When the going gets tough...

So...my Grandmama has a saying posted on her fridge (or used to) that says, "When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping." I suppose that fits me most of the time though today, the tough going shopping was out of necessity rather than desparation to get away from home- though I'd have gone for that too. Last Thursday Jonathon and Jeff had a fever. Not really anything to be too concerned about, just a fever and no other real symptoms. I thought I could handle that. But it didn't GO AWAY! It just stayed and added a runny nose and irritability and a sore throat and aches and pains and a headache and coughing to it until finally it was some sort of full blown cold/ flu thingy. Of course they had to share. So Saturday I actually had all five children sick. Monday Brandon decided he felt left out. Now they are all sick and cranky and snotty and picky about food and they smell sick. (Did you ever have the sick smell?) Maybe that last one is just a weird thing that only I deal with. If so, just disregard that last statement and you can go on blissfully thinking I'm half sane and thus not completely gone...yet.

Ok, so I'm really glad the government hasn't banned a limit on things like Tylenol, Motrin, and Triaminic cause I think I've ended up purchasing about 6 bottles this week. With 5 kids on various combinations of the syrupy stuff around the clock for a week straight, I start wondering why they don't package that stuff in gallon containers instead. I mean, if I go through it as fast as milk, why can I buy the bulk version of Children's Tylenol, grape flavor.

I don't mean to seem too discouraged here. I do thank God EVERY morning when I get up. "Thank you that I'm not sick too!" Jonathon asked me yesterday, "what if we were all sick?" and I told him that was a nightmare I'd rather not ponder. Well, I didn't say it that way, but that was the general idea.

I think after taking care of them for 7 days straight I am starting to twitch everytime someone coughs. And tonight when one of them complained about having box mac and cheese for dinner (keep in mind that menus in our house for the last several days have contained dishes such as maple pecan salmon, roasted chicken with a fond de veau lie sauce, alfredo penne with fresh tomato and basil, Thai Chicken salad with peanut dressing, Grandma's corn casserole, biscuit and gravy for dessert, and a few pb&js) I actually think my head exploded and flew off my head in a million different pieces, each one finding it's own way to a crater on the moon, and I fell down dead, and twitched. Well, seriously, I lost it. It's not fun to find yourself in the position of treating your kids in a disrespectful way that you know you have to apologize for later, but I did. Both the treat unkindly and apologize parts. I think in the end all was well. That particular child and I had a full recovery from the incident, hugs and kisses all around and hopefully I can better keep my cool and he can better keep his mouth shut the next time. :-)

The other thing about sickness is that it makes people make disgusting noises. I've never been so grossed out at someone slurping snot, snorting coughing, hacking, gargling, sneezing, and what do you even call that noise where someone is breathing out and at the same time making some monstrous noise down in the way back of their throat bottom and then up comes that green stuff. I thought that was something like "hocking a lugi" but my vision of that activity is much more pleasant than the one I'm describing here. Anyway, it's gross and when you get it in surround sound and see the remnant of said activities hanging on the remnants of their faces and then you see them attempt to notice it's there by smearing it across both cheeks, up across one eye (which instantly bonds the eyelashes together better than any super glue) and into the hair and part of the ear, it gives me the super duper squirmy heebie jeebies. Let me go vomit...oh, wait, I'm not sick. AND I DON"T WANT TO BE! So children are gross, and must be held- always and must watch movies- always, and must never eat the food in front of them but be hungry every other second of the day- always. You know, James actually has consitently begged me for food and then holds it for a good hour before I threaten to take it away unless he eats it- twice, and then he takes a nibble. Arg!

Rachel is extra sick because she not only has all the body fluid issues, she also walks around with this plastered grin on her face saying (in a hoarse raspy voice, coughing), "I have a good attitude, Mama. I being good." *smile* She says it so much I can't always be happy that she is actually being good. It's particularly disgusting when she does it in the face of Jeff throwing himself down and wailing in the kitchen floor because I won't let him pour water out of the cup repeatedly or roll the toilet paper directly from the roll into the toilet!- all of it.

