Still at home

 Despite testing negative twice, Aaron tested positive with the home test yesterday.  So we all have/had it.  

Today is day 10 for Bronwyn.  So, as long as she doesn't have a fever, she can go to school on Monday.  The rest of us are a few days behind her.  I think today is day 9 for me.  I'm feeling well enough.  I still have a cough and a little post nasal drip, but no fever.  According to the CDC I'm free to roam as long as I wear a mask.  I think I'll go to the library.  I got three books, I read one and I can't get into the other two.

Aaron is still lethargic. It doesn't help that Bertram doesn't sleep well, and Bron gets up really early.

There really isn't anything else to report.  We're all going a little crazy.  I haven't cleaned well in almost 2 weeks.  It's too hard to do with everyone here.  I have been weeding again.  I need to put out some seeds too.  

And then came Covid

 Starting on last Tuesday night, Bron had a fever.  Getting a covid test around here has been next to impossible.  Fortunately, the school district offers free tests for students and employees.  Both kids stayed home. We got Bron tested on Wednesday, and Bert on Thursday.  Bron was positive, Bert was negative. We still kept Bert home for the rest of the week.  Bron was sick on Wednesday, decent fever, tired, little cough.  After Wednesday, she bounced back pretty much to normal.  Friday afternoon, it hit me pretty suddenly.  Tired, achy.  I checked Kaiser, and they magically had testing appointments available that afternoon.  Aaron and I got tested, since the kids had just gotten their tests.  Friday night my fever went up to 102.7.  I took medicine and went to bed.  I was in bed pretty much all day on Saturday.  Sunday, I was probably operating at 75%.  During this time, both kids had low fevers off and on.  And our home tests arrived from Amazon.  Early this morning, Aaron and I finally got our test results back.  I was positive, he was negative.  That was a surprise.  Aaron isn't feeling great, but he tested negative, and retested this morning with the home test, still negative.  So I'm not sure what is wrong with him, but I guess it's not covid.  Which is good, because we're out of food.  He's at Safeway right now.  The other surprise this morning was that Bertram was positive.  Those home tests are pretty great.  (They are the type of test that show if you're still contagious).

I'm still a little sick.  Tired, sore throat, stuffy nose. But really it was very mild in our house.  I assume it's a combination of Omicron flavour, and everyone (except Bronwyn) being vaxxed (and boosted for Aaron and I).  

I was waiting for this to happen, I knew we wouldn't be able to skate by.  Masked are required for both of them at school, but I know Bronwyn isn't the best able keeping hers on.  Plus both kids are always touching their faces and mouths.  

So we're all going stir crazy.  And to add to the craziness, both kids have been up since well before 5.  I'm not actually sure how early.  I know Bronwyn was in bed with Aaron and was awake off and on from 1:30(?).  I went in Bertram's room to sleep and he was up from probably 3(?).  So we'll probably attempt some quiet time.  I got up with the kids, (we got out of bed at 4:45, Bronwyn joined us shortly there after), and let Aaron sleep til almost 9.  I was dozing on the couch, and Bronwyn swallowed a lego.  So I'm not winning mom of the year any time soon.

A day in the life

The kids had their biannual dentist visit this week.  It was fortunate that Aaron was off of work that day, because it's hard to manage the two of them at the same time (God bless you people with 3+ kids!).  I took Bertram, because he responds better with me, and Bron doesn't really care much.  Last time it was a struggle to get anything done.  Bertram was apprehensive, and asked a lot of questions.  But he did great.  He let them do everything they needed, except for x-rays, which we'll try next time.  He is going to need braces, which we had assumed. So we have an appointment with the orthodontist in a month.  He has his heart set on Invisaline.  I'm fine with that, because tooth hygiene is way easier without metal braces.  But I'm worried he'll lose the retainer (or whatever it's called), because he's not sure responsible with stuff.  We have good dental, which includes orthodontics, so I'm not too concerned about cost.  Though, in reality, I have no clue how much it costs.  I guess we'll see.  Both Aaron and I had braces.  I got my first set (to correct my overbite) in 3rd or 4th grade.  Then the full set until I was 15.  I was/am really good about wearing my retainers so my teeth still look nice.  Anyway, he was very compliant, and I was happy with his behaviour.  (I had told  him that if he wasn't well behaved he'd have to go back to school after the dentist, but if he behaved he could have the rest of the day off.)
Bronwyn's appointment was fairly quick, because she was a little combative.  Aaron had to hold her, and pin in her arms and legs.  But they checked her teeth, and gave her fluoride treatment (which is what I wanted most for her visit). 

We didn't have ABA that day because our tech was awaiting a second negative covid test.  We decided to go for a hike.  We did the same route we did a few days previous.  Bron was not into it that day, and went very slowly.  We got to the trailhead (about a mile), and turned around.  She had to be carried the whole way down (which is better than up).  Bertie did well on the hike and wanted to continue (like we had the other day), but it was not meant to be.

