Not quite twenty days later ...

Yes, yes, I know. I'm ashamed, too.

Because, overall, it's not like I've been WILDLY BUSY or anything ... Not really.

Let's see what all I HAVE been up to ...

• The local Veteran's Day parade was actually on a SATURDAY this time, so we got to go as a complete family. We found a decent spot to sit/stand. The kids got lots of candy. Bubbles got some attention from a float of ladies in retro dress. Very fun. Then we went home for hot cocoa.
• Mad cleaning of the house. About to be repeated.
  Since we found a sitter for the kids for the rehearsals where Michael and I BOTH need to be there.
  And, after a week with the kids home (and getting back from visiting family  ... and decorating for Christmas), I need to touch it all up. Again.
• Bruise, Bucket, and Bubbles had all gotten sick.
  It started Monday (the 12th) ... As I was MAD CLEANING, Bucket said that she didn't feel good. She had a headache and felt like she had a fever. I felt her head and compared it to her brother's. They felt about the same. So I told her she could clean or go take a nap.
  So, she went and laid down. And crashed HARD for a couple HOURS.
  ... So I took Bruise's temperature. Sure enough, he was running a fever.
  And these fevers would NOT break. So I kept dosing them with Tylenol or Ibuprofen and pushed liquids like CRAZY.
  Tuesday, they SHOULD have gone to school (Monday was a no-school day) ... but they were still running fevers. And Bruise coughed enough that he freaked himself out.
  I called the school AND the doctor's office, cuddling him in my lap. Got in for an appointment. It was just a virus. Not hand-foot-mouth or anything. Just a virus. Keep them out of school until the fever's gone. Lots of water. Tylenol. Ibuprofen. Cool baths ... just that sort of thing. And, if Bubbles caught it (which she did), lots of nursing and Tylenol.
  Bucket went back to school on Wednesday. I walked her down the street to the bus stop, with Bruise on the phone. Covering my bases.
  Bruise finally went back to school on Friday ... right before they started a whole week off of school.
  Bubbles was sick starting Thursday evening ... but after Tylenol, nursing, and a bath, she was back to her happy, healthy self again by Friday afternoon.
• Have I mentioned that we replaced the old thermostat in the hall? Well, we did. And then the heat pump wouldn't kick on. Turns out that we needed ONE more wire. After a couple weeks, we finally ("we" = Michael) fixed it.
  When we got back from a couple days away for Thanksgiving, the house was 55°F. Brr! And, when we tried to heat the three main parts with our heaters (two heat fans in the bedrooms and a heat dish in the front room), we kept tripping the breaker! Oy! ... But about two inches of wire later (after we BOUGHT the wire), we have heat and the house is staying around a much-more-comfortable 68-70°.
• I have MOST of my Visiting Teaching done for the month. And I have an appointment to meet with the last gal on our route. I'm glad to have that. I feel a little (well, more than a LITTLE) guilty when I only chat up my Visiting Teaching sisters in the hall at church. I want them to know that they really are deserving of a visit ... even if I'm a lazy screw-up more often than not. >.<
• I'm hosting a Partylite party for a friend who's just starting up her business. THAT'S why I have to clean the house today and tomorrow. And I need to go buy snacks, too.
  I have no idea who all is going to show up. Hopefully, there'll be more people than when I threw a Tupperware party. Since I think that NO ONE showed up besides Mom Cox and her sister, who sells Tupperware. I felt really bad. But we had some REALLY good salsa.
• I set up my nativity scenes today. My Playmobil one and my Calico Kittens one. And a small olivewood one that was a present last yeat (it's small enough to be an ornament).
  I also put my Linus figurine from the Charlie Brown Christmas Special by them. "That's what Christmas is all about!"
• While at Fred Meyer on black Friday (we went out late. Didn't get into town until about 7:30. Very low-key. Just hit Kmart and Fred Meyer and went back to my mom's, where she was watching the kids. I went to Costco on Saturday and got my cookbook. That was it, really. Oh... we also went to Target, where I picked up Season 5 of The Big Bang Theory for $13. Score!! And I didn't have to wake up crazy early at all. That's right. Be jealous. :P), I picked up a pack of dreidels. In a week from this coming Saturday, we can play the Dreidel game! I have gold chocolate coins! I have a little wall-hanging/Velcro menorah ... I'm rather excited.
  Yes, you SHOULD expect this from me. I'm the token Mormon who LOVES using Yiddish.
  Also, when my mom's school would do Christmas Around the World for their holiday open house, she ALWAYS was Israel. I know that she has a real Menorah around somewhere. It was HARD to find one, too. ... I should totally make Latkes this year.
  (Seriously, last year, I KNOW we bought THREE dreidels ... And I cannot find them ANYWHERE. SO ANNOYING.)
• We're now on the last Harry Potter book ... After that, the kids are asking for "The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda" for bedtime story. Then, after that, "Ella Enchanted."
• For the last week, I've been rather crazy (thank you, hormones. Thank you.) ... You know it's BAD when, as you've put a few coins in the Salvation Army bucket-thing, and the bell-ringer wishes you a merry Christmas ... and you get all teary-eyed ... Yeah. I mean, I get teary-eyed regardless, with Christmas songs ... so it was pretty nuts.
  Now, it should ease up for a few weeks. Thank goodness.
• We drugged up the cat (with her Kitty Prozac) before we left. Good move ... we came home and she was nice, relaxed, and NOT HAVING HAD PEED ON STUFF while we were gone.
• I cut Michael's hair ... since we'll be doing family portraits this Friday. I'll be taking the kids in for haircuts (well, not Bubbles. Her hair's not that long) ... Bruise'll get tidied up ... and, well, I'm not wild about how I did Bucket's hair. I'll have someone who KNOWS WHAT THEY'RE DOING get it all cute.
• My phone was freaking out ... so I had to do (another) factory reset on it. *sigh* So Michael and I will be shopping for new phones soon.
• I ordered some bras ... which is kind of a big deal. My size is not ... a standard size in most stores. Which is crazy annoying. So, I ordered some from overseas. It'll be nice to have more than ONE nursing bra that fits.
• My nails have all broken off ... probably from all the cleaning.
• I know it makes me sound like a grinch, but I really get sad for Christmas eve at my Nana's old house.
  Part of it that I got to see my cousins ... and, for the majority, Pop-pop was still alive. Uncle M hadn't had his stroke ... that house ... I really miss it. I miss the smell of it.
  I also miss Christmas morning up at Grandma D's (my mom's mom). Even though almost all my cousins, growing up, were boys who didn't share ANY interests with bookish, girly me. But ... well, it was always nice.
  I think one reason I enjoy cooking Thanksgiving dinner, on the years that I've hosted, is that the smell of a roasting turkey always takes me back to Grandma's house.
  What? No! No, I just have something in my eye. Like a contact ... or a seasonal allergy.
• We also went to the kids' school's Book Fair. You know me, I'm a sucker for anything involving books. Especially books that you get to KEEP. I freaking love that.
• Bucket got some hand-me-down dresses from another girl at church. They're in great shape. 
• We went to the local mall's Kids' Club activity ... Breakfast with Santa. After a free breakfast, they got to go sit on Santa's lap. They also got free (felt) Santa hats and goodie bags.

