It's that time of year...

We are all sick.  Mya felt a little warm Monday and for the first time in history didn't eat anything for dinner.  Jaeden woke up in the middle of the night crying.  She said her ear hurt.  Really?  Do you believe a toddler?  I gave her ibuprofen and she fell right back to sleep.  She didn't say a thing about it this morning until I asked her if her ear hurt.  "It still hurts."  Do I believe that?  Or was it the power of suggestion.  Ugg.  Both girls went of to school.  When I picked them up this afternoon, Jaeden's teachers said she wasn't herself all day -- she asked for me and just preferred to read by herself or watch the other kids in the playground.  Uh oh.  Now she feels warm and has been extra crabby tonight, just laying on the couch with me.  Darn it!

Daddy woke up with a sore throat.  My eye is still super red and swollen.  The daycare teachers said it's a "crazy" virus, because pink eye doesn't usually do this.  Great!  Mya's been waking up with crusty eyes every morning for the past week or two, but nothing worse ever happens - nothing during the day....

Thankfully, in addition to eye drops, the doctor gave me an oral antibiotic.  For the first time in a month, I don't feel like snot is going to come out of my nose.

J (Jaeden wanted me to press the J.  She's sitting on my lap again). Jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj

Ugg.  I was hoping we'd make it a little farther into cold and flu season before getting sick.  Guess not.  Any remedies???

I didn't think so.  I guess "another Barney movie" it is!

I wish my kid would potty train. whatev's!

Ann,  I want Jaime to be potty trained and I'm so very jealous of you and Jaeden.  WAY TO GO GIRLS!!!  (Team effort, in my opinion!)

As you know.  I have been working on my personality a bit - less negative, more positive and learning the Happiness Advantage which was ALL thrown out the window today.  I just wasn't happy, yo!  Trying to figure it out just made me madder and more upset and trying to find the positive in anything is just so hard.  About, oh, I dont know, two months or more ago I started thinking about my top 3 favorite things for the day.  Here are todays:

1. Yes, I actually laughed when I noticed there was oatmeal smeared on my ANKLE during a meeting at work - yep, I was wearing a skirt.

2.  Upon Johns fourth attempt at going to bed, he finally fell asleep in my arms, all wrapped up in his "Bankee" and snuggling with him for about an hour.  Its been SO LONG since we've done that. (more to come on that below)

3.  Chasing my kids around in a circle and playing with them outside while everyone was laughing.

Top three.  Hhmmm.  It wasnt a great day.  If I gave myself a 4th - which I don't but every bad day has a total exception, it honestly would be the picture you posted of Paul and me at the Cabin when we were up for the marathon.  WHile that trip was total chaos for some reason I only pull the really good out of that trip...I love that about our get togethers.

Alright, so this morning.  2 crabby, CRABBY CRABBY CRABBY kids. 1 crabby-ish mom, 1 dad who, well, he took a long shower, got his hair just perfect, his clothes ironed like a pro - he must have looked awesome when he left for work today because... lets just say he spent some time to be perfect ....and not have oatmeal smeared on his ankle...and his sweater....yep, none in his hair, or on his shoulder or his arm, hand, etc.  I had two crying kids who had been eating oatmeal when they got sad stuck all over me.  

John decided to stay up late last night, like until 9:30 so I ended up waking him up this morning for school.  He's like his dad in the morning. lets just say it didnt go well.  So crabby and tired right off the bat. got him dressed while he cried, I was doomed with that kid from the get-go.  Jaime was OK.  But then all of a sudden he lost it.  Cry, cry, cry. "Whats wrong?" I ask.  Cry, Cry, cry.  He's walking like a complete idiot with one foot up in the air - weird!!  boys are so weird!  his pants were too long, I rolled them up, that wasnt the problem, cry, cry, cry....cry, cry, cry..WTF!?  It dawns on me...maybe he has an erection and its bothering him...no idea.  So I check, nope!  pull his pants back on...MORE CRYING!?  WTF?  Is it pinched in there somewhere??  So I pull up his pants  and this time while doing it I noticed they are wet.  SOMEHOW he leaked out of his pull up and wet his pants.  Poor guy - he's totally embarrassed.  quick change of his jeans, plopped him in front of his oatmeal.  EAT!

So they both finally calm down and eat, then both demand a 3rd packet of oatmeal.  COME ON!  ITs 8:15  but I just can't send them to school with an empty stomach despite snack time at 9am.  Make them both another bowl...cry, cry, cry....cry, cry, cry.  WHAT NOW!?  John wanted to poor his own milk in and Jaime wanted to stir his own.  Serious.  Serious?  Nothing I can do.

