Bad Dreams

Last Night - Joel comes out of his room five minutes after being tucked in bed.

Joel: Daddy, I had a bad dream.

Daddy: Joel, you haven't been up there long enough to go to sleep, let alone have a bad dream. Go back to bed.

Tonight - Joel comes out of his room five minutes after being tucked in bed.

Joel: Mommy, I had a short bad dream.

Me: (laughing) Go get in bed!

Baths and Breakfast Cereal

After giving both boys a bath, I wrapped them in towels and herded them to the living room. They immediately threw off their towels, started chanting, "Naked! Naked! Naked!" and running around the house. This is not unusual, and so I shrugged and went back to the bathroom to rinse out the tub, thinking the running would dry them as well as the towels would have. I was a little concerned, however, when I came out and they had disappeared. I finally found them, after hearing a couple of muffled chants, crouched under the desk in my office, still naked, each munching from a bowl of Reese's Puffs cereal. If Wheaties is the breakfast of champions, in our house, apparently, Reese's Puffs is the breakfast of...nudists?

Flowers

There are no wild flowers blooming yet, so today Joel picked me a handful of field grass. He told me to put it in a vase with water. It made a lovely dinner centerpiece.

Throwing Up

Joely has the flu. For some reason this has been unreasonably traumatic for his mother. I guess this is partly because this is his first experience with throwing up, and my first experience having to take care of a barfy child.

I hate throwing up. Well, no one likes it, but I have always had a particularly strong aversion. I think it is the loss of control. I feel panicky when I get an upset stomach. I do everything in my power not to vomit, even when I know that I will probably feel better for having done so.

I'm glad to say that sympathy for my child won out over revulsion. I followed him anxiously around with a bucket. I cuddled him in spite of the fear of contagion. I changed his sheets and sang him songs and gave him bland food and liquids. Of course I cared for Joel, because I love him, and there was no one else to do so. Brandon was on a business trip. It was really difficult for me, though! Sometimes I think God sends me experiences I'm sure I can absolutely NOT deal with, just to show me that I CAN handle them with his help.

Things I learned in 2011

God cares about the little things in my life.
It is important to remember birthdays.
I have many hats, but I can only wear one at a time.
My children really are adorably hilarious.
Generous doses of sunlight are necessary for good health.
I don't have to eat the treats just because they are there.
Always make back-ups.
Simple tastes best.
Consistency is more important than perfection.
I can do hard things.