Category Archives: Flotsam / Jetsam

Flotsam / Jetsam

Monday came home with a vengeance

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Why yes! That is Nichole taking a nap in her dad's backyard.

A (generic) Benadryl hangover does not set the stage for a smooth re-entry into everyday life. I knocked myself out cold with children’s diphenhydramine last night, and this morning I am still a little hazy and a lot irritable. I try not to take the stuff at all, but I was having a humdinger of an allergy attack and I succumbed. Maybe someday I’ll remember how beastly I feel after taking it.

Because just being under the influence of over-the-counter medication isn’t enough, we also dealt with random nighttime vomiting from Pete in the middle of the night. (Both of the kids got sick last week, but this doesn’t seem to be related. Bonus yak!) And then the towel bar fell off the wall this morning, and every item of clothing we own needs to be folded and put away, and the dustpan broke and sent cat litter dust all of the kitchen floor and I had to call Hazmat in to clean it up.

Sigh.

Anyway.

We were on vacation last week, and this week we are not. I believe I’m suited for a life of leisure, and every time we end a vacation I find myself wondering why we didn’t pursue Independent Wealth as a career path. It was a lovely vacation week, though, with lots of time spent in the pool and with family. I’m even sporting what, on me, passes for a tan. That is, I’m a slightly darker shade of pale than normal. Some other things I did:

Read

  • “Blink,” which was fascinating.
  • “The Cutout,” which was better than I’d expected it to be.
  • Probably three-quarters of Joe Biden’s “Promises to Keep,” which was very interesting until it started to put me to sleep.
    Watched

  • A very impressive fireworks display.
  • A lot of local news broadcasts.
  • “America’s Got Talent,” because it’s my dad’s favorite summer programming.
  • “Super 8,” which Rockford had already seen and wanted me to see. It was the best “ET” meets “Stand By Me” movie I’ve ever seen. (Really, I enjoyed it.)
  • “Bridesmaids,” which made me laugh and is still making Rockford laugh.

    • What did you do for summer vacation? Or what are you going to do? And how do you make your return-to-normal a little easier to handle?

    Family matters, Flotsam / Jetsam

    Summer, summer, summertime. Time to sit back and unwind.

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    I keep seeing these wonderful Summer Lists all over the internet, and I thought we’d make one of our own, and I’d make a cute thing like this to display the ideas. So I asked the kids, “Hey kids! Tell me some fun things you’d like to do this summer.”

    And here’s what they said.

    Poppy
    Play in the lion pool.

    Put pots on your head.

    Do some Puzzle Buzzes.

    Make your own book.

    Make funny faces.

    Get very close to Mama head.

    She has already played in the lion pool (it’s inflatable, and it’s in the yard), she got very close to Mama head while I was taking dictation, and she worked on her “Puzzle Buzz” book on and off all day. So it looks like she’s having a bang-up summer thus far.

    Pete
    I would like to play Rock Band. I would like to play some rocking songs that I like. And that’s all. I must think of some more things. I’d like to play Rock Band, and I’d like to play my favorite video game on there. It is called Pacman. And I’d like to do my other favorite thing. It is called go to the movie theater and watch movies, and I watch DVDs at home. That’s all, Mommy.

    So far we’ve done everything on Pete’s list except play Pacman. Looks like my work’s nearly done.

    If you’re looking for some great Things to Do This Summer Lists, I’d recommend The Artful Parent’s. She’s chock-full of great ideas.

    Flotsam / Jetsam

    Not the souvenir I’d requested

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    Last week was long. Rockford was in Shanghai all week, and the internet went out on Friday. (Not that the two on on a par as far as Things That Are Unpleasant for Nichole go, but the internet outage was the icing on a rather difficult cake.)

    Rockford got home Saturday evening, and he’s been in various stages of exhausted since then. He brought home some cute pajamas for the kids and a cold for me.

    The good news is: The internet guy fixed the internet for us yesterday, and today it’s gloomy and rainy. If I have to be sick in May, I’d rather the weather be blah right along with me.