March Madness for Beginners and The Cone of Shame

Well, I survived.
Kasey and I ran from the Bentonville Square to the Pleasant Grove Walmart and back.
It was brutal, but with only four Saturdays left before race day, I really only had two options:
1) run while sick, or 2) don't get an 18 miler in at all.

I chose to do it, because I'd rather hate a training run, than be unprepared on race day.
And while I'm glad I stuck it out and powered through, I definitely felt every single mile in every corner of my fevered, aching body.


I did make a few crucial mistakes:

1) No sunscreen. Duh! Antibiotics + 4 hours in the sun on a beautiful day = a pretty good burn.
2) While stopped at an intersection, a car passed with a dog in the front seat that looked just like this little guy.

I don't know why, but I thought it was hilarious. I spent a couple good minutes laughing hysterically at the ugly little dog with "the cone of shame" on it's head.
I even did the voice of the dog from UP "I do not like the cone of shame!" hahahahaha!

Oh karma.

Shortly after I got up this morning, I jerked my head to the left to say something to Corbin, who was standing by my bed.

As I did this, I felt a sharp snap in my upper shoulder/lower neck.

Pop.
Pain.
Whoa! SEARING pain.


I am now in a neck brace.

It's hot, baby.


Aaron, obviously, thinks this is hilarious and laughs hysterically when I have to turn my entire body to talk to him. He is sitting to the left of me on the sofa tonight, and I swear he is purposely making up questions to ask me, just for the comic relief it provides to watch me sit up and turn my entire body to face him, because I can't see him.


So now, in addition to Strep Throat, a fever that STILL will not go below 99.5, a bladder infection, and a crisp sunburn, I wear a cone of shame.

I feel like an angry old lady that is falling apart.

So how am I handling it?


Let's be real:
Tonight, the kids were acting super crazy and kept fighting with each other. I was helping Reese finish a school project, Quincy refused to put on underwear and was running around naked, and Corbin had climbed up on the table to get the scissors, but found a marker instead and used it to draw all over himself.


Aaron was aware of only Quincy, and only because she kept turning off the tv.
"hey Aaron, can you give me a hand in here? Aaron? Anyone? Beuler?"

What is happening here?

Aaron is an excellent father....but that guy in there, in the living room. That was not Aaron. It was some guy that was very concerned about a bunch of "seeds".

Seed?

Doh!
It's that time of year. I should have known. Of course.

March Madness.

My ailments ain't got NOTHIN' on Aaron's case of March Madness.
It truly is the worst illness that can strike a household.

Symptoms include:
-extremely crazy children become invisible
-very important games = every game
-constant texts and friday night phone calls from brothers and college buddies
-mysterious appearance of nacho cheese and onion dip in the fridge
-your shows will not air a new episode this week or next. Instead, there will be basketball games on 24/7
-a "romantic getaway" will be proposed, but do not be deceived. This is only a plot to get him closer to the Elite Eight. I find it best to do a little research and find out where all the NCAA games will take place, first, so I can call him on his ruse and then earn cool points for going along with it anyway.
-words like "seed", "upset", and "bracket" become parts of every day speech.
-they think taking pictures like this are funny, even after you threaten to put it on the internet for everyone to see. And then continue to laugh even after you guarantee that everyone will agree with ME (the girl in the neck brace, mopping the kitchen floor) that this is sooo not funny at all.

{not pictured: the funny guy with the camera}
This year he has an exceptionally rare and highly infectious form of March Madness, which seems to circulate once every fazillion years when BYU actually pulls together a decent enough team to make it past the first round in the big dance.



WARNING: There is no cure for March Madness.


In the midst of tonight's chaos, Corbin dumped my apple juice all over the kitchen floor (then slipped in it) and Quincy knocked a big wodden stacking toy off a shelf and it landed square on my bad toe.


I lost it.
Time to pull out the big guns.
I glanced over at Aaron and gave him with the look.


You know. The look that every wife swears she never makes, because it makes her seem controlling and needy and psychotic.

The "SERIOUSLY? Do you not SEE what is happening here? DO something!" look.


I learned two things from using "the look" tonight.
1) The look is no match for a #3 seed...especially when delivered from within the Cone of Shame.
2)This isn't just any case of March Madness,

Aaron's been Jimmered.


Instead of the cartoon old lady pictured above, I'm starting to feel more and more like this one:A Mean Meg version of Falling Apart Old Lady Meg.

No one likes Mean Meg.
Send help soon.

I do not like the cone of shame.

Just Follow the Yellow Brick Road...

I just have to say that I could never do this without the support of my good husband.
Aaron, thank you. I love you.


After months of training in rain, snow and sunshine, the big day is only 5 weeks away.
I have officially registered.

I am going to run the Oz Marathon in Olathe, KS.

I honestly don't know how people run marathons by themselves. They must be super fast.

It is so fun to run with friends. Big love and gratitude go out to Kasey, Darcie, Katie, Tanya, Rachelle, Lara, Puan, Becky, Jocelyn, Vera, Tia, Dion, Stacy, Melinda, Amy, and Paul for good company, support, and inspiration on runs over the past 15 weeks. Especially Darcie and Tanya who have joined Kasey and I almost every tuesday night for our mid-week 7-9 mile "short runs" and for a lot of the saturday runs, too. You girls are greatness.



