Before I share a few other things I love, let's pause for something aggravating: Ed came home from college Friday evening, coughing and congested. He sounded awful. Why did he not call and make an appointment at the doc on Saturday? Well, college kids sleep late and it just wasn't a priority. *Sigh* He went to a minute clinic Sunday. The doc told him to try Flonase and Zyrtec. What.On.Earth. I was fired up. He'd had a cough for over 2 weeks. Hello?
I'm not a doctor, but I know a thing or two.
Monday: he visited our real family doctor. The doc ordered a chest x-ray and a covid test. Covid -negative. *Drumroll*
Chest x-ray showed PNUEMONIA. He has walking pneumonia, guys.
This morning, I'll be giving the minute clinic a jingle to make them aware of their big MISS. Ed admitted that the doc only listened to his chest for a nanosecond, in one spot. What? He'll be fine, but sheesh. Pay attention, doc.
Back to our regularly scheduled: I'M ALSO LOVING . . .
This photo goes with none of today's content,
but how could I NOT post it?
Faces and all. Reg having
a moment with a baby I love/sit for.
NO MORE READERS (as in glasses). Did I get your attention while I was shouting? I couldn't help it, it's just THAT EXCITING. I saw my eye doc in the spring. I can't believe I've been too swamped to tell you of this life-changing-for-me event.
I wanted to avoid reading glasses. She said I'd know right away if these contact lenses would work or not. She wasn't kidding. I'd heard some people say that wearing one contact for distance and one for reading (I think that's the breakdown, but don't quote me) made them nauseous. How amazing that
I, THE QUEEN OF EASILY SQUEAMISH, DIDN'T FEEL GROSSED OUT.
* In case you are new here, I pass out easily, suffer from vaso vagel reactions.*
Can I get a round of applause?
Well, there was one icky part. I drove Curly to dancing after my appt. I was wearing the sample pair. The doc told me to try them for a week before ordering. I was falling asleep on my drive home. I dragged myself inside and fell asleep on the couch in the study for HOURS. When I went to bed later that night, I couldn't get the contact out of my left eye. I scratched away at my own eye like I had some secret mission of permanently blinding myself. *Gag.* Everyone else was in bed. I finally gave up and decided to sleep with it in.
The next morning, I called Becky, my babysitting, partner-in-crime friend. She told me to come over, "I'M GOOD AT GETTING OTHER PEOPLE'S CONTACTS OUT." I managed not to hurl on myself when she told me this fun fact. (see: squeamish). Lad didn't have to be at work yet, so he stayed with the babies and I drove to Becky's house where I braced myself to have her scrape this rogue lens out of my eye. Except . . . it wasn't in there. I've never lost a contact lens. What the heck? Did it pop out when I was sleeping on the couch? No clue, but after a few attempts, Becky was like: YOU CAN'T GET IT OUT BECAUSE IT ISN'T EVEN IN THERE.
My distance vision isn't the best since I've switched to these new contacts, and since they were so brand-spanking-new I still wasn't adjusted to this new way of seeing. It wasn't clear to me that I only had in my one distance lens and nothing in the other.
BASKETBALL SEASON IS UPON US:
I love basketball season, even though (or maybe because) it's exhausting and crazy busy. Reg and Mini play varsity ball in high school. Curly just wrapped up her junior high school 8th grade season, but she plays travel as well.
Because of travel ball, basketball never really ends here. It just ramps up a bit when all three kids who live at home play and we have three teams to track. I just completed my dry erase board calendar and WHOA MAMA, it's gonna be nutty.
Reggie, our sophomore, is obsessed with basketball. Understatement. The coach, who is new this year, became familiar with Reg when he played for the high school team's summer league. On the first day of tryouts, the coach yelled to all the kids shooting around warming up in the gym:
IF YOU'RE A FRESHMAN OR A SOPHOMORE
AND YOUR LAST NAME ISN'T SHENANIGAN,
GET OUTTA MY TROUTS. YOU CAN TRYOUT FOR THE FRESHMAN OR THE SOPHOMRE TEAM. NOT VARSITY.
Well, if you get that my brothers were athletic and that was a HUGE focus when I was a kid and my attempt at being athletic was laughed at*, then you might appreciate this moment as PURE GOLD.
- Laddie played division 1 water polo. My dad, who loves to travel, never attended one of his college games.
- My brothers' sons are not on track to play high school sports, let alone college sports.
(Of course not playing sports is fine and all and my nieces and nephews are great at a variety of things, don't get me wrong - sports is not everyone's thing, but my brothers, especially Pat, have always been very in-my-face about their athleticism and sporty successes, so my kids doing good at sports feels BIG. I don't rub it in my brothers' faces, and we make lots of effort to keep Reg humble, so he doesn't know that I went in another room and did cartwheels, sloppy ones because unathletic and all, when I heard what his coach said).
