I should probably write this post when I have time to be introspective, and funny, or poignant, or both. And since I don’t have time or the patience to really think everything out, and I’m not really sure what I want to say about Mother’s Day anyways, I thought maybe pushing myself to do a post in the 15 minutes I have before I take Little Sister to her swimming lesson would force me to pull it altogether in one big…something. Something big and cohesive. Like, a big, um, stone, um, whatever.

Basically, what I want to say is that Mother’s Day is a hard and complicated and potentially painful holiday, and I want to explore why. (more…)

Yesterday was one of those days.

It started out okay, and I was determined to make it a good day. I got up early-ish, and spent the morning snuggling with my son before he bounced off to school.

Then I spent the morning with Little Sister, and I got her all ready for preschool and me ready for a run. I’m making slow progress with my foot and leg, and managed to push myself to 3 miles yesterday. They were slow miles, interspersed with walking and some skipping (I’m trying to strengthen a leg that has some serious atrophy issues, and plus, it’s kinda fun. Don’t judge me.). By the time I got home, sweating and feeling triumphant at the distance I managed, I felt like the day was going great.

And then came the voles. (more…)

I love this time of year–honestly it’s my favorite. When I lived up north, fall was my favorite, but after moving down south, I’ve decided there is nothing more beautiful anywhere than a southern spring. It’s all kinds of glorious.

And if you can see through the itchy eyes and breathe through the snot generated from all the pollen, all the better. (more…)

Talking about iconic childhood memories, over at Segullah.

(Aaaaand, here’s the promised post about my garden. Did you think we could get through spring without one? Psha!)

I posted here a while ago that we should all be like weeds. Forget “Bloom where you are planted”, go for being tenacious and strong and hard to destroy no matter what kind of soil you’re in. Flowers are wussy. Be a weed.

I thought Crab Grass was the ultimate in weeds. We battle crab grass every year, and it ALWAYS comes back. But this year, I have a new favorite winner of the tenacity prize.

Mint. I just had no idea. (more…)

I try not to get too political on this blog, because it generally doesn’t end very well. Politics tends to make everybody get a little nutty, and I’m crazy enough as it is. But in light of the comments by Ms. Rosen recently about how Ann Romney never worked a day in her life and therefore doesn’t understand economics, well, I just can’t keep my mouth shut.

I get what Rosen is trying to say, I do. Ann Romney comes from privilege and is married to a bazillionaire. It’s not unfair to imply that the Romneys might not understand the financial struggles that the average American faces, particularly in these tough economic times. Bottom line, Ann Romney is rich, and being rich is easier than being poor.

But the line that “she’s never worked a day in her life” and implying that such a lifestyle means that she doesn’t understand how economics works, well, that gets under my skin. (more…)

I had my follow up appt with my orthopedic doctor today. He was pretty neutral in his assessment, but did say he was surprised I was still having pain, as minimal as it is. He thought I’d be better by now (although I told him I was felled by bronchitis last week, which doesn’t exactly lend your body to being in a rehabilitative state), and we talked about various options, surgical and therapeutic. I’d like to avoid both of those, thank you very much, and told him as much. He said that since I was pretty active before, I would probably be okay working things out on my own, but to keep an eye on things and to come back in a month if I am still having pain. He also suggested swimming and biking, 2 non-impact movements to help get things back on track.

Biking. Why is it always biking? (more…)

It’s 1:30, and I’m awake. It’s a combination of a couple of days battling a cold at night and some wacky sleep patterns during the day (you know it’s bad when you resort to taking theraflu and pass out in the middle of the day, just to stop coughing) and no exercise. (I walked a mile on the treadmill last week though. So, you know, progress. But when I tried to run .25 of that mile, I ended the lap in pain and in tears at the injustice of the universe.)

I also tried to take a break from FB. My goal was a week. I made it about 4 days. But seriously, how am I supposed to stay away from FB if I can’t sleep? It’s like FB was made for this kind of stuff–lonely people who are a little bit bored. No wonder FB is mentioned in 1 in 5 divorces.

Also, at night, defenses are down, people start getting honest. Or goofy. Or both. (more…)

Sometimes I go back into the archives, to see what my life looked like 5 years ago, or 6 years ago, or even 7 years ago (yup, we’ve hit the milestone. I can’t even begin to believe it).

This week, I decided to pull back from FB, just to take a break. It wasn’t anything specific, I just felt myself getting sucked into things that probably weren’t healthy for my spirit, and definitely not healthy for the small child I was ignoring.

To fill the FB void, I turned to the blog (yes, I can fully appreciate the irony of filling one internet addiction with the other, and understand how silly it is. Please don’t point it out to me). I checked on what I was doing 6 years ago in March.

I was pulling away from the blog. (more…)

Of course, we had to give up cable and so I haven’t seen the last season and I sob regularly about it, but somehow, I carry on.

Anyway, super sexy Type 1 Diabetic from season 2, fan favorite Sam Talbot, has put out a cookbook for diabetics.

How could I NOT get it?  (I know, the same way I don’t buy everything else, but still, it was kind of required for me.)

I am not the cook in the household, that honor belongs to my husband, but there were some things I wanted to try. And of course, I had to try them TODAY. And Sam is supposedly all about simplicity and real food. So I made a list and my husband and I headed out the door. (more…)

Okay, let’s crack this blog open with some good old fashioned controversy. And who better to swarm around in a buzz of parental indignation than Amy Chua?

You see, I spent the first part of this week on vacation with my family, and I picked up “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother” to keep me company along the way. I figured I should finally jump on the bandwagon and see what the fuss is really all about.

Now I know why so many people got so fussy. It’s definitely a fuss invoking book.

And it reminded me of a lot of Mormon mommies I know. (more…)

Poking my head out of my blogger slackiness to share some links with you and ask for prayers.

Meri, who writes Our Diabetic Life, has 4 boys, three of whom are Type 1 diabetics. They recently discovered that her husband has metastasized melanoma, and they have found tumors in his brain, lung, and abdomen.  Radiation begins today.

They are asking for nothing short of a miracle, and are asking for as many prayers as possible.  So please go to their facebook page, “like” it, or their blog, and send some love.  (You don’t need to say I sent you, that will mean nothing to her, I am not someone she has a bloggy connection to.)

So please pray.  Thanks so much.

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…)

I went to the Y today for what my doctor called “an active rest”. I’m STILL trying to work through hamstring issues, and I’ve decided to work through them by running and being in pain. A winning strategy, I know. But my doctor suggested “active rests”, where I rest my hamstring while doing other things, so while getting back to running, I’m also throwing in some time on the bike.

Which I hate.

Riding a stationary bike makes me feel like a hamster on a wheel. Yes, I know you’re going to say it’s not that different than running on a treadmill but I’m here to say that it IS different, okay? I don’t know why, it just IS. Also, biking makes my bum sore. (more…)

This isn’t even a joke question.

Yesterday I was with a member of my activities committee, planning our next activity. It’s a mother/daughter campout, and we decided the theme should be “treasure seekers”. There’s lots to do with that, including some good scriptures about seeking the treasures of heaven, and we can hand out some fun little treasure/pirate themed favors and do some treasure/pirate crafts for the little ones (there is no age limit to this event, so we have to come up with stuff to do for 2-16 year olds). We were looking online for little things to get, and my friend said, “Fake tattoos would be fun, but that’s your call. I don’t want to offend anybody.” I looked at her like she was nuts, and she swore that SOMEbody would get offended. She said somebody was offended at the idea of face-painting once, because, she quoted, “We don’t write on our bodies.” (more…)