Visitors

Emma's friend Gabrielle and her sister Hannah is visiting with her parents from State College for a conference, so yesterday they came over. It was kind of gloomy and damp, so we went to the zoo, then Beth kept all the girls and took them to dinner and brought them to the gym for Emma's practice.

Emma was invited to spend the night at the hotel with them, so it's just Soren and I this morning, and she's still asleep. she was up till 11 pm watching Winged Migration with us. We didn't watch the whole thing, as we decided to go to sleep right after she did, but what we watched was really cool, although bird shows aren't really my thing.

Today we are going to the beach near our house, and then Tom and I have Bradley class tonight. I am very disappointed because we are supposed to camp this weekend at Hamlin Beach and he just realized that he's on call all day Saturday - 9 a.m. till 9 a.m. Sunday. :::ripping hair out with frustration::: It seems like he's always on call on the weekends even though it's supposed to be once every 5 or 6 weeks, but I guess there's call and then there's backup, and it's just driving me batty!

I'm really worried about how I will cope when he goes right back to work after the baby is born.

In other news, I have this really strange dry skin under my chin - gotta attack that with some oil this morning before it gets any more inflamed. It is so itchy!

Update on Soren's non-dairy experience:
It's going well. She is eating so much better, although we're backsliding a bit right now (about 5 or 6 weeks into it), with wanting junk food again, but we're standing firm. Her appetite is better, as is her energy level, and she's generally less moody. Yay!

Church

The topic was slowing down and simplifying today. It was a great service. A little sermon from 3 people and then mostly congregational response. I talked a bit about how pregnancy has forced me to slow down, and how eating and talking with people who need support is a good way to slow down, because one of the older members is always wanting people to go to lunch with. I suspect that people get annoyed because he asks every week and not always at the most appropriate moment, but I feel sorry for him. Maybe because he reminds me of my dad in some ways.

I made a point of getting tea and snacks for another older member of our congregration who is a widower and recently upgraded from a cane to a walker. We had a nice chat.

I had a lovely time at Erica's. She made a fantastic dinner last night and Emma ate the rest of mine in the car on the way home. She also raved about the mesquite lime marinade on the chicken and ate all the edamame (soy beans). I'm so glad she's not a picky eater.

In PA

Survived the trip to PA and I actually drove probably a bit too fast to get here, but it was worth it to my back!

I dropped the girls off with David and had a nice visit chatting for a bit, and then headed over to Erica's. She spoiled me a bit - made me raviolis for dinner and we stayed up till around 11 p.m. talking, which was lovely.

Today we went to Fahrenheit 9/11 this afternoon. I liked it much better than Bowling for Columbine as it seemed to support the facts much better. I am going to spend some time on his website. I think I'd like to email him a resume ;).

I got some pictures, which I'll put up on my website soon, so check for new pics from our trip to T. Falls and more!

Tonight I'm going with Erica to the Equinox Cafe to see some live music. I can't find a website for it, but it's apparently a little coffee shop in Millheim that features folk music. Sounds good to me!

Tomorrow I'm going to the UU Fellowship , where the topic is simplifying and slowing down. always good advice!

In PA

Survived the trip to PA and I actually drove probably a bit too fast to get here, but it was worth it to my back!

I dropped the girls off with David and had a nice visit chatting for a bit, and then headed over to Erica's. She spoiled me a bit - made me raviolis for dinner and we stayed up till around 11 p.m. talking, which was lovely.

Today we went to Fahrenheit 9/11 this afternoon. I liked it much better than Bowling for Columbine as it seemed to support the facts much better. I am going to spend some time on his website. I think I'd like to email him a resume ;).

I got some pictures, which I'll put up on my website soon, so check for new pics from our trip to T. Falls and more!

Homeschooling

I started a little blog for homeschooling - mostly for myself to keep track of what the hell we're doing with ourselves. It's here if you're interested.

I actually had a lot of energy today, which was great! I'm done with work till Monday and am headed to PA tomorrow after yoga and a massage. I can't wait for the massage. Truly.

I accomplished a lot today too. I got the kids to clean for a half hour and they did a pretty good job with their room, although there is still more to do.

I cleaned the living room really well, including vacuuming and *dusting* which I haven't done in ages, if ever, since we moved in. I cleaned the kitchen and mopped the floor.

I vacuumed the steps, did 3 loads of laundry and put all of mine away and sorted the girls' so they can put it away tomorrow during their cleaning time.

