24-hour Stomach Flu

This is by far one of the worst flu's you can get in my book. Fast and furious. At least it only lasts for a day. On Saturday, my entire family was at my parents house. Everyone had dinner together and stayed pretty late. While some of us went out and some of us went home, everyone was healthy. That night my mom woke up and got sick. My sister Jenny woke up to Clifton lying halfway in her doorways saying he got sick. When she got him cleaned up, she heard it again, but it was Simone.

Eric and I not knowing of this continued on with a relaxing Sunday with Daniel and three of my nieces. After all the girls went home we asked my mom to watch Daniel while we went to small group. We go pick him up around 8:20 and she said he was fine and just has some food to eat. Then, she tells me she was sick the night before. Great news is all I was thinking to myself. Not 10 minutes later we're in the car going home (it's a ten minute drive from my parents) and Daniel starts complaining that his stomach hurts. Then he starts saying he's going to throw-up. Eric starts to question if he even knows what that is or if he just over heard my mom. We give him a plastic bag anyways and then comes the sickness.

He was up every hour getting sick until around six in the morning. Every time he would moan, get sick, and then say, "I don't like this!". It was horrible. Eric, Daniel, and I barely slept. Next thing we know it is 10 am and we're all just waking up. We call the doctor and his nurse tells us to give Daniel 1-tsp of Pedialyte every 10 minutes for 4 hours and then up it to 2-tsp for the next 4 hours before trying any solids. That was kind of torturous. Watching the clock ALL day and listening to Daniel complain he was hungry and deprive him of food. Then I started to feel sick just as Eric was going to class. So the two sickies had to stay home together to take care of each other. By the end of the night last night Daniel was in fine form and I was worse off. He went to school today with an all bread lunch, and I stayed home from work. I'm feeling much better, but I'm still afraid to eat much. Every time I do my stomach does somersaults.

Oh, and now all three of my nieces who stayed here has it as well as my sister's family in Chicago. We have no idea who it started with. But contact or no contact it is vicious and I don't wish it upon anyone else!

Re-decorating

If you've talked to me at all in the past year you probably know that re-decorating our house is high on my to do list and it's been a long work in progress. Eric bought a great house, moved his furniture in, and lived like a bachelor. Except for all the kid stuff from being a single parent, the entire house was primer white with one picture and clock placed awkwardly on a very large wall. Since we've started dating almost all the rooms have been painted except for our bedroom, the downstairs bathroom, and our stairwell. I told Eric we can wait until next summer for the bedroom and bathroom, but the stairs need to get done. See...I painted the bottom half of the stairwell thinking that it might help motivate Eric to do the top. I'm still waiting for the motivation and a ladder.

However, over the Thanksgiving weekend we did manage to get one huge project done. Cleaning/painting the office. This is an area we have both avoided. Cleaning up an office is by far one of the worst things to get uncluttered. Mainly because it's mostly paperwork and you have to look at every single piece. Ugh. After 3 long strenuous days it was finally complete and we're both loving it. We worked well during the project and I'm hopeful that future ones will go just as well.

After all was said in done I asked Eric to help me decorate for Christmas. He was not to pleased after all the work we'd done in the office. So he helped me get the tree in the stand and I decorated this year. Hopefully, decorating for the holidays in the future will be more fun. We'll just have to get it done BEFORE we tackle a major home project.

Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful first Thanksgiving this year. We stayed in Champaign with my side of the family because this was Daniel's year with his mom. So we'll be on a rotating schedule. Eric and I volunteered to bring a few dishes so my mom wouldn't be stuck with all the cooking. We had a blast. I have never like cooking until we got married. Now I enjoy cooking with the help of some great cookbooks! So for Thanksgiving we brought our cookies which are always requested, garlic mashed potatoes, homemade rolls, and sweet potato cupcakes. Everything we made from scratch and all of it was delicious! I keep begging for more of the cupcakes. It was just a really nice time together as a couple having that time to cook. Then to take it all to my parents for our meal was the best. It's always interesting when my family is involved since there are so many of us. Everyone except for Christa's family were able to make it this year. My other sisters left around four to see their in-laws but Eric and I stayed to watch some football (yuck!) and help Mom clean up the kitchen. All in all it was a nice holiday. Next year we'll be with the Hays.

Is eating a sin?

Interesting topic I know. But before I run off to the gym, to run off some of this excess weight, I had to free my mind of these thoughts. Last week at church/home group/cakes on walnut we talked about sin and how we all do it, sometimes do/do not acknowledge it, etc. Anyways...I had this realization and it's completely changed my thinking on my relationship with food and exercise.

If gluttony is a sin...then isn't over indulging in the good things (chocolate, Mexican food, cookies, ice cream, etc.) a sin? Have I been sinning all these years by stuffing my face with all these wonderful foods only to feel bad about myself in the end? Am I abusing this body that was given to me by overindulging in earthly human things?

