess we'll have to go back. Or maybe we could find a good Lego store in a costal area to visit?

We took a vacation.

We really did! We took kind of a spur of the moment trip to Cincinnati. I was inspired by another blogger Perri's winter jaunt, but the state park that they went to was completely booked, so we went to a hotel in Cincinnati with an indoor water park and visited the Air Force museum in Dayton. It was a very nice relaxing trip, but I am exhausted now and it's good to be home. Isn't that funny how we want to go someplace else and then we so want to come home?

And just so you know, the day that we were in the museum definitely counts as a school day. :-P

Keeping busy.

We've been keeping busy around here and that is a good thing. Tomorrow will be a month since the day my Dad got sick. The time passes quickly it seems. Mom's doing better than I had expected and I'm very proud of her. As for us, we're starting to be able to cope again, getting the house cleaned up, doing school, working.

A vacation would be nice though.

Drawing.

My daughter finished the drawing she's been doing of our cat Zelda. Here it is.

Watch out!

Someone should have told my family to watch out for me today.  I've been so grouchy.  The thing is, my husband went to the grocery on the way home from work and the kids are willingly doing their schoolwork and are almost done and I have nothing to be grouchy about and yet I am. 

Is this a component of grief?  Stress? 

I hope this part of it passes quickly and I'm sure those around me do too.