As I sit here typing, I am very aware of how strange my nose feels right now. Or rather, how it doesn't feel, because it's numb but only on one side.
I had a skin cancer removed from the left side of the bridge of my nose this afternoon at 5pm. It is now 7:40 and it's still numb. It's the weirdest feeling because it's sort of itchy but if I scratch it, the itch doesn't go away because I can't feel myself scratching.
Luckily the doctor doesn't think it's anything serious but it was bigger than he expected so we'll just have to wait and see. He's sent a sample off for testing but he won't have the results until early next week. One of those hurry up and wait situations that we all love so much.
Putting on the rose-coloured glasses now.. it'll all be fine!
(Public service announcement: Please make sure to get any lumps and bumps on your skin checked out regularly.)
Wednesday 26 March 2008
Tuesday 25 March 2008
Things I'd forgotten ...
... how sore my feet get after standing most of the day. (I'm helping out by doing a particular job at work which involves standing most of the day. I also get to open lots of boxes and tell the computer what's in them all. Sounds fun right??)
... how much I enjoy early morning cuddles and tickles with the boys. (Until someone starts kicking, then it's everybody out!)
... that when your body tells you you're actually hungry, you better eat now or feel really sick for the rest of the day. (fairly self-explanatory but I missed lunch)
... that I enjoy talking to people who are 1) grown-ups and 2) aware enough to get some of my more obscure comments.
... that while I sometimes don't like being the one in charge, I love being a mother. Specifically, mother to my boys.
... I can fix things that go wrong with my car. Like the absolutely dead battery in my car this morning when I was already running late for work. Jumper leads and a spare battery anyone?
... it's OK to say no and not give a reason. "No. I'm not able to do that." "No. I won't be attending." "No, thank you. I really don't want any more."
... just moving more can change your mood.
What have you recently remembered about yourself? Leave me a comment and let me know or post a link to your own blog in the comments section.
Oh, one more from me ...
... I really need at least 8 hours of sleep per night.
So on that note, good night and sweet dreams.
... how much I enjoy early morning cuddles and tickles with the boys. (Until someone starts kicking, then it's everybody out!)
... that when your body tells you you're actually hungry, you better eat now or feel really sick for the rest of the day. (fairly self-explanatory but I missed lunch)
... that I enjoy talking to people who are 1) grown-ups and 2) aware enough to get some of my more obscure comments.
... that while I sometimes don't like being the one in charge, I love being a mother. Specifically, mother to my boys.
... I can fix things that go wrong with my car. Like the absolutely dead battery in my car this morning when I was already running late for work. Jumper leads and a spare battery anyone?
... it's OK to say no and not give a reason. "No. I'm not able to do that." "No. I won't be attending." "No, thank you. I really don't want any more."
... just moving more can change your mood.
What have you recently remembered about yourself? Leave me a comment and let me know or post a link to your own blog in the comments section.
Oh, one more from me ...
... I really need at least 8 hours of sleep per night.
So on that note, good night and sweet dreams.
Monday 24 March 2008
Laughter
I really think there is nothing like hearing a child's laughter to make things seem better.
I'm sitting here this morning listening to my three boys giggling away at some silly TV show. There's no fighting or yelling or "Muuuuum" ... just giggling.
I really do love my boys. I should probably remind myself of that a bit more.
ETA: Less than five minutes later: I shouldn't have blogged about it .. it really was tempting fate! Now I have two out of three in tears and the third is defiantly refusing to go to his room for time-out. At least there's no blood .. this time! The joys of life with children, especially with boys.
I'm sitting here this morning listening to my three boys giggling away at some silly TV show. There's no fighting or yelling or "Muuuuum" ... just giggling.
I really do love my boys. I should probably remind myself of that a bit more.
ETA: Less than five minutes later: I shouldn't have blogged about it .. it really was tempting fate! Now I have two out of three in tears and the third is defiantly refusing to go to his room for time-out. At least there's no blood .. this time! The joys of life with children, especially with boys.
Sunday 23 March 2008
Easter and my Dad
I had often wondered how the date of Easter was worked out and knew it had something to do with the lunar cycles, so I finally googled it and found this:
Prior to A.D. 325, Easter was variously celebrated on different days of the week, including Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. In that year, the Council of Nicaea was convened by emperor Constantine. It issued the Easter Rule which states that Easter shall be celebrated on the first Sunday that occurs after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox. However, a caveat must be introduced here. The "full moon" in the rule is the ecclesiastical full moon, which is defined as the fourteenth day of a tabular lunation, where day 1 corresponds to the ecclesiastical New Moon. It does not always occur on the same date as the astronomical full moon. The ecclesiastical "vernal equinox" is always on March 21. Therefore, Easter must be celebrated on a Sunday between the dates of March 22 and April 25. (http://wilstar.com/holidays/easter.htm)
So now you all know too .. if you didn't already!
