HGTV and sprucing up the house

Ever since my daughter and I have been sick this winter, I have become hooked on the Home and Garden TV channel. We like the show called House Hunters, where people get to look at 3 houses then choose the one that is right for them. I especially like the international one. Houses are cheap in other countries! But still not cheap enough for us to get one anywhere- it doesn't stop us from dreaming though. They also have the decorating shows. Watching them makes me want to spruce up my place a bit. So, I have been taking advantage of the commercial breaks to improve a few areas of my house. I started by creating a craft corner. It is a great place for me to sit and scrapbook, and then everything can be easily tucked away. (Which is good because it is in the corner of my bedroom.) Another thing I did was to get a new desk for my daughter's room. I got a great deal on it, got it all set up, and already put all of her junk on it. The last thing I did was to change a broken fan pull. I managed to do it without even electrocuting myself which is impressive! I am not sure what I am going to take on next, maybe re-doing my kitchen cabinets!

TAKE YOUR MEDICINE!!!!

My daughter is so bad about taking medicine! I guess she comes by it honestly, because when I was little I remember my mom having to call her brother, who is a pharmacist, to order a special grape flavored cough medicine for me- that I still threw up. But, I think that my daughter has me beat. First of all, she throws up cough medicine and pretty much any liquid medication I try to give to her. I have tried having it flavored, giving her a popsicle to freeze her taste buds, and threatening to spank her if she does not SWALLOW IT NOW!!! A few years ago I tried to get her a flu shot, and my doctor ended up having to chase her around the room trying to stick her with the needle. The next year, my doctor suggested I either look into the one that just sprays up their nose, or just take our chances, but she was NOT going to give her another shot. I even had her speak to a pharmacist, her doctor and my mom about why it is important to take her medicine. So, do any of you moms have any tricks up your sleeve for how you get your kids to take their medicine?

microscopes and hand sanitizer

Do you remember how cool it was looking through microscopes when you were in school? I remember being in 7th grade and going into a small lab room filled with microscopes. We would all stand there in the dark observing all the cool stuff we could find in a few drops of pond water. It is amazing to me how many little critters live in just one tiny (gross!) drop. It also makes me want to wash my hands- a lot. The pond water lab has always been one of my favorite labs to do with my students every year. I enjoy hearing them squeal over what they see swimming around in their drop, and I don't even mind when they go through an entire bottle of hand sanitizer!

What a good number one will do for you...

I had a boy in my class today that I noticed was sort of clutching his stomach. I asked him if he was OK and he said that his stomach hurt. So, I went through the typical teacher interrogation: did you eat lunch? what did you eat? do you have to use the bathroom? would you like to go see the nurse? He tells me "No, I am sure it will pass". So I said "why don't you go walk out to the bathroom and get a drink of water, maybe if you walk around a little it will feel better". Well, he was gone for a few minutes, and he comes back, and on his way to his seat he tells me "well, I guess all I needed was a number one- I feel much better now!" Fabulous!

A sick day will wear you out

My daughter and I have both been sick for two weekends now. We have been coughing sneezing with fevers and she has a confirmed case of the flu. Even though she is sick, she never slows down- not even with a 104 degree fever! I think I probably could have gotten more rest if I had gone in to work and taught 120 middle schoolers. Seriously. Here is a sampling of what we did yesterday: woke up at 7:30, played some games, watched some tv, built fairy houses with acorns, leaves, mini-bird houses and hot glue, had lunch, watched a little more tv, snuck into the library for 10 minutes to switch out our library books and went through the McDonalds drive through for ice cream (I swear we did not breathe on anyone!), took naps, made some crafts, painted each other's nails, cooked dinner that she wouldn't eat, watched a little more tv, colored pictures, took bubble baths, watched a little more tv, read some books and FINALLY went to bed! I am exhausted just typing this! What do you do when your kids are sick to entertain them?