Remind me to laugh

This will probably come off kind of cheesy, but it's something that Big E has been saying to me recently when I put him to bed.  And it made me think.  Kids: it's what they do.
The last couple nights, he has looked at me and said, "mom, will you lay down with me for one more minute, so I can make you laugh?"
Kind of a random thing to say.  I mean, I think we laugh a lot, all day long, or so I thought.  However, the last two nights, both Big E and Big H have said something to me, as I'm laying there next to them, snuggled in, working to calm them down and usher them into that night's rest, that has made me laugh out loud, a deep belly laugh, the kind that you can't stop.  And, hello nurse, those kids are excellent laughers.
So, the thought that came to me, as I lay there next to Big E tonight, watching him giggle because I was giggling, which then made him giggle more, and on and on it went, was this: I don't think I really laugh hard in front of my kids very often. I think I'm busy during the day, trying to make sure we keep on task, don't paint the walls, please don't close your brother in the closet, never, ever kick the dog (even if she just ate your favorite cookie), don't pee on the dishwasher, get to school on time, have a healthy lunch, don't smear pizza into the couch, don't squeeze the kitten, have fun at gymnastics, use gentle hands, etc, phew, that I don't always listen to what they're saying.  And man, these little boys can be serious comedians.
So, I'm leaving you all with this excellent quote from Big H today.  I asked to see his superhero mask and he turned to me and said, "mom, this is not a superhero mask.  This is a Henry mask."  And then he giggled and ran off.  And I laughed.

Cheers -
Mama H

Sicky McSickerton

Well, I'm pretty sure I'm dying.  From the worst freaking cold-sinus-chest-awfulness ever.  Dramatic?  Me?  Never.
Truly, though, I've been sick since Thursday.  I had to text a friend (it's like dialing a friend on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire) to decide for me if I should go for a run on Thursday.  Once I was honest about how blah I was feeling, she was very clear in her recommendation - nope, nada, there's no way this one run will help you feel better than taking a day off to take care of yourself.
Turns out Thursday was the last day before TODAY that I felt capable of doing anything, including getting dressed, getting out of bed, eating and being even remotely presentable.
I have no idea what this post is about except that it's heavy on the whine-factor.
I want to feel better!  I want to not have dry-heaved in the Starbucks drive-thru line this morning (hey, Starbucks, yeah, no coffee, just oatmeal, woops, hold on....nope, I'm back!) or gotten dizzy at the nursery where I was searching for more plants for our back yard (someone.stop.me.).
I guess what I've really been thinking about is this:  who takes care of us?  I still feel like someone will tell me when I need to just go lay down and I've done too much.  But it so doesn't happen.  I should know by now, right?  I mean, I know when my kids or my husband or my friends need to stop moving and take care of themselves.  So how come I can't see it for me?
So, this week, my to-do's are: GET BETTER and LEARN HOW TO STOP.
We'll see how those go...
Cheers -
Mama H