Crying Wolf

Almost everybody is back to normal. Unfortunately, Timmy's virus decided it wasn't quite ready to leave our home and opted to latch onto me as an unwilling host. I'm functional with a low grade fever but the days certainly feel longer when I'm sick. Hopefully my headache and stuffy nose will ease soon. 

Timmy is completely recovered and back to his mischievous self. Yesterday, while Scott was out picking up Robby from band, Hamlet decided to play a little game (which is a bad word because it is only fun for him) where he kept calling me back to "help" him with different tasks. After six trips to "assist," I declared that I was done with the barrage of requests. He acknowledged my statement and went about playing Roblox on the computer. 

I wasn't sitting for 30 seconds before I heard it. 

"Momom."  I ignored him. 

"Momom, come here." I ignored him. 

"Momom!"  I poured myself a diet root beer and grabbed an Oreo, preparing to settle in for a showdown.  

"Momom Momom Momom!"  I opted to drown out the sound by crunching on another Oreo (Double Stuff- the good ones I have to hide from the kids). 

"Momom! I really do need help this time. I promise my french fries I need help."

Now, swearing on his french fries is about as solemn of a promise as you can elicit from Hamlet. Intrigued, I begrudgingly wiped the crumbs from my mouth and walked back to the computer room. 

I walked into the room and immediately saw Timmy. He had been rocking back in the computer chair when he pushed too far and the chair fell off balance. Somehow, the chair wedged between the fireplace on the right and a heavy safe and box on the left. He was stuck prone in the chair with his feet above his head and no way to escape.  I pushed the safe out of the way for him to roll out of the chair. 

He managed to scrape his arm as he slide across the fireplace, so I had to patch him up before righting the chair. Hopefully this real life "Boy Who Cries Wolf" experience will put an end to his little unwilling fetching game.

Resuming Normal

 Finally!

Today everybody is returning to their school/work schedule. Nobody is off sick and nobody has a vacation day. After sick days and holidays, my schedule has been thrown into chaos. With everybody back to their appointed locations, I am hopeful that I can catch up on everything that was placed on the back burner when Timmy was sick.

It amazes me that Timmy, who cried out of frustration only a few months ago, now has been upset because he missed school.  This is a complete turn-around I fully support! Encouraging him to prepare to login for class is no longer a battle royal which has made the mornings smoother for everybody. 

It is going to be windy today, so we won't be able to go outside and play. It is probably for the best because little Friend seems to have hurt his back leg. He can walk down the stairs and run through the house (although not at his previously established speeds), but he cannot walk up the stairs or jump onto the couch. Hopefully he just needs a few days to rest and his injury is not going to become nagging. He is too young to have trouble jumping. 

Recovering

After a crummy feeling few days Timmy is finally turning the corner. His fever and his cough have both lightened in intensity and his mood has more pep. He is now frustrated that he isn't feeling well which, ironically, is one of the first signs of true improvement.  He has off for President's Day so I expect that another full day of rest and healing will set him on the path for school tomorrow. 

Today everybody (except me) is off school/work so I expect the house to again be chaotic. Thankfully nobody else in the house came down with his virus. I'm still checking fevers, but so far everybody is healthy. I will happily accept this gift from fate should everybody else avoid this icky virus.

Still Sick

We have another rainy day this morning which feels appropriate for our family mood. Timmy spent yesterday sick, fighting a fever and a raspy cough all day. We were hoping that this would be a quick 24-hour virus but his fever this morning indicated that is not going to be the situation. His fever is higher today and he is misery is intensifying. I suspect a trip to the pediatrician will be in our future.  

I feel helpless when the kids are sick. Hopefully it doesn't spread through the family!

Sick Day

 Yesterday was such a good day!

The weather was absolutely gorgeous at an unseasonably warm 70 degrees with bright blue skies. Friend and I spent hours running (him not  me) and strolling through the neighborhood to take full advantage of our sneak peek at Spring. Thankfully my leg felt fantastic so I was able to do everything I wanted without hesitation.

Because Timmy has had a rough few days I decided to surprise him with a picnic lunch. While he was in school I sneaked to Chick-fil-a and stocked up on nuggets and fries. By the time he was logging off for lunch the picnic table was set up, ready to host our first picnic of the year. There is nothing quite like an impromptu picnic to lift your spirits. 

Yesterday was a good day.

Today is already shaping up to be the opposite. The sky is grey and heavy with rain so we won't be playing outside. Actually, we won't be playing at all. Timmy woke up early with a high fever. My little Hamlet is down for the count. 

It looks like today is a sick day.

Happy Valentine's Day

 Happy Valentine's Day!

In full disclosure, Valentine's Day  is not my favorite holiday. I used to love it, but living with all boys has squashed my desire to strew pink hearts down the hallway. Holidays aren't fun to celebrate in isolation, so I have learned to just let go of Cupid. Well, I haven't completely abandoned the holiday. I will be making everybody's favorite desserts today for a fun surprise. 

Instead of celebrating with pink hearts and red roses, I'll be spending the afternoon in the sunshine playing with Friend and Timmy. After a rainy Sunday and a cloudy Monday, I am looking forward to the fresh air. My leg feels phenomenal and right now a long walk where I can zone out to my audio book feels like the best gift I can give myself. 

I am little nervous to write that my leg feels great out of the fear of jinxing myself. I have had so many leg issues over the past few months, the absence of pain feels invigorating! Fingers crossed the good luck continues!

Uniform

 Friday evening I took Robby to the auction that he has been planning for over the past several weeks. He had the singular goal of obtaining something from his beloved teacher's collection. In his wildest dreams, he wanted the impeccable WWII Officer's uniform. After investigating the value of the objects being auctioned, Scott and I tried to temper his expectations. We were going to do our best to get him something from the collection, but we couldn't guarantee success and we had no control over the prices. 

The fact that it was a local in-person auction instead of being hosted online definitely worked to our advantage. We arrived at the auction site about an hour before the gavel struck, allowing us time to thoroughly evaluate the items and get settled. The auctioneer encouraged us to get our seats early because he was expecting a crowd.

The crowd never arrived. In total, there were about 25 bidders present. Not only did the low numbers play into our favor, but the bidders were all "regulars" without specific knowledge about WWII relics. As soon as the first item was sold I knew that the winds were blowing in Rob's favor.

By the time the uniform was on the block Rob was shaking with excitement and nerves. It only took seconds, but before I knew it he was walking to the front to retrieve his new uniform. He was so excited he couldn't stop smiling! As we were leaving he was approached by several bidders, congratulating him on his purchase and remarking that he had a wonderful mother for taking him to such a unique event. (I plan on remind him of my awesomeness whenever he becomes snarky in the coming weeks.)

He spent the weekend going over his new uniform, evaluating every seam and medal. He is truly on Cloud 9 with his new prized item! While Rob was in full-research mode, Timmy spent his time on art because the weather was yucky. The skies are supposed to clear today so hopefully we will be able to have some fun in the sunshine.