January 2021

Sunday I was up early with the puppies. It’s like having a new born again. They need SO much attention. I know they will be fine in a few months, but in the meantime they are a bit exhausting. 

We put up some pictures and then went to Home Depot and bought a couple of plants. The house is coming together. However, once one thing is finished it seems that another thing to do arises. It’s as if the house will never be finished. 

For lunch, we decided to ride our bikes to Creek Side Taco. 

It was a nice, short ride, and we sat outside in the beach area. Once we were home, the rest of the day was spent continuing to sort out our house. 

Monday was an in-service day. We went to school with the idea that we would most likely go online for at least a few weeks. An emergency board meeting had been requested and not granted the prior week. I suppose when the board caught wind that 600 teachers were due to call in sick, they decided a meeting would be held that evening. It turned out that the board voted to be virtual for the first two weeks, at least. This decision being made at 9 pm on Monday night, with kids due to come back on Tuesday, made it quite challenging for some families, as you would guess. 

Tuesday my teammates and I spent the day getting prepared for online learning. I took Millie to gymnastics and then took Jack to try out for a new basketball team called the Gremlins. It was an amazing practice. They ran and did drills the entire time. He came out sweating like a pig and he loved every minute of it. We were hopeful the Gremlins would like him and have a spot for him in the spring season. 

Wednesday the nation took a dive. The new president elect was supposed to be confirmed. However, that was delayed because of a storming of the Capitol building. It was sad and scary to see our nation’s Capitol being attacked and our meeting democracy being in danger. I have my opinion about how it was handled, but anyone reading this, including my kids in a few years, will need to ask me if they really want to know. 

Jack went for another practice and it happened to be at my brother’s old gym. I clearly parked in a place that really wasn’t a parking space. Oops! As you can see, I ran my car over a curb and had to have to towed out. Fortunately, there was no damage. 

Thursday I got a message from Sue that she and Tim had tested positive for Covid and they really weren’t feeling well. I was so happy to be able to go to the store to get some vitamins and electrolytes for them. When we were all sick they brought us an amazing tray of burritos and even had a cheese quesadilla for Millie because Sue knew Millie most likely wouldn’t eat a burrito. This Covid thing is out of control and doesn’t seem to be doing anything but rising. The vaccine is coming, thank goodness. 

Stuart took Jack to basketball while Millie fussed at me about going to bed, as is the case these days. We take one step forward and several steps back, it seems. Then Friday there was a lot of fussing from Millie over brushing teeth, yet again. It ended up that she was grounding from playing outside after school with the neighbors. 

Friday, school was fine, but everyone is on edge, unfortunately. I felt quite accomplished as I learned a new trick in Google Classroom which is called Breakout Rooms. I also shared my new talent on the ukulele. I got home from school, after going to the store to get Jack supplies for his science project which he was doing with a friend in his class, on Saturday at our house. 

I took Millie to gymnastics. Yes, I realize Friday nights are not the ideal gymnastics night, but she has moved up to the next class, preteen competitive team, and the Wednesday class has a waiting list. To be honest, since it’s now a 2 hour class, it’s probably best it’s on a Friday night so she can sleep in on Saturdays. That kid is convinced that her friends go to bed later than she does, which they probably do. However, she doesn’t remember that they also get to sleep later than she does. It’s hard for her to understand, sadly. When we got home and the kids went to bed while Stuart and I watched our beloved crime show. 

Saturday morning I was awaken by the dogs at 5:30 am. I can’t wait until they are no longer babies. Ha! I took Jack to his basketball games at 7:30. He was asked to play with the 5/6 grade team, which he likes a lot more than the 6th grade team. They play together better than his 6th grade team. He had three games Saturday morning. Stuart joined us at the gym and then I took Millie to one of her many make-up gymnastic classes. When we got home the kids played outside for a while. Stuart and I made the beds and did some things around the house. The kids came in and did their chores. Then Jack’s classmate, Grant, came over. The experiment they had to do took a bit longer than was originally thought. Grant ended up eating dinner with us and then I took him home. 

Sunday morning we were up and cleaning the house. I spoke to Cathy who was preparing for a heart surgery to fix a leaky valve. She just can’t catch a break. Ken and Maytee came over around 11 am and then Maytee left to sing at church at 2:30 pm, but Ken hung out for another couple of hours. After Ken left we went to our neighbors to sit around their fire pit. It was nice to get acquainted with them. 

Monday morning I took Jack with me to school and Millie went with Stuart. We decided we would divide and conquer. They are just too silly when they are together. I was informed that Jack would be able to be a practice player for the Gremlins until the spring season started at the end of February. So he will go to their practices, but will still play with his other team. 

Monday after school we went to get Jack’s hair cut. When we got home, I saw our bathroom was starting to take shape and we were hopeful it would be completed by the end of the week. 

Our pool was also finished being dug. Of course, when a pool is dug, there should be rain to make everything more interesting. 

So much for having a yard. It’s all pool us. 

Tuesday both kids came with me to school. I took Millie to gymnastics and while she was at the gym, I took Jack to get some food. Stuart met us for taco Tuesday and then picked Millie up. This was after Stuart had gone to my mom and dad’s to tidy up their yard before they were due back on Friday. He also picked up a bag from Home Depot to put on our drive. I missed the part where we were to remove the pomegranate and citrus tree from our backyard before the pool guy was to start his job.  So we basically had Wednesday after school to do that job. 

Wednesday it was just Jack that came with me to school. I learned a new song on my ukulele, which was fun and school was pretty much the same. Jack had a scrimmage with his new team. While he scrimmaged, I watched the board meeting where it was decided we would go back in person the Tuesday after MLK Day. 

I left school early on Thursday in order to get my first dose of the Covid 19 vaccine. Stuart got his as well. The process was amazingly organized.  I also went with Jack to basketball and spoke to Coach Rodger about Jack moving to a different club. Coach Rodger said he wished I had expressed our dissatisfaction of the things that were going on. I told him I had sent him messages and it just wasn’t changing to our satisfaction. It wasn’t a comfortable situation, but it had to be done. 

