The Three Ring Circus

If I leave home to go two different places in one day, it usually ends up that I am rushing, frustrated, and several school subjects have been neglected.

Today I drove to three different cities at three different times and got next to nothing done school-wise, BUT, I did not get extraordinarily frustrated so we'll call it a "draw."

The morning began quite normally...well, it was normal in the sense that the boys started on their math. What wasn't normal was Nolan finishing his before we left for a doctor appointment.

Finished math is good.

Nolan has quite a few moles on his personage and yesterday he woke up with one hurting every time he leaned back against the couch. My in house medical adviser--Kendra--said he really needed an overall skin check. But to do that you have to go to a local doc first. I figured this was as good a time as any.

And as expected, the PA referred us to a dermatologist in Mason City.

But the real drama occurred in the waiting room. As we waited at the front desk I felt that stupid old cough kick in.

"This shouldn't be too bad," I thought, popping a cherry menthol lozenge into my mouth.

*cough, cough cough*

"I'm not sick...I just have this funny cough..."

"Oh that's fine."

*cough, cough, cough*

We sat down.

The coughing continued and I stepped out to the hallway. I popped another lozenge but it didn't seem to be helping. By now I'm really tense which only aggravates things, and I'm looking at the water dispenser--no cups!

Oh c'mon! Ma needs a drink !

One of the desk ladies had to run down the hallway searching for a plastic cup, which she found, thankfully.

Water helped, a bit.

"Oh thank you...I'm not contagious, by the way....I just cough."

"Oh that's OK...you're fine."

But I couldn't help noticing peoples' looks. Hey, I don't blame them. I hate all the noise, myself.

Later I took the kids to the library in Iowa Falls. Books are due on Saturday and three of us have to go somewhere tomorrow afternoon.

Raced home just in time to throw the tuna casserole in the oven. Then it's back to the Ackley garden to race around for 35 minutes watering all the dryness.

Home again and onto the treadmill for an hour.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow's promise of a normal morning and only one outside obligation in the afternoon.

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It's That Time of Year Again

Clear, crisp days.

Frost-chilled nights.

The smell of molding vegetation romantically dubbed "autumn."

One lies awake at night, slightly chilly and weighing the options of pulling your socks up higher and muddling through, or leaving your nearly-warm cocoon to grab another blanket.

It is also the time of year when a middle-aged woman's thoughts turn to fat reduction.

And so it begins: another ride on the diet train.

Like a gravy train, but sans la sauce.

And slower. Plus lentement.

We'll call it, "The Continual-Caloric-Loop-of-Expunginess."

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Last of the Summer Pine Lake

The kids found a big ol' log floating in the swimming area

Trevor and Ethan living La Dolce Vita

Carolyn actually got up and balanced for a bit

From the nature walk: they look like wild grapes but the leaves say otherwise

Sumac

Trevor has apparently been practicing handstands. He even took several steps...I was impressed!

This outing was the week before school started....somewhere back in the last week of August, I guess.

Since then it's been pretty much hitting the books and getting through each day.

I have not been outside that much because of school and just feeling so fatigued and hacking my lungs out. But we should probably pick the apples tomorrow, few though they be. It's just as well...won't take too long.

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From Across the Room

Hello everyone...it's me, Ma. I was having trouble with my computer so I walked over to Loren's desk to see how the other half lives.

You know, people with two monitors.

It's not quite as high class as the middle income figures recently mentioned in the news, but it's certainly better than mine.

And by better, I mean this baby actually works!

And by works, I'm talkin' about clicking on tabs and having them become active. Websites loading so fast that you can see the whirling circle go 'round (as opposed to mine which is so still it's probably burning a hole in my screen).

But mostly I came over for the experience of typing on a keyboard and seeing letters pop up (like magic!) corresponding to keys I have just punched. It's so weird! I'm used to typing and having nothing happen for 15 seconds or so. Which can get confusing if you're trying to edit and lose your place concerning how many characters have been deleted....

