Lions, Tigers, and Dogs (NO bears)... Oh My

Last night as part of Bill's 35th birthday week we went to the Ringling Brothers Circus. A friend was buying a pack of tickets at the crazy low price of 11.00 each with no service charge. After missing the monster truck rally, we opted that this would be a fun thing to do as a family. Unfortunately it has been a totally crappy day for the adults, even with it being Bill's birthday so it was nice to get out.

We stopped at Chargrill and picked up dinner on the way over. Ben fell asleep in the car on the way to the opted to drive over to the arena for really close parking since it was windy and cold, eat while he slept and then go in for the pre-show of animals and circus amusements on the main floor. Mom of course in true Hendricks style smuggled in the rest of Ben's dinner and snacks/drinks.

Ben loved the animals best and got a snow cone in a white tiger cup as his carefully selected souvenir. We had great seats to see all the action up close without being too close to smell the animals. After the elephant pooping at the zoo ongoing dialogue all weekend, Ben of course was disappointed when the elephants all came out tail to snout, did a bunch of tricks, and weren't pooping.

As good as it all was, I still can't say it was Disney Stunt Show Man Catching on Fire Good. Even the ladies being shot out of a cannon didn't do it for me. So I have pledged that when the Monster Truck show is back in town on the "Confederate Summer World Tour" I am going to be there!

Happy 35 Billy Earl the Pro Bowler!

Happy Birthday Bill! Hope you loved your suprise. Here's the 35 more years you bought yourself with all the life changes in the past year.

I AM SO SERIOULSY PROUD OF YOU! If Hallmark made a card for those of the small-furry animal love + WoW addict + I think your prediction for the ending of LOST is frightingly scary I would buy them out.

Love you and also hope your new drivers license doesn't channel the inner Serial Killer like mine does until 2018!.

h

Ben's New Room!

As part of Bill's 35th Birthday week celebration, Baby V 2.0 made a little delivery last night. Ben after his bath a helicopter from the baby inviting him to fly with to a new big boy room. Ben continued to believe it was daddy's room and wasn't quite sure until be began to check out the bins of leggos, books in the red/black fabric drawers, examined the new dresser to find his clothes, and did I mention the zoo of animals stuffed in every crevice of the room?

The only thing left to do it to permanently attach a power cord to the molding and to finish painting a chair to go with the leggo table. What I love more than anything outside of the furniture from IKEA that I think looks great, is the wall decor including two prints I picked up at the consignment sale as well as the CARS themed wall stickers. Bill hung all these this past weekend and they really pull the room together!

Ben actually wanted to get in the bed and not play with all the toys although we let him have the helicopter with a 30 min limit. When we went to check on him this is how we found him. The Little Project that Could a complete and utter success, and Ben asked if daddy would sleep upstairs just after he asked if the new baby could sleep in the bed with him. SWEET!

Let's play, Who Does That Child Belong To?

Overall good trip to SC to see and help with my mom. It took an extra couple of hours to get down on Friday night due to Friday traffic in Charlotte but luckily the DVD gods were smiling on us. I am almost finished with my book club audiobook thanks to the drive. Mom seemed super pleased at the lot of frozen meals and in typical style I made her a list for her fridge.

The weather beautiful so after taking her to dialysis on Sat am I headed to the Grenville Zoo and the park across the street. On zoo standards this was perfect, they have all the major animals kids want to see (elephants, lions, giraffes) but you can do the whole thing in about 1.5 hours, unlike the NC Zoo that it literally a whole day event. Negative thing is it is built into the side of a hill so lots of walking. Ben's favorite thing was watching an elephant pee/poop that he told anyone about for the rest of the weekend.

We then headed across the street at the Cleveland park for a picnic lunch and played for another 2 hours on a super awesome playground. Just as we were leaving an ice cream truck pulled up so you know we had to stop and then sit along the nearby creek eating and talking (again about the pooping elephant).

