Sick Day

I am not sure at what point it happened, but somewhere in the past week, I went from fighting seasonal allergies to fighting a bad cold. It was a PA Day yesterday, which would have been a perfect opportunity to call in sick and rest up, but there was a staff meeting planned and some of the topics covered concerned my position.

When my boss heard the bug in my voice she apologized for giving it to me as she had been sick earlier in the week while we were meeting over attend. issues. I assured her I was well drugged and would be OK. Half way through the meeting, I was getting very stuffy and couldn't figure it out, I'd taken some pretty good stuff. At the break, I reached in  my pocket and found the 2 capsules I'd thought I'd taken that morning....I guess technically I'd "taken" them but in my fog, I missed out on the actual ingestion of them. 

(It has nothing to do with being blond either...I can see the smirks you know!)

I discovered something about us females today.

We are caretakers by nature.

Both Maria and I were quite miserable by this morning, which pretty much went unnoticed by the males in our home, but not Jianna. 

Since supper time last night, she has been trying to get me to eat salad..."but it's healthy mom".

Soup, Ok, but how many of you out there, really feel like sitting down to a nice crunchy salad when you feel ill?

When I refused a salad for breakfast, she peeled me an orange and fed it to me segment by segment, (popping a few in her own mouth as she did). "It will give you vitamin C " she declared.

Then she decided she needed to make pancakes and asked me would I like some and would I like them with or without blueberries?

It's a pretty big job for a 7 year old to make pancakes and she always had Maria's help in the past, so I said which ever was easier for her. She thought for a minute, "are blueberries healthy?"

"yes they are"I said.

"I'll make them with blueberries".

She stuffed as many blueberries as she could get into each of my pancakes and was very proud of herself for doing so.

Along with drinks and my iron pills, she brought me an apple...

I don't know who ever told her that old saying, "feed a cold, starve a flu", but boy was she going to feed this thing right out of me!

When I said I couldn't eat the apple right now, she left my room.

Upon her return, she handed me the  following schedule she'd written down:

12:30-1:00 read

1:00-2:00 sleep

2:00-2:05 apple

2:05-2:45 play game

Now, Jianna had not counted on the fact that Maria would fall asleep beside me and with the terrible gurgling in her chest, there was little opportunity to fall asleep; but just as I was starting to dose off ... In pops my little nurse, (at 1:59 to be exact), "time for your apple!"

The fact that Jianna had written the schedule down, pretty much set it in  stone in her mind and I knew I would never have the strength to get well at all if I expended what would be necessary to convince her otherwise.

Funny, how she was totally fine with the game taking much longer than the allotted time though...mind you, she certainly took note of it.

Thank Heaven for Little Girls...because the boys would let you starve to death on your sick bed!

PS: It seems my Little Nurse is not yet off duty, it's 7:19 and I was heading for a shower, when Jianna asked me had I taken my iron pill with supper. I had to confess, I'd forgotten. You should have seen the appalled look on her face, like I'd just undone all her hard work in one foul sweep!

Maybe, the little nurse should have added it to my schedule!

When You Know You Don't Deserve it:

It had been one of those days. You know the kind...the ones that leave you feeling like you just can't do it all, after all. Work had been long, tiring, and trying. I'd felt behind the eight ball most of the day, so I ate at my desk and worked thorough my breaks...never a very good plan.

I was glad to finally put the work day aside and retreat to my haven of a home for a little reprieve before the troops arrived with their mountains of homework to supervise, dinner to make, laundry...you know, the mom stuff.

This year, I am the first one out of the house in the morning so I am never quite sure what might face me as I walk through the front door. This day, the sink was FULL of dirty dishes, the dishwasher needed unloading, there were lunch-making-crumbs scattered over all of my counter tops...

But the last straw was my eldest daughter's PJ's. 

Not on the floor or the couch where I often find them, no, they were on my kitchen counter! Why? Is there ever a good reason to leave you PJs on the kitchen counter...especially when your bedroom is DOWNSTAIRS.

She wasn't there, but my hubby was.

 Yup, my frustration all came out in one sentence..."I CAN'T DO IT ALL!!!"

I really needed to sit down and veg, or better yet pray, but I couldn't stand the mess and got to work, threatening to let everyone fend for themselves for supper.

Hubby went back to work and my kitchen and my emotions were all tidied nicely before my kiddies came through the door. We got through homework and I even got to relax while the girls peeled potatoes for supper.

I was in a much better frame of mind when Mark arrived announcing he had a surprise and I had to close my eyes....

He'd had the florist put together a beautiful bouquet of deep red roses and perfect white lilies and if that were not enough, he bought this huge candle arrangement that he knew would remind me of my beloved ocean...(so glad I'd made a supper they all loved!)

When Maria asked what the occasion was, I explained that sometimes your hubby will bring you gifts because you got cranky with him.

Her response...."SWEET!!!"

OK, so maybe that wasn't a "mother/wife of the year" life lesson to give to my little girl...I'll have to work on that.

I do have a feeling she will need a husband as understanding as her mother's though.

Happy Autumn!

Thinking of You...

I love surprises and I love gifts...I mean who doesn't love to know that they were being thought of and that someone picked out or made something just for you?

Tonight my Hubby came home with the announcement that he had a surprise for me...that he had bought me something.

My guy who holds me in the utmost regard, told me that as soon as he saw this, he had to get it for me....

Hmmmmm...

Not too sure how to take that!

Author's Note:

Women's Stories are amazing, but the stories captured in this book are exceptional. These are stories of women who refused to accept any limits, of women who stepped out of a common life and into history, of women living out their best moments, when they dared to do what other women-and men- did not do. In writing about these amazing women, I have tried to capture each woman at the peak of her individual story.

Thanks Amy for the "Picnik tip"...Now, any ideas about getting this printed poster size for my office. 

It's the message I seem to need to try to get through to students many times a day.