Mom's can't get sick, right?

I was under the impression that once you entered the ranks of motherhood your sick dues were done. Another one of my misconceptions about entering the exciting world of adulthood....It has proven untrue.

I thought we were sick last weekend. HA! We have left the house maybe twice in the last week only for prescriptions and milk maybe. This illness has spread to all of us - me the worst. I have had to appetite, no voice, no energy, but I still had 3 kids (all sick too) who were needy, needy, and needy. We have all hacked up at least one of our lungs, maybe both depending on when you talk to us. We are still battling the pink eye - the kids hate the eye drops and it's challenging to get them medicated on a daily basis. The worst of it is the violent spells of coughing - keeping us awake at night and our bodies sore from the constant contraction of our bodies.

Luckily, Travis didn't get it as bad and was willing to make hot dogs, order pizza, etc. for dinner. I was useless. But I must admit, during the week I was able to reflect on the wonder of being an independent person with no responsibilities. Here are some of the differences I have come up with from single sick to mom sick:

Dinner: As a single sick person you can choose to eat or not to eat. As a mom sick person you must make dinner or your family will starve - even if you feel like eating NOTHING. (lucky for my my husband pitched in).

Rest/Sleep: As a single sick person you can crash on the couch, bed, floor, who cares, you just want to sleep and nothing will hinder that. As a mom sick person you sill just want to sleep, but you can't because you kids want to lay on you or by you or poke things in every opening they see visible on your body, your kids are sick too and they want you to hold them while they are sleeping.

Humidifiers: As a single sick person the humidifier that keeps the air nice and wet so you don't cough all night, is magically working with water all night so you sleep peacefully. As a mom sick person, you give the humidifier to your kids so they will sleep better and then you suffer through the night and get up (coughing and all) to refill the thing so they continue to sleep like they should.

Aches/Pains: As a single sick person you take whatever meds you need to alter your state of mind into a more blissful rest. As a mom sick person , you help your kids do this, while all the time you intend to take your own, but someone needs help in the bathroom and your head is pounding...you are nauseated at the smells they produce as sick people, but are not allowed to be ill at the thought/sight/smell and you are consumed by the children not adding terrible messes to your already messy home, so you get them to the bathroom in time and eventually forget you were supposed to take something.

Hopefully, we are through the worst. Hunter missed the entire week of school. I have gained a greater appreciation for my mom being a mom and me being the sick child. I don't know she lived through it, and yet she did, so I will too. I can remember one particular instance as a child when both Scottie and I were sick. I thought I was sicker and was hogging my mom's attention....until he came over and puked all over her...I let him reign as king of sick. I just remember my mom not getting upset about it. She held him and helped him and still loved me too....Such patience I have to aspire to.



Enough with that - other things this week:

• Tyler gobbled a sucker and wouldn't give it up for anything....I think he found it in the trash )Gwendalin didn't want hers.
  
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• My mom quilted me a new bedspread - love it....
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• The chest of drawers fell on Gwendalin when she was trying to get clothes to change into. (she was luckily not injured)
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• Hunter got upset with Gwendalin for taking too large of bites and told her she was going to choke and die....her response "At least I'll be with Heavenly Father."
• My house is a disaster.