Clancy Family News

R&R

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Clancy) — Tue, 12 May 2009 14:38:00 +0000

Here is Linny enjoying the amenities of the Children's Hospital playroom. Shortly after this strenuous play session, Linny retired to her bed for a big snooze.

Bandages Off!

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Clancy) — Tue, 12 May 2009 12:40:00 +0000

Here are Linny and her doll with no more bandages and disconnected from all monitors and IVs--yay! The line is still in her hand, but if she keeps drinking her fluids they will take the whole business off. As for her ear, you can see all the tiny stitches where they reattached it, but you really have to look hard. They are supposed to heal to almost invisible. The real work was done much deeper in her ear, and that will take some time to really heal up.

But she is enjoying her journal and books and toys that everyone gave her. More thank yous to everyone!

She's Out!

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Clancy) — Mon, 11 May 2009 22:44:00 +0000

Sorry for no updates there for a while. At 3:45 I came back from the ladies room to see Dr. Whittemore sitting there talking with Mark. Dr. W. showed us some footage from the procedure and described the complex and microscopic work he had to do in order to clean out the nasty cholesteatoma completely without damaging her tiny ear bones (which were unharmed by the growth, so that's great!).

From there it was directly to recovery where we spent another 90 or so minutes while Linny came to and while we waited for a room to become available. Sooooo....here we are, up in the room, watching Madagascar Penguins and drinking ginger ale. As you can see, Linny's doll also fared well.

Thanks to everyone for their prayers and good thoughts--they worked!!!

Second Update from the OR

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Clancy) — Mon, 11 May 2009 17:47:00 +0000

Good news, bad news. I'll give you the bad news first. The nurse who is giving us the updates let us know that we should add a good chunk of time to whatever the surgeon told us. So what we thought would be a 3.5 hour event will more likely be 4-5 hours. Having started at 11:15 we expect to see Linny by 4:00. That's the bad news.

The good news is that she is handling the anesthesia well and the surgery is going forward as planned, with no surprises or unusual discoveries. And that we have all of you guys out there pulling for her! Thanks!xoxox

First Update from the OR

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Clancy) — Mon, 11 May 2009 17:23:00 +0000

Linny went in to the OR at around 11:15 and, with the help of 'strawberry air' drifted off into Lala land with me and her dolly by her side. About an hour later we got an update telling us that they got a little late start because it took longer to do the mini spinal block she needs for post-op pain relief. However, once underway, they said things are/were going great. We're expecting more news momentarily.

Auntie Meredith came to see us while we waited and provided us with yummy food and better company. Thanks Mer!

Surgery Update

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Clancy) — Mon, 11 May 2009 17:09:00 +0000

Mark and I are at Children's Hospital in Boston, just completing our second hour of waiting for Linny to come out of her surgery to remove a cholesteatoma from her right ear. Here is a picture of Linny a few weeks ago:

Complete the Old Create the New

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Clancy) — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 02:08:00 +0000

Every New Year for the past five years or so, I have enjoyed going through an exercise called 'Complete the Old, Create the New'. The original form of this was developed by life coach Virginia Kellogg; I will share an abridged version of it here. I hope you will use it to get your year off to the best start yet!

1. Complete: Being complete with the events of the past year helps you to clearly see the lessons you have learned and allows you to move on to new opportunities that await you in 2008.
Draw a line down the middle of a piece of paper. On the left hand side, write Highlights of 2007. Under that heading list all of the highlights (wins, successes, breakthroughs, etc.) of 2007. On the right hand side next to each item jot down what it means to be 'complete' with each one. On a new page, do the same thing for the Lowlights of 2007 (losses, failures, breakdowns) of the year.

