I Need a Vacation

**Please note this post is a little graphic and should not be read by persons with a weak stomach.

It has been a rough and hectic couple of weeks for me. Thanksgiving arrived and I was busy cooking, cleaning and entertaining my family. Now that it is December my kids are excited and anxious about Christmas. Our tree is up, the lights are out on our front porch, our advent wreath is up and the nativity scene is displayed. I finally got my Christmas cards addressed and ready to mail out. The excitement and activity around my house is at its peak, but this mom is ready for a vacation.

I still have a ton to do before Christmas but I am tired. Did I mention that I was going to mail out my Christmas cards this afternoon? Along with the Holidays and winter comes little interruptions. I am all set to tackle my to-do list when I must go back to my duties as a mother and the number one care giver here at the Talbert Zoo.

A bug is going around at my kids’ school. It always happens this time of year. Every year my kids are not immune to it either. Wednesday night I was up all night long with my little Monkey. He caught the bug pretty bad and exploded all over the carpet in his bedroom and the hallway upstairs. After attempting to direct him to the toilet he turned around and exploded all over the door and door frame. It took me a while to clean up the mess. But now he is feeling much better.

Yesterday morning the bug bit Little Bear. Fortunately, he only exploded once and got it all in the toilet. Thank heavens! When one kid gets sick that means the whole family is going to get it too. None of us are immune to winter bugs and viruses. Did I mention that I have my addressed Christmas cards just sitting here ready to be mailed?

Today I was headed out to the post office, which is way on the other side of town, and I got a phone call from school. “Mrs. Talbert, Your son (his real name), Parrot got the same bug that (name of his brother) Monkey had. And he just threw up. Can you come and pick him up?”

“I’m not home right now.” I was driving and usually I don’t answer my phone when I am driving. But I was using my GPS and the phone was right beside me so I grabbed it while I was at a red light.

“Can someone else come and get him?”

“No. I will turn around and pick him up. It’s going to take me longer than ten minutes because I am not home.”

While driving I began to fuss with my GPS so I could figure out the fastest way to school. Do not attempt this! Especially if you have a sleeping three-year-old in the seat behind you. I was in the wrong lane and in heavy traffic. Fortunately, God was watching over me and ten minutes later I pulled into the driveway of the elementary school.

Now I am wondering who is next to get sick. Chris has a weaker immune system due to his heart problems. Every time one of the kids get sick he does too. So far I have had a mild stomach ache. I am crossing my fingers that I don’t get really sick this weekend. Goose and Kitty have not caught the bug yet.

This weekend we still need to mail out the Christmas cards, take Kitty to her guitar lesson, make chocolate covered pretzels with the kids, decorate Christmas cutouts, and do a little Christmas shopping. If I have to take care of sick people this weekend instead of getting ready for Christmas I am going to take that vacation.

Little Bear has been asking me if we can go to the beach. I wish we could. I think he is just as sick of the cold Chicago December as I am. Or maybe he just needs a vacation.

“Mommy, after we pick up my siblings from school, then we can go to the post office, then to an appointment and then to the beach!”

“Yes I would love to go to the beach.”