Preemptive strike

After I signed off last post, the carnage began with the hub and G. Alternating bathrooms and trips to deposit yuck in the big trash bag, it was like a choreographed dance of the sick and I was just trying to avoid getting hit, waking the other kids up or my parents downstairs. I luckily avoided the need to use the laundry facilities as my patients were efficient and tidy with their sick moments. As most moms can attest, I slept little and waited for the next wave to hit, while trying to plan for my work day on Sunday seeing as how S and I have big bullseyes on our tummies so to speak.

It has been a pajama day today, for the most part, and I have done laundry, dishes, fed the boy and S, tried to hydrate the hub and G and get them some jello and saltines. I have tried to advise my oldest who is in that time of life where she has hollow legs and cannot be full easily, that she will most likely be revisiting these food choices down the line and she needs to choose wisely. As the hub and I have called it since the first stomach virus came through the house with a little person, I am now feeling "aware of my stomach". This is not a good thing, but we are praying that it will pass. I figured I'd better write this sooner before the carnage begins again.

Here's hoping that this will be the last of our family's illness for a while and we will have an incident free Christmas break. Just file his post in the TMI category. Sorry....


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Quick post...

The stomach virus has taken its second victim. The hub is currently getting very sick and G is feeling stomach awareness right now. I can deal with almost most illness stuff, but I cannot take vomit. I can deal with dog vomit better than human vomit. What complicates things is that we have people staying with us who are sleeping in the basement with the washer and dryer. I just pray no projectile anything hits or we are screwed. If I miss a post due to having the crud, please know that I tried my best to write one. I will keep you updated on "Pukefest 2013". Sigh....


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Can't be a normal Turkey Day...ever

Part Deux: It's all fun and games until someone empties the contents of their stomach on a major holiday.

'Twas early in the morning on Thanksgiving Day, when we heard a pitiful little boy say... "Oh NO! Something's wrong with my tummy I think. I got confused in the darkness and puked by the sink." The hub and I rushed in a groggy sleep fog to aid our poor boy who was sick as a dog. He really was serious about his poor aim as evidenced by the large spray pattern that was too tame. The hub took to cleaning, the man is a saint. "You're cooking the meal, food you must not taint." So the boy got in bed, one surface free of vomit. I raced for the Lysol and Resolve as fast as a comet. My mom was buttering Tom Turkey to put in to bake, and wondered what on Earth was I doing awake. (I told her and we expressed sadness and then decided to make the best of this for the second Thanksgiving in a row of a sick boy). The sick cot was laid out, the sisters fled the room. They determined they would try not to meet the same doom.



I put on The Goonies for sick boy to view and then rushed to the kitchen to cook for a few. Stuffing and turkey and gravy and beans were just a few of the dishes to pop the buttons on our jeans. Our family arrived to the girls' pure joy. "Tell some of those people, 'Hello'" said the boy. Our family's newest adoptee, Abraham from Nigeria, was a good sport to try all dishes even ones quite mysteri-a(ous). Then the bulk of the diners played a game "Wits and Wagers", while others cleaned up the carnage like pros from the majors. (That was really bad...I'm sorry).



Then soon we were off to my uncle and aunt's, to eat lots of sugar making us loosen our pants. The bounty was plenty, the company was sublime. We had so much fun, didn't notice the time. Celebrating successful surgeries, survival from trauma, impending graduations and enduring stomach drama. Our family is blessed as a family could be and those blessings they are, undeserved, but appreciated I hope you see.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
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'Twas the night before Thanksgiving...

'Twas the day before Thanksgiving, we woke to the sound of children screaming, "There's snow on the ground!". It was beautiful, yes, but I had no time to play...I needed to bake and cook all the day. What to work on first, I thought, sausage dressing I guess, but the kids pulled out snow gear creating a mess. I finally gave in and dressed them in bibs, while the hub got a sled and the boy called dibs. We sent them outside and I sauted some veggies, when one child appeared, "These bibs give me a wedgie!". "Wear them or stay in!", I said like a grouch, the other adults called me on it for that I can vouch. They played and I cooked feeling like Betty Crocker, while the children went sledding and played some snow soccer. G came in first, her face frozen and red. "I've had enough!", she icily said. A five minute warning was given to the others, from the meanest of all of the buzz killing mothers. The oldest and I went to run to the store, while my poor loving husband nailed luan to the floor. Our bathroom downstairs has been under construction, currently in a partial state of destruction. She and I picked up friend gifts, pecans and some light roast, while the youngers at home ate super lunches of toast. (They'll get good stuff tomorrow). We arrived back at home so I could get back in the kitchen, to construct a dessert that sounded quite bi-----, um, good. The oldest went upstairs to wash up her hair and then dried it and rolled it taking great care. A long time tradition she dances this night so our schedule and prep work is always quite tight.



