Why did I have to be productive today?

Saturdays are a treasure. The one day a week I can sleep in. Sadly, it never happens. Today was no exception. I find I staying up too late, and getting up too early. I intend to go to bed on time, but I lay there and cant fall asleep. Last night, I went to bed way earlier than I usually do, like 10:15. I fell asleep pretty quickly. Then I woke up 11:45. Then at 12:30 Bryce came down needing to pee and crying that his ear is hurting. So bathroom, Motrin, and a big hug and kiss. I have him sleep on the couch so I can hear if he is crying more. He sleeps, no problem. At 545, Sam walks into my bedroom with his Diego cup, and says, "mom, more. Diego more." Up I am....only this time I don't bother getting back in bed. No need.
The Relief Society Presidency has been tasked to prepare breakfast for about 100 LDS relief workers coming to help clean up the devastated areas in Prattville today. We decided to make breakfast burritos since we could make them at home, wrap them in foil and just pass them out. So, I start the task of breaking open 90 eggs. Cooking 5 packages of bacon. I got smart with the bacon. When i went to the store I bought the precooked since it comes out to costing the same per slice. You have to compare the price per slice not pound. I HATE the smell of a house that bacon has been cooked in. It lingers for SOOOOOOOOO long, I just gag. So, the bacon all goes in the oven to be warmed. I am scrambling 2 skillets of eggs at a time, and heating the tortilla shells. I start right around 600 with the cooking, and finished making my 80 burritos at 719. Not too bad! Comes right out to about 1 burrito per minute.
I am supposed to be at the church at 730.......gonna be late.No big surprise there. I have Jonathon change Sam's diaper so I can take him with me. I load the cooler into the van, put Sam in his car seat, and we're off. When I get to the church, they already have some of the tables set up outside to serve from, but it i s cold and windy. Inside, we decide since they are going to be working outside all day, and since we are also feeding them hash-browned potatoes and fruit, we'll move it inside so the can sit and eat. There were already tables and chairs up from last nights adult activity, intended for use at the Blue and Gold Banquet tonight. People slowly start trickling in. It seems like we may not hit our 100 people mark. We have probably made WAY too much food. We were offering people like 3burritos. More people showed up as the CERT (Certified Emergency Response Team) guy was doing his "briefing" (really, shouldn't these things be called something more appropriate and true....like "mind wasting long narrative about stuff you already know, but i am going to tell you (twice) anyway and inject some personal stories about my daughter-in-law's mom and dog" or "30 minute lecture to tell you not to do stupid stuff, and don't eat the stuff in the fridges you'll find....it's rotten") I did think it was interesting that they didn't want anyone to take pictures, though he did clarify that and say that you didn't take pictures of people, or anything identifying.Really though, they are there to help, not be photographers. I was impressed at the number of youth from our stake who showed up to help, young men and young women.
After breakfast, the "briefing", and getting everyone registered; the city sent two school buses to transport them from the church to their assigned zone in the disaster area. The organization of it all is very impressive. Color-coded armbands to let police and residents know you belong there. It is gridded out and assigned to different aide groups. They were expecting between 1000-3000 volunteers today! Amazing how people can come together like that!
After all the people were taken to the site, we cleaned up. Of the 240 burritos,20 pounds of potatoes, and 2 treys of cut up oranges, grapes, and apples; we had about 16 burritos, NO potatoes, and a handful of grapes and 4 orange slices left. In the beginning,we were afraid we had made too much, but as people trickled in, it all got eaten!
Sam and I headed home.He was ready to go. In fact, he kept saying :mommy, go. I found he had put about 3 graped down his pajamas, maybe for a snack? Crazy kid! Blake called as I was driving home, so i got to talk to him for a while. he was on his way to work.They have been having lots of snow, icy rain. The whole drive home, i was dreading returning to the mess I had left behind. Do you know how a kitchen looks after cooking 90 eggs, 5 pkgs of bacon, and using a 3lb bag of shredded cheese???????????Yeah, not good! Kayleigh had already started cleaning the kitchen when I got home, so it wasn't too bad.
Sam went down for his nap, and I thought, oh, I can finally rest! Get a nap. NOPE! Dang phone! It was good though. A friend, and one of the girls I visit teach, has had her baby in the hospital. She was calling to say things were looking better and he may get to go home tomorrow!
So, here I am at 1:45, thinking maybe now I can get a little nap. However, I have too much laundry to do,and a few kids fighting over a chair. Oh well, maybe I'll get my Sunday nap?hahahah....yeah, right.

