What a Mess!

I love decorating for Christmas, but I hate all the mess. It is very time consuming too. The kids were supposed to help me, but that didn't work out so much. J was the most helpful and he worked 8 hours today. If I can convince one of the girls to vacuum I'd be happier about all the boxes stacked in the family room. P is off tomorrow, the boxes should disappear into the attic then.

I am sweating!

I dropped J off to work (safety training) for the first time this morning. I wanted to take his picture, but I didn't want to embarrass him. Yesterday I put away all the autumn decorations and did 5 loads of laundry. Today I am boxing up most of the everyday decorations around the house and washing 4 more loads of laundry (the girls cleaned their room yesterday). I have 6 boxes done, with 2 more to go, I am waiting until the dishwasher is done, because I wanted to wash all my mugs and teapots I've collected since high school first, my plan is to have them clean for the month they are in the attic, so when I'm ready to put them back they are clean and dust free. I'm ready for P and J to get the Christmas boxes out of the attic, when they both get off work this afternoon. Hope I feel like starting to decorate tomorrow. I thought the weather was supposed to be in the 60's today, so I put sweat pants on this morning, I am so hot, I should have put shorts on to work this hard!

Exciting News

But I can't tell you what. But he will be home for 30 days starting Dec. 12th!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone will remember all the blessings in their lives, whether they are large or small. We will be home all day, I don't want to take R out, she needs to rest and let her rash clear up.

Medical updates

Monday I went to have my bruising and claw marks looked at. Thank goodness I had a appointment. Or maybe it would have taken 2 hours. It took about an hour and 45 minutes. On Friday I asked if it was going to take a long time, and was assured it wouldn't since I had an appointment. NOT. The only thing the doctor did was look at it, and said "it was healing nicely". What a compete waste of time. The antibiotics they gave me caused a yeast infection. So not pleasant and it's been since Sunday. I only took 2 pills. Rachel woke up yesterday morning covered from head to toe with a rash. P was at work already. We took the day off and headed to the doctor's office. Her doctor said it's hives, but from what we don't have a clue, nothing new. Off we went to buy Zyrtec and Calamine lotion. By the afternoon and a long afternoon nap for her, it was worse. Since it was too soon for more Zyrtec the doctor said Benadryl and Avenno lotion. This morning she was still broken out and had more redness than last night. I called the doctor who said that's normal, but no school again for either of us, P again was at work already. J went to the Orthopedic doctor yesterday afternoon. Good think P was off then, so he could take him, but I don't feel like all my questions were answered, I should have taken him, but I was already trying to handle R's crises. The MRI J had done a few weeks ago showed cartilage that broke loose under the knee cap, he will need to have that fixed, or it could blow his knee out completely. Maybe that could be scheduled for January when my sister is having her knee replaced, they could take care of each other! J's surgery is not supposed to be that bad, like maybe crutches for a few days, he may not miss any school except for the day the procedure is done. I don't know when that's going to be yet, I was hoping the doctor's office would call today to schedule it since I'm home.

Really?

Was it necessary to have a fire drill and lock down drill on the same morning at school? The lock down didn't go well, so have to do it again one day next week. Oh, joy. In between drills we had a student incident. Which took an hour to take care of. I was left with claw marks, swelling and bruising. I had to go and file a claim, and get a tenuous shot. Took over 2 hours, and I am only going to get paid 30 minutes for that time, and I have to go back on Monday. To say that today was a long day would be putting it mildly. Now, J is off at a friend's house watching a movie, S is spending the night at a friend's house, P is working till 11:30, and R is have 2 friends over to spend the night. I just want to veg. in front of a movie and relax.

Seaweed!

R is so funny, last week I made spaghetti squash for the first time for my family. R said she kinda liked it, but ate 2 big helpings. Tonight I cut up a kiwi for each of us for dinner. She first thought it was too sweet, and wasn't going to eat it. I mentioned that I think kiwi kinda tastes like strawberries to me, which she loves. She tried the kiwi again, she rated it kinda good, like the seaweed last week! LOL She then asked for another, cut it up herself and ate it, and was disappointed that there are no more left, maybe she'll get desperate and eat J's who hasn't eaten yet, because he's to busy polishing his shoes for a competition this weekend to come out and to eat.

