Hello world! I am currently writing this from the comfort of my bed, with just about everything I could possibly need on my awesome new over-the-bed-slidey-table-desk-thing, having just knocked back a handful of pills...

...only instead of the painkillers I was expecting to be taking today it was an entire alphabet of vitamins and other immune-boosting stuff, because the short person spiked a 104 fever a few days ago and it turned out to be both strep AND influenza B and it's all been VERY exciting and long story short we're going to try this surgery thing again on the 12th and hopefully everyone will NOT BE SICK EVEN A LITTLE BIT BY THEN, which should be a little easier seeing as how I emailed the school yesterday to inform them that Claire was very sick and would not be in on Monday OR EVER AGAIN FOR THAT MATTER...

...because in the spirit of WHY DO JUST ONE BIG LIFE-CHANGING THING AT A TIME WHEN YOU COULD DO TWO AT ONCE? we are apparently now a homeschooling family? All I know is I was already REALLY tired of being That Mom aand it was only a matter of time before Claire stood up on a table at lunch yelling WHAT WHITE NONSENSE IS THIS in the middle of social studies so... probably it's good that I got extremely mad about people knowingly sending sick kids to school and yanked her out before she could get around to doing that, I guess?     

(In December she got in trouble for circulating a petition to the entire student body at lunchtime and I couldn't be prouder of her. And then she got in trouble some more for not singing the final verse of the totally secular holiday song about going to Bethlehem on a donkey to meet Jesus, because although I would happily invite Jesus to dinner any time, singing songs in praise of him just isn't a thing Jews DO, and also while we're on the subject I would also REALLY like to know why there was a verse about Ramadan in their version of We Wish You A Merry Diversity And A Happy Token Inclusiveness, seeing as how Ramadan hasn't overlapped with Christmas since 2000 and won't again until 2031 and... uh, yeah it was definitely time for us to move on.)

(I got both an email AND a phone call very shortly after she and her BFF politely presented this to her teachers with the signatures of all but one kid on it, because apparently I shouldn't have allowed her to be disruptive by circulating a petition? Personally I think maybe they shouldn't have made her mad enough to google "how to write a petition" the minute she got home from school, but y'know, she comes by her attitude problem honestly, soooooo...)

So yeah. That's been my weekend. But her fever finally broke today, and my surgeon was able to reschedule for next week so I only have another eight days of being cranky about being off most of my meds, and Pretty Rocks Club is ready to ship as soon as I'm reasonably sure I won't be sending strep or inluenza B along with it! (Uh, also some shipments from last week haven't gone out yet because while probably germs wouldn't survive in the mail that long I really think it would best best if we didn't find out, and also I've been busy alternately playing Florence Nightingale and calling doctors and hospitals.) And y'all... the charoite I got on the second try is GORGEOUS. I've got another ranty blog post mostly written about why I sent back the first batch, and I'll put that up soon, but for right now I am going to bed because it has been a DAY. But I figured I should let you know I'm still alive first.