(by the way Loren, I don't mean to complain but the space bar on your keyboard doesn't always work that well. You might want to fix that in case I have to be over here using your computer a lot)

The weekend has arrived, just in time. A full load of school for five days means we surely need the break.

Also, Carolyn started practicing her essay for the SAT in early October. Tomorrow she will take a complete practice test so that should kill most of her morning, ha ha. Then it will be time to clean bathrooms and other exciting stuff.

Oh yes...I have to cut some hair for the menfolk. Oh boy! It's like my most exciting thing to do after cleaning bathrooms and waiting for the computer to do something!

Okay, enough of the exaggeration.

In truth I've been attempting to keep things fairly normal around the house. Normal is good. Normal can be boring at times but I can think of worse things.

Even the hacking cough is starting to feel normal. As is the fatigue and being "this close" to dizzy.

But like I said, there are worse things.

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Ta Da!

Here is Ethan, paired up with....someone, for the three-legged race

Sack race. Ethan, with another of his memorable expressions

Sensible people took a nap

Hayride. After the first load came back I discovered two of my kids hadn't been on it, so I had to wait while they loaded up again. Oh well...can't deny kids a hayride once in a while.

Yes, it looks as though I have actually posted a few photos within a week of the activity...hooray fer Ma!

Despite my uncooperative computer and Blogger's new picture format, you can get a glimpse of last Friday night:  Fall Homeschool Party at the Ackermans. Just a couple of miles down the road from us. Bring your own hot dogs and buns, plus other goodies and games for the kids.

It was a little windy so babies and mamas mostly stayed in the garage. And I got to see Gwen's pretty flower beds; always a plus.

The cold air wasn't the best for my cough but hey, staying home probably wouldn't have made much difference. The kids had a really great time and so we added one more outing to our year of unusual socialality

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Slogging Along

Day 5 of school, in the can. Only 173 more to go!

Ma is struggling just a bit because ye ol hacking coughe came early, this year.

Also a migraine. And I know this is a real winner because it's not that often the pain migrates to the right side of the head. At the moment it back to the left. Underlying nausea most of the time though due to my strong constitution I still eat :-D

Pretty sure I am extra grumpy.

Only another hour and I can take my ibuprofen/acetaminophen combo. Woot!

One of these days I'll have to go outside and check on the garden. It is quite pathetic, but I think there may be potatoes out there.....somewhere.

And my Colorado Blue Spruce and (5 or 6) flowering trees are still alive. I think.

Other than that not a lot of exciting stuff. Stumbled through the shopping today and, thanks to a leftover casserole, got to lay down for 50 whole minutes when I came home...ah, I almost made it up to sub-human level.

Last Friday I took the kids to a Fall Home School  Party at the Ackermans. I do have a few pictures on my camera and as soon as I can muster up the enthusiasm I will take them off the camera (I think there's a more technical term for it but I can't remember just now) and let y'all get glimpse of the kids' good times.

I cannot concentrate so we'll have to tear ourselves away from this extremely fascinating post....

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Saturday at the Hoytstead

Haven't been here most of the day so I will do what I do best and make stuff up.

Today was absolutely gorgeous, weather-wise, and Nolan did not just retaliate in anger toward his younger brother a few minutes ago.

(one of those statements is true, one is not)

My migraine is temporarily subdued and the hacking cough is completely gone.

(one true, one not)

We have four days of school under our belts and things went relatively well.

(true, true)

The rest of the school year will no doubt proceed in the same manner.

(prognostication with chances so minute they cannot be calculated in one's lifetime. But if they could it would be like unto every day's agony of math during the last 3 months of the previous school year)

I am no longer wheezing when I lie down.

(cannot be determined as I did not get to have my usual nap today)

The kids (boys in particular) annoy me less and less, each day.

(blatant lie)

I started my diet again after the Labor Day cookout and have already failed.

(true, true)

There's always tomorrow.

(yet to be determined)

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