Excuse me but can you pass the Lysol?

Brennen threw up this morning at 6:30. As if that's not bad enough, he was in MY bed when he did it! YUCK! Why can't he do that kind of stuff in his bed....you know the one with the plastic coated mattress? Why does it have to be MY bed....the one with the $4000 mattress? UGH. Luckily I was able to strip the sheets and mattress pad off before it had soaked all the way through. He's not sick really....just has a cold with that lovely post nasal drip. That is enough to make anybody hurl. He's doing MUCH better now. Sitting and eating pretzels and drinking Gatorade. Thank God. The last thing I need is a house full of sick kids...especially now that the weather is turning around somewhat!

cooties

Branson had a fever the other night. Of 102! He seemed a bit irritable but was otherwise fine, even managing to eek out a few smiles here and there. After a horrendously long night (Branson AND Brennen both kept me awake) I decided maybe it would be best to call the docs. He still had a temp and was still irritable. Nevermind the fact that we don't currently have active health coverage. The new policy takes effect on Friday. (naturally!) So, I made him an appointment and took him in. Apparently they had weighed my wee lil pork chop wrong at his 2 month appointment. Either that or he somehow gained 12 ounces in 10 days...he is 13lbs 15oz! (we like em chunky style here!) He checked out fine. And today? He's happy as a clam....all smiles and no temp. Figures.

Oh no.....UGH

My boys seem to have found some sort of bug somewhere. So far Brennen and Tanner both have low grade fevers and noses that are just FILLED to overflowing with snot. Yuck, I know. Tanner was devestated when we took his temp last night to find it was 100.2 as he was all set and ready to go to his friend's birthday party. I felt HORRIBLE telling him he couldn't go since this was, no joke, only the 2nd party he'd ever been invited to in the 3 years that he's been in school. Apparently my kid is odd. So yeah, I felt like a world class ass telling him he wouldn't be able to go. Brennen's been not quite himself for several days now. Nights are the worst. I think it's just a cold but last night was the first time in 4 nights that he wasn't crying in his sleep for hours. I gave him Triaminic though last night. There aren't decongestants out there for kids under 6 anymore. New research and all....screw the research, my boy needed help! PLUS, research showed it was safe to give them those meds when my older boys were little.....somebody probably didn't give the proper doseage, their kid experienced something bad and the parents sued. Isn't that just the way of the world today? Branson is really stuffy now too. AND I am scheduled to work in the church nursery in 2.5 hours! I guess all I can do is see how they all are once they finally wake up. By the way, my man Bran has been sleeping ALL NIGHT! Only every other night though. Weird. But he went to bed last night at 11 and didn't wake up until 7:30. He nursed and went right back to sleep! He's SUCH a gem.

Oh no!

Last night Brennen seemed fine and I was planning on taking him to Back to School night with me so Jared could tackle some projects. Well, wouldn't you know it, he ended up in the bathroom with a case of explosive diarrhea. You think it sounds bad? You're lucky you didn't have to see the mess. He was such a cutie, he tried to clean it up himself. (He's only 2.5 yrs old but already MUCH more responsible than all of his big bros!) I ended up leaving him home because the last thing I needed was him being sick at BTS night. He was fine though while I was gone. I got home and he was his normal, good natured self. This morning, I had to pluck him out of his bed and run the boys off to school. I hear Jon, "Brennen, why are you doing that? That's naughty!" Apparently what Jon thought was a 2.5yr old spitting in his carseat was in all actuality a baby throwing up! Poor kid! Jake caught Jon's mistake and helped poor Brennen out. Once the boys were all at their schools, Brennen was crying that he wanted to go home. Well, the gas light was on in my car but I decided to chance it anyway since he sounded really upset. I made it home fine but my lil guy is NOT happy today. He's very pale and sleepy and has been vomitting all morning. Not a lot since he's not eaten anything but still....poor kid. There's nothing grosser than the stench of puke....I'm busily doing laundry, hoping I don't catch whatever this is. I cannot imagine throwing up at nearly 36 weeks pregnant. NOT my idea of a holiday weekend well spent. The one silver lining, if there is one....Brennen is unbelievably well behaved and calm when he's sick. I've been spending most days peeling a toddler off the ceiling. He's currently sleeping soundly in HIS OWN bed! Please, if you wouldn't mind, say a prayer that he is back to normal soon and the rest of the family avoids the bug! I'm off to sanitize myself!

