What to do...

I am not one to run to the doctor for a cold.  Or a stomach virus.  Or even a fever, unless it's lasted for more than two days.  And even then, I call first and ask what's been going around, comparing symptoms to see if this sickness warrants a visit (and a co-pay) or just another day on the couch with tylenol and fluids.

Lucky for us, we rarely get sick.  My kids see the pediatrician once a year, for check-ups.  Believe me, I'm not bragging here, just rejoicing the fact that this time has finally arrived (Isabel had ear infections for the first year of her life, kid you not).

When the kids do get sick, however, the guessing game begins.  (All you moms out there know what I'm talking about.)  They have a slight fever, aren't eating well, fall asleep in the middle of the day, complain of a bellyache and a headache and a sore throat.  With that list of symptoms, the nurse in me instantly thinks "strep throat".  I want to order amoxicillin and get on with it.  Unfortunately, it's Saturday night.  No doctors' office open til Monday.  The question:  do you go to Urgent Care, or worse...the ER?  Do you wait it out til Monday?  Is it just a virus, or the real deal?  What I wouldn't give for a rapid strep test kit at home, let me tell you.

Gabe is my allergy sufferer.  Pollen is at an all-time high in our area.  That would explain the sore throat and headache, but the stomachache and fever?  Notsomuch.  I'm waiting til he wakes this morning to decide what to do.  If he still has a fever, this would be day 3, and we're going to the doctor...

What do you do in these situations?  Does it seem like your kids always get sick on the weekend?  Doesn't it suck to drag a sick baby to the doctor, pay the copay, and have them tell you it's just a virus?

sigh.  Maybe I should just become a nurse practitioner, then I could get the strep test kit and order the right medicine!

Spring break; a summary

Yes, I'm aware that spring break was last week.

The kids have already been back to school since Tuesday.

It's taken me this long to get my photos downloaded, edited, and imported onto my blog.

It was either do the laundry and cook dinner or blog.  This time the chores won; I can't promise that will be the case next week :)

To kick off spring break, my two friends, Diane and Monica, took our daughters to see Taylor Swift down in Cincinnati.  That girl puts on a great show!  Our girls loved it, and we all had a great night, singing along to Love Story and Our Song all the way home...

On Wednesday, we went to visit my sister (Rhonda), my two nieces and their new "puppy".  They recently rescued a 2-year old lab named Casper; he's so full of personality, and quite the entertainer.  He and Gabe got along fabulously, as I'm sure you can imagine!

Thursday, my scrapbooking sister, Michelle (whom some of you know) came over to make cards.  I had already done the designs and cut the paper, and she did the stamping and assembling.  It was so fun to visit and eat yummy LaRosa's pizza and catch up with one another...

And just like that, it was Easter Sunday.  We didn't do coordinating outfits for the whole family this year (remember my frugality resolution?), but the boys did match, and Isabel was adorable in her fully accessorized ensemble.

My two favorite pictures of the whole week:  my gorgeous "apple blossom" tulips and pink hyacinth...

and my gorgeous little girl, who is fast on her way to being not-so-little anymore...

Any great spring break moments you'd like to share?

Funny stuff

One of my goals as a mom is to teach my kids how to have a sense of humor.  We all know those people who have not a humorous bone in their body (humorous, not humerus...get it?  Ha!).

It's a gift to be able to laugh at yourself and the many things life throws at you.  Without a sense of humor, we are bound to be lost in a sea of seriousness.  I can't stand the sound of that.

Recently, Elijah spent the day with a newer friend and his family.  When I picked him up, the mom told me she never realized how funny Elijah was.  Apparently he had them in stitches all day long, with one funny joke or response after another.  Sometimes adolescent boy-humor is hard to understand, but I have to agree with her; he is a funny kid.  Not afraid to be silly, even in public with his whole family (and a mom with her camera!).

Gabe is still learning the humor thing.  He's five, so you know anything with the word "fart" or "turd" or "wiener" is absolutely hilarious.  He loves to tell jokes, but the punchline often doesn't make any sense...no matter, he still laughs like a hyena, which makes us laugh, which makes him think his joke really is funny.

(And yes, that really is E.T.  We still have our lifesize doll, which Gabe insists on taking everywhere with us every so often.  Today was an "E.T. Day".  Love it!)

Although Isabel hates being teased (don't we all??) and gets offended easily if the joke's on her (we're still working on the gift of laughing at yourself), she does have a good sense of humor.  She's the one who noticed the irony of this sign:

Isn't that field of charred black dirt simply gorgeous?

What about you?  Do you have a good sense of humor?  Were you the class clown?  Or the proverbial stick-in-the-mud?  When's the last time you had a good belly laugh at your own expense?

A little spark

"It's too cold."

"The roads are too bad."

"There are too many germs in the Childwatch center this time of year."

"One more cookie can't hurt."

