The Worst is Over. I Think?

As all of you know, we have been battling a nasty virus called Flu A this week.

And I think that the worst is finally over. The boys made it through an entire day of school Friday, and HB (husband) went back to work Friday night. They slept through the entire night last night in their own beds. This is the first time all week at least one of them did not have breathing difficulty and come get in bed with me. Isn't it amazing how much better they sleep when they sleep with their parents? Unfortunately, when they get in bed with me, I don't sleep from that moment on. I keep hearing there gargled breathing and the force air through their swollen and mucous filled nasal passages into their inflamed and congested lungs. But last night was different. I'm not saying they breathed easier, I'm just saying they didn't wake up. So when I woke up I went to their room to check on them. You know just to make sure they were still breathing and didn't choke on their own snot during the night. I was horrified when I looked and my sweet Nathan's face.

What are those bumps all over him. The one thing that kept going through my mind was CHICKEN POX!!! Oh no, he has chicken pox on top of everything else. I grabbed his arms and check them for bumps, but I didn't find any. I checked his legs, nope, none there. I turned him over, by this time to much protest because I had awaken him during my frantic search. I checked his back and flipped him back over and checked his tummy. No pox marks anywhere else, just his face. Then I looked at his nose, and his lips. They are so dry and chapped. My next thought was impetigo due to Strep Throat. I had made my decision. I was going to take him to work and do a strep screen on him. But as the day passed his bumps started going away. By noon, they were almost gone. I guess he must have slobbered last night and got a little rash on his face from the moisture. I have been putting Vaseline on his nose and mouth and he is looking much more presentable. Luckily, Forrest didn't get as chapped. He has a small spot on his nose that I have been doctoring, but that is it. So, I think we are out of the woods.

I have lucked out so far and not come down with the symptoms that they have had. I have been battling a terrible headache for the past four days that seems to come and go at it's leisure. It will hit me really hard, but when I sleep for awhile, it goes away. Today it came back accompanied with leg aches, too. But after two hours in bed, the leg aches went away, and my headache diminished. After some Aleve, my headache receded too. I think I just need lots of rest and relaxation. And that is what I plan to do tomorrow. I went to the grocery store yesterday and picked up every one's requested food for the super bowl game and we are going to veg out, drink margarita's (adults only) eat what we want and watch the game. Yep, hopefully tomorrow will be like heaven! Go Red Birds! (I'm originally from Missouri, of course I'm rooting for the Cardinals. Besides, Kurt Warner is HOT!)

Ice on the Way

I was hoping for a nice relaxing day today. I had several things planned, but unfortunately, things didn't turn out exactly the way I had hoped. I planned on starting my day by taking the kids to school, then going to get a massage, and then going and visiting with family and friends. I wanted to go see Bindi, Noah, and Serene. I wanted to have lunch with my best friend Natalie. And I was going to spend a little bit of time with my mother. Instead, I was up half the night dealing with sick children. That's right plural. CHILDREN. They are both very sick. I think it is just a really bad head cold, but is it making them miserable, and I hate to see them miserable. So, I had to keep them home from school. I REALLY wanted my massage. I had been anticipating it for well over a week and so I called up the greatest neighbor in the world, and she came over and sat with the boys while I went and got my massage and got some Gatorade and Sprite from Fred's. When my husband came home from his trip, he sounded terrible. Apparently, he has the same thing they have. So all three of my boys are piled up in the living room watching T.V. I cancelled my trip to Bindi's and lunch with my friend, and I told my mom I would see her this weekend. I made some home made chicken noodle soup, and so far I am the only one that will eat it. I managed to force two bites down Nathan and one bite down Forrest. And that is it. And to top everything off, we have an ice storm on the way this evening. That should make my drive to work tomorrow fun. Anyway, I hope you all are having a great week and wish me luck on fighting off this head cold. AHHHHHCHOOOOOO! OH I hope it's not too late!

Lizard Birth

Here is a funny joke that my sister-in-law emailed to me today. Enjoy!


