It’s the little things…

We woke up super late today but it was OK having gone to bed extremely late tonight (or rather, early this morning). Neither Michiru nor I felt energetic or willing to do anything other than just laying on the sofa watching the tree canopy through the window.

Hotaru was full of energy, as usual. She wanted to do things, go to the park, work on some crafts… anything! In the end, Michiru and I agreed to go to the park at around 5pm. It was too hot outside to risk being under the sun after Michiru got a Sunburn yesterday.

We had brunch and watched a bit of Skylanders until it was less hot. Then we packed our things and moved to the park for tea or lunch or whatever. Hotaru and I snacked on Trix cereals and orange juice. Michiru had those Japanese peanuts she loves so much.

The little firefly spent some time drawing while Michiru and I commented on nearby dogs and people’s lack of sense of style. Then I took a quick nap and woke up fully refreshed. Michiru said a gay couple walked by while I was asleep and they kept nudging one another and looking in our direction, probably hoping to have a cute little family like our own one day. I sort of wish I had been awake to see it. Sounded really sweet.

After that, we moved to the sandbox, where Hotaru played with a random little girl for an hour. In the meanwhile, Michiru and I teased and chatted about parenting. Then we came home and Michiru left to have dinner with her family.

At home, I painted the table matte black while Hotaru took a well earned bubble bath and then we had dinner of our own. Then Michiru came back home and I read Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban to them while Hotaru drew and Michiru dozed off on the couch.

Halloween Party 2016

Hotaru wanted us to dress as Anna and Elsa for Halloween, so I indulged. And, below, there’s us as Rapunzel and  Mother Gothel back in 2014.

I’m always super busy this time of the year, so I’m happy with whatever solves the Halloween costume issue in little time. Ideally, I’d love to have eons of time to come up with creative ideas and work on the costumes until they’re perfect. Then there’s real life, always getting in the way, and I end up with whatever makes the kid happy with the least trouble for me =P Hence the inaccuracy.

This year, I was particularly lucky. Hotaru settled for the Anna costume she got as a birthday present from her school mates and I happened to have an old blue corset and a matching skirt that were the exact same shade so they look like a dress. Also, my Emma Frost wig came in handy =P Michiru went bonkers when she saw our picture LOL. She’s a die hard Elsa fan.

ANYWAY… Hotaru and I woke up super early today and went to court for our last two interviews for this stupid process against Dr. Tomoe. It went well but they asked me lots of very technical and disgusting questions so I was shaking (again!) by the time I got out. Lucky mom came with us and stayed with us as well. I really needed the support. Even if the reason why she was able to be there (Leo being in hospital again) isn’t great. She took the whole week off to help me around with the excuse of him being sick.

While Hotaru was being interviewed, I showed mom the property I’ve been considering as plan B these past few days and she seemed very interested in it. The fact that they provided blueprints on top of pictures was just the icing.

We had lunch at Subway because Hotaru and I absolutely love it and mom… well, she’s a darling. Then dropped Hotaru at school, where they scolded me because she wasn’t wearing her uniform (there hadn’t been enough time to both eat and change her into proper clothes). And mom and I had a talk with the headmistress about these audiences and why we can’t take the kid there in her uniform blah blah. Don’t think they’ll pester me about trivial things like the dress code again (hopefully).

Mom and I came back home and she helped me finish all the games for the party. We managed to get everything ready just in time. Then uncle George stopped by to give mom her hostel keys back, as he had been supervising some repairs to prevent rain from causing a flood in the upper floor dorms. He was very upset about us celebrating Halloween, but I gave him a piece of my mind, which, of course sent him in a rant.

Then I realized I was late to pick Hotaru up and dashed out. The bag where I carried the games tore and mom and uncle George had to help me carry the props to the school, where I asked Matthew’s father to please take them to the party in his car. He was nice enough to do that for us so Hotaru and I walked there with the other kids and parents.

I was in charge of the entertainment… single handed. It was insane. Only Lolo’s mom and I wore costumes. Well, all the kids did, but none of the adults dared, proving to be as dull as they seemed so far. They didn’t even help decorate the place.

