First of all, what the heck is up with the title-less blog entries? I can't do titles this morning - the box is completely missing, no matter how often I re-sign in or refresh this page. Growl. Anyway, if it ever shows up again, this will be the title of this post:

Somewhat Plagiarized

This post, that is. The following is a little ditty my husband wrote up for me (speaking as if from me, even) after the chaotic events of last Tuesday. And I quote...

My opinion on opinions
"The thing is: I don’t think the blog issue is something to be UPSET about. I do think it is something one can have an opinion about. In this case, my opinion differs from that of my sisters’ -- and guess what? I realize my differing opinion doesn’t trump theirs. If I had known their opinion, I would have respected it and taken my online therapy down. That’s the really cool thing about opinions: they don’t all have to be the same. In fact, something the most vociferous and opinionated of Americans fail to realize is that opinions can even be mutually exclusive and both be correct. Opinions are not truths.

I realize this and would have shelved my opinions for the sake of my sister’s (or sisters’, since they often act as one) comfort.

The question here isn’t whether my opinion on blogs is better than another’s opinion on blogs; the question is: should one bestow so much sanctity to their capricious opinions that those opinions must be fed by the ruin of others. Do one’s opinions deserve more attention than one’s humanity, civility, or familial love? In America that seems more and more the case…and it certainly does in this family."

I couldn't agree more, hubby. Thank you for always, always having my back.

I didn't have to cook last night...

...because my daughter made dinner instead. She's only 8 years old, but she made some delicious vegetarian lasagna from a kids' cookbook that she bought at book fair. The only parts I helped with were separating the egg and putting the dish into the oven. That's it! I am so proud of P. Man, I wish I'd taken a picture of her cooking - she was absolutely beaming.

She's supposed to cook again tonight (spaghetti squash this time), but we'll see if she wants to. Sometimes the school day just sucks the energy right out of you. If she does end up cooking, I'll definitely take pictures.

In other news, hubby and I are going to Florida next month to see Alan Parsons. Airfare to the sunshine state is ridiculous this time of year, so we've decided to drive. We'll be covering about 3000 miles in about 4.25 days. Don't worry, it sounds worse than it is - hubby and I are actually excited at the prospect of spending a few days alone together. (Gotta love grandparents! :)

I spent most of yesterday and part of today online trying to figure out the best deals on car rentals, hotels, and the like. I love this kind of stuff. I always wanted to be a travel agent, and now I get to pretend I am one.

Update on K: He is still wearing his splint and sling to school, but per doctor's orders, he takes both off at night. For the most part, his arm is healing very well, but it does ache after awhile. He ices it down nearly every night. Next Monday, K starts taking private guitar lessons. He's SO excited about that - so much so, in fact, that he's actually bringing some of the arm-achiness on himself: he practices guitar every night so that he'll be "ready" when the lessons start. I'm proud of his perseverance, but sometimes I do wish he'd take a little time off to rest his arm.

Update on R (since I haven't talked about him in awhile): Last night was the end of the one-month deal we made with him about Karate. [Deal: We pay for one month; you stick it out for one month. Period.] Up until yesterday afternoon, he was saying, "Only one more class to go! Yay!" But then last night he changed his mind and said he wants to stay in the class. I don't know what caused the turnaround, but I am so happy that he's decided to follow through with this. We're still doing the "one month paid/one month committed" deal with him, and will continue to do so as long as he's enjoying it. Personally, I think he likes it because he "owns" it. Meaning, K and P do not do Karate. He's a big shot in his little world. What a sweetie.

Update on Me: Well, this week has been very quiet so far. And that's a GOOD thing! I haven't been able to see Tnk since last Friday, which sucks, but I understand how busy she is with all her doctor appointments. Hopefully I'll be able to visit with her tomorrow. And the other good thing is that I have no funerals to attend this week. That I know of...oh dear, I hope I didn't just jinx myself!

Well, now you're all caught up. I'll post tomorrow about whether Pey cooked or not. Maybe I can even figure out how to attach pictures here with my camcorder (don't have the luxury of a digital camera yet, but hubby wants one before we go to Florida - we shall see!).

Day late; Dollar short

I know it's not Thursday, but this looked fun.

Thirteen Things about Trace 1. I love to scrapbook, but rarely find the time or inclination to do so. 2. I am so frustrated right now I want to scream. 3. My kids are the best, but I do not want to have another one. Might jinx myself. 4. I struggle with my body image on a daily basis. 5. I don't have many friends, but the ones I do have are amazing. 6. I want to go to church more often. 7. I do not like or respect my biological father (see amended "Numb" post). 8. I love having manicures, but hate getting them done. 9. I am a fantastic speller, and typos stress me out. 10. I want to go to Europe someday, but am terrified of flying. 11. I have met Alan Parsons twice; Steve Burns (yep, the Blue's Clues guy) three times. Alan is more talented. Steve is much more fun. 12. I am afraid of going back to work someday. 13. I want to meet more of my Internet friends. Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

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Hmm

Catchy title, is it not? My creative juices aren't flowing as abundantly as usual.

