Sparks and Butterflies

So – I managed to completely forget about NaBloPoMo this weekend.  That’s impressive.  Does this mean I have failed?

In other news, we have friends coming over for Monday Night Football.  This is big news – since we don’t allow people into our cave-like existence.

Still other news…  I am matron of honor in a wedding in January.  This is taking entirely more brainpower than I had anticipated.  What?  We eloped!

YAY!  I cannot tell you how happy I am that it’s Friday!

Beyond that – I’ve got nothing to say.

I’m quite busy with client work, the week was all funky with a different schedule for the kids, and so I’m just done.

I might be having a friend over for dinner tonight, so I’m excited about that.

Tomorrow is my “day off.”  No chores, no work, no nothing.  Lazy day.  I will, of course, be here.

Idea – anyone have any questions?  I’m pretty open about my life, so nothing (this may bite me later) is off limits.  Ask away!  Religion, politics, home life, work, preferences, I don’t care.  I’d love to answer questions!  Gets the juices flowing.

I’m doing Nablopomo, are you?

Boring title.  Boring entry.  I don’t have time to write today (really write.)  I have a bunch of client work, errands, two school conferences, and a cardiologist appointment, not to mention kid pickups, homework, and feeding them lunch and dinner.  And housework.

I really dislike school half days.

I’m doing NaBloPoMo, are you?

I must get this recorded for posterity.  This morning, Poe and I were having our first coffee, and he was telling me about his dream.  It was a long convoluted story, as most dreams are.  How he ended it:  “James Earl Jones was our neighbor; he was a guru spy.”  How can I not note that?

Today is to be full of work, as yesterday was full of taking care of life.  There will be writing and conference calls and email checking and webinars and thinking to do.  Tomorrow, there are two conferences and a cardiologist appointment at the same time.  Because I’m just THAT good.  Poe and I will be donning our superhero costumes for our space/time continuum abilities.  We usually live like normal humans, but must break out the powers for conference days.  And since it IS conference week, the kids are on half days at school, which means I get to say, “Shhhh, I’m working” eleventy billion times.  I usually try to get it all done before they get home.  The good news?  We finished our living room, which means meals and cartoons are no longer taken in my bedroom/office.

So…  I guess it’s going to be a normal busy day here.  James Earl Jones notwithstanding.

I’m doing NaBloPoMo…  Are you?

Kids grow up by increments.  Little by little.  But I think, now that I’ve been through two, I know when they’re well and truly no longer babies.  It’s not walking and being a “toddler.”  It’s not pre-school.  It’s not that all imporant Big Boy 5.  Not even the start of kindergarten.

It’s when they’ve lost both their front teeth, and both front big teeth come in.  That’s when they truly become gangly little smelly boys instead of you seeing that little baby inside.  They’ll always be my babies…  But they’re not babies anymore.

I’m doing NaBloPoMo, are you?

The carpet installers are hours – yes HOURS – late.

I’m juggling three clients.

I got a call from school that Joseph is refusing his lunch.

I have to finish the three clients’ work for the day, pick up the kids, supervise the installation, and help move all our living room furniture back into the house.

Tick tock…  Tick tock…

How do you juggle?  I suppose that’s the age old question.  I don’t care if you stay at home, work a paying gig at home, work a paying gig outside of the home – juggling.

It’s absolutely great that I’ve landed these gigs.  Absolutely.  Now how do do I keep everything in the air?

And please.  No flaming torches please.

I’m doing NaBloPoMo, are you?

It’s day one of NaBloPoMo, and I nearly screwed the pooch.  But – in under the wire at 10:40ish pm.  Phew.

Not that I have anything to say.  My back is still screwy.  Add to that we moved all the living room furniture out to get carpet in tomorrow.  Add to that, we’ll have to move all the furniture BACK in tomorrow.  I don’t think my back is ever going to forgive me.

Also – I’ve been incredibly busy with a few new clients.  One of them is incredibly demanding.  This means two things: Lack of time, and Income coming in.  That is a wonderful thing.  Theoretically.

See you tomorrow.

Day 1 of NaBloPoMo – I’m in, are you?

There’s no real reason for today’s title.  Except that I need to take Logan to the ER today for a wound check.  I like how it sounds – like he’s been through a war or something.  Anyway, I’ll be doing that today after school.

