ewer wondering...

Conversation with Will

Me:  Don't wipe that boogie on the wall, Will.  [said as I spied him doing just that]

Will:  That's not a boogie, Mom.  It's not from my nose.

Me:  It's not?  [obviously confused]

Will:  No.  It's from my mouth! [said proudly]

baby will, taken july 2006

Letting Go

Last week was a bit on the crazy side, to say the least.  The kids were home every single day.  We had a lot of fun and I completed a bunch of random projects that had long been on my list by default (what else is one to do when one is stuck inside with little semi-sickies).  And it felt great, and I really felt on top of my game until...

A certain "friend" offered to drop off some papers I needed for a charity project I've been working on early in the week.  She's your classical Type A, you know the one... The girl with a million balls in their air and nary a one even close to touching the ground.  The girl with the cutest of cute outfits that fit her perfectly toned [and still tan] little body.  The girl with the expertly coiffed hair who never has a strand out of place and swears that perfection just happens naturally.  The girl whose daughter actually wears tights and pony tails and the son who sits patiently reading a book while his mother talks and talks.  The girl who's getting a Master's in her spare time because she's bored...

Yeah, her.  HER!  And I hate her...  A lot.   I'm jealous.  Super jealous, if truth be told.  Because I'm lucky these days if I remember to show up when it's my turn in the kids' library classes.  I can't tell you when the last time I had my brows waxed (don't even ask me about other places)!  And my five pairs of black yoga pants have seen far better days, especially the maternity ones I still have and wear despite the fact I haven't been pregnant now for over three years!

So knowing that SHE was stopping by put me into action.  Nary a coat was left by the coat closet waiting to be hung nor even a glass left in the sink.  Crayons on the counter after hours of use?  No way, Jose.  Spotless, I tell you.  My house was spotless.  For three days.  THREE days.  And then it happened.  I let my guard down, figuring she'd forgotten about me... And I bought the kids new Playdoh (a 24-pack because it was day 127 of being housebound and this mama was losing it) and let my girlie make cupcakes all by her lonesome... And we were having fun, when there was...

A knock on the door.  And there SHE was!  Through the window... Envelope in hand, smile on her face.  I couldn't run and hide, she'd already seen me (LOL) so I sucked it up, and invited her in... To my life...  To our chaos...  And within minutes I found myself laughing.  At myself.  And I didn't care anymore.  It didn't matter.  I am not perfect.  I know it.  SHE knows it.  We all know it.  And so I started letting go of the idea of it.  I don't want it any more.  She can have it.  She wears it well.  Me?  I wear me.  A slightly dumpy, whole-lotta-frumpy-middle aged girl who has fun with her kids and loves her life.  Oh sure, I will probably try again here and there, but in the end, I'm just me.

And the whole reason behind my little moment of clarity?  What enlightened me and made me laugh (and laugh and laugh)?  Hearing her say that SHE does not let her kids have Playdoh because she can't stand the mess it makes.  And just like that, I liked her a whole lot more!

Their New Game

The kids have a new game, proudly learned on their own this week with no help from their mother or father.  As soon as the urge moves them, they race to the nearest sibling, sit on him/her and let one go -- giver and givee convulsing into a heap of giggles.  It's just lovely and I have absolutely no idea where they picked it up.  No, really, I don't.  It has kept them entertained hour upon hour this week, just going to prove that everything in Ewer Land isn't always picture perfect despite my best efforts.  And just let me add... God help the child who tries to play it with me!

Interview with Audrey, Age 5 3/4

 

What is your name?

Audrey

 

How old are you?

Five

 

What do you like to do?

Um… Draw and play babies and do anything.  Except boy stuff like cars and… yeah, not those things.  That’s how much I like to do [she asked as she saw me typing]?  That’s a lot of stuff!

 

Tell me, what’s your favorite food?

Tuna.

 

Tuna fish?  Like a tuna sandwich?

No, no, no, no, NO!  Just tuna fish with soy sauce.

 

Cooked?

