Teenager did in fact get suspended, he can't go back to school until Tuesday. It's his dad's weekend to have him, so he'll likely have a hell weekend because of it, but there isn't much I can do about it. Hopefully he'll survive it.

I don't know how this is going to work; teenager is getting ready to turn 16 (a few months, but not that long) and is talking about getting a job at McD's or whatever. I think it's great, and necessary if he plans to drive as he needs to be responsible for his own gas, car repairs, insurance, etc. However, his dad said yesterday that he cannot get a job, or he must get one that allows him every other weekend off because he will not forego visitation for teenager to work. Can he do that? Can he forbid a child from working? I don't know, but I do have to find out before that birthday rolls around. Seems to me that teenagers are only allowed to work 5 or 6 hours/day anyway, and that he could go to his dad's when his shift was finished if he had to work that day. I know he's not allowed to keep him from sports or religious activities, but I don't know that a job is specifically mentioned because teenager wasn't old enough until now. It's always something. Who would force a 16 year old to visit when they didn't want to anyway? My ex, that's who. They used to have a good relationship, HE ruined it with that whole custody battle that dragged on for years and years. Teenager is (rightfully) still angry about that, and probably always will be.

Otherwise, everyone is doing okay. Baby is still stuffy and coughing a little, but I've never caught this stupid cold! WOohooo for that, because I was sure it would hit me hard and leave me wishing I were dead. But I started massive doses of echinacea and vit C when the first one fell ill, and it must have done some good. Here I am immune-suppressed on these stupid steroids and everyone around me fell sick and I managed to skip it. Well, hopefully I didn't speak too soon, but I think it's on its way out with baby and everyone else already had it. SO hopefully I'm safe in saying that it skipped me.

We had a tourney last weekend in Beckley, WV, and drove home through the mountains. Stopped at the New River Gorge Bridge in Fayetteville (or around there anyway) and wow, was that awe-inspiring! Beautiful country, truly. And of course I forgot my camera this weekend. I bring it every freaking weekend, and usually never wind up taking it out of its case. And the one weekend I forget it, we drive through some beautiful scenery. That figures, huh? Oh well, I bought a postcard or two and we have some beautiful memories.

Take me away!!! Please?

Teenager is in trouble again because of the stupid dress code. I had to go in and have a little "talk" with the assistant principal, and although he has in school suspension for 3 days he won't be picked on again. In the meantime, teenager flat out refuses to serve his 3 days of suspension, so he will likely be suspended tomorrow. I happen to agree with him on this one, so it's a little difficult for me to enforce any sort of school rules at the moment. His dad, on the other hand, thinks the school is absolutely in the right, and that teenager should "suck it up" and serve his time. He will not agree to fight the charges, switch schools, and promises to make our lives living hell should teenager get suspended tomorrow. Which is very likely.

Meanwhile, Tigger has to go see a pediatric cardiologist tomorrow and i"m so upset worrying about that. He has a heart murmur, has had since he was born, which in and of itself is nothing to worry about. However, it's getting louder and more pronounced and it has his regular ped worried, enough so that he recommende the cardiologist at our last well child visit. So that's tomorrow.

Tonight was supposed to be karate, but I can't find my keys ANYWHERE. I'm sure the baby has carried them off somewhere, but they are not to be found this evening. So toddler is pitching a fit because he can't go to karate, but I've got no way to take him there.

Baby is sick with this cold that the others had last week, his nose is all stuffy and he's coughing and just generally blah. It's extra rough on him because it's hard for him to eat when he can't breathe through his nose. So he's a fussypants.

My mom is so not helpful, telling my teenager to just go ahead and get suspended tomorrow. She's going on and on about how he can be emancipated if he'd just get a girl pregnant and marry her. I hope he is not listening.

All in all, my head is spinning and I'm on the verge of losing it. I hope I can hold it together for a few more days.

Okay WP, where are ya? I hate winter! Are you with me? It hasn't even started yet, but today was the first really chilly morning around here. It was mid 40s, and that was cold enough for me. I hate winter.

On the bright side, the pulmonologists did proclaim that my breathing would improve with the changing of the weather and the decrease in hot, humid days so we shall see. I haven't noticed yet.

On the not so bright side, the changing weather means everyone is sick. Right now it's Tigger (formerly known as Toddler) and he was so sad he had to miss (pre)school today. But he has a fever and a cough and was up all night (and mom too, but we won't worry about that) and generally just feeling miserable. The baby has a runny nose, hubby just got over the same, teenager has already been to the doctor at the end of last week because he was just "too sick for school" ( and he wasn't sad about it). I'm just hoping it's not 2 separate viruses, as teenager had a chest cold as did middler and Tigger, while hubby and baby seem to just have stuffy noses. And they can all go ahead and skip me. I won't mind, really.

