BB, You're Going to Love This

This morning both kids were at school, and I was all set to laze around and read A Thousand Splendid Suns. The dog asked to go out, and I kind of forgot I'd put him out. A good long while later, I went to let him in, and noticed a lot of brown stuff all over his neck and right ear. I took him straight for a bath, got one whiff and realized, this was not mud on him, but shit of some sort. I don't know if it was racoon, dog, or other. I poured many ounces of liquid soap on him, lathered, rinsed, repeated about five times. He still smelled disgusting. As a last resort, I rubbed some hand sanitizer in that area, and presto.... no more stink! So Brian, I have discovered another interesting use for hand sanitizer.

I've been pretty content to be an at-home mom. But the last two years I am getting a little restless. When I am in a group of adults it seems like I don't have much to talk about. I think this post might just prove that it is time for me to go back to school or work.

In two years the girl will be headed to Kindergarten, and I hope to be back in school.

Has It Really Only Been a Week....

since my four hours of (sort-of) bliss at the spa last Friday? It is definitely back to business as usual here... fixing school lunches, sweeping floors, and bedtime stories. Eddie is on night 2 out of 6 scheduled, thanks to overtime. Of course, we need to the money, so I am trying to keep a positive attitude about it this time around. We'll see how positive I am after six nights of being the bedtime slavemaster solo.

And the damn dog's allergies continue to be a problem. He can't stay on Prednisone forever, because it causes liver damage. The vet's solution is a drug called Atopica, a.k.a cyclosporine. I remember giving cyclosporine to liver transplant patients while I worked at the hospital. It is an immune supressant. Did I mention that the first month's worth cost us $110, and that it causes vomiting? (In the dog, that is.) So far I have only cleaned up three messes. Supposedly it should diminish with time.

I need a vacation from my vacation

Tiff and I kicked off the big weekend with a spa trip on Friday. I have never been to one before, but have wanted to try it. We arrived together, and she went off to have her facial done. A 1.5 hour-long hot and cold stone massage was first on the agenda for me. I've had a history of migraines, which have been dormant for the past couple of years. But, they have reappeared as of late, and I spent two days last week with one. The minute the therapist laid those cold stones on my face, I wished I had it done last week. I mentioned this, and the technician said I could get my doctor to write a prescription for therapeutic massage and insurance would actually PAY for me to get it weekly. I am not into cheating insurance, but I do have both migraines, TMJ headaches, and a constant muscle spasm on the right side of my neck. It might be worth looking into.

The massage was nice, but I couldn't let my mind go.... packing for the weekend, and would Eddie remember to pick up the girl from preschool were two big topics on my mind. The therapist was really nice, and we had a lot in common with our kids. So we talked a lot. She said I was supposed to be relaxing, and I told her anywhere I am that my kids are NOT, I am relaxing.

Next was lunch, in a small but elegantly decorated room. Tiff joined me, and they brought food in from our favorite restaurant. We had a good, kid-free visit and ate at a beautifully set table, in our bathrobes. During this time is when I began to feel odd about having so much done for me. I am not used to being on the receiving end of such pampering, and it made me a little uncomfortable.

After lunch Tiff got her massage, and I went for the facial. I have the misfortune of being a 35-year-old with the skin of a chocolate-eating 15-year-old. The esthetician went after my poor skin with great vigor, and it was pretty uncomfortable. But once we got that over with, she massaged my neck, shoulders, and arms, and did a paraffin dip on my hands and feet. I asked her if she could make me look better with facials on a regular basis. She said yes, but did not give me the hard sell act.

When we were done, I came out to find that Eddie had stopped by and paid for everything already. It was so nice, and quite rare, for him to arrange something special for me and take care of everything. I enjoyed the day, but don't think I am the type to crave 4-hour spa trips all the time. I do think I will try and get some more facials, as time and money allow. If I can't get the medical massage, I might get some 35-minute "mini" massage on my neck, back, and shoulders.

After all of this, we rushed around to get the kids from school, pack, and head to the condo. It was fun, but not relaxing with so many kids in a small space. Next time we definitely need to take more for the kids to do during downtime. My son made it a point to pester and bug his buddy when he was bored with watching tv. But yesterday, we had a coupld of hours in the pool and everybody did great. The boy got more confident on the slide, and even learned to go down the big slide without his arm floats. So now he is lobbying to get one at our house.

A Small Update

We made the pilgrimage to the condo, after a very kid-noisy ride, complete with bodily function noises from the son and his buddy, and some roughhousing. We unloaded and headed to Landry's. It was a fine meal, besides the five trips to the bathroom with the girl and the hour wait for our food. Now we are back in the room, one kid is sleeping, and the others are watching a movie. My belly is full of shrimp gumbo and ONE chocolate chip cookie, and I can barely stay awake to write more.

Off to the condo

We're spending the weekend in Galveston and taking some friends with us. We'll have kids ages 2,3,6, and 8 in a 2 bedroom high rise. Wish us luck.

Today, for the first time ever, I spent three hours in a spa getting the works... massage, lunch, facial, more massage. It was nice, and made me feel some unexpected emotions. But more to come later. I have to go pack for the weekend now.