The second I got into clown mode none of this mattered anymore, obviously. I poured drinks, supervised games and motivated the shy ones. The other parents loved the games I came up with and the stuffed animals party favors I sown for the children. They had cats, owls, fwoopers and snitches to choose from.. and yes, I do love Harry Potter =P The kids do too and they adored the plushies. Even the boys. Sadly, I didn’t take pictures of them because it was utter chaos and handling 20 kids at the same time overclocks my brain to the point where it doesn’t know that a camera is anymore. Even if I had the time, they were so hyper, pictures would have come out blurry anyway.

The games were very basic: First, there was my all times favorite fishing game, where kids have to fish foam figures with a rod made of sticks and wool. Mom helped me put the rods together and Hotaru lent a hand with the spider crafting so four of them could pick up spiders at the same time.

An old keyboard box and some cardboard hands and a toy hammer came together nicely to create a freaky version of whack a crocodile. The kids absolutely loved it. They went crazy over this game and it only took two minutes of me working the hands before they took turns running the game for the rest. It gave the ones behind the box the feeling of importance grown ups have and the rest just had fun. It was great to watch them get organized on their own like that. Later on, they got bored of that and just played with the hands, chasing one another in some sort of Halloween tag game. It was very creative of them.

Last, but not least, was a game where you have to pull strings to make a marble crawl up a holed wall without it falling into the holes. You can either pull both strings yourself or play with a friend, which is what the kids did. It took a while for them to get the hang of the game, but everyone absolutely loved it. Even the other parents were impressed! And those are a rather tough public, to be honest. Especially Casper’s mom, the plastic artist.

I was super surprised to see children self policing themselves over this last game. They explained the rules to one another and took turns to play. They would kindly leave their post whenever someone else told them they had already played two times and it was their time to have a go at it. Vicky was the only one who had trouble giving up her post and even she behaved without me having to intervene.

This school might have TONS of flaws, but the way they teach kids to be patient and to share and work together is AMAZING. Honestly. It’s the ONE good thing about them and it’s great. It reminds me why I was OK with this school to begin with.

Hotaru was beyond excited, running around with Jean and Valerie and Lulu, whose mom was as nice as ever (meaning she was an icicle). Most of the parents just sat there drinking coffee and having cake while Lolo’s mom and I dealt with the kids. Casper’s mom helped as well, which was surprising, considering she was SUPER against having a Halloween party. Guess the only reason she brought her kid along was everyone else was coming… well, everyone but Chibi Usa. She told Hotaru at school that she wouldn’t be attending, though I don’t really know why. I’ll ask Odango Atama when I get the chance.

In short, the party was a complete success and I’m super happy for being able to be a part of it. Everyone loved the games and the kids had a blast. It’s great that Hotaru had a chance to celebrate Halloween. I died for a party like that when I was her age and all I got was heat from nationalists saying it’s not an Argentinean holiday. WHO CARES!? It makes the kids happy! Besides, like Michiru pointed out, I don’t see them going out of their way to celebrate Pacha Mama festivities in August…

After the party, Hotaru and I stayed behind to help clean up the place and then walked home, where we made Onigiri for dinner while waiting for Michiru to arrive. We watched the old X-Men cartoon (the one from the 90’s) while having dinner.

I had to dine super early because I’m scheduled for a blood test tomorrow morning and I need to fast for it. I was rather down after such an adrenaline rush and needed some cheering up, but Michiru and I had a talk over what was worrying me and she managed to calm me down.

I don’t know what I would have done without her. Probably, something along the lines of having an anxiety attack. She’s very understanding and patient with me and has been a great support to me through this all.

Later on, Michiru and I had a very long talk about Hotaru and how she doesn’t want the kid to ever feel like she’s invading her personal space when it comes to my affection. That was a really awkward conversation to have, especially because my mind was already overloaded after such a tiresome day, but Michiru needed to talk about it so we did and it was good to know we’re on the same page, as usual. We also discussed the argument we had a couple of weeks back. Turns out she, too, needed some reassurance last night.