Friday Grammie and Pop got back to Arizona. I felt horrible after my vaccine, but we had been told this could be the case. Grammie and Pop came over and saw our house. Our contractor had put in the top of the vanity. It’s so pretty! We also picked out paint for our bathroom and think we may very well also put it in our bedroom. It’s all exciting at this stage. 

Saturday Jack had a game and they lost, again. Once the game was over, we went home. Stuart and I went to Costco to do some shopping. When we got home, we found that Millie had ridden her bike down to Grammie and Pop’s, so we went down to their house for a few hours in the afternoon. We got home and finished our chores for the afternoon. Later in the day, Millie wouldn’t take her medication and was beyond hateful to us. When will this end? I wish I knew. In the evening, Ken and Maytee came over after church. It’s always good to spend time with them. Since our pool has started, and there is dirt everywhere, it’s hard for us to leave the dogs on the weekend, so we have had them over more often lately. 

Sunday I was up early with the puppies. This seems to be a habit these days. They are now sleeping on their beds in our room, rather than being crated in our room. They do fairly well, but are my new weekend alarm clock for sure. I started painting the bathroom in preparation for the mirrors and back splash being put in. Stuart tidied the garage and moved things around a bit. My mom came over and used her sharpie markers to try to tidy up our kitchen cabinets. It was actually quite clever. We needed to get a new sharpie, but she said she would be back during the week to finish them up. 

We decided to join Vicki and Ryan at Zoo Lights.  It wasn’t as good as I had remembered, but it was something to do, I suppose.  Millie was miserable and the child that everyone looked at as if she were being a total brat. I will assure you of this, I will NEVER judge a parent again after having this little one. There are things she has said to me that I would have never thought I would have handled well. However, as we try to sort out her challenges, the counselor has told us that arguing with her will just backfire, which I can totally see. In the meantime, people look at me as if I should control her. Trust me, if I could I would. It’s frustrating, but I know we are doing our best to do right by her, regardless of how others view it. 

We went to Chili’s to get something to eat after Zoo Lights. Jack went for a sleepover at Gavin’s since the following day we had a day off. We got home and Millie took a shower and went to bed. Stuart and I stayed up to watch some television. I stayed up later than Stuart did, as I often do. 

Monday morning I was up early, as usual. I laid around in my jammies for a while. Stuart went to pick Jack up from Gavin’s and brought him home. Debi and her boys came over around 11 am. Debi brought Pei Wei for herself and me, and I made chicken nuggets and French fries for the kids. They all played so nicely upstairs. In fact, they had so much fun that the Duvall’s stayed and had pizza with us for dinner. It was so fun. 

Tuesday I was terribly uninspired to go to school. The kids were coming back and I think people were a bit nervous. Since Arizona has been deemed having the highest infection rate, with more kid cases than before, it was concerning. I hate online teaching, but I wasn’t convinced in-person was the right answer either. But I am a rule follower and was going to do what I was told. 

Tuesday after school, Stuart took Millie to gymnastics, took Jack for some food before he went to Gremlin practice, while I had a Dibels training for school. My class ended early so I met up with Stuart and Jack. I then picked Millie up from gymnastics. Stuart took Jack to the Gremlins practice and then Jack decided he didn’t want to go to Reach practice. We suspected he wouldn’t be able to keep up the double training and had decided we would tell him he didn’t have to go to both anymore. He also had hurt his knee a week back and probably needed to rest. 

Wednesday at school we watched the inauguration. We were directed to keep our own political views out of any conversation. It was definitely a historic day as this was the first woman to be sworn in as the Vice President, and she is a woman of color. It was an epic day. And as a supporter of President Biden, there was a hopefulness I felt as I watched the ceremony. I know not everyone felt this way, but I certainly did. 

Wednesday evening my mo and I went to Floor and Decor

To pick out our flooring for the kids’ bathroom. We then went to Tuesday Morning and did a bit of shopping. Stuart and I had decided to give Jack a break from Gremlin practice. It was a late one and he was not up for it. I told him this was a one time pass, and he said he understood. So we were all homeWednesday evening, which is rare for sure. We seem to always be going somewhere. 

The kids and I played I Spy Bingo. 

Thursday at school I prepared for my substitute on Monday. That was the day of my eye specialist appointment. The days seem to pass and there isn’t anything terribly inspirational at this time in our lives. It can make me sad from time to time. However, I know this too shall pass. I also continued to work on getting a vaccine appointment for my mom and dad, but had no success. When we got home from school, the kids played outside with the neighbors. Stuart then took Jack to practice with Reach. Stuart went to get our shower door from Lowe’s and then returned to pick Jack up. Jack was asked to play in the final game of the 5th/6th development team championship. It was on Friday at 9 pm. He was excited. We decided that after that game he would be finished with Reach. 

Friday at school we watched A Bug’s Life. We had read a story about ants and was able to tie in the movie. It was a stretch, but the kids loved it. After school I did some grocery shopping to get some items Millie’s teacher. She needed the items for the Valentine party they would have in a few weeks. Stuart took Millie to gymnastics and I took Jack to his game. We picked up Grammie and Pop just after 8 pm and headed to Chandler. The game was epic. Jack played really well. In the end, he scored the winning shot with 2 seconds left in the third overtime. He was on cloud nine and it was the best way for him to end his time with Reach. 

It was a game to remember and he got a t-shirt, which was a bonus. 

On Saturday, I woke up and left the dogs out. It was raining, so the mud came back in the house. Stuart and I went to the store and left the kids home to do their chores. Once we returned, we surprised Millie by taking her to Postino’s in downtown Gilbert. Her teacher is a hostess there and we knew she would love to see her at her job. The food was amazing. 

Sweet potato wedges were a hit. We sat outside, and of course, the heater by us kept getting blown out, so it was a bit chilly. 

After lunch we went home and I headed out to get some sugar to finish my dessert for our dinner at the Reynold house that evening. I also was out on searching for a gift for Jack’s crush at school. I couldn’t decide how I felt about him giving a gift to a girl for Valentine’s Day. So I decided to ask his teacher, Heather Tawney, if this was a girl that was sweet. She advised me to have Jack use his own money and let him get her a gift. He picked out a cute little heart necklace. I’m not ready for him to grow up, but I do think it’s sweet he is thoughtful enough to even think about buying a gift, with his own money, for someone else. 

