I MISSED ALL OF YOU SOOOO MUCH!!

Hello Again! I missed all of you! I hope to have a few free moments here and there to catch up with each of you on your blogs. I am so far behind in my reading and commenting.

I finally made it back to my semi-normal self and ready to get back in the swing of things. During my illness I tried to keep on top of things like taking Snow White directly to school. What?

School: Why was she late this morning?
Me: I am sick.
School: Sorry, that does not excuse her for being late.
What I wanted to say: You are so right. I should have just shoved her out the front door and said ‘Hope you figure out your way to the school even though you have never walked there before.’
Me: Ok, she can use the first of her allowed 5 unexcused absences.
School: You should have called to let us know she would be late.
Me: I cannot call if I am not awake.
School: You should make better plans in order to be prepared in the morning.
Me: I am sick. I did not plan to be late.

The lady at the front desk was still chattering about something or other but I was done. I walked away to allow her to continue her ridiculous conversation alone. Rules shmules I giggled on the way to the car. When you are this sick and the only parent something has got to give a little.

My meds were a bit strong. I was waking up late if I took them at night. They completely knocked me out which prevented me from taking them during the day. So I had to skip taking them during the week which only allowed me to take them during the weekends. This is why it took so long to recover from my illness. When you are the only parent in the house it gets a little tough to stay on the normal schedule like school and work. There is no one else to back you up. I am not saying this only happens to Single Moms. Military wives are home alone taking care of everything much of the time as are women who’s husbands travel for work.

During my illness I did do a few good Mommy activities. Snow White did not miss one Brownie meeting, school activity or outing. I even managed to Trick or Treat with Snow White and a few of her friends. The cool air felt good on my steaming hot forehead. Everyone around me said it was actually pretty warm outside. One of the houses in the neighborhood put on a really great haunted house! Our little troop of Trick or Treaters were anxious to see this house until we were right in front of it. Snow White could not persuade her friends to join her inside so she and I went in alone. It was just spooky enough to get a good rise out of her and tickle her to bits. Even the big kids got in on some Halloween fun. No, they did not go out Trick or Treating. They had a teen function that started after Trick or Treating. The picture below was taken just after Snow White and I returned home when Trick or Treating ended. ManSon and his friends were just on their way out.




Hot Topic Chick, The Crow, Hermione, Faceless Hippie, Dog no likie Hippies



Snow White’s Brownie Troop had a badge ceremony and a Juliet Lowe party. Mrs. Lowe is the founder of Girl Guides in the UK and Girl Scouts in the US She was born on Halloween so many of the Girl Scout troops have a party on or around Halloween to celebrate her birthday. The ceremony was so cute. There was a little skit about what goes into making a Brownie then each of the new Brownies crawled out of an oven made of cardboard. After which they were presented with the badges, pins and patches they have earned up to date. After the ceremony and before the party started I asked her to let me hold on to her badges, pins and patches. She didn’t know what I was talking about. I explained “Let me hold on to what ever was given to you on the stage.” Her loud reply “I didn’t get anything on stage. I got SQUAT!” Then she ran off happily to decoupage her pumpkin with the other girls. The troop leader assured me it was a mistake she will rectify soon.



The girls and their families all seemed to have such a wonderful time. Each parent brought in some sort of food or party item which made a terrific super sweet banquet. All the tasty sugary goodness a child could imagine and then some. ManSon made three large batches of brownies and he even wanted to come along. He helped us set up the tables and took care of the heavy lifting. When it came time to decoupage the pumpkins he was the one who helped Snow White. I was a little taken aback and felt a bit jealous at first. Sort of “Hey, that’s my job.” You could tell he was truly enjoying his time with Snow White. This allowed me to help more with the party and take many photos.

I brought a veggie tray with ranch dip. After seeing all the yummy treats I thought for sure I would be taking home 98% of the veggies but I was wrong. The tray was filled 4 times and then….“Where are the veggies? Mrs. Momma didn’t you bring more?” Even ManSon was disappointed. By the time he made it through the food line there was only one carrot stick left. Snow White walked up next to him and gave him a great big smile. Jokingly he said “Go head. Take my one and only veggie.” Which she quickly grabbed then skipped off with her friends. All he could do was laugh.

