Electricity, Flu, Weddings, Puppy Dogs

The Flu

Day three of staying at home with Kacie. Monday just after lunch her teacher called and said Kacie "just wasn't right"... apparently she'd asked to stay in the classroom during recess to take a little nap on Mrs. P's big sofa she uses during story time, a short time later when it was time to go to PE, she again asked if she could take a nap. Since the only reports I get from Kacie are about recess, lunch and PE, this behavior, in face, "just wasn't right". I picked her up early and took her home were she filled the rest of the afternoon with snacking and watching cartoons. No fever no aches or pains, just a little lazy for Kacie.

The next morning when I woke her and asked her how she was feeling she said, "well, my tummy feels a little funny," which oddly as it may sound is always how strep starts with Kacie. Since we battled strep nine times last year (and had her tonsils and adenoids removed in April), I was thinking oh boy, here we go again... strep. Plus her best bud at school had strep last week. So I take her to see the good Dr. Miller who tests her for strep and you know, while we're at it... flu.

Positive for Type A flu. Not good, but I was glad it wasn't strep. Ten days of a pretty awful recovery from the tonsillectomy needs to have value. No strep is good. Flu is not good, but not as awful in our case as it has been for others.

Kacie has no fever. No aches. No pains. A little bit of a runny nose and a wet cough, that isn't that bad. She feels fine, but just seems to "run out of gas" about mid-afternoon and has to take a little siesta. The Dr. says she needs to stay out of school the rest of the week. I understand that, and realize that this flu has reached pandemic proportions because people aren't staying out of the public and they are spreading their germs everywhere.

I had a friend tell me she was visiting the local library earlier this week and there was a little girl coughing her head off. She asked her if she was home schooled... the girl's mother piped in, oh, no, she's been sick. She missed school all week... she's had mono, the flu and..... you get the picture. Yet they were at the public library... coughing and spewing germs all over the place.

I don't like the idea of Kacie missing a week of school, but I picked up her work from school and we've been keeping up. It does make me certain that homeschooling isn't for us. We will both be ready for Monday.

Electricity

I came to the conclusion this morning that I really like electricity and all that it entails. Our power went out about 3:00AM and didn't come back on until nearly 9:00AM. I am usually sipping my first cup of coffee before 6:00 AM well before the rest of my family gets up. It's the nicest thing I can do for them because well, I'm not a very nice person until that first cup is flowing through my veins. This morning was rough on all of us. Getting your sleepy 10-year-old to get dressed by candlelight isn't a fun task either. Especially with no coffee. Oh, and did I mention that we have a electric gate?? No power makes it pretty difficult to open at 7:15AM to leave for school. As Kyle and Kyle drove through the pasture to our other entrance in the dark I was just praying that the four inches of rain we got last night wouldn't cause them to get stuck. Thankfully it didn't and when the power came back on the first thing I did was flip the switch on my coffee maker. I like electricity.

Puppy Dogs

Raider, our three month old boxer pup got to go to church last night. He was a special guest in the Cubbies class (Cubbies are the 3-4 year-old kids in the Awana's program). They were studying about how every thing God made was good. Raider was joined by a fish, a bird, a hamster. I was told the kids went on about how good God made Raider... his nose, his soft fur, his ears... and Raider was a perfect gentleman, sitting in the teacher's lap and letting the kids maul him. A bonus was he didn't poo in the floor. I really worried about that... How bad is it if your dog poos in church? I'm not sure on that one.

With all this home time, I've been doing a bit of Christmas shopping online. I may just do all of it online this year. I'm pretty excited to already have a few things crossed off my list.

Weddings

This past weekend our youngest was the flower girl in a wedding. The mother of the bride graduated with my husband, so the reality that we were old enough to have kids getting married kind of hit me. Kyle and I started out family a little later than most of our friends so I sometimes don't really think about the fact that we are older parents and could actually be grandparents. Well, maybe Kyle, I'm much too young. Unless I was a 20 year old mom, with a 20 year old child, that had a child. Wrap your head around that one. Shutter.... anyway, these friends have two girls, we have two girls. We've watched their kids grow up and it's flown by. The wedding was just a slap of reality on exactly how fast it all goes.

