Au Clair de la Lune

Superboy is fascinated with critters. Things that crawl, creep, slither, scurry, swim and fly. Reptile, amphibian, you name it, he chases it. I like to think I had a little to do with that genetically. But I digress.

We met with my daughter's teachers for this school year. But being a 3 year old, sorry, three and a HALF (as he will tell you), my son would rather skip the classroom and commune with nature, especially at the turtle pond. There, he and my husband met up with the son of one of the science teachers, who invited my son to take a peek at his dad's classroom. It was like getting a golden ticket. Bliss doesn't even begin to describe Superboy's encounter.

Surrounded by tanks of tarantulas, giant Brazillian roaches, enormous apple snails, I heard he darted from one to another, so caught up by the excitement, he couldn't stand still. His eyes got huge when he learned that one tank was to hold a baby alligator in the near future.

One such habitat held the cocoons of butterflies and moths--the icing on the cake for my son; even as an infant he loved butterflies. The teacher, seeing my son's joy at the delicate, curled leaves holding what he knew was a treasure, asked him if he'd like one to take home to hatch. OH YES.

My son found me soon after, announcing that HE HAD A LUNA MOTH and IT WAS GOING TO HATCH. He wriggled like a little puppy, while my husband cupped it in his hand. He passed it to me while he got a cup to transport it home. I could feel just the tiniest stirrings, like a gentle hum.

The cocoon is now safely in a butterfly garden container on our kitchen table. It will hatch any day now, and we plan to release it back at the school. Superboy has asked about it almost every 5 minutes, I can't wait to see his face when it crawls out. It will be doubly bittersweet--we've already explained to him that when it's ready to fly, we'll need to set him free. What we didn't tell him is that Luna moths only live about a week.

I can't help but admire that teacher, who could see the love for all creatures great and small in my son, and who wanted to nurture that fascination. Such a small cocoon, but it made my son's heart soar.

That's Why I Blogadonkadonk

It ain't for the money, it ain't for the glory, it ain't for the free whiskey, it's for the Google Hits.

Attack of the Tickers

All is mostly quiet in the house right now. The A/C is working overtime. All across the Blogosphere, everyone is melting. My van said 102 the other day, and our low was supposed to be 77. Ick.

Not much to blog about today, which I guess is a good thing.

An update on Drama Queen. Back in May she had strep a couple of times, and as a result, developed a tic disorder. We finally saw the pediatric neurologist this week (there was a 2 month wait), even though the tics have almost completely stopped. After spending an hour talking with us (while he watched DQ) he didn't have any definite answers for us, except to say that she is fine. Which we were sure she was, but it helped hearing it. If this were going to develop into something more severe (ADHD, OCD and Tourettes), we would have seen signs of it already.

He said she may never have a problem again, it could pop up with any future strep illness, or she may have occasional tics if she's tired or under alot of stress. He wasn't a big fan of natural remedies (that seems to be my experience with most older doctors though). But he was warm, friendly, didn't 'dumb things down' for us, and again, the hour long visit really impressed me.

Now why can't I find a neurologist like this? I can hope that my September neuro visit will be worth the wait.



I think the snail is self-explanatory. In that pot, I'm envisioning not gold, but happy little pain pills ;)

I managed to get into the gym 3 times this week. My knees, 4 weeks after my slip and fall, are still not right. They hurt and feel strange, almost like they belong to someone else. I have 2 weeks until I see the orthopedist (God give me patience and give it to me NOW!). I've gained back a few pounds, I'm just not bothering to update my profile. Hoping this week will be more kind; I'm aiming for 5 days in the gym. I only walked 10 miles this month, half of what I did in June. It's just so frustrating.





I was really hoping I'd hit my first weight loss goal by the cruise. The encouraging thing is that each of my future weight loss goals are less than Goal #1. And at least I know that if it hadn't been for the fall, I probably would have. Do I get bonus points for that? :) I'm hoping to lose half that by the cruise though.



I still have to buy a few more things for our trip. I can't believe it's almost here!

This aimless entry was brought to you courtesy of the letters H for headache and V for Vicodin.

Found and SAFE!

After I made my earlier post, I went out to the gym. I returned to find wonderful news that Whitney has been found, and she's ok ::::::huge sigh of relief:::::::::

Thank you for all the kind words of support and thoughts for my friend Katie. I'm thankful for all of you as well!!!

