[Advent] Conspiracy Theory

There was one year that 3 days before Christmas, my mom broke her ankle in three places, and had to have 2 plates and 6 screws added to her leg to hold her foot on straight.  My sister wrote a lovely poem about it to the tune of, "'Twas the night before Christmas", and since we were at her house, my sister and I and eventually my Dad who arrived later, made Christmas happen so to speak.  There's a lot more to that story of course, and we made a lot of memories that year to be sure.  But Christmas comes regardless of how, as the Grinch learned, and as I am ever learning.

This year my Mom is definitely making Christmas happen, as I have not crawled out of the double ear-infection/migraine pit quite yet.  Today I showered, took one present out of a box, wrapped one thing, and took a nap.  And I'm still tired and unmotivated.  And while my ears are still plugged, I did yawn really hard and experience a little bit of pop in one! I'm not gonna lie, it kind of hurt.  But I'll take it, because that's gotta be a good thing.  I do thank God for the timing of this.  I can't imagine trying to get everyone to school all the time.  But, I've taken to sleeping the night through again, hallelujah!  And even if it's taken a migraine to do so, whatever dude.  I will so totally take it at this point.  We will have organic broccoli soup for Christmas dinner and I will so totally take that too.  I ordered some presents too late to be here for "Christmas" but guess what, Jesus wasn't born on Dec. 25 so I guess they'll be here in time for Jesus' birthday now won't they?!

I keep thinking that tomorrow is Christmas Eve, but I guess that was yesterday.  The girls may have to wrap some of Gramma's presents and I don't suppose she'll mind.  "Remember that year Mom got way sick and wrote all the neti pot songs?  Xmas 2013, huzzah!  Jesus was still born."  And anyway, I think our church calendar is flawed.  Everyone was born, only one person died on the cross for our sins.  Easter should be a bigger deal anyway. *shrug*  But maybe I'm less romantic about the winter holiday since it's often (and again this year) in the 70s and sunny here for it.  Or maybe I'm just not stuck on tradition (except for just being together) and I just don't mind shaking it up.  "That year, Christmas was chill.  We went easy on the decor, we wore t-shirts, and had soup.  And I couldn't hear very well."  Maybe I like having a good story to tell, of how life was good anyway.  Ugh, even without caramel popcorn with nuts, and iced sugar cookies.  I really hate my brain sometimes.  At least my kids will never suffer the addiction of "christmas" cookies that my brain is kicking up right now.  Jerk brain...

Life, good.  Christmas, good.  MMJ, good.  I'm going to have to get the rest of that poem from my sister..."There were three days 'till Christmas and all was quite nice, when Shirlena was ambushed by miscreant ice..."

So you had a bad day or People used to die of infection

I can't remember my last ear infection.  I don't know that I've ever had a double.  I do know that I've never had a double ear infection with a sinus infection and a migraine or 2.  I wanted to be put into an induced coma.  I hadn't been this miserable since my second c-section and now that I think about it, last night may have been worse.  At least before, I could sleep in 1-2 hour intervals where as last night was just ear, jaw, and neck pain, Percocet be damned! That capped 4 nights of not sleeping and just being so, so, incredibly uncomfortable and/or in excruciating pain.  And I can take pain!

So anyway, the visit had been paid to the Dr and once the appropriate medications were determined and ordered and my mom was graciously waiting in the pharmacy for me, the girls and I waited in the car.  They were getting antsy and I was trying to explain how sick I was and how miserable I had been and I completely broke down and started weeping.  They asked me if I was laughing or crying and I just cried harder.  Then Sasha asked me where my head hurt and kissed it.  Best kisses ever.  And thankfully by the time we got home and I had taken round one of anti-colonizations and Advil cold and sinus and got all cozy with soup and a heat sock, I really was feeling better.