Months later

 I haven't posted since June.  I'm sure a lot has happened, but I don't remember any of it.

In October we went to Disneyland for 3 days. It was a long drive.  We got to LA in time for rush hour, which added a long time to the drive, maybe 1-2 hours.  I was surprised how crowded it was, during the middle of the week, and when you need to make reservations.  We stayed in a motel down the street, it was about a mile walk, which wasn't bad.  The weather was warm, then nice.  We went at the same time as Aaron's cousin and his family, so we met up with them a few times.  We couldn't get Bert on to any of the big rides.  Bron went on everything she was tall enough for. Bertram build a droid and a light saber.  My goal for the trip was to not turn down park things for being too expensive.  Buy the churro, eat the ice cream.

Bron is getting closer to being potty trained.  Two days in a row, she's pooped on the potty without any prompting from us.  She's getting pretty good about staying dry, as long as we remind her to pee. But she's staying dry at night.  Yesterday she had a lot of accidents, for some reason.  But prior to that, and today have been much better.  It will be interesting when she returns to school next week.  Hopefully she sticks with it.  I want her to be able to go to kindergarten in the fall, so she needs to be potty trained.  Plus she's 4, it's past time.  

Last week, I took the kids to the aquarium by myself, and without the stroller (a first for both).  The first half of the trip was fine.  Bron stayed dry the whole time.  But at some point, something unknown happened and Bronwyn started melting down.  Then she pulled Bert's hair (hard).  So he was crying and yelling.  So I sat with them in an alcove, physically restraining Bron, because she wanted to run away. They yelled and cried.  I laugh, then I cried a little.  It was all so ridiculous and overwhelming.  We gathered ourselves and saw a little more.  But Bron kept trying to run.  So I had to carry her, which was hard with her fighting me.  I put her on my shoulders, and she pulled my hair too.  I decided we'd had enough fun.  Then Bronwyn melted down because she didn't want to leave.  So I had to carry her up the hill screaming and crying.  I got everyone in the car and buckled.  Then I cried for a while.

We went back to the aquarium on Tuesday.  Aaron came this time.  It went a little better.  But it was so busy.  Everything was 3-4 people deep.  As an introvert, I am not good with crowds, so I was feelng antsy.  Bert did pretty well, but melted down again.  Less severely.   And Bert got to touch a stingray, which was his goal for both trips.  

We desperately need new flooring in our bedroom.  It's the only room with carpet and it's really low quality carpet.  It's been torn away from the wall, by the dog trying to dig out of the room.  It's stained, not plush, and is torn in several areas.  We went to Home Depot to look at wood and wood type flooring.  But got side tracked by how nice the carpet was. It was so plush and soft.  We decided to get carpet again.  But there was no one to help us.  So we went across the street to S&G carpets, and they were very helpful.  We're getting our new carpet installed on Monday.  Aaron painted the room and replaced the baseboards this week.  We changed from a purple to a grey blue.  It looks really nice, he did a great job.  But the floor around our sliding door needed repairs, because our in-laws like to avoid fixing things until it's absolutely necessary.  In the process of doing this, the shitty carpet got even more destroyed,  I can't wait for the new carpet, then our room will be done.  We got new nightstands earlier this year (ours didn't match before).  And our new lights came today.  It's weird to be able to buy things and not have to get the cheapest thing. Like, we can spend $200 on lamps, and it's ok.  I think we're strongly middle class now.

Year End Survey

 1. What did you do in 2021 that you'd never done before?
Bought carpet for our bedroom.  Got a tattoo

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I made a resolution to read another 100 books.  I think I only read 20 something this year. My resolution for 2022 is to drink more water.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Not that I can think of

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Not that I can recall

5. What countries did you visit?
 Hahahaha. Covid says no

6. What would you like to have in 2022 that you lacked in 2021?
For Covid to be over and done, once and for all

7. What days from 2021 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
October 8-10, we went to Disneyland

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Making good financial decisions

9. What was your biggest failure?
Not exercising much

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No.  Surprisingly, with nearly two years of covid no one in the family has gotten it.  But we're all vaccinated and boostered, so hopefully we will continue to be unaffected.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Disney related stuff

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
The kids.  They have been very flexible.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
The usual.  People who refuse to get vaccinated(for non-medical reasons)

14. Where did most of your money go?
Rent.  And Disney, after that.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Going to Disneyland.  I was also anxious because I wasn't sure how the kids would do, but overall, it was a good trip.

