Day 24: Sterlize All The Things

This stomach bug is no joke. 

Calen fell victim first last weekend. Then Brad, who's had it for three days. Somewhere in there I felt sick as well, but I'm not sure if I caught the full force of it or not (praying I did already so that I'm immune to the really bad stuff that's in my house right now). I thought maybe, just maybe, Camden escaped unscathed. 

But then, we were in the grocery store today, and he starts to say "my tummy hurts!" I don't know if every parent feels this way, but immediately a wave of adrenaline hit me. Like, we need to get out of here, now. I mean what do parents actually do if their kid pukes in a store? It's never happened to me and I'm not excited to experience it first hand. So we made it home, Cam fell asleep, and slept for two hours. Cam doesn't nap....

I knew we were in for it then. 

And then he woke up and it was all over. Three outfits, two barf bowls and an entire change of bedding later, we were full force into the latest victim of this bug. 

Did you know that those Leapster game systems are completely fluid resistant? Even if a large amount of fluid completely covers it? They are. Ask me how I know. 

Thus the rest of my afternoon looked like this:

Stomach flus, to me, rest somewhere in between leprosy and bubonic plague in terms of germaphobe factor . I can't handle the barf. Or the anticipation of barf. Or the smell or the look or or or. So, I Lysol'd everything. I sprayed the door knobs. The door frames. The light switches. The counters, the stairwell banister, the floors. I sprayed everything that could be sprayed. If I could have bathed in Lysol, I would have. 

I changed everyone's bedding, all the towels, even considered burning the sofa. (Just kidding...kind of). And then Brad came home and said he wanted to lay down and without thinking I said "Can you NOT lay in our bed? Because I just changed the sheets and you're still sick." And he looked at me and I'm like "Shit, did I say that out loud?" 

He's laying down in our bed. I'm not actually that mean. 

I'm really, really hoping I already caught this and that weird day the other day where I didn't feel well was the extent of my share of this illness. I do not want to be the final victim in this house. Give me a cold any day over the stomach flu. 

Day 23: A Day In The Life

Are you ready for a serious photo overload??

A few days ago, one of my dear friends posted a "day in the life" photography journal. The content is self explanatory, down to the little details that someday when our kids are grown and gone, we may forget. She is far more gifted and talented as a photographer than I am so hers is more of a piece of art, but I thought it would be fun to walk around today with my camera (though I did use my cell phone a couple times once the kids started acting weird in front of the camera and I was losing the reality of the day). 

Let me say this is just as exhausting as she said in her blog that it was, half the time I forgot to snap a picture until it was too late, and I've come to realize I really, really, need a high aperture zoom lens for inside my house (mainly, to zoom OUT). 

It was a half day today which is the main reason I chose today to do this. I also chose today because Calen had a baseball game and then we planned on going out as a family after. But Brad was home sick all day and the baseball game was cancelled because the fields are still flooded from the Biblical amounts of rain we got last week. So I had to be creative to not only keep the kids busy for half the day, but also out of the house away from Brad. But all in all, it's a pretty typical day for our busy family. 

But here it is, Thursday, March 17th, 2016. 

Getting ready for school:

Once the kids are away at school I have 3 solid hours to myself: 

Facebook and coffee, uninterrupted. 

Having to get out of the car to chase the indifferent turkeys off the road so I can pick up Cam from school

dinosaur sandwiches (and eggs) for lunch on the patio

After lunch we walked over to the skate park on base and Cam ran over a baby lizard...

Then it got hot so we played in the garage for a while. The kids created ramps for their monster trucks, had a quick snack and then played some catch. 

Snack break. Calen called it "fast food"

I couldn't take a picture of us playing catch, because there were balls being thrown at me. 

Then the neighbor boys got home so the kids armed themselves (literally) and headed to the playground:

Calen informed me they were playing "Dino Power Rangers" and he was the green power ranger that turns into a velicorapter. 

Brad was home sick all day so we clearly tried to stay out of the house all day. Dinner rolled around so we headed to Costco for dinner, and sat by the window where we could watch them make the pizzas. 

And then headed down the road to the batting cages. 

