Saturday....YEAH!!  I am looking forward to a relaxing weekend.   It is still very cold and will be all weekend so we will be spending most of our time in the house this weekend.

LAST NIGHT -  I picked up Tommy from daycare and we had a quiet evening home alone.  My hubby was been pretty stressed with work and pushed over the top by Erik the last few days.   So he called and said he was going out.   I am really glad he was able to go out with some friends.  He really needed that break!!   Tommy and I had his favorite supper, grilled cheese sandwhiches and strawberries.   Then we curled up in bed and watch SpyKids 2 and ate popcorn.   After the movie Tommy spent alot of time pretending to be a secret agent.  We were in bed and asleep by 10:00

TODAY - no matter what I can't sleep past 7:00am.   So I am up and have started some laundry.   I have a few things I need to get done this morning.   I need to go through the bins down stairs and see if I have any size 5 jeans.  Tommy has increased in a size.  If not we will be going to Target today to buy him new underwear and pants for school.   He is growing so quickly.  I budgeted $40.00 so that should do it for him.   I try to stock up on clothes during clearance sales and garage sales, but I don't know what I have down stairs right now.  Hopefully a few pairs of pants!

Also on the agenda today is going to the library.   I also have 4 punds of hamburger that I will fry up and season for taco flavored.  I will hen freeze it for future meals.  That way my hubby can just pull out flavored meat and his meal is nearly done!    

I am so glad it is Friday!!!   I am really looking forward to the weekend with hubby and Tommy.   It is REALLY cold here in MN so I hope to spend alot of time curled up in a blanket reading or watching movies this weekend.   This morning I was debating about filling gas since it was so cold and i didn't want to do it!   I had to....it is about 10 degrees below today so it is cold.  YOu know that cold when you feel icles forming in your nostrils.  LOL!!  

I am goign out to do a school observation this afternoon other wise I am in the office.   Later!!

Well I wasn't able to go to church tonight since I am running a fever.    I didn't want to spread the lovely germs from our house.  I encouraged hubby to got to church with the kids, but he rarely will go without me.   So he and Tommy are home with me as well.   It is about 6:30 and I am going to bed.   I am so tired!  This fever is taking alot out of me.   I did call the clinic today and all of our strep tests were negative. 

I did go to my eye tech appointment and got more intensive testing for glaucoma done on my eyes.  They put these drops to make your eye numb.....very weird feeling!    Then I grabbed groceries and came home.  By the time I got home I was so tired!   I put away the cold groceries and went to bed.   I slept for 2 hours and am ready to go back to sleep now.   If I am running a fever tomorrow I probably won't go to work.  I do have my laptop with me so I can work a bit tomorrow afternoon if I am feeling better.

I asked Josh to wash the dishes before going to church tonight, which he did while I was sleeping.   AAAH...good boy!   

I just finished another book for February.  I am not reading much this month since I am just so tired.   I only read a page or so and fall alseep.   Maybe this elevated white blood count has something to do with my being so tired....we will see.  

Second Summer of the Sisterhood (Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) - Ann Brashares - 4/5

This is a young adult book, but after watching the movie Sisterhood of the Traveling pants, I just loved the characters and had to read more about them.   I enjoyed this one as well.   I rarely read Young Adult books.  

I got to my Endocrinologist on time yesterday.   I had a 3:15 appointment and didn't get roomed until after 4:00.  ARGH!!   The Dr was great and did spend a lot of time with me explaining my new diagnosis and treatment.   Yes at the age of 35 I have osteoporosis due to prolong steroid use.  So we had a discussion about medication.  The medication is usually used for older women so there is no research on what it would do to a fetus if I was to get pregnant again.   Now, granted we don't plan on having more children, but I hate that now I am advise not to.   I don't want the option taken away from me.  I do secretly dream of having a 4th child.  But hubby reminds me that a 4th child means no private school for Tommy as I will have to pay daycare for the 4th one.   We want the best for Tommy.  

So I will start taking Fosamax this weekend a weekly medication.  The Dr said it will be two years before they will see an increase in my density of my bones.   I have to change my birth control method since it causes osteoporosis.   Hubby and I are still discussing that.   They found a few weird things in the blood testing last time.  I had an elevated white blood count, which they retested yesterday.   I also didn't have a high enough level of vitamin D, so that will be checked ever 2 to 3 months.    In addition to my Dexscan showing the osteoporosis, I have a abnormal reading on vertebrae L2.    It is a possible fracture, which I will be having another X-ray to rule out.  If I have a fracture, it means the osteoporosis have progressed and I will need to switch to more aggressive treatment which consists of a daily injection.   YUCK!

