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Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Communications 101

"Mom, can we pleeeeeeease have a sleepover tonight?" Peter begged.

"No, honey, not tonight," was my tired reply.

"But Mooooooommmmmmm yesterday when I asked you, you said 'maybe tomorrow'.  When a grown-up says 'maybe tomorrow' that always means yes!" he continued to beg.

I guess we have a communication problem because when I say 'maybe tomorrow' what I really mean is 'maybe you will have forgotten about it by tomorrow'.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Is it just me...

 Is it just me or does Stephen Tyler look just like Melissa Rivers??


I guess it's not just me because as I was Googling for images, I came across this one at TotallyLooksLike.com

And that's exactly what I said when Jennifer and I were discussing American Idol earlier tonight.  She said, "Why does Steven Tyler look so freaky?"  And I said, "Because he Totally Looks Like Melissa Rivers.

And he totally does.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

And it is with every spray of the Lysol can and every swipe of a disinfecting wipe that I wonder if it's too early to get on the waiting list at my doctor's office for the flu shot.

Yesterday afternoon when we got home from the doctor, Sarah finally started acting like she had the flu.  Her fever spiked up and she became a lethargic lump on the couch.  And it was there she remained until she moved to her bed and became a lethargic lump there.

She has had a little more energy this afternoon.  We played Dominoes, we finished reading another installment of Ivy and Bean and we attempted a little of her school work.  She is now playing at the computer. I am armed with the Lysol spray and the disinfectant wipes waiting to scrub down the mouse and keyboard the minute she decides to head back to the couch.

And speaking of couch and Lysol spray, it's time to disinfect that again while she's not on it.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

I would have known if I would have Googled it!

I took Sarah to the doctor this morning.  I was sure that she had strep throat - just like Peter had in December - and I didn't want to waste any time getting her on the antibiotic.  Because just like Peter, she had a fever but no other symptoms (other than a cough, a runny nose, fatigue, a head ache and back pain - yes, I am that stupid).

When the doctor said she was negative for strep I felt like a dork for bringing my child in for what was clearly just a cold.  Yes, I am still totally clueless at this point in time.

"Has she been complaining of any pain?" quizzed the doctor.

"Why, yes," I replied.  "Back pain and a headache." 

"We better give her a flu test.  Did you get the vaccine this year?"  she asked.

"Ummmmm no because by the time I got around to asking you for the shot (It was in December when we were in the office for Peter's strep. I remember thinking to myself Oh good, we're all here.  Let's get the flu shot now!) you guys were already out and weren't getting any more in.  And then I went to Walgreens (who has gobs and gobs of flu shots) and was told they didn't administer them to minors."

"Oh.  Well, maybe she doesn't have it."

And 6 minutes later we had confirmation that she did have it. 

I had been so sure it was strep that I didn't even give the flu (and all of Sarah's non-strep throat related symptoms) a thought.  I was so sure in fact, that I didn't do what I normally do - Google every symptom until I am sure the kid's have an incurable disease.

She felt pretty good yesterday and this morning.  However, after we left the doctor's office (wearing a mask no less!) she went down hill pretty fast. Her fever shot back up, she's been coughing repeatedly and her poor little nose could give Rudolph's a run for it's money.

She's on the couch asking for a flu shot (too late now, sweetie!) and telling me that she really wants to go to school tomorrow (no chance!).

And I have been going around the house with anti-bacterial wipes cleaning every surface she's touched in the last 36 hours.  I wonder how long the flu virus remains active on surfaces?

I think it's 24 hours but maybe I should Google it to be sure!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Stay At Home Alone Mom.

Today was supposed to be the day.  After 10 days (if you count the weekends) of me and the kids, today was going to be my day.  MY day. 

I was going to send the kids to school and then do whatever I wanted.  Maybe go for a run.  Maybe head to Target.  Maybe clean the house.  O.k. maybe not that but you get the idea.

The kids were finally going to be back in school and the house was going to be mine all mine again. My how I have missed the solitude of just being alone in my house!

So imagine my dismay when the first words out of Sarah's mouth this morning were "I think I have a fever."

And she was right, she did have a fever.  But it was a low grade fever and she  really wanted to go to school this morning.  (And not so much for the learning part as for the showing-off-her-new-smile part.)

I gave her some Ibuprofen and put the kids in the car.  My dream of a day of solitude was still within my grasp. 

As we were going through the drop-off line, I looked in the rear-view mirror.  Sarah looked a little pale. Her eyes looked tired and she said, "I have a headache."

At that point I realized that I couldn't send her to school.  What kind of a selfish mother was I being?

I have a job.  And my job title is not Stay at Home Alone Mom. 