Really? Again?

Yesterday, Tanner was SO excited because he was going to go hang out with my brother for a "play date." Rob had planned on picking him up after work on Tuesday but ended up working late so he came yesterday instead. Tanner was looking forward to it all day....watching the clock, watching out the window for Rob. Finally Rob came and Tanner was beyond thrilled. Even though he had told me that he had a headache, he was super excited. He ended up FINALLY ready to turn off the video games and come home with me at around 10:30. On the way home he casually mentioned, "I don't really feel very good mom." Oh. Great! He went on to tell me he couldn't really describe how he felt bad....he had a headache, was tired, his legs hurt. Oh, and the sore throat. Again....Great! Took his temp at home and sure enough he had a low grade fever. He ended up passing out on the couch and I let him stay there. Sometime in the wee hours of the morn, he made his way down to my room and crawled into bed with me. When he finally woke up around 10, he said his chin hurt. I looked at him and he had a rash all over his face that looked suspiciously like poison oak! Fan-freakin-tastic! I gave him a benadryl which seemed to help with the itching but of course did nothing for his increasing fever! (not that I expected it to) Later on in the day, I had to take a couple of the boys for their allergy appointment so Tanner stayed with my mom. I came home to find a puffy, red-faced boy with a fever of 103.9! Then, to make matters worse, my dad casually mentions that Brennen felt a bit warm. Checked his temp and lo and behold....102! UGH! Didn't I just finish up with a lovely round of summer colds? What in the hell is THIS? Judging by the sore throats, it very well could be strep. I guess I know where I'm taking them tomorrow if they still feel crummy....... Should make for a fun holiday weekend!

Cold

I'm not talking weather here but virus.... I seem to have acquired the nasty cold that poor Brennen had last week. Poor guy, it's no wonder he was living off of popsicles alone, this sore throat is a doozy! Needless to say, it's not so easy to put 4 little boys in their place when your voice is compromised. Maybe I should start carrying a cattle prod? At least until my voice is back full force?

this and that

So the Dr. turned out to be the real deal. It was weird and side show-ish but it worked! My mom was very sensitive to barometric pressure changes (weather) and she was treated for it. She feels GREAT now. She was able to shower and then sit and put on her makeup WITHOUT turning on her 2 fans. AND she didn't overheat like she normally would. She was SO happy. I found I have 26 different allergies and/or sensitivities! The normal person has 10-12. YIKES! A lot of airborne allergens for me....no wonder I get killer sinus headaches. I was treated for grass. That was my biggest problem. My headache disappeared! It was awesome! I took Tanner and Jake in to be tested yesterday. Jake has 21 allergies/sensitivities and poor Tanner has 24! Tanner's been suffering horribly from hayfever. The Dr. was able to check and verify that it was NOT a cold he had and Tanner was treated for his biggest problem which turned out to be....weeds! He slept so much better last night! He still has several airborne allergens so he's a bit stuffy but not nearly what he was yesterday morning! I only wish my health insurance would cover these treatments....they're NOT cheap!

In other news.....Poor little Brennen has some nasty bug. He tossed and turned all night Friday and was super clingy. He woke up yesterday with a low grade fever which by the afternoon had gone up to 101.5 He was NOT feeling well. He hardly ate. I mean, I was pushing candy and cookies....whatever I could to get something in him. I got him to take a dose of med. Well, 1/2 dose really. It tasted horrible and he wanted to spit it out but I gave him his water and asked him to swallow it and he did. He's such a big boy. He told me, "that taste yucky mom!" I know honey! For several hours he felt much better and actually ate some fries and ran around playing. Last night though he was burning up. So, you moms out there know what that means for MY night. Sleepless. I was up most of the night making sure he was ok, getting him water, his binky, a different blanket, taking him potty......I'm beat! He feels much cooler now. He's still snoozin. I'm hoping it was a 24 hour bug.

That's about it for now. Hope you are all happy and healthy and enjoying your summer! I'm off to my mom and dad's later for a bbq. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and the kids can swim for a bit!

Just so ya know...

