A Public Defacing

Another Sunday passed. I just finished a run. The neighborhood skunk was waiting for me at the front door again. So I enjoyed the view of my house from the street curb for a bit. Did I mention the neighborhood stray cats are black and white? Things can get a little tricky when the sun goes down.

This week was a banner week for me. I actually made multiple people angry without even trying, not that I ever really try. Usually about this time, when I notice everyone has a "problem"... I admit that maybe I am the problem. I'm not there just yet. However, I am worried about one person in particular (big little brother). As I told my friend, he has a stubborn streak in him. Imagine some movie character declaring "you're dead to me". I'm afraid some animal head will be in my bed tomorrow morning. I've never made him so mad so I'm not too sure what to expect.

Okay, I wanted to share "Too Much Information". All day as I faced the masses at church, my friends and my family, I just wanted to shout "I'm not an animal!" I have the worse tumors growing on my face. I guess those knowledgeable in medicine would call them pimples. I don't know what to do!!! I'm using every Rx'd cream and antibiotics. I'm drinking water. I wash with the suggested soaps. I'm beginning to think it's that blasted green tea I've been drinking! Who said detox? If God was running a democracy, I would submit a bill... as soon as someone gets a gray hair they never again get a pimple. I know I've said that to several of you. Furthermore, I think we should be allowed to take time off from work/school. Call them "Acne Days". It's defeating to go in public like this. My teenage patients have better skin then me right now. Now I must consider going on the birth control pill but I'm at that magic age when women should stop taking the pill. I use to get migraines and leg cramps so I don't think I'm an ideal candidate. Let me think.... will anyone notice my perfect complexion as drool runs down my paralyzed face?

Speaking of drool, the kids and I stopped by the petstore yesterday. I actually asked to hold a dog (don't worry I wouldn't buy one from a petstore). We took a dog/owner personality test earlier and one of the matches was in the petstore window. This reminds me that everyone should go to Google videos and watch "the coolest dog ever". If I could get a dog like that I wouldn't hesitate to own one. I pick dogs like I pick lines at the store/bank/movies. They look promising but something goes wrong and I'm stuck while everyone else cruises through their line. I'm just sitting there wishing I had picked the other line. One of the matches actually has a personality that sounds like a cat! I think that might be the answer to my dog troubles. I know how to deal with a cat. I only even consider owning a dog because MW is wearing me down for one. Last night she called out in despair "no one understands just how much I want a dog" just as she fell asleep.

Alright, I'm sounding a little bitter. I say all this stuff in jest. Dogs, lines, cooking may not be my strong points. However, I know how to load a dishwasher, pack a suitcase, and travel with kids like no one. What I'm really, really good at.... apologies. So big little brother, please accept mine. A wise crack was not what you needed. I promise I haven't gone to the other side. Be my friend again.

My week... get comfortable.

Week One of school is in the bag. I haven't counted the exact number left. I don't really want to know. This also means my Summer Break from church is over. Let it be known though, I did actually go more this Summer compared to previous Summers and I even helped in Sunday School three times.

It's good to be back. The adult Sunday School is sooo good. It's like going back to school for me too. I get to see other parents, church friends, and the same faithful staff. People have different haircuts. Some have new babies. All the kids have grown. It's a fresh start. I use to feel guilty about my Summer Break but then I gave myself permission to enjoy this rest. God knows my heart. I know without a doubt that He is OK with it because I have absolute peace about it. By May (starting in August), waking up 7 days a week and getting two kids "somewhere" every single morning begins to wear me down. Now, I'm good to go again. Everyone should take a breather, just keep tything.

I'm so happy that MW has moved up in Sunday School. She is in the same building as CW. I've been waiting for years for this convenience. Her class was in the daycare WAY across the campus which meant dropping her off then walking to the actual worship center then going back to get her then walking back to the worship center. Now I just walk across the sidewalk to get her. I really don't even have to pick her up anymore. She & CW meet me just outside the building. This is all so important when wearing heels.

MW is really impressing me. She has used her alarm clock every morning and emerged from her room fully dressed. CW has discovered the art of snoozing so much it actually stops alarming. Nevertheless, since we leave at the same time, we usually eat breakfeast together which seems to start the day right. Eating dinner together usually only happens 2-3 times a week. So breakfast has become our family meal.

Ok, I don't know how to cook. I use to say this but knew I was bluffing and could pull some dishes out. Somehow I even lost this ability so now I really don't know how to cook. Does anyone remember the homemade pizze with no pizza sauce story? So I never got the "plan a menu, make a shopping list, and swap receipes" thing. Well, the cooking light bulb has gone off. I so get it now. I decided to cook ahead of time to make the work week easier. I first learned (the hard way) to defrost the night before if you plan to cook on Sunday. Then I realized after assigning a meal to each day of the week that meals get boring. Hello receipes! I get it now. Then I realized that if cooking was going to be easy, I would need the petty, petty, little ingredients ahead of time. Hello shopping list! So I currently have 4 cups of chopped chicken and 2 cups of diced chicken waiting in the frig with... crap... I need to take the steak out to defrost. I wasn't kidding. I just took it out of the freezer. A certain somebody will be happy to know that I did buy organic milk so poor MW won't need a bra before the age of nine. We are also eating whole grain and fresh fruit and sipping on some green tea.