Bring Her Home

It's a parent's worst nightmare: a missing child.

A dear friend of mine emailed me late last night with simply a link. Her daughter, Whitney, age 23, has been missing for almost a month. She left Maine to meet up with an online friend, driving a silver PTCruiser with Maine tags on June 14, 2005. Since July 2, no one has seen her. Her destination was Taneyville, Missouri.

I am asking the blogging community to please help get the word out.

My heart and prayers are with this young woman and her family.

UPDATE: SHE'S BEEN FOUND and SHE'S SAFE!

Fly, Baby, Fly

I don't care how many times I see it, seeing the shuttle take off still gives me goosebumps. It was too cloudy where we were to see Discovery's launch, but the kids and I had a great time watching it on CNN, and then watching replays on NASA TV. Superboy then found his toy shuttle and played with it all afternoon.

There was a period of time when Drama Queen wanted to be an astronaut. Since she was about 3, until that fateful day when Columbia didn't return home. That was the day her heart broke along with America's and she put aside her dream.

I understood deeply what she was feeling. I was not yet 16 when I saw the horrible smoke trails left by the remains of Challenger. I remember exactly where I was, how I didn't understand what I was seeing until I went back to class, where they broadcast the news over the PA system. I remember spending that day sobbing with my friends, alternated with a bizarre daze.

So when my daughter announced at such a tender age that she wanted to be an astronaut, all I wanted to do was distract her. Show her other, less dangerous, professions. But that's not a mother's job. My job is to help her learn to use her wings.

Now that Discovery is back in orbit, I see that sparkle back into my daughter's eyes. She desperately wants to go to Space Camp (and now that there is only one in Alabama, no small feat). Her love of science, especially physics, serves her well. And after hearing one of the female astronaut's voices today shortly after liftoff, she chattered about going into space.

So when I hold my breath during launches, and say a prayer, it's not just for the safety of those brave astronauts. It's like I'm saying a prayer for my daughter's future.

Deep Thoughts

Superboy (raising arm and pointing to armpit): "When I get older, I'm going to have hair here just like Daddy."

Save a horse.....Ride a Cowboy

I am the mother of a 10 year old girl who just LOVES horses. I am also the daughter-in-law of a woman who has been battling uterine cancer (and thankfully, winning). What's the connection?

It is suspected that the hormones my MIL was taking contributed to her cancer. Do you know how they make some of those hormones, such as Premarin? From pregnant mare urine.

The foals from those pregnant horses are usually sold for slaughter; after a few years of being used, the mares don't have too happy an ending either.

So today's Pay It Forward Friday is a 2-for-1:

American Cancer Society

PMU Foal Acquisition Network, Inc.

There is a God

And He LOVES ME.

The Squeaky Wheel (updated)

I *finally* got my referral to the orthopedist and neurologist. And I finally got some sleep yesterday too. Of course the doctors are booking into August in September, but short of a cancellation, not much I can do but wait.

Somehow I managed to sprain my big toe, so no gym today.

But I got my hair cut ::::grin::::::

UPDATE: I got a call this afternoon from the first headache neurologist that I'd pretty much given up on. Didn't hear from 2nd neuro, but I'm thinking can't hurt to keep any appt. they make for me. The downside is the appointment isn't until mid SEPTEMBER, but I don't really have a choice. I also got an appointment with an orthopedist, in 3 weeks.

Upside--I'm glad you can't see how badly I need to color my hair in that photo LOL.

Sleepless in Vicodinland

No, I didn't goof on this time stamp. It really is 5 a.m. and I can't sleep. My head hurts so much that my pillow feels like a concrete block. And I have about 3 hours until I can take another pain pill. Plus GoalieMan is snoring. So what else is a girl to do? Blog, of course.

Later this morning I'm going to start making some phone calls. If my doctor can't or won't make things happen, then dammit, I will. If I have to plant my butt in someone's waiting room until they see me (or hey, have me forcibly removed LOL), I will. Because sitting around here waiting for someone to care, popping OTC meds or pain pills sure isn't getting me anywhere except incredibly depressed. You can only take the pain for so long before you crack.

