monday mash up, february 27

I am honestly not at all sure you want to hear about my weekend. If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter (And if you don't, you should! I'm that fun.), you know that on Friday my temperature started creeping towards the higher numbers. Never as high as Callum's got, but high enough to make me (and thus everyone around me) fairly miserable. Callum took forever to recover. He was still wiped out on Saturday (thank goodness we can do baseball tryouts next weekend), but he's starting to get ravenous again so that's a good sign. Callum and I have each been sick three times since that first time that Neel spread the viral-love. I think that pretty much negates my hypothesis that our rest spared us the brunt of the illness (Neel has yet to get sick again, knock wood.) But let's not tell Neel that shall we? Man can gloat like nobody's business. (Everybody who really knows Neel right now is probably cracking up at that, yes? He's sooooo gloaty.)

All my good food plans have gone, poof! Bye-bye. All my cooking, grocery shopping, make-your-own-stuff-ing, can wait. Not happening this weekend. Instead, poor Neel went to the grocery store twice to pick up pre-made stuff while I main-lined tea with honey. On Sunday morning, I woke up...you know that moment when you're awake but before you really move into awake and open your eyes? So I woke up and lay there for a moment with my eyes closed and made a plan. If it was four, I'd stay in bed and try to go back to sleep. If it was five, I'd get up and cuddle up downstairs on the sofa (permanent imprint of my butt there, by the way). It was 5:17 a.m. So (heaves a heavy sigh), I came down stairs and tucked myself into the corner of the sectional (my favorite spot), turned Sports Center on, and promptly went back to sleep until about 8. I know that most of you will be dismayed to hear that I turned Sports Center on, but darlings, that's the way it is. To my mind, it's some of the best background noise there is, and the local news doesn't come on until 6.

I was going to spend Sunday getting some work done to make up for the days I'd missed tending to my flu-ridden boy (All you mommies and daddies out there, those days when your toddler won't release his steely grip from your leg? We still have those at 12.), but instead I sat on the sofa staring at Property Virgins and House Hunters. I kept trying to watch Bethenney Ever After, but Callum insisted on coming back into the house every ten minutes. So I watched tv and main-lined tea with honey. Yay me.

See? I told you you wouldn't want to read about my weekend. Neel replaced a section of fence, got some seeds started (The photo of which disappeared from my camera roll, but I gave you sleeping doggies.) and helped our neighbor get back in her house after she locked herself out with her daughter still in her crib. I did not do nearly as much. I blogged from my lap, I surrendered the supervision of Callum doing his make-up work (thanks, Neel!), but before I got sick I did make Callum chicken soup using my very own homemade chicken broth. AND garnished it with my parsley. Too bad he didn't have much of an appetite.

I was thisclose to deciding to boycott the finale of Top Chef, but fortunately I won't have to do that. I won't say anymore. And I shamelessly used my extreme illness to make Callum and Neel watch the Oscar pre-show with me (See? I am a girl!). Any thoughts?

But by far the nicest thing that happened to me was when Will of Bright.Bazaar linked to my blog in this lovely post. He has an awesome design blog, and I'm beyond flattered. Blush. You should go check it out. What else is going on? Oh! Wait! Quick question...I'm finally going to post our day-in-the-life later this week. Words and photos or just photos?

five things, february 24th edition

1. I think I'm not going to win Mother of the Year based on this week. Neighbor-Nurse Rebecca says that Callum actually had the flu over the weekend, and Neel and I are now thinking we sent him back to school too soon. In hindsight I was too hard on him while he was sick, practically willing him to get better. Neel and Callum went briefly into school Thursday morning to gather some books and touch base with his teachers, and they were so understanding. Apparently kids are dropping like files. He came home and slept all day. He's not eating at all (even M&Ms!), and we'll likely keep him home today. He still isn't 100%, and baseball try-outs are tomorrow. Way to go, Mom.

2. I think I'm totally okay with giving myself a pass on this week's P52. Had you noticed? The theme was self-portrait (oh, great) with the underlying theme of honesty (super fun). Yeah, I just wasn't feeling it. I want to do it though, just not this week. I'm ordering a wireless remote for my camera, and that little bit of inexpensive equipment should help. Be on the look-out in the next days (weeks?).

3. I think I'm totally failing on this breakfast business. The side dishes are going pretty well, but breakfast, not so much. There are a couple of reasons. I'm not good at taking the time, for starters, and I just don't love breakfast food. At least not at breakfast. I love breakfast-for-dinner. Or brunch even! Anybody have any suggestions? What are you eating for breakfast?

4. I think it's pretty funny that my copy of Organizing the Disorganized Child was lost in a pile of magazines on the console table behind our sofa.

5. I think it's good I waited until today to write about Dr. Lewis again. The first thing I want to say to you, dear readers, is thank you. So many of you have held us and Dr. Lewis and his family in your hearts and thoughts this week. We have certainly felt buoyed up and cherished, and many of you don't even know us! This community is such a spectacular thing; it's hard to have the words for what it means to me. Leah wrote a stunningly poignant and beautiful post that touches on her own loss, all the while hoping to comfort us during our own, and nearly every day someone has reached out to check on me and Neel and make sure that we're over here, doing okay. Plugging away. It's early as I write this and Neel's not up yet, so I can't ask him how much it's okay to say. Let me say this much at least. I know he's very much touched by all of your concern. And he's plugging away.

Dr. Lewis's memorial service was on Wednesday, and for us and all who knew him it was a sad, sad day. We'd heard that the visitation on Tuesday had a line out the door of the funeral home, so we left early for the church on Wednesday, and even though we got there an hour before the service was to start, the place was almost completely full. It was an incredibly moving service in Dr. Lewis's home church among people who knew him well. Through his work as a ground-breaking pediatrician and an administrator at our local children's hospital and medical school, Dr. Lewis touched many, many lives. The euolgy was given by a fellow pediatrician who looked like BJ Honneycut from MASH, and he did a wonderful, sweet and funny job. I was touched, particularly, at the church, at how important ceremonies like this are to those of us who are left behind, and I was so grateful that the priest said, "Of course we're heartbroken." Dr. Lewis's wife, as Neel noted, looked crumpled. It was a beautiful, spring-like day, so Neel and I came home and took a long walk together. Neel handles these things in his own way, and the night before and after the funeral, he honored his friend by watching episodes of From the Earth to the Moon (a wonderful series that they both loved - if you have a chance to watch this, I really recommend it, and it's a great way to introduce kids to the wonders of our space program). I think about how sad and stunned we still are, and I think about his wife. I just can't believe he's gone.

I was not raised in a church, but I always find myself so moved when I am in one. Especially by the music. My mom, I think, can relate to this. Dr. Lewis was a graduate of the Naval Academy, and we sang the Naval Academy Hymn. It's a beautiful song, and seemed so fitting.

Eternal Father, strong to save,

Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,

Who biddest the mighty ocean deep

Its own appointed limits keep;

Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,

For those in peril on the sea!

O Christ! Whose voice the waters heard

And hushed their raging at Thy Word,

Who walked on the foaming deep,

And calm amidst its rage didst sleep;

Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,

For those in peril on the sea!

Most Holy Spirit! Who didst brood

Upon the chaos dark and rude,

And bid its angry tumult cease,

And give, for wild confusion, peace;

Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,

For those in peril on the sea!

O Trinity of love and power!

Our family shield in danger’s hour;

From rock and tempest, fire and foe,

Protect us wheresoever we go;

Thus evermore shall rise to Thee

Glad hymns of praise from land and sea.