Tomorrow I just have to pack for the weekend and clean my room, which is a sty again. It must the layout of the damn room, or maybe I just got used to living by myself. It's constantly trashed, which is unusual for me. My bedroom is usually the neatest place in the house! Ugh!

Must Get Boxes. If I don't pack up some of this crap and get it out of here soon, I will go bananas ;).

One more Wednesday

I am done working weekends until after maternity leave, and I have one more Wednesday (next week) to teach preschool classes. I had to have help today, as I can't bend well at all and am moving reallllly slow.

Emma's dentist appt. went great. She was very brave and didn't need a shot of novacaine although it got a little ouchy during the drilling.

My chiro appt. went well. I *love* her. I am still in agony today - nerve pain, some sciatica and massive hip pain all around but hopefully tomorrow will be better. I think not going to the pool this week has had an impact.

Soren had a graduation ceremony from kindergarten today and of course I cried. She was so beautiful and I loved her whole class and her teachers. They helped her so much this year. She's a totally different kid than when we moved here. I can tell the girls have mixed feelings about homeschooling, and I always doubt myself, but I think it is the right decision.

One year of experimentation shouldn't hurt anyone too much ;).

Emma is done with 2nd grade now too! Yikes! She is so happy to be done and looking forward to summer vacation. She came home with a HUGE bug bite on her leg though that is so puffed up that I gave her some Benadryl. Hopefully it won't knock her out before practice.

Doctor Appointments

I am going to LLL this morning, where I will get to give Jenny the cool animal flashlights I got at the Dollar Tree for her kids.

AND, we get to gossip about my friend Alyce, who had a baby girl named May (Mae?) last night at 9 p.m.! I can't wait to hear details :). I am so happy for her, although I was sure she going to have a boy ;). Oh well! It will be good to have some girl power to offset all these boys that are due. Now Jenny needs to have her babies!

After LLL, I am going to my first chiro appointment and I cannot wait. I was so crippled yesterday, with sciatica on the right side, that I could hardly do stairs, and driving was quite painful. I spent a lot of time with the heating pad, and feel better this morning except the tension seems to creep into my upper back during the night. I did a bunch of yoga poses this morning before I got out of bed, and feel better.

This afternoon I have to pick Emma up from school and take her to have her little filling done at the dentist. She is *freaking* out. Thankfully I can stay with her the whole time. I had no idea she'd be so upset. She's always so calm about everything! Hopefully it will be a pain free and positive experience. Think good thoughts!

Tonight we have Bradley classes and will be talking about birth plans, which is really the meat of the thing, IMO.

Ahhh, weekends

This has probably been one of the nicest weekends in recent memory.

I worked yesterday morning and Tom helped his brother and his girlfriend move into their new house. When I got home, I threw together a backpack of snacks and extra clothes, and then we drove to Ithaca, stopping at Taughannock Falls to hike the gorge. We did two different trails and I was about done in by the time we got done!

Then we went to dinner, which was the worst part of the weekend. The service was awful and the waitresses were snarly and rude. The food was mediocre. However, afterwards, we went to this really cool little juice and coffee bar that opened since we were there in December, and had mate', which was sort of like tea and coffee mixed. It was incredible.

We had quite a tired drive home, picked up Mike and Danielle's dog, Betsy, who we are dogsitting until tomorrow, and headed home and crashed.

This morning, we went out to Jine's, which is one of my favorite little restaurants in the Park Ave. district in Rochester, and had one of my favorite waitresses of all times (ask for Stacy if you ever go there!) which made up for last night's experience. The kids ate a ton, and I had pancakes with fresh strawberries, syrup and ice cream ::swoon::. Tom got a side of their sweet potato fries with feta cheese dressing to dip them in, which I crave nearly daily.

Then i took the girls to Homebirth Circle where we watch a video of unassisted births which was amazing. Then we went to a graduation/Father's Day party across the street from the ILs house. It was OK, although I didn't really know anyone. They had a hot tub though and the kids got to go in, which they loved. The food was good :).

Tom's dad seems to be failing. He's on oxygen all the time now, and I just feel so sorry for him. He's obviously pretty depressed about his body giving up on him and Tom's mother is really struggling with how to deal with it. I feel so sorry for both of them in so many ways.

Anyway, I had a few minutes before they follow me home, so wanted to post about our lovely weekend! The girls only have 3 more days of school left and we'll be FREE! I can't wait :) Then we can start to hook up with some of the hsing people we've met, finally.

