Not Much In A Day......

A few weeks ago, and some days still, I make it a goal to accomplish at least one productive thing in a day. Sometimes I set my ambitions high, sometimes it's something as simple as "make dinner tonight". That's what the family gets when I'm trying to grow a human. It takes a lot out of me. Presidents Day turned out to be somewhat productive. Kennedy attended a soccer camp from 8-3. I was pleasantly surprised when she decided she wanted to attend. I think it was mainly due to her best friend showing interest, but whatever gets her moving.

The boys and I ate lunch at the Burger King play place and then headed home for a nap. Well, I took a nap. Not sure what the boys did, but all was well when I woke up. After we picked up Kennedy we decided to make cupcakes for a friends birthday. This is actually the first thing I'd made in over 3 weeks. Funny that it's cupcakes to get the mixer in motion. The kids were thrilled to have icing and batter in their vicinity.

The cupcakes just about wiped me out, but I somehow managed to turn this:

into this:

Unfortunately, the 1st picture represents more the norm around here. In fact, I have a similar pile on my bedroom floor as I type this. I'm considering banning all clothing from here on out. Laundry is ridiculous. I don't mind the actual process, it's the folding and putting away part I detest. What did I choose to accomplish today? I showered, got Jack to preschool, did laundry, vacuumed the basement, made dinner, and am about to go gather the little people for Family Home Evening. My well-being is obviously improving and I'm oh so glad. So is my family. Especially Shawn, I'm sure.

Kids Will Be Kids.....

I haven't blogged for awhile. I'm sure you are all heartbroken. I've been meaning to, it just requires so much energy to make it down the stairs. I'll jump back on the bandwagon soon. Meanwhile, here are a few things my kids are doing and saying lately.

Me: Landon, would you like to watch Blues Clues while I take a shower?
Landon: Of course I would Mother!

Me: Landon, are you done pooping yet so I can change you?
Landon: I doubt it.

The other day Shawn came up the stairs and sat down next to me.
Shawn: I just played catch with Jack for 20 minutes.
Me: I bet he loved it.
Shawn: It was with an imaginary football. He said those are easier to catch.
I still laugh picturing what this activity must have looked like.

Spokesperson.....

I should be a spokesperson for medicine companies. Particularly Flinstone Vitamins, Zofran, and Tamiflu. Flinstone vitamins have changed my life. Now that I'm taking the new vitamins, Zofran is able to do it's job and I have been able to succesfully keep food in my stomach where it belongs for the past 6 days. Fabulous. I owe Tamiflu the short duration in which Jack spent lying on the couch. Day 2 the fever was very mild, by day 3 he was back to his normal self. 2 days as opposed to 5-7 it usually takes to get over influenza. Worth every penny. I would truly be able to convince others of these medicinal powers and make a lot of money for the companies. My husband, on the other hand, shouldn't be allowed to comment on medicine. Sure, he does an awesome job of diagnosing the issue and prescribing the currect drug to cure the illness, but the way he makes me aware of the side-effects would dissuade any user from any miracle cure they might experience. Case in point: I had just pulled the medicine dropper from the cupboard and was filling the proper dosage of Tamiflu for Jack when Shawn called. He asked if I'd given him any yet.
Me: I was just about to dose him now.
Shawn: I just thought I should let you know that Tamiflu is known to cause some psychiatric issues when given to children.
Me: What are you saying? Should I not give it to him then? (angry that I'd just spent an exorbant amount of money on the stuff)
Shawn: No. I just wanted you to be aware. It only occurs in less than 5% of children and most of them lived in Japan. Just watch him.
Me: ?????????

Maybe we should just keep the statistics to ourselves after we prescribe a medication, okay Doctor?

Happy Influenza Day!

When I was a young girl in school I was sick every valentine's day. I missed countless parties. I always made my box carefully, chose which valentine card went to which kid in my class, and took them all to school a few days before the big event knowing the party would be the best one ever. Then on the 14th I'd wake up with a fever and chills. No fail. One of my friends would stop by after school with all the valentine's I'd received and brag about the love fest that happened. I might have actually made it to a few parties throughout the years, but the valentine's days I remember were spent in bed sipping gatorade and eating popsicles. The worst was my senior year of high school. Our drill team held a fundraiser every year selling balloons and giant cookies. On valentine's day a few drill team girls and a few football team guys ran around dispersing the purchased goods and planting giant kisses on the cheeks of the recipients. I was once again home in bed missing the festivities. I seemed to get over this curse when I got married. I don't remember being sick in the last 12 years on this particular day. I am sad to say that I have, however, passed the curse on to my children. This is the 1st year Jack would be participating in an actual party with decorated boxes and a preschool class of friends to fill them with cards and candy. Except he started running a fever at 6 pm last night. This morning at 5:30 he was at 105. I have a connection at the hospital that got him in quickly to be swabbed for influenza, which came back positive for influenza A. Luckily that same connection was able to write a script for tamiflu. Don't know if it will help, but it's worth the effort. Poor Jack. He's asleep on the couch with a sippy cup full of gatorade and a belly full of popsicles. I hope it's a fluke this year and he isn't jinxed like I was. I want him to remember the holiday for the love it represents and not the fever & chills he's experiencing.

Life's Simple Pleasures.....

In no particular order.

