sickness momentous

This morning I woke up with Pink Eye.

I am fully grossed out by myself.

I've never in my life had it.

And just like all the other bodily maladies that I thought would never affect personally until one day they did, I am, like I said, revolted.

This particular problem is compounded with my flu.

It's taken me getting it to realize I haven't had the real flu for a really really long time. I can't even remember when, but I was probably a kid.

It's day 6 of the flu. With enough caffeine and ibuprofen in the afternoons I can kinda function normally. But night and mornings, I wish there was a socially acceptable way to just knock oneself out. Each day the virus finds new areas to invade. This morning I woke up and (in addtion to my disgusting eye) my ear was throbbing. Novel.

But I wake up each morning and say "you're not throwing up, thank God. Thank God you're not barfing." Also followed by "you don't live in sub saharan Africa, you have a bed, a drug store, and you don't have to walk 15 miles to get water everyday." So I'm thankful for that too.

this morning I made

I made a couple of CD covers for a friend who played at Echo.

(and who knows if he'll like either one?)

does two camera phone pics a blog post make?

This morning was crap. I won't get into the minutia, but it involved me being so sick I thought an alien was going to bust out of my gut, which led to oversleeping and not taking people to the airport like they were depending on me to, and not 1, not 2, but 3! areas of dog poop/pee for me to clean up.

And since it was Veterans Day, I had to tell myself "you didn't have to go get blown up in the desert/jungle, so shut up."

Maybe all that led to me overeating Sushi Totoro for lunch? (oh dynamite roll, why did I give in to your advances!)

By the time I picked up the second kid from his school, I was ready to take a drive.

We drove down to the beach and I have never seen a more beautiful afternoon at that beach.

It's usually Oregon-level-windy and cold but today, perfect. The kids were cheerful too- bonus.

I've also stopped caring about whether we return to the car with the same amount of sand toys as we began.

So that helps keep the zen.

(Let them drift away to Crapola Island, what does it matter anymore?)

And I haven't done proper blog honor to our newest family member, Mr. Gerald Pickles, the dog.

He's settling in pretty well. He's still kinda young so he does the annoying chew-anything-chewable routine. My hairbrush is half what it used to be and he almost [wo]manslaughtered me by chewing through a cord and then when I plugged it in, it sparked and could have flambéd me. *grumble*

But-I love him despite the chewing and pooping and barking and jumping. (just like I love my son with all those same qualities)

Mojito is a grumpy old man, comparatively, and he tells Gerald where-to-stick-it on a daily basis.

So with that said, I had to take a pic of this moment. Co-snuggling.

Look at that lummox. Just look at his absurd proportions.

And of course, my little mexi-loaf next to him, like a throw pillow. So cute.

But I will not collect a "Holiday Village!"

I'm like a real grown-up mom now, I just bought a white tinsel tree and an inflatable decoration for the front yard.

Yes, an inflatable.

Both have perfectly reasonable explanations:

1) The white tinsel tree, I've wanted one for years. And now that the kids come home with apx 95 crafts a week, I predicted that my little 2 ft tree that holds all the popsicle stick sleds and clothespin reindeers isn't going to be able to carry the load that this season will bring. Preschool, Sunday School, Elementary School and Kids Park-- crafttastic explosion(!!)

2) My kids trip out at inflatables. They love them in our neighbors' yards and will stand in the cold for way-too-long to stare at them. So I found one that was somewhat charming and didn't have Santa in it. (I don't think I could stomach a nativity inflatable even if I had found one, though I am pro-nativity in general. So I just went with a cute antarctic animal wearing clothes)

Disneyland is booked

I just dropped a couple of big fat charges on the credit card:

1) 4 plane tickets to LAX
2) 4 night stay at the Disneyland Hotel (childhood dream) and 4 park hopper passes.

The kids have never been. I haven't been in 10 years. Kevin hasn't been in 15 years.

Now the only problem that remains, Kid R and his recently crazified personality.

Do you think he'll snap out of it by January? If I feed him only sugar free foods for a week and enforce two naps a day, do you think I can avoid a tantrum in the middle of Frontierland?
It kinda gives me an ulcer just thinking about it.

The upside is, Kevin loves downtime to read books, and Kid R will definitely need a nap. That means Kid C and I will live it up in the meantime (!)



Kid C has watched a Netflix documentary about Disneyland and has it all planned out in her mind. I can't tell you how many times she has told me that I must bring the camera to take a pic of her and Tinkerbell.

Now all I have left to do is book dinner at the Blue Bayou for my 30th b-day dinner...