Even if the topics were touchy and  bit sad somehow, it was nice talking to her like that, knowing we trust one another with our concerns.

Hotaru and I did some crafts before bedtime: animal flashcards for her to practice her Japanese. I drew the animals and wrote the hiragana for them and she painted them while we listened to quiet music. It was a great activity to relax before bedtime. Hotaru quit at some point and said she was too sleepy to go on so I carried her to her bed. She was already fast asleep by the time I came back with the Harry Potter book, so there wasn’t a bedtime story for her but she needed her beauty sleep. The poor thing was up super early because of this trial.

More Wacom fun

This is how I take this whole trial thing off my mind.

Spring Cleaning

Mom dropped by after breakfast today. She’s making the most of her week off, I guess. We chatted while doing laundry and prepared Hotaru’s bento for school. Then I went to drop the kid at school and she went back home, promising to come back later to help me with the spring cleaning.

Odango Atama called me as I was about to eat lunch and we spent an hour on the phone, probably more. She told me the many ways Dr. Tomoe and his family could try to make things difficult for me and how to avoid or counter those moves. She’s been there before with Mamoru, so she has lots of experience and wanted to make sure I didn’t go through the same. That’s so sweet and typical Usagi.

She also informed me on the paperwork needed to make sure Dr. Tomoe can’t steal from Hotaru’s fund anymore. I need her ID for that, but I’ll try to get it the day after tomorrow, since Hotaru and I will be out running errands anyway. She needs to come with me to this place so they can get her signature and fingerprint, which is insane. I mean, she’s only six! But this is the new policy so blah.

I ran into Lolo’s mom at school. We agreed to organize this year’s Halloween party together. She’ll host it on her building’s rec room and I’ll help with the food and decoration. Andrea (that’s her name) thinks we should hire entertainers. I think there’s no need for that if we get creative and I’ve organized some pretty damn amazing games and activities in the past, but she insisted. I gave in, though. I think it’s time I let things go and care (and worry) less about everything.

Hotaru will be SO excited when she hears about the Halloween party. A couple other parents didn’t want to join the committee, because they say it’s a foreign celebration, that’s not even a holiday and it’s unsuitable for children. Whatever. I think any excuse to throw a party is great and our kids will only be young once. What’s the harm in some crazy fun once a year? Next year they’ll be learning to write and read and bring homework home… life won’t be this sweet again. Well, it’s their loss.

Odango Atama and Chibi Usa walked with us today. I had to take Hotaru to therapy with Miss Helga, so they escorted us up until the park. Then they had to go home to change the lock for Queen Serenity, as it was faulty, but Chibi Usa didn’t want to leave the park. She threw a tantrum that Odango Atama didn’t know how to handle, so I did. I think she’s starting to pick some discipline cues from me, though. Noticed that yesterday.

Usagi thinks I should be more feminine, wear tighter clothes and put on make up. I tried to explain… but she didn’t understand. Said people would look down on me. As if they didn’t have a dozen other reasons to do that anyway! I understand her heart was in the right place and I appreciate the feeling, but I really love being who I am and wouldn’t change myself back into a girly girl for a million dollars.

A part of me was hurt she kept on pushing no matter how much I tried to make her understand. I do know she’s from a small town where fitting in and what others think of you matter, but even there, I’d still go for being myself. Uncensored. Like I said, I appreciate the feeling and perhaps, she’ll come around in time, see the advantages of living on a big city. I mean, she’s been here less than a year. It’s only logical she’d still have a small town mentality.

Keep forgetting Odango Atama is from Tandil because she’s an art teacher, a personal trainer and for some reason knows how to fire a gun. She’s promised to teach me how to shoot if I teach her archery. This is going to be a very interesting summer and there’s so much I want to do! I’ve never had a chance to spend a summer with Michiru before. Back in high school, our families kept us apart with holidays and other stuff and last year we had that misunderstanding during the winter… Looking forward to summer. It used to be my favorite season as a kid.

