Mothers, Leave Your Kids At Home!

I love children, I do. I love playing with them, I love hugging them, I love listening to the creative that they bring forth when they talk. Children, are amazing and I hope that I am lucky enough one day to have a profession where I am surrounded by them. However, there is one type of child that really, really should not be brought out in public.

The sick child.

Oh don't get me wrong- this child needs love. This child needs extra cuddles, extra hugs, and probably a nice mug of tea. But what this child does not need to do is to spread their infection everywhere they can, simply because the MOTHER and FATHER do not feel like canceling their social plans. This child, does not need to be running around, snotty nosed, coughing on everything because you don't have the heart to say no. This child needs to be at 'home'. This child needs to be somewhere where he can recuperate.

This child does not need to be brought to a place where there are pregnant women, small children, and where there are other adults, who most likely have plans in the near future that does not involve them being sick.

As a parent I know that sometimes the undesired happens and hey, you have to take them out. It happens to the best of us, it does. I think that when that happens, that it is really a time when good manners (and common sense) should prevail.

Yelling- 'Cover your damn mouth' to a four year old, is not only somewhat rude, but incredibly ineffectual.

If you have to take them out, and the snot is just pouring down their poor little face, bring a ton of tissues with you. Wash your child's hands frequently. Pay attention and wipe their freaking nose already. Don't let your child run up to some unsuspecting person and wipe their snot all over the persons arm. Or leg.

Mothers, sometimes you need to leave that kid at home!

To Much Good Luck?

Is there ever a time when you can experience to much good luck? Life for the last few years has been rather... well extremely difficult. I have had more growing then I knew what to do with. I have had to grit my teeth and say that one day I would have the ability to pull myself up by my bootstraps and really better my life.

Today, I find myself in an awkward situation. My life is getting better. Extraordinary situations have been happening and I don't feel as if I deserve it. Does that even make sense? I fear by excepting these really great events, gifts, I am really doing something horribly wrong. I try to live my life as honestly as I can, so why do I feel as if this were bad?

For some reason (thank god) I have had the good fortune to actually WIN at some contests. This has enabled me to hold on to a much needed sense of security- I know that with (blank) gift card I can purchase my son his birthday gift, and I know with (blank) gift card that I can purchase him some much needed summer clothing. And having that happen is so... exhilarating, such a blessed relief to have, I can hardly express it. And then I win some socks that a woman was (kindly) giving away, and I am able to cross one more much needed item off my list.

And then, I get offered a 'job' for my favorite ever website and they will send me MORE giftcards once a month. Oh holy Toledo... a moment of heaven. This means that I will have (X) amount of dollars per month to make sure that we have food in the fridge, or if that isn't an issue to make sure that we have dish and laundry detergent, shampoo and conditioner, razors. Or to buy a new set of pots and pans, or replace the broken mop or vacuum. That sort of thing. And life gets a little bit better, and I feel a little worse.

And then, I win another gift card and my first thought to myself besides (Ohmyfreakinggawdthisissoawesome) is- Should I have entered the contest? What if someone else needed it more?

And then (there's a lot of and thens in this post, aren't there?) I have someone tell me that they would like to send me a little something extra by way of clothing, shoes for my son. My jaw about hit the floor. We have been trying to figure out how to get him a new pair of shoes since his feet are quickly out growing his old ones. Another need has been filled through the generosity of others and good luck.

I am so extremely grateful for this. The pregnant part of me just wants to sit here and bawl and tell everyone just how thankful I am to have this happen to us. I think though, that I am really worried that by somehow excepting these really great gifts I am going to make something really bad happen, or that it will be really really short lived. And that scares the hell out of me.