My friend Sara told me about Jeff Galloway so I looked him up on the web. He provides training programs for runners on his website. His plan sounded good so I started it this past week. Today was the day to run a complete mile after a week of "walk/runs" and crosstraining. I did it and it didn't hurt. Yea!! I stopped running for some reason right about the time Sara & I starting working together. Something I pointed out to her on a regular basis like it was her fault. So now I can always, rightly, thank her for getting me started again. Something else that stopped when Sara moved to SAT... water restrictions. Guess what? She moved away and we have water restrictions again. Thanks Sara. You have alot of power.

One more thing. I needed 3 continuing education hours on bioterrorism for my license. Did I do the online easy method? No, I signed up for a class which was yesterday. Within the first five minutes, I realize it isn't just a quick inservice, dinner lecture sort of thing... it's an actual certification course for "Basic Disaster Life Support". Like I need any more certifications. Well, 8 continuing education hours later, I'm certified to tell you, in the event of a nuclear event, if you have a reading of 450 rads in the first hour you will be triaged as "expectant". That means expectant to die! They won't even waste an adhesive bandage on you! By the way, I am planning to move to the country, invest in solar power, and subsitute my organic milk with iodine. Love to all!

Back to School Directive

School starts tomorrow. Freshly cut hair has been shampooed; alarm clocks set; back packs packed; new uniforms hang in the closets; new lunch boxes wait for their first meal; new school supplies wait to be torn from their packaging and pep talks have been delievered.

Every year we start out strong with vows of early rising, going to bed on time, no TV before homework, preparing the night before... and every year we barely make it to the finish line. Now last year, we/I did better than the previous year. This past year I made it to Spring Break before losing resolve. The year before I was sputtering in October. Probably because MW was able to dress herself, CW wasn't so grumpy in the morning and only one child participated in soccer. Also, both kids could walk themselves into school so the drive through pick-up/drop-off made things so much easier. Furthermore, CW is moving up in the grades and they don't want parents at the field trips or class parties. Our church community really invigorated me as well. Each Sunday was a shot in the arm.

Anyone who knows me knows I dread back to school. It means losing an hour of sleep each morning and increasing my drive time by two hours each day. No more sleeping in on Saturday cause we'll be at the soccer field. Back to watching the clock cause dinner, homework, bath and bed need to be done. Somewhere in the week... Boyscouts, Brownies, soccer practice, and the inevitable birthday parties have to be fit into the schedule. Oh, must do laundry midweek so clean uniforms are available and must go to the grocery store every weekend because we always run out of something for the school lunches. Sunday School and Church are required by the school so there goes 1/4 of the weekend. It's worth the time but just adds to the pressure to get housework, yardwork, shopping, bill paying, work outs, family time, carwashing, and household projects done somewhere between the games & parties I mentioned. Oh, don't even ask what happens during the holidays when the kids have school plays, extra church services and gift shopping to do.

All the while, society expects us to be patient, firm, supportive and complete all the above tasks happily and in a matter worthy of a grade "A" because we must teach our children to be responsible, kind, disciplined and well mannered. My list of chores and obligations is the same as any other parent with kids in school. The packaging may be a little different from house to house, but it's the same.

We all need to remember this life of ours isn't a contest to see who does more. That list of "things to do" I just went through is exactly what I hate to hear someone rattle off at some random school function. That person has just assumed there is no way anyone could possibly be as busy as they are and we should somehow be impressed. Guess what? We are all busy and going through similar experiences because we are all parents and guess what? If you are a good parent then you can bet the other good parents are doing the same thing as you. Thus, we are all busy! So all of you with a single or combined income of "more than the nat'l avg" relax a little. You being busier than the next Mom doesn't make you better. You supporting the next Mom does.

Genesis

I've avoided a blog for some time now. However, my friend Sara moved far, far away up to North Texas and I felt helpless while reading her blog (only members may comment) and that Chelsea girl just keeps on making comments. So here it is... a blog created out of desperation and a pinch of spite.

For those who don't know, Sara was the nurse practitioner I worked with for several years. Once Sara's husband finished residency... she, he & kids moved. Now she lives close to her dear friend (Chelsea). They have children of similar ages and who could blame them for scheduling playdates. Yet somewhere between feeling so sad that my friend had moved and knowing it's a good thing to reconnect with old friends and trying to be adult about it all... I've realized it is not healthy to be jealous of Chelsea's good fortune. Instead, it feels much better just to project the feelings. So beware... I've got commenting power now!