The Lessons They Teach Us

This weekend was a lazy weekend around our house.  We didn't have any plans going into it, and we didn't even get out of our jammies until we decided to take the kids out to dinner on Saturday night.  We had big breakfasts and napped and watched TV.  Yesterday afternoon, I hung out with the kiddos and did some school work while they watched Christmas movies.  Brad was doing some work on the turtle tanks.  It wasn't a very planned or eventful weekend.

If I'm being honest, I usually feel very unsettled about these weekends.  I don't especially like going into a weekend that's fully planned because, in theory, I like to have plenty of relaxation time.  But in reality, it makes me anxious.  I always feel super lazy and unmotivated, and then I feel guilty that I didn't get enough done or seize the day or something.

I also feel guilty that I didn't plan a fun, family event.  We didn't go to a museum or a pumpkin patch (Christmas tree farm?) or even to the store.  I felt bad when Jack announced that he was bored, like I'd let him down.  I realize this is crazy, but this is what I think.  Every weekend where I haven't planned something rather substantial, I secretly am feeling guilty, which makes it quite difficult to relax.  I wonder what Jack will write about when his teacher asks him to write about his weekend.  Will he have anything to say?

Let's just say...I shouldn't have worried.

"I ate sausage.  I slept.  I snuggled with my mom.  I played with my sister.  I love home."

And also, I shouldn't feel guilty.  Because, clearly, he loves his down time, too.

Silent Sunday

Our three year old.  How time does fly...

And many thanks to Forever Studio for having the good sense to make Hannah cover her temporary candy corn tattoo with her other arm so as to avoid having a temporary tattoo in her school picture.  Kudos to you!

My Favorite Cheerleader

I had the worst headache I remember having, all day long yesterday.  Literally, from the time I got out of bed, until I went to bed last night.

Normally, I would have tried to try to curl into bed and turn off the lights, and go to sleep.

But I teach first grade, so that was impossible.  I took several Motrin - nothing.  I pressed on my scalp and adjusted my ponytail all day, to no avail.  I pleaded with the little people to whisper, to no avail.  I felt like they were shouting all day.  I don't think they actually were, although that wouldn't be a first, but I'm pretty sure that was just my perception of their noise level based on the pain in my head.  It wasn't pretty.

After work, I went to pick up the kids.  We gathered all of their things, and I got them home.  We started to unpack the car, when I heard a ringing noise in my ears.  

"Kiddos, we've got to get inside, my head feels like it's about to explode."

I think those were my exact words before I opened the door to the garage and realized that the ringing noise I'd heard in the garage was a very loud, piercing alarm that was going off somewhere inside our house.  Incessantly.

We came inside.  There was no fire.  It was not the carbon monoxide detector.  I made my way to the basement, realizing that the alarm was a leak detector that Brad had placed around our furnace/hot water heater/humidifier.  Which meant that there was also a leak...

Yes, indeed there was a leak.  I turned off the furnace, but the sensor was wet and so the beeping continued.  I tried to dry it on my clothes.  It didn't work.

I texted Brad, but he was at his office holiday party, so I Googled.  Immediately, I found the detector and the Owner's Manual, but nowhere in the manual did it tell you how to turn off the alarm.

I went back to Google, and people said to dry the sensors.

I ran back downstairs, ready to blow dry the sensor if need be, just so that the extra ringing in my head would stop.  Remember...worst headache EVER!

The sensor wouldn't dry, but I noticed an uneven seam.  With, what felt like, Hulk Smash strength, I pulled apart the detector, and pulled the connectors off of the battery.

Silence.  Sweet silence.  I was oh-so-happy.

And I needed more Motrin.

I went to get the medicine when our littlest peanut met me at the top of the stairs.

"Mommy, you did it!  You didn't need Daddy after all - you did it all by yourself!  You stopped that beeping noise - I'm so proud of you!"

I love that we've taught that girl what it means to be proud, I really do.  Because, at that moment, it was just what I needed :)