Not a fabulous start to the summer

I broke my toe yesterday. Or rather, Sam did, since he knocked the stool over that landed on my toe. It's the big one, and I swear to god that it hurt as bad as my post c-section morphine pump not working pain for the first two hours or so. Being my big toe and since it hurt so fucking badly, I made the manwhore come home and drive me to the ER for an X-Ray. Mostly I was concerned that it might have been crushed or something horrible. But no, just a tiny fracture in the bone at the end of my toe.

Tiny, uh? I swear, I never, ever want myself or anyone I love to experience a real broken bone, because I don't think I could handle it. I was sobbing over a broken toe, so I can't imagine what I would do with a real broken bone.

But anyway, they gave me a dose of lortab and sent me on my way. It took it nearly two hours before I noticed a difference in the level of pain, although I was definitely sleepy. So, I conked out for a few hours and woke up to an only sore toe. Much better.

This morning is it mostly just sore and I'm just taking advil as needed. But, I doubt I could get my riding boots on for a few days, at least, so no riding for me this week. Damn it.

The last day of school

Today is the last official day of school. I say official because they haven't actually had class since last Thur. Fri was their little graduation ceremony and we checked them out when it was over, then they were out for Memorial Day and yesterday was a teacher workday. Which brings us to today. It is only a 2 hr day, and they don't even have to be there that long. We'll go pick up report cards and leave. Why in the hell some idjit in the administration set it up this way is beyond me. The girls are still sleeping and I hate to have to wake them up just to go get report cards.

Graduations in BFE Alabam

I shouldn't be surprised, not really. But I was. Stupid me, right? Anyway, oldest nephew graduated from my alma mater last night. Yeah him and all that jazz.

But I pretty much twitched through the entire ceremony because of all the praising Jesus and Bible verses that were quoted. The way this high school does things is to have all of the speeches done by the top ten honor students.

They started with a prayer, and the girl that said the prayer was preaching, praising Jesus, saying "I love you, Jesus!" and really just being over the top with it.

After that, there were 9 other speeches (or maybe only 8, I think one of the honor students sand the National Anthem), and of those at least half, if not three fourths of them quoted Bible verses, preached a little sermon or told their class mates to go out in the world and be good little Christians.

Really, it was quite annoying. I know good and damn well that I cannot possibly be the only heathen/non Christian that was sitting in the audience. Even BFE Alabama is part of the global community these days and personally, I think the students should be encouraged to remember that fact. Instead of a prayer, they could have a general sort of blessing, or a fucking moment of silence to contemplate the abyss the graduates are about to fall into. The other speakers could be encourage to look somewhere besides the Bible for inspirational quotes.

But, they won't be, because no one cares that there is likely a handful of people who think differently. In fact, they probably hope that all the praying and Jesus loving will cause us heathens to see the light and turn out lives mindlessly over to Jesus like they have. Or to be hypocritical fakes like they are.

I'm thinking seriously about writing a letter to the principal, but I doubt it would do any good. After all, every bit of the Jesus loving was done by students, which makes it all nice and legal. Annoying, but legal.

Talk about giving me a swelled head

Yesterday the manwhore went across the street to help our neighbor move some furniture around and he took the kids with him since I was having lunch with an old friend. When I got back, he told me that the neighbor said our kids are so well behaved that we should teach a parenting class. *falls on floor laughing*

Now I agree my kids are very well behaved, but does that really qualify one to teach other people how to parent these days? That seems a sad commentary on the abilities of people to parent their children these days. Although, now that I think about it, the best parenting books I've read have been written by other parents, not just some random expert. It just so happens that they were parents who were also an expert in pediatrics or counseling or something related to children.

Cute kid and noisy roofers

The Samster "graduated" from his preschool class on Thurs. They do a little program with the little kids where each class gets up and sings some songs. It is cute as hell and usually pretty funny. This year, the 1-2 yr old class only had 3 kids in it, and one didn't make the program. So, two terrified 1 or 2 yr olds had to stand there while we all listened to their teacher sing. lol

Sam's class was next and they did better. Some of them actually sang, including Sam, and I think they all did all the little hand motions and stuff.

The next class had the star of the morning, though. I think she is also 3. Apparently this little girl had an itch on her leg, or really needed to potty. She had on a skirt and started off pulling it up enough to scratch her leg, then it just kept going higher and higher until the parents were about to fall out of their seats laughing. I was trying not to laugh and ended up laughing so hard I had tears. Poor little girl. Someday her parents are going to humiliate her with that video.

At the end of the school year, the teachers give the parents a little book of photos they've taken of your kid throughout the year. The manwhore and I were looking through it and it was so obvious that Sam was having trouble seeing what back in the fall. Both of us pretty much went WTF? why did it take so long to notice? But, he has his glasses now, so no harm done, except to the mommy guilt-o-meter.


