I have a VOICE!!! Much to the kids' initial joy, and soon their dismay! Not just a pipsqueak little thing either but almost full service. And I can swallow normally. I'm still going in to the hospital of course but I have a feeling the abcess may have broken in the night. If it did then the bacterial stuff still needs killing. And you know what, I am now firmly convinced that this is what I had at the beginning of uni 13yrs ago. Except that time I didn't have a doctor at all and the pharmacist put me on to a medical mouthwash you don't have in the US and the thing burst. I'm sure it's the same. I was just damn lucky last time that I managed to get past it without antibiotics.

Also had a good sleep although I went to bed quite late - best in ages in fact. Drug induced of course, but who cares! So I'm really raring to go today. Well... comparatively.

I think maybe I'd do better on New You because it's for sure I've done more weight loss than taking charge of things in the last 10days!

I still think that at some point soon we need to take time to think about our emergency preparedness. I don't just mean for things like hurricanes and floods, as the phrase is often used. I'm talking about medical crises and family crises and all the other stuff that gets in the way of our carefully planned week. Does it throw you for a loop?? Well that's the point of a crisis, but how quick do you hit the ground running and become the capable woman you can be. Or do you collapse in a puddle and let someone else mop up?? That's not always an option though is it. A big part of this taking charge thing is knowing how to fend for ourselves and be the one in charge when there is nothing but chaos around you. What systems do you have in place?? How could you modify your reactions to a crisis?? Do you have anything in the house which might ease your burden if something bad were to happen - instant meals are an obvious example, but anything that soothes you in between times, keeps you sane. Anyone who's read Simple Abundance might think of the Comfort Drawer. Well maybe you can't pull the covers over your head this time, but you probably still need to be extra gentle with yourself to survive without too many scars.

Maybe we aren't ready to discuss this right now, but I want all of you, lurkers included, to think about this. Maybe it isn't a loved one in crisis - maybe it's yourself. Does your DH or parents or other childcare know what to do with your kids?? Where they go to school, which clubs they attend, who needs to be told what. I had a tiny forewarning of this yesterday, but maybe another time I won't be able to discharge myself write a list for DH and come back another day. Touch wood it never happens, but wouldn't it be one huge extra weight off your mind to know that everyone knows the drill if there is a problem??

so think about that, and keep checking in with the wonderful things you're doing. Honey - how's the job application?? Did you send it off?? That's a massive step for you, and earlier than you planned so good for you for not waiting until you're pushed into a corner. I'm afraid I don't have any great and inspiring examples to include, except for the one about taking myself back to the doctor when things didn't feel right - if I'd waited till the end of the antibiotics I could have theoretically suffocated on that thing! Seems like ordinary common sense to me, but I suppose not everyone would have second guessed the doctor's diagnosis and prescription.

Kerri.