Catching Up

It's been hectic around here as usual.  A lovely woman from our church died.  She and her sister were very kind to Amy and I when we sang in the choir.  She was diagnosed with cancer last July, right before her mother died.  After undergoing treatment in the fall, she was told that the cancer was in remission.  At the beginning of March she went for a screening and it was discovered that the cancer had spread through out her lungs and other organs.  She died two weeks later at age 49.  She will be greatly missed by her sister and church family.  I attended her funeral a week ago Friday. 

Paige and Allie have some friends that we have scheduled play dates with each week.  Friday, I was asked to babysit their friends because they had a half-day of school.  The friends arrived as I was pulling into the drive from the funeral.  The friends were a little on the cranky side and it wasn't a successful visit. 

On Saturday, Madelyn had stunt and tumble clinic in Mount Pleasant.  We were gone for 14 hours.  Madelyn enjoys the clinic and always learns some new skills, but I dread the fall and spring event.  It's exhausting and boring.  There isn't much to do in Mount Pleasant and it's always too cold to go for a hike.  When we were on our way home, I had an idea.  Next fall, I'm going to go to the movies while she's at her clinic.  The parents aren't allowed to watch during the clinic, and I usually end up sitting in the parking lot for four hours.  At least I now have a plan for the future.

Sunday morning I woke up with a migraine headache that lasted a full week.  The kids managed to feed themselves and keep the house from burning down.  Mike was busy working or tearing out the bathroom at the project house.  No laundry was done.  The vacuuming and dusting was forgotten.  The bathrooms were allowed to accumulate soap scum, dirty clothes and towels, and overflowing trash cans.  When I forced myself out of bed on Saturday, I almost cried.  The house was trashed.  There was not a clear surface anywhere.

The older children pitched in and helped prepare some of the food for Easter Sunday.  Madelyn decorated the Easter eggs with Paige and Allie in the back yard.  Paige and Allie fllipped loads of laundry, so almost everyone had clean clothes on Sunday.  I folded mountains of clothes, picked up stray belongings, put fresh sheets on the bed and decided not to stress over the house. 

Easter was lovely!  We all were able to go to Easter service together and even managed to take communion at the same time.  We returned home and finished cooking the dinner and the younger children got their Easter baskets.  After a hurried meal, we drove to my mom's for her annual Easter egg hunt.  The younger children had fun searching for the eggs that Madelyn and Joe hid for my mom.  We had a nice time visiting with my family before we headed home for ham sandwiches.

The kids are on spring break this week, so I'm hoping to get a lot done at the project house.  At this point, I don't even have a tentative moving day, but the end is starting to be visible in the distance.

The Return of the Migraine

I've been in bed most of the week with a migraine headache. This is the second this month. Mike's been researching self-help for migraine sufferers. I've tried all of the "cures", but nothing seems to help. After we get settled in the new town, I'm going to have to go see a doctor about this. The one suggestion that I haven't faithfully followed is to get moderate exercise everyday. Something else to add to my already over-loaded schedule.

School Days

It's been a struggle for many of my children to get their school work completed this year. Paige and Allie want to do school all day long. They don't need to spend that much time doing school and I don't have that much time to devote to their education. Joe and Madelyn have been procrastinating and wasting time. Their school day should take about 3-4 hours. It's taking them 8-10 hours. I am nagging and assisting way too much and they are still not completing all their work. I feel like the wicked witch of the west and have involved their dad in trying to get schoolwork completed. Katie and Stephen are doing a good job of completing their assignments and require little of my time.

Last night, I developed a severe migraine and went to bed at 9:00. I didn't get much sleep, due to pain. Mike told me to try and have some caffeine and try to get some more sleep. I took some Tylenol with codine and had a cup of coffee, then went back to bed. Sleep finally became possible and I woke up at 12:30 to a silent household.

Mike had told the kids to work on their school quietly and to keep the youngest two girls from making noise. The children did a terrific job. Everyone was done with their schoolwork. (Why won't they do that for me?) The house was reasonably tidy and the youngest two girls were playing quietly in the family room.