As a side note, my roofers are here. Bright and early on a Sat morning, no less. It sounds like a herd of elephants is up there. And they haven't even started putting the new roof up, they're just getting started taking the old one off. Whee.

We've been stimulated!

Yay us! And it was more than we were expecting. We were anticipating 300x5. Instead we got 600x2 for the manwhore and I and 300x3 for the kids. Whoo hoo! I'm not sure why, but hey, I'm not complaining!

Also, our new roof is sitting on pallets in my front yard. It was delivered yesterday and who knows how long it will be before they come and tear the old one off and put the new one on. Hopefully not long, because every time the wind blows, more of our roof blows off.

You know what's weird?

My writing thus far has been Harlequin-esque type short contempories. Well, I have that one historical that was the first manuscript I finished, but even it is rather short for a single title at only 75,000 words. So, anyway, I'm finding myself thinking of Harlequin when I think of selling my books. Could be it's only because we were supposed to have an editor from Harlequin at our retreat (see former posts for the details) and now I've just got Harlequin on the brain.

But here's the kicker. I don't really love Harlequin books. Some of them have been enjoyable and some are definitely better than others, but I don't love them. What I love are the big, fat historicals, or the longer, slightly suspenseful contemporaries, a la La Nora.

Now I realize that Nora Roberts didn't start out with the spine tingling, read them 20 times and not be bored novels that she writes today. I've been reading some of her early stuff and some of it is trite and full of predictable plot lines and punishing kisses and forced seductions. (Some of that is likely just a product of the fact that's what romance publishers wanted in the early '80s. She started with Harlequin, I believe.) Still, she was a topnotch writer even then. She's just gotten better at her plot lines. Less of the innocent young woman and jaded older man type stuff. More strong, carries a big Bitch Stick heroines and heroes that like the big Bitch Stick.



So, I remind myself that while I may not love Harlequin novels, I am still honing my craft and I have to start somewhere. And if I do manage to sell something to them, I'm not chained to them for the rest of my life. I can work on writing the big, fat historicals full of Lords and Ladies, innocent virgins and pirates, and what not.

My days of freedom are numbered

School is quickly drawing to a close and summer is almost upon us. Sam only has one more day of preschool and the girls only have two weeks of school left. I can't believe this year has flown by so quickly.

I'm both looking forward to and dreading summer. I'm ready for the drudgery of the school routine to be over with. If we want to go swim on a Tue, we'll be able to. If we need to go shopping, we won't have to worry about an 8PM bedtime.

But, I know that boredom will strike. The house will be a mess. They will eat us out of house and home.

My current plan is to make them do some "school work" most mornings. Practice reading, spelling their names, etc. Not much, just a little. And then several days a week we will go swim or to the water park, walk to the park when it's not too hot, have picnics. Basically try to keep them busy, and me from going insane.

I'm sure summer will be over before I know it, and I'll be relieved for them all to go back to school. But right now, I'm looking forward to having them all under foot during the day.

GOOOOAAAAAALLLLLL!!!!!!!

Have I mentioned that Em is playing soccer again? This is her third season playing (El didn't want to play this time). So my 10 weeks premature, needed a vent, minor brain damage, gross motor skills delay, 8 months of PT child is captain of her soccer team, the star player because of her get out there and try attitude. Amazing isn't it?

And, after 2 1/2 seasons of soccer, she scored her first goal yesterday! *little sob* Of course we forgot the damned camera or video camera, but the look of total disbelief, wait did I actually score, OMG I SCORED A GOAL that went across her face was priceless and I'll never forget it.


Honestly, soccer has been the best thing for her, and really you can't even tell anymore that this is the child whose idea of running was a speed walk just two years ago. She hangs right there with the other girls, her feet flying up behind her just like all the other kids. And, she's learning balance and building stamina that is carrying over to other activities as well.

I am so fucking proud of her I could bust!

Oh, and I have to add, that El was just as excited as we were to see her sister finally score a goal. And she didn't make any the two seasons she played soccer, either.

So, I've actually been riding

Tues I actually rode Reno before his catastrophe. He's looking much better today, too. We even saw him trotting some, and he's nickering like he usually does, so he's feeling better.

Anyway, I rode him for about 15 minutes on Tues, and oh boy were my legs ever sore yesterday. They still are today, but we got Sunny (the newest horse) out and started Parelli work with him and then I rode him. A says I did really well for not having ridden in coughmumble20yearscoughmumble. Sonny's owner has messed her knee up and is having surgery tomorrow, so she can't ride and has asked that he be ridden, so I'm happy to oblige. She's a bit new to horses, too, I think, and said he can't be ridden with a hackamore (no bit) and I was riding him just fine with one today. lol

I'm like a kid in a candy shop though, I want more, more, more! When can I ride again? lol