Last week, I volunteered at a Girl Scout day camp. It was hot, humid, and a lot of fun. I was outside from 8 AM til 4 PM every day except Friday when I stayed to help pack out the camp. I got home at 11PM that night, because the camp leader bought us dinner and drinks. I didn't actually indulge in any liquor because I would have crawled under the table and fallen asleep. It was nice to sit with some of the adults from the camp and BS. I'm sure we stunk to high heaven, but we were soaking up the AC. :)

On Saturday, I had scheduled a hair appointment at 9:30. I went in for a couple of hours of sitting quietly away from small children to read vapid magazines. Life was good. Tom and I took the girls out to lunch and reminded them that we weren't doing anything that whole weekend that didn't involve air-conditioning. (For those who aren't in the Southeast right now, it's been in the mid-to-upper 90s the last couple of weeks. That's hot for this time of the summer. We are usually in the 80s.)

Sunday and Monday were birthday parties for friends' children. On the way home from the birthday party on Monday, I started getting so sleepy. I napped at home while the kids watched some TV (I know, bad mom!). I put myself to bed when the kids went to sleep at 8:30. I think the long week of working at the camp and being on the go all during the weekend finally caught up with me.

I mentioned this on Facebook but not on here - I am still having this allergic reaction to one tablet of cipro I took 2.5 weeks ago. My tongue feels like it is burned, as if I took a big sip of too-hot coffee. When you look at it, it is bright white. The doctor has confirmed it is not thrush - it's just my body working through having an allergic reaction to the antibiotic. Sometimes, the body has a down-deep allergic reaction in the tissues that can take weeks to process. I'm just annoyed by this.

Last night, we went out for dinner to a restaurant with an attached play area. (Aren't we fancy?) I don't cook on Saturday nights, and we didn't want to spend a ton of money. The kids were happy to get their ya-yas out, and Tom and I got to read for a bit. Everyone wins.

After a bit, an older couple comes in with their grandkids. The grandmother and I start chatting. I mention how nice it is that she's giving her child a date night. She laughs nicely, and says she loves to do it. We continue on chatting a bit here and there. Our kids are roughly the same age, and they're all playing together nicely.

As the older couple is leaving, we're making our goodbyes. Her husband has led the kids out of the area and she leans over our table. "It's sad, you know. It's really sad. My son is really trying to save the marriage. The wife has been cheating on him for a year. The kids don't know exactly what happened, but they know Mommy is bad."

The only response I could come up with was, "I'm sorry to hear that!  I hope things work out in some way!"

I was bummed out all night because of this woman deciding to tell me her family's dirty laundry. I don't think I have encountered that level of stranger overshare since I left grad school.

Really?  I'm sorry, I have zero sympathy for this girl. Stopping for a school bus is a fundamental traffic rule. For her to bitch and moan about it is showing her gigantic sense of entitlement. Clearly, she isn't getting it.

Taken outside my younger daughter's preschool:


We first saw this car last week. Katie and Amelia were very excited to know that the Easter Bunny was in the neighborhood and could get around quickly.

Tom's home, things are easier. I missed him fiercely. 'nuff said.

However, I do wonder if mrs__smith   has seen this display at her now-local Target?

So far, Amelia has been engaged in a war of testing boundaries. I think it's typical for a six-year-old who has had one of her major foundations taken away. It's one of the ways she's showing me she is sad and angry that things are Not Right. We are talking about the right way to show our emotions, and when that fails, she's spending a lot of time in her room thinking about her behavior. Katie is reacting in a much more straightforward manner - with tears and occasional outbursts. I can handle that. We talk and cuddle.

I send them outside to run and play when the weather is nice. When it isn't, I do art projects with them, I read, and sometimes, I just put on a video. I'm tired.

He's working 12 hour days over there, and the time difference is 10.5 hours (I KNOW! Crazy.). We've been Skype-ing, but it's usually during the hours when the kids are at school or asleep. I have hopes that he'll be able to talk to them during the weekend.

