November 26 (plus a whole bunch of missed days!): Head Lice

Holy cow am I behind!  And I have exactly 10 minutes for this so please excuse all typos and hard to understand sentences!

Today I'm thankful for head lice or maybe more accurately I'm thankful for the perspective they can bring.  We found the nasty little things on all 3 girls Sunday late in the afternoon.  All of my plans for things I wanted to get done that evening flew out the window so the girls could be treated (including me because guess what?!  I had them too!), bedding could be removed and the whole lice extermination could begin.  Though lice is never something a person wants to have I tried to keep my chin up and here is what happened….

- I found myself thankful that I do not work.  I had a terrible sore throat and didn't feel well Sunday night.  I went to bed at 9:00 because I knew that I could continue Lice Kill 2013 in the morning.  If I was still teaching I'd have stayed up all night long and would've faked myself happy and awake for a full day of teaching.

- I was thankful that I could cancel almost everything that I was supposed to do Monday morning.  I pack my Mondays full while Lucy is at school.  Just a couple of emails sent explaining my situation and I had prayers coming my way and friends picking up where I had to drop off.

-I was thankful that I have a washer and a dryer right in my house, and that I didn't have to get to a laundromat to do the…..wait….are you ready?  15 loads of laundry.  I'm not kidding.

-I was thankful that our budget could handle all the hot water, suds, and dryer heat I used washing everything in our house, and that we could buy Lice killing shampoo, new combs, brushes, pony tail holders and pillows.

-I was thankful that it was just lice.

- I was thankful that I am organized and can work fast.  In fact I love hard work.  Our friends from Colorado were in town and coming to dinner and no icky, itchy bug was going to stand between us and them.  Our house was clean as could be and homemade soup was on the stove when they walked through the door.

-I was also thankful that I know my limitations and so store bought bread and cookies also graced our dinner table!

-I was thankful for my health and the ability to be able to take care of my family.  Yesterday a friend of mine attended the funeral of a friend of hers.  Her friend was 36, a year younger than me, and 6 months ago she was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer.  What a reminder that every single day is a gift.

I guess yesterday wasn't the best ever but it sure wasn't the worst.  I really did find myself over and over again realizing the gifts all around me.  Sometimes you need a little lice in your life to realize just how good you have it.

Best Friends! 

November 20: Small Moments

If I'm not careful my days can go by in a blur.  From the time my feet hit the floor until my head hits the pillow my days are pretty planned, a complete maximization of time; there's a lot I want to do.  I don't want my days to pass in a blur though. I find I'm happiest when I remember to see the small moments unfolding in my every day.

Lucy goes to school on Monday and Wednesday and there is a lag in time between the start of Emma and Eleanor's school and the start of Lu's school.  It's not a big deal but this morning  I found myself feeling a little irritated in waiting….wasn't there something I could get done in those 20 minutes? Lucy and I pulled up to her school and she unbuckled, hopped out and came up to the front of the van.  I left the music on and we listened to her favorite song right now "I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas".  Lucy searched until she found the source of the sound….speakers near her feet.  It amazed her.  The next 20 minutes passed just like that, Lucy finding amazement in little things and me finding joy in her just being her.  I'm thankful for small moments and for reminders to tune in to them.

November 19: Pizza, Pizza!

Tonight I'm thankful for an easy dinner!  When I made our weekly menu for this week I gave myself a little gift….a no cooking night!  On our way home from El's dance class we picked up a pizza.  And now we're off to basketball practice.  Hooray for the little things in life that make things easier.

November 18: Christmas Music

I've been playing Charlie Brown's Christmas for the last week, it's Christmas music without being too much (or so I say).  Today though we've crossed over to the fully leaded stuff….the radio is now playing Christmas music!  I'm so thankful for this happy time of year and the music that comes with it.

In other Christmassy news Lucy wants a dog, a real one, for Christmas.  Today at Target a nice older couple was chatting with Lu when she told them, "I'm getting a REAL!! dog for Christmas and I will name her Clara".  Oh, geez.  She then proceeded to beg me for the rest of our trip to please get her a dog.  She had it all thought out, she told me-I will play ball with her, I will not let her chew ANYTHING, I will take her on a walk.  She also told the crossing guard and our principal about her real Christmas dog.  They looked at me with eyes that said "you're in trouble" and I think they're right.

All I want for Christmas is my very own dog.

November 17: My dream kitchen

I'm lucky, I get to cook in my dream kitchen.  The lights above the island are broken (I'm to blame!), the buttons on the dishwasher have tape holding them down, the refrigerator door is covered in little finger smudges and all of the cabinets could use some organizing.  Imperfections?  No, just proof that this kitchen of ours sees a lot of use.  Countless snacks, many meals, weekly baked goodies, and lots and lots of conversation make this space dreamy.  It feels a bit like my command center and I love it so!  I think it's as cute as can be and it cleans up in a snap.    What more could I want?  (A self cleaning, kitchen?  Ok, that would really be a dream come true!)

Our kitchen on a nice, tidy day….finger smudges removed, light still intact!  

November 14: Going out to breakfast

Yesterday was a late start day at school so we celebrated with breakfast at The Pancake House.  I don't know if there are too many things that feel more special than having breakfast out before school.  My dad and I used to go out for breakfast once a week when I was a kid and some of my best memories are  of those mornings at Walnut Street Cafe.  

They made breakfast out a breeze!  

November 13: My credit card and a Dr. Pepper

See those carts?  I filled all 4 of them to the brim with underwear for The Christmas Shop.  Ordinarily choosing underwear isn't all that time consuming but I needed a gross each of 18 different sizes, that's 2592 pairs of undies.

Getting around the store and through the check out lane with all of those carts was a crazy task but I'd done this a couple of months ago when I purchased the same number of socks so I was prepared for the job.  Until it came time to pay.  The bill was huge, so huge in fact that it exceeded the amount available on The Kingdom House credit card.  When the cashier said the word "DECLINED" I stood there in stunned silence.  WHAT?  I fumbled for my phone but couldn't reach anyone at Kingdom House.  I was panicked, I'd just spent 3 hours shopping and now I couldn't pay for it!  The poor clerk who was helping me tried to suspend the sale while I figured out what in the world to do but rather than suspend the sale she accidentally voided it.  We didn't even talk about it we just looked at each other with defeat in our eyes and pushed the carts aside.  I shuffled over to the in store Subway where  I bought a Dr. Pepper  to drown my sorrows.  I really wanted to cry, just lay my head down on the table and sob.  Maybe pound my fists and yell "why?".  The funny thing is, even though the store was packed I don't think anyone would really have noticed if I had.  Low blood sugar was mostly to blame and the Dr. Pepper did the trick.  I was back up and ready to figure this thing out in a matter of gulps.   The tide turned,  I got ahold of someone and we made a plan……I'd put whatever amount wouldn't fit on the Kingdom House credit card on my personal credit card to be reimbursed.  Things sure didn't go the way I'd planned but thank goodness for my credit card and that Dr. Pepper.