today i am wearing earrings

I am wearing earrings today because if I don't look a little nicer than usual, even if it's for no one other than the computer screen, I just might lose it. Daniel has been sick for almost a week, which means we've hardly left the house, the TV has been on far far too much, and I'm coming to the end of my rope. I'm taking him to the doctor today, where I have promised him he will not get any shots (the flu vaccines really made him anxious this time around), but they will probably swab his throat and that will be pleasant for no one. For the last week I've had my hands full with a sick kid and no chance to practice or socialize or even go out for coffee, so who's to blame me if I want to dress up just a tiny little bit? Don't get me wrong; right now I'm really grateful that I'm in a position to take care of him without worrying about eating up sick days at a paying job. Yes, I've had to cancel several rehearsals and coachings already, but everyone has been very understanding.

ETA Wednesday: Diagnosis: ear infection! Well, at least that's easy to treat. And I don't know why, but kids seem to love that gooey pink medicine.

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We have come to that point when winter is almost unbearable, though I imagine this will get easier as the kids get older and more robust. It doesn't matter how much you bundle up little Anya; she never lasts more than 10 minutes in the cold. This year, already, Daniel has enjoyed several sledding hills in town, like last week when we went out with his buddy Ben. If you follow Mad Knitting, you've already seen these pictures, but I like them enough to post them again:




If we stay in Wisconsin (who knows if we will at this point, but that's another topic for another day), I look forward to sledding bigger hills and ice skating at the makeshift rinks that appear at many of the local parks and ponds, and maybe even giving cross country skiing a whirl. I might eventually be able to embrace winter up here.