A new use for spanking

We went to Dallas this evening to have dinner with Chuck's aunt. Somewhere in the middle of our gluten-free meal (yes, I said "gluten-free"), I took Luke to the ladies room at the restaurant. He grudgingly used the ladies room when the men's was locked. We went in and he did his business. I asked him if he was finished. He slapped his bottom and said, "I have to spank the drips out." I couldn't keep the laugh from escaping. I said okay, and he spanked his bottom again. I asked him if he was finished and he said yes and proceeded to pull up his pants. Chuck and I aren't sure whether to be worried or not. Luke, on the other hand, seemed rather amused by the whole thing.

Interviewing

Interviewing au pairs and she asked about the crime rate. I said, "it's not bad." Chuck said I'm not a good salesman. Forgive me, I've never had someone ask me that in an interview.

Beer Pong

The official rules for Beer Pong are too long for a drunk person to remember. I'm just saying . . .

I'm bringing this to the beach next year.

Movie Quote 29

Looking forward to the weekend. The Colonial golf tourney is going on down the street from my house. Chuck partied up on the golf course yesterday and we're hoping to sneak out there Sunday. Half my firm is out at our box today, but I'm here working since I have had to take off so much time with the kids this last month.

In honor of the golf tournament, here's a classic movie quote:

I smell varmint poontang, and the only good varmint poontang is dead varmint poontang, I think.

Dear Sexagenarians

Dear Sexagenarians,

If you have reached menopause, please refrain from unnaturally having children. I have no basis for these feelings since I can think many logical reasons why someone should be able to have children. But for some reason, it seems wrong and selfish for a woman of 66 to have babies. You will be in your mid eighties when your children graduate from high school. They'll be lucky if you makes it that long. You probably won't have the energy to watch these children. Do you think it is fair to pop out kids who will likely be left motherless at a very young age? I just don't see the sense in it, and can't understand what doctor would perform such a procedure.

That's just my two cents, and I know you didn't ask for it, but it is there for the taking.

Ear Infection . . . what?!

Back from the Beach and George has an ear infection. Yup, that's what I said. Evie had her first ear infection around five months old too. I guess we're probably headed for tubes with this one too. Luckily, my mom was able to come help this week because I don't think my career could take another hit. (Chuck's either). She's been great. She even took him to the doctor this morning where we found out that the little man is suffering from an ear infection. He was refusing the bottle and running a fever off and on of 101.2. He should be well by Friday. Until then, I'm just trying to keep my head above water at work. This month has been rough - particularly on the billable hours. In fact, I'm still here and have to get back to it.

Zipper fear

In a strange turn of events at my house, Luke is terrified of zipping up his zipper. I went to put his jeans on today and he didn't even want me to button them. He jumped away and said, don't pinch me. I said, "Well, why don't you do it yourself then." Luke replied, "Okay" and proceeded to squeeze the snaps together unsuccessfully. He thrust his pelvis out at me where I was sitting on the floor, indicating that he was ready for my help. I said, "Are you sure?" He nodded. I said, "Hold still. Buttoning your pants doesn't hurt." I buttoned his pants and went to zip up his zipper but he let out a squeal and jumped away saying, "nooo." I looked at him like he was crazy and he said, "You'll hurt my penis." He jumped around some more. I said, "Good heavens! Who zipped your penis in your zipper?!" He didn't answer but put his hand over his crotch so I couldn't reach the zipper. I continued, "Honey, if you're careful, zipping your zipper will not hurt your penis." He seemed unconvinced and when I reached toward him again he shied away. I said, "Sweetie, you can't go around with your zipper down all the time. I understand that it would hurt very much if your penis got caught in your zipper, but you still have to zip up your zipper. Just be careful." I reached toward him again and said, "Watch." He squirmed and made that "eh, eh, eh!" noise that kids make when they don't want to do something or they think something is going to hurt. (He makes the same noise when I go to pull off a band aid.) So, I gently reached down and CAREFULLY pulled up his zipper. I only got it half way up because he jumped away. I again tried to reinforce the idea that he has to zip up his zipper at school. His response was, "Why?" I said, "No one wants to see your underwear. You just can't wander around with your zipper undone. There's a reason they make it so that your zipper zips up." Luke still seems unconvinced and I'm certain he'll continue to spend the rest of the day wandering around with his underwear peeping through his unzipped zipper hole. Aside from that, my biggest concern is who zipped his penis in his zipper and how long will it take for him to recover???? Poor kid.

