by Sarah | Nov 19, 2008 | All About Kennedy, All About Molly, Crap
Apparently my beautiful girl Riley, who likes to become non-verbal when distressed, became to distressed to tell me her ears hurt.
Apparently there was a severe double ear infection (again – this happened last year).
Apparently I waited too long to take her to the doctor.
Apparently waiting until eyes are draining green goop is far too long to wait.
Apparently waiting a long time on a bad ear infection can spread the infection to the eyes and cause pink eye.
Apparently that is EXACTLY what happened to Riley.
Apparently it is highly contagious (I sort of knew that already)
Apparently I wasn’t fast enough with the hand sanitizer.
Apparently Angel is now showing the signs of it.
Apparently I’ll be spending the next two weeks doling out doses of antibiotics to two toddlers.
by Sarah | Nov 17, 2008 | All About Family, Holidays
For the past ten years we have perpetuated the myth of the man. We have struggled and scrimped and saved to continue the tale of a jolly elf. We have gone without gifts to ensure that Brandon had lots of gifts from us and Santa. Last year our budget for all three kids was $500…I won’t say how overbudget we went…but our tree was overflowing. We had disasterous pictures with the man in red. We had a blowout of Christmases like we’d never had before.Â
For the past two years I’ve doubted that Brandon still believed…but the Christmases got bigger as if to reassure him that it was. I’ve continued to push and perpetuate the myth.Â
I spoke a few weeks ago about our plan to simplify Christmas this year. That we decided that just because we COULD have a big Christmas didn’t mean that we should. I was nervous about confronting this fact with Brandon. How would he react, and what would he say?Â
Over the weekend at our family dinner we discussed the matter. Brandon took it with ease. He admitted that it had been “a while” since he really believed in Santa. He has started thinking of appropriate charities to choose for his donation.
And now as I sit here watching the toddlers race around the room I’ve realized something. This year we will see the the death of Santa…the commercialized version. Our girls won’t learn of Santa in the way Brandon did. When we teach them about Santa – they’ll learn of thim being the essence of the holiday spirit. The spirit of giving, not the spirit of hoarding and gathering. Here, in this house, his image will represent something different than he ever has before.Â
Christmas will be about me fililng the house with the smell of hundreds (yes, I do mean that-last year I made 50+ dozen…and we ate them all) of fresh baked cookies. Of preparing a care package for a soldier (our family charitable effort). Of making homemade gifts for family and each other, and spending very little on ourselves. Of donating to a worthy cause as individuals and a family.*
So this year the man in red will be put to rest as he’s been known. And I’m okay with that. I hope that the commercial santa rests in peace. Around here I think our softer version of Santa is a far sight nicer.
*Not bad for a family with a ‘heathen’ as a heart warmer, eh?
by Sarah | Nov 14, 2008 | All About Me, Crap
It’s a stack of photos - three rolls of film’s worth. They lie buried in a box under my bed 99.9% of the time.
They are photos of monuments and landmarks. Graves and soldiers. Capitols and statues. No groupings of friends. No wacky close up’s trying to get me in the frame. No friends at all.
It was a long awaited trip. One met with excitement and anticipation. Three years of begging to follow in my brother’s footsteps. To join my best friend and classmates. To go to Washington, D.C. for a full week without my parents. Just me and my best bud, and a few other friends…and fifteen other classmates, a few teachers.
I was in seventh grade. The school did it every year. I wasn’t exceptionally popular (I’d lost that goal in sixth grade)…but I had two of the bestest friends, and a small group of friends that accepted me. One of those best friends was going on this trip with me.
By three days into the trip…I had no friends. It happened so fast and so embarassingly so it still pains me to even look at these pictures.Â
My BFF and I were huge into NKOTB (yes…yes), and we both were totally in love with Joey. She’d brought along a picture and set it gently into the frame of the hotel picture that was on the wall. Someone (a maid? classmate? roommate?) defaced the picture during the trip.
Somehow I got blamed. That wasn’t the embarassing part, though…they didn’t tell me they for some reason they thought I’d done it…they waited. Then, after a day of sightseeing I went in for my bathroom time. I went in, did my business, took a shower and came out.
By the next day the rumors swirled. They were ridiculous…but no one cared. Suddenly that night I was the focus of hilarity and someone even wrote a song about how I had managed to wash my hair in the toilet. My ‘friends’ and roommates attacked me verbally in the room, hurled insults and accusations…and I spent the remainder of the trip sleeping curled up on a hotel chair to sleep without even a blanket or one person to stand by me and be my friend.Â
The remaining tours were done in the back of the trip, talking to a teacher. I had no one to eat with, to talk with, to take silly pictures with…while my former friends latched on to more popular kids on the trip and boosted their own popularity talking about me.
It was among the darkest periods of my youth. It is why I absolutely loath the thought of my kids going to middle school and having to face fellow middle school evilness. It is why I never look at these pictures, why I never think of my trip. When I think of D.C. I think only of the time I lived near there and went to see shows a few blocks from the white house.
So why today?Â
Brandon came home with a permission slip and letter explaining the fifth grade trip to D.C. (much, much shorter…like an INSANELY FAST trip).Â
I like to think I’ve forgiven those girls for what they did and how they acted…at least I try to…I don’t like holding grudges (even if I am good at it)…but it’s something I can never forget because to this day it’s affected how I am, WHO I am. I feel it every day I look in the mirror and find something worng with myself. I feel it every time I feel like the odd ball out at a party, watching everyone else have fun wishing I could disappear into the shadows.
I want my son to see the capitol. I want him to be able to go with his friends. I know he WANTS to go…but I hesitate. My own past holds back his future and enjoyment. Can I forgive…Can I forget? Can I push past my own past (and cough up the dough) for him to go…
Can he have the trip that I never could? I have to let him try…for both of us.
by Sarah | Nov 11, 2008 | Crap
Â
I haven’t the energy to post more than to let you know that I’ll continue to be MIA for today and possibly tomorrow. I’ve got fluish symptoms, plus massive sinus pressure. I’m better today then yesterday, at the moment…but I predict a turn for the worse later…It sems to be coming in waves of achiness and pain. I’ll be back once I feel like my brain is semi functioning.
by Sarah | Nov 9, 2008 | Weekly Winners
For the week of 11/02-11/08/08
Weekly Winners is the brainchild of the wonderfully Sarcastic Mom, Lotus
These are actually pictures from the two weeks previous, including my trip to Buffalo, and Halloween. Next week I’ll have the pictures from this past week and this coming week to catch up.
Brightest Leaf
Early Holiday
Changing Before Our Eyes
Running Through Color
Standout
Princesses
It’s a Nose!
Thinking
Enraptured
Â
Â