NO!  Not cooked!  Ever!  [she laughs]

 

What else do you like?

I go to Centerville school. [hee hee, she laughs some more and starts acting silly]  I like to eat that!

 

Eat school?  No…  So, do you like school?

No.

 

Why not?

Because I hate it.

 

You do?  So what do you hate about it?

Everything [said with emphasis].  All you do is sit in your seat, read a book, write, play.  Play doh is hard [they make numbers with the rolled dough] Sit.  Make shapes.

 

Do you have a favorite class?

Music.

 

Why music?

Just do.

 

Do a have a favorite friend at school?

Alyssa.  

 

Why?

I fell in love with her.

 

Is she fun?

Yes.

 

What do you like to do together?

Jump rope!

 

Tell me something you want me know.

Mommy, I don’t know what to say.  I forget every thing I do at school.  I like to play Playdoh at school and have free play.

 

Do you like being a big sister?

No.  I don’t like it at all.

 

Why don’t you like it?

Cause I just don’t.

 

So you’ve liked the color green for a very long time.

Yes.  Correct.  Can I have a piece of gum?  That was a joke!

 

What do you like that’s green?

My shoes (she’s wearing Crocs).  I just love green.  But I’m taking a break with green right now so my favorite color is pink, then purple.

 

It is?

That’s what said.

 

Do you like to wear dresses?

No.  Well sometimes.

 

What’s your favorite outfit?

This one.  [She’s wearing a brown smock top and jeans]

 

Do you have a favorite TV show?  Or more than one show?

I have a hundred that I don’t think I can say.  Any TV show except grown-up shows and Spiderman.  Put this down, Mom, that Audrey loves cooking shows!

 

You do?

[Nods.]  I could be on the couch all day watching cooking shows!  I love them!

 

What do you like about cooking shows?

I just like to watch them.

Can I go to the bathroom, Mama?  Can I be done?

 

Yes, Audrey.  Thank you and I love you.

I know, Mama.

 

self portrait by Audrey, found on the camera while downloading, and wearing the aforementioned shirt

Random Bits

Isn't the above picture a scream!  I imagine it was taken in August 2006, when Jack was 3, Audrey just 2 and Will a month old.  Eric pulled it off the EHD to surprise me, and we love how their personalities are already shining through.  They haven't changed much, give or take 40lbs here or there! LOL

So my big guy Jack went back to school today, and as much as he put up a stink, I think he was happy to see his friends again especially receiving such a big welcome!  He's already keeping track in his head the "sibling fairness factor" (i.e., "It's not fair that I have to go back before Audrey, Mom, 'cause even though we're out the same number of days, Mom, she got go on a party day and I didn't and so it really really isn't even, Mom".  Sadly, I totally get what he's saying but don't have an answer -- he surely takes after ME!

I chatted briefly with Audrey's teacher today while walking Jack in, and she told me to keep her home until Monday; that so many kids are out, including teachers, she's not doing a regular lesson load and they'll just start fresh next week.  When I looked concerned, she [again] told me I worried too much and reminded me that it's ONLY Kindergarten!  Smart lady, huh.  So my girl and littlest boy will be home tomorrow.  Of course now I'm questioning sending Jack in at all, but he's really been okay the past two days.

Eric's enjoyed having the kids home sick more than I expected.  Wonder if it has something to do not only with my being caught up on laundry and prepared dinners but my staying far away from Target!  Of course being home so much has got my brain working overtime as to how I should decorate and what I should buy, and as soon as they're well again...

Seriously, being at home has been good for me -- I  made a menu plan for the month (yes, month!), started thinking about our Thanksgiving menu, bought three Christmas gifts off Etsy, and have straightened up half of our pantry.  I was working on the laundry room shelves right before starting this post...

... which leads me to wonder if I might have mild ADD since I just realized I also started [but not finished] cleaning the master bath and Jack's room before beginning the laundry shelves, and before that I was folding laundry...  Hmmm.

