Catch Up Thursday

It's one of those days when I've sent myself seven or eight emails with things I want to write about here.  And at that rate, I'll never get to next week's ideas because I'll still be working on this week's ideas.  So several short, unrelated topics today so I don't get too topic swamped.

Forceful Ignoring -- Have you ever tried to forcefully ignore a child that's crying or screaming or behaving badly and you know that the one thing the child wants is to get your attention, any type of attention, because that's why they're behaving that way in the first place?  Oh it is so hard.  Don't look at the tantrum happening in the high chair, because that might be the push your child needs to throw the whole plate of pasta onto the floor.  Don't look back after taking away the toy that was being used to whap the other child, because there's a good chance knowing your looking will cause your son to push your daughter onto the floor and jump up and down on her—and laugh while he's doing it.  This whole child rearing thing can be so tricky.

The Unused Checkbook -- It's in my desk.  I'm not sure why I got a whole box of check books when I moved.  I suppose I did because you can't order just one book, but I'm going to have to live here for over a decade to use up the box.  It's great how digital we've gone.  I love online banking.  That's not to say that I don't like getting checks.  Although those fifty-eight cent rebates aren't the thrill they were when I was in my twenties.    

Erasing Sounds -- I realized while I was in the tub this morning that I've been erasing sounds.   We all do it, we take it for granted that we can ignore certain sounds if they're not pertinent or important.  I was sitting there in the tub and I noticed the clock on the wall above my head was ticking.  It ticks?  Yes, it's been ticking for the past two years, I just stopped noticing it.  I also don't notice planes when they fly overhead, but my son does.  They're things to say, "bye bye" to.  My neighbor and I were running today and her brand new shoes were squeaking every step.  We laughed and noticed it.  Then, forty-five minutes later I discovered I'd forgotten they were squeaking, even though they were squeaking away. 

Crap, my eye -- Everything is going well with the LASIK (on the one eye) and PRK (on the other eye) recovery.  Then yesterday as I was putting my daughter into her crib her arm hit my eye.  Not the lid, the eye.  Panic, screams (mine), fretting, excessive blinking and administration of drops followed by calling the eye doctor.  Put ice on the eye, continue with the drops and if it's a scratch, it will heal and it will hopefully be fine.  In the meantime, my vision isn't fine, it's regressed.  It's been such a long haul since April when I started this eye adventure.  A little over a day later and I think there isn't anything majorly wrong, but I'm not sure it's all right either.  Holding my breath until next week's checkup.  I don't know if I can hold my breath that long so if I fail at that form of worry, I'll just continue the fretting I've already been doing.

The Big Boy Update:  Double the age.  Today my son is twenty-two months old.  His sister is eleven months.  He is for the first and only time is his life double her age.  He didn't seem to find it that remarkable when I explained it to him.  Ah, youth.  But, he surprised me with some extra politeness today.  No, I don't mean when he wound up and whacked his sister on the head, intentionally, with the plastic toy.  I mean when I was walking him down the stairs, holding his toy in one arm and his hand with my other arm and he said, "Thank you mommy."

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:   Eleven months today and exactly one-half her brother's age for the only time in her life.  She celebrated by teething, trying to walk, and getting in her brother's way whenever possible.  She does seem to be sensitive to him being upset.  I've seen her hand over her pacifier to him just because he was complaining while in the car.  Sweet baby.

Fitness Update:  My neighbor and I have missed running the past two mornings for various reasons.  We've decided to add some P90X into our workout regime as we get into colder weather.  Our plan is to meet in the basement here and put out the cool workout mat my husband just ordered and get a nice hour or so workout in before we have to get the children up for the day.   More updates when that actually happens.  Right now, less than a month away from the half marathon.   Yikes.   Update.  My neighbor texted me that she suddenly was off early and did I want to do an afternoon, before dinner run so we got to run six miles this afternoon.  Thanks to daddy and my mother for being kind enough to keep the kids for a last minute run.

Someone Once Said:  Man is a political animal. You can no more keep him from politicking than you can keep him from copulating—and probably shouldn’t try.