There's this hill between Rudolf Steiner College and Sacramento Waldorf School. And it's a bitch to walk. Many of my classes are "down the hill" at the school. Last summer when I tried to walk up the hill between the two, I ended up panting like a dog, with my heart pounding in my chest like it was going to be a baby alien, and me reaching for my inhaler. And that was after I stopped a couple of times to catch my breath.

I decided I wasn't going to let that hill get me down this year. See, after that experience, I drove back and forth between the two for the rest of the summer. I decided, this year, I was going to walk like a normal human being. At the beginning of the year I changed my workout at the gym. I crank up that treadmill to the highest angle it will do and I walk. Slowly, but I walk steadily up that damn thing.

Currently, I'm attending a Teaching Conference at the College. As usual, we are using some of the space at the School down the hill. I figured out that after lunch, everything I was scheduled to do was at the College. I parked my car at the College this morning and walked down the hill. Go me. I went through the morning and then joined the exodus of people walking up the hill to lunch. I didn't try to keep up with people, but I steadily and slowly walked up that damn hill, the whole way, without stopping to catch my breath. I got all the way back up to the College...and I was only slightly out of breath Two or three deep breaths put me in the right.

Go me!

Nine loads today. Would have been eight, but Magic the cat decided to crap on my bed. Thank goodness she decided to do so on the top blanket only. (It's payback for shutting her in the bedroom. Which was done on accident.)

Four children asleep. Two feverish and coughing badly. Gray is having problems breathing again, so I got out the albuterol from 2 weeks ago and gave him a couple of puffs and put him to bed. I think I am very glad I have tomorrow off. I really don't think Ike is going to school tomorrow. He sounds awful. Damn shame too, as there's only four day of school left. (Holy Crap! When the hell did the end of the school year sneak up on me like that???) And he has a LOT of work left to do! Technically, there's only 3 days of school in which to do work. Graduation and party is most of day Friday.

Oh. And I have a job interview/family contract negotiation scheduled for the afternoon of June 9 at school. Still not sure which job I am applying for, but I'm hoping to have a full time job at the children's school for the next academic year. It will just make life that much more insane. =)

Which is where Kaiser sends you when you need to be seen, but you don't need the ER.

I'm inside the house getting ready to go to the gym. Gwen comes in screaming (and man, oh man, is she screaming a LOT lately)
"Gray fell down!!!!!"

I shrug...he falls a lot and generally gets right up. I start to get up and I hear him come inside crying. I pick him up and give him love. He tells me "I hurt my head!" I give love and cuddles and feel his head gently. And find a nice sized goose egg on the back of his head. Ouch! I get an ice bag, put ice and water in it, put it on the back of his head and take him to the chair to nurse. Eventually figure out he was attempting to climb a tree in the backyard ("'cause its there!") and fell down and hit that little lip at the bottom of the fence.

He falls asleep. Normally, after falling this would have bothered me. But! 1. It was nap time and 2. he roused easily. Especially when I tried to put him down before he was done nursing! Not a happy camper, let me tell you!

After he passes out I grab the phone and call Kaiser's Advice nurse. Goodness knows, I've been through the wake 'em up every 2 hours routine enough, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything. Get the nurse on the phone and she has me wake him up. It takes a bit, 'cause he's a heavy sleeper and didn't take any more time than normal. Blah, blah, blah...vomiting=bad, call if we need help, keep close eye on him for 48 hours...fine. No biggie. Got it. And I hang up.

Gray is awake, but wants more comfort. So I nurse him some more. 20 minutes later he comes up for air. There's blood on my arm. uh-oh. I check the back of his head...ewww...big oozing cut on the lump. The ice bag must of kept it from bleeding before. Call the nurse back...cut seems big enough to be looked at and an appointment is made at the MIC. Let the kids watch a movie as I change (don't want to go to Kaiser in my gym clothes.) pile all four kids into the car and head out.

Doctor cleans cut, determines that sutures are needed. Applies a topical anesthetic to the cut (has me hold it to the cut with a glove on my hand...'cause its powerful enough to cause me to lose feeling in my fingers...where the hell was this stuff when I was a kid????!!!) Wait 15-20 minutes with a squirming Gray on my lap, trying to keep all 4 of them entertained. Doctor comes back in, staple gun in hand. Staple gun? Cool! Elli and Gwen flee in terror. Ike stays to watch. I hold Gray on my lap, face planted between my boobs, nurse holds his head still, I hold his hands still. He fusses with the Betadine. The Doctor takes up the gun and...Click, Click..........click. Done. No tears, no flinching. Fastest sutures I've ever seen...even faster than the liquid ones.

We go home. Gray's head is tender, but bouncy for the rest of the evening. He complains of a headache and Joe brings kids tylenol home. (I don't have any in the house...I hate that toxic shit. But I can't give him Ibuprofen...its an NSAID like asprin...it thins the blood and prevents clotting. Which is why you can't take it before surgery. Never knew that. New tidbit of info to file away.)

Could of been a lot worse! But thankful it wasn't.

