graduate

"I'm a big boy; I went to Big Boy School!"  He says this, laughing, while standing naked in the tub, refusing to get out until "the tornado" is finished.  (His cast is still on, therefore he's limited to the tub, not shower.) I've bought him his own facial soap and a deodorant stick of his own.  He cannot wait to use them.  I was waiting until their bathroom was finished before I gave him more things which would fill it.  He thinks post-bath is a.good time.

The fifth grade went on a field trip titled "Growing Up, Boy"-- or rather, some of them went to it and some went to "Growing Up, Girl."  We had to sign the permission slip for them to attend, but it assured us, more than once that they would not teach about reproduction.  I'm pleased that Pook thought this was as funny as I did.  Really, what was the point?  But he's already aware of all the data, if not perhaps the emotional aspects of it all.  So, the day of the field trip I reminded him to "learn something!" and asked him after school if he'd learned anything new.  His response?  "I'm going to grow hair here (crotch), here (armpits), here (face), and here (chest) and I might lose it here (head)!"

Well, ok.

already?

It seems to be October. Very October even.  Where has the time gone?

The temperature has improved.  No heat on yet; windows open sometimes but sometimes too chilly at night.  We've even had a few drops of rain.  Not much, but enough to provide me with bad hair and the plants with a little relief.  I put in pansies and filled in gaps with some mums just before the rain Monday.  I also bought a new gardenia to replace the one by the dining room that died over a year ago.  I think I need CD to dig the hole however.


I reported on my bum shoulder ages ago.  I had the Lidocaine injection and it was important to doctors that injecting all the way (ow!) into the joint helped so much when injecting near it had not.  They knew the problem was inside, not any type of tear of the rotator cuff.  I continued PT for what felt, by calendar and by wallet, to be forever.  Nothing good happened.  I was asked to make another appointment and this time they said that due to the lack of improvement, they were blaming the problem more on the arthritis.  The "early onset" arthritis.  (I should insist that this phrase always be used when describing me!)  The doctor explained about a lubricating "motor oil" type of injection that might help, but also explained that not much could be done and that I needed to space out the few treatment options over the next fifty years.  What he did not mention until I went back in, thinking I was getting the first of the "motor oil" shots (but was not) was that the FDA has not approved this shot for a shoulder, only a knee, and that they are not covered by insurance.  Oh.  Several thousand per shot, thank you very much, goodbye.

So, I'm on my own.  PT doesn't work, so I'm out.  Doctors have dismissed me.  I'm trying to get back to exercising, but I can't do many of my former activities.  I can't raise my arm above my head anymore, and some days I can't lift much at all- even pressing the soap pump hurt yesterday.  My yoga teacher is a saint, and is helping me come up with alternative activities if I can't do the one she's leading.  The good part (the silver lining!) is that I've been forbidden to do anything with shoulder compression.  Ever.  So, no pushups, ever. Ever.  (The gym class me is so terribly excited that she is jumping up and down in her navy and white pinstriped polyester one piece snap over the shoulder gym suit.)  I mean, can you think of anything better than a Get Out of Push Ups Free Card?  The negative part of this is that I also can't dig in the dirt very well.


In comparison, Pook's elbow is healing well.  He had weekly x-rays for three weeks to be sure it was all in alignment.  Had it not been perfectly straight they'd have gone in surgically to insert pins.  Fortunately it is dong well and the cast will come off in two more weeks.  This is good because it is filthy and disgusting.  And he misses baseball and covering his ears when his brother annoys him.


I do not yet have "After" photos for the kids' bathroom. There is a good reason for this, not just that I have not taken them.  It is that there is not yet any "after" because it is still "during."  What is it with projects like this? Our contractor started out with full eight hour days, then it trickled down to four hours, then he skipped a day, then two, then came back for an hour one day....  We still owe him a four digit check, so I would expect he'd want to finish.  I am hoping this will be the last week.  The drywall dust is still coating every surface of the house and it is begging to be cleaned.  The bathroom is looking good; I'm eager to share the photos.  Soon.


