Dana Daily

We started thinking about  replacing our roof back in 2016. We aren't sure of the exact age, and we knew we were running short on time with it. We had several contractors come out, and today I called our favorite of the bunch back for an updated quote. I'm hoping by scheduling this during the off season, we'll save a little bit of money. Our neighbor also suggested a roofer that they had used, and that they know personally. I'd like to see a quote from him as well. A roof is not where I want to see our money go, but it's kind of important. I'm hoping to be able to use our Venture card to earn travel points since this is an expensive project. Between the HVAC which we replaced last year, and a new roof this year, our big home maintenance must-dos should be complete. I say that with my fingers crossed. Here's my original post with the contractors we had spoken to included.

I had just texted Sal to see what he wanted for dinner, and not even 10 minutes later I received a text from my aunt inviting us to dinner to celebrate my uncle's birthday. Despite living in close proximity, we had never heard of Rico's . We had a great time. My cousin, his girlfriend, and their son are visiting from Germany. We're going to get together with them again next month, but it was nice to see them.

What a day. We got it all covered. 9:00am - Orthodontist with Sarah and Emmy 11:30am - Pediatrician for Emmy's ear pain 1:30pm - Picked up Seth's new eyeglasses 4:00 - Dentist appointments for Sarah and Emmy (which their dad took them to) We've known for some time that the girls would need braces. Sarah has some minor issues requiring correction; Emmy's will be mostly aesthetic. At this time, their dad and I agreed to move forward with Sarah's, and wait a year or two before having Emmy's done. Her teeth may move a bit on their own, and she doesn't have the issues that could lead to bigger issues down the road like Sarah does. The next step is to have impressions made of Sarah's mouth, which should be a quick procedure. Then, in a separate appointment, she'll have the braces up on. She'll have to wear them for 18-24 months. If she follows the rules, she will done on the shorter side of that time frame. Fortunately, both Kevin and I...

These are the days that make me crazy. Seth had a two hour delay, Emmy has been fighting a sore throat since Sunday, and fortunately, Sarah was feeling fine so she went to school on the bus. I waited for Sarah to catch the bus, and ran Emmy, along with Seth, to the doctor for a throat culture. The in-office culture came back negative, and given that it's been a few days, I don't expect the culture they send out will come back positive. Emmy wanted to go to school, so we stopped at Walgreens for some cold medicine, and I dropped her off. Then Seth and I ran home, I got ready for work, and I dropped him off on-time for his day. Tonight Sal has a doctor appointment at 4:30 so that puts dinner and starting homework on me. Yay. They are forecasting a snowstorm tomorrow into Friday so we'll have to see what that brings. This too shall pass.

Sal seemed to be fighting a cold or something all week, and Saturday morning I basically told him to go to the doctor or else. He was diagnosed with a sinus infection, and came home with a prescription for Augmentine and a steroid. His sinuses are forever causing him issues, but last week was awful. That afternoon we got all of our Christmas stuff put away. The living room looks bare, but it was time. We also got two inches of snow overnight, so Sal went out first thing and shoveled the driveway. This morning we went to church, and we cleaned and picked up the house. Basically, we did nothing. It wasn't a bad weekend, but it felt unfulfilling in some way. I'll be so happy to put January, and this winter, behind us.

Seth aged out (skilled out?) of the beginner, "Mommy and Me" class, and advanced to Preschool Level I. However, there weren't any spaces available in Level I when it was our turn to sign up, so they moved him to Preschool Level II. The instructor said Level II is basically a repeat of Level I, and because class size is small, kids are able to go at their own pace. He felt Seth would do fine. If tonight was any indication, he'll do fine in Level II. He's been a bit apprehensive about getting in the water without Sal, but when he saw the pool, he couldn't contain his excitement. He has been talking about swimming since the last session ended in November. The instructor showed the kids how to sit, slide into the pool, and hang onto the side. I was nervous watching from the bleachers, but he followed her instructions perfectly. He did great. No tears, no fuss, and he did what they asked of him. It's only a 25 minute class, and as it progressed he looke...

Sarah went to CCD and Mass as planned, but she was ready for pain meds by the time we returned home. It's still mostly her throat that she complains about, so we'll just have to keep an eye on that. She wanted to go to the mall for a return with Emmy and I, and we also hit the Ashley Home Store, just for fun. She hung in there all afternoon. Later in the day I asked her if she's breathing any easier. She said the air is so cold, and it tickles her nose, when she inhales.  Sarah also continued experimenting with food today. She didn't like the flavor of Land-O-Lakes American cheese from Shop N Save. She was amazed at how minty Hershey Peppermint kisses are. Cheese puffs tasted the same. She didn't care for A1 sauce with her chicken last night, and opted for a sweet BBQ sauce instead. She is scared she isn't going to like buffalo chicken dip anymore, and chances are she won't. She basically has to re-learn what she likes, and it's kind of entert...

Sarah woke up feeling nauseous and dizzy so I gave her a Zofran from my stash. She said that helped, but the dizziness lingered. A nurse called to follow-up, just as I was walking out the door to sign Seth up for swim class. I told her Sarah was still feeling the affects of the anesthesia, and she said if that didn't go away by late afternoon, to call the number on our discharge papers, but in the meantime push fluids. As predicted, Sarah felt much better after eating lunch, but laid low and watched movies the rest of the day. By Saturday night she was talking about going to CCD in the morning. I agreed thinking that may help gauge her readiness for school on Monday. I knew we made the right decision for the surgery, when she mentioned after dinner that the tacos were way too spicy. She seemed incredulous that we didn't switch up the recipe, and she was convinced Sal added more spices than usual. She hasn't been able to taste food, really taste it, for years, if ever. ...

Sarah started developing sinus infections at 6 months old. She was on an endless cycle of antibiotics, much like Seth was, until she had an adenoidectomy at 18 months. Following the surgery, she didn't get sinus infections as often, but she was always congested. At age 5 we had her allergy tested, and while she showed sensitivity to a lot of environmental factors, nothing was conclusive. In the past 6-7 years we've had her seen by ENTs and nothing was found - no obstructions, no infections etc. Finally, this past November, her dad had enough. He took her to a new ENT, explained the symptoms, and told them he wanted "something" done because what she was dealing with is not normal. Dr. Stapleton recommended a turbinate reduction. There's a lot of information on this site , but the procedure removes tissue from inside the nose, increasing the passages for air flow. It's performed under general anesthesia and I had forewarned Sarah's surgical team t...