Thoughts on Thursday

I am not following the format, but here are a few things rattling around in my head:

1.  I have loved reading to my kids over the past six weeks or so.  We have read Heidi and The Little Princess, and now we are starting Tom Sawyer.  With the latter two, I was moved to tears at some times by the beautiful messages of books which were favorites from my childhood.  I was even reading from my own copies — thanks mom and dad for saving them! — and I know that I took things away from the stories that I missed as a child.  After two books with female protagonists, I thought it was time for some boyish mischief, so with some explanations of awkward language, we are up to the whitewashing and laughing out loud with Tom!

2.  It is finally our turn to have sick kids.  I feel lucky to have been spared for most of the winter, especially because I was working a lot, and also lucky that my kids have happened to get sick during the week that my parents are here — thanks again, mom and dad!  I don’t know if this is true in all families, but my kids get sick in two different ways.  Some collapse and just sleep and loll around for days, sort of apologizing for being sick, and some get extra needy and whiny.  At the moment, I have one of each going, and the contrast is interesting.  Can I say that I have a preference?

Does anyone take emergnC or anything similar?  Airborne?  I would love to know how to help myself stay healthy when the kids are starting to get sick.

3. After a very nice family breakfast, I chose Valentine’s Day to pick a fight with my husband, which wasn’t so great.  However, we worked through it all pretty well, we both apologized, and in a way it was a very loving thing to know that we have learned to get through a crummy moment.  Ultimately, I know that he loves me a lot, and that is a very special feeling.

4.  Somewhat related, I am still reeling, and pretty angry, about Downton.  Like Lady Mary, I hope I really am is the wonderful person that my husband thinks I am, and I had hope that a little bit at a time he was going to help her become that person more in her life.  Now I worry that she will parent more like poor Shrimpy’s wife.  Also, my husband gets extra credit for being my best husband because he recognized that Susan was played by the actress who gave us the incredible Lady Catherine DeBourgh in the old P&P.  Most of all, it was just so, so sad.  I am not sure that I am going to be able to keep watching.

5.  I really want to finish up and order my 2012 scrapbook.

6.  We just got notice about Little League try-outs.  Spring is coming.  I am one of the few who regret the end of winter, and I know that I really struggle with the lack of predictability in the early baseball season, changing schedules, rain outs, etc, but I have to try to remember how fun it winds up being once they are really playing, and keep calm through this transition.  Like your two year old who struggles with transitions, I am giving myself a five minute warning.