Peonyiana: January 2004 Archives

Give me joy -- I just paid off my student loan for nursing school!

Just laundry, laundry, laundry, dusting, dusting, dusting, and then vacuuming.
I fear that some of those dust bunnies have gotten so large I'll need to get a hunting license to go after them.

An organization question: How do you deal with organizing paper? "Official" papers (like bank statements and tax papers) goes in our filing cabinet, of course, but how do you handle stuff like catalogs you want to take a peek at someday but don't have time at the moment, articles you printed from the Net that you want to take a look at, recipes, craft ideas.... all that kind of flotsam and jetsam. I have a file for recipes I want to try, and am starting a file for craft ideas. Maybe I should start one for my hoard of articles.

Slow blogging from me ahead, until my wits return or my household gets brought to order, whichever comes first.

I am order-challenged, mostly because I am a little too fond of procrastination. I have been trying to get organized and stay that way. So far, the front hall, living room, and family room are all conquered territory, though the price of victory is eternal vigilance. My husband laughs at me for relentlessly working to keep the toys picked up in the family room, but I figure it's easier to clean up little messes than big ones, and easier to identify and find missing parts right away -- like that stupid triangle striker, for example. I ended up begging First Act for a replacement, which they very kindly sent at no charge. It arrived on Wednesday, and on Saturday morning I discovered it was missing again! It was really disgraceful how frustrated I got over this. I am happy to report I found it that afternoon (under a bed) and immediately attached it to the triangle using ribbon and clear nail polish. Enough is enough.

The kitchen is largely under control except for this one little corner that is rapidly accumulating clutter (books, coupons, and clippings.)

Next project: getting Hambet's outgrown toys and clothes packed away.

This whole project has gained some urgency -- this week I found out my mom is coming to visit next month! So of course I want to have the place in tip-top shape, even though I know she's going to be leaving her white gloves at home.

Scene: the Aspen Hill Mobil station.

Hambet: Mommy, gonna give the car a drink? Give the car, a drink!

Peony: Yes, Hambet, we're going to give the car a drink. We're going to give it some gas.

Hambet: Mommy, is the car gonna burp?

Last night, after supper, Hambet had a collision with a chair leg and came away with a small cut above his right eye. Naturally he was crying with surprise and pain, but a little direct pressure stopped the bleeding and a few hugs and kisses remedied everything else.

But the cut concerned me. Hambet had a similar little gash when he was first learning to walk. I hadn't shown that cut to a doctor, and it had left a scar on his perfect little face. That one was up by his hairline, so it isn't really visible. Last night's little injury, though, is right above his eyebrow, and I was worried about scarring.

I called the pediatrician and she recommended bringing Hambet in to see if he needed a stitch. My husband grumbled -- it was a superficial cut, it was cold outside, it was bedtime, and it would entail a trip to an emergency room -- but our pediatrician warmly recommended a pediatric urgent care center in Rockville. So we bundled up and headed off.

We arrived and signed in, only to be told that the center "wasn't doing sutures" that night. The receptionist squirted out an inky cloud of weak explanations -- I'm still not sure why they weren't doing sutures; she mentioned that they were "backed up" but their waiting room was deserted.

Off to the main emergency room. This time around it went much better -- we went from triage to the treatment room in about fifteen minutes. This hospital has a dedicated treatment area for pedatric emergencies, and Hambet was the only patient there, so we got treated right away. The doctor cleaned the cut and used some "glue" to close it, so I felt vindicated (especially since I could feel vindicated without an actual needle and thread being involved.)

Hambet didn't mind the trip at all. He had slept soundly all through the trip, and hadn't stirred until the doctor started cleaning the cut. He perked right up when the nurse put on a Thomas the Tank Engine DVD to distract him while the glue was applied, and he was quite pleased with the sticker and teddy bear the nurses gave him when we were ready to leave. This morning he found the sticker plastered on the front of his pajamas and remarked, "The doctor, gave it t'me."

I just hope next time he wants to see Thomas the Tank Engine, he just tells me about it so we can borrow a DVD instead of going to the emergency room.

To: St Anthony of Padua, aka "The Wonder-worker"
cc: Guardian Angel (Peony); Guardian Angel (Hambet)
Re: missing items

Gone missing this afternoon: one puzzle piece (shaped like a cow -- a Holstein.)
Still missing: one triangle striker.

Thanking you in advance for your assistance,

Your faithful petitioner,
Peony Moss

I had thought that it was safe to move the puzzles from their high spot above the computer to a lower spot on a bookshelf. I was so proved wrong today in a crash of nine puzzles and approximately 106 little puzzle pieces. So back up on the high shelf they go.

UPDATE: Holstein puzzle piece found (under the sofa cushion.) Thank you!