School, Bible Study & Anointing....

Kylie seems to be on the mend so she went to school this morning and I haven’t heard from her, so that’s a good sign. She’s been over 36 hours with no fever/no meds, so I’m hoping she’s on the mend. I think I’ll keep her home from dance class today just so she can get to bed early and have a good supper. I don’t want a relapse of whatever this bug is.

Had a great Bible study this morning. I’m facilitating a study on the life of David at our church on Tuesday mornings. This is the same study we did at my house this summer and I’m looking forward to doing it again. It’s amazing how you can have such different insights when you do the same study with a different group of ladies. This morning was awesome and we had about an hour long deep discussion of all things spiritual. It was great and I really look forward to next week.

One of the things from this morning that struck me was thinking about the life of David. He was anointed king at the young age of 15. You’d think after an anointing like that, he’d be “majestic” from that point forward… but he wasn’t. The very next day, after his anointing, he was doing as he did the day before. Taking care of the sheep. Doing a menial job. Doing what he’d always done. Nothing grand, regal, or majestic. Just tending the sheep. But God was starting a work in him. I like to think all that time alone with nothing but the animals and nature prepared him for such great things later in his life. Nobody documented in the Bible “messed up” more than David. But David had a solid as a rock relationship with his God that could not be shaken. Sometimes David fell hard, landing flat on his face in repentance. And God never let David fall from his hand. If you’re a Christian, you’ve been anointed. God has a calling on your life. I think sometimes we tend to focus on things grand… missing what is right before our eyes. Our calling isn’t necessarily big or even titled. Our calling is to surrender to Him, and to please Him. We can start in our own back yard….

Fever gone?

Kylie woke this morning with NO fever and we're hoping that trend continues through out the day. She's still coughing like a North Carolina coal worker, but feels better with no fever. Kaice is still coughing too, but her cough is more of an allergy/drainage type cough. They are different... funny how being a mom you become an expert on things like that. I can always tell when Kylie is sick or getting sick - her eyes turn from bright blue to grey. Kacie is different. She goes from well to very sick in a half hour with no notice.

Just got back from Kacie's school after having our first parent/teacher conference. I'm tickled that she's doing well and her teacher reported that she didn't have any real concerns with Kacie. Math is her strong subject, and I'm thankful the takes after her daddy in that area.

Hoping Kylie stays fever free today and that she can go to school tomorrow. I sure don't want her to get behind on schoolwork. That is almost worse than being sick!

Flu in Everettville

Yesterday morning Kacie came in our room early to tell us that her sister was “really, really hot and had a headache.” The flu is here. Kylie had nearly 103 fever, complete with chills and body aches. I have her some Tylenol and called the Dr.’s office to see what we needed to do. The flu is rampant in both of my girls’ schools right now. We all had our flu shots a few weeks ago, but with so many different versions as well as H1N1, there is no telling what she has. Thankfully, or awesome pediatrician Dr. Miller called in a prescription for Tamiflu, so we got it started within 12 hours or so of her starting the fever. Hopefully we can kick it fast and none of the rest of us will catch it. I’ve kept Kylie mostly isolated in her room and she has carte blanhe television privileges. She loves the Netflix on her computer feature. They have a great list of kid shows she can watch instantly. That has kept her busy between naps. Tomorrow is a school holiday, so maybe one more day of rest and she’ll be ready for Tuesday.

Since the weather is cold and Kylie is under the weather, it gave the whole family a good excuse to stay in our jammies all day and just chill out. Kyle cooked a lot of meat on the grill last night so we can have a few days of leftovers… steak, ribs, and salmon. Yum…. I love it when we have leftovers like that!

Texas Tech kicked some major bootie last night. It was good to see a win like that since this season has been so disappointing thus far. I wish we could have gone to the game, but just decided last minute not to go. I guess that worked out well, since Kylie got sick.

Raider, our new puppy is growing so fast. He’s already over 15 pounds and is only ten weeks old. I think he’s going to be huge.

As you can see, I’m rambling about nothing… so I’ll go for now….

Until next time….

Three Day Weekend.... At Last!!!

