My daughter read her first book to me.

That's right. In school for 2 weeks, public school no less (a bigger public school system that gets poo-poo'd on a little from time to time, but our district portion rates high), and my child read a whole entire book to me. It is a book called The Family, which is a Sails First Wave book (a beginner book with the focus words of I am a), but she read it all. Now, when she got to the word "grandpa" she said, "I am a old man." Truthful, but incorrect. I helped her out. She read by sight and by picture clues. I am so proud of her. The first book. Quite a milestone. We did give her a leg up by doing the reading class this summer. We've worked a little on sight words, but didn't do a huge concentration on it. Simple words that I tell her, I've been spelling to her (like good, fit, hungry . . . anything really generally 3-4 letters.)

Sorry. I had to be that mom. I had to give the kid back pats. But, I'm mommy and I'm allowed.

So, Rachael-darling, you were right. I think that Tuesday, the day of the said paper gone wrong was really a day in flux. More specifically, they came back after an exhaustingly long weekend where far too many hot dogs were consumed, there was much swimming, many layers of sunscreen, fires, late nights and whatnot. Also, we had voting and the kids had to eat in their rooms as opposed to the gym. The papers are back on track and I was worried for nothing. She just had a hiccup in her Kindergarten day, though Hubs and I stressed that it is important to do the work that is asked of her, to participate in class even though she may not want to (she did just fine in gym) and to make certain to use her words (for the boy who likes to tickle her sides and the girl who has a fascination with her long hair and likes to play with it.)

I had Hubs run a "Pick-a-chick" this evening. (AKA roasted chicken from Walmart with macaroni salad.) Y'all, I was feeling so bad this evening come 5 PM that I actually fell asleep for a short time on the couch. I never take a nap, except for when I'm ill. It was no match for Oscillococcinum. I had to go for the big boys. I took Advil Cold and Sinus again. Happily, it helped me to get back to normal, though I am beginning to sneeze my fool head off (I'm an obnoxiously loud sneezer-- thanks Mom.) I'm washing my hands excessively and all that. I'm hoping to score an appointment with my lovely doctor tomorrow so that if it is a sinus infection (the beginnings of I would be willing to bet), he can pass on some lovely drugs before it gets unbearable.

I was able to get the bathroom cleaned, carpets swept and all the laundry washed, line dried and put away. Apparently, another Carpenter bee came in the laundry, but it decided to hang out on the window screen. Hubs gathered it up in a hat, had me go ahead of him and open the door and it flew out to freedom.

Oh, I accidentally left my moon roof open last night and thank God it didn't rain.

On our way home, on family had pulled off into someone's yard and asked K- where her horse was. Apparently, now she has a reputation for trotting to school on her hobby horse! :)

Sadly, my grandmother's rehab compliance meeting didn't go very well. Her apartment was okay, but grandma's performance was less than wonderful. It was hard for my aunt and biological father to witness. Grandma wasn't able to figure out how to go to the kitchen, though it is an open main floor plan apartment and the kitchen was right in front of her. She was unable to operate the microwave, to the point that we unplugged it to assure that she would be safe. To be compliant, we also pulled the stove plug. She couldn't remember 9-1-1. She didn't remember my aunt's phone number, though she was home only a month ago. My aunt was answering questions for my grandmother and I sent my biological father in to have her shush. She didn't take it well, they ended up arguing and my aunt left. I found her in her apartment crying. I've never seen that. My biological father was in tears. It is hard for both of them to see their mother so cognitively declined. From the years that I spent working for a geriatric psychologist, I know what we are dealing with. I know the tasks that they were wanting my grandmother to perform-- on her own. My aunt just so wants grandma to be home. I can't blame her. I sat down and spoke with both my aunt and biological father separately and told them the same thing. They just want what is best for their mother, but to see her in a state where it is possible that she may not be able to come back home is very hard. In the end, I halted my aunt's bad mood behavior toward Bill with this. I asked her if Christ was standing right next to Bill (my biological father), would she say the things then that she would have before? It stopped my aunt dead in her tracks. She apologized profusely to me for being so upset. My aunt is a Christian. She is a strong Christian woman, but we are not perfect. She just needed that kick in the butt to turn her back around. Hurt feelings are hurt feelings. They are both hurting, not meaning to hurt each other but they just are so upset about their mother.

In the end, I had to break it to my aunt that Grandma will not be home tomorrow, but perhaps next week. I had to break it to my grandmother, too, but she took it far better than my aunt did. I also told Aunt Donna about moving the bed over and turning the nightstand so we were compliant with the rehab folks. She was mad about unplugging the microwave, but their home health aide backed me up on that and said I was just doing what was asked of me. I also had to break it to my aunt that perhaps grandma coming home is not a good thing. The rehab folks noted that her cognitive level is much altered from the time she had been home last. I don't know if that is necessarily completely correct, as grandma hit the cognitive skids about a year or so ago. I can tell you that for certain she would fail a Folstein Mini Mental State Exam, which is a basic, quick psychologist tool to help assess older adults with time and short term memory. It asks questions such as the year, president, where they are at, to remember 3 basic things and to repeat them back at the end of the test, spell the word "WORLD" backwards . . . In a million years, grandma would never pass.

So that leaves me to now. It is nearly 10 PM, I have cramps, a runny nose and I'm tired. I'll say that my smiles in my day are mixed in above.

Have a wonderful weekend!

* The biological father thing is probably hard for most to grasp. Though I disowned him at the age of 15 because he abandoned us for the greener pastures of Oregon (to get away from paying the thousands in child support that he owed, didn't notify us when he left or anything), I had a legal name change and was adopted by my stepfather, who has been more of a father figure to me that my biological father ever was. My biological father never had time for us and though he lived the next town over, he was never a see-you-on-the-weekend dad, no phone calls or anything. He saw us 4 times a year for approximately an hour each visit, once taking us to the local bar. The visitation situation was by his choice. So, though he thinks that it would be all sunshiny to "rekindle" a relationship with me, I choose to work with him in matters concerning my grandmother, but he knows that I've politely confirmed that I do not consider us family. And yes, at 15 it was a hard decision to make, but I did so with much thought and consideration. I do not regret it.