We helped with Snow White’s Math Game project. It turned out fairly well considering I had a fever, she is only in 3rd grade and thank goodness for ManSon’s artistic ability. He painted the die and wooden box. His ideas were really clever. He painted the 1 on the die as a Pokeball and the box would have looked just like a Pokeball if it were round.





I hope to catch up with a few of you tonight and more of you this week.

When A Single Mom Gets Sick

Hey, I am back. Not all better yet but getting there. What happened? Well, two Thursdays ago (Oct 18th) I woke up, made myself ready for work and Snow White ready for school. Just like any other week day.

When I arrived at my office I felt sluggish but quickly brushed it off as "You are just tired." An hour later the room seemed to move when I thought I was sitting perfectly still. I had an important meeting with my boss at 11 am and I was determined to make that meeting. Breathing started to become difficult but I thought "Don't worry, you just have a really bad cold. Worst case scenario you have the flu....but it is too early in the year for the flu!"

I kept telling myself to just make it through the morning until that meeting was over. After all, I work close to home and could run home to take a nap during my lunch hour. It might have been two hours after I arrived at work that my co-workers started making comments such as "You look horrible", "Are you ok?", "Maybe you should go home" or just plain running the other way when they saw me coming. I shook it off until my meeting when my boss, who really does not like me to take a sick day, took a few steps back and said "I think you need to go home. We don't want you to get everyone else sick."

After our meeting I literally saluted his Administrative Assistant and declared for all in ear shot to hear, "I am Going Home." I might have said it in a sing song fashion but I do not really remember. I don't even remember GOING home.

The next thing I remember was ManSon coming in my room to ask me what time I was going to pick up Snow White from Daycare. I woke up, put on my shoes and picked her up. Knowing I was feeling ill I decided not to cook, instead I did the McDonalds Drive Thru. I hate McDonalds food but my children think of it as a real treat and it was easy dinner for me. After all, I was sick and was not feeling up to eating anything. There is nothing wrong with McDonalds food. It is just not my preference. Anyway, it works out as a substitute when Mommy is not feeling well.

As soon as we were home I went straight back to bed. I woke up often coughing or in need of the bathroom when my body decided to violently extract something from one end or the other. ManSon took care of Snow White and made sure she went to bed when it was time. Around 7:30 am, during one of my bathroom calls, I called my boss to let him know I was still ill and would not make it in to work. I crawled back in to bed and went to sleep for a little while.

Thinking about how ill I was I sort of knew it would not be wise to drive any further than necessary. I decided it would be better to sleep for another hour and drive Snow White to school which was only two small blocks from our house rather than stay awake and drive all the way to the daycare center 7 minutes away. Seven minutes away may not seem like a great distance but the way I was feeling it was cross country traveling.

After dropping her off at school I return home, call the Dr to make a sick call appointment. They inform me I will be seen at 3pm so I slide back in to bed after setting my alarm clock for 2:30 pm.

At 2:15 pm ManSon comes in to check on me and I realize I went back to bed in my work clothes from YESTERDAY and I still have my shoes on. Oh well, at least I am ready for my appointment. I get up, brush my teeth and pull out a coat from the front closet. Um, it wasn't cold enough for a coat, it has been exceptionally warm for this time of year.... and it wasn't even MY OWN coat.

I arrive at the Drs office in yesterdays clothes, my teenage daughter's dress coat which she herself out grew a few years ago and a full box of Puffs Plus in my purse. Hey, you have to give me credit for actually bringing my purse.

When the Dr. saw me he mentioned the box of Puffs "It's never a good sign when a patient arrives with a whole box of tissues." They tested me for strep but it came back negative. The Dr. mentioned my lungs were clear which caught me totally off guard. How could they be clear when I was having so much trouble breathing? Apparently my tonsils were enlarged for no apparent reason and my entire throat was swollen!!

