Laugh, Think, *TINK*, Drink… your way to mental health.

I was deeply touched by the outpouring of prayers and support after my last post. I know I’m blessed to be surrounded by such a caring group of friends and family, online and off. I know I promised more laughs this week, and I think the combined efforts of writing out all my frustrations plus the prayer contributed to me feeling less anxious about the surgery. And box wine, several glasses of box wine. Unfortunately, as of this writing, Fulton is congested and woke up with a fever. That means the surgery will have to be delayed indefinitely. I can only assume he’s not meant to have a G-tube placed right now for some reason. I’ll keep you all updated. Now back to our regularly scheduled blogging.

Laugh

The electrical inspector came out yesterday and gave us the go ahead to finish the kitchen. After so many delays, I was willing to do just about anything (that a good Catholic homeschooling mom would do) to get that permit secured. I wore a skirt that showed a little of my knee, I brushed my hair and put on some fresh Chapstick; I was dressed to impress. He showed up, lectured me on there being no clear number on the house, I profusely apologized and considered offering him a beer when he remarked on the wiring, which is fine. The inspection took a minute, tops, after which, upon noticing three kids in the dining room, asks me how many kids I have. “Five,” I said with a smile that said “Finish signing the damn permit!” “FIVE?!” He exclaimed. He then said I didn’t look much older than seventeen (can’t you see me blushing like a school girl?), before adding, “You poor child with all these kids.” Then he stuck the approval sticker on the window and walked out, leaving his cigarette odor behind him. I think I will let my husband deal with him on the final inspection.

Think

Social media and the internet are a huge distraction for me, but when it comes to prayer requests or disseminating info quickly, you can’t beat it.  Just when I think people are tired of reading my updates or prayer requests regarding our family, I get an overwhelming response. It reminds me how many people out there are just waiting for me to ask. Within the last few days, it seems I wasn’t the only one reaching out online. Several writers made much more eloquent requests or observations on their own tragic circumstances but the response was similar; lots of comments of support and incoming prayer. In talking with friends yesterday, I realized other families I knew were struggling with new health or marital issues. Once home, I was able to quickly jump online,  send off messages to some, and let others know of a name to add to their prayer list. Online connections can’t replace face to face time, but it has certainly helped tighten the bonds I have with many people. Where distance and circumstance have placed obstacles, social media steps in to bridge the divide.

TINK

The silver lining to this  week is our basement hasn’t flooded for the first spring since we’ve been here, despite a deluge of rain recently. My father-in-law made it a pet project to plug up all the leaks in the old walls and it seems he finally succeeded. But for the kids, it’s actually a downer because they enjoy going down there in their rain boots and sloshing around. Who wants to play around outside in rain puddles when you can wade around in a dark, dank basement?

Drink

After homeschooling my three oldest, I had one thing down pat. Preschool. It was nothing fancy. Three workbooks they all loved, full of tracing, coloring, cut and paste activities. They learned their ABCs, 123s and various religious stuff. We read lots of stories and that was that. Of course, none of this, except story time, will work with Fulton because his fine motor skills simply are not conducive to these activities. So I’m forced to start over. He has an iPad loaded with education games, however once he figured out how to download podcasts containing vintage cartoons or Lego videos the games were quickly forgotten. Which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing since most were pretty craptacular.  I always thought it would be nice to supplement the workbooks I chose with preschool busy bags or Montessori type activities but I think I painstakingly assembled only one “hands on” math game for Edie. She loved it for about two seconds and almost destroyed it out of anger within the next two. And I also hate little pieces. I’ve resisted every hands on math program with counters because the thought of them getting dumped on the floor makes me want to pour burning coffee in my eyes. But for Fulton, and Teddy, I’m going to do it. I’m going to create a wonderful, hands on preschool program that is fun, teaches the basics and engages all their senses if it kills me.

How’s your week been going?