I survived!

The heat lasted 2 days and is now 30 degrees cooler, in the 50s for today. The heat itself didn't really bother me, I think it was the lack of humidity that helped. The house (west facing) tends to start heating up around 2 or 3ish and gets uncomfy at 5 or 6. I then went out back and sat in the shade of the house where it was cool. I did 8-10 loads of bedding and hung it on the line on Tuesday but didn't do too much more work. Dinner was micro'ed chicken patty sandwiches with nacho chips and celery. That meant the kids could fix it themselves and no dishes to do or clean up (used paper plates). I know we can't live like that all summer but it was nice to take it easy in the evening.

My ankles started swelling around 3pm but didn't really bother me until 10 or so. I was trying to enjoy chat, it was hard with no comfy place to elevate my feet. I tried putting them on a chair but then I was looking at the computer and using the keyboard at an odd angle. What I really wanted to be doing is be lying on my leftside on the couch or in my bed with a LAPTOP! Chances are I won't be getting one this summer but it would make things a LOT easier!!! My only chance of getting one is being put on bedrest. I'm not willing to trade the bedrest for a better chance at getting a laptop though.

Wednesday wasn't as hot but I was feeling a bit off, although I didn't feel sick. (felt weak mostly, a bit achey in the hips and my belly was tender) I had to take Olivia to school for her Kindergarten screening so we were out the door by 10:15. Carrie stayed home due to a bad headache which started afterschool the day before. While sitting in the lobby of the school while Olivia did her test, I ran into Jake's teacher Mrs. G. Mrs G asked if this was my last and I said...yeah for about 5 more years. LOL She then asked how I was feeling and told me that Jake wasn't feeling so hot. He was complaining of a headache and she said he looked wiped out. I said if it's ok with you, I'd like to take him home with me. She said SURE! Let me get this errand done and I'll go get him for you. I LOVE Mrs G! She gets into the kids and thoroughly enjoys them. It helps too that she was one of 9 kids.

We left school and ran to the dollar store and Sav-a-Lots for a few things I didn't get at Price Chopper Sunday night. I had 3 free happy meal coupons that the elementary kids got from school for PARP (Parents as Reading Partners) program. They expired at the end of May and were only for the McD's near Sav-a-Lot so I used them (I'll "pay back" Eileen at a later day...one of them was her's...used it for Olivia). Jake decided to NOT eat his in the car because he gets carsick when he does that. Smart kid. Unfortunately when we got home Jake proceeded to barf as he walked into the bathroom. ICK! I cleaned up his mess and started to put away the cold stuff. As I opened the door I got a whiff of something GROSS! Guess the bottom of the fridge isn't going to wait any longer for me to clean it. So I got out the supplies and took care of the disgusting thing, put away the cold stuff and jumped into bed for a nap! (was fighting falling asleep during the drive home)

My nap lasted until Tom was about home. We decided to do easy grilled hotdogs with potato salad (store bought) for dinner. By the time I was ready to get up and get moving around the house, I had the bigger kids (Drew, Michelle, Val and Liz) begging me to go to Walmart with them. Like a fool I decided to go and get it over with. We left about 6 (left Tom to grill the hotdogs and feed the younger ones) hit the chinese buffet for dinner and finished up at Walmart about 9. When we got halfway home Pat talked to Drew and told him he needed safety glasses/goggles for his new job (yes! He got a new job). I refused to be any later getting the girls home incase they still had homework to do so we went home. We searched for a pair around the house and came up empty handed. It was decided that Pat would need to leave here about 5am so he could head to Walmart before he needed to be at work at 6:30. I KNEW he wouldn't do that...he's a sleeper BIG TIME!! So sucker that I am, I decided to head back out to WM for him. I threw in a load of dark clothes so everyone would have something to wear in the morning and headed back out alone around 11:30.

Oh yeah, when we got home Pat informed me that he saw our mouse again (hadn't been seen since Val's siting March 10th). Michelle also informed me that Val saw it run from the bathroom into the hall before she went to bed. Oh GREAT! I thought it had ventured outside since it was so nice out and we hadn't seen any signs of him. When I pulled in a parking spot at WM my cellphone rang, it was Drew. He was calling to let me know that he saw the mouse too. He was all upset because it was in his pile of dirty clothes and jumping all around his bed. ROFL! I couldn't help it....I was laughing and laughing then apologizing for not being understanding. He couldn't find the traps we bought in March so I added mouse traps to the list of things to pick up. I set a peanut butter one and laid it in Drew's room after I got home...it hasn't been touched.

So what's this about Pat's new job? YEP! He was called yesterday to inform him that he could start today! He's working 6:30 to 2:30 at a local plastics plant. It's tough hours for a kid who likes to sleep but he'll be ok once he gets used to it. It also leaves him with lots of evening hours to spend with his girlfriend. LOL Not to mention a 40hr a week paycheck to go with it. There is a small problem with giving his 2wks notice at the Wafflworks shop. Luckily he wasn't scheduled to work until this weekend. I suggested that he offer to work weekends only for the next 2wks or they hire someone new...whichever comes first. Drew may have a new fulltime job too working at a warehouse. He's going to talk to the owners of the waffleshop first to see if they can offer him fulltime hours for the summer. He's thinking they might have him cooking and such. If they can't offer him more hours and during the weekday/daytime he'll try to get the warehouse or another factory job. (he's afraid of getting stuck working all Pat's hours...which are nights and mean double shifts on weekends)

All the news above means the clock is ticking for us concerning getting the van or bus fixed. It's hard for Tom to think of working on anything besides the garden at this time of the year. Unfortunately I have a dr's appt next Wed and all the non driving kids (8 kids total) and I have dentist appointments the Tues after that! So it's GOTTA get done!

My new digital camera arrived yesterday! I haven't really had time to play with it yet. Hopefully by the end of the week I'll start posting some pictures. From my inital inspection of it though, I think I'm going to like it!