Friday Thoughts

I scheduled family photos for October 1st about a month ago.  I love having a family photo taken annually and we use the photo in our Christmas cards.  This was the only weekend in October that the photographer was available.  So naturally, S got HFMD.  And then W got it.  S still has a few blisters on his hands, but luckily they faded on the rest of his body.  BUT Wednesday night, we went out for dinner and S totally wiped out on the pavement so now he has a big scrape on his forehead.  Perfect.  And now, the forecast calls for rain all day.  Basically, these pictures have been doomed since the day they were scheduled.  I’m really hoping for a break in the rain…

Speaking of dinner on Wednesday, the boys asked to go outside afterwards.  I snapped these photos with my phone and I love them.  I truly believe that the beautiful sky and the rainbow on our way home were reminders that God is watching over my boys and I need to relax and worry less. :)

I still have to post my latest Stitch Fix (sorry, that was a strange transition, that's how my mind works).  I’ll get to it one of these days.  I requested a cargo vest and didn’t receive one – my stylist mentioned there wasn’t one available.  So I purchased this one after another blogger recommended it and I’m obsessed with it.  It just screams fall to me (still haven’t replaced the full length mirror).

I’m so excited that New Girl is back on.  It’s the one and only show that A and I watch.  I also started watching This is Us.  I’m not very good at sticking with shows (I really have no idea why we have cable) so we shall see how long I continue with it.  We have yet to watch this week’s episodes so I’m hoping to catch up this weekend.

And that concludes my Friday thoughts. :)  Happy weekend!!

Bring Back the Happy

This seems to be a particularly tough time for many people.  A pregnant friend of mine recently found out that her baby has a severe physical deformity and she’s trying to decide what to do.  I can’t even imagine and I’m so sad.  Praying for her.

While things haven’t been awful around here, they haven’t been sunshine and unicorns either.  Both boys came down with HFMD and while W didn’t have a bad case of it at all, I swear it’s made him extremely cranky.  S has also been challenging – he wants to be held constantly and cries at the drop of a hat.  They’re just not themselves.  It seems as if our days have been filled with meltdowns, complaining, yelling, crying, and bickering.  On the bright side, physically, they’re fine.  S’s bumps are still very apparent in some areas, but they are definitely fading.  W never had many to begin with.

I also feel like I can’t get it together lately.  W and S fight over these stupid toy garbage cans daily.  This morning was no exception and I sent W to time out for not sharing and throwing a fit.  I walked into the kitchen to check the time so I’d know how long to keep him in time out only to realize that we had to leave for school NOW.  Somehow, I completely lost track of the time.  When we got to school, I realized that the extra clothes in W’s backpack consisted of shorts and a t-shirt so here’s hoping he doesn’t need them (the temperature is in the 50’s). 

I also ordered more of the damn toy garbage cans because I’m so tired of the bickering.  I realize this is pretty much the ultimate mom fail because the boys need to learn to share, but so be it.  I’m not perfect. 

I feel like the boys (W) fight more than other siblings.  It seems like W is constantly taking a toy away or saying something mean to S no matter how many times I remind him to use kind words, explain that words are hurtful, and tell him to share.  I hoped they’d be the best of friends.  I know they’re still very young, but I also hear stories of other siblings getting along and feel like mine are the exception.  It just seems like W resents S.  Is that even possible at 3 years old?

Sigh.

Hoping this virus is out of their systems soon and things return to normal.  Or maybe it’s not even the virus and they’re just particularly moody lately.  Regardless, I want my happy, healthy boys back!

(Minimal) Weekend Recap

Not much to say about this weekend.  It was definitely a bummer as far as weekends go.  With S being sick and W not feeling great either, we were stuck in the house.  A and I had archery class on Saturday, which was fun.  We did take a few walks and W felt well enough for church and grocery shopping on Sunday.  We also went to a local forest preserve late Sunday afternoon only to have it storm a short time later.  So all in all, it was a pretty blah weekend.

