You start physical therapy at age 4 months of age. A therapist comes twice a week to your home to help you build your muscles to sit, crawl, walk, run and jump. You also see an OT therapist to build the muscles in your hands and work on your hand-eye coordination. At 8 months of age you see a vision therapist weekly to help you with your depth perception and your body-world coordination.

You spend hours every day working on therapy goals. Each toy you play with is therapy-based with physical goals in mind during the purchase. You spend weeks working on pulling up on the edge of the couch. You spend hours being tricked into bending over to build muscles needed for standing and walking without assistance. You spend weeks bending down to pick up rings and loop them over something taller than you.

Somewhere around 14 months of age your physical therapist brings over a walker. The silver, metal walker with 4 wheels that surrounds you in the back and you grip on the sides. It takes you a few weeks to figure out that it will not hurt you and in fact will delight you because you will find freedom in its glide.

You happily use the walker because you are mobile and you are standing so you can look your peers in your eyes. You put up with people staring at you using the walker but you don’t care. In fact, you kind of like the attention. You use the walker for months. Or for more than a year.

Your parents spend each day playing tricks on you so you stand unassisted. You reach up for something, realize you are standing and in a split second you go down to the safety of your bottom. Even one hand on something gives you stability, so for months you cruise holding onto whatever is hand height. Your OT still works on your hand gripping. Because that is vitally important in holding on when you swing.

You are 2 1/2 when you start to walk. You are three when you can walk outside the home (very nearly) safely. You are 4 when you can walk down a curb without hitting your face on the ground. You are 6 when you can jump with both feet in the air at the same time. This takes an incredible amount of skill. Years of therapy for you to learn to do it efficiently.

Maybe when you are 4 you start getting on swings. Your therapist and your parents tell you about 1,000 times over the course of the next 3-4 years to pump your legs, move them back and forth and that the back and forth movement have to happen at a particular time. So as they push you they yell out enthusiastically for you to move them back when you are on the upswing and out straight when you go the other way. But it takes years for you to understand what propels your body on a swing. But you still try.

Sometimes when the stars line up it works. We might start you out by giving you a push on the swing but then by chance your legs are in the right position and you move back and forth. You are so surprised when this happens and you scream, “I’m doing it! I’m swinging!” You don’t go very high, but that is okay because you really aren’t sure of the position and strength of the rest of your body so you don’t mind at all when you don’t swing as high as your friends or kids you see on the playground.

Then one day, nearly 8 years after you were born and 5  years after you start walking profiecently you are playing on a playground and then it happens. Your body is aligned correctly, the swing the right height, the weather isn’t too hot or too cold and you have enough energy to swing, swing, swing.

And that is the Anatomy of Swinging.

Great things about our family time (for the record)at the beach include…

- Some 20+ times of playing at the beach. Not all were successful trips, but the majority were. Gage was, for nearly every trip, a nice brother to Quinn. He played with her, helped her and generally acted normal.

- Biking. The kids biked a lot. Gage had a walkie talked and it was nice to let him go 3 blocks away all the while him talking on it to let us know he was okay. It was even kinda responsible, which is surprising, since you know, Gage and the word RESPONSIBLE aren’t usually in the same sentence.

- Little work.

- We did nearly everything together and let the kids lead what they wanted to do. It was pretty carefree and unlike their lives most of the time.

- We laughed a lot.

- We celebrated Christmas and NY pretty low key and low stress, which was new and fantastic.

- We spent less money than we do in one week here during the summer.

- We saw Gage smile more in a two week period than we can remember in other two week periods.

- We took a real break from school stuff. We took the pressure off of them for a couple of weeks. We kept up a little with reading and a lot with coins, but it wasn’t stressful because it wasn’t a lot.

- We saw dolphins close up.

- Oh, the sea shells. Including a day trip on a boat to an island with mounds and mounds of shells.

- Seeing Gage, on his own, pick up trash on the island, the beach and around the grounds of the house. See? He’s not all hardhearted.