Beach Bash Group

Thanks to the Beach Bash group, who are more like family than friends. We come together each year at the beach and forget that we aren’t 22 anymore (which gets more and more painful with each passing year). The most amazing fact is that we can go years without seeing one another, but when we get together it is like no time has passed. We all love each other and can start a conversation without any hesitation. (At least that’s how it feels to me). So, for those of you in the Beach Bash group who are reading this, I thank you for your friendship and I’m grateful for our time together, our laughter, our running jokes, our protectiveness of one another, our acceptance and love for each other, as well as our spouses and children, and for the security of knowing that you will be there when I need you and vice versa.

Lucky for all of us, I never pulled out my camera so I have no evidence of the utter disaster other than a few bruises I'm sporting from beer pong, Miss Kitty's Purple Cow dancing, and sleeping on a crappy pull out couch. Whew. I'm not too old yet, but I'm getting there. By the way, I'm having trouble deciding whether I should honestly tell my friends and co-workers that I obtained my nasty purple bruises through an offensive maneuver against Thomas's shoulder/elbow in a hard-fought round of beer pong or if I should let them all think Chuck hit me. It really is a toss up.

Memorial Day

Thank you to all the men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice.


Most touching on Memorial Day is the sanctity of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Here is a link to information about the guards of the Tomb. It is very interesting.

School Pictures

George had school pictures yesterday and they are so freakin' cute that I have to share. Click here then click on "Clients" at the bottom of the page and type in the password Berend (case sensitive). My favorites are all of them, but I love the bucket picture where he isn't smiling.

Movie Quote 28

This is for the older generation. I remember seeing this movie with the whole family at the movie theater. I still love it.

There's a quarter of a million dollars in heroin in the diaper pail and the new baby wipes are in the hall cabinet.

Laughter everyday

Luke asked me in the car this morning, "Do you know what this is?" I was just driving along, so I couldn't look and I answered, "No, what?" I glanced over, he smiled, and he answered in a very Matthew McConaughey voice, "Speed." I looked down and my speedometer and said, "Yup, 32 miles and hour is some speed." It's not always a grand comedy around our house, but in some way, big or small, those kids make me laugh every day. They also wrap themselves more and more around my heart. This morning, Luke mentioned in passing as I was trying to get everything out the door, "Mom, you look nice." That's all I needed to start my morning off right.

Speaking of Matthew McConaughey, you've got to watch this clip of Matt Damon doing Matthew McConaughey. Soooo funny. I couldn't upload it, so click here.

MENSA

Luke shot himself in the eye with a cross bow that shoots marshmallows. MENSA might be interested in recruiting our whole family.

Wore a new shirt today and just found the size sticker stuck to the front of my shirt. MENSA - here I come. Too bad I didn't look in a mirror before I left the house this morning.

Mental Health Fund

While George was ill, Luke and Evie were basically neglected children. Don't get me wrong, they were fed and clothed, but there was no entertainment available from Chuck or me since we were rocking, pacing, feeding, medicating or trying to calm George for four days straight. Instead, we kept a constant supply of videos running on TV for Luke and Evie until they would beg for Noggin. (I love Noggin, but the shows get so old. Chuck and I have the intro theme song to all the shows memorized and they get stuck in our heads until you see us at work singing, "Max and Ruby . . . Ruby and Max . . . Ruby and her little brother Max . . ." or "The phone, the phone is ringing . . . " You get the picture, and if you've ever been subjected to Noggin on a repeated basis you'll know exactly what shows I'm talking about and probably cringe knowing that one or both of these songs will be stuck in your head today. I digress.)

