An Eventful Week

The kids went back to school on Tuesday. I wish there were a more ominous way to start this story, but it all started out so innocent. I was totally dreading school starting up, but at the same time there was a promise of the happiness and security that only being in a routine can bring.  After 2 weeks of relaxing, eating ridiculously unhealthy foods, and staying up late/sleeping in, I think we were all craving it. The morning was rough, but I managed to get everyone out the door by 7:40 am. Dustin was, as always, out of town.

Tuesday afternoon was rougher. The kids got home freakishly late, which had me in a panic, Nate had lost his report card and wanted me to drive back to school to search for it, and all three were grumbling about doing homework. I sat down to help everyone out, but the phone was ringing, mouths were demanding to be filled, wood chips were all over my floor, papers were flying everywhere,  and Luke was whining about being hungry. I'm confident this is what everyone's afternoon looks like on a regular basis and if it doesn't, I kind of hate you right now.

Luke ended up making himself some oatmeal in the middle of the chaos.  I was checking over math facts when we all heard him tumble from the counter onto the tile floor. He started crying uncontrollably so I went to sit down with him and got some ice on his head. Somewhere in there all the neighborhood children appeared, and a dust storm alert went out, meanwhile Luke would not get out of my lap. I needed to take Ellie to Activity Days, so I left Luke screaming on the couch and ran Ellie around the block. When I got back Luke was dead asleep.

Long story short, I tried to wake him up, but he wouldn't wake up, so I decided to let him sleep it off. An hour later, I still couldn't him to wake up.  When I finally did, he couldn't answer any of my questions (ie: how do you spell your name, who are your friends, what color is your shirt. . .) and his speech was slurred. I was suppose to take Ellie and her friend to camp kick off at this point, but decided to run Luke by my girlfriend's house, who happens to be a nurse.

On the way there he started vomiting and I ended up taking my poor, half naked child to the Pediatric urgent care. In about a ten minute time period, my neighbors took in my children and locked up my house, another girlfriend drove my carpool for me, and an amazing friend who heard what was going on from a 3rd party immediately dashed out to Target and drove 20 minutes just to bring me some food and some pants for Luke. She even stayed for the diagnosis: concussion. Our first, which the doctor assured me was a great track record for 4 kids. While I was celebrating this fact, he pointed out that there were some crusties behind Luke's ear. You can take away my trophy now.

We rolled into our neighborhood around 9, where my two neighbors were waiting to give Luke a blessing. He promptly threw up just to make sure everyone knew he was legit sick and to send me into one more fit of panic. I spent the entire night checking on him, keeping a vigil like only a mother knows how. I think that all mothers are united by the simple fact that when disaster strikes, we attack it head on. Thankfully, Luke slept right through the night, even with his mother rubbing his face every 30 minutes to make sure he wasn't suffocating in a pool of his own vomit. At 7 am he jumped out of bed and informed me that he a playdate that afternoon and was hungry.

With his miraculous recovery, I was really looking forward to spending the day catching up on some sleep, but we were out of food. While I was standing in the check out line at Sprouts, the dreaded call came in from the school: Sadie had a headache and couldn't swallow the pill form of Tylenol, so could I please bring up some liquid Tylenol? When I got there she was so sad and pathetic looking that I took her home. I figured she was just exhausted from all the crying and worrying about Luke from the night before and a nap would do her some good.

As it always goes, the second you take a child home, they suddenly have LOTS of energy. Sadie laid down for about ten minutes and then was bouncing off the walls. By bedtime, though, I noticed she had a developed a fever. She then spent the entire night waking me up needing medicine or wondering if she could sleep in my bed.

In the end, she ended up staying home for 2 more days with a fever. By Friday, I was thinking that 3 weeks of spring break was too much and that I should probably never home school.

Luckily by Friday afternoon Sadie was perking up and she hadn't had a fever since the middle of the night. We had to reschedule a family get together with friends, but Dustin and I were able to make a 30th birthday party for a friend.

Saturday was crazy. I was up early to run with my girlfriends, then there was football practice, football game (they won!), trip to the mall and Kneaders with Ellie to buy birthday goodies for a friend, finishing Nate's pinewood derby car. . . (more on that later). . .

 

. . . pinewood derby races, a birthday party, preparing my lesson for the next day, and the general women's meeting.

 

Sunday we had a surprise visit from some of our Idaho family when the Matsuura's stopped by on their way home from Texas. My kids were all so excited to have visitors at church and were devastated that they weren't staying all week.

 

That night, Ellie had New Beginnings. I was officially welcomed to the world of being a mother of Young Woman when she went to sit by friends instead of Dustin and me.

 

 Someone made a joke that next year they should have the girls wear aprons and their mothers can literally cut the apron strings. I'm so excited for her to grow up and learn to spread her wings, but it's still bittersweet and a little bit scary.

And so today when I sent the kids off to school it was with relief. I had 5 loads of laundry to fold and put away, rooms to clean, floors to sweep, bathrooms to scrub, food to be purchased, jam to make and a nap to take.