Sick sickity sick sick sick

The Teepants household is under siege. Three quarters of us are sick. And what is the best part of this you ask? The one quarter of us who is NOT sick is a three year old who can't drive, shop, clean, or entertain herself apparently.

I mean there is only so much Dora one family can handle. Although Ryan is happily clapping and singing along. Weird. I think he must have a fever.

It all started with me last weekend. I started to feel a little off on Sunday night, but it could have been cause of the game. Boo-urns. But sure enough...Monday morning, I was sick. Full blown sick. But at least there was no cough.

Ha. And then Tuesday the cough that keeps you up at night, reared it's ugly head. Yuck. Poor Claire didn't get to go to school this week, because I could hardly see straight let alone drive all day. Poor kid. Miles did get to go to school for 2 days before his cold kicked in. Then he got the cough and the stuffy head. All along, Ryan was telling me he was sick too.

I didn't notice him being sick. He was running in the morning like he always does, and seemed ok when he got home from work. Then last night after he went to Miles' conferences, and grocery shopping, he crashed. Sick.

So now he is home today too. We are all home. Keeping each other nice and sick.

The worst part is, Claire is NOT sick in the slightest. We all have very little sleep (for once, not because of her). And she has slept the night away. So the monster is raring to go. Ugh.

This cold thing-y should only last a few more days right? Cause we can handle only so much togetherness. And I mean TOGETHERNESS. In the living room. Watching Dora. Stepping on Legos. Coughing up our lungs. Together. *cough cough*

Regression sucks

(this is a very old photo of Claire, but the idea and the crying face are pretty much the same)

This past Saturday I was able to go out for dinner with a good friend of mine. Dinner, shopping, and coffee without kids. I loved it. But it was not without it's guilt. I should really learn to plan ahead.

After years of planning out my kids' lives, and scheduling them to the hilt, announcing that "I'm leaving" without notice, produced a panic and bawl fest I have never seen in Claire.

She was on her way up to talk to me about one thing or another, which I am sure was princess related, and I was on my way down the stairs. She said, "Where are you going?" I said, "going out with a friend. I'll see you later. I won't be gone long." Her response to that was to cry. Loudly. She said in between sobs, "I'll miss you. I'm just sad cause I'm tiiiiiired.....boo hoo hoo hooo....."

So we hugged it out. She was able to calm down after a bit, and I left. Ryan said she cried for quite a while after I left. And then went to bed, and woke up crying again. Oh Jesus.

Then when I got home, later then earlier, she woke up crying for me again. And it has continued every night since. I don't get it.

She has been really great at sleeping through the night these past few months. And now...it's over. It's like a mean trick. Kid sleeps through the night, and then when I get all good and used to sleeping more then 2 hours at a time...WHAMO!

Up every night since. Chatting with Lord knows who AGAIN! And waking up yelling for me. Only me in the middle of the night. Last night she was up for hours. She told me she was having a bad dream that I was gone and she couldn't find me. *ugh* Did you feel that little squeeze in your chest? I did.

Why? Really? Have I spent so much time with her that she is having separation anxiety? Jeez. The lady is 3 and 1/2. For crap's sake. Now I have to plan so far ahead to let the girl know I'm leaving it's almost not worth it to leave. SUCKY!

Suggestions? I'll take em.

You have NOTHING better to do?

This is my first foray into the wonderful world of Elementary School. Miles is in Kindergarten half day.

He is picked up by the bus in the afternoon, because the district doesn't want to have kids walking alone to school in the middle of the day. Makes perfect sense to me. Miles is a "walker". We live just about 5-6 blocks from the school. But his main walk would be on a pretty busy street. Yes there is a sidewalk, but he's only 5. So the bus...awesome.

Now, at the end of the day at 2:40 pm, I pick the boy up. Because once again, I don't think he, as a 5 year old, should be walking home alone, on a busy street. I don't want my kid to be a statistic.

But picking him up is almost like a full contact sport for suburban parents. The first couple of weeks, I was tempted to walk to the school to pick him up, but Claire said no. Meh...she's 3 and usually tired around 2:45. Then the weather started to get bad.

I would get to the parking lot and would have to drive around in circles until I found a spot. Usually I ended up parking on the street. While I waited for Miles to come out, one of the parents told me, HE was there at 2:00 and people were already lined up in the parking lot. 2:00PM!!! School doesn't even let out until 2:40. Fucking ridiculous!

I asked him what he does for that 40 minutes. He told me, "I read, and just look out the window." LOOK OUT THE WINDOW???? Really dude? I so want your life.

I on the other hand breeze into the lot around 2:30. I think that gives me ample time. And if the weather is THAT hideous, whatever. I'm a Minnesotan.

Sadly for me, my kids won't be able to walk home from school until at least the 5th grade. And even then I'll have to really think about it. Yeah I'm that mom...so what?

Just about 7 more years of this....only 7. *shudder*

*gulp*

Both my kids have recently been diagnosed with asthma. I don't know how they got it, but they have it. Miles' is strictly allergen induced. Claire on the other hand, well the poor thing is just an asthmatic.

I don't know how it happened. They aren't blood related at all. Both being adopted from completely different families. So I imagine it must be something in our house that is causing it. But we keep our house pretty darn clean as I am totally allergic to dust and mold. And the doctor assured me that kids get asthma. And more and more are being diagnosed with it. She said it is unlikely it is something in our house. Mainly because Miles' is allergy induced only.

