It's my Bloggiversary!

(So I like to make up words. Like you've never done it.)

A year ago today I created my first post on this blog. It was really nothing more than a place holder, a statement of intent. And I'm not really sure that the direction of this blog improved after that post! But if you have read my blog ever - whether you've read one post or every post - I want to say thanks. I appreciate your interest in the content I add to the world wide interwebs. And if you've ever commented on a post I want to give you an extra special thank you. You rock.

So how did I spend my first Bloggiversary, you ask? Well, this morning the girls and I went to Target. We were supposed to go to HEB, too, but stayed in Target too long. (Which means we will go to HEB after the little one wakes up from her pseudo-nap.) We needed to go to Target because my six year old wanted to spend some of her birthday money. She wanted to buy three books and put the rest of the money in her piggy banks. "So you just want books, no toys?" "Yes, just books. I want a Magic Tree House book, a Ramona book, and a Sophie book." Kids these days...

Happy My Bloggiversary! Thanks for reading!

Before we made it to the books I stopped by the swim wear to see if they had anything suitable (HA! I crack myself up) for me. I found something to try on, so off the three of us went to the fitting room. Once inside, the two of them decided to give a Fresh Beat Band concert for all within earshot. I ask them to give it a rest and a child in a neighboring stall basically picks up where they left off. Really. Talk about picking your battles - next time I'll just sing along, too.

And for the record, I just discovered I have to go back to Target because the workout shirt I bought has a hole in it. Now, aren't you sorry you asked?

And don't you wish there were more rules on who exactly is allowed to have a blog?

Summer? Already?

I started the school year with a blog post about my daughter and, among other things, talked about her starting kindergarten. Well. She's done with that now.

My kindergarten graduate.

So now what? First grade is freaking me out, but I guess I'll let her go anyway. This is life with kids, right? It doesn't matter if things freak you out - it's not like I'm not going to send her to school. But I'm doing one better (because I like to challenge my psyche): I'm also going to put my two year old in a preschool program in the fall. This will be my brave new world, and I'm not quite sure what to expect...

BUT since I still have a few months, I'll focus on summer. For which I am also unprepared. (NO, really. I don't even have a swim suit.) We've already managed a couple of outings, so maybe this will buy us some time to chill out for a bit...

Stay cool, peeps. It's going to be a hot one.

This is the longest month EVER.

So, does this give you an idea of how things have been going around here?

Birthdays, birthday parties, Easter, Mother's Day, concerts, garage sale, dance recital. Oh, and painting, new floors, new shrubs and trees to plant. Lost tooth. First grade registration. Preschool registration. This has all been in the last 4 - 6 weeks. And tomorrow we have Kindergarten Graduation.

All of these things take their toll, you know. I may never catch up on laundry. 

But we're all still smiling.

For the record, this is the how we received our little statue. 

This was the "prize" for dancing in the recital. Yeah, I don't know, either. 

The Run Around.

So this was supposed to be a post about how I've started running and tonight I went for the third time (in 3 weeks). This was supposed to be a post complaining about how busy the gym is when I go, and how exhausting it is to fight traffic. This was supposed to be post contemplating whether it's even worth it to go since all of the good feelings I got while exercising were erased immediately when dealing with all of the busy-ness that comes after. This was even supposed to be a post sharing the anecdote of me driving my husband's car to the gym and, upon leaving, forgetting where I parked, remembering but thinking I remembered wrong because the car wouldn't unlock when I pressed the button, walking around some more to try to find the *right* car, then realizing I was pushing the button on the key for the van and not the key for the car and I had actually remembered where I parked all along.

But I'm not going to post about any of that.

Instead this is going to be a post about how I need to find more time to get to the gym and on the treadmill. How I know it's not as funny to do a "Couch to 5k" program as it is to do a belly dancing class, but it feels better. It's going to be a post about how - if I can actually find the time to go - I may actually have found something to get me into shape and improve my overall health. And it's especially going to be a post about how I have NO intention of becoming a marathoner like my husband, or even anything kind of in that category, but it would feel really nice to be able to run a 5k without feeling like my chest might explode.