2. Create: This is the fun part. Articulating your intentions for the year ahead immediately improves your chances for success.
Draw a line down the middle of a piece of paper. On the left hand side, write Highlights of 2008. Under that heading list all of the wins, successes and breakthroughs you would like to experience in the coming year. Write this list as if it has already happened, and make it as specific as possible (i.e. Instead of 'I took a vacation' put 'I went on a 5-day Carribbean cruise'). On the right hand side, write down one action you can easily take toward making it real.

Finally, I sometimes like to give the year a theme. For me one year it was The Year of Going Out of My Comfort Zone. It can even be very specific (The Year of the Clean House) or totally abstract (The Year of Soaring Eagle).

Keep this document handy so you can easily refer back to it over the year. Gotta go, it's time for me to do my own list! I wish you the best for this year.

Ask and It Is Given

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Clancy) — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 01:53:00 +0000

I'm not sure how to describe what I want to communicate to you. It's so simple and so weird at the same time. I'm not even sure why I want to tell you. I have been typing and retyping the next paragraph for 20 minutes.
Here's the short form: For the past couple of weeks I have been focusing on really positive, energizing things. I don't know why I'm so surprised, but uncanny things have now started to happen. I want to give you the details so that you might be moved to try it yourself, but they're about private things like finances, relationships, etc. Maybe I won't move you with this little blog entry, but for those who know me, in time it will be hard to ignore the incredible changes that are happening in my life.
If you are curious about this and don't have the opportunity to watch the transformation that seems to be happening in my life, there are a few books you could check out: The Secret, Conversations with God, Ask and It Is Given, The Circle, to name a few.

We Made the Big Time--or Were We Already There?

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Clancy) — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 20:00:00 +0000

Isn't this just the coolest thing? We made the paper! This blog is mentioned in an article in today's Cape Cod Times. When I was interviewed for the article, though, it got me thinking: is the paper the big time? Yes, I suppose it is. After all, the Times has a readership of something like 60,000, doesn't it? But...how big is the web?

Football: The Great Consolator

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Clancy) — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 02:26:00 +0000

It must be a relic from so many years of school and then teaching, but to me the months of the year have a rhythm similar to that of the days of the week.

June is Friday. It's still technically work time, but the end is so near you can just taste it. It can crawl by, but it's really quite bearable. The promised land of July is right around the corner.

July is Saturday--whoopee! Got no responsibilities and lots of long sunny days to fritter away. The only reason any other month exists is to be a foil for the brilliance and joy of July.

August is Sunday. This is good and bad. It's still a free day, and like June, it marks an ending. Unlike June, the end is not something I am looking forward to. I wake up each say knowing it's a day off, but also knowing that it's just one day closer to putting away the flip flops. It's kind of hard to enjoy fully.

September is SOOOO Monday. Shortening days. Fading tan. Waking up early. Back to the books. Ugh. I don't know how I survive it every year. Though I do have a theory.

I think it's because of football.

I grew up in a football-friendly household. I won't say my parents were quite fanatical, but they were enthusiastic for sure. Sunday afternoons meant going over to our friend's house for junk food, soda and witnessing some very loud and embarrassing parental carrying on. When our Patriots ever made it to the playoffs or, heaven help us, the Superbowl, it just meant more friends, more junk food (and unfortunately more embarrassing parents). Those were good times.

So when August rolls around and that end-of-summer letdown is kicking in all I have to do is stumble across a preseason game on TV and for a moment I am strangely soothed. I don't even know which channel it's on, or what the name of the announcer is. In fact, I honestly don't know or even care much about the game itself. I just know I like it.

Then before I know it, Sunday and Monday and even September are some of my favorite times. Heck, football carries me right through Christmas!

Now what to do about February...

Toot toot!

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Clancy) — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 02:09:00 +0000

I gotta toot my girl's horn a little here. She is a member of her school's Roots & Shoots program. She was one of a half dozen students chosen to represent her school and her country at last Friday's celebration of International Day of Peace at the United Nations in New York City. How cool is that??

