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I have been the epitome* of laziness. I sit at my computer several times a day, but I don’t bother to put in a post. Sorry! I don’t think it’s that I don’t have anything to say-many of you are probably laughing at the idea of this. I just don’t feel like posting. There, I said it.
And the picture-taking is a little slow lately. I took a great one-day Nikon class a few weeks ago, and started to learn a whole lot more about what my camera can do. Now I need to apply it. One of the things the instructors told us is that you just need to get out there and play. So that’s going onto my agenda. I’m going to try to take my camera with me more places to practice. I wish I had it with me on my run this morning-it was foggy, but the sun was coming up (yep, I run that early!) and it looked awesome at one point. But I was about 10 minutes away from my house, and by the time I got back home, got my camera, and got back there, the sun would have been too high. Sigh. Some other time.
Anyway, I’ll try to be back here more often. And I’ll try to post more pictures. Not just of the boys, though a lot of those are pretty fun. We’ll see what I can come up with.
  
 
*”Epitome” was a sixth-grade vocab word in Mr. Lipsky’s class. Every day he’d have a word posted at the door, and you’d have to shake his hand to say good morning and then try to pronounce the word. We all said “ep-i-tome” (rhymes with yep-ih-home). Ah, the memories…
This morning, around 11:00, I was (stupidly) lifting Caden into my car, not using my legs at all, and twisting while holding Caden out in front of me. (Caden is perfectly capable of climbing into my car and into his carseat, but he was busy eating his sucker after getting his haircut, which is adorable BTW! I’ll post pics soon!) You can probably guess what happened next. Yup, a stabbing sensation in my back, on the right side, right in the middle of my ribcage. I stood there for a minute or two, trying not to swear in front of my 2-year-old, and trying to figure out what to do. My immediate thought was, “I hope someone at work has an opening, because I need to get some e-stim or ultrasound or something on this back!” This isn’t the first time I’ve taken advantage of my position as a PT! But this was the first time that I’ve been a victim of the very thing I’ve taught to many patients of mine-not protecting my back!
It was very difficult to drive. I called my mom to put her on alert since I was supposed to go pick Noah up at noon from school. I had a trunk full of groceries, and seeing as it actually got up to 50 degrees today (Yippee!), I couldn’t leave my frozen veggies and yogurt to rot in the car. I managed to get home, carry in the perishables and get them put away, moaning and groaning every time I had to lift any amount of weight or bend over. It was like someone was stabbing me in the back, repeatedly. I also managed to pop 600 mg of ibuprofen, too!
I got back in the car (I never took Caden out), and called work. The scheduler told me someone had an opening at 4:45. Um, no! I need something, like, 15 minutes ago, not 5 hours from now! She put Laura, one of my coworkers, on the phone, who said she could squeeze me in at 11:25 to set me up on some IFC (interferential current) with ice. Thank God!
After dropping Caden off at my mom’s, and thanking her repeatedly for agreeing to pick Noah up, I rushed over to the clinic to be set up for a 30 minute IFC treatment with a nice ice pack. I even had my book with me! I felt instantly better with that tingly electricity attacking my spasming back.
Noah was very sweet when I returned to my parents’ house, asking how my back was feeling. When we got back to our house, he got out of his seat and proceeded to unbuckle Caden from his seat-without even being asked! He is very thoughtful much of the time.
My back is still very painful. It’s hard to take a deep breath. That knife is still in there! I’m in love with my ice pack. And I’m looking forward to tomorrow afternoon, so I can get to work early for another IFC treatment! I don’t often look forward to getting to work any earlier than necessary. I do sometimes like the perks of my job, though!
Last week, Andy was just starting to run on the treadmill (in our bedroom) when I heard this horrible squeaking sound with each step he took. We use noise-reduction headphones while we’re on the treadmill, so he couldn’t hear it. I stopped him so he could hear it. Then he continued to run.
After he was done, he looked at the treadmill and saw that the frame was cracked. To me, that means just a little crack, right? No, part of the long part that we run on was broken off from the upright part. He claimed we could still run, but I was skeptical. I tried two days later, and realized that there was no way I could run in the morning without waking the boys up. That is not an option. That’s my time! So the search was on for a new treadmill.
I was hopeful we’d find a nice replacement at Sears or Sports Authority. Our broken treadmill was a Sears specialty, and it had been fine. It actually ended up being more than fine since when we bought it, we had no idea we’d be running on it 5-6 times per week. We bought it as a walking treadmill, so it wasn’t really made for our abuse. I guess it had served its purpose, but we really were hoping to make it to the end of this year so we could ask for Christmas money to put toward a new treadmill. Not so much.
We checked out Sports Authority, with no luck. Then it was over to Sears, where the guy wasn’t terribly helpful (he didn’t look like he’d ever been on a treadmill) and when Noah started throwing a fit as we were leaving (always a good time), some crappy salesperson made a comment within earshot of Andy. I really don’t know what I would have done if I had heard them. (Probably nothing, but I can come up with plenty of ideas now.) We don’t have any significant desire to patronize Sears anytime soon.
So our next option was one of the higher-end fitness equipment stores. We ended up at 2nd Wind, where they claim to have used equipment. Funny, I don’t remember seeing anything along those lines. They directed us toward a very nice, brand-new model that would set us back a few pennies. At least this salesperson looks like he uses a treadmill!
We ultimately decided that it made more sense to pay more now for a decent treadmill that should last us for a pretty long time, versus something that may get us through another few years then break. And ironically enough, our tax return just came through. Ugh! We were hoping to put that money toward our new windows (which I still love!).
Oh well. We’re just happy to get a working treadmill. I’m not terribly interested in running outside in our crappy weather we’re still dealing with. We’ll see how long it takes Andy to assemble it tonight!
We’ve just gotten back from my in-laws’ house after eating a delicious lunch of ham, potatoes, broccoli, rolls, strawberries, apple slab (much tastier than it sounds), and eclair torte (so yummy!). We then laid around all afternoon, watched golf and NCAA basketball (I had Georgetown playing Wisconsin in the Sweet 16, but I’m much happier with our odds against Davidson!), dozed, and tried to ignore all of the calories we consumed. Not to mention all of the candy I gorged on since I had given up candy for Lent (I’m not even Catholic!!!). It was a pretty good day.
I’m also trying to forget what I ate last night at my aunt and uncle’s house-lasagna (not a typical Easter meal, but soooooo good!), garlic bread (the best I’ve ever had!), salad, strawberry shortcake and French Silk pie. It hasn’t been a great weekend for me, in terms of my eating habits. And I’m starting to notice it. What happened to my metabolism?
Anyway, I saw the following list posted at work last week, and I thought it was cute. Here it is:
“All I Need to Learn About Life I Learned from the Easter Bunny”
- Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
- Walk softly and carry a big carrot.
- Everyone needs a friend who is all ears.
- There is no such thing as too much candy. (I may dispute that one, based on the belly ache I have right now!)
- All work and no play makes you a basket case.
- A cute little tail attracts a lot of attention.
- Everyone is entitled to a bad hare day.
- Let happy thoughts multiply like rabbits.
- Some body parts should be floppy.
- Keep your paws off other people’s jellybeans.
- Good things come in small sugar coated packages. (like my kids after eating M&Ms and jellybeans!)
- The grass is greener in someone else’s basket.
- An Easter bonnet can cover the wildest hare.
- To show your true colors, you have to come out of the shell.
- The best things in life are still sweet and gooey.
Happy Easter everyone!
…or California, Arizona, Mexico, or the Virgin Islands. Anywhere but crappy Wisconsin.
   
