It is Spring! This means new life, beautiful weather, green and colorful landscapes, and a two week break from school. In our home, however, Spring means that the sun is shining through the windows at all the dust that stayed hidden during the winter, that there are weeds that need to be pulled, and that it is a great time for the kids to get sick.
My kids like to wait until we are all on break to contract the most recent illness. This year, we were all ready for a family road trip to Arizona when the vomiting and fevers started. Sure, the illness has spared my husband and I nine hours of "family car time" each way, but now we are at home cleaning sheets and carpets that have inevitably intercepted the meals that did not settle very well in the stomachs of our four children. We have found that it is best to treat these "family illnesses" as patiently as possible. While we are living our own version of Outbreak, we have watched every Barbie movie ever made and have bought stock in saltine crackers, rice, and chicken broth.
The weeds will get pulled, and the spots and dust will be cleaned . . . eventually. It will all get done in just enough time for the next illness to filter through our family. Consider me crazy, but illness may be the only time I feel like I have an excuse to ignore the avalanche of laundry, toys, and dishes, and just watch predictable movies where a beautiful female tries to teach my children that women can be strong and independent in their own journeys - if they can talk to animals, maintain their hairstyles and figures, and find a handsome prince along the way. Thanks, Barbie. Sounds about as realistic as me finally having a vacation without sick kids.
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