I really hope this coming weekend is better.  I so look forward to quality time and getting out with the boys, especially during fall.  Here’s hoping for a redo. :(

Friday Thoughts

We actually got some sleep last night and what a difference!  S did wake once, but after some milk and Motrin, he was back to sleep.  His case of hand, foot, and mouth is the worst I’ve ever seen.  Not that I have a lot of experience with it.  But friends’ kids who’ve gotten it had a few bumps on their hands, feet, and mouth (shocker), whereas S has bumps everywhere – even on his ears.  I feel awful for him.  He’s handling it well for the most part, but he does cry every now and then and scratches at the bumps.  Poor kiddo.

Some randoms from the week…

I came across a photo from last year in which the boys had matching Halloween pjs and I decided they NEEDED them this year too.  Found these adorable jammies on clearance.

Fall outfit of the week. :)

The boys think it's hilarious to put these laundry hampers on their heads and walk around the house.  Admittedly, I find it pretty funny too.

Happy Friday!!

S has WHAT?!?

Back to school germs have not been kind to us.  It started with colds for all.  I’m still not completely over mine, but I’m close.  Yesterday, we noticed a cluster of bumps on the back of S’s neck.  We thought it was odd, but figured that maybe they were the result of some sort of irritation from clothing.  As the day went on, I noticed a few more bumps on S’s legs along with a bad diaper rash, but he was himself for the most part.  S went down for a nap around 2pm, woke 30 minutes later, and proceeded to vomit all over his crib and my mom.  By the time evening rolled around, he wasn’t eating much and had even more spots.  I really thought he had chicken pox even though he received the vaccine.  He vomited again after going to bed and wasn’t able to fall asleep until just before midnight.

Fast forward to this morning.  Spots on his legs, feet, arms, hands, neck, face, and back.  A took him to the pediatrician and we learned that he has hand, foot, and mouth disease, which is very contagious.  Great.  And he seems to have a pretty bad case of it given all the spots.  I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before spots appear on W.  The doctor also noticed blisters in his mouth.  I feel terrible for my little guy and have no idea where he got this.  I’m so ready for everyone to be healthy so that we can enjoy my favorite time of the year!!  I'm also tired... very tired. :P

Weekend Recap

So I still have the plague, which resulted in not getting as much done as I wanted to this weekend.  We still managed to have some fun.

On Friday night, we tried out a new (to us) pizza place.  Apparently Mod Pizza is a chain, but we haven’t had one in our neck of the woods until recently.  W had fun watching the workers make our pizza and the boys devoured their entire pizza and then asked for more.  The teenage years may result in our bankruptcy as we try to feed these two.  After that, we headed to Touch A Truck.  Basically all sorts of trucks – garbage trucks!!, fire trucks, buses, police cars, construction vehicles, and more park in a big lot and the kids can sit in them and pretend to drive.  W LOVED it and sat in the garbage truck at least 3 times.  S, on the other hand, was traumatized by the constant honking.  So was I.  Every freaking time we were in front of a vehicle, some brat had to blast the horn.  And then my poor S got stung by a bee.  All in all, we had a decent time and if we return next year, we’ll consider ear plugs!

Saturday morning, my cousin came over to install a new air conditioner.  Ours had a defective coil and was leaking Freon.  I hate paying for appliances, but obviously we need an air conditioner.  Since this was appliance number 2 to go out, I fully expect a 3^rd to need replacing soon. :(  A and I took the boys to get haircuts and they were so well behaved!!  The stylist was awesome and had them both done in about half an hour.  That afternoon, A and I had our first archery lesson.  It was so much fun!!  We both had gotten the hang of it by the end of class and I ended with 2 bullseyes.  Granted, the targets are probably a lot closer than they typically are, but not bad for my first lesson!!  I’m looking forward to the next one!

Sunday was the usual.  The boys looked adorable for church, W had 3 helpings of my baked mac and cheese, and we ended the day at the park.

Friday Thoughts

This cold is totally kicking my butt.  I can’t remember ever feeling so fatigued with a cold.  I get home from work and the boys want to play and it takes every last ounce of energy to make it to bed time.  Enough already!!  And it’s not even technically fall yet.  In all honesty, if someone had to get it bad, I’m so happy it was me and not A!!