Anyhoo, that week Chuck put a previously Tivo'ed noggin show on the TV one evening while I was out - (I can't even remember where I was) - and near the end of the show, Chuck took George up to his bedroom and got him ready for bed and put him down. About fifteen minutes later he came down to find that Luke and Evie's show had ended and regular television had turned back on. The TV was on CBS and one of the CSI shows was on. (Yes, I'm cringing too.) The timing worked so that the kids apparently saw the first 10 minutes of the show - you know, the part that shows the gruesome, violent, disgusting, scary crime where one or more persons is is killed? Yeah, my kids saw that. Luke looked at Chuck and said with all seriousness, "Dad, this is not a good show. People die!" Chuck quickly found the remote control and switched the station, but the damage was done.

Soooo, Chuck and I are establishing a mental health fund for our children now. If you are interested in contributing, please let me know. I anticipate years of therapy ahead of them, and not just for this reason.

Reason 1,284 why I won't be named Mother of the Year

This was absolutely my favorite thing that happened this weekend, and I'm a terrible mother for admitting it. The story starts out with me in the bathroom (how many great stories start out like this, right?). Luke and Evie are playing in the den and George is finally taking a much needed nap in his car seat in the front hall (we just got home from the store). I heard the common sound of Evie's scream and whine from the restroom. I knew that she was going to try and find me upstairs which would mean she would walk past George's carrier and up the stairs - screaming the whole time and likely waking up my cranky and sleepy baby. So, against my general policy of not welcoming my children into the restroom while I'm in there, I pushed open the door and called out, "SHHHH! Come here!" in a yelling whisper, thoroughly annoyed that she might wake up George with her tantrum. She walked in with a red splotchy face and tears streaming down her sweet cheeks. I sighed, and asked "What's wrong?" all while knowing that she would tell me Luke had hurt her feelings or she had bumped her head on the couch or some other innocuous incident. But when she started to explain with incoherent words, she turned around so I could see the back of her head where . . . wait for it . . .






a train was stuck. Yup, a little motorized Thomas train named Rusty was stuck in her hair. I cried, "Oh BABY!", and quickly told her to come closer so I could help. Remember, I'm still sitting on the toilet (all this happened in the length of time it took me to pee - I wasn't actually conducting a great deal of business). She came closer and I told her to let go of the train so I could try to get it out. As she did, I lifted the train gently away from her head so I could see how thoroughly it was stuck, the train started chugging again - it wasn't turned off! I yelped and quickly flipped the switch to turn it off and evaluated that it would take more effort than I could give it while still sitting on the toilet. I told her to hold onto it so it wouldn't hurt and to wait while I finished my bathroom trip. She started to whimper and gave a little and sniffle, but she held onto the train named Rusty until I was finished.

Now, here's where a good mom differs from me.

I gently led her into the living room, where I found my camera and told her to hold still while I snapped a few shots. Here they are:

Then I led her into the kitchen where I found a pair of scissors and cut the trapped train out of her hair.

She doesn't have a lot of hair to spare, so luckily it wasn't caught in too much and you can't even see where I cut it out. Still, the hair was really STUCK, so cutting it out was the only option.

I have no problem with cutting a train out of her hair, but still, WHAT was she doing?

Evie is well over the terror of having a train stuck in her hair and was only concerned with getting the hair out of the wheels so it would work again. I, personally, would have stayed away from the scary train for a while, but little kids are resilient. Here's she is playing with it.

You can see the hair stuck in the wheels. I had to tug and pull to get it loose. I only regret that she doesn't have a clean face in this picture. Oh well, make that 1,285 reasons why I won't be named Mother of the Year.

Back to work

So many stories, but no time to post right now. Check back this afternoon. For now, just know that George is feeling much better and we are all back at work/school. Ahhh. It is nice to have some peace and quiet.