- Reduced doctor visits. Always a plus.

- Fresh seafood – caught that day fresh. Gage still ate only PB&J (like 8 sandwiches a day) but Quinn tried a lot which was fun. She was sad though (and cried in the restaurant) when she realized she can never each raw oysters anymore.

- Quinn so badly wanted to find sand dollars and we only found a few broken pieces one night and then our trip to Sand Dollar Island got canceled because of the waves and she was sad, so on NYE I placed two perfectly perfect sand dollars (@ 1.99 each) in front of her while we were searching with a flashlight. Oh man, were those squeals delightfully heard up and down the beach. She ran to Julian to show him and YELLED  “I can’t believe we found them! And we were just minding our own business!”

- The kids are both healthy (physically) and we were together.

- The kids have never stayed up to see midnight (I know! Bad parents!) so we thought it would be special if they did for NYE at the beach. Fireworks at 10, then again at midnight. Very, very exciting to see their excitement.

It was a virtual love fest for two weeks. It was a different vacation because we didn’t get anytime away as a couple like we normally do when we vacation with other people, but the trade off was worth it.

We are wrapping up the Walk for PKD in Atlanta. We’re so excited that is was a successful event with just two comments that were negative. They were from the same family. They are a non-issue and in no way take over the fact that we had a successful event.

Many, many people had a great time. Many came up to me and thanked me for doing it. A few people came up to me and told me that over the last 5 years they’d talked to me and I’d provided support and they were grateful. Nothing will overshadow the opportunity to do that and I’m forever grateful for the platform that the PKD Foundation provides.

Our teamed raised $25,000 of the $63,000. I’m pretty proud of that and very grateful. I think our team has something like 200 donors ranging from $10-1500. They all matter and they added up to our highest team fund raised in 8 years (in fact, our first event netted $15,000 total). If you donated, thank you. If you weren’t able to, that’s okay too, thanks for the many well wishes and prayers and help and for spreading the message.

I will be emailing a thank you note this month with some photos and details of the event for team members that supported our team (there are a few people I do not know!). I’ll let you how fulfilling it is to be part of something bigger than our little sometimes stressful corner of the world. I’ll tell you that the PKD Foundation is a good steward of the funds. I’ll tell you that there are some incredibly smart people at the Foundation and who sit with me on the Board of Trustees and they are doing good, good things with the funds. Our family benefits from much of it.

We are in the final stages of closing out our Walk and I’m providing the last chance (through December 14) to donate to our team. So if you’d forgotten, or are now in a position to make a small donation, or if this is the first time you seen these links, I’d like to give you the chance to do it. And thank you, thank you, thank you.

To donate in honor of Me

To donate in honor of Gage

To donate in honor of Quinn

I know these are some tough times. Believe me, I get it. Business is slow and we’re cutting our expenses where we can as many people are. That’s one of the reasons I’m reaching out to more people to fulfill our family’s mission through the PKD Foundation so that…”no one suffers the full effects of PKD.”

It’s Walk for PKD season time and I’m reaching out because our large corporate donors just aren’t able to give as last year. People are shrinking their donations, but they are still giving to the Foundation in hopes to keep research, eduction and advocacy moving in the right direction. As I sit on the Board of Trustees I am able to witness first-hand the commitment of the Foundation to keep the momentum up so that research and patient and provider engagement are at its highest. I’m proud to say that the Foundation has the non-profit’s highest ratings for standards in the industry in expenses vs. amounts going back into the Foundation’s mission.

And one of the most important and rewarding things I do is to play a small part in that mission. Through the Foundation I get to talk with countless parents who are facing a diagnosis of ARPKD to offer support and information, I get to meet people who’ve become lifelong friends. I get to be a part of a group of people who know exactly the “full effects of PKD.”

