SPRAIN AND STROLLER BAGS

Yesterday we went to the gym and while Ruther was playing basketball with his friends, he sprained his ankle. When we got home it looked pretty bad and swollen. I let him take an anti-inflammatory pill and we iced his ankle. He had a lot of difficulty moving around that I decided for the both of us we were going to stay home this weekend. Problem is, he has to go to work tomorrow and I didn't want him to take a tumble with his sore foot. So while the boys had their nap, I went to Daiei and searched for a cane. Fortunately they had several there and I picked the cheapest one. Ruther tried the cane and he didn't look awkward at all. At least now I wouldn't have to worry about him walking unassisted. On our way home yesterday he was hobbling so bad I got worried. A least with his cane, he could walk with a bit of support. I told Ruther that I was going to accompany him to the train station in the morning. I just want to make sure he gets there safely. Hopefully, the other commuters will be considerate about his condition. As of tonight, his ankle looks less swollen but I'm not taking any chances. I told Ruther that he should have his foot checked by the company doctor and he said he will. Hopefully, by the end of this week his foot will be all better. But basketball playing is definitely postponed for now.

.....

Stroller bags are really handy here in Japan. All sorts of stroller bags abound. Some are used for travel, some for daily living, for kids, for school, for work, for shopping, etc. Some are plain, others fancy. I even saw a very cute Hello Kitty bag once. It was so cool. Not only are stroller bags environmentally-friendly when shopping (everyone should have their own reusable shopping bag methinks) but it's very convenient. When you take the train to go places you will definitely have to WALK long distances. Now, if you're a mom (like me) with kids (like me) and take a ton of things with you all the time (like me) a stroller bag is not only handy, it's also practical. I remember carrying a heavy bag once and my shoulder muscles ached for days. When the family went to Yuigahama beach recently I insisted we bring Nikki's stroller bag with us. I just knew that we were going to take a lot of things with us. How can we not? We have the boys. If I were single, a small bag would suffice but not now. Turns out, it was a good idea we brought the bag because when Ethan got sleepy and asked to be carried, Nikki just rolled his bag along. And when HE got sleepy, one of Ruther's friend offered to pull the bag for us. Pulling a stroller bag is definitely easier than carrying a heavy beach bag. So it was a relief that we had that bag with us. Have my own shopping bag, by the way. It's like a canvass bag with foldable wheels at the bottom so you could opt to carry it or roll it. Neat, huh? I learned from my last trip here that shopping can be really exhausting when you have more than 4 bags to carry all the way home from the supermarket. So I got that really handy bag. How else will you expect me to carry a 5 kilo pack of rice all the way home?

(Ruther does the carrying actually. Thank God for husbands.) :)