Why 35 year-old slightly overweight lawyers should not suddenly decide to start exercising

Finally saw the doc today about my aching ankles. My self-diagnosis via the powers of the internet was that I had tendonitis in both ankles. As usual, I was wrong.

I have stress fractures in both ankles. And I have to wear boots on both feet for at least the next three weeks. They are ginormous and look completely ridiculous. The doc said he's never seen someone jack up both feet at the same time from running before, and the guy that had to build them for me said, "are you sure you need two? We don't ever put anyone in two boots!"

Yes, I am a total dork, and it is embarrassing to have to walk around in these things--especially when I don't even have a cool story to tell.

One of the snarky secretaries said, "so that wasn't caused by your stripper shoes?" Yeah, just because I wear heels instead of clunky clogs circa 1995 does not render them "stripper shoes."

The Insanity That Is My Life

We went to an outdoor summer concert tonight, and as we were driving home about about 9:30, DH said to the girls, "what are you planning to wear tomorrow?" Tomorrow is Take Your Kids to Work Day at DH's office, and as he put it, the chance to be judged by your offspring.

As it turned out, I had just ordered the twins some adorable summer dresses (these are so cute on, the picture doesn't do them justice!) that I was holding for their birthday, but they are perfect for this event, so I pulled them out.

The only problem is that they have no decent summer shoes. They pretty much live in flip-flops and I never got around to buying summer sandals. And their fabulous sparkly flip flops floated downriver when we had our little canoeing incident. And I just threw out their ballet flats because they were worn to the point of embarrassment.

So where does one go when there is a shoe emergency at 10:00 p.m.? Our only alternative was Wal-Mart (which I hate with a white hot passion). Ick. I usually go for higher quality on the kids' feet, but out options were limited.

Actually, I didn't go--because I am sitting on the couch icing my achy ankles. (I can't actually see my ankle bone right now. I have my share of fat, but it has never resided on my ankles.) I sent DH shoe shopping at Wal-Mart at 10:00 at night with three girls. (And despite all my bragging about DH on Father's Day, shoe shopping generally falls squarely within my jurisdiction.)

So he has been texting me pictures of the girls trying on shoes, and I respond whether it will go with her outfit or not and whether it looks to big or too small. It's actually a pretty effective way to shop, considering the circumstances. And the girls will be properly attired and shod when the go to work with dad tomorrow.

Is there anything more awkward...

than standing in an elevator vestibule with a federal judge when you're a woman? Because you want to be respectful and allow him first entry onto the elevator. But he is a gentleman with a "ladies first" mentality. So you do an awkward little dance for a minute, before you hop on just to avoid any more awkwardness.

And speaking of federal judges and elevators, last week I was in an elevator in the federal courthouse, and the woman riding with me commented, "it is just cruel and unusual punishment to have to wear a suit and pantyhouse in this heat."

To which I responded, "yes, that's why I went with the pantsuit."

To which she responded, "well, the last federal court I practiced in was in Oklahoma and women were required to wear skirts."

Wow. I've heard tales of federal judges requiring women to wear skirts, but I had no idea where these mythical judges resided. Note to self: never take a case in Oklahoma.

In other news, thanks to all your recommendations for healing my aching ankles. I haven't run since Saturday morning, and they are still throbbing and swollen. I'm afraid if I run again, I'll screw them up worse--even with new shoes. So today I made an appointment with an orthopedist, but I can't get in until next week. I feel like a whiner, but I can't keep hobbling around like an old lady.

Happy Father's Day!

The girls presented DH with a menu this morning and are now in the kitchen making breakfast in bed. (Fortunately, I bought some canned cinnamon rolls at the grocery store last week, so they aren't doing anything that will totally destroy my kitchen.) And DH was one of the elite 600,000 who managed to score the new iphone, so his father's day is all taken care of.

I must say that DH is an awesome dad. Neither his dad nor mine were the super-involved fatherly types, but he is the exact opposite. When the kids were babies he did everything that I did (well, except feed them, but only because he doesn't have boobs.) When I was a SAHM he bathed them every night, giving me a few precious minutes of kid-free time. And he certainly stepped up through law school and my new career. More often than not, he is the first one home and stuck throwing dinner together. He has slaved over homework and school projects. He has stayed home from work when a kid was barfing her guts up. And when I had hyperemesis with all of my pregnancies, he dumped my throw-up bowl when I was too weak to walk to the bathroom.

