Play Hard, Sleep Hard

Dirt Patch

I finally planted the few seedlings and the remaining seeds. Once again, Ladies and Gentlemen, I have a dirt patch in my back yard.

Every year I do this. I plant things back there and then struggle to get them to grow. Some years the plants do well, and others... not so much. It depends on rain and sun, and also on our summer vacation schedule.

Every year I also tell myself that this is the last year for this particular dirt patch. Next year I will clean out an area of our back yard. I can pick an area that is flat, so I won't have to worry so much about the run-off washing away planted seeds.  I can plant twice as much. But I'll have to clear the area of grass and grass roots, and I'll also have to weed it all constantly, and besides that I'll have to somehow keep the animals away. The deer have come as close as the swingset, see. There are also rabbits and mice. 

But this time I mean it. Next year. Next year! I found a cute picket fence in the woods - something the previous owners left there, no doubt. I can paint that and it'll look really cute. 

Of course, since I planted the seeds a week ago and nothing has happened, I'm wondering if I should even bother...

Faith Musings

Today is Sunday. This is the day of our minister's last sermon before he leaves our church and moves on to other things.

I grew up an atheist. There were times, in my life, when I believed in God, when I thought my family was going to hell, and even when I thought I might be resurrected at some point and live forever. But my parents gave me the freedom to think for myself and decide these things for myself, and because of this, I landed in adulthood firmly convinced that there was no real "God" the way various religions described "him."

And then I found this church.

I feel I must explain myself, because this church community has become such a huge part of my life in such a short period of time. I talk about my church a lot because I think about my church a lot. I feel people bristle when I speak about my church, as though I am a crazy person who is going to start raving about Jesus and demanding they give up their Sunday morning sleep-ins  even though I was simply talking about music, or going to a meeting.

I still haven't really changed my mind. I am still an atheist. I have simply fallen in love with this church, that does not demand that I change my mind or believe anything I find to be unbelievable. It doesn't ask that of anyone, and I don't ask that of anyone. I think people are allowed to believe what they believe, and that none of these beliefs are necessarily wrong. We can find more in common with each other than we can find things to divide us.

I have never been a member of another church. I have never had a minister other than this minister. I am nervous about this transition - what if this new minister prays too much? What if she isn't as intellectually stimulating and I get bored? What will happen to this huge part of my life?

This is when Faith comes into play. I didn't exactly choose this church because of the minister. It was the package. I have faith in the principles of my religion. And without further ado, here they are, as posted on the UUA website:

 - the inherent worth and dignity of every person
 - justice, equity, and compassion in human relations
 - acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations
 - a free and responsible search for truth and meaning
 - the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and society at large.
 - the goal of a world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all
 - respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are all a part

Unmade Quilts

Recently my mother sent me a few large boxes from Tennessee.

I had some idea of what was in the boxes. Mom and I had spoken on the phone, and I knew there would be quilts and them some quilting things that Betty, and even Frances, had used.

I didn't expect my reaction to be so emotional.

I cried.

This morning I finally started going through the boxes and sorting through the materials in there. There were so many projects that were never finished, hundreds of little round fabric circles for something or other, squares that had been quilted but not backed... yards of what looks like polyester pant material.

I started laying things out on the bed, trying to decide what I should do with it all. And in the process I realized that, even if I did decide what I was doing, I would have no room to store it. Every single drawer in the guest room is stuffed with my own projects - boxes of pockets,  squares of denim, old stained shirts and used curtains...

I really do mean to get around to these projects someday, but the time is never really right. There always seems to be something else to do.

I think that, this morning anyway, I was saddest because I wasn't sure I was ever going to get around to finishing anything, either. And then, when I die, someone will pack up all of the boxes of off fabrics, and the odds and ends of ribbons and such, and ship them off to someone else.

10 Years

Old Photographs

I found this picture when I was digging through old photographs the other day. This is an activity that used to involve shoeboxes and yellowing albums, but now mostly involves browsing through old files and hoping the software needed to open them still exists. 

Anne-E looks exactly the same, only thinner. I look amazing in this picture. I look like I'm fifteen, only when I was fifteen I didn't look this good. Obviously, since then, I have ruined my face by spending too much time in the sun with no sunscreen, drinking too much red wine, and having three children. 

