Rainy Monday

I woke up early this morning.  Five somethingorother.  Not sure why.  My brain was still going warp speed even though for all practical purposes. . . I can take a breath.

Last week was so "strange" with our wonderful school banquet on Tuesday night, a day off school on Wednesday, surprise "mixed bag of Winter weather" (where DO the weather men come up with these things?) day on Thursday, and road trips Friday and Saturday for basketball.

Saturday's basketball game ended our season.  I felt so emotional - which was unexpected.

Relief, yes.  I'll be so very glad to have the Coach back.  Not just physically in the evenings and on Saturdays, but mentally. . . in the evenings and on weekends.  No more film, scouting, plays scratched on paper everywhere.

But also sadness.  I'm learning that these years won't last forever.  Daughter (#2) is only a Sophomore.  I say "only" with a bit of a sigh.  It will be over before we know it.  And YES we have three more girls and surely ONE of them will love the sport as she and her daddy do.  But THESE days won't last.  And I want to soak them all in.

It's probably best that the season ended.  I think I ate my way through the last three weeks of it.  Literally.  Road tripping with seven kids will do that.

And to be completely honest, the comments I have been yelling at the games have gotten progressively. . . well. . . not nice.  I try SO hard (gave up on being quiet a long time ago - I can't do it) to be encouraging, but the season of officials and players with attitude was getting to me.  Glad the season ended before I got thrown out of a game.  I'm just kidding.  Sort of.

Then I was thinking about my sister-in-law whose kids are getting married - she has two weddings in the next few months.  We already have two great-nieces.  Doesn't seem like it's been very long since WE were having wedding and baby showers and now we are giving them for our nieces and nephews.  Wow.

Of course it could have been the thunder and lightening that woke me up.  It felt so good just to lie there all cozy and warm and listen.  Thunder is my favorite (as Son #3 and I like to say).

It's a rainy Monday morning.  I don't mind.  I'm grateful for the chance to slow down.  For no games this week (only volleyball practices for three - ha!).  For the Coach having a little less on his very full plate at school.  For a clean house from the wedding shower, yesterday.  For sweet times serving with my sisters-in-law.  This is a BIG family, but there are so many of us to pitch in.  It's something delightful to be a part of.

For fireplaces that are repaired, for 9 year olds who are master organizers (will definitely miss her next year!), for the chance of more snow later today.

For cozy kitchens, for The Cat in the Hat on PBS, for coffee, for Saturday Sam's trips, for my sweet Coach who will take me to Wal-mart late at night so I don't have to go in the rain, and the full pantry and freezer from which to feed the troops this week.

The Coach's first season back as Varsity Girls Basketball coach was a success - at least at this house.  We enjoyed 99.9% of it (it WAS a lot of time in the van on the road!).

I'm sad to see it end, but we are on to the next thing.

Science Fair, anyone?  

Happy Monday!

Thankful. . . just thankful.

I know it's Wednesday.  But if I don't get my thinking on track, I won't survive until Thursday.  Ha!

Today?

I'm thankful that we celebrated my sweet girl's SWEET 16 this week!  Love her.  And she loves her new car.

I'm thankful that my kind and thoughtful parents not only hosted us for the 16th birthday party, but also catered dinner from Ted's so I could just show up with cake.  Love them.

I'm thankful that the troops are all well and back at school after two weeks.  Yay!

I'm thankful that my house will be clean, today.  And thankful for help in that area every two weeks.

I'm thankful for my new washer and dryer, even if laundry is WAY piled up.  How do I get so far behind?

I'm thankful for the AMAZING beautiful snow ALL DAY yesterday and Little Man's tremendous delight it in.  And there is even some left, this morning.  Daughter (#6) said, "Looks like we might have a White Valentine's!"  Hmmmm.

I'm thankful for a friend to run with. . . and that we didn't just complete our seven miles on Monday. . . we conquered it!

I'm thankful I don't have a stress fracture THIS February like I had LAST February!

I'm thankful for Thieves Oil and that the Coach and I have stayed healthy even with the plague raging around us.

I'm thankful for this friend who has been my FB chat buddy, running buddy (virtual, that is) and fellow mom of many to commiserate with during illness, homeschool, and questions about running tights.(Don't ask.)

I'm thankful that the Coach's girls won their last home game last night.  WOW it's gone quickly.  Wow.

And you know what?  We've done just fine through basketball season.  We had one tournament weekend that all of the troops griped and complained about. . . but otherwise they've all been amazing.

For now. . . I'm off to get this day started.

Happy Wednesday!

Tuesday at the Troops

I'm tired of desk work.  And I need a secretary.  Or an assistant.  Or both.

Online school enrollment.  For eight.
Club volleyball enrollment for Spring.
Ordering KT Tape for my basketball player.
Paying bills.
Mailing bills.
Searching and NOT finding Little Man's shot record for school enrollment.
(Although I get some credit for this being the first time I've misplace one!)
Filling out paperwork for our medical savings reimbursement.
Sorting through Christmas cards, changing addresses, putting family pictures on the fridge (thanks to Daughter #6) and filing them away.
Answering a bazillion emails.

