I’ve determined my husband gave me his allergies.
Yes, while I’ll admit, the medical community would probably frown at the conclusion I’ve drawn, let me take a moment to make an argument for my case.
I didn’t have allergies before I moved to Eastern Kentucky. (Apparently, I was living a life of bliss, and I didn’t even know it.)
My husband, however, grew up as a regular allergy shot taker, and now laughs as his allergies are minimal, while mine have not only developed, but keep getting worse
In fact, I’ve joined the ranks as a full, year-round allergy sufferer. All year. Yes. Something bothers me, all year.
This is why I blame my husband entirely for my problems, and have therefore determined allergies are contagious — or, perhaps, something that’s in the water — seeing as, these are the only things that makes sense.
The great thing about the holidays is getting to spend so much time together.
Yes — all that lovely family time — spent in close quarters.
Time to hug, snuggle up on the couch, and spread the love around.
And, we’ve certainly had a lot to share this year.
In fact, during the last few weeks, we’ve sort of turned it into a competition at our house. And we’ve tested just about every which way we can trade around the various illnesses that have plagued our family this holiday season.
It’s like the gift that keeps on giving.
But, in truth, it seems I get sick about this time, every year. It’s become a sort of special time to look forward to. A time when I can get nothing done, but just be thankful to still be breathing.
Drat kids. Since having children, I spend more time sick than ever before. This wasn’t on the warning label.
Trying to brush an unwilling child’s teeth is like trying to wrestle a gator with clinched jaws. And you better watch out — they can (and do) bite.
After a lecture from the dentist about how we really need to be making the boys brush their teeth twice a day, I began to get worried.
How was I going to get this done?
The boys no longer do things just because I say they should. They question everything and anything you tell them to do. They must ask the whys, and the what ifs.
But why must we brush our teeth? What happens if you don’t eat your vegetables? Why do I have to wash my hands again after I use the bathroom?
They certainly keep me on my toes with so many questions. I now have to play out the “what happens if we don’t do this” scenarios for them. I appreciate their inquisitive minds, but it’s exhausting.
And for some reason, they don’t always believe the answers I give them. (Because you know, I’m so often trying to lead them astray.)
It is said — you are what you eat.
It’s hard enough getting the message through to yourself, but getting kids to eat right, can be even trickier. So, to make this concept easier for my two boys to understand, I explain:
If you want to swim like a fish, jump like a chicken, grow tall and strong like a carrot, vibrant like a strawberry and wholesome like yogurt, that’s what you need to stuff in your face.
My boys literally eat me out of house and home. They are quite skilled at jumping, climbing, reaching and sneaking for food. The boys eat and eat and eat — everything and anything they can get their hands on. I’ve never seen anything like it. I refer to this time as: the feeding stage, because they are quite like The Very Hungry Caterpillar on his quest for food. And as caterpillars, we know they go about mindlessly eating whatever is in front of them.
So your family is piling up the laundry, dirty dishes are waiting for you in the sink, and your children ran through the mud and tracked it through the house. You’d think this would all put you over the edge, driving you into the depths of despair.
You will never be able to get it all done, let alone have any spare time for yourself.
But you’ve got to put away these negative thoughts, and look at things in a new light. Just tell your kids (and your spouse) to go at it … get in there and make those messes. Cheer them on even.
As the debris start accumulating, you stay relaxed and take it all in stride. After all, you know how to keep your cool. In fact, snacks and juice all around! Anything for your family.
Our kids are in the negotiation phase of life. If we want them to do things, it will happen, but usually it comes with some benefit to them – they usually end up on top.
They will clean up their room … for a treat, they will clear the table … for a bath, and of course they will eat their vegetables … for dessert. It’s a classic, but in our house, it gets the job done.
But if you think about it, very few things in life are done without some kind of incentive.
It’s the time of day I dread the most – time to feel the burn.
Yes, it’s true that this is somewhat because my body is screaming at me, “Why? Why me??!” The pain, the sweat, the anguish, but mostly, it’s because I dread what the boys will do next.
Will they break another tablet, have a wrestling/biting/kicking/fighting match, eat a whole box of cookies, take off all their clothes, steal your free weights, try to swing like a monkey on your treadmill again, or attempt to fly off a piece of furniture?
Chances are yes, yes and yes.
