Sunday afternoon, when we got home, we just lounged around the house. Elise came over mid afternoon. Stuart had left for Gallup from the Phoenix Convention Center. We had leftovers for dinner and an early bedtime for me and the kids.
Monday I tutored a 6th grader who broke her foot at school a few weeks back and had just fallen behind. She was initially put in the honors math class, but she was in my class last year and is not an honor student. Her mother works at our school and has insisted she's not an honor student, but they left her in there. Her mother and I have both discussed how it is a matter of needing the number of children in that honors class. I love that we sacrifice children for our own convenience.
After school I took Millie to gymnastics and then headed to get Jack from volleyball tryouts. He was very excited that today was the first day of high school volleyball. I hope he makes the team!
Tuesday I had to pick up Jack as he had a half day. Millie threw a fit after school as we were trying to leave for a dentist appointment. We picked Jack up from the house and headed to the appointment. Jack asked why she wasn't embarrassed to speak to me like that in front of other people. I told him I had no idea and hoped that one day she would realize how she is embarrassing herself. Who knows! Millie was going to change into her leotard at the dentist except she realized she hadn't packed one in her bag. Now, she was a bit embarrassed. She had been an absolute troll to me, but now needed me to run home to get her leotard. Hmmm! So, I ran home and Jack started his cleaning. We all had appointments and Jack's tryouts got moved up so I had to ask my dad to come take him to training so that I could take Millie to gymnastics from the dentist. It was a bit hectic.
Wednesday I got a message that Gallup canceled school. They were due to get many inches of snow before the end of the week. So Stuart and some of his colleagues headed home after school. It was sure to be a long, stressful drive. At school, it had rained a lot and there were huge mini lakes on our playground. When I got outside for recess, the counselor came over to me and asked me if I could speak to two of my students about staying out of the water. She told me the two boys had ignore her and the principal's request to get out of the water. Seriously? Does anyone else see an issue with a principal and counselor who can't command attention from students? I went over to the boys, pointed to both of them and motioned them to come to me. They did and I told them that not listening and responded to the request of any adult was not okay and they would sit out for the remainder of recess. They sat on the wall and didn't say another word. When I walked across the basketball court, the principal seemed irritated and made a snide comment. She said, 'you can't force kids to listen to you or respect you.' I didn't respond. All I could think was, 'you can, but you don't!' This is why our school is a bit out of control, at least at the older end of our school. What we allow, we encourage.
This was the week of dental care. I took Millie to the orthodontist where she got a larger wire that caused some aches. I then went to the grocery store and to get gas. Once Millie and I were home, I took Jack to volleyball tryouts and met Kristi, Carter's mom, for beverages at Skippy's. Stuart joined us around 7 pm. She paid, which was such a treat. I then left to pick up Jack.
We had our RV on our drive because we were cleaning it out and trying to sell it. The Bronco had its roof cut off the previous weekend. Stuart had decided he had better start working on this vehicle if Jack was going to drive it in 7 months.
Thursday was another day filled with activities. Gymnastics for Millie and volleyball tryouts for Jack. Stuart was home and was a great help in our day to day lives. It was kind of nice. However, the struggle is when he is not working he doesn't get paid.
Friday after school i had a meeting with a parent so Stuart picked Millie up in the Bronco. He took her to gymnastics and then I met him at home so we could go get Jack from the last day of volleyball tryouts. When he came out of the gym he didn't say anything. We were standing with our volleyball crew so I think he felt a bit awkward. He told me he would tell us in the car. Vicki said, 'Just tell us.' When he said he made varsity I didn't believe him. But it was true. He was excited and nervous at the same time. I just hoped he would get to play. That is what I have always said. I don't care what team he is on, I just want him to play....a lot.
Saturday we did a lot of nothing. Millie and I went to one of my student's basketball games. Her mom had asked me to come weeks earlier and I finally had a free Saturday to do so. When we got home, Stuart and I decided to go hang out in the loft. We decided to play the Wii. We spent the evening bowling. It was actually quite fun.
Sunday was Super Bowl. We went to the Holmes' to watch the game, and what a game it was. These shirts were made for us by one of Stuart's colleagues.
Stuart left for Gallup on Monday. We had a hectic Monday. Jack was brought home from school by my dad. I took Millie to gymnastics. I then came home and got Jack back to school for practice and the parent meeting for the volleyball teams.
