7 Quick Takes, Vol. 72

TGIF -- linking up with Jen.

1. It has been a heck of a week. Sick kids. Nights. My brother-in-law and nephew passing through on their way home to Colorado from their river adventure. After kayaking the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, they touched salt (water) in New Orleans!

2. I am so, so so, so thankful that Charles' program only does nights one week at a time, 6 times a year. 6 nights in a row? I got that. Another 3 weeks of this? I can see why it drives people to insanity.

Listening to Jordan Puppy's heart.

3. That said, I am vowing here and now to never use the term "single parenting" to describe my residency experience. Yes, I've done the bulk of parenting for the course of this week. Yes, that includes all bedtimes and mealtimes and dishes and whatnot. But (and it's a really stinking big but), I'm not actually alone in my endeavors. I'm not single at all. I am so so blessed to have an incredible, loving husband who has my back. He doesn't want to be gone any more than we want him gone, but he is with us every step of the way. And he's doing what he's doing, ultimately, to provide for his family. Nothing is more family-focused than that. I prefer the term "solo-parenting." Real single parents have their own set of challenges, and deserve much more love, respect, and support than to have their struggles co-opted by whiny wives in time-consuming fields.

Dinner time fun, night float style!

All I get are these toys? Really?

4. Meanwhile, Miss Clare has gotten some kind of summer cold. Her nose is running like a faucet, her eyes are trying to keep up, and she has a yucky cough. Poor kiddo. I am also pretty sure that the early phases of it are what has woken her up the past couple of nights.

5. So, of course, Peter and Charles are both trying to get it, too. Peter has the slightest bit of a runny nose, and Charles was feeling off when he headed to the hospital this afternoon. So far, I have managed to avoid it. Is there a novena for not getting the cold that is being passed around your house?

6. What I didn't miss out on was a nice case of hand foot mouth disease last week. Okay, it was actually blessedly mild, but it didn't change the fact that I went from feeling like yuck to feeling like my hands and feet were on fire and totally gross at the same time. Lucky me, I have now reached the skin peeling phase of this fun virus, meaning I feel like my 10 fingers are 10-skin shedding little rattle snakes. So. Blankety. Disgusting. Plus, I have tender, new, pink skin peeking out the tops of all my fingers. That's fun too. Somehow, both kids seem to have cleared the HFM hurdle and have this cold/respiratory system thing instead.

Sick of hearing me talk about it? Me too.

7. In sillier news, in spite of the runny nose, Clare's newest little thing has turned the princess love up a notch. Now, in order to play princess castle, she needs to also wear her tutu and her sparkly headband. That way, she's like her princesses with a "beautiful dress" and a headband (errr...tiara). She also uses that tutu to dance "like a ballerina."

'Grammed

Have a lovely weekend!