Once I returned from the store, I showered, finished my

dessert and we left for Jeff and Melinda’s. Jack was able to tell Brady of his victory the night before, and Millie played with Dayton, Melinda’s grand daughter. She is adorable. Riley and Nick are living with them for a while. It’s a busy house for sure. We sat out by the fire pit after dinner, but it started raining again, so we came back inside and then decided to call it a night. 

Sunday we were awaken by a dog peeing in our bathroom. At least she knew where to go. I took the dogs downstairs and decided to watch television. It was just after 6 am. It hadn’t started raining yet, but did shortly after 7 am. It really came down hard. I didn’t think much of it, until the dogs went through the dog door and didn’t come back for a bit. When I looked outside, they were playing in the mud pool. Oh goodness me. They had caked on mud on their feet. I got them to go back outside and did my best to wipe their feet. Oh, how I love puppies, pools, rain, mud, and all of those entering my house. I somewhat cleaned up their feet and decided we would have to kind of guess when they needed to go to the bathroom and take them out at those times. Sadly, we knew it was supposed to rain all week. 

Vicki, her mom, Gavin and Maddax came over late in the morning. Our original plan was to go to Sedona this day, but it was there was a weather advisory that said travel up north wasn’t a good idea as they were to get snow. We wanted to take the kids sledding, but it’s tough to do that with much fun when it’s still snowing. We want snow, but would rather go just after it has snowed. We are still hopeful to do that at some stage this winter, it just wasn’t this particular Sunday. Vicki and her mom stayed for a few hours, and then left the boys to play for another couple of hours. 

It rained off and on most of the day. And then, as Vicki was picking up her boys, the most beautiful rainbow was in the sky. 

This picture really didn’t do it justice. The rest of the evening was totally chilled. I took a shower in my new shower, which was lush. I will take pictures as soon as it is all finished. I do love my new shower tower. 

Monday I didn’t go to school. I had my eye appointment to determine what was going on with my eye sight. It rained all day, which, again, added a bonus to our remodel fun! I got to my eye appointment after a trip to Goodwill. My appointment was at 2 pm, but of course I didn’t see anyone until nearly 2:20 pm. After a few tests, it was determined that I would come back a month later to see the progress. The doctor told me it was all stress related and getting eye vitamins could help it all. I’m sure not stressing could also help. However, I have no idea how to destress, considering I didn’t know I was a stressful person. 

My debit card wouldn’t register and it came time for me to be home for Millie’s counseling appointment. I was a bit irritated and finally told the receptionist that she would need to call me the next day if the card didn’t run through as I HAD to go. It was still raining, my eyes were dilated and  I was running late. So of course I ran into the back of a truck at the first stop light I came to. I got out of the car, as did the man I ran in to. Bless his heart, he looked at my car and said, ‘Wow, you have damage but I really don’t.’ I apologized profusely and he finally said, ‘I don’t need to call the police if you don’t’. So that was that. What a relief that was. 

I got home for Millie’s appointment and then later in the afternoon I took Jack to basketball. On the way to the gym, I decided since Human Growth and Development was coming up for Jack at school, I would talk to him about what was going to be said. I only told him facts and the information in the videos the district was going to show. Needless to say, he didn’t handle it very well. It all scared him and he cried when we got to the gym. He said he didn’t want to go to practice and that he just wanted to stay with me. Oh, he is my son. The first real kiss I had was when I was 16 years old and I cried because it scared me. I made him get out of the car. Clearly, the conversation was good timing on my part. 

Tuesday it was cold, but I put on decent school clothes and tried to act like I wanted to go to work. I really thought it would help, but it didn’t seem to much. This year has been a struggle, to say the least. I am not thrilled about the job I am doing, but I am grateful to have a job. This being my 29th year in education, I was hoping to be a principal, or at least in administration. I suppose 7 years out of the country hasn’t helped get me to a position I was hoping for. I do feel that if I don’t get to an administration job soon, I will be too old to hire, which absolutely bums me out. We shall see what this spring brings. 

After school, Stuart took Millie to gymnastics and i picked Jack up from school. I spoke to the Kids Express lady, as Jack had an incident the previous Thursday at the after school club. She said the other child involved is mouthy like Jack and his mother just wanted to forget about it. Had it been written up and reported, officially, both kids would run the risk of being excluded from the after school program. Since the other child’s mom works for Chandler Schools as well, she can’t afford to lose after school child care either.  

Later in the evening, I took Jack to basketball. Grammie and Pop tagged along as well. He practiced at a charter school and we were allowed to go in and watch. They scrimmaged with the 13u team for the first hour of practice. Jack seemed a bit nervous because Grammie and Pop were there, but he was glad they were able to go and watch. 

Wednesday it wasn’t as cold as it had been on Monday and Tuesday. At the end of the day it was warmer, but the morning was freezing and we couldn’t decide on what to do with our dogs. Rain and digging pools doesn’t mix at all. In the end, we decided they would just have to get over it and be cold. We stuck them in the borrowed dog cage and left for the day. After school I met Sue at Joe’s Farm Grill for a good catch up. She told me that she was going to get to start walking again. So we decided on Wednesdays after school. The catch-up with her was so good. We didn’t stop taking for nearly 2 hours.  

That evening, I took Jack to basketball, which was from 8-9 pm. It’s a little later than we like, but I think this is our life for now. I do know we want to provide him with all the opportunities possible. Sometimes, I realize that may inconvenience us. However, I want to give him the chance to be a part of a team and a tribe. We are hoping they will change the late practice time as time goes on. At the end of the practice, Jack messaged me. I told him I had parked down by the parking place I had to be towed out of a few weeks back. That sassy boy asked me if I had parked in the same place again. He’s a funny one!

Thursday after school we were free as birds. It’s our one day where we don’t have to run kids all over the east valley. Millie was grounded so she wasn’t able to go outside the house. She had lied to us the previous evening when she went to play with her friends, having not completed her homework, yet telling us she had. Oops! She went with Stuart and myself to get paint for the kids’ bathroom. When we got home, Millie and I took something down to my mom and dad’s. It was then that Grammie and Pop decided they would come and paint our bathrooms on Saturday while we were at the vaccine event at Perry High School. 

