Tired. Long day. Woke at 6am (unusual) and had 2 loads of laundry in, bathroom floor and toilet scrubbed, breakfast down the hatch and coffee slammed by 8am. Highly unusual.
Grocery shopped at two stores. Stopped at Walgreens. Saved $50 on my grocery haul, which was nice.
Headache.
Sleep.
Hi ho, hi ho, it’s back to work I go. The stretch between Thanksgiving and Christmas is both long and short at the same time. I feel like I should be off the entire month, baking, shopping, going for long walks at night with Christmas lights keeping the path bright.
I’ve not baked, shopping has been online (and sparse) and the Christmas lights aren’t up much around here. It doesn’t feel much like Christmastime when there’s not a speck of snow on the ground. Looking out the window you wouldn’t know if it were heading into spring or winter. This is not an issue for some of you because you don’t get snow. For me, it is essential for winter picnics, sledding, snowballs and the entire ambiance of winter.
I feel confused, not in the “spirit” of things. Not ready. But, snow or no snow, it comes and the mood is in the air. The boys are all older and want money and more practical things for Christmas (which is helpful). They know our money situation isn’t the greatest, and have asked for pretty simple gifts, if none at all. ‘Makes my heart feel funny and confused.
Monday. Sluggy Monday. I feel as if I got very little accomplished. But I did. I just never get enough accomplished. I need a week off to simply work around the house. Cleaning. Cooking. Fixing. Crying…
Today is the day that I work from home. So, at least I did get accomplished work-wise what I wanted and needed to. I also got a load of laundry washed and made dinner (super simple), and boiled noodles for spaghetti for a dinner in the next couple days (planning ahead).
Tonight we had sausage gravy and biscuits.
Sausage gravy – easiest thing to make.
1 sausage roll
1/2 cup flour
2 cups milk
salt, pepper to taste
Heat sausage in a skillet until cooked, breaking up pieces into crumbles. Add flour, slowly add milk until bubbly and thick. Remove; enjoy. I added some red pepper to mine. I also made mine ahead and slapped it in the crockpot for a couple hours until the kids were home from practice. They all ate it. I made eggs and a salad on the side and ate mine on a piece of toast instead of a biscuit (saving calories). Hearty, yummy meal. And pretty cheap, since I got both of my sausages free with a coupon that was on a different package of sausage.
They still have a coupon up, if you’re looking for one:
http://www.groupsave.com/JonesDairy
Skinny Cow Strawberries & Cream ice cream sandwich. Good.
Skinny Cow Peanut Butter & Chocolate ice cream sandwich. Not so good.
Reheated spaghetti with pepperoni. Good.
Turkey wrapped around a cheese stick. Good.
Chorizo. Good.
Water. Good.
Guinness Beer. Good.
Peanut butter & honey sandwich. Good.
Most of what I ate today tasted pretty darn good.
Yesterday after work I went to my long-awaited appointment with my sleep study doctor.
See, a few weeks back I participated in a sleep study– wait. I shouldn’t say that. It makes it sound like I’m doing some sort of experimental study for the University. No, it was just simply an appointment to see why I have such trouble sleeping. They attached a slew of sticky disks with wires to my head, chest and legs, slapped a pulse ox on my finger, and told me to sleep. I had taken a pill to help me to sleep prior to my appointment (otherwise I’d have been up for hours, no “sleeping” for the study). I was out in sleepy land pretty quick. Until the nurse lady had to come in constantly to tell me I’d disconnected my pulse ox again, or a wire came out somewhere. Not helpful. Also, the mattress was hospital-like, with a cover made from some sort of water repelling material that makes your body sweat. And it smelled like urine.
Save all that – great night’s sleep!
I left and within a day they called to tell me that I’d benefit from a CPAP machine, and did I want to speak with a doctor, or did I want to just pick one up?
Hmm.
Speak with doctor, please.
A month later, here I am, in another waiting room. Instead of the urine stench, I was put in a patient room where the smell of cigarette smoke was so overpowering I felt as if it had seeped into my bloodstream and returned to the air through my pours. After the nurse checked me in, I couldn’t take it anymore and I threw myself in the hallway, requesting a new room. I get it; people smoke. I don’t get that it would leave a smell so lingering in that room. I was sitting there baffled. Where on earth was the overflowing ashtray hidden? The chair even reeked from the prior occupant.
A new room attained, I answered more questions and learned that I had some “episodes of apnea” during my REM stages of sleep. Besides weight loss, the only thing they really offered was a CPAP. Something that isn’t covered completely by insurance, and something I’d have to pay for. There is also weight loss, which can help (and which I’m working on — my brother-in-law needs a CPAP and he’s not a fatty, so that’s discouraging). At any rate, it wasn’t the most interesting appointment. I left feeling as if I had gone to the Geico of Sleep Study clinics, and have been offered but one solution: CPAP.
Maybe I’m stubborn and distrustful. OK. I’ll give that. But I’m not too thrilled about wearing that thing on my face, looking like I’m ready to pilot the next shuttle to the deep space. My goodness, I have enough trouble forcing myself to wear my biteguard for the horrific teeth-grinding issues I have, let alone strapping on a face mask with a nose hose. Claustrophobia? You betcha!
