December 31, 2007

Sharing (3 Comments)

Filed under: Life — The Spider Herself @ 1:02 pm

We went to my parent’s house on Christmas Eve for the annual gathering of my Dad’s extended family. I had talked to my brother earlier in the day and he told me that his son had been ill with a stomach bug. He was no longer throwing up and my brother was waiting for my nephew to get up to see if his fever was gone. I thought that if the fever was gone then he wouldn’t be contagious any more.

We had a lovely gathering of family and a pleasant Christmas morning. But on Wednesday, stomachs started to not feel too good. My Dad and oldest brother started feeling it first then HP complained of a stomach ache. We thought HP was making a fuss about it because he didn’t want to go over to my Aunt and Uncle’s house with us. He wanted to stay with his cousin. So we left him there with strict instructions to stay calm and that his Uncles could take turns beating him if they felt it necessary- or if they just felt like it. The rest of us had a nice visit with my Uncle, Aunt and cousins. The cousins had new boyfriends to get acquainted with and it was an enjoyable time. One boyfriend dances and he and TG were having a grand time performing lifts and jumps plus some wrestling thrown in for fun. TG started acting like her tummy was bothering her which is surprising because she is the one with the steel stomach. We packed the girls up and headed back to Mom and Dad’s.

When we got there we found The Boy laid out on the couch- he definitely had the bug. My Dad and oldest brother were still feeling terrible and my other brother knew he was getting it so he packed up my nephew and headed the hour and a half home while he still could make it. Then TG started in and it was a joyous evening for all.

We had planned on heading home on Thursday afternoon but The Col. checked the weather and saw that there was supposed to be snow accumulation along the freeway and I was worried he or I would get the bug which would make the drive awful to say the least, so we threw our stuff in the van and headed out as soon as we could.

We made it home. KJ hadn’t shown signs of the stomach flu but she had had a bug a few weeks ago so I think she was immune. BUT she came home with a bad cough followed by a fever. She still has a runny nose and isn’t feeling up to snuff. The Col. seems to have sneaked by without being hit. I felt a bit puny for a few days, then felt better and now may be catching the cold part.

We decided not to go to church yesterday. KJ was definitely not well enough to go. We decided that the rest of us were walking petri dishes of festering germs and didn’t want to share anymore. It was a good decision as TG is still showing signs of the stomach bug working it’s way through her system and now has the cold too. HP is still not overly energetic either.

I can just see my cousins and their boyfriends getting this and then having to fly on airplanes. Just the discomfort of that plus spreading the lovely little bug to others on the plane and then it’s all over the States. Oy. Not pleasant thoughts. Who would have thought in the beginning the wide stretching reach of a little bug that we thought wasn’t able to infect us anymore? ‘Tis the Season of giving, I guess.

December 19, 2007

Ho, Ho, Ho- Bah Humbug! (2 Comments)

Filed under: Life — The Spider Herself @ 4:58 pm

As things funnel down to the last days before Christmas, I feel as if things are spiraling out of control. The presents are here, the ones for the kids aren’t wrapped yet but ones for other people are. I have shipped out all the boxes to loved ones in other states. That in it’s self is a feat- we are known for mailing our boxes on Christmas Eve. Hey, it was tradition! We believe in spreading out the Christmas cheer. Oops, there is one more box I’ll have to get ready, forgot that. But overall, that area is in good shape. The house is decorated, the tree (gasp!) is up and decorated.
A few weeks back I made up a batch of cookie dough and froze it to get a jump on things. Then, because I had a jump on things, I proceeded to do nothing. Know where that dough is right now? Still in the freezer. Man, I need to get that out and defrosted! I have now baked a double batch of my Grandmother’s fruit cake for my Dad and my kids. The kids and Dad fight over it. I give a few small loaves of it away to people who have foolishly said they like it therefore dooming themselves to receiving some every year. The other cookies I made went into the packages that were mailed off so I need to keep busy and make more. I also need to round up the gifts for Brett’s office people, church friends etc. No pressure. Snort!

Yesterday we went to town and played with the other homeschool families at a local gym and then we went to a friend’s house for a Christmas Party. Tonight nothing is planned but it’s the lull before the storm, so to speak. Thursday we take cookies and gifts to a local treatment place for alcoholics and sing songs with them. Then on Friday we are scheduled to have dinner with friends (oh, won’t that be a hardship!). Saturday morning we have a church play practice at 9 AM and we’ll have to work in our Christmas (we celebrate Christmas as a family then go to Grandma’s and Grandpa’s for another one). Then Sunday is church with the play. For Sunday School we are having a Continental Breakfast and I, in a moment of insanity, said I would bring cinnamon rolls. Then Sunday night is Brett’s office party. Monday we will head out to Grandma and Grandpa’s, Lord willing and the creek don’t rise.

Whew! I’m tired just writing it all down!

I’m tired in general, from battling a cold and having to get up numerous times to cover up children and let Somebody’s Dog out again. I opened up the dishwasher this morning and wondered to myself if “your mother ran the dishwasher?” No, she hadn’t. I then wished the kids had a better Mother and was glad there were no telepaths around.

