the perfect day, followed by a not so perfect day

Yesterday was perfect, today, not so much.
Yesterday morning, got up made breakfast (eggs, bacon, and muffins).
We logged onto northpoint online and had church over breakfast and on the couch in our living room.  It was really nice to do "church" from home with the kids sitting with watching or playing quietly nearby.   We then got ready for the day, packed a picnic lunch, and headed to the mountains to go hiking.

almost to the top

taking in the view at Buzzard's Roost

 We hiked 1.5 miles up to the summit of the Sharp Top and had a picnic lunch.
The day was warm and sunny and absolutely beautiful. 

the view at the top

Abbott Lake below, where we got married

 After the hike we walked around the lake at the bottom of the Peaks and then headed to a nearby city for an early dinner at our favorite restaurant, Chipotle.  After dinner we walked over to the Fresh Market and grabbed some goodies before heading home. 

Sharp Top in the background, can't believe Lily made it all the way up there

we strolled along the lake after hiking 3 miles, we decided we need to come back and explore more on a day when we weren't tired from hiking

It was the perfect day.
Today was not that day.
This morning Lance did not want to go to school, he said he was sick, he said his throat hurt, his head hurt and he couldn't go to school (he was sick on Friday with fever, headache, and sore throat).  We told him he was not sick and he was going since he didn't have a fever.  He then complained that he was very itchy and we then looked down at his legs and realized he wasn't going to school, at least not right away.  He looked like he had leprosy, his legs were covered in pink welts, it looked awful.  We first thought it was poison ivy from our hike yesterday, but then we discovered some welts on his back and shoulders where he would not have had contact with poison ivy.  I did a quick google search of hives and poison ivy and neither really looked like his rash, then I read about scarlet fever and got a little nervous (sore throat, headache, rash, all his symptoms once again the rash didn't match).  I called the doctor as soon as the office opened since we needed to find out what to do about his rash, he couldn't go to school and it looked too awful to wait it out, we got an appointment 45 minutes later.  We took Lily to school and headed over to the doctor.  By the time we saw the doctor at 9:45 his rash had practically disappeared, we were very frustrated, how was the doctor suppose to figure out what was wrong if there was no rash to show him?  The doctor did look at the few spots that remained, took his blood pressure, listened to his chest, and did a thorough exam and then gave us the typical doctor answer: Hives with unknown cause.  Hives caused by a virus, an allergen, or just a fluke.  Since he hadn't had any new medication or new food, there was no way to tell what caused the hives.  He said that they would come and go for the next couple of days or they might stay gone, no telling, not the answer I was hoping for.  I shouldn't say that, I am thankful that it wasn't something serious like scarlet fever, but it is never fun either to get the "it's just a virus" response.  So we left the office and took Lance to school.   That morning Lily had been complaining that her tongue hurt and that she was sick and could not go to school.  We hadn't really paid much attention to her because we just thought she was copying Lance like she does, but when I picked her up from nursery school, I noticed she felt warm and after taking her temperature I soon discovered she was running  a low fever.  I wasn't surprised Lily was ill since Lance was just running a fever Thursday and Friday.  So I now have one child with hives and one with a fever.  The good news is we might be able to find out if the hives is caused by a virus if  Lily breaks out on Thursday or Friday or we may never know.  So today was not the perfect day Sunday was, but then days like today make days like Sunday perfect.

the downside to Kindergarten

I had plans for today and like all great plans, they have been laid to rest.
Lance said he was cold and had a headache when I picked him up yesterday from school.  Once we got home, I took his temperature and confirmed what I suspected, a fever.
So today he is home sick, he is running a fever and has a headache, but other than that seems fine.  I keep expecting a rash, or a cold, or something else to appear, but so far nothing.
A fever/illness is not anything to complain about but I also got a call from the school nurse this week, the "scrape" on Lance's forehead wasn't really a scrape, but ringworm.  YUCK!  When I mentioned ringworm in front of him, he immediately flipped out and I tried explaining it really wasn't a worm inside of him, but a fungus, big mistake.  I had to try and explain what a fungus was, which is even more difficult.  I decided to just go with "rash" as my explanation and because if I tried to explain fungus and how it wasn't a mushroom I would be sunk.  Ringworm is kind of like lice, but not as bad. 
So I have kid home sick from school and one kid who is healthy and both need to be entertained but one really needs to rest.  So I wonder when Lily is going to come down with the fever, probably next Wednesday when I have paid for an extra long day at preschool or Friday when it's the last day of school and a picnic because that is just how life seems to go.
It looks like it might be a long, boring weekend, bummer.

