Do You Have Your Flu Hat?

Because....if you have the flu....and you don't have your flu hat.....well, you need to get one.

Is it wrong that while my sweet child was laying on the couch.....with a high temperature and a dizzy head....I was taking his picture? I hope not. You see...I only went into the other room for a few minutes. That is all the time that G needed to make his super duper....gonna make my boy feel better....hat.

I came out of the other room and took one look.....then another look. What is that upon Sam's head? I call that a bag full of love....G style. Plus, oh I could just kiss and squeeze and hug that little boy....oh wait...that's just what I did.

Just so you know...the hat began to melt and soon needed to be removed. Plus, our very wise friend, know-er of all nurse-y stuff, Gill knocked some sense into us let us know that the ice would only cool his skin and not cool his core. Or, something like that.....all I heard was .....take the ice bag off of his head.

The Tamiflu seems to be helping. Sam slept through the night....woke and threw up....and has been feeling better and better since. Ross now has his own script for Tamiflu. We are in quarantine.

Because It's time to Smile

There has been too much.... serious ....this week. It's time to lighten things up....bring back the smiles. During this past week....we've also had a good amount of silly-ness .......playing....and even some.... sunshine. In typical NY fashion, one day was snow and sweaters.....the next day, shorts and baseball. Onto the photos......

Captain America......AKA.....Sammy.....able to melt hearts with a single hug.
Ross loves to pose for baseball cards.....he comes up with a different name and scenario for each one. Also in this photo....my prize winning tomato plants. Aren't they gorgeous?

The boys were able to play catch....outside....almost every day this week.

I took this picture through the glass door.....I wonder what they were chatting about??

Oh the places they would travel.....as long as I went with them, of course.

Bird watching.....over grape juice and pretzels.

This was the best playground......the ground was soft and foamy. It seemed like a little hidden gem in the middle of the city. That wall was so fun to climb.....and really easy as well....something about the texture of the foamy stuff. I was even able to climb it......wearing a skirt and heels.

The coolest climbing thing......Sammy made his way to the middle....G was on his way to join him.

It's been a Yankee loving.....popcorn eating week. Thumbs up....from the dynamic duo.

On Lettuce and Love

(picture of the boys proudly making their own salad)

I'm pretty sure that I was raised eating iceberg lettuce....that is, if I ever even ate the salad my mother prepared for me. I was the ultimate picky eater growing up....my poor mother. I learned so much from the compassion my mother gave me.

As a child, I lived on peanut butter. My mother would make meals for the family.....if I did not like what was being offered for the family meal, I was offered peanut butter or cereal. I was never forced to eat what was being served. There were reasons behind my picki-ness, reasons that as a young child I could not explain. I'm so thankful that my mom did not push me.....I grew up to become an adult who eats just about everything.....and in large quantities.

Another quirk, I had a terrible fear of the dark. For about the first 12 years of my life my parents would either sleep on my floor or let me sneak into bed with them....in the middle of the night. I was prone to sleep walking too. Again, I appreciate the love and patience that my parents gave to me. Those fears were very real to me and my parents took them very seriously......I grew up to be an adult who is able to spend the night alone.

My youngest brother and I are only 11 months apart.....as children my mother would sign us up for various classes together. My brother never had a problem...me, I was super shy girl. Usually, you would find me glued to my mother's side. She would encourage me to try, but not force me to stay. I believe this understanding and love helped me. Again.....I grew up to be more out going and able to try just about anything. Even if I feel shy, I'm able to push myself through it.

I appreciate my parent's love and understanding of me as a child.....and I believe that the way I parent has much to do with that. I've learned so much from my mother. I now have a child who has anxiety.....eating quirks, fear of the dark and other things. God gave us these children....he chose them for us. I'm trying to offer the same love and understanding to my boys that was given to me.....back to the lettuce....

When I married G....I was introduced to Romaine lettuce....and various other leafy greens. Over time, I completely forgot about iceberg lettuce....until recently. You see, my boys have never liked salad....I only offered them romaine and other dark greenleaves. Recently, our friends were over for dinner and brought salad....iceberg lettuce. My boys tasted it and loved it....salad is now a daily part of their meal....they love it. I had forgotten all about iceberg.....yes, it's easy to forget something so obvious. Please don't judge ;) I can't believe it myself.....how could I overlook sweet, refreshing iceberg? Well, I did.....and really it's easy to overlook the obvious sometimes.

Now, I wonder what other things I'm overlooking?? What's right in front of me....yet, I can't see because I'm focusing on something else? Think about it.

We Speak Italian

I love the Italian language....I think it sounds beautiful. Both sets of my grandparents were from Italy...that was their first language. My grandpa....my father's father....was a disc jockey for an all Italian speaking radio station, something I took for granted as a child....something I find so fascinating as an adult. At one point in time, G and I purchased some tapes to help us learn to speak the language fluently....it didn't work. One day I hope to learn more.....our boys seem to have a good start....little did we know that they already speak a little Italian.....

Ross~ "Mom, which language is harder to understand....Japanese or Chinese?"

Me~ "Hmmm, I'm not sure....I don't understand either language."

Ross~ "Me either."

Sam~ "But Ross you understand Spanish"

Ross~ "Not very much....but hey, I do know some Italian.....I know Itsamee, letsaggo and Mamamia!"

Sam~ " Hey yeah, me too....I know Italian.....Itsamee!"

Maybe I should translate for the non-Italian speaking readers........

Itsamee ; pronounced Its-ahhh-me

Used in a sentence- "Hey Sam, itsamee Ross"


Letsahgo ; pronounced lets-ahhh-go
Used in a sentence- "Hey boys, we are late...letsahgo"
Mamamia ; pronounced Mama-me-ah
Used in a sentence- " Mamamia, that's a big pizza"
This all brings back a memory for me....When I was a little girl, my large family would sit around the table eating and chatting. My grandparents would often join us...adding to the conversation. The chatting would be a mix of Italian and English...sometimes English with a strong Italian accent. For years I would hear everyone talk about "medacon". I thought to myself ...."what's a medacon?" Finally, after a few years of wondering, but never questioning anyone about it.....I started repeating the word to myself....medacon....med-a-con....medddd-aaa-con......finally I figured it out. They were saying "American". American...... Medacon.....say it out loud....it's American with an Italian accent. It would be like saying ...."I am Medacon"....I am an American :)