It hasn't escaped me, by the way, that my past five posts have had to do with sickness.  B-o-r-i-n-g, so thanks for keeping up with me if you're still reading! LOL!

And speaking of sickness, Eric's dad is still in the hospital.  I really don't know what the diagnosis is, but have heard mention of double pneumonia, bad lung x-rays, etc.  He's in Indianapolis now, and not their hometown hospital, so that makes us all breathe a bit easier (no pun intended).  We have no idea when he'll be released; Eric thinks he'll be in quite a while.  And that makes us sad, for not only is he in the hospital, but it's almost certain he and Kay won't be here for Thanksgiving.  [I haven't told the kids yet, though they do know Grandpa is in the hospital and feeling poorly.]  It all reminds me so much of my mother's hospital stay last January/February.  Not good at all...

On a happier note, I taught Audrey how to finger knit the other night, and she loves it!  Honestly I thought her five-year old fingers would have trouble holding the form, but she didn't.  And so we now knit together [a little] here and there.  I should be done with my scarf by now, but I ended up frogging it a few times seeking perfection before I realized it didn't exist!  And that's just fine with me.

Audrey is also into spelling words BIG time.  She will write letters and notes, including one already to Santa, calling out requests as to how she should spell the words!  She's fanatical about spelling the word perfectly while Jack is inclined to write things phonetically and call it a day.  Such different styles, but then again, such different personalities.

Have I mentioned we have a new truck?  It's big and white and gorgeous; and it totally makes Eric happy.  I have yet to drive it because it frankly frightens me a little, which is insane considering I drive a Suburban daily and it's nearly the same size.  Perhaps it is the same size.  Another hmmm...

Only two more days until my scheduled hair cut and color.  It's been since mid JULY and I dearly need some attention [my August hair emergency is not the attention I seek].  Vacations [hers and ours] got in the way of having it freshened up, along with a million other things, and I'm just giddy with excitement!

Jack's last soccer game is this Saturday.  They moved it indoors in case of rain cancellations, thank God!  Though it's been a normal season, it feels much longer and we're ready to be done.  Not sure if any one is playing in the spring, we might try a different sport.  Will is certainly ready for his soccer debut, but he'll have to wait until next fall.

And that brings me to dinner.  What to have?  Oh yes, I knowI mentioned creating a menu plan, but it doesn't start until next Monday since I have some shopping to do to prepare!  I'm good like that -- good at making excuses!!

So since I've been bragging about all I've started, I should probably end something.  Like this post!  And get cracking with all the other stuff!  Cheers to you -- Happy Thursday from us!

Oink Oink

So, it does appear that the kids have mild cases of H1N1, otherwise known as the Swine Flu.  Fun fun fun.  Actually it hasn't been too bad, and if this is what H1N1 is all about, I'll take it any time over a lot of other illnesses.

We haven't had a formal diagnosis.  Because they were vaccinated a few weeks ago against it and because they're responding to Motrin and Tylenol, we're not considered priority.  And that means there's no point in going to the doctor, which is just fine with me considering I don't want them picking up a secondary virus while waiting.

At this point, we're on Day 6, and the kids are doing really well.  Audrey and Will both had fevers last night of 102 and 101 respectively, but a shot of Motrin took care of them right away.  Oh their coughs do linger, but that's pretty normal for us come November anyway.  And even Jack has been fever-free for two days now, he, too, has that lingering cough.

Without question, Audie and Will had to stay home from school, and I kept Jack home as well just to be safe.  I'm leaning towards keeping them out all week as four of the five girls in Audrey's class have it and who-know-how-many boys and Jack's class is just starting to be taken down.  I feel a little ridiculous erring on such sides of caution, to be honest, but I have read that one can 'shed' the disease for 7-10 days after the last fever, which means they'd be little carriers with low resistance.

One thing H1N1 has done is to bring the moms of Audrey's friends closer together -- we call daily with updates on our girlies and other family members.  I don't think I've bonded with a group of strangers faster! 