* My freshman year in high school, when I tried out for the basketball team, the skies opened and a weird light shone down on me during tryouts and I played like I'd been on the Globetrotters for years. It was a freaky few hours. I made the team and proceeded to suck all season. My folks and my brothers imitated my 'moves' at the dinner table for laughs. I scored one free throw, my only point, towards the end of the season and the entire bench rushed the court to congratulate me. The ref was super confused.
Not intending to brag, but since none of you have kids in Reg's school, I figure I can share this in a non-boasty or in a secluded boasty way and we can all celebrate my glossed-over-childhood-morphing-into-an-underdog-OH-YEAH-mom moment.
Reg did roll his ankle in the very first practice of the season, so he sat out tonight's 1st game, but rest assured we have the best and most invested physical therapist ON IT.
Oh lookie, those 4 black arrows denote upcoming b-days in Dec. and Jan. 3 kids' land on Sundays. Almost every other. Then mine, guaranteed to suck, mid week.
In case you want to plan a trip to come watch one of them play, Mini's games are in dark pink. Reg's games are in teal. Curly's practices are purple, but they haven't scheduled out very far. We don't find out her games until the Wed night before because living on the edge is fun, but she basically plays every Saturday.
Good friends are hard to find. How many of you have a friend who would agree to use her fingernails to grab at your non-existent contact lens? I for one, because of previously mentioned issues, would never be able to do that for a friend. But I do bake up a storm.
My next installment, may or may not happen tomorrow. I'm cooking Thursday (for our 8 only). The only day I babysit this week is today (Tuesday) so it will depend.
Oh, and Curly dances in Midwest championships on Friday, near home. Good vibes are appreciated. I'm sure she'll do great and I should mention my other thing I am about to embrace/LOVE, if
what
Curly
is saying
is true . . .
THIS MIGHT BE OUR LAST IRISH DANCING COMPETITION.
She thinks she's 'bout done (more later, as if you doubted that I would forget to fill you in). That's me you hear, softly sobbing . . . tears of joy.
Speaking of winding down, how did this post get so stinking long? In case no one helps me in the kitchen and I don't get back here to post again this week, Happy Turkey day, or regular Thursday if you aren't from these here parts. I'm thankful for my wonderful, supportive, and willing-to-comment(-or-not) readers (wink, wink).
27 comments:
I'm so envious of your no-readers solution! I've worn contacts for decades, but now that my close-up vision is getting worse, I have readers everywhere, and take them off and put them on constantly. There's only one brand of multifocal lenses that come in my strength (my eyes are so bad), and they felt like I was wearing SANDPAPER, I couldn't stand them. Which was extra-sad because the vision improvement was great. Sad trombone.
Happy Thanksgiving!
I gave up on contacts around age 30. I've never looked back [no pun intended] and wear spectacles all the time now. Not that I see as well with glasses as I did with contacts, but glasses are so much simpler... and cheaper... in the long run.
Wow, water polo is a sport I've never knew anyone that played - very cool! We have four in basketball this season, but it starts after Thanksgiving. We are mean parents and only let our kids play on one team per sports season and NO TRAVEL TEAMS. I don't know how you do it, honestly! I can barely keep up with all of the local practices and games, but I do love it too! (And yes I would brag and rub it in my brother's faces too - ha! It's extraordinarily fun to watch a game when your kid is the best on the team).
Oh, poor Ed! I hope he feels better soon.
I know I've said this before, so forgive me: your family of origin was terribly cruel to you. Their behaviour was really terrible.
No more Irish dancing?!?! The end of an era!
And poor Ed. I hope he's feeling better.
I don't blame you!!! I would be doing (well, I can't do them, but you know what I mean!) cartwheels too!
And there is no way in h-e-*-* I would try to take someone else's contact out. That's a good friend you've got there!
Eesh, walking pneumonia. That's not fun. I hope he feels better in time for Thanksgiving.
No more Irish Dancing?? Aww, are you a little sad?
I'm LOLing over here over your contact story.
I've tired contacts a couple times, but I never got good at putting them in, and I'm not a morning person, so I'd rather give the snooze alarm an extra round that get up early to poke my eyes!
The only part of gym class I was even mediocre-ish-ly good at was keeping score in bowling, so I totally identify with lack of athleticism. I did attend lots of home basketball games in high school tho, I was in the pep band.
The end of Irish Dancing? You have had a lot of surprises on you blog this year, but that is one I wouldn't have guessed!
I hope Ed is feeling better soon and you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Ccr- Your sad trombone cracked me up but oh I feel for you. I hate wearing glasses. I find they interfere with so much like working out and rainy days. I do notice how much sharper my vision is when I wear my glasses, so I do sacrifice some distance with the current arrangement.
