All Things Hold Together

Every night, Bob and I get ready for bed together. We have two sinks in the bathroom, so we brush our teeth side-by-side and talk or joke around. It’s just one of our nightly rituals.

The night before last, I was washing my hands and he was standing in front of the toilet with the lid up, about to use it. The soap I was using was a small round bar that I had made out of a shea butter soap base that I bought.

I started going on about how much I love the shea butter soap - it’s so creamy and luxurious - when all of the sudden, the soap popped out of my hand, flew up in the air, came down, bounced off the counter, and landed - plop! - into the toilet.

Needless to say, our toilet has not been flushing well. And yesterday, I had to take a plunger to it every time one of the boys went number two.

Now I know why we keep the lid shut.

Last night, Little E came into our room because he had a bad dream. This morning over breakfast, he shared what it was about.

It seems some giant clock tower came to life and was chasing him. (I think that was because he was watching Power Rangers Time Force yesterday, in which the Rangers live in a clock tower.) He was running to me for help, but I wasn’t paying attention because I was on the computer blogging!

Did you hear that? I wouldn’t save my sweet baby boy from the clock tower monster because I was too busy blogging.

I looked at my husband and said, “Gee, does that mean I spend too much time blogging?”

At least my husband reads my blogs, so he knows there is no way that is true.

I am still not fully healed from the flu that I have had for the past 10 days or so. I lose my energy sometime in the afternoon (no, more than normal) and I have a bad cough still.

Every night this week, I have been up coughing. I take cough medicine, to no avail.

Last night, I was coughing so much that I threw up three times!

After I brushed my teeth and had some water, I was still coughing. I realized that I had thrown up the cough medicine and I was wondering what to do so that Bob and I could get a good night’s sleep.

Then I remembered reading an article about a study that showed honey to be an effective cough remedy for children.

I went and had a spoonful of that delicious raw raspberry blossom honey that I told you about and went back to bed.

I coughed once more when I got back into bed, but after that, I was out like a light and did not cough even once throughout the night!

I still have the cough this morning, so it is not gone. The honey quieted my cough for the whole night.

I was so amazed by this, I had to share.

As I anticipated, I have been sick with the flu all week. It has been horrible!

Fortunately, I didn’t get sick until after I made this wonderful New England Boiled Dinner for St. Patrick’s Day.

Doesn’t the meat look tiny compared to the vegetables? That’s because Bob won’t eat beef unless it is local (and rightfully so) and the local corned beef at the co-op was $8.99 a pound!

It was the most amazing thing I have ever tasted, though.

I had pictures of the cupcakes that I made, too, but I dumped them onto the computer before the re-installation of the operating system and I have not put the old data back on yet, so I cannot get to them right now.

I am still feeling pretty lousy. I just hope I am better in time to make something half-way decent for Easter.

At least we have no company coming this year.

And to think, I was disappointed at not having company for Easter for the first time.

I guess it was for the best after all.

Well, that’s what has been going on with me all week.  How about you?

Lately, our computer has been acting up. I have had to shut it down using the button on the computer, instead of closing down Windows properly, at least once a day for the past week.

I decided that it is time that I let my husband reinstall the operating system.

He has wanted to do this for some time, but I always protest because I have so much stuff on the hard drive and I don’t want to deal with backing it all up.

Yes, I should have it backed up anyway. And I could lose my data anyway when the computer crashes. But I still don’t want to deal with it.

Imagine a giant, three-car garage, filled to the top with boxes of stuff. Some boxes are labeled, but many are just boxes of random, assorted things that you got tired of cluttering up your house, so you threw them all in a box.

Well, my hard drive is the computer version of that garage.

When my desktop gets too cluttered, I throw everything into a new folder, instead of sorting it out.

I could just back it up as is and deal with it later, but I really should take the time to sort it all out into meaningful folders, so I can find things when I need them.

Who knew there was a digital equivalent to cleaning the house that I would dread doing just as much!

On an average day here, once 3:00 hits, it is my time.

