It's been a week.

So let's see here. I was sick when I posted my last post (Friday the 13th).

First thing I noticed was swollen lymph nodes in my neck.
Friggin' things HURT.

That was followed by the usual, fever, aches and pains and fever and coughing up what feels like powdered glass, although I never actually saw any. And fever. Also, my temperature was elevated.

Friday I was worse. Did I stay home? No. Should I have stayed home? A resounding yes.

But because I'm control-freaky and I constantly worry about dumb stuff, I could not bring myself to take a day off from work. I can only trust myself, and can't even do that 100% of the time.

Our company decided for us that all our sites were going to participate in a pumpkin decorating contest. We weren't offered a choice. Instead, we were given a pumpkin and a deadline.

I have different kids attending on some days, some kids are only there a day or two a week, so I wanted to arrange it so that the majority of kids had a chance to contribute to the process.

I haven't done a very good job of making sure my assistant knows what's on the agenda craft-wise, and the idea of taking off work when I was getting by with Excedrin and grit (too much of one, just enough of the other?) well, I kept working.

I won't work through being sick like that again.

I'm making a sub box so that there's an activity or two for someone to do with the kids and I won't have to show up for work on the verge of my own demise.

I didn't actually realize how ill I was, but after my chest congestion started breaking up I figured out I had a little pneumonia going on.

It's been rocky. I've taken too much Excedrin, more than one Tylenol and forced myself to drink water even when I don't want any. I am feeling a little better finally... after a damn week, and have been blowing gallons of rubber cement from my nose into boxcars of tissues.

None of that cheap kleenex crap for me, I use Puffs with lotion.
I'm worth it, goddammit!

My assistant is very capable and the kids like him. He seems to understand them. The hesitance to take time off wasn't a reflection of him or his suitability for the job. I need to relax a bit from the control freak thing. He's been at this for awhile, and is competent, calm and the kids listen to him most of the time.

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In a surprising turn of events, my dad was able to go home a week ago.  He was rreallly wrecked, so I did not expect him to be able to ever return home.

My mom isn't in any condition to be caring for someone 24/7, but she has always been kind of a martyr, believing that the harder she works and the more shit she puts up with here on earth, the greater her heavenly reward.

She keeps this up, her mansion's gonna be bigger than God's.
Just sayin'.
Whatever.

She wants to put up with verbal abuse and add crazy to the mix, go for it. He's always been way off, but now, because of the dementia, he has NO filter at all. He will say whatever's in his head, and it's not always something that makes sense. I'd have to say that 98% (a figure I pulled out of my butt) of the time, what he has to say is mean-spirited, too. And with Sundowners,  it's just loads of fun. A regular trifecta of joy!

And here I am, a product of a milquetoast mom and mean dad, yet I'm a paragon of virtue and modesty.
Amazing.

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Bob is arriving on Friday the 27th.
I'm working on getting things cleaned up around the house, the momcave is a mess, but improving. I love that he can come visit, but it really makes things crazy around here for that time.

Matt said today that if he were Grandpa, he'd rent a motel and a car so he could be here when people are at home, have a comfy place to rest when they're not, and go sight seeing if he wants to. It's a good idea, although I'd never suggest it, because Bob would think it's because I don't want him here, and that's not true at all.
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Last, one of my small girls said to me yesterday afternoon, "Do you know why I'm such a nice person?"

"No, Bailey, why?"

She straightened up a bit, put on a (sorry, but it's true) sanctimonious face and said, "I'm nice because of JESUS. I'm a CHRISTIAN!"

I can't say much to a kid who's thinking that way, of course. I did tell her, "Hey did you know a person can be nice even when they're not a christian?"
She looked taken aback a little. Then she agreed that, "Well, maybe..."

I am not a person who thinks everyone needs to think my way. It's not a secret that I'm not a believer in any sort of god, either. But that attitude... wow.

I wanted to tell her that she is nice. That every kid in the group is pretty nice, actually. And that I doubted any kind of god was the reason, but I just let it go. Nothing else I can do.

Haha, arguing with her about it would have been like expecting the copious quantities of Excedrin to actually make me feel better last week.

Anyway. I'm getting better.
And in case you didn't notice, this post is unedited and unpolished and this is as good as it's gonna get.