I took the nicest nap at Miss Helga’s waiting room. LOL I took the 3DS with me but catching up on sleep was more important, it seems. Miss Helga wants to have an interview with me next week  (Thursday) so she can bring me up to date on Hotaru’s progress. She’s absolutely infatuated with the kid, so hopefully, it’ll be good news. She did say the little firefly was particularly well behaved today. I wonder why.

Then we bought milk and juice on our way home. The walk was very nice and, by the time I got here, I felt ready for bed. Mom arrived a few minutes later and we tackled the gargantuan task of sorting through Hotaru’s clothes and toys. There was SO MUCH that doesn’t fit or hasn’t gotten attention from her anymore, whatever charity gets those bags will be lucky. Mom wanted to just tidy up as quickly as possible, but I insisted we were thorough.

I went through every single basket and pile of toys and sorted everything into piles on Hotaru’s bed by cathegories. Shopkins, Littlest Pet Shops, LalaLoopsies, My Little Ponies, and a VERY long etcetera. Then, I placed everything on its designated drawer or plastic container (after mom had rinsed them with lysol) and she put them on Hotaru’s doll house, since she has made it very clear that dolls don’t hold her attention for long.

It took longer than we expected, but it was well worth it. Hotaru’s room does look like a proper little girl’s dormitory now rather than a sty. And everything is at hand, especially the things she uses the most. I wanted to take a picture but, by the time we were done with it, I only had enough spare energy to crawl to the bathroom and take a quick shower. After that, I was on auto pilot. Yet, I managed to get a lot more done.

Mom and I did another batch of laundry, changed Hotaru’s sheets, and then I got dinner started right before she left. Then the kid and I watched an episode of Mr. Selfridge (she’s grounded because Chibi Usa and her hid from Odango Atama and I again today after I made it clear yesterday that it was a huge no-no), as she can’t choose what to watch tonight and has to join in on whatever I watch if she wants to.

Then she went to her room to play with her toys while I worked on my fanart some more. I managed to finish Haruka, too. Go me! Michiru has been working on a secret art project for the past two weeks. She says it’s a surprise so I’m not allowed to see it and she won’t even give me a hint, but insists I’m gonna love it. I wonder what she’s drawing. It can’t be one of the beasts for her bestiary illustration book, because she’s never made a fuss over them before.

Hotaru wanted to do a quick craft before bedtime, so we painted with cardboard on a sheet of paper. It was fun, twisting the cardboard pieces and cord into strange shapes before dipping them in paint. They made for the weirdest ponies I’ve ever seen. Still, it was fun. I’ve seen they’ve used that technique before at her school, so the rules were very clear.

Hotaru’s class studied medieval stained glass while she was sick so she missed the only decent craft they did this year, which sucks. Luckily for her, I’ve done some pretty decent stained glass crafts myself when I was in elementary school, so I signed up for the challenge. We’re making our own stained glass projects this week and they’ll be MUCH more elaborated than the ones they did at school, with real paint on the film and an actual motif rather than just glueing colored paper to a translucent plastic. Yes, they can’t even get THAT right at her school… and even medieval folks did!

The idea is to cover Hotaru’s bedroom window glasses with the stained glass, so the light that comes through her window in the morning is all fun and colorful. Also, I’d like to make some crepe paper flowers to decorate the living room. Spring is finally here and I want to celebrate!

 

Doodling with the Wacom

Mugen Gakuen on hold

Called Mugen Gakuen today to find out how many people there are before Hotaru on their waiting list. They said I should ask personally, so I stopped there on my way to the Dr’s office, to get tested for UTI, as I’ve been having abdominal pains on and off this week. The whole test business took under an hour and then I was walking back home with 6lbs of oranges to make yummy juice.

People at the Infinity Academy said I should call again later and ask someone else, which I did. They said there’s too many people before Hotaru on their waiting list, so she’ll have to stay in this school for another year before that. But I’ll enroll her for second grade in March, so she has a seat at the Mugen Gakuen FOR SURE the year after next.

Looks like the little firefly will be learning how to write Hiragana from me.

I’m not as bummed by this as I thought I’d be, but there’s so worse things happening in my life at the moment, I guess I’m just letting go of whatever I can’t control and going with the flow.

