Carly Simon Was Right...I am So Vain

Do you remember that song by Carly Simon called "You're So Vain"?  I am way to young to have ever heard it in the car on the radio, but I know a little about the story and have a huge pet peeve with this song and the writer/singer. Apparently it was incredibly popular and even had a huge auction where some person paid a bajillion dollars to have dinner with Carly and find out who it was that was so vain. Really? Someone paid money for this? To find out who was so vain and why they probably think this song is about that person? And isn't that song really about that vain person? There's no "it's probably about you", it really is about you, and being vain, you would think so even if it wasn't. I hate it.
But it has been going through my mind all day, because it perfectly describes me right now. I am so vain.
I went to the doctor's office today to have a 3 month check-up on my foot. He poked, prodded, we took x-rays, and I asked some questions. Then I got in the car and cried because I am a vain person.
My foot will never be cute (okay, so it really wasn't all that cute before, but you know what I mean) and straight like it was before. I have good motion in my toes, no aches or lingering pain from the accident, my toenail is growing in and looks wonderful, but all I can focus on is how I now have a crooked big toe and a small toe with a kink in it. Silly, silly, vain girl.
The scar on the top of my foot is getting smaller all the time, and is a light pink instead of the dark purple it was just a few weeks ago. It will probably fade away almost entirely, but I am not focusing on that. I am thinking about how I have a scar on the top of my foot and how it will totally out-ugly any cute strappy shoes I might have worn this Spring and Summer. Vain, vain, vain.
I no longer have any restrictions on my foot, and can do anything I normally would as long as it doesn't cause pain. Unfortunately, this means I can't wear certain shoes that rub up on my kinked toe, and probably should stay away from cheap flip-flops for a while at least. I feel like I am being relegated to sturdy (read clunky) walking shoes or Crocs. Can you believe how unfair that is? No cute sandals that might slide around while I am wearing them because they don't have any support. No, just Doc Martens and Clark's, so I will look like an out of work school teacher or just a fashion-challenged lady with my grandma shoes. Never mind that they might be incredibly comfortable and offer good all over foot support. Silly, Silly silly.
Now that it's Spring, I feel the urge to have cute and painted toe nails, but feel like I can't because my big toenail is still growing in and look super short and funny right now. Never mind that it is healthy and growing faster than the doctor predicted it would, or that it actually looks better than it did before the accident when it had a weird curve in the top. I am complaining because I can't have cute painted toes, or at least, not cute painted toes that I am comfortable with anyone seeing. Vain, vain, vain.
Not that I have ever done it before, but I had been planning on training for and competing in a 5k this summer. I thought it would be a good way to get in shape, even though I hate running, but now those plans are on hold for at least a year. Toes heal slowly, and there still isn't a whole lot of bone there on the breaks. I get told this every time I go in to see this doctor. "Toes heal slowly", "Toes heal slowly". Ugh.  Silly vain girl.
Well, enough of my silly and vain whinings. I am sure I will be okay with it all tomorrow. Especially if I can kick that stupid Pollyanna girl in the shin and run away (okay, hobble slowly still). And maybe then those big clunky Doc Martens will come in handy for leaving a nice, big bruise for her to be glad about. Now that's some positive thinking.

Sledding the Hill

I was looking on my camera and realized there were a bunch of pictures of sledding on it. They must have been taken while I was in a drug-induced haze after the piano incident. Well, here are a few of them, and while I have no idea who took them, I am glad they did.

Better Late Than Never

Hello to everyone! I find myself in the position of having a lot of time on my hands currently, since I am only allowed to keep my foot elevated and off the ground. Great time to update the blog, right? Here are the first day of school pics. Benjamin's is actually a some time during the first week when we weren't running too far behind in getting him to pm kindergarten. Caleb just felt the need to have a school pic too, and came up to me with his backpack on and ready to go. It was not very fun explaining to him that he doesn't have school, and that he would be taking a nap instead. I know how to disappoint them, all right.

