I finally got out of bed at about 615. I went to take a walk with Sue, because we have been unable to walk several weeks during December. On my way I got a message from my mother-in-law, after having sent her a message about Monkey not being in Jack’s backpack. She sent me a picture of Monkey sitting on her computer table.
She told me that Monkey was found underneath the duvet on Jack’s bed. I then sent the picture to Jack and said guess where monkey is? Jack sent me a message back that said ‘Nooooooooooo!’ My mother-in-law assured me she would put it in the post on Tuesday because Monday would be a bank holiday because of the new year.Sue and I had a nice time catching up on each others’ lives from the Christmas holidays. We then decided to go and have some coffee at Kneaders. When we arrived at the restaurant we realized it was Sunday and Kneaders is not open on a Sunday. So we were going to settle for Starbucks, but then we realize that Starbucks is not open except for drive-through on Sundays. So we decided to go to a place called Egg and Joe’s. While we were having our coffee we decided to have breakfast. It seemed rude not to. We had a nice time and then I left her and headed to Walmart to get my oil changed in my car. Stuart picked me up and we went to Costco to do our grocery shopping for the week. After getting home and unpacking all the groceries, I went up to take a shower because we were going to have Christmas lunch at Grammy and Pop‘s, and then the kids were going to open their presents.
We went to Grammie and Pop’s and Grammie decided it was probably best if we opened the presents first. This way we didn’t have to rush food in order for the kids to open their presents. As usual, my parents had spoiled my children once again. Millie got some much not needed make up and high heels. This is clearly to go with her sassy attitude! Jack got a new pair of Nike tennis shoes. He also got a sweatshirt and a Nike T-shirt and both the kids got money. My parents were incredibly generous with all of us this year for Christmas.
We had tamales and chili for lunch. Grammie had many desserts to choose from. I then realized that it was time to get back on the diet train and get some of this Covid weight off. Once lunch was over Stuart and I went to collect my car from Walmart. The kids decided to stay at Grammie and Pop‘s for a little while. We did a little bit of shopping and then returned to pick up the kids from Grammie and Pop.
We went to the neighbor’s house for dinner. We really hadn’t seen much of Mitch and Elise during the month of December. We stayed at their house and enjoyed the fire in the back yard. They had put up their outdoor lights. It reminded us that we needed to do the same.
Monday morning we got up and took the dogs to get their vaccines updated. They were crazy as usual. We dropped them off and I then went to school for the day. The kids and Stuart still had another day off. The day kind of dragged on, but was relatively uneventful. After school I went home and took Jack with me to collect the dogs. Stuart had taken Millie to gymnastics. The dogs were crazy, but we managed.
Once home Jack got ready to go to open gym for volleyball. Stuart and I dropped off Jack at Vicki’s and then went for a bite to eat at Chili’s before picking Millie up from gymnastics. Once home, Millie showered and I picked Jack up from Vicki’s. It seemed to be a normal Monday evening, excluding the fact that Stuart was in town.
We were up Tuesday and off to our first day of third quarter. My new student was not really told by his parents why he was being sent to our school. So needless to say, when he found out from me why he was there, he became very angry with me and towards me. It was a bit of a shock, but it was something that we handled and got through.
At the end of the day I got a message from Millie’s teacher telling me that Millie’s bestie had been mean to her at school, telling some boys to laugh at Millie whenever she said something. Of course when I picked Millie up I told her that a true friend never delights in the pain of someone else. I encouraged her to give her friendship with this girl a rest for a while. She was a pretty sad little lady for the evening. I felt so badly for her. I told her that anyone who tries to elevate themselves by putting you down is not someone who has a lot of confidence. We got home and I turned around to collect Jack from his friend’s house.
Once home, both kids ate and showered. Once Millie was in bed, Jack told me he had decided he didn’t want to try out for soccer. When I asked him why, he told me that some of his friends were making fun of him. When he told me who it was, I was shocked. I then had the same conversation with him that I had with Millie earlier. Mean kids suck! In the end I talked him into going to tryouts and convinced him that anyone who discouraged him to not do something he wants to do needs to check themselves. I also told him he needed to let that friend know that if he was a true friend he would cheer Jack on rather than tear him down. Raising kids is not for the faint at heart.
The kids went to bed, but both were a little bit sad. Friendship issues are very challenging at these ages I suppose. I was attempting to go to sleep, but then started coughing a little bit. So I stayed up until nearly 1 AM and sat up thinking that would help me not coughing as much. When I did finally go to bed I continue to cough sporadically as well as sit up directly and try to catch my breath. After a conversation with my dear friends Elisa, Sherry, Mary, and Gina, I’ve decided that I probably should make an appointment to go see a doctor about the fact that I’ve been waking up in the middle of the night and having difficulty breathing. I suppose breathing is very vital to life.
