I went to a friend's house on Thursday for an ole-fashioned playdate. Now, this friend of mine is a woman that I've known for around 8 years. We don't see each other that often, but our children are in the same age range. They adopted 3 children and two are 6 (Cecelia's age) and one is 5 (Bella's age). Consequently, the kids love getting together with them. She lives in Woodbury, which means that from Plymouth... it's a super-long-drive.
So, I drove all the way to her house and was just sitting down with a soda on her porch to talk (the kids were outside playing together) when something started happening. I felt my skin on my face, arms, and neck start to burn. It felt like my skin was literally burning off and I figured that a rash must have spread all over my face. As I sat there, I was thinking: "Do I say something? I wonder if I am completely red." I must have looked like a tomato or something.
Of course, I didn't really feel comfortable after having just sat down, to ask to see the bathroom. In addition, we don't see each other that often, so I wasn't all that comfortable in exclaiming that my skin was burning off. Also, this has never happened to me. I'm not prone to rashes and typically will have the sore-throat/stuffy nose symptoms when I'm allergic to something. I've never been the rash/fever type.
To top it all off... I have no idea what I might have had a reaction to! No pets... so could it have been something in the air?
I'm sitting there thinking to myself: "If this gets worse, I'm asking for benadryl."
After about 20 minutes of skin-crawling pain, it finally subsided a little and I went into the bathroom. My arms and neck/chest area was bright red. After a little while longer, it all went away and I didn't have any more problems.
I wonder if my flaming tomato skin was alarming to her.
I'm totally affected by the cleanliness of my house. Granted, there are always those areas that I don't pay as much attention to and/or can somehow explain it away. However, for the most part, I've begun to realize that when I have my house clean, I feel so much better.
For the last 2 weeks, I was put on a weight and exertion restriction from the dentist and my husband enforced these laws. The kids helped clean and my husband helped get things done... but of course, it never was deep cleaned.
So, today I cleaned. I was so determined to get somewhere. Slowly but surely I got through the whole house and finally was able to work on my gardens and patio. The work-load ahead of me in the next couple of weeks in the yard has become more and more substantial. I realized that I haven't even really looked at my deck because I've been so busy cleaning out the front gardens and reorganizing the front-yard.
In addition, we have a bonfire in our backyard that is surrounded by a garden of hostas and ferns. [lots of shade] Since we've decided to make this little hibachi idea from Good Eats on Food Network, I needed to move around 3 ferns and a gigantic hosta tonight. Once I get it all weeded, I need to mulch and set the bricks, class 5, and backing for the hibachi pit. On top of all that, the logs that frame the entire garden need to be redone (thankfully we have some, it just is all the elbow grease work).
Regardless of the amount of work ahead of me, it feels good to have something done.
I wonder if part of the reason why I have the exhausted days, is because I have days like today. Grrr... I need to slow down. At least it's clean... I feel so much better. Is that bad that I kind of push myself on the days that I have energy? Are you affected by the cleanliness of your house?
For the last several months I've been struggling with these random days that seem to pull the rug out from under me.
The week will be going fine, my energy-level will be great, and then suddenly I wake up completely exhausted. No amount of coffee seems to help and no amount of consistent vitamin taking seems to alter the frustration of these days.
Today was one of those days. I would blame the fact that I did stay up late the previous night working on business stuff... and had gotten a little sun-burned after an afternoon at the park. So, possibly my body was just begging me to get more sleep. Maybe I can just explain it away with these cir****stances and move on.
What frustrates me though is that I don't ever really wake up. There are days where I haven't gotten a great nights sleep and still manage to regain some energy.
Then there are days like today.
Grrr! I just wish it would all even out. I just wish I had some answers... some way to regulate my energy-level and possibly predict the days that I will have to figure out how to get through the day with no energy.
My family (the extendeds on my side of the family) have decided to have a stay-cation. Mom wants to pop tents in her yard (we aren't that thrilled to stay each night at her house- but whatever), spend Thursday June 25 to Sunday June 28th as a family. In order to make this happen we have all decided to take one day during this weekend. Mom has Thursday and we now have the countdown of who claims the following days. I haven't chosen one yet. On these days we plan the activities for the day and provide the food. My mom has split us all into teams and our family has one day, my brother and his wife have another, and all the younger siblings have the final day.
