Monday, February 28, 2011

Update

I can't believe it's been this long and we're still recovering. All fevers are gone, but we're all battling this lingering cough and some fatigue. The monkeys and I got out for a 2 mile walk around the neighborhood this afternoon. It was great to get out and get some fresh air, but we were all tuckered when we got home.

I'd been planning to adhere to Meatless Monday, but Dadda monkey was exhausted when he got home too. Monkey girl slept through her Little Gym class so the kids got whole wheat chicken nuggets while Dadda and I had onion soup. We're allowed a few hiccups along the way I guess especially considering the circumstances. However, I did sit down and plan out the rest of the week's menu and grocery list. A couple of new recipes were incorporated so we'll see how those pan out. I plan to resume updating the blog every few days again so things are getting back to normal gradually. Believe it or not, I've still managed to get a few ideas (and giveaways) lined up for future posts. For now, it's bed time for all the monkeys here so I'll be back in a couple of days.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

New Flu

Our household has been hit with the new flu; the kind that shows up as negative when given a flu test. For an indication of how much I dislike going to the doctor's, I didn't even know there was a flu test. Not that it matters since our doc told Dadda monkey this is the 'new flu'. Dadda monkey goes running to the doctor if his temperature fluctuates by a tenth of a degree. I do feel a bit bad for mocking him since I got it the next day and this does suck: chills, fever, shivering, sweating, headache, horrible cough which is tearing up our throats, etc...

The monkey family is out of commission for the next few days. Dadda monkey took the rest of the week off work. One thing I do like about our doctor is that she doesn't push medicine on us, she takes a more holistic approach if possible. We're taking vitamins C and D3 and drinking lots of tea with honey. We are giving the kids Tylenol and taking Nyquil ourselves at night. This also means that work on the deck has been delayed. Hopefully next week I'll be able to post some pictures and report some actual progress. As for now, I'm heading back to bed.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Backyard Improvements

Last year I posted about the playset we bought for Monkey girl and the landscaping plans we were working on. Step 2 of the plans is currently in the works. Last week our contractor finished building the deck and it's beautiful. I can't wait for the warmer weather to return so we can take advantage of it.

It was a little more than we had wanted to spend on it so to save money we decided to stain it ourselves and complete the bottom. I'm still confused as to why the estimate of the deck wouldn't include completing the bottom. Our contractor told us it would be another $800 to do the bottom and he could recommend a guy to stain it, but that would be another cost of about $500. I have better things I could do with that money and the work/experience is good for us, right?

We have yet to decided if we're going to attempt to skirt it or take the easy route and put up lattice. I like the look of the skirt better and our contractor encouraged us to do that to better complement the deck. We're leaning towards buying a few cedar boards and attempting it on the side people won't typically see. We'll see how that goes in the next few weeks. We're not in a hurry to do that part.

We wanted to protect it as soon as possible so the past few days Dadda monkey has been researching the process and different products. This morning we headed to Lowe's and bought what we needed for just under $200. As soon as we got home, we put the monkeys down for their naps and started working on the deck. Most of the credit has to go to Dadda monkey since all I did was some taping and pulling out the aluminum balusters. It turns out 2 cans wasn't quite enough though, so the bottom stairs aren't done yet, but the rest looks great. For the next 24-48 hours the dogs are going to go crazy (which in turn will drive us crazy) with not being able to go in the backyard while the stain dries. I'll post some pictures after we get the stairs done.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

We Got Snow!

Our wish came true and on Friday morning, we woke up to a light blanket of beautiful white snow. It was only about a quarter of an inch, but that was enough to get everyone excited. Dadda monkey already had the day off, but most of San Antonio was shut down. I have to admit, while I was watching the news, I got some amusement out of watching people trying to make it around the city streets in their cars.

Monkey girl had been really eager to see snow for the first time so she was ecstatic when she looked out the window. We quickly got dressed and headed outside. Bro Bro monkey was still sleeping and I'm not sure how much of a memorable occasion it would be for him at 16 months old, so we let him continue to sleep. We knew we had to take advantage of the snow quickly before it started to melt. Monkey girl got to the driveway and laid down to make a snow angel. A lot of our neighbors were outside as well so it was a fun occasion. Monkey girl noticed our neighbors two little girls were out as well and proceeded to start a snowball fight. However, the snow we got was not the sticky kind so it just fell straight out of her mittens, but she had fun pretending to throw snowballs at everyone.



The one thing I didn't think of though was that the she was spending a lot of time playing with the snow in her hands and it was soaking through the knit mittens. Her hands were so cold and red when we came inside and they were hurting her as they warmed up. I'm going to have to find some snow mittens for both of them for any future snow adventures. However, it was still a lot of fun for everyone and the snow was all gone around noon. Next winter we're hoping to visit family in more snow prone areas. As for now, we're ready for 70-80 degree weather again!

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Snow in San Antonio

The forecast is calling for a 40% chance of snow tonight. We're keeping our fingers crossed that we start to see snowflakes around midnight. Our backyard would look a little like this picture. Dadda monkey is off tomorrow regardless and the kids have never seen snow. Yet more proof of how television can be educational is the fact that Monkey girl already knows how to make snow angels. However, they're not as effective in the pea gravel around the playset.

If it does snow we're planning a fun filled day (realistically, just the morning) of snow angels and snowball fights. The latest weather report that says the west side of San Antonio (where we live) may just get a dusting. As long as it's enough to make snow angels, I'm okay with this. Although I did contemplate driving east a bit so we could have a little more to play with. I'm heading to bed shortly and will keep the blinds open so I can see what's going on outside. That may result in me not getting a lot of sleep tonight, but the excitement reminds me of being a kid and hoping for snow days. I hope everyone's enjoying their winter weather and that everyone stays safe.