On the way home I stopped at Micheals to pick up flowers to make a new arrangement for my dad's grave at the request of my mom. While we were looking for flowers, Ben suddenly appeared with this decorative hat and yes, my child holding two crosses as guns. I should have been mortified, but instead I was snapping pictures and laughing.

Nice birthday dinner for my brother and I fell asleep watching the Olympics with my mom who of course has watched about a zillion hours including all the feel good People Magazine-esque specials about the athletes.

I was able to catch up with my old friend on the way home whom I have not seen since Ben was a baby and when I got home about 8 last night, Bill had totally finished EVERYTHING for Ben's new room. I can't wait to post pics of the finished product. The CARS wall decorations look great! I have to admit while I am ready for Ben to move after all the work it also makes me a bit sad to think of him never to sleep in his nursery again. I think the helicopter is going to make a visit by end of week with the message from the baby that his new room is ready. Ben is convinced when you ask him that it's daddy's bedroom and that he sleeps in the Lighting McQueen bed!

Finished For Friday!

Can you say at one point I had almost 40 things between my home and work to do lists. Carrying over tasks on both but wow I am crazy tired. Some highlights since the blog has been neglected over the week.

Work- Meetings, tons of stuff dealing with NHS upcoming new member drive including a Chick Filet night, add to it that my committee of NHS teachers to help read the incomoing over 100 applications for new membership was dissolved with a reorg and I lost my co-chair- ahhh... busy.

Also I'm taking an online class in preparation to try to teach online this summer so homework assignments to post and readings to annotate, in the middle of a grading quagmire before progress reports and parent contacts due next week. Did I mention that I don't yet have a long term sub? Getting kinda panicky at this point and determined to NOT be at school posting grades while in the early stages of labor like with Ben.

Home- took off Wed to visit the only Montessori Elementary school (has a Pre-K program that is the easier way into the school than trying for K), Dr appointments, cleaning, laundry, usual house stuff, went to the DMV after being told at the bank my license was expired by a month...oops! Finished a great book and started another. Took Ben to the Dr after multiple days of a cold getting worse. Early bronchitis in both lungs and and ear infection. Antibiotics already have cut this one off at the pass thankfully.

By far the biggest accomplishment was finishing 23 meals that are going to my mom later this afternoon. Since this is the FIRST weekend in almost a month that no bad weather is forcasted Ben and I are packing it out of here for the drive down to see my mom one last time before Baby V arrives. I had tried to talk her into having Brian meet up half-way in Charlotte but this was the final plan. I know she is excited to see Ben for a visit as well as hold a belated Vday birthday party for my brother that she has planned for him. Should be there by 9-10 pm tonight.

Best part is that a long time friend that my in my wedding is actually in town for the first time in almost 4 years at the same time I am so we are getting together over the weekend while mom is at dialysis.

Wishing myself safe travel as in typical fashion it was another late night. No picture today as the best I could come up with was my cut hand that wouldn't stop bleeding leading to a conversation involving the phrase, "I would rather sleep that sit at the hospital waiting for them to charge me $500.00 for a compression bandage." Plus I would miss out on my 5.5 hours I might get at this point"

Yep... it's been a busy week-

Dear Ayelet, do I Qualify to Be in the Cool Club?

I have been meaning to write up my praise for Ayelet's Waldman's book Bad Mother since I read it back in December. Oh well, somehow trips to see family, teaching amidst more policy changes, potty training fun, and being increasingly exhausted from being 3rd trimester prego has gotten the best of me.

After reading Beth's honest account today that after a week of SAHM time due to the DC snow I had to say out loud, Amen Sister!

I immediately thought of Ayelet's book and how many times I found myself saying while reading, I agree and glad someone else called it on making "pre Betty Friedan choices in a Post Friedan universe." Her account both from her own life as well as that of her circle of friends about the choice to stay home or making serious professional compromises often times left her/them with a corrosive sense of disappointment.

