No more sickness, please!

My mother has had this cough for a couple of weeks, and on Monday it seems she couldn't breath at all without coughing. I'm not very good with sick people. I really have high respect for nurses who take care of sick people with a happy face. It was obvious that I had to take my mom to the doctor. Monday was spent going from the doctor to the specialist to the pharmacy. I know it had to be done, but truth be told I was a bit annoyed. After taking care of four kids, and a sick mother for more than a week, I had no more patience to go from doctor to doctor.

On Tuesday, the doctor called informing us that my mother didn't have pneumonia (thank heavens!), but she did have bronchitis and she needed another antibiotic. After picking her medicine up, I hoped I this would be my last visit at least for a few months.

Today, I took James for his 5-year-old checkup and Charlton for his 18-month-old checkup. James ended up getting poked five times (vaccines and TB test), and Charlton was in need of an antibiotic; he had an infection in both ears. Just the look of the prescription made me tired, but you got to do what you got to do to keep your family healthy.

After picking up Charlton's antibiotic, I stopped by the grocery store to get some yummy treats. I had invited my primary class for a party at my house, and I had initially planned to bake the goods myself, but life is all about priorities. I was throwing this party because I had told my class that each time that the whole class memorized five scriptures, we would have a party. Last Sunday, I reviewed the first two Articles of Faith, and the three scriptures (John 15:13, Matthew 4:4, 2 Nephi 32:2) by giving them a topic and asking them to recite a scripture that related to that topic. Another time, I would have one of the class members recite one of the scriptures and have everyone else find that scripture in the book. The one who would find it before the person finished reciting it, would get a prize. That was a hard one for all of them, since they are still familiarizing themselves with each of the standard works. Nevertheless, they are truly enjoying learning and having fun with the scriptures. The other Sunday, when Elijah asked Gillian how her primary class went, she responded with a mischievous smile that her teacher made the lessons very fun.

When I had almost every of my class here, I asked them to grab some treats and sit down in the living room. Then, I inquired after their favorite book they had read lately, their favorite place for a vacation, and their favorite hobby. Their answers were definitely unique and interesting, and the kids seemed to have a lot of fun getting to know each other. When I asked them to share something special about them that we didn't know, Jefferson and James asked if they could join the party. When it was their turn to share, Jefferson said his unique thing was the fact that he was an inventor, and James said that he was a great musician. Their confidence made me laugh. If you noticed they didn't say that they aspired to being inventors or pianists; they already were so. I tried really hard to not laugh out loud, but instead I explained to the class some of the inventions that Jefferson had tried his hand on. To my surprise, most of them were impressed. I wish I were a child again, innocent and full of imagination!

After the party, Gillian had a play date with one of her friends. While the children played, I cleaned and cooked. When time for play was over, the children started their homework, after which we had dinner. Dinner tonight resembled a training session with me being the coach and my children being the players. Every two minutes, I would be calling my children's attention to sit straight, keep your feet down, close your mouth when you eat, no elbows on the table, don't talk when your mouth is full, keep your plate in front of you, etc. Either I had lost my patience, or the children were just not behaving tonight. But then again, considering my full day, I would say that maybe it was me.

I was saved by Star Trek. After dinner, Elijah took the children and honoring the Wednesday tradition, sat down and watched an episode of Star Trek with them. As soon as they go to bed, I'll follow suit.