Whew

So what's a girl supposed to do on her morning off?

I slept in for an hour, then dropped the kids off at school, then came home, got back into bed, and slept away the morning. I finally woke up when my tummy started rumbling, so I ran to Blimpie and I seriously could have come home to sleep another 4 or 5 hours. I was that tired.

Instead I headed into my training, which was good. I learned a lot, saw a lot, and will try out a lot of what I absorbed. I didn't worry about my students, my subs, or my own kids. I just relaxed. It was nice. It was back to reality at 4:30 though and I was off and running, grabbing 3 kids from 3 different locations. We hit the commissary so that we could eat again, then home for dinner and baths.

While Abs was in the bath she started reciting the Gettysburg Address. I knew one or two lines more so I taught her those too, and now she is on a mission to memorize it, so I need to get that printed out for her.

Em is feeling better, and Junior seems to be a little bit better too. After he coughed on me, and since I have forgotten to take my airborne all week, I think I am catching it. Ugh.

What's up with those guys selling magazines subscriptions for that contest door to door? Do people actually buy them. I don't even open the door for them. A few years ago, I was going out to get in the car and this guy came running towards me waving his hands and screaming. It scared me so I got in the car and locked the doors, and he started flipping me off and cussing at me and everything. Gunner was home so I called him, and he came out, and the guy was mad because I wouldn't tell him what time it was. He was selling magazine subscriptions and wanted to know if it was time to meet his ride. Gunner told him to move out and fast. The guy kept on ranting and raving. It was really weird. All I know is that if some guy is running towards me, I am not about to stick around to see what it is about!

Junior is still wearing his cape, and running up to complete strangers everywhere to let them know that he is a superhero in case there is any confusion.

My mom told me that she read somewhere that apple cider vinegar was good for skin problems. Junior was not impressed with me swiping it on his body and screamed. We'll see if it works. At this point I am willing to try anything to save his little skin.

Training tomorrow and then we are going to volunteer at the animal shelter. No worries Gunner, we will not be returning with an animal!

My Friday...

I did it.

I booked a sub for tomorrow morning. I haven't taken one day off, so I have to start slow. I have a training in the afternoon, so I have to work a little, but the morning is mine, all mine. (Knock on wood)

Took Em to the doctor tonight and they thought she had strep, but that came back negative. The pain is kind of on the right side, so they said to monitor it in case it is her appendix. Ummmm....no time for that! They did tell me to quit giving her children's tylenol. She might make it on the requirements for age, but the doctor said she didn't look 11. Don't remind me. Gunner is going to freak out when he see his baby girl is half grown.

I need to remember to get my digital camera from school so I can share what Abs created this morning at her appointment. It's adorable and the story behind it is true Abs. It's great. Her teacher couldn't wait to see me after school today so that she could find Abs and have her show it to me. Pictures and details to come!

While I was taking Em to the doctor tonight, my FIL watched Junior and Abs. I came back to find them piled on one side of the couch together watching cartoons. After he left I went into the kitchen to make myself a cup of crystal lite, my new weakness.

The floor was c.r.u.n.c.h.y. At first I thought maybe I had spilled some of my protein shake this morning while I was getting things ready to walk out the door. I was mistaken. Apparently someonethatisnotabs emptied 10 crystal lite packages on the floor. I'm sure there is some meaning behind it, but I have almost learned not to ask anymore. Guess it is a good thing that the house wasn't cleaned yesterday. I'll have plenty to keep me busy this weekend.

I need to remember to get my digital camera from school so I can share what Abs created this morning at her appointment. It's adorable and the story behind it is true Abs. It's great. Her teacher couldn't wait to see me after school today so that she could find Abs and have her show it to me. Pictures and details to come!

Survivor didn't get DVRed tonight, darn it!

No clean house...

The lady that comes to clean my house on Wednesdays didn't come today. Apparently she got called into work. I love coming home Wednesday afternoons and having it look so nice. Guess I am on my own.

Got an email from Gunner and the commo black is over, and he had some good news. He said he could be home a week early. A week before his year mark? A week before his return date? A week from his date to arrive in Kuwait? I went to work and had this conversation:

Me: Did you hear that?
Friend: Hear what?
Me: That, can't you hear it?
Friend: Looking puzzled, really trying to figure it out, finally says What are you hearing?
Me: The sound of my husband coming home a week early.

So hopefully Gunner will call me and let me know what is going on. Like he tells me, it will be on the website for everyone to see before he probably knows. When the war first started, he called before he went into Iraq, to see what Fox News was saying about what he was going to do, because they weren't telling them anything. Sure enough, the news crews were right. Luckily Geraldo didn't draw any pictures of their location.

Em isn't feeling too great tonight. She's got the runs, and they told me Junior had a few problems at daycare. This can't be happening!

I hear a croupy Junior too.

I wonder how much I will hear if I bury my hand in the pile of laundry that I need to fold.

People are noticing...

Now that I am almost to 20 pounds, people are starting to notice that I have lost weight. That's always a good feeling!!

I get weighed tomorrow, so we'll see what progress has been made. I didn't get to the gym today because of Ab's physical therapy, but hopefully it will all be okay.

Ab was back in fighting form today. She gave me a thumbs up this morning, took her medicine, and was off and racing. Thank goodness the lady who cleans the house is coming tomorrow. I need to know someone else cleaned it besides me to put my germaphobic mind at ease.

