Here, There and Everywhere...

Despite the sound of the title, I'm not really going much of anywhere...just think this blog post may end up being all over the map. Figured I could post 10 different separate entries or just one full of randomness.
So let's see where to begin..? At the beginning...? Oh that's been done before! So, let's go with...in no particular order.

I won my first blog giveaway. Yeah, I'm a big deal now. I know you're jealous! But what can I say, it's simply my amazing skill and knowledge...yeah right! It's actually my inability to know when to step away from the laptop and go to bed that has me entering enough giveaways that eventually, despite my tremendous lack of good luck, I was bound to win. I'll share more when I receive my priceless winnings!

And to follow up on the car situation. In case you didn't notice my first updated in the comments. They did find some issues and some of it's actually covered under the extended warranty we paid for. And luckily so is a rental car because the part they need for the window, you know so I can go back to a drive up and not look totally ghetto, had to be ordered and will hopefully be in today. Hopefully since I didn't push for a vehicle that will fit my whole family. They gave me a Dodge Magnum. Not a bad car, but a car. It rides sort of rough. And its rear wheel drive which is not my friend in icy IL. But the boys think it's super cool looking. And lucky Timmy got to ride in it this morning, which is awhile other story.

So yesterday, about 90% of the schools in our area closed to do the Arctic temps we're having. However, our district stayed open. But due to my vehicle issues I simply called Timmy in so I could take the thing in without worrying about making it back to get him from school or having it break down fully with him in it and it being -30 degrees. So this morning, while the endless list of school closings scrolled I didn't even bother to go online to check to see if his school was closed today. I got him up, gave him his medicine, got dressed and took him to school. But as we approached I realized there was just one car in the parking lot and no kids in site. So I called home and had my husband check online. Sure enough, school's closed TODAY. So as we drive away I tell Timmy I'm sorry I got him up and all for nothing. And he's totally fine with it and tells me, "At least I got to ride in this cool car." Ah boys and their toys, I guess it really is born into them. The as we round the building to head back home I notice that there is a large white sign on the front door that says "No School." That's great except that there are about 5 other doors kids line up at. When I thought out loud that they really need one at the back door because there was a boy standing at one of the doors as we left, Timmy pointed out that we should go tell him. Thank goodness, someone can think straight before 8 am. Seriously, what was I thinking that a 6 year old had to suggest this to me. YES! So we drove around again. I had Timmy hop out and tell him there was no school. But he simply continued to stand there. I don't know if he didn't believe us or what but I didn't know what else to do. In retrospect I think I should have gone and seen if he was just at a loss for what to do or what. I hope he just waited until we left and went somewhere warm. But while we were there he simply looked at us as if we had three heads. But it is just one more image to be burned into my memory to make me not want to let the boys want to school. I know that it was our job as parents to check to see if there was school. But really everyone will make a mistake eventually. But it makes me want to cry to think of one of my kids standing out there, freezing and not knowing what to do. I've been there and very clearly remember it. Luckily my "traumatic" moments were all on nice days so they were a little less life threatening but it still makes me wonder...what traumatic memories will my kids life hold. I know we probably all have some of these memories, and if you're reading this you too survived them. But I'd love to hear one (of a few) of yours.

My most vivid memory is spending what seemed like days sitting on my babysitters front porch crying because we had an early dismissal one day and apparently someone forgot. At this point I can't remember if my parents forgot to tell her or if she forgot, but I'd put my money on it being my parents, given my other "traumatic" memories. It was probably 20 minutes, but it seriously felt like hours before a neighbor noticed me sitting there crying and looking a little out of place!
Another was when my father dropped me off for school on a day we didn't have school. I walked to the front door and tried to open it and found it locked. I thought he'd pulled away right away so I began to cry right there at the door until he yelled for me from the car. That day was the first time I got to watch him testify in a criminal court. (he was a police officer).
There are more but I'll save some for another time. But please share yours!!!

Then there's Johnny. He began yesterday complaining to my husband that his stomach hurt and then threw up several times throughout the day. He had a fever and didn't do much at all last night in the time that I was home. But at 9:30 the Motrin must have finally helped some because he began crying in his bed that he hadn't eaten anything all day. Of course he then wanted the Mac'n Cheese I'd gotten him from BK. But I'd fed it to the baby. SO instead he had to settle for a peanut butter sandwich but not until he spent some time mourning the loss of his beloved Mac N Cheese! And don't tell anyone but he ate said sandwich....in his bed. I had him come out of his room to get it but he simply grabbed it and ran...I considered making him come back out but figured it might then be a fight to get him back in his bed. So here's hoping he actually ate it all and that it isn't laying under his bed attracting animals of the small rodent variety.
But when my I was told of this latest sickness, while still at work, I asked that my husband be sure to keep him away from the baby so he didn't get sick. But he told me that wasn't the problem was keeping the baby away from him...he said it seemed like Bryan was worried about Johnny and kept going by him! That of course warms my heart. But I have every possible body part crossed that he does pick up this bed and end up warming my bed as he did not too long ago when the lovely vomit bug passed through all the boys.

And lastly I just wanted to say a couple quick thank you's. First of all I've gotten several nice comments (here and elsewhere) about my writing and how funny I am. A few of you have even referenced my sarcasm. To which, I have NO idea what you're talking about. I am not now, nor have I ever been a sarcastic person. I mean really, that would mean that I'm raising sarcastic children, which I most certainly would not do...oh wait...yeah, I am! I have a serious problem with being overly sarcastic. And my oldest son is entirely too much like me, and it drives me crazy. But I have to say thank you too everyone who has mentioned it as a positive thing. I am way more used to my sarcasm being taking wrong and offending people, especially online! I LOVE that there are people out there that actually 'get' me, aside from the ones who made me that way! I try to balance my sarcasm with something a little more useful every now and then but for the most part...I am what I am here. And I thank everyone who takes me just that way!

And for my final thank you, to Tim, who gave me an award! I'll work on passing it along sometime this weekend. But nothing makes a day better than to get some positive reinforcement from others you respect!

If you made it all the way to the end of this post, you deserve a reward. So go get yourself a cookie or something, ok? :)

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