Kid's Escapades

I. The kids and I met some friends at the library the other day for a presentation on "Pioneer Days" by a local museum. We all had a lot of fun. The weather has been so hot and dry, we are looking for activities to do inside where it's nice and cool. When we got home, I asked the boys to clean their room, which to my surprise, they did immaculately. The only slight problem is that now I can't get into their closet! I was wondering why it had taken them so little time to put everything away- they simply piled all their "stuff" in the small closet. I guess I can't complain- they did do as I asked. Next time I will have to be more specific.

II. Having kids can be so...exciting. They can be expensive, too. A few years ago, Nicholas burned our microwave when he took it upon himself (as a toddler) to put his rice bowl, spoon and all, into the microwave for who knows how long. All I know is that I was giving Andrew a bath, Pete and Katie were outside, when all of the sudden I smelled this repugnant odor- something was on fire. I hadn't smelled that sickening aroma since student teaching in The Woodlands when our apartment complex caught on fire (a story for another day). I rushed out of the bathroom to see smoke coming from the microwave. I stopped the microwave, but when I opened the door, the rice was on fire and smoke filled our whole house. Boy, were we lucky! We had to get another microwave, which we bought at Target. Unfortunately, this one did not last too long. It died on us the other day. So the kids and I ventured out to Sears to buy a Kenmore. Hopefully, we'll have better luck (and if we don't, at least we know it can be fixed or replaced).

III. Remind me to share with you one day the time the boys turned on the gas by our fireplace. We had to evacuate the house, and again, we were VERY lucky to catch it in time. I am so grateful to have our guardian angels watching over my family!

Strange Call From School Nurse

You know, I've had a lot of strange calls from preschool and school over the past several years, but today's call has to top them all. Before I give you the details of this unusual call on this second to last day of school, let me share with you some of the other calls I have gotten.

Once, when Andrew was three-years-old, I had been to his preschool for a Mother's Day tea. I had left so happy and full of warmth, only five minutes ago, and had just pulled into my mother's driveway to pick up Nicholas when the preschool called and said Andrew had fallen on a rickety bridge on the playground- straight onto his nose. It was bleeding profusely, possibly broken, but he was "okay." I dashed back to the school and took him to the doctor, who said at that age, the nose doesn't really break, but boy, did it look like it. Andrew eventually looked like a raccoon. Can you believe that when we got back from the doc, a one-year-old Nick walked up to Andrew's swollen, horrible nose, touched it and said, "What happened?" Of course, that started the bleeding all over.

Through the years I have gotten more calls, "Hello, Mrs. Kolp? This is the school nurse," uh-oh,

"and we have Andrew here. He fell off the monkey bars and hit his head." Or, "Mrs. Kolp," (nasal tone) "this is the school nurse. Katie is here with fever and cough." Oh, those years of asthma and recurring pneumonia were horrific. "Mrs. Kolp, this is the school nurse. We need a change of clothes. There was an accident here."

But today, the nurse's call was the most unexpected and bizarre. Just having gotten home from Disney, I was running around, trying to do laundry, grocery shop, pick up dogs (at least Pete is still on vacation, but he is not feeling well), worried about the kids who have bad colds, going through mail and e-mails and trying to catch up in my poetry group, when the phone rang at 11:15. I had to take Katie lunch at 12:15 because she was feeling bad and I wanted to check on her. I thought the call was about her, but no- it was about Nicholas. "Hello, Mrs. Kolp? This is the school nurse. Nicholas fell in a huge mud puddle and is soaked through his clothes all over his body- hair and all. You know how hard it poured yesterday and the day before (no- we were on vacation). Can you come and take Nicholas home to give him a bath and change him?" GRRR.

"Was he hurt?" I asked.

"No- just filthy."

I had no idea that Nick would be as dirty as he was, but not hurt at all (thank you Lord). I made him stand up while I drove him home and then proceeded to strip Nicholas and give him a bath from head to toe. Even his tennis shoes needed washing. I told him, "I guess this is where the dirty boy image comes from," I said. "What were you doing?"

"Going across the monkey bars," was his answer, "but then I fell."

"What did you do after you fell?"

"I was too scared to go to my teacher, but my friend did. My teacher wasn't even mad."

Of course not- who could be made at those cute cheeks and big eyes?

*I'll update more Disney from the kid's perspective next time.

Here We Go Round The Sick-berry Bush!

My family has been inundated with sickness lately. With three young children in school and mommy trying to work part-time, this has been quite a juggling act. First Nicholas got sick one Tuesday last month (I work Tuesday and Thursday). Pete had an important meeting and could not stay home, so I had to call in sick. Then Nick got better until the next Tuesday when he came down with fever again. I had a lot going on, so Pete stayed home and took him to the doctor, who said it was a virus and wouldn't put him on anything. I stayed home the next time (Thursday) and then the following week, the same thing happened. Tuesday Nicholas is coughing again (and had been all night). Back to the doctor and finally we get put on antibiotics. Nicholas gets better and then the following week...you guessed it. Andrew wakes up with a fever. He has to stay home for three days and this is the week of my art show. Did I mention I got sick sometime in the middle of all this? Then I go to work and have two, three and four-year-olds coughing in my face. When will it be spring? Well, the boys seem to be okay, even though I found out a nasty tummy virus is going around. I will keep my fingers crossed and keep praying. But today, while at work, I got a call from the school nurse and- can you believe it- Katie had a low-grade fever and earache. Will this winter yuckiness ever end?

Sick Kids, Art Shows and Achiness, Oh My!

Sick kids, art shows and achiness, oh my!
My kids are sick and can't get well
and the big art show is looming.
Ms. Angelle's back hurts like Hell
and she keeps calling me a-fuming.
I have deadlines to meet and doctors to see;
people who think I have time are assuming.
So I keep trying my best to keep up with the rest
while juggling these obligations I'm pursuing.
I'm tired and sick and lagging behind
because I AM STUCK IN A CYCLE OF OVERDOING!
Sick kids, art shows and achiness, oh my!
Please pray that I get through this rough time by and by.