Happy Friday everyone!

The plan: Mr. Acorns in the city for a conference Saturday, I would clean the house with the kids and await Grandma and Grandpa and my neice’s arrival later that day. We’d grill out for dinner, relax. Sunday we’d play ALL day, wade in the kiddie pool, cook, and just enjoy the company. Monday morning was Girl’s scheduled adenoid surgery, so Grandma and Grandpa would be here to watch Boy and take him and Niece out to breakfast while we were at the hospital with Girl.

Awesome, right? Totally perfect. Ready to go. And then? Reality struck.

The reality:

Saturday 1:30 a.m. (one hour after I closed my eyes) — Boy came into my room, “Mommy I puked.”

Oh yeah he had – EVERYWHERE. I mean all over his bed, into the drawers of his bed, where his sheets are stored, thereby soiling every set of clean sheets I have for his bed. I gathered up towels, blankets, a bowl, and a king size set of sheets, and he and I camped out on the sofa for the night. He proceeded to throw up every 20 minutes until about 5:30 a.m., when we both were finally able to close our eyes and try for some sleep.

Saturday 7:00 a.m. – barely over an hour after I had tried to close my eyes – Girl was awake and running around.

Saturday 9:00 a.m. – Mr. Acorns headed off to his conference, while I was still dealing with Pukey Boy and Excited Girl. On like 2.5 hours of sleep combined for the night. The house did not get clean enough for my parents’ visit, but they didn’t care, thank goodness.

Saturday evening & night: We grilled, we enjoyed margaritas, Boy felt much better, and all was well.

Sunday Morning-Early afternoon: Day started off just fine. Slept in, late brunch, relaxing and playing on the deck on a gorgeous, not humid day. Grandma and I ran some errands, and Boy through the most ADORABLE surprise party in his room for all of us, complete with confetti he had been cutting for days and games and coloring stations for all of us. Grandma even got a real chocolate cake for the party (well, for after dinner). It was awesome.

Sunday evening: I couldn’t really eat dinner, just didn’t sit right. But I had enjoyed a soda (I seriously never have soda anymore) and a beer that afternoon so I thought it was just the carbonation bugging me. Hahahahahaha……

Sunday 8:00 p.m. – My turn to start puking. And it hit me like a freaking freight train. I was completely immobilized for about 3 hours.

Sunday 9:00 p.m. – Mr. Acorns started puking. At that point, I couldn’t even rustle up compassion because I was lying prostrate on my bed in pain. Thank goodness for grandparents who were able to get the kids put to bed for us. I eventually stumbled to the living room, let them know I’m not ok, and that we’d have to play the morning by ear.

Sunday 11:00 p.m. – I was finally able to sleep. Not that I slept much that night — between stomach pain and Mr. Acorns getting up to puke every hour. But I seemed to be done after the virus hit me fast and furious.

Monday 5:15 a.m. – my alarm went off. Mother of hell. I get up to sense how I feel. Slightly better than death. Ok, that’s an improvement. Take 2 Pepto Bismol pills, drink some Gatorade, brush my disgusting teeth, swipe on deodorant, pretend to brush my hair and take an Italian shower with some body spray.

Monday 5:30 a.m. – Mr. Acorns still puking. Grandpa was awake, and offered to come with me to the hospital. This sounded good because although adrenaline was kicking in and I thought I could go alone, I knew I should have someone with me.

Monday 6:15 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. – someway, some how, Grandpa and I did it. Took Girl to the hospital, saw her into the OR, waited all of 15 minutes then she was done. Snuggled my poor, out-of-sorts baby Girl in recovery, helped cuddle her back to reality, and we were home by noon.

We spent the rest of Monday just resting and taking care of Girl, and bidding adieu to my rockstar parents and niece who were an incredible, amazing help this weekend. Poor Mr. Acorns was down for the count all day, only emerging for a few bites of food finally around 7p.m. The entire family was in bed and asleep by 9:30 p.m., and we shut off all alarms for Tuesday morning.

We awoke after ELEVEN – yes, ELEVEN – hours of sleep, and everyone felt better.

While I can’t make up the things that went wrong this past weekend, I can say that we had a beautiful Saturday evening and Sunday morning/afternoon. And most importantly, Girl had a very successful adenoidectomy and is recovering FABULOUSLY.

