Our separate ways today

Oh man, I am so over this cold!  I have been down for 5 days now.  At least I am past the "sneezing-so-much-I-can't-open-my-eyes-fully" stage, which went with the "snot-dripping-on-the-floor" stage.  Yesterday I thought it was all coming together again for me.  I was up to the "flaky-nose-of-shame" stage and the "I-feel-dizzy-with-exhaustion" stage, but being able to walk around the house without a tissue pressed to my face was pretty darn awesome, even if i was still in the 'completly-blocked-up-like-cotton-wool-and sounding -it" stage.  I made it through work bravely, then collapsed at home.  And boom.  Back came the "razor-raw-throat" stage and that "mother-of-all-headaches-my-eyes-hurt-with-it".  And to top it off, a couple of new symptoms began this morning to boot: the exciting "vertigo-like-I-drunk-too-much-wine" stage and the "coughing-hurts-my-chest-and-leaves-me-gasping" stage.
Let's just say this week of school holidays has not been NEARLY as fun as last week!  I was ultra grateful to Abbie for bringing me dinner and a hoard of groceries on Thursday, although thanking her in my croaky blocked voice while looking like death wasn't so nice for her I am sure.

 And today....well today was another great big fat blessing.  Lovely(so so so lovely) friends Anne Marie and Geremy offered to have the girls for the afternoon, giving them some always great fun time with their lifelong buddies Ella and Seth.  Knowing the girls were going to be gone, and Marty had been asked to play soccer that day, I sent a text to Granny and Gramp Muz if they would like to have a "lovely little boy for the afternoon".  Mum rang me back, saying she thought Marty was a bit too old for such things.  hehehe.  They happily took Luke!

So all the family went off their separate ways today.  The girls were treated in the biggest way ever - they got shouted out to the new "Inflatable World" in Napier, where they bounced around for ages and basically had a grand time of excitement with their friends.  And the icing on the cake - PANCAKES for dinner!  Yum yum!

Luke got taken out to Pakowhai Park for a walk with his grandparents.  He wasn't so sure about the dogs that stopped to say hello, but he did love his trip out being the centre of attention and the only child for a change.  He came home clutching his beautiful art work of leaf prints that he had done proudly, and told us all about helping with the gardening.  What a special time he had.

And Marty?  Well, Marty realised how unfit he is playing soccer for the first time in years.  They lost 2 nil.  But he had fun and came home grinning and tired.

.....and I laid on the couch under a blanket with a glass of Orange Juice (Thanks Abs!) and my new blue ray copy of "The Desolation of Smaug" and watched it all, special features and everything.  The kids came home in time to see the final scenes with the dragon (Jaimee was very put out when it finished without 'finishing' and I told her we had to wait until Christmas to find out what happens next!.  That left them wanting to read The Hobbit , so we read the first half of a chapter before my voice completely gave out and I started coughing again. I even let them watch a little of the movie, just the part that we had just read!