I really am sick!

I dragged myself to the Take-Care Clinic after dropping Jo off at school after an emergency trip to the orthodontist this morning (which turned out not to be an emergency since the rubber band that fell off her bracket wasn't exactly necessary with the other piece of equipment on that bracket). I had to take a half-day of sick leave so didn't need to be at school until 11 so I looked up the wait time and saw "No Wait" and ran my rear end over there. An hour later I was leaving the pharmacy portion of the store with a diagnosis of Sinusitis and scripts for antibiotics, steroids, and cough. The nurse-practitioner told me to take Allegra for my dripping nose...which does NO good...and sent me on my way. I'm not coughing nearly so badly and like the thought of taking one small pill to manage my coughing instead of a nasty liquid cough syrup. Although, truth be told, I kinda like the codeine cough syrup they usually prescribe...hee hee hee.

Tonight is the high school's honor night. Meg screwed up second semester so won't get any awards but hopefully Lorie will come away with another scholarship.

I just hope my nose finally stops up so I don't gross everyone out.

Sick, sick, sick

I'm sick. That is all. I've got the sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, stuffy-head, fever so I can make it through the day medicine coursing through my veins but I'm still sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, stuffy-headed and have a fever so the last thing I want to do is try to make it through the day, I wanna go to bed!

I've just gotta make it four hours. FOUR HOURS! Grab Meagan and then I can head home. Dogs need to be walked, dishes need to be done and meat needs to be browned and then popped in the crockpot with some taco seasoning to warm through and let people eat as they get hungry cuz this momma? Is going to bed early!

feeling off...

I’m feeling “off.” Which in and of itself is not a surprise. I tend to live life in the land of “not quite normal” anyhow. But I feel off-er than I usually do. I think I’m catching a cold. I’m not hungry (which never happens) and I’m fatigued and feel achy.

But then my heart (the emotional one, not the physical one) hurts so maybe my body is reacting to stress?

It’s hard to try to do what’s right. It’s hard enough when you have a bunch of cheerleaders cheering you on. But it’s especially hard when you have someone standing in your way screaming how awful you are and twisting your motives, your actions and your words. And it’s really, REALLY hard when your kids are hurting because in order to take a jab at the parents, they go after the jugular…the kids.

My kids are hurting because someone wants to take something that our family did out of love, out of wanting to help, and out of wanting to make a difference and twist it into something malicious, evil and ugly. They want to take four years of our lives and make them a lie.

It’s enough to make one sick. And maybe that’s why I feel so bad.

I get by with a little help from my friends...

Today is a day. Not a good day. Just a day. My sinuses are announcing the impending arrival of rain and no amount of sinus medication, Advil, Tylenol or caffeine seems to slow the pound. We are dealing with a lot of emotion in our house as the older three make plans for next year. And we are dealing with a lot of stress brought on by some changes at the church which add to Kenny's and my workload.

But it's not a bad day! I had to proctor in a 4th grade classroom for the last day of standardized testing which is boring, at best, but not taxing. Then shortly after I returned to my office, I logged out for a luncheon put on by the Rotary Club honoring the recipients of the Outstanding Student awards for the county. Lunch made by people who enjoy (and know how to) cooking and cleaned up by someone other than me? Yes, please! Lorie was honored as the Outstanding Student for Music (Ha!) We had to sit through 35 mostly unprepared 1-2 min biographies by each of the recipients...but that's okay. I got back to school before they locked up for dismissal. Then I got a surprise. Flowers, chocolates, and a card. One of my buddies knew our family was stressed out and stopped by with them to cheer me up. Can you believe that? My friend, Bonnie, really is one of the most giving people I know. I'm so honored to call her, 'friend.' (Plus, she knows how to force my hair into submission...she's my hairstyist. We like to call her the Hair Whisperer).

Fuzzy, but still appreciated!

So the good, the bad, and the ugly all get wrapped up together and become a "day."

Well, joy, I just got an email from Meg. She stayed home yesterday because had the yucky cough, was exhausted and, frankly, needed a day to sleep. She had to miss a retake on her test and rescheduled it for today...but she needs a pass to go take the test and the teacher won't email her back an email pass.

I just got super tired.

And so it starts...

I really don't know why I'm surprised every year at this point. I mean, it happens EVERY YEAR! The inevitable "everyone cram as much as they can in to a small window of time" that happens before Christmas break and summer break.