Maybe all of this shouldn't be seen as anything special--after all, we moms do it all without blinking. But the fact is that there are still many, many men who do not participate equally in child rearing. I'm lucky to have one who does his full share and even takes over mine when necessary. And honestly, I don't know how I could make work it as an attorney and a mom without DH.

I <3 DH.

Hobbled

So we are starting our third week of running with the C25K plan and I can barely walk. I was fine after the first couple of runs. And then my right ankle started hurting the day after I ran and got progressively worse with the next couple of runs.

My internet research and the bottoms of my shoes indicate that I am an overpronator.* I've been intending to go to a running store to confirm my self-diagnosis and be fitted for supportive running shoes, but I haven't had the time.

So this morning I tried switching shoes to a pair of trail walking shoes, hoping they would be more supportive. I made it through my run, but was in major pain by the time I hit my driveway. And now I can barely walk. The left ankle (which I haven't had any problems with before today) feels like it is going to buckle if I put any weight on it, and both feet are throbbing. I feel like I have two sprained ankles.

This sucks. I don't want to give up running. DH and I are doing it together and I'm pretty impressed we've stuck it out so far since exercise isn't really our thing. And I can set goals where I get to compete against others. I want to do a 5k in the fall and have set the time I want to hit. Can't really do that if I am relegated to an eliptical because my joints can't take running.

And I'm a little concerned that this throbbing is an indicator of arthritis. Because my mother has rheumatoid arthritis (which is genetic) and had both hips, shoulders and knees replaced before she was 50 (and has since had some of them re-done). It started setting in when she was about my age and she broke her hip when she was in her early-40s and I was a senior in high school (at one of my band concerts). I so do not need to inherit that crap.

* Everything I've read says that overpronators are usually heavy and have flat feet. I have a few pounds to lose, but I don't think I'm that heavy or that I have flat feet. I suspect that the stiletto heels that I wear every day are to blame for screwing up my feet. Or maybe they were already screwed up--I did have ankle braces when I was a baby.

OMG--He's Getting Married!

FIL, that is. He just called and dropped this little bomb on us. 3 1/2 months after MIL died. We haven't even met this woman yet.

DH is dumbfounded and I am horrified. I think it is disgraceful. Seriously, he can't be alone for ten fucking minutes? And he apparently doesn't give a shit what impact this has on his kids, who are still grieving the loss of their mom. The thought of another woman moving into her house, moving out her things, just makes me sick. (FIL literally built the house, and, of course, MIL decorated it. He's sworn he won't sell his house, but I guess that could change depending upon how the new little wifey feels.)

MIL waited on him hand and foot during the 35 years they were married--just like June and Ward. I was actually a little horrified by how old-school their relationship was. And then I became so proud of the way FIL stepped up and took care of MIL's every need when she got sick. He learned to do things that he had never had to do in his life (like cooking and laundry). He seemed to be a completely different man, and we thought that he would be ok on his own after MIL was gone.

But I guess he still needs a woman to take care of him, because his little bout of independence sure didn't last very long.

And, of course, mixed in with my anger, is very real concern. How can this not be a rebound relationship? How can they even know each other after such a short time? I'm afraid that his rush to cure loneliness will end with regret.

Ugh! I am just to horrified by this whole situation. It is going to be hard to be pleasant when they come down. I'm sure my tongue will be bloody from biting it.

Off my butt

DH and I have grown tired of our pasty, flabby bodies and have started doing the couch to 5K program. (BTW, for anyone doing this, the iphone app is a must.) Since I'm goal-oriented (and cheap), I was searching for a 5K to run in the fall. I figured if I had a race to work toward and had already spent the cash to register, I would be more likely to stick with it. Even if it's only $30, its just not in me to pay for something and then not do it. So that's my new exercise plan. We'll see how it works out. Right now, I'm feeling muscles I forgot I had and my calves burn like they're on fire when I run. (I wonder if this has something to do with spending most of my day in heels, so my muscles just aren't used to walking in a flat shoe for an extended period. Or maybe it's just because I don't run. Ever.)

Anyway, when I was looking for a race, I found The Great Urban Race. This looks like so much fun and it benefits St. Jude's! It's not so much a footrace as an Amazing Race-type challenge, with clues and trivia and obstacles. What we lack in brawn, we make up for in brains and geekiness (we rock Trivial Pursuit, and our geocaching experience should help out) so this is perfect for us. And it's something we can do with PS--she loves this kind of stuff. I'm so excited about doing this!