in mourning

I am in mourning, though I really should not be, it is quite pathetic actually.
This morning I returned my DVR and got rid of cable television.
We still have the basic channels, but no more Bravo, Discovery, Animal Planet, Weather Channel, MSNBC, ABC Family, and TLC. 
So no more Real Housewives, Whale Wars, Mythbusters, Switched At Birth, and Sister Wives right after they air. 
As much as I miss the opportunity to watch these shows and more, it just wasn't worth the $50 plus $10 for the DVR a month.  $50 doesn't seem like a lot, but over the course of a year that is $600.
$600 that would be:
2 new replacement windows with some extra.
a 3 day trip to D.C. by train with hotel and food
a new ipad
apple TV and a new television
a new couch (not that I need one)
money in savings
and probably a lot more.
So though I am sad it makes a lot of sense, we did use the cable TV, just not $50 worth, so we cut the cable.
Also, since we got the ipad we don't really watch much live TV.  The kids watch their shows on netflix all the time.   I love that I can watch my favorite shows where ever: the porch, the kitchen, the bedroom, and I can move about while watching, I am not confined to one room.  I just wish the Discovery related channels and Bravo were available online (Bravo is, just not consistently). 
So though I will have to wait a bit longer for my favorite shows, in the end it is good, less TV is never a bad thing.

free time, what do I do with that

The class I taught is over, my other job's work project is complete, the kids are still in school, my online summer class I am taking hasn't started yet, and I have time, lots of it in fact and I don't know what to do with myself.  It is weird not having something I need to do, well there is always laundry and household chores, but not having a project to complete, or papers to grade, or something hanging over my head is really weird, I don't know what to do.
I have been using my free time outside improving our yard, but I can only do so much in a day and it has been raining a lot.
Last Monday I convinced Jeff to help me dig up one of the flower beds that was in desperate need of TLC, after three hours or digging and pulling and two trips of the garden supply store the flower bed looks good, but it is not complete, we still need another bag of mulch. 
This morning I tackled another flower bed all by myself and I think I am not going to be able to move tomorrow, it was hard work, digging, and pulling.  My fingers ache just typing.  Crab grass (what I didn't want) had gotten all in the monkey grass (what I wanted), tree of heaven saplings were coming up along side the trunks of the azaleas and ivy was trying to invade here and there.  I got everything cleared out and tomorrow hopefully I can get some mulch put down and an azalea replaced.  I love the flower beds in our yard, but I also hate them because they are so much work, I really shouldn't say that since we have lived in our house for 8 years and this is only the second year I have actually tried to make the beds look nice, like really tried. 
But here I sit, Lance will be home in an hour, Lily is taking a nap, my body is exhausted and sore from 3 hours of yard work, the kitchen is clean, the beds are made, the living room spotless, and I don't know what to do.  It is kind of nice, but kind of note, I have learned that I like being busy, I get more done when busy. 
All this has lead me to the realization that I place my worth as a person in what I do,  if I am not doing something I am not worth anything.  I can't just sit around and relax, I feel like I have to be doing something, but yet I want to sit and do nothing. 
Since I have nothing I have to do, I guess I will organize something. . .

spring

The weather has been quite unusual, it is like the months have been re-arranged, March was more like May (was in the 80s several times), April like March (it was cold and snowed in the mountains and we had to put the heat on) and well May though we are barely in it seems more like April (April showers and cool temperatures.  Despite it all we have had several spring adventures.

We went strawberry picking up in the mountains the Sunday after Lance's party, it was a beautiful sunny, warm day, the kind of day and thanks to the cool temperatures and lots of rain not many people had been up to pick so we got the best strawberries we have had in years.

the view from the strawberry patch

very hard at work looking for the very best strawberries

Lily did more sampling then actual picking

the rows of strawberries

This spring we also got to watch as a pair of cardinals made a next in the bushes adjacent to our porch, sit on their eggs, feed the hatchlings, and feed and communicate with the fledglings.  I didn't realize that babies only stay in the next for a little over a week before they are ready to leave the next, they grew up so fast.

one of our babies right after he left the nest, but before he could fly

 I also have been able to enjoy some time to myself and just with Jeff since I am done with school but the kids aren't.  Even though it is really weird being at home without the kids, or really anywhere, I have tried to make use of my time.  One Monday afternoon during Lily's long day at preschool, Jeff and I took a hike in the rain, it was nice and quiet, though we did get a little wet.  We have forgotten what life without kids was like, so it is fun to do stuff like what we use to do together.

wet dandelion from our wet walk in the woods

We have also taken a lot of bike rides or at least the kids have done lots of riding.  Their favorite afternoon activity is riding their trikes around the driveway.  In the evenings we also take walks down the street with the kids on their trikes.