Last week the ice was broken, so to speak, with Lorie's Work-Based Learning Awards Night. But that was Tuesday and I got to have a bit of breathing room. But this week? Monday is the Superintendent's Awards Program, tomorrow is the incoming student/parent meeting for marching band (and you'd think with Jo being the 4th to go through the program I could get out of it, right? Oh no! Jo gets to "meet" other new band members. So we'll go...humph!), Wednesday is church, Thursday I have a luncheon awards program for Lorie with the Rotary Club and Lorie and Meg have their Rockdale Career Academy Honors Night (AND, Dayannah comes home), Friday is Meg's Drum Major audition. Add in Tuesday and Thursday band practices for Lorie and Meg in preparation for some pep rally? And you can stick a fork in me...I'm done! And that's just one week. My May calendar is looking really full and about to get fuller, so I'm told, with some changes that may be coming my way.

Breath in, breath out. Cling to Dr. Pepper. And above all, just keep swimming!

Breathing room…

This time next year my family will be wondering where to put people…again! When Dayannah came to be part of our family we had four children in three bedrooms. It only made sense to have the girl double-up with the girl, so Lorie got a roommate. That lasted for about a year and then differing ways of sleeping and cleanliness got to be too much. We talked to the in-laws and they agreed to let Kenny3 move to one of their bedrooms upstairs so Dayannah could have her own room. After all, he was heading to Point University soon. Fast forward two years and we are going into the summer before Lorie starts college. Kenny had to complete his sophomore year at Luther Rice after not keeping his 3.0 required to keep the Hope and Founder’s scholarships. He has to take two classes this summer to earn the 60 hrs he needs to earn Hope back. K & S are going to help out by funding whatever monies Kenny3 needs to go to Point next semester. Dayannah spent the last three months reestablishing her relationship with her biological father and when she comes back home, will get an apartment. And, of course, Lorie is heading out for college next semester herself so come mid-August…I’ll only have two kids in the house AND they will both go to the same school AND they will both be involved in the same afterschool activity for the Fall. After that, one of them will be driving. I’m a little overwhelmed with the fact that my stress levels for keeping up with the day-to-day are about to be massively changed.

But then we’ll come to this time next year when Kenny and Lorie will come home for the summer…and where will we put them?

Eating for two...

No. I am not pregnant. But my friend is. And she glows around food. Honestly! She tends to glow in general because she's just one of those good-hearted, genuine people. But add pregnancy and the glow wattage ups about 50%. Add food to the mix? And you could probably see her in complete darkness!

This last week was Spring Break. My goal was to 1) stop drinking soda, 2) start exercising, and 3) make better food choices. I did not accomplish a single one of those goals. Darn it. But this weekend? Oh my...I think I may have hit a new number on the scale. I'm already heavier than I've ever been (including day before giving birth weights) so you would think that going not once, not twice, but out to eat for dinner three times in a row might ding something in my head. But no. I did okay the first time we went out...but that was because I had a stomachache. I still managed to put away a dish consisting of two crepes, fruit, yogurt and granola. The next night I was HUNGRY! A BLT was calling my name but all they had was a double BLT. Which I ordered. And ate. One of the other diners in our group had ordered a banana/caramel pancake creation that look really nummy. Wouldn't you know the waitress carried one over to our table. It had been sent out to the floor accidentally and the table that they tried to deliver it to didn't want it. So it ended up in front of me. And I ate it. Every single bite. I did offer it to the others, but they somehow handled temptation. MMmmm, it was gooood. So the next night I'm already home and have made dinner when Kenny calls and says the group is going out. So I pop in the car and head out. I managed to eat almost an entire order of Skillet Queso at Chili's by myself. Then I ate about half my Big Mouth Bites. Talk about roll out the barrel!

I'm back on the wagon, though. I had a protein bar and an Ensure Clear Nutritional Drink for breakfast. Got me 18 g of protein and almost 500 calories (eek!). I brought a Lean Cuisine meal for lunch and have drank 32 oz of water. About to go fill up my water bottle and get my lunch cooking. Hope I can stay away from the vending machine!

I refuse to end up looking as large as my friend will. Because she? Will pop out a baby and soon be back to her pre-pregnancy weight. Me? Not so much!