Again with the catch-up

Okay, what have I done that will (help to) explain my absence.

AGAIN.

Well, let's see ...

• I've been doing my Visiting Teaching. As of this morning, three gals visited. One last gal will be visited tomorrow. It's nice to be able to touch bases with them before the end of the month (FOR ONCE).
  Truly, if I could touch bases will all of them the first week of the month? That'd be AWESOME.
  Still ... At least I'm aware of how they're doing. And they know that I care.
• Got a wax. It helps me remember that being a milk machine is only ONE of my duties.
  And, hey, one less place to shave, right? RIGHT. Because I'm a little busy for that, no?
  (If I WASN'T a little busy, I'd have blogged EVERY DAY, right?)
• We took the kids to OMSI to see "The Art of the Brick" (sculptures by Nathan Awaya). They enjoyed it. ... I think Michael enjoyed it the most. But, well, I was DARNED if we were going to miss it. it's LEGOS!! And just about everyone in this house LOVES Legos! (I have almost all the latest Harry Potter sets. I still need The Burrow. We have to tell Freyja-cat to stop playing with Bruise's Legos. Bubbles? We'll see. But I have a feeling that she's going to be a fan. Michael, Bruise and Bucket are all pretty die-hard fans. ... Me? I have a traitorous leaning toward Playmobil. But I like Legos, too.)
• Mom came up for Bubble's baby blessing. Since she stayed at a hotel, the kids and I went over and we all swam in the pool. (Michael went on a temple trip for Youth Baptisms ... Or else he and I'd have gone out and watched The Hunger Games. No, I still haven't seen it yet. I know. I'd ask for not spoilers ... but, hey, it's not like I haven't already read the books.)
• Bubbles got blessed on Easter Sunday. She filled her pants right as Michael started ... so his mind went a  little blank. I did hear her squawk a little over the microphone ... At least only the circle of menfolk were privy to her bowels. :P
  She looked very pretty in Bucket's blessing gown. (And some six-year-old stains came out of that with a mixture of Zout and Oxi-Clean, by the by.)
• Monday was my birthday. It was pretty quiet. Had to take Sari-hedgehog in to the vet's. She had lost a lot of weight and had started chewing on her feet. It turned out to be a tumor in her mouth. So she was put to sleep. The kiddos were really sad. Bucket SOBBED on the way to the car and on the way home (But she perked up when she got to watch Phineas and Ferb). Michael came home early and we went out for dinner. (Hungarian Food? YUM!!) Then we went to Target and bought a birthday present for our niece's birthday party that was coming up.
  Also, Bucket told her bus driver that it was my birthday. So their sweet bus driver wished me a happy birthday. (Along with TONS of Facebook friends. And phone calls from family.) ^_^
• Tuesday ... Gosh, I was in FIIIIIINE form. I got the kids on the bus and then set up the bug bombs under the house, went to the bread store, and went to the WIC office FORTY MINUTES LATE for my appointment. (It's been rescheduled.) I felt a little dumb ... Until that evening, when I looked at my phone, realized it was 7:35 ... and that I HAD an appointment to renew my temple recommend.
  FIFTEEN MINUTES AGO.
  *headdesk*
  At least I was able to go, LATE, and get it. And, during my freak-out, my children assured me that, "Mom, you're NOT an idiot. You're the BEST MOM."
• The kids had Spring Pictures at school. Still no homework packets. I don't know if I should be worried.
• Michael noticed that the truck was running rough Friday morning. So he stayed home (after doing security during Seminary) and we ran errands (like buying oil for the truck and the van) before the kids came home. Then we had THEM go to the bathroom and we headed down to visit Nana.
  It was Nana's first time meeting Bubbles. (She was VERY excited to see her fourth great-grandchild. And I made sure to get pictures of her with all my brood. Just in case. She's 81, you see. And I'd be P.O.'ed if I didn't have pictures of her with all the kiddos.)
  Then we headed out to the coast for our youngest niece's birthday party.
  Now, just so you know ... EVEN THOUGH we had the kids go pee before we left, Bruise had to go pee THREE TIMES while we're on the road. Two of them were NOT at a rest stop.
  ONE of them was pulled off on the shoulder of a major highway. YEAH. Not thrilled.
• I got to help T1 (sister-in-law) make cake pops/balls. I just helped with the dipping. But I think they turned out well. The party itself went REALLY well ... She put TONS of planning into it.
  (I feel a little bad that Bruise and Bucket never got a party where I spent that long planning it. Of course, I'm not a totally crafty-type person ... So, yeah ... Oh well. And we'll see how much energy I have with which to plan Bubble's first birthday party. I might try to start now ... but, well, I have no idea what stuff she really likes. Well, besides: sleeping, nursing, snuggling, and having clean diapers. And warm bathwater. But, ... well, you can't really plan a PARTY around that. ... Well, not a GOOD party to be attended by family, anyways. Yeah.)
• Yesterday, I managed to get the kids and myself dressed and to church on time. I didn't make it to Sunday School (Michael and I were cleaning out the Diaper Genie in the Mothers' Lounge. Well, I emptied it out and put a new trashbag in it. He took that bag of stenchy nastiness out to the dumpster. I don't want to be breathing in weeks-old, dirty diapers while feeding and snuggling my infant. And I'm sure that no one else does, either!). I also wasn't there for all of Relief Society, since Bubbles NEEDED a clean diaper. THEN she NEEDED to be fed RIGHT THEN. So, yeah ... I know that the lesson was about the teachings of George Albert Smith ... and I know what lesson we were on ... but ... well, that's about it.
• After we got home and had lunch, we just relaxed. And I went and took a bath. And found myself falling asleep in the tub. So I got on my clothes and took a nap. Michael brought Vesper in so that she could eat. She and I both fell asleep. She ate again ... and then she and I were OUT. Michael came in to get ready for the Stake Priesthood Meeting ... I didn't even stir. I was completely unconscious.
  I woke up about two hours later and got Bruise and Bucket ready for bed. Then Michael came back home, we got the rest of the garbage out, looked at some webpages, and went to bed.
• Today, I (scheduled and) took Bubbles to the doctor. She's got a plugged tear duct. It should go away on its own. Then she and I went and visited one of my VT gals. Then we came home ... and got the kids from the bus stop. And one of my friends came over to chat and help me fold laundry.
  Rescheduled my WIC appointment. Talked to my mom and my dad and my dad's girlfriend (to her her with their remote. She really fixed the problem on her own. Just needed moral support, I think. ^_^). 

So, yeah, I've had stuff to keep me busy.
I have a bunch of library books that I'm going to have to renew, since I haven't gotten to read them all yet. *sigh*
But the house is getting cleaner, bit by bit. And there aren't ants crawling ALL OVER my kitchen. *shudders*

Bubbles is telling me that it's time to pick her up, change her stinky-pants, and give her some more food.
I live to serve ... as any mother does. :P

Oh, if anyone has to deal with a clogged tear duct, here's some help:

• Warm, wet compresses. -- You can use them to massage the eye.
  Run your finger from the inner corner down the nose.
• If you have it, a squirt of breastmilk in the eye works.
  If you're nursing, make sure to kiss your baby near his/her infected eye.
  It's the most direct way for you to get those germs so you can start producing the antibodies needed to get rid of any infection.
• Elevate the head of the bed where the kiddo sleeps.
  In this case, the plug is most likely from reflux of milk running up the sinuses and clogging the tear duct. If the milk can't run up there, there's no way for the plug to form.
• Keep anyone you're not in a kissing-close relationship with from touching the baby. Especially the face.

Yup. Hope that helps!