Keeping Sane and Being Thankful

Round One. It started in the middle of the night with a loud cry coming from the crib and I knew it was going to be a long night. There I find my sweet Big Man looking up at me, half asleep, burning up, coughing and very upset.  Baby Tylenol and rocking to the rescue…..and a few hours later more crying and coughing and more rocking This cycle continued on a for a while.

The morning comes and fever goes up and down……more coughing……then queue the diarrhea.  And of course there is still crying. I run to the grocery store because we’re out of milk and then attempt to disinfect the house. Then it’s time to pick up Snuggle Bug from school and out comes my sweet girl working on what sounds like coughing up a lung. Round two, here we go.

She’s still too young for cough medicine so, “Here’s a spoon full of honey to help with you cough sweetheart.” Then I accidently drop the contaminated spoon back into the honey. Crap.

“Mommy …cough…I have my show tonight the teacher told ….cough….us to remind our mommies and daddies.” Oh no. Daddy is working until 10pm so there’s no back here. That’s his shift for a while and this is nothing new for us. Army. Hooah. Yeah.

Now unless I plan on letting her cough her way through five songs tonight while I attempt to keep the sick Big Man happy there is no way I can let her go tonight.

Round 3. Lots and lots of crying.  He is crying because he doesn’t feel well.  She is crying because she can’t go to her very first Kindergarten performance so she can sing the songs she’s been practicing so diligently for the last month. The dogs are crying because they want someone to let them outside now. The whole house is crying……everyone but me. I suppose I could cry in this moment of parental stress. I’m disappointed that we can’t go to her performance because I was truly looking forward to watching my sweet girl sing her heart out with her friends. I’m upset that my Big Man is sick because no mother wants to watch their toddler in distress. I’m frustrated that I don’t have a family member or close friend in my community to lend me a hand.

But it’s okay. It’s okay because I’m happy to be a mommy. I’m happy to be here to take care of my children through the ups and the downs. I’m happy and proud that my husband is doing a job that he loves. This is just a tiny blip in the sequence of my life and I know one day when I’m old and grey I’ll look back on these times and think about rocking my baby boy while he falls asleep after a long night and smile. I’ll think about cuddling my Snuggle Bug in a quilt on the couch, popping in a movie and she looks up at me with her big blue eyes and says, “thanks mommy.” That will bring me joy.

What a day. What a previous night. Who am I kidding this is going to be one of those weeks where I end everyday saying, “what a day.”  But it’s just another day in the life of being a mommy and I’m okay with that.

Sick Day/Blog Hop

I'm sick....what a bummer! It started on Tuesday with just a sore throat and the sniffles and then it progressed from there. Now I just feel like one big ball of snot and as of yesterday i've completely lost my voice. I had a photo shoot planned for today that i'm going to have to reschedule, which stinks because we had some very interesting ideas planned. On a cuter note, as I was getting Snuggle Bug dressed for school I had to whisper to her since I don't have a voice. She decided that she needed to whisper back to me. She whispered to me up until the hubby told her it was time to go...cutest kid ever.

I suppose I'll take today to relax, do some reading for school since my classes start in a little over a week and just enjoy the quiet for a while. I'm no good at resting though. Instead I sit here and look around the house thinking about what I could be doing if I were well. Yeah, resting really isn't my thing.

So today I will leave you with one of my favorite sick day soups that always makes me feel a little better.

Ginger Chicken Soup (from a 2004 Real Simple Magazine)

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tablespoons ginger grated fresh ginger
2 32-ounce containers low-sodium chicken broth
2 medium parsnips, peeled and chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 medium turnip, peeled and chopped (1 1/2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 2- to 2 1/2-pound rotisserie chicken
1/2 cup frozen peas
4 scallions, sliced
4 biscuits, store-bought or made from a mix (optional)

Directions
1.Heat the oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
2.Add the broth. Stir in the parsnips, carrots, celery, turnip, and ½ teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
3.Meanwhile, using a fork or your fingers, shred the chicken meat, discarding the skin and bones. 4.Add the chicken, peas, and scallions to the saucepan and cook until heated through, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve with the biscuits, if using.

OH YEAH.....

Its blog hop time! I just LOVE blog hops! They give me the chance to find some awesome new blogs and gain some awesome new followers!

and Hop Along Friday!!