The Other Part of the Day

We had an appointment in Ann Arbor, for William, Grace, and Juliet.  William's was actually a double appointment, because his orthodontist requested that he have 4 baby teeth removed before his next visit to their office!  So, when I made his tooth extraction appointment, they were able to bump his cleaning to an earlier time slot, and keep the girls at their same time.  

Grace and Juliet slept with twisted hair so that their hair could be 'curly' for the appointment.  It was certainly curly first thing in the morning!

When we arrived the parking lot was close to full, but we were plenty early, so we were able to wait for someone to leave, then we were able to park and went to check in.  Grace was able to go back earlier, since her dentist had an opening, and William's dentist was right on time.  Poor Juliet, her dentist had a patient right before her, and the patient was checked in, but in the wrong clinic.  So not only was she not able to go early, by was actually delayed. = (

William and Juliet both have to go back for treatment in November (and William will be going on a back to back Friday/Monday. = /  I may see if I can move his ortho appointment, because I don't want him to miss that much school in a row.)

We enjoyed a nice lunch in the atrium, William was only allowed to eat joghurt, so we gave him all that we brought, poor guy!  Grace found a cute little 'pig' marshmallow cookie!

After our 'detour' to the park, we headed home.  About 20 miles from Lansing, my car hiccoughed a bit, then the radio went out.  After about 5 more miles, my speedometer panel (gas, rpm, speed, etc.) also went out.  At the next hiccough, I made the decision to pull over at a rest stop, instead of trying (and possibly failing) to make it to the mechanic.

I turned off my car for a few minutes, then attempted to restart it, but it wouldn't even click over. = (

So, I called AAA, Billy, and the mechanic (in that order!)

AAA was out pretty quick, but we had access to a bathroom, water fountain and all the food we'd brought for our lunch, so we were pretty content while we waited.

Such a sad sight. =- (

Once my car was on the truck, Billy headed our way (there was no sense in him joining us to wait for the truck.)

One of our primary forms of entertainment was bottle flipping.  William got pretty accurate with his sprite bottle!

The 'pose' is staged, but the success was real in the same flip for both William & Juliet!!

All in all, I'm thankful that since my car did break down, it went out on our way home, close enough to home to be 'local', at a location with a bathroom and water source, that we didn't have a car full of camping supplies, for AAA, and for the sweet families who saw our car loaded up and made sure that we were okay and had help coming!

And while I'm in a reflective mood: a quick shout out to my sweet little garden, we had our first cucumber heartvest yesterday!!! <3

I hope the repair on my car is quick and relatively inexpensive, but Billy googled the symptoms and thinks it's the alternator. = (

later days

Hello November!

239th Day of Quarantine.

Today the high was 72F.

I woke up after a solid 11 hours of sleep!  This week was the busiest we've had in forever.  The cases of covid are increasing, and yet, we managed to go more places than we've been in forever. = /  Not the best combination.  

Billy and I enjoyed a full breakfast, thanks to our shopping trip Friday evening. We readied to go quickly, and ran to Sam's to pick up a surprise for William. (He saw a toy he wanted on our Wednesday trip, and I didn't get it, telling myself that I'd buy it online.  When I went out to order it, they carry it in store only!) = (  So, we made a special trip just for this birthday surprise. = )

After that, we went by Wendy's to pick up the lunch we ordered online.  It wasn't quite ready, so we waited for a while.  While we were in line the monthly siren test went off. In consideration of the announcement of Biden winning the presidential election, and our proximity to the capitol building, I'll admit, it freaked me out just a bit.  

It sounded exactly like the air raid sirens in the old war films, and my psyche is less stable than I've enjoyed for the majority of my life.  January 21st is a long way away.  Do I sound paranoid? I feel paranoid.  

This year has been a tough one.  

Between covid and presidential elections and governor kidnapping schemes and homeschool and cancelled everything and a weird Halloween I feel isolated.  Hopefully January will help restore some normalcy, or be long enough in this rut that it will start to feel normal.

For dinner we had a charcuterie board of all the things Billy and I failed to finish, as well as some of the bonus items we didn't even open Friday night.  

We finished the Hunger Games series, and watched Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.

------

238th Day of Quarantine.

The high today reached a lovely 74F!

