Apple Pigs, revisited

A couple years ago I wrote a post about a book from my childhood, "Apple Pigs". Today, I sent it with MM to school (because today's Show and Share assignment was "a healthy apple snack" and...um...I sent a store-bought apple turnover. I figured sending the book would make up for the un-healthy-ness.)

It was a hit.

I also sent two apples and some tooth picks.

Miss MomOfTwins, MM's teacher MADE AN APPLE PIG using the instructions in the back of the book.

I'm kicking myself for not taking a picture.

Mystery Mommy rants

MM has seasonal allergies. Heck, all of us here at Chez Mystere have 'em.

MM's ped gave us an rx for the allergy drug beginning with a Z. Insurance said they wouldn't pay for Z until we'd tried Clar!t!n first.

I started him on Clar!t!n on Tuesday night with misgivings. Though I really felt like I should be fighting to put him on Z instead since we have a family history with Clar!t!n. Clar!t!n's adult formula has not had a good track record in this house. And I remembered one of your kids had behavior issues while on Clar!t!n. So...I let MM's teachers know I'd put him on it and we went on with things.

Today his teachers tell me that for the last two days MM has been aggressive with the other kids. Aggressive! Getting up in their faces. Threatening violence. Unable to use his words. MM!

I'm taking him off the Clar!t!n. I called up the ped's after-hours line and they are going to get insurance to cover Z. He may have issues with that as well, but at least we know what to look for.

Bonus! While I was on the phone with the after-hours doctor, MM was having a huge unprovoked screaming fit. She asked, "Is that tantrum normal for him?" I said, "Nope." She said, "Take him off the medication."

I should have listened to my gut. More importantly, with our family history, we shouldn't have had to trial that stuff with him in the first place. I'm mad at me and I'm mad at the stupid insurance company.

And it's not as if they'll pay much of Z anyway. Our co-pay for mine is over $70. Gah.

Smoothies, they're what's for dinner

Yeah. I take REAL good care of myself.

At least I got the healthy one with lots of fruit and vitamins in it.

MM had a K1d Cu1s1ne with his baby sitter while I was out smilingsmilingsmiling.

What happened to my plan to stock the freezer with baked ziti, shepherd's pie, and lancastershire hotpot?

And please, take a couple of hours and watch this, which Gene Weingarten led me to. It's totally worth it. Kathy a. agrees with me.

The hip bone's connected to the thigh bone...

We're studying bones in my anatomy and physiology lab. There WILL be a test. In October.

So, of course, I've got Monty Python in my head all day. "Look at the BONES!!!"

I think my favorite so far has to be the ethmoid, which can be found in the cranium posterior to the nasals (translation for Muffin Man: in your head behind your nose). Appropriately enough, it looks like a balled-up tissue.

We're also learning about telling left bones from right bones. In the leg, the medial (closer to the center line of your body) portion of a bone or set of bones will be larger because it carries more weight. The heads of the femur and humerus are medial. In your cranium, the parietal bones have the smooth edge at the bottom (inferior) and the part that looks like a side burn? that goes towards the front (anterior). On the temporal bones, the part that looks like a mike from a blue tooth headset? That points to the front just like the mike would.

I'm going to have some trouble with the pelvic girdle, I can tell.

And thank the powers that be, I don't need to know the individual ribs or vertebrae or the individual bones in the hands and feet. I just need to know what type they are. Ribs is ribs, but I need to know what general region of the spine the vertebrae come from and where in the hands and feet the bones come from.

And don't you just love the word, "phalanges"?

A picture (or two) tells a thousand words

I finally figured out how to safely blog it! For those of you I haven't emailed yet:

This is what I've been working so hard on. I'm not including links here, but if you type in the url above, you'll get to a place where you can hear all about it and see pictures of the three of us here at Chez Mystere. If you're willing to do a bit of googling on the info shown, you'll find out what others have to say too!

The week that wouldn't end

So far this week I've had: 3 exams, 2 quizzes, 3 nights out smilingsmilingsmiling.

Coming up: Another night smilingsmilingsmiling and 2 papers to write (one is mostly written already).

Also coming up: a doctor's appointment.

Thank you again for all your help and support with the unbloggable effort. We're doing really well! Updates coming up in e-mail soon. But not this week.

Why am I not in bed yet?

Fizzy brain.

I walked miles today. MILES. Knocked on doors. Introduced myself. Smiledsmiledsmiled. Went to a lovely picnic supper on a lovely farm. MM rode a lovely pony. Good times were had by all.

I'm exhausted.

Yet...here I am. Not in bed.

Must wake up early in the morning.

Yet...here I am. Not in bed.

Must do the introducing and smiling again tomorrow after going to school and studying for 3 exams (2 Tuesday, 1 Wednesday).

Yet...here I am. Not in bed.

Perhaps I should just bite the bullet and get into my fireplacing pajamas and get into the fireplacing bed, huh?

Things are heating up.

Spent time at a sen10r c3nter today, and at schools this week and last week. Next week I'll be spending more time doing that.

Plus my own school stuff.

Plus Muffin Man.

Busybusybusy.

I'm going to bed as soon as I've tucked MM in for the night.

Still missing you

wtc
Originally uploaded by Mystery Mommy

Aunt SoLittleAndCute 1914 - 2007

She was Grandma Sylvia's sister. She was a librarian, and could tell you what section in the Dewey decimal system a car's license plate would take you to (very fun game to play on a long journey!) SingsLullabyes and MakesBooksForGrandkids and I would pick her up in PortCity, NJ on our way to my summer camp and we would picnic together on the Delaware before they would drop me off.

She gave me and Cousin ResemblesAndieMcDowell wonderful old-fashioned rag dolls with dresses and pinafores. I still have mine. She knitted sweaters for me.

She was so fiesty and fiery. She was tiny - so tiny that she had to get her shoes mail-ordered from a firm called something like Cinderella Shoes. She barely topped my shoulder.

She never married, and lived alone in a 2 room apartment in PortCity. Her best friend lived next door and they were fiercely close until her friend's death.

Aunt SoLittleAndCute reminded me of a combination of Miss Marple and a somewhat aloof tabby cat. She was loving, but irritable. She had a generous heart and a sharp tongue. She was really, very, very smart and loved to work puzzles. Like Grandpa Emeritus, she did the NYTimes crossword everyday.

I admired her hugely, loved her dearly, and will miss her sorely.

A moment of silence

Madeleine L'Engle died.

A: The WHOLE day!!!

Q: What was your favorite part of Kindergarten?





And after his bath he read half of Funny, Funny Lyle to me. Listening to him sound out "especially" was especially wonderful.

According to MS, today, MM learned to read the instruction manual

"Find your hook and hang up your backpack."

"Look at the board and find your picture."

"Find your seat and color quietly."

Drop-off is between 0815 and 0830. I had a class an hour away at 0900. (sob) I missed MM's first moments of kindergarten.