Joseph as Indiana Jones

I'd like to shoot whoever said Motherhood is joyful.....

My blog posts are always such saga's....prepare yourself for this one.

So tonight was one of the worst parenting nights I have had in my almost 6 years as a mom. What I experienced at home tonight will be one of those moments I'll never forget and will always remember to bring up to my children millions of times when they are young parents!

I had to work tonight but after an hour of work I could hardly talk. I have issues with my throat, but that is a whole other story I will share later. Or never. Anyway, I got home around 7:30pm and the kids were of course so happy to see me and I was so happy to see them. Neal said they ate a good dinner and were ready for bed. I hadn't eaten so I sat down to eat and check out the news while Neal took the kids upstairs. After a few moments I could hear Olivia screaming. And screaming. And yes, more screaming. I ran upstairs, went into her room and shut the door to try to discover the problem. She gave me a wide variety of complaints....she was mad about getting her teeth brushed, mad about putting on her pajamas and mad that she had to go to bed. I got her to calm down, made some funny faces, tickled her tummy and got her to agree to have story time. Story time, scripture time and prayer were great and the kids were off to bed.

Then the 3 hour bedtime saga began. Seriously my kids aren't that hard to put to bed. But tonight...I don't know what happened. Joseph went to bed easily and fell asleep instantly. I sang to Olivia, played with her a little and left the room. She was overly tired so she started to scream and protest again. She is so LOUD! I went back upstairs after listening to that for 1/2 hour to give her a piece of my mind...(don't worry, I was calm) and tried to soothe her. It worked and she started to drift...when Joseph came to the door. This is the sweet part of the story. I was shooing Joseph away when he said..."Mom, I think Olivia needs some comfort from her big brother." I thought that was so sweet I agreed. Uh uh......wrong choice. He was so very sweet and tender with her for several moments. He told her her big brother was there to take care of her and she would be alright. He held her hand and kissed her on the cheek and told her he loved her. He smiled at her and even laid down next to her. As cute as it was it caused even bigger problems than before!

Suddenly and to my even greater surprise, all hell broke loose. It has been almost a year since my sister died and I have been talking about her a lot lately. Joseph does talk about her frequently too and how much he misses her. Tonight he said that Olivia's screaming woke him up from a bad dream he was having about Erin and he wanted to talk about it...in Olivia's room right as she was finally drifting off to sleep. As I was urging him out the door he collapsed in my arms with a huge cry. Now, please don't get me wrong. I am sensitive to my children when it comes to my sister. I know it is hard for them to understand. Joseph always asks when she is coming back and when he can see her. I try and explain it the best I can. I tell them she is their guardian angel and she watches out for them all the time.

So to make a long, boring story shorter....the night continued on in this fashion. Screaming and crying from both kids. Joseph really milked the grieving issue and tried to score a movie instead of going to bed. I am no longer sympathetic when my child uses that as an excuse to watch a movie. Again I realize the comprehension of a child is so different than ours, but Joseph isn't any regular kid. He is smart beyond smart and learning a little bit about manipulation. After 3 hours of chaos and crying the kids finally settled down and went to sleep. Not my ideal way of putting the kids to bed at all!

Maybe when the day comes to share this story with my kids, I will only remember the sweet parts. But right now, I am trying shake off the disappointment of the evening and more than anything, trying not to feel like a failure as a parent. Things like this wouldn't happen if I was doing it right....right?

I did find some joy in Motherhood tonight. Sometimes it's just the tiny, tiniest glimmer of joy and I can hardly feel it or see it, but it is always there.

Scarlet Fever and a Loose Tooth

Joseph and his new smile (notice the lipstick all over Olivia's face)


This is what our life was like starting February 25th until 3 days ago:

Feb. 25th: Joseph went to school, played with a friend all afternoon and ended the night with a birthday party . He woke up with a fever around 11pm that night.

Feb. 26th: Joseph didn't go to school. He laid around the house all day watching movies, sleeping and telling me how terrible he felt. Still had a high fever.