It's daughter's birthday coming up this weekend, she'll be 12. She still seems so young though. I know that won't last much longer, I can see it in my teenager. Right now she's still a mama's girl and loves spending time with me, loves going shopping together, hanging out, and just doing girl stuff. She still likes to crawl in my bed occasionally. But, it won't be long and she'll be off like the wind too. I guess that means I did my job but it sure is depressing at the same time. I'm really holding onto the baby, poor little thing. I'll probably follow him off to college!

He'll never be without his mama! Okay, hopefully not, but I am holding on to him tighter than I did the others.

I'm not too confident in my Buckeyes this year. Yesterday's game was just ugly. Yes, they won, but only 20-2 against Akron St. so go figure. And Michigan, what the heck!?! They're making the whole Big 10 look bad! Well, they have a little help but really the Big 10 does not look good this year. Just my opinion of course.

We went shopping at the outlet mall yesterday, 3yo really needed some pants/jeans. He was horrible, running around the store and not listening, and at some point I had to remove the baby from the stroller and carry him so that I could lock my 3yo in. He just wouldn't stop, and thought me chasing him was hilarious. Then after about 10 minutes he figured out how to undo the latches on the stroller, so he escaped and ran back into a store that we had already left. I went in after him and he was running up and down the aisles just laughing (I was not amused and I think it was pretty obvious) and really NOT listening at ALL. I still had the baby in my arms and was pushing the stroller (oh hubby was trying on clothes through all this !!) and I finally chased him down and grabbed ahold of his wrist and just refused to let go. Hubby finally came out of the dressing room and I made him take the baby, and I went back outside with 3yo by the wrist and all the while he was kicking and screaming and I was dragging him more or less and everyone was staring. Oh joy.

HUbby put baby back in the stroller and left me there with tantruming 3yo, a bunch of packages, and baby while he went to get the van. And then, out of nowhere, 3yo reaches down and grabs baby's hand and bit his fingers!! I don't know how I managed to restrain myself from smacking the crap out of him because I was so angry at that point. I picked him up and placed him (oh-so-gently) on the bench, picked up the baby (the stroller and all the packages fell over and were all over the place) and just held his wrist until hubby made it back with the van. Then I made him sit in the back by himself for the ride home.

I just don't know what gets into him when he's like that, nothing gets to him. I've never seen anything like it, this is not like normal 3 yo tantrums because they didn't get what they wanted, didn't get their nap, whatever. I've seen plenty of that, and this ain't it! Most 3yo realize when mom has reached the limit and they're in "Big Trouble" and will settle down somewhat. Not this one. It's like he can't settle down. In the van all the way home he sat in the back and bounced. Up down up down up down up down. Think I'll start calling him "Tigger" instead of "toddler"
.

I do so adore peace and quiet time, probably because it is so very rare around here. BUT toddler (who really is not a toddler anymore and I really do have to think of another name for him!) has started preschool (Head Start) and is now gone from 8:00 a.m. until noon daily, leaving me with only the baby. So, now not only do I not have nursing classes that need to be studied for, no tests, no clinicals, no responsibiities as far as that goes, I also now have Monday through Thursday free time! What to do, what to do...

I'm reading a lot. I signed up on paperbackswap.com and traded a bunch of books, and I have a pile to work through. I've been scrapbooking, trying to catch up on my pictures but that's a little difficult because baby really wants to help with that and it's hard to keep all the supplies out of his reach. I was trying to teach myself how to knit, but it just isn't working. I can't knit a single row! I watched the online tutorials and they made it look so easy... *sigh* Hubby has been laughing at me all weekend as I yell at my yarn in frustration.

I'm still having good days and bad days as far as my breathing is concerned. I hate having to be on that stupid prednisone at such high dosage, and I was hopeful that I'd be able to taper down to something more reasonable with less side effects. But alas, it seems every time I lower my dosage I go through a spell of not breathing until the dosage is back up again. I'm on all sorts of vitamins and calcium and other stuff to try to counteract some of the side effects, and really I just hate the idea of being so dependent on something. Prednisone is not something you can just decide to stop taking one day, ya know? I forgot to take it with me this weekend and had a panic on Saturday morning when I realized it, but the local CVS was very helpful in getting me a refill (thankfully my script had another refill on it, can't imagine what I would have done had it been my last refill - local ER?)

At any rate, we had a great time this weekend, hung out at the hotel and swam and swam and swam. The kids just think that is the greatest thing ever (except teenager, who never goes with us anymore) and it wears them out like nothing else. I can't imagine why we haven't been accompanying hubby on his tournaments all along! This weekend we're home but I think we're off again the following weekend. There's one in NC and I'm debating that one; it's a bit of a long drive and maybe not so relaxing. I prefer the ones that are an hour or two away.

I hear the sound of a dirty house calling, so I'm off to work on that. I have no excuse for not having a spotless house at the moment.

That'll be the day!