I was not processing this information I was just hearing it. When the nurse came in and said "Here are your prescriptions" all I thought of was "Here is your relief. You can sleep without the bathroom calling either end of your body. You will get better. You will live through this."

Then, I rushed to the grocery store across the street to fill my prescriptions. After looking over my credit card receipt from the Drs. office (apparently unable to count out the cash in my purse) and the receipt from the ATM at the grocery store it took me 30 minutes to make it across that street. While waiting on my prescriptions, I wondered around the grocery store picking up more Puffs and $50 worth of Progresso and Campbell’s soup (not an exaggeration). At one point I thought a man was checking me out. Later I realized he must have been staring at me wondering what type of hospital lab was minus this experiment.

I pick up my prescriptions, Snow White, more McDonalds then back to bed. The medication worked really well, just like the nurse said.

Saturday morning around 7 am Snow White was complaining of a sore throat. Oh No! Not that! How could I take care of a sick child while I was so very ill myself. So, what did I do? I called the Drs. office and made a sick call appointment for that morning. It is wonderful to have a Drs. office open on Saturdays! The nurse says she thinks it is strep. How much more wonderful could this weekend get? Their lab would be open on Monday so they would call us when they had the results.

Snow White started crying about a birthday party she was suppose to attend. She has been ready for this party for a week! We even had the presents wrapped and in the car for a few days in preparation. She had her pirate's costume in the car, which she checked daily to make sure she had everything she needed to be the pirate she wanted to dress up as for the party.

The out of state birthday party we both so wanted to go to...started like hours ago! I panic! How can we get there? Taxi? No it is out of state. Can I drive? I think I can drive. No. I cannot even stand up straight without the room shaking my feet and making me wobble all over the place. Franticly I dump everything out of my purse remembering I had put the invitation in there. I cannot find the freaking invitation! I know the Mom giving the party gave me her cell phone number so I must have written it on that invitation. I give up looking for the invitation and go to my computer. Maybe I have an email with the Mom's cell phone number.

I do not remember if it was an email or my computer address book which had her cell phone number but I did find it. I called her and she thought maybe I was lost somewhere in the state looking for the party. Sadly I had to explain we were sick and could not make it. I wished it was just as simple as we were lost and looking for directions. This Mom, her daughter and their entire family are people you just really, really want to be around. They are such a joy to be around it would have surely cured me by being there for just a few minutes. That is how wonderful they truly are. I am not sure what exactly I said during our phone conversation other than we are not lost and gifts will be mailed out.

Sunday, I spent all day in bed with my children checking in on me from time to time. I did eat some soup and I think I managed to take my prescriptions a few times during the day. Monday morning I went to work but still not feeling any better. Snow White went to school since she did not have a fever and we would not have the results back from the Drs. office. After lunch the Drs. office called to say she does not have strep. The sore throat and cough must have been the caused of post nasal drip. All that was required was cough syrup.

This is getting long so I will go for now. There are good things coming.

Sick Leave

Sorry everyone. I have not been up to blogging over the past few days due to illness. Hopefully I will be back to normal tomorrow or Wednesday.

Let’s Get This Party Started...(song by Pink playing on my mental juke box)

Before TV Star arrived the girls were too excited and played outside for a good while. This was not something I anticipated but it worked out well. After awhile Snow White gave them the grand tour of the house. I then served Pizza, fruit and veggies to start them off. Then it was on to the first craft, putting their names on their foam crowns and decorating them. This took awhile since we had to search and search for the right letters for each of their names. Snow White gave up looking for her letters and opted for just her first initial so she could help her guests search for their letters. When they were finished the girls pranced around the house wearing their crowns and introducing their dollies and stuffed animals to each other.

A little while later there was a knock on the door. TV Star had arrived! Her Aunt explained she was a little worried that everyone had started without her and all the games, crafts, cake were all done. I assured her we only completed one craft and were putting off the cake until she arrived. The girls were so full on the pizza and snacks they were not nearly ready for cake.

