Happy St. Patrick's Day

Tonight's menu:

• Corned Beef
• Green Mashed Potatoes
• Leprechaun's Gold (corn)
• Green milk

Music to live by:

• Dropkick Murphy's
• Flogging Molly

Mission Complete

The child has been exposed to chicken pox. Now we must wait. He was a bit hesitant but since he loves to play with Libby he got over his shyness. I'm hoping there were enough germs transferred to start the incubation process. For good measure we had the little boy of the house suck on Zach's water bottle before we left.

Zach proclaimed as we were leaving, "I didn't get the chicken pox."

hee, hee. Let's just wait 10-14 days and see.

I on the other hand woke with a sinus headache. I think I've been more sick this winter than any other. EVER. WTF? I'm a bit tired of all the illness.

The good news? Tyler's mono is gone. Strap throat appears to be gone from Dylan & Zach. Alex seems he@lthy. Now if everyone could just STAY he@lthy until the much awaited outbreak of chicken pox.

PS- Some weird thing is happening causing words to become links I don't want. Not sure what is going on so I've put them in disguise. (I feel like such a spy.)

Today is a Good Day (So Far)

I'll start with my morning...
I descended the stairs to find my slippers waiting for me at the bottom. All set-up for me to slip my feet into. The dishwasher had been run. My juice was poured. Even the curtains were opened. My oldest was ready for school. All I had to do was sign his notebook.

When I opened my e-mail I found what I have been waiting 4 1/2 years for...
Someone I know has a kid with chicken pox. So tomorrow I will be taking my youngest and rubbing him up and down said child in hopes he will contract the disease. Really. I'm not making this up.

My oldest two caught the itchy disease at the young ages of 2 and 9 mos. I've been trying to get the other two exposed so we can avoid the vaccine. I just can't see having them get it then have to get a booster every 10 years for the rest of their lives. Okay, I can make them go at 15. But what about 25? I have never met a 25 year-old guy who would go get a booster shot. I mean come on. And chicken pox is so much worse to contract as an adult. I say let them get it while they're young.

I will concede that my 6 y/o got the vaccine at the age of 4. He has asthma and since everyone is getting the vaccine and no one actually GETS the chicken pox anymore (and when they do they refuse to tell me so I can expose my children - they all think I'm joking) I was advised to have him get it. Besides, he was getting ready for kindergarten and it is practically required nowadays.

I have been holding out hope for Zach though. And YAY! that I did. And YAY! that I have a friend who took me seriously and offered up her youngest. So now we are planning the big Contagious Disease Contraction Day tomorrow.

I told Zach this morning that I was taking him to catch chicken pox tomorrow. 

He looked at me askew and said, "So I'll be all itchy?" 

And I said, "Yes." 

And he said, "And I will take a bath?" 

And I said, "Yes, with oatmeal in it." 

And he looked at me all askew again. Then he asked where his Oreo for 'O' day was.

So wish me luck. Tomorrow is an important day in the MoMMY clan. Tomorrow I try to have my kid catch a contagious disease.

**Side note: Can anyone tell me why if you catch chicken pox you are never suppose to get it again but if you get the vaccine it wears off? Not getting this.

**Little known fact: I got the chicken pox THREE TIMES! Yes, I am a freak.

Evil Yarn Update

The baby sweater will no longer be made with the evil yarn. I somehow dropped a couple stitches and there is no way to see what you are doing with the bumpy evil yarn to pick them back up. (even in all its soft loveliness)

So? I had to rip it all out. And the yarn broke. And I went on-line and bought some new non-evil baby yarn. Not pastel. A blue denim blend of baby soft goodness. YAY for on-line yarn stores.

The evil, soft loveliness? Going to become a sweater for... ME. Made with BIG knitting needles. (Much easier with big needles) And most likely made by my mom.

Evil Yarn

** WARNING: FOLLOWING POST SUBJECT IS KNITTING. IT IS DULL. DO NOT READ FURTHER IF YOU HAVE NO INTEREST IN SAID SUBJECT. YOU MAY FALL ASLEEP **

No, this is not becoming a knitting blog. But I must vent. Why oh why do I make things so difficult? It's all me. I know that. What has happened is something I do all the time.

Last night I went to the store to buy some yarn for the proposed baby sweater. My mom gave me a pattern and all I had to do was find the yarn. As I'm looking at all the baby yarns in their white and pastel colors I am saddened. WHY must it be pastel? I'm just not a big fan. Then I spot it. The most beautiful yarn. All soft and lovely. In with the baby yarns. Oh, how can I resist?

I checked out every yarn in the place. It is the yarn I MUST have. I buy too much but it is okay because I want to make myself something with the soft loveliness.

I pick up the kids on the way home and show my mom the yarn. A look of concern passes over her face. "It's not really baby yarn."

I go home, put the kids to bed and pull out my yarn. I pull out the pattern. I pull out my new how-to book. The one that explains all the abbreviations and terms. (I have mentioned I'm a newbie to this, haven't I?) I pull out the #3 needles my mom loaned me.

I start to knit the gauge square...

Oh Lord in heaven! What the hell? Who made this yarn? What were they thinking? It is evil. Soft, beautiful, EVIL. It should come with a warning. Really. The warning should read:

** WARNING! NOT FOR BEGINNERS.

THIS YARN IS EVIL. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO USE. STEP AWAY FROM THE YARN NOW! DO NOT BE FOOLED BY THE SOFT LOVELINESS. **

So, I pulled out the beginnings of my gauge square. And then I started to knit. What you ask? Why? Have I mentioned the soft loveliness? It is SO BEAUTIFUL. The sweater will be beautiful. (Assuming I can actually knit it.)

I came close to weeping. Twice. For real. Once because of the evilness. Once because of the beauty. Now you all know. I will endure anything for the beauty. I can't help it. I have considered getting regular yarn and beginning again. I can't seem to do it. Not to say I won't relent. Or never finish the sweater. It's a good thing it is sized for 6 months. The way it's going it will probably fit a one year old. That gives me 15 months to finish this thing. I think it may take that long.

Sigh. Why do I always have to make things so difficult?

My Week

Since last week's goal update:

• One kid getting over mono
• Two kids with strep
• Eleventy million trips from couch to kitchen & back (with juice, water, medicine, etc.) 
• Two trips to the doctors
• Lost 5 pounds
• Did yoga for strength and pilates (advanced level pilates- except for modified roll-ups)
• Kept sink clean, planned meals for the month, kept up with the laundry
• Had a photo shoot in the kitchen
• Discovered new downfall to diet - cinnamon almonds - yum! 
• Got concussion when youngest slammed his rock-hard head into my chin while I was picking him up
• Applied for two more jobs
• Applied for writing grant
• Finished knitting a scarf
• My first knitting project EVER
• Knit a gator
• Stayed up too late
• Got a flower from a stranger

Kid Quote

ZACH: "I will squeeze the jelly out of your eyes if you don't let me do what I want."