He gets it!

Last night I drove A-Dog to baseball practice...just the 2 of us.


When we pulled up I said:


"I'm going to get a beverage at Starbucks, I'll be right back"


He says:


"You think because you drove me to practice, you should get a reward?"


Yup.


Yup I do.


It was not an easy task to leave a couple of sick kids home with daddy (1 is not)...all needing a shower, dirty dishes all over the counter, toys all over the floor....


But I DID IT! 


And I should be rewarded :)...or something. 


Plus, it was going to be like 48 degrees with a bit of wind at practice...and if I was going to make it until 8pm, I needed a warm drink.


(Hey, come on - my sweet husband did the EXACT same thing to me Sunday night(left me with the house in total shambles....but I'm pretty sure he didn't get a reward...but the practice HE went to got moved indoors, that is reward enough!)

Less is more?

If less is more, is it OK to have less more often? I suppose more or less it could be...


Thanks to Starbucks' price increase, I've had to either go longer in between drinks or buy a smaller size.  My Mocha is a reward for my survival. Raising 4 kids can be very stressful (and even when it isn't, I still reward myself). 


Honestly I only get 1-2 a week, so it's  not like I over indulge. It IS 10 miles to Starbucks and no where near my neighborhood, so I make up reasons to go to Target (which houses a Starbucks) or run errands near one with a drive thru.


So, what started out as a wonderful Valentine's Day filled with candy, cards, Valentine's hugs and a trip to Target - came crashing down on me as soon as we got home.


Agent P spent his $1 on a new Hot Wheel.


Which he dropped in the potty.


While he was pooping. (please don't ask me how this could possibly happen. I really don't know. I've tried imagining it and it is too much for this mama to handle)


And I had to retrieve it.


With poop in the potty.


Thank goodness I have gloves.


Did I mention there was poop in the potty?


I hope you were not eating lunch or anything while you read this...


I have no photos of the event.


Again, you are welcome.


And I may have to drive back to Starbucks. And reward myself. Again.

Dodged a bucket

After a couple puke sessions over night on Monday - yesterday did NOT bring more stomach flu.


It brought one more kid with Strep Throat.


YAY! 


It is sad that I am very happy about that, but I am.


I don't appreciate that Strep often brings a bit of puke, but it is easier to manage than every 30 minutes of vomit!


So, 2 out of 4 kids with Strep - and enough antibiotic between the 2 bottles to treat 3 kids. How sweet is that?


Now, if we can get thru it quickly, so we can leave the house again.....

Stomach flu, you are not my friend.

I thought it was a simple cough.

My sweet husband had just gone into their room and covered them back up. Literally, 30 seconds later Monkey was coughing. Then he cried a bit. So, I reluctantly got out of my warm bed and ventured into the room. Thinking he needed a drink or something, I took no precautions to grab my glasses or turn on a light.

He wanted a "tissue for his mouth". Ok, not a problem. But, then I got closer. 

Oh for the love of....what on earth...eeeewwwww.

Really?

At 10pm? 

Does the stomach virus have some sort of time table it is required to keep? Some law against starting up prior to people GOING TO BED??? OR SLEEPING???

So, I scooped him up and took him to my sweet husband so he could get cleaned up.

And I went back into the toxic zone to assess damages. (note to self - a full body radiation suit is a good investment for this task). Not good. Down side of bed, on floor, in slats of toddler bed. Lovely.

I think I singed my nose hairs with the pungent aroma of puke. I am still smelling it.

My hands will smell for days. Even after scrubbing them. 12 times.

My washer has been running since last night.

Why couldn't he just get Strep throat like Agent P (who started antibiotics for that yesterday)? Although, puking often goes with Strep, so I just don't know.

Just to be safe, here is the letter I've composed.

Dear Mr. Stomach Flu ("Mr." because no mama would allow this in her house), 

We cannot be friends. You cannot come over to our house anymore. We do not like the way you play, and frankly, we do not like the way you smell. 

You are a nuisance and a disruption to our normally chaotic life. You interfere with the laundry 'schedule' and may cause certain somebodies to dig jeans out of the dirty pile again (I admit, last weeks laundry debacle was not your fault, but I'm just sayin'.)

Goodbye. Stay away. And please, I'm begging you - LEAVE THE REST OF US ALONE.

OH - and I didn't add any photos.


You're welcome.

Taking the plunge!

This is what we woke up to yesterday. According to my weather station....

Do you see it? 12.9 degrees, 13 mph wind and -1 with wind chill???


I know some of you might be thinking "girl, you don't even KNOW what cold is!"


It is true. I'm the biggest of wimps. I grab a jacket if I know it will be under 70 degrees. 


Go ahead mock me if you must. Others do.


But even my windows didn't appreciate this temperature plunge.

This is ICE the INSIDE of my window in the kitchen.

I will look back on this day as a 100 year old record broken, coldest day of my life and the day I almost let my 5 year old skip school because I didn't want to leave the house to take him to the bus stop (by then it was 19 degrees, 10 degrees with wind chill).


I will also remember it as the day they started digging up our backyard for our POOL!


So, if we ever said it would be a cold day in you know where before we get a pool, that happened yesterday, hence the pool. Just kidding, we've been talking about a real pool for a couple years. Really, I swear!

Summer is just around the corner...I think.