In the wee hours of Thursday morning, I was SuperMom, able to correctly diagnose a child's complaint of "My neck hurts" as being nausea rather than meningitis (mostly due to the horrible urpy sound said child was making), and get her spun around in time so she could make her call on the big white telephone, instead of calling collect on the bathroom floor.

Today, someone has obviously planted some kryptonite somewhere, because I spent a good share of my morning calling dinosaurs in between trying to get small children ready for school and daycare. I'm starting to feel a little bit better as the day goes by (i.e. I can drink water without fear, now), but I'm still not straying far from a bathroom.

I don't like being sick, no matter what form it takes. However, it's a side effect of motherhood that I've come to accept, if not embrace. Chances are, that if some little person in my household brings home something viral, I'll be on the receiving end before too long. Luckily, the children have been exposed to enough stuff now through daycare and the school system, that these incidents have become fewer and further between.

Still doesn't make it any fun.

I'm not as tough as my Mom. I'm sure she was probably ill from time to time when I was a child, but I don't really remember that. She really is SuperMom. Of course, she also worked nights when I was a child, so my Dad mostly got us ready for school in the mornings, so maybe I didn't get the opportunity to see her shuffling around feeling miserable first thing in the morning.

You know, I really think she must have been SuperMom, especially when my brother and I were small. Because she worked nights, and was there for us during the day, making lunch, making sure we didn't kill each other. I know from time to time, she would rest her eyes on the couch while we played inside, but it wasn't until we were older that remember her actually sleeping at all during the day, and that was after we were old enough to tag around after Dad or Grandpa most of the time.

Well, needless to say...I'm not SuperMom. At least not until this kryptonite goes away! Then I'll be back to my appointed rounds.

It all came to a head when I realized I'd forgotten my lunch.

Mondays are always a bit of a challenge around here. It's almost as if, over the weekend, everyone but me has forgotten the entire weekday routine. Or, indeed, that we have anywhere at all to be by a specific time. Still, this morning didn't start out too badly. I got up on time, did my workout, and discovered the scale needs batteries, or else has gone completely insane. Yes, I've been working pretty hard the last couple of weeks, but I'm pretty sure that if I actually weighed the 94.5 pounds it claimed the first time I stepped on, I'd probably be either dead, or a supermodel. Of course, then when I tried again, it said I'd gained 1.5 pounds from last week. Maybe I'll stick with the 94.5.

Then, another nice surprise. Right before I got in the shower, both kids were already awake, and ready to get on with the day. Excellent!

Breakfast, apparently, was the turning point. All of a sudden, kids were moving slow, my hair wouldn't cooperate, and before you know it, I was running down the stairs hollering at Cub to GET HER SHOES ON ALREADY, because we have to leave NOW!!!!!!!! Out into the rain and wind. Kid dropped off, Cub dropped off, heading for work, trying to figure out what do do with disobedient hair, further riled by the wind, and oops! No lunchbox. No book. Rats. Stupid Monday.

At this point, I knew I needed to go home, get my lunchbox, and get headed to work, although the temptation to just crawl back under the covers was very, very strong. On the way, a song from my childhood came on the radio, one that reminds me of Dad, since that's what he listened to when I was a child.

Okay, Monday, I guess you aren't so bad after all. Funny how one little thing can make or break a day.

I'm sure none of you have really noticed, but I haven't been around much lately. Part of it is summer, but a lot of it has been things I just can't talk about here. I'm the only person making rules for my own expression, but I tend to stick by them.
1) Don't talk about work. Especially in a negative fashion.
2) Don't discuss the problems of friends or family without consent.
3) Don't discuss things about the children that they may one day resent you for revealing to the internet.

In other words, no dirty laundry.

Which has made it a little difficult to post this past summer. This is not to say that our summer was one tragedy after another, because it wasn't. However, it was a lot of "unmentionable" things, interspersed with actually trying to enjoy our summer. (You know, that thing that's GONE now? Where the heck did it go?)

About the time that I last wrote, I was facing a major job change, a lateral move within the company to a position with less creative challenges, more deadlines, and more accountability. Don't get me wrong, I do like this position. It appeals to the list-making, check-marking side of my brain, but it's tough. There is so much to remember, so many things to double check, and it all has to be done so quickly.