We all pitched in to find the letters for TV Star’s crown and the girls were anxious to start the next craft. I passed out the packages for the American Girl doll sleeping bags. Gymnast proudly exclaimed she knew exactly how to do this craft since she and her mother did a similar craft together. I was delighted to hear someone else at the party could assist with this craft. This seemed to be a very simple activity, two pieces of cloth with “fringe” cuts on three sides of the rectangular shaped clothes. All we had to do was knot two strips of fringe together until all were eventually knotted. To my great surprise Snow White, Gymnast and myself were the only people at this party who could tie a knot. How can it be that 8 year old girls do not know how to tie a knot? Don't they all know how to tie their shoes. Oh, wait a minute, Snow White refuses to wear tie-shoes because she does not want to learn the loops portion. As her mother I do give in and buy her shoes which require no tying. Partially due to her lack of wanting and part due to my "Let's hurry out of the house in the morning." Girls started pleading for us (Gymnast, Snow White and myself) to make their sleeping bags. Snow White said her fingers were getting tired from all the tying so she gave her lot to me as well. Gymnast was the only girl to actually finish her own sleeping bag. I told her how proud I was of her. Of course I did this out of ear shot of the other girls. I don't want to hurt their feelings while making note of one girls accomplishment.

Since I was going to be busy tying knots I had to move to the next craft to keep the girls busy. Out came the bird houses and paint. They happily painted their bird houses and decorated them with fake birds, flowers and glitter glue. I was impressed with their individuality and creativity. Unfortunately when they were all finished I was still working on the dolly sleeping bags. They wanted to play flashlight tag so we found a flashlight and off they went in to the back yard once again. I sat in the sunroom which is set up high above the yard and I could see everything. They giggled, laughed and chased each other with Pup right there with them.

As I finished the last of the sleeping bags we decided to play a simple game. I gathered the girls in to a circle in the living room. The simple instructions were given…put your slippers or shoes in a pile at the center of your circle. Next, show them the prize for this game and explain the first to get her own shoes on wins! WAIT! Wait a minute! Wait until I say go! ha, ha, ha. They put the shoes and slippers back in to a pile and each had their eyes fixed on their own. GO!

One girl had her toes in both of her sneakers and exclaimed "I WIN! I WIN!" I laughed and said “They have to be all the way on.” In the end we had a tie between Sweetie and TV Star so I gave TV Star the Strawberry Short Cake bath set that was on display for the prize and told Sweetie to pick a prize out of the super large princess bag. She picked a plush dolly with bath accessories. (I found out later she gave her prize to another girl saying she had too many stuffed toys...again showing how very sweet Sweetie is) The other girls moaned a bit so I assured them everyone would win something tonight. If by any chance at the end of the party someone did not win a game they would be allowed to pick a prize from the bag.

ManSon called to say an out of state friend called and would like my permission to kidnap him and bring him to his house for the weekend. I gave permission for the out of town visit. ManSon came home to pick up a few things. He burst through the front door, swept Snow White up and swung her around as he said "Happy Birthday Snow White!!" He carried her over to the dinning room window and said "Wave. Those are my friends out there." The car full of friends waved back while shouting "Happy Birthday Snow White!" ManSon stopped to talk to the little girls, give them advice on how to be good and even let them see his electric guitar. He gives her a hug and again wishes her a happy birthday. Snow White was thrilled that her super cool big brother made an appearance so her friends would see that she comes from coolness. "See, he really is super cool!" He really is a great big brother, always bestowing his wisdom on her that coolness means being yourself and not putting up with all the "bad" people. I am so glad my older children are such a good influence on my youngest. Yes, I am bragging and I have very good reason to brag. My children are not perfect nor am I but it really swells my heart to think of the times they really shine.

This party aint over yet (did I spell that right? I have never written that word before, oh well). I will have more later. Snow White is home sick so I posted what I wrote up yesterday.