It's going to be that kind of post because after I got home from all of the busy-ness, I felt really good. I felt good enough to change my mind. And I never would have felt that good if I hadn't gotten off my ass and gone to the gym tonight.

Another one.

Today is my daughter's 6th birthday, and a migraine almost took it from me.

It stormed last night, so the power went out for a bit. Around midnight or 1:00 AM (does it really matter?), I was getting up to unplug my computer when she came through our bedroom door crying, because the storm was "so loud" and it was "so dark" - I'm pretty sure that's what she said, anyway. It was kind of hard to understand her at that point with the crying. I got her settled in bed next to my husband and went to take care of my computer and to listen at the little one's door to make sure she was still asleep (no power = no monitor). I returned to the bedroom and climbed into bed next to my big girl, and tried to get comfortable. I quickly realized I would not be able to sleep without the reassurance that my other daughter was sleeping peacefully, so I opted to sleep in my older daughter's room since her bed was vacant and it's right next to the baby's room.

I finally fell asleep in the cramped twin bed after many bouts of tossing and turning and extracting small stuffed animals from under my fatigued body. An hour later I awoke to what seemed like daylight - the return of electricity meant the return of the dual night lights that somehow comfort my six year old. I decided I preferred to try to sleep with a shifty child than the spotlights, so I returned to my room. Soon after I found a comfortable position, she became restless. Though I really tried to ignore her movement, I thought giving her the option to return to her room would give us all the best chance at (part of) a good night's sleep. Once I offered to carry her to her room and reassured her that the storm was over, she agreed. I really only offered to carry her so I could shield her sleepy gaze from her doorway, where my husband and I had hung streamers to "surprise" her when she woke up on her birthday. The storm had already disrupted my sleep, I wasn't going to let it ruin our fun, too.

She rolled over to sleep easily and I returned to my room to do the same.

Thankfully I've been using my phone for my alarm, as the power outage stopped all the other clocks in the house. I managed not to snooze too many times, but this electricity problem also meant my coffee was not going to make itself, which was not ideal since we would be rushed this morning. Showered and dressed, I started the coffee maker and made my way to my birthday girl's room. It was still dark in there, and I hated to wake her since she didn't get a good night's sleep. I gave her a "good morning" as I entered, to which she returned a rather alert, "Good morning!" -- which was unexpected. As I opened her blinds and pulled back her covers, I see she has a book in her hands. She had been reading - in the dark - for the last 15 or 20 minutes. Another side effect of the power outage, I hope, and NOT that she does this all the time...

We finally all made it to the kitchen - by this time both girls were up - and started on breakfast. My dad called to wish her a "Happy Birthday!" but we couldn't talk for too long, since it's hard enough to keep the girls focused on eating without extra conversation. I needed to cut up the Quesadilla (Salvadorean cake - not tortilla with cheese) and put it in something to bring to school for the Birthday snack. She picked this for her special snack to share with the class today after the Birthday Circle, which is how they traditionally mark the day at her Montessori school. I also had to make sure we had the birthday poster, which has one picture of her for each of her birthdays, and the paperwork for the teacher with notes about special things that have happened each year of her life. Also we had to pack a lunch today, because the school is doing Mother's Day lunches for each class this week, so they are not serving their normal menu. My lovely child lives for lunch box day on a normal week (Fridays), so not sending a lunch box with her on her birthday wasn't an option.

It was a busy morning and I had a lot of things to remember, but it's my daughter's birthday: of course I'm going to get it done. It's important to her and it's her special day.

I was concerned about time, because on a regular day when we aren't bringing half the house with us it's difficult to get a two year old and a six year old (and a 37 year old) out the door on time. Today I especially didn't want to be late because birthday circle is at 9:00AM and it wouldn't be much of an event without the birthday child.

Both girls were finishing breakfast, so I quickly went to the bathroom for some mascara and hair stuff, and that's when I noticed it: the floaty little piece of uncertainty hovering in my vision. It's how I know I'm about to get a migraine.

