Our Week - The One with Sick Kids and a Super Productive Weekend

Last week, not just one, but BOTH kids were home sick for three days, so it was an interesting one to say the least.  Let’s get to the recap!

Monday, October 18

Jacob woke me up at 1 AM Monday morning saying that he wasn’t feeling well.  Sure enough, I took his temperature and it was 101.5.  Sigh.  I gave him some medicine and sent him back to bed, and then spent the next few hours tossing and turning and praying it wasn’t Covid.  Or flu.  Or anything else major. 

I got up Monday at my usual time to get Olivia to school, and when I went in to wake her, she was horribly congested, and she sounded awful.  So, I sent her back to bed and immediately emailed both of the kids’ teachers to let them know they’d be out for the day.

Olivia had run a fever back during fall break, 11 days prior, and Jacob had stayed home from school one day the previous week because he had a scratchy throat and a runny nose, so it seemed crazy that both of them woke up Monday so very sick, especially since they’d both just already been under the weather but had been well for nearly a week.

When Jacob got up Monday morning, he looked awwwwful.  His fever was back, his throat was hurting, he was aching, and he could barely sit up because he felt so bad.  Due to the severity of his illness, I knew I needed to get him to the doctor and have him tested for Covid, and I decided that I might as well take Olivia, too, just to ensure hers wasn’t Covid either. 

The kids and I had a quick breakfast and we arrived at the doctor’s office a few minutes before they opened.  Jacob felt so awful that it made him anxious on the way there, and by the time we arrived, he was feeling worse than ever.  Thankfully, they were able to get us in a room quickly despite the fact that there were already many cars in the parking lot.  Jacob immediately lay down and curled up on the doctor’s table when we got in the room, and I just felt so terrible for him.  He hasn’t been that sick in a long time… he didn’t even look that bad when he had the flu back in March.  He did perk up a bit when his fever medicine kicked in, and he joined us for some Snapchat to pass the time.

A PA came in first to check out the kids, and then the doctor on call came in… it wasn’t our normal pediatrician, but it was our second favorite in the office, so we lucked out.  She examined both kids thoroughly and ordered a rapid Covid/flu test for Jacob and a regular (send-out) Covid test for Olivia.  She said that since Jacob was having all the symptoms, his viral load would be large, and therefore the rapid test would provide accurate results, but she said since Olivia wasn’t having tons of symptoms, she wanted to do the long Covid test (the one that has to be sent off to the lab) for her to ensure the most accurate results as her viral load probably wasn’t as big.

Jacob’s Covid and flu tests both came back negative (PRAISE THE LORD!) and the doctor said that since his came back negative, she was confident that Olivia’s would, too, but that we’d have to wait 1-2 days for her results.  She told us that it was likely that they both just had really bad colds, and there isn’t much you can do for that but wait for them to pass.  She said there was no need to prescribe an antibiotic, so she told us just to medicate Jacob with pain relievers as needed to keep him comfy and to make him drink tons of fluids. 

When the PA had listened to Olivia’s lungs, he heard some “consolidation” (fluid) in one of them, but he said it wasn’t anything to worry about.  When the doc came in and listened to her lungs, she couldn’t hear the fluid in her lung, and she said it was probably because Olivia had just coughed it up.  Just to be safe, though, she sent us home with a prescription for a steroid just in case she started having any breathing problems. 

The doc said depending on when Olivia’s Covid test results came back and when Jacob’s fever went away, that they should be able to go back to school either Wednesday or Thursday.  Assuming Olivia’s Covid test was negative, of course.  She sent us home with a doctor’s note so that we could hold them out through Wednesday if we needed to and then we headed home. 

At home, the kids parked themselves on the couch for the rest of the morning watching cartoons.  We had TONS of stuff going on Monday and the rest of the week, so I spent the next couple of hours canceling appointments, messaging people, and rearranging our schedules.  Monday is always our busiest day of the week because Olivia has three dance classes back-to-back and Jacob has baseball games, so they ended up missing important stuff.  Sigh.  

