Hello, Swine Flu…

Yep.  We got the “oinks”.  Daddy came down with it over the weekend while I worked nights.  By Monday night the big kids were down.  JC is feeling yucky tonight.  It’s down to me and Piper, we’re playing last man standing.  I’m sure everyone else will get better just in time for me to get it.  That’s the way it goes.

What I’ve learned from working at the hospital (or may have already known):

• Don’t go in to the clinic if you have flu-like symptoms.  They won’t test you.  You probably have swine flu as it’s too early for the regular flu season just yet.  Either way, there’s nothing to be done but rest, drink fluids, and treat the fever with acetaminophen or ibuprofen.
• If your kids are sick, don’t take them in to the clinic unless they are severely dehydrated and lethargic.  All you are doing is infecting everyone else.
• Wash your hands and cover your cough for crying out loud!!
• Duh, antibiotics don’t work on viruses, don’t ask.
• Don’t return to work/school for AT LEAST 24 hours after the fever has subsided without medicine.  Until then, you may still be contagious.

I got the call from Daddy Sunday night that he was going downhill fast and to get home early if possible.  I, of course, couldn’t get home any earlier than morning, but stopped at the store on my way home and bought $40 worth of pedialyte, gatoraide, kids & infants tylenol and Dayquil.  I figured they’d be sick this week.  Sure enough…

SO if you don’t hear from us much this seek, you’ll know why.  Good luck everyone!!

Friday Fragments / Free write

I am happy to say it’s Friday, time to purge your mind of all those thoughts too little to stand on their own post, too interesting to leave on the side of the road. Thanks to Mrs. 4444 at Half Past Kissing Time and Sarah at Ordinary and Awesome we can all share….

• The snow has come.  And even though its melting fast, I have my doubts that it will disappear all together.  I posted a few shots from my phone on Facebook complaining about it. 

 

• I also decided to change my header and background…. what do you think?!
• We’re getting Karma!!!  We were told when we first submitted our application that Karma was already being taken by another family.  On the advice of the adoption place, I took the kids to Adoption Days at the local Pet Smart to meet a second dog they thought we’d be interested in, another part-Husky.  He was really nice (and big) and looked like a husky-colored Lab.  THEN, Karma showed up.  It turns out the original family decided they didn’t want a dog after all.  It wasn’t HER, it was THEM.  So I quickly emailed everyone I’d been in contact with at the adoption place to let them know we still wanted her.  I got word back the next day that she was in fact NOT spoken for and that we could get her.  YAAAY!!  She come “home” to us Wednesday!   Isn’t she pretty?
• Another good bit of news? The toy room is almost clean!!! I’m so excited to move JC into his own room.  A room that is not full of tiny little easy-to-swallow Barbie shoes and pink flowers.  A while back I purchased a crib bedding set that is very boy.  It’s brown and blue micro suede and its so cute and really soft.  (BTW this picture is from the ad, not our room)  I can’t wait to paint the room and make it a safe place for him to play with toys that ARE NOT in our living room.  I’m getting a little tired of the living room looking like a toy store every day.
• Aria went to the dentist yesterday.  It took us 20 minutes just to coax her into the chair.  Then I was asked to sit in the waiting room.  I guess even with the “happy gas” she was trying to slap their hands away.  They got nothing done in her mouth.  When they had given up it was over they brought her out half-drunk and gave me referrals to 3 different pediatric specialty dentists.  Awesome.
• It’s Aria’s BIRTHDAY on Saturday!! I can’t believe I have an 8-year-old!
• I’m still working my way through pictures from sessions I’ve been doing.  I also still need to put out an ad for Christmas cards before it gets any later.  Hopefully I’ll get to that this week.

That’s about all I have.  I work this weekend, so I’ll be out of the loop.  Have a good one!

A Thousand Words Thursday – Ded Max

Welcome to ATWT (A Thousand Words Thursday) where you share your photos, new and old, worth at least a thousand words. Visit TheMomJen at Cheaper Than Therapy for more!

When we go to church, the 2 big kids sit with me during the service while the 2 young kids get to stay in the nursery (can I get an “Amen!” ). To keep them quiet for crying out loud that was SO not whispering busy they have paper and draw away. Then, after the service, Max hands me this gem. But I’m not sure how to take it. Part of me is giggling while the other half wonders if he’s going to need therapy. Let me show you (then interpret):

Across the top it says “ Leg infec-“ next line “tion Dead Max” Right under that is live Max saying “ow ow” and his leg is circled because it hurts (to be clear, he's never had a leg infection that I'm aware of). The next scene is (left to right) “sad Piper” “sad Aria” “sad Mommy” followed by “my headstone”

Then I asked who the guy on the right was “that’s the guy who buried me” (I think he’s holding a shovel)

I ask, where’s JC? “He’s sleeping”

I ask where’s Daddy? “He’s at work”

I’m torn. Laugh or cry? Then Max asks me if we’re going to McDonalds now.