My kids face the effects everyday. That is why I do this. I could be a particpant in the event and not be in charge of planning it, but every once in a while you have to step up and be an example. I want to be an example to the kids – to show them empowerment in the rawest form. To show them that giving back is also a way to feel empowered. Because really, the research that I fight for will not change the course of their disease. They will STILL need more than one kidney transplant to live an average lifespan. They will need that or they will need dialysis…just to live. Those facts will NOT change.

But sometime in the future there will be a family, just like ours, who upon hearing that their sweet baby has ARPKD, will also find out that there is a treatment to help slow disease progression and change the course of their disease. And I feel good that I can play a small part in that fact.

So I am asking for your help. Because of the times, as a whole, the PKD Foundation is reaching out to more people, to give less. If we all can give a little, imagine the power we’d have. If just 1/2 of the partipants from last year raise $20 from 20 people we could raise roughly an extra 2.5 million dollars. Two Point Five Million Dollars. Trust me (have I ever lied to you?) that the Scietific Adisory Committe, the BOT and the staff will make the most of that money to help research, education and advocacy.

How can you help?

Very simply you can go to my personal page and donate $20. Visit this link and donate $20 by credit card and during the process you can leave me a message – that I would love to post right here.

***Gage and Quinn fans/teachers/therapists/friends, email me if you want links to donate to them personally***

If you want join in on our team to further our cause, click on My Team off my personal page or go to Gage & Quinn’s Team page and sign up to join our team (we’d love for you to join us Walk day, but if you can’t that’s okay! You can still help!) Then ask for $20 from 20 people.It’s that simple. At the bottom of the page you will see who else is on our team and you can visit their pages to see why they Walk. There are largely two reasons. Gage. Quinn.

If you are intersted in forming your own Gage & Quinn’s Team in your city, visit the Walk for PKD section and see if there is a walk in your city this fall. I’d be happy to help you set one up, hook you up with the volunteers in your city and engage you in a fulfilling mission. To help others with PKD in honor of my two cuties; Gage and Quinn.

I mean, really, can you resist? I mean, look at those faces?

For some reason I have a lot going on right now. Client is in town tomorrow during the day, spider bite management, kidney stone management, Walk for PKD work, regular (hopefully paid) work, Quinn’s pre-transplant schedule, bathroom quick fix remodel, house organization, yada, yada.

Gage’s spider bite is causing greater concern. I’ve been twittering about it but basically he went to the ER Sunday night after watching it over the weekend and a discussion with two doctors on Friday night. It spread from a two inch area to a five (yes 5″) inch area. The ER doc tried to drain it (and NO, it didn’t work) and started Gage on antibiotics. But tonight it looks worse – crater-like. In case you wonder if that is GROSS, wonder no more, it IS GROSS. This morning he thought it was cool to gross me out but now? Not hardly. The second he heard me talking to the doc about dead skin, and injections and IVs he kinda got over how cool it was. His arm hurts too, which is interesting because he’s not using that arm for anything (it’s on the forearm). I have to say though, it BITES that every little thing is not a little thing with our kids.

I demand that you, right now this very second, appreciate the fact that your life doesn’t suck like mine.

Really. Take a moment.

My kidney stone/s are acting up again. Procedure is scheduled for Friday. Thursday they will do a check to see if it is still there so let’s all do a collective good thought for a good hearty, painless, passing, shall we say.

Gage had a decent day today at school. Monday through Thursday does his homework for up to about 25 minutes after school (sometimes it is just undone work for the day, but really, have you EVER heard of teachers offering to do this?) and he (new) special ed teacher (who is his old regular teacher) was done her girl came in and said, excitedly “Can you test me on my spelling words, mom?”and I look at Gage’s teacher with envy. And then I rolled my eyes.

Why? Why can’t my kids want to be tested on their spelling words? I told her “I know, I have done something very, very wrong and I am being punished.” She laughed because she knows. I laughed because I am right!

And that my friends is how I cope. I make insanely ridiculous jokes about my kids and my life. That and many times during any given day I only think of the next few hours at a time. Literally.

Like right now I am planning the next 3 hours when our family will be awake. Like a finely-tuned machine.