One of the good things that happened yesterday (Wed.) was that I went to the gym. My knees still hurt, they still feel shaky and are still a bit warm, bruised and swollen, but wow. The endorphins felt amazing. I've missed this so much. And I lost the pound I gained back from my 2 week forced break. (Check out the pretty "garden" I'm growing in my sidebar). It's about the only semblance of control that I feel I have over my body.

Great. Now I'm hungry. Painkillers make me munchy. Why is that?

It just occured to me how dark this room is. And how there is a big ol' grove spider lurking in the room. Now, I like spiders, really. This one was the size of my palm and it's somewhere in here. GoalieMan "couldn't find it". Uh huh. I'm sure I'll find it later and do a "catch and release". Supposedly it's bad luck to kill a spider. And right now, I can use all the luck I can get.

Books that make you go "Huh?"

Last night (well, in the wee wee hours of the morning) I finished Hemingway's To Have and Have Not. I chose this since we're going to tour his Key West home in September. The book started out well enough, and I have to say, it did my mommy brain good to read something heavier, than say, a Buffy novel.

But halfway through, as the first person's voice shifted from the main character's, Harry Morgan, to other characters, my attention started waning. And pretty soon, I was thinking, "Who are you people and why did you hijack this book?" Am I missing something? There were characters who played no apparent role in the book other than, in my opinion, filler.

So either a) I have suffered complete mommy brain meltdown and my English degree ran out my ear, or b) there are some flaws in the book. I prefer to think it's b) because who wants to admit they don't understand Hemingway's motivation for those errant chapters? My husband reminded me that Hemingway was an alcoholic. Well if that's the case, I'll have what he's having because I finished the book with a lack of satisfaction that I usually have after reading a great novel. Ah well. On to In the River Sweet for my online book club.

Speaking of books, I wasn't surprised that GoalieMan started the new Harry Potter book in the wee hours of Friday night. Nor was I surprised when Pixie posted that she finished it.

In honor of all Potter fans everywhere, here's a Meme worthy of Dumbledore himself. Many thanks to Sheryl of Paper Napkin for writing the following:

Harry Potter and the Meme of Magnificence

1. You're wondering through the Forbidden Forest and find a magical creature or plant. What is it, and what does it do? Given my current headache status, I'd choose a plant that when ingested, gives that person instant pain relief. And it tastes like chocolate. With no calories.

2. You may keep one of the following items, which one and why?
a. invisibility cloak
b. pensieve
c. the Weasley's clock
d. time turner
e. sneak-o-scope
f. enchanted chess set
g. house elf
h. Quidditch broom--while it would be tempting to get a house elf (do they know how to use a Dyson?), I think it would be exhilirating to ride a broomstick.

3. Which character would you be and why?
Ok, I know I'm a girl, but I still would have to choose Harry. He's the star and I love to be the center of attention LOL.

4. You win the Gringott's Gazillion Galleon Giveaway. You can keep the money (payable in wizard or muggle currency) or choose the mystery prize in vault 372. Which do you choose?
With my luck, the mystery prize would be some of those booger-flavored jelly beans. Show me the money ;)

5. As far as I know J.K. Rowling is going to end with #7 in the series. You can have her write 3 additional books in the series, have dinner with her 3 times, or play Mad Eye Moody in the next movie. What do you choose?
Oooh, oooh ooh, I'd be in the movie, see attention-getting tendencies above.

6.You walk into the Three Broomsticks, which of these do you order?
a. pumpkin juice
b. Ogdens Old Firewhiskey--bet it makes a bitchin margarita.
c. butter beer

7. You visit Honeydukes, which one of these do you buy?
a. chocolate frogs
b. fizzing whizbees
c. pepper imps
d. licorice wands
I'd choose a, b, and c. Don't you remember I'm rich now? And eww licorice is nasty.

8. You can spend the weekend in one of these locations, which do you choose?
a. Hogwarts--there's no place like home......
b. the Forbidden Forest
c. Diagon Alley

9.The next Defense Against The Dark Arts professor
a. is named...
b. was formerly employed as a...vampire slayer. And a female.
c. will not be returning to Hogwarts because...

10. When you graduate from Hogwarts you become
a. an auror
b. a professor at Hogwarts--with all those awesome feasts? Where else would I be?
c. a professional Quidditch player
d. proprietor of The Leaky Cauldron
e. career of your choosing (gimme details)

11. If you saw a boggart what form would it take? It would be a tie between a dentist and a neurologist. A dentirologist?