And the kids and I are pretty close, too.  I'm not sure any of them are going to want to go to school when it really is time to head back.  I'm fairly certain, though, I will be jumping for joy -- I have a little Target withdrawl going on right now!

So again, our thanks for your well wishes, and we send wishes that you stay symptom free!

Still Down, But Not Broken

Do these kids look sick?  Not any more than they did just the other day, yet here we are... stuck at home.  Every so often, one will pop up with a mild fever.  Not high enough to lay them flat, but enough to know we can't really go any where or do any thing extreme.  Just when I start to think we're on the other side, one will spike a fever such as Will's 101F last night or Audrey's twice today vomiting spell.  And I mustn't forget Jack, who still has a cough that could rival a seal's or Audrey's sore throat complaints.

It's pointless to go to the doctor, there are many far worse than mine (ones who cannot muster enough energy to get out of bed or keep down liquid let alone play Wii or watch Phineas & Ferb).  And I don't dare expose them to other viruses when we're likely on the upside.  Really, too, we're caring for and treating them as instructed and know it's a wait-and-see kind of thing.  It's just tough for those of us [okay, for me] who are not very patient.

We learned yesterday that four of the five girls in Audrey's class are out sick as well, complaining of the same exact ailments my three have.  I didn't think much of it until I heard that one [already-proven-to-be-frail] girl has the dreaded H1N1.  And now I'm a bit worried.  Oh sure, my kids already received the vaccine (and three plus weeks ago to boot) but this sickness is way too close for comfort.

And so for my own comfort I organize... and rearrange.  [And freak Eric out when he arrives home and can't find anything -- don't worry, it's our little joke and I'm grateful he loves me a lot and just laughs.]  And our kids?  Well, they're all set, arranged on the couch and on their third movie of the day.  I am confounded, not sure if I should risk sending them to school tomorrow (and have a few blessed hours to myself for the first time in over a week) or if we should play it safe and stay put another day or two.  My heart tells me one thing, my head another.  Sure, they're closely aligned but not quite together in opinion yet!

But for now, we'll just stay put, and I'll organize more and at some point, we'll all feel better.  Until then, my cabinets are calling or is that Dora I now hear?

Halloween 2009 Recap

 
  
It's over... Halloween... the much anticipated, long awaited candy day!  And for us it was another great one, even with coughing fits and fevers up the wazoo!  We hung out at home most of the day, aside from Audrey's AM soccer game which was attended only by us girls, in order to make it out trick-or-treating later that night.  It was a long long day, with the "how much longer" question asked too many times to track.

 
Finally the witching hour arrived and they raced to put on their costumes.  Since it was a balmy 70F that day, no overcoats were necessary and their skeletons shone through loud and clear.  Their masks didn't last too long, and Audrey personalized her costume with purple fairy wings to indicate that she was, indeed, a girl.

 
Eric and I set off with them, leaving a bowl on the front porch, and they conquered the entire neighborhood in less than 30 minutes -- a new record and only possible because I was caught at our neighbor's (the ones who bought my parents' old house) hearing how great their parochial school is and how my children would benefit from it.  Nice.  Fortunately I chatted with another neighbor right after, who is not only a childhood friend but also a passionate public school advocate, and she talked me down!  Love love love conversations and debates like this, just not Halloween Night!

 
Anyway, the kids got much candy, and therefore Eric and I did as well.  We've got it down to a science now after a years of practice and have the kids automatically forking over the kinds they don't like (or that we've perhaps convinced them they don't like! ha ha).  We Boston Ewers think that going through it after is the best part, don't you agree?

 
It was a good and early night.  Not many coughs and lots of laughter. 

And now that Halloween 2009 is past, they have started looking through catalogs and asking... How many days until Christmas!

Ickies

I should have known last week when I dropped off 3 bottles of hand santizer, 3 big boxes of Kleenex and a 500-count package of baby wipes at each of my kids' classes that it was coming!  And to think I smugly joked to their teachers that my donation was purely selfish and intended to keep my kids from getting sick.  It seems my request went unnoticed because it's they who are now sick.  Boo!!

