Even the Stuntman Gets Hurt Sometimes
March 18, 2009
Oh yes, he does do all his own stunts.
Yesterday we were at baseball practice. In the center of the four fields for the younger teams there is a climbing structure. It goes high up in the air and all the little kids climb and slide all over it. It keeps them happily occupied for hours of baseball.
Miles climbed up to the top and JUMPED off. On purpose. I didn’t see the jump. I only heard the blood curdling scream. Then silence. I looked over and saw his face contorted into the silent scream. You know the one that means they really are hurt and not able to catch their breath. As I ran over he got up and tried to walk. As soon as he put weight on his left foot he collapsed.
It didn’t look like it was obviously broken. Which to my untrained eye means that it wasn’t twisted around backwards or hanging limply from his ankle. So I figured we would see what happened after practice was over. He screamed and cried for awhile and then settled down with his head resting on my lap.
On the way home he fell asleep in the van. I carried him inside and put him on the couch. When I couldn’t wake him up to eat dinner I carried him upstairs to bed. I figured we would know by morning if his foot felt better or needed some medical attention.
He woke up this morning and crawled out of his room, calling to me from the top of the stairs. “My foot hurts, you know!”
Off we went to the ER. Three x rays and $150 co-pay later he has a bad bruise. Or as the doctors like to say, a hematoma. I think they just call it that to make it sound more serious, so you don’t feel bad about bringing your kid to the ER and spending $150 for a bruise.
Posted by Chris @
2:00 pm |
Day Who the Hell Remembers Anymore
March 17, 2009
“So what’s the weather like?”
“Pretty hot today, yours?”
“Good.”
Long pause.
“I guess we have run out of things to talk about.”
“Might as well just hang up now.”
I should have added not to worry that from what I have heard it is going to be so blistering hot here in the summer, I will once again be able to complain bitterly about the weather. But for right now, the weather is glorious.
Today I bought my daughter a jump rope. I went grocery shopping at Target, which means that whatever savings there are on groceries are eaten up by buying things like jump ropes, scooters, and the most adorable sundress ever. That is one of the good things about living in the suburbs. Whatever store you desire, it is nearby.
Living in a neighborhood has been an adjustment. So many houses. And people. When we first pulled into the subdivision my 13 yr old son said, “How will we ever find our way home again? All the houses look exactly the same.” That was when I pointed out that all the houses have numbers on them. Unlike where we used to live where not everyone had a number on their house, or at least not a visible number. Telling someone to look for the big off-white house with the circular driveway was specific enough.
Today we got home from baseball practice and a huge group of kids ran up to the van asking my 8 and 9 yr old sons if they could play. They love living in a neighborhood for this reason. Though my 8 yr old complains that he misses our back yard and trees. I miss them too. Along with the privacy.
Maybe if a group of housewives came running up to my van when I pulled in, cocktails in their hands, I would love it as much as my boys.
Posted by Chris @
9:10 pm |
Friends
March 16, 2009
We spent the entire weekend laughing, mostly about things that would not seem funny to anyone else. Or possibly even us had we been sober.
Last year when we were in San Francisco, Susan and I ate at the exact same restaurant every single day, often more than once a day. For no other reason than we are are creatures of habit, or some might say boring. In keeping with this tradition we went and ate at Whole Foods three times in two days.
Today we went in disguise.
Tommorrow I will be bringing them to the airport. I will miss them.
Walking around town wearing a fake mustache alone just is not as much fun.
Posted by Chris @
12:20 am |
The Internet Visits
March 13, 2009
Yes, we are huddled in front of the fake gas fireplace because it was just that cold last night.
Yes, those are cocktails in our hands.
Yes, one of us required a hand full of tylenol this morning. I’ll give you a hint. That person’s name does not begin with a C.
Now we are heading out with my sassy daughter to get manicures. My life is so hard.
Posted by Chris @
12:12 pm |
Here, There, Everywhere
March 12, 2009
I turned the heat on this morning in my house. 65 degrees in my house would have seemed positively balmy in CT in March. Only a few weeks of living here and I am turning into a soft wuss.
