Gooey and Slimy

We've been watching the weather forecast and hoping for the perfect night to go into the yard to carve pumpkins and sit fireside enjoying the crisp Autumn air. Unfortunately, the evenings have been mostly rainy and breezy (not a combo you want when you've got little ones just getting over double ear infections). So, around the dining room table it was. We 'gutted' the pumpkins one evening and the girls picked faces and Kevin carved the pumpkins the next (I just realized that I don't have any pics of the carved pumpkins! Stay tuned!).

Why didn't I realize it sooner?

We've all been fighting some cold/sinus thing. O just finished the last dose of her Rx and is sleeping straight through the night again. But, poor A. This whole week she has been waking up and calling for me at least 3x per night. Once I get to her bedside she has just been asking me to help find her blankee or bunny/mouse/lambie/whatever. I've been assuming that she's been sleeping lightly because she has been stuffed up. Until this afternoon when she casually mentioned her neck or maybe her ear was sore. I looked at the clock and it was 3:50pm. I quickly called the Pediatrician's office and they had one last spot at 4:10pm available. I reached my sister (who just happened to be driving down the road one street away!) to watch O and buckled A into her car seat.

As soon as my sister arrived, A & I headed out. She was talking away in the back seat when I asked her, "Does your ear really hurt right now?" She kind of looked at me with this little smile on her face that told me I most likely was worried about nothing. By that time we were already at the Dr's. office so in we went with my explanation to the Dr. ("I'm not sure if she just said it to be like her sister, or because it really hurts."). The wonderful Dr. quietly examined my babe and then said with a smile, "They really seem to do everything together. She's got a double ear infection, too!"

So, here I am feeling guilty for not figuring it out sooner. I've had several surgeries on my left ear and I know that the pain is brutal. Perhaps it was just starting to hurt? Perhaps they are a lot tougher than I am? Regardless, I'm thankful we could get in to the Dr's. office today and we have an Rx to fix what's wrong. Hopefully my A will soon be well and we'll get back to getting a good night's rest.

South Africa 2005: I wonder if these guys get ear infections?

The Pediatricians' office was hopping!

Sunday morning O walked into the kitchen holding her right ear and said, "Mommy, I think I have an ear infection". I'm not sure if most 3 year olds can self-diagnose, but based on her past with ear infections, I believed the poor kiddo.

Monday morning I called the Pediatricians' office when they opened and I left a message requesting a 'sick visit'. I've never had to leave a message before, so when 10am rolled around and I hadn't gotten a call back, I called again and was politely told that the nurse would in fact be calling me, but at that point she had 40 messages and requests for sick visits! Knowing that the waiting room would be crawling with germs I arranged for my sister to come watch A while I got O checked out. I was happy I did that after I saw a child in a face mask walking out of the Dr's office with her mother upon our arrival! Our appointment ended up being at 4:05pm and by the time we got into the examining room my poor O was clutching her left ear as well. Double ear infection. Ugh!

When I returned home my other sister called to let me know that she and my nephew had just been to the Dr's office where my nephew had tested positive for the Swine Flu! The office staff made him put on a face mask and he had to leave through a back door!

(Old pic of A&O but I don't have any new, relevant pics to post)

Looks like those germs are out in full force! I'll be using a nasal wash and washing hands like crazy over here. What is your favorite health tip for staying well?

Day In

We're all feeling a bit under the weather. Kevin and I have some sinus thing going on with headaches and sore throats. A has a little cough and runny nose. O has a headache, sore throat and fever. Fortunately we have zero plans for the weekend so today we stayed in our jammies, played games and generally took it easy (not hard to do when it is chilly and dreary out!). Tomorrow will most likely be much of the same.

I hope you're having a happy and healthy weekend!

Awesome Video!

I saw this on facebook and think it is just so great. Enjoy & share!

http://www.wimp.com/freakymessage/

Fall Farm Fun

This year we became members of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) by purchasing a share from a local farm. For the past 21 weeks we've been receiving a box of fresh, local vegetables every Thursday. We've always been fans of "fresh & local" by supporting our Farmer's Market (there is one about two blocks away from our home) but there is an element of surprise with CSA that we wanted to experience: you don't get to choose what you're getting! As a result we've enjoyed the standard vegetables (corn, asparagus, potatoes, beets, cabbage, beans, etc.) as well as those that we most likely wouldn't have purchased (kohlrabi, garlic scapes, tomatillos, bok choy and rutabagas).

This past weekend the family who owns and runs the farm where our vegetables are grown had a potluck dinner on the farm for all of the share holders. Even though the temperature was only in the upper forties, we had a super time! The afternoon started with real popcorn where kids were shelling dried corn on the cob and then popping it. That is awesome popcorn (even without butter and salt!!). Next came a walking tour of the farm and fields. My families' favorite part was picking (or trying to!) carrots and selecting pumpkins off of the vines (my happy, snappy camera batteries died after my carrot photos!).

Mean Mommy taking a pic of my dear O as she went flying onto her bottom when the carrot green broke with the carrot still in the ground!

Finally, there was the dinner. Each family was asked to prepare a dish to pass that included vegetables from their share. I made potato and fennel au gratin using fresh Yukon Gold potatoes, fresh fennel, and fresh garlic (along with gruyere cheese, half & half cream, and salt & pepper). The most creative dish was named Secret Chocolate Cake and it was made with beets!

After an afternoon in the cool, fresh air and a delicious dinner we headed home. It was no surprise to me that we all slept very well Sunday night!

1, 2, 3 Pinch Sniff

Oh, my silly girls. Today we had an appointment for A&O's seasonal flu vaccine and they were so excited! They spent yesterday giving shots to their stuffed bears and babies, "1, 2, 3 Pinch!," the same way Blue gets her shot in the Blue's Clues book.

So we get to the doctor's office, take left arms out of sleeves, are all ready and the nurse walks in with the nasal mist flu vaccine! I seriously thought I was going to see tears because there were no needles! I quickly distracted their feelings of disappointment with Googly Grape flavored Lollipops and we headed home. Perhaps a band aid each to play with will help, too!

I knew this was coming

Ever since A&O started preschool I've been hanging multiple works of art much more frequently. We've got paintings in the playroom, living room and kitchen, and collages in the dining room. I spied some sculptures drying on a shelf at 'school' yesterday when I picked the girls up. Where to put those when they make their way home?! I either need more wall and storage space or to be less sentimental. What the heck does a Mommy do with all of these Masterpieces?!? At this point I'm displaying each work for a week or two, then taking photos of them before taking them down and hiding most in the bottom of the recycling bin. But... some just tug at my heartstrings (those little hand prints!) and then those go into the growing pile on the floor in the guestroom. Maybe at the end of the year I'll weed through the pile and save a couple of pieces for each girl.



Did your parents save any of your artwork from when you were a child? If so, what did you do with it? If not, do you wish they had?

Another Year Wiser

Yep, I had a birthday this week!

On my Birthday Eve I had to leave the house for a while so Kevin and the girls could bake some special cupcakes and wrap presents. When I returned home my little ones looked like they were about to turn inside out with excitement over the Birthday secrets they held. I awoke on my Big Day to hugs, kisses, a handmade card and presents wrapped with love (A&O hid the gifts under their beds so they would be easy to get to in the morning~ they were thrilled!) and the rest of the day was just as perfect. I am truly blessed.