Is this a trick question?

While cleaning up from breakfast this morning, Will asked, "Mommy, do I smell good or bad?". Now since he was all the way across the room and I was carrying a pile of dishes, it was a little hard to answer the question. Quite honestly, I was afraid of what the answer might especially since he'd had a bath last night and is potty-trained. Why on earth wouldn't he smell good? And did I really want to smell him? What if he didn't smell good. So into the kitchen he came and I prepared myself for the worst, only to be pleasantly surprised when I sniffed him and smelled the sweetness of Johnson's baby shampoo. Thank goodness it wasn't a trick question and thank goodness that he smells so clean and pure.

Beyond ridiculous

It's been 12 days since my last blog, but I have a really good excuse...I've been sick! It started with a sore throat and the chills on Saturday night (the same day that Will asked if he could drive) and everything went downhill from there. By Monday, my head felt as though it had been invaded by a small country and my body was so achy (is that word?) that, if I didn't know better, I'd have thought someone came and kicked my ass while I was sleeping. That day I took my kids to the pediatrician who, although unable to come up with a clear diagnosis for the boys, was quick to tell me that I had the flu. Great! So I went to my own doctor the next day only to have that diagnosis confirmed and to be told that really, there's not a whole lot that can be done for the flu. Needless to say, being sick with the flu and having two little guys who depend on you can make for some interesting times. It wasn't really until Monday or Tuesday of this week that I started to feel better, even human, again. And then, I woke up yesterday...

Ah, yesterday. As soon as I opened my eyes, I knew something was wrong. I decided to stay very still so as not to throw up, that's how nauseous I was. And though I was finally able to get myself up without vomiting, yesterday was not a good day. Apparently there's some stomach bug going around here and guess who's got it? That's right, me! Guess who else? Poor Brody! It's one thing when I'm sick, but I feel absolutely terrible when one of my little guys is sick. So please send some healthy vibes our way.

On a positive note, getting sick is a great way to meet your weight loss goal for the month...only one pound to go!

And miles to go....

Today Will and I spent some time outside enjoying the fresh air and sunshine and cleaning out my car (who knew that two kids could make a car so messy?...oh and there were at least 8 socks in there this time). When it came time to move the car from the driveway into the garage so that it could be vacuumed, I asked Will if he wanted to ride in the front seat. I may have mentioned this before, but I'm kind of a stickler about rules, especially when it comes to my kids and their safety. However, since we were only moving about twenty feet in our own driveway, I figured we were okay. So Will hopped into the front seat with a big grin on his face and we were ready to go. As I turned the car on and prepared to move forward, Will looked at me and, with complete and utter sincerity, asked, "Cool. Can I drive now?" Thank goodness we have another 12 years or so before he starts driving because I could feel my heart seizing up as soon as he asked that. And what did he think? That I was going to trade seats with him, tell him to put on his seatbelt and hit the open road?

Saturday in the park

Saturday was the first nice day we've had around here in quite some time. Between the rain, the wind and the snow, we've been trapped inside most days. When we woke up Saturday morning, though, the sun was shining and the temperature wasn't low enough that we might have icicles inside our noses if we chose to venture outside. After getting a late start, we headed out to one of the more popular parks here in town. It seemed lots of other people had the same idea we did about taking advantage of the nice weather while we could; it sure was crowded. Brody spent most of the time in his stroller (we took a couple of walks down by the river) while Will ran his heart out. He was all over the play structures, climbing and exploring, going down the biggest slide at least 15 times. And while we were all ravenous by the time we left (what kind of mom, or dad for that matter, doesn't think to pack some snacks for the park...we dropped that ball on that one), a good time was had by all. The weather report for this week shows some promise with a minimal amount of rain. Let's hope we get to hit the park again before the showers return.

What's for dinner?

So last week was a bit of a dud when it came to meal-planning and execution. That's not to say there wasn't a week's worth of menus, because there was. For some reason, though, most of what was planned just never happened. Here's to getting back on track this week.

Sunday-chicken fajitas
black beans
Mexican rice
snap peas

Monday-hot dogs/chicken sausage
Best in the West Beans (yum!)
coleslaw

Tuesday-grilled lemon chicken
Szechuan noodle salad
sesame snap peas

Wednesday-chicken chili
corn bread
green salad

Thursday-linguini with shrimp scampi
salad
chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting (Will's request)

Friday-leftovers

If it makes you happy

The other day our master negotiator, aka Will, came to me prepared to share a secret with me. As I bent down to offer my ear, this is what I heard, "If it would make you happy, you could give me some M&M's." It would have thrilled me to give them to him just because his approach was so darn cute, but he'd had some earlier and it was getting close to dinner. Still, the suggestion alone was enough to make me happy. Where do they come up with these things?

If you've ever wondered

if you've ever wondered what the contents of an entire tube of Crest for Kids toothpaste would like in your bathroom sink, you should have been at our house yesterday afternoon. Five minutes before we were supposed to leave for Gymboree, I discovered that Will had "decorated" the sink in the downstairs bathroom. According to him, he was simply conducting an experiment. Really, though, I think he was trying to see how quickly he could drive me insane. Oh and on top of the toothpaste, there was the roll of toilet paper that he decided unfurl in the bathroom. Um, I thought that with an almost-4-year old we were nearing the end of these fun little experiences. Anyway, I'd love to share a picture of the catastrophe with everyone, but in my rush to clean up the mess before we got out the door (hey, at least the toilet paper came in handy), I completely forgot to capture the moment. Oh well, maybe next time...oh wait, there better not be a next time!

Is it bedtime yet?

Today's one of those days where I'm walking around in a complete haze, not quite sure whether I'm actually awake or simply dreaming. Will was up at 6:40 this morning and ready to go for the day. This is the same child who used to sleep until 8:00 or 8:30, but lately he has decided that he is a morning person. Want to guess who's not a morning person? Yep, me! Luckily Daddy is a morning person and is usually willing to let me sleep a bit longer while he and Will traipse downstairs. However, Daddy has been putting in crazy hours at work the last week and a half and I just couldn't let him do it this morning. So guess who got up with Little Mr. Sunshine? That's right, me. It was apparent almost immediately that the child still needed sleep as he was already quite cantankerous, but he would not be deterred from playing with his superheroes. The rest of the day has been rough as he's still quite cranky and not all that compliant (not that he's all that compliant on a good day, but he's generally a good-natured kid). Right now I'm just biding my time until we leave for Gymboree. Once there, we will go our separate ways as Will goes to art class and Brody and I go play for a while. But seriously, all I really want to do is climb into my nice warm bed and go to sleep. Is 3:30 too early in the day to hit the sack?