Stress and Sickness

It seems I will *never* get past this whole everyone is sick and I just can't function stage. Only this time, the person that is sick is ME. HOW doe this happen? Moms are not allowed to be sick. Amazingly, we went through the whole 7 weeks of misery with me only having about 1 day of feeling poorly. Now, I've been slammed. Friday night, Jason and I dropped the eldest off for a showing of Grease at her school (and subsequent sleepover), and we went out for supper. We had a chance to talk and deal with some HUGE stressors in our lives, but when we got back to the house, suddenly I felt like I was body-slammed. EVERYTHING hurt...muscles, joints, head, throat, sinuses....OY! I went to bed early, and slept in late, and called off for my Brew Group on Saturday, and stayed home and did nothing. All day Saturday AND Sunday....which is just fine. I find this morning that I really don't have the energy to do things like go for a walk (my walking buddy is also sick). I just want to sleep...but work beckons.

This week should be interesting...some things to be taken care of this week for the husband's work, and then he's off to SC for the Cooper River Bridge Run in Charleston, SC...which means he'll be out of town for his birthday...which I guess is fine....since I have no money to surprise him with anything...

Again, work beckons...must go....

Long Overdue Update

FINALLY, 7 weeks later, everyone in the house is *mostly* well. Still watching the littlest one, because she she was running a fever last night, and complaining of a headache.
So, today we're doing some deep cleaning.
Moving furniture.
Beating rugs.
And, UGH, sweeping out from under all of the various pieces of furniture that were moved. NASTY.

I like the new arrangement a little better...it seems more spacious. Hopefully it works well for the movie night that the husband's Brew Group is doing here in Thursday...

Last week, our almost-7-year-old had a project for school...she had to create an animal with habitat...so we had to document it in pictures...

...the raw materials...

...the model...

...the finished product....


But, see, the pictures are still on my camera, which, when I put the card into the card reader, shows up as being corrupted...UGH...So hopefully I'll be able to get those pictures some day...in the mean time, you just get me....

Progress is a beautiful thing

Children ARE getting better.
Monday, Leah stayed home.
Tuesday, Justin stayed home and Leah came home early.
Wednesday, Justin and Leah stayed home
Thursday, Justin, Leah and Heather stayed home.
Friday, Heather stayed home.

I am HOPING that everyone will be back in school on Monday.

Meanwhile, some scenes from our week...
Today, I'm running...birthday parties, a field trip (that the husband had to go on), house cleaning, and a Brew Group... Busyness is us.

Sickness Update

Will this NEVER end?!?

Today, I ended up staying home from church with a sick child...entering week #4 now...theoretically, this COULD last a LOT longer...we still have 3 kids that haven't gotten sick at all yet...ugh. Pray that we all get better SOON...I don't know how much more of this I can take!

Tonight, Jason took the oldest 3 to Winter Jam...sure wish I could have gone...last year was a LOT of fun!

This afternoon, there was SNOW! Didn't last long, didn't stick, but it sure was coming down for about 2 minutes!!

More sickness...

I am SO tired of having sick people in the house. We're on week 3 right now, and have 2 kids sick still....and a third one just came back in saying he wasn't feeling well. Jason has been sick now for 3 weeks. This HAS TO end soon!

So I haven't been on here for a while...understatement. I got to do a bunch of running around on my birthday...we had all kinds of award ceremonies at the elementary school...
Justin made the Principal's list with straight As...and had perfect attendance.
Heather made the Honor Roll and had perfect attendance.
Leah had perfect attendance...1st graders don't have the opportunity to make Honor Roll. Unfortunately, the teacher didn't get her name on the list, and we didn't get to take any pictures.

The school has this really cool mural...Katherine loves it!

That night, some really good friends surprised me with a portable party...complete with cake, candles, soda, and balloons. Then, they took me out for dinner and coffee...and a couple of hours of fun an laughter.

Work has been CRAZY...trying to keep with sick people, messy house, AND loads of work...please forgive my absence from my blog. I WILL be back...hopefully soon!

But I don't FEEL like deep cleaning...

This last week has been awful. Sick people all over the house, trying to carry on, despite the fact that most of us *should* have been in bed. The stomach yuckies, sinus drainage, nausea, diarrhea...yeah, we've got the whole nine yards. Not going to rant about the inequity of not wanting to infect others, but there not being any grace/mercy/available time to take off from school and/or work. Suffice to say I'm frustrated. AND, I HAVE TO get busy doing some clean-up, so people stop getting sick one of these days soon!

So, today is my birthday, and we're not feeling much like celebrating here...too many sick people....and this is not really a birthday I am much in a mood to celebrate. Feeling just a little old now. Guess I need to change my "About Me" section, since I'm no longer a "thirty-something".... My mom made me cry with the card she sent with some memories of the day I was born. At least I am not feeling as bad as I did the day I turned 30!

Okay, time to go get the rest of the family up and evaluate how many sick people will be staying home today...

I have a dilema

I have a summer cold...the WORST thing in the world...let me just say that. When others are blissfully enjoying their day at the beach or pool...poor little Laura is sitting home downing cup after scalding cup of hot tea and honey, and popping cough drops, wishing she could just sleep away the next 2 weeks until the cold from hell has run its course.....

...okay, back to my dilema. I just took some Nyquil. I WANT to sleep. I do NOT however want to cough all night long. Or sneeze. Or blow my poor red nose every 10 minutes all night. I just want to SLEEP.