This is a must read for both working/at home families as her insights are timely and made me question with another child on the way what do I really want the next year to look like with a 4 year old on the cusp of his k-12 adventure and a new baby and all that new responsibility. Her writing is funny, heart-breaking, and left me wanting to hang out in her cool club of friends, or maybe just invite her over to meet mine.

Her Spring 2009 Fresh air interview was the whole reason I heard of this book is a nice introduction to her past work and the catalyst of why this book evolved.

As the birth of this much wanted 2nd child nears I keep her words tucked away, "there are times as a parent that you realize that your job is not to be the parent you imagined you'd be, or the one you always wished you had, but to parent your child to their needs given the particulars of his or her own life.... and with any luck your child in their innateness will help lead you to focusing on all that really matters."

Well put as my daily mantra is just wanting to be a good mom whose children always know they are loved unconditionally and were wanted beyond reason.

Of Bunnies, Chocolate, and LEGOS!!!

BIG, HUGE congrats to the Hunter family of Wilmington, NC. The weekend brought a rarity to the beach along with the Valentines weekend birth of their 6 lb twin boys!! I can't wait to meet Max and Leo and give my congrats to supermom and longtime friend Laura.

Eventful weekend filled with more SNOW! By DC standards this didn't even count as it was almost gone by Sat afternoon. Soccer was cancelled Sat so we headed over to a friend's Vday party for preschoolers. It was good to catch up with some moms I hadn't seen and to let Ben have fun/Bill a chance to hit the gym after a very busy first week at a new, permanent job :-)

Sat night we double-dated with friends to a trendy, downtown restaurant and then tickets to see Bill Maher which was being taped live for a 10 pm HBO broadcast. One of the few jokes of the night I can still remember, "Obama taking office was like being the maid after Led Zeppelin trashed the suite." Great show and night out for adult fun.

Sunday we ventured out to the mall to Build-A-Bear for Ben to pick out a stuffed animal to give the baby at the birth. I totally underestimated the droves of people who would also be there buying VDay swag. We limited Ben's options to a bunny, bear, or puppy as A Jonas Brothers bear was just not happing. We got him to record the message, "I love you baby" as well as his melt your heart laugh. While I stood in line Bill took him over the Leggo store to pick out a potty present. For all the Duplo bricks we have he has starting gravitating to the smaller, regular Leggos so we let him fill up a cup and bought a large board that we are going to permanently attach to a Ikea table in his room for own Leggo table. Bill took the opportunity to find one of many boxes of his own Leggos to start to share with him. This was the status of my dining room table at 6am. Bill apparently cleaned all of them after I went to bed. The plan is to let Ben have a few more with every week of successful potty progress.

Busy week ahead including a visit to a the only Montessori elementary school in the district that has a Pre-K program on Wed. No real plans to move him but in light of all the potential upheaval the our school system I want to see firsthand if pursuing this option for 2011 school year is even worth it. Add to it an attempt to drive to SC with Ben should the weekend be free of bad weather, it's going to be a busy week.

Phone Friday- Are you Dancin' the VD Polka?

Don't ask, it's a long, long story from college years but needless to say I am NOT a touchy-feely gotta have flowers on this ONE day kinda gal. In fact I once told Bill if he DID ever succumb to this Hallmark-inspired day and pay at 200% mark-up then I would personally kick his ass.

So as of Wed Ben's school sent late word out that the hippie school was going to recognize VDay with the kids. We were invited to make "healthy snacks" and bring valentines to exchange. I made 2 batches of cupcakes and totally screwed up the icing so they got pink-colored sweetened condensed milk thinned out with a butt-load of M&Ms on top to cover up the nastiness of the "icing". So what, it's pink and sweet. The school hosted this afternoon a big tent with items to buy for your partner and I kid you not it was all handmade windcatchers and goddess statues.Still waiting on that hemp bag!

