The Sick Day

After experiencing the “it’s not fair” issue yesterday, today brought us new excitement.

The morning dawned bright and early at 5:00am….with the pitter patter of little feet.

Mommy? My feet hurt.

Huh?

Well, that means the fever is back up again.

Sure enough. 102.6.

Okay, one down for the count.

Check on the teen.

No response. Then a grunt.

Okay, two down for the count.

Two home and the other three left for school/work.

I checked in on the invalids throughout the day.

Evidently they played Monopoly Junior (Anna Grace dominated) and Checkers (Alex dominated). They cranked music, watched Nick, Jr., and ate lots of stuff.

I called once (well more than that...) and asked for a temperature update.

Alex couldn’t do it.

You know why?

They were eating banana splits. Cold mouth = not accurate temp.

Great.

The only issue the rest of the day was a broken thermometer and a certain child refusing to take her meds without a bribe.

Or so I thought. Yep, I know. This is my life.

Two hours after I got home from school, a sleepy, high temp Anna Grace pipes up with…..

Alex did a project today.

Uh oh.

He used a coke can, Styrofoam, gas, and fire. Oh and the hose. I hid in the garage holding my Elmo.

Oh my.

Thankfully the “try to make napalm” experiment was a bust or I might not have a house now.

Good grief. But at least both were happy, medicated, and fed today….all while I was at work.

And the “it’s not fair” child loved having the car and grocery store shopping ALL to herself.

We should be thankful for the little things, right?

It's Not Fair.....again

I thought I’d heard everything. After all, I’ve been a mom for over nineteen years. Surely nothing has slipped past that I didn’t know.

I was wrong.

We had an “issue” today about things not being fair.

Nothing new there, huh? After all, with four kids, it’s bound to come up more than two or three times.

I've heard....she has more than me, her piece is bigger, she got one more story, I wanted to wear that shirt today, it’s not fair……..and the list goes on….and on….and on.

But today’s “not fair” issue took the cake.

I never saw this one coming.

We arrived home from school today with two sick kids. Alex was having sinus issues which contributed to general yuckiness. Anna Grace came home with a fever……not extremely high, but something. Enough to make her feel….blah.

So out came the medicines, the talk of possibly being home from school, going to bed early. You know, that kind of exciting talk.

And out came the comment from Abby…

“It’s not fair that she’s been sick more than me.”

I almost dropped my water bottle.

You’ve got to be kidding me.

You are upset because you haven’t been sick more frequently?

And this makes sense….how?

I just shook my head in disbelief.

You want to be sick? You want to miss school?

(Oh bad question. I may got an answer I don't like. But Abby loves school so I may be safe!)

But tomorrow, if I leave Anna Grace at home with daddy, what will Abby say?

Of course, if her big brother is still sick, Anna Grace may be home with him and not daddy for the day. Two invalids hanging out together.

Oh my, if that happens, I see another blog post in the making…..

Veggies and Me

I am going to admit something huge. Something my mother would never anticipate. Something that will leave you speechless.

I hate vegetables.

With a passion.

Vegetables are gross. Especially the green ones. And the cooked ones.

The only ones I like to eat are the ones found in salad….and corn. That’s it. Oh, and baked potato. Green bean casserole will be made and consumed on holidays only. But everything else is disgusting.

I will eat them in veggie soup though…go figure.

Our amazing cafeteria ladies at school laugh at me all the time since I never choose the veggies for lunch. But who wants black eyed peas, green beans, sweet potatoes, lima beans, or other fun stuff like that?

Not me. Blech.

I’m also really bad about making them at home since I don’t want the “how come I have to eat these when you don’t?” discussion.

Thank heavens all the kids will choose veggies for their lunch trays when given the option. I haven’t killed that in them.

Or that’s what I thought.

The other day, Abby came home talking about the soup they had made in Pre-K. I had sent in bags of mixed veggies so anticipated her story.

Mommy, it was so good! We made soup with fruit in it.

Huh?

Perhaps we need to have a discussion about what are fruits and what are vegetables.

I am a Queen

A queen of multi-tasking, that is.

Take tonight for example. As I started tacos and rice for dinner, I was also….

making lunches and snack for tomorrow

checking the live stats on The Boyfriend’s baseball game

listening to the girls playing outside

texting the big kids about dinner and the game

unpacking backpacks and checking daily work/news

checking email at home and work

scrolling through Facebook to see what I missed during the day

and who knows what else.

And that’s just before dinner…..and after hitting Wally World after school.

Are you like me and your brain is in constant motion? From wake-up to bedtime, I am always thinking.

Is homework done?

Oh, can’t forget to buy milk tomorrow.

Is everyone’s backpack ready to go?

Gee, what did I need to do before bedtime? I already forgot.

Do I have a meeting tomorrow? Who with?

Man, I should have done some laundry today.

Guess we need to clean the bathroom.

Got to find clothes for tomorrow and get them laid out.

And the brain torture continues.

Until bedtime.

I gain a good six hours of blessed peace before I wake up with more thoughts in my head. I’ve tried writing down my oh so very important issues during the night. But then I can’t read what I wrote when I wake up.

Rats.

At 4am, I am up with my mind racing with my list of to-do's.

Is a mother’s work ever done?

Or am I doomed to this constant life of craziness?

Kissing Away the Hurt

As our kids grow, they encounter illness, stitches, broken bones, displaced elbows, chicken pox, and lots of other such lovely things.

Well, at least if you are MY kids.

Those are easily fixed. Lots of money changes hands, threads stitched, colorful casts made, creams given….and you’re all set.