Kasey and I have been putting in 30 miles a week.


Uh, yeah except for this week, where due to strep, ear infections, Aaron being out of town, and my overall feeling like total garbage, I have ran a grand total of ....


that would be zero miles.


Good thing I have 18 miles to run tomorrow morning.
I feel super unprepared and I'm totally going to die.

And I have a fever.
And my shoes are worn through in the soles, and I didn't get a chance to leave the house this week, let alone replace my shoes.

It is going to be hard.
But I am going to do it.
Cuz that's what runners do.

That's just how it goes. Life is hard, but we keep running. We need crazy stuff to happen to us once in awhile to keep us sharp, and remind us that we can do hard things.

Then, while we're whining about how "rough" we've got it, REAL crazy hard things happen to someone else, and remind us that we should just shut up because, dang, our lives are pretty good.

Can I really complain about anything bad happening today after the earthquake/tsunami/utter devastation in Japan?
I've got it pretty good. My life is good. My marriage is good. My kids are good.

So tonight, I'll just be grateful that it was just a round of illness that "shook" our house to humility.

Aaron-I'm so glad you are home. Even with the gross cold and stupid stuffed animals you brought back from Florida.
Kasey-I'll see you at 0-dark-thirty. Bring your germ-x so you don't catch strep. I'll still have 6 hrs on the clock of contagiousness. And maybe bring an extra hammergel for when I fall apart.

I would never do this without you two.

18 miles.

Cue Gob 'cuz it's the final countdown...

...giddeup

Oh Doctor Doctor...

The kids seem to be feeling fine, but Corbin is still wheezy and Reese complained of an earache, so I took them to the doctor this morning and had some tests run.

Strep.

I've never heard of kids puking because they have Strep, but the doctor said it's really common. She also said that it's a common cause for ear infections. Interesting.

In addition to the family-o-strep, Reese and Corbin also have ear infections. I am nauseated to the point of uselessness (mac n cheese for dinner anyone? corndog? cereal? excellent.) and have a killer sore throat/ear thing going on, which is really no surprise at all week, holding hair back, changing bedding, scrubbing up puddles and snuggling the sickies.

Thank goodness for ear pain, or I probably would have skipped the doctor, assuming this was just a typical stomach virus that needed to run it's course.

We all left with antibiotics (yay!), and hopefully, 24 hours from now we will rejoin the land of the living.

Big thanks to the friends who called to check in or offered to bring us anything.

New Toy!

I've been on the lookout for an armoire/hutch/cabinet of any kind for awhile (remember the cute white one I posted awhile back? I went to look at it, broken cabinet hinges, cracked wood in the base, no slides on the drawers and the doors don't stay closed, and $250! Cute, but not practical at all.)
I found this guy on Craigslist for $100 (and she threw in a 32 inch tv). It's 7' x 3' x 18", solid wood and in excellent condition. I don't particularly love the color, but it's in nice shape and coordinates well with our bed, so I may or may not do something (paint? restain? I think it would be lovely in a crusty robin's egg blue, or stained a dark flat/natural antique walnut color) about that in the summer. It's too shiny for my taste, but I love the shape, and the price was right (there are two that are very similar currently listed at $300, and one of them isn't even real wood)
I'll definitely put some funky knobs on it.
I love how tall and narrow it is, it fits perfectly in the space and even with the doors open, doesn't block the bathroom door.
Wondering what's inside?
Peek-a-boo!
Yeah. Shoes. There's only one (tiny) closet in our master bedroom. Right now, I just threw those rubbermaid drawers in there to get them out of sight, but I plan to put 3 more skinny shelves in there so it can house all of our shoes and maybe some sweaters.

I "made" these curtains for Corbin's closet the other day. The fabric was from a king sized flat sheet that I found on the clearance shelf at Walmart for $11. FreshlyPicked.blogspot.com had just posted a tutorial on making window curtains from flat white bed sheets. When I saw the orange one on clearance, it dawned on me that I could use curtains to cover all of the food storage that resides in Corbin's closet. I mean, as much as I like looking a my pretty canned goods and a hundred #10 cans...this is much nicer for a bedroom, right?

It took less than 30 minutes. I just cut the sheet lengthwise down the center, folded and ironed the raw edge and ironed (nope. no sewing on this project!) the edge down with some stitch witchery. Then I picked apart the top two inches of the side seam at the top and slid the curtains onto a shower curtain rod. It was about 12 inches too long, so I "hemmed" the bottom using stitch witchery also. Simple, cute, and a less expensive solution than purchasing closet doors right now. They slide really easily on she shower curtain rod. I screwed a small block of MDF into the door frame for the tension rod to rest on top of, so I won't have to worry about the rod coming down if the kids pull on the curtain. As I was hanging the curtains, I laughed as I thought about how I had managed to make curtains, but had used a chop saw, a drill, screwdriver, and an extension cord, rather than a sewing machine. Whatever. It's Corbin's room. They're boy curtains.