Friday at the end of the school day, I felt we had been there for three weeks. It seemed to be the longest week ever, and I hadn’t even been there for one of the days. After school, I headed home and then took Millie to gymnastics. While she flipped over bars, I went to my friend Susan’s and met up with two other Bunco Babes, Marty and Brenda. We were able to hang out for nearly two hours. It was so fun to have a good catch-up. When Millie and I got home, it was discovered that Millie had nothing taken her medicine. I don’t want to blame her behavior on the fact that she didn’t take her medication, but I don’t think it helps. 

Saturday morning we were up and out of the house just after 7:30 am. We had decided we would volunteer at the vaccine distribution event that was taking place at Perry High School. It was actually quite fun and fulfilling. We also saw some people we hadn’t seen in quite some time. We also got the email that let us book our second shot for the vaccine. 

After our shift at the school, we went to get a bite to eat. Grammie and Pop were at our house, so the kids were fine. We got home to clean, and touched up cabinets, as well as two painted bathrooms. 

Should I really let me 82 year old dad paint our bathroom? I think I did!

The base boards still needed to be painted, but that was relatively easy. The rest of the day and evening was spent watching our favorite crime shows. Millie had difficulty going to bed. Again, we forgot her meds, which prompted me to set a daily alarm as not to have anymore meltdowns from her. We really can’t hold her too accountable when we don’t give her the correct ‘tools’, as in medication. We will get our lives sorted out one of these days. 

December

Well, we were in the last days of November and the neighborhood was starting to look very festive. 

Vicki, Ryan and their kids came over for coffee. Vicki and I had a Target run and the kids stayed and played upstairs and then outside. Vicki left Gavin and Maddax at our house for the afternoon, which was all too fine with me. It kept my kids occupied. Stuart hung lights on the house while Vicki and I were shopping. He also gathered trash and recycling to take to my mom and dad’s to be collected the following morning. Our bulk pick up was scheduled for the 7th of December, which would rid our house of some of the unnecessary junk that cluttered our garage and back yard. 

We got all but the crap on the dining table and the kitchen bar put away. We were very hopeful that we would finish putting things away and getting some pictures hung the first week of December. 

Monday morning came way too soon. It was chilly and I wasn’t terribly excited to go to school. Thank goodness I love my teammates. It makes it easier to go to work, but the stress of the current state of affairs makes things quite uncertain.  

School was fine and I felt the children actually had a productive day. I had a team meeting after school and then headed home for the dogs’ vet appointment. Dogs are not cheap, but we knew they wouldn’t be. The kids are so thrilled to have the puppies, which makes me very happy. Jack had team practice and seemed to be more pleased with his practice, but he always does on team nights. 

Tuesday was school and Millie was moved up to the competitive team during her gymnastics class. Jack had basketball academy and was frustrated, as he often is, because he was just running because one of the kids that are always goofing off. He’s ready to switch teams. Lovely!

Wednesday I had a meeting after school that lasted for way too long. I nearly cried when I was told my reading scores hadn’t saved from the day before. This was told to me during the meeting. Learning all the new technology I’ve had to learn in the last 10 months has been beyond challenging. My brain just can’t keep all the information inside. 

I got home and we ate dinner as a family. Wednesdays are one of the few days we can do that. It was really nice. Since we are starting to get into kids’ activities heavily, I want us to try to value the few times we can sit down as a family. After dinner, Millie and I decorated her elf for school. 

Thursday around noon I started my poo potion for my colonoscopy the following afternoon. It made me sick. I really shouldn’t have been at school because, oh, how quickly the bathroom was needed. Since I am in the portables, there isn’t a bathroom that is terribly close to my room. Fortunately, my teammate was very accommodating. Pleasant! Needless to say I didn’t take either of the kids to their activities Thursday evening. I spent most of my time in the loo. 

I got up on Friday morning and thought I would be stuck to the toilet, but that was not the case. So since I had taken the day off anyway, I did a little sorting out at the house and a bit of holiday shopping. I got an Uber to my appointment but failed to remember that the doctor’s office was about a half mile from the place where they do the procedures. Of course I did! So, had to hoof it to the procedure place down the road. Fortunately I had left plenty of time to arrive because I had booked my Uber early, which is really quite unlike me. So I arrived with people being non the wiser. 

My walk was brisk as I was afraid I would need a last minute toilet stop. 

Ready to be roto rootered. 

Stuart picked me up from my procedure around 3:30 pm. He then took me to meet up with Sherry, Elisa and Mary for happy hour. We met at the Keg and sat on the patio. It was so good to catch up with them. I felt surprisingly well after my procedure, which was surprising to everyone. Mary brought me home after our time together. 

Saturday morning I got up and took Jack to his game. Then we met Millie and Stuart at Floor and Decor to pick out our materials for our bathroom remodel. The wife of the contractor met us there as well. We picked things out quickly as we kind of already knew what we wanted. Below are our color schemes. I can’t wait until everything is complete. 

Once we were home Jack gathered his things and I took him to Jaxon’s house for a sleepover with him and Jacoby. These three boys are the new kids in Jack’s class this year. Jack was so excited. Millie was a bit bummed as she hasn’t really made friends that would have sleepovers at this point. She, of course, found the whole thing to be unfair. 

I got back home and took a shower. We were having dinner with Jack’s teacher, her husband, and our realtor, Melinda and her husband. Melinda, Heather and I worked together years ago. Millie went with us, much to her dismay, and then was thrilled as she got to hang out with the older kids. She was like a toy to them and I think they all had a great time. It was a great night! Excluding the forehead smash and trailing black eyes. Let’s just say that a Labrador cutting in front of me wasn’t the best thing that happened to me that evening. 

I woke up Sunday morning around 5 am. Why am I bright eyed and bushy tailed on the weekends when I can actually sleep in? My eye and forehead may have woken me up a bit earlier than normal. Explaining this at school was sure to be fun. 

I collected Jack from Jaxon’s at 10, keeping my sunglasses on as not wanting to worry Jack. If I get a hang mail it bothers Jack. Jaxon’s mom was so complimentary of Jack and his manners, which warms a mother’s heart for sure. I guess he can be a turd around us as long as he’s not like that with other kid’s parents. 