Once we got home it was homework time, then stories and bed. 

Cam snuggles with a shark every night. A shark. 

And then he kissed Hulk Smash goodnight. 

Day 22: If It Sounds Good, Eat It

That yucky stomach bug that Calen had on Saturday seems to have spread to both Brad and I, at the same time.

And nothing says romance like him sleeping on the couch downstairs and me sleeping alone upstairs. So we can have our own bathroom, you know.

So I literally spent all afternoon (morning was filled with pesky adult obligations like driving around running errands that couldn't wait while suffering over soda crackers and ginger ale) on the sofa, with the curtains drawn, trying to NOT get sick.

Why is it, when nauseated, the only commercials being aired are food commercials? Specifically fast food commercials with the sounds and the people going "mmmm" and you can practically smell it through the tv.....

Well so much for not getting sick.

When involving nausea and not wanting anything to do with any kind of food ever again, my Mom has always given me the advice "If it sounds good, eat it." Because food even sounding enticing is really half the battle. And people like me that are hypoglycemic  (low blood sugar), not eating is bad.

So I took my mother's advice today. And it got kind of weird.

Today I ate (and kept down): a bowl of canned peaches, a tray of sushi  (veggie rolls), a can of corn, a Subway sandwich, and no more than four grapes. For lunch and dinner.

Hey, it was weird, but by God I kept it down, almost enjoyed it, and am starting to feel better.

And that is literally all the excitement I have for you today.

Day 21: Spring Training

It's baseball season, you guys!!

Spring Training is on TV and kids everywhere are suiting up for their spring season of youth baseball. Let's be honest, as a hardcore baseball person, it's my favorite time of year. 

Opening Day/Picture Day was cancelled last Saturday because of rain so I took the kids and their sparkly new uniforms out to the base field today and did my annual opening day photo shoot with them. 

Calen has now played four full seasons of baseball (2 springs, 1 summer, 1 fall) in two calendar years and is moving into his 5th season this spring. Being a lefty/lefty hitter/thrower, he's a natural standout in each team he's played, if not for his athletic ability, but for the unique advantage that being a lefty has in baseball, more than most (if not all) other sports. Last fall, we took the jump from Little League to Cal Ripken Youth Baseball, for it's season length and competitive edge (keeping score, outs and strikeouts are recorded in all non-tball divisions). This season, he's playing for the Rookie (8u) division Indians. He's #11, which I picked for none other than Mariner great Edgar Martinez (his usual #3 wasn't available and other M's favorite Ken Griffey Jr (#24) was too high a number for the roster). 

Camden, the poor kid, has been forced to sit behind the dugout and watch Calen play for two YEARS without being able to participate. This has been absolute misery for him as Camden has more of a competitive and athletic drive than Calen. And finally, finally, he's old enough to play tball! He has a unique advantage also, being a righty thrower but a lefty hitter (which means he can play basically any position on the field but still have the hitting advantage). He's playing for the Peewee (6u tball) division Orioles, and is wearing #8, obviously, because he's playing for the Orioles in the Cal Ripken league and Mr. Cal Ripken Jr. himself played for the Baltimore Orioles and wore #8. 

Sorry, but is there anything on this planet cuter than a not-quite 5 year old in a way too big for him baseball uniform? I don't think there is. 

He REFUSED to smile and INSISTED he needed to have his "GAMEFACE"

And then of course I HAD to get shots of both of them together. 

Day 20: Can't We Just Put This Vitamin D in an IV?

The sun CAME OUT today!

*dancing* *confetti* *parades* *celebration*

This rainy season has really put me back into my Pacific Northwest roots. So that when the clouds actually do break and the sun comes out, I go into full blown panicked-excitement mode. 

Quick! Open the windows! Put on your flip flops! We need to mow the lawn, wash the car, go to the beach and have a barbecue all before 4pm today. Get the sunscreen STAT. 

But we didn't do any of those things today because a) I'm way too lazy to mow the lawn OR wash the car while Brad is at work, b) it's way too cold for the beach. 

I picked up Cam from school in town and decided that today was the day I would remember to pack a picnic lunch for him and find that super cool castle playground the locals have been telling me about. 