I took advantage of the warmer temperatures to burn all of yesterday's tree trimmings, and then did some more raking!  There are so many leaves, I gave it an entire hour, and there are still leaves everywhere.

The vacuum truck came through before I could get the big girls back out for pictures, so we went out today after my leaf clean up.  Emily was a willing model, Alice not so much.

My mom came by after our dinner of cheesy chicken noodles, and surprised the kids.  She's been her in quarantine for 2 weeks, and I managed to not tell them!

She took them for a night at Aunt Rocky's for my birthday. Billy and I went on a "date" to Horrocks to get some tasty treats for a night in.

We watched the third hunger games movie, but were both so tired, we went to bed at our usual bed time, despite being kid free!  

------

237th Day of Quarantine.

The high today was a lovely 65F.

It was our final day of Term 1 exams, and the big girls continued to plug away at their math.  Emily finished her third grade review*! And my amazing Alice worked through 3 units in 3 days!  

We took a break, with the unseasonably warm weather, to trim some of the low hanging tree and bush branches.  Also, I spent time raking up some leaves to the curb, and had a few helpers come help me. = )

For dinner we had teriyaki chicken with rice.

*A poor understanding of the software, led to much more than a review of her old material, and pretty much the big girls are completing an entire year of material in mere months. = 0 But, as we come close to the end of the year, we desperately need to get started on their current grade, so the rush is on.  

------

236th Day of Quarantine.

The high today was a pleasant 72F!

After exams for school today, William and I headed out to his appointment with the orthopedic doctor.  The traffic wasn't bad (and there were no road blocks) so we arrived my 15 comfortable minutes early.

We waited for a while in the waiting room, and then even longer in the exam room.  It was an hour past his appointment time by the time we finally saw the doctor.  Thankfully, it was good news. He said William's ankles have improved, even more than the last time that he saw him!  This means that he is now released from this doctor (unless of course we have issues.)  So yay!

From there we went to QD to try and turn in a registration for my card, but they no longer accept them in person, so I am going to have to call.

Our final stop was Sam's to return a box of exploded cocoa (on and in a few other items.)  It was simple enough.  I also tried to swap out a package of dented chicken in a can, but the order wasn't finished in their system (or something) and they didn't have any in stock to trade out.  So, we bought our few items, thankfully the scan and go app was working, and then drove around to pick up our order.  Then, we found out that their system was also not working for the pick up and ended up in the customer service line a third time in one night.

By the time we finally got our groceries it was dark and I was tired and hungry. Billy fed the girls the sloppy joes I had planned, and William and I filled up on the Doritos he had picked out at Sam's.  I do not enjoy unloading groceries at the end of a busy, frustrating day.

But, we made it happen!  Now it's time for shots (of course) and then a quick bedtime for all! 

------

235th day in quarantine. 

The high today was a pleasant and unseasonal 64F today.

For dinner we had Salisbury steak and potatoes.

------

234th Day in Quarantine.

The expected high today was 47F, but it seriously felt colder than that, and I could hear each and every time the heater kicked on, since we were doing exams, which are a little quieter at the table one-on-one.

We finished around the time we usually do, but the big girls are knocking out some extra math (30 minutes worth) each day, so that they can get started on their current grade math.  I had them review, last summer, and thought that they would quickly move through the material, but it was so.much. And we weren't familiar enough for them to use the 'shortcuts.' So, now they are both in some end of year material that they weren't taught last year, and so the end is going slow, and we are playing catch up.  I'm hoping that they will progress quickly this week, since they are allowed to work on math when they are not testing.

I went to pick up my car this afternoon. Grace came with me, since she left her glasses on the floor yesterday with disappointing consequences. So, our next stop was the glasses shop.  We picked up my car first, then her broken glasses were given a temporary fix, and new frames ordered.  We were halfway home when the light came on in my car that we just paid $2500 to repair.... So, we turned around and dropped it back off, picking up Billy's car that we had left in the lot to retrieve once he got off of work.

I was angry and sad and annoyed. So, I tried messaging and calling Billy, but since his phone is not working, it made me feel even worse.  I ended up emailing his work account, so that he could contact me so that I could at least retrieve dinner while we were out.

For dinner we had Taco Bell.

