Poppy News

Hi folks...

This is mostly for family...

Poppy was transferred to the skilled nursing facility on Friday morning, Dec 16th. The name of the facility is Alamitos West, and is across the street from the hospital where he has spent the last two weeks.

I'm told that when he can walk a little and finishes the antibiotic round he'll be able to go home. He is lonely and confused; and if you'd like to phone him, you'll have to ask for him and then wait until they take a phone to him. There are no phones in the rooms.

I'm glad he's out of the hospital, but the skilled nursing facility is not where he wants to be. His physical therapy today went well, I guess, so maybe it won't be long before he's able to go home.

Found!

Not only have I found parts of the gifts I had lost, today I received the gifts I thought I had lost. I must have dreamed that I had them and couldn't find them. Maybe I'm right. Maybe I am losing what's left of my mind.

BTW, how do you make a basket for someone if you keep forgetting to actually obtain the basket???

A Good Night

Since someone thinks I make life out to be harder than it is, here is a good night we had tonight:

We had "family fun" night--went to Sarah's school and I bid on a silent auction thing--a scrapbooking basket worth about $100 and I got it for $25!--plus there was a book fair, and games...then we had dinner, looked at Christmas lights in the neighborhood and got Dairy Queen ice cream on the way home. While I got packages ready to ship, we watched Disney's version of Uncle Scrooge's Christmas story. It was pretty cute.

So now there are only a few more packages to ready for shipment, the house is beginning to look festive, I've found my address book and most of the lost gifts.

Life is good. So there.

The Address Book Returns!!

Yippee!! My address book returned home! The gifts are still missing, but now at least I know the addresses I need to ship the not-missing gifts to my folks...

Still feeling fatigued...but I do feel as if something got accomplished today...the address book, 8 prezzies wrapped and two boxes ready to ship.

Plus, the week's laundry is done and I've even vacuumed with my new vacuum--it really sucks! (I know, dumb joke). But it's great!

More to wrap for shipping, then the cards to send, then the local gifts to wrap, then the family gifts, then some sewing. After that we'll be baking and baking and baking and having a bunch of fun in the Mankey Christmas Kitchen!

The Green Sharpie Saga Continues

Now, not only are the green sharpie, my address book, the gifts missing, but my sort of freshly reupholstered love seat (remember that story) has been ruined by a certain little four-year old. She has also broken her cousin's Christmast gift, written with my red sharpie on my beige carpet, ripped the cushions on the above mentioned love seat, and left rice krispies all over the front room floor.

The other day, she broke her crystal swan given to her by her grandmother (my mom), nearly destroyed my new Christmas quilt on my bed (I'm truly relieved she didn't), and can't seem to be anywhere in the house by herself anymore.

However, with all that said, we had a much better day today. We built a fort with blankets and the ruined loveseat, we both got naps--a short one for me, and a long one for her, and even got some of the not-missing gifts wrapped.

Plus, finally, the week's laundry is done, my bedroom is neat and tidy again, the girls are reading to each other in bed. Now I just need to walk the dog and perhaps wrap a couple more presents before going to bed, too.

*yawn*

Where's My Green Sharpie???

This week was to be the wrapping of presents for Christmas. I've wrapped all of three presents. There is a box of gifts missing. I cannot figure out where it would be. I think my address book and Christmas card list snuck off to hide with the missing gifts. I have special marking pens for labels and cards...I can only find one red one. My green one went somewhere, probably to fraternize with the girls' crayons or markers, never to be seen by its owner again.

My head hurts. Emily has a cold. Sarah has a sinus infection, and too many bloody nose events even though the ENT cauterized it two weeks ago. I've been exceptionally fatigued; I may be anemic, my thoughts are not clear but foggy, too foggy to function adequately. It's time to go get Sarah from school, but Emily is finally sleeping and I am loathe to wake her since it's sleep she needs to get well.