In my case, it's not the coach purses, designer jeans (mainly because I can't afford or fit in them), but food. Because one size fits all with food. Anyways...after talking about removing sin in our life my way of thinking about food has changed this week and I hope for good! All week I've been eating just to live. To get this body of mine back in shape, to look as food as something my body needs - instead of something I want and must have to satisfy my own craving. To get back the body and health I was intended to have so I can impact other people and serve the way I am supposed to.

I don't know if it's true, or if you'll agree...but...it has gotten me to eat for my body instead of my cravings...and exercise most days of the week.

Also, PLEASE respond to this post...I'd love the feedback to see if I'm crazy or if maybe I have a point.

Hays Halloween

We had one of the longest Halloween's ever! Next year we're definitely going to have to cut back on the festivities. It all started on Thursday night with family pumpkin carving. After Daniel's parent-teacher conference we were all supposed to go to my parents for some dinner and to carve pumpkins together as a family. Well, my mom forgot. So we headed home and carved them just as the Hays family this year.



On Friday, Daniel came and spent the afternoon at Sangamon with me. Eric and Daniel came and took me out to lunch at Los Zarapas. After lunch Daniel stayed with me and participated in the parade and classroom parties while Eric went to his computer science class.

Daniel in my classroom:


Daniel playing games with one of the second grade classes:


After the festivities at school we joined our good friends Josh and Kelly and their daughter Ashlyn at their church, First Christian Church. It is an amazing facility! They have so much for children and an indoor playground! For Halloween they set up all the rooms like a carnival where the kids get to play games and earn candy, cake, etc. They have two rooms with bounce houses and lots of other things. This is the churches way of welcoming the community to the church as well as provide a safe place for trick-or-treating. We had a great time and were so exhausted we all just went straight to bed when we got home.

Daniel at the cake walk:


Daniel playing Twister:


All this and it wasn't even Halloween yet! We took it easy on Halloween day while Eric's parents came up and took Daniel to all their usual fun places. Before we knew it, the Illini were actually beating Michigan, and Daniel was ready to get out the door for some more trick-or-treating. Our neighborhood didn't go so well. We walked halfway down our street when we realized that nobody was home. So we promptly headed to my parents to trick-or-treat with all the other grandkids. We all kind of got separated but had a good time nonetheless.

Daniel ready to go trick-or-treating:


Our 4 month old niece Anna and her many costumes:




Our 8 month old nephew Warren dressed up as a skunk:


Our 7 year old nieces, Camilla (red) and Lily (pink) as girl pirates:


We missed getting a picture of Simone the pumpkin and Clifton the ghost which is unfortunate. Again...it was fun...but we were glad to be home and ready for bed.

Student-Teacher Conference

Yesterday, Daniel and I were talking about the fact that Eric and I are going to meet with his teacher Mr. Keepes on Thursday to talk about how he is doing in Kindergarten. He asked if he could come and I told him that this was just for the parents and the teacher. He said he wanted to have a student-teacher conference.

So I asked, "Are you going to talk to Mr. Keepes about how you've been doing in Kindergarten?" He replied, "Yes, and I'd say GREAT!" I asked, "How would Mr. Keepes tell you were doing?" He replied, "Okay." "He'd say that because I've had to lose recess minutes for not doing a good job at carpet time."

I love the honesty that comes out of children when they know you're going to meet with their teacher that week. This happened after he told us that he's lost minutes at recess 3 times this year and had to turn his card once. I wonder what other stories we'll hear about as time goes on. Good news is it hasn't been bad enough to get the dreaded phone call from the teacher.

The Flu

Yes, H1N1 has finally made it to my blog. With all the media that surrounds it, I hate to even talk more about it but here I go. This summer I was not so worried about it and thought (and still think) the media played it up to much. I was also misinformed by the media and thought H1N1 would be so bad that anyone who came down with it would have to take medicine and/or possibly go to the hospital. However, I've learned differently.

While I've been lucky enough to avoid getting sick thus far I've become a bit more educated. You don't have to go to the doctor if you get it. If you can keep your fever under control and keep hydrated, then your good. Did you know that if you combine Tylenol and Advil you can take one every 2 hours because they are two completely different medicines that don't interact? You do not risk an overdose on them as long as they're alternated? I didn't know that until this week and am glad I do now - just in case.

My nieces have come down with it and everyday when they get to school the school makes all five of them come to the office to get their temperature taken. People on facebook keep posting that they too have it. Now, we have had a staggering 70 students out of school the past two days with it. Two classrooms had 8 students absent. Another classroom only had 7 students show up, only to have 2 more leave and go home with it, leaving 5 kids for the teacher.

