All posts by Little M.S. Runner

Forty-something, married with two kids and two dogs. Trying hard to live every day to the fullest with multiple sclerosis, impaired vision, and deafness. Couldn't make it without my Savior, Jesus Christ.
Nothing

Wasting time

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You’ll never believe what I just did. I uninstalled Farmville 2 (gasp!) from my phone. Again. That stupid game just sucks me in. I had reinstalled it after going without for awhile, thinking I could handle it, but apparently I can’t. I hate to compare it to serious addictions to substances like alcohol or drugs, but I really do just need to say no. No, no, NO. When it’s there it takes over my thoughts. 24/7. It’s flippin’ ridiculous. I find myself wasting all kinds of time, all of which is essentially Free Time for me, and leaving me at the end of the day in a puddle of regret. Because I believe my time is a gift, and I am wasting it. I could be (should be?) interacting with my kids, praying for my friends, letting the dog out, unpacking, calling my mom for Pete’s sake!

So tomorrow we start again. Again. And hopefully this time I will prove to myself that I can remain strong and abstain from the life-sucking, time-wasting ridiculous farming game. One day at a time, Mindy. One. Day. At. A. Time.

Food

Frittata First

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Since moving in to this new house, I’ve used the stove and oven for simple foods a couple times, but tonight I did some real cooking for the first time. Now real cooking for me is nothing compared to what my dad and sister can do with food, but I can do some meals well enough. Tonight was a frittata, made with bacon and green pepper. These ingredients were just what I had on hand, but they also happen to be my two favorite pizza toppings. Needles to say, I found it delicious. Hubby was happy too, but the kids didn’t care for the green pepper (shocker).

It was different using an electric range, because I’ve used a gas stove (and loved it) for well over a decade. This one that came with the house has a glass cooktop, which looks nice but is a pain in the rear to clean. It also takes longer to heat up, and may not cook as evenly, but it wasn’t enough of a difference to bother me. The real test will come when I bake my famous chocolate chip cookies!

Coffee, Domestic Engineer, Family, Friends, Photos, Piper

Every Day Is Yours To Win

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2015-08-18 09.11.40

The photo above is the view from my back porch. Do you see how the sun casts sort of a glow over the deck? Or is that just me? I took the photo this morning. Our house faces east, so the back porch is still cool from the night air as the sun is rising on the other side, and under the gazebo there is a nice breeze. So this is where I have come to love sitting in the morning (granted, it’s only Day Two), with my coffee and Bible, while Piper runs around the yard or rolls in the grass. When she’s done with that nonsense, she comes and lies down at my feet. It’s lovely. Just lovely. We are so blessed with this new home.

And if that wasn’t enough, we have some really awesome neighbors. All of them. Really. They even have a private Facebook page they use to keep in touch with each other. So while we’ve done some chatting with them leading up to the day we moved in, today we actually got to meet several of them. In fact, when people started getting home from their respective jobs, they seemed  anxious to meet us and say hello. The woman from across the street walked over to say hi, and we discovered we both have sons named Luke. A lady from the end of the street stopped at our driveway as she was leaving the neighborhood, and I was able to meet her and her son (whom I found had already met Luke yesterday). Then after Mike came home we met the man who lives next door to us, as well as his wife and two kids. It’s amazing how friendly these people are. We had heard this was a great neighborhood, but now we’re experiencing it and finding it to be absolutely true.

Oh, and get this – there are at least three other couples on the block whose first names start with the same letter, just as mine and Mike’s do (Mike and Mindy). There are the S’s next door, the D’s across the street, and another set of M’s further down. I love alliteration, I really do. What can I say? I’m a geek, all the way.

The unpacking is moving along. Throughout each day there is a constant feeling that I’m about to hit a wall, but I haven’t actually done it yet. I figure if I just go slow, then even if I do hit that wall, I won’t break anything. Just in theory, of course. I am developing some killer calf muscles, going up and down the stairs. But overall, life is good here and we feel pretty well settled. We have internet now, toilet paper, milk. You know, the necessities.

And here is where my brain is shutting down for the night, whether I like it or not. Good night!