Oh! Wednesday, we had a lice scare with Amelia. I NEEDED THAT. It turns out she has dandruff. First time in my life I was thrilled for one of my kids to add on another skin condition. By the time we got into the doctor, I'd already filled up 8 garbage bags full of stuffed animals and clothing to quarantine. If it turned out she did have it, I was going to board the animals, buy the lice killing shampoo, and book a hotel near the beach for the rest of the two weeks Tom was going to be gone. You know, my cup of cope is empty.

I've been booking lots of playdates and doing all of the school events that we can to keep the kids on the go. Busy kids are less whiny about their daddy. Of course, I'm freaking exhausted. The fourteenth cannot get here soon enough.

I spent today running errands, volunteering at A's school, and keeping a group of very energetic Daisy Girl Scouts in check. This rain had everyone going nuts. We couldn't take them outside to run around for a while, and the hallway outside our meeting room was full of kids that were waiting to practice for the school play. The kids were just crackling with energy.

Tom called on the way home and asked if I was cooking. I responded, "I'll call in the pizza order, and you can pick it up."

Tomorrow is going to be another long day. I'll be over in Dunwoody in a full day CPR and First Aid class. The trainer said we should be able to get out early-ish assuming people don't run their traps and remember to bring their lunches. I hope that happens, but I'm not holding my breath since it's 30 women.

I'm just mystified at the constant devaluation of women's time, especially child-care. Do you find that watching a child's movie or entertaining your child playing tic-tac-toe is truly leisure time? I don't, that's for sure.

Click through to the Washington Post article for a full read. 

I have barkeep's elbow (bursitis) from putting too much pressure on my right elbow while reading or computing or doing other things around the house. According to the doctor, I have to keep all pressure off of it, ice it, and take anti-inflammatories.

I do not appreciate the old-age truck coming after me.

First of all, keep an ice pack on my elbow without putting pressure on it is an interesting trick. I'm lightly pressing the ice pack against it with my leg.

I never realized how often I put my elbow on things (not on the dinner table, I promise!). I now find myself turning into she-who-awkwardly-poses.

I called to commiserate with my aunt who is married to a doctor. She laughed and said, "Welcome to the far side of 35, sweetie."

A few days ago, lemon_says wondered why her kids went to the ER more than her friends' kids. It all balances out in a karmic scale. My kids barf when they get colds. Curse you, post-nasal drip!

Other kids just get the sniffly noses, red faces, etc..Not here!

I'm an expert at field-stripping a Britax in less than a minute. My kids know to stand in the entry of the house and take everything off while Mommy breathes shallowly. I have a bigger-than-average collection of rag bag towels just in case.

The last 10 days haven't been pretty, and Katie is only 2 days into this cold. (Amelia's on antibiotics for a double ear infection right now and the cold might be leaving someday...) I took her into the doctor today because she was starting to sound croupy and she was running a temperature. When the doctor looks at you and says, "Buckle in for a bad week," it makes Mama want to drink.

If you are interested in ordering Girl Scout cookies, please shoot me an email at hsorensen at gmail. Remember they freeze well!

I know we have lots of parents selling here on LJ. Cookie sales help support individual troops:)

Thank you!

Amelia's been having nosebleeds every other day or so for the last few weeks. We've been running a humidifier in her room, upping her fluids, smearing vaseline in her nose, and still it happens. (That's what the nurse line recommended to do.) We are staying on top of keeping her nails trimmed. The nosebleeds don't just happen at home - they also happen at school. - yikes! This morning, she had one at 5:40 that lasted for 30 minutes even with pinching the bridge of her nose and all that. Not a pleasant way for anyone to start the day.

I'll be calling the pediatrician's office this afternoon to see if it is time to escalate to ENT or what.

We didn't have much snow at our house, but we were iced in. For those that follow my Facebook where I tend to jot down most of my Internet-y thoughts, there was supposed to be a Girl Scout surprise pancake breakfast Saturday morning. The troop that was hosting it was determined to carry on even though the 50 troop leaders that were signed up to attend called the leader and said it was not viable, the roads were pretty awful, keep the money, etc.. Finally, at 9 PM Friday, the hosting troop leader sent out a guilt-trippy email saying she was going to reschedule. Thanks, Mom. :P

It's good to have everyone back to their normal schedule today. Now if the ice would just melt off my driveway.