The following pictures were taken 8 days apart. I took the first picture so I could keep track of the buds and leaves as the spring progresses. The second is to show the contrast of that wonderful day compared to today.
 
I hate Wisconsin.
Today is the first day of spring. Here in Wisconsin, that often doesn’t mean much. We usually still have snow on the ground, and this year is no exception. But today was a gorgeous, sunny day. It was still plenty chilly, only getting to about 40 degrees or so, but the sun was shining and the sky was bright blue with no cloud in sight. A trip to the park was in order.
Noah rode his bike and Caden rode in the stroller to our neighborhood park. The ground was dry enough to run around and dig in the sandbox, slide down the slides, sit on the teeter-totter, and spin on the merry-go-round. The boys had a great time. I was a bit cold, but I loved the sun. It was a great day to be outside.
     
According to all the weather reports, tomorrow will not be such a nice day outside. We are apparently under a winter storm warning for 4 am until 10 pm tomorrow with 6-9 inches of snow expected, and up to 10 inches possible in areas.
When will it end???????????????
Some of the fun/good/happy things that happened this week:
- Caden’s buddy, Emily, and her little sister, Sarah, came to visit with their mom, my friend, Lisa.
- Our bug service came to ensure I don’t have to deal with any creepy-crawlies for the next few months (besides the ladybugs that are making their way into my house now that it’s getting warmer out and they’re waking up).
- Five deer decided our yard was a nice place to hang out and look for food (on the flip side, I’m slightly worried about ticks and chronic wasting disease in my yard).
 
