Laundry, Listerine, and Little Girl Fashion...

It's been quite the weekend around here.  It started somewhat earlier than you might think.  I've actually been home since Wednesday.  Wednesday evening, Olivia came down with a 24 hour bug.  We spent the evening cleaning up vomit, as well as other things.  I have to give a shout out to my hubs.  He cleans up the things that I can't and doesn't shy away from it.  Seriously.  Best husband ever award.

Then, on Thursday, Miss Liv was still going through it, so, I was home with her.  She was happy to go back to school on Friday.  But, overnight from Thursday to Friday, we got a bit of snow.  About 3 inches or so at our house.  Since I'd already had a 2 hour commute last week, I opted on staying home again.  Which turned out to be lucky, because guess who started puking early Friday evening?  You got it - Mia.

This is before she started puking.  She put together this outfit, and we needed to document it. Please disregard the laundry in the background.

After spending the nighttime hours from Friday to Saturday pretty constantly awake for puking, and other bathroom breaks, among the constant whining, I got up early with the dog.  Then, as the kids got up, I got to cleaning.  With the help of both brothers and my husband, we have cleaned and disinfected the house.  Also, I have done more laundry this week/weekend than I think I have ever done in one laundry session before.

Today was pretty fun.  I made some homemade granola bars that turned out super-great.  I made some "swallows nests" that has a real name in Italian, that I have forgotten.  It consisted of beschamel sauce, homemade pasta (oh, you read that right, homemade pasta), mozzarella, parmesan and ham.  Yum.  With a green bean and red pepper side dish. (You can find the recipes I make on Pinterest).

Impromptu family game night.

Tony and I got to have a second date night in two weeks on Saturday.  We've apparently gotten older and more boring than you can imagine.  We went to dinner, then to Old Navy, rented a movie and watched it on the couch.  I think we were home by 8.  Can I tell you a secret though?  Those 2 hours or so with Tony was probably my favorite of the weekend.  Even though we did the same thing we do with the kids, but without the kids.  It was fun to just hang out with him. We talked about setting aside a time, daily, for no TV, no phone, no computer.  Were we can just hang out together.  Yes, I know normal people call this "dinner time."  In our house, hubs doesn't get home until after dinner, so that's not really how we roll.

 I took this picture while out and about on our date.  I'm thinking that we can print it up and hang it in the garage, once the garage is finished up.

How was your weekend?  Are you ready for the week ahead?

What a night...

Tonight has been one for a personal record book.  I'm not sure how this all happened, but it's happened pretty quickly.

My typical Wednesday is a work from home day.  But, I do a split shift, to cover some later hours.  During the break time, I do my midweek grocery shopping.  I also keep my little one home with me on Wednesdays since it eliminates the need to drive as well as keeps me with her just a little more.

Today, like any Wednesday, I worked from home.  I put the little down for her nap at the designated time.  I stopped my first shift.  Went down to the basement, worked out.  Came upstairs, started making my grocery list and seeing how long it would take to make dinner.

It was going to take more than 2 hours to make dinner!  So, I got started, but forgot, one of the primary items on my list was chicken stock.  And my recipe needed that stock.  I stopped cooking, grabbed the little (she was awake) and went to the store.

What's funny is, when she got up, she came downstairs in a different outfit than she had gone to sleep in.  Plus, she didn't come to see me, she hid in a corner.  Mommy-dar was pinging away.  "Did you pee in your pants?"  "Yes."  Great.  "Did you pee in your bed?  Or did you just not make it all the way in the bathroom?" "Not in my bed, mommy."  Thank Goodness.  I had errands to run, Yo!

On the way home from the grocery store, we stop and pick up Sissy.  One look at Sissy and I asked if she was feeling well.  At first, she's fine.  Then, on the way out, she's all, my tummy hurts.  I don't feel good.  Um, hello?  Where were you 2 minutes ago when I asked how you felt?  On the way home, I'm quizzing her on what she ate, which equates to carbs, sugar, and more carbs.  Awesome.

Now we're home, the girls plant in front of the TV for Spongebob while I get to making two dinners, one for tonight, one for tomorrow.  Olivia has decided she didn't want to eat, and Mia can't seem to stop eating.  Quickly, I have to get back to work, while two dinners are simmering and baking.

Olivia asks to go to bed, and I say yes.  She's gone, I only have the little one and my brother to contend with while finishing up my second shift.

After I'm done, I'm listening for Tony to show up.  Finally, he does, and I go to add the avocado and cotija cheese to his soup for him.  At this point, Olivia comes downstairs.  She says, "I'm sorry mommy, but I threw up."  Ok.  "Did you clean yourself up?" "Yes."  "Well, I can see some puke in your hair, go clean that up and go back to bed."  "But, I threw up in my bed."

Oy.  You'd think that would have been part of the first sentence - not saved for the end.  I tell her to go get in her top bunk, and I'll be up in a minute.  At the same time, Tony walks in all huffy and angry.  Goes and gets his coveralls, and starts working on his car.  Apparently, it started misfiring on a cylinder on the way home.  

Great, hubs in bad mood, tired and cranky.  One daughter playing dress up by herself. The other one in her bed, filled with puke that I get to go clean up.  