They're all my babies

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Clancy) — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 21:21:00 +0000

When I started teaching I was only 25 years old. I couldn't (still can't) wrap my head around my own mortality, much less that of anyone younger than I. My middle school students were the utter, if awkward, embodiment of of aliveness. I had just had my first child for goodness sake! My world was saturated with life.
Which is why recent tragedies involving some of my former students just stun me. This past January one of my brightest and most beautiful students, now 23 and a new mother, was on her way home from picking up her infant daughter from Grandma's house when she skidded out on black ice and was killed. Killed! Her beautiful baby girl now lives with her grandmother. You don't even have to know her to feel the pain in your own gut.
Imagine if you did know her...
The picture you see here is of Caleb Potter. He was so out of place in his little 8th grade body. He gushed vitality so intensely it left stains. This past July 4th he flirted with disaster, and this time she called his bluff. Two months later he's still hospitalized in Boston with traumatic brain injuries (Read his ongoing story at http://www.calebpotter.blogspot.com/). He's 25 years old.
I can't think of anything to say that isn't trite. Hm. Perhaps all those tired cliches are what they are because they really meant something to so many people over so much time. Hm.
Kiss your kids. Count your blessings. Live every day like it's your last.

There was a time when this would have bothered me.

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Clancy) — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 20:47:00 +0000

Some people say that breast-fed babies' poop smells vaguely like fresh-baked bread. It's one of the many perks that comes with nursing your baby, along with the daily 500-calorie draw and the natural (though somewhat unpredictable) birth control.

It was this benign odor that I detected this morning as I opened my bed covers to retrieve my beautiful Ellen. It was our day for carpool so we were on kind of a tight schedule. There she was, gurgling and smiling at me like she does every morning, happy to greet the new day. However, unlike other mornings, today from the waist down she was laying in a sticky, yellow puddle. Did I forget to put her diaper on last night?? It was everywhere--beyond the standard-issue up-the-back mess that is part of new parent initiation. This was in-between-the-toes messy. It was even behind her knees.

Another time I would have panicked. Holy sh*t Batman! Get the HazMat suit, and call for back up! But today I just strategized. Okay, how can I remove her clothes and diaper and minimize further contamination? I think I need paper towels. And a squirt bottle. Going over the head with the onesie seems a little risky. I think we'd better take it down over the bum with this one. I don't know, Ellie, we might lose these jammies.

And so I calmly extricated her from the scene of the crime, cleaned her up and stripped the bed. I'm proud to say that I achieved this with nary a schmear of poo on my person. Now we had to get ready to head downstairs to resume our morning routine, albeit a now few minutes behind schedule. In the hopes that maybe the other girls had already woken themselves, I gave a warning shout from upstairs, "Time to get up!" And I got a response--yes, they're up already! But my hopes were quickly dashed.
"MUMMYYYYY!! Sarah got into the trash last night and dragged it under our beds!!"
Serenity now.

Will I Be on TV???

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Clancy) — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 21:51:00 +0000

Last weekend my dad and brother surprised Caroline and Margaret with tickets (very NICE tickets) to Fenway Park. Margaret, almost a veteran having already attended one Sox game, was quite excited.

But Caroline was beside herself. Straight from her id she blurted, "Will I be on TV??"

Well, if you want to get on TV, you gotta make yourself into something to look at (and it doesn't hurt if you're seated right behind a cameraman.) So the girls banged out these signs you see them holding. Their plan was to whip them out during the traditional Fenway singalong, "Sweet Caroline". My mother and I watched every second of that game. The middle of the 8th inning came, and with it we can only assume Neil Diamond and his famous song. But for the folks watching at home all we saw was a pile of commercials. Oh well.

And then the phone rang.

"DID YOU SEE ME??"

"No..."

"I WAS ON THE JUMBO TRON!!" The ecstasy in her voice fairly melted the phone.

"No way!!"

"WAY! Okay, I gotta go!"

By the way, the Sox won that game.

