Cass, Kelly, Doug and I went to the beach yesterday for Miss Lily's 3rd birthday. It was a bit windy but lovely warm day. We haven't had too many truly great summer days this year yet, it's been a bit all over the place so I'm glad the weather was great for Miss Lily.
I didn't go in too far as HRH suddenly had an attack of hydrophobia when we got to the water. I don't understand what happened as last time she went to the beach she had a fantastic time, running through the shallow waves and even coming in a little deeper when I carried her. Yesterday she stood rooted to the DRY sand, not even getting as far as the water, clinging to her Dad's leg and saying the water was "scaring at me". I tried to ask why she was suddenly so frightened but she's only a few weeks of 3 herself and just didn't know how to explain. Maybe she is wiser than I know because I should've stayed out of the water myself because.........
I got stung by a blue bottle standing in only a couple of inches of water!!! OWW OWW OWW OUCHIE OUCHIE OUCHIE!!!!! I didn't even realise until it skimmed the back of my left leg where the Achilles tendon and the pain was immediate and bloody awful and so I turned to see what was behind me just in time to see the nasty little creature get me right across the back of the other leg!!! I didn't even have time to move as it gracefully drifted past me leaving me in absolute agony. I got the little ones out of the water because they were standing in the shallows with us and I'm so glad it was me and not one of them. Apparently lots of kids have been stung in the last week or so and some have ended up in hospital because it's such a shock to their little systems. So I walk up to the nearest lifeguard for suggestions and we had to brush sand off and tentacles so he could spray Stingose on the welts (which does bugger all I can tell you!). Fine, fine, fine I mumble and walk back to the sun tents, quite convinced that I'm done with the beach for one day and so are my kids if those critters are floating around out there. Within a couple of minutes of sitting down I began to get THE MOST EXCRUCIATING abdominal cramps of my life. I can say with all honesty that within five minutes they became as bad as labour pain, the kind where that's when you start asking for an epidural. Oh I curled up on a ball in the sand and every movement made it worse. I'm worried now, wondering what on earth would cause it (and casually start thinking of horrible things like a ruptured ovarian cyst or something) and Dougie wanders back to the lifeguard to ask him if it could have been the jellyfish sting. He comes back and informs me that yes, blue bottle stings, if you get a bad one, can cause groin/pelvic pain because the toxins move up to the first port of call for your body's defence - your groin lymph nodes. The lifeguard said it would last probably about an hour - at that moment I wondered whether an epidural was a viable option and if anyone would give one to me! Honestly the last time I endured pain like that it was only for three hours and I got a baby at the end of it. Come on now, you have to admire my faith in medicine as that time I got an epidural too, except it only numbed my leg and nothing else but hey I was willing to give it another go!!!
So I've had to shuffle back to the car, for the drive home. I very ungracefully sat in the front with both my feet up on the dash so the air conditioning could hit the back of my legs and grabbed a few panadol for good measure. Thankfully by the time I got close to home the abdo pain disappeared to the occasional twinge but my ankles both started to feel like I'd broken them both and then stuck them under the grill for good measure! After stopping at a chemist for some stronger painkillers I went home and had a really hot shower (which surprisingly did help the pain but only until I had to get out) and then laid up on the couch with a soothing combination of painkillers and a big glass of red. Yes I know that's a dreadful combination but it was either that or a trip to the hospital because it took hours before it settled down.
Today I've got a bit of a sore stomach (like I've pulled my abdo muscles) and movement or touching makes the welts flare up a bit but other than that I am feeling normal again. So I'll probably have another panadol and get on with it because I've got to take the three boys to school today to get their uniforms - it's my only day off apart from the public holiday before school starts so there's nothing else for it but to just get on with it.
We got about 80% of their book lists on Saturday at Officeworks - and did it for at least 50% cheaper than the newsagent quoted price. Not that I have anything against the newsagent, they are a small business and have to make money while competing against much bigger suppliers but with having to send three kids to school this year as well as new uniforms and a resource fee for each of them, we had to find some way of making it as purse-friendly as possible.
I'm running late again with my challenges despite my best efforts. I suddenly had lots of typing to do late in the week when I thought I'd get time to do my scrapping layouts so not happened so far. I'm going to Cass's today so I might take a bag of supplies and see if I can't get something done. But with eight kids I can't be sure I'll do anything but act as a hostage negotiator, referee and activities co-ordinator!
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