The Places We Go

Cabin fever has struck! I've been home with three little sick kiddos all week. The sympathy I shared with them wasn't enough, they really wanted empathy. So, the little angels coughed and coughed and coughed all over me. Just to make sure I was susceptible, they woke me several times each night to cough on me some more. Without sleep. . . with lots of germs. . . I caught it, too. Since Tuesday, the only places I've been are to the pick-up-kid line at the school and the doctor. I am ready to break outta here!

I've been struggling through today trying to get packed. Ben, Maddie, and Jon started the day rather cheery, but the crankiness came out when I told them to go play after breakfast. They whined, they cried, they had many tantrums, they pinched and pulled hair. The packing is going slowly. Here is where I am going this afternoon:

Bananas (noun)
go bananas go crazy, go nuts (slang), go insane, go bonkers (slang, chiefly Brit.), go mental (slang), go barmy (slang), go loopy (informal), go round the bend (Brit. slang), go frantic, go batty (slang), go doolally (slang), go round the twist (Brit. slang), go nutty (slang) People went bananas with boredom. . . . or maybe they were grumpy and had three grouchy little kids who needed naps but refused to take them and a really long list of things that needed to get done without kids hanging on their legs.

. . . no I don't have to pack much for that trip. We are also heading north this afternoon to spend the weekend with Nana and Papa and to celebrate Uncle Jason's birthday.

This day in history

One somewhat random Tuesday two dozen years ago I was sick. I was nine years old, in third-grade, but sick enough to stay home from school. Funny, in a weird way, that I'm sick again today. . .

I was in that semi-hazy state where I was alternating between snoozing and watching cartoons from the couch in the basement of our home in Pittsburgh. I don't remember if I was home alone or if dad was working from home that day, but Mom called me on the phone to tell me to turn on the television to a particular channel. Thinking back, maybe it was on all the channels since I'm sure we didn't have cable at that point. I turned on the t.v. or changed the channel, I forget which, and waited excitedly to see the space shuttle take off. I remember being pretty excited to see it, and I didn't understand enough about what I saw to realize the tragedy that occurred as my nine-year-old eyes watched.

On this day in 1986, the Challenger Space Shuttle Exploded at 11:39 AM, EST. "The space shuttle Challenger STS-51L exploded, 74 seconds into its flight and about 10 miles above the earth. Hundreds of millions around the world watched television replays of the horrifying event that killed seven people."

It was later, as the news played and replayed on all the stations, that I started to understand what happened. When I returned to Miss South's class later that week, we talked about the explosion. We talked even more about the 7 people on the Challenger, specifically about Christa McAuliffe, the first member of the Teacher in Space project.

My mom remembers where she was when she heard that Kennedy had been shot. I guess every one has their own list of tragedies they remember being played out in the media, and this is one of mine. Two others that leap to my mind are Princess Di being killed in an accident and the Twin Towers falling on September 11th. I think I'll end this entry and just go sit in silence for a moment. Praying for peace in the hearts of those affected by such tragedies. Praying thanksgiving for my life and my loved ones.

Local Flooding Irritates Mama

Last night, Allen and I were already in bed, but still awake reading and watching television. It was 10:32pm and all was quiet . . . a heard a strange thud, muted the t.v. asking Allen what the noise was. When I heard Ben wail I realized he must have fallen out of bed, but it was a different thud than when that normally happens. I flew upstairs; my feet must have touched the floor at some point, but I don't remember that part.

When I got to the top of the stairs, Ben was heading down to us just crying. I noticed the bathroom light was on and I heard the sink, and in that split second I rationalized that Ben had woken Will, and Will was getting himself a drink. When I picked Ben up, he was soaked. Not just sweaty-damp, but DRENCHED. I flew to the bathroom and what did I find?

A soggy Jon standing on a stool, a sink overflowing with warm water, a counter-top full of water, a toothbrush and soap bottle floating in the sink, a waterfall cascading to the tile, and a quarter-inch of water over the tiles in front of the vanity and into the other room that has the toilet and tub. I smacked the handle of the faucet to turn off the water and grabbed the towels to start sopping up the mess. In the toilet room, I found the linen cabinet open and a basket of stuff from in there was on the lid of the toilet. Seeing all that, I still couldn't figure out if Ben fell from the commode (where there were wet footprints) or from the counter or from walking across wet tiles.

