Wonder Mom

The Art of Falling Apart

2009-07-25T21:39:00.005-04:00

This post was written a year ago, on August 2, 2008. I'm not falling apart anymore, which is, you know, nice. For those who are new here, I had some nerve damage in my ankles, which took many months to diagnose. My ankles continue to feel better. I continue to feel better.I have learned a thing or two in the past month. For one, I’ve learned what my priorities are. The shape of my ass falls very

Whazzup!?

2009-03-21T09:23:00.000-04:00

I wanted to do a few things before I started blogging again.I wanted to declutter my house.I wanted to get a new design because, hello, my wedding rings don’t fit and my belly is big and round but I’m not pregnant and I’m not letting anyone photograph it.And I wanted my ankles to be healed so I could be like, “Hey, everything’s all set!”Over the months I’ve gotten a few emails saying “What the

Proof That I'm Getting Old. And Stodgy.

2008-10-07T08:51:00.006-04:00

At the check out of my local grocery store last week, I noticed the latest TV Guide cover, featuring Desperate Housewives. More accurately, I noticed Dana Delaney's boobs and ass staring me in the face. A rush of indignance coursing through my veins, I grabbed the offending magazine and held it up."Isn't this a little ... much?" I asked the cashier and the bagger. Both female and past retirement

An Update

2008-06-28T12:10:00.003-04:00

Thanks for all of your well wishes and prayers.I wish I knew all the answers, but I don't.The neurologist at Mass. General does not think that I have RSD/CRPS. She thinks it is a small-fiber polyneuropathy. I had a skin biopsy, which will show those small-fiber nerves, on Thursday. Next Thursday, I will have an autonomic test that will assess the functioning of -- you guessed it -- my autonomic

Prayers Needed

2008-06-16T12:54:00.001-04:00

I just wanted to let you all know what’s going on with me and ask for your prayers.As you may know, I have had ankle pain since November. I have been seeing several orthopedic doctors. In April the pain spread to my other ankle. Now it is spreading up my legs and I’m having some symptoms in my arm as well.On Thursday I was referred to neurology and pain management. It looks like the pain is nerve

This

2008-05-21T22:41:00.005-04:00

On Saturday, despite predictions of cool, wet weather, a warming sun emerged mid-morning. Brian hustled to mow the back lawn before guests arrived for my niece’s bridal shower. Kids, brothers and uncles spent the day playing soccer, hitting baseballs and chasing each other across the lawn. The leaves on the locust trees finally appeared. It was a good day with family, and a chance to think about

Good News and Bad News

2008-05-09T08:35:00.004-04:00

I saw the podiatrist yesterday for my MRI results. He walked into the room and said, "Well, I have good news and bad news."And I said, "Wow, doctors really SAY that?"Good news, according to him: No obvious tendon tears, tumors or other gross abnormalities. Just some fluid on some tendons and in the subtalar (ankle) joint.Bad news, according to him: There's no obvious answer to my problem, and he

Come Holy Spirit

2008-05-07T21:25:00.004-04:00

Have you ever gone to church and felt that the priest’s sermon was written just for you? That happened to me on Sunday. The topic was patience.Patience and trust have become my words for 2008. Patience to get my foot back into working order, and trust that I can get through this, and that all of it will be for good in the end.Last month a had a surgeon advise me to go ahead with tendon repair

Mom Central Blog Tour: Cranergy Energy Juice Drink

2008-04-25T11:50:00.002-04:00

Hey, how are you? It's been a while. I have had some ups and downs with my ankle. Looks like it will be several weeks in a walking boot, then a visit to a few doctors in Boston during May and June to see if I can get the same diagnosis twice. One of the diagnoses floating around is PTTD, a degenerative disorder requiring major surgery and possibly involving both feet. Fun times!One bright spot

Like Mamma Mia!? Like Singing? This is THE CONTEST for you.

2008-04-18T15:18:00.005-04:00

Mom Central has asked me to help spread the word about a new contest for fans of singing karaoke and winning lavish free trips to London.Wait, let me start over. From the press release:Pond's has partnered with the big screen remake of Mamma Mia!, staring Meryl Streep and coming to theaters this summer. Women 40 and older are invited to form a singing trio to perform their own take on the

Roster of Successes

2008-04-14T09:19:00.002-04:00

Last week I succeeded in:• Taking physical therapy as far as it will go, realizing once and for all that it will not heal my ankle. My tendon has “issues” that stretching, strengthening and ice will not solve.• Making the mental connection between my aunt’s Achilles tendon injury and my own, thus realizing that I may qualify for the new, knife-free treatment that she successfully underwent. It’s

MomCentral Blog Tour: Lice MD

2008-04-12T15:00:00.005-04:00

I've only come into contact with lice one time in my life, so far. *knocking on wood*At about age 10, I was combing a younger relative's hair when I noticed these tiny, teardrop-shaped thingamajigs hanging from the strands.My mom explained to me, later that day, that they were lice eggs. As a young girl with tight curly hair, she says she got lice sometimes as a kid. And her sisters would always

