I'll never look at Scotch Tape the same again

I had the strangest, funniest phone call of perhaps my entire life today.  I still am laughing about it periodically hours afterward.  I cannot reveal who was on the other end of the call but the conversation went something like this.

Me: Hello
Caller:  Kim! are you every afraid you or the kids will get pin worm?
Me:  No, not at all, I am not exactly sure what they even are.
Caller:  WHAT!?  You are a nurse and you don't know what pin worm is.  It is so common.
Me (laughing):  How common?  I don't know anyone whose ever had pin worm.
Caller:  That is because no one talks about it, but I have been reading about it.  There are 40 million cases in the UNITED STATES, not the world, the United States, every year.  I am freaking out about this.  It is so contagious.  Kids between 5 and 10 mostly have it.  The mom worm lives in the intestines and then she crawls out the butt hole at night and lays eggs.  Kids get itchy butts.  You KNOW kids don't wash their hands, so they itch their butts and boom, the eggs spread to other kids.  It is SO contagious and so disgusting.  I am just sick about it.
Me:  Okay, I know nothing really about it, but now that you mention it, when Ava had an itchy butt they did check for worms.  She didn't have 'em, but really they must be easily cured or people would be talking about it.
Caller:  No one talks about it because who is going to admit they have butt worms?  Oh my goodness!  It is so gross.  Parents have to go into their kids room with a flashlight at night and look for worms.
Me (laughing harder): Wait.  That cannot be true.  I am sure there is a way doctors can test for them.  I cannot imagine a ton of parents being willing to look at their kids butt in the dark with a flash light.
Caller (sort of laughing, sort of in a mild panic):  Well, some do.  I don't think there is a test.  I read that doctors have parents stick a piece of scotch tape over their kid's butt hole at night and when they take it off in the morning if they have pin worms they will find a bunch of little tiny white eggs.  That is not all they find, Kim, sometimes the MOM WORM is ON THE TAPE.  These worms are totally visible to the human eye.  That is disgusting.
Me (laughing almost hysterically):  I cannot wait until you get this.  You are so paranoid about it, I am sure you are GOING to get it because that is the law of nature, Dear.
Caller:   I KNOW and that is making me MORE paranoid.  I had a slight itch on my butt and I stuck scotch tape right on there.  I was so afraid of taking the tape off!!!  I finally worked up the nerve and Thank goodness it did not have a white eggs or a worm!


And that readers is the point in which I completely lost it- lost it.  I was laughing so hard I couldn't speak and thinking about it now I am gasping for air.   Who gets a small itch and then sticks tape on their butt;)?  HILARIOUS, absolutely hilarious.

I am totally shipping my friend a box of scotch tape.;)

This friend DOES read my blog, but I know she'll be too shy to comment since after I calmed down she informed me.  "If I get it, I won't tell anyone either, except maybe my husband cuz if I had it, he'll have to check with scotch tape too.  I wouldn't even tell my mom....and now we are back at the original problem.  People aren't talking enough about this and it is a huge problem!"

OH!  and for all of you rushing out to buy scotch tape.  It IS true that there are 40 million cases, but I've done some reading myself this afternoon.  They are mostly in the south in warm climates....ha ha ha sunny weather folks;)  Also, it is very easily curable.   You just take a pill.  There is an big chance of reinfestation, hence the 40 million cases and not 40 million people.  AND guess what, if you wash your hands, your in good shape.

Good day, good day.  I am totally laughing at said friend's expense, I know, but she's a good sport.  On a more serious note, I know no one talks about it, but seriously, anyone brave enough to comment on their own experience?  I have met no one with this "common" thing....and 40 million does seem like an awful big number.  We do lice checks in school and I looked it up and the incidence of lice is only 10 million a year...crazy.  Now, I am laughing imagining "scotch tape" testing instituted in schools across the country.  I am so immature.

Our Beloved (or not) Window Pecker

I posted last week about the blasted cardinal that was repeatedly attacking my windows.  I just wanted to get a moment of sympathy by making sure you all know HE IS STILL HERE AND STILL PECKING.  I've tried everything short of killing the bird.  I can't say I haven't considered the possibility of that final option; he's darn lucky my favorite color is red!

