The ER is not a fun place to hang out, especially with an 11 month old.  I never thought of hospitals being all germy and nasty, but the last time I was in the ER was like 4 years ago!  Ugh!  Back when it cost $50 a pop.  LOL  

Jack hit his head really hard on Monday and started getting sick a few hours later.  So I rushed him in because, you know, that's not a good sign.  They check him out, give him a CT scan and tell me he's okay.  Then later the next day he's all sick some more, so I rush him back.  The worst part is that I'm rushing him back in the middle of a blizzard!  But I'm not sure what else to do because they told me to come back if he's still getting sick and my doctor's office is closed.  

What made me mad was during round two they acted like his throwing up was something minor, like he was just teething or something.  Because they've seen me in there for the last 9 teeth he cut!  It wasn't until he got sick for the doctor they decided to consult a pediatrian, a neurologist, and somebody else.  The end result was that he had post concussive syndrome.  Tonight he's doing fine, but I'm tired.  I feel like I'm behind, but I'm really not.  Tom stayed home and helped Nikki with her school work yesterday and it seemed like there wasn't a lot of it today.  

Still there's sort of a sadness hanging over me.  I'm not sure if it's just that we didn't get any sun yesterday or today or if it's something else.  Nikki and I watched the season finale of Gilmore Girls, season 5.  I'm just sort of ticked at it.  I mean, is it just me that every season has to end with Rory doing something out of character and self-destructive?  And I sort of feel like Loralei is ready to kill her relationship with Luke, I mean marriage?!  Totally in character for her, but ugh!  

Anyway, kid's up... talk later.  

These guys are giving away reusable totes!  The only thing they ask is for you to use them.  Get yours now.

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 I hate it when everyone decides not to show up to something they started.  At least get out there and see if anyone is coming.  If I seem cranky, I am.  I'm feeling all out of sorts because people are grinches!  Don't ask my opinion and then tell me I'm stupid, for crying out loud.  Ugh!  So I'm warning you know, I really don't give a rat's ass if you have something argumentative to say about my rant.  It's my damn rant leave it alone!  Go rant on your own site.  :-P

 

We went to the park today and had a great time!

 

More later when I get a moment to write.

 I'm not known to get on with my in-laws but we were a very agreeable bunch this holiday.  To be honest I was really missing my parents.  Thanksgiving went off without a hitch, except for the homemade jellied cranberry sauce.  I don't think I pushed enough pulp out of the berries to make the mixture turn a little more solid.  Really though, it's not that bad and I've enjoyed it as a sauce on leftovers.  My in-laws got in and dinner was on the table less than an hour later.  So good!  Oh and Jack decided he needed a nap so he ate a little, I ate a little, and then we slept.  Later I got up and ate more, so did Jack.  

Just a quick comment on Black Friday...  Holy cow!  I mean, what the hell are people thinking?!  How can you just trample over a pregnant woman, or anyone, for that matter!!!  And for what?!  So that you can get a cheap piece of crap that your kid will hate in 6 months?  What does it say that there are people in our society that are so greedy that they don't care.  *head bang*  My heart goes out to those who lost a love one during the holiday.  That includes a sheriff's deputy who was killed in the line of duty on Thanksgiving day.

Having said that... Our BF sales were a walk in the park.  Kohls was a mess!  Although everyone was really nice, even egging Jack on as he honked the horn on his stroller to get people to move out of his way.  LOL  Tom was sick so when we got to Circuit City early I made him sit in the warm car with Jack and I stood out in the cold.  I really wished I'd brought my MP3 player!  But otherwise we were all chatty and if we had cash  people were making coffee runs to Quiktrip.  No rowdiness, just a bunch of friendly strangers out to find a few bargains.  Although, they had more vouchers for TVs and PCs than people to buy them which was probably why there was no stress.  

We bought a 360 and a Sony MP3 Player.  I'm not sure I can give it  up to my daughter, whose MP3 player is broken.  But that was no big, since we'd ordered it online and just had to pick it up.  Then we braved Toys R Us where we got a few things, and again it was all chatty and niceness as we waited in line to pay.  I waited till midnight to hit Walmart for lights and found that they were not cleaned out of early morning stuff.  So I bought a bunch of Happy Bunny shirts for Nikki for the early morning specials.  And that was really it.  I'll be ordering most of her stuff online - I'm thinking of ordering from GKWorld.com, unless someone tells me they suck.    She's so into anime and they have the most stuff that she really wants.  

All said, we had a very wonderful Thanksgiving and we were very thankful for it! 

