Chasing Away Charlie Brown's Birthday Cloud

Technically, last week was birthday week for me... I reject it completely and will claim my do-over when we're all recovered from birthday week fall out.

Elliot falling asleep in the car. Her look there sums up how I felt, mostly.

For four days I couldn't drag myself off the couch. So much so, in fact, that I sent the girls to my mother's for their own safety. I kept falling asleep when I should have been keeping them out of trouble, and it seemed better to beg for help than wait for child services to show up with a run-away-Elliot under one arm and foster care papers under the other.

Maya, springy as ever.

I once thought that a week at home without the kids would be great, but as it turns out, no amount of mediocre "Watch Instantly" Netflix videos makes up for infected sinuses and an inflamed throat that no doctor will agree to treat... that was, until I begged, pleaded, and shouted "think of the children." Also, my forced recuperation was mocked by record high temperatures and lovely flowering things all over my backyard. I didn't even have the energy to drag myself out to the hammock!

Not only was the time alone more miserable than I could have predicted, but it was interrupted.

That's right, I had to drag myself off the couch to stand in line at the DMV, take the eye test in spite of the illness-induced blur, and take the stupid picture. Can't wait for that to come in the mail! It should be lovely.


But Charlie Brown's rain cloud dissipated yesterday. We had a lovely Easter morning hunting eggs around the house, and then headed off to the Minnesota Zoo's Animal Babies exhibit. This is a favorite yearly ritual, so we were lucky to all be well enough to enjoy it.


Because as of yesterday evening, I'm the healthiest one of the bunch. I'm off to administer ibuprofen and vics vaporub... This cloud will move on soon, I'm certain!