because today is a new day

everyone is still sick, but on the mend.

Well, I will say one thing for Emily...she doesn't give up easily. You know, unlike my other two children who are very mild mannered. Maybe that will serve her well. Unfortunately for me, it means she absolutely will not stop crying and go back to sleep. I have a sneaking suspicion she has a sore throat like her sister does because she is not crazy about eating or drinking this evening and she is actually flinging limbs at me and thrashing her body around in her crib. I've given her Tylenol, I've tried rocking, feeding, changing. Hmm. I guess if she is just going to cry, she is just going to cry. It's just kind of a helpless feeling for me. I know from times in the past her version of crying it out could last several hours. I WANT TO GO TO BED!!! Seriously, since I started this post it has been over an hour. She doesn't want to be held. She just wiggles around. As soon as I lay her back down she starts screaming. AUGH!

This week has been trying for us. Mary has been sick. Really sick. Not getting out of bed for 3 days sick. Her fever has been around 102-103 and she won't eat, barely drinks, just lays there with big dark circles under her eyes. She watches television.

This is coming off of the weekend where she and I got the throwing up variety of the flu. That was fun. I really hope Emily is not coming down with what Mary has had. We did take Mary to the dr. and it seems that she has a virus. The kind that comes with pus on your tonsils. Brian has been home with her the last two days. Tomorrow is my turn again. I do think she is turning the corner. Tonight she ate a piece of pizza (it's been takeout almost every night this week--or cereal) and sat with me in the chair.

Many thanks to our wonderful daddy who has been nursing us all back to health. He got to clean up puke twice this week--once in his car, he's been making Gatorade runs, writing sub plans, being on baby patrol so I could get some sleep, and not being too grouchy about it at all. Thanks, Brian!

What is the lesson learned this week? We are not ready for a dog.

Might be fun...You know you want to try it...

Lucky you!

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you.

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It'll be done this year. {might be a little while}
4. You have no clue what it's going to be.
It may be a story. It may be poetry or an article on properly cleaning your face before a masque. I may draw or paint something. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me!

*Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!*

good for him, hard for me

Tonight Elijah started his first basketball practice at the McAlister Center, a lafayette parks and rec. place. So far, all the team sports we've done have been through the YMCA and have been disorganized to say the least. This was definitely not that. It was not only organized, the coaches were so kind AND kept the kids moving by, shocker, doing drills with them. They learned three ways to pass, how to dribble, shoot, and even played a quick scrimage. Granted, they missed their first practice last week because of the cold and their first game is tomorrow morning so it was a little like cramming it all in, but nonetheless. It was a great practice. The coaches were there before the team, they knew where the equipment was, they knew what drills they were going to practice, and they were competitive, but in the way that was uplifting to the kids. Sounds good, right? So why was I getting all teary eyed? Seeing my 6 year old with all his missing front teeth out there with the 6, 7 and 8 year olds made my heart hurt. This is definitely not preschool league. I'm also curious to see if this was just a good day for him or if he is maturing. Other times when he's played team sports he goes in thinking he knows it all and expects to be the best. When he isn't, there is a pretty high level of frustration (for him and for me). Tonight as we were leaving practice he says to me, "Mom, I was pretty disappointed. I didn't make any shots." I got to say to him, gulping back the lump, "Elijah, I wasn't disappointed at all. You practiced hard, you tried a new sport that you've never done before, and you have a great attitude about it all."

This teacher business is a pretty good deal. Since we've been having all this cold weather and all 5 of us have been home from school, we decided we needed to get out of the house! So, Friday we met up with some friends at the Indy Children's Museum to play. It was really fun. The kids all had a friend their age to do stuff with and it was (almost) relaxing for the adults. Saturday night we drove back to Indianapolis with Aunt Meg and Uncle Everette to see the Indiana Ice play hockey. Elijah had a blast. He was into the game the whole time. Bless his tender soul, he was really upset when 2 fights broke out on the ice. He actually said that he didn't like that part. It was some of the worst fighting I've seen. Helmets and gloves thrown off; just pummeling each other in the face. There was even blood on the ice. Ick. The girls spent the night at my parents' house on Saturday and we left them for church since we were planning to go right back over after church for lunch to celebrate my dad's birthday. We ended up spending the whole afternoon lounging by the fire over there. Today we still don't have school (MLK day) so Elijah went on his first play date with people we don't really know. His friend from school invited him over to play. I dropped him off this morning and my dad picked him up so he could take him ice skating this afternoon. Man, after writing all that it is no wonder I feel so tired today.

I am uninspired for blogging!

Stole this from another's blog. Feel free to keep it going. Copy and paste, then bold face the items that apply to you.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch--KNITTING!! Currently learning
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning--last Christmas eve. UGH.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon--training for the Indianapolis mini currently
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29 Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33 Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing – does indoors count?
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41 Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46.Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64 Donated blood, platelets, or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66 Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67 Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79 Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Something I love about Winter Break

Cleaning!!!! I bet you thought I was going to say being home with my family, or traveling, or resting. Well, I do love all those things too. But something that makes me feel really good is a deep clean and organization. I think if I were a stay at home mom I wouldn't keep up with it either, but when I know I have a break I just start cleaning. Brian has kind of caught the bug too. Even little things that make our life more organized makes me feel calmer. This break we:

installed small hooks for keys and glasses (both of which I could never find when I was ready to walk out the door. My kids will agree.)

cleaned out the kitchen utensil junk drawer and installed some hooks on the back of a kitchen cabinet for nesting cups and spoons, etc. Now you can open and close the drawer without something getting stuck!

cleaned and organized all kids closets

took several bags of stuff to Goodwill

cleaned off the desk (which is already piled with junk again. I don't think this one is quite organized yet!)

swept and vacuumed the scary basement

Brain's guitar stuff is all in drawers and suitcases; one guitar hook on the wall for keeping a guitar out, but up off the floor

scrubbed kitchen cabinet doors and baseboards --a problem for white painted cabinets--all the spilled food and dust shows


So, now we can spend the next three months getting it all dirty and disorganized again until Spring Break(s). All three of us have different weeks.