Get everyone in the car by 8:30 and I realize that I have a 9am training.  OMG.  I walked into work at 8:55 and have to get from the 31st floor to the 7th floor - I was 6 minutes late.  Crappy day of training from a woman named Mina that I just can't stand to look at for one more minute.  

Came home still crabby.  John is still crabby.  Beef stragonoff for dinner that they both hated - loved the sauce hated the NOODLES?!  WHAT!?!?!  Yep, hated the noodles, only ate the sauce.  who knew?  SO whatever.  BEd time...John is SUPER crabby now, I assumed he was tired.  Put him to bed at 745, he cries and cries, tellls me he wants a piece of toast (if you give a mouse a cookie effect coming!), so I gave him a piece of toast.  this time I put both boys to bed.  John starts crying...he wants some cottage cheese - so I give him a bowl of cottage cheese, then he wanted another so I gave him another bowl of cottage cheese.  I put him to bed.  cries, cries, SCREAMS!!! and he's screaming "Owie, Owie, Owie" or "mommy, Mommy, MOMMMMMMMYYY" I couldnt tell which he was saying.  So i went and got him again, he's fine.  Kisses to daddy and hugs and a short cuddle time w/ Mom and he's going back to bed.  OK....so back in bed and then it starts, "OWIE, OWIE, OWIE" or "MOMMY MOMMY MOMMY" - whatever it was it was super duper sad and so unlike John that I went and grabbed him.  Wrapped him up in his blankie and he fell asleep instantly (see #2 above!) in my arms.

SO TIRED.  For the first time in a really long time my house is a big mess.  Take that back, my kitchen is a huge mess.  The dishwasher has clean dishes in it and there are dishes on my counters.  Its driving me nuts but you know, somedays are just like that and I knew it before 7:30 this morning.  There's nothing I could do but accept that there are really great days and really bad days and if this is the bottom of the barrel its OK.  Afterall, I got to cuddle up w/ and play with my kids today.  I got to have dinner with my family tonight - Paul included!!, I got to relax for about 2 minutes on the couch with Wilson.  I talked to my parents today.  Made a delicious dinner, I'm writing on this blog which always puts me in a better mood, and ran 7 miles yesterday, and I'm not sore today :)  First long(er) run in 5 weeks.  Wahoo!

Really, I am a happier person since I started writing this all down.  I don't have a menu this week but I wish I did.  No idea what its going to be but I'm sure whatever it is I'll enjoy it.  Loving my positivity these days and I really think its paying off.  Off to bed - run tomorrow morning and trying out the new headlamp since its so damn dark outside (maybe) we will see what tomorrow morning brings.

Wilson is growling in his sleep.  I just love that :)

(Almost) NOTHING on this week's agenda!

I knew October had the prospect of  being... calm.  Not too much on the calendar, especially on the weekends.  Unheard of, I know!  It has been nice!!  This week is no exception.  The only thing on the calendar is Mya's 15 month (!!!!) well child visit.  And Jon works overnight on Monday night.  THAT'S IT!  So, that being said, I came up with this week's menu.

Monday: Confetti Meatloaf (ground beef, corn and black bean salsa, crushed tortilla chips, egg (I think), and                    seasoned salt.

Tuesday: Pizza (two-for-one night at Mario's)

Wednesday: Savory Chicken (onion onion, garlic garlic, soy sauce, olive oil, lime juice)

Thursday: Salisbury Steaks (OK, these might not be the most nutritious, but they are easy, and the girls LOVE them.

Friday: Leftovers

Saturday: Pasta with Italian sausages (or meatballs)

Sunday: Early dinner at the Millers

By the way, I was interrupted as I wrote the above to "MOMMY!!" coming from upstairs.  I walked into Jaeden's bedroom and asked what was wrong.  She said, "I want to go downstairs."  So much for nap time! I wonder if she slept at all.  She said she didn't.  Ha.

MAJOR progress this weekend on the potty-front!  Jaeden stayed dry all morning Friday, Saturday and today.  WAHOO!  She even came to me this morning holding her crotch and said, "Mommy..."  I grabbed her and ran her into the bathroom expecting to have to clean up an accident.  Nope.  Dry!!  Yey!  Then she peed in the potty and we were good to go.  I am sending her to daycare this week in training pants (what she has been wearing at home).  Maybe there is hope for being potty trained before 3!