I'm trying to figure out the secret to balancing everything.  Barring my spa day, which still hasn't come, I'm sort of just blah.  My daughter is trying like crazy to give me her cold, but I'm fighting it with Zicam and Lysol.  The last week has everyone feeling sluggish.  No candy factory tour, Tom had to testify in court on a domestic disturbance case, and he bribed Nikki to make it up to her, so she didn't want to go.  Nikki enjoyed her theater enrichment class, but I played hokey and got myself a salted carmel hot chocolate!  Yum!  

The one thing I was most looking forward to, ceramics painting, we had to pass!  We were ready, walking out the door, when Tom announced that I needed to pay attention to the cell phone, if it rang, because he might have court again!   I'm so not driving 30 min out there only to get started painting only to have to come home because he has court and can't watch Jack!  Ugh!  In the end, there was no call for him to go in, so it was a waste.  :-(  Oh and taking Jack is totally not an option!

Friday Nikki and her friend did some gingerbread house making.  Nikki's was less house and more modern art, but it was yummy looking none the less.  She then spent the weekend house hopping with friends.

Sunday my in-laws came for a few minutes to say hi and ask to come up for Thanksgiving.  Of course it's fine, although, I had been looking forward to a quiet, stress free Thanksgiving.  It's really hard for me to say no on the holidays... or any other short visit.  But now I'm feeling sort of stressed to make sure everything gets done, cleaned, organized, moved, or whatever by Wednesday.  Tom and I bought an airbed for them.  It will be nice, because having them go to bed at 9:00pm is sort of inconvenient when they're sleeping on the couches.  Of course we wanted an airbed for camping so it was a bonus for us.  

Out of desperation, we also got a leaf vacuum.  All the leaves end up on our side of the street and there are a lot of trees.  It's horrible, we usually get about a foot deep of leaves each year.  Tom and I usually rakes them up once and we send about 10 bags out.  Then we get hit with more leaves and he gives up and mulches them and calls it good.  So this year he bought the vacuum that he used for about 3 bags worth, put it up and called it good.  LOL  Of course he promises to get the rest done on Wednesday.  We'll see. 

We decided to check out Rhapsody.  I had collected some points through My Coke Rewards and had enough for a free month.  Whoot!  So I'm listening to The Killers Day and Age, which I am loving!  Jack was listening to the Laurie Berkner Band earlier.  We actually got it because Nikki is starting to buy so much music off of Amazon that it might be worth it to switch formats.  We'll see how much the family uses it before we decide to get it.  But my vote, on day one, is to keep it!

I think I finally reached my limit.  Monday I was trying to deal with Jack (who was screaming) and do a lab with Nikki involving compounds, acid,  gasses and fire.  All this on top of everything else, keeping the house somewhat respectable, other school, work, etc, just sort of pushed my buttons.  I had asked Tom to do the lab with her over the weekend and it didn't get done.  So I guess I was a little upset to have to be doing it at all.  Plus there was a minor explosion (nothing dangerous, it was expected), but still.  I just feel like I was juggling too much with Jack, fire, gasses, acid, and Nikki's complaining.  And then, Tom, who is normally really good, complains that I didn't make him cookies!  So he makes them himself and nearly burns up the motor in my mixer and crispify the cookies!    LOL

Better now, but I'm still feeling tired of the routine.  I'm feeling limited by Jack's needs and routine.  At the same time Nikki's school is gearing up for end of semester stuff.  Ugh.  

Tomorrow we're off to Dexter, KS for a field trip at a candy factory and a museum hosted by Nikki's school.  More importantly Winter Wednesdays at the zoo started this week, so for $2/person we get to stroll around the zoo.  Whoo!  I'm so looking forward to next week.  Plus next week we're doing a ceramic's art project/field trip and Nikki's theatre enrichment program.  

We're taking the week of Thanksgiving off completely, and I'm so looking forward to that!  And thankfully we won't be leaving town.  I was a little concerned about taking Jack to the brother-in-laws for the weekend.  He wears me out at home, I don't want to try to deal with someone else's house that's not childproofed.  Tom wants to find a cheap 360 the day after Turkey Day, so that means four days I don't have to fuss with Jack in someone else's house.

 I don't really think I can post without touching on the election, at least a little.  Mostly, I'm just glad the whole beastly mess is over with!  Gah!  There was however one (of several) very disappointing choices made that I will touch on.  Our prosecuting attorney was re-elected.  This was one of those elections that I was really interested in because I get more updates than most, as to what's getting prosecuted and what's not.  In the time she's been in office we've had at least 3 people who seemed to have 'slipped through the cracks' and fail to even be brought up on charges.  For what?  Drunk driving.  So what?  These 3 individual people have at least 2 drunk driving related murders on their hands! Each!!  The first drunk driving incident isn't prosecuted (at all!!  as in no license suspension, nothing!) and then they hit and kill another person!  And it's happened with 3 different people!  Most recently a drunk driver, awaiting a trial for his 8th dui arrest, recently had his 7th dui charges dropped, hit and killed a mom and her 7 y/o daughter.  So, if you're a drunk driver, please come to my town... it's legal here, so said the people.  :-(

Okay that was way more ranting than I planned to do!  :P

Off to the totally boring stuff!  I've been clipping coupons for a while, watching sales, and gearing up to save some money and I did!  I got $70 worth of groceries for $22!!!  *squee*  Now I'm totally happy!  I want to do it all over again!

