Road Trip

We are leaving on a quest tomorrow to visit my sisters-in-law. Our plans are to take some clothes for their kids, have Brady's hair shaped up, visit with them, and sis-in-law has offered to do some work to my hair. Unfortunately the styles she has in her magazines are considerably shorter and I'm not sure if I'm up for that much of a change. Highlights were also included in this change. We'll see what happens.

Our trip will take us about 2 1/2 hours one way and we will return again on Sunday so I am cleaning. And cleaning. And cleaning some more. Not only am I on a "we're leaving so I want to come home to a clean house" cleaning spree but I'm also on a spring cleaning mode. Off and on this week (usually about the time the kids get ready for bed) I have been hit with a nesting urge to spring clean. I have cleaned out cabinets, counter tops and one fridge (we have two). I hope to have my dishes washed (or at least loaded in the dishwasher), my microwave cleaned off (and out) and my second fridge cleaned by the time I settle down to bed for the night. I know I will be no where near where I want to be as far as cleaning when I leave, but it will be nice to know that I can come home to a mostly clean kitchen.

Keeping Him On His Toes

Hubby: What are you doing that for?

Me: Because I felt like it.

Hubby: I was talking to the truck, dear.

Always have to keep him on his toes!

Fun and Awards

Every year, the county schools here offer trophies for the kids that played in little league. The last two years, our elementary school has raised enough money through concession sales and picture sales to have the basketball teams "party" at a local athletic club. For two hours, they reserve this club so that the kids from eleven teams can swim, play basketball and racquetball, and take advantage of the batting cages and rock climbing walls. So this evening, I drove 25 miles so that the kids could partake in the festivities and receive their trophies. My crew spent the first solid hour in the pool. I saw cannon balls, beach balls, squish footballs, kick boards and heard so much noise that if you called for your child you could forget about them hearing you. Words could not describe the panic that filled my heart as Brady "walked" from the shallow 3 ft end and bounced with his facing the roof to prove that he could make it to the 4 ft end like his siblings. Relief took place when he finally decided to stay in the shallow end for the rest of the time he was in only to feel the panic rise again as he stepped into a batting cage. I can't tell you how many times I told him to step back before he got hit by a fast flying rubber baseball. Finally after a few balls, the machine subsided and Bryce instructed him where to stand. Brady never hit the ball but was impressed that he got to try. Brady hit the ball a few times on his but was still disappointed that he was not a baseball pro. Belle also tried the batting cages and found the ball once. She didn't seem to be upset that she didn't do better. They had a blast, didn't give me any problems (except for a small tiff about wanting to swim again for the last 20 minutes of the party) and no one got hurt. They can't wait for another opportunity like this!

Lunar Eclipse Woes

I never knew how a pending lunar eclipse could upset the delicate balance of my household bedtime. Bryce came home from school Monday all excited about how "we were supposed to have a lunar eclipse on Wednesday!" He was determined to see it and seeing how it was supposed to be a full eclipse by 9pm, I really couldn't say no. But unfortunately he also let Belle and Brady know as well. And they had to see it too. When it started about 7:45, I started letting them peek out the front door to see the progress. Belle and Brady got one last look before I put them to bed right after 8pm. By 9, Brady had been out of bed more times than I could count and clouds had moved over our view of the eclipse. So I put both boys to bed, didn't wake Belle and decided to settle down.

But curosity took hold. I had to get another look and see if the clouds had moved on by. About 9:15, I found a mostly full eclipse completely unobstructed. So I rallied both boys and woke Belle to see it quickly. They were up a whole minute and a half before I rushed them back to bed for the night. I've become the good mom for waking them for an eclipse moment. If I'm lucky, the ice storm we're on the verge of will move through with very little effect or damage but enough ice to shut down school tomorrow so they can get some sleep.

Embarrassments By Dad

I am in the market for new dishes. The kids have broken so many of my dishes that I no longer have enough to feed the family with one set, for any given meal. I use at least two sets and sometimes three for all of us to eat one meal. I had my eye on a set at Wal-Mart, but I didn't want to pay $60 for a set of eight dishes (I looked for them to link to but they didn't have the ones I've been eyeing). I have also looked at these but if you have checked them out on the display, they are very thin and I can just hear the crash like they would have made tonight when Belle dropped one of my plates while setting the table. I found these while searching but again, I don't want to pay $80 for a set for eight people. So I told Hubby I wanted to stop by Linens and Things to see if they had a good set on sale. I browsed these but I really don't want another set of white dishes. I also fell in love with these.

A couple of doors down was Old Navy. I really wanted a new shirt. One that didn't have stains on it and that wasn't my husbands that I usually wear. For some odd reason, all three kids followed Hubby when we walked into the store, as he headed one direction and I another. So I got to browse childless! I got to take a few minutes and shop for something that was for me without listening to the whine of "my feet hurt" "I'm tired" and my all time favorite "are we done yet?" I found them a short time later, only to hear Belle tell me "Mom! Dad was dancing in the store!" Apparently all three kids had not only followed Dad, but glued themselves to his backside. In an effort to get them to give him a couple of feet of space, he broke out into a small hip moving, arm bouncing dance. They were more than willing to go with me once they found me. I guess that means his dance worked. I managed to find the kids each a polo shirt for under $7 and found me a shirt for $8 (again, no link because I can't find it online).