Not ready for this

FIL called and asked if he could come for a visit over the July 4th weekend. And bring his girlfriend. I am not at all excited. I don't want to meet FIL's girlfriend and I sure as heck don't want to spend an entire weekend entertaining her in my house. And, of course, we are wondering just how quickly things are moving with FIL and this woman since FIL is suddenly so determined that we meet her.

But I guess we are just going to have to suck it up and deal, right? I mean, nothing can be worse than watching MIL die, so if we can get through that I suppose that we can get through anything. It just feels like such a betrayal to MIL.

To alleviate some of the awkwardness, we've invited SIL and her family to come down as well. Thankfully, they've agreed. Having 12 people in the house should definitely cut down on the awkward silence moments. I think we'll invite DH's other sibs as well--then we'd really have a full house.

And now for something new and different

I spent a good hunk of my week drafting proposed legislation. And, yes, I'm geeky enough to think that's cool. This is not something that I have previously done, or even anticipated doing, in my legal career, but I actually like it and am getting great insight into the political system.

My firm serves a niche industry and we are general counsel for a couple of trade groups in that industry. Therefore, we get first stab at modifying legislation to benefit our clients. Then we submit it to competing trade groups to try to come to an agreement before sending it to our sponsoring legislator to be hashed out again by the politicians.

Big Boss told me that I would be the second chair on this project as we negotiate and redraft in preparation for the next legislative session. I'm psyched!

Fantastic Weekend

Several weeks ago I booked a cabin for Memorial Day weekend. There was a little blind faith involved, as the internet description was vague and there were only a few photographs. The pictures of the deck sold me, and I was not disappointed Our cabin had a multi-level deck that led from the top floor of the cabin all the way down (about 100 feet) to a dock right on the river. The pic here is DH on the last landing before the dock, taken from one of the mid-level decks.

We had such a perfect, peaceful weekend. We took three canoe-trips, which were the highlights for me. Well, except for the second one when DH and the twins tipped their canoe in chest-deep water (on DH) and he had to rescue both kids (SS was trapped under the canoe!) and flip it back over. PS and I were a little bit behind them, and did not witness DH's superdad performance. We came around a bend to find DH standing in the middle of the river and the twins shivering in a water filled canoe and crying because they had lost their sparkly flip-flops. But we got everybody sorted out, finished our trip, and convinced the girls to go canoeing again this morning (in calmer waters).

We had hoped to spend yesterday hiking, but DH twisted his knee during the rescue effort, and we didn't want to push it. Instead they fished all day while I sat on the deck reading trashy magazines with a glass of wine. They caught about a bazillion (17) fish. Which went something like this, "Daddy, Daddy, I think I've got one! Look, look, I really got one! Eww, eww, eww, don't let it touch me!" As she holds the pole as far away as possible so the flopping fish doesn't touch her. And then PS would scream "it's dying, it's dying, put it back! You're going to kill it! You have to put it back in the water!"

See, the problem is that nobody, except DH, will eat fish. And I haven't a clue how to cook a fish. So it was a catch and release effort.

It was a great trip, and we're thinking of going back for July 4th. It's was short enough drive for a quick weekend trip, and secluded enough to avoid overwhelming crowds on a holiday weekend.

We rocked the science fair!

PS took first place in the 6th grade. All 6th graders were required to participate, so she beat out over 100 other kids! And I was very impressed by the quality of their projects. Apparently what set PS apart was her presentation--she was actually able to explain all of the science behind her rocket experiment. DH spent a lot of time teaching her how rockets work and they did a lot of research. And PS just happened to study outliers in her math class this week, which helped explain some of her data.

TT's and SS's classes broke into groups and did their projects in class. Their groups took 2nd and 3rd in the 3rd grade (but there were significantly fewer competitors).

PS's principal and science teacher both raved about her. And then her science teacher started convincing me that PS REALLY needs to take the aerospace class in middle school. Apparently our school district just got a 7-figure grant and will be participating in the National Space Grant Student Satellite Program. Over the next five years, the aerospace classes will conduct increasingly sophisticated experiments culminating in the launch of an real space satellite in 2015! How cool is that?? Previously unbeknownst to me one of the private companies working on space tourism is based right in our little suburb, and will be helping out with this little project.

Science Teacher went on and on about what a great student PS is and how she will be perfect for this program and all of the opportunities that it would provide to her. Apparently aerospace companies and big-name universities heavily recruit students who participate in these programs. (And I'm sure being a girl is an added advantage for PS, since the engineering field in general is desperate for more women.)

I'm so excited--I want to go back to school so that I can do this program! Yea for science nerds!