I got pulled over this morning. Ugh. No ticket, the MP was really nice and let me off. I'm sure Gunner is breathing a sigh of relief. I really am not a speed demon or anything, I was only going 23 in a 20 and not using my blinkers. Well and my last stop wasn't a 3 second stop. Geez. I wanted to point out to him that I just got my expired inspection stickers updated, but figured he wouldn't be as happy about that as I was.

I hear Junior hacking away....it sounds like croup. Oh the nights we spent with the girls in the er because we didn't know any better. Now Junior is propped up in his bed, has some water, some tylenol and hugs and kisses to last through the night. Em covered a pillow with a tshirt that has a picture of Gunner on it. Junior saw it, smiled, and said Daddy was sleeping with him. Melted my heart.

I mentioned to Em tonight, that she doesn't talk about her dad much anymore. She said she doesn't have to because she thinks about him all the time. We talk about him every day in the general sense, see pictures of him, talk about when he comes home what it will be like. Gone are the constant tears from the girls about him being gone. I look back at posts from the beginning, and they have come a long way. The hard part is knowing that they will have to start over from the beginning again next time. I'm sure there will be a next time.

Plugging Along...

My friend Abbey called to tell me that she is beating me in the sick department. Ugh. Not a contest either one of us want to be in!

Made it to training this morning, had a nice run beforehand too. I came home and found a duathlon in Temple in a month, and am trying to talk my friend Mel into it. She wasn't as gung-ho on this one. I'll wait till Gunner is back to go along with me. I need someone that knows how to fix my bike anyway or show me how to do it.

I'm busy making lesson plans, sub plans, and cleaning, while tending to little Abs. She is so quiet and calm it's scary. I called the doc since she is still seeing a civilian and they said to just wait it out. She is still under quarantine, much to her dismay. I did move the DVD player in there, and I continue to deliver water, pedialyte, jello and toast on a regular basis.

Junior is still running around in his cape being a superhero and not taking naps. He's gotten so funny in the last few weeks, and is finally ready for potty training. After organizing all his toys, he dumped out his books and crouched behind the basket. I asked him if he was pooping. He looked over, gave a little grin, and said "No, I am just peeing". Well if you can tell me, then you should tell me sooner kiddo!

Em is glued to the computer and her books. But she's been helping, sanitizing and entertaining Junior right along with me.

4 more trash days....

Shoot me now...

As soon as I hit post, I heard Abs throwing up. I.do.not.handle.barf. Didn't someone get the message over Thanksgiving when my friend Melinda had to take care of Junior?

I went back there, and she at least made it to the bathroom, but the lid was down. Figures. She managed to hit every other place in the room. It was bad.

I put her in the shower, banished Junior and Em to Junior's room, and started laundry, cleaned the bathroom, got Abs a barf bucket, and about tossed my own cookies.

I went through half a bottle of clorox spray, a roll of paper towels, two trash bags, and a small travel size package of clorox wipes.

Let's hope it is something that she ate.

It's days like this that I just want to run away and hide. I know The Mrs. can understand that as she is in the recovery stage. My mom won't come take care of me though!

I better go sanitize the house. Nothing says I love you like a clean bathroom to be sick in.

Ugh.

It happened...

I came home from dropping the girls off at Girl Scouts and put a tired, screaming, Junior down for a nap. I got snuggled into my bed to take a nap, had just fallen asleep, when the phone rang.

It always works like that.

I ran and found a phone, to hear little Abs on the other end of the line.

Abs: Hi Mommy!
Me: What happened?
Abs: Oh, nothing really.
Me: Then why are you calling?
Abs: Well I touched someone on the back.
Me: And?
Abs: Well she told her mom.
Me: Keep going.
Abs: So you have to pick me up.
Me: Abs, what's the rest of the story?
Abs: I don't know, it's just so hard to be me, so I'll see you in a few?
Me: Bye.

I got up from my warm bed and went to go get Junior up. Well he wasn't sleeping, but he was naked. Apparently he was not happy with taking a nap, so he was protesting. Probably a good thing that I got the phone call, or no telling what would have been all over his crib besides his clothes. And he managed to lose his diaper in there. I think he stuffed it down the side--mental note to go track that down after I get done with this post.

We got Abs and then waited in the car for an hour while Em finished up the meeting. Still not sure what happened, but at this point, I just wanted to go home and not stick around.

Got home and decided that everyone needed to clean their room. I started helping Abs, which means I had to put at least one lightbulb back in her room. She was so excited. She keep saying "So this is what it felt like when God said let there be light!".

While I was organizing her books, she was putting dirty clothes on her scooter and racing it down the hallway to the laundry room. The problem was that she would only hang a few things off and spent more time arranging them than she did moving them to their proper location.

Then Abs informed me that she had diarrhea. This was after she shared her afternoon tea with her brother. Sick diet again? I feel nauseous.

Em is holed up in her room, probably not working very hard at cleaning. Junior is wearing a bucket on his head, a cape on his back and is going back and forth through a tunnel. Abs told me she is thinking of new ways to solve the world's problems. I asked her what the problems were and she told me she would get back to me on that.

Come on donut of misery, you have to work faster, you have to.