That's really most everything that I can think of to fill you in on.

The kids have been developing their senses of humor ...

At the dinner table on Thanksgiving, Bruise's cup is full of juice
Bruise: *to my mom* This is wine! JUST KIDDING! I'm lying!

Bucket, as I told her some stories about what she'd say when she was little: Wow, I was really bossy back then!
Me: You still are, sometimes. But I still love you.

Yesterday, she walked into the front room and announced, "Something smells strange! What smells weird?"
I told her, "You smell weird."
She and I looked at each other levelly for a second ... and burst out laughing.
We are so strange.

In other news, Michael's been summoned to Jury Duty. It should happen in January.
Isn't this, like, his third or fourth time? I've only been summoned once ... and I wasn't ever selected to be on a jury. (Truly, I didn't mind. It would have been AWFUL having to arrange childcare ... especially since I was still nursing Bruise and Bucket a lot.)

Okay ... I should now shut up and focus on cleaning the front rooms. If I can just get the front room, dining room, kitchen, and hall bath in order, we're GREAT. I could be mostly done TODAY. Then, I could watch Downton Abbey or something during Bubbles' naps tomorrow. ^_^

resulting in disappointment

So ... I'm going to buck up, put on my big girl panties, and deal with it.

But ... I'm a bit disappointed in the election results.

I had hoped that Romney would be elected. Because, really, his stances on most issues are the closest to mine.

And, really, Obama hasn't kept all that many of the campaign promises he made last year. I'm still HELLA irritated that Obamacare was passed without us knowing what all is really in it. So much for transparency.
(Though, as Michael pointed out, if Obama repealed NCLB [No Child Left Behind], I'd probably feel better.)

But, I had also hoped that if Romney had been elected, that this country would start knowing that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints aren't all just crazy, polygamous, women-hating cultists who have horns and worship a guy from New York ... or a flaming lizard. (No, really, I hear the most interesting theories about my religion sometimes.

And people would know that we're not Amish, either.

Most of the other state issues went with how I voted ... So I can feel better about that.