I also read today that coronavirus cases are ticking up, again.  Many European nations are reinstating their lockdowns.  Here, in America, we are not. With the election coming up tomorrow, and coronavirus on the loose, I have an unusually high stress level.

Here's hoping for a happier birthday.

------

233rd day in Quarantine.

I could hear the rain blowing in as it cooled way down overnight, leaving us with just a 37F high for today. = (

After church, Billy went to pick up the groceries and then went to the cell phone shop to see if they could help fix his connectivity issues.  The problem: his phone is too old. = /

We got some non-sticking snow today, first snow of the season.  I am still not ready.

We listed some of his 3D printed numbers in my Etsy shop today, maybe people will like them as much as we do!

For lunch I made a quiche, and for dinner we had chicken fajitas. 

-----

later days

Almost the End of September

197th Day of Quarantine.

High today was 79F.

Kids spent night with aunt rocky.  Very excited to go.

Billy and I had a cheese and meat pack for dinner. While we watched Enola Holmes and The Boys.

-------

196th Day of Quarantine.

The high today was 82F.

For our nature study, we decided to go to the "pumpkin patch."  In years past we've gone to uncle john's cider mill and enjoyed live music, rides, and a huge selection.  Today, we just purchased from our "neighbor" who sells produce on his front lawn. = )

Billy bought cider and donuts at the QD that we were able to enjoy on our walk back and at home.  The kids also made some fall 'masks' from an email that Aunt Wanda sent me.

For dinner we had a crockpot stew that made the house smell wonderful all day long!

Sarah took me to pick my car up from the dealership, who wanted to charge $5K for the repairs I need, and bring it into our favorite mechanic, who tends to shy away from my car after the month long saga a few years back.  He's supposed to call me next week with a quote.

------

195th Day of Quarantine.

The high today was 77F.  There was a cool breeze reminding us all that it is truly autumn.

We have almost finished week six of our curriculum, so our routine is settled and we are all pretty comfortable with our day.

For dinner we are having tortellini with alfredo sauce.

I finished my book and now I don't know what to do with myself.  The first mops meeting of the year is tonight at 7, but I don't think I'm going to go in person.

It was great to see so many smiling familiar faces.  Not the same as being there in person, but at this point in 2020, it was still a welcome change!

-------

194th Day of Quarantine.

The expected high was a respectable 80F.

I got up early, and Sarah met me at the dealership at 7:30 to drop off my car.  The ABS light is finally on full time, it has a little oil drip, and worst of all, my heated seat stopped heating. = (

Sarah beat me there, but I still waited outside the door for 5 minutes until they opened.  On the way home she took me by the QD so that I could get donuts for my crew.

Most were awake when I arrived home, and we were able to start our school day on time!

Juliet dressed all Ariel today.

In science the big girls made a hygrometer.  It's currently on the porch, we'll see if it works in a few days. = )

After a pleasant poetry & tea time, the kids played a live action version of "among us" [called "imposter" in roblox.] It's collectively their new favorite online game. 

One is the "imposter" and kills a victim, as they all mill about the house. Once a "dead body" is found, they have a meeting and vote who they think the imposter is. That person admits their role, and if they've chosen incorrectly, they have to move about again, and a new person "dies." It's fun to listen to their observations and politics.  And this is absolutely one of the best reasons to have 5 kids. = )

For dinner we had hamburger helper.  

My book was so engaging it was all I could do not to ignore my responsibilities.

------

193rd Day of Quarantine.

The expected high was 75F.

William finished his 1st grade math review today and received his alien stuffie!

After school, I went to the thrift store with a load and then to FEDEX to drop off the recycling box from the kids' medicine.

For dinner we had cheesy chicken noodles.

I'm still reading through my Cormoran Strike book, and have been making the poor decision to stay up late to read it. = 0  

-------

Today is the 192nd Day of Quarantine.

The expected high was 73F.

In science we attempted to make a "camera obscura" but I'm pretty sure that the tennis ball cannister that I procured lacked the opacity that we needed to make it work.

I ran to carl's to take a tub of cans.  The shed is still chock full of them, but at least now I am slowly removing boxes versus slowly adding them.  While I was there I got root beer and a snack for tomorrow.  I also got some bacon to attempt a "quick" recipe I saw online.