My dad always told me that in the northern hemisphere, specifically England, the vernal equinox is regarded as the first day of spring. He said he had only ever remembered that fact from school because the 21st of March just happened to be his birthday!
Speaking of my dad, last Friday would have been his 62nd birthday. I still can't believe that it's been almost 8 years since he died. He was a really wonderful human being and an even better father. I have so much to thank him for and continue to do so, even though he's not physically here with me. He was always there for us, not necessarily in the way we wanted (grounded for life rings a few bells), but now that I'm a parent myself, I can understand almost everything he went through. I am so grateful he chose Mum and I to spend his life with and that he gave me my little sister who is so like him at times, it's scary.
I know he wasn't perfect .. no-one ever is .. but everything he did came from love and wanting to help us grow to make the right decisions for ourselves. He certainly didn't agree with some of them, but he was able to admit when he was wrong and we were right. Not straight away mind you .. it often took a while, but it would happen. In those cases when we were wrong and he was right, I don't think I ever heard him say "I told you so" or "it serves you right". He would just be there on the sidelines waiting to help if we wanted or needed him to.
I really miss just talking to him. We could talk about almost anything. I am very much like him in that I can converse on just about any topic without appearing a fool, but he had the whole thing down pat. He could walk into any room and fit right in, whether it was high society or blue collar. I always admired him for that and his ability to put people at ease.
I'm not 100% sure in what I believe happens to us after we die, but I like to think that wherever he's ended up, be it heaven or as sub-atomic particles floating in the ether, that he's watching over us and that he's proud of himself and the example he set us.
I miss you so much Dad and so do your boys. Love you.
Prior to A.D. 325, Easter was variously celebrated on different days of the week, including Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. In that year, the Council of Nicaea was convened by emperor Constantine. It issued the Easter Rule which states that Easter shall be celebrated on the first Sunday that occurs after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox. However, a caveat must be introduced here. The "full moon" in the rule is the ecclesiastical full moon, which is defined as the fourteenth day of a tabular lunation, where day 1 corresponds to the ecclesiastical New Moon. It does not always occur on the same date as the astronomical full moon. The ecclesiastical "vernal equinox" is always on March 21. Therefore, Easter must be celebrated on a Sunday between the dates of March 22 and April 25. (http://wilstar.com/holidays/easter.htm)
So now you all know too .. if you didn't already!
My dad always told me that in the northern hemisphere, specifically England, the vernal equinox is regarded as the first day of spring. He said he had only ever remembered that fact from school because the 21st of March just happened to be his birthday!
Speaking of my dad, last Friday would have been his 62nd birthday. I still can't believe that it's been almost 8 years since he died. He was a really wonderful human being and an even better father. I have so much to thank him for and continue to do so, even though he's not physically here with me. He was always there for us, not necessarily in the way we wanted (grounded for life rings a few bells), but now that I'm a parent myself, I can understand almost everything he went through. I am so grateful he chose Mum and I to spend his life with and that he gave me my little sister who is so like him at times, it's scary.
I know he wasn't perfect .. no-one ever is .. but everything he did came from love and wanting to help us grow to make the right decisions for ourselves. He certainly didn't agree with some of them, but he was able to admit when he was wrong and we were right. Not straight away mind you .. it often took a while, but it would happen. In those cases when we were wrong and he was right, I don't think I ever heard him say "I told you so" or "it serves you right". He would just be there on the sidelines waiting to help if we wanted or needed him to.
I really miss just talking to him. We could talk about almost anything. I am very much like him in that I can converse on just about any topic without appearing a fool, but he had the whole thing down pat. He could walk into any room and fit right in, whether it was high society or blue collar. I always admired him for that and his ability to put people at ease.
I'm not 100% sure in what I believe happens to us after we die, but I like to think that wherever he's ended up, be it heaven or as sub-atomic particles floating in the ether, that he's watching over us and that he's proud of himself and the example he set us.
I miss you so much Dad and so do your boys. Love you.
Happy Easter
I know Easter for kids is mostly about the chocolate and that, according to them, there is nothing wrong with eating chocolate for breakfast, but I'm having a little bit of an issue with chocolate for breakfast at 4am! Couldn't they at least wait until 6am when I'm sort of awake to deal with the hyperactivity??
One good thing though .. I'm putting Alex's excess energy to good use. He's currently vacuuming the TV room and as soon as he's finished that, he can do his own room. I'm sure I could keep thinking of things for him to do but very soon I have to put him into the very small two door car and traipse all over the countryside visiting relatives.
Once we've visited the in-laws, it's over to my Mum's house. She mentioned something about taking a drive to Rockingham Beach (about an hour's drive) but I have absolutely no desire to be trapped inside a car with three hyped up boys for that long. Hopefully I can talk her into going to the local pools where they can work off some of their boundless energy, before coming home and falling into a deep 12 hour sleep. Hey .. a girl can dream can't she?