My husband...wonderful man that he is...is an internal combustion engine...always running a little hot. Always needing the air flow to keep him from overheating. Which is why the house A/C is always set on "Freeze"....

See, if I had it my way, the windows would be opened, and I would be thoroughly enjoying the beautiful ocean breezes God gave us to compensate for having to live in this aweful humidity. Oh, I digress again. Sorry. Really...this is the Nyquil messing with my brain. Honest.

When hubby's gone, I sleep in my sweats. and socks, and two blankets. In the summer. SERIOUSLY. When I sleep, I get COLD, and that wakes me up, so my goal is to stay warm enough to stay asleep.

Hubby's goal is the exact opposite. When he gets warm, he can't sleep. He MUST be COLD ENOUGH to sleep. So, we have the A/C permanently set to "freeze"....and the ceiling fan set to "airplane engine" speed....and the box fan blowing directly on us...set to "arctic blast." Because my man must have his beauty rest in the freezer that is our bedroom.

So, I'm trying to go to bed. Honestly. But with the fans trying to run me out of there, I have to snuggle up to Mr. Combustion Engine just to get warm enough to sleep....but that means that the fans are blowing "arctic blast" right in my face...meaning I am just going to lay there and cough...

Oh, and I only got 3 hours of sleep last night...I was really hoping to catch up tonight...maybe the Nyquil will really kick in soon, and I'll get some sleep despite all the fans...

The weather outside is beautiful....

I am loving this weather! I wish I could be outside in it all day long! Today is clear and sunny and it's 47 degrees....compared to the 36 degrees of Helena...I'm happy! I am ready for sunny and warm...and taking walks on the beach. I am NOT looking forward to the bugs. We haven't had to deal with bugs for the last 4 years, and now I am remembering all the nastiness that are known as "waterbugs" in the Southeast!

I started working from home in January, and I am still learning how to balance working and keeping up with the house, and NOT being "on the clock" after everyone gets home in the evenings. I had a bad couple of days, with some jobs that had to get finished, and I let my vitamins go, and was just sitting at my computer all day, and late into the night....last night I had a "moment"....well, okay, it was more like an hour....My body can only go so long without enough sleep, working long hours, and sitting in one position...and then I just lose it. Hopefully today, I can get back up, and get back at it...since this is all a learning process...

I just got a phone call from the school...my kindergartener is having hearing issues...the nurse said that the cold she has may be affecting her hearing, but what she saw was outside of the range of what it normally affected by colds. The nurse was also concerned about the 5th grader....it seems he showed up at her office with bruising on his arm, and said something about some other students hitting him in the lunch room. She encouragement to call about any "bullying" that happens...there is a person who handles it and can make sure that the students involved do not know who "told" on them.

I am overwhelmed. House upkeep. Kids that are sick. Dealing with learning issues, and bullying, and baseball practice, and my own work, and church...there is just too too much. I am just one person, and I can NOT do it all. Yeah, hubby's here...but he's learning a new job, and his schedule is erratic right now.

Okay, enough whining. Back to work....because it is still there waiting for me....

Getting Better

You know these kind of days....the ones where you have LOTS to do, and you don't feel like doing any of it, and you realize that it doesn't really matter, because there is no way you will finish it all any way.

The sick child is back to school.

The elementary kids have picture day today...at $9.00 per class picture, we just dished out $36.00 this morning. Is it really worth it? Just for the class picture?

I have a TON of work this morning...must get back to typing...

I have a WIC appointment at 1:00 pm....

Child #2 has baseball practice this evening, at 5:30.

We have Brew Group at the house tonight...which means...

I MUST clean house. (Clean) Laundry is piled on the sofa, and there are (dirty) dishes all over the counters and table.

Hubby is home, and keeps interupting....going to try to put him to work!

Going back to work, now!

Life with the Icky-Sickies

It seems like the kids have been sick forever.

Today, the eldest is home with (probably) the flu. She is feeling better...but her skin is still "crawly" and she's weak and tired.

I probably should have kept #4 home, too...he was up at 4:00 this morning, attempting to cough up a lung or two...I worry about him, because this is a cough that has been around for something like 2 years...it just gets WAY worse when he's sick.

At least #5 is done with impetigo...

#6 is starting in on the coughing and runny nose....

AND....

MOM is the one with the doctor's appointment....gotta go, or I'll be late!!

Here we go 'round the Mulberry bush!

One of the disadvantages of having a larger-than-normal family is the fact that there are more people from whom you may "catch" the bugs going around. Multiply that times the number of people that each child contacts, and you have all kinds of possibilities to aquire all manner of illnesses during flu season.

So, at this moment, we have:

1. the 14 year old who has been coughing and sniffing and nose-blowing for almost her allotted 2 weeks.
2. the 4 year old, who almost certainly caught this from one of the older kids, since she almost never gets out, and has been miserable for the last 3 days....coughing, runny nose, watery eyes....poor baby
3. the 8 year old who can be counted on to catch EVERYTHING
4. Mom...who is not allowed to get sick, but has been for the last week or so.....

That's half of the family, right there....the helpful thing is that hubby almost NEVER catches anything...which is aggravating if you happen to be like me, and catch things, a LOT, and also aggravating if/when he finally succombs to the "Man Cold"....it's aweful....it's amazing....it's just plain FUNNY!