Happy birthday to my beloved husband. For eight months, he's older than me again. :)

I guess I have to get cracking and go wrap gifts for him!

When your father posts this bon mot on Facebook....

"Obama? 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12?"

My response:
"Dad, really? This could apply to any charismatic leader in time. And has been."

I'm just going to take a shower, drink some hot tea, and we'll have a nice conversation in a few days like this didn't even happen.

Two Fridays ago, I was at Amelia's school to have lunch with her. This is a Very Big Deal to her and her milieu.  I was introduced to all of her friends, and she showed me how her lunch room worked. It had been decades since I had enjoyed strawberry milk out of a small cardboard carton and eaten lunch off of segmented lunch tray. I had forgotten how loud cafeterias were since I had not been in one since I was sixteen and a disaffected goth.

After we hugged goodbye, I was feeling really good about myself. I was walking out to the parking lot and rolled my ankle when I stepped partially off the sidewalk onto the grass. Sometimes, I am not the most graceful person.  With the help of a man who was right behind me and witnessed my fall, I limped back to a bench in front of the school. I sat there trying to "be with the pain" for twenty minutes or so, figuring that I had two hours before I had to walk into Katie's preschool, walk Gypsy, then another hour before getting Amelia from the bus stop, etc.

I tried to put weight on it after another 10 - I was finally able to limp the 200 yards to the stairs up to the parking lot then to the far end of the parking lot where my car was. I had already called Tom to let him know that I was not able to cope with the rest of the afternoon. He met me at home where I arrived a grumpy, fussy mess. I spent the weekend with my ankle RICE'd. (Not my first time at the sprained ankle rodeo.)

It healed for a few days, then it stopped. Going to the doctor with two kids was not on my list of priorities because they usually want to do x-rays, and they usually have to allocate a nurse to watch the kids while I'm in the giant lead-lined room. Going on the weekends to urgent care means a several hour wait with the desperately coughing ill. No good answer. Yesterday, I finally made an appointment and Tom arranged to come home to watch the wee ones after A arrived home.

Yep, it's a sprain. Oh, look! Crutches!  I have an upgraded brace (more velcro than you can shake a stick at, and I'm borrowing one of Tom's sports socks), and I am to keep as much weight off of the ankle as possible for two weeks. My greatest joy in the next two weeks will be keeping the kids from weaponizing the crutches. :) 

Today would have been my mother's 60th birthday.

My aunt and I spoke this morning about how she was such a young spirit. It was a lovely conversation. The kids enjoyed talking to my aunt, "their Great Aunt Deb." (Tom's sister jokes that she is to be called "their Favorite Aunt Deb" to keep things straight.)

I'm pretty okay today. It took me a while to fall asleep last night. Tom let me sleep in because he rules like that.

I wish things were different so my kids could meet the neat lady I knew when I was younger. I miss my mom.

The preschool my children both my children have to (and one is still going to) has openings in the 15-24 month class. (This is an uncommon occurrence - all of the other classes are full.)   They are a lovely group of people working there. I know this is Roswell/East Cobb/Alpharetta specific, but this may help someone who needs a break two mornings a week. :)

Roswell Presbyterian Preschool
770/642 7942
http://www.roswellpres.org/preschool

I'm so lazy nowadays. I post little soundbites of my life over on Facebook, and I keep thinking, "I should post something of substance on Livejournal" then I get distracted by the children or something shiny.  My apologies.

It's been a month since my gallbladder was evicted. The surgery recovery was pretty easy, and I am thankful it is gone. However, I'm not so friendly with certain food after surgery. Coffee and dairy are both pretty rough on me, so I've been upping the probiotics.  In addition, I had a nasty 24-hour bout of pain after eating a lightly spiced flank steak (only about 4 oz) which threw me.  I've gone to eating red meat only a couple of times a week (my pork loving ancestors would weep!), but to have that time fire back on me? Gah!