Nick Is 8 Today

a few weeks ago I sang this song in church, and now I am shamelessly posting the lyrics here for my son. If you don't know it, ( I didn't,) it's a Tom Chapin song.

May you grow in your own sweet way, 

And blossom more every day,

And follow the music in your soul.

May there be time for you to grow.

Happy Birthday, Nicholas!

I love you so much.

Story Time!

In The Audience

Recitals can be so tedious.

Seconds To Go

The boys both did very well at their very first piano recital. I was very proud of them. They were two of the most prepared students there. Not that I'm biased or anything.

The whole event was a little bit of a flashback, especially when a few of the pieces played were some old favorites my sisters and I tackled when we were younger. It was good to have them there.

Before the Recital

Sisters

Here's a picture of me and my sisters:

Well, almost. Anne-E decided not to come that first night, so she was replaced.

Actually, I found that I really didn't end up taking too many pictures of Anne-E. Which is a shame. But we see Anne-E much more than we see Emily, and I'm sure I'll have many many more chances.

Back to "Normal"

Yesterday I drove my sister Anne-E to the bus station early in the morning, and Emily drove herself off to the airport shortly after noon.

It was really really nice to have my sisters visit. We didn't get to spend enough time together. I know this because they didn't have the chance to get on my nerves even just a little bit. Obviously next time they must stay until I get slightly irritated at least for a moment.

While they were here we had 2 karate classes, 2 T-ball games, 1 piano recital, and 1 gymnastics class. We ate out 3 times. I did nine loads of laundry. It was really fun. I had a great time just with the usual chaos. I miss them already.

Right now I'm getting over that little bout of depression I always get when a visit ends, particularly a visit I've been looking forward to for awhile. This has happened to me all my life, only now that I'm an adult I can recognize it in myself, and even look back and think "Oh, so that's what that was" about that time when I was seven and the Wolfes went home after a long weekend and I claimed to feel sick and crawled into my parents' bed for three days.

There is no time to slow down here. Tonight we had piano lessons - the first after the recital. Tomorrow is karate, and I need to clean the house (run the vacuum and all that). I have birthday parties to plan and gifts to purchase and a 10th anniversary creeping up. Go, Fleen, Go!

She's Not Here

My sisters are visiting me from far away, and so I'm not posting for a few days. I'm too busy having fun and talking with them,and then trying to do the things I usually have all day to do in the few minutes we are not together.

Andy's Work

We all know Andy loves the camera.

The other day I had to take him to Karate class with me. Because there's no place to wait inside, and because the dojo has moved, there is now no place to go during class. I usually bring my computer and write. But Andy needs to bring his own toy. This day, he forgot.
 But I remembered my camera, so he could keep himself entertained

.

New Life

One day it will stop raining, and I'll finally get to pop these babies in the ground.

Translation

It's like some secret code, the Rosetta Stone, or the ancient sea scrolls. I can see the text, I can make out the letters, but the meaning is... not there.

Actually, I think they are supposed to be dragon names from Skylander. If you don't know what that is, I can't exactly help you. I'm lost. My boys are already immersed in a culture I do not understand. I'm going to be in SO much trouble when they get to be teenagers.

Snack Time

I can't for the life of me figure out what the boys are eating in this picture.  I'm pretty sure I gave it to them, and I think I took the picture...

Taking A Break

You might have noticed that, of late, I haven't been posting every day.

Or maybe you haven't. Maybe now you're scrolling down and glancing at the dates and thinking "oh, jeez! she has let a few days go by without actually posting anything. Go figure!" Or maybe you're just thinking, "so?"

I haven't been posting every day. I usually do. But these days on Saturday I sit down with my computer and I don't have that much to say that hasn't been said.

And so I am exercising my right to not post every day. Who says I have to?

Momther's Day

Because it is Mother's Day, I am taking advantage of my new rule, the one that says I don't have to have a post every single day.

Instead, this is a fake post, with a link to a different blog post . One that made me laugh and laugh, and know that even my 4-year old has better spelling than some employed adults.

