I'm beginning to realize that for us that stay home with the kiddos all summer, the days run together so much that it is hard to tell a week day from a week end, let alone a three day weekend. I have to constantly look at my calendar and count days to make sure I know what day of the week or even month it is. This weekend, because the official holiday is on a Sunday, it has my sense of time all messed up. There are celebrations going on tomorrow, Sunday, and then many people get Monday off, just because. Yep, if I was a full-timer, I would be partying hard core. Since I'm not, I'm just thankful to have an extra day where I can pawn the kiddos of on DH every now and then.
As I suspected, things haven't gone completely as planned, but then again, my plans were pretty loose to begin with. The rain has been here pretty steadily all week. Normally the rain doesn't give me much pause. It is, after all, just water that happens to be falling out of the sky. Here in TX we don't usually have to deal with it for very long stretches at all. Storms whip through this part of the country pretty quickly. Most of us don't own rain boots, or even raincoats. We just wait until the worst of the storm passes and run between the drops.
This storm has been pretty bad, though. There have been reports of tornadoes and flash flooding that can sweep cars, trucks, pets, and people away. My cargo is too precious to take that kind of risk. The only time they have been out of the house was to go to the library on Wednesday. Yesterday they got to play outside for about 30 minutes, but I think it only made the cabin fever worse. Today, I really wanted to visit some Farmers Markets, let the kids run at the park, maybe get to swim (finally.) No such luck. The only thing I was able to do was take them to a certain red and white spotted logo store to use the gift cards they got for their birthdays.
Don't get me wrong, shopping of any kind is fun, and when you don't have to spend your own money to do it, it is even better. Besides that, I love hanging around this particular store. They have a really nice deli/snack bar thing ($2 popcorn and a drink and $3 organic mac and cheese!) and the store is always clean and nice. I have fallen in love with their dollar spot, too. It never fails to amaze me what they manage to come up with that I never knew I needed! The kids love to be able to pick out one or two things that they can afford with their tooth fairy money. I love stocking up on hand towels, tote bags, water bottles, seasonal socks, note pads, hair bands, and a thousand other cool things (who even knew they made extend-able marshmallow roasting forks?) It can be a little dangerous because a dollar here and there can add up, but it is always fun anyway.
What I loved most was seeing how each of the girls decided to spend their money. They all have such different personalities and their spending (or saving) habits really reflect this. LH is an impulse spender of little bitty silly things. She will spend $10 on ten $1 things, most of which won't last the day. She tries to save her money, but it won't last long if she sees a pack of gum or some collectors cards that she wants. TD likes to spend her money more carefully, but she still spreads it out. She will pick out one or two things that she wants, but usually at least one of them is something she will share with her sisters. EG has a difficult time spending money at all. She is the best "saver" in the family and when she finally decides to spend, it is always with the utmost care and after a lengthy debate to make sure it has been spent "wisely."
So, after two hours spent browsing, LH came out with a little throw pillow for her bed, a water mister, a pack of cards for her collection, a bag of fruit chew snacks, and a jumbo sized stick of beef jerky. TD debated back and forth for a long time but finally decided on a new Barbie (because after all, 50 isn't nearly enough, is it?) more of the beef jerky (that she split with EG) and some cotton candy (that she shared with everyone.) EG had more money than anyone because she decided to add her tooth fairy money to her gift card so she was able to get a whole set of Polly clothes with a new Polly (I think they are going for a solid 100 of these things.) Of course, I can't pass up the chance to hit a clearance rack or two, so I found a few things for myself and a thing or two for DH, as well.
At this point, I was more than wiped out for the day and I decided that I was not going to do a single thing until I could get some relief from the aching that has set in to my knees. The rain causes every joint in my body to get stiff, swell up, and ache like they never want to quit. I feel like such a grouchy old hag sitting around, "My bursitis is acting up again! Oh my aching back! Get me an ice pack, will you dear? Where are my pain pills?"
I don't even want to get into the ordeal that I have gone through the past few days trying to actually GET the pain pills. Okay, maybe I do, because I am just so frustrated about it. I hate sounding like a junkie and being a nuisance to the doctor's office and the pharmacy. Seriously, though, it took THREE DAYS to get the prescription filled. The doctor kept saying they had approved it, the pharmacy kept saying they hadn't heard from the doctor's office, and I was out of meds completely for more than two days. It took something like eight calls to get them to figure things out. I hate to admit it, but I was starting to get panicky thinking I was going to have to be without relief for another three days. Again, I hate sounding all, "I need the drugs!" but when there is a certain level of pain relief that you have come to expect, and now you are having to deal with the full force of the pain, it's not a good place to be. I have said it before, and I still believe that the medical staff seriously underestimates the amount of pain I have to deal with on a daily basis. The roller coaster of pain and relief is just exhausting.
Being without pain meds for the last few days was a strong reminder that I AM still sick and I DO have limitations. For the last two days I haven't wanted to do much more than lie down and whimper. I did push through and attempt to be a normal human, but I was just not capable of what I normally should be. My energy level is pretty much shot because I am fighting against the pain all the time, and of course I get grouchy and irritable. Once I was able to get the prescription filled this afternoon, I was feeling much more like myself. I used to think that the pain meds gave me a bit of an energy boost. They really don't. They simply keep me from having to waste what energy I do have on fighting through the aching and stiffness. Now, that I have been able to get a few doses in my system and I am feeling much more myself. I am glad I am able to take such a small dose that I can get relief without any loopiness or ill side effects.
In any case, that is my stream of consciousness for the day. On the whole it has been a good day. Tomorrow we get to have some fun and maybe see some fireworks. I am going to skip out on the parade this year and let DH take the girls instead. I think we will all enjoy the day more if I am not forced to bake in the sun and watch the same 85 classic cars pass that are in the parade every year. Besides, they will be able to enjoy the floats and candy being thrown at them without me fussing all over them. I think we will even be skipping the live concert in the evening. The traffic is such a horrendous mess and sitting right under the fireworks is so loud that I have a feeling we won't miss out by not being there. I might look for another spot to take the kids to watch them from afar and have a late night picnic. There will be more tomorrow night as well, I am sure.
Happy Three Day Weekend to all of you not working this holiday. And to those of you on call (like DH) here's hoping you have a moderate amount of OT for as little as possible work!
Debbie "The Patriot" Lollar
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