Travelling sans toddler

So, this past weekend I went to Davis, California for my stepbrother's graduation. D stayed behind with Connor, didn't feel like it was worth it to take him since none of the activities were ones that Connor would sit well through. Graduation ceremony? I think not. Long family dinners in nice restaurants? No again.

After leaving my boys with supplies (baked goods and a vat of soup), I set off on my solo trip. Right off the bat, I got delayed for 3 hours in LAX. Everyone around me was super pissed-off about the whole thing, but I cared not. I went and bought myself some food and a book. It was probably the most relaxing thing I've done in weeks, waiting in that airport. I felt bad for all the families around me chasing toddlers and lugging their mountains of shit. But, not me! I'm sure people wondered why I was smiling so much.

Once there, I was picked up by my wonderful stepbrother and checked into my Motel 6 by myself. Motel 6 is the shittiest chain on the planet, but to me it felt like the Ritz. Seriously. Did I mention I was there by myself and did not have to set up a pack 'n play and then locate the local playgrounds? That night I had a late dinner with my mom, stepdad, and stepbrother at 8:30. I cannot remember the last time I ate after 6. Afterward, I went back to the Ritz 6 and slept in the following morning. Aaaah!

The rest of the weekend was more of the same: complete liberation. I even went drinking with the college students and didn't puke! Hells yeah for the old mommy!

Needless to say, the weekend was super fun and I can't wait for my next solo adventure!

Working

1) I'm having a terrible time finding a red clay that I love. I've tested three or four different kinds, and they are either anemic or crack easily. What gives?

2) I started putting black widows on my black pieces. They're going to be nice and creepy. Have to get some pics up soon!

Wrists: Update

So, I went to the hand specialist today to see about my wrists. He says that although I'm "very young" for it, it sounds like carpal tunnel syndrome, and that I'll need to have a nerve study done by a neurologist to see how bad it is. He also said that I appear to have two problems going on, the second being ganglion cysts in my wrists. This is what's causing my pain when I make 90 degree angles with my hands. Super fucking duper! If this were caveman times, I would most certainly be bred out of the gene pool. I try so hard to take good care of my body, but I consistently have problems. It's very frustrating to say the least. So, I'll know more after the nerve study is done in a couple weeks. I wouldn't be so completely anxious if MY PROFESSION DIDN'T INVOLVE ME WORKING WITH MY HANDS!!!

Fasting: revised

Well, I did pretty well with my fast yesterday. It's a different experience than before I had kids. A) One cannot relax and make it more of a "spiritual" and physical cleanse. Connor wants to GOGOGO just like always. B) I didn't realize that I'd have to be preparing food for a toddler all day long. When I used to fast I used to take that time to do other things and avoided food during that period. Not so much this time.

Still, it went well yesterday, considering. David caved at dinner time! I was pleased that there was no caffeine withdrawl headache this time. I did wake up with a nasty hunger headache this morning, so I decided to eat a banana. I think I'll do fruit and veggies only today. Maybe when my kid is older I'll go back to the longer fasting. It did serve it's purpose in making me think about things I never think about, and I do feel cleansed.

Rush

Ugh, I went and opened the kiln this morning. Just as I had feared, I have some small cracks on my joints. Sigh. Why do I rush work? When will I learn that I'm wasting my precious time if I rush pieces.....

Pacifier

When Connor was small I practically forced him to take a pacifier. I would have done almost anything at that point to stop the screaming! Fast forward 20 months or so, and here we are, taking his pacifier away. I was feeling so guilty about the whole thing, taking away his most precious comfort object. On David's brilliant suggestion, we decided to leave the pacis in the crib and cut of the tips, so there'd be no suction. It seems to be working! Last night he took longer than usual to fall asleep, but he still slept through most of the night. He woke up at 4:40, and we could hear him trying one "broken" paci after another. Then he started screaming. But, David went in, told him it wasn't time to get up, sang to him, and he went back to sleep for another 45 mins! Not bad, right?! So far, so good.....

Hunger

In America we're obsessed with food. As a country with more and more adults and children becoming obese, we're focused on how to eat less. Diet pills, programs, and exercise routines are on every channel and periodical cover. In this environment, it's easy to forget that much of the world is struggling to eat more, or anything at all. According to the UN World Food Programme,

"Despite the impression you often get from the media, emergencies account for less than eight percent of hunger's victims. Few people realise that there are over 963 million hungry people in the world who don't make the headlines -- more than the combined populations of the United States, Japan and the European Union. They are of all ages, from babies whose mothers cannot produce enough milk to the elderly with no relatives to care for them. They are the unemployed inhabitants of urban slums, the landless farmers tilling other people's fields, the orphans of AIDS and the sick, who need special or increased food intake to survive.
Above all, children, women and rural communities are on the frontlines of hunger."

I'm currently in the middle of a 2 day fast. I feel a little dizzy, and it's hard not to think about food or the fact that my tummy is grumbling and complaining. It's amazing and sad to me that this is how many people live their whole lives. Imagine the sorrow of hearing your baby cry from hunger, and knowing that you just can't make enough milk to feed them, because you don't have enough food to eat. Or watching your husband try to find work and provide, despite being malnourished.

I'm glad I'm doing this fast, it makes me think about things that I never consider. About people who are suffering out of my line of sight.

Learn more: http://www.wfp.org/hunger