I was mad! I called Allen to come help me, and he stripped the boys of their wet PJs while I cleaned the floor with the towels -- it was due for a mopping anyway (the ONLY silver lining I could find on this cloud.) When I got to the boys' room I threw some dry PJs to the kids and told them to put them on. The PJs just sat there while the boys, with their eyes big and worried, refused to move their hands from the protective positions over their fannies. Oh, they knew, all right. They knew they were in BIG trouble.

I was hoping they'd sleep late since they were up three hours past bedtime, but it didn't turn out that way. . . . maybe naptime will be extended. I can hope. . . .

PS -- I just realized there is another silver lining. . . when Will was two, he overflowed a sink in our Kansas home. I discovered it when it started dripping on my head in the kitchen down below. THANKFULLY, the flooding last night was contained to the bathroom and (as far as we know) did not soak through the floor and ceiling.

One day at a time

Monday at 1:55pm -- The day started well. Will has the day off for Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, and we've spent the morning coloring, reading, and playing. The three little ones are napping, but Will isn't. I am really used to having a little bit of quiet and I haven't gotten it today. Who decided that a holiday on a Monday was a great idea? And why do the kids get the day off but not all the parents? . . . on my way to crazy and missing Allen.

Tuesday at 8:06am -- Two little boys with ugly coughs and a little girl who wants her share of the attention -- its a pj and loving day here, but I'll miss Bible study. :(

Wednesday at 9:59pm -- When I get to heaven I'm going to ask God, "Why?" As in WHY do the tornado sirens go off when we are trying to get the kids in bed. And after we calm them down and tuck them in, and they keep getting up because they are worried, and we finally get them to stay. . . WHY do we have to go through it all AGAIN!! But, I plan to say THANKS many more times before I ask. Everything here was fine and we are okay.

Thursday at 8:14pm -- Ben, Maddie, and Jon all went to mother's day out today because they were doing class pictures. With a day to myself, I went to the Bible bookstore and Barnes & Noble, had lunch with a good friend, got the oil changed in the car, and browsed several other stores -- just because. It was a nice day. Will brought home a letter that the county was offering free H1N1 vaccines for students at his school. We took Will to the school to get his shot, and they told us we could ALL get it. All six of us -- what a family event! Yes, there were some tears, but as we were leaving, Ben and Jon each went to to the nurse that gave them shots and said, "Thank you for the shot and bandaid!" We went out for dinner and treats, then brought our tired kiddos home for bed.

Friday at 1:06pm -- I am thankful for the quiet few minutes I found today. Allen and I did not sleep well, and I am exhausted. Ben, Maddie, and Jon are back to coughing and have runny noses. Ben has been particularly cranky and clingy this morning. I've cuddled kids most of the morning, I'm cuddled out, and I must recharge. . . but Jon isn't sleeping, I'm achy, and I am quickly approaching grumpy.

More Precious Than Gold

For some reason -- maybe the engineer or chemist in me, probably the Holy Spirit -- I wanted to know more about gold and refining it and why the fine metals are often compared to our faith. My study Bible listed several scriptural references, but thery all were along the same lines -- comparing the precious metal refining, but not giving me what I was searching for. At the risk of rambling, here are some of my thoughts on these verses:

So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while. These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. I Peter 1:6-7, New Living Translation

Gold is highly-sought-after -- everyone wants it in the largest, purest amounts possible, but it isn't passed over if it isn't big enough. Our faith -- anyone's faith -- is more valuable than gold. Although little bits of gold are found in dirt and rocks, it isn't less desirable. Jesus said: " . . . if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, . . . nothing is impossible for you." Matthew 17:20

Like the little bits of gold added together, just little bits of faith can become much more. Gold is also the most malleable and ductile metal. It is moldable and flexible -- it can be pounded, without breaking, so thin that it is translucent . With faith, I, too, can take a lot of stress without breaking. With faith, I am moldable rather than fragile.

For gold to be malleable and ductile, it must be pure. To purify (or refine) gold, heat is applied to melt it so the impurities can be released and washed away. "We should consider trials to be joy" (I Peter 1:6) because like heat melts the gold, the trials stress our faith so the crud can be released.

Pure gold does not oxidize (rust) in air or water, but it maintains its color and luster. I should strive for the pure faith to maintain my beauty and, like gold, we can be perfect and unblemished.

Piles of Books and Another first

We've had a fun few days lately. We didn't too much out of the ordinary, but we've just enjoyed each other. Last Thursday was Jon's day. On Wednesday night, he heard Will talking to me about Barnes & Noble. After the kids had been put to bed, I heard Jon from the top of the dark stairs, "Mama! I want to go to Barts & Oble!" I told him to go back to bed and we would go the next day. Sometime after he mentioned his odd pronunciation of it, I asked if he knew what Barnes & Noble was. "It'th a thtore, Mama," he responded as if he couldn't believe I didn't know that already. "Jon, do you know what they have there?" He replied, "They have coconut trees!" That little guy was thrilled to know more than his mama :) As odd as it sounds, he knows what he is talking about. Although there aren't any coconuts, the parking lot is full of palm trees.