Hotaru and I drew for a while on the afternoon, and played Animal Jam. We’ve been playing that a lot lately. It’s so much fun and there’s so much you can do while educating yourself on the habits of wild animals!

Good talks

Hotaru went back to school today. I forgot to mention that yesterday my mom got a call from Dr. Tomoe’s mother asking why Hotaru hadn’t been going to school. Mom asked her how she knew this and she said that she called the school every day to know if she was there (which I think it’s a bit creepy and screams STALKER, but whatever).

Mom called me to warn me this at night, after she had left. She said that woman might call and she did while I was on the phone with her. She called my cell phone. I love my mom ❤ She’s a genius for warning me. What if I didn’t check the caller ID before picking up!? The stress! Just thinking about it stresses me senseless!

Hotaru and I played Animal Jam for a little while. Not too long because I was still super tired and not feeling well even if she did. I managed to type s few hundred words into my novel. I apologize to Lex and Gypsy for the nonsense. I’ll have to edit that heavily later on LOL Gods know what I might have written! I don’t even remember!

The kid and I spent a good couple of hours drawing later at night and then I felt good enough to dance a couple of Just Dance songs with her… and by a couple I mean like 1/3 of one and 1/4 of a different song half an hour later. Her? She was completely fine and jumping all over the place by today. Kids really bounce back super easily and I’ve been drinking lots of orange juice and stuff!!

She is humming a song she made up as I type. The lyrics are “Okaasan daisuki” She’s SOOOO adorable ❤ I absolutely love her and I’m glad that I was feeling well enough to spend quality time with her today. I missed her these past few days while I was a zombie and I know she’s missed me too. Oh, and I cleaned the fish tank yesterday somehow. It was like climbing Mount Everest but I did it for Leeboo.

Hotaru spent a couple of hours on the phone with Chibi Usa today. They used our cellphones for a whatsapp call and talked about nonsense and sent each other pictures and a ton of emoticons and played something regarding monsters, judging by Hotaru’s screams of “MONSTEEEEER!” that came from her room. LOL They’re so cute ❤ Thinking of it, Chibi Usa didn’t come to school today. I wonder if she’s better from her asthma fit. Odango Atama told me she had one a couple of days back which isn’t surprising considering the weather we’ve been having.

The school wants us parents to organize something neat for Teachers Day (or was it Students Day?) and they held a meeting on Friday… or Monday. I really can’t remember. Thing is I wasn’t able to attend for health reasons (so it was probably Monday) and then they decided for a Kermes and sent me a text with the game that I was assigned to. I think I’m in a group with the Korean girl’s mom and someone else… one of the boys’ parents I think.

We have to organize carrying an egg till the finish line with a spoon. And these two women want to get together to talk about it!! I mean it’s carrying a freaking (plastic, hopefully) egg with a spoon for a couple of meters!!! How complicated can it get for the activity to require a meeting!?!?! I did tell them I was down with the flu and that I wouldn’t be able to go. They said I should let them know when I’m better so we could meet. WHAT GIVES!?

Michiru and I had a really nice chat about one of the classes she’s taking. It’s about education methods used nowadays and how they could be improved/reformed. It was very interesting and I loved being able to share that with her and reconnect. I felt a little disconnected from her what with me being a zombie all week. I wasn’t up for chatting or anything, really. It was super tiring.

I also had a great chat with Setsuna (who’s been thoroughly enjoying her brand new boyfriend 😉 about Michiru and I. I wanted her opinion on some things I have had on my mind lately. Mostly this blood issue that came up a while ago and other similar concerns.

Setsuna’s advice was golden, as usual. She eased my fears and helped me see the situation as it was and analyze it objectively. Now I feel happier than ever to have Michiru in my life, both for me and for Hotaru’s sake. Setsuna is right. We might not always agree on how to parent, but I know she means well (that tough love is just the way she’s been brought up) and it’s good for the kid to have a different perspective from mine. It’ll be enriching for her to have one parent who is very understanding and another one who helps her face reality bravely.