Michael and I did our best to vote almost every single incumbent out ... unless we had a very good reason to keep one in. But I don't think we did.

Seriously, how Congress has been all "If you people don't like what we're doing and approve our pay raises and all, we're going to CUT [Medicare/Veteran Benefits/Education Spending/Etc.]!!!!!" ... and that just pisses me off.

My mom and I agree that The House and Senate should NOT be allowed to vote for their own pay raises.
We also are of the opinion that their benefits should be completely cut ... they should be required to have the same health/life insurance that is available to the public. And their paychecks should be much more similar, too.

Heck, I'm all for Benjamin Franklin's stance on what Congress should be paid ... It should be done by volunteers. Seriously ... this way, after four years, they would be ready to reenter the work force. They'd do it out of the goodness of their hearts, out of real concern for their constituents.

But, yeah ... like they're going to actually do that.

Man, I am feeling really jaded about politics ... and I had hoped that, after the election, I could feel happy about it. But, not really ... I mostly feel tired. And disappointed ...

... but, well, I can feel better that, with the popular vote, it was PRETTY DARN CLOSE.

It would have been lots worse if Romney had lost by a complete landslide.

It'll be interesting to see what the next four years have in store ... I sure hope that gas prices go down.
And, if we're going to be fined/taxed for my not having health insurance, I hope that they actually get health insurance prices to go WAY down. (Seriously, health insurance has not gotten ANY more affordable since 2008. Wasn't that part of Obamacare??)

But, yeah ... I'm mostly just really tired of this all.

About half the people on Facebook are gloating that their guy win. The other half are lamenting the state of the nation, foreseeing calamity and destruction just around the corner. There are a few who are being graceful losers (and a few graceful winners) ... but those are pretty few and far between.

I am thinking that I'm just not going to post anything about it.
I mean, yeah, I'm disappointed ... but ... it's not like my saying anything about it would change anything.

Of course, I almost feel that my vote was wasted ... which sucks.
Especially when there are too many outspoken people on facebook (bloggers that I follow, not personal friends ... well, most of them), who claim that voting for Romney is voting for a man who hates women, liberty, and is the devil incarnate who would pander only to corporations and eat the young of the lower-classes while bathing in the blood of puppies. Or something to that effect.

I was really hoping that he'd win and get the country in better shape within the next two years (as opposed to four years without much as-promised change), just to shut those nay-sayers up.

I just want results. And I want them NOW. I want gas prices and health insurance and cost of living DOWN. I want people to HAVE jobs and security. I want our nation to be self-sufficient. I want higher education to be affordable. I think that we should subsidize the arts, like they do in Europe. I think that prisons should be places of punishment, not vacation homes (seriously, if WE can't afford to have a weight room or cable, neither should murderers, rapists, or puppy-kickers). I think that we should punish rapists and child abusers more. I think that the banks that put our country into this mess should pay back the money we gave them, with a FREAKING DECENT INTEREST RATE, and start doing what they promised -- loaning money so that we have GROWTH happening and jobs available!! I think we should start taxing companies prohibitively who outsource jobs overseas (because, face it ... money talks. If we get it so that keeping jobs HERE has a positive effect on their bottom lines, companies will DO IT). I think, that if people are so concerned about weight management, we should subsidize gym memberships (or, at least, exercise equipment). I think that we should implement more public transit. I think that libraries are even MORE vital to communities during a recession, and their funding should be supplemented, not cut. I think that all public servants should save their districts/states money by only allowing room/board and basic needs to be covered by taxpayer money ... the rest they do through their own savings and concern for their constituents. I think the we need to start getting it so that people on welfare can get OFF welfare. It needs to be a temporary measure. Once people are able to take care of themselves, they'll have more self-respect and be more involved in what THEY can do ... as opposed to what the county/country can do for THEM.

I mean, really, is that so much to ask?

... Don't answer that. I don't think I could take it today.

Dear sinuses, SHAPE UP OR ELSE. Love, Me.

Yeah ... I'm sick. FUN! (not)

What all has gone on since I last posted a bliggity-blog ... Um ... Let's see...

Not a whole ton ... I had a vocal rehearsal last week. Funnily enough, the sheet music that we were given varies slightly from what the vocal director has. ... And those of us with solos didn't even have music for those.

I'm doing the first soprano thing again. I can hit the notes, if I'm warmed up. And it's easiest for me to hear that part, since that's what I ALWAYS sing. (Seriously, when I'm told to sing alto or bass or tenor? I'm rather HOPELESS.)

Friday, Michael installed our new thermostat. Took the kids TWO DAYS to notice it at all.
Bucket cut her hair ... a bit in the very front. A week before picture retakes ... So she's sporting bangs now. Yup, I cut them myself. And I cut a couple inches off the rest, per her request.