As soon as I finish this I am getting ready to pick Susan up at the airport. My daughter is especially excited because we are going to go get manicures.
The other day I was talking to Susan on the phone and my daughter was being particularly annoying in the background. Susan told me to tell her that she was being sassy. I did. My daughter responded, “Tell Susan I said to shut up.” Yup, she is sassy alright.
I think Susan is a little frightened to come here. Her children are so polite and go to bed at 7:00 at night. My children border on feral. The other night I texted her at 10:30pm to see what she was doing. Going to bed, was her reply. I texted her back that we had just finished eating dinner. Yes, all of us.
At BlogHer I ask for ideas on what topics or bloggers you would like to see featured.
Also, our latest show is up where we talk about education.
Over at Mommypoints, I wrote about:
Toys I remember playing with. Back in the good old days when we made our own fun. Out of twigs and rocks. And we liked it!
Turns out money can’t buy you love or happiness.
And why in the world do we have to give our kids a junk food reward for playing Little League? yes, I have become one of those mothers.
Over at Work It, Mom! a chicken pot pie recipe for the lazy!
Posted by Chris @
10:34 am |
Simple Pleasures
March 11, 2009
Don’t you wish that as an adult you could be made happy so easily? That a little painted thing on your cheek could turn a dreary, rainy day right around?
They have been asking me to paint their faces for awhile. And I keep finding excuses not to do it. My knee jerk reaction is to say no. Why do I do that, I wonder.
But then today I got over myself and realized that it really isn’t that a big of deal. There is no reason to say no. I can surely take a break from my bon-bon eating to paint their cheeks. Also, I had a lot of daylight to kill today. Isn’t it bedtime yet? Or tomorrow? No?
And then I see these faces and realize that I have been missing out too. The smiles and laughter are contagious.
It almost makes me want to paint something on my own cheeks. Maybe tomorrow when I pick Susan up from the airport.
Posted by Chris @
5:22 pm |
Toto, We Aren’t In New England Anymore
March 10, 2009
Me to Her: Do you think that it means they mandate nightly cocktails and wasting time working on the internet?
Her: And shopping at JCrew?
Me: It does say for people just like us…
Posted by Chris @
2:01 pm |
Conversation
March 9, 2009
“The spinklers are on for the first time since we moved here. The kids are outside, fascinated. Poor sheltered children.”
“You didn’t have a sprinkler system in CT?”
“Uh, no. No one I know had one.”
“That is weird.”
“We had this thing called rain instead.”
“Oh, I have heard of that.”
Posted by Chris @
9:48 am |
I Think This Is A Baseball Blog Now
March 8, 2009
“I want to play there!” he said.
He dreams big.
*****
It was team photo day today.
So damn cute I could hardly stand it. I didn’t get any photos of the other boys (What boys? Do I have any other children?) because parents were not supposed to go into the stadium with the teams. But when it came to the 4yr old and under team, not one of those kids was walking into the stadium without their parent.
So very unlike the 14 yr old team who try their hardest to act like they do not have parents at all.
*****
The face that keeps the local liquor store in business.
Oh wait, here is a photo of my 8 yr old. He had a rough day. His team uniform has white pants, which he thinks are stupid. “The stupidest stupid pants of all the stupid pants that there are in the whole world.” Yes, that is an exact quote. I can’t make this stuff up.
I assured him that the white pants did not make his ass look big, but that didn’t make him happy.
Getting him to wear the pants today was as much fun as banging my head repeatedly against a brick wall. First the pants were too big, “I look like Aladdin!” he cried.
Then he ripped a hole in the pants trying to tear the tag out, so I had to sew it. Though my sewing stuff is packed in a box somewhere in my garage. So I had to use one of those tiny hotel emergency sewing kits. And I only had pink thread.
The the socks were too long, “They are like girl tights!”
The belt was also stupid.
The amount of carrying on about these things was unbelievable. For a half hour he ranted and raved and rolled on the floor crying, only getting up to slam random doors as hard as he could.
Then as quickly as the storm rolls in, it rolls back out. And this cute smiling boy is left behind. Having no idea why the rest of us look so battered and worn out. And in need of a strong drink.
Posted by Chris @
8:37 pm |
