On the mend.

I am a lot less numb and tingly!! I am not even sure why, I woke up yesterday morning feeling a lot better B"H. I went for blood work and my phosphorus was quite high and calcium low, but not low enough for IV. As the day went on I continued to feel better.

I am still a bit twitchy, but I can feel to type and only numb if there are pressure points like a hard chair, crossing my legs, holding the phone to my ear, or leaning on something. Right now it is being caused by the sort of things that would make other people numb if they did them for a while, but for me it happens instantly and is more intense but it also gets better faster if I relieve the pressure. The problem is when everything causes it. It is such a relief to be doing better.

Yesterday morning I spent some time floating in the pool and playing in the water with my youngest daughter. It was wonderful. I got a swimming suit from http://www.modestswimwear4u.com/swimwear/newourlatestcollection so even though all of the neighborhood children were hanging over the wall or out their windows watching us I was comfortably modest.

In the afternoon we made pickles together and I made challah. It was a busy day and I am glad. I had expected, based on the way I was feeling Wednesday, to spend a chunk of it at the doctor for IV. This was much much better!! B"H.

My mother finished up her picture frame project. Though the stain is a reddish color instead of the dark wood of the rest of the dining room, with all of the coats it is dark reddish brown which looks nice. The pictures stand out from the wall much more and it is a distinguished look.

Toilet training still isn't going well. I really don't know what to do. If we catch him at the right time we have managed to get him to use the toilet a couple times, but he doesn't ask or indicate that he needs to go and doesn't care when he has accidents and his pants are wet or dirty.

We have a big trip planned for Sunday. We are IY"H going to Tzfat. We hope to see the cheese factory, the candle making factory and a variety of different synagogues. It is at least three hours each way and I expect it will be very hot there. We need to plan and make food and an itinerary. I am praying that this doesn't cause a crash like last weeks trip did. Doing things, though fun, isn't good for me. One day of fun makes for at least two or thee days of misery afterwards.

Shabbos is coming. This morning the girls made chocolate peanut butter rice crispy treats with very little help, tomato salad, and helped with the cucumber salad as well. Teaching them how to cook is fun and useful. I have garlic ready to roast but need to figure out what else needs to go in the oven. I am not turning on the oven in this heat just for garlic, though it may be worth it.

If I could just be healthy.

I am so tired of pain, muscle cramps and numbness.

My hands are so asleep that typing is really hard now, holding the phone a mild torture and anything touching my face causes spasms.

I didn't go for blood tests because I was in a stubborn mode and wanted all to be well. Far from brilliant. It didn't work.

My kids spent the day waiting for my mother in law to show up (she said after breakfast she had one stop to make and then would come to us) and she didn't arrive until 6:30pm.

The couch I wanted to buy was bought by someone else.

But my mother was happy. She spent the day on the picture frame project. It looks like tomorrow will be spent on it as well since two coats of varnish has them a bright red not a dark mahogany. She likes doing and she was busy.

My kids working on finishing the pickles before my mother in law got here. I managed to save a bite from the end of a pickle that was in one of my girls mouths. Family germs don't count and we cut off the bitten part, so it was okay. My mother in law had never tried my pickles before and I had told her I would try to have them waiting.

All in all, it was a day. I may have been miserable but I didn't make any one else miserable and that is a huge accomplishment.

Another day another project!

I worked on resting and being pleasant today. I am numb and tingly but trying to avoid IV calcium. I am not sure why I am being stubborn on this right now, but I am, so I haven't gone for blood tests to see how low I got. If there is no number it isn't reality and we don't have to treat it.

As soon as my cleaning lady left this morning (I love her so) my mother started taking down the pictures, and sanding them, in my living room. Once the project was started she realized how many ridges and grooves there are in the frame. There isn't much else to do other than proceed or purchase stain that matches the original color because she started sanding, so my mother is not giving up. If it turns out well it will look nice, but either way I will think of her every time I look at my walls even after she leaves.

