Archive for the 'Lupus' Category

it’s going to be one of those days…

Today’s a busy day.  One of those days where you hit the ground running and before you know it, it’s over, and you fall into bed ever-so-grateful for that fluffy down comforter and freshly laundered sheets!  Right now I really shouldn’t be taking this chunk of time to sit and write but I know that when I write, I feel better and today, I NEED to feel better.  It’s an achy day today.  A lupus is invading my life again kind of day.  I hate those days but I’m determined to not let it get the best of me so I’m writing, because I’m the boss, and I can.  So there!  Nanny nanny boo-boo!  Yes, I’m four years old.

The day began with the the first of two alarms on my clock going off.  4:00 AM, first alarm, the hubster’s first official day back at work.  Time to make the donuts.  Poor guy, back to the grind.  Back to his three hour commute, one way!  He’s tougher than most I tell ya.  Had a hard time going back to sleep with the wonderful aroma of coffee drifting upstairs.  Being the wonderful wife I am, I actually remembered to set the coffee pot for him!  Seems I was just back to sleep when round two of the alarms started going off.  The clock radio at 6am in my room, the cell phone ringing alarm in my son’s room, the beep beep beep in my daughter’s room.  Ugh, is it Saturday yet?

Was thankful that everyone could get to school via the school bus today, it’s always a good day when Mama doesn’t have to make the three-school-run.  Young Flanagan was too funny this morning, he seems to prefer me driving him to school rather than the bus so he starts with his subtle, “Green… CAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!” routine.  It’s his way of saying, “I much prefer you and your companionship to drive me to school over that big yellow bus, Mom!”  He says, “Green…CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!” to which I respond, “Yellow…BUSSSSSSSSSS!” and so it goes, back and forth.  Of course some days he’s a winner, when I know there is just no way we are going to make the yellow bus and he says, “Green…CAAAAAAAAAAAR” and I say, “YES!”  and he is happy.  It’s actually quite cute and flattering too I guess, that he prefers my presence over his schoolmates but socialization is a big part of his success in life and sometimes a mom’s gotta do what a mom’s gotta do.  Of course when he’s signing “green car” along with his adorable little voice, it’s hard to not just scoop him up and say, “of course I will drive you to school you sweet adorable child of mine!”  But today was one of those days…”Yellow….BUSSSSSS!” it was.  He protested for a minute but then walked down the driveway with me and waited about two minutes and then, bam, the bus was there.  Of course Dave the bus driver got a kick out of him as he steps on the bus with his Red Sox baseball hat and sunglasses on, yes, he’s the man and he knows it.  Off he went for one of the last remaining days of third grade….

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For me it was a quick run to Dunkin’ Donuts for a big cup of joe, a slight distraction of reading the paper, then off I go.  Lot’s to do.  Chicken is cooking on the stove right now, I’m making Chicken Enchiladas for dear friends of ours.  The mom is recovering from hip replacement surgery and I volunteered dinner duty for tonight.  I know by now, a few weeks into it, they’ve probably had more lasagna, baked spaghetti, and stuffed shells then they care to ever have again.  OLE’!  Bring on the mexican I say!

Then it’s off to pick up my first CSA share of the season, cannot wait to see what’s in the basket!  After two o’clock this afternoon, it’s going to get a little dicey.  Pick up CSA, drop off dinner, pick up oldest and drive him to work, race back here to meet Young Flanagan’s bus, greet new Community Support Worker for her first solo day (more on that later), grab a snack for Young Flanagan and we’re out the door for…you guessed it….my favorite day….HAIRCUT DAY!  Yep, time to make it happen again.  Hopefully this won’t run our wonderful new CSW out the door when she’s sees the protest and consumption of time that takes place when one sets out to just get a trim!  Please, fellow readers and friends, do think good thoughts around 4:30pm EST today, much appreciated!

Of course in between dropping off the oldest and enjoying a nice relaxing haircut with the youngest, my daughter will be running in a track meet without any of us there to cheer her on.  I know this is fine, happens all the time, but some days you just feel more guilty that you can’t be there to support them all, 100%, whenever they need it.  It’s just self-induced guilt, I know she’s okay with it, she told me so herself, but still, guilt is a feeling I’m learning not to live with.  I’m a work in progress just like this old house of mine.

Now that doesn’t sound like too bad of a day, really, I’ve had far worse.  The trouble with today is that the lurking lupus has decided to visit today – oh how I ache.  My hips, my shoulders, my ankles….ache.  My face has looked better, man I hate the red look of lupus!  UGH!  Hmmm, you think anticipating today and all that I had to do had anything to do with it?  Note to self, don’t over-schedule yourself unless you want to be achy and have a skin flare!  It’s all trial by error, this life of mine.  One day I’ll get it, I just hope I live long enough to be there when it happens!