You: The Active Ingredient

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Clancy) — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 02:27:00 +0000

A few friends have recently announced their intentions to embark on ventures in direct sales. I wish them the absolute highest achievement available to them. But I think the only ones getting rich are at the top of these companies. This is not because I lack faith in my friends' potential for success, and it's not because I think the companies are run by shysters. On the contrary, I have great respect for these friends. Individually they each have achieved or overcome huge feats in their lives. And as for the folks at the top--they are intelligent businesspeople with vision.

Direct sales works like so: you get recruited by a 'consultant', shell out some dough to buy inventory and become a consultant yourself. And then you hustle, hustle, hustle to get your wares peddled and bring more souls into the flock, thus advancing yourself along the food chain (some call it a pyramid). The check writing part is easy for most people. The hustle is where they usually lose it. They just don't have it in them. 'It's not me,' they say. Whatever it is, it's human nature, and direct sales companies are making a ton of money off of it.

So what about the success stories? Women who are rolling in luxury cars, taking their families on posh vacations and spending quality time with their kids, etc. They're out there. You might guess it's because they just have the personality for it and you would be partly right. But if that's really true, why weren't they already wildly successful in their lives? Maybe it's the products. What was it about the Tupperware/scrapbooking supplies/cooking gadgets that was so great? The products are terrific, but everyone gets the same stuff. The difference has little to do with the companies, products or personality types.

Success in any venture comes from only one place: inside yourself. Want to lose weight? Get rich? Earn a college degree? Sure you do. Do you know why you haven't reached those goals yet? Because you don't want them badly enough. When you really decide that you are going to do/have/be something, there is nothing that can stop you. Great time to consider selling candles.

Happily Ever After

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Clancy) — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 03:02:00 +0000

I love happy beginnings, don't you? I had the pleasure of going to two beautiful and wildly divergent weddings this month.
The first was meticulously planned and perfectly executed. Seaside against a flawless blue sky we witnessed them take their vows. It seemed even the gulls were well behaved. Inside we sat at lushly appointed tables and drank to the happy couple with one of our three choices of stemware. Even the toasts were poignant, dignified and concise. I left with a heart full of hope and happiness. We got our thank you note in the mail three days later.

The second wedding started on Thursday and I suspect now, on Sunday, there may still be glowing embers. Most of the festivities happened in their verdant, inviting backyard, the product of over a year of their own sweat and elbow grease. They hosted a swanky cocktail party on Thursday, then an adventure day on Friday where the groom emptied out the inventory of his company, Sturgis Boat Works, into Cape Cod Bay for the entire guest list to enjoy. This was followed by a barbecue (I think there had also been talk of a pig roast at one point). When it was time for the wedding on Saturday, guests parked among beachgoers to stand with the bride and groom on a bluff overlooking Nantucket Sound. With minimal pomp and circumstance they arrived, told their story and made their promise. Then off they zoomed in a little convertible, whooping and hollering the whole way. Back to the cozy backyard where friends, family and neighbors partied hard to a rowdy, talented band, ate jerk chicken from a giant grill and washed it down with a local brew. I left with a heart full of hope and happiness.

I Can Have It All, Just Not Today

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Clancy) — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 02:27:00 +0000

Most days I succeed to bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan and never, never let him forget he's a man. But not today. Not even close.

Today was a crappy day, full of frustration and

My children were

Scratch everything above. As I try to lay out for you all the miserable day I had and why my kids were rotten, etc. I keep getting hung up on not-crappy things that also happened. True, my kids each had their moments: #1 swung hard in the direction of adolescent petulance, #2 was spastic and fresh, #3 had a meltdown at our friends' BBQ and #4 was a puke and poop grenade all day long. Schedules got all f-ed up, we're out of coffee, I missed two fun opportunities, I haven't spoken 3 sentences with my husband in ages, and I'm really sad that summer is winding down. And I was a total bitch today.