We got the sewing machine going as well. The new Singer brand bobbins my mother brought do not work in it (they are a tad too big) but I had three bobbins from when the sewing machine was mine before, and they fit and work beautifully. So far my mother fixed my husband's pants and one of my daughter's skirts.

This is the kind of help and project I can really appreciate and encourage. I have to look for more mending for her to do. As much as the machine is staying here, I am glad she is getting things done now. My mother needs to feel productive and this fills the nitch while making everyone else feel taken care of at the same time.

AC went searching for books (from the attic) for my mother to read to him. They are bonding and enjoying each other's company more and more. Despite the fact that AC doesn't speak English and his Hebrew is hard for my mother to understand, they are getting along nicely. He wakes her up most morning singing his little songs which she appreciates, even if I wouldn't at six am.

The pool was only granted a half a day of attention today. Either its glory is fading, or today was an off day. Come to think of it, we didn't have any neighbor children here either. Very very odd.

My mother in law arrived, from the US, today. I spoke with her to give her my cab driver's number but haven't seen her yet. I hope we see her tomorrow, but until I know her plans I am not making any. I haven't told the children that she is here, in the area yet, because I originally though she was going to my sister in law up north first, so this will be a great surprise.

All in all, it was a quiet, pleasant, companionable day.

Though I love low key days, we have some potential excitement on the horizon, which could also be good. Tomorrow evening we may be going couch shopping, if no one else bought the couch that caught our eye. There was a second hand couch advertised that is exactly what I am looking for. My couch is really a 13 year old love seat, with place for two, and the chair in my living room is closer to my age than not and now leaning to one side. Even my mother agrees, if we can find something nice and reasonably priced, the time for new furniture has come.

I really hope it works out.

We got fabric!

If I had the energy and wasn't too tingly to type it all up I could tell you all about today's trip. Maybe tomorrow.

The short if it is, we got fabric, there were more stores than you could imagine, and my mother helped me find the perfect buttons.

The metabolic appointment went well. They are just as happy as I am with how well the kids are doing. They want a bunch of invasive GI testing on AC that I am not thrilled with, but they are neurologists and geneticists and pediatricians, not GI doctors, so they can ask but they can't do. That is in our favor.

We don't do invasive tests unless there is a probably (or highly possible) benefit and the GI hasn't been pushing.

Summer days

My kids continue to love the pool. The girls spent almost the whole morning in the pool while AC was at school. They got out for lunch and were back in shortly there after.

The house stays neater without anyone inside taking out games and playing with toys!

My oldest accompanied my mother to buy stain, sandpaper and brushes for my mother's picture frame restaining project. I am trying to decide if I should take before and after pictures. I find the whole thing amusing. It is a good project for my mother, it will keep her busy for a bit. She is happy because I am letting her help. I am happy because she is busy and happy. We all win.

I am incredibly numb, tingly and twitchy though. My lack of morning nap plus the emotional energy involved in keeping my mother happy is taking a toll. Tomorrow we are traveling and out all day so there is no chance of doing blood tests or getting my calcium IV. I also won't have my recliner to sit in, and other chairs have pressure points that make the numbness worse, so I am a bit worried.

I went through paperwork from doctor's visits, tests and labs since our last metabolic clinic and it was a great year. I don't have a lot of new information for them and I expect the visit to be quick and easy. The only worries I have are the fact that we didn't do my oldest's MRI (insurance issues) or my son's lab testing because we couldn't find a lab to do the test they wanted. Hopefully we will get those two issues straightened out tomorrow so we can do the tests in the near future.

After the doctor's appointment we are IY"H heading to Tel Aviv to go fabric shopping. I hope that it goes easy and is pleasant. I need just the right purple fabrics for the girls and something nice, dark and respectable for me.

I love Shabbos

We had a great stress free day. We had plenty to read, no one expected to accomplish anything extraordinary, the food was great, everyone was happy, B"H it was a great all around day.

I really enjoyed my mother's company and, when the kids and my husband were sleeping, we had some nice late night time to talk just mother and daughter.

We did run out of challah (I thought I had three big loaves in the freezer and only had two) and the pita breads we had just bought were moldy, but a neighbor gave us a loaf of challah and some pitot and rescued us! I love my neighbors.