Weathering the Storms....

Not sure what I want to call this one yet? I have been thinking a lot the past few days. Being separated as we are can be difficult, and it becomes easy to get bogged down and looking at the negative. Why are things working out this way? Why this, why that? Why am I having to take care of five sick kids, alone, again? Didn't we just do this?????? Then one little thing happens that snaps your world back in line, and gives you perspective.

Tonight I took dinner to a friend who lost her home and many of her possessions to the tornado on Sunday. She and her family are now staying with her mother. Thankful to be alive, and unharmed. She is holding up amazingly well. I drove by what used to be her house, and the magnitude of what she and her children lived through was almost too much. As a mother you see yourself there, in that moment. Suddenly, for her kids, home went from being a safe haven to this whirling mine field. How do you give that back to your nine year old? When the wind blows and he asks if that is the tornado? How do you teach him to enjoy the breeze again? How do you make home your refuge again, your place of safety? It is amazing the things that suddenly didn't matter. Talking with her, and hearing her recount the longest few minutes of her life, made me realize how fragile it is. She said she heard the noises and looked out her front window in time to see her mailbox being sucked out of the ground and into the debris cloud. She ran, and picked up the baby off the couch and headed to the bathroom, where luckily, her other son had just finished washing his hands. She said before she could get all the way in, the roof was lifted off, and they could see the sky. As quickly as it started, it was over. But so much had changed in just those few seconds. Her home now stood without any windows, and no roof. Much damage to the structure, and her van was also a loss. Neighbors came to make sure they were ok. A man had to help her get her son out,as he was barefoot and there was glass everywhere. Her dog was under some drywall. Cat unseen.(both animals are alive....dog has dislocated rear hip, cat is fine)

In those minutes, what is important becomes abundantly clear. It isn't the plasma tv that now is the resting place of a roof support beam. Or the home furnishings, car, or even home. It is the family who live in it. The memories that no storm can destroy. Taking dinner was such a small thing, meaningless really, but it gave me so much.

Dealing with the kids, the illnesses, the fighting. Worrying about our house...will it sell, can we find a renter if it doesn't? It doesn't matter. My children are not a chore, but a blessing.

I have been blessed with an amazing family. My kids teach me and give me so much everyday. My eleven year old sets the example for me in many ways. He loves to read his scriptures. He listens to primary music as he goes to bed. He also helps me tend to the younger children without complaint (mostly). My daughter is the most beautiful girl in the world, inside and out. She is so nurturing and patient (mostly!). She is very tenderhearted.
Bryce is amazing me in how much he is learning. He has always been inquisitive. He likes to impress us with things he learns and especially things he figures out on his own. He cracks me up with his choice of words sometimes. He too loves to play with the baby. In fact, he keeps telling me when Sam turns two, we wont have a baby anymore, and we should always have a baby.
Drew is growing up right in front of my eyes. I can't believe how big he is. And he always has a smile across his face. He too likes to be a big helper. He loves to hang around with his big sister. Sam is into everything, and learning new words everyday. It is so adorable to hear him string together words. When he gets hungry he will tell me: eat, plate or bite. Often he has no clue what he wants, and by the time we figure it out, he has moved on to something else.
Each of my children are so special. Each of them are a unique piece of our family. Together we all make one cohesive unit. It doesn't matter where our house is, what things we have surrounding us. What matters is that we love one another. That we take home with us, wherever we are. That everyday, we try a little harder and do a little more to make sure we can withstand the storms that come our way.

While some may face a tornado, we may face our storms in a different way. No matter the method, the outcome is the same....we must weather the storm, and come out whole. The value we need to teach our kids is directly related to their value as a Child of God, and a member of an eternal family. Not the value of goods and things, that when exposed to the elements and the storm are worthless. I hope I come out of our storm with a fresh perspective. That I am learning more each day about me, my strengths, my children, and how I can better parent to my children. How I can strengthen my marriage and be a better wife. So no matter how the storm rages, when the winds calm, and the dust settles, my family will still be safe and strong.

It's raining, it's pouring.......the old man is snoring...

