Love a laptop!

We've got a hail & thunderstorm going on, yet I can unplug from power surges and still blog!

Had a wonderful weekend with James's family in C'burg. It's amazing how much Jessica grows up between visits, but I guess that's what happens with four-year-olds. Kyle is so good with her, and she relishes the attention from her big cousin!

Today has been challenging. I left my PMS meds home this weekend, and conducted an unplanned experiment. I had been wondering if they were contributing to my probable sleep apnea (ie-not formally diagnosed, but James will testify that I was waking him several times each night as I stopped breathing and then startled and gasped for breath). I had some really weird dreams, might be stress-related, but at least I slept long enough to dream! Since I've felt a bit more rested after just two nights, I'll be going in to discuss this with my doctor this week.

Stressors?
James was informed last Tuesday that the contract his company (& thus he) has been working on was cancelled to shift funds to another project. Two weeks, plus or minus, to find another job or have a pay lapse. Glad we've been managing to build up our savings (since we stopped the simultaneous court cases)!

Tori still hasn't decided that she's staying here (so we can arrange things for her to put & keep her stuff out of the way) or moving out. And she's keeping a schedule that doesn't allow her to participate in household activities or discussions about finances or schedules, etc. And she hasn't been living up to the conditions she agreed to as part of staying her. Rather than trying to schedule a later time at her convenience (which it never seems to be), I insisted on a discussion this afternoon, since she's so rarely home. And, mean mom, I insisted that she pay her car insurance bill, per our agreement (or a month late for that) or I would be removing her car from my policy tomorrow. She wasn't happy about that, as you can imagine.
You couldn't pay me enough to be 18 again!!!

Liza's doing well, but she has a meeting for her exchange trip this weekend, I have a seminar, Kyle's here so James isn't available, and transportation from the other household is iffy-even tho' the kids are over there this weekend.

Kyle seems to think that nearly half his grades (in average level classes) as C's should merit his father's support of his participation in marching band next Fall, but Dad doesn't agree. Any suggestions?

Samuel's his usual high-energy self, and going more directions at once than I can keep up with. Wish I had his energy. Since he's been missing time and shared activities with friends, we're talking about him going back to school next year (8th grade). That will/would free up quite a bit of time & energy in my schedule. (And I've been home long enough that the idea of going out to work is beginning to appeal. I'm sure I'll come to my senses soon after I get back into that routine, but it will help us clear debt and build our country-home savings fund!)

At least Miriam is a fount of calm this week, even if she "hates" the idea of sharing a school with her twin again. That's the price of being a twin, kiddo.

And then there are the co-parenting issues. . . It's so much fun (not!) trying to coordinate summer plans between three households. If anyone has suggestions/requests/ideas for summer plans, please let me know! (After all, my favorite means of dealing with stress is to create structure, so I'm working in that direction now!)

On the positive side of things, I really do have a fabulous family! And . . .IT'S SPRING!!! Our yard is full of daffodils. The bright-yellow earliest ones are beginning to fade, and the forsythia is dimming as those leaves come in, but the yard is full of various other daffodils. The hostas have started coming up, and James has been busy splitting and transplanting them throughout the yard. The edge of the hill in the back has been planted with hostas split from the front, and the front yard has had gaps filled in. The rain will be great for all our thirsty plants. The back patio is settling in, and the thyme will soon be ready to split and plant back there. The ornamental cherry trees throughout the neighborhood are bursting out, and they're glorious!

It's just so much fun to wander through our neighborhood, and especially our yard, and watch things come alive!

I had to laugh at the squirrel that was digging in the front beds today. It seems James mulched over his acorns, and he was having the dickens of a time finding them. And Kit was going crazy watching all the activity through the window!

Life is good.