S (aka The Hulk) broke my full length mirror so there will be many years of bad luck in our house apparently.  But I have been rocking fall outfits – I just haven’t been taking many photos because of the aforementioned scenario (who am I kidding, my photos are always bad regardless of the mirror).

What is with people just up and quitting their blogs??  It’s like a movie without an ending!!  At least let your readers know that you are alive and well.  There are quite a few blogs I follow in which the author just abruptly stopped blogging.

A and I are taking an archery class on Saturday!  I’m so excited!!  Here’s hoping I don’t shoot my eye out!  What does one wear to archery class??  I feel like I need a Katniss Everdeen braid.  Also, I’m pretty sure I’ll be ready for the 2020 Olympic team after this class.  #goals

OMG.  I almost forgot!  We planned out every meal this week!  Like we actually made a schedule and purchased what we needed ahead of time!!  This NEVER happens.  I’m so proud of us.  Can we make it two weeks in a row??  Time will tell…

Weekend Recap

I came down with the boys’ cold and couldn’t even find the energy to write my usual weekly recap yesterday.  Because I’m a little OCD and it would bother me to not have a weekly recap, I’m going to do a brief summary.

Saturday was incredibly busy.  We went grocery shopping in the morning and then it was off to the baptism of our friends’ youngest daughter.  The ceremony was really nice and baby Mari looked beautiful in her gown.  The boys were great during church and looked so cute in their button down shirts.

From there, it was off to dinner with the parents of one of W’s preschool classmates.  I mentioned that I was a little worried it would be awkward, but we had a great time.  The boys played well with Elena and Lily and we had fun talking to Kim and Manuel.  There was a trampoline at the house and the boys could not get enough of it.  I seriously thought S was going to fly off about 25 times, but he always flopped down before reaching the edge and laughed hysterically.  They had a blast.  I should also note that S did not nap both Friday and Saturday and fell asleep during dinner both times.  Hoping this nap strike is a temporary thing.

I also have to mention that my alma mater pulled an upset and defeated a Big 10 team.  I didn't get to watch since we had plans, but was very excited and so was S. ;)

All in all, it was a really great day filled with friends.  I suppose we should reciprocate and have Elena’s family over, which sounds like a great idea except for Addie and the fact that I’d have to cook.  Ugh.

Sunday was the usual.  Since it was the first weekend of football, I decided to get back in the routine of making snacks for the game followed by a big dinner.  I made some spinach, cheese, and bacon dip, which was really yummy and enchiladas for dinner.  S actually napped, which allowed me to cook.

And just like that, the weekend was over.

Full Circle

Today, my company announced an acquisition.  And with that acquisition, came new drug products.  One of which happens to be a medication to treat infections that are the result of pseudomonas aeruginosa, a common bacteria found in people with cystic fibrosis.  The drug is approved in Europe and Canada.  Still, MY company will produce a CF drug.

When I graduated from college with a degree in Chemistry, I had no idea what my path would be or where it would lead.  Somehow, I ended up here.  In a job that nearly didn’t happen.  I wasn’t looking.  A friend called to tell me about the company and a job he thought I would be a good fit for.  I interviewed.  I didn’t get the job.  But one of the directors I interviewed with thought I would be perfect for another opening and so I was asked to come in and interview again.  I almost declined.  But something made me return.  Fate.  And now I work for a company that makes a CF drug.  Granted it isn’t a blockbuster drug by any means.  It isn’t a cure or even a treatment for CF.  But it is a drug to treat pulmonary infections in those with CF.  And maybe this is just the beginning.  Maybe I can help my husband in some way.  

I don’t know what the future holds, but I do know I am exactly where I’m meant to be.

Friday Thoughts

This photo popped up from one year ago.  My first thought was “OMG… they’re SO cute and look how little S is”.  My next thought was “they NEED matching Halloween pajamas this year!!”.  I have issues.  And then I found some matching pjs on clearance and ordered my 1.5 year old a size 3T because he fell into the height/weight range.  Again… OMG.  Both boys are on target to be much taller than A and I.

It has not felt like fall around here lately.  On Tuesday, our temperatures were near 90 degrees.  But I’m saying screw that and dressing for fall despite the crazy heat.  On a related note, football this weekend!!

