Musings from a parent of teenagers

Somehow I seem to always be behind. I'm never caught up on my laundry, I'm forever rushing to get the kids to school, I never seem to get to bed on time to get enough sleep, and I am rarely, rarely on time to work. With life as crazy as it is, any little extra activity can really throw me off. This week was one of those "off" weeks.

It started out on Tuesday. I was taking my younger daughter to the library. As we were walking in, the wind caught her hair and I noticed something glittering on her ear. This should come as no shock to me, but she has pierced her own ear (with the help of a friend, as I find out the next day) - the upper part of her ear. I think what really gets me is she didn't tell me about it. At the point I am speechless, and all I asked her was if she sterilized the needle before she did it. We get done at the library, start to drive away and we see my dh driving toward us. He tells us that our oldest has cut her lip during her color guard practice and may need stitches. I race home - pierced ear all but forgotten - to meet dd. I am envisioning her being driven home, with a huge gash on her lip and blood gushing from the wound. But no, she drives herself home, gets out of the car with what appears to be a little cut on her lower lip. The bleeding has stopped, and I think this is great, she's going to be just fine with a little ice. then I look closer. And closer. No, this is not going to be fine with just ice. The cut is deep, we need to go to emergency.

A quick - quick, ha! - trip to the emergency room. Before rushing out the door I grab my Don't Leave Home Without It items - camera and knitting. While we waited I was able to get quite a bit done on my sock, and I got some great pictures of our trip to ER. I even got to take home tweezers and scissors home as souvenirs. Did you know they are disposable? The nurse asked if I wanted them, since they just throw them away. And to think what they are going to charge me for them. . .

The mate to this sock is what I am currently working on, and what went with me to the ER. It's a striping yarn, using a very simple sock pattern. I love this kind of pattern, since I don't have to think too much when I knit. I am knitting them as a Christmas gift for a friend who loves the Harry Potter books - Gryffindor's colors.

This started my week, but there's more. This story is going to need a post all its own.