How NOT to Get the Swine Flu

I can post this cute picture now (thanks, Amy!), but yesterday I wouldn't have thought it so amusing.

After telling numerous people that I believed the media was to blame for the swine-flu-panic that has swept the world, I found myself in a panic when Priya began exhibiting the symptoms after school yesterday. A visit to the ER (where she promptly donned a mask per hospital protocol) and a couple nasal swabs later it was determined that she was negative for ANY kind of flu virus, thank goodness.




She's still fever-ing and is currently sawing logs after staying home from school today. But taking Priya to the ER ("better safe than sorry" is my motto...) has brought us tremendous relief. There are no reported cases of the swine flu in our community, and we certainly didn't want to be the first.

As the roles of "mom" and "nurse" intertwine today I will treat Priya with the same prescription I do when any of my kids' don't feel well--fluids, Motrin, loads of TLC, and prayers. Ironically, her sickness has provided us with some much needed down time...prompting both of us to cancel our very busy Thursday---and just be.

Do ya think maybe God was trying to tell me Priya isn't the only one in need of some rest?

Things that Make You Go "Hmmmm."

This certainly did.

Wonderful Weekend

Thursday came and went and was pretty much still icky altogether. I worked my tail off putting the kids' rooms back together after the wood floors were installed. And, then Thursday night I emptied out the living/dining area/our bedroom so the workers (who sing badly) could get started in those rooms. By 11:55pm on Thursday I was whipped.

But, then Friday happened. And, Friday means the beginning of the weekend.

Normally I'm not much for the weekends. I love church on Sunday, but everything else about the weekend kind of throws me for a loop. I like the schedules and routines during the week. They bring me comfort...always knowing what we're doing, what we're having for dinner, where we'll be heading.

The weekends are different. I often slack on the menu planning--leaving me feeling slightly panicked when 4pm rolls around since I have no idea what we're eating for dinner. Sometimes we're just as busy on the weekends as we are on the weekdays. But, if we're out and about on weekends, there's more traffic to deal with during the day.

This weekend, however, was wonderful. Animesh had a meeting out at the Hyatt Hill Country Resort in San Antonio. We've been there many, many times before--mostly during the summer--but since Animesh had this great big FREE suite, we thought we'd join him.

It was too chilly to swim. And too rainy to visit Sea World (located across the highway from the hotel). So, we chilled and found other things to do. If I'd remembered my camera, I could show you the fun we had. Instead, I'll tell you about our fun trip to the book store with a surprise visit from Cat in the Hat, our mini shopping spree for Priya, our viewing of the new Hanna Montana movie, our fun dinner party (kids in one room with camp counselors and 200 adults in another room enjoying adult beverages and adult conversation), and our yummy lunch on Sunday celebrating my dad's birthday. The weather was warm and sunny. The kids' behavior was stellar. And, while I was tired, I enjoyed the weekend immensely.

The singing dudes finished up the wood floors today. I'll spend the evening putting the house back together and getting back in the Word. It's been awhile and I'm missing it.

Priya and I had a rough day today...a privilege was taken away from her for an inexcusable behavior. She cried last night and this morning. I nearly cried. She sulked all day at school...causing her teacher to talk to me when I picked Priya up. After consulting with other mom friends I'm confident I did the right thing. I told Priya I love her so much that I have to discipline her when she makes bad choices (she stared at me like I was an alien when I said that). But, what I didn't expect was how much it hurt me. Almost as much as it hurt her. Sigh. No one ever said parenting was easy. In fact, don't you think it gets more complicated the older our children become?

On a random note, I cannot get this song on the playlist out of my head. The Easter Bunny brought Priya the soundtrack to Hannah Montana: The Movie, and we've listened to it non-stop. Even I know all the words. It helped when we saw the movie this weekend...but now I want to learn how to do the Hoedown Throwdown.

Who knows? Maybe I will.

Ick

I try really, really hard to be a positive person--especially when posting on the blog. I realize that reading a downer blog post can be...well...ya know... a downer. I know that no one likes a whiny baby...griping about the little things in life.

But, sometimes, you just gotta get it off your chest, ya know? I believe that's healthy...not keeping it all in.

Besides, the only people in my immediate vicinity are the dudes working in our house...and they're too busy singing BADLY to the country music on the radio.

Don't think I'll bother them with my ICK.

So, if you're not in the mood for my gripe session...please redirect your mouse to click on another blog.