Because anything involving castles AND playgrounds is a major win for the household 4 year old. 

Turns out, the castle playground is only a mile or so away from his school. And it really is a castle. And a bunch of other rad stuff too. Playgrounds like this that are so nice usually require admission or something, so I kind of felt like I was illegally trespassing the whole time and the playground police were going to pop out of one of the bendy slides and be like "Pay up or go home!" And I'd make Cam cry because we'd have to go home because who carries cash with them anymore. 

But no playground police arrived so we stayed. 

It really is a castle playground!

We stayed an hour or so until I literally dragged Camden's exhausted body to the car, all while he's whining "but I want to staaaaaaaaaay I'm not tirrrrrred." and fell asleep before we even drove out of the parking lot. 

And that my friends is a victory.

After his 20 minute nap in the car he was raring to go once we got home, but wanted to play his "iPad" (Leapster). 

WHAT? Electronics? In this weather? Blasphemy.

So we played catch out in the front yard. And then Calen came home from school and before even saying "hi" to me the neighbor boys came running over and in an instant all the kids were gone in a large alarming swarm imitating rabid locusts to the playground near our house, leaving me with a baseball glove and Calen's backpack and a stupid look on my face. 

"Ummm...hi Calen...bye boys." 

Is this a preview to teenage life?

Unfortunately (for them), Cam has been a bit of a troublemaker on the playground lately. You know, wandering into neighbors' houses uninvited or peeing on the tree next to the playground in front of 11 year old girls, that sort of thing. So instead of staying at my house catching up on cleaning, I hung out at the playground to supervise. 

But it was sunny, so I didn't even mind. 

Once Brad got back from work we whisked away to the batting cages, since both boys have barely had any practices with their teams due to rain, and their first games are this week. They even had an open tball stand for Cam to hit at while Calen was in the cage, so even he got to have fun. And then got home and I walked the base with my neighbor. 

Funny how a sunny day will suddenly make me that much more energetic. Maybe I should just walk around with a vitamin D IV stuck in my arm, then I could bounce off the walls like my kids and do all sorts of activities. 

The camera on my phone rocks my socks so I took lots of pictures of the Caminator at the playground (unedited). 

Day 19: The Man (Boy) Cave

It's still raining. 

My God California, who do you think you are, Seattle? Get over your depression, take some Prozac, and get on with your life. You know, "sunny California." 

My kids (and I) are really, really over the rain. They are not the type that can (happily) sit on the floor and play with their toys for twelve hours and be satisfied. They can for a little bit, but after maybe 45 minutes they'll stomp downstairs in that whiny bored face. 

"Mom, can't I pleeeeease go outside?"

No, you can't, because it's raining so hard you need a canoe. And it's blowing so hard your canoe will end up in Nevada. Just stay inside. 

So, I pulled from my "El Nino Indoor Emergency Kit" to keep them busy and happy. I had bought these a while ago and had planned on putting them in their Easter baskets but let's be honest, it probably won't rain after Easter and we needed an activity:

Well that's rad. 

These books are beyond cool. Each page has a double sided pattern and specific folding instructions. It's a little beyond both kids, but that forces lets parents be included too. Brad and I made two each for the kids. They had eagle rockets and dragon ships and one that actually looked like the space shuttle. Que the next hour of them running ALL over the house (and standing on furniture) to launch these suckers. 

Camden ready to launch his little alien ship off the sofa. 

 The problem with living in a townhouse (again) that was poorly insulated (again) is that the poor next door neighbors sharing a wall with us can hear every.thing. And my boys are now big enough that their noisemaking is big. Balls are bouncing off the walls, monster trucks are rolling (LOUDLY) across the floor and then CRASHING loudly together, voices are loud, everything with them is loud. 