She looked oh so lovely and had a nice dance and even ran into her best friend by chance. We walked back to the car, chilly people all four, and arrived safely home hungry people for sure. After wolfing down food, the girls got in their 'jamas while I cooked some more dishes and had a talk with my mama. Jollof Rice was my new dish to try for the 'morrow, I hope it turns out or there'll be lots of sorrow. Our Nigerian "nephew" is coming to eat and Google said this dish comes from his country...sweet! I worked on this rice dish for almost two hours, habanero steam burning with its super powers. I parboiled and fried and pureed all the stuff, while the hub he was feeling a litttle bit rough. After working his head off getting plumbing set right, he watched a cataract surgery dvd...that's not right. Weak stomached he felt, but a better soul than moi, for just hearing the description made me want to go blaaaahhhh. You gotta love family, cooking and such, though admit that DVD was just a wee bit too much.

Enjoy your Tom Turkey, tofurky and more. With family around, it will never be a bore. I give thanks for my family, our blessings year through...and don't ever forget I am thankful for you.

Happy Thanksgiving Eve for 19 more minutes!
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Strange things abound near Turkey Day

The day is almost over and I am tired...as is probably every other adult person who has any part in any kind of Thanksgiving celebration in the next few days. My oldest dances tomorrow as has been tradition for years, so we will be concentrating on trying to get all major cooking done tomorrow before she goes to trip the light fantastic with her cronies. After her practice tonight, we went to her favorite place in the world: the grocery store. Even on the eve of Thanksgiving Eve, she wanted to venture into the vortex and go for the deals. I just needed to get some last minute ingredients for my offerings on Thursday, plus some lunch meat for sandwiches tomorrow. Due to the major threat of possible millimeters of snow after midnight tonight, there was a substantial line of people getting their emergency sandwich and French toast makings. I saw the writing on the deli case and knew I would be there for a while, so I sent S on little trips to pick up items to speed our trip along. Clear plastic forks? Those were for something else, but I needed to get them anyway. Two items down. Pie crusts? I don't make great pie crusts, so she went to get some Pillsbury pie crusts for me. When she returned, her face was pale but excited. Apparently, in the spirit of love and caring and giving, two women got in a fight over a Butterball turkey. Said turkey must have been very a substantial one, because others were thrown and colorful words were exchanged. So glad she got to witness that...and the carnage that was the Cool Whip freezer section. Apparently no one likes Lite, but the rest of the freezer area looked like a cold cavern. We got out alive and didn't forget anything that I know of, I think. At least until I wake up tomorrow and find I have left out the ingredients for half a casserole. Cheers everybody!


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Pre-Turkey panic

When I went to pick up the kids from school today, I was feeling pretty good about the state of our house and the cleanliness and all that jazz. I took G to her class , took S and the boy to Walgreens to capitalize on some deals. We got back home after a long mess in traffic, I turned on some music and prepared to bake some cornbread. When I went down to the basement for an ingredient, I realized that the basement looked like it had blown up. Then I did. I think I shook the house. Between the toys and dress up clothes and debris from the bathroom remodel all over the clean clothes and washer and dryer, I hit my cleaning up limit. So now I am committing the sin of sloth, blogging, watching yet another episode of Homeland, avoiding work and waiting for The Blacklist to come on. I will at least watch and tidy up in our room, aka, the coat closet for Thanksgiving Day. I am beyond exciting.

The debris has since been cleaned up, the extra beds made with clean sheets, the boy's lack of aim has been wiped from our one toilet and the carpet sprinkles have been applied to get the funk of children and life out of the family room. When the kids come home tomorrow, they can play and I can bake. Happy almost Thanksgiving...ooh The Blacklist is on now! Squirrel!


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New app addiction...crud

So thanks to my friends, J and B, I am now addicted to a new app called "Quiz Up". In the few short hours I have had it on my phone, I have already gotten in a "General Movie" trivia match with what I am imagining is a 12 year old girl with an ipod Touch in Great Britain. I may not know what Miley Cyrus said in a Nicholas Sparks movie, but I can crush the, again imagined 82 year old from Canada, in Indiana Jones questions. Don't try me, Ethel. The downloading of this app was very poorly timed as I am attempting to get Thanksgiving cooking and cleaning and prep underway as well as serve as the carpenter's helper to the hub in the bathroom remodel. It is not so easy to speed answer who played "Fredo" in The Godfather while using a crowbar to hold the cast iron tub up and away from crushing hub's hand. You think the necessity of a downstairs toliet would be in the morefront of my mind...not knowing that Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert were in It Happened One Night. But yet, I kept answering...and answering....until that creepy little British 12 year old beat me to the quick on a Fight Club question. Ego bruised, I had to put the phone down and walk away for a few minutes. But as soon as I finish writing, I will continue in my quest for Quiz Up domination of children a fraction of my age. They need to be schooled on something. When you play movie trivia, lady, you are in my house...right after I make some dressing to put in the freezer.


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