I think I must have cursed myself by posting about my vacation days and how relaxing they would be. I'm sure we all have heard the phrase, "if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans." Will ended up home with me on Wednesday and Thursday, so I had to cancel my massage on Thursday. Instead I spent the early part of the day at the clinic with him, which ended up being THE MOST FRUSTRATING experience. I had called to get him an appointment to have his ears checked but when I got to the clinic, they said he only had an appointment for a covid test. I mean, I was planning to get him tested for covid since he had a fever but I had a hunch he had an ear infection. After our covid test, I went to the reception area for the pediatrics unit and luckily they were able to fit us in. And sure enough - Will had a double ear infection. No one wants their kid to be sick, but I was sort of glad there was an explanation for his fever and sad state.
I got 2 doses of meds into him that day and he was fever free all day so was able to go back to school on Friday. So I salvaged one day of PTO. Which is better than nothing but not what I had expected my 3 "days off" to look like. Add in the fact that one or both kids were up at 5:30 for 8 days in a row and it just makes for a tired and overwhelmed mom.
But it wasn't all bad. I set aside Friday morning as my "shouldless halfday." I did a workout, read by the gas fireplace in our bedroom, and then laid in bed and tried to nap - but my body wouldn't let me fall asleep of course.
The afternoon was productive. We met with the fireplace conversion consultant and I ran some errands before picking up the boys. I was happy to hear that Will had a great day and was back to his happy self.
The final stretch of the year is going to be busy as we have a new product launch that started yesterday so I need to be available for client calls (all virtually of course). So maybe in late January I can try to do a shouldless day or 2? The first 3 weeks of January are always busy since I'm dealing with quarter end but hopefully I can tag a day onto MLK weekend.
This post is not positive so I'll close with 3 positive things!
1. Phil agreed to get our living room fireplace converted to gas. Hurray! Longtime readers of the blog will know that Phil is incredibly frugal so getting him to spend money can be a challenge. But he saw the benefit of the conversion, especially since he's seen how much I use the fireplace in our bedroom!
2. Last night we were talking about Will's upcoming birthday on 12/3. I asked Paul what we should get for Taco (family nickname for Will) and he said cupcakes (which I'm on board with - we are not planning to get him anything for his birthday because he will surely get many gifts from family and truly doesn't need anything). I asked what flavor and he said, "hmmm, banana because Taco loves bananas!" I am pretty impressed that he took Will's favorite food into consideration when suggesting a cupcake flavor. So now the search begins for a GF banana cupcake recipe! I could make banana muffins but this is the dessert we'll serve to Phil's family when they come over for the small party and I'd like a real treat and not a muffin if that makes sense?
3. I was able to reschedule my massage for this afternoon. I've very much looking forward to it! It's my first massage in about 2 years!
How are you doing? Tell me some positive things happening in your life!
9 comments:
Ohhh massages. They are the ultimate treat to me. Basically, the only reason I get jealous when I consider elite athletes lifestyle is their easy access to regular massages.
That is such a bummer about the PTO, though I completely understand feeling a form of relief when you discovered it was a double ear infection. It can be so frustrating to chase fevers (we did this once for 2 weeks when my daughter was little and I actually had her checked for an ear infection TWICE, and then finally the third time, when her fever still wasn't going away, she did end up being diagnosed with a raging ear infection. Poor soul. Knock on wood, ear infections have gotten so much better; I'd say both kids haven't had one since they were 4?).
The house we bought had a converted gas fireplace; we don't use it as much as we should because it's such a lovely heat and ambiance!
Hope the boys give you a bit more sleep the next few days and so glad everyone seems to be back to normal in the health department. Hang in there. It really does get so much better as they get older in terms of the germs and infections and fevers! Promise.
Do you think Will would like something like this?
https://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/lighter-gluten-free-banana-cake/
I love banana cake! I have never had a gluten free version but I bet it would be just as good with bananas taking the stage! You could also make gf banana muffins with chocolate chips and then do the cream cheese icing on top!
I feel for parents of preschoolers. I worked at a preschool for a long time and the exclusion policies are so tough for parents who also are trying to get work done. And now with Covid policies...
I love your should less days. If I ever take a day off there are so many "to-do" items I think of doing but we need mental health days too.
I’m so sorry your 3 days got screwed up with a sick kiddo ☹️ Bad timing as I know you have been in need of a serious recharge!!!
And that warms my heart about Paul! He is so smart and thoughtful ❤️
Yay for the fireplace conversion!! That will be so great!! I'm glad it worked out and that Phil agreed to it. ;)
Such a bummer that the kids have been sick so often! My sister is dealing with that right now, too with her 3 littles. Said they have had one thing after another, and it's driving her absolutely bananas. Especially because then her girls have to be home from school and are required to get covid tested every time they have a little sniffle...exhausting! I wonder if it's just the aftermath of the kids being cooped up for almost 2 years, with such little germ exposure. All the other viruses and bugs are probably having a field day on these fresh young kids that aren't immune to anything yet! haha!
Glad you are finally getting the massage. That had to be uber-frustrating. I hope you can get another shouldless soon.
Meanwhile, I think nothing is wrong with muffins but if you want to tart them up a little, just frost them!
Thank goodness you at least got one day! And hooray for the fireplace! Jeff closes on his house today, but sadly it doesn't have a fireplace, and I'm very curious to see how long it takes us to get a quote for gas, or just buy one of those electric ones.
I'm sorry your three days off didn't pan out like you'd hoped. That is such a bummer, friend! <3
That's so exciting about your fireplace! That will be so great during your long, cold winters. Hooray! And I am very glad you were able to reschedule your massage.
It's been a really positive time for me! I bought a new car, got a really sweet email from a blog reader who wanted to show her appreciation for my blog in a really amazing way, and my Dolphins are on a win streak after starting the season looking ROUGH. And my favorite holiday is just two days away, woohoo!
I am so sorry that your three relaxing vacation days were not what you had anticipated. That truly is a bummer, but this is life with kids, I guess? You never know what's coming next.
On a more positive note, I am glad you got that fireplace fixed up. I wish I had a spot like this to lounge and read. It sounds so cozy!
That's too bad about the vacation days :-( but I am glad you got to go for a massage after two years without one! I had a massage yesterday, and it was just what I needed. So, so, relaxing.
Converting your fireplace to gas will be really nice, and you'll get so much use out of it. Christopher's parents have a wood fireplace, and I love sitting by it, but it sure is a lot of work. And messy work too!
Some positive things in my life are:
- Christopher is on holidays after tomorrow, and we have no plans! Yay!
- I am feeling really calm these days, which is nice, as my nervous system hasn't always been this calm
- I made some amazing new friends at school this semester, and I really put myself out there and tried to be vulnerable
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