Snowy prescription

It's Friday. I'm hunkered down with a sick Timmy and a recovering Brian, waiting for the snow to start. It's been a busy week, and I don't mind having to stay at home while Mother Nature gets cranky outside.

This week, I taught my last lessons until 2009, sent out my "green" (emailed) Christmas card, printed and mailed a few others, and finally got my Christmas treat list organized with a spreadsheet. (I just realized I forgot to send a treat with Abby today for her school-based occupational therapist. Spreadsheets are great but one actually has to read them.) I need to make another batch or two of cookies and I'll be all set.

Brian has been fighting a cold for a week or so, and complained of ear pain on Tuesday night and the next morning, so doctor appointment #1 was Wednesday. No ear infection, but he was pretty uncomfortable yesterday, too, so I kept him home from preschool. Timmy had also had a cold, and yesterday while I was teaching his eye became so swollen that he could hardly open it, so doctor appointment #2 was last night, at the urgent care clinic. Meanwhile, I had to attend a concert I'd been assigned to review, so while Earl was dealing with sick, crying, barfing three-year-old, I was listening to Bach in Jordan Hall and worrying about the sick, crying, barfing three-year-old and the daddy who was taking care of him.

The concert was enjoyable, but poor Timmy was put on a strong antibiotic and an antibiotic ointment for an ear infection, sinusitis and cellulitis. Doctor appointment #3 this morning, a follow-up for Timmy with our own pediatric practice, revealed that there's an ear infection, sinusitis and conjunctivitis, but no cellulitis. He seems to be improving every hour and was very relieved that there were no shots or blood tests involved. He did tell me during the appointment this morning, "Mommy, I am not shy of you, but I am shy of the doctor." The doctor -- who also saw Brian on Wednesday and thought he looked much better -- got a kick out of that.

So now, we're all home, save for Abby, whose school is letting out at 12:30. Earl will pick her up and hopefully I can persuade him that what we really need on a cold, snowy, blustery day is a nice fire in the fireplace. I'll make cookies, try out some fancy hot chocolate from one of my students, and we'll have a family snow day. And when we tire of that, there are always movies-on-demand.

We're all warm, cozy and on the mend. A little forced hibernation before Christmas week: just what the doctor ordered.