Our Five Ring Circus: January 2013

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Week Four In Review

JANUARY 22nd

The kids had a 2 hour delay due to the cold weather.  I had to pick Lexie up from school and immediately take her to storytime.  We spent the rest of the day at home.

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JANUARY 23rd

Another 2 hour delay for the kids.  Once Lexie got home from school, I took her to gymnastics.  After gymnastics, we ran some errands before returning home.  We decided to go out to dinner when Dylan got home from school.  While at the restaurant, Dylan complained about being sick, and didn't eat, so we left quickly.  That's when he got sick in the car.  Lexie soon followed at home, and it hit me in the middle of the night.

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JANUARY 24th

A sick day for Dylan, Lexie, and I.  We stayed in bed most of the day.  This was the only day this month that I didn't take a single picture!

JANUARY 25th

The kids were all set to return to school, because they were feeling completely better.  That changed when Lexie ran to the bathroom, dry-heaving, an hour before she had to wake up for school.  We decided that it was best just to keep them home one more day.  Dylan was perfectly fine, but we didn't want him to go to school and get sick.
 
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JANUARY 26th


We spent most of the day at home.  That evening, we went to our friend's house to celebrate Dom's 11th Birthday!  After the party, Dylan had a sleepover at a friend's house, and the girls and I had a movie night.  Lily didn't last long, but Lexie almost outlasted me!

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JANUARY 27th

Another day spent at home.  Grant didn't catch our stomach bug, but he did get a nasty cold.  We decided to stay home so he could get better.
 
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JANUARY 28th


The kids headed back to school, but thankfully, they had a 2 hour delay.  After picking Lexie up, we stopped at the grocery store.  We spent the rest of the day at home.  I left briefly for a party planning meeting for Dylan's Valentine's Day class party.  Once home, we put the kids to bed, then Grant and I watched a movie. 

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Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Currently...

I'm watching...Parenthood Season 2.  Love that show!  Grant and I have also been watching the Best Picture nominations for the Oscars.   Les Miserables, Argo, and Silver Linings Playbook were our favorites.  Les Mis is AMAZING and I'm hoping it wins!

I'm reading...lots of baby books!  It's Lily's favorite thing to do these days.  I'm also reading two chapters from a Goosebumps book to Dylan every night.  As for myself?  Lots of blogs!  I'm trying to catch up!  I started a crime book, but never got past the first few chapters. 

I'm listening to...top 40 radio. My kids request it when they're in the car.  That's pretty much all the time!

I'm thinking about...many things!  I have a lot on my mind these days. Right now, I'm bothered by an issue with some of the boys in Dylan's class.  It's not bothering Dylan, but it bothers me!

I need to...file our income taxes.  Set up some doctor appointments.  Deal with a health insurance issue.

I'm creating...headbands!  Well...thinking about creating headbands.  I have a box full of supplies.  I just need to sit down and do it!

I'm cooking...lots of soup.  I'm in a cooking funk and haven't had an appetite for much of anything these days.

I'm proud of...Dylan and Lexie! Once again, they had awesome report cards.  Dylan also received an Outstanding Attendance award this past 9 weeks!  I'm so happy that they love to learn!

I'm looking forward to...warmer weather! I can't wait for sunny, warm, Spring days.  I can't wait to go to the park and spend hours outside!

I'm loving...my new cable knit leggings.  They are warm and comfortable!  Same goes for my super-comfy fleece pajama pants!

I'm very grateful for...my wonderful family and friends.  I truly am blessed. 

Our plans for this week...Storytime for Lexie today, Gymnastics for Lexie tomorrow, shopping with my mom and dinner with my parents and sister on Friday, a baby shower on Saturday, and a birthday party on Sunday.  Phew!


Monday, January 28, 2013

Say hello, will ya?






My blog reader was filled up with these posts today, and I've only made it to the F's!  I figured I'd hop on the bandwagon!


1. What blogs do you visit daily? Please list 1-3 of your favorites.

Beyond Our Wildest Dreams 
In This Wonderful Life
Party Of Five  

2. Are you on Instagram? If so, what is your user name?

My favorite place!  lexieloodylan2

3. Can we find you on Pinterest? What's your Pinterest address, and what can we expect to see you pinning most? (recipes, DIY projects, home decor, etc.)

I am on Pinterest.  Find me here. I don't pin daily anymore, but most of the things I pin are recipes or kid-related! 

4. What are your favorite blog link-ups to participate in? (weekly link-ups other bloggers have...any number will do...please link us to them!)

The only one I regularly participate in is Saturday's Top Five Laughs, hosted by The Mommyhood Chronicles

5. Why do you blog?

I started this blog to chronicle my life with my kids.  I love being able to write about our daily adventures, and I have met some awesome blog friends along the way! My goal this year is to start turning my blog into books!
 
6. Tell us one random fact about yourself.

I HATE to fly.  Hate it.  I would much rather drive somewhere, even if it takes 1-2 days!

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Week Three In Review

Thanks to the illness that just went through our family, I'm almost a week behind on this one!