Still here? Last chance to leave...

Okay. Here goes.

AAAGGGHHHHH!

I've had an icky morning. (This is a family-friendly blog so I will refrain from using other words that come to mind. Ick is all I can think of right now. So, ICK it is.). And, it's not even 9am.

I feel icky. Hormones? Maybe. Darn those hormones. DARN YOU, HORMONES!!!!

My husband has been wildly busy this whole month so I'm feeling completely overwhelmed with parenting responsibilities. ICKY.

Our almost-4-year-old is about to make me run away from home with his constant defiance. Double ICKY.

This hard-wood floor adventure has turned our home into a disaster area with the kids sleeping in a different room each night and not being able to locate their shoes or underwear. We literally have our belongings strewn about in every single room. ICK, ICK, ICK.

I woke up on the wrong side of the bed...no, wait! I woke up in the WRONG bed...since ours is currently disassembled with pieces located in 3 different rooms. Nothing like sleeping with a DEFIANT ALMOST 4 YEAR OLD who kicks and hogs your pillow. ICKY!!!!!!!

So, after Animesh took the kids to school (for the first time in a LONG time) I thought a morning run might clear my head.

But it only served to tick me off when I romped through some deer poop wearing my brand new running shoes. Darn those deer. DARN YOU, DEER!

Now, I realize there are many worse problems in the world. Personally, I have several friends who are dealing with extremely serious issues...personally and health-wise. I have not forgotten there are more serious things to be concerned about.

But, every now and then it's just liberating to vent about the ick. Because whether or not you admit it...we've all got ICK in our lives. All of us.

So, there. I've vented.

Now I'm going to get cleaned up. And I'm gonna try to follow the advice of my new favorite artist.

For the rest of the day...I'm gonna do my darndest to smile.

Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Indeed it is. Just got finished with a run...it was the perfect morning to get out there and hit the pavement. Started out cold and ended up sunny and cool. 4 miles flew by in no time.

Right now I'm in the house listening to some worker dudes sing (badly) to their loud radio. At least I like country music. The dudes are currently turning our house upside down...installing hard wood floors everywhere we have carpet. I've been wanting to put them in anyway, but after it was determined that Priya is highly allergic to dust mites...well, we finally had our reason. Animesh wants to get a prescription for hard wood floors so he can write them off. Hmmm. Good luck with that, my dear.

Not sure how long the chaos will ensue. But, it will be well worth it.

Our Easter was a beautiful one--started out storming but cleared up quickly. The day was filled with shouts of "He is Risen!" at church, love, and smiles. And chocolate. And an Easter egg hunt.




Mimi and the kids got a ride on the golf cart from the parking lot to the Club where we enjoyed our yummy brunch. They got a kick out of that.


A few days ago we headed out to go to school and spotted this sunrise as we climbed in the car. It's totally unedited. And totally breathtaking.


And, on a another random note, does anyone out there love the Coffee House station on XM (besides Nicole?). It's all I listen to these days when I'm in the car (alone). I just love the acoustic versions of some of my fave songs. Cuz ya know, I'm a wanna be guitar player. Someday...

So, one of my new favorite artists played frequently on the Coffee House is Madeleine Peyroux. The song on my playlist is what was playing on my Ipod when I was cooling down after my run, and I can't get it out of my head. So, now I'm going to put it in your head, too.

Heading to the shower and then to "get some fun out of life."

Girl Power

(photo taken 6/08 --Danskin Triathlon in Austin)

It's that time again. Now that the Emmaus Walk is over, it's training season. Time to get ready for the Danskin Triathlon. A couple thousand chicks swimming, biking, and running their way to the finish line. Listening to shouts of encouragement by complete strangers the entire way.

I am a little behind in my training than I was this time last year. Still, I'm not too worried. The bike is my favorite event in the tri...and I know the route now. The run is only 3 miles. I say only because I ran 13.1 (barely) back in November. And, the swim? Well, to train for the swim portion I have the magnificent Coach Christy.

I've mentioned her before, but as I began working out with Christy again last week after a 9 month swimming hiatus, I was once again reminded that she is a rock star. Encouraging, motivating, and instructional all at the same time. Last year we spent the better part of the workouts just getting me over my fear of swimming. Yes, this former lifeguard had developed some sort of H2O phobia in my older age. Wierd.

