You have got to be kidding me...

So, can I just say that I'm gobsmacked by this Eliot Spitzer nonsense. I mean, really now.
Here's what hashes me:

1. That he has the nerve to have his wife, who has most likely just found out that this "paragon of virtue" has been cheating on her, REPEATEDLY for YEARS, put on a brave face and stand next to him in not one, but TWO, press conferences. She totally should have said, "Go stand by yourself, you lying piece of garbage, and explain your own actions. I'm taking the car and girls and going ANYWHERE away from here."
2. Spitzer has 3 teenage daughters...how would he feel if one of them was working in this profession, regardless of clientele! ARGH! It infuriates me, the hypocrisy!!!!!!
3. That the trollop with whom he's been having these dalliances is becoming famous, in that useless "celebrity" sort of way, and that tacky, inappropriate pictures are all over the place of her, and she's now claiming copyright infringement. For crying out loud.
4. That what they BOTH did was illegal, but now SHE is being offered immunity (thus continuing the above cycle) for her testimony. You know, if she was a $25 junkie hooker, I wonder how this story would be played out.

I just have to wonder at our society and why we are drawn, like moths to killer flames, to this type of trash and then ask for more. And then I start to worry for my girls, because there are now expectations out there that weren't around in "my day" and I realize that Jason and I need to be even more diligent in how we raise them. What is it that Professor Moody says in the Harry Potter books? "Constant Vigilance!" So true.

Losing my voice

Okay, here's an update on an unexpected situation. I've lost my voice. It periodically finds me, but then I find myself talking...and I'm still talking, but no sound is coming out of me. It is the weirdest phenomenon, especially because I feel that I am, well...I'm a talker. I love to chat and visit with family and friends. I love the verbal communication. Alas! I have coughed and hacked and, to be honest, I was out last night way too long having a GLORIOUS gabfest...so, I've talked too much and viola!

Well, all I can say is that this is bizarre. And when I can talk, I sound like I have picked up a 3 pack a day habit and started taking a dose of male hormones, and heaven knows I don't need any more hormones dancing around in me these days.

I'm ready to be done with this nonsense! Yegads.

Recovery

I'm finally starting to feel better (yay!). Thanks to everyone who sent kind thoughts, prayers and good wishes and fed us lunch. Now, if I can get Jason back over the hump and keep the kids noses from running away with their faces, we'll be good to go.

I've decided that this type of virus is one of the most annoying because you only have the fever for maybe one day. You feel junky for...gosh, what is it now...four/five days, but after that first day is over, in your head you are like, I have no fever now. I must be back to normal, even though (fill in the blank) still doesn't feel right and the night time still produces lung ripping coughs. But, since you don't have a fever, you don't feel like you have an excuse to lounge in bed and have someone else tend the children and the myriad of other chores that piled up the one day you "took off". So, then you do too much to catch up and feel even worse during the night but you continue the cruel cycle the next day. Yep. It's been a weird sickness, but considering I've escaped relatively unscathed up to this point during the winter of illness, I'm counting my blessings. :)

In the meantime, Jason's sister gifted us the swing set that her kids have outgrown. Jason re-stained it and then the next day put it up (see what I mean about doing too much???), and the girls actually came to me yesterday afternoon to ask for help putting on their coats and permission to go outside to swing. Yippee!!!! My darlings have, unfortunately, picked up my "I don't like the outdoors unless the weather is perfect and the bugs are minimal" attitude that I have. I try to break them of this by enforcing "Go outside!" moments, which always makes everyone grumpy (except for Elisabeth, who is often vastly contented to dig in the dirt and sample the soil...which is another rant for another time).

Anyway, I said "Heck yes!!!." Well, that was me mentally. I actually probably said something like, "Of course!!! Thank you for asking," and sent them on their way. I watched them out the window from the couch (I was recovering from my morning of cleaning my entire house...once again, an example of doing too much when still not feeling 100%, but it amazes me how quickly it becomes a STY when I'm not trying to keep up!) and they were outside for about 40 minutes, laughing and having a great time. It was perfect. Keep in mind that they, too, are enjoying the remnants of this virus, so I'm glad they weren't out there forever, but a little exercise for them goes a long way to a great nights sleep for everyone.

