Broken Toes and In A Pinch

No one ever told me that I could actually get HURT doing Taekwondo!

No, just kidding! Safety is always first and foremost in Taekwondo...we have to wear alot of protective gear when we spar (fight!) such as a chest protector, head gear, mouthpiece, etc.

Tuesday night we were doing some cardio and warm-up kicks, and I kicked the bottom of the clapper pad instead of the side (don't ask me how!) when I was doing a jump outer-crescent kick. Crescent kicks are done with a straight leg and the toes pointed upward. Granted, due to my size and age, mine aren't graceful ones, but I guess could get the job done if need be.

So, basically, I when I jumped and kicked, my pointed-up left three outer toes caught the handle of the clapper pad instead of hitting the clapper pad with the side of my foot like you are supposed to. I have felt worse pain, but not by much! Not to let my partner, my instructor, or visiting instructor (or myself for that matter) down, I shook it off and finished my set. As class continued, my toes began to swell and by the next day the top and bottom of my foot and the three outer toes were black and blue. It's a bit better now, though still a little sore and puffy.

I went on back to Taekwondo class Thursday but took it easy. If the swelling doesn't go down in the next day or two, I think I'm going to go see my podiatrist for an x-ray. We have a black belt in our class who is an EMT, and he thought that I might have a stress fracture in one of the metatarsals, and where the pain is coming from now I almost would have no doubt about that! When I say pain, I'm not talking a horrific pain that comes from every step, but just a throbbing, something's not quite right pain.

Enough rambling about that! Now let me tell you about my new best friend Leilani at "In A Pinch of Time":

Remember that a couple of weeks ago I won a free meal from her meal assembly shop. After doing some research and looking at my budget, which includes a lot of money for eating out because it always seems like we are on the run, I decided to go ahead and try my hand at this meal assembly stuff. Shelby, Jeremy, and I worked together (it was a great lesson in kitchen and food safety, and math!) to prepare 13 entrees for freezing. Two nights and two home-cooked meals later, and I'm sold! Shelby helped me fix "Burboun Street Salmon" tonight and it was a hit! Even Shelby - my picky eater - ate ALL of his salmon filet!

Well, this place is going to be a lifesaver and moneysaver in the months ahead. I'm already in the process of selecting next month's meals, and I'm looking forward to having some easy meals prepared during my China trip for the boys and after the trip to make things alot easier as we settle in with Kaelie.