Hubby proceeded to pull this same dance yesterday afternoon. Sitting at a red light. With a lady looking out her car window. Sitting right beside him. A tourist no less. The light took forever to change. I swear it felt like it was on red for five minutes and I'm sure she would agree, since she was trying real hard to not look out her window again while suppressing a laugh. I don't know what I'm going to do with him, but to say the least he keeps the dull out of our life.

Happy Heart Day

Red velvet with cream cheese icing. To think I made this after all the pure sugar they consumed a their parties this afternoon...

Irony

Have you ever wondered why you can have so much pressure behind your ears that you hear a roar but the ears are so stopped up that you can't actually hear? The kids didn't have school today due to ice. I'll be back on a better day...

Oh How I Love Thee...

Let Me Count Thy Ways...

I love thy way you dry jeans in less than an hour! (I swear! It was like 45 minutes!)

I love thy way your buzzer goes beep beep beep and doesn't rouse the sleeping.

I love thy way you wash and a brake doesn't scream "screeeeeeeeeeeeech!!!!!!!"

I love thy way you spin a load of jeans and don't walk across a room.

Oh how I've longed for this day!

It's Twins!

They're here! They arrived this afternoon after a long delivery...

Proud mother is dancing with glee!

Thumbs Up

Every so often, we take the kids and stop by our local Texas Roadhouse for a supper that is not of the fast food type. Last night we decided to eat there after spending time looking for a new washer and dryer. Brady surprised us by asking for mac & cheese and a salad, when he usually eats chicken strips. Our server came around after the food was delivered to see how things were going. Brady, with a mouth full of food, gave his approval with a big thumbs up to the server. The server, being a dad himself, very much enjoyed the approval of my seven year old and we were impressed with his service. Made for a good night.

Cuddling

As much as I hate to admit it, most of my crew has gotten too big for cuddling. Brady will sit "on top" of me on occasion, sitting so close to my side that he might as well be sitting in my lap. Sometimes Belle will lay down behind the crooks of my knees when I am laying down on the couch. But when they're sick, they are more than willing to cuddle. They want to sit as close to me as I will let them. Today, while determined she was not going to take a nap, we laid down on the couch together watching Pirates of the Carribbean. An hour to go in the movie, she turned over towards me and passed out. So much for no nap. Unfortunately, when she got up her fever had shot back up to 102 and the body aches were back. I hope this passes soon.

Another Couple of Blows

We seem to receive blow after blow this week. The warm weather leading to nasty storms. Hubby's truck becoming victim to those storms. Yesterday was a half day for the kids at school. They got home just before 1. They worked on homework, played around and enjoyed their afternoon. Around 4:30, I started calling for Belle to set the table for an early supper since Brady had basketball practice at 5:30. When she didn't come after the third time, I went to find her in her bed, almost in tears because her head was hurting, especially when she coughed. The next thing I knew she had body aches. I knew what was coming.

This morning, she came into my room at 5:30. She couldn't sleep. She laid down in my bed with me for a bit and I sent her back to hers with instructions to clear her mind. Think of nothing but sleep. Shortly after, she let me know that she was throwing up. I found she was running a fever.

She has the beginning of the flu. Crap! She had basketball practice this afternoon and a tournament game tomorrow night. Crap crap!

I called her pediatrician and got her in just before 9:30 this morning. Her white count shows that she is fighting something but it is high enough that she won't have to go back in next week for a follow up visit. We caught it early! I never catch it early! She sent out for Tamiflu and antibiotics ("bacterial pnuemonia tends to follow the flu"). She sent out Tamiflu for Brady and Bryce as well to prevent them from coming down with it.

Hubby's schedule is off this week, from changing trucks three different times and a delay at one of his stops, so he's up until after noon instead of going to bed at 8am and driving all night. He received a phone call this morning that his step-brother had been in a nasty wreck last night and died this morning.

I'm so ready for this week to end.

Counting Blessings

Yesterday I mentioned the wonderful weather we were having and the storms that were headed our way. Well at the end of the local 12pm news yesterday, they showed a map of our region along with certain areas shaded in. Some were at a slight risk for severe weather, others were moderate and we were at high risk for severe weather last night. So I settled down on the couch hoping that it wouldn't hit until after I had picked up Bryce and Belle from violin and basketball practices respectively. I had the tv running all afternoon to make sure that it wasn't moving in to the area yet, and that I didn't have the need to run and pick them up early.