I should be able to get a pretty good cry or two in today though.   One of the local radio stations, 92 Moose, has changed their format all day to benefit the Special Olympics.  People can can call in and request ANY song, doesn’t have to be part of their typical top-forty format, with a minimum donation of $20 and they’ll play it.  Special Olympics being near and dear to my heart, and the ability to cry at the old “Kleenex says bless you” commercials, should work out great.  I’ll have to put in my request while trying not to cry!  I’m such a sap, a gift I treasure from my Mom.  Thanks Bets!  This weekend is the State of Maine’s Summer Games, Track and Field Special Olympics.  We haven’t gone on to the State level of S.O.’s yet as I think Young Flanagan has plenty of S.O. time ahead of him that will be better enjoyed at an older age.  He’s happy running at the local level right now, when he gets a little older, the big trip to U of Maine overnight will be more enjoyable.  Until then, go Maine Special Olympic althletes!

Chicken’s ready, time to assemble the enchiladas.
Have a guilt-free, stress-free, ache-free day friends!

hanging on…

by a thread! It’s been a wee bit cuckoo around here lately.

~My husband left for Afghanistan on Monday, exactly 6 months to the day from when he arrived home from Iraq!
~Young Flanagan and I visited the Gastroenterologist, again, to figure out why he is having trouble swallowing and suffering from severe esophagus pain.
~I spent Wednesday in the ER with some very scary chest pain. 40 is shaping up to be a banner year so far! 3 EKG’s, chest x-ray, 4 baby aspirin, 5 heated blankets, three separate stabs to draw blood and get an IV in, SEVERAL tubes of blood, 2 urine samples, 2 nitro glycerin’s under the tongue, a GI cocktail, a 1/4 dose of Ativan, and a plate of french toast – several hundred dollars. Feeling much better now – PRICELESS!
~-15 degrees when I woke up this morning.
~Young Flanagan’s school had frozen pipes and several other problems so school was cancelled.
~3 separate pipes froze here, so I spent ALL day with the hair dryer, inhaling insulation!
~Young Flanagan’s negative behaviors are sky high! Trying to give him the benefit of the doubt though, I know he doesn’t feel good but perseverating SUCKS!
~there’s more but I’ll spare you the whine!

Hope to be back with cheerful reports soon. Maybe even some cute pics to boot!
Until then, here’s my view as we picked up Young Flanagan from school with the whole crew and headed to the airport to drop Daddy off!
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regrouping

Been away from the computer, TRYING to get my act together. I say trying although I think I need to go back to the dictionary and review the definition of TRYING and then re-check the definition of PROCRASTINATING and see if maybe that’s a better fit for this particular situation. I’m not ready for Christmas and question if I ever will be. Although I did manage to get two packages mailed off yesterday so that was a mini joyful moment to celebrate. Gotta take ‘em as they come. I so want to be the type of person who can just let all the stress go and cherish the moments but my inner anal list maker and dot the i’er and cross the t’er seems to be interfering with that particular want of mine.

I’ve been…

Sick. Sick. Sick. Got a bad cold a few weeks ago and seemed to be recovering well from that only to be side swiped with a bad case of the dizzy’s! UGH! I hate not being able to tell what is connected to the Lupus, what is just pure exhaustion from life, and what is truly just a bug! My head hurts, a severe case of the crankies has set in and I’m just trying to remember to breath. Did get the sinkful of dishes done about an hour ago so that’s a feeling of accomplishment. If I had a list for today, I’d be sure to add dishes just for the pure satisfaction of being able to cross that off! On that note, need to tell you how excited I am for the New Year. It’s like the first day of school for me. I just got my latest issue of Real Simple and it’s an issue completely geared for list-makers like myself! Love it! But I digress…

Wrestling with new behaviors. The Boy Wonder has done a bit of trading on the Black Market as of late. Trading up for amazing academic accomplishments but trading down for negative behaviors of hitting, kicking, and melting down. Autism. One word but sooooo much is contained within those 6 letters. Just when you think you’ve got things in manage mode, along comes the big fat A-word with it’s evil sinister laugh in tow to rip that theory to pieces and give you a new thing to wrap your brain around! Time to pull out my special needs collection of books and figure out what this particular form of “behavior is communication” is trying to tell me! I got a little sumpin’ to tell that behavior, GO AWAY and bring back my sweet little boy! It’s Christmas for crying out loud! AND….our Community Support Worker apparently has a life outside of our home and will be out of town for the next two weeks! (Believe me, the girl has more than earned a little break – she is truly amazing and my personal life saver!) My sanity is about to be truly tested.

In about a half an hour the cherubs will start to roll in, thrilled that they’re on Vacation. I best find myself a new attitude and try to embrace the blessings of Christmas instead of letting my not feeling well take the good out of everything. This is fun, right?! Oh and did I mention we’re about to get dumped with a Nor’easter! Love the teapot!

In case I don’t make it back before the Holidays are officially here, have the merriest of merry’s and the happiest of happy’s. Enjoy this wonderful time of year (I should take my own advice, huh?) and the memories that are just waiting to be made.
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Happy Holidays!

Jayne

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LOOK for Sweet Jayne Handmade HERE:

November 27th and 28th, 2009 at the Gardiner Elks Christmas Craft Fair. 8am to 5pm. 148 Cobbossee Ave, Gardiner, Maine!

December 6th, 2009 at The Laura E. Richards School Craft Fair. 9am to 2pm. 279 Brunswick Ave, Gardiner, Maine!

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