1. Flinstone vitamins. After 2 nights of falling asleep before taking my prenatal vitamin, and having the 2 days following be good days sick wise, I quit taking them. Flinstone chewables are giving me all the nutrients I need. I've gone from a completely non-functioning-I-hate-my-life-in-it's-current-state to a semi-functioning-just-still-tired kind of state. Amazing that one little pill could wreak such havoc on my body. I'm just glad I've made the switch. So is my family.

2. Brand new toasters. I've been eating an abnormal amount of toast lately. It tastes good and it stays down. I've noticed the past week that it takes 4 push downs to actually toast the bread, and then it only was toasting one side. We got the thing when we were married, and it wasn't fancy either. I broke down and bought another one. The first day I made toast I almost cried. I'd forgotten how crunchy toast was actually supposed to be, and how much better it tastes evenly toasted. Lovely.

3. 2 year old laughter. Landon has recently developed a sense of humor. I've been noticing it a lot lately because he is the only child that likes to hang out in my bed with me. He's sometimes there for hours at a time. I love it. I turned on "Blue's Clues" for him yesterday. Joe was in fairy-tale land so when it came time to sit in his thinking chair it wasn't with him. Joe ended up sitting in a chair owned by one of the three bears. Apparently not sitting in the correct chair is hilarious to 2 year olds. Landon was laughing hysterically. The good hard belly laugh tears rolling down the cheeks kind. I kept trying to ask him what was so funny and he just looked at me like "don't you get it?". I let him watch the episode 3 times just so I could hear his laughter. That part was as funny the 3rd time as it was the 1st.

Husband Tag....

I've been tagged, so this is something to keep my mind off my current state, and also to entertain those of you sick of hearing about my current state. Thanks Jess!

1. Where did you meet your husband?
At a ward barn dance my 1st year at Rick's College. He wasn't in my ward but came with some girls that were. He thought I was cute and asked me to dance. His roommate also thought I was cute, and asked me out on a date. I dated his roommate for a few months and in the meantime became pretty good friends with Shawn. I need to add that after hanging out at his apartment with his roommate for a week, I went home one night and told my roommates to "never let me date Shawn Crook because if I do I will marry him." How's that for insight? (I was waiting for a missionary)

2. What was the first thing you said to your husband?
Probably some lame question all college people ask each other. Like, "where are you from? What's your major?" Along those lines.

3. Where was your first date?
We never really "dated". We more like hung out all the time. But, the first time I actually felt it was a date was when we went to a college production for some lame credit, but then he bought me a hogi-yogi treat after. First time he ever spent money on me.

4. Where was your first kiss?
Thanksgiving of my 2nd year at Ricks I lived with Shawn's sister Rhonda. I went home with her for the holiday break. We all ate dinner at Grandma McKellar's house and then Shawn and I left early to go home and watch a movie. We were cuddling on the couch in his parents basement and he turned and just kissed me. It was glorious. It was pretty long for a first kiss. He must have been saving it for a long time.

5. Did you have a long/short engagement/courtship?
Like I said, we really just hung out all the time. I was waiting for a missionary so he thought I was safe to hang out with, being that he had Medical school ahead of him and no desire to marry anytime soon. We met October 1993, but really started being together a lot September 1994. He proposed April 10th 1995, and we were married July 1995. (That makes me seem really old!)

6. Where did you get engaged?
In his old toyota corolla in the parking lot of Beaverdick Park. It went something like, "The only reason I'm not asking you to marry me right now is....oh......will you marry me?" Romance isn't our strong suit.

7. Where did you get married?
The Jordan River Temple in West Jordan Utah. We had a reception that night in Utah, and then a few weeks later in Moses Lake Washington. My dad paid for us to stay 2 nights in downtown Salt Lake or we wouldn't have done anything as far as a honeymoon is concerned. We were soooo poor.

Now we've been married 12 1/2 years, have 4.15 children, and are almost completely done with this medical training. I'm glad he didn't wait to finish school before he fell in love, and I'm glad it was me that stole his heart.
I'll tag anyone that so desires to spill their marital bliss with me.

Cry Me A River......

I feel like garbage. I actually would venture to say that I hate my life in it's current state. I lay in bed all day long trying to muster the energy to do something that needs to be done. Like shower. Or feed a small child. It's hard. Sometimes I just cry because I don't think I can do it anymore. I miss trying to talk myself out of eating delectable food due to caloric intake. I just miss eating. Period. I've been watching a lot of tv. Sometimes I only listen because it's more comfortable to sleep on my side then on my back facing the television. Often a conversation between talk show co-hosts spins my mind into it's own thought process. Yesterday was one of those "ah-ha" moments for me. I was listening to someone going on about their life trials and started to really pity my own current state. Then a small thought popped into my head that actually made me grateful. Cancer. For some reason I started thinking about this heartbreaking disease and the options for curing it. Chemotherapy. Radiation. All of which have horrible side effects like nauseau, vomiting, loss of appetite. Chemo can go on for a year. After Chemo there is no cuddly newborn to show for all your countless hours of misery. You get to live. If you are lucky. This miserable state I'm in will be over in 7 weeks, and then I'll get to gain all that glorious weight by eating myself into oblivion. Then in September I'll get to hold a beautiful bundle of joy in my arms and all this sickness will be forgotten. (Not enough to do it again) Point being, my life in it's current state is awful and hardly blog-worthy. But, it could be worse. Much worse. I'm grateful for what I've got.