Tuesday Tidbits

That's my way of saying that I don't have time for an in-depth blog post this week, so I'll just tell you what's been going on around here!  I should be either packing or filling our 13 medicine boxes, but I don't feel like it.  Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow?  I think that's my new motto (joining "better late than never").

Well, part of the reason I'm pooped out tonight is that I went into Craig's English class today and spoke about writing and reading.  Actually, I spoke to two 8th grade classes today and two yesterday, 2 hours each time, so that really wore me out!  It was fun, though, especially talking to the kids about what books they like and recommending others to them.  I used to do a lot of public speaking and teaching (adults) in my pre-CFS career, and I do sometimes miss that kind of interaction.  Contrary to what Social Security thinks, I could never manage a full day of this now!!

We had a busy weekend.  First, Jamie and I traveled to NYC on Friday, along with another local family, to visit our CFS doctor (well, the two boys had appointments, not me).  That was fun - we ate lunch at a great diner and browsed in a very cool (and very tiny) toy store before heading home.  But it totally wiped me out!  I wasn't even driving; I was just along for the ride and tried to rest on the way home.  By 6 pm, my body hurt all over - I felt like someone had beat me up!  And I was crashed on Saturday.

I rested up Saturday morning, then we went to a get-together with our local group of families whose teens have CFS.  Having illness in common is no longer all that relevant - we have become close friends with these other families who are all great people.  The kids hung out in the basement and played games, talked, and laughed a lot, and the adults relaxed in the living room and chatted.  It is just so fabulous to have this group of people who totally understand what we're going through.

On Sunday, Jamie went to see The Immortals AT THE THEATER with his two best friends.  This was a major event, as it's been a very long time since he's been able to go out to do anything social.  He loved the movie, but unfortunately, all those activities this weekend added up, and he was badly crashed by Sunday afternoon.  So, he's been home from school the last two days - Thanksgiving break starts tomorrow, so at least he won't be getting further behind.  He did get to school last week, but he's not making much progress catching up because even when he is in school, he doesn't have much energy left for homework or make-up work.

On the plus side, his new homebound tutor for English came by yesterday.  She has lots of experience with college application essays, so she is going to help him with that, as well as catching up in his World Lit class.  I spoke with the guidance counselor today, and she thinks she has found someone to tutor him in his other subjects as well.  He used to teach at Jamie's school and actually lives right here in our neighborhood, so this could work out well.  She also told me that the school administration approved Jamie to drop one of his classes (AP Economics) and graduate 1 credit short.  That is a huge relief to Jamie, as he was furthest behind in that class.

So, that's what's been going on around here.  Very busy, as you can tell.  We are planning to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with my family in Rochester, NY.  Hopefully, we will all be well enough to make the trip.  You may remember that we had to cancel our plans to visit on Labor Day weekend.  I know it will be tiring, but I am really looking forward to seeing my family, some of whom I haven't seen in 2 years!

If you are here in the US, hope you have a very enjoyable and healthy Thanksgiving!