Mending

Well I don't mend socks, but I am hoping that I am going to get better soon since I actually don't feel worse than I did yesterday. Unfortunately, I don't feel better yet either.

It feels like winter has decided to make an early appearance. Today is the final day of autumn and typically should be a day with a temperature that reaches above the freezing point. Joe took Rick, Steven, Raymond and Daniel to Olathe so the older boys could finish up their shopping today. They visited Toys R Us, The Great Mall, Wal-Mart, Target and had dinner at Ryan's. While they were at the mall, the boys found a Bookcrossing share book, "The Twits" by Roald Dahl. Raymond is excited to read it and then report his find on the internet before passing it on to the next lucky recipient. If you have never heard of Bookcrossing before, it is a very interesting way to pass along books and then track their whereabouts. Santa was at Ryan's and Daniel told Joe that this Santa was a fake because he had a Ryan's tag on and the real Santa is not an employee of Ryan's. They did not get home until late and we had to wake Daniel up for the surprise of the day and to get the cookie off the cookie ribbons. Both boys saved their cookies until tomorrow as they had eaten a large meal and dessert and they were pretty tired.

I stayed home to rest and continue recovering from my cold. The antihistamines that I take to stop my nose from running also have a tendency to knock me out and today was no exception. I rested with frequent naps, some Lifetime Christmas movies, a couple of podcasts and my trusty box of Kleenexes with lotion. I am so thankful that I had some handy, otherwise I would have a much sorer nose than I already do.

Tonight's surprise was the story, "Santa's Christmas Surprise". It is a cute book that has Santa creating a surprise that ends up being the book we were reading. Daniel was barely awake for the story so I am sure I will share it with him again later.

Ice Is Here Again

Actually it is freezing rain. I am blessed that it was not a problem on the roads I had to drive on today, and so I made it to and from work with no problem. I did get a phone call mid-morning that they canceled Daniel's preschool for this afternoon. The rain is supposed to stop later this evening and then hopefully the roads will be treated so we can make it to school safely tomorrow.

It is a good thing that I gave a test today as I have completely lost my voice. I am drinking as much water as I can. It is a bit easier since I am not actually teaching a lesson today. I have tried to get a cup of tea in a couple of times today as well and that felt good, especially when it was very warm on my throat. My throat is not really sore, just congested as are my sinuses. I am aiming at sleeping early tonight. Daniel is already out, I will let Joe deal with Raymond (who is convinced somehow that he will not have school tomorrow).

In between the rain, there was a break just long enough for the boys to play outside in the snow. They have a plastic toboggan they rode down the hill at the back of the house and Joe had put a set of chains on the go cart so they had fun for a little more than an hour. The neighbor boys had come over to play and outside always works better with the four boys playing.

Tonight's surprise was the story, "Frosty the Snow Man". When Raymond was really little he LOVED Frosty and would listen to the story or watch the video over and over again. I think he has both of them near memorized even to this day.

Shoveling

Well it looks like we are going to miss the snow afterall. It is really piling up south of us. Last night I turned in early. I have succumbed to my cold and have taken the day off from school. Being static is difficult for me. I will try to take it easy. But I am restless as there is always so much to do. The longer I am down the more that will pile up. But then the more I push myself, the longer it will take me to feel better. I will have to find a happy medium.

"Cleaning house while children are growing is like shoveling snow while it's still snowing" goes an old saying. I am blessed that I am not actually out shoveling snow.

Daniel's new jokes. Ask him how he feels. "With my hands." Ask him how he slept. "On my back" He is a hoot.

Not My Best

My head is congested so I can't sleep well. I am having a difficult time tasting the flavor of my food. And in the background I hear whining, so I need to get up from sipping my cup of tea and take care of a sick three year old.