Ok, he's sleeping, but not snoring! He hates it if I ever say he snores, and truthfully, right now he is not snoring. We picked Dad up from the airport last night. The flight was delayed about 35 minutes. We got a heads up once we were on the road, so we just detoured by McD's to get Jonathon second dinner. (You know in Lord of the Rings, the Hobbits have second breakfast? well, my kid has second breakfast, lunch and dinner these days! How am I going to afford to feed him when he is a teenager???????) So, that killed 20 minutes. Never knew it would take so long to get 2 hamburgers, 2 sprites (which they were out of sprite!), an M&M mcflurry (my weakness), and a small order of fries. We get to the airport, and only have to circle the terminals once, and there he is.
It was so good to see him. Two weeks felt like forever................heck this past week felt like forever. I think by now Bryce was zonked. He had his head back, mouth open, drool flowing....He was OUT. Sam was nodding off, then waking. So he got to see daddy, and was pretty excited. Drew was awake. He was watching Curious George on the tv. Sam LOVES curious George, so if he gets fussy in the car, we pop it in. I think it goes back to last year when we would visit mom and dad's house while Blake was in the Stan. He was sick (go figure) and Uncle Chris would sing Jack Johnson to him. Very soothing. So now, he loves Curious George. I think I'll have to find him the soundtrack to it. Jon and Kay are awake, of course. Luckily, he had no bags! In he gets, and off we go! Doing great making good time coming home. We stopped and switched places around Jemison, my eyes were playing tricks on me, and it was making him nervous. I told him I hadn't taken any cold medicine in the last 6 hours so I was fully "functional" to drive. Don't think that mattered much. I was still coughing, watery eyes.....maybe i needed the cold meds.

We get home, and all the kids go straight to bed. They were tired. Bryce woke enough to say hi to dad. Sam decided to have a coughing fit and puke on dad! Welcome home sweetie! Nothing says I love you like purple benadryl puke on your lap (and on my slipcovers on the new wingback chairs!) We did a breathing treatment on him, got him cleaned up, and he was ready for bed.

We knew we weren't even going to attempt church today with Sam still ill. The flu is still running rampant, as well as other fun things, so we slept in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DO YOU KNOW HOW NICE THAT IS???????????? I had kind of forgotten! Aaaahhhhhhh.........joy! We finally get up when Sam decided to give me back the YooHoo's he had just slurped down. (mental note....NO MILK products to a phlegmmy baby!) Poor Sam. He asked for a bath. No problem kid!

Today has been VERY lazy. I am sitting here now, on the far corner of my bed (the part that didn't get sam-sprayed) looking out the window. It is raining, and I can see the storms rolling in on the hills about 5 miles away. It is so cool to watch the rain approaching. The cows are out there....Bryce asked if they were going to get wet. There is a set of baby calves chasing each other. So cute. Sam was just looking for cows this morning. He'll be glad when he wakes up that they are out there again. I love the view from my bed. If I could, I would stay here all day; and ya know. I am working on that right now. Only wish the sheets were finished drying.

We had some severe weather come through. Our front yard looked like a lake. I'll have to download the pics later. The rain was nice to listen to though.