It was a happy silver lining in the gloom of this nastiness my family has been going through. And now it seems that we may be on the other side of it, for the most part, AND Spring is actually starting to make an appearance, so things are really looking good and that warms my heart, I must say. :)

Death Warmed Over

Sooooo, last night I finally succumbed to whatever viral plague the children had last week and all I can say is that I should have been a kinder, more loving parent. lol.

Seriously, I have a sinus headache that is somewhat blinding. I'd compare it to a migraine, but I'm not incapacitated...just really pained by it. And my neck hurts. You know those sinus-y areas below your ears, where all the doctors feel to see if your throat really hurts? Those hurt...like I pulled some neck muscles hurt. That being said, my throat doesn't hurt, though it's itchy scratchy. But it's the chest constrictions...feels like someone is sitting on your chest and then when you cough, it's like someone is ripping off some hot wax strip thing. Yegads!

And, of course, I can only take Tylenol (I sure miss my ibuprofen) and sudafed, and I think I can take Robitussin. Around 3 am this morning, I was creeping through the house trying to find a cough drop. Very sad and pathetic. I finally found one in Jason's drawer (I think I was led by Divine Inspiration), and would have woken him up to kiss him if I wasn't so exhausted by that time.

Anyway, the moral of this story is that I can take almost nothing of help. So, I'm just drinking lots of fluids and not worrying about doing anything around the house. The television, again, is babysitting the children. ugh. Thank goodness for Hi-5 and Yo Gabba Gabba! And a little Super Why. lol.

And nap time. I have 10 minutes to go before I, too, get a nap. Hallelujah. :)

Outnumbered

Just a few minutes ago, Abigail got in trouble and was sent to "The Step." She has, shall we say, a tendency towards the dramatic, and thus the weeping and wailing began. Well, out of sympathy I suppose, Olivia began to "cry." Oh, uh huh. Sad, pathetic little whimpers with her head cocked to one side, she hovered near her sister, showing empathy. Then Elisabeth came over and with big crocodile tears falling said, "Mom, you scared me when you got mad at Abigail." I explained to her that I was not mad at Abigail but that there are consequences to our actions and I wasn't going to have her yelling at Olivia (that, as we all know, is MY job).

I have to, in my defense, say that I really did NOT get mad at Abigail. She had been coloring and was loudly yelling at Olivia because Olivia was starting to color on/wrinkle/RUIN her art work. She had been warned twice and was then sent to "The Step" with much boo-hooing which immediately makes me want to send her to her room, because honestly by that point, my patience has been stretched pretty thin.

After all got calmed down, I tried to get them to go outside. I am desperate for warm true Spring. I need it to be warm at 5:30. Instead, it is maybe 40 degrees outside. I get lighter jackets out of the coat closet. I also then get the Dramas of the Coats:

"This coat is too warm!"
"It won't be once you are out there."
"I don't want this coat! You need to roll up the sleeves!"
"Please leave that sleeve alone. You don't need it rolled up. It's fine and will keep you hands warmer."
"I don't want this coat! Why does Elisabeth get that coat?" (listen carefully and you'll hear my patience snap. Wait for it. **SNAP!!!** )
"For crying out loud!! Go to 'The Step.'"

Abigail joins us about 3 minutes after we venture outside. She pouts the entire time, claiming she just wants to be alone but everyone is following her **sniff, sniff**. Considering that I've been video taping the entire episode (this is for another post, but I've finally FINALLY figured out who/what Olivia reminds me of when she runs, which is the most hilarious sight to behold), I know for a fact that this is not true. We are outside about 3 more minutes before Elisabeth is cold. Abigail is cold. I've had it. And, of course, Olivia doesn't want to come inside, and who can blame her really, until she gets something in her shoe. "Ow!" And she grudgingly comes up to the deck, but still won't come inside until I carry her in, with much protest (on her part, not mine).

We come in and I put on "Yo Gabba Gabba", episode, "Love." I hope it inspires me.

Ahhhhh, yes. I'm sure this episode will cinch the "Mother of the Week" award for me, yet again.

Hello to Any/All New Readers

I just wanted to say that I sent out a big "blind" email announcing to my friends and family that I actually had a blog. So, to anyone for whom this is new: Welcome.