Yesterday I went to Jen's mom's funeral. It was excruciating. So much so that I had to leave the building for several minutes in order to compose myself. When I looked at the casket, I envisioned two things: one, my own mother in the same silver casket several years ago; two, Tnk, had things been different. Strangely, it was the latter that had me crying so hard I couldn't catch my breath.

I called both of my sisters on the way home yesterday and told them in no uncertain terms were they allowed to die. Ever. Capisce? They both agreed that this was a good plan. I made the same deal with my husband. So there you go - none of my loved ones are allowed to exit the mortal plane; y'all help me keep an eye on them, okay?

K rode the bus to school for the first time in weeks this morning. I hope things went well for him. He's still wearing a splint and a sling (doctor's orders - four more weeks), so he struggles sometimes. His arm often aches in the evenings, and we've found him more than once sitting in a chair with an icepack on his arm. Overall, though, he's doing better.

I am now in the midst of doing laundry, so I'd better get off the computer for awhile. Darn laundry, always messing up my loafing plans.

Amy is not evil, and other newsflashes

Today I received a beautiful bouquet of flowers from none other than our own Evil Amy. I have really been feeling the love here lately, and I seriously cannot tell you how much you all mean to me. Without your support, these past two weeks would have done me in.

So thank you, Amy. The flowers are lovely - even moreso because I know the thought that was behind them. You're a terrific person. I'll try not to let that get out. ;)

When it rains...

My best friend lost her mother yesterday. Jen's mom had been very sick for a long while. While I am glad that she is no longer in pain, I am still so sad for Jen and her family.

It's never easy to lose a loved one, but when it's your mom, the pain runs so deep that it can become unbearable. Seven years have passed since I lost my mother, and the sharp stabs of grief have certainly (and blessedly) dulled over time. Yet I would be remiss if I didn't admit that there are still days when the tears flow freely.

For Jen, my prayer is this: that your happy memories of your mom are stronger than your sad ones; that your husband and beautiful children are a comfort to you during this difficult time; and that you never forget that I love you and am here for you.

Mrs. C, may your journey into the next life be a blessed one. We'll see you on the other side.

All my love,
Trace

Numb

Guess what? I got some sleep last night, and was not excruciatingly tired all day today. I thought I was starting to recover from the events of the past two weeks; apparently, however, I am just numb.

My biological father went to the doctor today complaining of a painful lump on his arm. The doctor took one look at it and said he needed to do a biopsy as soon as possible.

So now, on top of everything else, it is possible that my father has cancer. Honestly, when he called and said, "I really need to talk to you," I knew it was bad news. I was not surprised. I did not know what to say.

I should be shocked. Scared. Worried. Sad. Instead, I'm just numb. I can't even squeeze out a single tear for my father. I guess I am all cried out.

Am I awful?

Edited 3/23/06 to add that last night I had a huge blowup with him. I have spent years trying to forgive and forget many, many wrongs he has committed. But no more. I cannot let my children be exposed to that type of behavior, and thus have cut him out of my life. Naturally, I still do not want him to have cancer, but now I have even less emotion about this than before. Overall, I wish him well. And I'd like him to know that these two letters would definitely help: "AA".

I know that if I was reading this blog for the first time, I might be thinking that the writer was making this stuff up. Lord help me, I wish I was. Instead, tomorrow I will wake up from this awful dream ... and still be living it.

I know that you all are probably sick of praying over me right now, but if you could fit in just one more word with the man upstairs, I would be forever grateful.

Happy Birthday, Ry!

My middle kiddo is ten years old today. I am not sure how on earth an entire decade has gone by already, seriously.

To my son: I am continually amazed at your warmth, your intelligence, and your humor. You are a light in my life - always ready with a kiss and a smile - and I thank God for sending you to me. Your dad and I love you very much.

So have a terrific birthday, kiddo. Here's to a few more decades under your belt.

Monkey hugs!

And now for something completely different

Katiefleck directed me to this rather introspective website: Johari Window

The Johari Window was invented by Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham in the 1950s as a model for mapping personality awareness. By describing yourself from a fixed list of adjectives, then asking your friends and colleagues to describe you from the same list, a grid of overlap and difference can be built up.

Here's mine: Pleyton's Johari Window

I am looking forward to hearing others' opinions about me, so if you have a minute, please visit the website and click on a few words that describe how you think I am. (You don't have to sign up for anything in order to do this, by the way.)

