Finally Friday

The Appointment
Took The Boy to his doctor's appointment. In the car, I notified him that they may need to stick his finger and take a little blood. Based on his reaction, I didn't tell him about the shots. He would have gotten all worked up over it. Overall, he's a healthy boy. He's in the 95th percentile for both height and weight, and he could tell that by looking at his ankles, he's a 'busy' young man.

How can he tell by looking at his ankles? They're a little beat up, meaning he's out and about running into things.

They did the vision (20/16) and the hearing check (more on that later).

It was then time for the 'vaccinations' - that's what they were calling them. I told him it would be three little pricks and we'd be done. The nurse had everything ready and quickly laid the stuff out; she was terribly cheery while doing it. She explained every step (rolling up his sleeves, wiping his arm, drying it off) as she went. When it came time for the actual shot, The Boy looked, watched, and turned red.

He was laughing. The nurse and I cheered for him as we went. "You're doing a great job! Almost done!" Yee ha!

She did all three without a single tear. I think that by downplaying it, there was no expectation. He didn't have time to get himself all worked up. She said she wished every time went like that.

We did receive an ENT referral. Today I need to check with our insurance and make sure they are on our plan. He still has the tube in, and the doctor thinks it needs to come out. Also, The Boy failed the hearing test that ear. I asked if I needed to worry. "Worry?" the doctor said. Yes, do I need to worry about hearing aids and such? "No, no, not at all. It's most likely fluid left over from the ear infection we just treated." Ok. As much as I try not to worry until I have something to worry about, a little part of me can't help it.

Recipe
It's been awhile since I've done a recipe.

Today's a dreary, cold day. Here's what's in the crock pot:

Spicy Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup
1 lb dry black beans, soaked overnight
1 can chopped green chiles (or use 1 T diced jalapeno peppers for more heat)
6 c chicken broth
1/2 t garlic powder
1 T chili powder
1 t each ground cumin, cayenne pepper, and black pepper
1/2 t hot pepper sauce

Drain beans and rinse. Combine all ingredients in crock pot. Cook on low 8-10 hours (or cook on high 4 hours, turn to low and continue cooking 2 more hours)

Housewifery
For quite awhile, I'd split the housework up doing one load of laundry and cleaning one room every day. Though it didn't seem like I did alot each day, it felt like I was doing it all the time - if that even makes any sense. The last couple weeks, I've reserved Friday as "Cleaning, Laundry, and Grocery Day." Seems a bit excessive, but it's nice to have everything clean at once, and for the weekend to boot. Better get started...