In addition, good, dear friends of ours (and some of our family as well) have been faced with some difficult, life-changing situations.

That was summer.

Now, school has started, and with it the early morning routine that involves me waking up so early the birds are impressed. Lion, who worked from home so that the kids didn't have to go to daycare all summer (give him a hand folks!) is getting ready for one of his busiest work seasons. My new position is starting to gear up as well, as we head towards the holidays. Choir has begun. All the organizations we are involved with have come off their summer slow-downs. The dog is shedding about a metric ton of fur a day. Relatives are visiting. Friends will need help moving.....

It got me yesterday. Nailed me right to the floor. Anytime I end up listening to "Round Here" by Counting Crows over, and over, and over, and over in the same day, it's a bad day. Really, it was a four stars out of five for worst emotional health day ever. And why? Nothing horrible had happened that day. It just...piles up, and flows over.

I don't really know how to end this. I hope to be around more, but I can't promise a thing. If anybody's still reading, please know I haven't forgotten the internet. I'm just kind of busy.

Take care, all of you.

Surprise! Here I am! It's not very kind of me toward anyone who is actually
concerned about my welfare to write a big post about having my wisdom teeth
out and then disappear for a month, is it? I suppose I could spin you out
some yarn about horrible complications, hospitalization and a lengthy,
drawn-out recovery, far away from computers. Truthfully, though, with the
exception of a pretty big hole in my lower jaw where I think they used
dynamite to extract a particularly stubborn tooth, my recovery was just
about as smooth as it could be. I did go back once, because I was certain I
could see exposed bone way down in the bottom of that hole, only to discover
that it was just some of my lunch. The oral surgeon tried manfully not to
laugh at me, and sent me away with a nifty little syringe to rinse out that
hole.

Mostly, I've just been extra busy. We have a lot going on this month, and no
time to do anything extra. It's another one of those "sleeping optional"
months.

One of the things that has kept me from the computer is the week that Lion
and I spent as counselors for Senior High church camp. What an incredible
experience! It's been a lot for me to digest, which is why it's taken me
half a week to get any of it into words. I'm going to try and limit myself
to just a few anecdotes (after the jump, so you don't have to read if you
don't want to), but I can't guarantee that it won't keep cropping up here
and there in my writing.

=> Read more!

Once upon a time, in the way, waaaaaaaayyyy long ago, it seems, I talked about needing my wisdom teeth out. Badly. Well....notice how I never mentioned it again? That would be because I went right out and.......never scheduled an appointment. First of all, there was Christmas that year. Who wants major dentistry around the holidays? Then, I was kind of waiting till we finished our taxes. But then, my brother's wedding was coming up, and who wants to be known as the chipmunk cheeked bridesmaid? And then it was summer...and then it was fall...and then it was the holidays again. Well, you get the point. It was a masterful example of extreme procrastination.

However, you can only put off the inevitable so long, and so it was that I celebrated Cinco de Mayo with general anesthesia and a mouth full of gauze. Yum.

Just like every other aspect of my life, Murphy was my companion again for this adventure. I mean, it's nice to have the HHR and all, but I hate to give Murphy the extra leg room! We reached the office at the appointed time, only to discover that their X-ray machine was out of order. Of course. But I wasn't off the hook yet! Luckily (or unluckily, depending on your point of view), the place that Lion had just started dentisting last month had the appropriate machine, so we raced across town, swooping in to.....fill out new patient paperwork and wait. And wait. And wait. Once I was finally able to go in for my close-up (no makeup or anything, but I still say I have a very lovely jawbone), we were able to return to the office, and continue to fill out paperwork.

One thing about the paperwork that we had to fill out: If you aren't absolutely terrified about your procedure before you start to fill out the surgery consent form, with every possible, horrible complication listed, you will be by the time you're done.

I was obviously not in a very good place by the time they took me back, sure that I would either never see my children again, or that I would be permanently disabled. To be very honest, though, the doctor, and all his nurses, and all his support staff were very, very kind and very, very understanding. When they saw my x-rays, they did recommend that I have all four wisdom teeth out, including the one that had never erupted, but they never tried to scare me into it. They had given us an estimate on the phone weeks before, and understood that was our budget limit, and didn't try to push us into more than we could afford. (Good policy, I suppose, for an office that demands full payment the first day. I suggested to Lion that is why they ask that a responsible adult accompany the victim patient for the entire time of the procedure. That way they can hold the patient for ransom!)

