It’s my favorite time of year! Crazy October ‘when everything happens at once’ time! Yay!!!!!!! Let’s jump right into the fun shall we??
1. The boys were scheduled to get their fourth Spinraza doses on Monday (background on Spinraza here) and unfortunately, Teddy came down with a stomach bug on Sunday into early Monday morning which meant no lumbar puncture for him. So he stayed home and recovered while Fulton and I went to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Fulton is now the boss of getting IVs. Before Spinraza, giving him an IV was a traumatic event for him (and I) but now, even when they had to attempt it twice(!!!) we had no tears! None! And he watches the whole time. I can’t watch what’s going on, but now he just sits there and does some deep breathing, watches what’s going on and asks questions. Meanwhile, I’m holding his other hand while staring at the floor and telling him how awesome he is.
By late morning, my phone started dinging constantly with the news that there had been a fire at Teddy’s school and all the children were being evacuated to the high school. School would be closed on Tuesday. Teddy was so bummed he missed an actual fire. Then we got word the school would be closed all week to clean up the smoke damage. Now Teddy’s got Spinraza scheduled for this coming Monday which is supposed to be his first day back.
2. On Tuesday, due to a miscommunication, Fulton had no nurse, at least he couldn’t have one until 10:30 a.m. when his usual nurse could make it to school. I sent him on the bus and called the school to let them know and lo and behold, he can’t be in school (or the bus) without his nurse. (Even though the bus has an aide and he has his own aide at school.) So, I had to pick him up and bring him home. No nurse, no school. Now I know!
Plus, both boys at home during the week = less school for everybody!
3. We recently finished reading ‘Julius Caesar’. It was the first time we’ve ever finished a play by Shakespeare ahead of schedule. We watched a free movie version starring Charlton Heston as Marc Antony on YouTube. It’s so easy to find good, free or inexpensive productions of Shakespeare’s work online, or at the local library (which is awesome since I’m cheap). I wouldn’t mind seeing a different production of Julius Caesar, as none of us loved the actor who played Brutus. Byron asked, ASKED OF HIS OWN ACCORD, if we could watch some more of the Hollow Crown series before starting our next play Macbeth. You want to watch Shakespeare??? YES, YES MY SON WE WILL WATCH SHAKESPEARE!!! #homeschoolmomwin #getmeamedal
We’d seen ‘Henry V’ a couple years ago, but it was before we started reading the plays. This time around we started at the beginning of the first season with ‘Richard II’ and are really enjoying it. Even though we haven’t read these plays in particular, we’re familiar enough with Elizabethan English and the historical period to know what’s going on. It’s also great cinematography and acting. You can’t go wrong with BBC + Shakespeare. Also, it’s free on Amazon Prime!
(Those last two paragraphs are just a huge boost to my ego and I’m going to come back and reread them every time one of my children says something like “Missouri is the capital of Kentucky right?” or “No, you never explained basic fractions to me…EVER! Honest!!!” or my favorite “Quarter ’til 10…is that 10:25?”.)
4. Teddy was happy to learn that despite the fire, his school’s Trunk or Treat will take place as planned, just at a new location. Of course I signed our van up to be a trunk and promptly took to Pinterest to get inspired. (Those people are CRAZY.) We were all going to get into it and create an awesome trunk! WOOOO!!! But now it’s the day of the event; I have yet to buy candy, trunk decorations, and no one’s costume is complete. #winning
5. My kids finally picked a family theme for costumes: “Characters you’ll never be able to guess”. Addie and Byron are only working on costumes for upcoming local Comic Con type events so they still have some time to finish details, but the younger three all still need major assistance from me which means it’s also time for our annual end of October break from school. I’ve collected a huge stash of cardboard, spray paint, and plastic Dollar Tree costume pieces; time to get to work being a crafty mom who is angry at everyone all the time!! Bonus- cereal for dinner until next Tuesday!!
6. My favorite band currently is ‘The War on Drugs’. They’re local to Philly, and get played quite a bit on the alt rock station here, but I don’t know how popular they are elsewhere. Give a listen. Lead singer sort of sounds like Bryan Adams but their music is much better (even though I’ll admit to being a pretty big Bryan Adams fan back in the day.)
&. My favorite read recently was The Obesity Code. Rather than just prescribing another diet, this book breaks down why so many diets don’t work and the hormonal factors that help to regulate our weight. It was also interesting to me to see how what author Dr. Jason Fung recommends is so similar to the typical French way of eating (the subject of many of my other recent book selections.) I also gained a better understanding of why I probably felt the way I did on the Whole 30. It was a little too technical at times, and I question some of his advice, but definitely a book anyone with an interest in regaining or maintaining a healthy weight should check out.
7. On top of the costume frenzy, I’m also putting the finishing touches on a product to be included in the upcoming Catholic Mom Bundle. I know, I know, another bundle sale. But this one is just for Catholic Moms and includes resources from many of your favorite Catholic authors and bloggers. I personally love bundles: lots of stuff, low price, and it’s all digital so it doesn’t take up a ton of space in your house. You pick out what you like and you don’t need to plan a special trip to Goodwill to donate the rest. I’ve been wanting a Catholic bundle to offer my readers but didn’t want to take on organizing the whole thing myself. As much as I love many of the bundles I promote. I’m excited to offer one featuring resources with Catholic values at the core. More details on this bundle are coming soon so follow on Facebook or on the website to keep on top of new developments.
How was your week? Write it down then link it up. Be sure to include a link back to this post so your readers can find the rest of the Quick Takes. I look forward to reading your posts!
#5 is me every year. Except this year, because my older kids are mostly in charge of their own costumes. As I write this is 6:08 AM and my daughter is frantically trying to dry the paint on hers with a hairdryer before school so she can wear it to a Halloween party tonight. Continuing the proud Evans tradition of doing things at the absolute last minute.
Oh the costume frenzy!!! I will be 39ish weeks on Halloween. My kids are going to go as vagrant children or maybe I’ll put basketballs under their shirts and they can go as their mother!! Ha!
Ooh, there’s an awesome Julius Caesar with Marlon Brando as Marc Antony!