Seven Quick Takes Friday--volume 99

One.

This has been a pretty good school week, all things considered.  School went off without a hitch, Una is doing well in her algebra, Sebastian actually loves math with Teaching Textbooks, Gabe is working diligently, and the little guys have been enjoying their work as well.  The boys are actually doing some writing this year without a fight.  Writing was like pulling teeth last year.  And Spelling Power actually seems to be helping Sebastian.  He has been doing well in spelling this year. Penmanship is a sore point, and it is my fault.  The boys always fought tooth and nail against it, and I didn't place much importance on it. Now Sebastian is in fourth grade and can't write cursive.  Even his manuscript is appalling. So it seems we have a lot of remedial work to do.  Oh well, Bret's handwriting is pretty dreadful, too, and he has somehow made his way in life.

Two.

The weather has also been pretty near perfect.  Oh, if I could only live in perpetual October!  I'm not sure how the summers actually are up in Maine, but I always imagined that my ideal summer weather would be up there.  But then I think I prefer a Tennessee winter to a Maine winter!  

Three.

Less than ideal has been my sleep.  Gemma does not nurse at all during the day (unless she gets hurt and needs consolation), but she wakes 2-3 times a night and only rarely can I get her back to sleep with just a pacifier.  And she isn't fun to cuddle with at night.  She hates covers and blankets and kicks them off, so I have to lie there freezing beside her.  She flops about, nurses, flops about, and so forth.  Dominic also frequently comes in during the night.  And last night, to top it all off, I had an attack of allergies (rag weed is crazy here right now), and my mouth was sore from the thrush.

Four.

Yes, I still have the oral thrush, and I am going for further blood tests today, since they want to try to figure out why I have it and why it has resisted the first two medications.  The meds didn't even make one bit of difference.  Neither has my regimen of garlic tabs, grapefruit seed extract, yogurt and cider vinegar.  The next med they would use is a Category C, which means I really would have to wean Gemma completely before giving it a try.  I'm pretty sick of this, and am beginning to feel a bit desperate about getting rid of it.

Five.

Do you live in the city and think about how nice and quiet living in the country would be?  Well, it is not always very quiet.  At least it hasn't been around here for the last two days.  Our neighbor had beef cattle, and the day before last, he had a roundup and separated the cows from the older calves, and he has the cows on one side of the road and calves on the other.  For two days and two nights we have had bellowing that is reminiscent of the scene in Red River just before they begin the big cattle drive.  Add to that the fact that we have half a dozen roosters right now and you have a barnyard cacophony.  

Six.

St. Therese today.  When I first came into the Church and read The Story of a Soul, I had a strong urge to toss the book across the room.  My faith was hard-earned, my road to loving God full of pitfalls and hurdles.  The last thing I wanted to read was about someone who had loved God from the get-go and who was surrounded by holiness from her infancy.  I feel differently now.  I recognize how brilliant her "little way" is.  It is simple--but one may not mistake simple for easy.  After all, becoming a saint is simple:  just make your own will subordinate to God's in all things.  Simple, yes.  Easy?  No.

Seven.

ADHD?  I really have always thought of Dominic as such.  He is so much more hyper than any of my other kids.  He cannot sit still for long, and he cannot shut up for long.  He often has difficulty following directions, although his little preschool workbook has been helpful with that.  He hasn't the patience to complete even a 12-piece puzzle.  But Bret had him in his shop the other day at the little boys' "workbench", and he spent an hour and a half diligently sawing through a 2x4 with a not-too-sharp handsaw.  It is nice to know that he can focus when something captures his attention.  He may be on the hyper side, but he can concentrate. 

Now go visit Jennifer's Conversion Diary for more Seven Quick Takes!