How to Prepare for Physical Therapy

My first time at Physical Therapy was not a pleasant experience.  I went in expecting something on the order of a massage but instead felt like I'd been tossed overboard somewhere near Iceland.  Okay, maybe it wasn't quite that bad, but it sure didn't feel therapeutic.  The last 15 minutes, I was hooked up to an electric shock contraption that looked like it was from the 1960s.  The PT had to sprinkle water on the attachments to make it work.  If I could have run, I would have been soooo outta' there!  To make matters worse, he covered it with the coldest ice packs south of Santa's workshop.  After my first experience, I learned to better prepare myself for the next time:

1.  Wear long pants, but be sure they stretch over the knee.  I wore capris for the first visit, which worked out just fine, but jammy pants or yoga pants were more comfortable.
2.  Eat breakfast.  I got a little nauseated the second go round, and it felt like a low blood sugar thing that could have been resolved with a piece of candy, instead the PT decided to fix it via a strange head-lock maneuver that is "popular in New Zealand."  Weird.  
3.  Hide some form of entertainment in your pocket.  I watched the clock for fifteen agonizing minutes of pure frostbite-worthy "therapy."  After that, I learned to keep my iPhone in the pocket of a fleece vest so I'd have a distraction from the pain... and it was fun to take pictures of the ancient equipment to post to Facebook.

My only other advice for post-op recovery first timers ~ Pain pills.  Double if necessary.  I tried to only take them "as needed," but taking them more often helped keep me exercising and decreased my recovery time.  .. and talk about some good sleep!  It's Plain & Simple As that.

Three Reasons to have knee surgery right before Christmas

Ten days post arthroscopic knee surgery, I'm feeling pretty good.  Would I do it again right before a big holiday?  I sure would, and here's why:

1. The doctor thought I'd be able to drive the day after my surgery, which didn't actually happen.  No driving they days before Christmas meant no last minute (expensive) Christmas shopping.
2. I could barely walk, so standing for a long time was out of the question.  This got me out of the kitchen and meant I don't have to make a big fancy Christmas dinner.
3. My sweet husband had vacation to burn, so he spent a few days at home babying me, Pampering Tiny, and cleaning up after the Tot.  

It was a nice little vacation from reality.  Plain & Simple as That

A Plain Jane Christmas Wish Granted

After 20 years of complaining about a bum knee, I'm finally getting it fixed.  I just got home from a rather uneventful pre-op appointment.  Other than sacrificing a vile or two of blood, I got some great news.  The schedule got pushed back an hour, so I'll be sleeping in next Monday, then I'll go to the clinic where a very kind elf anesthesiologist will put me back to sleep!  Uninterrupted sleep must be on every mother's Christmas list, and mine is going to be medically induced.

As if the extra sleep wasn't gift enough, I also get to skip all medicine the morning of surgery ~ including my daily mess of vitamins.  I'm to wear jammy pants and a cotton t-shirt.  No jewelry.  No makeup.  No lotion.  No nail polish.  No hair spray.  No fru-fru of any kind.  Doctor's orders!

Surgery right before Christmas might sound like a bummer, but I'm telling you, it's every Plain Jane's wish come true.  ~ It's Plain & Simple As That

Never Throw in the Towel

In the year we've been at Grace Point, our pastor has made a few pleas to the members to get plugged in.  At one point, he mentioned that Grace land ~ home of the 2 & 3 year-olds ~ is the hardest volunteer position to staff.  We kinda' took that as a challenge.  I'm not sure why it's so hard to get volunteers to keep two-year-olds?  It's fun.  Okay, I admit it.  Some days, I'm ready to throw in the towel, but my husband is a genius with these little people.  Even when it's not fun at the moment, it's full of fun stories, for example, here are some conversations from this morning:

Three-year-old with some urgency, "I GOTTA' go"
Me rushing him out the door, "let's go"
We return to the group and the child refuses to sit and have snacks with his friends.  Walking funny, he heads for the corner.  My husband queries him to find out why he won't eat his rice cakes when he emphatically announces, "My wiener is stuck!"
Me, somewhat puzzled, "What did he say?"
My husband, "Well, I think he said, his ..."
"Nevermind.. I got it."
~ for the record, he's okay, I just didn't get the Superman underoos pulled up far enough in the front.   I have two little girls.  Suiting up a kid with exterior plumbing is all new.

iGotHope2Give

***note, this post will probably only make sense if you were at iGet2Give tonight, but I decided to publish it anyway. 

 It's my blog; I can do that if I want to***

Alright, confession time.  When I checked the box to say I was interested in helping with iGet2Give, I really meant that I was willing to help... and by that, I mean, I was willing to help greet people at the door or help fill cups with ice or something along those lines on the night of the event.

Fast forward about 10 weeks to the first iGet2Give meeting.  I reluctantly agree to head up "Tickets" because of the entire list, it sounds the easiest and for some odd reason, no one else jumps on it.  I walk out of the meeting wondering what on earth I've gotten myself into.

Planning for Tomorrow

Every night, we struggle to get the Tot to stay in her bed.  She might fall asleep in the living room, but there's something about her pillow that wakes her up.  I think she just starts thinking through the day and putting the pieces together in her head... or maybe she's planning for tomorrow.  


Last night, about 45 minutes into her nightly routine, and probably the 3rd time she sequestered a sucker-parent back to her room, she asked the Daddyman, "Daddy is Christmas coming?"  He affirmed her suspicions, and after a moment of pondering, she added, "Where are all the presents? I some more crayons and a big, big... are Grandma and Papa coming tomorrow?"  


Later, he returned to find her hanging over the baby gate.  Leaning down, he said, "Whatcha' thinking about Baby?"
In a drunken voice, "Daddy, I tink you're beauuuuuutiful."
Daddy, "Why, thank you Sweetheart, I think you're beautiful too.  Go get in your bed."
The Tot, "Are you gunna' wear your boots tomorrow?  I think you should wear your boots.  Can I have some sodie tomorrow?  I want a ponytail tomorrow."  


My baby is as random as her mother!  But very good at planning for tomorrow.   ~ Plain & Simple As That

A Colorful Soul Hiding in a Plain Jane Shell

I'm cracking out of my shell and showing my true colors.  It's not that I'm shy, or embarrassed about what I believe or how I live my life.  So, why the pseudonym?  why the generic picture?  and who was PJ anyway?  


I created this space with good intentions of narrating a life of simplicity: free from the need to keep up with the Jones, free from the temptation to alleviate stress through retail therapy, free from a gluttony of stuff.  Though I strive for those things, 
in all honesty, I'm not there yet.  In my heart, I truly desire the Plain Jane (PJ) life, meanwhile, I added some not-so-PJ-earrings to my Christmas list.  I'm not even sure why I have a Christmas list since I really just long for a home with uncluttered spaces.    


Glancing over all the things I've written about, it's obvious that while the PJ in me has a few things to say, the soul of Stacy keeps spilling onto the page.  Plus, my audience seems more amused by my soul spillings than my heart's infatuation with bare walls and clear surfaces.  


It's time to put away the facade and use the face that matches my soul.  I have a feeling we'll still hear from my inner Plain Jane on occasion, but for now, my true colorful self is here to stay.   ~ It's still Plain & Simple As That (for now).