Fall BRACE is here!

The Headlines:

Fall "Break" is a farce.

It should be called Fall "Brace!"

Here's why.


I am dead serious.  The word "break" cracks me up when it comes to school "vacations"… it always seems like a glorious idea until life happens.  Kids arguing, urgent care visits, hot weather.  Break - my behind!

I vote we call it Fall Brace.  Why?  Because that's really what it is.  I am bracing myself for what this break and the rest of year holds.  This time "off" does give us a brief chance, hopefully, to get our lives a bit together - to possibly prepare ourselves for the rest of 2014.  In theory.

That's what I did at least, for the first couple days of our break this year.  BP (the husband) was home, the weather was warm but not quite hot so we went to a fun carnival the first day.  The kids got snow cones, balloons and their faces painted!

Then, I escaped to get my hair done, which means BP took over.  Life was feeling pretty good.  One Picky Chick was One Happy Mommy.  The next day, we headed to the pumpkin patch… McDonald's Ranch up in North Scottsdale.  I love that place, by the way, and they've added lots of new attractions this year including a train!  Anyways, the weather was getting a little warmer.  Bordering hot.  This is us overheating a bit.

That night we headed to a friends for dinner.  We went to bed early.   I was confident and bold - now THIS is what break is supposed to be!  I had so many things planned.  Like jam packed: play dates, parks, dinners with friends, museums, doctor/dentist appointments (not everything can be a party), bbqs, sleepovers.. you name it we had it planned!  Until reality hit.  It started early.  My son walked into my room Monday morning barely able to breathe.  His friend had croup and I knew our turn was next.  We have battled croup/stridor multiple times before so I knew what to do.  I got him to the breathing machine right away, gave him some Benadryl and headed into a nice, steamy shower.  AHHHHHHHH… nope.

That gave him a little break but after an early afternoon nap it was ON again.  Croup gets worse after a child sleeps.  **Sidenote.  If you have a breathing machine and a croupy kid… don't use Albuterol.  Only use Pulmicort.  Albuterol gave him only little relief.  Pulmicort is routinely used as a first line of defense at ER's.  So back to the breathing machine, shower routine - check.  Not making him better - oooops.  Call the doctor - check.  Closing in 15 minutes - crap.  Long story short… we ended up in the Urgent Care that night.  This is us there -

a spoon full of popsicle helped the medicine go down.  The medicine go dooooooowwwwwwwnn - medicine go down.  Get it?  Sorry.  I just love that song.  Good old Mary Poppins.

Therefore, our fun outing to the Children's Museum was canceled today.  Oh but not just because of my son sounding like a seal… but because my friend was sick also.  Yep, it has begun for her too.  See what I mean?

FALL BRACE 

So, it's the middle of October and we are stuck in the house. Why?  Not just due to sickness but also because it's hot out there.  We're at that in between spot where it's a bit too hot to ride bikes and a bit too cold to go in the pool without heating it.  Around here, in Scottsdale Arizona, it's 95 degrees today.  But the longer you stay in the house - kids go crazy.  You know what I'm talking about, right?  I can NOT  tell you how many times we've had this conversation:

Me: who did (fill in the blank)?

Kids: I didn't do it.  He/she did!

Me: I don't care who did it.  Don't do it again.

Kids: silence.

Me: DO you UNDERSTAND me?

Kids: yeeeeees.

  

Sound familiar?  I know the conversations are basically the same just in different households all over America.  I, on the other hand, like other American Moms… love being inside my house with "nothing" to do.  I can plan our lives, get organized, schedule appointments, write in my blog, clean, cook, as you know the list goes on and on.  And on.  It's just all the stuff that makes a Mom swoon.  Wait, that is so sad.  But true.  It's sadly true.

So as my kids are recuperating, arguing is happening and I am trying to plan… my Anniversary… which is this weekend by the way - WHAT TO DO?  I start to feel a tickle in my throat.  Could it be?  Is it starting already?  It's way too early for me.  It seems I was just thanking God moments ago for the Summer heat which zapped all our germs away!  Read the blog I wrote earlier this year about being a Super Sick Mom.  Click here for that.   Yes sickness happens - a lot - to children (and their Moms) which means a time bomb may be ticking inside of me as I sit.  Hmmmm... I wonder what would Mary Poppins do?

Whatever - Fall BRACE is here!