Huh?

The bible thing cracks me up, as it will anyone who knows me. I only dig the bible out when I have to refute some idiot's biblical argument for not sparing the rod ;)


Abraham Lincoln You have a Bible and a library
card what more could you possibly need? You
prefer the Charlotte Mason Method of reading
living books for everything: historical
fiction, biographies, real histories, nature
guides, etc. No soon-to-be-outdated textbooks
for you. Visit my blog:


What Type of Homeschooler Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

A breather

Danielle and I had a wonderful time last night. We vented about work, life, kids, etc. and had a great dinner at Edibles.

We had an amazing salad with fresh apple slices, greens, walnuts, balsamic vinegar dressing and bleu cheese. Then we split an order of cajun chicken quesadillas and homemade pierogies with onions and sour cream. Yum!

We went to see Hidalgo, which was pretty decent. Viggo of course was yummy, although he's not really my type. We went to this cool theater that plays late runs, so it's only $1.50 to get in! Holy cow...a movie and candy for less than $8 for both of us!

Today I have to make bread for the potluck Blessingway I'm going to, and then I need to get my act together for the rest of the stuff. More laundry, as always, and a bit of cleanup.

The twins stayed with Tom for a few hours last night. He is a dear for letting Danielle and I go out. I also gave him a good neck rub last night to try to loosen it up. He's been miserable since Wednesday with it. He did say it felt better this morning which is good news.

I finally made an appointment with the chiro for my hip. they can see me Tuesday, which is good news!

Baby Stuff

I am having fun making a gift registry at target.com. I made one at Babys R Us, but it wasn't as cool. I love Target! Of course, I can't imagine anyone spending money for the kinds of things I need (like furniture!) but it's fun to dream, right?

I had a bad day yesterday. Couldn't sit by the end of last night due to sciatica. Made an appointment with a chiro this morning. Also have to take the damn cat to the vet. He got in a fight with something and has an abscess. Damn Cat.

Tom is very cranky, due to having a stiff neck. I hate that. It ruins your whole day, so I feel very sorry for him.

I am going to bake today! Banana bread for the blessingway tomorrow and rhubarb strawberry crisp for my family. I am also going to complete laundry, clean the kitchen and possibly dust. I might even vacuum upstairs if I have the energy. Hah.

After our vet appt, I have to take the girls shopping for father's day, then DAnielle and I are going to see Hidalgo after we get dinner out. Yay!

Blah, blah, blah

I finally feel more human again. I don't know if it's the yoga I'm doing daily, or the fact that i got a great night's sleep plus a two hour nap today, but I feel so much less pain and so much more like myself (except for the constant heartburn) that it is really wonderful!

I went to the downtown library with Emma's class today and was the only parent to volunteer, which I thought rather sad. We had a blast and the kids were wonderful. Emma got two new books out and was immersed when I left her at the ILs when we went to Bradley class tonight.

This afternoon I took the kids to the pool after school for a little over an hour, and Soren sunbathed and dozed for most of the time while Emma swam and jumped and talked to various people the whole time, and I got to read a bit of a book.

Bradley class was about transition and Stage 3 tonight. Gee, did I need to be reminded of pushing? Oh joy, the ring of fire ;). Can't wait!

I am going to another Blessingway on Friday night for my friend Patty, and there's a "man party" for the dads on Saturday. We're considering going to Ithaca, but it's looking less and less likely this weekend, since we agreed to watch our friends' dog. Oops!

Sunday is Father's Day - need to get a card for Tom and take the girls shopping on Thursday. For their dad too! Ahem. Not that he's ever really had them do anything for Mother's Day, except last year for some strange reason. He fell off the wagon again this year. I guess he figured Tom would handle it, which of course he did.

I'm not bitter ;). No, I'm really not, just vaguely complaining.

Soren learned to ride a scooter a couple of weeks ago and I got her a new one this weekend and dropped it off at David's. She's loving it! My mom is going to take her shopping for a new bike in two weeks, since she's outgrown hers, so she'll be fully mobile. Pretty neat!

School has one more week to go! I can't wait till it's over and we're officially homeschoolers for the first time since emma went to kindy right after David and I separated. Woohoo! I've been getting hs supplies in dribs and drabs and should spend some time looking on ebay again.

On Thursday I need to:
finish laundry
shop for father's day
vacuum
dust
go to the pool
look for hs supplies
I'm sure there's plenty more.