Back to the Doctor

We went back to the doctor today and the diagnosis is the same. He freaked me out last night because I picked him up to comfort him and he screamed as if it hurt for me to touch him. He must be very achey. Now he's layin gon the floor next to me screaming. Poor thing. I hope this passes in the next 24 hours. We're all whipped and just trying to maintain our sanity and our jobs. (Oh, darn, he was distracted by his hands for a second, but the crying started back up).

Those sweet baby eyes

George is still sick. We think it might be Roseola since he was exposed to it about a week ago. It involves a high fever for three to four days with no other symptoms. The fever is followed by a rash all over the body for another three days during which the child is no longer contagious. It isn't overly serious, but the fever is high and causes worry for parents like me. Chuck and I are coping and giving little George lots of love and attention. The poor thing just whimpers and looks at us with confusion when he's awake. So, we've got one more day of fever ahead of us we think and since he still has a fever of 102.5 he won't be going back to school tomorrow. Chuck and I will have to rock, paper, scissors, lizard, Spock for child care duties tomorrow. I took some lunch to Chuck and held the little man. You can see how sick he is in his eyes.
Click here for more info on rock, paper, scissors, lizard, Spock.

George & Work

Chuck didn't get home until after 5:00 to relieve my sick kid duties. Luke had to go get his soccer trophy, so we did that (I'll have to post a pic), and then I went into the office to get some stuff ready for tomorrow. I'm here now, but ready to take off so I can get back here in a just a few hours. I love this job (most of the time). I hope they can put up with me and my sick children. This is one of those tough balances that I just can't make work. Everyone asks me, "How do you do it all?" My answer is that "I don't." Today is a grand example. I billed three and a half hours working from 8 p.m.-11:30 p.m. That's not healthy for me, my husband, my children, or my career. But, without a doubt, family comes first. I just have to make sure I keep my job so I can feed my family. It's a vicious circle.

Poor George got up to a fever of 103.2, laid in my arms lethargically most of the afternoon breathing rapidly, and finally began to open his eyes and interact once Chuck got home (which coincided with the Motrin kicking in). The doctor said it is just a virus. Hope he starts feeling better soon.

I just figures . . .

It just figures that after having to take off for a week because of swine flu (while my children were all healthy), one of the kids would get sick this week. Poor George woke up with a fever of 102.2 and he's miserable. You can just see it in his eyes. We're headed to the doctor today. I wonder how long my firm will patiently stand by while my kids get sick. I once had a boss (at another firm) who gave his secretary her yearly review and in the written report he recommended that she be given a raise so that she could buy vitamins for her son because he was always sick. What a jackass (for more than just that). At the time I thought it was pretty funny, but I don't think it is so funny now that I'm the one having to call into my boss and tell him that my kid is sick and I have to stay home. I keep thinking the firm is going to suggest that I reevaluate my children's health. Luckily, we'll have an au pair in August and she will be able to help us out with things like sick days, etc. I hope we can hold out that long.

Movie Quotes 26 and 27

MOVIE QUOTE 26

From my all time favorite kid movie:

A wooden leg named Smith . . .

MOVIE QUOTE 27

And one of my favorites as an adult. I LOVE to watch this movie with a bottle of wine, some crackers and fromage.

We believe that fruits and vegetables have feeling so we think cooking is cruel. We only eat things that have actually fallen off a tree or bush - that are, in fact, dead already.

and this is another quote from the same movie:

Oh God, this is one of those key moments in life, when it's possible you can be really, genuinely cool - and I'm failing 100%. I absolutely and totally and utterly adore you and I think you're the most beautiful woman in the world and more importantly I genuinely believe and have believed for some time now that we can be best friends. What do YOU think?

Adult rated post

Too funny not to share since this reminds both Chuck and me of Luke. (Sorry, kid.) This is from the Family Guy, a very strange and often offensive prime time cartoon:

Stewie Griffin: They're getting nude! I mustn't watch, it's not the proper thing to... Wow! I say, nice ones, Janine! And look at Lisa in all of her curvaceous glory! Heavens, it appears that my weewee has been stricken with rigor mortis!

