We Love, um, Antibiotics?

The numbers from my life this week:

3 sick kids + 1 sick husband = 4 very good reasons for me to take a lengthy vacation in a land far, far away.

$85.00 in co-pays and prescriptions + 20 minutes waiting in line at the pharmacy = Justification for me to buy 3 new books for my Nook without feeling guilty.

12,000 Clorox bleach wipes + 104 gallons of water from washing sheets, pillowcases and blankets = Tulips, hydrangeas and more tulips covering every available surface in my house. Sensible, yes? Germs just pack it up and leave when surrounded by happy bursts of color, right?

All thoughts of sprinkles, frosting and paper hearts have been put on the back burner until the antibiotics have run their course and the kids are back in school. I have high hopes for tomorrow. At the moment, we love Tylenol, ginormous bowls of Vegetable Beef Soup and super cute slippers. Hopefully things at your house are more germ-free than at ours. If not, I've got plenty of soup.

A Rookie Mistake

Three packages of brand new big boy underpants: $25.00
Four pairs of brand new white socks, size 6-12 months: $5.50
One brand new red tablecloth: $9.95

Paying attention when sorting the laundry: Priceless

Five Wishes for Wednesday

1. A bouquet of flowers

2. One whole hour to spend wandering around Barnes and Noble.

3. 15 minutes to take a shower without anyone yelling, "Mommy! Are you done??"

4. One morning to actually read the newspaper in bed.

5. A Venti non-fat extra hot Chai Latte. Yum.

What are your Wednesday Wishes??

A Glimpse Into My New House

Ahhh... unpacking. I actually don't mind the unpacking. I actually got my electricity turned on permanently today along with the internet(!) so I am ready to settle in. Now if I could just find the things that I need. The first thing that I unpacked were these cute vases that my mom sent to me. The read, "Live. Laugh. Love." Along with my Walmart purchase of garbage bags, Tylenol and peanut butter, I picked up these Gerbera Daisies. It feels like home.

Nothing can go wrong today!

Do you know what this is? Are you aware of the deliciousness that is all wrapped up in a peppermint mocha from Starbucks? You aren't? Do you live under a rock? Ok... maybe that's a little rough.

I could never, ever let the peppermint mocha replace my first love, a Venti non-fat chai latte, but this comes in a very close second.

Yes, it was another crazy morning trying to get everyone out the door and schlepping them across the cold (39 degrees?? Hello!!) parking lot just to get Breuklyn to pre-school on time. BUT this was such a great reward. It's so peppermint-y and mocha-y. Don't laugh at me Carolyn, I can hear you.

I think it's a sign. A sign from the caffeine gods that Brad's job interview will go well today and that I will be able to get the laundry done. Well, maybe the laundry is stretching the ability of the caffeine gods. Keep your fingers crossed about the interview!! :)

Monster Cupcakes

Have I ever mentioned how much I love baking? I haven't?? No way!


Breuklyn had her very first Pre-K party, which allowed me to go all Martha Stewart. Well, Martha Stewart without the dusted baseboards and matching silverware. Breuklyn wanted super creepy cupcakes, so that was the goal. We also spent an hour on Saturday covering tootsie roll pops in Kleenex to pass out to her schoolmates. Who knew that Halloween required so much effort? Breuklyn carefully drew on the eyes, mouth, ears and hair for all sixty ghost suckers. When I tried to explain that ghosts don't have ears she asked, "How do you know?" Hmmm... good point. You win, ears and hair for everyone!


Before delivering the dozens of cupcakes I, of course, had to leave a few at home so Maddux wouldn't feel left out. He was way excited about the prospect of eating a monster. After we dropped Breuklyn off at school, we picked up some chocolate milk and had our very own Halloween party at home. He lovingly picked up his green monster cupcake, raised it to eye level and screeched, "NO! Please don't eat me" before he devoured the poor cupcake leaving only a trace amount of chocolate crumbs. That is why I made the cupcakes. Every kid needs a monster and lots of frosting on Halloween.

Why me?

Since Breuklyn has been in Pre-K, there has been a lot of talk about letters and numbers around here. My mom says that when I was Breuklyn's age we would drive around in the car and I would yell out in my most dramatic I-must-know-this-right-now voice, "MOM! What does S-T-O-P spell? MOM! What about M-C-D-O-N-A... hey! You're driving too fast!!! What does Y-I-E-L-D spell? Huh? What does Yeeee-lllld mean? What? Merge? What? MOM! What does..." My poor mom. I can just envision her blood pressure rising as she gripped the steering wheel of our Tempo in frustration. As my dad always says, "It's payback time."

Breuklyn loves to ask questions. Ok, loves is actually an understatement.

Where does the sun go at night? (It goes to bed, like you need to. Now, go.to.sleep.)

Why do I have to brush my teeth? Will they really fall out? Are you sure? (Have you seen 75% of the residents of the city that we live in? Yes? Well, they are proof that teeth do indeed fall out and are sometimes never seen from again.)

Why does that man have weird hair? (I don't know. But I do know that he doesn't need you commenting on it.)

Why do you roll your eyes like that? (It's an instinct that keeps my head from falling off, thanks for asking.)

Where does Dora go when I turn off the tv? (She hangs out at Boots' house. Duh. )

If Paizlee eats baby food, do I get to eat Breuklyn food? (Yes, broccoli is Breuklyn food. Congratulations.)

I have never claimed to have an abundance of patience. Sarcasm is often my only salvation from collapsing into a sobbing mess on the floor. After a whole week of Brad gleefully escaping to work and me dealing with Paizlee teething and Maddux being a typical two-year-old, I was ready to move to an undisclosed location. As I was folding the 436th load of laundry, Breuklyn began her usual onslaught of questions. "Mommy, why do we have to wear clothes?" Ugh. I calmly told her, "I am terribly sorry, but you are not allowed to use the word, "why" for the rest of the day. You just can't. Mommy's head is going to explode and you just need to find something else to do.

Breuklyn looked up at me and said, "W-H-Y?" She giggled. "You said not to say "why", but you didn't say not to spell it! So... W-H-Y do we have to wear clothes?"

Ok, seriously? I am running away.