Uncategorized

To be continued

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I’ve been absent, I know. It’s just, well, we bought a new house. It’s been kind of a whirlwind. A good whirlwind, but a whirlwind nonetheless. I plan to blog all about the changes, and I have been journaling offline, so once we have working Internet I will fill you in. For now you are getting this condensed message typed from my phone.
A lot has happened, a lot has changed, but I assure you that I am still here. And yes, I am, for always, still Mindy. 😉

Cochlear implant, Deafness, Disability, Driving, Hearing Loss

Memory Fail(s)

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Funny story (to me, anyway): This morning started out just like the previous few; ease out of bed, pack lunches for the kids, wish them well as they leave with Dad to go to zoo camp… Then I watered the flowers, made some coffee, and sat down on the couch to relax and do some reading. Forty-five minutes later I hear a honk, and the dog started barking. Perplexed, I got up to see what was going on. There was a white Spec-Tran van in my driveway. To pick me up. For the hair appointment I made just two days ago.

Oh, I was frantic. They don’t have to honk, and they certainly don’t have to wait for you to get dressed because you completely forgot they were coming. So I opened the front door, waved to let the driver know I was aware and coming, and rushed back to the bedroom to put on a bra (because I was still in my pajamas). The whole time – a matter of seconds that felt like eternity – I was praying the driver would not leave me. I hurried to put Piper in her crate, slipped on some shoes, grabbed my wallet and purse with a last minute check for my keys, and headed out the door. The sense of relief as I rode in that van was extremely gratifying.

Then as we were nearing our destination, the driver asks me if the address is 4020 (they often do this, which frustrates the crap out of me because they have GPS and I’m deaf, and it’s just hard and usually extremely unnecessary) and I say yes, that I believe it was next to a Quality Dairy, but I wasn’t sure because I’ve only been there once before. But then he pulls in to the salon’s parking lot and it’s there, right where it always has been, and the nearest Quality Dairy is at least 3 blocks away. Another memory fail. But here’s my note to Spec-Tran: don’t take navigation advice from the unlicensed deaf/blind girl. Her memory is like a sieve.

Minor mishaps, really. I was there with plenty of time to spare. I got a real haircut, and afterwards was able to chat with the stylist about cochlear implants. She had seen a video on Facebook showing several people, of all ages, reacting as their implants were activated. She was fascinated by the miracle of it, even though she knows she can’t come close to knowing what it’s like. She showed me the video, smiling the whole time, and her eyes just sparkled as she watched; she seemed to really “get it”. So it was just a good moment, to share in the awe of the CI miracle with a hearing stranger. It really is a miracle.

And then I called Spec-Tran (yes! with my cell phone!) to get picked up (we were done much earlier than I expected). When I got home I changed out of my pajamas (lol), let Piper out of her crate, and poured that cup of coffee that had been waiting for me. It’s good to be alive.

Health

Dehydration is dangerous

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I had an interesting conversation with my cousin yesterday about water. We humans don’t drink nearly enough water. I would guess that most people walk around severely dehydrated, and don’t even know it. Why don’t they know it? Because no one told them that our bodies need it, and lots of it,  in order to function properly. Or maybe they know, but don’t care. They feel fine, or only have minor issues that they can’t directly link to dehydration. Well, I have good, smart doctors who tell me that I need to drink water, and that it can heal a lot of my issues. And it’s true! I’ve been really intentional the last few weeks about drinking plenty of water and it’s paying off. I lost weight, my blood pressure is back to a healthier range, and I’ve been far less irritable (just ask my husband).

So, it’s jungle hot in Michigan these last few days, and my poor impatiens in my front porch planter are thirsty flowers. But in the heat and sun, they are even more so. They need it to live. I water them every day, but today they were looking really sorry. They were shriveling up and threatening to quit on me. So I showered them with a couple pails of water to see what they do.

That’s how I felt today. I didn’t drink enough water yesterday as I was away from home – at my big brother’s wedding! Yay! – and I had a feeling I would pay for it. I did. I woke at 6 am this morning with a massive headache that would not let up. I was shriveled up and threatened to quit, but instead I got right up and chugged some water, packed the kids’ lunches for zoo camp, and of course went back to bed. But nap #1 did not bring relief. It took a lot more water, another nap, and finally I resorted to a dose of naproxen sodium (out of desperation). It is just past 4 pm and I am finally feeling human again.

I checked on my flowers, and they are perking up too. We’re all kinds of perky around here! Drink your water, folks! Stay hydrated!!