We carved the kids' pumpkins. They turned out nicely.
Bruise went for a scary face. Bucket drew her witch face design on her pumpkin. Bubbles' had a happy face.

We took the kids up to the zoo for HOWLoween (scavenger hunt with a treat bag at the end). It wasn't horribly busy ... since it was raining. We all got rather wet (Bubbles' polar fleece pants were moist, but dry on the inside ... her legs, though, were so cold!!). I forgot the weather-cover (like a rain jacket) for the stroller. I also managed to only have room for TWO pictures on the camera (forgot to [1]bring a spare card and [2] download the pictures onto the computer from the FULL memory card. *sigh*).
But, for Bubbles' first trip to the zoo, it went pretty well.
After the zoo, we headed to a mall so I could use a couple coupons to get my freebies.

But, after being so wet and cold for so long, Bubbles and I have developed colds. (She's already nearly back to normal. Just a runny nose now. ... I, though, have clogged sinuses and a cough. Joy.)

We made it home in time for Michael to run to Costco for a few things so I could make a dish for the ward potluck (I made tuna casserole) then to go set up. Then he swung back around and picked us and the casserole up for the dinner. It was a good activity.

Sunday, we had church and then choir in the evening. Before choir, we watched The Addams Family.

Monday ... we missed the local library's Halloween Storytime. Instead, though, I dug out my copy of "The Dark-Thirty" and read a story to the kids, instead of the usual chapter of Harry Potter.

Tuesday, Bubbles and I went out while the kiddos were in school. We went to Safeway, Target, and Sally Beauty (got a decent black nail polish. Along with base and top coats. So I could redo my nails. Again.).

Yup. My life is pure and thrilling excitement, no?

Yesterday, when the kids got home from school (they had a party in class. NOT A HALLOWEEN PARTY because their school doesn't do Halloween, but a party to celebrate their unit on pumpkins and apples. I sent them to school with some cider and cookies for the class), I was going to take them straightaway, in costume, to Mom and Dad C's ... but, their neighbor-friend came in with them because she was sure that her family wasn't at home (no cars in the driveway) and said that it was locked. She hadn't knocked on the door or anything. ... And her brother usually gets home before her and HE'S old enough to be home alone. When I went to walk with her to her house, lo and behold, her family had returned.

So, I called Mom C back and told her that we'd be on our way!
So, I took a cobra ninja, a red ninja, and a fluffy owlet to Grandma's for hot cocoa and doughnuts.
Then we swung by the house for their bags and headed over to the mall to meet Michael and take the kids trick-or-treating. After that, we took them to a Halloween party that one of the local churches was hosting for the town. (Bruise and Bucket liked the bounce-ship and trying the rock-climbing wall. Bucket also got a snake painted on her face, to go with her costume.)

Then we went home, put the kids to bed, fed Bubbles some banana and cereal, got her to bed and went to bed after she was asleep. Michael and I are both fighting off colds. Mine's got a head start, though. So I'm rather miserable.

Today, I got the kids off to school, got a shower, and Bubbles came with me to help a sister in the ward pack before she moves this weekend. Bubbles was pretty well-behaved, in the Moby. Two other sisters and I helped until we ran out of boxes.

I think I'm about caught up on laundry.

I won't see Michael today until about bedtime, since he's at rehearsal directly after work. Which makes tonight a little hard, since my head's killing me ... and I don't know how to nap anymore.
I think we'll just do quesadillas for dinner. Something easy.

Mom was going to come up today ... but she needed to make an appointment, so I'll see her Sunday instead.

I battled ants last week. It was crazy. They mounted two separate battles. I, armed with my trusty, organic spray, thoroughly trounced them. ... In other news, the dishes are all done. (Though it was months-old Skittles they were after).

My kids say funny things.

Yesterday, Bucket was aghast that I didn't have a costume of any kind (Sad, I know.)...

Bucket: Wait!! You can go dressed up as a mommy who says, "BLAST IT! I forgot to grab your treat bags!"
(Which, as you can guess, I had just said, moments before.)

Dang it, Bruise has been having some great comments. And, my brain is now too foggy and aching to remember them. Dang it.

Well, be assured that my son is hilarious. And that I'm a crap mom for not writing it all down. Drat.

Bubbles is waving and giving high-fives. She's started babbling and singing more.
I think her favorite song is the theme to Star Trek (with Cpt. Picard). I had to sing it to her, as best I could, to get her to finish eating her cereal last night.

Okay. I think I'm going to take a nap. Or a steamy shower ... to get rid of all the gross that's living in my sinuses today.