The older boys go out to play with their friends at the park in our neighborhood or to a friend’s house. Little E watches Curious George and CyberChase on PBS or plays with his toys, often both. And I finally - FINALLY - get some much needed semi-alone time.

Well, that all changed last Friday when Big E’s conscience got the best of him and he confessed to us that they had been going out of our neighborhood to a store with one of their friends.

This is clearly out of their boundaries. They know this. There is no gray area here.

So, they were grounded. The confessor less so than the denier - yes, Big D denied it! - but I have had both older boys here every day this week. No TV. No friends.

This has been a very difficult week for Mom.

This morning, I got up early to have some time to myself before everyone else got up.

Here I am in the living room, just about to enjoy the sweet sound of silence, and who should come out, with his big pile of stuffed dogs in his arms, looking for a mama to snuggle with, but Little E.

I never thought I would be unhappy to see that cute face, especially when he is looking to snuggle.

But, I was.

I still snuggled with him, though.

The other night, Bob and I were discussing where else in the United States we would want to live.

We concluded that we are too New England to really live anywhere else.

In my case, I might even be too Vermont to live any where else.

Where else could I get away with my staple wardrobe of ankle-length skirts (with long johns underneath) and hiking boots?

Last week, I was reading a blog entry about Fighting the Frump and there was an outfit described as “Tornado of Ugly” that I would totally wear, except, my skirt would go to my ankles and I would have on hiking boots.

Worse still, the “approved” outfit is something that I would not wear in a million years.

I am all for fighting the frump, which is why I wear long, comfy skirts, instead of sweat pants or pajamas, but I will not wear (what I consider) uncomfortable clothes or shoes to accomplish it.

I like my style. I look like I am kind of dressed up, but I am comfortable enough to go take a nap. (Like that would ever happen!)

But I will admit, that it might be difficult to pull this style off in many other parts of the country.

Luckily, we don’t mind staying right here in Vermont, where people talk fast and appreciate a dry, witty sense of humor.

And now, to showcase my abysmal photo editing skills, or lack there of, I present to you: a tornado of Vermont mama awesomeness.

That picture leaves much to be desired, but you get the idea.

In fairness to my husband, he did buy me something for Valentine’s Day, but it is back-ordered until 3/30.

The Greatest Is Love Ceramic Mug

I really wish it was coming sooner because my favorite mug broke and I don’t really like any of the ones we have.

I don’t talk about my husband very much on here. Sometimes I want to, but I end up not doing it.

The reason is kind of stupid, though.

The things I want to say about him are all good. Many of them are very good. My husband is a really great husband. And, no, I am not trying to butter him up.

The thing is, most mommy bloggers (and I do loathe that term) complain about their husbands.

And it is said that if a woman talks about how perfect her husband is, she is probably lying.

But that is the thing. My husband is not perfect. He is quite the opposite of perfect.

That is why I love him.

I do not love him in spite of the fact that he is not perfect. I love him because he is not perfect.

More specifically, I love him because I am not perfect and I know this. And I can forgive him for not being perfect.

And I love him because he loves me, even though I am not perfect.

Sometimes, and I know this will come as a shock, I can be difficult to live with.

When I am, and I realize it, and I apologize for hurting the person I love most in this world, he hugs me and says, “That’s okay. I love you. I am not always that easy to live with and you still love me.”

And I do.

So much that it hurts sometimes. But in a good way.

And I, literally, thank God every day for bringing us together.

Two imperfect people who can love each other through all our flaws.

A few weeks ago, I told you that my mom was lending me her laptop, so I could work on my blogging and freelance writing more, while the kids are doing their educational (and other) stuff on the family computer.

As it turns out, she will not be lending me her computer. She said her boyfriend needs to use it, but then let it slip that he was worried that something would happen to it.

To say I am disappointed would be an understatement. A major understatement.

Well, I guess I am back to my goal of earning enough money from writing to buy a laptop.

Wanna see the one I have my eye on?

Isn’t it delicious?