Geez, I had no idea how early a boy's fascination with his penis began. This is still a little shocking to me, but we're starting to get through it and I'm hoping to get numb to it soon. The problem is that he definitely has become more in tune with his own body, particularly in the morning. Ah, boys. It's a whole different world.

On another note, Luke started repeating the following in the car this morning in an announcer voice and with the proper intonation: "Karen, please call the office. Karen, please call the office."

I asked him, "What are you saying?"

He repeated it again, "Karen, please call the office. Karen, please call the office."

Me, "What is that from?"

Luke, "They used to say that at my old school."

Me, "On the speakers?"

Luke pointed up, "Yeah."

Me, "Hmm. Who is Karen?"

Luke, "I don't know. They just used to say it on the speakers. Karen, please call the office. Karen, please call the office."

It is amazing what those kids pick up and remember. I need to find out who Karen is and why she had to call the office so often.

Crazy lady cracking up

Okay, I must have looked like a crazy lady cracking up in my car this morning when I turned on the radio and heard the following lyrics:

Shush girl, shut your lips
Do the Helen Keller and talk with your hips.

You can see the lyrics to the entire song by clicking here. The song is "Don't Trust Me" by 3OH!3. Yes, that's actually the band name. These people are weird.

I cannot believe anyone would write that. It's not really funny because it is offensively making fun of Helen Keller, and it certainly isn't sexy. What was this band thinking????

Cuteness you could sop up with a biscuit

It doesn't get cuter than this. The video is pretty boring: just George drunk on milk and exhausted with Chuck trying to force a burp out. Presh!



Just after, Chuck took him up to bed. So freakin' sweet!

And then there's Luke with his "Star Wars blaster" that he made at a birthday party. He LOVES it.

And Evie without pants, but wearing shoes and holding a crown. How does this happen?


Luke told me this morning: "You can have a hug, Mom, because it's Mother's Day." I quickly said thank you and made no argument that Mother's Day was yesterday. I'm going to milk this "day" for all it's worth!

Mother's Day

My favorite quotes on Mother's Day . . .so far:

You get to open my crackers for me because it is Mother's Day.

You get a million hugs but only one kiss because it's Mother's Day.

I'll put the toilet seat down for you, Mom . . . because it's Mother's Day.

And

When is Brother's Day?

Evie and I wanted to get you a pink dress . . . with ties . . . with polka dots . . . with purple polka dots. (I got a pink shirt and pink sleep shorts with ties and white polka dots.)

By the way, the kids insisted that I wear the shirt to brunch that morning. I complied.

Our Picnic

We had a great day yesterday. We had a picnic, took a nap, read some books, and went to Central Market with the crew to celebrate Ms. Chesapeake's birthday. (Ms. Chesapeake is actually not her name, just her title as the beauty pageant queen of the city of Chesapeake - just to clarify for everyone reading). The picnic was great. I made Chick-file for our lunch and Luke decided he didn't want to go to a park for the picnic, but chose a green space across the street from our house. And I mean, literally across the street from our house. Our house is located at a somewhat busy intersection with two stop signs, so we had a lot of onlookers and neighbors who smiled and waved as we ate our lunch. The kids seemed to really enjoy it and so did I, except for the part where Luke saw a bee, jumped up, screamed like a girl, and stepped all over my food in an effort to escape the curious bee. I rolled my eyes and told him to be still. Ugh! I don't think the kid has ever been stung by a bee, so why is he so frightened of bees?
Luke by the stop sign. He was driving me crazy because he was so close to the street. The house in the background is the house next to mine that the eccentric owner won't sell even though people stop at our house all the time and say they will offer a million bucks for it sight unseen. Our driveway is to the right of those green bushes you see.