B joined us for lunch, and then the kids went right back to watching cartoons.  Jacob’s fever spiked throughout the day each time his medicine wore off, and he was pretty lethargic all day.  He didn’t even want to play video games.  That’s how I knew it was really bad.  He has never ever turned down video games.  Since he wasn’t feeling well, I didn’t even bother to get him to do any of his schoolwork on his laptop. 

Later in the afternoon, we finally turned off the TV and Olivia and I finally finished her string art project that we’d started ten months prior.  Lol.  She got it for Christmas last year, and we started it over Christmas Break and never finished.  She was thrilled to finally have it done, and I was, too, because I hated that project.  Lol.  It was soooo frustrating and I had to do the whole thing because Olivia couldn’t.

We made breakfast for dinner Monday evening, and I made French toast for the first time ever.  We had some leftover TJ’s pumpkin bread that was starting to get stale, so I thought, why not?  I’ve always loved French toast and I grew up eating my Momma’s, but I’ve never ever tried to make it on my own.  It turned out okay, but I think it’ll be better next time now that I know what I’m doing.

After dinner, I headed out for a walk, and I managed to get in three miles.  The sun set while I was out there and it was soooo chilly, and I was treated to the most beautiful deep purple and pink skies with an almost-full moon rising.  It was gorgeous.

By the time I got back home, the kids were showered and ready for bed, so we watched a couple of episodes of The Fresh Prince, and then we got them in the bed.  By bedtime, Jacob’s fever was finally staying down on its own without medicine, so we were hopeful that the worst was over!

After the kids were in bed, B and I watched a Supermarket Sweep and some SNL, and then we headed off to bed, too.  I was exhausted after not having slept much at all the night before.

Tuesday, October 19

Tuesday morning, we were all able to sleep in a bit since the kids had to stay home from school.  I got up at 7:30 (woo hoo!) and got ready for the day, and then we all had breakfast together.  After that, I headed to the kids’ school to pick up Jacob’s schoolwork and books, and OMG it was so much stuff that his teacher had put it all in a box for me.  Ugggghhhh.

After I left the school, I headed to my midwife’s office for my annual checkup, and then I stopped by CVS on the way home to pick up Olivia’s steroid as well as some daytime and nighttime cough medicine for the kids.

When I got home, I enjoyed a quick cup of hot cinnamon tea, and then I got to work doing laundry, tidying up, and getting lunch ready for the kids and me.  B was in all-day meetings yet again, and he wasn’t able to join us.

After lunch, I got both kids settled in with some schoolwork and I did some housecleaning while assisting them as needed.  Jacob had so. much. work. to make up and much of it was brand new as they just started the second quarter, and therefore, are starting new units in all of their subjects, so I had to help him with some of his math.  Ugggghhhh.  Fifth grade math might as well be Greek to me, so it was a bit of a struggle, but thankfully, most of it was decimals, which is actually something that I do understand.  Lol.

After several hours of work for him (and me), I finally retreated to my office briefly to treat myself to some dark chocolate peanut M&Ms as a reward for doing all the fifth-grade math successfully.  Hahahaha. 

Late afternoon, I headed downstairs to cook dinner, and then afterward, B watched the Atlanta Braves baseball game while Jacob and Olivia continued to play whatever game they’d started before dinner.

Since everyone was occupied, I laced up my tennis shoes and headed out for another solo walk.  It was another gorgeous, cool evening, and I ended up getting in 3.5 miles before calling it quits.  I would have loved to stay out longer, but it was dark.  

At dusk, I was walking up the main front street in our neighborhood, and just as reached the top of the hill, the moon came into view on the horizon and it was MASSIVE and full and bright.  It looked so surreal that it took my breath away, and it was just one of those moments that reaffirm your faith in a higher power.  I didn't get a picture of it, but I did get a picture of the sunset in the west.  Also, stunning.