Lily taking off down the street

 We also have gone on the bike trail several times and this past weekend, Lily rode on her "new" princess bike with training wheels.  She was a little nervous, but she did great, she looks too little to be able to ride the bike, but she has figured out the brakes and pedaling easily.  Lance also has improved in riding his "real" bike, though he still get nervous and would like to ride a bike with training wheels or a 3 wheeler.

the kids heading down the trail

after years of complaining about the seat hurting my tailbone, I have found a comfort bike I love

Lance showing off his new blue bike, Jeff and him repainted his bike (it was red)

Lily crossing the river

taking a break for a swing

So, so far, spring has been busy, but we have taken advantage of the warm weather and sun when we get it and spent a lot of time outside.  I am looking forward to summer and all the adventures we have planned and riding our bikes to the pool, now if the weather will just cooperate.

lily taking her princess bike out on the sidewalk for the first time

star wars birthday bash

Lance decided awhile ago he wanted a Star Wars birthday party this year.   Thanks to Pinterest I got a lot of great ideas and was able to have a party without spending a lot of money and needing an inflatable or another form of paid entertainment.  I had a great time and look forward to more party planning in the future.

the invitation, I was so thankful I found a Jedi font that made everything easy

We made light sabers out of pool noodles, Jedi robes from fabric on sale, and Jeff dressed up as Darth for the final battle at the party

 So the week before the party I was very busy sewing robes and taping up light sabers for the kids.

Lance was my pattern

Since I had to make 13 robes, I needed something quick and easy so I did not use a standard pattern.  I measured Lance from shoulder to feet, doubled the measurement, cut the fabric folded it so the fold was at the top and then folded again to make a mirror image so when I cut it out the sides would be the same.  I cut a straight line from his hand to his armpit and then at an angle from the armpit to the corner (I also cut along the crease to it was a robe and not a tunic.  I then sewed up the sides and hemmed all edges (yeah I am a perfectionist).  I then cut out a rectangle and made a hood, attaching the hood was the most difficult part and unfortunately hoods 9-13 were much better looking then hoods 1-4.  I kind of used the instructions from here as a guide. 
The light sabers were a lot easier to make and so cheap, I found light sabers from the dollar store, cut them in half with a bread knife and then wrapped duct and electrical tape around one end and I had a light saber that was better than the inflatable ones you can purchase at Target and soft enough to not hurt anyone to badly.
I also made a black Darth Vader robe for Jeff, but actually it was more of a long vest since I didn't make sleeves because the fabric wasn't wide enough, if I had more time I would have put in more effort, but it worked so I wasn't disappointed.

the girls had white Princess Leia robes, the boys Jedi robes

My goal for the party was to keep the kids busy.  We had four activities other than food and cake to keep them busy.  These activities made up the "Jedi training."  The first activity was an obstacle course.  The kids had to show their agility and speed by throwing bean bags through a circle (bicycle tire), jump over hot lava, walk across a balance beam to avoid the hot lava, crawl through a tunnel, cross the monkey bars, down the slide of the swing set, and duck under the hot lava hanging from the top of the swing set (hot lava was red tablecloths).  When they had completed the obstacle course they "earned" their Jedi robe.   I unfortunately did not get a picture of the obstacle course, I was really thrown off by the weather that day and was setting up the course a few minutes before the party started and never got around to taking pictures. 

Lance practicing part of the obstacle course

After earning their robes, they came inside and used the "force" while blindfolded to place a blaster on a spaceship (pin the tail on the donkey).  After demonstrating their ability to use the force aka peek through the blindfold they earned their light saber.    The next activity was to work on saber skills and this was the favorite activity of the party. It was also amazing to see 10 boys who went from screaming, running, and fighting to concentrating and quiet.  Each child was given a balloon and was told to keep their balloon in the air because if it hit the ground it would pop.  The kids had a blast and took this game VERY SERIOUSLY! 

Lily trying to keep her pink balloon in the air

After the light saber skills the kids were ready for the ultimate Jedi training test, battling Darth Vader.

getting ready to battle Darth

Jeff was a great sport and let all the kids surround me and whack the heck out of him. 

battling Darth

The kids also got to battle Darth separately and they did a great job sitting and waiting for their turn.

trying to keep a balloon in the air

The original plan was to have a picnic outside but unfortunately the weather did not cooperate.  The sunny, 10% chance of rain, and high of 63 was really: cool, wet and 49, it was quite chilly so we ate inside which was quite crazy.

the cupcakes

After pizza, light saver pretzel rods, carrot sticks, and grapes on a light saber it was time for cake.

the cupcake toppers from Williams-Sonoma

The kids liked being able to pick out their favorite figure.

cake time

So despite the weather and trying to squeeze 13 kids in my living room, the party was in the words of Lance "AWESOME."   I wish I had taken more pictures, but I was so busy enjoying the party and corralling kids I didn't get many.  I am kicking myself that I didn't get a group shot with everyone with their robes and light sabers.  Oh well, they had fun and that is all that mattered.