A (Not-So) Worthless Week..but. (Throwback Thursday)

It's always funny when I look at some of these old posts and I see history in repetition.  Just like in the throwback post, the kids are sick and not a whole lot is getting done.  

Sickness is inevitable here in the desert I guess.  The temperatures swing from one end to the other

each day, making switching on the AC and the heater during different parts of the day a necessity.  For example, the high for today is in the 70s while the low is in the 30s.  Because of this, we all tend to get sick at this same period of time.  It is what it is.

The difference between this period in time and last year is that then, I basically gave up on the year, while now I instead put our books to the side and download a unit study from Amanda Bennett or someplace similiar.   Yup, I've become a mean Mommy, making them learn about Thanksgiving while they are sick ;)  I've also been throwing them some Thanksgiving themed "Color by Addition and Subtraction" pages just to keep them on their toes.

However, with all that said, there's one major thing that is exactly the same from that post and now.  We are still a close knit family..  Sure, we might have squabbles from time to time, like when we get on Alyssa's rear end for her poor grades in school or because Garrett refuses to help clean the living room, even when he made most of the mess, but we all still hug and kiss each other often, the kids still snuggle up with me when I'm laying in bed and ask me to read to them, and my husband and I still sit together on our couch and show each other affection.

This will NEVER be me - no matter how great the price

I won't be camped out in front of Walmart or Target this Thanksgiving, hoping to get a great Black Friday deal.  Instead, we will be together watching parades and football, helping each other in the kitchen while preparing a wonderful dinner together that we will enjoy. Afterwards we will decorate our Christmas tree together and drink hot chocolate and listen to holiday music.

Because 20 years from now, my kids won't remember an Ipad that I got for a really great price at Walmart after sitting outside for 48 hours. Instead, my kids will remember that family always came first and that we made some wonderful holiday memories together :)


This posting is part of the "Throwback Thursday" Linkup hosted by Tots and Me. Be sure to click over and see other Throwback Thursday Postings :)

A worthless week.. but ...

Originally Posted November 21st

This week was terrible for us. As I said in the past post, we were all sick. Out of a family of 5, 4 of us got the flu and we're just now starting to feel like normal.. Most of the week was spent sleeping in or just vegging out trying not to be too active. When we did feel well enough to do something semi-productive, Ashleigh spent it drawing, Garrett spent it playing Little Big Planet and Mom spent it scouring pinterest (which mind you, I'm addicted to) for curriculum ideas for the upcoming holidays as well as reading. Prior to getting sick, I was 2 books behind on my reading goal for the year on Goodreads, I am now 4 books ahead. Yup, thats right, I have read 6 books in the past week.. LOL

Yup.. that was basically us.. Only we didn't look this good!!!

However, this week really gave me some true insight to the closeness our family really has.

Anyone who has had a kid wonders if they are raising them right. We worry that we are either too authoritative or too lax when it comes to our parenting style... Will our kids view us as a friend but still understand that we are the parent?  I think all parents have these types of fears, especially if we grew up with broken homes ourselves. We always want better for our kids than what we had when we were growing up..  I personally came from a very abusive childhood and swore I would break the cycle...but I still worry if my actions are the right actions.. Do I raise my voice too much or in a frightening manner? Should I spank or not?? Do my kids know that I love them or are they growing up being scared of me? I know other moms who have similar worries, so I know it's not just me.

This week, with all of us sick, it was amazing to see how the kids actually fit into the family structure without any questions asked.. They say kids lead by the example set before them and I guess that means we must set a pretty good example. When Ashleigh was feeling her worst, Garrett would say "My poor Ashleigh. she's so sick".. When Garrett was feeling his worst, Ashleigh was there to hug him and cuddle him (when momma wasn't). When mom was sick, they helped clean after dinner, picking up plates and cups and taking them to the sink even though they felt rotten as well, then told me they did it because they loved me.  When Dad was sick in bed, they made sure they were very quiet to not disturb him but occasionally cracked the bedroom door to check on him.  No matter how rotten we all felt, we were all together as a family taking care of each other.  We hugged, we cuddled, we kissed the top of each others heads.. We retrieved the thermometer for one another and  brought medications to one another. (Ashleigh even read to me at one point)..

It makes me feel good to know that our family can function as one cohesive unit, even when everyone's feeling like poop..  Some families don't function all that well, even at their best.. but even at our worst, the love was strong between all of us..

Maybe we didn't get to do our math and our vocabulary this week (although I did make them read.. lol) but lessons learned were just as valuable, I think..  even if we're gonna be playing catch up next week.. LOL