Tuesday I went to Susan's house to have a catch up with the bunco babes. I dropped Millie at gymnastics before hand and then was able to stay until I had to pick her up. It was nice to catch up with the girls from my Sanborn Elementary days.
Wednesday was Valentine's Day and my brother Russ was in town. So I took the day off to hang out with him. We shopped and went to an early dinner at Oregano's, his favorite place to eat. Jack had two bowls of pasta, which seemed to be a great meal before volleyball practice.
Thursday at school my principal told me I didn't need to come to the playground anymore. She sent me a passive aggressive email stating she hoped I was feeling like things were being taken care of out on the playground and if that was the case I wouldn't need to come help anymore. It's all so stupid and she is so insecure about her dealings with the older kids. I responded by telling her I had never questioned whether kids were being handled or not. All I was doing was offering another body on the playground, but if I wasn't needed any longer that was fine. You can't help some people.
The usual routine followed after school. I took Millie to gymnastics and came home to do some house work. I then took Jack to volleyball practice. Because it was Thursday, that meant McDonald's all the way around.
Friday Jack didn't have practice, but Millie had gymnastics. I was home for a bit before Stuart got home. He and I were able to go have a beer before picking Millie up. Liz arrived around 9:30 pm and we stayed up way too late, singing karaoke. She was in town for a Farm Bureau event at the Phoenician.
Saturday we were up and Liz and I went shopping and had pedicures. For the first time ever, the technician offered to cut out my ingrown toe nails. Oh my word! You know you are getting old when you appreciate things like this. My toes are pretty again. Millie had her gymnastics teammate over for the day. They played and had a ball.
Stuart made cheese steak sandwiches for dinner and the neighbors came over. I took Jack to Gilbert Regional with some of his buddies to play volleyball. Two of the friends ended up coming back to our house for a sleepover.
Sunday morning we were up and doing Sunday chores. I did Millie's hair for her gymnastics competition and we headed to Rawhide for her third meet of the season. She did amazingly. She was so proud of herself.
My girl was all tuckered out from her gym meet. She got 4th on vault, 1st on beam, bars and floor, and 1st overall. She impresses us every meet. She worked hard.
After the meet I went to The Phoenician to stay the night with Liz. She had a conference for the Farm Bureau and was allowed to bring a guest. I hung out in the room for a bit and waited for her meeting to finish. When it did, we went to the pre-dinner reception. We were sitting at a table and one of the FB presidents in the west was standing in front of us as we were sitting down. For lack of a better phrase, his barn door was open. Well once I saw that I couldn't unsee it. I am such a child. The dinner was amazing and we sat and talked with some people from Utah and Kansas. Liz still loves to chat with people and network. I feel my networking days are over, but I was playing along as I got a free meal and a free night at a beautiful resort.
The Phoenician!
After dinner, we went to the bar and had a few more drinks. It was lovely outside and the view was stunning.
Up Monday morning and went to Ross to shop. Then returned to the resort to have lunch. Liz went to meetings and I went to the pool. It's crazy that 76 degrees can burn a body, but it can.
After the pool, I showered and got dressed for dinner. I was planning on leaving after dinner. My evening was a bit spoiled by a message from Millie's coach about the team not cheering for each other at awards and how disappointed she was in the parents and the girls. That coach wasn't even at the meet, so clearly this was reported to her by another parent, which is so stupid. These gym parents are a stone's throw away from 'dance moms'. It's irritating. I didn't go to sleep until 2:30 am because I was worried about the text. I set up a meeting with the guy who owns the gym, and is her male coach, for the following day.
I woke up with a cold on Tuesday. I was miserable all day. My team has had Covid, so I was pretty sure that was where mine was heading. After school I went to meet with Coach Ryan. It was a good conversation, as he is a grown adult and Millie's other coach is just past a teenage girl's age. I felt better having spoken to him. I picked Jack up from practice. The next evening the volleyball varsity team would play in a Navy/Gold scrimmage. The best part for Jack was that he didn't get picked last. He was thrilled about that. Ha! When I picked Millie up I had made her pasta. She seemed pleased with practice, so at least I hadn't screwed anything up for her with my conversation with her coach.
