The weeks just seem to jam all together and I don’t get a chance to jot down all the things I want to write about, much less write actual coherent posts. Or maybe by the time Thursday rolls around, I’m really only able to think in bullet points. At any rate, you get another Chaos ‘This & That’ update today.

• The toe. Thanks for all of the advice, I knew I could depend on the internet to answer my questions. I did call my doctor just to talk to the nurse, and she suggested I have an x-ray, just in case. Since I broke my big toe right after J. and I got married all those years ago – and still have problems with it, I gave in and dragged the girls to the doctor on Tuesday. It is indeed, nicely broken, but clean and the bone is not displaced – so I should have full use of the toe in a few weeks. It is taped together and I’m hobbling around a little bit – but it looks so much better than it did earlier in the week. When I removed the tape the nurse just stared at it and kept saying, “Oh My God! Oh My God! How did you do this again?”  Um. Yeah. It was not pretty the morning after, even worse than when I took the photo for all of you to share in my anguish.
• Since I haven’t been able to run this week, (apparently those toes – while not appearing very useful – do indeed have a little say in the forward movement of my body) I have been extreeemely crabby. Well, that and other unmentionable reasons that seem to sneak up every single month on me. You’d think I’d learn, but no. I sit and try to figure out why I am so grumpy and impatient, and then wake up, “Oh! Yeeeaahh.” That is probably the reason.
• Despite the toe, the crabbiness, and general ever-present chaos, I agreed to a playdate yesterday. Em asked if she could invite Avery over and Addie asked if she could invite Avery’s little sister (also named Emma) over. Totally reasonable. Then Em asked if she could invite Audrey, too…and since the four musketeers have to stick together, Peyton as well. Well….yes, I suppose so. And then she says, “Mom? Can girls have a boy for a best friend?” I told her “Of course they can, Daddy was my best friend before we got married.” She smiled, “Good. Because I like Buckley and I think he is one of my best friends too. We should invite him, because he might feel bad if Peyton comes but he doesn’t get invited.” (Peyton and Buckley are twins.) Sure. Why not.

• So I had seven, count ‘em, SEVEN kids to feed and entertain yesterday afternoon. And you know what? It really wasn’t that bad. I’m not saying I want to go all Jon & Kate, and fill the house with 8 kids, but we had a really fun afternoon. And then they all (except 2 of course!) went home.
• I realized after the playdate that our afternoon was exactly what I had hoped for when I envisioned being a stay-at-home mom. I hoped that the girls would bring their friends home after school and be able to hang out. And for their friends to feel comfortable at our house, and think it is so FUN, they just don’t want to leave. And maybe there might even be some homemade cookies for them to munch on. Ok, so there definitely WERE NO cookies yesterday, but we’ll work on that part of the vision.
• And I also realized that although I complain about the constant chauffeuring and volunteering, the projects I get roped into doing and the hectic social calendar (the girls’ – not mine!) – secretly (or not so secretly now, I guess), I LOVE this. I love this gig. Even on the absolute worst day, it is one more amazing day I get to spend with my babies. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.