Nothing to see here, people. It's only Whinesday. Keep moving, keep moving.

Yesterday Paul took Abby to the doctor for the sore throat that she'd had for a week. She hadn't run a fever, but her throat looked really yucky. (Yucky. Yes, that's a medical term. Look it up in the Journal of American Mommy Medicine.) The doctor said that there was a bug going around that causes a sore throat and since she'd had it a week she wasn't contagious anymore, treat her with Tylenol and Motrin and send her to school. He said it wasn't strep and didn't test her for it. I didn't think it was strep, but I know that since she doesn't have tonsils that throat infections go into pharyngitis and that, my friends, isn't fun. I've had it. I know.

That was all well and good until she came home last night nauseous. And then I was thinking that he should've done a rapid strep on her. She was so nauseous that she actually asked for Phenergan. The kids hate the Phenergan. It's a nasty fluoroescent green, foul-smelling potion, lemme tell ya. When they were post-op after their tonsilectomies and using the Phenergan liquid I had to tell Sam that it was alien blood and he had to drink it to keep the aliens away. Gross yes, but the kid took his medicine. So when Abby asked me for some last night I knew she didn't feel good. She was chilling and pale and looked like hammered doo.

And before karate last night Sam was complaining of a sore throat.

So I lined up the kids before bed last night and started doping them up. Abby got some Motrin and more Phenergan. Sam got Tylenol Cold and Flu w/Cool Burst for his sore throat. Kady got her Singulair to ward off the evil spirits because we haven't had any major asthma outbursts this winter and I'd like to keep it that way, thank you very much.

Paul went to Men's Night and the kids went to bed and I came out here to play my newest obsession: Collapse. I kept hearing something in the back of the house and figured that Kady was up pilfering around. She took a pretty long nap yesterday and I figured she was having trouble going to sleep. Nope. All three were sleeping like logs. But I kept hearing noises like someone was walking around in the living room and down the hall. I guess the ghosts were just really restless last night.

In fact, speaking of ghosts, Paul and I were moving some furniture around out here in my office this weekend. He asked me what this part of the house was before we moved in. When the house was built it was a garage and later they turned it into a den. Then they built a half-wall around part of it, the part that is now my office. They built this little cubby for her mom to sleep in. I told Paul that and he looked kind of thoughtful and said, "Hmh. So....I wonder if it's her that I see walking through the house every now and then." [Dana, I know you've been reading the blog lately - she didn't die in here did she???? Maybe it's your grandma splitting her time between your house and mine?!?]

Anyway, there are periods of time where we hear nothing strange, see nothing strange and then other times I feel like we're not alone. No one's ever scared, the kids haven't ever acted frightened and we never feel threatened, but there are definitely times I feel like there are other presences here. I took an online quiz last week and it said I was definitely NOT clairvoyent, psychic or even remotely capable of any of that, so who knows.

*shiver*

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Tater has had a stomach bug thing since early Saturday morning. She went to the clinic yesterday to have more blood drawn (They had to up her Coumadin again - she obviously had maple syrup running through her veins.) and was so borderline dehydrated they had trouble finding a vein. 4 days with a stomach virus!! I have been nauseous since Monday night, but I have a real aversion to vomiting and will do everything in my power to avoid it. Sometimes there are times I wish I could because I know I'd feel better if I could, but there's something in me that just can't. Now Paul, you can say "vomit" and he's puking over the moon. Bleh.

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I dug out all of my old Kindermusik CDs yesterday and the kids and I have been having a blast with them! Back when I only had one child and had time and money, we enrolled Abby in a Kindermusik class in town. She took two regular semesters and one summer semester. She was 1 1/2 and 2 when she took the classes and still to this day remembers the songs. She's been out here this morning wrapped up in a blanket like an old woman, singing along and rocking in my rocking chair. I tried to get CBB to do a fishy finger play with me yesterday, but he honestly gave me a look like, "You, my grownup friend, are certifiable." CLB, however, was rocking and clapping and singing like Randy Jackson was watching him. CBG is still alien posessed and music has no affect on her whatsoever. She did get the giggles watching all of us dance around the room like goons, though. My gosh, I love my job. I can act like a total dork, wear my sweats every day and then there's nap time!

