..thought I'd let you know what takes so long for a new blog...

I know it’s been a while, but it’s been hectic here. Life takes some interesting turns on occasion, and this has been just such a time.

As many of you know, Shanon has been having some tests run because she is losing her hair – not just a little at a time, but by the handful. She’s gone from this gorgeous full head of curls to having less hair than when she was a year old. Thankfully, at least in some ways, all of her blood work came back within normal limits. We are not done looking into this, however, as I have spoken to several people who think we should continue to pursue it until we get a definitive answer. Thanks to a good friend, a former student, I have the name of a doctor to contact to try and find that answer.

Trevor ended Christmas break with a bad case of strep and Tommy followed him with pink eye. My two redheads spent a Tuesday at home together – all while Tommy was potty training. He did a good job for his big brother. Shanon came up with double ear infections and some sinus issues a week later, to add to my own sinus issues. Therapy takes up a lot of time for me.

But that’s the ‘heavy’ side of life here. There is, of course, the ‘good’ side and the ‘light’ side.

The ‘good’ side? All three older kids are doing fairly well at school. Shawna’s moved to level “V” in reading – somewhere in the 6th grade level of reading. Not bad for a third grader! Travis was elected Patrol Leader for his new Scout patrol – The Pony Express. And Trevor was elected to Senior Patrol Leader – in spite of his strep throat that kept him from the meeting. He made a short video for the Troop to watch so he could tell them what he would do as SPL. And he won the day.

And, then, of course, the ‘lighter’ side of life is what keeps us going.

Just a few days ago, Billy came in the house and starts yelling, “Who’s watching the babies?” I answered, “Shawna.” “No, NO SHE ISN’T!” Little did I know that she had gone upstairs to get ready for bed. Not 30 seconds after she did that (without telling me), Tommy found one of my boxes of cornmeal that Pap has given us for making cornbread and corn muffins and the such. He took off the lid, spread it across the kitchen floor and he and Shanon were ‘ice skating’ (I swear to you, that was their words) around the room. I laughed. Despite the mess and the dirty look I was getting, I just had to. Seriously? They are 2 and 3 years old – pretty inventive if you ask me.

Just a few minutes ago, Tommy starts yelling, “Shanon. You gonna be in trouble for puttin’ glue on the floor!” Panic ensues and I do my best wobble/run/hobble to the bedroom door. All over the floor is this white stuff that, sure enough, looks like someone has poured Elmers glue all over my hardwood floor. But it doesn’t SMELL like glue.

I've got to run...be right back...

It is now 20 minutes later…..

So, in the middle of telling you about THAT incident……another one occurs….
First, to the first…it wasn’t glue – it was Head and Shoulders shampoo. So, apparently she felt the floor needed a cleaning (it did). We get some towels and clean up the mess. It smells good and the floor is shiny, though a bit slick. All is good. The big boys go to youth group with the dad and the others go out in the house to play. I decide it’s a good time to blog and watch the football game at the same time. And then….

“Ooooooooooo, this is fun too slide in!!!” Oh boy! What are they doing NOW?!?!?!
Weeeelllll…..Shanon has dumped the rest of the H&S on the floor. AND she has found a bottle of hair dye that I once bought on a whim and then decided I didn’t really WANT to dye my hair, so it has sat there for about 3 years. She has that on the floor, the walls and, of course, herself and Tommy. I yell for Shawna and she starts a bath for them while I scrub the floor, again, and now the walls (amazingly, this does NOT take marker off the wall nor does it leave a stain).

So, there you have it….the precise reasons why I rarely get to blog.

Go ahead, laugh out loud! But the answer is, no, I will not pay for a new keyboard or computer screen if you’ve spit your drink out while reading.