What a Week!

This has been an amazingly crazy week. I have been up since 4:30 this morning as I can't seem to sleep, my mind is bogged down. Sometimes you have a day or two where you can not imagine how anything else can happen. Now put that into a week and you will see why I am not sleeping.

Monday.... work (kids I work with all crazy and sick due to weather change), come home, get children ready for school which starts the next day, swim practice, talk to neighbor who has leukemia...she is having a tough time, laundry. Talk to family about potentially hosting 16 year old swimmer from Texas at my house who needs to train with my oldest sons coach.

Tuesday.... school starts...bummer for my kids, monsoon outside so I arrange ride for youngest to get to bus stop as I am working... (kids I work with have snotty noses and coughs, sneezed on 13 times in one hour by 6 month old, no I am not kidding...), have tough talk about child's development with young Mom... oldest home early, get him set up for virtual school in Honors Language Arts...Send oldest to swim practice...get youngest from school to swim practice and home, spend another hour on Florida Virtual School for math issue (9th time since July) do endless amount of paperwork for school, that is the exact same thing I fill out year after year(what about saving trees)...and of course two trips to the office store to get endless supplies for school for children who tend to be extremely unorganized. Talk to young parents on phone again about their child's delays..not an easy thing to do.

Wednesday.....6:45 AM phone call from Dad, my Mom has slid off the bed, my wonderful husband goes over to help her get back up... work which now is another 15 minutes to get to because of rain and school buses, (now I drive an hour one way).... kids still snotty and sick as weather has not changed... message from husband that he had to help my Mom again, he is a great guy. Rush to Mom and Dad's, she seems better...go home hook up oldest to his virtual school, start organizing school supplies, get another call from Dad, go over my Mom has collapsed again from weakness, call 911, spend 5 hours in ER she has a UTI which is causing some of the weakness, she is admitted...go home finish school supplies... talk to young swimmer's Mom about his stay...tough, tough decision for her to make sending her son away to stay with another family to train. Assured her we will love him and treat him like our own...oops maybe that isn't a good idea. Bed...thank goodness.

Thursday.. all is calm oldest is on his way to school from 5 AM swim practice... wake up youngest, go to work for my short day, meet a principal at a school I may see a child with...listen to messages, youngest sobbing on phone, he has tripped coming down the stairs fallen and hit his head... frantic phone call home, he is okay but did not go to school. Okay, glad he is fine, day number 3 of school and we have one absence. Drive home, get son, trip to hospital to see Mom, grocery store and massive cleaning for a clothing party I am having on Friday for a friend of mine who has started a new business... get oldest off to swimming, clean some more, am actually thankful youngest is at home so I don't have to pick him up at school and take to swimming and back home. Go see Mom, not doing so well...

Friday... Get oldest up for school at 5:55, off to school at 6:30, 6:45 phone call "Mom, I had an accident" not something you ever want to hear...but at least he is talking which is a good sign, he is okay, the other driver is fine, minor accident, "Mom, she was in my blind spot I just didn't see her", Me "Okay you aren't hurt, she isn't hurt, it was an accident, go to school", call husband tell him the news. Wake up youngest who actually goes to school, clean and prepare for party, 20 women at my house for 3 hours, clean up run to school for pick up/ swim practice duty, go see Mom in between, she isn't doing well at all, home in time for friend who missed party to come over and see the clothes, 10:00 bedtime and the Rays lost to Boston.


Saturday...wake up at 4:30 with a cold...darn those little babies I work with....get oldest off for 7 AM swim practice..need to call driver that was in the accident with my son...Mom going to rehab, but that isn't looking good. Keeping fingers crossed that rehab will help her with a bit of strengthening....

I thought writing it all put would make me feel better, I'm not so sure it did. Hope your week was better and a lot less hectic.....

The Sheep Are Here!

When my sister Claudia was working in San Diego, CA. She was antique shopping and found these lovely little sheep. When she posted about them on her blog I immediately had to have them. You see, as a knitter and profound yarn-a-holic, and I love everything sheep. I also love everything alpaca, but that is another post.

These babies are about an inch and a half tall. They are just so tiny. They have little legs the size of a wooden match. They have been living on my shelf for a several weeks waiting for Claudia to come for a visit.
She dressed them in these darling hats and helped me put them in the case with Dinah. I think after about 100 years she deserves some friends.

They look so happy in their finery at Dinah's feet. She won't look so lonely now. Aren't they adorable?

To learn more about Dinah, visit my post on Jan 23, 2010

Depression

Max has been one happy boy. My sister Claudia has been visiting for the last 10 days and he has been in heaven. You see as you have learned about Max in the past he is a deeply caring, old soul. He loves very deeply and he loves his Aunt Claudie very, very, much. When he first saw her after 2 years, he cried, and cried, and barked, and jumped up to kiss her face. He couldn't get enough of her. Of course I have been cast aside, because he loves her. Just look at his face while he holds her hand. I finished my Debbie Bliss vest. Claudia was nice enough to take my picture both front and back. I know the grey t-shirt and shorts doesn't really look the best with alpaca/silk, but it was the best I could do on a very, hot day.

I decided not to put sleeves on as frankly I was sick of knitting it. I also live in Florida where a full sweater of alpaca/silk can be a touch too warm. I haven't blocked it yet, and the front of it feels a bit heavy where it crosses over, but I still like it. The pattern doesn't call for alpaca/silk rather a cotton yarn by Debbie Bliss. I understand why now as this is very heavy. But in keeping with my knitting mantra of late, I want to knit things I learn from and I learned a lot from this vest. I knit on a diagonal, and pieced it together without sleeves. I adapted the armhole and I think it works. I look forward to a cold Florida day when I can put it on and look dazzling. Right now I think it can wait as it is 91 degrees out with 95% humidity.

Back to my sisters visit. She came down to see my aging parents. Not an easy trip for her as she now sees what is really going on as opposed to hearing about it. They loved having her as did my family. The only problem is Max. This is what he looks like when she leaves. He goes into his "crib" and won't come out. He will venture out to go for a walk or to get a treat, but then it is right back in. Not even playing ball with my husband has helped much today. He just doesn't understand why people he loves have to leave. I think Max would love if his whole extended family lived in one house, everyone but kids of course.

I'd much rather see him looking happy, cuddling his Aunt Claudia. Please visit Claudia's blog at http://mockingbirdhillcottage.blogspot.com for more on our visit. Claudia, our house is sad now that you have gone back home to New York. Come back soon.

By the way my son did take time off in all events in California. He didn't do as well as he would have liked but it was a very good experience for him. I got to see him swim live on a web cast so at least I could experience some of it from Florida.

Good Luck David!

Yesterday I put my husband and oldest son on a plane to Irvine, CA. David is participating in his first national swim meet at the age of 16. He qualified last summer as a 15 year old, but we had plans to go to Amsterdam and Paris so he had to wait.
Jr. Nationals hosts the best 18 and under swimmers in the country. It is a very tough, fast meet. David has qualified in 4 events. The 200 fly, 200 and 400 IM and the 800 free. He will swim on Monday, Tuesday and Friday of this week.

I had planned on attending the meet with him, but plans have changed as my Mother isn't doing that well. I didn't feel I could be away in case something happened. I am a lucky girl as my sister Claudia is coming to visit on Wednesday.

It is tough not to be there to see him with this great experience. But I know there will be other big swim meets in his future.

If you don't mind, please send him some positive good luck vibes.

Wasn't he a cutie!