Tomorrow I have to gather paperwork for my children's metabolic clinic appointment on Monday and make challah. The kids plan on spending the day back in the pool. Only
my youngest has camp, the girls are all home. My husband is working.

Maybe one of the girls can take my mother to my husband at work to pick up the money he is changing for her and from there to the hardware store to buy stain, brushes and sandpaper so she can refinish my picture frames, which are bothering her. I have ten picture frames, filled with family pictures, which are light wood and my dining room furniture is all dark wood. I can't say that I care one way or the other, but it certainly won't bother me, as long as they are all one consistent color and back on the wall before she leaves. They never bothered me but that doesn't mean that they won't look better when she is done.

My children will soon be fish

They love the pool. It isn't huge, but it is a huge hit. I think I may take it over next time they are out of the house. I would love to float and relax in there all by myself. Paradise in water.

AC has even been in there happily. Last year he freaked out at the idea of going into our friend's pool. This year we have to watch him like a hawk. He has a habit of falling face down into the pool and we have to pull him up sputtering each time. He coughs, wipes off his face and then laughs and does it again a couple minutes later. If he wasn't having so much fun I might ban him from being in there at all.

The two big girls both know how to float, but there isn't room for real swimming or swimming lessons. ER came home from her last day of camp with all sorts of goodies, including an inflatable pool ring, which was wonderful timing since today was our first day using the pool.

I need lots of tefilos for sanity during my mother's trip. She means well. She loves me. I love her and it is only three weeks a year. We can get through this happy and smiling. We can!!

She got here safely, her plane was half an hour early even. Her legs aren't as swollen as previous trips and we got her to nap shortly after she got here (she was flying all night). I wish I had a sibling here to share her with though.

Since I don't have a sibling here I need a money tree, a lot of patience and some thick skin. Please Hashem grant me what ever I need to get through this with everyone happy!

I did my best, callled in my backup and now I am done

My mother should be here in 7 hours and I am going to sleep. I am not going to stress about her visit or her reaction to my house. I am not going to wonder how we are going to survive the next three weeks.

With the helps of some friends, the majority of the laundry is washed, folded and put away. My mother's bed is made. The floors and bathrooms are washed. The kitchen is sparkling. I have plenty of food, including fruits and vegetables and fresh baked banana muffins and hermit bars.

The new pool is even full and waiting!

Things will go one of two ways tomorrow though. My mother will notice the clutter points in my house and comment, or notice and decide to help. I hate clutter, but life is about choices right now. I can't do everything. When I was healthy I would have cleaned it all up before she got here. The house would have been beyond reproach, and she would find something to comment on anyway.

Last year, either I was sick and post op enough not to notice and care, or things went better. She helped. She mended clothing, helped deal with the kids clothing and didn't expect as much entertainment.

I am more than a bit nervous but hopeful. The problem is, I want my mothers approval enough to make myself sick trying to get it.

Generally I think of myself as a grounded, psychologically sound person. Waiting for my mother I am beginning to wonder.

Tisha B'Av

It was hard, even though I broke my fast (with rabbinical guidance) a bit after 2pm, I still felt like I was fasting. Eating normal amounts my head was still light and my stomach felt empty. My patience was not what it normally is.

The kids were loud and bored even though I had provided them with projects and special books, the house looks like a whirlwind hit, I am numb and tingly and overwhelmed. The laundry is piled high, AC is not getting the toileting thing, and there are ants in his room since his pump set was leaking last night and they like his formula.

Bedtime was blessed. It took me a bit longer then normal to get them to bed, because I was moving slowly, but then the quiet was so pleasant. I had friends who I could have called, and arrangements for my mother's trip to make, but I couldn't bring myself to make any noise and break the silence.

Now we have one day to get the house in order before my mother gets here. One day to undo the tornado that the children were today, take care of all of the laundry and have the house look like it is functioning. On top of not doing too much and making myself sick, I also have to keep from stressing since it drops my calcium which is already low.

Miracles and a troupe of helper elves needed.

