The kids were sick and out of school for three days last week, tag that onto the weekend, and they were home, sick, for five days. J was camped out for the following three days in the living room with a more horrid flu than I have ever seen (more horrid than what the kids went through), didn’t help.
I was the only healthy one and not sure if I preferred that or not.
I’m still healthy, as the kids and J are as well, finally.
What got us heathy and what keeps me healthy?
J has a juicer and we started juicing vegetables three times a day while he was sick. It’s a pain in the butt to clean the juicer, but worthwhile, sucking down a glass of juiced kale, (which makes the juice caca–green) carrots, tomatoes, cucumber, parsley and spinach made me feel better than I have in years. Kind of like I am finally getting the vitamins I lack in the winter, or with the craziness of living on cereal as a single mother because I was too tired to fix myself a proper meal at the end of the day.
With J living with us, I actually menu plan, grocery shop, and cook. I love it and love the fact that he will eat anything I make, even if it’s a flop.
I love that I am healthier and it’s a miracle I didn’t a) get sick first this week and b) get sick at all.
Yesterday, we went to our second session of family counseling, without the kids. It’s a preemptive strike, asking questions about our parenting skills, as a team (because we are generally on the same page with how to do it, and back each other). There is a book she suggested that we’ve started reading, “1-2-3 Magic” and it it certainly helpful, if not for some new information and tactics, but also as confirmation that we aren’t doing so badly since alot of it’s tools are ones we already use.
Importantly, she reminds us the importance of knowing how our kids are feeling and making sure they feel they can communicate what they are feeling through words and not just actions (screaming, fighting, hitting).
You should see the look on Blue’s face, who just turned 7, when she says to us, “Red just looked at me funny! I don’t want her to look at me!” And then J and I say, “Really? How does that make you feeeeeeel?”
She thinks we’re wacked.
There is also the reminder that the girls are only 7 and 9, they are still children and don’t think like we do, and therefore, although we should have great expectations from our children, realize we can’t expect the world because they are still growing into it.
Recently a great comment from Blue, who turned seven last Saturday, she said, “You know Mommy, grandma told me seven was a good age, that it’s the age of reason.”
And I said, “Oh yeah? And what exactly do you think that means?”
She thought for a minute and then says, “I think it means more will make sense to me.”
and then after a pause, she goes, “But I’m still not so sure why you drink that green juice.”




Here’s Blue.
Here’s Red.

I partially love that I get ignored when J is around with the girls. Yesterday, the girls came home from school, forgetting he had driven north for his Monday night gig, shouting his name, looking for him.
This has nothing to do with this post, but here is a painting I just finished. I’m in the process of framing it now. Framing=pain in the ass.