Debi and her kids came over around 1 pm for lunch. I love my time with her. The kids played and we chatted for 4 hours. It’s always so good to spend time with her. Around 6:30 pm Melissa and Sally came over so we could give Melissa the low down of what to do with our dogs. She was going to house sit while we were in Missouri later in the month. 

Monday was the beginning of another long work week. It seems it doesn’t get easier to go to work these days. As cases increase and tensions rise, it becomes more and more unpleasant. Explaining my eye situation was also fun. I looked like a battered wife, when really it was a dog moving too quickly in front of me and a shoe getting caught on the sidewalk lip and crashing to the ground. 

Monday evening was basketball for Jack and I went off to shop for teacher gifts and other things. Millie stayed home with Stuart. The routine is pretty much the same each week day now. 

Tuesday after school we finally had our  meeting with the doctor for Millie’s meds. That morning Millie had thrown a major hissy fit and lost gymnastics for the evening. She just can’t stop herself from making situations worse. I’m hoping these meds will help her to stop and think before escalating the situation. Stuart took Jack to basketball on Tuesday evening. He didn’t want to go, but we had told him since we have paid, he is going. 

Wednesday we had the evening to get some more stuff done at the house. I stopped to get the kids ugly sweaters as well as pick out Millie’s Giving Tree gift for school. 

Millie insisted we take a picture to show the improvement of my eyes. Considering on Wednesday it had moved to the other eye, I’m not sure it had improved a lot. 

Thursday I took Millie to gymnastics. She was so excited as she was performing her routine for her ‘show’ the following week. I also took Jack to basketball because Stuart was doing his ‘prep’ for his colonoscopy. What a pleasant time in our lives this is. 

Friday after school I picked Stuart up from his procedure. We went to pick up the kids and then headed to Old Navy to shop for some colder weather clothes. It had turned cold during the week and we realized our kids probably didn’t have the clothes they would need to stay warm when we headed to Branson the following week. I wondered why they didn’t have any winter clothes. We had spent last winter in the UK and Switzerland, so I was confused. But then I remembered that both of them have grown a great deal since last year. Duh! So a new wardrobe for the winter was in order. We got home and just chilled for the rest of the evening. 

Saturday morning we were all up and leaving the house just after 8 am. Millie, who hates brushing her teeth and pretty much refuses most mornings, was at it again. She started ADHD medication a few days earlier but it doesn’t seem to be working as we had hoped. She blew a gasket, which in turn got her a spanking and the whole family was in a muddle. Stuart eventually took Jack and Millie to Jack’s game. I went to have a pedicure with Sue, a much needed relaxing experience. I then took Sue home and met Stuart and the kids for lunch. 

Jack had another game in the afternoon. It was a tournament but they only had two games on Saturday and one on Sunday. Sadly, Jack couldn’t play on Sunday as we had already committed to serving Christmas dinner to Ken, Maytee and the girls on Sunday at noon. He wasn’t happy with us, but he would get over it. 

We still aren’t terribly thrilled with his club team at the moment. They don’t play as a team nor does it seem a lot of teaching is done. They run a lot. I don’t mind paying for instruction, but I can send Jack outside to run and that would be totally free. 

Sunday morning Stuart got up and put the turkey in the oven and started preparing for our guests. I went to the store to sort out table gifts for everyone. We were attempting to make it a traditional English Christmas dinner. 

While I was out I might have bought the dogs some Christmas sweaters. They immediately started trying to chew them off of each other. 

Ken and Maytee showed up at noon. The merriment began immediately. 

The feast was about to commence. 

After lunch, the kids went upstairs to put make-up on each other. Jack did his own using my make-up. Maybe he has a career in the make-up industry. The Greens stayed for the entire day. It was so great. We had a blast and the food was amazing, as always. 

Monday was school and nothing else for the evening except for Jack’s basketball practice. They played three minute games of 5 on 5. The team that won would stay on the court. Jack’s team won every single game. He was super pleased with his play. 

Tuesday was another day of school. It’s obvious we are close to a break. Everyone is tired. After school I stopped to get Jack a white undershirt for his Ancient India costume he had received via Amazon the day before. Why do kids tell you they need a costume about two days before they need it? He’s fortunate we have Amazon!

I collected Jack from school, while Stuart was with Millie at gymnastics. Jack and I played his new True or False game for a while before Millie and Stuart came home. I then was informed that Millie needed to bring her Secret Santa a gift the following day. Uh, what Secret Santa and who told her she could participate in such a thing? She started to get sassy with me until I reminded her that I was the one who was going to get the gift for the Secret Santa I knew nothing about. She backed off immediately. When I took Jack to basketball I then went to get the Secret Santa gift. 

Wednesday after school I picked the kids up while Stuart got an oil change for the car we would be taking to Missouri. I fed the kids and then when Stuart was home I took the dogs to their vet appointment, which was fun! They don’t quite know how to walk on a leash yet, but they will learn. I will start taking them out after they are ‘fixed’ which will be in March. When I got home I just packed the kids and myself, then chilled for the rest of the evening. 

Thursday was the last day for students until after the new year. The day seemed to just drag on. Once the day finished, I met Stuart and the kids at Chili’s for a bite and then took Millie to gymnastics. She had another ‘show’ and then would have a break for two weeks. She did so well in her performance. She is so driven and so excited to be moving up a level in gymnastics after the new year. 

Friday was just a half day of school. We had a gift exchange called My Favorite Things. It made me so happy as my UAE friends used to get together for what my friend DeDe called ‘Favorites’. We all would bring three favorite things we liked and then everyone who participated would put their name in the hat three different times. You brought three gifts and took home three gifts. It was so fun to do this activity at school. We never see other teachers except those on our team. The social aspect of work has lost its flavor because of covid. We had left the kids home by themselves. To be honest, I trust Millie on her own a bit more than I do Jack, yet I still got several calls from her that morning.  I got home just after 11 am, and the pool guy came over and we finalized the plans for the pool. They should begin sometime in January. We spent the rest of the day getting ready to leave for Missouri the following morning. 