Daven please for my mother in law

My mother is law has been through a lot. She had her thyroid removed and RAI because of folicular thyroid cancer five years ago and a heart valve replacement two years ago. She isn't even 60 yet.

Currently she has extremely swollen glands all over her body. The fine needle biopsy was negative but her PET scan on Friday was positive. The nodes all over her body lit up on the scan. Wednesday she is scheduled for an open lymph biopsy and next Monday she is supposed to be leaving to come here, to Israel, to visit.

I love her and I worry about her in the best of times, now I am very worried. She is a wonderful mother in law and a great person. She could use all the tefilos she can get now.

Sharone Devorah bas Gittel Dina

Thank you.

Cookies and wings

Today was the last day of the school year for my son. He is home, on vacation, until camp starts next Wednesday.

They didn't take him out of his diaper today in school, but he is diaper free now. I hope we have some progress. I wish vacation meant vacation from toilet training but I don't think quitting now is a good idea.

I tried to teach my girls how to make wings today. If it weren't for the raw chicken involved they would be much more excited about the idea. Oh well. I remain the wing maker it seems.

The chocolate mint chocolate chip cookies they helped shape though. I don't think cookie dough feels any worse in the hands and it certainly makes them dirty, but they aren't raw meat. It isn't because they like cookies more than wings.

Off to make matzah balls. I can't believe I almost forgot those!

Good solutions.

I have had a bit of a freezer problem and finally found a way to take care of it and make everyone happy! My aunt is trying to figure out how to make and feed 75 people on Shabbos in a couple weeks and I am going to help. I have 12 1 liter containers of good fleishig cholent to give her for starters. That empties out a lot of my freezer and relieves a bit of her stress.

I love solutions like that!

Next good solution, we are no longer using the potty (that slides), toilet seat reducer and steps that rocks (barely, but a bit). The boy is now sitting right on the toilet, like a big kid and no longer hysterical about the concept. He still doesn't do anything there, we are still cleaning up messes, but the hysteria has passed and I feel much much better now.

We have a box waiting at the post office, with boy's underwear in it, waiting to be picked up tomorrow. This is the underwear with construction vehicles that he picked out. I hope that he is determined to keep his cute underwear clean.

All in all I had a low key day, no cooking, I didn't leave the house, I didn't fix or accomplish anything, except getting my boy more calm about the idea of sitting on the toilet. I am so glad I succeeded.

Good day! Good night !

Today was another miserable failure of a day in terms of toilet training. I am ready to call quits on the project. He hasn't even been near the toilet. Wet and dirty accidents (including on my husband's bed!) that don't bother the child, before or after, no willingness or recognition of the situation by the child and I am ready stop. It isn't working.

Husband is writing a note to school and we will see what they have to say. It doesn't seem to be going better there (based on the wet clothing coming home) buy maybe they have some tricks for me.

On to nicer topics, I made lunch today. DH bought salsa so it was a very very easy lunch, and well received by the children too. We had salsa beans and corn meal pancakes. The beans were precooked in the freezer, so they just got heated mixed together with the salsa. My kids really seem to like spicy food a lot more than traditional kid foods. Considering DH and I do as well, this is very nice.

After lunch we went to the dress maker. The girls and I had to describe what each of us want our dress, for my brother in laws wedding, to look like. My children are individuals to an extreme. Just like none of my children look like another, none of them would pick the same style dress.

My oldest wants simple, classic and flowing. She wants no extras, no ruffles, no beads and no sashes.

The next wants as much frill, lace and fluff as possible. She wants a circle crinoline, a bodice that isn't too tight or uncomfortable, a layered skirt, a big bow, beads, lace and all possible adornments.

The third wants a bubble skirt, mid calf, big bow on the side by the waist, and bollaro jacket. There was no convincing her that everyone else was going to be in floor length gowns or trying to change the style. She knew what she wanted.

I on the other hand, had the least idea what I wanted. I rarely buy myself clothing and don't have a clue what is in style. I wanted classic and classy but describing what I wanted wasn't easy. My Hebrew isn't great and I would have preferred to tell her I don't need anything.

