February 26, 2004 - 11:11 a.m.

I Asked For It

I made the mistake of telling my boss the other day, after he asked how I was feeling, that I almost never get stomach bugs. Famous last words... Well, not-so-famous not-even-close-to-last words. Why do I insist on using these cliched phrases, when they aren't even appropriate?

Anyway, as I was saying, I appear to have gotten the stomach bug that has been going around. M and B both had it, and H came down with it last night. So now I am stuck at home, feeling queasy, with three sick/recovering children. I even got to clean up H's vomit this morning, which is an unpleasant task even when one isn't already feeling nauseous. Ick. Really, though, I cannot complain too much, since I, unlike the kids, have been able to keep my food down.

I have definitely earned my pay this week! Four 11.5 hour days in a row. It's no wonder I have been falling into bed before 10PM.

Meanwhile, the weather is playing one of those nasty late winter tricks on us. It has been sunny and mild all week, with highs in the 40's. It feels like spring, smells like spring, and the birds have been singing like crazy. I would be thrilled, only I know that as soon as we start to get used to this, the temperature will plummet back into the twenties for a few more weeks, and we'll probably get more snow, too. Winter in New England is an exercize in forced pessimism or crushed hopes. And thanks to everyone being sick, the kids and I can't even get out and enjoy the nice weather while it's here.

After being cooped up for several days, I am really looking forward to some socializing this weekend. My brother and I are hosting another game night on Saturday, and hopefully there will be a good turnout. I also hope I feel better by then. I love that we have friends that can have such a good time just getting together to play games. Most of us do enjoy going out on the town occasionally, but generally prefer more laid back, and some might say geeky, social gatherings. That's not to say we're quiet and boring. We get pretty rambunctious over a game of Boggle... Okay, so we are geeky. :)

Also on Saturday is B's 5th birthday party. They are having a magician come for the party, and the goody bags will have little magic tricks and such in them. It amazes me the lengths parents in this area go to for parties! When I was a kid, it was a big deal to have a party at the roller rink or a pizza place. Most of our parties were at home and involved little beyond cake and ice cream and a game or two, and we totally enjoyed them. The kids I work with and most of their friends have pony rides, moonwalks, magicians, or outings to museums, gymnastics centers, or ceramics studios. Plus the guests all get goody bags full of candy, stickers, books, etc. It's not at all unheard of for one of these parties to cost more than $20 for each of the 15+ guests. Granted, I live in an affluent community full of working parents determined to show they love their children in as many lavish, expensive ways as possible, spending money to make up for the time they can't or don't spend. Still, it seems much more common now for children to have fancy parties than it was when I was a kid.

today's project: running a quarantine area

musing about: ways to keep sick kids occupied

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