We got the kids medicated for their super stuffy noses before bed, and I may have had to play the song Shots by Lil’ Jon to convince them to take them.  Hahahaha.  Both of them were stressing out over how bad the medicine tasted, and they were both taking these teeny tiny baby sips, so I finally showed them how to tip it up and get it all down in one swig, and of course, I had to play some music to go along with it.  Lol.  Whatever works, right?!  And don’t worry, I played the clean version.  ;o)

After the kids were in bed, B and I finished watching the Braves game and then started The Bachelorette.

Wednesday, October 20

Wednesday was yet another sick day for the kids as Olivia’s Covid results hadn’t come in yet.  We all slept in, I got ready, we had breakfast, and then the kids watched a couple of cartoons while I got some work done first thing.  After that it was nonstop schoolwork catchup, and we worked on that all the way until lunch.

Mid-morning, we still didn’t have results from Olivia’s send-away Covid test, so I called the pediatrician’s office where I was told that it could be FRIDAY before the results were ready.  I about flipped out because I knew the kids needed to go back Thursday and I absolutely didn’t want to have to hold them out for two more days. 

Just before lunch, the appliance store delivered our new washer and dryer set, and after they got it installed, we realized they’d put the dryer on the left and the washer on the right.  I knew that would drive me crazy, so B and I switched them around, and in between, I was finally able to paint the walls behind them.  I painted our laundry room last year during quarantine, but the washer and dryer were too heavy and awkward to move, so I just painted around them.  Lol.  It’s nice to have everything done now.

While I was painting, the pediatrician’s office called, and the doctor was on the other line.  The doctor NEVER calls – it’s always the nurse – so, naturally, I assumed the worst… that the Covid test had come back positive.  She immediately started asking all kinds of questions about the kids’ visit to confirm who had gotten which test (Jacob, a rapid, and Olivia a send-out) so that made me even more convinced Olivia had Covid.  Thankfully, she then went on to say that the test was negative, but they had accidentally submitted Olivia’s send-out Covid test under Jacob’s name instead of Olivia’s.  Whew.  I was so grateful everything ended up being okay!!  And since both tests were negative and Jacob’s fever had been down on its own for a couple of days, the doc told me that they were good to go back to school Thursday!  Praise be.

Once the washer and dryer were in their rightful places, we ran a test load of dirty cleaning rags and towels.  The washer was lightning fast and efficient and soooo much quieter than our old one, and the best part was that it didn’t shake like crazy when it reached the spin cycle.  Our old washer used to shake so much, that over time it would move all over the laundry room (and even push the dryer over, too!) and therefore, it was always crooked and it always looked terrible.  Ugh.  This new one doesn’t do that and I’m soooo grateful.  These were definitely worth the wait!

After lunch, Jacob worked on schoolwork some more, and he didn’t finish until nearly 4 PM.  Ugh.  He had so. much. work.  Once he was done with his work, I let the kids play video games for about an hour while I got some work done, and before I knew it, it was time to get ready to cook dinner.

Jacob had some more schoolwork to wrap up while I cooked dinner, and then after dinner, we all went for a walk.  The kids hadn’t been out of the house in nearly three days and it was long overdue.  Both of them ran ahead of Brian and me the whole time, so I could tell they were back to their normal energetic selves!

We did 1.5 miles together, and then I did another 2 miles by myself while they showered and got ready for bed.  We ended the night with another episode of The Fresh Prince, and then the kids went to bed while B and I finished The Bachelorette and watched the Braves game.

Thursday, October 21

Thursday morning, we were up and at ‘em, and I got the kids to school and hit the ground running.  I had so. much. to do.  So much catchup after having them home with me Monday – Wednesday.  I had to make a stop at Walmart to get some necessities as well as all of the stuff for Olivia’s class Halloween party, and since Walmart didn’t have everything I needed (surprise, surprise), I had stopped at Target afterward to pick up the rest. 

The Walmart trip took tons of time because they’re rearranging the one I went to and everything was in shambles, so it took forever to find everything that I needed.  By the time I got home, it was nearly 10 AM which didn’t leave me much time to get everything else done. 

