Love leaves little signs

By Mir
November 6, 2008

The good news is that Chickadee seems to have made a full recovery from her… whatever it was.

The bad news is that Monkey was looking a little punky (hey, that rhymes) yesterday and today… although, of course, you have to catch him either mid-puke or with a raging fever to get him to admit that yes, maybe he’s feeling a mite tired. So we shall see.

The worse news is that I am not feeling so fine, myself. It could just be fatigue, I suppose. Or something wholly unrelated. Or it could be my propensity to tuck a miserable child right into my bed (on my pillow) and give them lots of hugs and kisses, because I believe that’s what Mamas do. No good deed goes unpunished, as they say.

Then again, it’s November; I’m long overdue for my first case of kiddie-crud for this school year.

So I’ve been plodding around the house, this morning. Doing work. Drinking my tea. Doing laundry. And feel TREMENDOUSLY sorry for myself. Because it’s TRAGIC, you know, the not feeling good. WOE IS ME! Etc. I have to get it all out before the kids come home, y’know.

My desk happens to be really tidy right now, which is unusual, because I’m a terrible slob when it comes to my work space. My motto is something like “Hey, if I can still find my keyboard, I’m good!” (I cleaned it up last week for my unexpected foray into the nightly news, and not enough time has passed for me to clutter it up again. Yet.) So I was sitting here surveying the various treasures lining the top of my hutch—pictures of the kids, clay pieces they’ve brought home from art class, etc.

Which one of those was the right thing to talk about, today?

I felt uninspired. Maybe because I’m too busy feeling sorry for my stuffy nose; hard to tell.

And then my eyes wandered off to the side of my desk, to the letter-holder we barely use but which I felt it was very important to hang up when we moved in.

What you have to know about this particular sight is two things: First, that I have never seen anyone look as much like a tiny Groucho Marx, while trying to be a secret agent, as Monkey did this past Halloween; and second, that Otto is meticulous about everything having a proper place. In fact, I think the biggest adjustment for him, in the grand scheme of this whole insta-family situation, is the fact that the kids leave stuff absolutely everywhere. (To be clear: My cluttered desk probably also drives him insane, but I do keep the chaos contained, at least.)

Anyway, I looked up and saw this:

It’s too high up for the kids to have done it, and yet it feels very much like a little collaboration by the rest of my family to make sure that my day is just a little brighter.

It worked.

Happy Love Thursday, everyone. Love shares the germs, true, but the good still vastly outweighs the bad. (Or at least can grab a disguise while fleeing the scene. Either way.)

30 Comments

  1. Kendra

    I hope you feel better soon but it is a mothers job to get sick after she takes care of everybody else. You’re right no good deed goes unpunished but they do try to make you feel better after they make you sick too. Happy love Thursday.

  2. Sharon

    My diagnosis is post-election blahs, a common malady after a heady win and in anticipation of all that is to come. I am spending the day remembering a friend who is not here to savor this moment. Time to make muffins and a fresh pot of coffee.

  3. Sharkey

    Of COURSE your letter holder has nothing but coupons in it! I would expect no less from you. Hope you’re feeling better soon!

  4. Amy

    I had almost forgotten that it was Thursday. Thanks for such a great post. What a sweet family you have. My mom was the same way when my sister or I was sick. We’d be right in the bed with her spreading germs and snot all around, and my dad would be germ free on the couch! Mom’s get to have all the fun! Happy love Thursday!

  5. Rosie

    Where did you get that letter holder? I’ve been looking for one that isn’t cheap plastic.

  6. Christina

    I’m with Rosie, where did you get that?
    I have been searching everywhere for exactly that type/size.

  7. Ariel

    I can tell you’ve seen Wicked:) Do you go around singing “No good deed goes unpunished?”
    I do, right after I’ve had it out with the ex husband…
    You have such a nifty family.