So, that's life right now. I think we have passed the climax of this issue, but I'll be glad when we can close the case completely, seal the box and put it on a high shelf in some nether region of the cellar to await some poor soul given the job of spring cleaning years from now when we don't live in this house any more.....

hmmm.....bedtime is calling.

The Little Princess

Rachel wins the day for cuteness. She has pulled out some great lines and funny actions. Not the least of which was this picture I caught of her eating snow. She wanted so badly to eat the snow, but alas, it makes her hands cold. So she came up with this bright idea.

Another cute thing she did today was this conversation

(Mom in the kitchen cooking. Rachel climbs up to the stove and turns towards Mama.)

Rachel : (bending low) Your maaaaaaajeeeeestyyyyyy!

mama: (laughs) You're priceless!

Rachel: (in an offended tone) I"m not Priceless. I'm Rachel.

Ahhh...yes, but she is priceless anyway.

She knows what modest means and regularly checks to see if her skirt is down. She loves to play house with her little playmobile people and her doll house. She is very particular about having all things pink. She loves to read aloud to herself even though she doesn't know how to read the real words. Quite the girly-girl, she more than makes up for her brothers boyishness.

Thoughts on today

Ok, so some things I was reminded of today...

Communication is key. When you miscommunicate, communication is still the key.
Perceptions make reality and thus an accurate perception is necessary for accurate reality.
Life is hard, but God is able to grant grace to meet it and succeed.
There is time to do everything you need to get done (according to God's plan) and if it seems like something needs to happen and you can't do it, He can make a way.
Chest freezers are a pain to clean out.
I don't mind dogs in small doses. One of the guys I met with today about our house project had one and she was cute.
I can accomplish a lot when I a) Go to bed on time, b) eat right, c)exercise, d)have my devotions.
I love having a daughter. She came into the living room and said, "*Sigh* We need to clean this up." She began right away, only pausing long enough for Cinderella (her little doll) to get her work dress on.

Ok now for the go to bed part (not necessarily on time).

Oh Yeah...Happy New Year...

Ok, so this year rolled around almost without notice for me. I actually have not acknowleged it except to change my habitual '07 date to '08 what I need to write the date. It's just that it has been a bit busy around here.





Right now I have about 62 irons in the fire and all of them need immediate attention. The children are doing well, but energetic, in need of schooling and proper discipline and supervision. Then there is the idea that I'm suppose to be "keeping house". You know, general cleaning, laundry, cooking, etc. I've also been trying to keep up with a regular exercise plan (which I'm doing ok on) and a diet (which went flying out the window when Jane donated a full grocery bag of dark chocolate to my cupboard). Actually, while I HATE the exercise, it makes me feel great the rest of the day, so if I can drag myself out of bed and do it, it works wonders. Then there is the house. We are suppose to move in about 4 weeks from now, but right now the water is turned off, I have no electricity in 2/3rds of the upstairs, the walls are missing from my son's bedroom, I have no tubs, toilets or sinks on the upper level, 2 rooms are missing parts of the floor, and I can't find the living room because it is buried under debris to go to the dumpster. Things are going along ok and I know it has to look worse before it can get better, but I REALLY hope we are almost done with the worst looking stage and things can improve from here. Some things are improving. Jeff and Joseph's room is almost finished. It needs one more coat of paint on the walls, a touch up spot on the ceiling, the fan installed and the blinds put back on and it's good to go. The floors (new oak hardwood flooring) are beautiful and the paint is looking good. His room is a green color. Rachel's room is getting there. Everything in there needs another coat of paint, and some will probably need two coats. We had to remud some areas in her room where the paint actually didn't even stick to the wall! But the floors in her room are also done. Oh, I guess both rooms need baseboards, but that seems simple. So it's moving in the right direction. I spend every spare minute up there and then some. My not spare minutes are usually used to double up on tasks like making lunch, washing dishes, and trying to organize some sort of schooling for the boys all at the same time. And hold Joseph.

(I know this isn't a great picture of the "green room" but you'll just have to take what you can get!)

Ok, so that's what's going on. Busy! If anyone gets bored and wants something to do, we will put you to work! But if that means that by working you wouldn't want to come visit us ever again because we "wore you slap out", then you are welcome to stay away and come when we can entertain instead.



Now it's bedtime. Goodnight.