Sometimes It's Really For a Different Reason

I took one of the girls to the Pediatrician for an appointment.  She had an ear infection.  And then we discussed what I had hoped to soon have a reason for her to see the Dr:  acne.  (I know, a lovely topic.  It had to be done.)  Dr. said the best reason to talk to him is so that he could help dispel some of those myths, like eating pizza or chocolate makes break-outs worse, or scrubbing helps make them go away.  He said that, mostly, a lot of it boils down to genetics.

"Gee, thanks, Mom," my darling daughter says. 

Kindly, I say back, "Oh, just wait until you are my age and you will have acne plus the extra fun of wrinkles, like me."

The good Dr. chuckles and says, "Oh, you don't really have any wrinkles."  (I knew I liked him.) :)

And my daughter quips, "Well, that's only because she got Botox."

Nice.  The good Dr. raises his eyebrows and quickly tries to figure out why this housewife in sweats and an old t-shirt would be vain enough to have Botox at the tender age of 36, all the while trying not to give away his shock and curiosity.

"Well,"  I explain, "it's a long story."  (Which, of course, he wouldn't know, as he is our family's pediatrician and not my family doctor.)  "See, they are trying to see if it will help my headaches.  They've tried everything else.  It's different than cosmetic Botox.  Deeper, and all over the head, although, it does have some of the cosmetic benefits, I suppose,"  and I add for good measure, "But it doesn't get rid of acne."

"Hmm, well, I hope it works.  I've never heard of that before."

So, I'm not really sure if he believes my story, but I guess I do look unwrinkled, as he said I didn't have wrinkles before he knew about the Botox.  Thanks, darling daughter, for bringing Botox up, by the way.  I wonder how many other people she has casually mentioned this to?!  No wonder everyone seems to be looking at me closely whenever I see them.  But, probably, they are just checking out my adult acne.

Funnies

The girls are watching Mr. Bean with King.  They are laughing and groaning, which I guess means they like it in a "this is so stupid, it's funny" kind of way.

It's been nice to all be home and enjoy each other the last few days.  We had a nice Christmas with family time in the morning, and a gathering of friends in the evening.  It couldn't have been better.  Family and friends are really what it is all about.  (Besides, of course, Baby Jesus, whom we enjoy talking and reading about each year.  That goes without saying. It's just seems better to think about Him with the family and friends He has blessed us with!)

Speaking of blessings, Wii have been enjoying our Christmas gifts--thanks to generous Santa, family, and friends.  It has been fun to laugh and play together.  Funniest for me--that Sleeping Beauty videotaped King doing the hula hoop game.  So funny.  We laughed and laughed about it.  (I will spare you, and King, by not posting the video.)

Also funny--Sleeping Beauty put some cute little coupons for hugs, extra kisses, kind acts and helpful chores in King's stocking.  He was ooh-ing and aaah-ing for a few minutes Christmas morning.  Until he noticed the expiration date on all of the coupons:  December 24, 2009.  She's a smart one, that girl.

And then--(perhaps slightly more graphic, less kosher, and not for the weak stomached or those lacking a sense of humor)--This morning, Cinderella was bothered with the rule that you must practice piano and do chores before moving on to other fun things.  She was more bugged that others cared that she was bugged and were commenting needlessly about it.  When she told them (yelled at them) to tell them to be quiet, King told her to calm down and stop.

Said she, "They are just bugging the crap out of me!"

Said he, "Well, I hope you wiped."

Yep, no shortage of funnies around this place.  Or toilet paper, thank goodness.

Merry Christmas!

Hope you all have a peaceful Christmas as we celebrate the birth of our Savior.  I am so grateful for His birth, His life, His sacrifice, His love, and His church.  I owe Him everything.  Have a Merry Christmas!
  

 6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

  7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

  8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

  9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

  10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

  11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

  12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

  13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

  14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Luke 2:6-14 

This is a Good One

“Even when you feel the truth of [the] capacity and kindness of the Lord to deliver you in your trials, it may still test your courage and strength to endure. The Prophet Joseph Smith cried out in agony in a dungeon:

“ ‘O God, where are thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place?’(D&C 121:1–2). . . .

“The Lord’s reply has helped me and can encourage us all in times of darkness. Here it is:

‘My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes’ (D&C 121:7–8).”

