Just Some More Happenings

The last two weeks were pretty hairy, which is why I have taken so long to update this blog. That, and my pregnant brain is very unorganized right now. Time management is not my strong point at the moment.
On Monday the 5th, I went to my OB appointment. I was scheduled to take my sugar test that day, but the person who called to remind me of my appointment neglected to inform me of this. So...I had a root beer with my lunch. Exactly what I made the mistake of doing before my sugar test when I was pregnant with Drake, when I failed and had to return to take the horrendous 3-Hour sugar test (which turned out to be perfectly fine, after over twelve hours of fasting). I knew as soon as the nurse handed me that awful orange drink that I was going to fail the sugar test. I just knew it.
I failed it. I was pretty depressed, because I really, really hate the 3-hour test. You have to go to the doctor's office fasting and drink that horrible orange drink with at least twice the normal amount of sugar this time. Then you get your finger pricked to check your blood sugar an hour later. Then you wait another hour and get pricked again. Then you wait one more hour and get your blood tested for the last time. Well, by that time, I am usually a mess. Sick, shaky, nauseous, ready to pass out. My body is just not made to go without food, especially during pregnancy. Needless to say, I was dreading it.
Tuesday was my day to help with breakfast for Teacher Appreciation Week. I'm on the Hospitality Committee for the BDQ PTO, and we're in charge of Teacher Appreciation Week. We provide breakfast for the staff each morning of that week. We also got them each a $15 giftcard, and one mom, who is a massage therapist, provided ten minute massages throughout the day. I think it was pretty nice. I love to help out, but I was going crazy. I had to make two breakfast casseroles, purchase juice and fruit, and get to school at 7am - 30 minutes earlier than I generally even wake up - to set up. Breakfast went off well. My casseroles were pretty good, I think, and the teachers were all really appreciative.
On top of Teacher Appreciation Week, I had Vanessa's birthday cake to make. And the red velvet layers were NOT cooperating with me. Like I said before, I had never made a red velvet cake before and I made the mistake of baking it from scratch. I spent so much time trying to perfect the recipe and the layers that I did not have enough time to experiment with the icing and do a good job of icing the cake. I really wanted to pipe shells around the cake, but I had not no time and the icing was cream cheese-based and would not hold its shape anyway. Plus, on the top layer, the convection bake convected a little too well, I think, and it was hard on the outside edges. Plus I blew through about five bottles of red food coloring, and that stuff is not cheap - about $3.00 a bottle or more. I was just really glad when it was over with. I learned some valuable lessons about red velvet cakes and about cakes in general. I learned that I will need more than two days to make a cake if it's one I've never made before.
Vanessa's party was Tuesday night at Rollerland. Apparently, she has always wanted a roller rink all to herself, so James rented one for her. 45 minutes later, he had all her friends show up to skate, too. The kids really enjoyed themselves, and I even got to get out and skate - briefly. I think Vanessa had a good time. It was a pretty fun idea for a grown-up party.
Wednesday was Field Day at Skylar & Bart's school. I had wanted to go and help out, but was told by one of the office staff that there really wasn't any need for parents to help out, that some local high school students would be helping. So, I was kind of hurt and disappointed when I found out that teachers did need help from parents; some had even asked parents for help, instead of parents asking them. I love Field Day. I would have jumped at the chance to help out. I have such good memories of my elementary school Field Days. So, I was disappointed, but I kept telling myself that I can't do everything, I can't volunteer every day. I was a bit disappointed, too, that Skylar and Bart didn't seem to enjoy themselves very much at Field Day. They both came home complaining about the heat and that they weren't allowed to drink much water. In fact, Skylar was feeling so badly that she started crying outside her dance studio. I think she was slightly dehydrated. At any rate, Ms. Dorrie, the studio owner and the teacher that Skylar assists, told Skylar just to go on home and rest. This is the first time she missed her assistant class; I've made sure to get her to every one because the assistant class pays for one of her other classes, and it all gets very expensive. We went home, Skylar did her homework and took it easy for awhile. Although, let it be noted that she was NOT too ill to give her brothers a hard time.
Thursday was the Mother's Day Tea for all kindergarten classes. I went to see Bart and had snacks in his classroom. He and his classmates sang cute little Mother's Day songs for us. It was very sweet. After the snacks, he and the other children horsed around a little bit. He and his good friend, Nick, tried to have an encore performance, but it was time to go, unfortunately. My mom had come for a visit, and she was watching Drake for me. Bart and I picked up Skylar from her classroom and walked her down to the cafeteria for Girl Scouts. Where I shelled out over $40.00 for her new Junior Scouts vest and books. Honestly, I don't remember Girl Scouts being so pricey, and I had good reason to be informed, since Mom was a Leader for years. Oh no. I just realized I sound like my grandmother: "When I was a girl, I had to walk three miles to school, barefoot and uphill in the snow, and gas cost a nickel a gallon..." That sort of thing. It's a scary feeling.
That evening, Mom watched the kids for George and me while we went out to eat a nice dinner at Morgan's Tavern & Grill downtown. The food was really good. It had been awhile since we went out on a date, and it was nice. Afterward, we stopped by the Kia car lot to check out some new cars. We can't really get one right now, but we are definitely going to have to upgrade to a bigger vehicle before the end of the summer. We're just in a quandry that a lot of people are probably in right now: need a bigger vehicle for a bigger family, but can't afford the astronomical gas prices on a bigger vehicle. I was horrified two weeks ago when I actually put $50.00 in gas into my van (which only has a 13 or 14 gallon tank). Ridiculous.
Saturday morning, Skylar and I went to a Modbe swimwear party at Vanessa's house. She was hosting the party for our friend, Melissa, who sells Modbe clothing. The swimsuits were SO cute! I had told myself that I would only spend about $20 or so, but I ended up spending $70. I just had to have this green bathing suit top and a cap-sleeve tee. George was not particularly happy about it. However, it's rare that I buy clothing for myself. I have a lot of clothes, but I really don't spend a lot. Mom buys clothes for me sometimes, or I will shop at Goodwill or Target. I'm also not too much bigger than I was in high school, so a lot of my clothes are 10+ years old, many still in good condition.
Saturday evening, we spent outside with the children. I had just bought a rocket sprinkler from Rachel's Discovery Toy party a few weeks ago (yes, everyone is having parties right now - is it any wonder that we're broke??), and it was a big hit. It's a really awesome toy. Even George loved it. It was definitely worth the $15 or so I spent on it. It's a plastic rocket that hooks up to the water hose and has a control attached to it. You can make the rocket go up or down with the control. You can make it hover, or go up to about 30 feet high, as in the picture below.
Unfortunately, it's after midnight and I really need to go to bed. I'll have to finish catching up tomorrow.