And kisses from mommy always help.

But what do you do when the hurt is on the inside? How do you fix that?

Toss in a mom who is trying desperately to balance the needs of teens with little ones….and you’ve got a mess.

My big girl is struggling. Not with academics….all A’s right now. But struggling with roommates, living spaces, being apart from best friends, missing the boyfriend, not feeling special,....... and the list goes on.

I love when she comes home because we can talk for real. Trying to talk via email, text, or even phone just doesn’t cut it.

How do I help? What can I do to ease the pain? Barbie band-aids just don't work right now.

I remember being her age and struggling too. One of my best memories of college was when my mom came up for the day and brought me a pillow she made that said….

You are Special

I still cry just thinking about that day.

Not sure my mom even knows that.

My baby is not feeling special, feeling lost, and drifting. And I can’t help her. It makes me sad.

How I wish I could sprinkle some pixie dust and make everything okay. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

If you have pixie dust you can share, please mail it to me.

I hate not being able to kiss away the hurt.

Destruction times Two

My various houses, furniture, and other belongings survived the rise from babyhood to teen years with the big kids with very little problem.

So why is it that the little ones are on a search and destroy mission?

Over the past few years, they have worked alone or together to….

write with permanent black marker on the sofa cushions

pull apart pillows

use marker, pencils, or crayons to decorate unsuspecting surfaces

dump bubbles all over a person or an object

kick the disc drive on the computer so it is unusable

break the computer table

pour make-up all over Katie’s white carpet

cut hair, clothes, or other easily damaged items

break pieces off the playset

and endless other things that my feeble old mind has chosen to forget.

What is the deal? Am I too old to have little kids? Have I blocked memories of the behaviors of the big kids from my mind? Am I falling down on my parenting duties?

Likely a combination of all of the above…..and toss in being a busy, working mom to four and the little things (see above) get ignored until it’s too late.

But a memory flashed back to me today when I realized the computer table was broken.

Reference the aforementioned markers that drew on the wall. Mommy put her foot down and said….”NO more markers in our house. EVER!”

Flash forward to Christmas morning when Santa left small washable markers in the girls stockings.

Abby was overheard to say…....”Don’t tell mom that Santa gave us markers. She’ll take them away!”

A Soccer Story....

The time is here. The time is now. The season has started.

Soccer is b….a…c….k.

Alex is playing again and traveling to different areas of the state. Most games are close by but a few a couple hours away.

Lovely.

The little girls wanted to play this season too. Anna Grace played when she was three but, shockingly enough, did not listen to her coach so I pulled her out.

But when I thought of schedules for three kids, it made me crazy.

Remember, I have to factor in daddy’s travel schedule and big sister being at college and totally wrapped up in the college baseball season.

That leaves one driver.

Me.

I couldn’t find the balance so gave up my quest.

And yet this morning, the girls asked me when they would get to play soccer just like Alex and Katie.

As I hung my head and explained why they could not play until the fall, Alex was listening intently.

I told them we’d play in the fall when Alex could drive and help out.

He stopped and looked at me. And said....

You mean I’m going to be a soccer mom in the fall?

Yep. You are.

What Scares You?

My girls have been afraid of dogs next door, pandas roaming the house, monkeys living at Grandma’s house, bugs, wind, thunderstorms, and fun stuff like that.

But everything they’ve been afraid of makes sense to me.

Now me? That is another story.

I am about to make a small confession. Are you ready?

I am scared of flying.

Nothing big, huh? Lots of people don’t like to fly.

And yes, I flew to and from China. Twice. Sixteen hours in the air---one way.

I flew within China on Chinese airlines without understanding the language.

I have flown on small regional jets to to see family. Yes, I popped lots of Dramamine on those flights....for some reason, that helps calm me.

But here is a bigger confession. Brace yourself....

I hate to stop under an overpass. It completely freaks me out. I have come “this” close to getting out of my lane to go an alternate route. I keep waiting for the entire overpass to collapse.

I also hate to drive on a bridge or stop on one. I start to sweat rather quickly. I can feel the road shaking and just anticipate falling.

I remember as a child going on a long bridge in California, looking ahead, and seeing the bridge go directly into the water. Or that was the illusion. I have never forgotten that.

So there you go. My irrational fears.

My kids just laugh at me.

Yep, they love to admit their mom is crazy.

Never Interrupt an Eating Child

As we sat down tonight to a rare family dinner, we happily recalled our school and work days……with the exception of one child. She was very focused on eating. After all, eating is her thing.

We stopped her to ask about her day. Instead of answering, she put more food in her mouth.

After a bit of fussing from the parental unit, she decided she’d better step up to the plate.

And the torrent from Abby began……

I played with the puppets today during small group. (true)

Jacob B wore his pajamas to school when it wasn’t a Friday or pajama day. (this happened a month ago)

I had hash browns for breakfast. (yep)

I got to wear my pajamas to school. (on Polar Express day in December)

One day, I got to wear my 100th day hat to school. (two weeks ago)

Matthew isn’t in my class anymore. (hasn’t been for two years)

One group got to make goo today. (true)

We watched Tarzan in after school. (yep...rainy day)

I had peas, peaches, bread, and hmmm…..something else for lunch. (chicken and noodles)

I know our schedule. Morning circle, large group, music, free centers, snack, small group (is that therapy?), outside time, lunch, rest, and closing circle. (my detail oriented child)

Oh my.

Alex just looked at me and rolled his eyes.

Abs, go ahead and keep eating your dinner, baby.

And here you thought Anna Grace was the talkative one.