...And to make it current: 12. Your theory on the half-blood prince
I've only read books 1 & 2, but if I had to guess it would be Hermione...why should guys have all the fun?

Grateful Sigh of Relief

I heard the family come in from their trip to Walmart, when Superboy started screaming. All I could hear was " (something) bite me!" over and over through his wailing. GoalieMan carried him back to our room, had him show us where it hurt, and realized he'd been stung.

When DramaQueen first got stung around the same age, I was concerned and kissed her boo-boos and dried her tears. But with the boy, who has to carry Epipens everywhere because of his severe food allergies, my heart stopped. We cuddled him and held some ice to the spot and gave him a dose of benadryl. We promised him a popsicle, but we were both anxiously watching for any signs of an allergic reaction. I know that food and environmental allergies don't mean he'll be allergic to insect stings. But still, it was an unspoken fear as I looked at my husband's eyes, which reflected the shaky feeling I had inside. After a few minutes we relaxed and said he could get a popsicle. He ran to get one, tears gone, smile on his face.

Crisis averted for today, thank God.

Playing Catch Up

I'm a day behind but I wanted to highlight this week's "Pay It Forward Friday" organization.

Locks of Love provides hairpieces for children up to age 18 who otherwise could not afford them (they cost around $3,000). While we think about kids losing hair due to chemotherapy, there are other conditions which cause a child to lose their hair such as alopecia areata. In addition to financial contributions, Locks of Love also provides a unique way to help: Get a haircut.

That's right, your hair, if it's in good condition, can be used to help make hairpieces for a child who might otherwise be teased and humiliated. Hair must be at least 10 inches long to donate; full details, as well as salons who have signed up for the program, are on the LOL website. And if a free haircut isn't incentive enough (please remember to tip the stylist!), take a look at the photos of the recipients.

When my daughter heard of the program, she vowed to let her hair grow out. I even got glares when I dared suggest we trim the tiniest snippets of dead ends (she relented). Last year, before school started, she donated 11 inches of hair--I could not have been prouder. A few months later, I donated 10 inches--though I fear that's the end of my donation days, since I keep finding more and more white hairs (and they don't belong to the cats).

*********

What kept me busy yesterday, you say? Well besides the big book release last night, I woke up with a horrible migraine. It's my 3rd since I fell 2 weeks ago. I don't think it's a coincidence ::sigh::. I'm very thankful for my medication (zomig) but it leaves me feeling more drunk and hungover than a few martinis. I thought I'd be able to sleep some of it off when both of the kids went down for a nap (DQ knew we'd be up until about 1 a.m.). Heh.

I woke up to a thunk, and saw that the boy's door was open. I got up to investigate.....and was hit by the oh-so-very-NOT-pleasant smell of poo. Of course, I'm extremely sensitive to smells anyway, migraines turn it into HDTV for the nose. I found the boy out in the other room, butt-naked, and.....well he had been wearing underwear, which he pulled down, so there's the visual for you. Waist down, covered in poo. (And I know the term is "buck naked" I just like that version better LOL).

And of COURSE GoalieMan had just run out to do an errand, and returned not 5 minutes after I got done hosing the boy off in the shower. I lit Yankee tarts in a few rooms to help the smell dissipate ::::shudder::::. I told GoalieMan he owed me one.

Today he took the kids to Walmart. The boy wouldn't take a nap beforehand.

I love sweet revenge ;)

Midnight Madness

Yes, I went to the bookstore tonight and am now the proud owner of the Sixth installment of the Harry Potter series. Drama Queen got to go with me, all dressed up in her Halloween Hogwarts costume, and had a blast. The bookstore had fun activities for the kids while I got to browse for books. At 12:01 a.m., a joyful cry went up from the crowd, and the books were distributed. GoalieMan, who has read all of them, will start reading it tomorrow. I've read the first two, DQ has read the first 3, but plans to start the 4th once school starts.

And while I am not filled with the type of reckless abandon that I have at the library, two books were at the top of my list and followed me home:

I know, I know, I checked out gods in Alabama the other day from the library. But I realized I bit off way more than I could chew, since I'm still reading Hemingway, and need to read my book club novel as well. And since I really love Joshilyn's blog, I just felt that I owed it to another blogger ;)

Carpe Demon seemed right up my Buffy-loving alley, and perfect to take on my cruise for some light, fun reading. I think I was introduced to this by way of Mindy of The Mommy Blog, who just interviewed Julie Kenner.

