Just taking turns.

So, little T was home with me on Monday. Poor little guy. He was just well enough to whine and raise hell.

Tuesday - we gave him some ibuprofen and packed him off to daycare.

Wednesday - I got hit with the grunge. Then, last night (Wednesday) - Z starts the fever.

This morning he is all moans and groans until I make arrangements for my dad to watch him while I go to a program I am signed up for... then, he stages a miraculous recovery. So, we pack him off to first grade.

Tonight, he is feverish, and falls asleep on the couch while we fix dinner. No dinner, no food, and the child that can stay awake forever passes out before dinner. Maybe he was sick?

I guess he'll come to my office tomorrow and have a nap in a sleeping bag while I teach. Too bad about the field trip his first grade is taking tomorrow.

(Bad Mom of the year award pending).

iffier

So, I had to meet with some students this morning. So, I took the little guy in with me, sick.

He was pathetic. Just healthy enough to want to mess with the stuff in my office... just sick enough to not speak to anyone.

Several students did remark, however, that he seemed so huggable and they'd be happy to snuggle the little guy. This led to the observation that it is so adorable when someone little like that is sick and pathetic - but, when a grown-up is like that we're all - keep it away from us.

Speaking of which... now, it's my turn. I am working the sore throat, snotty nose, and thinking about a fever. I have big plans to wait until the baking I did cools, cover and freeze it, then fall into a blissful Nyquil sleep.

Tomorrow, the little guy goes back to daycare, and hopefully I can make it through work.

iffy

B had to miss dinner at my dad's retirement place this morning (a weekly treat), because he couldn't pull himself together enough to get dressed. So, he cried to J for a few hours instead.

Once I got to dad's, Z and T came in for breakfast and T had a slow but steady temperature rise through the morning.

I feel a bit iffy, B is an irascible tyrant today, and T is out cold in a motrin-induced nap (fever down for the moment). Z is headed to a Birthday party.

Work also looks iffy tomorrow (can't leave a sick kid at daycare) - not the best day for me to find coverage for the kids (five hours in the classroom on Mondays).

iDON'TKNOW

iAM considering a new purchase.

It is kinda expensive.

So, I have done eResearch, read other people's opinions, asked other professor's, college students, and all kinds of people. I have read some magazine articles and searched the internet for more information.

But, I am so hesitant to spend money, I'll ask my reader(s) as well... should iDO it?

I (think) want to get an iPod.

I am tired of jockeying around a bazillion cds.

I want it to store all of my music to play it in the car (I'll need to use a cassette adaptor), at home (where my stereo will either need an upgrade or I'll need an extra cable), in my office (a second USB connector for my office machine? both to play and to upload some music), and at my computer at home (for the upload process as well, with the dock).

When I add a case, an extra auxilliary jack, a hard case (for protection from the wrecking crew), a second USB connector and so on - I am looking at a hefty chunk of change.

So, I figure I'll hesitate for another several weeks before I either decide to give it up or bite the bullet and spend money.

iMPRESSIONS?

Hide and seek.

My husband loves playing hide-and-go-seek (with the kids, I mean... really, you guys).

Anyway, last summer, we bought a hide-and-seek toy. It is a little two-piece treasure chest. You hide the bottom part (turned on), then the top part provides either a blue (cold), yellow (warm), or red (hot) light and corresponding tones to help you find it.

Usually, we have fun hiding the little thing and the little guys find it in a minute or so.

One time, however, as a joke, I handed it to the little guy (T). Then, told B to find it.

T climbed into the wagon and (as usual) Z started to tow t around the house in his wagon.

B spent nearly 45 minutes completely perplexed that he could stand in one spot and the light changed from blue to yellow to red to yellow to blue and off again.

He would wander close to the other boys and the toy would light up, then get so busy looking under furniture, he wouldn't notice that they wandered away. "Oh, I guess it isn't here".

My father, J, and I all about busted our guts watching it.

You see, T wasn't hiding the toy. He was waving it around.

To make B's job harder... T was constantly turning his part off and on.

Poor B was so focused on finding the toy, he didn't pay any attention to T waving the toy, and pressing its buttons.

Good thing that B is good-natured. When he FINALLY figured it out - he thought it was almost as funny as we did.

Trick or Treat

We spent the traditional North American holiday - teaching our children how to panhandle for candy.

Unlike my mother - that took all but my favorite five pieces of candy and gave them to a charity,

unlike a colleague - that has the "Halloween sprite" take the candy and replace it with toys...

my children get to eat their candy.

That said, they don't do so all on the 31st. Z thought we did... he said "what do we do next?"

I said that we would go home and eat candy.

"All of it???!"

"Um, no."

We trick or treated at the college, in the freshmen dorms. It is always fun. It was especially fun taking Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter there as these college kids grew up with the Potter series.

And, it is always fun to see my students dressed up, even though sometimes I feel like I need to cover my eyes (they still seem to think that Halloween is an excuse to be slinky and sexy - wherever you are). Of course, it seems like the costume industry has the same impression of everyone (even pre-teens).

The one big benefit? I have great leverage to get the big guy to start his homework. Unlike the usual two hours of pleading for him to start five minutes of work, I just told him...

"I'm really hungry... really hungry... I'd love to have your chocolate... every minute you delay - I'll eat one piece."

He was done in an instant.

A little magic...

Ok. So Z is really a nice guy. I mean, usually. There are those times when he hauls off and hits his brother. Sometimes there is some emotional warfare ("B... I have your doggie, and he told me he doesn't like you any more").

But, by and large my son is charming, and bright, and personable.

That said. When Z said that he wanted to be Harry Potter for Halloween, I said no.

Instead, I said you can be Draco Malfoy, your brother can be Harry.

So, he practiced his sneer (shown below). I slicked back his blonde hair (he is naturally blonde - more than Tom Felton can say). I put him in a robe.

Now do you see why I said that?

Scary, isn't it?

Even young Harry Potter looks scared.