And you are crazy if you believe that. Yes, believe the three hour thing, but no, do not believe the finely-tuned machine.

Not for one minute.

We’re in the throes of the last week in school. Yes, it’s true, a friend said May is the new December. She was right.

- Gage passed 3rd grade. This is a testament to the resiliency and determination of his teachers – so many of them. Our public school surrounded him with care and concern this year – the year he could barely cope with life and they literally held him together. They held him together with every resource they had and I’m forever grateful to them.

- Yesterday proved to be dramatic. I spent most of the day helping a family member in crisis. It was not fun. Not one little bit.

- I am busy making a cazillion teacher’s gifts. I know. It’s a curse, sewing is. I’m ruined for life because I know how much it costs to make something vs. buy something. I’m probably saving something like $300 making their gifts. Problem is I just started making them Monday night.

- We’ve had a consult with a psychologist with a summer program. We’ve signed Gage up for a 2 week group therapy session with 5 other boys. They will work on social interaction, peer relationships/boundaries, self confidence and self esteem. It sounds like a good program and we’re happy to switch things up a bit. Since HE DOESN’T HAVE TO GO TO SUMMER school, his schedule just opened up. Big apology to Gage’s teachers who have to fill out a long questionnaire about Gage. Yeah, you know they were thrilled to get that from me 2 1/2 days before the end of the year.

- Speaking of the end of year…our beloved head of the special education department at the kids’ school is retiring. We’re very sad to see her go. She’s always loved Gage and wanted what was best for him. I am sure that she loves all her kids, but I kind of believe she loved Gage the best. At least that’s the gift she’s given me. I’ll always believe that how she treated him with firmness with a gentle nurturing spirit is why he’s been able to hang on each year. I think too, because she is accepting of him that has led others to have the same attitude towards him. I’ll be forever grateful to her for her tenacity with him and the way she dealt with us. I’ve always appreciated the way she celebrated his successes, even minor, and how she played up to his abilities and uniqueness. And boy is he ever unique. I tried and tried, but I couldn’t talk her into staying there until Gage graduated 5th grade.

- I’m very behind on paperwork. Work and volunteer. I am working on the Walk for PKD right now. So if you know any corporate sponsors (in Atlanta or out) that want to help us with funds, please send them my way! In lieu of that, you can form a Gage and Quinn’s Team in your area if you are not in Atlanta walking with us. Don’t think I won’t bug you again about this for the next several months.

- Quinn is moving onto 2nd grade. And have I mentioned she is a fantastic reader? A little bit slow, I mean that’s just Quinn, a little slow in everything she does, but she is a great reader. It’s no longer tiring to listen to her read a book. I’m happy to report it doesn’t put me to sleep anymore.

- Chef Marla at Babette’s Cafe had a little Wine Tasting fundraiser at the end of April and I’m just getting the rest of the fund to mail to the PKD Foundation. It’s was a successful night. We raised $1405 for PKD research. And we just drank wine and ate. That’s awesome. And she is too. She’s a wicked Scrabble player in case you didn’t know.

- A really nice person noticed that Gage was having a tough time (understatement) and sent 2 couple of boxes of oreo cakes to him at school signed, “A Secret Friend.” He was thrilled apparently and really cute making sure everyone got one. It was super nice of Debbie – she’s not so secret to us. Thanks Debbie.

- Happy to be winding down from all the activities and get into the lull that is Summer. It goes without saying the kids are too.

- On a kidney note (can’t remember if I just Tweeted or Facebooked this) but our QPD#1 is going through the serious 2 day testing next week and we should know in June if she can donate. Please send up some good vibes that she will sail through testing and be approved. We’re trying to keep our expectations low, because as you know, that is how we make it thorugh the long haul.

There are a lot of new Mother’s who’ve recently had babies with ARPKD or are waiting for their approaching delivery date. In many cases recently, more often than not, babies have died as a result of ARPKD.