Jon does NOT in fact have swine flu. He does have a strain of the flu and it's hanging on still....nearly 1 week he's had a fever! UGH! You would think that a shower now and then would help him feel better but no....he's rank. I just yelled at him to take a dang shower and then start on his school work. I hear that he's still got his butt parked on the couch watching cartoons so I must go enforce my "spare the air" day.

Oink?!

So, it seems that Jon *may* have swine flu. I took him to the docs last Wednesday to look at his shoulder that he somehow injured while swimming on Memorial Day. His shoulder is fine....just flares up from an old bmx injury but that eve he had a low grade fever. His throat hurt and his head was pounding. He's been sick ever since. I finally thought I should look up swine flu symptoms. Not that I worry all that much. Frankly, I think the media went hog wild with panic. BUT, he does have nearly all the symptoms. Being that I am now a somewhat single mom to 5.5 boys, I thought it best to have him checked out. I'm taking him in at 10:45. I'm not even sure if they have a definitive test for this or if they'll just say, "yep, he's got they symptoms, here's some Tamiflu." We shall see. But, oh, what a pain! Wish us luck!

Sad weekend

It was a really sad weekend for my family. Lies were told, hearts were broken and ultimately a 15 year relationship came to an end. It wasn't a decision that I found easy to make but one that had been a long time coming. My head is still spinning from the shock and utter devastation of it all. I am broken yet trying my best to put on a good face for my precious boys. If prayer is something you believe in, I'm asking that you pray for healing for my family. Healing and peace. We could use both at this time.

Thank you so much.

I spoke too soon.

Remember the post about how things were starting to look up a bit. Yeah, well I should've known enought to keep my big mouth shut. Karma seems to have read that post and has decided to kick my ass! I never open my phone bills. I have automatic payments set up and the monthly charges are always around the same so I just don't really have a need to open them. The other day, I got my phone bill and opened it, wanting to find a number to call to see about changing my service. I'm trying to cut corners where I can because, well, the economy sucks and kids aren't cheap to feed. You can imagine my surprise when I saw that my phone bill for the month was $863! AND, my automatic payment of $860 had already been deducted from my account last month! I just about pooped my pants! I called customer service only to find out that the charges were long distance DIAL UP charges! WHAT? I checked my access numbers and nowhere do I see the number that my computer is supposedly calling to connect to the internet. The best they could do is offer me a payment plan. Yes, you read that right.....they can offer me a freakin payment plan where I can arrange to make payments for an astronomical bill that I really don't think I'm responsible for. I emailed the AT&T CEO a couple of days ago. Hopefully he's a good man who will do the right thing because honestly, the only payment plan I want to hear about is the payment plan AT&T is going to use to pay ME back! I'm so pissed. I just keep thinking about the fact that we never can afford to take the boys on fun trips. Geez, with $2000 I could've taken them on a fabulous Disney trip. Instead, I'm paying my phone bill. I don't think I'm getting my moneys worth. If you have ANY other ideas on how I can get this resolved and get my money refunded....PLEASE let me know. I am desperate here. We absolutely CANNOT afford this.

Can't catch a break here!

The germs just keep coming! Jon went to staff camp last weekend and came back very hoarse with a sniffle and a cough. It's progressively gotten worse throughout the week. Wednesday when he came home, he had a low grade fever. Lovely. His fever has continued and now his cough sounds terrible and his chest is really hurting. Again, lovely. I'm taking him to the docs today. He thinks he may have Broncitis or Pneumonia again. He's had them both and it just sucks. Now, being sick is crummy enough but he had a major project due today that he's been unable to complete. His teacher told the class that it's due on Friday....no exceptions. All I know is she BETTER make an exception or I'll be down at the school raising hell and getting him a new teacher!

Sick. and tired.

I am so SICK of feeling so crummy. I swear, I've always said that moms get viruses half the strength, twice the length. I've been feeling lousy since last weekend and I'm ready to start feeling better. It's just stuffy, sore throat, tired, achy. Any great tried and true remedies out there? Do tell, I'm desperate!

still hanging on....