All things I told myself this past winter.  Combine that with going back to school and still working two nights a week, and you can see why I added the equivalent of this:

to my total body weight.

Yuck.

Since the weather has turned, I have been more active and going to the Y a bit more.  However, that ten pounds is stubborn and hasn't budged AT ALL.

So when this book started calling my name at my last library visit, I listened.  And read.  And got hooked.

The author and founder of Sparkpeople.com is from Cincinnati, and used to work at P&G.  His story is fascinating.  And he has such an inspiring way about him.  

I convinced my mother in law to start the Spark with me.  Isabel is our cheerleader, and I hope to get Joe on board, too.

A positive, encouraging weight-loss program, designed to get you motivated, healthier and more fit.  And then when you reach your goals, and people around you ask what you've been doing, you spread the Spark.

No special foods to buy.  No extreme workouts to do.  Just common sense stuff (drink 8 cups of water, exercise for at least 10 minutes EVERY DAY, eat more fresh fruit and veggies) with an online system that helps you track your progress.

Last night, I walked 2.7 miles with Kay and Isabel, up and down hills and all through our neighborhood.  On April 24th, Isabel and I are running in a 5K race at the YMCA.

Those potatoes are history!

Anyone else heard of Sparkpeople?  Do you need a little Spark in your life?  Go get the book and check out the website.  I promise you'll be inspired, too!

You ever have those moments when you're trying to blog, but your mind is a blank, and you sit staring at the screen without a word in your little head?


It's not often that I have nothing to say (just ask my family), but going back to work after almost two weeks off sucked the life right out of me last night.


On my way home this morning, munching my granola bar and swigging water to keep awake, I blew right by a state trooper at the not-so-slow speed of 75mph.  (My bed was calling my name, what can I say?)


The fact that I didn't even notice the cop until I was already past him tells you how tired I was.


I think my van must have the power of invisibility, though, because he didn't even notice me.   (Maybe he was tired, too...)


That burst of adrenaline got me the rest of the way home,  though.


So...where was I going with this?


Oh, yeah, the mind-blank-blogging-thing.


I was grateful this afternoon to see that I was tagged by Brainella for a photo tag post.


Ahh, blog fodder!  Thanks, Julia!  Here's the tag:


1. Open the first photo folder
2. Scroll down to the 10th photo
3. Post the 10th photo and tell the story about it
4. Pass this along to 5 other blogs

New Year's Eve, 2009.  On the right is my sweet friend, Monica, who pushes me to the limit every Friday morning during Muscle Max, runs marathons like they're nothing, and is my inspiration to get into shape (try looking at her perfect little body while you're struggling to do those last ten lunges...that'll inspire you).  In the middle is our friend, Diane, who I've known since our girls were five and twirling around in dance class together.  The three of us coached Girls on the Run last fall, and plan on doing it again this year.


Yeah, I don't have enough energy to tag five other bloggers.  If you, too, are in the need of some blog fodder, take the tag and run with it.


I'm gonna go sit in the sun and try to get rid of this farmer's tan I'm sportin'...

Easter Joy

Trying to explain the true meaning of Easter to my kids this year has been interesting, to say the least.  Elijah and Isabel are old enough to understand the stories and why this is the most important holiday to us as Christians.

Gabe is still trying to figure out what Jesus has to do with the Easter Bunny.

I decided this year to not emphasize the Easter Bunny at all.  When he asks me if the Bunny is real, I ask him what he thinks (he always answers himself with an emphatic yes!).  Then I go on to explain that Easter is really about the day that Jesus defeated Death and was brought back to life by God, and that by doing so, we will all get to live forever in Heaven with the two of them, as long as we have Jesus in our hearts.

To which he exclaimed:

"What?!  That's awesome!  Did you hear that, Sissy?  Jesus is coming back to life TOMORROW!  Are we going up to Heaven tomorrow?  But I will miss my toys..."

Resurrection, the Second Coming...these are awfully big ideas for such a little boy.  I love his excitement about Jesus, though!

Wishing you all a very blessed Easter Sunday!

Spring Quarter!

My kids are on spring break, but not me...

I finished up my American Film and Culture class with an A- (yay!), and started my Cultural Diversity class (Spanish Film and Culture).

Wanna guess what our first assignment was?

You'll never guess...




In order to have discussions about the movies we see in class, we have to create a...




BLOG!

I chuckled to myself as the professor explained what a blog is and how it will help facilitate discussions as we each make a post and comment on each other's blogs in regards to the movie.

Some people were so worried about the difficulty in setting up a blog.  I reassurred them that if I (computer-illiterate person that I am) could do it, then they could, too.

If you decide you want to go to school with me, you can visit me at my other blog, "What's One More Blog?".  C'mon, it'll be fun!

I've got lots of spring breaking to do with the kids in the meantime; I'll be back around next week.  Have a Happy Easter, everyone!