So far we are having all the necessary ingredients of a good visit: puke, rain, and kids fighting! Woo hoo! Good times! I am very sad that in about 24 hours I put him back on a plane. It will be a month before we are able to see each other this next time. SUCKS. And you know what sucks worse, is it is our choice! Why am I not packing up and moving right this minute. I slept better last night than I have in weeks. I have this thing I do....I put my foot on him when we sleep. I have since we got married.
As newlyweds, I was a bed hog. Now, he would still argue that I am a bed hog, I just say I cant stand to see unused bed-space. So, when we were newly married, I would drape my leg over him. He couldn't stand it. I slept just fine. I'd have my arm and leg draped on him and sleep away. Over time, it evolved to just my lower leg on him, then just my foot, and now, I just have to touch him with my foot. It is kind of like a comfort blanket. It lets me know he is there. I guess my foot found its home last night, because I remember putting my foot on him and waking up this morning still touching him. I have been tossing and turning so much the last few nights, as I coughed and hacked and struggled to breathe. Last night, i didn't. I just slept. I am sure it was a combination of sheer exhaustion, feeling better, and the comfort of being together again. he must not have slept as well though, as he has been a sleepy head today. Granted, he only got 4 1/2 hours sleep on Friday night. He closed Thursday, then went in at 6 on Friday so he could leave to make his flight. Poor thing!
Not sure what our plans are for tomorrow. I'd love to sleep in :). I think we are going to take the kids to see Spiderwick if Sam is better.
I know we are going to finally move the dining room table back in from the garage! YEAH!!!! I think i has turned out pretty good! I may still lobby for a new one once we move, but for now this will work. It has made me want to paint some other furniture that is getting rough looking. We'll see. Once we move the buffet the tv is on now is going to serve as a ....wait for it.....BUFFET!!!!! So, I want to paint it antique black to match the dining room table. I have to get new handles for it. I got it in Downtown Knob Noster at a resale shop that was open for a few months for like 40 bucks. It is solid wood. Has great shape, but has seen better days as far as its finish goes. I just think it will look fantastic black. It is on my project list. But I think rehabbing my night stands is up next! I also want to find a nice chest of drawers for the master. Ours are so crappy. i still have the rest of the boys furniture to put together. FUN! I think that will have to wait a bit longer. Still lacking in the energy department!
Seems I need to move from my perch and go fire up some dinner! I think I am going to cook one of the meals from this months exchange! I just LOVE doing this meal group! So nice to have a yummy dinner at hand.
So, tomorrow, i get my garage back! YEAH!!!!!

The New Man of the House

Before the fun started!



Oye.........two posts in one day, but this one is worth it...ok maybe not, but I'm posting anyway.


First, I think this crazy spread of flu is a government conspiracy to boost the economy. You think I'm kidding? Let me show you my wal-mart receipts for the past week. Between the six of us, I have spent over $20 bucks on Mucinex alone. Motrin....another $20. Tylenol...about $6 (to piggy-back with the Motrin for high fevers). Long Lasting Night Time Cough and Cold Medicine(for the older than 6 flu stricken kids)....$8. Vicks Vapor Rub....$4. Soothing Vapors Refills for Sam's room.....$5. Psudephed (from behind the counter, of course.) after getting my security clearance, they sold it to me for a grand total of.......$3.00 DayQuil (the only thing that helped me function) $6. Saline Nasal Spray...$2. Toilet paper to replace the many rolls we used as ghetto kleenex......$7.50. Real bonafide Kleenex with aloe (our noses are so red, guess Cottonelle Ultra isn't as gentle on the nose as on the bum)...$4. Chewable benadryl....$4. I am sure there is more too! but I think you get the picture. On medicine and nose care items alone, I have spend well over hundred bucks this week. Everyone I know has someone in their family experiencing the same joys of winter we are.....so consumer spending is going to be WAY up this month. On pharmaceuticals at least. You could go as far to say that they sold us the flu shot first, telling us it would keep us from getting the flu. Only to find out they had purposefully engineered it to miss the flu strains going around. Now we are spending money on all the OTC fixes. Paying co-pays to go to the dr. to find out exactly what we knew.....we have the flu. LOTS of money to be made from sick people. But, I dont want to get too Mel Gibson, Conspiracy Theory on you. Must be all the cold medicine talking...... for clarification...i am totally kidding here....:)

Speaking of talking. That brings me to my second item of little interest. The phone. Now any of you who know me, know I love the phone. I can put that thing to good use! I've never met a portable phone battery I couldn't outlast. Chatty doesn't quite describe me. My husband HATES to talk on the phone, and I LOVE to! If i get bored...ya know in all my spare time....i pick up the phone and talk while i sit on the cough consuming bon-bons......Oh wait....that must be the cold meds again. So the phone and I are somewhat constant companions. But this week, my poor 500mhz friend has been neglected. Left on the cradle, feeling cold and unloved. It stares at me from across the room, longing to be dialed. But, instead, I lay in bed or on the couch, blowing my nose for what seems like the 3000th time of the day.


The following is what happens when I DO have to use the phone. I may have neglected to mention that one side effect of this lovely flu I have been enjoying. I sound like a man. Really, no question about it. As I have answered the phone this week, I have gotten this...over and over....:


ME: in a deep, manly, raspy voice; "Hello?"


Random poor caller on other end: "um, is ginger there?"





Now, I KNOW what is going through their minds.....WHY is a man answering Ginger's phone? Good thing people don't gossip!





