Nan’s birthday

October 23, 2014 | Stacy

I haven’t had a chance to upload my real camera. But we celebrated Nan’s birthday twice this year. Her sisters, my Aunt Betty & Aunt Jackie joined us for dinner on the 23rd.

Poor Johanna didn’t like the cake.
Can you imagine what it is like to be four and to see what looks like an amazing princessy cake (it had sprinkles) and then to find out there are CARROTS in the CAKE? And CHEESE in the FROSTING?

Flu shot field trip…

October 20, 2014 | Stacy

Some of my bloggy friends might remember when we had H1N1 in 2009. It was horrible.
H.O.R.R.I.B.L.E.
That was the year that H1N1 strain was a separate immunization

I also had influenza A in 2008.
Just. So. Sick.
Praise God the kids did not have that bout. They had had their shots that year. I, somehow, kept missing the clinics at work and didn’t make it a priority.

Now… I walk over glass to get mine.

I hate all the lies that fly around about the “flu shot”.
I want to shake people who just think it is a stomach bug.
Or people who angrily contend they got the flu from the shot. (Not. Even. Possible.)

If you don’t want it, that’s fine. But don’t demonize those of us who know what it is like to hurry your asthmatic son to Urgent Care as his routine meds make no differences. Or how we remember shaking in bed with rigors and a temperature of 103.6 at 10 weeks pregnant and worry about what that fever is doing to your baby. (She’s fine, by God’s great mercy.) Or what it is like to see your 3-year-old soar past 104 and every medication in your arsenal can’t bring it down. Or watching your limp 7 year old fall languish on the sofa and have repeat visits to the pediatrician until she swabs him and confirms we are part of a pandemic.

Immunizations are not the enemy. The Enemy is the enemy. And he loves to see people bicker and argue. And for sure he likes to see them sick.

These disciples will do what they can to avoid the flu.

Even princesses endorse. 😉

Mommy Dates – Part Deux

October 19, 2014 | Stacy

Nigel was next up for a Mommy Date. We stopped by the mall and visited Collector’s Paradise to look at the sporting memorabilia. From there we looked for somewhere to eat. We thought we might like to try Five Guys, a burger shop we’d heard about. Two steps in the door and my brain started to process what all those cardboard boxes with allergy warnings were… boxes FULL of PEANUTS. He picked up on it just as quickly as I, and we slowly backed out the door. We rubbed our shoes on the ground as we headed back to the car. Our appetites would not have been very good as we worried about what peanut dust we might wear back into our house…

He then chose T.G.I.F. I hadn’t eaten in one in close to 20 years. While we had a nice meal, I didn’t think the place was anything special. What WAS special was getting to visit with my 12-year-old son. Oh – his words just revealed a joyfulness in his heart that I often don’t see while doing language arts or mathematics. It was grand to have that talking time.

Two days later, I had to take the boys to Henrietta to meet their Spanish teacher at the library. While they were doing their class I took Johanna to Target for our Mommy Date. Imagine her glee as I did not rush her through the toy aisles! She was able to linger on each of the pink rows, touching, studying, and, um, yeah, desiring every princess and dolly and animal they had to sell. She chose to wear her Easter dress, which she called her Aurora dress. But she couldn’t find her sandals, and thus donned her sneakers. I kept calling her Sneaker Princess. She kept correcting me.

Before we left the house, I had told her we could get a slushie and some popcorn. Yet, as we were waiting there I saw these rice cereal treats on a stick. Covered with chocolate. And sprinkles. Offering her one of those yielded a gasp of elation I hope to remember forever. She pointed out I had said popcorn, too. OK. I have to eat something anyway, right?

I’m not one to avoid sugar…

You won’t see any photos from a date with Stewart. See – DADDY got to take him out Thursday. They went to the optometrist and then to Olive Garden. And then Friendly’s. But they don’t think like bloggers and we have no pictures to share. Hmmmm.

Mommy Dates

October 11, 2014 | Stacy

I was blessed this week to have not one, but TWO “Mommy Dates”. What’s a Mommy Date? A special block of time set aside for one of my beautiful children to spend some out-and-alone-time with their very honored Mama.

Mommy Dates are very important to me. I get to spend all day every day with my dear children. However, much (MUCH) of our time together is highly structured and school-focused. We also operate with a pretty detailed chore chart. And, frankly, the kids have a lot of responsibility in keeping the house running smoothly. And Mama… well, she is the pretty anxious sort. I’m always consulting the clock. I feel like I am always racing that clock, trying to get -more math, -more English, -more geography, -more poetry in before –lunch, –dinner, –piano, –nap. The kids and I get to chat all day long. Our home is filled day in and day out with the joyful (and not so joyful) banter of siblings. We get lots of conversations sailing around the house and thoughts and ideas are bounced around from dawn til dusk. Yes, we get lots of chatter and laughter. And I love that about our homeschool-life. But we don’t always get to TALK.

Mommy dates allow me to talk one-on-one with my kids. And I love them. LOVE THEM.

Sunday I got a Mommy Date with my Marie. We needed to go shopping for some fall clothes and then we grabbed dinner at Panera.
Tuesday, Tabitha and I squeezed in a mini-Mommy Date. We just did dessert at Panera after a quick visit to Target.