How did I NOT see this coming?

Because, after having (nearly) two glorious weeks of relatively carefree sinuses, I woke up today with pressure behind my face, the teeth on the left side of my head aching, and my eyes all gooey and icky. In other words? Here we go again.

I've decided that my sinuses are like three year old toddlers - who for reasons unknown will get mad and throw a tantrum. They've decided to stage one today, and I'm pretty sure they've invited all of their little angry sinus friends to come join in the fun.

I'm going to mention now that I've been having sinus problems on and off now since NOVEMBER. My doctor thinks the initial sinus problems are brought on by allergies (which have never been a huge problem for me before, certainly nothing a little Zyrtec couldn't cure), and are made worse in reaction to viruses. Do we know what I'm allergic to? Nope. Could be as simple as dust (not likely, would have probably known before now, I mean really. Have you seen my house?), could be a chemical in the new-ish flooring (but that should be a more constant problem, not the peek-a-boo situation they've got going in there), could be something strange the wind blew in - since we've had a relatively dry winter here, that is most likely the cause. However, now the sinus cavities are so very sensitive that every little virus is running for them as if they are the last save haven on Earth.

So I wake up today with the sinuses all in an uproar and ready to cause harm. Coincidentally, today is Volunteer Day with the first graders.

First graders. Possibly the least clean and most germ ridden of all elementary school children with the exception of kindergartners. (I maintain my position that kindys could wipe out entire populations, and are the perfect distribution system for biological weapons of mass destruction what with their secretious habits putting even slugs to shame.) Volunteering with the first graders today leaves only one question up for grabs during my doctor visit next week:
Viral or Bacterial?

Wish me luck.

Can't seem to fall to sleep tonight...

April 27th is the day we lost my mom. In the wee hours of the morning two years ago she passed on while my oldest brother held her hand.

It still seems wrong that she isn't here anymore. I can still hear her voice, especially that tone she'd use when she left a message and I hadn't talked to her for a week or so. "Dodi, it's mom. I need you to call when you get this message."

She'd call when the baby birds in the birdhouse hatched, and the girls needed to come over to see them.

She'd call when she spotted an obituary for someone they knew years ago, someone I didn't know:
"Honey, I hate to tell you this, but Mrs. So&So passed away."
"Mom I don't know who that is." (At which point I'm sure I rolled my eyes.)
"Sure you do, she was a neighbor of ours when we first got married, they came out to the house here for dinner when you were about 5. Remember, she had that straw hat?" (This conversation would continue until I said something about remembering her, which I almost never did.)

She'd call when a product she knew I used was on sale.

She called when the neighbors left their sprinklers on too long.

She'd call mostly to check on her girls - all three of us. Because even when I was up to my eyeballs in laundry or stress and emotion, or general "too busy"ness, and she'd let me know she was there. Always there. Even when I was mad at her or she was mad at me... she was always there.

And then she wasn't there anymore.
And I still can't imagine a world without her - even though that is the world that I live in.


Mom... I love you, and I miss you!

She's a tricky one...

Oldest daughter had to clean the bathroom as a punishment. (Toothpaste mysteriously exploded again. Always with the toothpaste! It's like her "signature move" or something.) Well, before she even got started cleaning she turned to me to ask, "Hey, maybe you could pay me for this extra chore?"

Somehow I think she's missing the point of the word PUNISHMENT.

Because 17 is all grown up?

What 17 year old, who was in the news in December for sporting a NEW TATTOO, is now moving in to her own 4000 sq foot house?

Did you say Miley Cyrus? (Who, let me say again is SEVENTEEN.)

Ding ding ding ding - RIGHT! Miley has moved in to her new mansion down the street from her parents recently, and I'm guessing we're all agreed that this is a fabulous idea.

Because at 17 she shouldn't be in high school. (You never hear about her being schooled at all.)

Because at 17 she should be allowed to do whatever in the world makes her happiest without all that pesky adult supervision. (Have you SEEN her 20 year old boyfriend? He's hot.)

Because she's MATURE, at 17, and responsible enough to live on her own.
By herself.
Alone.

Riiiight.

I'm planning that my kid is still going to be turning her cell phone over to mom and dad at 10pm when she is 17 so she doesn't text with her friends all night long (a mom can dream of this sort of life can't she?)... but I'm guessing Miley's parents aren't worried about that kind of stuff. At this point I think we can all agree that all night text sessions are the LEAST of their worries.

It's Hollywood after all... what could possibly go wrong?

Freaky Friday

I'm a GLEEk

It's baaaaaaccccckkkkk!

Did you see Glee last night? (If not - why not? How can you NOT be watching this show?) The show really is perfection for someone like me. Who digs her entertainment just a little bit judgy, a lot campy, able to mock itself, with good storylines, and finely crafted characters. The cheerleading coach is one of the most hilarious characters ever written - she's mean. Mean like you'd never get to be in real life. Mean like, "Save me a spot next to you in hell" mean. And while you hate her for it, you ADORE her for it. Writing for that character has to be a career high for that writing staff.

Glee has it all. The bitchy cheerleaders, the arrogant jocks, the pitiful geeks - and all so completely overdone that it's unparalleled in it's excellence.

CLICK HERE IF YOU NEED VIDEO PROOF

...and HERE IF YOU NEED MORE PROOF

Glee is hilariously creative. If you mixed "Scrubs" with "Fame", stirred in some skits from "Saturday Night Live", and then threw in a little "Rocky Horror Picture Show"? You would start to see something that might resemble Glee on one of it's weaker days.

It's just that good.

And I? Am a GLEEk.
If they had a Glee-Con? I'd totally go.

Blowin in the Wind

Wow, it's windy out there today. The local news webpage said today would be "breezy at times." Really? Because wind gusts upwards of 45mph feel more than "breezy" to me.

And to our house.

Did you feel the wind last night? Because you didn't have to be outside to feel it. The wind gusts hitting the back of our house last night howled around the corners, and we could feel the house actually moving back and forth. It was loud, and it was powerful.

The wind was so powerful it carried my seven year old from her bed to mine - where it placed her down so gently that I didn't even know she was there until she was already fast asleep again. When I hugged her in tight, I held her and listened to the wind outside - and I was so glad it had carried her in to me.

(...at which point I was also so very glad of our decision 10 years ago to buy a king sized bed!)