Of course sitting down to do all of this means that the dishes aren't done from breakfast and the laundry isn't folded.  There is only one of me, after all.

And I'm pretty sure that my list is longer than it was when I started.

In the meantime, flu patient #2 (Son #3) and flu patient #3 (Little Man) had their fevers soar and intervention was required.

Along with Sprite, Bean Soup, Chicken Strips (this flu makes them HUNGRY!), blankets, wet cloths for the foreheads, and peppermint oil for the aching heads.

And it's not even noon, yet.

But you know?  I love this life.  I do.  I love being a stay at home mom (I will NEVER know how my working friends balance it all!).  Although I tire of the constant, "Mom! Mom! Mom!"  I am glad I'm the one caring for them when they are sick.

I'm grateful for the time to clean, wash, launder, and serve.

And my wonderful Coach who works so hard so I can do what I love.  And I'm grateful that his work IS doing what he loves.  I don't take that for granted.

I'm grateful that my kids are happy.  Even the sick ones.

That the day is sunny.  And warm for February.

I'm grateful for plenty of easy food to fix for the starving, feverish, sickies.

And old movies on Netflix that make me laugh when I walk through the room to plump a pillow or take a temperature or fill a drink.

I'm grateful for pansies that perk up when the sun shines EVEN after being frozen time after time.

And a fescue yard that is green all year, even when the trees are bare in the Winter.

I'm grateful that all eight kids are enrolled in our wonderful school for next Fall.  ALL EIGHT.  Wow.  Life will be changing for this momma.  A senior AND a Kindergartener.

And I'm loving these days at home with my kids even more because of it.

At this particular moment, though, I'm eversotired of sitting here at this desk.  So I'm off to see how the boys are and keep my 4th grader going on her math.

Happy Tuesday!

Have I mentioned that one week from today is someone's Sweet 16?  I love this girl.

And she has the MOST handsome Coach.

The Adventures of Little Man

Second cup of coffee is already drained.  And it's 7:30.

Going to be a long day.

The Coach and I are WAY too old to be up in the night with a little one.  Or I should say. . . a Little Man.

Several months ago, Little Man started getting up in the middle of the night. . . without waking us. . . and getting in bed with his sister.

I'd go in in the morning to wake her up for school and there he'd be. . . snuggled up in her bed.

She said she wished he'd just stay in his own bed. But then every night she would let him crawl right in.

I wasn't sure what to do about it, since I didn't even know when he was doing it.  He didn't bother the other 8 of us. . . so it seemed like one of those, "They'll grow out of it" things.  You know what I mean.  Pretty sure they would decide at some point they didn't want to sleep the same bed!

Hopefully.

But then on Monday, Daughter (#7) woke up with a high fever (and yes, Little Man was there, too, when I discovered it).  Later on, as she was quarantined on the playroom couch, I explained to Little Man that you do NOT want to sleep with someone who has the flu.  Because you will certainly get sick, too.  (Thinking all the while that he would get sick, anyway, since he'd been in her bed every night before that.)

I thought maybe this was the solution.  Maybe this would be the thing to get him to stay in his own bed all night!

And you know what?  He seemed to "get it".  He decided he didn't want a fever and he's not only stayed away from her in the playroom (so nice when they are old enough to understand!), he hasn't gone near her bed.

Instead, he's gone near ours.  Every.  Single.  Night.

And his 15 year old sister's.  Every.  Single.  Night.

And his 11 year old sister's.  Every. Single.  Night.

And I'm sure he WOULD try to crawl in bed with his 9 year old sister. But she's still sleeping in the hall.  That doesn't seem to appeal to him, for some reason.

Going to bed like a normal 5 year old boy, in his own bed with his pillows, pillow pet, stuffed animals, and soft fuzzy snowman blanket (yes, I've tried everything!).

Then wandering around in the night trying to crawl in everyone else's bed.

Is he cold?

Scared?

And HOW is he not exhausted?  We're way beyond naps, here at the troops.  How DOES he wander around all night and then stay awake all day?

Hmmmmm.

Last night I'd just "had it".  He was standing there. Staring at me.  For the third or fourth time.  Who can sleep like that?  Besides the Coach, I mean.  And I did the unthinkable (at least at our house).  I let him climb in bed with us.

I did go back to sleep.  But MAN did I have some strange dreams.  Something about being late to tomorrow's running club training run - trying to get ready in a hotel room and find all of my cold weather running stuff - and then having on clothes that were too warm for the weather - then parking 60 blocks away and having to walk through fields - and then the Coach and the kids were all with me - and I was trying to text the friend meeting me there to tell her I was late. . .

Exhausting.

And exactly why we have a "no kids sleeping in OUR bed" rule at the troops.

Sigh.

What's a mom to do?

The Coach suggested getting a heated pillow for him to sleep with.  I'm willing to try anything!

Well, Happy Friday, anyway!



. . .Do they MAKE heated pillows?