A This and That Update

Thank you so much for all your encouraging words on my "This and That" post. It really is amazing to me how sweet a bunch of people I have never met can be. This promises to be another long and newsy post, but at least my mental state has greatly improved in the last week. It doesn't hurt that The Man is back at home. Where he belongs. He declined an offer to hang out with a friend of his this afternoon, saying "I watch the kids on Sunday afternoons so Joy can take a nap."

Really, what more can one ask for in a man?

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Clara's neuro evaluation is this Thursday. I am more convinced than ever that this a superfluous precaution. Clara seems to take steps perfectly fine when she feels like it. However, I can't seem to bring myself to cancel the appointment, so I will go and pay to listen to them tell me what I already know: She's stubborn. It also appears to be the only way to get a referral for an orthopedist which is something I think she may need. I think that some days. Other days she seems perfectly fine and I think this entire process is a big waste of time and money.

Oh, and here are a couple pictures from her 18 month portraits. Look how sweet she looks.


And then there is this next picture, which is a personal favorite of mine. You really should click on it so you can get an close-up view of the look of superior annoyance Clara shoots at us daily.

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Moving on...

I spoke to my doctor about my silly little polyp and it was determined I need to have a DNC Hysteroscopy to remove it. This is excellent news and exactly what I was praying for. It is a simple outpatient procedure that should, hopefully, correct all the problems I have been having. I am waiting for the surgical coordinator to call me to schedule it, but I would have it done tomorrow if I could.

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About one hour after I posted the news that Ben was finally potty trained he had an accident. Seriously, ONE HOUR! And he's had two since then, after being dry for weeks. So I am vowing to never utter, or write, those words again. Well maybe when he's ten. Maybe.

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Brandon is still grounded. This weekend he read the entire book Odd Thomas, which he loved, despite the fact that it was recommended by his mother. I did let him go to a superbowl party tonight at his uncle's house. Because he has been stuck in this house for a month now and I worry about him. And because it meant I would have time alone.

To do this.

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Oh! I must tell you. Surprisingly, I am still an active member of the 6:oo AM club, and I am loving it. Me! With the nonexistent willpower muscles. Okay, I don't actually love it at 6AM but somewhere around 7AM the benefits start kicking in. My mornings are going so much more smoothly now that I get up an hour before my children. Also starting the day with prayer and in The Word has been pivotal in the improved mental state I mentioned earlier.

The only major downfall I have experienced is that I now really need to be asleep by 11:00. Which, when my husband doesn't get off work until 9:00 and my older kids don't go to bed until 10:00, is extremely difficult. It also means less time with The Man, which neither one of us likes. And it means almost no time for blogging. I don't do the 6AM thing on weekends for that reason. So I can stay up later and hang out with my sweetheart. So far, I think the trade off is worth it.

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And lastly - speaking of weak willpower muscles - we'll touch on the dreaded diet. I am sure you were all beside yourself wondering how I was doing with that! In the last couple weeks I have fallen head first, crashing, off of the diet wagon. I am finally ready to regroup though and start again, a measly 5 lbs lighter and the exact same size as I was at this point last month.

Dieting sucks. That's just all there is to it.

But I am not giving up yet, so look forward to more "Diet Myth" posts coming up soon. I know you can't wait.

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And now that I have bored you all to tears with my life details, I am off to bed. I hope to find a way to get back to posting regularly soon. I would love to know how all of you, especially those with young children, find time to fit it in your schedule. So send me some tips.

Do you have a schedule?
Do you just squeeze it in when you have time?
Do you not sleep?
Do you lock your children in a closet?

I'm open for anything.