Back in my teens, whenever I heard the same song or artist several times in a day, I knew that it was because the band was popular. Now, when I hear the same song or artist several times in a day, I wonder who died.
The Lucasian Method
I practice the Lucasian method of child-rearing. This means that I quote Star Wars whenever possible since it takes me to a happier place when otherwise I would be going crazy. Here are some examples:
(at dinner time)
“Eat, or eat not. There is no whine.”
(tantrum time)
“I find your lack of coping skills disturbing.”
(poopie time)
“I felt a great disturbance in your shorts.”
(refusing to take a nap time)
“Mee-sah, gonna send your ass to bed-sah”
Other nerdy parents, feel free to add others; I’d love to add to my collection
Team Sequeira Gone Viral
Team Sequeira has gone viral, and I don’t mean the “ooh-that’s-a-cool-video” viral, I mean the “mommy-why-does-my-poo-look-li
ke-barf-and-my-barf-smell-like -poo” kind. I’d rather be watching funny cat videos right about now.
It started on Tuesday when Ben got home from school. I could see he looked off. That evening he started barfing. Mick kept an eye on him that night and I slept in the kids’ room with the two healthy ones since it was Mick’s turn in the barrel.
The next morning, we took him into the doctor where he got an IV to combat the dehydration. Twenty-four hours after it started, Ben switched to the diarrhea. At least he had his appetite back. He’s been in diapers since then (it’s now Saturday).
Harry had a couple of liquid burps starting on Thursday. Most of it was because of Team Sequeira’s allergies that cause my gang to wake up with a lot of phlegm in their mouths/throat. They’re not good at coughing it out so it upsets their tummies, hence the barf. It looked like Harry might avoid the virus but, alas, he switched to the diarrhea on Friday.
Lil has been the strongest to resist but on Saturday afternoon, she barfed up as well. At least at her age, she’s able to stay focused enough to run to the bathroom, whereas Ben and Harry just get a sad look on their face as they sit where they are and barf onto themselves, the couch, our bed, etc. We’ve gone through probably fifteen loads of wash these past few days, mostly sanitary cycle.
On the bright side, this couldn’t have come at a better time. I have recently been lamenting how fast time has flown. Lil just turned six and we’re all set for Ben to start full day pre-K and Harry will start two half-days in the fall. As much as I’m not a fan of being covered in barf and shit, these are my babies and I truly enjoy taking care of them. I remember the last time Lil was sick and she and I camped out on the bathroom floor all night so she could wake up and barf into the toilet. That was only a few months ago and I am already fond of those memories. This week has dragged on, painfully so, but as I sit with them as they barf on me, I think about what a precious time this is.
Keeping the Christmas Spirit Alive
A lot of people say they wish the Christmas spirit could last the whole year through, but here at Team Sequeira, we’re actually doing something about it. We still haven’t taken down our Christmas Tree.
Who Wants Toys?
I’ve been teaching my kids a new game called, “Who wants toys?” The rules are simple and exciting. We walk into a room together and if they see a toy they really want, all they have to do it pick it up and put in in a toy box or a shelf. If they never want to see it again, all they have to do is leave it where it is and Daddy (aka “The Sweeper”) will get rid of it. The look in Daddy’s eye is telling them that this is a game they don’t want to lose…
Empty Calories
It was a sad day when I looked up the nutritional value of gin only to discover that I ingest the equivalent of a slice of cheesecake each time I find myself staring at that twist of lemon in the bottom of my glass (it had 100 calories per ounce-and-a-half). Of course, none could argue that the martini takes me to a far, far better place.
Since having children, I’ve stopped drinking soda. If I’m going to ingest empty calories, it damn well better be taking me to a happier place.
Before starting my business, an evening beverage was the norm. Usually I’d fix something as I was cooking dinner – rule number one for cooking is “always season the chef.” Since I’ve had my business and have something productive to engage other parts of my brain than the child-rearing part, I’ve tended to skip the drink because I’ve truly enjoyed tooling around solving computer issues after the kids go to sleep. It’s been a wonderful outlet for me.