Jack took his first steps Tuesday night (it was a big night for everyone! ;-) )  We were at a party with Nikki's friends and Jack let go of a coffee table and started teetering towards me.  Awww.   But it's really no surprise.  He's been "hitching rides" for a while.  If you walk by him and he's standing, he'll grab your hand or pant leg and hang on so he can walk with you.  He's been holding just one of my hands and walking for a couple of weeks now.  Still, his first steps alone were totally cool.

Nikki is so funny sometimes!  She was telling me that a Separate Peace by John Knowles wasn't something she's really interested in (she had a limited list of books to choose from) and that she's really not interested in it at all.  However, she is compelled to read it.  LOL  She told me it was like a train wreck and she couldn't look away.  The only thing holding her back is that she doesn't want to get too ahead of the lessons,  She's afraid she'll forget the details since she's tested every 2 chapters.  

 ( Massive amounts of ranting - enter only if you're looking for a book! )

Alright, I'm all typed out.  

PS - Satellite is spelled wrong... deal with it.

PSS - I fixed it because I couldn't deal with it.

We're now ending the second week of school and it is kicking my butt!  I really shouldn't be but, it is.  Mostly it's adjusting to a new curriculum, writing, Jack wrangling, housekeeping, and new car maintaining.  I haven't read anything, I don't think, so I'll go back and see if there's anything pertinent to reply to.  

First, school.  It's going great!  Really it is.  Nikki's falling in love with physical science in ways I didn't think possible.  Math is her greatest challenge and she's doing wonderfully.  They finally got to The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe and Nikki has declared it to be her favorite.  But there just seems to be an incredible amount of paper work and that's just blah.  I understand the paperwork thing, and we're lucky enough that she isn't required to do every single piece or we'd be pulling out hair and teeth before the end of the month.

Writing is going well, but it's been hard to keep up.  I've reserved time from 1am-3am to write and I keep falling asleep.  LOL  I think that's telling me something.

Jack is just everywhere!  Ack!  Nikki was never like this as a child.  LOL  Oi!  He takes it out of me.  Before we left for vacation I had a huge knot on my wrist.  It turns out it's just a ganglion cyst.  Regardless, it's made chasing after Jack painful.  :(  Which is probably why I'm tired all the time.  Jack is picking up sign language very well!  He's got two words down already and eagerly signs for 'more' and 'milk' on a regular basis.  He's even checking out his signs with big sis who regularly informs him that he's not getting any milk from her.  LOL

So... If you're in Redwood City and you need a new car - don't by from Boardwalk!  Yikes!  It's taken us two weeks to get the documents we need to get the car tagged.  Which wouldn't have been a problem if they'd given us a 30 day temp tag.  No!  We had a 3 day one way trip tag.  And for 2 weeks they refused to send a copy of the title (required in KS) to register the car!  (ie... no driving to all those things we had to go to these last two weeks!!!)  Instead they made us wait till we could have the actual title.  But, according to them, they have to wait 10 days before they can send it out - California law.  And then they made us wait another day so the gal who does this could get in because no one else, including her manager, could do it!!  *le sigh*  Which all would have been fine if they'd just said so in the first place, instead of telling us twice that is was in the mail.   I'm just glad we didn't get a ticket and that KS didn't fine us.  But really really unprofessional.  Then the gal was all rude and "No, we don't send it out till the check clears. What if you're check is bad?"  To which I said, "Oh really, then you must be keeping my title forever, because I gave you a damn credit card that went through that day!!"  "Well it's California law and you don't need to get your title for 6 mon, that's what the proof of purchase documents we gave you are for."  

Okay, I'm not a legal person or anything but it seems to me that the state of KS or any other state for that matter, isn't going to want to wait 6 months for their property taxes or sales tax.  In fact, there's a fine if you wait more than 30 days!  But like I said, it's not that I've got a degree in law, just web access and the DMV site, to go on here.  *grumble*  And through all this, they couldn't just mail me a copy?!  Umm... no, apparently a copy of a title is the same thing as a title.  *le sigh*  But now it's all done and I can go on not thinking about car buying for another 12-15 years.  By the way... did I mention my new minivan is shiny?  LOL