conversations with invisible pigs and sheep

Cleaning the mess left over from Halloween costume making and organizing of the therapy bills for Jim (two a week since September).

Very happy with the progress I made yesterday on the painting prep and bookcase, but I paid for it last night with immense shoulder pain — same as I’ve had all my life. Luckily, as bad as it is, time with the heating pad and a night’s rest is enough to get rid of it. It’s just sore today, so I’m going to try and skip the hand sanding of the bookcase and walls.

Also, trying to find the “kid’s” camera that we got back in May, so we can have it for the trip to NYC this weekend. I’m bringing my camera, but I would really like the little one.

And Colin is on his third watching of Mickey/Disney’s Christmas Carol…

I woke up yesterday feeling completely revived and regenerated. I can’t explain it, it’s more than being over the flu. I had more energy than I have had in weeks.

So Colin and I made a mega-trip to Wal-Mart. A new one was hatched about two miles closer than the one that was hatched 18 months ago. So it’s nice and new and clean. (Although it doesn’t have an eyeglass shop like the other one). While the selection isn’t the best, I can get most basics I need, plus things like an aquarium, writeable CDs, and cold medicine. So, nearly one-stop shopping.

But bigger than that is that I got started on painting the middle room, what will be Colin’s room. I cleaned out all the stuff on the walls and the toys on the floor that didn’t get moved on the first pass for Jim’s migration. Today is spackling and other prep work. The bunk bed is still in there, but there’s just enough room to work around it. At the same time, I’m prepping the hall upstairs for painting. There’s not a lot of wall, but a lot of trim, but I think with Dad taking some time off for Thanksgiving, we should get it done.

We’ve got the next two weeks planned out. We’re taking Jim to NYC on Sunday for his birthday, he’ll be able to get his present at the Nintendo store or the Times Square Toys R Us. Monday I’ll be taking cookies to school for his snack. Tuesday or Wednesday he’ll be going to Chuck E Cheese with a school buddy. Wednesday I’ve got his parent-teacher conference. Then it’s Thanksgiving!

It looks like Jim is starting to have trouble with math. Rushing through his work is a problem, but it also seems like he’s forgetting simple addition. He’s definitely having problems planning out solutions to multiple problems. So I’m working on extra work after his regular homework (which is never much) to get him caught up.

so, yeah, if you’re not on facebook, you might not know that we all got the flu, most likely the oink oink flu. Only Jim was flu-tested, and it was only a rapid test that says yes or no — the swine flu test is more invasive and takes more time to get. So Jim got a Tamiflu script. And of course, as we’re putting coats on, I can tell that Colin has a fever too. That was last Tuesday, and over the weekend, Dad and I got sick. I’ve been splitting the Tamiflu between the two boys, and I think it helped keep their symptoms mild. It seems that I’m hit the worst. I’m just tired and sore all the time.

But laying low has it’s benefits, which is, I have time to start Christmas knitting. And planning Christmas knitting — Jim has too many teachers and therapists to make this easy on me, though.

Last night, after having it dangle and wiggle around all week, Jim “lost” one of his top front teeth. And by lost, I mean, I pulled it out because I was tired of it flopping around and having him stick his fingers in his mouth all day.

Not really a milestone, but cute nonetheless…. The Candy fairy brought Colin a Scooby-Do beanie baby. Today in the car he says, “This is my Scooby-Do. I love him.” Awwwwww.