Recovery Mode

So last week, Tali 2 got sick. He had a high fever for two days and a headache. Since he didn’t have any stomach issues, we gave him some Tylenol and lots of fluids and he seemed to be fine. Today he woke up crying and hot. When I asked him what was wrong, he said his head was hurting really bad. *sigh*

We called the doctor and he’s going in at 10am. I’m thinking it could be an ear infection or something. Better safe than sorry.

Of course, once you actually make the frantic call to the doctor, guess who instantly perks up?

All of a sudden he’s feeling better. He killed a bowl of raisin bran and has since started talking nonstop….

“Did you and Daddy have tv’s and radio when you were kids?”

“What’s your favorite show?”

“Do homeless people have tv’s and radio?”

“Are all of your friends AKA’s or Omegas?”

It’ s like he swallowed a parrot! Anyway, we are off to the doctor to make sure he’s okay. Pray for us!

Nostalgia

Did you have one of these in your house as a kid?

I so had one of these in my house. I remember if the lid was closed too tight and you pulled the top off too hard then juice spilled everywhere. Or worse, when somebody left the cover loose and you poured juice all over the counter?????

I saw this picture today and it brought back childhood memories. Small things right?

Stuff that only happens to me

I pulled up to get gas before driving to go meet my friend to see Harry Potter (and yes, I saw it without kids…GEEKS UNITE!) As I was filling the tank, a young man about 19 or so comes up to me and asks me for change to catch the bus. Now I live right near a University so I felt bad for the kid. He was well dressed and looked harmless so I gave him a dollar.

Instead of walking away, he then said “Do you have a boyfriend?”

“Uh, no but I do have a husband.”

The older gentleman filling his truck up next to me bust out laughing. Then he said

“Boy, if she needed a boyfriend, do you think she would want one that had to borrow money from her for the damn bus. You better go sit down somewhere son!”

As the boy walked away, the old man shaked his head and laughed. “These young boys need a good azz whooping.”

I laughed all the way to Harry Potter!

Conversations with the Talis

Tali 1 came home early from camp yesterday with a fever and bad headache. He went to bed and after a restless night, promptly threw up at 4am and again at 7am. He stayed home today and was snuggled up on the couch with his head on my lap. He dozed in and out of sleep.

I passed the time watching tv. What Not To Wear, Bridezillas, all the girly shows were on. As I was watching, a commercial for MIDOL came on. You could hear one woman saying to her friend how she felt “stomach cramps, bloating and aches and pains”.

I thought Tali 1 was asleep on my lap. I almost choked when I heard his voice say “Mom, can you get me some of that Midol? My stomach is killing me!”

Baby Steps

My oldest son’s school is three blocks from our house. He recently started walking to school (last spring). We live in a nice residential neighborhood. I admit that I had major reservations but he is growing up in a city and next September, he may be attending a new school closer to downtown Philadelphia and will be taking the bus to get there. As a city kid, we have to foster his independence.

Thinking back on my own childhood, I took two city buses to school in Brooklyn (Utica to Church Ave and then the Church Ave bus to Flatbush) when I was in 3rd grade. He’s going into 4th so walking three blocks was not a huge stretch. We followed him for the first week to make sure he was going to school and crossing at the intersections. Finally, we let go. He was so excited to have responsibility and he did just fine.

Yesterday, the news story broke about a young boy in Brooklyn. A year younger than my son. He asked his mom to walk home from camp and she gave him permission. His first time walking home, he was abducted by a stranger living in the neighborhood and went missing. With the aid of traffic cameras, they saw the man that approached him and tracked him down. The police found blood in his apartment and he finally confessed. They found the boy dismembered, stuffed into a suitcase and thrown in a dumpster.

My heart breaks for this family. Especially for the parent that also chose to let go of her son and grant him a little independence by allowing him to walk home for the first time. I know that mom will always hold that in her heart. That “what if”. Even though I am sure her son was thrilled to take those steps by himself like a big kid. Poor baby just didn’t know that evil was lurking so close to him.

I admit, I get desensitized by the news. So many tragedies sometimes that I can’t keep up. Every once in a while, one story touches me. I won’t forget this one for a long time.

Rest in peace Leiby Kletzky.

Hot Topic

Today I have a topic. (Remember back when I used to actually blog about topics?)

What happens when someone you love is sabotaging you? Or, when friends won’t let friends be great!

Let’s pause and think about that for a minute.

Have you ever had a goal and the minute you announced it to your family and friends, they seemed to try and thwart that goal at every single turn? Case in point, a dear friend recently moved to my neighborhood and she has expressed interest in getting her workout regime back on track.

She has since joined my gym and we have been working out together. Lately, whenever it is time for us to go to the gym, her spouse finds something pressing that he has to do at the exact same time (uh dude, do you really have to mow your lawn right when we are leaving at 7am on a Sunday), leaving her unable to go because she has a toddler. Sabotage.

You let your friend know you are on a diet and you go out to dinner and they order that big plate of lasagna, extra fries and the triple chocolate mud pie while saying “I’m not on a diet! You know you want some of this!” Sabotage.

You get a promotion and you start getting the cold shoulder and no support from your former work friends who used to make your cube their daily hang out spot. Sabotage.

And my favorite….you announce a new endeavor or goal and the instant reaction? “Why do you want to do that?” Sabotage.

Why do we do this? I know I have done this to someone in my own life. Our initial reaction with some people is to doubt them, throw salt on their game and be negative. Trust me, as I get older, I really notice it. I am trying to make a conscious effort to be more positive in my dealings with people.

Now I know, we all have family and friends that are total screw ups. They always have a new scheme that never gets off the ground. However, do we react like this to people we love? Are we stomping on someone’s dream?

When you become a parent, it’s even more important to uplift your children and show them that you believe in them, that you support their hopes and ideas.  I notice myself doing this for my kids like it’s second nature. Why do I struggle with doing this with adults?

Maybe if we support some of our friends and family and offer to help them with their goals or just encourage them with a simple “That’s great! I can definitely see you doing that!” we could push them in the right direction?

I love when people believe in me and support my goals. It makes me feel invincible and like I can really accomplish anything. I’m sure someone else would love it just as much.