Musical Viruses

Okay....so NOW Kevin is nodding off upstairs as I write. He is most unhappy to be ill and doesn't feel lucky at all to have sickness enter his domain. He has the coughs and that is mostly just annoying, although I did catch his teeth chattering. Sicky!! So he has been taking it easy all morning and afternoon, enjoying some down time and REALLY glad he was allowed to go to hockey this morning. That was his worst fear when I tucked him into bed last night. In hind sight he would have benefited from staying home from practice but that would have put a cramp in his spirits for the rest of the day. Joe came off the ice 20 minutes early and was just beat. This too was quite predictable and I find myself questioning the whereabouts of my maternal instinct....it seems that this was not the hill I wanted to die on today. I used to be so strong....able to wade through a knee deep foul mood with ease.

Joe begged me to let him go to school. After an hour of pleading....I caved??!!!! Of course, it was MY idea that he stay home to increase his stamina. Joe's ulterior motive about going to school is being able to stay after so he doesn't have to miss basketball, and that is what he truly lives for. But still.....I caved....I am weak.

I made myself feel better by baking two batches of muffins...the ultimate comfort food. This helped me regain some of my domestic confidence and armed with healthy snacks I shall remind these hooligans that mama knows best!!! I made Apple spice muffins....and Oatmeal Applesauce Choc Chip. The Choc ones are soooo moist, probably due to the applesauce....that will go down nice with a coffee tomorrow morning for breakfast. It will be a nice surprise for Ray too, who IS the Muffin Man. I hope he doesn't think I am trying to show him up or forray into his culinary territory.....this from the woman who rarely bakes.

This morning I was also able to make a couple of cards. I had left my cardmaking station upstairs since last week since I was going to host cardmaking on Monday morning(and then Joe had his episode and I had to cancel...) but last night I moved the items on that table back down to the shop. I sure was fun to sit up there for a few days. But things tend to explode all over the place when I am in the midst of a...um...creative process. This is actually quite tidy.....I usually end up with a workable space about the size of the card or book that I happen to be working on. Lately....lots of little board books, and cards of encouragement lately.

I did not make it to CoffeeBreak this morning. Tuesdays is our busiest day of running here and there but I just realized how much less stressful this day has become for me since we got our second car. I used to bring the boys to hockey and then race home so that Ray could get to the office on time, and a friend would take the boys to her house after hockey to shower and then take them to school. I would walk to CoffeeBreak with my big bag of Little Lambs stuff and walk home again at noon. Then I would sit on the edge of my seat til the end of the day to see if Joe came off the bus WITH the newspapers and if he forgot them I would have to find a way to get to school to pick them up before it closed. Now I can nicely stay at hockey and visit with the other moms and take the lads home to freshen up, which is QUITE necessary. I also got to enjoy seeing the moon which was still shining so beautifully this morning on our way to the arena. I just felt so blessed...and you know what....I still feel so blessed. Blessed to be the mom of these sickly boys....I think I hear that I am needed upstairs....