Working Weekend

The poor pond.....so neglected. Some feeder fish survived the winter so it could only be partially emptied. You have to keep the nasty balance so the fish don't die. . Naturally the old pump died so I had to go buy a new one. I quickly realized that I bought one a little too strong for my little waterfall............ I do believe that we have a personal record for the most trips to Lowe's in one weekend......uh, at least 7 trips. John worked on putting up the new garage door opener while I did other projects. . When the security folks put in the new system they left the old..... along with the holes. I got to patch and paint those.

I wanted to do more outside work but the weather turned nasty, cold and rainy.

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Jason and a family friend stopped by just as Sarah was making dinner Sunday night.

We got some work finished. I worked on decluttering but I am a looong way from being finished. I go to bed at night tired but then can't sleep because I have so much to do. I have been seriously neglecting my class work. I have a test on Wednesday and need to get to the library to do some research so I can start writing some of my projects up.

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I am looking forward to April 28th....last day of finals.

Busy, busy, ACK, BUSY, BUSY

So, I was so busy before I got a call last week from adoptions. No, not a kid but finally some movement forward. We are getting a visit next from the adoption worker to do our homestudy.

Thus the ACK!

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I have been anticipating having May off so that I could do some spring cleaning. I really don't have the time to do it now. However, it looks like I am doing it now even though I am crazy busy.

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I did take some time to have lunch and do a little shopping with some of my girls the other day. I kept Larissa home from school so I could spend a little time with her.

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I know that I am going crazy when I forget what day of the week it is. I forgot it was Friday today. That may not be a big issue but I had an assignment that had to be in by 8 pm, it was submitted at 10 pm because I realized at 9:45 that it was Friday. Oooops.

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So, no zoo or other excitement this weekend. I will be cleaning and organizing our clutter. Hmmmmm, there are some empty tubs in the garage.....

What is on my Mind!

What is it you may ask. It is a castle loft bed that I would like to make. The sketch is a little basic but in my mind I contemplate the details, the trim work, how I will construct it. I really don't have time for this. I have so much that I need to do.

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However, when I am stressed I need to create. It is the way I am, making something is my best stress reliever. That is also part of my problem....I tend to start projects and not finish them! Well, typically I do finish them....eventually.

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My biggest stresses right now is not unfinished home projects but unfinished school projects. This semester ends April 28th and I have some huge projects to do. Maybe if my brain didn't wander to lofty castles I could get something else done. Hmmmm, or maybe not. I am also a terrible procrastinator. Can't help it, I believe that it is genetic. Tasha seems to have a touch of it as well.

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For some reason this semester I have been struggling with school. I enjoy the lectures, I just have a hard time sitting down and doing the reading. Every time I pick up a book I tend to fall asleep. If you want a good nights sleep start reading Single-Case Research Designs. It put me to sleep anytime of the day, even when I don't think I am tired.

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Actually being tired is a big problem for me right now. For some reason I am sleepy all the time. Naps are delightful when I can take one. I think that going to the local schools during the day and then class three or four nights a week is part of the problem. I also have household and mommy duties so that doesn't leave time for studying..

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I know that this too will pass. The semester will end and I will go on to the next one. Eventually even the semesters will end I will graduate!

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I really want to build that lofty castle while Larissa is young enough to enjoy it.....I am thinking May break might be a good time.

The Zoo

Spring is finally here and that requires a trip to the zoo.
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Where you feed the lorikeets....


Larissa wasn't too sure about it....she preferred that the bird fed from my arm.

This is why I take the pictures!

Success.....Larissa allowed a bird to stay on her own arm.

We also rode the carousel.

Did some rock climbing.

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Last time Anthony wasn't willing to do it, this time he did and enjoyed it.

Sarah, Joselin and Tylor even gave it a try.

We even checked out some animals.

And they checked us out.....wonder if they think we look funny.

We got to feed some giraffes.

We had a great time and got out there by noon right when the crowds were showing up.

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Tonight John and I are going on a date! Looks like it will be a good weekend. I might even find some time to do some school work that really needs to get done.

Shoes

I bought Larissa some red and white polka dotted shoes.
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She loves them.

Do you think that she will always be so easy to please?

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I think not. But I will enjoy her simple pleasures while they last.

Paranoid

I have stayed away from posting because I just can't seem to find my happy place this week. I am still very bothered by the fact that I had boys snuck into my house while all the kids and I were in it. It is such a security issue for me.
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I find that I am paranoid. Yep, I get up in the middle of the night and walk around the house. During the day I inspect the garage and make sure that stuff isn't being taken out there to disappear. We have had two IPods disappear lately. We do have someone in the home who has a long history of stealing from everyone in the family.
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Lying, stealing, deception........it all gets old. I get tired of being the cop. I get tired of forgiving. I get tired of feeling like someone is taking advantage of me.
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Today I was doing some research on alarm systems. Ours has not been activated in a long time and I think it is time to upgrade. I am looking at having a wireless system installed. All the doors will beep when they are opened. That still leaves the windows vulnerable.
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Taking actions to add security systems seems to be the only thing I can do. Honestly, I am not sure what else I can do at this point. Sad thing, it is for protection from within.

Global

In some ways the internet has made my world a little bigger. The people I worry about are now all over the place.....all over the world. I follow many blogs. I am not limited by a single subject.....crafts, adoption, foster families, sewing, large families, military families.....I follow a lot of them.
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The earthquake and then tsunami in Japan immediately brought one particular blogger to mind. All day I watched to see if they posted. Thankfully, they are safe. I have never met them, but I worried about them. http://not2many.blogspot.com/
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I also follow a blogger in Libya. I really worry about her. I check her blog daily to see if she is OK. She has not posted since March 2nd. I assume that there is no internet. Their country in turmoil. http://khadijateri.blogspot.com/
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I have many kids to worry about yet I choose to become involved in the lives of other bloggers.
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Everyone seems to have global connections. On the surface it seems great but then some days I worry that with the global connections that we have lost face to face connections.
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Funny though, most of my support through our adoptions and related issues have come from internet connections. I have even met with some of the women that I have met online. Sometimes I just wish that I could find such support locally. Support where we could meet with for some iced tea or even swap childcare. But then I think that my life is too busy to support friendships. How sad is that? I guess that this is my season for internet support.
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However, if you ever see me heading to your town let me know, we can meet for some iced tea.