For his teachers I made a separate batch of cookies and divided them between his teachers and a note thanking them for loving him and for all their help in the poop dept. While this may not convey a traditional "I love you", he has made real progress and I can't take credit.

Being of the crafty or want to be crafty and live in some type of Martha Stewart dream world I made special valentines using a recent fav picture and this hot pink monkey paper. I mailed them using some of my mom's greatest hits of postage I need to add stamps. The rest of the class is getting Scooby-Scooby cheapo cards bought yesterday at the grocery and addressed while I waited for NO parents so show up last night at Open House. Hey, it's 2nd semester and kinda pointless to come again for the same dog and pony show. Why don't I ever remember my parents ever saying, "gotta go make that meeting and meet all your teachers."

Ben and I also made a Valentines Day House out of a clean Chinese take out box. I have to admit I thought of this idea on my own while at Pei Wei last weekend and he loved helping with all the stickers, including many he put on his body.

On the adult front Bill and I bought tickets to see Bill Maher back in October and have great seats. We are double-dating with our friends Matt and Chrissy for sushi downtown before the show. SCORE for an adult evening out with old friends and to have a babysitter.

Vday is the MOST overrated holiday unless you fall into one of two categories.

1: 9th grader professing their love in explicit detail using words only the young understand. I confiscated undoubtedly the nastiest note ever written by the pregnancy-test scare crowd yesterday in class.

2. Single-folk that think that all those in relationships are having wild sex on this obligatory day of love doing said things from that note. Hint, Hint... sleeping in Sunday morning is more likely a plan for more than want to admit. As far as flowers, Bill knows surprising me on some totally random day is a better bet.

How to Spend $350.00 For the Rest of My Childbearing Years

Last week we got a letter from our fertility clinic asking us to fill out paperwork about what our 2010 plans were for our 3 remaining frozen embryos. Among the pages of consent forms was a bill for an annual storage fee of $350.00. Funny that when I finally got around to contacting the clinic yesterday about the $500.00 that we paid back at the end of the cycle in July thinking it bought a full calendar year of cryopreservation, I was told, nope everyone pays the same annual fee even if you did IVF on Dec 31st! Insane!!!

As we STILL have insurance paperwork to fill out to file for the remainder of any benefit left before the deadline I added this to the growing pile of pre-baby To-dos. Luckily about a week before Christmas our 1st claim, the one same one that been in some state of processing or denial since July, finally paid out as much as allowed.

But back to babies on ice. It's not like we hadn't thought about what to do with any extras that we didn't choose to implant. In fact in all our IVF paperwork there were pages, yes pages of legally binding agreements as to who would take possession if we divorced or in the event of our death of said potential babies. The decision about what to implant was almost as big as the decision to DO IVF in the first place. I have a real problem with any clinic that encourages high number transfers just for the sake of keeping pregnancy stats up compromising patient and fetus health. NC Octomom I didn't want to be!

The initial cycle produced 24 eggs, 17 fertilized, and 5 were of quality to keep. Of those we put 2 back with 3 in the freezer as our insurance policy if I didn't carry this pg to term. At the time we naturally thought we would be nuts to not keep them. After all after going through a process much more involved that we ever realized seemed stupid not to keep them. But this begs the question of what to do with them long term.

What if we wanted another child, would we risk multiples and put back all 3, would we try naturally or go in with part of the work already done. I also have to throw in that while easier that the innital cycle, subsequqent FET cycles involve more shots, more invasive procedures and of course more money.

I don't have a moral issue if at some point we discarded the embryoes or donated them for research. We would of course have alot of discussion if and when that time ever come and as much as I think 2 kids and we are finished, I don't want to close a door.

So in the end I let the clinic know a check was in the mail. This was not a decision about money, as the amount is insignificant in comparison to the emotional toll that IVF involves. Instead it's about keeping choices on the table for the future, whatever that future looks like for us in one year but more likely the next five.