Today is cold and dreary, but I welcome the change from yesterday's high heat and humidity. I'm definitely ready for cooler weather. It makes me want to cook in the crockpot and curl up on the couch with a good book. We have no big plans for the weekend, so that may be exactly what I do.

I turned 40 back in May and I must admit this particular birthday kind of slapped me around a bit. I really didn't expect it to bother me as it did, but a few things that came along with the magic number kind of got me down a bit. Bifocals. Yep, my arms aren't getting any longer, so I now have bifocals. Extra poundage. Around the middle. I've always been very active and dieting is something I've never, ever done. If my clothes got a little tight, I might cut back on a snack or two, but I've never actually been on a diet. I've typically always weighted five to seven pounds less in the summer than the winter, simply because I am the pool girl, lawn girl, fixer-upper gal, and gardener extraordinaire at the Everett household. And I like it that way. However, this summer, no matter how much I did, I never lost my five to seven pounds. In fact, I gained. I'm not eating more, or any different. I just gained weight. I hear it's the dreaded "metabolism" slow-down. Darn it.

I don't like to work out in a gym. I'd rather weed a flower bed, or haul rocks than step on a treadmill or elliptical machine. It bores me out of my mind. I like the great outdoors, so I've sought an activity to get myself in better shape that does not confine me to a gym. That's when I discovered the Couch to 5K running program.

To be honest, I hate running. I played basketball in high school, and it was mandatory that you run track in the spring for basketball in the fall. I hated every stinking minute of it. In college I ran some just when I felt sick. I had a habit of bundling up very tight on a cold west Texas day and running until I "sweated the poisons out" of whatever crud I had. I still hated it. In the past 20-plus years, I have not run on purpose at all. Until seven weeks ago when I began the Couch to 5K program.....

The C25K program is designed to get you off the couch and running a 5K in nine weeks. It is a run/walk program that helps you build your endurance over time. I am notorious for starting something, pushing myself way to hard and quiting because I either injured myself or made myself so sore I couldn't even brush my teeth.

the first week of C25K after a five minute warm-up you jog 60 seconds and walk 90 seconds for a 20 minute duration. Each week you build on that. today after a five minute warm-up I ran for 25 minutes without stopping. I would have never believed this would be possible. The best part of it is that I feel good. I feel accomplished. I feel healthier.

I'm doing this program with a friend and it has helped to have an accountability partner. We run in our city park three mornings a week and I'm mostly inspired by a really old man that runs every morning. He is in such great shape and he laps us like we're sitting still. I want to be an old lady running like that someday. I might even wear shorts as short as his....

The weight??? Well, I've actually gained more, but my husband tells me muscle weighs more than fat.... I've lost an inch in my hips, thighs, and gained a half-inch in my calves. Couch to 5K... it's a great plan.

Our goal for now is to run in a local 5k this spring. With the rate we're going, it might happen sooner!!!! Do I love running? Well, not yet, but for the first time in my life, I don't hate it, and once I'm on that trail, I really, really like it!

This week is flying by - again...

Our schools are having higher absences than normal for this time of year. The flu is in full swing, as well as a few stomach bugs. We're hoping to avoid them at all costs. All of our hands are raw from hand sanitizer. I'm really not a germ freak, but I've been preaching to the girls about washing, washing and sanitizing. We've had our regular flu shots, and I'm not sure if we'll get the H1N1 shot because it sounds like it will be in short supply.

When I picked Kacie up from school on Monday she was so excited - screaming to the point of me almost not being able to understand her. She'd pulled a tooth at school and was VERY proud of herself. The thing that grossed me out was that a couple of her friends helped her wiggle it. I just hope they were freshly sanitized.... LOL.. that is just gross. Yesterday when I picked her up, she'd pulled another tooth. She is now missing all four top front teeth. She tells me her corn on the cob days are over for a while.

Report cards come out today and due to wonderful technology, I already know the girls both made straight As for the first six weeks. I find it amazing that I can go online and check the teacher's grade book, and that I get an email notification every time Kylie takes an AR test.

It's laundry day in Everettville, so better get at it...

Until next time...

Mad, Glad, Sad....