Clearly, I can’t be the first one since I’m always running away from everything, so Michiru will probably have to teach both Hotaru and I how to be braver.

Oh, also, I told Setsuna in confidence that I’ve ordered my jeweler to start working on Michiru’s engagement ring last week. I’ve designed it back in 2004 and always kept that design very close to my heart. Told absolutely no one about it until last month when Setsuna and I discussed my intention of proposing to Michiru this summer.

Then, as we started dating and things got more serious, I decided that it was time to see if Oscar would be able to craft such a ring and I started looking online for similar designs I could use to explain to him what I needed. Turns out there was such a ring! Someone has designed it after all! It was likely to happen (and I don’t mind, really… who cares about someone across the globe with the same ring when I’ve dreamed of it for twelve years!?).

I had googled it several times in the past, through the years, because it was exactly the ring that I had Lex give to Gypsy when proposing to her (yes, I know, I’m a romantic deep inside). All my anual searches came back negative: there wasn’t anything QUITE like what I had on mind. Well, the one I found this time isn’t EXACTLY what I wanted, but I explained to the man which things I wanted changed.

I trust his judgment because Oscar has made me beautiful rings in the past ❤ And this one will be the best so far. I can feel it! ❤ I asked him not to use my design for other clients and I know he’ll be quiet about it.

Oh, Hotaru and I sang karaoke before bedtime (and played Animal Jam in the afternoon for a little while, killed a few dozen phantoms). LOL. It was fun and I loved showing her old songs and seeing her reactions to them and having my own shocks with her trendy favorites. She listens to Skrillex for God’s sake!

Also, Hotaru told me today that she’s not SUPER sad about Mr. Remus anymore, because she can finally think about him and think of the good times and that he had a good life. I wish I could! I say I can because that’s what expected of me, but I still feel my heart crunched every time I remember him in his final moments.

I try to remember him alive and well, but I honestly can only conjure the last time I saw him when I try to remember him twitching his cute little nose or running. It’s hell. Then I keep thinking of my mom, who probably has similar memories of my childhood dog, Roger and I feel for her. I’m glad that Hotaru didn’t have to see him in the end the way I did that last day. God, I love this kid enough to face death so she doesn’t have to.

In Mugen Gakuen’s waiting list

I got a call from Mugen Gakuen today regarding Hotaru. They said there’s no openings for her but that they’ll put her name in their waiting list so that she can get the first opening seat in case there is one. This really saddened me. I had such high hopes about this.

And now I have to pay 5k to her current school so that they’ll save her a seat for next year, which I won’t get back if Mugen Gakuen calls back saying they will take her. But what makes me saddest is the fact that there might not be an opening for her. I really don’t want her to spend another year at this school, but changing her twice seems uselessly cruel so I don’t want that for her either.

Spent most of the afternoon writing, working on my novel. It’s advancing really well. I’m proud of myself ^^ Not taking any more clonazepam is paying off!

I took Hotaru to the park after school. We had juice and cookies while we drew and painted. Hotaru drew a Taco-Cat and I a black woman who was talking on the cellphone near us.

Michiru met us at the park after work. All three of us had a nice time catching pokemon, playing silly games and just talking. It was great ❤ I love it when we have fun together like this.

Then it got too cold so we came back home and played Dr. Hotaru stitched Michiru’s arms and then she bandaged my leg. Michiru told her an anecdote about her sister’s knee surgery that scared Hotaru into tears, but she got over it pretty quick. Still, I’ll talk to Michiru about this because I’d rather she didn’t make Hotaru cry, even if it wasn’t on purpose. I mean, we had a talk about Hotaru being scared of blood and that kind of stuff last night, so I wasn’t expecting this faux pass. Still, I’ll be patient and see how things unfurl in the future.

After that, Michiru worked on an assignment for college on my computer while Hotaru watched videos in hers and I napped. Then we had dinner.

