A glimpse into what it is like to live in our home just this moment.
 |
| photo cred: Abba |
 |
| photo cred: Abba |
 |
| selfie cred: Arabella |
 |
| photo cred: Deanna M |
Intentional Outdoor Hours: 3+ hours (of 1000)
It was a very cold and snowy week. We had school delays and activity cancellations all over the place due to the weather. I was very grateful that my friend and co-worker Loni brought home my computer for me on Friday afternoon, because unfortunately, next week looks like even more of the snowy, blowy, and cold weather! We are deep in winter over here in western PA.
Reading and finishing By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult and it was wonderful. I loved it; the history, the love story, the ancestry, the whole premise, no notes! Next up is The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami for our Lit Ladies book club!
Thankful for handy men (as always). Pap and Brandon closed the whole in the kitchen that has been there for a year+ due to some leaking in the showers upstairs. They got it measured and closed up with new drywall on Sunday afternoon.
Playing a million rounds of Cards Against Humanity Family Edition because they kids are obsessed and they laugh so hard every time. Violet, Rusty, Brandon, and I had a hilarious round on Sunday. It's a funny one if you have 3rd-8th graders especially. (be warned: lots of potty and fart humor)
Decorating for Valentines day!
X-Ray for me on my collarbone. The report back is that it does in fact look like Sternoclavicular Arthritis and that's really the best case scenario. Basically I used and abused my body (LOL, understatement of the century) and while I was holding all my babies exclusively on my left side for 15 years so that I could use my right hand to do literally everything else, I decimated my left trapezius muscle which tilted inward, pulled my tendon tight that connects to my collarbone (which pushed my collarbone forward) and then kept using it despite having so much strain on it, combined with being 40+ and my bones are old. LOL, but okay fine - If getting old and mothering too hard is my problem. I will wear this deformed collarbone proudly! Clock it!
Going through some of our children's books and donating them to my elementary school for the MLK Jr book drive they were hosting this week. They will go to local libraries, preschools, and daycares!
Spent most of the week stressing over Grey's foot. He had two blood blisters show up on Monday and by Tuesday the redness/ infection had started to spread up his foot and towards his ankle. We went to the ER on Tuesday night and got antibiotics but over the next two days his blister kept looking worse and worse. He and I went out to Pittsburgh to Children's Hospital ER to get some more insight into what was happening. I was so worried about how aggressive it seemed to be moving and infections are not to be played with! Our doctor and nurse team at Children's were incredible and so thorough - talking us through the what and why and how of everything (bloodwork, MRI, draining, new antibiotics, sterile dressings, timeline expectations for progress). It was a very long night in the hospital on Thursday (6p-1:30a) but I felt so much better to get it taken care of with all the labs and images and MDs on the case.
Proud of and also a little heartsick over how stoic Grey was being in the hospital. At one point, the nurse had tried several times to get his vein for bloodwork and kept missing and Grey did not flinch or make any sound - after a few attempts, I was like - maybe let's try the other arm? And she moved to the other side and got it right in. After she left, Grey was like, "oh man, that hurt so bad I seriously thought I was going to pass out" and I was like "GREY?! It's okay to say something! You don't have to scream, but it's okay to say - I need a minute so she at least knows you're in pain!!!" Good grief, he really did such a good job and was so tough and calm but that is still my baby and because I'm his momma, several times he looked at me after a procedure like, "mom, I want to be done" and I could see that little boy in there under that big teenage boy exterior. Gah, motherhood is just never simple - even (especially?) as they get bigger.
So very grateful for the community of health workers that we know and love who leaned in to give support and advice and thoughts on the million disgusting foot pics and worries I sent them over the last week. Our beloved high school trainer Jenilee who was incredible and supportive through every worry and photo I voiced. Brandon's college trainers Mike and Mark who texted huge paragraphs of thoughts and ideas. Coach Alex who immediately was ready to do and reach out to anyone that could help. And thankful and feeling supported by all the people who leaned in when we were visibly worrying this week. Our family (bless you!!!), Grey's basketball coaches, our friends who were ready and waiting to help in any way they could, my co-workers Ella and Loni who helped me figure out how to make a Friday call-off work when I was in the hospital at midnight.
Laughing that the last week of photos in my phone album are mostly nasty foot pictures to show progress in Grey's foot. Hahha, I could make a killing off all these foot photos from the weirdos on the internet! Good to know I will always have that as a back up income booster if I need. LOL, kidding.
Time with family and friends. Red and Olive had a sleepover with Abba and Chum on Sunday night into Monday and even got to go roller skating twice! (thank you!) Rusty went to his friend Freddy's birthday party at 814 Lanes and Games (and I got to chat with Kelly Mc while there and it was so nice to catch up with her! xxo) and Rust also went to the Thomahawks hocket game with his friend Liam. Rusty and Violet both got to get off the bus at Chum & Abba's house on Thursday night, sleepover, and then catch the bus to school on Friday (best ever)! Violet had a birthday sleepover for her friend Bristol on Sunday night. Vi went to her first sewing class with Kuma on Friday (she's obsessed - they are making a quilt from now until April!) and then had a sleepover with Bristol and they got to start all the seedlings for the Mauer's garden too (thanks Deanna!) Grey spent the day with Abba and Chum while he was home from school on Thursday and was glad to have the company and chicken wings (!) and I was glad to get photos texted to me throughout the day to track his progression (each getting slightly worse!!? which helped made the final decision to just go to Children's that night).
Teaching only one and a half days this week! We had an Act 80 day for MLK Jr day and I got all my graded finished for Q2 (yay!) I had lunch with Loni at Tailgatez (always a good to spend time together!) Tuesday was a day off as an old fashion snow day - even though it wasn't for snow but rather for crazy cold temperatures. Wednesday was a full day of school but then Thursday we had a 2hr delay because of the burst snow storm we had Wednesday evening. And I called off on Friday after Grey and I spent 7.5 hours in the ER in Pittsburgh for his foot. Sheesh - this was a 'shake it off and try again next week' kind of week!
Sporting Violet had one basketball game this week. Gemma had one basketball practice, three basketball games, and an indoor soccer game with her Gators team. Grey had pitching for baseball and only one basketball practice that he participated in because of his cellulitis in his foot (missed two practices and two games this week - which has him heartbroken).
Making bbq chicken, meatloaf with mashed potatoes and corn, homemade stromboli, kielbasa tortellini, chicken fajitas and rice, chicken & broccoli alfredo, and shredded beef and cheddar sammies, On the snow day, I made confetti (fruity pebbles) muffins. I also made a double batch of monster cookies for dessert.