Evie and Luke found a bug.
All of the sudden, Luke pointed to the ground and exclaimed, "That's bad for the environment!" I asked what and he went over and picked up a bottle of Dr Pepper that was sitting in the grass. He insisted that we needed to recycle it. He's on a huge recycling mission these days. I agreed that we could recycle it. Then he went back and found another bottle. I reluctantly agreed to recycle that too. When he started digging through the bushes for more trash, I put an end to the obsessive recycling.

Evie looking pretty by the flowers.
Near the end of the picnic, Luke announced that he had to pee. I told him he would have to hold it. (Thank God we weren't far from home). He told me he didn't need to go home to go pee and very eloquently pointed out that he could pee in the grass. I said, no, everyone would see him. He looked around and said, "Who?" Me, "Everyone driving by." He looked around again, "There's no one driving by." He had me on that one for the moment, so I said, "No. You can't pee in the grass." (The great thing about being a Mom is that you don't have to explain the reasoning of your decisions). Luke pointed to the bushes, "I could pee in the bushes." Me, "No, you can't pee in the bushes." Ah, he is convincing sometimes. I would have done it if it hadn't been my neighbor's bushes.

That night we went to Central Market and visited with everyone and celebrated Champagne Thursday and Ms. Chesapeake's birthday with three bottles of champagne. It was a lot of fun, and I made everyone else hold my baby boy all night so I got to relax. Thanks to Uncle Ben who spent the most time cuddling and feeding my baby!

They had a great swing band playing on the patio too. Here the kids were talking to one of the band members. And another cute pic of George, hanging with the adults. (Oh and a shout out to Ms. Chesapeake's dad, who helped keep us entertained all night!)

Helicopter kitty

Today I witnessed Luke grab the cat by the tail and swing her around in the air in the front yard. I, of course, freaked out and screamed, "Stop that!" I ordered him into the house and angrily asked him if he would like me to grab him by his foot and swing him around in the air. I was pissed, to say the least. Since he now laughs at me when I threaten to spank him, I told him he had to pick his punishment from one of the following: (1) spanking; (2) time out; or (3) I take away one of his toys. His first choice was "none." I responded with a laugh and said if he didn't choose one I would do the honors. He chose timeout and I made him sit there for 7 minutes (5 for his age and one more minute for each time he screamed). Little stinker. I told Chuck and he was furious too. I asked Luke why he though he should swing the cat by her tail and his answer was that he wanted to "pet" the cat. We've since had a discussion regarding the methods by which Luke is allowed to "pet" the cat.

Seriously, it looked like he was getting ready to launch her like a discus. Poor helicopter kitty.

Here we go again.

And the hits just keep on coming . . .

Luke and Evie's school is once again in a precarious position and changing locations. I hate to consider having anyone other than Ms. C and Ms. D teaching my babies, but I guess it might be time to wake up and smell the coffee - mmm, coffee . . .

We haven't made any decisions yet, and with the au pair in the works, I think we only have to hold out until August and then our situtation will stabilize. We'll see.

For now, the kids are adorable. George discovered his feet and when I went to get him up this morning he wouldn't let go of his left foot. Precious. Seriously, that is one of my favorite things that the kids do. Luke loves Star Wars, but is scared of Cinderella - go figure. And Evie is a night owl. She can stay up as late as me and get up earlier. Thank heaven she stays in her bed and in her room until a reasonable hour.

I had already planned to take the day off so that I could watch George during the swine flu overreaction, but his school opened up today so I'm checking around for schools for the two older ones, checking out au pairs, and running errands this morning. Then I'm going to take the two older ones on a picnic at lunch and go to the zoo or the museum afterward and then we're hitting Central Market tonight to meet some friends. It should be a lovely day.

Bologna and Gas

I got the kids some Lunchables to try out because I'm always trying to get them to eat new food. They were so excited when I showed it to them that they wanted to help pack their lunches. So the next day after school I asked them how they liked their lunches. Luke answered that he didn't' eat the bologna.

Me, "Why not?"

Luke, "Because it makes me gyassy." (Why he said 'gassy' like a Yankee, I have no idea).