Tucker is still home from school. His throat is still hurting and he doesn't eat much. I do think he's going back Friday though. I know he desperately misses his friends. I'm just afraid to send him back too soon and have him running around (which he's NOT supposed to do) Also, he can't eat much so lunches pose a bit of a problem. He really is the whiniest patient EVER! It's driving me nuts. He won't take his pain meds, he hardly eats, hardly drinks, LOVES to complain. It's SO frustrating. I am really looking forward to having my life back to the normal routine. Tucker also loves to yell and whine at Jake and everything Jake does. 2 nights ago, Jake snuck up on Tucker (I don't think he was being malicious) but Tucker didn't hear him and he screamed really loud! After that, he was spitting up blood. LOVELY! That is to be expected though as the healing process progresses. I won't tell you all the gory details but it's normal. I just wish I could convince him to keep the whining, yelling, and grunting down to a minimum. It is, after all, in his best interest!

slowly going insane....

Yep, that's me. I've been Tucker's nurse all week long and he's driving me nuts. I know he's in pain and all but he has not been eating or drinking much and he flat out refuses to take his pain meds because they don't taste good. Instead, he just moans and groans on the couch and wakes me up in the middle of the night crying. I feel bad for him, I really do but enough is enough already! If it hurts, take your meds! They REALLY work well when he takes them. I had to get really serious with him and told him that if he doesn't eat and drink he'll end up right back in the hospital with another dreaded IV. It's the truth! So, he's been a bit better as far as eating goes but geesh, he really needs to just take the pain meds. I think I'm just a bit snappier than normal because I've not got that lovely virus that all my boys had. Fun, fun, fun! Fever, sore throat, headache.....just lovely. I'm having a fabulous weekend. I know, you're probably thinking "at least it's the weekend and Jared can help out with the kids." I thought the same thing for a second before I remembered who my hubby is....He spent all day yesterday outside. Not helping with the baby AT ALL! I was SO upset. Man, men really can be jerks. I even told him that I need help with the kids. Instead, he stocked up on firewood because, well, there's a storm coming. Never mind that we don't have a freakin fireplace!!!! It's for his fire pit outside. THAT'S helpful! UGH, I could just strangle him.

crappity crap!

Tanner DOES have strep! I just looked up his lab results, fully expecting to see them being negative since he was feeling so much better yesterday. But, NO, it was postive! This sucks! He spent the day home yesterday jumping around like a wild boy indoors for the first time. THEN, last night he decided he wanted dry cereal and raisins so in goes the hand.....into the FULL raisin/cereal container. UGH! Where's my Lysol?!?!?

The good news is he should be FINE by Friday which is his fun Fall Festival at school.

But still.....UGH!

Bug

Tanner and Brennen seem to have some sort of bug. Different though, than each other. Fun, you say? Not really! Tanner had come home early Monday but had no fever, just a bit of a tummy ache which seemed to resolve itself rather quickly. He went back to school yesterday and even went to karate after school with no complaints. Last night, shortly after dinner, he started complaining of a sore throat saying it really hurt to swallow. We gave him a popsicle (don't tell the brothers!) and it seemed to help a bit. About an hour later though he was in tears and could not be consoled. I checked his throat and it was pretty red so I got on the phone to book an appointment to rule out Strep Throat as that is something I don't want to mess with at all. (again)

Brennen has been waking every morning with a horrible cough for about a week or so. I'm pretty sure it's just from his allergies (yes, lucky boy! He's got em too!) Last night though, he woke up at 2 and just couldn't get comfy after that. I brought him into our bed where he tossed and turned all night long. Around 5, he was begging for juice so I got up and got him some water. I couldn't have pried that cup out of his hands if I had wanted to. The poor kid was SO thirsty. Right at I was FINALLY getting to doze off a bit (because, you KNOW I was awake since 2) I heard it, that wretched retching sound....the one mothers everywhere abhor. He was throwing up. In MY bed. I jumped out of bed, grabbed the cord of my bedside lamp to turn it on and couldn't manage to get it on! I kept turning the dial and on.off....on.off....giving the whole scene a somewhat strobe light effect. I finally managed to keep the light on and I whisked the baby into the bathroom to clean him up and strip him down. Of course he was throwing up all over me on the way to the bathroom. (Yes, a mother's job is QUITE glamorous!) Jared woke up long enough to strip the sheets off (gee, thanks) But poor Brennen did not stop throwing up until well after 10! I felt SO bad for him. He just lay there, limp and whimpering. Every time I made eye contact with him he would moan, "juice" Heck no! I wasn't falling for that again! I felt SO bad. It was obvious from looking at his pale little lips that the poor guy was parched. He only made me feel worse when he kept licking them and making a sour face. Fortunately, he seems to be feeling better. He's been happily sucking down grape Pedialyte for about an hour and his fever is gone.