I go to clean up the vomit-ridden sheets, comforter, mattress protector, shirt, and get that into the laundry - at least the sheets.  I make her bed.  She says she's feeling better.  "Did you get puke on your comforter?" "Comforter?"  "Yeah - this big blanket right here."  "I don't know."  Filled with vomit.  That's fun to find on your hands.

Now, after all this, it's time to put Mia to bed.  She's in a great mood.  Brushing her teeth, brushing her hair, washing her face.  Let's go to bed.

Oh yeah.  She peed on her bed.  Like 4 hours ago.  I found it now.  More laundry.  More trying to clean mattresses.

This all happened in about the span of an hour.

On a good note, one of the cats decided to come out of the basement all on his own!  Progress!

Finally, a post...

I haven't been posting much lately.  It seems like there was such a whirlwind of activity, with my Grandpa passing, heading quickly out of state and back again, getting sick, getting back to work, new interesting things at work, etc.  I've been working out, and surprisingly not cooking as much.  My other brother has joined my house too.  Life has been surprisingly busy, and I have not been in my head.  Which is a bit of a relief.  But, I have also not been writing which weighs on me.  As usual, when I try to push myself back into the swing of things, I start with pictures.  It's been some time since I've linked up for iPPP, so, let's do this!!!

This is my little grown up girl wearing her Valentine's Day loot - shirt, head band, purse.  Which she kept a Hello Kitty in.  Only the important things, am I right girls?

The pup lost his 'fro.  But still can rock a "Bat Dog!"

Got an awesome lunch date picture.  These girls are FUN!

But, they need some reminders on basic hygiene.  This is now framed and hanging in their bathroom.  They had a huge giggle-fest last night, but have most likely already forgotten all about this.

Got myself a Valentine's Date Night, Saturday the 16th.  Found out that the hubs had put in red lights on the Mustangs foot wells.  This is exactly what it looks like - no editing.

I made this marbled cheesecake.  One word. Yummmmmmmm.

The two of us together, also from date night.

Having fun snuggles....

Scary/funny face snuggles....

And back to sweet snuggles...

My sweet pup always looks sad.  It may just be a ploy for more dentasticks.  Or to trick the cats out of the basement.

Finally, we got to see what this year's dance costumes will be.  The yellow are long shorts.  So cute.

Have a happy Tuesday, All!

Linking up with Greta @ gfunkified for iPPP.

A life less normal....

It's been a busy week or two around this land.  I missed last Thursday's second week of Celebrate Yourself, mostly because I came down sick, and forgot.  Shame on me.

About two weeks ago, on January 30, my grandpa passed away.  He wasn't sick with cancer, but I had heard a few weeks before that he was in congestive heart failure and his kidney's were failing. He had been on hospice care for some time.  So, this was not much of a surprise.  And, in a lucky twist of fate, my two aunt's that do not live close to my grandpa got to come in to visit one last time and say goodbye.

We spent the rest of that week planning on how to get out to Kansas, and when to get to Kansas, and where we would stay when we got there.  Who would be coming, where would my brother meet up with us, here or there, etc, etc, etc.

So, while the kids slept and my brothers and husband watched the end of the Superbowl, I began packing for the long drive out to Kansas.  We would need very little since we would only be there for 2 nights.  We drove down on Monday, for the visitation Monday evening, stayed for the funeral on Tuesday, and had to roll back to Illinois on Wednesday.

On the ride home...

It was a long/short trip.  One that was so good, because we saw so much of our family.  Family that we don't see very often, mostly because we live far away.  But, it was so good to see everyone!  It really is amazing what happens when you grow up, because, so does everyone else.

My gorgeous cousin, and her youngest son.

So, we drove down on Monday, and of course, Miss Liv decided that was the time to be sick.  Thankfully, not tummy-sick, but fever-sick.  But, that didn't stop both of my kids from being up super early, and not sleeping for the entire 9 hour drive to Kansas.  When we went to the visitation, Olivia was sniffling, sneezing, glassy-eyed, coughing, sitting on a couch wanting to go back to the hotel.  Mia, on the other hand, was bouncing off the flippin' walls because she gets overly hyper when she doesn't sleep.  It didn't take long to decide to send Tony back to the hotel with the girls, while Derrick and I would walk back to the hotel.

That night, we put Mia in the bed with us, so that Olivia could get some sleep.  Mia had a hard time falling back to sleep, and we all did not conk out until about 11:30.  Of course, she was up by 5:30 the next morning.  Trying to be nice to my family, I took her out of the room and down to breakfast, where she flirted with the construction men that were there.  I had expected the breakfast area to be empty when it opened at 6 AM, so we wore our pj's.  I was wrong and got to show of our pj's.  Yay.

My Breakfast date

Cut to later that morning at the funeral service.  Mia was sitting on my lap and I was trying to keep her quiet as services started.  She finally did settle down, but I didn't notice that she had fallen asleep until she started snoring.  As my cousins start to notice the snoring in the middle of my grandpa's funeral, and turn around, I was struck with inappropriate laughter.  I was crying and laughing and sleep-deprived as my also sleep-deprived four-year-old continued to snore through the service.  My guess is that my grandpa was laughing with me, since he liked to find the funny, especially when it came to kids.

 Good bye Grandpa.  We'll miss you.