On another note: K is doing a little better today. He slept some last night, and his arm pain now registers only about a 6 without meds. With meds, he says the pain is like a 2. The biggest frustration for him right now is that he's bored - books are hard to hold open with only one hand, video games are all but out of the question, and TV is "boring" after so many hours (which I completely agree with). Hopefully the arm will heal quickly and Kane will be back to 100% soon.

Thank you, and good night

First of all, thank you to everyone who posted their well wishes here. Your words stayed with me today, and I thank you for the comfort you all brought.

Fish, a special thanks to you for calling me so early this morning and praying over our family and the doctors and all. You have no idea how much I appreciate your friendship. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Now for the "good night" part: I am exhausted. Scratch that - K and I are exhausted. I barely slept a wink last night. K slept some, but still, we had to get up at 4:45 a.m. in order to be at the surgery center by 5:30. (By the way, both of those times should be forever stricken from the clock, if you want my two cents. Just.too.early.)

We got K all checked in at 5:30, and they put him into the pre-op room by 5:45. He got his first-ever IV line, which was a less-than-pleasant experience for him, but he was a real trooper and barely even winced. We then spent the next two hours waiting for the operation. That's a long time to sit and worry, but I'm pretty sure that's what K and I both were doing. The doctor came by and talked to us for a few minutes somewhere in there, but he had to take care of another child's surgery before he could get to K. Thus the delay.

[Sorry if this post rambles. I am beyond exhausted right now.]

Sometime after 7:30, the anesthesiologist came in and gave Kane what he called "happy juice." I'm pretty sure K was feeling no pain. Then they wheeled him into surgery. Over an hour later, the doctor came out and told hubby and me (hubby had arrived during that time, having had adventures of his own this morning - getting the little ones on the bus, and chasing our goofy dog down the street again - but I digress) that K's surgery had gone well. He also showed us some X-rays:

Before:





Annnnd After:



The first one still makes me shudder. That break had to have hurt something fierce. My poor baby...

The second one is less gross. It's strangely comforting to know that Kane's arm will be stronger than ever. Of course, we'll have to deal with having all that stuff removed in a few months (ugh!), but in the meantime, his injured arm will be safe.

When we saw K in the recovery room, the first thing he asked was if it was over yet. (Gotta love those drugs.) Then he dozed on and off for a little while, awakening several times to tell the nurse that the pain in his arm was a 9 on a scale of 1 to 10. Two IV shots of Demerol, and one straight-in-the-butt shot of Demerol and Phenergren later, the pain was finally bearable enough for him to get dressed.

We left the surgery center sometime after 11:00 a.m. K is still having a lot of pain in his arm, despite the Tylenol with codeine he's taking, and he cannot lift the arm without help. Right now I'm not all that worried - I'm pretty sure this is normal. But if we don't see some improvement by Monday, I'll be calling the doctor again.

But for now, I think a good long nap is just what the doctor ordered. Thank you, and good night.

Hold me...

Today K saw the orthopedic doctor, who informed us that the break in his arm was bad enough to warrant surgery. So at 5:30 tomorrow morning, we have to be at the surgery center so that his ulna can be plated. The surgery is at 6:45 a.m.

Fortunately, it's outpatient surgery, so we should be home by lunch.
Unfortunately, as with any medical-related issue, it is going to be very expensive.
Fortunately, this doctor will work with any insurance. In our case, that means he's pretty much waiving our deductible.
Unfortunately, the surgery center has no such deal. We have to cough up a bunch of money for them first thing tomorrow.
Fortunately, K's doctor came highly recommended, so we have faith that his arm will be as good as new in a few months.
Unfortunately, despite having the very best surgeon, K's soccer season is over. :(
Fortunately, Spring break is next week, so he should be able to heal quite a bit over the next few days.
Unfortunately, K will have to have surgery again in about a year so that the plate can be removed from his arm.

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. We can use all the help we can get.

Kodak moments

Saturday morning, K had a soccer game. A bunch of family went - hubby, the littles, me; my stepdad, my brother, and hubby's mom. Pretty much a full complement (compliment?). The weather was absolutely beautiful that morning. Seriously, I can't think of a better soccer day EVER. And I've been to more than my fair share of soccer days.

K was chosen to be one of the team captains at this game, which is kind of a big deal for the kids because they get to go onto the field before the game and shake hands with the opposing team captains, plus they get to talk to the refs all adult-like and such. I had taken my camera to this game to get some action shots (scrapbooking! yeah!), and I got a good one of the team captains on the field. I don't often take my camera, and I didn't know K would be captain, so it was pretty cool that I was able to take pictures.