Indeed there is a little nest in the tree outside our backyard, but the stupid bird still pecks repeatedly.  I am confident at this point it is because he has suffered brain damage.  The websites say he does it to attack his reflection.  They also say they return to the same window.  Not our feathered friend.  He pecks when it is sunny, he pecks when it is cloudy.  There is no reflection and he still pecks.  The window is covered and he still pecks.  He has waged an all out war against our house.  He is even pecking at the second story windows now.  Ava was pretty freaked out by that prospect.  Having him peck the ground floor was annoying; having him outside bedrooms is downright terrifying apparently.  She keeps saying, "MOM!  We have to do something about this bird.  Pretty soon he is going to peck his way through the Window."  I sure hope not....for then I too would be completely terrified.  He's surely deranged...perhaps I am too.

I honestly don't notice much anymore.  It's a permanent part of the background noise I already block out.  The pecking ranks in there with the constant "momma, momma, momma" I hear all day.  If he gets inside, it'll definitely be a situation I'm completely ill equipped to handle.  For the meantime, I just kind of hope he kills himself.  I am totally over being sympathetic.  I've have read and applied the advice of bird experts and tried to help him.  Now, like a rebellious teenager, he just might have to learn from his own mistakes.

He is Risen!!!

Our Easter weekend didn't turned out quite as planned.  The adorable outfits I'd purchased for my children remained on hangers in closets as sickness took over our home.  Still, even in PJ's with snotty noses, we were able to celebrate our risen Savior!

Chloe's first time painting her "Thank You, Jesus" Cross 

Before we know it, her's will be all neat and pretty just like big sisters 

Phin kept telling Chloe, "Jesus died on the cross, Chloe, he did!"

Putting our pipe cleaner Jesus in the tomb after talking about the crucifixion

sealed tightly...

Putting our pictures at the foot of the cross....because Jesus died for each of us

That was Friday.....BUT next came SUNDAY.  HE IS RISEN!!!!!!

It was fun to open the resurrection eggs and see how much more of the story the children recite along with us...more and more each year!

Resurrection rolls for breakfast in celebration of an empty tomb.  Praise you, Jesus!  You conquered the grave.

(Note- I didn't write in detail about each activity because I have blogged about it before here;)

Pinkalicious Party!!!

Saturday was Ava's 6th birthday party.  I cannot believe she's six!  She counted down the days to her party and she's still talking about it almost a week later.  I pray she never outgrows the thrill she finds in celebration.  The theme this year as Pinkalicious.  Pinkalicious is a children's book series; the title book is about a little girl who eats too many pink cupcakes and turns pink.

My baby has grown into a beautiful little lady. 

 Our table- cupcakes matching the ones in the book, strawberries, pink cupcake marshmallows, star sandwiches on pink homemade bread, pink iced animal crackers, strawberries, pink lemonade....and non pink chips;)

As guests were arriving, the girls colored Pinkalicious  pictures.  While they were coloring, I read them the book Pinkalicious. 

Auntie Karla and baby sister, Chloe;) 

Game numero uno- Pin the Cherry on the Cupcake....made by my friend Nicole (who did a Pinkalicious party last year; I totally stole her theme and this game) 

Musical Chairs with music from Pinkalicious the Musical 

Next, I read the girls Pinkalicious and the Hat Parade

Then we headed into the dining room to make our own hats. 

They had a wide array of supplies to design from... 

Here is Ava's custom creation;) 

Then we had our own little hat parade.  We chanted "Pink is Perfect! Pink is Perfect!" 

Then- DANCE TIME 

My kids never tire of a bit of dancing....Phin was completely unphased by being the only boy present;) 

 Lunch is served!

Blowing out the candles....

I love my daughter; Sure she gets so excited at birthday parties she kind of forgets her manners and is a bit too hyper for my taste, but she also is so thankful and delighted by the smallest things.  She is a sweet little girl who loves life, loves her family, and loves her friends.  I am so thankful for the beautiful little lady she is becoming.

I've yet to find the time to sit down and upload vacation pictures or pictures from Ava's birthday party.  They will be forthcoming, but today I am really pondering the blessing it is to have healthy children.

A former coworker of Marc's has a little four 1/2 year old girl who is undergoing cancer treatment.  His coworker has a way with words and reading their day to day existence on Caring Bridge is heart wrenching.  They aren't writing for pity, they are simply writing the fact, the struggles their little girls is having,  how they are working with the school to communicate with her preschool class, etc.  It is overwhelming to read and I often wonder if I'd be handling it with the grace they seem to be.

Today, if you aren't explaining to a 4 1/2 year old who loves her hair that she's still beautiful without it,  If you aren't giving your child "magic mouthwash" to numb their mouth and throat full of soars so they can somehow get down food and drink,   If you aren't watching your little one get poked and prodded over and over....say a prayer of thanks.  Our kids health is a gift, a miraculous gift that I take for granted far too often.