The Kids are alright....

  We took the kids to Mayville this morning for the Alexis Soba benefit.  Thinking about Alexis and all her family has been through definitely helps to put things in perspective.  Alexis has glioblastoma (brain cancer) and has been fighting the last couple of years to remain Here.   What an amazing little girl, her strength seems unwavering.  My heart goes out to her and her family.   It was nice catching up with my Great Aunt Molly as we enjoyed our food.  The kids just enjoyed being out of the hotel for a while.   Mayville is a small town, beautiful, seems peaceful there.  My mom was with us as well and Eleanor was sad when she woke up in the car and we were back to our temporary abode and grandma was gone.  Here in this small hotel room I've been looking at some magazines my Aunt Jeanie gave me called "Reminisce" that she brought to me from her mother's house.  The pages are filled with vintage ads and photos and articles about how life used to be.  The photos are amazing and make me think of my own childhood and how things were different.  This hotel room has also helped me to realize even though my kids are accustomed to a life filled with technology and toys, even though I try my very best to keep them to a minimum.... I sometimes wonder how all the stuff tends to multiply despite my best efforts.  We've lost almost every single toy that was in the house due to the fire.  Plastic cannot be cleaned of the filth of a fire apparently, so anything plastic that was in the house was a loss, so essentially every toy.  I guess it would be normal to think the kids might be crushed, devastated, and very disappointed by this.  To my complete joy it has not fazed them.  I know some of you are thinking that they are probably too young to realize, trust me, going from our house that had what I would consider an abundance of childlike entertainment options to a hotel built for traveling business people without a toy in sight, they have noticed.  Thankfully they do have a few play items to play with that have been given by the grandparents.  What makes me so happy is that they have been opting to create their own fun.... by-passing the few toys we do have and making their own fun.  At bath time, straws have proven to be an exceptional bath time toy as they can create bubbles, hold water when elevated, and create ripples on the top of the water.  Last night they set up water bottles like bowling pins and proceeded to throw/roll the one small pumpkin we have at them.  None of the activities have required any prompting from me.  The kids are thriving and making "this" work all on their own.  I feel proud watching Ellie and Michael play school today.  Ellie spent ten minutes just trying to get him to sit "criss-cross applesauce".   As for me, I'm sick for the second time this week.  I got hit like a freight train by the flu on Tuesday, literally nothing would stay down, Jim got home just as the heaving started, thank goodness, because I had instructed Paul on some basic babysitting skills, but five years old is a bit young to be in charge of a 3 year old, 2 year old, and 7 month old..... but he was all hands on deck ready to tackle the task at hand- bless his heart.  Jim, was hit by the same bug the very next day.  Now a head cold for me..... but this too shall pass.  Fingers crossed the kids do not get any of this.  Todays trip helped me to focus on my blessings and not on my stressors.  The kids are alright, they are doing great.