A nasty bug is sweeping our house and we’ve all taken turns with it over the past five days or so. It started with my little guy, then made its way to Madelyn and my hubby. Now I have it. I’ve decided that I need to have a serious talk with the management around here because I’ve realized that I don’t have any sick days as part of my compensation package. I have work deadlines pending and my little kiddos are still demanding my attention—even at 3 a.m.

Being sick reminds me of how I always take being well for granted. So, for now I will keep my box of tissues by my side and load up on the vitamin C while I wait for this little bug to pass. I’m going to slowly plug away on my work projects and say a little prayer asking for my kids to take it easy on me. We might order a pizza for dinner and save the roasted chicken for another night this week. 

Rabbi Harold Kushner said, “One of the most sublime experiences we can ever have is to wake up feeling healthy after we have been sick. Even if it is only relief from a headache or toothache, the health we take for granted most of the time is suddenly seen to be an incredible blessing.”

Hello blogland! Where does the time go? My plate has been full of work projects and family activities. Something had to give and it was this little blog of mine. I had all kinds of fun little Halloween posts written in my mind, but they never found their way to the Internet. Darn. Maybe I’ll share them anyway just in case anyone wants to get a jump on next year.

Here is what has been demanding my attention lately: 

On the Work Front: Sometimes I’m blown away about how much fun I have as a freelancer—not to mention how much work it takes. I’ve been so lucky to have several interesting assignments lately. During the past two weeks I’ve interviewed 30 or so experts and written about everything from video games (Assasin’s Creed Brotherhood—to be exact) to cargo security. I need to do a better job of updating my site with recent articles, so I’ll be sure to post a few once I get the latest hard copies. 

On the Family Front: We had our fifth, and hopefully final, trip to New York for surgery on Miss Madelyn’s hemangioma. Whew. Hearing the doctor say this should be it lifted a huge weight from my shoulders. We’ll continue to watch what’s left of the hemangioma closely and head back to New York right away if it starts growing. In the meantime, I’m going to let out a sigh of relief.

My little kiddos and I have been spending lots of time in the kitchen lately, creating more of our concoctions and whipping up Halloween treats for family and friends. Pictures to come…eventually. I hope to resume a regular blogging schedule on Friday! 

My cousin’s husband passed away late last week and my heart has been breaking for her ever since. I can’t stop thinking about her or her kids. I wonder how you find the strength to wake up the next day and take care of all the things you that demand your attention. I wonder how you comfort your little ones while your own heart is breaking. I wonder how she is doing and what I can do to console her from afar.

It reminds me that life doesn’t always go as we have planned and how young thirty-something really is. It makes me want to hug my loved ones a little tighter. It is cliché, but it reminds me that life is short and that making lasting memories with my family should be my top priority.

It reminds me that finding the time and energy for a family adventure is worth the effort. A game of hide-and-seek after dinner is a lot more important than loading the dishwasher. My little routine of making Evan into the bed—layering the sheets and blankets on top of him and then trying to smooth out the lump in the middle—gives him a story to tell his daddy even if it means our morning task takes longer than it should.

I would like to say I do those things as often as I should. Sometimes my have-to-do list takes precedence over my should-do and want-to-do lists. I think that happens to all of us from time to time.

So tomorrow, after I try to find the right words as I write a card for my cousin, I am also going to sit down and write out my want-to-do list. I am going to keep it right next to my to-do list and make it a point to check some things off of it, too. 

–Climbing into bed on clean sheet day

–Finishing a big work project

–Dancing in my kitchen with my little guy

–Making Miss Madelyn laugh

–Having leftovers for dinner

–Laughing with my hubby

–Nibbling on candy corn

–Finding a perfect Christmas gift for Evan and tucking it away in the closet

–Talking with an old (and absolutely wonderful) friend

 I can’t wait to see what simple joys the weekend brings.

Our little kitchen adventure making slime yesterday turned out to be a huge hit. I have quite a few photos of the process and had planned to post them today. Then I realized I had an Ann Taylor coupon that was going to expire today and I had to head to the mall. The coupon plus the gift card in my wallet called to me. The good news is a found a really cute sweater. The bad news is I had to pass up two blouses I liked because I decided they wouldn’t go well with spit up. When did I become the woman who buys clothes based on spit up? Anyway, I’m on my way out the door for another little family adventure, so I will resume my blogging on the weekend. I hope everyone has a happy Friday!  

