The second half of the not-so-great week

Thursday: So if you so recall, I left you off with me going to bed sick, sick, sick on Wednesday night.  Well, let me just tell you, that night was HORRIBLE! I ended up getting up 7 or 8 times during the night. First of all, starting at about midnight I started getting phone calls from a blocked number.  How’s that for spooky? Then Max was coughing his croup cough all night.  And then we had Makenna—she had an upset tummy all night long! Add all of that on to my already-sick body, and I was EXHAUSTED all day Thursday!

Thursday is usually our busiest day.  However, I really debated about doing our normal activities because of all that went on the night before.  I mentioned skipping school to Makenna and she cried and cried! I decided to go ahead and send her to school—she was bouncing off the walls and in great spirits and told me she felt perfectly fine. Honestly, what is the policy for upset tummies? She wasn’t vomiting, just having problems on the other end… That sometimes happens with certain foods you eat or other issues (not just actually being sick), and she really seemed to feel fine, so I sent her.

Anyway, after dropping her off, Max and I headed home for our school. He did REALLY well today! Unfortunately, I didn’t feel very good.  I tried to do some of the movement activities and songs with him, but it just made me feel really dizzy.  So we mostly did at-the-table crafty things today.

We talked about bees and their house—hives—and then Max made a bee.

     

We also talked about mice—who live in holes—and made a mouse. I tried to to take a picture of him with his finished product, but he would only take pictures of the mouse in front of his face. : )

I didn’t really feel up to any of the other activities, so we just talked the rest of the time.

Saying our A-A-B pattern:

Counting 3 items:

 

Looking at orange and black items:

After about half an hour of school, I decided to try to do some of my chores (I am SO behind because of being sick all week) and Max was my “helper.” I didn’t get a whole lot done, but at least I’m a little more caught up!

Next we picked up Makenna from school.  Today she sang some songs she learned in school, told us about her bee and mouse (and that mice live in holes in the wall with their babies.  I’m SO glad I didn’t teach that because it grosses me out so much!), and told me she had honey for snack. She also told me a little about Christopher Columbus.  She said he went on boats called ships in the water to go and find all of his friends. : )

Here are some pictures of her at school today:

Making her bee:

 

Dancing on a square:

They played a game where they were trapping “mice.” It was a bit like London Bridges.  Makenna’s teacher said that Makenna would stop in the trap on purpose so she would get to be the next trapper! : )

 

I really do love seeing all of these cute school pictures! It also looks like to me that Makenna is coming out of her “shy” shell to finally really have fun at school!

The kids ate lunch in the car in order to take naps asap when we got home.  I was hoping to get a little nap in during nap time, but I was too tired to actually sleep.  Instead I got my grocery list made.

After naptime, I took Makenna to dance and then headed to the park with Max.  However, we didn’t get to stay very long.  I got a phone call from Makenna’s dance teacher.  I guess all of her dancing upset her sensitive stomach. So Max and I went back to pick her up.  She cried, and cried, and cried because she did NOT want to leave dance class! So I took her home, dressed her in pjs, gave her her blanket and pillow, and turned on some movies for her!

And that’s how we spent the rest of our day.  I didn’t go to the grocery store, and I canceled our appointment in the gym, and we just tried to relax the rest of the day.  Hopefully tomorrow we will all feel better!

On Friday, the kids seemed to be feeling okay, so we went to meet our friends (both preschool friends and other church friends) at the zoo for a fun field trip!

However, it didn’t turn out so fun.  Last time we went to the zoo, we had the BEST day! Today it was super crowded, so I wanted my kids to stay close to me as much as possible.  But Makenna’s friends were all running around, so she wanted to run around too.   So I told her she could get out of the stroller and walk with her friends—if she stayed close by and didn’t run ahead.  So she ran ahead repeatedly.  So I told her she had to hop back in the stroller until we got to the next exhibit.  Which led to a crying and screaming fit.  It was just a continual war between the two of us—I wanted her to stay close to me because of all of the people there, and she wanted to run wherever she wanted. Finally, I couldn’t take the power struggle anymore, so I said Makenna and Max and I would just go see the zoo on our own and meet up with all of the friends for lunch later (hoping that if she didn’t see her friends running around, she would be okay).

So off we went.  And things seemed fine.  But then Max decided he wanted to be held.  I’m sorry, he is TOO heavy for me to carry all around the zoo AND push the stroller! So he started crying and whining because I wouldn’t hold him the whole time.  And Makenna was crying because she didn’t WANT to see all of the animals, she wanted to only see the prairie dogs.  I tried to explain to her that we were working our way over to the prairie dogs, but she just cried and threw another fit anyway. I told the kids (this was like their third warning!), that if they couldn’t stop crying we were just going to go home. So they hushed for a minute and we saw a few animals.

Looking at the camels and deer:

 

That tiger was sleeping again!