When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left, I buy food and clothes.

- Desiderius Erasmus

Erasmus must be a long lost relative of mine.

At the end of the day, it's another day over*

Sunsets can be a glorious thing. Usually I think they are beautiful, romantic. As I viewed one through the steamy windows of the library, after a particularly noisy storm, all I could think is thank God this day is over!

I tried to get an appointment with my primary care doc today. I say try because I couldn't get one. Because my knee injuries are a result of an accident at someplace other than my home, she wouldn't see me and wouldn't give me a referral because she wouldn't see me. And so the phone calls started, me on one phone, my husband on the other. After a few calls, I was in tears. This whole mess is starting to feel vaguely familiar OH THAT'S RIGHT I've been through this with my headaches.

Insurance's only solution was for me to switch doctors. Fat chance, when I'm in my 9th month of these headaches, and am waiting for a referral to a headache doc. Our only other solution is to pay out of pocket. Last I checked, I'm not related to anyone rich. I called back my doc with a trembling voice. They are going to call insurance tomorrow and hopefully discover that she CAN give me a referral without seeing me.

Chantal suggested I have a vicodin cocktail. I'm heading there, fast.

Tonight, after a fab dinner of shrimp carbonara, we headed to the library. It had two purposes: one, to pick up a copy of In the River Sweet; and two, a sanity break--I hit the adult section, while GoalieMan took the kids to the childrens' room. The book is for an online book discussion blog called Naptime Books, started by Shannon of Peter's Cross Station (as well as the archived blog Waiting For Nat).

Of course, as I tend to do when I'm unleashed in a library (and sans kids, no less), over half a dozen books found their way into my bag as well. From the used book sale shelves, I found 2 books for Drama Queen, Skellig and The Best School Year Ever. Alas, nothing for myself. Sigh.

But in browsing some of the non-fiction shelves, I found four different books on food allergies for the Paduan boy--coincidentally the same subject I blogged on back in January; I used this entry for this month's Blogging For Books. I requested a book on eczema (thankfully my son's skin is looking much better this week). And then I tracked down a copy of Gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson. I absolutely love her blog, she is a hoot.

Keeping in mind that I still have to finish To Have and Have Not, I decided to force myself to stop looking up books and go find my family.

Tonight's Netflix fare is a concert DVD featuring Trace Adkins and Travis Tritt. That's about my speed, and hubby has promised me a margarita.

*Bonus points go to the reader who figures out what this line comes from (and leaves a comment, I know, I never give up). GoalieMan, step away from the comment button. You've already scored bonus points today ;) A hint, it's my daughter's current obsession, I had to ask her where she'd squirreled away my copy of the CD because I needed the libretto. :::Sniff:::: makes a mama proud.

Damage Control

I decided to go to the gym today to see how my knees felt. While they didn't really hurt, they felt....weird. Unstable. Kind of an ooky feeling that made me feel queasy. Nevermind the "wet floor" signs around the treadmills that made my heart race as I gingerly walked to them. The good news, I only gained back one pound in the 9 days I've been out.

Speaking of the knees, and tummy aches, we got a letter from the restaurant's corporate office. At this point we are considering a lawyer, mainly to make sure our rights are protected. Sigh. I hate conflict.

As I mentioned in my hurricane blog, our piano room has a 1 foot leak in the ceiling. A call has been made to insurance. Gee I wonder how they're going to weasel out of this one?

And last, but most amusing, my son got a hold of a pen and scribbled all over his tummy. And one foot. And the arm of the couch. And an end table. Did I mention he's fast? One bath later, and his self-titled "Train Tracks" still remains. He likes to look down at his tummy and cackle with glee. Compared to the rest of my day, this comic relief was much-needed.

Give me something to Meme about

I tell you, I really adore Zen Pretzel Trick's Angel--she has an uncanny knack of knowing just when I need something to make me smile :)

Ten Years Ago: I was the mother of a 4 month old. I was just starting to get my postpartum depression under control. Ok, THAT was cheery, moving on....

Five Years Ago: I was preparing to be a part-time empty nester--my daughter would be starting kindergarten in a few weeks. I cried, but I knew she'd love school, and she did.

