Tuesday, August 5, 2008

I'm Going to Bed

The kids and I went to National Night Out with friends tonight. We were some of the first people to arrive and the last ones to leave. What a fun time! We watched the firefighters and police warm up for the softball game while eating our free hotdogs and chips. Well, some of us ate our hotdogs. Others just "danced" the hotdogs along the dirty bleachers and licked ketchup off them. Still others, just ate the hotdogs, leaving the buns behind. I guess Clay is now on Atkins.

Then we walked around and tried to keep our eyes on 10 kids while they played games and won little prizes. There was a band playing oldies and we enjoyed watching the kids dance around to the music. We also enjoyed one very enthusiastic old man boogie down to the tunes. This guy got into it! There was free ice cream too and everyone enjoyed that. Some of us (a-hem, CHRIS) enjoyed it again and again and again and again.....

The bummer things about tonight are: my heel hurts so bad I could cry, my kids got to bed too late especially since they have to get up early tomorrow, and clearly my kids (and by "my kids", I mean my kids and my friend Jen's kids) are bizarre and unbalanced.

The cool things about tonight are: although my heel hurts, 400 or so readers have diagnosed my problem and I have a doctor's appointment next week. Although my kids have to get up early tomorrow, my mother-in-law is taking my 3 oldest to work at the food pantry all day woohoo! And of course, there's the fact that my kids are weird and bizarre. (Who likes boring anyway?)

The day didn't end on such a wonderful note, however. When we got home, I saw the boys' room covered with toys and games. I yelled at told Jackson to pick them up. Instead of picking them up, I heard him whine, "Why do I have to pick it up? I didn't make the mess! Austin dumped them out on the floor! Clay made most of the mess!" He was so belligerent in his tone of voice that I lost it and informed him, "Fine. I'll pick it up!" I scooped up the mess, threw it in a laundry basket, and dumped it out the back door. I may or may not let him earn them back. I'm so fed up with his talking back.

Then I noticed that Clay had unwound an entire roll of toilet paper all over the bathroom. Why? What goes through their heads when they think of stuff like this? But, the thing that made it particularly absurd is the fact that he'd just pooped and there it sat, unflushed, in the toilet without a scrap of paper in the bowl. "What, you couldn't wipe your butt? Did you not see this huge wad of toilet paper on the floor??? Do you understand the concept or toilet paper? You're supposed to use it to WIPE YOUR BUTT. You don't use it as CARPETING!"

After the toilet paper extravaganza, a picture frame fell off the wall and the glass shattered all over the place.

I'm going to bed.

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37 comments:

Jennifer Foster said...

Dawn,
I hope this is a little encouragement to you...I had never heard of PF and my story was almost identical to yours! I got a kick reading all your comments because all my friends and coworkers kept saying the same thing and it sounded like some foreign word to me-I couldn't even say it for pete's sake. Never heard of it all my life!

But please know with some really good shoes (I bought Avia running shoes-and NO I don't even jog, but they have excellent support), morning stretches and a couple months, it's now completely healed, so don't fret-you too can have PF recovery!

Anonymous said...

Hi Dawn! Welcome back home. Those mosquito bites look pretty nasty :-)

Sure, you got lotsa diagnoses down below for your foot pain - and plantar fasciitis sounds most likely, with heel spur a second - but maybe I can save you a fun trip to your doctor. The treatment for plantar fasciitis is ibuprofen. Yup, that's all the doc's going to give you. Elevate, apply ice packs if swollen, and get good shoes. And take ibuprofen 600 or 800 mg at a time up to 2400 mg in 24 hours. Thassa 'bout all the medication you need.

Hope this helps! Get well soon.
Josh

Anonymous said...

You'll have to let us know how your foot doctor appointment goes! It just might save me a trip to the doctor. Maybe I can just take your doctor's advice and call it good! I'm at least 99% sure that I have the same thing.

Rick said...

More of the old guy dancing! He's got it going on.

I can diagnois why your heels hurt. You're always using them. My heels hurt after I read about all the stuff you guys do.

My butt hurt too after sitting here reading all about.

Shari said...

Dawn: Sounds like you had tons of fun! Yay! On the heel thing: PLEASE do not let it go like I did. It could be plantar fasciitis (fash-ee-eye-tis) and that can lead to a heel spur! Please get it checked out! I just care! That's all!

Darla said...

Whew! :)

MaBunny said...

Wow, sounds like you had a great time, minus your heal. I wish they did stuff like that in my neighborhood but they don't.

Suburban Correspondent said...

I've found that nothing made of glass will break unless you are really busy or really tired. It's odd, but I never learned that in Physics.

Anonymous said...

I LOVE viewing your photos and film clips!!

Sherry said...

Ha, I would have been 401 but saw the other 400 of us had it under control and were steering you in the right direction. I hope your appointment can find you some relief and SOON!

Anonymous said...

Dawn,

What a fun time at National Night! It looks as though you had as much fun as the kids! I love Miss Bobblehead!

I haven't read yesterday's comments about your heel, but for probably the 5 thousandth time, it sounds like heel spurs. I don't think you need surgery. Mine would come and go. Get it checked out, but many times, it will go away with foot exercises and some good orthotics.