Actually, while I'm at it, here's another post in that same blog. It's Momther's Day. I can do what I want.

Working It Out

I've started working out again.

I took a long time off. I wanted to make very very sure my ankle healed properly, because I'm tired of having to worry about it. But at my last doctor's visit I found out the lump was never actually going to leave the back of my heel. And then I stepped on the scale and found out I was a full ten pounds heavier than I was a month ago. I kind of knew it was coming, because the jeans that used to fit but then started falling down were actually fitting again.

So.

Yes.

I have a couple of plans in motion. I'm doing a couple of different things. I plan to add shorter runs in as soon as things pick up a bit, and possibly when the days get warmer.

So far, I'm four days back into it, and I feel like... well... I have never felt more like a lump of heavy clay. For some reason the people on the video spring up and down like it's nothing, and I can't manage to move at all. Also, when I jump, I hit the ceiling fan. I sometimes feel like I'm working out in a closet. It's odd.

But I'm hopeful. Even if I don't lose the weight, maybe I can at least get back into the skinny jeans. Not actually skinny jeans, but the jeans I used to wear when... never mind.

Schedule

This T-ball schedule is throwing everything off.

There have been more evenings that I care to count where the boys have karate until 5:45, and T-ball starts at 6pm. I have have church related meetings and activities at 7pm many nights these past couple of weeks. I've been trying to cook dinners that can be made quickly or ahead of time, and we juggle the kids.

I hate this part. Everything runs into each other. T-ball team photographs are the same day as the church board meeting, and games are never scheduled when we have time. It would be one thing if the weather were half-way decent, but T-ball always seems to be cold and wet.

It all makes me incredibly grumpy.

More Grass

It's hard work spreading grass seed. Especially when you have such small hands.

Actually, the best part of this whole fiasco is how I watered the seed. Our hose is on the other side of the house. Instead of stretching it and walking around the house, I just walked it up the deck and through the kitchen, then out the front door. I should have taken pictures of THAT... but I was too busy actually wrestling with the hose and trying to make sure we didn't somehow spray it inside the house.

Yard Work

Yes, I even gave Nathan a rake to help spread the grass.

I regretted it when I realized he was actually raking up small mounds of dirt everywhere. But those were easily fixed. He took himself so seriously.

The Green Grass Grows

Last weekend I handed the boys a bag of grass seed and had them plant it in the bald spots in the front yard.

A couple of years ago I tried planting grass seed up there. The rain started falling moments after I spread the seed, washing the seed down into the driveway and into the flower beds where I had just planted tulips.

Last year I bought something called Turf Builder (maybe it was something else?) and I spread it around rather unevenly. I thought it was grass seed, but I think it was actually just weed killer. Instead of anything growing, it just killed the few stalks of crabgrass and dandelions that were out there, making the bald spots much, much balder.

So after all that, I figured it couldn't get much worse handing the boys a bag of plain old grass seed.

Of course, the next day it rained, but as I directed them to stay at the top of the slope, I son't think the seed will wash down all the way.

It's actually been cold, cloudy and rainy all week, with a notable lack of sun. I'm hoping when this weather breaks, the grass will actually start to grow.

The white stuff? Grass seed.

Say "Stinky Cheese!"

I asked Nick to smile so that we could see the cute gap in his teeth. My reasoning is that his new teeth will grow in too quickly, and he won't be a cute little boy much longer.

His reasoning is that he's not a cute little boy anymore anyway, so this is what he gave me.

Actually, I think he just didn't like what I had made for dinner, but the result is the same.

Jelly Donut

Seriously - is there anything better?

May Day

 The tree at the top of the driveway, the one I've been working to keep alive for the past couple of years - removing a bush that was crowding it and giving it tree-food and anti-insect stuff... It's flowering! We've had years go by with just boring old leaves, so this means something.

Happy May!

Blog Issue

As many of you know, I wire all of my blog posts for the week at once. I sit down, get them all out, and schedule them to be published at specific times.

But lately, there's been an issue.

See, it's supposed to just automatically publish. I set something to be published at 6am on Monday, and at 6:01, when I view this blog, the new post should just appear.