Finally got news from the orthopedist. Possible Miniscus tear. And I can take off the stupid immobilizer! Yes! She still recommends rest, a cortisone shot (if needed) and a supportive knee brace (if needed). I am so happy! My knee is free!!! No more gimpy!!!

So this afternoon we went to the Caledonian Club's Highland Games. Big win for me??? Getting to see and listen to Tempest. Been loving that band for almost 20 years (scary that).

When I was in the process of buying their 20 year anniversary CD Elli comes over and hands me a tooth. She yanked out her first loose tooth! And it wasn't the one that's been bugging her. (The lower middle two have been loose for about a week and the one on her right was bugging her...but the one she handed me was the left one) So everyone in hearing (not that many, the band is loud) clapped and congratulated her.

Getting ready for bed tonight, I asked if she wanted me to try yanking the other tooth out. (Which I've been doing once every couple of days for the last week.) She did, so I grabbed a kleenex and yanked it out of her mouth!

So Elli got her Losing First Tooth Ceremony with two teeth in the Tooth Fairy box! How cool is that?

LifeWays: Done!!! Although I do not have my certificate. It will come in the mail. After class yesterday (with Suzanne Down no less) we went out to dinner to celebrate. This has been an amazing soul-feeding experience for me. And in these last few months, I've felt it isn't nearly enough. I feel like I've been given an appetizer to Waldorf Education and there is a whole lot more out there for me to experience....

Which led me to the idea of...

Teacher Training: For the last few months, I've been considering taking Waldorf Teacher Training. Considering it to the point that I have the application forms filled out and ready to mail. Its a grueling 3 year program. Every Friday night and every Saturday morning in El Sobrante for the Academic Year. Plus a four week-five full day Summer intensive. I feel a great need to do this program. I can't not imagine not doing it. That being said. Wow. That's kinda intense and bat-shit insane when you have four kids 8 and under and live 70 miles and a probable 2 hour commute away. Oh, and lets not forget the cost. Comes in around $8K a year. Which, now that I think about it is cheaper than the kids tuition.

Speaking of kids tuition....

Homeschooling: Not going forward with it. To be brutally honest. Ain't nobody happy. Except maybe Gray...'cause he's such a happy and mellow kid. But I have to say it needed to happen. Ike really needed these last two years to settle down some and come more into his own. I think he's ready for a classroom. But there is no way in hell I'd ever put him in a public school classroom. So, we have officially enrolled the big three kids at Njeri's Morning Glory, a small waldorf school. We've gotten a tuition adjustment (thank goodness!) And I've gotten a soft job offer for a new program at the school....

which leads to....

More schooling for me. I'm currently enrolled at UCSC Extension taking Early Childhood Education classes. What a mickey mouse class. I can't stand it! And its not the information I can't handle, the information is good stuff, and its actually a well written text book. Its the bullshit, waste of time, really learn nothing except regurgitation assignments. Bleh!!! I'm back to playing a game that I got tired of in Junior High School. But I can play it (and play it well) for the 24 units I need (to create the program Njeri is envisioning) and the 35 for the certificate. (Figure what the hell? If I have to take 24 I might as well take a few more classes and get the damn certificate...may come in handy someday. It is tax deductible after all.). I just hope later classes are better and less worshipping at the Grand Altar of Bullshit. That is the one thing I really valued this LifeWays year...the assignments stretched me! So for now, I'll sit in the back row and knit my way through my classes.

But where does that put Teacher Training?

On the back burner for at least one academic year. I can't do both. And to be honest, it gives me another year to improve my health, let the kids get bigger (let the girls get off my etheric, so I only have one child using that connection instead of 3.) and hopefully settle into our new rhythm of almost everyone in school.

Whew! Been busy!

In the last year I read amongst the various Homeschooling Magazines that there was a family from Germany who came to the US and were seeking asylum because they were Homeschoolers and its illegal in Germany. This family homeschools based on religious beliefs, that the schools are too secular, teach immoral values, etc, etc. So they were essentially claiming religious prosecution if they returned.

I've been waiting to hear the outcome of the case, as have most other homeschoolers. I am VERY amused that I first read the result in Playboy...and yes the family have been granted asylum.

I love Playboy. Such an awesome magazine.

And successfully released outside.

I took the kids to KidsPark for a couple of hours so I could run some errands without distraction. Then I had to run back home because I realized I left the house without my cell phone. Whoops! When I walked in the front door, there was that poor lizard, lying on the floor in front of the front door. He just sat there and looked sad. He didn't even try to get away when I picked him up. He was missing the tip of his tail and the stump was covered in dust bunnies. He seemed happy to be released into the front garden and scurried away from me pretty quickly.

Yea! No dessicated lizard bodies to discover some day!

Why do men get all the cool ways to spell relief?

Not fair I tell you.

Masturbation could bring hay fever relief for men (Originally seen on Dodson and Ross)

 

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Baby born in Bay Area with 12 Functioning Fingers, 12 toes.

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Now considering the discussion that occurred a few weeks back, I'm definitely hoping that they leave him alone and I want to smack the Doctor for saying "I would be tempted..." I'm like, "Dude!. Not your baby, they are functional...leave him alone!"