Because omg, a slowly building sinus and double ear take-over-and-conquer plus 2 migraines over the course of 6 days is just death and destruction.  The girls missed two days of school bc I couldn't move, and other people graciously got them to school yesterday.  Mom has taken over every duty possible and the girls have taken over getting me water.  The bonus is that now that my ears are so plugged, their random yells and such aren't bothering me!  My friends have been phenomenal, sending me star wars books, making me soup, bringing me star wars mugs (cheap date I guess!).  Oh, I suppose I AM watching Star Wars right now.  But, it's not like I'm obsessed or anything, it's just, more kid friendly than other selections.  And AWESOME duh.

So here's to constant torture, still no word on botox, a nice new Dr. I met, and fabulous friends and family.  Impressive.  And thanks to the good Lord Jesus that Mom is on vacation!!! (cue chorus of heavenly angels)  Shoot, we might even get a christmas tree up before christmas eve...
#achristmasmiraclecharlibrown
#newyearstree?

The Abandoned [starwarslego]Advent Calendar

It's Sunday night I think. Crush of thoughts, crush of meds...Is this why God gave me brilliant children?  So they could miss lots of school and not fall behind?  So that in playing catch-up I wouldn't have to worry about them skipping grades?  Whatevs yo. *shrugs*  Sasha schooled me in prayer tonight.  This is no joke, how it went down.

Enter me, eating a cookie still slightly warm even having just been put in the fridge. (yes, of course some weird everything-free experiment my mom is trying, involving blueberries, sunbutter and GF flours...)
Me: "Dear God, please heal us all so I don't have to kill anyone tomorrow. Amen"
Emily and Sasha: "Amen"
Sasha: "Dear God, thank you for this beautiful day, and please help Mommy to feel better and not have a migraine so she doesn't have to yell at us and do bad things all day.  Please heal everyone and thank you for our dinner and our warm clothes.  Thank you for me Sasha, Emily, Gwamma, and Mommy. Please help the people who don't know about you, to know about you.  Amen.
Me and Emily: "Amen."

Schooled by my 5-yr-old in prayer.  I guess I'm proud more than anything.  And I go to bed this Sunday night knowing that we mostly got all our meds this week, and that's saying a lot, considering Emily's had 4 days so far of Abdominal migraine, and Sasha went from suspected croup to suspected whooping cough to just an upper respiratory infection with a bonus beginning ear infection thank God, and I've had intermittent migraine of course.  This all began when Emily started coughing just before last weekend.  It's been going around apparently.  So really, the fact that we got almost all of our meds this week is PHENOMENAL.

So there's um, school tomorrow. (slow, tired string of expletives...) I'm pretty sure I don't care.
*plugging my ears and singing*
Nerf Guns and UGG Boots and Gluten Free Waffles
Star Wars Themed Legos, Organic Falafels
Land of No Seasons and nickel-free strings
These are a few of my favorite things...

Girls in free play-clothes with moveable waistbands
Hand-me-down havens and nut-free-zone playlands
Wild girls that fly up and down on the swings
These are a few of my favorite thing!

When migraine barfs
When the cough hacks
When I'm feeling bad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so sad

We must...get well...ugh.  The girls are exhausted from coughing, and of course coughing can trigger migraine.  Bit of a bummer there really.  So the girls are also emotionally exhausted from hacking and coughing and being migrainey and I'm also exhausted so they're just all weepy and I'm trying to not break.  So far, it's going much better than expected, and I would definitely say we are on the mend as far as the coughs go.  Now if we can just kick the migraine, and get back to routine.  Geeze, we've even momentarily abandoned the Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar, that's how out of whack we are!
I know.
I, know.

And I just re-joined the worship team.  Because I am apparently, excessive in my need for bright lights shined in my face.
*plugging ears and singing*
Moving to Europe where corn isn't worshipped
Corn-free squash pancakes with real maple syrup
Not being sick all the ******* **** time
These are the happiest thoughts I can find...

"How do you be a single mom with debilitating migraine, to two kids who both get migraines who also have opposite and life-threatening food allergies?" you might ask?  Simple.  You live with your awesome mom who made you watch Star Wars as a kid (as well as Poltergeist, another story for another day), you are supported by loving friends and family, you research and work your face off, and you crash and burn regularly.  And you sing.  Duh.

Yeah. Yeah, let's do this.