The parents of one of W’s classmates invited us over for dinner tomorrow.  It was a really kind gesture, but I’m a little anxious.  Guess I’m going to have to get over my introverted ways.  Here’s hoping it’s not awkward!!

Happy weekending!! 

Weekend Recap

Well, another weekend that went by incredibly fast, but what else is new?  We had so much fun and the weather was gorgeous all weekend.

A found Cubs tickets for Saturday and we decided that we’d bring S with us.  A little back story:  W does not like going to baseball games.  I hope that eventually changes.  On our way home from school on Friday, Uptown Funk came on the radio.  I said “Shake it, W!”.  To which he responded, “One.  I do not want to dance.  Two.  I do not want to go to the Cubs game.”.  Umm, how old is this kid??  Holy attitude.  So W went to my mom’s house and the 3 of us went to the Cubs game.  I love going to Wrigley Field!  S was great company and we had a good time.  Thanks to Facebook, I realized that we had gone to a game on the exact same day 4 years ago.  I was pregnant with W at that time and had to repeat the photo with S.  SO much can change in 4 years!!

Sunday was crazy busy.  We went to church, Starbucks, and the grocery store.  S napped and then we headed to a local forest preserve with Addie.  Poor Addie never gets to go anywhere anymore so we thought she deserved a treat.  We had a great time walking the trails.  I wore S in the carrier and my goodness, that guy is heavy.  After that, we dropped Addie off at home and headed to another trail near our house.  S got to walk this one since the path was straighter and sans hills.  Annnd of course, W decided his legs were tired so I ended up giving him a piggy back ride.  And from there, we decided that the boys needed a playground so we visited a local park.  Three parks in one day!  I was exhausted.

Not gonna lie – it was tough getting out of bed on Monday.  I think I’m too old for three park trips. J  So we played at the house.  The boys played in the pool and I made a ranch chicken, bacon casserole for dinner.  I finally figured out how to get A to eat a casserole!! 1.  Add bacon.  2.  Don’t tell him it’s called casserole.  Seriously though, we both LOVED it.  So yummy!!  It was a nice, relaxing end to a three day weekend.

We were supposed to take my mom out for a birthday lunch, but she caught the boys’ colds and was pretty miserable. :( Oh yeah, did I mention that we’re a week into the school year and both boys already have colds?!?  We’re screwed…

Friday Thoughts

Three cheers for a three day weekend!!  I'm really looking forward to it.  A bought Cubs tickets last night so we're going to squeeze in one more game before the season ends.

I had my first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season today (one of many).  Yay for all things fall!

I don't want to jinx it, knock on all things, fingers crossed... BUT W has been doing amazingly well at preschool drop off.  In fact, all the kids in his class have been great.  I have not witnessed any tears.  WHAT?!?  This is the complete opposite of last year when half the class was in full on meltdown mode.

Our weather has been beautiful.  Just perfect I tell you!  I feel like I always complain about the weather in my blog posts so let it be known that we do have nice weather occasionally. ;)

That's all I've got.  Happy weekend!

W Says

W:  I saw a really big garbage can!

Me:  You did?  Where did you see it at?

W: At my work.

Me: Oh really?  Where do you work?

W:  In L--- F---, like you do, mommy.

Me:  We work near each other?!  I love that!  What do you do at work?

W: Lot of stuff.

“I don’t use toothpaste on Thursday nights.”

We went to “meet the teacher” night at W’s preschool.  It was extremely crowded and W was very overwhelmed.  Eventually, most people left and W had a chance to talk to Miss Cassie.  We had just eaten dinner before rushing out the door.  At one point, W started wiggling and told Miss Cassie, “it feels like I have crumbs on my butt.” :|

“I used to work, but now I’m retired.”

There’s an annoying dog across the street and he’s constantly barking.  When W hears him, he’ll yell, “Woof it down!”.  I think it’s W’s version of shut up and it always make me laugh.

For some reason, W thinks the past tense of “eat” is “ote”.  I ote a lot at dinner tonight…

W: Mommy, I made this for you!

Me: Thank you!  I love it!  What did you draw?

W: That’s W, that’s mommy, and that’s Addie peeing.