My friend Michele has taken a lot of calls and emails lately from newly diagnosed parents of babies with ARPKD. The PKD Foundation has both of us listed and we are both getting calls/emails. But she is getting more. And she has graciously offered to let me forward people who’ve contacted me to her for support. She’s offering hope along with facts about the seriousness of an ARPKD diagnosis.

It is a hard Mother’s Day for many Moms who’ve lost their babies. And I wish them all peace. Today, those Mothers who’ve  lost a baby to ARPKD are on our minds especially. We are so sad for them. And it brings home the knowledge of how lucky we are to be mothering our children with ARPKD this Mother’s Day.

Julian’s birthday is today.

I am trying to celebrate it more than last year. Honestly, doing anything would be considered celebrating it more. For some reason May 7th always sneaks up on me. I’ve known for something like 18 years that his birthday is May 7th. In fact, every year, it’s the same 7 days into May and yet, I seem to not know how to count to 7 or look at a calendar at the end of April.

Quinn wanted to decorate the whole house, but she settled for three handmade posters and some ribbon. She wanted to surprise him so I was ordered to stay up after J (like that is hard to do) and decorate.

A few times before Julian’s mom died on his birthday I would send her a note and thank her for having such a wonderful son. That I knew the reason he was so good to me (in fact, he’s amazing to me, I’m very lucky) was because of his love for her. I thanked her for having that boy on May 7th so many years ago.

I think this year J-man is feeling the age. He’s stressed to the max but he swears it’s not his age – it’s just work, Q’s impending transplant, financial pressures of raising sick kids, and the stress of raising two sick kids plus one nephew. Things in life right now? Not birthday bliss-like, ya know?

And for his birthday? He gets to go to boy scouts. And he gets to wear that uniform. And I get to laugh. So all in all should be a great day.

(If you want to text him a birthday greeting email me – I don’t care if you don’t know us personally. I just think it would be funny for him to get texted all day.)

1. I grew up in Minnesota.

2. It was really cold, but it was good for snowmobile picnics and ice skating.

3. I have 3 older sisters but grew up in my teenage years an only child when I moved to Georgia with my parents and my sisters stayed in Minnesota.

4. I’ve broken, at different times, at least 13 of my fingers and toes.

5. My first kiss with a boy was in 7th grade, in a hall after school.

6. If I had to pick one food to eat it would be toasted bagels with cream cheese. If I could pick a second, it would be lobster. With butter. Is that three?

7. I was married before Julian.

8. I make Julian laugh calling my ex: “My Other Husband.”

9. I love my job, but don’t want to work so much right now.

10. When I was growing up and into my adult life, my family and friends called me Julie and I changed it to Julia when I met Julian (who was called Jeff at the time).

11. My middle name is Rae – I guess because I was my Dad’s last chance for a boy and his name is Ray, however, they almost named me Raymona.

12. I was a gymnast until I broke my ankle and then I started swimming competitively through high school and on a city team.

13. I wish I had friends from my first 13 years – in Minnesota, but I haven’t keep up with anyone.

14. I can turn my tongue over.

15. I love TV. I get this from my Dad. Who loved Star Trek. He used to pay me 25 cents to sit still through it.

16. My most creative time is between 9pm – 1am.

17. I drink Diet Coke for breakfast.

18. I nearly go insane hearing repetitive noises like gum cracking, pen clicking and iced tea glass-stirring.

19. My son drives me insane with repetitive noses like cracking his knuckles, humming, and foot tapping.

20. Some days on my best parental days I don’t feel like I’m enough of a parent for Gage.

21. I am left-handed for writing and eating, but play sports right-handed.

22. I secretly wanted my kids to be left-handed, but they are not.

23. I love to go to movies.

24. I’ve only seen one movie with Julian in 8 years. I banned him from going with me because he never had anything nice to say about a movie. It was a buzz kill.

