Rasmussen: -17: 46/53. The president’s Approval Index ratings have fallen nine points since Monday as the crisis in Egypt unfolds. Most of the decline comes from a fall in the number who Strongly Approve of the president’s performance (30% on Monday, 23% now). However, for the first time since mid-December, the number who Strongly Disapprove has moved back over the 40% mark for five straight days. The Strongly Disapprove total had been above 40% for most of 2010 but fell to the high-30s after the president and Senate Republicans reached a deal to extend the Bush Administration tax cuts.
I'm .2 pounds down for the week, which is good considering how I overate last night. Blood pressure still too high.
Vince made breakfast! Unfortunately, I'd already eaten, so it was just for him and Rich, but it sure looked good.
It's Rich's birthday, and the girls came to help celebrate. To my surprise, R.J. came as well. We had boxes of stuff for Monica, who was busy taking her car apart to get a pen Charlotte had lost. Genevieve was quite taken with the cheerleading outfit and wanted to try it on, but wanted M's help. Monica stood up to her and Genevieve looked quite cute in the outfit.
It was a zoo. At one point Monica's girls were fussing about something and she dismissed them with "It's not about you." Later, after lunch, Monica was sitting at the far side of the table and I spied Charlotte coming over all clouded up, planning to cry or tattle or both, but then she saw how hard it would be to work her way to her mommy, and back to the playroom she went.
They were funny in the playroom. They kept throwing Gareth out. Wait a minute....
Teddy found the Lego and I directed him to the back room to play with it, out of reach of Gareth.
Bernadette and I left to get the Buca to Go (I had a $100 gift certificate from the Retreat House and ordered 2 garlic breads, a chopped antipasto salad, baked ravioli and chicken carbonara.) That was $97 something and with tax would have been $106 something but the guy waived the tax because it was a gift certificate. We left Joanna in her aunts' hands, ready to cry. Apparently she fussed for awhile, but they put her into the playpen and she felt safe and relaxed. Meanwhile, I couldn't remember where Buca de Beppo was, and we went up and down two streets till Bernadette asked me if I had my cell phone with me... duh. Welcome to the 20th century! They told us where they were, so we were only about 15 minutes later than I'd said we would be.
Vince had helped me put two leaves in the table and put the tablecloth on (twice since I got it wrong side up the first time), and we managed to get enough chairs around the table and get the kids fed. I thought that was a big enough variety that they'd find something. Then out they went again. Gareth had been a little upset at first that the Kids were out and he wasn't. Later, when we had Bernadette's cake, everyone went outside. Somehow, in this mess, my carpet was unscathed. When Gareth was out, he kept getting into dangerous stuff, and he got really messy. He also got to play with his cousins, which he really likes.
Rich opened his presents with the grownups. Monica had picked up a Mardi Gras basket at Cost Plus: Praline pancake mix, bread pudding mix, jambalaya mix, two fun candy bars, two different spicy chips. Oh, and three strings of Mardi Gras beads. Which will replace the three that went when the kids picked something from "Nana's treasure box" (Genevieve took a hair clip: my treasure is changing a bit, too.) Roni's present is on the way. Vince and Niki had shirts for both of us, that say "My son is a rocket scientist, what does your kid do?" Heh. Bernadette had gotten Rich 3 thin long-sleeve shirts because the chemo will make his skin sensitive to the sun, so he'll have to cover up when gardening. And my Woot! gift for him was a turntable to translate vinyl (we have so many records) to MP3s. I figured this was a long-term project.
Then we called the kids in to sing and out to have their cake.
Before they left, Monica told the kids they had to pick up the playroom... and they did! Where were they when I needed them??
Such a nice day. After Bernadette gave Gareth a quick shower and left, Rich had a long nap. Hardly surprising.
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