You Say 'Surgery' Like It's a Bad Thing

2008-04-05T09:04:00.007-04:00

One morning last November, while doing some aerobics to a DVD, my inner left ankle started to ache like a sonofagun. Over the next few days, while I idiotically "worked through the pain," the area felt like I had stuck a patch of fire to it. I haven't done any cardio since. It swells and gets sore if I walk around a lot. It's like this burning, scratching feeling just under the skin.I've spent a

Four Bullets and a Giveaway

2008-03-21T09:40:00.005-04:00

• Do we need a gaming console? So far we just play games on the computer. The boys find all kinds of games to play for free online. But Ben's pining for a DS or an XBox or SOMETHING because all his friends have them. I'd like a Wii, because it has a physical component and is unlike anything they could play on the computer. But Brian's not so sure about that. Since I'm the person who plays the

Spring Moods

2008-03-18T20:46:00.006-04:00

Contrary to the impression I may have given in my last post, things are fine here. Good, even. My father-in-law dropped off his bicycle, and I've ridden it a few times. It's in the family room on one of those back-wheel lifts. Tonight we ate dinner at the dining room table for the first time this month, sitting around it like the Waltons, instead of being crammed along one side, with various

Top 5 Reasons Why I Haven't Posted

2008-03-16T20:33:00.011-04:00

5. I'm still sick. Had to go to urgent care today. I've got a case of the gooey eye and a sore throat x 5 days. The nurse practitioner WANTED me to puke, I swear. She smiled as she stuck two swabs down my throat and wiped away for a good 45 seconds. I had to punch her.4. My kitchen sink and dishwasher became operational just last night, so, Monday to Saturday with no kitchen. Now, Brian has

Free Food!

2008-03-13T09:51:00.002-04:00

I'm giving away some coupons for a free Horizon Organic product (up toa $4.99 value) at my other blog. Come on over for your chance to win!

Ritual

2008-03-11T22:23:00.002-04:00

When Ben was about 2 or 3, we started a goodbye/good-night ritual of giving a kiss, a hug and a high five. I think I started it because he always had a tough time saying goodbye to me. Even today, at 7 1/2, he's the one to come running across the house when I'm leaving, to give me a kiss, a hug and a high five. Although I don't get the full treatment at the school crosswalk anymore. He's too cool

Monday at 10 p.m.

2008-03-10T21:46:00.005-04:00

• This cold snuck up on me. Sore throat and now stomachache, all day long. Taking care of kids while suffering with a stomachache = torture. Plus I got my period.• My ankle's all puffy. Even acupuncture makes it swell. What is up with that? I have my second acupuncture appointment tomorrow. Can I do acupuncture and physical therapy on the same day? Will my ankle retaliate against me? Will my

Playing Favorites

2008-03-09T16:23:00.000-04:00

Andrea, the talented and prolific author of The Bean Blog, has tagged me for the “Favorites Meme.”Here are the rules:Go back through your archives and post the links to your five favorite blog posts that you’ve written. Post your five links and then tag five (or more) other people. At least two of the people you tag must be newer acquaintances so that you get to know each other better.I don't

Woulda Shoulda Coulda

2008-03-08T21:52:00.003-05:00

No, not Mir's blog. I'm talking about the posts I could have written today. The lists I could have made!Were it not 10 pm on Saturday night, after a long rainy Saturday. The couch calls to me. And the nachos.I was going to post about:- John's good-night ritual.- Things I don't want to forget about Ava at age 2 1/2.- Things that make my ankle swell. No really! It's interesting! Ok not really.- The

Weekend Rentals

2008-03-07T21:06:00.004-05:00

• Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium, which I enjoyed except that my children, otherwise known as wild animals, mistook "movie night" for "gymnastics night," so I couldn't focus, see the tv or hear it.• The 40-Year-Old Virgin, which I rented two weeks ago and didn't get a chance to watch, forcing me to to rent it again.• The Easter Bunny Is Coming to Town, for which I paid $4.75, and it will probably

Love Thursday: Friendship

2008-03-06T20:17:00.003-05:00

For a long time, I had a best friend. That changed five years ago, soon after she moved out of state. She stopped being my best friend. She stopped being my friend at all, really. For now anyway.Without going into maudlin detail, we met as young teens, became "BFFs", then drifted apart a bit through high school and college, reconnecting just before I left UMass. We lived together my last semester

Things I've Neglected to Mention

2008-03-05T21:18:00.004-05:00

- My mom's been sick. Last week, she reacted badly to her antibiotic and passed out (i.e., hit the floor) in a grocery store. While she is perfectly healthy and fine now, and suffered no ill effects from the fall or the resulting medical tests (thank God!), she's still recuperating. She hasn't been over in three weeks, whereas usually she comes over twice a week. And I miss her!- We were without

Pee and Extra Calories

2008-03-04T21:15:00.002-05:00

Today I cleaned pee, with the ensuant clothing, bedding and children, three times. Cleaned, laundered, and refrained from kvetching. Mostly.Today I overate, with the following unfortunate choices contributing to what I assume was a 5,000-calorie day. Keep in mind that I also ate breakfast, lunch, dinner, and two snacks:- A fourth cup of coffee with cream and sugar.- Five Dove dark chocolates and