But it does not. Instead, I have to go into the stupid post, as though I'm editing it, and click "publish" again, even though I have changed nothing, just to get the stupid thing to show up.

I'm sorry if this sounds like such a little thing. It sound like one, I know. But I never used to have to do this, until, of course, they updated the formatting and all that to make things "better" and now, even though I'm not supposed to have to, I still do if I want anything to publish.

Also, I'm tired and cranky this week, remember?

Punch Line

There's an old story I recently just came across again.

It's the one where the guy comes home from work at his usual time, and finds his two children playing outdoors in their Pajamas. They are digging in the flower beds, and are covered in mud and dirt from head to toe. The front door is wide open, and he immediately realized something is wrong. He dashes inside, tripping over a pile of coats and shoes. The living room is a wreck, cushions off the sofa, books and toys all over the floor.  The kitchen is also filthy, the sink full of dirty dishes, the table covered in scraps of food and sticky syrup. The frige door is wide open and the dog is licking the bottom shelf. Juice is spilled all over the floor. The bathroom sink is running,  toothpaste is all over the sink and the bathroom counter, and toilet paper is trailing down the hall. As he makes his way up the stairs he notices that there is dirty laundry and toys on each step, and all over the floor upstairs. Crayon scribbles mark up the walls. Now very worried, he bursts into the bedroom to find his wife in bed with a book.

"Honey!" He exclaims. "What happened?"

"Well," she replies," You know how you're always saying you wonder what I do all day? Today I didn't do it."

I have been so distracted this week, that this is what I feel like. I know it was April Vacation, and I was supposed to clean my whole house. How much did I get done? I cleaned half the kitchen.

Now, don't get me wrong. I cleaned half the kitchen Really Really well. I did such a good job that even now, days later, you can tell it was cleaned recently, if you know where to look. It's just that I got distracted.

I committed myself to doing a rather big project for the church. It'snot something I'm doing on my own. In fact, I feel that I'm doing less than everyone else. But still, it requires a lot of reading, and a lot of phone conversations, and many meetings, most of which take place after 7pm. I feel as though I'm stretched pretty thin. So thin, in fact, that I stopped working out this week - even the little weight lifting I was doing, just so I could sleep a little more. I didn't vacuum the house this week. I've done less laundry than usual. And I feel I've hardly been there to put the boys to bed.

The project is almost over. Almost. OK, it will be over in another week. That isn't that long. I can hang in there for one more week, really. When this is over I can start working out again. Carefully, so my ankle won't get hurt. I can get my regular routine back. I can get back onto this Spring Cleaning project. I will once again be Wonder Woman.

But for now, I'm just a lump of tired brain matter who is aways in need of a nap.

Gardening

This spring I'm planting a vegetable garden again. Once again, I'm going to give it my best shot. I'm planting green beans, tomatoes, squash and zucchini, and this year I'm trying carrots and corn.

I'm really not sure about the corn.

I also got a blueberry, a raspberry, and a blackberry plant. I'm feeling ambivalent about these, and a little guilty. We used to have blackberries, but I pulled up the plants because they were so mixed in with the thorny brush near the trees. I figure that, now that I've got most of the thorny brush cleared, and now that I'm more familiar with what the thorny brush looks like, I can distinguish between desirable and undesirable.

Good luck to me.

T-Ball

This T-ball practice schedule is killing me.

I know it's seasonal, but you know what helps? A regular practice schedule. Every Wednesday at 5:30. Or every Saturday at noon. But no, they try to schedule practices so that different people can make different ones, so it's always different. One day at 8AM, then the next at 5:30. Then two days later at 6pm. Then a week later at noon.

It makes it impossible to anticipate, and extremely difficult to schedule around.

Calendar

I keep a date book.

It's an old-fashioned one. And by that I mean that it's paper, and I write in it with a pen. I keep everything I need to do in it - not only lists of weekly tasks, like "grocery shopping" or "laundry" but doctor's appointments, hair appointments, T-ball practices... everything.