Ally- glasses are SO much easier. But I just find that they get in my way a ton.
Eyes are gross (so are teeth). I don't know that I could deal with contacts. Too much eye touching.
My oldest was the only one who was serious about a sport. For a good five years, she lived and breathed for soccer. Then she aged out of the local club team. So this year, she's only playing for the school, her senior year. Somehow she managed to rope my youngest, a freshman, into playing too. The youngest has not touched a soccer ball since 4th grade. But she must have some latent athletic abilities, because she's on the Varsity team with her sister (not a starter, and will flex to JV, but still, Varsity). The middle kid plays tennis, because the uniforms are "cute". She is consistently the worst player on the team and scored exactly one point in two seasons so far. We don't have a field hockey team, or she'd probably play that for the "cute" uniforms.
I think you have every right to boast about your kids’ abilities. This is your space here - go for it. Happy Thanksgiving to you all, I feel really envious that it’s just a regular Thursday for us on the other side of the pond. However, it’s my Mum’s 80th birthday on Thursday, so we actually will be doing some family celebrating!
Before you even asked, I was going to tell you that Becky is gold. I mean, I would help you remove lice from your hair, but I don't know that I would stick my finger in your eye.
When I turned 40 my eyesight went: BYE BYE. I didn't want to wear glasses all.the.time, so I tried contacts. I also did one for far and one for near and my eyesight was great for several years. Until of course, AGE, and then that solution would not work anymore for my old lady eyes.
Since you bragged about your sporty kids. (and YOU SHOULD-I HOPE IT's IN THE CHRISTMAS NEWSLETTER IN BIG FONT!) I had laser vision surgery in 2015. My eyesight is amazing and no readers. That for me was a great choice to make, although I know it's not for everyone.
That calendar! YIKES. I swear you just had your birthday. But again, time is fleeting.
That is one adorable baby. I hope Ed is better soon; poor kid!
Let's hope Curly isn't playing some sad joke on her Mama.
Colleen - You're on the east coast - how do you not know any water polo players? Our favorite sport for sure. I told Ed, when he switched to volleyball from water polo for senior year of high school, that a little part of me died. I was all STILL YOUR CHOICE, JUST KNOW YOU ARE KILLING ME.
We are so opposed to travel sports, but at least out in our neck of the woods the only kids that play local teams are literally just learning and it is so hard to get competitive and improve. Eventually we caved. We have hopes that Reg and Curly might play in college, division 3. I know that doesn't usually translate into scholarship dollars, but sometimes schools get a little creative. I once had 4 boys on 4 different baseball teams and Mini played softball that same year. It was bananas. Plus, we always had Irish dancing which is essentially a travel sport that NEVER stops.
Nicole - He is still managing to meet friends out at bars, so I guess you can say he's feeling OK. *He just turned 21 in Oct.
You are forgiven and you are not wrong. They weren't very nice to me. Their version of 'funny' was often just not nice disguised as funny at my expense. Those were the years when feelings and emotions and self esteem were forming or overflowing. Thus the memoir that I'm writing. Mini likes to ask me what I will do when my book gets published. As in, my family will not like it. I say, too bad. Plus that's a lofty problem to have.
Suzanne - It does look like an end of an era. I've had a few chats with her and she seems to want to move on to other things. Her choice and it is hard as she feels incredibly close to her teacher.
Ed is continuing on with his social life, so he isn't curled up in his bed. I'm guessing the difference between pneumonia and walking pneumonia. I had the non walking version in college and I was in the infirmary for a week.
Beth - I can't do cartwheels either, it was a slight exaggeration, but yes - so ready to close that chapter. Been ready.
One of the kids once got a tiny fragment of a wood chip in his eye after going upside down on the trapeze bar. Well, I almost didn't survive. I had to keep reminding myself that this was my child who was in pain and move past the grossness of it all.
Kari - He is feeling better all the time - well, he's been dealing with it so long and it hasn't interfered with life - just annoying, so he will be fine for Thanksgiving. But what kind of doctor misses that?
I am NOT.ONE.BIT.SAD. to put the world of Irish dancing behind us. Been a thorn in my side for too long.
Jenny - It took me four years to get contacts because I passed out the first time the doc plopped them in my eyes. The idea of them grossed me out that much. Fishing around for a non existent lens was making me queasy.
I can't help but enjoy my kids' sporty sides as the memories of my brothers laughing at me trying to play a sport are still very real. My brother Mike texted Coach and I after he coached Reg on a travel team alongside his son and admitted that he'd always hoped for a son that was as athletic as Reg. That was big of him.
No one was more surprised about the Irish dancing turn of events than me. Not sad at all. Ready to move on.
Ed is recovering nicely. Nothing quite like good drugs.
Happy Thanksgiving to you.