 

Henry B. Eyring, “Adversity,” Ensign, May 2009, 24–25

Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-LA

" 'Tis the season to be jolly", and that is my goal this next week.  I had a sit-down with the girls.  Basically, it went like this:

"I love, love, love having you at home with me and not in school.  Let's make sugar cookies, and candy, and popcorn, and cards, sleep in, watch movies, play games, and do crafts.  I will try my very, very best to have some fun and be patient, even if I feel yucky, but you have to try to do something, too."

"I knew it," said one.

"Of course," moaned another.

"Prob'ly clean up stuff," said the other, with an eye roll for my added pleasure.

"Well, cleaning would be good.  But, really, I want you to get along.  Please ignore the sarcastic comments and the jabbing.  Please don't yell and be loud and fight.  Be pleasant and loving and get along. And don't fight."

"Fine," said one.

"Whatever," said another.
 
"She won't," mumbled the other. 

"Yes, I will!  You won't!" said one. 

"I will too!" said another.

"Whatever!" said the other. 

"Just leave me alone!," said (yelled) one.

Well, you get the point.  It could be a long, jolly week.

Report

(If you care.  And if you don't, I don't mind.  Skip this post.)

Botox was weird.  And way more poking than I thought.  It wasn't that bad, but sticking a big needle into my skull where for about 10 straight days I've felt like someone was stabbing me with a knife was not so fun.  That was the worst.  It is supposed to really start working in 4-14 days, and peak at 6 weeks, and diminish by 12.  I look the same. (Dang.) :)  But he said about the time that my forehead feels tight and my forehead frown lines look a tiny less prominent (yay), that will be when I should notice the most head improvement. We're hoping the working soon part will break my headache cycle enough that my daily meds can keep more pain away, and that it may last longer than 12 weeks.  We'll see.  I'm tired.  It was a long day and I, of course, have a bad headache and now 27 or something tender injection sites all over my head.  And I'm paranoid about touching my face because he said if I move the unsettled bubbles of Botox too close to the nerves on my outer eye, my eye will sag.  Creepy.  That's supposed to be a non-issue after a few hours though, and no sagging yet.  At least in my eyes...my post-nursing chest is a different....never mind. 

We went to Cheesecake Factory, after, to nurse my wounds.  The cheesecake helped.  Yum.

Scott gave me a Priesthood Blessing beforehand.  I feel at peace about whatever happens.  I know that I am not the one in charge here, and I'm okay with that.  Sure, there are hard and painful days, but I am very blessed.  So many other people I know are dealing with much harder things.  I love the reassurance of the Lord's love, direction and blessing in my life that I receive constantly.  I really don't know what I'd do without it.

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

     

It's On

I now have an appointment for Botox treatment for my migraines.  Thursday morning.  We haven't heard from our insurance company yet on whether they will cover the cost, but are going ahead with it.  If they do eventually approve our appeal, then they will pay retrospectively, and if they don't, then I have the most generous, nicest, fabulous, super-duper friend who has offered to help us with the exorbitant cost.  (I have an inkling of a suspicion that she is tired of hearing me complain, and since she can afford it, she's going to see if this will shut me up. :)  I'm joking.  She's really just the best friend ever, who knows this has been the longest, most tiring year, and wants me to get through all of the treatment options I have to see if it will work.  Isn't she the best?)

So, if you see me on Friday and I look surprised to see you or seem like I'm staring wide-eyed, it's really not that, it's because of the Botox.  Wish me luck!--And a little prayer might be good, too.  It would be nice if this very last treatment they can think to try for me would actually work.  Very, very nice.

Bathroom Art by Snow White

Yes, we're waiting for representatives of The Met or The Louvre to contact us in the very near future.

Drab

*

*This sweater is unlike any I actually own, and the picture was found here.   

When I unpacked my winter sweaters a few weeks ago, I decided I might need a little bit of color variety.  The sweaters I have for the winter are: black, gray, brown, red, black, charcoal, green, brown, charcoal, brown and brown.  Yeah, nice variety, huh?  And I won't even tell you that half of them are turtlenecks.  So, when I was out running errands the other day, I was determined to find something to perk up my wardrobe.

I found a super cute tan sweater.  