And for that, I would go through it all again.

Boy: (while talking to the wind blowing through the window in the car) “You’re killing me smalls!” Oh yes, I say that, he definitely got that from me. Best. Movie. EVER. And I think we may need to try to watch that very soon with him How many of you are now Googling that quote, and who is already in the know? 

Girl: (it’s 4:45 a.m., she’s in my bed because clearly hers is not good enough. grabbing my face with both hands) “Mama, I think I need to give you a mooch now.” Seriously. How in hell do you get mad at that?

Boy: (after calming down from managing the craziest fall off his bed I’ve ever seen last night as we were preparing to read a book) “I had my knees here, and they slid off because the rest of the bed disappeared, and then I fell and hit my neck here, and my head here, and my hat came over my face so I had no eyes or nose or nothing and was just all green and crying.” Never a dull moment.

Girl: “Hats don’t bloom because they are hats, not flowers.”

Boy: (describing his drawing) “look mama I drew a ladybug, a roly poly, a caterpillar, a bee, a butterfly, and a booger bug. It’s green and gross.” Lovely.

Girl: “mama, today is a beautiful day. Just like me. Because I’m beautiful.” And oh so humble.

He told me about what centers he did that day, then he asks “what happens when a person dies?”

My heart sank. I was so not ready for this discussion. Not now. He’s only 4.5. We’re in the car. Oh gosh.

I responded “well, when a person dies, they are no longer here, they aren’t with us anymore. Why do you ask buddy?”

Boy: “J’s grandmother died.” (J is a classmate).

Me (stealing myself for further discussion and completely unsure about what to say but will let him guide me) “Oh that’s very sad, and I’m sure that J was sad. Did you give her a hug to help her feel better?”

Boy: “Yep… Hey, mama, did you know that dolphins breathe air and other fish breathe water?”

With that, he had moved on.

And I choked down my fear and tears and laughed along with my kids as they sang silly songs the rest of the ride home.

Just earlier today I had heard the Darius Rucker song, “It won’t be like this for long,” and I was thinking that it rings so very true. While sharing my bed with my 3 year old is not always the easiest thing in the world, it won’t be like this for long. And while today my son was happy with just a one statement answer to a question that many seek their lifetime to answer, it won’t be like this for long.

I just want to bottle up this time and keep it forever.

1. I am thankful for central air conditioning. Silly, yes, but with 90 degree temps and 1000% humidity this week, we were all able to sleep comfortably.

2. I am thankful for amazing friends. Friends who help me see the positive in life, and who help encourage me to make changes and step outside my comfort zone to make positive improvements in my life.

3. I am thankful for old friends, the ones you haven’t spoken to in a decade, but still know exactly what you’re going through. And who you jump on the phone with after 10 years and have a lovely Thursday conversation with, full of laughter, commiseration, and smiles.

I hope you all find many things to be thankful for this week!

I was working from home with a sick little girl when I heard the news. An epic tornado tore through Moore, Oklahoma, just before 4 p.m. local time yesterday. As I type this, it is 10:49 p.m. eastern time and I’m watching the news, hearing that right now, the horrendous number of those killed is up to 51. Many of those are children found drowned in a local elementary school, in the safest part of the school they could be in during a storm, the basement.

My heart just breaks. It conjures up the imagery of Joplin, Missouri, almost two years later to the day. It brings back images of Katrina, just eight years ago. Hurricane Sandy and its destruction just 7 months ago.

I have posted about terror attacks, about my 9/11 experience and how so many I know were nearby to the recent Boston Marathon bombings. We tend to sweep natural disasters under the rug. Why didn’t people leave? Why do they live there? We somehow blame the victims of a natural disaster, and while some personal blame definitely lies with the not-so-intelligent person who goes surfing during a hurricane or stands on a balcony taking video instead of seeking shelter, very often Mother Nature reminds us that even when we do prepare, she will pack a 1-2 punch we cannot stop.

And last night, as I headed to sleep under my intact roof, in my comfortable bed, I sent out all of my love and thoughts to the people of Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, and all the states suffering from such severe storms this year. And to all those who have been an unfortunate recipient of Mother Nature’s wrath in the past. Tonight, I light a candle for all of you and your families. It feels meaningless, and I have donated goods and money to my best ability, but my love and thoughts are all I can give right now.