The seamstress had lots of patience, plenty of pictures and we got there. I am getting a nice suit. The jacket will be fully lined with a shawl collar made out of contrasting material. There will be an a line skirt with triangle insets on the bottom made out of the contrasting fabric.

Next step, fabric. That will be an adventure.

Win or lose I told the children I would try go get a pool

I ordered a new pool, to be delivered to my door sometime in the next couple weeks. It may or may not get here before my mother and we may or may not get our money back on the other pool. What is important is that my children are going to have a pool, some fun, and good memories of this summer.

I am so exhausted that I can't even move some mornings. Exertion, like the cooking I did yesterday, is enough to have me falling asleep in my chair in the afternoon. I am afraid that too many trips and activities are out of the question at this point. What I can do is try to make staying home as much fun as possible.

My mother is coming, with a sewing machine she says, so I am sure we will have lots of dining room table projects along with our daily dips in the pool. I will happily welcome the children's friends over as often as we can manage. We have some high school girl who have volunteered to come to our house spend time with the kids. They each have their own ideas of how to help.

Usually the high school girls come to play. They bring different board games or puzzles for the children to play with while they are here, and read them books or have story tapes for them to listen to. They children enjoy their company and I can get a bit of a rest, make appointments, deal with medical issues, or have a quiet phone conversation knowing they are safe and happy.

Today a new high school girl came. She came determined to get my house back in order. She had the children pick up their toys from the floor, swept the floor from lunch, helped them organize their clothing in their closets and had them in nightgowns before she left.

I love her, my oldest child not as much. My daughter, only half jokingly, asked if she can make sure not to be here when this high school girls comes in the future. She is my ideal babysitter though. The one who would actually get the children in bed close to on time, wash the dishes and have the house feeling a bit better by the time I got home. I hope she babysits for pay, not just volunteers here time. She even lives locally and my husband are her father knew each other before either of them was married.

I think she is a great find! I hope she sticks around and I really hope that all of the kids warm up to her.

Toilet training is not much fun though. My boy didn't even go into the bathroom today. The good thing is, he doesn't really drink, he gets most of his fluids at night, so he only had two accidents. He cried every time I asked it he wanted to go on the toilet. Bribing him with chocolate chips did nothing.

The note I got home from his school said that this was going to take a lot of patience. One of his accidents was at school and they had no success at school either. I am thinking it may take a bit more than patience. Divine intervention is definitely needed.

Both divine intervention and some more shorts that he could theoretically push down and pull up himself. Even though he isn't trying, I can't in good conscience put a child who I am toilet training into overalls. I wonder if my mother would enjoy a shopping trip to go look for little boy sorts with me the day she arrives? I am hoping that shopping for little boy clothing and fabric for gowns will count as trips and seeing the country. They will be adventures at least!

A good month to you!

Today was the first day of the Hebrew month of Av. We used our leftover chicken to make a sweet and sour, chicken, broccoli, stir fry. DH picked the chicken off the bones and I stir fried peppers, onion, garlic, broccoli and then added the chicken. I also made apricot jam into sauce by cooking it with canned pineapple (including the juice), garlic, rice vinegar, regular vinegar, garlic powder, black pepper, and ginger. I dumped the stir fry into a pan, put the sauce on top and served the mixture over rice.

My husband and I loved it, but it was not a hit with the children. One looked and refused to try it, one picked out the chicken and ate some rice, one tried it all and ate a bit reluctantly, and one never even came to the table.

They would prefer I stick with buffalo wings.

Parent teach conferences went okay. We all agreed that it is time to start potty training. I am a bit nervous since he seems to have no clue, but if not now, when? This will be an adventure!

His progress has made us all very very happy. He still has a long way to go, but we are hoping that after next school year we can start mainstreaming him. The OT wants us to make play dough for him to use at home and encourage him to help us when we are dressing and undressing him. We are also to encourage him to try to jump when standing on our mini trampoline.

It was a good meeting.

Tomorrow I was supposed to meeting with an acquaintance in Jerusalem for her birthday. I doubt I am going though. it is two buses each way and I don't have the energy for such a trip right now. I have so much going on this week. She won't miss me and I don't need the coffee and cake.

