Murphy Strikes Again

I feel as if our family has been chasing our tails as of lately. We've been running around like chickens with our heads cut off....which seems to be completely normal for my little crew of dudes. With a wrestler in our midst, every weekend has been devoted to different wrestling tournaments throughout the state. And all of my crew is starting to display some fatigue from our efforts to create an Olympic champion (a mama can dream right??)

This past weekend was devoted to a tournament 3 hours from our home in the same town daddy was having guard drill. The travel plans were set into place, hotel booked, and bags packed. However, Murphy's Law seems to follow me around like a lost puppy. I need to introduce him to another family...mine is growing tired of his ways. The day prior to the boys and I traveling for our designated location (daddy was already there for Guard Drill...so yes, we will have 2 vehicles in the same place), our 4 year old awoke in a cloud of sick. An hour and a half, two blood withdrawals, strep test and lots and lots of tears and screams later, we were no where closer to a diagnosis than before we visited the doctor. Both mommy and son were traumatized since mommy was the one asked to restrain the poor little man so they could steal blood from both his arm and his finger. All tests proved negative, and we were sent home with sick little boy and "treat the symptoms" advice, or lack there of. I was hoping for some drugs...even a placebo would have made this mommy feel better.

Against my mommy senses and better judgement (and reports of approaching snow storm), I loaded up my crew the next morning to venture toward our rendezvous location with daddy. I have never seen my poor little guy sleep so much. Hours upon hours of the proceeding days were devoted to just that....the Sandman was holding my little guy captive. The pharmacy hath no fury like a mommy trying to "treat the symptoms" of her sick little guy. With drugs in tow, I felt equipped to successfully treat and squelch those gosh darn symptoms!

Murphy must be fast, however, because he beat us to destination, confused our GPS (which I think is somewhat schizophrenic...it ALWAYS gets me lost) and brought a blizzard on our heels. By the next morning, the roads were practically impassable with snow to our knees. Assuming said wrestling tourney would be cancelled we ventured out early for weigh-ins and then hit the road to home. Blizzard schmizzard! Youth sports are relentless....and the show must go on! So through the blizzard we ventured with 2 kids, 1 sickie, and 1 wrestler. I'm pretty sure my parents hung their heads in shame at this ill-advised decision. The defrost and windshield wipers couldn't even keep up with the driving snow and ice. I was flying blind...luckily we arrived at the gym without accident, injury, or getting stuck (which was quite impressive since I don't have a four-wheel drive vehicle and didn't quite know where I was going!).

All in all the tourney went great. My kiddo got 2nd (he's 17 and 2, by the way, just in case you wanted to give him a virtual high five!). At this point, most highways and interstates are closed with no travel advised. So we camp in the hotel with the rest of the stranded travelers trying to enjoy the pool and down time. There's only so much relaxation one can indulge upon in a hotel room stuffed with 6 people!

The travel home wasn't terrible....patchy ice, viscious winds, failing to work wipers, and freezing temps, but we arrived safely...to the news (finally) from our pediatrician that my 4 year old in fact had MONO! Seriously?! My mom guilt was raging, our pockets were empty from unexpected traveling expenses (hubby's windshield wipers quit so we had to fix that problem before departure; extra night in a hotel, extra meals for an army of 6), and now the 12 year old is home sick from school. Ugh! It will most assuredly run its course through my kiddos...only to attack mommy at the end of its reign. My laundry reproduced on its own while we were gone, and somebody made a mess of my house! See...this is what happens when they let mommy leave the house for a weekend of "leisure"!