Saw the doctor for my foot today. No more storm trooper boot—hooray! He said be careful, let the pain be my guide. I asked him some more questions, especially about running, and he said, “Well, if you were Kobe Bryant, I’d let you back in the game with this foot. But with you, well, I doubt you’ll be running that 10K you talked about.”

Is he suggesting I’m NOT Kobe Bryant? Rude. (more…)

According to my husband, it’s quite simple. Just stop thinking and go to sleep. (more…)

The picture above is one that I memorized as a child. Liza Lou’s face, the possum’s face, the fly (no spoilers, so I won’t tell you who that is), everything. So imagine my pleasure when I opened this book, “Liza Lou and the Yeller Belly Swamp” again this week for the first time in probably 30 years and saw those pictures greet me, just exactly as I remembered them. It was like talking to an old friend and finding out she is still just as awesome as you remember her.

I love this book. You will too. If you haven’t read it, run, don’t walk, to your nearest library, and check it out for yourself. A recent post about children’s books at Segullah made me think of it. But I couldn’t remember the name of it, so I did some internet research on Amazon, and found it. I ordered it for my daughter (okay, really me, but let’s say it was for my daughter), and when it came, I immediately ripped open the box and sat down right there to read it to her. She sat, wide eyed and captivated, just as I had as a child. Since then, she has asked me to read it to her EVERY DAY, and she carries it around the house. Liza Lou is like a pint-sized, Southern Buffy–she outwits monsters and haunts and witches, and does it with a smile. Plus, it opened up a discussion about race I hadn’t anticipated. After we read it, Little Sister said, “Liza Lou must be from Haiti, because the people in Haiti have brown skin, and she has brown skin, too.” So not only is it an awesome story with beautiful illustrations about a strong little girl who can take care of herself, it’s ALSO presented a natural opportunity to talk about race with my 4 year old. Seriously, what more could you ask for from a children’s book?

So thank you, Mercer Mayer, ONCE AGAIN, for making one of the most awesome children’s books EVER. I don’t know why you aren’t the most famous children’s author, but you are certainly my very favorite.

What are some of your favorite childhood books that you are reading to your kids?

One of the hardest things about having a broken foot is that I can’t drive. Of course I had to break my right foot, and of course it was in such a way that requires that my foot not do the exact motion required for driving. I think I would be doing better mentally if I wasn’t dependent on other people for the most basic things in my life to happen. My husband is bearing the brunt of this, which hasn’t been easy for him, but I’ve had to branch out and ask other people to help me, too, and it’s annoying. I don’t mean that the people are annoying, and everybody is more than willing to help me get my kid to preschool and the like, but it means it takes some planning, and when hard things show up to complicate matters, things get, well, complicated. (more…)

So I’m starting week #2 of what I’m dubbing “Project Stormtrooper”. Last week I spent most of the week in bed, in pain and immobile. Yesterday, I hobbled around church without my crutches, and it wiped me out so much I came home and slept for 2 and a half hours. Today, I’m getting crazy, and venturing downstairs to the couch. (more…)

I have always admired my grandmother. She lived well into her 90s, and was bedridden the last year of her life. Her hips, which had been replaced earlier in life, basically crumbled away, and she was unable to walk. She handled her situation with grace and composure, and I never heard her complain about something I’m sure was fairly painful.

I’ve learned this week that I most definitely do NOT take after her. (more…)