Meeting with the seamstress about my girls dresses for my brother in laws wedding seems more urgent. We have to decide on styles, measure them and buy fabric before she can even start sewing. I am still not sure what I am doing about myself. I have the outfit I wore to my brother in law's wedding last year, but I was post radiation and swollen when it was fitted and it wasn't what I was hoping for even if it fit well. It doesn't make me happy, but I have it and can wear it if I have to.

War and (looking for) Peace

We are at war with the ants and standing up for our rights on the pool as well. The ants invaded with a vengeance this Shabbos and the pool isn't holding air or water at all.

The ant war we are winning for the moment. Lots of sweeping and spraying around the doors where they were coming in has made a huge difference. The pool seems to be taking a bit more work.

I am contemplating purchasing a new pool now even though we are pretty far from getting our money back on the used one I bought. The kids enjoyed the pool so much and it would be sad for them to be without just because someone sold me something as "like new" when it was far far from that. I need to learn not to trust people so much.

Tomorrow evening I have end of school year meetings at my son's school. I am a bit nervous. He is B"H doing so well in my eyes. Meetings like this are often reality fests though. The two choices are that they also focus on his progress and how far he has come or they focus on how much he needs to accomplish and how far behind he is.

Knowing his current school, my fears are probably misplaced. They are based on bad past experiences in his previous school, not his current situation. They love him and are proud of his progress. Almost as proud as we are actually.

He is in a wonderful place and we are so blessed to have them on our team.

Great eating

Friday I made challah and it was the best batch since we moved. The dough was perfect to work with, it rose wonderfully, and the crust was perfect, top and bottom.

On top of that I made the buffalo wings I have been dreaming of for weeks. That was a huge accomplishments, since I never made them before. We used to buy the Meal Mart buffalo wings as a treat when we lived in the states and for what ever reason I have been dreaming of them for weeks. I researched recipes, my husband bought me ingredients, and I made them for Shabbos.

B"H the wings came out wonderfully. They were spicy with a bit of a kick, but obviously not too much of one since they were a hit with not just the adults but all of the children as well. I made two very big packages of wings (about sixty wings) and there are only five left.

Not only did they get eaten Friday night and at lunch, one of my kids declared them a perfect breakfast as well.

Buffalo Wing Recipe (I tripled this)
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp hot pepper flakes
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp paprika
20 chicken wings
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup hot pepper sauce

Lightly oil baking sheet
Combine all dry ingredients in a large food storage bag and shake to mix, add detipped rinsed chicken wings and shake to coat. Place wings on baking sheet and refrigerate ~1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C)

Blend oil and hot pepper sauce (I used an immersion blender). Dip wings into mixture and put back onto baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven until crispy on the outside, generally 45-60 minutes.

Enjoy!

We did it

I am not sure how, but my calcium was normal today!! 8.6-10.2 is normal and it was 8.6. I am feeling better, the numbness and tingling is minimal. I can't say I am full of pep (yet) but my ankle is less painful, the swelling is gone and the bruising is fading, and I am just over all much more comfortable.

The kids had a ton of fun splashing in the pool but haven't managed to empty it so we can try to fix it and refill it or return it. The pool is a great thing though. It keeps the children busy, happy, within view and tires them out.

We will IY"H get a pool working and entertain them well this summer. I am determined!

Today the ice cream truck came through our neighborhood. The first couple weeks that the truck came the sound bothered me because it made the kids whine for money and ice cream. It seems that I said "no" for long enough that they don't even appear to hear it any more. Mission accomplished. I let them go and buy from the truck today, on condition that they would let it be because I was treating, not them whining, in the future as well.

A no whining agreement is always a good one!

Fun or torture?

This pool is going to make me crazy. It isn't filling right, the top ring isn't inflated like it should be. I am not sure if it wasn't fully inflated to begin with or if it lost air, but while the kids were playing in the pool today water just kept on pouring out.

