Day 29: Sick. Again.

Today marks my sixth sinus infection in as many months. That doesn't include the ear infections, bronchitis and strep throat that hopped in the mix during that time period as well.

I'm not sure what on Earth is going on with my insides, but I am hopeful that this super long round of antibiotics (this time they came with an ENT's phone number) might do the trick.

I take vitamins, exercise, sleep, eat (relatively) well, drink water - what am I missing?

*This post is day 29 in my 31 Days of What Matters.

Day 28: Home Again, Home Again!

Look who's back under our roof:

And her brother too, I promise.

Mac and Mary Brooks arrived on our doorstep this afternoon via Mimi and Grandpa's chauffeur service. They went straight to bed for belated naps and slept right through our small group gabbing away in the living room. Fantastic timing!

Even at times Mac and MB would have been sleeping, our house felt extra-empty without them this weekend. I'm thankful for the extra hours with B, but we were very glad to have our tiny people back in our arms.

With a trip to "Mimi's library," a full-on hayride and Halloween party extravaganza and a massive Southern breakfast under their belts this weekend, they were worn out and awfully cuddly this evening. Thanks, Mom and Dad!

*This post is day 28 in my 31 Days of What Matters.

Day 27: Solo Saturday

Mac and Mary Brooks are still in Columbia with my parents, so today was spent taking full advantage of our sans kids time.

The smile is a lie here; it was still dark out!

We woke up at 5:45 am (eep - that hurt) for a group run across town on Furman's gorgeous campus.

Biscuit tiiiiiime!

I was far happier afterward, when we were headed for breakfast. Mmm!

After a morning on Caesar's Head enjoying the view and marveling at the freezing temperatures (how is it so much colder just thirty minutes from home?), I indulged in a long mid-day nap. Heavenly. It's amazing how much longer a day seems when you rise before the sun; that's a new feeling for lazy ol' Anne.

After naptime came a two-hour phone call, long overdue, with my best friend, plus a luxurious hour of getting ready. All by myself. It was a total flashback to pre-baby years!

Upstairs solo fashion show!

B and I enjoyed some "on the town" time, and took in the spectacle of some truly, er, original costumes. Holy nudity, y'all. If you can make a costume "sexy," somebody tried. Sexy hamburger, sexy nun, sexy plumber. It was bananas.

We fuddy-duddies enjoyed the good giggle, and after my relatively long (for me) run, my legs were thankful for the walk.

Here's hoping we can sleep in tomorrow, since we didn't today!

*This post is day 27 in my 31 Days of What Matters.

Day 26: Truck Stop Trade Off

Packed up and ready to go

Tonight Bradley and I drove our kids down I-26 to meet my parents halfway between our home and theirs.

In the light of a truck stop parking lot, we handed off our children as one might gingerly pass along the goods in a drug deal. It was (almost) as shady as it sounds.

Mimi!!! Grandpa!!!

But the excitement - wowsers. The giddiness was in the air, both for Mac and his Mimi and Grandpa; my eardrums are still ringing.
As soon as we pulled in and saw their car, the squeals were unstoppable. Mary Brooks, turned backwards, was confused but couldn't stop giggling at the hoopla.

I don't know who's going to have more fun this weekend - the big people or the little ones. I'm grateful to  my parents for loving our bambinos so well, and I'm excited to have one full baby-free day on Saturday. It's a foreign but fabulous feeling, and just imagining all that free time makes me smile.

I'm off to bed for an early morning - earlier than if Mac and Mary Brooks were here. Whew. Wild weekends are a thing of the past, kids.

*This post is day 27 in my 31 Days of What Matters.

Day 25: Driveway Conversations

There's something about conversations in the car - they just flow a bit more easily.

Maybe it's because you aren't looking directly at whomever you're riding with, or you feel more at ease because there are many roadside distractions?

Whatever the cause, I find car rides to be the source of pretty deep conversations, all things considered. You  might be passing a delapidated building or a row of port-a-potties, but your words veer into deeper waters - things that don't always pop up across a dining room table when you're face-to-face, trying to talk.

I didn't think these kind of chats would start so early for Mac, but today we had a long conversation in the driveway that took me back. I suppose he's so busy when he's not strapped in that sitting still lets him dig deep.

Today he asked me about God, relayed his day at school, wondered what people do in heaven and told me why he loves Mary Brooks so much. ("She's mine. She's just my baby sister. God put love in my heart so I can give it to her.")

I hope these kind of talks never stop coming, and I might just start driving the long way home from school...

*This post is day 25 in my 31 Days of What Matters.

Day 24: Dimmest Bulb in the Box

Tonight I made a batch of beef vegetable soup while Bradley fed Mary Brooks and whipped up some baby food.

After all the cooking, I really wasn't in a 'soup' mood for supper, but I was still flattered when I saw Bradley had made me a bowl of it and left it on the stove top.

Having changed my mind, I poured my untouched bowl of soup back into the pot as I wondered if Honey Nut Cheerios could pass for a dinnertime food.

It wasn't until two-thirds of the bowl's contents were out that I realized I was dumping Mary Brooks' freshly pureed plums into a meaty, tomato-based pot of soup.

I scrambled to salvage what I could of both the plums and the soup, as I don't think the two flavors mix particularly well.

Lesson learned: pay attention when you pour, don't presume Bradley has made you supper (you are considerate, B, but not usually that forward-thinking), and cereal does in fact constitute an evening meal.

I hope the soup is just as good tomorrow, though I'm sure I'll 'taste' plums even if every bit is long gone.

Signed,
The Dimmest Bulb in the Box

*This post is day 24 in my 31 Days of What Matters.

Day 23: Boy Mom, Girl Mom

A year ago I couldn't imagine being anything but a "boy mom." Even at two, Mac seemed every inch a boy; it was hard to envision our house with anything pink in it.

Today, I find that the balance (at this age, at least) is pretty easy to maintain.



In one corner of our house, Mac finds a handy spot to stow his preschooler-sized basketball.

In another room, I'm squealing as Mary Brooks tries on her first bow.

I get a little bit of everything these days, and it's pretty darn fabulous. I hope MB enjoys my massive scarf collection one day; it will make me feel far more justified at having so many.

One of my very favorite "see, I tried!" scarves.

(My everyday uniform is jeans with flats or boots and a tee topped off by a scarf. It's my "look like you care but you've actually just peeled yourself off the sofa" trick. Not sure if it's working, but it's the best I can do...)

If scarves are out of style when MB's a teenager, this poor girl will inherit absolutely no accessories or noteworthy pieces from her mom's closet. Maybe I should start diversifying?

*This post is day 23 in my 31 Days of What Matters.