Since we moved here (already nine months ago!), I envisioned turning our larger-sized garage into a sort of hang out. Somewhere for the kids to go and be loud/crazy/insane/insert annoying adjective here. We've since reorganized it (twice), and made at least a little space for them to play (if only we can get rid of that motorcycle! Hint hint....). So today was a PERFECT day to try out the new improved man/boy cave. I threw down Calen's road rug and installed a small space heater in there to make it at least almost warm. Add our extra dining chairs for seating and the picnic table that's been in there for a few days, and it's actually a pretty cool hangout. 

the cave

The boys took their hot wheels and paper airplanes in there and it made for a good afternoon chilling in the garage (like rednecks or something. All we needed was a TV). Then I threw the GIGANTIC box that the small space heater came with and a jar of markers, and they were set. 

After a while, they created a new game of "push my brother around the garage in the Amazon box". This lasted a serious hour. And then a game of "launch the paper airplane into the box to get points". And of course Calen was the scorekeeper and would somehow mysteriously always have just one point more than Camden, even if Cam really got the airplane in more times than Calen. To which Calen would announce "Well, you only are allowed to cheat if you're the older brother."

"NO, you're not! I announce Camden is the winner of the game THE END."

Parenting is really nothing more than intense refereeing. 

Day 18: Welcome Back to the First World

Today was officially opening day for the boys' youth baseball league. Except it wasn't because:

Booooo!!!! Hissssssss

What else is new. 

So I begrudgingly put their super adorable totally cool and awesome baseball uniforms back in their closets and grumpily plopped down on the couch to not enjoy some youth baseball. 

This turned out to be a major league blessing in disguise because out of nowhere, Calen started puking. Not like he was complaining about a stomach ache and it built up to the big show in the bathroom, like he was totally fine, dressed and putting shoes on getting ready to head to the batting cages and Costco for lunch, when suddenly he booked it to the toilet. 

Well that escalated quickly.

And in TRUE Calen fashion, he actually tried talking to me while vomiting. "Mom!.....Sorry....I....threw up a little....on....the floor...." 

"Calen!! Stop talking and don't worry about it. Just finish what you're doing."

That kid won't stop talking even if breakfast is actively flying out of his mouth. And to think he was in speech therapy. 

Unfortunately, it wasn't a one and done thing. It seems that the tummy bug that's been rolling around the neighborhood finally hit our house, as Calen was sick on and off all day. Hopefully (*Praying* *begging* *bleaching everything*) it won't hit anyone else in the house...

Costco really couldn't wait today, so I set up Calen on the sofa with his bedding and a bucket, and left him with Cam and Daddy to watch Youtube videos of rally car crashes (eyeroll) on the tv while I went to do some grocery shopping AND purchase a very important necessity in the first world:

Ooooh. Ahhhhh. 

Here's a joke: I've had a Samsung Galaxy s2 (s-TWO) for something like 150 years. It's so old it barely does anything; I just carry it around to pretend that it's useful like everyone else does with their phones. It was as slow as a computer on dial up internet, couldn't do basic features (it wouldn't save any of my events in my calendar, for example), and would leave me screaming "I HATE THIS PHONE!!" at least twice a day to various victims via text message. So for the first time in the history of ever, I have a super new state of the art phone (Samsung Galaxy s7) which was only released yesterday. Aren't I keeping up with the Jones' now. 

My God, if cell phones were a household thing when I was in high school like they are now, I would have been so uncool. How could I have shown up to school with a 5 year old phone disintegrating in my back pocket? Yikes. 

On the other hand, I'd sure as hell be cool in school now. Dusts her shoulders off. 

And it does all sorts of cool first world shit like saves my events in my calendar and doesn't take seven months to load Google Maps and takes pictures so fast that I might actually successfully get a picture of what I want to take of instead of the moment being over for a good hour by the time the shutter button clicks. 

Well hot damn!

-------

In other news, here's another episode of "The Things That Come Out of My Kid's Mouths", featuring Mr. Calen Elijah this afternoon (not while barfing):

Brad: "I'm not sure if the kids should see Guardians of the Galaxy. I heard it's not good for little kids."
Me: "Eh, I heard it's not too bad. It's only bad language."
Calen (who invited himself into the convo...always): "Bad language? You mean it's in Spanish?"

I'm sure some stiff turd is going to be offended by that, but that crap is funny. Brad and I nearly dropped dead on the floor from laughter.