marmite breath slept here

I've been contemplating something really radical.  I've considered turning off my computer for a couple of weeks.  (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Yes, yes, it's pretty desperate behaviour for someone who gets out of bed in the morning and immediately goes, coffee in hand, to the desk.  I have my list of websites that I peruse every day, and I love reading new emails.  I love that I'm connected to the web all the time, that I can see when new mail comes in, that if I ever think of something that I need to look up (a recipe, a vocabulary word for the kids, etc) it's just a few keystrokes away.  But with all this convenience comes temptation.  For me, it's the temptation to just SIT.  Where other people might sit mindlessly in front of the TV, I can sit quite happily for ages on here and look up information on obscure 80's bands that I had forgotten about.  Before I know it, it's bedtime and I've frittered away all the after dinner time!  It's madness, really.  I do recognize that it's escapism at its worst.  I just need to put a stop to it for a while, that's all.  So, while I may not turn of the computer for a couple of weeks, I may keep it off every day until after the kids go to bed, and then allow myself an hour on it.  I do love writing in this blog, but I was also reading other blogs, feeling really unhappy with myself because I feel like mine is just so BORING!  Other bloggers are writing about politics, about being a mother and what it means to them, about the state of the world, and here's me, just blogging about my life.  Sometimes I feel like I don't have anything to say.  Ugh, I'm in a lame mood.  I think it's the English weather we've got going on here today.  We went to buy plants and it's too disgusting outside to put them in the ground.  I can't wait for summer.

Anyway, I think the "once a day" thing might work, however, you should all be fully prepared to laugh at me if I fail miserably.  My computer time could EASILY be taken up with reading about Tom "I'm absolutely batshit crazy" Cruise and his poor girlfriend, Katie "My name is Katie, not Kate, you arrogant brainwasher" Holmes. 

 That's all for today.

I'm not sure how coherent this blog will be today, because Tom is so happy to be back in his own house, and because of that, he's running around being randomly crazy.  For example, mad rush to the piano, bang out a couple of tunes joyfully (I'm fond of Noisy Concerto in G Minor), then, mad rush to the basement for a singing session entitled "Hooks and Leaves" and a dash back upstairs when he realizes that he left the kitchen RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF BUILDING A ROBOT OUT OF ALL MY SPATULAS AND PLASTICWARE!!!  "How could that happen?" he seems to ask himself as he screeches back into the kitchen.  Now I am pretending not to notice that he is sneaking up behind me with a weapon made out of K'nex. 

So, we're all operating under the assumption that it's business as usual and that the whole cancer debacle was a small hiccup.  Well, I am, anyway.

Ugh, coming back to real life is a bit of a bummer for me.  It always is.  Last time I left town, I went to New York, and I'd barely unpacked before Mum called to tell me about you-know-what.  It sort of left my back-from-my-vacation-blues in the dust.  Now I have the back-from-being-with-the-fam blues, and they're AWFUL.  I know I'm a soppy, sentimental old cow, but I just miss them so much.  This visit was unusual in the sense that we didn't really have a purpose (birthday, christmas, or what have you) except just BEING with Mum and looking after her.  We didn't have work to worry about, or schedules, or diets.  It was just a spending time together visit, and it was lovely.  I know!!  Even with Rhonda there!!  I can't believe it either!!  (Please don't hurt me, Rhon! Kiss Kiss!  Nuzzle Nuzzle!) 

Shez flew in to surprise Mum and drink lots of beer  help us take care of things.  That was AWESOME!!  I picked her up from the airport, and we hid her in the bedroom when Dad rang to tell us that he and Mum were close to the house.  We didn't see them drive up, because there we all were, talking away in the bedroom, when we heard Mum shout, "Hi Honey, I'm home!"   We all nearly peed ourselves!  The original Handley sisters ran out of the bedroom to welcome Mum home, and then out strolled Shez, who said, "Want a cup of tea?"   Mum nearly fell over!  It was really great.  She was so surprised and happy! 

Sherry's been a part of our family for as long as I can remember.  She was a teenager when she met Mum at netball, and from then she became a babysitter, family friend, surrogate sister, keeper of secrets and everything else.  She's been on holidays with us, named her kids after us, had kids on our birthdays too!  I've seen her get married, and we've even been pregnant at the same time!   When we first moved to America and things were horrible and strange, her letters would arrive every week and I felt normal again.  I can't even find the words to say how much she means to us all, and so to have her here with us, all of us together again for the first time in 16 years, it was just like it should be.  Not that we haven't all seen her, but Carly has only seen her twice in 16 years, so this was a good time for them to reconnect.  I should note, however, that their reconnecting was mostly done over mass quantities of Corona, and just because they kept sneaking out to the backyard without me DOES NOT MEAN THAT SHERRY LIKES CARLY MORE!!  IT DOESN'T!!! 