Needless to say, when I woke up at my 4:30 alarm clock, I really needed more sleep. So sadly I messaged Sue to tell her that I was going to have to try to capture at least another hour and a half of sleep. She said it was no problem. I do miss those Wednesdays that we don’t get to walk. Although we have not missed many Wednesdays, they are still a huge part of my weekly routine. Once I was awake, I went out into the hallway and discovered that both of my children were awake and getting ready for school. It just goes to show you when they think that I am out walking with Sue, they actually help out and get ready for the day.
School was fine and very uneventful. I picked Millie up to deliver her to gymnastics and then collected Jack from soccer tryouts. He felt he did rather well, but was a bit upset he would miss the next day of tryouts due to an orthodontist appointment. I told him he still had Friday and if he didn’t make the team it was not a big deal. He informed me that I was very wrong.
Just before 6 o’clock Jack and I left the house to pick up his friend Andrew. I took the boys to basketball skills practice and then met Ken at Chilis for a catch up. He told me the drama of his work place and I filled him in on our Christmas adventures. I then picked Millie up from gymnastics. I had told her I would get her McDonald’s if she had finished her pasta that I had prepared for her for lunch. She hadn’t, so I didn’t, and then she was furious with me. Ooo, how I can’t wait for those teenage years.
When Millie and I got home we showered and she had an ice pop. She then went to bed. Jack arrived from basketball around 9 pm. I fixed him a bite to eat and he went to bed. I stayed up for a while because I was having difficulty breathing. The thought of going to bed and then being awoken because I can’t breath is totally terrifying for me. I’m anxious for my doctor appointment.
Thursday morning there was a fight again about getting out of the house. Of course this was the one day I really needed to be at school early as I had decided to start a Biggest Loser club and I was responsible for the first weigh-in. Millie is in a stage where she wants to be so grown up, but doesn’t take on the responsibilities of a young lady. When I woke her up I told her I was going back downstairs to warm up my coffee, which for me means I am going to unload the dishwasher, make my lunch, and tidy up the downstairs. She continued to yell at me from upstairs for about 15 minutes. When I got upstairs she was still in bed. I was beyond irritated. She claimed she couldn’t do anything without me there and needed my help. Needless to say the rest of our time before leaving the house was just one big fight.
Once we did get out of the house, I dropped Jack at school and then Millie. I got to school and started weighing in all of our 26 participants. Game on! School was fine. My new kid had figured out that I’m the boss and he was less combative. The two paraprofessionals in my class had decided to join the Biggest Loser as well, so the day was filled with talking about how hungry we were. I was really glad I had thought to do this activity. It seems the last two years have had very little social interactions among staff, and this seems to fulfill that piece of the puzzle.
My mom and dad picked Jack up from school to take him to an orthodontist appointment. I picked Millie up and we went home. Stuart had returned from Gallup earlier than I thought he would. He and I decided to check out the new Aldi in Queen Creek, but Millie didn’t want to go with us so we left her at home. I asked Jack how his appointment was. He said they told him that if all went well he would get his braces off in two appointments. And then he told me that he had already broken a bracket after leaving the office. He was so upset. I really don’t understand how he does this so easily. It’s so frustrating because the orthodontist is not close to our house. Fortunately, Stuart was going to be home on the following day so I called and left a message to get him seen.
Friday morning I took Jack to school and Stuart took Millie because he had a wellness check and the doctor’s office is close to Millie’s school. Stuart then went to pick up Jack from school to take him to his orthodontist to have the broken bracket fixed. School was uneventful. I only had two students until about 10 am. It was glorious. I ended the day with 5 students as one of my kids had been sick all week. At the end of the day I headed home. Stuart had picked the kids up from school, but I got home before he did. Jack told me he started practice on Monday for the school soccer team. I was a bit shocked as he hasn’t played soccer in nearly two years. I had even told him before tryouts to not be disappointed if he didn’t make the team. The good thing is I can pick him up from school each day rather than having him go home with a friend, and he stays active. Millie got home and started in on an assignment she was given because she had bombed a fraction test. Well that went over well. As we were trying to explain things to her she lost it. She said we were wrong and that was not how her teacher had told her to do it. Needless to say there was some yelling and I eventually had to walk away. Stuart battled on and finally got through to her, I think.
Stuart and I decided to go to the grocery store as he needed to prepare the meat for the following evening. We were going to be hosting the old Supper Club group. Back in my thirties there were 6 of us singles who would get together each month and host a Supper Club party. There was usually a theme and we had all kinds of fun. Well, one of our members lives in Minnesota so he and his wife weren’t able to come, but the rest of us were going to be there. Stuart was excited as he always loves to show off his culinary abilities. Once we were home, we fed the kids and settled in for the evening. Millie fell asleep on the sofa just after 8 pm and the rest of us were in bed by 10:15 pm.
We were up early on Saturday morning. I woke Millie up just after 7 AM. She was very frustrated with me because I didn’t wake her up at 6:45 AM. She had an absolute meltdown about going to gymnastics even though she knew that she had a competition on Sunday. After about 25 minutes of her losing her mind, I realized it was about Mallory. Mallory is her bestie that she had trouble with the entire week. So when we figured that out it made it easier for us to adjust and move forward. Stuart and I took her to gymnastics, and I went in to speak to a coach to make sure that her leggings were okay for competition on Sunday. But I also spoke to the coach about her issues with her bestie. Her coach was empathetic and said that she would keep an eye out. The girl drama might kill me!