I just booked a family photo session and I’m already nervous. It has been two years since our last family photo. There are several reasons for this. The first is that I hate my hair. I’ve always hated my hair. I think it all started when I was three years old and used the kitchen shears to cut my bangs to the scalp. Things haven’t improved much since then.

The other reason family photo shoots send fear down my spine is that I do a horrible job of coordinating outfits. I see all of those other cute family pics where everyone is wearing a white shirt and blue jeans or coordinating sweaters and I suddenly feel inept. I think a big part of the problem is that I rarely allow enough time for finding new clothes for a photo, so I usually end up trying to coordinate the best I can from our existing wardrobes. And let me tell you, it is slim pickings around here.

So, this year we have plenty of time for me to perfect the family photo ensemble. But, I need your help. Do you coordinate the whole clan for photos? Where do you shop? What do you look for? Tell me, tell me, how do you do it? I know there must be some trick and I need in on the secret.

We’re hoping to do an outdoor shoot in early December, so I need something warm for everyone and possibly even hats for the kids. Send me your advice!

Last weekend we went to the air show at the Naval Air Station in Oceana. The show was amazing on its own, but it was special for me because my brother flew in it. Yeah!

I had to stop myself from elbowing the people next to me and telling them my brother was the pilot of the plane pulling past us. Really. I did. We didn’t realize he’d be landing so soon, so Bryan had taken Evan to the restroom and my sister-in-law was getting something to eat. I was watching by myself and really wanted to share my excitement with the strangers next to me. Instead I took 243 pictures. I’ll just show you one. 

I was proud of my big brother, but I was also proud of all those who serve. I’m so grateful people volunteer to do the jobs we ask them to do. What is even more amazing is that so many of them make the commitment to serve our country when they are just eighteen years old. Eighteen. Right now teenagers are enlisting in the Army, studying at the Naval Academy and sleeping on foreign soil for us. They do it without thanks. They do it for the love of country. They do it so I can tuck my son and daughter in bed at night knowing they will grow up in a country that is free.

We ask so much of our military. We ask moms and dads to spend months away from their families. We ask them to miss first birthdays, first steps and even births. We ask them to go where they are told when they are told. We can’t possibly ever pay them enough for all of the sacrifices they make. But we can tell them thank you. We can teach our kids to be grateful for the job they are doing and we can feel proud that so many people sign up to protect the values that are important to us. So, to all those who serve, thank you!

And, if you’d like a little Monday morning entertainment via You Tube, here are a couple clips of my brother at the airshow. He is a part of the Fighting Omars squadron that plays the adversary.  He is in one of the blue camo jets. He is taking off at the end of this clip. If you’re at work, you might want to turn the volume down now. Jet noise can be loud, but it is an awesome sound. 

His flight is toward the end of this clip. 

For the life of me I can’t figure out why my kiddos fight sleep. I want to grab them by the shoulders, shake them and tell them that there will come a day when they won’t be able to sleep. There will be late-night cram sessions, finals, deadlines and, maybe someday, children that will keep them from the glorious thing we call sleep. 

I would like to shout in their ears, “Enjoy it now, while you can, before it is too late! Nap, please! Sleep in. Go to bed early for one day you won’t be able to!” But I don’t.

Instead I rock. I sing. I read. I tickle backs and stroke hair. I cuddle. I replace pacifiers. I put Evan’s Taggie Bear in the freezer, because he thinks he’ll sleep better if his bear is cold. I pile the blankets on in just the right order and later, when Tag has gotten lost in the mound of blankets, I dutifully retrieve him and place him back in my little guy’s arms.

I read sleep books, try their tactics and then get to the part that says, “Some children are naturally larks.” That means I start my day in the 6:00 hour, which is an improvement from a year ago when it was in the 5:00 hour.

But in those wee morning hours when the house is dark and the neighborhood is quiet, I remind myself that this too shall pass. There will come a day when my little ones aren’t so little. Before I know it I’ll be nudging teenagers, flipping on bedroom lights and telling them it is time to wake up. One day, the house will be empty and I’ll think back to the late-night cries for mommy and miss having my kids at home.  So tonight when I am forced to climb out of my nice warm bed, I’ll try to enjoy the cuddles I’ll be giving and savor the moment. Pretty soon, I’ll be able to look back at this time in my life and laugh. I’m sure I’ll also wonder how I was able to get by on so little sleep.