Anyway, the important thing that I keep meaning to say, is that Mum feels better every day.  We've fed her, watered her, medicated her, and she seems to be on the mend.  She was her old self the whole time, except that she kept winking at me.  The kids didn't really seem phased about her eye.  Actually, that's not true.  Tom was a bit, "What the hell?" at first, but then he got over it.  Ah yes, the kids.  Hadleigh and Donavan set a new world record for argueing.  I wanted to beat them both.  They really are just as bad as eachother.  Tom and Aidan got along famously and invented many robots.  Big shock.  Also, the trampoline was really just the most fun I've ever had in my life.  Oh, fun for the kids, I mean.  Yeah, that's it.  The kids.

Speaking of the trampoline, I have an interesting mathematical equation for you.  Beer + Trampoline + Middle of Night = Potentially Messy and Painful.   I think I sprained an ovary!!  Don't any of you smartasses tell me it's impossible!  I did!  Seriously, if there's a better way to (a) bond with your sisters (b) exercise or (c) sprain an ovary, I'd love to hear about it.  Trampolines are the best!!  Oh, and apologies to the neighbours for the middle of the night hysterical laughing noises.  Seeing your sister become airborne is funny.

CAN I JUST INTERRUPT MYSELF TO SAY SOMETHING?  I JUST BLOGGED FOR A FREAKING HOUR, THEN HIT SAVE DRAFT, AND THE STUPID SYSTEM LOST MY BLOG!!  I AM SO FRUSTRATED!!! 

Okay, I'm calmed down now.  I was already in a bad mood because I've gained 4.5 lbs since I went home.  Yeah, yeah, I know, those things don't matter in the scheme of things, but I suppose I should be glad it wasn't worse.  I ate too much and didn't exercise, well, other than the jumping.  I was FORCED, AGAINST MY WILL to make food for everybody.  I didn't want to.  I had a new recipe book that they all wanted me to try out.  Speaking of, Nigella is going to hear from me.  She forgot to put a very important disclaimer at the bottom of the Mini Pavlova page.  Apparently, if you reach into the 350 degree oven without oven gloves and the searing heat doesn't dissuade you from grabbing the baking tray and you grab it, it hurts like a bitch.  I just think that her other readers might benefit from this information.  I'm just saying!  Anyway, I'm back to Weight Watchers today, and I've already just given myself a strict talking-to because I almost followed my tomato soup lunch with a trip to the Girl Scout Cookie cupboard!  While I'm at it, I need to remind myself that ORDERING THREE DESSERTS AT OLIVE GARDEN AND PRETENDING THAT YOU'RE GOING TO JUST TRY ONE BITE OF EACH OF THEM ISN'T FOOLING ANYBODY, YOUNG LADY!!

Back to important stuff.  Mum is feeling better, and that's all that matters right now.  I'm too frustrated to try and remember everything else that I wrote.  Damn technology.  I'm about to hit publish.  Cross your fingers.

I'm home!!  Today I'm going to enjoy the glorious Spring day!  I'll blog later!

Mum is now the proud owner of a radioactive chip behind her eye.  Isn't that exciting?  The surgery went well today and I spoke to her on the phone.  And NO, I did NOT nearly burst into tears with relief!  What do you think I am?  Some sort of crybaby mummy's girl? 

I just can't WAIT to see her for myself so that I can know she's okay.  She'll have this chip out next week and then come home and have us wait on her hand and foot.  It's horrible living away from them, but I am lucky I can drive it.  Carly pretty much has to fly, unless she wants to spend days and days in the car.  Ten hours isn't bad, really. The kids are good at travelling and they have good taste in music, so there's no fighting over what CD we listen to.

I just want to see her!  Waaaaaahh!!

"Your Mum is Your Best Friend"   --Emma Bunton, Spice Girl.

You know, I looked for a nice quote about Mums, and I thought, "If I need a lovely heartwarming quote, who would have been eloquent enough to say what I feel?"  And of course, the answer is, as always in that situation, Spice Girls.  Zigazig aaah, indeed!