Once we had Millie at gymnastics we went up to the Farm House to eat breakfast and then we completed our shopping for the evening meal at an Arabic bakery in Mesa. We then went to Cost Plus Market to buy some gifts for our guests. We got some chargers from Ross and then we headed home. We got the official word that Jack was on the soccer team for the seventh grade boys. So when I got home I picked Jack up and we headed to Dick’s Sporting Goods to try to find some soccer cleats. We couldn’t find any, so Stuart ordered some on Amazon once we were heading home. Jack did get shinguards so at least the trip wasn’t wasted. When Jack and I finished at Dick’s Sporting Goods we headed to gymnastics to pick Millie up and then we stop in at McDonald’s to get them lunch. McDonald’s with an absolutely chaotic experience. I decided customer service does not exist anymore. I went in and someone was mopping the floor. I nearly slipped and fell. I tried to tell someone that the floor needed to not be wet otherwise it was a lawsuit waiting to happen. And a customer said to me, ‘it’s Saturday, relax and enjoy your day.’ I wanted to slap her! Mind your own business, lady!
Once we are all home, I continued to clean the house while Stuart prepared the meal for the evening. Around 5 o’clock I was ready for our guests to arrive but they didn’t until closer to 6 o’clock. Elisa was the first one to show up, and then everyone else followed. We stood in the kitchen and had some appetizers. We caught up on what had been happening with all of us the last 13 years. Some of us see each other on a regular basis but the rest of us do not. The meal was amazing! We had an Arabic theme and it seems that everyone enjoyed the evening and food.
We did a little clean up prior to going to bed, but then I just got up on Sunday morning and had to clean up. The evening was so much fun so it was totally worth the clean up.
Once I was up and showered on Sunday morning I headed to the Henhouse to have breakfast with Sherry, Elisa, Gina, and Mary. We were meeting there to celebrate Sherry’s birthday, which is New Year’s Day. However, since I’ve known her, she celebrates it all month long, as it should be. Stuart and the kids picked me up for Millie’s gymnastics meet in Glendale.
Stretching out!
I am so happy to report that Millie got the highest score of all the gymnast that competed in her division that day. There were 53 gymnasts that competed in her division. She was so pleased with herself! She did a wonderful job and we were all very impressed.
Jack was so proud of Millie. This is the first opportunity he has had to watch one of her competitions. She said it was about time since she always goes to every sporting event he participates in.
We sat next to Millie’s bestie’s mom who actually mentioned the incident at school that week and told me she had reprimanded her daughter for being the ‘mean girl’. This made me feel better. After the meet we went to eat at the Yardhouse. The meet was at a hotel right next to the Cardinals stadium, so there were plenty of places to eat around there. It was pretty quiet as the game was in progress. When we got home, Millie helped out around the house. She grew up a bit this day.
Monday Stuart was up at 3 AM and left the house around 3:30 AM to drive to Gallup. The kids got up and Millie made her bed and Jack’s bed and got dressed without any help. I think the effects of the victories of the previous day were still in play. Did I mention she got a perfect score of 10 on her beam routine? Again, we were so proud of her performance.
After school I picked Millie up and took her to gymnastics. And then collected Jack from soccer practice and brought him back to the house. About an hour after we got home I took him to Ryan’s house to go to open gym for volleyball. He decided that even though he wasn’t gonna play volleyball this season he still wanted to go to open gym.
I then picked Millie up at gymnastics at 7:30 and brought her her chicken nuggets from the night before. We showered when we got home and then she and I got in the car to go pick Jack up from Ryan and Vicki‘s house. Millie immediately went to bed when she got home. Jack had some food, took a shower, and went to bed shortly after that. I also went to bed. That seldom happens with me.
Tuesday I didn’t go to school because I had oral surgery to remove a skin tag under my tongue. Gross, I know! If I would’ve known how quickly it was going to be over, I would have not taken the full day off work. It took about four minutes, I had four stitches, and it cost me nearly $400. I’m sure that makes sense to someone. I spent some of the rest of the day at home. I then went to a wellness appointment just before getting Millie from school. A chest X-ray and a sleep apnea study was ordered for me. I also needed to have blood work which happens every year. Sorting that out is always such a pain. After school we had nothing to do. I picked Millie up and she and I went to pick Jack up from soccer practice. Grammie and Pop came down for a bit because they had some mail for us. It turns out it was monkey! Jack was so excited. Grammie and Pop hadn’t heard the story but I filled them in on everything. The kids had pizza that Uncle Mitch had sent us from Chicago for dinner. Jack definitely likes pizza more than Millie does. They showered after a bit and then Millie went to bed about 815 and Jack went to bed at about 915. I laid on the recliner and had a nap before finally getting up to go to bed.