16. What song will always remind you of 2021?
Nothing I can think of.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? happier
ii. thinner or fatter? about the same
iii. richer or poorer? richer

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Exercised

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Being depressed, not that I had a ton of control over that

20. How did you spend Christmas?
The usual.  With the in-laws

22. Did you fall in love in 2021?
no

23. What was your favorite TV program?
Ink Masters

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
No, just the same people

25. What was the best book you read?
I can't remember.  I read more of the books at the beginning of the year. 

26. What was your greatest musical (re)discovery?
Do podcasts count?  I've been mostly listening to podcasts

27. What did you want and get?
A vaccine

28. What did you want and not get?
Covid to go away

29. What was your favorite film of this year?
I know I watched a few movies this year.  But nothing is springing to mind.

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 38.  I can't remember what we did. 

31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
No world-wide pandemic

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2021?
Comfy clothes

33. What kept you sane?
Anti-depressants

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
No one in particular

35. What political issue stirred you the most?
Universal Health Care, paid parental leave

36. Who did you miss?
My mom and seester

37. Who was the best new person you met?
I don't meet people

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2021:
If you want to do something, make it happen

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
Everything's gonna be better next year.

RIP phone

 Yesterday I dropped my phone (as I've done many times before).  It has a case, but as it hit the ground the screen went black.  Apparently, it fell just right. or wrong.  After that it got really hot.  I was concerned it might blow up, so I put it in a pot on the stove, with a lid.  It didn't blow up, and eventually ran out of battery, and cooled off. 

I am realizing how dependent I am on my phone.  My whole calendar is on there, and didn't sync with the google computer calendar, so all my appointments may be lost.  I use it as an alarm clock.  The kids ABA techs use it to contact me about scheduling stuff. My family texts me throughout the day.  I text Aaron pretty frequently.  I listen to podcasts, music and the radio on my phone.  And it's the thing that goes in my hand.  

We got one of the old phones out so I have an alarm clock.  And my new one will be here today.  But it's annoying, I'd only had the phone since October, and I really liked it.  

June post

 The kids finished school two weeks ago.  Bron made good progress.  And Bert got all 3s (the highest) except on the spacing for his writing. In-person school went well for both kids.  Bert had one so-so day and one bad day, but all the rest were good.  Bron had good days across the board.
He had his first non-cousin playdate the Saturday after school finished.  Seems like he did pretty well.  I don't know if playdates are hard for all ASD kids.  I was relieved that it went well.  He's having a friend (the same friend) over here presently.  It's going ok.  He seems to forget that he needs to pay attention to his guest too.  I guess maybe it takes practice.

Bron started Summer school today, half-days 9-12.  I tried to sign Bertram up, but I only wanted half-days for him (partially because it's Summer, he doesn't need to be in school from 9-3.  And partially because he has ABA daily at 3).  Half-day programs all filled up, so full day was the only option, so we are skipping summer school.  I found a gymnastics camp for Bertram.  It's also from 9-12, which isn't the best in terms of timing, but since Aaron is working from home, most days are not an issue.  Tomorrow Aaron has a lunch meeting, so my MiL is going to pick up Bertram, and I'll get Bron.  Bron seemed to have a good first day.  Bertram just complained a lot, it was hot, he ran out of water, he didn't like it.  He has another 4 days.  If he changes his mind, I'll sign him up for another week later in the summer.  Otherwise, I'll have to see what else I can find.  All the Parks and Rec swimming lessons filled up, so I need to look into some private ones.  For Bertram anyway.  Since Bron has school from 9-12 and ABA from 3-7 she doesn't have a lot of time for other activities, but I don't want to spread her too thin.

Bron going to Summer school

A week ago, I got a tattoo.  (Sorry mom, feel free to skip this paragraph).  I've been wanting one since I was 14 or 15, and since I turned 38, I figured it was time to take the plunge.  I got three flowers on my upper arm for my sisters and me.  (Sunflower for Rebecca, hibiscus for Jessica and a California poppy for me.  And I included 2 bees on my poppy for the kids(because the kids names start with B)).  I got the outline a week ago, I got back in two weeks for colour.  I didn't hurt too badly, manageable, mostly.  A couple spots were more sensitive, but I didn't need any breaks, so I kind of felt like a badass.  Haha.

An odd angle but you get the idea, I'll post another when the colour is done

We went to the aquarium for the first time since February 2020.  Normally we go every 2 or 3 months.  Bronwyn was really excited by everything.  Bertram was sad because his favourite exhibit was gone.  But it was a good day.  We got lunch at Carl's Jr and played at the park before headed back.  We stopped at Sonic on the way home (Our closest Sonic is 30 minutes away, so we don't go often).  

I've been exercising most mornings.  Like real exercise, hard cardio and weights, usually for 45 minutes, sometimes more.  I've been doing this for about three weeks, and so far I've gained 2 lbs.  :eye roll: I have an appointment with my GP for a physical next week for a physical, so i'm going to talk to her about it then.