Last night, though, Frank encouraged me to give it a try, even if it was going to cost us some money. If it helped, it would be completely worth it.
I’ll think about it.
Here lies the recovery from yesterday, along with a frenzied day at work, a joyous knowledge of not having to work tomorrow, and the preparation for weekend wrestling.
Tomorrow, JV wrestles (Carlito), Sunday Franny wrestles in a tournament. Frank works both days, hoping to pick up and overtime on Saturday. A late-night trip to Walmart reminds me of why I don’t really like Walmart, but it is too close and convenient for me to deny myself.
Whoops. Almost forgot to post today. Busy day. Work, with Advent, is crazy. Getting all of the end-of-the-year items in order along with the regular crazienss of the season. Exhausting – yet exciting in the same breath.
Today was the boy’s first wrestling meet. I’m a bit sad about Dante and his last year of high-school wrestling. But, most of all, it makes me happy that they get a year on the same team together. I want it to go slow. Very, very slow. They dueled against a non-conference team. Carlito, brand new freshman, was set to wrestle in the varsity line up. I wasn’t too sure about that… if he was ready, if a defeat would crush him.
Their team did well. Dante ended up not even wrestling his opponent. When he walked out on the mat, the other guy forfeited (on purpose) and moved up a weight class to better the team chances of winning. It was a blog. We were losing by the last match. The only way to make up for it was a pin. Guess who was up last? Carlito. No pressure, right? He was pumped when he walked out, ready to give it what he could (even though he’s not 100% sure on the rules, and as his fatigue wears on his mental sharpness drops significantly – hereditary from his mother, surely). But he soldiered through. Caught a handful of fouls. He was leading in points, but one more violation and he would automatically lose the match. I could see his head swimming, but his determination didn’t falter.
I was about to pee my pants.
He got him in the last seconds of the match. Pinned him. He was proud, we were all proud. The team was proud. They had lost so many members and things had looked bleak, but they all stepped up to the plate with heart; it was infectious. It was a nice moment. One that you can kind of ride the sails on for a while. They don’t happen often (if they did, we’d take them for granted). But when they do, they are exquisite.
For years I’ve participated in Holidailies, where you vow to blog daily from the first day of December (or whenever they start it) to the last day. Over the years they moved to a new format, and last year I simply couldn’t keep up with they way they had the group set up. No knock to Holidailies, I’m just not that hip. But I enjoy my daily December posts. So… I just made up my own little logo and my own little group (through Google, ’cause Facebook gets all the love).
If you want to blog along, go ahead. I’ll be starting tomorrow.
We had a nice Thanksgiving. Thanksgivings, I suppose I could say. With Frank and I being off, and the kids being off I hardly know my head from a hole in the ground. Eating, sleeping, merriment, a bit of shopping (in store and online)… it is quite enjoying. I can handle this. I also think I’m getting old, because I could be sleeping in, too (11am is a nice time to finally roll out of bed on a lazy day for me), but I’m waking up between 7-8am. I’ve been trying to lay around in the bed until 9am to at least grasp on to the feeling of being a teenager with the abandon of sleeping until my parents throw buckets of water on my face.
Didn’t work.
I’m up, showered and having coffee, load of laundry going… Frank’s vacuuming (getting ready to bring the tree up). Help us.
I was talking about Thanksgiving, though, wasn’t I? Ah yes. I don’t get a lot of pictures of my oldest child since she’s off “exploring her freedoms.” But this one was nice. Great-grandma was coming up to the door trying to navigate the stairs, and as Frank and Dante (and Carlito, sort of) helped her up the stairs and safely in the house, I asked Sophia to be on dog control. I took pictures of her misery.
The dogs were, naturally, excited to be part of the festive day (our dog is in her left arm, pleased to have not been left home – the host’s dog is in her right arm), and happily humping and playing to their heart’s content. Being picked up and taken from their play didn’t make them so happy.
Shortly after I took this picture I had to take one of the dogs. Shortly after that I let it go. It was like a furry piggy, squirming and bucking (like in the picture).
I am happy to say, however, that with the abundance of children running around the house making noise, it was both inviting and valuable. Sophia announced earnestly, about 3 hours into our visit, that the evening was the BEST BIRTH CONTROL SHE’S EVER HAD. Being one of the last of her friends that hasn’t yet made their mother a grandmother, I was OK with that proclamation.
Happy Thanksgiving all.
Something to be thankful for? FREE Mp3 for Amazon Students
A deal too good not to share. Realizing it doesn’t apply to all, probably most, ignore that part and take my Thanksgiving greeting. We’re off to the cousin’s for some gobble-gobble goodness. My morning has been spent drinking coffee, making pumpkin bread. It’s hard not to have the smells of Thanksgiving festivity in the house (since I’m not hosting). The bread helped with that problem.
Peace, love and gratitude for an abundance of joy.
One mom, one dad, five kids. Living in a 3-bedroom house with one bathroom... more?
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= Yuck. Won't be buying or trying that again.
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