Did I mention the job?  I'm still "floating" although I've spent most of my time in two rooms, so I'm getting to know the kids and teachers in those rooms pretty well.  They've done five screenings on kids who need services, but none have signed up yet.  It'll happen eventually.  I did get my first paycheck. The first one in ten years.  It came in the mail the same day that the water heater broke.  Guess which sum was more?

So, a summary today.  I need to keep up to date here better!  Maybe I'll have the bathroom pictures to post later this week.

choices

This is what happens when you let seven and ten year olds go to the paint department alone to pick a paint color for their new bathroom:

The 13" tile for the floor is on the bottom (on top of a distracting random throw rug). The (broken piece of) white 6" tile will be on the walls with the patterned piece along the room at about four feet.  The granite is for the vanity top. I don't have a sample of the cabinetry, but the color was called "honey spice"  and is made of maple. 

Our master bathroom has the same floor, wood color and granite, and we painted it turquoise and used some turquoise glass tiles as accent.  I wanted a beach/ water and sand feeling in there.  Since there is so little paint in the small kids bathroom-- just around the door, above the towel bars and around the medicine cabinets-- I'm letting the kids pick.  Personally, I'm ready to veto the yellow, purple and kelly greens, but could go for any of the others probably.  The rest of the room is so neutral (on my insistence) that anything would work.  My thought is that paint is (1) cheap and (2) easily changed.

Anyone have opinions?

repeat

The cast is blue this time too.

There is a "closed fracture of the supracondylar humerus." In English, this means that he broke his left arm in the top bone somewhere right at the elbow. He was simply running around on the church playground and fell.

They didn't offer a water safe cast, so we've got to struggle through showers again. He hates all the attention but I think he's most upset that baseball is over for the season. Maybe the coach will make him a ball/bat boy at games.

demolition

There are sledgehammers upstairs in the bathroom.  This is a good thing!

Our upstairs guest/kids bathroom has never been renovated.  The Harvest Gold sink and tile chosen in 1970 are still there.  The ugliness of it didn't escape me, but it was functional, if tiny..  We tried our best to ignore it.  We bathed babies in the tub.  We put up a 12x12 mirrored tile so they could see their little faces above the sink (and below the Big Box woodishlikeproduct vanity).

When guests used the bathroom we were reminded of the problems with it.  When we replaced all the windows in the house we put obscuring glass in the shower's window, understanding that guests felt uncomfortable standing naked in front of a window, even if promised that no neighbors were in viewing distance.  (Yes, there is a window in the shower.)  We added a second Big Box woodishlikeproduct cabinet to add storage space above the toilet.  We replaced the toilet.  (No, the boys still never close it.) Then we lived with it for several more years.

We were aware that there was a leak by the window, but we seldom had guests who needed the shower much.  Our kids were young and took baths.  As they got older and became more independent in the tub and when brushing teeth, I spent less time in the space and was more able to ignore the need for renovation.

When Pook gave up the tub for the shower, we somewhat reluctantly let him use our bathroom.  We'd renovated it already (avocado green, three shades) and while I had wanted to take my baths far away from Spiderman and his ilk, it was very handy to have the boys bathing at the same time, one in each bathroom.  Pook moved in.  Then Bug decided he was ready to give up baths for showers.  Four washcloths lined up on the towel bar.  And so it has continued for the past year or more.

But! Today there is a contractor upstairs beating the heck out of my house.  I don't see the kitchen ceiling crumbling, so I'll trust that the mess is contained.  We've used this contractor (and his brother) several times, so we're comfortable with their style and process.

Here are Before photos to enjoy.

The kids' bathroom, as seen from the hall, toilet open.

Isn't the Harvest Gold lovely?

The rotten part of the sill. We'll see how deep the damage goes.

The old light fixture above the vanity and the wallpaper.