We were supposed to have a Lose the Leash person come over and tell us what kind of training our dogs were going to need in order to stay off the anti-social list. Unfortunately, the person got caught on another appointment. We were going to have to reschedule. We headed to Ken and Maytee’s to eat dinner and then we went ice skating with the Greens and a family they knew. It was chilly. I didn’t skate and Stuart only skated for a bit as the skates were cutting into his ankles. 

We had fun, but it was cold and we were leaving the following morning really early, so getting home was on my mind for sure. We got home just after 10 pm. The kids had fallen asleep, but I insisted they take showers before going to bed. I was super popular, as you would imagine. 

We were up and out by 5 am. 

Elfvis stowed away in a jar in the car in order to get to Missouri safely. He had written a note to the kids about how he wanted them to show him the scenery as we traveled. Millie clearly did her part. The drive wasn’t terribly eventful. The kids were really good travelers. They didn’t fuss the entire trip. We finally arrived in Oklahoma City around 8 pm. Once we were checked in, I ordered food from Cheddar Scratch Chicken. I drove to the restaurant, parked in a take away bay, texted the number that was given to me for my order, and they delivered it to my car. It was the easiest thing ever. Some things during this time of Covid have been made so much easier. 

Sunday morning we got up and had a leisurely morning. We shopped in the little strip mall just down from our hotel. Then, around lunch time we met a college friend of mine, Ronald Moore, and his family to eat. I hadn’t seen him in 25 years. He was one of my dearest friends in college. He went on to play football for the Arizona Cardinals for a couple of years so I got to see him a lot while he lived in Arizona. To catch up with him so blessed my heart and may have made my year complete. 

After lunch, we carried on to Grammie and Pop’s where Mitch arrived shortly after we did. His puppies were manic for a while, but then settled down. 

Monday Stuart and I went down to the Landing in Branson as we needed to buy gifts for the kids from Grandma and Grandpa. Jack was going to get a pair of Nike tennis shoes and Millie was getting a pair of Vans and a beauty chair and accessories for her American Girl doll. We had fun just spending time with each other. The rest of the day we spent playing games and chilling. Jack got one of his Christmas presents early. Because the planets were to align for the first time in 800 years, my parents bought him a telescope. We took it out and looked for the planets to align. Although we didn’t get a really clear picture, Jack did see the craters in the moon. He was so thrilled about his new telescope. 

Instructions begin given by Dad. 

We all enjoyed the telescope. 

Lola and Roscoe have grown so much since we saw them in June. They are never still. I think they make my brother nervous, mainly because they still aren’t house trained and will have accidents on my mom’s carpet. 

Tuesday we did a lot of what we did the previous day. We waited around for Russ, Julie and Emily to arrive. The kids couldn’t wait until Emily got there. They were so excited. They arrived around 9 pm. As is the case on vacation, bedtime was an ambiguous time for sure. 

Wednesday we got up and my dad opened a gift that had work gloves in it. He then went outside and the next thing we heard was a chain saw. This was his Christmas present and we were all going to the back of the woods to cut some of the fallen logs so we could eventually have a bonfire. 

These two were ready to carry some wood. 

We are also ready. I ended up not doing a lot. I’m kind of lazy. 

My dad is in his happy place!

After the wood chopping, we all headed into the house to avoid the rain that would come fast and furious. My niece, Emily, was awaiting her boyfriend’s arrival. When he got to the house Millie was immediately in love. He is 6’7” and weighs 310 pounds. He plays football at the University of Arkansas. 

Millie definitely looked tiny on Ryan’s shoulders. 

Thursday morning Ryan left around 8 am. He was driving to his home in Memphis, Tennessee. He was such a nice young man. I think he enjoyed his short time at the ranch. Christmas Eve it was. Uncle Mitch made some more cinnamon rolls and homemade bread, which we all enjoyed. Grammie made chili and got the tamales ready for dinner. Russ’ family and my family decided to go to the outlet mall to do some shopping. It was relatively dead. I ended up buying a pair of boots as well as two pair of jeans. We got home and the house smelled of chili. We ended up eating before Morgan and Donavin arrived. Their flight was due in around 8 pm, so they wouldn’t be back to the house before 9 pm. When they arrived, they ate and then we spent the rest of the evening chatting and playing dominoes. 

Friday was Christmas morning. I was awake about an hour before my kids. How does that work? Santa left a note for my two telling them he had left their gifts in Arizona and that he had left pictures on my camera roll so they would need to come and see my phone to see what he brought them. Millie had been asking questions about Santa, but I think after she saw the pictures I think she was back in the mindset that if you don’t believe, you don’t receive. 

A balance beam and a gym mat seemed to please her. 

And I think seeing this almost made Jack believe in Santa again. Ha! He has actually been funny this year. He decided he wanted to help us each evening with our Elf on the Shelf, Elfvis. Yet the first time we had to move Elfvis, Jack got nervous and didn’t want to touch Elfvis as the belief is if you touch him, he loses his magic. When I gave Jack a look, he started laughing and said, ‘Mom, I know he’s not real, but what if...’. After that, he decided he would be surprised each morning about Elfvis’ new spot. It’s actually quite sweet that he still wants to believe. 

The rest of the morning was a manic present extravaganza. We bought a ridiculous amount of presents fir our kids this year. When we saw how obscene it all was we decided that our guilt for the year they have had was our driving force. We moved them from the only life they knew, during a pandemic, not having any friends, across the world and expected them to just get on with it. They have been real troopers, and I think we need to reflect more on this fact. So we bought their love this year, for sure. Ashamed? Not really! 

The piles on the floor belong to Jack and Millie. Once the carnage was over, everyone else went about lounging and enjoying their morning. I started unboxing all the toys and placing them in the buckets we had brought them wrapped in. Millie and Jack went out on their hoverboard and trick scooter, respectively. 

Some of the other adults were preparing the Christmas meal, which ended up being ready just before 3 pm. We had smoked turkey, ham, sausage balls, has brown casserole and other delightful foods. We had Christmas Crackers and enjoyed a lovely meal. 

Thank goodness for Stuart’s long arms. The hats come out of the Christmas Crackers and it’s expected that everyone wears one. 

After our meal we retreated downstairs and did a White Elephant exchange. It was really fun and there were actually some pretty good gifts. 

We all had glasses with a Christmas theme. 