- Finally having some decent weather to get the kids outside to play.
- The start of Hoffman Spring Training
 
 
- Seeing the first buds in my garden-my Lily-of-the-Valley in the backyard!
- Waking our grill up from its winter slumber Thursday night to cook us some tasty chicken breasts, then watching my kids eat all of their dinner that night!
- Thursday night was our best night in a long time in terms of dinner manners, after-dinner antics, and getting ready for bed.
- Two consecutive 50-degree days!
- Hug-a-Tot on Friday morning, where the boys got to play with Ethan, Molly, Peter, and Davis (and some other kids), whom they haven’t seen in a very long time.
- Seeing my first robin of spring (I think they’re really around all year, but I always get excited at this time of year when I notice them again!)
- An afternoon spent cleaning my laundry room, with my mom’s help (THANKS!!!), loading up several bags with things to take to Goodwill or try to sell on Craigslist (anyone want some crystal candlesticks?).
- An evening out with my hubby, eating a yummy dinner at Buck Bradley’s before heading over to the Bradley Center to watch the Milwaukee Admirals kick some Peoria Rivermen butt! Sorry Matte!
- A lazy Saturday morning with my family, then some time spent cleaning out my linen closet, loading up a few more bags with things for Goodwill. I’ve got a Spring Cleaning bug, and it’s not gone yet! Next stop, the kitchen cabinets above our desk!
- Shopping at Macy’s, lusting over gorgeous shoes, then buying a fabulous new kelly green purse.
- Going to see “Horton Hears a Who” with my boys, sitting in comfy, reserved seats (so we didn’t have to get there a half-hour early just to get seats together), not having to worry about kids kicking my seat, or my kids kicking the seat in front of them, chowing down on movie popcorn and pretzels.
- Reading Catheroo’s blog, loving the idea, and starting to think about what my choices will be. Coming soon!
- Getting into my pj’s at 8:30 on a Saturday night, blogging, then getting settled onto the sofa with my piece of Perkins apple pie to watch the boob tube.
Check out some more pictures:
 
 
 
 
This last picture says it all…
Andy and I just got back from a Milwaukee Admirals game. It was a Quad/Tech thing-sort of a “last hurrah” for Andy as this was his last day as a manufacturing engineer before starting Monday as the Outsourcing Coordinator. One of his co-workers is pretty miffed that Andy took this new position, but Andy didn’t get heckled as much as I thought he might!
Anyway, I finally got around to picking up the newspaper and mail from today, and I have too many options of things to read! Here are my choices:
- The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
- Front page/section
- Waukesha section
- Cue section (all things entertainment)
- Comics/Dear Abby/Horoscope/Sudoku/Crossword
- Milwaukee Magazine (we’re really not that “Milwaukee-centric.” Quad/Graphics publishes this magazine and it’s free to employees.)
- Parents Magazine
- People Magazine
All of these things came in the mail today! It’s an exciting day around here!
I looked out my patio door this morning to find these 5 creatures laying in the yard:
 
 
I wish I had a nice zoom lens for my camera! (Hint, hint!)
- The grocery store: They insist on riding in the cart with a truck cab in front, which is very difficult to steer, and greatly decreases the amount of room in the cart for our groceries. And now they’re getting bigger so they don’t fit as well in there together.
- The mall: At each mall near us, there is a Barnes & Noble, which means there is a train table in the kids book area. They automatically assume they’ll be able to play there during our trip. If not there, they want to play on the “floor game” at Brookfield Square, which is a projector-type thing shining on the floor that responds to your shadow. And if not there, they want to ride one of the motorized toys at Brookfield Square, even if I don’t put money in it. Never mind that, at some time during the approximately 2 hours we have to run errands at the mall before lunch, maybe I’d like to get something productive done! Our last three trips to the mall have ended with the boys throwing fits, me wanting to leave them in the mall and fighting back tears as we make our way to the car, trying to ignore the people staring. Oh woe is me!
- The pharmacy: It seems that almost every time we go to the doctor for one of the kids, we have to make a stop at the pharmacy on the way out. Don’t get me wrong-I love the convenience. But it is very hard to keep the boys from touching every box of cough syrup, band-aids, tampons, pregnancy tests, lotion, and nasal spray. And at our Quad pharmacy, they seem to always have some type of truck or car that the boys want.
- The post office: A lot of times, we’re able to mail a package using the self-serve postage machine out front. But sometimes I need more help, or I want some fun stamps (not the lame Liberty Bell or flag stamps). The boys are often sitting on the floor (GROSS!), touching/grabbing things that are hanging on the wall, or bumping into the people standing around us.
- Target: I love me my Target! But with the boys, they insist on seeing the toys, and we spend several minutes slowly making our way down the Matchbox/Hot Wheels aisle so they can check out all the same trucks and cars we’ve seen a hundred times before. After we see their things, they start whining about leaving. Never mind that I may have some things to take care of while we’re there!
That’s it for now. I’m sure there are a million places that I’m forgetting. These are just some of the ones that are fresher in my mind. <Sigh!>
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