Manic Monday

Well, huh. I was doing so well at the beginning of the month with getting regular blog posts up, but then shit kind of hit the fan for a little while there. A few busy days led into a busy weekend which led into sickness, medical procedures, and then a trip to Virginia to see my dad. So here are some tidbits from the last two weeks:

* My kids both had the stomach flu. It hit them on the same day, which was both a blessing and a curse. I think this actually deserves its own blog post, so I’ll have to sit down and write that sometime this week. It was crazy, you guys. The circumstances surrounding it… oh my gosh. It’s something that I don’t think we will ever forget. But we are so very over sickness in our house for this year. We have been hit hard and often and I’m ready to be done with it, please.

* I had to have a D&C last Monday to remove an endometrial polyp (sometimes also called a uterine polyp). It was discovered back in early March by my gynecologist. I went for my regular exam and as part of that, she asked a lot of questions about my period. After I told her how heavy they have been, and that I have had a lot of breakthrough bleeding/spotting in between, she sent me for an ultrasound to check on things. I got a phone call a day later that they had found a 2 cm polyp, which is kind of big. They are benign growths 99% of the time, so I didn’t have much to worry about. The procedure to remove it was scheduled for April 20th so it was like a 6-week wait to get it taken care of. But I went in last week and it was an uneventful outpatient procedure, so I’m thankful for that. And then I got a call on Friday saying that the polyp was indeed benign. That’s a relief.

* We are working on a mini garage makeover. Replacing the fire door that leads into the house, patching big holes in the wall, painting the walls (seems crazy to really care what the garage walls look like, but ours are very dirty and beat up!), getting some new storage. It’s slow-going since the garage is not exactly a high priority item, plus the weather has been bipolar so it’s hard to get the motivation to go spend a few hours in the garage when temps are only in the 40s. Add in the sickness, D&C, and travel and there hasn’t been much time, either!

* I have been SHOPPING. Clothes shopping. I don’t like shopping for clothes (for me, anyway, I could shop for the girls all day long), really, so it’s quite a chore for me. But my wardrobe needs a major makeover so I have been working on it. I’ve been to the mall twice in the last two weeks which is CRAZY TALK for me. Haha! I usually avoid the mall at all costs. I’ve found some good stuff, though. Now I just need the weather to warm up enough to wear it! And I probably need to make another trip or two. *sigh* I wish I had a stylist! Shopping is hard.

* Thanks for all of your comments on my summer vacation planning post. We looked into several areas but I think we have it narrowed down to Michigan. And then we have narrowed it down to a couple of areas/rentals we found in Michigan, and we just need to make a decision and go with it. Hopefully we’ll be booking something this week.

* Essential oils. I’m still using them and loving them. My friends and I did a webinar/Facebook event last month about cleaning with essential oils. I never had the chance to post about it here in advance of the webinar, but if you’re interested — let me know and I can get you a link to the recorded broadcast. ‘Tis the season for spring cleaning, after all! I need to do another post about how I’ve been using them because I’ve discovered new favorite uses as well. And so many wonderful diffuser combinations, too.

* Vivienne is a beast right now. So much whining, crying, many temper tantrums. I think we have officially entered “the age of many challenges,” a.k.a. the terrible twos. I remember with Nora that 18 months to 2.5 years was definitely the hardest. They have a greater desire to assert their own independence, yet they aren’t actually big enough/skilled enough to do much on their own, AND they don’t communicate well. Recipe for disaster stress, if you ask me. She’s also SUPER cute and funny, which are God-given traits to toddlers so that us parents will keep them around for the long haul.

* Huge amounts of sadness and anger over last week’s Grey’s Anatomy. Yes, I still watch. I’ve watched from the very first episode 10+ years ago, and I just can’t quit. I won’t say anything more in the body of this post as I don’t want people to get pissed off at me for spoilers or anything, but I’m not guaranteeing the comments so if you don’t wanna know, BE CAREFUL IN THE COMMENTS. That’s all. But *sob* and booooooooooooo. OK, now I’m really done.

* In matters of REAL LIFE (versus Shondaland), the coverage of the earthquake in Nepal has been sobering. Many thoughts and prayers to everyone affected. The Mount Everest piece has been especially of interest to me only because one of my former bosses was a mountain climber. He has actually been atop the seven summits—the highest peaks on all seven continents. When I was still working for him, he did a lunchtime presentation one day about his climbing adventures and Everest was a huge part of that story. He also wrote a book, which I’ve read, so I know at least a little bit more than a lot of people do about climbing Everest. So when they talk about people being stuck at Camp 4, or the increased treachery of the ice fall, I can remember all of that and understand what it means. The dangers are numerous. Such a sad situation for everyone and I hope the people who survived—both on Everest and elsewhere—are able to get the help they need.

* Nora brought home an invitation she made for a Mother’s Day luncheon at her preschool. It’s so cute and thoughtful (of the teachers) that I almost cried. Plus, seeing my little girl’s handiwork and handwriting is always heartbreakingly adorable. I can’t wait to go and spend that special time with her.

Alright, I’ve rambled on long enough for tonight. More to come. I’m not giving up on the ol’ blog just yet. :)