Today was Chloe's first day of her second week of school. During her Individual Education Plan (IEP) meeting back in December, we discussed the option of her taking the bus to school. At first, I was very hesitant. In fact, the school bus idea was first brought up in November; I was reluctant then too. But, at the IEP meeting, I was talked into allowing her to take the bus given that the school buses had car seats with harnesses installed on them for the smaller kids.

So, today, Chloe took the school bus for the first time. It was a heartbreaking first experience. We walked down the driveway to the bus. When we got to the end of the drive, she didn't want to get on the bus. I had to pick Chloe up and carry her up the stairs to the driver. The monitor put her in the seat and strapped her in. Then, Chloe pointed to me and the seat; she told me to sit. When I said I couldn't go with her, she started to cry. Per the report, she cried all the way to school this morning.

After she left for school, I paid my brother-in-law ten bucks to run me to QT and Starbucks. You know, I have to have my Chocolate Chip Frappe fix anytime I possibly can. When we got back, I cleaned the kitchen and washed the dishes, started 1 of 3 loads of laundry, cleaned the living room, cleaned Chloe's room, and also managed to straighten up the den (my office space) a bit. Overall, the three hours that Chloe was off at school was a very productive time for me.

Chloe's bus brought her home around 2:20 pm. The bus was supposed to arrive by 2:15 pm, but what're five minutes? When she got home, I got her from the bus and spoke to the driver. On the way from school to the house, Chloe didn't cry. She had fun. A little girl sat next to Chloe on the bus and talked to her, made her laugh, and the likes. Chloe's ride home was better than the ride to school. Hopefully, tomorrow will be better for her.

Once we were in the house and settled, I check her school bag for the folder her teacher sends home every day. There were three things inside it: the usual what we did today worksheet, a ziplock bag with the change from the cash I sent for milk, and a letter from the nurse announcing that someone in her class was diagnosed with the flu #FML.

Chloe took a nap shortly after she got home. I could tell she was tired, she wasn't very active, and she pretty much told me she wanted to go to bed. While she was napping, I did a few things for school, worked on some of my Harry Potter project guidelines, and anticipated the completion of the big WoW patch.

WoW was down all day, clear into 8 pm which sucked because I was supposed to raid at 7 pm. Oh well, hopefully, the raid leader will reschedule the raid for another day so we can work on my gear.

Chloe ate Chicken Noodle Casserole for dinner tonight, which is abnormal. She usually doesn't eat any meat. I am glad she's trying new foods.

It's snowing ...

It's currently snowing outside as you can see in the picture above. But, that's the gist of what we've gotten since 5 pm. So, I don't foresee much of a problem for the commuters tomorrow. However, that could change overnight!

Until tomorrow ...

So, today was a pretty chill and relax kind of day. My husband and I played some World of Warcraft, I did some school stuff, and then around 3 pm, we had birthday Brinner with our family on his side. January is a busy month for us as far as birthdays are concerned. Chloe's birthday is January 2nd, my birthday is January 10th, and my husband's birthday is January 19th. Mix that in with our friends birthdays: CJ, January 8th; Nick, January 10th; Nacer, January 13th, and Jeff, January 16, and we just have so many people to celebrate!

CJ, Nick, and Jeff are in Charleston, SC. When my husband and I first met, we just to go to Charleston on my birthday weekend to hang out with friends and go out to dinner. That happened the first couple of years. Now, we can't afford that trip as often as we'd like. This year though, we all talked to each other on the phone or through Facebook. It's not the same as spending the day together, but it works.

From the moment I got up today until about 1 pm, I was taking notes on lectures for both of my classes and getting my initial discussion posts ready to go. This week is all about ideation strategies in English and the Judicial System in Intro to law. Let's fast forward to around 3 pm.

So, Brinner was terrific. My husband's dad grilled up some steaks on the grill (see pre-cooked above). His steaks are to die for; I'm not sure what goes into the rub on his meat, but it makes beef delicious. He uses the rub on beef and pork. My husband's mom cut up some veggies for the grill too. Overall, Brinner was amazing.

You might be wondering what the word Brinner means. Well, I'll tell you. Brinner is a term used for a meal that happens later in the day but isn't considered lunch or dinner. AND, when you don't eat breakfast that morning, we have Brinner. :)

At any rate, after lunch, we gathered around a cake and Chloe received three cupcakes (see picture at top) each with their candle. We sang happy birthday to the three of us, and then we had cake and ice cream. My little one is the only child I know who won't eat cake or ice cream. It drives me crazy.

Chloe asked for cake all week. When she finally got it, she wouldn't eat it. Chloe did eat a tiny bit of frosting off the top of one of her cupcakes. And, when she blew out the candles, she did so with her nose--YUCK!

After all the birthday stuff was completed, I got in the Discord Voice app on my computer and attended an Officer Training session with my Guild Master in World of Warcraft. I recently joined an active guild that spans 12 different servers. One of my friends, who used to be an officer of mine, recruited me into this new guild, and apparently sang my praises to the GM. Then, they convinced me to fill out an official application, put me through their Officer Bootcamp, and I am now an officer in their guild.

I spent the better part of my evening running around in Azeroth, talking to people in discord, and spending time with Chloe. It was a pretty chilled and relaxing day.

Until tomorrow ...