We then played a game similar to Family Fued, which is Grammie and Pop’s favorite game show. It was based on Elf trivia. It was hilarious. We laughed and laughed, mainly at our silliness. 

We were required to wear these elf hats. 

We also sang Christmas songs while my brother played the guitar. We love to sing. The fun ended and my family of four went to bed. It was a good Christmas Day celebration. I got a robe, a pair of sunglasses and a sweatshirt. The kids got more gifts than they needed and all were happy. 

Saturday morning we go up and decided to go down to the Landing to do some after Christmas bargain shopping. Again, it wasn’t terribly crowded, which made my brother Mitch feel better. He stayed outside and sat on benches while we shopped and then he, Grammie and Pop all decided to go home when the rest of us decided to go eat pizza at the Mellow Mushroom. Once lunch was over, Stuart and I got home and spoke via messenger with our English and Irish friends that we had traveled to see in the summer of 2019. This are our friends we met in the UAE. Every since this pandemic we’ve tried to speak every couple of months. It’s been so wonderful! 

Around 3 pm Stuart had to leave our call to do a pub quiz with his dad and brothers. I sat on the front porch to finish my call and Stuart sat on the back porch to do his pub quiz. Once the foreign conversations were over we played whiffle ball in the front yard for a while. It was cold, but not unbearable. Millie had been out riding her hover board and then decided to play while still wearing her helmet. 

She took her helmet off for the photo. 

After our steak dinner, we headed out for our long anticipated bonfire. We made S’mores. It was nice and cozy. The smoke smell, although a great one, always reminds me I have to wash my hair that evening and get my clothes in the washing machine. 

Sunday I was supposed to publish the blog as it was the last Sunday of the month. However, I consulted with my critics (Sue Tharalson and Sherry Bollard) to make sure they could handle me not publishing it for another week. I just hadn’t had the time to catch up on each day. They both granted permission, so I carried on writing. 

We had a delightful brunch of leftovers made into a breakfast-like meal. Morgan and Donavin had to fly back to Yuma Sunday afternoon, so we bid them farewell. 

Then Mitch, Grammie and Millie went out to get ingredients to use Millie’s new unicorn baking set. I love it when people want to do things with my kids, especially things the kids like to do. I bake with my kids and Stuart has taught them to cook certain things, but memories are made when other family members do these things with them. And I like memories being made. Experiences are what life is about. 

Mitch gave instructions, the cake and cupcakes baked and then the waiting game took place. We decided to play Blokus, one of the new games we got, while we waited for the cakes to cool. 

I really like this new game. 

Uncle Mitch even taught her how to pipe the icing. She had a blast. 

Doesn’t everyone squeeze some of the icing in their mouth after decorating? That girl loves sugar. 

Once the cakes were finished, we had something to eat and then the kids set up the movie theatre downstairs. They took drink and food orders and made assigned seats and tickets. They love doing this. It’s a bit of a hit with the family. We watched the new Mulan, which many hadn’t seen. It was good the second time as well and everyone enjoyed it. 

You can see the assigned seat papers on each seat. They are professionals. Their clean-up skills are lacking, but the initial presentation is really good. After the movie, Jack showered because he had been outside sweating most of the day. Millie just changed into her jammies and it was bedtime for them. Millie kicked up a fuss when Stuart told her it was time to go to bed. She wanted to play dominoes and had she maybe not been so rude to him it might have been considered, but her initial reaction is usually to yell at us when she doesn’t like something. Although some of her behavior has been curbed by this medication, it is still not the right dosage. We will get to a point where it is the right dosage, but we are not there yet. At any rate, she was tired and had way too many late nights. Although it was our last night, we still needed her to get her sleep. Now that we are back in Arizona and will see my family more often I didn’t feel as guilty having her go to bed. 

Monday morning at 8 am we began our drive back to Arizona. In fact, everyone except for Grammie and Pop left Branson. We left quite a mess for them for sure. Their plan was to return to Arizona the first week of January, but we all tried to talk them into waiting until the infection rate in Arizona had subsided a bit. We shall see what they decide to do. 

Our trip to Albuquerque was pretty uneventful. We made excellent time as we only stopped three times in the 12.5 hours of driving. The kids were perfect travelers. They really are just attached to their devices for the journey, so that makes things quite quiet and easy for us. We arrived at our hotel and decided to order something from the restaurant downstairs. We had just eaten junk all day so needed something other than chicken nuggets and French fries. Unfortunately, Jack wasn’t terribly fond of the soup we got him, so that was a bit of a waste. The kids showered and then we all got in bed and watched television. Millie was the first to drop off as she hadn’t slept at all on the journey. 

We set the alarm for 6 am. We needed to get back to Arizona to meet with our bathroom contractor in order to select the final layout of our shower. Plus, when you are only six and a half hours from home, you haven’t seen your puppies for over a week, and you have Santa presents to play with, you really want to just get home. 

We ran into snow and may have fishtailed a bit when changing lanes one time. It made all of us a bit nervous. 

We stopped a few times, but got home around 1:30 pm. Stuart and I unpacked the car and started sorting out our stuff. It’s the part of a trip I absolutely hate. At 3 pm we met with the bathroom contractor to make some final decisions about our bathroom. It was decided that we would actually end up putting in a glass door on our ‘walk-in’ shower. It seems the shower tower I selected would have such water power behind it that we would have to have a door in preset not to flood the entire bathroom each time a shower was taken. After the decision was made we decided it was actually for the best. Having the door would keep us from freezing once the shower was over. I hate showering and then being cold afterwards. So we were pleased with our decision. 

After our meeting with Steve, Stuart took my car to be cleaned while the kids played outside with the neighbors. When he got back from cleaning my car we both took my car to be cleaned. We got back and fed the kids and then Jack went to open gym for two hours. Stuart dropped him off and went to the grocery store for some needed items. Millie took a bath and used one of her bath bombs Santa brought in her stocking. It was a cool rainbow one that spit out color as it fizzed and moved around the tub. The color of the water when the bath bomb finished fizzing was brown. It was a bit gross. 

Stuart picked Jack up and was home just after I put Millie to bed. Stuart and I ate dinner then and watched a travel show for a while. Once Jack was in bed, Stuart decided to go as well. We had all showered in the downstairs shower because the other showers are being demolished for our remodel. I stayed up and watched the final episode of The Bachelorette and then moved on to a few episodes of Keeping up with the Kardashians. Don’t judge!

