March Break 2012: Monday

I'm not surprised that the girls are more interested in hanging around home during March Break than packing our week with outings.  By this point in the year, they're pretty tired of having to leave home most days in the week.  And while we do have some special things planned for later this week, Monday was an at-home day, made even more important because of Hope's slow recovery from Fifth Disease.

If you're wondering what the heck Fifth Disease is, you're not alone.  But you might be surprised to find out that you've probably had it.  Apparently 50% of kids have it at some point.  It's really common.  And really contagious.  It's characterized by a rash on the cheeks (which can spread elsewhere), earning it its alternative name of "slapped cheek".   It's called Fifth Disease because it is the fifth of the common childhood diseases in the category of ailments that have a rash and fever (such as chicken pox, measles, etc). For some reason no one has thought to rename it on the moleclular level as they have with the other diseases.  So, we're stuck with the clunky name of Fifth Disease. 

Hope's red cheeks... cleared up a bit from the day before.

Poor little one.... all red and snotty.

A bit hard to see here but the rash had spread to her arms a bit but looks more mottled than red there.

Anyway, it sucks.  Like chicken pox, it's a slow recovery. The fever hangs around for quite a while.  Lethargy, fatigue and cold-symptoms ensue.  Not fun for March Break.

Advil does wonders however in making sure that Hope has energy for at least a couple of hours in the day.  The rest of the day is generally spent cuddled under a blanket.

So, yesterday we stayed at home.  We had a breakfast of blueberry buttermilk (gluten-free) pancakes.  I made a big batch of chai.  We didn't get out of our pyjamas until noon, me included.  I started organizing all my Sparks and Brownies binders and files that I've been allowing to languish in piles on the floor around my desk. 

Finally, after Henry went for his nap, we headed outside where I started to organized the garage and the girls played in the driveway with the hula hoops and skipping ropes that have been missed through the winter.  Henry joined us for a popcorn picnic in the sun.

The barbecue was lit for the first time this year and we had warm homemade corn tortillas wrapped around tequila-lime chicken, peppers and onions. 

All in all, it was a great March Break Monday.

Today, we're riding the train to meet John for lunch.  Stay tuned for a rundown tomorrow about March Break Tuesday.