After picking up both kids at their scheduled times, I returned to my home at 5pm. The thunder was just beginning to rumble. By the time I had supper cooked, we were getting our fair share of thunder and lightening and a severe thunderstorm warning had been declared in our county. Our part of the county was spared hail, though other sections not far from here were not as lucky. A short time later, a tornado warning was declared for a small section here and the next county. I have not heard whether the tornado actually touched down or if it was just funnel clouds but there were reports of wind damage for the neighboring county. Then things calmed down long enough for the kids to each grab a bath before bed time. Around 9, I gave dear hubby the outlook of his weather, what was going on and what he was driving into since he was almost to the Texas/Arkansas border. He was following the storms and they would not have an affect on him. I wouldn't have to worry about him driving into them. The next wave of storms rolled in about that time. Horrible lightening, strong winds, and lucky again, no hail for us. We were declared under another severe thunderstorm. When the 10pm news came on, we were still under this warning and the severe section of the storm was showing over top of my section of the county. They gave information of a couple and their daughter killed by a tornado, in a county about an hour away. When the worst part had moved away from me, I moved my weather radio and oil lamp to my bedroom and went to bed, Benedryl strongly urging me to close my eyes.

This morning, I awoke oblivious to all that was going on around me. Things were quiet here. The wind was howling, the birds were chirping and it wasn't as cold as it was supposed to be, but I sent the kids to school in coats anyway. Hubby called while I was encouraging the kids to move, and told me he wasn't far from his stop, but feared damage to the terminal as he was getting reports of damage to a school that wasn't far from there. I put the kids on the bus, turned on the news and couldn't believe the devastation that I was seeing. Buildings damaged, people trapped, and 45 killed so far. Jackson, Tennessee is one place that I was hearing most of the news about. The college that was leveled and the kids that had been trapped last night. The college that is not far from the terminal Hubby was scheduled to stop at.

He called again, a short time later, after getting to the terminal. "My truck is trashed." I'm thinking something had happened and he had wrecked the truck he was driving. What I had forgotten was that he had dropped "his" truck at that terminal yesterday morning for maintenence. He was in a loaner truck. His truck had gone through the tornado yesterday. Windows shattered, doors wouldn't shut, the items they didn't take with them were thrown all over the truck. While he didn't take pictures of his truck, he did get a few pictures on his camera phone of other damage in the parking lot and sent them to me.

So today I'm am thankful that we didn't get the worst part of the storms, thankful Hubby wasn't in the truck that is now trashed, and hurting for the people who are suffering because of this odd weather.

Are We Sure It's February?

The box on the calendar that is supposed to be today says 5. That does mean that today is February 5th right? So why am I able to open windows and doors and let fresh air clean out the stale, musty air of my house? This time last week was warm (not this warm) and storms were getting ready to move through. Thursday we had ice and snow (ok not much but you get the picture). More storms are scheduled for later today but as it stands right now, there is sunlight shining through my living room window. Sunlight! A strong wind is blowing the nasty, stale air out the back door (along with any free standing paper or light weight object in the path). And look! Seventy-three degrees! In February! I'm going to finish my reading, have a seat with Days of Our Lives, my blanket squares that I'm crocheting and the nice breeze on my face.

1-2", More or Less

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity for weather forecasters around the area. We have had severe storms and tornado warnings earlier this week as well winter weather advisories and winter storm warnings over the last couple of days and that was just this week. So school age children, their parents and teachers were glued to the tv as the talk of heavy snow and ice was in the forecast. Belle's reading group teacher even told her group to be sure to read their story on Wednesday night because they may not have school on Friday for the snow and their test would probably be yesterday. Kids were just giddy at the idea of no school and snow in the same sentence. Then there was yesterday.

Wednesday night, after I had tucked the kids nicely in their beds, I watched the 10pm news to see what the latest weather forecast was. We were not supposed to worry about anything until sometime into Thursday. Surprise!! The first front carrying frozen stuff that was supposed to roll in on Thursday was to make an appearance sometime Wednesday night. Now like all central/southern adults, when I hear snow or ice I started to inventory things.

"I've got 1/2 gallon of milk, a loaf of bread and three kids. Better make a trip to the store."

This time was no different except I thought I would have time to pick this stuff up on Thursday while the kids were at school. So I debated. Do I wake the kids up and run to the store for what I need? Or do I let them sleep and get it tomorrow when the scheduled rain comes in and melts it all before the next front. Being the pessimist that I am, I knew that if I went on Thursday night the bad weather would pass us by and I'd have three kids lousy for school. I knew if I waited until Thursday, they would be out of school and I'd have to drive three kids on ice to the store. So I waited. And school was cancelled. The south end of our county (where we live) didn't really receive a whole lot. I even stepped out into my driveway looking for slick spots. None. Lucky for me, I encountered no slick spots on my way to the store for milk (we live two miles away). According to another mother I ran into at Wal-Mart (buying junk food for her kids like I was for mine) the northern end of the county got a good bit of ice, the reason for no school.

Now by this time, forecasters were calling for us to receive 2-5 inches of snow and ice Thursday night. By the evening news we were down to 1-2 inches. This morning when I awoke before my alarm the snow was just west of the Mississippi River and was on it's way. School was to start one hour late unless the snow made it before it started and dumped the one to two inches on us.

The verdit?

That is the 1-2 inches of snow that we received and most of it fell while the kids were eating breakfast and dressing for the school day that wasn't supposed to be. Talk about let down.

(Forecasters were also calling for 4-8 inches in Missouri and Southern Illinois. Missouri finished at 6 inches this morning. Counties to the north and west of us also cancelled school this morning after receiving much more snow than we did.)