Amelia loves kindergarten, with so many flying puffy hearts around it. She's keeping a writing journal at school, and she has her first spelling test in a few weeks. This seems very advanced for kindergarten, but everything is being pushed younger nowadays. I'm glad that they balance it out with lots of recess, dancing, and the Friday movie.

Katie's preschool starts up in 9 days, NOT THAT I AM COUNTING. Having the schools start up over a month apart is some sort of cruel torture. Katie has taken to waking up right as Amelia and Tom leave for the school bus and wanting to go do something Right Then! Me: "Kid, it's 7:10 A.M.. Do you want to go to work? Chill out, watch some Special Agent Oso, and let me wake up."

Otherwise, same old, same old. You?

Surgery went quite well. It's amazing how quickly everything goes when you go to a hospital on a scheduled appointment. I arrived early for my 8 AM check-in, surgery was at 10 AM, I was out of there by 1:15 PM , and we were home by 2 PM.

I took a long nap this afternoon, awoken only by pain with a reminder to take another oxycodone. Right now, my main discomfort is the gas that they inflated my abdomen with to perform the laporoscopy. It will gradually dissipate over the next 24 hours.

I'm trying to walk around the house as much as possible. I'm very thankful Tom's mother is here to help out with them. Families are amazing things.

Tomorrow morning, I am getting my pesky old gallbladder removed. It's developed a gigantic gallstone which has been bothering me off-and-on for the last few months, and constantly for the last two months. I was trying to hold off on surgery til Amelia was in kindergarten, but my doctor sat me down and told me that if I waited too long for surgery, I might have to have open surgery versus laparoscopic. So I went ahead and got that surgery scheduled.

Tom's mother is currently on the way down from South Dakota to stay with the kids for the next 7-10 days. She'll arrive sometime this evening.  I have to be at the hospital at 8AM for outpatient surgery. I should be home before the evening rush hour. I look forward to spending the next couple of days laying in bed reading junky magazines.

I should be back up to speed before Amelia starts school on the 10th. :) 

Amelia has hit the "why" phase but it's a really cool version of it. She asks "what if" questions about the world. For example, she'll ask when we're stopped at a traffic light, "What if we could fly above the rest of the cars to get around the stopped cars ahead of us?"
"That would be really cool, Amelia!"

This morning, while we were eating breakfast, she looked at Gypsy sleeping on the couch and asked, "What if Gypsy could talk?"
"Well, she'd be like Martha on TV."
"Why didn't we get a dog like that?"
"There aren't a lot of dogs like that except on the show."

"What if Daddy didn't have to go to work?"
"We couldn't afford the house."
"What if that happened?"
"We'd be really hot outside all the time."
"Oh."

It's really fascinating, and I'd rather have this iteration than just the cascading whys.

Now is anyone shocked that SC governor Mark Sanford was cheating on his wife on his five-day walkabout in Argentina?

I'm not.

There is nothing cuter than a little girl spinning in a twirly dress saying "I am ballerina."

We are having a lovely time at my mother-in-law's house in South Dakota. The kids are marinating in the love, and Tom is relaxing, which is vital to the family's well-being. I've been getting more sleep (10-12 hours per night!)  than I thought I needed, which is probably what I really need.

So far, we've taken the kids to a horse farm owned by my MIL's beau. (They've been dating for almost six years, and aren't getting married any time soon. Calling someone a boyfriend when they are both in their seventies seems awfully twee.) In addition, we've seen Devil's Gulch in Garretson, SD, where Jesse James "jumped the gulch" to get away from the authorities. We took a lovely pontoon boat ride on Split Rock Creek where the captain of the ship made many, many Norwegian jokes. It's a regional specialty.

Tomorrow, if the weather is nice, we're all going to the zoo in Sioux Falls. If the weather is rainy as it was today, we'll all go see "Up" in a nearby town that has a theater. The town we are in is so small that it only has one grocery store and no stoplight.

However, my family is happy and relaxed. I don't need much else this week.

I'll be pulling up stakes Friday when we head out to Minneapolis for a night and I hopefully get to meet posthaste ! Saturday morning, we'll be having breakfast with Tom's aunt, uncle, assorted cousins, and offspring, then catching a flight home.