When it rains it pours!

Life can be so funny. You go along keeping busy, doing your thing, and have nothing other than a busy calendar to keep your brain working and the BAM! In a matter of hours you have crazy things, big things, falling out of the sky like rain. This past week was one of those weeks. Monday I woke up with a sore throat. I was so annoyed b/c I have been sick three times in the last 6 weeks. Totally not cool. And not normal either (for me). Then Tuesday afternoon my son comes home with a small white area on the side of his finger...hmmm...dead skin maybe? Ingrown finger nail maybe? It's small, nothing to worry about, right? Hahaha! Then Tuesday night I get a call from a lawyer in Kansas City informing me my great aunt died of a massive stroke. If anything can make a sick person feel worse, it's news of a relative passing. Fast forward to Wednesday after school. That small white spot is now four times the size it was just hours before, it's a greenish, yellowish puss filled bulge and the surrounding area is red. (And oh by the way- I have a fever). Straight to the pediatrician we go and what do you know, he has a serious infection...not just in his finger, but his nose as well (back track a week- he had severe allergy issues and his nose got chapped from all the drainage. He continued to pick and pick until the chapping became scabs and now the scabs are infected). Beautiful. To make things better the decide to send the puss tot he lab to make sure it's not MRSA. Um, hello???? They tried to make me feel better by saying it may not be, but telling a mother they are checking for MRSA sets of a huge launch sequence of panic filled thoughts and emotions. Can't just backtrack and say "well, try not to worry." Sorry- I'm already beyond panic! So anyway, we go to the pharmacy to pick up a ridiculously expensive super-duper antibiotic cream to start treating the infection until we know for sure what we are dealing with, pick up some epson salts for soaking, antibacterial soap for washing, and bandages for covering. And Chloroseptic drops for me. OK, the worst is over, right? Oh wait- I have another child! Thursday I get a call from the school informing me Abby was at recess when she was struck in the head by a swing! Wonderful! It left a good size goose egg and an ever bigger sized headache. All this and I can't talk b/c I woke up without a voice. So while I am trying to ice my childs head and dispense motrin, I realize my son's nose is looking worse. He is still picking. So as any good mother would do, I loose it! But I have no voice so it's this whisper tantrum. My kids look at me like I have ten heads. Seriously. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. So I decide to be done with it, put a band-aid on my kids nose, and crawled in bed with the headache and goose egg girl. Friday comes- TGIF. I feel better, my voice is coming back, my daughters headache is gone and the goose egg is fading. I go to work to catch up on a pile of things that went unattended earlier in the week. The lab never called today (the MRSA test is a 48 hr test) so I figure no news is good news. Although if my son doesn't stop PICKING we are going to have to go back to the dr and have some sort of huge plastic contracption shield his nose from his fingers. But there was one very bright spot in this mess of a week. A friend of ours returned home from a trip to S.C and brought us a case of Cheerwine! Ahhhhhhhhh...memories. If anything can cure a crazy week, it's Cheerwine. :-)

Kids and Politics

So, do any other kids sit around and talk politics, or is it just mine? And what's so funny about this whole phenomenon in my house is hubby and I really don't enjoy politics. Therefore we don't talk politics very much at all. What also is so interesting about my kids is they are on seperate sides of the fence. I have my "lower taxes" daughter (and yes- she totally gets what taxes are and will tell you why they should be lowered)and my humanitarian son who will talk your ear off about why we should not be at war with Iraq or wanting to know what the president plans to do about homelessness. I work very hard to help my kids see both sides of the coin. If they ask a question I do my best to be unbiased (which honestly isn't hard b/c I think both sides of the political spectrum are bozo's- actually all the parties involved...I've been researching options to the two main contenders in this election and they're all bozo's! No one out there represents my vote...but that's a whole 'nother post!) and explain to the best of my ability how the different parties have differing ideas of how to combat problems for the country and it's people. I want my kids to draw their own conclusions and think for themselves, not just repeat what they hear mom or dad saying about who should be president without really understanding why. So I wonder how and why my kids seem to be so interested in politics. I understand there is a lot of talk being an election year, and a big election at that, but it just seems unusual for kids to be that concerned and opinionated. Maybe not. Maybe kids all over the country are having these same discussions. I actually think that would be pretty cool. Maybe they will start a new party in the coming years...and alternative to the same ole same ole in DC that actually accomplishes very little. Wouldn't that be great! I can dream. :-)

Happy Happy Joy Joy

I filled up for $38.00 yesterday! Filled up my car for $38.00!!!!

I am so doing a happy dance. :-)

Complaints...

I'm hot, in the literal sense. Where is fall? I so do not like Florida. I want seasons.

I'm am tired of whiny parents in the school. Take responsibility for your child and stop expecting the school to raise your kids.

Is it Nov 4th yet? I'm so over the campaigns. So negative, such a turn off.

There. I needed to balance my recent Pollyana, sappy, rose colored posts with some good, ole fashioned, Wendy pessimism. :-)

How did I get so lucky?

Seriously. How in the world did I end up with such smart, flexible, well adjusted kids? I know my parents will read this and give the typical parental response of "because your such a wonderful mother", but they have to say that. It's their job. LOL! I don't feel like my mothering constitutes such amazing kids. Maybe it's more my husbands influence. :-) But never-the-less, I am so proud of them...most of the time. hahaha! Parenting is not easy, that is for sure. There are days when I want to strangle them, or run away myself. But I know the road could be so different. I really am very lucky.

Sick, but blessed

So this week has been, um, well...sickly. I started feeling like death Sunday. But because I have an aversion to dr.'s (no offense Chessa), I continued to suffer through high fevers, chills, sweats, a throat that shot flames every time I swallowed, aches, and weakness until Tuesday when my hubby took me to the dr.. I opened my mouth and said "ahhh" and all the dr could say was "wow." Strep throat, and a pretty severe case. That's why you go to the dr sooner when you are feeling THAT bad I guess. So I get some antibiotics and am on my way to recovery when, of course, my daughter gets a sore throat. Being the quick learner that I am, I have that child in the dr. withing an hour of her first complaint. She has strep too. So far my son and hubby seem to be fine, but I'm not holding my breath that this is all over and done just yet.
So that's the sick part, now for the blessed part. I have an incredible husband. And sometimes I take him for granted. I was so sick I slept all day Monday and Tuesday. He got up, set up a little home office in our dining room, got the kids up for school, got them dressed, made their lunches, made sure they were packed up, got them to school on time, tended to me with advil and water, emailed people for me b/c even with a 103 temp I still stress about what I should be doing, took his own conference calls and tried to stay on top of his own work, picked up the kids, got them to their games, practices, etc. Got me soup. Did laundry so everyone had clean and germ free clothes and sheets. Made sure the kids took showers and ate dinner. Got them to bed. And finished up his loose ends with work. And all the while he kept the kitchen clean as a whistle. Then he did it again on Tuesday. I was in awe. Honestly. He is absolutely amazing and managed to rack up about a kazillion husband points over the last couple days. It was a great reminder for me to just how lucky I am. I know this on a daily basis, but sometimes you need that extra reminder, you need to feel the awe. And I did. I am blessed.

Living on the other side.

I think I am officially there. I think I have crossed that fine line of being too busy, doing too much, and being involved with too many things. But because of my ridiculous people pleaser nature, I can't get out of what I've committed to. OK, let me correct myself. I, of course, can get out. But it would make me feel worse getting out of things that I have committed to vs. just never sleeping again and doing them. I really annoy myself with that need to be "all things to all people who ask" thing. What is with that? Oh well. So if you need to find me, I'm on the other side of the fine line. I'll let you know how the weather is...