Me: "this is she" said in my nicest man-voice.


Random caller: "Wow, are you sick?"





ok, now where is jeff foxworthy when you need him? (isn't he the one that says....here's your sign?)


Me: Trying to hide my annoyance at having yet again explain that I have not undergone some radical surgery or gotten a job answering an adult phone line, but that I have the flu. "Yep,I'm sick. Got the flu. Lost my voice....."





And the conversations usually go from there. However, I got one last night that is priceless.....





phone rings....


Me:" Hello"


Callers: (in chorus) "Happy Birthday to you....Happy Birthday to you....:


Me: (realizing instantly that it isnt my birthday) "Um, it's not my birthday"





Callers: Happy Birthday dear.....


ME: ITS NOT MY BIRTHDAY





Callers: Sure it is


ME: NO really its not.

Callers: Well then, whose birthday is it?


Me: Blake's, and he doesn't live here anymore!





Callers: Well then who is this????????????


Me: (remember, I have not felt well in 5 days, have been taking care of 5 sick kids. So it took everything in my being not to be smart aleck) It's Ginger, of course.





Callers........LONG silence. "well you sound sick."


DUH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!





Me: Yep, I've got the flu.





I am SO ready to be over this and not sound like a man anymore. Oh, and baby! Happy Birthday! I can't wait till you are here tonight to give you a big, wet kiss! (hope you have had your flu shot!)

Time flies when your having........fun?

I am sitting in my bed, laptop to my side, watching the time on the clock pass. What a fun thing to do! In a little less than 24 hours we get to go to the airport and pick Dad up to spend the weekend together. It has been two weeks since we went to Nashville. The kids miss him terribly, as do I. This week we had an excellent distraction, and by that I mean........we had the FLU! Fun times....not really. I have gone through countless bottles of Motrin, night-time cough and cold meds. for the older two, benadryl, mucinex, tissues, etc. All the lovely cold and flu necessities. Our diet has consisted of fresh fruit, yogurt, popsicles, ice cream bars, chips, little Debbie's, soup, and fast food. I know, I am definitely not going to be getting Mother of the Year.But hey, they ate it.... No one had an appetite. Coughing violently kind of kills it for you.

It all started on Sunday. The second Sunday of every month is my meal exchange. We all meet at my friend Candi's house to swap, gab, and eat. Seeing how I am now, essentially, a single mom; I took my kid-lets with me this time. I was hoping it would be quick this time....but no. I can never get lucky. After we left, I noticed when we got home Bryce's cheeks looked flushed. They had been running around and playing in Candi's screened in porch, so I thought nothing of it.

Monday morning I wake up to 4 sick kids. Fevers, headaches, just plain feeling bad. SO....they all stayed home and were miserable. The week just went downhill from there.

The short of it is.....we all got it. The aches, fevers, cough. SNOT to the max.
Finally, after suffering all week. I got a blessing last night. A good friend of ours from back in our old college days has recently been called into the bishopric. His wife called me yesterday for some random reason. When some strange man (um nope, that's me!) answered the phone, she figured out i was sick....really sick. So Gregg and another brother came over. I have felt much better today. I felt good enough to almost feel guilty about being lazy and just snuggling with my two littlest babies in bed! I was a bit annoyed though, one of them drooled on my new pillow shams. That's ok...they also gave me hugs and kisses, so i can deal with drool.

Sam has been cranky with his flu....the tub has been a lifesaver! If I have needed a babysitter for him, I just ask him if he wants a bath. I then task one of the older kids to stand guard at the tub and make sure he doesn't hurt himself. This gives me 5-10 minutes to do a load of laundry or dishes, or throw some food together. I think he has had 20 baths this week.

In spite of feeling like crud, I have enjoyed having my kids home this week. It was kind of nice spending time doing nothing, curled up under covers. Sam isn't much of a cuddler, so I take it any time I can. Drew has gotten so big and grown up, I have little opportunity to hold him. He has wanted to be held this week a lot. My bed has become grand central station of fevers, boogies, tissue, and lots of hugging. It was very rare this week not to find a kid curled up asleep on my bed. Hopefully, we are almost over this, and can get the house reassembled.
Good news is the furniture i ordered for the boys got delivered. I got the boys beds assembled, but the rest will have to wait till I have energy.