  8. ChristieNY

    I have those mystery-man glasses on my mantle and they don’t look nearly as adorable as Monkey’s on your letter holder! LOL

    Feel better soon! <3

  9. Deb

    Very cute!! Get well soon!

  10. Half Assed Kitchen

    This is your second crud of the school year, isn’t it? I could’ve sworn you were just sick. Not because you complain a lot (because you don’t, you’re very balanced) but I thought there was some virusy unpleasantness recently.

  11. exile on mom street

    Thanks for tuning me in to the good stuff. I needed to be reminded of it today.

  12. Katie in MA

    Love is all about the little things. And little things add up to big things. And THEN you realize that love is…all around. Sing it with me now! :)

  13. Tami

    I am so sorry your family is not feeling well. I have a couple of suggestion to getting your immune systems on track. A really good thing for year round is taking a product called “Wellness Formula”. You would have to find this at a Herb or Nutrition store or online, They are from a company called Source Natural. My kids willing take these as they know they will keep them healthy and if they get sick greatly reduces the severity and duration of the illness (cold or flu).

  14. Ariel

    Love lifts us up where we belong! All we need is love!

  15. StephLove

    I hope everyone is feeling better soon.

    We’ve been battling one sickness or another around here since mid-September. The two year old just swapped a stomach bug for croup. Just to keep things hopping.

  16. tj

    I’m coming down with something as well. Bring on the Buckley’s!

  17. Melanie

    This is one more vote for letting us know where to find that letter holder. Hope everyone feels better soon.

  18. sheila

    Feel better fast! I hate that creepin crud!

  19. Dawn

    Feel better soon!

  20. Giyen

    Emergen-C is my savior when the flu is around. Feel better!

  21. Karen

    FabGrandpa and I have both been sick for a week, croupy stuffy achey sleepy, like all the seven dwarves all piled in on us and took over the house. we do seem to be getting better though.

  22. Tatiana

    Haha, that image made me laugh and smile! What a sweet little treat from your family :]

  23. cele

    And this is exactly where it looks like they should be.

  24. Elaine

    What I like is that, despite you’re feeling woe-is-me crappy, you could recognize the mustache/glasses as the sign of love they were. While your body may be sick, but your heart clearly is not.

  25. Kendra II

    wait, you know another Kendra? I was so confused :)

    Hope you’re feeling better!

  26. Amanda from Maine

    I found you three months ago…..I promised myself that I would comment on the post that was current at the time when I finished……I am so glad it was this one….

    Just after a major history victory (say that ten times fast)…..this post was perfect….it’s super cute….

    I have grown to love reading what you have to say…I talk about you as if you were a person that I have met or have known for a long time…..I have so many more sites on my favorites list then I ever have and I started my own blog…..

    You say what I would like to say….You do what I would like to do…..You are refreshing…..Thank you

    The disguise is the same as my father made me wear while in my jammies as a 10 year old and then made a POSTER of it…….yes it was traumatizing…..I now laugh at it…

    Cause I have a poster with me being all spy chic and what not…..LOL

  27. Katie in MA

    Hey – you haven’t posted today. Are you okay? Let us know you’re not lying on the cold tile of the bathroom floor, waiting for the next wave to pass…

  28. Daisy

    Are you sure it wasn’t Monkey standing on Chickie’s shoulders? :)

  29. kendra 300,453,389 :-)

    My mom was the same way with her three children as we were growing up. In fact she still is and we are all over 20 now. I remember having the measles and Mom tucked me under her arm while watching tv risking the itch. And then once having the flu and laying by her on a quadruple thick pallet on the floor with a bucket beside me watching mary-kate and ashley movies and another time when I had lice and my dad who was pretty sensitive to the ick factor of bugs was extremely aloof and making me feel like it was my fault and I was bad and my mom pulled me onto her lap and we just sat there waiting for someone to come home with the treatment. Of course by the time that was over she NEEDED the treatment too. What I’m saying in my long winded way is these things were important to me. They made me feel even better than time and medications did because they made me feel loved unconditionally.

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