I know there are more modern ways to keep calendars. For example, I have one on my computer. I've plugged a few things into it, just for kicks. Meetings I need to attend for church, parent / teacher conferences, etc. I also have one on my i-pad, which comes in handy if I happen to bring it with me. And I have one on my phone, which I use every once and awhile, but which is hard to use because the keyboard is small, and I have people-sized fingers.

The things is, these calendars don't speak to each other. Now, I have a mac. I have an iPhone. As far as I can tell, these calendars are the same. But no matter what I sync, no matter what settings I type in, none of the information ever carries over from one to the other.

Steve told me to google it, which I did. But I couldn't understand half of it. Aside from general computer terminology, many program names also happen to be regular words. Like "exchange." If you don't know this is a program instead of a verb or noun, you could get confused. And what I did understand didn't work.

Steve then told me I should use a different program, but I don't want to re-enter all the information I have already entered.

I beat my head against the counter and screamed and yelled and wondered why why WHY this had to be so HARD! There must be something, some way to make this easier....

And there is. It's called a pen and paper. My regular, old-fashioned journal.

Dog?

The other day, as we were walking through a house, we met this little puppy.

I have mixed feelings about dogs like this. First of all, when someone says the word "Dog" I picture something closer to Gunther. Or to, you know, something dog-sized. Something bigger than my cat. This dog is four pounds.

Secondly, I can see putting a sweater or a rain coat or even booties on a dog to protect from cold or rain. I do not understand putting a dress on a dog so she can run about the house.

But then again... she is so cute.

Brothers

I've been trying to get the boys to get along more. All they seem to do is argue and fight. Even though I know from first hand experience that this is something siblings do, it is getting out of hand.

The thing is, they really do like each other. Maybe they've just reached the stage where they need some space from each other.

Earth Day

Today is Earth Day. 

Today, just for one day, do something nice for the planet. Walk instead of ride. Stay away from plastic bottles. Recycle something you usually don't. Reuse something you usually don't. Try turning off your lights, your devices, your TV's. Read a book or take a walk. 

Love the planet. It's the only one we've got.

I got this photo from FB's Green Renaissance page.

Spring Break

This year we aren't going anywhere for April Vacation. We are staying home. I have some things I need to do at the church, and I plan on trying to get some Spring Cleaning done.

My Master Plan is to go room by room. That way the boys can't get in my way. They will only mess up the rooms I've already done. It's supposed to be chilly and rainy all week, so they probably won't be going outside...

Wish me luck.

Camera Issues

Sometimes my camera does this. It's kind of irritating. I'd say "get a new one" except that.... well... this camera IS my new one.

Ankle

Quick update on my stupid ankle tendons.

I went and got fitted for orthopedic inserts. These are basically really expensive shoe inserts, like Dr. Scholl's, only they cost $60, and the nice lady who watched we walk around first fitted them to my foot using a really strong heat gun (like a hair dryer but stronger.)

I learned a few things. For one thing, she can feel the difference in my good and bad tendons without even reaching my famous lump. My left tendon is "ropey." Also, I have to start stretching now, even if the swelling hasn't gone down, or my tendon will bind to my bone and I'll hurt myself again as soon as I start running again.

Also, I learned that flip flops and sandals have no support (she sees an increase of people coming in with injuries in the summer) so stay away from the Old Navy $2 flips.

Finally, the biggest shocker for me... avoid going barefoot! Here I was thinking that I was fine as long as I kicked off the 1.5" heels as soon as I got home, but it turns out being barefoot, or wearing slippers, is just as bad. Sneakers with support are best, and mules are no good because they have no support in the back of the ankle.

Seriously? It's finally warming up and I'm going to have to wear sneakers all summer? I don't think so. No way. This thing better fix itself fast, because one of the many plus sides of summer is hardly wearing shoes. I'm not pulling on smelly sneakers every day! Not a chance!

Pooh on this stupid ankle injury. It's really become a pain in the you know.

A Different School Photo

Clix Photography comes to Andy's school twice a year.

In the fall, they take traditional school pictures, and a few poses with pumpkins, or apples, or fall leaves. I really like the pictures they take. I think they look marvelous, and I want to drag all three boys in for a group shot one of these days.

But in the spring... well, they go a different way. They dress up. This is why we have one picture of nate in a boxing outfit, and one where he's dressed up as a knight.

