On Not Going Mad

The poor little muggins is certainly better than she was a few days ago (no more lavender smudges under her eyes) but she's still not completely well. She tries to be cheerful and play, but she still gets tired quickly, and the runny nose and cough are hanging on. One significant mercy is that we did all get to sleep though the night last night. Now we are to that stage of illness where you're just waiting for things to wrap up enough to get back into normal routines.


I do believe sick weeks are one of the hardest parts of being a mom. This is where you feel the most cut off from the world, and you run out of fresh things to think about. Most of the activities you would usually do to combat boredom are out of the question due to the germs and the sad state of your child. No friends to visit (or be visited) no shopping or classes or playgroups. Then there's the guilt for feeling bored when your little one is feeling so poorly. Grum, grum, grum. Enough!

Anyway, here is my plan to combat the cobwebs:


1. Turn on National Public Radio (for a little mental stimulation)
2. Scrub house (as much as baby will allow)
3. Take baby for a walk (the doc did say cool moist air is good)
4. Cook something interesting (again if baby will allow)
5. Give self and baby permission to break the TV ban on sick days (just a little!)
6. Read and write as much as possible while baby sleeps
7. Reward self for surviving another day by getting drive-up coffee

All Night Long

The night of the ER visit we came home and Charlotte went down very easily since she was so exhausted by all the comotion.  Unfortunately last night was not so simple.  She went down just fine, but she didn't sleep very well due to the croup symptoms.  She was restless so she wiggled out of her blankets, but then when we went in to cover her she would wake up.  I actually got her to lay down with us for a while (which she normally won't do), but it did not last.  Over all it was a very disurbed night, and we are all creaky and tired this morning.  We'll just zombie our way to naptime, and I may have to join her.

Bubbies Pickles

Summer weather has finally arrived (for now!) and this means cook-outs in the yard.  It was so warm and sunny the other day that we could actually sit outside without our fleeces!  We enjoyed veggie dogs, grilled red peppers, and mushrooms, that my husband cooked on the bbq.  As a side I made some classic potato salad.  Of course I used my secret weapon: Bubbies pickles.  I have been a fan of these pickles for many years now.   

May I just say (without any financial incentive whatsoever) that I LOVE Bubbies pickles?  They are real fermented Kosher dill pickles without any nasty artificial colors or flavors.  Sour, spicy, and just he right amount of salty these pickles are so good that you want to eat them on their own (and I sometimes do.)  My brother and I used to argue over which pickles to buy (Mom let us choose) and I always picked these.  If you've never tried them, you must get yourself a jar.

First ER Visit

It seems that we just can't catch a break when it comes to illness. Only one week after conquering the nasty tummy bug, it seems that a virus has come to call. Last night we had to take our poor little girl to the ER because she was not breathing well. When she coughed it sounded just like the barking of a seal. Not a nice sound to get through the baby monitor! M was working late, but I called him to come home, and we took her in just after mid-night.


The doctor and nurses were very nice to us, and we did get to go straight in with no waiting, but Baby was not happy. First, where are we? Second, what are these strange people doing with all their poking and prodding? Third, why did somebody just stick my toe, and what is that thing now attached? Last, but most important, what are we doing up in the middle of the night? The only bright spot, as far as she was concerned, was the new teddy the nurse gave her.

After getting the croup diagnosis, and the reassurance that it was not the end of the world, we were released. Now it was time to hit the all-night drive-through pharmacy. I feel for the poor lady who has to do that job, but we were glad to see her. The only hitch was that there were five orders in ahead of ours, so we had to go drive around (if you drive, the baby sleeps) for half an hour. M took us on a scenic tour of the area, and then we were back again to get our meds.

You might think that by the time we got home at 2:30am the adventure would be over but no. We still had to convince the baby to eat something so she could take her prescription before going back to sleep. Luckily she loves toast, so there we were sitting around the table, bleary-eyed and exhausted, eating toast with almond butter. We did get lucky in that the baby enjoyed the taste of the liquid meds, so it was easy to get her to take the dose. Finally we all headed upstairs to get some rest.

Everybody slept well, but it did make for a very short night. I think the adults got about four hours of sleep, and the baby made do with maybe nine (she usually prefers eleven). I am happy to say that she does seem better today, and she is actually managing to catch up a little on her sleep. Let's just hope the seal decides to vacate our house sometime in the very near future.

Work?

Hmmm I got a most cryptic email from my principal the other day. I'd emailed him a few weeks ago to ask if he knew anything about my working (part-time) back at my old school next year, and he responded that nobody knew anything yet because there was no state budget as yet. However, he said, he did not think there would be a place for me. Fine, I thought, I wasn't sure I wanted to go back anyway, so that makes the decision really easy if there isn't a job. In fact, I'd gone through a bit of letting go, and began planning stay-at-home-mom things for next year. Then, just a couple of days ago, I got another email from him saying that the state budget was done, and he would know his own numbers by this coming week. He promised to let me know by then. Now this could mean that he's just being polite and keeping me in the loop. However, he's not usually that thoughtful. Hmmm and hmmm again.

Baby Vs. Snail

Over the long weekend, we were able to spend quite a bit of time in the back yard with the baby. She loves to toddle around out there admiring the flowers and picking up pebbles. We always point out the birds (mostly crows), squirrels, bunnies (if we're lucky), and other fascinating creatures who inhabit the yard, and she waves and babbles madly when she does see one. I was very excited to point out a beautiful stripey snail who was making his stately way through the grass. Without so much as a smile or a nod at the snail, the baby swooped in and grabbed him out of my hand. Then she came within an inch of popping him right into her mouth before I recovered enough to snatch him back. I chalk this up to latent tendencies inherited from her French grandmother.

English Breakfast

Over the holiday weekend we had the chance to make what we call English Breakfast.  Now probably many an English person would tell me that I've been smoking something (I NEVER smoke things!) because it's nothing like what they're mom used to make.  However, this is what we do based on meals my brother had when he was working over there:

-Fried eggs cooked to taste (I like mine over-hard so I can share with the baby)
-Tomatoes split and cooked for a minute or two on the frying pan cut side down
-Mushrooms sauteed with garlic
-Veggie bacon (we love Morningstar Farms) done on the cast iron skillet
-Asparagus done on the skillet after the bacon
-Baked beans
-Toast

I know it sounds like a lot, but since so much of it is veggie, it doesn't feel quite so heavy.  Also, we try to avoid using butter to keep things a little healthier.  Most importantly it tastes fabulous, and it's the perfect basis for a hike or a day of gardening.