What Happens When NPR and People Magazine Go Binge Drinking

Who won the Superbowl? I profess that while 99% of Americans were facedown in a plate of nachos watching the annual match up, Bill and I were watching the season premier of Lost. It was so good and they better make a flow chart to explain since I'm sure I will be in stupid tired-sleep deprived mode come the May finale. One of the many reasons we are married to each other is that neither of us watch/follow any sport or team. I'll be in the bathroom while that category is up for trivia, ok.

So the major highlight of my weekend and so far this year has been seeing Ira Glass of This American Life fame Sat night. LauraC and I had 2nd row seats directly in front of him. Like we were so close if either of us had wanted to rush the stage (bets were on her in her much more fit condition) we could have before Security could catch us. This American Life is kinda like all those touchy-feely human interest stories in People Magazine that you skip because you really want to look at the worst dressed at the Oscars mets up with PBS Frontline's wish you would turn off American Idol on Tuesday nights to learn something educational and empowering.

I loved that he started it in the dark, talking about what radio conveys. I probably could have listened to the whole show in the dark, but then we WERE on the freakin' 2nd row. For a large chunk of the performance he talked about how the show is put together, how stories are selected, and how you never know how the theme is going to get carried out just given the few words in a title. This last aspect is what keeps me coming back.

Growing up in SC, NPR was as foreign as Catholics. To this day once I drive past Charlotte getting any reception is often difficult as the only station in the area is fighting for channel space among the many country stations and not surprisingly the tons of local gospel and religious stations. Let's face it folks since there are only 8 liberals in the whole state, they might as well give the farm report a more powerful wattage.

Attending school in Alabama it was the same song again just add Bama football radio on multiple stations. The only exceptions in this non-iPod world was that at the start of the hour the local classical station would carry 10 mins of NPR news.

When we moved to the Triangle area I temped for UNC hospitial in the Pediatric Genetics Dept where NPR seems to always be on with the knob ripped off. The 6 months I was there and then the next 18 months of Grad school NPR became my friend on my commute. Add to it that once teaching became ground zero for lots of work each weekend I added favorite shows to help pass the hours of prep work. I now use it as my "stay out of the kitchen, I'm cooking freeze ahead stuff" every Sat from noon-2pm and if I miss a show I almost always go back and listen to it during the week.

I loved Laura's suggestion of going back to the beginning to listen to some of the older shows that I missed. Sounds like a plan on housebound baby days to keep me connected to the outside world and yes I an getting the new iphone app for traveling.

Back to the show, it reminded me how much this little part of my week is something I really look forward to. Hearing how and why it evolved as well as that Ira Glass came off exactly as he does weekly as able to ask you any mundane story about your life but somehow be able to fit it into some bigger life story we are all playing out was exactly why I tune in week after week. Personally the fall '09 episode How to Rest in Peace was stop in my tracks (for me stop cooking and sit and listen) it was that good. I would say the same of the 2nd season of the TV show version on Showtime called Escape. As well as older episode from 2004 Two Steps Back that totally caputures how I feel about teaching.

I also really appreciate that while most weeks feature topics that reflect average daily stories, that the show has also attempted to educate. When I used the Giant Pool of Money show in class with AP Gov, the Planet Money team helped make the boring and complicated story of how credit default swaps were the catalyst for the economic meltdown. Further after months of beating the regulatory function of Federal Gov into them, this story helped them put it together.

What a great evening to not only catch up on trips, kids, and life with my friend but also to see an amazing show on the 2nd row!

Phone Photo Friday- Johnny Knoxville's Long Lost Twin

We have been working on a different strategy in the potty training world. All of this came about a couple of weeks ago when at bath time one night Ben mentioned that his teacher said, "Ben if you keep pooping on yourself then you are going to have to go the Toddler House." Wondering if this was true I asked more questions and followed up with an email over the weekend to his teacher, decided to play it out by talking about how sad he would be if he had to miss all the fun things in his class, playing on the playground, seeing his teachers and friends if he had to walk over to the "babies."

