I haven't slept much this week. The kids seem to be drawing straws each night deciding who will require attention precisely at the moment I finally begin to slumber. Between the flu, colds, fevers and Brooke's acute gag reflex that triggers many random, and lately nocturnal, vomiting spells, I have been running on fumes. I have broken all sort of self inflicted rules such as television time limits, no kids sleeping in our bed, and daily baths. Violated linens have required constant attention in the tiny laundry room and gatorade has become the latest meal replacement option. But now everyone appears to be on the mend and I can only hope to get through the rest of the month without further incident.
That being said, I love that I have the opportunity to be home with them. Though I'll never profess my love for cleaning up after sick kids, I do love that I am the one to comfort them. Ty had a fever and the chills a few nights ago and he simply did not want to be in his bed alone and miserable. Trent volunteered to sleep on the couch so Ty could cuddle in bed with me. The night was anything but restful for me, but every time Ty would have a spell of chills he whimper until he felt my arm around him.
So maybe I've worn my sweats a little more often than usual, skipped the makeup completely, and watched 3 movies in one day with my children. We might have worn pajamas a few days for an entire day, then switched to fresh ones shortly before bedtime. And popcorn may have constituted as lunch on a few occasions. The rules were thrown out the window. Boy was it fun. As fun as it can be when your kids don't feel good.
And thank goodness for friends who brought Dr. Pepper to my doorstep when I needed a little comfort of my own.
Wishing you health and restful slumber this week.
The boy
The girl
The baby
We Believe
4 comments:
I love your post. My Aunt Evelyn gave me some advise when I became a mother. She was the mother of seven children. She said, "housework will keep, babies won't." I've heard that phrase a lot over the years, and found this poem.
Song for a Fifth Child
by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton
Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing and butter the bread,
Sew on a button and make up a bed.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.
Oh, I’ve grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).
The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew
And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo
But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
Look! Aren’t her eyes the most wonderful hue?
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
For children grow up, as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.
i'm glad your babes are doing better---sick kids are NO fun, but hey at least they should be better for Christmas right? We always break all the rules with sick kids & maybe even sometimes with healthy kids...its fun:)
I'm pretty sure my week had a lot of similarities: two movies in the same day (um, same movie actually), popcorn for lunch (popcorn is really quite healthy) and pj's all day (oh, but we didn't bother to switch into anything clean for bed time). Glad things, or should I say people, are getting better in your house!
Hope everyone in your house gets better quickly! It sounds like you did just the right thing!
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