A Mindful Life

So I went to see an orthopedist and got some information on what’s going on with my leg. First of all, I have patellofemoral syndrome (also known as chondromalacia patella), and I was told to stop wearing a knee brace and given an exercise to strengthen the quadricep muscles. Apparently the cartilage under the knee [...]

We survived the first day. Claire is on a milk strike. She won’t accept milk (plain, chocolate, or strawberry) offered in any container that is a sippy cup, tumbler, or with a straw. The times she requests milk disintegrate into tantrums and crying, with her pointing at the fridge crying, “Milk! Milk!” and swatting away [...]

The Bottle Fairy comes tonight. When asked what the Bottle Fairy does, Claire answers, “Bye-bye bottles,” but of course she has no true understanding about what this really means. The Bottle Fairy will bring a present — a rocking horse, since Claire loves to rock and finds it soothing — and take away the bottles, [...]

Not much to say. Stuff going on that I don’t want to share here. To bridge the gap and the silence, here’s a photo from preschool.

At last, I finished something so very simple that I started last July. It’s an accessory scarf. Not sure what I’ll do with it; I’ll probably package it up and store it as a “someday gift” for someone, or maybe one of these days I’ll get going on an Etsy shop and try to sell [...]

Maybe. This is a portion of San Jose. This map does not include foreclosures and short sales. I searched for a house or townhome that’s listed at less than $650,000 with three bedrooms and 2 baths. It’s bad around here. You’d think house prices would be even lower, but they aren’t. Most of these homes [...]

Here are some things you would hear from Claire if you visited:
I did it!
Oops, I drop it.
I cooking.
I tooted. (passed gas; this is always followed by a giggle)
Mommy busy.
Daddy home!
I helping Mommy!
Mommy potty.
Kiss-es
Huuuuuug
I wuv oo.
Word! (meaning spell a word with my letter blocks)
Ah-coo-me. (”Excuse me”, which she says after she burps or coughs)
Anks. (”Thanks,” [...]

In one of our conversations before Claire was born, my mother told me there would come a day (many days actually) where I would need to forgive myself, because I am human and bound to do or say something mean to my child.
Yesterday was such a day.
It’s been a difficult week since she [...]

It’s been a rough weekend. Claire has manifested some loud and distressing screaming sessions. She sounds like Katherine Turner, Demi Moore, or Marlon Brando (take your pick). Her doctor says there’s a lot of illness focused on the throat that turns into a croup-like cough. She’s tired and pale too. This evening her sweetness [...]

Claire’s fever broke on Thursday, and yet she still isn’t quite well. She never fully bloomed into a cold (no sneezing, coughing, runny nose), but her voice is hoarse and she is cranky, cranky, cranky.
Meanwhile, it was 71 degrees today; our average is 59.