9 Years Post Apocalypse

It's been nearly 9 years since that fateful morning that Mr. Weasel and I awoke to find our entire world crumbling down around us.  In one brutally swift moment in time, life as we knew it was over.

It was apocalyptic.

Just one short week prior, all had been right with the world.  The doctors had given our brand new baby girl a clean bill of health and we would take her home from the hospital the following day.

Mr. Weasel and I left the NICU during the evening shift change to have a dinner at home with our other children for the first time in a week.  A week that had been filled with fear, anxiety and many more questions than answers.  Yet, we had emerged from that week victorious; I had 5 healthy children, a loving husband and father and a happy home that we would soon bring our newest addition, Claire, into for the first time. 

Anxious to be away from Claire's bedside, I headed back into the car, after a simple meal and a quick visit, for the 40 minute drive back to the hospital.  The sun was shining, the sky had been almost as beautiful as her blue eyes and a warm June breeze drifted through the air.

I was possibly the happiest that I have ever been.

I cranked up the radio in the minivan and sang along with a smile that you couldn't have smacked off my face as Steven Tyler belted out words that surely had been written for me and this exact moment in time. I couldn't wait to get back to Claire and I sure didn't want to miss a thing.   A song that unbeknownst to me, was foreshadowing what was soon to come, the theme song to Armageddon.


A mere 8 days later, it happened.  Death, like a thief in the night, had stolen our beautiful baby girl away from us.  Our world ended.

Armageddon.

However, 9 years later, I am here to say that we have survived.  We lived through the trauma, crawled through the rubble, hid in the trenches and sought refuge with fellow survivors.

Though not nearly as stoic, triumphant or glamorous as Hollywood blockbusters with end of the world themes,  We Have Survived.  

Starting from scratch, we began to rebuild our world amidst the fallout.  We slowly regained hope and kept our family huddled close.  There were countless dark days before we ever felt the warmth of the sun on our faces.

Yes, I still long for the world that once was; the innocence, simplicity and luxury of naivety that we once lived, but that world is gone forever.  We live in a new world now.  We've found a 'new normal', and for all of the negatives that we have come through, it's not without positives.  We love deeper, cherish stronger, prioritize better, and appreciate everyday together more sincerely than we ever have before.

Tomorrow, I will bake cupcakes and buy balloons.  All of the Weasels will pile into the minivan and we will head to the cemetery for a somber birthday celebration, as we hold tight the gifts that Claire left behind for us.  Gifts that were tools that carried us through the worst of times; Love, Hope and Joy.

You'll Go Blind

Every teenage boy throughout the ages has heard the old accolade of "You'll go blind!", most likely from his mother at some point in time.

However, there is not one documented incidence of man, nor boy, having ever permanently lost his vision for failure to heed his mother's repeated warnings.

You may ask yourself, "Why on earth would a mother make up such an atrocious lie to scare her offspring away from such behavior?".  After all, mother's are supposed to be nurturing, loving caretakers put in place to guide their children through the process of learning, growth and maturity.

As a mother, I am here to give you the honest to God, bottom line answer to that question and to eradicate any confusion on the topic of if this act of self can actually endanger your vision.

And that answer is

----------Drum Roll Please------------

Your Mother  wasn't trying to outright lie to you.  It's just that "You'll Shoot Your Eye Out!" was already taken.

Chicago With 1 S

Yes, I am back and better than ever, if I do say so myself.

I have many people and reasons to thank for it, but one woman in particular stands out in my my mind,  for more than 6 years of intensive research, work and planning, that have not only led to me crawling out from beneath my rock but has also reminded me of how good the sunshine feels on my face.

That woman is the fantabulous, Melisa with 1 S, also known as The Suburban Scrawl.  She has no idea of what a powerful and positive effect she has on me.  How does she inspire me?  What did she do to that pulled me out of my funk and back into one of the things that I take pure joy from in life, you ask?

She wrote a book.  In fact, it is her second book.  More about this fantabulous creation in a minute.

As part of the launch celebration of her labor of love, sweat and tears, she threw a party.  A party that she knew I could not possibly resist,  A party with an open bar.  for all of the love and friendship she has given to me.  I could not conceivably turn down the opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate her success and triumph.   A party that placed me back in my element, among friends, old and new alike, that reminded me of what I have been missing out on while hiding under my rock.  She showed me once again, who I am and what I love.  She brought me back to writing and socializing with people that I enjoy.  She brought me back to myself.

I chatted with fellow bloggers and social media contacts that I consider friends.  I blossomed like a rose bush after a long winter and made a conscience decision to leave my hibernation.  Ya'll can thank or curse Melisa for that.

On top of everything else that this incredible author has done, she gave me a copy of her new book "Chicken In The Car And Th Car Won't Go".  OMW (OH MY WEASEL), this is an incredible guide to things to do and see in the Chicagoland area with teens and tweens.  Most travel guides and tips for the area are centered around families with small children and focus on petting zoos.  Melisa found a void when raising her own family and filled it!  This book is full of information on things that to see and do that tweens and teens will enjoy as much as their parents!

Not only is this a great and handy book to have if you live here there are so many  attractions in this book that I never even knew existed and are looking to have ways to fill the dog days of summer and build lasting memories with your family, this book is great for anyone with older children who are planning to vacation here.