Jon and I had a wonderful time at Barnes & Noble. He had received a gift card at Christmas, so I told him he could pick a book. We sat on the floor and read a lot, he got to pick out a sweet treat, then he picked the book he wanted: an interactive book about things that go (trains, trucks, planes, tractors, etc.) Next we went to get him some new sneakers, then, as he requested, we went home for lunch to eat peanut belly jelly. It was a fun day together!

Saturday was a day for Will and me. He had been working hard to earn a date at Barnes & Noble and he got his chance. He and I left around 10:30 and hit four different used bookstores trying to collect the Magic Treehouse books we didn't already have. We had a nice lunch out and went to B&N. Will picked out Arabian Nights and two more Magic Treehouse books to use his gift card, then we went to Smoothie King for a treat. When we got home mid-afternoon, he had about 14 "new" books, and I had found 9 or 10 used books Allen and I are aiming to read this year. We had a fun day together. I really miss the bi-monthly dates we used to have, but a few every now and then still keep us close.

Sunday wasn't actually a school night this week because Will had Monday off for MLK day. We took the kids to the drive-in theater to see The Princess and the Frog. The little kids have never been to a theater for a movie, so this was a totally new experience. Before the show the Chicken Dance was playing over the speakers, and our van was really shaking with all the dancing inside. I had taught Will how to do the Chicken Dance when we took him to the drive-in in October, so he was teaching the others. After the movie started, Ben kept putting his face on the window so he'd fog it, step back, wipe the window, repeat. We had a great time once the kids stayed in a seat. It was a cute movie, and Maddie, especially, was thrilled to see a princess show.

Monday, a school holiday, was hectic. It started out fine. I even managed to keep the TV off most of the day. The little ones took naps with no trouble, but I didn't get my quiet time because Will was very chatty. . . then hyper. . . then climbing the walls with excess energy. I wasn't feeling great, and I got frustrated rather quickly. The afternoon was chaotic with the kids being rather loud and rambunctious, but we somehow survived it.

Today is the day I normally go to Bible study, but we stayed home. Jon and Ben both have ugly coughs and Maddie wants her share of the attention, too. Two friends of mine have kiddos with RSV right now, so I'm playing it safe and keeping them home. I don't think that's what it is, but I don't want them out and about with germy kids if their immune systems aren't at their best. Today, we've stayed in PJs and spent the morning cuddling.

Lots of Laughter

We had a fun day. The kids stayed in pjs just long enough to eat breakfast. When I was on the phone with Will's teacher, three little kids ran by me squealing. They had just stripped down to their diapers and were on the way upstairs for a new adventure. Not long after that, I was having the oddest conversations with them. Here are some sentences I caught my self saying,

"Jon, please don't climb that ladder when you are wearing high heeled shoes."
"Maddie, he is called 'Santa Clause,' not 'Santa THE Clause."
"No, sweetie, I am pretty sure Santa wears more than just a hat and diaper. Oh? Yeah, maybe he wears pink tennis shoes, but definitely with socks. Yes, Dear. You can still be Santa without putting the socks on."


At some point just before lunch, I had to sit down to laugh. Ben (wearing only a diaper and a pair of blue slippers) was chasing Maddie (wearing only the Santa hat and diaper) round and round the couch. They kept crashing into each other and falling to the floor full of giggles. It was the goofiest sight, especially since it is cold here. I had put on socks, slippers, and a sweater just to keep from shivering and they have been running around nearly nude.


We had a good morning with lots of laughter and hugs. I made curried chicken and rice salad for our dinner tonight and the little kids colored. Was it too much to hope for a smooth naptime? It had been TOO quiet for a bit long, so I went to check on the boys. Ben was snuggled in his comforter sound asleep, but Jon was not in bed, and I didn't find him immediately. I sternly commanded, "Jon! Where are you? You get back in bed." Usually, at that point, I get the whiny "I don't want to sleep!" but the response was silence. I finally found him . . . hiding . . .

... yes, he is under his bed. I don't know how he stays warm or comfortable this way, but I won't complain. This is the second day in a row he has gone to sleep at naptime without a fight.

And now the day is about to be even better. . . Will is coming home early for a long weekend!