3.5

Amelia turned 3 and a half yesterday. I meant to take some pics and write a post. Didn't happen ;(

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ugh...a stomach bug

William woke up earlier this evening with a stomach bug.  Yuck.  Sadly, it started with him sweetly asking for me and then...unloading his stomach all over me.  This mom gig can sure be hard work sometimes.  For some reason, unexpected vomit (is there another kind?) creates a big adreneline rush after dealt with, so I can't sleep right away.

For the record, here are my tips for dealing with the stomach bug:

1.  Tag team it.  If you have the luxary of another adult.  Split the work.  One takes the kid, one cleans up the area (sheets, pillows, etc)

2. Shower curtain.  William is currently sleeping on the floor next to my bed on an old shower curtain with an old comforter on top.  I don't care about either one.  But, it protects my carpet and the plastic is easy to wipe clean.

3.  Beach towels.  There are some old beach towels I hang on to for occasions such as this one.  They are spread out to make a pathway to the bathroom.

4.  Buckets.  I highly recommend two big ice cream pails.  We store ours in the laundry room.  My personal rule is food bowls should not be doubled up for vomit duty.  The ice cream buckets can be washed/bleached/thrown out easily.  They are also good for watering outside plants, cleaning and washing cars.

5. Wash it now.  It isn't going to be less stinky or less gag making in the morning.  I promise.

6. Take it slow and small.  Small drinks of water at first.  Let it settle.  Dry crackers - just a very few.  Let it settle.  Patience will pay off here by not creating more of a mess to clean up when it comes back up again.

7. Remain calm.  Your poor kiddo is sick.  They do not need to see you panicking.  Do I like vomit covering most of the front of me?  No.  Tested that one out tonight.  Don't like it.  But, it doesn't do any good to throw a tantrum.  The first priority has to be the sick kid.  Be calm.  Be loving.  If they get more upset, likely they'll either 1)wake other kids for a real fun fest 2) work themselves up enough they throw up again.

8.  TV.  I limit how much my kids watch TV as well as what they watch.  That would be a whole different post, but when they are sick, the TV can be on.  I used to worry and try to get through the sickness without my TV's help.  Trust me.  A stationary vomiting person is much easier to clean up than a running one. 

9.  Have a spare.  A spare set of sheets and an extra waterproof mattress pad cover will make it possible for you to change out the dirty stuff and make the bed up right away again.

10.  Explain what to do.  After things settle down, make sure you talk things over with the sick child.  Make sure they understand what is happening with their body and what you would like them to do if they have to be sick again.

Lunch at school

Friday we had the pleasure of having lunch at school with the big guy!

It wasn't what I expected- I'll be honest, it's given me a lot to think about.

William was thrilled to see us and then promptly ignored us to goof around with his friends!

We then went on to have a great discussion with the four girls sitting around us before heading home.

Why yes, that IS a princess tiara Amelia is wearing!

On the way out, she turned to me and said "why does everyone want to talk to me?" Sorry big girl! When you wear your tiara out in public, you're going to have to talk to your adoring public!

Braids

Amelia let me braid her hair this morning. We had a little extra time, so I went a little fancy with a French braid. Reminder to myself: this requires both time and patience. Do not attempt without both. It isn't straight and isn't perfect. It probably won't last all day. But, we did it!

It's Monday!

4:30am- baby up, goes back to sleep
5:10- John's alarm going off while he is in the shower
6:40- William up to go to the bathroom, gets his pant wet washing his hands. Insists on new pants. Trip over train tracks on his bedroom floor getting new pants.
6:45- high pitched, electronic beeping... Coming from....somewhere
7:05. Amelia up

Wonder why I am so tired lately? I wish I liked coffee

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Weekend

What a gorgeous weekend! The weather was in the 70's and mild. Other than the fruit fly invasion we are experiencing, it is perfect!

We have a list a mile long of things to do around the house. The lawn needs attention, the cars need oil changes, the laundry pile is huge and if you are allergic to dust I think you shouldn't come over. We are seriously behind on everything!

But, sometimes you just need to get outside and enjoy each other and the weather! Saturday we ventured out to Babler State park to hike. We took a 2.25 mile hike with a lot of ups and downs. The big kids did great! They both hiked the whole thing! We were so proud of them! Gemma did a great job also, but she makes it pretty hard to see where you are going. Next time she will have to ride on someone's back to be carried. Mama wiped out pretty good and slide in her backside on some loose rock in a down hill section. Gemma came out without a scratch and mama has some pretty impressive bruises on her right hip.

For dinner on Saturday, we stopped by Ethel's as it has an outdoor patio with a play structure for the kids to play on. The last time we were there was the day I went into labor. So, Gemma and I recreated this look. I am so glad she is not inside me anymore! She is so big!

*actually, as the sun went down, the temp dropped quite a bit. It was on the chilly side. As I didn't bring her a jacket or a blanket, I ended up zipping her up inside my jacket.

Frankie

William was chosen to bring home the class mascot for the weekend. We were instructed to take him with us all over the place and then have William write about it in a journal. Here are some of the things we did;

1. We dressed our baby like a frog.
2-3. We took Frankie to the park so he could swing and do the monkey bars!

He also went with us to the store, to get new tires on the car, to a garage sale, out for lunch and on several other routine errands. Unfortunately, it was just one of those weekends where we needed to get things done and nothing very exciting happened.