For dinner we are having Stouffer's lasagna and salad. 

------

Today is the 191st Day of Quarantine.

The expected high today was 67F.  We turned on the heater for the first time.

After church, I went to drop off recycling at Sarah's. She bought me sugar cubes!  I've been looking for weeks at the stores I actually go to, without success.  So, I'm very excited.

The grocery store was busy, as was the gas station.  When I went to the ATM that offers different denominations, I saw a sign that they are about to close it down mid next month. = (  I stopped at a garage sale, but didn't find anything today.

For dinner we had chicken fajitas.

------

later days

2nd Week of July

127th Day of Quarantine

The expected high today is a respectable 90F.

Today we made a birthday cake for Avia to eat for breakfast after we call her in the morning!

For dinner we had leftovers.

-------

126th Day of Quarantine

The high today was a pleasant 86F.

I spent the first few hours of my day trying to get a hold of someone at the insurance company, since they are denying the kids medicine, again, due to some missing records from long ago.  I'm pretty sure the records are in California, but they might be in Houston.  So, I've secured forms from everyone, and I'm in contact now with Jacq, our contact at the drug company, and their current endocrinologist' office.

It's so frustrating, but I think that I made some good progress yesterday, and am hopeful that it will be resolved before their current script runs out.

For art this week, we made paper airplanes!  The assignment was to create one from the booklet out of scratch paper, then they could choose one piece of  "nice" paper to create the final product if they wanted.   The only one who wanted to improve her plane was grace. = )

Billy had to run into work today, while he was gone I knocked out a couple of masks to mail to Chelsea.

Once Billy came home, I left to retrieve groceries from Carl's to deliver to Alyssa.  Her baby was in the hospital, and my heart just aches for her her.  Thankfully the babe was released yesterday evening with a round of antibiotics and seems to be on the mend!

For dinner we had pizza.

We finished off the day with a few episodes of Kim Possible.

--------

125th Day of Quarantine

The high today was 78F.  It was dreary and misty all day.

Another moth picture, this time for Juliet, to draw into the nature journal today.

After our morning lessons, and knocking out my chores, I finished sewing my pile of started masks.  Then I cut out my next round.

I threaded ear straps, stamped my mark, then packaged them up for delivery.  These three are being mailed out to some special people tomorrow! = )

Billy made a trip to Menards and picked up lunch from Bob Evans.  We still had a gift card leftover from Thanksgiving, so I called it in so that we could use it up!

Once he returned I ran to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription and some empty syringes for a project he's working on next week.

For dinner we reheated some of the leftover Bob Evans.  I do love their green beans. = )

-------

124th Day of Quarantine

The high today was 88F.  We didn't see any rain today, so according to Swithin's Day lore, we will have 40 fair days to follow. = )

Does this tree look like it's leaning to you?

In our nature journal this week the kids are drawing moths.  Emily and I studied one the night before her day, and she drew it from memory.  William picked one from the nature guide.  But today, Grace and I found where one sleeps!  We snapped a picture, and then she drew it from there.

We picked up Billy's car, and the check engine light came on on his trip home.  Sadly, we will not have time to take care of it this week or next. = /

I finally scored some chocolate bars in my grocery order yesterday, so we made a little fire and cooked up s'mores tonight!

And Billy trimmed William's hair for the second time this quarantine.

For dinner we had steak fajitas.

---------

123nd Day of Quarantine

The high today away 84F.

I picked up groceries, despite that it was a Tuesday.  William's Monday surgery is making my week feel all kinds of weird.

I took Billy's car in with Sarah.  She met me in Mason and gave me a lift home, since she was coming over to mow the lawn anyhow. = )

The twins were singing along to parts of the Frozen II sound track.  It's a little annoying and very adorable.

We had Lunchables/light fare and leftovers for dinner.

Billy and I finished season one of  Carnival Row.

----------

122nd Day of Quarantine

The high today was warm with a cool breeze, topping out at 78F.

William and I woke up at 5am, so that we could be in the hospital by 7:15.  We made good time, and pulled into the parking garage just after 6:30.  We were quickly taken back, then had a lot of waiting.  Once the time drew near, the surgeon came in and went over the procedure.