We live in a country in the middle of a huge water crisis, it was too hot for me to be outside for long and the situation made me snappy and ready to cry.

I hope my husband is ready to deal with it tomorrow.

Happy birthday

Today was my third daughter's sixth birthday. I made cupcakes and she frosted them and put sprinkles on. Chocolate with chocolate frosting, just like she requested.

My kids don't ask for, or expect, much but they appreciate these little things so much.

Stickers, water melon and chocolate cupcakes and her day was wonderful.

Rash decision?

I bought a pool today. The kids wanted a pool and I had bookmarked websites that sold them, but never did it. It is summer and vacation already and we have been in the middle of a heat wave for weeks, but the decision was too big and no one was giving me an accurate measurement of the back yard space.

Someone advertised a used pool for sale, said they were asking 450nis, price new was 900nis. I got my husband to measure the yard space and it should fit. It is 8' (2.44meter) in diameter and comes with a filter and a cover. I called as quickly as I could, so no one else would buy it and only researched further than the "will it fit" issues after I had committed to buy.

It turns out that they retail for more like 500nis than 900nis, though the 500nis doesn't include the cover. I saved a bit of money, and a lot of aggravation on the research, but I am a bit annoyed. I am annoyed at them for misrepresenting this and for me for not being a more informed customer. I usually research first.

All in all, the wonder of it is, this forced us to make a decision. The pool is here and IY"H we will look at it more and figure out how to set it up and fill it tomorrow. That wouldn't have happened if we had stuck with it, researching the perfect pool. I would still be comparing the relative advantages vs the cost of each one.

Days like today

when I don't leave my house are wonderful. I didn't pass the threshold of my front door today.

My kids ran to the store and got popsicles and apples, but I stayed home.

I did some laundry, searched for the warranty papers on my recliner (and will have to look again tomorrow) but other than that, it was a quiet day.

I am pretty numb, but hoping that resting up and taking my oral medications will help as long as I don't try to do much. My foot is still sore, so it is easier to remember not to do.

Reclining issues

In our house there are rules, like don't play on mommy's chair. My chair is my lifeline. When I can't sit on any other chair, since the pressure on the edge of my legs makes the pins and needles unbearable, my recliner is the only place I can sit without wanting to cry.

But like many rules, even if it should be, it isn't set in stone. So this evening the kids were all happily playing, giggling and happy together on my chair. I saw them, though I can't admit that, and let it continue since they were so cute.

Like most rules that are ignored, it didn't end well. While on (or more) child was reclining the chair another one tried getting off and bent the leg rest to the point that the chair won't even close. The whole chair is leaning a bit.

We spent more than we should have on the chair not all that long ago and there is no way we are going to be able to replace it. I really hope that I can find the warranty papers and that they get here quickly and are able to fix it.

Rules. We must learn to follow the rules.

Infused

I got my calcium and used it all already. I should know that the IV doesn't mean a "do all you you think you can" is possible. I feel so good afterward that it is hard to remember.

We had company coming (they are here now, but upstairs resting) and I felt the need to do a bit more grocery shopping and a lot more cooking. Tomato salad, eggplant salad, coleslaw, chopped liver, and chocolate chip cookie bars were made during my lapse of judgment. That is on top of the challah, chicken soup, matza balls, chicken, fish, green salad, egg salad, and cake that we already had made.

We shall eat well, as I tingle and have muscle cramps even though I got IV calcium this morning.

Mommy Sir!

I said that I would bribe them, but they didn't bite. I even offered money, and they have been asking how they could make money.

9:30am I said they had until 10:30am to have the living room cleaned up or I would change from rewards for doing the work to punishments for not. They still kept their noses in their books so I made my grand announcement.

There will be no lunch and no other food until this place is cleaned up. It worked wonders, especially since lunch was in the oven and smelled really good. I feel much better and so do they now that the house is presentable again.

Lab test results didn't come back until very late tonight so I wasn't able to get my IV calcium today. I saw the doctor, but the nurse was already gone for the night so I have paperwork for IV tomorrow. Tonight would have been nice though, since my husband was home with my kids, and I wanted to feel better now.