Wednesday morning I decided to take a Covid test as many of my fellow teachers had come down with the virus. It came up negative, so we proceeded with caution. I took an extra Covid test to one of the fourth grade teachers at my school. It turns out he came up positive. I had lunch with him on Friday of the previous week and Monday of this week. Once at school I developed a headache. I felt it was just a matter of time. Millie‘s friend Mallory had stayed home from school. Her mom messaged me to tell me that Mallory‘s dad had tested positive for Covid. We sat next to them and had lunch with them at the gymnastics meet on the previous Sunday. She said she wasn’t going to send the girls to school or to gymnastics. So I decided not to send Millie to gymnastics either. Once we were all home from school, I made the kids take a rapid test to see if they were negative. It turns out they were negative, as of Wednesday. We got a Facebook message earlier in the day that said there were some cases in all the competition teams except for bronze, which is Millie‘s. But I decided to keep Millie out anyway. And I’m glad I did because at about 6:30 PM her coach Ryan put something on Facebook that stated he had tested positive and therefore the gym would be closed until the following Monday.
The kids just hung around the house on Wednesday. Grammie and Pop came over because Grammie had to tell me something. I tried to discourage them as I knew I had been exposed and really was having symptoms. But they insisted. It turns out that Grammie has thyroid cancer. The doctor seems to think that they can take the thyroid out and everything will be fine, but it is still a little bit worrying. They’ll do a scan and see if there’s any cancer in the lymph nodes. If there isn’t any cancer in the lymph nodes, then they will take the thyroid out and she should be fine. The sad part of all this is it has caused them to cancel their Israel trip. However, as we discussed everything, we all decided that it was quite possible, because of the new variant, that the trip might be canceled anyway.
After Grammie and Pop left, I started coughing. The kids went to be as did I. When I woke up in the morning I took a rapid test that had a faint pink line at the bottom indicating I was positive for Covid. I then took another test that turned out negative. I took the kids to school as usual, and called Jennifer, as usual, and she told me I couldn’t go to school. I informed her that I was right at the school. She then said to go in and ask my principal if I could be there. As you would guess, my principal said absolutely not go get a PCR test. Since the school district is excepting any test that shows positive, I went home and took another rapid test and saw the same faint pink line. So it was determined I would be off until Tuesday, January 18. I didn’t really feel badly at the beginning of the day but as a day wore on I started to feel worse. I messaged Grammie and Pop to let them know that I had tested positive and I asked them to pick the kids up from school. Once they delivered the kids home, they went to get food and brought it back to the kids for dinner. The kids ate dinner, while I stayed in my room, isolated. Sadly, once Jack had gone to basketball practice, Millie refused to take a shower and get ready for bed. I’m not sure why, but she really has an issue with me. I can seldom say anything to her or request anything of her without her getting angry. I feel sure we need to go back to her counselor . I also feel sure that I need to learn different ways to deal with her. She eventually went to bed around the time Jack came home. He showered and also went to bed shortly after that. All of this transpired while I stayed in my room. So we were calling each other and trying to deal with everything. Stuart had asked earlier if he needed to come home on Thursday instead of Friday. I told him I could handle it one night, but in the end I didn’t handle it very well.
I had a decent nights sleep, but then when I woke up the kids had not set their alarms. So I had to go in and wake them up. It was a battle again. I came downstairs and just waited for Grammie and Pop to pick them up to take him to school. I stayed masked and insisted they wear them as well. Stuart informed me the previous night that he would be home early on Friday because his instructional coach had tested positive for Covid. We just can’t get away from it. I spent most of the day just watching trash TV and Blowing my nose. We had so many plans for the weekend that we had to cancel because of this Covid variant. Once Stuart was home and unpacked he kept his mask on and continue to try to bring things to me as I needed them. He went and picked Millie up from school as well as Jack. We forgot, for the second day in a row, to give Millie her medication. She really can’t cope without it. So getting her to bed on Friday evening was a bit of a struggle. In the end it was okay because she got to sleep in the following morning due to the gym being closed, again, because of Covid. Stuart ended up sleeping in the guestroom and obviously we had a very quiet Friday evening. Jack was the only one that had any kind of activity. Pop took him to his basketball practice Friday night.
Saturday morning I woke up feeling a little bit better but still snotty and coughing. Stuart brought me coffee with his mask on. I came downstairs and supervised while he hung the lights in the backyard. I suppose when you have nothing else to do you find something to do. I really have no idea what anybody else did on Saturday because I just laid in my room. Jack ended up having a basketball game at 1 o’clock and then another one at 2 o’clock. Millie had gone that morning with Grammie to pick up some tennis shoes and they ended up buying a few other things. Grammie took Millie home and fed her and then they both went to the basketball game as well. Jack didn’t feel like he played very well and the team got beat. When he got home from his basketball games I talked with him on messenger and he said he just always felt so much pressure playing basketball because that was kind of our family sport. I told him he was going to have to just get over that. He’s aggressive in every other sport he plays, except for basketball. He’s so timid and seems intimidated . I hope he can muscle up the guts and grit to get over that, or he may have to choose a different sport to play. I don’t care what sport he plays as long as he does something.