Apparently, after the whole x-ray ordeal, Murphy decided that he was done with us for the day. And you know what? The surgery was nowhere near as bad as I feared. I went into, and came out of, anesthesia without complications beyond an exponential exacerbation of my own clumsiness, and a bad case of motormouth (which is pretty difficult with a mouthful of gauze.) Seriously. By the time we got home, Lion had to tell me more than once that I wasn't supposed to be talking that much. Doctors orders. And then he handed me a note pad. I'm really hoping that is what the doctor said, and that he wasn't just tired of trying to interpret the Marlon Brando-speak coming out of my walrus mouth. (When they packed the gauze in, they REALLY packed the gauze in, leaving me with enormous, drooly walrus tusks.) One of the first things I wrote on my notepad was for him to get me my phone, so that I could text him, and not have to wait for him to walk by and read my notepad again, in which time I would have thought of 5 or 6 more things I needed to ask him/tell him. I was actually feeling pretty chipper when we returned home.

Pretty soon, though, I was tired again, and needed some rest. By the time I woke up, things were starting to get uncomfortable. Luckily, they did send me home with some pretty good pain meds, antibiotics, and a great cold pack/head wrap thing that makes me look like Jacob Marley. Somehow, I don't think that Lion was amused as I was by me drifting around the house after him moaning, "Scrooooooooogggeee, SCROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOGGGGGEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!" All I needed was a pair of chains to rattle, and I was all set!

Recovery so far hasn't been too bad. In fact, I'd say I'm about 1/4 as miserable as I expected to be. My lower right jaw is pretty sore, and very swollen, but considering that I expected them all to be that way, I'm not too concerned. That was the one that was giving me quite a bit of trouble the week before the surgery, so my guess is that it was exhibiting enough active decay that they might have had to go after it, piece by piece. With a hammer. And a chisel. And a crowbar. Possibly a jackhammer. Still, I'd say being 3/4s less miserable than expected is a good thing. (Now with 75% less suffering!)

I really have to commend Lion. I won't say he's never left my side, because watching someone sleep can get pretty boring, but he has been there to take care of pretty much everything I've needed, making sure I'm taking my meds on time, preparing sore mouth friendly foods, and ensuring that I don't try and exert myself anymore than necessary. (Probably the most difficult task in the bunch.) Plus, he took me out for a caramel milkshake with a spoon, took me to the library for reading materials, and got me a couple of hanging baskets, one with pansies, and one with violas, instant mood brighteners for me. And I know I haven't been all sweetness and light, and I've drooled a lot, so bless him for being so wonderful.

And so, they are out. All four of them gone, hopefully to never trouble me again. Kid thinks I was kind of gypped, since I didn't get to keep them, so I didn't get a visit from the tooth fairy. Cub has been very sweet, and very careful of my face. For the most part, they haven't even wrangled too much.

Tomorrow, I have to go back to work. I've taken two days, and that's about all I can afford to take in a regular work week. I may only go for part of a day tomorrow, but that will still be better than jumping back in and trying to do it all in two, over-exerting, 12-hr (or more) days. I honestly think I'll probably be up to it.

What I don't know if I'll be up to is giving up being a homebody. Despite the pain, I've really enjoyed just being home with Lion and the children. The weather has been great, with warm sunshine, cool breeze, and all the lilacs just starting to bloom. Plus, Lion and I got the pond much closer to completion on Saturday afternoon, making it very pleasant to just sit and listen to the music of the waterfall and fountain in the pond. Today, Cub and I watched in fascination as a snake slithered across the rocks beneath the waterfall, only to recoil in surprise as water splashed on his head. This morning, Kid and I talked about the smells water could have, and why, and whether or not people were made of atoms. Lion's gotten a good dose of what I'll be like as an old lady, as I discuss endlessly my medications, when I need to take them, their recorded side effects versus how I feel, etc. Still, I have to say again just how grateful I am for my family right now.

Of course, after all that procrastinating, to have things go so well makes me wonder just what I was scared for!