Informed

So, they know.

They asked me about it after school yesterday.  I was relileved, as King's idea was to tell them Christmas morning.  Are you kidding me?  I told the girls that King had decided they needed to know and was thinking of a way to tell them Christmas morning.  These were there feelings on his idea:

"What?  That would have been horrible!"

"That is the worst idea ever!"

Yep.  That's what I thought.

(Love that guy to pieces, in case this post makes you think otherwise.)

Brain Freeze

The past few days have been rough.  There were some nice things, like my friend bringing me dinner, meeting friends for a doughnut, and peppermint ice cream.  For the rest, let's just say, "If you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all."

So, yesterday I finally got around to running some errands.  And I am so bugged thrilled I picked yesterday, because it was freezing, windy, raining, sleeting, hailing, snowing, blizzarding the whole time I was out.  I think the highlight may have been when the gusting wind took my debit card from my hand when buying gas and made me chase it across the parking lot.  However, it was also fun when I ran into Target and six (I am not kidding--six!) people were conveniently standing right in front of the door smoking, so I had to push my way through them to get out of the sleet.  So I got to wash my coat when I got home, too.

But, the very best part for sure was going to the doctor.  (You know, because I haven't done much of that this year at all.)  I saw the allergist to get refills on my allergy medications.  So, actually pretty harmless, really.  The nurse was asking what medications I take daily, and for me, the list was surprisingly short.

"Well, just my allergy medicine now and then just Lamasil."

"Lamisil?" she asked.

"Yes, a seizure medicine to try to help my migraines."

"What is it?"

"Lamisil.  L-A-M-I-S-wait, no, not S, it's C, or..."

"Is it called Lamictal?"

"Oh, yes!" I remembered, "That's what it's called."

"I thought so, because, Lamisil is for foot fungus.  I didn't think that would help your headaches much," she laughed.

I laughed, but then wondered if I should try it.  You never know.  I've tried everything else.

She actually laughed for a while.  A really long time.  I think maybe her husband and kids heard about me last night.

   

Scaring the Visitors

First a little background: In our church, worthy young men and women serve full-time missions for 18 months to 2 years. We, as members in the communities where they serve, take turns feeding them their evening meals. This helps them to focus on sharing the Gospel, rather than spending time preparing meals, and helps with their budget, as their missions are voluntary and self-funded. It also helps having these valiant servants in our home to share spiritual messages with us, and to learn from their examples. I imagine their mothers back home are grateful they are being fed things more nutritious than ramen and pork and beans, too.

So, we had signed up for the missionaries to have lunch with us this afternoon (Saturday). We have church meetings this evening, and chose to feed them lunch instead. That is all very well and good, except things didn't go the way we had planned.

I woke up feeling lousy today (surprise, surprise) and asked King to take Snow White shoe shopping. Since we have meetings later tonight, and Snow White dances at our local Cultural Center this evening, I knew I had to limit what I could accomplish today. So, he decided to take Sleeping Beauty on her daddy-daughter date a little earlier than they had planned, and come back to get Snow White to shoe shop. I started some laundry and went back to bed.

About 20 minutes later the doorbell rang. And, I'm sure you know who it was, but I was puzzled. And half asleep. And I hadn't showered since Thursday. I opened the door to four fresh-faced and hungry missionaries.

"Oh, hi!" I said, "We completely forgot you were coming! I'm so sorry! And King just left with one of the girls. I've been sick the last couple of days and completely spaced it. Oh, goodness." Or some completely nonsensical blubbering like that for a few minutes. (Remember-I was half asleep.)

They were very nice. "Oh, that's fine. Don't worry about it. Is there anything we can do to help you?" And, when assured that there was nothing they could do to help, they went cheerfully on their way. I closed the door and then realized that the least I could have done was give them some cookies Cinderella had made this morning, or some money to buy pizza. Duh.

Now, I am sure they will get over the fact that their lunch appointment was canceled. There's always canned soup or macaroni and cheese. But, what I'm not sure they'll get over is seeing me half asleep, with no bra, in my pajamas, no make-up, ugly glasses, greasy hair, and ghastly breath. I'm pretty sure all of them vowed then and there to never be married after their missions. Yikes. Poor guys. I'm sure they are super excited we signed up to feed them Christmas dinner. (Remind me to actually take a shower that day, would you?)

