When it Rains, it Pours

You know it’s bad when you look at going to work as relaxation.

I’m hoping this week is better than last. Leo was up and down illness-wise. Thank goodness it was nothing serious, just enough to really just inconvenience and exhaust us all, so I really can’t complain (although, watch me!). He was home from school Monday and Tuesday with a stomach bug, returned Wednesday and Thursday. Then, Mom of the Year got the email from Mrs. L on Thursday afternoon. I knew it was bad before I even opened it. The subject line was: “Leo’s cold.”

Uh oh.

Yes, the boy apparently hacked all over everyone on Thursday. He was taken to the nurse’s office twice for a temperature check (normal). His sweet classmates reportedly "pat him on the back with each hack," according to Mrs. L., who never came right out and said it but the message was clear: keep him home on Friday. And so I did. I honestly didn't know it was that bad. Thursday morning I assure you, he was bouncing off the walls and seemed more than ready to be back at school. He practically skipped to the bus.

I worked from home on Friday (always an interesting endeavor). It was then that I also discovered that our dry-since-last-year-finished basement (yes, yes, we have carpet, I know, who has carpet in their basement when they live in the flood zones of northern New Jersey? Answer: We do) was no longer dry. You may have heard, we had a bit of flooding.


GROAN (with the obvious caveat that it could have been much, much worse). And obviously, in light of Japan and everything that’s going on there, well our little basement woes seem mightily insignificant.

But still. We all know what we did this weekend. And by “we” I mean, Erin. Ripped out wet, heavy carpet and moldy wood. Scrubbed basement floors. Hauled wet carpet and moldy wood to the street. Yes we have a sump pump. And a French drain. Isn’t home ownership just awesome sometimes?

I miss our cozy little soft carpeted basement but really, that carpet had to go. We’ve already had it professionally cleaned once, when a pipe burst last spring. We’ll (I mean, Erin) will paint the basement floor a cute color (we’re thinking maybe red?) and get a few more area rugs. It’s going to be fine.

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In other news, you know how they say that the reason you don’t sleep well during pregnancy is it’s mother nature’s way of preparing you for all those middle of the night waking newborns? Well, I’m thinking, if you’re pregnant, and you already have small children who don’t sleep well, shouldn’t you get a pass on the whole “waking up in the middle of the night for no reason” thing? Most nights I’ve been waking anywhere between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. for a good solid hour. And I just can’t get back to sleep. And it’s a real drag. True, many nights, someone (small) wakes me. Leo kicks me in the head or crashes his tiny skull into mine (he’s fond of sitting up while completely asleep and then tipping forward, often onto my head). Or Ellie arrives bedside, whispering, “Mommy, can I get into your bed?”

But the waking up for no good reason at all? Just seems cruel. And no amount of Stumptown seems to be helping.

On a lighter note, we had a fun play date yesterday (I think the kids were thrilled to be out of the house after Saturday's full day of flood repair). Leo was loving a little toy tool bench and after some assistance with the tool belt, figured out all by himself how to put the tools in the little pockets, looking like a lost cast member from "This Old House." Ellie, upon noticing my interest in Leo's play, announced from across the room, "I want to be a tool!"

Sometimes? It's just really hard not to laugh at your kids.


This picture has nothing to do with this post (and it's terrible quality) but I love how it illustrates Leo's wonderful imagination. See how he's hung his dragon from the Lego tower (which is apparently on fire)?