Guess...

Guess who we will be celebrating this weekend? More to come (I promise)!

Ending the week on a high note

Remember that time...?

... that Mister J got treated for Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever? 

You know, because his symptoms were pretty much a perfect match for RMSF.  And although it could be just your run-of-the-mill nasty virus, there's still that chance that it's RMSF.  Which you should treat no later than the fifth day of symptoms.  And since the second trip to the ped this week for the crazy fever, combined with nausea, chills, and some "who is that?!?" crankiness happened to be on the fourth day of the fever, the ped called in the prescription.

Better to err on the side of caution - but as a friend of mine put it, I just might win the 'strange illnesses my child has had' contest in the after-school pick-up line.  This from the friend whose daughter has a fever so high that the thermometer simply said, "HIGH."  (She's thankfully doing ok with some good meds for a big ol' ear infection.)  And I'd likely have to compete with a school mom friend whose son's spider bite just might be MRSA instead. They each had a visit to the emergency room.  We just rated a "can-you-be-here-in-45?" appointment with the pediatrician.  This is a contest I'd be glad to lose.

(PS - With a dose of acetominophen, this afternoon's fever, headache, and crankiness subsided.  However, the fever spikes at night, even with ibuprofen.  Hoping we see and end to this very soon.)

Pretty paint!

Enjoying some food and fun on a *warm* summer afternoon. 

By the way, guess who's nearly 5 years old?

The Bright Side

This post isn't so much about the lunch I packed this morning, but the reminder that came from from my family while I was deciding what to pack.

The story started yesterday when the kids and I got home after school.  I walked into a house filled with the aroma of freshly-baked bread.  Now that wouldn't normally have been a problem, except I'd set my bread machine so that the dough cycle would be finishing up as we walked in from school.  

I had some volunteer commitments yesterday, so I'd prepped the ingredients and set the timer on the machine.  The plan was that we'd get home, unpack backpacks, get everyone's hands washed,  and start making pizza for an early dinner.  Accounting for the time it takes for three cooks to complete such  a task, I figured the pizza would come out of the oven in time for us to eat and then get to a 6pm meeting at church.

Needless to say, I was a little deflated when I figured out that something had gone wrong.  I even posted this on my Facebook status:

Came home from school to the wonderful smell of bread baking - except that my bread machine was supposed to only be running the dough cycle.

Bread machine - 1, Person who thought she knew what she was doing when the set the dough cycle to run while she was gone - 0.

I did get some great encouragement from a friend and from my husband.  You know, fresh-baked bread isn't all that bad.  But my plan had been interrupted.  

Since the bread smelled good (and really, I thought it did), we tasted it.  Amazing - it tasted good, too!  (It would have make a great pizza crust!)  Once it cooled, I wrapped it up - thinking it was too good to waste, but wondering what to do with it. 

Fast forward to this morning.  The kids and I were in the kitchen, and asked them what they wanted to eatfor breakfast.  "Can we have some of that bread?"  Really?!?  So I gave them a taste while I asked them what they really wanted for breakfast (cereal? granola bar?).  And they liked the bread.  Hmm.  Now, I enjoy a savory breakfast as much as the next girl, but I just didn't think Pizza Dough Bread was the best way to start the day.  So we decided to pack it in their lunchboxes - with slices of pepperoni and cheese, marinara sauce for dipping, and strawberries.  They. were. thrilled.  I was dumbfounded.  But mostly, I was reminded that even when I think things are all fouled up, there's usually a way to turn it around for good.  Thankfully, I had the help of some family and friends to remind me.

On my Facebook wall today:

Making the most of yesterday's bread machine snafu.  "Breadsticks" with marinara, pepperoni and cheese, strawberries.  The kids asked for the bread for breakfast, too!

And in reply to the comments below my photo:

I'm proud of my kids for helping me make the best of the situation (and figure out a lunch plan pretty quickly!). Hubby and the kids LOVED how the bread tasted, which made my day!

From my sweet boy

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Sent from my iPhone

Last Friday!

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Sent from my iPhone

Run

First run in three weeks. About a week and a half of that was rest for some heel pain, then I just let "life" take over.

Things always seem to be busier as we get closer to the end of the school year. We also spent a long weekend at the beach, and I didn't pack running gear because I was "packing light." I did swim a bit, but not enough to call it exercise, and our stroll on the beach was more for shell hunting and people watching.

I could have let life (laundry, meal planning, etc) take over this morning, but this time I decided to carve put some time for me.

I was slow this morning, and I didn't stay out for very long - but I was out there! Considering how the weather has changed during my break (it was already 75 degrees when I dropped my kids at school - and that was about the daily high three weeks ago), I was surprised that it was tired legs that got to me before the heat.

Already looking forward to my next run.