Saturday evening was a lot like Friday evening and also Thursday evening. Stuart waited on me hand and foot, which was really sweet of him. He stayed as careful as he could, wearing a mask all the time. I stayed in my room to try to protect everyone. Sunday morning I felt a lot better and was hopeful that I would go to school on Tuesday. Seriously, the Covid days truly just mixed together. I did have sweet company in the dogs though.
They must’ve sensed that I didn’t feel well because they were up on my bed, which is never allowed.
Sunday came and went and I progressively started to feel a little bit better. Jack went down to Grammie and Pop’s to watch the Chiefs game and they won.
Monday morning I got up and felt relatively good and felt that I was over the worst of it. I was downstairs a little bit more, but not a lot. The kids just stayed around the house. Since they’d been exposed I really didn’t want them to go out and about. Stuart did some shopping and then he got his stuff ready to go to Gallup the following morning. Jack went in the evening to watch the Cardinals game with Pop and Grammie, but they were getting killed by half time so he came home. Both kids went to bed pretty easily and we called it a disastrous weekend.
Tuesday morning Stuart was up at 3 o’clock driving to Gallup. He had taken a Covid test and it came out negative so he felt okay about going to Gallup for the day and spending the rest of the week there. He had also given tests to the kids throughout the weekend. Every one had come up negative.
When I got up I distinctively smelled dog poop. I discovered that one of the dogs had two plops in the night. They NEVER do this, but at least it was in the bathroom floor and not the carpet. Naturally no one fessed up to it. I gave a test to the kids on Tuesday morning and they were negative. I tested myself and I was negative. But my principal said because I was still coughing a little bit and had a runny nose that I had to stay home another day. So I stayed home on Tuesday. Grammie and Pop picked Millie and Jack up to take them to school. They then went to pick Millie up after school and went to Jack’s soccer game. So I missed his first soccer game. He said he played well but they lost 3 to 0. Of course he said the refereeing was terrible. And right after that he said that he knew that he wasn’t to blame the refs. It’s true that I tell him that a lot. However, sometimes the refs really are horrible, especially at a junior high game. Once he was home and I fed the kids, they both showered and Millie went to bed right about on time as did Jack. When Jack went upstairs to go to bed so did I.
I woke up at 2 am and could smell poop. Sure enough, one of the dogs had a dodgy belly again in the bathroom. I somewhat reprimanded them and cleaned up the mess. I no more laid down and heard the squirts coming from Bailey. This time I wasn’t so lucky. It was a carpet dump. I then made them go outside for a bit. By the time I got back to sleep it was nearly 3 am. When I got up to my alarm I found another pile of poo in the bathroom. Poor boy! We decided that maybe he had contracted the ‘Rona! We had heard that dogs can actually get this variant. Once I had cleaned that all up and gotten the kids to get around, I noticed I had a message from Stuart with a picture that showed me a positive Covid test. So he was packing up on Wednesday morning to drive back to Queen Creek. He had to cancel the rest of his week. I went to school. I took Jack to school and then Millie. Of course, wouldn’t you know, when I got in my car there was no gasoline in it. So I had to stop and get fuel before heading on to school after dropping Millie off at Ryan Elementary. Once at school, I felt fine. I had one student that had left the day before in fear of Covid. I had one that came to school on Wednesday morning and had a raspy cough and his mother had sent cough drops with him, which is against school policy. I took him to the nurse and she called his mother for him to go home. His mother messaged me at the end of the day to let me know that he spent the entire day at her law office and was now Covid negative. It is difficult to inconvenience parents, however it is part of the protocol at school.
I got a message at about 1:30 PM that Maytee was still not feeling well and was not going to be able to give Jack his perm on Wednesday evening. Because this had been put off the previous Wednesday because of her catching Covid, I knew he was going to be beside himself. I don’t know why this boy wants a lettuce head, but he does. So I broke the news to him and of course he was disappointed. He then asked me if we could go somewhere else, as if getting an appointment to get a perm is such an easy thing to do in a few days. I ended up calling the establishment where my mother gets her hair done and was able to make an appointment for 10:45 AM on Saturday. I let Jack know this and his reaction via text was not received well. So I questioned him about it and he stated that he was really thankful that I could do that in such a short amount of time. I kind of thought that was really how he meant to react.
After school I picked Millie up to take her to gymnastics and then was heading to the high school to pick Jack up when he called me and asked me if he could stay for this Clash Wars, which is a seventh and eighth grade challenge. He initially had not wanted to do it. I had ordered him a shirt just in case he changed his mind. And due to the perm being canceled, he changed his mind. I did a bit of shopping and then went home to see how Stuart was. He had a little set up in the bedroom and was then given more snacks from me. So he was all set. I then went to pick Jack up at 6 o’clock from that activity to take him to basketball skills academy. Of course I had forgotten to get shorts for him for practice so we had to go back to the house. I was so frustrated with everything, that I may have unleashed on him. His school is still not going great. He just can’t focus, which irritates me to no end. After we got his shorts, we went to pick up his friend Andrew and then I dropped them off at the gym. Andrew’s mom and I take turns with the carpool, which is nice. While I waited for Millie to finish gymnastics I wrote some of this post. I then got McDonalds and totally messed with the guy at the window. Of course I had to have exact change and it confused him. What is wrong with our youth? Have we taught them no mental math? It was concerning. I then picked Millie up and brought her home. She took a shower and then went to bed.
