Sprite, Saltines, and Mommy's Love

We had a very long night last night. Emily got up several times and told me that she had a bad dream and didn't feel good. Finally a couple of hours before the alarm went off so did her tummy.

The weather has been not so good here and so I was not that disappointed to have the day to spend with her making her feel better. So far today we have had crackers, Sprite, and lots of TLC. I can tell that Em feels pretty bad because with a whole day of mommy to herself (we took brother to school) all she has wanted to do was lay on the couch and watch movies. So we sit in our comfy stay home clothes and snooze in and out of naps as we watch the princess' we love get the men of their dreams. On the agenda for the afternoon is some finger nail painting (not sure if we will go with pink or purple today), maybe another movie, reading some books, and if we really are feeling better maybe a couple of board games.

When I was a kid my mom made this special soup that is a broth I have never ventured to make and let me lay in bed as long as I wanted to. She would rub my back and make sure that I had everything I needed to get better. Even as a child the one thing that I always kept close to my side were my books. Nothing says get better soon to me then spending the day in the world of someone else as I lose myself in the pages. What did your mom/dad/whoever do to make you feel better when you stayed home sick?

Look beyond the screaming child

We had a rough morning today. I mean ROUGH. I was definitely not ready for that when I got out of the shower in a good mood b/c it's Friday. Emily just woke up on the wrong side of the bed today. From the first moment I talked to her it was whining, crying, and the worst talking back I have seen to date.

She didn't want to brush her teeth, she threw a fit that she had to wear jeans today, then it wasn't the right headband, and finally I'm sorry you can't have a granola bar because we are out of them but here is a strawberry frosted poptart instead (for a moment there I thought she was going to throw it at me and I am not sure what I would have done b/c time out might not have cut it). She went to bed early last night and woke up at a decent time this morning. WTF?!?

Then it hit me. She went to bed early last night. Emily never goes to bed early...unless...she doesn't feel good. Kids don't always understand what is going on with themselves. They don't have experience to tell them that they are in a terrible mood or grumpy because they feel like crap. Unless they are throwing up or even just that their stomach hurts, it's sometimes hard to identify what is really going on.

I took her temperature and looked down her throat. Everything seemed OK but I bet by the end of the weekend what has been going around her school and my work will show it's face in my little girl. So there you have it..my "aha" moment that I would like to think shows that I am gaining experience in the mom department. It's funny how when I finally figured out why she was being a holy terror I felt bad for her rather than frustrated with her. I don't think kids (at least at this age) try to be "bad". They just don't know what else to do.