*** If you want to help the relief efforts in the midwest, donate to the Red Cross simply by texting REDCROSS to 90999 today to make a $10 donation right from your phone.

Parenting Without Borders: Surprising Lessons Parents Around the World Can Teach Us, by Christine Gross-Loh, is a wonderful read for parents and parents-t0-be. The book explores how parents raise their children in different parts of the world, including Finland, China, South Korea, Germany, and Japan. Ms. Gross-Loh then compares the child-rearing ways of parents in those countries with those of most American families. The differences are sometimes minimal, and sometimes incredibly striking.

As a mom of two little ones, I had (and probably still have) many ideas of things that are ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ and things that I ‘will not do’ in raising my kids. I remember before Boy was born that I swore I would never, ever co-sleep with my children. And I did not with him, as he was completely happy in his bassinet then crib. And then his sister came along, and my world was flipped upside down. Girl would not sleep by herself. And so, with a 6 week old in my arms, as I was slowly going literally insane from complete and utter lack of sleep, I decided to try sleeping with her. And I slept for the first time since she was born. Parents from so many other parts of the world would have thought I was crazy for not doing it from day one, as so many cultures co-sleep with their babies (safely – there are guidelines and common sense precautions you should take before ever considering co-sleeping with your child). In this American society with our “back to sleep” campaigns, SIDS fears, and beliefs that babies should sleep alone in their cribs, co-sleeping was a scary and unknown concept to me, until I tried it. And it changed my life.

French parents are big on teaching children to wait for things, to learn patience and that they do not get what they want that instant. Japanese parents often step back when their children are interacting with others. Instead of jumping in if the children begin quarreling, Japanese parents often step back and ignore the behavior, allowing the children to learn to interact with one another on their own.

These are just a few of the examples of the parenting traditions shared from around the world that Christine Gross-Loh shares in this fabulous book. The stories and observations are well-organized and divided into chapters reflecting various aspects of child-rearing, including feeding, sleep, self-esteem and independence, and education and learning. Even though my children are well past the sleeping stages of the book, I found invaluable information in the chapters discussing independence and learning for both of my children.

If you are a parent, or are going to become one in the near future, I highly recommend picking up Christine Gross-Loh’s book. Learning about how other cultures do things is always important, and you are certain to pause and reflect on your own upbringing as you read along.

From the publisher:

Christine Gross-Loh has a Ph.D. from Harvard University in Asian history. A writer and expert on parenting, Gross-Loh now writes for Mothering.com, and has been interviewed in numerous print publications and television programs. Gross-Loh lives with her family outside of Boston, Massachusetts.

You can buy Parenting Without Borders at your local bookseller, or online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

**Disclaimer — I was provided with a copy of this book to read, but all opinions expressed in this review are mine. Seriously, I loved this book!

My first drawn winner never responded, so our new winner is……. Dina!!!! Congratulations Dina!!!

LAST-MINUTE GIVEAWAY!!! DEADLINE TOMORROW NIGHT, FRIDAY, MAY 3, 2013 AT 10:30 P.M. EASTERN TIME!!!

I just received this product and got the chance to play with it last night (ok, I let the kids play too). It is SO FUN!

Hasbro has come out with a new series of games based upon the wildly popular Angry Birds Star Wars game. There is the ANGRY BIRDS^TM STAR WARS® AT-AT^TM ATTACK BATTLE GAME, the ANGRY BIRDS^TM STAR WARS® MILLENNIUM FALCON^TM BOUNCE GAME, and the ANGRY BIRDS^TM STAR WARS® FOAM FLYERS.

We were given the ANGRY BIRDS^TM STAR WARS® AT-AT^TM ATTACK BATTLE GAME and the Chewbacca Bird ANGRY BIRDS^TM STAR WARS® FOAM FLYER for this review, and both are a huge hit. The AT-AT Attack game is basically a set of blocks and the Angry Bird characters. You built your AT-AT as you want, hiding the little Storm Trooper and Darth Vader pigs among the blocks. Then, using the catapult, you launch the rebel Angry Birds (including Hans Solo Bird and Luke Skywalker Bird) at the AT-AT and knock off all those evil pigs!