Sure, buddy, anything you want. How’s your leg?

Wordless / Wordful Wednesday - Siblings

Wordless Wednesdays are hosted by 5 Minutes for Moms – please stop by their site to see more (and read less!).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ And now some words ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I love that my kids get along.  Well, most of the time.  I hear them playing upstairs and I stop at the door to listen in.  Often I can’t figure out what they are playing, but they seem to know exactly what is happening next in the story line.  They each have their own dynamic with the other, and they each play with one another at different times in different ways.  They also know just how to push each other’s buttons.  They know what sets the other one off and find just the right moment for that little jab.  But like I said, most of the time they get along just fine. They play nice and are fairly gentle with the younger ones.

Most of the time.

You can find more Wordful Wednesday posts at Angie’s SeVeN cLoWn CirCuS.

A little bit of homecoming…

We went to NDSU’s homecoming last weekend (like a week and a half ago – I just haven’t posted about it yet!).  We barely made it to the parade, which was fine since it was chilly and RAINING!  The kids caught candy, Aria figured out how to work the candy-throwers by shouting “Go Bison!” and jumping up and down a lot.  Either that or she was trying to keep warm.

 

We then walked over to the Bison Sports Arena and heard the marching band play, which scared Piper and apparently blew Max’s mind.

After that we ate BBQ’s and waited in line to get balloon animals and faces painted.

 

 

JC was enamored with the balloons and couldn’t wait to run around!  It was a fun time, even if it rained.  Sadly, the football team lost, but we won’t talk about that.

Friday Fragments/Freewrite – Freakin Frost

Welcome to Friday.  Time to purge the mind and prepare for the weekend empty-headed. I guess.  Fridays are hosted by Mrs. 4444 at Half Past Kissing Time and Sarah at Ordinary and Awesome! Please stop by their sites to link up and see more!

• More family pictures scheduled this weekend, and one more senior.  I hope the snow holds off long enough for them to get some “fall” shots.  Speaking of fall…
• We had our first hard frost of the season.  This morning I should have scraped my windshield, but we were running late.  All the way to school I was hitting the wiper fluid button to clear the frost.  Then THAT would frost up and I’d hit the button again.  I’m sure we looked cool rolling up to school barely being able to see out the front window.
• Because of the frost coming, I sent the kids out yesterday after school to pick every last tomato from the vines.  I ended up with a grocery bag full of green tomatoes and a hand full of banana peppers.
• Most of the trees hadn’t really turned colors yet.  This morning the frost must have tripped the “fall” button and the trees are dropping leaves like waterfalls.  It actually sounds like its raining, but its just leaves.  Most of them are still green, too.
• WHEN it snows, I will be putting up my new header and background.  Some of you have expressed a concern that the leaves on the left are interfering with your reading experience.  Yeah, I know, I think so, too.  And since I don’t want to make if difficult for my many, many readers (smell sarcasm??) I made a new background that keeps well away from all these important paragraphs!!
• Piper was in my room not jumping on my bed (more sarcasm) when I went in to change into my jammie pants for the evening.  She saw my stripey Easter Egg colored underwear.  “Mom, you have rainbow pants?!” I think she was jealous.
• When making my new header I searched for a nice quote for winter.  I really liked my fall quote.  I chose a happy one for the new season as well, but here’s my runner up:   “Winter is nature’s way of saying, ‘Up yours.’”  It was hard to pass this one up.
• If anyone reading this sees my big cousin M.M. – tell him I said happy birthday.  Last I heard he was in Grand Forks. Or Janesville.  Or Kenosha.  Somewhere.

A Thousand Words Thursday – My Husband’s Sausage…

Hey, get your mind out of the gutter.  I helped my husband stuff sausage.  No, really. Pork sausage.  He seasoned it himself.  Aw, just never mind.  Here’s some pictures.

Want to see more pictures worth a thousand words? Visit TheMomJen for A Thousand Words Thursday at Cheaper Than Therapy!

Wordless / Wordful Wednesday - Fall

 

Wordless Wednesday is hosted by 5 Minutes for Mom – check them out for more!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ And now the wordful part! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So after I got the pictures (last Thursday) I thought I had my fix of kids’ pictures, but when I was out shooting another family I decided to get a couple more.  ONE PROBLEM.  I forgot to change one little setting on my camera and waaaay over exposed all my kids’ shots.  Fortunately not the other family’s pictures.  Normally I look in between shots and see that what I have is good, but with my kids I just wanted to hurry up and catch them before they quit cooperating.  I couldn’t salvage the color, but now they just look like stylized B&W shots.  Not so bad I guess, but I’m a little disappointed I didn’t get better.  Once again, they’re still pretty neat. (And for those participating in Angie’s “Fall” theme, the color would have been great for fall since I just took these Sunday.  Use your imaginations!!)

Wordful Wednesdays are hosted by Angie at SeVeN cLoWn CiRCuS.  Please don’t forget to stop by her place!!