We've been so bad at getting information out about our family that I finally decided to do something about it. It's not a spectacular blog, but hopefully it'll be a place that you can visit when you are wondering, "Hmmmmm...haven't heard from Laurenda and her family for a while. What's she been up to?" My goal is to, at some point, have pictures so you can see what the girls are doing/look like. At that point, I'll probably resend my mass email and invite you personally to the blog so I have some element of control over who can see my beauties. But for now, it's just my ramblings about current life circumstances, and I HIGHLY doubt anyone but family and friends would be too concerned about it.

Let's see...I've been doing this since Feb 28, so not long at all. We are still Laurenda, Jason, Abigail (5), Elisabeth (3) and Olivia (20 months) and a baby on the way due in August(ummm...I'm pregnant again for those who didn't know. See? Bad about getting information out).

Let me know if you have any trouble with the blog, or helpful constructive hints, or interesting relevant suggestions, or even a blog of your own. In the meantime, many thanks for taking time to read it!!!!

I guess I better go get Olivia off from the middle of the table where she seems to have stranded herself. sigh.

Again, welcome!

:) Laurenda

Daylight Savings Consequences

Hello Daylight Savings Time. I wish you didn't mess me up so bad, else I'd love to greet you more warmly (no pun intended). I love more light during the day and evening, even if studies have PROVEN that it doesn't save any money on electricity because you end up heating/cooling your house more. C'est la vie. It is nice to see the sun set.

Of course, it means that the older daughters start in with comments like, "It's not time for bed yet because the sun is still up." Ummmmmm, no. It's still time for bed. I even tried to get to bed early last night, but ended up reading until about 11:30. I'm re-reading Twilight. I need to be reading one of two books for my book clubs I'm in, but I'm not. sigh. Twilight is like watching a favorite program, where you already know the ending, but love to watch it anyway. Speaking of favorite programs, I'm like that with pretty much all Jane Austen movie interpretations, my favorite being Sense and Sensibility. I like the familiarity, I think, and knowing I can put it down (or turn it off, as the case may be) and there's no stress for getting it done. So, it's relaxing for the most part.

And heaven knows I need some relaxing. Last night, or should I say, this morning, Elisabeth came to our room and tried to wake Jason up around 4 (which on Friday night was actually 3) saying she was scared. Jason was sound asleep, but she succeeded in waking me up, and then I woke Jason up. Long story short, she wasn't scared but had a fever of 103. Nice. Actually, she could have been scared, but she was also sick. Poor baby. It's so rare for her to get out of bed at such a time that I, of course, was immediately awake and searching for the thermometer and ibuprofen and then have more trouble getting back to sleep. Olivia woke up at 5 something, so I got her 4 oz of milk to drink and then Jason woke me up at 7:30 to go get Abigail up (in pre-Daylight Savings time, she woke up at 6:30, which now is 7:30) and get her ready for school while he got ready for work, which is our normal routine. As I was walking into her room, she's already coming down the bunk bed ladder. Just like clockwork. I was hoping to sneak back to bed, but Olivia woke up around 8:00 and is currently up with me. This, of course, does not count the times I woke up to use the bathroom, either. sigh.

Since I've been married and pregnant, I seriously cannot remember sleeping through the night. It happens periodically (and by that I mean, if all the planets and their moons are in alignment with earth during a solar flare, periodically) and it almost always messes me up more because I'm my normal sleep deprivation state is almost overwhelmed by the beauty of a full night's rest. In the meantime, hallelujah for naps.

It's worth it, the sleep deprivation for the kiddos (most of the time). :) Last night we were at dinner at our friends (and can I just say, HOLY COW about their delicious pork chops), and they had some Barbies and Abigail was playing with them after the meal. Picture if you will the adults are sitting around the table chatting away when all of a sudden, Abigail says (probably more loudly than she realized), "Excuse me, Funny Sisters. Will you help me unload the car? It's so full of things." She said something else but I can't remember because I was cracking up so hard. I think we all paused because, ever polite, Abigail will come up to an adult and say, "Excuse me," to interrupt the conversation and then ask for whatever she's wanting. So, we all paused in our conversation to hear her, and she was totally talking to these Barbies! Too funny. One of those priceless moments that was probably more hysterical in person than reading about it, but it was funny. Kids are funny; they are sweet and at this age really do love you unconditionally. And that's why it's worth it to be so tired and praising nap time.

Ahhhh, Elisabeth is up. She still feels warm. I'm off to find the thermometer.