Here is the breakdown of people in our family:
7 adults
1 high-school
1 tween
5 kids from 6 to 1
My mom's day is planned partially, this is what she wrote to us: " Thursday would start out by picking strawberries... maybe out in the fields by 8am and back for Mia's [that's the one year old] nap by 10am
Then we can process some of the strawberries and freeze them and maybe make jam and strawberry pies for dinner.
Then we will plan another event for the afternoon after naps and before dinner. SO we will take Thursday! "
From this, I deduce that we are going to try to keep Mia on her schedule (as I don't know how easily she adjusts to switching nap-times etc.), consequently that makes things a little different.
So, I have to work around a 10am nap time that I might be able to get Jack to take ifI can tire him out :) Other than that, it needs to be free because we can't pay for that many people to go to an event. Also, I need to plan a full menu from breakfast (which could be as simple as some muffins that I can pre-prepare) to dessert.
I need your help! What should we do?
I was thinking about going to the Rose Gardens and/or fishing at Lake Harriet, but wonder just how much fun this would be for everyone. I also remember taking a scavenger hunt in St. Paul when I was younger and that was fun. Again, not sure about the little kids in this one.
We have a bonfire pit at mom's house and ample room to cook if necessary, but I want it to be fairly easy because I know I'll go overboard with whatever it is (even if it's just hot dogs). I just love cooking and will always find ways to make it more special.
Give me your ideas!
I'm open to locations, menu ideas, games and or ways to make a simple activity more fun. The point of this stay-cation is to spend time as a family and enjoy a fabulous weekend. Therefore, it doesn't have to be spectacular, because the focus is not on the events as much as enjoying our time together.
I realized something the other day as a 'light-bulb going off in your head' sort of revelation, which by the way is totally weird because if my head started to glow like a light-bulb had litterally turned on I would be freaking out. Seriously, who came up with that phrase because I'm pretty certain it wouldn't be a "Viola" moment as much as an "oh my God what is WRONG with me, am I going to blow up" sort of moment.
Jack has always has a hard time waking up after naptime. Unlike his sister Sophia who (when she takes a nap) will dance out of her room like a fairy and proclaim to anyone who cares that she had a great nap. Then, she usually asks for a drink of water and tells me either of her lollypop dreams or about how her babies were good for their nap. Within minutes, she is outside playing with a spring to her step. Jack wakes up grumpy and has been known to break 30 minutes with crying and grumbling.
Usually when he wakes up, I am in the midst of dinner preparations, going to pick up Cecelia, or finishing up a final chore before the busiest time of the day. Consequently, I'm often not necessarily available to him.
Then, in the midst of my sickness, I realized that he just needed one moment. I know, I should have seen this sooner, but I didn't... and I'm just happy that I finally figured it out. When I was sick, I was not rushing around the house, cooking or doing any of the normally busy activities in this time-frame. For the most part, the comfy Ikea chair was placed next to the fireplace and a book was in my hands with a warm blanket to warm my propped up legs. Jack would come up the stairs with his signiture frown and he would come over to me and crawl onto my lap. Then, to my delight grumpkins left and my happy little boy returned.
So, I've been trying this technique over the last month. When he wakes up, I immedately sit down and hold him. Yesterday, I was in the midst of dishing up chili for the family (he had fallen asleep for his nap fairly late). I heard him coming up the stairs and I finished handing out the bowls. Of course, the chorus of requests continued, but I told them all that I needed just a moment. I grabbed the now crying Jack who was holding onto my legs and we sat on the couch. As I kissed his head, he stopped crying immediately. Then, he said: "mom, I'm hungry" and jumped off my lap. It was only about one minute that I held him, but it was sufficient to ensure that he was happy. Soon, he was happily eating his chili at the table with the rest of the kids.
Each child is different and has different needs, Jack most-certainly needs one moment of my attention right after naptime.