Then, it was time for William to have the pre-anesthesia anesthetic.   He seemed to take to it slowly, then it hit hard.  He started talking in mumbles and then laughed an almost maniacal laugh.  Just a few minutes later they wheeled him back.

They had a coffee station in the waiting area, and so I enjoyed a cup while waiting.

His procedure was super short, and he was in recovery longer than he spent in the operating room.  The surgeon came to let me know that it went well, then a while later they called me back.  He woke a little fearful.  He did not like that he could not feel his toes.

The nurse put on a show for him to watch, and when he was coming back around to himself, she brought him a frozen cherry treat!  Once he finished that, he had to be changed back into his own nightgown.  He was excited to ride in a green wheelchair all they way back to the car!

We left the hospital just after 11, and continued the tradition of going to Sonic as a treat.  When we returned to Lansing, we picked up McDonald's for everyone else.

William was charging around and dancing within just a few minutes of returning home.

We bid adieu to our kitchen rug of 13 years, since my new  one came in.  I was sad to say goodbye, but it was frayed on the sides and was developing some pretty big holes in in the middle.  Our new one looks pretty good, since it was purchased to match our current kitchen.

For dinner we had lasagna and the rest of the avocado ranch salad.

--------

121st Day of Quarantine

The expected high today is 81F.

Billy broke out the jumper cables from his car to see if it were indeed the battery, and it is.  Sadly, Walmart's automotive is currently closed because of the corona virus, and this battery is well within it's warranty. = (  AutoZone and the like will not touch Billy's car because of the terrible engine configuration that makes changing the battery challenging*. So, on Tuesday, because tomorrow is William's surgery, we will have to take it in.

It doesn't escape my notice, that I was finally going to take my car in to the dealership for a laundry list of small issues as soon as this surgery trip was over.  But instead, we'll be taking in Billy's car.  Sad times.

For dinner Billy cooked up some steaks.

I made cupcakes for William so that he could store up some calories before his morning of fasting.

later days

*compared to my Chrysler Sebring, it is an improvement. At least Walmart will change it despite the additional labor.  My Sebring required taking off the left front tire to change the battery (I'm not kidding) so Walmart wouldn't even touch it.

May 9th, 57th Day of Quarantine

The expected high today was a sunny, misleading, cold 51F.

In the morning I worked on some masks for the Helterbrands. Since I'm doing them all at once, my goal is to do one or two steps each day, so they are all still unfinished. = )

Sarah came over and detailed my car.  She enlisted the kids to wash the mats with the hose, since they could do that without getting too close to her.  So, they helped, for a few minutes, but she spent hours making my car cleaner and shiner.  I love how clean it is!

For dinner I made General Tso's chicken with rice.

Emily made some Bueno Nachos for us (her, me, Grace, Juliet, William, and eventually Billy!) to enjoy while we watched Kim Possible.

later days

March 3rd, Emily's 9th Birthday!

The high today was a cooooooold 46F. = (

Today we celebrated my favorite Emily's 9th birthday!

She started the day by opening gifts, then the day took a sad turn when half of her class cupcakes ended up on my floorboard. = (  I added cupcake procurement to my errand list, after I cleaned up my car.  (It's now so clean even Grace took note!)

I had my hair appointment at 11am, and once it was finished I dashed home to make her birthday cake!  For her homemade cake this year, she had a strawberry (unicorn) with chocolate icing. = )

I think she had a wonderful day, and enjoyed all the well wishes from people on facebook too = )

For dinner we had hamburger helper, since it was conference night and my mom was in charge of homework and dinner prep.

All of their conferences were back to back 20 minutes each from 4:00-5:40.

later days

St. Patrick's Day

This year St. Patrick's day fell on a Sunday. My mom bought green hats for each of the kids.   Everyone wore green. 

Our, ridiculous, silly, nonsensical family tradition is to go to buffalo wild wings for lunch and have their green beer.  When we got there, they didn't have the dye = ( so we were going to leave.  Apparently our car wanted us to eat there though, and refused to start.

There are worse place to be stranded I suppose.  My mom came to our rescue, after they towed away our car.  (Thank goodness for AAA.)

The car now starts up great, but we sent it back in later in the week for some other less pressing work to be done, and it is still at the garage. = /  Luckily, we have the loaner, so we are not down a car. = )

later days