 

My Little Ponny cookie cutters

I told Hotaru she’s not grounded anymore today. It has been long enough for her without TV or PC time or desserts… I know she still hasn’t gotten her teeth fixed but, in her defense, she had all the intention to allow them to work on them this time, only the woman called yesterday to cancel her appointment out of the blue and we rescheduled for August 30th. We’ll have to wait and see if she holds up her part of the bargain. If she doesn’t, then I’ll just add these days at the end of her next grounding time.

Still, I’d love it if she would just allow the dentist to work properly this time. She’s too young to be grounded for long periods of time, but I feel like I wouldn’t be doing my job as a parent right if I didn’t ground her for kicking and biting a professional that’s trying to keep her healthy.

She was super happy to be able to play Animal Jam again and we played together for a while. Also, her membership was on automatic renewal so I didn’t have to go through that unsolvable hell to input my credit card information in a page that didn’t request it when it should have. They just automatically deducted it from my credit card on their own, which was super convenient.

Me? I spent most of today and most of yesterday as well writing like a crazy person. I’ve just found out what Gypsy’s and Lex’s story was missing and now I’m gonna have to edit a lot of what was already almost done and ready for publishing but it will be for the greater good of having a better finished product once the entire saga is out. This small change (that requires many small retroactive changes to make sense) will allow the sequels to be much more interesting, richer and appealing to a broader audience, targeting transgender men as well as lesbian women.

The My Little Pony cookie cutters I ordered for Hotaru came in today. They were absolutely adorable, but this week is gonna be so busy I doubt we’ll have the time to try them out before next Monday at the earliest.

Hotaru was beyond thrilled about them and I have to admit the guys who designed and 3D printed them are geniuses. They even got them to us before 子供の日 next weekend. Not that I’d have been able to wait that long to see her open up the package, but it was thoughtful of them. They even designed Twilight Sparkle’s from scratch for me because I was super dense and insistent about the third one being her and no one else. We keep forgetting to order the Fluffle Puff pins Hotaru wanted but, in my defense, life’s been super hectic and she never wears the ton of pins she owns so yeah… I don’t see why I should rush.

After dinner, Hotaru and I spent some time crafting cute things. We picked up our 365 Craft Ideas book and chose heart themed cards. The idea was to draw and paint lines and patterns on a paper sheet and then them into several heart shapes that you’re supposed to use for decorating a plain color card. In the end, she settled for a heart collage while I decided that my hearts were too cute to ruin improvising. I was too tired by the time we were done with them so I saved them for another project later on, when I’m more awake.

Lana visits the Vet

Took Lana to the vet at last today. He cut her claws and disinfected the wounds in her paws with some antiseptic. Then injected her with some antibiotics and the same painkillers I used on Remus, which was super sad to watch. It wrung my heart and gave me an anxiety attack but I was strong and breathed through it. He said I should return on Friday for a second shot of antibiotics and also get a bloodwork done to make sure her kidneys are still working properly. He said that’s important because, by the time you see renal failure symptoms, 80% of the damage is already done so it’s good to know whether to switch her to renal food now or not.

Hotaru has been bored out of her mind since I grounded her yesterday. Her approach to the matter had initially been “I’ll sleep and watch Lana until I’m not grounded anymore” but today she was too frustrated to sleep and chose to watch my every move, with the result that she ended up second hand watching the Spanish novel I had been watching about spies over my shoulder to the point where she learned the names of the main characters and often mentioned them while playing make believe with her toys. LOL

That’s a whole new level of boredom I hadn’t seen in her yet. It was mildly amusing. I wish I could feel sorry for her, but after the stunt she pulled on me yesterday at the dentist’s office, I stand by my decision and hope she really is bored out of her mind so the next time she’ll cooperate with the Dr.

The kid was interested in learning more about the Nazis because this novel kept talking about them (though the images and conversations were completely age appropriate, it was all very subtle). I briefly explained and then she said she wanted to kill them all so they wouldn’t try to kill more Jews. It was such a bizarre conversation to be having with a six year old. Still, it was nice to see her interested in history and geography rather than videogames for a change.

Leo was admitted into the hospital again tonight. Apparently he wasn’t feeling well, though mom didn’t go into details when she texted me to let me know that.