To Get You in the Holiday Spirit

We can't help it. The girls think this is just hilarious. I guess it's not really Christmas until we transform ourselves into elves.

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

It's O.K.

The problem with having a chronic condition, and having a few good days in a row, is that inevitably, the feeling okay comes crashing down around you and being miserable seems that much more miserable when you get a glimpse of how it is to function somewhat normally.

And, I did have a few good days in a row, but the last couple? Not so much. And today, when I woke up with a splitting headache, and nausea, and feeling like I could stay in bed all day, what I really needed was a good laugh. Which didn't really happen when I started going through the mountain of graded school papers that the girls left me to look at. There were too many not-so-good grades, of which, had I felt better, (and helped them study for spelling tests, and looked over assignments) would have been so much better. Nothing like a bit of guilt piled on when you are feeling lousy to help you feel that much worse. However, when I read one of the papers a little more thoroughly to understand the poor grade, I got the laugh I needed.

For spelling, Sleeping Beauty was to write sentences to demonstrate her understanding of the words. She had finished this assignment at home Tuesday night, but Wednesday afternoon, I found it on her bedroom floor. Whoops. So, she had redone the paper at school Wednesday morning before she could go to recces. She told me she hurried and got done so she didn't miss any recces time. And, let me tell you, she hurried. Hence, the poor grade. Here is a sampling:

Fragrance is a good smell.

Excellence is a good thing.

Decency is an important thing.

Truancy is bad.

Be obedient.

That is buoyant.

Obedience is fantastic!

They found evidence.

Have frequency.

Inconvenience is O.K.

That last one is my favorite. It's O.K. Not good, important, bad, or fantastic. Just O.K.

I assure you, this is evidence of work done quickly to avoid the inconvenience of missing recces, and it certainly has the fragrance of work lacking decency, but I find the frequency of the truancy of thought, and lack of obedience to the family rule "Do your best" quite fantastic-ally funny and buoyant.

Heaven in a Cup

I have officially decided that most of my meals in December will consist of Dairy Queen's Blizzard of the month: The Candy Cane Chill. Divine.

Although, since winter has descended fully in these parts, I may add some variety and go with peppermint hot chocolate on occasion.

(If you do decide to click on that link to see that lovely shake, I strongly encourage you to not click on the little button at the bottom that says nutrition calculator. Yikes. Guess there will be cause to purchase new pants by January...)

Two Things

1. You know the whole "Melts in your mouth, but not in your hands" thing? Yeah, well they never said anything about what it does in the clothes dryer. But, not to worry, I can tell you. Melts. All over everything. So, avoid that, is my advice.2. Took the girls to the dentist this morning. And they said, "Uh...your appointment is tomorrow." Nice. Explain that to the school..."Well, she wasn't in school this morning so we could go to the dentist. But really, we're actually going to the dentist tomorrow, so she'll miss class again tomorrow, too. Sorry. My fault. (Yes, I'm a big fat dork, and now everyone in the school knows it.)"

Oh, and what do the girls think? Here's what one thinks, "Aw, man! You mean, I brushed my teeth good for nothin'?!"

Yes, except you're supposed to do that EVERY MORNING!

Sheesh.

(Un?) Believable

I can't believe it's December! How did that happen? But, more importantly, how is this school year almost half over? The biggest problem I have with this is that my babies will be in Middle School in less than a year! How did this happen? It seems like just yesterday they got on that Kindergarten bus for the first time. But, I suppose that's what everyone says.

However, there is still proof that my two babies are young at heart. You know that jolly old elf that makes his appearance the end of December? Yep, that guy. They totally believe. And have mentioned the fact that if I don't want to buy them a present, they know who to ask for it.

And you know that little fairy that collects teeth for her castle in the sky? Yep, her too.

So, the question is--how unbelievably gullible do I let these girls be? Is it worse to let them commit social suicide in the fifth grade and the mention the tooth fairy forgetting to visit (again), or do I dash all of their dreams and let them know the truth?

Of course, it's always possible that I'm the gullible one and they've got the whole thing figured out, but they are letting me believe I've still got two little girls instead of big kids headed for middle school way too soon. You never know.