old macdonald.

tonight, while singing "old macdonald had a farm" at bedtime with Jax and Bella, we had a few visitors ..hello kitty, bowser, luigi, an angel(who goes hoooo hoooo) and grandma yaya. Jax being 4 often talks of her, and realizes she's not with us however he said tonight "but she doesn't make any sound on the farm, cause she's dead". Bella looks at me like her brother is nuts, and I said "well I"m sure the farmer appreciates someone being quiet on that farm".

Welcome February

Well , the children have gotten over having the Influenza B. After a few extra trips to the doctors and Emergency room, we're cured. Or they're cured. At any rate , everyone is back in school and I have my sanity back. Having all three home on a normal day is hectic, but having all three home and sick is a whole other game.....

Lets see...We've gotten a cat. Her name is Minnie and she's beautiful. Shes the friendliest most patient cat ever, which in this house is a great thing. She lets the kids pick her up all the time and carry her around. She really seems to enjoy the children of this house and favors my husband over anyone. She enjoys getting her tummy rubbed and sitting in the window.

Over here in Wisconsin, we're expecting yet again another snow storm. Seriously, this winter crap is SO overrated. Who wants to dress three kids in snow pants, coats, hats, mittens, boots, school bags and such, take them to school on crappy roads, then come to find out school is called off early because someone didn't have enough sense to cancel it in the first place? We've had so much snow, its getting old quickly. Last winter we hardly had any, now we're getting paid back. I like snow, its pretty but snow in large amounts? People panick and drive like idiots and idiot drivers plus the school drop off line is no good. I"m not a morning person and have huge rage over people who can't follow simple drop off line rules, then you add snow and crappy drivers? Yeah, not such a good way to start your morning. And how do schools think that if you take your kids to school for them to cancel it early, how do parents who work get their kids home? Seriously, just cancel school and if you dont' get as much snow as projected, oh well, at least parents have a heads up on what to do with their kids for the day. And lets not talk too much about people in the grocery stores the night before a big snow storm is expected to hit. Thats mass chaos right there. I swear people are playing that old game "supermarket sweep" and just not obeying any polite shopping rules.

We're also getting ready for valentines day. With three kids who have to hand them out, its been quite the time getting them ready. I still have to shop for one more kids valentines. My oldest who is 9, he told me today "My girlfriend said I have to give her a valentines day present or she wont be my girlfriend anymore"...wow..girls are getting smarter much younger these days.

what have we been up to?

What have we been up to?


Influenza B.

Yup, that's right folks, three of three have influenza B.
(I am obviously a poet folks.)

It started Monday night. Kids came back from supper at grandmas and we had our scheduled chiropractor appointment. All went went, we came home, did baths and bedtime routines. Jace woke up in the middle of the night around 2am with a migraine. This is nothing new, he gets migraines, has since about age 5. If we catch them early enough, they're easily treated with ibuprofen and acetaminophen. But he kept telling me it wasn't bad and kept trying to go back to sleep. He was on the floor of my room per usual, and around 3am he woke and it was really bad. So we went out into the living room and opened the porch door for the cool air(which this week was below zero but it helps him) and shut the lights off and tried to talk him through until the pain medicine came through. Finally around 5am he fell back asleep on the couch and I crawled back to bed until the alarm went back off at 630am. Alarm goes off and I try and try to wake him up and since we both had crappy sleep, he didnt wanna get up either. Mornings of school, is like pulling teeth to get my kids up so this is normal. Hes protesting going to school, but I tough loved him and sent him on his way. About 930am I get a phone call(Tuesday) that he has a headache, and I explained I gave him medicine before school and there wasn't alot I could do for him, try to have him stay a bit longer, see how it goes. We've been down this path before. Another hour passes, another phone call, so I picked him up. I figured he was just overtired and had what I call "migraine hangover" type of deal. So he actually came home and napped. Right then I should have figured something was up but...he didnt have a fever or any other complaints. So I had called my mom to tell her about this, and she said "I bet he's getting that flu"..and I shrugged it off and thought not much of it.

Wednesday came and he was still complaining of a headache. I thought to myself "Ok we'll let him sleep in a little and perhaps take him in a half day". He spent most of the morning sleeping and lounging and didn't really perk up much. Then around lunch time he was nauseated and I figured it was because he just didn't really rehydrate the way he should have with everything going on. So he stayed home from school all day. He ate supper Wed night and things seemed to be looking up. We all did the bedtime routine and sent the kids off to bed.

Thursday rolled around. Still no fever, complaints of a headache and he had a lunch party that day at school and he said "well I think I'll stay home and then go for lunch" and I told him he either goes all day or none, because now its his THIRD day off of school and he should really try to go back. We argued back and forth on this, Me, being mom, tough loving him into the car with his backpack, with much dismay from his side of the car. I had given him headache medicine and some breakfast and a peptalk and I dropped his sister off first for a change and he was flipping out about how he still didn't feel good and I took him home. He puked on the steps..poor kid. He came in, gave me this "I told you so" type glance and went to lay down.