So the game starts, and K's team is doing well. I even got that action shot I was talking about. Then about twenty minutes into the game, three kids go after the ball and end up in a pileup. K was on the bottom. But the kids all jump back up and continue vying for possession. My stepdad even said, "Way to get back in there, K!"

As K heads off down the field, I noticed that he was rubbing his arm and grimacing. I asked his dad to go check on him, so he went around the field and called to K, who told him that he was okay. Hubby headed back to tell me what K had said, but by then I'd noticed that K's forearm was bending the wrong way. I met hubby halfway and told him to get K off the field now.

By the time he got off the field, he was in tears. In typical prepubescent-male fashion, had tried to run it off. But the pain was getting to be too intense. As we sped toward the emergency room, he started to hyperventilate. Drawing from my own pain experience (mostly childbirth x3), I taught him how to breathe more slowly. Surprisingly, that seemed to help. (I say "surprisingly" because it sure didn't help me birth three babies. Anyway.)

Three hours later, we were discharged from the hospital - K in a fiberglass splint with a broken ulna, and me with his referral to an orthopedic specialist.

Side note: Because I had my camera, I'll be able to scrapbook that day. I'm not sure I want to, though. Well, eventually I probably will, but right now it is not something I want to remember at all. I keep visualizing him running down the field with his arm bent backwards, trying to be strong. It brings tears to my eyes every time. He is such a wonderful kid, and I love him so much.

I'm spoiled

Well, not really spoiled, but whenever I get a haircut during the day when other mommies are at work, I feel uber-pampered. After cutting my hair (just a trim, really) the hairdresser spent about 45 minutes drying and styling it. 45 minutes! That's a long time, especially since she was the only worker in the shop, and three people were waiting.

Okay, yeah, today I'm spoiled.

One bit of bad news: Tnk adopted a new little dog (Sophie) last week, and she is just over the moon about her. But at 3:00 a.m. this morning, Tnk had to rush Sophie to the emergency clinic. It turns out that the poor thing has kennel cough and pneumonia. Neither of them got any sleep last night, either, so Tnk is exhausted. And she has to work the night shift tonight. Goodness, I'm not sure who I feel worse for...

Please keep Tnk and Sophie in your thoughts and prayers. As much as I gripe about my silly dog, I can't imagine how much it would hurt to lose her.

Accomplishments

1. Five loads of laundry. Thought I was done. Then the kids brought down their laundry hamper. Three more loads. Crap.

2. Bathed the dog. Pleasant doggie smell didn't last five minutes, unfortunately. Bailes went out to poop and came back smelling like doggie sweat. I should be thankful she didn't smell like crap. Okay, I am thankful for that.

3. Found cool Easter craft project for P to do. It's a cute little sewing project (pre-punched holes; felt bunny; plastic needle), but it's apparently frustrating. The yarn is too long; it tangles too easily; the bunny's ears keep flipping backwards...you know, the usual stuff that keeps us up at night.

4. Blogged twice today. My only self-complaint is that I wish I could remember all that I want to say. My posts are frustratingly short (to me, anyway). One day I'll sit down and write that All-American Blog Entry; just you wait.

5. Made a scrapbook page for my sister Tnk. If I do say so myself, the page came out beautifully. I think I'm going to frame it so she can hang it in her house. As some of you know, she bought the house we grew up in, and we've been working on it for months now. During our demolition projects, we've come across a bunch of small pieces of wallpaper that somehow remained on the walls after all these years (usually behind curtain rods, which explains the nail holes). Some pieces are better than forty years old. I've been collecting all the pieces, and here's the page I made:




Oh yeah, the Monopoly card. I don't know why, but that one card never seemed to make it back into the box, no matter how many times we played the game. Years after I was grown and gone, I could still find it sitting on Mom's bookshelf. It may seem silly, but to me, it represents our childhood and the fun the five of us kids often had.

Musings for my own amusement

So I renamed all my blogger peeps today - see left sidebar. I couldn't bring myself to say that Pez is sour, nor could I come up with a good "F" word that went with "Fishbowl." "Fishbowl Fanatic"? "Fishbowl Flippancy"? "Fishbowl Food"? None of those seemed to "work," so I went the boring route. If I think of anything cool later today, I may change it. But maybe not, as it's my "prerogative." And I do solemnly vow to try and cut back on my use of the "quotation mark."

As I type this, I'm preparing to take K to school for math tutoring. My niece's school has a cool name for it - "Math Club." Once you get to junior high, it's just tutoring. Sometimes K thinks it also means "help for the dumbass," but of course it doesn't. (And by the way, he never said that D word - that was just me making up cool phrases again.) He's way too hard on himself.

Things have been scooting along here at the Pl3ytime household. I could type more, but then K would be late for tutoring. So I'll see y'all later.