December 13, 2007

Cold! (2 Comments)

Filed under: Life — The Spider Herself @ 12:36 pm

The outside temperature has been pretty cool. Did you know what is considered “cold” and “cool” are subject to interpretation? The Col. doesn’t think it’s “cold” until it is around 0 (zero) degrees. I consider it “cold” more around 32 degrees (Fahrenheit). We did get down to 1 degree last week and we all agreed that was “cold”. Most of the rest of the week the high has not been much over freezing. I consider that “cold” but then I am a weeny.

The inside temps have been around 70 degrees because I am cheap frugal and believe in bundling up so we don’t pay through the nose on our electric bill. (Electricity is fairly reasonable here so we are on a totally electric system.) I have noticed that even though I am wearing socks and shoes, my toes are cold. Then I look at my children, who are not wearing socks or slippers. They refuse to put them on and when I feel their feet it’s like touching an ice block. Don’t they feel it? They don’t seem to mind. They act like I am asking them to pull their finger nails out one by one when I even suggest putting something on. They put on socks when they go outside and, after coming in because their feet are cold, promptly take them off. “Take them off” is, of course, a nice way of saying it- they remove them from their feet, turning the socks inside out in the process, and fling them about the house. I find socks in the most interesting of places. And then they wonder why they never have clean socks- even when I have done the laundry. Could it be because when you wore three pairs outside in the snow and they somehow got wet so you threw all three pairs about, never to be seen again? It makes the whole process simpler when you do it three at a time, she says with heavy sarcasm.

Now excuse me while I go slip into something warmer and start a load of laundry.

December 7, 2007

EEEEKKKK! (0 Comments)

Filed under: Life — The Spider Herself @ 5:04 pm

Snap! Thump!

Oh no.

I sneak towards the kitchen and, from as far away as possible, peer into the floor vent.

Yep.

The trap is flipped over.

The only thing I like less than live mice are dead ones.

I emailed The Col. that he had better come home soon or he will not get a dinner as the kitchen is contaminated.

There is also five, count them 5!, inches of snow on the ground. If I put stock in anecdotal evidence; I would say this is NOT a sign of Global Warming.

This week has been interesting, that’s for sure!

SCREAM! (6 Comments)

Filed under: Life — The Spider Herself @ 12:44 pm

“I didn’t know you were expecting again!” Said the voice loudly across several feet of store.

I sighed deeply and quietly said “scream!”

We meandered over to talk with the teenager we are acquainted with who made the comment. I guess she didn’t hear our quiet denials because, after we listened to how awful her life was going, she asked-

“So really, how far along are you?”

Um, I’m not pregnant.

Her jaw drops, she stares at my tummy, looks at my face and then back to my tummy.

I am seriously considering giving that empire waist top away.

I am crying in my tea.

I think I need something stronger.

I’m going to go get some chocolate!

December 5, 2007

Where have the titles gone? (0 Comments)

Filed under: Life — The Spider Herself @ 3:43 pm

One of the harder things about blogging, besides thinking of something semi-intelligent to say, is thinking up an appropriate post title. How much do you give away? Is it too obscure? What in the world should I call this one? That is where I am today because there is no real theme just a basic catch up post.

I was ill with a cold for a number of days last week. I wasn’t really all that sick but was totally drained of energy. I lay on the couch and read a magazine and napped while the children ran wild. They didn’t really run wild. They used their time constructively. The Boy taught KJ how to climb the walls. Yep. I am so thrilled. The Boy is practically a spider boy the way he can climb up to the ceiling using just the walls. It’s in the hallway where the walls are close together and somehow he braces his legs on the wall, they bow outwards so it looks painful, and walks up the wall to the ceiling. We have vaulted ceilings so he gets up to the point. If one looks at this new development with squinty eyes and suspends their natural negative viewpoint, one can see some good in it. They cooperated together, The Boy exhibited teaching abilities and patience, K showed her usual determination and it kept them entertained. It helps if I take off my glasses, cock my head and squint really hard; suspending my normal negative viewpoint is so hard to do.

Anyway, back to the cold stuff. I finally am feeling better but TG’s nose has been runny again, The Col. is a bit stuffy and now KJ was looking pretty hang dog and sounded stuffy. We so love to share germs.

We went to a Rec day for home schoolers yesterday at a local gym. KJ was confused last year with the word “gym” and now TG is exhibiting the same confusion. “Gym” sounds like “Jim” and so they think it’s a person we are going to see. Last year my three kids glued themselves to my side on the bleachers and refused to go forth and play. It’s just a run around free time inside the gym with balls, jump ropes, etc. If I forced them away from me the wandered down the bleachers and sat together. I threatened through clenched teeth that we would never leave our house again if they didn’t get out there and PLAY! That is why we went to all this trouble to get down here was so they could run off energy! It dampened my enthusiasm for going down there. But I signed up again this year and down we went and 2/3 of them ran out there right away and played! Whew! We have spent a little bit of time getting to know some of the other kids better and that helped. This year I only have one glued to me- TG- who last year was the one most likely to go out there and play. Go figure. Must be her age.

We had snow for several days last week. KJ got over her fear of crunchy snow and began to enjoy playing in it with HP. TG was still deathly afraid of it and screamed the whole time I walked around with her in it. I am so glad the neighbors all work. Then a wind came through and melted it all off. It was gusting pretty hard for several days. There are lots of branches scattered about the yard now.

So that’s about the last week in review. Wasn’t it thrilling?