Ben had an immediate push back reaction and told me "I not talking to you mommy"
His teacher emailed me back to say that it was true that she was curious what our thoughts would be on trying a new approach of if he pooped on himself, taking him to the Toddler House (which is a seperate building) changing him into a diaper. Full steam ahead and I told her how we had played it out emphasising staying with our friends/teachers and not the babies over the weekend and got a poop on the potty to much surprise and celebration.

Over the snowed in weekend, we got 3 more and teo more at school to follow. Ben pooped again before they even got to school for Bill. Seriously folks, this is HUGE news after almost 15 months of trying for any progress on pooping. After the poop in the tub earlier this week, the sharpie on the face and couch, and being housebound I needed some good news.

Last night he got to wear and also sleep in his dancing pants. These pants are the apitame of why 3 year olds still need help getting dressed. Complete with fringe and wagon wheels they have been christened "dancin' pants" only to be worn after a poop in the potty. Add to it the stamps on the belly from soccer practice and some dancing that involved Ben asking repeatley for me to take pictures of his hiney, it was the best night of the week.

Best part of this whole story is the degree of male hormone-infused pride Ben seems to have about pooping. Every conversation seems to involves someone's hiney, calling things with the word hiney attached...aka the other day "Hiney Waffle House." Don't ask how he knows the name. We are trying to curb calling anyone the Preschool version of profanity of calling people poopy-hineys or poopy-head . The idea that this much emphasis on pooping has to mean that we are somewhere near progress, even a tiny baby step. Right???

It's either that or I am raising the preschool version of the leader of Jackass. Why can I so see my sweet son who can't sleep unless his hand is crammed down his pants as a 15 year old talking about how shooting someone in the balls with a taser would be television-worthy.

Wait for it....Do You Hear it?

If you listen very closely you can hear the sound of my spring break melting away with the remaining snow on my deck. In a decision that only my mom would make for short sightedness, we are closed again today. Yep... we now officially are losing Spring Break and have NO workdays for the entire rest of the spring semester. Want to see fun, come visit any classroom where the kids literally gave up every day to be out so that they didn't have to walk on a flake of snow to get into the school.

Last night on our local news between the main story of low turnout on a online survey as to reverse a bunch of year round schools was the story about missing spring break due to now not roads but that there was snow in the parking lots. Should I whip out my, "back in the day we had to walk to school in the snow barefoot story" or is more of a matter of if another district closes then we must too. Given there are rural parts of the county that I'm sure are icy at 6 am when kids start loading buses is part of the logic, but by 9 am I think 95% of students could make it.

News flash... as a parent you have options including driving your kid to school instead of using the bus, not living on a dirt road 20 miles from civilization and still expecting bus service to your door, or tell your kid to suck it up.

As far as days I am now officially working without pay for my maternity leave. Ben's school is closed for break from March 26th-April 5th for which if we go to school those days giving up break then I have to take them unpaid as paying for a sitter seems stupid at already 39 weeks prego.

After posting final grades in labor no less on the day Ben was born I will not, repeat not be at school until the bitter end. My kids were totally freaked out that everywhere I went I took a towel that last week working. The catch is that under state law that governs state employees, I cannot take one day of paid (with my sick days with a sub deduction no less once I exhaust a specific number of days) leave until the birth of the child, unless I have some valid reason to be out under a documented doctors care. I jokingly said something last visit and got a nice, " oh you are going to be fine... aka don't ask for something fraudulent glare."

So we will see, so much is in the air with coming back, what can we afford for me to take off, can I really stay at home and not go insane, what to do about Ben and Kindergarten options since this may dictate where I try to go back and teach. Much to think about and decide. For today I a focusing on getting the house cleaned, making food to take with me to SC on Friday for what I hope will be my final SC run given my mom just came home from rehab hospital, and getting caught on on what seems endless laundry.

