Mario Kart & Mini- Muffins

I woke slightly confused. For the first time since November 29th we didn’t have any kids in the house calling out for our attention. It was already 8:30am when I rolled out of bed. I could’ve slept longer but didn’t want to waste the day away, either. Mindy wisely managed to empty our mesh ski bag last night when we got home but the gear was scattered about the house drying out. That left the most lived-in part of the house looking in disarray. I did my level best to overlook it for the time being and instead focused attention on making coffee and completing my exercises. It was already after 9:00am by the time my calisthenics were done and I was back from walking Ykraps. Of course our original plan had us picking the kids up from Kelly’s the night before. But after our call from the slopes, Kelly agreed to keep them overnight. I didn’t want to wait until too late in the day to fetch them. Meanwhile, Mindy continued sleeping. She must’ve slept until 10am. Once she was up and about I asked that she phone Kelly to arrange the pick-up, all of this while I ran. It was 23 degrees when I left for my run. The only part of me that felt cold was my ankles, a byproduct of my lo-rise running socks. The run was a good one. Not even a single ache after an entire day on the slopes. I felt really good. While skiing yesterday, we made informal arrangements to go to Holiday Valley, NY with the Imber’s for two nights and three day two weeks from now. I never gave much thought to the date beyond wondering if my peer was off. While running I remembered that we had an important meeting scheduled that Friday and wondered if I’d be able to schedule it off after all. I allowed that to worry me for the rest of the day. Mindy had to double check her ability to get it off too. I shared my dilemma with her once back at home. As expected, she took a more practical view of the situation. If it’s meant to happen it will. Otherswise… While I was out running, Mindy made arrangements for the kids return. Kelly would bring them home around 12:30pm. That way, they both agreed, there would be minimal anxiety. Before they got home, Mindy and I did our best to get our ski gear put away and the house cleaned up. We were successful. Mindy did the lion’s share, I must admit. I worked on my blog in spurts. Kelly & Lindsey showed up with the kids on time. Lindsey brought them in. Rocky seemed unfazed by the drop-off. Landon, however, cried at separation for his grandma. Not too unusual. He was fine a minute or two after they left. Mindy drew them a bath right away. If nothing else, it was a good diversion. Soon both boys were in the tub and having a grand time playing with their tubby toys. After giving them a scrubbing, Mindy asked that I watch over them while they continued playing in the tub. I must’ve stayed in there for about ten minutes and eventually helped both get out and get dressed, too. Sadly, the clothes they wore home smelt like cat. In kind, we washed their clothes and coats in hopes of wiping out that pungent cat odor. We doubt that Kelly has any idea how strong it smells since she lives amongst it 24X7. It’s often a difficult pill for cat owners to swallow learning that their homes’ wreak. After a bath and fresh clothes, we all headed downstairs for lunch. Then, a funny thing happened. Mindy & I joked that as soon as Rocky got home he would ask to play Mario Kart and for some mini-muffins. He did just that. We know him all too well. We made chicken noodle soup, hot dogs, & apple sauce for lunch. Uncharacteristically, Rocky ate very little of both. I asked if he ate recently at grandma Kelly’s. He said no. Before and after lunch, he and I played Mario Kart. At the same time, Mindy put Landon down for a nap. He pitched one, but only for a few seconds. That’s almost always the case. After he was down, Mindy left for the grocery store. I knew when she left that Jacob & Bella would most likely be home before her. That was indeed the case. They arrived home around 2:30pm. Jim didn’t stay long at all. Almost as soon as he hit the door, Jacob asked if he could head out to Evan’s for playtime. I agreed, asking only that he keep it on the down low. Meanwhile, Bella and Rocky headed upstairs to watch TV from her room. Before heading upstairs, Bella showed me the pillow she made for her momma while visiting her daddy. She was excited to present it to her momma. The TV thing lasted about 45 minutes. Eventually, they returned downstairs asking if they could join Jacob at Emily & Evan’s. I agreed asking only that they wore their coat, hat, and gloves. With the kids playing outside and Landon still sleeping, I used the quiet time to read my latest Deepak book, Why God’s Laughing. I must’ve gotten through about 20 pages when Mindy arrived home. I helped carry in the goods. While Mindy put groceries away, I left to run an errand. I took the new Honda. I needed to make a stop at the ATM machine for cash. While out, I popped in Dick’s Sporting Goods to check out new ski pants & gloves, looking for some that are a bit more water proof than the current one’s. I was there longer than anticipated, probably about 25 minutes. I headed home directly after. After arriving home, Mindy expressed worry over my whereabouts. At the same time, I dropped a bunch of loose change on the counter that I picked up off the Pilot floor. Mindy reminded me that Rene tossed it there on purpose for good luck. It’s a Greek thing. I promptly put it back, not wanting to rattle fate. Mindy was busy prepping dinner. We were having a Wal-Mart deli-roasted hen along with broccoli and rice. I went ahead and walked Ykraps before sitting down for dinner. Dinner was good. The deli-roasted chicken was especially tasty. All of the kids ate well save for Rocky, who sat at the opposite end of the table from me. He looked glassy eyed and tired, perhaps even ill. He didn’t eat much of anything. That was a huge red flag. He usually eats well. I asked Mindy to take his temperature. Bella took it upon herself to feel his head. She agreed that he felt warm. Minutes later Mindy confirmed that he had a fever of 102. Whoa! Rocky lounged around lethargically for the duration of the evening. Funny thing, he’s much easier to manage when he’s under the weather. But then again, you could probably say that about almost any kid. Mindy was running out of gas. She had been running full tilt since mid-afternoon: laundry, house, kids, etc. She was a little short with me more than once. But I forgave her. As bedtime approached, I kept a loose eye on the Steelers game. They won. The Conference championship match-ups are now set. Bedtime prep went a bit easier given that Landon & Rocky got their baths earlier. Mindy asked me to get Landon and Rocky into bed. I did it. Landon cried hard at first, and also asked for Mindy. Rocky wanted Mindy to tuck him in too. After seeing the Cabot boys to bed, I tucked in Jacob and Bella. Downstairs, I poured some fruit punch and grabbed my new book and snuggled up in the family room chair and did some reading. At the same time, I tuned the TV to the Science Channel where an interesting program whirled about robots. Mindy headed to bed before 10pm. I let her know that I’d be a few more minutes. I headed up to bed at 10:30pm.