Summer fun 2012

 Here is a pic of Nadia and her best friend CJ, who is a professional barrel racing horse. Nadia got to live the dream of every 10 year old girl and have a horse fall in love with her and take lessons.

 Camping. Yeah, we finally went camping. I think it was less than 24 hours. But the kids loved it. I am also pretty sure that Caleb is right in the middle of saying, "No. I do it." He is a healthy and happy 2 yr old for sure. The other boys couldn't be bothered with cooking anything.  Really boys?

Riding in the back of a truck. What childhood wouldn't be complete without this memory?

Confessions of an Alone (and maybe lonely) Housewife

I cannot believe that summer vacation is almost over.  I have a hard time believing that school will be here in two weeks. But you better believe that I am ready for it.  Oh so very ready.  These moms that say they are sad about school starting? I am pretty sure they are liars.  Like the big fat kind with their pants on fire.  Unless they are only sad about their kids being older which means they (the moms) are older.  That makes me sad, too.  But not spending every waking moment keeping track of everyone, cleaning up messes, there is a reason you have a towel so please use it, that just exhausts me.

Now, don't get me wrong, I like the warmer weather, letting the kids run out with sunscreen and bathing suits, having picnics, blah blah blah.  Maybe I'm a little too uptight, but I hate dealing with the consequences of their summer actions.  Sand belongs outside, not in their pockets or body crevices where it forms into little disgusting mud balls that look like used kitty litter.  And as much as I love flip flops, it really grosses me out to clean up half torn off toenails that were victims of soccer balls.  There is a reason I am not a nurse, don't they know that? 

Is it bad that I am also excited about not having multiple friends over every single day?  No more "Have you flushed and washed your hands?" automatically coming out of my mouth every time I hear a door open or close.  At least it kept most of the solicitor contact to a minimum this year.  Oh, and the joy of having just one snack time a day instead of multiple voices telling me they are hungry. Every half hour. It truly is the little things in life, people.

I am so thankful for fall, when they have to wear full toe covering footwear.  I am thankful for school, so kids that are mine and aren't mine don't run in my house every ten minutes because they are hungry and hot.  I am thankful for school, so same said children will actually be in school for 6 1/2 hours, and can't bug me about what snacks they want.  Or even better, the cooler weather because they actually stay in their clothes and do not get anything (like the tile, carpet, couch, or my pants that I need to be dry because I have a meeting in 10 minutes) wet.  And why do they not get that when it is time to change into dry clothes, that also means underwear?  WHY?  Summer mysteries like this just drive me nuts.

In all fairness to summer, it could just be part of my nature to be a little biased, since my allergies  are at their worst in this season, and because when I try to tan, the best I can do is look yellow. While pastels may be in right now, the jaundiced look is never attractive.  But really, the broken toenail thing is just a deal breaker, too. Blech.

On a different but some what related note, can I tell you I am excited?  I am excited because my family is gone.  They went down to Utah to finish off the cousin swap we had this week.  I cleaned the bathrooms right after they left, and have been grinning and/or humming all afternoon.  Guess why.  Just guess.  THE BATHROOMS WILL STAY CLEAN FOR A FULL 24 HOURS!!!  Can I hear a hallelujah from the other mothers of small boys?

Summer Time Fun Pt. 2

 This is a post that should have happened back when it was warm and sunny, not with a cold front blowing through that threatens to freeze the snot (literally) every time you head outside.  I finally figured out how to get the pics that I have been whining and crying about!  This first one was a summer fave:  The Idaho grandparents bought a slip and slide for the slight incline in their backyard.  This was as close as Mr. C was willing to get to it.

 The other kids had no problems getting closer and enjoying.

And here is that fish pic from the 15 minute "let's see if this little fish pond really is free for kids" expedition.  This is why my oldest son is a fish whisperer.  They didn't bring very much gear, cast his rod 3 times, and he still caught a pretty little trout.  Too bad he and the others won't eat it.  Do you know how silly it makes you feel wrapping it up and putting it in the freezer, knowing you will be the Frozen-trout-thrown-in-the-trash Fairy that night? At least we didn't have to leave any money behind.

