Chanukah! Oh Chanukah!

And so tonight begins the 8 nights of Chanukah!

During this time, we celebrate the story of Judah Maccabee & the fight against tyranny the Jewish people faced thousands of years ago. We light the Chanukah menorah for 8 nights, play dreidel & eat foods fried in oil.

Huh? Fried in oil? Surely that can't be good for you. True. It isn't, but it is a custom that Jewish people the world over follow. Eating latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (jelly donuts) remind us of the miracle of the oil that lasted for 8 days when there was enough to last for only 1 day. And boy are those latkes & sufganiyot delicious!

For many families, there is a tradition of giving a present to each child on each of the 8 nights that are celebrated. The first year that Erin was home, we did just that. She got 8 presents from her mother & father. And then there were the presents from anyone else who wanted to give her something. Holy cow! She made out like a bandit at 12 months old! And had no clue what was going on. Thankfully, David & I wised up by the time she turned 2 & decided that we were going overboard so we came up with a new tradition. Yes, she does get a present each night. One night is from her grandparents - both sets. She gets gifts from other families on different nights, & David & I fill in the other nights.

This year we had a first. Erin came to me a few weeks ago when we were at Borders. She had found a book that she wanted to buy - for her daddy. And she beamed tonight as she handed him his gift. And he beamed in amazement that she did this all on her own.

Happy Chanukah to everyone!!

My 8

I'm done with my back. Therapy has been really helpful as has constant bed rest & staying off my feet. I'm hoping that by next week I have little to no pain. So. Onto the other stuff.

I've been tagged again. Viv & Super Mommy want the scoop, & I'm here to give it up. Here are my 8.

8 Favorite TV Shows: (I'm not much for tv so this was hard.)

1. Bones
2. General Hospital
3. One Life to Live
4. Dirty Jobs - have you seen Mike Rowe?
5. How Its Made - Erin loves this show
6. Mythbusters - a fave of David & Erin
7. Deadliest Catch - cool show & Mike Rowe narrates it
8. Hannah Montana - hey! I live with a 6 year old. Remember?

8 Things I Look Forward To:

1. Going back to work (I hate bed rest.)
2. Viv, Corey & Kerri's visit at the end of the month
3. Retirement
4. Scrapping with my gals
5. Craft time with Erin since we never get enough
6. Saturday morning snuggles with David & Erin
7. Watching Erin's face light up when she unwraps her Chanukah presents
8. Going on a date with David & having no guilt

8 Things on My Wish List:

1. My dad's health getting better
2. Viv's mom regaining her health
3. Lori's FIL regaining his health
4. A cure for diabetic neuropathy 'cause that one really sucks - just ask my hubby
5. Erin growing up healthy & happy
6. Having enough money to help where it's really needed
7. A change for the better with our economy
8. A clean house

8 Things I Did Yesterday

1. Therapy for my back
2. Dropped Erin off at school
3. Chatted with my friends on the phone
4. Watched WAY too much tv
5. Read blogs
6. Helped Erin with her homework
7. Sat on the couch
8. Rested

8 Favorite Restaurants:

1. Moon Thai & Japanese
2. Makino Japanese Buffet
3. Longhorn Steak House
4. Big Bear Brewery - the BEST French onion soup around!
5. Annie's Pizza - yummy pizza & great wings
6. Westside Bagels
7. La Granja - delicious Peruvian food
8. Olive Garden

8 Friends I Tag:

1. Gretchen
2. Candy
3. Magi
4. Mary
5. Sandra
6. Lori
7. Shari
8. Lisa

Now I know that a few of you don't normally do the tags, but I enjoy getting to know people, so if you'd like to do it, great. If not, I'll have to stalk you to find out the answers.. Have fun!

Therapy - Day 1

Yes. I did stay home today & will be staying home tomorrow as well. I woke up in tears this morning (not that I slept for more than an hour here or there.) & when David offered to stay with me, I took him up on his offer. Have I mentioned that I love this guy?

He called the doctor early this morning only to find out that the doctor never received my original phone message on Friday. And, let's top it off right here. He won't get my message now until tomorrow morning. The earliest I can expect to hear from him is "sometime" tomorrow afternoon. That was it. I broke down into tears & used language unbecoming a lady to say the least. Once I pulled myself together, I had David call the rehab place for an appointment. They were amazingly easy to get into today.

My meds had worn off about an hour before my appointment, but I decided against taking them. Anyone who takes pain meds knows that you tend to go further with them in your system which can lead to further injury. Unfortunately, by the time I got there, I was in an amazing amount of pain & nauseous. After filling out their questionnaire, I was taken within minutes. (Are you as shocked as I was?)

The therapists couldn't believe that I was walking & talking. I guess I must have been green (forget around the edges, just all out green) & was barely standing up. They had me lay down to alleviate any more problems & started to ask questions. When I explained that I'm hyper-extensive & can bend to the floor & put my palms flat, they thought I was nuts. David popped in to let me know he was leaving to pick Erin up from school. I asked him to tell them about my flexibility. They thought my drugs were talking till he told them just how flexible I am. (Lucky guy!) While they tested me & my range, their eyes were bulging. They couldn't believe that I can bend in the amount of pain I'm suffering.

So. Under VERY strict orders, I can no longer bend forward from the waist. Now I just have to remember that. Erin has been told so my watchdog will "tell on me' if she catches me doing it. They gave me some exercises to do, & there was a hint of the progress to come. By the time I left the office, my nausea was gone, & I could breath a little bit. I'm also not supposed to stand or sit in chairs for too long. Oh. That's going to be easy. Thank G-d for bosses that appreciate their employees. Bob is very accommodating as are the rest of my co-workers. The rest of my therapy appointments are all set. Now I have to go & do some of those exercises.

Thanks to everyone for all of your kind thoughts!

Have you seen my back?

I've been away for quite a while now. It's not that I don't want to blog. It's not that I haven't had anything to say. Quite the opposite. There's a lot going on here, but did you all hear it?

You know. The "OUCH!" that should have been heard all the way over in China.

The day before Halloween I had a day off. Yes! A whole day, & it wasn't even a federal holiday! Anyway, I was shopping in WalMart by the Halloween crap. (After Halloween it's crap. Before Halloween? It's treasures.) While I was strolling along, minding my own business, I felt it. That special something that tells you your back will never be the same again. I stayed in Walmart & finished my shopping. Then I moved on to another favorite store - Learning Express since I had some birthday presents to buy for upcoming parties. (That would be about 4 hours of shopping knowing there was a problem.) My back just kept nudging me so I finally went home around 12:30. I can remember sitting down & thinking that I'd get up "in a few" to go for my mani/pedi. Well, that never happened.

And here I am now. It's the beginning of December, & my back is still in WalMart. I've been in some considerable pain, so I finally gave in & went to the orthopaedic doctor. Gee. He had some great news for me. I have pinched nerves in my lumbar region.

The doctor wants me on bed rest. Uh. Who the heck has time for bed rest!? I work 2 jobs, have a husband & a 6 year old!! I told him to put me on light duty at work. Now I know why he looked at me & shook his head. I've come home from work every day this week in tears. My boss thinks I'm nuts & has told me that I'm only getting worse. Yesterday, I had the look of Man during evolution. Walking all bent over that is. And, yes, I did give in. I called his office to ask how long he expects me to be out since the pain has gotten worse. Did you hear back from him? Maybe he called your phone number 'cause he sure didn't call mine!