Update on a busy life

Well I broke down this morning. Not in a jittery-I-need-a-fix kind of way, but in an I’ve-got-it-all-under-control kind of way. Of course I’m referring to my addiction to playing Spider Solitaire on my laptop.

I haven’t played since the day I posted my declaration (of cutting myself off the stupid game) but this morning I was listening to an MP3 recording of a self-development coach speak on self-esteem issues (for a magazine article I’m working on) and thought, “I can’t just sit here and listen. I have to DO something!”

Well guess what that something turned out to be. Yup, a nice, complementary game of solitaire.

And while I was listening and playing (since I am woman and can multi-task), I realized how busy I’ve been and how I’ve let so much good stuff go by without writing about it. So here’s the “Reader’s Digest” version of what’s been going on in a chronologically backwards listing . . .

Yesterday – appointment at the neurologist’s office

Some of you don’t know this but I have epilepsy. I’m not perfect after all. A shock, I KNOW. But true. Okay now that we’re over the initial shock, I’ll give you a little background on the pain-in-the-wazo this epilepsy thing has been.

A few years ago, while sitting at my desk at work, I had a seizure and ended up in the hospital. I didn’t need to go to the hospital but after slamming my body into a filing cabinet and then lying on the ground like a dead spider, my colleagues panicked (understandably since if I remember correctly, I hadn’t told anyone I was, well, epileptic).

The doctor who saw me – who looked 12! – decided that it was his duty to report me to that department within the government that dictates whether or not you should be driving.

The story is much longer than this but to cut it short, I lost my driver’s license for an entire year. Twelve months of absolute HELL!

Lucky for me, I’m surrounded by great people and they helped me out: getting to and from work, picking up my kids from school, shopping . . . You know, the important stuff.

Well that nightmare is over and I’ve since:

1. NOT had any more seizures (yayyy!)
2. Gotten my driver’s license back (double yayy!!!)

And here’s the triple yayyy – Yesterday my neuro told me that since it’s been a few years, I can go off the meds. Like I said, there’s more to it than this but here you have the highlights in a peanut shell of why yesterday was a great day.

Saturday, June 26^th – Jonathan’s birthday

I still can’t believe he’s 12 years old. And with being 12 comes added responsibility, right? At least that was the argument when he told me he wanted a turtle for his birthday.

My first reaction was, “No frickin’ way! Like I don’t have enough to do in a day!” And that’s a good counter argument, right?

Well I broke down. I bought him not one – but TWO turtles. Why? Because they had two left at the pet shop (as if turtles are “pets”!) and I didn’t have the heart to separate them.

I haven’t yet had the urge to shoot myself in the head (although useless, they ARE cute) but I know it will come. It will be a day when I have 17 other things to do and Jonathan will come to me and say, “mommy, we need to clean the turtle tank because there are OTHER things living in there now.”

Yes, it will come.

Tuesday, June 22^nd – Jonathan’s graduation

Not only is he 12, but he’s going to high school next year! And to celebrate, his elementary school had a graduation ceremony with certificates and food and even a “dance” where the parents had to leave for two hours.

Now I realize that all kids mature at different stages but Jonathan is definitely NOT into dances yet, much less into girls! How do I know this? When I picked him up from school the day of the graduation he told me that a girl had asked him out. Like as in “to be his date”. (Now if you see him, DON’T mention it. He was totally embarrassed when he told me.)

“But mommy” – yes, he still calls me mommy – “we’re just FRIENDS. I said ‘yes’ because I didn’t want to hurt her feelings.” (Sweet yes, but he’s a BOY. That won’t last.)

Then when I picked him up after the dance at 9:45 p.m. he told him he was bored. And that his “friend” wanted to smooth dance with him but he had said no.

(See. I told you the sweetness wouldn’t last.)

Saturday, June 12^th – Samantha’s birthday

Sammie’s birthday is actually on the 13^th but we had a pool party at her father’s on the Saturday. Convenience and all that. The party ended in a sleep-over at my house with two of her friends.

Samantha is my baby so her turning 11 is like WOW! How did THAT happen?!

Even though she’s younger than Jonathan, she’s so much more . . . “mature” than he is.

The word “delightful” is not a regular part of my vocabulary but I have to say that the evening of Samantha’s pajama party was delightful. No problems what-so-ever. Her only request was that I make pancakes for breakfast.

Now how easy is that?!