The rest of the day was spent catching up on blog stuff, doing a couple of loads of laundry, organizing all of the Halloween party items, totaling the cost, and emailing the party details to the parents, paying a couple of bills, making a couple of appointments, and taking some pictures for the blog. 

My cousin stopped by in the early afternoon to grab some egg cartons from us, and she and I ended up chatting for nearly an hour since we hadn’t seen each other in so long.  She brought her brand-new grandbaby who’s three months old and I was finally able to see him.  We haven’t been getting together with extended family much because of Covid, so we hadn’t even had the opportunity to see him.  He is just perfect and, man oh man, did he give me terrible baby fever.  But then I realized I’m going to be 40 in six months and the baby fever disappeared as quickly as it came.  Lol.

The rest of the day was spent getting stuff done, and then I grabbed the kids from school.  We had hot dogs and mac and cheese for dinner (a staple when things are hectic, and I don’t have time to cook) and then we all headed to Jacob’s baseball game.

He’d missed the last two games since he was sick, so he was thrilled to be back on the field, and we were thrilled to be back watching.  Jacob was walked once because he got hit with the baseball.  It actually hit him right on the top of the head, so we were super grateful they wear those batting helmets!  Then he was also walked a second time, and then his third at-bat he got a solid hit for a single.  He ended up scoring two runs and the team won 8-4.  Woo hoo!

B and I watched the Braves game after the kids were in bed, and then I went to sleep while B stayed up to finish the game. 

 

Friday, October 22

Friday morning, I had a meeting at the kids’ school to help plan the fundraiser for our new playground, and then I went home to work for the rest of the day. 

Friday evening, we decided to stay in, and we opted for Five Guys takeout and Ghostbusters with the kids.  After they went to bed, B and I got caught up on all of our shows from the week, and then called it a night.  I think we were all whooped after playing catchup for two days.

 

Saturday, October 23

Saturday morning, the boys had haircut appointments at 9 AM, so they headed out early while Olivia and I hung back.  She and I slept in and then had breakfast together, and then I got in a workout. 

After having several weekends of fun activities in a row plus a week where I wasn’t able to get much done thanks to the kids being sick, we decided that Saturday we were going to focus on getting a ton of stuff done. 

I did nine loads of laundry including all of the comforters that don’t get washed as much as they should.  Now that we have these new Speed Queens, our bulky king comforter fits right in there! 

We pulled all of the porch furniture off and got the porch and the furniture all hosed down and cleaned up.  This is the time of year where all of the spiders lay eggs, so we try to do this at the end of October every year to make sure we get all of them out of there.  The kids helped do the sweeping and the spraying, so that was a huge help since I was running in and out working on the laundry.

I also ironed all of the clothes that needed it, I got the whole house tidied up, I tried on all of my new jeans one last time and decided which ones need to be sent back, I ordered a couple of Christmas gifts, I got the kids’ Christmas wish lists out to my SIL, and I worked on a few other random, tiny house projects that have been needing to be done forever.

While I did that, B mowed the lawn, front and back, one last time before winter settles in, and the kids got all of the Halloween trick-or-treat bags stuffed for next weekend. 

Whew.

We all worked our butts off Saturday, but it feels great to have it all done because we have a super busy week this week and an even busier weekend coming up, and there just won’t be much time to do anything else.

After all that was done, it was time to reward ourselves – takeout pizza for one and all and a round of beers for Brian and me, and then we carved our pumpkin.  Per usual, the kids wanted a scary face, and they ended up picking out nearly the same face that we’ve done in year’s past.  Haha.

After that, we watched an episode of Walk the Prank (haven’t watched one of those in a while!) and an episode of The Fresh Prince.

When the kids went to bed, B and I flipped back and forth between the Alabama vs. Tennessee game and the Braves game.  Georgia had a bye week, so we didn’t have a game of our own to watch.  The Braves ended up winning, which sent them to the World Series for the first time since 1999… when I was a senior in high school.  Haha.  Crazy. 