Jack got home just after I took a shower. Andrew’s mom bought them chicken tenders and fries. He ate and then went to take a shower. He stayed up until about 10 pm. I followed him upstairs and went to bed as well. It had been a long day. I was sleeping in my room where the Covid patient was. We figured it didn’t matter since I had already had it.
Thursday morning I was up at 4:30 am, maybe because I sensed a dog had pooped in the bathroom. I was right! I went downstairs and watched some television before coming upstairs to get ready for school and to wake the kids up. Millie was quite a treat to get out of bed.
Because of all the virus spread, we are short subs at school. I had to give away one of my paraprofessionals. But since I have a new guy working in my room it doesn’t leave me as short-handed as in previous weeks. I picked Millie up from school and we headed to Jack’s soccer match. Jack scored a goal right at the beginning of the match. Did I get it on video? Nope! I sometimes miss the best parts of a game. After this match I decided I’d rather watch paint dry than watch a soccer match. It might be the most boring sport ever. Oh well, he’s having fun so that’s all that matters. Stuart came to the match as he is likely not going to get to see many matches because he’s out of town all week. So since we were outside, he stayed away from other people. He left before the match was over because he was exhausted.
Once the match was over and they slaughtered the other team, we headed home. Jack ate some food and got ready for basketball practice. I listened to Millie while she read her new book report book, Ralph S. Mouse. Her new book report was going to be due the week after we got back from Disneyland, so as always we would be cramming it into too short of time.
I took Jack and Andrew to practice and came back home. When I got home Millie had showered. I had to be reminded by Stuart that he needed to eat. I’m the worst nurse ever. I read some of her next book report book with her. Once she was in bed, I went back to the gym to pick Andrew and Jack up. I then took the boys to get a drink at Dutch Brothers. Once we were home I took a shower. Jack showered as well and he went to bed shortly after getting home.
Friday school was hectic. My one student got frustrated and lost his wad. He ended up running away from us at the end of the day. He slapped me across the face and bit me. Have I mentioned how much I love my job? In the end, we let him run and he went to the bus. It was not a nice way to end the week. I called his parents and let them know what happened. They said they would speak to him. I just pray these kids sort themselves out at some stage. Friday evening my neighbor, Elise, came over and sat on the back porch. We caught up on each other’s lives and stayed up way too late. Stuart stayed upstairs most of the time and the kids kind of put themselves to bed.
Saturday morning we got up and I took Millie to gymnastics and then met Stuart at the Kia dealership to get his car serviced. We then went home and I took Jack to get his perm. It had been several weeks since his perm was postponed so he was excited this day was finally here.
He was pleased with his new do. He wouldn’t smile because he had chapped and cracked lips. When he was finished we went to get Millie. He couldn’t stop messing with his hair. It was driving me crazy. Stuart and I picked up his car. I then went to the grocery store to get snacks and things for our trip to Disneyland. Since the kids had stayed clear of Covid, we decided Disney was still a go. I was always so critical of parents who took their kids out of school to go to Disneyland or take trips, but now I’m doing it. I figure we can’t get this time back with the kids and at the end of the day will it matter in 5 years? Nope! And no one will care that I took them out, except for them. These memories and experiences will live with them forever, even Disneyland.
Saturday afternoon I took Jack to his game. He played much better. They ended up losing, but his performance was much better, according to him. And he had a cool perm, so of course everything was better. When we got home Jack ate and showered. Millie didn’t shower as we were going to wash her sheets the following day. The night was very uneventful. Stuart was technically still in quarantine.
Sunday morning I went to walk with Sue. We went to breakfast again. We then decided we would start walking Sunday mornings until the sun started showing itself a bit more in the mornings. Dark mornings are no fun. Sue also gave me some helpful hints to maneuver through the Disney parks with a bit more ease. Her connection is Trenton, her son who used to work there, and her to-be-daughter-in-law who still works there.
Once I was home, we really did absolutely nothing the rest of the day. Millie and I did end up watching the end of the new Hotel Transylvania movie. It was really cute. We finished the day with the Chiefs game! Holy macaroni, that was a game for history for sure! We are big Chief fans, so we’re pleased with the end result, but it would have still been exciting even if they had lost.
Monday morning Stuart was able to leave the house with a mask on. He took Millie to school while I took Jack to school. We had decided I would take Jack to school Monday and Tuesday of this week as Ryan and Vicki had Covid as well. Our main goal was to get the kids through our time at Disney with no Covid. So far we had kept them away from it, but I’m not sure how.