I say oh well. But here's the *gulp* of it all. Set aside the fact my kids have not so great lungs and place me at Target pharmacy getting the Budesonide (for the nebulizers).

I went to the counter to pick up their prescriptions. Here is the conversation with the cashier.

Her: You realize this is for 2 different kids right?

Me: Yep. Weird right? (I totally want her to know I don't live in filth and my kids aren't second hand smoking 6 packs a day at my house.)

Her: Your insurance paid a little bit of it so that's good....but it's a little expensive.

Me: Yeah, I know. We pay 100% of everything until we reach our deductible and then the rest is covered by insurance. It's kind of nice.

Her: Good. Just wanted to make sure you weren't going to be surprised.

Me: Nope. Totally used to it, not a big deal at all.

Then the woman proceeded to ring me up. HOLY SHIT!

I looked at the screen to see "TOTAL DUE".....$569.95

Now, I understand medication can cost a lot, and many people pay much more than this, but it shocked me. A lot. When I hear the pharmacist tell me something is going to be "a little expensive", I think oh $100 maybe $150. But almost $600? Prepare a girl a little better please?

For 2 little damn boxes of the medication.

Of course I couldn't react, cause I was playing it cool to begin with....wouldn't want to let her think I was all talk. But thank the lord for the lady behind me who gasped so loud it scared me. (Like you don't look at what the person in front of you is paying for their shit.) So I got my meds. Two little boxes of 30 vials each.

I left the store and called Ryan right away with a, "HOLY SHIT! The fucking meds were almost $600!!!! What the fuck!!!"
Yeah.... all sense of cool went out the window at that point.

Oh well. At least my kids will be ok and we will meet our family deductible ASAP. That's good, cause I have many many Mayo Clinic visits coming up.

*side note on all of this....poor little Miles will now be "that" kid who has glasses, probably will need braces, asthma, only wants to join the chess team, and is obsessed with Star Wars. But he's gonna make me proud. I just know it.*

Junk food

As I was making myself breakfast this morning, I started thinking of all the foods I never got to have growing up. And all the stuff I can get for myself now that I buy my own groceries.

One of those things was Pillsbury Toaster Strudel.

Sounds gross now, of course it does. But I had a friend....Tara B. who every morning, she was able to have one. HER parents were cool. They didn't tell her she could just have toast with jam and it would be the same. Oh no...she got the NEW Toaster Strudel. I would go to her house sometimes in the morning before school, and have breakfast with her. I LOVED those days. I got to try toaster strudel. Once. Of course she had other stuff, like Lucky Charms, and Trix, and Fruit Loops. All stuff I never had. And when you're a 4th and 5th grader, that stuff is the shit. I ate generic Corn Flakes or Raisin Bran and certainly toast with jam. I would even fold it over to try and make it seem like I was eating a strudel, but it just wasn't the same.

A few weeks ago as I was shopping, Claire and Miles pointed them out and said....let's try those! To which I promptly ripped open the freezer section door and slapped them in the cart. YES! I was gonna buy them.

Now, Claire doesn't like them at all. She took one bite and scrunched up her nose. And then asked me for bread with butter and jam. *eye roll* Miles took one look at them sitting on his plate, and very politely said, "no thank you mom". So now I have a box of Toaster Strudel. ALL TO MYSELF....mmmwwwuuuuha ha ha ha ha ha.

To my distaste, they're not like I remember. I would be inclined to toss them, but I paid like 3 dollars for them, and Ryan would shit a brick if I just threw away food willy nilly. They will be reserved for "company".

Another thing I loved loved loved and NEVER got at home, were Doritos. Check out this awesome bag...you're jealous they aren't here aren't you?

My other good friend growing up, Amy H., was fortunate enough to have them and Cheetos when she opened her magical snack cupboard in her dining room. It was chock full of yummy chips (not generic tortilla chips or stale potato chips in a box), and scrumptious Hostess snack cakes (I never really was able to have cake other then birthdays). When I would go over to her house to play, we would have a snack of Doritos with melted jack cheese on them. OH MY DAMN! They were heaven.

To this day, when I find myself not hungry for "good" food, I will bust out that combo hands down. Fresh fruit and veggies be damned! I love Doritos with cheese. So does Claire. That snack happens about 1 time every 2 or 3 months though. So maybe the eating habits I grew up with have stayed.

Of course I have taste tested some of the other "forbidden" treats I didn't have the luxury of trying while I was a kid. And 9 times out of 10, as a grown up, I can be glad I didn't have them. But I can see a kid loving it. Sugar and salt up the yin yang.

I too have let my kids try these craptastic concoctions. To Ryan's dismay I might add. (He's the healthy one in this relationship.) My kids aren't fans of most of the junk food. Junk food to them is....freeze dried apple slices, or pretzels. FREAKS right? Of course they love the cereals that have toys on the box or colorful cartoon characters, but it's a rare thing for them to have that stuff. Although Miles is on some kind of Trix kick right now. Thank god they have "whole grains". *another eye roll*

Well....back to my healthy breakfast of Trix and toaster strudel. Gotta get rid of that crap.