One good thing though .. I'm putting Alex's excess energy to good use. He's currently vacuuming the TV room and as soon as he's finished that, he can do his own room. I'm sure I could keep thinking of things for him to do but very soon I have to put him into the very small two door car and traipse all over the countryside visiting relatives.
Once we've visited the in-laws, it's over to my Mum's house. She mentioned something about taking a drive to Rockingham Beach (about an hour's drive) but I have absolutely no desire to be trapped inside a car with three hyped up boys for that long. Hopefully I can talk her into going to the local pools where they can work off some of their boundless energy, before coming home and falling into a deep 12 hour sleep. Hey .. a girl can dream can't she?
Tuesday 18 March 2008
QUIET!!!!
"Mum, can I have some biscuits?"
"Mum, I need my uniform shirt ironed"
"Mum, where's my homework?"
"Mum, he hit me"
"Mum, he started it"
"Mum, I'm still hungry"
"Mum, Mum, Mum, Muuuuummmm, look at me"
That's it! I'm definitely changing my name this time and I'm not telling anyone what the new one is!
Please just be quiet, please, pretty please??
"Mum, I need my uniform shirt ironed"
"Mum, where's my homework?"
"Mum, he hit me"
"Mum, he started it"
"Mum, I'm still hungry"
"Mum, Mum, Mum, Muuuuummmm, look at me"
That's it! I'm definitely changing my name this time and I'm not telling anyone what the new one is!
Please just be quiet, please, pretty please??
Thursday 13 March 2008
Where is the time going?
I can't believe it's been two whole weeks since I blogged anything. Two whole weeks!! Where has this year disappeared to and why is it in such a hurry to get there?
The last two weeks have been rather .. um .. interesting. I was feeling very uninspired and sloth-like over the long weekend (March 1-3) and had managed to have a very quiet one until Monday morning. Then I got a phone call from Peter telling me his brother, Mark, had been rushed to hospital at Southern Cross (about 150kms from the minesite where they work) with major abdominal pain. Mark was then airlifted to Perth via Royal Flying Doctor Service on Monday morning. The doctors did some tests but couldn't figure out what was causing the pain so they decided to operate at 12 noon. They found about a metre of his small intestine had died and was rotting inside him. Poor guy was cut from chest to groin, put into an induced coma and onto a ventilator in ICU. He was taken off the ventilator on Wednesday afternoon and moved up to a normal ward on Friday. He's now well on the way to recovery but will still have to take it easy for another month or two.
I went over to the hospital and sat with Bec (Mark's wife) while he was being operated on. Another friend (Kirsty) turned up as well so the three of us sat and chatted in the coffee shop at the hospital. When I thought back on those five hours later, I realised how scared Bec must have been, yet she still managed to put that aside and have a normal conversation and even a few laughs.
Isn't it amazing how strong we women can be? When faced with all manner of problems, we put our "faces" on and keep going. Why do we do that though? I think we have to let go of the need to preserve the face for the world and instead, show it how it really is. Not all the time of course, or the world (as our families know it) would come to a screeching halt while we dealt with everything. But to just sometimes give ourselves permission to not be everything to everyone, to not always be the strong one, the happy one, the one with all the answers.
Because, let's face it .. none of us have all the answers.
The last two weeks have been rather .. um .. interesting. I was feeling very uninspired and sloth-like over the long weekend (March 1-3) and had managed to have a very quiet one until Monday morning. Then I got a phone call from Peter telling me his brother, Mark, had been rushed to hospital at Southern Cross (about 150kms from the minesite where they work) with major abdominal pain. Mark was then airlifted to Perth via Royal Flying Doctor Service on Monday morning. The doctors did some tests but couldn't figure out what was causing the pain so they decided to operate at 12 noon. They found about a metre of his small intestine had died and was rotting inside him. Poor guy was cut from chest to groin, put into an induced coma and onto a ventilator in ICU. He was taken off the ventilator on Wednesday afternoon and moved up to a normal ward on Friday. He's now well on the way to recovery but will still have to take it easy for another month or two.
I went over to the hospital and sat with Bec (Mark's wife) while he was being operated on. Another friend (Kirsty) turned up as well so the three of us sat and chatted in the coffee shop at the hospital. When I thought back on those five hours later, I realised how scared Bec must have been, yet she still managed to put that aside and have a normal conversation and even a few laughs.
Isn't it amazing how strong we women can be? When faced with all manner of problems, we put our "faces" on and keep going. Why do we do that though? I think we have to let go of the need to preserve the face for the world and instead, show it how it really is. Not all the time of course, or the world (as our families know it) would come to a screeching halt while we dealt with everything. But to just sometimes give ourselves permission to not be everything to everyone, to not always be the strong one, the happy one, the one with all the answers.
Because, let's face it .. none of us have all the answers.
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