What a Mom's Sick Day Looks Like

I had felt it coming for a few days--tons of mucus, shivers, sleepless nights, gravelly voice--but I kept thinking it would run its course and go away.

I was wrong.  I woke up Tuesday morning sicker than I've been in a long time, and I knew it was time to call in the big guns: a trip to the doctor for (hopefully) some meds.

The worst thing about being sick when you're the mom is that you don't get to take the day off, even though you feel like Mucinex guy.

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After a trip to the doctor and the pharmacy to battle my sinus infection, I did sneak in a short nap while Evie slept, but the rest of my day looked a bit like this:

 My homework, kids' homework in the background, Eve painting by my side, Augmentin and Flonase at my disposal and a huge cup of water refilled 100 times to try and flush Mr. Mucus out.  Evie brought me the biggest rose off Brad's bush to make me smile, and Hyrum gave me dozens of hugs throughout the day, accompanied by the question, "Are you feeling better yet?"

While all I wanted to do last night was crawl into my cozy bed after dosing up on Advil, I knew I couldn't, because  . . . .

 . . . it was a big night.  Of the five kids, Ben was the only one who'd ever been to Gammage to see a show, and the little ones were excited.

 Eve even wore her ballerina shirt because I had told her there would be lots of dancing.

What an amazing production. Ben had seen it before when I took the three oldest kids, so we were the only experienced viewers in the group. Lily didn't know what to expect, and when I told her it was "puppets, kinda," she thought she would hate it.  She was wrong.  I didn't think Hyrum and Evie would make it to the end without falling asleep, but they did (neither made it home!). Although he did enjoy it by the end, Micah thought the costumes were a little creepy at first. At intermission, we looked down into the pit, and he got excited about the keyboard and the cello--he was probably the only kid in the entire audience that vowed, "One day, I'm gonna be in the pit!" 

I have always loved musicals (I credit my mom for raising me on recordings of "My Fair Lady," "West Side Story," and "Camelot"), and being able to share the excitement that can only come from live theatre with my kids . . .  I loved every second.  I loved watching Hyrum's or Micah's faces (since I was sitting between them) every time a new animal would cross the stage or walk down the aisle.  I loved listening to their excitement as they saw Mufasa's face appear in the sky.  I loved hearing them exclaim (a little too loudly, I'm sure), "I want to ride that!!!" I loved talking with them as we walked back to the car and hearing what their favorite parts were.

Can you find Hyrum?

 

The best part?  My infection is most definitely bacterial, because I feel tons better today.  Now I have to dig out of the house mess so I can tackle my neglected homework tomorrow!