My zoo

In addition to the kids, we also have a dog, Bob, two cats, Voldemort and Harley, a guinea pig, Stephanie, and whatever other creatures my children have trapped in a jar in any given week (lizards, spiders, crickets, grasshoppers, snakes).

Bob is a black lab and a big dumb lug. Whenever we are home he follows us around, and lays next to us. He refuses to spend more than 5 minutes outdoors when his family is inside. And he thinks he is the Incredible Hulk when caged. He has literally ripped apart a chain link kennel outdoors and a metal crate that we use indoors. Apparently he has separation anxiety.

Bob's favorite pastime is chasing the cats. Harley has made friends with Bob. In fact, Harley will follow Bob around, stand under his front paws underneath Bob, and nuzzle his chin and groom his ears.

Voldy, however, has already been a little spazzy. He doesn't like people (except for PS). And he doesn't like Bob. Bob still likes to chase Voldy, and Voldy just freezes and makes no attempt to escape Bob.

Now Voldy is going bald. Because whenever Bob slobbers on him, he starts grooming himself --and never stops. I took Voldy to the vet today. Vet says Voldy is stressed. The probable trigger is Bob (duh). So we can either start giving Voldy Xanax, or we can try to reduce his stressors.

Great. All of my animals have psychological problems. My dog has separation anxiety and my cat has anxiety caused by the dog. Better the animals than the kids, I guess. Now I just have to figure out how to train my hunting dog not to hunt the cats, which has got to be easier than trying to shove a pill down a cat every day.

I'm a Rocket (Wo)Man

For PS's science fair project she decided to launch model rockets with various nose cone shapes to learn which would reach the highest altitude. She and DH assembled her rocket a couple of weeks ago, and we had to wait for the special nose cones that we ordered online. We finally had everything ready to go last weekend, but it was insanely windy. And it has been windy or rainy every single day for the last week.

Finally today, the rain stopped and the wind died down, so we headed to the school park to launch our rockets. Unfortunately, thanks to all of the rain we were sinking in the mud and getting filthy. But we got 10 good launches and had great fun.

It was truly a family experiment. PS was timing the rocket has it ascended. DH and I used homemade altimeters to measure the height, and the twins took turns launching the rockets and playing photographer.

Making Mommy Proud

This morning PS was peeved because TT was wearing her shorts. TT came into my room to inform me that PS had told her that she had to take off the shorts or pay her $1. I told TT that she didn't have time to change, and since I bought all of PS's clothes, she did not have the right to charge rent for them.

A few minutes later both girls came running downstairs with a piece of paper--a contract. It read "I [TT] promise not to wear [PS's] clothes without permission or unless mom or dad says I have to." With signature lines and everything.

TT wanted me to review it before she signed. I informed them that it was not an enforceable contract unless supported by consideration. TT was the only one giving up anything--the right to steal her sister's clothes.

The girls disappeared again, and when they came back downstairs the next time TT was carrying a stuffed dog and PS had her signed contract.

PS says she has no interest in becoming a lawyer, but I still think there's hope.

Dauphin Island

I was saddened to see on the news this morning that tar balls from the oil spill were appearing on the shores of Dauphin Island. Dauphin Island is a tiny island that separates Mobile Bay from the Gulf of Mexico. There is one bridge leading to the island from Mobile, and a ferry on the other end of the island that took you to the other side of Mobile Bay (toward Gulf Shores).

We rented a beach house there a few years ago, after hearing about the beautiful beaches in Alabama. Gulf Shores and Orange Beach are the better known beach towns, and allegedly have prettier beaches than Dauphin Island. But we visited Gulf Shores during our visit and I didn't notice that Gulf Shores was especially prettier than Dauphin Island. Gulf Shores was, however, far more crowded and commercialized. Huge condos lines the beaches and tacky souvenir shops abounded.

Dauphin Island was primarily beach houses (I think there were one or two condos, but they weren't super high-rises). Ours was about 100 yards from the beach. And there was nobody around (it was the off-season, but Gulf Shores was much busier). There weren't many tacky souvenir shops, and really, not even many restaurants. It was just a place to fish and play in the sand and grill out from the deck of your beach house.

There was also a really cool fort and a wild bird sanctuary with walking trails.

My kids rank our Dauphin Island vacation right up there with our trip to Disney, and have been begging to go back. I hope the oil spill doesn't cause too much harm. The island was still recovering from Katrina when we were there, and I think it has since been damaged by a subsequent hurricane. It's a lovely little island that is a refreshing change from the typical commercialized beach town.

