*Alternate title: Our Weekly Trip to Target*
Caroline has been sick since Sunday afternoon. She woke up from her nap with a fever, and, like a good mom, my first thought was not Oh, my poor, sick baby. My first thought was Great, now I have to find a sub. In case you didn't know, this is a very bad time of year for a preschool teacher to be absent, what with all the Christmas crafts, gifts, etc. that need to be finished. It is also a bad time of year for a high school history teacher to be absent, what with finals and overachieving students who feel the need to harass him endlessly about grades. Basically, it sucks to be two parents with a sick kid at this time of the year.
But I digress...
So, since Sunday I have been home with a feverish child who has woken up the past two nights, and this momma does not do well with two fighting boys as a general rule but DEFINITELY does not do well with two fighting boys and a sick baby girl if she has interrupted sleep. This morning I finally reached my limit and decided I needed to get this child in to see the doctor even though their rule is 72 hours with a fever before being seen. I assume the nurse/receptionist could hear my controlled desperation as she allowed me to get the first available appointment, which meant, 1. we very well might be late to the boys' last swimming lesson and 2. I would being going to my not unattractive pediatrician having not showered for...ahem...four days. After he pronouced a sinus infection, I was thrilled to know there would be antibiotics, and I must confess, the knowledge that the fever will be gone by tomorrow so that I can go back to work.
After our swimming lesson, we headed to Target to get her prescription filled. I knew it would be a bad trip when the pharmicist (and everyone else in the store) could hear us as soon as we walked in the door. I thought maybe I could avoid much of the whining if I steered clear of the toy section. (Yes, call me a seasoned mom.) However, I did not know this Target as well as the one I usually visit and headed right into the Toy Story bedding area, AKA the whine zone. There is nothing that tries my patience quite as much as hearing other kids whine, but something that can top that may just be hearing my own kids whine.
"Mommy, I need this. I CAN'T live without it!"
Hmmm...at this point logical reasoning sort of went out the window, and I played the Christmas/birthday card. As in, "You are getting a bunch of stuff in the next couple of weeks, and I've already spent a ton of money." This *might* work for a college-age kid. This does *not* work for a five-year-old.
"If I don't get this for Christmas, I'm going to throw all of my toys in the trash."
As I write this I am laughing. I was not laughing a few hours ago.
The whining continued as we passed the Christmas cards, as I talked to a co-worker who saw us (trust me, that one was embarrassing), as we checked out at the pharmacy. The only time it abated was when Grant tried to squeeze into the cart and was shoved into the corner and told that he was taking up too much room. That was when the fighting took over again.
I bet you wish you were at Target with us. I'm looking for babysitters--any takers?
I keep trying to remember that these are the best days of my life. This afternoon when Caroline handed me book after book and eventually handed me Love You Forever, I realized that these days will pass (Remember my sentimental last post? How quickly I have forgotten!) and maybe I need to take the time to rock my kiddos who drive me crazy during the day but are so sweet at night when they are sleeping soundly.
And really, things are looking up with a 2nd dose of amoxicillin and Motrin--because this girlie IS going to be fever-free tomorrow, and I AM going to work, and I MUST work off this stress-eating junk I've digested the past few days--for all of our sakes!
But I digress...
So, since Sunday I have been home with a feverish child who has woken up the past two nights, and this momma does not do well with two fighting boys as a general rule but DEFINITELY does not do well with two fighting boys and a sick baby girl if she has interrupted sleep. This morning I finally reached my limit and decided I needed to get this child in to see the doctor even though their rule is 72 hours with a fever before being seen. I assume the nurse/receptionist could hear my controlled desperation as she allowed me to get the first available appointment, which meant, 1. we very well might be late to the boys' last swimming lesson and 2. I would being going to my not unattractive pediatrician having not showered for...ahem...four days. After he pronouced a sinus infection, I was thrilled to know there would be antibiotics, and I must confess, the knowledge that the fever will be gone by tomorrow so that I can go back to work.
After our swimming lesson, we headed to Target to get her prescription filled. I knew it would be a bad trip when the pharmicist (and everyone else in the store) could hear us as soon as we walked in the door. I thought maybe I could avoid much of the whining if I steered clear of the toy section. (Yes, call me a seasoned mom.) However, I did not know this Target as well as the one I usually visit and headed right into the Toy Story bedding area, AKA the whine zone. There is nothing that tries my patience quite as much as hearing other kids whine, but something that can top that may just be hearing my own kids whine.
"Mommy, I need this. I CAN'T live without it!"
Hmmm...at this point logical reasoning sort of went out the window, and I played the Christmas/birthday card. As in, "You are getting a bunch of stuff in the next couple of weeks, and I've already spent a ton of money." This *might* work for a college-age kid. This does *not* work for a five-year-old.
"If I don't get this for Christmas, I'm going to throw all of my toys in the trash."
As I write this I am laughing. I was not laughing a few hours ago.
The whining continued as we passed the Christmas cards, as I talked to a co-worker who saw us (trust me, that one was embarrassing), as we checked out at the pharmacy. The only time it abated was when Grant tried to squeeze into the cart and was shoved into the corner and told that he was taking up too much room. That was when the fighting took over again.
I bet you wish you were at Target with us. I'm looking for babysitters--any takers?
I keep trying to remember that these are the best days of my life. This afternoon when Caroline handed me book after book and eventually handed me Love You Forever, I realized that these days will pass (Remember my sentimental last post? How quickly I have forgotten!) and maybe I need to take the time to rock my kiddos who drive me crazy during the day but are so sweet at night when they are sleeping soundly.
And really, things are looking up with a 2nd dose of amoxicillin and Motrin--because this girlie IS going to be fever-free tomorrow, and I AM going to work, and I MUST work off this stress-eating junk I've digested the past few days--for all of our sakes!
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