Wow, it totally slipped by me that yesterday was Thursday. Which means I am once again overdue for the T^4.

Terrific thing one!
Yesterday morning while running errands, I took. my. time. It seems that so many things need done quickly, or on a timetable, or simply have to be pushed along before the kids get cranky. Getting to do simple things like grocery shopping by myself is a luxury, especially when there is no rush.

Terrific thing two!
Max declared that Khai, Josh and I are his very best friends in the entire world. The kid knows how to melt my heart (and does it regularly). He has also determined that he has five guardian angels because he is five years old, and that angels are the same as invisible friends. They are good souls who want to help us and be our friends. When I asked him where he heard that, he said he “just mostly made it up.”

Terrific thing three!
Josh’s back is slowly getting better, thanks in part to the physical therapist and chiropractor he has been seeing. We talked yesterday about ways to help him continue with strengthening exercises, mostly in context of what will work specifically in his life (i.e. what he will keep up with!). He wants to lose 40 or 50lbs, and while I know the work falls on him, I’ll help in every way I can. I’m hopeful that this will all result in a healthier husband who can get really, really old with me! In the meantime, it’s so good to see him moving around a bit easier.

One other thing– not from Thursday, but terrific nonetheless: A Craigslist Wedding. Such a great story… it makes me love the internet even more. Oh, and it’s worth your click for the accordian rendition of Fatboy Slim’s Praise You. For real!

Now I am off to clean the bathrooms, shower and go to yoga class. Not all at the same time, mind you.

Life has been busy as usual here in das kleine verrückte Haus. Last week I was so very sick, but this week I can breathe and move without pain, so I’m much happier.

This last weekend I saw all three of my sisters– the one I was born with and then the other two that I got as super extra bonus prize sisters. On Friday, Rachel came to visit after work so I fed her brownies in hopes she might come back again. You know, I hear if you feed them they will stay. My sister-in-law Chris came to town on Saturday so we could go see The Polyphonic Spree at the Granada Theater* in Lower Greenville. On our way there, my car’s tire decided to de-tread itself while we were driving down I-35 at 70mph. That was fun. Fortunately, there were not a lot of cars around us and we were able to pull to the side of the road without further drama. I’m glad for cell phones and glad that my kids were not with me at the time. After a furious round of phone calls and much Google-fu on my dear husband’s part, my other sister-in-law, Jenn, swooped down to save the day. No, seriously, superhero style and all. She not only came out to meet us on the highway, but offered to wait for the tow truck in my car so that we could take her vehicle and make it to the concert on time. Which we did. I mean, really, above and beyond does not even describe how far Jenn goes for us, and I appreciate her so much!

Chris and I very much enjoyed the concert– really, I have never before experienced anything like that. There were nearly 30 people on stage– strings, horns, a harp, drums, guitars, keyboards, a flutist, a choir. I got chills multiple times. It was awesome. I highly recommend seeing the Spree live if you ever have the chance. I also recommend getting a SIL like Jenn to save your butt in times of desperation, because man, does she take care of business!

*I used to frequent the Granada waaaay back in 1999-2000 (you know, when I had a social life) for the best midnight movies anywhere– The Shining, Dr. Strangelove, etc… along with hamburgers and beer. Ah, memories. I had not been there since, and it seems that now they are purely a live music venue. Weird. But it worked. I would go again.

The T^4 is going to be quick today because I’m TIRED!

1) Max finished up science camp today and absolutely loved it. I think he’d probably live there if I’d let him.

2) I just got back from a coffee meeting with some wonderful women. Adult conversation! Good conversation, no less!

3) This has been a crazy week, but man, have I been productive. So many things are getting marked off of my to-do list, and that’s a great feeling.

Love & hugs to you all, my friends!

Happy birthday, dear Katie! May your, um, 23rd year be beautiful.

Many thanks to all who offered advice on my… whatever that is on my neck. Khai’s pediatrician said it doesn’t look infectious and reminds her of poison ivy. She recommended Benadryl cream and said to call my doctor if it wasn’t looking better within a week or so. In looking at pictures of poison ivy (which I’ve never had the pleasure of encountering before, to my knowledge), it doesn’t seem quite right. These bumps have not filled with fluid nor oozed anything. Yet. I’ve exercised extreme willpower in not scratching them until I bleed. So… the saga drags onward.

Happy things:

505 Chile, based in Albuquerque, makes the best organic green chile sauce. I found some at Sprouts and bought it because it is gluten-free and completely safe for me to eat… a rarity! It’s soooo tasty. Good enough to eat every morning for two-plus weeks with eggs on a corn tortilla… Mmm!

Barnes & Noble has a Summer Reading Program for kids– after reading eight books and writing about their favorite parts, they earn a free book. Max is really excited and has already got three books on his list.

And now, dear internets, HELP ME!

What the hell is this thing on my neck? It started as a little red spot that itched; I assumed it was a bug bite. Then it burned and itched and was painful and was suddenly multiplying. It didn’t grow any today, so hopefully that’s a good sign. The skin surrounding it is VERY tender and it feels like my lymph nodes in the area are swollen. Khai has a well-child visit tomorrow, so I’m going to ask his doctor if I should see my doctor about it. Any ideas what this could be? I will totally bake you cookies if you can make it go away.

If it weren’t for Eiwe’s Three Terrific Things Thursday, I’m not sure I’d ever hammer out a post these days. There is all this stuff in my life, and it happens every day and there is so much of the stuff that I’m too tired to type out all of the super-exciting details. Really, I should just commit to writing more because if nothing else, frequent writing has traditionally kept me feeling a teensy bit more sane. And we could all use just a little more sanity, yes?

So! On with the good stuff!

1) Today was Khai’s last day of science camp; he has been going for a few hours a day since Monday. He got to show us around the place today and explain some of the things he has been doing… it was so cute to see how proud he was!

2) Since it was Khai’s last day of camp, Max asked to have a coffee date with me. He decided to invite Dad, too, so we picked Josh up and headed off to Starbucks. Fruit and water for Max, coffee for Josh and me– it was fun.

3) Gluten-free chocolate chip cookies! They were from a mix, and were actually good. Now that’s terrific.