However, I did some good work at my job today, the house is reasonably clean, the children are in bed, it's still summer, and it looks like I'll be able to spend a little awake time with my main squeeze before we both pass out tonight.

That's a pretty good day, I think.

I'm still a bitch, though. I'd better get some sleep. :)

Proud Big Sister!

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Clancy) — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 15:15:00 +0000

Wag Your Mama

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Clancy) — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 23:05:00 +0000

Wagamama is a cool noodle joint which up until this past April could only be found across the pond and beyond. This spring (and most recently last week) Ellen's Auntie Meredith was part of a whizbang team to open the first two Wagamama restaurants in the U.S.
Ellen is seen here happy to endorse this tasty temple of tempura.

'Little Mermaid' awash in talent

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Clancy) — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 19:05:00 +0000

By LAURIE HIGGINS
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Excerpted from Cape Cod Times
August 09, 2007
WEST HARWICH — ...The team of nine ensemble actors deserves kudos for how much they add to the show. They were crucial to creating the special effects that make the production so beautiful. They parade around the theater with enchanting tropical fish, shimmy with trailing jellyfish tentacles, and hiss in a menacing way as the Sea Witch's eel minions. They also flutter long lengths of blue silk, creating a beautiful illusion of waves that rise and fall to allow the mermaids to peek above the water and then whip them to create the storm that almost kills Prince Stefan...

Scared to Life

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Clancy) — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 13:03:00 +0000

I don't exercise for my own good. Don't get me wrong, I have never looked back on a day and regretted working out. But as I sit with a hot cup of coffee, wrapped in my fuzzy robe with a kid (or 4) snuggled up on me, the thought of dragging my butt to the gym or on a run, etc. generally holds little appeal. It's a cozy scene, I know. And it just gets cozier (read: fatter) the more workouts I skip. But this is unacceptable to me, so I know I need a solution. The question is: If I won't exercise for my own good, why will I? What motivates me, for real?
Well...anyone in marketing knows that if you want to get someone's attention, you show them what they stand to gain. But if you want them to DO something, show them what they stand to lose. Fear is a much greater motivator than hope. How sad. But 'tis what 'tis, and if I want action and results why make it harder than it has to be?

So...fears that I can capitalize on...hmmm...

Humiliation

Poverty

Death.

I know--I'll pick up some extra classes at the gym! I actually talked to Willy's and I will be back in the Spinning saddle starting next week. And last week I started training to teach Pilates reformer classes. So I've got all the fears covered. Humiliation: You can't blow off a class you teach, plus if you look like a cow who's going to take you seriously? Poverty: Well, the annual income of a fitness instructor isn't going to pay the mortgage, but it will cover Power Bars and pedicures. Death: Really, it's aging I'm talking about, but I understand the ultimate fear. 40 is 18 months away for me. I want to hit it HOT.
People who use 'will power' are working way harder than they have to.

Coming Soon to a Theater Near Us

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Clancy) — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 23:35:00 +0000

As many of you know, our two oldest are very active at Harwich Junior Theater. Margaret is in The Little Mermaid which opens Tuesday night. Check out the preview press here.

If You Go
“The Little Mermaid,” adapted by Linda Daugherty

from the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale,

presented by Harwich Junior Theatre; 7:30 p.m.

Mondays through Thursdays and 4 p.m. Fridays

and Sundays, Aug. 7-23; at the theater, 105

Division St., West Harwich; $12-$18; 508-432-2002

Three Weeks

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Clancy) — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 20:55:00 +0000

It's hard not to just lean over and bite her...

Ellen Meets Nana

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Clancy) — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 13:27:00 +0000

Yesterday Ellen got to meet her great grandmother, Nana. Nana thought it was pretty cool. Ellen was pretty happy, too. :)

Before Pic

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Clancy) — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 23:41:00 +0000

I just can't bring myself to submit to the humiliation quite yet. Of course, the grosser my before shot, the better I'll look after, but what if...what if I stay like my before picture??