I'm a nurse, so I"m not a panicker. If I let every little thing go, my kids would be babied up the behind. My 5 year old daughter Bella, likes bandaids for EVERYTHING. Thinks everything is life threatening and will drama the heck out of things. So I kinda tough love her because I know with her, if I take it too seriously, we'll really have something on our hands. With my youngest who is just 4, he doesn't complain much, doesn't cry much so when he does cry or complain, I know that its serious. With Jace, it can go either way. Sometimes he just doesn't want to go to school, because he doesn't like Math or whatever he's having that day. He's 9 and apparently thinks staying home is MUCH more fun sometimes. But my rule is if you stay home, you stay in your room in your bed, because sick is sick.

So I decided to take him to urgent care, get him checked out. Maybe something was brewing I was missing. In schools there are so many things going around, and I dont like to rush the kids to the doc for every little thing. If you know anything about nurses, I find this true about my nurse friends and their kids. So onto urgent care, where I met with the doctor and the nurse and I explained his history and current symptoms. They did a strep test, that was negative, his lungs were clear and they decided to test for influenza which the doc said she didnt think he had given everything she had seen and heard but might as well try.

Positive for Influenza B.
 So they gave the poor boy some potent meds for his lingering headache and ordered us Tamiflu, the recommended drug for influenza and said he's not to return to school until tuesday.
Ok. Stopped at the pharmacy, got him some lunch, his favorite which he barely touched, and came home for another nap/rest.
Later that night, my youngest started coughing, was congested. I thought OH LORD . So I debated "do I take HIM in now?" and another nurse friend said I should call the doc on call and tell him and hopefully he'll just give the pharmacy a call for meds for him as well. After a bit of a battle with the phone nurse the doctor gladly prescribed my youngest the same thing.

I should have frequent flier miles at the pharmacy.
This morning, my daughter woke up, same symptoms, so we got another prescription.
We're all house bound for 5 days.
House.Bound.....FIVE DAYS PEOPLE.
If I come out of this with all my hair... I"ll post an update.

A brand new year

Happy New Year!

The holidays were busy as always. We all had a very merry christmas and celebrated with as much family as we possible could squeeze in. Because thats what the holidays are all about. We finally got the remainder of our christmas decorations down and back into their totes for next year.

what are your plans for 2013?

FOUR

This little guy turned FOUR today. The last of my babies, the last time we get a 4th birthday party, the last time anyone in this house turns 4. He has brought 4 years of happiness to our family. He was born via induction, and I remember waking up that morning, and it was cold as all get out (Hello wisconsin winter) and the roads were covered with snow. Much like today. And my labor was about 20 hours, although my midwife promised me it would be "the fastest of all three kiddos"(not so much) and the day he was born, we got 13 inches of snow! I was basking in the newness of a new baby boy, however worried no one would be able to visit because of the many inches of snow we had. (I was wrong).

 

 

He , I remember, developed jandice and we almost thought he wasn't going to come home with us. WE almost thought we were not going to be allowed to leave the hospital as there was so much snow and blizzard like conditions, they were making many people stay. But we all came home and he had a Biliblanket he had to stay on until christmas. He had to have his levels checked daily, and the first day it had to be back at the hospital, which was a 30 minute trip and during those days, it was about minus 20 below. Fantastic baby weather. Finally his levels went down and the biliblanket went away.

He has been a happy baby...serious at times but over all, very happy. Hes the only child who still loves to snuggle with his momma, who still clings to his momma and likes to be with either mom or dad, with the rare exception of one of his grandparents. We snuggle and snuggle and he wakes up happy and ready to go each morning. He loves his brother and sister with all his heart, he's always letting them share in his joys, and his toys. Today when he got a new green power ranger from grandma and grandpa, he said "Oh I will let Jace play with it too!" and when we go to the store, he always grabs a treat for both siblings.

It finally snowed here in Wisconsin. "flurries" turned into more than so. But that's ok because the kids were all loving it, playing outside all day. And the first snow fall is always pretty and exciting. But it can go now. I"m done with it.

 

'

 We also did our christmas cookie decorating this past weekend. There was much eating while decorating. But at least the sprinkles didn't all land on the floor like the halloween sprinkles did. Sprinkles get everywhere.

 This is Skippy, our "elf on the shelf". Skippy comes in late at night or early morning, back from the north pole. He hides in a new place each time. He reports back to Santa each day on the behaviors in our house.

This above is my son and my niece breaking the "wishbone" on thanksgiving at my parents house. She won by the way, and her wish was to be a princess. She was very happy at this. My son wished to be a power ranger. But he wasn't really that disappointed... lol!

Being it was Saturday today, I slept in until Noon! WHAT? WITH THREE CHILDREN? Yup. They got up early and went to my father in laws house! My husband went to a guys gaming day with his friends or buddies or whatever guys call eachother. They all kissed me goodbye and off they went.
My mom texted me, asking me to go for manicures...oh yes please? We waited until my dad got home from work and off we went. We did some shopping and got some supper and I came home and started cleaning my still empty house.
Very lazy relaxed Saturday, which is nice for a change.

And Hello mother nature? It was 60's earlier this week. And then BOOM!!! Now we're in the 30's!!!! Make up your mind. I know its November and almost December but alot of us could adjust properly to the cold Wisconsin weather if Mother Nature would just pick a temp for more than 4 days.