The Sick Kid Snafu

One of the things that struck me this week was the inordinate amount of sick kid snafus we experienced here in the Lyons Den.  What is a "Sick Kid Snafu"?  It's when a sick kid necessitates a swift change in your well-laid plans, often causing disappointment, occasionally causing disagreement and rarely if ever causing delight.  Here's a quick rundown of our Sick Kid Snafus in just the past four days...
 

• Monday: July 4th fireworks viewing canceled for Lyons Den tots due to Declan having a raging fever and Ciara having a tummy ache.  I did my best to disregard both minor maladies but when Declan's eyes glazed over and Ciara had a "burp plus", I knew it wasn't meant to be... a maternal instinct that did cause a brief marital disagreement and resulted in a very disappointed 6 year old!
• Monday/Tuesday: A massive midnight barf-o-rama caused a major snafu for a much-needed night of uninterrupted sleep!  Additional casualties included one comforter, one bedroom rug, one hallway rug and one very upset little lady covered in bright pink vomit.  Lessons learned?  First, do not dismiss the burp plus; it is clearly an omen of a barf plus plus plus!  Secondly, encourage wee ones to approach the endless July 4th barbecue bounty with caution; regurgitated watermelon, fruit punch and hot dogs do not make for an easy clean up!
• Wednesday:  Another, even more desperately needed night of sleep disturbed by a nose bleed.  A massive horror show of a nose bleed at 3AM.  The kind of nose bleed that resulted in another comforter casualty; thankfully the rug was spared since it was still in recovery from the bright pink barf-o-rama.
• Thursday:  A day that started with a bleary-eyed me and proved to be  a doozy of a day at work.  Lots to do, lots of meetings and then? You guessed it!  Sick Kid Snafu!  A tiny tot with a fever that insisted on rising despite ample, frequent doses of Motrin and Tylenol.  This working gal turned SuperMom donned my cape, fled the office and raced my minivan to the pediatrician pronto!  Key challenges aside from moaning tyke in backseat?  No wallet and no gas in car!  Talk about a snafu!

Looking ahead to tomorrow, I already had to cancel a playdate, once again leaving disappointment in the wake of a sick kid snafu.  Looking back on the past week, I realize there's even more in the way of plan-bashing, kid-caused upsets... there was the night Kevin fell off the couch and split his head open on the coffee table and the recent bee sting that had us all in a panic.  Heck, even the dog foiled some plans when he had diarrhea for days and required an emergency trip to the vet.  Hundreds of dollars and several postponed plans later, he emerged with a spring in his step and a wag in his tail.  The moral of the story?  As long as there are kids (and I suppose dogs!), there will be snafus.  And, much to my own surprise, I've learned to roll with them... usually with only the slightest trace of disappointment!