So we have played Candy Land and I Spy! Eagle Eye.  We've read books. We've played math games on the computer and we are about to write thank you notes. (How long do you have to send Christmas thank you notes before they are considered late?  I know you have a year after your wedding but I've got a feeling the grace period isn't as long after Christmas.) 

Sarah seems to be fine right now (she has actually seemed fine all day) so hopefully she can go to school tomorrow.  I've got grocery shopping and laundry to take care of and a prayer group to attend and she has got to show her friends that giant gap in her smile before it's gone.

Stay at Home Mom.  It's a good title if you are lucky enough to get it.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

I don't need your sympathy, it was 1985 for pete's sake! Lots of people had this hairstyle. Didn't they?

I had my 10th grade year book out trying to place a name with a face when Sarah said, "I want to see your picture."

I flipped through the pages and quickly found my picture.

"That's not you!"

"Yes it is."

"No it's not!"

"Yes it is!"

"You look funny," she giggled.

I did look a little funny.  My hair was short.  Very short.

I had gone to the hairstylist a few weeks before the picture and told her to cut all of the perm out of my hair.  Since I was only a naive 10th grader at the time, I failed to realize that since the perm was all over my entire head "cutting out the perm" would entail cutting all of my hair.

But after a little getting used to, I guess the hairstyle wasn't all that bad and as I perused the pages of my yearbook, it seemed that many girls had the same super short hairstyle.

Sarah continued to giggle and then she started to get embarrassed.  "I feel bad for you," she said quietly.

"Don't feel bad for me honey. Lots of people had this hairstyle."

"But I feel bad for you."  She wouldn't look at me when she said this.

"It's o.k. Really."

"But, Mommy, I feel so bad for you." She repeated this over and over and over again.

"I don't need your sympathy!!" I was starting to get a little annoyed.

"What's that she asked?" pointing to my Add-A-Bead necklace.

"It's a necklace."

"Oh," she replied slowly. "You put on a necklace to make yourself look...look...look...more like a..."

"A girl!" I replied. "Is that what you were going to say??" 

"Mommy.  I feel so bad for you."

I showed the picture to Jennifer and her kids later that day and they all laughed.  I think they felt bad for me too.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

In the words of Aunt Cathy, "You could drive a truck through there!"

While absentmindedly chewing on some bubblewrap yesterday, Sarah's tooth came out!

And as she said, "I'm not going to be able to eat apples for a while!"  No apples, but look at all the room she's got now for a straw!

Sarah took this picture of herself.  Please ignore the crumbs on my counter. 

And the bubble wrap...Cheyanne brought over a huge piece of it yesterday so she and Sarah could pop it.  I think Jennifer must be mad at me.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Sarah McPhee?


She's one hairy mole and a black feathery hat away from looking like this:

She has got to pull that tooth today!

Friday, January 7, 2011

I even wrote "YIKES" in the margin.

I am currently reading three books by Stormie Omartian simultaneously:  The Power of a Praying Woman, The Power of a Praying Life and the Power of a Praying Parent. I don't typically read three things at once but her books lend themselves to this as you can find parts of your life that you need to cover in prayer at a particular moment and skip ahead or move back to that particular chapter. 

Yesterday I was reading a chapter in The Power of a Praying Woman and the author wrote: "We will give account of every idle word in the day of judgment. (Matthew 12:36).  That sentence jumped off the page and slapped me in the face.  I even wrote "YIKES" in the margin.

I am quite certain that in the last 41 years I have spoke many idle words.  But what exactly is idle in this particular translation of the Bible? Maybe there was away out of this judgement.  Maybe I haven't spoken idle words.  What exactly does idle mean?  So I checked other versions of the Bible and this is what other translations listed in place of idle:

careless
thoughtless
foolish
empty
useless
non-working

Once again - yikes!  There is no way out of it.  I will be standing before God with a lifetime of careless, thoughtless, foolish, empty, useless, non-working words for which to account.

At the end of each chapter, the author has written a beautiful scripture based prayer.  I will be adding this one to the long list of things I am currently asking God for help with! 

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Peter Said.

When I was a child on Christmas morning, we got presents from Santa.  That was it.  I don't recall getting presents from my parents until after we no longer believed in Santa.

So when Peter and Sarah were born, that's what we did - presents from Santa.  So even though I spend all the time deciding what to buy, do all the shopping and do all the wrapping, I let Santa get all the glory.   

Now I'm beginning to rethink this.

On Christmas morning Peter sat in the middle of a huge pile of wrapping paper and presents and looked around for more gifts to unwrap.

Peter said, "Hey Mom.  Did you get me anything?"

I think next year Santa and I are going halfsies.

Monday, January 3, 2011

Sarah Said...

It was the afternoon of New Year's Eve...

"Mom, I want to stay up until Midnight tonight," Sarah said.

"You do?  Why?" I quizzed her.

"I want to see the bomb drop!"