Your kids are absolutely precious to watch! Thank you for sharing them. And please remember, there is no bizarre when it comes to kids, especially the gifted ones. Just look at it as great material for book #2!

Enjoy the rest of your time off. You're gonna miss them (NOT) when they go back to school!

God Bless,
stlmom

Amanda said...

We missed National Night Out here due to rain. It just wasn't worth pushing a 1yo in a stroller in a drizzle. The carnival is in town, so I'm sure a couple nights will be spent there this week anyway. The carnival just isn't free.

I'm sorry, but I had to laugh at your toilet paper story. That is so totally something my 7yo would do. I think even now. Definitely a soon as a year ago. I needed that laugh after waking up at 1am to a leaking pipe in our upstairs bathroom floor. Thank you.

Anonymous said...

Dawn, since 600 have already told you what's wrong with your heel, I'm going to guess they said plantar fascitis (possible spelling error here). I have it and the ONLY thing that helps me is wearing decent shoes ALL THE TIME. When you go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, put on sneakers or supportive slippers. And it's worse after rest-once you're up and moving, it seems to get better, then you sit down for 15 minutes and the pain comes back. If it's a heel spur...good luck on that one!! Chris in PA

Anonymous said...

Geeze - your day yesterday sounds like mine except I don't have 6 kids and the 3 I have are all grown and gone but the daily roadblocks and frustrations have never left!

Ok - I'm going to be the 301 person to tell you about your foot. I'm not a dr just a bossy older sister to 5 brothers. I had it and 2 of my brothers had it when we were in our 30s. There really was no internet back then in the dark ages but I researched it and came up with a plan that REALLY worked, I told my brothers and it worked for them and I have since told lots of other people and it always works - that plantar tendon/muscle has a tear in it. When you're up and walking/running around it is stretched out and doesn't hurt. When you sit or lie down for awhile your foot relaxes and the tendon shortens. Then when you get up and start walking on it, it stretches out again and the tear re-opens and you actually are getting internal bleeding in there. Kind of like ripping a scab off over and over again. No wonder it HURTS!!!!!

Putting an orthodic device or pad in your shoe really doesn't work. Shooting cortisone into it really doesn't work. Not going barefoot really doesn't work. Doing surgery on it will work but only because of the cast which keeps it immobile for 3-6 weeks!

What you need to do is get a stiff Ace Bandage or ankle brace or whatever else you can find or rig up that will keep that ankle, that tendon, stretched out 24-7. You need to keep your foot at as close to a right angle to your leg as possible. You need to sleep, eat, LIVE in this thing for at least 3 weeks. You MUST be consistent and wear it always, well, not in the shower of course, but as much of the time as possible, especially when you're sleeping. Not so sexy you say - well, that's ok, you've probably got enough kids for right now anyway!! LOL!! Baby #7 can come later!!

Maybe it sounds stupid but it has worked over&over for an awful lot of people and is much easier, simpler, cheaper and less painful than cortisone shots or surgery and it WORKS!!

Good luck! O - and believe it or not I remember going to Lake Milton all the way back in the 1950s!! My grandparents had a little camper trailer there and we would go spend weekends with them! O how I loved it!!! I learned to swim in that lake!
from Sparkle

oklhdan said...

Does your heel feel like you are stepping on a sharp rock every time you take a step? I had something like that and it turned out to be a planter's wart on my heel. You can't always see them but they hurt! They just burn it and it goes away.

BandK said...

I have one word for you: Margarita. Big, frosty margarita. With Patron tequila. Yeah.

Anonymous said...

Well it sounds like you had interesting night! Hope today is better. You have the most entertaining (for lack of a better word) children!! I'm still in awe of the fact that you can handle that many I'd have a serious drinking problem. LOL!

Valerie said...

You deserve and award for not losing anyone! Glad to hear you are going to the Dr. I now am a believer that everyone should have a podiatrist... not that you'd go much - but when you need one, you got one. I had a hurt foot for weeks - finally went because I was having so much trouble keeping up with my toddler and low and behold my stinkin foot was broken - how, I have no idea. But I'm sure walking on it for weeks in pain didn't help. But yipee - I just got my air cast off yesterday!!! What a way to spend the summer - foot sweating in a big boot.

Amanda said...

Dawn,I think I know what you and I both need. A book called "Have a New Kid by Friday" My best friend is reading it right now, and she i going to start implementing it in a few days, so she just keeps telling her kids, when they give her greif, "Just wait, just you wait. (insert evil laugh here.)"
I am going to order it soon. I am so sick of my kds arguing, back talking, screaming at me, being selfish, etc,etc. So look that up, and see what you think. We'll commiserate.

Amanda said...

I got the link for you..
http://www.amazon.com/Have-New-Kid-Friday-Character/dp/0800719026

Kyddryn said...

Oh, yes, there's always a day like this, isn't there?

When the Evil Genius refuses to pick up his toys, we bag them and he has to earn them back. It works out well enough, although sometimes he cries fit to break my heart. Sigh

Sometimes the only answer is to go to bed and start over the next day. Is Noon too early to do that??

