Well we just got through watching the Ravens again, but this time we did not get a win. Too sad. And we invited Matt and Di and family over again. This time Tom and Matt had a chili off. Last weekend it was brats and burgers, but this weekend we compared chili recipes. We decided we liked it best when we mixed both chilis together. So the chili was good, but the game was disappointing for us Ravens fans. We did enjoy wearing all our purple colors last week. Guess it is back to hockey games for now on.
I spent Saturday morning at the grocery store, pet store and bank while Tom studied with the kids. Allison has a week full of midterm tests next week, but she actually started with a few exams and essays last week. She wants to get Tom's help with math and science review before he heads off to LA next week. Mike can you visit with Tom for dinner Monday night?
I couldn't get all my errands done on Friday since I was hanging around the house hoping to hear back from the dishwasher repair company. Guess they never got in the new part since they never called me back. I also spent 3 hours at the allergist with Scott. His pediatrician has decided he has allergies and wanted him retested. So once again I let them poke him with all sorts of tree, cat, dog, mold, grass and cockroach venom which all came up negative. Then they had him do a computerized breathing test looking for asthma and decided his breathing was terrific. So after 3 hours we all agreed the poor kid gets post nasal drip and has sinus trouble and it is primarily seasonal and they put him on Flonase and his Qvar inhaler as a preventative. They want us to come back in 3 months to see if there is any improvement. I just wish his pediatrician would just give it a rest. She is bound and determined to diagnose Scott as having allergies. We went through all this testing 3 years ago, but I had to hear how kids change and that they have better tests nowadays(they don't). So far everyone is just trying to avoid getting the flu that is going around.
And we seem to be avoiding the big snowstorms(thank goodness). We had a bit more snow last week and another 2 hour morning delay. Once again Tom was able to drop off the kids. Thank goodness since I have been going round and round with my Human Resources dept at work. They changed my employee status and now wish to pay me a salary rather than pay me hourly. It is great in the sense that no matter how many hours I work a week, I will always be paid for 32 hours. It is bad because if I don't actually treat patients consistently then my productivity goes down, based on the hours I work, and it could have a negative effect on my weekly and yearly reviews. And I am not allowed to use my time off on an hourly basis, only 4 or 8 hour increments. The company actually is offering to pay me more and I am fighting it! After one week of having my say in meetings and emails I have decided to let them pay me more. Because Tom travels so much and the kids have such crazy schedules, or get sick or have snow day delays, it just worked better if I was paid hourly. Apparently corporate knows better than I do(the same company that went bankrupt last year). They certainly don't care about my personal life. I was most excited that I seem to have reclaimed my yearly bonus. They said I should have not received a bonus these past 6 years, and that I would be eligible for a bonus next year. I did not think that was quite fair so I said so. And they seemed to have changed their minds(I will wait until I see the check though). Work was a little crazy with Hollywood this past week too. It seems that Jada Pinkett Smith's grandmother lived at Charlestown and passed away last week. The family had the funeral at Charlestown last week. Jada Pinkett Smith(the actress/singer) is married to Will Smith the actor. We did not get to see any of them though since we hang out in the clinic in the basement. We just lost our parking spots. They had the ceremony and the reception at Charlestown so the dining room wait staff would have had the chance to see them all, and a few choice administrators. Never a dull moment at work.
And speaking of work, Tom will once again be heading out to California on Monday. And I was asked to work since the other 3 OT s all took off the MLK holiday. (See, I am a team player). Of course I don't mind-I get paid double time.
But with Tom gone, that means I am the only one home helping out with the midterm studying next week, not to mention a couple of big tests for Scotty, transportation and meals. Scott has a social studies test that is so big they have to schedule it over two days! That is just crazy. Tom also spent some of his time at Scott's school this week as he has been asked to run the after school Science Fair again this year. Tom has been putting in on for several years on his own through Northrop, but last year he just did not have the time. We have been hoping the school would take over. Instead, they just asked Tom to come back and run it again. He introduced the science fair to the 6th grade this past week, but with his traveling and the kid's school schedule he won't be able to cover all the other classes one week at a time. So the next time he talks to the school, they will put all the rest of the classes together. I am sure that will be fun. They decided to run the science fair before Easter break which seems a bit rushed to me. Oh well-not my project.
Allison and I also spent several hours on Friday meeting with a buddy GS troop to discuss the check in procedures and make posters for next weekends' rollerblading event. We will probably be helping on both Saturday and Sunday. Poor Allison was falling asleep during the meeting. So was I since I had spent the 3 hours at the allergists office and sat through Allison's piano lesson before our meeting. And Allison has not been feeling well(not a good time to get sick).
Plus she and Tom will be back to playing Indoor Field Hockey this Sunday night. At least she can sleep in on Monday.
Tom and Scott also spent most of the day working on Scott's Cub Scout Pinewood derby car. Scott really wanted a lego car, so Tom had Scott build a Lego car and glue it all together today. He had to use some pretty nasty glue, so Tom had him all covered up and kept an eye on him while he worked. On Friday they will attach it to the wheel base and check the weight. Tom doesn't think this car will win for speed, but Scott wanted to go for a "cool car" award. Who knows, it has a great design so they might win for speed!
And can you believe I already started signing the kids up for summer camp? Allison is scheduled for Drivers Ed and a Field Hockey camp in Philly. I put Scott in a few YMCA camps that are hosting the Legos club where they make robots and cars run by computer programs and all made out of Legos. He is also going to attend an Environmental Club at the Y. When you sign up early you get big discounts. Plus your kid actually gets in the camp! Most summer camps fill up right away out here.
I could use a few warm summer days right now. I just spotted a mouse in our attic. I don't know why we have a cat. Pika let the thing walk right by her. Tom is off to get mouse traps tonight. They love to sneak in when it is cold outside.
I'll let you know how I survive the week and how many mice I catch. Kathleen