Semi-normality and the Squirrel

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . getting up and around with minimal pain.  Life felt almost normal, except for the periodic stints on the couch with an ice pack or heating pad when my muscles started getting sore.

. . . feeling a cool breeze as I took a short walk.

. . . lying on the heating pad.  Ahhhhhh.

. . . a neighbor boy showing up with an invitation to his "fake birthday party."  I asked him when it was.  "Today!"  What time?  "Right now!"  Awesome.

And another thing . . .

. . . Things have been disappearing all around our home lately.  The toothpaste tube, my earrings, dirty dishes.  Some of them have turned up, but others are still missing.  I suspect Joy is hiding them, but I'm really not sure what is motivating this.  Maybe she's practicing to be a squirrel.

Back

I strained my back on Friday .  Don't ask me how - I just know that mid-afternoon my lower back started to ache, and by evening I felt sharp pain every time I moved.  Since then . . .

. . . my not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . .  laying on sofa cushions for hours on end.  It sounds relaxing until you have to do it for four straight days.

. . . spending an hour just trying to figure out how to get to our bathroom without causing myself agonizing pain.

. . . sneezing.  Owwwwwww.

. . . my favorite moments included . . .

. . . the generous help we've received from family and friends.  Thank you so very much.

. . . my visiting teacher giving me her spare heating pad after the inflammation died down and my muscles just ached.  The warmth felt so good.

. . . finally getting around to reading a cool Yucatecan cookbook Phillip gave me for Christmas.

. . . Joy helping out a lot.

. . . Daniel giving me a hug and kiss.

. . . Anna proudly standing and taking a few steps.

. . . finishing Dawn Treader with Joy last night.  On to The Silver Chair.

. . . finally getting up and around with minimal pain today.  I'm still taking it easy, but it's wonderful to be able to take care of my family again.

And another thing . . .

. . . I plan to research exercises to strengthen my back so I can prevent this from happening again.

Bread and Baby Cuddles

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . .  minor insurance issues, which seem to happen every time a new semester starts and we have to re-register.  Student health insurance is mercifully cheap, but the transitional hiccups each semester are a pain.

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . Anna hugs.  Thank heaven for baby cuddles--they are simple and sweet, and life is often neither.

. . . walking to a bakery with the kids and buying a couple sweet rolls to share.

. . . finally sorting through some very persistent piles in our front room.

. . . eating homemade bread.

. . . looking at a couple pictures Joy recently drew in her Primary class.  In one she's giving Jesus a hug; in another she's going trick-or-treating with Him.

Kisses and Spinach

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . .  Daniel feeling sick and tired, but sleeping poorly even though his body needs rest.  Poor little guy.

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . Daniel giving me a kiss on the cheek after we took the trash out together.

. . . walking Joy to school for the first time in weeks.  Even after school began again last week, we always got out the door too late to walk.  It felt good to get back out and moving again.

. . . making a super easy green smoothie: a handful of spinach, half a frozen banana, 1/4 cup orange juice, 1/4 cup water.  Blend and enjoy.

The Anna Impersonater

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . going way out on a limb, and having it work out.

. . . my sweet husband comforting me when I felt really overwhelmed this afternoon.  He also pointed out a way I could eliminate one big source of stress in my life.  I'm looking forward to trying it.

. . . hanging out with my family to celebrate my sister's birthday.  I wonder what my brother-in-law's sister's boyfriend thought of our clan's boisterous, off-key birthday medley?

. . . Anna cuddles.

And another thing . . .

. . . every now and then, Daniel declares that he is Anna and starts crawling instead of walking.  He usually gets tired of that pretty quickly and moves on to another game, but his imitations of Anna-isms (the little sounds she makes, and the way she shakes her head or waves her hands) are pretty impressive.  I'm not sure I could duplicate them myself, but I recognize them instantly when he does them.

A Truant and Wasabi

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . .  discovering this evening that Joy's classes resumed today, not tomorrow.  Why on Earth did I think they would start on a Tuesday???

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . hearing Phillip laugh as we watched Cars 2 for family night.  The kids and I have seen it several times, but this was Phillip's first time watching it.  "Do NOT EAT the free pistachio ice cream!"

A Foodie's Wish a Friend in Need

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . talking with a friend who had some good advice I needed.

. . . praying for help, and getting it.

. . . hugging my sweetie.

And another thing . . .

. . . for my birthday, I want a personal chef who will cook me anything I find on Pinterest that looks yummy but too complicated for me to actually cook (especially at 10pm when I'm sitting at the computer and have the munchies and don't feel like firing up the stove).  "Pierre, I'll have some Creamy Chicken Pockets, a Detox Apple Cabbage Salad, and a Winter Smoothie.  Let me know when they're ready."

Guilt and the Ghostlight

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . .  a woman scolding me at the grocery store because my  kids were playing tag in the produce section.  I seem to get comments like that at least once a month, and I wonder if it's because I'm a negligent parent or because there are lots of fastidious, outspoken people in my town.  Probably both.

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . hearing Anna say, "Mama" while I cuddled her.

. . . gazing up at the stars on my way to the laundry room out back.

. . . watching Pixar cartoons with my family tonight. "La Luna" is just lovely.  Daniel's favorite is "Mater and the Ghostlight" (sorry - I couldn't find a full version of that one on YouTube).

. . . Phillip coming over to sit on the couch with Joy and me while I read Prince Caspian aloud.  He had been listening in the next room, and had become so engrossed in the tale that he couldn't resist coming to join us.

Smoke and Sleep

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . .  burning popcorn in the microwave.  It was doubly dismal because our home reeks of charred popcorn, and we were left with no munchies for our movie.  That is what is known as a bummer.

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . sleeping in and doing some reading while Phillip took the kids to the park.  Thank you, Sweetheart.

Snuggles and Typos

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . .  feeling overwhelmed.  Too much to do; not enough time.

. . . staying up super late doing two pressing tasks.  I am so tired.

. . . discovering that the third edition of my cookbook (which I finally got around to printing this week) has at least three errors in it.  I think I'll use it for a month or so to see what other mistakes I catch, then I'll print Cookbook 3.1 next month.

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . snuggling with sweet little Anna.

. . . reading Prince Caspian with Joy.

. . . Phillip giving me a smooch.