Shade and Sweetwater,
K

Anonymous said...

At least you had fun during the day!

Unknown said...

Let me just say. I love your family. Everyone has their ups & downs. It is nice to hear about how crazy other people live. Or is that how other crazy people live? :) Thanks for sharing your world. -Necky-

Anonymous said...

Hi Dawn, I sometimes feel guilty when I loose my temper with my kids, and think about how I could have handled that better, but we mom's sometimes are too hard on ourselves. Kids need to learn the consequences to their actions. That said, I am glad I had girls, but they are getting into the teen years, and I am getting a litte panicked about that. :-)

Anonymous said...

I had the same problem with my heals! The doctor gave me a couple of shots of cortizone in each heal and now four years later I am still pain free!! My xray of my foot even LOOKED painful at the time!!

Anonymous said...

My pastor was "out of commission" for over three months with a back problem. Our church runs about 15,000. He said over the course of the three months he had roughly 17,000 separate diagnosis.

"I scooped up the mess, threw it in a laundry basket, and dumped it out the back door. I may or may not let him earn them back. I'm so fed up with his talking back." You are SO my kind of mom!

Amelia said...

My 9 year old is a huge back talker, I am hoping it's just a phase!

Anonymous said...

Dawn, There are a couple of things that you can do to help with your heel until you get to the dr. I have had PF since last October ... so bad that I was using a cane to hobble around with. Sit on your sofa and extend your leg out straight and have hubby or one of your kids push your foot back towards your head. You should feel pulling in the muscle from heel to back of knee. Don't let them push more than you can stand it. Also, you can stand about 4 feet from wall, place hands on wall, put one foot forward and one foot back and push the wall. Again you need to feel pulling in that muscle. I sleep with my foot in a boot thing at night and am now wearing sandels again. Good luck and let us know what the doc says.

Katrina said...

But it's so much fun to play with toilet paper - i came home to find all my furniture wrapped in toilet paper one day (the brats - sorry darling litte angels were 3 & 4 at the time) even the couch that their dad was sleeping was wrapped(nice to know he is so attentive to what is going on)then there was the spaghetti bologanaise time that involved covering everything including herself but not actually eating it, the mud time - the whole front porch and front walls of house (do you like our black paint mum??)

Michelle said...

That sounds like a lot of fun! I didn't even realize it was national night out last night. Where was this one held? It totally rocks compared to the one closest to me!

And more dancing guy -- cute as your kids are, I was highly disappointed to not see more of him.

I love the dancing Brooklyn!

Anonymous said...

Hi Dawn!

I laughed so hard when reading the comments on being talked back to so you took the toys and dumped them out on the lawn.

My 5 year old has a severe problem with talking back so I tell her, "If you don't clean your room up, whatever isn't picked up we're giving to the salvation army for kids who can't afford toys and clothes."

I have done it, and it had worked (albeit momentarily).

AND..... the same 5 year old will also leave the toilet ..... full... without wiping or washing her hands after NUMEROUS attempts to get her to do so.

I'm not sure what to do with that.

Maybe a sign? :)

Anonymous said...

I was going to comment yesterday about your heal until I saw all the comments on PF and thought my notion was wrong. Then today one person said what I thought it was - a planter's wart. I had one and it hurt like you know what. Your description of feeling like you stepped on a rock is what made me think that's what is was.

Thanks for introducing Smilebox. I love it. Your pics are so cute.

Meredith said...

Your stories crack me up. My daughter too only eats the hot dog and not the bun or more likely the corn dog minus the breading. Her new thing this week is to take off all her clothes as soon as we walk in the door. She says she's hot and in her defense it is in triple digit heat and high humidity. I'm just glad the second one is still immobile at least until Daddy comes home and we can tag team them.

Anonymous said...

We went to our national night out also. It was in Comeford Park in Marysville, WA. They didn't have any cool wall climbing or jumpy houses but we did have guys that repeled off a water tower and a demonstration of the tazor guns and also a ride on a little train type thing and tons of tables with little freebie give aways. Anyways I should probably not post a commnt after being out all night drinking for my birthday. =)

Anonymous said...

I don't know how far back you look at your comments, but I was wondering if your heel hurts on the bottom or the back of your heel? My problem is with the back of my heel and is now starting in my other heel. It hurts worse after sitting down as most of your commenters said, but I just don't know if mine is in the same location. The lady with the 5 brothers sounds like she has a good idea of how to fix it, but I don't know if it will work for mine. Mine has been going on for about 3 months and getting worse. OWWWWW! I can hardly walk sometimes. Good luck getting yours solved. I really don't want to have to wear big clunky shoes.
Sudee in Florida

chris said...

I love to read your stories.
www.mpgimprovements.com

geisme said...

Oh my gosh!!! I couldn't watch the smilebox, because I didn't feel like turning the volume down & the hubby's already in bed. But I was laughing so hard I was crying & he must not have been totally asleep- he asked me if I was okay! I have been a bit behind in bloggy world, so I'm trying to play catch up.
Thanks for providing laughs!
-Gail

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