With nearly 200 attractions listed by price, history, activity and location, there is surely something that everyone can agree on and have a blast doing.  She even includes tips on driving routes and mass transportation.  I know what my bible of Chicagoland activities is going to be this summer.

I have no idea how Melisa knew six years ago that she must take on the enormous effort of researching, compiling, editing, writing and launching this book in order to pull me out of my funk she didn't even know me when she started this process.  She must be a clairvoyant.  All I do know is that I am incredibly proud of her, amazed by her work and perseverance, but most of all, I am grateful to call her my friend.

I also know that I encourage you to buy a copy of her book, especially if you live in, around, anywhere near or plan on ever visiting the Chicagoland area.

Thank you,  Melisa.  I love you.

(Navy) Seal(s) of Approval

By now you have no doubt heard the FANTABULOUS news that Usama Bin Laden has expired after having suffered a severe allergic reaction to high velocity lead, served up to him by the Navy Seals, with the compliments and courtesies of the Red, White and Blue.

What A Great Day This Is!

It's been almost 10 years since that beautiful September morning turned into one of immense national grief.  None of us will ever forget where we were, what we saw, nor how we felt as thousands of our fellow citizens were horrifically murdered at the hands of radical Islamic madmen.

Since then, our nations military, intelligence services and Presidential administrations have worked tirelessly and relentlessly to protect our national security, citizens and allies from future attacks, as well as hunt down those responsible for the attacks.  Sunday, May 1 they had a tremendous victory and the world is a better place for it.

Sure, another crazed, hate spewing, murderous Son of a Demon is waiting in the wings to to apply for the recently evacuated position of 'Training Target for U.S. Special Forces".  Not nearly as prestigious as the job title suggests.  The War on Terror is far from over, but let this day serve as a warning to terrorists everywhere....

It's a dead end job.

My hat is off to the men and women of the United States Armed Forces, the U.S. Intelligence gathering Community, both Presidents George W. Bush and Barrack Obama for their steadfast commitment to the cause and a special Big Wet Smooch to the Navy Seals.

Job well Done!

We have won an important battle, but the war is far from over.

“We will not waver, we will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail” ~ President George W. Bush

 We Can't afford to.

Now go Keep up the good work.

Scheming, Conniving, Lying Bloggers

ARE THE ABSOLUTE BEST!

I love them and I mean that from the bottom of my unmanicured toes.

I shared with you all a week ago the recent struggles and conundrums that are taking place in Weaselville and the problems that arise in our daily lives because of them.  I vented.  I threw a tissy fit.  I released some pressure from the valve of my own fragile psyche.  I got it out.

I also got trolled because of it.

However, that didn't bother me, because A.)  I have way too many other things on my plate to make room for such an ignorant entity.  2.)  Y'all had my back in such a way that it wasn't even able to be a distraction to me.  You, my dear friends and readers were the most awesome mosquito repellent ever and surrounded me in a mystical cloud of hope and support, all the while protected me from annoying and itchy pests.

Y'all Rock.

Simultaneously, I received incredible amounts of love and understanding in the form of emails, skype chats and phone calls.  Friends to lift me up, offer a helping hand, an open ear and most of all, a compassionate place to vent.  You'll never know how much strength your encouragement and support gave me.

Meanwhile, some where plotting behind my back.  Cohorting with each other in the dark reaches of cyberspace to lend a practical helping hand to me.  This came in the form of gift cards to my local grocery store, from people that are in no better financial situation than I am.  People who lifted me up by their actions and caring words while they awed me with their generosity.  These are incredible people.

Then, I got a message from a fellow blogger and friend who has worn my shoes and been down my path.  From her experience and through her compassion she could offer me more than just empathy, but a complete understanding of the minute by minute trials that we are facing as a family.  She could offer me a solution to help our day to day lives get easier and may hold us over until the Smallest Weasel's treatment and medications are able to be effective (these things take a while to build up in a persons system and to find the right dosages, etc).

This fantabulous human being spent a minimum of 15 hours researching on the internet until she had found a link that she sent to me for Smallest Weasel to be able to order an Ionizing Personal Decontamination Unit online.  A unit that she can use to spritz down any surface, room, person or breathing area to rid them of any form of contamination from exposure to peanut butter or ranch dressing to germs.  A great new technology breakthrough that is so revolutionary it changes peoples lives.

When I received this link, I could barely wait for 6:30am to arrive so that I could show it to Smallest Weasel.  Smallest was so excited and relieved by the prospect of having such a tool in her arsenal that she was able to eat breakfast, get dressed and be in the car in time to go to school.

As of this morning, the product had shipped, but is not yet in her hands.  Still, just knowing that she will soon have it alleviated her stress level enough that we had a second morning in a row of low level drama and made it to school on time.

I wished time and time again for a magic wand to make life easier.  We all could use an easy button.  What I received in their stead was a chorus of Angels and a Fairy GodMother.  Far better than a button or a wand.

I am feeling so much better today and my life is a little easier.  It's all thanks to Scheming, Conniving, Lying, Wonderful Bloggers. 

I love this community and all the people that I come to know through it.

Thank You All!