Back to School Breakfast

Good Wednesday morning!

NOTE TO ROBIN - You ARE still in the contest, Robin. Just because you won once before does not eliminate you from trying again!

I've added a Gallery Pic of Roxie and friends bowling for FREE today... again. (We're really taking advantage of the www.kidsbowlfree.com website this summer.) Great, great program! The only thing better than bowling for free on a Tuesday afternoon is bowling for free on a Wednesday morning, and then going to lunch for a FREE Arby's Roast Burger afterward. DON'T FORGET!

200th Post Contest

As promised, I'm running the set of rules again today and Friday. Remember, you have until midnight next Monday... Plenty of time to enter!

1. For every person you share my blog address with (www.belindafaulkner.blogspot.com), your name will be put in a bowl one time. (If you tell ten people about A Simple Life, your name will be put in the drawing bowl TEN times.) It's that easy.

2. If you have a blog of your own, and you mention A Simple Life in your blog, your name automatically goes in the drawing bowl TEN times.

3. If you don't tell anyone about the blog, you can still have your name put in the drawing bowl by leaving me an e-mail OR comment with the word "contest" somewhere in the text. (It doesn't even have to be in a sentence.)

4. You need to let me know how many people you have shared the info with by midnight, Monday, July 27. The drawing will be held at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, July 28.

5. I hope it goes without saying you need to share the website with people who actually use a computer. (Two year-olds and great-grandmothers who have never heard the term "blog" do not count!)

The prize is a $15 gift certificate to Wal-Mart OR Chick-Fil-A OR the scrapbook store of your choice. FREE, FREE, FREE!

Part Two - "Having Something Removed"

Right before I was put under, the doctor said something that I probably should have questioned, but did not. (I'm notorious for not asking questions... always hoping it will just go away.) He said, "This could be a little tricky. It's very close to a salivary gland."

If I had been a question-asker, which we've already determined I am not, I guess I would have asked, "Does that mean I'll either be a 'spitter' or a 'dry mouth' if the tricky thing doesn't work out well?" Read on for the final result.

I awoke with Mikie beside me and my tongue feeling four sizes bigger than when the procedure had started. My first blurry thought was I was having a reaction to the anesthesia, and I tried to tell someone but I was impossible to understand. "This is worse than I imagined," I thought.

"I can't understand you, Belinda. You have a lot of gauze in your mouth," Mike said. Well, that mystery was solved. So I sat quietly with my mouthful of gauze and listened to the post-operative instructions.

I heard words and phrases as I continued to go in and out of consciousness... or maybe I was just bored... or maybe it was too much like a meeting and I just totally zoned out. "Loritab." "Suture." "Don't brush teeth for 24 hours." (Yuck! I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that one.) "Loritab." "Don't chew." "Don't spit." (Eating doesn't sound like it's going to be part of my day!) "Loritab."

Hmmm. Maybe it was just me, but the word that kept coming up again and again seemed to be "Loritab." Which also meant, if taken correctly, I wouldn't necessarily care if I ate or brushed my teeth for 24 hours.

We made it home, removed my gauze and I had a nice warm bowl of... oatmeal. I hadn't necessarily heard that, but obviously oatmeal was going to be the food for the day. When I awoke from a much needed nap an hour later, Mikie checked my vitals... Well, actually he kind of patted me on top of my head and left Austin, Josh and Roxie in charge of their invalid mother. Josh quickly brought me another bowl of oatmeal.

I wondered when I would be needing my first Loritab. A little later, and the answer to the question was made known to me. Another nap. Another bowl of oatmeal. I think you can see how the rest of my day went.

At one point, Roxie came in and asked to see under my tongue. "Hmmm. It looks like only one stitch," she observed.

"Well, it is just one stitch, but it was obviously a very, very deep incision."

"I wonder why they thought you even needed just one little stitch there. It seems like a waste," she again observed.

Okay. That was enough of Miss Roxie until time for another Loritab.

Four more bowls of oatmeal and one Loritab later, and I was ready for bed. One more "Mikie-check" of my vitals (Code for ONE MORE PAT ON THE HEAD), and I was out for the count.

I awoke the next morning refreshed... and oh, so ready to brush my teeth. Simple pleasures, folks. Simple pleasures. And for those of you wondering, as of today, I am not a "dry mouth" OR a "spitter." My doctor obviously did well with the "tricky part."

I am supposed to have my one and only stitch removed this coming Thursday, but after careful investigation yesterday afternoon, I discovered my one and only stitch had removed itself. I'm going to see if my doctor will consider a "telephone appointment."

If not, I will drive to and from downtown Birmingham, cheerfully (NOT) pay a $30 co-pay and a $5 parking deck fee for a face-to-face consultation which I imagine will result in the doctor warning, "Next time, be sure the cap is on the end of the Sharpie before you put it in your mouth." (I can hardly wait!)

Back to School Breakfast

On the first day of school each year, take the kids out to eat for a back to school prayer breakfast. Our family has tried several places, but we've found the breakfast buffet at Shoney's to be our best option. It is close to the school, we don't have to wait to be served, and even if it is crowded, we do not have a problem eating and getting to school a little early on that first day.

Be sure to have your "school" prayer before the kids begin their new year. You can also use Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me," as their encouragement verse. "I can make new friends." "I can do well on tests I have prepared for." "I can make better grades in math." At the end of each statement, add the phrase, "through Him who strengthens me."

For the child or teenager who is anxious about starting a new grade, read Philippians 4:6, "Be anxious for NOTHING, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

We are never too young (or old) to be reminded that God doesn't want us to worry about anything; even the first day back to school!

Have a great Wednesday! Take time to enjoy family and friends. Call someone who is hurting today. Even if they aren't at home when you call, leave them a message of encouragement and love. I'll be back with a date tomorrow, so don't miss out on that!

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.