But this spring they did "Fairies and Fishermen."

Please, feel free to comment and let me know what you think.

Problems with Pets

We have three pets. Gunther, the dog, Frank, the cat, and Puck, the diabetic cat.

Taking care of multiple pets takes some getting used to. They each have their own needs, and they each have their own habits.

We learned, for example, that we couldn't feed the cats on the floor, because GUnther would quickly stick his nose in and in three seconds the only thing left in the cat dishes would be a thin layer of dog spit.

So we adapted and started feeding the cats on the counter, a place they otherwise were not allowed.

This worked for two or three days. And then Gunther learned that, if we weren't looking, he could place his front paws on the counter and reach the bowls with his tongue.

After many months of yelling, bowls falling to the floor, and a few skipped meals for the cats, the vet told us Puck had a thyroid issue and needed medication. It was important that he get regular meals.

So I placed a baby gate to the pet hallway, moved the dog's food and the water bowl to the outside of the baby gate, and fed the cats on the inside of the "pet hallway." The "pat hallway" also happens to be where the coffee maker is, and this means that, in the morning, there was some hopping over baby gates involved, not to mention that when it was Andy's turn to feed the pets, he had to climb over one baby gate and then reach over a second - the one I had placed in front of the closet to keep Gunther or the cats from knocking the bin of food over. The gate comes up to Andy's armpits, so it means a lot more to him.

On top of the baby gates, I was giving puck pills twice a day.

And then... and then and then and THEEEENNNNN.... the vet told us Puck was diabetic. And now needed special food, special WET food, and also had to have injections.

So... the wet food meant that Frank got jealous and would try to eat Puck's food. And Puck, naturally, preferred Franks food. Again, I tried making them just get used to it, but they are cats. So after weeks of loudly yelling at Frank "THIS IS YOUR BOWL!" I finally broke. I started placing Puck's dish of food in the bathroom, far away from Frank.

But then Gunther the dog had new access to Puck's food.

So I had to shut the door.

By the way, I should note that Steve had long ago stopped trying to keep up with this whole thing. He now refers tot he downstairs bathroom as "Puck's private dining area" as though Puck were the one at fault. I tried pointing out that it's the other two pets that eat his food, but it does no good.

So now, twice a day, I place Franks food in the pet hallway as I give puck his pill, Gunther gets fed by one of the boys (it's easier, just a scoop of dry) on the outside of the baby gate, and the Puck's food gets placed inside the bathroom, with the door closed. As soon as he is finished, I give him an injection of insulin.

Except this is a busy place, and sometimes, just sometimes, things get forgotten.

The other night I forgot about Puck. Not only did he not get his injection, he was shut in the bathroom all night long. When I came down the net morning, he had turned over the trash bin and peed all over it. I mean, he had to pee somewhere, but really? Soggy cat-pee dryer lint was stuck all over the bathroom floor.

Also, he wasn't very excited about breakfast.

Rock Paper Scissors

The other day I cam upon the boys trying to solve a disagreement. Being children, they did what kids do and decided to solve their issue using Rock Paper Scissors. 

Just in case you don't know how this works (at a church board meeting it came out that one adult really didn't know how this decision making process worked, so this says something, although I guess it's mostly about how our church board makes decisions. But I digress...)

Just in case you don't know Rock Paper Scissors, I'll explain. Say two people want to resolve something, such as who gets to drive, hold the remote, has to clean up the cat puke, etc. They would face off and at the same time make one of three hand signals. Rock (a fist) Paper (a flat hand) or Scissors (two fingers extended to look like scissors). Each can beat one thing but gets beat by the other. Rock beats Scissors but Paper covers Rock. Scissors cut Paper, but get crushed by Rock. 

Unless, of course, you are playing todays game. This little scene took place after I butted in and declared that there is no GUN in Rock Paper Scissors. 

I also, as delicately as I could, tried to explain why doing Rock Paper Scissors with three people wouldn't work, especially three people who refused to change their minds about what they were going to shoot.

Easter Egg Hunt

I don't take a lot of pictures at Easter because it's hard to capture a moving target, and most of the time the boys are either running around like maniacs, or stuffing their mouths with chocolate marshmallow jelly bean bunnies.