I also have a meeting to Discuss Things with Joseph’s teacher/counselor/Special Ed teacher…  I raised a stink about his therapist putting anything into his IEP, you see.  Because his mental health issues have never been in his IEP – that’s always been the other half of the whole therapuetic package, as opposed to part of the educational portion.  So essentially, I don’t want it in the IEP under my authority, because that’s basically ME saying for the state to spend X amount of dollars on his mental health care.  While yes, I think it’s still necessary, and has been incredibly beneficial to him, I don’t have that kind of authority.  And frankly, I don’t want a bill for years of therapy down the road.

When I raised the red flag, it took a bunch of emails and phone calls for them to realize that no, I’m not backing out of therapy, and no I’m not throwing a monkey wrench into his progress.  “If our services are no longer needed, all you have to do is say so.”  NO!  I’m saying I don’t have the authority to spend the state’s money!  Talk to his social worker!  He does have that authority!  Everyone finally got it.  Except that then the school, and the people who do his therapy realized that no one has heard from the social worker for a year and a half.  Which is…  Odd.  But they’re finally working on figuring that portion out.  In the meantime, we’re updating his IEP.  Which, of course, requires a meeting.  Even though they have the wording.  But it requires yet another meeting.  To discuss things.  Even though there’s nothing to discuss, except for the fact that they need to add the words they already have to the IEP already on their computer.

That’s the one thing I really hate about the education process for my son…  All the fricken meetings.  I absolutely get the IEP update meeting held once a year at the end of the year.  Beyond that, people, I only need parent/teacher conferences.  guarantee you all this meeting will be about is for me to sign the changes into place on the IEP.  Come on.  They could have left it with the secretary at the front for me to sign.

I hate meetings.

You know…  People think I’m exagerrating when I say weird crap happens to us.  I’m not.

Like how every time my parents go out of town, something happens.  Or anytime I want a vacation, something happens.  It’s true.

So, let’s see.  This week – all I wanted is a vacation, before I started concentrating on my home, and my business.  I sound like a barking seal, so I’ve spent most of this week heavilly medicated.  Joseph’s IEP blew up with the state so I have a big meeting on Friday to try to fix it.  And last but not least (it is only Thursday) stitches.

This is the last week at after school care (my vacation remember?)  If there’s a problem with after school care, they usually call my husband first, rather than me, because Poe is the one who goes and gets them.  Fine.  Yesterday, Poe called me.  It’s always bad when someone leads with “He’s OK, but…”  Turns out that Logan was running on the playground, tripped over another kid, and landed face first on the asphalt.  Could he please be picked up so that we can determine if he needs stitches?  So I rush to get ready, and rush to go get him.  And yeah, the open wound on his chin looks like it might still need stitches, especially since they can’t get it to stop bleeding.

First stop – Pediatrician’s office.  But it’s 12pm.  And therefore closed for lunch for another hour and a half.  So, I took him to the hospital instead.  $75 copay later, and two stitches.  He was very very brave.  He cried though all the numbing injections, but he didn’t thrash around and need the papoose like we did when his eye needed stitches.  I didn’t even cry!  And I was holding his hands, and because of the angle, I saw every.little.thing.  And I didn’t pass out.  Because of his heart, he’s also on the pink antibiotics as well.  Can’t have an infection, you see.  Still have to figure out how get a wound check done tomorrow, and still go to the meeting for Joseph.

The doctor said he could go to school today.  I just can’t send him.  He’s 6 and in Kindergarten.  All I can think about is him running and falling on his stitches.  Besides, I’ve had stitches.  It’s going to hurt today, and he doesn’t need to be at school getting through that.  I’ll send him tomorrow – against my better judgement – ’cause it’ll be his last day at afer school care, and he’s going to want to say goodbye to his friends.

He’s still asleep this morning, which tells me that this is a good decision.  Normally, he’d have been out of bed an hour ago trying not to bug me but bugging me anyway.  I might snag a picture later for posterity.  Boys like documentation of their boy wounds.

Again – not much to say except that I’m sick.  My head cold has traveled, and now I have a chest cold.  I sound like a freakin’ barking seal.  To top things off, if things get much worse, I’m going to have to wear depends panty liners.  No, I just wish I were kidding.  I didn’t have a problem after one kid, but after two?  Coughing fits tend to make me…  tinkle.

And now you know too much.

Can I blame it on the cold meds?