The problem with migraines isn't so much the pain or nausea for me, it's the not being able to see. I get what is referred to as an "aura" with my migraines, and it obscures most of my vision for the first 20 - 30 minutes of my migraine. Lack of vision is not a great problem to have when you are about to drive your child to school on an important day. Or any day, really, but we couldn't skip today.

If "willing away" a migraine is not a current treatment, maybe it should be.

I started to panic because I did not want to disappoint my daughter, but I realized the panic might make it worse. I thought if I could keep the first bit of the aura at bay long enough to make the 2.5 mile drive to school, I would be fine. I had no reason to believe I could actually do that.

I took a deep breath. I finished whatever I needed to do to have myself ready. I returned to the kitchen and directed the older one to wash her face and hands and wait by the door. I cleaned the younger one, took her out of her booster, and put her shoes and socks on. I could mostly see everything, and that was going to have to be good enough.

We got in the van - I was pretty confident I had remembered everything, though it took two trips to get everyone and everything into the van. I wasn't sure at this point if we were on time - I had to slow down a little when I realized a migraine was coming, so I may have lost any extra time I'd had at that point. But regardless, I couldn't panic even a little, because it will make the migraine worse, faster. (I have no scientific data to back that up, only personal experience.)

My rule was that if ever my vision was too obscured to see the road or other vehicles, I would pull over and accept we would be late or have to miss school completely. I would deal with my daughter's reaction later. I felt I was familiar enough with how my migraines progress that I could accurately judge whether I was in a dangerous situation.

My mantra for the (2.5 mile) drive was: "Clear vision, clear thoughts. Clear vision, clear thoughts." (Migraines also make it difficult for me to think clearly. Super awesome, I know.) Yes, it was a short drive, but it doesn't take long for that aura to take over.

But... It waited. And we got there. SAFELY. Oh, My God. Thank you.

I managed to get the girls out of the car and schlep them and everything across the parking lot and into the school, and as we get to the classroom we see the class - they've just sat down for circle time. We made it. Barely.

Her teacher facilitated a lovely Birthday Circle (the third one she's done for my girl), though, to be honest, I couldn't really see most of it because the aura kicked in. By the time my antsy toddler and I returned to my van to go home, the aura had disappeared and I could see clearly.

My lovely birthday girl and her lovely teacher.

And I've felt like crap the rest of the day, but who cares? The migraine didn't win. I was there for my daughter's birthday and didn't have to concede or cancel anything. I've stopped trying to figure why I get my migraines, though certainly a bad night's sleep doesn't help. Hopefully her memory of her 6th birthday has nothing to do with me feeling like crap, and everything to do with sharing that last Birthday Circle with her beloved teacher, or having dinner as a family tonight at CiCi's because they have "the best cheese pizza", or some other thing that is wonderful to her.

Today was my daughter's 6th birthday, and that blasted migraine almost took it from me. Almost.

Just Like a Rock Star.

We've been busy, busy, busy around here...

Or so it seems, anyway.

Last weekend we had a small gathering with my girls' closest friends to celebrate both of their birthdays. It sure is nice to do a one joint party instead of two parties! I wonder how long we can get away with that... It was a "Rock Star" party, inspired by The Fresh Beat Band. I even made cupcakes (which were "inspired by" microphones)!

We didn't plan to have their birthdays 23 days apart - it just happened that way. (Well, they aren't literally 23 days apart - literally their birthdays are 3 years, 11 months, and 7 days apart. You're welcome.) So even though it's nice to have a joint party, what really ends up happening is that we have this three-week-long "Birthday-palooza", starting with the little one's birthday and building up to the big one's birthday. And it happens to hit around the same time as Easter and Mother's Day. And right before the end of year dance recital. And right before all that the end of the school year stuff.

So, I feel like I have partied just like a rock star, but sadly... I have not... And we aren't even CLOSE to done with all this business yet.

And did I mention I am taking the big one to see The Fresh Beat Band in concert this weekend? (You either pity me, envy me, or have no idea who I am talking about.) It will technically be her first concert, though she did attend a couple in utero.

Wish me luck. Or send me wine.