One Year Ago: Being the parent of a 9 year old and a 2 year old, it is all a blur LOL. Little did we know we would be gearing up for an interesting Hurricane Season!

Yesterday: Watched Thirteen, watched Hurricane Dennis' track, and had something cool happen that I hope to be able to mention in the near future ;)

Today: It was a headache and sore knees day. Watched it rain. Got caught up on several days of newspapers. Watched Around the World in 80 Days with the kids, then watched Closer while GoalieMan painted a room. Read a little bit of Mothering magazine.

Tomorrow: Watch it rain (are you noticing a pattern here?). Hoping to work a little bit on my latest quilt, pain permitting. All out of Netflix movies LOL.

5 snacks I enjoy: Popcorn, Oreos, Blue corn chips with cheese dip, Ben & Jerry's ice cream, Lean Cuisine pizzas.

5 bands/artists I know the lyrics to most of their songs: Billy Joel, Trace Adkins, Sarah McLachlan, Josh Groban, Disney (ok, so not a band LOL).

5 things I would do with $100,000,000: Have to echo Angel here and get better doctors; buy a lovely home on lots and lots of land; start a wildlife rehabilitation center/sanctuary; study all the subjects I'd love to learn about (everything from Music Therapy to Meteorology); contribute to all my favorite charitable organizations.

5 Locations I'd like to run away to: France, Africa, Necker Island, Fiji, Italy

5 bad habits I have: procrastinating, staying up late, worrying about what people think, worrying in general, packrat

5 things I like doing: Quilting, reading, watching movies, working out, blogging.

5 things I would never wear: low rise jeans, miniskirts, high heel shoes, big gaudy jewelry, bell bottoms

5 TV shows I like: Depserate Housewives, Nip/Tuck, 30 Days, Lost, Buffy (had to list it even if it's repeats!)

5 movies I like: Gone with the Wind, The Lion King, It's a Wonderful Life, Titanic, Star Wars (all of them)

5 famous people I'd like to meet: Joss Whedon, Harrison Ford, Julia Roberts, J. K. Rowling, John Williams.

5 biggest joys at the moment: My family, anticipation of our cruise, Netflix, reading, what a great cook GoalieMan is.

5 favorite "toys": my tart burners, my Bernina sewing machine, my piano, my computer, my pictures of the kids.

I'll open this up to my readers (I KNOW you're out there, I see the counter going up!). Post on your own blog and leave a link in the comments ;)

PIF Friday

I was horrified by the attacks on London yesterday. My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, their family, and friends, as well as all the citizens.
Make a donation to the London Bombings Relief Charitable Fund

I'm Angel, and I approve this message

I've mentioned in a previous entry how I succumbed to the dark side, and signed up for Google's AdSense program (why aren't you CLICKING????). Unfortunately I notice, from time to time, what are sure to be bogus ads for spam. I don't get to pick and choose which ads Google posts, and I certainly can't guarantee that you'll get what the little ad promises.

However, I can vouch for the new banner I've added, for Lightspeed Surveys. Basically you get points for surveys. I've earned enough for a $5 Amazon gift certificate, and close to earning another. Do it for me, pretty please? ;)

Bloggity Blah Blah Blah

I had to mention Gone with the Wind as one of my favorite books. Heh. Pretty appropriate, considering how we're watching the forecast for Hurricane Dennis (the Menace). It's not that I think we're going to have a direct hit, but it looks like we're going to have some cruddy weather. At least we can make more Godiva martinis!

And speaking of drinking, I had one heck of a headache yesterday, so I broke down and took one of my new pain pills. Little did I know that the other name for Lortab is vicodin! I got vicodin! Now I can visit Vicodin Land! For those of you unfamiliar with Bill Engvall, he's one of the comedians for the Blue Collar Comedy Tour (and we hope to get to go see him in November). He has a bit about taking a trip to the Bahamas after hernia surgery. As he's sitting out on the beach, he forgets about the half a vicodin he took earlier when he orders a Bahama Mama. In his words: "Half a vicodin and a Bahama Mama make for a BITCHIN' day!!!" He is talked into parasailing and.....well I don't want to give it away, but suffice to say there are French speaking sharks involved. Go rent Here's Your Sign.