Kara - Yes, eye touching is disgusting. How I manage on a daily basis strikes me as shocking, even now.
Way to go little sis, on varsity. That's awesome. Sometimes an older sib is all you need. Or, you just need the motivation of a cute uniform. So funny.
My contacts are the one for distance and one for up close. They worked okay but I still ended up with readers *sigh* (I probably need a newer prescription). Since COVID, I've been wearing my progressive lens glasses. For the most part this eliminates readers (I just have to peek over them to see small print) - will I go back to contacts eventually? Time will tell.
Ha! About your missing contact. One time - years ago - I took my contacts out; put my glasses on and walked to the kitchen and told my husband he may need to take me to the hospital because I wasn't seeing properly and I was afraid I was having a stroke. Turns out, I never removed one of the contacts! We still laugh about that.
Charlie - Thanks for being a willing audience to my boasting. It is a fun turn of events to be the one who at least birthed sporty kids.
Happy B-day to your Mum. Not even close to a regular Thursday. Um, and I just say down. Baby screamed all day and I walked Finn for 4/5 miles while my kids babysat my charges and I've been on my feet preparing food for HOURS and my back is killing me. Trying to spread it around so I don't have to kill myself tomorrow. Debating inviting my sisters and their families (they are celebrating together, we took a pass on spending the day with them) over Thursday just for dessert. Curly dances EARLY Friday so wanted to be here to eat early and get our game faces on.
Enjoy your celebration.
Suz - Well, see there . . . you age gold too for being willing to go digging for lice. Eek.
I sent away for info on laser surgery when I heard about it on the radio in 1985 and when the envelope came in the mail I hid it in my bedroom. I was 14 and still wearing glasses. When I got up my nerve and asked my folks if I could do it, they almost went into cardiac arrest. Nowadays it is so normal and probably cheaper. I've heard you need to be awake though. Don't think I could handle eye surgery while AWARE of said eye surgery.
I try not to brag about my kids in my Christmas poem, but if someone happens to connect the dots and realize Reg is a soph who plays varsity, well then. My siblings don't read my poem anyway. I know, they're no fun. Exhibit A.
I feel like I just had a bday and it was my 50th but I have no recollection of the day, is that weird or what? Maybe we need to do something bigger this year. Who'm I kidding?
This baby - so PRETTY. But if she doesn't stop crying all day, I'm going on strike. This photo after a rare 2.5 hour nap. Nowadays people don't start solids till 6 mos vs 4 mos when my kids were babies. I think she's hungry. No joke. I mean, I've been around the block a few times.
Ed is going to recover, but let's hope the rest of this lousy doctor's patients do too.
Curly is all serious about retirement. We've chatted about it a few times. I started to put two and two together, sensing she wasn't as 'into' dancing. For example, she didn't register for any small competitions leading up to this weekend's championships. She gets emotional when she considers telling her teacher, but she admits that she now considers dancing a hassle. Not as exciting, etc. Hoping she feels good about how she dances this weekend so she can walk away with her head held high. Fingers crossed.
Gigi - I hope I never have to go back to readers. Shudder to think. When I watch the kids play sports, sometimes I have to ask WAIT, WHO HIT THAT SHOT, because the distance isn't the best. I just hate glasses so very much.
Oh, that story when you thought you were having a stroke. It reminds me of when I accidentally put in Coach's contacts and my vision was blurred and I was like WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME?
Oh my goodness - that white board!! I get anxiety just looking at it. For sure no more Irish Dancing will ease your load, but will you miss it!? That is terrible about that doc missing pneumonia! Glad Ed is feeling better.
Pat - The calendar is SO much more bare than back in the day - except for the approaching birthday season. Essentially Lad, Ed, and Tank aren't really on their much. I used to have 6 colors assigned. It was nuts.
I agree - is the doc only looking for covid symptoms and even if she was - beyond getting a covid test there are other things to consider. Sheesh. He is feeling better. I'm noticing less cough already after a few days on the meds. He's still working out, etc. so definitely walking version not as challenging as the non-walking version.
I will not miss Irish dancing. Ready to walk away. I really do love watching my daughter dance - she's a wonderful dancer, BUT in order to watch her on the big stage I must pay out the ass, deal with serious stress, and don't get me started on the hassle of driving CONSTANTLY or the wigs and makeup and pricey dresses. Been at it for over 13 years with various groupings of kids. Plenty of memories to enjoy, but good riddance.
Ali- Yes, we agree. Ass holes. It is so bazaar to me that my folks can be SO over the top with a few of their kids and not see how the glossing over of the others is hurtful.
The game when the bench cleared was so funny. I can still see the ref's face. Like WTF IS THIS? With the whistle dangling from his mouth. It was like a scene from a made for TV movie when the not so sporty girl finally does something.
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