Just as I surmised, it's Croup that's keeping us down.  I bumped into our pediatrician at soccer yesterday, and she told me that more kids have Croup locally than H1N1 right now.  For us, it started with Jack last Friday -- with a high fever of 103.3F two nights in a row -- and now it's Audrey, with a 101F this afternoon.  On the plus side, they're in great spirits, which is why I'll take Croup over other things; they're just tired from fever as well as from coughing well into the night.  I can't tell if Will has already had a mild case of it or if he's the next one to fall. But either way I'm making them all  rest and play quietly.

I decided already to keep Audrey and Will home tomorrow (her for fever, him for speech therapy), and since Tuesday is a no-school day for them due to the Elections; I'm thinking of keeping Jack out as well to give him that extra healing edge.  Though since he just tortured me with a dead bug carcass, I should perhaps send him out of spite.

But all of this togetherness is killing me!  I desperately want to bake for the school's annual bake sale (I bought special ribbon and labels and everything!) yet don't dare because who wants our icky germs.  I also would love to watch a grown-up show (I have four Law & Orders DVR'd and waiting) but instead am sitting through a few too many Max & Rubys and iCarlys.  It's all good, though.  My babies need me, and it's a great excuse to sneak in extra cuddles and knitting rows.

Despite our sickness, we did get out Trick or Treating last night, and I'll post pictures tomorrow (likely).  Our three little skeletons had a blast and filled their baggies with top notch sweets.  They must have been good, no tricks for any of them!

So do keep us in your thoughts, and please send prayers to my father-in-law again who is really doing poorly in the breathing department.  After being discharged from the hospital last week, there's now talk of readmitting him.  And while you're at it, would you send a few more to my cousin-in-law's newborn niece Flara, who was born prematurely at 27 weeks.  Now a month old and in NICU, she's having breathing and other trouble, too!  Little Flara and my father-in-law's concerns really put our Croup trouble in perspective.

And please do take care of yourselves... We'll send stay-well prayers your way just in case.

Cough, Cough, Boo!

 
This is what sick looks like... on a big... and a little.

 
Oh yes, they look pretty healthy to me, too.  Doesn't it just figure?  As a parent you make the judgment call to keep them home and within an hour they're bouncing off the walls acting as normal as ever!

Despite their apparent health right now, that was not the case last night.  Last night was rough.  Really rough.  Both boys woke often from coughing fits reminiscent of croup.  Not sure they actually have it, but we have a history with it, and so I did what I could to make them comfortable.  With no fevers, headaches or other H1N1 symptoms, I'm hoping it's just a respiratory thing.  (I know, such irony in that statement seeing that I'm known as Miss Asthma!)

Jack was heartbroken to learn he wouldn't be heading to school today, but it's too risky if his resistance is low.  Of course, today is the class party today as well as a school wide Halloween Parade.  I'm pretty heartbroken, too.  I'm room mom and I had lots of crafts and games planned for his friends.

Will is also missing his school's Halloween party, but he doesn't seem to mind seeing that he gets to hang with his big brother and play cars all day!  Life at age three...

My biggest heartbreak is missing Audrey's Halloween debut at school!  Wahhh!  I was so excited and couldn't wait to see her march in the parade.  It was to be special seeing that she hasn't wanted to dress up since she was two years old.  Fortunately I have good friends who'll keep an eye out for her, take pictures, give hugs during class, and bring her home safely to me.  Audrey is fine health wise, for the record, but I'm watching her, too -- she's got a bit of a cough but not to the boys' extremes.

I learned today there are over 50 cases of swine flu at their school, with 9 kids out in just one class.  Jack's own teacher has been out for three days straight, so something's up at her house.  Will's school hasn't been hit yet, from what I've been told, but I'm skeptical.

So we'll lay low today; work in resting and healing in the hopes we have a much quieter night.  Cause we have a very cRaZy day planned for tomorrow!