Ear Infection Madness

I have an ear infection.  Yes, me, not the kids.  Me.  I am the one with the ear infection.  Since last Friday, I have struggled with horrible pain, loss of hearing and the urge to cut my ear off my head.  I am on my second round of antibiotics.  I still can't hear.  Ear drops haven't helped.  I am now convinced I will have to live the rest of my life this way, unable to hear and in chronic pain that makes it hard to chew.

On the plus side, my bad hearing means I can't really hear the boys fighting during the official Fighting Season: Round Eight, otherwise known as Will It Ever Stop Snowing for the Love of God?

On the bad side, the pain in my ear makes me realize I should have probably been a wee bit more patient and more kind to my own children when they had ear infections.  Because yes, it really does hurt.  And it hurts bad.

Sabres!

Chris rotates taking the boys to the Sabres games.  It's a treat to have a date with Daddy at the game and all of them really look forward to it.  This year, all of them have had a chance to go and soak up the hockey game or well, the popcorn and nachos, which is what I think they really look forward to.

Sleepin'

We are at dinner when Griffin announces that Brennan has a funny story to share.

"I do?"  Brennan asks, looking at Griffin as if he has no idea what he is talking about.

"Yes!  Remember?  What happened during your test?"  Griffin says, already giggling.

"Oh!"  Brennan starts to laugh.  "That's right."  Brennan stops, obviously enjoying the attention.  "Well, a few days ago I had a test in school.  And I was so tired.  Remember Daddy how I was up all night because my legs hurt?"

Chris grimaces.  "Yeah, I remember."

"Well, I didn't sleep at all that night and I was so tired.  We were taking a test and I felt sleepy and I fell asleep.  The next thing I knew I fell off my desk and was on the floor!"

Oh Dear Lord.  My dear sweet boy who falls asleep while taking tests.  The teacher must have had a field day with that one.

The Fifth Season

The calendar may have four seasons, spring, summer, fall and winter, but all moms know there are actually five.  The fifth season doesn't have an official start date on the calendar, but it usually hits our house in mid-to late February, sometimes March.  We call the fifth season:  The Fighting Season.

The length of the Fighting Season directly corresponds to the whims of mother nature.  If we have an early spring, the Fighting Season is blessedly short, but God help us if spring is late to arrive because then Fighting Season feels as if it will never end.

We are full on in Fighting Season in my house.  We have been for weeks.  The calendar tells me it is spring, but the forecast only calls for snow, snow and more snow.  My boys are sick of snow.  They don't want to sled. They don't want to build snow forts or snowmen.  Snowboarding?  Forget it.  The amusement in winter and all its fun has lost its luster.  Instead, we shall all stay inside and bemoan the weather outside.  While we wait for spring, let's pick on each other endlessly, day in and day out, while we slowly drive our parents crazy.

I am not a weather person.  I do not watch the weather channel.  I do not check the forecast.  But in the last three weeks, I have become addicted to checking the updates of the ten day weather forecast, just waiting for the break that I know has to be coming.  It must come soon or I may lock my sweet children in the basement.

Fighting Season reached its peak last week.  After a day of squabbles and tears, I solemnly told my boys that I miss my "nice boys and their sweetness."

"Please tell me if you find them, my nice boys,"  I told them sadly.  "Tell them that I would really like to have them back."

Brennan looked at me wide-eyed and then said to his brothers, "I need to talk with you guys in the other room."

Aidan looked at him with questioningly, "So talk here."

"No."  Brennan replied.  "It has to be alone.   Just us."

So, off the three of them went into the playroom.  They shut the door behind them.  I pretended to be loading the dishwasher, but as soon as that door was shut, I scooted over to the door to listen.  (Don't judge me.  We all do what we have to do.")

"Listen.  We all need to start being nicer to each other."  Brennan said to his brothers.

"What?"  Griffin asked.

"Nicer. We have to be nicer.  We are making Momma sad.  When we are nice to each other, she is happy.  So let's make her happy."  Brennan announced with authority.

"Okay."  Aidan agreed.

"Okay."  Griffin agreed.

And all three of them marched out of the playroom with smiles on their faces.  I was back at the sink, loading dishes, but welcomed their three hugs.

The truce only lasted maybe an hour.  But it was a really good hour.  I am off to check that ten day weather forecast.  It may be snowing outside, but I swear I heard birds chirping outside this morning.

