Not a broken nose

So I text my sisters to tell them I'm in the ER, waiting to see if H has a broken nose. One sister texts back "I'm reporting you to (other sister)." Other sister works for child services. The other sister texts back "What did you do to her?"

My family loves me.

To be honest, H's injury is a direct result of disobeying Mommy. The kids are not supposed to be in the trampoline, because we haven't put the cover back over the springs yet. And the kids are not supposed to be in the trampoline all together EVER. So they were, of course. And H fell and smacked her face on the metal.

She wasn't howling in pain, so I figured she was fine. The husband got home and said her nose was broken. I told him he was nuts.

The next day, the swelling seemed to be going down, and everything looked fine to me.

The following evening, I noticed she had a black eye. And all I could think was "Damn. I really don't want to hear 'I told you so'."

So I finally took H in for x-rays. The desk people said it looked broken. The triage nurse said it was definitely broken. When the doctor came in with the results, SHE said she had figured it was broken, but the x-rays showed no sign of a fracture. She'll just look like a boxer for a few more days.

Between this and my own recent hospital experience(s), I am officially declaring myself Better Than Medical Professionals. This is my superpower.

I'd like to trade that superpower for the weekend for one that will allow me to paint a room in 10 minutes. We're doing a complete overhaul on H&M's bedroom. I hate this kind of thing. But it's way overdue, and I'm crossing my fingers that a new room will motivate them to keep things semi-neat and clean. At least for the first few weeks.

Time for Mike Tyson and I to start scrubbing the "art work" off those walls. Wish me luck!

My husband is the greatest husband in the word but if this crap keeps up I'll let just about anyone play Daddy

Last week, the husband was gone from Sunday to Thursday. This week, he left before dawn on Monday. He was supposed to be back tonight, but his flight was canceled. Maybe we'll see him tomorrow.

I had forgotten what it's like to have him traveling, and this is pretty much the first time I've really been left with four crazy people.

Some people claim they wouldn't be able to spend all day, every day with their kids. I claim the key is running and hiding when Daddy comes home. When Daddy's not home, it sucks!

I can only assume the reverse is the true. I wouldn't really know, since the husband has called his Mommy's whenever I've skipped town.

Two nights ago, I dove into the chocolate. Last night, it was cookies (what was left of the cookie dough). Tonight, I'm really thinking it should be rum. Probably not a good idea when you're alone with 4 crazy children.

I guess I'll save the rum for when he gets home. He can be in charge, even if he does have to call his moooommmy.

Damn. There's a sudden silence. This can't be good. And this is why the rum will have to wait.

You name it

I have had nothing to write about lately. Considering my tendency to write about things that annoy me, this is probably a good thing.

What has been going on? M lost her first tooth. C learned how to escape the crib. H has been giving me fabulous narrations on The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. J has been practicing Beatles songs on the keyboard- a much welcome break from Rush. I hate Rush.

The weather is infuriating. 60 degrees and beautiful one day, a blanket of snow the next. Somehow, my hyacinths have managed to survive thus far.

I have a new obsession with books. H and I took Grandma to her local library's book sale a few weeks ago. I came home with more than 50 books and a belly full of Panera. :)

I ventured back into our local used-book store. I found nothing of interest, and spent $1 on 3 children's books because I couldn't bring myself to walk out empty handed after an hour of browsing.

I finally got my copy of The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had.

These 3 events have given me 2 new goals.

1. I'm going to start reading. Yes, I've always read, but I've never read with any real purpose. For one, I'm not good at purposeful reading. For another, I'm just REALLY not good at purposeful reading. But it's a talent I've been working hard to cultivate in my kids, and I finally realize I should lead by example. We're off to Borders today so I can begin working my way through TWEM's novel list. It's going to be rough, but I'm going to do it!

2. I want to own my own used-book store. This will be a challenge, considering I'm already cringing at the price of buying 31 novels for my reading list (Susan Wise Bauer tells me I'm a grown up now, and I have the right and responsibility to deface my books. The library would disagree, I'm sure. Look out, bank account!)

Ideally, my bookstore will focus on Great Books and history books, and promote homeschooling and self-education, with a wonderful study room set up for my children, who will diligently complete their lessons while I sort and stack.
More realistically, my house will be covered in boxes of various books that are listed online and I will be trekking back and forth to the post office in order to subsidize my own personal book habit and it will be a pain in the butt for everyone.

So I've begun rounding up books, organizing spreadsheets, and taking note of upcoming book sales. It could be ages before I do anything with them, but it certainly isn't the most expensive hobby I've ever had. And it's the first crazy idea I've had in years that the husband has thrown his support behind. In a real way, not that "Sounds nice, dear" way!

Now, if only I could convince him to read Don Quixote with me...

Audience participation time!
If you were to open a bookstore, what would you name it?

In a way, I think Pearls of... Something is an awesome bookstore name. Business-wise, self-deprecation probably isn't the best route.
Dazzle me with your creativity.