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Abby and I are sharing an office now. When the girls' bunk bed started breaking we decided to separate them into two twin beds in order to avoid making a Kady sandwich. Well, that now means that their room has enough room for two beds, two dressers and a small desk that holds the karaoke machine. That's it. There are two walkways to scoot through and well, I can't gain any more weight if I'm going to continue walking in there. Since the bed separation Ab's desk has been sitting in our foyer, like a reception desk. Except it's yellow and has magic marker marks all over it. And ceramic kittens. And some weird artsy looking thing that I think might be a napkin holder, but it might be an upside down saddle for all I know, that she made in art class last year.

So Sunday and Monday Paul and I rearranged my office. There was a small chest freezer out here that we really just don't need. We have a larger small chest freezer on the carport that holds everything that we need frozen. The one that was in here had deer meat in it and Paul hasn't gotten a deer in like, 3 years. So we emptied the smaller one and moved it to the barn, so I guess if Paul is working on the tractor and gets a hankering for a popsicle he should be good to go. Then we moved Ab's desk out here and a drop-leaf table I got at an auction. The table is for all of my GS stuff; I'm an organizational freak and need some order to my ever-growing files, craft supplies and endless permission slips. After it's all said and done, strangely enough, I think my office has more space now. Ab thinks she is hot stuff with her desk out here by mine. She's got a cat calendar and a memo board over her desk, I gave her a couple of my shelves, too. Plus, the coolest part - my office has two Napoleon Dynamite posters on the wall, so who wouldn't want to be in my office? It rawks. And no, my chickens don't have large talons.

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It's Wednesday and I haven't whined in ages, so I'm going to give it a go. Actually, I whine all the time. Have you ever heard my voice? I'm one whiny woman!! It's pathetic really. Anyway, even though I actually whine a lot, I'll just make a list of whines to put on the blog today.


* My birthday is 3 days away. In three days I will be 33. It's not near as cool as 23 was. At 23 I was a whole heck of a lot skinnier, had far less grey and a lot more money. That sucks. Of course, now I have three kids, less money but a lot more joy, so I guess it all works out.

* I woke up this morning with my left hip hurting. I have no clue why.

* I heard this morning from one of my mommas that they said earlier this week that it's supposed to snow this weekend. THAT IS GOING TO STINK IF IT ACTUALLY HAPPENS. The day I was born it was raining and every year from birth until I was about 15 it either rained or snowed on my birthday. It would figure that this year, after a 4 month drought, it will snow 4 feet or something. If I don't get to make the birthday casino run I will throw a genuine humdinger of a fit, you just wait.

* I'm cold.

* I just heard from CBG's momma that her brother in law, a guy that Tater graduated with, is in the ICU in critical condition. He went into septic shock yesterday and is really, really sick. They weren't sure he was going to make it last night. That's scary. So if you're a pray-er, you might send a few up for him.

* Okay, the Kindermusik is kind of starting to get on my nerves now. One can only handle so much of a very dramatic man with a tenor voice singing pirate songs and a soprano with too much vibrato singing Pitty Patty Polt. Where's my dang Barney CD....... At this point I could go for some large purple dinosaur singing about manners.

* All of my nails were the same length and I had them all squared off and looking pretty good then over the last two days I've broken 5 of them.

* Paul has something planned for my birthday, but no one will tell me what it is. It's this big hushy thing that everyone giggles about and says how much I'll like it, but for the life of me I can't figure out what it is! Surprises drive me batty!!! I wish they'd have all kept their mouths shut and actually surprised me, rather than tell me there's a surprise and then make me wait.

* If it snows a buttload this weekend I can't get my tattoo. I will be mad.

* Okay, that's it. The Kindermusik is going bye-bye. I would even rather endure Kidz Bop than one more minute of the Musik for Kinders. SOMEONE FIND THE BARNEY CD!!!!!