Wednesday morning my alarm went off at 5:30. I had binge watched Fool Me Once, on Netflix, and stayed up too late. I was tired all day. After school we had an in-service that was of no use to me. I booked Jack a haircut for as soon as I got home from the inservice. Liz arrived at the house as I was picking Jack up. He came out and we rushed to the appointment. When he finished, I dropped him at home and picked up Millie to take her to her football practice. I then came home and picked Jack up to take him back to school for the scrimmage. I picked Millie up early from football practice so she could go to the scrimmage with me. Jack's girlfriend, Tatum, and her mom came as well.
Back to number 22!
When we got home, I headed out to Wal Mart for my grocery pick up. Liz tagged along with me. Her conference had ended that morning so she came back to stay with us for a night. Once we were home and the groceries were unpacked, the kids showered and we headed to Grammie and Pop's to see Morgan, Donavin and Hallie. They were going to Yuma the following morning for a wedding, so our visit was short for sure.
Hallie wasn't feeling so well. But she was a trooper, nonetheless.
We didn't get home until 11 pm, so the next morning would possibly be tricky, especially because Millie had to leave for counseling at 6:40 am. Eek! By the time we got home we were all wiped out!
Thursday, I woke up around 4:30 am and felt like death. I made a teledoc appointment for 7:15. By the time I got out of bed and showered, I actually felt better. Jack got up before I did, but Millie was a bear! She did finally get up and was ready when Pop and Grammie came to get her. They took her to counseling, got donuts and she was able to hang out with Hallie for a while before the Bucks had to set off for Yuma. Millie came to school around 11 am.
After school I took Millie to gymnastics and then went home. Jack had practice from 430 to 6 and I met my friend Kristi for dinner. I picked Jack up and went home and he ate the extra chicken wings that I had bought. Then I went out to get Millie and got her McDonald's on the way. I had forgotten that my janky car window didn't roll down, so the drive-through was a little awkward.
This is the current state of my car window. Ugh!
Friday I didn't feel any better than I had the previous day. My voice started to go. I started to cough and felt really crappy. I was supposed to go play pickle ball after school but didn't feel like it. So instead, I took Millie to gymnastics and went straight home. Jack had Pop pick him up from school and because his team had lost the scrimmage, Pop took him to a wing place to eat with the senior boys. The losers bought dinner. He asked me about having a ride home from one of the players. It was a little weird because I forgot that my kid is old enough to ride in cars with other kids. I called Stuart to make sure it was okay with him. We agreed that we were going to need to let this happen at some stage. Yet another concern of him being a freshman on the varsity team. So the senior player brought him home for a little bit. I then took him to the boys' basketball game at Casteel. He wanted to watch Tatum perform as she is a pommy.
This is Tatum! She is super sweet and her mom is a teacher at Conley Elementary.
I picked Millie up from gymnastics and she raved about her practice. In the time frame I went to get Millie, Stuart arrived at home. We had the neighbors over for a bit, but turned in relatively early. In the night, Millie came into our room crying about her stomach hurting. I went in and laid with her for a bit.
Saturday we got up and I was hacking up a lung. Jack had developed a cold as well. We took Stuart's car to the shop and then ran Jack to Fry's for his team car wash. When we got back to the house we found Millie not dressed and not ready for her football game. She was complaining about a stomach ache. It sounded like an appendicitis but what do I know? When she decided she couldn't play football, I decided to take her to urgent care. We went to one place and they told us it would be a 2 hour wait because they were short staffed. Ugh! So we went to another place. Her pain became progressively worse as we waited. We were then told it wouldn't be a bad idea to take her to an emergency room. So off the Phoenix Children's Hospital we went.
The worst feeling in the world is being helpless when your child is sick.
The ultrasound tech didn't spill the beans, but she actually did. She said the appendix was inflamed and would likely need to be removed. So at about 1:30 pm, the doctor came in and said, 'Well, it looks like it is the appendix. We will do a CT scan and do some blood work.' Super! Sit around and wait some more. By 4:00, we had the CT scan and the blood work, but we were still waiting for information. I just wanted the doctor to come in and say 'Let's get that appendix out!' And then do it! She was in pain and hungry as she hadn't eaten anything since the previous evening.
We were finally admitted to the hospital around 9:15 pm. We got in her room and the nurse reported that surgery would be at 9:30 the following morning. She was able to drink nearly a bottle of water and ate about ten goldfish. Poor little girl. She was started on antibiotics and morphine. Stuart went home and I stayed the night. Before we were settled for the evening, she got up to go to the bathroom and was irritated she had to bring her IV with her. She got all agitated at me and told me I was annoying. She was in extreme pain for sure. The nurse rubbed her down with antiseptic wipes and changed her gown before we finally got her back into bed. She was screaming in agony. It was awful!