Anyway, enough blathering, I should go go bed!

Midwife Appointment

I had my monthly mw appt. today. It went pretty well. I'm up to 21.5 lbs gained so far and was about 27 weeks. the
big news is that my fundal height grew from 17 at my last appt. 5 weeks ago, to 27 cm. this time! No wonder my poor
round ligaments are killing me! What a growth spurt. She thinks he is head down with his little butt up toward the
right, which is perfect.

My bp was 86/58. She said I might have broken a record. It just keeps getting lower! Guess I'm calm ;). It's funny b/
c my bp has just dropped more ever since I moved here and since getting pg. I've been so much more even tempered
(which makes my kids happy - no more PMS!).

Anyway, I don't see her for another 5 weeks unless something changes :)

Then I had to go work at Open Gym and now I'm tired. Leaving at 6 a.m. for PA - still have to get cash and fuel for the car and pack my bag. Need to sleep!

Cool

You are Form 3, Unicorn: The Innocent.

"And The Unicorn knew she wasn't meant to
go into the Dark Wood. Disregarding the advice
given to her by the spirits, Unicorn went
inside and bled silver blood.. For her
misdeed, the world knew evil."

Some examples of the Unicorn Form are Eve
(Christian) and Pandora (Greek).
The Unicorn is associated with the concept of
innocence, the number 3, and the element of
water.
Her sign is the twilight sun.

As a member of Form 3, you are a curious
individual. You are drawn to new things and
become fascinated with ideas you've never come
in contact with before. Some people may say
you are too nosey, but it's only because you
like getting to the bottom of things and
solving them. Unicorns are the best friends to
have because they are inquisitive.


Which Mythological Form Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla


Stolen from Dawn

It was a long day. tomorrow will be longer, but I have a midwife appointment which is cool. I am tired but tired of being tired, so I'm doing computer stuff instead ;).

Wednesday

Ahh, dreaded Wednesday ;). Emma had a meltdown this morning when I picked her up at the ILs (last night was a Bradley night and they stay overnight at my ILs) because she forgot her homework (um...she told me she didn't HAVE homework because we wanted to go to the beach. How convenient ). She acted as if it was the end of the world and her teacher would KILL her.

I walked into class with her and told the teacher I'd bring it in when I went to work. No problem. Neither one of us can figure out why Emma freaks out about these things. She really has an unhealthy fear of authority ;). Gotta fix that!

Bradley class was pretty lame last night. I was *exhausted* from being at the beach in the sun, and was bored hearing about first stage labor. Tom was incredibly cranky all day and all night because of the heat.

His dad has to be on oxygen now because his lungs are not working effectively, but the doctors didn't tell them why? I can't understand when people don't ask questions about their body. Poor thing though. I hugged him this morning - he is just so miserable and frustrated with his body. I can kind of relate, but he's got it in spades.

Otherwise, things are OK. Headed off to work. Have a ton of laundry to do and need to figure out dinner and clean off the dining room table which has once again exploded with crap. I don't know where it all comes from!

Gotta start packing too hahahah!

My warning label -

Informationi

Thrisk is a restricted area. Authorised personel only

Username:

From Go-Quiz.com

I think that I should post this on the door of my house when I am in labor.

Spotting

Well, my swimming date is canceled this morning. I'm spotting again. Can't wear a pad in the pool and something about wearing a tampon when I'm 6 months pregnant squicks me out. Bummer. It doesn't seem to be anything to be alarmed about, but it's frustrating. I keep feeling like my body is betraying me this pregnancy.

I'm having a hard time embracing this. I'm going to the store and stocking up on chocolate and pepsi. Why not?

Drive-In

I forgot to mention that the drive-in we went to on Saturday night was amazing! Silver Lake has anything and everything - cheap to get in, good food and bad food, a big playground, and two screens.

We saw Prisoner of Azkaban (I keep trying to spell it Prizoner to match Azkaban!) and Emma loved loved loved it. I'm so glad we took her. Soren liked it too, but fell asleep near the end because it was so late. I definitely want to go again. It was so worth the hour drive!

The Beach

The best thing about Rochester and right where we live is the .

I took the girls there for awhile after school to the playground and to play in the sand, and they had a blast. We ran into my friend Krista and her hubby and son, and Emma saw some friends from school. Soren climbed across the monkey bars about 400 times.