25. I started sewing when I was a kid.

26. I took a sewing class in 7th grade. I loved it. Probably my favorite class ever.

27. But I liked dissecting the cat, too.

28. I have a wide circle of friends.

29. Maintaining my friendships is one of the things I’m most proud of.

30. I like crafting. I like to think I am more artistic than I actually am.

31. I like a sense of order in my living space.

32. I am depressed when my house is out of order.

33. At least once a day I think I will out live one or both of my kids.

34. One of my favorite movies is Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.

35. I think we will end up as foster parents to sick kids when our kids are older.

36. Julian rolls his eyes when I say this out loud.

37. This scares the crap out of him, because once or twice when we were dating, I said I would be a mom to a kid with special needs.

38. In my twenties I didn’t think I would live through my thirties.

39. In 6th grade I attended a brand new school, that was touch-feely. We sat in circles and called the teachers by their first names.

40. I was molested by a friend’s dad somewhere between age 5-10.

41. I am extremely open with the kids about good touch, bad touch.

42. One of the nicest things I heard someone say about me when they didn’t know I could hear was when I was holding Quinn at church (Quinn was 4 days old) was “She is someone that was meant to be a mother, look at how confidently she holds Quinn.”

43. I wanted to be a geologist when I was in 6th grade.

44. I suck at math, but I love billing clients the best. Figuring out cost and profit.

45. I think blogging is cheap therapy.

46. I like Motown, 60s/70s and Country music.

47. I still think my husband is awesome.

48. I feel sorry for him that he is republican.

49. I always tell people, “Don’t hold it against him, he’s a great guy.”

50. I have serious flaws. But working on them are way down on the list.

51. I need less sleep than other people.

52. Or I tell myself that to make myself feel better.

53. We don’t consider traveling outside the country with the kids because of their medical situation.

54. One of the things I HATE most about mothering sick kids is holding them while they fight a medical procedure screaming and crying.

55. I never read The Di Vinci Code because I didn’t think I’d be smart enough to follow it. Seriously stupid thought. But I did see the movie and understood the whole thing.

56. I love my blackberry. Don’t hate me. I want one with a camera but can’t justify the expense.

57. I have a sound machine that Julian got me with something like 20 sounds, but he will only let me sleep with one of them (ocean) when he is home.

58. Since I wrote the first 52 on this list, I’ve taken in my homeless 22 year old nephew and am advocating for his special needs through the federal and state government. It’s like I have 3 kids.

59. I drive Julian crazy by rearranging things in the house; from small things (salt and pepper) to large things (sofa, chairs) and sometimes I do this on purpose.

60. I highly recommend the removal of your uterus (if you have one and it gives you trouble).

61. I have a lot of regrets about Gage’s preschool experience. But I didn’t know any better and I should give myself a break.

62. I love Mike’s (of Hard Lemonade fame) Mike-arita, but can’t find it anywhere.

63. I wish I had more time to sew. I’m decent at it and it relaxes me.

64. I had a bridesman stand up for me in our wedding. I don’t get to see John often and I miss him.

65. I loved (just as a fan) Shawn Mullins before he was famous and I have all his before-he-was-famous CDs.

66. I am a feminist, but I don’t think anyone knows it.

67. I won $1000 calling in and answering a question on the radio 20-some years ago.

68.  One of the scariest things besides watching my son be near death was hearing him say he wanted to kill himself – and realizing that he really did want to die.

69. A 40+ year old man tried to pick me up when I was about 12 by asking me for directions while I was on a bike. When I came out of the drug store, he was there waiting for me and asking if I had a boyfriend that I kissed. I just biked away from him as fast as I could. I’ve always wondered why I didn’t go back into the store.

70. I played the flute and cello in elementary and jr. high school.

71. I think my sense of humor is what gets me through the tough spots of raising kids that could die from a disease that we genetically gave them.

72. I would love to be able to speak another language but I do not have the patience to learn.

73. I wish I could change some things about the heath care system, like the waiting, the jumping through hoops, helping the  inspiring health care workers to listen to the kids more and to slow down a little bit, and the paper work.

