Never Cry Wolf (unless you are on the 3G network)

So we are at Uncle Mo and Auntie Farrah's house, enjoying their new pool. Just after dinner and before the planned night swim, Claire gets a little bit whiny and starts talking about her tummy ache. And then she doesn't have one. And then she does. And I can't tell whether she doesn't have one and wants the attention because she is tired. Or she does have one and wants to go swimming.

(She has talked up the tummy ache angle before, when she wants to watch TV or when I am paying an inordinate amount of attention to the other kid, so this isn't new, and although I don't like my feelings of distrust, I simply don't always believe her. Especially when she is miraculously cured at the slightest suggestion of something fun to see/eat/do. )

Anyway, when she swims, she jumps and flips around so much she gets air in her tummy. Several times she has thrown up a little instead of burped, so I figure this time it really does hurt. Even so, as I am putting Gavin to bed, I tell her the story of the boy who cried wolf, and how the last time he calls, the villagers don't come because they don't believe the boy. (I leave out any mention of him getting eaten by the wolf. Is that how the story ends?) She asked me to tell her the story again because it was so funny. At which point I wonder if my message is getting through. At the end of the second go around, she says "Maybe he could just call on the cell phone and tell the villagers that there really is a wolf this time!"

She decided not to go night swimming, which everyone knows is the best swimming of all, so she really does have a tummy ache this time. Probably a huge air bubble working its way through after 47 cannon balls, 32 dives and 28 belly-floppish things.

Channel G

Helping to bake yogurt-strawberry muffins.


Pardon the singing. Camera awareness on video 2.

It's all relative.

b

So after Auntie Sarah's visit not too long ago, Claire started referring to herself as Auntie Sister, because Auntie's are so much fun. I think it s funny and cute (which it totally is) and a nice tribute to my amazing big sister. We had so much fun while she was here and it makes me wish we lived much, much closer. Fortunately, we are spending a lot of time together this summer and she'll be back here for ACL, so maybe we'll get sick of each other, although somehow I doubt it.

When Shane heard Claire tell Gavin to call her Auntie Sister, he asked her if she thought we were from [insert name of your favorite inbred hillbilly state]. (Oh your favorite is Texas? No, no silly. We are rednecks, not hillbillies.)

In case you've ever wondered why they make brown playdough

Grown Up Concepts

We were at Sam's the other day and Claire, as usual, was ogling the trampoline. I told her that it was very expensive and we don't have enough money to buy it right now. She took it pretty well and we went on our way. At the check out line, she said, "Mama, maybe we can buy some more money so we can have that trampoline." I thought she was amusingly unclear on the concept until Shane pointed out that that is what Wall Street does, so perhaps she is just savvier than I am.

Today we were playing with the doctor kit. I was the Dr, Gavin my assistant and Claire the patient. When I asked her what the problem was, she said she had a "strange insurance" in her leg and her heart and her arm. Worrying about insurance already, poor girl. This probably stemmed from my ranting yesterday because of some FIFTY! dollar eye drops. I went to pick them up, not knowing they were barely covered and made a scene at the pharmacy, asking the guy to check again and how could it be so much, I have insurance!? and calling my insurance company and getting VERY ANNOYED at the kind and smiling voice of the automated system lady telling me how sorry she was, but she couldn't understand me and would I please repeat the spelling of the medication again for the 23rd time. (BTW, unlike foreigners, she doesn't seem understand you better if you just talk louder.) Grr. I essentially stormed off, without the medicine, of course. I hate that so many people are uninsured, this state being one of the worst, but when I find out that the cost of the medication is $64 and I have to pay $50, after the $500+/month we pay for insurance, I couldn't help but feel a bit cheated. I guess $14 is $14. And then I think of the people on flight 447 and their friends and relatives and of all the other thousands of people who had to deal with some real shit today and I think that I would do best to STFU and feel damn lucky that I have it so good.

(And then I think, holy crap, is that a whisker on my chin?!)

After talking to my Dr, I had to slink back to the pharmacy and buy the stupid eye drops. I was hoping that the same guy that witnessed my outburst wouldn't be the one to help me, but of course he was. I should have told the doctor that I had some strange insurance in my eye. Maybe there is different (read: cheaper) medicine for that? What I got are steroid eye drops, so if you see me and I look mad, I'm not really. It's just that my eyes have 'roid rage so I look really mean. Also: The kids were at home during the "incident" at the pharmacy but Claire heard me complaining to Shane once I got home.

**I just noticed the name of the eye drops. I was spelling it wrong as I was screaming at the automated system. Oops.