After a night of fever and groaning, she woke up all ready for surgery. Initially, she was scared when we talked about surgery, but by the time it came around, she was ready to get that appendix out!
Once the surgery was over, her surgeon came out to speak with us and told us all went well and we could go home as soon as the discharge papers were ready. The doctor told us she could do whatever she felt up to doing. The nurse said she could go to school on Monday, to which Millie frowned. Ha! When we got home, the neighbors came to visit. Weston was really worried about Millie. Grammie and Pop brought flowers and Bella and Ava, her besties, brought a stuffed animal and candy. She was perking up for sure, but also exhausted.
I stayed home with her on Monday. She was up rather early, but laid around most of the day. Stuart left for Gallup around midday. Millie and I just hung out and watched television. She reported being sore, but not really feeling badly. So she decided she would attempt school the next day. I left her for a bit to go get Jack from practice. I spent the rest of the evening making dinner and relaxing. I was feeling better, so that was helpful.
Tuesday we all went to school. Millie was sore and I gave her Tylenol at lunchtime, but she did really well. Tuesday evening my mom stayed with Millie and my dad and I went to Jack's first high school varsity match. He played a bit and did well while he was in there. They won very easily.
Wednesday at school we got time to work on report cards. We left Millie at home while Grammie, Pop and I went to the west side again for another volleyball match. I was in charge of the food for this game, which was stressful in and of itself. I had ordered pizza to be delivered at the school. It arrived at 6:15 pm, just as the varsity match started. I stored it in my car until the game was over.
Jack had a huge block while I was messing around with the pizza. When I came back into the gym, I saw him kill the ball, scoring a point for the team.
Jack played A LOT! The game went to 5 sets. Jack started in the other 4 sets. He had the last two points in the fifth set to bring home the victory. He was so pleased. Every time Jack would get a kill, the team would chant 'He's a freshman!' He was in heaven. This mama was stressed the entire match and had a headache when it was all over. All I could think was, I am not sure I will survive 4 years of this.
Once we were home, I drove to the high school to pick Jack up. Millie had been on her own for 9 hours. She was to put her clothes away that were on my bed, but just couldn't manage that in the NINE hours she was at home that day. I was so irritated. She was asleep on the sofa when we got home. I ushered her up to her bed and let her know that the expectation was for her to put her clothes away each Wednesday afternoon before doing anything else. She has half days on Wednesday and gets home from school about 2 hours before I do. Ugh! At any rate, I was sure she would complete that task the next day after school.
Thursday was not an easy day to get out of bed. Burning the candle at both ends can wear on you. I took Jack to school and he went to Geometry tutoring. He has Geometry last period of the day, so with volleyball he is likely to miss that class more than I like. So tutoring most mornings will be a must. After school I went to our RV storage to show it to some people who were interested. After some negotiations, they bought it. Yahoo!
On Friday, we had a regular day at school, and it was very uneventful. Then after school, Millie went home with our neighbors, and I went to collect money from the people who bought the RV. I gave them the code to the RV storage place which, in hindsight, made me a little bit nervous, but I had all their details so I would guess they were relatively safe. On Friday evening, Elise came over and we played rummy for a little while and then I went to bed relatively early.
Saturday morning I got up and my dad followed me to the Kia car dealership to take Stuart's car to have it checked out for what we suspected was a transmission issue. At the end of that appointment, it turns out that he needs a new transition to the tune of $4500. It is a good thing that we sold our RV. It seems like we take one step forward and a couple steps back. But at least we had the money to pay for the transmission.
Stuart was in Vegas with Jack while Millie and I stayed here. Millie decided she was well enough to play in her flag football game. They won and she was thrilled. She played defense and did rather well. Their win resulted in them going to the championship the next Friday. Once we were home from the football game, it was time to watch Jack play volleyball. He had such a phenomenal tournament. They ended up losing in the quarter finals of the Gold bracket, but fought hard. It seems Jack hurt his neck in the warm-ups on Saturday. He wasn't in full form by any means.
Millie had the twins over on Saturday until about 8:30 pm. My friend, Kristi, came over for a while to hang out with me. This is Carter's mom and I really like her. Once the twins were picked up, I went to bed. It was early and I was tired.
No comments:
Post a Comment