Second Grade

Brennan has just the cutest bunch of kiddies in his class.  It is a small class, only three boys among a whole lot of girls, but Brennan seems to enjoy all the attention of his girlfriends.  I was in his classroom this week to take pictures for the classroom school auction project.  I also snapped a few of the class together.  Brennan has been with this group until kindergarten, and hopefully will stay with them through eighth grade.  I love watching them grow year by year.

Winter Fun

St Patty's Day

We celebrated St. Patty's Day with festivities at my mom's house.  Grandma Jo Jo brought out all the leprechaun fun for the holiday party.

Wonder

A friend of mine passed on a book to us recently, a book called Wonder.  It chronicles a year in the life of a fifth grade boy, born with a facial deformity and starting school after being home schooled his whole life.

I picked up the book one afternoon because I had nothing to read.  I finished it in one sitting because I simply couldn't put it down. I laughed.  I cried.  I cried some more.  At its heart, the book is about kindness, about the differences a little kindness and acceptance can make, even as a child.  I loved it.

I passed it on to Aidan.  He read it in two days.  We discussed it as he read it and those discussions were, for me, the highlight of the whole book.  He loved it as much as I did.  We decided to ask his teacher if we could donate a copy to her class.  We also bought an extra copy to donate to his school's library.

I also recommended it to friends and their friends' children.  And now, not only are my friends reading it with their children, but Aidan's class is reading it together and his school librarian just confessed to crying over it a few nights ago.  Aidan's teacher also recommended it to the school's religion teacher.

I love the difference a well-told story can make in people's lives.

I am now reading it with Brennan and Griffin.  We read a few chapters each night, snuggled up together in bed.  It has become a highlight of my day, to share this story with them.  A few nights ago, we got to a particularly sad part of the book.  I stopped reading because I was overcome with emotion.  I looked down at Brennan who was snuggled into my side and his face looked shell shocked.

His eyes wide, he cried out, "But that's so sad!  Why did that happen?  It's just so sad!"  He buried is head into my side and started to cry.  He hid his head with his blanket so we couldn't see his face.  I looked over at Griffin, snuggled into my other side, and he also was crying silent tears with an mouth open wide in emotion.

My boys.  My sweet, sweet boys.  I cried right along with them.

We are close to the end of the book and none of us want it to end.   Wonder has been a gift to all of us.

Griffin and his Buddy

Griffin's friend Patrick came over to our house yesterday for a play date.  The boys were gathered around a group of army men, playing, when Griffin says to Patrick, "Do you remember last summer when we were at the pool and we had a water war?"

Patrick looks up at him and shakes his head, "I don't remember that."

Griffin smiles, "We kept throwing water at the lifeguards at the pool.  Don't you remember?  It was so much fun."

Patrick keeps shaking his head, "No, I don't remember that.  Was I there?"

Griffin nods yes.  "Yes.  It was last summer at the pool."

Patrick cocks his head to the side, "Why do you like to talk about stuff like this, that happened already?"

Griffin shrugs, "I just like to remember things that were fun and made me happy."

Patrick nods, looking at Griffin intently.  "Okay.  I don't remember things like that.  How about you remember all these things and then you can tell me about them later?  And you can tell me if I was there and if I had fun."

Griffin smiled with excitement, "Great!  Well, last summer, we were at the pool and we got into a water war with the lifeguards.  It was fun!  And you were there!  You had a lot of fun."

Patrick smiles, "Cool."

I could stop myself from laughing over the whole conversation.  And then later, Griffin is sharing one of his favorite stories, the time Brennan got carsick and threw up all over him in Florida.

"Patrick, it was like so gross.  Brennan just kept vomiting all over me.  Everywhere!"

Patrick looks at him with wide eyes, "What does vomiting mean?"

Griffin laughs, "It means to throw up."

I could listen to these two talk all the live long day.

Chewy's Pool

It is supposed to be a sand box, but Chewy has other ideas.

Fifth Grade

I adore Aidan's class of kids.  They are simply, a fantastic group of sweet kids.  It is a theme echoed by teacher after teacher, year after year.  This class has hit the jackpot.  Teachers can't wait to get this class.  Other teachers didn't want to send them on when the year was over.  I feel very fortunate that this group of children is a part of Aidan's life.

Part of fifth grade requires a class service project.  Aidan's class chose to raise money for the local Family Justice Center.  They coordinated and ran a bake sale and a dress down day.  The class then went on a field trip to present the funds (several hundred dollars!) that they raised to the head of the organization.