The Next Frame

My basic visualization exercise for the kids this fall is to imagine they are living in a comic strip. If the comic strip is about getting ready for dinner they can see in their mind the first frame.....table covered with school stuff.....next frame.......table in theory with nothing on it and ready to accept plate and silverware customers........food on plates and bunches of people eating it and making a mess.......what.....is.....the next frame? Pause. Choices. Table still full of plates and food and crumbs and spills and no people anywhere to be seen or....pause.....visualize a different option???? The kids love to hear me give them these different possibilities. I love to give them too as it prevents the urge to scream at them for escaping.

The benefits of fever to this mom

So.....having laid in bed for three or four days listening to myself breathe and cough and doing nothing else, I have now awoken from this state with new found energy. The amazing effect of antibiotics on the body that needs it is.....amazing. My theme for this year is follow through. So when I stumbled by the children and increasing disaster, I thought how nice it would be to have energy to attack it. I have at least some now and the kids are probably worried about their leisure time as I am chasing them about to follow through. I begin with the pleasant mom voice and make my cute little requests. Moaning replies bring on the drill sergeant and the fourth commandment. I have sweetly told them they can take their pick.....respond to sweet mother voice promptly without moaning or......I will make things clear to them somehow as to what is needed. Computer games and leisure reading are at risk and on the chopping block. I dream this in the back of their mind when confronted with cute little questions like......have you changed your underwear? Picked up your stinky clothes? Cleaned up your gourmet cooking mess??? You can do it kids! I know you can! Fight the good fight!

Your mother is back......at least for now.....

Mini A?

Ingrid has been called Mini C after her older sister Cecilia since she was born really. Well, three years old today, she makes sure her voice is heard when it comes to what she is wearing, "Pretty dress!!!" This was Anna's mantra when that size. So Ingrid will get a couple pretty dresses for her birthday today. I reminded her yesterday that today was her birthday and she was suddenly quiet. (her brother wasn't) I am not sure what we are going to do for special today but we will come up with something. Oh....she is more like Mini C when it comes to being able to keep up with her laundry though so perhaps that makes her own little self.

Energy

Yay antibiotics. Yay inhalers too. Clearly this plague was bacterial. I have no clue how that happened but it was a relief to actually get out of bed and realize I felt like making my own coffee. I went for a bowl of soup with Anna before going to the fabric store for.....wedding dress lining......THIS is the sort of thing I had wanted to do all week but haven't been able to. She goes back to Bloomington on Saturday and I go back to communication via the phone with her then too. Sigh. It will be busy times this fall. At any rate I am happy to somewhat back from Jane Austin land of languishing in bed.

Listening In

Since I have been hanging out in my room since Sunday and some times the days before, I get to listen to everything which is going on with the rest of the family. I think they have sort of forgotten about my existence. I want to go and help them out but that isn't a great idea right now. I especially want to go and help Evan. He is getting drug around from room to room and I sense they are catching on the fact that he needs regular food and drink. Phew. I am thinking my fever finally broke so perhaps tomorrow I can rejoin the living. My cough is mostly asthma related which is enough to knock anyone under the table anyway. I hate whiney posts but hearing my kiddos functioning without me is....interesting. I can tell from the activity and conversation they ARE figuring out what needs to be done even if it takes a LOT longer. Yay inhalers. Anna has drug kids around today for me and is experiencing life with many who don't seem to follow logical procedures to completion. Texting her from the bedroom is a step up from the little dingy, ringy bell I used as a child to beg for help. She is glued to her phone and I am sure hopes the texts are from someone else.... Perhaps I can drift off to sleep again soon.

Back in the day

I have not felt as sick as I do now since I was in grade school. Back in the day we convalesced in our beds and sweat it out. I do not recall taking tylenol or Advil or any such thing. My dear father believed in burning it out of us. So....here I lay and I wimp out and take some and wonder about this day and age where everyone runs to the doctor at the slightest sniffle. I have distinct memories as a child of giant spiders all over my bedroom....hmmm.......I think I will take the wimp route and keep chugging some Tylenol. I still have the immobile problem and a different problem is the small fry who miss their mother and chose to not make it to the potty, get into stuff and drive their eldest siblings nuts and my general feeling of helplessness. All I had to worry about back in the day was whether I had enough vim and vigor to read or listen to WLS without the room turning in circles. Mothers are not allowed to be sick. I'm just saying. I am sort of wondering if this is strep throat as no one else is sick....fever.... Here's hoping they are spared and we will see where things are in the morning.

Screaming

Anna just made the observation that four out of nine of the children are in a crying stage. Oh dear. It is true. Something which just involves decibels is amazingly exhausting. Food, sleep, attention. Hmmm.....where to grab some anti- screaming energy to combat these short little people.

Comforting my shopping cart

After twenty years of carting babies around in shopping carts I have developed a very weird habit. When I do not have the baby with me, I catch myself comforting my groceries by pushing the shopping cart back and forth. It is....embarrassing. I was talking to Anna on the phone while at the local library book sale and noticed I was comforting my cart full of books. Ack! What must that look like to the bystander. I did start to laugh and told Anna what I had been doing. "Okay Mom", says daughter dear. Oh well, I am glad my groceries and purchases feel comfortable and non-stressed with me. This is a good thing. I am also sure I am not alone in this odd habit.

Bubble life

Face palm morning as I overwhelm myself with how many everyday things my children don't know about. The scene this morning: Dear nameless son brings me a gallon of milk and asks me to smell it and see if it is still good. Mom question number one......"did you check the date on the jug?". Confused look on son's face.

"Um....no"

"Do you know HOW to check the date on the jug?" I inquire.

"Um...no" reads numbers outloud...."0,8,22,11".

"Do you know what that means?"

"Um...no"

I explain to poor son what it means. "Do you know what month it is?"

"Um....no"

Suppressing scream of terror and responding in shaky voice I tell him and ponder all of those duh things my kids don't know about because they live in our bubble world. Push down panic attack and try to focus on doing the next thing.....breathe.....

"Now children, the month is August and the season is....summer." sigh.

Eggplant

People grow these things but I rarely hear that anyone likes them. Tonight I used my Mark Bittman vegetarian cookbook (I am not a vegetarian) and made eggplant lasagna. It is looking pretty yummy. I personally grew an Italian version of eggplant which is looking pretty awesome. I'm on the hunt for recipes so feel free to share your sources.

Okra will be the next challenge. I personally love okra but the family is less than enthused. They grow like crazy so will have to figure out something soon.

That is all the excitement down on the ranch, which as usual is full of weeding and finally enjoying the benefits of all that weeding. Yay!