I do think it is serious to take care of yourself and keep your child at home if they get it. I do get frustrated when parents send their child to school with a fever masked by fever reducing medication. I do not think it is okay for the media to freak everyone out that they may die if they get it. And I do think they should have just said it would be a bad flu season and they'd be offering two different flu shots this year then the way they've portrayed it thus far.

27 years

A bit late, but another birthday has come and gone and I am now 27. I find as I get older I start to lose count and sometimes forget my age. As a child it is so exciting to have your birthday and have a class party. Then, it's fun to turn 18 and know you can be independent of your parents. Of course it's fun to turn 21 and go out to the bars with all your friends.

Then real life begins... you get your first job, move away from your college friends, and start your new life in your career. Then before you know it, it's your fifth year as a professional, your married, your a mother, and you're wondering what happened after that 21st birthday. Life happened...

Needless to say...I woke up feeling the same I did the day before. Just another day heading to work. All my family came over as they always do and we ate sloppy joes and managed 10 children. Then the day was over, I was exhausted, and I had hit the milestone of 27 years.

My husband was the greatest as always though. He knows I love birthdays and made mine extra special the day after with a date. He picked me up, brought me a dozen long stemmed roses, and took me out to a nice quiet dinner, topped off with my favorite ice cream.

I still love birthdays but was sad that the butterfly effect is now gone when I wake up on September 22nd. Life is amazing and I wouldn't trade anything since that 21st birthday. No one was kidding that the older you get the faster the years go by, children grow up quickly (my first students are in 9th grade!), and you just want it all to slow down again so you remember to cherish it.

Praying Mantis

Last Thursday I had to make a quick trip to Kinko's (which is now FedEx Copy Center). On my way there, out of nowhere, a Praying Mantis lands on my windshield, alive. Most teachers and students would think this was the coolest thing ever but I don't. I'm so distracted by this mantis and start thinking to myself how it could get on me when I get out of the car at Kinko's. I came close to rear ending someone because I was so focused on the mantis and not the road.

I decided that instead of a car accident I would just flip it off with the windshield wipers quickly. I was worried that it might then stick to my side of the car, but not getting in an accident would be a payoff. So I gently tapped the windshield wipers handle and they came zooming up, trapped the mantis, and smeared it all over my windshield. Yeah, I felt bad. Now, I have a dead mantis trapped under my wiper blade that Eric may one day pull off for me and the shame of how childlike I am about insects.

Back story to mantis fear - When I was really young, Pre-K, my family used to go to Lake Tippecanoe with family friends and stay in their cabin for a week. This involved many adventures outside including collecting bugs. I was all about collecting bugs, worms, etc. One day my sisters found a Praying Mantis and showed it too me. It was so cool and they decided it would be fun to let me hold it. While it is perched up on my finger and I gazed at it, they informed me that they also eat other mantis. I decided at this point that I no longer wanted to hold it. I tried to get it off. As I pulled, it pinched harder. All my sisters were laughing as I started to cry and freak out. I proceeded with shaking my hand everywhere, crying, screaming, until I caught my mom's attention and she came running out to the woods to save me. From that day forward - I don't/will not like Praying Mantis.

Resurrecting my Blog

Today I had a friend request to "resurrect" my blog. So here it goes. Since the wedding, life has seemed too busy to blog but I love having the blog and re-reading the fun things we've done in a year, etc.

I went back to work in late August and feel like I've been running ever since. My district purchased me an awesome intervention kit that came with thousands of books. So I've been organizing, labeling, and trying to get this up and going all while spending my days at working testing student reading levels and skills. So far, so good. Some other exciting things that have transpired at work this year is that I found out I get to attend two conferences. One of them is in Minneapolis, MN which we're flying to for 2 days. I think I'm more excited about the mall...but I'm sure lots of learning will take place too. The second one is about this new intervention program, presented by the authors themselves, in one of my favorite places - Indianapolis. On top of that I get to go to two local training sessions. Maybe it all sounds boring...but to be trained in what we actually are using is a rarity for schools since funding isn't always great.

In our personal lives things have actually slowed down since the summer. We've had more time together as a family. We've enjoyed several weekends together with Daniel playing at the park, visiting family in Carbondale, and going to see a Miner's baseball game. On alternate weekends Eric and I have just enjoyed our down time alone. Nothing too exciting, but much needed and appreciated. We've been watching "The Shield" series, cooking together, attending celebrations, and just vegging out. Many of our home projects have been left unfinished and we've been pretty carefree about it. We may care when the first big snow hits and we have no garage to put our cars in because we never had our garage sale. But right now, that seems much less important than the little bit of time we get to ourselves.

This Sunday we're going to a wedding of one of Eric's friend - Eric and Leslie. I love attending weddings and this month we get to attend two on consecutive weekends. I'll let you know how it goes later.