JANUARY 15th

Lexie woke up with a fever, so I had to keep her home from school.  After Dylan left for school, we all went back to bed for a bit, because Lily was still asleep.  Lily ended up sleeping for 15 hours straight!  Lexie started feeling better, but we decided to spend the day at home so she could rest.

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JANUARY 16th

Off to a rough start!  I bundled all three kids up, and we stood in our driveway, waiting for the bus.  When it was 5 minutes late, I decided to check the school's site to see if there was a delay, even though the roads were perfectly clear.  Sure enough, there was.  Grant and I didn't get the usual calls from the school announcing the delay, and I didn't even consider checking to see if there was one, because the roads were fine.  By the time we got upstairs, I was so irritated! We could have really used the 2 extra hours of sleep! The kids were thrilled, though! The kids finally headed to school, and I got some things done around the house.  After picking Lexie up from school, we came home for a quick lunch, then went to gymnastics.  That evening, we went to our friend's house for dinner.

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JANUARY 17th

A typical Thursday for us.  Nothing too exciting happened!

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JANUARY 18th

We spent the afternoon visiting my parents.  That evening, my mom, Lily, and I did some shopping.  Once we returned to my parent's house, my sister and my nephews joined us for dinner.  We returned home after dinner, and the kids had a pajama party/movie night in the living room.

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JANUARY 19th

We went to Jack's birthday party, then went to our friend's house afterward.  That evening, we just watched movies at home.

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JANUARY 20th

The girls and I went to a Pull-Ups party at my friend Steph's house.  It was nice hanging out with our playgroup!  While I was gone, Dylan went to my sister's house for a sleepover.  My great niece Aubrey ended up coming to our house for a sleepover with Lexie.

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JANUARY 21st

The kids had the day off school.  We spent the majority of the day at home.  I only left to pick Dylan up from his sleepover.  That evening, Grant went to a Morrissey concert with our friend Amber.  They had front row center tickets and had a great time!

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Thursday, January 24, 2013

Another One Bites The Dust

Yesterday, we experienced a parenting first:  two kids and a parent sick with a stomach virus at the same time.

I will say that I feel very fortunate that this is a rarity in our family.  As parents, we've only had to deal with the stomach virus twice with our kids, and it was extremely mild.  I know many families that get it at least once a year, if not more. 

This time?  It kicked our butts!

It all started with us going out to dinner.  Which, in our family, is only a once a month thing.  Dylan kept complaining his stomach hurt and he put his head on my lap and refused to eat.  We ate quickly, and headed home.

Halfway home, he got sick in the car.  He was violently ill, and couldn't stop.  I finally found a place to pull over, and he jumped out of the car.  The damage was already done.  He was able to stop after a few minutes, so we drove back home with all the windows open, even though it was only 10 degrees outside.  Cold and stinky doesn't even begin to describe the 4 minutes it took to get home.

Once home, Grant took him to the bathroom to get cleaned up and take a bath, while I spent the next hour scrubbing the SUV with bleach and doing laundry. 

Dylan was so pale after his bath.  He put on his pajamas and went straight to bed, even though it was only 6:00.

I put the girls to bed, then curled up on the couch with Grant to watch TV.  Around 8:00, Lexie came flying out of her bedroom.  The smell hit me before I even reached her room.  All over her bed, a trail leading to the bathroom, and splattered all over the bathroom, because she didn't get the toilet open in time.  It. was. a. nightmare.

Grant changed Lexie's sheets and mopped the floor while she got a bath.  I had to scrub and disinfect the entire bathroom, and do two more loads of laundry.  At that point, we just wanted to cry!

We stayed up late to make sure the kids were okay.  We finally headed to bed, exhausted.  I slept for an hour, then woke up sick to my stomach. I tossed and turned for the next two hours, and then it hit me.  I'm not quite sure I've ever been that violently ill.  And even worse?  Lexie came running in to throw up while I was getting sick.

Oh yes, parenting at it's finest.  The two of us were hunched over the same toilet, crying, and taking turns throwing up.  Nightmare.

Surprisingly, we all had a peaceful night's sleep after that.  The kids stayed home from school.  Dylan woke up perfectly healthy.  It was very mild for him.  He only got sick that one time in the car.  Lexie was still feeling yucky, but was done getting sick. I, however, was still incredibly sick.

Grant was awesome.  He took care of the kids while I slept.  Around 12:30, Lily and Lexie came in for a nap, so I just stayed in bed.  I finally climbed out of bed at 3:30 in the afternoon, still feeling really sick, but definitely improved.

By the end of today, Lexie felt perfectly fine.  I still feel sick, but I'm grateful it's just a quick virus.  I'm hoping that Lily and Grant can avoid getting sick!

I have to say, I hope we never ever ever have to experience this again.  One at a time would be ideal!

Monday, January 21, 2013

A Party For Jack

This past weekend was a weekend full of parties! 

On Saturday, we gathered with our closest friends to celebrate Jack's 6th Birthday!  Jack, his sister, and his parents are like family to us.  It was so nice to spend the afternoon with them and all of our close friends!

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It is so much fun to watch this huge group of kids grow up together!  Plus, it's always great to spend a few hours with our closest friends!

Happy 6th Birthday, Jack!