PUT your things away

I'm sure we all have told our kids over and over and over and over and over to put their things away. I'm sure we have all said that someone is going to get hurt tripping on something that is where it is not suppose to be. Toys have homes, books have shelves, clothes have drawers or laundry hampers, and shoes have closets or shoe bins.


Well, last night Zack's shoes were not where they belonged. But seriously how much damage can a boy's shoe do . . .





This shoe, which still isn't where it should be, caused a ruckus last night. After we said our nightly prayers and started our bedtime routine with the kids, I walked out to our back porch, which use to be a three-season room but my father-in-law finished it so it could be used year round, anyway I went to sit before the kids actually went to bed. As I stepped down the lone step, I stepped directly on Zack's shoe and before I knew it I was on the floor. Okay, I have twisted my ankle before and I could get up and walk it off - not this time! There was groaning, screaming, crying and hyperventilating.


In pain and scared that I broke my ankle, Jay phoned his brother to see if he could come and stay with the kids while he took me to the emergency room. You see, our live-in roommates, Jay's parents, are in California. Anyway, Jay's brother and his wife have very early schedules and it was already late so he wanted to know if we could bring the kids to his house. Unfortunately, Cassie still isn't quite old enough to stay home late at night while we're going to be gone for an undetermined time. Luckily, the hospital is close to Jay's brother's house. So, I had Jay drop me off at the emergency room - he got me signed in, and then he took the kids to his brother's house.

I checked into the emergency room around 10:30 p.m. After waiting about an hour and a half, Jay had to find a nurse to wheel me to the restroom. Finally after waiting for three hours they took me back for x-rays, but they still didn't have a bed for me so I had to go back out to the waiting room. There we waited another hour before they took me back to a bed to see the doctor. I'm so glad I wasn't in excruciating pain - as long as I didn't move my toes or put weight on my foot it was just a dull throbbing pain.

Once we were in the room, the doctor came in to inform me the x-rays didn't show any breaks or fractures. YEAH!! However, probably the way I rolled my foot/ankle I sprained it. My foot never did swell, but there is a nice purple bruise near the ankle. While we were waiting, we got the opportunity to talk with a male nurse whose wife had done some youth ministries in Minot, North Dakota - for those of you following our journey that is one place Jay is scheduled to interview for a pastor position.

After the doctor shared the good news about my ankle he sent one nurse in with pain medicine and another in to wrap my foot, put a splint on it, and give me my new crutches. Of course, Jay wanted to know if we could return the crutches when I am done with them to get a refund. LOL A second doctor came in to go over my injury - I have to ask, WHY do they all have to touch the foot to verify where the pain is? Come on people!! Then this second doctor wanted to let me know that a break or fracture is better because it doesn't take as long to heal and with a sprain now my foot will be weak and more susceptible to sprains. When he walked out of the room Jay said he just wanted to tell him to shut up and to work on his bedside manner.

You know if you ever want to just watch people, go spend a few hours in the emergency room. We saw some interesting characters and events.

Well, we got home around 4:30 this morning, which was just enough time for me to get settled and Jay to have to go back to get the kids from his brother's house. Today I have spent quite a bit of time in bed resting or recovering from a sleepless night. I've been elevating my foot and icing it down. I have to say that trying to get around on the crutches is not the easiest thing. Of course the kids are looking forward to playing with those when I no longer need them.




So, this is my new footwear fashion.

I had to call in some favors today. I had to find a sub for our mid week walking paper route, which Jay normally walks, but with his school schedule tomorrow there's no way he can get that route done and then drive the other routes with Cassie. So when he gets home from school he and Cassie will go out and deliver our driving routes.

Then I had to put a call in to a fellow homeschooling co-op mom to see if there was any way to get the kids, especially Mackenzie to her fairy co-op class. She has offered to come pick up all the kids in the morning so they won't have to miss any of their final co-op classes or the pizza party. Thank you so much, Margot.







Jay and the kids have been taking good care of me. They laugh when I have to get down on all fours to get down that lone step on the back porch. I keep feeling out my foot - wiggling my toes, putting a little weight on my foot because I have things that are planned and things that need to get done, so I can't be put out too long.