An Update

Reese is feeling a lot better today, and had her last round of sickness around 1am.

Quincy began throwing up at 4am and hasn't stopped.

(Q with the "yuck bowl" and Quetzalcoatl blanket..essentials for a sick day in the Willy house)

If you go to walmart today, please pick me up some sanity in the form of a Reese's FastBreak bar or Rocky Road ice cream. I'm out.

On the brighter side, it looks like this is a fast and furious bug that will be long gone before Aaron comes home tomorrow night.

Sympathy

Reese threw up on the bus, today.

It was stopped at our street, and she threw up on a half dozen benches as she tried to hurry and make it up the aisle to get off.

If only she could have lasted 2 more minutes. 1 more minute, even.

My heart is broken for her.

Everyone has a school vomit story. If it isn't your own, it's about that kid that threw up on your bus that one time.

It's been 15 years and you haven't forgotten. I know I haven't forgotten about the time it happened to a kid on my bus.

I am holding onto hope that this won't be the case for my little Reese.

When she goes back to school, I plan to drive her for a few days to ease the sting of the awkward social recovery. I know I can't protect her from every bad experience, but if there's anything I've learned in 3 pregnancies, it's to have compassion for the girl with puke on her shirt. She knows it's there, go easy on her.

Anyway, she isn't really getting any better, either. No fever, but she's thrown up 5 more times in as many hours, each bout as bad as the one before. She can't keep even a tiny sip of water, gatorade, or a bite of soda cracker down. She begged me to put her to bed at 5:30, but came out covered in her own mess at 7.

Praying that she will feel better soon, and that the other children will not get sick.

Did I mention Aaron is in Orlando all week? We miss him.

***The photo is from earlier this month. The kindergarten classes held a big wedding for letters

Q and U (since they're always together). The boys dressed as quarterbacks and the girls dressed like brides. So cute! ***

Friendly Frogs: Dinosaur Roar!

First of all...I'm kind of sad that I actually need to say this.
I know that I am taking a risk by putting my curriculum out there for the "world" to see, but this is a private blog, so I figured it wouldn't be a problem.
But there is a problem, and I am going to address it, now.

The main reason I post my preschool curriculum is for the parents who have children enrolled in my program.

Reason #2 is to encourage and inspire friends and family to be creative and enjoy learning with thier children and grandchildren.

Reason #3 is to build a portfolio and progress my career in Early Childhood Education.

You are welcome to use or find inspiration from any of the curriculum I post for nonprofessional use, but taking my work (yes, it is work. A lot of work. I have put many hours into developing curriculum that is unique, effective, creative, fun, age appropriate, and catered specifically to benefit my students), and posting it as your own, or worse, using it to make a profit for your own preschool is not nice and not honest. This is my work and my talent. I created it and I own it. Please give credit when credit is due. It does not matter if you are near or far, plagarism is tacky and unethical.

If you are interested in using my scope and sequence or weekly curriculum for professional use, they are available for purchase. Email me for more information, I'd be happy to work with you and create something personalized for your classroom.

That's all.

Moving onto better things...
It's Dinosaur Week up in here!
Literature:


Book: Dinosaur Discoveries by Gail Gibbons
Book: Brontorina by James Howe
Book: Dinosaur Dig by Kathryn Lasky
Book: How Do Dinosaurs (series) by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague (thanks Max for bring your collection to share with the class!)
Book: Dinosaur Roar! By Paul and Henrietta Stickland

Share: Bring something that starts with letter R

Gross Motor Skills: Brontosaurus, Brontosaurus, T-Rex!
We played the classic game of Duck, Duck, Goose, but exchanged the words for dinosaur names.

Sensory: Dinosaur Dig
Hide toy dinosaurs in the sensory bin for the children to sift through and pretend to be Palentologists.

Science: Volcanoes
Lesson: Dinosaurs lived during a time when there were many earthquakes and volcanoes because the Earth was going through many changes. I explained that some dinosaur were buried under mountains where there had been volcanoes, and now archaeologists and palentologists are digging them up and putting them back together like a puzzle.

The children carefully and excitedly set up the scene on the tray. I used a baking soda and vinegar mixture to create lava flow from the volcano

videos are fun. I love when Max says compassionately, "some of you are gonna die" to the dinosaurs right before the volcano erupts.

Cooking/Snack: Dinosaur Sandwiches and Jell-o Dino Eggs
I made Jell-o eggs and PB&J's and the children cut their sandwiches into Dinosaur shapes for snack.
Lesson: Dinosaurs were reptiles and hatched from eggs.

Practical Life: How Do Dinosaurs___? The series by Mark Teague and Jane Yolen teach the dos and don'ts of playtime, cleaning up, going to school, table manners, etc.

We read the How Do Dinosaurs books together, and discussed good manners.

Language: Add to the list of R words

Handwriting: Letter R

Fine Motor: Dinosaur Floor Puzzle
So much can be learned about the different personalities of children from watching a group of them assemble a puzzle. I loved watching them work together, today. Aside from exercising their fine motor and image matching skills, they learned to cooperate, lead, follow, assist one another, and share.