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope all of the MILP's are having a happy and relaxing weekend.

Since I was supposed to be in trial for the last week, my workload was especially light last week. I took Friday off to attend PS' field day. By mid-afternoon, PS was no longer competing and I could feel my skin starting to burn (indeed, I got my first sunburn of the season despite slathering myself in SPF 85. The great irony of my life will be dying of skin cancer, having never had a tan.), so I took off and got a pedicure before picking up the girls from school. It was a nice jump-start to the weekend.

We had soccer yesterday morning, and then went to Lowe's where I picked out two trellises with hanging plants to frame the walkway up to my house. Spent the rest of the afternoon doing nothing!* That doesn't happen very often.

Unfortunately, last night we decided to watch Time Traveler's Wife. I had read the bock many years ago, but I really don't remember books or movies, and I didn't recall what a downer this movie was. Of course, this Mother's Day is an especially tough one for DH, and I think that movie just increased his funk.

I wish that we were close enough to put flowers on MIL's grave. It seems like we should do something to remember her today--but I'm not sure what. I sent flowers to DH's sisters earlier in the week, and asked the florist to use the same lilies that we had picked out for MIL's casket spray (is that weird?), just to let them know that we were thinking about them and their mom.

Nothing much going on today. We'll probably do a little grocery shopping, work on PS' science fair project and then throw something out on the grill for dinner tonight. Perfect Sunday afternoon.

*By doing nothing, I mean that I spent most of my afternoon researching cruise options for our 15th anniversary this year. I really, really want to go to Bora Bora, but I don't feel comfortable being that far from the kids (the only person I would have left them with for a trip like that is MIL). So now we're thinking a Caribbean cruise--where we could be back home in a matter of hours in an emergency. And I am astonished at how inexpensive cruising can be! Why have we never cruised before? I think I've narrowed down which cruise I want to take--not it's just figuring out which cabin. Apparently location is important. But is it worth it to spring for a balcony? And yes, I am a total nerd and research everything to death.

Setting Limits

I figured out pretty quickly as a law student trying to find a job that being a mom was not working to my benefit. So I removed anything that hinted at my child-having status from my resume (basically my volunteer work) and avoided the topic during interviews.

My first boss had absolutely no idea that I had kids when he hired me. And I am 100% certain that he would not have hired me if he had know I was a mom. (This is not just my speculation--others 'in the know' have said the same.) Of course, he eventually figured it out--after I had been working there for several months.

And in my first job I was careful not to mention my kids whenever I had to leave because something was going on with them. I always non-specifically said that I had an appointment. This actually worked for me. It gave me the opportunity to prove that I was competent and professional and could get the job done without being marred by the "mom prejudice."

But this isn't something that I want for future lawyer moms, and the only way things are going to change is if those of us who are more established in our field stand up and prove what we're perfectly capable of managing both our careers and our families.

My new bosses knew that I had kids from my first interview--but by then I had a good track record to back myself up. Still, I was conscious not to have too many kid appointments and to prove myself as a go-to girl in my early days with my current firm. And now, I think I've done that.

So when I have to take a kid to the doctor, I said so. And last week, when my boss (a childless junior partner) said that he wanted us in the office at 9 on Saturday morning to prep for our trial on Tuesday, I said no. My kids have soccer games on Saturday mornings. I've been home before bedtime maybe twice in the last two weeks and we would be out of town for one to two weeks for trial. I needed that time with my girls. I was prefectly fine with devoting the vast majority of my weekend to trial prep, but I was not missing my kids' games on Saturday morning.

I think he was a little surprised that I was drawing this line in the sand just 3 days before trial, but he didn't object. I love my job, but it does take a lot of time away from my family, and I have to set limits to ensure that it doesn't take over my entire life. I have yet to miss a concert or school play or soccer game, and I don't intend to without a very good reason.

In the end, it was moot. My case settled today (while I was at the soccer games), and the 90 bazillion hours that I have billed in the last two weeks were for naught. I'm disappointed not to be going to trial, but it is nice to have my weekend free. And of course, I know the stats as well as any litigator and knew the chances of settling increased with every day we got closer to trial. I don't know what I'll do with all my free time at work next week.

Wide Awake

Tried to go to bed an hour ago. Read until my eyes couldn't take it anymore. Then I laid there tossing and turning and completely unable to relax enough to even think about sleep. I think I had too much coffee today.

