Updates

First I must share my big "surprise" this morning that Barbara planned. While I was getting breakfast downstairs and Robbie was in the shower, she made the bed for us. When she had me come up to see I made a HUGE deal of it and she was SOOOO proud! She came in the bathroom later when I was showering to say, 'Mom?" - ("What?") - "Tell ALL your friends about it, OK?" :) So I thought I'd better blog it too. She actually did an awesome job and arranged the pillows and everything so it was a huge help!

I dragged poor Jimmy along to my weekly blood draw for that Fifth's disease thing, and the poor guy was terrified. He came in the room with me and just stood there wringing his hands with a horrible look on his face, trying to look of at the ceiling or walls but then fluttering his eyes over to my arm and the needle and then flinching and looking spastically away again. He was very disturbed. I had meant to leave him at mom's this time, but it was very inconvenient to drive all the way home from school and then back out so I just brought him along. He looked slightly relieved when the nurse offered to put a hotwheels bandaid on my arm in his honor, and then he fully recovered once she gave him a bizarre looking coloring page with a blank outline of Wisconsin and Illinois with all the counties delineated. That made him really happy. He decided we could incorporate the coloring page into our 'school at home" day and then follow up by doing the map of the US puzzle during "game time" He LOVES to "school at home" on his non preschool days and get to monopolize my entire attention and get me to play all sorts of things with him. Right now he is sitting behind me spelling words on the floor with his letter tiles and I swear that is one of his favorite passtimes! I don't know when it happened but he has turned into a really smart little booger! He is starting to read and spell short words and points out letters and words all the time in the environment. He for sure knows all his letters and sounds and is obsessed about them!

Other that things have been crazy busy lately. Our calendar is a mess. Robbie is on my case that I am out of control and doing too much. I am a little out of control with the nesting. I have reorganizing, weeding out, purging, donating, and my new hobby has been selling things on craigslist. Robbie calls it my new part-time job. It is so thrilling to find people who want the things you don't need, they come pick them up and pay you cash.

We've also been making a baby nook for the baby in our room and I can't wait to post the photos! Robbie and I scraped out the hideous peach criss cross wallpaper that has been depressing our room since we moved in, and painted it a nice light cream color. Instead of getting all new stuff, I used the same sage green comforter and old grandma's chair as the base, and some nice white valances I had from the kids room before I switched to rainbow, so now the color scheme is cream with white trim, tan, brown and light green. I got a couple throw pillows in green/tan/brown/cream stripe so it looks modern and soothing in there now. We've got the small crib in our cape cod window nook and a changing table I bought off craigslist, and the Grandma chair for a little mini- nursery on the other side of the room. I'm going to paint a little saying in brown over where the crib is, "Heaven's gift". Then we're putting a tension rod up with some sheers of white panels that we can let down when the baby is sleeping, across the cape cod nook, and then tie back during the day. Can't wait to post pics, I'm so excited about how it looks and our baby still having it's own space while being closeby as is much more convenient with night feedings and changings etc.

I also started a new Spanish mini class with Aunt L and my Mom, which is a lot of fun!! They are quick learners and good students. I set up a couple of fun new online tools for my tutoring. One is Skype, with a webcam with microphone, so I can tutor virtually without leaving home as well. this is a good options for my Polish guy, for example, who owns his own business and travels often, but has Skype set up at the office and at his place in FL. We may try it out this week. Meanwhile, Jimmy likes to use it to create video clips of himself. :) Also, I discovered Quizlet.com which allows me to go and input vocab lists which my tutorees can then access to print flashcards, practice with different activities online using the words, and send me messages with questions. It's pretty awesome.

This is gynormously long. And there's so much more to say, but I'm almost going to be late for teaching after school Spanish if I don't hurry it up! Adios!