Cochlear implant, Deafness, Hearing Loss, Memories, Miracles do happen, Music

Bilateral hearing rocks!

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This is exciting news. I didn’t know what to expect with the second cochlear implant, but I was told it’s different for everyone, and that quite a lot is possible. I had zero hope of ever hearing pitches normally again.
But guess what happened tonight? I was talking with my husband, telling him good night, and when I got to the bathroom to brush my teeth I looked at my reflection in the mirror and it occurred to me that I had just been hearing my own voice. MY VOICE. Which I hadn’t heard in almost two years. And you know what? I think I’ve been hearing real voices all day! It’s as if some thing in my brain just clicked. I’m so excited to hear more tomorrow, when I will actually be paying attention. To my son’s voice. To my daughter’s voice. And I’ll be hearing what they hear. Right?
I’m just in shock, I can’t find the words. I’m listening to my old ipod, with my favorite songs from before when I was a hearing person. Tool, Cibo Matto, Rusted Root, Over the Rhine, while still quite tinny, the notes are all there. The notes I remember. In my ears. And I’m not sleeping. This isn’t just in my dreams. It’s as good as real.
No words here. Just tears of joy. Indescribable joy.

Food

Frittata for the win!

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Tonight I made a frittata for dinner. If you don’t know what that is (I didn’t, until my sister described it to me) it’s basically an omelet, but without the tricky flipping. It’s eggs, milk, cheese, meat and veggies if you want ’em. It cooks in a pan, and is then finished off in the oven (or just put a lid on it and keep it on  the stove), and it kind of ends up looking like a breakfast pizza (incidentally, two of my favorite things… breakfast and pizza). I usually just use what I have on hand, so today’s frittata had sautéed red pepper and green onion, and ham and cheddar cheese. Simple, delicious, and fairly healthy!

This happened to be my third attempt at a frittata, but it was the first time I did it without incident (i.e. I didn’t scorch my hand pulling the pan out of the oven). It was also the first time I made it for my family to eat, so I was a tad nervous, since they all tend to be their own brand of picky eaters. Guess what? They all loved it! They weren’t necessarily begging for seconds, and Luke didn’t care for the red peppers, but the fact that no complaints were made (Luke was happy to pick out the peppers and continue eating) and my husband went back for seconds are both good signs of a winner in my book.

I just wish I had taken a picture for you 😦 Maybe next time!

Decluttering, Domestic Engineer, Kids, Photos

Lunch coolers

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We had six thermal lunch bags. Two for me, two for Luke, and two for Natalie.Mine are the black & white paisley-ish and the red toile patterned, Natalie’s are the colored polka-dots and the pink with the butterfly, and Luke’s are the plain black and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
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Now we have three. One for each of us. We decided to keep the red toile, pink butterfly, and plain black.
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My kids use lunch bags for school occasionally, and they may more often at the new school come September. I don’t have a job to go to anymore, so I don’t use mine much. However, it is nice to have one in case we go to the park, or on a long drive. I like having healthy snacks available. I thought keeping one for each of us was reasonable.

I have to be honest though, and disclose the fact that I have several more thermal bags and boxes down in the basement. I have used them all on occasion, for camping trips mostly. We camp once a year, so it might not seem worth it, until you get rid of them and six months later you are packing for that camping trip and asking yourself where you are going to pack the hot dogs and string cheese and drink boxes. Because these need to be kept cool, but don’t fit real well in the cooler with all the water and Gatorade bottles. So really, it’s justified, right? Am I right??

I’m afraid I am far from done.

Cochlear implant, Music

CIs and pitch differences

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My son has been humming a song by Fall Out Boy for the last week or so (called ‘Centuries’ I believe), and to my ears it sounds just like a song I used to hear on the radio when I was in high school. I couldn’t remember what it was called, but I kept humming it for Luke to ask him if it was the same as his song. Well, he couldn’t really tell me one way or the other, so we decided to look it up online. A quick internet search of “do do do do dododo 90’s” brought us to Tom’s Diner by Suzanne Vega, and I knew as soon as saw the title that it was the one. I let Luke listen to it (as I sat nearby, reminiscing), and he confirmed that the beat was the same, but the melody was not. So it’s mainly the pitches that are entirely different. Luke and I both agreed it was rather interesting, somewhat amusing, that to my CI ears, his song sounded just like my song. Interesting, indeed.