"Mommy, how do you catch…

CHICKEN POX?"

“What?” “You know, that rashy thing that itches that covers your body.”

Turns out that one of Nora’s kindergarten classmates was sent home (picked up by her mother) near the end of the school day yesterday. Nora announced to me that she hugged her goodbye yesterday, as she “was really sad” that the poor little girl would be missing the last day of school. And, if she hugged her, she REALLY hugged her. Nora loves everyone and hugs people long and hard on a very consistent basis.

Flabbergasted. That’s what I was, upon hearing the words.

So, after throwing Nora in the shower, following my panic while ripping her clothes off of her and boiling them in the “hot cycle,” I called the school.

Indeed, the girl has Chicken Pox, as does her three-year old sister, according to her mother whom I also called promptly.

The teacher indicated that no one knew. Um, I suppose that I do not know how that is possible.

Nora has been vaccinated once at a year old, booster at five; Elliot has had one shot and Isaac…well, he’s not old enough.

Germ-a-phobic freak that I am, I continued to scour the sheets. She may have been exposed yesterday, the day before, who the hell knows. She slept in the bed; she sat on the couch; heck, she touched all of the door knobs. Yes, I know how it is spread. And yes, I went overboard, but I cannot imagine taking care of a 22-month old with Down syndrome and a 9-month old (who screams all of the time anyway) with CHICKEN POX.

And really, I thought that the disease was wiped out years ago. Not totally eradicated, but who hears about it anymore?

Needless to say, I pray that my little missy stays “itchy, dreadful rash free.” And, I pray that the bumps stay the heck away from the boys if indeed she comes down with it.

What a way to start the summer, huh? I just have to laugh, for if I don’t, I will start my cleaning frenzy again, and those who know me know just how long that will take.

Wordless Wednesday - Communiqué

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Splendor

“I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

Wordless Wednesday - Do you see what I see?

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Practice makes perfect.

Nora Dance

Look at him go...

I CAN Crawl!

21 months in all of his glory~

Happy Mother's Day

My Wee E...

CRAWLED - YEP, HE DID IT. More on that later!

Some “background”

Lovely Pam; dear, dear Pam, tagged me for a meme. Kind of a fun one and made me smile!

What was I doing 10 years ago: Puts me back to um, about 28 years of age (Can I go back again?). I had just left a deficient (in so many ways) boyfriend of seven years whom I lived with. He did not work; he blew off his architectural degree to pretend (“PRETEND” = operative word) to be an artist and he just plain sucked.

I was working at a hotel as their marketing person and not making nearly enough money to justify the amount of hours that I spent (and tears that I shed) trying to promote an independent hotel, AAA, 4-diamond restaurant (yep, right here in Lincoln and yep, it failed as Lincolnites have no desire to spend $50 per plate on a regular basis), conference center and lovely little boutique all contained within. Learned a lot, but was happy to leave, as I did not have a staff, just lowly old me, and worked the job of at least 5 people. Hotel, by the way, was sold to Marriott recently. That too sucks.

Besides work and the boyfriend left in the dust, I was beginning to wonder when I would actually marry and have kiddos. Did a lot of wondering sitting at bars with friends. A year later, I met my husband at a BAR (a nasty one at that). Married the next year and kiddo number one arrived the following year.

5 Things on my “to do” list today: Drag my sickly bottom out of bed; feed two babies; bathe two babies; feed dear Nora her waffles with peanut butter before school; play with two babies (incorporating my therapy sessions with Elliot on and off all day) and take client calls in between, until well, generally 8 p.m. when they stop (the calls, not the babies!).

Things that I would do if I were a billionaire: Join Pam in “starting some type of a foundation to help medically fragile children and their families get some of the care that they need;” Take Nora to China (she is engrossed by China.); Buy Nora all of the horses that she could ever want; Try to make myself look pretty for the blasted 20-year high school reunion that is approaching in less than a month; better yet, skip the whole damn thing and organize a gathering with the few true friends that are still around (not in China though, perhaps Paris); Travel around the country visiting all of the wonderful women that I am now blessed to call friends due to my dear baby boy with Down syndrome; Oh, and I suppose I’d pay off the house and our debt and maybe buy a pretty car to sit in the garage like my dad’s (Hey, Dad, are you reading?); Last but not least, I would teach my children the value of money and really, how it simply cannot buy a whole lot of happiness. That, I have learned, has to come from within and from Above.

3 Bad Habits: Perfectionism and OCD; red wine; did I mention perfectionism?

5 Places that I have lived: Omaha and Lincoln only. Will I ever leave the “great” state of Nebraska? I suppose, if I were a billionaire as mentioned above, I’d move all three families the heck out of here and build a ranch somewhere near the mountains.

5 Jobs that I have had: 1. Hostess at the only restaurant in town that actually required its staff to dress in black and white and had lovely cloth napkins and pretty pink table cloths (rocking menu too); 2. Marketing coordinator for an accounting firm (Whew, did those guys know how to have a good time – NOT!!); 3. Marketing director at hotel; 4. Marketing director for regional cellular company (and local chamber of commerce in the same year); 5. PR director at a local university (cannot leave out the most IMPORTANT job of Momma – screw the rest of it!). BTW, just sent for all sorts of info on how to obtain a BA in nursing. Really though, like my friend, Pam, we should already have the stinking piece of paper!

I tag Amy, Melissa and JEFF. Do tell ladies (and gentleman).

Wordless Wednesday - Not so wordless

Rarely do I throw something like this on my blog, but the husband has insisted. I cannot, however, keep it wordless as the day implies. Jeff drug this thing home as he thinks that he is going to “race” his Harley. Um, NO! But, he forced me to try it on, so here I am, in something that I will NEVER support. My husband will not race the stupid thing – bad enough that he rides it. We have THREE children after all!

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