Anyway, my trip to VL was very nice, kicked pain to the curb, and I got a lovely buzz as a reward. Goalieman said "If the sharks start speaking French, I'm cutting you off. (Pause) Or I'm joining you."

As for pain management......hoo boy. The appointment I had for August, my doc cancelled it to get me into another doc, at the end of this month. Not a clinic I'm fond of, but ok. Then my doc's office called (and she called and left a message on my cell.....I'm one of the few people who really only use that for emergency so didn't get the message for 2 days @@). Doc #2 said I should go to a headache clinic instead. So now I have no appointment to see anyone. I don't even know if the headache clinic takes my insurance. ::::Insert cussing that's not fit for my grandma's eyes:::::: What do I have to do to get someone to help me?

My knees are slowly improving. The restaurant has admitted full responsibility (thankfully) but now we're in discussions over how to handle the medical bills. More to come on that. I sure do miss the gym, but I'm still sore and my right knee is still swollen (and a lovely shade of black and blue!).

There are slightly more than 3 weeks until my daughter begins school :::thud::::: And lucky her, she is having 4 baby teeth pulled the week before classes start. Oh the joy of pre-orthodontia!

My son is having a horrible flareup from his eczema. We can't figure out if it's random, the result of some new food sensitivity (he did have a ton of "possickles"--aka popsicles--at my mom's), or the 5 days in a row of swimming in the pool. Though he may be close to becoming a Jedi Potty Knight, the number of dry days and nights far outnumbers the accidents.

Oh look, it's time to check the latest hurricane track. Sigh.

Is it Friday the 13th?

I tell you, my luck has just been non-existent this week. I forgot to update (in the midst of all my pain and boozing) that I got an appointment with the pain management specialist. AUGUST 22. You do the math :::banging head against blog wall::::: There will a phone call to them on Tuesday with much begging and pleading.

This morning, GoalieMan and I were going to try to salvage our last morning by going out to breakfast at Panera before going to pick up the kids. I woke up with a migraine.

Scratch breakfast, take Zomig, put head back down on pillow.

Right before we left, I went to feed my fish, Solo. Yep, you guessed it. Dead as a little fishy doornail.

Let's Get Drunk and Blog

Behold, our recipe for Godiva Chocolate Martinis:

1 1/2 shots of Godiva Dark Chocolate Liquer
1 1/2 shots of Godiva White Chocolate Liquer
1/2 shot of Smirnoff Vodka
2 1/2 shots of half-and-half

Mix, chill, and garnish with Lindt bittersweet chocolate shavings when serving.
Makes enough to get me giggling & GoalieMan a bit on the mellow side (1 cup).

******
Went to Urgent Care today, my knees hurt pretty bad and felt wobbly when I tried to walk. X-rays came out fine. No gym for at least a week UGHHHHHHH.

Spoke to the manager at the restaurant, she was very nice, gave me the corporate phone number and case number so we can discuss my medical bills. She said she was glad I was ok, and would be calling me in a few days, and implied they would set us up with a free dinner, since this pretty much made my holiday weekend (and weekend WITHOUT. KIDS.) suck. She thanked me for being so nice about it all, and I thanked her for them working so quickly to help me.

My 2nd martini is making me sleepy. Must get moving.

I've been tagged!

I'm so tickled to have been tagged by Zen Angel for a Literary Meme. Her timing could not be more perfect; the pain from my fall last night is a bit better, but many cuss words have been uttered this morning. Thanks Angel, you rock :)