I'm thinking about all the things that still need to be done before our trial starts on Tuesday. And what I should pack for a two-week trial. And how much weight I'm going to gain living on Dairy Queen for two weeks. And the conference call that I have scheduled tomorrow--then I remember that my client never confirmed that he would actually be present for our conference call (with a third party). And the settlement agreement that I am haggling over and what I will say to convince opposing counsel that I will not accept the terms that he insists are fair and reasonable. And the fact that my secretary seems to have gone insane because she came into my office crying this morning because she is convinced that she has bone cancer even though she has absolutely no reason whatsoever to believe this other than using google to self-diagnose. And the fact that the circles in the Venn diagram that represents my relationship with DH seem to be more tangential than overlapping lately. And the fact that I still haven't shipped my two-year old nephew his birthday present. And where I am now versus where I was a year ago.

And now my eyes are burning again and I really need to go to bed so that I can be awake for the conference call that my client may or may not be attending.

The Aftermath

So it's been nearly two months since MIL passed away--after trying to set a record for the longest Hospice stay ever. Some of the after-effects are expected and some, not so much.

I keep coming across things that I think would be perfect for MIL for Mother's Day--and then remember that I won't be buying her anything this year.

And we weren't sure how the kids would be affected. A few days ago SS overheard DH and I talking, and then burst in to tears because she missed Grandma.

And TT is just not herself. She's been a punk to her sisters lately, but also spacey and unfocused (this would be the kids who let the sink overflow). We've been waking her up a half hour before her sisters after she made them late for school three days in a row, and she is still the last one ready every day. And we had a teacher conference last week, where we learned that her math grades are inexplicably dropping and she has been very clingy with her teacher. We've since been trying to ensure that she get more individual attention (no easy task when your kids outnumber you).

And then there is FIL. He started dating less than a month after MIL was buried. He is now officially "seeing someone." It is certainly an understatement to say that we were all stunned by this development. FIL was absolutely devoted to MIL throughout her entire illness, and in her last days he refused to leave her side. I don't like it, but I'm just the in-law. DH doesn't like it, but doesn't feel like its his place to say anything, that his dad has been through enough, and that he is an adult who can make his own decisions. SIL is devastated and this is having a huge affect on her and her relationship with her dad. She told him that she was irritated, but FIL just kind of brushed her off. Meanwhile, news of FILs new relationship is spreading throughout my smallish hometown, and SIL has been asked about it. Ugh! I don't even want to think about the gossip.

We had booked a cabin for Memorial Day shortly after MIL passed away, and intended to invite FIL, but didn't want to be too pushy. When DH finally invited him last week, he already had plans to visit someone else's cabin. And of course we're all wondering whether his new friend will be accompanying him.

I get that he was in the role of a caregiver for the last year and was acting more like a parent than a spouse. But two months--really? Is he incapable of spending any time alone? Of processing the loss of his wife of 35 years? And what woman in her right mind would want to get in the middle of that situation.

It is Wednesday and I am home

I woke up this morning feeling like I had been run over by a truck, and in awe at the amount of snot that my body is able to produce. A long hot shower did not improve the situation, so I crawled back into bed feeling quite sorry for myself, emailed in sick to work, and started inundating my poor secretary with emails. Then I took a handful of pills and decided I would try to sleep until 8:30, when my secretary would arrive at the office and probably start calling with questions.

Well, my secretary started calling, but I did not hear the phone and slept until after 10. Apparently the decongestant was not of the non-drowsy variety. I reluctantly hauled my aching body out of bed so that I could attempt to do some work.

I think my body is telling me that I need downtime. I've had more late nights than not lately, and once I get home there is home-stuff to be done. Thank God I have a housekeeper. I do not know how I could manage to ever spend time with my children if I actually had to keep up the house. But still there are bills to be paid and taxes to be done and homework to review and forms, forms, forms from the school for pictures and field day and t-shirts and field trips.

And then last night, as I was driving home from work at 8:30 and chatting with DH he said, "I gotta go--I hear water dripping." Alas, when I stumbled in the door at 9, DH and PS were staring up at the water dripping through my kitchen ceiling. Apparently TT left the bathroom sink running, it's not draining properly, and it overflowed all over the bathroom. And PS did not bother to notice or rectify the situation when she went to take a shower. (And yes, I did have a post just a few months ago about the bathtub dripping into my kitchen, although it turned out not to be the kids' fault.)

So today I will do enough work to keep me afloat and try to rest, hoping that a day off will keep things from getting worse. The fortunate part is that I got three big tasks knocked out last night and today is the only day in the next three weeks that I don't have anything on my calendar. Our trial is just a week and a half away, and it still does not look like we will settle.