Not Striking!

P's union made an agreement with the company and right now they won't be striking! Union employees still have to vote and approve the contract. I am hopeful the employees will approve the contact. I heard this news early yesterday morning, but felt better by the news after talking to P about it after he got off work yesterday. What a relief! J was hired as a temporary employee if they striked and filled out all the paperwork, they need carry outs at P's old store (the store that hired J), the front end manger talked to P yesterday and him to have J to call her on Monday.

Veteran's Day Parade

J marched with his JROTC unit today in the Phoenix parade. The rest of us went to watch. Long 6 block to the parade for me, and 6 longer blocks back to the car. Oh, how I which my feet could walk pain free, like they used to. I was thinking earlier about the many parades I marched in when I was in middle school and high school. The veteran's one was always iffy on what the weather would be like. Well really any parade in PA was iffy on the weather. Like rain my freshman year's fair parade, sunny and hot during a Christmas parade, and the worst year was one was it snowed during a parade, a veteran's day parade, which must not have been on Veteran's Day because we had a football game that night too, I remember my Mom trying to steam dry my uniform so I didn't have to wear a wet wool uniform all night in freezing temps. Must have been the last game of the season or close to it, by the second week in November.

No go on the cell phone and job for J?

Cell phone doesn't work. Not sure when I'll be replacing it. Thinking it should wait until we see what happens this week and P's job. J was supposed to have an interview today at 5 at P's old Fry's, only the computers were down, so she asked him to wait 30 minutes. I decided to do some grocery shopping, not to waste time doing nothing. Then at 5:30, she says come back between 7-7:30, only I had him call before we drove down there, and now the interview is tomorrow at 3:30. There is supposed to be a meeting on Wednesday (I think) for union employees. I hope they get to vote, whether if they'll except the contract or strike. P says the union is fighting for future employees rights and not current union employees.

Washed cell phone

I think it was S who had my cell phone last night, and she put it in her pocket, and didn't take it out of her pocket, thus when laundry was done today it was washed. I took the battery out, and the phone and battery are "drying" on the counter. What do you think, will the phone ever work again?

Strike?

P's employer could let the union strike. For 3 years the current contract has been extended. The last extended date was Oct. 30th. Yesterday P got a letter in the mail, that said if contact negotiations are not reached by Nov. 13th, the union will strike. I'm really having a hard time believing that a big grocery chain would really let the union employees strike so close the the holiday season, (union employees make up most of the adult employees) just seems like the company would lose a lot of money by, bad publicity and if they have to hire new employees thus poorly run stores. Maybe in there is wishful thinking, and a lot of fear too. Raises and insurance premiums I think is the bottom line in the stale between the two sides. While paying $800 a year for insurance premiums is not a lot, compared to other companies, it's a lot when you've never had to pay premiums before. Without P's income we would be in some serious financial problems.

Medical dramas

I love medical dramas. OK, House is a bit weird for me though. I think it all started with Emergency, from when I was a child. Other top favs were, St. Elsewhere, Ryan's 4, Quincy, Chicago Hope, Er, Grey's Anatomy, Trapper John MD, Third Watch, Private Practice.. I'm sure there were others, but that's what I can think of off the top of my head. This T,V. season brought me 3 new ones, and I'm sad to learn my favorite one is going to be canceled Trauma :( Mercy, and Three Rivers haven't gotten the ax yet.

The hardest part

About working at the school in the neighborhood you live in is that were ever you go you see families everywhere you go. Like when I grocery shop I see on average 3 families per trip. It's sometimes embarrassing seeing them at the drug store. I see families at Dollar Tree every time I'm there, no matter when I'm there. Target, Payless, etc. too. Today was the first time I had a family see me getting gas. Geez, I love the kids, but sometimes just want a break from being Mrs. M-----!