But, last week I was in a better state of mind to hear, process, and perform the drills Christy set before me. And, today...all of a sudden...in the middle of a drill half way down the lane...I got it. When I finished the lap I turned to see Christy jumping up and down clapping her hands in sheer excitement. An entire pool of water-aerobic-ing onlookers glanced over to see what the fuss was about. The fuss was about me getting it.

Now, whether or not I'll get it next week remains to be seen. Whether or not I'll get it while I'm in a lake full of chicks who are kicking me and gasping for breath during the actual race is yet to be determined. But--today--the look on Christy's face as she cheered me on made me proud. Of myself. She was sharing in our girl power--her as the incredible coach that she is and me as the student who finally got it. For an instant I felt guilty about how proud I was of myself. But, I remembered Brene and her incredible work...and I stopped that guilt right in its tracks. I earned the right to feel proud of myself. Plain and simple.

I wholeheartedly believe as girls we should nurture that in one another...in our mothers, sisters, daughters, friends, aunts, co-workers. Instead of being jealous of someone we should encourage one another to go the distance, celebrate each other's successes, and provide comfort when things don't go as planned. Still, there's some celebrating to do in the fact that we tried in the first place--whatever that something may be.

Like Beth Moore says in the Esther bible study I'm doing (and I am paraphrasing)--we're really not the fragile creatures we've been brainwashed into thinking we are. Thank goodness.

Girl power really is something to be reckoned with, don't you think?

Growth

Spring has sprung here in the Texas hill country, and I am lovin' it. Cool mornings and warm, breezy afternoons coupled with wildflowers popping up everywhere...I just love this time of year. Our "spring" season is a fleeting one...it won't be long until we're drenched with sweat in the 90 degree temps, so I am relishing this while it lasts.

During our cold, rainy Spring Break a few weeks back the kids and I planted flower seeds in their hand-painted pots. Excitement filled our house when they actually started sprouting. Yes, I had my doubts. I have a self-proclaimed "black thumb" when it comes to plants, so it's taken great effort to remember to water them regularly and to move them daily from their spot in the sunshine back to the patio table to keep the critters from partaking in a midnight snack. At my kids' plants expense.





I am even more thrilled that I've managed to not kill this beautiful geranium plant. In fact, it looks better than it did the day I brought it home. In spite of my frequent neglect.


Personally, I've experienced my own growth lately. In October I was called by God to lead a women's Walk to Emmaus. Last weekend that Walk occurred, and after having this past week to sit back and (somewhat) process it all, I've come to the astonishing realization that the entire experience...from October until Sunday, March 29th...has changed my life.

Honestly, I didn't think this would happen. I mean, I've served on many Emmaus teams before. They were all so wonderful in their own way. They were all especially meaningful for one reason or the other. I've always loved serving on teams and have had meaningful moments during the weekends.

But never has a Walk changed my life. Never, EVER did I expect to be so transformed by God while serving as the Lay Director. Not that I don't think he's capable of such transformations...I just didn't understand how much more work needed to be done in me and through me.

Now I get it.

I cannot put into words what the entire experience--and the weekend, in particular--has meant to me. Friends have asked, and I have replied countless times that it was "indescribably amazing." Never have I laughed so hard, cried so emotionally, or prayed so deeply on an Emmaus Walk. Never.

I let go of so many issues, thoughts, and feelings that had me bound in invisible chains. I completely surrendered this Walk to God, and I literally felt carried by the prayers of so many. I never felt worried about how things would go. I never felt (too) stressed out. I never felt anxious. It was...in my opinion...exactly the way the Walk was intended to be.

Spiritual growth is a funny thing...it often happens whether we want it to or not. It is sometimes extremely painful. It is often accompanied with feelings of uneasiness. Growth often tests us. It's not always easy. But we can emerge from that growth phase more beautiful, more vibrant, more glorious than ever before.

Remember--the gorgeous geraniums above? Well, they had to go through a whole lot of dirt before they emerged into beautiful flowers!

Thankfully, this growth experience was the most amazing, pleasant spurt I've undergone. While I was called to serve this past weekend, I ended up being the one who was served. By the most amazing team. By the most amazing group of pilgrims (those attending for the first time). By all of those who prayed and supported Walk 100 behind the scenes.

Like the song says...it's up to us to be the change. And there are so many things to be thankful for.

I am so thankful to God and to all of you who were a part of Walk 100. And who will continue to remain in my heart and prayers always.