Scott does not express happiness when he comes home from work, and the house looks as if a box factory exploded, and there is no room to park in the garage due to decorations, boxes and toys that have been waiting to get dispersed elsewhere since August. I did clean the garage enough for him to park his car there, but as of today, no car will fit. Even tho it's temporary, my dear Scott won't be happy about it at all.

Where is my address book?? Where are those gifts?? I know they have to be here somewhere, and I cannot think of where I might have laid the address book and Christmas card list.

I planned to use today for my dad's doctor appointment and then to ship all the gifts supposedly ready for emotionally close but geographically distant friends and family. I sat, trying to think of where on earth the missing book and gifts could be. I went in to look under my bed for them, and fell asleep within two minutes on the floor.

The dog came and sniffed at me; Emily came and said "are you ok, mommy?" I said yes, and got up to fix us some lunch. With a full tummy, she went to sleep and I felt a little better, except for my blurry vision. Whassa' matter with me?

I NEED my address book!! What am I to do to replace those gifts??

What Next, Poppy?

Poppy is back in the hospital again.

He fell or did something about 10 days ago, and the Residence sent him to ER to see if anything was broken. He complained of great pain in his left upper leg, but it wasn't broken, so they sent him home with pain meds.

The pain has yet to go away; he's become less and less alert, communicating with us less and less, a little every day as far as my observations went. I alerted the director of care giving that I thought he was becoming less alert and more lethargic, and asked her to watch him for any changes.

This morning, she called me telling me that she sent him back to ER because she was very concerned about him. Yesterday we had discussed that he was more lethargic, less alert, less communicative, and much harder to maneuver, not only with his leg pain, but with his lack of understanding when told to either step up, stand, or sit when dressing him or getting him out of bed.

I phoned ER and they indicated they are keeping him overnight for observation and to wait for results of a CTscan.

Here we go again.

Uncle Cliff...that bat is getting quite heavy this afternoon.

About the Job Interview

The thank you note has been sent, and calculations made...

As an example...I calculated the amount of taxes, child care, clothing, dining out, fuel, car insurance we would pay if I worked full time at this job. Now I realize it's not usually "kosher" to discuss salaries, but this

IF my starting gross salary was $45,000/year...which is actually mid-range for the salary offered, the numbers would look like this:

45000.00	gross salary
13500.00	less 30% tax (prox)
31500.00	net salary
-10000.00	less child care-Emily
-6250.00	less before & after school care-Sarah
15250.00
-1250.00	less travel costs (based on 150 miles/week, 50 weeks, 15 mpg, $2.5/gallon)
14000.00
2400.00	clothing costs: stockings shoes & inexpensive yet hopefully fashionable outfits.
11600.00	Annual	take home
967.00	actual monthly income

It appears to nearly make this job "worth it"--but then, as my dear husband mentioned, who would take the kids to their after school activities--piano, gymnastics, soccer/softball, cooking, tennis, girl scout activities, etc?

We'd have to nearly hire a nanny or au pair, and that would spend the other $900/month, I'm sure.

Oh well...it was a great interview, and gave me a lot of confidence that I can interview again when the opportunity arises. Also, there still is the tutoring job, for which child care will be minimal, as I set the time where I can tutor.

Kid-isms

Oh, my normally articulate nearly nine year old!

Learning Christmas songs for her Girl Scout troop who will sing carols in our neighborhood on the 12th...

"Don we now our GREY apparel, fa la la..."

and last night, while helping my dad get settled into his new apartment, we heard an announcement over the loudspeaker...
Sarah came in and said, "Mom--They're having groceries in the lounge at 7:00!"

(the announcement was that rosary would be held in the lounge at 7:00)

I couldn't correct her. I just couldn't.


And I have to add my younger daughter's latest...

Emily's:

The flag salute..."...one nation indivisible with livreebee for all"

I was so impressed she got "indivisible" right! Then came "livreebee"--too cute