School was not terribly monumental, but I had my principal ask me to go to a conference the following week of school. I told her I could, but that I would need to leave early on the Tuesday to get passports because the only appointments they have are from 9-2:30 each weekday. What are we to do? She said that was fine. Then I reminded her I was taking three general leave days this week. She was fine with it all, which made me happy. So essentially, the first 5 weeks of third quarter, I will attend 13 of the 23 days, and I will still be paid. Okay!
Monday Jack had a soccer game. I picked Millie up to take her to the gym, then headed to Jack’s match. Stuart met me there as did Grammie and Pop. Stuart and I left at halftime. We had made arrangements to go to dinner with Ken and Maytee. Grammie and Pop took Jack home from the game so we could go to dinner. We hadn’t seen Ken and Maytee since before Christmas. It was nice to see them. Ken is in the middle of work drama. It all may result in him getting quite a settlement because they have done some illegal things in regards to his employment. To me it’s like a reality television show. I make sure I get updates everyday as I love the drama. We picked Millie up from gymnastics and headed home. Both kids went to bed with little fuss.
We were up and around Tuesday morning. Stuart spent the day getting ready for our California trip. He did some dusting and vacuuming, which made me happy. Liz was coming to stay with the dogs and we were all set. Stuart ended up picking the kids up from school because I had a staff meeting I wasn’t aware of. Once I was able to leave school I headed home. Stuart and I decided we would go out for a bit for some alone time. We headed to Uncle Bear’s for a beer. Once we were home, the kids had put their clothes on our bed for the trip. Millie and I watched the movie Encanto. It was such a cute movie. She went to bed and so did Stuart, as he was driving the next day. Jack and I followed a bit later.
Wednesday morning we were up at 6:30 am. Millie wouldn’t brush her teeth so we could go. We ended up getting frustrated with her because she has a great way of making a fun activity a bit miserable. I wish I knew how to show her that being pleasant is much more fun. Oh well, maybe one day. We got out of the house just before 8 am and hit the road.
We are heading to the Happiest Place on Earth!
The drive was relatively uneventful. We stopped twice, once for gas, and prayed that tank would get us to Anaheim and back across the Arizona border as gas is $1 a gallon more expensive in California. Makes no sense whatsoever! We arrived at the hotel around 12:30 pm, California time. Check-in wasn’t until 4 pm, but our room was ready. So after dropping our things we went to Downtown Disney. We got a bit lost, but found our way eventually. We wandered around a bit and then decided to put our names in for something to eat at The Jazz Kitchen. Stuart and I shared calamari and crawfish egg rolls. The food was amazing. Jack had a burger and Millie got chicken tenders which were the size of her head. Afterwards we did some shopping and Millie settled on a pair of Minnie ears.
We were up with the birds and on to the park. The matching shirts were a necessity.
We hit California Adventure first. We headed straight to Radiator Springs Racers, which is a very popular ride.
It did not disappoint at all. Our car won the race. We figured that the car on the right side of the track probably always wins.
Cars Land was so awesome looking! This was where they sold most anything in a bread cone. We didn’t eat anything from here because the way they are doing food at the moment you have to be a bit more organized and we just couldn’t ever work out the timing. The rides were more important to us than the food.
We bought the Genie pass, which is the old school Fast Pass, but is much easier and actually costs $20 per person. But after a day at the parks, I can say it is worth it for sure. It saves you time of walking around searching for a ride.
Big ass corn dogs from California Adventure.
Incredicoaster, which used to be California Screamin’ was Millie’s favorite.
And she loves the characters.
We had snacks here and there and then headed to Disneyland for the afternoon. We rode a total of 17 rides in both parks and exited at 5 pm to have dinner in Downtown Disney. We walked back to the hotel and pronounced ourselves exhausted. My teammate from last year, Alyssa, just happened to arrive in Anaheim on Thursday afternoon. We were going to meet up with Alyssa and her wife Kristen, but were too tired once we got back to the hotel after our massive day at the parks. We were also going to meet up with Sue’s to be daughter in law, but just let the day get away from us, so we decided we would try the following day.
Friday our day looked very similar to Thursday, except that we started at Disneyland this time. We went straight to the Star Wars:Rise of the Resistance ride. It was manic the way people ran through the park. The ropes were by the castle and the Star Wars rides are way in the back. We got into the park by about 8:30 and waited behind the ropes for 30 minutes. Stuart got his ankle and foot stepped on so we carried on without him and when he caught up we budged up in the line. We walked through the line in about 15 minutes. The entire experience of the ride is about 20 minutes, but about 6 minutes into it the ride broke down. We were given a Lightning Line pass to come back later, which was nice. On the genie pass this particular ride costs an extra $20, so maybe our rushing had paid off. We planned to come back later. We had seen Alyssa and Kristen as they passed us going to another ride. We then met up with them at Ogas, a Star Wars themed bar. It was so cool. There is a good reason Disneyland Resort Park tickets are so expensive. Their rides and surrounding buildings look like what I would imagine the sets of Star Wars to look like.