Wednesday morning we got up and headed to the eye doctor. All eyes were fine except for mine. The doctor asked me if I had been stressing over something recently. I basically said everyone was surely stressing about something lately. So, I was sent to a specialist and will see what they say about my left eye and it’s functionality. That appointment will be at the end of January. 

We decided to go to Uncle Bears for lunch. When we got home, Steve, the bathroom guy, was there. He was preparing for the shower to be tiled the following Monday.  I gave him another healthy check and then I went to Goodwill to look for furniture. I found a side table that was definitely going to need some love, but for $14.79 I think I can manage. 

When I got home we decided to spend the rest of the day organizing and getting more sorted for the house. The kids played outside most of the day, which just thrills us. They seem to have more friends in the neighborhood than they did in the Village. Millie plays with the same little girls everyday. She is so happy. And Jack has connected with the boys right next door. The oldest one is Jack’s age. It makes my heart happy for them. For the evening we just chilled and did a whole lot of nothing. 

Thursday morning Stuart and I got up and headed out to Tuesday Morning to look for some mirrors and other things needed for the bathrooms and to complete the house. We found the mirrors for Jack and Millie’s bathroom, and a few other things we wanted. Once we were home, the neighbor kids all came to play in the house and Cole, the five year old, stayed downstairs with me to play with the dogs. He also helped me bake some cookies. He’s a little old man and so dang cute. We have good chats. Ha! When the kids went home, we got ready for our dinner out with Maytee, Ken, their friends Lori and Jason, and Yolanda, Maytee’s mom. We were going to a place called D’vine. The kids were going to stay with Gigi and Lexi. This restaurant was amazing, or at least it used to be. It was a set menu. The food was okay, the service was also okay, but they served the desserts in little tin foil cups. Tacky! It was a little disappointing. Thank goodness the company was really good. Maytee’s brother, Rick, joined us for a while. He and Stuart started a discussion about the virus and the handling of it. Rick’s statements were a bit off about the facts, so Stuart set him straight in his polite fashion. I have to say, Stuart has the ability to calming make excellent arguments for what he believes in. For as explosive as I can be when I’m passionate about a subject, he is equally calm, cool and collected. He’s quite intelligent. Honestly, I can’t keep up with him in this regard. 

There were party hats for everyone. 

The restaurant portion of the evening came to an end and we returned to Ken and Maytee’s to shoot off fireworks. There were a ton of fireworks, but the flame thrower ran out of juice, so we had to resort to a candle, which also pooped out a couple of times and had to be relit. During part of the firework presentation, Lori and Jason’s son was running through them. Of course Jack wanted to do the same and we said ‘Absolutely not!’ He couldn’t understand and although I didn’t want to point out that I thought it was foolish their son was running through the fireworks, I DID think it was super foolish. Gigi was running through them until Maytee came out and nearly lost her stuff on Gigi. Jack was mad at me and said it was unfair. I finally told him that this was not a discussion we would have. I tried to explain to him that with fireworks we have no idea what they will do so we need to enjoy them for what they are, but be responsible and cautious around them. Millie didn’t even ask. We stayed long enough to say Happy New Year and then we were off to the house. I didn’t make the kids shower as we were washing beds the following morning. 

Sparklers are as close as I will let them get to the flames. 

Stuart was the master lighter and even he burnt the palm of his hand. My hero. 

Friday morning we hit a couple of Goodwills and found some real treasures. I love a good bargain that is actually functional and pretty. 

The table was $9.49 and all it needed was a good wash. 

The lamp base and shade, which still had the plastic on it, was $5.23. Yep! Bargain and cute!

Friday afternoon was spent taking the Christmas decorations down. It’s with mixed emotions I do this each year. That evening we made sausages and tortilla soup. Neither of our kids ate the soup, but both had the sausage and some veggies. We still are not in a meal routine, but are hoping to get into one soon. I think once our decorating is finished we will get into more of a routine. We shall see. We decided we needed a smaller dog crate for Chloe and Bailey, and we decided we would start letting them sleep in our room. The crate in the great room was starting to bug us. So we attempted their sleep in our room on Friday night. It was like having little babies again. I didn’t sleep that well and was up earlier than I wanted to be so that they could go pee. This is my life again, I’m afraid. We are wondering at what stage we will let them roam the house freely at night. I’m thinking it will never be the case. 

Saturday morning we left the house just after 10 am for Jack’s day of basketball. He played with the 5th/6th grade team first and then had two games with just the 6th graders. He played fairly well, but they lost all three games. It’s frustrating to watch them play, but I’ve decided I have to stop yelling at the games. It embarrasses Jack and that’s not right. He told me on the way home that he wanted me to stop yelling at him during the games because he knows what he is doing wrong and I don’t need to tell him. So, tape on my lips will be in order from this point on. I did hear back from the other team we are wanted to check out, but the coach said they have a pretty full 12U team. So we have prepared him for the possibility of staying with Reach until the end of June. We also told him we don’t want to be the parents who move their kid from club to club because we don’t like everything they are doing. We surely don’t want to be seen as ‘those’ parents. Ugh! I already feel the parents aren’t terribly crazy about us. They are really not terribly welcoming or polite. There is one dad who is always really nice to me, but other than that we have not felt terribly welcomed. 

After the games we headed home. The kids played with the neighbors for the afternoon while Stuart continued cleaning up our yard and I cleaned the the kitchen, mopped and vacuumed the downstairs. I then decided it was time to give the dogs a bath. That was a bit of an issue. Neither of them liked the water and neither were terribly cooperative. Needless to say I needed a shower right after wrestling with the dogs. Dinner was a hodge podge for everyone. The kids showered and then we watched a mermaid movie with Millie. The last thirty minutes she was awake, we watched a crime solving show, which may not have been the best idea. When we put her to bed she wanted me to lay with her for a while. She never asks me to lay with her. I stayed until she fell asleep. I can assure you if she has nightmares it will be my fault. Jack followed an hour later. What a month we have had. Praying 2021 brings everything we all hope for and surprises none of us expected.