The lions:

And then we had our next disaster.  Makenna had brought her little Cinderella doll with her.  Before we got out of the car, I told her her doll had to stay in the car.  Next thing I know, we are in the zoo and she is handing me her Cinderella doll to hold while she goes potty! I told her no toys at the zoo, and put the doll in the stroller.  Well, at this point, I’m holding the kids up to see the animals and all of a sudden I hear crying.  Makenna has dropped her Cinderella doll over the fence in WITH the animals! Well there is no way I could get it! So she cries and cries and cries.  I understand that.  It was SO sad that she dropped that doll and we couldn’t get it.  But she still had to stop crying! So I comforted her the best I could and we moved on.  But she just wouldn’t stop the crying.  And moved from crying over her doll to crying because it wasn’t lunch time to crying because we still hadn’t reached the prairie dogs! At this point, I said enough was enough and we left! Yes, we drove all the way there.  Yes, we packed a lunch to enjoy at the zoo.  Yes, all of her friends were there.  But you can’t stay and enjoy the zoo if you are going to cry and scream and kick and have a tantrum the whole time! So we headed home and had lunch and I put those kids right to bed!!!

I include this whole story to journal what happened, but also as a point to other moms—if you look at my blog and say, “Wow, what fun things they do all the time!” just know—it’s definitely not all fun and games! I try to be honest in my blog posts and point out the good AND the ugly! The last couple of weeks have been the “good,” and this week has definitely been full of the ugly! (By the way, I STILL feel horrible! I’m so sick of my head hurting me so much and being so weak and dizzy! I’m sure my being sick has amplified the ugliness of this week!)

We didn’t really do much the rest of the day.  Just hung out at home!

On Saturday we had a super busy day! First of all, we had to quickly run by the grocery store so I could grab something for my lunch. Then I attended two classes at the place we go to for our Play and Learn.  The first class was “Reading with Infants and Toddlers” and the second class was “Kitchen Art Fun.” I really like attending these classes because it gives me good ideas of things to do or change with my own children. The classes went from 9:30 until after 2, with a 30 minutes lunch in between. The kids stayed in childcare while I was in class.  So for lunch, the three of us went outside on the grass and had a picnic. It was a gorgeous day and fun to have time for a little catch up with the kids since they ended up being in childcare for FIVE hours!

I was actually really impressed with these kiddos (ESPECIALLY after the week we have had!). When I went to pick up the kids, I overheard the teacher telling other parents about different problems or issues she had had with their kids.  I mean, they had been there all day! Makes sense that they had had problems at least once during that time.  So I was a little nervous when it was my turn to talk to the teacher.  However, she told me that the kids didn’t give her a bit of a problem.  She said Makenna is a perfect little lady and that Max plays great.  She said they were well-behaved and “you have really, really good kids.” : ) Yes!!! So, Makenna and Max were rewarded with TWO stickers on their sticker chart when we got home! It makes me think that all of the times I have had to be strict and the “mean” mom is actually working to help the kids be better behaved!

After our classes, we went home for a late nap.  I ended up having to wake up Mr. Max so he could eat dinner before we left again! Saturday night I had a Book Exchange party at a friend’s house (her husband watched the kids for me because it was just a girls’ night party). It was a lot of fun.  We had a yummy soup dinner and then played a little “name one thing no one here knows about you” game.  Then we played “white elephant” to choose which book we would be taking home with us.  We will read the book and bring it back next month—hence the “book exchange” part of the party. : ) I ended up with TWO books (the girl I got them from said she has two favorites!)—Jane Eyre (which is my favorite classic and a book that I had been meaning to read again!) and How to Win Friends and Influence People (which I have, of course, heard of but have never read). I read fast, so I think two books work better for me anyway!

We finished the party after 8 and then I had to run to the grocery store for a few things (one day I will actually have time to go to the store to get my groceries for the whole week.  I just haven’t had time this week so I have had to go so many times this week on quick trips!). We didn’t even get home until after 9! And at 10 Makenna was still up.  Definitely a long and late day!

On Sunday the kids didn’t get up until after 8:30 and we didn’t finish breakfast until 9:30.  That is definitely a record for my usual-early-bird kids!

We had showers and a church movie and lunch and then a short quiet time, and then we were off for church!

The kids were pretty well-behaved during Sacrament meeting (although Makenna just wanted to be held the entire time and Max REFUSED to use a whisper voice!).  During the next two hours, I was in the chapel with the Primary practicing for the Primary Program.  Well all of a sudden we heard the fire alarm going off.  We all just sat there for a minute, and then were told we needed to evacuate the building! I brought my primary class outside, and then they brought Makenna and Max to me.  Max was covering his ears saying, “too loud! Too loud!” but Makenna was BAWLING! We were outside 10 or 15 minutes and she cried the whole entire time! When we were finally able to return into the building (I never did find out what had happened!), Makenna refused to go back to class.  Max did fine and just went right back to playing with toys, but I ended up having to take Makenna back to class with me.  And the entire time we were in class she would say, “Mommy I don’t want the fire alarm to go off again!” or “Why did that loud noise come? I don’t like the loud noise!” She just wouldn’t be comforted! And even now, later Sunday evening, she still keeps bringing it up and is just very sad about the whole thing.  I think the fire alarm going off traumatized my 3 year old! Here’s hoping she goes back to class next Sunday—I told Austin that she is an elephant and she NEVER forgets.  So let’s see if she will agree to go next week!