We all then went our separate ways. We met up around noon at the ride we had all missed. This was by far the most amazing ride I have ever been on. I’m not sure how any theme park will top it for its features, animation and entertainment.
No trip is complete without a churro! We left Disneyland and spent the rest of the day in California Adventure.
Cars Land remained adorable. The kids went on Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters. These little cars did an orchestrated dance around each other. It was the cutest little ride. Jack was sweet to go on some of the rides that Millie wanted to go on. She tried to act like she didn’t want to go as I think she thought they were too young for her. But when Jack piped up and acted excited to go on the ride, she was all in.
We came out of the parks and went to eat at Splitsville Lanes. After dinner and a little more shopping, we went back into Disneyland and thought we might get one ride in before the fireworks. We rode the train around to Toon Town only to discover it would be closed until the fireworks were over. We then decided to go out of the park and sit in between the two parks to watch the fireworks. Jack and I went to Starbucks for us to enjoy during the fireworks. To our disappointment, the wind was too bad for them to release fireworks. We then walked back to the hotel, all exhausted for another day of fun.
Saturday morning we decided we didn’t need to be at the park when it opened. Instead, we got up and took our time. We started in California Adventure. We decided to ride the Guardians of the Galaxy, which is the old Tower of Terror. The kids and I seem to like this ride a lot. Stuart didn’t go with us. We met up with him and headed to Incredicoaster where we ran into a few of the Incredibles characters. Millie wanted her picture with all of them.
Mrs Incredible
Mr. Incredible
Edna!
Frozone!
After we rode Incredicoaster we decided to hang out on the Pixar Pier for a bit and let the kids run around and do some of the rides they wanted to do.
It was a two fold win. We got to sit and relax and they got to be a little independent. Once they were finished with their fun, which lasted for a little over an hour, we decided to go up toward the entrance and look for sweatshirts. If we wanted to be at the park until the fireworks we had decided we would be freezing since the day was overcast. So although we had sweatshirts at the hotel, everyone needs a new Disney sweatshirt, right? We ended up going into Disneyland to find the right ones. Millie ended up getting a blanket instead of a sweatshirt. She loves blankets and has about 6 in her room. She’s a bit of a pack rat with certain things. Oh well!
When we got back into Disneyland, before making our sweatshirt purchase, we decided to ride the train all the way around the park. We thought it would give the kids a look at the entire park, and us a chance to rest our feet. We then walked to Toon Town and rode Roger Rabbit, which made no sense to the kids as that movie is much before their time. We decided maybe that would be something they would need to watch at some stage.
The dog pound in Toon Town!
Mickey and Minnie’s houses are closed for refurbishment as was It’s a Small World. We never really made it to Fantasy Land. We walked through the castle and the sight of all the strollers made me itch. Millie didn’t seem too concerned with riding any of the ‘kiddie’ rides, so we just brushed over that. We rode Space Mountain again as well as the Buzz Lightyear ride. We then stopped to put our sweatshirts on and get our daily churro!
We then headed to Big Thunder Railroad before our dinner reservations at Belle River Terrace. Once the ride was over, we headed to check in at the restaurant, only to discover the reservation had been made for Sunday instead of Saturday. Stuart and I both saw the reservation on our app for Saturday, so we aren’t exactly sure what happened. It all worked out in the end because the kids had decided they had seen fireworks before and would rather go back to the hotel, eat in the lobby bar and go upstairs to play cards. I do love that our kids still appreciate the simple things in life like playing cards with the family. They love games, which is when the funniest things come out. So although we really didn’t need the sweatshirts and blanket in the end, we have new Disney gear!
So, as we were talking about this vacation for our kids, it dawned on me that growing up this WAS our family vacation every year. We went to amusement parks. Stuart’s family holidays were camping. This was NOT the type of vacation he and his family went on. Although our kids have been to amusement parks, it’s not been this type of experience. I know they had a wonderful time, but when asked where this ranks as far as holidays they’ve been on, neither could say this was at the top. They loved it, but the holidays they could compare it to are very different in nature. Isn’t it funny what we hope our children will love and cling to really is based on what our childhood memories are? I’m glad they’ve experienced the magic of Disney at least once, or as Stuart refers to it ‘capitalism at its finest’. So 4 nights in a hotel, 3 days at the Disney parks, 48 rides, 70,000 steps, 3 parades, many churros, many encounters with characters, and a lot of laughter later, Disney 2022 is in the books! It was worth every penny!
Now back to reality and saving for the next Telford adventure.
Saturday morning we were awake early. We went for our free continental breakfast. I had a bagel and lox and it was delightful. 
Then Jack helped Grandad make burgers and the kids ate those. The adults had lamb sandwiches which were yummy. After lunch, the kids played a couple of games while the adults sat in the conservatory and chatted. And I totally forgot to take any pictures. I’m so irritated with myself! We left for Highwoods around 4:15 pm. When we got back we had ham and eggs, then worked on our latest clues for Who Sleighed Santa? We had an early-ish evening as Stuart was driving Hope back to Birmingham the next morning, Christmas Eve, where traffic would surely be manic at best. 
