Too Early for the Winter Blues

Tuesday I went and sat with Olivia's class at lunch. I love that she is so happy to see me. I forgot photos inside, but here are the kiddos outside. It was +5* with a slight breeze. They go out until -20* below. 

The sun had warmed it up for a few hours, but we've had below zero temperatures for a few days now.

Such a moody child. So many things about him are just like his big brother. I do not know if I can survive another Elijah. I'm struggling as it is. 

This little one is always happy. She is a bright star on the darkest days.

Lucas got a free kids meal at Wendy's for his reading log and was hounding me to use it. It was -15* and while we were toasty warm inside I managed to lock the keys in the truck. I've been so distracted lately. Homer came to my rescue.

After we voted we went home and pulled one of Elijah's friends out of the ditch. Teenagers not paying attention or being very smart drove off the road and went 30 feet down a big embankment into the trees earlier in the day. (I came upon them standing in the road not dressed for the weather and gave them a ride home making me late to my Tiger Cub meeting). They are lucky it was only the truck that was hurt. Both are horrible drivers and shouldn't be on the roads. We had to block traffic while Homer pulled him out. What a good husband. Out in the cold helping a neighbor. I wish I would have remember my camera.

We finally got to settle in and see that Obama was declared the presidential winner. Just as we got into a movie the phone rang. Elijah was broke down. His car only had neutral and he was sitting on the side of the road so Homer went back out into the -20 temperatures to tow him home. We finally finished our movie and Elijah feel asleep on the couch with Mandy (who incidentally is a pain in the ass and I can't wait until she is no longer a puppy).

Drove Elijah to school yesterday and he took a photo of the temperature (and me).

I've lost my get-up-and-go (or as I call it, my "give a shit") and haven't gotten a whole lot done this week. Yesterday I worked a fundraiser at school for an hour then came home to scrub and mostly set up this 65 gallon tank. Elijah's big Oscar, Dragonfish and Catfish had long outgrown his 20-gallon tank so I set my old one up downstairs. I still need to add the big rocks which happen to be out in the snowbank (ug!) and wash the outside, but at least they can now swim. (Oscar is a little bigger than your hand. The Dragon is a foot long).

I should have cleaned the glass and taken a better photo. *sigh*

And that was it. I am so over-whelmed by everything that has to be done I'm frozen. I could use a few days to regroup, but that doesn't happen in a house our size. Shoot, if I could just have a few hours alone that would be nice, but since Nick isn't working someone is always here in "my space". Messing up my space and no amount of nagging will change that. Just makes them hate me. That makes me so cranky and I don't want to be the cranky mom so I've got to snap out of it. It is what it is.

Elijah had his appointment with the cardiologist this morning (it's always something sucking my day away). His blood pressure is too high, but his heart looks great so he's not concerned. That's good news, but what we added to our medical debt is giving me so much stress. My husband works all.the.time and we just fall further behind each month. Either someone is sick or something breaks. My house is never going to get finished and that bugs me most of all. 

Blech. Whatever. There are thousands of people out there that have it far worse that I do. Homeless, hungry, dying... I'm not any of those so I just need to appreciate what we have. Hell, I'm setting up 65-gallon fish tanks. How bad can it be? Right? 

I'm just selfish and I want my house done. 

Period.