So the use of steroids to treat my asthma has given me cataracts, glaucoma and osteoporosis.  It is very hard to not be upset by this........but I am trying.   There is nothing I can do to change this.   The Dr wants me to stop drinking any caffeine.   I am not happy about that.  I should be allowed one vice.   So I said I would decrease to one can a day.  Everything is bad for me and I should not do it!   I had more blood draw at the specialty clinic and then ran to Papa Murphy's to pick up our heart pizzas.  

Came home and baked them.   Then hubby, Erik and I had to go back to the school to get Erik's History Day folder since he forgot it!  The project was due today and of course Erik didn't bring it home.   Then we went to JoAnne's to buy a tri-fold display board.  Tommy got very crabby and I went to bed with him around 8:30.  He was sound asleep by 8:45.   He was very tired!  Hubby, Erik and my SIL worked on with Erik on his projects for many hours.  They were up very late!!   Not the best planning.....but it is done and looks very good.  The school really didn't help him much.  What they had done with him was unacceptable and not his best work at all!  

This morning I am keeping Tommy home with me until 10:00 as my SIL has to give he son a ride to N St  Paul for an appointment.    I have an appointment today at 11:00 with the eye Technician to get a base line reading on my cataract and glaucoma.  Then I don't have anymore appointments until next week.  I see the pulmonologist next Tuesday.   I sure hate trying to get to all these Dr appointments.  Luckily yesterday the endocrinologist said I didn't have to see him for one year.   I will have my vitamin D checked, but don't have to see him. 

I hope to get groceries and rest a bit this afternoon.   We have church this evening...that is it for my day.  I do have to work a bit and write a letter to court for sure.  I am tired and could use a nap.......

We will be celebrating tonight as a family.   We have a few extra guests tonight.  Amy is coming over, as she and Josh are working on their scrapbook.   We are also watching our niece and nephew.  So there should be hubby and I and 6 kids for the evening.  Always a full house at our home.  That is one thing I love!

I bought each of the kids a card and a few small treats.   We are having heart shaped pizzas from Papa Murphy's.  They have a good deal for Valentines day!  So easy supper for Mom!

So I am not going to work late tonight.  I have a Dr appointment at 3:20 and then I will pick up the pizzas and head home.   Should be a relaxing night hopefully.  We should hear back later today about our strep cultures.   I am sure they will leave a message at our home, but I won't get there until later this afternoon.  OH well.....

Wishing a very happy Valentine's Day to you and your family!

I seem to have made a dent in my piles on my desk.   I am heading home and will face this massive TO DO list tomorrow!  

Tomorrow's Agenda:

1. Tommy to Preschool in AM
   
2. 12:00 meeting for work
   
3. Dr's appointment at 3:20 in St Paul for me.
   

To Work late on Valentine's Day or not..........hmmmmmmmmm

Taco Soup

Monday is always an overwhleming day.  My mail box and voicemail is always overflowing at work. Today is no difference.   I will be working a bit late since I had to take the younger two boys to the Dr this morning.  We all had rapid strep tests, which were negative.  Hopefully that means we caught Josh's early enough that no one else caught it.   Erik had a bit of a red throat and I have a red and swollen throat.  They will do the over night culture and let us know tomorrow the final verdict.  

I love my job but today I was asked to participate in a panel discussion on tranistion services for children with autism.   Easy enough, but I HATE public speaking!   Yeah....you would think I would love to be paid to run at the mouth in front of a captive audience, but NO!    I know I have to start doing more of these, I usually turn them down or geta co-worker to do it.  You can't give me a big enough stipend to do it!   But I decided I need to start accepting these invitations to speak.  I have a pretty good idea as to which parent on my caseload gave my name...LOL!!  I am getting a bit too well known in the local autism groups.  So I get to chat to probably 100 people or so.....just a friendly little chat, right??    I got one of my friends to do the chat about tranisiton from the perspective of a social worker that works with adults.   That makes me more comfortable.  She was so gracious!  She actually said she likes doing this kind of thing. 

Can you believe tomorrow is Valentine's Day???   I should work late tomorrow since I have a Dr appointment.  Hmm...we will see.  I was thinking of getting Papa John's Heart Pizzas and surprising the family.  We will see.......I should work though....hmmm...decisions, decision...I guess it depends on how much I get done tonight.   I guess I better get going on that!   Later!!

BTW- Weight Watchers - weigh in I was up .4 of a pound.  ARgh...wrong way scale!    And I did really good most of the week....it was the darn weekend.