 

Sunday, October 24

Sunday morning, we had donuts from our favorite local place.  Brian and Jacob had picked them up after their haircuts on Saturday, so they were already at home and waiting to be eaten.  We watched virtual church and I got the week ahead all planned out, too.  Like I said, it’s a doozy.  So much going on.

Once Mass was over, I got in a quick workout and then cleaned out our master shower.  I don’t clean the showers and tubs enough, so it was long overdue. 

Once that was done, we all got ready for the day and then headed to the taqueria down the street from our house for lunch.  My MIL and step-FIL decided not to cook lunch, and we wanted something yummy.  The restaurant there is open-air, so it’s a nice place for us to go right now during Covid.

When we got back home, the kids and I baked a cake while B headed outside to trim all of the hedges.  While it was in the oven, I scrubbed the kids’ tub and shower which was also long overdue.  By the time I’d finished, it was time to get the cake out, and while it cooled, I tied up some other loose ends around the house while the kids played school.  They started doing that recently and it’s the cutest.  Lately, Jacob has been the teacher and he’s been teaching Olivia all of his fifth grade math, and she’s excited because she thinks she’ll be ahead when she gets to fifth grade.  Haha.

Once the cake was cool, I got it frosted, and then the kids decorated it with Halloween sprinkles and googly eyes.  It turned out so cute!

The rest of the afternoon was spent working in my office trying to get ahead for the week while the kids (and B) played video games.

My parents, my littlest brother, and my Mama Cass came over for dinner, and we had a yummy meal that my mom had made.  The kids asked me to turn on our Halloween soundtrack and they danced and sang and entertained us for the rest of the night.  Haha.

We spent the whole evening on the back porch, and it was good to be back at it after not getting together the previous week.

And now for a few current things…

Currently Reading

 

In October, I had zero luck with books.  I started The Bucket List by Georgia Clark and ended up stopping about 1/3 into it because it was just not interesting enough.  I really wanted to like it and I tried, but I just kept finding myself not even wanting to read because it just didn’t hold my attention. 

 

After that, I started Musical Chairs by Amy Poeppel, and I got about 1/3 through that one and… same thing.  Boring.  Not holding my attention at all so I gave it up.  No sense in wasting my time if it feels like a chore.

 

So, I quit both of those and returned them to the library with the intent of starting my new Nicholas Sparks book, but we’ve just been so busy ever since that I haven’t even cracked it open.

 

Currently Watching

 

With B:  This month, B and I finished Ted Lasso and Clickbait and we’re still working our way through The Morning Show.  We’re also still watching all of our network shows – Ordinary Joe and A Million Little Things, and we started Supermarket Sweep, Shark Tank, The Bachelorette, and Saturday Night Live.  We’re also watching tons of college football and the Braves games since they’ve been in the playoffs.

 

With the Kids:  We’re still watching Walk the Prank and we are likely discontinuing Survivor as Jacob says it makes him anxious and Olivia is just plain disinterested.  We started The Fresh Prince of Bel Air with them and they both love it SO MUCH.  I’m loving re-watching all of them after all these years, too, and it’s just such a great show to watch as a family.  I love that they’re loving it so much!!  We still haven’t watched any more of The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers or The Mysterious Benedict Society because the kids haven’t been interested in continuing those either. 

 

Alone:  I’m still watching Friends on repeat while I work because I love having it as my happy background noise.  I’ve seen them all so many times that I don’t have to pay close attention, so it doesn’t distract me from my work.  I’m also still watching The Wedding Planner and Father of the Bride 2 on occasion as well.  Seriously just the best.

 

Currently Listening To

 

I’m still shuffling my late 90’s/early 2000’s stuff while I walk or run, and I’m also listening to standards while I cook because it’s just so cozy. 

 

We’re also shuffling our Halloween playlist like it’s our job, and we’re gonna wear it out until November 1… because on November 1 I’ll be promptly making the switch to Christmas music.  #OhYesIAm

I’m also still listening to Elvis Duran every morning, and I’m still making my way through The Bestie Breakdown with Shay and Erika podcast.

Happy Tuesday, y’all!