I know it’s lurking somewhere there in my skull

My house is clean (kind of — as much as it ever is,) the dishes are done and counters wiped, my laundry is mostly done and folded and put away, my pantry is well-stocked, the kids are bathed and in bed (as of 10:00 PM — the best I could pull off tonight.) I even made homemade macaroni and cheese for dinner with green beans garnished with bacon as a side.

I might be a better homemaker without Dean to help me than when I can assume he’ll take up the slack.

I’m not a better parent, though, unless yelling at your kids all evening is good parenting (how many times do I have to ask Mabel to do something before she hears and remembers and does it?!) (Four times.)

And I have no brain left over for blogging.

Isaac and Mabel, by the way, (other than my previous complaint,) are GREAT helpers — I am finding out they can do more than they or I knew they could. It was almost a whim a few months ago when I taught them to change diapers — I thought I’d still be changing most of the diapers, but it was still a good thing for them to learn — but guess what, when you have kids around who can do a decent job of changing a diaper, you will start to take advantage of the fact more and more* — especially when your husband is laid up with a healing foot. The older kids are also pretty good at bathing their younger siblings and brushing their teeth. Wonderful. (And a big part of why the shopping and laundry and dishes and cooking were able to get done today — the other reason is my aching feet.)

Dean’s coming along fine — he slept mercifully well the last two nights, and he told me he “only” had to do his anti-hiccuping exercise about ten times today, and was even able to safely laugh a few times. (Yesterday evening I was pleased when I said something that made him laugh — until his laugh triggered painful hiccups.) He did have to change his plans to go to church and bishopbric meetings tomorrow and to go to work on Monday, though — the hiccuping misadventures made him lose rest and set him back, so he needs a couple more days before he can get back on his foot. (I was about to say get back on his feet, but he’s still supposed to stay off the surgeried foot for 5.5 weeks longer. So I guess he’ll be getting on his foot and his crutches.)

I don’t think I mentioned here that on the day after the surgery, when he was pretty sure the narcotics were causing the hiccups (or at least worsening them) he got a sample of a different pain medication — and that one made him vomit every time he hiccuped. That was a really long day. Now he is back on the narcotics (although he’s pleasantly surprised to so far not need the highest dose) and although we still think they played a role in aggravating the hiccups, we’re very grateful that that side effect hasn’t proved to be permanent for him — since we really didn’t find a satisfactory alternative for dealing with his pain.

I *do* still have other, non-surgery topics I could write about . . . (still have lots of photos from DC I could post,) but for that I’d have to find my writing brain.**

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*I just remembered that when Isaac’s school friend showed up at our door today to bring him an invitation to his birthday party, Isaac came to the door holding a balled-up dirty diaper he’d just changed, and was completely unselfconscious about it. So cute.

**Oh, and I just remembered another cute thing — ever since Dean first came home with his cast and crutches, Rose loves to put on one of her red boot-style slippers for a cast and use whatever makeshift crutch she can find. And Dean realized yesterday that Henry’s been a little scared of Dean’s cast and crutches, so he’s been wooing Henry back with ball-tossing and cuddles. Which reminded me of one more cute Henry story, but that one needs a photo taken to go with it, so . . . remind me to get to it.

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