Just after dinner one night, my son came up to tell me there was 'something wrong' with one of the two lizards he holds prisoner in his room. 'He's just lying there looking sick,' he told me. 'I'm serious, Dad. Can you help?' I put my best lizard-healer expression on my face and followed him into his bedroom. One of the little lizards was indeed lying on his back, looking stressed. I immediately knew what to do.. 'Honey,' I called, 'come look at the lizard!' 'Oh, my gosh!' my wife exclaimed. 'She's having babies.' 'What?' my son demanded. 'But their names are Bert and Ernie, Mom!' I was equally outraged. 'Hey, how can that be? I thought we said we didn't want them to reproduce,' I said accusingly to my wife. 'Well, what do you want me to do, post a sign in their cage?' she inquired (I think she actually said this sarcastically!) 'No, but you were supposed to get two boys!' I reminded her, (in my most loving, calm, sweet voice, while gritting my teeth). 'Yeah, Bert and Ernie!' my son agreed. 'Well, it's just a little hard to tell on some guys, you know,' she informed me (Again with the sarcasm!). By now the rest of the family had gathered to see what was going on. I shrugged, deciding to make the best of it. 'Kids, this is going to be a wondrous experience,' I announced. 'We're about to witness the miracle of birth..' 'Oh, gross!' they shrieked 'Well, isn't THAT just great? What are we going to do with a litter of tiny little lizard babies?' my wife wanted to know. We peered at the patient. After much struggling, what looked like a tiny foot would appear briefly, vanishing a scant second later. 'We don't appear to be making much progress,' I noted. 'It's breech,' my wife whispered, horrified. 'Do something, Dad!' my son urged. 'Okay, okay.' Squeamishly, I reached in and grabbed the foot when it next appeared, giving it a gentle tug. It disappeared. I tried several more times with the same results. 'Should I call 911 ? ' my eldest daughter wanted to know. 'Maybe they could talk us through the trauma.' (You see a pattern here with the females in my house?) 'Let's get Ernie to the vet,' I said grimly. We drove to the vet with my son holding the cage in his lap. 'Breathe, Ernie, breathe,' he urged. 'I don't think lizards do Lamaze,' his mother noted to him. (Women can be so cruel to their own young. I mean what she does to me is one thing, but this boy is of her womb). The vet took Ernie back to the examining room and peered at the little animal through a magnifying glass. 'What do you think, Doc, a C-section?' I suggested scientifically. 'Oh, very interesting,' he murmured. 'Mr. and Mrs. Cameron, may I speak to you privately for a moment?' I gulped, nodding for my son to step outside. 'Is Ernie going g to be okay?' my wife asked. 'Oh, perfectly,' the vet assured us. 'This lizard is not in labor.. In fact, that isn't EVER going to happen. Ernie is a boy. You see, Ernie is a young male. And occasionally, as they come into maturity, like most male species, they um . . um . . masturbate. Just the way he did, lying on his back.' He blushed, glancing at my wife. We were silent, absorbing this. 'So, Ernie's just . just . . excited,' my wife offered. 'Exactly,' the vet replied , relieved that we understood. More silence. Then my vicious, cruel wife started to giggle. And giggle. And then even laugh loudly. 'What's so funny?' I demanded, knowing, but not believing that the woman I married would commit the upcoming affront to my flawless manliness. Tears were now running down her face. 'It's just .that . . I 'm picturing you pulling on its . . . its. . . teeny little . . ' She gasped for more air to bellow in laughter once more. 'That's enough,' I warned. We thanked the vet and hurriedly bundled the lizard and our son back into the car.. He was glad everything was going to be okay. 'I know Ernie's really thankful for what you did, Dad,' he told me. 'Oh, you have NO idea,' my wife agreed, collapsing with laughter.. Two lizards: $140. One cage: $50. Trip to the vet: $30.. Memory of your husband pulling on a lizard's winkie: Priceless! Moral of the story: Pay attention in biology class. Lizards lay eggs!

Textiles

Cotton, a simple but elegant plant that once made our nation great.


The beauty of cotton expands much farther than just a beautiful landscape.

It also makes comfortable clothes.

Have you ever given much though on what you wear and how it makes you feel? For instance t-shirt and jeans are a wonderful casual attire that makes a woman feel comfortable and confident. And some times they can even make a woman feel sexy.

Imagine the gentle silky feel of satin and the delicate but rough feel of lace. The two together arouses the senses. This is a wonderful and sexy combination of textiles.

And combine that with a sexy man that isn't interested in the textiles, but is interested in your body......

Well, that's enough to make any woman feel sexy.

Young Love

My Forrest is in love for the first time. It is a bit frightening and sweet all rolled up in one. I let him talk to his "girlfriend" on the phone today. The conversation was priceless. He was very shy, but he managed to muster enough courage to tell her that he liked her and that he thought she was pretty. I don't know what she told him back, but his cheeks got really red and his respiratory rate increased. After he got off the phone he told me that he really needed a glass of water. His throat felt tight and he was really hot! He sort of kind of went out on his first "date" tonight. At least that is how he tells it. He "heart loves" a girl in his class named Bronwyn. She is adorable, and today we took her swimming with us at the Community Center. At first they were both very awkward around each others, but as time passed they seemed to be more comfortable about spending time away from school with each other. After we got home, I caught him drawing on a piece of paper. This is a photo of what he drew. He told me that he didn't want to go to sleep tonight because he was afraid that he would not still "heart love" Bronwyn in his sleep. I told him that sleeping was perfectly safe and that he would still heart love her no matter what.
This moment is hard for a mother. It is proof that my baby is growing up quicker than I want him too. Soon the innocence that he possesses will be lost, and he will be just a boy. Well, maybe not just a boy. He will always be my little Forrest Grump!