1. Number of books I own--somewhere over 1,000. Yep, I'm a bookworm ;)
2. Last book I bought--technically, the last books I bought were Revenge of the Sith and a pre-order for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. However, Sith was a Father's Day gift for GoalieMan, and Harry Potter doesn't come in for almost 2 weeks. SO the last books I bought for myself were Their Eyes Were Watching God, Wicked, and To Have and Have Not (which will be the next book I read since we're going to Key West and visiting Hemingway's house).
3. Last book I read--Wicked Willow 2: Shattered Twilight. Oops my inner child is showing ;) I highly recommend this for any die-hard Buffy fans. The trilogy (I'm on the last book now) is an alternate ending to Season 6.
4. Five books that mean a lot to me--I had to think hard about this. And while there are other books that I own that are precious to me, or books I have read in my life that made a profound impact, here are 5 of my favorites.
Gone with the Wind--especially my 1936 1st edition copy--I collect various editions of the book, and even have a 2 volume set from Vietnam.
Bring 'Em Back Alive--I fell in love with the 1980's show featuring actor Bruce Boxleitner, who portrayed the real-life wildlife collector Frank Buck. My grandparents searched high and low for a copy of Buck's 1930 book. It is one of the things I packed just in case we had to leave during the hurricanes. I always feel close to my grandfather when I see that book.
The Collected Works of Shakespeare--I got this as a gift from my Aunt & Uncle when I was in high school. It has seen me through AP English, and my English degree in college. My favorite play is Othello.
The Fussy Baby Book : Parenting Your High-Need Child From Birth to Age Five--This book by Dr. William Sears saved my sanity when my son was born. My daughter had been an extremely easy, laid-back baby. When I read this, it felt like Sears was talking about our son. It gave me a sense of relief that we weren't alone, and had loads of tips of how to cope with a baby who needed to be held to sleep (for 6 months), cried often and was not consolable. It also gave us encouragement that while he may always be high needs (and he is), it would get easier (and it has).
The Fanny Farmer Cookbook--an odd choice, perhaps, but this got me through the first year of our marriage. I was completely cooking inept when we got married almost 13 years ago. Aside from a few family favorites, I could boil pasta and it might actually be edible. A friend of the family gave me this as a wedding gift. Most of us associate the Fanny Farmer name with chocolates; but this book goes into detail about how to choose fruits, vegetables, and meats. It has the very basics like how to boil an egg and how long to cook rice as well as a multitude of recipes that most of us all know (meatloaf, fried chicken, baked fish, etc). And while my expertise has gone far beyond this book, I still turn to it (and give it as a wedding gift to young brides too).

Now I pass the Meme baton to:
Chantal--Bread Crumbs in the Butter
Shannon--Peter's Cross Station
Chasmyn--Purple Goddess in Frog Pyjamas
Beth--Melting Mama
Autumn--Putting Perfection on a Curve

Slippery When Wet

We *were* supposed to go see Mr. & Mrs. Smith on our second night of child-free weekend. We went out to dinner first. As we were leaving the restaurant, I stepped around a corner and onto a very slippery wet patch on the floor.

You know the cartoons where the character is trying to walk on ice, and their feet are moving, but they don't get anywhere? Yeah it was like that. Only I fell hard. It's true, you really do fall in slow motion, because I kept trying to stop myself from falling, and saw the "wet floor" sign shoved into a corner, and thought "OH that's why the floor is slippery!" Both kneecaps slammed into the tile floor, and my arm and ample chest kept my face from hitting the floor too. It felt like forever before GoalieMan was kneeling next to me, asking me if I was all right. I was afraid to move, the pain was so bad at first I couldn't see straight. And then the OH MY GOD I just fell in front of a room full of strangers humiliation factor set in.

I was able to limp out of there, after sitting and filling out an accident report. So now my evening consists of sitting on the couch with two ice packs. I know how to live it up on a Friday night, don't I?

I bless the rains down in africa

For today's Pay It Forward Friday, I want to highlight an amazing choral group from Africa:





I've heard these children perform on several ocassions and they never fail to bring tears to my eyes. For reasons I don't understand, I feel my heart swell and ache when I hear African music. There's some strong connection, and I'd love to go there to do mission work someday.

Watoto (Swahili for "children") is not an adoption agency; rather, they feel that the hope of the future of Uganda lies with the children. Their ministry, housing, and schooling serves children, who have lost one or both parents to war or AIDS. Two million children in Uganda alone are parentless. According to one source, 880,000 children have been orphaned due to AIDS alone. That is just staggering.

Currently, they have room for just over 1,200 children, so there are many more out there who could use help.

*****
It's been raining quite a bit lately. Hubby and I were out, and another shower started coming down. As we were leaving the store, I saw 2 elderly ladies waiting for their bus. There was no cover, no sign of a bus, and both of them had walkers. We pulled over, grabbed our umbrellas, and ran over to them. Their bus was running late, but after a few minutes we saw it coming. Bless their heart, they must have been at least 90, and they were probably somebody's grandma (or great grandma even). I knew if it was one of my grandmas, I wouldn't want them to stand out in the rain. They wished us a happy holiday weekend, and were on their way.