I, on the other hand, am completely wiped out! Oh, and get this.....after his few minutes of helpfulness, Jared fell back to sleep and even got to sleep in! WOW! Sometimes I just wish I was the dad.....

I know I haven't been posting in what seems like an eternity! I have SO much to tell....the boys started school, my baby brother got married.....that will all have to wait because I must tell you who I ran into at the wedding. An ex friend of mine. I was NOT happy to run into said ex. I was perfectly happy hanging with my friend Captain and then I turned around and there was the ex, with my lil sister. "Look what I found for you!" she tells me. She seems rather excited, not knowing that we DO NOT GET ALONG! Yep, as you may have guessed....my sister found my ex friend Vodka. Wouldn't you know it, Vodka was hanging with Rockstar and let's say, the results were more ROCK, less STAR for me. My kids "think" I had food poisoning. It was not one of my best nights. It was a fun night, don't get me wrong....I just think I would have been better sticking with the Captain.

Fair-ly fun!

So, yesterday we went to the county fair. I generally try to get out of that at all costs because it's hot, stinky, the people are weird and it's WAY too expensive to take my herd there. Well, yesterday was $2 Tuesday so I figured we'd go but, "We're NOT going on the rides!" They want $26 for a ride wristband.....um....NO! We have Great America passes anyways which has actual real rides.... I was really nervous about taking all 5 boys to the fair but it went....surprisingly well! There were very few arguments and the ones we did have were done and over with rather quickly. We ate lunch before leaving so the snack buying was kept to stricly "must have" fair treats like GIANT dill pickles, funnel cake and sno cones. We went through all the exhibit halls and looked at all the 4H animals. We really had a fun time. We found some humongous candy apples and bought 3 to have up at Grandma and Grandpa's for dessert (like we needed MORE sugar?!?!?) Well, wouldn't you know it....Tanner was puking his wee little guts out last night. I didn't know his stomach could even hold that much! The worst part was that he didn't even wake up! I had to really raise my voice to get his attention so I could heave him over my shoulder to give him a shower. Jared was super helpful by stripping down the bed while I washed Tanner up. I think I would've hurled if I had to do it. I've been feeling somewhat queasy since the initial vomitfest several days ago...... PLUS, Jared pretty much had to do SOMETHING to redeem himself after so rudely falling asleep while I dealt with sick baby last time! Tanner did throw up again in the middle of the night but it wasn't nearly as bad (he slept through that too! How can he DO that?!?!!) I guess if you eat so much candy that you actually vomit, then your trip to the fair was a good one.....right?!?! I feel really icky though today so my guess is my family has some sort of fun bug....hope it's gone soon!

On and on

The plague is still plaguing us....We've got more boys down. Tanner's bounced back from his encounter with the plague...and pink eye. Jon is fine. Fit as a fiddle, really. He rarely gets sick. Me, I'm that HALF sick that regularly exposed moms tend to get. I have a bit of a fever and I'm just sick enough to feel really crummy but not quite sick enough to be able to get out of taking care of the real sickos. UGH! I spent the night wanting to puke. Every time I moved I felt like I had an acute case of car sickness. Brennen was extremely stuffy last night and sort of gaggy. I think it was just post nasal drip....poor guy....that's the worst. I was worried about nursing him since I was feeling so lousy but he seems ok. Jake was up all night. Puking. Dry heaving. Poor kid. Tucker says his tummy hurts. He's fever free so he may just want to get out of school. He's in his bed. We'll see how much fun his sick day is. I'm hoping to take him later. Jared isn't feeling well either. He's the WORST patient. No fever, just the upset stomach. I have to feel better! I've got SO much to do today. I'm already missing our swim class this morning. I feel it's not a great idea to go to class with a bunch of toddlers when I've got a fever. I'm hoping to feel better later as I have an IEP for Tucker that I HAVE to go to. Man, cooties suck!