Hiatus

I had not planned on being gone for quite so long. Sorry to leave you with the lovely image of the inside of someone's nose for weeks. To make up for it, I'm having a giveaway that I'm super excited for. We are still working out the details, but I'll announce it on Monday at the latest.

So, what has been happening in the Monster Maison? Well, quite a bit actually. Here is a brief run down:

• My parents came out to Philly for a visit. We had such a blast! I'll make a post for this ASAP.
• I started (and completed) an online certification for American Sign Language. My hope is to get a job teaching sign language in preschools. There were 40 lessons, so it has taken a bit of time to accomplish. Thankfully, my memory from my college classes kicked in and I was able to do it easily.
• The stray kitty has found a permanent home with our neighbors. She is making peace with the dog and thriving in her new loving home.
• I was officially diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. Bad news, I have RA. Good news, it is totally treatable and my medicine is coming in today. It is an injection, but at least it is only twice a month, which seems totally doable, especially if it keeps the pain away. :o)
• The kids have started school. It is hard to tell if I'm more excited or they are. LOL! We get to walk to the school and that has been fun too. It has been a time adjustment though with getting everyone where they need to be when they need to be there. It is a work in progress. SugarPea starts a 'class' next week (it really isn't school) and she couldn't be more excited. Every day she begs to go to school. Oh, how quickly that changes!
• I'm back at the gym! Wahoo!!! It feels so good to be getting my heart rate going again. Not to mention it is fabulous to take a shower without the kids reeking havoc in my absence. I'm still feeling a little nervous about my knee, but I'm getting there. Plus, the yoga class is 90 minutes, so that is a lot of deep breathing. LOL! Not to mention the classes are free. That is always nice!
• I've been battling a cold for the last week or so. Such a bummer. I only went through 2 boxes of tissues and I'm feeling tons better now, though not quite 100%.

Well, there is your quick update. I'll start working on the parent post this afternoon when the boys are in school and Sugar is in quiet time. I have a plethora of pictures to get up too, so I'll let you know when they are on Cookie.