Planning, Chores revisited and Dizziness

Ok, so I am having a very nice day. The kids are happy, playing with board games, and these magnetic balls (my son is building robots with them) and I have been using my new plan book, to prepare for the Fall. Fall will begin on August 22nd. That gives me a whole month off with the new baby.

My son and daughter are saving money for a new Playstation 2- well, it won't be new, but new to her. She is ban from using DH's as she and her brother continually drop it on the floor, by pulling too hard on the controllers. So, DH told them they had to buy their own. They are desperate to play Legos Star Wars again. So, the kids are motivated to do TONS of chores, and I love it! I am still devising the system, but here is the basics:

Required chores:

Clear breakfast dishes
Get dressed
Clothes in laundry basket
Brush teeth
Brush hair
Make bed

These are 5 cent chores, equaling 25-30 cents (my son doesn't need to brush his hair)

Then, there are optional 5 cent chores:

Feed dog
Feed the bird
Let dog outside/inside
Empty trash cans

These are optional 10 cent chores:

Help mom cook
Clear family dishes
Carry down laundry
Unload dishwasher
Clean up bedroom
Clean up playroom
Put clothes away
Help mom with laundry
Put varied items away
Set Table
Load groceries into car
Unload groceries into house
Put groceries away

The results, for the last week, I am not bending over and killing my back as much. I am not running up and down the stairs so much. I deduct money if there is any tantrum or violent behavior during the chore (e.g., while unloading the dishwasher, you poke your brother with the butter knives) and of course, I have to suggest various opportunities to do chores when I need something done. But, my work load is much less. The kids are not whining about doing their chores, and on average- they earn $1-2 dollars a day - each.

I don't buy them "stuff" when we are shopping. I remind them that they are earning an allowance, and that they may spend it however they want. I am not going to buy them little toys and junk from coin machines etc.

Ok, dizziness.

I have to eat every couple hours or my sugar level drops and I get dizzy. I forgot today, to eat a snack. It was awful. I got cold sweats, and had to weigh lying down with stuffing my face to relieve the problem. So, after shoveling a bowl of frosted mini-wheats with milk, cheese, bell pepper, a banana, and raisin bread with cream cheese into my mouth, with a splash of crystal lite lemonade and prenatal vitamins, I laid down on the couch for 10 minutes and recovered. Umm, I don't generally eat like this anymore. It was sort of a binge, but not by choice. I felt awful, not from the binge, but from the low blood sugar. I have to pay better attention to the clock, and not wait 4 hours.

In the evenings, I feel like I have bowling balls attached to my calves. My legs are so swollen and heavy. I lay on my left side, my right side, strip off my bra and put on comfy pajama pants, remove my sneakers and socks and put my legs up. I feel awful. Last night, I went to bed at 8:30 PM. Sleeping tends to be the only solution to the swelling in my legs. Of course, I flip over every hour because my hips, pelvis and groin ache. My fibroids hurt. My joints make lots of popping noises, and baby is pushing on my bladder- so every time I go to flip over, I have to get up to pee.

Less than 3 weeks to go!