Feb. 27th: Joseph stayed home again; his fever wouldn't break and he was lethargic. I sent him to bed around 1:30pm, when I woke him up at 4pm he was covered in a strange rash. I called the doctor at 4:15pm and told them about the rash...they said bring him in right away. Of course the one day Neal takes the car to work we need to go to the doctor! We got there at 4:59pm...1 minute before closing time. The doctor did a strep test and it was positive...but it wasn't just strep..it was scarlet fever! I was so shocked..because who gets scarlet fever these days? Joseph was crying pretty hard after his throat culture was over so the nurse came in and gave him some Tylenol with codeine. That stuff is magic!

Feb. 27th - March 7th: Joseph improved a lot over the weekend thanks to the magic syrup called codeine and a strong antibiotic. He went back to school on Tuesday, March 3rd.

March 7th: I noticed Joseph's teeth looked a little strange, so upon further examination, I found an abscess on one of his upper front teeth! I freaked out a little and called a pediatric dentist to get some advice. Fun for me..I had to drain the abscess all weekend long.

March 9th: Went to the pediatric dentist who decided Joseph's tooth should be pulled. Joseph was so excited. I was a little nervous...I thought it might be an ordeal and asked for laughing gas so he could relax. I learned that laughing gas makes Joseph talk really loud and the dentist pulled the tooth faster than you can say "oh my heck."

March 12th: Just when I thought Joseph was over the worst of his ailments, he woke up with croup. Back to the doctor we went...another co-pay and another stinking prescription.

I hate March. I always have. Every year it is the same...one long huge stretched out month full of misery. I can't help but wonder what is in store for the next 2 1/2 weeks of March. BUT, spring is coming....I am going to try to be positive no matter what!

Classic Chicken Pot Pie

A lot of friends have been asking for my pot pie recipe so here it is! My friend Michal made it for us when Olivia was born and we've been eating it and making it for everyone else ever since! Enjoy...this is true comfort food!!!

Classic Chicken Pot Pie

1 package Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
2/3 cup milk
3 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 cups frozen mixed veggies, thawed

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare pie crusts as directed on package for two-crust pie using 9 inch pie pan. Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cook 2 minutes until tender. Add flour, salt and pepper; stir until well blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk, cooking and stirring until bubbly and thickened. Add chicken and mixed vegetables; mix well. Remove from heat. Spoon chicken mixture into crust lined pan. Top with second crust; seal edges and flute. Cut slits in top. Bake at 425 for 30-40 minutes.

Waiting

On Tuesday's I watch an adorable little baby named Chloe. My kids love her and I love her. I was feeding her and both kids wanted to help. As all three of us were feeding Chloe I asked Joseph if he was excited to have another baby come to our family. He said an enthusiastic yes! and asked if I was pregnant. Sadly, I told him no, but we should pray that we get another baby to come to our home. Joseph said,"Mom, I'm going go pray right now," and he marched upstairs.
A few minutes passed, Joseph came back down. He said, "Well Mom, you are going to have the baby later." "Later?" I asked, feeling sad. "Yep, later. But the good news is....it's a boy!" I smiled at him as he continued..."but yeah, it's gonna take a long time for the baby to come." I felt my heart sink. We have been trying for a year and a half already and I'm starting to feel like we'll never have more kids. I asked Joseph if he heard Heavenly Father's voice tell him those things. He said he just felt those answers in his heart.

Sometimes I forget that the Lord has a plan for us...for me. I am sure there are reasons why we haven't been able to have another baby yet. This experience is a testimony to me that I need to continue learning, growing and remember to follow the Lord. It will happen in the Lord's time.

The lion in the Wizard of Oz had.........

Neal was testing Joseph the other day about the movies we watch. Neal kept tempting Joseph and enticing him to watch a movie that was not appropriate for a 5 year old. Joseph told on him, of course.

Joseph: "Mom.....Dad wanted me to watch the movie Cloverfield with him."

Me: "Oh. Well, why didn't you watch that bad movie with Dad Joseph"?

Joseph: "Because I had COURAGE!"

I love my smart little boy!

Chocolate Teddy Grahams: My Nemesis

I am trying to diet...but as fate would have it, my darn husband brought home two boxes of Chocolate Teddy Grahams. I can't stay away from them. I ate one box ON MY OWN in one day. (hey I was sick...don't you eat chocolate when you're sick?) I don't know what it is about those little chocolate bears that makes me lose control.

So, Happy Inauguration Day everyone! Enjoy this historical day and more importantly, enjoy a box of Teddy Grahams!!!