We play a game called "Mad, Glad, Sad" at the dinner table most nights to keep our conversation focused on the family and learn about each other's day. It starts usually with the youngest getting to ask anybody at the table what made them mad, sad or glad during the day. It's a really neat way for us to learn about things that happened at school with the girls, as well as a neat way for them to learn about our day.

As we're enjoying our tacos around the table discussing all the wonderful glad things, none too many sad things and progressing to the mad things, I was starting to think we'd all had a really great day... until it was Kacie's turn... Kylie - "Kacie, what made you mad today???" Kacie - "Barak Obama... did you know he thinks kids should go to school for TWELVE hours a day.... and NO SUMMER... now that just makes me mad."

Yep, Kacie.... that would make me mad, too... we wouldn't get to play our Mad, Sad, Glad game, or eat around the table every evening if that were to happen....

Flu season comes early...

Seven kids are absent in Kacie's class today and rumors are flying at the number of kids being sent home each day with the flu. Yesterday morning Kyle and I both got our flu shots and I got an allergy shot as well. The ragweed is killing me this fall. After school I took Kacie by our pediatrician's office for her flu shot... she was elated to discover that this year she could do a nasal spray instead of a shot. She thought that was "way cool."

On our way to school this morning I was telling Kylie that she'd get her flu shot today after school... she said, "mom, you mean spray, I'm getting the spray..." I teased her telling her that our insurance paid for the shot, but the spray cost me $8.91 yesterday with Kacie, and I'd spent all our money, so she'd have to get the shot. I kept teasing her, asking how much money she had in her piggy bank, etc., if she wanted the spray... she only half believed my kidding. I finally told her I was teasing, but that "life wasn't fair" because their poor ole' momma had to get TWO shots yesterday...

Kacie's response was priceless.

"Mom, life isn't fair. The sooner you learn that, the better off you'll be."

Mom's words come back to haunt her....

Keep the faith....

... until next time...

A Mother's Pride

Kylie made me cry yesterday. Cry in a really good way. Since the beginning of the school year, she's been telling me about a girl in her homeroom that failed 5th grade last year. Kylie describes this girl as one that is lacking a few social skills and one that struggles in school both academically and socially. Kids are mean to her. Very mean.

A few weeks ago, this little girl made the mistake of expressing her affection for a boy in their homeroom. The kids made a mockery of her - telling her that this boy liked her and wanted to kiss her on the playground... she went to meet him at the "secret place" only to be ridiculed by several kids. Kylie was steaming mad that afternoon when I picked her up.

This boy was teased by his friends because this little girl liked him, so his defense mechanism to that was to get ever more mean to her. Kylie said the girl tried to talk to him at lunch and he put his lunch box between them and said, "I don't speak beast." Of late, this little girl will walk with her lunch in hand looking for an empty seat and most will tell her all the seats around them are saved for somebody else.

Yesterday my daughter decided to be more brave than I ever would have at 10-years-old and did something about it. She saved a seat right next to her for this little girl. When one of her best buds asked if the seat next to Kylie was for her, Kylie responded by saying, "No, this seat is for *****" Kylie said the look on this little girls face when she told her she'd saved a seat for her was worth the strange looks she got from her friends when she said she'd saved the seat.

I am so proud of her. I don't think I would have been that bold at her age. I know I wouldn't have. I might not be the one making fun of this kid directly, but I certainly would have done nothing to stop it. I warned Kylie that some of her friends might start picking on her because of her actions. She says she doesn't care, she knows what she did was the right thing and she planned to do it again today.

I'm so proud of my little girl.

OK, so I've moved over from blogging on Xanga, and I haven't been very good at updating lately. But here's to a new school year... I'll try to do better! I'm going to try to figure out how to move my old blogs over here... not sure how to do that.

We've just completed the first week of school. KJ started 5th grade where she now has seven different teachers and moves from classroom to classroom with her own schedule. Kacie started first grade where homework is a nightly thing now. Getting back on schedule has been good, but made us all a bit tired by the end of the week.

Started the C25K program last week... it's a running program designed to take you from couch potato to running a 5K in nine weeks.... wish me luck!