Me, "What? Why does bologna make you gassy?"

Luke, "I don't know. Ms. C said someone was gyassy at lunch. So I didn't eat my bologna. Evie was gyassy." (Ms. C is their teacher)

Evie had been silent until now and piped up with a whine in her voice, "I'm not gassy, Luke!"

Luke, "Yeah, she was gassy. Ms. C said it smelled like gyas."

Me, "I don't think bologna makes you gassy, and Evie doesn't smell like gas."

Evie was satisfied with my response, but Luke went on, "Yes, bologna makes you gyassy. So I don't eat bologna."

So much for the experiement with Lunchables. I guess I can cross off bologna from the kids' diet.

Chipotle

Okay, Chipotle is officially off of my list of places to eat. I have no problem with the food, except that I like it too much and the caloric intake that results is ridiculous! Seriously, check out their website for how many calories it is just to have a burrito or tacos or even the salad. A burrito with chicken, rice, beans, salsa, cheese and sour cream is 840 calories. A salad with chicken, beans, lettuce, cheese, and sour cream is 815. Tacos with chicken, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, and sour cream is 705 calories. It's pretty darn bad and I've decided to give it up just like I gave up Frapaccinos years ago when I figured out that the great taste just isn't worth it. You can calculate the calories on your burrito by clicking here.

George and Me

This is us hanging out in the living room. He has been sucking on my sleeve.
George loves his new exersaucer.

This is what we're doing today - absolutely nothing. Please excuse my commentary.

nap didn't last long. geez, kids are needy!

Swine Flu - Continued

Well, we spent the weekend in much the same fashion as we usually do except that we didn't go to dance or soccer. It was actually quite an enjoyable weekend. I am at home with George again today, but one of our friends is going to watch big G tomorrow, Wednesday and Friday! Hooray! What a sweet woman. I actually work with her husband so this is really, really great! She has a boy and a girl who are approximately Luke and Evie's ages and we've been to their house for dinner and a playdate. The plan is that Chuck will drop George off and we'll be able to work full days (almost). What a savior.

It is amazing that the flu has brought this town to its knees (at least with regard to children), but in other ways, we seem to just keep going like normal. I haven't seen any stores closed or workplaces closed. The number of people who have had to take off because their kids are out of school hasn't actually been that bad. It is somewhat surprising but really good news.

George is napping now, so I'm going to try to get some laundry done. I have to say that this is a very strange existence I'm living right now. I'm not one for rigid structure, but this staying at home stuff has really thrown me off my game. Luckily, I'll be back to work tomorrow!

Shout out to my infected mother - feel better!

Here I sit.

School is closed until the 11th - just like FWISD. You should have seen me toting George around the office yesterday as I tried to make arrangments for an answer that had to be filed in Federal Court on Monday. Nutty. My firm totally rocks about all this. Of course, really what can I do? I am at home with him for now and next week Chuck and I will just have to switch off. The crazy part is that usually I could call my mom or my inlaws to help out in an extended period like this but they all went to Italy last week (separately, but at the same time oddly enough). So, we're on our own. It is a very strange situation. We're all disinfecting like crazy. I went to Target yesterday to gather necessities for the next week. I'm trying to think of things we can do at home if we are stuck here indefinitely. It's so strange that this damn pig brought our city to a a halt. Dance classes canceled. Soccer canceled. Mayfest canceled. Mayfest fun run canceled. Very odd. It is what it is, but let me reiterate that "it" is JUST THE FLU!!!!!!!! Everytime I read an article I expect to get to the end and read about how we're all going to start bleeding from our eyes or end up with open sores. No, it's pretty much just the flu. Crazy stuff.

So, here I sit at home. Can't really work, can't really go out. Can't really do much of anything. Perhaps I'll write a book called "How to Spend Your Time With the Swine Flu" Who knows. Until we get back to normal life, I will happily take phone calls to break up the monotony.

Take care everyone, and please maintain your perspective -- IT IS JUST THE FLU.