The Horrors of Halloween

Huzzah!  The camera has been found!  Pictures are again being taken!  The cord to connect the camera to the computer to transfer the pictures, on the other hand... well, let's just take it one step at a time, and maybe this post is better without pics.  Because it is absolutely frightening and horrible just in story form.  Let me tell you about the month of October...

October started out in a pretty normal fashion.  It had started to cool down, school was in session and everyone was adapting well to the new schedule.  We started thinking about the end of the month, when there would be a birthday, Halloween, and even into November, with plans for Thanksgiving. I should have known better.  Sometimes I really wonder if Karma is one of the ladies on my street who pretends to borrow a cup of sugar and ask how things are going.  When those plans actually involve the future, I think she gets a little mad at me and decides to mess it up.  That, or she is so impressed with my scheduling abilities, that she figures a few curve balls really won't do that much to what has already been planned.  Personally, I think her cable bill was just getting too high, and has been cancelled because America's Got Talent is over and she needs a new reality show (me) to keep from being bored.

We got hit and hit hard with strep, croup, Ben's normal breathing problems, and the 24 hour stomach bug that was actually 72 hours with a little lull of wellness in the middle.  I have never hated a month so much.  Nadia's birthday had to be rescheduled, I missed 2 of my RS pres meeting which made me feel like a total slacker, we couldn't sleep at night because Ben and Caleb were having breathing issues and the dog who sleeps in our bedroom snores at weird times, and my back was already starting to give me grief even before climbing up onto bunk beds and kneeling on hands and knees to clean up messes.  I was tired.  Poor Cliff would have helped more, but he had the Sounds Choir commitments of singing in Salt Lake, doing a fireside, and singing with a friend for a talent show.  He wasn't home most nights till after 10.

Now for the truly scary part of the month...Nadia's almost birthday party, Parent Teacher Conference, and Halloween.  We had handed out the invites, I was a softie and let her invite 2 more friends than we had originally agreed upon, and even had the talk of how you don't tell all of your friends about your party, especially the ones who were not invited.  We cancelled the morning of the party after a visit to the ER to find that Caleb had croup.  Not so fun when you don't have everyone's phone number or address.  As for Parent Teacher Conference, I don't know how we lucked out to get a time when Cliff was actually home from work with no other commitments.  The Halloween Carnival at school was okay, because the oldest 3 were actually able to go.  However, it would have been better if they hadn't brought home 3 goldfish from the games part of the carnival.  I think I am raising a family of Fish Whisperers, because that is the only way to explain all of the fish that have been caught this year.  Too bad you can't get a college scholarship for that. And too bad that they died within a week of us spending $90 to make sure they would last.  That's right, THEY DIED.  Halloween came and it looked as if we would be okay.  But no, we hit the rebound section of the stomach flu at this time, and so all of the candy I bought for the Trunk or Treat is still sitting in the cabinet where I hide everything, and the kids know what and where it is.  

 When the carnage of sickness was finally over, and it seemed as if we would all survive, unlike the germs, I got up to bear my testimony about how Cliff kept telling me I needed to ask for help.  I really didn't feel like it was a good idea to call someone over and let them and possibly their family get sick, especially since I would just need a few days to catch up once everyone was well. I kept thinking I could do everything myself, when what I really needed was some reassurance and comfort.  So I finally asked for the right help, said a prayer and got a blessing, and things looked a lot better, even if I still had to scrub the carpet and wash pillows for the 2nd time that day.  After sacrament meeting, 5 people asked if I needed help with anything, did we want to come over for dinner, spouses were volunteered for work, and I was told several times that I have a lot of friends in the ward, so there is no reason to not ask.  Not why I bore my testimony, but it was nice to hear.