Monthly Archives: June 2010

Now that the boys aren’t in school, it’s hard to keep track of what day it is. During the school year, days are defined by what “special” takes place (gym, art, music, or library). Without those to guide me, Monday kind of merges into Tuesday and slides into Wednesday and so forth. We’ve been taking it easy, but still finding plenty to do. We’ve enjoyed quite a few yummy meals like this one:

Friday night I grilled balsamic-marinated chicken breasts, topped them with fresh mozzarella and bruschetta and served it all over pasta. It was simple and fantastic!

I’ve found a bit of time here and there for tea and to read a new book I’m borrowing from the library:

And I’m patiently waiting for my hydrangea to flower. I was afraid it wasn’t going to happen again this year and I’d have to pull the bush out, but sure enough, there are going to be three flowers!

Last night Drew took the boys to see Toy Story 3 at the drive-in. They all really enjoyed it. While they were out, Drew’s dad called to let me know he got a new phone and he was going to send up his old iPhone for the boys. (They always enjoy playing the games on it.) While the boys will certainly enjoy it, I’m also thinking that I can basically use it as an iTouch when I can pick up a WiFi signal. That could come in handy! They are big gadget folks and big fans of Apple. Drew’s stepmom has an iPad and it was pretty neat. I’m not sure if she has iPad insurance or anything, but since she travels constantly for work, it is perfect for her. I’m nowhere near as techy, but I think it’ll be nice to have the deactivated phone, if for nothing else than to keep the boys from driving people crazy when we’re waiting in line for something.

I guess that’s about it. We’ve been enjoying lazy, unscheduled days. And now that a cool front is moving through, I think it will be even more pleasant!

Yesterday was Jake’s last day of second grade, which means summer vacation starts today. There’s already been a good bit of bickering and scolding and I’ve warned the boys that the rest of the summer will not continue like this. It’s crazy to think that I’ll have a third grader and a kindergartner come September. Noah’s very excited to pick out a backpack and lunchbox. Target already has their back-to-school supplies on display and the boys couldn’t help but peek at some of the backpack styles. I’m so glad neither are interested in the ones that look like rolling briefcases. I’ve seen a lot of kids with those and… eh, I don’t know. It’s one thing when you’re traveling through an airport, and another when you’re rolling down a hall, LOL.

Anyway, I don’t have much scheduled today. For some crazy reason the boys love returning cans and bottles, so we’ll do that, run by the grocery store, and then hit the library. I have dozens of craft ideas starred in my Google Reader (and I’ve shared many of my favorites over on the sidebar, too). Both boys will have library camp in the mornings for a week and Jake has day-long Cub Scout camp for a week. They are also going to Quebec with Drew, his mom, and his aunt this summer. Laura and I will be staying home. I didn’t think I could get her a passport in time and after thinking about it… I think it would be difficult managing her on vacation at the moment. While her night-time sleep is improving, a major schedule change (such as a long car ride to Canada) would very likely throw it all off. And there goes all of my hard work! I think it will be a special time for Drew and his mom, though. They’re all looking forward to it.

Other plans for the summer? Well, I need to get a sticker for the car so we can take the boys swimming at the lake. I’m trying to overcome my massive fear of heights and bridges so we can check out the Walkway over the Hudson. I’m sure there will be plenty of park visits and picnics and trips for soft-serv and lolling around.

What are you all planning to do during the next couple of months?

Originally I wanted to unveil my new blog design on June 1st, ideally to coincide with what I’d hoped to be an announcement that I finally got my Etsy shop up and running (the same Etsy shop I originally hoped to “announce” last October). Well, things came up I guess, and I’m not sure when I’ll be able to add some things to my shop, but I was tired of waiting to upload the new design, so… voila!

Hopefully my head will be straight soon and I can focus on crafting.

Monday already, eh? We had such a busy weekend. Friday night Noah “graduated” from nursery school. The kids were all so adorable in the gowns and caps. Each child answered the same questions Jake did four (!!!) years ago: What do you want to be when you grow up? What’s your favorite food? What’s your favorite color? And what do you like to snuggle with? Noah’s answers: A race car driver, chicken nuggets, red, and Murry the stuffed cat. The potluck dinner afterwards was fantastic — everything was delicious! Drew’s mom and aunt and my parents came up/down for the event, and my parents hung out until Saturday.

Meanwhile, Drew and Jake left for the Cub & Partner camping weekend right from the graduation ceremony. They had a great time and Jake worked on whittling and archery skills. Apparently he was quite good at archery! Yesterday was, of course, Father’s Day. Noah and I drew some Father’s Day greetings on the driveway so Drew would see them as soon as he pulled up. Unfortunately there wasn’t too much relaxing because he had to get everything ready for a business trip. He’ll be back Wed. night. I miss him already!

As for me, I’ve been trying very hard to stay away from medical websites and just keep things in perspective and remind myself that the odds are in my favor that nothing is terribly wrong. My parents are coming back down on Tuesday night so Dad can watch the boys, and mom can come to my ENT appointment with me. We’ll drop off Laura at Drew’s mom’s, since the specialist is down in her neck of the woods. I’m so anxious for this appointment already. I’m emotionally exhausted thinking about all the “what ifs.” I know that’s not at all productive, but it’s kind of hard to avoid. My poison ivy is slowly going away. I’m not really sure what Prednisone did, but I’ve been off of that for a couple days now and I just have to finish up my antibiotic. Hopefully the “down” ending to spring will lead to a much more positive start to summer! We shall see.

Thanks you everyone for all the supportive comments yesterday. I really appreciate it! I am doing much better today. I went to the medical office to pick up a copy of my lab reports and the doctor happened to be right at the window, so we talked for a few minutes. She reassured me that it’s probably thyroiditis (manageable with medication), but to be sure, it’s important to follow up with the specialist. So I am much more at ease than I was yesterday.

Anyway, let’s move on to other things, shall we? No sense on dwelling on the unknown when in a week’s time I’ll have consulted with an expert.

Tomorrow is Noah’s nursery school graduation. I need to make ziti and brownies for the reception after. At least it’s not an event I need to buy new clothes for. I’ve had a couple of those this year and it hasn’t worked out so well. I used to have great luck at Burlington Coat Factory but I think the one near me switched buyers or something. It seems they have a lot of “urban clothing” and less of the classic stuff. But jeans and a nice top will do just fine for SNS graduation at the park

Tomorrow is also “pet day” in Jake’s classroom, which means I need to drop off and pick up one of our fish. This should be amusing!

My poison ivy is starting to go away, thank goodness. I have tons of scabs on my ankles, but I’ll take that over the disgusting weeping any day. I’m also happy to report that the size of my left foot has returned to normal.

I’ve got no big plans for tonight. I’m making a copycat version of Red Robin’s Bonzai Burger for dinner (for me and Drew — the boys want regular burgers). And tonight I think I’m going to have some more of that ice cream, write up a story for the paper, and find something on Netflix to watch.