A few pictures in action:

The best part? The R2D2 Angry Bird – and yes, you can catapult him too!!!!!

Definitely a HUGE thumbs up from us on this game. And the Chewbacca Bird Foam Flyer? He has taken up residence in my son’s room next to his plush red Angry Bird. I foresee many nights of Angry Birds fun, without worrying about them destroying my phone!!

GIVEAWAY - VERY last minute but if you’d like to win one of the ANGRY BIRDS^TM STAR WARS® toys mentioned above, all you have to do is comment here and tell me which of the Angry Birds is your favorite — traditional? Space? Star Wars? Seasons? Comment below and I’ll pick a winner Friday, May 3, 2013 at 11:00 p.m.

Good luck!

I’m absolutely not drinking enough water, so I am taking a tip from my friend Chelley over at A is for Adelaide and… and making some homemade flavored water tonight in the hopes that it will encourage me to drink more tomorrow. I have these two awesome glass pitchers I scored on clearance at Target last year that will be perfect for this! I can mix up some yumminess before bed and have healthy water to drink all the next day.

Weigh-in 5/1/13

Today’s Weight: 166.2

Change from 4/24/13 (167.2): -1

Change from 2013 re-start (166.2):  0

Oh hey, look, more yo-yoing.

(insert massive sigh here)

But, down is down. Last week was the expected bad week with bloat, and I’ve been working out 4-5 times per week and being much more consistent with my eating.

Mr. Acorns is on the West Coast this week and I’m exhausted from 3 nights of not sleeping and running this ship solo. Thankfully work is slow (although not grateful for the effect that will have on my wallet in a few weeks) so I’m keeping up, but the 10,000 projects I thought I might do are simply not getting done. The kids won’t stay in bed so I can’t get more than 5 minutes of anything done until after 11pm. Not fun. Two more days. Two more days.

Happy (late) Wednesday everyone!

Life in a Marital Institution, by James Braly, is a blend of all of the above, with spoonfuls of wit, several helpings of reflection, topped off with intelligent writing to create a wonderful book that more than satisfied my craving for a good read.

Braly’s memoir began as a Broadway, then an off-Broadway one-man show, and he has now gone on tour through Meredith Vieira Productions. Life in a Marital Institution is filled with laughs, tears, love, fear, lust, betrayal, family, birth, death, therapists and placentas. It is the story of a relationship, of family and marriage, told from a man’s point of view. A man who has researched and lived his experiment for twenty years.

I had heard Braly’s stories on NPR, so I was eager to read his memoir and dive into the mind of the man for more than just a few minutes on public radio. I was not disappointed. Braly tells his story with such skill that you are often left wondering whether he is being serious or tongue-in-cheek. His sarcastic humor comes through in many sections, including multiple stories surrounding his second son’s placenta and his frustration with his wife’s decision to continue breastfeeding their kids in grade school.

If you have been married or in a serious relationship for an extended period of time, you will recognize many of the scenarios that James and Jane encounter. Did you marry someone just like your father? Your mother? Does your marriage, after 10 years, suddenly resemble everything you remember growing up? Everything you said you would not do and did not want? Do you find yourself so incredibly in love with a person that you are willing to go to absurd lengths to make things work, even when you are not sure that making it work is the best idea? In the end, isn’t it really all about being with the person you can’t imagine being without, even if they drive you absolutely insane?

Braly’s storytelling skills make you read, chapter by chapter, hanging on to know if things will work out between James and Jane. And the memoir ends just where it should. But you’ll have to read it to find that out.

More information about James Braly can be found on his website. An excerpt from that site, for your information:

JAMES BRALY is the writer and performer of the monologue Life in a Marital Institution, which premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, sold-out 59E59 Theaters in New York City, and transferred Off Broadway to the Soho Playhouse. Reviewed as “gaspingly funny” (Variety), “never less than excellent” (The New York Times), and “a masterpiece of storytelling” (The List), the show has played over 120 performances and is currently on tour around the country.

Follow James Braly on his website, Facebook, and Twitter. You can purchase Life in a Marital Institution at bookstores everywhere, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and many other booksellers.