and we're all better

how do i know? the 30 minute tantrum thrown at 8am this morning by peanut when i informed her that before we went to our friends home for shabbat lunch, she had to shower. man, that gasket was blown sky high. it almost resulted in no breakfast for the girl. it did result in a mini-tantrum from the mm. intense. so, no more fever, antibiotics working their magic, linens cleansed, toothbrush changed.

we did a spring-clean this morning. yesterday it was almost 80 degrees out -- windows were open and i happened upon...the dirt. dust. piles. junk. so even though it's saturday, and even though it's 55 degrees instead of near 80, we opened the windows and got to work. even the little animals helped. washing and vacuuming and straightening aren't my strong suits, but mm's pretty good at them :-)

when do YOU spring clean?

peanut...butter!

you know that old cheesy joke about the papa tomato and the baby tomato, that ends in the papa tomato saying, "ketch up!" ?? well, that's being done in my house, except it's my peanut that's down and out, and she's all peanut butter. strep throat + random stuffed-nose virus + non-ending 100 degree temp = peanut butter, all smooshed-feeling and rotten. poor babe.

but, am i wrong to love me some sick kid? not that i enjoy her misery (and whining), but she's honestly too sick to really whine with oomph. she's just a pathetic little sweaty thing that needs holding and snuggles and kisses and sippy cups of water, even though she's almost 6. i desperately want her to feel better and i desperately don't want her brothers to get sick and i desperately want to find a magic cure.

and...i'm to blame! i have had strep twice in the past month, gave it to the magic man twice now (yeah, we like each other), and now the peanut. poor babe. at least she didn't smash a finger like margot (http://www.digthischickmt.com/2011/03/hump-day-nuggets-thumbs-up.html) but it's all relative. now, back to planning a sick-kid contingency plan.

a re-do questionairre

i believe in re-do's. also, i'm pretty different than i was in 2008 when i started this blog, abandoned it, and then rediscovered it. so i'll allow myself a re-do on my very first post....

what were you doing 10 years ago?

23 years old seems like a long time ago. in about a month i would meet my now-husband, my magic man. that rocked my world, for sure. surprise, not what you're looking for! i was in my 2nd semester of graduate school, living on my own for the first time, very independent and aware of that independence.

what are 5 things on your to-do list?

1. try to stay awake for a movie tonight...TRY being the optimal word there.
   
2. change the sheets
   
3. make something with the meyer lemons in the fridge
   
4. clean (some things just don't change)
   
5. moisturize
   

things i would do if i was a billionaire:

same answer, but i'd add "donate" to this list: pay off my debt. pay off my parents' debt. move my grandparents into snazzy assisted living. buy a house in the outer banks. hire a trainer. hire a housekeeper. travel a lot. hire a babysitter to take with us when we travel. sell my house. get weekly pedicures.

5 places i have lived:

ok, 5 more: baltimore, MD; cleveland, OH; fort wayne, IN; owings mills, MD; chicago area

only 5? sao paulo, brazil; virginia beach; bloomington, IN; farmington hills, MI; south bend, IN...and so on!

3 of my bad habits:

geesh, maybe i'm not so different! i also say "yeah" a lot.

biting my cuticles (so ugly), yelling, saying "cool" a lot -- i swear i am not 17.

5 jobs i've had:

(the more entertaining ones)

• cleaning lady at an auto-parts factory
• hostess at applebees
• fruit stand attendant
• assistant teacher for a kindergarten classroom
• librarian at a summer camp

how did you name your blog?

it is who i is. my husband calls me indiana when i get all midwest on him, and here i am in baltimore.

it's my party and i'll....

XX is an odd age -- not an age ending in zero, not one ending in a five. that's me -- my birthday was yesterday. my magic man did everything in his power to make it am amazing day and i did feel awesome...i still feel awesome. homemade truffles, sleeping in, breakfast in bed, an evening out w/out the animals, i mean, kids.

that said, i'm still XX years old and it's a nasty thing to face. my friends now talk about having to dye their hair b/c they see too much gray. my friends USED to talk about wanting to dye their hair with manic panic but their moms got mad about streaking the shower doors with the bold colors. it's crazy. one minute i feel so mature and got-it-together, the next i feel as out of control (good and bad) as i did when i was 22.

all in all, i'm glad i'm XX. there is always a chance the next birthday won't come, and god knows that i know that. i'm grateful for every one i have.

the animals are two

monkey & the bear are 2. many many presents entered our home in the last few weeks, many of which hadn't. case in point -- we are all on our computers. yes you read that right - isaac, jonah, and i are all on our laptops. they talk, they sing, they encourage 2 year olds to go online and personalize their email (seriously!). i'm sure they teach the ABC's and animal recognition, but they also create fights and are awesome weapons when monkey is looking for something to hit bear over the head with.

time flies when your babies are babies

my babies aren't babies. they were, and then poof! they're not. to be two years old is such a strange thing -- mine can walk, run, almost jump, push, eat, shout. they can't talk much but they can understand every little thing. they love and hug and kiss and smack. they high-five and fist-bump. they're not babies anymore, but they're my babies! happy birthday, monkey & bear!

the sad & the happy, all at once

17 year olds shouldn't die. not by accident, or illness, or their own hand, or in war zones. a former coworker/former friend's son died this week. it was sudden and in their home. unexpected. i didn't go to the funeral and didn't visit during shiva. i couldn't, and i can't even write a note. not yet -- i hope. i will be able to but i keep having this supremely mortal feeling when i think about. what if it was MY family? what if it was ME? what if i had been closer to them, or if it happened to some i was closer to? it doesn't really matter, though, b/c it didn't happen to anyone but them and their pain must be unbelievable, ripping, searing, awful.

both my husband and i have had some close brushes/conversations with Death, and have had people close to us die. we make light of death b/c we don't like it. we joke about THE BIG C because it's been here. death makes people uncomfortable. it should make people uncomfortable but it also makes me feel lucky. it wasn't us. my kids are here. i am here. he's here. we're all here and it wasn't us. i keep telling myself that. it just doesn't make me feel less sad.