It’s been a strange week. If you were to run an ultraviolet light over our house, doubtless there would be an offensive amount of germs and viruses squirming on the surfaces. I myself came down with a weird 24 hour virus characterized by a high fever and narcolepsy. After sleeping a lot I felt better. Then Jake was up in the night vomiting. There’s nothing quite like the night time vomit. It puts you on edge the whole night, just waiting for the next episode. The slightest cough or movement jolts you out of bed. Then there’s the cleanup. You strip the bed, you change the pajamas, you wipe down the bathroom, but since it’s the middle of the night and you are a zombie, and also you are comforting a very upset vomiting person, you tend to miss a lot of things that come to view in the harsh morning light. Ew. So I have been spending the day in an exhausted cleaning haze, except when I actually lay down on the bed I was remaking and fell asleep. I woke up with Mark holding a Lego masterpiece right up to my face, talking about it in great deal. I think he actually thought I was awake the whole time and was too amazed by his Lego skills to answer.
It was a pretty good Lego sculpture, after all.
Because of the vomiting, we decided to cancel our Thanksgiving trip which makes me a bit sad – I was looking forward to fresh grapes and apples – but also a bit relieved because frankly, I am just too tired to spend eighteen hours in the car this weekend. I’m also a little confused, because I have no idea what to do for Thanksgiving dinner. I mean, I’m not about to make a turkey or a pie. But will the kids feel deprived? Will my husband be deprived? Should we just go out for dinner? The pressure is on. I did buy a butternut squash yesterday. Maybe I could festively make some soup?
As I write this, Jake asked if we COULD have turkey, even if we are not going to Grandma’s for dinner. Maybe, he said, we could go catch one. Mark then joined the conversation by asking if turkeys available at grocery stores are already dead, or do you have to kill them yourselves? I’m guessing soup might be a disappointment for them.
Further in the chronicles of Things I Would Rather Not Have Happened this week, I attempted, at my husband’s urging, to Keep Up My Strength by eating while sick. One morning I poured skim milk on my cereal and started eating. It tasted terrible. “Everything tastes terrible when you’re sick” my husband admonished, “You just have to eat it and Keep Up Your Strength.” So I did. I felt kind of gross, and later I was mixing muffin batter and opened the skim milk. Although the best before date was days away, it was completely sour. I consumed sour milk for breakfast while sick.
It’s been quite the week, but it’s Friday, it’s the long weekend, and with any luck we are all on the mend. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I am thankful to have you all in my life.
I think Canadian Thanksgiving is a scam. It’s only been a national holiday since the 1950s. And while intended as a harvest feast it was not initially designed to be a replica of the American holiday w/ turkey, stuffing, cranberries etc. That being said: my husband is making a turkey — even though I think he’s just a pawn of the Turkey-farmer cabal.
We NEVER do turkey. Unless someone else is cooking it. One of my favorite Thanksgiving memories involved McDonalds and some very happy boys.
I say go with what is fun for you all. We always do appetizer stuff for Christmas. If you are pizza fans, do that. If you like a good pot of pasta, do that. Then you don’t have to touch a raw turkey.
I am not a turkey cooker. I think I’ve made two and one was raw so we ordered pizza ;0)
I hope you all feel better soon. Sunterra has a nice dinner…
I only get turkey on Thanksgiving because my Mom cooks it. Would they possibly be fooled by a big chicken?
Yeah, those middle-of-the-night bed-and-jammy stripping and washing sessions. I remember once saying to my husband “I’d high-five you, but I really don’t want to touch your hand”. Good luck for a recovery weekend.
The middle-of-the-night vomiting attacks are horrifying. Every time, I clean the mess up and I soothe the sick child, but deep down I always feel like a sham… my mind is yelling, “Ewww!” And, you’re right, there is no return to peaceful slumber after that rude awakening.
Nicole, your posts always make me laugh, but so you don’t think I’m all insensitive I want to just say that I feel your pain and hope you get better soon! I too live in a boy house, surrounded by Lego and Star Wars battles. We did the 14 hour (return) drive across the prairie this weekend for the big Turkey Feast… and I`m questioning if it is all worth it in the grand scheme of things. Good luck creating your own traditions!