Who knows if we will be back tomorrow. At this point I may need to just summarize the ratification of the Constitution, as "it happened folks, and was kinda important."

Take a Hint Ben, the Baby is Kicking You Out!

Ben is much better with no puking since Sunday night and since his school is open today on a late schedule, he's there and I'm at school getting caught up in prep for tomorrow. We got out yesterday for dinner, Target, and Lowes runs and are almost, almost finished with his new room. I feel almost like this has been a parallel pregnancy in the making the room habitable for someone 2-legged instead of 4-legged.

Just to recap the process:

Added extra insulation last summer to help regulate temperature. Previous owners were home improvement enthusiasts in name only.
Put the aged, incontinent cats down
Massive clean out of the bonus/cat room and attic in prep to pull up carpet
All house carpet rip up, removal over Thanksgiving
Consult with a contractor replacing floorboards due to cat urine damage
Decision to do it ourselves armed with a charcoal, bleach, and a gallon of Kiz
Carpet replacement by Lowes
Marathon trip to Ikea for new bedroom furniture purchase on Christmas Eve morning
Assembly of furniture over New Years weekend
2nd trip to Ikea on trip to SC for returns and additional items
Slow progression of sorting, moving toys, books, and the farm of stuffed animals
Found a Cars Themed sheet/comforter on a big White sale
Found Framed Cars and Firetruck wall art at the Kids Exchange Sale for 30.00 bucks!
Remainder of room items bought at Target yesterday


What's left- Add large Cars themed wall stickers, brace the shelves under the white toy storage bins, add finger guards to the toy box in the window seat, move out Bill's final boxes, DVDs, lava lamp. Bring over all clothes for dresser and for the 2 under storage boxes.

Final task- Attached a note to the helicopter I bought at the sale from the Baby to Ben telling him that his big boy room is ready for him and leave sans "tooth fairy style" for him on the night before we plan the move.

I Don't Hear the Opening Music to the Shining....Yet..

We are on Day 3 of being housebound with the snow. Add to that a sick child and I am a little stir crazy. As predicted Friday night into Sat we got about 5 inches of snow covered with a sheet of sleet. Day 1 saw sledding, playing outside in the snow with daddy, yummy food made by mommy, watching tv, creating a baby supplies closet and unloading my Friday afternoon diaper bonanza.

Leave it to me to remember that my $75 in coupons to BJs expiring over the weekend on the same day of bread and milk craziness. That's right, I piled Ben in the cart, stopped for popcorn bribery, ran into an old teaching friend, and for the next 2 hours stocked up. Guess what I didn't get and we ran out of over the weekend... bread and milk!

Day 2- The day started great with sparkle pancakes but after lunch, and 5 pukes later we were dealing with a 24 hour stomach virus. Mommy spent much of the day washing clothes, doing housework, sleeping, and reading between cleaning up, including my new carpet :-( We did play some championship Hungry, Hungry Hippos, worked on new puzzles, and played with a new leggo truck.

Day 3- School is closed today, which means any more days that we miss I will have to take as unpaid leave as it comes off of Spring break. I am scheduled to start maternity leave on March 26th and am really trying to avoid having to post grades at school in labor like last time. Not to sound ungrateful for the day off, given I would have had to taken it as a sick day anyway, but really ready to be back to normal. I don't think I was born with the "do nothing" gene and need my daily schedule to feel like something gets accomplished.

The plan today is to finish all laundry, continue to work on Ben's new room, maybe hit the grocery, work on the freeze ahead blog with a few more entries, and maybe make a couple of freeze ahead items for my next weekend run to SC.

Ben seems much better but is taking it easy on the couch watching the zillionth episode of Max and Ruby, but we again are housebound. I may, may, may go to the grocery later today if he is up to being out and the roads are less icy. Something tells me walking on swollen feet, slepping a sick child after wrecking my car doesn't sound like fun either.