So as to stop the harassment

My darling husband has been harassing me to post something new here.  I'm not sure why, but I'm tired of hearing about it.

A brief summary of my weekend:

I bought vodka on Friday to make vanilla extract.  I stuck out at the liquor store like a sore thumb.  Don't worry, I'm not going to drink it.  The vanilla beans are already turning it a lovely shade of brown, and I'm excited to make something with my vanilla extract in six weeks or so when it is ready.  My sister kind of makes fun of me for doing these sorts of things, because she says I'm not simplifying my life I'm complicating it, but this is not one of those things I do to simplify.  It's one of those things I do just for the pleasure of doing it, just to learn how to make something or how things work...

On Saturday, I woke up to the lovely sound of my son throwing up on my bedroom door.  Poor kid.  He did not feel well.  By 9 o'clock, I had determined that I too was feeling rather sick.  I spent the rest of the day alternating between the bed and the couch, awake or asleep.  I don't remember a whole lot about the day, except that at one point I looked outside and figured that it must be raining.  I also at one point suggested that Aaron take Elise to a movie.  Frank was in bed, and I was mostly asleep, so I guess Aaron decided The Princess and the Frog wasn't too much worse than staying at home.  I was conscious when they came home, as Frank had just finished up a three hour nap, and wanted me to start a movie for him.  Elise was practically glowing when they got home.  She had such a great time with him (he took her to McDonald's after the movie).  By the time Saturday ended, my body just ached with that "I've been sick and spent far too long in a prone position, but really, I couldn't have been standing, so I'll just have to put up with the achy body" feeling.  You know the feeling.  But thankfully I also had the "I still don't feel great, but I'm pretty sure I'll be fine in the morning" feeling.  You know that feeling too.  I was lucky.  I never even officially threw up.  For all anyone knows I was faking it.

Sunday was just a pretty normal Sunday.  No more sickness.  My sister Marianne was in town, so that was fun, but probably would have been more fun if Frank and I hadn't been bedridden all day Saturday.  And then I stayed up all night reading a book.  Literally.  All. Night.  I think I went to bed between 4:30 am and 5:00 am.  Why do I do that?  I don't know.  I'm pretty sure Aaron hates it more than any other annoying habit I possess.  Maybe not.  There are quite a few to choose from.  Annoying habits I mean.  Anyway, it's up there.  But sometimes (luckily not too often), I just love a book so much that I don't want to stop reading.  And I seem to lack that normal, rational voice inside your head that tells you to put the book down and finish it another day.  I've had this problem pretty much my whole life.

Luckily, when I'm naughty (staying up all night when I shouldn't), I'm usually careful to compensate for it the next day by being extra patient and trying to really pay attention to my kids and get things done around the house.  So I guess I do my penance by being tired, but extra productive the next day.  It works out as long as it doesn't happen often.

Today, I went grocery shopping in the morning.  If you were at a grocery store today, and you heard a two year old screaming as if she had just beaten within an inch of her life, then that was Elise.  We must have been at the same grocery store.  Sorry about that.  She's usually pretty good at the store...  Today, not so much.

At said grocery store, the overly perky cashier gave me coloring contest sheets for the kiddos.  When Frank and Aiden got home, I had the three of them color said sheets with the promise of glory in winning the coloring contest.  You see, I am literate, and I immediately spotted the little note at the bottom of the sheet stating that each child will receive a popsicle when they turn in their sheet.  So after lunch we took the sheets back in to the store, each child receiving praise and a popsicle from another cheery cashier.  We have to do these things the same day, or I forget.  We took our popsicles to the park and played for a while.  Then we came home and assembled some more of the $1 kits from Michaels.  I really love those things.  I guess the end result is extra clutter, but it's pretty fun for the kids to assemble/paint them.  We did airplanes and helicopters today.  Maybe I'll get out the old camera tomorrow and take a picture when we paint them.

Then a bit of TV because those kids needed to zone for a minute, dinner, yada, yada, yada, vacuumed my floors, did a little laundry, homework (Frank's not mine).


Then, don't die of shock, we had a little family home evening sort of thing.  Nothing too fancy.  We just used the cool little box I put together with my awesome friends at girls night.  Anything too fancy is too much for a 2 & 5 year old.  We talked about a couple of stories, had a thrilling game of Blokus (adapted rules), and then had some super yummy lava cakes.  Elise loves dark chocolate.


And now I've done my duty.  I have posted something, I have included all the sordid details of the past three days.  Or at least most of them.  And I'm thinking Aaron might not bother me about blogging anymore.  When I'm tired, I don't filter as well.  I've included a few links for your surfing pleasure.