Posting Slump.

I've been in a posting slump lately. I'm not sure if it is due to sensory overload from everything going on in my life, or depression caused by everything that's going on in my life, or simply everything that's been going on in my life. But the simple fact is that I've been in a posting slump. I feel as if I have nothing entertaining, or creative to tell about. One of the things that I hate doing is posting about how terrible things are and how down I am. So, I try not to post when I am feeling down. I have always been a firm believer in the fact that positive thinking will lead to positivity in your life, therefore, even when I feel like crap, I always try to smile.

I was asked one day by a co-worker, "Why are you always smiling?"
This question took me by surprise and literally shocked me.
My response to this person was this: "Would you prefer I walk around frowning all of the time?"
They quickly replied back, "No, but I don't understand how you could be happy every day of your life."

I told this person that I'm not happy everyday of my life. But I am happy most days of my life, and I have discovered that smiling makes my day go better. You should try it and see how it works for you.
Yes, this person thinks I'm the biggest fake in the world, and really doesn't like me much, but hey, who cares. Right?

As of late, I've been finding it hard to smile. The events of 2008 tested my mental stability, and I feel that it has shaken me to the core of my self being. I keep wanting to get back on track, but I find it harder and harder as time goes on. You see, not long after my Father died, I was told by someone very close to me that I wasn't a nice person. This shocked me because I have always tried to be a nice person. Since a little bit before Christmas I started searching my soul to try and rediscover who I am. I tried to examine my life and my actions to see if I really acted like the kind, thoughtful person that I perceive myself to be.

This is what I have discovered about myself:
I eat when I am feeling lonely and sad. I don't even have to be hungry. I use food to comfort me.
I AM a kind, and compassionate person. I care about other people, and I do have humanity living inside of me, despite what others may think.
I have a tendency to be a bit blunt and to the point, therefore some people may think I'm cruel and heartless, but in truth, I'm just honest.
I love my children with every ounce of my soul, and my life would not be worth living without them.
I have unconscionably alienated my husband from me, and would like desperately to make things better.

So to make things better I am going to make 2009 my year to fix myself.
I'm not making resolutions, I'm just going setting small goals.
Right now I am trying to eat healthier. And I have involved my husband in this campaign and we are going to do this together. So far it is working. We have been working at it for two weeks now and I have lost between 6-7lbs already. Just by eating healthier foods! Last week I started swimming at the community center again, and I can already feel tension in my shoulders relieving and I am finding it a bit easier to breath. I have decided that if I could make myself feel better about myself, then everything else will fall into place.

So, I need you, my motivational speakers, to help me with my goals. I need you to tell me that I don't need that chocolate fudge brownie, that I should eat the orange instead. I'll need you to tell me how wonderful I'm doing when I post my updates on my progress.

Thank you for your ongoing support, and remember, I'm always here for you, too.

DIFFERENCES

I'm sitting here looking at he gifts I received from my sons for Christmas. I find their differences very intriguing. I think that is allows us a small glimpse into how they think. Take my gift from Forrest for instance:

It is a pink and purple glass angle holding a gold plated star. When I opened it he told me that it was me. Remember, he thinks that I am The Angle of Life. He informs me that it is The Angle of Life holding the Star of hope. It is a very beautiful, fragile, and sentimental gift. You can tell that he put a lot of thought into picking this gift out. It truly fits to his personality. He is a worrier. He worries about everything. If he wants a toy and I tell him we don't have enough money to get toys right now, he becomes afraid and worries about us having enough money to pay our bills. HB and I have told him that he should worry about things like that. We told him that those were Mommy and Daddy problems and that he should just worry about being a kid and having fun. We also had to explain to him that we made enough money to pay bills, we just don't always have a lot left over for extra stuff, so sometimes we have to go without. He is a very thoughtful and quite sensitive child, and he was and still is the smallest of the two, which in my mind makes him more fragile.

Nathan's gift on the other hand screams practicality.

Nathan is a whiz at math, so it makes sense that he gives me an ink pen with a built in calculator. He tells me that I can use it to write down my figures at my job as a Scientist. He wants to become a Paleontologist when he grows up. And I hope he pursues that dream whole heartily. Nathan is a very practical child. He is very quick to come up with a solution for problems, but he seems to never get ruffled about much. Unless you pick on him and call him baby. He is very laid back and has a wonderful sense of humor. He loves to joke, and he loves to play. His personality is totally different from Forrest.


So, it just goes to prove that no matter how similar they may appear, their differences shine through in every thing they do.