But sometimes, while waiting for an egg hunt to begin, a boy has to just rest. On his easter bucket.

Easter Picture

Me: Hold your chocolate bunnies up and smile!

Boys:

Doctor's Orders

So the lump on my ankle came back.

Now, I'm a smart lady. I looked this thing up on the internet, and I diagnosed myself with Achilles Tendonitis, based on what it looked like and what my activities were. And when I stopped running during that long stretch between Christmas and February 1st, the lump went away.

And when I started running between February 1st and my boat vacation, the lump started coming back. I was hoping the extra week of not-running and being on a boat would give it a little extra time to heal, but alas, no. When I came back, ten pounds heavier, all activities led to this growing lump on my ankle.

This is a little lump, you see. It isn't huge. Not as big as it was before Christmas. On it's own, I might not notice it, but it was so painful before that I want to make sure I don't do anything too very stupid, like rip the tendon completely and not be able to run ever again.

So I mentioned it to my doctor. He agreed to give me a referral to an orthopedist, but there was some complication about insurance, so I had to actually find one through the insurance company.

And weeks later, I finally went to see a specialist. After some x-rays and pinching my ankle, he gave me his expert opinion: I have Achilles Tendonitis, and I need to stop running until it heals.

Go figure.

The thing is, the lump is just swelling. What's actually happening is that the tendon is ripping. Not in half, but fraying, like a rope. The lump is just the swelling around the sore spot. And if I keep running, eventually the rope will snap. Which would be VERY bad. I would be hobbled, basically.

So there's no running. In fact, now I have to go back to get a special insert made for my shoe. I have to stay away from anything with a negative heel or too high a heel. I can't run. I can't even walk. I have special exercises to do, like stretching. And then I have to go back to the orthopedist again, and he will decide if I need physical therapy. Which I don't want. Because quite frankly, I can hardly fit the doctor's appointments into my schedule without at least two small children tagging along.

Finding Comfort

This is the bin I put all of our mail and bills in, until I get the chance to pay them or file them away. It eliminates clutter.  Apparently, it's also a really good place to nap.

Nick's Dancing

I couldn't get a video of this. After shouting at his to stop acrobatting in the house, I couldn't very well ask him to start again for the camera.... could I?

Nathan's Egg

And I shall call him Eggy, and he shall be mine!

Andy Decorating Eggs

Happy Easter

 We segregate our eggs - ones for hiding, and ones for just looking at because they are not hard boiled and will make a huge mess if they break. Next year I'm going to try actually blowing the eggs out. The  psanky (decorated with wax) not the regular kid ones. I'm still not very good at it, and it does get rather tedious, especially when you're trying to help the boys, who need help with the wax and the open flame. But I just think they look so much better.

Regardless, Easter is not all about the eggs. It's also about chocolate and going to church in fancy hats and listening to that song they sing every year! Resurrection and religion aside, I also feel Easter is about the real beginning of Spring. A resurrection of nature, if you will.

Happy Easter, Everyone!

Two Front Teeth

All my life I have encountered what I like to call "trouble words." These are words that, for whatever reason, I can't remember how to spell. Like "businesses." I usually end up avoiding these words, just so I won't misspell them. Todays post is a happy joining of two I always get confused.

Loose and lose.

It's about Nick's front teeth. They had been getting looser and looser, and on Monday, the first one came right out at school.

Almost as soon as it came out, the lonely one that was left hung slanted, as if it had been using it's twin for support. And it hung there for days. Every night I'd tell Nick it was his last night with his tooth, and it made a liar out of me at least three times.

Until last night, when Nick walked into my room at 4am to tell me his tooth had come out, and he had swallowed it. 

For the record, he didn't swallow it. I found it carefully placed on the railing of his bunk bed, right next to the lamp.

I just get a little sad because he's getting so big.

Nathan at lunch

Andy at lunch

Nick Plays Piano

I tried to get a video, but each time he realized I was filming he would start staring at me and make mistakes. I have to get him by surprise.

Andy Doing Dishes

It's a miracle, I tell you!

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