74. I like to drive old cars. I think newer cars with computer chips and power whatever were created to make me crazy. I’m a fan of a car that doesn’t have too many bells and whistles. (Just bought a basic 1991 Volvo, with no bells or whistles)

75. I am not a pack rat. I hang on to things I am sentimental about, but I am constantly getting rid of things.

76. I like to shop at estate sales, consignment shops and garage sales. That’s why I am constantly getting rid of things. I rotate what I newly like best.

77. I have a strong marriage. It comes easy but we work hard at some things too.

78. We are funny (at least to each other). We think we’re hysterical. It helps that if one of us wants out of the marriage that person has to take the kids.

79. I can’t pass a TV channel that has Notting Hill playing. Tried. Can’t do it.

80. I also watch and re-watch episodes of West Wing.

81. Gage and Quinn have congratulatory notes from the presidents when they were born somewhere in memory boxes.

82. Many times a day I envy Quinn and her ability to go at her own pace (for every slow moving second) and not care when people try to rush her. I call it Quinn Time.

83. I’m usually a terrified public speaker, but somehow talking about the kids and PKD isn’t so terrifying to talk about.

84. Each year a renowned PKD doctor asks me to speak to first year medical students about PKD and our experiences with the health care system. It’s rewarding like you wouldn’t believe.

85. Someone once told me that parenting special needs kids shouldn’t define me as a mother. This person has healthy kids and does not know of what they speak.

86. I’m on speaking terms again with God. I find that our relationship is like a river – sometimes wide and flowing and sometimes narrow and stagnant.

87. Within months of Quinn being diagnosed and days of Gage being diagnosed with ARPKD a pregnant woman told me she hands-down wanted a boy (to make it easier on her for clothing, toys) and then said, “As long as he’s healthy. He better be healthy. Because I don’t know how I’d handle it if something were wrong with him.”

88. I’m on Facebook and Twitter. I like to check/use both on my blackberry. I don’t care who knows it either.

Friday’s kidney stone blasting wasn’t very dramatic, although I did use the general anthesisia as a great excuse to nap the entire afternoon. I felt great on Saturday and maybe overdid it a bit, but isn’t that what moms do? Overdo it? The good news is that the stuck stone was dust, the bad news is that the other few stones were left to grow in the kidney for future problems. Just in case you were thinking I am free and clear. All my luck (and history) I’ll have one drop the week Quinn gets her transplant.

I spent Thursday afternoon rotating Quinnlin’s winter, and tired might I add, wardrobe with the fresh spring/summer lot. I also made various piles of the clothes to go away somewhere – the god daughter, the friend’s girl, goodwill and back to the niece of someone who gave us every nice dress Quinn owns. I felt quite good to get that done. Four containers down to three, each season and sized appropriately. We should be good to go with clothes until the end of summer 2010.

Spent most of  Sunday cleaning and organizing and locating items that my son has destroyed or lost and the list is quite long. Long enough to support a post all its own. That’s not good.

On a good note, Gage did great in his piano recital Saturday even though he acted like we were sticking bamboo shoots into his fingernails. His teacher also is taking off this Wednesday due to her son’s playoffs in soccer so Gage was thankful for the game of soccer all of a sudden.

Quinn started swimming lessons on Friday and is supposed to go to swim team clinic today. I guess the pool is heated now to 82, which is quite lovely for a girl who HATES cold water.

And what can only be described as INSANE, I am handling Teacher Appreciation Week. It started this morning with signs and biscuits and flower arranging and delivery. Treats the rest of the week and lunch on Wednesday. Luckily I have a co-chair who is more available during the day to be at the school and so it works out. I was ready for today, but May did kind of sneak up on me. I mean, I know it comes after April every year, but still. Seems like we missed a few days in April.

Saw QPD#1 on Saturday and we had a good laugh about her pee being discussed on blog. She didn’t realize I’d posted something. I told her my readers? Very comfortable with pee.