I love this park :). There are cool pavilions, the pier, all the ships, the carousel, Abbott's custard (ice cream), and sand and water.

ave Blessingway

I attended my friend Alyce's blessingway yesterday. I was a bit apprehensive, as it seemed to be a very long day (1 to 9 p.m.) and I wasn't sure I could make it, let alone whether Alyce could make it, but most of us did!

It was beautiful - lots of nurturing, tears, friendship and love. what an amazing group of women she has in her life. I'm lucky that I know her and that some of these women have entered my life as well.

A woman who wrote a book on Blessingways helped to run it, and I wish I could find a link to the book, but I can't and I can't remember her last name, sadly.

Edited: I found the link! Have I mentioned that I really want a henna tatoo on my belly?

I ended up leaving around 8 p.m. after eating and doing some socializing after the rituals. I was in so much pain, I was nearly in tears for much of the evening. Some days I feel great (like today, now that I've done some yoga stretches before getting out of bed). Other days I feel like I would like to hang my pelvis up somewhere before I go out and face the world.

Despite having cushions, exercise balls, etc. to make us preggy women comfy, I just ended up hurting more and more, so I came home, drank a beer, and sat on the heating pad. That worked finally.

I have off today and need to finish laundry and straighten up the house, as well as get chili in the crock pot. Tom is working elsehwere tonight so the girls and I will be on our own. I think we'll go to the park and library for a bit, and then eat before Emma goes to gymnastics.

Tomorrow, we have Bradley classes, so I need to make some time to read the information, as I've been slacking on that.

I'm getting excited about having this baby. Seeing my friend Vicky with her 2 mo son really made me anxious to nurse again and sling again, and cuddle, and introduce him to the girls. 3 more months!

It's Saturday! I had to work this morning, but got a big chunk of the summer session paperwork done, which thrills me to no end!

The kids got to stay home and sleep in which made them happy and then we all went to Friendly's for lunch, which unfortunately, wasn't very good. And I feel nauseous now - hope it wasn't the fish!

Also, my car is acting up - ever since I filled the gas tank last time, it started acting really weird - problems with acceleration and stuttering, and the check engine light came on today. It also is still burning oil, which it never did before I got it inspected, so I'm pretty frustated. I guess you get what you pay for (I didn't have to pay for the inspection and work - it was a trade between Tom doing work for the mechanic and work on our cars).

Emma went to a birthday party this afternoon and Tom just went to pick her up. She looks so damn cute with the gap from her lost tooth. The tooth fairy brought her a dollar last night, which she didn't seem particuarly impressed with ;). It was all the tooth fairy could come up with on short notice I guess!

We're taking her to the drive in with Mike and Danielle and the boys tonight though, and it's a surprise, so that should make up for the tooth fairy shortchanging her ;).

Babies!

In good news, Karen had her baby, and I'm anxious to hear the birth story!

In yoga today, we worked for 45 minutes and then had 4 women back to tell their birth stories. Two of them were kind of depressing to me personally. Medically managed, no choices, lots of fear mongering (although one woman had major blood pressure issues, but it seems like the staff could have been a hell of a lot more supportive).

The babies themselves were just adorable of course, and I really enjoyed getting to see the two women that I knew from class, along with their little boys.

I'm exhausted, and I've been hormonal and cranky all day. I went to work for a while tonight, which was good, which surprised me, since I didn't really want to be around people.

In real news, Emma finally lost her third tooth ever! It was one of her top teeth and it's been loose forever. Her gymnastics coach pulled it out - she wouldn't let me touch it and Rita finally talked her into it. She looks so different with that tooth missing and she lisps now ;). So cute! I guess the tooth fair will be making a visit tonight!

TGIF

Today is yoga, yeehaw! My back is killing me and I'm so anxious to stretch more than I can do just at home without a little direction.

The girls are off to school, sadly. It's such a gorgeous day, it's a shame to waste it on school. Tom is going in at 12:30 for Emma's Author's Tea, where she will read something she wrote. I wish I could go, but I just can't justify missing more yoga, and today we're hearing two birth stories from moms from our class. I'm going to have him videotape her though :).

One of the moms on my Sept 04 list posted a link to http://www.hennacaravan.com/pregnancy.html, which I would love to have done! It's so cool! I can't get the link to link, sorry!

Otherwise, Sunday is Alyce's blessingway, and it promises to be a long day. I might have Tom bring the girls down for awhile so I can see them. I hate missing a whole day with them.